#neighbors to lovers
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ᴡᴀʏ ᴏᴜᴛ (ʙɪᴋᴇʀ!ᴍᴇɢᴜᴍɪ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)
for my other megumi fic, click here (warning - smut!)
pairing: biker!megumi x f!reader (au, both are early to mid 20's)
word count: 2k
summary: you love your new apartment, as small as it is. it's in the perfect place, right next to the train station, and is cheap as hell. the only downside? your neighbour, who revs his bike outside your window every morning.
warnings: NO SMUT!, no angst!, multi part series, kind of enemies to lovers, slowburn?, megumi is kinda rude lmaoooo, the girls are fighting!, he says sweetheart twice, reader is kinda down bad lmao
a note: sorry for the delay, i've been busy with work! also, 8 square metres is about 86 square feet :).
please reblog and like, it means a lot! let me know what you think!
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The rent was cheap. Suspiciously cheap.
You should’ve been wary, but you didn’t have many options. After a bitter fallout with your roommate, you needed to move out quickly. You should’ve paid more attention to the listing, you realise, as you stop in front of the building and it sinks in that your new digs weren’t 18 square metres.
It was eight square metres.
Thankfully, you didn’t have much furniture with you, needing to sell it all to afford the move. Your apartment was essentially one long, two-story hallway, just enough for your desk chair and TV.
You get settled in quickly, trying to liven up the place by replanting your herb garden outside on your small porch. The apartment doors faced an alley, and on the other side of the alley was another apartment building. You didn’t know how much sunlight your basil would get, but that’s a problem for future you.
A problem for the current you, however, was your neighbour's motorcycle. The bike is an exact replica of the legendary Honda Super Cub that was used in the original anime Akira, and as pretty as it is, that shit is loud. His apartment is right on the edge by the sidewalk, meaning the only place he can park it is right in front of your window.
You’ve tried everything. Earplugs. Noise-cancelling headphones. Ear plugs under your noise-cancelling headphones. Sleeping with a white noise machine. Nothing works. You only moved in a month ago but you’re already sick of this mysterious man and his bike. You don’t run into each other often, catching glimpses of him as he drives off in the morning and comes home at night. You didn’t want to be that neighbour, the one that complains about every single little thing, but it was driving you mad. He revs his bike so loudly and for so long, that you’re starting to think he’s doing it on purpose.
You wake up that fateful morning and decide you’ve had enough. You wait for him to return home, hyping yourself up in the mirror before heading outside to confront him. You idle nervously in front of his front door for a few seconds before knocking.
He answers, looking exhausted, his hair a mess from his helmet. “Yeah?” You have to admit, he’s pretty cute. Tall and lean, with bicep muscles that strain against the fabric of his black t-shirt. And you swear you can see some eyeliner smudged on his water line.
You smile, trying to come across as calm and casual, slightly flustered by how attractive he is. “Hey. I’m your new next-door neighbour,” You gesture with your thumb. “I don’t wanna be that person, but would it be possible for you to not rev your engine so loud in the morning? It’s just…it’s right by my window, and it’s really loud.”
He lets out a sigh of frustration, not exactly in the mood for what you're throwing at him. It was already 9 pm on the third day in a row that he had worked the late shift, and this was not something he needed right now. He looks at you, his expression a mixture of irritation and confusion. “Look, I'm not doing it on purpose. I park where I park, nothing is going to change that. You just moved in, this is how it's been and how it's always going to be.”
You blink, a little taken aback by how rude he was being. “I understand that, but surely I'm not the only person in the building who gets inconvenienced by your bike.”
He crosses his arms, his eyes narrowing. The last thing he wants to do after a long shift is argue with someone about something as insignificant as noise. “Look, if you don't like it, then move out. I don't see anybody else complaining. You're the only one.”
You clench your jaw. You had some experience with bikes, your ex-boyfriend being a mechanic. You knew it was possible to make the revving quieter, it just seems like he didn’t care. “Can’t you just buy a muffler silencer?”
He lets out a short, sharp laugh, one that doesn't hold a single trace of humor. “A muffler silencer? For a Super Cub? Are you serious? That would be like asking a Ferrari to be quiet.”
“You can’t expect everyone to just be okay with how loud your bike is, man.” You say. “I’m sure it inconveniences everyone in the building, but no one wants to be the person that confronts you.”
He seems to be holding back from saying what he wants to say, taking a shallow breath. “Look. It's my bike. I can do whatever I want with it. No one else is bothered, so why should you be any different? Why do you care so much?”
“You’re not the only person who works early mornings.” You say. “You aren’t the only person in the world, you know.”
That strikes a nerve, clearly, but he still doesn't seem interested in hearing what you're saying. He just rolls his eyes, looking away at his bike for a moment before looking back at you. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but in case you haven't realised, you're not that important.”
“Neither are you.” You say impulsively. It was mean, and you didn’t like being mean, but he wasn’t giving you any other option.
He glares at you, his expression darkening. It's only for a moment, but you can see there is actual vitriol in his eyes. “Look, I'm going to make this simple for you. If you don't like the noise, then move out. That bike is not going anywhere. It has more meaning to me than you'll ever understand.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Akira meant so much to you as a kid,” You say sarcastically. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t keep doing this, man. Buy a muffler silencer.”
He laughs, but there's a slight tinge of bitterness to it. “Oh, so it's just a cartoon to you? It’s not an influential masterpiece that changed motorcycle and animation culture forever? Okay, great. Good to know.” He is starting to get worked up, but then he shakes his head, trying to regain his composure. “Look, like I said, I am not doing anything to this bike. Not the mufflers, nothing.”
“Then park it somewhere else.” You snap. “Keep it away from my window. I don’t want to hear that shit.”
There's a flash of annoyance on his face. “There's no place to park it away from your window unless I block the sidewalk, which I guarantee you would cause more inconvenience. You're just going to have to deal with it.”
“Are you always this rude and stuck up?” The question stumbles out of your mouth before your mind can process it.
His temper flares up. He takes a step towards you, putting his hands on his hips as he glares at you. “Are you always this entitled and self-absorbed?”
You take a step back. You hate to admit it, but the way he towers over you is arousing. His cologne fills your nostrils and you find yourself getting lightheaded. It was slightly spicy, with a hint of vanilla and coffee.
You ground yourself, swallowing hard. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you. I just want us to come to a reasonable compromise.”
He glares at you, his eyes boring into you as you step back. You can feel the heat on your skin as if every drop of sweat in his body has been activated by the situation. His cologne is overwhelming you, filling your whole body. “There is no compromise to make here. You don't like the noise, tough. You're just going to have to get used to it or move out. That's it.”
Your eye twitches. “You’re such an asshole.” At this point, you didn’t feel bad being mean to him. He kind of deserved it.
He laughs, seeming almost amused by your temper. “You're one to talk. You come barging up to my apartment, demanding I make changes to my bike, and then you get mad at me when I tell you not to waste your time. Look in the mirror, sweetheart, and then come back with the right to tell me I'm an asshole.”
Fuck. You shouldn’t like the way he says sweetheart, but it causes your throat to dry up. “I tried to be nice to you,” You say. “You’re the one that got defensive and rude.”
“Nice? Maybe in your little dreamland that's what you think you were doing. Maybe you even believe that you were just being friendly and reasonable, I don't know. But in reality, all you were doing was pissing me off and acting like some sort of entitled princess.” He takes a step closer to you, his finger pointed in your face. “But one thing is certain. I’m not changing anything about my bike just to make you happy.”
He’s so close to you that it makes your head spin. You step back again, leaning against the railing surrounding his small porch. “Look, I’m sorry, but you can’t blame me for being upset.”
He doesn't seem interested in letting you off the hook yet, not when he looks so close to snapping. “It doesn't matter if you're upset or not. You don't get what you want by coming here and giving me an attitude like a fucking brat.”
You swallow hard. Fuck. You shouldn’t be attracted to this man, he was rude as hell and didn’t seem to care that he was inconveniencing not only you but everyone in the building. But you couldn’t help yourself. He was so pretty, and he smelled so good, and his voice was so nice. You were going to have to change your panties when you got back home.
You stand up straight, trying to stay headstrong. “You’re being incredibly rude about this.”
“And you're being incredibly entitled. There's only one of us that needs to change here, and it's not me.” He narrows his eyes, his gaze still burning into you.
You lick your lips. “Look, we’re not going to get anywhere by arguing.”
He gives another one of those short, sharp laughs. He smiles, and it makes your stomach flip. “You finally said something smart. I didn’t know it was so difficult for you. Now, are you ready to accept that you're not going to get what you want, or do you want to keep wasting my time?”
Your eyes narrow. What the fuck? “Excuse me? Did you just call me dumb?”
A smirk spreads across his lips. “You heard me. Or did you need me to repeat it for you?”
You let out a sharp laugh, moving off of his porch. “You know what? Fuck you.”
He raises his eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. “Oh, so you've switched from demanding to insults? Real mature, aren't you?”
You head over to your apartment, laughing again. “I should’ve known trying to reason with you would be impossible.”
He calls after you. “You're damn right it's impossible. You come here, make some demands, and then get mad when I tell you no. You're a spoiled brat who always gets her way, aren't you? Well, today's a bad day for you, sweetheart.”
“Fuck you.” You say, holding the door to your apartment open. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I’m not sure I want to.” He says, smirking slightly. “I’m not into brats like you. I think you need to be taken down a few pegs. You need someone to put you in your place.”
You scoff and flip him off before slamming the door behind you, and just like that, you have given up.
He leans against his door, crossing his arms and smiling as he watches you leave, his eyes on your ass. He’s just a tiny bit disappointed that you gave up so quickly. He's got to admit, it was pretty fun messing with you, watching how angry you get. He thought you looked cute like that, your cheeks all red and flustered.
Maybe next time…
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part two is here
dedicated to the lovely @whereflowerswenttodie
#keikiwrites#megumi x reader#megumi fushiguro#biker!megumi#fushiguro megumi#megumi fushiguro x reader#jjk megumi#enemies to lovers#slow burn#neighbors to lovers#✿: megumi!#f!reader
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Courage | Renjun Imagine #3
Title: Courage
Genre: neighbors to lovers
Warnings: kissing, and it gets a little intense 😅
Word Count: 784
Author's Note: This story was originally supposed to be part of a group scenario for 7Dream as your neighbors. But after finishing Haechan's, I realized these might be way too long for one post. So I decided to just make them individual stories with the same theme. Also, this is a chance for me to post something for Mark and Renjun on this blog. Hope you guys like it ^ ^
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ
He had been living in the same apartment building as you have for a few months now. While he occupied the unit right above yours, and though you had crossed paths many times in the hallway or elevator, your interactions stayed limited to polite greetings and occasional small talk. At first, Renjun wasn’t aware of the quiet attraction growing between you beneath the surface of these casual encounters.
However, one morning things shifted when Renjun was performing his skincare routine in the bathroom. Below him, he suddenly caught a faint melody drifting through the air amidst the sound of running water. Standing still as he snapped on the lid to his toner, Renjun listened a little more carefully. It didn’t take long for him to discern that the heartfelt voice singing beneath his feet belonged to you.
A secret smile formed on his face, as he slowly picked up his next product to use. Just when Renjun thought he couldn’t be more captivated by you, he was proven wrong. As the days turned into weeks, Renjun found himself looking forward to those mornings when you sang in the shower. He would purposely adjust his morning routine to coincide with your sweet melodies.
On one restless night, Renjun was kept awake by the thoughts of you swirling in his head. Despite knowing so little about you, there existed an inexplicable connection that made him believe that you two were meant to be more than just neighbors. After tossing and turning in bed, Renjun decided that he couldn’t bottle his feelings anymore.
Without allowing room for second thoughts, Renjun swiftly rose from his bed and slid into his white sneakers. Not wanting to disturb the other tenants who were likely asleep, Renjun quietly made his way downstairs to your unit. He stood outside your door, his heart pounding loudly in his chest. Gathering all his courage, he knocked softly.
Seconds later, the door cautiously opened to you in your thin-rimmed glasses and cozy gray pajamas. Although you were usually awake past midnight, it wasn’t like you expected people to come by during this time. Your eyes widened at the sight of Huang Renjun, clad in a beige cardigan and black pajama pants, standing right at your doorstep.
When you noticed the slightly unsettled expression he was wearing, your eyes flickered with concern. You’ve never seen him look so…anxious.
“Renjun, is everything okay?” you asked, keeping your voice hushed.
The boy let out a deep sigh, struggling to keep his nerves in check. “No…I couldn’t sleep because I was thinking about you,” Renjun admitted, his words carefully forming as he realized he should have planned this better.
You stared at the boy as if he just spit out some outrageous fact. “Me? What about me?”
Unable to contain his emotions any longer, Renjun made the decision to pour out his feelings. He started to express how he had heard you singing in the morning and instantly fell in love with your voice. Your heart raced as you silently processed what he was saying.
“I know it might sound weird, and I promise I wasn't stalking you!” he hurriedly clarified. “But your voice... It's so beautiful. Even though we haven't spoken much, I can tell you’re a lovely person, and—”
Before Renjun could finish his sentence, you gently cupped his face and smashed your lips against his. Typically, you were a very reserved person— especially around someone who was just an acquaintance. However, maybe it was because you had also been secretly crushing on Renjun for ages, his confession ignited something within you.
He quickly melted into the moment, gently pressing his hand on your back as he responded to the kiss without hesitation. Gradually, your fingers became tangled in Renjun’s hair. Your lips moved together slowly, tenderly, consumed by the unspoken longing that had lasted for far too long.
The two of you pulled back, both breathless with reddened lips and tousled hair. Renjun’s eyes locked onto yours, his heart soaring like a rocket. “So…I take it that you like me too?”
In that moment, you were conflicted between wanting to cry, laugh, or roll your eyes. Trying to maintain your composure, you nodded lightly.
“Huang Renjun, you have no idea.”
Renjun smiled again and pushed the door open further before reconnecting your lips in another passionate kiss. Kicking off his shoes, the two of you stumbled towards the couch, your lips never parting. You collapsed onto the soft cushions, wrapped up in each other, and the outside world faded away.
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#nct dream#nct dream imagines#nctzen#kpop#czennie#renjun#huang renjun#renjun x reader#injunnie#renjun scenarios#nct dream x reader#renjun imagines#neighbors to lovers#neighbors au#kpop imagines#nct dream fluff
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hi! happy new year idk if you have any neighbours to lovers kind of prompts and maybe boss and employee too? i hope it isn’t much to ask but i really love your prompts
I’m so sorry that this has been in my inbox for so long, but I gotta say I’m very very excited for these prompts. Im going to do neighbours to lovers so let me know if you still want boss and employee.
Neighbours to Lovers OTP Prompts
Prompts
A’s shower breaks so B let’s A use theirs until it gets fixed. B didn’t anticipate running into A, fresh out of the shower with wet hair ans a towel, and they are very okay with it.
Upon discovering that A hasn’t seen movies that B considers “absolute classics”, they start a routine of A coming over every week to watch one.
A drops by B’s house for a few minutes when a storm hits, trapping them both inside for as long as the storm lasts.
A takes pride in their garden, filling it with flowers and bushes. B, who is useless at gardening, asks A to teach them how to garden (mostly as an excuse to see A hot and sweaty in the sun).
A has taken up a new instrument and B can hear them practising. B is an expert at said instrument and texts A advice and feedback.
A’s appliances keep breaking so they keep asking B to fix them since “it’s cheaper than a handyman.”
A is a real estate agent who’s been trying to sell the house next to B’s for years.
One of the windows in A’s house faces into B’s house, so they use it as an excuse to eat meals together (if it faces into the kitchen) / watch TV together (if it faces into the living room).
Oneliners
“It’s not fair that your house has power and mine doesn’t.”
“The walls are thinner than you think.”
“Call it a belated house-warming present.”
“I’m sorry to call you so late but I’m in a bit of a . . . situation and you’re close enough to help me immediately.”
“I’m having an impromptu barbecue— wanna join?”
“The postman keeps sending your packages to my house.”
“My house isn’t on fire, I’m just bad at cooking.”
“Do you come here often?” “. . . I live here?”
“My downstairs neighbour has been blasting music all night, can I hang out here until they stop?”
“Your place is gorgeous. You have to help me decorate mine.”
Also see:
Reasons for your characters to be in close proximity
Person x Person prompts masterlist
Prompts masterlist
#writing prompts#otp prompts#neighbours to lovers#neighbors to lovers#neighbor prompts#neighbour prompts#writing oneliners#dialogue prompts#fluff prompts#angst prompts#brotp prompts#writing inspiration#fanfiction prompts
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sweet arms
(aka iwaizumi hajime’s arms)
that’s it. that’s the tweet.
summary: iwaizumi and you share a laugh over ice cream
(this happened during high school era! my fav <3 )
warnings: this is my first time posting my writing and i wrote this at 3 am. please don’t take it seriously. also a little itty bit of implied nsfw at the end if you squint, but it’s majorly fluff.
tags: childhood best friends to lovers and mutual pining (does neighbor to lovers count?)
tbh i really wrote this for the ending. so the parts leading up to it are pretty nonsensical and humorous.
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it’s a hot summer day and you and iwaizumi walk to the grocery store to buy ice cream. being neighbors and childhood friends, the two of you practically do everything together. which is why after buying the cold sweet treats, the two of you head to your “secret hideout”.
a long time ago you had discovered a large willow tree out of sight of any passerby’s, and deemed it a secret hideout. naturally, being close friends with iwaizumi lead you to sharing your finding with him. the two of you often hid there and played with action figures. iwaizumi was usually godzilla, and you often played as king kong. each battle had a different outcome, and neither of you had any clue who was going to win until the final move. recently, neither of you brought the action figures. you were both in the third year of high school, so you didn’t play with them as often. only occasionally.
most days, the two of you liked to talk and joke about the most random things. perhaps a neighbor was opening her mailbox while wearing pajamas with ducks on them. maybe one of you had spotted two children wearing a large trench coat trying to enter the movies. not all conversations were about the people living in the same city, but a lot of them were.
today, the two of you are joking about a little girl who bit into a lemon at the grocery store earlier.
“i saw her picking up a lemon when her dad’s back was turned, and she bit into it! and she made the funniest face. it looked like-,” iwaizumi says scrunching his face.
you laugh really hard at the face he’s making and try to imagine what the girl must’ve looked like.
“and when her dad turned around he didn’t see the lemon at first so he looked like a fish out of water trying to figure out what was happening!” iwaizumi laughs while imitating the confused dad.
seeing iwaizumi open and close his mouth repeatedly made you laugh so hard you start shaking. your stomach hurts from laughing so you lightly punch iwaizumi in the arm as revenge.
he feels something cold touch his arm so he stops and looks down. you notice him pausing so you look down as well. iwaizumi is wearing a tank top and there on his bare arm is a smear of ice cream. you forgot you were holding ice cream when you punched him since you were laughing so hard.
“oh my bad! did we get any napkins?”
“no, we didn’t.”
you panic and use the only solution you can think of at the moment. you lick the ice cream off his arm.
the two of you short circuit. there’s no way that you just did that. no way. you were hallucinating. totally.
iwaizumi on the other hand was still processing what just happened. his mind is blank before it floods with thoughts. his best friend -no, his crush- of who knows how long just licked his arm. he’s not sure if you like him back the way he does, but he prays you do. did you not know what you were doing to him?
“oh my god. im so sorry. i shouldn’t have. what was i thinking??” you ramble.
“hey, it’s ok,” he responds in a calm voice. in a quieter one he adds on, “i kinda liked it.”
your eyes open widely; you had heard what he whispered. although flustered, you tease him back.
“it sure tasted nice. your arms are so yummy.”
#iwaizumi haijme#haikyuu iwaizumi#hq iwaizumi#iwaizumi x you#iwaizumi x y/n#iwaizumi x reader#iwaizumi x gender neutral reader#haikyuu!!#haikyu x reader#iwaizumi fluff#iwaizumi drabble#iwaizumi oneshot#haikyu fluff#childhood friends to lovers#mutual pining#neighbors to lovers
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Bad Dog
Fandom: Monsta X
Genre: Smut, natch.
Word Count: 12.6k
Pairing: Kihyun x OC
Trope: Neighbors/strangers to lovers
Synopsis: Quiet, studious Kat has had her nose to the grindstone her whole life, never more so when midterms are just around the corner--that is, until her neighbor’s howling dog derails her study plans completely. If she ever hopes to get her focus back again, she may need to take a more hands-on approach to taming one very bad dog.
The Vibe: Fall full moon promises, Halloween suburbia, quiet and driven college gal who’d really just like to focus on her mid-terms, noisy and mysterious neighbor who’d really just like someone to focus on him, spooky supernatural ambiance, overt werewolf agenda, building entirely too much tension leads to intense climax (lol double entendre), a lot of masturbation lol, trespassing, corruption undertones, feral smut/mating, ultra messy sex, very vocal Kihyun (duh), chains, heat, power, unrealistic staying power, everybody’s strung the fuck out and on hyperdrive thanks to supernatural hormones
A/N: Changing up the post schedule a bit (Shownu next week) to accommodate for thematic rhythm and flow, so instead, please howl at the moon with me. :D
A howl thundered through her house, shaking Kat from her thousand-yard stare into her tea cup. She had nearly tapped the last of the midnight oil on her finals cram session and hadn’t even realized she’d zoned out, but judging by how cold her tea was, it had been a while; maybe she’d even been asleep. Had it not been for the howl, who knew how much longer she’d have stayed that way.
Flustered, she sat up and rearranged her desk, hoping it would wake her a little, but that damn dog took care of it for her. Another howl, this one longer, was the shot of adrenaline she needed. This had been going on for most of the last two nights, and she knew exactly which neighbor was responsible.
Kat stared across the street to the cute ranch with the tidy, fenced-in yard. It was almost three in the morning, but every light in Yoo Kihyun’s house was still blazing.
Despite the fact that her window directly overlooked his house, Kat never really thought about her neighbor. She’d known him most of her life, but she used that word loosely—it was more like she “knew of” him. Kihyun was a few years older than she was, and by the time she was a freshman, he was ready to graduate, so aside from the few random days when his car was in the shop and he had to take the bus instead, they rarely saw each other, even in the hallways.
He had graduated college already, and she’d heard through the neighborhood grapevine that his parents had passed away, one right after the other apparently. Instead of selling the family home, he’d moved back in, and for a while, things were just as they’d always been. Kihyun had gotten a cute little puppy, and whenever they were out, he’d wave at cars as they passed by. He was a regular neighborhood fixture just as his parents had been, so Kat hadn’t really thought about him but for the occasional smile he lobbed her way when she pedaled by on her rides to campus.
But all that changed abruptly a couple of months ago. She wasn’t sure what had happened, but since then, if it weren’t for the lights on all night long, she would have assumed the place was empty. No one ever saw Kihyun anymore. She had no idea when he went to work or when he came home—if he even did—but she’d willed herself to forget it. It wasn’t her business, and they weren’t friends. He could do what he wanted… so long as he kept that damn fluffy white menace quiet!
And it was baying again. Great.
Kat had no idea a Papillion could make such a damn racket, but the little thing could definitely yowl with the big dogs. It wasn’t super often, once a month maybe, but whenever it did, it was every night for a few days. Maybe Kihyun was out and the dog was lonely, but it didn’t matter. It was incredibly grating, especially when she had so much on her plate.
She tried to ignore it and slipped on some mindless lo-fi to focus, but it was like the dog was calling specifically to her, and even through the dull beats, she heard it. With no hope of cramming any more Mesoamerican anthropology in her head, Kat resolved to tackle her other problem.
Hastily, she scrawled a note and stuffed it into the waist of her yoga pants before she pulled on her boots and crept down the stairs, careful not to wake and worry her parents. Bad enough she’d had to move back home from the dorms this year, but living once again under the same roof after tasting true freedom had been an adjustment, especially since they were such light sleepers. She didn’t need a three-a.m. round of Twenty Questions.
Kat eased the front door shut behind her before she tip-toed across her lawn and darted into the empty street. It was dead silent outside. The air was calm and chilled, and she pulled her sweater tighter around her to keep it from seeping into her bones. It was a cloudless night, the full moon casting shadows under the creaking fingers of naked trees. Skeletons leaned stock-still on white picket fences while jack-o-lanterns gaped with shadowy, toothsome grins. The last of the fall leaves had blanketed the road, and they scritched and scratched underfoot as she made her way across.
Kat slipped the latch on Kihyun’s gate and made her way to his front door. It had been painted a glossy crimson that, in the front lamplight, looked like fresh, wet blood, and a little shiver that had nothing to do with the autumn cold traversed her spine.
With a heavy swallow, she withdrew the note. Her hands were shaking. This wasn’t her MO. Kat kept her head down, she stayed in her own lane, she focused on her school work. If it weren’t for the dog’s howling, right now, she’d be—
Just then, she realized she hadn’t heard the dog since the moment she’d come outside. It was like the damn thing had watched her from a window with the express purpose of making her feel like a fool, but she saw no cameras to prove that, which only made her feel stupider. She went to crumple up the note, but just as the paper began to crinkle, she heard a low growl somewhere inside that whipped up again into a bark and, finally, a fresh howl.
That sealed it. Kat taped the note to the door, and with one last glance into the buttery light suffused through the living room curtains, she hurried home.
She was too frustrated to study now though, so she stuffed in some earplugs and curled up in bed with an uneasy feeling, or maybe restless was a better word for it. Perhaps it was the work she’d abandoned or it was the way she’d felt seen even when she’d been alone outside, but it was hard to close her eyes. Things felt… unfinished. Worse yet, now her body felt spring-loaded.
An urgent throbbing between her legs begged to be relieved, and clearly, there would be no chance of sleep without release of some kind. Kat wasn’t used to this. She’d been far too consumed—and too exhausted—with schoolwork and her internship at the museum to care about self-pleasure, but every muscle in her body seemed to have spooled tight to the bone, and for the first time in her life, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep without satisfaction. She needed it—had to have it.
With a resentful sigh, Kat rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. She didn’t bother undressing, simply slipped her hand under her leggings and headed straight to her sex. She was shocked to find herself soaked. There wasn’t any reason for it, and yet, the damp fabric of her underwear clung to the back of her hand as she parted her folds and broke the dam. Her fingertip pressed into her warm seam and easily gathered enough mess to spur a quick and commanding rhythm around her clit.
With all her work, it wasn’t often that Kat felt the need to touch herself, so she didn’t generally have preplanned fantasies to spur on her desire, but tonight, things came all too easily. Flashes of chains, of white-knuckled hands on wrists and waists, of tits furiously bouncing and cock wickedly hammering between shaking thighs, flooded her mind along with the dopamine.
It only took a few circles of her clit to feel the desperate claws of ecstasy already pleading to break through. The intensity and the demand stunned her.
Still, Kat focused on staying perfectly quiet. Though self-indulgence like this had always been rare considering how close she was to her parents’ room, she had practice of course. It should have been easy—it had always been easy—but tonight, as her ass coiled down into the mattress only to spring up like an enthusiastic jack-in-the-box, she let out a strangled moan. She was mortified and, worse still, terrified at the mere thought of being overheard, but her body didn’t care. It insisted on relief.
She panted wantonly, like a bitch in heat, as she came harder than she’d ever imagined on her own fingers. Her hips jerked as her core spasmed, and her thighs snapped like a bear trap, pinning her hand to her heat as she felt the quakes in her walls.
When, at last, she came down from her tremendous peak, Kat laid there stone-faced, staring blankly past the popcorn ceiling.
“What the hell,” she whispered numbly.
Even worse, she didn’t feel any better. She felt that wash of sweet relief, but already, her inner spring was winding again.
She tried to will her hand from her pants, but something in the back of her brain told her there was no point. She was going to have to put it back again in a few minutes anyway, so she left it webbed to her throbbing, puffy lips for an inevitable second round.
And true to form, before she knew it, she was rubbing herself off again, seeking that same sort of cataclysmic finale she’d just had, and while she came just as quickly, it was far less fulfilling. She was missing something. The need was still there, more potent than before, but imagining someone pinning her down and fucking her through several orgasms wasn’t the same as giving them to herself.
A river of arousal raced down her slit, and she hurried to roll on her side, but it was too late. It puddled in a patchwork on her underwear, and she groaned into her pillow. Kat was a neat and clean girl—she especially abhorred sticky messes—but she was overwhelmingly tired, so she gave in to her exhaustion without addressing the mess. Dimly, in the back of her mind, she knew she shouldn’t, that this wasn’t her, that she had turned some kind of corner she shouldn’t have, but she didn’t care enough, and her eyes closed.
To her absolute horror, Kat woke up moaning and shaking from yet another release, this one spurred on by a dream of dark, rapacious eyes bearing down on her as her foul-mouthed lover filled her with load after load of his seed and begged her to take “just one more round.”
She rolled into a ball, her body still trembling from release, and whined. What the hell was wrong with her? She had so much she needed to focus on—classes, midterms, work—and she’d never had a problem staying focused on them, but it was like a switch had been turned on inside her, and it was stuck on.
Again.
Her dream lover’s voice was cool and low, both desperate and commanding.
Need you again. Need your cunt, baby.
Kat couldn’t shake it from her mind. He was living in there, somewhere deep in the shadows of her most primitive self, possessing her, and he didn’t even have the dignity to be real.
She really needed to change her underwear, but when she willed her eyes to look at the clock, she realized she’d overslept, and there was no way she was missing her Magic, Witchcraft, and the Supernatural Body anthro course when it was her very favorite.
Kat spared only a moment to make a quick pit stop before she grabbed her backpack and thundered down the stairs. She jerked open the front door to find Yoo Kihyun, of all people, waiting on her front stoop next to the corn husk scarecrow and the cotton spiderwebbing her mom had put up that weekend.
“Oh!” she shouted as she jumped back. She figured he might laugh at startling her, but he didn’t even crack a smile. His fist was still raised mid-knock, eyes narrowed and nostrils flaring. When she finally managed to steady her thumping heart, she asked, “Can I help you?”
“Kat Bishop, right?”
She was floored, not just at the fact that Yoo Kihyun knew her name despite the fact that they’d never exchanged much more than pleasantries, but that his voice was a dead ringer for the one still echoing in her oxytocin-saturated brain.
Give me one more. I know you can, baby. Good girl.
She shivered, and she swore she saw Kihyun’s eyes darken.
Still, it didn’t change the terse edge to his voice. “What’s the deal with this note, lady?”
Her neighbor shoved a crumpled piece of paper back in her face, and when Kat unfolded it, she found her note from last night.
Startled, the only thing she could think to do was feign ignorance. “How should I know?”
“You wrote it.”
“Unless you saw me, I’d say you have me confused with someone else.”
“I know you wrote it,” he repeated with the certainty of someone who had seen her, and Kat began to question herself.
She’d been extra circumspect crossing the street and trespassing, especially because she didn’t want the bad neighbor stigma to fall onto her parents. She definitely hadn’t seen anyone in the windows, and she hadn’t noticed a doorbell camera, but that didn’t mean the guy didn’t have some other security system. Who knew what he got up to in the weird hours of the night?
“Look,” Kat said warily, “I gotta get to class…”
“‘Please control your dog or I will control it for you,’” Kihyun read aloud in an unamused voice. His eyes caressed her from head to toe before he cocked an eyebrow. “You really think you could control my dog when I can’t?”
“Um,” she hedged. Kat felt totally powerless beneath those swirling black eyes, and yet, she was also provoked by how presumptuous he was acting—as though any of this was her fault. “I didn’t write it, but since you asked, yeah, I mean, I could. That little thing could fit in the palm of my hand. Can’t be that hard.”
The paper twisted and ripped under Kihyun’s suddenly vicious grip. In the deafening silence that followed, she heard the fierce pummeling of his breath. He was watching her, his eyes flicking from hers to her lips, and Kat had to look away.
“You’re welcome to come over any time you want and try.”
Even though his voice was low and firmly controlled, Kihyun’s words thundered through the foyer. Kat couldn’t tell if it was a challenge or an invitation, and despite the fact that either way felt like a red alert, that same restless energy that had plagued her through every howl last night itched under her skin and up her thighs to the pit of her belly.
She swallowed hard.
But Kihyun surprised her yet again by turning on his heel and stalking down their sidewalk back toward his place. The further he got from her, the easier it was to remember anything other than the way his wild eyes had preyed upon her.
Kat was anything but a confrontational person. She’d never been in a fight, and she always folded at the first sign of an argument. She was the girl who sat in the back of her class, afraid to raise her hand lest she look stupid. And yet, something inside her was screaming at her not to let him leave.
“Hey, wait!” she shouted, though instead of assertive, it came out more like a pathetic beg. “Aren’t you going to say you’re sorry?”
“For what?” Kihyun asked over his shoulder.
“For waking the whole neighborhood with your nuisance dog?”
“You should apologize for not coming over to take care of it since it’s so easy for you.”
“Kihyun?”
He stopped dead in his tracks. Blood swooshed in Kat’s ears. At the last possible second, she bit back the apology that had almost tumbled out at his command. She had nothing for which to apologize, yet she’d barely been able to stop herself.
Slowly, Kihyun turned around, his chin jutting slightly. “Yes, kitten?”
The pet name stunned her, so badly she felt dizzy. She gripped the door frame to keep from stumbling. “Just—keep your dog quiet!”
A flash of disappointment dulled his sharp features before he retreated into his house.
Kat stood shaking on her doorstep. It wasn’t like they’d had some blowout confrontation, but she was thoroughly unnerved. Despite Kihyun’s gruff tone, she wasn’t afraid of him—far from it (she’d been on the receiving end of his stunning smiles enough times to know they were warmer and more open than any she had ever seen). No, she was overwhelmed by his intensity—she could feel it washing through her—and she was glad she hadn’t bothered changing her underwear because they would have been ruined all over again.
Which was how she remembered she was late for school. Kat scrambled to her bike and spent the next fifteen minutes on the most uncomfortable ride of her life.
Despite her back-to-back lineup of favorite classes, she spent the day reeling from her run-in with her neighbor. Sure, he’d been irritated, but that was no doubt because he’d been called out for his own irresponsibility. She didn’t feel badly about leaving him the note, but she also wished she hadn’t.
“What’s wrong with you today?” her friend Clara asked over lunch.
“Didn’t sleep well last night,” Kat confessed.
Clara chomped on her salad as she appraised the jittery blonde in front of her. “Shouldn’t that make you sleepy, not antsy?”
Kat shrugged. “I think I’m just stressed about midterms.”
“That’s fair, but don’t forget to take care of yourself, okay? Your cheeks have been red all morning. You sure you’re not coming down with something?”
“I don’t feel sick…” Kat said as she considered.
“Either way, here, eat my orange.” Clara plopped the sunny fruit in front of her friend and waited until Kat started to peel it before she resumed eating.
But even as the zing of the citrus bloomed across Kat’s tongue, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Maybe Clara was right, and she was coming down with something. She’d been feeling increasingly warmer as the day wore on though the first chill of winter had settled in this week.
Kat had one more lecture in the afternoon, which she barely made it through despite the fact that it was the last class before her midterm. She simply didn’t have the energy to focus on the screen and instead found herself squeezing her thighs together under her desk as the words “Need your cunt, baby” babbled out of perfect bow-shaped lips again in her mind.
The ride home was even more excruciating, filled with the uncomfortable press of her messy underwear against her sex while sweat beaded under her collar. At one point, she had to stop and strip off her hoody down to her cami just so she could feel like she could breathe again.
When Kat turned onto her street, her eyes immediately made a beeline toward Kihyun’s house, and to her horror, she realized she’d steered there, too, before she quickly jerked the wheel back to her yard. She scrambled up to her bedroom and locked the door behind her as though that would keep her from charging across the street and banging on her neighbor’s door.
“What the heck is wrong with me?” she whined as she flopped onto her bed, but she could only stand it for a moment before she got too hot and curled up on the floor.
Realizing how ridiculous that was, Kat marched into the bathroom and took her temperature but found everything perfectly normal. Still, she popped a few ibuprofen for good measure and hoped for the best, but nothing changed. She skipped dinner with her parents, claiming she was studying, and returned to the floor to stare at the ceiling. She contemplated a shower considering how sticky and gross she was, but she couldn’t convince herself to get up. It wasn’t what she needed, but she also wasn’t sure what that thing was.
As the sun sank below the horizon, Kat’s hunger finally got the better of her. She made her way to the kitchen with a symphony of grumbles from her empty stomach, and as soon as she opened the refrigerator, she realized how truly famished she was. She ate her fill of everything she could get her hands on, but she was still hungry, though nothing in the pantry could satisfy.
Dejected, she returned to her room and slumped over at her desk. She was far too restless to study—well, study anything that wasn’t Yoo Kihyun’s house. The other neighbors’ houses danced with fabric ghosts from their trees while a big inflatable pumpkin bobbled in the breeze, but Kihyun’s yard was tidy and bare. As usual, every light blazed in his little ranch though nothing moved inside. No howls cut through the night yet, but Kat was sure they would—they had to.
And that was when she realized that was what she’d been waiting for. She wanted an excuse to go over there. That wasn’t rational—she still wasn’t sure that Kihyun’s invitation was sincere and not just bait to piss her off—but it didn’t matter. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to feel that charge she’d felt in his presence instead of this uncomfortable agitation she’d felt ever since. Something about that felt… right. Necessary, even.
It wasn’t until well after midnight—when her eyes had glazed over and the bloated moon angled just so to spotlight his house—that Kat heard the first howl.
This one was different than those she’d heard last night and even the night before. This one was long and warbling, like a desperate cry for attention, and it had hers instantly.
Kat sprung up from her desk and raced down the steps, not caring tonight about the noises she might be making. She didn’t even bother with the pretense of a sweater over her cami. She needed to check on that dog immediately. It sounded scared, maybe even hurt, and if Kihyun wasn’t home, someone had to look out for the poor creature.
Cool night air bombarded her heated skin, and for the first time since yesterday, things felt good. The world was wide and dark, and for all intents and purposes, Kat was free. She charged across the street, wind in her face, but she slowed to a creep as soon as she approached his quaint porch.
Maybe it was the sobering effect of the fresh air, but now that she was standing on his doorstep with her hand raised to knock, she felt stupid. Aside from the fact that she had absolutely no idea what she was doing, this wasn’t anything like the young professional she’d always pictured herself to be. Retreat before she was caught mid-stupidity was the only logical option.
Then another bay echoed through the house and shook her bones. She could feel her whole body lurch like a game of tug-o-war that she was about to lose. A second later, frantic scratching scuffed the bottom of the door along with a multitude of pathetic yips.
Kat knocked twice, still managing to maintain the pretense of self-control even if her fist begged to hammer on the wood. The dog barked twice as dramatically now, and she heard the telltale scrapes of a jumping pup on the other side.
“Hello? Kihyun?” she called out in the loudest whisper she could brave.
No answer except more whines and yips.
“Hello? Is anybody there?”
Yip yip yip!
“Um, Kihyun? It’s Kat from across the street. Everything all right in there?”
This time, she heard a fresh howl from somewhere far deeper in the house backed by the little dog’s yelps on the other side of the door.
So Kihyun had gotten a second dog…
Whatever the case, he wasn’t answering, and both dogs sounded frantic to the point that worry overshadowed whatever weird thing it was she’d been feeling all day. Her hand fell to the knob, and before she could think, she’d turned it.
The door eased open as the little cream-and-coffee face of Kihyun’s Papillion bullied through the crack, fluffy toes tapping with excitement. Kat was relieved to find the pup so eager and happy, but that relief washed away with the frantic baying that greeted her the moment her foot had wedged in that door.
Her heart quickened.
“Kihyun?”
No one answered and no other dog came running.
Kat stuck her head in the crack and peered around the living room. It was awash in lamplight, bright with the ivory of the walls and matching carpet. The sofa and chairs looked like they’d never been sat on. The walls were studded with family portraits and a frame of Kihyun’s school pictures from kindergarten through graduation, and in the far corner, there was a fireplace, rarely used by the looks of it.
On the opposite side of the door was a dining room, also sterile, as though it hadn’t hosted a meal in many holidays, though it was meticulously cleaned and polished. Just beyond the bulkhead, she could make out the shadows of the kitchen, but everything was empty.
“Kihyun?” she called again.
No answer except the little claws at her ankles as the pup bounced up for attention. Kat patted its head and took a hesitant step inside.
“Kihyun? Anyone? Hello?”
This was so stupid. She was trespassing, and obviously he had a security system somewhere, even if she still couldn’t find it. The cops would probably show up any minute and interrogate her for forced entry, and what would she say?
“I had to, officer! The dogs sounded lonely?”
Kat dragged her hands over her face to steady herself. In case the security system recorded sound, too, she shouted, “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m going to go. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
The second she started to back out, the unseen dog yelped and yelped and yelped, and that sealed it. Kat thrust through the door and closed it behind her to make sure the fluffy ankle-biter didn’t escape and add another layer of shame to her intrusion.
It felt like Kat had walked into a museum. The place looked perfectly preserved, as though these rooms were used as nothing more than a diorama of what a typical American home would look like. The carpets were plush and vacuumed with precise lines, the chairs were pushed in evenly, and the crystals in the chandelier were dust-free. Aside from the click of claws on the linoleum entryway, it was quiet now in the house.
Kat tip-toed through the main rooms and headed for the kitchen first. It was also pristine, but at least there were signs of life here, like trash in the garbage can and a full refrigerator. It was small and utilitarian, with a pantry and a door to the backyard. She peered through the window there but found the yard empty.
All clear, she retreated down the only hallway in the house now. On the left, there was a small, dated bathroom, and right next to it was an office with a well-organized desk and a shuttered laptop. At the end of the hallway was the only other room, the master bedroom. The closer Kat got to it, the more embarrassed she felt.
And something else. Something… responsive.
It was like every atom in her had stirred until she was jittery with the thrill. A warmth spread through her belly and down her legs, and it felt so good, she’d almost forgotten why else she could be prowling around a stranger’s house.
What if she got to his room and he was sleeping? What if he woke and found her in his doorway? Would he scream and call the cops? Would he throw her out? Would he throw her on his bed and fuck her?
A moan caught on the inside of Kat’s lips, and she struggled to keep it in. Something was wrong with her—very, very wrong. These were not the sorts of things she did. These were not the things she fantasized about.
At last, she reached the doorway and, to her surprising despair, found it empty. This room, however, was the only room that looked truly lived in. The sheets were a rumpled mess, the pillows were strewn about the bed, and clothes were tossed haphazardly on the floor.
Kihyun wasn’t here. It was time to leave, but Kat couldn’t. Instead, she entered the room—she didn’t have a choice—and to her utter horror, she climbed slowly onto his bed. The sheets were cold, but she was burning up more than ever as she curled into a ball in the middle of his mattress, tugged a pillow under her head, and drew his shirt to her face.
Kat inhaled stale sweat and musk. It should have been gross but it wasn’t. It was enticing. The irrational urge to rub herself all over it overwhelmed as did the even more horrifying urge to rub herself. It was the same undeniable feeling that had consumed her last night, only a hundred times more potent. With just a touch, she would climax, she was sure of it, but she had just enough left of her sanity to stop herself before she violated her neighbor’s home any further.
Quivering, she leapt off the bed, but her foot tangled in the sheet. She tumbled into a noisy heap on the floor. Panic washed through her. Kihyun would know someone had been here. He would know what she’d done and he would definitely call the police and she would go to jail forever. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes. She had to go now.
Obviously, he wasn’t home, so the only thing in the house that was making noise was Kat. Whatever other dog had been making those sounds, it sure wasn’t the cute little puddle of fluff at her—
Wait. There was no sign of Kihyun’s dog now.
“Here, puppy,” she called in a hoarse whisper. When the dog didn’t return, Kat whistled, but still nothing. More panic flooded her as she started to question whether she’d actually closed the front door after all.
Kat padded down the hallway, but didn’t find the puppy in either room. Likewise, the dining and living rooms were still empty. At last, she checked the kitchen, where, to her infinite relief, she found the puppy prancing like a show pony at the pantry door. She figured that was where Kihyun kept the dog treats, and since she’d already invaded his home, she might as well apologize to the dog before she left.
The moment she opened the door, a whoosh of cool air blew through the room, and the puppy took off, tiny paws wheeling as it skittered back with a little cry.
It wasn’t a pantry at all. It was a basement.
As with every other corner of the house, the light was already on, and she realized this must be where Kihyun kept his other dog. Considering it was a new addition to his family, he’d probably locked it down here to keep the two separated when unsupervised.
Kat listened at the top of the stairs. She didn’t hear any cries or howls like before, but she did hear something else, something like metal dragging on concrete.
A chain, she realized. He’d chained up the other dog.
At least that would make it safer for her to check on it since this dog sounded much bigger than the palm-sized pup in the living room.
Kat whistled softly again, and she heard the chain snap tight. She waited for a series of growls or barks, but none came. Finally, she started down the steps.
“Hey, little guy, I just want to make sure you’re okay,” she said in her most soothing voice in hopes it might comfort the dog. “Don’t bite me, okay? I’m a friend.”
The last two wooden stairs squealed as Kat stepped on them, and she heard pacing now backed up by the swish-swish-swish of the chain.
And then she heard something that made her blood run ice cold and then magma hot.
“Go home, Kat.”
She froze on the bottom step. She couldn’t see around the wall unless she tipped forward, and somehow, she hoped against hope that if he didn’t see her, they could blame it on a waking nightmare they’d both had after delirious exhaustion.
But he’d said her name. He already knew who his intruder was. It was all inescapable now.
And why didn’t he sound angry? Why did he sound so scared of a girl half his strength?
“You need to leave,” he continued.
“Kihyun, I’m really, really sorry. I swear I just wanted to check on your dogs. I was worried—” she blubbered, eternally grateful to the drywall for holding her up under her tremendous humiliation.
“I don’t care. You’ve got to go. It’s not safe for you here.”
The last few words scattered her embarrassment as quickly and thoroughly as soap to grease. Kat risked a peek around the wall and was grateful a second time that it was there to keep her upright.
She expected to see a Doberman or Rottweiler, some big, fierce dog ready to launch itself at her face at its master’s command. She did not expect to see her neighbor tethered by a thick leather collar to the wall.
Kihyun was unmistakable in the center of the unfinished basement. There were no chairs or furniture of any kind around him, just bare cinderblock, exposed ductwork, and a mattress in the corner with a balled-up sheet. Several bottles of water rested near the head of the pathetic bed, and that was it. With nothing left to focus on, Kat studied the man at the center of it all.
Kihyun was clothed in a thin gray tank that was so drenched through with sweat that even from her awkward vantage Kat could see the dark circles of his nipples. A pair of matching sweatpants hung low on his hips, revealing the arc of his hip bones in the little channel of skin between his clothes. He was barefoot, his skin slapping the concrete as he paced. Red scratches adorned his forearms and collar bone. Though his hands were free, his neck was padlocked to a huge chain ending in a wall bracket. He stared back at her wild eyes beneath a fringe of dripping hair, which had begun to turn silver and gray these last few months.
He smelled dirty. He smelled good. So good. Dizzingly good, almost to the point that she could taste his sweat on her tongue.
He licked his swollen lips the moment their gazes locked.
Her foot slipped off the bottom step, and Kat stumbled into the basement, landing hard on her knees with an “oof!”
Kihyun pulled to the end of his chain, but he was too far to do anything more than shout, “Are you hurt?”
Red-faced and aching with a lot more than just knee pain, Kat fumbled back to her feet and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. She could see the way the collar pulled at his throat and hear the way his voice constricted. “Me? Forget me. Kihyun, oh my god! What happened to you? Are you okay? What do you need me to do?”
Kat stumbled a few steps forward, but he recoiled as though someone had yanked back on his chain.
“Stop!” he commanded. “Don't come any closer.”
“I’m just trying to help you,” she said softly. “I know I’m not supposed to be here—”
“You’re not.”
“—but I was worried. Please let me help you.”
Kihyun turned his back to her as he huddled in the furthest corner. His voice was stony with an edge of something just a bit sad. “You don’t know what you’re doing. It’s fine. I’m fine. Just go.”
“Kihyun—”
“I’m supposed to be here. You’re not!” he boomed, and even though it was meant to be scary, it just made him sound vulnerable. He checked himself, running his hands over his diamond-beaded brow and through his soaked locks before he continued more calmly, “Look, I shouldn’t have said anything to you this morning. That was a mistake—that wasn’t me talking—but we’re both going to pay for it if you don’t leave right now.”
“I’m not going to leave you like this, are you kidding me? I'm calling for help.” Kat turned back toward the steps, but Kihyun growled, and for a second, the marrow in her very bones froze. It sounded so animalistic and far too familiar.
When she looked back at him, he was crouched in his corner, the light from a single bulb dimmer there and darkening the angles of an already angular face though she still caught a flash of pearly white teeth when the corner of his lip twitched.
“Don't need help. Not that kind of help.”
“Kihyun, be reasonable. You’re chained up and scratched up!”
He was panting now, his tongue lolling out of the corner of his mouth. “It's almost over. Almost. Almost… Just leave it. Go, please.”
He was so adamant. Kat knew she should listen, but that didn’t change the fact that he was a man tied up to a wall. What other reason could there be for that than someone had left him there to suffer?
“Kihyun—”
“Stop saying my name!” he barked and punctuated it with a harsh thrash of his chains.
“I don’t understand.”
“I know, I know. Which is why you have to go before you do.”
“I can’t leave you here,” she mumbled.
Still in his crouch, Kihyun crawled forward slowly. With every stride, the muscles in his forearms rippled as he closed the distance between them. “Do it, kitten. Last chance or I will have to do something.”
Kat’s heart was beating out of her chest. It seemed to be the only muscle she could convince herself to use.
“What are you going to do?” she whispered.
His clawed hand reached forward with another step as his eyelids drooped. Every exhale was ragged and followed by a rumble in his chest. “I’m going to—”
Suddenly, Kihyun stopped, frozen mid-crawl beneath the light halfway to her. His shoulders glistened with perspiration.
“Damnit, kitten,” he seethed, “you still haven't showered?”
“Still—” When the realization hit Kat that he could smell her across the room, her whole body flushed crimson. Mortified, she mumbled, “I don't see how that's any of your business.”
“Of course it's my business. It's for me.” Lower now, in a borderline hiss, he added, “I can smell it. You’re almost ready— It’s time to—god, if you’d just let me—”
“Kihyun, you’re not making sense.”
“Your fault,” he said with another lurch forward. “The way you smell…”
Kat sniffed her hands, but all she could detect was the faint waft of cucumber hand soap. “Maybe you’re having a reaction to my soap?”
“Not your soap. Your pussy.”
Instinctively, Kat muffled her ears. “Kihyun! Oh my god!”
But he was too far gone into whatever fever gripped him to care. His mouth hung open panting for air beneath eyes of burning coal.
“If you—fuck, kitten—if you don’t get out right now, I’m not going to be able to contain it much longer. I’m at my limit. I’m not sure this chain will even hold me.”
She should leave like he said.
Instead, she whispered, “Contain wh-what?”
“The beast inside me. It wants you. It needs you. I bet you feel it too, don’t you, baby?”
“I—”
He was nearly at her feet now, just a few inches short of arm’s reach. The chain was taut behind him now, bobbing with the rise and fall of his chest. Kihyun resumed his crouch, hands on his knees as he looked up just as his cute little dog had, only his eyes weren’t soft and round and imploring—they were the eyes of an animal waiting to strike.
He sniffed the air, and those cold, hungry eyes narrowed. “My scent is all over you already. Why?”
Stunned, Kat couldn’t form so much as a hum.
“Why, kitten?”
Her panicked eyes flicked around the room to anything that wasn’t the half-man, half-beast at her feet, and all at once, he sighed with understanding.
“You were in my bed.”
Kat covered her face and whimpered. “Kihyun, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do it. I don’t know what came over me, and—”
“Did you cum on it?”
“What!” she screamed and turned her back to hide her horror. “No! I—”
“It’s okay. We’ll get to that eventually anyway, kitten.”
Her mind was spinning like a top, and the more Kihyun said, the more she wobbled. She knew she was going to fall, and Kat had no control over it. She grabbed the sides of her face to steady herself, but it just made it easier to focus on the waves of heat from the man behind her colliding with her back.
“What’s happening?” she murmured. “Why do I feel so… fuzzy around you?”
She heard a growl from that other mysterious dog, and she whirled around only to find Kihyun still crouched on the floor, furiously shaking his head like he was trying to shake something out of it.
“It’s my fault,” he said. “Because of what I am. Because of what you are to me.”
“Neighbors?” Kat asked, voice trembling.
His head drooped. “You weren’t meant for this. You’re so… innocent.”
The way Kihyun said it sent a shiver up and right back down her spine—as though he was both ashamed and tantalized by it.
“I can’t pull you into this,” he mumbled.
Kat hesitated but she didn’t run. “We might be strangers, but if you need my help, I’ll help you, Kihyun. Just tell me what to do. I don’t want to leave you like this.”
His hands tightened around his biceps so hard his knuckles blanched. “You don’t want to or you can’t?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t want to leave me or you can’t? There’s a difference, Kat, and it really, really matters which it is.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, and she meant it. The closer she was to him, the more frantic her emotions were. She could barely process all that she was experiencing.
Kihyun stared up at her expectantly. His bangs clung to his brow, and his lower lip jutted as he craned his head back. She wished she knew the answer he was looking for because despite the sharpness of his features, he looked achingly soft and easily broken by the wrong one.
“I—”
His head lifted a little higher.
“Um, well, do you really want me to leave?” Kat backpedaled. “I mean, this is your house.”
Kihyun tightened into a ball, face buried in his arms. He nodded at his knees even as his trembling “no” resounded off the cinder block.
“Then tell me the truth,” she said. “I mean, I’m sort of majoring in people, you could say. I might understand more than you think. You can trust me. Who did this to you?”
“I did it, with a friend’s help.”
“Okay…” she said slowly. “So, you did this on purpose?”
“I have to, especially this month.”
Kat had to remind herself to breathe, and she exhaled as quietly as she could. “Why?”
“I'm not a person anymore,” Kihyun whispered softly.
“What?”
“I'm not like I used to be.”
“Nobody is,” she assured, but he shook his head.
“No, Kat, I'm not… human.”
Her heart slammed in her ribcage. It was a metaphor—it had to be a metaphor—and yet, goosebumps prickled her arms. Gently, she insisted, “Of course you are.”
Kihyun kept his face hidden in the cage of his arms, but she could see the way his back expanded with every dramatic breath. “There’s a beast inside me, an animal, and it wants to get out. It has to get out.”
“W-what kind of animal?”
He looked up at her suddenly, and the world stopped.
“You know what kind.”
In her mind, Kat heard that howl again, only this time any pretense of domesticity had been scrubbed away. She could no longer automatically assign that window-rattling bay to the eight-pound powderpuff upstairs, not when there was a wild, collared man at her feet.
She chewed her lip as she tried to reorient her upside-down mind. “Um, in class, I learned some indigenous tribes, when they ate certain plants, they would get these visions that—”
“It’s not a drug or a hallucination, Kat,” Kihyun snapped, and with a thrust of his hands to the floor, parts of him transformed before her eyes.
The muscles in his forearms flexed and swelled, and the hair on his arms darkened as claws clicked against the concrete. A mossy green sheen flashed across his eyes, there and gone again like an animal in the headlights. His mouth widened with his heavy panting, and she caught a glimpse of wicked canines. Kihyun snarled, and there was nothing remotely human about it.
Kat was terrified, but her body didn’t seem to understand that. Her sex throbbed painfully between her legs, and she squeezed her thighs together in hopes of stopping it.
“How—um, how did it happen?”
Kihyun’s claws squealed like nails on a chalkboard, and her hands clamped over her ears. “There’s no time for that now. Can’t you see I’m losing the last of my control, baby? There are things it needs, like fresh meat and moonlit runs, and there are things it wants. I'm down here because of the things it wants. If it weren’t for this chain…”
He licked his lips and pulled again, the metal grinding as the links stretched to their limit. He breathed deeply as he lunged toward her waist, a rattle in his lungs the same as the one Kat imagined rabbits heard when cornered by a wolf.
“I could smell you on my front porch, you know,” Kihyun said in a voice as sinister as his words. “Smell you so good this morning, baby. Your scent was all over that note, and I could finally follow it to you, my pretty kitty. I knew. I knew then why I’ve been like this.”
“Like what?” she asked hesitantly.
“Smelled you everywhere. It’s driving me insane. So hard, so hard. Can’t focus on anything else, not when I know my mate’s so close.”
A red ring had sprouted above his collar as he pulled relentlessly on the chain. The pressure made his every word sound even more desperate than he looked, strung out on the floor, hands braced against the concrete, sweat dripping from every pore, eyes narrowed to slits beneath unkempt fringe.
“You’re hurting yourself,” Kat warned, but Kihyun didn’t back off. Maybe he didn’t even hear her.
“You’re hurting me more, kitten. My cock’s been so hard for so long, and now I know it’s because of you. You’re the only one who can make me feel better. You were meant for me.”
That should have sounded crazy. Why didn’t it sound crazy? Why wasn’t she running for home like he’d warned?
“Kihyun, you don’t know what you’re saying…”
“I know what I’m saying, baby. The wolf won’t let me keep it in anymore. He wants out. He wants in…”
Those gold-green eyes flicked down to her leggings and fixated on the puff of her lips under the tight fabric. Saliva pooled at the corners of his lips.
“Need you,” he seethed. “Need you.”
It was getting harder and harder to be modest in the face of such flagrant lust, but Kat covered her core with shaking hands, and Kihyun thrashed against his chains.
“Don’t hide yourself from me, baby. Fuck, don’t you want me, too? Can’t you feel me already inside you?”
Despite all reason, her hand dropped away, and Kihyun grinned, broad and deranged and full of very pretty white teeth. She swallowed hard and asked, “Don’t you have, like, anyone you can call for this? You must know a hundred girls who’d take care of you?”
He shook his head fervently. “Don’t want them. Only want you. It has to be you. You’re the only one who can handle me. You were made to handle me.”
“This is crazy.”
“Not crazy, no. I was made to fuck you, kitten. Don’t you feel that? Don’t you know that? That’s why you’re wet right through. It’s for me. It’s all for me. God, baby, tell me it’s for me.”
“Kihyun…” she whimpered.
He ran both hands back through his hair, slicking the strands together into a suave, dangerous look that redefined all his wicked edges. “Fuck, it sounds so good when you say my name, kitten. Say it again. Tell me you’re mine, that you’ll always be mine. That I can fuck you as much as I need to to feel better.”
“Kihyun, I—I barely know you.”
He cocked his head to the side like a puppy. “But you know you’re mine, baby, don’t you?”
“I—”
Why was she fighting so hard? He was right, she could feel it. She knew it. Despite all his warnings and all her sense, she was still here, just a few steps away from something she’d never dreamed possible, and she hadn’t run. If anything, she wanted to run to him.
“Yes,” she said slowly, and his head cocked to the other side, waiting on her next words. “Yes, I’m yours.”
Kihyun rocked back on his heels and tipped his head up and let out a howl, real and textured and so triumphant that it made her whimper. When his eyes returned to hers, they were clipped by his smile.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” he sang, one finger beckoning. “Let the big bad wolf get you.”
Kat took two shaky steps forward, which was all he needed to grab her by the waist and tug her to him. His nose nuzzled at the apex of her thighs, each little bump against her hidden clit sending her reeling. Her hands fell to his wet hair and stroked him as he hummed under her touch.
“Yes, yes, yes. Mine,” he said as he pressed her harder against his face.
Just like last night, Kat was unbelievably sensitive, but it was made even worse by the fact that a very feral, beautiful man was on his knees for her. Given another minute, she would cum just like this, with that rigid bridge of his nose parting her clothed folds and his teeth nibbling at the tender flesh of her inner thigh.
But then Kihyun withdrew from her and stood back up. He was only a few inches taller than Kat was, and yet he loomed over her.
“You understand now, don’t you, tiny one?”
Kihyun looked down his own body, and inevitably, her gaze followed until she saw that tantalizing jut of his ferociously hard cock in his sweatpants.
“Gonna give it all to you,” he murmured over and over as he circled her, the chain hissing along the concrete.
Her face was beet red, as much from arousal as embarrassment. She was so far out of her depth, it was laughable, but that only seemed to please the man behind her. One clawed hand gripped her throat and tilted her head up to bring her ear closer to his mouth. Hot breath filled the shell and sent shivers down her spine.
“So innocent… Do you know what you’re doing, kitten, or have you just been saving yourself for me, hm? Waiting for me to find you...”
Kat barely had the will to shake her head. “N-no, I’ve done it before.”
“I see,” he said as he centered himself in front of her again. His face fell a little before he regained control. “But you’ve never had anybody take a firmer hand with you? You need me to tell you all the things you should be doing, don’t you?”
“Yes… I want to make you feel better, Kihyun.”
He smiled at that, this time softly, before he took her hand and placed it on the granite beneath his sweats. “You feel that? That’s what you do to me, kitten. That’s what you’ve been doing to me day after day after day. It’s so bad, baby. I’m going crazy for you. That’s why I’ve been calling for you. I need you.”
Kat ran her hand along the delicious mystery and marveled. If she didn’t know what she was touching, she might have mistaken it for something like iron.
“You’re so, oh,” she moaned as she squeezed his hidden base, “you’re so hard.”
Kihyun grunted. “Nothing else can make me feel better than my pretty mate and her pretty pussy.”
But Kat was lost in the breadth of his gluttony for her. She’d only ever messed around with an old boyfriend, but he’d never wanted her like this nor had she craved him the way she was craving her neighbor. Her cunt pulsed shamelessly in her pants, calling for him the way Kihyun had been calling for her. It was agonizing. It was everything.
“Okay, foreplay later. Fuck now!” he roared as he swatted away her hand suddenly. With a glance at her leggings, he added, “Take them off before I rip them off.”
Kat obeyed immediately, shimmying them down as fast as she could, but it was tricky. They were glued to her core by her obscene arousal and had constricted around her legs with the prickles of excited sweat. While she toiled, Kihyun grabbed a fistful of his tattered tank and ripped it clean off at the seams. She barely had time to step out of the last leg before he howled again and tossed her back so she landed with a bounce on the mattress.
He swatted her legs wide and dove into the space between. With one sweep of his hand, he pushed the band of his sweatpants down and unsheathed his cock. It was painfully red and leaking profusely from its fat tip, and Kihyun whined as his hand closed around its hilt. With his thumb pressing on her swollen clit and his woman whimpering even more than he was, he nestled his cockhead at her entrance and pressed in.
Kat cried out, not from pain or even ecstasy but from pure, unadulterated relief. The itch she couldn’t scratch, the need she couldn’t sate, the lust she couldn’t answer—all of it unwound with their union.
“More, Kihyun, more,” she pleaded.
The sweat at his brow dripped down to his jaw and then to his chin as he concentrated all that was left of his restraint on resisting the greedy begging of her cunt. His fingers dug into her thighs, and his teeth bit his bottom lip. With every breath, his chest rattled. “Gotta take you hard, kitten. No choice.”
“Please!” she screamed and arched in invitation.
And with one snap of his hips, Kihyun bottomed out in her walls, both of them shouting at the electricity their union had generated, but before they could savor anything, raw nature took hold, and he did as he had to. He railed furiously into Kat, her whole body bouncing on the mattress as he pounded her into the springs.
It wasn’t long—a few minutes at best—before he managed between his grunts, “Gonna cum. Gotta cum.”
And Kihyun collapsed onto her body, his hips stuttering a few deep stabs as he shot his hot load in her. His skin was blazing, like a heated blanket set to high, as he whined into her neck.
“Fuck,” he said between panting, “fuck. I feel like I can breathe again.”
He sat up on his hands, his cock still buried inside her, as he stared down at Kat. He managed a wobbly smile and brushed her own sweaty locks of blonde hair from her face.
“You did so well, tiny one,” he praised. “Took me just like your meant to, but that was just the first round, okay? It still hurts from all these months without you.”
“Months?” she said through a very dry mouth.
“Yes, baby, month after month of hard cock without my kitten’s warm, wet little pussy, and, oh shit, I have to fuck you again.”
“Now? We’ve barely even—” But Kat didn’t have time to catch her breath before Kihyun was rolling his hips between hers again to her wanton moan.
“Stay still. Take it,” Kihyun ordered. “You’re going to take it.”
She nodded, but she was so dizzy with lust that the room spun a little. It was best to just lay there and listen as she’d been told.
This time was slower, more fluid. He filled every inch of her with devastating purpose, and it was more pleasure than Kat had ever known. She tried to wrap her legs around him, to hold him carefully in place, but Kihyun was looking for something else.
“Show me everything, baby,” he commanded.
He clamped his hands at the meat of her thighs and parted them as wide as they could go, and when they were just as he wanted them, he pushed them back to raise her pussy up to take him deeper. His thumbs curled around the back of her thighs to stroke her swollen lips on either side of his cock.
“You seeing this?” Kihyun whispered. “Seeing the way I take you, tiny one? You see the way you suck me in so deep?”
Kat lifted her head and looked at their juncture only to whimper at the sight of his impossibly hard length swallowed greedily by her pink heat, a halo of cream around his base. She collapsed back onto the mattress and tossed an arm over her eyes to concentrate on the way he stretched her out so perfectly. It was unlike anything she had ever felt and exactly the thing she’d been craving all day. She felt… complete.
“Now, that I’ve got some of my control back,” he murmured, “I’m going to take such good care of my girl that she’ll never want to leave me.”
Kat’s eyes rolled back in her head as his thumb now rested on the swollen cherry blossom just above her entrance.
“N-never...” she babbled.
As Kihyun returned to his full, emphatic thrusts, Kat keened helplessly beneath him. His thumb felt so good making quick circles on her clit, so much better than her own ever had, and she wondered briefly why she’d ever bothered trying when no one and nothing could ever service her better than this man—this stranger—ever could.
And yet, the deeper he fucked her, the more she realized there was nothing strange or unfamiliar about this. She’d been dreaming about this—him—for months without ever knowing it.
“Damn, kitten, you feel so good. Can’t ever be without you again,” Kihyun praised as molten droplets of his sweat dripped onto Kat’s mound. “Would you like to cum with me this time, kitten?”
She nodded furiously and begged, “I’ll do anything, please, Kihyun! Please, please, please.”
“So eager to give me what I want. Let me return the favor.”
He fucked her faster now, the primal sounds of filth and lust rebounding off the concrete. Behind him, the chain clanked, and above her, Kihyun grunted with every fuck.
“Gotta fill you again. Take it all, baby. Cum with me, and take it all deep inside you.”
“Oh, oh my god!” Kat wailed as her chest thrust up with a tremendous burst of ecstasy. Her nipples tightened sharply as her walls constricted and her clit throbbed. Shivers of pleasure released from head to toe as her center worked to draw her lover as deep as he could get inside her.
Kihyun howled above her with the same ear drum-rattling power she’d heard for days. This close, it harnessed pure ferocity and a mind-numbing intoxication that had her body responding with an immediate second orgasm, and dimly, she heard howling again, only this time, it wasn’t the dog or the wolf.
It was her.
With another load of cum pumped safely in her walls, Kihyun collapsed atop her and kissed Kat for the first time. It was sloppy and carnal, their mouths stale from their panting, but there was a neediness in it, too, different from the hard need buried in her cunt. This was grateful but intimate, the kind of kiss that transferred a desire beyond sex.
And then gingerly, Kihyun withdrew to the edge of her core, but instead of withdrawing, he eased back in to his hilt. Kat sighed into his mouth and shivered in his grip.
“Let me know if you can’t take anymore,” he said with another gentle thrust.
“How are you still—ah!” Her nails sunk into his shoulders, and he nuzzled into her neck, kissing her salty skin and grunting softly.
Kihyun fucked into her again, this time more forcefully, and Kat felt a fresh burst of warmth in her core as he came again with a pathetic cry into the hollow of her throat. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him tight to her hips so none of his lust escaped her.
“It’s my rut. It’s not supposed to be this strong, but since I’ve spent all these months without my mate, it comes worse and worse every time. I’ve needed you so badly, baby, you have no idea. I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so glad you’re mine. Making me feel so good. Never felt so good, baby, never ever. It’s you. It’s you.”
One of her hands petted the back of his head down to his shoulders, and he whined just like a needy dog.
“I’m here now, Ki,” she said, and this time when he howled, it was low and happy, tapering off into greedy kisses along her shoulder.
At last, he disentangled himself from her and pushed up onto his sinewy forearms. He looked down at her with so much gentleness, Kat thought her heart might explode. They didn’t know each other at all, and yet, the way their eyes connected their hearts, she felt like she always had.
Her fingers danced around the collar at his neck as she asked, “Can't we take this off now? It looks so painful.”
Kihyun leaned his head into her hand as she brushed back the hair from his face. He smiled wanly before he said, “Not yet, baby. Soon. It’s still not safe.”
“Still?”
Finally, he withdrew from her core, and a white river of their arousal surged behind the broken dam. Kat cried at the filthy sensation, and the second Kihyun’s eyes flicked down to her smothered folds, he snarled.
“Again.”
“Oh my god, already?” she asked incredulously.
“Again.”
He rolled Kat onto her hands and knees and tugged her hips up so her ass was pointed high in the air for him.
“I need one more,” he begged. “Please, kitten, gotta have one more. You can take more, can’t you?”
She mumbled a pitiful yes, and his hands squeezed the meat of her hips.
“Of course you can. You know why?” he grunted.
“Because I’m yours?”
“Because you’re mine,” he echoed and drove harder into her softness.
The new angle seated Kihyun just inside the wall of her belly, and with each impalement, Kat could feel the very head of his cock searching for uncharted depths. Her cheek pressed into the mattress as she rode out his ferocious fucking.
She should have been tired from being used over and over again, but instead, all she felt was craving—craving for one more climax, craving for one more pearly gift from her lover.
“Can—can I cum again, Kihyun?” Kat whimpered between poundings.
“Fuck yes, that’s my good little kitty. It feels so good when you cum for me. Hurry, touch yourself for me. You gotta go faster, baby. Fuck, just the thought’s going to make me lose it.”
She shuffled both of her hands underneath her, her face bearing the brunt now of Kihyun’s hard ramming, but she couldn’t find the energy to care. She focused all of her attention on rubbing her aching clit so she could feel as good for him as she could.
“Yes,” he hissed. “So tight for me. You’re swallowing me all up, baby. Need you to cum. Need you.”
An unexpected pressure, a warm, swelling intensity marshalled in Kat’s walls, filling her and consuming her and whiting out the rest of the world until she thought they could never be parted again. Her body swelled in kind, her clit pulsing beneath her fervent fingertips.
“I—oh, oh—I can feel you. So big. How— So big! Kihyun!” she cried, and just like that, they both got lost in each other with a pair of wracking climaxes that had them crashing as a united pair onto their sides.
They shivered in the aftershocks of bliss, each clinging to the other as they panted and whimpered.
“Shit, you’re incredible, Kat,” Kihyun whispered from behind her.
She laughed nervously, which made her walls flutter and the pair of them moan. “Really? I mean, I didn’t do much.”
“Baby, no one else could have ever taken me like that, not when I needed you so badly. And you’re so warm. Do you know how warm you are? How silky soft you feel around me? How good you smell? Do you know how beautiful you are? I can’t believe you’re mine.”
His hand flopped over her side and splayed across her belly. He rubbed and pressed on her basin, reminding them both that he was still there and had no plans to leave his new, warm home.
“Have to stay like this to keep you full, my kitten.”
“Mm, full,” she purred in his arms. Her walls fluttered around him again at the notion, and Kihyun sucked in a sharp breath. Kat heard his jaw set as he burrowed as far in as he could go, their sexes glued together with an obscene amount of his seed. Maybe once, before she’d met him, it might have made her squeamish, but it felt so right as he held her so close.
“Gonna cum again, baby, I’m sorry. Can’t stop. Last time, last time,” he swore against her ear.
His hands clamped to her shoulders to hold her still as he rutted into her with sticky, emphatic claps. Her back bowed between the weight of his hands and the power of his hips while pressure built in her core. After only a few more thrusts, with one set of fingers tweaking her nipple and the other doling out the same desperate treatment to her over-sensitive clit, Kihyun unloaded a final time into her.
“Thank you,” he said dreamily. “You need anything?”
“Mm, a nap?”
“Sounds good, baby. We can stay like this though, right?”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” she murmured as her hand closed over his.
Thanks to his searing heat, Kat didn’t need a blanket with his form molded to her, and her eyelids drooped along with her hand on his, both sheltering Kihyun’s still-hard member nestled inside her. She was warm and full and happy, and finally, she fell into a peaceful sleep, better than she had in weeks.
Soft, gray light filtered through the glass block windows, illuminating the sterile basement with unflinching clarity. When she woke, Kat felt immediately wrong. Her hand was still on her belly, but she was empty and, despite the mysterious addition of the sheet, she was cold.
In a hurry, she sat up, blanket clutched around her for any kind of warmth as she frantically looked around the room. Kihyun’s shackles were empty, and she couldn’t hear anything upstairs.
Kat was unprepared for how desperately lonely she felt. She didn’t even know Kihyun, but waking up without him gave her chest pangs unlike anything she’d ever felt. She missed him so much she could feel tears welling in her eyes.
Just then, a scurry of feet barged down the stairs and the little coffee-and-cream powderpuff raced to Kat and threw its wiggling butt eagerly at her to pet.
“Bongsooki!” boomed a voice from the top of the stairs, and a second later, a freshly-dressed Kihyun thundered down with a glass of water and a tray of fruit and crackers. With a scowl for the dog, he said, “He never listens.”
Kat looked up, one of her tears slipping down her cheek, and Kihyun’s naturally chiseled features softened at once.
“Aw, did I scare you, baby?”
“N-no…” she insisted as she scrubbed her cheek with the hand that wasn’t scratching Bongsook’s head.
“I can hear your heart, Kat,” admonished Kihyun.
Flustered, she turned her attention to the empty collar coiled at the end of the mattress. “How did you get out?”
“Same way I got in. My friend stopped by.”
Horror overtook her features. “Did—did he see me like this?”
“Of course not,” Kihyun said dismissively. “You think I’d ever share you? I cleaned you up the best I could and then covered you up, though Hyunwoo did say you were very pretty. I almost took his head off for that though.”
Feeling a little better, Kat nodded in hopes of hiding her lingering embarrassment. “I can’t believe I didn’t hear any of that.”
“You were pretty worn out. That was a lot to ask for a first time, but thanks to you, I’m in control of myself again. I’ll still have to undergo the change tonight, but at least I won’t be a danger to anyone anymore.”
“So, that’s a real thing, I guess.”
“It is, yeah. It happened the night of my father’s funeral. I’d taken a ride out to this place we’d always liked to fish together, and I took a walk along the shore. Trying to remember the good times, I guess, and I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t hear the wolf until it already had its teeth in me.” Kihyun lifted his t-shirt to reveal a half-moon scar on his side that she hadn’t had the time to notice before. “I woke up the next morning to find a young guy sitting at my side with his head in his hands. Turns out he was a new wolf himself and lost control, too.
“His pack caught up to us not long after, and Hyunwoo, the pack leader, walked me through everything. At least I haven’t had to do this alone. Still, we all need a mate to keep our heads on our shoulders, to keep us human.”
Kihyun looked at Kat so fondly, she felt light-headed. He pressed her lips to hers so suddenly that Bongsook yipped and ran off before he got squished between them. When Kihyun pulled back, he was grinning so hard, the apples of his cheeks kissed his eyes, and her heart skipped every other beat.
“So, um,” she began with a blush, “is that why I feel like this?”
“Like what?” asked Kihyun, but she could tell from the tease in his voice he was just having a little fun with her.
“Like I, um… Like I belong with you?”
His brow softened as he studied the girl shrouded in a sheet on his mattress. “Yeah, that’s why. If that was too much, if you want out, I get it. I don’t want this to be a pheromones thing. I want you to want to be with... me. But I understand if you can’t.”
“Kihyun?”
His eyes shot up to hers, wide, maybe even a little terrified. “Yeah?”
“I want you. Okay?”
He swallowed hard, a smile flickering as though he didn’t dare trust her words. He was so far removed from the cocksure beast he was last night that Kat almost didn’t believe he was the same man.
“Okay. And, uh, I’m sorry this is all backwards. I didn’t mean to force my needs on you like that. I did this the wrong way, but if you’ll let me, I’d really like to take you out for breakfast today.”
Kat brushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she nodded. “Okay, yeah. Sounds nice. I have class later though.”
“I can drive you if you want a ride, too. I’d take you out tonight, too, but I have to… well, you know.”
It was Kihyun’s turn to look embarrassed now, so she patted his hand reassuringly. Even if she didn’t fully understand everything that was happening between them, she didn’t really care. She remembered those few moments when she thought she was without him, and nothing else mattered. She wanted to keep him close against all reason.
Just then, Bongsook took the opportunity to mark the table in the corner, and Kihyun growled at his dog, which sent it skittering back upstairs. He let out a sigh and said, “He’s so much trouble now that there’s a new dog in the house.”
“Good thing you have a neighbor here to help you train him.”
Kihyun’s eyes sparked, the snacks all but forgotten as he prowled onto the mattress toward her. “Maybe you should show me one more time how good you are at taming bad dogs...”
“I’m up for the challenge,” Kat promised as she put her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers.
This morning, their kiss was extra sweet, not just with sincerity but the lingering taste of strawberry yogurt on his tongue. She pulled back with a smile, and that was all Kihyun needed to hop into a crouch and scoop her up like a bride, powering up effortlessly to her little squeal. The sheet puddled behind her, and she was once again completely bare for him.
“What are you doing?” laughed Kat against his shoulder.
“I told you I’d make you cum on my bed, didn’t I? I keep my promises, Kitty Kat. I think you’ll find I’m very reliable, especially when I know I made last night about me. Let me make today all about you.”
The hand cradling her back inched up the side of her breast as Kihyun’s mouth descended to hers again, this time anything but sweet.
“If I can even make it upstairs. God, why are you so pretty? And my scent is still all over you…”
After last night, Kat recognized the curl at the corner of her lover’s lips well enough now to know they’d never make it upstairs if she didn’t do something, so she stroked his graying hair and waited for the way his eyes softened with every pet. Once she had his full attention, she pressed her lips beside his ear and whispered, “Bad dogs don’t get treats.”
Kihyun laughed, kissed her again, and nuzzled his forehead against hers. “Fair warning, I can be a bit of a beggar, and some neighbors have complained about the howling.”
“Who would ever do that?” Kat teased, nuzzling right back.
His eyes caught hers, still soft and made even softer by her little smile. “Mm, all I know is it’s a good thing she did though. I hated being a lone wolf.”
She reached up, hands knotted at the back of Kihyun’s head and mouth tangling with his. With the merest brush, her skin heated for him, and even Kat caught a whiff of her own instant desire for him. When she pulled back from their kiss, she looked up at the man she now knew was her mate and said, “You’re not alone anymore.”
#monsta x smut#kihyun smut#oneshot#neighbors to lovers#kihyun#october vibes#strangers to lovers#awoooooooo
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I'm working on formatting DON'T TOUCH MY STUFF, my neighbors to lovers contemporary romance!
I tried querying this one around to some publishers but there were no takers so we're flying solo again! Will still try publishers again with future books because I know I'm not great at self promo (go go wallflower) and I really do want to do the best by my stories and get them in front of more people that might enjoy them.
Here's a peek at the first chapter. <3
#don't touch my stuff#first chapter#self publishing#working on it#contemporary remodel#neighbors to lovers#enemies to friends to lovers#all the tropes in this book#<3#own world#wallflower trying
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A Sort of Christmas Story (tartaglia x reader)
Your life had changed so drastically at multiple occasions in the year that you had felt as though you were getting dragged through life by your hair. With your parents constant pestering, friend group drama, and trouble adjusting to life after University, despite being grateful for the privileges and loving people in your life, you couldn’t help but yearn to get away from all of the stress and drama. So the solution was simple: Christmas by yourself. But with a chance encounter from a certain ginger neighbor you had been chasing after all year, maybe you wouldn’t be spending Christmas alone this year afterall.
Based on the song Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses!!
December 14th, 1991
The Snezhnayan air outside was the coldest this time of year. Your neighborhood was generously decorated with thick, fluffy snow which was the perfect backdrop for the LED lights strung up on each house. People’s yards showcased snowmans, inflatable decorations, and Santa statues. So there you stood, hot chocolate in hand, breathing in a sigh of relief as you savored the moment. This year had truly been a wild one; so crazy that it felt like nothing more than a blur. After graduating from college in June, you had just started your new job at a high end company only a few months ago. Your life had changed so drastically at multiple occasions in the year that you had felt as though you were getting dragged through life by your hair. Your parents hadn’t been much help either from their constant calls and letters asking about your life as if you hadn’t spoken to them almost everyday. On top of all that, your friend group had seen a dramatic shift at the breakup and reunion of two of your closest friends meaning the dramatic rants were practically never ending. You loved and appreciated all those in life who cared for you, and you loved the fact that you had such a stellar paying job for your age, but you couldn’t help but yearn to get away from all of the stress and drama that had hung over you like a cloud this year. So the solution was simple: Christmas by yourself.
Laughing to yourself over how silly the concept sounded, your eyes wandered back over to the highly decorated street that you lived on. Despite the fact that it was only six at night, the sky was pitch black meaning the only way you could see anything was due to the Christmas lights. Against your better judgment, you walked over to the far left end of the ginormous window in your living room, the one that overlooked the large golf field and country club. Your heart practically jumped out of your chest when you noticed him. Ajax. He was your neighbor, and he lived only a few doors down, but you, unfortunately, rarely saw him. There he stood, surrounded by all five of his siblings as he played in the snow and entertained the younger ones by building snowmen and making snow angels. His soft ginger hair had little snowflakes sitting on the top as he laughed along with his family. You had been infatuated with the man ever since you had moved in, as he had been a student at your university. The two of you first met at a Halloween party last year where you had gathered all the courage in your body to ask for his number, and to your luck he had said yes. But due to the unfortunately chaotic state of your life you are currently in, you haven't been able to see him practically all year.
As if having an extra sense, Ajax looked up to where your house sat slightly above the golf course to notice you staring down at him and his family. Rather than being weirded out, he flashed one of his signature, full smiles that you could still see even in the dark. You returned his gesture with a small wave before turning your heel and speed walking away, flustered that he had caught you staring. As you went to lie down in your bed, read a book, and drink some tea, you soon calmed your nerves as you thought of how incredibly relaxing this holiday season was going to be for you.
————
March 22nd, 1991
You tried to be as quick as possible when unloading your groceries. Your paper for your Macroeconomics class was due at the end of the day meaning not only did you have to finish writing and proofreading it, but you also had to drive all the way to your University to turn it into your professor. Professor Pantalone was known to have a zero tolerance policy for late work and you had heard horror stories of students receiving no credit for their work after only being a couple minutes late to turn it in. You normally despised procrastination, but you had been up all last night writing a different paper for a different economics course and you had almost forgotten all about the paper that was due today. Grabbing the brown paper bags from your red hand-me-down car, you swung the door shut with your leg in one swoop. Unfortunately, you had underestimated the heaviness of the bag on your left and could only look in horror as your vegetables, milk, and cans of soup hit the floor and began rolling down your driveway. Ready to end it all, you left out a cry in frustration as you put the rest of your stuff down to start to gather all of your rebellious food items.
“Uh oh!” you heard a small voice calling out. You look up to see three figures with identical sets of orange hair watching you picking up your food. The voice that had called out to you belonged to a little boy, someone no older than seven you would guess. Next to him stood a girl slightly taller looking on with pitiful eyes at your predicament. Finally, the tallest of them all stood with a smirk on his face. Oh you knew him alright; he was the guy from Hu Tao’s Halloween party!
“You need some help with that girlie?” he asked, pushing his hair out of his face. You nodded absentmindedly, mesmerized by his face.
“Alright, Tonia, Teucer, how about we lend our neighbor a hand?” he said as he bent down to pick up one of the cans that had fallen all the way down your driveway.
The three siblings made their way to where you were, helping you put away the groceries back into your bags. As Ajax went to take the parsley from your hands to put away, you almost dropped the damn thing when his fingers touched your own. Seeming to notice your flustered body language, Ajax let out an amused chuckle before helping you stand back up to your feet.
“Say,” he began, “my brother, sister, and I are on our way back home from the park. My other brother is at home right now making some medovik. I’m sure he would be more than happy to have you try some if you want to go back with us.”
You practically passed out at his words. You loved medovik! And an excuse to go to Ajax’s house for some dessert and to hang out with him sounded like a dream. Your heart sank though as you recalled the paper still sitting at home for you to complete. Imagining Professor Pantalone’s angry eyes made you physically cringe.
“I’m sorry,” you said, “but I have a paper due today that I need to finish writing. For Professor Pantalone, you know?”
“Yikes,” Ajax’s face grew sour, “That guy is super intense. Had him as a freshman for Intro to Econ and that guy was no joke.”
You laughed at his words; “Yeah, you're totally right. Are you maybe free sometime this weekend?”
“Oh, sorry.” he said, scratching the back of his neck, “I have hockey practice on Saturdays and Sundays.”
Your smile faltered; those were the only two days you were practically ever free. “No problem, I’m sure we can figure something out.”
He nodded; “Well, good luck to you, Y/n I’ll see you around?”
“You will. And thanks for your help with the groceries.”
“Don’t mention it.” He said before giving you a polite wave goodbye, ushering his siblings to begin their walk back home. As you watched with a slightly disappointed face, you picked up your grocery bags once more before attempting to reach into your pocket to grab the keys to unlock your house.
After panicking for a moment, you looked to see them still sitting on the passenger’s chair in your car. Fuck. This was going to be a very long spring.
————
July 6th, 1991
The salty sea aroma was something you thoroughly enjoyed during the summertime. Because Snezhnaya practically never saw an end to snowfall, you had to travel a couple cities over to get to Mondstadt, a small town with a beautiful seashore. After getting lunch with your good friends Jean and Ayaka, you had gotten to hear all of the drama about Jean’s lovelife with your other close friend Lisa. Lisa and Jean had an off and on relationship all throughout University, but this time it seemed like the two of them were truly calling it quits, or at least that was what Jean had claimed. Knowing them it would only take a few months of being apart for the two of them to realize how much they still needed each other, but the constant ranting and bad mouthing surely would cause some rifts in your friend group until then. You and Ayaka had spent most of the afternoon sharing awkward glances with one another as you listened to Jean’s stories. Nevertheless the three of you walked together, arms linked, across the boardwalk as you sipped your smoothies.
Ever since graduating Uni last month, you greatly appreciated all the time you could spend with your girls, even if it meant spending most of your morning driving to the beach. As you continued to walk along the boardwalk, the three of you took turns pointing out all of the ships sitting in the ocean.
“I have an idea!” Ayaka said, “Why don’t we go sit on the pier and name all of the ships!”
You and Jean shared a laugh at the idea, nodding your heads at Ayaka’s antics. “Well if it will take Ms. Gunhildr’s mind off of you-know-who then I’m in!”
Jean gave a dramatic scoff at your words before playing shoving you in the direction of the pier. The three of you stood for a couple hours, not only naming the different ships that passed by, but also checking out the different food and shopping stalls set up along the walkway. Much to your dismay, you seemed to have forgotten to wear some sunscreen this morning seeing as how Ayaka playfully teased your slightly red tinted face after the three of you passed by a particularly cute guy. You thought you should not be blamed, however, considering the fact that you rarely needed sunscreen in a place as cold and stormy as Snezhnaya.
As the three of you reached the end of the pier for the third time that afternoon, your eyes quickly laid upon a familiar head of orange hair, this time accompanied by two people who you did not recognize.
“Y/n?” Jean asked, “What are you staring at?”
Ayaka turned her head curiously as well, you quickly put your finger to your mouth and shushed them; “That's him! The Halloween guy!” you tried to whisper.
Ayaka let out a small gasp; “Neighbor boy?!” she exclaimed.
“Really?” Jean asked, “That red head over there standing between the short guy and the blonde girl?”
You nodded your head, covering your slightly embarrassed, sunburnt face with your hands.
“Huh,” Jean said, “Well I guess I can see it.”
“We should go say hi!” Ayaka added and Jean clapped along to her suggestion.
Before you could protest fully you found yourself being pulled along by the two women. As much as you would like to pull away and run, you felt a familiar pair of deep blue eyes staring at you. All you could do was smile awkwardly, hoping he and his friends wouldn’t think you were weird for being dragged along by two mysterious women they had never seen. As you approached their trio, you began to recognize the people who he was with. The tall blonde girl was none other than Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter, a girl who you had seen around campus quite a few times who you knew to have been on the volleyball team. The other was Kunikuzushi Raiden, the son of two of the professors at your school. You ended up having both women as your teachers for different classes, so you sometimes saw him standing around after class, though you knew for a fact that he didn’t go to the same University you did.
“Well well,” Ajax began, “we meet again Ms. Y/n.”
You let out an awkward chuckle as you looked at the quizzical glares you were receiving from his friends; “Ajax! Hi, it's really been a while, huh?”
“It has, hasn’t it!” he replied, flashing you a slightly apologetic smile, “Life has just been really crazy lately. Oh! I don’t think I’ve introduced you yet, but here are my good friends, Rosalyne and Kunizushi.”
The fair lady standing next to him simply gave you a nod while the short guy looked you up and down with a scoff.
“Yeah, you’re totally right!” you replied, “These are my friends Jean and Ayaka, they went to the same University as we did.”
“Right on.” the ginger replied, “Have you ladies been having a good afternoon? The waves today are totally awesome, Rosalyne and I caught some really good ones!”
“Oh wow!” Ayaka chimed in, “My brother really loves to surf, he would be so jealous right now.”
Ajax nodded, “Bummer, he really missed out then huh.”
“Hardly.” Kunikuzushi said, “The wind is ridiculous–”
“–Only if you're sitting on the shore.” Ajax said, “Well anyways. The three of us were about to take out my old man’s old boat for a spin if you and your friends wanted to join?”
“Sounds relaxing.” Jean replied, looking to you and Ayaka for any signs of apprehension.
Before you could reply, Rosalyne decided it was finally time for her to chime in; “Y/n, was it?” she began, “I’m not sure boating would be a great activity considering Ajax’s father’s boat doesn’t have a sunroof.”
Confused on what she meant, you raised your eyebrows curiously. Rosalyne simply gestured to your arms completely exposed by the tank top you were wearing. All at once the remaining four people’s faces morphed from shared confusion to horror at the sight. You quickly looked down only to be met with the sight of certainly toasted skin.
“Oh gods!” you said, now finding yourself embarrassed at the situation, “I had no idea it was that bad.”
“Oh dear.” Ayaka said, “We should probably head back home. Maybe we can stop by my parents' place for some skin ointment.”
“Ayaka is right.” Jean continued, “That burn looks painful.”
Reluctantly, your eyes met Ajax’s concerned ones; “Yeah, you guys are probably right. Um, maybe we can do it some other time?”
Ajax nodded his head enthusiastically, smiling, returning, “Yes! Definitely. For sure. I’ll call you soon and we can make plans.”
As your friends ushered you back towards the direction of your car you looked back one more time only to meet Ajax’s disappointed gaze as he watched you disappear into the crowd.
————
October 29th, 1991
“Perfect! So I’ll drive to your place to pick you up around 8, sounds good?”
You could hardly contain your excitement as you jumped up and down in the hallway of your house.
“Yup!” you said, “See you then, Ajax.”
“See ya!” he said one last time before you placed the land line back into where the holder sat on the wall.
You had gotten a surprise call from Ajax just thirty minutes ago where he had invited you to one of the parties his friend was hosting. Initially confused on why he felt the need to make a big fuss, he quickly explained to you the fact that he actually didn’t live fulltime in your neighborhood but also shared an apartment with his friend more towards the center of the city. It filled your heart with such joy when he told you he was willing to drive to your place and back just to take you to some stupid Halloween party. Though in some ways you found the gesture quite fitting considering it was almost a year to date from when the two of you had first met at Hu Tao’s party she had hosted on campus
You had intended on going to Ayaka’s house on Halloween with Jean and Lisa on Halloween day, so you already had a costume handy for the occasion. You were going to dress up as your favorite comic book character, Starfire; maybe not your top choice, but with Ayaka’s insistence on a group costume you had to oblige. Nevertheless, you happily got dressed up while listening to your favorite Halloween songs on your CD player.
It didn’t take you too long to get ready. In fact, glancing at your clock you were happy to be left with about ten minutes to spare before Ajax was going to pick you up. Deciding to take one last look in the mirror, you headed outside to wait for him, sitting on the bench on your porch.
By the time eight o’clock rolled by, Ajax’s white Sedan was nowhere in sight. You were understanding, he mentioned that the drive to your place was from the center of the city, and there was always traffic trying to go from the center to the suburbs and vice versa. You let out a shaky breath before laughing to yourself at your antics. It could not be denied you were nervous, so it was best to relax before Ajax ended up arriving.
Eight thirty at night and there was no Ajax. At this point you were growing slightly annoyed. Sure, there was still a possibility there was mass amounts of horrendous traffic, but could he really not try to leave his house a little earlier to show up on time? It was getting colder than it already was outside, so you thought it best to wait inside for him. Mind racing with possibilities, you decided to take your mind off of the situation by watching some TV.
Nine seventeen and you were seriously getting annoyed. Has this guy stood you up? But he had been the one who invited you to the Halloween party in the first place! Like clockwork, your thoughts were soon interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Standing up from where you had been splayed across the couch, you wondered who would possibly be calling you this late.
“Hello?” you said.
“Y/n!” The voice of Ajax rang in your ear, though he sounded more nervous than excited, “So-uh, I have some pretty bad news.”
“Is it the fact that you are over an hour late?” you asked.
“About that…” he said, “I’m sorta calling you from the payphone at the car shop. Turns out the old Sedan was at its wits end. The car broke down halfway to your house– I had to hitchhike to get to a place where I could even call someone!”
Shit, guess you didn’t think about that; “Oh wow, sorry Ajax, I had no idea.”
“Well I don’t know how you could.” he laughed, “I’m really sorry Y/n, but it looks like I’m gonna need to spend the night in the shop.”
“Darn,” you laughed awkwardly, “I was really looking forward to going out with you.”
“Yeah…” he said, “Maybe some other time?”
You sighed; “Yup, I’ll call you later Ajax.”
“Oh– alright, see you then.”
You hung up the phone before you could even reply. You knew it was petty, it wasn’t his fault his car broke down. But you were in a bad mood nonetheless. Just then another call came through. Was he calling you again?
“Ajax?” you asked, picking up the phone.
“I don’t think so.” a smug voice replied, one you knew too well, “But nice try.”
“Kaeya, how are you?” you said. Kaeya and you had met in your junior year of University, and you had hung around with some of his friends ever since.
“Doing good,” he said, “but I would be better if you agreed to go to Angel’s Share with the lady Lisa and I.”
You knew that Kaeya often went to the Angel’s Share, his father’s bar, though he normally went with his brother and other male friends from University. The idea of a charmer like him and the intelligent, calculated Lisa going drinking together seemed silly.
“You and Lisa are going drinking?” you laughed.
“Yes, and you’re invited.” he replied, “Unless this ‘Ajax’ of yours has plans with you tonight.”
“Well not anymore.” you said, “Arcons do I have so much to tell you about him.”
“Looking forward to it, Lisa and I will swing by in ten.”
Saying your goodbyes, you hung up the phone. Seems like no matter what you tried to do with Ajax, life always seemed to have other plans.
————
December 25th, 1991
The fireplace was lit, the smell of freshly baked cookies filled the air, you were dressed in the coziest candy cane print pajama pants with a tank top; all was good in the world.
Earlier in the week you felt as if you were glued to the land line. Firstly, you had to explain to your poor mother how you actually could not be attending the Christmas family celebration with all 23 of your extended family members this year. As heartbroken as she was, you were sure she understood you reluctantly after your lengthy explanation of how hard this year had been on you and how unwilling you were to deal with any creepy uncles or bothersome cousins. Next came calling your dear best friends, Ayaka, Jean, and Lisa to tell them that you had to skip out on the Christmas Eve cabin retreat. Ayaka had tried to win you over once more with the promise of champagne, a jacuzzi, and much needed girl time. When she realized she wasn’t getting through to you, she swore her revenge for you forcing her to essentially be a third wheel for an entire vacation. A few more calls declining the invitations of Christmas themed parties from your friends like Kaeya had to be made as well, but once you finally finished turning down the invites you felt a wave of peace reach you.
You had decided to make yourself a small Thanksgiving style dinner for Christmas with some turkey, mashed potatoes, garlic green beans, and some cranberry sauce. You may not be a huge fan of Thanksgiving all by itself, but you surely could appreciate the good food that came with it. The turkey that you had received from the grocery store that had been tucked away in your freezer for the past three days was…underwhelming to say the least. Sure you were only cooking for one person, but you were fairly certain you wouldn’t even get two days of leftovers from the poor bird considering how small it was. Nevertheless you persisted forward as to not let the size of the turkey ruin your celebration.
Taking a bite out of one of the freshly baked cookies your elderly neighbor had dropped off earlier this morning, you decided to check back up on the state of the meal. With a random christmas romance film blaring in the background, you decided to check the temperature of the turkey, the state of the currently-baking mashed potatoes, the garlic green beans, and finally take the cranberry sauce from the pantry–
–where the fuck was the cranberry sauce?
You panicked to yourself momentarily. Was this some sort of sick joke? How on Earth did you manage to forget one of the four things on the menu tonight? Sighing angrily to yourself, you stormed into your bedroom to change into some pants, grab your jacket, some gloves, and your snow boots.
Thankfully your car was parked in the garage meaning there was no need to wipe any snow off of the windshield. Once you found your way onto the main road outside the neighborhood, you tried to remember exactly where the only grocery store opened this late on Christmas was located. The snow fall made it difficult to see the streetlights and signs, though you eventually found the location of the small store near the entrance of the downtown area. Slamming the car door shut you took a moment to laugh at the fact that it was so cold you could see your breath in the air.
The grocery store was more crowded than you had anticipated it to be, though technically that wasn’t saying much considering you had expected nobody besides yourself to be there. Locating the aisle for the cranberry sauce was no difficult task, and thank the archons there were still some left so last minute. You grabbed a single can of the sauce then made your way to the line. There were only about ten people standing in front of you, which was pretty good considering how crowded this grocery store tended to get being right outside the city afterall.
“Y/n?”
You looked up from where you had been staring at the magazine only to make eye contact with a familiar pair of icy blue eyes.
“Ajax?” you replied, “What are you doing here?”
The man let out a small laugh before scratching the back of his neck as he so often did; “Decided to spend Christmas alone this year– guess this is what I get.”
You raised your eyebrows curiously before looking in his basket to see what he meant. Cranberry sauce. He forgot the cranberry sauce.
“So am I.” you said, “Don’t tell me you also forgot the cranberry sauce.”
His eyes lit up suddenly; “No way! How crazy is that?”
“Great minds think alike.” you laughed, “This year has really been crazy.”
“Tell me about it,” he said, “I can hardly catch a break. I guess I just didn’t have it in me to spend Christmas with my five siblings and millions of cousins.”
“Totally get that, my mom nearly murdered me when I told her.”
“My mom did too!” he responded as the two of you began laughing once again.
As the two of you continued your banter, you suddenly began to realize that maybe this was no mistake after all. The timing was too perfect, especially considering the fact the two of you had been forced apart by poor timing this entire year.
“Say, Y/n.” Ajax said, looking more serious than before. Maybe he had caught onto what was happening too, “You wouldn’t really care if you–”
“–spent Christmas with someone this year?” you cut him off, “No, no I would not.”
The man smiled; “Well perfect, because I haven’t even begun to cook the turkey yet.”
“What?!” you said in disbelief, “Ajax those take hours to cook!”
“It’s not my fault!” he laughed defensively, “I have like, the smallest turkey ever! Surely it wouldn’t take that long to cook.”
“You are unbelievable!” you responded, faking offense, “That's it, we are definitely going to my house. My food is almost done practically.”
“You're the boss!” he winked at you.
Your plans to have a solo Christmas were completely foiled that night, though you couldn’t say you were upset considering the fact that you got to spend it with the guy you had been after for over a year. As the two of you ate, drank, and celebrated together, you wouldn’t have traded anything in the world to be able to stare into those eyes all night long.
“Merry Christmas, Ajax.” you said, rested your head onto his shoulder as the two of you sat on the couch.
“Merry Christmas.” he replied with a laugh before resting his head on the top of your own.
————
December 25th, 1992
“Y/n?! Did the cranberry sauce fucking vanish?!”
“Probably!”
“Dammit we had one job this year! My moms gonna kill us!”
You laughed as you fumbled to put on your second earring. Wearing your cutest Christmas dinner outfit you could find, you sorted through your closet full of shoes and hockey supplies to try and find you and your boyfriend's snow boots.
“Do we have time to get more?” you called out to him from your bedroom, still trying to find the other pair of shoes.
“Uhhh, probably not.” he yelled back, “Well it is what it is! Besides, do people really like cranberry sauce that much?”
After securing the other shoe, you made your way down the staircase to find him standing, waiting for you at the front door.
“Eh, only my little sisters really enjoy it.” he said, “My brothers and dad probably won’t care. Who knows about my cousins…”
“Arcons,” you said, “how many people are going to be there tonight?”
“Well you have my family, so that's seven not counting us, I have three uncles, two aunts, grandparents, eleven cousins–”
“–alright, that's enough.” you playfully punched his arm before handing him his boots, receiving a playful laugh from him.
“Well next year we can do your parents' place, and I won’t complain about your big family.” he said.
“Uh-huh ok.” you rolled your eyes in fake disgust, “Do you know how hard I had to fight my mom after telling her I wouldn’t be home for Christmas for ANOTHER year.”
“Yeah I was right next to you when you called her–”
“–whatever ginger. Let’s get going, or at this rate we are gonna be late to Christmas dinner at our own neighbors house.”
“Sure thing, boss.” he said, slapping your lower back as you left the front door.
“Ajax!” a little boy yelled as soon as you left the door, causing you to yelp and stumble back. Luckily Ajax stood behind you, grasping your shoulders with his hands so that you didn’t fall backwards.
Looking to where the boy had called, your eyes widened at the sight of five young redheads in matching holiday coats, smiling wide at the two of you.
“We came to surprise you!” the youngest girl, Tonia said, grasping the arms of her little brother Teucer as to mirror what her older brother was doing to you.
“Mom and dad wanted us to come and walk you.” the older girl, Sasha, said, clutching her hands together with a polite smile.
“Yeah because for some reason the two of you couldn’t walk a few blocks down by yourselves.” the older boy, Anton, said, annoyed he even had to be there. Ajax had explained to you that his brother was in his ‘I hate my family but actually don’t really hate my family age’; you were sympathetic, being fifteen was hard.
“Well thank you all for the nice gesture.” you said, stepping forward with Ajax’s arms still on your shoulder.
“We could have really gotten lost!” Ajax joked, “Say Anton, Tonia, do you guys think you could beat me in a race to mom and dad’s place?”
“Hah! You know I could!” Anton replied, while Tonia shook her head violently.
“Hey wait I don’t think that's very safe–”
Before Sasha could even finish her warning, three of her siblings had already set off racing down the road. You shook your head at Ajax’s antics, but you found some peace knowing the three of them were hockey players and therefore knew how to deal with ice.
“I’ll walk you over Y/n!” Teucer suddenly said, walking forward to take one of your arms before gesturing to Sasha to take the other.
So there you stood, walking in a line with Teucer and Sasha, watching Ajax and his siblings attempt to shake down the road to get to their parent’s house.
You thought back to the night the two of you first hooked up, and how none of this would have been happening if the two of you didn’t get together exactly a year ago from today. Shaking your head, you smiled to yourself as you made your way to another Christmas celebration. At the end of the day, a Christmas by yourself could have been relaxing, but if one thing was certain, you definitely wouldn’t be able to miss this one, not this year nor the last.
#tartaglia x reader#childe x reader#ajax x reader#tartaglia genshin impact#tonia#teucer#anton#genshin ayaka kamisato#jean gunnhildr#lisa genshin impact#lisa x jean#kaeya genshin impact#christmas#christmas wrapping#chance encounters#friends to lovers#neighbors to lovers#romance#time skips#boat trips#snezhnaya#i loved writting this so much omg#tartaglia x you#tartaglia x y/n#childe x y/n#childe x you#ajax x you#ajax x y/n#set in the 90s
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A isn't sure exactly what neighbor B is doing, but they keep hearing stranger and stranger sounds coming from next door...
Like my prompts? Leave me a tip!
#otp#otp prompts#imagine your otp#writing prompts#ship prompts#story prompts#character prompts#neighbors#neighbors to lovers#comedy#fluff
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dnfao3tags bookmarks #1
sunflower, vol. 6
by reydays
teen | comp. | 1.3k
George is an ASMR-tist and Dream is the loud youtuber next door.
Maybe he was being a bit dramatic, because it wasn’t like mystery-neighbor was loud all the time, but it did happen to line up with George’s recording schedule. And, if he had been in any other line of work it would be fine, but the noise was just loud enough to disrupt whatever ASMR video he happened to be recording.
George also knows that he’s being a little bit of a hypocrite- you couldn’t exactly expect peace and quiet in an apartment complex, but a man can dream.
#been goin through my bookmarks#dnfao3tags bookmarks#<- new tag alert#dnf#dreamnotfound#teen#under 5k#reydays#neighbors to lovers#au#asmr artist!george#youtuber!dream#plant dad!george#dating apps#meet cute#tooth rotting fluff#dnf week mar 2022
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I've known this girl since I was young.
I'd see her as we climbed the stairs to our apartment doors.
I'd see her every time I mustered the courage to leave my apartment after a long while, watching her and her mother carry groceries home.
I'd see her every time I looked out my window, observing her play with her sister.
I'd see her always, while she never saw me.
It's like getting accustomed to the darkness around you, and then she comes, illuminating this darkness.
Even if it lasts for a short while, I yearn for this light.
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im going to write non canon geto fic bc ykw i deserve it and he's my princess
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I'll Be With Them Again Today
Available digitally through online retailers
#manga panel#romance#screencaps#shoujo#theyre cute#but i wasnt a fan of the brother rivals#cute manga tho#ill be with them again today#school setting#neighbors to lovers#manga#fyres hyperfixations
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youtube
i see it coming: this is going to be my new favorite movie
#all of us strangers#I MEAN#troubled family plot#neighbors to lovers#which is one of my top 5 tropes ever#and on top of that:#andrew scott#paul mescal#!!!!!!!!!!!#and it looks beautifully made#I AM SO EXCITED#andrew haigh#Youtube
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Paperback Sale!
PAPERBACK SALE! All Three Snowstorm Series Paperbacks are on sale until 9/16/23! Check the current tale of Cyrus and Miranda and the explosively chaotic romance between the Dom and Brat
#smut#smutty romance#spicy romance#spicy books#age gap romance#holiday romance#neighbors to lovers#bd/sm daddy#bd/sm brat#throuple#bisexual#bookblr
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Don’t Touch My Stuff
I’ve been querying my contemporary romance, Don’t Touch My Stuff, and, friends, it’s rough.
The rejections, sure.
But the waiting! I keep thinking this book is published because in my head it’s done but it’s really really not.
So here’s a snippet!
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He nodded, trying not to think about the sound of Chase’s fist hitting her face or the way her body crumpled. “Where’d you go on your not-date?”
She looked at him, her eyebrow quirking a little. “That new club near the pier. Are you trying to figure out if I’m concussed? Do you want to just ask what year it is and who the president is?”
Aurelio couldn’t help but watch her mouth when she talked, holding the cloth to her lip. They were so close. “I’m not sure you’d know those things on a normal day…” He took the cloth away carefully, looking at the little wound on the side of her bottom lip. It had swollen up but stopped bleeding. It was already turning purple. “This is going to be bad.” He turned the cloth and used it to clean away the mascara tracks on her cheeks and under her eyes.
August was staring back at him when he looked up.
He dropped his hand away from her face. “Ibuprofen?”
She stared for another second and then shrugged. “Sure.”
He got up and went down the hall to the bathroom. He practically jogged, not wanting to leave her alone for a second longer than he had to. What if she really was concussed? What were the symptoms? Had she passed out or just been dazed? He shouldn’t have wasted time yelling at Chase. He should have gone straight to her. Fuck. He found a bottle of painkillers in the cupboard and hurried back.
August had leaned over to rest against the arm of the couch, the bag of fruit almost balanced against her temple, with her hand on top.
“Don’t sleep!” the words jumped from him in a near panic.
August sat up with a start, blinking hard and then squinting. She dropped the frozen fruit with the smallest nod. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Your place,” she mumbled, getting up and turning toward the door, her purse still on the couch.
Aurelio shook his head and gently caught her arm. “No, I mean, you might have a concussion. So, don’t fall asleep yet.” He guided her back to the couch and she sat down. He put the frozen fruit back into her hand and she held it to her head.
#own writing#don't touch my stuff#contemporary romance#neighbors to lovers#snippet#querying#i love romance#<3#cloverdown
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RomCom Appreciation Month Highlight - Write Next Door by April D Berry
RomCom Highlight - Write Next Door by April D Berry
Write Next Door by April D Berry
Can two perpetually single people find love?
Layla was determined to live her dream of being a famous author. Forty-two, happily single, and childless by choice, she was making a huge push to finally add an extra title to her name. Committed only to her work and to herself, she hardly had time for her beloved friends, let alone men.
After years on stage, Henry…
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