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mphountitled · 3 months

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𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞

Farleigh Start x Fem!Reader

Summary: Hating Farleigh had never stopped him from using you

Content Warnings: Language, Fwb, Forbidden Relationship, Unedited, Dark Fic, Dark Humor, Coarse Jokes, Jealousy, Possessiveness, Smoking, Weaponizing!Ollie, Smut (+18), Minors DNI, Slight CNC, Breeding, Neediness, Exhibition Kink, Grinding, Extreme Degradation, Humiliation Kink, Praise Kink, Hate Sex, Hair Pulling, Rough sex, Messy Sex, Spitting, Orgasm Control, Dirty Talk, Choking

He'd definitely bully me if he was real, and I'd be in love with him

"It's not like we're actually going to eat anything. Mother only insists we all make use of the furniture," Venetia's rambling is incessant as she walks briskly into the dining hall. You know her irritation is the by-product of the undiagnosed anxiety that comes with being forced into an uncomfortable Dior slip on such short notice.

In all fairness, you weren't doing so well either. The dress you are currently wearing is just as suffocating and Venetia's Saint Laurent heels dig into your bone. Your outfit is a velvety, laced up nightmare.

A torture chamber.

You wholeheartedly wanted to crawl into your own bed and forget about everyone and everything. In fact, the only thing keeping you mildly excited for dinner with The Henrys happens to be-

"Gentlemen!" You exclaim, before cleverly adding, "And you've brought Farleigh with you."

You all congregate at the left side of the dinner table, while the Henrys and The Henrys wives all mill about the dinner party. There are'nt any rules to things like this. It's all so self explantory.

What was not all too self explantory was your seating positions. Venetia forces you to sit in between herself and a very vexed Farleigh.

"How interesting," Farleigh barely addresses you in his tired monotonous lilt, "You're almost, nearly, just about, decently dressed." You bristle as you lower your behind to your chair, all while Farleigh shoots you a tight-lipped smile.

"Wow!" Your words drip with sarcasm, promptly halting Farleigh from flirting with the man to his immediate left - one of the Henrys closeted sons, no doubt. "That almost, nearly, just about sounded like a compliment!" You exclaim before leaning over beside him in a daring display of confidence. You place your hand tentatively on his thigh before whispering, "Am I going to have to use my rape whistle?"

Farleigh's scoff sends a string of lightning shooting down your spine.

"You're such a slut, I think you'd enjoy probably enjoy it." His breath is hot against your cheek and would be considered vile.

It should be vile.

Why can't you bring yourself to find Farleigh as vile?

With his elbows lowered underneath the table like a good little gentleman, Farleigh lets his fingers crawl tentatively over your thigh.

The games are on.

Your heart is beating at a million miles an hour with your mind reeling at not only Farleigh's large warm palm finding its home on your ample thigh but his words.

They are in complete contrast to everything you two have experienced together thus far on your stay in Saltburn.

As his fingers inch their way towards your inner thigh you're absolutely breathless. All you can think about is your escapade in the pool the evening before.

Both Catton siblings had been immersed in a very Catton argument, leaving you and Farleigh to your own devices on the banks of the stone pool.

With both your arms leaning over the ledge of the pool and Farleigh pressed to your side, no one could barely tell that Farleigh already had two digits dipped inside your weeping cunt. His hand moved slowly and deftly, so as not to cause too much of a stir in the water and give you two away. And he did it all while leaning his free hand out of the pool, cradling his copy of Jane Eyre with his eyes glued on the pages.

"F-Fuck Farleigh, can I cum?" He sighed at your agitated state.

"Not until I'm finished with Chapter 18." He mumbled almost distractedly, as if your needy voice was something akin to a pesky fly interrupting his reading.

Chapter 18, as you'd probably guessed, had never ended.

His cousins were back from their argument and his fingers left your cunt just as quickly. You had both went back to pretending to hate each other and you were left to 'rub one out' in the safety of your room like some hormonal teenager.

You truly are furious with him.

"What's this I'm hearing about a rape whistle?" Felix pipes up from the other side of Farleigh, equally dressed up all spiffy for the Henry's "You didn't rape anyone, did you?"

Farleigh's response is more of a hiss, "Of course I didn't-"

"Surely there must be more savory topics of discussion at the dinner table other than rape?" Comes the quick mediation of Elsbeth, who sits at the head of the table, clutching her string of expensive pearls as if they weilded the power to rid her of all these insolent little kids.

"Of course there is," you exclaim before turning your head to smile at the presence beside Ventia, nestled quietly in his seat like a little pauper.

Farleigh's manicured fingernails sink half moons into the skin of your thigh, peeking up from the slit of your dress as you lean away from him and say, "You must be Oliver! It's a relief to see another commoner around here." It was so undeniably petty to weaponize Farleigh's greatest foe, but the vexation of not being made to cum the night before still hangs heavily on your shoulder. And at the end of the day, you really just were a petty bitch.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ollie!" Slightly leaning over Venetia, the boy looks pale. As if he was biting down on his words. God, his tongue must be riddled in scars.

"Pleasure to meet you." Oliver cooly mirrors the warm and inviting smile stretched across your face.

"Don't lean over me," Venetia mumbles, "I'm not a child."

Meanwhile, Farleigh scoffs once again. While he injects himself in your conversation, his hands move swiftly to cup your vagina, nearly raking a gasp out of your throat in the process. "She won't sleep with you, mate." his brown eyes are trained on Oliver's. "She's a slut but not that big of a slut."

The extreme degradation laced in Farleigh's voice is enough to have you nearly moan out in front of all your friends, their family, and all the bloody Henrys.

Farleigh knew exactly which buttons to push to have you melting catastrophically against his fingers. He knew what words could have you slipping into subspace and he knew how to get your cunt weeping.

"Jesus Christ, could we not do this right now?" Venetia asks, staring pointedly at her cousin, and not at the sight of your legs parting to further accomdate his lazy rubbing against your cunt.

"I'm sorry, Cousin," Farleigh replies, "but it's not my fault your best friend is a raging bitch."

A breathless chuckle escapes your clenched teeth, "I-I'm not a-"

"Yeah, I am so completely done with this conversation," Venitia says, before strangling the stem of her wine glass and chugging it down as if it was nothing but water.

You turn back to hiss into Farleigh's ear, "You're such an a-asshole-"

"Say that again but don't sound like you're on the verge of squirting on my fingers in the middle of dinner." His grin is shadowed by the dimness of crystal chandlier and all the little candles posted along the table. "This is what you get for being a bitch," he says, socasually it makes you break your resolve by shifting in your seat, to better grind your cunt against his fingers, even for a mere second.

It's almost enough to make you cum right then and there.

"Oh-ho!" He aims a guffaw at the sky, "You really are a needy little slut-"

"This dress is shit," you suddenly push yourself out of your chair, creating the minimal noise of wood scraping against the floors. Most eyes are on you and Farleigh slyly removes his hands from in between your thigh. He leans over the table, bringing his fingers to his lips before spreading them over his gums like you would cocaine.

"I have to go change." You say to Venetia, before promptly (and very rudely) bowing out of the dinner.

A few seconds later, you hear Farleigh mumble something about needing a smoke and your heart rattles wildly in its cage. His footsteps are brisk behind yours, and you can feel his eyes sinking into your figure.

While your feet carry you to your destination and you let your brain catch on, you're already sneaking into Farleigh's room.

"Ah! Trespasser!" He exclaims excitedly behind you, with his hands stuffed in his pocket.

"You're so fucking annoying!" Your complains barely escape your throat before he's attacking you in a sloppy, open mouth kiss. He steals the air right out of your lungs, until he's breathing for the both of you. Farleigh slips out of his Abercrombie suit blazer, discarding the material as if it truly meant nothing to him.

His hands are everywhere, with special interests in your breasts compressed tightly by the uncomfortable stitching of your dress.

"This dress..." you mumble distractedly.

"Fuck this dress." He says, and you wholeheartedly agree. Perhaps it was desperate of you to turn in haste. Lifting the ends of your hair to present the zipper to him.

"You look fucking ravenous." He admits in a grave whisper, with his lips grazing the side of your neck, "I wanna fucking eat you." He says, "I wanna be inside you."

"You have such a dirty mouth, Farleigh," the groan that escapes his throat as he zips down your dress lets you know that you may have found your way in.

As the dress spills around your heeled feet, followed by your lacey underwear, Farleigh reattaches his full lips to the skin of your back. "What did you say?" His voice is like the rough gravel encircling Saltburn and you let your eyes roll to the back of your head as you arch backwards against him. His hardness presses against your ass and your fingers weave their way into his curls.

"I said youre a dirty boy, Farleigh." He ruts against you, almost as a second thought. "A dirty fucking boy,"

"Fuck," his hands dig into your hips, rubbing you against him. All as he pleases. "Fucking, fuck. I'm not gonna cum like this-" He says suddenly before spinning you back around.

It is few and sparse moments when you're reminded just how much taller Farleigh is than you and eventide it happens, the wind is knocked out of you. Farleigh advances on you like a literal predator until you're forced to fall backwards on his bed.

He barely undoes the bowtie, and only a few buttons go loose enough to showcase the beautiful expanse of his chest.

"You're absolutely soaked aren't you?" He asks, hovering on the bed above you.

"I need to cum, Farleigh, please-" You knew it was the only way to get what you wanted. You had unashamedly resorted to begging for a man who hooked his nails into your hair, forcing you to sit upright as he parted your legs.

"Look at you," he whispers before cackling maniacally. "You're so stupidly wet, you filthy fucking girl-"

"O-oh fuck, Fuck Farleigh," Your try by all means to grind your cunt into the mattress but is doesn't happen.

"When are you going to learn that I own your orgasms?" He whispers, with his other hand furiously undoing the belt of his fitted pants. "You don't cum until I say. You don't touch yourself until I say. You don't even fucking think about cumming until I say-"

"You're such a big little baby," you spit back, "A big needy, little b-"

You're once again pushed backwards and Farleigh's mounting you with his leaking cock locked tight in his fist.

You automatically lift your legs to present your cunt to him and he groans at the sight.

"I'm going to cum inside of you." He promises.

"I want you too."

Farleigh's eyes are heavy as he slides himself inside you. He looks down at you like you were the most precious thing in the world to him. A treasure trove.

"Fuck- I need you to carry on talking." Farleigh says before shutting his eyes tightly. "Fuck you feel so good-"

"You're doing so well, baby," his hips rut inside you, accidentally pushing his cock in way too deep, way too fast and you both hiss and moan. "Such a good boy," you say with your hair finding his own curls, "You're being such a good fucking boy, Farleigh-"

"Open your mouth," you comply robotically. Farleigh places his hands on the underside of your chin before tipping your head backwards. His chains dangle above you as you stick your tongue out and he spits directly into your mouth. "Such a slut," he says, "Such a filthy fucking good girl." His words have you grinding your cunt against his cock until soon, you're both on the precipice of cumming.

"F-Fuck-"

"Such a good girl," he whispers, with his breath ghosting yoir face and the sound of skin slapping against skin only grows louder and louder. "S-So fucking good-" He whispers over and over again until your cunt clenches around his cock, promting Farleigh's orgasm with a quickness.

His cum spilling inside you has you slipping unceremoniously into your own orgasm and Farleigh wails in both the pleasure of your cunt milking him dry, or your fingers still pulling his hair like crazy.

"Fuck!" He exclaims before slumping on the bed beside you, "Get your fingers out of my hair, you psycho-"

"You love it, though," there's a teasing lilt in your voice, and all Farleigh does is scoff before patting down the pockets of his pants.

"You give me endless reasons to smoke," he says, before tipping his head back, unknwongly leaning into your embrace as your fingers coil through his soft curls.

"You'd smoke anyway."

#saltburn #saltburn x reader #saltburn smut #saltburn x you #farleigh start #farleigh saltburn #farleigh start x reader #farleigh start smut #oliver quick x reader

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fakeuwus · 6 months

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UNDERSTAND | park jongseong smau (ongoing)

now playing ☾⋆⁺₊🎧✩°｡ understand by keshi

"maybe we could try, if you let me"

PAIRING: idol!jay x idol!yn (femreader)

SYNOPSIS: coming fresh off your debut, you get invited to be a part of the revival for the beloved variety show 'We Got Married'. what happens when you find yourself falling for your "husband", as he's the perfect partner on and off screen?

FEATURING: enhypen, son jiwoo, moon chanelle, choi jihyun, bang jeemin, + other idols!

GENRE: smau, crack(ish?) (its just me trying my best to be funny but i have the humor of a 12 y/o boy), fluff, angst, idol au, fake dating?

WARNINGS: suggestive jokes, suggestive content(just making out and lots of TENSION!), couple stuffs, will specify in chapters if needed, ignore timestamps and dates!!!

MESSAGE FROM NIC: ahh my first smau!!! sent this prompt to @enmayz on anon and now im bringing it to life :3 IM SO EXCITEDD it's my first smau and im getting the hang of things, so pls be nice!! feedback is always appreciated as well :D

TAGLIST: OPEN (send a ask or comment to be on it!)

PROFILES: worst group ever | ENHA ENHA ENHA

CHAPTER 1: ill choke you in your sleep

CHAPTER 2: we live in a Society . 😕

CHAPTER 3: that's not very pride month of u

CHAPTER 4: u mean *OUR girlfriend

CHAPTER 5: jay pookie nation???

CHAPTER 6: mentally physically weak .

CHAPTER 7: im a sensitive little fella

CHAPTER 8: the eyes chico, they never lie 😔

CHAPTER 9: bros got attachment issues idk!

CHAPTER 10: JAYYN NATION RISE

CHAPTER 10.5: see you loverboy!

CHAPTER 11: copium 💀

CHAPTER 12: omg i love jungkook sunbaenim

CHAPTER 13: eunchae... 😡😡😡😡😡😡

CHAPTER 14: call that idgafism

CHAPTER 15: — ch*emin happend

CHAPTER 16: — floppy disk or balls

CHAPTER 17: —

CHAPTER 18: —

CHAPTER 19: —

CHAPTER 20: —

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verstappen-cult · 4 months

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HOW YOU GET THE GIRL ★ MASTERLIST

╰► SUMMARY:

in which charles leclerc has an embarrassing crush on alex's childhood best friend and everyone meddles.

╰► CONTENT:

this series contains taylor hill as the faceclaim (you can picture her as you’d like!) strangers to friends to lovers, pinning, a little humor, hurt/comfort, fluff, suggestive content, some cursing, friends meddling, toxic fandoms, alcohol consumption. f1 grid because they need their own warning. no beta reader we die like ferrari’s strategy. some of the chapters will contain little blurbs. i’ll add more as the story progresses!

╰► NOTES:

i’m a little (very!) new to the formula one world and i love being a little delulu, so here i am! the social media aus are something i enjoy so much that i wanted to make this little one. english is not my first language so you’re definitely gonna find mistakes u-u be kind please! hope you enjoy reading this. <3

and if you wanna be added to the taglist, just let me know!

⸻ CHAPTER INDEX:

01. THE BEGINNING

you’ve been friends with alex since you were a kid and after being apart for quite a while both decide that it’s time for you to make an appearance at the paddock. it’s the perfect opportunity to spend some time with your friend and meet new people, and catch the attention of a certain driver in the process. let the meddling begin.

02. THE MEDDLING

it’s the imola gp and everyone’s traveling to italy early, even you, and with a few days to spend relaxing, alex invites you to play golf with him, lily and charles. everything seems to be going well. until it’s not. so, your friends take it upon themselves to make it work out.

03. THE DRAMA

it’s been almost a month since you and charles kissed and things have been going great. until an interview, an ex and a friend make things a little awkward.

04. THE CLIFFHANGER

who said dating was easy? things are getting in the way of yours and charles happiness, so, now it’s time to talk about what’s happening, and see if your relationship can be saved. but charles is not making it easy.

05. THE END

it’s all been leading to this moment. it’s summer break and a lot of things happen.

#series : how you get the girl.#꒰꒰ 📁 ─ verstappen cult files ꒱꒱#charles leclerc x reader #f1 x reader #charles leclerc fluff #charles leclerc imagine #f1 fanfic #f1 grid x reader #f1 smau #f1 social media au #series masterlist

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vagabond-umlaut · 6 months

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Your Sukuna fic recs? pretty please? 🥺🥺

ofc nonnie! i nvr ever turn down an opportunity for showing (few of) my fave authors their much well-deserved love, respect & attention! 😊😊🫶🫶

ryomen sukuna x reader fic recs (I)

‣ this is merely a list of works i've enjoyed reading. kindly heed the tags and warnings in each of them and consume content responsibly, at your own discretion. ‣ that being said, i own neither these fics nor the characters. enjoy reading! 🥰

⇌ Conquest (SukunaXReader) (series) by JellyBelly531 on ao3 [I can't say anything on this series here, except, to request you to read this— provided you're fine with the tags and warnings the author has given. This is an absolute delight for those who love Trueform!Sukuna set in a canon-y historical backdrop. A 200% masterpiece, I'm tellin' ya! :))]

⇌ Sukuna with reader whos just dumb (hcs) by @poe-daydreams on tumblr [Humor, Fluff, Humor, Fluff, Humor— Comedy at its finest :D]

⇌ rhymes (oneshot) by @tender-rosiey on tumblr [Tooth-rotting fluff ft. Dad!Sukuna and his adorably menacing attitude xDD]

⇌ Tribe leader/Viking Sukuna (hcs) by @yuujispinkhair on tumblr [Terrifying 'Kuna + Charming 'Kuna + Protective 'Kuna + Soft 'Kuna + Husband 'Kuna + Dad 'Kuna— what more do you need, hmmm? ^_^]

⇌ Black Magic (twoshot) by sukirichi on ao3 [Arranged Marriage with Enemies-to-Lovers dynamics and Scary™️ Househusband 'Kuna— an ALL TIME FAVOURITE FIC of mine, for sure ^_^]

⇌ Little Monster (oneshot belonging to a series) by @lemonlover1110 on tumblr [A sweet combination of the tropes: Dad!Sukuna & Sukuna being Sukuna. I really love the way 'Kuna is in-character in this fic :))]

⇌ to satiate, seduce, and to sin. (oneshot) by @poe-daydreams on tumblr [For the twisted-yet-loving!Sukuna fuckers lovers like me ;)]

⇌ To the end (7 chapters) by @yuujispinkhair on tumblr [One Of THE very best Zombie Apocalypse AUs I've ever read. Please keep tissues close to you for the sad tears, then the happy tears. I ugly-cried while reading this, no kidding :))]

⇌ 7/11 (oneshot) by astreaborn on ao3 [Perfect way to lift your spirits, if you're ever feeling down. The characterizations are so well written... Just go read it, please. You will not regret it— I'm 10^10 times sure of this!! :))]

⇌ "make me (yours)." (oneshot) by @ancient-vivarium on tumblr [Age gap romance with rich older bf!Sukuna, ft. slow burn, fluff and SPICE— this is what one should call GIRL BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER! ;DD]

#ryomen sukuna x reader #ryomen sukuna x you #sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #sukuna fluff #sukuna angst #sukuna smut #jjk x reader #jjk x you #kit's fic recs 📚#ask: anon #kit's inbox 📧

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last-words-ofashootingstar · 22 days

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Allure

Part Two:Knuckle Velvet

❥MATZ x fem reader

Part One(Sunshine)

Part Three(Smoke)

➯a/n: i'm so glad people like this story, i've spent so much time on it and it's a labor of love, enjoy part two <33 if you're new here, part one is very much needed to understand what's going on and please read the warnings and take care of yourself ! if you didn't see my update, i lost the final draft of part three and now only have a paper draft so apologies that it will take a little bit to be uploaded ❤️‍🩹

✃ "Mind, body, soul, and wolf."

♫"Nothing hurts like the way you do; like the way you say "I love you." " -Knuckle Velvet, Ethel Cain♫Allure Soundtrack

✫彡wordcount: 6.9k

(>ᴗ•)♡´･ᴗ･`♡genre: smut, YANDERE, a/b/o au

ಠ_ಠwarning/content: DEAD DOVE I MURDERED THAT BEOTCH chapter specific: not beta read(ironically), criminal MATZ, alpha MATZ/omega reader, forced soul bonding, forced marking, nobody is mentally well, yandere and possessive behavior, talk of murder, talk of drugs, bits of humor because i was going insane, smoking 🍃, sh in the form of putting joints out on skin(NOT READER, NOT DESCRIPTIVE), reckless driving(is that a warning?), reader needs a hug like honestly-

cunnilingus, nudity, heat cycle, outdoor, fingering, THIS IS NOT A NON CON FIC, ALL SMUT IS CONSENSUAL.

⁂perm taglist: @stvrfir3 @tunaasan @marievllr-abg

⁂fic taglist: @potatomountain @spooo00oky @choichaeyiul @cheynalexilaiho @haven-cove @hwasbabygirl @gong-fourz @chaotic-floral @hyukssunflower @unlikelysublimekryptonite @tinybada @sunnyhokyu @calisnewworld @elysiangroundsforall

MATURE UNDER CUT MDNI

˚➶ ｡˚ PART TWO ˚➶ ｡˚

Something is wrong.

The warmth of your bed calls you back to sleep as you stir.

Something is wrong.

The smell of cooking pancakes wafts through the air, your stomach churns in interest.

Something is wrong.

The hand on your side is so soft it's almost fleeting.

Something is wrong.

Your eyes snap open, blurry vision landing on an unfortunately familiar set of features. Long brown hair, full lips in a seemingly perpetual line, thick letters on his neck.

You let out a scream as your body catches up with your mind, kicking Seonghwas arm and crawling back into the corner of your bed. "Sleep well? I sure hope so, Hongjoong nearly cried because you didn't get to mark him back before you passed out." His calm demeanor is the very antithesis of your state; frazzled and heart beating wildly in your ears. "I'm not too pleased with waiting either."

You go to pull the blanket over yourself again when he rips it off the bed completely. "G-go away, or else..." Your weak attempt at a threat makes the criminal grin, and he stands from his squatting position, looming over your cowering form.

"Oh you don't know how deep in you are, do you?" He purrs, crawling onto the mattress. It creaks pitifully under his weight as he moves ever closer.

He stops just short of being right in your face. "We own you. And when you stop this little tantrum, mark us back... you own us. A little thing like you, been on that blocker for God knows how long, you won't last but a few more hours until you're running to us with your tail between your legs. Hormones flooding your system, begging for your alphas...Begging for your mates." His eyes flick to your bruised shoulders, their marks peeking out of your scrubs. "Don't make us wait too long now, omega. We aren't patient men."

"Hwa!"

He leans away from you, yelling back to the voice, "what?!" His booming voice makes you jump, and take a deathly tight grip your pillow.

"Food!"

He looks back to you, and it's as if you can tell what he's thinking. You shake your head, slapping his hand away when he goes to grab your wrist. "C'mon now, you won't want an empty stomach when we mate-" He's cut off when a pillow hits his head, leaving him to let out an exasperated sigh.

Hongjoong turns around just as Seonghwa rounds the corner with your fidgeting form over his shoulder. "Hey, Dolly!" He greets casually, like this is an everyday occurrence, as he sets down the plate he's holding next to the other two on your little round table.

"Help! Help me!" You scream, gasping as you're quite literally thrown in a chair.

"No use in that," Hongjoong begins as he sits opposite of you, "no one will hear you. We cleared this place out. If they aren't dead, they're in the prison with our pack."

Your eyes well with tears. You don't doubt his words for a second. Massacring and holding a town hostage wouldn't even be on the top three of their crimes.

You take a shaking breath and gather yourself, glaring at the blonde silently. "Oh are you mad?" He asks teasingly. "We made ourselves comfy, hope you don't mind! Lovely little place you've got here."

You choose to stay silent, not trusting your own voice as it wavers even in your head.

"Eat up," Seonghwa pushes one of the plates to you, but Hongjoong snatches it back, eyeing you as you eye it.

It's been a full day since you've eaten, judging by the rising sun in the window. And you silently curse yourself for skipping lunch.

"Something you need to do first, Dolly." He taps his neck, a small grin playing at his lips as he notices your eyebrows push together. He wishes he could crawl into your head and see all of those thoughts that are undoubtedly suffocating you.

And they are. Your lungs feel heavy as you weigh every option against one another. You could run- but you've never outran an alpha, let alone two. You could hide- but that didn't work too well in the prison. You could simply refuse to return the bite- but the last wolf who did that was turned inside out, literally. You could simply cry and hope for their mercy- but you knew it would never come.

Your chair scratches the hardwood under it as you slowly push yourself away from the table. You notice you're missing your shoes as you trudge the few feet that feel like miles.

Hongjoongs head is eagerly turned to the untainted side, Seonghwa's mark mirrored to where you must leave yours.

You attempt to tune out the joyous howling of your wolf, tell her this is not a good thing. But she doesn't care. All she says is-

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

You wince as your canines push through your gums unannounced, lip snarling upward to give them room.

Seonghwa watches with a sadistic glint in his eye as you bend forward, tears building up in your own.

You hate to admit that Hongjoong, both of them really, smell wonderful. But your wolf sure doesn't, she only chants louder.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

Your anxious breathes fan against his neck, goosebumps arising in response and anticipation.

His heart is skipping beats. You're so close that you can hear it.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

With a quick movement, your teeth are sunk into his flesh, forever bonding you.

˚➶ ｡˚

The searing water pelts your back. Steam swirls in the air. Your cries and sniffles echo on the linoleum tile.

After marking both alphas you didn't have much appetite but, after helping you rinse your mouth, Hongjoong had made you eat everything on your plate before he let you run to the bathroom and lock yourself in.

Despite the pull in his gut, the urge to break down the door and comfort you, Hongjoong had forced himself to leave. He couldn't listen to your cries, even if he was the cause of them.

That left the older alpha alone in your humble living room. He tuned his ears to focus on the rainfall, the rolling thunder, the periodic knocking of your air conditioning, anything but the sound of your sorrow.

You don't quite find it in yourself to care who is or isn't in your home, you find yourself with a much more immediate problem.

Seonghwa was right.

You feel heat bubbling to life in your lower stomach, slowly consuming the ball of anxiety that resides there. Your wolf is loud. She won't shut up. Mate this, mate that, knot this, and knot that. You wish with every ounce of your being that she wouldn't be such a primal animal, but that's much like expecting a wild animal to be house trained.

You find your tears slowly drying, washed away from your cheeks by the ever falling water.

You hadn't had a heat in a good long while. And now you were mated to two alphas? Seonghwa was right, and you are beyond fucked. You'd never even had a partner during a heat.

A whimper trembles past your lips without your consent, small and pathetic much like how you feel.

You go to grip the knobs, gasping as you see your claws. They look thicker than before, darker as well. You bring them to your face, turning your hand over and inspecting them. "What..."

A knock at the door startles you enough to grab the tub, new and improved nails leaving indents on the acrylic fiberglass. "(Y/n)? Don't get too hot, the steam is coming out into the hall."

"Go away!" You squeeze your eyes shut, praying Seonghwa didn't hear the sorry crack in your voice.

Your prayers, much like yesterday, go unanswered, unheard. "Are you okay in there? I know... I know the situation isn't ideal-"

"Shut up!" You growl, hand immediately slapped to your mouth in shock of your own outburst. The quiet is eating you alive, making you wish the raining water above you would somehow drown you.

"I'm coming in."

"No! Just fucking leave me alone." Your eyes are wide at the sound of your own voice once again. You, your body is curled into the corner of the tub wanting to disappear and become one with the tiles below you. You, your mouth is loud and proud with your anger.

He opens the lock with his claw, breaking your deceptive sense of privacy. The stream rises into the hall in a thick fog, obscuring his vision. He tries to look for your outline behind the shower curtain but he finds nothing. When a small sniff sounds, his eyes flick to the source. The shadow of a curled up body.

When he grab the curtain, your voice comes out quietly. "Please don't touch me."

"I won't." He speaks shortly, opening the fabric just enough to turn off the water. Immediately, with no sound to drown it out, he hears your irregular heartbeat. "I won't," he says with a voice soft with promise.

The silence drapes you both, listening closely to one another for any sign of movement or speech.

Your ears are perked up, eyes wide and wild as you watch his silhouette take a seat on the closed toilet. He seems to be watching you as well.

"You're in heat." He breaks the hush with a punch. It's not a question, more so it's an observation from his sharp senses.

"Yes." You whisper back.

"How long since you had your last one? That blocker was in there deep." His voice holds something like quiet empathy, which makes your wolf want to crawl to him even more. You try to calculate the years to give him a good estimate of how bad this will get, but your brain feels too hot in your head.

"Long," is all you can muster up.

The quiet blankets you again, the only sound the raging storm outside. A clap of thunder makes you jerk, wrapping your clawed hands around yourself for a sense of comfort.

His hand comes through the gap in the curtain, holding your large fluffy towel. You take it with an almost silent thank you, wrapping it around your shoulders as you stay seated.

He watches the steam dissipate, surveying your small bathroom. The tub and shower which currently holds you takes up the short wall. The toilet he sits on has a soft fabric covering on the lid, the short blue yarn matches the color of the walls and the striped curtain. Your medicine cabinet has small little flowers painted on it with an obviously careful hand. Your products on the counter are organized in re-used plastic containers. Your clothes are set on the edge and awaiting you.

He wonders what you'll do to their home when it becomes yours as well.

When you shuffle, he looks back to your distorted form. Slowly standing, you clear your throat. "Can you, uhm..."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," he mutters as he stands, closing the door behind him.

Taking a peek around the drape, you make sure he's really gone before you step out and quickly dry yourself off, blinking away the tears that start to build again.

With a fresh outfit on and having scrubbed off as much of them as you could, you step out of the bathroom for the first time in hours. Hongjoongs scent is weak, making you briefly wonder where he went as you tip toe around your own home.

The door to your room is still ajar, but a glimpse inside shows no sign of the alpha who's smell is still strong. The sound of the TV draws you out to the compact living room. There, you can see the back of his head as he faces the box television, watching a rerun of Starsky and Hutchy.

He says nothing as you sit down, and you say nothing back. He's not paying attention, and neither are you. But neither of you dare speak first.

˚➶ ｡˚

How you fell asleep, you have no idea. But the slam of the front door makes you jump awake, grabbing the nearest object which happens to be Seonghwas forearm.

He places his hand on yours wordlessly and turns to see whoever has the nerve to wake you. "Mingi?" He groans after a moment of reflection.

The strange man in your home, Mingi, is tall, taller than Seonghwa- and it makes you cower into the alpha subconsciously. He shakes the rain water out of his short pink hair in a way akin to a dog after a bath, unbothered by the glare and the wide eyes on him. "Hey!"

"What are you-"

"Joong sent me," he lifts up a duffel bag with a grin, kicking his shoes off as to not drag mud into your home and piss off his alphas mate. "Hi," he smiles more politely towards you as he slowly approaches, noticing your arms tremor.

"You forget how to knock?" Seonghwa grumbles as he stands, hand hesitantly leaving your own as he walks behind the couch to join the man.

"Well I didn't hear anything, I figured you were sleeping or something." He shrugs simply as he sits the bag on the sewing machine you use as a desk.

"We were, asshat." The brotherly bickering of the pack mates makes you smile, and you hide your lips in the cushion as you watch them carefully from you backwards seating on the couch.

The pink haired man's attention lands on you as Seonghwa looks through the clothes in the bag. "Hi, 'm Mingi," he smiles kindly, holding his hand out to you only for it to be smacked down quickly by Seonghwa with a glare. "Uhm, rude," he rolls his eyes with a clear playfulness.

"No touching," he huffs shortly, eyes flicking back to you. "He touches you, I cut off his fingers. I'm going to shower." He leans over the back off the couch and lifts your face out of the fabric gently, taking your lips in his possessively, leaving you flabbergasted as he leaves as quick as he came.

Mingi whistles lowly as the bathroom door closes, chuckling at your starstruck expression. "This fuckin' guy, am I right?" He jokes, smiling awkwardly as he shifts his weight from foot to foot. "I'm an omega too, don't worry. I know it's scary coming across new wolves when you're like us, not knowing..."

You nod silently, eyeing him up for any sign of danger. But you only find him shivering. "You want a towel or something...?"

"Oh, if it's not any trouble," he smiles again, the gummy nature of it reminds you of Jihyun, and you find a lot of your nerves draining away. He's an omega like you, so you have a fair chance against him. And despite everything, you doubt Seonghwa would let anyone hurt you, let alone someone from his own pack.

You sneak by him quickly and into the closet in the hall next to the bathroom, where you can hear the water running.

"Here you go," you hand it over before taking a seat again, turning backwards on the couch to keep an eye on him as he towels off his hair.

Starsky and Hutch keeps the silence from being too stiff, but it's clear Mingi has a lot of words on his tongue fighting to come out as he dries his arms.

"Do-"

"Is-"

"Sorry," you both mumbles as you speak over each other. You motion to the seat next to you and he takes it with a quick, "thanks."

"So," you begin, tucking your knees under your chin, "he's your alpha?"

"Both of them, they lead together." He nods as he speaks, looking around your home.

"That's weird," you mumble to yourself, picking at the string on your sock, "how does that work?"

"Well... I mean they just kind of lead us all together. Make decisions together, it's not a dictatorship actually- they let us vote on stuff sometimes, it's nice. I'm sure you'll come to understand our pack, we're just a bit... different."

"How did, uh, I mean I've heard some stuff, I dunno-"

"You can ask me. I know those two probably weren't very talkative."

"Yeah," you chuckle quietly, taking a peek at him, "they made their own pack, right? How did you end up here?"

He looks back at you and slowly relaxes in his seat, both of you growing more comfortable as your wolves sniff one another out. "Yeah, that's right. They didn't roll up on a village like this and say, 'who's the strongest, let's fight', like most alphas come to be. They found each of us and asked us to join, didn't just demand it. I was one of the first, actually. They found me stealing some food in Minnesota, told me pledge my loyalty and I'll never be cold or hungry again."

"And?"

"Hm?"

"Have you been?"

"Never," he shakes his head, "they're good alphas. Maybe not the best people, but good alphas. I'm sorry you had to join us this way... they can be a bit impulsive, impatient." His eyes are low and voice even lower, like he's trying to hide his words from the man who's most definitely listening in. "They aren't monsters, at least not the kind the news makes them out to be. They're the monsters the world shaped them into."

You feel his wolf calling out to yours, albeit weakly. You've never felt it before. Is it because you're finally apart of a real pack? Because you're his alphas mate? Your eyes flick to your wolves and his follow suit, a pink color that matches his hair.

"Mingi." His voice breaks your small staring competition, both of you looking to him. He looks a lot different on his own clothes, and it makes your annoyingly loud wolf even louder. His forearm sleeve and neck tattoo is on show in his dark grey wifebeater, finally freed from the long sleeve orange top. The marks on his shoulders are out and proud as well. His bell bottom jeans make his long legs look even longer, like he's more than half leg. His inked up fingers work nimbly to buckle his belt. That's when you finally look away, sinful thoughts flooding your head thanks to your building heat.

"Has Hongjoong come up with a plan with the rest of you?"

You don't register that he's come up to the couch until he's picking you up. You grab onto his shoulders and bite your lip as you yelp.

"He says we should just sneak attack their camp, Jongho's been able to sus out their location with his-" Mingi clears his throat to stop himself as Seonghwa sends him a glare while he sits, settling you in his lap. "With some intel... says they only have two scouts at a time."

You curl up on yourself, breathing deeply- which turns out to be a grave mistake. Seonghwas sandalwood scent floods you all at once, the musky smell of the prison washed away. A wave of arousal hits you like the one in the shower, and he squeezes you closer to his chest.

"He'll tell me about it later, go on and go back to the prison and tell him come back."

"Wha-"

"Go now."

"Yup, yeah, I'm gone." Mingi jumps up, leaving the towel on the couch as he dashes to the door, disappearing with a quick, "later!"

You try to scramble away the second the door shuts, but the alpha grabs your ankle and pins you to the couch. "Please, please!" You shake your head while sniveling, quieted when he cups the back of your neck softly.

"Calm down, omega," he whispers, keeping his weight off of you, "you need us to get rid of that heat, you know that don't you?"

You nod dreadfully, burying your face in the cushion. "I don't want-"

"Tell me what you want, and that's what I will do. Nothing more. I won't force you to do anything but I won't let you suffer in your heat, do you understand?"

"Yes..."

"Do you want me to let you go?"

Despite yourself, you whisper, "no..."

"Tell me how to help you. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you want, omega, and I will give it to you."

˚➶ ｡˚

By the time Hongjoong crashes through the front door clumsily, both of you are gone from the couch. A trail of torn clothes and the call of soft moans lead him to your bedroom, the door open wide to provide him a beautiful view.

You, in your bra and nearly nothing else. Legs spread around Seonghwas shoulders and socked toes curling into the bed. Your sharp teeth out and peeking through your lips as they part with a moan.

Seonghwa, kneeling and back arched as he anchors himself between your legs, forearms wrapped around your thighs. His tank top rising up to expose the ink on his lower back. Low, muffled moans rumble in his throat.

"Started without me?" He asks smugly after he catches his breath from the overwhelming scene.

Seonghwas head snaps back at the intruder, eyes red and jaw slick- but he goes right back to his meal, making you yip in surprise. Your eyes stay locked on his, lit aglow just like the alphas between your legs. Your chest rises and falls with bated breathes.

"Hongj-ah!" You grip the straps of Seonghwas top, eyes squeezing shut as you whine.

Your logic and reasoning went out the window the second Seonghwas eyes turned red with lust. Now, you let your wolf get what she wants for the time being. You forgot how badly heats burn.

Your bed dips and creaks with the additional weight as the younger alpha joins you. You feel his breath over the healing mark he left, followed by a lick which makes you gasp.

Every touch both extinguishes the burn and makes it hotter.

"You smell so good," Hongjoong coos into your neck, hands slowly wrapping around your waist, "will you let me have a taste too?"

"Y-yes!" You nod eagerly, fidgeting under his light touches until a slender hand presses down on your stomach to keep you in place, followed by a growl.

"I'm not done, am I, omega? I thought you wanted to cum on my tongue? That's what you asked for, after all," Seonghwa teases as he pulls back, free hand playing with the slick between your thighs. He watches with a smirk as you nod, over and over. "Yeah?"

"Yeah! Please, Seonghwa!" You feel a pinch in your gut as you beg for the criminal, but it's washed away with another surge of pleasure. A soft hand on your cheek makes you push your eyes open, coming face to face with Hongjoong.

"Poor omega," he pouts as he traces your jaw, "those blockers are good for nothing, only cause problems. We'll take good care of you, don't worry. Anything you want, Doll. Anything at all."

Your request is wordless. A pull at his belt loop with your clawed finger.

˚➶ ｡˚

You're fast asleep with your heat satisfied for the time being, sandwiched between the two alphas in your small bed. They keep quiet, enjoying the moment. They know that when you awake without your heat blurring your mind, you'll be distant again.

And they don't blame you.

Mingi was right, they're impulsive. They wanted you and they got you the second they could. They'll do whatever they can to make you realize you're meant to be their omega, their mate. They'll build the trust one step at a time, they just had to make sure you wouldn't slip away in the meantime.

Your breathes are slow and steady, deep in the hands of exhaustion. One of your legs is hooked across Hongjoongs hips, the other tangled in Seonghwas bell bottoms. Your arms are wrapped around the blondes neck, head buried in his shoulder.

Seonghwa has one arm tucked under both of your heads, fingers twirling Hongjoongs hair mindlessly as he holds a joint between his lips, inhaling deeply and letting the smoke out slowly. His pants are undone and underwear clumsily pulled back up.

Hongjoong has his eyes closed peacefully, though he's not sleeping. He's listening intently to your heart beats, enjoying the familiar smell of his alphas smoking and the feeling of your naked body clinging to his.

"Leave tomorrow?" Seonghwa whispers hushedly, letting the smoke in his lungs out in a puff.

"The quicker we get home the better. We need to start making a real plan for that fuck face Greene." He snarls silently, pressing his nose into your hair in an attempt to calm himself.

"And make sure no one messed up while we were caged."

"They told me Yunhos been taking care of the traffic flow, we should be good on that part. I just want to get my claws bloody."

Seonghwa chuckles, rubbing his temple, "you know what's fucked? If that coward didn't rat us out, we wouldn't've found our mate."

Hongjoong cracks a small smile, cradling your unconscious body close to his chest as Seonghwa stands. "Maybe I'll go easy on him then." He smirks, watching his shoulders bounce with silent laughter as he leaves the room, a trail of smoke following him.

Seonghwa closes the bathroom door behind him, staring at his reflection. He takes the joint between his index and middle finger, leaning toward the glass.

Hongjoong was made for this world, for his world. But were you? Had they just doomed you to a pitiful existence? Did he even care if they did?

Peddling drugs and getting your claws bloody. He couldn't imagine you doing it. But he couldn't imagine letting you go.

He pulls his jeans down and his boxers leg up, snuffing out the joint on his thigh.

˚➶ ｡˚

"It ain't a crime to be good to yourself! Lick it up! Lick it up! Woooo!"

Your body is slung to the door of the van as Hongjoong drifts around the corner, the loud rock music only rivaled by his singing of it. You grab onto the passenger seat infront of you to hold yourself steady. "Does he have to be the one to drive?" You yell to Seognhwa who's in the row of seats behind you, laid across them with a grin.

"He likes to pretend he's driving The A Team van!"

The van skids to a stop infront of the prison, and you have to force yourself to look away least you think about the people who are still being held hostage inside. "C'mon up here, Doll," Hongjoong holds his hand out to you in offering, and you take it. You crawl over the cup holder in the middle and land in the passenger seat, grabbing the bag they had let you pack before dragging you away from your home.

"Where are we going?" You ask quietly, thankful that Hongjoong had the ears to be able to hear you over his cassette.

"Back to our stomping grounds," he hums as he hits the button to unlock the doors, letting in the approaching group of people. "Los Aranza, it's in sou-"

"What's up fuckers?" A young man shouts over the music as he hops into the middle row, making you jump as you look back. He smiles your way kindly, uttering a softer, "hey."

Mingi, who throws you a small smile, is climbing in next with a buffer man who immediately gives you the chills and a woman who looks like a sore thumb in the group.

Mingi gets in the back with Seonghwa and the woman ends up in the middle seat between the two other men despite her complaints.

"(Y/n), this is Wooyoung," Hongjoong introduces you to the first man, who waves your way. "Lia," the woman returns your awkward smile of a greeting. "And San," who, you don't expect to, leans over the center console and takes you in a sideways hug.

"No touching!" A grumble comes from the back, making San chuckle as he leans back into his seat.

"Nice to meet you," he grins brightly, promptly buckling his seatbelt when he hears Hongjoong start the vehicle back up.

Everyone else quickly copies his actions, and you get the memo the moment before the van lurches to life quickly.

The first few minutes are awkward silence save for the music, which Lia thankfully made the driver turn down.

"So, (Y/n)," Wooyoung starts up, "I don't want you to worry so..." You look back over your shoulder, taking a note of the small freckle under his eye as you search his features. "I just wanted to let you know that we called the state police before we left, it'll take a few hours but the rest of your village won't be stuck in there for too long."

The sentiment gives you the smallest hint of relief, knowing that they won't just be left there to wither until someone would notice that the whole town disappeared off the face of the planet. "Thanks..." You nod shortly, taking the time turned around to inspect the other new faces as well.

Lia has a seemingly familiar set of round and soft features, but you can't quite place it. Nor can you place her ranking in the group. She doesn't smell like a wolf, but you don't want to pry.

San, however, has the clear ego of a beta; chest puffed out and radiating confidence, but not power. He's got a smile that doesn't match any of that though, and that along with his friendly actions make you think he's not as scary as he presents.

You turn back around and face the road, watching the sign for your town wiz past.

"How far to Los A..."

"Aranza! Maybe like... 26 hours?" Lia's words make you look to Hongjoong, who's tapping away at the wheel as he speeds.

"Seonghwa," you call out.

"Hm?"

"Can someone else drive?"

˚➶ ｡˚

Your request was denied, obviously, and everyone had to hang on every time Hongjoong made a turn or hit a bump. Admittedly, it was fun to watch him let loose and sing his heart out while the wind knocked his hair around. That, paired with the surprisingly kind conversation that the pack members made with you made for a good first three hours.

After that, Wooyoung got grumpy. "I'm hungry!"

Then, Mingi chimed in, "I have to use the bathroom!"

Then, San, "My legs asleep! Ow, really Lia?"

When you gave Hongjoong a begging glance, that's when he finally started looking for an exit on the highway.

The mom and pop restaurant was run down and quiet, but you were thankful that that meant less people to see the rag tag team of criminals you were with and potentially cause problems. The van was parked half hazardously in the back by the restrooms, and Mingi was the first out from the back doors, practically dashing into the men's room.

You grab the handle to the passenger side door only to be grabbed on the opposite wrist. You look to the assailant and see Hongjoong with a questioning gaze. "What? I have to...go," you shrug his hand away, opening your door and hopping down before he can stop you again.

You hear some soft foot steps enter the bathroom as you hover, but they don't enter a stall. "Did they send you to babysit me," you groan, nearly slapping yourself as you speak before thinking again.

"Yeah, sorry..." Lia's voice is apologetic, and when you finally exit: her face is as well. "They can be a bit...uhm."

"Paranoid? Overbearing?"

"Yeah," she nods softly, using the mirror she stands infront of to look at you as you wash your hands. The way your shoulders slump and your head hangs low makes her heart ache for you. "I hope we can be friends. You're going to need some in this side of the world."

You look in the mirror in front of yourself, matching her stance as you watch one another through the glasses. "I hope so, too."

When you join the men back outside, they're all sitting on the curb with plastic bags infront of them. Lia sits in the space between Mingi and San, immediately grappling at the bag the ladder holds out to her. Seonghwa hands you one as well, nodding for you to take it, "yours."

Inside is two large styrofoam boxes of delicious smelling food, and you look up with your brows pressed together. "This is a lot of food, Seonghwa, I'm not going to eat all of this." You set down one as you open up the other and sit on the warm concrete between the two alphas.

"You need it, you're still in heat." He hums plainly, dropping a french fry into his mouth as San spits one out from his.

"Hey!" You yell, feeling the heat of embarrassment rising up your neck.

"What? It's true." He looks around to his pack members, seeing the three lower men looking away from you while Lia simply shakes her head at him, and Hongjoong nods.

"He's right, we didn't even fuck- ow!" He glares at Mingi as he slaps him upside the head, "we didn't! We only y'know... messed around."

"Bro, shut up!" Mingi sends you a quick compassionate glance before turning his face to his food. "You guys have zero tact."

"Tact? What the hells that?" Hongjoong mumbles from around his burger, "you made that up."

In defiance of your anger at him, his antics make you smile as you take a bite of food.

˚➶ ｡˚

The next stop the vehicle makes is in the dead of night, the spring moon full and bright.

It was only you and Hongjoong awake when you asked if their promise from earlier still stood: whatever you need and nothing more.

He was quick to peel off the road and park the sleeping group before leading you into the woods to satisfy your once again noisy wolf.

You hate that you nearly start howling aloud when he pushes your back onto a tree, hand behind your head to protect it from the bark, and begins kissing you like he did in your bed.

He takes it a step further, slipping his hand down now that Seonghwa isn't there. His lips meld into yours as he slips his hand under the elastic waistband of your shorts. They travel lower as his fingers do the same, feeling the warmth of your heat which makes him groan into your neck.

When he feels your hands on his shoulders, he closes his eyes and cherishes your touch, letting his wolf drive him forward and press his body to yours in an act of affection which makes you dizzy.

His fingers find their way inside of you, making you gasp toward the stars. His knuckles feel like balls of velvet in your overly sensitive body, driving you nearer and nearer to the cliff of pleasure your wolf desperately needs to dive off of.

Omega heats are pathetic, you think to yourself as your knees buckle: only being held up by Hongjoongs weight pressing you into the tree as he gives you satisfaction you're incapable of giving yourself.

Thankfully, all too soon, your pleasure reaches its peak and you tumble over it, gushing on his fingers and clinging to him as he kisses the healing mark his teeth left. He wraps his free arm around your back, holding your waist tightly as you tremble. "That's it, Doll..." His voice raises bumps on the flesh of your shoulder, his heavy breaths fanning them.

You can feel his length hard against you, but you're too afraid and too ashamed to acknowledge it and he knows it. But he's content with whatever you give to him in the moment, he doesn't care about his own pleasure as long as his mate is taken care of. He presses his nose into your scent and breathes deeply, letting out a growl as he feels your core clenching.

You feel a sense of dread as you come back to your head fully, watching with wide eyes as he takes his fingers from your shorts and into his mouth. You quickly look away, and hear him chuckling.

"It's okay to want us, Pretty. We're your mates. We want you just as bad."

You share a moment of sincere eye contact before your tears blur his image. "I'm afraid." You confess in a short huff, breathing in the soft wind that surrounds you.

"Of what? We'll never let anything hurt you." His voice holds a simple directness, he means every word he says and he doesn't see the need to be poetic with it. He just wants to convey the truth to you. "Anyone looks at you the wrong way and I'll gut them. I'll put their head on a pike to show everyone else not to fuck with you."

With his body once again pressing into you, albeit with a softness that wasn't found in your last heated moment, you find yourself looking down to avoid his wild eyes. He can smell a bittersweet spike of fear in your scent, and his brows furrow together.

"I'm afraid of you... and of Seonghwa. You frighten me. You don't-" You bite your tongue before you let your emotions speak for you. After a moment, you break your silence, "you don't even know me... and it scares me what you're willing to do. You're criminals. And if... if you don't find me a suitable mate that I'll be next on your list of victims. I didn't ask for this, Hongjoong... I didn't want this."

His face is stoic for a spell, but his lips slowly curve upward into a bestial grin: followed by the giggles that had haunted your dreams after the first time you heard them. "Oh, (Y/n)," he snickers, eyes closing with the force of his laughter. It rings out in the silent night and mocks you. What could he possibly be finding so funny about your legitimate fears?

His body collapses into you as he laughs manically, making you freeze with a cry- your body trying to make itself small. You close your eyes, taking sniveling breaths as you will yourself to block out the deranged laughter. "Oh, you're just so adorable!"

"S-stop laughing at me," you whine, attempting to push his weight off of you as the bark begins digging into your back. He doesn't look it, but he's heavy as all get out as he slumps into you.

He grips your wrists as you push at his chest and pins them into the tree with his claws caging them in, all laughter gone in a spilt second as he glares down at you. "Now you listen, Doll," he growls between his teeth, making you cry sharper and clench your eyes tighter. He doesn't like that one bit. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, omega!"

You sheepishly open your eyes, too afraid to disobey him even though he's scaring the living daylights out of you with his mood swings. His eyes slowly return to normal, black fading into nothingness at the sight of your fearful eyes.

"Now you listen close, yeah?" He speaks softer than before, kicking your feet apart to stand between them and get closer to you. "You don't quite understand, I think... We could fucking smell you the second we rolled into that place. Now, Seonghwa thought it was a trick- a stupid ploy to get us to be tame. But when you walked into the room, oh we knew it was real! Just one wiff of your fresh scent and my wolf was clawing to get out. Even with that stupid blocker in your neck, we could smell you and that's how we knew. Other alphas won't even understand so it's okay that you don't. But, Doll, you were made for us, and we were made for you. The moon cut us from the same cloth, three pieces from the same puzzle. You were ours the second you were born, and we were yours. We are each others. We are each other. Mind, body, soul, and wolf, we belong to one another. So don't think for a second that we don't know you, okay? We are you. We'll chase you to the ends of the goddamn Earth if we have to. So don't ever fucking say some shit like that again, got it?! I would break open my chest and shove you inside if that's what it took to keep you safe. I'd walk on my hands and knees for eternity if that's what it takes to make you happy! So don't say some shit like that again, am I understood? You are our mate and we will treat you as such, nothing less than a Goddess among wolves and we the Gods that rule beside you. Do you understand?"

You're too busy sobbing, your small sniffles having grown into full blown fat tears and cries during his monologue, to answer him. He withdraws his claws and your arms fall limp to your side. His palms are warm and comforting on your cheeks even as he says firmly, "nod if you understand."

And all you can do is nod pathetically.

˚➶ ｡˚ PART TWO END ˚➶ ｡˚

#yandere fic #smut fic #ateez fic #yandere ateez #ateez matz #ateez au #ateez smau #park seonghwa #yandere seonghwa #seonghwa smut #kim hongjoong #yandere hongjoong #hongjoong smut #ateez smut #ateez x reader #yandere ateez x reader #yandere x reader #werewolf au

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kayjayjwrites · 14 days

Text

Like Bugs in a Rug: Chapter Two

(Previous Chapter)

Summary: Azriel Shadowsinger, mysterious pretty boy extraordinaire himself, was head over heels in love with you for years. Everyone in the room could see it, except for you of course. A series of connected one-shots.

Chapter Word Count: 7,500

Chapter Content Warnings: hurt/comfort, angst kinda, eventual fluff, anxiety/panic attack, vomit (nothing graphic), Rhysand being an ass, Nesta x Reader friendship, Rhysand slander lol, AFAB Reader, Reader (You), fluff, some details about Reader's appearance but overall vague, canon plot spoilers as this is canon compliant-ish Note: So is this fluff? Debatable. But there is still plenty of Az fluff in it, you just got to work for it a little more this time. You don’t need to read the first chapter to understand what’s going on here, but they are connected!

It took almost three years of employment with the Inner Circle for you to personally encounter the ‘Night Triumphant’ persona. You were not impressed. The most serious you’d seen your cousin was ‘High Lord Rhysand’, the fierce leader, but even that was limited to political business outside of Velaris. More so than not, it was just Rhys, your fun loving, sarcastic friend who so happened to wield an enormous amount of power.

The male sitting at his work desk was not your ‘Rhys’. Hell this wasn’t even High Lord Rhysand. The Night Triumphant held eye contact with you, gaze calculated and stern. You studied the authority in his expression, his mouth drawn into a tight line. Staring him down right back, you waited for the facade to break and reveal the male you had come to know as family. You searched his face for the guy who would rather face Amarantha again than put you in such a precarious situation. The very situation that plagued you with consistent nightmares since you left Hewn City.

You did not find that male.

Your gaze flitted to Mor, her body draped in a leather armchair off to the side, hoping to find a trace of humor in her expression. She tried to look nonchalant, but there was a sharp edge to her that betrayed her own trepidation.

Nesta stood an arm’s length away from you, uncharacteristically quiet in the wake of your High Lord’s orders. She seemed as if she was waiting to see who would escalate things first. Rhysand had summoned the three of you to his office to brief everyone on an upcoming…obligation. He prefaced the meeting by saying that he knew it wasn’t an ideal assignment. He wasn’t asking if you wanted to do it, it was non negotiable.

In two months time, you, Nesta, and Mor would be answering a summons to Hewn City. Kier had been requesting a personal audience with you for the last year. Mor and Rhysand could no longer postpone it, as you were a Night Court Courtier afterall.

Still, you did not want to believe that Rhys would ask this of you. “You’re kidding, right? This isn’t very funny, Rhysand.”

“I know you can tell that I am not joking.” His flinty tone brook no argument.

Any hope of reasoning with the Night Triumphant withered away. He summoned you to his office well aware that you wouldn’t take kindly to being sent back. Here you’d been thinking Rhysand understood your trauma best, having been held captive and used while Under the Mountain.

It appeared that you had misjudged him.

Just as you were about to say as much, Mor spoke up for the first time since the meeting started. “Kier threatened mutiny at the last Council meeting. At first he demanded a private audience, even after I informed him of our bargain. When we still refused to send you by yourself despite his threats, he agreed on these terms. You and Nesta because you’re a team, and me because I oversee The Court of Nightmares anyway. He couldn’t argue with that logic.”

You felt like you were going to be sick. After 300 years of being nothing but a tool for your father, the idea of seeing Kier’s face again so soon had your lunch sitting heavy in your stomach. It was inevitable, he thought you were loyal to him, his spy on the inside. You had zero idea how you were going to handle a reunion with him, simply thinking about it made you short of breath.

Your nights were plagued with stress dreams about what it would be like to return to your old home. You avoided stewing on the topic during your waking hours. The inevitability of it all often sent you spiraling, you couldn’t ghost Kier forever, but you thought you had more time. There was no fucking way you were ready. “I can’t do this,” You said, “give me any other assignment, and I’ll do it. Just not this.”

“You can,” Rhysand enunciated each word, slow and deliberate, like he wasn’t sure you would understand him, “and you will.”

Oh hell no. You did not uproot your entire life to be spoken to like that. “Do not speak to me like a child, Rhysand–”

“Then stop acting like one,” he scolded, like you were the one being unreasonable, “this is your duty to your court, what I pay you to do. If you won’t do what needs to be done to protect your court then we don’t have a place for you here.”

Rhysand’s words hit like a blow. Your sharp intake of breath was echoed by both Nesta and Mor, but you couldn’t see them, they might as well have not been there, your world shrinking down to Rhysand as he regarded you coldly.

“So what will it be?” He addressed you, leaning forward over his desk, leering, “will you do as your High Lord asks of you, or will you be resigning today?” He pressured.

Your hands fisted, ire rising up so fast it made your eyes sting with unshed tears. If you got kicked out of Velaris you’d undoubtedly end up back in Hewn City. And you couldn’t let that happen, not after you finally got a taste of freedom.

Rhysand may like to believe himself better than Kier, but how was this any different from how Kier treated you? Was this your destiny? Undeserving of kindness unless you proved your worth?

What about you made people forget that you were a living, breathing being? Just like everyone else in the room, you had feelings that mattered, and hopes for your future. You’d been stripped of your freewill for the first three centuries of your life. It was a wonder that you hadn’t gone mad.

Were you only allowed a taste of freedom? Was that Rhysand’s plan all along? Get you hooked on life in Velaris then dangle it in front of you like you were a simple mule, your freedom the carrot held just out of reach.

It made your blood boil.

“My apologies.” You sneered at him, gone was the meek, conditioned wallflower. You meant all the disrespect. In a dramatic flourish you bowed low to Rhysand, making sure he saw your contempt for him when he met your gaze.

You maintained direct eye contact as you hissed harsh sarcasm at him, “I am at your disposal, High Lord.”

Rhysand’s eyes flared with something dark and aggressive. Time slowed, a pulse of his power cresting over you in a suffocating wave, a preview of how oppressive he could make it if he so wished. Dread replaced your anger, the confidence you’d displayed moments ago dissipating. You struggled to not show how he had shaken you, and by some miracle, you stood your ground. Still, he could probably hear your heart pounding from where he sat.

Amidst the theatrics, your own power had not been so keen on backing down. It had coiled around you like a viper ready to strike, protective, as Rhysand’s prowling darkness prodded your boundaries.

This version of Rhysand left you stricken, unable to reconcile the egregious behavior with the male you’d had breakfast with just that morning. It felt like his power was tearing you in half, and he wasn’t even exerting himself. He looked bored.

Did you escape the clutches of one villain, only to run into the hands of another? Were you really that foolish?

Mor stepped into your field of vision, mouthing something at you. You hadn’t realized your ears were ringing until the shrill noise faded enough for you to hear her calling your name. The frantic quality of her voice snapped you out of whatever daze Rhysand’s power had cast on you.

Right. Nesta and Mor had witnessed that entire thing. You’d forgotten about their presence in the heat of the moment, your attention tunnel visioned on Rhysand. He had humiliated you in front of some of the most important people in your life. The only thing that could have made it worse was if Azriel had been there too.

Intense embarrassment flooded you, a seed of distrust taking root deep in your heart. You felt so stupid, thinking you could trust Rhysand and his Inner Circle. Mor was still trying to get your attention, but you stared right past her, looking at Rhysand like you hated him.

Hell. Maybe you did.

Mor called your name once more with urgency, moving closer to you, half turned so she hadn’t given her back to her High Lord, but solely focused on you. “It’s the best we could do without inciting a civil war.” She tried to clarify, emphasizing on the ‘we’ as she gestured between herself and Rhysand.

“You have to know we wouldn’t put you in this position if we had any other choice. I personally promised I would never leave you alone in that city again, and there is nothing our father can say or do to make me break that promise to you. We will do this together.”

Rhysand’s power had receded, but you could still feel it loitering like a watchdog. Something you’d never imagined Rhys doing to you before the meeting. He’d always spun such pretty promises about your future in Velaris, and you believed him.

And now Mor was doing the same exact thing. More pretty promises, but no proof of her intentions to follow through with them.

Mor’s shoulders visibly sagged, “If you don’t believe me, then look.” She pleaded, offering her mind up for you to read.

You physically recoiled at her suggestion. “I will do no such thing!” You spat back in disgust, “You are my sister, this is supposed to be my family. I will not taint our relationship with my powers in a moment of weakness. You may not return the same respect, but I refuse to surround myself with people I can’t trust without rummaging around their mind for their truths first.”

Unlike some males went unsaid as you fumbled to tone it down for Mor. Your problem was not with her, and she didn’t deserve your harsh words. “I can’t…I won’t….I–”

Frustrated with yourself, you took a steadying breath, emotion burning behind your eyes. Despite your best effort to keep composed, your voice quivered, “I will not be like our father.”

The room was stunned silent, Mor regarded you with sadness, lips parting to respond, but then pursing closed in a tight line.

Rhysand was the one to break the silence. His power dispersed as he leaned back in his chair, acting like he hadn’t just wound you up tight enough to fracture you into pieces.

“So you accept the assignment then?” He inquired, brushing nonexistent lint from the cuff of his dress shirt.

His lack of remorse irked you. Did he not think he could have handled the situation better? Was this how he treated everyone in the Inner Circle? The list of things you wanted clarification on kept growing, so instead you settled on, “Yes.”

“I’m glad we could come to an agreement then.” He drawled, “We will go over details and strategy another time, when we are all more composed.”

You wanted to punch him in his goddamn face.

“For now, this meeting is dismissed.”

As soon as he finished speaking you stormed out of his office, nearly colliding with Nesta in your haste to get away from Rhysand. Originally you were going to visit the library after the meeting. Nesta had suggested a book for you to read, and you wanted to read it so you had something to talk to her about. But you were too worked up to do that now, you needed to get out of there.

You didn’t care where you ended up, so long as you put as much distance between you and Rhysand as possible.

XxXx

By step 174 your blurry vision cleared a smidge, too out of breath to cry for the moment. You didn’t have anyone to help you leave The House of Wind, so you took to the 10,000 stairs with the expectation of someone eventually coming to find you. There was no way in hell you’d actually be able to reach the bottom. You began the descent down the spiraling staircase so fast It was a marvel that you didn’t trip.

Any time you slowed down Rhysand’s words would play on loop in your head. The only way to drown it out was to pick up the pace, the exertion elevating your heart rate enough for it to overpower that nasty voice in the back of your head. If you ran fast enough the only thing you could concentrate on was counting the steps you took.

239 steps down, and you had no choice but to slow down to a more reasonable pace. It was a warm day, and you were getting dizzy. The last thing you wanted to do was pass out. In a desperate attempt to keep your mind occupied as you caught your breath you focused on the breeze cooling the sweat beading up on your forehead. You listened to the slap of your bare feet on the smooth, sun-warmed stone. You thought of the color of the sandals you left behind at the very top of the stairs. You pondered on which step you’d discarded your blouse on after it began to cling to your sweaty skin.

Your guess was step 148.

You hit the first landing platform at step 250, slowing to a walk as you panted, hands propped against your hips as you counted your next few steps. Woozy, you let your eyes fall closed for a moment, but the image of Kier sitting in his throne room beckoning you forward flashed across your mind. You flinched so hard you accidentally opened your eyes looking directly into the sun.

It felt like your head had a heartbeat of its own, vision blotching from the brightness. You didn’t know how your day could get any more bleak as you rapidly blinked the disorienting dots away. Glimpses of The Court of Nightmares throne room lurking behind every blink, Kier looked more like Rhysand each time you closed your eyes.

It made your stomach lurch, and you whimpered around a dry heave.

A particularly strong gust of wind ruffled through your hair, and you can almost hear Azriel’s voice reminding you to focus on your other senses. Your mind can lie to you, but it’s much harder for all your senses to be tricked at the same time.

The sunlight, the ever-present wind, the sound of birds, the smell of fresh air. Let nature ground you.

It just wasn’t enough. You’d only paused for a few moments, but your chest began to feel too tight for your lungs, anxiety squeezing the air out of you before you could properly inhale it. Two months. Just two measly months to figure out what the hell you were going to say to Kier–to your mom, after you’d gone no contact for almost 3 years. Two months to not be petrified of somehow getting trapped down there again.

So you continued down the stairs, pushing yourself harder.

251. 252. 253. Counting them like Azriel had taught you.

It had been after your first dinner with the Inner Circle at the House of Wind. Mor was a little too tipsy to winnow home safely, so the both of you decided it best to share a guest room. You were feeling antsy, Mor having fallen asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The House of Wind was so different from Hewn City. Cozy and surprisingly casual in decor, but it was carved out of the side of a mountain. With the curtains drawn, in the dark quiet of the night, it almost felt like your bedroom in The Court of Nightmares.

You had thought a glass of water would do you some good, help you settle enough to get some rest. So you set out for the kitchen, taking care to walk quietly so as to not wake anyone. The hallway led to a flight of stairs, which brought you to more hallways that seemed to stretch on, and on, and on. The homey decor fell away, your balance wobbling with the sudden onset of vertigo. Closing your eyes didn’t help, dizzy and disoriented, everything felt like it was tipped on its axis. You couldn’t place where you were, where you were going, just that you were alone. Fear flooded your senses, and you swore you smelled the dank air of the streets of Hewn City like you were still there.

Azriel found you slumped against the wall on shaky legs, your pulse pounding so hard in your ears you couldn’t hear what he was saying to you. The touch of his rough hands on your bare arms was soothing enough to bring you back to yourself. You weren’t walking the streets of Hewn City. You weren’t alone. Azriel had you.

Each inhale had still felt like you were gulping in freezing cold water, your breath coming in irregular gasps. You thought you were going to die in that hallway, suffocating on fucking air.

Azriel took you to the training grounds on the rooftop of all places. You can still remember the brightness of the full moon that night as he coached you through breathing exercises. Then, coaxed you into walking laps with him around the perimeter of the huge training grounds. He counted each step aloud with you until you had calmed enough to tell him what the hell had happened.

And that was how you and the Shadowsinger bonded over Claustrophobia. An unfortunate thing to have in common, an even more unfortunate first thing to find you had in common.

In the moments after you’d come down from your panic attack you wanted to svirel up and fade away, so thoroughly embarrassed. But now, you thanked The Mother for sending Azriel to find you that night.

It was those same coping skills that led you to working out your anxiety after the meeting. 290 steps away from The House of Wind, and you were sure your legs were going to give out if you kept pushing yourself. You came to a slow stop, soles of both your feet planted on the same stair. Lulling your head back so your face was to the cloudless sky, you closed your eyes and pictured that moment with Azriel. Instead of Kier morphing into Rhysand, you saw Azriel walking laps with you around the moonlit training grounds.

You basked in the breeze against your face, your anger and fear still roiling in your stomach, but no longer all consuming. The relief was short lived, a concentrated pang of despair reared its ugly head, raw hurt so overwhelming it chased the warm memories with Azriel away. It made you so tired, so emotionally drained you felt it in the marrow of your bones. You wanted to just let go, collapse in a heap and never get up again.

Yet, by some stroke of willpower, you remained on your feet. You hadn’t warmed up before taking on the stairs, and you could already feel soreness settling into your muscles. Gingerly you sat yourself down on the steps, resting your elbows on your thighs as you rubbed your hands over your face, spreading fresh tears across the top of your cheeks.

If you won’t do what needs to be done to protect your court then we don’t have a place for you here. Rhysand’s words burned the part of you that had always suspected as much. There was this nasty little voice that lived in the back of your head. It would mock you when you were too content in calling this place home.

You wondered if that voice would start to sound like Rhysand.

The thought broke your heart a little bit more. You wanted so badly to make him proud, to earn your place in the Inner Circle, prove that they hadn’t made a mistake taking you in. The worst part was that you thought you were doing good. Not that you’d believed yourself to be one of them, you were still so new, but you thought…you thought…

You don’t know what you fucking thought.

Curling into yourself, your knees tucked in close to your chest, you made yourself as small as possible. The full body trembling made your sobs shaky, your entire being wobbled from the weight of your failure, your naivety. This was what you got for wanting to do it the right way. You’d never built relationships without relying on your powers to sniff out their loyalty beforehand, never truly trusted on your own violation.

Your father always thought it was a stupid risk to take when you could know for sure. You thought it was an awfully lonely way to live, to never trust fully. Perhaps you’d been wrong.

This was what you get, you silly girl. Kier’s voice taunted from the back of your mind. Or was that Rhysand’s voice? Did the difference even matter anymore?

The telltale sound of approaching footsteps closed in on you from behind, you couldn’t tell who it was, all you could smell was the salt of your own tears. Maybe it was one of them coming to take you out of your misery, maybe Rhysand took your display in his office as a sign of disloyalty.

The killing blow never came, so you glanced up to see Nesta taking a seat next to you. The last person you expected to come looking for you if you were being honest.

She didn’t look at you right away, which you appreciated. You were humiliated enough without her seeing you wiping your own snot on your forearm. Her icy stare was focused on the view, the only indication that she had run to catch up with you, a few fly away hairs having been jostled loose from her braids.

“You were pretty hard to catch up to, you know,” She leaned back, supporting her weight on her hands against the step behind her, “for someone who doesn’t regularly train, at least.”

Her attempt at humor, which earlier in the day would have made you indignant, fell flat. Instead inciting a new wave of tears to fall past your lash line. You dropped your head lower to hide it from her, but it did little to smother the sound of your quivering breath.

She didn’t try again, and her presence grew awkward when you didn’t try either, but she stayed next to you regardless.

When it became apparent that she would stay by your side unless you sent her away, you found your words. “What if I can’t do it,” You croaked out, voice absolutely wrecked, “Face my father, return underground? What if I can’t do what’s expected of me? What if it’s too much, too soon? What if I lose everything because I’m not strong enough.” Will never be strong enough.

“Then we will figure it out,” Nesta answered without hesitation, “Together.”

You are alone. That damned voice insisted.

“But Rhysand said–”

“I know what Rhysand said.” Nesta hissed, and you startled, your bloodshot eyes meeting hers for the first time since she arrived. She looked pissed, lips pursed in a scowl as if the High Lord was right in front of her. “Rhysand is an insensitive jackass. He won’t send you away because you messed up one job.”

“How can you know that?” You whispered, already knowing that she couldn’t know for sure.

“Because I’ve pissed him off by doing far worse, and I’m still here.”

You shook your head at her reasoning, not good enough, she can’t know for sure. “You're his mate’s sister, and Cassian’s mate. He can’t exile you.”

“And you're The Morrigan’s sister, and his own cousin.” Nesta deadpanned. “You’re not going to get exiled over a visit to The Court of Nightmares.”

“How can you possibly know that?!” You shouted, one of your hands clutching the fabric of your sweat soaked chest binding as your heart ached. Frantic to believe her, but knowing that you just couldn’t.

“Because Rhysand hates me, we barely tolerate each other on good days. He once threatened to banish me to the human continent,” she rebuked, hands flying about as she grew impassioned, “He loves you. He’s just an overpowered ass on a power trip. You questioned his authority and it hurt his fragile little ego. And even if he was stupid enough to try to cast you out, the rest of the Inner Circle would never let that happen.”

Your nerves were fucking shot. Whatever remained of your bravado frayed with every hagrid breath, it was impossible to stay focused. It was like your powers were waiting for you to be distracted, taking the opportunity to thrash against your mental shields. You didn’t know if it was skill keeping your powers in check, or dumb luck.

Your headache spread across your temples, sharp pain panging behind your eyes. You were already so tired, but the tears would not stop coming. That damned voice, still whispering its poison, adding to the agony. Nesta can’t know for sure, but you could if you just gave in.

You looked Nesta over, her relaxed body language at odds with the determined fire in her eyes. She left herself wide open, she wouldn’t even know if you read her. You’d be in control, your fate wouldn’t be left up to a gamble.

Nesta tried to meet your gaze, and you squeezed your eyes shut, turning away from her. It was impossible for you to think with her piercing stare studying you. What reason did Nesta even have to care about what happened to you? She didn’t say shit while Rhysand was ripping your world apart, and yet she showed up here? To do what exactly?

There was a dull ringing in your ears as your power surged against your restraint, and maybe you screamed, maybe you didn’t. Your fingers went up into your hair, fisting at your roots as you pulled, rocking yourself back and forth because it would be so easy.

And maybe if you gave in, that stupid voice would stop.

Nesta called your name, “I wouldn’t let Rhysand kick you out of Velaris.”

The cry you let out sounded almost feral. “I don’t know that!” .

“No, you don’t,” Nesta acquiesced, “but do you trust me?”

Did you trust Nesta? The question cut you into you like the edge of a knife, your heart answering with a resounding yes.

Wow, did you want that to be true. But that sinister voice oozed like an oil slick in the back of your head. Will you do as your High Lord asks of you, or will you be resigning today? You had trusted Rhysand too.

Even if Nesta wanted you here, did you think she would disobey her High Lord for you? You didn’t know, not for sure. Your power reared up again, and your head pounded at the onslaught. That oily voice so loud it was all you could hear. You could know.

“I-I don’t know.” You stammered, stomach churning into grotesque knots.

“Do you trust yourself?” Nesta continued her line of questioning.

That answer came to you quick, no, and it had you lurching forward, your balance lost as you scraped your knees sliding down a couple stairs. You wretched, violent heaves as your stomach emptied out on the stairs in front of you.

No. You didn’t trust yourself.

“There was a time where I didn’t trust myself either.” It was like you weren’t barfing up your guts right in front of her, Nesta spoke with such calm. “Didn’t let anyone close enough to trust, even myself, I didn’t know how.”

You wretched again, your hair getting in the way. Gentle fingers gathered the stray pieces that had fallen from your updo. You hadn’t heard her move over to you, but she was there, steadying you as you struggled through a bout of dry heaving. If you weren’t so miserable, the tenderness coming from Nesta would have shocked the hell out of you.

Her free hand rubbed soothing circles into your back as she continued her tale. “I hated myself,” Nesta confided, voice raspy with emotion, “so much that I drank myself stupid every night to escape the darkness of my own thoughts.”

Now, the random heart to heart did shock you.

Three years of trying to connect with the enigma that was Nesta Archeon. Three years of getting redirected when you asked something too deep. The most you got out of Nesta was what she liked to read, so you picked up reading just to have a reason to approach her outside of assignments. Three years of one sided heart to hearts, evaded personal questions, and turned down sleepover invitations.

And she decided that now was the proper time to trauma dump on you? While you were half dressed, ugly crying with vomit in your hair?

What a baffling female. The confusion helped you relax, so surprised you were by Nesta’s sudden urge to share. Her hand kept a slow, steady rhythm as she continued to rub gentle circles onto your back, you hadn’t realized how tensed you’d been until muscles you didn’t even know you had started going lax.

Whatever Nesta was doing, it was working. So you basked in the comfort her touch provided and listened.

“Someone taught me how to acknowledge those thoughts and let them go. To breathe, and still everything else in my mind, and let my mind think those things, but to not dwell, because that dark self loathing didn’t define me.”

The dark self loathing didn’t define you. Her words chipped at something that had been left festering for far too long. Had that been it all along, that terrible voice in the back of your head, had it been self loathing?

“Give yourself permission to feel, acknowledge it, and let it go.”

And it was so liberating, giving a name to what had been festering under your skin. Hate. Disgust. Cowardice. You cried, but not the agonized, tortured type of wails that had crippled you moments ago. This was a release, the type of ugly cry you do when something you didn’t know was broken starts to heal.

You hated yourself. And that was okay, because as you waited for that awful voice to mock you, it never did. You hated yourself, wept so hard you thought your eyes were going to fall out of your skull, but you had never felt lighter.

Nesta found your hand, gentle at first as if giving you time to pull away. Then she held onto you like the simple touch could convey what you were worth to her. “You are the rock against which the surf crashes. Nothing can break you.” She whispered, but the words resonated like she had shouted them at you.

The smile started as a small twitch at the corners of your mouth, but you knew Nesta saw it all the same. You searched for that dreadful voice, waited for it to speak something dreadful, but the quip never came. The smile that bloomed on your cheeks was wide with astonish.

You couldn’t believe it, after 300+ years of letting that nasty voice ruin you, there was peace. In its place was something new and bright.

Hope.

XxXx

The sound of beating wings announced the arrival of Cassian and Azriel a moment before the weight of their landing sent vibrations through the hard stone of the staircase. The two hulking Illyrian warriors made quick work of the walk up the stairs, their casual conversation trailing off once they were within earshot of you and Nesta.

“Ness!” Cassian’s voice boomed in greeting, cheery and boisterous, “I see why you asked for me to bring Azriel now. Here I thought you were acting on your ‘secret’ fantasies finally. The location left something to be desired, but I wasn’t going to be picky.”

Nesta sat shoulder to shoulder with you, so close, you felt her stiffen at Cassian’s offbeat comment. If you weren’t so drained, you’d be cross with her for summoning more witnesses, but the idea of having to walk back up all those steps upset you far more. The adrenaline high from your anxiety had long worn off, and without its numbing effect, you weren’t sure if you could even stand without your legs wobbling.

Nesta sighed, deep and long suffering, but affectionate nonetheless. “Your inability to read the room will always astound me.”

“Good thing we’re outside, there is no–” Cassian’s breath hitched, now close enough to get a good look at your downcast expression, haggard appearance, and odd attire. You were careful to keep your emotions under control, unwilling to let anyone in the Inner Circle see you in such a vulnerable state. Years of cautious composer, wasted, all because of a meeting that lasted less than 30 minutes. You expected disapproval, your emotions had only been met with ridicule in the past, but the apparent emotions flying across Cassian’s face were anything but cold.

Worry. Guilt. Unease. Cassian’s emotions were so boldly displayed, you didn’t need your powers to disconcert them.

Cassian paused in his ascent as he looked you over for injury, but Azriel closed the distance in the time it took you to blind away the tingle of the latest round of tears. Their concern was almost palatable, and being shown that type of care felt too good to be real.

These males had no reason to care so much, Nesta had no tangible reason to care so much. You were so… you, so replaceable and plain. You breathed through the thought, let it roll over you, maybe that was why they cared so much, because you are you. It had never occurred to you that you were someone worth caring for. Not when your own father never cared. Certainly not after Rhysand gave you the ultimatum to get useful or get out.

You are the rock against which the surf crashes. Nothing can break you. Nesta’s words repeated in your head, sending a zing of determination down your spine.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Azriel crouched down, his chest siphon reflecting the late afternoon sun. His questions made you feel queasy, but his presence soothed over you like a balm. This male simultaneously was the person you worried about disappointing most, and the person you felt most safe being vulnerable around.

Unlike with Nesta, you didn’t struggle with facing Azriel. He was inspecting the grime covered scrapes on your bare toes. “Where are your shoes?” He asked you, puzzled as he then took note of your sweat soaked bra, “and your shirt?”

A dark look passed over him, if his shadows could withstand the direct sunlight, you were sure they’d be writhing around you. He spoke your name like a whispered prayer, desperate. His gloved hands hesitated as he reached out to cup your face, only smoothing his thumbs over your cheeks when you didn’t jerk away, “please look at me,” and you did, meeting his amber eyes as he wiped remnant tear stains from your cheeks, “Did someone try to hurt you?”

You knew what he meant, but your explanation caught in your throat. A brief moment of shame overwhelmed you, because here you were blubbering over some harsh words from your High Lord, when people suffered far worse fates than your own every day. Azriel began to tense, an icy cold rage taking form as he mistook your silence as an affirmative.

You shook your head ‘no’, hating the troubling turmoil you had unintentionally sowed in him. His shoulders sagged, the sign of his relief so slight, many would have missed it. It was all it took for the remaining threads of your thin composure to snap.

Azriel all but scooped you into his arms as tears blurred your vision, and you crumbled into him, no further prompting needed. He held you so tight, it was like he was trying to hold all your pieces together for you. His wings flared to keep his balance, and maybe later you’d feel sheepish about almost tipping him backwards down those unforgiving stairs, but you relished in the comfort his strength brought you.

“I-I was–It was–” You couldn’t string the sentence together, “We were…I was–” you tried again but your breathing was off, your thoughts all jumbled, and Blessed Mother, you couldn’t do it again. Any words you’d thought about trying to say morphed into sobs, barely audible, but you couldn’t hide the way your body shook with them.

“Rhysand happened.” Nesta asserted, sparing what was left of your dignity by cutting off your senseless stuttering. She summarized the meeting, but touched on the major points that had triggered your anxiety. She was gentle with the recollection of your part in the meeting, scathingly critical of Rhysand.

“When I left Rhysand’s office, The Morrigan was getting in his face, and as much as I would have loved to see how that went down, it felt wrong to not check in with you.” Nesta explained like she was coming clean, “ I asked the house where you were.”

It was about as close to an apology you’d ever get from Nesta. You knew from experience that Nesta took her time warming to people, preferring to mind her business and stay out of Inner Circle drama. Once she’d made an offhand comment about being the center of the drama enough to last her the rest of her fae lifetime.

Keeping your head rested on Azriel’s shoulder, you turned your face to the side so your voice was less muffled, “Thank you,” your words carried on the wind, paper thin, frail, but so heartfelt, “for following me.”

Nesta didn’t respond, and you didn’t dare look at her out of fear of getting weepy again. But you felt it all the same, a shift in the relationship between the two of you. Like a bridge branching out, a new understanding solidified in place, and you knew Nesta had felt it too.

You shifted in Azriel’s arms, intending on testing your strength, but his arms tensed to keep you in place. In one graceful movement that had your head spinning, Azriel stood up right, adjusting to support your weight in a bridal hold.

“How about we get you home and clean you up?” Azriel suggested, loud enough for the others to hear, but the question aimed at you.

Home. As in the apartment you shared with Mor. He had called Velaris your home.

Your heart gave a painful throb, all choked up again at the sentiment. Going home sounded like the most splendid thing in the whole world in that moment. You didn’t want to think about Rhysand or Hewn City anymore, you wanted to go home so much it hurt.

There was some rustling, Cassian coming to stand near Nesta. “Wanna race me back up to the house?” His words were muffled as if his lips were pressed into the crown of Nesta’s head. “Winner gets head.”

The swift resounding slap Cassian received almost made things seem normal.

“Are you two good?” Nesta ignored Cassian’s taunting, and you nodded at the same time Azriel responded with, “Yes, I’ve got her.”

A beat passed in silence, all four of you waiting to see if anyone added anything else. Then rapid footsteps took off up the stairs, and you popped your head up from the crook near Azriel’s underarm to see Nesta sprinting up the stairs.

“Hey!” Cassian bellowed, charging after her, “cheaters never prosper, Nesta!”

“Prove it, you overgrown bat!”

If you weren’t about ready to pass out from exhaustion, you would have laughed at their antics. Azriel was watching them, an unguarded fondness in his hazel eyes you rarely got to see. The two of you stayed like that, Azriel watching his friends, you committing his soft expression to memory. By the time Azriel glanced down to you, Cassian had overtaken Nesta’s lead, their figures dots in the distance.

You were a melted puddle of female in his arms, all tension and stress slipping from your muscles as your eyelids drooped. Try as you might, you couldn’t keep your eyes open for another second. Paranoia nagged at you, fear of what you’d see when you finally rested your eyes.

Nothing. Blissful darkness. Peace.

“I’m going to take off now. Loop your arms around my neck and hold on tight, okay? Once we get up high enough, the rest of the flight will be smooth.”

You did as you were told, any other time you would have been a nervous wreck, but you didn’t have it in you to fret. You’d always winnowed with someone, even learning how to land the drop through the wards when Mor winnowed with you to the House of Wind. You’d thought no one had noticed how you avoided the topic, but surprise surprise, Azriel had noticed.

The thought of being up that high in the sky and dropped sure made your pulse spike. Growing up in an Underground City meant your feet were always planted on the ground. So maybe it wasn’t a stretch to claim that you weren’t a fan of heights, you’d never flown with anyone before, but it would make a lot of damn sense.

Your musing was cut short. Azriel launched straight up into the sky, powerful wings effortlessly gaining momentum and speed. You clung to him, hands clasped together around his neck in a death grip, screaming bloody murder the entire ascend. Although you would deny it if anyone asked.

Things evened out once Azriel felt he was high enough, setting a leisure pace towards what you assumed to be the direction of Mor’s apartment. Your eyes were squeezed shut, wind whipping your hair out of what was left of your updo, tossing it across your face.

You must have been quite the sight, if the amusement in Azriel’s voice was any indication. “Are you going to look at the view?”

Your hair was a disheveled mess across your face, the wind burned your already sore eyes when you tried to pry them open. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t keep my eyes open,” It was probably beautiful, but you didn’t want to push your luck, you’d had enough panic attacks for the day, “Luckily, I don’t want to.”

He chuckled. “Next time then.”

Blame it on the fatigue, but you found yourself nodding in agreement. Something you may come to regret when he urges you to fly with him instead of winnowing the next time you travel together.

But maybe it won’t be so bad, if Azriel was the one carrying you. With your eyes closed, ear pressed to his chest, his steady heartbeat lulled the residual tension and anxiety away until all you felt was the security of his arms. You could almost forget that you were hundreds of feet off the ground.

In Azriel’s care, it was easy to relax, he wouldn’t let anything bad happen. It was in that half dozing state, snuggled up as close as you could get to him, that your sleepy mind realized moments like these were the ones you wanted to remember.

Ultimately, Rhysand’s nasty words were a small part of your day. The majority of your time was spent with Nesta, bonding with her in a way you’d never managed previously. Something that would have never happened if Rhysand hadn’t been a dick.

Yeah. You’d much rather remember the day as the Nesta heart-to-heart incident. Or the first time you flew with Azriel.

Drifting into a deeper sleep, you dreamt of the way Cassian’s laughter echoed with joy as he chased after Nesta up the stairs. You dreamt of soaring through the clouds with Azriel, the same fondness you’d seen in his eyes for Cassian and Nesta, but aimed at you.

It may take you the rest of your life, but you would replace all the trauma muddying up your memories with new memories you wanted to remember. New memories filled with laughter, affection, trust, and adventure.

One day at a time.

Rhysand could go pound sand though.

XxXx

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter (coming soon)

A/N: Don't worry the next part is going to be more like the first chapter. There will be like two more chapters sprinkled in that have a more serious tone, but the rest will be fluff, drama, and tomfoolery a plenty. Stay tuned for cheeky Cassian in the next update!!

Tag List: @f4iry-bell @jediknightjana @microwaveallthedemons @olive-main

@starswholistenanddreamsanswered @5onedirection5

@brieflyclassymortal @hauntedstudentobservationus

#azriel x reader #azriel x you #acotar #azriel shadowsinger #azriel fluff #Like Bugs in a Rug #my writing #kayjaywrites #nesta archeron #the morrigan #a court of thorns and roses #rhysand #cassian

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gyuwoncheol · 3 months

Text

Vantage Point | Chapter 1

Status: Ongoing

Pair: Mingyu x f.reader

Genre: College au. BFFs to FWB trope. Fluff, Humor, Angst, Smut [chapters with smut will be indicated and will contain the necessary warnings]

Summary: Pulling off the “No Strings Attached” arrangement with his best-friend-turned-best-friend-with-benefits was easy, but when a new condition is added onto the mix, Mingyu didn’t realise just how much he held onto you when you finally let go.

Chapter Warnings: mention of sex, suggestive content

WC: 1.1k

Author's Note: It’s hereee!!! Chapter one is here and I’m very much excited to begin this lil journey with you ♥️ Before you get started, I IMPLORE you to please read the Author’s Note on my Series Masterlist.

Teaser | Next

“Hi,” a sheepish smile meets you as you open your main door, the cold gust of wind sweeping in a couple snowflakes into your apartment.

“Oh my god?! What are you doing here? Come in!!!” you screech and aggressively pull your best friend inside.

“Well, Merry Christmas to you too,” he greets but it flies over your head.

“Why are you out in the cold?! With just THAT!” Pointing to the beanie and flimsy long sleeved shirt the six footer was wearing in the dead of winter, “are you crazy! You’re going to get sick, oh my god Mingyu! Come here!” You stomp through your apartment and drag him into the living room, grabbing the thick wool throw on your couch to wrap around him.

Mingyu was shivering, but the smile on his face never fades as he listens to you go 500 miles an hour about how foolish he was for going to your place in the middle of a heavy snow day. You ran to your bedroom and even got your duvet and a couple hot packs as you sat him on the couch.

“What?” You sneer at him, hands on your waist with a raised brow when he started giggling under the pile of blankets.

“Oh so I can talk now?”

A roll of your eyes had him giggling again, “I’m kidding. Merry Christmas!” Your best friend pulls you down and engulfs you inside the blankets for a tight embrace.

You stay for a moment, straddled on his lap and reveling in the warmth the little cocoon of fabrics has created. Despite his mad dash in the winter air, Mingyu still exudes warmth, which makes your position all the more cozy.

A comfortable silence overtakes when you sigh in content, your head resting on the crook of his neck while Mingyu gently rubs his hand up and down the expanse of your back. Every now and then, he hears you hum happily and it only makes the smile on his face grow wider.

“Gyu?” You whisper, eyes still closed.

“Hm?”

“What are you doing here?” You wonder in a small voice.

It had been days since you last saw him, and that was obviously your fault. You were avoiding him. You still are. That is, until he showed up unannounced on your doorstep in the middle of winter with only one layer of clothing.

“Wanted to see you,” Mingyu replies casually.

“Gyu,” your reply is much more stern than his, enough for you to lean back and look at him.

Your best friend shrugs, “What? It’s true.”

Your arms cross against your chest, your left brow beginning to raise again in the way Mingyu knew all too well, “Is that it? You couldn’t even put on a hoodie and a coat?”

“Yes, was in a rush is all.”

“In a rush for wha—“

“For you,” Mingyu answers with no hesitation, doe eyes on you, “I miss my best friend.”

You sigh heavily at his words, arms unraveling as you watch your fingers fidget with nerves, “you know I’m not going anywhere right?”

“You see, I thought that too. But your actions lately have been proving me otherwise.”

Silence. This time, it was awkward. Or at least to you, it was.

Mingyu lifts your chin with his fingers, forcing you to look at him. “We set rules, remember? Why are you avoiding me?”

You blink slowly, trying to form words. It would’ve been easy to deny it, but you’d both know that would be a lie.

“Because… i’m scared of losing you.”

“So avoiding me helps that how exactly?” Mingyu chuckles, amused at your lack of problem solving skills.

You groaned in annoyance, hands covering your face as your hide yourself on his chest, “I don’t knoooooow. Can you stop asking questions?”

“I don’t know, can you stop avoiding me?”

“Gyuuuu!” A whine spills out your mouth as you look at him unamused. Your best friend laughs and damn, why is he so handsome when he laughs?

“Babe, if you’re avoiding me because you think it’ll be awkward after we had sex a week ago, then you’re mista—“

“Mingyu!” You punch at his chest.

“What?? Oh come on. What’s the point of denying it? It happened okay. We had sex.” You really thanked god you weren’t at his place right now, otherwise others would’ve heard through his walls.

“It’s just… it’s so awkward, Gyu,” you continue to whine.

“It’s only awkward cause you’re making it awkward. And rule number two! No awkwardness allowed! I’m still your best friend. Nothing changes.” You scoffed and gave him a look, “okay fine. I’m now your best friend whom you’ve had sex with. But still! Nothing changes. I’m still your best friend. You can still run to me for anything and I know you’re also always just a call away. We fucked to satisfy personal needs and that’s that! No strings attached.” Mingyu answers matter of factly, “i mean… it is no strings attached… right? Or have you already broken rule number one?”

“Ew! No way!”

“Okay, you don’t have to be so disgusted!” Mingyu feigns offense, a hand clutched to his heart and it makes you laugh for the first time since he arrived.

“I love you but not like that. It is still no strings attached,” you confirm.

“Then why avoid me?” Mingyu reverts back to the original topic.

“I don’t know. I just thought it would’ve been awkward, or that you’d regret it, or maybe even hated me for leaving the morning after.”

“Yeah, which by the way, lame excuse and against rule number five.” Wow, he really memorized the rules, maybe you should too.

You hit him again on the chest, “I really did have class, Kim Mingyu! I wasn’t lying!”

“Okay okay…” the boy raises his hands in the air in surrender, “so do you?” You really hate how Mingyu is asking the forward questions right now.

“Do I what?”

“Do you regret it? Having sex with me.”

“No, Gyu,” you look him in the eye to make sure he knows how genuine your answer is, “I don’t regret it. In fact, I’m glad it was you I did it with and not some rando in the club… I’m glad you’re my first.”

Mingyu smiles softly at your words with a kiss on your forehead, “I’m glad I was too.”

“So it’s settled then? No more awkwardness?” Your best friend squeezes your sides where his hands rested.

“Yup.”

“I’m still your best friend?”

“Always.”

“You won’t avoid me anymore?”

You roll your eyes at him, “yeah, yeah I won’t.”

Mingyu chuckles, “and still no strings attached?”

“Definitely no strings attached,” you confirm with both your palms pressed on his pecks.

“Good,” Mingyu grins from ear to ear, “so can I fuck you dumb now?”

“WHAT?!”

Teaser | Next

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#Vantage Point #Snap Shoot Universe #svthub #paula writes✨#svt #seventeen #mingyu smau #mingyu fic #mingyu x oc #mingyu smut #mingyu fluff #svt smau #svt fic #svt x oc

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chrollohearttags · 5 months

Text

reverb • chapter eleven

synopsis: eren and (y/n) finally meet again after weeks apart, only to find themselves engaged in a weekend full of passionate love making. In the midst of their steamy rendezvous, EJ poses a question that not only leaves the shocked (y/n) stunned but himself as well..asking if she’d like to go out with him. Not certain of how things will pan out if they decide to date, (y/n) is hesitant but then recalls a conversation she’d had with her uncle just days prior. What will her answer be? Meanwhile, the aftermath of Armin’s annual party is revealed when he and Niesha’s game of cat and mouse comes to a boiling head. Things only get worse when his affluent, billionaire parents invite him to dinner to discuss an important family matter. The carefree playboy is given news that will force him to make the hardest decision he’ll ever have to face.

word count: 9.5K

content + themes: sexual themes, fluff, romance, mentions of tarot, spirituality and light work, violence, mentions of gang activity and guns, drug mentions, bits of angst, more flashbacks of (y/n)’s past, mentions of abuse, comedy + humor, crack, drama, choking but it turns sexual idk how to describe it, sorry, toxic, TOXIC behaviors I do not condone, angsty at the end

“Whatever choice you make, son. I support and always be proud..I won’t be upset with you no matter what but just make sure that it’s one you can live with.”

📝: thank you guys so much for sticking around and supporting this story! I’m so happy when you guys send thoughtful comments and feedback, asks, etc. it makes my entire day and gives me so much motivation. I know y’all are probably sick of the cliffhangers but trust, there’s a reason! 😭 anyways, I hope you like the story. Reblogs, comments, etc are very appreciated!! Also, I like to make the reader’s backstory as vivid as possible. Although you may not resonate with it personally, it is important to the story itself. So keep that in mind when reading, please.

───✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰───────✱*.｡:｡✱*.:｡✧*.｡✰────

“Wh-what?..wait, EJ..what are you saying?”

“..Thought I made myself pretty clear..I want to go on a date with you. Do this right..”

in that moment, time felt as if it were standing completely still..nothing about this entire ordeal felt like reality right now. There was no way that not only had you spent hours entangled in the sheets with EJ the Don, exchanging kisses, sweat and every other bodily fluid possible. There was no way you were in this famous rapper’s house, let alone his bed..and there was certainly no way in hell that he had just asked you out mid-orgasm..certainly you had to be dreaming! But alas, here you were with your bodies melded together as one. Those jade colored eyes beaming down at you with the most serene of energy. In a way, his words brought you comfort..peace. Normally, guys would try and pressure you into situations that you weren’t ready for. Using sex as a clever segway into whatever their true goal was. But that wasn’t the case with him. Truth be told, he didn’t have to lie to get what he wanted..he was honest to a fault and maybe that was one of his biggest flaws. He couldn’t be deceitful and that oftentimes led to him hurting people’s feelings. His little spat with Mikasa was a prime example..had he exercised a bit of restraint, maybe the situation wouldn’t have blown up the way it had. With you, he was hoping to have the opposite effect. If he wanted you gone, you would’ve been ass naked in the back of an Uber before the sun came up. He was the last man who had to lie his way into some pussy so obviously, he was coming from a place of sincerity. Pushing gently at his chest, (Y/N) shifted your head to the side, thinking that if you did not look at him directly, those pangs of butterflies wouldn’t come rushing through your stomach. Instead, you were met with the soft grasp of his fingers underneath your chin. “Or not..” pausing to collapse next to you. Not only for a breather but because he felt as though he had set something wrong. Maybe he was being a little too forward and persistent. Or maybe he was a damn fool and this whole school kid, whirlwind crush was unrequited. But little did he know, you felt the exact same! Hell, maybe even stronger..it had been forever since you’d look at anyone the way you did him. And so what if it had only been two months since you guys knew each other? You’d heard that age old cliche ‘love at first sight’ more than you could count. Even if it wasn’t quite to that stage yet, you knew it was far stronger than just sex. You both had set it in your minds, unbeknownst to the other..that if you fucked one more time and those feelings didn’t remain, then you’d call it quits. But as you suspected..you were head over heels. Even when you finally managed to get some rest after the long night, you were dreaming of him. It was crazy! It honestly brought you back to a conversation you had just a few days prior…

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flashback• five days ago: Wisteria Gardens Apartments • southside

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The warm Florida sun peering down over the coast of Miami Beach, waves crashing subtly against sandy shores as patrons splashed through the cool waters and children built grainy castles. The picturesque view is the ideal representation of the bustling city. But lying within its intricate roadways and landscapes was an entirely different viewpoint. One far less appealing and inviting. Only those familiar with the areas would dare travel there..for them, ironically..it was home. The only place they felt welcomed. The projects. The ghetto..where many of Miami’ elites got their start and oftentimes dubbed their stomping grounds. Including upcoming stars, (Y/N) (L/N) and Niesha Daniels. Residents of Opa Locka’s infamous 8th Street. Where drug dealers and sex workers roamed frequently. Where those who only knew of violence and criminal activity thrived..but for you? It always brought forth a sense of nostalgia. The strange thing was, you weren’t too far removed from the dire situation you grew up in but it felt unreal going from rubbing elbows with rockstars to now driving through your old hood with Dior shades on your eyes. You remember the nights that you and your granny would hear gunshots from down the street; getting word that one of her friends’ grandsons or nephews had been involved in gang activity. Or the more joyful memories of you and Niesha walking to the corner store on Friday nights. Dressed just like the girls who were dubbed ‘hoochies’ back in the day but sporting your sew ins, micros, long acrylics and gold earrings proudly. The smell of fresh fish frying and BBQ plates outside of the gas station while crowds chatted and danced. Dope boys stationed in the parking lot with the doors of their Chevy Impalas swung wide open, blasting Jeezy and Ross as you both walked by. Being cat called by men old enough to be your fathers as they shot dice in front of the store doorway. It was a very different life from the one you both lived now. Hence why you were back..hoping to gain some clarity from the one person you had been dreading to see since returning home. Navigating your new rose gold Mercedes G Wagon into the parking lot of the Wisteria Gardens Apartments, you pulled into an empty space, promptly killing the engine afterwards. On the opposite side of the large complex sat a duplex, tucked off in the corner. Luckily, that was your destination so you wouldn’t be spotted. Neither would your vehicle. Stepping out in high-top brown and pink Dunks, biker shorts showing off your small leg tattoo and a Balenciaga sweatshirt. The 613 balayage flowed down your back and tied into a ponytail..(y/n) tossed the small crossbody over your shoulder and headed up to the front door on the left side, where you left two small knocks. It was then that you were greeted by the sound of serene music and bells playing. You’d push the door once more to realize that it was not only unlocked but slightly ajar. If it told you anything, it was that the man inside was hard at work and awaiting you. “Unc? Uncle Bam..you home?” Silence.

That was until you heard the deep tone of a male answer you back.

“About time you showed up, honey..” turning around, you were greeted with the calming aura and deep set eyes of a tall, darker skinned male with a muscular build and neatly styled dreads. Around his neck hung an Eye of Horus pendant and crystals. It was him..

“Unc!”

“Welcome home, baby girl. It’s been so long.”

akin to that of a little child, you leapt into his arms and beamed with joy! It had been roughly two years since you’d last been to his home. Travel and work had kept you so busy, you never had time. He was the only living family member that you had any sort of contact with from either side. Much like the many estranged ones, your uncle Benny, affectionately known as Bam around the area had grown up into a life of crime and as they always say with trouble, it’s easy to get in and even harder to get out of. He had spent his younger years in and out of prison before landing himself in there for fifteen years after beating the abuser of one of his closest friends nearly to death. He was a good man with a kind soul.

During his incarceration, he delved deep into spirituality. More so tarot and lightwork. An innate gift he knew he had possessed since childhood. He decided that once he got out, he’d walk the straight and narrow from then on out. Now a free man, he spends his days honing his craft here at his home; doing detailed readings, cleanses and spell work. As quiet as it was kept, he was the sole reason you were where you were right now. Shortly after the death of your grandmother, you were left alone. Your mom and her only daughter didn’t even bother to show up to the funeral and once she did show her face, she caused a scene. Only coming around in hopes of claiming some inheritance so she could promptly go shoot it up in a back alley somewhere. Then there was your father, sitting idly in Florida State Prison, serving life after he committed the ultimate sin. Needless to say, you wanted no parts of either of them anyways.

But you needed someone and luckily, your uncle had gotten to a far better place since finishing out his stint. He was living in a very nice duplex home with his long time partner, Kelvin. Who was equally as kind and loving as he was. Without question, he allowed you to stay in the other half without paying a dime for as long as you pleased. The two had come upon some serious money from their old ventures and decided to invest their funds. Restoring old apartment complexes that had been previously overrun by gang members and providing low income housing to the residents. Sometimes even waiving rent payments altogether for those in need. Essentially investing back into the community they called home. He truly was your idol..especially since it was him who introduced you to pole as a means of stress relief and self expression. Soon, that hobby turned into untapped talent that he felt needed to be shared. So one day, you began sharing the videos to your bare Instagram feed, quickly accruing a large following. One thing led to another and now, you were performing on stages larger than life. Without him, there would be no Pole Assassins or (influencer name).

“I know..that’s kinda my fault. I’m sorry..been busy. Thank you for the biscuits by the way. They were so good.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it, chile. I know how much you used to love those things. Miss (grandma’s name) used to make them for me all the time. Besides, I know them folks been keeping you on your toesss. But get that money. I ain’t mad at you.”

uttering the sentiment in a rather feminine and expressive tone, waving his hand fan to feign off any smoke. Candles burned from the corners, along with pungent incense. It looked as if he were just in the middle of charging some crystals when you came in. But it was rather perfect timing..as he had predicted, you’d be making your way over. So he was prepared!

“Gone take a seat, honey. I’ll get you some tea.” feeling just as cozy as you did years ago, you’d plop down in one of the plush, throne like chairs and wait for him to join you. Whilst he was pouring up a batch of his famous iced tea, you scoured the various decks of cards and oracles with your eyes. Fascinated by this unknown world, you could only imagine what this visit would entail. “So..tell me how the life of the rich and famous has been treating my dear niece..how’s Beyonce and ‘nem?” sending you into a fit of laughter. He was such a card sometimes, always saying the first thing that comes to mind. “Ooh..now Unc, you know I’m far from that but..we're working on it. It’s been good though..can’t complain..” Just then, a wave of sudden sadness overtook you and you’d recall crying this morning. And almost instantly, he’d pick up on it.

“But?..”

“But what?..”

A question you and he both already knew the fateful answer to. You were severely depressed; a hole you couldn’t seem to come out of. No matter how many accolades, accomplishments and even happy moments you accrued. It all felt meaningless..you still didn’t have the two things you so desperately sought after. And if anyone knew that, it was him.

“You still feel like you haven’t done enough. Or rather..something’s missing.” You knew he’d read you like a book but if you knew that, you’d also know that he was far from done with his investigation. Finally working his way back to the table, he’d hand you the glass and take a seat before you. The two oracle decks you were previously looking over, he’d pick up and shuffle through. He was full and aware of how to help ease your worry and hopefully clear up some of your pressing questions. He had done it so many times before..it had been so long since you’d had one of his signature readings. Uncle Bam’s predictions were almost always spot on so if you could trust someone’s intuition, even when it wasn’t your own, you could trust him. “Don’t worry,, we gon’ help you out. Take a couple breaths for me while I get these shuffled.” Without hesitation, you did so. Inhaling slowly and exhaling all the same with your eyes closed. This was always done to help center yourself before a reading; bringing you closer to the universe and to help you realize what it is you need to hear.

slowly but surely, he’d begin to dish out cards. Akin to that of a black jack dealer, they’d fly onto the table face down and soon after, he’d flip them over. Taking a moment to mull over them, he’d place his finger to his chin and release a deep sigh. The look on his face had you concerned for a moment..as if he were contemplating something serious. Perhaps, you were in worse shape than you thought.

“..there’s something you’ve been feeling conflicted about. Somebody rather. You’re scared..” the words drawing a look of concern and a slight gasp from between your lips. What exactly did he mean?

“These feelings..they’re strong. You feel so deeply for this person and you don’t want to because you’re afraid of getting hurt. Afraid that they won’t feel the same. It’s like you keep telling yourself, ‘it’s too soon..’ You also feel like if you pursue this one thing, then you failed at everything else. I’m seeing..flowers of some kind. Purple. Some flower that meant a lot to you. Maybe you saw something today that brought back intense memories for you. Maybe they even made you cry..”

as he was spouting off his visions, you’d feel a slight lump form in the back of your throat. It was heavy and hard to swallow. Afraid that if you did, you’d burst into tears right then and there. You hadn’t uttered a word to Uncle Bam about your situation and you knew no one else could have either. Not about your granny’s house, about Eren..nothing. Even Niesha, who was a notorious blabbermouth. He more than likely whisked right into your apartment with those biscuits and right out. As far as the flowers, he was spot on. The name of this place? Wisteria Gardens and ironically, it was the same plants that surrounded this complex. Much like the ones that used to grow in your grandma’s yard every year. Beautiful, lavender flowers that hung like bearing fruit. Seeing them again dredged up those memories of playing in the yard and picking them for her vases. It was just his innate sense of intuition. He truly was a master of his craft. Divinity was his true calling! He’d pull back for a moment and wipe his own eyes, reaching over for a burning stick, wrapped in twine and cloth. “Whew! Gon’ make me break the sage out in here..this is heavy, honey!..” breaking a bit of the tension and intense emotions up by making you laugh. “But let’s keep going..” he’d continue surveying the cards and shuffling through. Picking out the ones that resonated with him the most. Fortunately, there was some good in this reading so he’d gravitate towards that.

“..But I see you’ve also been feeling gracious. I’m seeing a lot of gratitude. You’re happy with how far you’ve come. There’s something you’ve had your eye on..maybe a new purse or some type of jewelry. Reward yourself, chile. You’ve earned it.” It was right then that he’d decide to place the cards down and remove his glasses, wiping up the remnants of his tears with a bit of laughter. That’s when he’d reach across the table to grasp your hands.

“(Y/N), sweetheart. You’re a wonderful young woman. Always have been..you got a good head on your shoulders. For as long as I could remember, you never gave your grandma trouble. You were smart, even when things were hard for you, you did everything you were supposed to and I’m so proud of you. It ain’t been easy for you and hell, you could’ve ended up just like me, your mama and your daddy but you didn’t..you’ve come such a long way..” It was then that the words began to spill out as did your tears because it had been so long since you’d heard someone tell you that they were proud of you.

“Thank you, Unc. I’ve been trying..I really have.”

But alas, that wasn’t all he had to say. There was one more tidbit of advice he had to give. Looking you dead in your eyes, he’d hold your hands.

“I know, baby. That’s why I’m telling you if you don't listen to anything else and I don’t need these cards to say it, it’s this..go live your life. You’ve been working since you were seventeen. Ain’t stopped since. Your granny would be so proud of you so go live. If this person is truly making you as happy as I can tell they are, go for it. Go find your peace, you’ve earned it.” and with that, you knew from that moment, what had to be done….

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So with this man now lying next to you, eyes averted to the covers because he was a little embarrassed, you’d hastily reach over and cup his face into another kiss before rolling over on top of him. “Stop looking like that.” immediately, he’d begin to flush red and try to form a sentence but you rendered him impossible with your tongue. Brushing your fingers through his hair and straddling him. Just a moment ago, you seemed completely uninterested and now, you were trying to go at it again. What changed?

“Of course I’d love to go out with you, EJ. Nothing would make me happier.” and you had just made him the happiest he had been in a while! Grabbing your waist, he’d break into an adorable cackle, just feeling so relieved that you hadn’t rejected him. “Thank goodness..” which brought you to a soft giggle in return. Which soon transformed into you full blown laughing. For the first time in a long time, you’d have a heartfelt laugh..

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing..I was just thinking about something.”

Flipping back over onto your side and running your finger down the perimeter of his chest, you’d place a gentle kiss along his cheek before coiling those smaller arms around his torso.

“So what exactly did the brilliant EJ have in mind for a first date?” causing the rapper to gulp in response because out of all his areas of expertise, romance wasn’t his strong suit. The fact that he had actually managed to bag your fine ass in the first place was an achievement in and of itself! Now, he was left with the task of ensuring that he kept you around..cradling his arm around you, he’d look down with a soft grin and place a kiss to your forehead. Trying his hardest to lay on the charm.

“Well, I was thinking maybe a nice dinner, a little walk on the beach..” but as his words trailed off, something told you that wasn't exactly his style. He seemed far too laid back for the luxurious, pompous date nights..but he was trying to be as chivalrous as possible. After all, it wouldn’t be the slightest bit polite to take a woman he had spent all night going raw in for burgers and fries on an official first date! Even so, you wanted him to be comfortable as well. Something you’d both enjoy. Not only that, if you wanted to do this right and not just be two people sleeping together without the slightest clue about the other..then it was important to just let go of the awkward jitters and ask outright what your interests were. No need in being shy after all that had happened. No need in being afraid..this was a safe space.

“Unless..there’s something else you wanted to do.” which prompted you to start giggling yet again. And this time, his little cheeks flustered red and he’d stare yet again, feeling embarrassed. Nobody had tripped EJ the Don up quite like you. Here he was stumbling over himself like a bumbling idiot and all of that confidence he had used to seduce you was flying out the window. Even so, you thought it was just the cutest thing ever. “Not at all. That actually sounds really nice but..I wanna know what it is you like to do. Not just what you think will impress me. In fact…” stopping amid your rant to run a finger down the center of his chest. “I wanna get to know the man behind all of that music. The real you..I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love me some EJ but..Eren? He seems a lot cooler and I can’t wait to meet him.” And for the first time in a long time, his heart would begin to flutter..beating out of his chest because no woman had ever asked him such a thing. Granted, he was putting them out before they could get too close but deep down, he knew they only wanted one thing and that was to use his namesake for a come up. They didn’t care about who he was outside of the chains, money and fame. He was a meal ticket and nothing more. And here you were, wanting to see him for who he truly was. To hell with waiting or being too soon, he had to make you his before somebody else came and snatched you up!

“We’re a little past favorite colors and TV shows, don’t you think?”

“No better time than the present, sweetheart. Maybe we can talk about it..after we get a shower.”

Which didn’t sound like too bad of an idea right now. The only question was what you were going to wear, seeing as how you arrived in nothing more than a bikini and had been wearing nothing but his sheets and body fluids since. But he’d figure something out. For now, you two of you could continue your ‘bonding’ under the warm waters of a shower head.

“Guess you’re right. Speaking of..what do you like for breakfast? I can have my assistant go get–”

“I was actually thinking I’d cook a little something. If you don’t mind. The restaurants on this side of town can’t make breakfast worth a damn. They crack an egg on the plate, smear some sauce around and charge a hundred dollars for it. No thanks..hope you like grits.”

that was all he needed to hear to be confident that he had made the right decision..you were everything he had been looking for in a woman!..grinning from ear to ear, Eren would roll to his side and hop up, gently tugging you up afterwards.

“Or do you northerners not know anything about that?”

“Give me some credit now. I’ve been living among you country bumpkins long enough to know about grits. And other things too.”

It felt good to know that neither of you had to put on a facade around one another. And with that, the witty banter and jokes ensued. Poking fun at one another like old friends.

“Oh, is that so? Like what?” questioning as the two of you walked towards the bathroom. It’s then that he’d lift up your arm and twirl you around to examine your backside, even leaving a light slap to watch it ripple. “I know that it didn't come from a doctor. That’s gotta be greens and cornbread. Got to be.” Shaking his head in pure awe at how thick you were. The one thing he loved about living in the south were the women..the girls who were homegrown and country fed. Long before he was surrounded by BBL bodies, he was blessed with the fortune of seeing the ladies that didn’t need a knife. The ones that had the kind of ass that would make somebody do a double take and clutch their chest. But even so, he’d send you into a fit of laughter, playfully slapping his chest.

“Get away from me. Play too damn much.”

“What?! I didn’t lie..matter of fact, lemme get a closer look.”

Playfully chasing you into the shower where the second bout of your morning would surely ensue. There wasn’t a single doubt that you two would have no problem adjusting into a relationship.

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But unfortunately, the same couldn’t have been said for you guys’ best friends…the people both of you adored more than anything and the ones who had been seeing one another long before (y/n) and Eren even decided to hook up. Armin and Niesha weren’t exactly seeing eye to eye at the moment, which wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Seeing as how both of them truly only got along when they were fucking like rabid animals. Otherwise, it was a toxic game of cat and mouse. A test to see who could make the other jealous first. Posted up with this girl and hugging that dude. Childish antics if you’d ever seen any. Nonetheless, it worked for the chaotic pair. That was until last Friday at that yacht party, when it all came to a very explosive head.

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flashback: part two - miami port

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“So you gone sit and play in my face like that?! You gone lie and tell me you wasn’t with the bitch? Armin, who do you think I am?”

“And if I was..what exactly are you going to do about it? But since you asked, Niesha. I’ll tell you exactly who you are..an idiot. I mean, no offense, baby but you have to be out of your fucking mind to think that we were anything more than this. What? You thought because I brought you a couple purses, some jewelry that me and you would be together? Sweetheart, you are nothing more than some stress relief. Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ll admit, the pussy was good..amazing even but I don’t plan on settling any time soon. Especially not with someone like you.”

words that stung like bees, ones that should have been cutting deep and sending her into hysterics..if it were anyone else! But it was just as (Y/N) had said:

“Haven’t met a dude she hadn’t left crying yet.”

and just as she had predicted, Armin was up next! Rather than bursting into tearful sobs and cries, he was met with cackles and hearty laughs. A tattooed hand and long acrylics covered her mouth as her head flew back. Eventually doubling over in laughter.

“What the fuck is so funny?” His nerves obviously rattled by how unbothered she was. He knew that Niesha was crazy and hell, that was half the excitement but damn, any other woman would have at least slapped and said she hated him. Here she was cackling like shit was sweet..just what was this girl’s problem?!

“You done? Like I said, Armin..who do you think I am? You can save them lil’ weak ass insults for a bitch with no self esteem. I said it before and I’ll say it again..’you not going nowhere. And neither am I..” standing ten toes down in her sentiment, even folding her legs and pretending to swipe over her long nails. Completely unfazed by anything he’d said before. However, Armin was a little stirred in his spirit. Always getting riled up when he was with Niesha. That was the effect she’d had on him since the first night they met. Heated arguments turned to fiery, passionate sex that was always better than the last. But tonight, he’d decided he had enough and was calling it quits for good. He had to..otherwise, he was going to lose his own damn mind!

“Oh..you thought I was mad about that lil’ brokedown girl you had in your Insta story. If you’re gone try to make me jealous, at least get a bitch with all her teeth. Have some class.” and it was then that he’d retort back, trying to defend himself. He had been pacing the floor of the master bedroom suite in the ship’s cabin, trying not to lose his cool but this girl was really testing his patience. She had the nerve to cheat when he had spent all of that money on her?! The nerve. What made her so special from all the rest of the girls that fell in love with him?

“Says the one fucking half of The Miami Heat. Don’t try to check me for some shit when you’re doing the same thing. I saw you with him, Niesha.”

“That’s right. While you were getting neck from ol’ gummy bear, I was getting my shit cracked. I’m not your bitch so what are you mad for? This free game.” And little was he aware of the can of worms that he had popped open.

“You know what your problem is? You’re entitled. You try to compensate with all these lil’ hoes because you’re really a loser, baby. You think they’ll actually fuck with you if you ain’t have the bread you did? C’mon now. Flexing mommy and daddy’s money ‘cause you would’ve never made it otherwise. Went and got you a chain, some tattoos and started showing your ass. But the real Armin? Ain’t nothing but a square ass ‘lil nigga looking for approval because his parents never gave it to him. You are so used to everybody kissing your ass because you throw a lil’ change in their face. But I’m not one of them. Ion care about you or your money. That bag? I already had two. Your lil’ necklace? I gave that shit away. We wouldn’t be together..you right..community dick is good for one thing and that’s never being seen in public with it. Matter of fact, I think Connie and Ony are here tonight. Might go see what their fine asses are hitting for. I need a real man.”

Suddenly, she’d stand to her feet and begin making the trek towards the door. As if nothing had happened but Armin was not about to let that happen. “Shit, if my sister hadn’t got to him first, maybe I would’ve fucked EJ too. Heard that dick was hitting—” suddenly, any bit of restraint and level headedness he may have had..went straight out of the window. Before she could walk out, Armin would grab her arm and force her against the wall. “Watch your fucking, Niesha.” Causing her to start cackling yet again. It was as if nothing phased this woman. His words may have meant nothing but hers hurt like a bitch! Insulting him, playing on his insecurities and then proudly admitting that she’d fuck his best friends?! She’d gone too far! He had gotten so worked up, he’d hadn’t even realized that his hand was latched around her throat. Immediately freezing because he’d never in his life hurt a woman and if she brought him to that point, then she had to go but before he could take it away..the look in Niesha’s eyes told a different story..one that thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of his hands around her neck and even signified it by biting her lip; sucking her teeth in a lecherous manner. This toxicity truly got her excited!

“Mmm…now I like that shit.” Getting visibly aroused at the vice grip he had on her. Even prompting him to squeeze tighter because it’d get her wetter. All Armin could do was laugh because once again, she had worn him down and pulled him right back into her trap.

“You’re a crazy bitch, you know that?..or maybe I’m the crazy one for fucking with you..”

Just then, he’d feel his thumb between her plump lips, being suckled on and her deep set, dark, siren like eyes laser focused on him and his biggest weakness..that sweet little voice that she always drew him in with.

“Maybe..but..” and before she could complete the sentence, he’d have her up against the dresser, legs spread and her thong pushed to the side. “You’re right, I’m not going anywhere. And you’re sure as hell not. This pussy belongs to me, act like you remember.” This time, tugging her by her hair with the same force; proof that he was done playing games with her. He was going to show her what a real man was alright! “Now put that fucking phone down..” That slight grimace in his voice sent to her spine and her sensitive spot. She loved seeing him like this. Hence why she got his ass in an uproar in the first place. She wanted to get him as angry as possible to get him to take his frustration out on her. “Mm..whatever you say...”

Because in the end, she always got her way. And Armin? He’d finally met his match!

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Hence why, at the moment, he was headed into the Nobu, one of Miami’s premier eateries. Notorious for feeding some of the city’s most elite. Tonight, they’d be hosting the Artlerts..the leaders of a multi billion dollar conglomerate, earning their fortune in oil and technology..stemming back from the early nineteen hundreds. Needless to say, they were descendants of old money and Armin, was a direct beneficiary and byproduct of such wealth and he certainly took advantage of it. However, his parents had contacted him earlier in the week to inform him that they’d be flying into town and that there was important business that they needed to discuss with him. What exactly they had to discuss was a mystery..however, all would soon be revealed. Dressed in one of his several designer ensembles; an all black Armani suit..turtleneck tucked into his slacks with a matching belt buckle. Covering the plethora of tattoos that littered his body. Silver rings adorning his fingers and a matching necklace. Coordinated and fitting just right..the potent aroma of Tom Ford cologne radiating from his body..he truly looked like a million bucks. But unfortunately, his mood didn’t exactly match his current physical shape. Being with family should have been a monumental occasion. Marked with laughs, good times and love. And for the bright eyed, young producer..it was in his earlier years. As the only child to wealthy entrepreneurs and presumably, the heir to a massive fortune, they poured every ounce of adoration, care and their limitless resources into ensuring that Armin had the best upbringing possible. Private schools, tutors, a fully funded college education, and the best things that life had to offer. Which paid off..Armin excelled in every aspect of his life. Top tier grades; which earned him a steady four point six average until he graduated college with a degree in marine biology. He played baseball, basketball and rugby, an aficionado in all three and was even his university’s point guard up until junior year. Needless to say, he was his parents’ pride and joy. But it seemed as of late, that satisfaction seemed to have dissipated a bit. The Artlerts had high expectations for their child. Naturally, they supported anything that he wanted to explore and backed him one hundred percent..however, they weren’t betting on any of those ventures including making music. Less known, in the hip-hop industry. Granted, they had no qualms about it. If that’s what made him happy and he put his entire focus into it, then it was all that they could ask of their son.

That just wasn’t the case for Armin though. As successful and bright as he was, he was equally as reckless and rambunctious. Drinking, partying and laying up with various girls. Although he kept his parents out of the loop, it didn’t take long before word of his antics made it back to them via their inside sources who kept tabs on him and it was safe to say that they were not happy.

Hence why he was so nervous to meet with them tonight..the shame and embarrassment that was beginning to set in. He knew that his family would either scold him until they were red in the face or just give him a lecture of pure disappointment. Either way, he wasn’t much in the way of hearing it. Regardless, he’d traipse into the lofty establishment, hands tucked into the pockets of his suit as the hostess greeted him. Having quite the reputation and prestige, she informed him that his party was waiting and saw him to his table immediately. Glass chandeliers hung from the ceilings and cerulean lighting illuminated the dimmed dining area. Tables and booths lined with silky white cloths and perfectly folded napkins, seated next to polished silverware. Wine glasses filled with crystalline water and patrons, unmistakable members of the upper echelons chatted among their peers about finances, private trips and shopping sprees. It all felt so suffocating!

“Armin, darling! So glad you made it..”

Suddenly, a middle aged woman with honey blonde tufts, styled into loose curls, deep blue eyes and a pink satin gown with fur doused across her shoulders arose from her seat to drape her arms around him. The exorbitant pearls hanging from her neck and the Elizabeth Taylor perfume surrounded Armin like a warm embrace.

“Mom! It’s so good to see you.” grinning from ear to ear. No matter how old he grew or the amount of time that passed, he’d forever be his mom’s baby. Or as she could so affectionately dub him, her “pumpkin pie.” Because he was so sweet as a child. Seated next to her, was a man with a lighter variation of the hair color and features, with the exception of stubble and slightly thicker brows. His voice rang out with a stronger vibrato as he greeted his child. “Good to see you, son.” “Dad..good to see you too..” Reaching over to extend his arms for a hug. The tension had somewhat subsided from Armin’s body..seeing his folks again. At the end of the day, he was their baby regardless of what he did. “Please, have a seat.”

however, the news they came to deliver was going to do little to make him feel settled once revealed. Pulling his chair out, Armin would do as his mom instructed, taking a swig of water afterwards. “So..how’ve you been, Armin?” His mother made the first inquisition. Out of genuine concern and to break the proverbial ice. It always was easier for him to open up around her. He’d go on to tell them that he had been doing fine and that he was set to go on tour soon with his boys. They were working on some big projects and he was doing fine. Completely omitting the fact that his promiscuous, womanizing ways had caught up to him recently. Granted, he wasn’t going to let Niesha or her nonsense take him off of his true course but he couldn’t continue on playing these games..it was fun but it was also taxing. Even so, he couldn’t stay away from her. That’s how addictive it was. His mom seemed to be pleased by the update..her son in good health and spirits was all that she could ask for. Even if she didn’t exactly understand Armin’s career choice or even agree with it at times, it made her smile knowing that her son was happy..seeing him beam with excitement as he talked about working with these amazing artists and the upcoming festival his label was putting together. He also mentioned getting to work with the Pole Assassins and how they were bringing something new and innovative to the industry. His mother would grin and giggle, listening and even asking pertinent questions, ones that he was happy to answer. It took his mind away from all the other things and possibilities that could have been coming with this conversation. “Oh sweetie..I’m so proud of you. It sounds like you’re having a wonderful time.” She’d hoist her glass with a cheery expression and take a sip to commemorate his success. That’s when he’d glance over to his father, who shared a similar expression, faintly grinning and nodding.

“I have to agree. It’s good to see you doing something you love, son. Very proud of you.” His father would nurse his champagne once more before setting his glass back to the crisp tablecloth. Regardless of how he felt, his parents had never put this immense pressure on him or made him feel inadequate for his choices. Many of his peers who had also come from esteemed backgrounds were constantly under the scrutiny of their guardians. They were working in prestigious, lucrative fields, making endless amounts of wealth and doing great things. And still didn’t have their family’s respect. Armin was truly fortunate. Even so, it didn’t stop them from worrying. It didn’t stop them from being afraid that one day, the entertaining lifestyle would catch up with him. They weren’t blind or stupid..not by a long shot. They knew their son partook in all of the things that his and his friends lyrics’ entailed. “So..are you seeing anyone? Is there a lucky girl in your life?” His dad, who had always teased him, knew how flustered he became, mainly because despite his playboy appearance now..his son was the most adorable nerd in his former life! “Ah-well..you know. I’m just kinda..keeping my options open.” Part of him was ashamed and another half was nervous. Ashamed that he couldn’t present his folks with a suitable young lady. That he hadn’t brought a date to any of their meetings..he was aware that they wanted him to get married, start a family but he just wasn’t ready to commit to that yet. He wanted to have fun, mess around and more so..have his fill! He didn’t want just one lady. It wasn’t his style..on the other hand, he was nervous..nervous because he could no longer deny the feelings he had for that insane woman. Regardless of how batshit crazy Niesha drove him, she’d had her claws sunk into his skin deep and he didn’t want anyone else but her.

Even at his party, after fighting with her and everything, he made love to her as if he were hoping to make her stay and although she was just saying the most evil things..she told him she loved him. Crying it into his ear as she held him close. He’d been with a couple girls here and there but all he could think about was where she was..was she thinking of him too? He was nervous because if he could no longer fight his urges, would he be able to bring her home? Would they accept her?…would they still be proud of their baby boy? She came from an entirely different world than him. One he loved being a part of. She was wild, rambunctious and unfortunately, couldn’t flip a switch the way he did. Maybe that’s why he was so obsessed with her ass! She lived in her truth twenty four seven. There was no faking with her..and ironically, he admired that. And despite what she said, she actually gave a damn about him..unlike the others. She was honest, she made him care about himself and didn’t allow him to stay in bad places too long. It was crazy..

“Well I’m sure the right girl will come along soon..” “..yeah, unless you just have no game.” His father uttered with a sly look, making Armin scoff and laugh as he took another sip. “You wish, old man. I have many problems but that’s not one.” He always enjoyed when he and his dad would banter back and forth. It reminded Armin that he was human and not this billionaire machine, who only focused on amassing profit. “Alright, this old dog could teach you some tricks. All you have to do is ask.” The three would laugh, joke and have a wonderful time. “Oh please, don’t let him fool you. He was a scared wreck when he asked me on our first date. His friends had to deliver his love letter during class because he was so nervous. Adorable, really.” “It was called delegating tasks. I just knew you’d say yes.” "You're so full of it.."

He was truly enjoying this time and feeling back to himself. He felt as if he could truly be honest and open with them. More so than when he was younger..they weren’t inherently strict but they kept him on a tight leash so that he didn’t wind up like some of his other classmates; taking Adderall and Xans during ski trips or family gatherings. He was the one and only heir to the Artlert Industries fortune. Hence why once their meals were brought out, they’d pose another question..

“Hope you don’t mind, we ordered for you since we had no idea when you’d arrive. Your favorite.” And they were spot on. Linguine with spinach and lobster. “Not at all..thank you.” As he took the first bite of his dish, that’s when Mr. Artlert would look directly up at his son..

“Armin..do you like making music? Is this something you enjoy?..”

The question came as a bit of a shock, honestly. Truth be told, he hadn’t thought about that in depth. Armin first began delving into music as an adolescent..he sang in the church choir as a young kid and was gifted his first instrument when he was twelve years old. It was the core link that bonded him and EJ together so for him, it was essentially something that changed his life. He honestly had never thought about doing anything else..

“Of course..I wouldn’t if I didn’t. Why do you ask?” but it was more than just genuine curiosity and sudden interest in his son’s career that had the Artlert matriarch inquiring. There was an entirely different reason other than quality time that had prompted this dinner as well. Truth was, the Artlerts had been keeping a rather worrisome secret from their son and was contemplating when would be the appropriate time to divulge. Now was as good as any..might as well rip the bandage off and come clean. Clearing his throat, Mr. Artlert would take a swig of his wine before proceeding.

“Armin..your mom and I..we..”

At that moment, his stomach began to sink to its lowest pit and he’d begin to form a hard lump in his throat. What exactly did they have to tell him? Why were they stalling?!..Just then, his cerulean eyes began to dilate twice their size and even well up a bit. Were they getting a divorce? Did something happen to the company? He wished that they’d say something! But he’d wait no further because his mom would grasp a nearby handkerchief and press it to her face to conceal her inevitable tears. “Mom..what’s wrong? Please!..tell me.” his parents were his entire world and he couldn’t imagine anything causing them grief. But soon, he’d join in on the heavy feelings when his dad confessed something that he wasn’t expecting.

“Son..I went to the doctor last week and he informed me that they found something. A tumor..” the words seemed to have frozen time in its very tracks and shook the young producer to his core. He couldn’t believe it. “A-a tumor? Wait..are you?--” no! He couldn’t even say it! He couldn’t even fathom such a horrendous thought. Clutching his glass, Armin’s hands began to tremble and his breathing was labored. How could they keep such a secret?! How could they not tell him sooner?..the thought of something happening to the man that he so desperately admired and looked up to was terrifying.. he was scared to pry any further. Almost becoming childlike but just as he had done during his upbringing, Armin’s father would ease his mind.

“Fortunately..they did catch it in time so before it becomes too far malignant but the next couple months on my treatment will be crucial. I’m doing everything I can to ensure that I won’t become ill. I’ve hired the best team of doctors and I’m currently on sabbatical from the company. My board of advisors have already made proper arrangements as well. I’ve taken all precautions.”

It was a relief, truly. Although he wasn’t out of the woods yet, he still had a fighting chance and that was more than enough for Armin. However, it wasn’t the only reason for his disclosure. He had an ultimatum of sorts for his son.

“Armin..you are the one and sole heir to the family business. Once I’m no longer around, you will be the one to step in. How you choose to proceed is your choice entirely–” “Don’t talk like that..don’t talk like you’ve already given up.”

He couldn’t stand it and although he assured him things would be fine, he couldn’t believe that until he had an official clean bill of health and stopped speaking as if he knew something Armin didn’t. But this was a pivotal moment..one where Armin would have to, for once in his life..make a hard decision. One that would require sacrifice..

"I'm going to fight as hard as I can, you have my word. I won't let something like this get me. But I have to know that you'll work just as hard to ensure your future. You've always been a bright young man and I trust that you'll continue to do what's best for you.."

it didn't take a rocket scientist to get what exactly he was implying. How far could music truly take him? Was it sustainable?...he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure how to process any of this but what he did know was that this wasn't going to be an easy road and he had a lot to contemplate from here on out.

"I'd be lying if I said that I am a fan of what you do. Can’t stand it. The music..the partying, all of it is not what I envisioned for you. Sometimes makes your mother and I feel as though we failed." Quite brutal but he could only speak from his heart. Tough love was sometimes necessary, even at the expense of his feelings. But there was one thing that he wanted his son to know above all else:

" That said..I love you, son. We both do..“Whatever choice you make, I support and always be proud..I won’t be upset with you no matter what but just make sure that it’s one you can live with.”

and something told him that his time to decide was running out..

── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.─── ── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :

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seeingivy · 9 months

Text

the time of your life

actor!eren x f!reader

**part of my method acting fic, masterlist here

content: character death (LOL), very immature fifteen year old humor (that was cross confirmed with real fifteen year olds), idk reader and eren being mad corny

an: tried my best to make this chapter fun but I will just POST WHAT I HAVE BUT THE NEXT ONE IS ONE OF MY FAVS IM SO EXCITED

previous part linked here

Things settle down after the panel, and Eren convinces you to put all your energy into finishing the season. Because you’re going to prove them wrong and now you just have to do it. And as much effort as you put in, the rest of them all make it fun too.

And Eren’s right.

They really are great - funny, charismatic, and idiotic in their own ways.

The inside jokes start one week after filming when you’ve finally learned everyone’s names. And, of course, it starts with Reiner. You and Historia are so tired after filming that you quickly run back to the townhouse just to get snacks from the main kitchen. With the mention of food, Sasha’s following, and then Connie, suddenly, everyone’s marching back together.

Except when you get there, Reiner is in the kitchen. Not only is he shirtless, but he’s also doing some next-level opera singing. For some reason, he’s trying to sing both parts of the Phantom of the Opera and… actually succeeding?

Connie leans over, whispering.

“Look at those mommy milkers.”

You all burst out laughing, which stops Reiner in his tracks. And he momentarily stops and scratches his head before he keeps singing, this time serenading all of you. He’s taking Ymir by the hand and swinging her around and holding hands with Jean as they rock back and forth that even Mikasa’s snorting at the sight of him. You're all sold after that.

Speaking of Mikasa, as solemn and quiet as she can be, she’s gotten you into quite a bit of trouble. Trouble meaning severe back pain. When she first moved into your room, she mentioned that she was a bit of an early riser. She likes to work out to get her blood moving before shooting, claiming that “it gets her in the zone.”

Somehow, she convinces you and Sasha to join her one morning, and by the end of it, Jean and Marco are dragging you both back to the house by your legs, having to shove the two of you in an ice bath.

You just didn’t realize that an early riser meant four in the morning, and working out means an all-intensive full-body press. Levi’s pissed at you and Sasha for being stupid enough to think you could keep up and you’re both mad at Levi for having such little faith in you.

In true dad fashion, Levi’s always lecturing you guys. More like pretending to be mad, berating you around the set. But you know that he cares because the second that you guys ask him for something, no matter how stupid it is, he’ll be the first to give in.

Exhibit A? Marco and Jean recently find out that Levi became a triple threat from doing his own stunts on Bond - including a quadruple flip. They’re both so intrigued by it that every time they see Levi, they force him to do it.

“Levi.”

“No, Marco. I’m not going to do a flip.”

“Do a flip! Levi, please please please please please do a flip. It’s just so fucking cool.”

“Watch your language, Jean. You need to wash your mouth out with soap.”

“I won’t say fuck for a week if you flip, Levi. Please!” Jean says, shaking Levi’s hands as he talks.

Levi begrudgingly rolls his eyes and then backflips in the living room, earning half hearted cheers. It was cool the first eleven times, but Jean literally asks him to do it daily. It gets old fast.

“That was so fucking cool, Levi! Thanks.” Jean says, running off. He bumps into Sasha, who's clearly going to throw up as she runs past.

Levi’s sick and tired of Jean. And Hange too. And himself for thinking that filming with a bunch of teenagers was going to be a good idea.

After finding out that Sasha will quite literally eat anything you put in front of her, Hange’s started a dangerously horrible game of seeing what Sasha will eat without paying attention to it.

Ketchup on watermelon, ice cream with salt in it, cake with mayo. It’s become so disgusting that you can’t tell who people are more grossed out with - Hange for making the concoction or Sasha for eating it. (It’s Sasha)

Armin’s taken maybe twenty before and after pictures of Sasha during these “experiments” that Hange runs and then sticks them onto the kitchen wall - perfectly labeled with the food Sasha ate underneath them.

And he loves taking pictures so much that there’s now a big wall at the front of the set of just individual and group pictures, Armin’s little pictures and commentary tacked to the wall.

One of Jean and Sasha playing video games, labeled “the great war”

Another one of Ymir and Bertholdt tackling each other, labeled “ice cream gate”

And one of Eren pinching your cheek, labeled “the l/n-jaegers”

Right. In another life, you’re all convinced that Connie was destined to work for the paparazzi. Because every time you and Eren are together, he somehow manages to capture a picture at the worst time - making something innocent look like totally not.

Like when you and Eren share a blanket on set because there’s only one left. Or when he helps you put the harnesses on and his hands are around your waist for two seconds . When you guys share the breakfast burritos on set because they’re too big to eat alone. With context, they’re not that bad.

But Connie always catches it at the worst time and then posts it to his fucking TikTok account. His stupid series has garnered millions of views, and you’ve both tried to convince him to stop, to which he refuses

And when you tried to get Erwin involved, he only supported Connie more - stating it was good press for the show. He’s named the series “the l/n-jaegers” hence the label on the polaroid.

There’s currently 32 different parts.

But you know you can’t stop him even if you tried because Connie proves to be the most menacing idiot on set. Him and Annie have developed a horrible habit of pranking everyone on around - Levi, Hange, and Erwin specifically. It’s not that Annie loves pranks, she’s just the only one who can keep a straight face.

“Hey Hange.”

“What’s up, Annie?”

“There’s this guy who works in hair and makeup. He has a few ideas for the Female Titan costume design. He wants to talk to you.”

“Oh. What’s his name?”

“Ben Dover.” responds Connie, the look on his and Annie’s faces blank.

“Ben Dover?” Hange repeats the rest of you, trying you shoving your faces into the script to stop laughing as they respond.

“Yeah. They said they’ve talked to Erwin before. He’s been working with Hugh Jass, on the makeup team.” says Annie.

Erwin walks over, the look on his face confused. And it just gets worse.

“Who is Hugh Jass? I’ve never seen him before.”

“Oh, he’s hard to miss. Really big guy,” responds Connie, his face breaking a little.

Levi walks over, and when Annie talks again, it’s the final nail in the coffin. You and Eren are literally smacking your hands over each other's mouths, the tears spilling out of your eyes to not give them away.

“Okay, we’ll go over there now. Thanks for telling us Annie, Connie.”

“Cool! They’re waiting with Ben Overbich.”

“What?”

“Ben Overbich. It’s Swedish, sir.” Annie responds.

Levi shrugs as he, Hange, and Erwin walk off to go to talk to the costume designers. And when they all walk away, you’re all panting on the floor, gasping for breath. Connie keeps mimicking Erwin, saying Hugh Jass, and Berholdt keeps quoting it’s Swedish sir, which doesn’t make it any better.

When they return, Levi and Erwin are all yanking you by the ears onto the set since the costume team told them what the jokes actually meant. And there’s something so presidential about Erwin naturally that when he starts lecturing you, it starts feeling like he’s giving a sermon.

“You guys are premier faces in the industry. Imagine how people would feel if they found out you were making crude jokes like you were fifteen years old.”

“Sir.”

“Yes, Ymir.”

“We are fifteen years old.”

You’re all snickering as Erwin continues, Hange rolling their eyes as he goes on.

“You should know better. Ben Dover is not a funny joke. Huge asses are nothing to laugh about. You should wish to have that type of issue.”

Jean leans over, whispering in yours and Eren’s ear.

“The divine truths of humanity.”

You laugh and Erwin stares you down, Eren smacking you for laughing out loud.

“Y/N. Up.”

You groan as stand next to him, the lot of them laughing at you, as Erwin stares you down.

“Erwin.”

“Y/N. What did you learn in class yesterday?”

“Uh. States and capitals?”

“Perfect. Name them all.”

You groan. Of course, you get stuck with Erwin and his weird punishments. He always quizzes you guys on random stuff from your classes when you take too long on set or are late to a table read. And you’re usually free from that, but Jean’s stupid comment got you.

“Uh. Okay. California is Los Angeles.”

“Wrong. It’s Sacramento.”

“I’m Canadian, Erwin. This isn’t even fair.”

He shakes his head dismissively as you keep going, literally getting every single one wrong. And when you reach the fifth incorrect state, Eren takes his stand, helping you with the rest of them.

“Eren. No one asked you if you knew the states and capitals.” Erwin says, pinching both of your ears as they all laugh.

“Can’t leave my girl hanging here.”

“Your girl?” repeats Connie and the rest of them widen their eyes, leaving you and Eren to be met with a bunch of “oohs” and “aahs”

Which only flusters Eren even more. And makes your cheeks burn.

“That’s-that’s not what I meant! It’s because we’re co-stars! Like the leads, that’s why she’s my girl! Not any weird reason.” Eren stammers, the tips of his ears pink and his eyes not meeting yours.

No one believes him.

“Eren.”

“Hm.”

“Hot sauce.”

He leans over in the chair, opening the packet of hot sauce and handing it to you. The crew got breakfast burritos again , meaning you and Eren were slouched up in your chairs eating. The scene that was being filmed was primarily a scene for Jean and Marco, but you and Eren always love to watch everyone else act.

There’s something about the energy on set - Levi directing everyone around, everyone getting in the zone that gets you excited. All jittery and nervous and thrilled that people are going to see this amazing thing that is airing in a few weeks.

You hand Eren the burrito and he instinctively reaches forward, swiping his thumb across your bottom lip. His green eyes focused on your lips and you can feel your heart rising into your throat.

“Eren.”

He looks up, right into your eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Oh, my bad. You had some sauce on your lip.”

And then he takes the excess sauce and licks it off his finger.

“Did you just-”

“Y/N, be quiet. They’re starting.”

You try your best to focus on the scene but all you can think about is yours and Eren’s knees bumping against each other, your fingers brushing across as you share the food, and Eren licking the sauce off of his finger. You try to brush it off as you lean over and whisper into his space.

“What scene is this, Eren?”

“Don’t remember. I was so busy trying to check my own lines I forgot to read ahead.”

You nod as Eren scoots closer, the two of you leaning forward as you start paying attention to the scene. Jeans walks closer and that’s when you realize it - Marco leaning against the wall, all charred and slumped over.

“Hey. Are you…. Marco?” Jean whispers, his voice shaking.

Eren instinctively reaches for your hand, crushing it in his hold. You look over to find Sasha and Bertholdt giving you the same confused looks as you all keep watching, Jean acting on. It seems like no one read the scene before watching it.

Jean’s a good actor. Such a good actor that you think he’s actually crying, that his voice is actually wavering. And that’s when you realize it.

Marco just died.

Your mind is running at a million miles per hour. Does that mean he’s leaving? He’s not going to be in the show anymore? You guys were all supposed to spend four or five years together filming together, but how is that fair if he’s already dead? That isn’t even an entire season-

Eren’s squeezing your hand into oblivion as the tears are falling out of his eyes, his face looking all types of broken as you glance over.

“Member of the 104th Cadet Corps and Captain of Squad 19… Marco Bodt.”

The director calls cut and the crew starts moving around, Jean helping Marco up from the ground as he brushes the tears out of his eyes. And when you catch sight of Erwin, you’re blazing fire angry. And it seems like you’re not the only one, because Ymir and Mikasa are following your suit.

“Erwin. What the hell?” you say.

Erwin and Levi look down at the three of you, confused.

“You can’t just kill Marco! That’s not fair, the show hasn’t even started yet and you already killed him off.” Reiner says, crossing his arms.

“Erwin. Cut it out of the show. You can’t do this.” Mikasa responds, glaring at him.

Levi pinches the bridge of his nose as he bends down, Erwin joining him so you’re all level heights. For some reason, angry tears are building in your eyes and your chest is burning, because…you miss Marco. And he’s not even gone yet. And it’s not fair that he died so soon and his character is all but sweet, so why does he have to die and-

Levi places his hands on yours and Reiner’s shoulders as he talks, his voice soft.

“Are you guys upset that he’s going to be leaving?”

You all nod, the tears finally flowing out of your eyes and streaming down. You can see that Reiner’s crying too, Mikasa swallowing her own tears.

“Yeah. Erwin, Levi he’s our friend. And I’ve never really had friends like this and I don’t want him to go away and-” you choke out, stammering on your words.

Levi squeezes your shoulder as you hiccup and Erwin leans forward to press all three of you in a hug. Levi’s hands are in your hair, whispering something under his breath about how you’re all sweet kids.

They both let you go and you look over to find Marco, still in his death makeup, hugging Eren, who has tears streaming down his eyes too. And when you walk over, Marco opens up his other arm, you and Eren and Jean and almost everyone crushing him into a hug, the discomfort sitting in your chest.

As you all trail back to the townhouse after set, quiet for once, you’re all milling around the main room, aimlessly. You and Armin are playing a very underwhelming game of Uno, Reiner and Marco half-assedly playing Mario Kart, and Mikasa’s teaching Ymir how to braid her hair.

Hange walks in and plops down between you and Armin, the polaroid camera in her hand.

“Hey, you guys.”

“Hi Hange.” you both mutter, flipping the cards down.

“Got an idea. You know, this shows kind of… dramatic . A lot more of the characters are going to die, but it doesn’t have to be a sad thing.”

“It is sad. That means Marco’s leaving and we won’t see him anymore.” you say, boring your eyes into Hange’s.

They lean forward to pinch your cheek, softly laughing as they continue talking.

“You’re so sweet. He’ll be back to film other scenes, yeah? And you’ll definitely see him again.”

You both nod, agreeing with Hange. They hand the camera to Armin, whispering the plan in his ears and then duck out of the hallway. And when you and Armin have everything you need - the industrial box of Rocky Road ice cream and the camera - you head to the center of the room, Armin standing on the couch to get everyone’s attention.

“When you fall off, I’m going to fucking laugh at you, Arlert.” says Ymir, looking up from braiding Sasha’s hair.

“Shut up, Ymir. Listen, we should make a deal. Every time a character dies, we all eat ice cream. Play games, stay up late, and then at the end of the night we’ll add their picture to the wall. So we don’t forget them . Like, one last hurrah or whatever. ” Armin says.

“You sound like Hange.” Annie mutters, flicking Reiner in the forehead.

“It was their idea. But we should. If Marco’s leaving in a few days, I want to spend all the time I can with him, having fun and-”

“Yeah. I want to.” says Marco, which has almost all of you agreeing.

You and Armin start by opening the tub of ice cream, all eleven of you refusing to get bowls and instead leaning over, bumping heads as you eat.

“Eren. Move your big head.”

“Shut the fuck up Connie. Your bald head is bigger than mine.”

You all start snickering as the two of them argue, smacking each other and rolling off the couch. And when Marco suggests that you play truth or dare, you all start nervously giggling as you go around the circle, all jittery from the sugar in the ice cream.

Reiner asks Connie to share the last dream that he had, which he begrudgingly shares is that he kissed Ymir. Ymir is thoroughly disgusted. Historia gets dared to call Erwin dad by accident, which just leads to Erwin giving Historia a lecture about how he appreciates that she can see him as a father figure and that he is already very proud of all of the work Historia has put in.

Bertholdt has to eat a spoonful of mayo, which he consequently throws up and Armin gets dared to steal something from the set. He takes Levi’s coffee cup and hides it in the storage room, which he is sure to get an earful for later.

“Eren. Truth or Dare?” Connie asks.

“Dare.”

“Kiss your favorite person in the room on the cheek.”

They all start giggling as they stare you down, your cheeks burning at the thought of Eren pressing his lips to yours. Connie and Bertholdt are making kissy faces at you, Ymir and Annie leaning over to pinch your cheeks.

And you brace yourself, for when Eren’s going to press his lips into your skin. Except he doesn’t. He leans over and kisses Armin on the cheek and you try your best to hide your…disappointment? Sadness? But that’s on you.

Why would you assume you’re Eren’s favorite person on set?

Everyone boos at Eren for picking a copout answer and you pretend not to be offended as you keep playing the game. And on hour two of playing, Levi comes and yells at you all to shut the fuck up and go to bed , which leads to Armin taking the picture of Marco - all cheesing and smiley and tacking it to the wall. Connie takes a sharpie and labels the wall “fly high angel” to mark the occasion.

Except his dumbass writes angle instead of angel.

You all shuffle back to your rooms, giggling and laughing, and you and Eren giving each other a smile as you switch into your respective rooms.

You hear a knock on your door and instantly jump up, ready to duck out of set to go get slushies with Eren. Except when you swing the door open, Jean’s standing at your store instead of Eren.

“Oh. Hi Jean.”

“Hi…is-”

“She’s in the shower. You’re welcome to wait for her here if you’d like?”

You swing the door open and he flops onto Mikasa’s bed, watching your fan spin around on the ceiling.

You’re not sure what it is or why Jean and Mikasa are assuaged from the barrage of teasing and cooing that you and Eren get whenever you’re around each other, because you’re almost a thousand percent sure that the two of them are worse than you and Eren.

Because they actually like each other. You’ve often come home from filming or playing games with Bertholdt and Historia to find the two of them sitting on the floor, holding hands while watching a movie. Or Jean giving Mikasa bracelets or telling her that he thinks she’s really pretty.

Maybe they’re not paying attention and that the only person who knows is you. Or maybe it’s because they don’t turn red or deny their feelings, because they actually like each other. You and Eren aren’t like that, because in earnest, you two really are just friends.

“You okay? Your room must be pretty empty.”

Marco moved out earlier today. Not a single dry eye in the room.

“Yeah, that’s kinda why I came. Sometimes it just feels kind of lonely, but I think Levi and Erwin might move someone in with me or put me with Connie or something.”

“That’s nice. It’ll be fun to have a roommate.”

He nods, cracking his fingers as the shower runs behind the two of you.

“Hey Jean.”

“Hm.”

“Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Shoot.”

You sit up, hopping off your desk chair and onto the bed where Jean was sitting. He’s leaned back against Mikasa’s perfectly propped pillows, lazily swinging the charm of his necklace back and forth on the chain.

“How do you know you like Mikasa?”

He looks up from his chain, giving you an inquisitive look, before answering.

“Dunno. I like being around her. Like, whenever I’m in a room, the person I want to be next to is her. Or the first person I tell good news to and I want her to know like…random things about me. My moms name, my first pet, how I hate my first grade teacher. I just like to share things with her. Like how it feels when I'm with her you know - like...like that's Mikasa. She's my girlfriend."

“Oh. Okay, that makes sense.”

He nods, plopping back down on her pillows and twisting the chain in his hands again.

You halfheartedly nod as Mikasa rolls out of the bathroom, giving you two smiles as she takes the seat next to Jean. You give the two of them a smile as you pad out of the room and straight into Eren and Armin’s across.

“Hi. Mind if I sit? Jean and Mika are-”

“Sure.” Eren says, scooting over on his bed and patting on the sheets.

“Where’s Min?”

“Ah. With Erwin. I think he’s taking the Marco thing kind of hard.”

You nod, shuffling on the bed as Eren shuts his laptop, leaning back onto the headboard.

“Are you okay, Eren? With him being gone?”

“Feels weird. It kind of just makes me nervous for who else will leave us, you know?”

Us.

“Yeah.”

Eren tangles his hand with yours at your side, taking turns cracking each of the knuckles on your fingers.

“Do you ever wonder why they tease us so much? For being friends?”

He angles his head over, the wisps of his brown hair tickling on your forehead.

“Like. Mikasa and Jean really like each other. They’re always holding hands in my room and-”

“What? They like each other?”

“I think so. I don’t know, they’ve never really hid it from me.”

“Well, you’re sweet. You’d never make fun of them for that. I had no idea that they liked each other. They’re probably just not outward with it in front of everyone else.”

“And we aren’t outward with anything. I don’t know, we just act normal and they’re always like saying this stuff about how you and I-”

“Y/N.”

You stop talking as he squeezes your hand three times, almost like a little knock signaling you to stop talking.

“I think they just… don’t get us. You and I are special. I just feel like I’ve known you forever and that we really fit together and I think they can sense that or something. And they think it’s romantic even if it’s not, you know?”

“Yeah.”

He squeezes your hand three more times, the words knocking through your head. Special. Fit together. Not romantic. He leans over, green eyes staring into yours.

“You and me. Always?”

You nod, swallowing hard as you lean back.

“Plus. They can’t kill us off. We’re the main characters.”

You shuffle in your seat as the director yells action, as you look down at Eren, tied up against the post in the middle of the set. You’re filming the scene where Levi is supposed to just kick Eren’s ass in the middle of the court, to prove to the other characters that they can control him and his titan powers.

Except you’re on your fifth take of this scene, Eren getting increasingly frustrated because Levi’s been yelling at him all morning, claiming that he isn’t acting good enough for the scene. Levi’s a bit of a perfectionist, meaning he won’t let anyone leave until the scene is perfect the way he wants it.

Eren especially. You could always tell that Levi was always more fond of Eren than everyone else, but you never thought that would mean Levi would be extra harsh on him. Which is clearly just pissing Eren off today.

“Maybe we should dissect her just in case!”

“Wait. Maybe I am a monster, but she has nothing to do with that! Nothing at all!” Eren screams, his voice straining and his eyes pinching shut as he wrestles against the handcuffs.

“As if we could believe you!”

“It’s a fact!”

“You’re defending her? She must be one of you!”

“No!”

Levi stomps into the middle of the set, leaning down and getting level with Eren. And then he starts yelling at him.

“Eren. You can do so much better than that. You have to give it your all or this isn’t going to work.”

“I am giving it my all. You’ve had me working for five hours now and I-”

“So? You have to get used to that type of time commitment if you want to be the best like you said you did and-”

Eren and Levi keep going back and forth, Hange signaling at you from the back of the set as you both arise from your chairs, leaning down to meet them.

“Levi. Go easy on him, we’ve been-” Hange starts,

“No. He can do better than this and I know he can. He just doesn’t want to. If he would just put in a little effort, it would be better.”

“Levi, maybe you’re being too harsh on him-” you start.

Levi rolls his eyes as he stands up, calling for a break as you unhook Eren from the post. The second you unlock him, he storms off straight off of the set.

“Hange.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you take a longer break from us? I’ll talk to him.”

“I’ll talk to Levi. He just…he knows Eren can be really good. That he has potential. He’s just trying to get him there faster because he wants Eren to do well.”

“I know, Hange.”

You shoot them a smile as you run into the storage closet, yanking out the tandem bike and heading to find Eren.

You kick the rocks in front of you as you hand Eren the slushie, anxiously looking over at him. He’s still radiating anger, from the way his shoulders are tense and how his knuckles are nearly white against the cup. The two of you biked in silence and even the cashier could tell Eren was having some type of fit today.

“Eren.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He sighs as he leans into your touch, resting his head against your shoulder.

“I just-I’m trying really hard to get it. And Levi’s always just so hard on me, I can’t even tell if I’m doing a good job or if I can do this or-”

You reach down, crushing his hand in your hold, as you respond.

“Eren. You’re doing a really great job. Even Levi thinks that. He just… he knows you’re great and he’s trying to tap into that.”

“I know, it just makes me wonder sometimes if I’m cut out for this. Or that Best Actor savant that I-”

“Eren. You’re going to get it. I know that for a fact. It might not be this season or the next, but you will get it. You’re- you’re literally amazing, I just know you’ll be one of the best of our generation and-”

“You’re just saying that because-”

“I’m not! I really do think that, I- I’d even bet on it for you. You’re the best person for this role and you’re perfect for it and in general too and I just think you should be more confid-”

“Y/N, I-”

“Like really, I think you have the chops to be great. I can’t even believe I have to be your costar because I am infinitely mediocre next to you when you’re just so amazing and already have so many credits and-”

You’re cut off by Eren’s lips on your cheek, pressing a soft kiss to your skin. You reach up to the skin as you look over at him, positively bug eyed.

“You-why would y-”

“The other day. You are my favorite person on set. I just didn’t want them to make fun of us for it.”

“Oh. Right, I-”

“Finish the slushie. We’ll go back after.”

When you return, Eren finishes the scene in one take. And gets Levi’s golden stamp of approval.

When you and Eren film the last scene of the season, on your last day of shooting for a few months, you can’t help but feel a despair in your chest. Everyone else was already long gone, having given your wistful goodbyes and promises of keeping in touch until you come back to (hopefully) film the second season.

Which leaves you, Eren, Erwin, Levi, Hange, and the crew to film the last scene. The backstory of how you and Eren came to be, where he wraps the scarf around your neck.

While you love having everyone else around, it was nice to have a few days of just you and Eren, where you can soak in his company before you have to be apart for a few days. You make ramen together in the mornings, he teaches you how to play video games, and you talk about almost anything and everything in those three days.

And when you go to film the scene, the despair of being apart from him…from your best friend really settles in. You’re sure it makes the scene all the more better.

“It’s cold…. I don’t have anywhere to go home to.” you say.

Eren walks over, his voice uncharacteristically soft, so gentle when he wraps the scarf around your neck that it makes your cheeks burn.

“You can have this. It’s warm, right?”

Grisha walks forward, placing a hand on Eren’s shoulder as he says his line.

“Y/N. You should come live with us. You’ve been through plenty.”

And when you look at Eren, you can feel your heart beating as he says the next lines. And for some reason, this version of Eren feels less like the character Eren and more like the real Eren.

Your Eren. Tandem bikes, slushies, squeezing hands three times Eren.

He reaches forward, squeezing your hand three times like he was reading your fucking mind, as he says the next line. While he acts dismissive, you can see the warmth in his eyes, and it feels like something else. Like he’s trying to hint something at you, tell you something you can’t exactly pick up on.

“Come on. Let’s go back already. To our home.”

And when you squeeze Eren’s hand three times back and trail off out of the shot of the camera, you both smile at each other, Eren turning to face you.

“See you in a few months?”

“Yeah.”

“Call me every day?”

You roll your eyes as you reach over to flick his forehead, to which he pinches the sides of your waist. You squirm out of his hold, the feel of his fingers ticklish as you both laugh.

“Yes, Eren. I’ll call you every day.”

“Okay, good. Don’t forget me when you become famous overnight.”

“You’re so full of shit, Eren. That’s not going to happen.”

You’re totally wrong, for what it’s worth. The first episode of Attack on Titan airs on Friday. You and Eren start trending on Saturday.

next part linked here

taglist: @platrom @k0z3me @kayleegomez @yihona-san06 @besenpai @sweetenertea @mykyoon @violetmatcha @rebeccawinters @cutiejg @bokutosthings @bookwrmm @mblrrr @wheredidmycrowngo @somethinginyoureyes7 @chilichopsticks @okaystopwhore @you-always-made-me-blush @itzmeme @firelordazulaaa @whoami-72 @g-ghostly @intimacywithceline @erensmoodygf @cocomellxn @princess-ackerman @jaegerfiles @cacapeepee @squirrelspoetry

pls comment on this post or any of the chapters if you want to be added to the taglist <3

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blossomwritesthings · 1 year

Text

𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝? 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. | 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

pairing: minho x fem!reader (afab)

genre: veterinarian!minho (this includes a few of the skz members working in his clinic). client!reader. hurt/comfort. angst. fluff. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. reader pov. strangers to lovers au. slowburn romance. lots of pining.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. very thematic elements. minho is reader's vet. reader's childhood cat suddenly gets diagnosed with cancer, and she has to make a big decision about what to do. this fanfic includes heavy topics like: pet euthanasia, extreme loss/grief, depression, the problems with pet healthcare, and more. there will be some humor/fluff placed throughout, and also smut somewhere along the way. :))

word count: 7.1k

summary: dr. lee minho is known throughout your area as the city's hottest veterinarian, and he's also the very man that's been taking good care of your two cats for the past three years. but one day, you're thrown down a dark path of heartache when the cat that you've grown up with - nyx - is diagnosed with an acute form of bone cancer. burdened with the hardest decision of your entire life, you come at a crossroads of what to do. and throughout it all, minho is the single most person who continually stays by your side.

a/n: i decided to split this fic up into like, 3-4 separate chapters, since i felt like having 20.k+ words for a single 'long oneshot' was kindaa excessive lmao 😂 anyways, i'm excited for the future of this little series and what it's gonna look like exploring the relationship between minho and y/n~ 😉 also, for anyone that noticed, YES- i changed my entire tumblr theme after like, 4 months of having it be rainbow haha, so you might not recognize me on your dash with my new look. but yeah, this is the 'new me' for the next few months... i was feeling super inspired to do a muted levanter theme, since it's one of my fav albums/songs from skz haha so here we are!! ☺️

🐈‍⬛ - ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ other cool stuff ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌! ࿐ྂ

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. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ skz fic recs [sfw ver]! ࿐ྂ

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). ©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

The clinic was incredibly busy as you stepped through the front doors. Looking around the medium-sized waiting room, you noticed how almost every single seat was taken up by a patient. Because apparently, the hot place to be on a Thursday morning was Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic.

You clutched on a little tighter to the carrier at your side, which held your cat Nyx just inside the bassinet. She was an American Shorthair, with a coat as black as midnight and big, ocean-blue eyes. Your parents had gifted you Nyx as a surprise for your sixth birthday, since you had been begging them for a cat all year long. And instantly, the two of you were inseparable. Nyx had been with you for almost every stage of your life - including grade/middle school, high school, and all of university. She was so incredibly affectionate towards everyone, but especially you. She loved curling up alongside you after you’d spent a long, hard day at work and would just cuddle into your skin for hours.

Nyx was your stability in everything - she was one of your only friends, even when you were surrounded by other adults your same age at work. And at the ripe age of twenty-four, you couldn’t imagine what your life would be like if she ever left your side.

But, you weren’t naive, or stupid.

And you knew that at some point, Nyx would have to move on from your world and onto a better, and brighter future.

Which is why you decided to adopt a female Bengal cat after you graduated from university. Taffy had a brilliant orange-and-brown coat with light green eyes. And because she was so much younger than Nyx, she had a lot more energy. But even still, the two cats got along quite well, despite their huge age gap. Taffy was the troublemaker out of the two and liked to get into mischief with all kinds of things.

You took great pride in both of them and the relationship that you had with your two kitties, which is why you regularly took them to the local veterinarian clinic for routine checkups. Usually, you visited every six months, just to make sure that Taffy and Nyx were in perfect health.

And it’s not like you were complaining about the visits to Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic. It was a beautiful and spacious place, with a friendly bunch of staff and an even better doctor.

Doctor Lee Minho had been the continual talk of the town since he had moved into the area three years before, and soon after he set up his practice - which was just a short walk from your quaint apartment - you started going to him for your cat’s regular check-ups. Dr. Lee was incredibly professional with all of his clients, and he had a true knack for animals… but especially, cats. That’s what he prided himself on - knowing the ins and outs of the feisty little beings... since he had three of his own. Some even said that he was a cat himself since he had similar mannerisms to the felines.

It also helped that he was insanely handsome.

Like, drop-dead gorgeous.

You weren’t a fool - you noticed how, every time you visited the clinic, most of the clients were women. And almost every time that you sat in the waiting room, you’d overhear women talking amongst themselves… about how they had dressed up for the occasion, and how Dr. Lee was way too cute for his good.

For the most part, all of the comments passed over your head.

After all, he was just a veterinarian. He wasn’t anything special…

He just took amazing care of the animals that visited his clinic.

And he seemed to adore your two cats.

And-

Perhaps he was kind of, sort of, attractive.

If a woman liked the silent, brooding, brown-haired types of guys- then yeah, he was fucking really hot.

But, you always tried to push those thoughts out of your mind each time they started to bubble up to the forefront of your mind. You didn’t want to ruin the professional doctor-client relationship that the two of you had been cultivating for over three years. He was an amazing veterinarian with a lot of skill and expertise, and you had a feeling that you taking advantage of your closeness with him, by forcing yourself onto him, would just turn him away.

After all, he was always professional and polite with you. Even if he seemed to give you a lot of smiles and laughs each time you had an appointment at the clinic. And even if he seemed overly affectionate with Nyx and Taffy. He was just doing his job, as that’s what was to be expected from a doctor like him.

And besides, a guy like him would never go for you. For starters, you had just recently found out that he was five years older than you, landing him at the mature age of twenty-nine. And older guys of that many years never went for you - never stooped that low. Plus, he was a successful doctor and a businessman with his clinic. Whereas you were a struggling woman who was fighting to make ends meet at her low-ranking corporate job. You sat in a small cubicle all day, typing away at a bright computer screen, and Dr. Lee sat in front of patients and animals, actually making a difference in others’ lives.

There was also the fact that you were borderline poor- since your job barely paid anything compared to the way that the economy was so expensive. You struggled to pay your bills monthly and lived from paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile, Dr. Lee rolled up to the clinic in his dark-blue sports car and was always donned in all different kinds of designer dress shirts and slacks.

So, yeah, he’d never fall for you. Not in a million years.

“Y/N! Good to see you again!” You heard a bright voice call out to you, bringing you out of your daydreams of expensive cars and fancy clothes.

Your eyes flitted up to the person sitting behind the front check-in desk of the clinic. Chan, one of the two receptionists of the place, was looking up at you with a soft smile adorning his face.

“Oh- hi, Chan… I’m here for Nyx’s check-up.” You mimicked his smile, motioning with a tilt of your head to the carrier where Nyx was situated in.

You were on a first-name basis with the entire staff line of the clinic, as you had been visiting it for so many years. Everyone at the clinic was extremely nice, and all of the staff were Dr. Lee’s friends. Soon after you first visited the clinic, he told you about the story of how he had recruited some of his best friends to open the shop with him, and how the rest was history. Even still, you called everyone by their first name except for Dr. Lee - since you decided to keep it professional with him and always address him by his official title well into the beginning of your appointments at the clinic.

“Sure thing,” Chan began, tearing his gaze away from you and typing away at his computer. “I see here that Jisung jotted down your concerns for this visit’s file. Has anything changed since you called in a month ago?”

You moved your focus onto the carrier at your side, where you saw Nyx resting peacefully just inside it. She had long since gotten used to the clinic and was normally very calm whenever you visited the place. “Yeah, she’s been sleepier than usual, and like- she doesn’t want to eat the food that I’ve been giving her, even though I’ve changed the brand two times already.”

Chan’s eyes darted up to you, studying your face silently before they flitted over to the carrier that you had placed atop the counter at your side. “Okay, I’ll add all of that to the notes so that the doctor can take a look,” you noticed how his lips were pressed together in a grim line- like he didn’t like what you had just told him. “You can take a seat, and Yongbok will call you back when they’re ready for you guys.”

“Thanks, Chan,” you said, offering him a tiny, weak smile before you headed off to find one of the only available seats left in the waiting room. As soon as you got situated, you gingerly took Nyx out of her crate. She was warm and downy in your hands and purred quietly at the feel of you pressing her furry body against your chest. “It’s gonna be okay, girl, you’ll be alright…” You whispered to her, mouth nuzzling into her silky coat as you placed a gentle kiss against her head.

After you placed Nyx back in her crate, you spent the waiting time studying the people around you. Once again, it was mainly women’s faces that your eyes met as you scanned over the entire room. And there were all different types of pets everywhere, from dogs to cats to birds.

“Oh, and apparently, Jungmi’s friend saw him out on the streets late at night last week… like, all alone and stuff.” You heard the woman say beside you. She was sitting close to another woman, and their heads were bent at an angle as they gossiped together. “Some girl came out of this one cafe and was hanging all over him, but it didn't seem like he knew her that well.”

The other woman snorted lowly, “Well that bitch doesn’t matter, because I’m going to be sure to seduce him this time around. I mean, c’mon- who can resist this shirt?” At her insinuation, you realized that they were talking about Dr. Lee.

Even still, you felt the urge to peek over to your side and look at her attire, and when you did, you swallowed down the dryness in your throat. Because holy fuck- she looked like she was about to go to the club. Her shirt had a scoop neckline and was so low, more than half of her tits were hanging out of the loose fabric. It was tight and stretched over her bosom in an alluring kind of way, leaving little to the imagination.

Meanwhile, you were dressed in one of your old, baggy hoodies and a pair of loose-fitting denim jeans. Even though it was the beginning of spring, it was still quite chilly out early in the morning. And besides, you weren’t planning on going anywhere else after you visited the clinic, since you had taken the rest of the day off from work, so there was no use in dressing up. Not like you had any nice, sexy clothes like that to begin with, though.

In all actuality, you really couldn’t afford to take a day off of work. But, you felt like it was needed after the long week that you had had. After the long year you had had.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious while you sat next to Aphrodite herself, your fingers scrambled to yank down the arms of your hoodie as best as you could, trying to let the fabric swallow you up in your seat.

Just then, your name was called over the hustle and bustle of the waiting room, and you peered up to see a smiling Yongbok standing in the doorway that lead to the rest of the clinic - where the examining rooms were.

In a hurry, you scrambled to pick up your tote bag and hoisted Nyx in her carrier with one arm, following right behind the young vet tech as he lead you through the back rooms of the clinic. The hallway was buzzing with movement, as the other Tech’s, Seungmin and Hyunjin, helped vet assistant Changbin calm down a barking German Shepherd so that they could usher him onto a weighing station that was positioned in a corner of the hallway. Dr. Lee was nowhere to be found… yet.

“I haven’t seen you in a while,” Yongbok started, as he motioned to an examining room just off to the right side for you to walk in. You took a seat in the chair that was positioned next to the desk - where the doctor always sat. “Since Hyunjin is almost always the one who first greets you.” The younger man with light blonde hair and big, expressive eyes sighed in an exaggerated kind of way, which forced a quiet giggle out of you.

“He’s a good tech though… Taffy especially likes him, I think.” You started, your mind already trailing off to what your younger cat might be doing while being left home alone in your apartment. No doubt tearing into the bag of chips that you had accidentally left atop the kitchen counter.

“Mhm- how is she, by the way? I feel like you haven’t brought her in in a while,” Yongbok said, as he slipped on a pair of blue latex gloves. You dragged your eyes away from his form and instead concentrated on unzipping the carrier in your arms, slowly drawing out a lethargic Nyx.

“Taffy is good, just being her usual rambunctious self,” you laughed softly, shaking your head as the affection for your other cat took over your thoughts. “She’s definitely very different from my Nyx here, that’s for sure…”

Yongok wheeled his chair over to you then, gently taking your old cat from your hands and hoisting her up onto the examination table that was nearby. “I saw in the files that she’s been having problems with eating?” He started, voice growing serious as he began his study of your cat.

You nodded slowly, swallowing over the nervous lump that had begun to form in your throat as soon as he placed Nyx on the paper-lined table. You felt your heart beating wildly against your ribcage, and you watched in silence as Yongbok turned Nyx around to thoroughly examine her. “Yeah, and she hasn’t been wanting to play with Taffy either, even though she used to love to.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“About… four months now?”

Yongbok turned to you then, leveling you with a deep frown, “And you’re only bringing her in now?” His tone wasn’t accusatory, but was more on the perplexed side of things, as all of the staff at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic knew how much you loved your cats and how you adored taking care of them.

You shifted uncomfortably in your seat, hating the way that he seemed to question why you hadn’t taken care of Nyx’s symptoms earlier. “I-I didn’t have the money for this appointment until just recently, so that’s why I'm only bringing her in now.”

Your gaze snagged on Yongbok’s face, and the way that it instantly melted at your confession... brows furrowing and mouth pressing into a velvety line. The entire clinic must’ve known about your financial situation by now - about how you could barely afford food for yourself, let alone the bills from the clinic - since more oftentimes than not, you’d ask for a grace period from paying for the visits.

“I’m sorry, Y/N. I wasn’t trying to insinuate that you’re in the wrong here,” he began, but his slight frown only seemed to deepen as he spoke the words, “It’s just that- these symptoms shouldn’t be ignored for that long.”

At that, your heart started beating frantically inside your chest. Your focus landed on Nyx, who was now resting atop the table, with her eyes closed peacefully. “W-What? What do you mean by that? Is something wrong-”

Yongbok reached over then, giving your shoulder a delicate pat. “I can’t confirm anything myself, but I’m going to take Nyx back to the X-Ray rooms to examine her better. Then, I’ll give the data to Dr. Lee and he can examine the diagnosis.” He gingerly scooped up Nyx into his arms, pressing her against his chest.

“O-Okay, but-” You began, but were soon cut off by the way that Yongbok gave you a slight, reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about it, Y/N. I’m sure Nyx is just fine.” Is the last thing he said, before he was quickly filing out of the room with your cat in his hold, leaving you all alone.

And as soon as he shut the door closed, you were a nervous wreck. Your knees bounced up and down, hands turning clammy and breath falling out in shaky gasps as your mind raced a mile a minute with countless thoughts.

Would Nyx be okay?

Was she sick?

What was so wrong with her?

The wait time to see the doctor usually wasn’t that long, but this time - this time, it felt different.

It felt like each minute stretched out before you in an endless cycle, sending you down a deep and deeper spiral of anguish as you tried to wrack your brain around the entire situation.

When finally, there was a gentle knock on the door.

You had been holding your head in either of your hands, but upon hearing footsteps against the linoleum floors, you peered up to see Dr. Lee closing the door behind him. He was dressed in his usual garb - dress slacks, a simple white button-down, and his white doctor's coat.

Dr. Lee was silent, as he wheeled his chair over to you. And only then did you notice that Nyx was missing. That he wasn’t carrying her in his arms- like he usually did when he brought her back from the closed examination room.

And you knew the moment that he sat down, that something was wrong.

Because usually, when his eyes caught yours as he walked through the examining room’s door, his entire face would light up with one of those brilliant smiles that women gushed over. Usually, he’d be the first one to crack a stupid joke - whether it was something lame about the weather outside, or about the crazy animal that he just had an encounter with before seeing you.

But this time?

No, this time it was very different.

His proud shoulders were slumped low, cheekbones dark with shadows, and plump, red lips pressed together in a firm line.

He clenched and unclenched his jaw once,

twice,

three times.

Then, and only then, did his eyes meet yours.

And they said all you needed to know.

Just by the way that his dark, chestnut-brown pupils danced with a myriad of emotions; apprehension, fear, compassion, but most of all… sadness.

“What is it?”

The words flowed from your lips before you even knew what you were asking, and almost immediately, you were sitting up a little straighter in your chair.

Spine going rigid, fists growing tight at your sides.

Something swam, cool and deep, inside of you.

Chilling you to the bone, with tense unease.

In the depths of your mind, you felt the pinprick of ominous heartache prodding at the fleshy part of your soul.

The part that was weak and emotional and so very tender all of the time.

“I’m so sorry.”

Was the first thing Dr. Lee said.

You already felt the tears flowing, unbidden and unchecked, warming your suddenly freezing cheeks, at the sound of ‘sorry’ leaving his mouth. Because he had never said such a thing to you before. And you never, ever, wanted to hear it come from him again.

“What’s wrong?” You prodded again, limbs growing a little shaky in your anxiety. Breath hitching in your chest agonizingly, you could physically feel your heart pushing against your ribs.

Aching,

Burning,

Already seeping with hurt, even though you didn’t quite know what was wrong just yet.

Dr. Lee ran a rough hand up and down his face, sighing into his palm, shaking his head once. Then, his fingers were running through his black locks, tugging at the roots just a tiny bit.

Almost like, this crushed him just as much as it was about to pain you.

“It’s about Nyx.”

Swallowing over the huge lump forming in your throat proved very difficult at that moment, but somehow - by some miracle - you did it.

Your tongue felt heavy inside of your mouth- like it was made of hard metal.

For a few beats, you couldn’t manage to form the right words, but when you did, you already felt the stability seeping out of you. Like you were a hot air balloon that had been poked with a sharp needle, with the scalding air and sanity flooding from you in a single breath.

“I’m sorry, Miss. Y/N, I-”

“Just fucking say it, Dr. Lee!” You suddenly exclaimed, voice straining from your quiet sobs. The fat tears rolled down either of your cheeks, leaving angry wet trails in their wake.

He was silent after that, gaze running up and down the length of you slowly. Like you were one of his animals that he assessed daily - like he was testing out your strength and resolve.

Then, his eyes snapped back up to meet yours, and they melted into two puddles of grief.

“It seems as though Nyx is suffering from an acute form of bone cancer.”

And just like, your heart completely stopped.

Each breath you took felt garbled and all wrong.

Your shaky legs and arms wobbled all around you.

The floor crumbled underneath your feet,

Breaking, cracking, shattering irrevocably.

And in that moment, you wished for nothing more but for it to open up completely, and swallow you whole.

Please,

Oh, fuck, please-

Just swallow me already.

Because anything,

Anything,

Would be better than this newfound hell.

“No- no, you’re lying.” You said in a low, gravelly voice. You were clutching onto the arms of your chair, holding on for dear life. Like if you squeezed hard enough, you would be able to wake up and all of this would just fade away into a bad dream.

“Miss. Y/N, I’m so sorry but-” Dr. Lee started in a calm tone, but his face read everything but calm - as his brows wrinkled with concern and his brown eyes were alight with a certain kind of sadness.

“This is a bad dream, it has to be a bad dream,” you cut him off, violently shaking your head from side to side in your disbelief. If you just pinched yourself, maybe then you’d wake up from such a hell. So that’s exactly what you did.

Grabbing one of your arms, you frantically pinched at the skin there.

Again,

And again,

And again.

The tears blurred your vision so much that it was hard to see what was in front of you - hard to notice the angry red mark that started to bloom out across your flesh at your abuse.

Just then, two warm hands took hold of either of yours, fingers sliding between fingers, calloused palms squeezing your own.

The dark-haired figure was kneeling in front of you then, still holding onto your hands. Your heart felt like it was breaking over and over just beneath your ribcage. With each breath that you took, a new piece of it shattered off to swim in the blood flowing through your veins.

“Those symptoms that Nyx has been having are all signs of an acute form of bone cancer, Miss. Y/N. And, they will get worse,” the man said, his low, familiar voice running across your ears and nudging at a tender, warm spot deep inside of you.

“B-But she’ll get better, right? You can heal her, right, doctor?” You asked, throat straining from all of the tears. Through your hazy vision, you clutched a little harder at his hands.

There was a pause of silence on his end after that, which only made you feel worse.

When he finally spoke again, it felt like your world merely crumbled further and further. “Yongbok told me about your… situation, and why you didn’t bring her in earlier. But, because of the wait time, the cancer has developed into an acute case. The only options for helping her at this stage are- amputation and chemotherapy.”

It felt like someone took a bucket of ice-cold water and doused your entire form as soon as his words registered in your mind.

Because if you hadn’t waited so long to get it checked out,

If you hadn’t put it off because you didn’t have the money,

If you didn’t have such a low-paying, shitty job,

Then Nyx never would’ve gotten the cancer in the first place.

Instinctually, you ripped your hands out of Dr. Lee’s grasp. It was the first time you had ever had physical contact with him - and the feeling left you feeling both sick to your stomach and also sent anxious butterflies to erupt throughout your system.

“Oh fuck- it’s my fault,” you said in an incredulous tone, fingers digging into your scalp and tearing at your roots there. “If I hadn’t waited so long, she never would’ve gotten this and she wouldn’t be-”

You felt a heavy hand land atop one of your shoulders, nimble fingers pressing into your skin just slightly. Enough to help ground you back to reality. “I know it’s difficult right now, but I promise it’s going to be okay. You just have to take a few deep breaths and-”

“Where is she?” You asked in a low voice, having the sudden urge to hold your baby in your arms. Maybe, if she just felt you, she’d be healed… “Where is my Nyx, Dr. Lee?”

But you didn’t even wait for him to reply, as you tore away from his hold and hurried to the door, grabbing Nyx’s carrier on the way out. Faintly, you registered Dr. Lee calling out to you from behind, but you paid no mind to it and instead ran through the hallway just outside of the examination room.

“Nyx!” You called out, tone turning desperate. You raced down the hallway, sneakers hitting the concrete at your feet. “Nyx!” The tears clouded your vision, so it was hard to see where you going. But even still, you glimpsed Hyunjin coming out from a room in the back of the clinic, with a black mass of fur laying in his arms.

You cried out in relief at the sight of her, and in an instant, you were running forward and scooping her up and into your grasp. Pressing your face into her warm body, you cuddled her close.

“Y/N-” Hyunjin began, sympathy heavy in his tone. You felt his eyes travel across your face as you looked down at your sickly cat, with fat tears falling down your cheeks and a rapidly-beating heart.

“Let’s go home, my sweet girl…” You whispered so that only Nyx could hear you. And you couldn’t help but notice how light she felt in your arms - she hadn’t had much of an appetite in the last few months, and it pained you so much to know that you hadn’t realized it until it was too late.

Then you were turning away from Hyunjin, not even giving him any attention, as you rushed through the hallway and pressed onwards to the front desk area. Faintly, you could hear people calling out your name from somewhere in the back of the clinic.

But you couldn’t concentrate on any of that. All you could think of was your beautiful cat, who was peacefully sleeping in your arms. “Just a little bit longer, Nyx, we’re almost home…”

The rest of the week passed by in a blur of heartache and tears, as you battled with yourself and your mind to try and come to terms with what was happening.

With what you were going to lose.

It was hard to focus on anything else besides the impending doom that seemed to be right on your doorstep. You were slacking off at your work, which caused your boss to ream you out the next Monday morning. But you couldn’t help it - every time you tried to think about anything else besides Nyx, and losing her, the stormy feelings just came back tenfold.

You had found yourself holed up in your office’s bathroom stalls on more than one occasion already, and by the time it hit a week since you had visited the clinic, it felt like all of the tears had been completely drained from your body.

Every time you looked at her, you wanted to cry. You wanted to, but your body just wouldn't let you. So instead, you took to staying up late into the night and researching remedies to alleviate the pain of cancer - because truly, you hadn’t gotten a solid five hours of sleep since the diagnosis.

After two weeks, you had tried all of the solutions that you could find online - that ranged from implementing natural, whole foods into Nyx’s diet to rubbing lavender oil all over her limbs to try and soothe the pain from standing. Seeing her slowly start to deteriorate in front of your very eyes was possibly the worst part about it all - and how she’d whine and cry while walking around the house. Even Taffy could sense that something was wrong when her friend no longer had the energy to play with her anymore.

Throughout all of it, you avoided the phone calls. And they could be from only one ID - since you didn’t have any friends or family members who cared enough about you to call three times a day. Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic called you without fail, and they were adamant about getting in contact. No doubt Chan was on the other line the whole time, trying to talk some sense into you.

But you just couldn’t do it - couldn’t bring yourself to walk through those doors and face the dark road ahead that most-assuredly lead to death. Because you had already extensively researched the therapy for treating Nyx’s kind of cancer, and it was looking quite bleak. The procedures were so fucking expensive, it baffled you how anyone in their right mind could be able to afford such things.

Everything changed though, when on one Saturday night, you arrived home late from running errands and found Nyx sprawled out on your living room’s small, rickety couch. You scurried over to her side and shook her awake. But she wouldn’t open her eyes. And it seemed like she was hardly breathing. You called out to her again and again, startling Taffy of your presence.

When finally, Nyx awoke. After much pleading and crying, she opened her eyes lazily and stretched.

And so it was decided right then and there, that you’d go into the clinic that night.

You couldn’t afford to put it off any longer, and frankly, you had the feeling that Nyx couldn’t either. It was getting close to eight o’clock in the evening, and the clinic closed its doors for the weekend right at eight, so you made quick haste out of your dingy hell-hole-of-an-apartment.

When you arrived at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic, the entire place was dark. You peeked through the windows and noticed the empty waiting room. “No, no- no…” You muttered to yourself, checking the time on your phone and reading that it was a little past eight.

You quickly looked around the street, noticing how most of the shops were already closed up for the weekend. Feeling the panic rising inside of you, you began to furiously knock on the glass door of the clinic. If someone was back there, maybe you could get ahold of Dr. Lee and-

“Miss. Y/N?” You heard a friendly, faint voice say from somewhere to your side. Turning around to the sound of it, you came face-to-face with Dr. Lee himself. He had his doctor’s coat off and was dressed in his usual work clothes of slacks and a dress shirt. “What are you-”

You pressed your hands against your chest, trying to calm your heart that was painfully beating against your ribcage. “Dr. Lee- please, it’s… it’s Nyx.”

His brown eyes flashed across the length of your form, the fading sunset coloring his skin in an orange and pink kind of glow. “Come inside, it’s too cold out to be standing around like this.” He said, already moving to unlock the front door of the clinic. After all, it was early spring and the nights tended to grow on the cooler side of things once the sun dipped below the horizon.

“Okay, thanks,” you whispered, following behind him as the two of you shifted through the clinic. Dr. Lee made his way over to a cluster of chairs in the corner of the waiting room.

“Please, sit.” He pointed to the nearest chair and waited for you to get situated before taking the seat just beside you. “So, tell me what’s going on.”

And suddenly, you realized the gravity of the situation. You realized that it was just the two of you - Dr. Lee and you - sitting inside the clinic, alone. There weren’t any other clients around, there wasn’t Chan or Jeongin, or Yongbok. And all at once, it felt rather… intimate.

You squirmed in your seat, your shaking hands beginning to play with the worn hemline of your oversized hoodie. Taking a deep breath, you gathered up all of your courage and leveled your gaze on the nearby front desk that was placed in the center of the large waiting room. “Well, I-I got home today from running some errands, and I found Nyx lying on my couch. But it didn’t seem like she was napping like she normally does… and she, she wouldn’t wake up. I kept trying and trying and-” Your words came out all rushed and garbled, as the tears began to crest over your eyes and you felt your cheeks heating with the flush of emotion.

“Hey- hey, it’s okay… don’t push yourself, yeah?” Dr. Lee’s smooth voice did something to the broken part inside of you - caused something to stir and yet settle at the same time. “That must’ve been a very scary experience for you, so it’s understandable that you would be shaken up about it.”

And just like that, the guilt piled on even higher.

Because Dr. Lee had always been incredibly nice to you and your cats. He had always been there for you guys, through the ups and downs of life, and you felt so horrible for ignoring the clinic’s calls. Because you knew that the team at Starry Skies Veterinary Clinic only wanted the very best for you and your cats… and especially, Dr. Lee.

“I’m so sorry for ignoring the clinic’s calls,” you suddenly blurted out, feeling the blush rise and pool in your ears at the feeling of Dr. Lee’s gaze landing on you - assessing your nervous state. Your thumbs continued to fiddle with the fabric at your waist, pulling and pulling. “I-I just didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to face the issue. But, I now realize how stupid that was- how stupid I’ve been about this whole thing-”

“Don’t ever say that again, Y/N. You’re not stupid, and Nyx having cancer isn’t your fault. This was something that was inevitable and nothing you could do was going to stop it.” Dr. Lee cut through your words. You tried to comprehend what he was saying, but instead, your brain was only repeating the same phrase over and over again.

Y/N,

Y/N-

Y/N.

He had used your name, without putting ‘miss’ before it. He had never done such a thing in the past. He had always kept things professional and addressed you by your proper title - just like you had done for him.

But all at once, you realized that perhaps you didn’t mind it at all. And perhaps, his dropping the honorifics wasn’t so bad.

“Still, I’m sorry for not answering the calls,” you said, shaking your head slowly in defeat. You were desperately trying to battle the furious blush that was slinking up your neck at the way that he had said your name. It sounded so perfect and beautiful on his tongue, like-

“I was the one making all of those calls, and I can assure you that I didn’t take your silence to heart. I understand what you’re going through right now because I’ve experienced something similar in the past with one of my passed cats.”

At that, your eyes tore away from the front desk and landed on Dr. Lee. Your gazes locked, and inside his chestnut-brown eyes, you found so many different emotions there… compassion and gentleness. There was a certain kind of faded light there, as you stared at him.

“I… I didn’t know. I just assumed that it was Chan or Jisung…”

Dr. Lee shrugged his proud shoulders nonchalantly, like him calling you three times a day to try and work out a treatment plan for Nyx wasn’t that big of a deal.

When in actuality,

No one in your entire life had ever tried so frantically to get ahold of you.

And the fact that it was him- behind the phone, waiting for you to pick up, hearing your voicemail click on every time the dial failed… just made you feel even worse.

“But that’s all in the past now, so don’t worry about it anymore,” Dr. Lee began, waving a hand in the air to seemingly try and clear your thoughts away. You watched in silence, then, as his hand slid away from his lap and hovered over yours. In a single beat, his fingers were threading through yours, palm against palm. And his hand was so incredibly warm and familiar. “Now, let’s instead focus on Nyx’s treatment, yeah? The sooner we can give her the help she needs, the better.”

For a few seconds, the thoughts of your dying childhood best friend had vanished from your mind and were instead replaced with the feeling of Dr. Lee’s hand holding yours and the way that his tongue formed your name, and the way he smelled - sitting so close to you - of warm chamomile and sweet cookies.

Immediately, at the mention of Nyx, you felt the tears prick at the corners of your eyes once more. “I-I don’t have the money.”

Silence filled the space around the two of you after that, and you felt Dr. Lee’s gaze studying your form, as you squeezed your eyes shut in embarrassment. “You mean for her treatment?”

“Y-Yeah… I, I don’t make that much. I can barely afford her and Taffy’s regular bills as it is. But, having to pay for the cancer treatment on top of everything else? I-I just don’t think I can manage that.”

You felt Dr. Lee shift in his seat beside you, making your eyes spring open as you watched the pained expression cast over his entire face. It darkened his cheekbones, shooting a look of pity through his eyes.

“The treatment is really expensive, I’m afraid.”

The hiccups started then, as the tears traced down your cheeks faster. Your entire body shook with the cries, “This is why I didn’t want to come here again… I didn’t want to hear the news that nothing else could be done except- except that.”

It was like the fucking jumbo-sized elephant in the room…

The fact that- the only other solution to Nyx’s cancer would be to put her down.

To euthanize her.

Gone, forever.

Just like that.

And even though you weren’t naïve enough to think that your cat would live forever, saying goodbye to her in such a way just felt downright… cruel, after everything that the two of you had been through together. But... what other choice did you have? It's not like anyone else was going to pay for the expensive treatment, and your insurance sure as hell didn't cover pet fees. And on top of all that, you couldn't expect Dr. Lee to drop his prices exponentially just for your specific case. That'd just be downright cruel to his other customers that paid the exact amount.

“I’m afraid you’re right,” Dr. Lee’s words cut through your stormy thoughts. A sharp pain coursed through your broken heart, as you were forced to come to terms with the problem at hand. “If you can’t afford the treatment, then the only other alternative is… euthanasia.”

You found yourself clutching onto his hand desperately, squeezing his fingers to death between yours, as you peered up at him through glassy eyes. “P-Please… just… just tell me you’ll do it. Because I-I don’t think I can handle it if-” Your voice seized in your chest at the thought of some stranger doing such a thing to your precious Nyx. It was already going to be extremely hard for you, but the thought of some other vet doing it just ripped your heart in two even more.

“We offer ethical euthanasia here, so, of course, I’ll do it,” Dr. Lee clutched a little harder on your hand, and the way that his warm, slender digits felt against yours did something to calm a rattling part inside of you. “Do you feel my hand? It is there, Y/N. And it will continue to be there throughout this entire process.”

The breath caught in your throat, forming a large lump there, as your eyes widened his way. Because there it was again, him calling you by your first name… with no ‘miss’ in front of it.

“T-Thank you… so much. I seriously don’t know what I’d do right now if it wasn’t for you and this wonderful clinic and all of the amazing staff here…” Your voice trailed off, as you felt the warmth of a flush creeping up into your cheeks.

“Yeah, well, that’s what we’re here for… to give as much support as we can to our clients.” Dr. Lee’s tone came out soft and quiet, it ghosted over the shell of your ear like an angel’s sweet whisper.

“I like it.”

You heard Dr. Lee take in a sharp breath at your disjointed words, but before he could ask the meaning behind them, you were talking again.

“You calling me by my first name, I mean… I like it, a lot, Dr. Lee.” Your eyes found him in the dim lighting of the room, and for a split second, you could’ve sworn that you saw… something flash deep in those chestnut-brown pupils.

But then all at once, it vanished, and he was giving you an easy smile, pearly white teeth on display. And pink, rosebud lips tugging up- wait, why were you thinking about his mouth?

“Me too,” he said in that delicate way of his, just as he squeezed your palm once more, “I really like it… Y/N.”

To be continued...

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©ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

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mint-yooxgi · 1 year

Text

{3} - Paradise Gardens - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Book Two to Hotel California

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor, Smut

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on San & Wooyoung)

Words: 11,660

Warnings: Very suggestive content. OC wakes up needy and the guys are more than happy to provide. Morning canoodling: fingering (fem. receiving), breast play, praise, hand job. Mentions of past trauma and PTSD. Minor anxiety. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I am SO excited for this chapter, you have no idea. First, a little sweet smut with Woosan, and then the return of everyone’s favourite dragons!!! Ehehehe, I really am looking forward to everything else I ave planned for this series, and I really hope you all are too. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Also, gentle reminder that I don’t do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two

The pale grey light of the early morning sun shines dully through the clouds covering the sky above. The soft sound of rain patters gently against the windows, giving rise to a veiled mist that drifts through the air. Faintly, a chill settles over the room, yet the warmth radiating off of either male beside you protects you from the crispness of dawn.

You hum contently.

“Good morning, Angel,” a light chuckle sounds from in front of you, a hand coming up to tenderly grasp your cheek.

A low noise of acknowledgement escapes you from within your throat, eyes remaining closed as you stretch yourself beneath the covers.

The other hand that you feel placed gently over your stomach, resting just below your chest, draws you in closer. His fingers press delicately into your skin beneath the material of your shirt, shifting slightly as his own chest brushes against your back.

“Rise and shine, Pretty Baby,” San’s voice is a mere rumble right by your ear, lips pressing delicately against the skin of your neck.

Another low hum escapes you, burying yourself deeper into the comfort of their embrace. “Five more minutes.”

The way you can feel both of their chests shaking with affectionate laughter has a content smile pulling at your features.

“Take your time, Gorgeous,” Wooyoung breathes out, leaning in to place a kiss onto your forehead. “We’re right here.”

Beneath the blankets, your legs shift slightly, tucking them in a little closer to you. Well, as much as you can with either male surrounding you. A soft, pleasant thrum echoes throughout your body, and you find that you cannot help the way you squeeze your thighs together the smallest bit beneath the covers.

You were having a very lovely dream, and you can feel the lingering effects throughout your body. The way tingles travel lightly over your skin, settling into your bones, has you shifting your hips slightly once more, seeking any sort of friction that you can this morning.

Suddenly, San’s hand pressing against your bare skin begins to feel too hot.

A small whine escapes you. The arm you have lazily slung over Wooyoung’s waist tugs him in closer.

“What the matter, Baby?” There’s nothing but concern held in San’s voice, but you have a feeling that were you to open your eyes and turn to look at him, you’d see a small grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Slowly, meticulously, San begins smoothly tracing his thumb against the skin of your stomach. The moment you turn your body the slightest bit, angling yourself so that you’re leaning against his chest for support as your legs part briefly, you hear them both inhale sharply.

Two low, pleased growls reverberate around the room, chests rumbling with each breath that they now take.

Your breathing deepens as you feel the hand Wooyoung has resting against your cheek slide down the side of your neck. His touch is light, nothing more than a careful brush of his skin against your own as your eyes finally flutter open. The way you can see him already staring at you, gaze dark as his own chest rises and falls dramatically with each breath that he takes has you biting your lower lip in response.

San’s hand slips a fraction of an inch lower, his thumb continuously brushing against your skin.

“I-“ your voice gets caught in your throat, but you can see the visible way Wooyoung is hanging on to your every word. From the way San tenses behind you, you know that he is, too. Another low whine escapes you. “Please.”

“Please, what, Baby?” San’s voice is nothing short of teasing as his hand slips the slightest bit lower over your skin. From the pleasant rumble that shakes his chest, you can just tell that he can feel how frantically your heart is racing inside of your chest right now.

“Tell us what you need, Angel, and we will do everything in our power to fulfill your every desire.” Wooyoung leans forward to rest his forehead against your own, staring deeply into your eyes as his swirl with that all too familiar darkness that you’ve become so used to.

A faint heat begins to blossom on your cheeks, legs once more shifting beneath the covers as you feel San move his hand yet another fraction of an inch downwards.

“You-” you begin, and you watch the corner of Wooyoung’s lips quirk upwards. “My dream…”

“Yes?” He hums, somewhat knowingly. “What about it?”

Your hand on his waist grips him a little firmer, and you notice how his breath hitches in response.

“You’re aware of it, then.” The words are a little strained, mind still cloudy with the haze of both sleep and need. The need to feel them against you: touching you, and you subsequently touching them.

“Of course we are, Beautiful,” Wooyoung’s lips twitch upwards the faintest bit, his fingers dancing along the exposed skin of your collarbones. Your shirt does little to cover you, and you find that you’re grateful for that fact at the present. “It’s delightful to know that you dream about us in such ways that we’ve always dreamt about you.”

“Yet, you haven’t done anything to me in spite of it,” you observe, a hint of inquiry clinging to your words as your chest rises and falls dramatically.

“This is not the first time we’ve experienced you having such pleasant dreams while being held in our embrace, Pretty Baby.” San’s grip tightens the slightest bit around you. The way he can hear your breath hitch as you feel his semi-erect cock now pressing against your ass has a subtle smirk pulling at his lips. “We simply never want you to think that we expect anything to come from it.”

“Nor do we want to take advantage of you during such times.” Wooyoung adds lowly, his hand pausing momentarily in its movements to settle lovingly against your shoulder.

“What if-“ your breath hitches once more as you shift within their hold, “What if I want you to touch me because of it.”

Two low, pleased growls echo around the room for the second time this morning.

“If that is what you want, Baby, than we are more than happy to oblige,” San nips lightly at your ear, his lips trailing delicate kisses along the skin of your exposed neck in the next moment.

“San, Wooyoung,” the whimper of their names are but a desperate plea on your lips as you feel yourself clench around nothing. “My Kings, please, touch me.”

“With pleasure.” The low growl that escapes San is synonymous with the way he grinds his hips into your ass.

Slowly, he trails his hand the rest of the way downwards. Gripping the skin of your thigh lightly, he carefully drags your leg back to rest delicately over his own, spreading you open the slightest bit for the both of them this morning.

Inhaling deeply, both males let out more pleased rumbles at the way the scent of your arousal begins to permeate the air.

“You smell wonderful, Baby,” San hums, fingers teasingly dancing along the waistline of your sweatpants. “And all just for us.”

Again, you feel yourself clench around nothing, humming right along with him. “Just for you.”

You fail to see the way San’s eyes flash black at your words, but you do not miss the shifting of Wooyoung’s. The elder of the two is quick to prop himself up on his elbow, leaning further into you in order to trail his lips down your neck and over the skin of your shoulder, nipping at the tender flesh all the while.

The whole time, Wooyoung’s hand begins to move over you once more. He cups your cheek delicately, loving the way your own arm shifts upward to do the same to him.

The way you meet his gaze says it all. Nothing but tender love and affection shines within. Not only that, but that familiar spark of desire and excitement. It’s been a little while since you’ve allowed any of them to touch you like this, and the last thing either of them wants to do is push things too far. Always, they will take things at your pace, and the fact that you want them to please you, that your need and desperation for them is making you ache for their touch, has a familiar warmth flooding their veins.

“If you change your mind, and want us to stop at any point,” San whispers lowly into your ear, “you let us know right away, Baby.”

You find you can only nod in response, a mumbled ‘I will’ barely escaping you as your eyes flutter shut. The feeling of San’s hand resting just beneath your sweats is drawing all of your focus, stomach twisting in desire the longer he goes without touching you where you need him most.

“The same goes for if we do anything that makes you uncomfortable,” Wooyoung adds.

The soft smile that pulls onto your features as you crack your eyes open to look at him sets his heart racing inside of his chest.

“Likewise,” you manage to get out, your thumb brushing tenderly against his cheek.

Smiles pull at both of their faces, nothing but love dripping from their gazes as they look at you. The fact that you begin to squirm slightly once more in anticipation has affectionate chuckles escaping them yet again.

“My Queen,” Wooyoung’s breathless call of your title draws your attention back on to him. Slowly, he leans in, eyes darting longingly down to your lips as he licks his own. “Please, may I kiss you?”

You cannot deny the way your heart positively flutters at his request.

A soft smile graces your features as you pull him closer, your breath ghosting along the skin of his lips. “I would love nothing more.”

The moment Wooyoung presses his lips to your own, a content rumble escapes him. His hands are desperate, clinging onto you as if you may slip through his fingers at a moment’s notice. His chest presses right up against your own, deepening the kiss without another second of hesitation.

The gasp you let out as San dips a finger through your folds is music to both of their ears.

“Fuck- My Queen,” San’s voice is but a pleased growl on his lips as he lightly begins to circle your clit. “So wet for me.”

You part briefly from Wooyoung’s lips as you moan, eyes fluttering shut in bliss.

“All for you,” you hum, feeling as Wooyoung slides his one hand down to gently begin palming at your breast.

His lips are back on your own just as he brushes a thumb over your nipple, feeling it harden beneath the fabric of your shirt as he continues his ministrations.

Again, San dips his fingers through your folds, gathering your wetness before moving upwards to circle your clit gently.

Your breath hitches, and you cannot help the way your hips jolt at the touch.

“Fuck-“ a shudder wracks San’s spine, his eyes falling shut as he increases the pressure the slightest bit over your clit. “You were just aching for us to touch your little wet, needy cunt, weren’t you, Baby?”

“Yes.” A desperate whimper escapes you as your clit pulses against the pads of his fingers.

San smirks against the skin of your neck.

“Pretty Baby,” he hums, loving the way you begin to shift your hips back against his hard cock, grinding your ass against him in tandem with the movements of his hand.

A breathless sigh of his name falls from your lips, and you feel him twitch against you. The corner of your lips quirk upwards as you hear San let out an unabashed moan from behind you.

“My name was made to be graced by your lips, My Queen,” his chest rumbles once more in content, breaths coming in jagged pants right by your ear.

“Every sound that you make for us is a symphony, Angel,” Wooyoung draws your attention back to him for the moment, eyes dark as he licks his lips. “One which we could never tire of.”

A growl of agreement sounds at your back.

In the next moment, you feel Wooyoung’s hands slowly begin to creep up beneath your shirt. Tingles erupt over your skin everywhere he touches, your breath stuttering as you feel him ghost his fingers along the underside of your breasts.

“Please, My Queen,” Wooyoung gives a slight tug of your shirt upwards, meeting your gaze briefly. Desperation shines behind his eyes, mixing with that all too familiar heated desire you can see swirling within. “May I?”

A frantic nod of your head greets him in response, a breathless ‘yes’ falling from your lips.

The smile that pulls onto Wooyoung’s features is filled with nothing but tender affection as he helps you strip out of your shirt. Shamelessly, his eyes roam over every bare inch of your exposed flesh, that familiar darkness swirling within.

Gently, your hands sneak up beneath his own shirt. “You, too.”

For only a brief moment, both males part from you. You can only watch on in anticipation as Wooyoung tugs his shirt over his head, and you have no doubt that San is doing the exact same behind you. A fact of which is only confirmed when you feel the elder male pressing right up against your back, the warmth from his skin settling deep into your bones and causing a pleasant shudder to caress your spine.

San cannot help the pleased growl that builds in his chest at feeling your bare skin pressing right up against his own. Warmth floods his veins, heart pounding within as the euphoric feeling of finally being able to hold you against him without the barrier of clothing settles over him. This is everything he could have ever dreamed of, and so much more.

The intimacy of this moment alone makes his head spin. Long since has he desired to feel the press of your tender flesh against his own, and he finds that now that he’s gotten a taste, he will never be able to get enough. Especially not when it comes to you, for this feeling is like no other that he has ever felt before in his life.

He pulls you closer.

Trailing your gaze over Wooyoung’s exposed torso, you lick your lips. The fact that you can hear his breath hitch as you do so has the corners twitching upwards.

The moment he settles back onto the bed, your hands are on him, fingers dancing along the skin of his abdomen and up his chest. The way he shivers beneath your touch sets your heart racing, warmth flooding your veins.

Your eyes catch on that all too familiar necklace he always wears ever since you gifted it to him. There’s no doubt in your mind that San is wearing his own as well.

“My Handsome Kings,” you hum lowly, a pleasant warmth continuing to spread outwards through your body, and all the way down to the tips of your fingers which are tracing lightly over the skin of Wooyoung’s chest. “All mine.”

Their reactions are instantaneous: snarls of approval escape them both, their eyes flashing black once more. San cannot prevent the desperate way his hips grind against your ass, while Wooyoung immediately pulls you back into him for a kiss.

“All yours, My Queen,” San’s voice is but a low rumble by your ear as he nips lightly at your skin.

“All yours,” Wooyoung echoes lowly against the skin of your lips, only to pull away and rest his forehead against your own. “Now, let us take care of you.”

The drag of Wooyoung’s one hand down your body is meticulous, electricity following in his wake as he reaches the waistline of your sweats. Only, before he can so much as dip one finger below the band, San tugs you further back against his chest, a low warning growl escaping his lips.

“You got to touch her last time,” his hand is quick to replace Wooyoung’s, eyes flashing dangerously at his brother. “It’s my turn to please Our Queen.”

Wooyoung’s brow twitches in amusement, tongue darting out to wet his lips as the corner quirks upwards slightly. A movement of which you know is pointed on his part, especially when he notices you staring at his mouth.

Your own parts slightly in response, your chest rising and falling dramatically with every breath. With wide eyes, and your heart beating erratically in your chest, you find yourself leaning further back against San. His skin presses delicately against your own, and you nearly swoon from that feeling alone.

Letting out a slight amused huff in his brother’s direction, Wooyoung retracts his hand. For now. Instead, he trails it back up your body, moving to cup your one breast. His thumb brushes tenderly against your nipple, feeling it harden beneath his touch once more. He smirks.

Slowly, you grind your hips back against San, practically feeling the way his cock twitches against the skin of your ass. At the same time, you trail your one hand down Wooyoung’s chest, letting your nails scrape lightly against his skin. The way you hear his breath hitch as you teasingly hook a finger beneath the waistline of his own sweats has a small smile tugging at your lips.

Out of the corner of your eyes, you notice Wooyoung’s lips part. His chest rises and falls dramatically, the subtlest of nods to his head as he looks at you pleadingly. He doesn’t need to say anything for you to understand that he’s practically begging for you to touch him right now. A promise of which you have every intention to follow through on.

“Sannie,” you whine, shifting your hips back against him as your brow furrows in slight frustration. The aforementioned male hasn’t moved his hand from its position right above the hemline of your sweats for the past few minutes, and you can hardly stand the way you begin to throb in need. “If you’re going to touch me, then please, touch me. Otherwise, I’ll do it myself.”

Wooyoung’s one brow quirks in amusement as another growl sounds from behind you. The way San instantly has his one arm wrapped around your waist, holding you flush against him while the other finally sneaks back beneath your sweatpants has your heart fluttering in anticipation.

“Like hell am I going to miss out on the opportunity to please you, My Queen,” he drags his fingers in the lightest of touches over your wet folds. “I simply just want to take my time and enjoy you this morning.”

“Then-“ your words get caught in your throat, breath hitching as you feel him slowly sink a finger into your tight cunt.

A low moan escapes you, eyes nearly rolling to the back of your head as you feel yourself clench around him.

“Fuck- so warm,” he hums, chest rumbling in content. “So wet, and all for me.”

“Yours,” your hips grind against him, feeling him beginning to move his finger gently along your inner walls.

A guttural groan escapes him, his own hips working in tandem with your own. The press of his hard cock against your ass, combined with the way you can feel his finger pressing up inside of you has your eyes fluttering shut in bliss.

The feeling of Wooyoung’s lips on your skin draws your attention back to the younger male, gazing down at him to see him gently biting and sucking at your chest. His tongue is quick to trace over your skin, sliding down to lightly flick over your one nipple. The way his hands feel cupping your breasts, tenderly squeeing the flesh as he suckles that pert little bud into his mouth has you arching into him.

“My Kings,” you sigh breathlessly, losing yourself to the euphoric feeling that begins to flood your veins. “Just like that.”

Two pleased growls reverberate against your skin, chests rising and falling in tandem as a beautiful symphony of sin consisting of your soft moans fills the air.

San adds another finger, and the way your whole body shudders in his hold has a pride unlike ever before swirling within his chest. The way he can feel you squeezing him so delicately as he massages you warm walls makes his head spin. This is everything he could have ever asked for, and so much more. The fact that he is the one able to bring you uninterrupted pleasure right now has his cock twitching within his sweats once more.

Delicately, your fingers begin to trace along the skin of Wooyoung’s stomach. The way you can feel him tense beneath your touch has you smiling faintly, your free hand coming up to tangle in his locks as he continues to nip at the tender flesh of your breasts. He alternates between tracing his tongue over your skin, and sucking one of your nipples into his mouth, eyes always darting up to catch your every expression.

The moment he feels your one hand sneak beneath the waistline of his sweats, palm ghosting over the skin of his hard cock, he moans. Wooyoung cannot help the way his eyes flutter shut as you grasp his aching cock gently, giving the base a light squeeze as you begin to pump him a few times in your hold. The swipe of your thumb over his leaking tip has him twitching in your grip, another unabashed moan escaping his lips.

“My Queen,” his brow furrows, head falling forward to rest against the skin of your chest. “Fuck- My Queen.”

His breathing comes in jagged pants, hands trembling in their hold over your skin as he clings onto you for dear life.

Too many times has Wooyoung fantasized about the feeling of your hands on his skin. Ever since that fateful day where you allowed him the honour of eating you out in front of all of his brothers, Wooyoung has craved your touch on him in every way imaginable. A simple taste is no longer enough; the mere thought of you, pleasing him while he pleases you, sets his whole body alight with the flames of his passion which have always burned brightly for you. Gladly, he will drown in that blazing pit of desire. Every. Single. Time.

You twist your wrist, alternating between squeezing him gently beneath your fingers and swiping your thumb over the tip. The way you can feel his whole body trembling against your own has a sense of pride swelling in your chest, heart racing once more. A fact of which you know he can hear, for he begins placing wet, open mouthed kisses over your skin in time with each rapid pulse of your heart.

“So pretty, Baby,” San hums against the back of your neck, smirking against your skin as he feels you tilt your head the slightest bit backwards to rest against his own. “Letting us take care of your like this.”

“You’re doing so well for us, Angel,” Wooyoung’s words are strained, but he manages to shift his gaze upwards to meet your own. The way his voice catches slightly as you slide your hand down to cup his balls, beginning to massage them in the next second, has a smirk pulling at your features. “Fuck- just like that.”

A choked whimper escapes your lips as you feel San pressing his thumb over your clit. The moment he begins circling that little bundle of nerves, you cannot help but clench around his fingers.

Your eyes flutter shut. “So good to me.”

Pleased rumbles shake their chests, their lips finding purchase on your skin. Each male has to feel your pressing against them in every way possible, needing to have you trembling from their touch. Only they can bring you to such ecstasy, in any and every way they know how.

Wooyoung’s mouth is back on your one breast, nipping at the tender flesh before suckling gently on that pert little bud. His one hand comes up to pinch at your opposite nipple, making sure to give each an equal amount of attention. Though, with the way you begin to slide your palm over his hard cock, subtly increasing the pressure all the while, he finds it more and more difficult to concentrate on anything other than you.

Small whines begin to fall from your lips, increasing in pitch and frequency as you feel San slowly beginning to quicken his movements over your clit. The way he adds the slightest bit more pressure against your walls with his fingers has your breath hitching, especially when you feel him massaging that one tender spot inside of you so delicately.

That familiar tightening in your lower abdomen begins to grow, and you cannot prevent the way your eyes flutter shut in bliss. Low mutters of ‘yes’ continually fall from your lips like a mantra, hips continuously grinding back against San’s as you meet his every movement.

“My Kings,” their title is but a whimper as you desperately cry out their names.

“That’s it, My Queen,” San’s voice is but a pleased snarl on his lips, increasing the urgency of his movements against you once more. “Come for me. Come for Your Kings.”

“Don’t hold back, Angel,” Wooyoung pants, and you feel him twitch within your hold as you continue to twist your wrist, your hand working over his cock in tandem. “We’re right here. Let yourself go.”

“San, Wooyoung-“ nothing more than a desperate plea of their names falls from your lips. “Fuck-“

Grabbing the back of Wooyoung’s head, your fingers tangle in his hair. Holding onto him quite firmly, you guide his lips back to your own. Gladly, the younger male swallows all of your sounds, offering you ones of his own as his hips move in time with your every stroke over his throbbing cock.

Not even a second later, his hips stutter. A guttural groan escapes him soon after as he completely stills in your hand.

The press of his forehead against yours is synonymous with the first spurts of his come that you can feel leaking onto your hand. Only, you find you don’t have time to revel in his orgasm, for your own crashes into you in the next moment.

A loud, unabashed moan escapes you as you throw your head back in bliss. Your eyes fall shut, chest heaving as you feel San riding you through your high, his fingers languidly stroking over your inner walls as his thumb gently continues to circle over your clit. The way you can hear pleased snarls escaping him with every breath he takes makes your head spin, whole body spasming in his hold.

“That’s it, Baby,” he nips at the shell of your ear, pressing tender kisses down the skin of your neck. “I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

A pleasant hum escapes you, but it comes out more as a whine than anything as you attempt to catch your breath. The way you can feel yourself clench around San’s fingers once more as he slowly removes them from your cunt has a shiver caressing your spine.

“You did so well for us, Angel,” Wooyoung breathes, his chest rising and falling dramatically as he attempts to calm himself down.

“Because My Kings always take such good care of me,” you hum, settling your free hand over San’s arm still wrapped around your waist as you meet Wooyoung’s gaze from across from you.

Two content rumbles echo through your ears, feeling San press a few more light kisses against the skin of your shoulder.

Slowly, you remove your own hand from beneath Wooyoung’s sweats, feeling the stickiness of his come clinging to the skin of your fingers. Without breaking eye contact with him, you bring your hand up to your lips, tongue darting out to collect some of his release as you languidly drag it along your skin.

Wooyoung’s eyes flash, a low groan escaping him as his gaze locks on the way you are more than happy to taste him on your tongue.

“You’re a temptress, you know that, Angel?” He brings his one hand up to cup the side of your face.

“You’ve already gotten to taste me,” you reply, subtle grin tugging at your lips as you meet his gaze. “It’s only fair that I get to taste My King, too. Is it not?”

“But, of course,” he smirks, leaning forward to rest his forehead against your own once more. “Any and every time you’d like.”

The way his eyes shine has a soft smile gracing your features. Nothing but a content fondness can be seen within your gaze as you absolutely revel in this moment with the both of them.

Your heart swells inside of your chest. Gently, your thumb resting against San’s arm begins to brush tenderly against his skin.

“Sannie, did you-“

“Don’t worry about me, Pretty Baby,” he’s quick to cut you off, nuzzling his face into the nape of your neck in the next second. “I am more than satisfied right now.”

At the slight wetness you can feel seeping into the back of your sweatpants and against your ass, a heat begins to bloom on your cheeks. “Oh.”

“You truly do not know the effect you have on all of us, do you?” Wooyoung chuckles fondly, pecking your lips tenderly before pushing himself off of the bed.

You watch him lovingly as he grabs his discarded shirt only to turn back to you in the next second. Softly, he begins cleaning off of the rest of your hand as you and San both sit up in bed.

“I guess I don’t,” the pull of your lips upwards is slight, eyes fixed on the way he tenderly caresses your hand. “I never thought it was possible for someone to desire me in the ways that you all do.”

“Well, get used to it, Baby,” An affectionate chuckle escapes San’s lips, and he’s quick to wrap both of his arms around your bare torso, chin coming to rest on your one shoulder as he holds you to him. “Because we will never stop wanting you.”

The way you tilt your head to the side in order to rest your own gently against his says it all. Your eyes flutter shut. “I believe you.”

Low hums of contentment rumble within their chests, San turning his head to place a tender kiss against your cheek.

“I love you, Baby,” he whispers, arms tightening ever so slightly around your waist as he nuzzles his face into the side of your neck.

The way you practically melt into his embrace, your hand coming to rest over the skin of his arms yet again says it all.

“I love you, Sannie.” A tender smile graces your features as you hum. Shifting your gaze, you manage to clasp one of Wooyoung’s hands in your own. A moment later, and you’ve intertwined your fingers with his, squeezing gently. “I love you, Wooyoung.”

The way his lips pull upwards is nothing short of radiant. The joyous expression lights up the entire room, his eyes shining with nothing but love for you as he brings your joined hands up to press a delicate kiss onto the back of your skin.

“I love you, My Angel.”

A brief, comfortable silence settles over the three of you as you all bask in each other’s presence this morning. Nothing more needs to be said, nor is it necessary, for the ease of simply being together fills the room. That is, until you’re breaking it once more.

“So,” you drawl out that one word, a mischievous, knowing glint to your eyes, “this isn’t the first time you’ve all been affected by my dreams like this.”

It isn’t a question, but more so a statement of fact.

You feel San nod his head slightly against you while Wooyoung hums lightly in response.

“You know,” a slight grin begins to tug at your features, “you have my permission to wake me up during those times. If you want.”

The way Wooyoung’s eyes flash, an eager glint shining within has a chuckle escaping you.

“You mean…?” San can only hope he doesn’t sound too excited for the moment.

“Yes,” you confirm. “I mean, use your discrepancy, but I am more than happy to be woken up by any one of you touching me when something like this happens.”

Pleased growls greet your ears, and you swear you can hear one also come from just outside in the hallway.

“I’d just rather you all not stick anything inside of me while I’m unconscious, but most of everything else is more than okay with me.” You say, and you watch as Wooyoung grins widely before you, nodding almost a bit too enthusiastically along with your words.

“We’ll keep that in mind, Gorgeous,” he squeezes your hand once more, leaning forward to place a tender kiss onto your forehead. “The feeling is mutual. Even if we don’t necessarily sleep, we are more than content to have you wake us up in whatever pleasant ways you see fit.“

“Same conditions apply.” San adds lowly by your ear. “Now, we should probably start getting ready. We have a meeting to attend to, soon.”

“That we do.” You take a deep breath in, nodding softly as you begin to shift out of San’s hold, much to the male’s discontent.

Moving to the edge of the bed, you pull yourself onto your feet with the help of Wooyoung. Carefully, you raise your arms above your head, stretching out your back as you lean slightly from side to side.

“You’re doing it again, Gorgeous,” Wooyoung’s voice is playful, a quirk to his brow as his gaze is locked on your figure for the time being.

At the way you turn to look at him, and then back at San on the bed, a subtle heat begins to creep onto your cheeks. You blink bashfully at them, dropping your arms back to your sides as a giggle escapes you. “Whoops.”

Grins tug at all of your faces as they both watch you disappear into the bathroom, nothing but love shining in their eyes.

Getting ready for the day doesn’t take you that long. Once you’ve showered and changed into some fresh clothes, you begin to make your way towards the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. Of course, there’s already a fresh bowl of fruit waiting for you curtesy of San as soon as you open the fridge. A fact of which that makes you smile as you grab a fork from the drawer.

Twenty minutes later, and after you’ve cleaned up your dishes, you begin to make your way towards the foyer. It’s about the time you agreed upon to leave, anyways.

Rounding the corner, you see Jongho, Yunho, Mingi, and Seonghwa already standing in the middle of the foyer. A blink, and both Hongjoong and Yeosang appear.

“Ready to go, Darling?” Jongho comes to stand beside you just as both Wooyoung and San finally appear.

You nod. “Let’s go.”

The last thing you see is eight nods in agreement before you feel Jongho’s hand settle on your lower back. A moment later, and the somewhat familiar sight of that ancient forest greets your eyes. The soft patter of dewdrops hitting the leaves far above your head reaches your ears, and you begin to make the trek towards the dragon’s nest with your Eight Kings surrounding you.

The walk is silent, a heavy understanding of the situation settling over all of you as they help you through the foliage. This time, though, when you reach that same fallen log, it’s Seonghwa who helps you over it.

The base of the mountain is just as you remember it, the cliff face jutting out far above your head. However, the mountain seems slightly more ominous than it had been previously. You don’t know whether it’s just due to your nerves for this upcoming meeting, or based upon what had happened to you the last time you had visited the dragon’s nest. From the way you notice Jongho, Seonghwa, and Wooyoung all spare brief glances towards you out of the corner of their eyes, you know that they feel the same.

“Wyno is expecting us.” Hongjoong says, drawing your attention to him for the moment as he steps in beside you.

A simple nod is all that he receives from you in response as he places a gentle hand onto your shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, you’re standing on that cliff face, looking out at the trees spreading out before you. Just as it did the first time, the sight takes your breath away, that look of pure awe painting your features and enrapturing each male as they watch over you carefully.

“All of you came.” A voice from behind you draws your attention.

Turning to face the opening of the cave, you see Wyno standing there in all of her glory. She looks just as ethereal as she did the first time you met her, a bright orange patterned robe wrapping around her figure this time. Her golden eyes shine as she meets your gaze, and she smiles briefly, her pointed teeth on full display. Only, worry pulls at her features in the next second.

Immediately, she crosses the short distance between you, and you hardly have time to react when you feel her hands cupping your cheeks tenderly. The way each male stiffens beside you does not go unnoticed by her.

“You’ve changed.” She breathes, eyes searching your features before briefly darting over your entire figure. A second later, she turns her accusatory gaze towards the males surrounding you. “What happened to My Child?”

The way you see Hongjoong visibly flinch as the others tense around you, shame washing over their features, has you instantly placing a hand onto Wyno’s shoulder.

“Miyeon happened.” Wooyoung growls out, a bitterness to his words.

“Another attack?” Wyno’s eyes narrow, pulling you the slightest bit away from the eight of them as if to push you behind herself.

“She won’t ever be an issue again.” Yunho’s lips pull back over his teeth, whole body tense.

Wyno takes a moment to observe them all carefully. “You were almost too late.”

This time, more than just Hongjoong flinches at her words.

Tenderly, you brush up against all of their minds.

“Please, do not blame them for what has happened, Wyno.” Your gentle voice draws her attention to you, and you notice her gaze soften. “They all saved me in more ways than one.”

Her shoulders relax, if only the slightest bit, as she straightens herself before you. Slowly, she begins to nod, as if in approval.

“You have changed.” She hums, gently pressing a hand onto the small of your back as she leads you towards the cave opening. “You’ve become stronger.”

Her words catch you off guard, blinking a few times in shock. You know that you’ve changed, but you don’t necessarily feel any different. Well, actually, that’s a lie. You do feel different. You feel more sure of yourself. You feel comfortable in your own skin, and you know that despite whatever happens, Your Kings will be with you every step of the way. They will protect you with everything that they are, just as you will now fight to protect them.

You’re in this together. Always. As equals.

“You have suffered, but you have grown from it.” She continues just as she reaches the mouth of the cave. “You truly are fit to be a Queen.”

“Thank you, Wyno.” A warmth blooms on your cheeks, lips tugging upwards bashfully as you avert your gaze. “That truly means a lot to me coming from you."

“I speak nothing but the truth, My Child,” she hums, a fond affection dripping within her gaze as she looks towards you. “Now, come. There are a few who are dying to see you.”

A screech from deep within the cave greets your ears in response, and you hear Wyno sigh. The corner of her lips quirk upwards faintly as she shakes her head in mock exasperation.

A somewhat large, dark blue blur darts from the mouth of the cave.

Instantly, you feel something attempt to tackle you to the ground. Only, you plant your feet this time, expecting the impact.

The dragon now stands about your height on his hind legs, his front arms resting on your shoulders as his wings flare out happily behind him. You can feel his snout rubbing against your jaw, nuzzling your neck affectionately as excited whines escape his throat.

“Xiron!” Your arms are instantly wrapped around that familiar dragon. You giggle. “I’m happy to see you, too!”

Two more screeches are heard from within the cave, a green amphiptere and an albino wyrm slithering out to rest on either side of Wyno. The wyrm physically shakes in excitement, mouth opening and closing in tandem as he screeches happily. The amphiptere, on the other hand, ruffles her wings, tail flicking in eagerness as she sees you hugging Xiron so warmly.

“They’ve all missed you greatly,” Wyno chuckles, crossing her arms slightly over her chest as she looks upon the scene affectionately.

“Well, I’ve missed them, too!” You reply, pulling away to look at the three babies before you. Though, the more you stare, the more you realize just how big they’ve all gotten. “Look at you! You’ve all grown so much!”

Happy roars greet your ears, bordering on screeches from all of them. Though, you fail to see the way eight males seem to begin pouting around you for the moment as your attention shifts to the dragons.

“How’s the wing?” You direct the question to the blue dragon in front of you, and he settles back onto his feet for the time being.

A moment later, and Xiron is more than content to stretch out his previously injured wing out for you to see. The membrane shines in the light of the sun, not a single scar to be seen as he coos proudly in your direction.

You fail to see the way Yeosang’s brow twitches in annoyance from behind you.

“Watch it, young one.” Jongho crosses his arms over his chest, his jaw tense.

The way you tilt your head slightly in curiosity has Wyno chuckling once more.

“He’s offering to take you for a flight on his back.” She says, noticing how both Yerra and Mon start screeching in protest from beside her. “Oh, pardon me. They all would like to take you for a ride at some point.”

The way your lips part, features lighting up with joy says it all.

Despite the grumbling you can hear coming from the males around you, each cannot deny the way that seeing that expression on your face makes their heart race. Warmth begins to flood their veins at seeing you so happy again after the incident with Miyeon. They’re just jealous that they weren’t the ones to be able to do it first.

“I humbly accept,” you reply, hearing the three dragons screech loudly. Both Yerra and Xiron begin hopping around in their spots, Mon beginning to shake once more. “Though, how about we save that for next time. We have a few things to discuss before then.”

The way you can see all three of the young dragons visibly pout has you chuckling fondly at them.

“Hey, it gives me another reason to come back for more visits.” You tell them, watching as they perk up immediately afterwards. “Now, let me get a good look at all of you.”

Xiron begins hopping around you excitedly, as your gaze roams over both Yerra and Mon. You notice how both of them stand a little straighter, chests puffing out as you look at them.

“My goodness, you’ve all really grown, haven’t you?” Your eyes shine with nothing but awe as you step towards the other two babies. “Can’t quite sit on my shoulder anymore, can you?”

A whine escapes Mon in response.

“I don’t think that would be such a good idea,” Seonghwa grumbles, lips tugging downwards as he looks towards the albino wyrm.

“I’m assuming he just said he could still try?” You quirk a brow, and at the soft way Wyno nods, you smile. “It’s okay, Mon. I may not be able to hold you like a human baby anymore, but I can still hug you.”

The wyrm positively wiggles at your words, immediately rushing over to you and tackling you to the ground. The way he tenderly rubs his cheeks all over your neck, cooing all the while has laughter escaping you in tandem. Tenderly, your hands brush over the skin on his back, Mon more than happy to lay half on top of your body seeing as he’s now slightly bigger than you are in stature.

“Were they like this the first time, too?” Yunho leans in towards Jongho, keeping his voice low.

“Like you wouldn’t believe,” Wooyoung sighs, answering for his brother as he crosses his arms over his chest and looks towards the ground.

“You never let us do that,” Mingi pouts, mirroring Wooyoung’s stance as he watches Mon continue to affectionately rub against you.

“Well, you are not a little baby dragon, Min.” You hum, finally being able to sit up as Mon slides off of you for the moment. “Though, I suppose you’re not a baby anymore, are you, Mon?”

A pleasant rumble escapes him, and you chuckle.

“Alright, Little Man,” you tenderly rub his head as you stand back to your feet. “Let me see Yerra, too.”

The female amphiptere straightens slightly in her spot as you walk over to her, her green scales shining vibrantly in the sunlight. Her tail continues to flick happily behind her, pupils dilating as you approach.

Out of the three of them, she’s grown the most. She’s certainly the biggest out of all of them, and that fact makes you smile.

“What a beautiful young lady!” You comment, and you can just tell that Yerra is beaming at you as her eyes crinkle at the sides, her forked tongue darting out to scent the air. “Would you like a hug as well, Yerra?”

The dragon positively screeches, already moving to wrap her tail around you and draw you into her body.

The moment your arms are around her, her wings encompass you. The way the light filters through the soft membrane, casting light green hues over you has your eyes shining in awe once more.

A moment later, and she unwraps both her wings and her tail from around you.

You step back, smiling wildly at the amphiptere before you. You just know from the way she is looking back at you, that she wears a similar expression.

“The moment they heard you were coming for a visit, they could hardly contain their excitement.” Wyno hums, looking over the three young dragons as they begin play fighting with one another just outside of the cave mouth. “Though, I don’t think you’ll be getting your jacket back anytime soon.”

Your brow furrows. “My jacket?”

“Yes,” she confirms, motioning for you all to follow her inside of the cave with her head. “It was left behind that last time you came for a visit.”

Realization flashes across your features as you nod slowly. “I see.”

“Mon has taken the liberty to add it to his collection,” Wyno replies casually. “Hence why I don’t think you’ll be getting it back. He nearly devours anyone who gets close to it; it’s his favourite treasure.”

“Is it, now?” Your brow quirks in amusement as you hear eight displeased growls sound from behind you. “Well, he can keep it for as long as he likes.”

“I’ll let him know,” Wyno’s eyes shine with amusement as she turns to see eight tense kings standing around you. “He also wanted me to gift you something. Wait here.”

A blink and Wyno has disappeared around one of the corners of the cave wall. Not even a moment later, and she’s returning holding a rather bulky cloth.

“Just be careful when you unwrap it,” Wyno says, gently placing the cloth in your hands.

Slowly, and with meticulous caution, you begin to unwrap the bundle.

The moment you see what resides within, your lips part, a small gasp escaping you. There, resting within the confines of the cloth, are Mon’s baby teeth. They stand stark white against the dark green of the fabric, sharp and deadly as you stare down at them in awe.

“To receive a gift of any sort from a dragon is a high honour, only awarded to those who have long since proved themselves worthy. To receive a part of the dragon themselves, even more so.” Wyno says, a smile on her face as her gaze darts just behind you for the moment.

Turning your head, you see Mon seemingly standing nervously to the side.

You smile, wrapping the teeth carefully back up within the cloth as you hold it to your chest. A second later, and you’ve stepped before the wyrm, a tender look in your eyes as you reach out to stroke a hand lovingly over his head. Gently, you lean down and place a kiss against his skin.

“Thank you, Mon,” you continue to softly stroke your hand over his head. “I will cherish this gift until the end of time.”

The wyrm coos softly at you, affectionately rubbing his cheek against your hand in the next moment.

“When were you going to tell us that he imprinted, Wyno?” Mingi is the one that poses the question, turning to look at the aforementioned woman with an expression of irritation on his face. A look that is somewhat mirrored by all of his brothers.

“He’s not the only dragon to have imprinted on her. Xiron plans to gift her his scales once he starts shedding them instead of moulting.” Wyno meets his gaze, golden eyes flashing beneath the torch light. “Additionally, I would not have approved such a gift had she not already received our blessing.”

“Received your blessing?” Hongjoong quirks a brow, arms crossed over his chest.

“Yes.” Wyno grins, a knowing look pulling at her features as she looks over all of them before turning to you. “Your Queen is the first in a very long time to become Dragon Blessed.”

All eight of them inhale sharply, turning to look at you almost immediately.

Your curious gaze shifts from one male to the next as you clutch that bundle close to your chest. “What? What does that mean?”

“It means, My Child,” Wyno smiles softly at you, “you are one of us now. Whenever you should need us, all you have to do is think of us in your time of need, and we will be summoned to your side in seconds. You have received the highest honour we can bestow someone, even without their knowledge.”

You blink back tears, throat tightening with your emotions as nothing but pure gratitude and awe floods your veins. “I don’t understand.”

“You protected us like we were your own, without pause or hesitation.” Wyno closes the short distance between the two of you in order to rest her forehead against yours. Softly, your entire visage begins to glow as you stare deeply into her eyes, your heart pounding erratically in your chest. “You thought little of helping us despite the risk to your own life, which is more than even some dragons can say within this clan. You will forever have our alliance, and our friendship in repayment of this debt. You have honoured us, so now let us honour you.”

Your breath hitches as you see her step away from you. The way you see her golden eyes shining as she smiles sets your whole body glowing, a mark in the ancient language appearing over your brow where her forehead had just been pressing against your own. A symbol which annotates the bonds between you now. A symbol representing Wyno and every dragon that has come before, and that will subsequently come after her.

“Thank you,” your eyes shine with your unshed tears as an indescribable sense of happiness and gratitude floods your veins. The euphoric feeling warms your heart, sending pleasant tingles throughout your body and all the way to the tips of your fingers.

“You have more than earned this, My Child,” Wyno smiles softly. “It is well deserved.”

“Not even any of us are Dragon Blessed, Dearest,” Yeosang comments, coming to stand beside you in order to wrap his arm around your waist.

“Oh, really?” You quirk a brow, a certain pride filling your chest at this.

“I mean, I almost got my head bit off a few times. So, that has to count for something, right?” San grins as your mouth falls open.

“I was right!” You point at him, then back to Wyno.

“Like I’ve said before,” she chuckles. “Perceptive.”

“Wait, you told her already?” San pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I mentioned it,” Wyno shrugs.

“She didn’t let on to who it was, but I had my theories,” you grin widely, shoulders shaking lightly in laughter.

“Hang on, can we just backtrack to the fact that the children have imprinted on Our Beloved.” Mingi comments, blinking a few times as they all turn to look towards Wyno once more.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of the babies,” your voice holds a teasing lilt to it as you quirk a brow.

“We’re not jealous,” Seonghwa is quick to retort, lips tugging downwards as a frown pulls at his features.

“You know there are more than just the one kind of imprint that we can make, correct?” Amusement dances within Wyno’s golden gaze as she looks over all eight of them. “They’re young. It might be more than just innocent for now, but they’re all harmless.”

“Never thought I’d see the day you’re all jealous over some young dragons,” you chuckle, looping your free arm around Yeosang’s waist as you continue clutching that bundle to your chest.

At the way Hongjoong, San, and Wooyoung all quirk their brows in your direction, you’re quick to quirk yours back. You chuckle, shaking your head lightly.

“You all want me to get jealous over you so bad.” Again, there’s a teasing lilt to your voice as the corner of your lips twitch upwards.

“Can you blame us, Petal?” Yunho grins right along with you.

You tilt your head in acknowledgement, a soft hum escaping you in the next moment.

“Ah,” Wyno seemingly nods in understanding. “They told you of our previous sexual relations, then.”

“Yes,” you turn to meet her gaze. “They did. In a way.”

“In hopes to make you jealous?” Her brow furrows slightly, not quite understanding the situation. “From your reactions based upon our first meeting, I would imagine you would become more jealous of the fact that they have gotten to experience me and you have not.”

Your cheeks flare with heat as you nod quite pointedly. “Exactly!”

Eight low growls sound around you.

“The invitation is open, Blessed.” Wyno nods in your direction once, a certain mirth dancing within her eyes as she says this with a straight face.

A teasing, sultry grin pulls at your features as your eyebrow quirks. The corner of your mouth twitches upwards. “Name the time and place.”

“Whenever and wherever you desire, Blessed,” Wyno continues the teasing, watching as the males stiffen around you.

Turning to the eight males around you, you jokingly laugh out a, “come back in five hours?”

Only, the males do not seem to pick up on it, for warning snarls are escaping them in the next second. Even Yeosang’s grip around your waist tightens, pulling you closer into his side.

A boisterous laugh escapes you, and even Wyno cannot prevent the mirth from pulling at her features as you now watch all eight of them look on at you in confusion.

“My Kings, you know I would never cheat on you.” Despite the laughter clinging to the edges of your voice, your tone is firm. “I thought I told you that it was one of the three worst things I believe someone could do to another.”

“You cannot blame us, Starlight,” Mingi grumbles, a pout tugging at his features.

“Especially not after you’ve expressed wanting to experience a dragon, Darling.” Jongho adds, smiling tersely.

“I also want to hug a bear, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go out and do it.” You chuckle, noticing how some of them, like Hongjoong, Yunho, and Yeosang, all look towards you with amusement in their eyes.

“Hug a bear?” San inquires.

You hum, turning back to face Wyno for the moment. Briefly, you open up your void to two males in particular: one with a pure white string, and one with a deep maroon string. No, I have you for that.

Both Wooyoung and Jongho share a look between each other out of the corner of their eyes, pleasant snarls threatening to escape them at any moment.

“Oh, I wonder if there are any krakens around,” you voice, somewhat absentmindedly.

“Believe me, My Child, you do not want to get involved with one of those.” Wyno grimaces, shaking her head slightly.

Your eyes widen as you shoot her a look. “Okay, we need to plan a girl’s night. I want to know all about your adventures with that kraken.”

“There was definitely more than one,” she nods, a sly grin pulling at her lips.

“Oh, now I’m definitely curious,” you grin right back, excitement clear on your features.

“Alas, those are stories for another time indeed.” Wyno sighs, somewhat wistfully. “You said you had urgent matters you wished to speak with me about?”

Immediately, your entire demeanour is shifting, expression morphing into one of seriousness.

“We do.” You nod firmly. “Thank you again for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice.”

“For you, My Child?” She hums. “Always.”

“We have some questions for you, Wyno,” Hongjoong steps forward, an air of regality washing over all of them as you watch all Eight Kings straighten. “We’re hoping you may be able to provide some more light onto Miyeon’s plans for us.”

“If you’re also here to ask me to align myself with you in the upcoming battles, you’re sadly wasting your breath,” her eyes flash. “I have already told you I will not send more of my own to die recklessly in abandon.”

“Not at all, Wyno.” You shake your head, taking a step forward in order to grasp her hand gently in your own. “We understand and respect your decision. I would not expect that of you, regardless.”

“I do not want to join in this fight, but if you should desire our aid, we will assist you.” She meets your gaze.

You squeeze your hand. “I would not do that to you. I am not selfish enough to go against your wishes and force you to fight on our side.”

Wyno nods, seemingly to herself.

“I was right.” She comments, squeezing your hand softly in her grasp. “You are an excellent Queen.”

Your heart positively flutters at her words, and you don’t even have to look to see the way all eight males straighten with pride at her words. They’ve always known such a decision is true, but to hear others confirm it, especially one as ancient and powerful as Wyno only solidifies that fact.

“Ask away.” She nods, stepping away from you for the moment and releasing her hold on your one hand.

Again, from the way the males all remain silent, you know that they are allowing you to take the lead. You’ve already discussed some of what you want to talk to Wyno about with them. You’re just glad that you have them to support you every step of the way.

“When Miyeon came to proposition you with Dimitri,” you begin, watching her every reaction carefully, “what was it she promised you, should you join her?”

Wyno takes a moment to consider your words, shooting a pointed look towards Yunho out of the corner of her eyes.

“I have no reason to lie to you, but if it eases your own minds, then you may continue monitoring my own while I answer.” She states, noticing how you shoot a pointed look towards the tall male out of the corner of your eyes. “That one boasted of obtaining great power, and once she had tumbled your regime, she would grant new territories to all those that served under her.”

Understanding immediately flashes across Wooyoung’s face. “At least we know how she won the sirens over. They’ve always wanted to expand their territories above land.”

At the way your brow furrows slightly, Seonghwa is quick to add, “Sirens are ambitious creatures. To a fault. They do not survive well on land, but they can step foot on it for a period of time before they have to return to the water. We’ve always denied their territory expansions because of it.”

“That, and the fact that they want to subdue the gorgons.” Mingi grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

You nod your understanding.

“That one was very careful with her words.” Wyno continues. “She never said she would expand our territories, only grant new ones to her supposed allies. Even if her aura alone didn’t reek of distrust and manipulation, her words did.”

“She’s misleading all of her allies with false promises,” Hongjoong observes, bringing a hand up to cup his chin as he thinks over Wyno’s words. A second later, he lifts his head, meeting your gaze. “It’s just as you thought, My Love.”

“She would have stopped at nothing to get what she wanted, and she wanted it all.” You say, frown tugging at your features. “Dimitri and Malik are just pawns in her game to ensure she gets what she wants. If she cannot claim everything for herself, no one can.”

“She will destroy us all.” Wyno agrees solemnly.

“So, the only thing she essentially promised you was more power,” San observes, leaning casually against the one wall of the cave.

“If that’s everything she’s ever wanted, then everyone else must want it, too.” Jongho adds. “In her eyes, she probably thought everyone was after the same things as her, so she had to guarantee that she would be the one coming out on top.”

“What better way to topple a regime than with a man on the inside?” You voice, mind briefly supplying you with a glimpse of that ex-general that one night in the desert. “When that didn’t work, she had to regroup and replan.”

“Only took her twenty years,” Seonghwa grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Better late, than never.” Yeosang exhales a sharp huff from his nose.

“She seemed so confident in herself.” Wyno goes on to say, brow furrowing as she recalls her memories from that day. “Which is why I believe she was so sure in her threats that I would regret turning her down. She seemed so certain I harboured some underlying resentment towards you, just as she did.”

“She was delusional in thinking everyone thought and felt the same as her,” Yunho growls, hands clenched in fists at his sides.

Carefully, you step over to him, placing a reassuring hand onto his arm.

Immediately, he relaxes, shoulders drooping as he leans slightly into your touch.

“Alright, well, that confirms one of my theories,” you nod softly. “She wanted everything she could get, and she would use any means necessary to claim it.”

“It’s sad that she’s had to manipulate those on her side in order for them to ally with her.” Wooyoung shakes his head, looking down at the ground for a brief moment.

“It really is,” you hum, sinking into Yunho’s side as he comes to wrap an arm around your waist.

“You have more theories?” Wyno shifts her focus towards you once more.

“I have only one other,” your brow furrows slightly. “It’s in regards to Dimitri.”

“What about the warlock?” Wyno tilts her head slightly in inquiry.

“I understand this is a somewhat odd question, but when you first described him, you said his aura was dark, and intentions darker.” You meet her gaze. “Is it possible to warp, or even taint someone’s aura like that?”

Wyno visibly blinks at you, clearly caught off guard by your inquiry.

“It is,” she says, carefully considering your words. “However, it takes someone tremendously skilled to manipulate someone’s visage like that, or the person will have had to undergo a tremendous loss which alters someone’s consciousness completely.”

A cold sense of dread settles over all of you right then and there.

“She killed his wife and children right in front of his very eyes,” you voice lowly.

Wyno inhales sharply.

“Yes.” She swallows thickly. “That would do it.”

“The aura,” you continue, “was it directed at anyone in particular?”

Again, the dragon before you takes a moment to consider your words.

“They were bonded, but perhaps not in the way I originally thought.” She replies. “Before she wormed her way in,” you tense slightly at her use of words, feeling as Yunho gently brushes against your mind reassuringly, “he could have launched a personal vendetta against her to cause such a bond, affecting the aura shift.”

“I see,” you nod, leaning your head against Yunho for support as your eyes fall closed. “I only have one more question for you, Wyno.”

“What is it, My Child?” Her tone is softer than a moment before, noticing the way you rest in Yunho’s arms for support.

“Did Dimitri-“ you take a breath to steady your nerves, “his eyes. Did he look sad to you?”

A pause.

“Yes.” Wyno responds, her voice cutting through the sudden tense silence around you all. “He did.”

You nod in understanding, heaving a deep breath in through your nose.

“Dimitri is but a mere puppet that she’s using in these games of hers.” You voice lowly. “He’s long since been trapped inside his own mind.”

Each male tenses around you, shooting you worried looks out of the corners of their eyes. They all know that you know exactly what it feels like to be trapped within your own mind, and it pains them to see you thinking about it now. The way they can see those memories swimming within your orbs has them all tenderly brushing against your void now.

Yunho pulls you closer.

A blink, and you manage to clear your thoughts enough to meet Wyno’s gaze once more.

“Thank you, Wyno, for everything today.” You say, bowing your head in acknowledgement to her. “I appreciate everything you’ve done, and explained to us.”

“You are more than welcome, My Child.” She smiles softly, beginning to lead you all back towards the entrance of the cave. “Come and visit us at any time.”

You mirror her smile, though yours doesn’t quite reach your eyes for the moment.

Waving a final goodbye to the dragons, you find yourself leaning against Yunho for more support. Your mind swirls with the new information that you’ve learned today, and when you blink, you see the familiar sight of the foyer greet your vision. You barely register placing the bundle with Mon’s teeth down before you’re collapsing into one of the front couches.

“I was hoping that at least that theory was wrong,” you say, leaning forward to rest your elbows on your knees while clutching your head in your hands.

“Hey, hey,” Jongho’s voice is gentle as he kneels in front of you, lightly tugging your hands away from your face as he notices Yunho immediately sit on the couch beside you. “At least we have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”

“Do you think he’s conscious of what he’s doing?” You voice, nothing but dread shining behind your eyes as you look around at all of them.

The eight males share a brief look.

“I doubt that he is,” Yunho rubs a hand over your back tenderly, feeling you relax the slightest bit beneath his touch. “Her hold over him might still be too strong.”

“Then, is killing him truly our best option?” You lift your head slightly, feeling the opposite side of the couch dip as Hongjoong sits beside you.

“Unfortunately, it might be,” he gently rests his hand on your shoulder. “It’s a difficult choice, but it is one that has to be made.”

“I don’t want to give up on him,” you admit. “He’s in this mess in the first place because of me. This is all my fault.”

“Dearest,” Yeosang takes a step closer to you, kneeling beside Jongho as he takes one of your hands in his own. “You know that’s not true.”

“Isn’t it, though?” For the second time that day, tears begin to line your vision. Only, this time, they’re not from joy.

“No,” Mingi shakes his head. “It’s not.”

“You tell us constantly not to dwell or blame ourselves for things that are out of our control,” Seonghwa takes a step towards you, voice soft as you meet his gaze. “Please, My Divine, extend that same curtesy to yourself.”

A moment of silence settles over you as you consider his words. Then, softly, you nod.

“Whatever happens, we’ll get through this.” San’s voice is firm, nothing but the sincerest of promises falling from his lips.

“Together.” Wooyoung nods once, meeting your gaze with his own shining in determination.

You take a deep breath to steady your nerves, nodding once in confirmation. “Together.”

533 notes · View notes

wangxianficfinder · 6 months

Text

In the mood for...

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1. Thank you fabulous mods for all you do! Itmf wangxian fics where Wei Ying recovers from starvation or struggles with eating.

💖 the absence of hunger by parsnipit (M, 27k, wangxian, angst w/ happy ending, eating disorder, PTSD, food as a metaphor for love)

a kind of emptiness by ScarlettStorm (E, 11k, wangxian, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Eating Disorders, Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, featuring WWX's fucked-up relationship with food, and his own body, Eating Disorder Recovery, tricking your brain into better habits, bad choices, followed by good choices, low angst, Happy Ending, Tender smut, Frottage, Praise Kink, Additional Warnings In Author's Note)

The Second Hand Unwinds by trulywicked (E, 20k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, Time Travel Fix-It, not JC friendly, not Yúnmèng Jiāng Sect friendly, not Jiāng Family friendly, not YZY friendly, Time Travelling LWJ, Protective LWJ, Fluff, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, JGS is his own warning, Wooing, LWJ is romantic af, Inventor WWX, Genius WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Protective Gūsū Lán Sect, Supportive LXC, Good Uncle LQR, WIP) It's only 3 chapters in & idk where the author plans to take it, but there's discussion of WWX being starved in the past & he is put on a special diet to make up for that

my eyes got used to the darkness by curiositykilled (M, 4k, JC & WWX, JC & WWX & JYL, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Body Horror, Implied Cannibalism, Dehumanization, Sunshot Campaign, YLLZ WWX, Demonic Cultivation, PTSD, Suicidal Thoughts, Ghosts, Disordered Eating, Referenced Animal Abuse)

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2. hi, thanks to the mods and everyone for all the recs! i have a few requests for itmf if i may 🙏🏽

a) could people recommend their fave non-english fics (ao3 or not)? i know mtl isnt that great but i'm hoping it's passable enough to enjoy fics that I've missed (peferably wx/gen but anything's good!)

b) yiling sibs feels? or bm family? even if it's not the focus of the fic! canon or modern (truth will out is one such brilliant example)

c) i saw a fun post that the juniors (or jl and lsz) each experienced canon as a different genre of YA protag. are there similar fics, of like, canon retelling/divergence but as the junior in question Goes Through It? (full quartet is great too of course!) @danmeiireader

2A)

【羡忘】落花时节又逢君 by Faywangper (E, 245k, wangxian, ABO, Alpha WWX, Omega LWJ) My favourite non-English fic is a very long and delicious AU written in Chinese

2B)

so you’ve been robbed by a museum by yukla (M, 5k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Modern AU, Mutual Pining, yearning tm, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, immortal cultivators in a modern world, JC is a good brother, WWX has a couple self-worth issues)

Lynchpin by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 103k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Time Travel, Fix-It, Lynchpin [PODFIC] by Opalsong, [PODFIC] Lynchpin by Gwogobo)

And Time Is But a Paper Moon by sami (M, 139k, WangXian, XiChengQing, Time Travel, Fix-It, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Healing, Mental Health Issues, PTSD, Hurt/Comfort, Depression, BAMF WWX, BAMF JC, BAMF LWJ, BAMF JYL, Getting Together)

2C)

❤️ kick at the darkness ‘til it bleeds daylight by AlfAlfAlfAlfAlf, tardigradeschool (T, 75k, WangXian, Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Eventual Happy Ending, Getting Together, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Inspired by The Parent Trap (1998), Kid Fic, teen shenanigans, two a-yuans, Fluff and Angst)

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3. Are there any fics where Madam Lan's death actually pushes LWJ into being a (secret?) rebel instead of a perfect disciple?? I think I read an SBWY fic (I think it was Pancho's privated fic that someone looked for a few fic finders back) with something vaguely similar, but I would love to read if someone explored that idea! Thank you!

Following the Rules by BegrudginglyTumbling (SarcasticSmiler) (T, 2k, wangxian, gusu lan rules, fluff & humor, LWJ being a little shit) Not quite what the request asked for because it doesn't really delve into the why, but this has LWJ rebelling via malicious compliance

Awaiting Your Return by Karmiya (E, 114k, wangxian, burial mounds settlement days, found family, opposite of slow burn, WIP) has Lan Wanji basically acting as a rogue cultivator only rarely returning to the cloud recesses, though that is a relatively small part of the fic

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4. Hello!!! I'm looking for some wangxian (a)stripper aus, and (b) prostitution aus

All Old Things are New Again by The Feels Whale (miscellea) (M, 51k, WangXian, XuanLi, ChengQing, Reincarnation, Modern AU, canon still happened, extreme post canon, Sugar Daddy, Kink Negotiation, gentle dom!LWJ, canonical levels of consent play, Modern Cultivators) though not quite either A or B, All Old Things Are New Again has Camboy!WWX

4A)

Wuji Club Remix by babybeets (E, 30k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, fancy rich prep school flash back, Library Sex, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Deepthroating, Aftercare, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Getting Together, Friendship, lan zhan FUCKS, Dancer LWJ, Addled WWX, WWX & WQ Friendship)

please forgive my most passionate disruptions by pumpkinpaix (E, 65k, WangXian, Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Strippers & Strip Clubs, Modern AU, Modern with Magic, Modern: Still Have Powers, stripper!WWX, Graduate School)

little bun by eightroses (E, 6k, WangXian, Modern AU, Stripper AU, PWP, bunny tail plug, Dirty Talk, Lingerie, Double Penetration, Trans WWX, Sex Work, First Time, Confessions, Trans Male Character)

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5. Hiiii!!!

I'm on the mood for a fic where Lz has his hair cut when he's punished with the discipline whip.

All Exits Look The Same by Ahlai (T, 14k, LSZ & LWJ, LXC & LWJ, Madam Lan & LWJ, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Madam Lán Lives, Family Feels, Healing, Grief/Mourning) They cut his hair when he leaves the sect in this one

my life’s journey is far from over by thelastdboy (E, 148k, wangxian, Modern Cultivation, Canon Divergence, Madam Lán Lives, JYL Lives, WQ Lives, Post-Sunshot Campaign, POV WWX, Slow Burn, YLLZ WWX, Recovery, Hurt/Comfort, Healing Is a Slow Process, therapy is good actually, All women deserve better, mlm/wlw solidarity, the mortifying ordeal of discovering you're into bdsm while you're caught up in political intrigue, Kink Negotiation, Kink Exploration, Not Everyone Dies au, WWX Lives, Mental Health Issues, References to Depression, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Burial Mounds Ensemble as Family, Single Parent WWX, Selectively Mute LWJ, Eventual Smut, Light Dom/sub, Happy Ending)

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6. hi, do you know of any royalty wangxian AUs where wwx is the royal instead of lwj? ty!

travelers through the empty gate by stiltonbasket (M, 99k, WIP, WangXian, Royalty, Emperor WWX, Mistaken Identity, Poor LWJ, Bookshop owner LWJ, Intrigue, Court Drama, Forced Marriage, Confused WWX, POV Alternating, Parenthood, Misunderstandings, Empress LWJ, Requited Unrequited Love, Fluff, Humor, Married Life, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Silver & Silk Series by farawayanddreaming (M/E, 55k, WangXian, Established Relationship, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, Implied/Referenced Sex, Light Bondage, Devotion, No Plot/Plotless, vibes only, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX)

Conquering the Emperor by catbrainedschemes (E, 21k, WangXian, Historical, Imperial China, Emperor!WWX, General!LWJ, Mutual Pining, Idiots in Love, Historically Inaccurate, Misunderstandings, Fluff, Eventual Smut, Light Angst, Slow Burn, Happy Ending)

Son of Heaven and Frost General Series by Aki_no_hikari (M/T, 7k, WangXian, Royalty, Historical, Emperor/General, Fade to Black, Romance)

The Last Concubine by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 13k, WangXian, Royalty AU, Emperor WWX, Concubine LWJ, LWJ Whump, Forced Marriage, Starvation, Non-physical spousal abuse, Fluff and Angst, Doing the Wrong Thing for the Right Reasons, Happy Ending, WWX Takes Care of LWJ)

The Most Important Man in the Empire by Marayanna (G, 14k, wangxian, Royalty, Emperor WWX, Secretary/head of state LWJ, overworked WWX, Supportive LWJ, POV WWX, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, competent LWJ, Happy Ending, Inspired by the book The Hands of the Emperor, But you don't need to know it to read the fic, Competent WWX, LWJ Takes Care of WWX, As much as he is politically able to, Is 'working together to make the world a better place' considered flirting, it should be)

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7. hello, how are you. For the next itmf

(a). Fics where lan wanji is incredibly inlove with wei ying. Whether is Canon or Au but he is just showering wei ying with love

(b). Fics where wangxian are the shameless couple. People will be finding them kissing in the corner or they are keeping cloud recess awake with their noice. It can also be canon or an Au.

(c). I would also like bamf weiying.

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 712k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement) kind of answers all three requests

7A)

Snow by kuro (M, 38k, wangxian, Modern, Snow, Sick Character, Caretaking, Fluff, Sugar Daddy, only they're like… bad at it, Angst, Rabbits, Food, Sexy Times, occasionally)

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 70 k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, POV LWJ, POV JC, Dark LWJ, Manipulation, Grooming, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Except problematic please read warning in first chapter, Blood and Violence, Insane LWJ, Manic LWJ, Conditioning, WWX is a Lán, Minor Character Death, Confused JC, Golden Core Reveal, Good Friend NHS, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiāngs, Abusive Jiāng Family, Jiāng Family Bashing, Jiāng Family Critical, POV NHS, Dark NHS, Anal Sex, Marathon Sex, Dual Cultivation, Qīnghéng-jūn Lives, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Self-Lubricates, Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Scheming NHS, Manipulative NHS, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WWX) (also fits 7C) i think they'll enjoy A Matter of Time but heed tags and warnings

7B)

Wangxian’s Time-Travelling Shenanigansseries by pupeez4eva (M, 18k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, Humor, Love Confessions, PDA, Wangxian being their shameless selves, Nothing will ruin WWX’s confession, Not even dozens of very confused disciples, or confused family members because LQR and JC are not amused, time travel at the most inconvenient moment, Everyone is just very confused, Wangxian elope with no explanation and leave everyone else to deal with the aftermath, LXC is a very good big brother, JC is probably going to end up killing WWX, Canon Divergence, Featuring: many horrified bystanders, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, AU of Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, The many moments that Wangxian could have travelled to, POV Outsider) Features WWX & LWJ being shameless throughout & part 3 of the series has them keeping CR awake with their noise

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8. Hi friends!! do you know of any fic where Lan Wangji moves into the burial mounds right after Wei Wuxian takes the Wens there? I’m not sure what to even search on ao3 for it but I would owe you my life if you knew any! @spectrelle

wide enough and wild by impossibletruths (E, 64k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Canonical Accidental Baby Acquisition, Families of Choice, References to Depression, Happy Ending, I Swear To God I’m Giving Them A Happy Ending, Overzealous Use Of Imagery, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Well Except WN But He Was Already Dead So, Fix-It of Sorts) WWX doesn't stay in the Burial Mounds in this, but LWJ joins him anyway, so idk if this counts?

A Narrow Bridge by FrameofMind, Jo Lasalle (Jo_Lasalle) (E, 700k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, Slow Burn, Getting Together, First Time, Pining while fucking, Burial Mounds Settlement Days, Angst with a Happy Ending, CQL Verse, almost everybody lives/almost nobody dies, epistolary-ish, canon-ish side pairings, radishes)

Home and the Heartland by Witch_Nova221 (T, 210k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, Burial Mounds, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Slow Romance, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Fix-It, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Self-Discovery, Golden Core Reveal, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon Divergence, the burial mounds aren't always a happy place, but wangxian do their best)

no one ever said the single-plank bridge had to be walked alone by roserocksrapidly (T, 174k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Yílíng Wèi Sect, Fix-It, Not Everyone Dies au, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, Fluff, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Found Family, Slow Burn, LWJ and WWX get to be Dads together, the healing power of homoerotic flute/guqin duets, Happy Ending)

Also re: 8 - Requester might be interested in the tag Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī Stays at the Burial Mounds

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9. I've got another itmf request. Does anyone know of fics where nhs gets angry or criticizes nmj/the nie sect for their part in what happens to wwx? Or ones where nhs shows that he's protective of wwx to the nie sect/cultivation world whether that's covertly or overtly. Thanks all!

and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Yúnmèng Siblings, Sound of Music AU, (i know!!! i know. stay with me on this.), Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Sometimes You Just Want Your Dads To Admit They’re Your Dads, Angst with a Happy Ending)

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 70 k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, POV LWJ, POV JC, Dark LWJ, Manipulation, Grooming, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Consensual Underage Sex, Except problematic please read warning in first chapter, Blood and Violence, Insane LWJ, Manic LWJ, Conditioning, WWX is a Lán, Minor Character Death, Confused JC, Golden Core Reveal, Good Friend NHS, WWX Isn’t Adopted by the Jiāngs, Abusive Jiāng Family, Jiāng Family Bashing, Jiāng Family Critical, POV NHS, Dark NHS, Anal Sex, Marathon Sex, Dual Cultivation, Qīnghéng-jūn Lives, LWJ Has a Big Dick, WWX Self-Lubricates, Plot Twists, Porn With Plot, Scheming NHS, Manipulative NHS, BAMF LWJ, BAMF WWX) (link in #7A) i think they'll enjoy A Matter of Time but heed tags and warnings

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10. Can you find me a fanfic where wei wuxian doesn’t die, instead he goes into a mountain and takes orphans in to take care of them and one day lan wangji stumbles upon his mountain. Kind of like baoshan sanren except there is no immortal thing, but it’s ok if there is ofc. Also it should have a good amount of wangxian with a happy ending

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11. Hii , are there fics where wei ying becomes the wen sect leader , if so can you please recommend some? 🙏 @karinasnowwwx

assuming this is for the Wen remnants, the user might want to try the Yiling Wei sect tag

uncertain if this is asking for wen zongzhu wwx or yiling wei fic so one of each!

To the Heavens and the Earth by IsilmeLasgalen (E, 77k, WangXian, NingSang, XuanLi, MingXu, ChengYu, WWX is a Wen, POV LWJ, Good Parent LWJ, Marriage of convenience, Accidental Marriage, Implied Mpreg, Time Travel, Canon Divergence, WWX isn't adopted by the Jiang's, CSSR and WCZ Live, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ, Cultivation Sect Politics, Bottom LWJ, Top WWX, POV NHS, Protective LJY, Good Person WRH, Protective LXC, Immortal LWJ and WWX, POV LXC, Mpreg, WangXian in Love, Soft WangXian, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, POV JZX, Emperor WWX, Emperor LWJ, Past WWX/Other(s), Everybody Lives, Fluff, Angst, Smut, LWJ is LJY's Parent) wen sect leader wwx

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12. Is there a Pacific rim AU for wangxian? I would love to read one. Trying to quit smoking, need a good distraction.

Lightning’s Call, Abyss’ Song by DiamondCrystalInk (T, 37k, WangXian, Pacific Rim Fusion, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, but i guess, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drift Compatibility, but also..., Soulmates, Sword fights but romantic)

The Weight of the World by KouriArashi (T, 67k, WangXian, XiYao, XuanLi, Pacific Rim Fusion, Robots, Monsters, robots fighting monsters, Family, Romance, Developing Relationship, Angst, (but not about the romances), Hurt/Comfort, Politics, Happy Ending)

or for a whole list, including ones I have not read

The 'whole list' link under 12 does not work. The asker might use the shiptag and then use 'Pacific Rim' in the 'Search within Results' box to get that list.

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13. Hi, thank you for all your hardwork!!

I come here for "I'm in the mood for", I would like a any good fic with some bickering between Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng like 'Brothers in law', even if it is the main thing of the fic or just a passing scene. Don't have any preferences if it is canon or not.

Thank you once again. @anime-trash-parody

Time Kept Flowing by notoneforreality (T, 201k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Grief/Mourning, major character death is wwx, who comes back, Family, Autistic LWJ, Kid Fic, JC and LWJ raise the kids, Co-parenting is hard, Emotional Hurt/Comfort)

none lives forever, brother, and nothing lasts for long by eena (M, 38k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, LSZ raised at Lotus Pier, JC found him first, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Dynamics, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation)

whatever comes of you and me (I’d love to leave my memory with you) by sami (E, 12k, XiCheng, WangXian, references to past emotional manipulation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Recovery, Family, Brotherhood, Correcting for Poor Interfamily Communication, JFM’s A+ parenting, Not MY Friendly, Not JFM Friendly, Modern AU, Angst with a Happy Ending)

A Bell That Tells Us to Rise and Fight by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee (T, 120k, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, SL/XXC, Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Everyone Lives au, Everyone Needs A Hug, Women Being Awesome, WQ is a goddess, content warning for JGS, content warning for XY, content warning for JGY, WWX's terrible awful brilliant plans, Yunmeng Bros, JYL is an angel, BAMF Women, I take it back NMJ still dies, Minor Character Death, NMJ is BACK and he is NOT HAPPY, MM is not paid enough for this shit) has a fun sort of brothers-in-law feeling between lwj and jc

This is our Get-Along Night Hunt by hmc73 (T, 28k, WangXian, Post-Canon, JC & WWX Reconciliation, LWJ has Feelings, canon-typical horror elements, POV LWJ, Canon Compliant, Fluff with Knives, It starts off funny but WATCH OUT, Case Fic, Good Sibling JC, Fluff and Angst)

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14. Hi, me again, I have been looking for fics, Modern, with cultivation, conferences and the like, where Wei Wuxian is not treated well, were things similar to cannon happened and he's not recognised as a great cultivator and Lan Wangji and his family, Jiāng Yànlí, Jiāng Chéng or Wen Qíng and Wen Ning aren't ok with this and try to help him deal with reputation and things. they can be long or short. Please help. Be well @monicaop21

Hi, I'm number 14 in the last In the mood for…post!! I just wanted to share the fics that started my obsession with modern fics that speak well of WWX in the cultivation world!! One is My Zhiji's On Broadway by ScarlettStorm and the fic inspired by this beauty Let Her Leave Your by Worldspacewitchbot Both of them in Ao3 So amazing both of them!! More sequels!! ;) Be well and tons of thanks!! You are awesome!!

My Zhiji’s On Broadway by ScarlettStorm (E, 15k, wangxian, modern with cultivation, drunk LWJ, drunk shenanigans, getting together, first time, minor angst, major comedy, smut)

Let Her Leave Your World by spacewitchbot (E, 10k, MM/OFC, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, modern cultivation, Seattle, Conventions, Getting Together, Jet Lag, One Night Stands, Alcohol Breastfeeding in public (not in a sexy way,) Infant Care, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, #metoo movement, Not quite everybody lives but more people do, People listen to Mianmian, That actually fixes a lot of stuff)

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15. Hi! For the next ITMF, do you have a recommendation where LQR secretly fond of/have a soft spot for WWX? Thank you! @idontknowwhattowriteforusername

through the eyes of elders series by Fleetling (T, 13k, LXC & LWJ, LXC & LQR, wangxian, LXC & WWX, LQR & WWX, LQR pov, LQR is a good uncle, LXC recovering from the whole JGY thing is a major part, Wingman LXC)

💖 Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing) LQR goes back in time & learns to appreciate WWX

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16. For the next ITMF: life of wwx or/with lwj after the revelations at the Guanyin temple. Preferably long fic, around more than 5 or 10 chapters or more than 10k words, and completed. Thank you!

💖 Germination by taotrooper (M, 14k, wangxian, post-canon, honeymoon, domestic fluff, comedy, teaching, character study)

Imprints by Lisa_Telramor (G, 47k, wangxian, post-canon, humor, panic attacks, phobia recovery, poor life choices, JC & WWX reconciliation, dogs)

Between The Lines by Witch_Nova221 (M, 153k, wangxian, WWX & LSZ & LWJ, WWX & OCs, Epistolary, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, Letters, Falling In Love, Love Confessions, Love Letters, Long-Distance Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Canon-Typical Violence, Post-Canon, Idiots in Love)

Agapé (home is in your arms) by estel_willow (G, 15k, wangxian, fraternal bonding, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Wwx is oblivious, LXC is patient, LSZ remains the best son, Most of these characters could do with a good therapist, Wwx uses his words, Wwx is an unreliable narrator, Light Angst, canon-typical self dislike from our favourite chaotic disaster bi)

Vagabond by xantissa (E, 65k, wangxian, Slow Burn, Mystery, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Frottage, Case Fic, murders, Supernatural, Angst, Fluff, those two are so in love it hurts, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, badass LXC, Canon-Typical Violence, topLWJ, Bottom LWJ)

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17. Hii! I saw a lot of tiktok that got me in the mood to read wangxian again! I love canonverse fics, but bc they’re so angsty (tho i do like a bit of it as one should) I wanted to ask for canondivergance fix it fics, prefferably with xicheng too! (*by fix it i mean shijie doesn’t die and a-cheng doesn’t hate his brother bc of it) 🥹 thank you!

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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politemenacephd · 3 months

Text

Arachnophilia: (Part Nineteen)

Drider!Miguel O'Hara x Reader (+18)

Chapter Masterlist 🕷️

Content: Plot time! Some fluffy conversation, Action, Some spider peril, aphrodisiac influence.

Word count: 4100 Notes: Ok so I've had extra time off w being ill to re-cooperate and I've actually got chapters 20 and 21 done so hopefully those will be up sooner! Thanks for waiting <3

‘You ready?’

You were milling about the HQ entrance with Mig at your side, preparing for your first mission together. You’d got into your hazmat suit just fine but Mig was struggling with his. They usually came with attached leg parts and he didn’t exactly have legs to fit into one, so his had been hastily made to order.

‘Argh—I hate this, clothing, thing—how did I ever wear this every day?’

You snorted at Mig’s quiet grumbles as you helped pull the thick plastic material over his stocky belly.

‘I’ve brought up the possibility of making an exception for you, with the- clothing, thing, but they’re being weird about it’ you mumbled.

‘I don’t- want you to go through any trouble for me’ Mig said. His voice kept catching as he squirmed. You noted how tight his suit was compared to yours, how it clung to his enormous shoulders like latex. Clearly whoever had made it hadn’t paid close enough attention to how big Mig was.

‘What was it you used to say to me? Oh no, arañita, I like doing things for you—that’s me. That’s also me. I like doing things for you, it’s why I am—’ you paused to give his suit one final tug. ‘In a relationship with you!’

Mig totally ignored that his suit was on, instead doing a little wiggle with his abdomen to the word ‘relationship’. Hearing it made him so happy.

‘Mm. Yes, well- okay.’ He bent down and reached out his hand, baying you to give him yours. You did, and he gingerly kissed your fingers before squeezing them between his claws. ‘I suppose I don’t mind you doing a little for me. If it makes you happy.’

‘You’re so silly’ you chided gently. For just a moment, you got to stand and look up into his big red eyes without worrying about anything or anyone else around you. His eyes creased as he smiled.

‘Mi arañita’ he whispered.

It was simple, short, sweet. To you, it was an affirmation. To him, it was a confession of love he just wasn’t strong enough to make overtly quite yet. You bumped foreheads, since the suits stopped you being able to kiss, before withdrawing from each other.

‘May I, make a confession to you, arañita?’

‘Yeah, of course. Go ahead.’

‘I… I am certainly, excited, to see a new universe again. I used to dream about this when I was human, and while I gave up on my dreams when I changed it has been… exhilarating, to feel like a scientist again. I just…’ Mig paused and gently rubbed his jaw. ‘I’m, nervous.’

‘About what?’

‘About… You’ he said, his voice dipping. ‘About, putting you in danger.’

‘Oh Miggy- I’ve been a spider a lot longer than you have!’ you insisted.

‘Yes. And on your first mission, you met me. Because you—got hurt’ he said bluntly. Your teasing smile turned to an awkward frown.

‘Oh… Ohh. Right. Yeah. Well… Look at it this way.’ You turned and gestured to yourself, lightly tapping your chest as you stared up at him. ‘I completed my first mission specifically because I had your help. So, now you’re here with me, it’ll be even better! And I promise, I won’t get headstrong and try to go around you. I will accept your help.’

Mig still looked perturbed but he seemed comforted at the memory of helping you. ‘Yes… Yes, you are, correct.’

‘As always.’

‘Mm. Very humorous. Regardless, you are right. I helped you then, and, I can help now. I appreciate you understanding my concern, arañita. I also, as a show of good faith, will not stand in the way of you doing this mission. I trust you.’

You beamed up at him, and he beamed back.

‘I’m just rather surprised we got put on it at all. I was quite prepared for my, other half to get in the way’ Mig mused as he shook himself off. Immediately your face fell.

‘Ah... yeah. Me too. Me too’ you said quietly.

You’d been surprised Miguel had even okayed the idea of you both going out. He’d been so weird about Mig joining at all, and then out of nowhere he was giving you both a mission right after Mig passed? When you joined it took months to get any mission at all. Deep down, this whole thing had you a little on edge.

You were trying to keep your feelings to yourself, though, since you didn’t want to upset or worry Mig. He was settling in so well and you’d hate to cause him discomfort for no reason. You liked seeing him happy. You liked seeing him thrive.

‘Mi arañita?’

You blinked and glanced upward, only to find Mig staring at you. You must have gotten lost in your thoughts.

‘Ah- hey, what’s up now pretty boy?’ you asked, forcing a smile. His lips didn’t return the same softness. Instead, his face remained serious.

‘You’re worried. Yes? About my counterpart, and how quickly this mission was given to us. You’re worried that he has some ulterior motive. You’re worried he might be, setting us up, rather than stepping back.’

You sighed. God damn it. While you appreciated how in-tune you were, it also made hiding anything a little awkward. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I—was.’

‘I... Yes. I, feel the same, though I do want to believe he’s actually gotten better’ Mig murmured sadly.

‘I’d like to believe it, but I’m also not stupid’ you snorted. The two of you briefly went quiet as a gaggle of spiders webbed past you down the lobby, before slowly drifting closer again.

‘We- are, very similar, you know’ Mig explained. ‘I told you, once, how our paths only diverged in life when we changed. He became, him, and I became… this. But before that we were… so, so similar. Almost identical.’

‘That change was a long time ago, though, right? Like, so long that you forgot what clothes feel like.'

Mig chuckled at your light teasing, but his brows remained tightly knotted. ‘Mm. Yes. But, it doesn’t change that we are, in many ways, the same person. He used that very fact to convince me that I’m a monster, to convince me to hide.’

You pursed your lips at the reminder.

‘So… If I don’t believe he can change, then, it… means he was right about me, too' he said. His voice was deeply sombre.

‘Mig, that isn’t—I mean that isn’t entirely fair’ you said with an unsure shrug. ‘Like… Look, Miguel is a different person to you. I can see the argument that you were given the same, basic components at the start, right? But you're so different now. He's a.... dick, and you're... you! You're YOU! My Mig! The, most, perfect thing!'

Mig chuckled again, looking almost shy at your praise. ‘Just- humour me, please. It is for my own benefit, not just for his. I have to believe I am not doomed to be a bad person, and, I want to believe he isn’t either’ Mig insisted.

You weren’t convinced, sadly, but you did relent. You held up your hands and smiled as you slapped them down on his furry abdomen. ‘Okay. I mean I’d like for him to get better too, believe me, God it would save me SO much hassle!’

Mig purred, and at last a smile broke out onto his face. His cheeks lifted as he chuckled. ‘Yes. Me too. He—’

‘You ready to go?!’

You and Mig turned in unison as Jess called from the other side of the lobby. She was waving one arm over her head with the other cupped her mouth to make the sound carry. You could see that she was standing beside an open portal.

‘Shit… alright, time to go’ you said. You straightened out your suit and straightened his too, a motion he tried to return until you shooed him off.

‘No, no—I don’t need petting down, shh—I love you too. Right. You ready, Mig?’

He fixed his posture and nervously raised his claws. ‘Ah… yes. Yes. I am- ready to do, heroic activities. Yes’ he blurted in a fully monotone voice.

You buried your face in your palm. ‘Oh my god I love you so much you’re such a god damn dork—OKAY, lets go!’

You tried to strike a pose like you were trained to do but almost immediately tripped, so instead you went straight into climbing Mig’s back so he could take the lead. It was easy to look majestic while riding your enormous spider partner.

You clung tight to his fur as he scurried forward, and dragged you both through the open portal into this new and unknown world.

…

On the other side you thankfully landed safely, with Miguel angling his paws to slow the impact. As you eyes adjusted you realized quickly that you were on the top of some enormous building, and so you hopped down from Mig’s back to see the view.

This world was strange, far stranger than either Miguel’s or Mig’s or your's. Before you was the full, shining vista of New York, but this one had been entirely drowned in enormous neon plants. You could see flower heads in the distance that looks like normal flower heads up close, implying that they must be the size of a house in their own right, blooming and fluttering on the side of a high rise building that'd broken in half and was now leaning on another.

The sky above was also strange; it was red, darker on top and lighter as it drifted down towards the horizon, ending in a dull and foreboding pink beyond what the eye could see.

There was no sound. No cars, no people. Just the rustling of leaves in the wind.

You breathed in through your suit mask and turned to Mig. He was fixated on the red sky, his hand held out in front of his face.

‘You okay?’ you called up.

Mig nodded. ‘Yes… You- do you see these, particles, too?’ he asked. You followed his eyes and squinted at the air in front of your face. He was right. There were tiny, pink dots floating in the air, like dust particles, just barely viewable. You waved your hand and watched them bounce and dance as your fingers disrupted them.

‘Huh. Oh, weird. Yeah they um- they mentioned the pollen, it has... Like an overwhelming effect on anything with hormones. Aphrodisiac. Makes you lose it. It's why this worlds deserted now.’

‘Yes. I- believe we should leave here as soon as possible’ Mig said slowly. You didn’t argue.

You turned and leapt back up onto his back, digging your hands into his fur. You held on tight as he turned and descended the building via the stairway.

On a monitor in a dark and distant room, Miguel watched the blurry little figure of you and Mig strolled through the abandoned city. His eyes narrowed. ‘Go on’ he said, almost purring. ‘Go ahead. Fail, and then let me watch you get dragged out by your necks in a pathetic heap.’

The building was entirely empty, which made the sounds you heard all the more unnerving. You realized pretty quickly that the oversized plants filling the area would occasionally move, slithering across cracked windows and floors like great, fleshy, neon green snakes. The floors would creak like footsteps when no one was there, and occasionally you’d hear a low groaning as if the building itself was alive.

Mig began to walk slower so he could step over the vines. They hadn’t done anything violent, but, he’d rather be safe.

As you emerged out into the city from the ground the size of it became far more imposing. Seeing those giant flower buds from the top made them seem almost normal, but from the floor the shadow of that gaping botanical maw filling the sky made you feel utterly miniscule.

You drew your watch to your mouth and whispered into it. ‘Lyla- Lyla, have you got a hold on the guy who escaped?’

‘Yeeeppp.’

The little AI flashed up beside your head as Mig cautiously began to walk down the empty street. ‘You hopped in close. He’s been still for a while.’

‘Do you think he’s hurt?'

‘Nah, I mean- maybe. But I doubt it’ Lyla said with a yawn.

‘Why do you doubt it?’ Mig asked. She flickered over to glance him up and down as he walked.

‘My god you’re big, it always surprises me- uhhh I said I DOUBT it because he was wearing his suit when he jumped in which should keep him safe from the pollen.’

‘Okay. What are we dealing with then? A vulture, a symbiote, a prowler?’

‘Prowler. He’ll be wearing his suit but I think we removed his weapons when we brought him in, so, should be easy.’

‘Huh… I wonder if Miguel gave us an easy one deliberately’ you pondered to yourself. It seemed unlikely, but, maybe it was intentional? Maybe he was changing. ‘Okay, uh- thanks Lyla, we’ll call if we need anything else.’

You shut your watch and gently tapped for Mig’s attention. You didn’t speak, but you silently gestured for where he needed to go. He nodded and crept towards the building Lyla had pointed at.

As you approached the bottom floor it was empty, with broken windows allowing easy access to the inner rooms. It was unnervingly dark inside. The sun was too high overheard to reach inside, leaving nothing but a faint red glow broaching the edge of the dirty, vines covered concrete before it descended into shadow.

You tapped your watch to create a small beam of light. You carefully scanned the room from side to side, your eyes squinting to see through the gloom.

It was quiet. Too quiet. You could hear water dripping somewhere but couldn’t find the source. As Mig went to enter the dark he rustled his abdomen, signalling for you to jump. You hopped to the floor and in unison you both ducked. Together, you began to do a wide circle of the space.

‘Hello?’ you called, your voice echoing. You faintly saw Mig rustle with discomfort at you speaking, so you gestured for him to continue instead.

‘Sir! We’re from the society’ Mig cried. ‘I know that you were- reluctant, to come with us, but you were at far more risk here.’

You were about halfway in now. You were descending into the thick of the vines.

‘This universe is abandoned. There is no way home without us. If you come quietly, we can—’

Midway through speaking the vines were suddenly cut right above your head, and in a flurry of chaotic movement and sound you were thrown across the room.

‘SHIT—HEY!’

The unseen opposition dived forward and pinned your newly downed body to the floor, choking it out against one of the vines. You squirmed and kicked but you’d been taken off guard too fast.

‘GIVE ME THE WATCH!’

A deep voice echoed from behind the attackers mask. Shit, you thought, this must be the guy.

‘GIVE ME THE—’

Just as he’d tackled you the Prowler variant was tackled by Mig. In a blur of red and black fur your partner barrelled across the room and hooked the smaller man by the nape, and with nothing more than the strength of his neck he threw him up into the ceiling and then back down to the floor.

A low moan filled the air as you scrambled to stand.

‘Oh…. Fuck.’ You coughed and spluttered as Mig prowled towards the downed man. His venom was glowing where it’d leaked down his jaw, its viscosity appearing neon green in the dark. He had his claws raised.

Back in Nueva, Miguel continued to watch. He had his arms folded, his body stiff and unmoving, his eyes unblinking.

He was waiting for it.

‘Fuck… urgh, okay, um—you got the light cage, babe?’ you asked. You were wheezing hard from being pinned, and while Mig should have focused on containing the man on the floor he couldn’t help but be drawn to you.

‘Mi arañita? Are you okay?’

As Mig turned you raised your hand. You were about to say yes, you were fine. You were about to comfort him and remind him of what you had to do.

You didn’t get the chance, though.

The Prowler collected himself too quickly, and in a blind panic he leapt up and released the claws on his suit. He dove at Mig, the most obvious threat, hoping to get in a stab from behind, but luckily his claws weren’t strong enough to pierce.

He latched onto Mig’s back and he instantly began rustling and bucking, his size allowing him to quickly detach the attacker. You hastily threw a web out to pin him down to the floor again.

‘SHIT- Shit, baby, did he get you?! Did he—’

You froze. Mig had turned in an attempt to feel the back of his suit, and now he was facing the opposite direction to you. He was showing you his back. He was showing you, clear as day, the enormous cut marks in the plastic hide.

Slowly, Mig stopped. His arms fell to his sides, and he rolled his head to stare at you over his shoulder. His eyes were glowing the most unnatural pink.

‘Mig?’ you stammered.

He grunted, hard, and suddenly seemed to go down. His legs began to shake as his hands flew to his head. ‘MM—MM—’

You felt your whole body go cold. You knew what the air in this universe did. You quickly rushed to try and grapple him, hoping to either pin him with your webs or patch up the suit, anything your frazzled mind could think of, but Mig was quickly losing control.

‘MIG! Mig, hey! Stay down—let me help—’

‘AH—’ His body rustled violently as he panted. It burned. It was the most unbearable heat he’d ever felt, seeping through his veins like literal fire. His started drooling venom into the inside of the suit, coating the seethrough plastic on the front. ‘RRH—’

On the other side of the multi-universe, Miguel snorted. He didn’t smile, nor did he show any kind of outward joy. He just snorted.

What a shame that Lyla hadn’t been told about that prowler’s suit still had its claws intact when it was taken in. Claws that, while not deadly, were capable of still ripping an important piece of fabric. A suit, perhaps.

Now you’d let the man escape into a dangerous universe. You’d have to crawl back with your out of control boyfriend. He went to turn when a cry drew his attention back to the screen.

Mig, in his panic, had pushed you back across the room.

‘DON’T—DON’T COME NEAR ME’ he cried, ‘I CAN’T- HURT YOU—ARGH!’

Miguel frowned.

You were carefully shifting yourself up from the debris. You weren’t hurt, it hadn’t been a hard push, but just like the Prowler he hadn’t accounted for his own claws. They were painfully extended, viciously sharp on every end, and in just lightly pushing you with the last of his strength he’d ripped three big holes in your own suit.

You felt your heart thundering.

In a whimpering panic you tried to block the holes with your hand but it was too late. All too soon you felt the pollen in your nose, your brain, your blood, your body heating into overdrive. You were doubled over as if in physical pain as the urge curdled inside you.

‘MM—’

Miguel stared at the screen, his eye twitching just a little. No, wait, he’d planned for one person to be able to call for back up. He’d planned this out perfectly, hadn’t he? Why was this happening?

‘Argh… Mig…’

You mewled pathetically as you crawled across the floor. You were throbbing everywhere, lightheaded from the blood flowing where it wasn’t supposed to, your insides clenching and pulsing and squeezing around nothing to a point that left you breathless.

Mig was no better. He was digging his claws directly into the concrete in an attempt to stay sane, to stay alert, but it wasn’t working. He drooled pools of spit and venom onto the floor as he ripped his suit aside completely. He had to bite. He had to pin. He had to unload. He could think of nothing rational in that moment. ‘AH—AH---’

In the panic your target had also cut himself free from the web. Still suited, still sober, he watched you writhe with narrowed eyes. He approached, curious, and delivered one kick to your exposed gut. You went down hard but didn’t have the strength to get back up off the floor.

‘YOU-- ARGH!’

Mig dove at the man and nearly clawed him to pieces, but the impact of the sweet, thick, dizzying scent was making it hard to see or focus. He swung blindly, teeth snapping, as Prowler backed away.

On the floor you whimpered, unable to move an inch from the multi-faceted pain.

‘Wait, wait, no—’

As he watched Miguel felt his confidence beginning to slip. You’d call for backup, right? You would. Yo had to.

He thought about rushing in, but, if he did that, you’d know he’d been watching. Wouldn’t that look suspicious? Plus, it would ruin his plan.

His plan… What, exactly, was that plan anyway, some little niggling part of his brain asked?

‘FUCK!’

Your cry drew Miguel back to the screen.

You were writhing on the floor as you struggled to breathe. You and Mig couldn’t even reach each other. He was now consumed by the primal, lustful urge to protect his mate, to fight an opponent, which was keeping him in the thralls of trying to spear your assailant on his claws.

No one had time to pull either of you out, and that Prowler was still hellbent on killing you both to protect himself.

‘No, no, no—’

The blurry image of your body on the floor began to distort. Miguel slammed the monitor but it just continued to fade.

He began to pant hard. He hadn’t wanted this. Not this. He just wanted Mig to fail his first mission, he never wanted anyone to get hurt. He’d just wanted an excuse to remove him. He didn’t want this. He didn’t. He’d planned it perfectly. This was supposed to work. It HAD to work. He was doing the right thing. He was smart, he was capable, he was rational—

Right?

The more he thought about it, the more his stomach turned. Wait, but, he’d released that symbiote, hadn’t he? He’d jumped in the way, yes, but it could have caused Mig real harm. It could have caused you real harm.

‘Oh no’ he whispered. ‘No, no, no…’

One final, horrible thought filled his head: What was wrong with him?

‘Every day I have to fight to be good.’

His words to Peter rang in his head as he paced back and forth. How had he forgotten that? The simple reason, that he really hated his variant? Because he was broken. They were both broken. Both of them.

He swung back to the screen. He had to go, right? He had to go, he had to go and extract you and Mig.

All that anger, that resentment that he’d made righteous, it was fighting the one part of him that he clung to. The part that wanted to save you, no matter the cost. The part that was still good.

He told himself that this self-sacrificial nature, that was him. The REAL him. That was who he was beneath the dirt and the dust and the bitterness. But, no. As he stared at you clutching the floor, struggling to breathe, he knew it wasn’t.

It was all him.

‘Shit.’

Without wasting a second, without even grabbing a suit, Miguel pulled up a portal to that universe and dove in headfirst.

The pollen hit him like a physical punch to the gut. He felt it coiling around every hormone in his touch-starved body, pushing his brain into override. As he hit the road right before the store you were in he had to curl in on himself just to regain the ability to breath.

‘MM—Argh, fuck—come on—you’ve dealt with this before!’ he seethed.

With fangs dripping he clawed his way into the building. To his utmost relief he saw you almost instantly, still curled up on the floor.

‘COME ON!’ he barked. Miguel grabbed you under the arm and began to drag, though it was slow progress. He kept having to pause and bite his own hands in order to temper the unnatural urges filling his brain.

You were utterly useless at this point. Your body was limp in his grip, moaning and whimpering and shaking. ‘Mig.... My Mig—’

‘He’s… fuck—MIGUEL!’ He turned and screamed into the dark as the plants whipped and writhed.

Mig burst through the wall with a violent crack, his paws skidding on the ground. The person you’d been chasing was frantically scrambling to avoid his open seething maw and swinging claws, like a rabbit fleeing a wolf. With the last of his strength Miguel threw a light cage at the panicking Prowler before depoying a web at Mig’s legs, helping to at least stun him into stopping.

‘Ah… Okay, HERE! OVERE HERE! EXTRACTION!’ Miguel cried.

Mig jerked his head up so fast it snapped. He saw him holding your limp body and immediately his eyes dilated into slits. He hissed, spraying venom across the tiles.

‘I’M GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE!’

Miguel pulled up a portal and threw you into it before returning to grab the downed Prowler. He used it like a toy, lurning Mig up. The enormous man broke the webs around his legs with terrifying ease, and once back on his spider legs he stormed towards him.

Miguel led him straight through the portal at his back.

With a soft, otherworldly thwap, the portal disappeared. The world of plants was plunged into silence once more, and whatever chaos ensued, would ensue in Miguel’s office, back where it had all started.

Link to next part

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel x reader #spider man 2099 #smut #drider #arachnophilia #monster human relationship #drider miguel o'hara #smut with plot #miguel o'hara au

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thechaoticdruid · 3 months

Text

[This Bites] (4)

Pairing: Astarion x Chubby Female MC

Chapter Summary: Astarion saves Maddie from a near death experience. Winnie must prepare Astarion for living in the modern world once she's informed that an inconvenience is coming to visit. Her little stepsister.

Warning/Content: Fluff, suggestive content, sexual humor, brief nudity, blood drinking, asshole Brian strikes again, Winnie being a nervous wreck as usual, Astarion being Astarion, possible grammar/spelling errors, maybe ooc moments for Star, butt

Chapter Three: Move back a little.

Chapter Four: Okay you're good.

Chapter Five: It's a BIG one!

(Entire series index right here.)

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Winnie was about to bolt back outside before Astarion gripped her shoulder.

“Wait a moment dear. You'll break your neck out there in the dark. I'll be able to find her much faster, trust me.” Astarion insisted. Given that they didn't have much time Winnie nodded and allowed Astarion to rush back outside.

Once outside the elven vampire quickly moved in the direction of the cat’s scent. The sound of barking had gotten louder and louder as he made his way to Winnie’s backyard. The terrain began to get steeper as the yard dipped down into the forest below the hill Winnie’s house sat upon.

On the way down he took note of a tree with a torn rope tied to the trunk. The tree sat in the yard left to Winnie’s. Down at the very bottom of the hill he spotted a large dog, snarling and lunging at a tree. The dog had a large head, muscular frame, and its tail and ears appeared to have been docked and cropped to make it look more menacing. There was also a torn rope attached to the beast's collar that dragged behind it.

The dog jumped up with a loud growl, lunging up towards a branch where Maddie clung, the fur on her back puffed up in fear as she hissed.

Astarion looked down at the dog, rolling his eyes before suddenly the mutt turned towards him growling and slobbering.

The vampire’s crimson red eyes almost seemed to glow in the moonlight, his lips parted to reveal long sharp canines. The dog halted its growling, letting out a whimper in response to seeing the humanoid's teeth before almost immediately bolting for it. It seemed the dog had absolutely no idea what Astarion was but definitely did not want to stick around to find out. The pale elf smirked, watching the mutt run away in fear before returning his attention up to Maddie. The little black ball of fluff looked down at him with frightened blue eyes as her little pink nose twitched, taking in his scent.

“Come here, precious.” The silver haired elf said sweetly, his arms stretched out as he gestured for the feline to leap into them. Maddie looked down at him, she moved slightly towards the edge of the branch hesitantly. For a moment she appeared ready to jump, but as her paw slid off the edge of the branch slightly she quickly backed up, fearful of falling. Maddie let out a long frightened mewl before glancing back down at Astarion.

Astarion let out an annoyed huff, “looks like I have to do everything.” He looked over at the tree trunk before glancing back at his claw like fingernails.

He hummed in thought before digging his nails into the tree and proceeded to climb up with ease.

“Gods, I wasn't entirely sure that would work….” He said as he reached the limb where the cat had been, climbing up and sitting on it. The branch shook slightly with the extra weight, causing the feline to sink her claws into the wood and let out another fearful mewl. “Alright you little sh-...ahem precious little angel…Come to Astarion!” The elf tried to coo, but the hassle of the situation was beginning to get on his nerves. Thankfully the feline eventually mustered up the courage to creep closer to the tree trunk, allowing Astarion to grab hold of her. He held her tightly to his chest before looking down. The vampire proceeded to drop down from the tree, landing safely on his feet in an almost cat-like manner.

Winnie was looking out her window from her room, unfortunately the darkness made it near impossible for her to see what was going on.

Her heart was pounding in terror. She was so scared something would happen to her cat. Eventually she heard her door open and Astarion entered holding Maddie safely in his arms. The little puffball was purring in content.

“Maddie, you’re okay. Thank God!” Winnie almost teared up in joy as she quickly moved to scoop the cat out of his arms. She hugged the little feline close, taking a deep breath in relief. Winnie snuggled her cat close for a few moments as Maddie purred before she was set gently onto the floor.

“Thank you, Astarion.” Winnie smiled and hugged him tightly. The elf blinked a bit in surprise before quickly returning her hug.

“Anything for you, my sweet.” He murmured, nuzzling his face into her neck. Winnie blushed a bit before quickly pulling back and clearing her throat in nervousness.

“Well…um…I should probably get to sleep soon…” She said awkwardly looking around the room as Astarion let out a yawn and stretched.

“Of course, goodnight my dear.” He said before taking a seat in a cozy armchair that sat between Winnie’s bed and her bookcase. The following nights he'd spent there he'd tranced in that chair.

It was incredibly comfortable, so soft and cushy. Winnie glanced over at her bed and then Astarion, thinking for a moment as Maddie went to lay at the vampire’s feet.

“Ah…wait a moment Astarion…” She suddenly spoke up. Astarion frowned and a bit of concern appeared on his face.

“Is something wrong, love?” He asked. Winnie bit her lip before looking down at her arm.

“No, it's just I'd like to thank you properly for saving Maddie.” She took a deep breath before stretching out her arm. “Here, drink…”

“Are you certain?” Astarion asked, though Winnie could already see the hunger in his eyes.

“Yes, I'm sure.” She said with a nod. Astarion stood up before suddenly placing his hands on Winnie’s shoulders.

“Here, you might want to lie down. I wouldn't want you to fall over if you get dizzy.” He gave her a soft smile before she sat back on her bed, abandoning her shoes on the floor and laying back. Winnie stretched out her arm for him as Astarion crouched down, taking hold of her arm gently. Winnie shivered, feeling his breath hit her skin before suddenly he ran his tongue over one of the veins on her arm. Her face burned and she closed her eyes, preparing herself.

“Fuck….” Winnie cursed through gritted teeth as she felt his icy sharp fangs pierce through her flesh, feeling like she just had two thick needles jammed into her arm. Astarion couldn't help but moan softly against her skin. The taste of her blood was intoxicating. Hells, it was even better than Tav's! The pain from his bite eventually numbed out, replaced by the gentle feeling of sucking. Heat rushed to the female's face as she felt him groan against her arm. She bit down on her lip to ensure no questionable noises were to leave her own mouth. Then eventually as her head began to feel lighter Astarion pulled back, licking up any excess blood before flicking his tongue over the holes left from his bite. Winnie watched curiously as she noticed they appeared to close up as he licked over them, stopping any more blood from escaping. It was interesting.

Astarion planted a soft kiss over the bite before pulling back and looking over at Winnie’s now slightly paler looking face.

“There, all better.” He hummed, his crimson gaze had a tender fondness to it. One of his hands was still holding her arm while the other was tracing circles over her wrist with his index finger. Winnie turned her head and blushed darkly. She was at a complete loss for words and heart was pounding so fast she was afraid it would suddenly pop!

“Y-Yes well…Thanks again for s-saving my cat…Anyway goodnight!” She quickly said before pulling her wrist away and turning away from him on her bed, covering up her body as if to hide.

Astarion looked down at her covered form with a smile as he repressed the urge to chuckle.

Cute.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The next morning Winnie snuggled comfortably into her bed, honestly exhausted from all the excitement of last night and also a bit weak from letting Astarion use her as a juice box. She nuzzled her face into her pillows, in a partially asleep, partially awake state.

“WINNIE! GET THE HELL UP!” Brian’s obnoxiously loud voice caused her to shoot up, eyes wide open. Winnie turned her head towards the door as it slammed open revealing her step father. She rubbed her eyes, hair wild and even more disheveled than usual.

“WINNIE!” He shouted again.

“I'm up! I'm up!” She replied, grumbling under her breath as she stumbled out of bed.

“Don't you talk back to me! We're going to get Vanessa today and I want this house spotless by the time we get back!”

“I got schoolwork ya know, Brian?” Winnie sighed in annoyance, rubbing her head.

“It can wait. Those writing classes are a waste of money anyway, you can't seriously think you're going to actually make a living like that. Now get to cleaning I-......What the hell is that on your arm!?” Brian's brown eyes narrowed right at the bite mark on Winnie's arm. She tensed up. Shit. This was bad. She had to think quick!

“Ah, it's um..A cat bite! Me and Maddie were rough housing last night!” Winnie exclaimed, holding her arm up and rubbing it.

“Tch, well…. Keep that stupid animal locked in your room. I don't want it going anywhere near my daughter when she gets here.” Brian turned and slammed the door shut as he left.

Winnie sighed in relief as she watched him exit. Of course that relief did not last for long as realization set in. Shit. Nessa was coming. Worry flooded over the young woman as she realized Brian's twelve year old daughter from his previous marriage was coming over today. This could be really bad. While Vanessa was nowhere as horrible as her asshole father, she could be rather annoying. She also had a habit of barging into Winnie’s room, but unlike her father she definitely did not announce her arrival. Winnie would have to be extra careful not to let her see Astarion.

Wait a minute…. WHERE IS ASTARION!?!

Winnie quickly looked around the room. The pale elf was nowhere in sight. Winnie attempted to calm herself, reasoning that he was just in the closet hiding like a good little vampire and definitely not a pile of ash laying outside on the ground. She'd look around for him once Brian and her mother left. Winnie left her room and carefully walked out into the kitchen before she began to unload and reload the dishwasher. Brian walked out of the master bedroom, picking up his dog, Ollie and heading out the front door.

Winnie’s mother eventually exited the bedroom as well. Her eyes looked tired as she stopped to fix her long brown hair before turning to get her coat. She seemed drained most of the time these days, even when she wasn't sick, she just seemed lifeless at times.

“Hey Ma.” Winnie called, looking over at her mother.

“Hi Winnie. How's your schoolwork coming, sweetie?”

“It's kinda on hold at the moment.” Winnie sighed, “Brian decided I was in charge of cleaning up the house today.”

“I'll see about talking to him about it on the way to pick up Nessa. You need to focus on your classes, darlin.” Winnie's mother said before walking over and ruffling her daughter’s hair.

“I love you.” Her mother then proceeded to walk out the front door, leaving Winnie all alone.

Not like it matters. She always says that, and nothing ever fucking happens!

Winnie rubbed her temple in frustration. She tiptoed over towards the blinds near the front door before peeking outside. The messy haired female watched as Brian and her mom got in the car and drove off. Once she was sure they were gone Winnie turned and scanned the area.

“Where the hell has that vampire gone?” She huffed.

“Astarion? Astarion!” Winnie called out, but didn't seem to get any reply. Dread began to eat away at her mind. The brunette rushed back into her room and opened her closet. Nothing but clothes.

Her heart was pounding with fear and worry. She thought about running outside and praying to whatever God would listen that maybe he'd been able to find some shade to hide in as she searched for him, but then suddenly she heard what sounded like water. “Astarion?” She called again. Still no answer.

Winnie walked over to her bathroom and opened the door. She stepped inside, noticing Maddie sitting on the floor next to the tub. Winnie’s face suddenly turned bright red as she looked over at the bathtub.

“Oh, hello my sweet. Did you need something?” Astarion was sitting in the tub in all his beautifully naked glory, soapy water being the only thing keeping his unmentionables hidden. His white curls were dripping wet and slicked back as he glanced over at Winnie casually. All the while Maddie leaned over the tub, seemingly to debate on whether or not she should prod at the water with her paws.

“You're taking a bath now!? I thought you were dead for fucks sake!” Winnie exclaimed before averting her eyes. The sight of the pale elf’s muscular chest and rock hard abs were making her legs feel like jelly.

“Technically I am. But I'd rather not smell like it, hence the bath.” Astarion replied, crossing one leg over the other. Winnie bit her lip trying to stay calm.

There is a naked man next to me. A very attractive naked man. A very naked attractive man.

FUUUUCK I-I THINK I'M GONNA FAINT. I CAN'T….

“Oh don't act all innocent! This is hardly the first time you've seen me unclothed.” Astarion rolled his eyes.

“T-This…This is d-different!” Winnie sputtered. Seeing a naked character in a video game was one thing, but a real grown ass man naked in her house was another. And HOW JUST HOW WAS HE SO CASUAL ABOUT THIS!? Honestly if Winnie didn't know any better she'd almost think he believed they were married.

“Gods below you're so pathetically sheltered.” He muttered under his breath. Winnie took a deep breath before speaking.

“Look, there's something I need to talk to you about soon. I'll wait outside for you to get done.” Winnie sighed before stepping out of the bathroom.

“Come on Maddie!” She called to the cat who let out a few quick and short mews before padding out the door to follow her human. On top of having to feed him, hide him and make sure he doesn't get himself or anyone else killed Winnie was now having to deal with him casually being naked in front of her around the house like they'd been married for years or something. And she could just not handle it. She felt like she was going to throw up from nervousness.

Winnie quickly went to work on cleaning up the house as best as she could, trying to make sure Brain had as little to complain about as possible.

She took out the trash, did the laundry, swept the floor and cleaned up any surprises from Ollie before heading back to her room and plopping down on the bed. Winnie looked over at her laptop, grabbing it off the nightstand and setting it on her lap. She opened it up and began to try and get some school work done as Maddie hopped up and snuggled beside her.

“How long does it take for one man to take a bath?” She groaned to herself before continuing to focus on her work. One of the tabs ended up catching her eye as she filled out the answers on her school assignment. It was the Nexus Mod page. Quickly Winnie typed in ShadowMommy69 and began to search for that person. Whoever they were they did something miraculous, and Winnie wanted to know how and if there were any repercussions for it. But unfortunately, as she continued her search, she was met with nothing.

As if this user had just vanished. Likely deleted their account. Were they aware of what happened somehow? Is this why they've vanished? She typed in ShadowMommy69 mods into her search engine before suddenly the bathroom door opened, revealing Astarion in only a towel. Winnie tensed up and forced herself to look at her computer screen.

Look at the screen. Look at the screen. Do NOT look at the half naked man currently changing…. Ahhhh...

Her eyes suddenly glanced back, seeing Astarion look over the spare clothes left out for him, he sneered at them, finding them dull and uninspiring. But for now they would have to do.

Astarion suddenly dropped the towel around his waist. Winnie’s eyes went wide as she got a clear view of his naked ass. Winnie closed her laptop and set it to the side before falling on her side and just lying there on the bed. Her brain had stopped working.

Astarion glanced over to see Winnie’s reflection in the mirror, a smug smirk adorned his face.

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

Astarion had got himself dressed finally, wearing a black tee and jeans. He'd given Winnie a moment to compose herself before taking a seat in the recliner near her bed.

“You said you had something you wanted to talk about, darling?” He hummed.

“Ah, y-yeah. Someone new is coming here today. Brian has a daughter. She's quite young and has a habit of barging in unannounced.”

“Ah, so it runs in the family then?” Astarion chuckled.

“This is serious. You need to be careful. We should probably come up with a cover story in case you ever do get seen in here.” Winnie sighed.

“Winnie.” Astarion said softly, “my love, you worry too much. It'll be fine. If things here are like you said, I doubt anyone would believe a child claiming there was a vampire in the house.”

“No. Nobody would, but if that child were to claim a strange man was in her sister's room…” Winnie crossed her arms.

“Well, perhaps that would look rather suspicious.” Astarion admitted.

“Ya think?” Winnie rubbed her temples. “If anyone finds you, you are my friend from work. Your ears are either part of a costume or some birth defect, whichever works for you.”

“Oh sweetheart, I'd much rather be referred to as your lover.~” Astarion purred. Winnie just rolled her eyes.

“You do that and Brian will have more ammo against me. He'll probably make accusations about me bringing random men home. Probably call me a whore.” Winnie huffed before looking off to the side.

“You know darling, the more you tell me about your stepfather the more I feel like dumping his lifeless carcass off in a ditch somewhere.” Astarion muttered with a sadistic smirk. Though despite the evil grin on his face, his blood boiled at the thought of someone calling Winnie something so foul.

“Astarion, I've already told you, you cannot eat-”

“Oh no no no…. I've no desire to drink from that walking privy any longer! I was more so entertaining the idea of using poison, less of a mess anyway and-”

“No killing. I've told you already!” Winnie said sternly. Astarion crossed his arms with a pout and muttered something under his breath. He wanted so badly to end this asshole, but that would probably make Winnie very upset. He wanted to do something about him though. He had to damnit! Devious little schemes began to form in the elf's mind. Astarion's thoughts were then interrupted by Winnie putting a strange square device in front of him.

“Here, I got this for you. It's like mine, but not as advanced. It's a phone. I told you about it earlier, a machine for communication.” She said as she handed it to him. “I want you to keep it on you and use it if you need me. I've put my number on it.” Winnie said before quickly explaining how to use it, showing Astarion the buttons and apps. It was an older phone however, not a smart phone like Winnie’s so there was much less to mess with and no internet since it was a burner phone after all.

“While I do appreciate the help…I really don't think I can get the damn thing to work!” He hissed out, fingers struggling to press the buttons.

“Oh right….I didn't consider the fact that you had claws now….” Winnie held her chin in thought. “Well I'm sure you can get the hang of it if you keep trying. Women with longer nails than you have used these.” The young woman chuckled a little as he struggled to use his cell. His face looked so cute when he was grumpy!

Winnie then turned to grab her laptop once again as Astarion kept fiddling with the phone. She continued to work on her computer eventually feeling a bit hungry and her head began to ache.

‘Shit. I probably should have eaten something sooner. Astarion did drink my blood last night after all.’

Winnie finished the last few questions on her assignment before closing her laptop and getting up. Astarion quickly noticed her leaving the room.

“Where are you going?”

“To the kitchen.” She said, internally sighing as the vampire followed her like a lost puppy. Well to be fair she had kept him locked up in her room for literal days, the least she could do was let him follow her around. Winnie got out a cup of noodles before filling it with water and putting it in the microwave. “This thing cooks food by the way.” She said, she rubbed her head with her hand. “Though I guess you probably won't use it for anything.” Winnie turned back to him. She felt a bit awkward, being alone with him now. She wasn't really good at making conversation that didn't involve any nerdy stuff. Winnie had been lucky that on their date he was very content with talking her ears off while she sat quietly and listened.

“No I don't think I will.” Astarion mumbled. He stood closer to Winnie as she waited on her food to cook.

Barking suddenly caused Winnie to turn her head and look at the window. At first she was fearful that Brian and the others were back, but she quickly realized the pitch was much too deep to be Ollie.

“Hm, it's the same damn mutt from last night.” Astarion took a peek out the window, careful to stay out of the rays of the sun.

“The dog that was after Maddie?” Winnie asked.

“Yes, filthy beast chased her up a tree.” Astarion said, looking out into the backyard. The dog was running a muck, snarling and darting after squirrels. The microwave then beeped causing Astarion to jump. Winnie chuckled and took her food out before getting some chopsticks and skillfully twirling them around in the noodles. She slurped them into her mouth as Astarion watched her slowly.

“You just going to stand there and watch me eat…?” Winnie asked with a sigh.

“What else am I supposed to do? The sun will turn me to ash if I go outside. This little phone device is a menace and I'm not even sure I want to find out what anything else in this house does.” Astarion whined before suddenly he smirked, “I’d suggest a passionate round of sex, but I fear you might die of a heart attack as soon as you see my unclothed body again.” He teased, causing Winnie’s cheeks to redden.

“Well…I suppose since I finished my work I could do something with you.” Winnie glanced over at him.

“Oh lover, are you sure you're ready? ~” Astarion purred suggestively.

“I'm not talking about THAT!” Winnie snapped, face flushed in embarrassment.

Astarion snickered, “oh alright, what do you have in mind?”

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

Winnie had brought Astarion into the living room and went over what a television was. She explained how movies and TV shows were basically like recorded plays to the best of her ability. She'd come up with the idea of showing him some of her favorite gory horror movies! Something she was sure he would just love.

They say together on the couch as Winnie had put on a good slasher film and it had seemed to work pretty well. Her vampire was grinning from ear to ear as the film’s protagonists were picked off one by one, each meeting an incredibly gruesome fate.

“Ooh I like this! Do they all end up dying in the end?” Astarion asked, scooting closer to Winnie and making himself comfortable.

“Shh…. Just watch and find out!” Winnie hushed him, unable to repress the giddy grin that crept onto her face. Astarion was rather cute when he was happy.

The main characters in the movie had somehow stumbled into some nightmarish hellscape reality, where they had to run and hide from several different demonic looking creatures, all who were much too eager to tear them to pieces.

Winnie shyly leaned against Astarion as they watched the movie, hesitantly laying her head on his shoulder. He was a little too invested in the movie to glance down at her, but his arm snaked around her almost instantly. Everything was nice. Cozy. Winnie smiled a little, feeling her heart skip a beat. Perhaps this wasn't so hard.

“Hells’ teeth!” Astarion suddenly tightened his grip around Winnie as he tensed up in fear. On screen appeared a monochrome colored clown with razor sharp teeth and blood red eyes.

“Astarion! You're squishing me!” Winnie complained. Astarion didn't seem to listen, just clutched her against his chest tightly as if she was a teddy bear. The clown in the movie was sawing one of the main characters into pieces. So it was the usual gory horror movie stuff, but since Astarion seemed pretty terrified of the clown Winnie decided to turn the movie off. Astarion pulled back from Winnie and looked at her in confusion.

“Why'd you go and do that?” He pouted.

“You were crushing my ribs!” Winnie exclaimed as she rubbed her sides, “If I had known you were this afraid of clowns, I'd have picked another movie.”

“Pft. I was not afraid!” He scoffed and crossed his arms.

“Then why were you hugging me to death?” Winnie raised an eyebrow.

“Well obviously I was making sure you felt safe and secure. Gods.”

“Yes, nearly breaking my ribs made me feel soooo safe.” Winnie sassed and rolled her eyes.

Astarion was about to make another quip before his pointed ears suddenly twitched.

“Someone's coming.” He said. Winnie quickly snapped her head to the window, her eyes spotting Brian's car in the driveway, doors quickly opening.

“Shit. You need to hide!” Winnie panicked, Astarion glanced about quickly before suddenly loud deep barks were heard and then a scream from outside.

What the hell?

~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Note from TheChaoticDruid: This chapter got too long. Kinda going to be a bit slice of life here and there. I hope that's okay with you guys. Also, I hope it's okay that right now it's mostly just ocs I PROMISE we will get more BG3 characters. It just might take a bit.

Also more stuff on ShadowMommy69 coming soon....

Taglist: @astarioffsimpmain , @iamsexytrash , @tiedyedghoulette , @hp-art-studio , @gaymistakeboi , @the-disaster-in-waiting , @misscrissfemmefatale , @divineknightmare , @marcynomercy

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whenlostinthedarkness · 2 months

Text

Afterglow: Chapter 5 - No Idea

Lead Singer!Reader x Lead Guitarist!Ellie Williams

Summary: Your band journeys to California for a performance where you and Ellie just may have taken things too far.

Warnings: Angst, Infidelity, and a small bit of sexual content (thigh riding)

WC: 5.2k

A/N: You know the drill! Listen to the song No Idea by MUNA and watch the performance while you're at it too - here . Enjoy!

✮ Ways that you can help Palestine

✮ taglist: @diddiqueen @camillecrellin @teawithnosugar

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“You’re an idiot, you know that!” Your elbow dug into the side of Ellie’s ribs, causing her to mouth a yelping sound along with a mischievous grin.

“I didn’t do shit! You’re the one who liked it.”

You didn’t say anything to her teasing, instead, you opted for a smile that said every word.

Eventually, Ellie’s attention was caught on the screen of her phone, leaving you to look around the first class section of the plane. Per usual, you felt a shaking in your limbs as you watched other passengers find their seats or stick their luggage in an overhead compartment. Everyone seemed so excited to be lifted into the air inside an enclosed capsule, flown across thousands of miles of land and sea, and dropped off at their desired destination just like that. Is that not crazy to anyone else?

As if she already knew, Ellie’s hand slid to fit in between your fingers, making you jolt slightly.

“You okay?” She spoke softly into your ear as her hand gave yours a slight squeeze before settling to hold your palm with hers.

You hesitantly nodded, because sure, you weren’t hyperventilating on the floor (yet), but you also weren’t sunshine and rainbows either. “You know how I am with these damn things.”

Ellie nodded in understanding as she took both of your interlocked hands and brought them down to rest on the top of her thigh that was crossed widely over her leg. If you had asked yourself days ago if you’d ever be in a situation like this with Ellie again, you would’ve said not a million years.

Look at you now.

“You never liked things that you couldn’t control.”

This made you winch a bit, even though Ellie had no intention of bringing up some of the very words that were spoken minutes before she stormed out of your shared apartment those years ago. It stung and Ellie could see that all over your face.

“I-i mean like you know, roller coasters and shit. You never liked things that you couldn’t know the outcome of..”

There Ellie was, digging herself into an even deeper hole. Thankfully, you found that humor outweighed the remembered pain, at least for now.

“You’re fine Ellie.”

Her dough eyes looked up at your warm, grinning face with the sincerest of apologies, you couldn’t help but bring your other hand to pinch at the skin on the tip of her chin. “You’re cute when you’re nervous.”

“Don’t say that,” Ellie shook her head with playfulness to her pupils, “I'll have to be way more nervous from now on if you’re going to grab my chin like that.”

Her suggestive eyes made your mouth lower as your mind thought of playfully smacking Ellie on the side of her cheek, but opted that she may enjoy that part a little too much as well.

“You can’t say shit like that out loud!” you whispered through gritted teeth as your eyes scanned your surface area to make sure no one had laid their attention on the both of you.

Ellie grinned cheekily, knowing that her flirtations would get a rise of a reaction from you, and damn was she right.

It was scary how much comfort she was finding in using the old tricks she had sitting in a metaphorical box. Now, it was like the box had never been super glued shut, tossed in a corner, and cursed from ever being ripped open again. Instead, Ellie found the box cutter and took that bait the second she was able to. Not that you weren’t a willing participant either.

Just then, a voice came over the intercom as it warned that lift-off would be happening shortly and seatbelts were mandatory - something you’d buckled yourself into the second your ass sat in your seat thirty minutes ago.

Ellie pulled the strap of the seatbelt across the entire length of her mid-half, snapping the buckle shut before her eyes went directly back to you.

Your hands were tense as they pinched the top fabric on the leg of your sweatpants. Your knees bounced at an alarming rate, one that made Ellie’s seat vibrate and alert her to just how well, or not well, you were holding up.

“Hey,” Ellie nearly whispered as she tucked away the hair blocking your side profile from her view. Your eyes glanced over towards her just as you were letting out a breath through your nose.

“C’mere.”

Without much thought, Ellie wrapped her arm around your shoulders, pulling you as close to her as possible. The only time she released her comfort was when the plane made a graceful landing in its designated location.

—-

It was much warmer in California.

Your skin was sticky as you peeled the hoodie off of your arms-in desperate need of some free flowing air to cool down your rapidly growing body temperature.

“Damn”, Ellie said as her hand shielded her eyes from the bright sun. “This is a fucking contrast.”

Jesse laughed, “Yeah seriously.”

The entire band stood in a circle formation just outside the back entrance of the music venue. It was a type of space that you always appreciated. The ethereal architecture, vintage warm wallpaper, and high ceilings almost made you feel as if you were in a church, except this building held far less trauma.

Ellie flicked her finger along her lighter as a loose cigarette emerged from behind her ear. Even though you tried your hardest to ignore her plump lips as they wrapped around the thin white cylinder, your eyes betrayed you.

As Ellie exhaled her first intake, her eyes moved upwards and instantly met with yours. You quickly moved your eyes, but knew that you were caught. Except this time it didn’t feel as though you were caught doing something you weren’t allowed to do. This time felt more like that embarrassment you feel after getting caught doodling someone’s name over and over in a notebook.

Ellie felt flattered and cocky all in one knowing that you were watching her with that look that she knew had you creating scenarios she would hopefully get to act out on you later. She couldn’t help but smirk as she silently teased and taunted you in the friendliest way possible.

Sadly, the quiet flirting came to a halt as Ellie’s hands began digging in each of her Jean pockets as she searched for her vibrating phone.

Immediately, a new pinch of guilt and fear hit Ellie like a ton of bricks as her eyes nervously looked back at yours.

“I uh-gotta take this.”, Ellie addressed the group while holding up her phone just before she slid her thumb along the screen. Her voice was low as she walked away from the group, but you were still able to make out the gut wrenching “hey babe” she spoke to her girlfriend on the receiving end.

Dina studied you. The way your body tensed and the way your pupils grew twice their normal size. She didn’t want it to be true-god, she really didn’t, but She was growing tired of having zero answers to her inquiries so she took matters into her own hands while she had the opportunity.

“You wanna go on a walk?”, Dina said as she nodded towards you with her hands stuffed inside her front pockets.

You nodded with guilt graffitied all over your face as you mentally scorned yourself about being less obvious from here on out. Now, you just had to face your friend and ensure that everything was fine.

“What’s up with you and Ellie?”

Dina didn’t waste time beating around the bush once the both of you made your way into the venue and began walking through the large empty space. You were just happy she was bringing this up when it was just the two of you instead of in a group setting.

“What do you mean? Everything’s fine.”

Dina shook her head, humored, “It is so clear that things are different between you and Ellie..I don’t know what happened at the hotel that night, but ever since then you’ve both been acting weird around each other.”

“Weird how?”

Again, Dina shook her head, but this time, her feet came to a halt. “Don’t lie to me like that babe. I know you and Ellie better than that.”

She was right. She had known every phase of you and Ellie all the way from roommates to crushes to girlfriends to ex’s. This was going to be tough to hide from her, not to mention, it didn’t feel right keeping something like this from someone who was your best friend. But what else could you do?

“Alright-yeah… Something did happen last night.” You started as Dina braced herself for the worst while she nodded to encourage you to continue.

“It just kind of happened… I didn’t mean for it too, but… me and Ellie talked about everything. Our break up and relationship. We’d never really gotten that closure from each other after everything went down and we sort of laid it all out on the table.”

You hated lying to her-your best friend and confidant, but you couldn’t have her thinking you were a home wrecker either. Her opinion was much too valuable to you and jeopardizing that would feel like letting down your parents or guardian.

“Awe babe,” Dina relaxed honestly as she smiled and rested a reassuring hand on the top of your shoulder. “Is that why you guys have been-I don’t know, “she trailed off, then made direct eye contact, “...more friendly with one another? I almost swore you guys were flirting, but it makes sense now that you were both just more comfortable around each other.”

You knew she was buying everything you were feeding her and that’s what made the sting of it that much worse. Lying to one of your best friends never felt good, but gaslighting her into believing what she was seeing was incorrect, somehow felt that much more betraying.

“Yeah, exactly,” you nodded, “It’s like a weight has been lifted or something. We can talk to each other without this weird barrier now ya know?”

Dina smiled and nodded along as she grabbed both of your hands. “All I ever wanted for the both of you was for you to find happiness. Even if that happiness isn’t with one another in a romantic sense.”

Your front teeth jammed into your lower lip at the mention, but you kept your lips pinched together in a smile that you hoped didn’t look too much like a disguise.

“...i’m just fucking glad this is out of the way now. I’m sure it’s easier on your friendship now that everything's out in the open.”

The guilt began to weigh heavier and heavier the longer this conversation went on. You were desperately searching for a way to end it in a way that wasn’t abrupt or obvious.

“Yeah it is for sure. It’s been nice,” you said with eyes that swiveled around the room until you laid eyes on your escape. “Hey, I'm going to hit up the bathroom.”

With departing words, you and Dina both split off in opposite directions and Thank god, because you were in desperate need of breathing room.

As you entered the bathroom, the first thing you did was press your palms on the bathroom sink and look at yourself in the mirror. You felt uneasy staring back at the person who just lied repeatedly to their friend and bandmate. You’d never had anything happen that you didn’t feel comfortable telling Dina. It felt weird to have this type of confidential information, with no one to share it with. Well, except for-

Suddenly, the squealing of a stall door opened and out walked the very thing that had lie after lie rolling off of your tongue.

“What are you doing here?”

“So I'm not allowed to use the bathroom now?” Ellie quirked as she walked to the long double sink next to the one you still had your hands pressed against.

“I didn’t see you come in-you scared the shit out of me.”

Ellie’s damp hands reached for a nearby paper towel just before she, so slowly it almost felt like slow motion, slipped two silver rings over one finger on each hand.

You’d be lying if you said you didn’t watch. Ellie would be lying if she said she didn’t do it on purpose.

“So..how are you?”

“Seriously Ellie?”, you disputed as your lower back rested along the porcelain of the white sink.

Of course, Ellie came to stand directly in front of you, but not without checking her surroundings first to make sure you were truly alone.

She had a look in her eyes that had you aching for her hands to reach out and touch you. You invited her in closer with a silent nod.

“Can I kiss you?” Ellie spoke with the softest voice you’d ever heard. Of course, you couldn’t help but nod at the green eyes that were glistening at you.

Her mouth tasted like honey and Marlboro as the dew from her chapstick spread onto your lips, making you rub them together once both of your mouths had departed the others.

“I missed this.”

You nodded in agreement, “I did too.”

“For how long?”

You looked at her puzzled, “What?”

“How long have you missed this?”

Her forehead rested against yours as she asked you the question that made you want to crawl under a rock and never, ever reveal your true answer. You stayed silent as a large gulp moved through your throat.

“What if I said that I've missed this for a really long time.”

You shook your head at her confession as if what she said wasn’t true or that you didn’t want to believe it was true. “Don’t say that.”

Ellie’s forehead creased up as she questioned, “Why?”

Because in your eyes Ellie had it all. She had a loving girlfriend that supported her entirely and to the ends of the earth. They both seemed so happy and so in love and everyone else thought the same as you, but how can two people be so in love if the other is desiring secret affection with another person, let alone a person who is their ex.

Ellie didn’t like your puzzled face or the silence. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that I missed it?”

Your eyes burned the second they locked with hers, making you pull them away quickly. “What about Kat Ellie?”

“What about her?”

You sighed loudly as your hands raised in the air briefly before smacking back down against your legs in frustration. “How can you say that you missed this when you and Kat seem so happy together.”

“We are happy together,” Ellie verified with lips that sat in an unreadable straight line and yes that were avoidant.

“Then how can you miss us kissing and..doing whatever this is and be happy with your girlfriend?”

That one had Ellie stumped. She searched every crevice, unpacked every suitcase, and unraveled every scrap piece of paper that was floating around in her brain, but she didn’t have an answer. Instead, she stood with arms crossed in front of her chest until she thought of what to say next.

“If you don’t want to do this just say so-.”

“That’s not what I said.”

“Then what are you trying to do?” Ellie questioned with a voice that begged to raise an octave, but she fought the urge. “Why can’t you just accept the fact that I like kissing you and touching you and being around you? This is exactly what we did when we were dating.”

“Because we aren’t dating Ellie! We are sleeping around behind your girlfriend's back which is the complete opposite of dating.”

A build-up that felt like fire rose in Ellie’s brain. She couldn’t tell the difference between anger and tension. “Then tell me that you want to stop! I don’t know what you want from me!.”

“God fucking damn it Ellie!” You began pacing in a circle until your forehead gently met the white bathroom wall. With closed eyes, you rested in her words. What were you trying to do by bringing this up? Were you trying to find a reason to stop this? Why would you stop something that felt so damn good?

Ellie was hesitant, yet followed through as she slowly wrapped her arms around your center and rested her chin on your shoulder. “What are you feeling right now?”

You didn’t know or you didn’t care to know. Everything felt so damn complicated.

“I don’t know”, you simply stated before a layer of silence comfortably filled the porcelain filled room.

To both of your shock, the bathroom door flew open. Surely not with enough time for you and Ellie to part and act as if you were having a normal gathering with your bandmate.

Luckily it wasn’t anyone either of you knew. Ellie mumbled a fuck under her breath as she silently ushered you to the door as quickly as possible.

———

“How are we feeling so far California?!” You spoke into your microphone just before bringing a water bottle to your parched lips. Your question was answered by the screams of the crowd that seemed to never end as you peered over the tops of thousands of people’s heads.

“I don’t think we could hear you,” Ellie smirked as she shouted excitedly into the microphone, “How are we feeling tonight?!”

You found yourself smiling as you watched the way Ellie could command a crowd to scream louder than you thought possible. She was always so good at complimenting your stage presence and ensuring that the crowd was meeting your exact energy.

As the crowd’s yells died down, the entire venue went pitch black with only a handful of red lights pointed toward the stage lighting up the room. The voices of those who were familiar with your setlist began to rise in anticipation and excitement; you found your smiling lips grace the caged foam of the microphone as you opened your mouth and began to sing the beginning of the first verse.

One thing you knew how to do was flirt with the crowd. Your eyes scanned as you sang, making sure to stop and hold eye contact with someone in the crowd for at least a couple of seconds to really engage with them. Something that you’d never do when off stage, yet when you were up here in the lights and with your favorite people, you felt so powerful and confident.

As you got to the chorus, your hips swayed along with the beat and the lyrics that were suggestive in a very clear way. You remembered when you sat down to write this sing after having been on a date where the girl said you, “looked so innocent and sweet”. You found yourself with your hands in between your legs that night, thinking about that very girl and how you wanted to do things that weren’t so sweet and innocent. You could say the thought of you being perceived as innocent in a sexual sense got you off.

As you got to the second verse, your eyes caught on Ellie who, unbeknownst to you, had been watching you the entire performance. Her expression was somehow challenging you, but to what? You weren’t quite sure.

You managed to pull your eyes away from hers as your legs carried you to the opposite side of the stage. The crowd’s voices began to rise as they prepared for your lazily choreographed dancing that always drew screams and camera flashes from the audience.

You continued singing as you watched Dina as if she were your prey. You drew closer and closer until your front came in contact with Dina’s back. Yours and her hips began to move back and forth in sync with one another as you sang the lyrics that expressed how there was a ring around your finger that you’d pulled from your lips. Jokingly, your hand felt up Dina’s ass, as she swatted you away with a smile that had the both of you laughing.

Now, it was time for your bit with Ellie, except this time you felt nervous.

Night after night; concert after concert, you’d done this small dance with her in the center of the stage that had you both swaying in sync. However, that was all before this entire thing with Ellie began. Now, you were dancing with your ex-girlfriend turned secret affair to a song that spoke of how badly you wanted to fuck someone.

Having to look Ellie in the eye, sing those lyrics, and move in a sexually indicative way with her just felt scary somehow. It seemed Ellie wasn’t feeling any of those same feelings or at least she was just better at hiding them

You turned on the ball of your foot and sauntered towards a girl who still wore that overconfident smirk all while her fingers were busy strumming on the electric guitar that hung around her shoulders. Just as the beat for the chorus began, you both stood in front of the other and began swaying your hips from side to side, just as you did every performance.

The crowd’s high-pitched screams squealed through the venue as you and Ellie stood so close to one another, that your knees were bumping with every movement. Then, Ellie got on her knees.

Your legs spread even further apart to make room for her to sit right in between them as you throw your hips in a circular motion, nearly making Ellie’s face collide directly with your crotch if it weren’t for the guitar she held in her hands.

She looked up at you as if you were her goddess. The way the light hit you, the way you looked so confident as you moved your body with your eyes half lidded-she was lusting after you in front of thousands of people and she didn’t care because you were all that she could focus on.

Then, you bent down and rested your palms against the tops of your knees, which brought your face so close to hers. The sweet glistened over your top lip and Ellie found herself missing notes that should’ve been muscle memory by now, all because she was envisioning how your mouth, and other things, tasted right this very second.

Your eyes locked onto Ellies as the both of your faces began to move closer and closer to one another's, something that wasn’t unusual for this performance…that is until you felt her bottom lip brush along your mouth. That definitely wasn’t a common occurrence.

You jerked back to a full standing position so fast, in the hopes that no one caught on to what sins nearly happened on center stage. Meanwhile Ellie stayed low on the ground with a smile that spoke of zero guilt. You found it amusing how little she could care or worry.

You patted her head as if she were your guard dog- Ellie replied by nuzzling her face against your thigh with the cheekiest smile on her face.

Eventually, Ellie moved back to her place on stage left; it seemed that smirk was permanently etched into her smooth lips for the entirety of the performance. Somehow you were able to recover quickly, most likely due to the pressure to perform in front of thousands of pairs of eyes, especially when you were only halfway through the setlist.

—-

The air was chillier now that the sun had been long gone for the day. You hugged your jacket around your body as a gust of wind caused your hair to fly out in various directions.

“What are we doing tonight fellas? Bar? Club?”

You winced at the mention of the social places that were the furthest thing from what you wanted right now. “How are you not tired Jesse?”

“C’mon. It’s LA. There’s gotta be some cool elite clubs or some shit.”

You shook your head with a grin, “Can’t tonight. I already have reservations with the bed in my hotel room.”

“Ah, whatever. D you coming with me?”

Dina had her mouth open ready to answer, but a crowd of several dozen concert goer’s had taken up camp in the parking lot that was just over the fence that separated the band from the admirerers. As you, Ellie, Dina, and Jesse came into their view, the eyes and voices of those who kindly waited just to catch a glimpse and a wave from the foursome began to rise.

You gave a wave and a kiss that spread from your lips to the tips of your fingers as you extended the gesture to the fans who awaited your departure from the venue.

“Gimme a sec.”

The onlookers hands shook rapidly the closer you got. Phones and pens and anything else you could imagine were being extended to you and you were quick to please the crowd.

“I love you so much!! ” You answered with a genuine “i love you too” as you placed the pen back in the fans hand.

“When is your next album coming out.” You smiled as your finger hit the shutter button before you handed the phone back to it’s owner. “Soon enough I promise.”

“You and Ellie were so hot tonight.” You prayed no one could see the wince that was mixed in with your smile as the mention of a nearly fatal mistake to your reputation. “Thank you for coming tonight,” was all you could manage to say.

Your cheeks nearly felt as if they would fall off the second you got into the safety of the dark SUV. Your body met the plush cushion of the seat and you felt like you could fall asleep right then and there if you closed your eyes for even a millisecond.

Ellie scooted in closer to you in the most back row of seats as her hand pushed the still sweat drenched waves from her forehead. You couldn’t help but smile as you watched her struggle to maintain control of the locks that seemed to defy gravity.

“Let me,” you said as you reached for the keys that were hung around a hot pink carabiner that hung freely from the loop of your jeans.

Ellie looked at you confused until you moved your finger in a twirl-like motion. “Turn around.”

Ellies cheeks were warm and grin severe as she turned around in her seat. Meanwhile, your hands lightly touched the thin strands of her hair as you began to gather the top layer in your hands. The black hair tie snuggly held half of Ellie’s hair up in a messy bun that enunciated every single one of her facial features.

“Thanks”, Ellie whispered with that same grin still on her face as you nodded and tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear. She made you feel like a high schooler who had the biggest crush on the coolest girl in school.

“How was tonight for you?”, Ellie said as she got comfortable in her seat and angled her body towards you. She still had a grin on her face, but this one was much more boyish-filled with a hint of humor and a dash of admiration.

“Why don’t you tell me?”

Ellie shrugged her shoulders confidently, “I asked you first.”

You could feel your eyes rolling already as your grin became a teeth-baring one.

“You guys cool if we go out tonight?” Dian interrupted as she gazed back at the both of you from her seat a row ahead.

“As long as you don’t wake me up I don’t give a fuck what you kids get up to,” Ellie clapped the back of Jesse’s shoulder teasingly as he shook his head and shoved her hand as if they were two kids having a playful fight.

“Me and Jesse could always room together so we don’t wake you guys up only if that’s okay with you guys.”

Ellie shrugged in such a nonchalant way, you’d never know that she had been scheming on how to get Dina and Jesse to share a hotel room again so she could be alone with you.

“Works with me if it works with you.”

As Ellie’s eyes scanned yours, you felt a rush of goosebumps cover your arms and legs. You nodded, keeping your eyes trained on Ellie, “Yeah, that’s chill with me too.”

—

You were both so impatient.

The second the hotel door shut behind Ellie, your hands were in her hair and hers around your waist as both of your lips smacked together.

“The way your eyes get dark like that makes me lose my mind”, you spoke breathlessly as your forehead rested against Ellie’s.

Her eyes pinched together in confusion, “What?”

Your lips ghosted along her jawline as they made headway towards her neck, forcing Ellie to close her eyes as she caved into the pleasure.

“When you want to fuck me your eyes turn almost jet black.” Ellie groaned as her fingertips dug into your hips while your lips continued assaulting her neck. This time your teeth joined in as they gently ground into the tight flesh that tasted of mild salt of previous sweat.

“I love it when you make that sound.” The most Ellie could reply was another pitiful little whine.

Slowly, the both of you started making your way towards the nearby bed until Ellie’s back was colliding with the mattresses and you were straddling her waist.

“Get back down here, we’re not done.” Ellie’s hand that rested on the back of your head guided your face and body to bend downwards at her command. Your mouths consumed one another again and again.

Your hands clutched the white duvet as your hips desperately ground down to meet Ellie’s as your lips continued moving in synchrony. That is until, without cause, Ellie grabbed your hips harshly as she fought your back-and-forth movements, causing you to slow down drastically against her force.

You looked at her with widened eyes that were begging her to allow you to writhe against her freely, but then she did it. With a couple of wriggles of yours and her body, she bent her leg upwards, sending her kneecap to gently bump against the thumping space between your legs.

Your eyes instantly softened as you moved slowly against the hill her knee created. “You really thought I wouldn’t remember how much you like to get off on my thigh? Please, give me a little more credit than that.”

As good as it felt, you couldn’t keep a straight face as you chuckled and lifted one of your hands to playfully smack Ellie’s chest. “Shut the fuck up”.

“Am I wrong?” Ellie said with an amused grin that you didn’t respond to. Instead, you ground your hips down to rub your center against her knee that was hitting exactly where you needed it to hit.

With a shaky breath and your head bent low, Ellie watched you grind against her covered knee until you were a stuttered, wet mess. She loved every minute of it.

#afterglow #ellie williams #tlou2 #tlou #the last of us #ellie fic #ellie the last of us #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams tlou #the last of us part 2 #MUNA

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