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#honestly the bad thing for me is spending too much time scrolling on here wasting my time lmao not emotional exhaustion
repurposedmeatlocker · 9 months
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I wonder what it is about Instagram that intimidates me so much. Especially in regards to posting artwork or utilizing any form of interaction on there. The whole site just feels completely exhausting, overstimulating, and not to mention arduous. More and more, I feel less and less good every time I open that app, which kind of sucks because I feel like it is kind of the most obligatory platform in order to stay connected with most people, especially at an industry level, if that makes sense. It just is so unenjoyable to me. Even though I mostly just follow artists whose work I enjoy and support. Am I alone in feeling like instagram just kind of sucks?
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katzirra · 7 months
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I sure do be feeling a lot of bad things about my relationship with art these days lmfao, and I really don't know how to fix them and overcome them anymore.
It's like... there's such conflict about like... if you complain about the nature of social media people either are like YEAH!! or there's this weird thing I'm seeing now where people are getting mad at people bringing up the importance of reblogs as like attention seeking begging and shit like?? LIKES ARE NICE, I LOVE LIKES but like reblogs are how people actually SEE your stuff?
A like is like ah nice, scrolls past, a reblog is like MAN I WANNA LOOK AT THIS LATER or like it MEANT something to someone. But people act like that's so wrong artists are bummed out over engagement with shit lmao?? We're just selfish little hogs or something.
Or there's like this long standing thing about artists being bothered they don't know what to draw to get that engagement and people are like "DRAW FOR YOURSELF!!" like bitch, I been doing that because tumblr and twitter fucking drove that nail in lobotomy style - and it's making me sad because I feel like the more I like a piece, the SADDER I am when no one else engages with it or it's like 25 people??
Felix use to get alarming notes at times, now it's like feh, nothing? So, I tried drawing for fandoms I was passionate in - which got me a lot of people I care for, but also a lot of needless drama I hated and didn't ask for and that caused a LOT OF ISSUES when I even TRIED to stay out of it LMAO good LORD.
Even doing the Xig blog lately, I've been like okay I'm gonna stick with it because a WEIRD AMOUNT OF PEOPLE engaged with that poll I posted and I was like okay, that's a substantial amount of people who want that content, and even on the blog itself THAT poll was like OH. OKAY?? Because honestly, I feel like I'm on a weird blocklist or something or people don't like my art in the fandom so it's a weird place to be for me :))!! But I know people send me really sweet messages sometimes or sometimes I get amazingly sweet tag comments or people REALLY like an answer to something and it tickles their brain and that makes me happy but like??
I spend hours on that shit and it barely hits 100 unless it's a meme post usually and I dunno, I feel selfish all the time for being bummed about that. I'll spend days on some of them and be like SO PROUD and then just - the low engagement I'm like man, am I wasting my time? AM I STUPID? AM I TOO OLD TO BE HERE NOW, TRYING TO MAKE SOMEONE HAPPY? IS MY ART BAD? IS IT?? DO I JUST SUCK??? AM I NOT SELF AWARE??
It's weird how I see so many times people like my style or whatever, and like I know people still stick around for it, and I see so many artists post such GRAB BAGS of fandoms and stay strong in engagement and I just always feel like I'm doing something wrong or bad lmao?? Not supposed to talk about your feelings anymore, but also supposed to be engaging and personal on this here hellsite lmao??
I've been doodling shit at work and just feel tired all the time because I don't even want to finish anything anymore. I thumbnail mini comics that are like 5-10 pages of things that I think would be nice to do, I thumbnail out the backgrounds, thumbnail out bigger samples of poses and stuff and feel a little excited about how nice I could make it, and I just... know the energy put into it wouldn't be worth it because it'll be something I finish and am excited to post and no one will care.
Okay not no one, but like who is really gonna put fucking hours and hours of work into something that's gonna fall flat on it's face. I do that enough already! I over the last few years have posted so much stuff I was actually proud of and just felt....stupid for being happy and no one engaging with it. And then feeling more stupid and GUILTY because I'm upset about it?? LMAO LIKE WHAT KIND OF EMOTIONAL GARBAGE IS THAT?? And I'm barely online these days too beyond randomly scrolling shit to see what my friends that I barely feel relevant to talk to are doing in their lives nfjgkh I've lost all personalableness... that's not a word but we keep goin' lmao
It's like boy howdy, this kinda like ennui gets met with the whole ooooh two cakes and ohhhh but it'll be someone's favorite and blah blah - PBBT PBBTTT PBTTTT I GET IT!! But like, I'm sorry, I need more validation that I'm not wasting my fucking time. Because that's kind of all I feel these days is that I'm just wasting my time... which is sad. But ya'know some asshole will also be like "so stop" like thanks, thanks kiddo. That's the kind of shit I need I guess. Just stop. Just give up!
It's like, keep struggling, or just stop. Both options kinda fucking blow. But I've also tried to just stop caring about numbers and engagement - but I've noticed all my friends have slowly stopped posting art too. Busy and tired.
I wanna be excited to post art again, man. I miss when I'd post Marvel shit and actually have hilarious engagement and made friends and had fun conversations.
I miss when I'd post a Xig post and I'd see a tag and end up having a conversation in someone's ask box back and forth because I made some little easter egg or HC they were really into and were curious about more.
I dunno :)) bitching for no reason I guess. Shuts up and draws my stupid little pictures.
I feel like the only reason I keep doing art anymore is because I'm grasping some thread of hoping social media flops over again an engagement booms again LMAO - and also like, I have 3 patrons that ya'know. I'M FUCKING TRYING TO KEEP DESPERATELY LMAO.... Patreon pays for my fucking vet bills at this point and I'm obnoxiously thankful for those people but just fuck idk.
I'm doing everything wrong anymore it feels like but whatever!!
Maybe I just don't try hard enough lmao. Just not meant to be an online artist anymore. After 20 years, I'm still fighting this hard for mild engagement? What kind of fuck up, am I lmao holy shit.
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jinx-on-mars-19xx · 8 months
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Just wondering (no hate, I promise) what are your specific issues with MF and MGK’s relationship? Not a fan of hers (last I saw was Jennifer’s Body), and though I like his music I’m not really into keeping up with gossip (bad for my mental health), so I truly mean it, what’s up with them? Also feel free to not answer this is if you’re not doing well/are worried you’ll get hate for it. Hope you’re having a great day :)
Oh I'll probably definitely get hate for it, people who support her tend to act like her which I'm sure in their eyes is a lovely thing. I'd refer you mostly to @triplexdoublex for alllll the bullet points, I truly try to keep my page to supporting the boys- though I can't always keep myself from a few choice words about her. Roxy has always been the best at covering what happens between them, though I think even she is getting a bit worn down by it so I wouldn't suggest asking so much as scrolling through her old posts. But I'll take a small crack at it.
I was supportive in the beginning, he talked like he was so in love and I have plenty of old posts showing them off and telling people to leave them alone, but then the drama started.
She would post something melodramatic and keep it super cryptic and sad and people would automatically spread rumors he was cheating. She let rumors spread that he gave her a ring that physically hurt if she took it off, never explaining he hadn't. The jewelry company had to explain. She posted a pic of her arm in a cast and said something like 'I deserved this' or something along those lines which of course people started saying he had hurt her. Eventually the movie company she had been filming with came out explaining she fell during a stunt. This is a small amount of things she would post that would start rumors he was abusive and she fueled the fire at every turn instead of fixing it. She has only once that I can think of said anything to fix the problem and even then it was after posting a caption alluding to him cheating and people went wild and pulled his female guitarist into the mix. She deleted her Instagram and hid for a long time before saying it was "all the media's fault". She acts like she's never to blame but she loves stirring the pot and watching his reputation burn.
There are a lot of images of the exact opposite happening, her very obviously "getting on to him" in public at award shows or just shunning him when he'd get near, which of course also spread rumors but only about him.
She acts like she fixed him, she flat out said she manifested him into existence as a child. Like he's some bad boy archetype and nothing more. Like he's there to serve her. It's not healthy for either of them, her putting that much pressure on him or her having that high of thought about him. There's so many things that make me twitch when I see that they're still together. His personality changes, the way he seems submissive around her but himself everywhere else. The way his own friends seem to come out in support of him staying free of her. Pretty much all of this is on Roxy's page, she did an amazing job keeping up with it all.
I'm sure I'm about to get hate for this, besides my fics I've tried to be mostly careful about staying out of it but for a few random mentions. I've supported Roxy when people come for her and that's how most of the hate has ended up here but honestly I just feel bad for them. I don't spend my time hating her, I don't sit around and fume about it, I try not to even post about it much. Besides my genuine concern for him I don't actually focus on her much at ALL anymore. Why waste my time on hate? I'm sure I'll get anon rage for this but like... That must be a really hard way to live. I always think that about her too. How exhausting it must be to crave attention and shit stirring like that. How tiring narcissism must be. I don't wish harm on her, I just don't think either of them are healthy together. She needs to find herself again as much as he needs free. She's literally changing herself to fit what she thinks he wants. Just so people pay attention? Shit that must suck. Hopefully this explained a few things but again I suggest a deep dive on Roxy's page for the best info 🖤 Hope you have a great day too!
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lovemesomesurveys · 2 years
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Do you have a bad reputation?
I don’t think so. I think some give me too much credit and I’m like, oh buddy you’re so wrong.
Have you ever gone through a bad breakup?
The complicated, whatever it was relational Joseph and I had. Honestly, that and so many other things d doesn’t even seem like my life now. It feels a lifetime ago or in some other universe. SO much has changed.
Do you believe in Jesus?
I absolutely do.
Has anyone ever used a cheesy pickup line on you?
Yes.
Are you hard of hearing?
No.
Would you ever want a statue made of you?
Ew, no.
What’s the name of your best friend?
She’s mom to me.
When did you last go for a run?
It’s been years since I’ve had that kind of energy.
What is something that gives you good vibes?
The beach, fall, winter, the holidays, good books, good movies and TV shows, good food, discussing common interests.
How many bones have you broken in your life?
One.
What did you last search for?
Bzoink.
What color are your lampshades?
White.
Where are you currently?
Lying here in this damn hospital bed.
Has anyone ever called you dumb?
Not to my face, but probably. I’ve definitely called myself that.
Do you have any cats?
No. I miss my doggo so much 😩 I’ve never been away for so long.
What were you doing last time 3am came around?
Attempting sleep.
What’s your favorite love song?
Hmm. I have several.
What all did you do last night?
Watched TV, scrolled through Tumblr, slept.
What last let you down?
Myself.
How many lights do you have on?
Just the TV and my phone right now.
Have you ever had vertigo?
Yes.
Has your house ever been robbed?
No, thankfully.
Are you currently tired?
Yeah, but it’s hard to get much sleep.
When did you last get a haircut?
Cut it at home last year.
Do you ever use the slang “sheesh”?
Not often, but yeah.
Have you done a breathing exercise recently?
Yes.
What food/drink did you last waste?
A protein shake. Man, I miss actual food and drinks.
Have you ever had collard greens?
Nope.
Do you or would you ever live on a coast?
I live on the west coast.
Are you a cry baby?
Yep, that’s me.
If you have a partner, do you have a song?
Have you ever dug a hole? What for?
No.
Do you spend too much time in your room?
Yeah. I like my room, but also because I’ve had to spend a lot of time on bed rest the past few years.
Have you ever fainted? What from?
Yes.
What is something that is “just like heaven” to you?
The beach.
Who is someone you know who is gorgeous?
My hubby, Alexander Skarsgard of course. Ha.
Do you know a Chelsea?
No.
Would you rather kill or be killed?
Um, neither???
What’s a good habit you have?
I can list my bad ones a lot easier.
Would you rather have 12 fingers or 12 toes?
Toes. It wouldn’t affect me at all.
What’s the sweetest, best pie you’ve ever had?
Various cheesecakes.
What did you last try to do?
Just trying to take it easy and work on things day by day.
Have you broken anyone’s heart?
Yes.
Do you have brown eyes?
I do.
Are you currently barefoot?
I am.
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corpsedaydream · 4 years
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Hi! Thank you for writing for Corpse!
Anyway, how about scenario when after some stressing things (like going for groceries or medical treatment etc) corpse came home just to see s/o in his hoodie that just too big for her?? Fluff and all??
Thank you again and sorry for bad eng :D
thank u for reading them cutie!! 🖤
oof this is a cute idea, here we go
update: this turned out longer than i planned, but i’m not mad about it! hope u enjoy
word count: 1.3k
_________________________
cold hands, warm neck
You had no idea what time it was when you awoke. You’d been spending your time off at your boyfriends house and after four days of trying your best to match his sleep schedule - not wanting to miss out on any moments with him - it finally caught up to you and you had crashed hard.
The night before, Corpse told his friends he was taking a quick bathroom break from streaming, except it wasn’t a bathroom break, you hadn’t replied to any of his messages he’d sent you while he was in there and he was getting a little worried. He was surprised to hear no noise around the house. Usually when he opened his office door for the past few days, he’d hear you watching something quietly from the couch, or facetiming one of your friends, or laughing at something on your phone. He’d gotten so used to it that when it was dead silent, the anxiety started to build ever so slightly.
The living room and kitchen showed up empty, and as he turned around, he caught that his bedroom door was opened.
“(Y/N),” Corpse called your name as he began walking closer, but you didn’t respond and his anxiety grew. 
“Baby?” He tried again, reaching the doorway and looking in and that’s when he saw you and relief flooded through him.
He had gotten used to you staying awake with him these past couple of days, but he knew himself you couldn’t keep that up the whole time you were there. In reality, he was expecting a moment like this to happen.
You were deep asleep, not moving an inch and chest moving so slowly but rhythmically to signal how peaceful you were. There were telltale signs that you unintentionally fell asleep. You were still atop his covers, and he’d come to learn you loved to be curled up under a duvet. Your hair was still up in it’s scrunchie and he’d come to learn you slept with it out or you woke up a little grumpy because of the headache it caused. Your water bottle was leaning against your arm and he’d come to learn you always placed it on the floor before sleeping, you’d told him about the few times when you woke up freezing after they’d leak. Your phone was still half in your hand, but it was dead, signalling that you were probably scrolling through Tiktok or Twitter and fell asleep doing so.
He took a moment to look over you, he wanted to remember this picture in his mind, before he went into action to make sure you were sleeping how he knew you preferred.
First he removed your water bottle, second he grabbed your phone and plugged it on charge for you before placing it on his bedside table. Next came the actions he was worried would wake you.
With gentle hands, he pulled the scrunchie from your hair, allowing your hair to sprawl over his pillow and next he went to work with trying to get the covers out from under you and over you, instead.
It seemed Corpse really underestimated just how deep asleep you were, because you didn’t stir once through this process. If he was honest with himself, there was a part of him that had selfishly wished you had woken up, just so he could kiss you and hold you for a moment to tell you good night and hear your sleepy voice. But he knew you needed this, he couldn’t expect you to keep up with his sleeping pattern. So he settled with leaving a gentle peck against your forehead and whispering a quiet “sweet dreams, baby,” before going back to his stream.
You were somewhat delirious when you did finally wake up. After a few nights of barely sleeping to catching up on all those missed hours in one night, you couldn’t even be sure what day it was.
“Corpse?” Even your voice was a little croaky, laced with sleep. You rubbed your hands over your eyes before spotting your phone on charge. Slow hands grabbed it, unplugging the charger seeing that it was now on 100% before looking to see if Corpse had messaged you anything. And sure enough, you discovered he had gone out, but he promised to be home soon. Something you didn’t doubt, knowing he didn’t enjoy being out of his place.
Whilst waiting, you took a shower but when you got out, it was seemingly a lot colder today.
Did I even pack anything warm? You wondered to yourself, Corpse lived somewhere it rarely became cold and you were left empty handed when looking through your own belongings for a hoodie. Then you spotted a hoodie of Corpses sitting on the end of his bed and without thinking twice, you slipped the black article of clothing over your body. It made you miss him, it felt right to be wearing his clothes, but it made you want his arms around you, too.
You decided on waiting for him on the couch, it was close to the front door and you had just spent well enough hours in his bed.
It wasn’t long before you heard the locks of his front door being switched opened and instantly the smile grew on your face as your heart fluttered with excitement. You’d spent almost every minute with him since being here, so the time spent sleeping and him going out felt long.
You watched him as he walked in the front door. He hadn’t noticed you at first. And you could see why in his face, he was distracted, stressed from the task that really took a toll on him and you wished he’d woken you up so you could’ve gone with him or even for him.
“Hi.” You greeted your boyfriend.
“Fuck,” You caught him off guard, and you couldn’t help but to laugh as he made a little a stumble and dropped the bag that was in his hand. “You’re awak- is that mine?” He quickly cut himself off, his eyes landing on you and dropping down to look over the familiar black hoodie that completely engulfed you in the most heart warming way.
“Oh, yeah, I didn’t bring anything warm.” You spoke, lifting your arms as you spoke and looking at the material that was so baggy all over you, but so comfortable. “I should’ve asked, sorry.” You apologised but all he could focus on was how perfect you looked. So cozy but also fresh and well rested after the deep sleep you had.
“No, no. It’s okay. I love it.” He assured you and you began blushing, placing your hands that were completely covered by the sleeves over your face.
“Corpse, stop.”
“I’m serious, you don’t know how much better this has made me feel.” He told you honestly, and that’s when you brought your hands down from your face and instead opened your arms to him.
“Come here.” You told him simply and he didn’t waste a second before he accepted the invitation and embraced you fully.
Your body automatically moved back to lay against the arm of the couch as he joined you by resting on top of you. You jumped slightly as his arms rounded you and his cool hands slid under the hoodie, his touch wanting to feel your bare skin.
“Sorry baby, you’re just so warm.” Corpse told you before leaving a kiss against your neck and resting his head there. “Every part of you, too.” Even his nose felt cold as he nuzzled it against where he’d just left the kiss.
“Why are you so cold?” You asked between laughs, bringing your own arms around him, too, wanting to be as close as possible.
“I had to go outside.” He sighed and his reply took the humour out of your words.
“Are you okay?” You didn’t hesitate to ask him, brushing your fingers through his hair.
He nodded his head against you. “Don’t wanna talk about it right now. Just want to be with you.”
“Okay.”
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robininthelabyrinth · 3 years
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Spilled Pearls
- Chapter 7 - ao3 -
Lan Qiren woke up with a pounding headache and no memory of having gone to bed.
This would not have been a surprise had he been at home, as his routine was blissfully static and required no thought whatsoever – each item he needed in its proper place, each movement mapped out through years of practice, his entire body trained such that he would automatically begin to go through the necessary acts at the appropriate time and would immediately begin to feel sleepy once he started the sequence – but it was highly notable that such a thing would occur while he was out of the Cloud Recesses, where each day’s sleep would only be the same in terms of the time at which he fell asleep.
In this case in particular, he also felt sore all over – his head, as mentioned, but also his upper arms and, oddly, his right knee. Had he been exercising unwisely? The bed in the room he had been given at the Sun Palace was not that nice, too hard and unyielding, but it wasn’t enough to cause this sort of aching…
“I will see to it that the next bed lives up to your stringent standards.”
Lan Qiren’s eyes shot open and he sat upright at once: that was Wen Ruohan’s voice.
“What are you doing in my –” he started to say, then stopped.
Wen Ruohan was not in his bedroom.
He wasn’t in his bedroom.
He didn’t even recognize this bedroom.
It was massive, for one thing: a full suite, the way the hanshi was back at home, with place for a bed and a table and plenty more besides. The bed was similar in style to the one in the room he had been assigned but larger in scale – made of dark wood and covered in the red sun motif like all the other décor, but over twice as broad and an extra chi in length, and the brocade fabric used to upholster it was considerably more lush and luxurious and, admittedly, more comfortable than what he’d been sleeping on in the Sun Palace’s guest quarters. The room itself was the same, decorated in luxury extending to the point of opulence: there was a painting scroll on one wall that if genuine would be worth more than everything Lan Qiren owned put together, young master of a Great Sect or not, and on the other wall hung six swords, each more glorious than the next, and he suspected if he knew more about weaponry he would be able to recite their names.  Even the red sun that was painted on every ceiling here glittered with embedded rubies and spiritual stones, emanating pure qi – a tremendous waste, each one of them sufficient to be a cultivation sect’s precious treasure.
Amidst all this luxury, Wen Ruohan was sitting not far away from the bed, a book held loosely in his hands – it was as if he’d been waiting for Lan Qiren to awaken.
“I think you’ll find, in fact,” Wen Ruohan said, and his eyes were glittering the way they had been the day before when it had been Lao Nie he’d been looking at, full of malice and self-indulgent amusement, “that this is my bedroom.”
This was not a surprise, but rather the only logical conclusion.
Not that it explained why Lan Qiren was here.
“Did I – fall asleep?” he asked uncertainly, though surely that must be the reason. “And you – brought me here?”
“You did, and I did,” Wen Ruohan confirmed, and seemed amused for some reason. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
Lan Qiren wracked his brain, which was hurting and unhelpful and slower even than its usual plodding pace. “…I was thinking that liquor tastes vile.”
Wen Ruohan’s smile broadened. “Mm. It seems that you inherited your grandfather’s head for wine.”
Lan Qiren’s grandfather was one of the elders who refused to obey the rule against alcohol. He had also, in his later years, developed a most un-Lan-like fondness for wine.
He had not at any point developed a tolerance for it.
Lan Qiren closed his eyes in a wince. He must have made a complete fool of himself!
“This foolish junior apologizes to the Sect Leader for his misbehavior,” he said. He wanted to lift his hands to salute, but the movement, when he started it, set off his stomach, and he was forced to wrap his arms around his midsection instead.
There was a rustling sound, robes moving as Wen Ruohan rose to his feet, but Lan Qiren kept his eyes stubbornly closed, fearing that any further input would cause him to bring up everything he’d consumed the night before – only to open them in shock a moment later when he felt a finger press against the acupoint between his eyes, a warm stream of spiritual energy pouring in to cleanse away the nausea and pain of his headache.
Of his hangover.
He had a hangover.
Wen Ruohan, the mighty Sect Leader Wen, was providing him with medical attention to deal with his hangover.
There weren’t going to be words for how much he was going to get punished when he got home.
“Thank you, Sect Leader Wen,” Lan Qiren croaked, feeling hot all over with unending mortification. He had truly been foolish to think that just because there was only one night left in the Nightless City there was little danger of him repeating the mistakes of the past – he had no face left to speak of.
“Oh, no need to be so formal,” Wen Ruohan said, drawing out the words in a drawl. “Not after such a memorable night.”
Lan Qiren did not want to know what he did to make the night get described as memorable. He did not.
Especially not since Wen Ruohan was so obviously enjoying himself over it.
Of course, he wasn’t an idiot: he might be slow and bad at social cues, might find it difficult to understand the unspoken or keep up with sarcasm, but even he knew what was being implied here.
An older man with a younger one, liquor shared, a bedroom…
Yes, he understood the implication.
He just wasn’t stupid enough to believe it.
Lan Qiren folded his hands together and held his head up high.
“It is good that the Sect Leader did not take insult at my foolishness,” he said stiffly. “I thank you for your care and attention, and regret the burden I placed upon you.”
If anything, Wen Ruohan looked even more amused. “Such dignity, little Lan. You’re not even going to ask what happened?”
“This junior is only sixteen,” Lan Qiren said, still stiff and icy. “There is nothing that could have taken place without Sect Leader Wen’s approval, and naturally Sect Leader Wen would not permit this junior to offend his dignity.”
There, he thought with some satisfaction. That neatly turned the situation around: even if something untoward had occurred, which honestly Lan Qiren did not believe past that first initial moment of panic – even putting aside the fact that he wasn't anywhere near sore enough for something like that to have occurred, Wen Ruohan was not known to succumb easily to lust, nor was he so eager for war that he would recklessly try to deflower the son of another Great Sect while the latter was intoxicated for the first time – the blame would fall squarely on Wen Ruohan’s head, not Lan Qiren’s.
Wen Ruohan laughed, understanding perfectly well what Lan Qiren meant.
“You would think so,” he said, sounding almost approving of Lan Qiren’s rule lawyering. “I would have thought so, too, but I find that you Lan have truly remarkable arm strength…especially when trying to keep your conversational partner from escaping while you explain the difference between what the Lan sect consider to be fundamental rules and those considered ancillary.”
Lan Qiren blanched.
That was worse than what he’d thought – because unlike the notion of him making unwanted advances (or receiving them, for that matter), it was plausible. Terribly, painfully plausible.
“Oh, yes. All five iterations of the debate.”
Oh no.
“Four sect discussions. Seventeen separate texts on the subject, not counting later commentaries. Sixty-four subsidiary rulings, all of which you were very enthusiastic in recounting - and here I was thinking that your Wall of Discipline had a surfeit of rules, when in fact it was only the beginning. Apparently, I underestimated you.”
Lan Qiren buried his face in his hands as if that would make it stop. 
“Still, I suppose I’ll have to accustom myself to hearing more about the rules in the future,” Wen Ruohan mused. “We’ll be spending far more time together, after all, on account of our sworn brotherhood.”
Lan Qiren looked up and opened his mouth, then stopped.
He had nothing to say.
His mind was absolutely blank, a state which had never before occurred.
“Forgive me,” he finally spat out. “Our – what?”
Wen Ruohan smiled at him with eyes full of poison and a mouth full of teeth.
“Sworn brotherhood,” he said casually, as if it was nothing. “You were saying that you regretted not being able to see more of the Nightless City before you left, and that you could only leave the Cloud Recesses to visit family, so we became sworn brothers.”
“We did not.”
“Oh, but we did,” Wen Ruohan said. “We drank mixed wine and swore all the appropriate oaths – I have the written version here, if you’d like to see.”
The piece of paper he put in front of Lan Qiren was recognizably in Lan Qiren’s own hand, although his normally impeccable calligraphy was rather wobbly. It was still readable, though, and the first few clauses very clearly laid out a sworn brotherhood oath.
Lan Qiren stared at it.
“We – but we can’t be sworn brothers,” he said blankly. “We’re – you’re two generations older than me. Am I supposed to call you da-ge?”
“No one has called me da-ge since my youngest brother died,” Wen Ruohan mused, and Lan Qiren was abruptly reminded of the rumors, never confirmed, that that particular death had come at Wen Ruohan’s own hands following a challenge for the seat of sect leader. “It’ll be very charming, I’m sure.”
“But…”
Wen Ruohan said nothing, but only smiled at him.
Lan Qiren looked down at the paper.
He didn’t understand what was happening.
He tried to go over it again in his mind: he had left the competition when the celebration had started, he had wandered the halls, he had tried to obey his brother’s instructions in avoiding Wen Ruohan, and when that failed, he had obeyed him in trying to be obedient. He had drunk liquor for the first time, and he had no memory thereafter until he had woken up here and now, in Wen Ruohan’s bedroom, with Wen Ruohan saying that they had –
He didn’t think Wen Ruohan was teasing him over this, though. Not the way he had so obviously been with his implications that they had used the bedroom for purposes other than sleeping.
Not with evidence, written in his own hand.
He didn’t understand.
How could this have happened?
“…did we really?” he whispered, half-hoping against hope that it was still a tease, still a joke, still – something, anything, other than what it was. That Wen Ruohan was just waiting for him to declare that he believed him, to demonstrate dismay, and then he would tell him the truth.
“Yes,” Wen Ruohan said instead, inexorable. “We did.”
Lan Qiren’s mind fell into chaos.
He didn’t understand.
He didn’t understand.
“You’re shaking,” Wen Ruohan observed. “Ah, little Lan – don’t tell me it’s now that you’re scared?”
Lan Qiren’s hands were in fact shaking, he observed, and he put them over his face.
“Why would you do that?” he asked, his whole body starting to rock back and forth in his distress. “Why would you – with me – an oath of brotherhood can’t be taken lightly –”
“It can’t be,” Wen Ruohan said, and for some reason he sounded satisfied. “Certainly not for someone like you, little Lan, who always keeps their word and does not lie.”
“But why?” Lan Qiren asked, his voice rising almost into a plaintive wail. “Our sects aren’t even allies.”
“They are now,” Wen Ruohan said, and put his hand on the back of Lan Qiren’s neck. It felt hot against his skin, like a hot stone used for massage – a little too hot to tolerate for very long. “You know the obligations of a sworn brother oath as well as I. My duty as the elder brother is to guide you and care for you, support you and yours, and in return you are to obey me and be guided by me.”
Did Wen Ruohan want a spy in the Lan sect? Lan Qiren wondered wildly. But surely there were easier ways than this – not only would he make a terrible spy, with his clumsiness and his terrible social skills and his inability not to take everything seriously, but it would be simple enough for his sect to counter such a move. All they would need to do would be to cast him out…
His rocking intensified.
Wen Ruohan brought his other arm around him and pulled him close until Lan Qiren’s forehead, with its forehead ribbon still firmly in place, was pressed against his chest.
“Don’t cry, little brother,” he crooned. “Am I to allow a priceless painting to be kept by those that see it only for its use as spare kindling? A peerless treasure sword left to prop up a door?”
“You have a half-dozen swords hanging on your wall, each more priceless than the next, and all of them rusting away for lack of use!” Lan Qiren cried out. “Even if it’s only a door, at least it’s – it’s my – my brother…”
“Do not worry about your brother, undeserving as he is of your sincerity. Qingheng-jun has been trying to get concessions out of me this entire conference,” Wen Ruohan said. His breath was warm against Lan Qiren’s hair. “I’ve been refusing, but now I’ll grant them. He won’t punish you.”
“That’s not how that works. Punishment isn’t inherently bad; it’s meant to correct and guide the individual – the failure of good conduct will always be my own, no matter the result –”
“What I have taken into my hand, no one yet lives who would dare seek to take away,” Wen Ruohan said. “Anyway, it’s too late to regret now, isn’t it? What’s done is done. Don’t you have a rule like that?”
Lan Qiren sniffed. “No. There are at least four that could potentially qualify as having similar underlying meanings, but none directly on point.”
Wen Ruohan huffed. “Little Lan, if I tore out your heart, would you have time to cite one of your sect rules before you died?”
“…maybe if it was a short one?” Lan Qiren said, blinking at the strange question; his lashes brushed against Wen Ruohan’s lapel. “I mean, there’s a difference between ‘Be loyal and filial’ and ‘Set the wise as your teacher and the moral as your example’, isn’t there? And of course you’d have to consider whether in tearing out the heart you impeded the lungs, and how much time it would take the exsanguination to take effect…”
He was calming down, he realized, and pulled back out of Wen Ruohan’s arms, blushing as he realized that the question must have been meant as a distraction, though how Wen Ruohan had realized that a distraction would be the best way to reduce his distress when even he hadn’t known, he had no idea.
“Thank you for your consideration,” he mumbled, ducking his head in embarrassment.
Wen Ruohan started laughing.  
“Truly I have found an unappreciated treasure, unlike any other,” he said amid his chuckles. “Come along, little Lan. Let’s go break the news to your brother.”
133 notes · View notes
parkersharthook · 3 years
Text
We’ve Only Just Begun
Peter Parker x reader
Warnings: bad words, crack fluff
2.5k+ words
Reference TikToks: kiss my best friend challenge & rich best friend check
series masterlist
~.~
“Peter I’m bored.”
“Hi bored, I’m Peter.” Peter looked to you with a small smirk
“I know, I did just address you. Also, never say that joke to me every again if you wanna keep dating.”
“ooh, harsh crowd.” Peter laughed.
“babyyyy I’m bored. It’s summer vacation, I should not be this bored.”
“y/n, you’re distracting my intern.” Your dad snipped quickly, elbows deep into some kind of machinery. You weren’t really sure what they were working, having gotten very uninterested once they started. “He’s helping me right now; do you want me to lose an arm?”
You rolled your eyes and spun around in the chair, “dad you always take him.”
“hey, you get him every day during the school year. Summer is my time.”
Peter looked between the father and daughter with a brow raised, “are you two seriously fighting over me right now?”
“well I wouldn’t have to fight over my boyfriend with my dad if Harley was here right now. That selfish idiot left and now you’re the only wonder boy to entertain my dad.”
Tony scoffed and held out his hand, wordlessly asking Peter for some tool. Peter handed it over immediately before turning his head back, “where did Harley go?”
“I don’t know, he just said he was leaving and walked out.”
“maybe he’s got a hot date.”
You huffed and slouched in the seat, narrowing your eyes at Peter. “makes one of us.”
Tony laughed and twisted slightly to give you a wink, “sorry honey but that was the deal. I let your boyfriend stay here if he helps me out.”
You rolled your eyes so hard Peter was concerned you’d see your brain, “oh puh-lease, you wanted Peter here just as much as I did. Either for Spidey stuff or normal nerd stuff, you’re just using this as an excuse.”
“fine but at least I’m not complaining about him sneaking into your room every night.” Peter sputtered, his face going instantly red and almost dropping whatever mechanic was in his hand.
“oh Mr. stark, i- we don’t- it’s not-“
“relax kid, if I was going to crucify you I’d have already done it.” Tony spun to face you, “now can you please go bother someone else. If you really want to spend time with Peter you’ll let us finish this.”
You huffed and left the lab as Peter blew you a quick kiss causing you flip him off jokingly. This is not what you wanted when you wished for your boyfriend to get along with your dad.
--
It had been a few hours and you were still bored. You had promptly gone to your room after leaving the lab and gone on tiktok, you’re absolute favorite way to waste time but now you were bored again. And you missed Peter, especially after a stupid trend kept popping up on your fyp of people kissing their “best friends” making you realize you weren’t kissing your very kissable boyfriend right now.
As if he could read your thoughts, Peter waltzed into your bedroom and immediately shucked his shirt off to wipe his face and hands.
“well hello to you too stud.” You said, biting your lip and very obviously ogling his toned body.
Peter laughed as he threw his oil stained shirt into the hamper and went to grab another from the dresser. You pouted, “why are you putting a new one on? You look fine without it.”
“because it’s the middle of the day and anyone could come looking for us and I am not about to be killed by any of the avengers because I’m corrupting their ‘little princess’”. Peter said as he put the new shirt on and flopped next to you, his chin now resting on his hand as he looked up at you.
“ugh they need to get over themselves and realize that we’re adults who’ve been dating for three years and basically already live together.”
Peter shrugged, his empty hand rubbing against your bare leg casually. “you’re always going to be the little girl they watched grow up.” He laughed at your pout and squeezed your thigh, “what have you been up to? Cured your boredom?”
“No.” you huffed, “just been scrolling on tiktok. Kinda want to start making them, could be fun.”
“what would you make?”
You shrugged, immediately struck with a great idea. “I don’t know whatever the trends on. I’m gonna put the tv on, don’t move.”
You shimmied out of bed, setting your phone up as discreetly as possible and turning on your tv. You started the video and moved back to the bed. You knew the trend was to kiss a best friend but you thought it would still be fun with Peter, plus you are best friends… you’re just also already dating. So not cheating, just a loophole.
Peter was still on his stomach, hand supporting his face, as he scrolled aimlessly through Instagram. And with you sitting against your headboard, it looked friendly enough. You waited for the right time before sliding down so you were laying next to him, practically under him. He looked up at you and smiled and for a second you were worried that he was gonna go ahead and kiss you but luckily he waited just long enough where you could initiate it in time with the song. You surged forward, hand immediately coming to weave into his curls to pull him closer.
Peter was obviously not expecting you to kiss him so aggressively so he fell slightly before catching himself on one arm that was now positioned next to your head, the other going to hold your hip. Now you really were under him.
You got lost in kissing him for a few moments when you realized the video was probably done and detached your lips. You giggled as Peter chased your lips, eyes still mostly closed. You slid out from beneath him and walked over to your phone.
“wha- where are you going?” Peter pouted, running his hands through his messy curls. You bit your thumb nail slightly as you rewatched the video, it was cute. “did you take a video of that?”
You nodded and showed him, watching a goofy smile stretch onto his face as he looked up at you, “so when you said you were gonna start filming TikToks you meant immediately.”
You shrugged and sat next to him, “no but the opportunity presented itself.”
You quickly captioned the video ‘sooo I kissed my bsf’ and tagged Peter’s account before posting it and throwing your phone to the side.
Peter kissed your bare shoulder, “is this gonna become a regular thing?”
You giggled and shrugged, “I don’t know. Guess you’ll have to wait and see.” Peter groaned, grabbing you around the middle and falling back onto the bed, pulling you down with him.
--
It was a few days later when you opened tiktok again, surprised to see your video had racked up 600 thousand likes and over 5 million views. You were surprised to see that it had gone semi-viral and yet no one recognized you. Not that you had your legal name in your username and you definitely weren’t as famous as your dad and family, but you weren’t hidden away either. Honestly though, this was kinda nice to just be another twenty-one year old on tiktok, posting stupid videos for fun.
You went to the comments immediately to see what people were saying and laughed at some of the funnier ones. You noticed that even MJ had commented.
Usera: aw so cute *blocked*
Userb: ms girl… he’s been waiting for this
Userc: no way best friends kiss like that
everythingbagel: “bsf” yeah fucking right y/n
⇲ begginstrips: hehe love you mj
You went back to your fyp and scrolled through a bit before you ran into stassie baby’s video of her showing off Kylie’s car collection with the audio saying, ‘rich best friend check’. You quickly sent the video to Peter, who was currently at lunch with Harry and Ned.
y/n: wanna do this when you get back?
Peter: lol sure seems funny
it was a few more hours before Peter got back to the compound, him easily finding you curled into the couch watching How To Train Your Dragons. You smiled as he dropped a kiss to your forehead, “this movie again?”
“it’s one of the best movies ever made,” you sassed back, “so yes, this movie again.”
He leaned down over the back of the couch smiling into your face before giving you another quick succession of kisses. “wanna film that tiktok?”
You checked the time before nodded, languidly stretching your body and standing up. “where should we start it?”
And that’s how Wanda found you and Peter at 3 am, videoing rando fancy stuff around the compound, you strutting and swaying your hips dramatically. Wanda followed Peter around, who was filming, laughing at your antics and giving you tips on what to include. The three of you got so loud, that Tony eventually woke up to investigate what the three of you were up to… as it was usually not great.
“are you sure we can film this? I don’t reveal any state secrets.” Peter whispered not so well.
“what state secrets are we revealing?” you whirled around to see your father, one brow raised and a hip cocked to the side.
“good entrance, very dramatic dad.” You said with a laugh, “and there aren’t any state secrets being revealed.”
“what are you filming?”
“A tiktok.”
Tony rolled his eyes, “I’m not even gonna pretend to know what that is. Anyways go to bed, you guys are being loud.”
“yeah, yeah. We’re just finishing up.” You watched your dad walked away before turning back to Peter and Wanda, “let’s go film in front of one of his suits.”
--
Peter had posted the photo to his account and captioned it: “@begginstrips is my sugar momma ;)” before promptly throwing his phone to the floor and passing out next to you in bed.
It was 10 in the morning – which was far too early as you and Peter had only fallen asleep at 4 am – when MJ started calling you and didn’t stop until you literally rolled out of bed onto the floor to pick up.
“what the fuck m? it is too fucking early.”
“you’re all over the news.”
You paled, “what?” Everything you ever did wrong very quickly flashed through your eyes, your mind scrambling to remember what was caught on camera.
“yeah your tiktok went viral. People are freaking out.” You sagged in relief.
“Jesus mj you can’t just say that shit for it to be tiktok.” A pause, “wait which tiktok?”
“the one Peter posted of his ‘rich best friend’ and you walking around the compound.”
You let out a quick laugh, “oh ok. That’s not that bad.”
“also can we talk about this whole best friend schtick you and Peter have going on tiktok? What the fuck?”
You chuckled slightly before crawling back into bed, your heart now beating at a normal pace. “the first one was just a trend so I lied to follow it and then it was just the sound. Also he is my best friend, he’s just also my boyfriend.”
MJ scoffed, “rude. I’m your best friend.”
“right, right. Sorry.” Peter grumbled slightly as he buried his head into your hip. You gently carded your fingers through his curls, “do you know why it’s all over the news?”
“apparently people didn’t know you existed? I don’t know, just thought that you might want a warning in case your dad got angry.”
“well I appreciate it, regardless of the fact that you basically gave me a heart attack and woke me up at butt fuck.”
“it’s 10 am, get over yourself and have a cup of coffee. Anyways, lunch tomorrow?”
You yawned, “sure sounds good. Wanna invite betty?”
“she’s still in Hawaii with her family, they’re coming back this weekend.”
“right, ok. Let me know what time you wanna go.”
“will do. Love you bitch.”
You smiled into the phone and yawned again, “love you bitch.” You hung up and tossed your phone to the floor, rubbing your eyes harshly.
Peter barely opened his eyes as he looked up at you, “what was that about?”
“apparently we’re famous.” You replied as you reached over his body to grab his phone.
Peter snuggled deeper into your body, wrapping his arms around your leg and laying his head in your lap. You rested against the headboard, one hand still playing with his curls and one now scrolling to Peter’s tiktok.
You blanched as you saw the video had gotten over 6 million likes and 45 million views overnight. And according to the comments, people were very confused.
User1: ummm is that the avengers compound or am I tripping?
User2: so we’re all just finding out tony stark has a child rn?
User3: mmmm something don’t add up here?
You sighed as turned the phone off, rubbing your eyes again. A headache was quickly setting in. You leaned down to press a chaste kiss to Peter’s cheek before slowly working your way out of his grasp.
He whined, “baby where are you going? It’s early.”
“I have to go talk to my dad about this but you keep sleeping babe.”
He rolled over to face you as you walked towards your closet. “are you sure? I can come with you.”
“no, it’s ok baby. I really don’t think it’ll be a big deal.”
--
It was slightly a bigger deal than you realized. Pepper was now talking you through ‘making sure SI had a good image on social media’ while your dad smirked in a corner.
Pepper stroked your arm, “this isn’t bad press or anything. You’ll just have to be careful going into the future. And you know that with being a Stark, you’re gonna have a lot of eyes on you and probably a lot of criticism.” She sighed, “we’ve done a good job shielding you from the press for this long but it might be a lot.”
You smiled at her softly. Pepper really had always been like a mom to you and now that her and your dad were officially married, it was even more true. “Yeah I know. I’m honestly not too worried.” You turned to your dad, “did you know people didn’t know I existed?”
Tony shrugged, “Doesn’t surprise me. I have almost every record of you sealed from the public for your safety and you never were one for the spotlight.” He walked over and dropped a kiss onto your forehead, “never show my suits on your clock app again.”
You rolled your eyes and stuck your tongue out at him, “for someone who owns a company based on new and cutting edge technology, you sure are out of touch.”
He gasped, a hand pressed to his heart. “how dare you, my own daughter.”
Pepper laughed softly, “she’s not wrong. Anyways, post whatever you want to your personal account. You’re an adult, so we trust you just be careful. I don’t want to see you getting hurt.”
You kissed her cheek before standing and stretching out your back. “don’t worry, I already have a plan for my next video.”
“god help us.” Tony muttered.
188 notes · View notes
tacticaldiary · 3 years
Note
Hi! Can I request for Osamu.. maybe angst to fluff type? Surprise me ❤ thank you sm!
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Here ya go! @asdfghjkl7things
Quality Time
Pairing: Reader x Osamu Miya
A relationship requires one to see both perspectives, and a lack of communication inevitably leads to arguments. Osamu learns this the hard way.
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“For the fifth time, I’m busy.”
“You were the one who asked me to come over!” 
“Well, I didn’t think you’d be this much of a distraction.” Osamu turns the page of his textbook over, pausing to jot down something into his notebook.
Huffing, Y/N gets up from her chair at the table next to him and goes over to the couch, flopping down on it. She just wanted to spend some time with her boyfriend, after he called her over to ‘hang out’. It wasn’t fair. Blowing a stray strand of hair from her face, she starts scrolling through her phone boredly, occasionally glancing back at Osamu, who was engrossed as ever in his textbook. 
A few minutes pass in silence, before her phone is plucked out of her hand. Frowning, she sits up and is met with the grinning face of Atsumu. 
“Whatcha doing?” he smirks, rolling his eyes when Y/N lays back down. 
“Sulking.”
“I don’t blame you, having to deal with ‘Samu all the time.” he teases, starting to scroll through her feed. 
Y/N didn’t mind. Over the past two years of dating Osamu, she had grown close with his slightly-more annoying brother. It was inevitable, really. She had nothing to hide either, so she wasn’t worried. It was the loss of her distraction that bothered her. Peeking her head over the back of the couch, she spots Osamu, still reading, but now munching on a couple of pretzel sticks. He seemed completely engrossed in the material. 
Atsumu drops Y/N’s phone, opting to check his own instead. Grinning at the recent notification, he looks up at her. Seeing her look at his brother that longingly made him feel a twinge of annoyance towards his twin. 
“Alright, you’re done moping around.” He stands suddenly and stretches his arms over his head. After a few satisfying pops, he grabs Y/N’s hand and yanks her off the couch, snickering when she loses her balance and falls to the ground instead. “Whoops.”
“Asshole.” she groans rubbing the back of her head, before standing up. “What are you talking about.”
“You, Aran and I are going out.” he pulls on his jacket and throws Y/N’s at her. She pulls it on, glancing back at Osamu, who hadn’t even looked up. She felt a little annoyed at that. He was the one who invited her over, refused to pay attention to her, and didn’t care if she left. She nods at Atsumu and grabs her things.
She had come to have fun, and that’s exactly what she was going to do, with or without her boyfriend. 
Grinning at her agreeing, he pulls her towards the front door. “Oi, ‘Samu, I’m stealing your girlfriend. Have fun being lonely”
“Shut up.” he retorts, almost automatically. He doesn’t even glance up, too focused on his work. 
Osamu only looks up when he hears the door close, frowning a little. He doesn't make a move to go see what was happening, opting to focus on his assignment instead. He just wanted to finish it quickly, so he could spend time with Y/N, but it was taking longer than he expected. 
Laughing over Atsumu and Aran’s mindless bickering, with Aran mostly ignoring the twin, Y/N walks in between the two, caught in the line of fire, a shopping bag in hand. The three had spent the day at the shopping centre, even catching the latest action movie she had planned on watching soon. It was fun, to say the least, the two expertly distracting her from her sulky mood, but Y/N couldn’t help but miss Osamu, the person she really wanted to spend time with. 
After saying goodbye to Aran, the two headed towards the twins' house, Y/N wanting to have a chance to say goodnight to Osamu at least once. As they approach the door and Atsumu rummages for the keys, Y/N speaks. 
“Thanks for today.” she smiles genuinely.
“What would you do without me, honestly?” he smirks back, opening the door.
“Life would probably be much easier.”
“It’d be boring. You’d be bored to death without me, face it.”
Y/N is saved from responding when they spot a very frustrated Osamu on the couch. When he sees them enter, he stands quickly. “Where the hell were you? Are you alright?” he walks over to Y/N and scans her up and down. Upon finding her unharmed, he crosses his arm, waiting for an answer. 
“I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Atsumu calls over his shoulder snarkily, moving to go up the stairs to put a few things away. His brother was clearly talking to Y/N.
“I was out with Atsumu and Aran? He told you.” she nods towards the stairs.
“No, he didn’t. I’ve been worried sick. I look away for a few seconds and you’re gone! And you won’t answer any of my calls or texts!”
Taking out her phone from her pocket, she finds that he did, indeed text and call her multiple times. “I must have forgotten to put my phone off silent after the movie.” she frowns and looks up at him, cursing the height difference. “And a few seconds? I thought you didn’t want to spend time with me. You were clearly ignoring me.”
“I was trying to finish my assignment so I could get back to you. Honestly, how hard is it to check your damn phone? You’re always on it, anyway.” he says, still very much angry.
Y/N never really saw this side of him much, given that Osamu was a pretty chill guy, much calmer than his brother, and it took a lot to rile him up like this.
“I wouldn’t have had to put my phone on silent if you just spent time with me like you said you would.” Y/N shoots back. She wasn’t at fault and he wasn’t justified to be mad at her.
“If you would have waited 10 minutes-” He clenches his jaw.
“I waited for two hours! Two whole hours that you called me over for, only to spend ignoring me.”
“I would’ve gotten done way sooner if you weren’t breathing down my neck the whole time.” he spits out, pissed. How the hell was this his fault? He was doing his best. “If you weren’t so goddamn clingy and desperate for attention all the time!”
His words stung, but she didn’t back down. “I'm not-...I left you alone, didn’t I? It’s not like you noticed till about two more hours later.” She shows him her call log. He had started calling after they had finished the movie, so about two and a half hours after Y/N had left. 
“To spend the day we were supposed to have together with my brother?”
“Bullshit! I’m not the bad guy here! I came over just like you asked, only to be brushed off so excuse me if I actually decided to have fun with my friends instead of wasting my time with you!” She yells harshly. 
A beat of silence that stretches on for a bit too long.
“Why don’t you go back to him then?” His voice is much quieter, somehow more heart-breaking than it would’ve been if he was yelling. “Since he obviously knows how to make you happy and since I’m just a waste of time.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it-” He cuts her off with a scoff, running a hand through his dyed hair. 
She didn’t mean to have it go this way. Taking a step towards him, she grasps his arm. “Hey...you’re not...I didn’t-...” she struggles for second. They rarely ever fought, so this was a fairly new situation for her. He’s not facing her, so she shifts to stand in front of him. Osamu, after a few good seconds, shifts his gaze down towards her, staring at her coldly. Y/N can tell he was a hurt, even if he didn’t show it much.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.” She says, taking a deep breath. “I don’t like arguing, but you’re not seeing things from my perspective.” She frowns little, feeling encouraged when he says nothing. “I came over, specifically because you asked me too, and you spent the whole time not saying a word to me.”
Taking the information in now that he was a lot calmer, it made a little more sense. Exhaling sharply, he looks away slightly. “...sorry.”
A little taken aback, because your boyfriend wasn’t one to admit he was wrong this quickly, Y/N nods slowly. 
“I was worried. I didn’t mean anything. Sorry.”
Y/N sighs and pulls him into a hug. “We’re both in the wrong then.” she hums against his chest, feeling him hold her closer.
The pair stay like that for a while, before Osamu silently pulls her toward the couch, putting on a random movie. He pulls her towards him, and Y/N’s not complaining. Tucking her head into the crook of his neck, he wraps his arms around her securely. They lay in silence, taking the moment to let go of their anger and cool down in the presence of each other. The slightly tense and awkward atmosphere slowly dissipates over the course of the film, and before the second half, Y/N is fast asleep on top of him, her breath tickling his skin in steady puffs. 
He sighs and brushes the hair off her forehead, giving her a small peck, before turning the volume down and settling down himself. He dozes off shortly after, and the two stay like that till the morning. 
They’re woken up, rather rudely, by Atsumu yelling at them to ‘get a room’ from the kitchen. 
Y/N’s face smiling softly up at him erases all thoughts of smacking his brother over the head.
Requests Are Open and Welcome
339 notes · View notes
jisungsmochi · 3 years
Text
somebody to you - hrj
Tumblr media
somebody to you - renjun
behold,, the FINAL part of my nct dream x the vamps songs series! leaving y’all with something really wholesome and fluffy bc i’m inlove with renjun 
word count: 2.8k 
summary: huang renjun didn’t like relationships. he thought they were messy, and honestly, a waste of time. he had his whole life ahead of him, so why would he need a significant other to be happy? that was all until he met you, and thought to himself, maybe it wouldn’t be all bad...
read the rest here! 
//
I used to wanna be
Living like there's only me
But now I spend my time
Thinking 'bout a way to get you off my mind
renjun scrolled through his endless instagram feed, swiping through threads of his friends with their girlfriends. he would be lying if he said it didn’t make him
borderline sick. he was always a realist, never really seeing the point of having a serious relationship at such a young age. in his life so far, he’d probably say he’s only had one girlfriend, and it was a random girl he asked to prom so he wouldn’t feel left out. renjun was never opposed to love, he just wasn’t actively seeking it.
“dude i reckon you’re gonna like her! she’s super cool from the sounds of it, and she goes to our university!” haechan insists as the four boys sat down for dinner in their shared apartment.
“i don’t need you to set me up on a blind date. i’m capable of finding someone on my own, thank you very much” renjun rolled his eyes, fed up with the continuous discussions of his single status.
“yeah, and how’s that going for you?” jaemin chimed in, causing jeno and haechan to chuckle in response. renjun just scoffed, shoving his mouth with more food to avoid speaking further.
“give it a chance. the worst that could happen is that you don’t vibe with her and you never talk to her again” jeno tries his best to convince the stubborn boy. renjun just shrugs, his mind contemplating the idea.
“okay fine, one date. if you guys really think she’s soo good for me, let’s see how accurate you guys are” renjun snickers. he was not confident in their matchmaking skills at all, but he loved seeing them fail.
“perfect, i’ll set it up for you. just sit back, relax and be your boring self” haechan grins, tapping away on his phone. renjun ignores the cheeky boy’s comments, finishing up his dinner. his first date in over two years, this should be good...
I used to be so tough
Never really gave enough
And then you caught my eye
Giving me the feeling of a lightning strike
renjun was regretting this date already. all he knew about you was your first name and your uni course, nothing else. the boys had refused to show him any photos of you, claiming that it would be more ‘romantic’ if he fell for you at first sight...what a cliche, he thought to himself.
“how will i even know it’s her, if i don’t know what she freaking looks like?” renjun groaned, nerves slowly building up as haechan pulled up to the date location.
“i’ll point her out, okay? just trust me” renjun let out a short sigh, hands slightly jittery. why the hell was he nervous? it wasn’t like he was going to see her after this one date.
as renjun stepped out of the car, his eyes scanned the scenery.
“jeez, you guys really went all out for this date” he was amazed by the view. it was a restaurant that was by the water, multiple little boats sailing across it and the sounds of birds humming.
“of course, you only deserve the best” haechan winked, eyes looking for renjun’s date.
“dude what if she doesn’t even show up. does she even know what i look like?” renjun was slightly panicking at this point, drifting from his tough exterior.
“haechan?” a soft voice interrupted his thoughts. renjun’s eyes diverted to the owner of the voice. he felt stunned by the sight of you, dressed neatly in some jeans and a flowery blouse. you had slightly curled your hair, hands clutching to your purse as you greeted the two boys infront of you.
“hey y/n, this is renjun, your date for tonight! see you kids later, don’t get up to anything crazy” haechan chuckled to himself, shoving renjun to meet you. renjun almost clashed into your smaller frame, catching you off guard. you gently held his arms, keeping a small distance between you both.
“o-oh my bad, i-i’m renjun” he stammered, eyes meeting yours. you were slightly blown away by his looks...he was really attractive. well done, haechan.
renjun would say the same about you. even though he didn’t have a particular type, (as he found it kind of dumb tbh) he believed you could fit it perfectly.
“i’m y/n! nice to meet you” you widely smiled, renjun returning your expression as he pulled out his hand for you to shake. maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
Look at me now, I'm falling
I can't even talk, still stuttering
This ground I'm on, it keeps shaking
you were currently trying to hold back your laughter as renjun recounted the story of how he caught jaemin with his girlfriend...doing the nasty, during their first week of university.
“oh my goodness! were you scarred for life?” you slammed your fist on the table, causing others around you to glare. but renjun couldn’t even focus on them, attention solely on you.
“of course! it was the first week! like couldn’t they have just waited until midterms?” renjun chuckled at the memory, proud of himself that he made you laugh so much. he must be doing something right.
“you’re really funny, renjun. some of the other guys that haechan tried to set me up with were lowkey boring. i guess he sees me as boring too” you slightly frowned, watching as renjun piped up in his seat,
“y-you’re not boring at all! you’re funny! and pretty too” he muttered the last part, not wanting you to have heard. but you did. you decided not to linger on it much, afraid to make him too flustered.
“you’d be the first guy to say that” you shrugged, taking a small sip from your glass of water.
“have you had boyfriends in the past?” renjun suddenly asked, causing you to raise an eyebrow.
“i-uh i’ve had a few. nothing too serious though, how about you?” you curiously ask in return, watching as renjun looked down to his lap. he hesitated before answering,
“i’ve only had one girlfriend before. i’m not really an avid dater” renjun admits to you, hoping that you didn’t find him lame.
“oh neither am i! we have another thing in common! i feel like relationships can get really difficult to manage, especially if you aren’t in the right headspace, you know?” you started rambling, renjun stringing along to your every word. he found such beauty in the way you articulated your words. he was so entranced he almost forgot to respond.
“i totally understand how you feel, i’ve always thought that i should live my life to the fullest before i consider settling down” he commented, causing you to nod along. you really liked his answers, it seemed like you were both on the same page about relationships. you didn’t expect to enjoy his company this much, initially agreeing to go on the date so that haechan would stop teasing you for not having a boyfriend in uni yet.
you walked alongside renjun, waiting for your roommate to pick you up.
“i had a really good time tonight, renjun. thankyou” you kindly complimented, causing renjun to become more shy (if that was even possible).
“no thankyou! there were times i felt kind of awkward, but you really know how to carry a conversation” he smiled, watching as you started to get shy.
“are you flirting with me, huang renjun?” you teased, nudging his arm gently.
“so what if i am?” he nudged you back,
“well i don’t think i’d want you to stop” you smirked. before renjun could say anything back, your heard the familiar voice of your roommate urging you to get in her car.
“oh that’s my ride. i have to get going. this was nice, i’ll see you around renjun!” you hurriedly embraced the boy, placing a gentle peck to his cheek before rushing to your roommate’s car.
renjun still didn’t say anything back to you, his body frozen from your touch.
‘no no no’ he thought to himself...he was falling for her.
All I wanna be, yeah, all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah
Is somebody to you
Everybody's tryna be a billionaire
But every time I look at you, I just don't care
“so are you gonna tell us about the date or do we have to call and ask her instead?” haechan teased as the rest of the boys sat in their living room. renjun has a book in his hands, wanting nothing more than peace and quiet after his long night.
“gosh, will you let me finish this chapter?” renjun huffed, causing jaemin and jeno to snicker. haechan pulled out his phone, holding it to renjun’s face,
“oh would you look at that? it would be a shame for my finger to slip and dial y/n” before he could continue, renjun hurriedly tossed his book to the side, tackling the pestering boy onto the ground, holding him down firmly.
“holy shit, did you get stronger?“ haechan could barely speak, still in shock from the sudden attack. renjun slowly leans back, letting out a tired sigh.
“you two are ridiculous, let’s cut to the chase, did you like her or not?” jaemin rolled his eyes, ready to hear all the tea.
renjun looked from side to side, not liking all the attention that was on him.
“i-she was really cool. honestly yeah, i did like her. but i don’t think she’s looking for anything too serious at the moment” renjun shook his head, thinking back to your heated discussion about relationships.
“okay that sounds like a cop out excuse. i think you’re just scared” jeno chimed in, the two other boys nodding along. renjun glared at them, trying his best to maintain his composure.
“yeah, i mean, did anything happen aside from good conversation?” jaemin continued to push, renjun now becoming more reserved. of course he trusted his friends, but they never really openly spoke about their feelings like this, it was quite new to all of them.
“she kissed me on the cheek before she left, does that mean something?” renjun muttered, watching as haechan tips himself over, now laying on the ground.
“you’re an idiot, must we spell it out for you? she’s totally into you as well” jeno groaned in frustration.
truth was, renjun wasn’t sure how to properly ask someone out, nonetheless be in a proper relationship with them. he was in desperate need of help...but all he had were his three idiot friends.
“i know i don’t know her well and all, but after she left, i couldn’t stop thinking about her. is this what it’s like to fall for someone? oh god...i’m falling” renjun started rambling to himself, jaemin and jeno now rested against him, shoulder touching either of his.
“the answer is pretty clear, man. go for a second date! make the move, she might be thinking the exact same thing” jeno shrugged, trying his best to advise his friend, the best he could. renjun bidded, actually agreeing with jeno for once.
suddenly, renjun felt his phone ringing. he immediately picked it up without looking at the caller ID.
as if you were listening in on their conversation, your voice rang through renjun’s ear.
“hello? is this renjun?” you nervously stammered, waiting for a response. renjun was completely frozen, his mouth hung wide as jeno pressed his own ear closer to the phone.
“y-yes this is him” renjun finally spat out, hands slightly shaking.
“oh great, this is probably coming as a surprise to you. but i uh, wanted to know if you’d be interested in going on another date” you were able to finish, heart racing as you held the phone tightly. renjun felt his heart stop after your words, jeno shaking him gently to snap out of his daze.
“o-oh yeah, i’d be really interested” renjun replies, mentally face palming himself for sounding a little too eager.
“amazing, i’ll keep in touch” you smiled to yourself, trying your best to contain your excitement. eventually you hung up, screaming into your pillow, kicking your feet up and down. was this how it felt to actually like someone?
“there’s your chance, don’t blow it!” haechan teased, throwing a cushion over to renjun who was still frozen well after the call had ended.
‘holy shit’ he mumbled.
//
the date you had planned for renjun, involved attending the local food markets they held once a month. you thought it would be a social enough setting for conversation to not get too awkward, as well as enjoy a variety of food. renjun met you at the bus stop, dressed in baggy jeans and a blue wind runner jacket. his hair was slightly styled, some strands gelled back. it really accentuated his facial features, making you admire him even more than you did before.
“you look really good today, i mean, not like you don’t look good everyday i’m sure you do..” you shook your head at your rambling, wanting nothing more but for him to laugh it off. renjun just smirked at you, planning another witty comment to respond,
“not as good as you though” he gently guided you to walk with him, his hand travelling to the small of your back. you slightly froze at the contact, but aimlessly followed him. he surely had his way with words.
as you both tasted some amazing food, renjun found him standing quite close to you. if you were trying a sample, he would stand behind you, his chest touching your back occasionally. it seemed really natural to him, and you didn’t mind it at all. he would often touch your shoulder gently to grab your attention, or pull you along by your waist. it gave you massive butterflies that you could shake off.
“did you want to start heading home? we can walk to the bus stop together” renjun offered kindly, his arm wrapped around your shoulder as you slowly made your way out of the large crowd. just as you were about to respond, rain started sprinkling from the sky. renjun quickly moved you to stand under some shelter as the rain came pouring.
“how the hell are we meant to walk in this?” you half shouted, clutching onto renjun’s side. he couldn’t bear moving you away from him,
“let’s just run, we can’t wait for it to pass” he suddenly took your hand, pulling you along as he bolted to the nearest bus stop.
“you’re so crazy, renjun!” you shout at the boy, giggling at the entire situation. before you knew it, renjun span you around, pulling you close to his chest.
“the only thing i’m crazy about is you” he confessed, catching you completely off guard. he had a habit of making such flirty comments, but this time you felt he wasn’t trying to joke around.
“w-what?” rain was washing over the both of you, your clothes completely soaked at this point.
“i really like you, y/n. i really freaking do. i didn’t want to admit it at first because i was scared of the idea of dating. but i want to be with you. i want to be somebody to you. everyone is out here trying to settle down and start their lives, but i feel like with you we can go at a steady pace. i don’t want to rush things, incase it gets messy, and difficult. but i just needed you to know that i really like you, and i hope it’s not all in my head that you like me back” renjun firmly confessed to you, eyes never leaving yours. you slowly raised your hand to wipe some rain drops off his face, watching as he smiled into your touch. he held you tightly in his arms, awaiting your response.
“renjun, i think i made it really clear that i like you back. i was also nervous about how you’d react, considering you weren’t really looking for anything serious at first. i think we should give it a shot, we can worry about all the stress and possible fights later on. all i know is that right now, you’re the only person i want to be standing in the rain with. now can you please kiss me?” you couldn’t contain your smile as renjun leaned into you. his lips pressing gently against yours. your fingers now running through his wet hair as he held your waist firmly. the kiss started getting deeper, the atmosphere really playing into the romantic nature of it all. eventually you both pulled away, foreheads presses against eachother, softly giggling.
that was the beginning of your relationship with renjun. despite having ups and downs (as expected) you both persevered and tried your absolute hardest to make things work. renjun finally admitted to himself: falling inlove wasn’t so bad...especially when it was with the right person.
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because-of-a-friend · 4 years
Text
Bestfriend!Mingyu College AU
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MASTERLIST
Thanks for the request @caratcakemix​ !!! This is my first time writing something like this so I hope I did ok!!! But I enjoyed it because I like pushing myself to do new things! There’s two more requests after this and then I’m going back to finishing the Falling Flowers series! Love you guys!!! Thanks for all the endless support and patience!
Word count: 4.3K
Warnings: (Most likely terribly written) angst (I’m so sorry, I feel like it’s so bad)
Summary: You and Mingyu had always been best friends. It’s been that way for as long as you can remember. But when the line between friendship and something more gets blurred, will you take it further or lose each other completely? 
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“No Mingyu, I don’t feel like walking all the way over to your dorm,” you sigh, kicking off your shoes as you enter your own living space, “it’s across campus.”
“[Y/N],” his voice drags your name out in a long whine. “Pleeeeeeeease, Dokyeom went home for the weekend and you know I hate staying here by myself!”
“Your dorm is not haunted, Gyu. It’s just the old pipes making those noises.”
“What do you even know about pipes,” he grumbles before silence overtakes the conversation. 
You sigh when he doesn’t say anything else, “If I stay there, will you buy me food?”
You hear rustling on the other side as Mingyu is undoubtedly fist pumping in victory, “YES! YES! I will!!!! Thank you!”
“Ok, give me a bit to shower and grab some stuff. The food had better be there when I arrive,” you hang up and throw your phone on the couch. You sigh in defeat. It’s always been annoying that Mingyu has been able to get you to do anything with hardly any effort, but for some reason, lately it’s been more frustrating than usual. The thought prompted you to zone out for a moment, your mind racing to find an explanation. 
You shake your head, attempting to clear your thoughts, before finally moving from the spot where you had been standing to go get ready.
*******************************************************************************************
The strange frustration you have with Mingyu settles down in the back of your mind and doesn’t leave. 
But it’s easily ignored when Mingyu opens the door of his dorm to let you in, wearing a comfy looking hoody and a bright smile, and holding a plate of wings from your favorite chicken place down the street. 
 You step in while lifting the plate up out of his hands. Mingyu laughs at your forwardness and follows you into the living room area. 
“Are we watching movies?” you ask around the first chicken wing that’s already been shoved into your mouth. “I don’t have any homework this weekend, so I’m down to do whatever.”
Mingyu shuffles over to where you’re sitting on the couch before slumping down to lay his head in your lap, “Yeah, let’s watch that new action movie.”
“I’m tired of action movies,” you grumble. 
“Well I hate all the horror movies you like watching,” he whines. 
“Let’s compromise and do suspense then.”
Mingyu reluctantly agrees. However, the two of you spend the majority of your evening scrolling through movies and shoving chicken into your faces.
“Thanks for doing this, [Y/N],” Mingyu suddenly mumbles, right as you two are about to fall asleep, awkwardly crammed onto the tiny dorm couch. The annoyance pops back up to the front of your brain right before you fall asleep.
*******************************************************************************************
The next day the two of you waste time playing games, binging shows, trying to get ahead in school (not), and snacking. Mingyu keeps thanking you for staying with him.
“I guess it’s an occupational hazard when your best friend is an unbearable extrovert,” you tease. “You’re just lucky I didn’t have a date or something this weekend.”
Mingyu laughs loudly in response, “Yeah, you on a date.”
“Hey!” you say throwing a pillow at him. “I could have a date, jerk face. What do you know about my romantic life?” 
“I know that you turn down every date that comes your way.”
“No, I only turn down the dates you try to set me up on because your friends are creepy.”
“Creepy is harsh,” Mingyu argues.
“I guess so... but the guy that wore fedoras all the time was creepy.”
“Ok that’s true, I should’ve seen that one coming.”
“The rest weren’t so creepy as they were just incredibly hard to get along with.”
“Maybe you’re the one that’s incredibly hard to get along with,” Mingyu teases before another pillow is thrown at him. “I’m just saying, maybe don’t be so... picky. Lower your standards and date for fun instead of trying to find your soulmate.”
You get quiet for a moment as you consider his words, “I guess you’re right. I mean I’d like to have the experience of dating in college.”
“I’m so glad you said that!” Mingyu exclaims clapping his hands and plopping down in front of you. 
“Did you say all of that just to convince me to go on another date with one of your friends?” you roll your eyes. 
“Maybe... But! I think you’re really going to like this one! I met him through Dokyeom. His name is Soonyoung, he’s a dance major who’s a year older than us. He’s super nice, entertaining, and is always fun to hang out with!”
You sigh and give Mingyu a look, “Ok, you know what? Fine, let’s do it.”
Mingyu is always able to get you to do whatever he wants you to, and it’s getting more and more annoying.
*******************************************************************************************
You always got nervous before the dates, although you’re not sure why. Maybe it was just restlessness over the thought of wasting a night with a guy you most likely would not call again. But this time, Mingyu’s words spun around in your mind. You were going to try this time to just go with the flow and have a little fun. 
You stood outside the restaurant. It was a little fancier than your usual college student cuisine, but not so nice that you had to worry about what you were wearing. Which honestly made you sigh in relief. One of the guys Mingyu set you up with took you to a super nice restaurant for the first date and ended the night with a discussion about marriage. You’re not sure you had ever fled a date so fast. 
“Hey, you’re [Y/N], right?” your attention is grabbed by a voice in front of you. 
He’s tall, almost as tall as Gyu. His hair is bleach blonde and he’s got the biggest smile on his face.
“That would be me!” you return the smile. “Soonyoung, correct?”
“Correct! You ready to go inside?” he asks before gently guiding you with a hand on your lower back. 
You’d be lying if you said the gesture didn’t send butterflies into your stomach. With most guys, you’d see the action as creepy at best. But something about Soonyoung felt... comfortable. 
Soonyoung sits across from you at a tiny table, nervously petting his hair down, “So um, Dokyeom told me you’re a STEM major. That’s really impressive.”
You laugh a little, “If you call scrambling to finish assignments until 2AM every night and hardly knowing what I’m doing impressive, then yeah I guess so.”
“Oh come on,” he insists, “Even just getting into the STEM program at our school means you must be incredibly smart.”
“Well what about you? Being a dance major is just as difficult if I heard correctly. You just have to overwork your body instead of your brain like I do!”
Soonyoung agrees readily to the point, “That’s true, I guess college is just hard for everyone, huh?” 
“Very true,” you affirm. 
The conversation continues easily. Soonyoung is lovely to talk to. His jokes are all funny instead of offensive, his habits are cute instead of gross, he’s polite instead of overbearing. Soonyoung is a nice change of pace from the other guys you had been on dates with. But...
There wasn’t anything there. I mean there should be at least a little bit of romantic attraction to date someone, right? Otherwise, you’d just be leading them on. 
“Hey Soonyoung,” you say towards the end of the date.
“What’s up?” he asks, his smile never fading.
“Can I ask you something that’s potentially strange to ask someone on the first date?” 
Soonyoung furrows his brows for a second before nodding, his smile returning, “Ask me anything!”
“How do you feel right now... about me?”
“I feel like you’re really nice...” he laughs a little. 
“No I mean like romantically... there’s...”
Soonyoung pauses for a moment, considering what you said and how to proceed with his words.
“There’s nothing right?” you finally put it out there. Soonyoung nods slightly with your words. “I mean I really like hanging out with you!”
“Me too! You’re so much fun!” he agrees.
“And this is way better than all the other dates Mingyu has set me up on.”
“You wouldn’t believe some of the stories I have from the dates Dokyeom has been setting me up with!” Soonyoung adds. 
“It’s just that there’s...” you trail off.
“Nothing,” you both say together before laughing. 
“And I don’t want to write this off completely, because I do like hanging out with you,” you pick back up. “But can we maybe just be friends first?”
“Yes, yes! That sounds amazing!” Soonyoung’s smile grows wider than it has the whole evening.
“Ok then we’re splitting the bill, I saw you trying to sneak it out of my sight.”
“Ok, but in that case, I’m walking you home.”
*******************************************************************************************
Your friend group grows a bit after that because you and Soonyoung actually do become friends. Like... really good friends. Soonyoung comes over all the time and honestly you’ve never enjoyed life more. After being stuck with a friend group that was mostly people you knew before even coming to college, it was nice to make a new friend.
Soonyoung was really a wild card in your life. He liked different things than most of your friends, so he really pushed you out of your comfort zone. Even though you’re not dating, you still feel like Soonyoung has helped you experience so many things that you wanted to, to have the full college experience. 
It’s mostly the little things that you didn’t even know you were avoiding: going to parties, staying out all night, cutting class for a day to drive out of town for no reason. Soonyoung is just all fun all the time. 
He’s also just a really good friend, always kind and supportive. And honestly, you like the idea of Soonyoung being around for a long time. 
“I thought you two were going to put it off? You know, just be friends?” Mingyu asks as you’re telling him how much you like Soonyoung. 
“I mean yeah, but that was awhile ago,” you shrug, not looking up from your laptop.
“But you don’t want to rush it, what if you scare him off?”
Mingyu has always been able to get you to do anything he wants you to, and it’s starting to make you mad.
*******************************************************************************************
You start to wonder if Mingyu is just jealous that you haven’t been spending as much time with him.  So, you decide to clear your schedule for some quality time.
And he’s... different.
Usually Mingyu is all teasing and sarcasm with you. Everything is comfortable, but still distant. It’s been that way for as long as you can remember. 
But now, it’s different. 
He talks so kindly to you. He does random things for you. Affection has become slightly more intimate. 
You don’t really notice, thinking he’s just reached another level of comfort in your friendship. And honestly it’s nice. You feel even more at ease around him, if that was even possible. 
“Gyu,” you say one day, when there’s a tiny voice in the back of your head is begging you to ask, “are we... ok?”
He nods, linking his arm with yours as the two of you walk towards your favorite coffee shop, “Of course we are, why wouldn’t we be?”
“I don’t know, you were... distant for awhile... and now...” you trail off.
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I was just going through some stuff, but I shouldn’t have just ignored you like that,” he leans over with his other arm and ruffles your hair. 
You nod, comforted in the feeling of Mingyu next to you. 
After that day, you go back to spending more time with Mingyu, realizing how much you missed him. And you realize something, you want Mingyu in your life for a long time, too. You can’t imagine life without him. He’s always been there, and you know he always will be. 
*******************************************************************************************
Choi Seungcheol is throwing a giant party at his frat house before the winter break. And while you usually avoid going to frat parties, Dokyeom, Soonyoung, and Mingyu all berated you until you agreed to go. 
You sigh as Mingyu drags you towards the car. He leaps into the back with Dokyeom and you sit up front with Soonyoung. You all jam out as you drive to the frat house. You’re feeling elated to just be spending time with your closest friends. The feeling immediately disappears when you reach the street the house is on. There’s like a million cars outside and the party looks insane. 
The boys sense your hesitation, prompting Dokyeom and Soonyoung to hang their arms over your shoulder and drag you towards the house. 
“Can’t we just have a movie marathon?” you groan.
“Relax, [Y/N],” Mingyu says, “we’ll be right next to you the whole time.”
You lose sight of them two minutes in. 
You sigh angrily, being pushed around by excited people rushing by, hating the taste of your drink, feeling a headache coming on, and feeling way too sober for being at a frat party. It’s been too long since you’ve seen one of the boys and you’re starting to get restless.
You find Dokyeom first, but he’s in the corner flirting with someone you can’t quite see and you decide not to ruin his moment. 
After moving on, and making your way through the house, you finally spot Soonyoung by himself on the couch. You happily plop down next to him, relieved to have found a friend.
“Hey [Y/L/N]!” Soonyoung exclaims. “How’s it going?”
“Not as good as you’re doing, you are wasted buddy,” you laugh. 
Soonyoung laughs and nods his head, “I am!!!!” He rolls back and laughs, before rolling back up and frowning, “Why aren’t you???” 
“I don’t know, I just don’t feel much like drinking tonight,” you shrug before smiling brightly at Soonyoung who is nodding along to your words like a tired toddler. 
“Hey [Y/N],” Soonyoung says sitting up straight and looking into your eyes.
“What’s up, Soonie?”
“I really like you... I mean, I really like that you’re in my life.”
“I like you too, Soonyoung, I’m happy that you’re around.” 
The world sort of pauses as you and Soonyoung stare into each other’s eyes. You can tell he’s leaning forward. You feel a lot of emotions, and before you’re able to figure out what they are, you start to lean forward too.
Before your lips meet, something lands in your lap. “Hey guys!” Mingyu yells as he sits in between you.
“It’s Mingyu!” Soonyoung exclaims, hugging him.
“Oh god, how drunk are both of you?” you sigh, feeling... disappointment? Relief, maybe? 
“Hey [Y/N],” it’s Mingyu calling you this time. “I’m tireeeeed.”
“What do you want me to do about it, Gyu?” you pinch his nose for half a second. 
“Take me home pleeeeeeeeeeease,” he whines.
“I don’t know if you remember this, but we drove here with other people who may not be ready to leave yet.”
“Take my car,” Soonyoung interjects.
“What?” you ask, caught off guard.
“Yeah, me and Dokyeom usually sleep over at Cheol’s parties anyways, and it seems like you two really want to go home. Just come get us in the morning?” You want to argue with Soonyoung, feeling guilty about leaving suddenly after... 
“Yeah, I’ll come get you guys tomorrow,” you say softly, sharing a brief moment of eye contact with him before dragging Mingyu up off the couch. “You two stay safe and call me at anytime if anything happens.” 
Soonyoung agrees before standing up to find Dokyeom. You drag your best friend towards the door as he points around wildly saying “To the dorm!’
Mingyu has always been able to get you to do whatever he wants you to, and that day, it makes you angry. 
*******************************************************************************************
“Do you wanna tell me what’s going on?” you ask as Mingyu plops down on his couch. 
“I’m too drunk for whatever you’re about to ask about,” Mingyu grumbles with his face in the cushions. Your rage flares.
“No, we’re talking about this now, because we’ve been putting it off for too long,” you stomp over to the couch. “What’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” his voice is strained.
“Did you interrupt me and Soonyoung on purpose?” you ask. 
Mingyu doesn’t respond.
“Kim Mingyu! Answer me!”
“I told you to date for fun, not to find your soulmate,” he suddenly pipes up.
“Do you think I think Soonyoung is my soulmate? I just really like him, what’s so wrong with the idea of us being together?” you throw your hands up in exasperation. 
“Stop yelling,” Mingyu whines, his hands flying up to cover his ears.
“No! Tell me what your problem is!” you say, feeling tears pricking your eyes. 
Mingyu falls silent again. 
“Just say it Mingyu,” you demand. “Tell me why you don’t want me to date Soonyoung.”
Mingyu says nothing.
“Fine, I’m leaving,” you say, grabbing your stuff and stomping towards the door. “Don’t bother calling me tomorrow.”
Your heart is heavy as you leave. 
*******************************************************************************************
You drop Dokyeom off in front of the dorm the next morning, apologizing for not walking him up. He assures you it’s ok, sensing the tension coming from you when he asks if Mingyu got home ok.
“You wanna get breakfast?” Soonyoung asks as soon as Dokyeom is out the door. “I feel like we gotta talk.”
“Breakfast sounds great,” you say pulling away, ignoring the rest of what he said. 
You two go to a little coffee shop down the street after Soonyoung admits that he could probably stomach a pastry better than a full meal. You laugh as Soonyoung tiredly cradles his coffee. You two eat and talk casually for a few minutes. 
“So I guess we should address what I almost did last night,” Soonyoung says finally setting his coffee down. 
“Right,” you agree, deciding to let Soonyoung take the lead on the conversation and go with the flow. 
“It was a mistake. I was drunk and all over the place and I shouldn’t have done it,” Soonyoung says, bowing his head. “Honestly [Y/N], you’re a really great friend, and I don’t want to do anything to ruin what we have. I like where we’re at and I don’t see any reason for it to be anything else.”
“I agree,” you smile, still not fully sure of your emotions. 
Thankfully, you have a friend like Soonyoung to straighten them out for you. 
“If I’m being honest, [Y/N], the moment I saw you and Mingyu together for the first time, I kind of knew my chances of dating you were at a zero.”
“What do you mean?” you ask, your heartrate accelerating for some reason. 
“It’s just... the way you two are around each other. You do everything for each other. You just... know each other. You really care about each other. You’re comfortable with each other. And the way you look at each other is just...”
Soonyoung pauses for a moment and stares at you, his bright as ever smile still plastered on his face.
“I just think that you two have something special, and you’re both afraid to admit it.”
You spend the rest of your breakfast with Soonyoung staring out the window and just watching the world outside. 
*******************************************************************************************
You don’t talk to Mingyu for the rest of the semester. Every time you see him on campus you avoid him. 
You can’t get what Soonyoung said out of your head, but you’re still just so pissed at Mingyu. Although, you’re not sure why. Was it how weird he got when you and Soonyoung first started hanging out? How he interrupted you two the night of the party? How he refused to be honest with you afterwards? A combination of everything?
You both go home for the break, and your heart cracks a little every time your mom asks why Mingyu hasn’t come over to hang out at all. 
You realize at the end of the day, you just miss your best friend. You can work through the other stuff with him, but you can’t really live without him. 
Almost as soon as you realize this, your phone dings.
Gyu: Let’s meet up at the park tomorrow, we need to talk
Mingyu is able to get you to do whatever he wants you to, and this time, it’s sort of a relief. 
*******************************************************************************************
The park is covered in a light layer of snow, the yellow and orange leaves on the trees peaking through. You are bundled up, trying to ignore the freeze biting at your fingertips. You walk slowly around the perimeter of the park. You see Mingyu sitting on a bench from a mile away. You pause to just stare at him, bundled up in a puffy coat, staring up at the snowflakes coming down. 
*******************************************************************************************
“C’mon [Y/N]! Aren’t you excited for the third grade?” Mingyu says as he balances on the bench to walk across the edge. 
“Not since we had to move schools,” you grumble.
“It’ll be fun! We can make new friends!” 
“You’ll make friends.”
“[Y/N], don’t be so negati-” Mingyu started before falling off the bench. You pause in surprise staring at your best friend on the ground. You jumped forward to lean next to him. 
“Are you ok?” you asked gently.
Mingyu gulped before nodding, “Yeah it’s just my hands.” He lifted them up to show that they were all scraped up. 
“C’mon, my house is closer, let’s get you cleaned up,” you said. Mingyu sniffled a little as you lead him towards your house. “You’re ok,” you insisted, “you’ve got me.”
*******************************************************************************************
“Mingyu are you sure we’re allowed to do this?” you asked, looking around nervously. 
“What do you think someone’s gonna do if they catch us? Arrest us?” Mingyu said from underneath the bench where he was carving his initials into the wood. He slid out and stood up before grabbing your arm and pulling you down. “Your turn.”
You slid under the bench and stared at Mingyu’s initials. “You’re making sure no one’s walking by right?”
“Geez [Y/N], you’re the biggest scaredy-cat thirteen year old I’ve ever met, live a little!” Mingyu laughed.
You huff before beginning to carve your initials next to his.
*******************************************************************************************
 “So what are you gonna do, huh? Run away?” Mingyu has his arm around you as you’re crying on the bench in the middle of the night.
“Maybe,” you say between sniffles.
“Do you realize how stupid you sound? Where are you going to go? C’mon [Y/N], we only have two years! Two more years before we graduate and we’re out of here! Then we’ll go to college and live it up!”
Mingyu takes his arm from around your shoulder to poke your side until you’re laughing. 
“We’re gonna be ok as long as we’re together.”
*******************************************************************************************
You sigh happily at the memories before making your way over to him. You sit silently next to him, your fingers slipping under the wood to feel that your initials are still carved into the bench. 
“I checked too,” Mingyu says breaking silence. You hum in acknowledgment. “I’m sorry [Y/N]. I got... jealous. You and Soonyoung seemed like you had something really... deep. And I didn’t realize how much that would affect me until I saw it happening. But I want you to be happy so-”
“Me and Soonyoung agreed to be friends,” you interject. 
“Oh,” is all Mingyu says but you don’t miss how his tone lightens at the realization. 
“You know Soonyoung seems to have this idea that we’re in love,” you say, pushing Mingyu’s shoulder with yours.
“Does he now,” Mingyu laughs into the chilly air, before there’s a moment of silence.
“I know whether he’s right or wrong about my feelings... but... what about you Gyu? How are you feeling right now?”
“I feel like when I saw how much you enjoyed hanging out with Soonyoung, I thought I was going to go insane. I feel like the day you were upset with me after the party was the worst day of my life. I feel like the days when I thought our friendship was over were the darkest period of time,” Mingyu says slowly before looking over to you. “And I feel like when I’m with you is when I’m at my happiest. I feel like when I look at you, everything makes sense. I feel like when I have you by my side, I can do anything.”
You grab his hand, hoping you are not once again going to end up crying on this bench.
“I feel like I love you [Y/N], and that I always will.” 
Mingyu finally fully faces you after saying his piece. 
“I love you too Mingyu, more than anything in this world.”
*******************************************************************************************
“Can you two stop being so gross,” Dokyeom groans as you and Mingyu giggle together on the couch. Mingyu responds by pulling you closer, and pressing a kiss to your cheek.
You push him back, “Hey stop being such a jerk to your roommate, he knows where you live.” 
“Yeah, see, at least [Y/N] is on my side!” Dokyeom exclaims. 
“Wow betrayed by my own partner,” Mingyu says, but he’s got love in his eyes as he gazes at you. You smile before pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. 
“Ugh, gross, [Y/N], I thought you were on my side,” Dokyeom shakes his head. 
“Sorry, that was it, I promise,” you laugh in response. 
“Well I hope you two lovebirds are ready to be interrupted, me and Soonyoung are throwing a game night with all the boys,” Dokyeom says, turning back to his laptop. 
“Hmmmm, sounds like you’re going to have to let me stay at your place tonight,” Mingyu grins.
“Is that so?” you smile back before sneaking a kiss to his lips while Dokyeom is looking away.
Mingyu is able to get you to do anything he wants you to, and these days, it’s hardly a bother.
343 notes · View notes
caiuscassiuss · 4 years
Text
Birched⎮D. Sicheng (M) P.1
Description: There was something that lurked beneath that pretty boy smile of Dong Sicheng— something dark, something dangerous… something you knew you would get pulled into once you got too curious. (Or, your ill-tempered coworker turns out to be your dominant.)
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Sicheng♡Female! Reader
Genre: BDSM/ enemies to lovers winwin! smut | romance | angst WC: 11k+ Warnings: graphic smut (dom! sicheng + sub! reader, BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Submission, and Masochism) paddling, fellatio, fingering), taboo relationship, blatant sexism, TW: mentions of an abusive relationship
(A/N: Thank you to my amazing beta @won-markiepooh-woo​ for helping me. This story wouldn’t have been possible without you!!!!
Also, this story contains heavy and graphic BDSM with violent contact play and uncomfortable dialogue. You might not like Sicheng very much here. 18+ please.)
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Red, red light highlighted the contours of the woman’s back, and threw the rest of the room into dark, dark shadows.
Slap.
A long, drawn-out, strained moan resounded,.
A sinful smile crawled up the tall, slender man’s face as he looked down at her.
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January 5th, 2020 
Raesung, Lee
Re: Important Office Notification — 
To all whom it may concern,
It is my greatest displeasure to be announcing my resignation and consequent retirement from Sinochen Enterprises. I had been the Head of the Sales Department in this great company for over 10 years and it has been a pleasurable experience to work with all of 500 you, in order to better our enterprise.
Words cannot express how grateful I am to all of you, from the interns to my managers, for working hard and honestly over all these years. We experienced a 468% sales increase over my tenure, and it couldn’t have been possible without any of you.
My resignation will be announced tomorrow at noon, but I thought it would be better to get a heads up from myself. In the meantime, until a new successor is appointed, my vice president, Xiao Daiyu, will step in and act in my place. A new email regarding possible successors will soon circulate shortly, and I advise all of you to keep an eye out for it. 
Once again, I thank all of you deeply for these wonderful 10 years at Sinochen Enterprises, and I wish the utmost success for this company and all of you individually.
Regards,
Raesung Lee
Department Head of Salesforce at Sinochen Enterprises
Chater House, Central, Hong Kong
Office 1876, 18th floor
Phone: +852 XXXX XXXX ext. 1876
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On one side of the island, a woman finished reading her work email. She remained calm, scrolled through her other emails, and shut down her laptop after seeing no such material.
She faced her high rise window, contemplating the Hong Kong skyline.
The email was written in the usual arrogant tone that her Korean boss took. Not a surprise, seeing as she worked with him nearly every day as the South Asia Region Sales Manager. She sighed, kicking up her feet on the coffee table.
A new successor? Y/N L/N hoped and prayed that it would be her.
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On the other side of the island, a man finished reading his work email. He remained calm, scrolled through his other emails, and shut down his laptop after seeing no such material.
He faced his high rise window, contemplating the Hong Kong skyline.
Of course, the man was anticipating this as his East Asia Regional Sales Manager. The old coot was due for his retirement, so he could spend time with his many mistresses. He sighed and kicked up his feet on the coffee table.
A new successor? Dong Sicheng knew it like the sky was blue that it would be him.
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January 6th, 2020 
Sinochen Enterprises, Chater House, Central, Hong Kong 
7 AM HKT
It was a rather chilly morning, as your assistant knocked softly on the oak door. You finished putting your light coat on the stand. As you hummed for her to come in, she slowly creaked open the door.
She smiled brightly at you. Genuine, to boot. “Morning, Miss L/N. Do you want any pastries, or breakfast goods, to go along with your usual macchiato?”
You considered BeiBei a good secretary—prompt, meticulous, and all what an assistant should be. Sociable, too. However, even with all her amiable requests for lunch or coffee, you couldn’t consider her as a good friend. After all, there was to be a balance of power to be maintained.
“Yes, that would be great.”
Like everything else in your life.
Work went on as usual in the office—you dealt with the clients, you dealt with HR, you dealt with this and that.
BeiBei knocked softly at the door. She peeked in through the door with her sunglasses perched atop her brunette locks and a scarf around her neck.
“Miss L/N? They asked all of the sales department to meet in Ballroom D for an announcement.”
It was noon already? Christ. “Alright, let me get my things and I’ll go along with you.”
You grabbed your cell phone and Dior sunglasses, then quickly headed out with BeiBei. You lagged behind her slightly as she socialized with her other coworkers, laughing uproariously at some inside joke between them.
You wondered what it was like to be able to make real bonds in the office.
Out of your periphery, a large group coming from the other side of the floor was bustling their way through. In the midst, you could see the blonde head of Dong Sicheng, looking down at his friends as if they were his royal subjects.
Psh, you could never see what was the fuss around this boy. To be fair, objectively, he was good-looking... in that pretty boy kind of way. All of his older, middle-aged coworkers looked like pigs next to his lean, pale figure. Yet, all of the sales department, and probably half of the office, thought he was the next best thing since the vibrator.
You thought he seemed too nice, too friendly to be true. Sicheng had the innocent flower boy looks, but you could see the dark edge he kept from everyone. You could see how his smiles never reached his eyes, how his words were always friendly but strained. Dong Sicheng was disingenuous as hell, and it bothered you, but why waste energy over such a matter?
You’d rather focus on other, more productive things.
Namely, the Sales Head promotion.
Your South Asia and his East Asia division converged in the middle of the lobby, forming an even more boisterous crowd. Everyone slowly piled into the elevators to go down.
You were reaching the chokehold of the crowd, but unfortunately you were a bit on the shorter side. It was hard to see where you were going in this crowd, and you wouldn’t dare raise yourself up on your tippy toes, like some fresh intern.
“Ladies first.”
You looked up to see Dong Sicheng smiling at you brightly—his arm extended to herd you into the crowded elevator. You couldn’t help but see a mocking tinge to the curl of his lips.
“Thank you,” you said.
After you had stepped into the elevator, he followed immediately afterwards. You had no choice but to be eye level with Sicheng’s chest. You two were so close that you could smell his cologne, and it briefly think of his cologne all around you—
No. Never. No. No. No. No. No. Nope. 
Dong Sicheng would not tempt you. 
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January 6th, 2020 
Sinochen Enterprises, Chater House, Central, Hong Kong 
9 AM HKT
The department filed out of the ballroom, murmuring amongst themselves about the new development.
“Oh my god, we all know Xiao Daiyu will never be promoted. Yeah, she may be vice president, but Daiyu can’t do shit.”
“Well, who do you think will be promoted?”
“Certainly not you, Lina.”
“Hey, I—”
A new voice enters. “I, for one, think Y/N should be promoted. She’s smart, driven, and you actually get things done when you work with her.”
A hum of agreement went over the little group. Some of them nodded along quietly.
“That’s not a bad idea. She’s cold as hell and kind of intimidating, but I wouldn’t mind working under her.”
You pretended not to hear their conversation, but you felt ecstatic to hear your name in regards to the promotion. It was hard to admit it to anyone other than yourself, but you thrived off of attention and vindication more than what was healthy. The satisfaction of being praised, of getting the answer correct or being complimented was as heady as being drugged.
“Y/N is great and all, but you know who’d I rather have as sales head? Dong Sicheng.”
Your jaw clenched unconciously when you heard that blond asshole’s name.
“Kinda agree. Sicheng’s friendly and it’s easy to talk to him. We also get a lot of work done with him too!”
You could not hear any more of the conversation as they had walked out of earshot, but you felt… sour. You swore to god—if that asshole gets the promotion, you will leave the damn company.
Well, whatever. The likes of Dong Sicheng would be wiped from your mind after the fun you would have tonight with Dolos.
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January 6th, 2020
Sinochen Enterprises, Chater House, Central, Hong Kong
12 PM HKT
“Hey Sicheng, what did you order?” Some coworker of his said to him.
Sicheng felt an inward flush of irritation. Couldn’t people leave him the fuck alone and let him eat his meal in peace? Without interrupting him about how XX from the implementation team did this and YY from IT did that?
“Oh, hey, um—” What the fuck was his name again? Joon? Jin? “Jae, I ordered a teriyaki salad. It’s pretty good, I’d recommend it.” 
There. That answered any potential questions Jae may have and clearly signalled the end of the conversation so he could eat in peace.
“What about the grilled chicken salad? Have you tried it?”
Alas, not all well-thought out plans would be fruitful.
He continued conversation with his inane coworkers around him at the lunch bistro they always frequented. It was tiring, keeping up the facade of a friendly office boy. His impatience wilted slowly as the people tittered and tattered, laughing and gossiping, god—they were so stupid.
“I like your tie, Sicheng. It’s very nice.”
He turned back towards the conversation as soon as he heard his name.
The so-called department hottie was staring at him from her seat a couch away—her eyes slightly widened, in an attempt to be vexing.
“Thank you, Tzuyu. Might I add, you look very nice today,” he said, as he forced a smile on his lips.
The brunette blushed heavily and turned away in bashfulness. Ugh.
Don’t get him wrong.He rather liked blush on a woman. But, Tzuyu was the kind of woman that would not put up any type of fight, if he chose to seduce her. Sicheng liked the thrill of the fight, the thrill of gradually pressing his control into someone until they were submissive to only him.
God, but Y/N was someone he’d like seduce.
Sicheng thought back to the moment when he courteously gave his spot in line to her, yet she only thanked him off-handedly. Y/N was the only one in the whole damn complex that didn’t give a fuck about his amiable facade and treated him as callously as one would beneath them. He clenched his fist, thinking how uppity and standoffish you were to snub him. That was something that couldn’t ever be forgotten.
Luckily, he knew his darling Dove would be there tonight to take the edge off his anger.
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Friday January 18th, 2020
A Busy Street
6 PM HKT
You huddled a light coat around yourself as you checked the address on your phone. 
353 Cornerstone Ave.
You looked up at the British colonial-style building, slightly reminiscent of the Ritz-Carlton a few blocks away. The building was probably a remnant of colonization. Nevertheless, it was beautiful.
Your heels clicked against the marble floor, as you dipped into the establishment named Black’s Spa. Swiping off your sunglasses, you beamed at the beautiful lady behind the receptionist desk.
“How may we help you today? Are there any services you would like provided?” she asked.
The corners of your lips turn up. You’ve always liked this part of the game, where you have to gain access into a club. It felt like you were a femme fatale in one of those old Bond movies your father loved.
“Hey, afternoon. I’ve been hearing about this rope treatment. I’ve heard it does wonders for your muscles.”
The girl’s pink tinted-lips twisted into a grin.
“Right this way.”
The zen, stark white corridors of the spa that the dungeon pretended to be eventually led to an innocuous bookshelf. The lady felt around the shelf for the handle underneath the dark wood paneling. A hum of affirmation left her mouth as she closed her well-manicured hands around it.
With a click, the shelf gave way to a dimly lit room that looked like the parlor of a traditional British gentleman’s club. What little light there was was provided by candles and glittering chandeliers, which reflected off of the dark oak paneling of the room. Rich Persian rugs and velvet sofas dotted the room, and the hum and tinkles of conversation meandered around. However, little details quickly ruined the impression that this was a respectable establishment of any sort.
For one, many individuals here were scantily clad. Yes, some were in suits and proper evening wear, but that was contrasted heavily by the diffusion of revealing lingerie sets and sculpted chests. Second, there were casual warning signs posted about the room, asking patrons to practice safe, healthy, and consensual sex, alongside the expensive paintings.
Black’s was the best dungeon in East Asia, no doubt. It was such a bitch to gain access into the club. Yet, what made Black’s so popular was not its top amenities or the luxurious atmosphere—it was the utmost anonymity it provided. 
The depravity that happened in these walls stripped even the most upright individual to their most primal, lustful states. People became lumps of flesh, starving for the next release. The eclectic mix of businessmen, trust-fund kids, and professionals hungered for the anonymity that they would be hard-pressed to find in a regular dungeon (as regular as one could get for being a BDSM dungeon, anyway).
The best way Black’s maintained privacy? 
Masks.
You quickly donned your own dove gray mask, securing the silk ribbons in your hair to prevent it from falling off. Tonight, you were Dove. Tomorrow, you will be Y/N. It was easy to slip into the subspace once you donned your mask, but you couldn’t really immerse yourself into it—not until your master came to you.
A quick glance at your watch told you it was only 10 PM. Dolos had told you in his letter that he would find you at 10:10. He certainly was a curious individual—one with an obsession with symmetry and a penchant for old-fashioned tradition. For fuck’s sake, his letter was sealed by a green wax seal. 
But Dolos was everything you never knew you wanted.
Deciding to amuse yourself with one of the exhibition rooms, you wandered into one that seemed crowded. A girl was strung up on stage, hands bound with chains connected to the ceiling. Her black hair hung around her face and she was as naked as the day she was born. Her voluptuous figure bared to the hungry crowd—a metal table full of paraphernalia was next to the cross.
A brutish man, clad in a wifebeater and tight jeans, walked up to the stage. 
“My slave has been rather naughty,” he announced. “She had the nerve to touch herself without my permission.”
A murmur arose from the crowd, whispering and gasping and giggling heard amongst the shadows. For a slave to pleasure herself, without her master’s permission, was a serious ordeal around these parts. 
The man drew a finger against the side of her breasts, causing her to shiver and a gleam of arousal to run down her leg. “Today, my dear little slave will see what happens when she doesn’t obey her master seriously.”
“Let’s start with something light. Flogging.”
A curl of delight ran through you. You loved flogging; each hit stimulated different parts of your body that ultimately brought you to the brink of an edge. A bit of heat rose in your bosom imaging Dolos, with his Cat O’ Nine Tails, flogging your ass until you were red.
A whimper was heard as he struck her stomach lightly with a cat o’ nine tails. He began alternating strikes against her breasts and inner thighs, as she whimpered and cried, begging for her master to touch her there.
“Oh dear, only good girls get touched in their sweet spot. What’s the magic word?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please, sir! Please!”
“Better.”
A strangled scream echoed throughout the hall, as he struck her repeatedly in between the crux of her legs. After the girl was left shaking, he whipped off the juices she left on the leather strands then threw it behind him. You shifted uncomfortably, crossing your legs tightly to ignore the burst of arousal.
“Bend over!” the man on stage barked, grabbing a paddle from the table.
The slave bent over a table immediately, unwilling to risk the possibility of more punishment.
He inserted a knee between her legs and forced them wide open—her pretty cunt exposed.
You could only see a flash of his swing as his paddle connected with her backside, a thunderous smack resounding. Her gleaming arousal was almost to her knee now, and the poor dear was visibly shaking and could hardly stand.
A high-pitched whimper came out of you and you quickly bit your lips, hoping you weren’t heard. Your panties suddenly rubbed you in the wrong places and your knees knocked together, in an effort to stop the heat emanating from your core.
“I see my little girl has lost herself on her way to the Salon.”
A gasp left your mouth as you stared back into a burgundy mask, burnished with gold.
Dolos.
“M-master, but it’s only 10 PM—”
He chuckled—a dark, delicious sound—and stretched him over the chaise you had settled yourself in. Slim, tapered fingers played with the ends of your hair as his plump lips curved into a dark smirk.
“Wrong, dearest. It’s 10:15. What time did I write in the letter?”
You hung your head, playing with the ribbons on your dress. “10:10, sir.”
He tugged on your hair, forcing a whine from you. He tsked.
“Your master has been waiting patiently for 2 weeks to play with his favorite little girl. And yet, she’s late?” You knew he was teasing you, but a sliver of real anger and irritation slipped into his voice. Immediately, you felt guilty and your bottom lip trembled. You had disappointed your master.
“And what do little girls who are late get?”
“T-they get punished, sir. I’m sorry—”
His lips turned downwards until he was sneering. “An apology isn’t going to cut it, Dove. We’re going to the Salon right now.” He roughly took your wrist and pulled you out of the room. Interested eyes followed his clearly irritated and furious gestures.
“Your safe word, darling?”
“Sappho.”
“Sappho, what?”
“Sir.”
His eyes, through the holes of his mask, darkened. “God, I will never get tired of hearing you say that.” Dolos turned around.
Dolos has been your dominant for the last 5 months, and fuck, he has been the best one you have had. Your participation in a public demonstration had led to him stealing the contract from your previous Dom, who was already supremely possessive at first glance. Your eyes, he had told you, were the most expressive he had ever seen. They were the ones that had convinced him to enter into an exclusive contract.
Your eyes traced his tall stature, the broadness of his back highlighted by his nondescript white shirt. The quote from Julius Caesar came to mind. “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world/ like a Colossus, and we petty men.” Such power, such arrogance.
The Salon was Dolos’ room of choice, since he was a legacy member of Black’s. Filled with toys hidden behind halcyon scenes of the English or French country sides and tall, imposing dressers, the room merely looked like a noble bedroom but the things that occured in it… not so much.
“Bend over my lap, sweetheart. I’m thinking… hm, 10 slaps? Double the time you made me wait. What do you think?” He mused, throwing himself into an armchair.
You settled onto his lap, lifting your skirt and exposing your pretty, pink panties beneath. A mixture of nerves and arousal made your hands tremble, but the haze and glossiness of subspace settled over you easily, like your favorite blanket.
“Whatever you deem necessary, sir.”
His chest rumbled. “Good answer, little one. Such a good slut for me, huh?” He whispered to himself, running a paddle over your bare ass.
You barely heard his acclamation of “ten it is” before the paddle delivered a stinging slap to your left cheek. You unconsciously jerked up until his arms forced you down.
“Count for me, Dove.”
“One!”
Another one, but to the flesh of your thighs.
“Two!” you bit out.
Dolos’ hit parts that surrounded your core, but never actually reached touching it. Moisture began to dampen your lacy underthing and you had to bite down on your lips to stop from grinding yourself on his thigh like a brazen whore.
After the ninth slap, he palmed your ass carefully. His fingers dipped in between the folds of your pussy and you held your breath.
“Already, so wet? Christ. Clean me up and I’ll hit you the place I know you want me to.”
Swiping your tongue over his digits, you looked back at his mask and saw the tension at the corners of his mouth.
“Good.” Without warning, he shifted aside your panties and struck the paddle against your throbbing pussy.
“TEN!” You sobbed, unable to keep from sagging into his lap. 
He hushed you and ran a comforting hand over your ass, smoothing over the red marks you were sure glowed.
“What a good, good girl you are,” Dolos cooed, caressing your cheek. His thumb wiped away your errant tears and he smirked, patting it.
“On your knees.”
You scrambled out of his lap and onto the carpet, wincing as your heels met your sore ass. You looked at him, wide-eyed, for his instruction.
“Suck my cock.”
A blush spread over your face at his frank wording and your hands moved to unzip his trousers, but Dolos made a noise of disapproval.
“With your mouth only, slut.”
Your hands bunched the fabric of your dress tightly and you squeezed your thighs together.
“Yes, master.”
As you took the button in between your teeth, you used a combination of your lips and tongue to unbutton his trousers. Once opened, you slowly dragged the zipper down all while looking up at him innocently.
His length, girthy and flushed an angry red, sprung out of his trousers. Licking your lips, you looked up to him for permission.
A sly smile came across his face. “Go, darling. This is your reward.”
You took the head of his cock in between your lips and swirled your tongue over the salty precum. He groaned, a gutteral noise from his chest, and his fingers clenched the plush arm rests of the chair tightly.
Gathering some of the precum on your tongue, you released his head and ducked down to take his testes in your mouth. You licked the length of his cock, finishing off with a playful suck to the head.
An angry glint flashed in his eyes. “Stop teasing, slut. Get to it.” 
Dolos clenched some of your hair at the back of your head in his fist, and the pain from the sudden action caused your eyes to water. You’d gotten the message loud and clear.
Spitting on his cock, you took half of him in your throat, bobbing and hollowing your cheeks. Your master made sounds of appreciation, loosening the grip on your just a little bit.
Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes, relaxed your throat and went farther down on his thick cock. You were no novice, but you had trouble taking him so deep—even after such a long time together. The tip of your nose touched the base of his cock and you hummed in satisfaction.
The vibrations from your throat seemed to set him off. His previously relaxed grip tightened again and he forced down on his cock until your face was smashed in his crotch.
“Mmph!” You  gagged from his sudden, violent action.
“You’re such a fucking tease, fuck,” Dolos groaned, his head tilted back in pleausure.
Forcefully, he fucked your mouth without mercy. You could barely breathe, and the combination of the pain from your hair being pulled, your throat being abused, and the slick between your thighs caused tears to run down your cheeks.
“You know you like this, whore. You like gagging and choking on your master’s cock. You like being used like a little slut, don’t you?”
Unable to respond, you focused on trying to breath through your nose as he abused your mouth.
“Don’t you?! Answer me!” he shouted, pulling your head back.
More tears dripped out of your eyes at this pain, and you nodded quickly with his cock in his mouth. Dolos narrowed his eyes and forced you further on his length.
He quickly set a cadence and it felt like your mind was filled with cotton. The only sensations was the pain from your throat being stretched, his groans of satisfaction, and the throbbing in between your thighs.
“I bet you’re dripping right now. What a slut, getting off on her throat being fucked,” he sneered. His face was flushed as he neared his peak.
Your knees started to throb in pain, your joints aching at being on the ground for so long. His thrust even harder and faster into your lips, prompting a squeal.
“I’m getting close, slut,” he said between clenched teeth. You could feel the hard muscles in his thighs tensing in anticipation for his orgasm. You sucked even harder on his cock, swirling your tongue in figure eights on his length.
“FUCK!” he shouted, eyes clenched tightly. Both of his hands grasped your head and forced your head onto his cock until your nose touched the base. You gagged and prayed to breathe as warm liquid splashed down your throat. He thrusted his hips harder into your mouth, riding out his orgasm.
Dolos pulled out and left the tip of his cock on your opened mouth, tapping his length on your tongue as cum spurted out erratically as he groaned. You flinched as he slapped his cock along your cheeks for good measure. He slumped back in his chair after he rode out his orgasm, his broad chest breathing heavily. In the low light, he looked like a fallen angel with his head turned up towards the heavens.
I will show you how us mere mortals can reach the gardens of heaven from earth, he had said to you once.
You waited with your mouth open, still painted in his seed, for instruction. A few drops of his seed dripped on your chin and onto your chest.
Dolos took your chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning your head side to side. He paid attention in particular to your smeared lipstick. A beatific smile crossed his lips and he was so beautiful in that moment, so wicked and debauched and depraved it made your heart ache. 
“What a gorgeous mess I’ve made.”
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Tuesday January 21st, 2020 
Sinochen Enterprises, Chater House, Central, Hong Kong
8 AM HKT
Raesung, Lee
Re: Important Office Notification — 
Y/LN,
It is with great pleasure for me to inform you today that you are being considered for the Head Salesforce position at Sinochen Enterprises. Your name has come heavily recommended to me, and your previous boss has given me a glowing review of your performance these past few years. I, myself, have enjoyed your hard-work and impressive work ethic in your year as Head of the South Asia Division. Two other people are being considered for the role, and you will hear more from Daiyu and I about several interviews and necessary materials. I know you will practice the utmost discretion regarding this email.
Regards,
Raesung Lee
Department Head of Salesforce at Sinochen Enterprises
Chater House, Central, Hong Kong
Office 1876, 18th floor
Phone: +852 XXXX XXXX ext. 1876
You squealed but quickly clamped a hand over your math. This was it. This was the culmination of your dreams coming true. Being the Salesforce director for one of the largest companies in Asia… shit. That would prove your mom and everyone in that shitty-ass town of yours wrong.
After quickly shutting the door and the windows, you did an undignified jig around your large office filled with fist pumps and silent screaming.
“Y/N-laoban, I have the files for—”
You froze.
“...For… uh… you know what, I’ll just come back later—”
“No, it’s fine, BeiBei.” You cleared your throat and sat back into the chair. “I just had exciting news, that’s all. Come, please hand me those files.”
Beibei quickly handed them to you and moved to scurry out of the room and back to her desk.
“Wait! Beibei, could you grab me an Iced Americano? I feel like I need a treat today.”
Her young face peered at you curiously and nodded furiously. 
“I-If it isn’t too much to ask, laoban, what’s the good news?”
Uncharacteristically, you beamed at her. She seemed a bit frightened at the sheer excitement you were exuding, so you toned it down a bit.
“Let’s just say I might not be the Head of just South Asia any longer.”
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“I hear congratulations are in order?”
You looked up from your double-screens to see the extremely pretty face of Dong Sicheng. His plump lips pulled in a sort of mocking smile.
“For what? I don’t recall getting engaged nor getting pregnant,” you retorted.
“I overheard a little birdie telling her friends that her boss might move up in the world.” Sicheng pushed off the doorway and moved to place a long-fingered hand over the back of one of the couches.
A sigh left your mouth. Oh BeiBei. 
He drummed his fingers against the back of the couch. “Although, I am surprised Raesung is considering someone like you for the promotion.”
Your eyes snapped to his heavily lidded one. “Pardon?”
“You know, someone of your… type.”
“Elaborate.”
He sighed, like he was dealing with an ignorant child, and moved to lean over your desk.
“We all know when push comes to shove, no matter how icy your demeanor may be, individuals like you will eventually succumb to their emotions.” His mocking smile was an attempt at his nice-boy persona around the office— that made you want to throw your paper weight at his face.
Your jaw clenched. “I knew your family was traditional, Sicheng, but I didn’t expect they were this intransigent.”
He moved closer. “The old ways keep our heads at the right place, woman.”
A snort left your lips. “And I suppose customs guide the ignorant?”
His smile grew razor sharp. “Exactly.”
Your teeth clenched around your tongue. “Excuse me, Sicheng, but I’m afraid I have a meeting in a few minutes—not all of us are as lax as a board member's son.”
Ignoring the barb, he watched raptly as you stuck all your files into your purse calmly. As you moved to show him to the door, he stalled.
“I think you’re forgetting something, Y/N.”
“I’m afraid you have me at a loss, Sicheng. Please hurry.” 
“Don’t I get salutations as well? I’m the other person being considered.” He smirked.
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Thursday January 23rd, 2020
Your House
9 PM HKT
“Hi, mother. How are you?” you asked.
“Aiyo, my old bones are holding up, but you know what would make me feel more at ease?”
“What, mama?” You kicked off your heels and threw yourself into your lumpy, comfy couch. It was time for that conversation again.
“If you settled down with a nice man and gave your grandfather and I grandkids.”
“I am busy.” 
She continued as if she hadn’t heard you. “I know there are a lot of nice men at that company of yours. Surely there is a rich laoban that you can settle down with? You are not unhandsome, after all.”
“I am my own laoban.”
A moment of silence. “Ah, that’s good I suppose.”
“Thank you, mama,” you replied dryly.
“Aiyo, but you know men won’t like that! The good sort of men want good, obedient wives. How are you going to serve your husband and raise your kids if you are working such a busy job?”
“You say that as if I will marry or have kids.”
A loud gasp came from the other end of the line. “Y/N, you will give me a heart attack early! Husband, Y/N will kill me early!”
You heard a faint grunt and your mother subsequently scolding him.
A migraine started to form. You loved your mother as much as one daughter could, but she was very traditional in the way she looked at things. She had raised you from a young age to be an obedient, well-trained wife of a village man like her. Mother had good intentions of course, because that was all she knew. This was the best way she could prepare you for a good life.
The only reason she let you move to the city was because she thought you would find “good quality” (her words, not yours) men in the city. She only approved of you applying to Sinochen because not only did she see the name emblazoned across her noodle and food packets, she also knew very rich men worked there.
You really had thought that once you had moved to Hong Kong, everyone would be Westernized with more flexibility in their mindsets. But the higher ups in your company diminished those hopes very quickly.
Especially for country-bumpkin you.
You hadn’t known the Hong Kong dialect Mandarin, the new slang and modern mannerisms. Adding onto the fact that you were a woman, Sinochen did not treat you very kindly until you started to learn that being kind would get you nowhere.
And look at what you are now—a highly-paid business woman at one of the largest companies in Asia, living in a luxurious apartment within some of the most exclusive real estate on the island, along with all the pretty handbags and shoes you’ve always wanted. You even knew you were reasonably pretty and attractive, if the way Dolos looked at you was true. You kicked ass.
“Y/N, please visit us! Your father and I miss you terribly.”
You grimaced at the thought of your dirty and dusty hometown in the mainland. But still, you missed your father, who had supported you silently in whatever ways he could, and your mother, who loved you something deep.
“I forgot to mention! Kunhuang has been asking after you. Aiyo, what a good boy. He comes to our house once a month and gives us fruits, you know? Such a kind, kind boy.”
You smiled at the thought of Kunhuang and his childish face streaked in dirt and playing Catch the Dragon’s Tail in the woods near your village.
“Tell him I said hello, mother.”
“That boy— he owns most of the farms around us, wah—he tells us he misses you. Why couldn’t you have married him? You could've been closer to us, you know. Kunhuang and you would have made such cute grandkids—”
You sighed heavily. “I had dreams to chase, mama. I still do.”
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Friday, January 24th, 2020
Black’s
9 PM HKT
Sicheng frowned at the vellum letter in his hand. His dearest Dove was unable to make it this week, citing she had work responsibilities she could not miss.
The letter crumpled in his hand. 
He quickly stood up from the armchair near the cozy fireplace at Black’s, dodging various couples or individuals that attempted to coax him into joining them for the night. There was no need for him to be there tonight.
What a pitiful mess he was—over a woman, nonetheless.
When he had first received a recommendation from his uncle to join Black’s, he was ecstatic. Sicheng knew of the rich history and tradition of the club. It was a holdover from colonial times, when bored British aristocrats created a gentleman’s club that quickly turned into a pseudo-bordello as the 19th century chugged on. Legacy and tradition were paramount to the club. 
His father was too fastidious to enter Black’s, even though his own father was a frequent patron of the club. For all his faults, he was a loyal man to his wife. Sicheng, on the other hand, was a randy twenty years old looking to unleash his private fantasies onto the prestigious dungeon.
The mask and name he wore were given to him by his Uncle, who retired from the club as Sicheng entered. Dolos was the other side of his personality that Sicheng hid from the rest of the world.
But never had Dolos been so enraptured by his contracted submissive, Dove.
Dove was… perfect. While other women just laid there and received his attention like a rag doll, she responded in kind. Whether it was an adorable gasp from her lips or precious, minute twitches, Dolos never had a problem ascertaining what Dove was feeling. She was also such a good girl for him, as well. 
So, so good. Incomparable.
No other woman would do it for him. Well...
Sicheng slammed open the door a bit more forcefully than he had intended. Fuck, not her. Anyone but that prissy bitch. Roughly bidding goodbye to the receptionist of the so-called spa, Sicheng quickly slid into the passenger seat of his Maserati and zoomed off into the lights of Hong Kong.
As much as he’d like to put her in her place, Y/N would never do it for him.
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Monday January 27th, 2020
Sinochen Enterprises, Chater House, Central, Hong Kong
10 AM HKT
Your ears perked up to hear the sound of muffled yelling outside your office. Quickly standing, you peeked your head out the doorway to see Sicheng fitfully waving a crumpled paper in his fist at two employees, towering over them with his mouth pulled into a sneer.
“—I do NOT pay your salaries for you to laze around and produce substandard work! If my secretary had not caught this mistake within the analysis, I would’ve been fucking HUMILIATED at the board meeting for faulty figures! My ass would’ve been on the line—”
Glancing over, you saw the other girls in the office whispering behind their hands with shocked eyes. In any other situation, you would’ve done the same. Pretty boy Sicheng? Nice, kind Sicheng who dimpled at everyone each morning? It would’ve been unimaginable for that Sicheng to be putting two of his employees (Tzuyu and Xiaogui, you think, but can’t see past their bowed heads) on blast—but this one stood in the morning light, proudly and harshly, with a terrible mask of rage.
BeiBei, who was standing outside the doorway of your office and head bowed with her friend, giggled softly.
“Wah, Sicheng looks so attractive like that. He’s usually nice but, ugh, what I wouldn’t do to get him,” BeiBei pointed at the now snarling Sicheng,“—bending me over at my desk.”
Her friend squealed and fanned herself. “I may need to change my panties after this, oh my god.”
BeiBei nodded sagely. “I knew he was in a bad mood earlier, when I accidentally bumped into him in the elevator, but my god I didn’t expect for him to blow up like this.”
“I wonder what made him so mad? I remember when Jae accidentally spilled coffee over his phone and Sicheng didn’t even get angry—just smiled and patted him on the back.”
You frowned, remembering that day. While he did pat Jae on the back, Sicheng’s fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles were white and the veins on his forearms stood out. There was a hidden layer behind his seemingly placid eyes, and your suspicions were confirmed after you saw the janitor taking out a broken lamp from his office late one night.
It was that incident, along with so many other tiny occurrences, that clued you into Sicheng’s secret side. You distrusted him solely on that basis. Otherwise, what kind of trustworthy man would hide something like that?
From the corner of your eye, you could tell that Sicheng looked dangerously close to punching something. You decided to intervene before HR got called. Even you had a heart, no matter how cold you were. However, you couldn’t look like you were bailing them out...
“Tzuyu! Xiaogui!” you barked, startling the gossiping women next to you.
Everyone’s heads snapped towards you, along with Sicheng.
You pursed your lips and adjusted your stance. “The Yang reports were supposed to be in my hand an hour ago. My hands are currently empty.”
Tzuyu looked close to crying, while Xiaogui shifted his eyes to the side.
“Go. Before I tell the finance department and you won’t get your full bonus for the year.”
They bowed to Sicheng, then to you, and scrambled off.
There was a moment of silence, until Sicheng had turned his angry attention towards you.
“Well? Why are all of you just standing there? We have deliverables to fulfill, people!” You scowled at the crowd, which disbursed from your shout.
Sichend had not taken his eyes off of you, not even when everyone left.
“Y/N, can I see you in my office for a moment?” he asked with his jaw clenched.
You narrowed your eyes, but acquiesced, standing by the window overlooking Kowloon Bay as he shut the door.
Sicheng paused for a moment by the doorway, his broad chest heaving. He let out a strangled breath before standing near his desk.
“You do not encroach on MY authority in this office, woman. I know the old men in other departments let you step all over them because you’re willing to put out—”
Your jaw dropped and motioned to defend yourself, but he rolled right over you.
“—but you do NOT get to do that here. Unlike the other fuckers in this office, I think with my fucking head not my dick. I handle my goddamn subordinates the way I see fit, understand?”
Your hands gripped the plush chair you stood next to.
“Where the hell do you get off talking to me like that? They’re under my supervision as well, have you fucking forgotten that? Criticize me however you want, but I draw the fucking line on attacks on my character!” you hissed, stepping closer to Sicheng.
“I talk to you however the hell I want, woman! This is my office. I’m in charge!”
Scoffing, you sat on the arm of the chair. “I know you’re sour you didn’t get the region you wanted. But that's real life, Sicheng. It must suck getting told no, daddy’s boy? Huh?”
“You shut the fuck up, Y/N. You do not get to talk to me like that,” he growled, towering over your deceptively lax figure.
You examined your nails nonchalantly. “Whatever, Sicheng. Let’s see who gets to talk when I get the promotion.”
“Ha! You wouldn’t last a fucking week in that position. No one can stand your uptight ass.”
Your placid demeanor snapped and you pushed a manicured finger into his (surprisingly) built chest. 
“Fuck off, Sicheng! Some of us worked our ‘uptight’ asses off to get to where we are. You wouldn’t be shit without daddy dearest!”
“You wanna bet on that, woman?!”
Too little, too late—you didn’t notice how close the two of you were. His right arms clenched the back of the seat behind you and your noses were inches apart. If someone walked in right now, it would’ve looked like Sicheng was trying to kiss you.
You both were breathing heavily and, for the first time, you observed him from up close—his frustratingly clear skin, straight nose and slender jaw line, mouth drawn into a snarl looking like he wanted to corner you into your chair.
It was… hot.
Unwittingly, you bit your bottom lip and his intense eyes were drawn to the movement. Your legs shifted to rub together at the crux and his pants tented, while his eyes narrowed. He breathed heavily through his nose and, god, what you wouldn’t give for him to push you up against a wall and—
What the fuck!
You recoiled the same time he did, jumping away from each other like opposite poles repelling. A cold sweat formed on your back as you realized you were fucking attracted to the man that called you a whore all but in name a few moments ago.
The feral desire on his face morphed into disgust and the two of you gazed at each other in shock and revulsion.
Rushing out of his office like a bat out of hell, you slammed the door to your office shut and collapsed into your chair. Here you were, wanting to vomit in disgust but your panties were fucking soaking. You groaned and pulled at your hair. How the fuck were you supposed to last until Friday without Dolos? He would somehow fucking know you got yourself off and he would paddle you black and blue.
You dialed the private line for Black’s. 
Your last resort...
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Monday January 27th, 2020
Black’s
7:55 PM HKT
Sicheng drummed his finger restlessly against the leather couch, glancing at the clock. His knee bounced in anticipation and he was unaware of the dark energy he exuded.
The man felt like he could explode right now—no thanks to Y/N in his office earlier. Sicheng couldn’t believe he was reduced to a pathetic bundle of nerves all over Y/N and her red lipstick and fuck me! Eyes.
He wanted to crack open that ice-cold facade that you hid behind. He wanted to pick apart every aspect of your being, from your veiled eyes to your restless hands and—
He rubbed a hand over his face. Fuck, not Y/N again. Where the hell was his Dove? Although, he supposed he couldn’t ask for anymore than her now. He was about to break their schedule of Friday nights only, but, by some saving grace, the manager of Black’s called to notify him of Dove’s request to meet here tonight at 8 PM.
Sicheng couldn’t get out of the office fast enough. He usually worked late, but as soon as the clock turned six, he revved his Audi to get home and shower. Now he was here, looking groomed as hell for his favorite little girl.
“Master?”
There she were—standing off to the side, wearing a simple skirt and blouse, yet looking like sex personified.
He was so relieved that he didn’t even check the clock to check if his darling girl was late.
“Sit on my lap, sweetheart. Master has missed you.”
She straddled his lap and he buried his nose into her neck, inhaling deeply. He could feel the tension melting away in his muscles as she sat in his lap.
“Are you stressed, sir?” she asked innocuously, stroking his chest.
He hummed affirmative, tracing his nose over her collarbones. “Master’s had a rough day, baby. Why don’t you be a good girl and help me out, hm?”
Dove grinned, and Sicheng could see her twinkling eyes under the grey mask. “Anything for you sir.”
Sicheng heaved her over his shoulder, a squeal to coming out of her mouth unbidden. He smirked. She was lucky he hadn’t stopped her from making noise.
As soon as he got to the room, he made her strip as he pulled down a silk tie from the ceiling. Sicheng roughly forced her hands up, exposing her breasts to the cold air. As he finished binding Dove’s wrists together, he smirked and flicked a finger over her hard peaks.
A small mewl came out of the girl’s mouth, but Sicheng heard it clear as day. A smirk crawled over his plump lips.
“What was that, little girl? You want me to use a riding crop on your ass? Huh?”
Her eyes widened, she held still.
Sicheng languorously looked her over, eyes tracing the dips and curves of her body. “That’s what I thought.”
From a wooden panel, he produced a riding crop, setting aside on a side table as he rolled up his sleeves and loosened the collar on his button-up. Brandishing the crop again, he placed it on her collarbone, the cold leather a stark contrast to Dove’s heated skin.
“Safeword?”
“Sappho, sir.”
The tip of the crop forced her chin up, his intense eyes meeting hers. “Good girl.”
She preened.
He traced it down her chest, circling her sensitive breasts. He chuckled. They were so perfect for him, begging for his attention. She clenched her eyes shut.
Out of nowhere, he sides of both her breasts in two quick snaps of the wrist. Her eyes flew open and she gasped.
“Eyes on me, girl.”
Down and down he went, tracing over her stomach and waist. Sicheng skipped over her mons and started at her feet. He tapped the crop softly against her calves and thighs; he smiled, seeing her keep her stance. Sicheng would delay her orgasm if she so much as bent her legs. The irritating tapping continued until he got to her ass, where he delivered two sharp blows.
He could see her swallow down a moan, her eyes begging him to touch her there. Push and pull, Sicheng reminded himself. Push and fucking pull.
The man looked her dead in the eyes as he snapped the crop all over her ass and waist. Sicheng was unsatisfied. She could withstand the sharp, short pain of the crop and Dove wouldn’t act out.
Throwing the crop to the ground, Sicheng grabbed a ball-gag and paddle from the wall and stalked towards her.
Stuffing the ball-gag into her mouth, he smirked. “Keep your fucking legs straight.”
With that, he wasted no time and swung the paddle straight over her ass. her moan, muffled yet a masterful concerto to his ears, filled the room. Again and again, he paddled her ass until it was hot to touch, taking out his anger at Y/N on her poor ass. She couldn’t think—a buzz filled her ears and a subspace settled over her mind as he kept delivering.
Sicheng smirked as he saw the clear, viscous fluid of her pussy tread down the inside of her thighs. Unable to help himself, he swiped a finger through it and sucked on it.
However, the paddle had hit right next to her throbbing pussy and she cried out, pushing her legs together to relieve the tension.
His slim fingers grabbed her chin. His eyes were wild and his lips were drawn into a familiar snarl. The thought left her head as he hissed. “What the fuck did I just say about keeping your legs straight? You wanna be bad? Disobey my order? I’ll show you bad.”
Uncharacteristically, he threw away the paddle and wrapped a strong arm around her chest. She felt the rough, calloused skin of his palm smack her ass and she couldn’t take it.
 Moans and whines forced themselves past her lips as he kept on going, smacking her ass in quick succession with his bare palms. It was a useless mission trying to keep her legs together but he kept going until she was trembling. The only thing keeping her up was his arm around her waist.
“What a naughty, naughty girl,” he whispered into her ear. “You deliberately disobeyed my fucking orders, huh? Fucking put your legs together because you were too impatient for master to touch you.”
“Sir, please,” she sobbed through the gag, saliva dripping down her chin.
Sicheng thrust two fingers into her mouth and she rushed to spit and lube them up. He quickly spread the lips of her labia apart with his finger, and his thumb brushed slightly over her little pearl. The ‘accidental’ move nearly made her pass out, a loud scream echoing along the walls.
“What sweet, sweet screams are elicited from that throat of yours,” he murmured.
Suddenly, he roughly stuffed two fingers into her dripping wet pussy making her scream even louder from the sudden intrusion. Pumping harshly, in and out, an undulating rhythm that made her legs collapse and lean on him totally for support. She cried into his shoulder as he just kept on going, feeling the lush walls of her pussy pulsate against his fingers. Once again, his thumb brushed over her clit and her throat felt raw from her shouting. He rubbed her little pearl viciously while two fingers were still deep in her pussy. Her muffled screaming echoed through out the room and he quickly unbuckled the gag from her mouth.
“Master, sir—please, let me come! I’ll be your good girl, I’ll doing anything you want, I’ll keep my legs apart, I’ll—”
“Come, sweetheart. Come for your master,” he said, his breathing finally a bit labored.
She let out a keening wail and her nails dug into his broad shoulders, shaking uncontrollably against him. He held her close.
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Monday January 27th, 2020
Black’s
9 PM HKT
All that could be heard was the crackling fire in the corner of the room. You slumped bonelessly against Dolos on the leather couch, head on his chest, knees pulled up to rest on his lap. As you drifted in and out of consciousness, you could feel his fingers stroke your hair and the comforting sound of his heartbeat thrumming steadily. 
“Sir, I… I missed you,” you whispered.
He said nothing. But, as you turned your head up to his, he gazed at you with an unreadable gleam in his eye.
You blushed, and buried your head in his chest. God, that was too sincere. It actually sounded like you needed him outside the walls of this playroom. You knew what happened when you mixed feelings with sex. Trouble.
Trouble was Minghao. Trouble was dark and mysterious—the kind of boy that made girls go starry-eyed and ga-ga over him. The girls would constantly daydream Minghao “fixing” himself for them, “piecing” himself back together in order to be with the girl of his dreams.
Except they were wrong. So, so wrong.
Minghao wasn’t like that. He was cool, he was cruel, and he was mean. He was the first to initiate your eager eyes into BDSM. He was the one that discovered how good of a submissive you were. He was your first in everything.
In the end, he was too much for you. Minghao would’ve destroyed you had you stayed for any longer—would’ve ruined your already fraying self-esteem and confidence. Yet, when the two of you parted ways, it felt like something had been torn out of your chest. You had dedicated yourself to serving this man, thrown your confidence and dignity on an altar and sacrificed it to him, but he had deigned to not even treat you with a modicum of respect outside of playtime.
Never again.
“Never mind, sir. My mouth ran away from me for a moment.”
His right hand rose to cup your jaw, and his fathomless eyes searched yours.
“You are the only thing real in this world, you know that?”
Your thumb stroked his sharp cheekbones and Dolos sighed. He quickly gathered you up in his arms and crushed you into his chest. You froze, unsure what he planned to do. 
“Fuck,” he said. “What are you doing to me?”
You gazed into the fire lapping at the stone of the fireplace, snapping and crackling. What the hell was he doing to you? Dolos was the first dom in years to make so weak—so attached.
He gave a bitter laugh.
“I came here for control.”
Burying his face into your hair, he inhaled deeply like you would disappear in thin air.
“So why are you taking it away from me?”
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Wednesday January 29th, 2020
Sinochen Enterprises, Chater House, Central, Hong Kong
3 PM HKT
You sighed and played mindlessly with your pen as the clock ticked forward. Sicheng had gone to the bathroom before your quick progress check with him which left you to scrutinize his office.
If there was one word to describe his office, it would be monotonous. White, black, and red with no personal effects in sight. The only thing that made the space not some page from a design catalogue was the simple calligraphy painting bearing a proverb in harsh, strong strokes.
人算不如天算.
Man proposes and god disposes.
Huh. Funny, for a man whom you thought was fettered by nothing but himself.
The scroll painting was also dead set in the middle of room, with two dark bookshelves flanking it. In fact, everything in the room was perfectly symmetrical. The two chairs faced the desk straight on. There were two pens that stood side by side, unnaturally neat at the center of his desk. Even his recycling bin was perfectly in the center of two tables—
A ball of paper, different from the other stark white sheets in the bin, caught your eye. Weirdly enough, the paper broke the bizarre, polished neatness of the room by laying on the floor adjacent to the bin.
Insatiable curiosity gripped you in its clutches, and you bent down to pick up the odd bit of parchment.
Immediately, you felt the quality of the paper. It was heavy and smooth like silk, not something an individual wrote on casually. Hell, it was aged as well. What was Dong Sicheng doing with this?
Opening the crumpled paper (which had felt like it had been crumpled and straightened many times), you took a look at the contents of the paper.
Your own handwriting stared up at you mockingly.
Dropping the paper like it was a burning ember, you fell gracelessly to the carpeted floor. Your eyes widened and your hand clamped over your mouth to prevent you from gasping.
No. That could not be Dove’s letter. It couldn’t. It couldn’t because—
You heard muffled footsteps echoing coming down the hallway outside the office, and you scrambled off the floor and into your chair. Having no time to think, you stuffed the letter into your coat pocket.
“Y/N, thank you for waiting,” Sicheng greeted, striding confidently into his office.
His casual oxford and black trousers were a slap in the face. How could you not notice the similarities between Dolos and Sicheng? The way they walked, the way they talked, the way they looked at you.
With Sicheng, looking into his eyes was like gazing through a veil. Silhouettes and hints of something indiscernible danced in his eyes, alien to his warm demeanor. Looking into Dolos’ eyes was as if the veil had been lifted, naked and hungry desire running rampant and burning with its ferocity. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide underneath his stare.
Even his forearms. The way they flexed as he lowered himself into his office chair and took one of the freakishly aligned pens in his sinuous fingers. You could see them twisting and rippling as he paddled your—
“Y/N?”
Your eyes refocused on Sicheng watching you intently, concern written on his face.
“N-no problem, really.”
You wanted to facepalm yourself. Your voice almost fucking cracked and sounded shy, like the twittering of the office girls around him. Fuck, where was your ice queen when you needed her?
A slight smile played upon his pink lips, and hell if you couldn’t imagine him calling you a little slut.
The informal progress meeting continued on in the same vein, you acting uncharacteristically bashful and him hiding his befuddled amusement badly.
The paper felt like it was a brand burning through your blazer pocket the rest of the day.
Love, your Darling Dove.
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Friday January 31st, 2020
Black’s
9 PM HKT
Friday night once again found him at Black’s, awaiting his weekly tête-á-tête with his darling Dove. But this time, he planned to make it different.
He restlessly toyed with the red, signature box embossed with gold etching. He had never spent this much money on something for someone other than his mother and older sister, but Dove once again compelled him. The necklace with gold filigree had a simple pendant of a blossom, its leaves done in malachite and its petals in iridescent opal. Sicheng imagined Dove in nothing but his necklace, her pretty lips contorted in a moan, and he instantly got hard again.
Fuck. He could not wait to get her to the Salon and kiss every inch of her skin, worshipping her with his mouth and his hands. And after, when she was sated and curled contentedly in his arms, he would ask to remove her mask.
And hopefully, she would say yes.
Then she would be his.
His mouth salivated at the thought, his heart beating just a tiny bit faster at the thought of untying the ribbon of her grey mask and the stupid lace falling down so he could bask in her features. A thousand different features flashed before his eyes, each one as perfect than the next.
Y/N’s cold gaze flashed unbidden before his eyes.
Sicheng’s teeth clenched until he couldn't feel his tongue. As much as he’d like to put her in her rightful place, why was she in his thoughts? Dove was perfect and submissive to his whims, and he was about to make her his. Y/N had no business being even a passing thought.
Although, she acted quite off this week. She was her normal, bitchy self around the office, ruthlessly demanding results while everyone obeyed in a mixture of fear and awe, but Y/N was almost… shy.
She refused to look him straight in the eye, even if, in the past, she had no problem getting all up in his face. Her posture was slumped and hesitant, her hands twiddled and twitched in his presence.
While he liked it a bit more than he should, this was not the Y/N he knew. He had no idea what made her like this and it made him... uncomfortable. Did he do something?
“Dolos, sir.”
He looked up from his broody contemplation into the fire and to the distinguished, older man’s face. This was not some errand boy, this was the owner of the damn establishment. Sir Theodore Lau himself.
“Mr. Lau, nice to see you,” he said, rising up to greet him properly.
“Quite well, and you?”
“In good spirits.”
Mr. Lau’s face took on a pained expression.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Lau?”
The usually unflappable gentleman looked discomfited. “You… I have received this. For you.”
Sicheng cautiously took the letter from Lau’s hands, and broke the wax seal to the aged vellum inside
    Dear Dolos,
   I am sorry you could not receive the contents of this letter in person, but circumstances have not allowed for it.
   Dolos, I’m sorry to inform you I am no longer a patron of Black’s and consequently not your submissive anymore. No, it is not an issue of money. Neither have I been treated untowardly in this establishment. No, I have had to leave because of some personal conflicts.
   I have had the best six months of my life with you. You have made me feel comfortable in my submission, with no shame or judgement in those eyes of ours. I looked forward to our Friday rendezvous, embarrassingly eager for when I could be in your arms again. But that shall sadly never happen again.
   Please do not get angry, but if our six months together meant anything to you, please do not seek me out. It’s best for the both of us.
   Thank you master,
   Dove
Sicheng could only gape at the paper, the letters rerunning and jumbling in his mind until they were all a blur. He could literally feel the blood freezing in his veins and the unnatural stillness he was stuck in.
“She… she said she was sorry. Very sorry.”
Mr. Lau could have been speaking gibberish for all he cared, because Sicheng could not hear anything other than the pounding of his blood.
“What the fuck,” Sicheng hissed after a long time of not speaking.
Mr. Lau could only look on piteously. Sicheng’s face was grotesquely beautiful in the firelight, highlighting his angelic features contorted tortuously. The owner had never seen such raw, unfiltered emotion from Sicheng— from anyone in his life, really. This was the face of a man who had the rug taken out from beneath his feet.
He put a fatherly hand on Sicheng’s shoulder. Lau had known the boy since the boy was an adolescent and a submissive had never left him in such a state.
“We have other girls—men as well—who would be more than happy to serve you tonight—”
“I don’t want to fuck tonight,” Sicheng seethed, brushing the older man’s hand off roughly. “I don’t want any of them. I want Dove.”
How could she do this? Just leave him high and dry with just a letter and unforgettable memories? He thought they were more.
Evidently not, Sicheng thought bitterly.
However, something was off in the letter. There were blotches of water around the page and even in the handwriting, as if a droplet had smeared the page. Of perhaps, a tear.
“Can I meet with you privately in your office?” Sicheng said lowly after he got his rage under control.
Mr. Lau sighed. “Of course. Come along.”
Sicheng refused his invitation to sit, but did accept a finger of bourbon. He took a sip, contemplated the glass in his hand, and hurled it at the wall.
Mr. Lau jumped out of his chair, shocked. “Sicheng, those glasses were from my grandfather!”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. Like air suddenly leaving a balloon, Sicheng deflated and collapsed into the armchair. The blond youth rubbed a hand over his tired face.
“May I ask you for a favor, Mr. Lau?”
The man, inspecting the now ruined silk wallpaper, snorted. “Unless you replace my decanter set, no.”
Sicheng waved a careless hand. “Consider it done. 1890s, correct? I’ll even pay for the cleaning service.”
Harrumphing, the owner sat in his office chair and steepled his fingers. “So, what may I do for you?”
Sicheng’s burning eyes turned towards him.
“Tell me who Dove is.”
Mr. Lau winced. “Anything but that Sicheng, anything. Not her identity.”
“Well, say goodbye to your father’s decanter set, then,” Sicheng murmured petulantly.
“I can live with that. However, I will never disclose her identity— or anyone’s, for that matter.”
“Please, you don’t understand. I need her.”
Oh, how beautiful he looked like this. A tortured angel materialized from a Michaelangelo painting.
Mr. Lau felt all his years weighing him all at once, and two sides of him warred.
“I’m sorry, but no matter how good your intentions are, I personally and legally cannot do that.”
“Even though my family and I have been patrons of the club for decades?”
“Even then. You know this.”
The blond man’s eyes shifted to the side, and his jaw tightened. His knuckles grew white clutching the wood armrests of the chair he sat in.
“Fuck this!” he shouted, suddenly throwing the chair back with a resounding clash. He motioned to stomp his way out of the room, but Mr. Lau’s voice stopped him.
“She’s a good girl, Sicheng. If she wanted to be found by you, she would’ve.”
Sicheng grasped the door and said ominously, “I will not accept this. Never.”
The older gentleman sighed, and took in the destruction a man’s broken heart had left in its wake.
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*cackles evilly* to be continued...
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neerasrealm · 3 years
Text
A Date
Zalgo x Reader. This was written. As a birthday gift. To myself. I’m old now and I deserve at least one self indulgent self insert fic and by god this is the one. Please enjoy.
Word count: 1765
‘’Fucking hell…’’ 
Stood up again. You really thought it’d be different this time. The guy seemed so nice, ‘not like other guys’. You couldn’t be more wrong. You’d agreed to meet at the Olive Garden at five. It’s now six-thirty, and you’re half heartedly chewing on mozzarella sticks while scrolling through Tumblr. An amazingly romantic evening with just yourself. Getting your outfit dry cleaned was a waste of money.
‘’Excuse me,’’ you look up from your phone at the sound of a deep, smooth voice. Your eyes widen. Standing in front of you is a tall, muscular man. Dressed in a button-up shirt and waistcoat. His skin is a copper-brown colour, and his fluffy hair is a dark brown colour, tipped with red. Like flames. Your eyes run up his arms, both tattooed. One with spiraling flames and the other with blue ink. The most alluring thing however, is his eyes. A bright gold colour. Under his right eye are three freckles, neatly dotted like they were painted on there. ‘’Are you...waiting on someone?’’
You sigh, looking away from the handsome stranger and grabbing another mozzy stick. ‘’No.’’ you reply simply. A grin curls up his face.
‘’May I sit here then?’’ he asks. Your eyes shoot up, surprised and confused as he gestures to the seat across from you. You freeze for a moment. You don’t particularly want to talk to anyone right now, you’d much rather finish your meal and go home to sulk in your pyjamas but...damn this man is a ten. Not even that, a solid twelve! 
‘’Uh- sure. Yeah.’’ you reply quickly. As he slides into the seat across from you you try to fix your hair and wipe sauce and grease off your face. You look over at him and smile for a second before looking down again. Was that weird? Probably. You’re weirding him out. You’re gonna drive away another good guy. What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you just-
‘’So what’s your name, if I may ask?’’ he purrs. His voice is like...tar. Warm, smooth tar that spills down and into your ears...very romantic. Your similes rival that of Shakespeare’s. Clearly. 
You stare at his face for another extra moment. He looks so laid back and, and his lips are curled up into a small smile as he rests his face in his palm. ‘’y/n.’’ you answer. He smiles wider.
‘’y/n…’’ he rolls the name around on his tongue. ‘’Unusual. I like it.’’ he grins across at you and you blush. He chuckles. ‘’I hope this doesn’t come off as rude but…’’ he traces a finger on the table, drawing patterns on the wood. ‘’I saw you sitting alone and couldn’t help but think ‘who would leave a pretty thing like that alone’?’’ he looks up at you. ‘’So of course...I had to come over and say hello. I’ve always been impulsive. Drove my parents crazy.’’ he chuckles again, and you can’t help but laugh in reply.
‘’Me? Really?’’ you tilt your head. Now he’s just trying to sweet talk you, isn’t he?
He nods. ‘’It’s true,’’ he looks you over for a moment before smiling. ‘’Maybe it’s the outfit.’’
Oh. Oh, getting that thing dry cleaned was not a mistake. You smile. ‘’Maybe…’’ you murmur before smirking. ‘’You’re not too bad yourself.’’ you add. He laughs. It’s a nice noise. Hearty, and light. He radiates warmth. Everything from his kind gaze, to the way he smiles across at you as he cups his face in his hands. 
He tilts his head, looking you over. ‘’Why are you alone anyhow? You’re all dressed up, but here you are eating mozzarella sticks all alone…’’ he murmurs before reaching over and stealing a mozzarella stick. If it were anyone else this man would be dead by now, but he’s way out of your league so you legally can’t murder him in cold blood.
‘’Well…’’ you glance aside. ‘’I got stood up. I had a date but...y’know…’’
He frowns, looking sad. ‘’Really?’’ he tilts his head. ‘’Well...that’s ironic. The same thing happened to me…’’ he sighs and looks aside. ‘’Can’t find a decent guy nowadays, can you?’’
You laugh a bit, glancing aside and blushing some more. He got stood up too? Damn...it must be your lucky day! ‘’Heheh...yeah…’’ this is good! He must be free too! Maybe you guys could-
‘’Hey,’’ his voice interrupts your thoughts. He smiles across at you, palms flat on the table. ‘’Maybe we could spend our evenings together? You see I...well, me and my date, we made plans to go to the local museum. I know that sounds boring- both of us really enjoy history and astronomy you see- but now...I just have two tickets going to waste.’’ he tilts his head. ‘’Maybe I could take you? And if it’s boring...I know a nice bakery we could visit after. I’ll pay, as condolence for the even worse evening.’’ he grins playfully and you find yourself giggling.
‘’Geez- a museum?’’ doesn’t really sound like your ideal date but...this guy is enchanting. And if this is what you have to do to get his number then it’s worth it. ‘’Well...it’s not like I have anything else to do-’’ 
‘’Great!’’ he lightly hits the table and grins brightly. You jump a bit in surprise. He reclines back, calm as ever before turning and looking to the side. He whistles and a waiter from across the restaurant perks their head up. How did they even hear that-? No matter. You reach into your bag to grab your money.
‘’Ah-ah.’’ he interrupts you. You look up and see he’s holding a credit card. ‘’I’ll pay, I insist.’’
You frown. ‘’You don’t have to do that- honestly I don’t mind.’’
‘’Sweetheart, I’m wearing designer clothing right now.’’ he replies with a deadpan look. ‘’I can afford to buy a pretty person some Olive Garden.’’ 
You blink in surprise. ‘’O-oh.’’ you glance down, embarrassed, and put your money back in your bag. ‘’Okay.’’ you didn’t realise he was rich. Does he think you’re rich too? Oh shit...what if this is just him trying to find someone to fit his evening with? Is he actually interested in somebody like you?
‘’Ready to go, cutie?’’ his voice snatches you out of your thoughts. You look over at him. He’s standing up, smiling at you expectantly. You blush and stand up, grabbing your things. You smile at him nervously as he holds out his hand. You hesitate for a second before he reaches over and takes your hand in his. Specifically the hand covered in blue ink.
He’s enchanting. There’s something about this man, the way his smile stretches across his entire face, the way his eyes shine with such a warmth you can practically feel it. His voice is so soft and soothing, it’s like you’re melting into him. The night air should be too cold, but he’s holding your hand and he feels warm. As you look over him, you notice something. ‘’Are your tattoos glowing?’’ 
He looks up in surprise, stopping mid-sentence. You feel bad for interrupting him, but his smile reassures you. ‘’Oh! Yes,’’ he chuckles and holds out his arm, the one decorated with swirling flames. ‘’It’s glow in the dark ink!’’
You arch a brow. ‘’That’s a thing?’’
‘’Oh, yes! Very experimental- not to mention expensive, but it looks cool doesn’t it?’’ he chuckles and drops his arm, reaching into his pocket. He pulls two tickets from his pocket and smiles before tugging your hand. He pulls you into the museum. The last time you were in here...well you must’ve been just a kid. He smiles at you and tugs you again. ‘’Come on! They have a collection on bronze and iron age metalwork- it’s very interesting- ooh! And the egyptian exhibit.’’ he giggles, like a giddy child. You smile a bit. None of that sounds as interesting as he makes it sound, but he’s so enjoyable to be around, you smile and follow after him enthusiastically. 
‘’Ancient egyptians of both sexes strived for beauty, did you know that?’’ his arm is around your waist now as you gaze at the exhibit. ‘’But their beauty was practical...the application of kohl around the eyes, combined with moisture from the eye made a protection from the sun’s glare...wigs reduced the risk of lice,’’ his voice is soft, low. You melt against him. ‘’They even had tattoos...they were geniuses. Architects, scientists, lovers, families…’’ 
‘’You speak like you knew them.’’ you laugh. He chuckles and squeezes you. 
‘’Maybe I did.’’ he feels warm and soft. ‘’Maybe I was a pharaoh, in a past life.’’
‘’And what was I?’’ you grin up at him. He gives you a sly smile.
‘’My personal slave.’’
You blush and smack at him, gawking in false shock. ‘’You dog!’’ you giggle. He laughs and grabs you by the hips, smiling down at you. His grin is intoxicating. His teeth are sharp, you notice. Surgery? He seems like the type to get that done. He links his arm with yours and pulls you along, smiling at you. You feel obligated to follow him into the dark room he leads you to. You look around. The walls are pitch black, until the curved ceiling suddenly lights up into a galaxy. You gasp.
‘’Do you like it?’’ he asks softly, as if he created the projection just for you. You step away from his side and smile up at the ceiling. ‘’The stars are enchanting...I adore them.’’ he smiles warmly as he speaks. ‘’But they’re so far away. Humans could never hope to see one up close, never touch one with their own two hands…’’ he walks past you. The ceiling casts a blue glow on him, and he seems to shimmer in the light. Ethereal, like he isn’t quite real. He snaps his fingers and the ceiling suddenly changes, showing the sun. He’s lit up in fiery red that flickers over him. ‘’It’s sad, isn’t it? How we can’t ever reach the things we wish so desperately to touch…’’ you step toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder. Your hand slides down and intertwines with his blue fingers. He looks down at you. He looks so...sad. He turns to you and cups your face. 
‘’But you can reach me.’’ you say with a small smile. He sighs, his lips turning up.
‘’I suppose I can…’’ he murmurs as he leans in and kisses you softly.
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Angels Like You (Can't Fly Down Here With Me)(A. Matthews/M. Marner)(Chapter 2)
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As soon as Mitch closes and locks the door to his apartment, he slumps against it, dropping his bag to the floor in the process. His cheeks are scratchy and dry from the tears that had been falling for like half an hour, but at least he’s finally stopped crying. He pulls his phone out of his sweatpants pocket and glances at the notifications. There’s only a snapchat from Dylan Strome and an Instagram message from Kasperi, probably from before his practice started. Nothing from Monica, which hurts more than he thought it would. He clicks his phone off, and puts it on the tile floor next to him. He leans his head back but misjudges how far he’s sitting from the door and ends up banging the back of his head against it. “Fuck,” he mutters, shutting his eyes closed. He isn’t about to start crying again, and definitely not about bumping his goddamn head.
His stomach rumbles, but he doesn’t want to get up from the cool tile floor. His entire body aches like somebody just cross-checked him onto his face. Not even Zeus, his dog, is there to cheer him up, since he’s visiting with Mitch’s brother for the week. Usually Mitch would call Monica after practice, but after her surprise showing up in the locker room, he doubts that will ever happen again. Maybe he could call Auston, but after the whole teary-hug-thing, he doesn’t know if that’s the best idea ever. Auston would just not stop asking if he’s okay, rather than pretending like nothing happened, which is honestly all that Mitch needs right now. It hurts too much to even think about it.
He has to go get wasted.
Even though it's not even six p.m.
So he scrolls through his phone to find Willy’s number and sends a quick text.
Drinks?
The ‘typing’ dots show up almost right away, and a second later a message pops up.
Mitch it’s 4:30
And?
Yeah ur right
I’ll be at ur place in 15
Mitch nods at his phone and slowly gets up from the floor. He thinks about texting Fred and Mo and maybe Zach, but he’s not really in the mood for a big party thing. He just wants to get drunk with one of his best friends.
So he goes into his room and pulls off his shirt to change into something a bit nicer when his phone dings with another text from Will.
Auston coming?
No and don’t ask him
I just wanna hang u and me
He does feel kind of bad about not asking him, because when do they ever go out without each other, but Mitch knows Auston well enough to know that he won’t let Mitch breathe if he were to come. Instead of overthinking it, Mitch grabs his keys and goes to wait outside his apartment building for Will’s car.
He’s outside for a couple of minutes before Will gets there, and when he pulls up Mitch jumps up and runs the couple of meters to his black car. “William,” Mitch states when he opens the passenger-side door.
“Mitchell. Where are we heading?” He taps the steering wheel lightly and runs his hand through his blonde hair. He is really pretty, Mitch has to admit but he’s definitely not his type, the whole ‘I’m beautiful and I know it’ thing a bit too obvious.
If he were gay, that is. He’s not. Definitely not.
“The usual place.” Mitch replies, and Will nods and puts the car in gear. It’s silent for the first few minutes, Will focusing on getting through the Toronto traffic, Mitch staring blankly at his phone. He opens Instagram, but the first picture on his feed is from Monica’s account, so he quickly unfollows her and shuts off his phone, dropping it onto his lap when he’s done.
“So,” Will starts, unsure of how Mitch will take the question he’s about to ask.
“If you’re going to start with ‘how are you doing with the breakup, Mitch?’ don’t even bother. I don’t wanna talk about it right now.” Mitch puts on a deep voice and waves his hands in the air in an attempt to mock Will, and it’s obvious he’s only half-joking. Will doesnt take it personally, though, telling himself that his friend is going through a lot.
“Um, first of all, that is not how I sound, and second of all, I was going to ask what’s going on with you and Auston? Usually the three of us go out, and after this afternoon…” he trails off.
“Nothings going on with me and Auston,” Mitch says slowly, unsure of what exactly Will is getting at. “What are you even talking about? I didn’t ask him to come because I knew he’d be weird about it and not let me live.” Will just nods, looking straight ahead. He turns his blinker on and Mitch starts again. “What are you talking about?” “Nothing. I just assumed something might have happened, that’s all.” Mitch gives him a look and Will lets out a breathy laugh. “Seriously! That’s all.” Mitch nods at him cautiously and the conversation kind of trails off. They talk hockey for a couple minutes, but it’s painfully obvious that the two are waiting to get at least one drink down to talk about their relationship, or, in Mitch’s case, ex-relationship, problems.
Will makes another turn into the parking lot of a small bar you wouldn't notice if you didn’t know exactly where it was. The two walk into the bar and realize it’s busier than they would have thought it would be at 5 in the afternoon, but what difference does it make at this point. They’re already there, so Mitch finds a booth while Will goes to the bar to order them beers. Mitch pulls out his phone and sees a text from Auston that reads it was sent five minutes ago.
how r u mitch? everything ok? :(
Mitch has a weird sinking feeling in his stomach when he reads the text, but he tells himself he shouldn’t feel guilty. It’s not like he did anything wrong. He ignores the text and forces a smile he knows looks fake when Will comes back to the table, a beer in each hand. He sets one down in front of Mitch and the two sit in silence for a second. “Spill. Everything.”
“I don’t even know what the fuck happened, Willy. I knew something was coming, because she always gets kind of distant and stops responding to my texts and calls before she pulls some drastic bullshit like this, but I didn’t think she’d make me choose between my two favourite people on the planet.” He looks up suddenly, as if the words are falling out of his mouth faster than he can process them. “No offence, you’re obviously also my favorite person, it’s just...” Will just shakes his head, smiles a bit and waves him off, taking a sip of his drink. Mitch does the same, and Will takes it as a chance for him to talk.
“Did you ever actually love her, Mitch? Like, I know you always said she’s so great and makes you so happy, but when you really think about it, was there ever even one full day where you were completely and utterly happy with her?”
He pauses and racks his brain for something, anything, literally one fucking memory of the two of them together when Mitch wasn’t berated for something he did wrong, or when she wasn’t on her phone the entire time they were together, or that time she ditched him for her friends on their six month anniversary where Mitch had planned a dinner at a fancy restaurant and they would walk through downtown Toronto in the evening and watch the sunrise on the beach. He was devastated that day, and suddenly the sadness he was feeling turns to anger and guilt. Anger at her, for everything she put him through while somehow convincing him it was love, and guilt, for all the times he ignored his friends while they told him how bad she was for her. He feels like he’s about to start crying again, and he knows he will if he looks up at his friend, so staring at the table, he says, “I can’t.”
Will nods, cocking his head to the side. “It’s okay, Marns. And it’s okay that you’re still hurting over her, because trust me, even though now you realize it was never real, it’s gonna hurt like hell. You have to let it, otherwise it’ll never get better.” “I’ve been through a breakup before, William,” Mitch snaps, but he’s smiling.
“I know, I just want you to know that I’m here for you. And so is Auston.” He doesn’t realize what he’s implying until it’s out of his mouth, but he’s almost 100% sure Mitch missed it too. Just to be safe, he adds, “And the rest of the team, too, obviously.”
Mitch nods and downs half his beer, then looks at Will. “Honestly it doesn’t even hurt now that I realize that. I’m just really fucking angry.”
“So you know what you should do?”
“Hm?” Mitch tips the glass of beer back to finish it off and sets it back on the table, never breaking eye-contact with Willy.
“When you get home, you pack a box of her shit together and fucking set fire to it. Burn everything. Pictures, souvenirs, ticket stubs, everything. It’s what I did when I broke up with my high school girlfriend, and it’s honestly really freeing.”
Mitch nods, kind of unsure about the idea of setting their relationship up in flames. Will reads him easily though, so he laughs and continues. “Or, you could put her shit in a box and tell her to come pick it up, otherwise it's going in the trash.” The two of them smile and Mitch nods.
“That sounds like a much better option. And still freeing.” There’s a lull in conversation, and honestly Mitch doesn’t have much more to say about his predicament other than long, angry rants, so he decides to prompt Willy. “So, you and Kas…”
“Oh my God my turn! Okay so he called me last night, right,” he leans forward and props his elbows up on the table, and Mitch smiles and leans his head in his hands.
The two of them spend the next few hours in their booth, Mitch downing beer after beer, Will stopping after one because he’s going to be the one to have to drive them both home. Close to eight pm, Will realizes how long the two of them have been sitting there, as well as just how drunk Mitch is. He’s slurring his words and isn’t really focusing on Will, looking around the room unfocused while he attempts to keep up with the conversation. He smiles to himself and tells Mitch it’s time to get home.
“No,” he states like a five year old. “I don’t wanna go home.”
“Yes, you do, bud. We have a game tomorrow night, and you don’t wanna be too tired and hungover to play, do you?”
Mitch shakes his head while Will stands, stuffs his phone into his pocket, and pulls out his keys. He waits for Mitch to stand, then wraps his arm around his waist to help him to the door. He could probably walk on his own, but he doesn’t want to take that chance in a crowded bar with a guy who is heavier as dead weight than he looks like he’d be.
The drive home is silent until Mitch picks up his phone and quickly realizes he can’t read what’s on the screen. “I’m drunk,” he announces, and Will laughs. “Can you read it?” he attempts to hand his phone to Will, then realizes shit, he’s driving, and pulls it back to himself.
“After, Mitch,” and he nods exaggeratedly in response. They pull up to Mitch’s apartment, and getting him up to his floor is slightly easier than Will imagined it would be. He does have to help him into bed, though, and doesn’t bother undressing him. He pulls the covers back for Mitch and sits him down on the mattress. He takes the phone from him while he lies down and glances at the screen. There's five text messages from Auston, all spaced out over the three hours they’d been out.
if u need to talk, u know im here
mitch?
ur probably busy or smtg… text when u get a chance
did i make things weird tdy? im sry if i did
call me mitch plz
“Jesus,” Will mutters under his breath and unlocks Mitch’s phone to respond. Mitch gave him his passcode a long time ago, so he knows he won’t care.
Hey its Will
Everything is fine, Mitch is super drunk, that's all
Dw about him
oh
u guys went out?
Will knows how bad it looks that the two of them went without Auston, but he should be able to understand.
He needed some one-on-one w someone not as close to him I think
It def wasn't a party, we drowned in our emotions, man
alright i get it
shit, can u plz delete the messages from before?
including these actually
Ofc np
“Night, Mitch,” Will whispers, although he already realizes Mitch is passed out. He sets his phone on the night table next to him and makes sure to lock the apartment door behind him. Mitch honestly cannot be more blind about his literal soulmate being madly in love with him, but he thinks he has a plan to help him figure it out now.
U should pick him up tmrw for the game. He's gonna be hungover af and moody
ofc, was planning on it anyways :)
28 notes · View notes
nctstany · 3 years
Text
Love Me Now
Pairing: Jaeyong (Jaehyun x Taeyong)
Plot: All Taeyong wants to do is finish his last two years of college in peace but since he’s the son of a famous CEO he must do something he never thought he would do even in his next life time, marry his ‘enemy’.
Genre: Light angst, fluff, angst, smut???, light smut??, language, sexual themes, family problems, *cough cough* daddy issues
SIX
He can’t believe it. Today is the day, it happened too quickly. He honestly can’t believe it. The whole chain of events happened too suddenly even with avoiding it for most of it. It still managed to creep up on him and ruin his morning. It started with getting his phone blown up by Mark at an godly hour so that he can get ready in time. Also the fact that paparazzi find out where he lives but luckily Mark and Doyoung were there to save him with excuses. The only good thing that came from the morning events was the ice coffee he got after putting his suit on. 
Taeyong spent the rest of his afternoon waiting for the ceremony and guests to arrive. Doyoung and Mark stayed for only the getting ready part since it was both father’s request to make sure an escape didn’t take place. It was a good thing too since Taeyong faked going to the bathroom and almost got away with pretending to be a staff member. Nonetheless Taeyong sat pretty scrolling through his phone at peace until he heard a knock at the door. He expected it to be his father coming in to threaten him one last time. 
“Yo~” Shockingly it was Jaehyun popping his head in, even better~
“Are you nervous?” Is that a trick question?
"No." 
"You look nervous."
"Well then you're not helping." Tae sighed, putting his phone down on his lap.  
"Hold my hand if you're nervous." 
"I'm not touching you, Jaehyun."
“You’re going to have to kiss me up there anyway. Why is holding hands a big deal right now?” Jaehyun said with all seriousness which almost made Taeyong laugh in his face.
“Do you really think I’m going to kiss you?”
“You kind of have to~” A grin appeared on Jaehyun’s face as he put his arm around the other’s shoulder, “Picture this; we say I do and not kiss. Headlines and the media are going to eat us alive, along with our fathers and you should already know what will happen after that.” Taeyong just rolled his eyes at that logic but in the end Jaehyun is right, they both know that the media has power. 
“But anyway I came to get you, we’re starting.” Jaehyun had a little cheer in his voice and cleared, “I’ll see you at the end of the aisle.” Once the other left Taeyong sighed getting up from his chair and simply said with exhaustion, “Well fuck it.” 
“Taeyong, over here~” As soon as he left the room he could see his father’s grin even before turning around. He gripped onto his son’s arm and they began to walk down the aisle, music playing and the guest starring. His father said a mouthful in his eye and all he could do was fake a smile. A little bit of it was true once he saw Jaehyun in the tux he picked out, his ears red and standing proud. 
“You do understand the kind of trouble you’ll put everyone in and yourself right?” They made it to the end and Taeyong finally had the realization of everything crashing down on him at once. 
“Loud and clear.” Leaving one grip to another that felt way too inviting. The ceremony started and it turned into a staring contest between the two. Jaehyun tried throwing off the other by pulling him in closer or grinning at certain words that were being said. 
“I pronounce you two as partners.”
An awkward couple of seconds went by, as the two just stared into each other’s eyes. Sound was muffled around them. It would be weird if I gave him a handshake…… Jaehyun noticed the other pondering into thought and went in to whisper in his ear. Instead of going to whisper something he was surprised by a kiss to the cheek. Cameras flashed and people cheered, throwing rice as the newlyweds walked down the aisle holding hands. 
"I can't believe you gave me a kiss on my cheek."
"Shut up." 
“Also you’re holding my hand.” Jaehyun whispered and Taeyong quickened the walk.
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The after party was something Taeyong actually felt scared about. People coming up and congratulating him about something fake, lying about loving Jaehyun. If only these people knew the whole story then everyone would just quickly get drunk. That’s something Taeyong will have to pass on tonight since the last time he got drunk he was on Jaehyun’s couch. 
“Hey wifey~” Taeyong pushed Jaehyun away but with a smile and gently since there are witnesses.  
“Not even a little kiss on the cheek again?” 
"Would you shut up about that already?" 
"But I miss your kisses~"
“I’m not afraid to kick your ass in front of all these people.” Taeyong kept a straight face. Jaehyun chuckled a little and took a sip from his glass, “You won’t because all these people we are in front of are pretty important people to our parents.”
“So doing that would be the same thing as telling them everything is a lie.” Jaehyun continued on with that damn smug face. “And I really doubt you could kick my ass, Lee Taeyong.”
“Come on, let's go mingle.” You’re lucky I like dancing…..with you. 
“Look at the two lovebirds!” Jaehyun’s father hollered out with Taeyong’s father near by. Clearly even after getting married he’ still out free from all the bullshit. 
“Clear your day tomorrow, you have to move into Jaehyun’s house.” Moving in? Taeyong laughed for a moment and soon enough came to since he was the only one laughing.
“That wasn’t part of the deal!” Angry build up quickly. “It’s bad enough I actually agreed to this shit show but now you suspect me to live with him?”
“It was Jaehyun’s idea after all and I completely agree with him. A married couple should live together especially if we want it to look believable.” 
“It was his idea, really?” Taeyong tilted his head and looked over at Jaehyun with the same question, “It was your idea?” You could almost hear the other gulp as he uttered the word Taeyong didn’t want to hear. Without question he pulled the other to a separate room with no witnesses in sight. 
“Okay don’t get mad.” 
The punch was so strong and quick that Jaehyun didn’t even realize he got hit. He rubbed his jaw and looked over at Taeyong who was breathing heavily. He swung again but this time Jaehyun dodged it and kept a grip on the other’s arm. 
“You weren’t joking about kicking my ass today.” 
“Was bothering me all my life when we were younger not enough for you?” Taeyong quickly pulled away and aimed for his face again but this time Jaehyun caught it, pinning him against a wall. Heat went straight to Taeyong’s face and looked away. 
“I didn’t bother you, this isn’t bothering you. I suggested it because we have to make people believe this bullshit idea our parents came up with.” His voice was sweet and deep as he tried his best to explain the situation. A reaction came out of the other from it and ended up being Jaehyun getting kicked in the groin. 
“You hate me that much?” Jaehyun sounded hurt, broken almost and it sent a chill down Tae’s spine. He stood back with 
“......no.” His mind couldn’t work any faster for the question. “I like my privacy, that's all." 
"It's not going to be forever."
“I’ll make sure it isn’t.” 
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SHORT PART
“This big house just for you to live in?” Taeyong looked around the house for the first time and he won’t admit that he’s amazed by it. “Seems like a waste.”
“Shouldn’t you be asking if I’m lonely instead.”
“Are you?” Tae knew where this was only to lead to, “Since you’re here probably not anymore.” and he was right like always. 
“I knew you were going to say that. That’s why I didn’t want to ask.” 
“But you asked anyway~” 
"I have my own room?" 
"You said you liked your privacy and don't worry my room is down the hall so if you need a cuddle buddy." Jaehyun winked making Tae full body cringe instantly. 
“Can’t believe I’m gonna spend the next two years here with you.” 
“I know, it’s so exciting!”
“I can’t believe this.” 
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thenamesseven · 4 years
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Word count: 3.6k
Warnings: Domestic violence, fights and a lot of swearing.
A/N: Hey! I’m back with another chapter! Just wanted to say how much I appreciate how much you’re all supporting this story, thank you so so much, I really appreciate it! Anyways, I’ll let you read now, hope this chapter is as good as the other ones!
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The strong urge you felt to meet Jongho again was getting out of control and that was exactly what you didn't need. Another chance to see each other hadn't been presented yet and you were starting to become impatient, you've done enough waiting all this years. However, you knew that after the little moment the two of you shared back in the basketball court the other day, Wooyoung was alerted and would question every single move you did that involved Jongho. He surely hadn't believed you completely when you acted as if you weren't working in this prison because of him and after seeing the way you stuttered and stopped caring about your patient when he came into your view, Wooyoung had reasons to believe you were up to no good. 
He hadn't said anything about it yet but you knew that if you weren't careful enough, Wooyoung would be there to highlight whichever mistake you make. 
Although you needed to talk with Jongho, even if it was for a few seconds.
He needed to know why you were here, you wanted to reassure him, to let him know that all the years he lost behind bars would be given back soon, but you couldn't come up with a way to make the two of you meet. 
Based on what you've heard from Mingi, Jongho was somebody that avoided fights in here, sure he had gotten into a few but if he could avoid trouble, he would. That meant the possibilities of him visiting the infirmary were very slim unless he decided to hurt himself on purpose somehow. On the other hand, since you had grown closer to Mingi after working with him for a few days, you thought of the possibility of telling him about everything so he could help the two of you out, but you were too scared to share this kind of information
If you trusted the wrong person then it was game over for Jongho and you, hence why you still wanted to wait to talk with your best friend about looking for alliances. 
Unconsciously, your eyes drifted to the framed picture you had brought from home to place it on your desk when you were redecorating the infirmary and a soft sigh left your lips. The picture showed two people’s hands, their fingers forming a heart. An involuntary smile came up your lips when your eyes quickly recognised Jongho’s fingers, you remembered that day perfectly, almost as if it had happened yesterday.
Flashback.
“That’s gay, I’m not letting you save that picture” Jongho whined when you showed him the picture you had snapped sneakily while the two of you had been doing random shapes with your fingers, you knew him well enough to know that he didn’t dislike it that much if he hadn’t tried to steal your phone from your hands to try and delet it himself “(Y/N)”
“I won’t show it to anybody, I promise” You assured him, chuckling quietly while you saved the picture “I have worse pictures of you, what’s so bad about this one, huh?” Nudging his side gently, you turned your head to look down at Jongho, who had made himself comfortable on your bed. He didn’t even ask for permission to lay on it anymore, your things had become his at some point and he considered his things yours.
“Well, people can’t know I go around making hearts with our fingers” He said frowning, suddenly laughing when he realized how stupid that sounded out loud “I’m supposed to be this cool and chill guy, people are going to think I’m whipped for you” 
“Hey!” You slapped his chest making him laugh even more, you knew his words didn’t mean anything more than to tease you and that’s why, despite you trying to stay serious you always ended up laughing with him “Wouldn’t be the first time they think we’re a couple” You mumbled laying down besides him, letting out a big sigh “You’re the reason why nobody dares to ask me out, look at what happened to poor Soonyoung” Your lips scrunched up in a small pout as you kept scrolling through your Instagram, liking random pictures.
“Good” Jongho said laying on his side, placing one of his arms across your stomach, facing you so he could also sneak glances at your feed “The less idiots you date, the less I’ll have to share you”
End of the flashback.
That afternoon the two of you laid on your bed like that, being lazy and playful, without a care in the world. Who would have told you that same night would be the one that broke the two of you apart? You had been certain that you would spend the rest of your days besides Jongho, that if you didn’t end up dating, the two of you would be those kind of friends that always stayed besides each other no matter what.
But like always, your father had to put an end to the only person you adored the most in your life. He detested seeing you happy, he wanted Jongho out of your life.
Flashback
Jongho had gone out to buy some food from that pizza place the two of you had recently discovered,  you had insisted on just calling at the place so they would deliver it at your house but he, stubborn as ever, insisted on going there would be much faster. He was kind of right and the place wasn’t that far, so you didn’t waste too much strength in trying to convince him to stay in bed with you.
Zapping through the different channels you had in your television, you snuggled against the pillows you had laying around on your couch when you heard the main door being unlocked. You frowned, turning your head, waiting to see Jongho there complaining because he had forgotten his wallet, when unfortunately, Jongho wasn’t the one that greeted you.
It was your father and by the look on his face he was in one of his moods again.
“Dad?” You called out quietly, not knowing if you should either run upstairs and try to put some space between you and him or wait on the couch to see in what way he would react. Love and hope were dangerous feelings, despite his behaviour, your dad was the only family you had left and you loved him without limits which made you have hope in him, in his words when he said he would change even when he didn’t even try anymore.
Love and hope were the ones that froze you on the couch that night thinking he wouldn’t do anything.
“What are you doing there?” He asked while he took off his jacket, throwing it onto the table as he made his way into the living room. His eyes instantly landed on Jongho’s backpack and a scoff abandoned his lips “Whoring around again? Should have expected it”
“We were just watching a movie” You replied sitting straighter, eyes on him and body getting tense when you realized this conversation was taking the same route as usual, you knew how this would end.
Or at least that’s what you thought.
“I don’t remember giving you permission to talk back to me” He instantly said, glaring down at you “Do you think I’m stupid!?” The sudden rise of his voice made you flinch, something that always got on his nerves for some reason. The man you called your father reached down to grab some of your hair, yanking it back so you would be looking into his eyes “I asked you a fucking question!” 
You opened your mouth to reply but closed it again when you saw the look in his eyes. His pupils were dilated, thanks to whatever he had sniffed earlier and his breath was tainted with the scent of the cheap whisky he managed to buy with the little money he earned in his job. This had happened too many times for you to already know that no matter what you replied or what you did, it would be wrong and he would take it as an insult.
When your father realized you wouldn’t be answering his question any time soon, he used some of his strength to stand you up by your hair, taking advantage of his height to tower over you. “Why don’t you just admit it (Y/N)? Daddy’s not home so you need a man over” His words hurt you, even when you had heard them multiple times, they still had the same effect on you “Or is the other guy the one your fucking? Who is it?” 
You still don’t know what happened to you at that moment, what came over you or crossed your mind, but something deep inside of you clicked, maybe you had simply reached your breaking point, you truly were tired of standing these situations through a couple of years. Instead of scared, you felt fed up, sad but frustrated and incredibly angry at him, even when he was your father, he didn’t have the right to talk about you or your friends like that, he didn’t need to get Jongho or Wooyoung involved, he didn’t get to criticize them when they were the ones taking care of you because he wasn’t around most of the time.
“It’s none of your business honestly” You replied, your father was so caught off guard that you had talked back to him in that moment that he didn’t even know what to do with himself. “Maybe I’m fucking both of them, would that make you proud?” 
Your “indiscipline”, as he often called it, was what made him react and before you could break yourself free from his grip, he swung his free fist at you and punched your cheek. The impact made you stumble back, falling down onto your butt. One of your hands instantly flew to where he had hit you, touching the hot skin and feeling how it was quickly swelling up. 
You remembered the cold silence that stayed between the two of you, the feeling of your father’s eyes on you as you stayed frozen in your place. “That’s what whores get” He spit out, approaching you again “If you knew how to fucking close your mouth and legs we wouldn’t be in this situation now, would we?” He reached down and yanked your hair back once again, your eyes meeting his.
“If you didn’t drink and sniffed whatever shit you’re doing at the moment, we wouldn’t be in this situation” You said with your eyes drowning in tears, lower lip shaking as waves of pain kept your entire body tense. You doubted your jaw was broken but he had sure landed a good swing on it “This is not my fault, this is all on you”
Those words earned you another punch that matched the kick he gave you when he let go of you. You remembered how you broke down on the floor, screaming for him to stop and go away as he screamed back all kinds of insults and threats. You remember screaming for help, screaming as loud as you could to get your neighbor’s attention so they would call the cops on him.
But they never did, they all ignored you and your pleads.
At that moment you didn’t even know Jongho was supposed to come back until he ran into the house after kicking the main door open. You still remember how your father froze mid kick to look at him and you couldn’t even move at that point, curled up on the floor with your arms covering your head as you shook uncontrollably in pain and sobs, unable to control your body due to the overwhelming amount of pain and shock that were flowing through your veins.
“Motherfucker” Jongho, with a look you’ve never seen in his eyes before, walked towards the two of you and grabbed your father by his shirt, pushing him back until he was able to press him against the living room’s wall “You like hitting her, huh? You think it's fun?” Jongho threw the first punch after those words and you swore you heard the bones of your father’s nose cracking “Well you don’t get to hurt her, you don’t mess around with my people” The groan of pain that left your dad’s lips didn’t go unnoticed by you “I’ll break your fucking fingers if I have to” 
That was exactly when the real fight started. 
Without any mercy, Jongho started delivering punches to your father as you attempted to stand from the floor. Your vision was blurry with tears and every muscle in your body hurt “Jongho” You called out to him, stumbling when you tried to step closer to the two fighting bodies your father and best friend had become.
“(Y/N) get out of here!” He shouted right when your father pushed him back, Jongho and you stumbled together and fell down onto the coffee table, breaking it in pieces “Call the police” 
“No!” Your father roared, reaching down to grab you by your shirt. He pushed you away from your friend, tossing you nearby the living room’s door before he walked closer to you, rage burning in his eyes. 
“I think the fuck not, you asshole” Jongho stood up again, your eyes on him as he grabbed your father from behind and pushed him away, making him fall onto the already destroyed coffee table. Your heart skipped a bit when the movement caused his shirt to rise and you saw what it seemed to be a gun, why would he have something like that with him?
“Jongho, I-”
“I know, I know it hurts baby” He said gently, softly brushing some of your hair away from your beaten up face as he crouched beside you. His body was tense and you could notice how his focus wasn’t entirely on you, paying attention to your groaning father who was getting ready to stand up again “(Y/N) listen to me” He gently turned your head towards him so you would be looking into each other’s eyes “Get out of here, call the cops, the neighbors, anybody” He instructed slowly, letting your tired brain process it “We need help” You remember seeing your father stand up again as Jongho swore under his breath, rolling the sleeves of his shirt back, getting ready to stop him if he tried to get closer to you “Now (Y/N)! Run out be-”
End of the flashback.
“(Y/N)?” 
Mingi’s concerned voice brought you back from your memories, making you flinch involuntarily. He was quick to move his hand away, thinking he was the cause of your reaction but when he noticed the lost look in your eyes, he knew you hadn’t been scared by him but by whatever memory the picture you were holding triggered.
“Sorry, I was daydreaming” You quickly apologized, cheeks turning slightly pink from the reaction you’ve just had towards him as you cleared your throat “No duties today?” Looking up at him, you couldn’t help but smile seeing Mingi sitting down in the nearest chair. 
These days, whenever the infirmary was calm, the two of you would just sit down and chat about random stuff. Sometimes Mingi would tell you stories about him, others were about Jongho and the rest of the gang and sometimes he would tell you creepy stories about the people who died in the cells. It was friendly and entertaining conversation, just to kill some time.
“Nothing at all” Mingi said with a small smile, leaning back against the comfortable seat “I see you’re as bored as me, no work today?” He asked looking around the infirmary, you kept the room as clean as you could and the remodeling you had done when you started working definitely helped to make it look better
“No, so far nobody has been injured” You replied with a small shrug “How is Mingyu’s leg? Is he recovering well?” Apparently Mingyu, the guy that broke his leg playing basketball, had needed surgery and was now recovering back in his cell. You were supposed to take care of his wounds but nobody had brought him over yet “It will take some time before he starts walking again” 
“Jongho was pretty excited when he saw you” 
Mingi had been dying to bring the subject up, he knew his friend well enough to know that if that day he hadn’t been held back, Jongho would have ran to you and embraced you in front of the other inmates and guards. He didn’t know if they were rules against it but Mingi guessed that would have got you in trouble for sure.
“Was he?” You asked with a quiet chuckle, it was obvious Mingi had been dying to share this piece of information with you and his excitement was starting to steal giggles from your lips “I was happy to see him too, he looks like he’s holding up well”
“He’s a strong guy, Jongho knows how to survive in here” Mingi brushed it off, crossing his legs as he got more comfortable “He avoids unnecessary trouble from other inmates and officers” 
“I’m glad to hear that, I’ve been so worried all these years for him” You muttered under your breath, no realizing what your words could mean until you saw the smirk on Mingi’s lips “No” You quickly said with a quiet chuckle, your behavior only made him smirk more, Mingi started laughing noticing your sudden rejection to his thoughts.
“I didn’t say anything” Mingi stated raising his hands up in surrender
“I know what you’re thinking” You said pointing a finger at him, making him laugh “And we never dated”
“Well the two of you have pictures of each other near-”
“(Y/N) never dated anybody, she broke all our hearts”
Wooyoung’s sudden appearance startled the both of you. Mingi quickly uncrossed his legs and sat up straighter on his chair, trying to act as if he hadn’t been chilling with you this entire time but you only looked at Wooyoung with a small frown on your face. Had he been there all this entire time listening to your conversation?
“I never dated anybody because Jongho scared everyone away” You replied looking at him, Wooyoung shrugged sitting down in the chair next to Mingi’s. You noticed how he slightly tensed up but you assumed it was because he was an officer.
“You two know each other?” He asked quietly motioning with his finger between Wooyoung and you, with a smile, you nodded at his question.
“He was in Jongho’s and my class, we are friends” Mingi suddenly frowned looking at Wooyoung, he seemed confused, almost frustrated while the other male completely ignored him. You knew there was something bothering the inmate but you figured he wouldn’t talk about it with Wooyoung around.
“Anyways, who were you talking about? You never dated who?” Wooyoung asked curiously, eyes going from Mingi to you.
“Soonyoung, he was a funny guy but I didn’t like him in that way” You brushed off, lying straight to his face. So much curiosity coming from him was starting to make you suspicious and you decided that leaving Wooyoung out of your plans and conversations with Mingi would be a good idea.
“Ah, poor guy” Wooyoung said with a small smile, the memories of your teenage tears coming back to him “I still remember when Jongho and I hid his backpack in a random locker and he spent the entire morning looking for it” Mingi forced a smile up to his lips when Wooyoung looked at him, there was tension between them, you were definitely missing something.
“Anyways, what are you doing here? Need anything?” You suddenly asked, looking at him with a soft smile.
“Yeah, do you have any pills for headaches? I barely got any sleep last night and it’s killing me” Wooyoung asked with a soft sigh, his eyes following you as you stood up to get him something.
“Told you a few years ago, the amount of caffeine you drink in a day will end you” You scolded with a quiet chuckle, seeing him roll his eyes playfully.
“I drank coffee because you were the one keeping me awake at night” He openly flirted, chuckling when you gently slapped his arm.
“Get out of here before I kick you out” You warned and Wooyoung nodded obediently, standing up as he took the painkiller from your hand.
On his way to the door, he patted Mingi’s back in what seemed to be a friendly way but you could see in his eyes that he was incredibly tense around him “See you at lunch Mingi, behave man” He muttered before going out of your office leaving the two of you alone.
When Wooyoung left, the atmosphere in the room was still tense, an awkward silence had settled down between Mingi and you, completely forgetting about the happy conversation you were having before he came in. 
Sitting back down, you decided to break the silence since Mingi didn’t seem to have any intentions to do it “What was that about?” You asked, seeing him visibly relax once Wooyoung seemed to be out of both of your sights.
“I would have never guessed you used to be friends” Mingi said with a worried look on his face 
“Why?” You said with a chuckle “Because he is an officer now?”
“No” Mingi replied, shaking his head for emphasis “Because Wooyoung is always the one that gives Jongho the hardest times in here”
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Taglist: @guess--monster​ @cometoceantrenches​ @lovelyvitamin​ @daintysan​ @t-tbinnie​
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korra-the-red-lion · 3 years
Text
Unnatural Affairs. Chapter 23: And So It Went
Hey everyone, this is the last chapter of the first series! I do have plans for a sequel in the works, however! Thank you for anyone who has read it this far!
(Ally)
Surprisingly, I didn’t fail all my exams.
Actually, I did pretty well on most of them. I somehow passed Drama with a good mark. The sub who took over was pretty chill during the exam and let us bring all of our notes. My other exams weren’t too bad either. All and all, a pretty successful end to term.
I was just about finished with my packing when I got a text from Lyn. Sarah had already gone home, since her last exam had been two days ago. I took one last look around the room before heading out. I could finish packing later.
The weather outside actually wasn’t terrible today. It was a pleasant sunny day with barely any wind chill. I tucked my chin into the top of my coat as I walked across the campus to meet up with my girlfriend. A happy tingle went through my body as thought about that. It was a little silly to still get excited about the thought, but hey, why not be happy?
Lyn stood in the archway that connected Harper and the library together. She was leaning against the wall when I got there, scrolling through her phone. The bandage was off her face now, only faint lines to show where she had been cut. Her eyes lit up when she saw me and she gave me a quick kiss.
“Hey.”
“Hey to you,” I said back.
“Ready to go?”
I nodded. She held her arm out and I looped mine through it. Together we walked over to the big tree in the middle of campus, where Michael was waiting for us. His plane left tonight but he wanted to be here for it. He waved when he saw us, and he laughed when Lyn held her other arm out with a smirk. He wasted no time on grabbing a hold of it, Lyn laughing along with him as he did.
I knew Dahlia was intrigued by what we were doing as we walked together down the path to where the Swan Pond was. I waved to her with my free hand, and she ended up trailing after us, curiosity bright in her eyes.
When we got there, we all untangled from one another and got to work. Dahlia sat on the bridge nearby and watched as we cleaned away snow and ice from a spot under one of the trees that hung over the pond. After all the snow was gone, Lyn put down a bundle of flowers. Michael tucked a stone with a beautiful design cut into it in front of the roots, making sure it was secured. I hung one of our old amulets over the stone and gently nailed a wooden plaque onto the tree. We stepped away and admired our work.
Here Lies The Forgotten Students
We remember who you are, and what you did for us. We know that society failed you when they stopped asking questions. No one should have given up on any of you. To David, we know your story. To Amelia, we know your truth. To Jamieson, we know your tale. To Fiona, we know your reality. To Fredrik, we know your narrative. We’re sorry that it took this long before someone finally learned what happened to you all, but at least you can rest easy now, knowing that the person who did this to you has met his justice. All we can hope for you now is that your next chance at life is better than this one was.
With all our love,
Spook Searchers.
“We really need a better name,” muttered Lyn.
“Hey, we’ve been through too much for us to change it now,” said Michael with a waggle of his fingers. “That would be like, sacrilegious.”
“Besides, it’s a fun name. It hides away all the horrible truths and traumas that were inflicted on us,” I pointed out.
Lyn shrugged indifferently. “I just hope we never have to do something like this ever again. I need it scrubbed from my mind.” We both nodded in agreement.
Dahlia drifted over and knelt in front of our makeshift grave. I could see her mouthing the words as she read along. Her fingers ran over the names of the departed, her eyes sad. She dropped her hands and sat there quietly for several minutes without saying a word. When she looked back at me, she was smiling through her tears.
“This is quite lovely. I’m glad you all did something nice for them, they deserved it.”
I nodded at her. “Of course. And we intend to figure out who caused your death as well. We haven’t forgotten about you either.”
Dahlia’s eyes went wide before she looked away. I saw her brush away the tears from her face and nod slowly. “Thank you. It truly means a lot to me.”
We left her alone after that. I spared a look back as we left and saw her kneeling in front of the grave, her head down and hands clasped in prayer. We walked back to the library together and decided to get one last warm drink together. Lyn paid for all of us, even though we both argued against it. The lady behind the counter laughed as we both tried our best to push Lyn out of the way, which ended in absolutely failure.
“You can’t beat these gains,” Lyn said with a wink.
We sat down at the table in the back and looked out the window. I thought about what a crazy 3 months this has been. I couldn’t believe how so much had happened in such a short time. Not only solving all those murders but dealing with all the school crap on top of it all. I felt like I was the same person I was at the start, but more mature now. Someone who liked who she was, someone who liked that she wasn’t ordinary.
“You’re gonna have some crazy jetlag, you know,” Lyn said to Michael as she sipped her hot chocolate.
Michael sighed. “Yeah, probably for a day or so. It’s not like, a terrible flight but it’s bad enough. What are you doing for the holidays?”
I saw the twitch of Lyn’s eyes before she looked down at her drink. “I’m gonna stay with Olivia for the first bit of the break, but after Christmas I’m heading to Florida for training camp. I’ll be back like, 2 days before the new term. So, not the most relaxing break but it’ll be fun.”
Michael nodded as he looked at me. “What about you, Al?”
“Going home,” I said with a smile. “I’m going to sleep for the entire break. Maybe watch some movies and TV. But me and this brain deserve a big break.” I poked at my temple.
“Yes, it does!” Michael slapped his hand against the tabletop.
We chatted for a little while longer before Michael had to head back to grab his things. His buddy offered to drive him to the airport, but it was a bit before his flight. Still, better to wait in the airport than spend money on a taxi. Lyn gave him a hug and slap on the back. I gave him a big hug and kissed him on the cheek.
“Have a good flight, I’m going to miss you,” I said.
“It’s only for a few weeks,” he said with a smile. “Plus, you can always call me. You know where I am.”
I nodded as we embraced one last time. Michael waved to us as he walked backwards. I gasped when he tripped over his own feet and nearly landed on the casted arm. Luckily, he caught himself and shouted, “I’M OKAY!” before racing back to his room.
I chuckled to myself with a shake of my head. Michael was so chaotic at times. But that was something that I loved about him. He was authentic. I wasn’t lying when I said I would miss him. There was something calming about his presence. He was a good friend, and I was glad to have met him.
Lyn and I walked back to Lukas hand in hand. I noticed she was getting a bit of a far away look in her eyes again, so I squeezed her hand to bring her back. She blinked and looked down at me with a smile.
“Sorry,” she said with a shrug. “I was just thinking.”
“Thinking about what?”
Lyn worked her jaw as she chewed on her thoughts before answering. “Lots of stuff, I guess. Training camp, Christmas with Liv, shit in general. It’s gonna be nice to have a break from it all. Then we’ve got the big championship meet to worry about when I get back. Just tryna make sure I’m organized because there’s a lot to remember.”
“It’s going to be fine,” I said soothingly.
“I know, I just like to be on top of things, you know?”
I laughed. “Nope! I’m pretty sure I only passed some of my classes by sheer luck. I handed in something for Anthro a week late, but I think my prof forgot I was even in the class, so she didn’t take points off.”
“Jesus,” Lyn shook her head with a playful smirk. “I can’t imagine being that disorganized. How’d you get through this term, let alone solve a crazy case? You’re something else, honestly. Like Wonder Woman or Supergirl.”
I blushed deeply. Lyn was always saying these really nice things about me and well…I wasn’t really used to them. I pressed up against her and buried my face in her arm, causing my glasses to go askew. Oh well, it’s not like I could see all that well anyway. Cold weather plus warm breath equals foggy glasses. Also, being compared to one of my favourite superheroes? I’m slightly dying of happiness on the inside.
When we got back to Lukas, Lyn helped me pack the rest of my things. It probably took the same amount of time that it normally would have because we kept stopping to kiss, cuddle, and I even got Lyn to watch an episode of Stargirl with me. It was really peaceful. A much better date than nearly getting killed by an out-of-control spirit. Hours passed by like seconds, and the next thing I knew, we were in bed sleeping.
The room was nearly pitch black as I stared up at the ceiling. Lyn was sleeping beside me, her arm tossed over my waist, snoring softly. I had been sleeping, but it came in fits right now. After everything we’ve been through, especially with that horrible horror realm or whatever the hell that had been, I’ve been having more difficulty sleeping through the night. I mean, I was sort of used to it, but not to this extent. My therapist and I were going to have a field day when I saw her next.
I turned my head slightly to look into the face of my girlfriend. I just wondered how it was all going to turn out. By some strange twist of fate, we got together because of my moral compass and curiosity. Lyn stuck around because she wanted to figure out what happened to her friend. I sometimes wondered what would have happened if she didn’t believe me that day in the café. Would I have gone through with it anyway? Would Michael and I have done it alone? I lightly traced my fingers across the scars of her arm, the ones she got because she protected me. It probably would be a different story then, huh?
All I know is this is how it turned out, and I don’t think I would have done anything differently. We got hurt, we got physical and mental scars. But I really think it was worth it to help those people. They were crying out for so long, waiting for someone, anyone, to hear them. I feel lucky in a way that I was the one who answered.
Finally, I felt my drifting off again. I closed my eyes and let sleep take me away, hopefully to a dreamless land.
XXX
Lyn helped me shove my last bag into the trunk of my dad’s car. I told her she didn’t need to stick around and help, but she told me it was no big deal. My dad nodded his thanks at her, and she nodded back. I stood by the car, fidgeting with the bottom of my coat. Lyn glanced at my dad one last time before she gave me a massive bear hug.
“Have a great break, Ally. I’ll see you in a few weeks.”
I squeezed back as tightly as I could. “You too. I hope everything goes well with your sister.”
Lyn nodded, her cheek brushing against the side of my face. “Me too.” And even though my dad was still there, she cupped my face between her hands and kissed me. I blushed from the intensity of the kiss, feeling all the unsaid words. When she pulled away, I could see the emotion shining brightly in her eyes, her cheeks and ears bright red.
I kissed her cheek one last time before we untangled ourselves. I got into the passenger seat and waved to Lyn as we pulled away. She waved widely back the whole time, never stopping until I was out of view.
My dad instantly started to tease me the minute we were on the highway. I moaned and made a big show of telling him off, but I was really happy. It felt good, talking to my dad like this. As long as the topic of ghosts wasn’t brought up, we were good.
I didn’t know what next term had in store for us, but I was looking forward to it. We had to solve Dahlia’s murder, but at least we could take our time with it. There was no time limit, and hopefully no creepy murderer. There was a lot about this university, heck, even this town that was hidden beneath the surface. I wanted to learn so much more about it all. Sure, it was bad this time, but usually the ghosts are just lonely people who want to share their stories. I had this special gift, and it was about time I used it, instead of being ashamed of it.
After this winter break, I wanted to see what the future had planned for us.
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