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#i just think they need a few minutes to hug and process the grief a little.
ying-doodles · 2 months
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hold onto each other like they are the last thing you have left in the world.
:)
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lemmetreatya · 1 year
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funeral director!connie who’s first port of call is to give his condolences upon the untimely death of your husband of five years.
funeral director!connie who doesn’t understand why someone as preppy and bright eyed as you could possibly be grieving so… easily? when he asks onyankopon, his project manager why that might be so, he answers that its probably because “people process grief differently” — but funeral director!connie cant help but think that, wait — were you not giving him ‘fuck me’ eyes during every planning meeting? or was he just increasingly horny and pent up from not being laid in months?
but he digresses, because funeral director!connie likes to think he takes his job seriously. not because he enjoys it or that it’s a dream occupation, but because it’s something he can lose himself in and keep his mind tied to. he hasnt has much luck with keeping jobs and so he’s self-proud that he’s been able to keep this one for well over a year.
he hasnt seen everything yet, but funeral director!connie knows its rare that you ever get joyous customers in this occupation. however, funeral director!connie is definitely stuck for words and reaction when you enter the casket room on the day of the funeral, with a frame hugging body con and flip flops on.
“before the service, i just wanted to come and say thank you for all your help.”
at first, funeral director!connie thinks hes being excessive — because let the modern woman dress as they wish, even at their late husband’s funeral! — but as the minutes go on, funeral director!connie is well aware that your parading around the room as you spoke, was a clear excuse for you to show off that you only had a body con on, and no undergarments to match it.
funeral director!connie knows hes at his limit when you lean over the gift table to aimlessly pick up a condolences card in front of him, and he’s purposely granted with a slip view of your breasts and nipples.
“we can’t…we shouldn’t.” he says to you, but more to himself, as he begins to palm himself then and there.
yet as soon as he says it, you unabashedly tug the already low seam of your dress down so that your breast could spill out.
“why not? it’s not like i’m married or anything.” you say, and that’s all funeral director!connie needs to tip him over the precipice.
the man doesn’t take much convincing to know he wants to raw dog you from behind but he does just that as his hips smack against your bare ass as you use the casket of your late husband for support, hands splayed over the oak wood.
funeral director!connie doesn’t ask whether he can smack your ass — he just does — and makes sure to grip the fat of it afterwards, too.
you let out sobs, cries of atonement, because connie doesn’t let up easy. he’s making you chant to him “you do, you do!” in response to him asking: tell me who fucks you best, me or your dead husband?
he doesn’t think he’ll get fired for his audacious behaviour, but funeral director!connie knows that onyankopon definitely didn’t pop him upside the head for nothing once he exited the room with you in tow and the the both of you looking dishevelled. he also thinks he’s been banned from courier duty for a few months concerning the nasty look onyankopon gave him when both you and funeral director!connie sneaked out halfway through the service.
funeral director!connie may deal with death every day, but he was pretty sure you were going to be the death of him.
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formulaforza · 1 year
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rainy days-- c.leclerc
pairing: charles leclerc x reader word count: 540
You’ve always loved rainy days, granted, as long as it's a rainy day at home–not at the track. There’s something so cozy about them, like the sky is sad and so everyone else needs to hibernate for the day. They are especially enjoyable when your boyfriend is home, soft and cute and ready to snuggle while the Earth processes her grief. 
You drink tea and eat breakfast for lunch and take turns crushing each other with your body weight on the couch watching plotless reality television and getting way too invested in the personalities. His hair is getting long and he’s overdue for a cut, but the pieces on top have just enough length for you to braid it. You beg for two hours before he concedes, tells you to have at it. Obviously, you do, and take a million and one pictures of him looking so pretty. “I want to do yours,” he said after, and you spend an hour and half trying to teach him to french braid without actually being able to see what he’s doing. 
I think we should do face masks, he says after, and how can you turn down a self-care evening with your boyfriend? You’re usually the one begging for him to participate. He almost cries and you laugh so hard you might pee when you peel the charcoal mask off his face, slow and steady in the bathroom with a hot wash cloth. “You’re pathetic.” You told him, and he flipped you off, winced when you pulled the corner of the mask up. 
You fall asleep for an evening nap while he’s watching a new episode of one of his favorite shows, and when you wake up it’s dark, the tv is paused, and he’s asleep next to you on the couch. You blow out the candle burning in the kitchen and open the window while you clean up your meal mess from earlier, listening to the light, consistent pattern of the rain. 
“Amour, wake up.” You told him, ran your fingers through his hair, undoing the braid and picking apart the curls left in its wake. “Time for bed.” He gets up and trudges down the hall to your bedroom. You fold the blanket he was covered up with and toss it over the back of the sofa, straighten up a few things so nobody has to do it in the morning. When you look up, he’s stopped in the hallway, rubbing his eye and watching you. “Are you okay?” You ask.
He nods. “Just waiting for you.” You smile, tell him you’ll be there in a couple minutes, but he stays waiting. You latch the window shut and start down the hallway, are greeted with his strong arms wrapping you up into a hug. You laugh, run your hands over his back.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah,” he kisses the side of your head. “I just love you.” He releases his grip on you, gently places a soft kiss on your lips, a quick peck. “Love this.”
You smile, kiss him again, link your finger through his. “I love this, too.”
“Don’t love me?” He smiles all dumb and sleepy.
“Undecided,” you shrug, both smile, and head off to bed.
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icallhimjoey · 10 months
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short bit of writing to help me process a deeply personal current situation - slight chance more of these will pop up in the upcoming few days as i move through all of what needs moving through Wordcount: 1.2K
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Suddenly Gone
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“Hey, it’s me, let me in,”
It sets you off immediately, face scrunching up and everything tensing from your stomach up until it builds too much and sobs slip out. You hold the buzzer down and see in the intercom how Joe needs to turn to push the door open with his shoulder. He’s carrying bags of shopping and, fucking hell, you’d just stopped crying and calmed down enough to maybe go for a big food shop yourself.
It’s been tears and tears and tears. In stupid places. Normal places too.
Just, all over, really.
It's waking up and crying over breakfast because you forgot for the first twenty minutes of the day. It’s yoghurt slowly going salty because you suddenly remembered.
It’s wet cheeks after seeing initials hidden on a number plate when parking outside a supermarket.
It’s kindly unaccepted apologies as you try to croak through a bunch of them for not being able to answer the phone with an unhitched voice.
It's dark clouds but somehow also sunbeams that break through sporadically, because isn’t it all so stupid? Seeing something that you know they would find hilarious, and instead of it making you laugh, it does the exact opposite?
It's stupid.
It’s also people offering and offering and offering.
“Let me know if I can do anything!”
“If there’s anything I can do...”
“Call me whenever, all’s fine, just let me know,”
But you don’t even know what needs doing. What you want. What you need. You know, besides distraction. And your fridge filled. But, that’s weird to ask. It’s polite for people to say nice things but what do you actually ask for? What do you say without burdening someone? Do you just text? With words?
“Hey,”
Bags get put down and you quickly find yourself stood in an embrace, arms wrapped with tenderness and strength, pulling you into a safe haven of solace. Encircled in his arms and surrounded in his warmth, a cocoon of security is created. You’re protected. Understood. Shielded from all the absolute shit that’s found you over the past couple of days.
“How was today?” Joe speaks into your hair.
“Long,”
Leaning into the hug more, Joe allows you a brief respite from the heavy weight of grief. It’s difficult to feel vulnerable for such a long time, for so many consecutive hours. Really drains you.
“Did you get everything sorted?”
“Nearly,”
You feel emotions surge once more, but Joe remains steadfast in his hold. Stable anchor in the storm, keeping the whole ship from drifting, from tipping, from sinking.
You stand there for a long time, and when you start to think of the bags on the floor that hold items that might need a fridge or a freezer, you also notice that the tightness in your chest has eased. Breaths have become deeper.
Joe notices the shift, and pulls back, but only to use both hands to cup your face and connect with you beyond arms embracing and bodies being pushed together.
“Funeral’s Monday,”
And fuck off, just saying wild crazy insane outrageous shit like that gets you. Makes you tense your mouth to keep the whole thing from wobbling, but corners get pulled down as far as they can go anyway. Makes you frown hard to somehow try to keep tears from spilling, which obviously, they do anyway.
Joe uses his thumbs to swipe. Kisses just below your eyes. Presses your head into the crease of his neck below his chin to hide you there, away form the world. Lets you burrow there.
The hug lasts a long time, and you try to convince yourself that it’s not too long. That Joe probably is glad that he gets to help by just holding you a couple of minutes. People keep saying they want to help, and that you just need to let them know.
It’s nice that Joe didn’t wait for you to ask for anything.
He’s just there.
Here.
“I brought food,” he says after a little while, and you’re reminded of the bags once more.
“I’m not hungry,”
It’s not a lie, but you know Joe won’t have it as an answer.
“That’s all right, you can just eat without feeling hungry,”
Kisses get pressed to your forehead, and after one last tight squeeze, bags get taken into the kitchen. You want to help, keep hands busy. Focus on a task. For a moment you’re scared Joe’s going to tell you to let him do it, to go sit down, but Joe knows. Distraction is a welcome temporary escape from overwhelming thoughts and emotions.
But it’s all tricky, isn’t it? It's all fickle things.
You don’t notice how deep you’re lost in thought until you get pulled from them by Joe taking the jar of spaghetti sauce from your grip. You’d been staring at it after pulling it from one of the bags.
“Oh, sorry,”
You watch Joe place it where it goes. You’re not even sure if it’s the brand that she liked, but she fucking loved spaghetti.
“Actually,” you stop Joe from closing the cabinet. “Can we do a bolognese tonight?”
Joe smiles, pulls the jar back from where he put it and leaves it out on the counter.
“Of course.”
Before you know it, there’s hot tears stinging the raw skin once again. And it’s so frustrating. Had you been alone, you would’ve called yourself a stupid bitch out loud because who the fuck cries over the prospect of dinner?!
But you’re not alone. Because Joe’s there, even though you hadn’t asked, hadn’t let him know like everyone asked you to in all their kind messages.
And so tears are just... they're just part of you now.
And you manage to not hate yourself for it.
S'okay.
And Joe doesn’t even really mention it which is exactly right.
“And can we do it with chicken instead of beef?”
“Absolutely,”
It’s how she liked it. Something about the texture of ground beef she hated.
“I know it’s weird,” you start, but before you can finish your sentence, Joe places a packet of diced chicken breast onto the counter.
It’s a gesture that shouldn’t get to you as much as it does, and yet...
“You ok?” Joe asks when Joe giving you want you want, the thing you asked for, has the opposite effect it would usually have – more tears instead of less.
“No,” you shake your head, big wet eyes looking into concerned ones.
“But I will be,”
You’re not sure if it’s happy tears, or maybe if you’re just tired and drained, but you know you’re right. Not all right. Not yet. But you will be. Joe’s there, with hugs and kisses and, you will be.
“S’just a lot,” you shrug, and Joe frowns at you, says, “Of course it is,” like he’s almost upset that you even have to say it. Like he doesn’t understand.
He does.
“But I’ll be fine,”
And he knows you’re right. Doesn't question it. Doesn't say shit anyone else would tell you, that you don't have to be, that you are allowed not to be. Accepts it for the truth, and says,
“But you'll be fine.”
And hearing it from him sets it in stone. Makes you smile, even if only for a second. You will be fine.
the end
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The Taglisted: 
@ghostinthebackofyourhead @dirtyeddietini @jasminearondottir @cancankiki @sidthedollface2 @dylanmunson @thefemininemystiquee @alana4610 @emmamooney @thatonefan-girl @paola-carter @figmentofquinn @haylaansmi @thewondernanazombie @munsonmunster @kellyxo1  @chaoticgood-munson @sherrylyn628 @ohmeg @05secondsofsexgods @lovelyblueness @adoreyouusugar @nadixq @roosterisdaddy36 @alwayslindie @eddie-joe-munson @ali-in-w0nderland @pepperstories @phyllosilicate-s @thebellenouvelle @luvrsbian @joesquinns @choke-me-eddie @alizztor  @frootvelvet @did-it-work @capricornrisingsstuff @quinnsmunson @frogers @kennedy-brooke @daleyeahson @harringtonfan4 @emma77645 @tlclick73 @eddies-puppet @electricmunson @everythinghasafacee @a-time-for-wolvess @lucifers-side @barfightzanddiscolightz
(taglist currently full, sorry!)
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storiesbyrhi · 1 year
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Angel of the First Degree - Chapter 16: Fireworks
Eddie Munson x Chubby!Reader 4459 words Series Masterlist
Warnings: Anxiety; fatphobia including internalised; drug use; bullying; body issues; discussion of body function and fluids; period shame/stigma; disclosure of sexual assault (chapter 2); disordered eating and thoughts of food; shitty/abusive/critical parents; porn magazines; smut; reference to suicide (specifically Virginia Woolf’s); no beta; grief/mourning; verbal fighting; meat (turkey)… for the vegans; warnings updated each chapter
Synopsis: When Eddie Munson finds you in the midst of a panic attack, it is the beginning of something. A fic featuring body and sex positivity, Eddie in a dress, soft small moments, scary big truths, and all the usual special feelings you’d expect from one of my stories.
Chapter Summary: 1986 comes to an end, and Dustin just wants a beer.
Author’s Note: I remind you that this story has no beta, so forgive typos if ye will.
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“That’s a very specific question from someone not currently enrolled,” the voice on the other end of the line said. He wasn’t amused, perhaps annoyed at the perceived misuse of his time.
“I know, but my-”
“Yes, you said,” he interrupted, then sighed. “There is a precedent. A student can petition to change the allowances of a scholarship. It happens on a case-by-case basis,”
“Yeah?” To Eddie, it felt like a win. “And, ah, how does that… process… start? What would the student have to do?”
Eddie had his pen and paper ready.
“Why is Gareth taking me?” you asked.
“Because he’s secretly your favourite,” Eddie replied nonchalantly.
“You’re my favoruite,”
“Well, yeah. Besides me. And, I got some shit I gotta do.”
He meant deal drugs but he used to be so much less secretive about it. You wanted to ask him more questions. You wanted to tell him that he used to be so much less secretive about it. But those thoughts were totally at odds with your ‘pretend everything is fine’ psyche. Ultimately, you trusted Eddie. If he wasn’t telling you where he was going, you probably didn’t want to know anyway.
Eddie dropped you off at Gareth’s house, where you hugged the red flannel-clad boy on the sidewalk and kissed his cheek. It made him blush and glance at Eddie nervously. Eddie just grinned at his friend and ruffled his fluffy hair.
Eddie pulled you into a hug and tucked a twenty dollar bill into your back pocket. “You two kids have fun, yeah?” he joked, getting back into his van.
You turned to Gareth. “What do you know?”
“What?” he squeaked.
“How come it feels like you’re babysitting me? Why’s Esther busy today too?”
Gareth was unprepared for your interrogation. He shrugged, hesitating. “I don’t know, man… Eddie said you’re throwing a party. I said he better get the good fireworks,”
“Right… But why isn’t he taking me?”
“He has shit he’s gotta do…” Gareth looked at the ground and then back up. “Also the guy that sells them is… weird. Like imagine Dustin if he was fifty and had spent time in jail and also thinks aliens are coming,”
“Dustin does think aliens are coming,”
“Yeah, well. He’s weird. Eddie freaks him out,”
“Why?”
Gareth sighed. “I don’t know! You ask him why when we get there. Maybe you guys can bond over being super paranoid.”
You playfully pushed his shoulder and walked up the driveway. “Whatever. I get to pick the music.”
Eddie parked down the street a little and waited. If routine was anything to go by, your father would be at work, but it was the holidays, so he needed to stake it out to make sure. Coming face to face with that man would only lead to carnage.
Eddie caught sight of your mother when she came out the front to check the mail. She stood at the letterbox, flicking through the envelopes. When she had gone back inside, Eddie waited another few minutes, then got out.
Before he made it to the front door, it opened and she stood there with a confused look on her face. “Is she okay?” were the first words out of her mouth.
Eddie wanted to be cruel. He wanted to tell her how you were thriving away from her. You catch more bees with honey than vinegar though.
“She’s fine,” he answered, standing on the doorstep with his hands in his pockets.
They looked at each other. Eddie thought she would ask more questions. How could she not want to know about how? How your birthday and Christmas had been? When he realised she would not speak unprompted, he got straight to business.
“She needs all her paperwork and shit,”
“Paperwork?”
“Yeah. Like her birth certificate and anything else important. She’s an adult. Legally entitled to it all,” Eddie said firmly, delivering the words without any aggression.
“Why didn’t she come?”
Are you fucking kidding me?
“I’m asking real nice,” Eddie replied.
Your mother looked behind Eddie, and up and down the street. He wondered if she was checking to see if the neighbours were watching. Oh, how she’d hate to have a scene.
“Wait here.” And the door was closed.
It was a relief that she didn’t protest. Well, she could have still been inside calling your dad, but she wasn’t. She was in his study collecting the bits and pieces. Between your mum and dad, all the household paperwork was fastidiously filed.
While it was a relief, it also disappointed Eddie that she wasn’t putting up a fight. Your mum seemed as disinterested in your life as most people were in his.
“Will you tell her-” she began to say as she handed Eddie the folder.
“Tell her yourself,” he cut in, turning and leaving as quickly as he’d come. He didn’t look back. 
Eddie’s next stop was picking up Esther and Dustin, but he took a longer route and gave himself time to breathe and think.
“This is not a shop,” you pointed out the obvious.
Gareth carefully turned onto the driveway of a clearly private property. You wanted to add that it looked like the kind of place one of Eddie’s grainy grindhouse horrors would be filmed, but then you saw there were a couple of cars parked at the house and people milling about.
“Yeah, I don’t know how legal this is,” Gareth replied, and you really shouldn’t have been surprised.
It took a while for Gareth to park; he had only recently been allowed to drive without an adult supervisor. He checked his mirrors a lot. “Good job,” you praised when he cut the engine.
“Fuck off. You’ve been hanging around Eddie too long. Used to be a nice girl,”
“Nice girl?!” you squawked then cackled.
Anyone who knew what was what in Hawkins drove just beyond the city limits to that house. A guy who everyone called Bam sold fireworks all year round. Nobody asked where they came from. Nobody haggled over prices.
While you and Gareth looked over the selection, some laid out on card tables and others in piles on plastic tarps, you kept stealing glances over at Bam.
He was older than Gareth’s guess – mid-60s at the youngest. His hair was snow white and looked like it hadn’t seen a comb in years. You wondered if he was named Bam because fireworks go snap, crackle, pop, BAM… or if it came from somewhere else.
Bam was watching you back, and when you and Gareth went up to him with cash in hand, he narrowed his eyes at you.
“I’ve seen you ‘round town,” he said as he chewed on tobacco leaves. “You’re with the Munson kid.” It was definitely an accusation. “Bad breed.”
Before you could say anything, Gareth held out the cash. It was more than necessary. “Here. Thank you.”
You looked at Bam with a frown.
“You got something to say, girly?”
“Nope. She doesn’t! Come on. Let’s go,”
“You don’t know shit about Eddie,” you spat at Bam.
The old man’s face stayed neutral.
Much to Gareth’s relief, you turned and followed him back to the car. “Jesus Christ. You know he probably owns half the guns in Hawkins? You really are as bad as Eddie.”
Meanwhile, sitting at the kitchen counter of the trailer were Eddie, Esther, and Dustin.
“How’d you get all this?” Esther asked, looking over the documents Eddie had been collecting.
“She already had a lot of it. Got some from her mum, and, ah, stole copies from the school office,” he replied.
“You talked to her mum?”
“Barely. Asked for this and left.”
Esther nodded. She was impressed.
“So, ah, we can do this, right?” Dustin questioned. “It really seems like something she’s meant to do herself,”
“Yeah, well, she can’t. Alright?”
“Can’t you just tell-”
“No!” Eddie took a breath; he hated when he rose his voice at the freshmen. “No, Dustin. I can’t just tell her about this. Any of it. I fucked up bad. I gotta fix it in a big way,”
“It’s okay. We’ve got this, Eddie,” Esther reassured him. “Between me and you, we know her. We’ve got all this. She’s with her favourite. It’s all good,”
“What? Aren’t I her favourite?” Dustin frowned.
“Nah man… you’re like, fourth maybe,” Eddie said with a wicked grin.
“What?!”
“Yeah… It goes Gareth, then little Mayfield over the road there. Then probably, what’s his name? California? Will? Your friend Wheeler doesn’t shut up about. Then you,”
“WHAT? What the hell am I even doing here then?!”
Eddie chuckled as Dustin threw his hands up in defeat.
“We need you!” Esther said. “Well… We need you… to call Suzie…”
“She tried to fight Bam!” were the first words out of Gareth’s mouth as soon as Eddie appeared in the doorway of his bedroom.
You were sitting on the bed reading while Gareth worked on something at his desk. Eddie snorted when his friend immediately sold you out.
“You snitch!” you yelled, then jumped off the bed to greet your boyfriend. Eddie opened his arms for a bear hug. “Hi,”
“Hi, angel.” Eddie held you. He looked over at Gareth. “Go okay?”
“Yeah. He recognised her,”
“Death by association?” Eddie guessed.
Gareth nodded. “Yep… Um, everything’s by the front door. I’ll walk yous out,”
“Nah, man. I’ve got it. Thanks. We’ll see you at the party, alright?”
You said goodbye to the little drummer boy and collected the fireworks on your way out. Eddie loaded them into the van, humming happily as he went.
Halfway home, you pivoted the conversation back to Bam. “Why does he hate you?”
“Why does anybody in this shitty town hate me?” he dismissed.
“Because they don’t know you,” you answered honestly.
Eddie glanced at you. “Yeah. There’s that. But there’s also my dad.” He said the word like it was unclean. “Not exactly Prince Charming, ya know?”
You nodded, understanding. “We got some cool stuff,”
“Yeah? All we need now is like, snacks?”
Snacks and a bunch of newly recorded mix tapes. You and Eddie were throwing a little trailer park New Year's party, and it was going to be awesome.
“Guess what I found!” Wayne called as he climbed out of his truck. He had gone looking for his fishing gear that a buddy of his let him keep in his shed. “Forgot about this.”
You and Eddie were on the couch on the trailer porch, wrapped in blankets and enjoying a rare mild December afternoon. Wayne came over and dumped a box, its contents visible and mostly of the hunting/fishing variety.
“Must have put some other shit in here for safekeeping,” Wayne said, holding up a plastic container filled with photos.
“Hol-ly-shit,” Eddie whispered, getting up immediately.
While Wayne packed for his annual New Year’s trip to Patoka Lake, you went through the container photo by photo. Eddie looked more like his mother than his father, with his wild smile and bouncy curls. Wayne looked like a real cowboy when he was younger, dressed with a little more pizazz than you knew him for. And baby Eddie, well that little thing was Bambi-eyed from the beginning.
“Don’t burn the place down while I’m gone, yeah?” Wayne joked but in that way that told both you and Eddie he was deadly serious.
“Don’t let John drown in the lake… or shoot someone…” Eddie joked back.
“Give him some credit… Worst he’ll do is get a fish hook in the cheek when he’s casting.”
You winced at the thought while Eddie laughed.
After hugs and more warnings, Wayne was off and you and Eddie finished looking at all the photographs.
“Soooooo…” Eddie said, throwing himself onto the couch in the lounge room.
You put the kettle on for tea. “So?”
“What do you wanna do tonight?”
Narrowing your eyes at him with suspicion, you shrugged. “What do you wanna do tonight?”
He grinned, lopsided and coy. “Second to last night of the year… Everyone will be over tomorrow, so technically, our last night alone for the year…”
“Yeah?” You leaned against the kitchen bench, well aware of where Eddie was taking the conversation.
“Maaaaybe, if you, you know, wanted to… You could get a little cute… for me,”
“Cute? Define cute,”
“Um, well… fluffy tail… little collar…”
After cheesy pasta bake and The Goonies on VHS, you took a long shower only to be interrupted by Eddie, asking you to wash his hair. He was naked and sitting cross-legged in front of you before you had a chance to finish saying, “Fiiiine. You’re lucky I love you.”
Eddie remained naked after the shower. He figured it offered some vulnerability on his part, although he wasn’t self-conscious. With Van Morrison crooning on vinyl, and the bedroom lighting reduced to only what broke through the curtained windows, you folded your legs beneath you and sat on your knees.
Gently, Eddie put the collar around your neck, fastening it and letting his hands brush down your neck and along your shoulders. When the ears went on, Eddie’s pupils blew. You held out your hands and he dressed you in the cuffs.
When you had thought about that moment, you had predicted it would be a little bit silly. Playful and light-hearted. But that’s not how it felt. The tension was thick, hot, and humid. Eddie’s eyes danced from the heart-shaped tag on the collar to your wrists, across your thighs and how they spread as you sat. The softness of the pudge of your belly. The fluff of the ears and the fuzz of pubic hair. He wanted you so badly and completely that it made him a little bit dizzy, his fists curling around the blanket under him.
Eddie was trying to pull himself together. He was meant to be leading you through this, not making you guess what to do or say next. In his head, he was saying, ‘let’s start there’ but it was like his tongue had disappeared, disallowing speech entirely.
All he could do was kneel opposite you, locking you in place with a folded leg on each side of you. He held your face in his hands and ran his thumbs along your mouth rougher than usual. You were taking slow, measured breaths but his breathing was shallow and you knew that look in his eyes.
Yes, he could have been leading you better, but you weren’t lost. You weren’t scared or nervous or alone. He kissed you hard, not letting your head move. He would have eaten his way down your throat if you’d let him.
Eddie kissed you and kissed you until you squeaked a warning that you needed oxygen. While you gasped it in, he decided he’d be fine without it. He moved his lips to your neck, holding the back of your head, fingers tangled in hair. Melting, you put your hands on his shoulders to stay upright, then shook when you felt his other hand disappear down between your legs.
Something was shaking inside you. Fizzing to life. Without thought, you asked in a tone Eddie had never heard, “Am I a good kitten?”
He froze, your skin between his teeth, and his fingers dipped inside you. Eddie’s jaw went slack and he pushed against you with his forehead, unable to silence the banshee screams of euphoria in his head. All he could do was nod and push deeper and harder. You knew it was an undignified and wholly enthusiastic ‘yes.’
The night was just getting started.
“Absolutely not.”
The group of freshmen erupted into a chorus of groans and whines.
“I bet you were drinking at our age!” from Dustin.
“Who made you king of the beers?!” from Lucas.
You sat on the couch next to Esther and watched the exchange. Eddie was sitting on top of the cooler he’d filled with ice early in the afternoon. Jeff and Esther’s BYO drinks had been chucked in there, along with the beers Eddie’s picked up for Gareth and Gene.
“You’re letting them drink!” Mike screeched, pointing at the bassist and guitarist through the window. They were out on the porch with Jeff, working out how to best set up the fireworks without getting anyone maimed or arrested.
“Fuck, Wheeler, you’ve got the body of a hummingbird. All small and jittery,” Eddie teased, motioning at Mike. “Half a bottle and you’d be on the floor. Out before your girlfriend even gets here.”
At the mention of El, the mysterious girlfriend, Mike shut up.
“Oh,” Eddie said, picking up on it. “Is that what all this outrage is about?” He laughed. “You wanna impress your girlfriend with your big man drinks?”
“Shut up,”
“She lives with Byers, man… That drowned cat could keep up with Cheech and Chong. I don’t think she’s gonna be amazed that you can drink beer.”
Mike threw his arms up and sulked off down the hallway to go sit with the others. As he exited the trailer, Max walked in.
“Max!” Dustin and Lucas called in unison.
She looked like a deer in the headlights.
“Max, tell Eddie to give us a drink,” Dustin said.
She made a face that was just so Max. Before she could do much more, Lucas had taken her hand and dragged her off into Eddie’s bedroom.
“Leave the door open!” Eddie called after them.
“Gross, dude,” Dustin mumbled.
“Gross? No, no this – RUBBERS ARE IN THE TOP DRAWER – is gross,”
“Eddie,” from you, along with a flicked bottlecap.
He pulled a sad face at you, then turned his attention back to Dustin. “Seems you’ve lost the battle, brave knight,”
“No. No, I haven’t. What if… What if we do a deal,”
“I’m listenin’,”
“A wager,” Dustin announced, just as dramatic as Eddie.
“Go on,”
“When El and Will get here, they will be escorted by Jonathan,”
“Yeah, I know,”
“Ah! But, do you know who else will be in their party?”
You and Esther watched this back and forth, glancing at each other. “Does he even care if they drink?” she whispered to you.
“Eddie? No. I think he even brought extra. He’s a softy.”
She snorted. “Wouldn’t let him hear you saying that in public,”
“Oh, his cover story is that they’re gonna try shit, so may as well be around him so he can keep an eye on them or whatever,”
“Wow… That makes this-” She pointed to Eddie and Dustin. “-even funnier.”
Eddie tilted his head. “No, Dustin, I do not know who else is in their party,”
“A fourth. A partaker in the… whacky tobaccy,”
“Oh my god,” Eddie laughed, covering his face with his hands.
“And I would bet clear and safe passage to the treasure, that you will be caught in Sir Argyle’s friendship spell,” Dustin finished.
Eddie sat up straight and looked at him. “Let me get this right. You get a beer if I make friends with Byers’ friend?”  Dustin nods. “That’s dumb. I make friends with everyone. I’m a friendly guy.” Dustin and Esther both giggled. Eddie looked at you. “I’m friendly?!"
“You’re not… not friendly?” you offered.
“Whatever! Fine. If Byers’ friend’s not a weird little dude slinking around with his camera, then fine, you get a beer.”
Dustin cheered and ran outside to tell Mike the good news. Eddie grinned at you and Esther on the couch, pleased with himself.
A little later, erratic car honking could be heard, followed by the squeaking of breaks. Will jumped from the car first, his childhood friends bundling him up in a group hug. Max ripped out the trailer to pull El, a girl that appeared perpetually lost, from the car and into an embrace.
Jonathan Byers looked the same as he did when he walked the halls of Hawkins High. You’d never spoken to him, despite him taking photos of the cheer squad for the yearbook. He looked awkward as he got out of the car, glancing around the trailer park like he’d just woken up.
“My dudes, my dudes! Where’s the party?!” yelled a long-haired guy with a smile as wide as his face. “We brought the goods!”
Argyle.
Maybe the only person who could make a first impression as impactful as Eddie.
He jumped onto the small porch where you’d all set up the small shindig. He came bearing pizza and a plastic bag filled with cans of soda and chocolate bars.
Eddie almost flinched in surprise when Argyle turned to him and yanked him into a tight hug.
“Oh, man, it’s good to finally meet you! King of the castle! The little ones are always talking about you!”
Argyle spent enough time at the Byers’ house to hear Will talk about the things Mike and Dustin told him over the phone. He knew all about the metalhead named Eddie, who walked on school tables and wrote the best D&D campaigns.
“Yeah, hi, man.”
Argyle let Eddie go but maintained a hold of his shoulders. He looked at Eddie seriously and said, “Now I don’t know your pie order, but I said to myself, he’s a man of taste, he’s gotta know about pineapple on pizza. He’s gotta know it’s schmakin',”
“Pineapple?” If you knew any better, you would have said Eddie was struggling to keep up.
“Pineapple! Oh, fruit on your pizza is gnarly, you say? Well, I say try before you deny.”
Eddie was wide-eyed and everyone else had stopped their own conversations to see how the meeting of an unstoppable force and immovable object would play out.
Argyle waited for a reply.
You saw the smile twitch on Eddie’s lips before anyone else. He was grinning wide within seconds. “You had me at pie, man!”
They hugged again and Dustin could already taste the cheap beer.
Despite the cold, Forest Hills came alive on New Year's. It was maybe the residents’ favourite holiday, or at least drawing for first with July 4th.
The fireworks you and Gareth had bought ultimately were pooled together with everyone else’s. Some guy supposedly named ‘Skunk’, who had a face tattoo of a dolphin (Eddie said it was meant to be a shark) worked harmoniously with the little old man who kept everyone’s grass neat with the help of his beloved and fancy whipper snipper. Together, they set small ones off on the hour, then fussed around with the bigger ones in the leadup to midnight. “Good job, Mr Skunk,” could be heard periodically.
Hellfire Club’s freshmen did drink their beer, but only Dustin liked the taste. Max could stomach it, at least. The rest kept sneaking little pours out onto the grass in an attempt to empty their bottles quicker.
Eddie didn’t notice because he was in a deep conversation with Jonathan and Argyle. They smoked Californian weed. When Eddie and Jonathan got to the stage where all they could talk about was you and Nancy Wheeler, Argyle literally somersaulted away from them, finding Corroded Coffin a far more interesting group.
The closer it got to midnight, the more the lovers of Forest Hills disappeared away from the barbeques and parties. Mike and El disappeared into the wooded area, and Max and Lucas went back to her trailer, tiptoeing by her passed out mother and locking themselves in her room. Jeff and Esther stayed by the bonfire Hacksaw Henry started, cuddled up together and in their own world. Even Jonathan took the Byers’ rental car to go surprise Nancy at a party being thrown by Steve Harrington.
Dustin, Will, Gareth, Argyle, and Gene were on the Munson’s trailer porch, sitting in a circle eating snacks and playing some sort of weird hybrid of poker and cheat. You stood in the door, leaning against the doorframe. Everybody was happy and in the moment.
“Angel,” Eddie called, his arms snaking around your waist as he came to stand behind you. Dipping his head, he pressed it against the base of your neck.
“Hi,” you whispered.
“Hi,” he mumbled back. “You good?”
“Yeah… Yeah. Just thinking. It’s been nice to have everyone together.”
It wasn’t a casual design to host New Year's. Eddie had pulled all the kids and young adults together, had them surround you for a colourful send-off for the year that was.
“Mmmmm,” Eddie hummed. “Do you wanna come up to the roof? Best seat in the house,”
“The roof? Is that where you disappeared to just before?”
Eddie led you around to the back of the trailer. He had borrowed someone’s ladder, and once you climbed up it after him, you saw he’d set out a blanket and some pillows.  
“You warm enough? I can get you-”
“I’m good, Eddie,” you said, sitting down.
Eddie laid on his back, you cuddled into his side. His guitar pick necklace was as safe around your neck as you were in his arms.
“Got any New Years' resolutions?” you asked, unsure if you were making a joke or genuinely curious.
“Ahhh, not really. Cut back on the smokes. Get a job. All the usual shit… You?”
Truthfully, you were terrified of 1987. You hadn’t properly processed the end of your schooling life, and though you weren’t consciously aware of it, you regretted burning all the college correspondence. You didn’t know who you were or what you were to become. The only thing anchoring you to calmness and happiness was the life you shared with Eddie, and by extension Wayne.
“Probably should get a job too,” you replied meekly.
Alternatively, you could have seen it as the first time you were free to just exist. That’s what you told yourself daily.
A sudden shift in the atmosphere indicated the arrival of 11:59 pm.
Skunk yelled, “TEN!" The proceeding numbers could be heard across the trailer park. Different groups held different times, some off by milliseconds, some by whole seconds.
NINE.
EIGHT.
SEVEN.
“I love you, angel.”
FIVE.
“I love you too.”
THREE.
TWO.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
You kissed under the fireworks, the hues changing Eddie’s skin from milky to pink then blue then yellow. You held each other tight, foreheads pressed together and eyes squeezed shut. The night sky was clear, and quickly the constellations were clouded by exploding stars and shapes.
Below you, Gareth tried to identify which fireworks he’d picked out while the rest of the guys watched in silence. All the lovers held hands and all the people who lived in Forest Hills Trailer Park wished for better things ahead.
You buried your face in the softness between Eddie’s neck and chest, breathed deeply, and tried to work out why it felt like you were saying goodbye to something you never had.
Next Chapter: Glory
End Note: My friends, we are mere weeks away from the resolution of this story... Start to prepare for the end.
Fic Taglist: @ajeff855 @b-barnes04 @nerd-squad-headquarters @word-wytch @harrys-tittie @munsonsmel0dy @sidthedollface2 @eddiethesexy @bardicfrustration @orpheusredux @munsonsgirl71 @a-time-for-wolvess @eddieswifu @rosaline-black @thegirlwhohides @emotionaldreamer @e0509 @briasnow-blog @kiyastrf94 @erinsingalong @rainylana @mrsdollardog @tayhar811 @chickennug90 @b-irock @nana90azevedo @eddiemunson95 @akiratoro420 @thescarletangelsstuff - did you change your url??
Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @munsonlives @sweetpeapod @depressooo-expressooo-blog @thorfemmes @hawkins-high @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob @mymoonisalways-in-scorpio @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @lacrymosa-24 @mel-the-fangirl
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breathlesslink · 7 months
Text
Chapter Nine — New Phase
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t.o.c ; << | >>
Link could have been back earlier, but he needed a minute.
Nothing could have prepared him for the Divine Beast. He expected fighting, but puzzles? He didn't think he'd also have to use his brain instead of just his brawn, but that made some sense since the shrines were also predominately puzzles.
The small underlings of Ganon's weren't difficult. Just little sentries, designed to look like mini guardians. The creature of malice that had defeated Mipha, however, was different.
She called it 'Waterblight Ganon', a small manifestation of his power sent to destroy the Champions and claim the beasts as his own like he did the other Ancient technologies. Link could see how a monster like that would be difficult to beat.
After Vah Ruta traveled her way to a spot to aim her beam at Hyrule Castle, Link took a break.
He sat on the grass next to the Beast, staying there long after Mipha's spirit had disappeared.
His chest felt heavy. Grief was already a strange emotion— he'd known that from when he lost his parents. But to grieve someone you don't remember meeting? He didn't even know what he was grieving. Mipha was apparently a close friend, consoling him on the days when Zelda became a bit too much to handle.
He remembered her, but only a bit. He knew that he knew her. He knew that they were close, but that was it. To learn that she had crafted the Zora Armor he wore because she wanted to marry him—
The Zora Armor.
You would think it looked so cool. He had to get back and show you. He knew you would love to hear about what happened.
Link groaned and stretched, sore from the fighting and dreading the trek back to the Domain. But he was excited too, to see you again and tell you about everything that happened.
———
A delicious smell wafted through the openings of the inn as you and Kodah worked tirelessly over the cooking pot, countless servings of seafood paella being churned out as word of Vah Ruta's defeat began to spread.
Zora's noticed her return to her original place high above the Kingdom hours ago, but Link had yet to come back. You tried to ignore the anxiety that rested deep in your stomach and focus on the dinner in front of you, but you couldn't help but watch the front of the Domain as you helped serve the Zora citizens their feast.
"Staring isn't going to make him magically appear, you know." Kodah teased. You rolled your eyes.
"I'm just a little worried. Vah Ruta has been fine for a few hours now. What if he's so injured that he can't make it back?"
"I think you're full of blubber." Kodah scooped another serving of paella for a Zora in line. "You of all people know that he's supposed to defeat Ganon. Do you really think he'd let something like this get him so easily?"
Considering he almost died before, maybe.
But you didn't want to say that, so instead you shrugged, tossing in another batch of shrimp to the pot.
"I put my full faith in him. But he's still Hylian at the end of the day. He's mortal. Might not be dead, but he could be hurt."
"You say you don't doubt me, but it sure sounds like you do."
There was a beat of silence as you processed the third voice that joined the conversation, and then your ladle fell to the ground.
You whipped around, unable to contain the smoke that stretched across your face as you rushed towards Link. He had a grin of his own, but it quickly faded into a look of surprise as you practically tackled him to the ground in a tight hug. Link took the brunt of the fall as you landed on top of him, but if it hurt he didn't show it. Instead he hugged you back, his arms sliding around your waist and squeezing. His cheek rested on your head.
"What took you so long! Are you okay?" You pulled away only a few inches to inspect him, but seeing as though he seemed fine you returned to your spot under his chin.
"Just needed a breather. Solving a bunch of puzzles and fighting an entity that's just a mini Ganon takes a lot out of you.
"And I bet the puzzles were harder than the fight." You snorted.
"That's just rude." Link playfully shoved you off of him, sticking his nose in the air. He didn't deny it. "What is that smell? I'm starving."
As if on cue, his stomach rumbled. You laughed and stood up, offering your hand to him. Link took it and hoisted himself up, the task a bit more difficult with how tired he was.
"Kodah and I made a huge seafood paella dinner for everyone to celebrate. We made sure to make enough for you when you came back."
"Oh my goddess, really?" Link's mouth watered as he watched you scoop a serving for him. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me."
You slightly flushed, but ignored his comment in favor of making your own plate and informing Kodah of your departure to eat with Link. You led him to a more secluded area, away from the crowds, figuring that he'd had enough of the socialization for a while. You certainly had.
You watched as Link took a tentative bite of the paella before diving in. You couldn't help but laugh. "You're gonna choke if you don't slow down."
"You go do the shit I did and then tell me that again."
"I would, but you said I'm not allowed." You joked, playfully pouting.
Link rolled his eyes. "Right. And after experiencing it, my rule still stands. If anything, it stands even stronger."
"Really? It was that bad, huh?"
"Uh, some parts were." He put down his utensils for a second. "It's draining, that's for sure. I, uh, saw the old Champion."
"Mipha?" Sidon had given you the rundown after returning from Link.
"Yeah. I remembered her. It sucked, but in like a different way than usual." You stayed silent, so he continued. "Like, obviously I knew her and was close with her. So I should be grieving her death, right? Except, I'm not because I don't remember her. So I only feel guilty now, because I feel like I should feel worse about it and that makes me feel even worse but in a different way. And it doesn't make any sense but—"
Link's rambling was cut off as you laid your hand on his. His eyes shot up to meet yours, the calming aura reflecting in them helping to soothe him a bit.
"Link, your circumstances are one in a million. There's a lot of things that should have happened, or ways that things should be, but guess what? It didn't happen. You've got to navigate an entirely new life— you're still in the same body as 100 years ago, but everything is different now. The land, the times, even you seem more different than how you described how you used to be. You told me that you never talked, but now you're so talkative.
Maybe 100 years ago you'd grieve properly, but even then is there even a right way to grieve? Everyone handles it differently. You feel guilty for not remembering her, right?"
Link nodded, averting his eyes in shame. You squeezed his hand.
"From what you do remember, do you think she'd want you to be sad about it? Or do you think she'd want you to just think about the happy times you can remember?"
"Definitely the happy times." He had a far-away look in his eyes, probably playing the few memories he does have of Mipha in his head. "She was always about being strong and looking on the bright side."
"And she believed that you fit her mindset so similarly that she wanted to marry you! You, of all people. Marriage material? I don't know about that—"
"Hey! I'll let you know I'd make a perfect husband." Link huffed and sent a grin your way. "It's not like I would've married her anyways. When I remember her, I get the feeling that I loved her as more of a sister than anything. I didn't even know about the Armer being made."
"And what cool armor it is." You laughed.
You'd brought up the marriage subtly, wanting to get Link's input on it without him teasing you for caring so much. When Sidon told you of Mipha's story, you questioned whether Link returned her feelings or not. You hated to admit, but you were definitely a little jealous. Not in a romantic way, of course.
In more of a "You're my first friend in a very long time and I don't want anyone else to have your attention" kind of way. Yeah. You had one more question to curb your jealous curiosity for the day, though.
"If not Mipha, what about Zelda? Isn't it like a fairy tale come true for a princess and her knight to fall in love?"
"No," Link laughed and shook his head, as if it was some absurd idea. "Zelda hated me up until a few days before Ganon attacked, I'm pretty sure. Plus, she was into some other knight at the castle. That's another reason why she was so mad that I was her knight and he wasn't."
"Oh come on." You felt better, but now you just wanted to tease. "There's no way a guy like you wasn't drowning in women."
Link flushed, and you bit back a laugh. "N-no! I told you, I didn't even talk to anyone! I was so focused on being a knight, and then being the Champion, I didn't have time for anything else."
"You for sure had women eyeing you. There's no way you didn't. You're too handsome for that."
Link continued to flush. He'd mentioned many times before that in the past, the burden of protecting Hyrule kept him stoic and quiet, but you had to tease him. His social skills were never entirely up to par.
"Stop messing with me." He finally let go of your hand and grabbed his utensils again to finish the paella. "What did you do when I was gone?"
You looked at your plate for a split second, trying to make a decision on what to say. Link would be so upset if you fought a monster alone, but you would like to think he'd also be proud.
You remembered moments before the fight, when the Yiga member taunted you from the trees. He beckoned you back to Gerudo under potentially false promises of knowing your brother's location.
"I just healed. Rested and went on a walk or two to keep my muscles from getting stiff."
"That's it?" Link didn't sound convinced. "Very unlike you to actually listen to Doctor's orders."
"Yeah, well," You paused for a second, trying to think of literally anything to defend yourself. Sometimes, telling the truth is the best lie you could create. "I just didn't want to hold you back from any more of the journey, so I wanted to get better as soon as possible."
Nobody ever said it had to be the truth of the current situation.
"Oh please," Link waved his hand, "I'd carry you on my back across Hyrule if I had to."
You didn't have a solid response to that and you were nearly certain Link was unaware of the feeling he just gave you in the pit of your stomach. You needed to change the subject.
"How long do you think it'll be until we reach Gerudo?"
"I was planning on hitting Elden next since its closer. Any reason why?"
Bad change of subject.
"Uh, I just miss my family there a bit. But if we're going to Elden first, I can wait. No worries."
You wouldn't show that it was indeed major worries, but perhaps when Link was off fighting the Divine Beast on Death Mountain you could scout another Yiga soldier and make them give you more information. It didn't feel right doing all of this behind his back, but you were feeling more and more desperate to reach Hiro with every passing moment, especially now that you knew your next move.
You always worked best alone during the little missions that the Yiga had sent you out on. It was taking all of your self-restraint to not just up and leave now to find Hiro, but you also felt a sense of responsibility towards Link. Like it was your own personal mission to protect him from the Yiga and any other threat that may come to him during his mission.
You knew the minute you realized who he was that your old way of life would no longer work. You needed to adapt and find new ways to solve your issues in your new phase of life.
Your new phase with Link by your side.
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avatarmerida · 1 year
Note
Huntlow palisman ride? They were flying together on clover in trailer..... 🤧
Thank you for reminding me I had something in my docs for this very occasion. I need my sad son to relax and sit normal pls Dana I beg you.
---
They had been flying in for only a few minutes but the silence made it feel like hours. When they decided to continue on staff, Hunter wordlessly paired up with her. He didn’t ask, he didn’t need to. She had seen him reach out his hand to begin summoning his own staff before he stopped himself, remembering why that was no longer an option. 
Willow hated seeing Hunter like this. She hated seeing any of her friends sad, but something about the way sadness came far too naturally to his face made her heart sink even deeper. She didn’t know what to say, but she knew she had to say something. She needed to drag him away from the unkind thoughts he was surely thinking. He had sat down behind her sideway as though he was leaning against the railing by the docks, as though he was indifferent towards balance. If he wasn’t such a skilled flyer, Willow would worry he would fall off, but she would never let that happen. 
He must’ve known that and that was why he did not hold onto her waist, and Willow did not press despite selfishly wanting to. She wanted to wrap Hunter in a hug so tight there would be no room for despair of any kind, but assumed he might want some distance now. She would keep him as close as he was willing to let her. She knew this was a very serious, very dark moment  and she needed to allow Hunter to feel and process his grief but she could lose Hunter to the darkness. Even if he could not see the light, she would make it her mission to ensure he felt it. 
So she faked her best smile, even though he could not see it he would know it was there. He would know she would always be there.
“Hey,” she said, summoning him from his mind. He shook his head the way he did when she interrupted a daydream. She wished she had interrupted a daydream. 
“Hey,” he responded, his voice hoarse and weak. He sniffled lightly but Willow pretended she didn’t notice. 
“Looks like you’ll need another haircut soon,” she said gently, treading slowly. “Or I can braid your hair like this when we land, it would look nice.”
She tentatively reached out behind her, and put a lock behind his ear to see his face better. He turned away and let the hair move back to cover him. Willow frowned, but only for a moment. 
“Here,” said Willow, shifting her weight to sit sideways like him as she removed the flower clip from her hair and quickly put it in his. She allowed her hand to linger on his cheek before turning to her former position. “Now I can see your face better.”
“Why would you want to?” he said gruffly. “I look so much more like him now. And now that you know... what I am. Why would you wanna see me after I lied to you for months?”
“Hunter, you didn’t lie to us,” she said. “You were still trying to figure out how you felt about it. Was I surprised? Yeah, but it’s not something that could make me like you any less. You just weren’t ready to tell anyone, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
“What if... I was never gonna be ready?” he said softly. “I wanted to pretend that it wasn't a big deal, that it wasn’t real but I should’ve known it would come out sooner or later.”
“I mean, the way I found out wasn’t... ideal,” admitted Willow, the image of an unconscious Hunter flashed in her mind and made her shudder. “But I’m sorry you didn't have control over how we found out. I know sometimes scary and confusing things are a little easier to deal with when you can talk about them with people and I know you had Luz but I’m pretty sure she knows even less about Grimwalkers than the rest of us.”
“What do… you know about Grimwalkers?”
“Well, not much I guess,” admitted Willow. “We were always taught they were just stories and the stories weren’t exactly-.
“Nice?”
“-accurate,” finished Willow. “I can see that now, having gotten to meet one.”
There was a pause. Willow wondered if she had said the right thing. 
“What if I’m lying?” Hunter said in a hollow voice, as though the sentence had echoed in his mind before making its way out. “I spent so much time lying and what if you don’t actually like me because I’m still lying and I just don’t know it and-.”
Hunter found himself suddenly leaning forward and crashing into Willow, who had stopped Clover suddenly. His arms subconsciously wrapped around her as though worried she would fall off completely and he would somehow secure her. 
“Hey, call yourself a liar one more time and I’m turning this staff around mister,” said Willow sternly, glaring back at him. Hunter smiled in spite of himself, knowing she was only half joking. She took off again at full speed and Hunter tightened his grip on her, which would normally make him blush but the contact felt relaxing so he did not break it. Willow took that as a good sign. “And you are a terrible liar by the way. You could never lie about who you are.”
He rested his face against her back, suddenly overcome by the feeling how truly tired he was. “But I did, I never told you I was a-.”
“That’s what you are, not who you are,” corrected Willow. “Who you are is a kind, smart, funny dork who puts his whole heart into everything he does. You’ve never lied about that, even when you pretended to be a Hexside student.” She very purposely did not say Caleb. “That’s who you’ve always been, whether or not you were always able to show it.”
“Yeah I guess,” said Hunter, still unable to shake the shame he felt.
“If I didn’t tell you about how I used to get called half-a-witch, would it make it any less true?”
“No, but you’re not-!”
“I know I’m not,” said Willow, genuinely smiling at his lack of hesitation to reassure her. “But that’s what I believed for a long time and I didn’t like that about myself. I didn’t like thinking about that time and how I felt about myself. Because even though I wasn't half-a-witch, I was still lonely. I was still unhappy and scared. It was hard to accept that, and I wish that people never knew that part of me and sometimes and I don’t always wanna talk about it. But I can’t change it. If I didn’t tell you about that time and you found out about it anyway would you be mad at me?”
“Of course not,” said Hunter, his voice regaining strength. “I’d be mad at the people who made you feel that way but not you because it wasn’t your fault you were just-.”
“Exactly,” said Willow looking back at him again now with a sweet smile on her face. “So why would I ever hold something like that against you? Why would I ever care about who you were supposed to be or who you look like when the person you truly are is pretty great? You didn’t decide how you got here, but I think you can decide to make the best of it, ya know? Change tracks, all the cool witches are doing it.”
He held onto her tighter and buried his face in her hair as he tried not to audibly cry. He had always imagined this conversation taking a turn for the worst, maybe even being the last time they ever spoke, and here she was talking to him like it changed nothing. How could it change everything about the way he saw himself and do nothing to how she saw him? How could her words be so soft and gentle and still be anything but empty? They were small and wonderful and carried far more than their fair share. Willow was just like her words.
There was a long pause as what she said washed over him. He focused on her breathing and her heartbeat as he tried to sync his own to it. It was so hard to process that this wasn’t hard for her to process. 
“But you did tell me about your stuff,” Hunter choked, trying in vain not to get tears on her outfit. “You trusted me with your secret and I didn’t trust you with mine.”
“Well, don’t worry I still have plenty of secrets,” said Willow with a mischievous tone. 
Willow looked ahead and saw the rest of the group landing and made her way towards the ground as well. She knew this wasn’t their final destination, but Camila was still getting used to flying and needed breaks to stretch her legs and breath easier every so often and the break was not unwelcome by the rest of the group. Hunter loosened his grip and prepared to jump off before they had fully landed as though he needed to test the safety of the ground for her (really he just wanted to wipe his face before Willow fully looked at it again). 
“Would it make you feel better if I told you one of my secrets?” Willow asked as Clover returned to her palisman form and flew over to sit on Hunter’s shoulder. “Then we’d be even, secret wise.”
“You don’t have to, Captain,” Hunter replied, touching her clip in his hair and feeling like she had already done too much. “I don’t want to violate your privacy.”
“Yeah, you should let me do it!” Gus’ voice rang suddenly from beside him, appearing out of nowhere. “Since Luz spilled your secret, I can spill one of Willow’s so it’ll be totally even.”
 Willow laughed at the confused look that overtook Hunter’s face, clearly wondering how long Gus had been listening and for a moment there was no room for sadness. 
“I don’t know...” said Hunter.
“It’ll be fun! We can have a secret club!” Gus said excitedly. “Like a secret secret club where our secrets make us stronger! That’s the best part of having friends, you get more secrets! Secrets! Secrets!”
He summoned a collection of illusions of smaller Guses to sit on their shoulders and join his chorus, helping recruit Willow and Hunter to their exclusive members only group. The pair couldn’t help but laugh at the joy the notion brought to Gus, so determined to let their secrets make them closer.
“We can talk about our deepest secrets, our oldest secrets, our most embarrassing secrets…” he began to list. “Oh! Secrets we have about each other!”
“Oh, yeah! Like when you replaced Hunter’s hair gel with toothpaste and told him it had expired!” Willow giggled brightly, inspired by Gus’ energy.
Hunter’s laughter paused. “Wait, you did what?”
“Willow!” Gus exclaimed, his tiny illusions vanishing as he focused on the plant witch. “Why would you say that now?”
“Well, you said you were gonna tell him eventually anyway!” Said Willow in her defense. 
“Yeah, but then he cut his hair and didn’t even need it anymore!’ said Gus urgently before turning to Hunter. “Sorry dude, but in my defense you were using like alot of gel.”
“See Hunter? Everyone has secrets,” Willow assured and Gus remembered he had come over to expose her, not the other way around. 
“That’s right!” said Gus eagerly. “Like remember that guy on the bus who made fun of your shoes with the holes? Willow put poison ivy on his seat even after you asked her not to!”
“Gus!” Exclaimed Willow but quickly shrugged it off as she would not have denied it if pressed. “Eh, I stand by that one.”
“Okay then,” Gus racked his brain, taking that as a sign to put forth another secret. “Well, Willow snores so loud that one time Camila thought there was a thunderstorm outside and brought in all the lawn furniture inside!”
Willow gave a melodramatic gasp. “Well, Gus can’t tie his shoes without magic!”
“Willow stole her costume from the costume shop!”
“Gus ate two DVDs!”
“Willow is afraid of ladybugs!”
“Gus cheats every time you play video games!”
“Willow had a crush on you when you first met!” Gus declared as though he was tattling, pointing to Willow accusingly.
Willow slowly turned her head to Gus, her eyes no longer held the sparkle of good natured teasing, they held storm clouds. “Augustus!” She said, her voice low and serious with the power of thunder lurking within it, envying the boom that she had only known while dreaming. 
“Whaaat? You were gonna tell him eventually, right?” Gus teased in a singsong tone, using her own words against her.
“Anyway!” Willow said, quickly moving on before Hunter could ask any follow up questions. ”What we’re trying to say is that you don’t have to tell us everything,” she placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “But we want you to know that you can.”
“So... it’s okay if I have some secrets?”
“Of course, everyone does!” assured Willow gently. “Well, at least we did.” She chuckled lightly.
“Thanks you guys,” said Hunter softly, placing his hand atop hers. “You've just been so awesome about so much and I really did want to tell you I just... didn’t know how.”
“And that’s okay,” said Gus, placing his hand on Hunter’s other shoulder. "It's not an easy thing to wrap your head around, it's understandable that you’d need time. Not to mention a lot has been going on, I mean that’s why Willow never told you her thing. Plus I... kind of figured it out.”
“That Willow wanted to crush on me?”
“Oh my Titan” said Willow to herself, slightly mortified that Gus had chosen now to forget his filter and used her free hand to hide her face and the blush that rushed its way onto her cheeks. She took a deep breath to compose herself, somewhat relieved that Hunter slightly misunderstood. “No, he meant the grim-walker thing.”
“Oh,” said Hunter, a similar flush brushing his ears though he wasn’t sure why.
“Well, we could tell you were hiding something,” said Gus. “But we could also tell you happy for probably the first time ever, so we didn’t press.”
“So me being... a grimwalker... doesn’t change what you guys think of me, does it?”
“Of course not,” assured Gus. “All it changes is what we know about you. I mean, it’s no harder to get past than finding out you’re the Golden Guard and kidnapping us.”
“Yeah, I bet Willow really wanted to crush me after that huh?” asked Hunter, able to joke about the instance now, finally in better headspace around it. Is that what sharing secrets did? Made the hard things funny?
“Dude, that’s not what-.” Started Gus.
“Shush!” Said Willow, covering Gus’ mouth with her hand before turning to Hunter as though she wasn’t preventing Gus from escaping her clutches. “The point is, we care about you, no matter what. And we’ll be here for you, no matter what.”
Gus freed himself from Willow’s grasp. “Yeah dude! We’ve got your back!
“Thank you, I ... hope I’m worthy of the effort,” said Hunter with a heavy sigh. “Especially after all the trouble I’ve brought everyone.”
“Ah, we’d end up finding trouble eventually,” said Willow.
“Yeah, you can’t take all the credit,” agreed Gus. “I mean, Willow keeps flesh eating plants as pets, we have plenty of experience with trouble!”
“Gus! That was a secret too!”
“Just from Camila!”
Hunter laughed again, having had a huge part in helping Willow grow the prized plants in the garden and then replant in pots when they started to fight. He also had the teeth marks to prove it. He hadn’t realized they already shared a secret and it had brought them closer.
“I don’t wanna keep any more secrets from you guys,” he said softly as tears returned to his eyes, but they were not tears that weighed him down as his tears had been earlier. “So I just wanna tell you... you’re the best friends I could ever ask for.”
“Aw!” Said Willow as she pulled both her boys in for a hug, which they both quickly leaned into. Hunter held onto both of them both tightly, feeling lighter now.
“Well, I mean that’s not technically a secret but okay this is still a nice moment,” said Gus as Willow squeezed them both tighter, allowing Hunter to linger in the light a little longer. She knew grief and acceptance were not linear and were even harder to balance but she and Gus could outshine anything and they would always include Hunter in that brighter side. 
When the time came to get back to flying, Willow hopped onto her staff and held out her hand for Hunter to take as she pulled him up. He sat the way he had previously, dangling his legs off the side, able to be self conscious about crowding her and sitting too close to her again.
“You should probably hold on,” said Willow. “It looks like there’s some wind coming up ahead. I don’t want you to fall off.”
There wasn’t.
“Oh, yeah of course,” said Hunter, timidly wrapping her arms around her waist. It felt so natural and scary at the same time. But he easily leaned into the contact, feeling as though he had not finished hugging her earlier, as though he could not express his gratitude for her enough.  “Yeah, I uh, I think I see it too.”
He didn’t. 
But that could stay their secret.  
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rottencoreflesh101 · 10 months
Text
This is super messy but idc, I needed a lil Giyuu comfort.
“Its okay…” Giyuu muttered as he stud in front of you, his icy blue eyes stared down at you with patience.
You were crying, the pain in your chest, your heart ached your limbs weakend. No thoughts were in your mind just grief was the only thing your body gave out. The person you loved didn’t returned your feelings, heck you never even had the chance to confess to them, in just a blink of an eye they were sweep off their feet and you stud there in silence, having to bite your tongue because there was nothing you could do now.
This stressful feeling just made your mind overthink. “Great Y/N. If you weren’t such a coward maybe things could’ve worked out.” “Awesome y/n, maybe if you would’ve told them as soon as your heart skipped beats no matter how soon, maybe a few doors would’ve open”. But there were no buts or what ifs anymore, you had to swallow the knot in your chest, like it or not.
You were so lost in your head that you forgot who even stud in front of you. Tch… they must think you’re pathetic for crying like this with no shame publicly and not in the privacy of your home.
“I-I’m sorry… I-I’m so s-so sorry” you managed to muster up a few words with out choking on your sobs and hiccups.
Giyuu’s eyes widen then suddenly he dropped his blade immediately, he slowly and carefully sat on his knees infront lf you to not spook you.
“Y/n…” he whispered.
“im sorry! I’m so pathetic! Crying o-over stupid t-things!” You cried out.
“Y/N!” Giyuu barked. The raised volume of Giyuu’s voice set you off, you immediately stop to look at him with wide open eyes. You never herd him like this and now that you could process who was witnessing your break down, you felt embarrassed.
Giyuu could tell how you felt, he knew that feeling too well. Giyuu slowly and gently leaned in to wrap his arms around your body, giving you a sincere hug, it felt nice… suddenly you feel one of his hands rubbing you back as he rests his heads on top of yours.
“Sshhh… let it out y/n… it’s alright… you’re safe…” Giyuu whispered trying t comfort you.
You felt safe, you felt like Giyuu would never judge you, he was always so nice to you… why are you noticing all of these things now?… maybe because he was the one always there for you… remember?
Remember who came to visit you while you were in training? Who brought you food and sat down with you to have a meal together? Who stud up for you and defended you from unfair treatment? That’s right, Giyuu Tomioka was. Ever since you started your demon slayer journey, Giyuu became your pillar.
You cling onto Giyuu’s uniform to let out everything you held back as he holds you close to him, he furrowed his eyes looking down at you, he hated to see you like this but this was the right thing, the healthiest way.
After you finishing crying, Giyuu made sure you’re okay, he placed his hands on both of your face’s cheeks caressing them as he inspected your whole face then he forms a small soft smile to show how happy he is that you trusted him and you’re okay now.
After a few minutes of collecting yourself, you thought it was the right time to get back on your grind, its time to heal. Giyuu helped you get up, slowly and carefully, you were being treated like a porcelain doll by a strong man such as Giyuu Tomioka, the water pillar out of all people came out of his comfort zone to help you…
Giyuu made sure you arrived at your home safely and assured you that if you ever need anything to please send him a crow to his way and he’ll do his best to be there for you.
“Y/N… my y/n… when will you notice that my love takes every shape you mold?…” Giyuu thought to himself as his half lidded eyes concentrated on the road up ahead yet at the same time he was lost in mind with you…”
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foxymoxynoona · 2 years
Note
i’m not going to lie,, i’m still hurting on the inside lol. like of course i understand that they needed this and they’ll still see each other at HYBE every day anyway lol but that still doesn’t change the fact that my heart hurts thinking about not being able to see them together with my own eyes 😭
and the uncertainty is what hurts the most like ‘we’ll be back together again someday’ but when IS ‘someday’ going to be, you know? could be 4 or 5 years from now. that is if they still want to be a group by then because what if they change their minds along the way? like, people change, it’s just human nature. i mean look at them now, when they used to say they’d be a group until they were 50. people change, and that’s what hurts i guess. the uncertainty.
this is MY problem not theirs so of course don’t take this as me resenting them for doing this. this is just me trying to cope SHSKHZJHSS IM STILL GOING THROUGH THE 5 STAGES OF GRIEF OKAY SUE ME i promise ill be okay and get to that ‘Acceptance’ stage where i’ll be like ‘oh well’ but not now… now im still grieving 😂
It's totally ok to take time to be sad and even grieve!!! There's a BIG difference between "I hate them how could they do this to me" and "I am happy for them but need time to process what this change means for the place they had in my life." There's definitely ucnertainty and for many of us, BTS has been a place of stability and comfort for a really difficult few years or longer. Change is scary, especially when it's around something deep in our hearts!
I think it means the things we get will be even more precious. I believe we'll find new things to love. I believe communities will still exist and even lead to new communities and that everything will be ok. So keep that wrapped around you like a warm hug, but don't feel bad for needing more than 15 minutes to adjust! There's a reason grief has so many stages, it's complex!
Ok that's it. I just don't want all of us feeling bad about being sad. You can be sad and also be happy for them at the same time! Emotions are ands, not buts!
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nakunakunomi · 2 years
Note
Hi love! Third and final suggestion here! Might I come back to our favourite gods and ask for Hades finding out his female s/o is pregnant? This man deserves some happiness. Thank you for the box opening Hazel, I hope you get a ton of amazing ideas! ❤
Telling Hades you're pregnant HC
2nd person, afab reader, tw: pregnancy
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Have you ever seen anyone go through all 5 stages of grief in about 0.5 seconds? Because now you will. A blank expression that suddenly changes and Hades is feeling over 400 emotions within a minute. It’s the most expressive you’ve seen him in a while, not counting the loving gazes he sends your way when he thinks you’re not looking. 
Initially there’s the disbelief: surely, he must’ve heard you wrong. Or you might be playing a joke. Is it April fool’s yet? The first few seconds he’s just blankly staring at you. If you listen carefully, you can hear the gears turning in his head, as he is trying to process the words you’ve told them. 
Then the thoughts come, and initially, these are mostly worries: his misfortune? Is he gonna pass that on? Can he even live up to the task of being a parent? How do you feel about it? Are you regretting even trying to get him into your life? You must be, he practically placed a curse on you. 
Then those thoughts verbalize and he’s a little bit of a mess. You will have to reassure him initially, rebutting every single concern he comes up with. This part takes the longest, and puts a little bit of a damper on your announcement. 
But then, after multiple reassuring words, a warm hug, loads of loving kisses, and you telling him time after time that yes, you want this baby, yes, you’re happy about it, and yes, he’s gonna do amazing as a parent, the worries slowly fade. 
A smile appears on his face, and he’s starting to get used to the idea. Don’t expect him to say too much about it initially. He’s just gonna be a little more clingy, a little more touchy, making hugs last a few seconds longer than usual, holding you a little tighter than usual. There may or may not be some happy tears in his eyes. 
It’s a few days later when acceptance is fully there, and he starts getting excited. There’s these unexpected moments where he suddenly asks about names, about what kind of person they’ll be, or parenting topics, things you hadn’t discussed before but where you certainly need to be on the same page before the baby comes.
The minute you start showing, his demeanor changes again. Initially, he wasn’t too sure if he should keep his distance -lest his misfortunes befall upon you-, or be more protective and keep you closer, be with you at all times. But the minute you’re visibly pregnant, he completely switches to the more overprotective strategy. You will have to assure him that sure, it’s nice that he wants to keep you close, but please, you are not completely helpless.
He’ll like to touch your belly, even when you’re just sitting together. For some reason it gives him great comfort. Be prepared for a yelp when the baby kicks for the very first time. He’s going to be waiting for it, and still get startled. 
And oh, don’t be too surprised when you catch him in the baby room, practicing with a plushie, softly talking his insecurities away. He really really wants to do his best for you and for the baby, but won’t want his insecurities to reach your ears. Worrying would be too much stress for the baby. 
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lubdubsworld · 3 years
Text
The Devil’s Own.
Jungkook x OC
Mafia Au!
Warnings : Non-Con ! Manipulation, Degradation, Shitty hero with no redeeming Qualities you have been warned. ( i mean he does get better but not much.) 
Summary : Just Mob Boss Jungkook doing mob boss things. 
Chapter 1
“ Sign it. ”
I glared at him, feeling sick at the tone. The entitlement.
“No.” I said sharply and I could feel his anger swelling, morphing into something dangerous and deadly but I couldn’t care anymore. I was tired. Exhausted. This cat and mouse game had gone on , long enough. It wasn’t an even playing field, in any sense of the qword.
If today was the day I died, so be it. I would accept it. I would even welcome it.
I was done.
He had everything : an empire at his beck and call , enough money to pave the streets of Seoul in gold and an army of loyal associates behind him. His face was plastered on Billboards across the country , the President posted pictures of him on his fucking SNS and delegates from other countries had to wait weeks , just to get an appointment with the youngest billionaire South Korea had ever seen.
And yet none of those white collared dignitaries saw this side of him. The dirty, violent ruthless man who had more blood on his hands than anyone else in the country. My father’s. My brothers’.
Jeon Jungkook was both the most revered business man in the country and the undisputed king of Seoul’s criminal underbelly.
“You defiance only makes me want to break you in other ways Elena.” He said warningly and I felt my throat go dry. I stared at him, wondering how someone could look so expensively gorgeous and yet, like a hardened criminal.
The expensive silk shirt, the fitted slacks and the handmade shoes ought to clash with the dark ink that covered his entire arm and neck, the piercing on his eyebrow and the glint of metal on his tongue but it didn’t.
It just all came together to make him the most attractive man in existence.
I took a deep breath. Perhaps begging was the way to go?
“ You have my father’s company. You have my brother’s Hospital and you have the family mansion. It’s all yours. This bakery belongs to my mother. It’s all I have left of her. My sister in law is pregnant , due any day. She needs a place to stay and I don’t… I don’t have money to rent anywhere else.” I said desperately, thinking of the paltry wage I earned waiting tables. I could barely afford food for myself let alone for Jisoo and the baby on the way.
The bakery was abandoned but it had a roof. The furniture was crumbling but I could fix that. If I didn’t have to worry about rent, I could save up enough to make it livable. At least till I got a better job.
“I’ve offered you solutions for all of that.” He reminded me softly, eyes trained unblinkingly on me and I stared at him.
“I’m not going to be your whore.” I felt my voice shake.
He grimaced.
“You aren’t qualified to be my whore. And I don’t need one either. Whores are not my thing. I have a beautiful fiancée, don’t you remember? ” He grinned. I felt my heart ache because that fiancée was once my best friend. The only person I had trusted with my entire life. Lisa had betrayed my trust, had spied on my father’s operations and brought him down and I had the horrible, horrible inkling that she had also had something to do with my father and brother’s untimely death in a car crash.
But I couldn’t think about that. Every time I thought about her my heart broke and head spun, and I had to be at my maximum mental capacity if I was going to deal with her heartless fiancée.
“ If you ask me, you’re not fit for anything more than a back alley blowjob for a couple bucks. But Hoseok thinks you have potential. Join his agency, there are a lot of very wealthy men who have a bone to pick with your father. He made a shit ton of enemies. Most of them would love to fuck the defiance out of you. ”
His words felt like worms crawling all over my skin and I could feel the nausea churn inside me.
“I’m not signing the bakery over. You can call the creditors. I still have another year and half to pay the one remaining loan and they won’t come for me till then.” I felt my head begin to throb and Jungkook sighed.
“Suit yourself.” He stood up and I stayed still, watching his tall frame tower over me with ease. He gave me a small bitter smile. It was fraught with hatred and I stared back at him, knowing the emotion was probably mirrored in my gaze.
“Beautiful Elena. As pretty as the day you left me at the altar.” He smirked and I flushed.
“Your vengeance is petty and pointless and unfair…just like you.” I said angrily, frustration building u at his words. The way he talked about our broken engagement like it even mattered. It hadn’t even been real. We had hardly spoken and my father had called the wedding off at the last moment. But apparently, that had been the last straw for the Jeons. They had come after my father’s entire existence with a single minded intent to destroy him and they had succeeded. The man was dead . His two sons were dead.
But apparently it wasn’t enough.
Jungkook stared at me, slipping his hands into his pockets.
“Maybe. But it’s also deadly and potent. And it won’t rest until I see you reduced to nothing but a whore on the streets, spreading your legs for every man who can afford you.” He laughed. “ Saying no is a luxury , one that you’ll soon be unable to afford.”
I refused to be cowed, refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that his words scared me. Because they did.
They scared me so damn much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This bed is so lumpy… I’m so sorry, unnie..” I said apologetically but Jisoo shook her head quickly, palms cupping my face as I held her elbows, gently lowering her to the bed. I stared at her feet, feeling my heart race at how swollen they looked. That can’t be normal, a voice whispered and
I didn’t know if that was normal and I had no money to take her to a clinic. The social center we usually went to only allowed three visits per month and we had used it all up. I wanted to throw caution to the wind and spend the thirty thousand won it would take but that would mean no groceries for a week and surely bread and eggs wouldn’t stretch that long, even if I could sneak meals in the restaurant for myself.
“I’ve been feeling a little dizzy…I’ll just sleep.” She said tiredly. She was thirty six weeks along, not due for another four weeks but her blood pressure was erratic. Her lab numbers were oscillating and there had been talks of an emergency c section. Even with insurance it was way more than I could afford but I had my own jewelry, a few expensive trinkets from my teenage years. I’d been obsessed with diamonds and my father had indulged me and I had a pair of earrings left. I’d already sold the rest but this would take care of the medical bills for the birth itself.
“My shift starts in ten minutes. I have to go. Give me a call if you need anything…” I said softly and I saw the familiar blank and listless look come into her eyes. I knew she was depressed, dealing with grief and pregnancy and loss but there was nothing I could do for her. Nothing. I had applied for a bunch of other jobs but they never wrote back. It wasn’t easy, being rejected over and over again but it wasn’t like there was much else I could do. And the truth was I was resigned to this, accepted that at some point I would have to take more loans and be stuck in an endless cycle of debt for the rest of my life.
And I had made peace with that.
There was no future for me. And I was okay with just surviving.
If only Jungkook would let me.
Apparently, watching me wipe down greasy tables and mop up floors and toilets trying to earn just enough to get a few square meals didn’t soothe his anger. It only fueled it. Jungkook couldn’t fathom that it had been six whole months of me on the streets of Seoul and I wasn’t completely destitute yet. I’d kept myself and my sister in law alive, safe and it pissed him off.
He wanted to see me broken and on my knees, begging him for help. The idea of me somehow surviving despite him taking everything away from me, it just didn’t sit well with him.
I couldn’t afford to have him as an enemy so all I could really hope was that one day he would wake up and give up. One day he would just wake up and decide that I wasn’t worth it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I walked into my shift and noticed a familiar pair of high heeled Louboutins , completely out of place in my seedy place of employment, I knew I was in trouble. Lisa sat against one of the booths and her gaze was fixated on the door which meant she was waiting for someone. And when her eyes narrowed at the sight of me, I just knew I was the someone.
She wants to get me fired.
It wasn’t rocket science and I felt the urge to turn right back around and leave.  But I tamped down on it. I could get through this. I would get through this. Lisa and Jungkook got off on invoking reactions and I wouldn’t give them that.
Except it wasn’t that easy.
It was a nightmare, watching her demand and reject and walk all over me but the sleeplessness from the past few days made spacing out easier and I just stared away at the wall as she yelled and complained and made a scene.
“You’ve stopped fighting? Finally giving up? Good…” She hissed when the manager apologized to her and told me to meet him after my shift and I felt myself tremble in indignation.
“I won’t fight you or Jungkook, you and I both know I can’t afford to.” I said quietly and she went still, something flashing in her eyes for a second. It was gone before I could fully process it but it had been there. Guilt.
Lisa wasn’t a terrible human. She had been a dear friend. We had grown up together and she had even hugged and teased me when I’d been betrothed to Jungkook, all those years ago. I had been twenty back then, naïve and spoiled. While Jungkook had taken my father’s entire legacy apart, piece by piece, Lisa had been nothing more than a pawn. I remembered all the times I had let her home, how she would disappear for lengths of time.
Planting bugs all over the house. All over his office. Jungkook had been smart. Someone like Lisa, so fascinated by thr wealth she had grown up around would naturally jump at the idea of more. It wasn’t greed. It was human nature. And with her help he had destroyed everything my father had built over decades.
I shuddered. My father hadn’t been a good man. He had been greedy, yes. But he hadn’t deserved to die. And Jungkook would have to pay for that sin, someday.
“There’s a job waiting for you in Hoseok’s club.” She smiled cruelly , “ you don’t need this one.”
“The fact that you want to take it away from me, tells me that maybe there’s nothing left in you save.” I said blankly and she turned her nose up at me.
“I have Jungkook. I don’t need to be saved.”
I shook my head. She was so naïve. Men like Jungkook cared for nothing but themselves. But I wondered if women like her didn’t care for anything but the money that came with being his. Money was precious, I thought bitterly. I’d never realized how privileged I had been until I’d had it all ripped away.
“He’s the one you need saving from. And one day you’ll realize that.” I shrugged, not in the mood to offer her anymore life advice.  If she was alright with being a trophy wife in exchange for a few pretty shoes that was her prerogative.
Before she could reply,  my phone rang.
“Hello?” I asked nervously and I felt my heart drop to my knees when I heard who it was.
I turned on my heel rushing inside and my manager gave me a look of surprise.
“ My sister..she’s… she’s sick. I need to go.” I said desperately and his eyes narrowed. It was the worst timing. He was already annoyed because of Lisa and I stared in disbelief as he quickly shook his head.
“No. I’m sorry Elena…I just can’t let you leave like that…” He said sharply.
It was so unfair.
“I haven’t taken a single day off in five months…” I said desperately..” Please, she’s pregnant..She needs me, she-“
“If you leave, you won’t have a job to come back to. I can’t do this.. First you make trouble with a customer and now you just want to walk out in the middle of your shift without any notice…”
“Fine. Fire me.” I snapped, because I’d just had enough of it. I was exhausted, and tomorrow I’d go knocking on some other tore and I’d get a job. I lived in Seoul …How hard could it be? For now, I had to get to Jisoo. I had to get the hospital and things would be okay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn’t okay.
“I… You want to keep her in? So soon?”
“Her blood pressure is through the roof. There are signs of severe pre eclampsia and we want to get her started on a magnesium drip. Steroids to help the baby’s lungs incase we need to deliver…”
“Deliver..?” I couldn’t breathe.
“Yes, I’m sorry…. If her blood pressure doesn’t come down we’re going to have to deliver.”
I nodded, glancing at the bed where Jisoo was sleeping, her face swollen and I knew that she was sick. Really sick. She looked pallid and ill.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked hoarsely.
“We’re going to do what we can… But I’m going to be honest, we’re looking at a c section, a lot of meds and also some time in the NICU for the baby…. Can you afford it? Your sister’s insurance only covers 80% .”
I blinked, completely thrown. White noise rushed through my ears,  a dull throb settling right at the base of my skull and beginning to spread all the way to my arms and back. It was panic mixed wth anxiety mixed with despair and I couldn’t quite cope. The earrings wouldn’t cover all that.
“Oh… Oh..yeah.” I said dully, “ Of course I can… Let me just…. Can I have a moment? There’s somethings I need to do.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I carefully slipped the cash into the envelope, swallowing as I sat on the pavement. I’d got another call from the hospital, they had administered the steroids but Jisoo’s condition seemed to be worsening. They wanted to try inducing labour soon but they wanted me to pay for the room and for the medicines, and apparently, the earrings weren’t as valuable as I thought they were.
I fought nausea wrapping arms around myself as I stared at the cars whizzing by, the putrid city air clogging my lungs as I tried to come to terms with what was happening. Jisoo needed help. She was the only one left and she carried my brother’s son. I felt my throat clog when I thought of Daehwan. He had been a good guy. I had loved him. It wasn’t fair, what Jungkook had done to my family, I thought miserably .
And the only reason I wasn’t driven by vengeance or anger was because I was nothing like Jungkook. I hated him. I didn’t want him to live in my head, didn’t want to waste any part of myself on him , not even my anger. But it was hard when he wouldn’t let me breathe, always at my heels like a wolf : jaws snapping and blood thirsty eyes trained on me at all times. I couldn’t fathom his obsession sometimes. Surely, his hatred was uncalled for now? He’d taken everything from me anyway.  
There was a dull roaring in my ears, one that said that this was not really a surprise. I’d thought about it way too often, had considered it countless times. Had even spent one absolutely horrifying evening scouring the streets of Seoul’s red light district just to see how sex workers behaved.
I’d also realized that in the face of desperation, dignity didn’t hold much value.
You are going to pay your debts on your back and on your knees.
The first time Jungkook had thrown it at my face, eyes glinting with glee, my stomach had rebelled so hard. I’d been absolutely infuriated, had thrown a vase at him. And it had been awful,  watching him catch it out of the air with ease, his mocking laughter making my bones rattle as he shook his head, “ That’s how this ends, Elena. Mark my words.”
And it was pitiful ,  that he went through life so consumed with hatred and vindictive cruelty that he couldn’t leave me alone . He was pathetic. That’s how I saw him. A pathetic child who refused to stop tormenting the helpless ant on the floor although it was no match for his cruelty.
At some point Jungkook was going to win. And his idea of winning was seeing me stripped bare of the one thing that kept me alive : my freedom.
It had just happened sooner than I’d thought.
Because I knew what it would mean, to go to Hoseok. He would own me. Hoseok’s whores were all slaves, tangled in his web so badly that there was no hope of escape. He wasn’t cruel but he was smart. No one left the his ‘ agency’ once they went in. I would be lost, forever. And I couldn’t stomach it.
I stared at my knees, fists clenched on the fabric of my skirt. I grabbed my phone, scrolling through the contacts. I considered it carefully. I had to do this on my terms. Had to make sure I retained some sort of control here.
And I knew just how to do it.
Hoseok picked up on the third ring.
“Hello.”
“I need help.” I croaked out.
The deep chuckle made my skin crawl.
“Elena Gong. What a wonderful, wonderful surprise. What can I do you for?” He drawled.
“Well sweetheart, I’m all out of charity so you’re going to have to make it worth my while.”
I took a deep breath.
“I’m a virgin.” I whispered.
The line went completely silent.
“What?” The amusement in his voice died.
“You heard me and I’ll let you cash in on it. I’ll let you auction it off…” I tamped down on the burning protest in my lung, the screaming inside my head that said it was horrifying, that I was considering this. “ But only if you keep my terms.”
“What makes you think you have a say in that.” He said sharply and I laughed.
“I belong to your world, Hoseok. Did you forget that we were friends, once.” I whispered and he didn’t reply.
Laughter, kindness, a big brother I could always count on, hobi oppa, nine year old me with my fingers curled around his wrist as we ran all around the gardens , a smile so wide that he could spread sunshine on the gloomiest days. Different from Jungkook and Namjoon and Yoongi and the others. Willing to include a ‘ girl’ in his playtime. Lisa and I the only girls, not even fazed watching as the rest of them wielded toy guns and mock interrogation scenes, pretending to kill and maim and torture because that was the world we were born into.
“We’re not friends, Elena. Let’s get that straight. The only part of you that holds any value to me is th part between your legs. So tell me, what do you want.”
“When was the last time you auctioned off someone’s virginity? You know how much money you can make off something like that. Not just from the sale itself but from the entire night. Your club… Your gaming hell…. All of it.”
“You expect me to believe you’re a virgin. At twenty seven.” He scoffed.
“Put the word out, everywhere. If you find one man who says he’s slept with me , I’ll back off.”
“That would require me to tarnish your  family name. And you’re alright with that?”
I smiled biotterly.
“Isn’t that what you and your precious Jungkookie want? To see the last living Gong, be labeled as a whore and a slut.”
He didn’t reply.
“I’ll give you that. You can do it… You know that will only interest more people. As Jungkook so eloquently put it, most of them would love to fuck the defiance out of me.”
“What’s the catch. What do you want. ”
“2 billion won.”  I said firmly “It will be one night. One night only and I want enough money to pay off every one of my father’s debts, to get me an apartment for my sister in law and to support her and her baby for a year at least.”
“Done.” He said without missing a beat and I went still. What must it be like, to throw around money like that without a care in the world. And it sickened me that Jungkook was probably ten times as rich as Hoseok , the money my father owed him and his associates not even pocket change in comparison to his gargantuan wealth and yet, he stayed on my heels, snapping his jaws like a dog with a bone.
“And Jungkook doesn’t get to watch.” I said softly, knowing exactly what Jungkook would get off on.
That made Hoseok laugh.
“You know him too well. I keep forgetting he was madly in love with you once.”
I resisted the urge to vomit. Jungkook didn’t know love. He knew ownership. He didn’t love me, he thought he owned me. That I was his to play with…. For the rest of his life. And when my father had denied him that, just like a toddler in a toy store being denied a shiny toy to break and trample on, he had thrown a temper tantrum.
Except his tantrums always ended in death and destruction.
“That’s the deal. He doesn’t turn up there to gloat.”
“He’s heading out to Switzerland for a week , two days from now.” Hoseok said evenly.
“Good then. My sister in law…she “ I swallowed. “ She’s in a hospital in Yongsan. I’ll send you the address.”  
“I’ll take care of it. But I want you here tonight. I’m not going to drop a couple billion won on your head without making sure I’m getting my money’s worth. And I can’t have you changing your mind and bolting either. My reputation is on the line here. If I put out the word that I’m serving something so fucking delicious and then back out, they’re not going to want to buy Hobi’s wares anymore. You understand what I’m saying darling?” Hoseok drawled and I knew exactly what he was saying. If I agreed to this, it was blanket consent for him to whatever he wanted.
“I won’t back out. I can’t. But this is one night. One night with whichever bastard you choose and that’s it. I want out.  I don’t want you or Jungkook hounding me again. Ever.” My voice shook as I dug my fingers into my knees.  
“My men will be there in ten minutes. Sit tight, princess.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I stared at Hoseok as he carefully poured me a finger of whiskey, neat. He gave me a smirk and I shrugged.
“you remember.” I said casually, throat itching because it had been way too long since I’d had quality alcohol. I missed the burn,  the warmth , the numbness that followed.
“Of course I do. You could drink all of us under the table with little effort. It was spectacular.” He laughed and I leaned back against the couch, letting my head fall back.
“I was half certain that you would have a doctor around to make sure I’m a virgin.” I stared at him and he shrugged. “ Pointless. You’re twenty seven, you’ve probably had stuff up there anyway… Not like your hymen’s still going to be intact.”
I thought it was rather horrifying, that I didn’t feel nearly as mortified as I should. This was how Hoseok talked, matter of fact and open and that was why he was so popular. Anytime an important person came into the country, Hobi was the one who offered entertainment for the night. Hobi’s girls were always the prettiest, most well behaved and perfect. They were educated, knew what they were talking about and he didn’t force them into the life. They loved it, enjoyed it and it showed.
Not to say he was a saint.
Far from it.
Hoseok knew how to dine with kings in castles  but also how to wrestle with  swine in the gutter. The seedy brothels in Seoul’s back alleys were his as well, and he ruled his kingdom with an iron hand. The prostitutes there feared him, one look or word enough to silence any rebellion, any thought of escape.
He was called Hope. And yet somehow that was exactly what he denied the women under him. There was no hope here. There was only lust and power and money. You came to Hobi…. You never left .
I took the glass he offered, taking a small sip, savoring the taste.
“But you believe me. I wonder why.” I watched him closely and he scoffed.
“Between your father and Jungkook, no one ever really had the pluck to come anywhere near you  did they?”
Undisputable.
I sighed, leaning back to stare at him.
“Do you think dying hurts?” I asked softly.
It was frightening, how his entire body went stiff, eyes wide and jaw dropping.
“Elena, what the fuck-“
“Its just a question. You’ve killed people. You’ve watched them die… how do you think they feel?” I asked , curious.
“None of them wanted to die. If that’s what you’re asking.” The look in his eyes made me nervous.
I stared at him and the question was obvious. None of them wanted to die, but do you?
I didn’t.
“I’m not thinking of killing myself , oppa.  Stop looking so horrified.” I laughed. He shook his head.
“ Don’t joke about that. It’s not fucking funny.”
I sobered up, remembering with a jolt. Ah, of course.
“I’m sorry. I forgot.” I said quietly.
Hoseok’s little sister had killed herself when I was seventeen. She was a year older than me and her father had lost her in a wager to a seventy year old man, known for torturing his bedmates. She had heard the news, taken a deep breath and taken a deep dive off the seventeeth floor of the condo where she lived with her mother.
I’d been engaged to Jungkook by then. And I had almost wanted it. Jungkook wasn’t old at least… twenty one to my seventeen.
“Just so you know, he’s going to find out. And he’s not going to like it.”
I shrugged. Three years is a long time to be preyed upon and now my mind was resigned to a life of being hunted. Hoseok was right. Jungkook would find out and he wouldn’t like it.
Good.
“I don’t care what he does anymore. All I care is that Jisoo and the baby are left out of whatever plans he has…. If you promise me you’ll keep them safe , I’ll cooperate.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was a baby boy.
I stared, fingers itching to hold the baby but it was impossible, the little one whisked away to the NICU right after with respiratory distress and Jisoo had gone into a seizure, eyes rolling back into her eyes.
She as alright now, resting in a VIP room with the best care money could buy. Hoseok had asked me if I was happy with the arrangements, and if I would name the boy after him.
I stared at the room, large and breezy and filled with flowers and gifts, toys and baby stuff and I knew right then that I had sealed my fate. I was going to have to go through with this. I could imagine how much Jisoo would protest when she came to her senses. The only relief was that it would take her a few days to be good enough to fight or protest. But then this would all be over and done with.
Jungkook would leave this afternoon. His flight was at three.
I would reach the club at five. The patrons would arrive at seven.
One night, I reminded myself , staring at the gentle rise and fall of Jisoo’s chest as she slept, my fingers playing with the soft skin on her wrist. The IV line went through her veins and I watched the gentle drip of it.
One night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I didn’t know how auctions happened and while I’d been prepared for the worst kind of humiliation,  Hoseok assured me that he wasn’t going to make me stand naked on some podium or something.
“Generally, I would do something like that simply for the flair of it but consider this a favor ….a respite because you were, as you said, once a friend.” He gave me an even smile and I could only nod in mute relief.
I was grateful. Beyond grateful.
And what was more, he hadn’t told anyone, who I was.
That stunned me. Because wasn’t that the selling point? The murderous, greedy mob rat Gong Hyo Suk’s only daughter forced to spread her legs for one lucky stranger? If Hoseok had cashed in on that he would have made a fortune. But he hadn’t. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Would , whoever it was be upset if he recognized me?
I was led to a bedroom, large and tastefully decorated with silky satin sheets and dark curtains and dim lighting that lit up parts of the room and left other parts plunged in darkness. Hoseok had told me to wear whatever I wanted and I realized with a pang that he really didn’t see this as some sort of transaction. He was trying to make it as easy as possible without making any decisions for me. Offering me choices and options and some illusion of being in control.
I didn’t have anything fancy so it was just a dress shirt that I borrowed from Hoseok. I’d left the underwear off, eager to merely get the whole thing over with. I felt a sudden overwhelming urge to laugh out loud.
If Jungkook were here he really would have lost his damn mind, simply because of how little this whole thing affected me. And that was it, really. He was always desperate for a reaction.
Earlier when this whole thing had started, I’d obliged him with that. I would scream, rant and yell….launch myself at him like a wildcat, scratching at him , fists flying  and it was obscene, how much he seemed to enjoy that. He would press me up against walls and tables , fingers choking the breath out of my lung, just so he could see me struggle and push back.
He fed off from every negative reaction I offered him and it had taken me a long long time that the way to beat him was to become passive, unresponsive. I would go limp in his arms, stare at him blankly as he tried to manhandle me and that…that had pissed him off. Because that meant I wasn’t playing his game anymore.
If the prey wasn’t playing, the game wasn’t fun anymore. It was drab.
Boring.
And I knew that Jungkook kept raising the stakes, kept tightening the noose around my neck….just to bring that girl out again. The one that had wanted to put up a fight . The one that wanted to mouth off even with the muzzle of a gun pressed against her head. The one who would spit in his face in front of all his associates, even if it earned her a vicious strike of his hand across her face.
I shuddered. They weren’t memories I liked reliving.
Well, if that was who he wanted, I’d make sure he would never see her again.
The door opening made me jump and Hoseok came in , with a wide grin on his face.
“Baby…. Your guest for the night.” He said softly and I peered over his shoulders, my heart and mind grinding to a halt when I caught sight of what had to be the most breathtakingly beautiful man on the face of the planet.
I felt my heart begin to pound, fear taking over because this wasn’t okay. Not really. I was okay with old, creepy and disgusting , not able to get it up for more than ten minutes.
I wasn’t okay with someone who looked like they stepped right out of the latest issue of GQ.
Hoseok left quickly, closing the door behind him and the man stepped into the light, the brightness lighting up his perfect features even more. I felt my throat go dry, and fought the urge to get up and run. Growing up as the daughter of a mobster , I’d learned how to trust my instincts over appearances.
And right now, every single one of those instincts screamed at me that this man was absolutely dangerous.
“Well, you are beautiful. I’ll give you that. “ He said casually.
“Thank you.” I said stiltedly, watching as he tugged on his tie, pulling it off his neck deftly . Instead of tossing it aside , he wrapped it a bunch of times around his wrist over and over as he smiled at me.
“Don’t thank me yet. The only reason I like beautiful things is because of how easily they break.” He smiled.  “ I haven’t been with a virgin in a while…. I miss the screams.”
And there it was the full blown panic that came with stark terror. I crawled back on the bed, staring as he moved closer and there was no mistaking the look on his face, the harsh grip of his hand on my ankle telling me that I was going to regret every one of the choices that led me here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hoseok wasn’t at the airport.” Jungkook observed casually, glancing at Yoongi as the latter finished cleaning his gun carefully, eyes fixed on his weapon with utmost concentration.
“He’s holding some sort of auction tonight. Some chick …” Yoongi said casually and Jungkook hummed. It was not the kind of thing he was interested in. Anonymous bids were often boring : actresses or female idols past their prime, desperate to make some money to survive. He had no interest in those but he was a little peeved that Hoseok hadn’t told him anything about it.
Hoseok was one of Jungkook’s most trusted friends. He was almost as powerfully rich as Jungkook and the only reason Jungkook reigned supreme was because Hoseok had no interest in challenging him for the throne. Hoseok was dangerous and cunning and loyal and Jungkook was grateful to have him on his side and he had hoped to see him before leaving. Just to ask him to keep an eye on Elena.
He grimaced, hating himself.
God, he couldn’t go two hours without thinking of her. It fucked with his head, the amount of space she took up inside him. Jungkook , for all his wealth and power, was driven solely by his need to prove himself. He wanted to be powerful and terrifying yes, but more than that , he wanted people to know.
He wanted people to look him in the eye and acknowledge him for what he was : the most dangerous man in the country. He liked seeing that fear, that worship, that admiration. He got off on it. He wanted it , craved it and for some reason he craved it more from her , than anyone else.
And instead of giving him what he wanted, instead of begging on her knees for mercy, instead of licking his shoes and begging for him to let her live….she ignored him. She looked at him with defiance and pride, her chin straight and her back unbending, her gaze locked right on him like she was his fucking equal….
And Jungkook, he’d taken a lot of insults. Taken more than his fair share of hits in life …..
But when she looked at him like that , like he was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe….
Fuck it drove him wild with fury.
It made him want to teach her a fucking lesson, to remind her that he owned her because he owned everything. To break her down, snuff out the flames of defiance that burned so bright in those ember eyes… Take her into his bed and brand her with his body. Till she was on the floor, on her knees covered in his spit and cum begging for mercy….
Because no one looked at Jeon Jungkook like that and lived to tell the tale..
“Seokjin’s here. Landed in Korea a couple of hours ago. ” Yoongi said casually and Jungkook smiled a bit at that. He loved his older brother, technically a step brother and growing up he had only saw him when he visited his mother in China. That meant a couple of months a year and now as adults,  a bit more often because Seokjin loved Jungkook and liked to visit him often.
Seokjin was a celebrity trainer, working with actors and athletes and he did a good amount of modeling as well. He was rich,  handsome and well liked and the only thing that gave away the Jeon blood in him was the fact that he was a sexual sadist.
The face of an angel with a devilish streak, he had a penchant for sadism and inflicting pain on his partners and while Jungkook didn’t particularly enjoy indulging him, he knew there were women who were into that and usually had them arranged for when Seokjin dropped by in Korea. His hyung’s visit seldom lasted more than a few weeks at a time and it was a pity that he would miss out one whole week of it .
But the issue in Switzerland was a little pressing and Jungkook had to be there in person to sort it out.
He leaned back against the seat, staring out of the window, sighing.
“An unsullied dove ….What the fuck is this shit..” Yoongi muttered and Jungkook turned, curious.
“What?”
“Hoseok’s been hyping up some new girl for the auction and Seokjin hyung’s bidding on her.”
Jungkook laughed at that.
“Jungkook…..” Yoongi’s voice is completely stunned, his eyes confused as he looks up at Jungkook.”  Its Elena.”
Jungkook’s thought process came to a grinding halt.
There’s a sound between his ears, a dull rushing sound like the wind in a storm and he can’t quite comprehend what he just heard. Even Namjoon who had been buried in his laptop , looked up then, tugging an airpod out of his ear.
“Wait…did you say Elena?” His eyes were wide , lips parted in shock. Yoongi and Namjoon exchanged glances, no doubt bracing themselves for the explosion that was to follow.
Jungkook took a deep breath.
“Turn the fucking plane around.”
That jolted Namjoon out of his stunned stupor..
“Turn-? Jungkook what…. We’re on a fourteen hour flight-“ Namjoon began but the look on Jungkook’s face made him stop.
“DID I FUCKING STUTTER?”
Namjoon swore.
“Fucking hell… alright just calm the fuck down, Jesus…just put a fucking bullet in that girl’s head and spare us all the headache fuck…” He growled, unbuckling his seat belt and rushing to the cockpit and Yoongi groaned.
“ Let me guess you want me to get in touch with someone in Seoul and ask Hoseok to hold off on letting Seokjin near her…”
Jungkook glared at him.
“If you already know that why the fuck are you still here…” He growled and Yoongi gave him a look.
“Just tell her you’re in love with her and let us live, Jeon Jungkook.”
In love….. what the fuck….
He glared at Yoongi’s back, his asinine words making him madder. God he wanted to crush someone’s skull into dust with his bare hands.
And right now, in his head , that skull belonged to Jung fucking Hoseok.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 “What just happened?” I asked, frantic staring at the door as Hoseok’s men casually led a fuming Seokjin away while the man himself stared at me, looking pale as parchment.
“ Jungkook found out.” He said shortly and I felt my heart drop although I was half relieved because there had been something insane in Kim Seokjin’s gaze when he’d reached for me , a cruel glint of hunger that told me he would have hurt me really badly if Hoseok hadn’t barged into the room , frantic and worried.
He had given Seokjin a wide smile and then, “ I’m so sorry. We were waiting on her blood results and turns out she has a…. well, certain occupational disease that is very infectious.”
Seokjin’s mouth had dropped open even wider than mine.
“I thought she was a fucking virgin.” He had snapped, and I flinched at how cold and furious he had sounded.
But apparently there was a reason this whole thing had happened.
“What do you mean Jungkook knows? What does that mean?” I asked frantically, fear taking over.
“ He’s heading back here… He wants to see you.”
I felt my entire body go ice cold as I shook my head…
“No…fucking no bring Seokjin back here , he can fuck me that was the fucking deal, Hobi, please don’t../…”
“Elena , I’m so fucking sorry.. Seokjin…he’s fucked in the head…. He likes hurting his whores, likes making them bleed and he would have fucking destroyed you…”
I gaped at him horrified.
“What?!” I hissed shaking my head in disbelief.
“He’s Jungkook’ stepbrother. I’ve arranged whores for him before, I knew he was a little crazy but I’d never seen him before and I didn’t know he was the Kim Seokjin…fuck he outbid everyone and fucker looks like a fucking angel, how the fuck was I supposed to know he’s unhinged? Thankfully, I messaged Yoongi and …. Fuck… Listen… I know I paid for your sister’s surgery but you’re going to have to pay me back….”
I felt my body convulse in rebellion.
“I can’t.. You know I fucking can’t…”
“I can’t make an enemy out of Jungkook…. I can’t.” Hoseok shook his head. “ You can get out of here now if you want but I’d advise you to stay. If you run it’s only going to make Jungkook angrier.”
“WHAT DID I FUCKING DO TO HIM?!!!” I screamed, feeling my composure crumble into smithereens. “WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE WANT FROM ME?!!”
Hoseok flinched, stepping back and holding his hands up.
“Whether I want to or not, I answer to Jungkook.  I shouldn’t have done this in the first place , I’m sorry Elena.” He shook his head and stepped back like the coward that he was and I wanted to hurt him. To shake him and ask him to fucking remember who I was. That I had nothing to do with my father’s sins . That I had been a fucking marionette in his hands, had wanted nothing more than to be left alone.
I stared at him in disbelief.
“So much for being a friend…” I whispered.
His jaw tightened. But he didn’t look guilty. None of them ever did. It was like guilt didn’t exist in their world. They did what they wanted to whoever they wanted , whenever they wanted and they got away with it because that bastard’s word was law. What Jeon Jungkook wanted, he got.
“I’ll get your clothes sent in.”
I watched him leave, the door slamming shut behind him and sagged against the bed, staring at myself. What had just happened?
Was I born to endless misery and misfortune?
Couldn’t I catch a fucking break?
I’d agreed to sell myself hadn’t I? Would have even let Seokjin hurt me if that was what he wanted. Because it was one night. It was one night of this…whatever the hell this was and then freedom. That was the deal.
The door opened again and I stared as a young girl brought me a pile of my clothes neatly folded.
“Do you work here?” I said sharply.
She blinked before bowing her head.
“Yes, mistress.”
I scoffed.
“Don’t call me mistress , I’m here to get fucked, just like you. Tell me does Jungkook ever use the women here.” I demanded.
She looked trapped, glancing at the door, clearly wanting to run .
“Tell me.” I snapped and she flinched.
“I..uh..yes. Sometimes.” She said softly.
“Can you tell whoever fucks him next to kick him in the fucking balls?”
The girl bowed deeply and all but ran out and I sighed, feeling myself shaking. Jungkook was on the way here and I wanted to yell and scream and rave at him but I knew that was exactly what he wanted. I wanted to deny him the satisfaction …wanted to act all cool and composed in front of him but it was impossible…
Because I hadn’t realized just how tired I was of this whole thing, till right this moment, when the end had been in sight. I was supposed to get my two billion won pay off all the debt , give Jisoo the rest of the money and disappear. I was so tired, so tired of this life I’d gotten trapped into, slaving over for hours on end just to afford a couple of meals a day. No friends, no boyfriends, no hope of a future …..
The door banged open and I jumped, crawling back when I recognized the man who had just entered.
“Yoongi-“
“Jungkook wants to see you.” He ground out and I swallowed.
“I need to get dressed. Please just wait outside.” I said shakily.
And then the door opened further and a tall looming shadow stepped in familiar and vomit inducing.
Jungkook looked livid, piercing glinting through the dimply lit room and I stared at him. He was dressed in a tight black t shirt, he sleeves stretched thin over his biceps and the tattoos stark against his skin.
“Leave us.” He said softly and Yoongi moved away to the door leaving me alone with the devil himself. I cursed myself for not putting at least my panties on, I was naked underneath this shirt and although it was big it left nothing to the imagination.
Jungkook’s eyes raked over my form before resting on my face.
“You think you’re smart enough to outsmart me, Elena?” He whispered softly.
I swallowed.
“Send you brother back in. He can fuck me and I’ll pay you back.”
Jungkook hummed, stepping closer and grabbing my clothes from the bed, he grabbed the plain white bra and the pastel pink underwear and then to my complete and utter mortification he brought the clothing up to his face, breathing in .
“Fucking pervert!!!” I screamed, feeling the action like a physical touch and wanting to claw his eyes out and the smirk on his face told me that this was exactly what he wanted but I was too fucking gone to care.
“If you want me to be a whore, fine. I’ll be a whore. But on my terms…” I spat out and he shook his head, laughing.
“I don’t just want you to be a whore, Elena. I want everyone to know that you are one…” He dropped my clothes and moved closer, holding a hand out. “ Come here.”
I stared at the inked fingers, adorned with sterling silver rings and bracelets with the motifs of his gang. I shook my head.
“No. I’m not playing this game with you.” I turned my face away.
His hand shot out gripping my upper arm with enough strength to bruise and I screamed, agony shooting up my arm and shoulders as he dragged me off the bed and onto the floor. I landed hard, hips and elbows bruising from impact and I stared at him in disbelief.
“I’ve been to gentle with you. You’ve forgotten your fucking place.” He bent over and grabbed me by my hair, yanking me to my feet so hard that it felt like my scalp had been ripped away from my skull.
“Okay…okay…Okay Jungkook..just…!!” I said softly, flinching because my pain tolerance was almost zero and Jungkook’s grip was so hard that my eyes were beginning to water now. He let me go, grabbing my panties off the floor and tossing them at me.
“I’m going to count to five. Put those on and get out.”
He walked out of the door and I stumbled a little fumbling with the fabric before quickly, slipping my legs in and yanking it up to my waist. I made to put on something else but his voice came, loud and impatient.
“Get the fuck out here.”
I walked out of the door and he was standing there next to Hoseok. I couldn’t meet either of their gazes , hating how they had so much power over my life. I stared at the floor. It was tempting to yell at them and scream but that never led anywhere.
“ I’ve asked them to stop the payment on the Hospital bill. Seeing as Elena hasn’t kept her end of the bargain.”
I felt my breath hitch at that, willing down the tears as I glared at him.
“What do you want?” I snapped. “ Tell me who you want me to fuck…. I’ll do it. Let’s get this over with so you can go back to whatever sewer you fucking climbed out of. ….”
Hoseok’s breath caught like he couldn’t believe what I’d just said and the look in his eye was a warning but I was sick of this. Sick of them all.
Jungkook turned to Hoseok with a laugh.
“You see hyung? See why I can’t let her go? If I let her scot free, everyone’s going to think I’m a pushover….that any worthless bitch can talk to me any way she wants and get away with it….” He shook his head, staring at me with a glint in his eye. “ I’m not going to choose. They are. You think you can charm your way into Hoseok’s heart and get special treatment? You think you’re ready to be a whore, Elena? Let me show you how a real whore gets treated in Hoseok’s club.”
He gripped my wrist, yanking me behind him as he stalked off down the narrow corridor that opened up into the club. I let myself get dragged out into the club dismally aware of the fact that I was wearing nothing but Hoseok’s shirt. I could feel eyes on me but I kept mine on the back of Jungkook’s head as he dragged me all the way to the front. I knew what he was going to do and at this point I was just numb.
There was no point reasoning with the devil.
I glared at him as he pointed at the stage. “ Get up there.” He whispered harshly.
I stared back at him, not moving. I saw Jungkook’s jaw clench.
“Either you go up there by yourself, with your clothes on. Or I carry you up there, after stripping you naked. What’s it going to be? ”
I glared at him, pursing my lips before climbing up using the small stair in the side. I moved to the center, right in front of the stage lights, so the rest of the room would disappear. I had no wish to see any of the bastards in the room.
“I think all of you recognize this little beauty here, don’t you?” Jungkook’s voice was cheerful, friendly even and I bit my lips, fists clenched. “ Well, if you don’t let me tell you . This is Gong Hyo Suk’s daughter. Remember that bastard? He put a hit out on my father. Killed him and my mom on the night I was supposed to be marrying his fucking daughter. A daughter who later called off the wedding, because I was too poor now, to give her the life she deserved. ”
I felt the familiar ice cold guilt in my vein. I was seventeen, I wanted to scream. I was seventeen and all I did was say what my father asked me to say, do what my father asked me to do.
“ That was nine fucking years ago… and you know what I told myself…. I told myself, that a greedy little bitch like this, doesn’t deserve shit.” He laughed. “ If money’s what she values the most, then the only thing she deserves is to be treated like the whore she is.”
“Why don’t you guys tell me, how much money you’d be willing to spend, to fuck her? Come on, Hobi’s been treating you guys so well lets help him make some money tonight… be generous. ”
I could barely hear what they were calling out but when Jungkook climbed onto the stage next to me, I jumped. Moving back instinctively, I winced when brought a forearm around my throat nearly choking me as he dragged up against his body.
“90 million won….That’s a lot.” He grinned. “ Jihan hyung….. that was you right? You’re gonna pay 90 million won for her?”
I felt my heart race, it was a lot. More than enough for the Hospital Bills, would even leave extra to get a decent apartment somewhere... I grabbed his wrist as it pressed into my throat, trying to pull his hand off me but he just wrapped his free hand around my waist, wrapping his entire body around mine and chuckling into my hair.
Jungkook pressed his head against mine and I froze, hating the close contact.
“Okay…but since I’m feeling a bit left out here…Why don’t I pitch in… 500 Won.” Jungkook said loud and clear.
I froze. An eerie silence fell over the club, laughter stilling and the clink of glasses slowing down.
What.
I struggled to get away from his but his hold tightened.
“Anyone else?” He called out. “ Come on… Not even thousand? Surely you think this one here’s worth a thousand won? Aren’t you going to outbid me?”
No one responded of course they didn’t. Jungkook’s anger was palpable and no one was going to get on his wrong side …..
“Ahh… is that it then? Bid’s going to close for 500 won then…. Hear that baby?” He whispered against my ears and I swallowed. “ 90, million won to five hundred won in a few seconds… What does that tell you?”
“It tells me you’re a fucking psychopath in love with your own voice… Get off me.” I hissed.
“No. What it tells you is that only I get to decide how much that body of yours is worth, not you. . You don’t get to go sell your fucking body behind my back for two billion won and then pay off all your debts and ride off into the sunset, that is not how this works….”
I went limp in his arms fighting tears because he never played fair. Never.
“Hear that Hoseok-ah… I win her for the night for 500 won…fair and square…. Is that alright?” He called out into the darkness and I felt the first inkling of dread begin to seep in.
“No.. No… get off me.” I hissed and he laughed, dragging me off the stage with ease. I screamed, kicking out in disbelief.
Jungkook grinned at me, before grabbing both my arms and yanking them behind me, and I whimpered, unable to move as he easily pulled me along to the door that opened into the hallway. Behind us I heard Hoseok’s voice.
“Jungkook, don’t be impulsive. Think about whatever you’re going to do.”
I flinched at that, panic building.
“He’s not going to do anything. I’ll fucking kill him if he touches me , I-“
“Shut the fuck up, you little bitch.” He shook me hard till my teeth rattled and I sobbed out.
“Jungkook…” Hoseok warned but he merely snarled.
“I know what I’m doing hyung, just…. Don’t disturb us. And make sure everyone here knows that she’s open for business.” It was loud enough to carry through the club and I felt humiliation burn my throat, acrid like acid.
I froze in disbelief.
“Jungkook …” Hoseok’s voice held a tone of reproach.
“ And tell them that her body is amazing. Tell them she spent the night with me , the best fuck I’ve ever had , mouth made for cock.”
I stared straight ahead as he pulled me all the way to the room we had left earlier and I tripped when he shoved me inside, landing on my hands and knees . I quickly rolled back around to land on my ass, crawling back as he slammed the door shut and locked it from the inside.
He stared down at me, mouth grim.
“You do owe me a wedding night. I was so ready to fuck your tight cunt, nine years ago… I think I’ve waited long enough yeah.”
I stared at him in disbelief. I knew exactly what he wanted me to do, to yell and scream and protest and fight so he could get off and forcing me…. Fucking psychopath.
I took a deep breath and nodded.
“If you pay for my sister in laws bills, and give me an apartment sure. “ I shrugged. “You’re not any different from any of the bastards here. I don’t give a damn which one of you idiots wants to rut into me like the absolute animal that you are…. I don’t care…” I said softly.
“you don’t? Really? You want me to tell you what your brother said when one of my men put a gun into his mouth…. He begged for his life…said he had a kid on the way….” Jungkook laughed, shaking his head. “I told him it was better than what his father did…. My sister was six months pregnant when his lieutenant gunned her down on the streets.”
I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself.
“Why are you telling me this…” I snapped.
“Because she didn’t deserve it did she, Elena? She didn’t fucking deserve to die like that , like a dog on the street when she had nothing to do with any of this…. She didn’t deserve it.” He growled, bending down and gripping my chin hard.
“Maybe she did deserve it.” I spat out. “ If I deserve to be here, maybe your sister deserved to die too. “
He snarled, hand flying to my hair and dragging me up off the floor in one sharp yank. I whimpered as he pushed me on the bed, before climbing on top of me. I felt like every bone in my body was about to snap in two, the weight of him unbearable on me.
“I won the bid tonight…. I won it fair and square… You signed the waiver didn’t you…that you agreed to the auction…I won and I’m going to fucking collect.” He growled, and I kicked out, trying to buck him off of my body.
“Get off me.” I hissed. “ I’m not letting you fuck me for 500 won.”
“How about for your Jisoo then?” He whispered and I went still.
“What?”
He chuckled, reaching down and I felt my pulse pound as he pulled his phone out, dialing quickly and turning on the speakers.
Yoongi’s voice made me go ice cold. Everyone knew what Yoongi did for Jungkook.
“Daehwan’s wife is in a hospital room in Yongsan. Hobi’s got the details. I think she’s served her purpose.”
“No!! JUNGKOOK NO!!” I  screamed , thrashing so hard my head began to spin but he grunted pressing down into me harder.
“Are you serious? I’m not home yet… I can take care of it tonight.” Yoongi said, voice casual and I sobbed, shaking my head in sheer terror.
“Okay… I’ll behave.. I promise.. please just don’t…”
Jungkook hummed.
“Well, that was easy… Yoongi-yah… why don’t you stay on the phone yeah…. Going to get that wedding night I’m owed and if my baby doesn’t co operate you know what to do, yeah?”  
I bit my lips, glaring into the sheets as he gripped my waist, pulling me up.
“Ass up like the bitch that you are, baby.” He whispered and I felt my entire body shudder in disgust. It was worse because I hadn’t done this before. Didn’t know what to expect. But I couldn’t let him know that. If Jungkook knew that I was a virgin, I could just imagine how much fun he’d have with that info.
Hands gripped my wrists, pinning them to the bed and I turned my face away when I felt the press of his lips on my cheeks. He gripped both my wrists with one hand, keeping them pinned over my head and I flinched when I felt his fingers pulling the fabric of my panties aside, just enough for the blunt head of his cock to press against my slit.
“Yoongi, you there?” Jungkook said softly and Yoongi grunted over the phone. I felt my face flame in embarrassment.
“You’re a sick bastard but I’m used to it. What’s up?” he said casually.
“Remember how we used to wonder just how tight Elena’s cunt was… back when we were in school.”
Fucking monster, I thought in disbelief. I hate him I hate him I hate him….
“Good times…” Yoongi chuckled lightly .
Jungkook pushed into me in one hard thrust and pain shot straight up my spine, my insides burning like he’d fucked me with a knife and not his body. I couldn’t stop the cry of agony that got torn of me, my eyes tearing up and tears spilling over onto my cheeks.
“Damn Jungkook, she okay?” Yoongi’s chuckle made me want to claw his face off, and just the urge to kill was growing inside me.
“Well, I can confirm that it is, in fact just as tight as we thought…” He grunted, thrusting into me at a pace that was inhumane, every push and drag of him rubbing my insides raw and I bit down on the sheets under me, afraid that I would do something absolutely humiliating, like beg him to stop.
“Good, you should let me take that tight ass for a ride someday then. With her permission of course…. I’m a gentleman after all. Big on consent.” He laughed and I swallowed the urge to tell him that I would puncture his balls with a switchblade if he came anywhere near me.  
“Oh, she’s going to do whatever I ask her to….aren’t you baby…” He grunted, “ Turn around so I can see you.”
He pulled out of me, his weight lifting off my body as he moved away. I couldn’t move, limbs numb and insides throbbing in pain . His palm landed on my thigh, hard and the sharp sting of it made me jump.
“I said turn around, I want to see your face when I fuck you.” Jungkook growled. I stayed limp, breathing hard and he grunted impatient, fingers sinking into my hair , yanking me to my knees and the movement made my legs scream in protest.
“How’s she so quiet? You fucked the voice out of her, kook-ah?” Yoongi asked amused and Jungkook pulled me by the hair, dragging me to the center and pushing me down till my head landed on the pillow.
“Hyung you should see her right now, all fucked out …. Like she’s never had a dick in her before.” He shook his head, “ Fucking slut. Take that off and hold yourself open for me.”
I stared at him, uncomprehending and he grabbed both my hands, placing them on my knees.
“Grab your knees and pull your legs back… So I can fuck that tight cunt the way I want to.” He said slowly, like I was a dog he was trying to train and I stared at him , defiantly.
“ Go to hell.” I whispered.
Yoongi’s laughter came from somewhere to the right.
“Your dirty talk needs work, Kook ah… Tell her she’s a precious little kitten and she makes you feel really good…. Bitches love that shit…”
Jungkook hovered over me, grabbing the back of my thighs and spreading them wide enough to make me whimper in pain.
“Is that so babygirl? You want me to tell you that? That you make daddy’s cock feel good?” He cooed, nudging the tip against me again and I had never hated anyone so much in my life. I stared up at his face, and he smiled at me, a cheeky little grin that made his bunny teeth stand out and for a second he looked so deceptively angelic and the glimmer of his piercing caught my eye.
I couldn’t help but swallow, gaze trained on the glint of metal on his tongue.
“You like that?” He grinned suddenly, sticking his tongue out for me to see, I felt my eyes widen at how sinfully good he looked .” Hyung she likes my tongue piercing.”
“Show her how it feels on her clit.” Yoongi laughed and I could barely fully process what I heard before Jungkook was crawling down my body, arms, curling on my thighs and yanking me onto his tongue .
I felt the press of his tongue on my slit, licking right into me and the jolt of pleasure was so unexpected, the pleasure so unwanted and yet so overwhelming and I couldn’t stop the way my body thrashed against the streets, lips parted as I practically mewled out in pleasure.
“Definitely a kitten…” Yoongi called out and I shuddered as Jungkook slipped two fingers into me , the ice cold press of his ring inside me making me jump. I wanted to pull away, grab his hair and yank him off but I couldn’t because it was
“Next time I’ll put the dick piercing in too, yeah? Fuck you with a bit of metal on my cock so you can feel that up there…. ” He laughed into my thighs and I screamed when he bit into the flesh there , hard.
“I’m getting bored… Either turn on facetime so I can at least jerk off to this , or I’m hanging up…” Yoongi called out .
“Hyung she clenches down on me every time she hears your voice… Just stay on for a few more minutes yeah, she tastes so fucking good, I’m gonna cum soon….” Jungkook added another finger, slipping in deep before spreading them apart inside me. I whimpered when he pushed his tongue in between the wet digits, licking into my walls and I could feel the ball of his piercing drag against my walls, ice cold and hard.
Was it fucked up that I did clench down on him again, my body apparently a slave to my base desires even as my mind screamed that he was the absolute worst bastard on the face of the planet.
“Elena, you owe me a blowjob at least for this…” Yoongi called out and I glared at the phone.
“I’ll bite your fucking dick off if you come anywhere near me.” I snapped.
“Fuck, I could get off just to that mouthy fuckhole of hers…..” Yoongi grunted.
Jungkook pulled away, climbing back up over me and lightly slapping my breasts.
“Now, how about you open that mouth and let me fuck it?”
Yoongi snorted from behind us and Jungkook glared at the phone before glaring at me again.
“Well?”
“You want to know how hard I can bite?” I said sharply, the pleasure ebbing away into nothing and resentment taking it place, the momentarily physicality of the situation fading and the reminder of who he was and who I was entering my sex addled brain.
“No.. You’re right…. But you know what, I’m not feeling it anymore. I was right.. you really aren’t qualified to be my whore. Your body…it’s frigid like a fucking popsicle…such a fucking turn off. ” He reached over and hung up on the phone.
“Now…”he whispered, leaning in closer and I yelped, when his fingers closed over my throat..” Shut your mouth and take what I give you like a grateful bitch.”
I swallowed when he pushed into me again, his pace steady as he fucked into me, eyes closed and I realized that he was almost fully dressed having just unbuttoned himself enough to get his cock out.
When he stiffened, spilling into me his eyes blew open and he locked eyes with me, wide eyed and for one horrible second he looked young and vulnerable and hurt.
I blinked as he pulled out, the sticky warm mess of his cum dripping down my inner thighs and onto the sheets.
“Well, that was much worse than I thought it would be.”  He said and I stayed on the bed as he grabbed his phone and buttoned himself back up.
He smirked at me and then reached into his pocket.
I quickly pulled myself together, ignoring the aches and pains and getting to my knees before reaching for my dress on the bed. it was kind of pointless because I still had Hoseok’s shirt on and I wasn’t going to take that off in front of Jungkook.
“Well, I’m a man of my word , Elena so…here you go..just as we discussed.” He tossed a coin on the bed and I stared at the engraved 500 on the shiny surface, feeling my rage swell inside me.
“If you still want to work out a payment plan for your sister’s bills …. Why don’t you come to my office tomorrow?” He tossed his card on the bed before  moving away to the door.
Fucking bastard.
Author’s note : My whole life is filled with regrets . 
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bbyheedeungie · 3 years
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Fluttering Machinery | Robot! Sunghoon AU
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Genre: Fluff, mild angst
Pairings: Robot! Sunghoon x Reader
Warnings: Character death, little suggestive content
Synopsis: Sunghoon was a humanoid built by your father, with the sole purpose of taking care of you once he passes away. But it seems like taking care of you came with discovering emotions that wasn't necessary for cooking, cleaning, and keeping you safe. What is this warm fuzzy feeling that resonates deep inside Sunghoon's mechanism?
It's been months. 6 dreadful months since your father has passed away. The doctors have warned you that he didn't have much time left, but that didn't make the goodbyes hurt any less.
You were 4 years old when your mom left you and your father for another guy. A more successful guy. Your father was bright, with an insatiable hunger for discovery and invention. But his field of work didn't always bring food to the table. And so on most days you had to, well, compromise.
But you loved your father so much, and still do. Although you didn't grow up to be a scientist like him, you knew the basics on automation and robotics. You were 11 years old when you first saw it, the humanoid that he worked on for years came to life before your own very eyes.
He had no skin nor face that made him look human yet. Just a chunk of metal with a head, arms and legs that moved mechanically. Nevertheless, you will never forget the joy and pride in your fathers' face as he watched his creation. The humanoid was a work in progress and you knew one day he's going to change the world. Unbeknownst to you, he was going to change your world.
And now here you are, years into the present as you stood infront of the humanoid who had his eyes shut. Yep, he's a he now. He is Humanoid SH-1282. Your father made him for the purpose of serving the community, to help people. But when he discovered his illness, he started making alterations to his design. He made SH-1282 to serve as the perfect companion, but only to you.
He filled the humanoid's hard drive with everything that he'll need to help you and take care of you. He input cooking, cleaning, and even martial arts. You sighed, remembering your father's last words.
"I'm gonna leave him in your care now, err leave you in his care or whatever. Take good care of each other okay? I love you both so much."
You were such a crybaby, holding on to your father's arm as the nurses were ushering you to wait outside because the doctors are about to perform surgery.
"You'll be okay." Your father mouthed as he smiled knowingly in content.
You reach for the humanoid's neck to find the power button, finally deciding to activate him after holding it off for months.
You held your breath as his eyes open, immediately scanning his surroundings. His eyes land on you, a smile forms on his lips.
"Hi, I'm SH-1282. It's nice to finally meet you, Y/N." He said naturally, offering his hand. If you didn't know any better, you would think he was a normal boy.
You let out a shaky breath as you accept his hand. He frowns, it seems like he is studying your facial expression and posture.
"You seem like you are in distress. Are you alright?" He asks in concern.
"Yeah, I am." You reply weakly.
"Will a hug improve your mood?" He asks. He was programmed to know about the benefits of physical intimacy, but he was also programmed to know consent and so he will not do anything unless you want to.
You contemplated, biting your lip.
"No, thank you." He simply nods, stepping out of his charging port.
"Will you show me around the house?" He asks and you nod.
"Damn this feels so awkward." You think to yourself.
"So here's the living room." You say as SH-1282 takes a good look around the area, his eyes falling to the dirty coffee table with tons of papers stacked messily. The couch looked greasy, with breadcrumbs stuck to the sides of the couch cushions. He scrunches his nose, involuntarily adding a new emotion to his database: disgust.
And as you led him to the kitchen, this emotion intensifies as he sees the containers of Chinese takeouts and cup ramen littered around the counter. He walks to the fridge and finds it empty except for a carton of milk that you put into your cereal for breakfast.
This awakens another emotion for the humanoid, frustration. He pinches the bridge of his nose as he contemplates on what to do with the mess, aka you.
"This won't do. You have been living unhealthily which may reduce your chances of living a long life."
You scoff, "Excuse me?" He gives you a dead stare, an eyebrow raised.
"No, excuse me while I clean up all this. I'll leave you to your own devices, thank you for showing me around today." He says sassily as he goes to find where you hide your cleaning utensils. You stood there dumbfounded.
"Unbelievable." But you let him be anyway. He wasn't wrong, you've been a total mess this past few months but that was all because of the grief. You basically had no family now.
And so for the rest of the day, you lock yourself in your room and do homework. About 5pm, you hear a soft knock at your door.
"Hello, it's me. Can you spare me a minute? I have something to ask of you." You inwardly groan, not really wanting to face the humanoid.
"Can you accompany me to get groceries? I swear this will only happen one time. It is only because I am not yet accustomed to my location. But after I mentally note the directions, you won't have to come with me next time." He didn't really want to bother you, but he knew that going out by himself and getting lost will be much more bothersome for you.
"Sure thing, just let me change into— oh no, you have no other clothes. It's kinda chilly outside today." You mentally facepalm yourself. Why didn't I go shopping for men clothes first before activating him?
"That is fine, I am immune to any temperature." He says as-a-matter-of-fact. You roll your eyes.
"I know that but people will probably get suspicious to see a man walking around in a shirt and jeans when everybody else has coats on. We need you to fit in as much as possible."
You search for your father's old coat that you refused to throw away even months after he's passed.
"Sorry dad, but he kinda needs this right now." And so you dress the humanoid in your oversized university sweatshirt (which surprisingly fits him perfectly) and your father's old coat.
"How do I look? Will I fit in now?" He asks as he scans his appearance in the mirror.
"You look—" absolutely breathtaking. You had every urge to slap yourself. Your father really didn't play around when he made the humanoid's face. He could pass up as an idol. And the cute little mole on his nose was a good addition to his features that made him even more realistic.
"Great. People won't suspect a thing."
The two of you head out. Contrary to your expectations that he would marvel at everything he sees outside, he just casually looks around. You ride the bus together, and the humanoid processes everything that you do, noting how everything works.
What caught you by surprise though, is how he immediately stands up in instinct to let an old lady sit down in his place. He sure was programmed with manners and chivalry. You smiled at the thought.
You made your way inside the grocery store, only intended to grab a basket but the humanoid insisted on a push cart.
"We have so much to buy, I've taken a mental note of everything we'll need." You simply roll your eyes and let him push the cart around as you wandered behind him. You look around as he reads the nutritional facts of every single thing he sees.
"This is definitely going to take a while." You muttered.
"Y/N? Is that you?" A voice squealed. You hissed and attempted to turn away, pretending you didn't see her. The humanoid saw how you reacted and swiftly rushed to your side in a protective stance. The stranger eyes the humanoid, her eyes sparkling at the sight of such a gorgeous man.
"Why hello there. Y/N you didn't tell me you've been busy with your boyfriend, we haven't hung out in a while." Both of your eyes widened at the misunderstanding.
"Oh, no he's not— we aren't—" You tried to explain but she just laughed out loud.
"Look how flustered you are. You know what, it's okay. But we have a lot of catching up to do!" She said, squishing your cheeks in a playful manner.
"So what's your name, handsome stranger?" She asks, turning to the confused humanoid.
"I'm S—"
"Sunghoon! His name is Sunghoon." You blurted out. Sunghoon was the name of your childhood crush when you were like 7 but that'll have to do. Unfortunately, it seems that the humanoid got even more confused.
"I am Y/N's—"
"Neighbor. He lives next door to my apartment. I was just showing him around because he just recently moved into the city." You say quickly. She can't know that you're living with a guy. Even if said guy wasn't human.
"Awww how sweet of you to go shopping with your neighbor." She said, winking at you. She's definitely not convinced.
"I'm Yeonmi, Y/N's friend." She introduced, offering her hand to Sunghoon. He took her hand reluctantly.
"You mean my super obnoxious friend." You roll your eyes.
"Shut up, you love me." She teased. Admittedly, you've been avoiding her for months now. Ever since your father passed, it was as if you didn't want to deal with anyone anymore, with the fear of being left behind again. So you shut everyone out. You know it was a very selfish move and must've made everyone worry, but you have yet to figure out how to fix things back to how it is.
You said your goodbyes not without a long, tight hug from Yeonmi and Sunghoon noticed from his scanners how your vitals greatly improved from it. This made him feel another new emotion: relief. He was very thankful for your friend who made you feel better.
You continue venturing down the aisle of food, and you find the humanoid smiling to himself. He notices your attention on him and he shakes his head, as if shrugging his thoughts off.
"What?" You asked.
"You gave me a name. Although I'm unsure if it is necessary, thank you." He says genuinely as he smiles at you, your heart skipping a beat.
"You're welcome, Sunghoon." You smiled back.
He picked up lots of fruits and vegetables, with you whining the whole time. Your whines unlocked another emotion of his; annoyance.
"No wonder her father thought she is in need of taking care of, she acts like a child." He concludes, running his fingers through his hair as he lets you get an ice cream of your choice. Oddly, seeing a bright smile on your face as you show him what flavor you got seems to put him at ease.
The two of you got home at dawn, with quickly stacking up the groceries into the cabinets and fridge, with you slumping down on the now squeaky clean couch.
It had been quite a long day and you found yourself dozing off. You woke up from the light tap on your shoulder, eyes fixating on Sunghoon with your apron wrapped around his torso.
"I could get used to this." You thought, admiring how adorable the humanoid looked but quickly pushing the thoughts away.
"Sorry to wake you, it's time for dinner." He announces and you lazily nodded, not before yawning and stretching your arms.
"Uhh, what is this?" You asked, eyeing your plate.
"It's your dinner." He says nonchalantly, expecting you to start eating. Your face shows utter disgust at the plate of vegetables.
"Please don't make me eat that." You begged. Sunghoon rolls his eyes; a trait he adapted from spending just a day with you.
"Don't be dramatic, vegetables are good for you." He states, taking the plate from you and attempting to feed you.
"Come on, say ah." He says playfully. After realizing how much you acted like a child, he researched on how to take care of children and downloaded it into his database. You scrunch your nose, leaning away from the food and shooting him a glare.
"Sunghoon, I'm not a kid." You deadpanned.
"Oh, but you won't get your ice cream if you don't eat this." He says, pouting at you teasingly. He's really good at this. With a sigh, you open wide and allow him to feed you.
"Yep, definitely a kid." He thinks to himself as he smiles in satisfaction, another emotion unlocked.
That night, you decided to move his charging port (with his help) from the lab into the spare room of the apartment.
"You know, I'm completely okay with staying at the lab." He reasoned but you quickly hush him.
"Nope. That is no way to treat a person. You deserve your own room, okay? A room that you can fill with your own stuff and decorate with your own preferences. End of discussion." You sassed as you fix his charging port into place. Sunghoon blinked at you, unable to express how grateful he is of how kind you are to him.
"She wants to treat me like a real human being." He thinks, his mechanical heart overwhelmed with gratitude.
Days went on with a routine, with him cleaning all day and you attending online classes. There were occasional bumps in the road, with you getting annoyed with how much of a neat freak he is and him getting irritated with how lazy you are at taking care of yourself. You've also taught him how to watch tv, deciding not to let him use the internet yet because he might gain too much unnecessary information online.
And so on a saturday night, you sat together on the couch as you watched figure skating competitions. Sunghoon was at complete awe the whole time, studying how the skaters moved through the ice.
"I want to skate too." He states absentmindedly, attention still on the television. You smiled, thinking how it was the first time he actually said he wanted something.
"Then let's do it, let's go skating tomorrow." You say, his head immediately shot to you.
"What, really?" Sunghoon asks in disbelief, his eyes widening.
"Yes, really. Although I'm warning you, I don't know how to skate." You laughed, with him chuckling as well.
"Then we'll learn together." He promises.
What a total lie that is. He didn't need to learn, as you watched him move swiftly against the ice, the wind in his hair as he circled around, his focused eyes twinkling in the fairy lights. He looked ethereal. You could have sworn there were tears there as you cheered him on like a proud momma. Ah, they grew up so fast.
People at the park also stopped to watch Sunghoon, whispering about how talented the young man is. His eyes caught yours, and you weren't sure if you were seeing things but you thought you saw him send you a wink and smile.
"The TV been teaching him things." You muttered, blushing but not from the cold. Sunghoon skates towards you, pulling you with him. You're eyes widened in fear.
"N-no Sunghoon I can't—" but he was already leading you through the ice, eyes never leaving yours.
"You can." He whispers, taking you by the waist as he spun you around. You giddily laughed as you threw your arms out, savouring the chilly air. You didn't even notice the people watching and cooing at you as some joined in as well.
That night, Sunghoon felt something he never felt before, and you in a long time. You felt happy.
"Say aaaah~" Sunghoon said as he fed you chicken soup. You caught a cold from skating yesterday and now you're wrapped in a super cozy blanket with Sunghoon worrying about you.
"You know I can feed myself right?" You said, swallowing the food.
"I know, but I just feel responsible because I was the one who wanted to skate. You got sick because of me, and that kinda defeats my purpose because I'm supposed to be keeping you healthy." He rambled. You roll your eyes at him.
"Colds are normal, okay? Besides, I haven't had that much fun in a while. Thank you for that, Sunghoon." You say, reaching up to tussle his hair playfully. He froze, cogs in his mind unable to process as something inside him stirred, but in a pleasant way.
--
"So you dance while rubbing your body on a stranger?" Sunghoon questions, but he's not sure if he wants to know the answer. Tonight, you wore a simple black dress that teasingly showed a little bit of cleavage and a decent length of fabric that hugged tightly around your upper thighs but had a daringly high slit. Sunghoon approves and disapproves at the same time.
"Yeah, it's kinda like that. But don't worry, I won't be doing that. I'll just stay by the bar the whole time." You reassured as you struggled to put on your strappy heels. Sunghoon kneels down infront of you and helps you clasp the straps around your ankles, handling it very delicately. Your heart thumps as he looks up at you.
"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?" He asks for the fifth time as he follows you around the house like a puppy. You sigh, actually considering it. Although it was supposed to be a girl's night according to Yeonmi, you thought maybe having Sunghoon tag along wouldn't do harm.
But it did. It did harm to you, alright. And you wanted to harm those girls who kept on grinding their asses onto Sunghoon as slow, sexy music played. You were fuming, regretting dressing Sunghoon in such fashion that screamed big D energy. Why am I being so possessive? But then again, Sunghoon does look uncomfortable. I should go save him. Yeah, I'll do that.
"Hold my drink." You tell Yeonmi as you made your way to Sunghoon.
"You go girl! Get your man!" Yeonmi cheered drunkly.
Your train of thoughts were blurred by the alcohol as you struggled to walk straight. You had only one clear thought in mind: Sunghoon. I need to get to Sunghoon.
Sunghoon stood uncomfortably, eyeing the girls who rubbed their bossoms and derriere all over him. Is this supposed to be fun? He thinks innocently. He sees you walking towards him, swaying your hips side by side as you strode towards him like a predator.
Girls hovering around him going unnoticed as you were the only one he could see.
Stunning, beautiful. He thought.
"Hey handsome, care to dance?" You asked, pulling him to you before he could even answer. The girls spat at you, telling you to 'get in line' but you just shot them a smug look.
"Sorry ladies." Sunghoon apologized, but his smile told otherwise as he let you pull him away from them.
"You don't know how badly I wanted to get away from—" He froze in his spot as you wrap your arms around his neck, inching closer than ever before. You felt bold, but maybe that was just the alcohol in your system. And as you started moving your body against Sunghoon, you knew it wasn't just you who felt the heat. His large palms go down south, resting on your swaying hips as both of you moved to the sultry rhythm.
His mechanism was going nuts, threatening to malfunction as his sensors detected your very close proximity to him. Whatever you were playing, it was dangerous. But Sunghoon couldn't help but to want more, to desire more.
"Y/N." He whispers, and you look up at him with half lidded eyes. And damn did he find you so sexy right there, under the strobe lights. No girl in the club could ever compare.
"Home?" You suggested.
"Home." He agrees.
As you got in the cab, you immediately find yourself half straddling Sunghoon's lap as you attempt to kiss him. Luckily, Sunghoon can think clearer now and concludes that a drunk Y/N is a very horny Y/N. And though the thought that it was only the alcohol that made you want him made him feel sad, he knew it was wrong to demand such things from you.
And so with your futile attempts to get into his pants, he gently lays your head on his shoulder and hugs you to keep you still. But even that couldn't stop you from squirming to get away from his hold, trying to get some action. He chuckles as he held your hand tightly in his to prevent it from landing into his crotch.
"Now now, you have to stay put. I won't be taking advantage of your state." He scolds gently. And by the time the cab had stopped in front of the building of your apartment, you were fast asleep in Sunghoon's arms.
Times like these were when Sunghoon is glad he was made of aluminum. He scooped you up in his arms like a pillow as he walked up to your apartment. You snuggled up into his chest, looking so innocent as you soaked up his warmth. Sunghoon cooed about how adorable you are, talking to you in your sleep.
He placed you delicately on your bed, contemplating whether to change your clothes or not. He decided not to, noting how your privacy is important to you. You're too drunk and asleep to give him permission right now anyway. He took off your heels and wiped your makeup off very gently, and tucked you in properly.
Long minutes pass as he studies your face, stroking your hair softly as the corners of his mouth lift up unconsciously. He really loves taking care of you. He loves you.
This realization hits him like a truck of overwhelming emotions, but it all makes sense to him now.
"I love you, Y/N." He whispers, leaving a soft kiss on your forehead before retiring to his own room.
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trashytummiez · 3 years
Text
Anxious Tummy Virus
After @fungusfangs posted a cute sequence featuring Tamaki sick with a stomach virus I had to make this fic ;3
Warning: contains anxiety belly kink burps fluff hiccups indigestion nausea vomiting tummy rubs
Tamaki was always so anxious whenever he and Fatgum went patrolling. He could always feel so many eyes on him. It never failed to twist the poor anxious boys stomach into knots every time.
No villains or criminals could be seen but they always had to be vigilant. Which was why both were constantly eating whenever patrolling. Fatgum stuffed his face with whatever he could get to power up his fat if the situation called for it. And if it didn't then at least he got to enjoy some yummy treats along the way. Tamaki needed the food to power his food-based quirk.
That and his stomach was rumbling loudly behind this pouch-heavy vest. It was loud enough to make poor Tamaki blush and pray that no one could hear it.
But it also made him feel a little sick. His anxiety made his tummy really weak sometimes and it would get gurgly pretty often. But it didn't usually make him feel so oddly nauseous and weak. He couldn't explain why that wasn't the case tonight.
Oblivious to this Fatgum finished munching a bunch of food and handed down something to Tamaki. "Here ya go! Try some crab onigiri!" The fat-based hero suggested as he munched.
"...T-Thanks," Tamaki groaned and slowly took the onigiri whilst trembling slightly. Usually he trembled from anxiety but right now he was trembling from not feeling very well.
Fatgum patted his young sidekick on the back and laughed heartily. "Figured ya must be hungrier than usual today! Yer stomach's growlin' like crazy!"
Tamaki held the onigiri up with both hands and trembled shakily. This time though it was totally embarrassment and anxiety induced.
"...I didn't realize it was loud enough to draw attention..." he whimpered. "...So embarrassing..."
"Don't sweat it kid! Ya need yer energy after all right?" Fatgum assured the pointy-eared boy.
Tamaki nodded like a sad dejected little boy and nibbled on his onigiri whilst still trembling adorably. It tasted great which led to him taking another bigger bite immediately after.
Still his stomach felt oddly sour in a way it didn't usually feel.
Close to forty five minutes passed along with several snack stops along the way of their patrol.
Without warning a big hearty sounding burp erupted from the patrolling pair. Only the source was unexpected.
"Whoa! Nice one kid!" Fatgum snickered and nudged Tamaki who was covering his mouth and blushing furiously. "Ya know usually it's Red Riot lettin' the big ones out like that! Heh musta really needed that huh!"
But before Tamaki could whimper out another word of how badly embarrassed he felt, an especially loud thick sounding gurgle bellowed from Tamaki's belly. It churned so heavily and forcefully that it made Tamaki freeze in place like a petrified statue. Tamaki hiccuped then whimpered as his body trembled anew.
"Oh no..." he uttered quietly and fearfully while his tummy gave another sick groan. He winced and went slightly teary eyed from the discomfort. "No no no no no no no no no..." he repeatedly dreadfully.
"...Uh...Amajiki...?" Fatgum asked. His own big grin turned to a big concerned frown. He was about to ask if Tamaki was okay when suddenly the poor boys stomach hitched aggressively with a thick churning noise.
Tamaki gave another really thick closed mouth burp that ended with him suddenly spewing bile from past his lips. He went wide-eyed and desperately tried to cover his mouth with both hands but it was too late. Tamaki gave a loud gross sounding burp that sent a heaping load of vomit spewing from his mouth and splattering horribly onto the floor.
"Ohhh crap..." Fatgum remarked suddenly in concern. He wasn't at all grossed out at the sight of Tamaki leaning forward and puking heavily. The giant blubbery hero leaned down and very gently rubbed Tamaki's cape concealed back. "S'okay kid. Just let it out..." he assured him.
Not that Tamaki had any other choice.
The poor boy panted heavily then lurched with another stream of puke expelling from his mouth heavily onto the floor. Some passing civilians saw the sight and looked mortified. Others looked concerned as poor Tamaki continued spewing the contents of his stomach disgustingly onto the pavement.
When he finally stopped throwing up Tamaki was standing wearily as bile dripped from his fangs. The poor boy was trembling with tears streaming down his cheeks.
"...m'so sorry..." he slurred groggily but Fatgum gently shushed him and kept rubbing his back.
"S'alright kid. Don't sweat it yeah?"
Fortunately there were a few passing civilians with quirks that were able to make short work of the sick while Tamaki got washed up in a nearby restaurant.
He was so mortified that he tearfully hid his face directly into Fatgum's giant blubbery tummy like a child too scared to go to the dentist.
Fatgum frowned sympathetically as he gently ruffled the top of poor Tamaki's purplish blue hair and held up a soda for him.
"Why didn't ya tell me you were feelin' sick kid?" Fatgum asked then almost guiltily said, "...I had ya eatin' soooo much today too...!"
Tamaki muffled a thick burp in his mouth that was muffled even further by Fatgum's belly fat smothering his face then he sniffled tearfully. "I thought it was just another anxiety stomachache..." he whimpered and hiccuped sharply. He sniffled again and hiccuped again. "Ohhhh-urrrp-unnngh..." he couldn't help but burp in between his groaning both with humiliation and how badly his stomach still hurt.
It gurgled thickly but fortunately not as bad as it had been before he threw up.
But it was still enough to make him tear up some more as he buried his face even deeper into Fatgum's flabby belly and cried out. "I wanna go hooooome...!" Funnily enough his whaling was muffled by thick fatness.
Fatgum frowned anew and gently rubbed Tamaki's back. "Yeaaah you definitely shouldn't be on patrol with a stomach bug kid. Can't let ya risk fightin' bad guys with yer own gut givin' ya grief."
He scooped Tamaki up like a scared puppy and walked him out of sight away from all the people. As he carried him off Fatgum used a few of his fingers and gently placed them atop Tamaki's stomach. They alone were about as large as Tamaki's hand and he used them to gingerly and carefully rub Tamaki's turbulent tummy for him while using his thumb and index finger to hold a can of soda still.
Tamaki groaned at the feeling relaxing in Fatgum's arms. But he still blushed and looked away biting his lip anxiously with a soft whimper.
"...I'm sorry for being so weak all the time," Tamaki said with a sadder sniffle.
But Fatgum scowled and lightly poked the boys chest. "Hey you ain't weak kid. If I were a bettin' man I'd bet the farm on you against any opponent ten billion times outta ten."
"...That number doesn't make sense..."
"It means yer one'uh the strongest heroes in the biz Suneater. Havin' shot nerves don't make ya weak." Fatgum's expression softened and he more gently stoked Tamaki's gurgling belly. "...Ya shouldn't keep puttin' yerself down like that kid. Especially over somethin' that ain't even yer fault."
Tamaki nodded softly and looked down. "...I'm sorry."
Fatgum rolled his eyes but in a good natured way. "...Always friggin' apologizin'. Geez. Anyway..."
He carefully lowered Tamaki to the ground when the two were alone behind a building. The boy groaned softly and hugged his stomach with one hand. Then Fatgum handed him the soda he was still carrying.
"Drink up lil buddy. This oughta help yer guts stop stirrin' as much."
Tamaki frowned as he took the soda. "...B-But soda makes me-"
"-Yeah yeah. Why d'ya think I took ya away from all those people? It's just us kid. Don't worry 'bout it."
Tamaki glanced at the soda then looked around. They really did seem to be alone. But still he looked nervous. However when he looked up and saw an assuring smile from his sensei he sighed and gave in.
He cracked his can open and carefully took a sip. It was nice and crisp going down his throat and the way the soda felt bubbling in his stomach gave him some slight relief from the more acidic churning he was enduring.
So he swigged more soda down starting to chug it a little more feverishly. His throat bobbed as the fizzy liquids poured down his gullet and settled into his bubbling stomach. Tamaki inwardly whimpered knowing what was coming but took in more of the drink anyway while breathing through his nostrils.
After getting a good amount of the can down he pulled it aside and panted with one hand gently rubbing his tummy. A second later Tamaki's hand tightened around the middle of his stomach and then his mouth parted with a huge throaty burp. It was much louder than Tamaki himself ever was and left him panting and whimpering.
Fatgum laughed and patted the boy on the back dislodging another burp in the process that made Tamaki blush even harder. "Good one kid! Startin' to feel a lil better?"
"...Define better..." Tamaki whined. Even alone he trembled anxiously at being so loud and gross if even just around Fatgum. The soda helped to settle his tummy while the carbonation helped work some much needed gas out of his system. But the fact that soda always made him so burpy didn't do anything for his anxiety.
Still if he had to choose between burping obnoxiously and throwing up violently it was a pretty obvious choice.
So he downed more of his beverage all while nursing his tummy. When he pulled the can away again he tried to hold the burps in by giving thick closed mouth burps. But some were so strong that they forced their way past his lips and just ended up even louder.
Poor little Tamaki couldn't catch a break.
If nothing else the soda and pressure release was definitely helping make his stomach feel better. Eager to be done with it Tamaki downed the rest of his beverage and tossed the can into a nearby bin. a second later his hands flew to his stomach and Tamaki released an enormous burp so strong that it sounded like it almost came out of Fatgum.
"Almost" because Fatgum's burps could literally make the ground shake if he got a good one out.
Fatgum whistled and nudged Tamaki in the shoulder. "Damn kid! Yer gettin' some good ones out tonight ain'tcha!"
This was anything but good. But the relief Tamaki was feeling made it worth it.
Tamaki slumped back against a nearby wall and rubbed his belly up and down with both hands until he coaxed out another lengthy burp that dragged on for a few seconds and left him panting. And blushing of course.
"...Hrraaaah...okay...I...I think that's all of it," Tamaki said gently patting his stomach. "...I just wanna go hooOOOOOOoorh-me..." But his pale face soon went red as Red Riot's hair when he accidentally burped the word 'home' out at the end of his last sentence.
Fatgum laughed hysterically making his giant tummy jiggle like a mountain of jello.
"...Yeaaaaah let's getcha home kid. At this point I'm more worried ya might blush yerself t'death before this stomach bug gives ya any more grief."
For as powerful as Tamaki was? If his quirk were powered by embarrassment and anxiety he'd be unstoppable...
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helloalycia · 3 years
Text
lose you [three] // leigh shaw
summary: just when you think Leigh is finally listening to you and giving you space, she happens to do the opposite
warning/s: mentions of loss and implications of death/grief
author's note: so this is the final part! this was fun to write ngl – i hope you like the conclusion! :)
part one | part two | masterlist | wattpad
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"I think the colours look great like this, don't you?" I asked Jules, pointing to the screen of her laptop
She hummed in agreement as she sipped her smoothie.
"Or maybe this...," I said, preoccupied with trying out something different. "Okay, hold on, let me see."
We were both sat in this smoothie place a few stores  down from her workplace, working on some more promotional material for another set of classes she was setting up.
"You know, we could easily do this at the studio," Jules commented in a knowing tone. "Or even at my house."
I glanced at her before looking back to the screen. "It's better this way."
She knew what I meant, so I knew I didn't need to elaborate. Ever since Leigh had finally gotten the hint and left me alone for the week, I'd been keeping away from her as much as I could, still trying to figure out what I was feeling. This also meant not going to her workplace or her house in case I bumped into her.
"So, you're not gonna tell me what happened between you and my sister?" Jules asked curiously, for the millionth time, leaning forward.
I scrunched my nose as I shook my head. "Not this time, Jules, sorry."
An exasperated sigh escaped her lips. "Leigh won't say anything either, so that's no fun..."
Not knowing how to respond, I simply kept quiet and continued to play around with the colour palette of the designs I'd put together. Jules watched over me, inputting her ideas every now and then and explaining her 'vision', before our time was interrupted with her phone ringing.
"Hello," she answered it casually, before continuing to speak to whoever. "...No, I've got one... no need! I'll pick one up for you."
I gave her a sideways glance as she looked the other way quickly, as if hiding something.
Her voice lowered as she continued to speak to whoever. "Yes, we're here..." She sighed. "She's fine, Leigh."
I rolled my eyes as I looked back to the laptop, trying to distract myself.
"Okay, I'll see you soon, bye," Jules mumbled before hanging up and looking back to me.
It was quiet for a moment, neither of us speaking as I clicked away on her trackpad. Figuring she wouldn't speak, I chose to.
"Was that Leigh?"
Looking down at her smoothie awkwardly, Jules nodded. "Er, yeah."
I shot her a look. "You know you can have a normal conversation with her. She is your sister after all."
Jules ran a hand through her hair. "Yes, I know, I just... I don't want to make you feel awkward."
"It's fine," I reassured her with a small smile, before looking to the screen. Unable to stop myself, I asked, "How is she?"
A pause, then: "She's good."
I nodded nonchalantly, though I was glad to hear. I wasn't heartless – I still cared about her. But my stubbornness, as Taylor liked to constantly point out, was keeping me from hearing Leigh out. Her words still rang clear in my ears, the implication louder than the words themselves. And then that made me angry all over again and I found myself in a constant cycle of needing space from Leigh and wanting to hear her out.
Trying to ignore my conflicting thoughts for the girl who wasn't even present, I continued to work on Jules' designs before she had to get back to work and so did I.
"Are you okay to come over tonight to finish those off?" she asked as I packed away my things.
I hesitated, chewing on my lip. The whole point was to avoid going to her house.
"I'll make sure Leigh isn't there," Jules promised, noticing my silence, before adding with a playful smile, "Or is that new promotion of yours too time-consuming for you to spend time with me?"
"You know that's not true," I told her with a suppressed laugh, before relaxing my shoulders and nodding slowly. "I... I guess I can come around for a little while."
"Only a few hours," she promised me.
I nodded. "Okay, sure. I guess I'll see you tonight, Jules."
She grinned. "Awesome! See you tonight."
I probably should have figured out that Jules was lying to me. I'd known her long enough to tell when she was playing me, but I must have been so distracted by everything that I failed to realise what she was doing until it was too late.
When I got to the Shaw residence that evening after dinner, Jules answered and let me in, promising that her sister and mum were out on a girls night so wouldn't bother us. That was the first major hint – Leigh hated spending 'girls night' with her mum.
Then, when I set my bag down in the living room, waiting for Jules to join me, I heard the front door slam shut.
Spinning around and staring into that direction of the house, I called after her. "Jules? You still here?"
Instead of Jules, Leigh stepped in the doorway, dressed in a jumper and joggers, hair messy but small smile on her lips. That's when I realised I'd been tricked.
"I'm out of here," I said instantly, grabbing my bag to go.
"No, please stay," she said pleadingly, taking a step forward, but stopping when she saw how much I didn't want to be near her right now.
"I can't believe you'd resort to such childish methods of trickery," I admitted with disbelief. "And just when I thought you were finally listening to me and giving me space."
She pressed her lips together firmly as I spoke, before saying, "You wouldn't have come if I'd called, Y/N. It was the only way to get you here."
"Of course I wouldn't have!" I said with frustration, hand on my bag strap tightening. "I didn't want to see you!"
"I know you didn't, that's why I left you tons of messages!" she exclaimed, before rolling her eyes bitterly. "Your stupid, love-struck assistant is clearly terrible at delivering said messages."
"You mean the assistant with the boyfriend?" I retorted with a glare.
Her eyebrows creased together with confusion. "She has a boyfriend?"
I groaned loudly before moving forward to leave. "I'm going."
Leigh's bitchiness dispersed as she realised what was happening. "Wait, Y/N– just wait!"
Ignoring her, I continued my approach to the door and pushed past her without sparing her a glance. I was afraid that if I did, I would say something I'd regret.
"Please!" she called after me. And I was a mere few centimetres from the door before she shouted, "I love you!"
I widened my eyes with surprise, wondering if I'd heard that right. Stopping in place, I turned around slowly and saw Leigh standing in the living room doorway with teary eyes and a quivering lip.
"I'm in love with you," she repeated, confirming my hearing. Green eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she continued, "I was stupid how I acted and I– I've treated you so horribly and you always put up with it. But not this time."
She paused, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks as she raised a shaky hand to move her hair from her eyes.
Swallowing hard, she said, "I p–push people away and I've pushed so many friends away, but y-you never left. You stayed this whole time a–and I've already lost so much, but I can't take losing you. I c–can't lose you, Y/N."
Forgetting my anger for a moment, I felt my heart ache in my chest as Leigh broke down before me. I'd seen her at her worst before, but this was different. She was choosing to be vulnerable and that never came easy to her.
"Leigh, I'm not going anywhere," I said gently, frown on my lips. "We're in a fight right now and I'm angry, yeah, but I would never leave you. Not for good."
"You say that!" she snapped, clenching her fists as more tears streamed down her cheeks. "You say that, but then blocked calls and wanting space turns into leaving because you can't take it anymore. You can't take me anymore. And I can't take it, I can't take pushing you away. I can't lose you."
She clenched her jaw, eyes piercing through me with sadness and guilt and anger all at once.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," she said, her voice softer and very unlike herself. "The kiss it– it scared me because I wanted to do it for a long time, but you're my best friend and best friends don't do that. So, I tried to forget about it, but I ended up blaming you in the process and it's not you who's at fault here, it's me. And because of that, you're going to hate me and leave and I'm going to be a–alone again and I can't do that again, n–not again, n–not–"
I drew closer to her and pulled her in for a hug, unable to take her hysterics any longer. It hurt too much, seeing her pour her truth out in such a volatile way that had clearly been building up for a while.
She cried as I held her close, pressing a kiss to her hair and rubbing her back slowly. I never meant for it to get like this. I didn't know that she was going through all of this turmoil and now I felt bad, even if she'd hate that I did.
"I'm not going anywhere, Leigh," I promised her, my own tears burning the lids of my eyes. "I swear. you're not going to lose me and I could never hate you. Don't even think that for one minute..."
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I led her to the bench by the front door and held her close, not caring that her tears were soaking my shirt or that she was clinging so tightly that I would never be able to pry her off, not unless she let go by choice.
I wasn't sure how long we sat there, but her cries eventually turned into sniffles and her head found it's way onto my shoulder. My arms wrapped around her torso, still rubbing circles onto her back, and hers clung around my shoulders tightly.
"I'm so sorry," she muttered guiltily into my neck, her warm breath tickling the skin and sending shivers down my spine.
I swallowed hard. "I know you are. I forgive you, Leigh."
She didn't say anything and I wondered why she was unable to let go and meet my eyes. Maybe it was easier to talk when we weren't looking at each other.
"I would never leave you, you know," I told her quietly, letting her know again. I'd let her know forever if it meant she'd believe me. "You can be such a bitch sometimes, but I put up with it because I love you, too."
She sighed. "But not like I love you."
I tried not to smile. "You're kidding, right? Of course like you love me. Why do you think I got so upset at your stupid date the other week?"
Finally pulling away from my neck, she faced me with confused eyes. "You said it was because I didn't reply to your messages."
I rolled my eyes. "It was because I thought that you didn't care about kissing me. I was scared that you didn't like me like that. That you thought you'd made a mistake." 
Her eyes flickered between mine, as if trying to understand what I was saying. Realisation passed through them as she stroked my neck with her finger, arms still laced around my shoulders.
"So, the kiss. You didn't– you don't hate me?"
I shook my head, squeezing her waist gently. "I don't. And if you'd given me a chance, I would've kissed you back. Properly. Like–" I sucked up a nervous breath. "Like you deserve."
She didn't say anything for a moment, eyes merely reading mine intimidatingly. For once, a rare instance between us, I couldn't tell what she was thinking.
"Now's your chance," she finally spoke, before capturing my bottom lip between hers in an instant.
Unlike last time, I got over my surprise quite quickly and closed my eyes, pulling her closer by the waist and returning the kiss. Her lips were soft and salty and addictive, and when she rested her hand on my chest to gently push me away after a moment, I immediately chased her lips down again, refusing to let her go so quickly. Not when I'd waited so long for this moment.
She gasped as I swiped my tongue across her bottom lip, asking for entry. Using that as opportunity, I slipped my tongue between her lips and met hers in the middle, revelling in the taste that was Leigh Shaw. It didn't go beyond that and that was okay, as I was too busy focusing on how perfect she fit next to me, my one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her neck.
Finally pulling apart for air, she rested her forehead against mine and I opened my eyes to be submerged in pools of green. Licking her lips, she breathed out slowly.
"I don't want to lose you," she admitted in a whisper.
Pushing her hair behind her ear, I rested my hand on her jaw and caressed it. "You won't. I told you. I'm not leaving you. Not now. Not ever. I promise."
She closed her eyes, lips trembling ever so slightly. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."
I realised she was probably thinking back to her late husband and I didn't blame her. She'd suffered through so much and I couldn't imagine the fears she had.
"I'll keep it for as long as I can," I told her, kissing her  forehead. "But know for sure that you won't be getting rid of me that easily."
She cracked a small smile through her teary eyes, nodding slightly. "I'll try to be less of a bitch."
"Hey, be as bitchy as you want," I told her playfully. "I'm not going anywhere, remember?"
She let out a small snort through her nose, barely a laugh, but it was music to my ears and it brought a smile to my lips. Finally opening her eyes, she looked to me with adoration and it made my heart beat a little faster.
"I love you," she said with the utmost sincerity.
I wiped away a stray tear of hers with the pad of my thumb and met her gaze. "I love you, too, Leigh."
Glassy eyes watched mine, content for the first time in a long time, before she pulled me in for a hug, tucking her head into my neck like it was her favourite spot in the world. I knew the feeling of her there was definitely mine.
"What do you want to do now?" I asked quietly, not wanting to break the peace we'd created.
"I'm really tired," she admitted, lips brushing my neck as she spoke.
I pressed a kiss to the side of her head, mumbling into her hair, "Let's get you to sleep then."
She hummed in agreement and I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd closed her eyes already.
"I want you to stay," she added. "To sleep with me."
Pausing, I tried not to laugh, which she realised and nudged me in the gut lightly.
"Not like that, idiot," she said, definitely giving me an eye roll even though I couldn't see her. "I mean, yes, eventually like that. If you want. But not now. Now, I just want you next to me."
Smile of adoration on my lips, I squeezed her gently. "Hmm, I'm not sure. I've got work in the morning. Early start."
She pulled away from me suddenly, frown on her lips and eyes flickering between mine disappointedly. I sighed, raising my hand and stroking her cheek.
"I'm kidding," I told her with a knowing look. "I mean, I do have work, but I'll stay if you want me to."
"Jerk," she mumbled, before standing up and pulling me up with her. "You're staying."
I kept ahold of her hand and intertwined our fingers, tugging her closer to me. She still seemed disgruntled from my joke, so I kissed her cheek, lingering for a second longer than usual, before smiling.
"Come on, grumpy pants."
She narrowed her eyes at me childishly, but continued to lead me upstairs and to her bedroom. As we walked, I remembered something.
"So, does Jules know about us? Since she helped you to trick me tonight?"
Leigh didn't bother flicking on the lights to her room when we entered, instead closing the door behind us and letting the streetlights from outside her window guide us to her bed.
"She knows we argued," she answered delicately. "I didn't know how to tell her about how I felt when I–" She sighed. "When I didn't even know how to tell you."
I nodded, not bothering to ask her about if she wanted to tell her tomorrow, or tell her mum tomorrow. Or if she wanted to wait and tell them later when we were settled into our relationship. I trusted her to talk to me when she was ready and there was no rush anyway.
"Jules is out with a friend tonight and my mum is working late," she explained their absence. "And you've slept over before so this is no different."
"True," I agreed.
A yawn escaped Leigh's lips and I couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked when she stretched her arms and scrunched her face tiredly. When she finished, she opened her eyes and saw my expression.
"What's got you all smiley?" she asked with a quirked brow.
I shook my head dismissively as she grabbed some pyjama pants from her drawer. "You're too cute is all."
Groaning loudly, she said, "God, Y/N, don't do that. Don't be all couple-y already. Especially not when it's–"
"What?" I cut her off with amusement, as she threw the pants in my face. "Complimenting you?"
"Exactly," she said like it was obvious, before waving her hand with irritation. "Just take your pants off so we can go to sleep."
I chuckled. "Eager much?"
She groaned again, but I saw a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. As I changed out of my jeans, she got under the duvet and got comfortable. I joined her soon enough, just about pulling the duvet on top of me before she grabbed my arm and forced me to roll over and spoon her from behind.
I stifled a laugh as she entwined our hands, resting them on her waist, and sighed contently.
"So, guess I can't be little spoon tonight then?" I teased, making her kick me with her foot.
"My bed, my choice," she muttered, voice heavy with fatigue.
Settling in behind her, I put my leg between hers comfortably and pressed a kiss to the exposed skin of her neck where my head lay.
"I don't mind being the big spoon," I reassured her, though I knew it wouldn't make a difference. If Leigh wanted to be cuddled, that was the end of it.
It went quiet as I appreciated how pleasant it felt with her in my arms, her body pressed closely to mine and her self radiating a comforting warmth only she seemed to possess. I could definitely get used to this.
"Y/N?"
"Yeah?"
She stopped, breathing out slowly. "Thanks for staying."
"Well, you asked so nicely and–"
"No," she cut me off quietly. "Thanks."
It took me a second to realise that she wasn't talking about just now. I smiled to myself.
"Always, Leigh."
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mercy-burning · 3 years
Text
Petite Etoile
Pairing: Spencer Reid x femReader Summary: BAU!Reader used to be a stripper, and when people where she used to work are being murdered, the team is called in to investigate. Category: Fluff, Smut 18+ (oral sex- male and female receiving, penetrative sex, Reader also does a stripping performance) Warnings: Sex, language, mentions of murder/violence and all the things you’d normally find in an episode of Criminal Minds. (As always, if there’s anything I missed, let me know what I should include in warnings! I want to be as mindful as I can about what I post. Thank you!) Word Count: 7.8k
MASTERLIST
NOTE: This is going up way later than I said it would, so I’m sorry if you were looking forward to this, I just haven’t been motivated lately. But  I really have to get out of my writing slump, and I’m hoping I can do that soon. Anyway, I hope you like it! Thanks for reading 🥰 Also, I know that Don’t Blame Me by Taylor Swift doesn’t exist at the time of early season 2, which is when I imagine this taking place, but for the sake of the story let’s pretend it does, because that’s the song I had in mind when I wrote the performance scene 😉😂
***
When Y/N walked into work Thursday morning, everything was as normal as it could be. She chatted with Elle on her way up the elevator, handed JJ her coffee as she made her way to Hotch's office, and ruffled Reid's hair when she passed him, smiling at the way he blushed at her affectionate gesture.
But when the team was called into the round-table room, and she watched as JJ presented their next case, Y/N felt a little sick to her stomach.
Over the past week, three strippers from the town she'd lived in for years before moving to Virginia had been found stabbed in various parts of the block surrounding Starsight. She knew the place well. Not only did she used to work there as a stripper after she graduated, but her best friend, Irene, owned the establishment, and she'd practically become the sister Y/N never had. She helped her through college and pushed her to go into the Bureau. If people, Irene's people, were dying, why hadn't she called or said anything?
Thankfully Y/N didn't recognize any of the dancers who'd been killed, because if she had, she'd feel a lot worse. But even still, she wanted to find who was behind it, and she would. The BAU always did. And with her background knowledge of the scene and the town, Y/N figured she might be able to lend an extra helping hand.
But first she had to tell the team about her past.
It wasn't a secret that she used to be a stripper. In fact, it wasn't really something she was able to hide. With someone as curious as Penelope Garcia in her life, Y/N wouldn't have been able to hide it even if she wanted to. Thankfully though, besides the occasional teasing comment from Morgan, and sometimes Elle, the team didn't treat her any differently. She wasn't Y/N The Former Stripper, she was just Y/N. She was good at her job, and everyone respected and liked her just the way she was.
While debriefing on the jet, she was about to bring it up when Morgan did it first, seemingly sly like he'd discovered some big secret. "Hey, Y/N, didn't you used to live near this place?"
She nodded, clearing her throat. "Uh, yeah, that's actually what I was going to bring up. Starsight is where I used to work before I moved here. I know the owner of the place, she's one of my best friends."
She could tell Morgan wanted to tease her some more about her previous work, but before he could get a word in Gideon spoke from behind her. "Irene Whitcomb?"
"Yeah."
"Good, when we land I want you, Morgan, and Reid to go talk to her. See if you can find anything out."
Y/N nodded, and in front of her, she noticed Reid was a little flushed. It didn't surprise her considering when everyone found out her previous job, he almost choked on his coffee, and Morgan laughed hysterically while he had a coughing fit. It was obvious to Y/N from the beginning that Spencer had had a little crush on her, and it didn't bother her at all. Every once in a while she'd pat his knee before she got up from her seat next to him or wink at him as they saw each other briefly in passing, just to see how he'd react, and by now it was a staple of their relationship. It never did go any further than that though, Y/N afraid she might make him too uncomfortable.
But even still, she couldn't help but give him a flirty smile as he blinked rapidly in front of her, still seeming to process what was going to happen when they landed. When he excused himself to go to the bathroom, she gave him one more wink and a small bite of her lip as he passed.
Morgan laughed softly beside her. "You're gonna ruin the poor kid if you keep that up, girlie."
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," she responded, even though the smile on her face suggested otherwise.
***
A strip club being almost at full capacity in the middle of the day was more common than one might think. It had surprised Y/N when she first started working at Starsight, and even now she still didn't really understand why. Regardless it was almost 3pm, and if things had stayed the same over the years, which by the looks of things seemed to be the case, Irene should have been behind the bar.
It must have been a sight to behold, Y/N mused as she and her colleagues navigated through the club in search of its owner, and it sounded like the beginning to a bad joke— a former stripper turned FBI agent, a guy who looks like he just walked straight out of a procedural cop show, and an adorably and obviously nervous skinny kid with glasses and trembling hands walk into a strip club at 3pm... The thought made Y/N laugh to herself, right before Irene spotted her.
"Y/N!"
It was obvious that she wanted to jump over the bar and give her old friend a hug, but given the circumstances, Irene settled for dropping a shot glass, spilling the drink on the counter, and clapping her hands quickly a few times in succession. A wide smile and kind eyes greeted the three agents as they approached.
"Irene, hi," Y/N greeted with a large smile of her own. "I wish I could have came to visit under better circumstances."
"Right, me too..." The blonde woman's smile faded for a second, just long enough that the recognizable signs of grief came and go quickly before replacing themselves with bittersweet niceties. "Anyway, you wanna introduce me to your friends?"
"Yeah, Irene, these are my colleagues, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid."
Irene reached out to shake their hands, eyeing up Morgan with only the slightest bit of shame, and laughing softly at Reid's polite avoidance of the gesture as he settled on a wave and a shy smile.
"We were hoping to ask you a few questions about the past week," Morgan said.
"Yeah, anything. Just give me a minute to clean this up and we can sit down."
***
"So, you used to work here?"
Y/N laughed, kicking Derek under the table. "Yep. Looks exactly the same as when I left, too. Only difference is that I'm not here to bring everyone in on Friday nights."
As Derek laughed, Spencer tensed up beside Y/N, and he started to play with his hands under the table they all sat at.
"She's not joking," Irene said as she approached the table with a smile. She took the seat next to Morgan and gave him a wink. "Petite Etoile over here was the main attraction."
Y/N groaned a little. "Oh, c'mon Irene, don't use my nickname here, that's not who I am anymore."
"Don't tell me you've lost your shine, Little Star." From the tone in her voice to the look on her face, it was clear to Y/N that Irene was just as devious as she'd been since the day they first met. "You know it would just break this town's heart."
"I highly doubt that... Besides, this little star shines just as brightly as it used to, thank you very much."
At that statement, Y/N felt Reid's knee hit the table with a loud thud. As Morgan questioned whether he was okay, she wondered what was running through his head. It didn't last long though, because shortly afterwards Morgan started asking questions about the case.
"Was it particularly crowded on the nights the dancers were killed?"
Irene hugged her arms to her stomach, her eyes drooping a little at the mention. "It gets pretty crowded every night to tell you the truth. But Friday nights are busiest. The nights Carrie, Lola, and Evelyn disappeared were just like any other night here."
"I know how hard it is to keep track of everyone, but is there anyone you might have noticed that seemed a little too lurk-y?" Even as she asked the question, Y/N felt like she already knew the answer.
And Irene really did seem to try to recall something, anything that could help, but she was visibly frustrated, tears welling in her eyes. "No, Y/N, I'm so sorry. After Carrie... the first time... we heightened security and everything, but it just wasn't enough, I... I don't know what to do."
Y/N reached across the table to grab her friend's hand. "It's okay, 'Rene. We're gonna figure this out, alright? I promise you."
Through tears, the blonde smiled and squeezed Y/N's hand. "I know you will, Little Star."
"Would it be possible for us to look at your surveillance tapes?" Reid asked quietly.
Irene looked up at him and nodded, still squeezing Y/N's hand. "Anything you need."
***
"So... Little Star, huh?"
Y/N rolled her eyes with a smile as she, Morgan, and Reid got into the car. When she got in the passenger seat, she waited for Morgan to be in the car before responding. "Oh, don't start. I swear to God, Derek, if you start calling me that I might just have to kick your ass."
"Well, you gotta at least tell me how you got the name?" he laughed, putting on his seatbelt while Reid climbed in the back.
"Well, how do you think? The place is called Starsight after all... So, Petite Etoile just made sense."
It was obvious that she was lying to get him to drop it, so Morgan kept pushing. "Okay, sure, but that's not the whole truth. Carrie, Lola, and Evelyn didn't have star names."
"Ugh, okay, fine, if I tell you will you shut up about it?"
"Promise."
Y/N caught a glimpse of Reid in the back through the rearview mirror. As expected, he was fidgety and just a little red.
She sighed and waited until Morgan pulled out of the parking lot to talk. "Okay. Once every month Starsight does a 'Midnight Sky' theme night. They light the place up in deep blue lights and everyone wears... space-themed outfits. Every dancer does their own special routine with songs and outfits that they pick on their own. My first time working a theme night, everyone seemed to really like what I did; I ended up doing an encore later in the night before we closed. Another dancer who worked with us at the time, Jenny, was learning French, so after my performance she called me Petite Etoile, and it just stuck."
"Okay, but why did you get the nickname and no one else?" Morgan asked with a smug smile. He knew she was still holding something back.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes, Y/N, I really want to know."
She sighed. "Let's... just say my outfit was... well, it barely covered me, and what it did manage to cover was covered by fabric in the shape of stars."
While Morgan laughed, Y/N looked in the mirror to see Reid with his head low, even more red than he was before. He was biting his bottom lip and fiddling the the seatbelt strap, and when his eyes briefly met hers in the mirror he was quick to avoid eye contact once again. If Y/N didn't find it completely adorable she would have felt more badly about it. But just to make sure, she called out to him.
"Reid, you okay back there?"
He looked up to meet her eyes again through the mirror, but only briefly before trying to ook anywhere else. "O-oh, yeah, I'm... I'm good."
Morgan laughed. "Yeah, I bet you are."
Y/N punched him in the arm and met Reid's eyes once more. "Sorry."
"Oh, you don't have anything to be sorry about, it's... it's okay, really, I-I'm not... it's..."
"Hey, don't worry about it," Y/N said calmly, giving him a reassuring smile. "We're all good here, right?"
"Right," Morgan and Reid said one after the other.
"Good. Now let's catch this creep."
***
Unfortunately no one had gotten much of anywhere in the next few hours. The security footage showed a man following each of the girls out of Starsight but there wasn't anything distinctive about him. Somehow he'd avoided all the cameras face to face, so he knew where they all were. And as for how he chose which dancers to target they weren't sure.
Until Irene walked into the station, that is.
"Y/N, I completely forgot something! I can't believe I missed it."
She stood before the team in the office that the station had given them for the time being, everyone else sitting down. Y/N stood up and nodded. "What is it?"
"Carrie, Lola, and Evelyn were all Spotlight Performers."
"What does that mean?" Elle asked from behind them.
Y/N turned to the group, her arms crossed. "Every other night Starsight spotlights a different dancer for a large performance at the end of the night, sort of like a grand finale before the club closes."
"So you're saying each of the girls was the Spotlight Performer on the nights they went missing?" Hotch asked, more like a clarification than a question.
"Yeah, Carrie on Saturday, Lola on Monday, and Evelyn on Wednesday," Irene said frantically.
Y/N reached out to grab her hand. "Well, it's Thursday. So, if he sticks to pattern, he's going after tomorrow's Spotlight Performer. Who do you have lined up?"
"Well, no one yet. After the murders the girls have been hesitant to schedule, and I don't blame them... So what should I do?"
Before Y/N could answer, Hotch did. "Y/L/N, you haven't gone undercover before, but I think it would be a good idea. You used to work at Starsight, you could lure him out."
She turned around sharply. "Oh, I... I don't know, Hotch, I haven't danced in so long, I'm not sure I—"
"He's right," Gideon interrupted. "It's the best chance we have at catching him."
Between Hotch and Gideon's opinions on the matter, Y/N knew she didn't have a say anymore.
"You still know your routine, Petite Etoile?" Irene asked, only slightly amused.
"Petite Etoile?" Elle wondered aloud.
Y/N heard Morgan laugh and she sighed.
***
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were nervous," Irene said as she straightened another piece of Y/N's hair.
She played with the hem of the sheer robe she was wearing. "Well, I'm about to go undercover for the first time, stripping for the first time in years in front of all my colleagues so I can lure out a serial killer, so I guess you could say I'm a little nervous."
"Well... When you put it like that..."
Y/N looked up at her friend. "I'm sorry, Irene. Really, I'm okay, and we will get him, I promise."
"No, I know you will. I'm not worried. So... Who do they have watching you tonight?"
"Gideon and Hotch are outside, but Elle, Morgan, and Reid are in here with me. There are some extra officers all around the block, too, just in case."
"Hmm," Irene mused, and Y/N could tell she wanted to say something.
"What?"
"I don't know, it just surprises me they'd send Reid in here of all people. He seems almost more nervous than you."
Y/N laughed. "Well, when it comes to girls he gets a little nervous, but... he's good at his job."
"I'll take your word for it. But I also wouldn't be surprised if he short circuits when he sees you up there."
The thought made her smile a little, though she wondered how badly Morgan would tease him about the whole situation. Things between them all would no doubt be a little awkward for a while, but in no time they'd go back to normal like it never happened. At least that's what she told herself, because she wasn't sure what she'd do if her friendship with Reid was permanently damaged and awkward because of her past. The thought worried her just a little, but before she could get too psyched out, a knock at the door brought her back to reality.
"Y/N, it's Elle."
"Come on in!"
Y/N got up from the chair and turned around to meet Elle in the doorway. Her eyes wandered for a moment before nodding with a smirk. "Damn. Petite Etoile indeed."
Despite the nerves, Y/N smiled. "You here to give me an earpiece?"
Elle nodded and closed the door behind her. As she turned on the device and handed it to Y/N, she spoke. "You nervous?"
"A little, but it's just because I haven't done this in a while. Not to mention I'm doing it in front of everyone, and I'm luring out the unsub."
"No pressure, right?"
Y/N laughed, adjusting the earpiece and taking a deep breath. "It'll be fine. How long until I go on?"
"Five minutes. I'll be near the front with Reid. Morgan is in the back with a few officers, and everyone else is outside. We all have communication with you, so if we see him we'll let you know what to look out for."
"Got it."
"Y/L/N, can you hear me?" It was Hotch's voice through the earpiece.
"Yeah, loud and clear."
"Good. We're all in position. Whenever you're ready."
***
Elle met him near the front of the stage. To say he was nervous would be an understatement. Spencer didn't have a problem with strip clubs in the least, but it was bad enough that he'd thought about Y/N on multiple occasions in his dreams, now he was going to have to see her stripping just like he'd imagined many times over. The whole situation spelled out disaster, and if she didn't already know he had a crush on her, she most certainly would when the night was over.
As Elle approached him, he took a deep breath and stretched out his hands to calm his nerves. "She okay?"
Elle nodded. "Ready to go. I'm gonna stand on the other side of the stage, keep a look out for anyone who seems like he could be our guy."
"Right."
Before she left, Elle patted him on the shoulder and smiled knowingly. "Oh, and Reid... Try not to get distracted."
Yeah. He was fucked.
When the music that was playing stopped and the lights started to shift, Spencer took another deep breath. Irene's familiar voice came through the speakers.
"Thank you for coming to Starsight. Tonight's Spotlight Performer is a special one. Returning to the stage for the first time in years, shining brighter and better than ever before, give it up for our very own little star, Petite Etoile!"
A deep, seductive song that Spencer didn't recognize replaced Irene's voice as the lights shifted again, and the crowd around him applauded. It was just as crowded as it had been when he, Morgan, and Y/N met Irene the day before, but with a serial killer no doubt present and Y/N about to come on stage, everything felt heavier.
A dark silhouette broke through fog on the stage, and even though Spencer knew it was Y/N, it didn't feel real. He'd only ever seen her at work, in work clothes, and sometimes in casual clothes when they all went out for drinks on occasion.
So when she finally came into view, her hair tumbling down her back and shoulders rather than in a ponytail, and wearing almost nothing at all, he wasn't even sure it was her for a split second. But the way she looked, her magnetic presence and the way she carried herself across the stage was so remarkably her it was hard to miss. Everything about her confidence was elevated in that moment, and his own confidence—in his job and ability to function as a human being—was completely shattered when she caught his eye. It was just a split second, but that was all it took.
She must have noticed, because she gave him a small smile and a wink before turning her attention to the rest of the crowd as the music built. Spencer cleared his throat softly before glancing around, trying his best to scan everyone for anything suspicious. When he was sure there was nothing around him to be concerned about, he reluctantly let his eyes wander back to the stage.
By now Y/N had rid herself of the sheer robe that was on her, leaving her in a deep blue one-piece... contraption was the only word he could come up with. It was all connected by thin straps of fabric that weaved around every curve of her body, crisscrossing and leaving little to the imagination. Just like she'd described back in the car yesterday, small patches of fabric shaped like stars covered the front of her breasts and...
The second he looked down, she squatted, spreading her legs open and rolling her hips, exposing almost the entire front three rows of people to her barely-clothed pussy.
Spencer felt his cheeks grow warm as he quickly averted his gaze and pretended to survey the crowd again. To his credit, he did really search for anyone who could be the unsub, but the whole time he heard the song and the cheering crowd, and in turn Y/N occupied almost every corner of his brain.
When he finally had the courage to look at the stage again, she was making her way to a chair in the middle. Every step was on beat to the music and purposeful. She danced around the chair for a bit before another big beat drop in the song happened, and she squatted in front of it quickly, rolling her hips as she slowly got up.
Her eyes found his once more as she mouthed along to the words of the song, almost like she was singing directly to him. He wouldn't have thought anything of it, but she held his gaze for much longer than he'd been able to handle, and she knew exactly what she was doing. Which was made evident when she bit her bottom lip and ran her hands down her body, stopping at her knees before she sat in the chair and spread her legs, her hands finally dragging along the insides of her thigh.
Her eyes remained on him the entire time.
Butterflies immediately erupted in his stomach at her intensity, stronger than they'd ever been before. He'd always felt it when she affectionately ruffled his hair or patted his knee in passing, but now? She wasn't even touching him and he was about to crumble to the ground.
Thankfully something in his ear saved him from that. "I've got a visual." It was Morgan. "He's in the back, black long sleeve and jeans. Buzzcut. Y/N, look up at me and blink three times when you see him."
Reid looked up and and noticed her doing it. To anyone else it wouldn't have seemed out of pace, but he could tell she was a little rattled. In any case, she broke contact with Morgan and continued on with her performance as if nothing happened.
Though it meant there was most definitely a serial killer in the room and he would follow Y/N out of the club later, Spencer was glad for the past minute, because he wasn't sure how much more of the performance he could take. Suddenly there was a job to focus on again, and he was thankful for that.
***
"You're sure you're okay?"
Y/N laughed as she approached her motel room, phone in hand. "Yeah, Irene, I'm okay. Promise. He got a hold on me but my team was there to stop him before he did anything. No nicks or bruises or anything."
"Okay... You were great out there by the way. If you weren't such a kick-ass FBI agent now, I'd ask you to come back."
Laughing, she turned her head and noticed Reid at the end of the hall, walking to his room. He caught her eye and gave a shy smile before disappearing behind the door and closing himself off from her. She contemplated a moment before starting her journey to his room. "Well, I'm glad we could help. Maybe if I find myself in town again, I'll stop by."
"Yeah, you better. Though I'd prefer if a serial killer wasn't involved."
"You and me both. I'll come see you before we leave tomorrow morning, yeah?"
"Yeah. Goodnight, Petite Etoile."
With an affectionate roll of her eyes, Y/N nodded though her friend wouldn't be able to see. "Night."
She hung up and put the phone in her bag, taking a deep breath before knocking on Reid's door.
The answer was almost immediate. He stood before her, and it looked like he'd just gotten undressed, wearing grey pajama bottoms and a white tee shirt. "Oh, Y/N, h-hi," he stammered, pushing his glasses up his nose a little. "What's up?"
"Do you... mind if I come in? I know it might sound a little weird but I don't really want to be alone right now..." It was true. Though she was okay after catching the unsub, the idea of being alone after everything that happened was sure to leave a small ache that wouldn't let her sleep, and having company would make a good cure.
"Oh, no, that isn't weird at all. Uh, sure, come on in." He stepped aside and opened the door wider to let her through. She smiled gratefully as she passed him, careful to notice the faint color that adorned his cheeks.
When he closed the door behind them, she set her bag down on the floor and turned to meet him, playing with the sleeve of the FBI jacket she was wearing. Before leaving Starsight, she'd changed into underwear, leggings, and a thin tee shirt. She debated taking the jacket off, but knowing how much of her body her colleague and friend had no doubt seen that night, she figured for his sake she'd leave it on. At least for now.
"I know it's late and we should probably get to bed, but... Truthfully I don't know how well I'll be able to sleep."
Spencer seemed concerned. "You're... you're okay? He didn't hurt you badly, did he?"
"Oh! No, he didn't, I'm just... rattled, that's all. I'll be okay, really. It's just that I haven't... performed in a long time, and all of that added on to being serial killer bait was just... eventful. That's all."
"Well, if it makes you feel better, you were great."
Y/N raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing at her lips. "Oh?"
"Oh, I mean at handling the unsub. Not that you weren't great at the other thing, of course! I just... I just meant that... I didn't mean... Um..."
"Hey, it's okay, I'm... I'm not mad or anything, I'm... flattered."
The redness on Spencer's face became more vivid under the dim glow of the room. "I- Really?"
Y/N smiled and took a step closer. "Mhmm. Y'know... Truthfully it was really hard for me not to look at you the whole time. Out of everyone in that whole room, I wanted to see only you."
His gaze wandered up and down her body briefly before meeting her eyes. "You did?"
"Mhmm," she said again. Her hand reached out to graze his bare arm, and he shivered under her light touch. "You can stop me if this is too weird, but... I really like you, Spence... Like, a lot. And, I think it's pretty obvious that you like me, too. Am I wrong?"
He swallowed. "Um... No. You're not wrong."
She was only inches away from him now, her hands gently caressing his shoulders and chest. She looked up at him through her eyelashes and smiled. "Do you want to kiss me as badly as I want to kiss you right now?"
"Um... T-truthfully I think I might want... to kiss you more..."
Y/N laughed and balled his shirt in one hand, the other snaking up to the back of his head and running through his hair. "Okay, then... You gonna prove it, or what?"
He bit his lip softly before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss that made her dizzy. Her hands tightened their grip on him, and the second her lips parted, he wasted no time gently swiping his tongue across her bottom lip, his confidence growing with every second. She groaned into him, pulling her body flush against his and forcing him to wrap his arms around her waist to keep steady.
They pulled away for air eventually, and by the gleam in his eyes when she looked at him, she knew exactly what she had to do.
"No one is rooming with you, right?"
"N-no. It's just me."
"Good." She whispered it seductively as she removed her hands from him and slowly unzipped her jacket, keeping eye contact with Spencer the whole time. Except, of course, when his eyes glanced down to see the progress the zipper was making. Once she slid it off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor, he took her in, his tongue dancing behind his lips.
She let him have a few more seconds before taking a step forward and kissing him again, both of her hands cradling his face and bringing her thumbs to gently rub his cheeks. He melted into her completely, wrapping his arms around her again in no time. While their kisses were slow and passionate for a minute, eventually they grew hungrier, and Y/N hadn't even realized they'd been moving until they were toppling onto the bed, Spencer falling back and her landing on top of him.
They broke apart only for a moment to adjust themselves, but went right back to each other once Y/N straddled his legs and he leaned back on his hands to keep himself upright.
Her hands played in his hair as she kissed him, each brush of her tongue against his sending him into a downward spiral. He'd only ever dreamed of this, and even then, this was better than any dream. Y/N herself was better than any dream.
She ground her hips against him, causing him to groan into her mouth, and he pushed himself forward to be closer, needing to be completely wrapped up in her for as long as he could. When she pulled her mouth from his and settled her hands on his shoulders to keep him from moving, he whined a little, the sound completely taking the both of them aback.
She smiled and cocked her head to the side. "I've thought about this for so long... You have no idea how many times I've wanted to kiss you since we met."
"Really?"
With a nod, Y/N toyed with the collar of his shirt, tugging it and slowly grinding her hips against him again. "Have you ever thought about it?"
It was a question they both obviously knew the answer to, but she wanted to have some fun. She loved seeing how shy he got, it made her want him even more.
"Yes... I... I think about you a lot," he breathed, blinking at her as she slid her hands down his chest and found the bottom of his shirt. She smiled and raised it up, her touch sending shivers all over his body.
"What have you thought about? Any specifics?" she asked once his shirt was all the way off. Her fingers found their way to his neck again as she pulled herself closer.
"Oh, I... Um... I-I've thought about... kissing you on the jet in front of everyone."
Y/N smiled and pushed his glasses up his nose, then traced her finger down over his lips and hooked it under his chin to tilt his head up, exposing his neck. "I've thought about that, too... You know what else?"
Spencer blinked at her, urging her to continue.
She leaned forward and kissed the underside of his jaw, then his neck, leaving small kisses in between every soft word. "I've thought about how good your hands would feel on me." Her hand grabbed one of his and brought it to rest on her side, slipping under her shirt. "Have you ever thought about touching me?"
"Yes," he breathed as she moved her mouth back up his jaw and to the corner of his mouth.
She brought her lips just inches from his, and he could feel them just barely as she spoke. "Do it. Please."
And then she let go of him, bringing both her hands to his face as she kissed him again. Her legs wrapped around him tighter as he used both of his hands to grip her sides. As soon as they knew they were stable enough not to fall backwards, Spencer slid his hands slowly up her torso and barely ghosted over her breasts. She could tell he was a little hesitant, so she pushed further into him, practically trapping his hands in between their chests. Her kisses grew deeper and more desperate as he palmed her breasts, letting a moan or two slip out to encourage him further.
Thankfully it worked, because with every passing second he got more confident with his touches. When Y/N moved her hips against his again, he sighed into her mouth and brought one of his hands out from under her shirt and to her head, running his fingers through her hair.
At this point he was noticeably hard beneath her, and she was desperate to feel more of him. So Y/N peeled herself away from Spencer and snuck her hand down to play with the waistband of his pants. "You wouldn't happen to have a condom on you, would you?"
"Oh, uh, a-actually Morgan gave me one as a joke last week. It's, uh, in my wallet. In my bag."
Y/N laughed. "Sounds like him. Why don't you go grab it."
He nodded as she got up off of him. While he walked over to his bag, Y/N quickly removed her shirt and leggings, leaving her only in a pair of thin black panties that were almost too small. Before he turned around, she sat back on the edge of the bed and spread her legs wide, leaning back on her elbows as she waited.
If she didn't know any better she would have thought that when he turned around, his eyes were going to fall out of his head. He took small steps towards the bed, and she made the 'come here' motion with her finger. "Take your pants off for me?"
He all but scrambled to get them off, and Y/N smiled affectionately at him as she watched, hoping to calm his nerves by letting him know that he had nothing to be nervous about.
But just to be sure, she told him as much anyway. "You've got nothing to worry about, Spence. Trust me, I... I want this."
Once his pants were off, he met her at the edge of the bed, standing in between her legs. "I do too, I just... It's just that I've only ever... done this before once, and... I'm not very experienced, and I don't want to disappoint you."
Y/N sat up and grabbed his hips, leaning forward to press small, soft kisses to his stomach as she looked up at him. "You could never disappoint me. Promise."
Once she was sure he was a little more relaxed, she moved her kisses lower, until they reached the waistband of his underwear. She hooked her fingers under it and slid them down slowly, keeping eye contact with him until they dropped to the floor. Only then did she look down at his dick, and it was even better than she imagined.
Giving a satisfied hum, she pressed a soft kiss to the tip and fluttered her eyes up to meet his, the look on his face completely awe-struck. She took the tip of his dick in between her lips and sucked gently, swirling her tongue around it as she watched his mouth fall open, a sigh escaping. She could tell he was holding back a little, so she traced her finger along the length of him and kept sucking lightly at the tip, hoping to get some noise out of him.
Y/N took him in her mouth completely, bobbing her head up and down just a few times to get him wet before removing her lips with a pop. When she gripped him firmly with one hand and steadily began to stroke him, he finally gave her what she hoped for.
"Y/N," he groaned, just above a whisper. His eyes were closed, but he opened them when she stopped.
"You wanna put it on or should I?" she asked.
"Spencer turned the small packet over in his hand before nodding. "I can do it."
Y/N scooted farther onto the bed and slid off her panties as he got to work, and thankfully he wasn't as nervous anymore. He moved to take off his glasses, but she stopped him. "Keep them on?"
The devious grin on her face made him blush, and he nodded, crawling over the top of her and pressing tentative kisses to her stomach, only he travelled downward instead of up to her mouth.
"You don't have t—"
"I want to," he reassured, kissing her inner thighs. "Truth be told, Y/N, I've thought about doing this, too. Is that okay?"
"Yes," she responded clearly, extremely turned on by the needy tone in his voice.
Almost immediately after she answered, his tongue darted out to taste her, swiping gently over her clit and sending her into a state of speechlessness. She leaned up on her elbows to watch as Spencer took his time, exploring and savoring every inch of her. She knew now why he'd wanted to take his glasses off, but if anything the sight of them riding up his face as he ate her out made the whole thing even hotter.
"Fuck, Spence, that... that feels so fucking good," she breathed, trying to keep her eyes open to look at him but ultimately failing.
Her words emboldened him, and he slipped a finger slowly inside her, his tongue paying special attention to her clit. He worked them together in a slow, sensual rhythm that eventually drove her to the edge. And she told him so.
"You're gonna make me cum," she breathed, willing herself to open her eyes. She found him staring up at her as best as he could in his position, the hungry sparkle in his eye pushing her further. What finally pushed her over the edge was when he sucked gently on her clit and groaned against her as she called out his name. Everything blinded her for a moment as she rocked her hips against his face, needing to hang on to every last second of her orgasm.
When she finally came down, Spencer pulled away and adjusted his glasses, to which Y/N bit her lip and moaned once more. "You're sure you've only ever done this once?"
He laughed a little, sucking his fingers clean with a shrug before answering. "Yeah, but I'm a quick-study."
Y/N smiled and reached one of her arms out to him. "Come here, quick-study."
The two of them smiled as their lips found one another, her hands flying to his hair once again. His hands gripped her waist, and his dick pressed up against her lower stomach, making her groan against him.
Without another word, Y/N hooked her legs around his waist and shifted their weight, rolling them over so she was straddling him now. Spencer reached up to move her hair to one side of her face, and then soon after she sat up, placing her hands on his chest.
"I'll tell you something else I've thought about," she said lowly, scratching down his chest just lightly enough to give him goosebumps. She then used one of her hands to grip his dick and lifted her hips up, running the head of him through her wetness as she looked down at him. "I've thought about how good you would look while I ride you. More than once, actually."
She sank down onto him, just a little, and his face sure enough twitched in pleasure, making Y/N smile to herself. "What about you? You ever imagine me riding this pretty cock?"
"Fuck, Y/N, yes, I— Oh my god..."
She sat down completely, rocking her hips forward a little and pressing her hands harder into his chest. "Fuck, you feel so good..."
She set a slow pace, making sure to pay extra attention to Spencer's face as she worked him. Just like she'd done before, he seemed to have a hard time keeping his eyes open, but his hands gripped her hips so tightly she was sure they'd leave bruises. The thought of that spurred her on, and she picked up the pace, bouncing steadily on his cock.
"Ohhh, fuck," she groaned, her hands leaving his torso to grab her breasts. He opened his eyes and watched her, letting out a soft moan of his own. His hands slid up her sides and under hers, replacing them with his own firm grip. She leaned forward a little so he wouldn't have to reach up that far, placing both of her hands on either side of his waist.
"Tell me," she managed to say as she continued riding him. "You ever think about fucking me at work? In the round-table room or over my desk? I know I have..."
He continued to pinch and pull at her nipples while barely being able to keep his eyes open. "Y-yes... Fuck, Y/N, I think about you all the time..."
"Feeling's mutual. Sit up for me?"
Spencer opened his eyes and she helped him sit up. They adjusted for a second before she wrapped her arms around his neck and started moving again, rocking her hips into his and giving him a better angle to hit inside her deeper.
"Fuck, baby, you feel so good," she breathed against his lips before she kissed him, missing the feel of his lips on hers. Their bodies clung together perfectly, every movement feeling better than the last, until they were both obviously close to coming undone.
Sure enough, the moment she squeezed her legs together and clenched herself around him, he groaned into her mouth and bucked his hips forward. "Y/N... I..."
She pressed her forehead to his and tugged at his hair, quickening her pace just a little and feeling herself geting close as well. Any moment now and she would feel it.
"Me, too," she breathed, brushing her nose against his. Within a matter of seconds, they were both unraveling, sighing out each others' names and holding on to each other for dear life as they rode out their highs.
Eventually Y/N slowed her hips to a stop, and she slumped against him, pressing one final kiss to his lips before she got off his lap and pulled him down to lay beside her, immediately snuggling into his side and burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"So, was that better than you imagined?" she murmured against his neck, pressing kisses along collarbone.
Spencer laughed and pulled her even closer. "Even better. No dream could ever do you justice."
She smiled, feeling herself growing sleepy. "You sap... But, for the record, I could say the same thing about you."
"Really?" He seemed genuinely curious.
Y/N looked up at him and smiled, tracing patterns on his chest with her fingertips. "Really. I wasn't kidding, Spence, I think about you... probably more often than I should. You're distracting."
"I'm distracting?" he mused. "You're... you. Seriously, it's a surprise I haven't completely made a fool of myself around you since we met. Especially after we all found out about your other job."
"Right... That doesn't... weird you out, does it?"
"That you used to be a stripper?"
She nodded, truthfully a little worried. She wasn't sure why, but it had always been a problem in her previous relationships, and she'd gotten used to that.
"No, of course that doesn't weird me out. I mean, I was definitely more intimidated around you, and I figured you were completely out of my league... Truthfully, I think you still might be."
"Oh, don't sell yourself short, Doctor. You're perfect, and really, if anyone was out of anyone's league here, it would be me. I'd be lucky to have you in any capacity, you know that, right?"
He blushed, bringing his forehead to rest against hers again. "Well... In any case, I really do like you, and... If it's not too weird, maybe you'd want to go out sometime?"
Warmth bloomed in her chest as she reached out and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together. "Of course. I would love to."
***
"Make it stop," Y/N whined, covering her ears with the pillow.
Spencer stirred beside her, barely awake himself. The knocking at the door wasn't stopping, and in a huff of annoyance, Y/N decided she'd had enough.
"We're getting up!"
She only realized what she did after the door opened and Elle walked in, a shit-eating grin on her face. "Oh my God, you were in here last night! I came by your room and tried calling..."
Y/N and Spencer both froze, completely awake and now well aware of the fact that someone else knew about their... sleeping arrangement.
"Uh, yeah... Yeah, I was here. Sorry if I worried you," Y/N stammered, trying to keep her cool. "I-I promised Irene I'd stop by this morning for breakfast before we left, so I should probably do that. Do, um... Do you mind?"
Elle laughed, giving the two of her friends a once-over before nodding. "Sure thing, Little Star. Oh, and uh... Good for you, Reid, proud of you."
"Elle," Y/N groaned, clutching the covers tighter around her bare torso.
"Right. Don't be too late."
After she left, Y/N leaned over to Spencer and rubbed his arm. "I'm sorry. I probably should have—"
He stopped her by pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. When he pulled away, his hand brushed the hair from her face and he smiled. "It's fine. I don't care who knows. I mean, as long as you don't, Petite Etoile..."
He said it with a grin reminiscent of the one Elle had just adorned, and it made Y/N laugh. She kissed him again and ruffled his hair. "I'm gonna get you for that."
"What? It suits you."
"You are not calling me by my stripper name. It's bad enough Elle and Morgan are probably gonna call me that for the rest of my life, I don't need it from you, too." She smiled as she said it, hoping that he knew she was only joking.
Either way, Spencer looked at her adoringly and took her hand in his. "Well, then... how about I just call you mine?"
"I like the sound of that."
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Text
Pairing: Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla
Word count: no idea
A/N: This is my first fanfiction that I’m posting out in the world! This takes place an hour or two after the end of Star Wars Rebels Season 2 Episode 7: Wings of the Master. I found a fanart when surfing the internet for Kanera content (as one does) a few months ago and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since! I don’t know whose work the art is but I’ll paste it on here! If anyone knows who it’s by, please let me know :) the art isn’t mine, but all of the writing is! Obviously, Kanan isn’t blind yet in this fic like he is in the fanart. I hope anyone who reads this likes it!! I’m hoping to post more fanfiction in the future—I have three others in the works already! I’m open to any and all feedback!
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Hera rubs her temple as she steps out of the promotion briefing. Her head buzzes with new intel, and plans zip through her mind like starships. She is honored and ecstatic about her promotion to Phoenix Leader. At the same time, though, she can already feel the new responsibility settling onto her shoulders, all of the lives that will soon be placed under her supervision weighing on her. Hera can and will take on all of the privileges and authority her new position grants her, and she fully intends to own it, too. Still, her heart is heavy.
Truthfully, she’s still struggling with the losses they suffered on the first attempt to deliver supplies to Ibaar. Hera had been so determined to complete that mission, to find the right ship to make it possible, that the grief and sensation of failure hadn’t caught up with her. She had made sure of that. There wasn’t time to be crippled by guilt and loss when there was a mission to complete. Now that the mission was over, however, she can feel the effects of the losses setting in.
Thoughts swirl through her mind as she continues to head down the hallway towards the bay where the Ghost is docked.
If I had just let us turn back—if I hadn’t told everyone to keep going—maybe Phoenix Leader and the people on the transport would have survived.
She’d made the wrong call. Hera can still hear the panic-filled voice crying out, “Captain Syndulla!” as the transport—and the people inside—were blasted into a thousand pieces. She’d let her determination blind her, and lives had been lost because of it.
Guilt pours into her, paralyzing her. She stops walking in the middle of the empty hallway and steps into a nearby alcove to process it all. If I make a mistake like that again, the consequences will be worse now that I have more responsibility. What if I let everyone down?
Her churning vortex of thoughts and feelings is interrupted by a pair of strong, green-clad arms embracing her from behind, and a deep, warm voice comes from above her. “How’s it going, Captain?”
Pleasure surges through her lekku. His timing is perfect.
The pleasant surprise washes all of the guilt, fear, and sadness away, at least for now. Hera lets out a little “hey” of protest as Kanan Jarrus pulls her nearly off her feet, but an irrepressible smile spreads over her face. She closes her eyes and turns her face towards his, relishing the warmth emanating from him and the way his presence soothes her. Hera places her hands on the arms that envelop her, returning the embrace through a gentle squeeze.
“Better now, love,” she tells him. He releases her slightly so that her feet are fully on the ground and places his chin on her shoulder, still holding her close.
“And you usually hate PDAs.”
“If I’m not mistaken, there’s no one in this hallway.”
“What would you have done if there were?”
Hera is silent for a moment, eyes still closed. “Nothing differently.”
She can feel him grin. “Great,” he replies. “Because there’s someone walking by now.”
Hera’s eyes fly open and search the hallway—which is still empty. She elbows him. “Kanan!”
A deep laugh vibrates out of his chest. She rolls her eyes, but allows herself to settle back into his embrace.
“Really, though,” Kanan says gently, all traces of mirth disappearing. The care in his voice sends another ripple of affection through her lekku. “How are you? I could tell you needed this.”
“And you were right,” Hera admits as he guides them down onto the alcove’s bench, arms still entwined around her. Normally, she’d break away now to explain what she was feeling, the thought of fellow rebels walking by and being made uncomfortable by their display of affection present in her mind. This time, however, she isn’t ready to move away from him. Besides, this isn’t a heavily trafficked hallway anyway. She does move to the side rather than sitting on his lap, though, her shoulder overlapping his. “It’s those people we lost the first time we went to Ibaar to deliver the supplies,” she begins, her voice heavy with returning guilt. “They died because of me.”
Kanan lifts his head from her shoulder, his aquamarine eyes staring seriously into hers. “Hera, no.”
“They told me they were taking heavy fire,” she continues, her voice growing more and more agitated. “They lost their forward deflectors, and I still told them to keep going. I should’ve told them to turn back.” A sound of frustration escapes her throat. “Why am I so stubborn? Why are they putting more people under my leadership after my decision led to several deaths?”
“Hera,” Kanan’s voice cuts through her hysteria, rich and deep and sure. “Everyone here knows that any mission could be their last.”
“I know that,” she responds, voice still thrumming with anguish. “But that doesn’t mean lives should be thrown away just because of one person’s inability to retreat!” She breaks her gaze from his, shaking her head and staring down at the floor. “I don’t deserve that promotion.”
Kanan gently lifts her head so that her eyes meet his again. “No one trusting someone with authority expects them to be perfect,” Kanan reminds her. “Everyone here has made a wrong call, has failed to complete a mission—which you didn’t, by the way—but that doesn’t mean they’re a failure. You weren’t treating anyone like they were expendable—your optimism led you not to give up. You were determined to get those supplies to those in need and refused to give up hope.” Tones similar to those he uses when teaching Ezra a lesson color his voice, though with considerably less frustration. “The only way to rise above your mistakes is to accept the lessons they teach and apply them in the future. Letting your mistakes destroy your faith in yourself isn’t going to help anyone.”
Hera listens intently, his sincerity like a bacta patch on a wound.
“Sato could hear all of the comms between you and Phoenix Squadron, and he didn’t demote you or chastise you. Clearly, he doesn’t blame you for the lives that were lost.” Kanan squeezes her tighter reassuringly. “No one does.”
His voice becomes harder, more insistent. “And of course you deserve the promotion.” He sounds offended at the thought of anyone suggesting otherwise. “You didn’t volunteer to leave the mission—you were committed to seeing it through. But when I volunteered you for the mission to Shantipole, you dove in—literally—and headed straight into a world that no ship is supposed to be able to escape from—but you did. You’d only flown that B-wing once before joining the battle, but you flew it like it was built for you. You’re the reason those supplies did get to those people. When I recommended your promotion, Sato didn’t waste a second before agreeing with me.”
Kanan’s words replace her guilt and grief with a swelling of gratitude and comfort. Hera won’t forget those who had died today. She’ll be more careful to see when a situation requires a retreat, but she won’t let her confidence in herself die. “Thank you, Kanan,” she tells him, her heart full. He places his forehead against hers, and they share a rare moment of contentment and peace, enjoying each other’s presence.
Hera reluctantly breaks the silence after a minute or so, lifting her forehead from his.“We should probably get back home,” she tells the Jedi. “I liked that B-wing, but that doesn’t mean I’m letting the kids wreck the Ghost.” Kanan’s flash of disappointment is so endearing. She lifts his chin reassuringly.
“It’ll be all right, fearless leader.”
Kanan unravels his arms from around her, replying indignantly, “Hey, no, you’re officially the leader now.” They’d had the argument many times, each insisting that the other is the leader of their crew. Hera always tells him that “captain of the ship” and “leader” are two different things.
Now she rolls her eyes, smiling, but doesn’t correct him this time.
“I guess it’s about time we get back, anyway,” Kanan continues before she changes her mind and decides to refute him. “How long has it been since you’ve eaten something?”
Hera’s brows knit as she attempts to remember. “Yeah, too long,” Kanan’s suspicions seem to have been confirmed. “Come on.” He takes her hand and pulls her up, out of the alcove, and into the hallway. They share a comfortable silence all the way back to the Ghost, which Hera now realizes Kanan must have left to come find her. Even more affection for him to rises in her at the realization.
When the cockpit opens, the two release each others’ hands and are greeted by a rush of cheers and pumping fists. Even Chopper waves his grasping arms and spins around in celebration.
“Go Hera!” Ezra yells.
“About time you got promoted,” Zeb grins.
“Congratulations, Hera,” Sabine tells her earnestly.
“Mom got promoted! Mom got promoted!” Chopper chants triumphantly.
Hera chuckles, heart overflowing with fondness for her crew. “All right, all right,” she tells them. “You’re going to make the rest of the ship think that something’s wrong.”
“Who cares?” Ezra says as he pulls everyone into a group hug. “Hera cares,” Kanan replies, but he puts one arm around her and another around Sabine. The hug is a little awkward, with Zeb being so much taller than Ezra and Sabine and Chopper standing in the middle of the circle, but in that moment, the crew feels truly united.
“Okay, I can’t stand Zeb’s smell anymore,” Ezra quips, stepping out of the circle. Chopper rolls over and smacks him with a grasping arm.
“Ow! You always do that!” The blue-haired boy zips into the cargo hold, trying to get away from Chopper, who continues whacking him as he pursues.
The rest of the family shares exasperated smiles.
Kanan nudges Hera forward, dropping his arms from hers and Sabine’s shoulders.
“Lead the way, Captain Hera,” he tells her, that crooked smile of his setting the inside of Hera aglow. “We’re all behind you.”
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