#sad to see her be rejected and thrown away like that

[lovelyhan]

— melting point ⟢

rumor has it that icy department head of pledis insurance has something going on with her loyal secretary, wonwoo. well, she does—it's just not the kind of behind-closed-doors business one would expect for them to partake in.

★ FEATURING; secretary!wonwoo x afab!oc

★ WORD COUNT; 12.3k words

★ TAGS; coworkers to lovers, revenge fic, angst, smut

★ WARNINGS; blackmailing, manipulation, mentions of past bullying, graphic sexual content (MINORS DNI)

★ NOTES; hi... it's been forever, hasn't it? i missed tumblr a lot, and have decided to grace the tags with this fic after months of radio silence heheh ! this was a commissioned piece on twt which i tweaked to fit my tumblr audience better! cheers to 5k followers even in my absence t__t you guys are the best!

★ PS; i'm sorry i can't be bothered to dig up my taglist and tag those who filled it up T T

There’s a saying in PLEDIS Insurance that goes: enjoy your coffee early because once the Ice Queen is in, it’ll turn just as cold as she is. 

Of course, the words were merely thrown around in jest. Something that bored employees come up with in the break room whenever they’re careless enough to think their little jokes won’t reach said ice queen’s ears. But still—they’re just jokes. As long as they worked enough to satisfy their salaries’ worth, Emma the Ice Queen would always turn a blind eye. She might be cold, but she isn’t completely heartless.

Most of the time.

“Good morning, ma’am,” her secretary, Wonwoo, greeted with a curt nod as she entered her office. 

Emma scoffed before setting her things down on her work desk, the frown on her face only worsening when she sees the elegantly wrapped gift box in front of her. “What's this?” 

Wonwoo swallowed thickly, like he was nervous. Wonwoo never gets nervous.

“We have an...unforeseen circumstance,” he prefaced before tapping away on the iPad in his arms. “Sir Leo from the Choi group wants to pursue you.”

“Unforeseen?” Emma repeated. “Wonwoo, this is completely foreseen. Isn't it our from the start is to make them fall in love, only for us to expose their dirty secrets in the end?”

He looked as if he wanted to agree. But after turning the screen of his iPad so Emma could see the article written on some shoddy newsletter, her brows furrowed together in confusion.

A Race for the Inheritance: How the Choi Group’s Next Generation of Ambitious Youngbloods Will Do Everything to Get Their Fill of Old Money. 

The title itself didn’t give Emma much context of what exactly was making Wonwoo—her ever-composed secretary—lose his composure. It’s natural to see the sons and daughters of a powerful business conglomerate fight each other for their rights to the family inheritance. But after reading through what the rest of the article had to offer, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly started to fit.

“They're seeing who gets to get married first?” Emma laughed incredulously before handing the iPad back to Wonwoo. “Does Leo really think he can get me to become his lover—even more so his wife—after everything he did to me in high school?”

Wonwoo breathed in deeply. “Miss Emma, we both know the answer to that. If it were all up to you, you could easily put him to shame and reject him. But his interests somewhat align with the director’s interests as well…”

Ah. Her father’s interests.

“No,” she answered sharply. “Even if he kicks me out of my position, I’m not going to be wed to that prick.”

“Are you sure about that?” Wonwoo sighed before adjusting his glasses. “Miss Emma, we both know you love your work more than anything. And you're chronically attached to this company even if you despise the executives. Sir Leo has good leverage over you, sad to say.”

There was something irritating about hearing Wonwoo call his ex-best friend Sir, as if he was underneath some scumbag of a human being like Leo. But then again, years have passed since then. Lots of things have changed. 

But Emma’s grudges hold steadfast, still.

“Hmph, whatever.” She dismissed the matter with a nonchalant wave before unwrapping the gift box in front of her. “Was this from Leo, too? Is he on a deadline or something?”

“Hmm, first one that gets married before December gets the rights to the inheritance,” Wonwoo informed her as he picked the clutter of ribbons off Emma’s desk and pocketed them in his coat for later disposal. “Do you want me to look up the progress of his siblings and cousins? We can sabotage him while it's still early.”

Emma didn’t respond right away—preoccupied with unwrapping Leo's so-called gift. But when she sees a red velvet box with an engagement ring and a folded letter inside, she begrudgingly realized that Leo wouldn’t be as easy a target as her other high school bullies.

No, this man really was rotten to the core.

By the time you’re reading this, I’m sure you already heard the news. You know what to do, right, Emma?

Or should I say, wifey? ;)

“Send this back to him. Now.”

Wonwoo nodded obediently as Emma pushed Leo's cursed gift box away from her. “Alright. Anything else I can do for you? Like…have someone plant a snake in his bedroom or something?”

Despite the sour mood that Leo undoubtedly put her in this morning, Wonwoo's little idea of a joke made the corners of her mouth turn up into a small smile. The offer was tempting, but in the end, she shook her head and booted up the PC on her desk instead.

“As much as I want his death by a snake bite to headline the news, Leo doesn’t deserve to get out of this the easy way.” Emma muttered as she started browsing through the hard-drive she’d hooked up onto the computer. “And lucky for us, I finally got the evidence to send his suspiciously prosperous career down into a spiral.”

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow before taking a peek behind her. “What's that? Money laundering records? Tax fraud?” 

No. It was really something as simple as—

“Footage of a mass orgy he participated in,” Emma casually told her secretary as she clicked on the only video on the hard drive. “Might not look like a big deal compared to what we had to go through with Ezra, but Leo belongs to a family of devout Catholics. Good thing your contact from Leo's favorite bar had some use. All I did was ask around and he quickly spilled all the details with the right amount of money.”

Wonwoo chuckled as he flashed her an impressed look. “As far as I know, I’m the one who’s supposed to do the dirty work for you. Why are you directly involving yourself in matters you can leave to me?” 

The lewd video continued to play on her screen—muted, of course—and one could easily make out Leo Choi's face amongst the crowd of sex-depraved freaks. Once they sent this over anonymously to each and every person who might think that scumbag deserved to inherit his family’s wealth, it would be all over for him.

“‘Cause we’re a team, Wonwoo,” she chuckled. “You’ve done your fair share of work when we took down Gavin and Ezra. But admittedly…I've got more bones to pick with Leo. I think it’s only fair for me to orchestrate his downfall with my own two hands.”

“Right…” Wonwoo agreed with a hint of fondness in his tone that completely went over Emma’s head—far too triumphant with her newfound ammunition. 

“We’re a team.”

But it wasn’t always that way.

Wonwoo was actually more deeply involved in Emma’s mission to exact revenge on the people who’ve wronged her years ago than one would otherwise expect. He’d been best friends with Leo since they were kids, and when they eventually met Gavin and Ezra in their high school basketball team, the four of them were quite inseparable. 

But despite being his best friend, Wonwoo knew that Leo could be quite…off-putting with his behavior sometimes.

“Hey, look at that,” Sixteen year-old Leo scoffed before gesturing towards the loud girl earning amused stares in the cafeteria. “She's so fucking loud. Is she the new transfer student?”

Gavin snickered as he took a bite out of his lunch. “How'd she even get in here? Our tuition isn't a joke, and she doesn't really look like she can afford it. The kid of a maid, maybe?”

“Or she could be one of those financial scholarship kids,” Ezra pitched in with a shrug. “Though she doesn't look very bright if we're being honest.”

Wonwoo didn’t offer anything to the conversation, merely eating his food quietly as his friends talked smack about the new transfer student in their class. Emma Rodriguez was like a piece of meat thrown into a pit of vipers. Some might like her—like the classmates who were howling with laughter because of her antics—but others looked at her with disdain. 

She didn’t belong to any wealthy well-known families like every other kid in their grade. The girl simply popped out of nowhere like an eyesore, according to Leo. Wonwoo didn’t really mind her presence though. She made the boring monotone of his school days a bit more bearable with her energy.

But what Wonwoo thought was just his friends’ surface-level dislike for a girl who behaved differently from the others in their grade turned out to be something else.

Something worse.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew what bullying was, and was well-aware that what his friends constantly did to Emma wasn’t something that normal high schoolers did. Leo was the most vicious about it, and Wonwoo never really got to know his reasons for doing all those horrible things. 

But whenever they spotted Emma horsing around in the hallways, Leo would always be the first one to come up to her—calling her names like fraud, gold digger, and the like. Gavin and Ezra followed each and every time, and they were usually the ones who pushed her around for no real reason.

And Wonwoo? Wonwoo was the one who always stood a few feet away every time his friends decided they were in the mood to pick on the transfer student. The one who always stayed quiet and pretended nothing unsightly was happening in front of him.

The one whose gaze Emma always tried to silently catch, hoping he’d be the one to stop his friends from harassing her. 

But he never did.

That cycle of three boys bullying a once bright and bubbly transfer student became commonplace. Before their third year in high school came to a close, Emma suddenly vanished off the radar. She didn’t attend their classes, nor was she there in the completion ceremonies at the end of every school year. 

Most of the kids around Wonwoo didn’t really give two shits about her sudden disappearance. Word around the street was that she transferred out because of the heavy harassment she was getting, not just from his friends, but also the rest of the students from their grade. They didn’t think Emma was funny because of her silly antics and loud jokes anymore.

Everyone started to collectively think of her as a nuisance, and the fact that she had no familial connections to protect herself with only fed into the senseless yet oh-so popular trend of crushing Emma Rodriguez’s hopes and dreams into the ground.

It was almost like Wonwoo was the only person in their entire grade who felt the tiniest bit of pity for her. But he told himself long ago that someone like him had no right to feel sorry for someone he never bothered trying to help. 

The years passed by in a flash. After Emma’s disappearance, Wonwoo quit the basketball team and  completely cut off his friends and everyone else who actively hurt her. He didn’t really know why either—all he knew was that he couldn’t stomach the idea of keeping those connections despite what they drove Emma to do. 

Of course, he knew he wasn’t completely innocent either. But it wasn’t too late to be a decent person, right?

Wonwoo simply went through the motions of graduating high school, then college, before pursuing a career in the vicious world of the corporate hierarchy. But instead of gunning for executive positions like his fellow fresh grads dared to dream, he worked his way up without using his family’s prestige to his own advantage. 

In fact, Wonwoo realized he liked working closely with his bosses. That’s why he became the designated secretary to all the finance department heads who walked through the doors of PLEDIS Insurance. He was content with being a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy who’s at the beck and call of someone else—a tool who worked on the sidelines. He never really wanted to be the face of any company anyway.

But then, in his fifth year on the job, he was told that there were a couple of changes in PLEDIS’ executive board. The boss he’d been working under was set to retire and he’d be replaced with a new one—someone younger and full of promise, as the head of human resources dramatically explained to him. 

It wasn’t really a deal breaker or anything. As long as Wonwoo got paid, he’d gladly work for even the most terrible of people in this industry.

But on the day his new boss was set to start, he was haunted by a ghost from the past instead.

Wonwoo hasn’t spared a single thought for Emma Rodriguez in God knows how long. Yet the moment she stepped into the office, he recognized her almost immediately. There was no trace of that girl people called gold digger and other derogatory names because of her appearance. This was a woman with her head held high—someone who oozed confidence in every stride with a gaze sharper than her winged eyeliner. 

Yet Wonwoo couldn’t be mistaken. This really was Emma Rodriguez.

He wondered if she remembered him, too. The boy who kept quiet about those who bullied her in those few crucial years of her life. Wonwoo even considered apologizing for not doing anything to help her when he should have. 

“Ah, Wonwoo Jeon?” Emma repeated his name with a dismissive air, almost like she was wholly uninterested in him. “The one who just watched when Gavin Kim pushed me in the muddy courtyard at school? The one who pretended not to see when Leo Choi splashed paint all over my uniform? Of course I remember you.”

God. Was this her exacting retribution?

For the next few days since she came into the office, Wonwoo helped Emma get used to the feel of things in the Finance Department. At least, that was his intention. 

From the looks of it, Emma already knew the ins-and-outs of managing a company’s cash inflow and outflow, as well as the other gritty, more technical details that came with accounting for each and every cent. She managed to prepare and present several sets of data that his previous boss had trouble organizing to the current board of directors within two days’ time. 

Her work ethic was admirable—she got the job done quickly and efficiently, and that made her earn the respect of her subordinates faster than Wonwoo had seen them warm up to their previous bosses. It would have been the perfect relationship between the new department head and her employees, if it weren’t for Emma’s stone cold behavior towards other people. 

Not only did she look different from the Emma he knew in high school, but she acted differently too. Wonwoo couldn’t picture this Emma purposely making a fool out of herself just to make the people around her laugh. This Emma wanted the entire team to get the work handed to them done as soon as possible, and if they did, the most they’d receive in return is a mere nod in approval and nothing else.

It was for that reason that employees would start calling her the Ice Queen. Though she wasn’t some tyrant that gave people an unreasonable workload—she was actually very lenient and fair about the division of tasks—her people skills needed a little work. 

That or Emma was purposely shutting everyone out with her chilly attitude. 

Wonwoo had a few clues as to why she’d want to do that, but he’s a secretary, not a therapist. The only thing he could do about it was to keep his silence.

But then came a day when Emma asked him to come into her office to do something he completely expected from her but didn’t at the same time.

“Are you still in touch with Leo, Gavin, and Ezra?” she asked him, not even bothering to look up from the report she’s reading off her PC.

The question caught Wonwoo off-guard and it was obvious Emma caught on to his reaction if the tiny smirk that curved across her lips was anything to go by. Still, he took it in stride—breathing in through his nose as he thought about his answer.

He hasn’t been in touch with any of them since his high school graduation. All their attempts at reaching out to Wonwoo to invite him for a quick game of ball or a round of drinks somewhere in the city were all ignored. Not even turned down—ignored. 

Leo was the most persistent about it. After all, they were best friends. But after several years of Wonwoo not even bothering to give their invites a single glance, Leo stopped reaching out altogether. Wonwoo's life became a lot more peaceful since he cut ties with them, and he never really regretted the decision to do so. 

But perhaps the universe really was telling him to pay the price for his past inaction now that Emma was bringing up the past on a regular Wednesday afternoon. 

“No, ma’am,” he told her honestly. “Do you want me to reach out to them? Their contact details are pretty easy to get our hands on.”

Emma sighed quietly before meeting his gaze, an unreadable look hovering across her face. “Mmm. Yeah, I’d like that. But aren't you going to ask why I want to contact them again?”

He wanted to, but Wonwoo learned that in his line of work, the last thing he should do was ask questions. It made him wonder if Emma was purposely setting him up on some sort of conversational bear trap, but seeing as he didn’t really have anything to lose by giving, he chose to relent. 

“...Why?”

The silence of her office rang in his ears as Emma typed away on her keyboard. It was a mechanical one with tactile switches that matched the color of her desktop wallpaper. He didn’t take her to be someone who cared enough about aesthetics to that degree, but then again, Wonwoo never really got a chance to get to know her back then. 

He was too much of a coward to do so.

Once she was done, Emma got up from her ergonomic chair (which also matched her desktop setup), leveling her gaze with Wonwoo's even if the latter was easily a head taller than she was. Something about the glint in her eyes made him swallow the lump in his throat. Not to mention that sweet yet chilly smile that graced her bright red lips.

“It’s really simple, Wonwoo,” she told him with a laugh. 

“I want revenge.” 

And that’s how their little team was formed.

It was a two-person job. Emma entrusted Wonwoo with digging up the information she needed about the three men she wanted to bring down, all while she was in charge of putting their plans into motion by heading over to the front lines. 

Gavin was an easy target. Unlike the other two, he’s the only one who pursued professional basketball and for a while, he amassed quite the number of fans and admirers because of his outstanding plays. What’s more was that he managed to wife up a beauty queen who’s already conquered the international stage a few years back. Now with their first baby on the way, one would think that Gavin Kim has a picture perfect life.

But further down the road, talk about how he’s actually a womanizing wife beater started to seep out of the cracks and crevices of the athletic industry. The allegations were serious, but no one really bothered batting an eye. It’s normal. Lots of athletes are like that. We can't do anything about it.

It was easy to get a hold of which gym Gavin frequents to maintain his physique. He preferred working out in public facilities instead of the one provided for his team because it gave him all the freedom to ogle and flirt with other women who just happened to be hitting the gym on days he was on the prowl. 

Wonwoo even added a little footnote in the file he prepared that said likes to engage in post-workout coitus in the shower rooms. Emma rolled her eyes in disgust when she read it, but made sure to keep it in mind.

The day finally came when she’d collect enough evidence to ruin Gavin’s career. Emma hasn’t dropped by the gym in a while—work having sapped her energy too much to let her psych herself back into working out. But she realized she didn’t have to act out too much because the moment she started operating the treadmill right next to Gavin’s, he was already checking her out.

He didn’t seem to recognize who she was, unlike Wonwoo. But then again Gavin was easily the stupidest out of her trio of high school bullies. This man was all brawn and no brains, which was why it was all too easy for Emma to seduce him in the showers of this shoddy gym not thirty minutes since she’d arrived.

It wasn’t the most pleasant experience. The last thing Emma wanted was to have this idiotic man inside of her so she offered to go on her knees and blow him instead—something that Gavin was all too happy to relent to. 

He didn’t even boast a cock of considerable size. It probably wasn’t any longer than her middle finger, and for a split second, she wondered why his beauty queen wife stayed with him despite having a cock that didn’t back up his cocky attitude. It was probably the money.

Emma didn’t waste much time though. Wonwoo visited this gym only a few hours prior to plant a bug somewhere inside the specific shower stall they were currently occupying. She just had to hope she and Gavin were positioned well enough so the camera would get a full view of what they were doing. 

It was the longest twenty minutes of Emma’s life, and she had to go home right away to disinfect her mouth about ten times, but hey. All in the name of vengeance, right?

At around eight in the evening on that same Saturday, her phone lit up with an email notification from Wonwoo. 

From: Wonwoo Jeon  Subject: CLASSIFIED Good evening, Miss Emma. I hope this message finds you well. I retrieved our bug from the gym earlier today and extracted the videos taken before properly disposing of it. Attached to this email is the MP4 file of our evidence against Mr. Gavin Kim. Around the time this message arrives to you, I have simultaneously sent said evidence to Mr. Kim’s managers, sponsors, teammates, other colleagues, and of course, his wife.  The only difference between their emails and yours is that this is a self-destructing message. Once you’ve closed this window, it will be deleted from your inbox without a trace. So if you are interested in watching the video below, best save it to your device of choice for better perusal. If you have any further questions and concerns, I am merely a text message away.  Regards,  Wonwoo Jeon Secretary, Finance and Logistics Department PLEDIS Insurance 

Like hell she was going to watch it.

The moment Emma finished reading through Wonwoo's overly formal email, she quickly exited the window and, true to his word, the message itself had disappeared. Despite being a fairly new player to the game, she had to commend all the precautions Wonwoo was setting to make sure her plans were a success. 

It made her wonder if his previous bosses have also asked him to do shady things under the company’s nose in the past. Whether or not that's true, she was reaping the benefits of his expertise, so she had no room for complaints. 

As long as she had Wonwoo, she’d get to punish everyone who wronged her without fail.

Gavin’s downfall followed soon after. 

Tabloids were their best friend in that scenario. The thumbnail of the video that Wonwoo spread around like some virus that wouldn’t stop replicating headlined every single paper, talking about how one of the most promising basketball stars of their generation had fallen prey to his own vices.

It was a good thing that not only was Wonwoo careful enough to not leave digital footprints as he sent out those emails, but he also edited the video to keep Emma’s identity a secret. As Gavin’s world started to crumble before his eyes—him being kicked off the starting roster of the team, his wife leaving him behind, and the public execution of his reputation—Emma simply shared a bottle of aged wine from Tuscany with the man who helped her pull off a wonderful performance.

“You’re not too bad,” she mused as she took a small sip, crossing her legs from where she’s seated unceremoniously on the edge of her desk. “You're surprisingly more on-board with this plan than I thought. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were never friends with Gavin in the first place.” 

Wonwoo retained his stoic demeanor, not having touched the glass Emma offered him simply because it was against company regulations to intoxicate himself on the job. “If my boss tells me to ruin someone's life, I'm mandated to do it. I’m just doing what’s written on my job description, ma’am.”

Emma’s lips stretched into a grin as she threw her head back with a laugh. She leaned in closer to Wonwoo, who seemed wholly unfazed by the fact that the gesture granted him an ample view of her cleavage through her blouse. 

“Does your job description cover watching and editing your boss' sex scandal so you can mass send it to hundreds of people?” She giggled before leaning back to take another sip of her drink. “You’re in the green for now, Wonwoo. Keep it up and I might just have a pay raise arranged for you with HR if our next escapade is a success.”

He hummed in understanding. “Who’s next?”

In usual Emma fashion, she didn’t give him a straight answer right away. Instead, she hopped back to the carpeted floor of her office—not even wobbling in those thin heels she’s wearing—before rounding her desk to access her computer. 

“Have you been watching TV lately? Primetime soap operas?” she asked him as she clicked away on her screen. 

Wonwoo shook his head. “They don’t really interest me, ma’am.”

“I figured they wouldn’t. But this might.”

Emma gestured for him to peer at her monitor and Wonwoo wordlessly followed suit, getting up from his seat and standing behind her. Flashed on the screen was an article from a more reputable news outlet that featured two co-stars who played the main couple in a popular network’s newest drama. 

“Ezra Lee and Alaina Park…” Wonwoo muttered under his breath before his eyes flickered to Emma. “You have any leads I can work with?”

His boss chuckled before looking up at him with an expectant smile. “Someone's determined. I never thought I’d get to see someone so eager to do the dirty work for me.”

Wonwoo shrugged. “Miss Emma, I'm not sure if you're aware but desk work gets boring sometimes. You’re right. This is a lot more interesting.”

“Alright, then,” Emma chuckled before retrieving both of their wine glasses and handing Wonwoo's back to him. “Unlike Gavin, I don't have a lot of surface-level leads with Ezra. He’s a celebrity—their reputation needs to be squeaky clean, so it makes sense why I can’t dig up anything about him through regular means. But this should be a piece of cake for you, right?”

Wonwoo stared at the bright red liquor inside the expensive glass, gaze darting to the wicked smile playing on Emma’s lips. If he looked a little closer, he would be able to tell that the shade of her lipstick matches the color of the liquor in her hands. 

He took it from her grasp with a sigh, clinking the edges of their glasses together before downing the entire thing in one fell swoop. The wine was aged well, and had somewhat of a sweet aftertaste, but despite the appealing flavor, Wonwoo reminded himself to never drink on the job ever again. 

“I’ll get back to you once I have the information you need.”

Wonwoo swiftly left Emma’s office after that little victory party. Even with his new sideline of being his boss’s lead henchman, he still had a lot of work to do for PLEDIS Insurance. And that included telling the other employees to quit horsing around in the break room when their designated lunch break ended hours ago.

“Sir Wonwoo,” one of said employees, Soonyoung, snickered before throwing an arm over Wonwoo's shoulders. “You've been hanging out in Miss Emma's office pretty frequently. Is there something going on? You became close real quickly.”

“Yeah” said one Seokmin, who’s still snacking on a wafer despite Wonwoo's scolding. “Boss, we know you're not the fuck-your-way-up kind of guy, but who knows, right? But with your position right now, do you really need it?”

Seungkwan, the last member of their unruly trio, slapped Seokmin’s arm with a scowl. “Hey! Do you really have to say it to his face? Oh, boss, if you make a report about these two, please know I have nothing to do with whatever they're saying.”

Soonyoung snickered. “Are you sure about that? Weren't you the one who first noticed that Sir Wonwoo was stepping inside Miss Emma's office more frequently—”

“Hey! Boss told us to scram, didn't he?! Let's go.”

Seungkwan quickly ushered his two friends out of the break room, scolding them in a hushed tone before they all went back to their respective cubicles. Wonwoo shook his head with a sigh, muttering something about inevitable rumors as he made himself a cup of coffee.

Was that how they perceived Wonwoo’s sudden closeness with the department head? That he was fucking Emma in the solitude of her office? Well, the idea of a boss having illicit relations with their secretary wasn’t too far-fetched. He’s heard about how the head of the Advertising Department gets frisky with his secretary through the corporate grapevine. But just because it was a popular trope among the employees’ strange fantasies, it didn’t mean it applied to himself and Emma as well.

They were strictly professional: he did the dirty work and she paid him in full. That was all there was to it.

(But what people don’t know was that editing Gavin’s scandal wasn’t exactly the walk in the park Emma thought it was.

Despite being one of the most indifferent people in the company, Wonwoo was still a man. Seeing his boss, whose body would be coveted by anyone who dared to want her, in such a compromising position excited an…unexpected physiological reaction out of him.

His resolve was as sturdy as steel, however. Instead of taking care of the obvious problem in his pants as he edited the scandalous video, Wonwoo dealt with it by taking a long, cold shower until all the blood that rushed down south started circulating properly again.

He told himself not to think about it come morning.)

“A drug den?”

Even Emma was baffled by the news that Wonwoo brought her the following week—a scowl of disbelief permanently etched on her face as she scanned the file her secretary prepared for her. Wonwoo merely stood at her side, waiting for her to finish going through the data he’s gathered. 

And he sure hoped she understood every single word printed on it. He practically risked his life trying to investigate Ezra’s secret business. No wonder it was so hard to dig up any dirt on him—dead men tell no tales after all.

“This is…” Emma swallowed thickly before continuing, “way above my expectations. If he was just getting faded on his own with a private dealer, I'd understand. Lots of celebrities do recreational drugs. But for him to head an entire operation? Where'd he find the time on top of his taping schedules?” 

Wonwoo sighed. “I would’ve been able to investigate further if his men weren't so meticulous. They're fiercely loyal to Ezra. Couldn’t bribe him like we did with Gavin’s gym coach.” 

“And you made sure to keep your identity under lockdown?”

“Positive.”

Emma drummed her fingers across the smooth surface of her work desk—brows furrowed as she stared into nothingness. Though they’ve only been working together for roughly six months at most, Wonwoo knew her well enough to realize she hit a wall.

It made him wonder if this was where she would draw the line. Their success with Gavin gave them both an unexpected high, sure, but Wonwoo recognized that this game they were playing was a dangerous one. The people they were trying to take down had more money and connections than the two of them could ever hope to get their hands on. 

But one thing that he failed to recognize right away about Emma was that she’s always been grossly ambitious. 

“The file you gave me also mentioned na he was hoping to insure his new house in Incheon,” she pointed out. “Care to tell me why you decided to include that?”

“I know you told me not to involve the company in this as much as we can, but I couldn’t think of any other way to penetrate into his circle.” Wonwoo adjusted his necktie, suddenly feeling like he’s being watched by the hawk that was his boss. “I’ve been told that he’s wary of people. Side effects of the cocaine, probably. Though the info broker sounded like he was joking, it’s best to be wary of him. If he can hide behind the protection of his management and his family, we need to play our cards right and protect ourselves, too.”

Emma took a moment to process what her secretary just told her, nodding slowly before closing the folder containing Ezra’s file and locking it inside a hidden drawer beneath her desk. 

“Oh, Wonwoo. If only all men were as intelligent as you are,” she sighed, getting up from her seat before pinching his face. “Good work. Let's go out for drinks later. My treat.”

Wonwoo's face twisted with confusion. “For what? Doing my job?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “For going above and beyond every single time. You think you're only good at doing dirty work? At being my errand boy? You never fall behind your quotas here in the office either, you know. I think that in itself is a cause for celebration.”

Now that she’s reasoned it out, Wonwoo was even more weirded out by this strange turn of events. In the six months that Emma Rodriguez has spent as the head of PLEDIS Insurance’s Finance head, she never failed to uphold that arctic cold façade. She treated both executives and regular employees with the same degree of cut-throat harshness. 

And that’s when Wonwoo realized that she didn’t really treat him the way she treated them.

Huh. Did the Ice Queen have a melting point after all?

Despite his extensive protests, however, Wonwoo let Emma rope him into grabbing dinner and drinks at a food hub several districts away from their office. The fewer people who could recognize them outside, the better. Of course, he pleaded and reminded her several times that she was his boss and she really didn’t have to—

“Hey! Keep drinking!” Emma slurred with a huff, face red from the alcohol as she pushed another pint of beer into Wonwoo's face. “Why aren't you drunk yet, huh, Wonwoo Jeon? Are you God? Maybe that's why you're so good at obtaining information for me. Ah! No! Maybe you're the devil! Right, what we're doing isn't exactly good nor is it legal…”

Wonwoo exhaled long and hard as his boss continued blabbering nonsense across from him at their shared table. One glance at the smartwatch on his wrist told him that it was near midnight and that he should probably bring Emma home before she could make a scene. 

But…maybe they could stay for a few minutes more.

“Miss Emma? Are you sleepy?”

“Hm? Why would I be sleepy? We're drinking, aren't we?” 

“You're half-asleep on the table, so.”

At the prospect of being called out, Emma quickly shot into an upright position—looking around to see if anyone caught her drooling. When she realized she was in the clear, she narrowed her eyes at Wonwoo.

“Not a word about this in the office,” she warned, using one of the finished barbecue sticks on their empty plates to threaten him. “But...yeah. Alcohol makes me sleepy. Drive me home.”

Not even a please. This woman was really shameless even when drunk.

Not a peep of complaint was heard from Wonwoo when he drove Emma all the way to her condo unit in uptown Poblacion. Though he had to practically carry her inside and even help her out of her clothes and into her pajamas (at her request, not his own initiative), he simply told himself this was all part of his job. 

When his boss was safely tucked in bed, he was ready to bid her farewell and head back to his own place to catch up on some sleep. But for someone who was intoxicated beyond belief, Emma was still quite aware of her surroundings. The moment Wonwoo took a step away from her bed, her hand shot out to grab ahold of his wrist, making Wonwoo look back at her with an eyebrow raised.

“Wonwoo,” she murmured, face still smothered in her pillows despite her tight grip. “Can you stay?” 

“There's nowhere for me to sleep,” he chuckled. “I should go.”

“Then sleep next to me.”

The furrow on his brow merely deepened. He’d ask her to repeat what she said, but Wonwoo could recognize that Emma wasn’t really in the headspace to be reasonable right now. So instead of refuting her wish, Wonwoo carefully pried her fingers off his wrist so he could take off his work coat and fold it neatly on top of her vanity table.

This is all part of the job, he told himself.

Wonwoo laid on his boss’ duvet perfectly still. He didn’t want to make the mistake of touching her when he didn’t have explicit permission to do so. He was merely told to sleep next to her after all—nothing else.

But about fifteen minutes after he lied next to her, Emma shifted on her side of the bed—turning to him with a sleepy look in her eyes.

“You know,” she whispered, so softly, he would’ve missed it if he wasn’t as observant as he was. “I hoped...so hard back then that you would help me when I needed it. But you never did.”

Emma probably won’t remember what she mumbled in her drunken stupor in the morning. But the sadness and honesty that underlined her words sent him back about ten years into the past. To a time when he was a much greater evil than those who directly wronged her.

An apology sizzled across the tip of his tongue—something that’s a decade overdue. But before Wonwoo could hope to let her hear his piece, Emma’s breathing had become even and shallow. 

She was already fast asleep.

He sighed, staring up at the dainty ceiling of her bedroom as he chuckled helplessly to himself.

“That’s why I’m making up for it now.”

If Gavin’s case was a walk in the park, Ezra’s was an Olympic-level marathon.

Wonwoo didn’t want to dwell on the details anymore. To cut it short: he was going to cross out ‘exposing a notorious drug lord’ off his bucket list without thinking of doing it again ever. While he managed to get out unscathed during his investigation, it just so happened that their final altercation with Ezra ended up putting Wonwoo in the hospital. 

But so what if he fractured a couple of ribs trying to save Emma from being killed by that drug-addicted lunatic? As long as their goal to bring Emma’s enemies down was achieved, he’d gladly sustain any life-threatening injuries.

Which was, admittedly…strange. 

Long before Emma came into the picture as his boss, Wonwoo never would’ve pictured himself risking his neck for the benefit of someone else. Though he had an entire arsenal of skills and knowledge at his disposal, it would take more than just his generous salary to get him to put them to good use.

But with Emma, he found himself utilizing whatever means to help her exact her revenge—on people he once called his friends, much less.

He must be going insane. 

“Wonwoo…?”

Funnily enough, he ended up recalling everything that happened over the past two weeks first before recognizing that he was just regaining consciousness in the intensive care unit. Wonwoo's eyes hurt because of how bright the fluorescent lights were overhead, but for some reason, he didn’t flinch away from her relieved smile when it was a million watts brighter than the hospital’s indoor lighting.

“Good…day, ma’am,” he croaked out awkwardly, belatedly realizing that he didn’t know what time it was. “What day is it? Did someone fix your schedule for today? Did someone go over your meal plans in my stead? Were you—”

His endless stream of questions was interrupted by hacking fit—making Emma scramble for a glass of water on the table by his hospital bed, a concerned look lining her gaze.

“Don't talk too much,” she scolded him as he finished his drink. “You’ve been out for two days, idiot.”

Two days? 

Needless to say, he couldn’t do a thing about it once his boss started fussing over him. She called over doctors she personally knew and handpicked only the most competent of nurses to look after Wonwoo. How Emma could be the judge of that, Wonwoo wasn’t very sure, but he gladly let her take care of him for a change. 

After all, they successfully concluded another chapter in Emma’s little revenge story.

“When are we going to start with Leo?”

Wonwoo brought the matter up about three days after he woke up, right in the middle of eating the stale hospital food served to him for dinner. Emma, who was snacking on some takeout fast food, hummed before tossing a french fry into her mouth.

“You're not even healed yet, and you're thinking about work?” she sighed before pointing a fry in his direction. “I’m still paying you your regular wage even if you're stuck here. You don’t have to worry about making ends meet so much, Wonwoo. You just need to rest—”

“But I don’t want to rest, I want to be useful to you,” he interrupted her gruffly, which was strange of him because he never interrupted his employers. 

For a moment, Wonwoo thought he’d be on the receiving end of a verbal lashing even if he was still recovering. Emma never let other people talk back to her without consequences. But instead, his boss threw her head back with a laugh that bordered on a snort. It’s a look that Wonwoo had seen on her time and time again—a look that he noticed Emma only showed to him. 

Back then, he didn’t really think of her smile all that much. But now…

“You’re being useful enough just by being alive, Jeon,” she reassured him, that grin of hers unwavering. “Enough questions about Leo. I'm not even thinking about him yet because compared to the previous two? He’s a lot easier to track down.”

Wonwoo shot her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“Same approach lang with Ezra.” She flashed him a toothy smile. “We’re going to get him to insure some of his properties under PLEDIS. But instead of us going to him, he'll be going to us instead.”

“I…? Sorry, ma’am. I don’t follow.”

Emma stifled a soft laugh behind her palm, unwrapping the burger included in her takeout meal before taking a bite of considerable size. “The Choi Corporation is expanding a chain of shopping malls somewhere in Jeju. Leo Choi personally contacted our CEO and there we have it: another big shot client.”

Another person to drag down to hell.

“Is that good enough for you?” 

Wonwoo was still processing the news as they both finished up their respective meals. He should probably be glad that Emma didn’t decide to put their secret operation on hold just because he was out of commission. But something about how smoothly they’re progressing into the next phase of Emma’s big revenge plan that made him wary of treading any further. 

He felt like he was being paranoid—probably the aftermath of almost crossing to the other side because of what happened with the Ezra incident. Wonwoo couldn’t help but be wary of any and all threats to both his life and Emma’s, and it was for a good reason.

“Okay,” Wonwoo breathed, wincing a little when he felt the spot where his ribs broke ache at how fast he inhaled. “What do you want me to do for now? Investigate? Trace his whereabouts?”

Emma’s smile suddenly turned ice cold. “I want you to rest, Wonwoo. Do I have to keep repeating myself?”

“But—”

“No buts. Boss’ orders—I'm your boss, right?” 

Ah, there’s the Ice Queen they all knew and loved. 

Fine. Maybe he could use a break from all that quote-unquote field work he just did. But one thing about his entire hospitalization still remained unanswered.

“What did you tell HR? About…this?” Wonwoo gestured towards his battered but healing body. “You’ve got the charisma, but I’m pretty sure it’s difficult even for you to go into cahoots with the other employees of PLEDIS. Much more, our human resources head.”

Emma waved away his concerns with a shake of her head. “You're so persistent, aren't you? Don’t think about HR. Or Leo. Or the rest of our plans. Can’t you be a normal salaryman and be happy that you have a break from all the things I make you do?”

“I told you, Miss Emma. I just want to make myself useful.”

“And I told you that you're the least useful in your current state. So give. It. A. Rest,” she threatened, putting emphasis on every syllable. 

But behind her intimidating façade was someone who actually cared for him. The details were still a bit muddled in Wonwoo's head, but he remembered being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Remembered how Emma never let go of his hand as they made the trip all the way. And how he heard her pray for him to make it out alive despite being a well-known agnostic.

Once their conversation had mellowed down, he laid back against the steady elevation of his bed, watching the scenic city lights glimmer outside the window of his hospital room—just behind the woman who made his life a lot more interesting.

He couldn’t wait to be useful to her again.

“I hate this. I fucking hate this so much.”

Wonwoo spared his employer a quick glance as she practically glared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. He’d been browsing through a sports car catalog tucked underneath the hotel’s coffee table, but watching Emma have a furious meltdown about her wedding was more worth his time. 

“You're the one who said that there'll more benefits if you accepted the marriage proposal,” her secretary reminded, crossing his legs as he leaned back on the couch he was sitting on. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Of course I was just…gaslighting myself about this entire fucked up situation!” Emma growled as she stomped over to him with a scowl. “Can’t fucking believe my dad agreed to marry me off just like that, too. After all his talk that I needed to love whoever I'm supposed to marry...”

Wonwoo shrugged. “Anyone can be blinded by money—especially if it's from the Chois.”

“Even you?”

It’s a question that sunk into the room with a rhetorical implication. Emma was quick to exchange the earrings her stylist chose for her with something more suited to her taste—a pair that didn’t sparkle all that much but was worth more than six months of Wonwoo's salary. In her reflection on the vanity mirror, he could clearly see the way her red lips parted in concentration as she clipped the earrings in place. 

“No,” Wonwoo responded even if he knew she wasn’t looking for an answer. “I’m more easily blinded by other things, ma’am.”

Emma glanced behind her with a puzzled look, not getting his drift. “Like what?” 

Wonwoo didn’t dare think twice. 

He got up from his once comfortable position on the couch, closing the distance that sat between him and Emma in long, calculated strides. She didn’t seem fazed by his sudden need to walk over, but the moment Wonwoo was behind her, she stiffened when he reached a hand in front of her face. Then, with a firm yet featherlight touch, her secretary wiped off the lipstick that stained past her lip line with his fingers—not once breaking eye contact with her in the mirror. 

“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you, now would it?” He smiled before pulling his hand back. “I need to keep you on your toes sometimes, too, Miss Emma.”

He half-expected her to scoff and brush off his attempt at being smart with her. Emma was a no-nonsense kind of person, and with the wedding happening soon, Wonwoo understood why she’d be more high-strung than usual. 

But instead of acting the way she always did with him, Emma took Wonwoo by surprise when she fisted his silken necktie in her manicured nails, tugging him down so that their eyes were leveled with each other. Normally, that wouldn’t be enough to wrestle Wonwoo into complete submission, but this was his boss they were talking about.

There’s a glint in those sharp eyes of hers that had his heart beating off the charts. This wasn’t the gaze of someone entitled the Ice Queen of their office. No, there’s something warm in there—borderline sensual. And before Wonwoo could even hope to figure out what it was, Emma was already closing her eyes and sealing their lips together like some unspoken pact. 

It’s an inconsequential kiss. Wonwoo has made out with both men and women alike—all desperate gasps and lust-fueled passion—but somehow, none of those experiences could hold a candle to the way Emma Rodriguez pecked his lips for a fraction of a second before pulling away. 

“You're getting more and more insufferable,” she muttered, resting her forehead against his. “You were never this cheeky before. What happened?”

You, he wanted to tell her. You happened.

At that point, Wonwoo's brain was merely operating on carnal instinct alone. He lunged forward to capture her lips again, making her gasp in surprise as he snaked a strong arm around her waist. Thank fucking god Emma’s wedding dress had a simple design—no pretentious frills to obstruct his movements. 

Despite the fact that this woman—his boss—was getting married in less than two hours, Wonwoo couldn’t even give a damn. He swiped all the makeup boxes and accessories off the vanity table, propping Emma up on the horizontal surface as he kissed her until she saw stars. 

“Wonwoo,” she sighed against his lips, thighs inching apart as he bunched the long hem of her gown up to her waist. He wondered distantly if Emma was going to ask him to stop—to see reason. But the glazed look in her eyes told him otherwise.

“More.”

Wonwoo wanted nothing more than to give her more. He’d do everything she could ever dream of asking him. Never mind the fact that it was more than a little messed up for him to consider fucking his boss right before she’s married off to the man who tormented her endlessly at sixteen. 

Nobody else mattered—not Leo, not the director, not even Emma’s intricate revenge plot that was years in the making. At that moment, only the two of them existed, only separated by a few layers of clothing before they could finally become one. 

But Wonwoo was abruptly reminded why he always chose reason before ambition long before he met Emma. Dreams and delusions were bound to end when you least expected them to. Reality, on the other hand, would always remind you of life’s harshest truths.

“Miss Emma?” They both could hear the voice of Leo's personal assistant outside the door to the hotel room, preceded by a few short knocks. “It’s time for your prenup shoot. Director Rodriguez is also looking for Sir Wonwoo. Is he in there with you?”

Whatever dream the two of them have fabricated only minutes ago had been erased from existence—all that was left was a bride-to-be with her dress ruffled in all the wrong places, and a pitiful secretary with red lipstick stains adorning his face.

“Yeah, he’s here with me,” Emma yelled over to the doorway, eyes refusing to part from Wonwoo's. “We’ll be down soon. Thanks, Christina.”

“Okay, ma’am. I'll just wait for you in the lobby.”

Wonwoo counted to ten before peeling himself away from Emma, quickly striding towards the bathroom to get some tissues both for himself and his employer. But while he was wiping off the lipstick on the corners of his mouth, Wonwoo immediately noticed the shift in the atmosphere.

Emma was already busy straightening herself out—smoothing down the creases in her gown and retouching her makeup as best as she could without her stylists. Wonwoo wouldn’t have minded the silence, it’s exactly the kind of setting he preferred working in. 

But just when he thought he’d managed to melt the Ice Queen’s heart over the past year, she turned arctic cold all over again. 

“After the wedding, tell my driver to accompany me to Leo's penthouse. Though I despise the idea, we have to go home together to keep up the act for everyone to see.” She gave her orders the same way she used to tell Wonwoo to sort the company’s financial reports—straight to business with little room for playing around. “Other than that, I don't have any more orders. You can rest easy for the day, Wonwoo.”

He felt like he should say something to address what just happened between them five minutes ago. To ask why she was pretending as if they weren’t breathing each other in like all the oxygen on the planet had gone in a flash. But Wonwoo wasn’t some desperate fool that overestimated his place in Emma’s life. 

“Duly noted, ma’am,” he muttered with the same degree of aloofness she’d just given him before tossing the soiled tissues in the trash. “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

Emma didn’t even break face as Wonwoo's footsteps resounded on the carpeted floor. She didn’t even spare him a second glance. But then again…

He was her secretary, and she was his employer. 

That was all there was to it.

Much to Wonwoo's surprise, Leo's case was closed much sooner than he thought it would be.

Before Emma could even make it to the cathedral, the commotion had already started. Wonwoo had arrived earlier in the venue with Emma’s father, the director of PLEDIS Insurance, and were just about to take their seats among the other principal sponsors when the television screens mounted all over the church suddenly started playing a video.

A video that Wonwoo has already seen before.

He didn’t have to glance at Leo to know that he was sporting the most horrified look he could muster upon seeing one of your many sex scandals having an impromptu screening at the cathedral. Collective gasps and disgusted remarks were heard in a chorus of murmurs that reached all the way up to the high ceilings. 

Wonwoo could hear Leo's assistant, Christina—who turned out to be part of the sex parties her boss secretly indulged in—barking orders for the church staff to cut the feed. But it was too late. Those who needed to see the truth have already gotten their fill.

Recognizing that his daughter couldn’t possibly be wed to a man with a reputation that’s been tarnished in a church, of all places, Director Rodriguez ordered Wonwoo to contact the bridal car driver and tell him to send Emma straight home instead. It’s a job that Wonwoo got done fairly quickly, and despite the numerous text messages that Emma sent him demanding answers about what happened, he didn’t respond to any of them right away. 

After a few hours of digging around, Wonwoo eventually found out that one of Leo's cousins was behind the public exposé. Apparently, said cousin was able to obtain the same footage that Emma acquired and was able to sabotage Leo's attempt at seizing their family riches before Emma could even put her plans into motion. 

Well, at least someone else already did the dirty work for them.

As usual, Wonwoo collated all the information he’s gathered in a concise email. This was how he kept Emma up to speed about their progress—through self-destructing emails. He informed her about the involvement of Leo's cousin and how the trash had taken itself out, ensuring that Leo Choi had fallen from the false pedestal he’s clung onto for years.  

Their behind-the-scenes mission has been fulfilled.

While he didn’t expect Emma to respond enthusiastically, receiving radio silence in return wasn’t something Wonwoo had anticipated either. But he opted not to read into it much. She must’ve been royally pissed that Leo's demise wasn’t brought about by her own hand, and Wonwoo respected that.

The following Monday after the canceled wedding, however, he ended up finding out the reason behind her silence. 

“Boss,” sobbed Seokmin when Wonwoo timed in at the office. “Please don't leave!”

Immediately backing him up was Soonyoung, who didn’t hesitate to hug Wonwoo, even giving him a few pats on the shoulder as if they were old drinking buddies. “It's okay, Sir Wonwoo. You've been here long enough. Maybe it's about time you found your path elsewhere.”

…Huh?

“What are you talking about?” Wonwoo voiced out his confusion. “You’re speaking like I got fired.”

As if on cue, the third member of their trio walked in on the conversation as he sipped on his usual iced americano. Seungkwan stared at Wonwoo with a puzzled expression before saying:

“But weren't you fired, sir? Miss Emma announced it this morning, but I think she left right away after, too.”

Not privy to the way the pieces started to click in his head, Seokmin and Soonyoung kept consoling Wonwoo as he made his way to his (old) cubicle. Emma had been one step ahead too—someone already having packed away most of his belongings in storage boxes. Not to mention the notice of contract termination sitting on his desk. Effective immediately, it says.

“I really don't get it though” Seungkwan droned behind him. “You? The best secretary in the city? Fired just like that?”

Seokmin nodded. “I don't understand it either. You two were business-as-usual after the wedding. Miss Emma must've been so pissed that she didn't get married that she laid off the boss here.”

“True,” Soonyoung agreed with a snicker. “Boss, maybe Miss Emma's just being unreasonable. I bet she'll be begging for you to come back in a few days' time.”

Yeah. That’s what the situation would seem like to an outsider. But Wonwoo knew perfectly well that Emma wasn’t bluffing about this. She fired him for a reason that’s been stewing for more than a decade. Even if Gavin, Ezra, and Leo have had their taste of justice, Emma’s revenge plot wasn’t finished like Wonwoo thought it was.

Because Wonwoo was one of her targets all along, too.

I hoped...so hard back then that you would help me when I needed it. But you never did.

“Where is she?” 

Seungkwan perked up. “Uh, maybe she went home? She told us something about feeling a bit under the weather?”

Seokmin nodded. “She's probably in her penthouse or something. If i were you, I'd start making it up to her.”

“Hey, you're talking like they're actually dating,” Soonyoung scolded with a laugh.

Not even bothering to thank them, Wonwoo turned on his heel and made a beeline for the office entrance—dead set on doing exactly what Seokmin jokingly suggested.

This is why I'm making it up to you, he mused with an exasperated air as he buckled up in his car. 

Can’t you just let me in?

Emma spent her first Monday after the entire wedding disaster with Leo holed up in her unit—stuffing herself full of ice cream. The only reason she bothered going to the office today was to formally announce that her secretary Wonwoo Jeon was fired—just like she’d been planning since the moment she met him again as her secretary after all these goddamn years.

Her high school bullies have been put in their place. Her fifteen-year revenge plot was finally over.

But why did she feel so fucking depressed about it?

She sighed pitifully when she realized she’d already emptied her tub of double dutch ice cream, finally deigning to get up from the couch to deposit it in the kitchen for later disposal. But just when she was about to continue moping in her living room, the doorbell to her unit buzzed from the entrance, making her glance that way curiously.

It could be her next-door neighbor. A kind, elderly woman who lived with her daughter. She borrowed Emma’s rosemary spices yesterday—something that she barely used because she often opted to go for food deliveries instead of whipping up her own meals. 

With that reasoning in mind, she didn’t bother checking who was at the door through the peephole. She simply undid the locks before opening the door—only to come face-to-face with—

“Hey,” Wonwoo sighed as he jammed his foot between the door and the doorframe. “Ma’am, please talk to me first. Did you think I wouldn't catch onto what you were trying to do?”

“Why do I have to explain myself to you? You’re fired, right?” Emma growled as she pushed the door with her back, but sadly, Wonwoo easily overpowered her. At least he was decent enough to not let himself in—he simply lingered out in the hallway with a placid look on his face. “What?”

“Emma,” her ex-secretary addressed her for the first time without any formalities. “If you fired me as vengeance for not helping you all those years ago, I get it. I deserve it, even. But after what happened sa hotel…

“You can’t convince me there’s nothing between us anymore.”

Her breath hitched, face growing warm at the reminder of that intimate moment they shared hours before she was supposed to get married. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could still feel Wonwoo's mouth on hers. But that wasn’t a thought that was healthy to entertain at the moment.

“What are you saying? That was all part of the plan, you know?” She bluffed with a mirthless laugh, fully turning to face him as she crossed her arms. “Make you smitten enough with me to let your guard down. Look, you didn't expect me to fire you, did you?”

“No, but you can’t fool me, Emma,” Wonwoo chuckled with a self-satisfied smirk. “You wanted me too—that was real. If I’m mistaken, then make me leave. Call security on me. If I’m the nuisance you so desperately want me to be, then get rid of me here and now.”

The silence was thick between them. Emma was practically shaking with frustration as Wonwoo stared down at her with that overconfident look on his face. She wanted nothing but to punch him, hit him, slap him—

Kiss him.

Maybe Wonwoo was right. Maybe Emma did want him more than she led herself to believe. 

Because why the hell did she fist the front of Wonwoo's work shirt before pulling him inside her penthouse? Why did she slam him against the door, earning a sexy groan from him as she crushed their lips together?

Was this a healthy way to deal with your current predicament? No—definitely not. But it felt too fucking good to pass up on.

Wonwoo, however, was all too quick to regain control—hooking one of Emma’s thighs around his waist as she gasped into his mouth. She could practically feel him smirk against her lips, and though she’s loath to admit, it only made her want him even more.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” he chuckled before peppering her neck with love bites. “You might need to kill me first before I stop pursuing you.”

Emma spared him a breathless laugh that quickly melted into a moan when Wonwoo's hand found itself inside her oversized sleep shirt. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were obsessed with me, Jeon.”

His fingers were warm against her skin, and Emma couldn’t help the full-on shudder that racked her body when Wonwoo grazed her bare nipples. The smile on his face was wicked—dangerous, even. 

“Maybe I am,” he chuckled, his breath fanning against her flushed face.

“What would you do if I was obsessed with you, Ma’am?”

Emma was well aware that Wonwoo knew the answer to his own question. It was obvious in the way he quickly picked her up from the floor, fully wrapping both her legs around his waist as he carried her towards her bedroom. But despite the carnal urgency in his grip, Wonwoo was awfully gentle as he laid her down on the mattress.

“Last chance to kick me out,” he murmured against her ear as he started unbuttoning his shirt. “You could exact your revenge on me even better, ‘no? I’m giving you the leeway to frame me for forced entry…among other things.”

God. She knew Wonwoo was a little crazy when he accepted Emma’s orders to help her make his old best friends suffer. But the way he looked at her with such crazed desire further confirmed her suspicions.

And she didn’t want her men any other way.

“Fuck me, Wonwoo,” she told him clearly before stripping her own clothes and laying herself bare for him to feast on—eyes lidded, desiring him just as much as he did her. “That’s an order.”

He shook his head with a chuckle, and Emma had to force herself not to drool over his perfectly built torso. If she had more patience, she would’ve taken her time worshiping every inch of Wonwoo's body, but he’d already set a fire in the pit of her stomach. One that she fully expected him to deal with sooner than later.

“So wet for me,” he observed with a lopsided smirk, pressing their foreheads together as he lathered his fingers with her slick. “Have you always wanted me this way? Do you touch yourself to the thought of me, Miss Emma?”

Yes. Fuck, yes. 

“That’s none of your business, Jeon,” Emma stubbornly insisted, keeping herself from moaning when his lips descended onto one of her hardened nipples. 

Wonwoo made good on the opportunity, using the fingers he’d used to feel up her slick cunt to rub her essence across the other bud he wasn’t suckling on. The effect was near immediate—Emma throwing her head back with a pretty little whimper as Wonwoo started to massage her breasts. 

Fuck. He’d always dreamed of getting to smother his face between them.

“Wonwoo,” she gasped out loud, hips bucking desperately when he bit down on her sensitive flesh. “F-Fuck me. Now.” 

“Demanding.” He pulled away from her sensitive nipples with a pop, staring up at her with a lustful gaze. “You enjoy ordering me around too much, you know?”

“You enjoy being ordered around, too,” Emma pointed out with a scoff, trying her best not to moan too loudly when Wonwoo's fingers started to toy with her leaking cunt again. “Just—I need you. Please.”

Ah, he never thought the day would come when he’d hear Emma Rodriguez begging for his cock.

“Okay, Ice Queen,” he relented with a playful laugh, kicking his underwear and trousers off as he pumped his already hard length. “Since you're so eager for me to fuck you, I’m not going to prep you anymore. You better not cry when my cock splits you open, okay?”

Hearing him talk so lewdly to her made her pussy gush with excitement. What’s more was that, not only was her secretary blessed with a face and body that gods would covet, but his cock was something she was afraid she’d keep looking for even when he was done with her.

He was awfully careful when he first pushed inside of her, sharp eyes riveted on her face as it twisted with both pain and pleasure alike. His size was something that one needed getting used to, and he wasn’t about to make his first time with Emma uncomfortable for her.

No, he wanted her to keep thinking about him even after they’ve had their fill of each other.

“Squeezing me so fucking tight,” he rasped against her neck, licking a long stripe along the column of her throat to make her shiver. “Too bad you already fired me. I always wondered what it would feel like to bend you over and fuck you in your office.” 

He could feel her pussy squeeze his cock even tighter at the shameless image she put in her head, making Wonwoo smirk with pride as he started to move. Emma mewled his name, grabbing his face as he chased his lips. He was all too willing to give her what she wanted, meeting her with an open-mouthed kiss as their tongues clashed together in time with his thrusts.

“W-Wonwoo,” she moaned into his mouth, hips eagerly meeting his. “Deeper. Fuck me deeper.”

And fuck her deeper, he did—Emma’s got him wrapped around her pretty manicured fingers, after all. 

Wonwoo was relentless with the way he pounded her into the bed, the sound of skin slapping against skin ringing much too loudly in his ears. But he didn’t fucking care. The feel of Emma’s velvet pussy walls pulsing around his cock sent his mind into a frenzy—fucking her until the bedframe creaked, until Emma was begging him to give her more, more, more—

All of a sudden, she gasped, “Coming, coming—!” 

If being inside her was life-changing, feeling her cum around his cock sent Wonwoo straight to heaven. Her cunt spasmed deliciously as Wonwoo helped her ride out her high—lips locked together as they breathed each other in. 

“Cum inside me,” she murmured deliriously into his mouth, practically rubbing her breasts—sensitive and littered with all the marks Wonwoo left on them—against his toned chest. “Make me yours, Jeon.”

He didn’t have to be told twice.

“God, I love you,” he sighed a little mindlessly, and those carelessly uttered words made Emma’s eyes widen with surprise before losing herself to the feeling of delirium. 

Wonwoo spilled his load inside her quivering cunt with a long-winded moan, feeling like he’d been shot through the head and was experiencing a level of euphoria that bordered on illegal. Emma moaned at the feel of his warm cum filling her to the brim, bringing him down for another sloppy kiss as the heat of the moment started to dissipate in the quiet atmosphere of their bedroom.

As their breaths started to settle, Emma was the first to glance at him—to meet his eyes. Wonwoo couldn’t find any trace of the arctic cold Ice Queen that practically told him to scram the other day at the hotel.

No, it was just Emma. 

His Emma.

“Can I still take back my verdict?” she muttered softly, inching closer to bury her face in his chest. Wonwoo instinctively pulled her in for a tender embrace, kissing the crown of her head with a smile.

“You mean the contract termination?” Wonwoo chuckled. “Take it up to HR, Miss Emma. I’m just a lowly secretary.”

All of a sudden, Emma rolled over so that she was seated upright on the bed. Wonwoo had to keep himself from groaning at the sight of her—hair disheveled and body sporting all his marks. Seeing her freshly fucked by him was doing things to his libido. 

“You’re not just my secretary, Wonwoo,” she sighed, twiddling with her fingers awkwardly. “I…I wasn’t going to fire you anymore. I got used to your company. I…

“I fell in love with you.” 

The words floated between them like a cloud that couldn’t easily be swept up by the wind. Wonwoo offered her a comforting smile before pulling her into a firm kiss.

“Yet you fired me anyway,” he pointed out with a laugh. “Why? You couldn’t deal with the fact that you fell in love with one of your high school bullies?”

That earned him a punch in the shoulder. “You’re not one of them. You’re different.”

“And you’re in love with me too, no? You said it yourself. Since when?”

Shaking his head, Wonwoo then pressed a soft, featherlight kiss on her nose—one that had Emma’s heart fluttering like she was a schoolgirl.

Gosh, this man. He’s fifteen years too late.

“Maybe I’ve always been a little in love with you. Who knows?” Wonwoo spared her a Cheshire cat smile. “There’s more where that came from though.”

Emma punched him in the chest this time—a bit too close to the spot where he broke a few ribs months prior. But he didn’t care.

She could send him to hell and back and he’d do it for her in a heartbeat.

From: Wonwoo Jeon 

Subject: NOT-SO CLASSIFIED

Good evening, Miss Emma. I hope this message finds you well.

I heard that you dealt with quite a stressful client today. I’m very sorry that I wasn’t here to help you with the matter as I was given tasks to do elsewhere. In order to make up for this lapse on my part, I am cordially inviting you to dinner at 7PM tonight after work. 

Rest assured, the expenses shall be shouldered by me and your only job is to sit and look gorgeous as I wine and dine you for the evening. Sincerely hoping for your most favorable response.

Regards, 

Wonwoo Jeon

Secretary, Finance and Logistics Department

PLEDIS Insurance 

Your boyfriend :)

end notes: this wasnt thoroughly proofread so if you spot some strange errors (aka sentences in a different language bc this fic was partly in filipino) here and there, pretend you didn't see em! as always, ur feedback means everything to me so scream in the tags or my ask as much as you want ^__^

#svthub #seventeen smut #wonwoo smut #seventeen fanfic #wonwoo fanfic #lovelyhan #full-length fic 📚 #wonwoo x oc #wonwoo x reader

[tearsofastraeax]

hiii i just love ur stories and i was wondering, could u write a story where a lot of girls flirt with ghost (cause he's just so hot tbh) and we're crying and feeling bad bcs we're scared he'll find better since he dosen't reject or ignore them??

ty a lot and take care <3

thank u anon ♡ i had so much fun writing a lil angst

sorry it took me longer than expected to wrap up your request, the creative juices are not flowing these days, but i hope you enjoy ♡₊ ⊹

It's no surprise to you that going out with an incredibly fine piece of man is going to come with some jealous feelings here and there.

Just a couple weeks after you started to hang out with Ghost, you noticed women staring at him. But you didn't blame them, how could they not stare? Ghost just naturally attracts women, with his broad shoulders, his veiny arms, those giant hands ... you could go on and on forever.

But you never expected to find yourself sitting in your bedroom, hiding underneath the blanket and silently sobbing into your pillow because of it.

Earlier that day when you were out with Ghost for a drink it really hit you. You had barely left for a minute to head to the bathroom, but when you came back you saw a beautiful woman standing next to him. Inching closer and closer to him, her hand on his shoulder and a flirty smirk on her face. And it didn't look like he was opposed to it in the slightest. His body was slightly angled towards her, his face covered in mystery behind his mask, but you could feel his smile, you just knew.

Your heart felt like it was about to drop, break apart, stop beating all together. Your stomach was in knots. Your thoughts ran a mile a minute, you had no right to be jealous, right? You were only seeing the man for a couple of weeks now, nothing serious... only, at one point, unbeknownst to you, your little heart had accepted him in and made it serious. You were fucked, royally fucked.

To feign calmness you took a slow breath, in and out. Before you made your way back to Simon and the woman still plastered to his side. You coughed uncomfortably to make them both aware of your presence.

It took him a moment to take his eyes off the woman, before he turned to you.

"Oh, this is my friend, y/n," he looked back towards her, gesturing to you.

You all but managed to swallow the big lump that had formed in your throat. His friend? Is that all you were? A friend? Nothing more? Did it only take one beautiful woman to suddenly make you nothing but a friend to him? You should have known this, it was just too good to be true. Of course he would find someone better than you. You felt your eyes begin to water, but you aggressively blinked the tears away. No, you were better than this.

"Yea, his friend", you pressed out, a tight and obviously fake smile on your lips. "Who is just about to leave actually. Have fun."

You grabbed the jacket haphazardly thrown over the seat next to the one you were just sitting on and turned around. Your legs carrying you out of the bar, you couldn't wait to get out of there, to just get away, as far as possible.

What you didn't see was Ghost's slightly confused expression as he watched you leave. But what you did know was he didn't follow you. Didn't he notice how upset you were? Did he just not care?

You huffed out an annoyed sigh, at yourself, at him, at the world, at everything.

You had barely made it home, slamming the door behind you, before the tears came. They welled up, making everything blurry, and then they came crashing over you like a wave, making it hard to breathe, harder to see and impossible to do anything but slide down against the door and sob into your hands.

And there you were, laying in bed, an hour later, still fucking pissed and sad and helpless and jealous and ...

Your phone vibrated next to you, Simons name popping up on your screen. You tried to ignore the call but he immediately called again. Deciding to pick it up you heard a low growl in your ear, the hairs on your neck standing up, a slight shiver running down your back.

“Open the fucking door, y/n.”

The edge in his tone made you immediately jump off the bed. For a quick moment though you stopped in your tracks, hating how he could command you and make you feel, how he had so much power over you when clearly he didn't feel the same about you.

But you heard him pounding on your door, so you hurried to open it. The door swung open and his eyes immediately bore into yours. You swallowed down a thick lump in your throat as he crowded into you, effectively pushing the two of you into the apartment. He slammed the door behind him shut and stared down at you, never breaking eye contact.

"What the fuck was that?" He growled. You couldn’t fucking believe his attitude, weren’t you the one that was supposed to be angry?

You took in a deep breath before you answered, "well, I wasn't the one flirting with some chick..."

You meant for the words to come out more powerful, maybe even as aggressive as his. To make him understand that he had no fucking right to barge in here like this and act as if he had the right to demand answers.

"You...", his gaze softened then, shifting into ... surprise? "You're jealous?"

All you could do was shrug, feeling too raw from crying to vocalise your feelings. But to your surprise, he didn't say another word, his hand softly cradling your cheek. Your skin underneath his felt hot to the touch as you looked up to him. His eyes seemed so soft and gentle then, making your breath hitch in your throat. The feeling of him wrapped around you like a warm blanket was overwhelming. His gesture nearly stitching your heart back together all by itself.

"I'm sorry... I-", was all he could say before his lips pressed onto yours, so harsh and hurried, yet somehow gentle and sweet.

His hands slowly travelled down your body, once he reached your ass, he lifted you up so effortlessly, your legs immediately wrapping around his, as he carried you to the bedroom.

He gently whispered between kisses, "I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise."

#Simon Riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon riley x you #simon ghost riley x you #ghost x you #Simon Riley angst #ghost angst #request #✧･ﾟ⊹ astra writes 📖

[charliemwrites]

I’ve already commented this on one of your posts, but I feel like I have to develop it a little. About Woof!Johnny.

A part of him understand why reader would miss her dog. He kind of misses the dynamic they had too. Of course, he knew the truth would end up changing things. He’s thrown her world (p)upside-down, and her reaction is perfectly legitimate. The thing is, he doesn’t like seeing her sad. Not at all.

This could be why he chose to try and convince Ghost to move in with them. He trusts him enough to be willing to… Share, even if the word doesn’t really sound right in the wilder part of his mind. It takes a while to convince him to even meet reader, but the joy on her face is definitely worth it. She’s back to cooing and laughing while petting her new (and very reluctant) friend, and Soap didn’t realize how much he missed these sounds. What he hadn’t really anticipated, however, was the jealousy that would come with all of this.

She’s wary of Ghost at first. She doesn’t really know how to act with him, what to give him to eat, how to treat him in general. He’s a big wolf, and Johnny’s friend ; so he also has to be a big guy too, right ? But it doesn’t take her long to warm up, and since he stays in his wolf form for a long time, the way she decides to act with him is extremely different than with Johnny. In the end, Ghost gives up on trying to reject her affections, and even starts to enjoy it a little. Soap can see it in his eyes, through the almost invisible satisfaction dancing in them every time Ghost steals the reader’s attention just by moving a little bit. No matter how many times he tries to steal her away, sometimes even dragging her to the bedroom and leaving his friend behind, the feeling never really leaves. It becomes some sort of friendly competition, even if Ghost isn’t really doing much. He knows it, and he is extremely smug about it.

So when he starts showing his human form more, the competition gets worse. Reader isn’t stupid ; she can see it happen.

But that doesn’t mean she has any idea of what is actually waiting for her once the line snaps.

The more we discuss Simon coming in as a new pup to make up for “losing” Johnny, the more it grows on me lmao.

Especially since I could see her 100% pretending hes not a shifter. Nope, this is just her new baby with a bad attitude.

[hxney-lemcn]

The Riddle of Love — Gotham! Edward Nygma x gn! reader

summery: Edward's interest shifts to someone who indulges in his love of riddles.

tw: bullying (?), kristen kringle is a warning all her own in this fic, implied rejection (not really tho, Ed's just awkward).

a/n: I hope so much that I wrote all these characters correctly. I have riddler fever rn and really wanted to write for him, but I've always been scared that I'd write him too ooc. I think I did good tho.

wc: 3.1k

Master List

“What is it that no one wants to have, but no one wants to lose either?” I asked. I already knew it was a lost cause. Edward Nygma was the smartest man I had ever met. Dorky? Yes. Nerdy? Absolutely. Smart? Incredibly. So trying to impress him at his own game wasn’t exactly the smartest move. Yet, the first time I gave him a riddle to solve (which he solved ridiculously fast), I don’t think I’d ever seen him so happy. So I continued to scour the internet in my free time to try and find obscure riddles. 

Although this riddle wasn’t that obscure. I was running out of riddles to find, and I sure as hell couldn’t make my own. 

“A lawsuit,” Eddie replied without missing a beat, still focusing on testing blood samples. 

I couldn’t stop the pout that formed on my face, “It’s not fair how smart you are.”

I didn’t see Ed’s lips twitch up, how the praise I didn’t think twice about saying impacted him more than he’d like to admit. It was quiet for a few minutes, and I looked back down to the papers I had brought with me. Sometimes, I found myself working in the forensic lab when I could. One of the perks of being a criminal data analyst. I could make my notes on paper, and then just copy them into the computer later. 

Since I was a data analyst, I was in the record archives often. I was acquainted with Kristen Kringle, which obviously led me to Edward Nygma. She would complain about him if I came in after he had left. At that point I didn’t know him, but I also found her complaints unfounded. I’d let her vent, but I’d also speak up for him, which made her glance away in what I assume was guilt. Then there were the unfortunate times that I’d walk in on his awkward flirting. I’d just tensely put away or take the files I needed for my research and leave them to it. 

But after enough times, I’d caught him in the middle of one of his riddles. An easy one, probably to dumb it down for Kringle so she’d be enticed to answer it in the first place. Yet he had caught the attention of the wrong person. Although that didn’t seem to put a damper on his mood. He only sent me a tight lipped smile with a little ‘ding ding ding!’. That’s how I was caught hook line and sinker. His mannerisms were oddly endearing to me, and that’s how our odd little friendship formed. 

I was brought out of my reverie as Eddie shuffled over to his microscope, “I am a nine lettered word and rhyme with perfection; I am another name for love. What am I?”

I blinked, not ready for a riddle, even though I always should be in the presence of him. I looked up from my work, and I noticed how Eddie was sweating, his cheeks flushing a bright red. I tapped the metal table anxiously, the word love had thrown me off my game and my brain felt empty of anything else. I mumbled words under my breath that rhyme with perfection. 

“Deception, reception, perception,” I mumbled, yet none of them fit the rest of the rhyme. The longer I took, the more anxious Eddie seemed to get. “Affection. Oh! The answer is affection!”

Ed cleared his throat, adjusting his glasses, “Y-yes, that is correct. G-good job.” My proud smile fell into a more awkward one, thinking over the implications. That riddle sounded like one he’d save for Kringle. Was he running out of riddles as well? The thought alone was preposterous. It was tense for a bit. And when I realized I had nothing left to do but input the current data I had on some wanna be gang leader. The sad part is I knew that the cops aren’t going to be the first ones who get them. 

Even though I needed to leave, it felt wrong for some reason. To leave the situation after Edward had seemed to admit something in his unique way of sharing. I didn’t want to assume his feelings, yet I knew he also wasn’t one to just state them willingly. Biting my lip anxiously, I decided to just do it. 

Walking over towards Ed’s hunched form, I leaned down to place a light kiss to his cheek, “I’ll see ya later Eddie.” Then I booked it out of the room, leaving behind a very flustered dork. 

It wasn’t much later in the day when Doctor Lee Thompson entered my office. It wasn’t much of an office. The dark walls made the space feel enclosed, and it barely fit my desk and the few cabinets it held. Yet I didn’t mind it since it was a space for myself. Lee, on the other hand, was another acquaintance whose office was nowhere near mine. She’d only come to my office for a few reasons, if it was work related (which was rare since our departments weren’t similar), or if it was personal. Sometimes she fessed that it seemed I needed some company, that it would do me no good to spend all this time alone in my office. Other times…it was on a more personal note, about Eddie and I’s relationship. 

She plopped a candy bar on my desk, a placating move that was all too familiar.

“You must’ve done a real number on Ed,” She smirked, sitting on my desk. Due to the tiny size of the room, and the nature of my job, I didn’t have a seat for guests. 

“What do you mean?” I asked. Deep down, I knew exactly what she meant. I knew Edward was an awkward man, and his experience with flirting was an ultimate zero. Yet it was hard to imagine that he was still affected by a small gesture of affection… Okay maybe the gesture wasn’t that small, for either of us, but still! 

Lee’s smirk widened, “I think you know exactly what. Poor little Ed kept stumbling over his words when I brought you up. Something must’ve happened.”

I unwrapped the candy bar as she spoke, wanting to avoid any thought of the earlier moment. Looking back it was so awkward and a terrible attempt at…what? Flirting? Was that my intention? I didn’t even know my own intentions! 

I took a bite from the candy bar, savoring the sweet flavor before having to explain the painfully awkward memory. When I managed to explain the event, Lee couldn’t stop herself from chuckling, causing me to finish my candy bar with a bitter look. 

“That sounds like something you’d both do,” She smiled.

“What’s that supposed to mean,” I huffed, trying to fight off the flush of embarrassment I felt. 

“Nothing,” She sighed wistfully. “But you two really take your time, huh?” 

“Shut up,” I scowled. 

“Okay, okay,” She threw her hands up in mock surrender. “I’ll stop teasing…for now. But seriously, I think you two would be cute together.”

I let out a childish groan, “I get it. Is there anything else you need?” 

“No,” She smiled as she stood up. “Just wanted to see what had Ed all wound up.”

I rolled my eyes, but my heart skipped a beat at the implication. As Lee saw herself out, my mind kept racing. What was Ed doing right now? What was he thinking about? Did he really care enough about my opinion, about my affection, that he was still affected by it? I stared at my computer screen, the cursor blinking mindlessly. Glancing at the time, I scowled as I realized I still had 30 minutes left to my shift. The idea of going home, having a relaxing dinner and then maybe treating myself to a warm bath. 

…

That was only the beginning. It seems that Eddie’s admiration had shifted from Kristin Kringle to me. It was flattering, to say the least. At least to me. Once I gained Ed’s attention, I seemed to have gained his colleagues attention as well. Typically, I didn’t work with the officers, I’d research criminals, then that data would be added to the files. So when I walked past James Gordon and Harvey Bullock, I never thought twice. But when Ed had waved at me, that cute tight lipped smile on his face as I waved back, a smile of my own adorning my face, it drew the attention of the two detectives. 

"Careful Ed,” Harvey mocked. “Don’t wanna scare them off.” Jim only glanced up briefly, not interested in the situation in the least. I watched as Ed’s smile twitched for a second, Harvey’s words seeming to get to him. I felt my smile slip, not liking how they treat him in the slightest.

“He…didn’t do anything wrong,” I shrugged, before waving goodbye, making my way to the record archives. Not only them, but even Kringle was looking at me more than just as a person to vent to. 

“I feel sorry for you,” She stated, adjusting her thick rimmed glasses. Her hazel eyes held their usual air of judgment as she placed some files back in their spots. 

“Why?” I asked, flipping through to find the person I needed. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked, raising one of her perfectly maintained eyebrows. “Edward’s got his eyes on another victim.” I frowned, anger bubbling within me at the way she always found new ways to insult him. 

“I wouldn’t describe it like that,” I managed to grit out. “I find the sentiment sweet.”

“Wait,” Kringle paused, turning to look at me with disbelief. “Do you…like him?”

I sighed, finding it hard to focus on the task at hand with this irritating conversation, “Would there be something wrong with that?”

“Isn’t it kind of weird how fast he switched?” She asked, a hint of jealousy in her tone. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he loses interest in you.”

I slammed the cabinet shut in a bout of rage, leaving the room before I do something I may regret…or lose my job over. As I exited, my scowl worsened when I realized I didn’t even get what I needed. 

“Hello!” Edward’s excited voice greeted me as I entered the break room. When my gaze landed on him, I felt my expression soften, my shoulder’s relaxing. His brown eyes were so expressive, that silly smile on his face never failed to melt my heart. 

“Hey,” I muttered back. Looking over the options in the vending machine. Just get something to eat, and hopefully I’ll feel better. 

“Is…something the matter?” He asked, fidgeting with his glasses. I let out a long sigh as I sat across from him at one of the few tables. 

Taking a bite of my snack, I took some time to gather my thoughts and feelings, “Sometimes I just hate people.”

His eyebrows raised, nervously fidgeting with his tie, “Th-that’s…understandable.”

“Sorry,” I muttered, finally cooling down. “Someone was just saying some really mean things and it got to me.”

Edwards’ demeanor changed in an instant, a frown replacing his smile, and his eyebrows furrowed in a mixture of concern and anger, “Who?”

I blinked, “What?”

“Who insulted you?” He asked, fists clenched. This wasn’t what I was expecting. He would get annoyed, yeah, but he’d always just stew in it until he calmed down. And he was barely angry when I was around, which was something I was proud of. So seeing him react so harshly was unusual. It made me feel a bit appreciated, that he cared enough to get this angry over it, yet it was also unsettling.

“They…they were insulting you,” I clarified, rubbing my arm awkwardly. “And trust me, I was ready to do some things that would’ve gotten me fired.”

Ed blinked, calming down drastically at the revelation, “Oh.” 

“Yeah,” I shrugged. “I swear if she says one more damned thing about you I’m gonna…” I strangled the air, the only way I could express how frustrated her insults made me.

Edward fake coughed, his cheeks tinged a light pink, “I assume you mean Miss Kringle.”

I paused, hoping it didn’t hurt that his past interest was still as rude as ever. “I didn’t even manage to get the files I needed,” I grumbled, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

“...I can get them for you,” I felt my heart crack. Was he still interested in her? Was that why he was so ready to go into the den of the woman who so readily insults him? 

“Oh, no you don’t have to do that,” I shook my head. “I’ll just have Lee do it.”

Ed blinked, seeming to think over something before standing up, “I’ll be right back.” Before he was fully out the door he paused, “Whose case files did you need?”

I couldn’t help the tiny grin at how eager he was as I gave him the names of the people I needed files on. Yet that smile fell. Was he really so excited to get a chance to see Kringle that he almost left without knowing what files he needed? I finished my snack, getting a drink from the vending machine while I was at it. My mind continued to make up terrible scenarios that could be happening at that moment. How she could manage to crush Ed’s precious heart even more than she’s already managed to.

Ed was back quicker than I realized. It took him less than ten minutes! He set the files I needed on the table, that tight lipped grin on his face as he waited for my input.

“Oh! Thank you!” I thanked, flipping through the files to make sure they were all there. “She didn’t give you any trouble, did she?”

“No,” He replied simply. As I met his gaze, that’s when I finally realized that he was truly over Kringle. I should’ve felt disturbed at how intense his gaze was, at how strong his emotions seemed to be when he wasn’t even trying. Yet I only felt flattered, important, and wanted. Emotions I wasn’t completely used to, and caused my heart to stutter at how strong my own emotions were becoming. 

Standing up, I leaned in and kissed his cheek again, this time a bit more confident then the last time I did. I waved goodbye as I walked out with the files he gave me. I felt pride swell within me as I watched Eddie become a flustered mess as I left. It was a good mood lifter as I watched him fumble with his usual nervous ticks, before he was finally out of my sight. 

…

Edward’s courting tactics only seemed to grow after that. I wasn’t sure what changed him to do so. I could only speculate that Lee had something to do with it. She kept stopping by my office, asking how Ed and I were doing like she hadn’t just seen us the day before. I can’t lie, I was reveling in the attention that Ed was giving me, and I could tell he’d revel in my attention as well. A mutual pining on both sides. 

Normally, I’d be okay with that. Too scared to try and push things forward. Edward Nygma was different. He was just so…amazing. I’ve never felt so strongly towards someone. He was sweet, attentive, smart, and overall lovely. I couldn’t just settle for pining, I wanted to experience what it would be like as his lover. 

Which led me to this horrendous mess up of a confession.

I dressed up a bit nicer than usual, hoping to impress the cute dork. I felt confident in myself, an emotion I don’t feel regularly. I greeted Lee, who seemed like she guessed the occasion and sent me a wink when I walked past. 

“Hey Eddie,” I greeted, setting a cup of coffee down on the counter.

“Oh! Hello,” He greeted me, smiling. “You seem chipper this morning.”

Nudging the coffee towards him I smiled back, “It’s a good day today. I got you a coffee.”

“You didn’t need to,” Ed replied sheepishly, not used to people giving him things. 

I only shrugged, “I wanted to.” I tapped the counter I was leaning on as nerves started to slowly creep through me. So, before my anxiety could get the best of me, I blurted out, “What is mine but only you can have?”

With furrowed eyebrows, Ed actually paused to answer a riddle for the first time during this little game we had. His eyes flitted around the room, like he was trying to avoid the answer. I know he was smart enough to figure it out, so the fact he was taking so long to answer caused my heart rate to spike from anxiety. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe I was reading the room wrong. I blame Lee for feeding me a wrong understanding. 

“I…uh…” Ed stuttered over his words, sweat dripping down the side of his face. Shit, shit, shit! I shouldn’t have said that. He does know the answer, I found it online easily, he obviously knows. He doesn’t feel the same and now he’s trying to find a way to politely reject me. 

“Nevermind!” I exclaimed, trying to quell my nerves by getting the fuck out of here. “Stupid riddle! Never needs an answer. I should get to work.”

“W-wait!” Eddie called out, making me stop in my tracks. So close yet so far. “I can be a fruit, I can be on a calendar, I can be important, and I can be forgotten. What am I?”

Turning back around, I watched as Eddie picked at his nails. We both seemed like complete messes at the moment. It was hard for me to think of anything due to my previous failure of admitting my feelings. I bit my lip awkwardly, trying to stop myself from making any more of a fool of myself.

“I…I’m not sure Eddie,” I chuckled solemnly.

Clearing his throat, he adjusted his glasses before admitting, “A date. W-would you accompany me on one?” I stared at him with wide eyes, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“Y-yeah! Of course I will!” That tinge of embarrassment was quickly overpowered by exhilaration. The smile that stretched across my face almost hurt with how big it was. Eddie’s smile was also wide as he still couldn’t meet my eyes.

“Is…is tonight okay? Dinner? 7 o’clock?”

“That sounds perfect.” 

And to make the moment better, I kissed his cheek before parting, excited for what the night held for us.

#riddler x reader #the riddler x reader #gotham x reader #edward nygma x reader #edward nashton x reader #gotham #riddler #the riddler #edward nygma #edward nashton #x reader #dc #dc riddler x reader

[specialagentlokitty]

Enid x reader - just one date

Can u do a enid x addems gn reader the reader is like gomez and is desires love and follows enid like a puppy just begging for a chance and enid is not having it at first but then slowly falls for the reader idk I'm sorry im not good at these - Anon💜

You’d gone to Nevermore before your twin sister had, so of course you’d known Enid for longer.

Hearing Wednesday was making her appearance, you found yourself looking forward to seeing the isolated teen once more.

Standing in front of your mirror, you smoothed down your shirt, and started to do up your tie as there was a knock on your door and it burst open.

Seeing the werewolf wondering in like she owned the place, you smiled softly to yourself and went back to looking at the mirror.

“Hello mia cara.” You spoke softly.

“Stop calling me that. Is it true your sister is coming to nevermore?”

“Yes. She is not to be messed with Enid, my sister… she’s different…”

“I can’t wait!” She squealed.

With that she ran out and you sighed, grabbing your blazer you walked out after her.

“So Enid, the fair is this month. Care to join me?”

“Not happening!” She sang.

With that she ran away from you and you smirked a little to yourself.

She kept rejecting you, but you weren’t going to stop until that girl was yours. You loved her, and much like your father you wouldn’t be going without a fight.

You didn’t see Wednesday when she first arrived, you wanted to give her space, so you stayed in your room studying.

The door was thrown open and you looked up from your book.

“Sister, it is polite to knock.”

“You haven’t attempted to kill me yet. Why?”

“Is it so wrong to want you to settle in first?”

“Yes.”

You hummed and snapped your fingers, just as you did an axe fell from the ceiling, just barely missing Wednesday.

She could feel the breeze as it rushed past and slammed into the floor.

“How sad, you failed once again.”

“Perfectly placed in fact.”

Wednesday ducked as an arrow rushed by this time, and she watched as you spun around in your chair, giving her a lazy smile.

“Good to see you Wednesday.”

“How horrid it is we’re together again.”

You smiled at your sister, knowing that was her way of her saying she missed you.

“What can I do for you anyways?”

“My room looks like a rainbow vomited all over it, come take it down.”

“Enid?” You asked.

You got up and tossed a hoodie on, following your sister as she led you to her new dorm room.

“Yes, you know her?”

“I do. She’s going to be my girlfriend one day.”

“Disgusting.”

You laughed at her, and held a one sided conversation as you helped her take down most of the rainbow stickers before leaving.

Wednesday had to watch as you tried time and tie again to flirt with the werewolf to no avail.

Sitting in the quad, you looked over at the girl talking to some of the other werewolves.

“Staring at her isn’t going to achieve anything.”

“I’m aware.”

Enid started to walk someone and you followed her, walking in step with her with a huge smile on your face.

“Come on, just one date Enid, that’s all I’m asking for.”

“Not happening, I don’t want to be part of your strange gothic family.” She chuckled.

You walked in front of her, taking her hand in yours as you brought it to your lips, pressing a tender kiss to her knuckles.

“You wouldn’t have to, you can wear all the beautiful Color’s you want my love, anything, have anything. And anyone who tries to change you will have a swift and painful death.”

Enid looked into your eyes, you soft smile.

Coming from anyone else it wouldn’t sounded wrong, evil almost.

But coming from you it sounded like a promise, as if you were telling her even if you weren’t a couple you’d still do anything for her.

Enid didn’t take her hand from yours and you took that as a good sign.

“A woman is to be respected and loved, and I am not one to change who you are. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I love you.”

Letting her hand drop to her side, you leant forward and kissed her cheek, pulling a bright pink rose out of nowhere as you held it out to her.

“Think about it dear, and I will wait for you. I will be in the quad as always tonight if you wish to have a little adventure.”

You took a step back and straightened your uniform.

“I will wait forever for you my darling.”

With that, you offered her a little bow, a huge grin and you walked away.

Enid felt butterflies watching you brush off every girl that tried to hit on you on your way past.

You just ignored them, and something about that clicked something in her. You weren’t interested in anyone else, only her.

She wasn’t going to have to worry about you having eyes for anyone else, leaving her for anyone else, treating her horribly.

She’s seen how your parents treated each other, they were madly in love, and she could tell you were just like your dad.

You were loyal, loving, sweet.

Even if she couldn’t transform you’d love her.

Enid looked to the rose you gave her and she rushed away.

You were sat in the quad by the fountain, arm under your head as you stared up at the stars, but the sound of someone approaching made you sit up.

Looking to where the sound was coming from, you smiled.

“My love, you came…” you breathed.

“One date, that’s all.”

You rushed over, bringing her knuckles to your lips as you kissed them gently before peering into her eyes.

“Of course, anything you want you shall have. Come, I know the perfect place.”

You held your arm out for her and didn’t move until she looped her arm with your.

It felt right, and Enid knew she’d found her destined mate, even if it was the twin of the dreaded Wednesday

#wednesday x y/n #wednesday #Wednesday x reader #Wednesday imagine #netflix wednesday #Enid sinclair #Enid sinclair x reader #Enid sinclair x you #Enid sinclair imagine

[deadbydangit]

I really liked the survivor turned killer one! You wrote that request really well <33

Is it alright to ask for a part 2? This time with Knight, Trickster, Spirit, Pyramid Head, and Jake? I understand if you don't do part 2's though! <33

I can totally do part 2. I'm glad you enjoyed the first one. I hope you enjoy this one.

Knight, Trickster, Spirit, Pyramid Head, Jake

Knight

Torhos didn't like having you in trials.

You were too meek.

Fighting and hunting wasn't in your blood.

As weak as you were, he didn't mind being around you.

Perhaps you were too kind, because the other pathetic survivors pushed you around.

To come to someone's aid, then throw them into the pit?

He finds that rather deplorable.

But seeing you here, as a killer?

The Entity really was a cruel one.

Personally, he'll take you under his wing.

When he first approached you, he bowed as a symbol of peace and good intention.

Be grateful, he's taking time to teach you to be a proper killer.

The others are equally as interested in teaching you.

You have a ways to go.

But he rather enjoys watching your progress.

You'll make it. Those survivors will pay for their insolence.

Trickster

You must've known who he was in the real world.

There would be no other reason a survivor would be so kind to him, right?

But when he found out you did that for the other killers...

He was baffled.

Someone being nice for nothing in return?

Especially to someone who is about to kill you?

Interesting.

He took a particular liking to you.

You were like a diamond in a pile of coal.

Watching how you scrambled to save the others, only for them to push you to the dirt.

He found it... Oddly irritating.

He had never really cared about anyone else before.

It was a shame when you vanished.

But here you are again. And on their side no less.

You would get to meet the great Ji-Woon Hak without fearing death.

But you weren't afraid of death. You were afraid of rejection.

He put down all his weapons. Trying to indicate he had no ill will.

He isn't very good about supporting and listening to others, but he'll try.

Fear not. He'll build your confidence from the ground up.

Those survivors will rue the day they hurt his little gem.

Spirit

Even before you were a killer, Rin took pity on you.

Being used as a meat shield? Being thrown in front of her as bait?

Shameful!

A team's purpose is to work together to complete a common goal.

That's a cultural idea that has been driven into her.

The needs of society over the needs of the individual.

You were making your contribution, but your teammates rejected the idea.

Deplorable.

She often let you go, staring into your eyes' with sympathy and sadness.

Your disappearance troubled her greatly.

At least you would be free.

Rin was, to say the least, surprised to see you as a killer.

You didn't belong here. This wasn't fair.

She found herself angry for you.

Approaching you was a bit easier, since the two of you had some sort of relationship before hand.

She wouldn't let you suffer alone.

Not like she did.

She would take on your pain and help you exact your revenge against those who wronged you.

Pyramid Head

He punished those who sinned.

Those who were cruel. The ones who deserved it.

You? You didn't.

You were pure and kind.

He would often ignore you in trials.

But you would interfere to save others.

The same ones who would throw you to the ground like you were trash.

They were trash. They shouldn't be allowed to taint purity.

Then, you were gone.

Perhaps you went somewhere better. Somewhere where your kindness would be rewarded.

But you weren't.

You were a killer now.

He wasn't sure how to approach you, knowing he couldn't actually talk.

He decided to sit a ways away, watching you. Letting you know he was there.

He could only listen, but he made you feel safe.

He made you feel like you weren't trash.

He would show all those sinners what happens when trash like them dare lay hands on someone like you.

Jake Park

He never really fit in himself, so he could empathize in that situation.

Yeah, being kind to the killers was certainly weird.

But, it wasn't something the others should punish you for.

It's not like it affected them in any way.

You were always helping the team.

So he didn't really understand why they treated you so horribly.

Then, one day, you were gone.

He figured the Entity had grown bored of you and threw you into the void.

Until he threw the pallet down on the new killer, turning around and looking.

He could recognize those eyes anywhere.

None of this was fair.

Across the pallet, he took your hands with a sigh.

He gave you a sad, but sweet smile.

He wasn't going to let anything else happen to you.

He'd be there this time.

#dbd imagines #dbd x reader #dbd killer #dbd survivor #dbd ask blog #dbd knight #dbd trickster #dbd jake park #dbd pyramid head #dbd spirit

[headoverheelss]

I wrote this because of the stress of finals. Sorry if it makes no sense.

Eventually after much thought and fight, Bowser came to the conclusion that he had feelings for a certain green clad plumber. It was a tingling that spread throughout his whole body from the moment that Luigi entered his life. He tried fighting it. He really did.

He would become more persistent about marrying Peach. Luigi would sit there listening to his ramblings about the princess and sometimes Bowser could see a sad forlorn look in Luigi’s eyes but pushed it to the back of his mind until he burst.

He could it hold it in anymore. The King of Koopas was in love.

He was excited.

He was happy for once.

Only, he never thought it would end up like this.

He should have never ignored Luigi. He never should minimized Luigi’s feelings the way he did.

“Bowser?”

The koopa was thrown out of his thoughts. He was met with the plumber eyeing him with a dejected look.

“Did you really just say what I think you said?”

Bowser swallowed, his voice came out unlike his usually self, “yes… I did.”

Luigi’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes became dark with anger.

“I can’t believe you. I really can’t believe you.”

Bowser can feel the string that tied them together start to break. The moment felt a thousand time worse then all the time Peach rejected him.

“Luigi, I-“

Luigi stepped away from the encroaching koopa.

“No… don’t even think about it. I.. can’t do this Bowser. I can’t be an afterthought. Somebody you chose just because the main prize isn’t available anymore.”

Bowser was shocked. His arms came out to reach to the plumber in desperation.

“Luigi, I’m sorry. I really am but please you have to understand-“

Luigi tore his hat off in anger. The plumber’s face was red.

“I have LOVED you for years Bowser!! Years!! You knew it too but you continued to go on about Peach so I stayed quiet… but now… now you realize you can’t have her so you decide to finally glance my way but I’m done bowser… I’m done.”

Luigi gave him one more glance before walking out of the door and breaking his heart into a million pieces.

#bowuigi #bowser x luigi #luigi x bowser

[thestoryden]

Drawing the Line, Part 2

Aemond Targaryen x Strong!Reader

Warnings: Yelling, Crying

Word Count: 1.1k

A/N: Well after that last episode I think that we could all use a little romance. Happy reading ❤.

Masterlist / Taglist / Requests: Open

Drawing the Lines 1 / 2 / ?

“Let the princess go this instant.” Alicent commands.

The kingsguard releases your arm and you stumble away from him, holding your wrist.

Alicent grabs Aemond’s face, “You cannot treat the princess however you like. It is one thing to not associate with her because of her mother’s choices, it is another to publicly toy with her feelings.”

Aemond rips away his chin and stares down at his mother. He knows Alicent is right, but he does not know how to explain he was being sincere. It is unlikely that she would believe him anyway.

 You do not dare to look the queen in the face afraid of what she will say. A moment of silence passes through the corridor, you grip your hands tight waiting for the queen to say something, but she does not say anything she simply slips your hand in hers. She guides you back to her rooms, your eyes remain glued to the floor.

“Now, tell me the truth of it.” Alicent demands.

“No,” You mumble.

She breathes out sharply, “What did you say?” 

“I said no.” You reply with more strength.

That is when it came, a sharp stinging slap across your face. Alicent stares at you, “I will hear the truth of it now.”

Tears well up in your face and drip down your cheeks. There is shouting outside the room, followed by the doors being thrown open.

“Where is she?” Rhaenyra yells.

You look up to her, “Mother, I am sorry this is my fault. I angered the queen.”

“Nonsense,” Rhaenyra protests, wrapping you up in her arms, “You may discipline your children as you see fit, but it you may not raise a hand to mine.”

Rhaenyra takes you out of the room, and down to her apartments. Where you waited for quite some time. You here a soft knock on the door. Aemond’s slight figure slips in to the room.

“Princess Rhaenyra, I have come to make a request.” Aemond says

“You may speak, Aemond.” Rhaenyra replies.

She studies Aemond’s face, his lips are pulled back in to a pursed expression and his eye flits between you and Rhaenyra. He breathes in and then settles his sight on Rhaenyra.

“You had once proposed a marriage pact between your eldest, Jacaerys and my sister Helena. My mother rejected the alliance, but I am here to offer a new one. Marry your daughter to me and we will mend what was broken between our house.” Aemond proposes.

Rhaenyra looks to you, “What do you think?”

You look to the pale man who stands before you. His face is hardened by the rivalry between your families. His face once soft and sad, now gnarled by a scar that your younger brother cut in to him. You don’t what Luke and Joff to have to survive through more of this rivalry. Jace and you had lived your whole life in the shadows of tension, you seek better for your young brother. You know that you can be that peace.

“I will accept your proposal, Aemond.” You say.

That evening there is a great feast held amongst all the lord and ladies of court. Viserys though in a sure haze had blessed the marriage. Both families are arranged around a table at the head of the hall. Conversation buzzes around the other tables.

You watch as Aemond rises to his feet, “I have an announcement to make.”

The room turns to him, Alicent with shock, and his siblings with intrigue.

“I would like to announce the royal engagement of myself and –.” He looks to you and offers you his hand, “The Princess, (Y/N) Velaryon.”

You take his hand and rise. The whole hall erupts in to applause.

Viserys rises, “Now to celebrate this soon to come union.”

Music begins to play and people begin feasting. You look to your seat and the rest of your family.

“I need air, I will back in a moment.” The words spill out of you.

You rush to a door and the side of the hall. You only hope no one has pursued you. The cool night air washes over you as you make your way through the door. You hear a dragon cry in the distance. Tears fall from your eyes, a first it is a few, but the are shortly followed by a cascade of drops. They burn hot on your skin as they make their way down your face. You hear a door creaking behind you. You run along the terrace to a connecting open corridor. A strong cross wind hits you and you lose your balance falling, to the ground. The steps come to a stop.

“I would ask that you stop running, but it seems you already have.” Aemond says.

“Get away from me.” You screech.

Your heart pounds and the wind picks up again. It is strong and whips Aemond’s long hair up in it. He crouches down to your level. Where you sit in a pile of your skirts.

“I will leave you in a moment, but first I have a gift.” He says.

The wind howls around you as he takes your hand. You want to take it away, but you stay yourself. He tucks into your palm something soft and rope like. You open your fingers to see a braided lock of hair. It is your own, but there is something else intermixed with it, white and silvery hair that finishes off the braid. You look to Aemond.

“I got back your lock from my brother, but there wasn’t enough to braid it so I used some off my own to keep it together.” He says.

You can barely hear him over the wind that whips above you. You grab his hand and pull him to a door. You find yourselves inside a small room with a hearth that is battling the cold.

“I wish to ask you something before we marry. I know I have arranged this myself, but” he pauses, “Will you look upon my face and tell me if you could ever love something like me.”

He holds his hand over your eyes and you hear rustling. When he drops the cover from your eyes you look upon Aemond’s face as you have never seen it before, he has removed his eye patch. You are at first struck by the stark contrast of it from the rest of his face, but then intrigued by the way is sparkles.

“I thought it had, been sewn shut, I hadn’t realized you set glass in to it.” You say softly.

You put your hand to his face, in awe.

“It is a sapphire.” He corrects.

“It is stunning.” You breathe out the words as though the are escaping your lips.

Taglist: @but-i-write-so-i-must-count @guijh103 @ephemeralninon @flyingmushroomss @sinlist @isabel2you @cedricsleftelbow @groovyponypatrollamp @ofherscarlettwitchways @aprilsimonsstuff @tnu-ree @pinkydevil16 @guijh103 @severewobblerlightdragon @thegirlnextdoorssister @thanyatargaryen @zgzgzh @fultimefangirl @esposadomd @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @missusnora @eonnyx @winxschester @icarusignite @too-strong-to-lose @sarcasticking9 @abcdefghi-lmnopqrstuvwxyz @daisychainsoflove @sidechrisporn @jiinxxxy @stories-im-following

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x strong!reader #aemond x reader #HOTD

[wandanatbabybear]

based on oldies music in the other room and it’s raining

thinking about sitting on the couch in the drawing room of Steve’s pre-war and restored new york apartment in front of the fire place. you’ve been trying to read for some political philosophy class you’re taking this semester, but there’s a dull ache in your chest at the fault of nothing in particular.

as you zone out staring at the fire, you can hear Steve, Bucky, and Sam laughing in the next room over every now and then, along with Natasha and Wanda - the loves in your life. you hear their feet shuffling and old music playing from the 30s and 40s.

still zoned out, Bucky comes in with a small smile on his face. he sits on the couch next to you, which is what grabs your attention. “you don’t seem to be getting far with that reading.” you look at him with soft and sad eyes but you try to hide it. he can see right through you.

“it’s just not as interesting tonight.” his eyes squint slightly at your non-answer. “you should take a break. you’ve been in here for a while.”

right as you go to reject the offer, Natasha and Wanda joyfully enter the doorway. they glow in your eyes.

“come back, James. Sam has two left feet,” Natasha says with a smug grin.

“duty calls,” Bucky says to you before standing with a pat to your knee.

“join us, детка!” Natasha calls as she pulls Bucky back in the other room. the nickname of her first language never fails to bring butterflies to your belly.

Wanda moves into the room closer to you. you watch her with doe eyes as she gently takes the book from your lap and moves it to the side table, saving your place with the ribbon. she sits on the coffee table in front of you and holds one of your hands in hers.

“Steve and Bucky are teaching us to dance like they did before the war,” she tells you softly. she’s lovingly running her fingers over the back of your hand. “Natasha is excelling, but I’m sure you could’ve guessed that.” a small smile graces your face at this, and Wanda smiles back at you. she leans in and you close your eyes as you feel her lips meet your forehead. one of her hands comes up to to your cheek as she holds your face and your eyes meet hers again. “come dance with us, darling.” she whispers it, like a secret invitation only meant for lovers. “let me lift your spirits.”

you lean into her hand and close your eyes again, this time two heavy teardrops roll down your cheeks, but Wanda wastes no time swiping them away with her thumbs. “come on, любовь. I just know Natty will let you stand on her feet. We’ll catch you if you fall.” 

you consider it for a second before silently nodding, and she smiles as she helps you up from the couch. she lets you walk ahead of her and you tightly grasp her hand again. entering the main room, you see Natasha’s head thrown back with a laugh as Steve leads her in a dance, and Bucky and Sam sitting on the couch laughing with them. you can only imagine Bucky and Sam were bickering about dancing with each other when Wanda was with you and Natasha danced with Steve.

when the pair turns, Natasha sees you and Wanda, and she somehow smiles even wider. it’s rare you see her so happy and relaxed; it makes you smile honestly for the first time all night.

“my princess has arrived to the ball,” Natasha smirks as she leaves Steve’s arms. she leans slightly over your right shoulder and shares a loving kiss with Wanda, right before the Sokovian releases your hand and replaces Natasha’s previous position with Steve. you watch Wanda and Steve for a moment before Natasha grabs your attention by pushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “come, my love. i’ll teach you, just follow my lead.” she says this softly, just as Wanda had earlier to you - a secret invitation only meant for lovers.

one of her hands takes yours as the other is gently placed on your waist. you stumble a little at first with a blush rising to your cheeks, but soon the two of you are gracing the room rhythmically alongside Steve and Wanda. you comfortably lean your head on Natasha’s shoulder, closing your eyes and inhaling the familiar scent of her perfume and soap.

a few moments pass before you feel another person swaying along to the music from behind you with their hands on your waist. the sweet humming you begin to hear tells you it’s Wanda. she presses a kiss to your shoulder as Natasha does the same to the top of your head.

the dull ache in your chest is not entirely gone, but you know for sure that, as long as you’re in Natasha and Wanda’s arms, the sadness in your body will easily be forgotten. your friends’ laughs buzz in the atomosphere, there’s a content look on your face; and you know you have found the peace within the people.

#wandanat x reader #wandanat #wanda maximoff x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #steve rogers #bucky barnes #sam wilson #soft natasha romanoff #soft wanda maximoff #soft wandanat #wandanat fluff #wanda maximoff fluff #natasha romanoff fluff #bucky barnes x reader #steve rogers x reader #natasha romanoff comfort #wanda maximoff comfort #wandanat comfort

[blues-of-randomness]

The Pasts of the Forgotten Critters/Frowny fox (rewritten)

The forgotten critters were all part of different collections, paired with a smiling critter that was supposed to be part of the same collections.

Dogday, Catnap, Hoppy hopscotch, and Silly Shelly were part of the Pet collection

Jerry Giraffe, Clever Claws and Bubba Bubbaphant were part of Safari collection (In my au Bubba is an Indian Elephant but I could see Playtime co trying to sell my off as an African elephant thinking people wouldn't tell the difference)

Kickinchicken, Picky Piggy, and Molly Mc Moo were part of the farm collection

Craftycorn and Jolly jaws were paired up in a fantasy collection as Jolly wasn't any ordinary shark, he was supposed to be a Megaladon.

and finally Bobby and Frowny were made as a set for a Wild things collection (hence why their pendants are almost identical)

Their purposes and stories within the cartoons:

Jerry was going to be a love interest for Craftycorn. The two of them were paired up with the image of two shy souls who barely fit into the world coming together and changing each other for the better. Jerry was an expert at measuring, he could even guess how tall something was without needing a ruler. This, Without saying, was very useful for Crafty's art projects

Clever claws was smart but he was also dazzling, attractive, and oh so cool, everything that Bubba lacked. While Bubba was shown to get picked on and teased for not fitting in, Clever claws was able to mask himself and fit in with the crowd. He even tried to teach Bubba how to mask and fit in with the crowd but whenever Bubba tried it was met with failure, he did everything Clever claws did but it wasn't enough. Clever claws knew this and it wasn't fair, he became Bubba's best friend and taught him there was nothing to be ashamed of even if no one liked him.

Jolly jaws and Kickinchicken were paired as a playful duo, Jolly jaws was just as adventurous as Kickinchicken but he was more in favor of being save while doing (hence why a lifesafer is his pendant) While Kickin was more or less about being reckless and having fun. He teased Jolly jaws about being safe, calling him a coward, etc. One day the two of them had a surfing contest but during the surfing Kickin was knocked off his surfboard, Jolly jaws was happy until he realized that Kickin never resurfaced. He quickly dove under the surface and rescused Kickin from a watery grave. That's when Kickin really learned about the importance safety.

Molly Mc Moo's purpose in was to teach about how there needs to be a balance within someones life when i came to something they enjoy. In this case it was teaching Picky Piggy there was nothing to be ashamed of when it came to her love of Pb&J sandwhiches even if it wasn't healthy because Picky had control over herself and cared about her healthy. As long as she kept that up there was nothing wrong with a little treat now and then

Shelly and Hoppy were paired together as competitive opposites situation. Their story was supposed to be a parody of the tortoise and the hare. The two would race but Hoppy would hurt herself going so fast and Shelly would help her out teaching her that sometimes slower is better.

And finally Frowny was a fox who was hurt and bullied all his life. Then he met Bobby and she showed him what love is and how to be happy despite all the pain he's been through

Reasons for rejection:

The kids weren't impressed with Clever claws, some of the older girls thought he was a typical "self centered prince charming" and the kids thought that Jerry looked weird and made fun of him.

Similar reasons for Frowny fox, the kids hated how he smelled and saw no point in having a "Sad toy".

The kids were scared of Jolly jaws because he was a shark they tried removing his teeth but he looked too silly without them.

There was nothing wrong with Milly MC moo its just that Kickin and Picky were more popular so Molly was thrown away

Silly Shell was playing on the swings with Hoppy when he fell off, he retreated into his shell but it cracked and shattered upon impact with the ground. Shelly was deemed too hazardous for the children.

Without Molly and Shelly they could still have pet and Farm sets but they saw no point in realising Bobby, Bubba and Crafty on their own so they were all combined into the smiling critters we know today.

As time past the critters had moved on from their lost companions and forgot about them, not because they didn't care about them, it was more of a "I thought you were dead" type of forgetting

#smiling critters #smiling critters poppy playtime #poppy playtime #the forgotten critters #gametoons

[goldenamberhoney]

Induction

Warnings: Kidnapping (Not exact kidnapping; like the one from Wednesday in the Nightshades)

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x Addams!fem!reader

Summary: Wednesday rejects the Nightshades but Y/N accepts after a certain someone’s begging.

You had followed Wednesday to the statue, a book being held by Poe immediately drawing your attention to it. “Wednesday, look,” you said, kneeling down to see under it as you pulled out a notebook. “S…N…A…P. Snap. Tw…twice,” you said, writing it all down as you stood up, Wednesday looking a you with a half-proud expression. You stood back, the girl lifting her fingers up and snapping her fingers, the sound echoing.

Immediately, the statue rumbled as we walked through, climbing down the stairs as Wednesday followed you. A book caught your attention as you flicked through the pages, your eyes landing on a tear in the book. “Found it,” you muttered, Wednesday immediately grabbing the book. “Well done, cousin,” she said, touching the tear gently. That was, until, a bag was thrown over your head and you were dragged into a chair.

As much pleasure as it brings you to be in this position, not knowing who you were under the vulnerability of. “Who dares breach our inner sanctum?” a voice asked as the bag was pulled off of your head. And just like that, your hopes were dashed as you looked into Bianca’s eyes. “You can take the mask off, Bianca,” Wednesday said. “Actually I preferred you with it on,” you said as she scoffed.

“How did you get down here?” Xavier asked, looking at you. “Rowan showed us,” you said, not looking at the boy. “Left pocket,” you said as Xavier took the photo out of her map. “Tracked the watermark and then I solved the riddle,” you said. “Wait, there’s a riddle?” Kent asked, confused, “I thought we just snapped twice,”. You scoffed. “Well aren’t you the brightest of the bunch?” Wednesday asked as you sniggered.

“The Nightshades are an elite, social club. Emphasis on elite,” Bianca said. “We have roof parties, campouts and the occasional midnight skinny dip,” Yoko said. “Last I heard, the Nightshades had been disbanded,” you said. “Yeah, the group kinda lost its charter 30 years after some normie kid died,” Xavier said, shrugging. “Weems looks the other way as long as no one makes any waves,” Yoko said.

“What are we gonna do with them?” Divina asked, as Xavier stood up. “I think we should induct them. They have a legacy,” he said, pointing to our mother. “Let me save you the trouble, I’m not interested in joining,” Wednesday said, making Yoko frown. “You’re seriously turning us down?” she asked, confused. “Can you believe it?” she said, sarcastically as Xavier turned to you. “Y/N….you as well?” he asked, a look of almost sadness on his face. “I…” you said, not knowing how to respond.

“Untie her,” Bianca said, pointing at you. “I freed myself 5 minutes ago,” you said, dropping the rope. “It’s upto you, I’m leaving, Y/N,” Wednesday snapped as you turned to follow her. Xavier stepped in front of you, his hand blocking your way as you glared at him. “Y/N, please,” he said, hands on your shoulders. “Why?” you asked, the word more of a statement than a question. “If it means you’ll stop ruining my coat,” you said, brushing his hand off of your coat and walking away, so he couldn’t see the smile on your face.

A/N - What the hell is this. It’s so bad 😭😭😭

#xavier thorpe #xavier thorpe x reader #xavier thorpe x y/n #xavier thorpe imagine #xavier thrope x reader

[another-clive-blog]

I voted to marry the boy, could you write him being incredibly smitten with one Emmy Altava? (I would take any Clemmy really, but Clive MUST be head over heels for her)

SORRY FOR THE DELAY !! My sincerest apologies, this week has been kicking my ass-

This was hard to write, because I'm bad at shipping and also I don't know the first thing about Emmy ? She works with Layton and is gorgeous, that's it :'D I did ask some friends who told me about a camera ?? So I tried to like. Work from there

ANYWAY !! AU where Emmy works at Clive's newspaper as a part-job on top of her adventures with Layton ! She is a photographer and 20-year-old Clive is a writer. Also this is Unwound Future Canon-compliant (kinda ? It works from Clive's perspective). This is teen, comfort no hurt, fluff, and entirely written from clive's POV

Emmy fans I apologize in advance if I didn't do your girl justice, she is gorgeous and I want to get to know her

Clive remembered that fateful day- not the day it had all started, of course, but the day his whole plan had been thrown off the rails.

It was a day just like the others- or rather, it would have been, had his article not been rejected. He had been working at the newspaper for two years now, ever since he'd graduated at age 18 : two years, and not once had one of his articles been refused. All of his work had always been met with approval at worst, congratulations at best- nothing less.

But not this time. The direction hadn't said much about this outrageous event, simply something about his article needing more work, apparently. This usually wouldn't bother Clive : failure was a part of life, and he forgave those poor souls for failing to perceive the greatness of his work.

And yet- this was a problem. Clive had asked to be granted access to informations about the Incident ever since he started working here, and his request had been denied every time. He had to prove his reliability first, they said, show them that he hadn't taken the job just to get his hands on classified files. It was annoying, truly : of course he had, but proving otherwise was tiresome.

But now, with this failure... Was his progress going to fade away ? Could he still hope to get these documents soon ? Or was this the faux pas that would cost him his prize entirely ?

Clive sighed, putting that traitorous piece of paper back on his desk : he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes for a moment.

What should he do now ?

"Well, that's a sad face if I've ever seen one," a voice commented in an extremely helpful way. He didn't recognize it, mostly because he couldn't be bothered to learn his colleagues' voices or names- mostly because they kept coming to annoy him at the worst possible time. Which was all the time.

"Could you please leave me alone for once or is it really too much to ask ?" Clive knew that he didn't sound very pleasant or respectful, but that was literally the last of his problems. Besides, he had isolated his desk from the rest specifically because he didn't want others to come bother him.

"Pretty sure this is the first time we meet. At least, I don't remember seeing you before. Are you new too ?" She replied, and she really wasn't leaving, was she ? Then again, if she was new here, she probably didn't know that he wasn't here to make friends.

He opened his eyes.

The first thing to catch his gaze was the odd yellow dress, a strange outfit to wear in a place like this : she looked like an adventurer, not a journalist. There wasn't any dress code to meet in order to work here, but still...

Then again, she did have a bow tie.

"I've been here for two years," he deadpanned. She seemed nice and that was good for her, really, but he wasn't in the mood for chit-chat. "Welcome to the team, I suppose."

She smiled. It wasn't bright like a sun or sweet like chocolate, but it was rather something authentic, that she had worked hard to obtain and preserve. This was the kind of smile that would inspire tons of stories and articles- at least to someone really passionate about this job.

Clive wasn't. He wasn't here to change the world or make friends, he was here to get these classified files that would hopefully help him move on.

"Thank you," she said, before putting one hand on his desk and leaning forward : Clive pushed his chair back a little. "Say, since we're a team now, do you mind telling me why I've never seen you hang out with the others ?"

Oh wow. Alright, no little mind games- just straight to the point.

That really was new.

"Well," Clive muttered, looking away, "I have work to do."

She tilted her head slightly, his answer only making her more curious. "And they don't ?"

Was this some kind of test ? Clive couldn't perceive any ill intentions behind this question, but it didn't sound all that mundane either. What was she at ?

"Of course they do," he explained himself, "But this is important to me, and-" Actually- why was he even telling her that ? She probably didn't care, he didn't care, this whole discussion was useless : he had no reason to keep it going. "And my article just got refused, so I have even more work to do." He said abruptly, hoping to end the conversation.

She didn't go away. "Oh really ? That sucks. Want me to take a look ?" She offered, as if she wasn't new here.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure you can help much," Clive said coldly. He wasn't in the mood for this. "I mean, you're new, and a photographer, so this may not be your-"

"Nonsense !" She put her hands on her hips, the same smile on her face. She had listened to approximately none of his reasoning. Stubborn, Clive thought. Stubborn and very confident.

"I may not write the articles, but I know how they work," she said. "Also, I have learned a thing or two from Layton."

Clive froze. Layton. The professor Layton ? The one who had saved him as a kid, the man who was his model, his inspiration, his-

"Hey, this article is about him !" Quick as a fox, she had leaned over his desk and grabbed the piece of paper : her eyes were done scanning through the first few paragraphs before Clive could even react.

"Wh- where are your manners ?!" He yelled at her, blushing furiously. Alright, that was it-

Pushing his chair back, he quickly made his way around his desk, reaching for his sorry excuse of an article.

She dodged his poor attempt at taking back his sheet of paper with no effort whatsoever. "This is pretty good," she said, talking about the paper rather than his embarrassing fight.

Clive was a clever man- that's why he decided after yet another vain attempt that he couldn't win. Somewhere in his mind, he noted that she had to truly be an adventurer of some kind : she was surprisingly strong, agile and terribly efficient, unbothered by someone like him.

He reluctantly gave up his useless fight, taking a few steps back and crossing his arms instead. "Not good enough, apparently," he spat, glaring at her. She had no shame, no hesitation, no weakness- who even was she ?!

"Yeah, I can see why," she nodded, and Clive was once again baffled by her ability to say honest things without any hard feelings behind it.

"Your article is good, but you forgot the presentation," she explained, stepping closer to better show him : this proximity made Clive agitated, although he wasn't sure why. "You talk like everyone knows Layton, but that's just not true- especially since you're dealing with his first ever adventure. You have to keep everyone in mind, not just the readers who are as knowledgeable about this subject as you are."

Clive choked. "I-I'm not-"

"Hey, I could give you a good photo of Layton !" She interrupted him with a smile. "That way, everyone would know who we're talking about."

"Yeah, about that- do you actually know the professor ?" He narrowed his eyes at her, looking her up and down. She didn't seem like the kind of person the professor would frequent, bow tie or no bow tie.

"Of course !" She said, before her voice took a challenging intonation, "What, wanna bet ?"

Clive scoffed. She was being ridiculous- this was probably all an elaborate plan to make fun of him. He could absolutely picture his colleagues telling her to prank him as some sort of initiation ritual, actually. She certainly was almost as annoying as they all were.

But she may know the professor. "Sure," he finally said. "If you can take this photo and bring it to me, I'll buy you a coffee tomorrow."

"Wow, hey, don't ruin yourself for me Tiger," she sarcastically said. Tiger ??

"Wha-"

"Alright, I'll come tomorrow by your sad and isolated desk to give you the picture," she decided. "I love proving I'm right, almost as much as I love drinking terrible coffees with rude co-workers."

"Are you serious-"

"See you!" She cut him off with a provocative grin, again, and left without listening to another word he had to say, again.

Clive watched her go in silence, furious. Who did she think she was ?! She had been here for what, a couple hours, and she just came up to him like that ? He hoped she had annoyed everyone else too : that way, she'd get fired sooner rather than later.

The thought did make him feel better, and he sat back in his chair, enjoying the calm of the small room where stood his isolated desk. If he focused hard enough, he could hear her laugh with others in the next room- but he couldn't, because he didn't care enough to pay attention.

So since he wasn't listening to the sound of her voice, it was silent. And enjoyable. And lonely- which was good, because he hated having to deal with others. Especially her -what was her name again ? Not that it mattered-, because she was so rude and straight-forward and confident. Really confident.

Nevermind.

He picked up the article, looking at it thoughtfully. He needed this article to be accepted, and he needed it to be his best work yet : it was the only way to prove he was worthy of the reputation he had built for himself, and, most importantly- the only way to get what he wanted, the Truth.

...Presentation, uh ?

-_-_-_-

Surely enough, the very next day, Emmy came back to his desk with a brand new picture.

Professor Layton, sitting at a table, enjoying a nice cup of tea. He was smiling serenely, and his face held a bit of warmth, of comfort, of home.

"There you go !" Emmy said with a very satisfied smile, one that Clive wasn't ready to see this early in the morning.

He took the photo she was handing him. It felt recent and authentic : in fact, he could see yesterday's newspaper on the table, next to Layton's hand. It was crazy. There was no way they actually knew each other.

"Are you a paparazzi ?" He asked before he could stop himself. He shouldn't throw accusations her way in case she really was close to the professor, but what else could it be ?

"What ? No !" Emmy didn't seem to get offended- on the contrary, she stood proudly, hands on her hips. "I'm his associate !"

Oh.

Clive fell silent, his gaze wandering back to the picture. The professor was facing whoever had taken the photography : he was fully aware someone was here, taking this very picture. Had she asked him to smile ? Or was he just that happy to help his associate win a stupid bet and make a name for herself at her new job ?

Why would someone like the professor choose her as an associate ?

"That's odd," Emmy said with feigned naivety. "I recall you being a real Layton fan, and yet you didn't recognize the one and only Emmy Altava, associate of the great professor Layton ? Surely someone as knowledgeable as you should know this. I mean, it'd be pretty humiliating if you didn't, right ?"

He looked up, staring at her, and she stared him down with a provocative smirk, waiting for his answer.

Somehow, he... he wasn't mad. He didn't feel like angrily answering or starting a fight, which was relatively rare : maybe this was due to the fact that he knew she could easily destroy him.

Or maybe this was due to the fact that he really wanted to know what Layton had seen in her, now. "I'm not a Layton fan, and I didn't know he had an associate."

Emmy's smirk disappeared quickly at his admission, replaced with something that was almost disappointment. She hummed, looking at him strangely. "...This is really not as satisfying as you had me believe it would be. I was looking forward to crushing your little ego under my boot."

Alright- forget that. Clive scoffed. "Don't forget I have to buy you a disgusting coffee now, so we're stuck together for a few more painful minutes."

"Ah- I had indeed forgotten about that part," She admitted, scratching the top of her head. All of the antagonizing and taunting was gone, just like that, Clive noticed : how did she move on so quickly ? He never ever missed an opportunity to rightfully put people in their places. But she was already over it ??

Emmy -she did say her name was Emmy, right ? Emmy Altava- shrugged, coming to a decision. "Disgusting coffee is better than no coffee. Lead the way, Tiger."

He groaned. "Stop calling me that."

"Wait," she paused, and he stared at her while waiting for whatever nonsense she was about to spit. "...What is your name ?"

...You know what- that was fair. He hadn't told her, after all. "I'm Clive Dove."

She snapped her fingers, that same confident grin on her lips. "Great. Lead the way, Clivey."

Clive groaned before leaving the room without a word. Emmy followed him with a satisfied grin, very proud and amused by his pointless anger.

Clive walked faster, trying to hide the blush that crept on his face.

-_-_-_-

They didn't interact much after the coffee : in fact, they didn't talk at all for the next few days.

Clive would see her sometimes, or hear her. He heard her a lot : she had a booming voice, full of life and passion. Whenever she talked to another one of their colleagues, Clive would hear her contagious laugh, listen to her stories from the loneliness of his small isolated desk.

She was a great storyteller. Managing her effects, adding plenty of details, adapting to her audience- it felt real. Clive could picture her stories, her adventures at the professor's side.

This was exactly what gave him a new idea, bright like always.

He came across her in the corridor, while she was heading to get herself a coffee. "Oh- Clivey ! It's been some time, hasn't it ?"

He gritted his teeth. This was a bright idea. He only had bright ideas. "Ignoring that first part. I wanted to tell you something."

She didn't seem all that excited, merely eyeing him up and down like they were in a box ring. "What- you want me to prove you wrong again ? Cuz I can do that-"

"No, no," he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Why was she always so impulsive ? "I wanted to tell you that I submitted my article again, and the direction as well as the audience were really enthusiastic this time."

She seemed to relax, smiling instead. "That's great ! I'm happy for you."

"Also I added your name to it."

She... stopped smiling. In fact, she remained uncharacteristically silent, staring at him as if she was trying to see beyond his calm expression.

It was unsettling- deeply, extremely unsettling. It felt as though she could look at him and see everything he was hiding : his dead parents, his need for answers, his plan to get these files, his... his dead parents. There was nothing else he was hiding.

And yet, he felt his face go red under her scrutinizing gaze. Stupid, embarrassing shame.

"You helped me with the photography and the structure of the article, so it's only fair," he explained in a small voice, crossing his arms. He was not going to look at her. He was not going to meet her gaze and help her find whatever she was looking for. "And that's also why I'm here. I would like to offer you to- to work on a series of articles about the professor."

Clive still refused to watch her reaction, and it took another couple of seconds for Emmy to react : but when she did, she put her hands on her hips, leaning forward with a wide grin. Clive hated when she did that, it made him feel so small compared to her. She was also closer to him, which made him feel really... uncomfortable. And hot. "You want me to work on these ? With you, I suppose ?"

"Obviously," he scoffed, shrugging nonchalantly- or so he tried.

"...Why ?" She sounded concerned- curious too. There was something in her that wasn't sure about this project, and yet there was an even bigger part of her who wanted to get more out of this, to explore all the possibilities.

Clive couldn't care less about possibilities, or colleagues, or success : there was only one success that mattered to him, and it was getting these classified informations.

Which was exactly why he wanted to work with Emmy. Her proximity with Layton and, he'll admit it, her set of skills were perfect to help him reach his own goal. "Because you know a lot about the professor, and your stories are good material. Also, you could provide with pictures and- and presentation advices, I suppose. Probably," he muttered. She was still so close- should he step back ?

No, she would probably get offended. Oh well- he just had to keep standing inches from her, then.

She seemed amused. "I thought you weren't a Layton fan. Why are you asking me to tell you about him ?"

"He's a good inspiration for articles," he said, trying to sound professional- and why was he even trying ? This was professional. It was a professional setting. "Only an idiot would let this opportunity go."

"And you're not an idiot." She thought about it for a minute, before she shrugged : "Why not ! I'm here to create articles, after all. But first I need my coffee." She stretched her back before taking a few steps away, heading for her long-awaited beverage.

Clive felt... almost disappointed to see her leaving, but the unusual joy overcame it easily. She had accepted to work with him, they were gonna be a team- which meant that he was getting closer to achieving his goal. "Wait- want me to buy you a coffee ?"

She chuckled. "Don't ruin yourself for me, Clivey."

He didn't make any comment on the name.

-_-_-_-

Getting to work with Emmy was just delightful. She was as efficient as he was, both straight-forward in their criticism, always looking for ways to improve, listening to the other's suggestions before making up their minds. They made an exceptional team with perfect cohesion and excellent results.

Of course, the direction had noticed it too. Their articles were a hit among the newspaper's audience, even bringing in new customers : everyone was curious about this duo who wrote entertaining articles about some professor. It almost felt like fiction, and people liked to read these improbable stories that stood out from the rest of the usual news coverage.

The audience wanted more, the direction wanted more, and so Emmy and Clive logically decided to make more articles : day after day, week after week, they kept creating more and more stories, to the point that they would spend most of the day together- even the sacred coffee break.

"And that's how we found out that Descole really was behind all of this," Emmy finished her story, taking her cup of coffee in one hand. "I mean, I had my suspicions- but without the professor, I never would have guessed what was truly going on."

Clive nodded, absent-mindedly scribbling a few notes. His own cup had been left completely untouched, his coffee cold by now.

This detail didn't go unnoticed. "Cold coffee won't taste better, you know," Emmy joked.

Clive stopped writing, looking at his cup in silence.

Emmy frowned. "Hey, are you okay ?"

Clive looked at her, then at his notes. They were precise and neatly written at first, like always, before suddenly going... messy. Which was weird, because Clive hated messy.

"I just thought about something," he explained.

"Oh ?" She leaned forward on the table : her curious eyes were scanning Clive's face, waiting for any piece of information. Her coffee was left forgotten- it was disgusting anyway.

Clive brought his own cup to his lips, a poor attempt at hiding the blush on his face- because he was blushing, he knew that.

After all, this was exactly the something he had been thinking about.

It had taken him weeks to realize it. But surely enough, at some point, he had stopped listening to the stories and started listening solely to the voice telling them. He had stopped seeing work as a means to an end and started to look forward to seeing her in the morning, to sharing a coffee with her day after day.

He had even stopped caring about these stupid classified files. He would never stop being curious about the truth, wanting deep down to know what truly went down- but he could also portray his life in a world where he wouldn't get to know. Maybe he could never know, and still be okay, as long as he had another source of motivation.

Emmy. His work with her- scratch that. Just Emmy. He knew it was her and not these pointless articles : even the professor, his childhood hero, seemed to pale in comparison to her, recently.

He had wondered why the professor had made her his associate : now he knew, maybe even more than Layton himself.

"I was just- just thinking," he said, before taking a sip of coffee. It was cold, and bitter, and frankly disgusting : this newspaper should be able to afford better coffees, especially with all the records in sells recently. But this disgusting coffee allowed him to share a moment with Emmy, so maybe it was a bit okay. "About stuff."

"Very specific," Emmy mocked him, "Come on, spit it out !"

Oh, there was no way he was telling her. Admitting it -partly- to himself was already a big enough challenge. "I was- well, I was wondering if the professor was okay with us writing about his life."

Emmy rose an eyebrow, settling back in her chair. It really was just a game of getting closer and away, wasn't it ? "The professor doesn't mind. He is flattered someone is that invested in his adventures. He said he'd like to meet you, one day," Emmy simply answered, looking at him funny. There it was, that scrutinizing gaze that was looking for secrets, trying to uncover everything he wasn't saying- "But really, Clivey, we've been doing that for weeks. You only wonder about that now ?"

"I guess I didn't want this to stop, in case he was bothered," he simply said.

If Emmy noticed the way he passed up the opportunity to meet Layton himself, she didn't say a thing. "Ah, right. You're not an idiot, and you're not passing up any opportunities."

"Exactly," Clive said. He wasn't blushing anymore, so he put his coffee down- it was really too disgusting, anyway.

Emmy nodded. "We have enough for our next article. We should get back to work- you know, so you keep getting opportunities." She said this with a touch of humor, and Clive chuckled at it. It wasn't even that funny, but she had a way of making him happy that only worked with her : another colleague would have him rolling his eyes and spitting a distateful comment.

"Alright- I just need to go back to my desk first," he said, standing up and gathering his stuff.

In a fraction of second, Emmy was next to him. "Go get it, Tiger," she gently punched him in the shoulder. Uh, it'd been some time since she used that one.

"And Clive ?" She added. "I'm glad we took this opportunity. Together." And with that, she winked at him.

Clive stared dumbly at her, her words taking a minute to register : when they did however, he felt his whole face heating up in a way he couldn't possibly hide.

"I- uh- I mean-" He stuttered like an idiot, unable to form any thought. What did she mean by that ? Was this a friendly remark ? Or did she- did she also-

Was she also in love with him ? Because he was in love, madly. And maybe he hoped she was too.

He didn't know what miracle happened, but she left without any comments and he remained alone, his stuff in his hands and his heartbeat racing. He must look pathetic, being so red in the face and trembling because of a single remark. He was weak, weak for her, and what was left to be done ?

Luckily -a second miracle-, he didn't see any colleagues as he rushed back to his desk : if any of them had seen him like this, a trembling blushing mess, he probably would have no choice but to kill them.

Putting his stuff on one side of the desk, he himself dropped onto his chair, palms pressed against his face. Even now, even with his eyes closed, he could still see her beautiful smile, the way she winked at him-

No. No no no- he had to stop imagining stuff. There was no way she saw him as more than a colleague -a friend, maybe, emphasis on the maybe- and he would ruin everything if he couldn't respect her feelings on the matter. He didn't- he didn't actually need to- to date her- dating her, he was thinking about dating her and it sounded so wonderful, everything he could ask for, and-

No ! No, alright ? She wasn't interested, and he respected that. And he didn't need to date her, just getting to talk to her, to see her being so vibrant and passionate and confident, a real force of nature- just that was enough. He didn't need more.

He was happy with just getting to see her.

He dropped his hands, taking a deep breath. His heartbeat was still a bit fast, but it was returning to normal : even the red on his face was gone. It was alright. He would be alright, as long as he could keep things as they were.

And if he wasn't entirely satisfied with the way things were, if he kept longing for more, then it was his problem.

He opened his eyes, only to notice a white envelope on the middle of his desk. It... hadn't been there before. Who had put this here ?

Curious if not wary, he got closer and took the sheet of paper, turning it around in his hand.

On the front, he could read "Access to classified files granted"

#And then we get Emo king Clive with 'Oh no you don't' Emmy. Toxic Yuri my friends (Alright I'm joking I'm joking dw) #Also I know the end is an angsty cliffhanger and the beginning is more comedy than shipping but. Idk I'm bad at shipping #Emmy fans I would love to know how accurate I wrote her 👀 I literally rewrote this whole thing 5 times cuz it didn't feel right #So I hope this is the right one !! Although I did wonder if she would be around canonically. Or if she would work at a newspaper #I do feel like she drinks coffee tho. And Clive is fond of beverages so we're good =) #Anyway I'm rambling a lot ??? Point is- sorry for the delay and I hope you like it !! #Now I still have to finish my Big Bang outline. It is mostly done but I'd like to add an excerpt too. So I will probably post less here #Clive dove #Emmy altava #clemmy #professor layton and the unwound future #professor layton and the lost future #My writing #Ask

[seradae]

My Queen [FF] [monsterfucking] [naga] [alcohol mention]

I remember the first time I saw her; I don't think I'll ever forget it. I was sitting at a lesbian bar, somehow still fending off frat bros from the local university whom either didn't recognize or didn't respect the clear message being sent to them. She was sitting a few stools down and after the third guy approached, I saw she was watching and gave her the "seriously?" look. She gave back the expected eyeroll and then stopped to think for a moment, seeming to zone out. Then it happened.

For a moment, I saw her. The real her. Her face, her eyes, her hair, her blouse -- they all remained. But the stool was gone. Her legs were gone. She was taller, held up by what seemed to be a massive… snake tail. Snake body? I blinked and she was back to human. I pushed my drink away and asked the bartender for a coke, worried that one of the frat guys from earlier had slipped something into my drink. She noticed my distress and came to sit next to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

I understood the words she said, but I couldn't understand what they meant. Entirely thrown off, the only thing I could think to say was, "what?"

"You didn't imagine it. I just pulled down my veil for a moment. I'm sorry that I scared you; if you'd like me to leave you alone, I totally understand," she seemed so confident and yet so sad. This wasn't the first time she'd been through this.

I took a sip of my drink and thanked the bartender, thinking carefully about my next words. "You leaving is the last thing I want."

----------

We were virtually inseparable after that night. We talked until the bar closed, then went to a 24 hour deli to continue, only parting once the sun began to rise. She had shed her veil entirely an hour or so into our conversation, letting me see the real her for the remainder of the night. We talked about her nature, the struggles she experienced connecting with humans, and those critical little things like our musical tastes and favorite food. When she got home, she texted me a 'thank you' for accepting and listening to her, which I rejected; I owed her thanks for opening my eyes to this whole hidden world.

Our first date was the next night. Well, it started that night, but we ended up spending the next three days together. The first time she kissed me -- really kissed me -- I felt the strong muscles of her lower body writhing against me and knew that I was done for; she could have me any way she wanted.

And that's how we ended up here. A human pet, collared and lovingly taken care of in a way I never considered possible. I had my own room in her house, but I never stayed there, choosing instead to sleep with my naga queen. She was so kind, so loving, so gentle, and so positively twisted in the bedroom, I couldn't resist her if I wanted to.

She never again used her human veil with me, but she did use her powers in more creative ways. One day, we had been in bed making out, just enjoying each other's bodies and minds. She slid her fingers into me and was kissing me passionately, the two halves of her tongue dancing around mine. She fucked me until I couldn't see straight, begging her to let me cum, but she kept saying, "not yet, my lovely pet." When I couldn't take any more, the world shimmered for a moment and she had a second set of arms. They didn't exist, but my body couldn't tell any different.

She pinned my wrists to the bed, towering over me and staring into my eyes. Another hand made its way to my throat, squeezing the sides gently and making me whimper, all the while continuing to fuck me hard and fast. "Cum for me, pet," she said sultrily and I obeyed immediately, the edges of my vision darkening as the bloodflow to my brain was cut off momentarily. I had never experienced an orgasm that forceful, like my body was trying to split itself in a million different directions at once. She released my throat but kept fucking me, every fiber of my being operating only at her direction. "Such a good little fucktoy for your queen, aren't you," she teased as she drew orgasm after orgasm from me.

When she finally let me stop, she held me close and kissed my forehead, cooing, "I love you, pet. You did such a wonderful job." I slept so well in her arms, safe and happy and fulfilled.

#txt #nsftumblr #domme posting #bd/sm relationship #wlw love #wlw #monsterfucking nsft #the real monster was the friend we made along the way #naga

[strawbrygashez]

Postal 1 Fic

Uncle Dave Saves Christmas

Wooooo I’m finally writing for my idea I posted a while back where Dave often visits p1 while he’s locked up in the mental ward and flirts with staff to bend a few rules LOL! Also in this I decided to make Corkscrew aka Shtopor P1s brother :) Dave doesn’t actually ‘save Christmas’ 💀 I’m just terrible with titles and thought it was funny.

————————————————————————

“Thank you again sweetheart. I see him from here.” Dave thanked the shorter blonde nurse that had led him to the cafeteria where most if not all the patients were grouped into currently. The room wasn’t usually as full as it was now but he supposed it made sense why everyone was gathered up. It was Christmas after all and it looked like the workers had decided to throw a little something together. The room had the odd Christmas decoration here and there with red and green party streamers lining the usually bare walls. He had to admit it made things feel a little less depressing for once in the big, old building.

He’d basically knew his way around the place by now since he visited quite often in the past three years ever since his nephew had gotten thrown in. Though he knew Dude needed to pay the price for his actions and then some.. he couldn’t help to always feel at least somewhat bad for him being locked up. The staff weren’t the nicest, some areas around the building were severally ran down and it just seemed like a depressing place to be for everyone involved, but yet again, he kept in mind some people who’d been effected by Dudes actions wished much, much worse upon him so he tried not to let it get to him too much. Besides, even if things were terrible around him, the most important part of being here was that Dude was finally getting the help he needed and supervision he hadn’t been able to provide Dude himself.

For a while there, it almost seemed like that ‘help’ Dude was supposed to be receiving barely had any positive effects on him. For the longest time, every time he’d visit Dude would just sit there in complete silence, barely even moving as he’d inform him how his relatives were doing, what he’d been up to, what’s going on in the outside word and the like. It had only been recently where Dude would mumble a small response back to whatever gossip came to Dave’s mind or gave a small thank you for one of the gifts Dave had been able to work into gifting Dude despite the strict rules most nurses and staff took to heart. It was only when Dave took notice that if he played it extra sweet to some of the female workers, he’d be able to bend the rules a bit. Who knew his charm and leadership skills that he’s used to get suckers into giving him money and worshiping every word he said would also help him, help Dude out? Speaking of the lady workers…

The lady next to Dave blushed at the nickname and nodded, holding her clipboard to her chest. “No problem..Just let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. I’ll be nearby.” She shyly replied. Dave gave her another grin and said something along the lines of ‘of course’ before he glanced around the room again and spotted his nephews unmistakable firey-red hair.

Dude was sitting in his usual spot he’d take whenever Dave would find him in during lunch. He’d always sit at a table far away from the others by himself, next to the top left corner of the room.

Dave ignored the glances some patients threw at him as he made his way over to him while he thought about how it was kinda sad that, damn, even here Dude always ended up wanting to be by himself when there was probably tons of other ‘rejects’ that he could relate to in someway here. Dave had even seen a sweet, cute girl patient around Dudes age try to talk to Dude once but all Dude did was give her a simple nod one time while she talked to him. If maybe he’d had enough time to talk with Dude before everything happened, he could have possibly also helped him ‘get some game’. It wasn’t like Dude was bad looking or anything but- ‘Oh wow….’

Dave had stopped in both his thoughts and steps once he realized as he got closer, that Dude wasn’t alone and even more surprisingly…he was smiling?? at a man who sat across from him. It was some man with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes that was accompanying Dude. It looked like they were talking about something and whatever it was, they were both smiling and the man was laughing. Damn. Maybe the people here do know what they are doing. He himself couldn’t help but smile also, even more so as he approached the two.

“Well this is a surprise Dude. I don’t think i’ve seen ya look so happy in a long time!” He suddenly loudly spoke. Causing Dude to jump a little at the suddenness. His smile had faltered a bit as Dave patted his back with one hand and sat a couple gift bags on the table with the other.

Dude made himself look small again as he looked down at his tray and played with the end of his own sleeve. “Yeah..” he awkwardly mumbled out as he swallowed. Dave was kinda confused why he’d gotten all ‘emo’ again but didn’t let his own smile leave. In fact, he reached out his hand towards the stranger and told him his name which the man told him his own before he took a seat next to him. “This a friend of yours Dude? Don’t think I’ve seen him around before.” Dave asked as he took his coat off and sat it down next to himself.

Dude still had his face covered with his long hair as he kept looking down and shrugged. “Yeah.” Was the only response he gave. Dave waited a bit, hoping his nephew would continue but when he realized he wouldn’t, he shook his head jokingly before looking at the man next to him again. “Well whatever you’re doing is good. Haven’t seen him that happy in ages. I can barely get much out of the goober.. well it’s gotten better but yknow.” He shrugged.

The man smiled back at him. “Yeah..He was a tough nut to crack but I did it..” the man said, his eyes shifting over to look at Dude who was picking at the food on his plate with a fork. “Yknow..” he began before smirking a bit. “He’s told me a lot of good things about you before. He’s even told me one time you made his whole day after..- what was it you gave him? That one silly book with the wolves?”

Dude whined the man’s name in embarrassment before he suddenly let go of the fork and covered his face, making the stranger chuckle. Dave couldn’t help but laugh a bit at it too. “Really? That one with all the facts about ’em and shit?” He asked Dude though he knew he wasn’t going to get a response.

It felt nice to know he was appreciated honestly though he didn’t come over to see Dude just for that. He genuinely cared for and loved Dude though he screwed up big time. He knew Dude never had a easy life and honestly.. he might harbor a little guilt himself for not trying more to get him out of his living situation as a kid or trying to contact him more once he grew up but well, that’s just how things played out at the end of the day. There wasn’t much he could do to change the past no matter how much he wanted to. Sometimes he wondered if Dude would change his past if he could too..

Like he assumed, Dude didn’t respond though and just kept his face covered as both of the mens laughter faded. It was only when the blonde man let out a sigh from all the snickering before shuffling to get up, Dude moved his hands to peak over at him through his hair.

“Alright guys. I’ll leave you two to talk. I know if a family member came to see me I would want space away from others.” He said as he picked up his tray. “Oh, nah. you’re cool. It’s fine man! To me at least anyways.” Dave assured him with a dismissive wave of a arm though looking over at Dude after to see if he wanted the guy to leave or not too.

The man watched Dude for a moment in silence with a smile as Dude looked back at him. It was..kinda weird. They seemed to be silently talking through the way they looked at each over before the man spoke up again. “It’s fine.” He said to Dave before leaning down just a tiny bit towards Dude. “I’ll just be at the table near the exit door. Okay?” He assured him in a soft, caring voice….a bit too much of one in Dave’s mind. Something was definitely going on between them. No man really talks to another guy like that unless…-

Dude pushed up his glasses before giving the blonde a nod, and with that, the man took his belongings and left them to be. Dave watched him do so as he thought to himself silently before he returned his focus back to Dude who had pushed some of his hair back behind his ear and was taking a bite out of some corn that had already been cut off the cob. He watched him eat for a couple minutes before finally speaking up again. “Cute boyfriend.”

This made Dude pause his motion of bringing the spoon back up to his mouth, to frown at him which made Dave laugh. “Chill I don’t fucking care. Ya know..I’ve been with a few guys myself.” He said as he rested his crossed arms on the table in front of him.

Dude didn’t give him much of a reply other than a eye roll and a shake of the head.

“I mean it. There was this guy back in uhh the ‘70s or later on I met at this protest or some kinda free love thing and he was just jacked man I mean like-”

“Please stop.” Dude finally spoke. Dave rolled his eyes and smiled. “Just saying. Was trying to make you feel better.”

“Well… it wasn’t helping.” Dude replied as he took another bite of his food.

That was another thing. When he used to visit him, Dude refused to eat to the point where it highly irritated the nurses. It got really concerning for awhile with how weak and skinny Dude had gotten..He wasn’t sure what had suddenly changed now though. He wasn’t complaining of course. He hated to see Dude do that to himself. All he could guess was either a therapist got through to him or his little lover boy had talked him into it. Whatever or whoever caused the change made him feel thankful though.

“Whatever you say man…” Dave responded.

He also couldn’t help but to notice how the food looked a lot better than the crap they usually cooked. Damn they really tried to put something nice together this year for everyone. He’d have to mention something about how he really appreciated them doing all this this year but man..if it didn’t make him hungry himself. If he’d only brought something..

Oh, wait he did. Not food though. Rather, he’d managed to forget about the gifts bags that still sat on the table.

“When you’re done you can open your gifts already. I can’t stay very long today.” Dave said as he scooted the presents closer towards Dude. At this Dude raised a eyebrow and sat his fork down again before he took hold of one of the bags. “Why?”

“I’m picking up your brother at the air port afterwards. He flew in to spend a couple days with me and some of your cousins.” He responded. The conversation also reminded him to also check the time on his watch. Seeing that he had more than enough time still, he sat his arm back down and glanced back up to Dude who looked like he had something on his mind.. he knew that one stare he was doing right now never meant anything good.

“Oh..He’s going to be around for awhile? That’s nice.” He mumbled. Before Dave could reply Dude suddenly looked him directly in the eyes and spoke clearly. “Does he hate me? Does he know what I did?”

Dave sighed. There was a reason he barely ever brought him up. He knew how much Dude loved his brother. They two had been glued at the hip basically until his own jackass of a brother decided to up and leave and somehow managed to just only take Shtopor with him. Honestly Dave seriously believed that had been one of the first things that led to Dudes downfall. Dude had already been lonely enough as it was even when his brother lived with him so him just being whisked away.. the only person Dude ever really connected with to Dave’s knowledge.. it was truly awful. Not to mention Dude having to deal with the fact that instead of his Dad taking both sons, he only took one.

“No. He doesn’t hate you. Just the other day he was telling me how he missed you.” Dave decided to reply. Yes, Shtopor knew of what Dude had done. It was all wide spread news. But truthfully, Shtopor sounded like he held similar feelings as Dave did about the whole thing. They were the only two people in the whole family that felt similarly basically. Though there wasn’t much of a family to begin with and most people who Dave still hung around never even wanted to mention Dude.

“Are you telling the truth?” Dude asked as Dave noticed him, gripping onto the gift bag a bit tighter. This is exactly why he didn’t wanna talk about him often. He knew it was probably still a really sore spot for him but he did have some news that would cheer him up a bit.

“I promise. We even were thinking maybe we could see if they’d let him come see you for a bit while he’s in town.”

The news made that glazed over look in Dudes eyes suddenly disappear as his expression softened into one of a mixture of hope and surprise. “Really?” He asked in almost a pleaful tone as he let go of the bag and Dave couldn’t help but to smile again. “Mhm. But- don’t get your hopes up okay? I haven’t asked anyone working here if that’s okay yet alright?” he warned. Honestly more than likely he would get his way with some smooth talking but he did need to make sure not to get Dudes hopes up too much. The last thing he needed was for Dude to think of him as a liar or see him or his own brother in a negative light.

It slightly pained Dude to hear but he nodded anyways and finally brought one of the gift bags into his lap before he pulled the first thing out; a wolf plush. If there was one thing that Dude had always liked for the whole time Dave had known him, it was wolves. The kid would practically light up each and every time he saw something with them on it and could tell you pretty much every little thing about them.

He held up the plush for a moment before speaking. “Looks like a Interior Alaskan wolf.” He pointed out before checking the tag to see if it actually clarified what type of wolf it was. For Dave, all he knew was a wolf was a wolf, but hey good on Dude for knowing the differences between them all. “It only says it’s a wolf…huh.” He muttered before setting it on the table. “Thank you though. He’s really cute.”

Dave shrugged. “No problem. That ain’t all I got you though. You got another bag once you get through that one.”

Dude continued to go through the one he held. He received some money for the stupid coke and snack machines here, a krotchy plush which he immediately hid back into the bag which made Dave cackle, a couple candy bars, and a few new blankets. He thanked him for all of it before Dave pushed the other bag over towards him too.

In the other bag Dude found two more wolf plushies, a couple DVDs of movies and cartoons he’d like growing up (they had a DVD player in one of the main rooms), and a Christmas card. Opening the card up, what looked like a piece of paper flew out from it. Dude went to get it until Dave lifted his hand out to stop him as he got up.

“Ah shit. Sit down I got it. I shoulda found a way to make it stay in it better.” He grumbled as he picked up the small object next to the table before he handed it over to him.

Once it was in Dudes hand, he realized it wasn’t a odd random piece of paper. What he was looking at was the back of a polaroid picture. Flipping it over, he let out a soft “oh my god..” the people in the photo ‘looking back at him’ were himself, Dave, and Shtopor from a long time ago. Dude actually remembered when the picture was taken. It was taken during one of the times Dude and his brother went over to Dave’s house for one Halloween since Dave had always lived in better, larger and wealthier neighborhoods.

Both of the kids had their arm around Dave who was squatting for the picture to be closer to their height. They all were smiling and Shtopor, being the troublemaker he always was already had chocolate smeared on his costume and mouth.

Dude was stuck between almost sobbing at the sight of happier times and laughing at how dumb both him and his brother looked. He met somewhere in the middle and instead wiped his eyes from the tears starting to build up as he chuckled a bit. Dave smiled kindly at him and patted his shoulder again. “Yeah. Found that while going through a old pile of photos from over the years. Thought you’d wanna keep that.”

Dude sniffled some more before nodding. “Thank you.. really. It means a lot to me…” he quietly spoke before sitting it back into the card and standing up.

His next action really surprised Dave since he really couldn’t remember the last time Dude had..hugged him. Especially in front of tons of people. The photo obviously really touched him so Dave just chuckled and hugged him back. “Don’t mention it. I’ll keep looking and give you any more I find.”

Dude held on for a moment longer before Dave patted his back and let go.

“I would have put it in a frame for you or something but you know how they are about glass.” Dave said looking down at the picture himself. “No it’s perfect. I’ll keep it somewhere safe.” Dude assured him as he closed the card for now and sat it back into the bag.

-

They chatted a bit longer as Dude finished up his meal when eventually Dave checked his watch again and realized he would need to be heading out soon. He still had a little time however so he decided to ask one more thing.

“Well, do you think you had a good Christmas? They really went all out this year, huh?”

Dude took a sip out of the little cup of soda they have gave him and somehow, Dave could just tell that something was on his mind as he looked away from him but just eventually nodded. “Yeah. I guess.”

“You guess?”

Dude sat his cup on the table and sighed a little. “Yeah. I didn’t really get what I wanted this year though.”

“Oh. Uh.. Did I forgot you wanted something? What else did you want?”

“Out.” Dude said plainly.

Yeah, He obviously seriously meant that but Dave couldn’t help but to laugh a little, mostly out of the awkwardness of it. He knew Dude seriously wanted out..anyone would but there was a very, very slim chance he ever would be let out.

Seeing as Dude didn’t crack a smile or anything Dave stopped laughing but kept his smile as he began, “Sorry. But we both know there isn’t much of a chance of that even if we both want there to be.”

Dude shrugged and fixed his glasses again. “Doesn’t mean I can’t want to leave.”

Dave nodded at this. “Yep. We all wish for something.. I wish a lot of things for you too. Always have.” Dave said as he took one last look around the room. That bright blonde hair from that guy Dude liked caught his eyes again. The guy wasn’t talking to anyone though others sat with him. He instead was just finishing up his meal also.

Dave turned back around. “What about your boyfriend? You wanna leave him behind?”

Dude was about to tell him to be quite again but decided against it. He instead settled for telling him the truth. “He wants to leave with me.”

“Aww. And you were over here acting like he isn’t your gay lover.” Dave teased with a smirk.

Dude began to turn a little red again but huffed like a teenager. “Whatever.”

-

Dude tossed his trash away once Dave began to stand up to put his coat back on. “I would stay longer if I could Dude but I don’t wanna listen to your bother swear up and down at me in Russian later.” Dave joked once Dude came back to the table. Dude gave him a grin. “Yeah I wouldn’t wanna listen to him do that either. All he ever knew how to do was swear.”

Dave chuckled and once he was done getting ready to leave he placed a hand on Dudes shoulder again. “Alright Dude. I promise I’ll see you again soon. I’ll try my best to get your brother allowed in too. I’ll see ya okay?”

“Okay. Thank you for everything..I hope I can see him too but if I can’t, tell him I miss him.”

“Of course man.”

Dude looked away from Dave to see his ‘lover’ sitting around where he said he would be and gave him a little wave when he’d looked up. “I’m-uh going to go sit with him now.” Dude said as he picked up his gift bags.

“Mhm. Don’t wanna keep your lover waiting. I hope you get some Christmas lovin’ also man. Must get boring in this old place right?” Dave joked with a nudge to Dudes side which made Dude blush again. “Just go ahead and leave already would ya?” Dude jokingly asked with a slight smile. “Yeah, yeah whatever. See ya soon. Bye.” Dave said as he began to leave.

“Bye Dave.” Dude said.

-

Dave glanced behind him one last time as he approached the door and saw that smile again Dude had earlier as he sat down next to the blonde man. Dave grinned also. Even though Dude didn’t get what he really wanted for Christmas, this new ‘friend’ of Dudes was the best thing anyone could ask for, for Dude.

#postal dude #postal 1 #postal dude fanfic #I actually kinda really like this one I hope others do to 🐱 #sorry for any mistakes

[specialagentlokitty]

Sam Uley x male!reader -

What about 12, for Sam and male reader? If you don't write for Sam then can you do it with Jacob please? - Anon💜

12. “Go ahead, call me the bad guy. But we all know who’s to blame for what I’ve become.”

You were an outcast, thrown out from the pack simply because of who your imprint was.

Sam was your imprint but he wasn’t yours, not after he found Emily anyways. He imprinted on her and he didn’t want you anymore.

Sam threw you out the pack without a word and you were banished to live alone. A wolfs worse nightmare, you were in pain, broke and it twisted your mind.

You stayed in your wolf worm mostly, but you occasionally went around towns and villages in your human form just to remember what it was like.

Making your way through your new home, you stretched slightly as you got a scent from downhill.

It was a scent you hadn’t smelt in a long time.

Standing tall, you snarled as you sensed them approaching.

“Whoever you may be I suggest you leave.” You snarled.

“I’ve only come to talk (Y/N).”

You watched as Jacob came closer, he phased back and gave you a warm smile.

“Can we talk?”

You hummed, phasing to your human body as you nodded to him, offering him a seat next to you on the broken tree.

“It’s a nice home.” He noted.

“It’s quiet.”

He nodded his head and offered you a sad smile.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t come see you sooner, Sam made everyone stay away from you.”

“Then why are you here, you can’t betray your alphas rules.”

“He’s not my alpha anymore.”

“Oh?”

You were curious and you listened as your old friend explained everything.

He told you about what had happened and why he had some to visit you. He needed your help protecting Bella and the Cullens from Sam and the rest of his pack.

You smirked and turned to him.

“Just the day I’ve been waiting for. I’ll help.”

Jacob smiled, he knew you had a different motive, but it was all the same to him.

He needed help, and you were going ti help him that’s all that mattered.

You both phases back and Jacob led you to the Cullens house.

You weren’t the only ones, Seth and Leah were there as well and Seth was overjoyed to see you.

“(Y/N)!”

He bounded over to you and stood next to you, a huge grin on his face as he watched you phase back.

“Who’s this?”

You knew the Cullens, you watched over the pack before you finally vanished.

“(Y/N). Sam tossed him out the pack after he imprinted.” Leah explained.

They introduced you to everyone and it was Edward that came over to you first.

“I know you’re doing this for your own reason but thank you.”

You gave a small nod and sat on the steps.

You never really moved from your spot on the steps, only to wonder around to patrol but when Sam and his pack came closer you immediately smelt it.

You got riled up and phased, pawing the ground as you watched the alpha come out of the trees.

He seemed shocked to see you, and that encouraged you anymore.

“Why is he here?” Sam growled.

“Because he’s protecting us.” Seth snarled back.”

“Hello again, Sam.” You sneered.

Snapping your jaws, you stalked towards him with your head held high.

You never paid any mind to the others, but as Paul lunged for you, you quickly swiped him to the side, claws scraping his skin making him whin.

“Everyone get back!” Sam barked.

He turned back to you and stood tall.

“Drop this childish game.” He said.

“Childish game?!” You growled, “you broke me Sam! You left me out there to die!”

Lunging, you snapped your jaws at where he was stood, barely just missing him.

“This isn’t you!”

“There is no me! Not after you rejected me! Just because of Emily! We could’ve worked it out but it became all about her!”

“We can still work this out.”

“Not anymore. I’m going to rip you to pieces, then I’m going to go after your mate and do the same.”

Sam snarled, lunging for you but he didn’t even get close.

The one thing you prided yourself on was being fast, you were agile. The fastest out of the pack and they all knew that.

“You’re going to kill an innocent human?! Go against our rules!?”

“You’re rules! Not mine! Maybe I’ll go after her first.”

“You know the law.”

You did. You wouldn’t actually hurt her. You’d never hurt a human, but you enjoyed stressing him out, making him hurt and feel your pain.

Hearing a yell, you watched as Esme was pinned to the ground.

Charging, you knocked the wolf from her and stood over her protecting her from harm.

Once she was ready, you moved and let her stand up, offering her a small nod of your head as you turned back towards Sam.

Before you could do anything jacob came running out, he’d imprinted and it made you happy. He deserved to be happy.

Standing to the side, you phased back, stuffing your hands into your pockets.

“It’s our upmost law, Sam Uley.” You smirked.

He cursed and started walking backwards. He turned his attention towards you.

“Go ahead, call me the bad guy. But we all know who’s to blame for what I’ve become.”

Sam said nothing.

Because he knew you were right.

You started to walk away despite the Cullens saying you could stay.

You were a lone wolf, and it was going to stay that way because you knew a pack meant nothing but hurt

#twilight x reader #twilight imagine #twilight #sam uley #sam Uley x reader #sam Uley x male reader

[mask-of-prime]

Galaxy brain moment: A headcanon for Scar's relationship with each of Zira's kids can be based on how Zira herself treats them

Basically what if Zira's so debilitatingly loyal to Scar that his opinion of her children affected the way she perceived and raised them

Scar rejected and subsequently neglected Nuka as he saw the kid as an insulting parody of him, seeing too much of himself in him. Zira feels compelled to treat Nuka the same way, seeing too much of her own acolyte self in him (both die in a heedless, crazed attempt at pleasing their idols when pushed to their breaking point). Both are hypocrites who project their insecurities of themselves onto him because they think he's their worst parts of themselves that they don't want to believe

Scar completely overlooks Vitani as a bastard nobody and essentially cannon fodder who can easily be utilized for her strength and extreme loyalty or just as easily thrown away for weakness/defection (essentially a mini Zira). Zira once again follows suit and treats Vitani that way growing up, training her as a carbon copy of her own strength and loyalty until she completely discards Vitani after she refuses an order (for a little nuance I feel like Zira would at least be a bit sad if something happened to her daughter, Scar probably wouldn't bat an eye lol)

Scar sees much of his inflated idea of himself within Kovu due to his similar coloration and position as the youngest child, seeing much of what he thinks of himself in Kovu's strong build and choosing him as king despite being the youngest, defying tradition. Zira is manipulated into setting most of her focus and attention on her youngest son and trains him to become what Scar saw himself as; both Scar's and Zira's idea of what Scar was like

#The Lion King #The Lion King II: Simba's Pride #TLK #TLK 2 #Scar #Zira #Nuka #Vitani #Kovu