#if anyone wants to use this as lock screen or w/e feel free

[araneapeixes]

posting them split up like this (sad..) so u can see them better on mobile bc the quality was Pissing me Off

#and also so u can get a closer look at shadowhearts torso. or no reason #also yes i fiddled with the colors #this is more what it looked like when i was drawing #then i changed the overlay to green for the jnderground club feel #bg3 #shadowheart #astarion #astarion ancunin #baldurs gate 3 #baldurs gate #bg3 fanart #if anyone wants to use this as lock screen or w/e feel free

[kaidenya]

Getting Caught ✧ MHA

Description: Headcanons for getting caught in a intimate moment with Hitoshi Shinso, Tenya Iida, Mirio Togata, & Tomura Shigaraki

WARNING: NSFW, suggestive content NOTE: This is a repost of an old SHITPOST headcanon I had on my previous account so if this looks familiar I hope you enjoy it the second time around!

“Nobody will know...”

Shinso

Shinso would go to his grave claiming that you were to blame for this situation

But in all honesty, he had been allowing things to build for far too long

You two weren’t necessarily a secret, but most people just assumed you were bEsT fRiEnDs 🥴

It was an honest misunderstanding

You had decided to keep physical contact to a minimum after an unfortunate attempt at holding his hand left you believing he didn’t enjoy any forms of PDA.

Shinso had just assumed the same about you.

However, as the two of you grew more serious, you found it more difficult to keep your hands to yourself

It just so happened your boyfriend had been working extremely hard in the hero course and it s h o w e d

You had found yourself admiring his changing physique and in turn, found you weren’t the only one admiring your boyfriend.

You weren’t necessarily jealous— you trusted him more than anything, but he tended to be socially constipated

And nobody seemed to know about you. Thus giving the other interested parties an unintentional greenlight to flirt with him. And there was one girl that had stood out among the sea of suitors.

Each time you saw the second-year girl perch next to Shinso it made your skin crawl, but no lines had been crossed.

Until they were.

Your knuckles were gripping the strap of your bag so tightly it ached when you made your way to where your boyfriend was perched outside

The second-year didn’t even acknowledge you as she continued her flirtatious ways and you don’t resist the urge to roll your eyes as you settle into the place next to him.

He had flashes you a lazy smile before focusing back on his phone screen.

Then her hand landed on his upper thigh

Let me tell you: sleepy boy was shocked when she touched him, but he was EVEN MORE SHOCKED when you took her by the wrist and tossed her hand to the side

You waste no time threading your fingers with his, rising to your feet and all but hauling him from his seat

His amusement only grew as he realized just how jealous you had gotten, a smirk forming over his lips as he set to teasing you

‘What’s the matter, kitty? You don’t like anyone touching daddy?’

NO, YOU DO NOT

You have no idea how you ended up on your knees in a supply closet??

Shinso is feeling very sure of himself above you, using the hand that was gripping the back of your neck as leverage to hold you down on his length

k i n g of dirty talk 🤭

Absolutely cannot help himself when it comes to telling you how pretty you look choking on his cock

Honestly doesn’t last long, but what do you expect? Seeing your jealous and possessive response to the girl he had given little to no acknowledgment had lit a fire in his chest

He was desperate to get his hands on you, to remind you that he was just as much yours as you were his.

And when he does— oh MAN he makes you forget all about the second-year girl

He has one of your legs draped over his shoulder as he goes down on you, licking and sucking at you in a way that had you trembling

You accidentally knock over a pile of brooms and mops, neither of you paying them any mind as your head lulled in bliss

If only you had remembered to flick the lock on the door…

Kirishima really thought someone was banging on the door for help. It wouldn’t have been manly— or heroic not to make sure someone wasn’t in trouble

Besides, why else would someone be making so much noise in a supply closet if they weren’t stuck??

So when the door swung open and he locked eyes with you, still panting and moaning as an all too familiar head of purple hair buried further into your heat—

He let out the loudest shout he could muster. Apologies poured from his mouth as he fumbled to shut the door

However, your boyfriend made no move to let you go. Instead, he hummed against your skin, only leaning back to nip at your inner thigh before speaking in a heavy voice

‘Better make this fast, kitty.’

Iida

So you’ve tried to keep your relationship on the down-low bc Iida doesn’t want anyone to think he’s distracted

We all know he just doesn’t wanna be called out for his obvious favoritism

Before you got together you were constantly pushing him, breaking minuscule rules in favor of gaining his attention. Nothing too immoral, but enough to get under his skin.

Like slipping into class just seconds after the bell had rung, nearly avoiding Aizawa’s attention, but never making it past Iida.

Or when a class had gotten a bit too stressful, the room filling with hot air as tensions rose and you had to pop open a few buttons of your uniform top

Then there was your favorite offense; desk sitting. If there was one sure way to get a reaction from your stickler of a boyfriend it was to place yourself on top of a desk.

Which is what you found yourself doing at the end of an unfavorable week. The two of you hadn’t gotten a moment together outside of your studies and you were growing needy.

So with a few moments of free time before class began, you decided to chat with Tsu and Uraraka, settling atop the desk between them when you had grown tired of standing

The desk belonging to none other than Tenya

Your ankles were crossed as you leaned forward to speak with Tsuyu and he was beyond s h o o k

Immediate hand chopping.

He’s towering over you, ranting about how your behavior was improper while keeping his hands clenched in an attempt to keep from running his fingertips along your thighs.

When was the last time you were this close to him? It had to have been longer than he realized for him to have such a strong reaction— are you biting your lip??

Any response between you died off as Aizawa addressed the class and you were sent back to your seat, leaving Iida far more frazzled than you realized

The moment class ends he has you tucked under an empty stairwell to continue his lecture

Only he doesn’t get very far

Tenya Iida has an authority kink. I take no criticism.

When you look up at him from under your lashes, muttering the words ‘yes sir’ as he chastised you, his resolve was shattered

Has you pressed against the wall immediately, fisting your blazer as he dips to press his forehead to yours

‘Why must you push me?’

Doesn’t even let you answer before his mouth is covering yours, hips arching to grind his obvious arousal against you

Knowing he had been just as affected by your as you had him was enough to spur a moan past your lips and he takes the chance to slide his tongue into your mouth

Although he was MORTIFIED at the impropriety of it all, he couldn’t resist the sweet noises you made as he expertly worked against you

His hand eventually slides between you, pushing past the waistband of your bottoms and grinding his palm against you teasingly

‘Now, who do you belong to, darling?’

You you youyouyou—

Your hand was rubbing along Iida’s hard cock, his length straining against his pants to the point you’re almost worried they’ll rip

Somehow the two of you had been so lost in one another that you hadn’t heard the door open at the top of the stairwell

Denki and Mineta honestly weren’t creeping this time— they just wanted a snack from the vending machine adjacent to you!

Got a whole ass meal instead 👁👄👁

A moan tore from your throat, quickly being smothered by Tenya’s parted lips as you came on his fingers

You had barely made out the echoing sound of objects clattering to the ground through the ringing in your ears

But your boyfriend had heard

His lips separated from you in an instant, shocked gaze shifting into something closer to anger as he recognized your classmates

Denki began stammering out an apology, looking close to short-circuiting as his attention flickered between you

Mineta had let his gaze linger on you for too long. His eyes taking in the way your exposed chest— Tenya must have pulled the buttons loose

You cringe away from his gaze, post-orgasm haze™ spurring you to tuck yourself closer to Tenya to avoid their stares rather than snap at them

It was your obvious discomfort that had kicked Iida into gear, twisting to thread your button your blouse together before rounding on the others

If embarrassment wasn’t enough, the thought of them having seen you in such a vulnerable position had him seething as he began his lecture

Attempts hand chopping them into submission, but they kept disregarding his words in favor of catching another glimpse of you in a fucked out state

All fondness for his classmates had vanished as he stepped into their line of sight, shielding you from their gazes. His eyes almost daring them to continue

Whatever words lingering on their tongues died off, heads bowing in shame as they agreed to keep the entire situation to themselves

After all, the potential wrath of Tenya Iida was not something to be taken lightly.

Mirio

Mirio’s love language is touch, without a doubt, so it’s honestly surprising when he’s NOT trying to get handsy with you

He’s always defended his obvious displays of affection by claiming he had so little free time— he’d be a fool to waste the opportunity to touch you!

Mirio jumped at the opportunity to feel you against him. Whether it was a heavy kiss to your lips after walking you to class, a hand slipping under your shirt to caress your back, or his fingers trailing teasingly along your thigh.

However, as much as he was attentive, he was also forgetful.

It was because of that forgetfulness that you found yourself alone in your dorm. Countless boxes of takeout were lined up on your desk and a pre-planned movie was ready to play on your small tv.

After a few hours and countless delivered messages, you succumbed to disappointment.

The following day Mirio can’t seem to figure out why you’re avoiding him, but he refuses to give up without a fight.

Definitely thinks it’s a game of some sort and takes it upon himself to break your silent streak

It wasn’t easy being upset with Mirio. He had an uncanny ability to brighten any room he stepped into and being irrevocably in love with him only strengthened his effect

He’s always hard for you and loves letting you know just how you affect him— so why not place a hand on your hand, pressing firmly against your back when he slips past?

You always look so stunning— why not feed you compliments at every given moment?

How could he not look at you with the most iNTENSE GAZE undressing you with his eyes in front of everyone?

It’s when he realizes that you aren’t reacting to his teasing and flirtatious behaviorist that he caves.

He finds you between classes, stirring you away from the crowd, despite your wordless protests. It isn’t until you’re tucked away in an abandoned hall that he finally asks what was wrong

You had fully intended on dragging it out, allowing anger to push you on. But he spoke to you in the softest voice, looked at you with eyes filled with so much devotion that it was nearly overwhelming

He is shocked when you shove him away— were you tearing up??

Actually gets super defensive because he doesn’t realize HES the one that made you upset

Once you finally cave and remind him about the date he had missed it hits him like a freight train.

The two of you so rarely got time together and he had stood you up.

‘I’m so sorry, baby. I’ve been so busy lately— I didn’t realize I was neglecting you.’

Does not waste time making it up to you. He cups your face in his hands as he starts placing soft kisses on your face, cooing softly as tears roll down your cheeks

Did somebody say praise kink?

How can you stay mad at him when he’s telling you how sorry he is and that he loves you and you’re the only one his dick will get hard for??

It isn’t long before he’s pinned you between him and the wall, hitching your legs around his waist while coaxing you into a heavy kiss

His hips flex to grind against you, his hot length slotting between your thighs as he digs his fingertips into the curve of your ass

Mirio does not care that somebody could see— his quirk leaves him naked all the time and he’s shameless 🥵

But again he’s so forgetful—

And he was meant to go straight to class 1A to talk with them alongside the other members of The Big Three

So when he didn’t show up Aizawa had sent Tamaki and Midoriya in search of their future number one hero

How were you supposed to know they would turn the corner just as you arched from the wall?

Mirio had no idea anyone was there as he used the hand that was wrapped around your throat as leverage to grind you over the edge—

bOY were you embarrassed when you heard the two boys audibly g a s p

Midoriya’s embarrassment nearly gave Tamaki a run for his money. You were quick to turn away, immediately hiding your face in his chest as he greeted the duo in an overly cheerful voice

Absolutely teases the three of you over the incident FOREVER!!

Shigaraki

Shigaraki was obsessed with you.

There was no way around how infatuated he had become and it only seemed to grow alongside your relationship

He was touch starved. The moment you began giving him physical affection and attention it was game over

He had no shame, especially when it came to his desire for you, which is how you often found yourself perched on his lap no matter the company.

That being said, the leader of the League of Villains became intolerable when the two of you were separated for long.

And a recent spiral of events has prevented you from returning to the hideout, thus leaving the others to deal with him

You weren’t expected to return until the following week. Aside from texting Shigaraki endlessly (didn’t he have anything better to do?) and assuring Twice and Toga that you’d be returning as soon as possible, you hadn’t had much contact with the League

Shigaraki was wound up tight, lashing out at the others far more than usual. That was how he ended up sitting at the bar, Father concealing his annoyance as Kurogiri took over the meeting.

And suddenly you were walking in, muttering a quick apology before taking the only available seat beside Toga

Shigaraki could not keep his eyes off of you, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by the others. It was the most present he had been since you left.

Of course, that meant Dabi has also noticed and never missing an opportunity to mess with their ruthless leader he shifted closer from his place behind you, muttering small talk into your ear

There is no doubt in my mind that Shigaraki was staring at you both like 😠 behind Father

Luckily the meeting had been wrapping up upon your arrival and the group was dismissed, many leaving to handle their own business.

However, the moment you had leaped to your feet Tomura had vanished from the room

With a sigh you moved over to the bar, sliding into the seat that had once been occupied by your man and Kurogiri placed a drink before you

By the time you had downed the last bit the bar had gotten eerily quiet, though when you shifted to speak to the Misty Man he was already looking over your shoulder. With a single nod, he had left the room.

The moment he was gone leather artist gloves shoved under your top, your heart racing at the all too familiar feeling as a palm settled between your shoulders

‘I’ve missed you, pet.’

There was a harsh tone to his voice, but it was contradicted by the trail of open-mouthed kisses he pressed along your neck and shoulder

Your entire body arched against him, head craning back to catch a glimpse of him, smiling widely as you met his gaze and returned the sentiment

A scoff slid past his lips, though you could see the amusement dancing in his gaze as his hand reached around to wrap around your throat

Despite the gloves, he kept a pinky in the air

His mouth covers yours in a sloppy kiss as his hips jolt sharply against you, knocking you against the countertop

Absolutely cannot control himself as he ruts against you, wasting little to no time in pushing your bottoms down past your thighs

Heat pooled in your stomach as his free hand reached between you to pull himself from his jeans

His dick slid between your thighs, a throaty whine sliding past your lips and despite the slick from your arousal the thick head stretched you perfectly

You had been completely lost in him, moaning and whining freely as he continued to rut against you.

There was a click throughout the room, similar to the door handle being twisted and your attention was adverted to the source

However, Shigaraki was faster.

He grabbed the back of your head and using his hold as leverage to press your face flat against the bar-top while his other hand worked against your sensitive center. A loud moan that was undoubtedly his name tumbled past your lips

‘There’s my little slut— louder, make sure they know who makes you feel this good.’

Unbeknownst to you, the person he wanted to be sure knew you were his had entered the room, Tomura meeting his gaze with a smirk as you began chanting his name like a prayer

A harsh thrust of his hips sent you over the edge as you came on his cock, filthy praises slipping past his lips as his hot release rolled down your thighs

He placed another sloppy kiss on the back of your neck before parting from you.

The moment you lift your head and begin adjusting yourself you lock eyes with Dabi

Embarrassed didn’t even begin to explain how you felt as Tomura let out a loud laugh, reaching down to pull your bottoms up after he had tucked himself away

‘Go wait on my bed while I speak with Dabi and I may let you come on my tongue.’

You wasted no time hurrying away from the two, heart pounding from both excitement and humiliation as you rushed to do as you were told

#iida x reader #mirio x reader #shigaraki x reader #shinso x reader #tenya x reader #mirio headcanons #iida headcanons #shinso headcanons #shigaraki headcanons #my hero academia #my heado academia headcanons

[into-september]

it appears I’m back on my BS

Sentiadrien might be a case of running thematic diarrhea, but guess who just caught the last half of “Dark Cupid” while zapping through the channels!

 - Adrien’s first attempt at confessing to Ladybug

 - Marinette once again fails at confessing to Adrien, but her words do reach him - as what he suspects is Ladybug.

 - There is a real ladybird following Marinette’s confession to Adrien here, which is remarkably the only instance of the actual insect appearing in the series. After sparking hope in Adrien, it leaves through the open window of his room and he follows it, staring longingly as it flies towards the open skies (something something his being locked up in his room like Rapunzel in the tower and Ladybug being the only reason he can escape it)

 - First instance of CN actively helping Hawkmoth because an akuma got to him

- The fairy-tale motif is introduced, giving Marinette the idea to “de-evilise” CN through True Love’s Kiss. In Ms. Bustier’s version, this is “the prince breaking the spell by kissing the princess”, and S4 doubled down on who is the prince and who is the princess in this scenario

 - Said fairy-tale is “Sleeping Beauty”. See also: “Style Queen”

 - CN wants to know what happens if he cataclysms a person (the only person ever cataclysmed on this show is himself and Aeon. it turned out okay)

 - The battle happens by the fountain with the statue in this universe holding the twin rings, which may or may not be the first time they’re seen on screen (time to fire up my Netflix gift card and finally watch this show in order!)

 - Something about Plagg’s ring and Gabriel’s ring and one of these being the force enslaving Adrien and the other being his way of literally escaping the other, even though no-one knows this at present. Also weddding rings and their inherent romanticism and ~Adrien was created from the feeling of looooove~ and this happening on Valentine’s day 

In conclusion: 

Amok shall once more be used to force Adrien into fighting LB. He is literally saved by a True Love’s Kiss that gives him the power to break free of the amok or w/e like anyone and their dog can now break free from an akuma and it is not incidental that these two miraculous work as very similar takes on very adjacent powers

OR

Adrien once more tries to commit self-cataclysm (presume it’d do more damage than Sabrina’s did) and Marinette convinces him otherwise with a True Love’s Kiss and some very inspiring lesson about ~loving yourself as you are~

#idk #mira #blah #ml speculation #miraculous ladybug

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 : I Don’t Wanna Go To Bed

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

I gotta tell you the truth I'm full of broken pieces And all my nights are sleepless

And I don't mean to intrude The secret can you keep it?

I don't wanna go to bed without you

click here to be on the update list

                                          We stayed together in silence for a while and I could feel the palm of my hands getting sweaty as I gripped the counter harder. I didn't want this to become awkward but the truth was, it was always a bit awkward and tensed between Niall and I. I had to admit I was also scared his mood would just suddenly changed and he would start getting mean again. I knew there was probably a reason behind it but not knowing why made it even more hurtful. Besides, having a reason to be mean doesn't give him the right to be. Still, I didn't want to be on the defensive every single time he was around me. It didn't mean I wanted to open up to him, though, but something was pulling me towards him, something strong that I hadn't felt in a very long time.

"How hammered is my friend Louis?"

I chuckled low and shrugged, glancing at him. "So hammered that I decided to sip on the same beer all night in case he'd need me."

Niall's lips curled slightly and he licked his bottom one. "You're a good friend, Devie." he let out in a gentle tone, making me chuckle low. "That means we're both sober, I'm one of the designated drivers tonight."

I frowned and turned my head to look at him. "For who?"

"Anyone who needs me." he replied, his smile getting bigger.

"So you're telling me you're not gonna drink at all?"

"Not a drop." he shook his head.

"But you're irish!" I joked, making him laugh. "Besides, you're not really useful, locked in here."

This time, Niall raised his eyebrows and moved his upper body close to mine, making me hold my breath. "Who's fault?"

I chuckled but my smile faltered a bit before I started nibbling on my bottom lip. His amused expression changed suddenly and he let his eyes roam on my face and stop on my lips. I held my breath and he cleared his throat, moving back as I filled my lungs with air again.

"Sorry for locking us here." I just said, feeling suddenly very stupid. I knew he meant it as a joke, but it was still the truth.

"Naa, don't be, it's fine." he shrugged, crossing his arms on his chest. "You're quite an entertaining person."

I smiled despite myself, bringing one of my shoulders up and turning my head slightly. It made me a bit shy to hear him say nice things about me and I felt my heart skip a beat. I couldn't even blame it on alcohol so once again, I blamed it on good old lust.

"So I'm not intriguing anymore, I'm just entertaining."

His eyebrows raised again and his head turned my way but this time, a small smirk appeared on his lips. Ever since he had told me that, I had been wondering what he meant. I watched him and he turned his whole body around, leaning his side against the counter to face me. I didn't dare to move at all and he just stared at me for a while before letting out a cute chuckle.

"You can be both."

I didn't tell him but I found him intriguing too, probably way more than I could be in a lifetime. I didn't understand his behavior, and I could never guess what he was thinking about. He was a mystery and I had no idea how to solve it. Perhaps, I never would.

I jumped slightly when my phone rang, taking me out of my thoughts immediately, and blinked a few times before searching through my pockets. I felt my heart skip a beat when I noticed Louis' picture on the screen, not really sure if I was relieved or disappointed.

"Hey Lou, we're stuck in the bathroom on the second floor." I heard Louis start laughing loud in his phone and I raised my nose up in a grimace. "Please, can you help?"

"Wait wait," he said, laughing again. "Who are you stuck with?"

I licked my lips and glanced at Niall before clearing my throat. "I'm with Niall."

I waited for a few seconds, hearing nothing but silence, until Louis burst into laughter so loudly that I had to move my phone away. My eyes met Niall's and I saw him roll him eyes with a small smile, telling me that he could hear Louis too.

"Did you do that on purpose?"

This time, I could swear my heart stopped completely. Did Niall hear that, too?

"No, of course not!" I argued, bringing the phone back on my ear. "Why would I do that?"

"You know why!"

I was about to answer something when Niall moved closer. His scent reached my nose and I blinked a few times. I thought I was used to his smell from sharing a room with him, but having him so close made me realize that his natural odor made me feel slightly woozy. He took my phone gently from my hands to put it between us and clicked on the 'hands free' button as Louis' laughter echoed on the bathroom walls around us.

"Louis, get your ass here now."

My friend started laughing even louder and I looked up in Niall's eyes, feeling slightly shy suddenly. I knew Louis was drunk but I didn't enjoy the fact that he was teasing me. It's not like I ever told him much about Niall anyway, so I was not sure what he actually meant with all the teasing.

"Tommo!" Niall repeated in a serious and slightly louder tone.

"Yea yea. I'm coming."

We heard a 'click' telling us Louis had hung up and I pressed my lips together, still looking at Niall. He sent me a small smile and handed me my phone back before leaning against the counter again.

"I guess we'll be out of here soon." he just said in a soft tone.

I could swear I heard disappointment in his voice but it was probably just my own feelings making me imagine things.

"You never know. He's probably so drunk he'll have a hard time just walking up the stairs."

Niall's eyes found me and his lips curled more before he chuckled. "Guess he's gonna need a ride home, what do you think?"

If I wanted to be honest, I had thought about it, but I wasn't sure I had the guts to actually ask Niall for help. It was not technically for me, it was mostly for Louis, since I hadn't had a drop, but I had sort of expected to go back home with him, so it would benefit me, too.

"That's what you didn't drink for, isn't it?"

"You're right." he laughed slightly. "Louis is exactly why I didn't have a drop."

I laughed too and licked my lips, feeling my heartbeats accelerate. I wanted to say something nice but clever at the same time. I wanted Niall to think I was funny and at the same time, I wanted to let him know that I liked it when we actually got along. Probably was, I didn't know how to say things like that subtly. I had always been more the straight-forward and direct kind of girl.

"It was not so bad of an evening, after all." I finally let out. It didn't really say everything I wanted to, but it could have been worse.

"Yea?" Niall laughed again. "Being locked for hours in a bathroom with me? You're easy to please."

I felt my cheeks burn slightly but cleared my throat, trying not to draw too much attention to me. I couldn't help my palms from getting wet though and I wiped them on the back of my jeans. For some reason, his words brought in my head an image of him on top of me and I felt ridiculous for even thinking about it.

I was thinking of a good answer to give him but we heard a knock at the door and without thinking, we both rushed to it.

"Louis?"

"Are you guys dressed?"

"Don't be an ass, Tomlinson, and let us out." Niall replied quickly with a rough tone again.

Louis just laughed and we heard sounds from the knob. It took about half a minute before the door opened only to show us Louis, a smirk on his face and holding himself against the frame, probably because of how intoxicated he was.

"Have you ever thought that maybe it was fate?" he just asked in an amused tone, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Niall and then at me.

"How many drinks did you have?" Niall asked, grabbing his arm and ignoring his question.

"Oh, just a few."

"Sure, I believe you." I let out with sarcasm. "That's why it took you literally fifteen minutes to get upstairs. Can you even walk on a straight line?"

"Lou, can you even walk?"

My lips curled and Louis grimaced, making Niall sigh. "Okay, party's over, time to go back home!" he added as Louis complained.

It took us forever to bring Louis to Niall's car and we put him on the back seat with his seatbelt on. After only a few minutes, Louis was already sleeping, mouth open, and I took place on the passenger's seat as Niall started the car.

I thought Niall and I would keep talking but I was not sure what to tell him and he kept looking at the road. I couldn't help but glance at him a few times and when he stopped the car at a red light, he licked his lips.

"What?"

He hadn't asked meanly, or roughly. In fact, his voice was soft and gentle and I turned my face his way, leaned my head on the seat.

"Why were you so mad at me, Niall?"

"I'm not mad." he just replied with a shrug.

"Then, why are you avoiding me?" I asked calmly before nibbling on my bottom lip.

"I'm not."

I could feel him getting a bit annoyed but I had to ask him anyway. I had to know.

"You are. You even though I locked you in the bathroom on purpose to force you to talk to me, or acknowledge me."

He simply sighed and the light turned green. I waited as he kept driving but I could see his jaw clench, as if he was trying to use the right words, or not to talk at all.

"Do you honestly think I don't know that you rushed to Louis' room when I was in the shower? Do you think I don't know that you spent the night there? I mean how could you do that? After what I told you?"

My lips parted at his tone. I didn't expect him to be rude and after a while, I realized he was not really mad, he actually seemed slightly hurt? His words confused me though and I frowned, shaking my head a bit.

"I... I'm not sure I understand."

I noticed his hands grip the wheel harder, the sound of the leather squeezed in his palms making me hold my breath.

"Forget it." he replied after a while. He sighed again and I saw his shoulders fall as he relaxed. "I'm sorry."

He parked the car and turned around to look at Louis on the backseat. Everything became silent except for the light snore from my best friend and it made my lips curl a bit on the left.

"Come on, let's bring him to our room." Niall added, putting an end to the other conversation we were having. "I'm not letting him out of my sight tonight."

I didn't answer anything but we got out of the car and managed to bring Louis to our room together. We let him fall on Niall's bed and he turned him on his stomach, just in case.

"Neil." we heard Louis mumble before we both got closer. "I didn't sleep with her, Niall."

I frowned and heard Niall sigh low, pulling the covers over his friend.

"I promise, Niall, I didn't." Louis stammered again. "And I won't do it."

"Alright, Louis, you're talking non-sense, you sleep now."

I stared at them both and Louis groaned low before squirming a bit in bed. His body relaxed completely as he fell back asleep and Niall took a few steps back to stand right next to me.

"What the hell is he talking about." I asked, shaking my head.

"No idea. He's pissed, that's it."

I glanced at Niall and licked my lips, shrugging as a smile draw itself on my face.

"Does that mean you're going to sleep with Louis tonight?" I asked, slightly amused, as I let out a small chuckle. "Or maybe you want to sleep with me in my bed?"

I smiled more, completely sure he would refuse, but he finally shrugged and put his hands on his waist, still staring at Louis sleeping.

"Yea, good idea."

I held my breath and my jaw dropped at his answer. This is not the answer I expected and I closed my mouth again when he turned to me to raise his eyebrows at me.

"Is that alright?"

"Y-Yea, yea of course, I just... I'll get changed."

Without waiting for his answer, I grabbed sweatpants and a t-shirt and rushed to the bathroom, as if I hadn't spent long enough in a bathroom on that night. I quickly got changed and brushed my teeth before getting out. Niall sent me a smile before walking past me and going to the bathroom too. I walked to my bed, sitting slowly on it as I stared at Louis again. I had been close to Niall but laying in the same twin bed was about to be awkward. I was not even sure I'd be able to sleep and it reminded me of that night at the library when I woke up with his head leaning on my thighs.

I pushed the thought out of my mind when I heard the bathroom door open and he walked to me as I pulled on the covers of my bed to get under them. He joined me and we both lied down on our backs in silence until we heard Louis snore louder and laughed.

"Can't believe he snores like that." I whispered, making Niall turned his head to me and raise his eyebrows.

"Sorry Devie but you snore louder than that." he chuckled. I hit his arm lightly and it made him laugh. "It's true!"

"Shut up!"

Our laughters faded and he turned in bed to face me. I was getting used to the darkness and I noticed he wasn't even smiling anymore. He was just staring at me, holding his head with his hand as I looked up at him, my head on my pillow. He looked even prettier, illuminated by the soft light of the moon, and when he moved closer, I could swear my heart jumped in my throat. I swallowed it back just in time to feel Niall's lips against mine. He kissed me gently as my eyes fluttered close, and all I could focus on was how good he smelled and how relieved I felt from feeling his mouth press against mine. He deepened the kiss so slowly that I had time to anticipate it and even long for it. I had never tasted something or someone better than Niall and it was scary. I couldn't seem to stop though and when he moved closer and wrapped his arm around me, I let out a short whimper.

What brought me back to reality was Louis groaning a bit too loud from the other bed. Niall broke our kiss and turned around slowly before finally getting up quickly and helping Louis sitting up.

"I swear, Tommo, if you puke in my bed..."

He helped Louis get up and I frowned, sitting up.

"No, It's cool, you stay here." Niall told me, holding Louis with his arm around him. "I'll bring him back to his room, just so he doesn't throw up in our room."

I nodded slowly without talking, a bit disappointed. If Louis slept in his own room, did that mean that Niall would get back in his bed and I would sleep alone in mine? And why did it bother me so much?

"Do you need help?"

"No, don't worry." he replied as he grabbed the knob and opened the door.  "Oh and, uhm." I turned to him and he did the same before shrugging a shoulder. "Don't wait for me, I'll spend the night with him."

"Oh. Okay."

I waited until the door closed behind them and sighed, closing my eyes. I could still feel my lips on fire from the kiss we just had had and I couldn't seem to get over it. If there was one thing I would have never thought Niall would do, it was to kiss me, especially not in the way he had kissed me. It was not rough and full of lust. It was gentle and deep, and I couldn't remember if I had ever been kissed that way. Probably not.

It took me about twenty minutes to lay back down in my bed. I ran my tongue on my lips, tasting the vestige of the kiss I had shared with my roommate and closed my eyes. He was gone now, and I had no idea if he'd ignore me the next day. The truth it, it was driving me insane, but there was nothing I could do about it.

#niall horan #niall horan fluff #niall horan smut #niall horan fan fic #niall horan story #niall horan witing #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fan fiction #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan au #niall horan enemies to lovers #niall horan college au #my fanfics #swy

[babyybitchhhwrites]

Endeavor x Reader 18+

Title: Temptation 

Rating:  Explicit/R-18+

Words: 2761

Warnings: phone sex, public masturbation, slight daddy kink

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25758232

A/N: This is not a new fic. I actually wrote it sometime back in 2017 but I never uploaded it outside of Tumblr. I was only recently able to retrieve it from my previously nuked blog so figured I’d go ahead and post it here. : /

♥♥♥♥

Whether because of his age or due to his stubborn ass personality, Enji was not a big fan of texting. He much preferred to make phone calls or, better yet, speak to someone in person. Try as you might to convince him otherwise, it proved to be a hard habit of his to break. Although you couldn’t really blame him for being so stuck in his ways, not when they’d served him so well over the years, you likewise had your own method of getting things done. Texting was your main source of communication these days and you’d long since accepted that he just wasn’t going to get on board with it anytime soon.

Thats why you were so terribly shocked when your phone buzzed and you glanced down at the screen to see a message from the flame hero himself. This was so unlike him and concern that there was some kind of problem washed over you before you could rationalize it as being something mundane. Fearing the worst, you opened the text only to balk incredulously.

Come to my office.

Surreptitiously glancing up at Best Jeanist, you offered the blonde a reassuring smile when he shot you a questioning look. This was so not the time for Enji to start getting demanding.

I can’t right now. I’m out on patrol with my boss. Maybe later?

You waited expectantly for some kind of response, but it was just dead silence on his end. After about three minutes and your text still unread, you slipped your phone into your pocket with every intention of getting back to work. It went off again not even thirty seconds later and you heaved a tired sigh. Once more fishing out your cellphone, you disinterestedly looked over the new message.

I’ve been thinking about you.

Your eyes bulged before you could catch yourself. Suddenly feeling quite flustered, you quickly glanced around to make sure no one was reading over your shoulder before carefully constructing your reply. No one knew about your relationship with Endeavor and it would have been disastrous if it came out like this. It was a PR nightmare just waiting to happen.

Oh ~? I can’t wait for you to tell me all about it! I’ll be done around 5

This time Enji’s reply came much quicker and you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling at the thought that he was starting to get the hang of it.

I want you now. Not later.

Too bad he was using his new found texting skills to get you all hot and bothered while you were at work and your boss was standing not even five feet away.

You were halfway through typing a firm but gentle reminder that you were a pro too and you couldn’t just drop everything to come blow him under his desk when you got another message from him. Blinking in surprise, your eyebrows shot up when you realized that he’d sent you a picture. You didn’t even really give it much thought as you clicked on it, and suddenly your screen was filled with … the front of Enji’s hero costume. The crotch to be exact. And boy, was he hard.

Blushing like a school girl, you hurriedly tapped the picture away. Another text was waiting for you.

See what you do to me?

You gasped for air, swinging your head up to find Best Jeanist approaching you. Panic was quick to set in but, thinking fast, you rushed to say that you were going to use the restroom and without even waiting for a answer, you took off in the opposite direction. It was suspicious. It was incredibly suspicious, your behavior. He’d no doubt ask what that had been all about when you returned and you sure hoped he bought whatever petty excuse you managed to come up with before then.

Halfway down the block, there was a fast food restaurant which is where you decided to slip into. You refused to meet any of the employees eyes as you made a bee line for the bathroom where you promptly locked yourself into one of the stalls. Gripping your phone in a white knuckled grip, you jabbed at the screen rather aggressively and brought it up to your ear. Enji answered on the first ring.

“I’m so glad that you’re finally catching up to this century, but you can’t send me stuff like that when I’m at work!” You snapped, almost immediately regretting your choice in words. You were flustered and anxious though, and your panties suddenly felt uncomfortably damp, so you didn’t even try to take it back.

To your surprise, Enji actually had the decency to fall into stunned silence for a brief moment. Then he growled through the receiver and you could practically see his teeth clamping down on that pouty bottom lip of his. “Watch how you speak to me, woman. I wont warn you again.”

That certainly took some of the bite out of your scathing mood. “Look, I’m sorry but …” You tried to reason with him, noticeably calmer. “I’m on patrol with Best Jeanist right now. You can’t ask me to just drop everything like that.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

You choked in disbelief. “W-wha -”

He cut you off with a vehement huff. “Where are you?”

“In a restaurant. In the bathroom.”

“Good.” You caught the sound of rustling on the other end. “I felt like a damn fool taking that picture. This is much better.”

Your gaze darted to the stall door, still locked. “Enji, I can’t -”

“You will.” A tense puff of air filtered through the line, and you were sure he had his straining cock in his hand now. “I’ll even take you out to dinner tonight instead of just breaking you over my desk. Now be a good girl and start playing with yourself.”

Static electricity shot up your spine, making you shudder. A soft moan escaped your parted lips. Enji didn’t miss it, he never did, and he chuckled in satisfaction. The sound alone made goosebumps erupt across your skin and before you realized what you were doing, your free hand had found your breast. It was small and delicate compared to his massive, callous rough palms, but it was so easy to imagine. So easy to dredge up the most recent memory of how it felt when he fondled your tits. Your nipples responded quickly, pebbling against the inside of your bra, just aching for some real attention.

“This is risky …” You murmured, your voice a little lower. Huskier.

Enji snorted. “Maybe for you.”

You flushed red hot at that, swaying on your feet. He was right. You were the only one doing this out in public where anyone could walk in without warning while he was safe in his office. Your breath hitched even as you rushed to unfasten the top of your costume with one hand. It was a struggle, but with jerky motions you finally managed to free yourself and you yanked your bra down under the swell of your chest.

“E-Enjiiii …” You keened into the phone as you pinched your left nipple. Tugged it, gave it a twist. Nothing could compare to his rough ministrations though.

A pleased hum drifted into your ear, followed by a deliberately slow inhale. “Not like that. You know better.”

You screwed your eyes shut and leaned back against the stall door, groaning. “Daddy!”

“Thats it.”

Enji sounded so self satisfied and you could practically envision him reclining into his highbacked leather chair, spreading his legs wide as he languidly stroked his cock with his hand. Maybe he was alternating between showing the head some special attention, slowly rubbing around the slit at the top, or perhaps he was reaching down to give his heavy balls a nice squeeze. God, there were so many possibilities and somehow not knowing exactly what he was doing made your knees go weak.

“I’ve been thinking about that pretty little mouth of yours all day.” He spoke slowly, almost sensually, truly stoking your fire. “I wanted you to come crawl under my desk and suck me off while I work on this mountain of paperwork. Be my little cock warmer.”  

Your vision started to blur. “I want to, daddy. I want your dick in my mouth so bad. I wish it was you touching my nipples right now.”

He groaned, quietly. “Those perfect little tits of yours. Maybe I should have you squeeze them together so I can fuck them instead of your mouth.”

“Why not both?”

He issued a rumbling chuckle. “Smart girl.”

Your nipple was starting to get sore and tender, so you switched over to teasing the other one. “What else do you want to do to me? Please tell me, daddy.”

Enji made a thoughtful sound, as if he were in no rush to hurry this up. He probably wasn’t, in all honesty. “Well, first I want to take you over my knee and give you a nice, hard spanking for talking to me the way you did earlier. You know I don’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”

“And then?” You were quick to prompt him for more. Eager to hear his gruff voice saying filthy, humiliating things directly into your ear. “After you’re done spanking me?”

“Then I think I’ll play with that pretty pink asshole of yours for a while. You know how much I enjoy that.”

Its true. He was rather fond of fingering you after your behind was blistering red and sore. “I like it too …” You whimpered as you tugged on your nipple a little too hard.

“I know you do.” Enji’s voice dropped an octave, taking on a more carnal lilt. More predatory, hungry. “And I’ll force my fingers down your throat when I’m through. Make you clean up your mess. You’re such a messy girl, you know that?”

“Oh, god.” The words forced their way out of your mouth and you abandoned your chest in favor of fumbling with your pants. “I am, I really am, daddy. I’m so sorry.”

He moaned, clearly enjoying the needy desperation in your voice. “Thats what I’m here for. To keep you in check. Are you touching your clit yet?”

Practically tearing your jeans right off, you crumple them around your ankles and drop into a squat right there inside the stall. “Yes, daddy. I’m so wet, god. I wish you were here. I want you to fuck me in this bathroom so bad.”

“Next time. I promise.” His breath catches in his throat and you knew he was stroking himself faster now. “For the time being, I want you to dip those sweet fingers into your cunt and imagine its me stretching you out. Getting you ready to take me.”

“I’m always ready for you.” You practically sob, sending jittery fingertips skirting across your labia. You pause just long enough to smear your arousal, coating yourself with it, before slipping one digit inside your pussy. Its not nearly enough though and you quickly add another. You clench down on yourself tight. “Oh! God … please! I need you. I need you, daddyyyyy.”

Enji scoffs, sounding quite put out even in the heat of the moment. “Stop that whining. If you would’ve just done as I said, I could be fucking you right now.”

You’re so close to wailing in outright distress. “But -”

“No buts!” He barks at you. You were astounded to hear that familiar heat creeping into his voice even in this situation, when he was in the middle of jerking off at his own desk. “You had your chance. These are the consequences. I trust I don’t need to give you a refresher course on what that means?”

“No …” You pout up at the wall, still a little whiny but notably less so.

“Good. Now,” He pauses. Lets the anticipation hang in the air while you continue to thrust your fingers into your body. “I want you to rub your clit. Hard and fast. Do you understand me? I’ll know if you don’t do exactly what I said.”

Sucking in a haggard gulp of air, you pull out of your cunt and focus instead on that tight cluster of nerves with sharp, quick circles. The delicious friction leaves you openly groaning in the public restroom like you’ve forgotten where you are. The threat of being caught seemed like a distant memory though and it was hard to care about reputations or PR when you just felt so achingly good rubbing one out with Enji over the phone. Somehow the thought had never occurred to you before, so the resulting rush was nearly palpable. You could feel it scorching your veins with its intensity.

“Thats it. Such a good girl.” He sounded incredibly hot and heavy all of a sudden. “Who owns that tight cunt? Who does it belong to?”

“You! You do! Its yours, daddy, all yours!”

“I wonder how soaked your panties will be by the time you get to my office.” Enji somehow manages to sound thoughtful, like he’s working out an equation in his head. “Maybe I should tell you not to put them back on when you’re done. That bastard Best Jeansit will probably be able to smell you from a mile way, regardless.��

Trembling under the force of your quickly mounting orgasm, you strain your legs a little further apart. You just couldn’t seem to put enough pressure on your clit, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. “I - I’m close … I’m so close, daddy …”

“Then do it. Come for me, baby.”

You moaned in response, far louder than you should have, and the pace of your hand reached a frenzied speed. Teetering right on the edge, balancing precariously on your heels in a dirty bathroom, you just needed one little nudge.

Its a deep, low grunt from Enji that finally pushes you over the precipice into oblivion. The guttural sound echoes inside your ears for an eternity while you spasm. Throwing your head back with a strangled scream, you slam against the door so hard that the bolt rattles, and you don’t even have the wherewithal to be concerned about someone hearing you anymore. Not while your gushing pussy is on fire, ineffectually contracting around nothing and all you can do is ride it out to completion.

The orgasm is so intense that it leaves you momentarily shaken. Disoriented. Leaning heavily against the door, you almost drop your phone as you slowly stand up on shaky legs. Your pulse is still excited and jumpy but almost immediately you can feel the blissful high of endorphins swarming your body. You feel almost giddy.

“Wow, that was … actually kind of nice. Did you come too?” You ask, sounding out of it and a little loopy. You were sure to be on cloud nine for the rest of the day.

“No.”

The answer is so blunt and to the point that at first you’re not so sure you heard him correctly. “What?”

Enji sighs as more shuffling can be heard in the background and you wonder what he’s doing. “I think I’ll save it for later. That rude mouth of yours needs to be filled up with something, doesn’t it? Be here at five on the dot or don’t bother coming at all. Oh, and don’t put your panties back on. Throw them in the trash for all I care.”

And just like that, the line disconnected.

You stood there, stunned and feeling quite foolish with your pants pooling around your ankles. Twenty six minutes according to the call log. That was an awfully long bathroom break. Jeanist would definitely have some questions for you. But before you worry about that …

Smiling mischievously, you pull up your text log with Enji and open the picture again. The sheer girth of his engorged cock was really straining against the synthetic material of his costume, weighing heavy in the tight confines and leaving a rather mouthwatering outline on display. Overall, it left very little to the imagination and you wished you could make it the background on your phone. Sadly, you knew you couldn’t.

You gave his cock one last, longing look. It must have taken quite a bit of willpower for him to edge himself like that if he was this hard at the start, you mused. This certainly pointed towards an extra fun evening awaiting you when you got off work and your pussy tingled with residual excitement.

You saved the photo anyway, confident that you would still find some use for it.

#hero academia #endeavor #enji todoroki #enji x reader #self insert bullshit

[soobiniebaby]

Angels & Devils Part IV: Can You Tell Me

Tomorrow x Together Fanfiction

~ p a r t s : main post || prologue || part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5 || part 6 || part 7 || part 8 || part 9 || part 10 || part 11 || part 12 || part 13 || part 14 || part 15 || part 16 || part 17 ~ p a i r i n g : love triangle involving choi soobin and choi yeonjun ~ g e n r e : high school au | some social media au | some fluff & angst | childhood friends | love triangle ~ l a n g u a g e : English ~ w a r n i n g : contains swearing, alcohol, kissing (?) and may contain mature themes (angst, etc.) ~ a / n : This will be my first fanfic (go easy on me pls) and i’m just writing this as I go along, so bear with me juseyo The setting (place/country) of the story is up to the reader’s interpretation ~ s u m m a r y : What should she choose? Han Baby: the new girl with a troubled past MO Academy: her new high school Choi Soobin: student council president, member of the Ecosave club, volunteer at the Humane Treatment of Animals, member of the Honor Society, a vocalist in the Jazzed club, the school’s all around golden boy Choi Yeonjun: leader of the Dance club, star of the Jazzed club, the school’s it boy with a bad rep 5 best friends, 1 new girl, 1 childhood friendship, 1 epic love triangle? What will this school year bring?

B’s first week at MO Academy had been going smoothly so far.

She rarely found herself lost around the campus since she always had Kai or at least 1 member of the student council by her side, she was able to get to know a few other people in her classes, she was able to keep track of lessons and deadlines so far, she had grown to enjoy her walks to and from school with Taehyun every day, and she was able to adjust well to living alone without her parents to watch over her or without anyone else to help around with household chores.

She actually really liked living away from her parents for the first time. The one downside was that she was starting to feel a bit lonely, especially since the apartment had 2 bedrooms, which was obviously meant to be occupied by at least 2 people. The spare room was also set up like a bedroom with a bed and a wardrobe and a desk, but she didn’t have any use for it so she never really went in it since she moved in. She mostly used it to store extra clothes.

Today, Wednesday, the boys had their first student council meeting of the year to finalize things for club recruitment day, so B walked home alone, which she didn’t really mind.

Her week was going smoothly until she received an unusual message that night, while she was lying in her bed after finishing some household chores.

B smiled as each boy sent a selfie, and laughed when she realized that all of them were holding up peace signs in their photos. She quickly saved the pictures and set each boy’s contact photo until she saw Beomgyu send more photos to the group chat.

B locked her phone and turned over in bed, her head full of thoughts of what they could do for Kai’s birthday. If it were up to her, she would take Kai to someplace special and out of the way, like the beach so that they could reminisce about their childhood memories spent along the beaches in Hawaii. But considering that there would at least be 4 other people celebrating Kai’s birthday with them, she knew it was out of the question. She was also curious about what the other boys had in mind, and she was wondering what gift she could get for her best friend.

She checked her phone one last time before shutting her lights off and drifting off to sleep.

•°•

Soobin put his phone away once the other boys sorted out their plan to keep Hyuka busy while he, B and Yeonjun stayed behind. Their last period had already ended, and they were preparing for their meeting.

“So, where do you guys wanna talk?” B asks, grabbing her bag and getting up from her seat. “I’m guessing the 3 will be hanging out at the café, so that’s not an option.” she says, referring to the café that Taehyun’s family owns and runs, which they’ve hung out at everyday after school so far, except for yesterday when the boys had their student council meeting.

“There other cafes nearby, but they’re really not as good as Kang’s.” Yeonjun says, leaning back in his seat.

“You know, there’s one place we could hold our little meeting, and we won’t even have to leave school.” Soobin says.

Yeonjun and B look at him then, curious and interested.

“Well come on then, let’s go. You can lead the way, Mr. President.” B says teasingly. Soobin visibly cringed as she did so. It wasn’t a nickname, but it was something she seemed to enjoy calling him by.

“Alright, follow me.” Soobin says, and the three make their way across the campus.

Walking across campus with Soobin and Yeonjun by her side made B remember the times in the past when she would be escorted by bodyguards hired by her parents. The dark days. She had yet to fill Kai in on the specific details, and a part of her was secretly afraid of spending one on one time with her childhood friend, dreading the moment when she would have to recount the memories that she would rather just forget.

The 2 boys had been chatting about their term project for their creative writing class, Yeonjun whining about getting paired with someone other than Soobin and Soobin in turn comforting him, and B had been so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice where they were.

“Ah, I see. Nice thinking, Soobin.” Yeonjun says, as they walk down a familiar hallway.

“What, why? Where are we going?” B asks, the hallway wasn’t familiar to her at all. It was at a part of the school near where the faculty rooms and offices were, so it wasn’t really part of the tour.

“Actually, I just remembered that I had to stop by to sign some forms that I left after the meeting yesterday, but I figured we might as well have our meeting here.” Soobin says, as they reach a set of double doors at the end of the hall. He takes a bunch of keys out of his pocket and takes a moment to sort through them before taking one and unlocking the doors.

The sign above the door read “Student Council Office.”

“Oh wow, I haven’t seen your office.” B says, realizing where they were.

“Well then, welcome to our lair.” Yeonjun says, before Soobin pushes both doors open in a dramatic fashion.

The three step inside, and B takes a moment to scan the room. There were 5 desks situated along the walls of the room, 2 desks each on 2 opposite sides of the room and 1 desk at the very end of the room, which was bigger than the other 4. Each desk had an assortment of files, papers, trinkets, and frames on them. In the center of the room was a long conference table lined with office chairs. There were 2 whiteboards on the walls filled with scribbles from past meetings with a bulletin board full of reminders and notes, and a projector screen at the end of the conference table hanging from the ceiling. The only windows in the room were behind the 1 desk at the end of the room.

Soobin goes straight to that desk and shuffles through some papers, opening the drawers as well and sorting through documents.

Yeonjun sits at the edge of the conference table and beckons B over. “Come on, Baby. Take a seat.”

“Where, though? This place is huge. And I know we’re sort of having a meeting, but isn’t a conference table for 12 a bit too much?” she says, her eyes still scanning the room. “This place is…pretty cool.”

Soobin makes his way over to the 2 with a stack of papers in his arms. “I think it’s my favorite place in the campus. We come here all the time, and we’re free to use it as much as we want, so please, just take any seat. Make yourself at home.” he says, smiling sheepishly.

“Alright, I guess.” B says, taking a seat close to the end of the table. Soobin takes the seat at the end and Yeonjun sits between the 2.

B notices that the boys seem a bit different as they take their seats. When they were seated in class, Yeonjun was usually slouched in his seat while Soobin had an elbow on his desk and his head resting on his hand. Now, seated at the student council office, they were both sitting upright. Yeonjun had both elbows resting on the table and was leaning forward, while Soobin was sitting up straight with one hand on the table and the other on his lap.

“So, B, we just wanted to talk about Hyuka’s birthday. It’s tomorrow, and we were wondering if you could help us plan something as a surprise.” Soobin says, beginning their meeting.

B felt a bit intimidated, so she found herself sitting up straight as well. “I’ll help you as much as I can, but I haven’t celebrated his birthday with him since we were kids, so I’m not sure what we can do.”

“I’m sure anything you suggest will be a big help, really.” Soobin says, smiling warmly at her.

“Okay, well honestly, I already had an idea but it’s nothing grand, I just thought it would be nice.” she admits. When she sees that Soobin and Yeonjun are focused on her intently, she continues. “I was thinking I, or we, could greet him right at midnight? Maybe drop by his place and surprise him with a cake and stuff so that as soon as his birthday begins, we’ll be there to celebrate it with him. But if it seems too hard to pull off, we don’t have to do it. Or I can do it myself, since I grew up with his sisters too so I could ask them for help.”

“That’s actually a brilliant idea.” Yeonjun says. “I’m up for it.”

Soobin nods. “So am I. We can let the guys know about it in the group chat to see if they can come with us, and B you can coordinate with his older sister Lea to see if we can come over to surprise Hyuka.”

“Alright, I’ll get in touch with her and if she gives us the go signal, I’ll let you guys know right away. I’ll buy a cake tonight, maybe you guys could bring those pop out streamers or something so it’ll be a mini celebration.”

Yeonjun nods. “Great idea, Baby. I’ll deal with food and snacks, maybe a pizza?”

“Or 4?” Soobin says, grinning sheepishly at him.

Yeonjun’s face softens as he says “You know I can’t say no to you.”

Soobin laughs and says “Thanks, Yeonjunie. I’ll try to see if I can get my hands on streamers and stuff too.”

B nods. “Okay, that’s good. Is that all you guys wanna do? I’m sure you have something in mind.”

“A party. Let’s throw him a party.” Yeonjun says. “Tomorrow’s Friday, and we don’t have school or anything the next day, so it’ll be perfect.”

Soobin nods. “I was thinking of a party as well, but where? And how will we set it up?”

“Friday’s club day, but we won’t have club meetings yet since recruitment day will be on Monday, so we’ll just have homeroom in the morning then we’ll be free for most of the day. Plus we can come in school in casual wear, since Fridays are our washday.” Yeonjun says, stating facts.

“Wait, what’s wash day?” B asks.

“It’s the one day of the week where we’re allowed to wear casual wear to school. It’s on Friday cause the school thought it would be more convenient for club day.” Soobin explains. “If we throw a party on Friday, I think we could do it at my place. It’s always available.” he offers.

“Won’t your sister be home?” Yeonjun asks.

Soobin shakes his head. “She started at University this year and moved into a dorm, and you know my parents only come home a couple of times every year, so I practically live alone now. Except for the household staff, of course.” he explains.

So he lives alone too. Like me. B thinks to herself. “At least you have household staff to keep you company. It’s actually a bit lonely, living alone.” she says wistfully.

“It really is, especially since I’ve always been close with my family. It’s a big adjustment, having everyone move away now.” Soobin admits. “You guys are always welcome to come over, though, so I’m hoping I won’t be too lonely often.” he says hopefully.

“You guys are always welcome to come visit me too, though I doubt my apartment is as big or as grand as your house.” B says teasingly. “What about you, Yeonjun? Do you live with anyone?” she asks suddenly.

“Nah, my house always feels crowded, even though it’s just me and my parents, plus the household staff. I don’t like being at home though, and I think I’d actually prefer living alone, or at least away from them.” Yeonjun responds candidly.

B was surprised by how straightforward his answer was, and by how easy it was to ask him about it. “I’m an only child too, but as much as I love my parents, I wanted nothing more than a bit of freedom, so I think I understand.” she says, sympathizing with him.

Yeonjun gives a small smile. “At least you got your freedom, Baby. And at least you can say that you love your parents. I mean, my mom’s not bad I guess but my dad is just…” he says, shaking his head. “Anyway, yeah alright, I guess we’re having Hyuka’s party at Soobin’s place.”

Soobin nods. “Yep, that’s settled. Uh, we have to think about setting up now and stuff. Decorations, food, drinks, guest list, that sort of stuff. Gifts will be handled individually, of course.” he rambles, a bit flustered from the sudden change of mood in the conversation.

“I think the main problem is keeping Kai distracted while we’re setting up the party?” B says, offering her opinion. “It’s nice that we’ll be out of school early so we’ll have more time to prepare, but that also means that we’ll have to keep him distracted for longer too.”

“Well, we could do what we did today? Split up the group, 2 of us can distract him while the rest help with party prep.” Yeonjun suggests.

“No, we’re gonna need as much hands on deck as possible with the preparations, plus I don’t think splitting up the group will be necessary. One person is all we need, and I think I know the perfect one.” Soobin says.

B raises a brow at him when she notices him staring at her with a pointed look, until it clicks in her head.

“Oh… you mean me.” she says. Looks like she’d be having her one on one time with Kai a bit sooner than she thought.

•°•

“I can’t see anything.” Beomgyu says.

“SHUSH! Hyuka might hear us.” Taehyun shushes him.

“Wait, I’ll light up the candles so we won’t be in complete darkness.” B whispers. “Hold this for a sec, please.” she whispers, passing the cake to Yeonjun as she shuffles through her bag for the lighter. She lights the candles and pokes them into the top of the cake one by one then takes the cake back into her hands. “Thanks, Yeonjun.”

“Sure thing, Baby.” he whispers, and with the candles lit she could now see that he was smiling at her. She smiles back.

“Okay, are we all ready to go? Hyuka’s room is down this hall, the 2nd door on the right.” Soobin whispers.

“We know where Hyuka’s room is, Soobin.” Beomgyu scoffs.

“I, uh, was talking to B? Are we all re—oh wait! Everyone, put these on!” Soobin whisper-shouts, opening a pack of party hats and passing them around.

“We should’ve done all this before we snuck upstairs. The lights were on in the foyer.” Taehyun whispers while securing the party hat on his head.

“Too late now.” Beomgyu mutters. “Ouch!” he then whisper-shouts, as Taehyun grabs the elastic of Beomgyu’s party hat and releases it so it slaps against his chin

“That’s enough bickering, now let’s go!” Soobin whisper-shouts, holding up his huge pop out streamer like a bazooka.

“Ah, wait, shouldn’t Baby be in front since she’s holding the cake?” Yeonjun whispers.

There’s a moment of silence as everyone thinks it through.

“Okay, cake then pizzas then egg tarts then pop out streamer then camera. So that’s me then Yeonjun then Taehyun then Soobin then Gyu at the back so he can capture everything.” B whispers, getting everyone into formation.

“Why do I have to be at the back.” Beomgyu whispers, pouting as he takes his phone out to start taking the video. “Uh, guys, it’s 12:01 already. We missed midnight.”

And with that everyone runs down the hall and barges into Kai’s room.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” they shout as they burst through Kai’s bedroom door.

“What the—?” Kai exclaims groggily, sitting up in bed and pulling the sheets up to his shoulders.

“Hyuka, were you, um, sleeping naked?” Soobin asks awkwardly.

Kai’s face flushes red as he says “No, of course not! I’m wearing underwear!”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Beomgyu smirks behind the camera.

“I can’t show you my underwear.” Kai says, flustered. “Wait, are you filming this?”

“Everyone sing!” B exclaims, which the boys happily oblige to.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you!” they sing as they walk further into Kai’s room and surround his bed.

B leans forward, putting the cake as close to Kai as she could, and says “Make a wish, Ningning.”

As flustered and red as he was, Kai squeezed his eyes shut before whispering something under his breath and blowing the candles out.

Soobin lets the pop out streamer rip as Kai blows the candles out, which causes everyone to jump and someone to scream in surprise.

“Uh, that wasn’t me.” B says, as they all look each other, trying to identify who screamed.

Soobin sighs. “Okay fine, it was me.” he admits.

“But you’re the one who popped the streamer.” Kai says.

“Yeah but I wasn’t expecting a loud sound to come out so I was surprised as well.” Soobin says, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyway, happy birthday Hyuka!”

“Thanks, everyone.” Kai says as they all start to greet him. “How’d you get in here, by the way? And what time is it?”

“I asked Lea if we could come over to surprise you, so she told one of the maids to let us in beforehand.” B explains.

“And it’s 12:13 now.” Beomgyu says.

“Oh wow, you really came over here just to greet me at midnight? Thanks, you guys.” Kai says, smiling warmly at all of them. “It means a lot to me.”

“It was B’s idea.” Taehyun says, setting the box of egg tarts on the bed and wrapping an arm around B’s shoulders. “You’re lucky to have a best friend like this one.”

B blushed, surprised by the sudden show of affection from Taehyun. “Thanks, Taehyun. I couldn’t have done this without you guys.”

“Quick, group selfie before we devour the pizza?” Beomgyu says, holding his phone up.

As everyone moves closer together around the bed to fit into frame, Kai asks “Can I at least put a shirt on first so it won’t look weird?”

“Nah, it’s fine. Everyone say Kimchi!” Beomgyu exclaims.

Kai wraps the blanket tighter up to his neck as everyone says “Kimchi!” and Beomgyu takes pictures.

“Okay, now let me put a shirt on so we can do this properly.” Kai says. “Baba, please look away.”

B scoffs. “Oh please, it’s not like I haven’t seen you shirtless before. We lived in Hawaii, remember? Beach days? Sunburns?”

Kai’s face starts to burn red as he explains, “Yeah, but things are a bit different now, Baba. We’re not kids anymore.”

“Aw, is Ningning shy?” Beomgyu says teasingly.

“Just look away for a sec, please, Baba?” Kai pleads, giving the girl puppy dog eyes.

B sighs. “Fine, because I believe in consent and respect your adolescent boy body.” she says before burying her face in his sheets. “Just let me know when it’s safe to look.”

The mini celebration went on until 1:30 in the morning, with the boys exchanging funny stories about Kai and B in turn telling the boys embarrassing childhood stories about him. The 4 pizzas were easily devoured, the egg tarts were saved by Kai for later, more pictures and videos were taken, and they had to remind themselves that they had to be at school at 8 AM, and that’s when they decided to put the birthday celebrations on pause.

Yeonjun offers to drive Beomgyu home since the two of them live in the same area, while Soobin offers to drive B and Taehyun home since he lived closer to the 2, which they happily accept.

Before B falls asleep, she remembers to put together a quick birthday greeting in the form of a tweet.

And as she wakes up the next morning, she smiles when she sees Kai’s reply, but her smile drops a bit when she remembers what she and the boys had planned for the day, and what her role in the plan was.

•°•

“No offense to MOA, like this school is great and all, but are Friday mornings always this boring?” B asks Kai and Taehyun.

They were sitting in their homeroom, which was scheduled every Friday from 8AM to 10AM. Since it was the first homeroom of the school year their teacher didn’t have much to discuss, and on a normal Friday, homeroom period was used to prepare for afternoon club activities, but since club days haven’t started yet, so they were basically just sitting and waiting to be dismissed now.

“Kinda? Don’t worry, it’ll be less boring next week since we’ll be having club day by then.” Taehyun says, trying to reassure her.

“Hang in there, Baba. There’s only 15 minutes until the bell rings anyway. After that, we can do whatever we want.” Kai says cheerfully, trying to fight the boredom.

“You mean we can do whatever you want, birthday boy.” B says, nudging his arm playfully. “Seriously, anything you wanna do? I’ve got you for the whole afternoon, right?” she asks him. She was able to guilt him into spending the whole afternoon with her by playing the ‘I’m your best friend and I’ve missed you so much and I haven’t had quality time with you since we were kids and we need to catch up’ card. It was the perfect opportunity to keep Kai distracted from the 4 other boys.

“We could hang out at my place, maybe watch a movie or nap for a bit? We kept you up pretty late earlier so I wouldn’t mind a quick nap.” B suggests. She was feeling pretty sleepy, and she wanted to feel energized for whatever the boys had planned for tonight.

“That actually sounds really really nice. I wouldn’t mind taking a quick nap, plus we can finally catch up one on one, just me and you.” Kai says, grinning at B.

“You and I.” Taehyun says, correcting Kai’s grammar. “Honestly, I’ll probably spend the whole day sleeping as well, then I’ve got to work a night shift at the café.”

Kai pouts suddenly. “Aw, what? I was hoping you guys would be free tonight, we could all have dinner together or something. My treat.” he offers.

Taehyun fights the urge to smile at how adorably clueless his friend was. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad we were able to celebrate earlier today though. But still, you can ask the other guys if you want to but I think they might be busy too.” he says.

Kai pouts, nods, and takes his phone out to text the other boys. While he’s distracted, B takes the opportunity to communicate to Taehyun.

“Night shift? Really?” she asks, mouthing the words to him behind Kai’s back.

Taehyun shakes his head at her, mouthing back “No. Made it up.” Then he holds up his hand, showing her his fingers crossed which meant he was lying when he told Kai about it.

She nods, understanding him and then gives him a thumbs up.

Just then, the bell rings. B groans and says “Finally!” as she stretches her arms above her head. “This period was a long moment of nothingness.”

Kai nods his head in agreement. “You got that right. Let’s get out of here. Tyun, you gonna walk with us?” he asks, turning to Taehyun. “You guys walk together all the time, right?”

“Yup, let’s get going. I can’t wait to spend the afternoon in bed.” Taehyun says, gathering his things. And with that, the 3 of them leave school together.

•°•

B sent a quick update to the boys as she and Kai step into her apartment. All she had to do now was make sure that he stayed within her sight for the rest of the afternoon, plus she wanted to make sure she was appropriately dressed when they left for the surprise party later. How she could get all dressed up without Kai suspecting anything might be a bit of a challenge, but she was sure she’d come up with an excuse.

“Welcome to my humble abode! When I moved in, I decorated and organized everything by myself, so sorry if it’s a bit of a mess.” B says as Kai’s eyes scan the surroundings. Upon entering the front door, the living room was the first thing that greeted everyone who stepped in. There are 3 doors on the left side, the kitchen to the right separated from the living room by a counter with bar stools set up, and there was a round table with 5 seats set up in front of a pair of sliding glass doors that led into a small balcony at the back.

“Baba, this place looks great. Not bad at all, considering it’s your first time living alone. It’s pretty spacious, too.” Kai says, stepping further into the apartment. “Quick question, how have you survived living alone? I don’t think I could do it, I’m not a very good cook.” he says as he surveys the place, trailing a hand on the kitchen counters.

“It hasn’t been very easy, and honestly I don’t really know how to cook either, so I end up having food delivered a lot or getting takeout instead.” she admits. “I swear, I tried to cook here once on the day I moved in, and I almost burned the kitchen down, so I’m probably never gonna do that again.” she says, laughing sheepishly.

Kai’s eyes widen at her revelation. “Baba! What happened? What did you do?” he asks, almost screaming at her in surprise.

“I tried to cook and then the next thing I know, my smoke detector starts beeping nonstop, then I got so distracted by trying to shut it up, I didn’t notice that the food I was cooking was burning, then the sprinklers came on and my superintendent called to ask what was going on and I had to beg him not to tell my parents about it. It was pretty funny, but yeah, I’m probably never gonna try to cook on my own ever again.” she says, laughing at how ridiculous the whole thing sounded.

“Hey, if you want, we could try cooking a quick meal now? For lunch? I’m no seasoned chef, but I know a thing or two. You deserve to eat a homecooked meal at least once in your own home, after all.” he offers, as he starts rummaging through the fridge. “You got any rice?”

As Kai starts to scrap together ingredients from B’s almost-bare kitchen drawers and shelves, he goes into full focus and even puts on an apron. Whenever B asks him if there was anything she could do to help him, he just waves her off.

She takes a seat on one of the stools at the counter and snaps a quick picture of her bestfriend and she composes a tweet.

“Hey, remember that one time when we were still kids and we tried to cook eggs?” B asks as she puts her phone down. “I think we were at your place, we snuck into the kitchen while the maids weren’t looking, and we had to stand on stools just so we could reach the stove.”

Kai nods, though he still had his eyes focused on his cooking. “I remember you ended up with a burn on your arm cause it accidentally brushed against the pan, and when the maids caught us, you were trying so hard not to cry so they wouldn’t see your burn.”

“Oh yeah, I did get burned that day.” B says, then she lifts the sleeve of her sweater until she spots the barely-there mark just above her wrist. “Ah, memories.”

“You know, I still regret doing that.” Kai admits.

“What? Why? That was such a fun day, I miss being able to come over to each other’s houses and just playing around.” B says.

“Yeah, but the cooking was my idea, and you got hurt because of it.” Kai says, looking at her then with regret. “I know I said it a million times that day, but I’m sorry Baba.”

B scoffs, dismissing his apology. “Come on, it’s fine. I barely felt it anyway, and that was ages ago. Look, it’s your idea to cook today too, and I don’t think anything could go wrong since you’re not letting me do anything to help around the kitchen.”

“That’s cause I wanna make sure that nothing like that happens again.” Kai admits. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this. Just keep talking to me so I won’t feel too bored.” he requests.

“Alright then, anything you wanna talk about?” B asks, resting her elbows on the counter and leaning forward.

“What exactly happened to you last year?” Kai asks suddenly. B’s heart drops and she feels the knots in her stomach start to form, even though she knew he’d want to hear about it soon. “All you said was something about your family and your dad’s job and stuff, but I could tell you were having a really tough time so I didn’t want to push you into telling me all about it back then. And I guess I understand if it’s still something you’d rather not talk about, but as your best friend I’m just worried about you.”

B takes a deep breath, preparing herself to recount the bad experience. “Okay, I’ll tell you now, but to be completely honest with you, the whole thing was a bit of a blur for me too.”

Kai looks at her with his brows furrowed. “What do you mean? Like, you don’t remember what happened?”

B shakes her head. “No, it’s not like that. I remember what happened, I guess I just don’t understand why or the reason behind it? Or what exactly was going on?”

“Okay, I am very confused right now. If this is your way of saying that you’re not comfortable with talking about it, then it’s fine with me, you really don’t have to tell me.” Kai says, trying to sound comforting.

“No, Ninging, I promise I’m gonna tell you everything I know. The thing is, I don’t know much. How do I begin to explain this…” B wonders aloud, sighing before saying “Okay, do you remember what my dad’s job is?”

Kai nods, his eyes focused on his work in the kitchen. “He’s a lawyer, right?”

“Yup, he’s one of the most high-powered lawyers in the country, he works at CNK, which is a globally recognized law firm. He deals with a lot of high profile clients and is one of the most sought-after attorneys for classified cases, usually for big companies with dirty little secrets.” B explains.

Kai nods again, keeping his eyes focused on his work. “Okay, so what does your dad’s work have to do with you?”

“Everything, I think. At the time, my dad was working on a big classified case. I could tell it was big cause he only went home to sleep, shower, and then he was off to work again. I’ve never shown interest in the cases he works on because it’s his business, and it’s not like he’s allowed to talk about them anyway cause they’re usually classified.” B sighs as she realizes that she was starting to ramble, subconsciously stalling.

“Anyway, he was working on this one case, and I didn’t think it was a big deal, but one night he came home looking really shaken, like he was terrified. We usually have dinner together, me and my parents, but when he got home that night he and my mom immediately went up to his office. I tried my best to listen from outside the door, but at first I could barely hear anything, as if they were whispering. Then suddenly, I can hear my mom start to shout things like ‘drop this case right now,’ ‘what am I supposed to do’ and the one that sent chills down my spine was when she said ‘what about our Baby, what if they come for her?’” she says, trying her best to keep her voice stable.

“‘What if they come for her?’ What’s that supposed to mean?” Kai asks, his brows pulled together as he was trying to process everything she was telling him.

“I think there was a death threat.” B forces herself to say out loud.

There’s a moment of silence as Kai’s hands freeze, and B swore she could hear her heart pounding. She started counting her breaths, trying to slow them down as Kai looks up at her, his eyes meeting hers.

“You think there was a death threat?” he asks, repeating her words.

She nods slowly. Taking a shaky breath before continuing. “Yeah, that’s the only explanation I can think of for what happened, because since that night I’ve had bodyguards with me everyone I went. Outside my bedroom, at the dining table, they’d even be waiting for me outside my classroom and walking with me around school. Not only that, my parents put me on complete lockdown. I was only allowed to go out to school, then I’d be taken straight home. I mean, my parents were always a bit strict, but this was insane.”

“That sounds really rough, Baba. And it sounds scary.” Kai says, looking at her full of concern.

“It really was. I felt like I was suffocating, cause I never got a moment to myself. The bodyguards wouldn’t leave me alone, and of course everyone at my school started to act like total dicks because of it. Stories started going around, my friends started avoiding me because of the rumors, everyone probably thought I was a criminal or something because they all started treating me like an outcast. And I really felt like I was.” B says, remembering the stares she got at her old school.

“The kids at your old school are all idiots for judging you like that.” Kai says.

B sighs. “I don’t blame them, if a student at school suddenly showed up flanked by 2 bodyguards everywhere, I’d probably be weirded out too. But the worst part is, I don’t know why it all happened. My parents were very adamant about not telling me anything. All they said was ‘it’s for your own good.’”

“Oh wow, so they never explained anything to you? They put you through that shit without even telling you why?” Kai asks in disbelief. “I always knew uncle and aunty were a bit strict, but that’s just cruel.”

“Well if it was really a death threat, I guess they just didn’t wanna scare me. It got better once my dad’s firm won the case though. Again, I don’t know what exactly happened, but at the end of the school year my dad won the case, my parents eased up on my bodyguards, but the damage was done. I lost my friends, I was seen as a weirdo at school, and I felt so frustrated and suffocated that I just wanted to get away.” B continues. It was the first time she had said all of this out loud, and as shaken as she was, she felt a lot better to finally let it out.

“So that’s why you begged your parents to let you transfer schools? And move out of the house?” Kai says, finally understanding.

B nods. “Wow, I feel much better letting it all out now.” she says, taking a deep breath. “I’m just glad my parents let me do it. I think they only agreed because they felt bad about the whole thing, but ever since you mentioned when you walked me home the other day, I really do think that they might have secretly hired security to look after me.” she says, laughing at how ridiculous the whole situation sounded.

“You know what? Come here.” Kai says, motioning her over to his side of the kitchen. She stands and walks over to him and is surprised when he suddenly pulls her into his chest and wraps his arms around her.

“Ningning? Wha—?” she starts, but then he hugs her tighter and shushes her.

“Shut up and let me hug you for a moment, alright?” he says, and she feels his body rumble as he laughs. “Listen here, Baba. While I’m around, I promise I won’t let anything hurt you. You got that?”

B tries to relax into the hug, but he was so tall and he was holding her so tight that her face was buried in his chest and she was starting to have a hard time breathing so she lifts her head up and takes a deep breath before saying “Got it. Thank you, Ningning. That means a lot to me.” she says, smiling up at him.

They stay that way for a while longer before she says “Um, I think your food is burning.”

Kai jumps and screams then, panicking as he tries to save his cooking.

The two of them spend the rest of the afternoon picking out the unburnt parts of Kai’s cooking to eat, lying around the couch and chatting with some cheesy Netflix series playing in the background before they fall asleep.

B wakes up when she hears her phone ringing. She notices that the sky was much darker, and she panics when she sees the time and the notifications from Soobin.

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[thebiasrekkers]

Fragmentation 0.2 - PJM

Plot: How does one measure freedom? Are our choices truly our own, or are they part of a preset design outside of our control? We all have a question burning inside of us, though few speak it out. It is the question that drives us forward, seeking purpose in our lives. What is The Matrix?

Rating: NC-17 // NSFW

Genre: Series | The Matrix!AU | angst | sci-fi | action | drama

Pairing: N/A

Warnings: Strong language, allusions to suicide, extreme angst, graphic violence

Links: FAQ || BTS Masterlist || Admin E’s AO3 || [ REQUESTS ARE OPEN ]

Word Count: 3,068

AN: Alright guys, get ready for these to hit the timeline back to back! I hope you’re ready! I thoroughly enjoyed writing these and yes, because it’s The Matrix, we are going to get dark in this piece. As I stated before, all information in the universe can be found on the official Matrix Wiki so please use that as a reference guide if you ever get confused!

Tag List: @aroseforyoongi​, @prisczero​, @pinkpjmin​, @btsaudge​, @flowerwrites06​, @unoriginal-username15432​

© thebiasrekkers (Admin E). All rights reserved. Reposting/modifying our work is prohibited. Translations are not allowed. Plagiarism/stealing is not tolerated by any means. Legal action will be taken in instances of theft.

“Jimin! Aren’t you coming?”

Jimin casually glanced over his shoulder, readjusting the strap to his backpack in a more comfortable position. A few of his classmates waved to him, urging him to come along. They were finished with their studies for the day and didn’t have any after school activities that required their attention. Normally, they would head to the arcade to mindlessly spend the quarters weighing their pockets down. 

He smiled, shaking his head and waving back at them. “No, you guys go on ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

His friends pouted, canting their heads slightly before shrugging. They laughed as they turned to head down the street, all of them declaring loudly how they were going to beat the other into submission in a round of Street Fighter.

Sighing, Jimin pushed his way through the crowd to head to the local library. The internet was faster there and he could focus on what he wanted to work on in peace and quiet. Stopping at a vending machine on the way, he bought a few drinks and some snacks to tide him over until he was forced to stop working due to needing sleep. 

It wasn’t like there was anyone waiting for him at home anyway.

Hopping up the stone steps, he entered through the front door and smiled at the library clerk. She was a pretty woman - at least pretty in terms of being an old lady. Late fifties to early sixties at best, he could guess. Jimin never told her his name, however, but she didn’t mind. She always referred to him as “Young Man” and he answered readily with a smile.

“Research again, Young Man?” she asked, holding out a book for him.

Jimin took the item from her, already knowing that she wanted him to put it back where it was supposed to go. He smiled. “Yes ma’am.” He eyed the cover. “Ching Dynasty in the History section, right?”

The old lady beamed at him. “Correct. You’re such a good lad.”

“I try,” he said with a laugh.

“Well, don’t work too hard. I know you’ve been focusing very hard on your project these last few weeks, but you’re young and shouldn’t strain your eyes so much.”

Jimin bowed his head slightly. “I won’t. Thank you.”

He quickly maneuvered around the library, locating the history section and replaced the book. He always had a knack of finding things and Jimin just knew when things were out of place. His teachers called it a “gift” but he had a feeling that it was something else entirely. He just couldn’t place it. Not yet, at least.

Making his way toward the back of the library, he reached a few taupe colored desks nestled in a small nook in the corner. He threw his backpack on top of the shelf portion, unzipping the top and rifling around inside. He pulled out two mini discs and one floppy disc. Reaching further into the pack, his fingers wrapped around the mini computer and the wires needed to make the device work. He wasted no time booting up the computer, setting up the small computer beside the motherboard and plugging things in.

It only took him a few minutes to go through various checks to make sure that his connection was secure. Then he pulled up a few console windows, his fingers typing swiftly over the keys.

???: 

He couldn’t describe the wave of relief that hit him when he saw his chat partner beginning the conversation. Lately Jimin had to be the one to initiate the chat, hoping that he reached them. 

Cobra:

Jimin felt a bead of sweat forming on the bridge of his nose. He knew that this could possibly chase them away. But there was a chance that it wouldn’t. And the information his friend gave him was too profound to ignore.

???: 

Cobra:

???:

Cobra:

???:

It was now or never. Jimin felt like if he didn’t take advantage of this opportunity now, he would never get another one. His chance to obtain the answers to his questions would slip through his fingers like sand. He wouldn’t be able to recover it fast enough.

Cobra:

???:

Cobra:

???:

Blinking at the screen, Jimin reached under the desk and began patting around the surface beneath. His thumb brushed up against something. Curling his fingers around it, he pulled it free - the distinct sound of velcro separating shockingly loud in the quiet confines of his corner. Jimin inspected it, not sure what to make of the item his friend left for him. It was no bigger than a pack of cigarettes, but the container was made of metal.

When did they prepare this?

Though the more pressing question was how did they know he would be sitting at that particular desk on that particular day?

Just how close was his friend?

Jimin couldn’t stop the cold shiver from snaking up his back. He was nervous, but excited. Something was wrong with him.

Cobra:

???:

He watched his friend go offline, leaving him alone. He could sense that there wasn’t much time. Jimin quickly logged off, turned off the computer and haphazardly threw all of his things into his bag. Stuffing the small metal container into his inner jacket pocket, he slung the backpack over his shoulder and made his way to the entrance of the stairs.

The library building was tall - at least thirty stories. Jimin climbed them all. He wasn’t sure if it was nerves hammering around inside of his chest or the adrenaline of excitement rushing his footsteps, but he didn’t care. After months of secret conversations, he was finally going to learn something. He would release the pressure at the back of his brain, telling him that something was wrong with the world that he lived in.

Bursting through the rooftop access door, Jimin was greeted with a swift burst of cold air. The sun had long since set. He didn’t remember being in the library for very long. Was it already that late?

Jimin sensed a flash of movement from his right, his body reacting faster than his mind could process. Leaning back, he dodged a fist that was aimed for the side of his head. Pivoting on his heels, he spun out of reach just as another fist shot out - hoping to strike true. 

“Hey!” he yelled, stumbling back a few paces. “What’s the big idea?!”

Standing in front of him was a man no taller than him - Asian in origin, though he could only guess that he was of Chinese descent based on his clothing choice. He wore an off white changsan, a black fitted shirt underneath, and long wide leg pants. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses - the lenses small and round. His hair was cut short - military-style buzz cut. The man was clearly skilled in martial arts.

Jimin watched him smile and this only caused his irritation to mount further. Hadn’t his friend told him that he could trust the person he was meeting on the roof? Was this all a setup?

The man lowered his stance, placing a palm over one fist and bowing his head. After a few seconds, Jimin bowed his head also, but maintained eye contact with him. The man continued to smile at him.

“You have very good reflexes for one so young,” he complimented.

Jimin shrugged. “I guess so.”

“You move like a cobra.” He lowered his arms down to his sides. “I am Seraph. I will guide you to The Oracle.”

“The Oracle?” Jimin couldn’t hide the confused expression on his face. He’d heard rumors online about someone with that moniker, but he figured it was just some myth circulating through the dark net. “I’m...meeting The Oracle.”

Seraph nodded, fishing into his pocket as he approached the roof access door. “Yes. She has much to discuss with you. But we must hurry.” He pulled out a small ring of keys, sliding one of them into the lock. “We don’t have much time.”

Before Jimin could question Seraph’s sanity, he watched the man open the door. But instead of a set of stairs, he could see a back alley in its place. His lips parted, unable to properly fathom what he’d just seen. The moisture left his mouth and a throbbing pain began drilling into the back of his head. Seraph was instantly at his side, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

“You have to remain calm. Take a few deep breaths.”

He felt like he was choking. “W-What is going on?”

“Breathe, Cobra. If your mental acuity spikes too much, they will be able to locate us.”

“T-They?”

“We need to go. Now.”

It was painful for him to nod, but Seraph helped him toward the door. Once inside the alley, he watched Seraph closing the door and locking it behind them. The street lights flickered sporadically, serving as a guide through the darkness. If Seraph was speaking to him, which he doubted, he didn’t think he would be able to hear him over the thunder of his own heartbeat. 

Jimin didn’t remember seeing Seraph unlocking another door, or the two more after that, but he was jolted to a sudden halt when they stood in front of a bright red door. It looked like the kind of door that belonged to a quaint house in the suburbs. The kind of house a normal, loving family would have attached to their single family home. 

Seraph motioned for Jimin to open it, as this door was not locked. Or, at least, he could only assume that it wasn’t since he hadn’t seen Seraph pulling out a key from his key ring. He grabbed for the brass handle and turned the knob, pushing the door open and stepping over the threshold.

There was a sweet aroma hovering in the air, making Jimin’s mouth water instantly. In all of the controlled chaos, he’d forgotten to eat. The soft tones of jazz came from a radio in the kitchen. He followed the sounds and stopped at the entrance.

Standing by the stove was a woman who looked to be in her mid to late fifties. She was a little heavier built, but her curves were defined and lovely in a sweet sort of way. Her back was to him, but through her dark curls he saw strands of gray peppered throughout. Smoke billowed from an ashtray nearby where an abandoned cigarette rested against one of the center notches. 

“Um,” he finally managed, taking a step forward, “excuse me?”

“Just a minute,” said the woman, her voice hauntingly familiar, “they’re almost finished. You might want to have a seat.”

Jimin reigned his curiosity back as he watched the woman lean over to pull a tray of cookies out of the oven. Heat rushed through the kitchen from the stove, warming him from the inside out. She set the tray down on the counter, giving the pastries a chance to cool. As she wiped her hands on her apron, she turned to look at Jimin and he immediately lost his balance. He blindly reached for the nearest chair, collapsing into it.

“It...It’s you,” he stammered, looking at the woman he’d come to know as the kind library clerk, “but how?”

The woman smiled, reaching for her cigarette. She took a drag, exhaling smoke from her nostrils. “I told you to have a seat.”

His eyes shook, darting in every direction before landing back on her. None of this made any sense. Jimin’s gaze moved to the floor as he tried to calm his breathing, placing a hand on his chest in an almost vain attempt to settle his rattled nerves. He watched the woman’s shadow move closer to him until she, too, was sitting across from him. When he looked up, the older woman was holding out a plate to him - a single cookie placed in the center.

“Here. I know you’re probably hungry. This will tide you over until dinner is finished.”

He unconsciously took the cookie off the plate, but he was unsure of whether to eat it or not. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust it was safe to eat. He wasn’t sure he would be able to keep it down.

She set a glass of water in front of him. “Now listen to me, Cobra. We don’t have a whole lot of time. I’m sure you’re just as aware of that fact as I am.”

Jimin reached a trembling hand toward the glass. “Are you really The Oracle?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” The Oracle chuckled as she tapped a bit of ash off into the tray. “So many questions and yet I knew that would be the first one you’d ask.”

He drained half the glass in a single gulp. “Something is happening to me.”

“Yes, it is.” She pressed the cigarette to her lips. “It’s been happening for a while now.”

“Are you responsible for it?”

“No, Cobra.” The Oracle blew smoke out of her mouth. “You are.”

“What?”

“Did you bring the package with you?”

Jimin frowned. “If you’re The Oracle, shouldn’t you know that answer already?”

Again, she chuckled. “I do. I’m asking more for your sake than my own. You look ready to pop.”

His fingers moved from the glass and toward his pocket. He pulled out the small metal case and placed it on the table between them. Instead of reaching for it, however, The Oracle gestured toward him.

“Go on. Open it.”

Jimin opened the box, unsure of what he was actually looking at. Inside were what appeared to be two gel caplets. One red, the other blue. A bead of sweat slid down from his temple to his chin, dripping onto the top of his shoe. He slowly lifted his face to look at The Oracle who still had a calm expression painted over her features.

“Like I said earlier, Cobra, we don’t have a lot of time. I can only apologize for taking so long to close the distance between us. If I’d been faster, then we wouldn’t be rushing now.”

“Rushing for what?”

“To give you the answers you so desperately seek.” She crushed the ember of her cigarette out into the tray. “You have a choice to make. Right now. If you still want to know the truth about everything, about why you feel like the world around you doesn’t make sense, or why you feel so isolated in it, then take the red pill and seek the answers out for yourself.”

“And how am I supposed to do that?” Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes. “How am I supposed to do that alone?”

The Oracle reached out a hand to cup his cheek. Her touch was warm; comforting. It helped relax his already fraying nerves. Her thumb stroked over the corner of his eye, wiping the tear away. “Oh, honey, you won’t be alone.” She looked every bit like a mother comforting a scared child in that instant. “But I won’t lie to you, the truth is going to be hard to swallow. Harder than that pill. You’ll probably hate me after you find out the truth. If you feel you won’t be able to handle any of that, then take the blue pill. You’ll forget all about me and what you’ve seen the very minute you step out that door.”

She removed her hand from his cheek, making him very aware of how cold the world seemed at the absence of her touch. Jimin eyed the pills in the box. What did he have to lose by taking the red pill and finding out the truth? His life here was meaningless - just an endless sequence of purposeless days bleeding into purposeless weeks, meshing into equally purposeless months until years with no purpose marched on.

Plucking the red pill from the foam cushion in the box, he popped it into his mouth without hesitation. He grabbed the glass of water and gulped down what remained, swallowing it. 

The Oracle suddenly grabbed Jimin’s hand just as he set the glass back down on the table. “Listen to me very carefully, Cobra. I need you to remember what I tell you when you wake up.”

“W-What do you mean?” Jimin’s vision began to swim momentarily. His auditory senses almost seemed heightened at that moment and he heard several heavy footsteps approaching from the living room. 

“You are going to find The One. That is the path that you have chosen for yourself.” The Oracle pressed both of her hands on either side of his face. “Believe in that path. When you discover the truth, you will come to understand the meaning behind my words.”

“Oracle, please,” Jimin managed to choke out, “I don’t understand…”

He saw several shadows circling him and different voices began talking all at once. 

“We’ve almost narrowed down his location,” said a man to his right, “we need just a few more seconds.”

Jimin gripped onto the woman’s arms in desperation. “I’m scared!”

“It’s okay to be scared. That’s normal, I promise.” The Oracle pressed a kiss to his forehead and he the distinct smell of cookies and cigarettes filled his nose. “Remember my words, Cobra. Know the path and walk the path you forge for yourself.”

“Got him!”

The world seemed to tunnel vision around him, causing his vision to grow darker by the second.

“Will I see you again?” he said through his tears.

“Yes, Young Man,” she replied with a smile he could barely see, “you will.”

And then everything flickered to black and green, the entire room transforming into strings of code. Jimin let out a scream before darkness completely overtook his sight.

“Welcome to the Real World.”

#bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #btswriterscollective #ficswithluv #mknlinenet #bts #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts imagines #bts scifi au #bts the matrix #bts matrix au #bts the matrix au #bts the matrix!au #the matrix!au #bts ot7 #bts thebiasrekkers #thebiasrekkers #thebiasrekkers bts #bts fragmentation #fragmentation bts #fragmentation #defragmentation bts #bts defragmentation

[bubble-tea-bunny]

the missus

[august walker x reader]

author’s note: yay finally wrote for august! def down to write some more, i have one other idea i’m still playing around w. it’s fun writing secret agent stuff haha

word count: 10,280

I.

This morning, the sun is out and shining, no clouds are in sight, and the turbulence forecast reads nothing but smooth skies. In other words: it’s a good day to fly.

The forest green duffel sits at the foot of the bed, unzipped and flap pulled back to allow for the last few items to be placed inside. Packing for a short work trip is routine in this household, and done with a practiced precision. It’s with utmost care that you roll the neckties before setting them inside the bag. August always lets you choose which ones he should wear while away. You keep me looking sharp he’d remarked once while reviewing your selection of ties for a previous business excursion. People do say the Walkers are always so well-dressed, and August has no problem admitting that it’s owed to you. He says you’d look right at home in the fashion industry, but you just laugh it off. Maybe in another life.

August emerges from the bathroom with his hair already styled. His clothes are laid out on the bed for him to put on, and he does just that, untucking the towel around his waist and tossing it to the side. (You can’t help sneaking a glance at him when he does, and he catches you. He just smirks and carries on with his current task. There’s no time to get sidetracked.)

“I can’t believe you’re leaving again so soon,” you state, breaking the silence. “It feels like you just got home.”

August sighs, shrugging on his button-up. “You know how she is. All work and no play. There’s things that need doing.”

“Maybe I should have a talk with her about giving you a break…”

“Honey.” The tone isn’t harsh. Gentle, rather, with a hint of warning. You look up shyly to find him raising a brow. You know know it’s hardly a good idea to bring something up like that to someone as austere as Sloane. The most you’d get in return is a laugh. Sometimes you wonder if she knows what the word “vacation” even means. Everyone is on call every hour of the day.

“I know, but can you blame me? I just want to spend time with you.”

August smiles as he grabs his tie and walks over, holding it out to you. He knows how to tie one, but he likes when you do it because he gets to look at you and be close. “Well how about when I’m back, we go on a little getaway? I’ll see if I can convince Sloane to give a me a few days off.”

You think about this proposition as you slip the tie around his neck and tie it with deft fingers. And you can’t help the little grin that forms on your lips. “Really?”

August hums. He sets his hands on your waist to keep you near as you work, his thumb stroking back and forth. When you slide the knot up until the tie fits snugly, you trail a hand down to grab the tail and lightly pull him down to you. He gives you what you want gladly, one hand leaving your waist to tangle in your hair so he can angle your head appropriately and kiss you better. Your arms wrap around his neck but your fingers don’t go to mess with the hair at the nape, and part of him wishes you would because he loves the way it feels. However, he understands his meticulously styled hair can’t be ruined now. And if you did that, you’d both get too carried away, and then he would be late. It's happened before, and Sloane was not a happy woman. She said he’s lucky he has the skillset he does, or someone else would be getting these jobs (“I don’t like my time to be wasted.”) He didn’t doubt she was telling the truth.

But you, on the other hand, are not going anywhere (in fact, you’re still in your pajamas, which consists of lace panties and one of his powder-blue button-ups). So he curls his fingers in your soft locks and tug just a little, and you moan quietly. It causes a heat to ignite in his belly, and that’s when he forces himself to pull away. If he hears anymore, he’ll definitely get sidetracked.

You pant quietly, the tip of your finger lightly running up and down the back of his neck. Goosebumps break out on his skin from the ghost-like touch, and his arms feel comfortable around you. For a few moments it’s just you two and the warmth of the sun pouring in through the window and given there are no clocks in the room, one might think time wasn’t moving at all.

“I hate when you have to leave,” you murmur.

“Me too,” August responds.

It’s silent again, both of you content to stay where you are, but then you sigh heavily and back up out of his grip (he’s reluctant to let go, but he knows he needs to get a move on). His hands fall back to his sides. “Come on,” you state. He’s not sure if you’re saying that to him or to yourself (or maybe both). “Your ride will be here soon.”

August grabs his watch and wallet from the top of the dresser and slips on his shoes as you zip up the duffel. There’s a manila folder sitting next to it, which you know contains his mission briefing. In the past, curiosity would bite at you to peek inside and see what was in it, and you’d had to force yourself away from the idea. What’s in there is not your place to read. However, these days you no longer feel any sort of temptation to steal a glance. Maybe it comes with having been through this so many times before. While you worry for him every time he’s away, you think if you found out the details of the operation that your concern would only increase, knowing for certain what he was going into. But August always comes back safe. He knows what he’s doing.

A hand gently touches the small of your back and you turn your head to find August behind you. You smile and stand to the side to give him space to grab his bag, which he slings over his shoulder, and then he swipes up the folder. Out in the living room, you push aside the curtain and sigh quietly when you see a car parked right on the curb. This is it. Another few days in an empty house.  

“Car here?” August inquires, as you let the curtain fall back into place.  You nod, and he can see well enough in your eyes that you already miss him even though he hasn’t left yet. The grin he gives you is equal parts fond and sad. For as often as mornings like these occur, he doubts either of you will ever grow used to this part. He extends his free hand, beckoning you closer, and you step into his embrace without having to be told twice. His arm curls around your shoulders and he kisses your head, nuzzling your hair and smelling lavender, smelling home. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Be safe,” you tell him.

“I will. I promise.”

You stand in the open doorway, watching until the car turns the corner and the street is quiet again.

One way you keep yourself busy while home alone is cleaning the house. But given that it hadn’t been long since August’s last job, everything is still spotless. You tidy up the bedroom and the ensuite bathroom and wipe down the counters in the kitchen. You sweep the floors and when you fluff the pillows in the lounge despite the fact they’re still positioned perfectly from when you’d arranged them a few days prior, that’s when you come to the conclusion that there truly is nothing else left to clean. The Walker household is pristine.

You never really like how quiet the house is when it’s just you here. You’ve always been light-footed so even your footsteps do nothing to alleviate the silence as you pad through the hallway. In the morning your company is the gurgling of the coffee machine and the birds. In the afternoon it’s the mailman as he comes by and slips your mail for the day into the mailbox (mostly spam mail and bills). You always know he’s there because the mailbox lid creaks. He’s come between 12:30 and 12:35 each day so far—a punctual and well-maintained schedule. In the evenings, the clacking of the keyboard is what fills the air as you work, sifting through mail of the electronic sort and downloading attachments from messages and sending attachments of your own.

All the while August is in the back of your mind. You hope he’s staying safe and you think about how much you’re looking forward to him coming home, and it makes you smile as you delete some older e-mails. Parting from one another is difficult, but it makes the reunion that much better. It helps the days pass just a little faster too.

He never calls when he’s on a mission, but you understand. He’s busy, and not to mention calling someone so close to him is a liability. If anyone were to overhear or learn of your existence while he was in the field, you’d be in danger. You don’t even know where in the world he is, and you’re left wondering if the sun is rising for him or if he’s staring at the moon just like you are, when the light of the laptop screen is burning your retinas and you have to look away to give your eyes a break.

On the fourth night, the vibration of your work phone stops you short. Your brows furrow as you look at it where it rests next to your regular phone, and you reach out a hand to grab it, the other still positioned over the keyboard. It hasn’t rung in a while, and you know when it does, it’s important. The name on the caller ID is the only one saved to this phone, and you waste no more time in answering. She hates waiting.

You greet her simply and succinctly. “Hello?”

“You’re needed.” Her voice is ironclad as she gets right to the point, and you can imagine the steely expression on her face.

You take a deep breath and sit back, the hand you’d had on the keyboard slipping and dropping into your lap. The response is automatic. “Yes, ma’am.”

———

II.

Five hours later, you’re en route to your destination, a manila folder open on your lap. You flip through the dossier, scanning and processing the information expertly. You’ll need to be well acquainted with all of this by the time the plane touches down. Most pictures of the mark are from the most recent function he’d attended, and where he’d become a topic of interest to your employer.

Seen in discussion with foreign diplomats… Security liability… You pinpoint the key phrases, a small frown on your face as you take it all in. He’s a scientist with knowledge of some valuable tech. The kind that can be weaponized. The files state this is why he’s been in talks with so many dignitaries—he’s interested in selling that information to the highest bidder. Your boss isn’t taking kindly to that. She wants the information and she wants him brought in for interrogation. There are bold red words at the bottom of the mark’s profile that read Do not kill.

The original game plan for the mission entailed stealing the blueprints before capturing him, since he wouldn’t willingly give them up in custody, not without a good bit of convincing. It would just be faster this way. But sometimes these things don’t go over so smoothly…

“August requires assistance,” Sloane explains.

“Is he okay?” you ask. You’re good about being professional, but you can’t help the twinge of worry that bubbles in your stomach when she mentions him. Maybe she’s annoyed at the question or maybe she’s not, but all you care about is that she answers it.

“He is.” You let out a silent, relieved sigh when she says this. “It seems this operation needs a steadier hand than previously thought, and he asked specifically for you to be brought in.”

“How soon can you put me on a plane?”

“How soon can you be ready?”

You wouldn’t ever admit it out loud, but you found August’s methods to be brutish. He was only stealthy up to a certain extent and much preferred to go in guns blazing. The total opposite of the way you work. As such, you cross your fingers that there’s no need for damage control once you arrive (though four days is plenty of time for damage to be done). It’s a little counterintuitive to be sending the scalpel after the hammer but you don’t dwell on it too long. The point is you do as instructed and you work around the obstacles. You wouldn’t be in this kind of position if you weren’t adaptive.

You’re flattered that August would suggest you in particular. He didn’t need just anyone’s help; he needed yours. Sloane might’ve suspected bias but even she knows it’s more than that. You’re good at what you do and August trusts that you’ll get the job done. You’re pretty certain that even if he hadn’t said your name, Sloane would’ve sent you over anyway. August is already one of her top agents, and if he can’t finish an operation alone, she’ll only pick those of similar caliber to head in and help.

There’s a thick blanket of clouds and the plane rocks slightly as it descends, the wind catching beneath the wings. You close the folder and glance out the window. When the haze of clouds fades as the plane clears it, you see the bright lights of a bustling city down below. August is there somewhere, and you smile a little to yourself. You’re excited to see him again, even if it’s not under the circumstances you’d been expecting. This would be a premature reunion, but a nice one all the same.

A black car with tinted windows waits for you on the tarmac. You carry your roller luggage down the stairs they’ve set up next to the plane door, and the chauffeur takes it from you to place in the trunk. The pilot is standing at the base of the stairs. You don’t know him personally, but you know he’s one of Sloane’s. He nods, as if to say Good luck, and you nod back before getting in the car.

For the purposes of this mission, all communication with your husband will be through your work phone. When on the job, you’re not husband and wife. You’re two operatives out on the field. You’re professional before everything else. You grab said phone from your handbag to find that he’s already texted you: I’ll meet you in the lobby.  

Your accommodation is a swanky five-star hotel. There are steps leading up to the front doors which slide back to let you through, and you take a look around at the expansive lobby. A large chandelier hangs down in the center and your boots echo off the perfectly polished flooring. You scan the room in search of August and find him on one of the couches, flipping through a magazine.

“Hey, stranger,” you greet as you walk up to him.  

August looks up and he smiles so warmly that you quickly forget the chill of the outside. It’s contagious, and you smile too as he stands and approaches, arms wrapping around you. Your hand leaves the handle of your luggage as you hug him close, eyes sliding closed as you take him in. It’s the same every time you see him. You need a moment to remind yourself that he’s safe. Well, that he’s home and he’s safe, but one of those things isn’t really possible currently, considering now you’re both hours away from home. But you’ll take what you can get.

“I missed you,” August says as he pulls back and looks down at you. “Would’ve been home sooner if not for some… road blocks.”

You nod once. “Sloane talked about that. What’s wrong?”

He purses his lips. “I’ll tell you in the room.”

It’s only the two of you in the elevator and you lean back against the railing, watching the numbers light up as they count off each floor. August is staring at your reflection in the elevator doors. They’re hardly perfect mirrors, your form distorted and barely discernible, but it’s you. And he grins slightly as his gaze slides from the blurred images on the doors over to you, where you don’t seem to have noticed his staring. You tap a finger on the railing, the metal clanging quietly. There’s no music playing in here (thank goodness).

“Thanks for thinking of me,” you state finally, looking at him. If you’ve realized he’d already been watching you, you don’t bring it up, simply smiling lopsidedly at him. It makes him want to kiss you. “I mean, we both know Sloane would’ve sent me in anyway, but you know what I mean.”

August laughs. It’s true, and he loves that you’re so confident about it. The two of you aren’t afraid to talk big about your skills and it’s because you can back it up. You can prove yourselves. And you have, many times. “I guess I just did it because I like saying your name; wanted another reason to do it.”

You raise a brow but can’t help laughing at his coy smile. “Such a smooth talker.”

“’s why you fell in love with me, isn’t it?”

The elevator dings, signaling your arrival on the appropriate floor. The doors slide apart and you step out first, August following close behind and pulling along your luggage. You glance back at him. “Yeah, you’re right.”

Room 915 is at the end of the hallway. As August digs the keycard out from his pocket, you look down the length you’ve just walked. You’d always found it creepy how every corridor in a hotel looked identical. It’s so easy to get lost. Add some flickering lights and you have yourself a horror movie.

Fatigue seems to catch up to you all at once when you spot the bed. You walk over to it and plop down on the edge, toeing off your shoes. You want nothing more than to shower and go to sleep, but there’s business to take care of. August sets your bag down by his duffel and turns around to face you.

“So,” you begin, “tell me about the road blocks.”

August crosses his arms and sighs. “The mission was to steal blueprints off our mark Lombardi, but…”

“But…?” You tilt your head, beckoning for him to continue.

“There are no blueprints. Not physical ones at least.”

You’re quiet for a second as you try to understand what this means. “You’re not saying…”

August hums in confirmation, setting a finger on his temple and tapping twice. “The schematics are all in his head.”

“Wow,” you breathe out. “That’s genius.” You had to hand it to the man. Plans for weaponized tech are difficult enough to get onto paper with how complex they are, much less retain it in one’s brain for long periods of time. You can understand why he did it. There’s no rocket science behind that. Making physical schematics puts it at risk of ending up in the wrong hands—in his case, the hands of people who haven’t paid the demanded sum. But just because you understand the reason doesn’t mean you like this mode of thinking. The notion had been just a little too crazy for anyone to predict at the onset of this operation, hence the changes that have had to be made last minute (that is to say, your presence for this opertion).

“Too genius,” August responds. “And that’s why I needed you here.” He rifles through the papers on the table in the corner and pulls out an invitation. You gently take it from him when he offers it and you read over the information: a charity event, scheduled for tomorrow night. “You’re gonna have to talk to him, get it out of him somehow. You have a better track record with things like this. I could’ve tried myself but there was no guarantee, and this party is our only shot. If he finds out about what we’re trying to do, he might sell the information immediately.”

It’s been a while since you’ve had a mission like this. Lately, they’ve just been your run of the mill work-in-the-shadows-and-steal-the-intel type jobs. You can’t say you mind these though. You have fun dressing up and pretending to be someone else. It’s like a masquerade but without the masks and you’re the only one who’s treating the fete as if it were a masquerade, trying to hide your identity. (So… technically it’s not like a masquerade at all, but you don’t care about the details anyway.) You set the invitation down on the bed next to you and look over at your husband where he’s leaning against the table.

“But I don’t have a dress.”

“I already got one for you. I’m picking it up tomorrow, along with my suit.” You open your mouth, and he knows you’re about to complain that you didn’t get to pick it yourself (that’s your favorite part), but he didn’t have a choice, and he tells you as much. “I’m sorry, but I had to let them know today if I wanted them to be ready in time for the party.”

You sigh, and he stays quiet, waiting patiently for what you have to say. “Is it a nice dress?” you inquire quietly.

August chuckles and nods. “I think it’s perfect.”

That seems to satisfy you. “Well then, I can’t wait to see it.”

The next morning, you and August eat breakfast at a café near the hotel upon the recommendation of the receptionist. You take a corner booth, and the first topic of the meal is what you’d been up to the past four days. Same old, same old you state with a shrug. This time it was two days before I got bored. It’s quite the record. More often than not, you’re bored and itching to fill the silence of the house by the first evening. Going out to the farmer’s market or running other errands does well enough at keeping you occupied and the boredom at bay, but the truth is none of it feels the same without your husband around.

But then the conversation shifts to more serious matters, and you lower your voices out of habit. August had caught you up last night on what he’d been up to so far—tailing the mark, attempting to steal the schematics (and failing when he realized there was no actual copy to be taken), getting hold of a couple of invitations for the charity event. Today you’re focused on the goings-on of later tonight.

You bite off a piece of toast and chew thoughtfully as you gaze out the window, watching the tree branches sway in the breeze. “What names did you put down on the invites list?”

“Garrett Redfield and Ziva Prescott.”

“Can you change it to Ziva Redfield?”

August raises a brow. “I can. Why?”

“It helps with… convincing the mark to engage with me,” you explain. “There’s excitement in dealing with a married woman.”

He stares at you, a little taken aback. It’s not that he’s not impressed. He is. People are your speciality after all, and you know all the right buttons to push, all the ticks to capitalize on. So he supposes he’s at a loss for words because it’s then that he fully realizes what the operation now entails. The new plan of attack involves you getting close to the mark and August has never been one to let emotions compromise a mission, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t get awfully close to doing so on this one. If it’s not envy seeing you sweet talk another man, it’s concern. Because he knows he’ll be worrying about your safety as soon as you’re out of sight. Security’s too tight at the venue—neither of you will have a weapon.

“Smart,” he states. “I’ll change it once we’re back at the hotel room.”

You smile in thanks, and your eyes trail down to his left hand, where a ring is absent from his ring finger. It’s not surprising. He keeps it tucked away in his bag for the duration of his missions. It goes in the moment he’s sitting on the plane on the way to his destination, and comes out and is slipped back onto his finger the moment he’s in the car being driven to the airport to go home. As for you, you’re still wearing yours. (And in your defense, you haven’t forgotten to put it away—you would have in time for tonight, but the plan lets you keep it on now, so that’s nice.)

“Don’t forget to put your ring back on,” you remind him.

August grins. “I won’t.”

And he doesn’t. It’s the first thing he does when you return. He fishes it out of the inside pocket of his duffel and slides it on as he sits down at the table and turns on his laptop. You grab yours as well and plop down on the bed. Sloane had texted you this morning asking for an update and you were in charge of that while August took care of changing the name on the invites list. There’s no issue of being too late to update it. The invite list wouldn’t be printed, but rather would be handled electronically, via a tablet.

While August steps out to pick up the clothes for the party, you occupy yourself by reviewing all the details on the mark. You’ll need to know his work backwards and forwards for when you talk with him. The dossier the agency has on him is incredibly thorough, and you feel like you’re studying for a test. Nathaniel Lombardi has been in the game for a long time, having papers going all the way back to when he was in his early 20s, fresh out of college. It’s a lot of information to take in, and one day is hardly enough time to familiarize yourself to the point of comfort, but you’re not always afforded that sort of time. You’ll just need to make do.

As evening approaches, you start getting ready. Since August hasn’t returned yet, you remain in leggings and a t-shirt while you do your hair and makeup. You’re in the bathroom, leaning against the counter to be closer to the mirror as you work. Your hair’s in a French braid updo and now you’re applying makeup—nothing too complicated, just enough to look appropriate for an event like this. It’s a little difficult to figure out colors to use when you don’t know what color the dress is, so you settle for keeping color absent for the most part. Just eyeliner and mascara on the lids, and a tiny bit of blush for a healthy flush. Lipstick has to wait until you actually see what you’re wearing. It’s when you’re dusting blush onto the apples of your cheeks that the door to the room opens.

“I’m back,” August announces.

You set the brush and compact down and peek out of the bathroom, one hand gripping the doorframe as you lean. August smiles when he spots you and sets two garment bags down on the bed. He motions to you as if to say Well, come take a look.

Eagerly you walk over and unzip the one he points out is yours. Your eyes light up as the dress is exposed to you. It’s black and floor-length with an A-line cut and a slit going up one side. There’s a deep V neckline and when you take it out to observe the back as well, you see there’s a similarly daring plunge in the back. Your smile grows the more you take in all the features. The material is soft against your fingers.

August stands to the side, arms crossed as he watches you, gauging the reaction on your face. “Did I choose well?”

You aim your grin at him and nod. “You chose really well. I’m impressed.”

“I won’t lie, it was a bit nerve-wracking dress-shopping for you. You’re very picky.”

You laugh. “Well it’s a good thing you do well under pressure.”

While August is taking a shower, you slip the dress on. It drapes perfectly over your form. This had to be custom-fit. You own enough dresses to know when one has been tailored to your exact measurements, and it would explain why August needed to get it in advance. You smile to yourself as you twist and turn in front of the mirror hanging on the wall. He’d always been good about remembering all the small details.

August exits the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, and takes precisely one step before he sees you. He stays where he is, admiring the way you seem to glow. He can see it in your eyes, soft in the wash of lights in the room. And it shows in that little grin he loves so much, and all along the expanse of your skin, to the point he thinks he might burn his fingers if he runs them along your arms or your collarbone or your spine. But they’re burns he’d gladly accept, marks on the sensitive pads he’d keep forever, as proof of the sorts of wonders he’d seen, he’d felt, he’d loved.

Maybe he’s getting carried away waxing lyrical because it’s just you in a mirror in a hotel room, but he never gets tired observing you. Call it an out of body experience. Watching you on the far side of the room is like watching a part of his soul—the most beautiful, and the most free.

“You look great.” He breaks the silence and lets you know he’s there.

“You think so?” you ask, twirling once so he can see the dress from all angles, then strike a small pose, setting both hands on your hips which are shown off so prominently with the way the fabric hugs your curves.

“I knew you’d look great before you even put it on.”

“You’re very confident in your styling skills.”

“More like I was more confident in your ability to pull off anything.” August flashes you a small smile as he starts putting on his own outfit, and you chuckle, cheeks warming at the compliment. He always knows the sweetest things to say.

The final step you had left was applying lipstick. Your job has steadied your hand over the years from all the high-stakes situations you’d found yourself in, where one wrong move could mess everything up, and it comes in handy when it comes to makeup. You slowly drag the wand across your lips, careful not to get any of the product on your skin. Especially with such a bold red, it needs to look flawless. Once it’s on, you relax and exhale, tucking the lipstick tube back into your makeup bag. August holds out his tie to you, and you take it.

“You know”—you slip the tie around his neck and begin to tie it while he sets his hands on your waist—”when you talked about romantic getaways the other day, this isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

August laughs. “Well we can plan it when we get back. Over dinner.” When you finish up the tie he bends down, prepared to kiss you, but you stop him by putting a finger to his lips.

“Lipstick’s still drying,” you inform him.

He shakes his head and smiles and settles for kissing you on the cheek instead.

———

III.

The drive to the venue isn’t a very long one. In the car, August hands you an earpiece, and you put it in while double-checking that the strands of hair you’d left hanging out of your updo are enough to conceal it.

“We know Lombardi had plans to bring up his research tonight. There are some diplomats in attendance who are interested. So the quicker you can get to him, the better.”

“Understood,” you respond quietly, occupied with making sure your hair is secured properly (you have a bunch of hair pins in your clutch just in case).

August glances over and smiles as you mess with it. “It looks perfect.” He gently takes your hand and kisses the back of it.

You’re far from the first ones to arrive. You fall into the line of people waiting to be admitted, your arms linked together, and once at the front, August lists off your fake names. The man scrolls through the tablet in search of them, and you subtly scan the exterior to get an idea of what security is like. There are numerous others dressed like him patrolling the perimeter, and you know inside won’t be much different. If it’s not these guards playing the all-watchful eye, it’s the cameras.

“Redfield, Garrett and Ziva,” the man reads out once he’s found the names. “Go on in. Enjoy.”

You smile sweetly as August says thank you and guides you inside. The ballroom is spacious, the floor already teeming with other guests. There’s a staircase at the head of the room leading up to the second floor. People seem to part for you as you walk farther in, and a waiter passes with a tray of champagne. August grabs flutes for you both and you sip on it slowly as you scope the room for the target. Neither of you is going to be drinking much tonight. You have a job to do, after all, and it requires every single one of your wits.

August spots him before you do. “He’s in the corner, by the bar,” he murmurs.

You look in the direction he indicates. Nathaniel Lombardi is in the midst of conversation, one hand wrapped around a flute like the one you hold and the other gesturing enthusiastically as he speaks. You attempt to lip-read, but one of the men he’s speaking to adjusts his stance and blocks him from view.

“Think he’s a talkative drunk?” you ponder.

August smirks and brings the flute up to his mouth to take another sip. “Might be. Looks to me like he’s had a good bit already.”

He’s right about that one, and you chuckle. For the most part you’d been wandering aimlessly, but then you’re approached by an older couple who greet you with wide smiles. They introduce themselves and ask what it is you do, and your connections to the one who’d organized this event in the first place. You and August mostly play it by ear, only having slightly worked on a background for your alter egos, but they don’t read much into any of it and simply nod along as you speak.

You try not to be too obvious about the way you glance in Lombardi’s direction, waiting for an opening to insert yourself into a conversation with him. August is doing most of the talking, but the man and woman take it as just you being shy. From what you’ve witnessed so far, Lombardi is an incredibly sociable man. Maybe the drinks are helping that along, but still. He slowly works his way over to the bar, leaning against it as he talks with someone else. You watch him wave the bartender over, and the man Lombardi’s speaking with pats him on the shoulder before making his leave. That’s it. That’s your opening.

“Um…” you start softly, turning back to the couple in front of you. “If you’ll excuse me, I just saw a friend of mine over there and I’d like to go say hi.”

“Yes, of course,” the woman says with a bright smile.

You pat August’s arm and smile up at him, and he looks down at you and nods once. Though he’s smiling too, there’s a sense of gravity to it as well, a reminder to be careful. And you will be. You always are.

“I’ll be right back.” You slip your arm out from his and make a beeline towards your mark.

You take up the empty spot next to him and order a drink for yourself just as the bartender sets down Lombardi’s. Your eyes never leave the bartender as you state what you want, but you can feel his eyes on you, and honestly, deep down, you kind of want to hurl. You hope this goes quickly and smoothly.

He tips his head back to take a swig of his drink, and you glance over as if you’ve just noticed him there. Your smile widely, teeth showing, as you exclaim “Hey, I think I know you!”

Lombardi raises a brow in question as he sets his glass back down on the coaster. “Do you?”

“Yeah! Nathaniel Lombardi, right? The nuclear physicist. I love your work.”

That seems to warm him up to you right away. If looking over all his past research earlier today was your studying, you’re inclined to think you’re acing the test. You recognize the topics he mentions and you refer back to his papers with ease. He’d ordered two more drinks over the course of this conversation and though you can tell his eyes are a little hazy, he’s still mostly coherent. He can really hold his alcohol.

As he tops off his current glass, you spare a glance out towards the rest of the room in search of August. You don’t spot him in those few seconds so you turn your attention back to Lombardi. When the bartender walks past asking if he’d like another, he holds a hand up and says no thank you. You need to get a move on.

“So… is there any research you haven’t published yet?” you begin, trying to make it sound like a passing thought.

Lombardi nods. “I do. Information I’m still perfecting, cleaning up for the peer review.” He waves his hand.

“Like what?”

“You know I can’t tell you, my dear. Strictly confidential until it’s published in a journal.”

You frown in mock disappointment. “I promise I won’t tell a soul. I just want to hear about what’s captured your attention to write about this time. All your papers make waves in the scientific community.” He doesn’t look so convinced, and you’re not, you’re not panicking, because you have a plan, but you need to get the wheels turning soon.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t,” he says.

You purse your lips and avert your gaze for a second, as if to think, before you look at him again. You lower your voice as you ask “Would you be more willing to share it if we were somewhere private?”

Lombardi appears caught off by the proposition, given its implications, and his demeanor changes. He watches you a little closer, at the look in your eyes trying to figure out if he’s misunderstanding. So you help him along, propping your elbow up on the bar and setting your head on your hand, charming smile on your red lips. You lift a leg to set one suede black heel on the foot railing, and the movement shifts your dress, the skin of your thigh visible due to the slit in the clothing. You don’t fail to catch the way his gaze drops down just for a second, before it quickly returns to your face.

“Now is that such a good idea?”

You tilt your head, silently inquiring what he means, and he motions to your wedding ring. “Oh, I’ve been caught.” You laugh lightly. You twist the piece of jewelry as you too glance down at it. “The truth is, I’m in a bit of a rough patch with my husband. We haven’t been talking as much as we used to. I mean, as soon as we got here he left to go speak with big wigs whose names I don’t even know and left me to wander around.”

You sigh heavily and look over at Lombardi again, and you can see he’s genuinely invested in your plight, nodding along with a small frown as you speak. “I’m tired of it. I’m bored here, Mister Lombardi. I wanted some fun and excitement for myself, and I spotted you here. I’ve really enjoyed speaking with you about your research, but I think the night would be even better if we went somewhere quieter. To swap secrets, maybe…” You trail off, head angled downward as you stare at the bar counter. But then you tentatively slide your eyes over to him, and you spot that haziness in his eyes that the alcohol is not entirely responsible for. He’s in the bag. Your new middle name should be Curiosity.

“Yes…” Lombardi answers almost absentmindedly, but then he clears his throat, and speaks up again, more clearly. “Yes, that does sound like a good idea. I would quite like a break from the noise.”

“Then follow me.” You back away from the counter with a sultry grin. He’s quick to follow.

There are rooms on the second floor—private lounges and studies. They’re not in use for the party, but the doors are never locked. As you walk up the large staircase, sticking close to the railing, you glance behind you to make sure Lombardi is there and also to look out over the sea of people to try to spot August. You don’t see him. But apparently he sees you, because then you hear through your ear piece I’m making my way to the bar. Be careful.

August isn’t expecting a response and he sighs quietly as he watches you ascend the stairs with Lombardi on your heels. That’s when it starts to kick in—the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, of jealousy, of worry. Of course he knows you can handle yourself, but he just can’t stand the thought of anyone touching you. He thinks he might start losing his mind not being able to see into the room, to know what exactly Lombardi might attempt to do. With another huff, he forces himself to reign it in and trust that you’ll be all right. You want this to be over quickly just as much as he does.

Once he gets to the bar, he orders a drink. He distracts himself by swirling the contents, listening to the ice cubes clink against the glass, and staring into the amber liquid. It won’t be long before he overhears Lombardi’s and your voices through the earpiece, signaling that you’ve found a room.

There’s a study at the end of the hall. You curl your fingers around the doorknob and twist, feeling it give and allowing you to push the door open. You reach out with your free hand to turn the lights on, then step farther into the room to allow Lombardi space. He closes the door behind him, and you hear a click as the lock is put in place.

“I’ll never understand how a man can do that to his wife,” Lombardi begins, approaching you where you stand in the middle of the study. “Especially not one so pretty as yourself.”

He reaches up to brush back the strands of hair too short to be put into your updo, and you smile, shyly looking at the ground. Your gaze lifts and you spot off to the side a bottle of bourbon, along with a couple of tumblers. “Would you like a drink, Mister Lombardi?”

“I would. Thank you…”

“Ziva,” you finish for him. While he takes a seat you pour the drinks, pulling the stopper off the bottle and pouring an equal amount into both tumblers. When you’ve done that, you grab them and turn to find him sitting in the large chair behind the desk, leaning back comfortably with his arms on each armrest. You smile as you round the desk to be on his side and give him his drink, which he takes gratefully. You take your place just to the right of him with your own drink, half-sitting on the edge of the desk and one hand bracing yourself.

You need to steer the conversation without him realizing you’re doing it. But you think it won’t be too hard. The drink he has currently might finally be the straw to break the camel’s back. His eyes aren’t too focused as you thank him again for the wonderful night you’ve had so far being able to talk with him. You ask him again if there’s any new research, any “inside scoop” he could give you. I’m good at keeping secrets you promise, looking up at him from over your glass.

“I suppose I could share them with you…” Lombardi states, and inside you’re cheering. Now’s the time to get down to business.

The walls of the bar are backlit, casting a glow over all the patrons at the bar. August stares ahead at the shelves full of alcohol as he listens to Lombardi’s voice filtering into his ear. He’s begun to share the schematics with you, outlining his design and the tech he’s developed that would make these weapons possible. The plans he has are incredibly detailed. It’s truly a wonder how he was able to keep it all in his head. August is sure this information has a high price tag. Lombardi had thought everything out.

“Hi there.”

A woman sidles up to August, inserting herself in the spot to his right. He grins thinly, still listening in on Lombardi. “Hello.” He faces forward again.

“Did you come here alone?”

August sighs and glances at her again. She’s smiling, clearly interested. “No, actually. I’m here with my wife.”

The woman nods and pretends to look around. “Where is she? I don’t see anyone else with you.”

August is about to respond, forcing a smile back onto his face as he takes a sip of his drink. But then he hears Lombardi changing the topic now that he’s finished explaining to you all the schematics: And how about your secrets, Miss Ziva? I’m good about keeping quiet about them too. This prompts August to change course.

“Excuse me,” he states curtly. He doesn’t wait for a reply as he starts making his way to the staircase, abandoning his drink on the bar counter.

Your mind is still reeling with all the information Lombardi just shared, and you’re doing your best to remember it as accurately as possible for later on, when you write it all down to send off to Sloane. As such, you don’t immediately process that he’s switching topics and turning it on you.

“And how about your secrets, Miss Ziva? I’m good about keeping quiet about them too.”

You watch as Lombardi empties his glass. It’s the second glass of bourbon you’ve poured for him. You’d brought the bottle over to the desk, and you think he’s about to pour himself a third, but instead he reaches out for you, a hand setting itself on your thigh. His smile is sly but it’s not coming across as smoothly as he probably thinks it is given his increasing levels of drunkenness. You try not to recoil in disgust as he touches your leg, fingers splayed as he starts sliding upward. Okay, it’s time to go.

You open your mouth, about to give an excuse that you’re feeling ill, but there’s a knock at the door, and both of you look towards it. thoroughly confused. Had you been caught? But you made sure no one had seen or tried to follow. There’s no way.

“Who could that be?” Lombardi mumbles, clearly disgruntled. His hand slips from your leg as he stands and takes a moment to steady himself. You stand up straight as well and walk around the desk, pausing just in front of it as he goes to unlock the door. He opens it and you spot August on the other side, towering over the shorter man. Lombardi isn’t able to ask who he is before August knocks him out.

Your eyes widen as Lombardi falls to a crumpled heap on the ground. “August!” you exclaim, not even bothering to call him by his fake name. Your eyes slide up to him and you don’t have to ask your question verbally. It’s written all over your face—what the hell is he doing?

“We got what we came for,” he says simply. “Let’s go.”

It’s not a good enough answer for you but you do as he says, stepping over Lombardi and taking August’s outstretched hand to help you keep your balance in the heels you have on. He turns the lights off and closes the door before digging out his phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. As he dials a number and brings the phone up to his ear, you glance back behind you at the study.

“He’s on the second floor, end of the hallway in the room to the left.” August gets right to the point, and it’s the one thing he says before he hangs up and tucks the phone away. That cleanup crew Sloane had lying in wait to collect Lombardi better get here fast, before he wakes up again and starts causing a fuss.

When you get back to the hustle and bustle of the party, you take a deep breath to collect yourself. August offers you his arm and you hook your own through it. He guides you back down the stairs, in the direction of the exit. You weave through the crowd fluidly, no one paying you any mind as you make your leave. There are taxis parked along the curb and you take the first one. You slide in and August gets in behind you before he shuts the door and tells the driver the name of your hotel. The man nods and pulls out into traffic.

It’s a silent car ride, and halfway through it, August glances over at you. You’re staring out the window, arms crossed. The lights of the city bounce off your face as the vehicle moves down the street, and he can see the flash of irritation in your eyes with every street lamp you pass.  

———

IV.

The atmosphere remains tense even when you get back to the hotel. August doesn’t say anything on the elevator, wanting to give you time to cool down. And he still doesn’t say anything back in the room, affording you the silence to concentrate as you write down everything you’ve found out from Lombardi. You’ve kicked off your heels and are currently lounging at the able in the corner, typing away on your laptop. August toes off his own shoes before shrugging off his suit jacket and undoing his tie. He tosses them on the bed just as his phone vibrates, and he checks the message.

From: Sloane

The mark is in custody. No attention drawn. Nicely done.

“They’ve captured Lombardi,” August announces. He’d been aching to break the silence ever since you got into the taxi but had no idea what to say. At least now he has this. “No one had any suspicions.”

“That’s good.” Your answer is short and succinct. It’s distracted. And it might be said this is because you’re busy writing up the report, but August knows that’s not the reason. He’d seen you hit send on the e-mail five minutes ago, but now you’re scrolling through your inbox even though there aren’t any new messages, just as there hadn’t been the last three times you refreshed.

He sighs heavily. It hasn’t been an hour since you’d left the party and he’s tired of the silent treatment. There’s no use dancing around it any longer. “Is something wrong?” he inquires. He has a strong feeling he knows what this is about.

Once the issue is brought out into the open, hanging in the air between you both, you shut your laptop and face your husband. The look in your eyes could cut through steel. “You were out of line tonight.”

“I did what I had to do. And we got what we were there for in the end anyway.”

“That’s not the point!” You stand up but stay where you are as you cross your arms. “You did what you wanted to do. I didn’t need help getting out of that.”

“I wasn’t saying that you couldn’t do it—”

“No, but you let your emotions get in the way! What if someone had seen you?”

“No one did. We still made a clean getaway.”

You take a deep breath to calm down, not wanting to raise your voice. Shouting matches don't solve anything. Truthfully, it’s not that you’re angry at August. You’re not. You’re more scared than anything because of what his actions this evening suggest. And so you sit back down in the chair and tell him of your concerns.

“You—both of us—have spent years training not to let emotions dictate what we do, how we act, during these operations. I don’t want my presence on a mission with you to compromise all that.” Because he’s a great agent, arguably the best you’ve ever seen.

You fear that being out on the field with him might hold him back because of what you mean to him, and to what ends he’d be willing to go to keep you safe. And you’ll admit you have the same fear for yourself. If he were in trouble, you’d drop everything to go help him. Perhaps it’s more accurate to say that you’re frustrated with him and yourself. The mission has to come first. It’s your job. But on a personal level, you both hold the other in higher esteem than the mission itself. You always would. You’re simultaneously the strongest and the most precarious team Sloane will ever have in her employ. And maybe she knows that. In fact, you’re confident she does. But maybe she also knows that despite it, you work through it and get the job done, and you do it well. If the risks outweighed the benefits, you and August would never be assigned the same mission.

August watches you as he lets your words sink in. You’re right. What he did was out of line, and it was dangerous. Just because he got off scot-free this time doesn’t mean he would the next time this kind of situation arose. There’s only one person he fears to disappoint more than Sloane, and she’s sitting before him, rubbing her temples, exhausted and stressed but still looking so perfect and put-together in the soft light of the lamp nearby, cloaked in black and cheeks dusted with blush the shade of a summertime flush.

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I got carried away.”

Your eyes slide open slowly and you smile. It’s fatigued but not any less loving. “It’s okay.”

“I just hated when you had to do those things. And when I heard the way he talked to you…”

“I hated having to do it too, but we do what we need to in order to finish the job.” You stand up and walk over to him. The dress trails along the floor now that you’re without heels, and with the way they conceal your feet, it’s like you’re gliding along the carpet. “But it’s over now. Like you said, we got what we were there for.”

August opens his arms as you approach and wraps them around you. His hands are warm against the skin of your back, left exposed by the dip in the dress. He bends down to kiss you before leaning his forehead against yours, remaining close enough that your lips brush together. You set your hands on either side of his face and smile up at him sweetly. He’s falling in love all over again.

“I’m ready for that vacation,” he states tiredly, and you laugh.

———

V.

The skies are a deep blue and the water is crystal clear. It’s the storybook perfection you read about in travel brochures or hear from friends who have been there themselves. You have to go! they all say. There’s no experience like it. And you suppose there isn’t. You find yourself rather in awe currently.

“It’s beautiful,” you comment, staring out at the point where the ocean meets the sky. You almost want to reach out for it, to defy the impossible and reach the horizon with nothing more than a simple stretching out of your hand.

August hums from beside you. “It is.”

You smile, cycling through the pictures with a quiet click click click, until you reach the first one again, and you pull the View-Master away from your face. You blink as your eyes adjust to the daylight pouring in through the window, and your eyes settle on your husband, who’s already watching you. He grins.

“You enjoy your trip?” he inquires.

“I did,” you tell him with a nod.

The blankets are rumpled and messy and half falling off the bed but neither of you cares. August is shirtless and clad only in a pair of sweats, and you’re in a tank top and panties. Both of your work phones rest on the dresser and haven’t rung at all since you got home. It’s a welcome change to not have to worry about receiving a call. This is a break you’ve been needing. The original notion of a getaway had seemed pleasant at first, but upon the conclusion of the mission, you were too worn out to entertain the idea anymore. As such, you’ve settled for staying in. It’s still a great vacation because the part that matters most is that you’re together.

You set the stereoscope down and stretch, arms high above your head and back arching. When you relax again, you roll onto your side and snuggle closer to August, who automatically wraps an arm around your shoulders. He leans up to capture your lips in a kiss—one of many you’ve shared today. You haven’t left the bed much at all, but it’s nice to be lazy for once.

He slides his free hand down your side, along your waist and your hip until he gets to your thigh, and he pulls gently, draping your leg across him. His fingers ghost over the soft skin and you shiver, goosebumps rising at his feather-light touch. You break the kiss and he doesn’t open his eyes right away, basking in the moment, in the feel of you.

“I’ll be honest,” you begin. “I wasn’t expecting Sloane to actually agree to giving us a break.”

This prompts August to chuckle as he finally opens his eyes. “We deserved it.”

You hum. “We did.” You kiss him once more quickly before grabbing the View-Master again and pulling out the reel. You reach over him to grab the other reels on the nightstand, and he turns his head to watch as you do. When you’ve grabbed the reels, you sit up and flip through them.

August rests one hand on his stomach and the other is on your thigh again, slowly stroking up and down the heated expanse. His eyes never leave your face and he studies the way your lashes brush against your cheeks as you look down at the photo reels. Your hair is tangled and disheveled from moving around and he knows you’re going to ask him to brush it out later because he’s more patient than you are, and he’ll say yes because brushing your hair is one of his favorite things to do.

He wants to freeze this moment in time forever, immortalize it as a series of photos in a reel like the ones you hold in your hand. If tropical beaches are storybook perfection, you and him in this bedroom right now are the first swirling of the author’s imagination, before anything is put on paper, the brilliance in their mind come to life. Unparalleled, whose magic could never fully be encapsulated by words, playing over and over again behind closed eyelids with the hope that maybe one day the moods evoked from such a scene might accurately be transcribed. The so-called perfection on the pages of the book is a step below what the two of you have right here.

You narrow the options down to two reels and hold them up for August to see. “Should we go to the countryside or the mountains?”

August thinks about it for a second as he sits up, leaning back against the headboard. “Let’s go to the mountains.”

You smile brightly and nod. After you’ve inserted the reel into the View-Master, you cuddle close, and his arms slip around your waist to keep you against him. He kisses your head and picks up the scent of lavender shampoo, and he can’t help smiling too. It feels good to be home.

#august walker x reader #august walker imagine #henry cavill x reader #henry cavill imagine #mission impossible imagine #mission impossible #bubble-tea-bunny #queue

[thecursedson]

☯ + Bae meeting Pan for the first time (these two needed more screen time together!)

There it was again, the sound of a flute Baelfire had only heard in his dreams. The sound was beautiful, as sweet as his Mother’s voice. It was calling to him, beckoning him to come to it, as if it was leading him home. To freedom…

… Freedom. Ever since his Papa had become the Dark One and his Mama had died, Baelfire didn’t know the meaning of the word. Trapped inside the four walls of his home, Baelfire could only imagine what it was like beyond that. He no longer had friends, it had been who knows how long since he’d seen sunlight since he snuck out of the house at night for brief visits to Morraine when his Papa was asleep. He’d give anything to be free instead of being his Papa’s prisoner.

He had heard the song of the panflute before but his Papa had told him to ignore it and that he was just hearing things. This time, his Papa was asleep and Baelfire’s heart told him that if he wanted freedom for himself he’d have to follow the sweet sound of the panflute to wherever it was going to lead him. That was exactly what he did. Quietly, he crept from his bed through their living room. He grabbed his fur coat, laced up his boots, then looked back at his father. With a look of sadness at the man sleeping not too far from, he disappeared into the night toward, what he hoped, would be the start of his new beginning.

He followed the noise wherever he heard it call him, around buildings, through trees. As he drew nearer the sound grew louder. The louder it grew the warmer the feelings that it brought him became. This was the feeling his home used to give him while his mother was alive, and before his Papa had become the Dark One. It was as warm as the fire that Baelfire came upon when he finally found the source of the song he had heard. For there, standing in the glow of the fire was a boy who was taller than he, but just as lean in figure. Baby brown hues flickered with curiosity as Bae watched the figure draw near. He didn’t know who they were, but they seemed familiar…As if he was welcoming Baelfire home again after a long day.

“It’s good to see you, Laddie. I’ve been expecting you, Baelfire.”

“You’ve been expecting me …?” Baelfire questioned, scrunching his nose a little, “And-…And how do you know my name?”

“I know the names of all the lonely souls my flute draws in, Laddie.” the boy remarked. Baelfire’s eyes softened as they fell to the ground. In those soft, baby brown hues flickered the truth that the other knew all too well – the truth that Baelfire was lonely and abandoned, despite living at home with his Papa. Despite trying to do everything to keep his son happy, Baelfire was lonely and trapped and felt abandoned, not only by his mother but by his father as well. “I’m Peter. Peter Pan.” Peter smiled kindly.

“I don’t-”

“Trust me?” Peter asked with a quirk of his brow. “Why not, Baelfire?”

Baelfire swallowed the lump in his throat. He had a long list of reasons why, most of them included that his Papa had drilled it into his head that anyone beyond the four walls of their home was dangerous and out to hurt him. Seeing the sadness in Bae’s eyes Peter simply scoffed. “Your Papa told you so?”

The broken boy’s brown eyes shot up to meet the emerald green ones of the Boy King standing before him. “Yeah…He says anyone beyond our home is dangerous, that they want to hurt him. That’s why-”

“Why you don’t have any friends, Baelfire?” Slowly, Peter began circling Baelfire like a predator watching its prey. Bae’s gaze faded and all he could hear was the sound of Peter’s voice slithering in one ear and out the other. “My pipe attracts a very specific crowd, Baelfire. Only those who are lost can hear its tune…” The Piper stopped his paces directly in front of Bae who’s gaze instantly rose up again,

“…Are you lost, Baelfire?” Before he could have time to answer, Peter continued walking and Baelfire was left to stand in his own thoughts. The real question should have been, did Baelfire remember the last time he felt like his world made sense to him? The answer to that question was far longer than Bae could even date back to. Before his father banned him from going outside or having friends, before he made him promise to never talk to anyone without his permission or go outside… Before a lot of things.

“Do you see them, Bae?” Peter asked, gesturing to the boys dancing around the fire. Having fun. Fun. Oh, how Baelfire longed to play again and experience what it was like to be carefree, for once. “Those boys are lost. Abandoned. Lonely. Whatever words you choose are up to you. Do you see how happy they are, Baelfire? You could be happy too, just like them.”

“How?”

“Those boys come home with me every night to Neverland. A place where you can be anything you want to be, play any game you wish to play, be free! You could do everything you ever wanted and more, Bae…” Peter stretched his hand out palm up to the boy as his smile from before returned, “… All you have to do is come with me.”

As much as Baelfire wanted to take that hand and go away to a place far from the Enchanted Forest, Baelfire could hear his Papa’s voice screaming in his ear that this was dangerous and that he shouldn’t go. He could feel it deep in his gut. Any moment now his Papa would come and tell him that he had to go home. “I-…I can’t…” the boy said, turning his back to the other as his sad eyes found the ground again. It felt like he was being torn to pieces. Freedom and happiness was just in his grasp and yet … He knew that the right thing wasn’t to go with the Piper. “…Papa would never allow it…”

Peter straightened his posture as his licked his bottom lip slowly in thought. “I see. Your Papa isn’t here, Baelfire. He’s a coward who didn’t want to come with me when he had the chance… You’re here, Bae, with the others that my pipe has summoned and if you’re so worried about this, how about a deal?”

How about a deal? The dreaded words he had heard time and time again from his Papa… Still, Bae had learned well enough how those words work and made the choice to turn back around and face Peter again. “A deal?”

“I’ll propose the same thing to him, if he comes…” Which, Peter knew he would. “… You stay and play with the others. Have fun, enjoy yourself like we both know you want to do, Laddie. He can ask you himself if you’d rather stay with me and go back to Neverland, or, if you choose him and will go back home.”

“I-”

“You don’t have to tell me now, Laddie. I’m not the one who needs to know the answer.  That’s how you’ll know if he really trusts you and if he truly cares for you like he says he does.-” Baelfire stood there solemn as he let Peter’s words sink into his heart. All his Papa has to do is ask and that will prove everything… Just one question. That’s all it would take. “-For now…Hold out your hand, Bae.” As instructed, the boy held his hand out. With a wave of his hand, Peter made a mask appear in Bae’s grip– one like the others were wearing. “… Go play, have fun. Enjoy your time with the others like you have been wanting to for way too long.”

Baelfire stood there looking at the mask. His heart was telling him to give it back. If he had the choice to go home or stay with the Piper, Bae would make the choice to go home. Even if it wasn’t perfect, he knew that his Papa would be distraught if he lost him. He knew that he cared and that, though it wasn’t going according to plan, his Papa was trying. Regardless… The idea of playing carelessly for ages to come did sound appealing to him. He could have friends, see the world beyond the walls of his home. Be free. . . With a smile, Baelfire tied the mask around his bush of curls and ran toward the fire where the other lost ones were playing. Within moments, Bae was making friends and fitting in while Peter was back to playing his pipes once again.

Time passed rapidly as Baelfire played with the other boys. It felt like he had gotten his childhood back again. For the last almost seven years, Baelfire had been told that he couldn’t go outside, that he couldn’t make friends, that he couldn’t meet people or leave his home. For years he had longed to see the world and had only been allowed to draw about what he imagined it to be like since he was not allowed to look outside through the windows. All those years watching the others in his village playing games and having fun seemed like a distant memory while he played with his new friends.

“You can’t even recognize him can you, Rumple?”

“How can I when he’s wearing a mask?”

“Well he’s wearing a mask, but that’s not the reason-” Peter started, gesturing to Bae who was dancing amongst the others. “-Look at him, playing with the other boys, out in the world. He’s happy, Rumple. That’s why you don’t recognize him.”

While Baelfire was playing amongst the boys, he felt a pair of hands grip him by the shoulders then his mask was pulled from his face. It was his Papa. As he stood there, out of breath Baelfire couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His Papa was here, he really had come. Bae couldn’t believe it.

“Bae? Baelfire, are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Why are you here?” Bae’s eyes searched his father’s equally brown ones as confusion filled his own.

“I know you think I don’t care about you, Son,” Rumple pleaded, “But I do, and I’m here to prove it.”

Baelfire took a small step back from his Papa but kept his gaze locked on his father’s. “How?” He asked, almost unsure of if he wanted to hear the answer his Papa was about to give him.

“Go ahead, Rumple.” Peter said from behind the pair as he watched the discussion unfold in front of him. There was a moment of stillness as Rumple calculated his next move and Baelfire watched him make his choice. He knew what Peter was asking of him, he knew of the deal. Was his father going to go through with it?

“Papa, what are you doing?” The boy asked as his father moved him between him and Peter all too quick for Bae to make an escape away back over to Peter. He had desperately hoped that his Papa would do what Peter asked, but he should have known that Peter was right …

… His Papa was a coward.

“I’m protecting you.”  Then in the same way that Pan had made the mask appear, Rumple made him and Baelfire disappear in a haze of smoke. This smoke brought Baelfire home and with this journey backward, let his freedom slip through the cracks.

“You’re gonna regret not taking my deal, Rumple!” Peter barked as the pair disappeared into the cloud of smoke away from his Lost Ones and back into their cottage.

Despite that he was now home, Baelfire felt tears welt up in his eyes. All he wanted was his Papa to ask him a question, just the one question that Peter had told him to! Surely, it could not have been that hard? Baelfire had made his choice while he was playing with the Lost Ones and he wanted his Papa and Peter to hear it! If only he had asked…If only…

“Don’t touch me! Get away!” Bae cried as he pushed himself out of his father’s hands and stepped back into their living room.

“It’s alright now, Bae, you’re safe!” Rumple said as he tried to calm his clearly upset boy.

“Safe? I was never in any danger! The Piper was my friend!”

“He may have wanted you to believe that, but you have to believe me, he was going to hurt you.” He said as he turned his back to his son to make his way back through their home.

“Why? Who is he?” Baelfire asked as he approached his father once again. His tone had shifted from sad and confused to, now, fiery like the flames that had burned near him only moments ago. “Another person that you abuse with your power?”

Rumple slowly strode away from his son, trying to think about how he wanted to go about telling his son the story of how he and Peter Pan know one another. He chose a decorated story of the truth while Baelfire listened intently with open ears.

“His name is Peter Pan. I’ve known him since I was a boy. Growing up, we were incredibly close…”

“So you’re saying he’s immortal too?”

“…He wasn’t always. He went to a place called Neverland. He betrayed me, Bae. He can’t be trusted. ”

The longer Baelfire listened to his father’s story, the more his expression melted from anger and morphed into an expression of heartbreak. Peter can’t be trusted, no adult beyond these walls can be trusted…He should have known. Even the person who was promising everything he had ever wanted in the last handful of years…Was also going to hurt him, according to his Papa.

“… What happened?”

“All that matters is that he fooled me for a long time before I’d seen his true nature. He grew angry and more repulsive than you should ever be exposed to!” He warned, pointing his finger in Bae’s direction who, at this point had made his way across the room and turned his back on his father. He was done. Completely and utterly done. Could he have one bit of happiness in his life? Ever again? All he had left was Morraine and thanks to his Papa, he wasn’t even allowed to see her because she could hurt him or was dangerous. Well, enough was enough.

“He can’t be any worse than you…” Baelfire hissed.

“I had to protect you, Bae.” the lad turned back around to face his father, “I didn’t have a choice!”

“Stop lying, because I know that you did!” Bae growled as he stormed up close to his father again. His emotions had reached a point even he didn’t quite understand. He was hurt. He was betrayed. He was… Lost. “I know about the deal Pan offered you! He said all you had to do was ask me if I wanted to come home!”

“He told you…”

“He said that way I’d know if you really trust me, if you really cared…”

“No please, Bae…” Rumple begged as his son stepped away with tears making their way beyond his thick eyelashes.

“You didn’t need to! I would have chosen to come home, I would have chosen you! …If only you asked” the last part of Baelfire’s sentence slipped past his lips in a tone that could only be described as defeated. “…Maybe we could have found a way to be a family again.”

“We can be…” Rumple started, but Baelfire was already running out the front door of their home with tears streaming down his face. “Bae…” he called after his son, “Bae!”

/ / @pueraeternuspan & @thecursedspinner

#{ooc}: this one was a lot of fun because Bae and Peter never had screen time togethr. So yay creative freedom! #{answered} #pueraeternuspan #v:neverland #{Baelfire answered} #answered meme

[ladye11e]

Deception pt 40

The conflict between the Assassins and the Templars is getting out of hand. Lies, deceit and subterfuge, now you must pick a side...

Tagging @geekgoddess813 @i-wontgivein @imakemyownblog @sweet-flash @ermergerd517 💕💕

Link to the full fic so far is Here.

Connor stayed at the docks until the ship was out of his sight, feeling, numb, about what he had just done. He had just saved his best friend, but the price of betraying his family for it was almost too much to bear.

Suddenly remembering the letter that you had given him earlier, he drove out of the marina and back to the side street he was in before, confident that there still wouldn't be any prying eyes about here. He leant over to the glove box and pulled it out, resting his hands on the steering wheel as he held it in the tips of his fingers, debating whether to read it or not. Did it matter? You had already tried to explain, but he hadn't wanted to hear it, far too angry at the time. But now he had calmed down and was thinking slightly clearer, he actually did want to know what would push you to do this.

He knew you better than most, well enough that you most certainly would have a damned good reason for it. So folding the top back and tugging out the folded sheet of A4 paper, he smoothed it out as slumped back in his seat, already rubbing his temple with his free hand as he began reading.

My dearest Connor,

You know I'm crap at these things, but for you, I've tried. I'm sure you've figured out a lot by yourself by now, but please, PLEEEEEEASE don't be angry at anyone else but me. I've been working for the Templars for six years as I said, but it was Master Auditore that sent me there to find and assassinate Shay. A piece of cake really, but then I started to find out things about the Brotherhood that I didn't agree with. Not things I'm going to tell you, but like you always said to me when I first started, follow your gut and do what you think is right, and everything will be okay? So I did. And then I went and fell for the man that I was sent to kill. You know me, gotta do everything the hard way!...

He let out a heavy sigh as he carried on reading the rest, some of which he already knew, some of which he didn't. Now he was feeling slight, empathy, he still didn't agree with what you did, but now could at least understand the reasons why. Just as he was coming to an end, he nearly dropped the letter and had to re-read the last bit three times more, not quite believing his eyes as the printed words finally sunk in.

... I donated $100,000 to the children's centre that you volunteer at, in your name of course, so expect them to dogpile you when you go in next. I know this doesn't make up for anything, but I hope it's a start. Must go, you're about to find me in my apartment.

All my love,

(Name)

Now that was something he didn't expect, and he sat there in a state of shock, wondering for a moment where you could have gotten the money from. But then it finally clicked, and he was somewhat proud that you had tried to turn this around, even if it was 'blood money'. He flinched slightly when a couple of loud raps came from his window, winding it down because in the sudden onslaught of rain; which he hadn't even noticed had started, had made it so he could only see a blurry outline of a person through the glass.

"Jacob?! What are you doing here?"

"You gonna let me in? Or let me freeze to death in this pissing downpour?"

Connor almost cursed under his breath when he stuffed the letter quickly into his pocket, before unlocking the doors as Jacob hobbled around to the passenger side, jumping in and shaking himself off, making everywhere instantly sodden.

"Right. Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on? Or do I have to beat it out of you?" Jacob sneered, grinning when Connor rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"You could attempt to, but we both know what the outcome would be. And I do not know what you are talking about. Nothing is 'going on'?"

Both of them sat there staring at each other, unflinching as they tried to look for a telltale sign of how much they knew, but they were equal in the stubborn department and nothing was let on. It was Connor who spoke first, but that was to change the subject completely when his gaze dropped ever so slightly to Jacobs' hands and saw that they were swollen, knuckles red raw and gashed open.

"Do we, need to take someone to the emergency room?"

"Hmm? Nah, don't think a brick wall needs the A&E. Anyway, what was with the evil eye back at the manor? Why didn't you want Auditore to know that we'd seen that asshole on the Jackdaw? And I know (names) not dead, so where is she?"

Connor froze and, bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood as he fixed his gaze on the raindrops trickling down his window screen, anticipation balling in his gut as he wondered how on earth he could have found that out.

"Bit obvious, you're not exactly cut up about it for starters. You used one of them Doppelthingys, didn't you? Knew that weren't her."

"Jacob..." Connor whispered as he carried on babbling about his theory, scratching his chin and nodding to himself in determination that he was right.

"Doppelfinger? No, that's not right..."

"Jacob."

"Ah ha! Doppelganger! That's it, one of those! And she's off hiding out somewhere..."

"Jacob!!"

He abruptly shut up when Connor roared out and slammed his fists on the dash; sending a crack rippling all the way across, trembling as he collapsed back into his seat and rubbed his face harshly.

"I promise you, that was (name) in my trunk. If you think for one second that I am not 'cut up' about it, push me further, and see where that gets you."

Jacobs face dropped, and for probably the first time in his life, he actually felt slightly panicked. He had seen Connor angry before but never towards his friends, and after what he had seen him do to Ezio, he made a smart decision for once in his life and decided to let it drop, even though he was almost certainly feeling the same way.

"I think... I need a drink. You coming with?"

Numbly taking his hat off and shaking the water off it; fiddling with it before he put it back on, Jacob scooted out back out into the gloomy weather when Connor shook his head once, leaving him with his thoughts. Now that he was alone again, Connor groaned as he saw the extent of the damage he had caused in his anger; thinking briefly how he was going to explain how it occurred, but he dismissed it quickly as he had bigger worries on his plate right now.

His stomach churned at the thought of helping a Templar, but he didn't have a choice. Well, he could kill him he supposed, and the thought had crossed his mind more than once, but he couldn't do that to you, even after everything that's happened. After weighing up his options of how he was going to pull this off; as he knew where Ezios facility was but had never actually been there, he threw a minor strop as he reversed out of the alleyway and, headed towards the suit store.

As he wasn't authorised to use the entrance at the back of the facility, Connor banged on the front door loudly to call the attention of the assistant, who was still about locking up for the night. He looked unnerved as he opened it up; even though he knew who was stood before him, but he was wary as he didn't know what would warrant such urgency.

"I need to speak to Ezio." Connor blurted as he barged in.

"I'm sorry sir, Master Auditore is, indisposed at the moment. Perhaps you could come back in the morning?"

Connor pinched the bridge of his nose as his last nerve had been struck; dismissing the little bit of patience he had left, and grabbed the assistant with one hand by his lapel, lifting him in the air and holding him an inch away, growling in his face.

"Take. Me. To. Ezio. Now."

The now petrified salesman pulled at his collar so stop himself from choking and nodded furiously, wheezing when Connor dropped him back down to his feet and gestured towards the back of the shop.

"There... W-was no need... Follow m-me..."

Drumming his fingers on his arm impatiently on his crossed arms while the aide opened up the hidden door upstairs, Connor barged into the facility as soon as it was open, spotting the very man he wanted to see leaning against a console at the other end. He couldn't help the twitch of his lips when he saw that he had his shirt sleeves rolled up; droplets of blood spattered up one side, and he was slightly dishevelled as if he had been working out.

"Connor? What are you doing here?"

"You should think about replacing your man at the front, it did not take a lot of convincing to get him to let me in. I came because I wanted to know more about this hunter (name) was attempting to find, possibly, ask him a few questions of my own?"

Ezio smirked when Connor clenched his fists tightly and looked around for where Shay could have been held captive, his eyes landing on an almost discreet door to his right; the only one that didn't have a sign on it to indicate what it was.

"I see. Well, I shall leave Niccolò where he is, for now, it isn't often he comes across someone as, formidable as you. As for the hunter, unfortunately, his lips are staying sealed, even though I tried to convince him otherwise. Perhaps you will have better luck?"

Connors initial instinct was proven right when Ezio led him to the room he had spotted on his own, raising his eyebrow when he stopped at the threshold and hovered his hand over the keypad, not yet opening it but standing there thoughtfully.

"Two things before you go in. Firstly, he is restrained, but you should exercise extreme caution. We are not sure what he is capable of."

"Hmph, I do not think that will be necessary. The second?"

"Principessa. She is, where she is supposed to be?"

Thoroughly confused as that was a bizarre way to put it, Connor merely nodded as he didn't know what to say to that with prying; which would no doubt aggravate the master again, standing behind Ezio and slyly peeking over his shoulder as he keyed in the code to open the door, quickly memorising it before glaring into the pitch black room when the door opened.

"Enjoy. Please leave something for the rest of us, hmm?" he chuckled. "Press the buzzer when you are finished."

Slowly walking in, Connor squinted when the door slammed shut and the overhead lights flickered on; for what he assumed they had been turned off for sensory deprivation, leaning up against the wall with his arms crossed again until his eyes adjusted to the brightness. It appeared that Ezio hadn't wasted any time in 'questioning' Shay, Connor was almost shocked when he saw him bound to a metal chair that was bolted to the floor, seemingly beaten to with an inch of his life. Clothes torn, deep bruises already emerging on his neck and shoulders, and from what he could see of his face as he was slumped forward, he was barely recognisable as most of it was stained crimson.

"That was, very dense of you. I thought you might have had some brains.

Shay lightly groaned and lifted his head to see who was talking to him; which wasn't easy as one eye was completely swollen shut with the other following close behind, straining against his bonds and spitting blood on the floor when he made out who it was.

"You. I'm gonna burn this whole place down when I get outta here, then I'm gonna make good on my promise!"

Connor just stood there with an amused smirk on his face as Shay continued to struggle; quite surprised at the amount of fight he still had left in him, sliding himself along the wall until he was just underneath the security camera. Slowly and deliberately he reached up and pulled the cable out of the back of it, before crouching down in front of Shay, holding what was left of his gaze when he looked down from what he had done.

"You have gotten yourself into quite a predicament. You should hold your tongue, unless you would want me to change my mind?"

"Change yer mind about what?! Torture me, kill me? Seems like ya favour both," Shay snarled, throwing his head forward in attempts to headbutt Connor, but of course, he missed.

In retaliation Connor snapped up and grabbed Shay by the shoulder, delivering a hefty blow to his gut before leaning over to growl in his ear, "That was for threatening me. And this..." Another hit, but harder this time, making Shay gasp as wheeze as the wind was knocked out of him. "Was for sedating me. Twice."

Resuming his crouched position in front of him, Connor waited for Shay to catch his breath and slid his hand in his jeans pocket, curling his fingers around the very thing that would make Shay more, cooperative.

"Now. Are you going to behave? Or shall I walk back out that door and leave you to your fate? In an ideal world I would have chosen the latter, but as I have come to realise recently, not everything is as simple as I would like it to be."

Shay was now thoroughly confused as he now only paid any attention to what Connor was saying, flicking his eyes back up to the camera briefly before going to Connors' face again, who now had his head cocked and eyebrows raised.

"Ya know I'm kinda busy here, so if there's something ya want, make it quick." Shay sneered, now gritting his teeth defiantly.

Connor didn't say anything as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and, held his fist right in front of Shays nose so he could see it properly through his obscured vision, a sly smile creeping up his face when he finally uncurled his fingers and revealed what was nestled in his palm, Shays breath hitching as expected when he saw your necklace.

"Would you like the opportunity to give this back to who it belongs to?"

#assassin's creed #assassinscreed #modern au #fanfic #reader insert #connor kenway #ratonhnhaké:ton #jacob frye #shay cormac #ezio auditore #sfw

[your-dietician]

Best 4th of the July weekend sales at Amazon 2021

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/health/best-4th-of-the-july-weekend-sales-at-amazon-2021/

Best 4th of the July weekend sales at Amazon 2021

We may receive commission from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

Something to celebrate: Amazon just dropped a jaw-dropping array of 4th of July deals! (Photo: Getty Images)

We hold this truth to be self-evident: When it comes to stellar holiday-weekend deals, Amazon rules.

Prime Day might be in the rearview mirror, but never fear. Amazon is having a massive sale to mark the 4th of July, with discounts as deep as those we enjoyed during “Prime Time” last month. We’re talking incredible deals on TVs and tech, amazing markdowns on kitchen items and fabulous fashion finds (new vacation wardrobe, anyone?).

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Score some steals before they disappear — then get outside for fun in the sun. 

Best TV sales

Improve the view: Sony’s got the 4K TV of your dreams, at a fantastic July 4th discount. (Photo: Amazon)

This Sony X80J 65-inch 4K Ultra HD LED Smart Google TV is the latest from a manufacturer that’s long been at the forefront of top-notch home video. No shocker, then, that the display on this set is dazzlingly vivid and detailed. Originally $1,000, this beauty is available for only $898 for the 4th of July weekend!

Sony’s state-of-the-art Processor X1 is the power behind its true-to-life visuals, while HDR (High Dynamic Range) settings make sure colors stay bright and black levels are dark. Get ready: It’s going to feel like you’re sitting in the middle of all the action.

This 4K TV includes Google TV with instant access to hundreds of popular streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, Peacock and much, much more. It even has built-in Chromecast for slinging videos and music from your phone or tablet to the TV. Also: The remote has a microphone that lets you use Google Assistant for voice search and hands-free navigation. Shoppers are smitten.

Story continues

“In one word: Awesome. This is the best TV I’ve seen, for an incredible price and considering its features, it’s a steal,” raved a five-star reviewer. “It can be adjusted to give you absolute black even in a dark room; 4K and HDR are amazing…”

Check out more 4th of July TV sales below:

Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 32-inch Smart HD TV — Fire TV, $150 (was $200), amazon.com

Toshiba 32-inch Smart HD TV — Fire TV Edition, $160 (was $200), amazon.com

Toshiba 43-inch 43C350KU C350 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, $320 (was $370), amazon.com

Insignia 55-inch NS-55F301NA22 F30 Series LED 4K Ultra HD Smart Fire TV, $400 (was $500), amazon.com

LG OLED55C1PUB C1 Series 55-inch 4K Smart OLED TV, $1,397 (was $1,800), amazon.com

Samsung 65-inch Class QLED Q80A Series 4K Ultra HD Quantum Smart TV, $1,398 (was $1,700), amazon.com

Sony X90J 65-inch 4K Ultra HD LED Smart Google TV, $1,398 (was $1,600), amazon.com

Vizio 75 inch P-Series 4K Smart TV, $1,480 (was $1,700), amazon.com

Best headphone and earbud sales

Make all your friends jealous — and save $130. (Photo: Amazon)

On sale for $170, from $300, the Beats Solo Pro Headphones sync to just about any smartphone or laptop via Bluetooth, delivering rich audio and sturdy bass. Super sleek, the pro-level headphones come in a cool Light Blue. They’re noise-canceling, so you can block out just about all background and ambient sound to enjoy your favorite music and podcasts…or just a bit of silence.

“These are the best Beats so far…less bass-heavy than previous models. Sound is really crisp,” wrote a delighted five-star reviewer. “Very worth it. The noise canceling feature is so good. You basically cannot hear anything around you!”

The Beats have up to 40 hours of battery life per charge, so you don’t have to be tethered to an outlet all day long. They can pump out a solid stream of music with top-notch audio for nearly two days; most wireless headphones tap out after about 30 hours.

Check out more 4th of July headphone and earbud sales below:

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds, $128 (was $300), amazon.com

Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones, $120 (was $200), amazon.com

Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones, $199 (was $350), amazon.com

Apple AirPods (wireless charging case), $160 (was $199), amazon.com

Apple AirPods Max, $490 (was $549), amazon.com

Sony ZX Series Wired On-Ear Headphones, $10 (was $20), amazon.com

Otium Wireless Earbuds, $23 with on-page coupon (was $46), amazon.com

Beats Ep Wired On-Ear Headphones, $90 (was $130), amazon.com

Best smartphone and tablet sales

The Moto G7 Plus is 40 percent off — down to a mere $150. (Photo: Amazon)

Who said a quality smartphone has to be expensive? Not us! The Motorola Moto G7 Plus — which is on sale for only $150 (was $250) — is equipped with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage (expandable via microSD card). This Android smartphone, instantly upgradable to Android 10, also comes with a 6.2-inch Full HD+ Max Vision display that’s super sharp and bright. The Moto G7 Plus features a 16-megapixel rear shooter with a five-megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and selfies. Need extra security? It has a fingerprint sensor on its back.

“This phone is better than you can imagine…,” raved a savvy Amazon shopper. “Excellent build quality and body materials. The screen is responsive…. The operating system is the same as in Google Pixel, which is much more expensive. This is faster than any (budget) phone. I recommend it — a good buy for your family members who do not need a lot of unnecessary features, and at the same time you will get a very high-quality device.”

Check out more 4th of July smartphone and tablet sales below:

Apple iPad (10.2-inch, Wi-Fi, 32GB), $299 (was $329), amazon.com

Apple iPad Air (10.9-inch, Wi-Fi, 256GB), $699 (was $749), amazon.com

Marvue M10 Tablet, $96 with on-page coupon (was $130), amazon.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7, $179 (was $230), amazon.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, $544 (was $650), amazon.com

TCL 10L Unlocked Android Smartphone, $175 (was $250), amazon.com

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, $317 (was $350), amazon.com

TCL 10 Pro Unlocked Android Smartphone, $300 with on-page coupon (was $400), amazon.com

E-Tronic Edge Phone Armband Sleeve, $11 with on-page coupon (was $13), amazon.com

Best gaming sales

At nearly 80 percent off, this game is worth buying in multiples and saving as gifts. (Photo: Amazon)

Amazon has chopped an incredible $47 off NBA 2K21 for PS4 — it’s down to just 13 bucks this weekend. The game features all 30 NBA teams and players, including Trae Young, Devon Booker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, James Harden and Gordon Hayward.

NBA 2K21 has all the dynamic, vivid gameplay you want, from multi-player online to one-on-one (you versus the game itself). For the first time ever, it features WNBA teams as well, with players like Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne, Liz Cambag and Nneka Ogwumike. Right now, the price is more than right…it’s nuts!

“My son loves this game,” shared a delighted parent. “The players are realistic looking and the commentators are hilarious at times. Overall, I think it’s a great game.”

Check out more 4th of July gaming sales below:

BioShock: The Collection, $19 (was $50), amazon.com

NBA 2K21 (Xbox Series X), $20 (was $70), amazon.com

Mafia: Definitive Edition (PS4), $20 (was $40), amazon.com

Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4), $15 (was $40), amazon.com

Godfall (PS5), $40 (was $70), amazon.com

Luna Gaming Controller, $56 (was $70), amazon.com

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch), $48 (was $60), amazon.com

Runmus Gaming Headset, $16 (was $43), amazon.com

Madden NFL 21: Next Level Edition (Xbox Series X), $40 (was $70), amazon.com

The Falconeer: Day One Edition (Xbox Series X), $23 (was $40), amazon.com

Outriders Day One Edition (PS5), $45 (was $60), amazon.com

Immortals Fenyx Rising (PS5), $25 (was $60), amazon.com

Best smart-home sales

Open your front door using nothing but your fingerprint. (Photo: Amazon)

On sale for $150 with on-page coupon (was $200), the eufy by Anker Security Smart Touch Keyless Entry Door Lock recognizes your fingerprint in less than a second, so you never again have to rummage through your bag or pockets for your keys. You don’t even have to remember a passcode. Your fingerprint does the trick. The brand takes your security seriously: it lets you store your fingerprint locally instead of on the cloud, so your identity stays safe and private.

“The more Eufy products I buy, the more impressed I am with the quality,” says one of many five-star shoppers. “…After installing the lock and setting it up, which has to be one of the easiest setups around, I saved the fingerprints for all the members of my family. The fingerprint reader worked flawlessly every time.”

Check out more 4th of July smart-home sales below:

Kamep Wireless Wi-Fi Video Doorbell Camera, $65 (was $130), amazon.com

TP-Link N300 WiFi Extender (TL-WA855RE), $17 (was $30), amazon.com

Moen 7594BL Arbor One-Handle Pulldown Kitchen Faucet, $289 (was $500), amazon.com

Govee Smart Light Bulbs, $11 with on-page coupon (was $22), amazon.com

Govee 65.6ft Alexa LED Strip Lights, $40 with on-page coupon (was $60), amazon.com

Govee 33ft LED Strip Lights, $18 (was $23), amazon.com

Honeywell Home RCHT8610WF2006/W, T5 Smart Thermostat, $107 (was $151), amazon.com

TanTan Smart Table Lamp, $24 with on-page coupon (was $33), amazon.com

Kasa Smart Plug HS103P4 (four-pack), $25 (was $30), amazon.com

Kasa Smart Light Switch HS200P3 (three-pack), $35 (was $45), amazon.com

Best vacuum sales

Grab this brilliant robovac for nearly 40 percent off — and never vacuum again. (Photo: Amazon)

For 4th of July weekend, the eufy BoostIQ RoboVac 11S (Slim) is on sale for just $140 (was $230). Its slim, 2.85-inch tall body glides under furniture seamlessly for a thorough vacuum each time. It’s versatile too: It can transition from hardwood floors to carpet to tile with ease.

The BoostIQ feature makes it “smart” in more ways than one, helping it to automatically increase suction power as needed, and its high-capacity battery delivers up to 100 minutes of run time on a single charge.

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect … But this is great! I went from having piles of pet hair on the floor to none at all,” wrote a five-star fan. “It is mind-blowing how eufy finds all of this pet hair and dust. My allergies have been reduced by 90 percent. It has truly changed my life and I didn’t need to spend $800-plus.”

Check out more 4th of July vacuum sales below:

Lefant M210 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $195 (was $400), amazon.com

OKP Life K2 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $124 (was $300), amazon.com

roborock E4 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $210 (was $300), amazon.com

Kenmore 31510 Robot Vacuum Cleaner, $150 with on-page coupon (was $259), amazon.com

Goovi Robot Vacuum, $148 (was $210), amazon.com

eufy by Anker, RoboVac L70 Hybrid, $320 (was $550), amazon.com

Hoover SmartWash Automatic Carpet Cleaner Machine, $249 (was $300), amazon.com

ThisWorx Handheld Car Vacuum Cleaner, $32 with on-page coupon (was $37), amazon.com

Yeedi K650 Robot Vacuum, $160 with on-page coupon (was $180), amazon.com

Best home office sales

Three cheers for the red, white and blue (and orange and pink and every other bold hue). This MacBook Air is $100 off. (Photo: Amazon)

What’s so great about the MacBook Air? Glad you asked! A speedy Apple octa-core M1 processor, 8GB of memory, 256GB of on-board storage and the latest version of macOS Big Sur, that’s what. The Apple MacBook Air — on sale for $899 (was $999) — is a sleek and slim speed demon. It’s also super-lightweight at just under three pounds. Pretty too: You can score one of these in Gold, Silver and Apple’s signature Space Gray.

“…I needed an upgrade from my heavy MacBook Pro… I needed something super light and thin — I can just bring [it] everywhere and slide it in my bag,” shared a satisfied Amazon shopper. “I am obsessed with how fast this MacBook Air is. The battery life is on point. I used it for movies and series at work and it lasted for three days. The processor is so good. I open so many tabs at once and it has not lagged on me.” 

Check out more 4th of July home office sales below:

Cloud Massage Shiatsu Foot Massager Machine, $240 (was $340), amazon.com

Renpho Neck Shoulder Massager, $30 with on-page coupon (was $50), amazon.com

Vybe Percussion Massage Gun, $150 with on-page coupon (was $200), amazon.com

DamKee Massage Gun, $69 with on-page coupon for Prime members only (was $110), amazon.com

Apple MacBook Pro (M1), $1,199 (was $1,299), amazon.com

Acer Chromebook Spin 311, $261 (was $499), amazon.com

FelixKing Ergonomic Desk Chair, $125 with on-page coupon (was $160), amazon.com

Truweo Posture Corrector, $12 (was $30), amazon.com

Saiji Laptop Bed Tray Desk, $28 with on-page coupon (was $100), amazon.com

Canon Office and Business MB5120 All-in-One Printer, $250 (was $300), amazon.com

Best kitchen sales

Refresh your kitchen with this luxe Cuisinart set — and save $415. (Photo: Amazon)

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your existing cookware set, replace old gear and start fresh, or give an incredible gift, this Cuisinart set is perfect. It has everything you need for easy and creative dinner prep: Two sauce pans, two skillets, a stockpot, a sauté pan, and a steamer. Also stunning: The $415 savings (with on-page coupon). This set is stainless steel and oven-safe up to 550 degrees.

“I absolutely LOVE these pots and pans!” a shopper shared. “They are beautiful in appearance, have some weight to them but not too much, and are made extremely well. The handles to the pans are so comfortable, unlike many pans I’ve used before.”

Check out more 4th of July kitchen sales below:

Elite Gourmet EGC-007 Easy Electric Poacher, $16 (was $30), amazon.com

Cuisinart HM-90S Power Advantage Plus 9-Speed Handheld Mixer, $72 (was $145), amazon.com

Philips Kitchen Appliances Digital Twin TurboStar Airfryer XXL, $300 (was $400), amazon.com

Bayco 9 Pack Glass Meal Prep Containers, $40 (was $50), amazon.com

Gotham Steel Smokeless Grill Indoor Grill, $38 (was $50), amazon.com

Ninja Personal Blender, $49 (was $70), amazon.com

Ozeri ZK14-S Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, $10 (was $15), amazon.com

Mueller Austria Ultra-Stick 500 Watt 9-Speed Immersion Multi-Purpose Hand Blender, $30 (was $45), amazon.com

Bonsenkitchen Handheld Milk Frother, $10 (was $18), amazon.com

Best beauty sales

Your delicate under-eye skin will thank you. (Photo: Amazon)

If the past year hasn’t been kind to your eyes, now you can turn back the clock. This under-eye cream tackles signs of aging and exhaustion (puffiness, wrinkles, dullness — you know the story) and the formula is free of parabens, mineral oil, and fragrances. It’s also allergy-tested and super gentle.

“OMG, this really is amazing!” says a thrilled reviewer. “I have used many eye creams over the last 40 years, and this one works within a few days, and really helps eliminate crows feet around the eye area. I honestly think that it has taken at least five years off my face!…”

Check out more 4th of July beauty sales below:

AuraGlow Teeth Whitening Kit, $38.50 with on-page coupon (was $60), amazon.com

LilyAna Naturals Retinol Cream for Face, $25 with on-page coupon (was $30), amazon.com

CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30, $11 (was $19), amazon.com

Biolage Hydrasource Shampoo, $25 (was $32), amazon.com

Naturewell Retinol Advanced Moisturizing Cream for Face and Body, $17 (was $23), amazon.com

Anti Aging Serum 3-Pack for Face, $20 (was $25), amazon.com

Belei by Amazon: Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid Serum, $14 (was $19), amazon.com

Best style sales

Leggings with a pocket for your cards, keys and phone — genius. (Photo: Amazon)

We can’t overstate the importance of a great pair of leggings: They’re perfect for so many occasions and can take you from couch to gym to real world effortlessly. But the super-popular Ewedoos leggings are a cut above. They have a flattering high waist, an oversized pocket (!), and a leg-lengthening ankle crop. 

“These leggings are amazing!” a shopper declared. “They are so comfy and soft…. They are also squat proof! They don’t roll at the waistband AT ALL. Stop second guessing and get these!!”

Check out more 4th of July style sales below:

Leggings Depot Leggings, $10 (was $30), amazon.com

Cthh leggings, $16 (was $30), amazon.com

Prettygarden Ladies Basic Crewneck Belted Office Dress, $30 (was $37), amazon.com

a.Jesdani Women’s Button Down, $35 (was $50), amazon.com

Korsis Women’s Summer Casual T Shirt Dress, $32 (was $47), amazon.com

Ewedoos Women’s Yoga Pants, $17 (was $27), amazon.com

Milumia Women’s Boho Button Up Split Floral Print Flowy Party Dress, $32 (was $44), amazon.com

Best health and wellness sales

A six-pack of the good stuff, on sale for only $26. (Photo: Amazon)

If the past year taught us anything, it’s that we can never have too much Purell. The brand’s iconic formula is a must for any household, whether for cleaning hands or wiping down surfaces. This spray — sold as a six pack of large (32 ounce) bottles, kills 99.9 percent of viruses and bacteria, including cold and flu, strep, norovirus, Listeria, MRSA, VRE, and human coronavirus.

“This is a wonderful cleaning product,” shared a shopper. “…Kills smells like a champ…”

Check out more 4th of July health and wellness sales below:

Wecolor 100 Pcs Disposable 3 Ply Earloop Face Masks, $8 (was $13), amazon.com

Purell TFX Touch-Free Foam Hand Sanitizer Dispenser, $33 (was $109), amazon.com

Microban Professional Sanitizing Spray, $34 (was $38), amazon.com

Purell Advanced Hand Sanitizer Refreshing Gel, $32 (was $37), amazon.com

Lysol Disinfecting Spray, Crisp Linen, $11 (was $16), amazon.com

Lysol, Disinfectant Spray, $7 (was $11), amazon.com

Best mattress and bedding sales

Supportive and soothing, like a good bedmate should be. (Photo: Amazon)

Soft to the touch but firm for the neck, these pillows are made from a plush poly-soybean fiber blend. They’re totally vegan, great for side-sleepers, back-sleepers and stomach-sleepers, and sold as a pair for just $33 ((normally $58)! More than 3,700 five-star reviewers can’t be wrong.

“These pillows are wonderful!” one shopper shared. “I had neck pain every morning from sleeping on pillows with no support. With these, I don’t have to constantly readjust myself to find a comfortable position. They are soft yet firm and provide excellent support.”

Check out more 4th of July bedding sales below:

Smart Queen Cooling Weighted Blanket, $28 (was $60), amazon.com

Queen Mattress Pad Cover Cooling Mattress Topper, $40 (was $60), amazon.com

Utopia Bedding Premium Cotton Blanket, $24 (was $38), amazon.com

LuxClub 6 PC Sheet Set Bamboo Sheets, $35 for queen (was $57), amazon.com

Casper Sleep Pillow for Sleeping, $55 (was $65), amazon.com

Utopia Bedding Gusseted Pillow, $24 (was $31), amazon.com

Utopia Bedding Down Alternative Comforter, $35 (was $57), amazon.com

Best pet sales

Treat your g’boy to a special down-home delight. (Photo: Amazon)

If you’re a pet parent, you know how important it is to ensure that your pups are eating right. While most puppy snacks are loaded with preservatives, dyes and all sorts of nasties, these bites from Amazon in-house brand Wag are made (in the USA) with chicken as the very first ingredient. For the 4th of July, they’re down to $8 from $14, with the on-page coupon.

“My dog is in love with these,” a shopper declared. “Normally she shares her treats when her dog friends come over but not these. If I give them to her friends, she takes them away from them and gobbles them up!”

Check out more 4th of July pet sales below:

Petstages Cat Tracks Cat Toy, $9 (was $25), amazon.com

Rachael Ray Nutrish Dog Treats, $6 (was $14), amazon.com

Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Dog Brick Interactive Treat Puzzle Dog Toy, $14 (was $25), amazon.com

Outward Hound Hide-A-Squirrel Squeaky Puzzle Plush Dog Toy, $20 (was $30), amazon.com

Milk-Bone MaroSnacks Dog Treats, $7 (was $12), amazon.com

Potaroma 3 Silvervine Catnip Balls, $11 (was $15), amazon.com

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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[equalitae]

L i k e   I    W o u l d ( I )

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader

Genre: Angst, (Not completely, but the tension) smut 

Song to suggest: Like I Would - ZAYN

Synopsis: I was doomed from the very moment I met him. 

It was a mistake that I didn’t regret, but that I profoundly wanted to undo in the deepest part of my heart. I tried my best to untangle myself out of that mess, but he was right. 

No one knew me like he did. No one would love me like him.

Word count:  3044

Part 1 -  Part 2 - Part 3

I couldn’t breathe.

The air left my lungs like they were being kicked over and over, keeping me in a gasp for help. I felt worthless and vulnerable as I watched the whole world crumbling around me. I thought my heart had stopped beating as soon as I saw how his fingers curled around her golden locks and the way his smile widened his features.

My body was suddenly out of energy, but thankfully nobody noticed my change of mood, since they were all busy finishing the assignment left for today. The history class stopped being interesting when I started to feel like a deflated balloon. It was stupid, though. I shouldn’t have been feeling like this, since I was the one who got out of this mess.

His attentions were once directed towards me. His bright smile and shinning eyes were once caused because of me. Now, he was looking at her like she was a diamond out of a pile of untouched coal. The way he used to laugh at my jokes, was replaced by her lame jokes and his quick responses. I could perfectly listen to the way her voice trespassed his angelic one. I couldn’t help but cringe at it.

Baekhyun was a hot sweetheart, and he knew it really well. His untouched looks and perfect ways carved a path for him to whatever he wanted. He could make you do whatever he felt like just by giving you an innocent smile and a slow wink. The whole campus melted to his charms, drooling over him as he was a dessert; and he knew how to use his power over everyone smoothly.

Even so, the first time we crossed paths, it was a complete accident.

It was an early Sunday morning, free of any class possible, but I still had to wake up quickly because I was running late for work. The little bakery I worked at was really famous between the students, mostly because of the good sweets we made, reason why I had to be there earlier than anyone else.

I ran in the halls, barely holding the strips of my worn-out backpack, feeling the adrenaline rushing through my veins. If I got there late, again, it would be my second call this week and I knew that Kyungsoo wouldn’t let it slip once again. We had been friends of years, basically since we both wore diapers, but since he was the “heir” of the lucrative store, he had to be hard with his employees, no matter what.

As I reached the elevator, I clicked the button quickly, jumping in one foot while I prayed for it to arrive sooner. The metallic doors opened with a bell, and I slipped in it in a hurry, pressing the first floor with annoyance.

“C’mon”, I said to no one in particular. My eyes flickered to the red numbers on the wall, cursing at the damn thing in silence for not being faster. After a while, the doors started to close with an incredibly slow motion, making me grunt in annoyance, until I was stopped.

“Wait!” A male voice shouted. A pair of delicate hands pushed the door open, and a slim figure slipped into the elevator as the doors closed with a muffled sound. He cleaned his hands on his pants, as he took a phone out of his pockets, tapping on it furiously. I stared at him with an arched eyebrow, suddenly interested in his presence.

He had red hair with shades on it and a pair of circled glasses barely clang from the tip of his nose. He had plump lips and a well-shaped jawline that lead to his chiseled neck colored by tattoos and a necklace. I stared at his profile for a couple of seconds more, before taking my phone out to pretend busy myself on something else than him. Soft mumbles left his lips, while he kept tapping on the phone, cursing under his breath occasionally.

He put his phone away and I felt his stare on me, but I decided not to look up. His gaze burned holes on my figure, but I contained myself as much as possible, while I texted Jee, telling her that I was running late so she could cover me till I made it there. Before sending the text, an unexpected shake made the elevator move, making me lose my balance for a second. I felt a pair of long arm holding me by the waist, steading me up.

I looked up, crashing with the red-haired’s smirk, and I felt my cheeks burning as I untangled myself from him.

“What the hell was that?!”, I exclaimed instead, looking at the red numbers. The elevator had stopped in the third floor, and it wasn’t moving or making sounds anymore. I tapped the number furiously but the metallic monster refused to keep working.

“I think we got stuck”, he said, clicking the alarm button several times. I looked at him, just to find him already staring at me. I took a glance at his features, feeling awed by the beauty of them, zoning out for a second. “I feel that this old box just gave his last breath”.

I didn’t answer but nodded instead, still too amused by him to properly think about something to say. He smirked.

“You got a name? Mine is Byun Baekhyun” He extended a hand in my direction, and I stared at it, insecure if I should take it. After debating myself, I shook his hand, giving a soft smile in his direction.

“I’m Y/N”

“Oh, a pretty name for a pretty lady”, Baekhyun said with a semi-smile. I felt my cheeks blush.

“I’ve never seen you before around here. Are you new?” I said before having the chance to hold myself up. He looked at me with another smirk, before shaking his head.

“No, I’m in my second year of arts. I just transferred dorms since my older ones were closed up.”

“Oh.”

“And you? I haven’t seen you around either.” I stared at the wall, not wanting to look at him because I knew I would be drooling in no time.

“I’m in my second year of design.”

He shrugged his shoulders, looking at me with narrowed eyes. “You don’t seem like a designer, though.” I placed a hand over my chest, offended.

“What do you mean?”

“First of all, you’re wearing an uniform and your hair is all over the place. You even have a little bit of toothpaste in the corner of your lips.” I fixed my hair, looking at him badly.

“That doesn’t mean anything. You don’t look like an artist either.”

“Is that so?” He smiled. “Then to which career do I look alike?” I analyzed him, taking my time to admire his well proportionate body that fitted incredibly good in that faded striped shirt and parched pants. He was the image of street fashion, slaying it in every way possible. My mouth was eager to ask him everything to his inspiration to be so well dressed, to ask him where he got his clothes and that if he could let me design clothes for him as well.

I was a fashion sucker, admiring every type of style possible. Baekhyun looked like an artist, there was no doubt of that. His whole essence was living by it, but I couldn’t let him win. Something in him made me want to argue, to make him mad.

“Engineer.”

He gasped. 

“En-engineer?” His soft chuckles filled the elevator. “Is that the best you got?” His legs slipped on the floor, as he smoothly sat beside me. “You’re bad at lying, Y/N, but I appreciate the effort to fight me.”

“Shut up”, I said, muffling my cheeks with annoyance. He sighed loudly as he pulled his phone out once again, tapping in the screen with quick movements. His frown was deep and his pouting lips were constantly licked by his tongue as he kept his concentration on the phone. I glimpsed in his direction, before closing my eyes. Kyungsoo was going to kill me and I would get fired. I needed the money, and the idea of getting another job wasn’t of my liking.

We spent a few minutes in silence, both of us emerged in our very own thoughts. I was thinking in ways to beg Soo not to fire me, but it was nonsense. He was going to fucking kick me out and people haven’t seemed to notice that Baekhyun and I were both stuck in this damn elevator.

“You needed to be somewhere, Y/N?” I opened an eye to look at him, before sighing frustrated again.

“At work. This is my second call this week, and now I’m gonna get fired.” I passed a hand over my face harshly. He didn’t answer. “What about you, Baekhyun? What was your destination?”

He stuttered for a second. “Um, I had to meet, um, someone. I’m gonna get my head chopped now, anyways.”

I pouted my lips, thinking. “I see.”

“So, tell me Y/N… Do you want to play 20 questions?” He blurted out.

I chuckled a little. “Isn’t that childish?”

“Oh, c’mon. It’s gonna be fun.” His puppy expression made my spine tingle, and I found myself nodding at him with a small smile. The round of questions was typical, with him asking silly questions and me answering lame things. After a while, his questions tuned up their heat, becoming more and more personal.

“So, now, how do you like your men?” I was taken back by it, eyeing him a little as I wondered around the elevator with sloppy dance moves.

“M-my men? You are talking about my one-night stands?” He nodded effusively, winking at me. I bit my lips, feeling the heat crawling to my cheeks, as I thought about it.

“I’m not sure.”

“How are you not sure?” He jumped, looking amused. “You must have an ideal of what you’re looking for in hunting night, you get me?”

Yeah, like you.  I thought, but I didn’t say it out-loud, too conscious of it. “It’s not my thing. I just look and play. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Hmm, that’s new.” He walked lazily in my direction, positioning himself in front of me. He towered over me with grace, looking at me with knowing eyes. I gulped heavily, unsure of what he was doing.

“What about me, sweetheart?” He whispered, getting closer to the soft skin of my ear. His warm breath crashed against my ear, making me quiver in response.

“What do you mean?” I managed to say without stumbling.

“Do you find me as your type?” His plump lips brushed my jawline, as his hands placed in both sides of my head, keeping me caged. I couldn’t think properly with his proximity, the scent of his fading cologne entering to my nostrils with no mercy. His chest was centimeters away from mine and the tips of his hair locks tingled on my skin.

His lips were trailing a way to the front part of my face, but I kept my silence. My mind was all over the place, with him so close to my body and I found myself wanting him even closer. I was about to respond, when I felt the elevator slowly shaking, coming back to life. He smirked once again, winking at me one last time before tearing away from my personal space, leaving me breathless. I hope to see you around, sweetheart”. He said, and exited the machine without me responding.

After that day, I started to notice him a lot more than before. Baekhyun attended to several classes with me, but he tended to sit in the lasts rows. To sleep, I presume. His usual style consisted in ripped jeans and baggy-stained shirts, and yet, he still managed to look out of a modeling magazine. His hair always seemed to be disorganized, almost on purpose; and a pair of glasses never seemed to leave his face. The tattoos on his neck were interesting, and I found myself wanting to explore them.

Baekhyun was apparently one of the most acclaimed boys in the campus, desired and awed by tons of girls every day. I didn’t know why I hadn’t acknowledged him before.  The girls followed him like lost puppies, eager to catch a glimpse of his attention, but they always failed at it. He was almost always with a pair of headphones and pencil in hand, doodling things in an art book, lost in his own world.

We barely crossed paths, but when we did, he winked at me with a smirk in his features. I just rolled my eyes, smiling as well, and kept walking, the memories of that elevator fresh on my mind. I felt his eyes burning the back of my head every once in a while, too, but I didn’t dare to catch his eyes. But when I did stare at him, I removed my gaze as quickly as I could, scared that he would notice I was watching him.

Little did I know that he noticed.

It was a Friday, and the bakery was empty at this time of the night. Today it was a free day in college, so I decided to do some extra hours, so I could make up for the elevator emergency. Kyungsoo had being sweet enough to let me stay, but he had warned me it would be the last time. I swore I couldn’t pay my friend enough for his kindness.

It was almost closing time, so I made myself some coffee, enjoying the music playing softly on the background, and reading a book on the counter. The smell of caffeine brought me happiness and I felt more relaxed than before. I concentrated on the scattered words, until the bell of the door chimed.

A red-haired shape appeared on the doorstep, and I felt my body stiffen. Baekhyun was standing there, looking around with curiosity. His clothes consisted in an oversized hoodie and a pair of ripped jeans; his familiar glasses weren’t on his face. His eyes crashed with mine after a few and a soft smile appeared on his features, as he approached to my direction. An art book was left on the counter and he sat right in front of me.

“Y/N.” My name rolled on his tongue. “It’s nice to see you around.” He said, playing with the ring band on his middle finger.

“Baekhyun…” I responded. “I didn’t expect you here.”

“A friend of mine told me about this place. He said the sweets were the best ones out here. You probably know him. His name is Do Kyung-.”

“Kyungsoo, yeah” I interrupted. “He’s one of my oldest friends.” He arched an eyebrow.

“He’s one of my best friends as well. What a small world.”  I nodded.

“Tell me, Baekhyun, what can I help you with?”

“You can help me with a lot of things, babe”, he winked. “But by now, bring me your best pastry and coffee. The one of your preference.”

“The one I want?” He nodded, smiling at me for the last time before starting to doodle in his worn-out art book. The lines were smooth, almost unthought, as if he didn’t need to imagine that much to create a masterpiece. I walked to the back door, shaking my head, and I looked for the Gyeongju bread. I took the flat white coffee I was making for myself and placed them both in front of him. He eyed them expressionless, before looking at me.

I pushed them further in his direction, encouraging him to taste them. They were my favorite combination in the world and I wanted to see if I had gotten in his sweet point. He bit the bread, closing his eyes for a second before sipping on his coffee. We were both silent, the music playing on the background. He didn’t speak until he finished his food, and cleaned his mouth with a napkin.

“What do you think?” I asked, anxious. I didn’t know I was so excited to know his opinion, but I examined his face with curiosity. He mumbled a little, with a serious expression on his face.

“I think that this was probably… the best one I have had in a while.” A smiled creeped on his face at my lighted up face. I clapped happily.

“I knew it! This is my favorite combination in taste”

“What other things you like to taste, hm?” His face approached to me, getting really close as he licked his lips softly. His eyes were looking at mine with fire in them, making my legs go like jelly. His hand tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, but his fingers stayed up there for longer than what they needed to be.

“Wha-?” I was interrupted by Baekhyun’s sudden question.

“Would you let me…?  I don’t know. Take you out as an act of gratitude?” The words died on my mouth. I was speechless, opening and closing my mouth like an idiot. I didn’t know how to respond, especially since his fingers where softly lingering on my collarbone, making imaginary drawings over my skin. I felt myself shivering, craving his touch, as his soft breath was crashing against my lips. He was that relatively close that could count every little flaw in his face, but I still thought they were… art.

He didn’t wait for answer, as his hand took me by the waist and led me out of there. A smirk still creeping in his face as the cool air of the night hit his face and his hands snickered around the exposed skin of my waist. The sheets ended up tangled between the both of us that night after a couple of drinks and a shameless session of flirting. His hand had trailed every single inch of my body with an extreme carefulness that I felt like a sculpture. His adoration only posed on me, as he scanned me with such a patience that made my head go dizzy and needy. His body heat kept with me all night.

What I forgot to notice, is that was going to end up ruined.

 I want to thank you all for the love “Like I Would” has received! 

The next part is probably my favorite!  

What do you think? If you liked it, please feel free it some love! 

Requests are open! Just remember to read the r u l e s before requesting! 

See you soon! Sofi, x.

#exo #exo k #exo l #exo scenario #exo scenarios #exo fic #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #exo angst #exo smut #baekhyun #byun baekhyun #baekhyun scenario #baekhyun angst #baekhyun exo #baekhyun one shot #kpop scenario #kpop angst #jongdae scenario #chen scenario #suho scenario #junmyeon scenario #chanyeol scenario #kai scenario #jongin scenario #kyungsoo scenario #xiumin scenario #minseok scenario #yixing scenario #lay scenario

[warmau]

hi!!!!! can I please request for a minhyun college au? I am addicted to your writing (･´з`･) thank you in advance xxx

for nu’est ive decided it’d be cool to make them all medical students!! so consider it residency-college!au LOL~

specialty: minhyun is doing his residency in dermatology  

is known as the “pretty boy” of the unit and other residents are always joking that patients favor him because,,,,,,,,well one he has gorgeous skin,,,,,,,but everything else about him is literally just as gorgeous

is really sweet and tries his best to be polite,,,,,,even if taking another 10 hour shift is literally going to Kill Him,,,,,minhyun just smiles and is like : ) it’s fine : ) im fine

his superiors like him the most and their favoritism shows because guess who doesn’t get yelled out for taking a five minute snack break? it’s minhyun

but even though he comes off so mannered and mature,,,,,he has a lil nerdy side,,,,,like his phone background is always his cute niece and him but one day someone noticed that his lock screen was literally a screenshot from the transformers movie,,,,,,,like,,,,,,,,,

everyone keeps asking if he’s dating and minhyun is just like,,,,i,,,,,d,,dating?!?!?!?! and they’re like oh my god you have the face and you’re telling us you haven’t used it yet

and minhyun is like ?!?! i use it everyday to eat, to read - and everyone is like oh jesus no that’s nOT WHat we MEANT

but if anyone as much as dares to try to do ‘corrupt’ minhyun (as dongho affectionately refers to it) minhyun just turns pink and bites his lips and is like i!! don’t know anything about that,,,,,

boy is already in residency and sometimes if a patient get too close he has to excuse himself,,,,,,,soft boy

speaking of dongho and the rest of nu’est they all do residency in the same hospital so every now and then they’ll meet up to eat lunch outside

and everyone swoons because they’re the ~visual residents~ a group of goodlooking guys in white doctors coats,,,,,,what a dREAM

and then dongho gets crumbs all over his scrubs and minhyun is like come here i need to clean it - don’t you dare run from me- come bacK

is really good at his job though, so much so that people are like he doesn’t even need to do residency he knows sO MUCh

graduated at the top of his class in med school, still studies as diligently as before, literally takes notes on e v e r y t h i n g the doctors say

jr jokes that when minhyun opens his own dermatology clinic he should give all of them face lifts but minhyun is like,,,,,,,,im not doing that im doing immunodermatology wanna hear what i learned about leprosy-

jr: i gtg rn i was just trying to make a joke i am so sorry

anyway you also work in the hospital,,,,,but not as a resident or anything you’re actually in the tech department

and you know about minhyun because how can you not,,,,,but also,,,,,,,,he’s called the tech department like a minimum of twenty times a week because for some reason he’s super smart

but takes like ten years to type in a patients chart notes and he’s always getting a bit confused with the hospitals interface

and you,,,,,,,dont mind being the one called to help him i mean like have you /SEEN/ him  

just standing beside him is like basking in the sunlights glow and u dont mind. not one bit. tbh u r not gonna like lie when u see a call from the dermatology dept u basically fight people for the phone

buuuuut you also know that it’s a one sided kinda thing,,,because minhyun could have anyone,,,,,,,literally 

u can tell from the fact that his lab coats pockets are always full of candy, letters, and more that both patients and staff give him and yeah it makes ur heart sink a bit but like,,,,

whatever the short moment where you get to stand beside him at the desk and tell him (for the 15th time) how to reset the scheduling system works like,,,,,it’s enough

which is why when you get called down again, minhyun voice sounding apologetic over the phone u cheerily tell him it’s no problem - you’ll be right down to see what happened 

but since the elevator is taking too long u decide to go down the stairs where,,,,you hear voices echoing as you get closer to the floor ur supposed to meet minhyun on

and???? they sound familiar,,,,,one is obviously dongho’s,,,,,and the other???? minhyun?

and u stop your steps,,,listening to their echoing words 

“are you going to ask them? minhyun it’s been two weeks since you decided to say something and you’re still putting it off.”

“,,,,,what if they don’t like me-”

“NO OFFENSE BUT THATS NOT POSSIBLE”

you blink,,,,wondering if you’re hearing another voice,,,,,and it is,,,,this one belongs to another resident. ren

“minhyun, seriously you’re handsome. i dont say that a lot. but ur handsome. very handsome. look at me minhyun does it look like i would lie.”

and finally,,,,the calmest voice of the bunch belong to jr: “you should go for it. i think they like you too.”

and you’re not sure what else they say because the door opens and a couple of nurses rush by you, their footsteps making noise

and in your head you’re wondering,,,,,,who is it that minhyun likes,,,,,,,

but not wanting to get lost in your thoughts you rush down coming out into the dermatology dept and seeing minhyun leaning against the wall near the elevators. 

you pat his shoulder,,making him jump a bit and the both of you breaking into blushing apologizes but then he mumbles that he’s pretty sure something is going on with the vital monitor

and you go inside the room to check it out

and as you’re doing your work,,,,you don’t notice minhyun bite his lip,,,,shy eyes trying to avoid your figure in the center of the room

quietly fidgeting with his name tag pinned to his collar

and when you turn, smile on your face “done! it just got unhooked-”

“are you free,,,,,on sunday?”

minhyun’s sudden question catches you off guard and you’re like w-what?? and he’s like,,,,,,,, “i-,,,,i have a shift,,,,but i can- it ends at 8 so i could take u to dinner,,,,,maybe,,,,,-”

minhyun,,,,with all his pretty features and polite personality cannot seem to stutter out a date invitation 

but,,,,you also cant believe ur ears???? the person minhyun liked?????was you???

and you’re like “d-don’t you not have many free days? you should rest-”

“it’s ok! i want to,,,,,spend it with you.”

there’s something of a shy smile on his face,,,,but his eyes are nervous and you’re always feeling your palms sweat

because god u really want to say yes,,,,the happiness in your stomach is turning to butterflies,,,,,but you also know that minhyun should rest

so you go “ok,,,,,but how about we do something simple,,,,like watch a movie at my place?”

and minhyun almost turns cherry red at the mention of coming over and he refuses,,,,,saying it’d be un-gentlemen-y of him but ur just like pleassse it’s fine

safe to say you guys do have that date at your place but you purposly pick a boring movie so minhyun falls asleep fifteen minutes in and you let the tired med student sleep soundly on your shoulder as you do your own thing

and ofc when he wakes up minhyun is a mess of “im sorrys” and “im not a creep i promise” but u just laugh and tell him it’s ok,,,,,it was a perfect first date because u were able to see him rest

which honestly just makes minhyun’s heart flutter even more about you,,,,,on the way home he texts ren and is like “i think they’re an angel,,,,,,,”

dating med student!minhyun is slow at first because he’s surprisingly shy about pda or skinship,,,,,to the point where when he first holds ur hand he has to let go 5 minutes later and be like “its not that i dont want to,,,its just,,,,,my hand got sweat and i didnt want u to think thats gross-” and u had to grab his hand back and be like idc if its sweaty i want to hold it forever, minhyun once he gets more comfortable has a habit for always dusting off your uniform or tucking strands of your hair back because he thinks u look cute when ur all neat and whatnot, tbh dongho and jr tell minhyun it might be a lil weird but u like it,,,its minhyun’s personality so u accept it, since he works super long hours u dont really get to see each other often but minhyun really likes it when u text him what ur doing after work esp if u include pictures, at first he’d just be like oh! cool :D or looks yummy! but as you two get closer he’ll kinda be a little sappy saying things like even your silhouette is pretty or i wish i could be beside you right now, a constant struggle is showing people photos of you and minhyun together looking cute in the hospital lobby doing peace signs and ur like that’s my boyfriend! and people are like no no no thats a celebrity honey and ur like,,,no,,,,,no he’s my bf,,,,,,,basically people r just really shocked because minhyun’s visuals are no joke, whenever someone confesses to minhyun whether it’s a patient or a staff he gets all embarrassed but also secretly reaLLY likes saying he has a significant other that he is head over heels for, ren makes fun of him so much for it he imitates his voice and calls out ur name and is like head !!! oveR HEELs~~~!! and minhyun is like pLEASE and ren is just kiss kiss love love u two are sooooo corny, on an anniversary minhyun had work but he sent you a video of him playing on the piano and singing your favorite love song and it legitimately made you tear up, does this thing where when he gets really really tired he’ll never admit it but one kiss from you makes it feel like he can take on the WORLD, an exchange resident named aaron comes to visit and minhyun introduces you to him and is like he’s my bff and aaron is just like “so what base have you and minhyun reac-oK FINE I WONT ASK”, those rare times where residents get more than a day off minhyun always insists on doing the absolute most for you and sometimes you have to literally argue with him to let you do something because he works so hard you want to support him and make it easy, you cooked for him once and you can’t tell if him telling you he LOVED it was fake or real,,,,,,,you guys got matching sweaters from the nu’est boys as a gift and they’re bright pink and corny and minhyun refuses to wear them until you giggled and put it on and minhyun melts for anything you do so he was like ok FINE, surprised you once by pulling you into a storage closet at the hospital and letting a hand slip up your shirt and you were like minhyun?? ?against his neck and he,,,,,couldn’t keep it up you felt his cheeks go hot and he was a stuttering mess like ten minutes in but he was also like i just,,,i really wanted you i dont know what came over me ,,,,,WHAT A FREAKING CUTIE AMIRIGHT THO,,,,promises that once he is done with residency he’s going to get a good job and take you on vacation for never leaving his side through the hardest years of his life and you just kiss his nose and tell him not to worry about it,,,,,but seriously the only thing on minhyun’s mind sometimes (which he finds fascinating) is how much he really rEALLY wants to make you happy,,,,,,,,,,he wants a future,,,,with you 

find others here: ong seongwoo | kang daniel | lee daehwi

#nu'est scenarios #nuest scenario #minhyun scenario #minhyun au #minhyun imagine #produce 101 scenarios #produce 101 season 2 #pd101 imagines #pd101 scenarios #nu'est au #nuest imagine #hwang minhyun #sfw #college!au #wanna one scenarios #wanna one

[ohnopuddin]

everything i didn't say: peter parker

A/N: this song is my jam-i highly recommend, plus im slowly getting back in the swing of things so send me requests:)

warnings: angst!, shit writing, language, fighting ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had done it again. Walked right past you like you weren’t standing there at his locker. After he blew off your movie plans last night, you figured he would rush to your house apologizing profusely and shoving flowers in your hands. At least, thats what the old Peter would do.

You stomach clenched while you tried to come up with a reason that would explain his odd behavior. You couldn’t find one reason he would act like this, and not talk to you about it.

You pushed yourself off your locker and walked towards the main doors of the school, swinging your bag onto your shoulder. Your quick footsteps echoed as you cut through the alley way across from the milkshake joint you worked at.

Work had started slow, a few kids coming in for an after school shake, but besides that it was empty. You finished making an older man’s cookies and cream shake and turned around to grab a straw, that is, until a large crash shook the building.

A car had driven straight throught the glass doors meters away from you, and you crouched with hands up to protect yourself from flying debris. You peaked your head over the counter to find a man stepping out the car, gun in his hand as he turned around wildly seemingly looking for something.

For the first time, you were truly scared. The look in the mans eyes was crazed- ravenous. You stumbled back i to the counter, your eyes never leaving the man as you felt the counter for your phone. Apparently you weren’t as stealthy as you had hoped, because the man saw you, limping towards you with his gun cocked.

His crazed look soon shifted to shocked, when white webbing wrapped around his fist and flung him into the wall, and standing in the doorway was the amazing spiderman. You had only ever seen the videos on youtube, never actually witnessing him in person.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you staring is rude?” He joked, catching your gaze. Your cheeks turning a deep crimson as your (e/c) eyes shifted away from him.

Peter enjoyed seeing you blush, basking in your beauty since he had avoided you all day. It hurt him to know he was hurting you, but there was no way to ease your worries, because he could never tell you.

After you had dealt with the police and filed a report on exactly what had happened, you were free to go. Since you had enough of the scares for tonight a cab was called by your boss, who insisted she pay for it.

Sitting in the yellow taxi, you fingers hovered over the screen of your phone. The events of the day flowed through your mind and your stomach clenched at the thought of what would have happened if spiderman wasn’t there. Your thumb, with its chipped nail polish, pressed onto Peter’s contact before you shook your head and pressed the lock button.

Arriving at the large apartment complex your parents normally rented out, you stepped out the cab and made your way to the door. However, what you didn’t expect to find- rather who, was Peter Parker.

He was slumped against the red brick wall of the hall and his tousled hair fell into his face in a way that made your stomach fill with butterflies. “Mhm,” You cleared your throat and watched the sleepy eyed boy stand quickly. Your (e/c) eyes quickly falling onto the purple discoloration on his cheek. On instinct, you reached out, before pulling back and closing your fist.

“H-hey, babe.” He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, his foot twisting on the floor in nervousness.

“What are you doing here Peter?” Straight to the point. You were frustrated, who did he think he was showing up out of nowhere and acting like everything was fine?

“Woah,(Y/n), you okay?” He moved forward with concern in his chocolate eyes but you took a step back for each of his forward.

“No, Peter. I’m not.” Your voice was strong, despite feeling like hell inside. At his confused gaze you carried on, “You’ve been off lately. Avoiding me. Blowing off our plans. Honestly, Pete, I’m sick of it.”

“I’m sorry you know The Stark Intern-”

“Stop. Peter, please just stop lying to me.” You huffed and rolled your eyes. Peters stomach dropped when he realized his normal excuse wasn’t going to cut it. He struggled to find something to say so you cut in instead, “I almost died today, Peter. Like I had a fucking gun pointed at my head. And all I could think about was you. And you wanna know what I realized in that time?”

He was scared to ask.

“I’m not happy anyone. You- you aren’t the same. I don’t know what’s going on with you but you obviously don’t want me around. It’s honestly fucking sad that spiderman has been there for me more today than my own boyfriend.” You began to pull the spare key from the door frame and slid it into the scuffed silver knob.

“W-what?” He stuttered and stumbled back a step, his heart clenching with a pain he had never known before. “(Y/n)… are- are you breaking up with me?”

You opened the cheaply made door and stepped inside, looking at the scruffy boy you cared about so much. Hearing him say the words made you wanna take it all back and tell him how much you love him. But you weren’t going to do that. You had already made up your mind.

“I- I guess I am.”

The tear had collected in your eyes and you blinked furiously to clear them, while Peter let them fall freely from his eyes. He almost looked ready to turn around and walk away until you called out, “Unless..unless you can tell me what’s really going on. Why you’ve been so distant.”

A part of you hoped he would fall to his knees and explain everything while kissing you endlessly, and another part of you wanted to be free from pain.

Peter gaped at you, his heart pounding in his ears and a painful knot in his throat. He couldn’t do this to you anymore. All the lying. It wasn’t fair. “I- I can’t… I’m sorry.” He whispered, and you wouldn’t have been able to hear it if you weren’t two feet apart.

Your gaze hardened and tears flowed from your eyes, the growing pain of betrayal and confusion blooming where your heart used to be. “Me too.” The door closed in his face and you leaned against the nearest wall, sliding down slowly.

Peter could hear your soft sobs through the door and hated himself. Tears of his own trailed down his face as he walked away from his first love. The feeling in his chest a painful reminder of everything he didn’t say.

‘The way that you held me I wish that I’d put you first I was wrong I admit, numb from your kiss While you were slipping through my fingertips’ - 5 seconds of summer

#IM HURT #tom holland #spiderman #tom holland angst #tom holland imagine #tom holland oneshot #tom holland fanfiction #spiderman fanfiction #spiderman imagine #spiderman angst #angst #5sos #5sos songs #everything i didn't say #blame #pain #marvel #avengers #avengers angst #marvel angst #marvel imagine #marvel preferences #spiderman preference #tom holland preference #thor #iron man #hulk #black panther #tony stark #breakup

[nardaviel]

11 answers, 11 questions

i was tagged by erika but i didn’t see it until now *kicks tumblr* ;---; i love this meme i’m always happy to get tagged in it :D

cw for anti-yuri on ice sentiment

Rules: Always post the rules. Answer the questions asked, then write eleven new ones. Tag eleven people to answer your questions as well as the person who tagged you.

What would your transformation phrase be if you were a magical girl/boy? i would be like a madoka magical girl and have no transformation phrase, magic disguise, or different name. ......... i hope i wouldn’t be like a madoka magical girl in any other way tho

What celebrity do you share your birthday with? does ulysses s grant count? i didn’t recognize any of the names i found when i looked this up :C

What’s your phone background? my lock screen is atsushi smiling and adjusting his glasses at the end of his s2 transformation :D and my home screen is en with his eyes closed in his own s2 transformation. except i flipped it upside down so i could see his face under the app icons, and now that it’s upside down it reminds me of madoka AU. the expression looks like him, like he’s fallen into the water and is floating sadly down to the bottom bc he’s exhausted. so i’m always kind of sad when i see it... ("why haven’t you changed it then, libby?" because it’s pretty ok don’t judge me)

If you could make a show/video game/book series about anything (and you have a HUGE budget to do so) what would it be and why? i would live off that huge budget and spend all my time writing boueibu fanfiction :D but if it has to be something original. i have a fantasy OC who’s 3/4 human, 1/4 water elemental and a vague idea of his setting that i would love to develop and write about

What’s your MBTI type? inxp

What is to your right this instant? a water bottle, lens wipes, some books, and the endoroid

What instrument(s) do you play? my parents made me take piano when i was little :c but i also used to sing!! and i think i was pretty good for my age and experience level. but i stopped taking lessons around the same time i dropped out of school and i never picked them back up :\

Do you ever get a moment of déjà vu? sure, doesn’t everyone?

What’s a collection you have that you often forget about, but can never bring yourself to get rid of? my (mostly) knock-off death note nendos. i had to think for a second tho bc i had in fact forgotten about them

Your favorite show/movie has a crossover with the show/movie that makes you cringe the most. What are they, and what would it take for you to watch it? boueibu + yuri on ice, and nothing could convince me to watch it if it had just yoi characters. if the boueibu characters were there in a minor role, i would agree to watch it just because i love them, but i wouldn’t enjoy it. but if they were more important than the yoi characters, it might be fun, or! best of all! if it was like a boueibu ice skating sports anime AU!!! i would actually really love it

Do you ever get a moment of déjà vu? If you could rewrite the universe to change one small thing, what would it be and why? lmao i wouldn’t dare tbh but um assuming i knew there wouldnt be any disastrous unforeseen effects, i would change the fact that i cant impose my will on the world :D so then i could change whatever i wanted. this is absolutely a cheating answer though so an answer that doesn’t try to take advantage of loopholes would be: i would make green a more attractive color since i have to see it everywhere the second i step outside

questions:

what’s your favorite thing to do when you want to chill out and just enjoy yourself?

describe the most beautiful thing you can think of or imagine

what is your favorite combination of colors?

tell us about an AU that you desperately want to make but haven’t been able to, for whatever reason (can’t think of a plot, your faves don’t work well in the setting, w/e)

what does your phone case look like? did you go for style or sturdiness?

what is your ideal hairstyle for yourself?

what’s the first favorite song you can remember having?

what’s the grossest food anyone has ever tried to make you eat? (and did you eat it?)

would you rather never drink anything but water again, or never eat anything again besides the blandest, most boring necessities?

describe your dream home

i need u to come up with a brilliant, scathing insult that contains five words or less

i’m gonna tag @vashtijoy, @mystofthestars, @crazy-grrrl-on-the-computer, @makabekazuki, ... @deuterium51614 again (sry i didn’t @ you at the top when i said you tagged me, i wanted to do it here instead so you would be sure to see it), @kittyyuri, @serurianouji, @cupkayke, @lidoxia, @restinpeacesensei, aaaand @currymuttonpizza but pls feel free to ignore it

#deuterium51614 #ty for tagging me it was fun!!!!!!!! #my post #4 #5 #meme

[areswriting]

a x e : xx

Jason and Sophie crane their necks to look at Elise, who holds a broken plastic fork between her fingers.

“Babe?” says Jason, reaching out to touch her face. He pushes her fallen, choppy hair behind her ear. “Are you okay?”

“I think she’s a little shocked,” Sophie says. We all look at her to see her smiling, pointing her intact fork across the table at Elise. She turns the utensil on herself and looks at Jason. “The reason that voice sounds so familiar is because it’s mine.”

Jason’s mouth falls open and he turns his attention to me. “I thought you said you two weren’t together—”

“Please,” says Sophie, wrapping her arm around mine. “We all know you don’t have to be with someone to, well, you know.”

“But you said…” Jason’s voice trails as he stares between Sophie and I, his eyebrows knitted, his mouth still hanging open.

“Come on, Jase,” Sophie sighs, exasperated. “It’s not like you went and told Abe the very moment you and Elise had sex.”

My eyes dart to Elise, who looks at Sophie with a resentful glare.

“That’s because we haven’t,” Jason says. I look at him. His entire face is red, and he looks only at his half-eaten dinner.

“Aw, Elise, I’ve never known you to hold out,” Sophie says sweetly.

“Some of us don’t drop our underwear the second a boy looks at us, Sophie,” Elise says.

“Yeah,” says Jason. “Some of us want to wait for the right moment.”

Now it’s my turn to look down, ashamed.

“That’s sweet,” Sophie says, and surprisingly she sounds sincere. “I think the important question is, who recorded us.”

“I mean, that is creepy,” Jason says. “Do you guys have any idea who is might be?”

I shrug, while Sophie says, “It could be anyone.”

Then it dawns on me—there are two names written all over this.

▲ △ ▼ ▽

I leave dinner early and head straight back to my room, my eyes focused on my phone. After a few seconds of scrolling through texts, I find the thread I’m looking for—but instead of sending a message, I hit the phone icon and the line begins to trill. Once, twice, three times before you’ve reached the voice mailbox of 802-555-9811.

I end the call with haste and start typing a message.

I know it was you who sent out that recording.

Hi, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Who are you? How are you spying on me?

Lol, ok I know I’ve been mysterious but trust me, Abram, I’m not lurking in the shadows spying on you. I’m hundreds of miles away.

Why should I believe you?

Because I think deep down you know that I’m not to blame for whatever happened?

I set my jaw. As much as I want Sylvia—or whoever she is—to be responsible for the recording, a big, growing larger by the second, part of me somehow knows that she isn’t. Even if all she has ever done to me is lie, I know her, and this isn’t her style.

But it could be someone else’s.

I thumb through my contacts until I find Ellie and I press the call button with more force than necessary.

Ring.

Ring.

Ellie’s face appears on the screen and she’s rolling her eyes. “Kai, if you’re calling about Brody—”

“Ellie, I need you to be honest, did you record Elise and me…indecently?” I ask.

There is a long pause that is followed by laughter. “Do I look like Gossip Girl to you? What are you talking about?”

I study her face for tells—but I’m looking at the girl who once said; it isn’t staking, it’s called fierce journalism. She doesn’t have tells.

“I know you are angry at me over Natasha—”

“First off, don’t say that name,” Ellie says with a look of disgust. “And second, I was angry, yeah, but I’m not anymore.”

“Look, you and I both know that you’re vengeful, so if you could just admit that this was your way of getting back at me—”

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about, Kai,” says Ellie, “I haven’t seen you since you and your brother Mason—”

“Jason,” I correct her.

She rolls her eyes. “Since you and your brother Jason were here after Thanksgiving, and the only time I’ve seen you and Elise together was during that facetime call back in December.”

I go from pacing to sitting on the edge of my bed, defeated.

“What happened?” she asks. “You look worried—and is your lip cut?”

“I took a high stick at practice,” I lie. “And someone recorded Elise and I...”

“Save the gory details, I think I’m picking up what you’re putting down,” she says.

“They sent it to everyone at school,” I say.

“That is pure genius,” Ellie says fondly. “I mean—that’s terrible for you, but that’s one way of getting information on there. You have no idea who it could be?”

I shake my head. “I thought maybe it was you, you’re the only person smart enough, and had a reason to.”

“I can’t believe you think I’d actually do that to you!” Ellie says, offended.

“I can’t believe you have the audacity to think you wouldn’t,” I say back. “You made YouTube videos bashing our English teacher in the ninth grade for giving you an A minus on a paper.”

“Touche.”

▲ △ ▼ ▽

A tall girl with long, curly, strawberry blonde hair eyeballs me as she walks through the classroom. Mr. Grant greats her as she passes him and slides into the seat beside mine.

“We haven’t met yet,” says the girl after she pulls a Tootsie Pop out of her mouth. “I’m Dominique Wesley.”

“Abram,” I say, watching as she suggestively places the sucker in her mouth, then against her cheek.

“Oh, I know who you are,” she says brightly. “I think everyone does after that video. I also think that we should get together sometime.”

“Excuse you.” I look up to see Sophie glaring down at the girl beside me. “That’s my seat.”

“I don’t see your name on it,” Dominique replies. “But there are a few empty seats in the back just waiting for you.”

“I’m going to give you five seconds to get up before I—”

“Before you what?” says Dominique, “Finally move and leave Abram and I to our conversation? I’m not going anywhere, babe. But you probably should. Class is starting soon.”

Sophie’s cheeks are the color of her hair and she turns her nose up at the girl before walking around us and to the back of the classroom.

“Where were we?” she says, tilting her head. “Oh, right, you were just about to ask me out.”

I laugh because I don’t know what else to do. Girls never gave me this much attention before and I honestly don’t know what to do with it.

“Did I say something funny?” she says, eyebrows raised.

I shake my head. “No, I’m just trying to figure out why we never met before. Are you new?”

“I was taking pre-calc last semester, but I had to take it with the other freshman,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“You’re—you’re a freshman?” I say, eyes wide.

She sits up and smiles proudly. “I’ll be fifteen in March.”

My breath catches in my throat and I feel dirty enough to need a bath in bleach.

“Wow, ok,” I say. I swallow hard. “It’s uh, impressive that you’re already taking Calculus. I think I was hardly passing pre-algebra when I was fourteen.”

“I’m extremely advanced for my age,” she says, smirking. “And not just with schoolwork.”

“All right, everyone,” Mr. Grant says. “Quiet down.”

The room falls silent as he takes his place in front of us holding a stack of papers. “We’ll be having a pop-quiz today. I know, I’m awful, but the good news is, you’re free to go when you’re done.”

He counts out enough quizzes for each row of students and hands them out, face down. “You can start once you get yours and you have until the end of the period to finish it.”

I flip my paper over and get to work on the first of ten questions.

I’m only on the third question when I hear a pair of heels clicking, and I look up to see Sophie making her way to Mr. Grant’s desk. I glance around the room to see everyone else hard at work, while Sophie hands her quiz off, completed.

She winks at me as she walks across the front of the room, quietly opening the door. I want to ask how she managed to cheat—then I realize just how much everyone seems to underestimate her; she didn’t cheat. She is just scarily intelligent.

Fifteen minutes later I find myself on my feet, offering my paper to Mr. Grant, who takes it with a smile. I feel several pairs of eyes on me as I walk to the door, but I don’t dare look back—because I don’t want to see that little girl put anything else in her mouth.

▲ △ ▼ ▽

(texts Brody & Abram)

dude why is ellie so petty?

she brought me coffee to school, saying it was a peace offering. well she put salt in it instead of sugar and when i took a drink and spit it out she said oh, was that salt im sorry it was an accident, kinda like how you accidentally kissed Natasha

lmao bro she’s the queen of petty she always has been

I’m following in those petty ass footsteps because here I am passive aggressively drinking it and looking at her from across the cafeteria.

i didn’t raise no bitch. You drink that bitter AF coffee ♥

i am. wyd.

Just got out of calc, about to find somewhere to baptize myself in bleach.

did you hook up w a bootleg looking girl or st?

no dude worse i got a semi talking to this hot girl in my calc class she was deep throating a sucker and then says lol i’ll be 15 in march omg fkin gross

omg right these children are out here catfishing us in real life wtf what happened to young girls having snuggle teeth and acne?

idk but I honestly feel like I need to go to church and apologize.

lol i miss you man.

Miss you more pookie

I wasn’t gonna tell you but I’m too excited not to. I’m gonna come to your game on Saturday.

I’m mid key smash when I feel someone sit beside me on the fountain. Locking my phone, I look up and I immediately scoot away from the girl who looks at me like I’m a four-course meal and she hasn’t eaten for days.

“You know, I’m impressed with how fast you finished that quiz,” says Dominique as she crosses her legs toward me. “Maybe I need some tutoring.”

“I’m sure Mr. Grant wouldn’t mind helping you if you’re having problems,” I say and I lean farther away from her.

“I’m not interested in his help,” she replies, smirking. “I was thinking maybe you could help me.”

“Abram—oh.” I look over my shoulder to see Elise rounding the fountain, her lips pinching into a thin line as she studies the girl beside me. “Never mind, I would hate to interrupt.”

I stand and grab my backpack. “You’re not—I was actually looking for you.”

She glances back at Dominique. “Are you sure, because you looked pretty cozy—”

“Please, save me,” I whisper against Elise’s ear.

She pulls away and smiles back at Dominique. “Sorry, sweetie, but he isn’t available right now. You can try again later—maybe once you’ve hit puberty?”

“I think she already has,” I say as Elise urges me away from the fountain and my dignity.

“Oh my God, Abram,” Elise snaps. “That girl is like twelve.”

“I know,” I bite back. “She was trying to show me how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop earlier.” I can’t help but cringe as I think about it, and I will myself to think of something else.

“I think she probably want to know how many licks it’ll take from you,” she says, rolling her eyes. “You seem to have a fan club now.”

“I think I’ve had one since that party—”

“God, shut up!” she says, walking in front of me and throwing her arms out. “What makes you think I want to hear about that? Or any story about you with any other girl?”

I stare at her, eyebrows creasing together. “Oh, but it’s okay for you to flaunt your relationship with Jason in front of me?”

“I don’t do that, Abram—that’s Jason. Besides, that’s different, I haven’t—we haven’t—we’ve barely even kissed!”

“So that makes it fair?” I say.

“I didn’t say that—”

“But you’ve implied it plenty of times,” I say. “Did you just want to fight with me? Is that why you were looking for me?”

“No, but I wasn’t expecting to find you with some freshman skank!” she shouts. “I thought you had standards—but I guess if you’d be into Sylvia, you’d be into anyone.”

I laugh dryly and shake my head. “Obviously I don’t have standards,” I say, holding my arms out toward her. I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth, but I’m too angry to say sorry, even after her face falls. “Because if I did, I wouldn’t put up with your neck-breaking mood swings.”

Her lips part, but words are forestalled—because I’m not done yet.

“You know what? Never mind—forget that I was looking for you. I’m going to go find Sophie, because at least she is constantly a bitch and doesn’t lead me on!”

Without giving her a chance to respond, I walk away.

#ae #my writing