#EDIT: FORGOT MY SIG AGAIN

[arvandus]

Not me catching up on my holiday gifts for my besties...

for @thebellearchives 💕 merry belated xmas! Inumaki says you're his present. 😉

#Arv's art #arv's moots 🍀 #thebellearchives #belle x inumaki #selfship art #inumaki selfship art #inumaki #toge inumaki #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #EDIT: FORGOT MY SIG AGAIN #A;SLFAKSJF;S

[skyladywrites]

1a Class S.E.X  (part 1)

18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT OR I WILL BREAK YOUR KNEECAPS

HEy everybody! its my first post on here and wow im getting right into it, and Smut at that... one of the things that inspired me to write this was the fact that i cant seem to find smut on mha that i like anymore. so i sat and thought “well if i cant find any then ill write it myself!”

this is a story basied on the idea of a sexist world where men are more powerfull then women. 

character details- reader is female, uses she/her pronouns, anything else or how you picture her sis up to you

TW- noncon, sex toys (vibrator and dildo) public sex (somewhat) , sexism against women, bad spelling (becuse im bad at editing my own work)

characters- Tokoyami, izuku, ochaco, asui, momo, and more but i prob forgot

It was your first day in class 1A. You had been attending Ketsubutsu Academy. For years haveing taken classes even before you got to highschcool. Haveing taken a deep breath you slowly opened the door. But apon entering there was something wrong. You heard whimpering and mabye a moan? Your teacher was not there but a few students were.

 A green haired boy, two black haired girls, some sort of bird person and a girl with light brown hair. But as you went to your seat you nodesed the brown haired girl was sitting on the green boys lap… you stood in the doorway for a moment but quickly looked at your paper to find your seat. You walked pasted the two students and nodesed that the brown haired girl seemed sick or tired. “You ok?” (Y/n) asked and you decided to take a chance and glance up. That’s when you saw it. The green haired boys dick was in her. The girl was just sitting on it as he rubbed her clit a bit. “She’s fine, just doing her morning training” the boy said nonchalantly. He then looked back you. He began to them fuck himself in and out of her pussy holding the girl strongly. That’s when you took a moment to really look around.

The black haired girl who seemed forglike was sitting at her desk. Her legs were spread and…tied to the legs of the desk? You quickly ran over to see if she’s ok. “Are you Allright?” You asked but before you could finished the bird man came behind you and grabbed your hips. “You must be the new girl, you know your not in uniform…” this confused you. You looked down at your uniform. “Until a girl is claimed they don’t get to wear panties” summoning dark shadow he cut you underwear in half letting it drop to your feet. 

That’s when toteoki came to your side. “New Giles must also wear the required vibrator…” he held out a medium sides dildo shaped vibrator. “Momo as female class rep how about you our it in her” he said and momo npdded she asked over and grabbed your arm. “Come with Me” she said. Leading you through the hallway untill your reached the bathroom. “Spread your legs for me honey…”  she said. “W-why?!” Momo sighed. “Listen we might be a hero class but this school is not safe especially for us” she said as she rubbed your thighs. “Trust me when I say you want to leave this corse as soon as you can” her hands trailed up closer to your now exposed clit. You held a sharp breath and her hand grazed across you clit. “Please sit down…it’ll make things easier” you nodded and sat down. “I..I’m going to touch you…ok?” “Why do I have to do this?” You asked. “It’s required if you don’t have a suitor” “suitor?” You asked she nodded. “Yes, most of the firs here have a suitor, that boy that chooses them is allowed to do whatever they wish with them” you froze “like deku and Uraraka?” 

She nodded again. “Yes but likely she is ok with it” she began to fun a finger up and down your slit it slowly getting wet. This caused you to moan a little. “Basically the boys or mr azowa will control the vibrations via a wireless remote” “only the boys who don’t have a girl can” she began to rub your clit focusing on your specific spot. You mean again. “So far only myself and you don’t have a suitor, becuse I’m class rep I don’t need one according to their dumb rules” she sighed and began to slip the vibratory into you.it looked allmost like a chastity belt It had rope to hock it to you like a belt. She adjusted the straps and slipped it up. Vibrator B was round shaped and dipped slightly inside your pussy while a second part vibratory A that was connected via wire was pressed against your nub. You let out a gentle Yelp. “I know it feels weird…it’s gonna be a rough first day but you can move up and make things easier on you” “move up?” You asked 

Momo moved from her but to her knees. “Becuse I have no suitor I wear this” she lifted her shirt up and you saw that the underwear she wore had a kind of dildo stick thing. It was sitting in her pussy a little bit of juice comming out. “The thing will be that you’ll wear the vibratory during class and after you be tested, I’d nobody picks you during your first week then you’ll be able to wear one of these instead.” “I see” (y/n) said she then stood up as did Momo.” “So witch boys are going to try and get me?” You asked “so the boys who are looking are Eijiro Kirishima,totroki shoto, Mezo Shoji, and Fumikage Tokoyam,i” she said “so what did you mean by testing?” That was when the bell rang. “Now come on let’s get you back to class” she took your hand helping you walk as it was weird with a vibrator in your pussy. Apon entering all eyes were on you. You say down at the desk behind. Uraraka had moved back to her seat at this point as well. 

Me azowa entered the room. “Allright class lets begin, he sent his capture scarf and lifted up your skirt a bit then smiled. “Looks like our new student (y/n) is in position for us to begin. So let’s get started.” He turned his back and faced the bord “now that we will be learning about…” however you interrupted by yelping as the vibrator turned on. Azowa ignored you and kept teaching. You got a few grins. The vibrator turned off shortly after but then the one in your pussy got turned on it felt like heaven. The vibrations sent chills up your spine. But still it was hard to stay quiet. The vibrator turned on a few times during the peroid off and on throughout the day. Soon it was lunch time. The bell rang and you stood up. “Wait (y/n)!” You saw Uraraka running up from behind you. You paused looking at her. She moved closer and without warning reached under your skirt. “Ohh Mann your so wet!” She said excitedly. She pushed a bit on your vibrator A and you let out a moan. “And sensitive too” she said she dint even seem to care that people were watching you in the hallway.

She moved part of the rope and pushed her pointer finger up into your pussy. “Very tight too…” she said less excited. “I can’t wait to see if you get claimed” Uraraka said as she walked off licking her finger and she left. You took a deepe breath and continued onward. Walking to the cafeteria you got some food and looking around. The cafeteria was weirdly colored. Chairs had either blue or pink colors to them. You sat down on a side that only had pink chairs but realized that all of the chairs had a dildo on them. Like it was somehow connected to the chair. That’s when another fir from your class moved over to you it was Mina. “I know it’s a little weird but don’t worry, the beginner ones are small for a reason.” “Here I’ll help you” she helped you say your stuff down and took your hand. As you hovered above the small dildo she slowly helped lower you down getting a moan from you. Mina then say opposite to you. She slipped down onto a dildo herself though all she did was bite her lip. she then we can’t eat like everything was normal.

“ i’m not even hungry anymore…“ You muttered mean I looked at but you slightly confused. “ you must be hungry though, it’s your first day after all“ she said “ how does any of this seem normal to you though! Like at my middle school yeah men have always been racist to us girls but this is like too far!” You added with an annoyed voice. “Y/n this is how every high school is, ours is just a bit more well large… Because we’re studying to become heroes!” Mina seemed to motion down to the dildos. “ either way, some of the boys are going to have the chance to claim you, it was different for me because all of the boys didn’t have girls but I would assume that they’re going to do it-“ mina was interrupted when Momo came down and sat on the edge of the table slipping onto a dildo like it was nothing. “ it is going to be slightly different for you y/n. The boys are each going to test you out”

“Test me out?” Momo nodded “ i’m not entirely sure how Mr. Aizawa has it set up for you but it could be most likely one of two things. Either you would stay the night in each boys dorm room, they could gangbang you at the end of class or you might have an hour with each boy or some thing else you never know” she said. I’m almost and Mina began to talk for a little while leaving you silently sitting there. Your stomach felt too sick to actually eat anything but the moment that you heard the bell rang you still up to leave. The rest of the classes went by quickly nobody really decided to mess with the vibrator until final period.

The teacher had been going over some sort of assignments that they were going to be giving out in a few days when you felt the vibrator spring back to life. But I didn’t even if a few people turn to face you but then quickly pay attention to the teacher again. What do you were just made a vibrator continued throughout. I’m not giving your pussy a break. When the class. Had finally ended you had gotten a text from your mom saying that all of your stuff had been moved into the dormitories. “Perfect!” You said. And then you left the classroom. On your way out though you were stopped by Mr. Aizawa “miss y/n” he asked and you turned around. “ yes sir?“ “ here’s how this is going to work, until the end of the week everybody’s going to have a chance to claim you. There are five boys currently that are able to. Each day you’re going to spend an hour in one of these boys rooms.” 

“tonight you will start with fumikage tokoyami”

#mha #my hero academia #y/n #my hero academia smut #smut #sexist #please read #mha smut #mha deku #mha todoroki #mha kirishima #mha shoto #mha writing #first smut

[gilthairpins]

Bu Bu Jing Xin

Startling by Each Step

By Tong Hua

Using Google Translator as I am impatient. I have a copy of the Chinese edition

Book 1 Chapter One: The Place Where You Wake Up Is a Hundred Years Old.

It’s midsummer season, no better than the new green in early spring, knowing that the good days will begin, so it is bright and happy, and the green in front of you is heavy, perhaps because you know that the splendor has reached its peak, and the days that come will only get worse.

Just like my mood at this time. It’s already the tenth day in ancient times, but I still feel that this is a dream. I will be in modern society when I wake up, not in the 43rd year of Kangxi[‘s reign]; I am still a single white-collar worker of 25 years old- Zhang Xiao! Not this 13 year old Manchu girl Martai Ruoxi. Ten days ago, after I had gotten off work, I didn’t pay attention to the traffic when I crossed the road. When I heard the screams of the crowd, it was already too late. I felt like I was flying into the sky, but I saw the other half of my body hanging on the truck. I was in fear and pain. I lost consciousness at some point and when I woke, I was in the bed of the former body’s owner.

According to the maid, I fell down the stairs in the pavilion and was in a coma for a day and a night. As for the “illness” that I forgot everything after I woke up, the doctor said I was overly frightened and would recover.

Not long after I left, there was sweat on my forehead. The elder sister’s dowry maid, Qiaohui persuaded, “Second miss, let’s go back. Although it is past noon, the heat is most poisonous at this time, and your health hasn’t completely recovered.”

I replied meekly, “Okay! I should finish reading my sister’s scriptures.”

My current name is Martai Ruoxi, and this body’s sister is Martai Ruolan, who is quite famous in the Qing Dynasty. The side Fujin [2nd wife] of Prince Lian’s eighth brother Yun. However, now eighth brother, he hasn’t been crowned king, but he is just a Bei’le, and he has no need to avoid Yongzheng’s name and change his own. So he should be called Yinsi.

The character of the sister is gentle and virtuous when it sounds good, and cowardly when it sounds ugly. She always spends half the day reciting scriptures daily. I’m afraid I’m not very favored. In the last ten days I’ve been here I haven’t even heard eighth brother. But from the perspective of these last ten days older sister has been very good to me, from food to clothing, lest I feel uncomfortable. I sighed inwardly. If I couldn’t go back, then I could only rely on her in this time. But thinking about the fate of eight brother in the future, I felt that this reliance would be unreliable. However, after all, that was many years in later. And I couldn’t care about that right now.

When I returned to the house, my sister was already there. She was sitting at the table eating snacks. When she saw me enter she said with a bit of frustration, “You are not afraid of this heat hitting your head.”

I smiled stepping forward and sit next to her. “How can it be so expensive? Besides I went out like this, turned around. I feel my body is not as heavy as a few days ago.”

She looked at me and said, “You do look better, but the weather is poisonous now. Don’t go out again at this time.”

“I know”, I said.

Dongyun came over with a basin and partially knelt for me to wash my hands. I smiled secretly to myself and thought- I know, I know, I will talk about it next time if I do, or not. Qiaohui used a towel to dry my hands and picked out an amber cream to wipe them. It smelled sweet, but I didn’t know what to do.

I washed my hands and was about to pick out a few snacks to eat when I had a strange feeling and looked up. My sister kept staring at me. My heart skipped and I stared at her questioningly. “You… before had the rudest personality. Father’s words [characters translated to Ama] were not taken to heart. You fell and swayed people, being docile and courteous now!”

I breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the snacks and smiled at her. “Could it be that my sister wanted me to straighten up?” She picked up a hibiscus cake that I liked and handed it to me. “In half a year you will enter the girl draft. It’s a bit of a rule. How can you keep messing around?”

A mouthful of hibiscus cake stuck in my throat and choked me. She handed me some water. Qiaohui patted my back. Dongyun was busy with a handkerchief. Sister laughed in exasperation. “I just said there were rules! So you act like this for others to see? No one will rob you!”

Wiping my mouth, I thought to myself. “What should I do? Should I tell her I am not your sister Ruoxi? Of course not! I could only comfort myself. Isn’t there still half a year left?

I asked her casually, “I heard from sister last time that father was stationed in the northwest and I was sent here about a month ago. Could it be because of this girl draft that father has sent me here?

“Yes. Father said that since mother had died early you wouldn’t listen to auntie’s words. You were willing to listen to me, so I brought you here to educate you first.”

During this time I went to the circle in the morning after eating, and went to the circle after dinner in the evening. This is the only exercising method I can think of now. Although it is simple, the effects are very good. I feel more and more that this body is my own. It’s not like the first few days were when I woke up and felt powerless.

I also induced Qiaohui to lead me to the pavilion where Martai Ruoxi had fallen and stood there several times. I thought about jumping down on impulse. Maybe I would return to the modern time when next I opened my eyes. But I was more afraid of not returning, being stuck here.

Deep in my heart I felt the latter more likely. The terrifying scene I saw before falling into a coma after the car accident was no illusion. As for why my soul came to this ancient body I do not know.

Qiaohui accompanied me for a long walk. We were both a little tired. There was a flat patch behind the rockery. On a stone, Qiaohui spread a handkerchief for me to sit on. I sat next to her. The sun just went down, the stone was warm and a breeze was blowing a bit cool and comfortable.

I looked up at the sky overhead. The blue was starting to darken, but it was still crystal clear. It seemed like I could reach out my hand and touch it. I thought to myself that this was indeed heaven. The only other time I saw a similar sky in Beijing was on Lingshan. I missed my parents. My head hearts. Pain, not the pain of one’s own death, but the pain of grief of the white haired parents sending off their black haired children. But fortunately there is also my brother who has been the backbone of our parents since he was a child. I could feel relieved with him there.

While feeling sad, I heard Qiaohui say, “Second miss, you have indeed changed!”

My sister has been saying this a few days ago. I was nervous at the beginning, but now, I didn’t care as much. I still looked at the sky and asked, “Where is it? Move, before you fall. The Master said that you were a ‘wild horse’. You often persuade her to recite less scriptures and dress more brightly. I am also glad that someone finally persuaded her, but you didn’t mention it.”

I looked sideways at Qiaohui, but she had lowered her eyes as soon as she had met my gaze. I thought about it. “Sister is doing fine now.”

Qiaohui lowered her head and said with a trembling voice, “Very good? Yes.”

I didn’t know how to explain it to her. Should I tell her that eighth brother had a bleak future end. And that the closer you are now, the more hurt you will be in the future? I sighed and said, “It’s not bad for my sister to stay away from such things. She is now in a peaceful mood. Contentment is always happy. I can’t see what is wrong.”

Qiaohui looked up at me, as if to see if I were telling the truth. Finally she turned her head and said, “But those people at the house…”

I interrupted her, “Look up at the sky, look at such a beautiful sky. You will forget all all those unhappy things.” She couldn’t react but looked up at the sky in a daze, and then said again, “Look at me, what else do I want to say.” I tipped my head back to look at the sky. She finally swallowed her words and watched the sky with me.

Suddenly there was a burst of laughter and two people came around from the side of the rockery. The leading person was was shorter and slightly fatter. He laughed and said over his shoulder, “This little girl is interesting! A little girl of no more than thirteen or fourteen years old speaking as a person who has experienced the world. An old man who doesn’t fit his age!”

As soon as Qiaohui saw them, she immediately stood up and greeted them. “Ninth and Tenth auspicious brother.” I haven’t seen outsiders since I had come here. There is a difference between honor and inferiority. Fortunately I hadn’t watched many costume dramas and I hurriedly followed Qiaohui’s example and bowed in greeting. But my heart was beating like a drum. I had forgotten I was 13 now instead of 25.

The laughing boy stared me up and down, rubbing his chin with his hand. I figured out that he was Tenth brother and the one just behind him standing exceptionally straight was Ninth.

Ninth said flatly, “Get up!”

Qiaohui and I straightened up. I was thinking in my heart that amongst the famous sons of Kangxi the first I met was not eighth brother Xian Wang [late king], but the legendary poisonous snake Lao Jiu [old nine] and strawbag Lao Shi [translated as old teacher-unclear]. I didn’t say anything disrespectful, even if they had listened. I should be fine, right?

Ten smiled at me. “Are you from the Martai family?”

“Yes!” I replied.

He seemed to want to say something, but Nine urged, “Let’s go, Mynah [starling/eighth’s other name] is still waiting.”

Ten hurried past us patting his head shouting, “Yes, I look hot. Just forgot about business. Go, go, go!”

When the two of them had passed by, I watched thinking about the appearance of Tenth brother and sighed. “The ancients are sincere and I am not deceived.” Tenth’s face stiffened. He didn’t know who to blame for this ridicule. I was apprehensive, not wanting him to face me, but I couldn’t hold back. I burst out laughing again. He grinned at me and turned to chase Ninth.

When I walked back Qiaohui didn’t speak. I don’t know if it was because I was a bit scared just now or if I was dissatisfied. I had also been silent thinking in my heart. If my poor historical knowledge is correct, there may not be many twists in the bowels of Tenth. I am afraid of what he will tell Eighth casually: about what just happened. As for how Eighth will react, I have absolutely no idea. Considering his title is the virtuous king, he might not be so stingy a person. But I should tell my sister first. It is always good to prepare. I had made up my mind and was almost there when I slowed down and said to Qiaohui, “I always hope Sister is doing well. Don’t worry!” After speaking I walked into the house not caring how she reacted.

My sister was lying on her side on her couch, a servant at her feet massaging her legs. I made a silent gesture and sat down next to her. My sister could be called a beauty. I feel pity for her. With a pointed chin, her complexion is pretty good. She has white smooth skin that looks more crystal like under lamps. If this were modern times, I’m afraid she would have had people chasing after her.

She opened her eyes and caught me staring. She smiled. The maid helped her sit up. “You’re quieter now and don’t chatter when you come back. What’s so good about me?”

I returned her smile. “If my sister isn’t good looking, I’m afraid there will not be many good looking people.” The maid brought her a cup of water. Sister took a few sips and handed the cup back. She squinted.

I said lightly, “I met Ninth and Tenth brother in the garden.”

After awhile she opened her eyes, when she found I had nothing further to add, and glanced at the maid next to her. “Go and prepare bath supplies for her.” The maids backed out of the room as I stood up. I walked over and sat down next to her and told her about this evening. After listening in silence, sister stared at a glazed screen with painted horses across the room in a daze. After a long time she spoke up, “Little sister you have really grown up! You don’t act like a thirteen year old girl anymore. It’s like that fall aged you ten years!” It was indeed a big fall, I thought to myself.

A maid returned and said the hot water and bath supplies were ready. Sister pushed me. “Go take a bath.”

I stared at her and didn’t move.

She stared back. Her gaze a mixture of hurt and pity. “You have grown up now and know to think of your elder sister. I am very happy, but in my position you don’t have to think so much about anything as long as you don’t do anything out of the ordinary. It’s up to you to laugh and laugh.” She tidied my messy hair around my ear and said softly, “In the future… when you enter the palace what you want… will be an impossibility.”

I vaguely understood what she was trying to say to me and my heart became heavy. I responded, “Well…” and followed the maid to bathe.

After that day, although I hadn’t said anything outrageous, I still had a level of worry in my heart. When the day passed and there was no movements I gradually calmed down. I reminded myself to be careful in the future, in word and deed. My sister is not favored and I should not cause her any trouble.

After taking an afternoon nap, I went to greet sister. Seeing all the servants and maids around me were all happy, but her face was pale. “What is wrong?”

She said nothing and tried to smile. It was a sour smile. Qiaohui answered happily, “The servant that had just come has said he would be joining us for dinner this evening.”

I didn’t know how to respond so I sat in silence. My sister seeing this tried to soothe me. “It’s nothing important. Dongyun, take the young miss back and dress her properly. Even though this is a family meal it will be her first time meeting Bei’le. It would be rude not to prepare.”

Combing hair, brushing eye brows, and dressing in ancient styles- I am not good at these. Let the maids handle it, I will be a puppet. But I never have an idle moment, thinking about the Qing palace drama yet to come. The eighth prince has always been Yongzheng’s mortal enemy, someone who is always his opponent, who hates sleeping and eating: definitely not a normal person. I began to look forward to this evening as though I would be meeting an idol face to face.

Once dressed, I realized how much ancient women had suffered. The the head and feet are solidly wrapped up, not much different from wrapping zongzi. But it is still summer and uncomfortable! I kept twisting on my stool. The time for dinner was early but still eighth brother hasn’t appeared. The fresh feeling was dissipating and I couldn’t keep still. I stood quickly, grabbing a fan from a nearby maid. Sister frowned as I asked, “Why is it so hot?”

As I fanned myself, I said, “If he doesn’t show up I am going back to change. I’m going to suffer!” Before I could finish my words, the curtain lifted and three people filed in. The 23/24 year old in front was tall, wearing moon white robes with a green belt at the waist and a jade pendant of similar color hanging from it. His face was as beautiful as jade and eyes bright like stars. I secretly praised him. He has some feminine looks but he is really beautiful for a man.

When he saw me, he startled, briefly surprised. He quickly relaxed his features with a smile as he watched me. I quickly reacted to bow. The maids and servants already bowing, well before I had. Show up, busy, bowing down! Alas, I am still not used to these rules of comings and goings. He smiled down at me and helped me back up. “Get up.” Looking past me he said to my sister, “Something came up that delayed me with ninth and tenth brother, as well as other matters. So we came together as it was too late to notify you.

Sister smiled, “It’s no big deal. After all, you are the master.”

Ninth and Tenth seated themselves and the maids approached to offer water and towels to freshen up before eating. Sister turned and ordered the servants to pass around the meal. I just stood there. Sister! Did you forget me?!

Ninth was expressionless and Tenth still looked like a ruffian. He kept glancing at me from time to time since entering the room. There was a lazy smile on his face. After a moment my sister returned and smiled, “It’s time to eat!” Eighth also smiled and opened the door. He glanced at me with another smile. “Is this Ruoxi? A few days ago you were not feeling so well. Are you feeling better now?”

I replied, “Almost.”

Eighth smiled at me and said, “You’re alright, stop standing, sit!”

I glanced over to my sister who didn’t respond and I sat down.

During dinner Eighth laughed and said a few words to my sister from time to time. Normally I have an excellent appetite. Tonight I had no appetite because of the heat. He kept going on and on, and it became difficult for me to even swallow. I thought, ‘Am I a beautiful appetizer for him?’

I stole a look around the room and found no one was paying attention. I immediately raised my gaze and stared hard at Tenth. He was having a good time eating. I was stunned. Occasionally he forgot the chopsticks in his mouth. I stared at his stupid face again and felt ridiculous. I pursed my lips into a smile and lowered my head to eat. Inadvertently I had glanced over and saw sister, Eighth, and Ninth staring at me. My heart skipped and I choked and coughed. I waved my hand to indicate I was okay. Tenth laughed at me but I didn’t dare look up at him. Pretending nothing was wrong I gargled some water and returned to eating, my face burning.

After finally completing the meal, Eighth sat a while. Eventually he had gotten up with Ninth and Tenth.

An older servant asked, “Would you like the door unbarred tonight?”

Eighth said lightly, “No need.”

As soon as they had left I jumped up happily and called for Qiaohui to help me change. Sister smiled and fanned me. “Why are you so afraid of the heat? We are fine.”

I smiled but didn’t reply. You are used to being wrapped up like zongzi since young, but I am used to lighter clothing. People wear skirts in the summer.

Once Eighth and the others had left, my sister and I were happy, but not a trace of joy was on the servants faces. I thought about it for a while and came to understand, but I didn’t care as my sister didn’t mind.

Next chapter:

[singulari-taee]

The Danger in Duality | 08

COLLEGE! AU  |  ASSASSIN! AU  |  ANGST  | SMUT  | COMEDY | 10k

BTS X Reader

CW: Graphic depictions of violence and sexually explicit content

“You and your seven squad members must take on the struggles of being world-class assassins while also living as full-time college students.”

__________________________________________________

“Well, that was depressing,” Hoseok said after the call dropped.

Defeat washed over the room. 

“What are the chances?” Namjoon asked. His fingers clasped in front of his face, expression etched in deep thought, “20 miles? That’s nothing.”

“Didn’t Squad 8 have something similar happen to them a few years ago, but with a different group?” Taehyung asked.

“Yeah but it was just a small rivalry, and Squad 8 handled it in a couple weeks. Anti or whoever keeps targeting The Academy’s squads...and they’re so close,” he said, “The Academy is the biggest organization of it’s kind in the world, so my guess is that Anti set up camp so close to make some sort of territory war.”

“But why do we have to be the ones caught in the middle?” Jimin said.

“Right, we literally could have been stationed anywhere,” you huffed.

“Well, since we’re the best squad, and Grandpa kind of prioritises us, he wanted us closer to home...like regional guards I guess,” Taehyung said.

“So essentially...nepotism came back to bite us in the ass,” you said.

“It wasn’t nepotism!” Namjoon began to fight, but he shared a look with Taehyung and didn’t continue.

“Well then why not start by targeting us if we’re the closest?” Hoseok asked.

“Maybe they were using the other squads as practice before they got to us,” Namjoon shrugged, “or maybe it was just a warning.”

Silence.                     

“I can’t do this right now,” Seokjin sighed, carding a hand through his hair as he walked to his room, “The mission is tomorrow and I gotta prepare.”

“Hey! Are you still watching the game with us tonight?” Hoseok called after him.

“Maybe,” he shut the door behind him.

“I’m gonna head out too,” you said.

“Woah, I thought you wanted to watch it!” Hoseok whined.

“Sorry, Seokjin’s right though. I need to prepare for tomorrow and I still have a shit ton of homework.”

“I’ll pass too,” Jungkook said as he and Taehyung followed you to the door.

“Oh not you too!” Hoseok threw his arms up.

“You know I don’t even like basketball,” Jungkook said, “Damn, Seokjin still has my calculator.”

Jungkook jogged to the oldest’s room and flung open the door.

Seokjin stood in nothing but boxers in the middle of the room. He was quick to cover himself as he let the profanity fly.

“Fuck are you doing?! Ever heard of knocking, you little shit?! Get out!”

He pushed Jungkook to the door, but the youngest pushed back effortlessly as he made his way to the calculator on the desk.

“Oops. Forgot this.” he said, “And you know how it works. If you really didn’t want anyone to come in, you would have locked it.”

“That’s not how this works! It’s my room!”

“What are you doing anyway?”

“Changing- you know what, I don’t need to explain myself to you. Move!” he shoved the youngest out of the room and locked the door.

“Yeah, so...I’m gonna go,” you said. You spared a glance back at Yoongi, who’s eyes followed you as you walked out of the apartment.

Jungkook and Taehyung were close behind. The sun had almost fully set, and it stretched over the horizon in a spray of oranges and reds. You neared the fork in the road, an indication to go your separate ways. 

“Hey,” Jungkook said, “When the hell can I get that SIG-Sauer P228 off your hands?”

You scoffed, “I still can’t believe it's not too basic for you. That’s, like, a 3rd week of training level pistol.”

“No, what? Shut up! What do you even know?”

“I know that it’s basic.”

“Basic?! You’ve got the special limited holiday edition! It’s got the gold two-tone finish and the indented grip. Oh fuck and the light-weight. Ugh-,” he shook his head as he looked up at the sky, smiling. “And you promised!”

“You know he’s not gonna let it go now,” Taehyung warned.

“Okay, whatever fine, just come by and get it.”

Jungkook turned and you stuck your hand out, “What?”

“Woah, not right now.”

“Not now?! Then when?!” his arms flapped at his side, making him look like a tantrum-throwing child.

You shrugged and walked on, “Not now.”

He called after you, each word followed by a curse. It was true, you had promised that you would give him the gun soon. You rarely used it and when you told him you had it collecting dust in the back of your closet he all but ripped your head off, going on about how you didn’t respect the craft and how he’d save it from the likes of you (whatever the hell that meant). There was just no way you could deal with the company now, and the sooner you were back to your room the better.

As you neared your apartment, you saw a familiar car in the parking lot. The warning was all you needed to mentally prepare yourself for your roommate.

Turning your key in the lock, you pushed inside. Luna sat on the sofa, focused on her laptop.

“Hey!” she chirped, “How was your day?”

“Hey,” you nodded, “Okay, just stressful as usual.”

“Aww I’m sorry to hear that. Wanna come study with me?” she asked, patting the spot next to her.

You looked down the hall. The sanctuary of your room was just so close.

“Ah, damn. I’m just really tired, I don’t think I can focus right now.”

“Oh...I see,” she said in a low voice. The disappointment was clear, “It’s just that we never really see each other or hang out. We live together but I don’t really feel like I know you.”

And you never really will, you thought.

“I know,” you played with your fingers, “Tonight's just not good for me. But we can hang out soon. I promise. I’ll...try and make time for it.”

“Really? Okay! Sounds good,” she smiled, “Oh, and I already made dinner, there’s some left on the stove if you get hungry.”

With a thanks you went to your room, shut the door, and threw yourself on the bed. The blank ceiling didn’t help to clear your mind, just made it easier for your thoughts to race out of control.

It was all just so much.

Being hunted. 

Being on top of the food chain, you never knew what it was like to be the prey. There was nothing good about feeling so exposed, especially when their den was supposedly 20 or so miles away. Why did it have to be so close? You couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched even within the confines of your mind and home. The news was messing with you.

Tomorrow’s mission. 

It would be easy, but you hadn’t been on a unit mission in a while, and there was always more pressure when the whole squad wasn’t present. It would only be three of you, and only two would even enter the scene at all. Shouldn’t they have mixed up the skill-set and gotten someone else other than him? Hoseok would have been great on a stealth mission like this. And why did it have to be Yoongi of all people?

Yoongi.

The confusion you felt throughout the day came rushing back again. You couldn’t understand the reason behind his thought process. He was always so hard to read and today was no different. He never seemed like the casual ‘come over and let’s just chill’ type. He always needed his space, and given your past relationship you were always more than willing to give that to him. But with your new arrangements, having him want to see you beyond lust muddied the waters. Yes, you were friends. As strange as you liked to show it, you had been so for years. But never had you made an effort to spend time alone unless it was for work. Something about it felt wrong- even more so than the hookups. It felt like a new boundary was being crossed, one that was even scarier than the first. 

But god how you wanted him. 

He looked oddly beautiful watching the film earlier. Seeing him in gruesome violence for years, the delicate nature of the scene was enough to take you aback. There was just something about his gentleness....

You caught yourself. The corners of your lips shifted up without approval and you wiped it clean. 

No. He only wanted this because you’re the only option. It was a safe investment- not because he felt anything else. And neither did you. Nope. You couldn’t. It was against the rules.

You slapped your hand against the bed, and pushed yourself towards the bathroom for a shower. As the water ran, you stripped down in front of the mirror. Your naked body was littered with nearly invisible scratches and bruises- the norm considering your routine. You couldn’t recall the last time you saw your skin clear of any marks.

Your phone buzzed against the counter top, a sign of a text message.

Picking it up, you noticed the speed of your heart change.

-------------------

Yoongi: You get home okay?

--------------------

You rolled your eyes. As if you couldn’t handle making your way home “okay”.

---------------------

You: No

Yoongi: ???

You: Some guys told me they’d give me candy if I got in their van so 💁 

         idk where we’re goin tho. 

          just cruisin rn.

Yoongi: Stop

You: Lmaooo take a joke

Yoongi: Today was fun

--------------------

The butterflies fluttered in your stomach a bit.

---------------------------

You: Yeah great movie choice btw

Yoongi:🙄 wyd rn?

You: About to get in the shower

---------------------------

You waited for his response, but after a minute you sat the phone back down and walked towards the tub. You heard another buzz and doubled back to check.

--------------------------

Yoongi: Send me a picture

--------------------------

You stared at your screen, rereading the words to make sure you weren’t mistaken.

-----------------------

You: Of…?

Yoongi: You dumbass

             Before your shower

You: so nudes

Yoongi: Yeah

             I wanna see you…

             But you don’t have to 

------------------------

You mulled over an answer. There was something about the idea of teasing him from afar that made your stomach knot with desire. You crossed your legs tighter. He had all day during the movie to “see you”. Why choose when you’re back home and unable to touch you to ask?

You positioned yourself in front of the mirror, trying to find the best angle. Sure you had taken pictures of yourself for yourself, but never with the intention of anyone else ever seeing them.

You twisted your body to see the curves in the reflection, a hand over your head for a better view of your bare chest. Though this was new, you weren’t stupid to the rules- never show your face. With the camera placed to block everything from the chin up, you heard the shutter as you posed.

Click.

You switched angles, leaning forward with your boobs pushed together.

Click.

You sat on the counter, and turned to get a view of your perched ass in the reflection. 

Click. 

You went back to check them, and you couldn’t help the satisfaction. These were hot. So hot you nearly turned yourself on. 

Lucky bastard, you thought

After selecting the images, your finger hovered over the send button. With a deep breath, you bit the bullet and pressed it. Your anxiety wouldn’t allow you to wait for his response, so you put your phone down and hopped into the shower. You would see his reaction when you got out.

_________________

Yoongi hadn’t left his spot on the couch since you left. He spared glimpses at his phone, waiting for you to respond. Every moment that he got nothing, he cursed himself. He was being too thirsty and freaked you out. No way you would agree to this. He didn’t know what made him type out something so blatantly horny, he was embarrassed. Maybe he should apologize. Way to push his luck and make it awkward.

He was just so out of his mind after the assignment, he could barely think straight. He needed a distraction, anything to occupy his mind and not send him down the rabbit hole that was his unchecked fury. It just made no sense. 

There was finally a vibration on his lap, and he carefully looked down to his notifications. 

-------------------------

[3 attachments]

_______: Delete them from our messages after. 

                I expect you to kiss the ground I walk on after these. You’re welcome. 

------------------------

 He opened the message and caught a glimpse of the pictures. He sucked in a quick breath and threw his phone down. 

He looked around the room. The others weren’t paying him any mind. Yoongi slowly picked the phone back up and took in the pictures in all their glory. 

His breathing went shallow as he scrolled and zoomed on the screen. They weren’t just any crude pictures- there was an art to it that made him unable to look away. The curves of your body in the faint glow of the bathroom was delicious. Your body. God, your body. The longer he stared, he found something else to marvel over. He was glad he couldn’t see your face, because the thought of a smirk on your lips was enough to make his imagination run wild. He realized his mouth was hanging open and hurried to fix it. His pants were suddenly tighter, and he shifted to hide the sudden erection that was painfully fighting for his attention. 

-------------------------

Yoongi: goddamn.

-------------------------

It sounded stupid, he knew that. But was there a right way to respond to something like that? No words or emojis would suffice. He was borderline salivating. 

She told him to delete them after. Right. He still had to do that. 

As Yoongi’s finger floated over the button, he found the deed harder to carry out than expected. The thought of sending them to the trash to never be seen again didn’t sit right with him. 

 Instead he found himself saving them to his Cloud app. They would be safe there, hidden amongst his thousands of other photos and documents. You had only said to delete them from your messages to not leave a trace, so this was still technically okay. He couldn’t think about the morality of it for too long or otherwise his conscience might disagree.

He quickly deleted the pictures from your texts and closed his eyes.

“You alright over there?” Seokjin asked, “You’ve been quiet since the mission assignment. But not, like, normal quiet.”

“Yeah, just have a headache,” Yoongi lied, carefully adjusting his throbbing dick in his pants.

“Hey the game’s starting!” Hoseok called, and the boys turned their attention to the TV. 

While the announcer went on the normal spiel, Yoongi’s mind couldn’t escape the photos. For minutes he fought the urge to check his phone, but the growing boner had other plans. One more peek wouldn’t hurt, he argued.

He went to his Cloud, and found the 3 images resting at the top. He clicked them one by one, eyes caressing every pixel. His dick fought even harder against his underwear, begging for his assistance. 

The fever of the game came to a peak when all the boys erupted in cheers. Yoongi jumped in his seat, seeing the others yell as the players ran across the screen. 

It was nearing impossible to think. Yoongi suddenly stood up from the couch. He positioned his phone before the tent in his pants as he walked out of the living room.

“Where you goin? It’s just getting good!” Jimin called.

Yoongi hurried to his bathroom and opened the pictures again. He couldn’t undo his pants fast enough, and when he finally sprang free and wrapped his fingers around his cock he let out a shuttered breath. He stroked himself as he took in the pictures and everything they had to offer. Seeing the space between your thick thighs made precum dribble to his knuckles. He wanted to take you in the shower and feel you for real. He stroked himself faster. 

The way you squeezed one of your breasts in your hands caused him to hold in a moan. The final picture was his favorite. The arch of your back as it led to your ass made his heart beat violently. He envisioned the time he fucked you from the back. The view of it bouncing back on him as you were pressed against the telescope made his eyes flutter close as he felt himself unwinding. He almost missed the toilet paper as he came moments later.

Yoongi took a deep breath and looked at his reflection. He was flushed and drained. It took every ounce of energy and self-respect to fix himself and return to the living room.

“Took you long enough, you missed the best free-throw of the season,” Namjoon said through a mouthful of pizza. 

Yoongi flopped back on the sofa next to Hoseok. He felt dirty, like they could all smell his shame and fresh orgasm.

“Finally a commercial. Their entire defense needs to be benched...dude, are you looking at porn while I’m sitting right here?!” Hoseok screeched.

“What-?” Out of habit, Yoongi had gone to look at his phone again. But upon unlocking it, the image of your ass covered the entire screen. 

Yoongi scrambled to close the app, but his fingers couldn’t work fast enough. In his frenzy he fumbled and dropped the phone onto the cushions.

“Hey, don’t be stingy,” Hoseok said, swooping in and kicking the phone off the sofa before Yoongi could grab it. He leaped away to put distance between them, eyes going wide, “Damn. This isn’t porn. The shitty quality and angle is pointing to personal nudes.”

Yoongi leaped off the sofa and went towards Hoseok.

“Let me be the judge of that,” Jimin said. Hoseok threw the phone across the room, and he plucked it from the air over Yoongi’s head.

Jimin whistled, “Shit...now this is how you take nudes.”

“Jimin. I’m not fucking playing with you give it b-”

“Wait, there’s more!” he cackled, scrolling through the others. He didn’t even look at Yoongi as he evaded him, jumping over the sofa and coffee table. He paused, eyes going wide as he swallowed. “Goddamn. She’s fine. What did you do to deserve nudes like this? Hey, look at this.”

Jimin jumped over to where Seokjin and Namjoon were standing. The oldest shifted to get a better look and Namjoon took his glasses off.

“Sheesh…” Seokjin’s mouth felt suddenly dry, “No wonder why you weren’t watching the game!”

Namjoon licked his lips, “Who’s even sending you these?”

Yoongi stormed over, but the leader took an instinctive step back, “Don’t fucking worry about it. Namjoon, give it back.”

Namjoon looked at the photo and then back at Yoongi, forehead creased with questions. Jimin snatched the phone from his hands.

“Yoongi got a girlfwend?” he asked in a baby voice.

“Give. It. Back.”

He didn’t dare go to Jimin again, he knew he’d only pass it to Hoseok.

“I mean he didn’t say no,” Seokjin added.

“Aww, why so bashful?” Hoseok doubled over in laughter. 

Yoongi stood in the middle of the room, fists clenched by his side. He was nearly shaking with anger, and he met eyes with Namjoon who was the only one not howling like an idiot.

“Jimin, chill out. Hand him the phone back. The game is back on,” Namjoon said.

“Fuck the game, this is the best thing to happen all day!”

“Give it back or I’ll hang your entrails from the ceiling fan. Every single one of you," Yoongi seethed.

“Oh, be realistic. You can’t kill all of us,” he rolled his eyes.

Yoongi reached into the drawer under the coffee table and pulled out a trailing point combat knife.

“I’ll start with you,”

Jimin squinted, “Bullshit.”

 Without hesitation, he threw the blade and made it land squarely in the opposite wall. Jimin touched his ear, and then looked down at his hand to see specks of blood from where Yoongi had clipped him. 

Jimin’s shoulders dropped and after a moment of consideration he tossed the phone over.

“Learn to take a joke, asshole.”

Yoongi’s cheeks burned red, and the others cleared the way as he stomped back to his room and slammed the door.

____________________

You woke up when your head hit the car window.

“Shit,” you breathed, holding the sore spot in your groggy haze.

“Could you hit any more potholes, Jin? Fuck…” Yoongi cursed, sleep coating his voice.

“Wow, finally some company,” Seokjin said, “You’re acting like I made the damn roads, stop complaining.”

The three of you had begun your journey a little over an hour ago. Trees whizzed by your windows, and metropolitan skylines were slowly replaced with endless meadows and forests.  

“Just when I thought we’d seen every inch of this region,” you said, “we end up in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere.”

Seokjin snorted, fiddling with the screen on his dashboard, “Heads up, we should be arriving in 5 minutes.”

You went to your weapons case and strapped a few knives and a glock to your belt. From the passenger seat, you looked in the rearview mirror back at Yoongi. His earlier words had been his only ones all day. Even when you had been picked up for the mission, he barely spared you more than a head nod. He sat in his seat, looking out the window at the passing greenery, unblinking. 

You nudged Seokjin and tilted your head towards the man in the back.

Seokjin shrugged, ‘He’s been like that all day,’ he mouthed.

He didn’t look upset, but more pensive than anything. As if he was trapped in his thoughts without a way to escape.

“Alright we’re here,” Seokjin stopped the car on the side of a desolate road in the middle of the forest. 

“Uh...where’s the cabin?” you asked.

“I forgot no one checks the mission coordinates anymore but me,” he sighed, “Well, this is as far as the road will let me go. My GPS is saying the cabin is about half a mile that way.”

He pointed through the thick trees at nothing,

“So you want us to...walk.”

“I know it’s not ideal, but it's not that far.”

The distance wasn’t your issue. From the look of the sky, the sun would be setting in a few minutes, and you would rather not walk through the woods in pitch blackness.

The three of you stepped out of the van. Seokjin grabbed a few drones from the trunk and after pressing some buttons, released them into the sky toward the cabin. He honestly hated the drones, but because the targets likely didn’t have a security system to be hacked, he had to survey the mission with what devices he had. 

“I’ll be checking in,” he waved as you both began the hike, “You got this, piece of cake like always.”

The leaves crunched under your shoes as you walked in silence for a couple hundred meters. The darkness of night was beginning to catch up to you. You felt the animals scurry past your feet in their haste. 

You turned to Yoongi, face overcasted by shadows.

“You okay?” you asked, “You’ve been quiet.”

He didn’t say anything, and you wondered if he would respond at all until he finally muttered.

“I’m fine. Just have a lot on my mind,” he looked straight ahead.

“Is it classes? The mission? It should be an easy one like Seokjin and Mr. Kim said,” you pried.

“I just can’t wait for the day to be over.”

You nodded, “I understand. I was wondering why they dispatched us for this mission, you know? I know that they sometimes like to test different combinations, but having two specialized combat positions for such a small call doesn’t make much sense to me.” 

“I was wondering the same thing.”

“You know The Academy though, it’s probably just some sort of test.”

“Well then that’s pretty fucked up.”

You waited on him to elaborate, but the conversation drifted to another hush. 

 “Well...if you ever want to talk about it, just know I’m here if you feel like sharing.”

“‘kay.”

After a few minutes of painful silence, you both saw a light in the distance. You slowed down, taking in the neglected cabin. The wood was covered in moss, hanging together by a few bolts. It appeared to have been forgotten amongst the woods. You couldn’t imagine life inside.

“She’s a beauty, right?” you said, hidden in the shadows behind the trees, “Jin, we made it.”

“Great. I can see you both. Look up,” you glanced up at the night sky, and a drone came to hover over your heads.

Yoongi ran a hand through his hair, “So there’s three we need to take out. You sure they’re in there?”

“I don’t see anyone, but the lights are on. In the call, Mr. Kim said that they hadn’t left in a few days. From the notes, they just went in with a big crate and haven’t even gone outside since.”

A shadow suddenly went past the window, so quick it was almost unnoticeable.

“I saw someone,” he said.

You checked the weapons on your belt, “You ready?”

He nodded, “Make it clean, make it quick. Let’s go.”

You stalked towards the cabin, mere silhouettes in the dark. 

“That window looks easy to open-” you whispered, but Yoongi was already making his way to the back door. You stopped, confused by his overly eager choice, but rushed to catch up. When you approached the door, Yoongi reared back and kicked the flimsy wood in. It burst open loudly, and you both charged into what appeared to be the kitchen. One of the drones flew inside. A man stood at the stove, bread in his hand as he turned to you both. 

“Now, wait what the f-” 

You recognized his face from the photos. Yoongi began to move towards him, but you were already in motion. With a few quick strides you closed the distance. You took the blade from your belt and made a fluid slash across the throat. It was seamless with no splatters- an angle you had worked to master for some time now. His body slumped down, joining the shadows casted on the wooden floor.

Yoongi looked down at the body, “I had it, you know.”

“Didn’t know you had claimed him, I was just trying to get it done. I’ll let you take the next one,” you said carefully.  

He took in the nearly empty interior. No one else was in sight, and it was quieter than expected. You heard some faint motion close by, though it was hard to pinpoint.

You both slowly rounded the corner to see a door with steps leading downwards.

“Pat, hurry the hell up! We’re gonna start without you!” a voice called from the basement. Soon after came the sound of whimpers and muffled screams. 

Footsteps led up towards you as someone climbed the stairs.

“God dammit, every time. Get down here!” said a man with a buzz cut. He froze when he saw you at the top of the stairs. Before he could react, Yoongi planted a foot in his chest, making the man fall and tumble down the stairs.

You rushed down, stepping over his groaning body at the base of the steps.

“Why wouldn’t you just take him out…then?” you began to ask your squad mate. Your hand was on your belt, ready to take out the man at the bottom of the stairs when you turned to see the rest of the basement instead. You felt your blood run cold at the sight before you. 

In the basement was the 3rd target, a ceremonial mask covering his eyes. He was fiddling with the restraints of a woman sitting naked on the floor. They sat in the middle of a circle painted by what you had assumed to be blood. 

“What the fuck?!” the masked man blurted. He jumped up, running towards a shotgun in the corner of the room. Before he could reach it you threw one of your knives. It landed in his hand, pinning him to the wall.

Yoongi stood by the steps, immobile with wide eyes. You followed his gaze to the woman. Her eyes had been covered with a scarf and mouth gagged with a rag. She cried, balling up on the floor to hide from the new unseen horrors she heard. On her wrist, a red circle glistened under the lights.

“Seokjin...the targets have a victim here,” you said tightly.

“What?!” the drone came down the stairs and paused next to you, “Oh god. The crate. She was here this whole time.”

“What the fuck do we do?!”

“I’ll call the police.”

“Police?! This can’t be a job for the Cleanup Crew?!”

“I’m already dispatching the cops. This wasn’t a part of the plan but they’ll take care of her. Just finish the job and get the hell out of there!”

Yoongi’s breathing was shallow. His legs shook under him as if they would give out at any minute. His vision never broke from the woman, eyes zeroed in with a laser focus. 

Behind him there was a quick motion. The man at the stairs had picked up an axe, ready to swing at your squad mate. Yoongi didn’t move, unaware of his surroundings.

“Yoongi, watch out!” Seokjin warned.

 You reached for the gun in your belt and fired two shots to the man’s forehead. 

The shots snapped Yoongi out of his haze. He jumped, and turned to see the body tumble behind him. He looked at you in awe. 

“I…” he tried, lost for words.

The final man had pulled the knife from his hand and slumped against the wall.

“Who are you?! W-who sent you?!” his voice shook. 

Yoongi faced him slowly, jaw taut and far away. He advanced across the floor, closing the distance between them as the masked man screamed to spare his life.

Yoongi crouched down, eye level with him. He pulled the mask away, exposing a thin face and pleading eyes. Yoongi went for the long knife at his side. 

“Please. Please, I’m begging you…”

Yoongi plunged the knife into the target’s chest. It went deep, piercing his heart. The man’s eyes went out of focus as life left him. Yoongi pulled the stained knife out, but didn’t place it back in his belt. He lurched the weapon forward again and again, stabbing so many times you lost count. He grunted with every dig long after the man had stilled. Crimson slowly spread across the man’s white shirt. 

“Woah, stop!” you screamed. You grabbed his arm and pushed him back, “What the hell are you doing? It’s over!”

Yoongi’s face twisted in pain. He was shaking, looking at the body infront of him with a sense of stunning realization. Time caught up to him and the room realigned in his vision. He closed his eyes to collect himself.

He dropped the knife to grab his head.

The woman on the floor continued to cry, hyperventilating as she tried to force words through the gag. You moved over to her and she flinched. She looked to be in her late 20s- not much older than you if you had to guess. You racked your brain for a solution- you couldn’t take off her blindfold because then she would see your faces. If the cops were coming, you didn’t want to involve her with the repercussions of that, especially when The Academy would be involved. Though at the same time, you didn’t want to leave her stranded and tied up in the house with three dead bodies. 

“Um, you guys, the police are here. They just pulled up about 100 meters behind me and are walking to the cabin now,” Seokjin said, “Get out while you can.”

“Shit,” you breathed. You slowly went to grab the rag from the woman’s mouth, and she craned away, “It’s okay, it’s okay, you’re safe. We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Please get me out of here. Please...” she cried.

“Okay, we will! They can’t hurt you anymore. The police are coming. Just let me untie you first,” you went to undo the rope, but paused, “But when I do I need you to stay calm and leave your blindfold on.”

“L-leave it on?” she asked, head whipping from side to side in her confusion.

“Trust me. If you can’t do that, I can’t untie you.”

“Okay,” she said, weakly.

With one glide of your knife she was free. She touched at the mark at her arm and her face contorted in agony at the burn. You could only imagine her suffering those few days.

“We gotta go!” you called to Yoongi, helping the young woman to her feet, “Now!” 

Yoongi eventually pushed himself off the floor with unstable legs. He reached for a blanket hanging from the back of a chair, and handed it to you. You wrapped it around her as you guided her quickly up the stairs and past the men on the floor.

“Wh-who are you? Oh, god. Where are we going?” she struggled to hold herself up, and you and Yoongi supported most of her weight as you walked through the cabin.

“We’re just going outside,” you finally made it to the front porch, and she flinched when she was met with the night chill. You sat her down. Two drones glided outside and into the trees.

“So what now?” Yoongi whispered uneasily, “Do we just leave her here?”

“He said they’re on their way. She-” in the dark you heard rustling and voices. They weren’t too close, but earshot for you was close enough. You bent to her level, “Hey, the police are almost here. We’re gonna leave. Just...don’t uncover your eyes until we do.”

“Wait, no where am I? Don’t leave,” she pleaded.

“We’re just on the porch. We have to. I’m sorry.”

She moved her head to follow your voices, “Thank you. Thank you so much-”

“I see it!” called an officer in the distance.

With a final rub to her shoulder, you and Yoongi jumped off the porch and bolted into the dark forest. Looking back, you saw a group of officers run to the porch to assess her. She had taken off her blindfold and was looking around in a daze.

More officers were coming, and you both tried to run in silence while not being seen by their flashlights. You could barely see your hand in front of your face, the moon above your only guide. You ran hard, trying to not bump into trees while also checking the constellations above for the right directions.

Suddenly a flashlight crossed your vision, and Yoongi yanked you behind a tree. 

You worked to catch your breath and listened for the officers to pass.

“Are we going the right way?” you whispered to him. He didn’t answer, instead looking at you with the same spacey, glazed stare from earlier, “What? And what the hell was that about back there anyway?”  

“You saved my life…” he responded, his voice dreamy. His eyebrows joined together, relaying a focus that he didn’t seem to have. He seemed far away, but appeared to truly see you for the first time all night. 

“Yeah, but Yoongi that wasn’t the question.” 

Using his grip on your arm, he pulled you into him. His lips crashed onto yours in a messy, hard kiss. His hand went to tangle in your hair, knuckles meeting the root. You fought to understand in your haze. He grabbed your waist and tugged your body closer. You could feel the metal of the knives on his belt at your stomach, and it snapped you back.

You pushed his hand down and moved your face away.

“Yoongi, wh-”

 Just then, there was a whiz above your heads as a drone flew above and past you. Both of you watched as it disappeared in the direction of Seokjin’s car. You met eyes again, but this time his expression mirrored the panic you felt. 

“Oh no...” he muttered.

You didn’t want to think too much, only make it back to the car. If you really assessed the situation in your head, you knew you’d crumble. 

You burst out running again, following the drone all the way until you saw the road. It was lit with shining police lights, and you finally saw the van hidden in the line of trees far ahead. When you reached it, you yanked open the door and threw yourselves inside.

“Finally!” Seokjin put the car in drive and whipped the wheel back out onto the road. As he fiddled with the navigation, you watched for any differences in his behavior. He sighed, “That was not supposed to happen.”

“What?” you blurted.

“What? The girl! Was she okay?”

“Okay? No. But the police got her,” you groaned, remembering, “The police. We called the fucking police to the sight of our mission.”

The Academy's Cleanup Crew always came after your missions to get rid of the mess and any evidence the squad may have left behind. The targets always simply “disappeared”. So calling the police to the scene before Cleanup could handle it was a nightmare in it’s own.

“I know, I know. It seems bad and it’s going to be a headache for me later but we had to do it for her. The Academy will probably have to make contact with local law enforcement again to cover our tracks, but they shouldn’t get her involved too much.”

“I really hope so,” you said.

“She...didn’t see you right?” he asked. You shook your head, “Good. That would have been a whole other problem.”

You used the rearview mirror to look at Yoongi. He was expressionless, and Seokjin followed your gaze, “Yoongi, you okay back there? Back at the mission…” you held your breath, “...it seemed like you lost focus. It was a bit of an...overkill, you think?”

You could tell Seokjin was trying to tread lightly. Though you wondered the same, as neither had seen such pointed aggression and bloodlust on a mission. Killing was always matter of fact- one and done. Never something to revel and bask in for too long.

“I just forgot where I was. That’s all,” was his reply.

The landscape turned into city, and Seokjin cursed when he saw his gas was low. He pulled into a dim gas station, and fiddled with a screen on a computer. It showed the woods and the cabin, and you watched as you stormed in after Yoongi kicked open the door.

“What are you doing?” you asked.

“Just making sure the drones picked up and recorded the feed from the mission,” Seokjin responded, absentminded as he clicked around.

“You recorded it?” you tried to remain calm, but you heard your voice climb an octave, “I thought you just watched in the moment.”

“Yeah I do but I can’t catch everything.”

“So...do you record with all of the drones?”

He snorted, “Duh, I use them to track patterns for my logs, you know that. And with the police involved this time, this footage will be really useful to me and The Academy later.” 

“Of course,” you said, “Jin, I really need to be back home soon, could we hurry.”

He gave you a look, “Uh, sure.”

Seokjin got out to pump the gas and you looked between him and the monitor. 

“Hey! While you’re out, could you go inside the convenience store and get me some chips or something. I’m really hungry.”

He scoffed “Who do you think I am? No. Get it yourself.”

“Please! You’re already outside. The mission took a lot out of me. I didn’t eat all day,” you begged, “Please, I’ll love you forever.”

He took a deep breath, “What flavor?”

“Surprise me.”

He muttered to himself as he walked toward the store. You shot to action, pulling down any tabs to find the right button. 

“Fuck, do you think he saw us?” Yoongi leaned on your seat to get a view of the screen.

“I doubt it. He’s acting too normal.”

“Try that tab!” he reached over you, pointing. Your unease mounted with every word and direction he gave you, “No, not that one! Okay, try that one. Shit, he’s paying at the counter, hurry-”

“Yoongi!” you exploded, “Shut the fuck up!”

“I’m trying to help-”

“You did enough, don’t you think?! Jesus, just...I’ve got it! Give me a break. For fuck’s sake!” 

He sat back down. After exhausting your options, you found a video file with the day’s date on it. You hit ‘Delete all’ and suddenly the video on the screen disappeared. You checked the trash and found nothing. You went to any other obvious folders in the confusing layout of his computer and came up empty.

You looked up to see Seokjin walking towards the car and you quickly restarted the laptop. 

He opened the door and dropped two bags into your lap, “I didn’t know if you liked sour cream and onion or honey butter so I got both. Hey, what happened to my computer?”

“Thanks! Oh, it just restarted out of nowhere. It said something about needing an update and then just turned off.”

“What? No…” when it rebooted he went to his files. He searched in silence for a bit, face etched in confusion, “No, no, no. The footage from today’s mission is gone!”

“Huh? How?” you feigned, going to check for yourself.

“How does that even happen? I was sure I had it saved.”

“Damn, I’m sorry,” you said, “Is that the only copy you have?”

“Unfortunately. This day couldn’t get any worse.” 

He pulled off from the gas station and continued back to the city. The whole time, ranting about his shitty computer and The Academy needing to give him another version. You grunted in agreement, and Yoongi remained silent the rest of the ride home. 

___________________

After dodging her for months, it finally happened.

She couldn’t be more ecstatic when you said you were free for the night, jumping into action immediately with ideas of how to spend your time. It wasn’t like you had much else to do. 

A few days had passed since the last mission in the woods, and you’d like to think you were doing a good job avoiding your squad members. You didn’t have anything against all of them, but being in their presence after the night you had was the last thing you wanted. It was rare to not hang out at least every other day, but the time alone was needed. You saw them in class and went straight home after despite their questions and protests. More and more unread and unanswered texts were piling up in your phone. You knew everything was alright- if they really needed you, you would know. You knew them too well.  According to the text previews, you picked up that they went to grab drinks at the bar about an hour ago. A part of you wished you had gone, but the other knew the break was needed. So on this break, you finally gave Luna a shot. Spending the entire evening with the girl you hadn’t had a conversation longer than 5 minutes with was beyond your comfort zone. 

Luna’s idea was to bake dessert. Consequently, you spent the time shuffling around each other in the small kitchen as she led the whole operation. She did most of the work, and you handed her ingredients as she rattled off. You learned that she was an Environmental Sustainability major. You honestly felt bad. You had been living with the girl for months and didn’t even know what she was going to school for. 

You also learned that she really wasn’t that bad. She talked a lot, but she seemed to mean well. She was an only child like you, was allergic to cats, and hated the head cell biology professor with a passion. When you were both sitting on the living room floor borderline wine drunk and stuffed on cake, she only got more animated.

“He’s the worst! I kid you not, he almost made me drop out!” she cried. Her face was getting redder with every sip.

“Was he just a hard grader?” you laughed.

“Yeah but he also had the nerve to lecture and not share the slides online! If you missed 3 classes you just failed. He would embarrass you if you missed an answer,“ she counted off with her fingers. “Just trash!”

“He had the coffee breath too, right?”

She pointed at you, “Yes! The coffee breath! How could I forget that?! He made me want to break his nose then my own. Wait, did you have him too? What class?”

You shook your head. It felt a bit heavier than usual in your tipsiness, “I didn’t, but my friend Jin did and he said the same thing.”

“Ah, he’s in that group of guys you always hang out with, right?” you nodded, “How did you guys become friends? I’ve always wondered that.”

You shifted“I don’t know, we’ve just known each other for a really long time. We went through our more formative years together and just never let the other go.” 

It may have been the wine, but you felt a pang of regret for ignoring them. Maybe you were doing too much. 

“How can you stand being around them all day? They’re all so...hot,” she said, “You’ve never dated any of them before? Hooked up with them? None of them?”

“N-no, nothing like that. I can’t.”

“You can't?” She raised her brow, smirking, “Ah, so you would if you could?”

“No! They’re like my best friends, I couldn’t do it.”

“Not even the angry looking one that slept over that time?”

You stiffened, “You know about that?”

“Yeah, sorry I didn’t know it was a secret. I just saw him leaving one morning and assumed you were dating or something.”

“No, no, it’s not a secret or anything like that,” you rushed, “He had to sleep over because of the bad rain the night before. We’re just friends but its…”

“Complicated?” she asked.

“I mean...,” you laughed, “we’re just not really talking right now. But we’re still just friends.”

She tilted her head, looking at you with a wistful smile, “It's obvious they mean a lot to you.”

“They do. I couldn’t make it without them.”

Luna reached out to twirl a strand of hair between her fingers. Her gaze was suddenly intense as she held your eyes, “________, you’re a beautiful independent woman. You can make it without a man.” 

Her stare was unnerving. The stoniness in her voice made a chill run up your back.

“I know, I’m just saying,” you turned your face away, laughing to hide your discomfort.

Your phone buzzed against your lap and you gave in to check. You wish you hadn’t.

------------------------

Yoongi: you home?

              I know you see my messages

              don’t ignore me

You: why what do you want?

Yoongi: I’m coming by

You: again, why?

Yoongi: I just want to talk

              Pls

------------------------

You put your phone back down and sighed. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear, right? The friend I’ve been avoiding is coming over and it looks like I can’t put it off anymore. I’m sorry...”

Luna pouted, “Ah, I see. Well it’s okay. It was fun to hang out while we could.”

You nodded, “Yeah, this was pretty great.”

There was a knock on the door. It was sooner than you expected. You pushed yourself off from the floor and went to the door. Yoongi stood on the other side, hands in his pockets and looking unusually hesitant.

You didn’t spare eye contact or words as you waved him in.

“Hey!” Luna waved from her spot on the floor. She gave you a knowing look.

You cleared your throat, “Luna, this is Yoongi. You met him before.”

Yoongi gave a tight smile, “Hi.”

“Ah, right! I’ve seen you around before. I went to your apartment that one time, right?”

His eyebrows furrowed, “Um, yeah, that was my place.”

You led Yoongi back to your room and Luna called after him, “Nice to see you again!”

When you closed the door there was an expected silence. You turned to really look at him for the first time. His eyes were glassy and his entire face was tinted-red. You realized he reeked of alcohol. 

You looked him up and down, “Jesus, are you drunk? Do the boys know you’re over here?”

He just shook his head as he walked to your bed. He didn’t usually drink much, and when he did he was always one to at least act the most sober. 

He tossed himself across the mattress, putting an arm over his eyes. He tapped the space next to him, an invitation. You placed your phone on your desk and sat on the edge of the bed. You contemplated calling one of the boys to come get him, but you knew all the questions would be redirected to you. 

“What did you want to talk about, Yoongi?”

“Not yet,” he said. “I just want to stay like this for a while.”

You stared at him, but he stayed still. You went to stand up, and his free hand went to wrap around your waist, pulling you to lay beside him. 

You were pressed against his body and began to push away despite how good him and his sweater felt against you, “We shouldn’t do this. You said you wanted to talk, so what?”

“Please,” he breathed, “Just stay.”

You relaxed, giving in only for a bit. He held on tight, arm still firm around you. You suddenly became aware of the state the wine had left you in. You were doing a better job of holding yourself together than him, but having his arms around you mixed with your own looseness was a combo your subconscious was too eager to accept. His breathing was steady as your ear rested on his chest, and after a while you thought he had fallen asleep. The ceiling fan whooshed above you, and as you waited the hypnotic spin made you lose track of time.

  His voice broke the hush of the room.

“I’m so sorry, ______.”

“You gotta be more specific.”

“I meant what I said. I forgot where I was.”

“Yoongi, I can’t say he didn’t deserve it, but that’s never been us. You know that,” you gulped, “What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know,” you repeated.

 “I don’t. I went too far. I feel like...like I left myself,” he said in a low voice. Though you were unbearably close, he sounded so far away, “I swear I had no control for the first time ever. It was wrong. I know that. I couldn’t stop.”

“But...why?”

 “I just lost sight of the mission. I put you in a bad place and you had to pick up the slack for my psychotic break, or whatever the hell that was, and I feel like shit for it. Hell, you had to save my life because I couldn’t fucking handle myself,” his voice broke as he desperately pushed the words out. “And the kiss,” he groaned. “I fucked up so bad. And you handled that too. It was a close call and it was all my fault. I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. But I want to thank you for stopping me.”

It wasn’t lost on you that he didn’t really answer your question. In all of your years of knowing each other, you never knew him to be someone to lay his heart and regrets plain out on display for just anyone. Whether it was the alcohol or sheer pain that drove him to it, you didn’t know, but it was unsettling. You just wanted to know why. “I’m sorry for snapping at you like that.”

“I deserved every bit of that and more. I didn’t hold up my end at all, I just made problems.”

“I meant what I said earlier too, you know.”

“What?”

Your arms went to wrap around his waist before you could stop yourself. He relaxed in your arms and you couldn’t let go. 

“Back in the forest. I’m still here if you need to talk, you know. We’re friends after all, Yoongi. I just don’t want you to hold that shit in if you don’t have to,” you moved your head to look up at him.

A painful smile made its way to him.

Yoongi went to nuzzle his nose in your neck. Your eyes fluttered closed until he whined.

“I wanna stay like this forever.”

You went stiff, “Forever? You know we...can’t.”

“I can dream can’t I?” 

He didn’t seem to get it. If in his dreams he saw you being this way forever, he was more far gone than you believed.

He looked you over again, “You don’t want this forever?”

There was such sadness in his glazed eyes, it would hurt you too to say what you should have said. Instead you stayed quiet.

“I know it's wrong, I know there are rules, but I like us this way.”

“Don’t…”

“Why?” it was his turn to ask, lips grazing your warm neck.

“You know why...we just can’t.”

“But you like to be with me like this too, right?”

You didn’t even have to ask what “like this” meant.

“I don’t think either of us are in the right head space to make that call.”

“Beyond the fucking. This is something we can do more. Hell, is it so wrong to want to hold you?”

“It-it just blurs the lines even more,” you stammered when his nose traced your collarbone.

“Screw the blurred lines. Screw The Academy. I like us like this, _____. And secretly, I think you do too.”

You felt yourself short-circuiting, “I think the lines are important because without them I can’t understand what this is.”

He stopped to search your face again, “Well what do you understand?”

His eyes were so deep. When you answered you were trapped in them, “That I like this more than I should.”

When the answer left you, there was a curse in your sober subconscious. Though seeing his face soften from the wounded mask he wore earlier almost made you forgive yourself. Almost.  

It happened slowly, unlike the others. You watched each other, letting your words hang in the air before the other moved. You were the first to close the distance, Yoongi soon followed. When your lips met in the middle there was no rushed crash, no hurry driven by lust. He held your cheek in the most gentle way. Your lips pressed against his, and for the first time there was no fight for dominance. Your hand went to the nape of his neck, pulling him closer in your already tight position. He rolled himself over you, holding himself up with both hands on either side of your head. Yoongi looked you over for a second before dipping his lips back to yours. 

You rolled over again, your knees on either side of his torso as you straddled him. You grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him again. His hands went to your back, skin burning under his fingertips. You went to grab at the bottom of your shirt, and he stopped you.

“You don’t have to, you know?” he said, eyes searching yours.

“But I want to.”

He moved his hand and you raised your huge t-shirt above your head and discarded it onto the floor.

The look he gave you was one of such unfiltered admiration it scared you. His gaze raked across your naked upper body. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he proclaimed in such a way your face became hot. 

He pulled you down to him again. His large hands traced up your thigh slowly, making you remember your revealing shorts. His touch lit a flame under your skin wherever he touched. Though it wasn’t entirely desire that you felt. This was different. Something that made your chest feel warm and butterflies dance in the pit of your stomach. 

“Was that the front door?” he suddenly asked.

“No,” you quickly dismissed him, groaning when his lips went back to your neck. The growing wetness in your panties was a distraction, but you tried your best to listen through your labored breaths.

He sighed, the puff tickling the sensitive skin. He whispered, nearly soundless “Shit...I just like you so much.”

You froze. 

You slowly pushed yourself up. Looking down at him, even through the alcohol he seemed to know he had crossed a line.

“You what?”

_________________

When Jungkook left the bar with the others, he was surprisingly sober. He had downed 3 beers and a tequila shot without an issue and was actually disappointed. Getting wasted would have been nice considering the trash week of classes he was having and not remembering the grade he just got on his last quiz would have been the cherry on top. 

“What’s been going on with him anyways? You all noticed, right?” Hoseok asked, arm around Namjoon’s shoulder.

“How could we not? He barely said shit the whole night,” Jimin said, “How do you get shitfaced and then get up and leave? That’s just sad.”

“Did he even say where he was going?” Taehyung asked.

“No, but it's not like we have to worry about him handling himself.”

“I should check on him,” Namjoon said, “He’s been acting off for almost a week.”

“Check on _____ while you’re at it. She’s been off too.”

“You sure she’s not just finally tired of us? I wouldn’t blame her,” Seokjin said.

The others were making their way back home and Jungkook stopped to linger on the sidewalk. If he continued down this street and made a right, he’d be at your place, he noted. He suddenly remembered what you owed him.

“What?” Taehyung burped.

“You can go back, I’ll catch up later. ________’s still got my baby.”

“Whatever,” he gave a peace sign and ran to catch up to the rest.

 As Jungkook walked under the dim street lights, he couldn’t help but wonder about you. After Yoongi left the bar, Seokjin had told them that the last mission was a rough one, partially because of Yoongi. This wasn’t new though, you had all seen your fair share of fucked up shit over the years. So it didn’t make sense for you to ignore everyone for days on end over it.

He looked at the texts he had sent you. None of them were opened.

-----------------------------

Jungkook: Stop ignoring me I’m coming over rn

                  U better be home

                   If not im breaking in 😜

-----------------------------

When he finally made it to your place, he pounded on the door. When it opened he readied to walk in, but he stopped when he saw the person on the other side.

“Hi?” Luna asked.

Jungkook forgot she lived there too, “‘Sup?”

“Oh, you’re _________’s friend, right?”

“Yeah, is she here?”

“Yeah, come in,” Luna stepped aside as Jungkook took his shoes off, leaving them beside a pair that was too big for either of the girls that lived there. He didn’t notice, “She might be a little busy though.”

Jungkook’s eyebrows joined in confusion. Like that actually mattered to him, “Uh, okay? Where is she?”

Luna pointed down the hall, “Back in her room.”

“Cool, thanks.”

Luna went back to her own room and Jungkook followed her directions down the dark hallway. He had to stop himself from salivating as he pictured what was soon to be his. He seized the handle of your door and thrust it forward.

“Ha! Can’t ignore me now, can you?”

He blinked a few times thinking something would change. In the time void the bedroom had become, everything stayed the same. 

You were still mounting Yoongi. 

Yoongi still held a handful of your ass. 

Your bodies were still entangled in the sheets. 

You were still topless. 

The scene never changed. 

But Jungkook wished it had. 

Previous     Next

_________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading like always! Feel free to lmk your thoughts 👀

#bts smut #bts angst #bts fanfiction #yoongi smut #did #the danger in duality #namjoon #seokjin #yoongi #hoseok #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #bts x reader #bts au #kpop fanfic

[stjarnasmeepmorps]

Bellatrix Process

Maybe someone will interested? I wanted to show you guys anyway, so here goes ^^

So I originally wanted to make a bandwagon ship piece, but when I started drawing Luna for this one (surprise surprise it’s Luna guys), I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to pose her. So I thought I’ll move on and come back. That didn’t happen, obviously.

Trix also looks tired here because she’s in mom mode. My ships were going to be parental/marriage/woke up like this beauty type ship pics, but as I kept going and that didn’t happen, I just made her look gentle instead of tired.

For the lineart, I drew it by hand with the stabilizer at 30% on a vector layer. I use Manga Studios, btw, very good program. I also edited the lines by individual vector points, fading the ends, flattening lumps, etc. until I’m satisfied. I loved her hair here. I also did line her eye but it got flattened with the coloring as I continued, sorry

Simple coloring and such. For the eyes, I usually gradate and blend manually with the original color in the middle, darker shade at the top, and lighter shade at the base. But Trixie’s being what they are, I used the gradation tool for the purple and pink, while adding dark purple at the top and light pink at the bottom. Then after coloring her, I colored the lineart with the same outline colors the show uses. I also try never to use black or white for anything. It makes shading and highlighting impossible to see. Her lashes and brow are a dark blue, while her eye “whites” are a light yellow. The eye highlight, is in fact white.

I shaded Trix with black here, then changed the layer type and opacity on the two layers I used. For her hair, I changed it to Hard Light, and lowered the OP to 45%. For her pelt, Hard Light as well and 35%. I also blended the edges, and erased little circles for interest. I added a shadow gradient of black to her hair, and another, also black, to her pelt. For her mane, Hard Light at 35%, and for her pelt, Overlay at 30%. Originally I had them on the same layer, but separated them to experiment with layer types and liked this combination. It made her colors more vibrant. Note: I don’t let the shading on separate layers overlap.

Below, I highlighted with white, two separate layers again. Both at 100% OP. Mane, Lighten setting. Pelt, Color Dodge. I shaded the eye because I forgot to earlier. Also added my sig.

And that’s it. Tips are always appreciated, and I hope I maybe could help someone with my small amount of knowledge. Remember it’s all about perception. These are not my settings I use every single time. I observe and decide what works best ^^

#stjarnamenne #stjarnaart #stjarna process

[michaelfallcon]

2019 Los Angeles Coffee Masters Champ Carlos De La Torre: The Sprudge Interview

Add another trophy to the shelf for Mexico’s Carlos de la Torre! The Mexico City coffee polymath has already taken home some serious hardware, having won national titles at Cup Tasters (2012), the Brewers Cup (2015, 2016), and the Barista Championship (2018, 2019). And he has just added Coffee Masters Champion to his CV in his first-ever appearance in the competition. If this isn’t a coffee EGOT, I’m not sure such a thing exists.

Yet, even with his impressive résumé, keeping the US Coffee Masters title in a producing country (matching the efforts of 2018 New York Coffee Masters Champion Remy Molina of Costa Rica) would be no easy task. Standing in de la Torre’s way were no less than three national champions, multiple finalists, and two Coffee Masters Runners-Up. But even as a rookie, de la Torre was able to call upon his vast competition experience to rise to the occasion, even mowing down two of those national champions along the way.

To learn more, Sprudge caught up with Carlos de la Torre after his big win to find out what the fast-paced weekend was like and what’s next in store for him.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Hey Carlos! Congratulations on your Coffee Masters victory! By way of introduction, can you tell us a little bit about what you professionally in the coffee world?

I’m the green buyer and head roaster at Cafe con Jiribilla and I’m in charge of Quality Control and Training at Café Avellaneda, both in Mexico City. I have an oncoming Cold Brew project and I run the coffee program for the new bar Cafe Ocampo. I’m also the current Mexican Barista Champion and I’ve been involved constantly in barista competitions as a competitor and coach for other baristas, and randomly I give some workshops and lectures on coffee.

As an experienced coffee competition veteran, what was it like competing in your first Coffee Masters?

It was an amazing experience. Even before I knew I won the competition I was saying to my wife, “I guess I’m not winning, but it was a lot of fun, I’m going to try again next year.” But now I guess there’s no Coffee Masters for me in the future at least as a competitor.

How did it compare to other coffee competitions?

It has long performance times with the big stress of competing one-on-one, so it demands a lot of energy and focus. I was so tired after it all that I didn’t even go out to celebrate, just a quick takeaway dinner before going straight to bed. But the most notable difference is not just the variety of abilities that the competitors need to display, but the fact of having the competitors perform against each other under the same circumstances, which removes a lot of advantages some competitors may have; it’s all up to the skills and knowledge inherent to the competitors.

Do you feel like your extensive competition experience (and success) gave you a leg up in Coffee Masters?

Yes, for sure. I was already a national champion in Cup Tasters, Brewers Cup, and Barista, which relates directly with the cupping, order, sig drink, espresso blend, and brewing disciplines at Coffee Masters, so it was sort of familiar to me and I guess that helped me a lot. On the other, I have almost no experience at cupping various origins or presenting latte art.

There were a handful of other national champions at Coffee Masters this year. Was it intimidating going up against such accomplished competitors?

For sure it was intimidating. Since Round One I was asking myself, “what the hell am I doing here?” I heard a lot of great things from Cole Torode about the competition when we hung out in China at the Fushan Cup last summer, and that inspired me to compete but I never expected to face him in the Semi-Finals. I was just scared as hell since he is not just the third-best barista in the world but one of the professionals I admire the most. Then Shin [Fukuyama] at the Finals, man!! He is a latte art god (fourth in the world) from a prestigious company and he trained so hard. Obviously I was so intimidated by every competitor and I respect them A LOT, but they were very friendly and supportive with me because it was my first time and they had more experience in Coffee Masters, so it made for a good friendship.

What was your favorite discipline in Coffee Masters?

I guess it was the cupping, I’ve always loved the rush of combining speed and precision in a competition.

What was the most challenging discipline?

I guess the origin because I have so few experiences cupping non-Mexican coffees.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your signature beverage?

It was a cocktail with “overnight espresso,” made with tamarind, lemon, Sotol (a Mexican distilled spirit), and gin. So refreshing, complex, spicy, and harmonious that I couldn’t resist to drink one with the judges so I crafted one for me too.

It’s actually a cocktail I created a while ago, thinking about giving “second chances” to the espresso that some times you don’t use when serving single shot drinks using a double spout portafilter, or just the coffee you forgot to drink at home and is “overnighted.” We used to have a lot of those espressos at the coffee shop and we would throw them into the sink, so this cocktail is crafted with stuff you can find at any party or in some fridges very easily; it’s almost a cocktail built from scratch turning a wasted espresso into an amazing drink.

Originally about recycling “overnight coffee,” for Coffee Masters we turned it into a concept drink using some Mexican ingredients representing the L.A. Mexican and Latin culture and also the second chances we look for when migrating to the US. Actually, that was part of bringing the ingredients across the border by car haha; we really wanted to build the experience of the drink and believe the story ourselves. For me, it was a very meaningful drink because it connected my passion, my origin, and my family (my wife is from Chihuahua, and that’s where Sotol comes from).

And more importantly, where did you get that wonderful pink silk robe in the video and will it a regular part of future competitions for you?

Hahaha! It’s my wife’s robe, I got it as a gift for her when I went away from home for two weeks to help out at Coffee in Good Spirits at the International Coffee Week last year. I don’t know if it’s taking part in competitions hahaha but surely in more funny coffee videos I’ll be borrowing it from her.

How does this win compare to your national competition victories?

It’s unbelievable, the warmth of an international audience giving you recognition as a well-structured professional in a field in which you have invested a third of your life in some way gives you a big satisfaction, but not quite as satisfying as having the opportunity to give a bit of exposure to Mexico and Latin America, not just as producing countries but also as consuming ones.

Any big plans on what you will do with the $5,000 cash prize?

Yeah!! I’m going to use it for the birth expenses of my son and the remaining cash I’ll use it for my road to WBC in Melbourne, maybe equipment, tools, or some training expenses.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

The other half of my success in coffee, Yaris Barrientos who supported me all the way, giving me advice, tasting, helping with stuff I may not be able to handle alone, even when she is currently having some difficult time expecting our first son. No one can read me better than her, she’s a wonderful woman and an amazing coach struggling with the fact that she cannot actually drink a lot of coffee or any alcohol. But she has that super-sensitive nose that her pregnancy gave to her as a very helpful side effect hahaha.

I also want to thank Cris Mancilla (Mexican Latte Art Champion) and Ale Lugo (two-time Latte Art finalist and Brewers Cup Runner-Up) who helped me improve my pouring. And last but not least, Sam Ronzon, my friend and coffee producer who supported us a lot during the competition days, showing that the relation between baristas and producers is not just about coffee; it’s not meant to be just a business relation but a great friendship supporting each other, not just as professionals but as human beings in regular everyday circumstances… and also, Sam smuggled my ingredients across the border.

Thanks, Carlos!

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Photos courtesy of Los Angeles Coffee Festival/Coffee Masters

The post 2019 Los Angeles Coffee Masters Champ Carlos De La Torre: The Sprudge Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

2019 Los Angeles Coffee Masters Champ Carlos De La Torre: The Sprudge Interview published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[shebreathesslowly]

2019 Los Angeles Coffee Masters Champ Carlos De La Torre: The Sprudge Interview

Add another trophy to the shelf for Mexico’s Carlos de la Torre! The Mexico City coffee polymath has already taken home some serious hardware, having won national titles at Cup Tasters (2012), the Brewers Cup (2015, 2016), and the Barista Championship (2018, 2019). And he has just added Coffee Masters Champion to his CV in his first-ever appearance in the competition. If this isn’t a coffee EGOT, I’m not sure such a thing exists.

Yet, even with his impressive résumé, keeping the US Coffee Masters title in a producing country (matching the efforts of 2018 New York Coffee Masters Champion Remy Molina of Costa Rica) would be no easy task. Standing in de la Torre’s way were no less than three national champions, multiple finalists, and two Coffee Masters Runners-Up. But even as a rookie, de la Torre was able to call upon his vast competition experience to rise to the occasion, even mowing down two of those national champions along the way.

To learn more, Sprudge caught up with Carlos de la Torre after his big win to find out what the fast-paced weekend was like and what’s next in store for him.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Hey Carlos! Congratulations on your Coffee Masters victory! By way of introduction, can you tell us a little bit about what you professionally in the coffee world?

I’m the green buyer and head roaster at Cafe con Jiribilla and I’m in charge of Quality Control and Training at Café Avellaneda, both in Mexico City. I have an oncoming Cold Brew project and I run the coffee program for the new bar Cafe Ocampo. I’m also the current Mexican Barista Champion and I’ve been involved constantly in barista competitions as a competitor and coach for other baristas, and randomly I give some workshops and lectures on coffee.

As an experienced coffee competition veteran, what was it like competing in your first Coffee Masters?

It was an amazing experience. Even before I knew I won the competition I was saying to my wife, “I guess I’m not winning, but it was a lot of fun, I’m going to try again next year.” But now I guess there’s no Coffee Masters for me in the future at least as a competitor.

How did it compare to other coffee competitions?

It has long performance times with the big stress of competing one-on-one, so it demands a lot of energy and focus. I was so tired after it all that I didn’t even go out to celebrate, just a quick takeaway dinner before going straight to bed. But the most notable difference is not just the variety of abilities that the competitors need to display, but the fact of having the competitors perform against each other under the same circumstances, which removes a lot of advantages some competitors may have; it’s all up to the skills and knowledge inherent to the competitors.

Do you feel like your extensive competition experience (and success) gave you a leg up in Coffee Masters?

Yes, for sure. I was already a national champion in Cup Tasters, Brewers Cup, and Barista, which relates directly with the cupping, order, sig drink, espresso blend, and brewing disciplines at Coffee Masters, so it was sort of familiar to me and I guess that helped me a lot. On the other, I have almost no experience at cupping various origins or presenting latte art.

There were a handful of other national champions at Coffee Masters this year. Was it intimidating going up against such accomplished competitors?

For sure it was intimidating. Since Round One I was asking myself, “what the hell am I doing here?” I heard a lot of great things from Cole Torode about the competition when we hung out in China at the Fushan Cup last summer, and that inspired me to compete but I never expected to face him in the Semi-Finals. I was just scared as hell since he is not just the third-best barista in the world but one of the professionals I admire the most. Then Shin [Fukuyama] at the Finals, man!! He is a latte art god (fourth in the world) from a prestigious company and he trained so hard. Obviously I was so intimidated by every competitor and I respect them A LOT, but they were very friendly and supportive with me because it was my first time and they had more experience in Coffee Masters, so it made for a good friendship.

What was your favorite discipline in Coffee Masters?

I guess it was the cupping, I’ve always loved the rush of combining speed and precision in a competition.

What was the most challenging discipline?

I guess the origin because I have so few experiences cupping non-Mexican coffees.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your signature beverage?

It was a cocktail with “overnight espresso,” made with tamarind, lemon, Sotol (a Mexican distilled spirit), and gin. So refreshing, complex, spicy, and harmonious that I couldn’t resist to drink one with the judges so I crafted one for me too.

It’s actually a cocktail I created a while ago, thinking about giving “second chances” to the espresso that some times you don’t use when serving single shot drinks using a double spout portafilter, or just the coffee you forgot to drink at home and is “overnighted.” We used to have a lot of those espressos at the coffee shop and we would throw them into the sink, so this cocktail is crafted with stuff you can find at any party or in some fridges very easily; it’s almost a cocktail built from scratch turning a wasted espresso into an amazing drink.

Originally about recycling “overnight coffee,” for Coffee Masters we turned it into a concept drink using some Mexican ingredients representing the L.A. Mexican and Latin culture and also the second chances we look for when migrating to the US. Actually, that was part of bringing the ingredients across the border by car haha; we really wanted to build the experience of the drink and believe the story ourselves. For me, it was a very meaningful drink because it connected my passion, my origin, and my family (my wife is from Chihuahua, and that’s where Sotol comes from).

And more importantly, where did you get that wonderful pink silk robe in the video and will it a regular part of future competitions for you?

Hahaha! It’s my wife’s robe, I got it as a gift for her when I went away from home for two weeks to help out at Coffee in Good Spirits at the International Coffee Week last year. I don’t know if it’s taking part in competitions hahaha but surely in more funny coffee videos I’ll be borrowing it from her.

How does this win compare to your national competition victories?

It’s unbelievable, the warmth of an international audience giving you recognition as a well-structured professional in a field in which you have invested a third of your life in some way gives you a big satisfaction, but not quite as satisfying as having the opportunity to give a bit of exposure to Mexico and Latin America, not just as producing countries but also as consuming ones.

Any big plans on what you will do with the $5,000 cash prize?

Yeah!! I’m going to use it for the birth expenses of my son and the remaining cash I’ll use it for my road to WBC in Melbourne, maybe equipment, tools, or some training expenses.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank?

The other half of my success in coffee, Yaris Barrientos who supported me all the way, giving me advice, tasting, helping with stuff I may not be able to handle alone, even when she is currently having some difficult time expecting our first son. No one can read me better than her, she’s a wonderful woman and an amazing coach struggling with the fact that she cannot actually drink a lot of coffee or any alcohol. But she has that super-sensitive nose that her pregnancy gave to her as a very helpful side effect hahaha.

I also want to thank Cris Mancilla (Mexican Latte Art Champion) and Ale Lugo (two-time Latte Art finalist and Brewers Cup Runner-Up) who helped me improve my pouring. And last but not least, Sam Ronzon, my friend and coffee producer who supported us a lot during the competition days, showing that the relation between baristas and producers is not just about coffee; it’s not meant to be just a business relation but a great friendship supporting each other, not just as professionals but as human beings in regular everyday circumstances… and also, Sam smuggled my ingredients across the border.

Thanks, Carlos!

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

Photos courtesy of Los Angeles Coffee Festival/Coffee Masters

The post 2019 Los Angeles Coffee Masters Champ Carlos De La Torre: The Sprudge Interview appeared first on Sprudge.

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#Sprudge

[bluntforcetanya]

#europaorlando - Another weekend that left me vibing so high. Every time I do one of these things I get a little tighter with people I am still fucking amazed to be able to call literal friends & the little pocket I've burrowed into this space is something I hold tight to. . @joeyditaliano I'm still wicked salty I forgot to get us a pic before we left bc that left a big hole in this post, I already told you a chapter's worth about how happy I was to help you out, I guess it worked out perfect that I came down solo bc that opportunity was the highlight of the weekend tbh. #theuniverseconspires🙏 . ➡️Got to see @jerrywardii again & bring him a gift I found that morning that I HAD to get🤘➡️ . ➡️@paulrevelia & @stephenbeaugrand let me roll around the expo with them while they were there since I was solo➡️ . ➡️Finally got to talk to @krisgethin, was at his seminar in Vegas in 2016 but didn't want to participate in the mini-mob that happened to him after, so I redeemed it this time➡️ . ➡️Got to meet @chrisruden & talk some real shit - what a comfortable vibe, I appreciate you, wish I coulda found you after I got a shirt for sigs & also another pic I look better in bc wow I edited that one so harddd, I REALLY wanted it included tho!!➡️ . ➡️Sig collection as always✒ how long til I get this shirt in a frame?! I JUST framed my Olympia 2k16 one🙄 . Til next time✌ My heart is smiling♡ (at Orange County Convention Center)

#theuniverseconspires🙏 #europaorlando

[seiokou]

Confession

I decided to post this here even tho I'm almost never on here anymore, idk where else I can post this where it won't get seen by those I don't want to bother by seeing this, but putting it in a note on my phone is nowhere near as solid or satisfying for getting this off my chest. So, here goes nothing:

I'm dealing with some serious fucking meltdowns recently, p much on and off way too often all day every day, along with just lack of interest in everything, things I enjoy, everyday functions that keep me alive, existing, friends, etc. To top things off, I'm way more in love with someone than I should be considering only just recently getting them back in my life after dropping them for being toxic so many years ago, and it's tearing me apart... Sometimes they say things that simultaneously make my heart jump so happily for even insinuating, and making my heart collapse painfully for the same reasons. They're practically completely devoid of emotion these days, which has made them so much more safe and functional as a human being compared to who they used to be, but because of this everything I want emotionally from them basically impossible, to top it off they're a huge recluse these days and super busy, so extra impossible there... They're not that great with communication most the time with serious convos, esp when super busy, go out of their way to help those important to them, and also refuse fervently help from others even tho they hate having to take care of so much in their life.

That being said, I don't feel I have the right to love them or bother them with it, between how much they're already busy with and how many already demand so much of their time, plus I'm still failing at fixing myself and becoming happy with/liking myself so I'm not a healthy sig other atm anyways. Even so, I still just wanna tell them I love them even tho I hate myself for loving them for so many stupid reasons. I want my love returned, I want to feel I'm good enough to be loved by someone I love again, I want to be with this person who would prob be the healthiest relationship I've EVER been in, even I'm sabotaging myself but I'm not the only one.

I kinda briefly mentioned to them in one of my breakdowns that the lack of contact recently was really hurting me and that I thought I wanted to be with them, but he said we couldn't be together for a multitude of reasons in both our lives, and I still need to care for myself rn anyways. Even tho they rejected me, things they've said often make me feel they want me too, in a strange rational way that makes their interests kinda vague/confusing. Telling me if I was in a more stable place they would've asked me out by now, saying they love me nonchalantly at timed but often come off possibly sarcastic/condescending, and various other similarly vague stuff as such. I love hearing such personal and affectionate things aside from the condescending/sarcastic ones, but at the same time it's fucking tearing me apart...

I want more than anything than to confess all this to them, but I'm also terrified it would only make them more distant and make me feel shittier about it than I already do. I was doing okayish with keeping this to myself before, but my recent severe decrease in already dangerous levels of mental health have only made this that much harder to handle. I almost said something to them multiple times in the past few days during my meltdowns, and this time I started typing it to send it to them, so I decided to find somewhere I could just vent all this out instead. I can barely handle the amount of distance there is between us as it is atm, if I managed to make it worse I'd fucking kill myself.

Lastly, I blame myself for a lot of things aswell, so I think if I told them that they'd also grow distant to try and help me feel better too fearing they were what was making me so bad when they're not. I blame myself for a lot of they're past struggles, I blame myself for not being there when fucked up human interactions sculpted them into the emotionally numb being they are now and how much they've given up on emotions, trust, and relationships, and I blame myself for they're intense need to take care of others when they already have too much going on because they couldn't say no to anything. I even blame myself for falling for them again after all this time, leading myself on, and hoping my love could get them to love me back, while simultaneously repressing myself and telling myself I don't love them.

Clearly I'm not healthy enough yet for a healthy functioning relationship, so I shouldn't do anything about it anyways, but recently keeping this to myself feels like I'm killing myself, it physically hurts just as much as it does emotionally, so have a long obnoxious vent about all my lame human issues recently, Tumblr. Hopefully this'll help me at least slightly struggle through all these awful feelings by getting them off my chest. :"3

Edit: forgot to mention that I also blame myself for not being capable of being happily together with this person now, because I wussied out and gave up and dropped them out of my life, instead of sticking to it and supporting them till they healthily grew into a better stable mature person. Yes I know all my self hatred over this shit is stupid and irrational, so is all of my shit with the rest of my life, but being self-aware doesn't stop me from being this way, it only makes it that much more frustrating and soul crushing.