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#Titling this like the fic so that hopefully people who liked part one and two will see it and know what’s going on with the update schedule
finntheehumaneater · 8 months
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An Ego Thing {not a part of the fic just talking about when part three will be out}
WHY THE ACTUAL FUCK DID I WAKE UP TO 99+ NOTIFICATIONS ON THIS STUPID WEBSITE.
okay, so—good morning/afternoon/night, first of all (it’s like 7:20 for me right now)
and I have a very odd update schedule for anything, which is—I post a lot of stuff for it for a few days, and then don’t post for like a week AND I WILL TRY NOT TO DO THAT WITH THE FIC, I PROMISE, BECAUSE I KNOW IT’S ANNOYING BUT I HAVE ADHD PROJECTS AND I DO NOT GET ALONG.
so part three will probably be posted either today, or by Saturday (because I have dnd on Wednesday), and if it’s after Saturday and it’s still not posted, I’ll update you guys to let you know that I haven’t forgotten, or just fucking died. (But it should be posted by then, I just have a shit ton of homework to do each week—apparently more than my not-homeschooled friends, which I think is insane. High school just sucks, man)
and hello to two new mutuals to my blog—
@icegirl346
And
@bpillustrated (I have been pronouncing this Bipillustrated for the longest time, so that’s now just the way I say it, because I can’t read)
the next part might be sad because I’m evil and like messing with people.
my younger sister also told me last night that: “the tumblr babies want the first sentence of part three to be ‘Eddie Smooches Steve lots’ “ so. Yeah. It won’t be, but I won’t tell her that.
PUTTING PEOPLE ON THE TAG LIST HERE SO THAT THEY KNOW (if you want to be added lmk in the comments of part 2):
@strangersteddierthings
@nburkhardt
@paintsplatteredandimperfect
@different-tale-student
Have a good whatever time it is where you are :)
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nataliesfirefly · 2 months
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You and I Walk a Fragile Line - Farleigh Start x F!Reader
a/n: hello!! this is my first fic i've ever uploaded so i'm pretty nervous, and i don't even know if anyone will read this but i thought i would contribute to the farleigh fics (also i'm obsessed with him)! this will be on an ongoing serious (hopefully) and i have a pretty interesting plot planned so stay tuned! i hope you enjoy and please leave feedback!!
word count: 3.3k
warnings: slight language
part 2, part 3, part 4
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You couldn’t deny that you enjoyed the eccentric summers at Saltburn. It was rich and sultry, it felt free, like all your problems disappeared, like the world didn’t exist outside of the dreamy castle and neatly trimmed hedges. It was just you.
Well, you wish it was just you. You loved Felix’s family, they were always so kind to you. At this point, you were almost part of the Catton family in a way. Every summer, you traveled to Saltburn after a long and exhausting year of school. It was like a reward, you got through the year, so now you get to kick back with the rich people. But the Cattons just had this way about them. They were so out of touch, sheltered in their little rich lives, never having to work for anything just because of a title.
You certainly weren’t rich. Felix convinced you to apply to Oxford University with him, although everyone knew he was going to get in automatically due to the immense amount of wealth his last name carried. You spent countless hours in secondary school making sure to get amazing grades, throwing away your social life and free time. You ended up top of your class, earning a scholarship to Oxford. 
It didn’t pay the whole tuition, but it helped, allowing you to have an average job to make some extra money before your first year. Now, it was your second year at Oxford, and you were comfortable.
For Felix, his time at Oxford was never exhausting or difficult. He preferred to spend his time partying, or at the pubs, drinking with all his friends. He never had to worry about his grades or schoolwork, because he didn’t have a scholarship to keep.
He always berated you for staying in every Friday and Saturday night, claiming that you always have your nose in some textbook. You didn’t like partying anyways, and you told him that.
“Please, just come out of your dorm for once. It’ll be fun, promise.” He used to beg, standing in your doorway. But you never ended up going, so finally he just stopped asking.
Besides, everytime you went out somewhere with Felix everyone assumed you two were dating, which earned you many cruel glances from almost every girl in the vicinity. You only saw Felix as a friend, a brother, in a way. He was always very empathetic despite his out of touch perspective on reality.
There was just one person you absolutely hated seeing every summer. Farleigh Start. Ever since you and Felix became friends, he hated your guts. You had no idea why. Maybe it was because you were the only other American around, since you grew up in the states before moving to England in your early teens. However, you couldn’t figure out why that would cause a rivalry between you two.
At Oxford, he always made fun of you for trying so hard. He just didn’t get it. He had everything given to him on a silver platter, a privilege of being close to the Catton family.
You tried to ignore him, but every single sarcastic or petty remark from his mouth made your blood boil with a rage you had never felt before. You couldn’t avoid him, because wherever Felix was, there was Farleigh. But at Saltburn, it was worse. You were forced to always be near him for two whole months and see that annoying little smirk on his face whenever he insulted you.
As you begin to organize your things in the guest room, you hear the shuffling of footsteps by your open door. You glance up from your suitcase, crouched on the floor, narrowing your eyes to see who is in the hallway. 
It’s Farleigh. Of course it is, you think. He stands at your doorway, leaning against the frame, his curly hair adding to his height. He has this stupid grin on his face, like he’s about to say something to insult you.
“I had a feeling you were here. Everything just felt… annoying.” He has a cigarette in hand, taking a drag from it after his sentence. “Can you not smoke in my room, idiot?” You stand up, pressing a hand to your forehead in annoyance.
“Calm down. It’s not gonna kill you,” He crosses his arms and chuckles at you. “Afraid of a little smoke?” He teases in a mocking voice. “No, I just hate the smell. Get out, you’re taking up space.” You wave your hand, gesturing for him to leave as you approach him, ready to slam the door in his face if needed.
“Oh, I think you’re the one taking up space.” He lets out another breath of smoke, causing you to cough as it practically falls right in your face.
“Alright. Funny. Now leave,” You glare up at him, your brows furrowed in frustration. He scoffs and finally turns on his heel, walking down the hallway to Felix’s room, you assume. “So boring,” He mutters under his breath, but you heard loud and clear.
You decide to ignore his last little comment, groaning and closing the door, returning to your organizing.
A little while later, a knock sounds on your door. You climb off of your large bed and swing the door open, greeted by Venetia.
You both squeal and she immediately wraps her arms around you, nearly knocking you off of your feet. You and Venetia have become very close, and she’s almost like an older sister to you. 
“Welcome back,” She grins, pulling away from the tight embrace. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” I reply, playing with a strand of her blonde hair. “Well, it’s been since last summer.” You two tried to stay in touch by texting or emailing every once in a while, but it was difficult with how busy you were.
“Yeah, I guess so.” She jumps on your bed and sits there like she’s waiting for you to tell her something. 
“What?” You ask, giggling at the way she’s looking expectantly at you. “Have you found a boyfriend yet?” She questions, smirking mischeviously. “No! No, I don’t have time for that.” You shake your head, hanging up a dress in your closet.
“Oh my God, you’re killing me! You say that every single time. Have you ever heard of, like, a hook-up? One night stand?” She exclaims. “That doesn’t take any time at all. No commitment. Just trying something out,” Venetia throws her hands up.
“Well, I don’t want to right now. I have no interest in it.” You return to your suitcase, grabbing a pair of shorts and folding them, desperately hoping to change the subject. 
You had experience in the things Venetia spoke about. Your first year at Oxford, you certainly lost control of a few things. You were just being young and dumb, confused and curious about what these college boys had to offer. It never brought you any real pleasure, just a distraction and a story to tell your girlfriends the next day at dinner.
You’d never had a real, long-lasting relationship either. It just didn’t interest you, especially since you were so focused on doing well in school and keeping your scholarship. Venetia stills insists on finding you a boyfriend or matching you up with a stranger.
“Look, I made that mistake my first year. Random dudes. I could’ve gotten an STD or some shit,” You throw the folded shorts into a drawer. “But it was fun, right?” She chews on one of her nails, watching you pace around the room.
“No. Not really. They didn’t do anything for me. Most of the time I was half asleep.” You shrug nonchalanty as Venetia laughs loudly. “Damn. Well, then you just found the wrong guys.”
“Then where do you find the right ones?” You ask, whipping around to face her. She shrugs. “I don’t know, they just kind of… flock to me. Like birds.” There’s a pause of silence before you both burst out in laughter. “Yeah, whatever.” You roll her eyes although you know there’s some truth to that statement. It was always effortless for her.
“I’m gonna find you someone. Trust me. You deserve the best of the best,” She grins and stands up, stepping out of your room. “I’ll see you at dinner!” She calls over her shoulder as she starts down the hall.
Dinner feels like nothing has changed. You all sit around the dining table having casual conversations about school and gossip while enjoying some traditional English food.
Unfortunately, you’ve been sat right across from Farleigh. You can barely glance up from your plate without catching one of his cold glares. You spaced out for a moment and as you zone back in, you realize the topic has shifted to relationships and dating.
Felix nudges your arm, pointing his fork at you. “What about you?” You glance over to him. “What?” You ask, unsure of what he’s questioning.
“Have you got a boyfriend yet?” He replies, tilting his head. You feel the rest of the table staring you down as you try to think of an answer. 
“Uhh, no. Not yet.” You lower your head down, hoping your hair will hide your reddening face.
“She’s incapable of that,” Farleigh interjects quickly. “I mean, it’s never been easy for her.” He chuckles slightly, amused at himself. You raise your gaze to him, trying not to show how his comments just affected you.
“Farleigh, don’t be rude.” Elspeth shoots him a glare and shakes her head. Felix pats your shoulder. “It’s alright, really. All the guys at Oxford are dicks anyway. Don’t deserve someone as kind as you,” You can tell he pities you and is trying to make you feel better.
You look back to Farleigh. “Farleigh, I don’t remember the last time you dated someone. When was it, like, two years ago?” You tilt your head tauntingly and wait for his reaction, a smile tugging at your lips.
“I didn’t know you paid so much attention to my love life,” He shoots back. He’s skilled at hiding his reactions and it kills you. 
“It’s just so bleak and desperate it’s hard not to notice it,” You pucker your lips to demonstrate fake sadness. 
“Alright, you two. Calm down,” Felix holds up his hands, shaking his head.
“I think that she’s just focused on school right now. As she should be, I mean, that’s why you guys are there. To get an education.” Venetia quickly comes to your rescue, seated on the other side of you.
“Right. Right, I agree.” Elspeth adds, nodding aggressively.
Your eyes meet Farleigh’s again, and this time its an even sharper glare with that familiar taunting and mocking vibe. You feel yourself burn up with rage. You try to hold eye contact with him but you end up glancing away due to the heat creeping across your face.
Later that night, you are walking through one of the many dark hallways of the mansion. You still get lost sometimes, despite the many summers you have spent here. You stop to glance out a window, marvelling at the vast courtyard and landscape beyond, pale moonlight shining down and casting large shadows.
You continue walking quietly, attempting to get back to your room, but for some reason you realize you are on the other side of the house. These hallways have never been easy to navigate, especially at night. You curse under your breath and shake your head, continuing in the same direction.
You pass a door that is slightly ajar, and out of curiosity, you pause and take a few steps back. You peer through the crack, and you swear your heart drops to your ass when you realize this is Farleigh’s room.
He’s sitting on his bed, reading a book. You’ve never seen him so peaceful. His face is relaxed, instead of the usual scowl or sneer. After a moment of you staring at him, Farleigh suddenly closes his book and reaches over to place it on his bedside table, causing him to glance in the direction of the door. He looks away, then looks back, doing a double take as he seems to notice your presence.
Fuck. You wince as you step back from the door, trying to make up your mind on whether you should try to escape or just deal with the repurcussions of your creepy behavior you didn’t even mean.
But your legs won’t seem to obey what your brain is telling them to do. You are just frozen, stuck in place as Farleigh opens the door all the way. 
There’s a moment of silence as he stares down at you, quirking an eyebrow.
“Well, well, well. Look who showed up at my door,” He crosses his arms in amusement, a smug smile across his face. 
“I got lost. That’s all.” You run a hand through your hair while shaking your head. “And does getting lost also consist of watching me from outside my door?” He tilts his head. You shake your head quickly.
“No. That’s not what I was doing. Don’t flatter yourself,” You look back up at him and roll your eyes. 
“Right.” Farleigh nods, not looking very convinced. “Never took you for a stalker.” He adds with a taunting smirk.
You let out a sigh of exasperation, turning away and facing the long stretch of the hallway. “Okay, I’ll be going now.” You raise a hand to wave before starting down the hall. “Goodnight!” Farleigh calls after you in a singsong voice, making you clench your fists in anger.
You didn’t really remember when the hatred between you two started. You did remember, however, the evening you two met.
It was your first summer at the Saltburn estate, and you were still in secondary school. You were extremely nervous since you had to be on your best behavior around these rich people. What were you even supposed to say? Or do?
You and Felix arrived together that afternoon, and after a tour of the mansion from Felix and an hour or so to yourself, you were going downstairs for dinner.
You walked in to the dining room, standing close behind Felix, before taking a seat at the long table next to him.
A tall boy with dark, curly hair sat on the other side of you. You looked over and smiled at him. You assumed that this was Felix’s cousin, Farleigh, since Felix had shown you a few pictures of them together.
He looked expensive. His jewlery, his clothes, the overall aura surrounding him seemed rich. It made sense, since he was considered a member of the Catton family. Felix informed you that his father paid for Farleigh’s education and everything else as a way to say sorry for whatever family drama had happened. You couldn’t remember the long story.
“Farleigh! This is my new friend from school,” Felix said as he introduced you. You offered a small wave.
“So you must be the cousin I’ve heard so much about,” You said. Farleigh glanced at Felix with a confused expression. 
“She’s American?” He asked. Felix nodded and nudged you to continue talking. “Yeah, I grew up in the states. I moved here when I was thirteen,” You explained. Farleigh just stared at you, expressionless.
“Cool,” He said nonchalantly, as if he didn’t care about anything you just said. “So, are you two dating?” He asked, gesturing to you and Felix.
“Oh- No, no. Just friends,” You chuckled and Felix did the same after sharing a quick glance with you. You really were just good friends, you got along well, but no one believed it.
“Right.” Farleigh scoffed and rolled his eyes. Felix leaned in slightly and muttered, “Ignore him.” You couldn’t help but turn back to Farleigh.
“So, how did school go for you this year?” You asked with a smile. “Alright, I guess.” You could tell he was annoyed by your questions as he sighed and looked around. 
“Okay, be a dick, then.” You muttered, giving up on trying to make conversation with him. At this, he sat straighter and turned to you. “And what are you, some scholarship kid? How did you get into a school like Westminster?” He furrowed his brows and his tone became harsh.
“Oh, by being smart and passing the entrance exam. Not everything is achieved with just money,” You replied back, maintaining your composure effortlessly.
“And you would know that,” He responded in a lowered voice, but you heard loud and clear.
You opened your mouth to respond, but before you could, the rest of the family sat down at the table, meaning dinner was about to commence. All you could do was shoot knives at him with your eyes and hope he would notice. This was going to be a long summer. 
The next day you sit with Venetia on the grass by the lake. She convinced you to come out with her to tan, and you figured it might be good for you considering how pale your skin is from staying indoors all the time. You hardly ever got any sun besides walking around on campus, but right now you were enjoying the warmth.
You lean back, using your forearms for support against the grass. You still feel a bit self conscious since you can’t remember the last time you wore a bikini this risqué. 
“Why don’t you wear stuff like this more often?” Venetia asks, turning her head to face you. “You look like a model, seriously.” She grins and takes a sip of her drink.
You shrug. You glance out at the lake and admire the way the sun reflects off the surface, all the little ripples and overgrowth of leaves near the side. 
“There they are. Hey, you two!” You perk up at Felix’s voice. You sit up a bit to look over your shoulder, but your excitement is soon diminished when you notice Farleigh walking next to him. You quickly turn your attention back to the lake.
You feel someone’s presence behind you. You throw your head back, looking up to see Farleigh peering down at you.
“You actually got her to go outside for once? Shocking,” He chuckles. You follow him with your eyes as he walks closer to the edge of the lake with Felix. “Leave her alone, Farleigh.” Venetia replies in an agitated tone.
A few moments later, Felix is taking off his shirt and tossing it to the ground. He runs a hand through his hair, then promptly jumps into the lake. Farleigh follows suit, and you know you shouldn’t be watching. But just like last night, you can’t take your eyes off of him.
Your eyes trail down his back, and you notice his muscles flexing as he takes his shirt off. You subconsciously bite your lip, then remember it’s fucking Farleigh. You mentally curse at yourself before peeling your gaze away, trying to focus on anything but him.
For some reason, you can’t shake the image of a shirtless Farleigh from your mind. You wished he had turned around so you could see the front of him, or even– No. Stop! 
You decide to go inside before your thoughts get the best of you. You stand up abruptly, causing Venetia to look up at you.
“Where are you off to?” She asks, lowering her sunglasses. “Uhh… I’m just really hot. I’ll see you later,” As you start back, you can’t help but glance over your shoulder to see if Farleigh is watching you go.
You catch his gaze, and despite the heat, you shiver as his eyes trail up and down your exposed body. You can’t explain why your heart starts racing or why you want him to keep watching you. You hate him. You hate him, but you’re so curious about what it would feel like to have his hands on your waist or in your hair. You hate him so much, but you wonder how it would feel to be underneath him, completely under his control.
But you hate him, right?
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wolfjackle-creates · 1 year
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WIP Wednesday
Enjoy another snippet of the fic about ghost Robin haunting Jason! I really need to think up a title. Maybe I'll brainstorm some ideas and put out a poll to see what everyone likes.
Part 1 is here
And onto part 2 (1.2k words)!
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Looks like he was breaking his promise to Jazz to not do any ghostly business tonight. Of course Jazz’s boyfriend would be haunted by a ghost that needed help. Why was he even surprised? He adjusted the strap of his backpack to hold it more firmly. Hopefully something he’d brought would be enough and it’d be just a matter of getting Robin alone for a few minutes.
Jazz let go of Danny’s hand to take Jason’s as he led them down a hallway. Robin tightened his grip on Alfred before letting go and giving Danny a sad smile. Both Jason and Robin would point to objects and rooms as they passed. Danny paid extra attention to the items Robin pointed out that Jason ignored: a crack in the wall, a mark that had never been painted over, the chandelier he decided to hang from for a few seconds.
Voices echoed out of one of the upcoming rooms, and Jason slowed. Jazz leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Robin had the opposite reaction and shot a grin at Danny and flew to the doorway, waving him to come inside.
Danny couldn’t help but smile back at his obvious excitement. Jazz caught his expression and narrowed her eyes at him. Oh, she was not going to let this go.
With a deep breath, Jason entered the room, Jazz and Danny right behind him. “Hey everyone, this is Jazz’s brother Danny.”
Inside, too many people were gathered on a collection of chairs and couches. One man was sitting upside down on a chair, his feet on the back cushion and head inches from the ground. He grinned at them and did a flip that somehow ended with him on his feet and halfway across the room in the space of a breath. Robin cartwheeled to him.
“Hey, Danny, I’m Jason’s older brother Dick! Glad you could make it. Jazz says you’re always busy.” He held out his hand to shake, unknowingly passing it right through Robin.
Danny couldn’t help but look at where the arm passed through the ghost, but did have the wherewithal to shake Dick’s hand.
“Dick? You really use that by choice?” The words were out of his mouth before he could think. Embarrassed, he slapped his other hand over his mouth at the same time Jazz hissed a warning at him. “Shit! I mean—”
Only to be cut off by everyone laughing. Dick waved off his apology. “My parents were immigrants and it’s what they called me. After they died, I decided to stick with it. Don’t worry, I’ve heard all the jokes.”
“He’s made most of them, too,” added another black-haired boy. This one looked to be close to Danny’s age. “I’m Tim. We’re glad you could make it. Jazz mentioned you’re usually busy with work?”
Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. But I spent the last few weeks making sure I could get tonight free with minimal chance of interruption.” Not that it worked, his eyes flicked to Robin who was now hugging Bruce Wayne, the only person of the bunch he recognized on sight. And, what was that feeling radiating off Bruce Wayne? It was like liminality, but not quite. Had he died?
“Welcome to my home, Danny,” Bruce Wayne stood and came over to shake his hand with a wide grin on his face. “I’m Bruce and these are my kids.”
“Oi! Don’t call me your kid!” protested a blonde girl. “Hey there, I’m Steph and I’m just here for the food and to give Jason a hard time.” She also felt strange. Not a ghost, but the touch of death lingered. What sort of family had Jazz gotten involved in?
The rest of the group introduced themselves. Both Damian and Cass were liminal as well. So, out of the ten people he’d met tonight, three of them had died and two were as liminal as Sam, Tucker, and Jazz.
Completely ignoring the fact that Danny was trying to come to terms with all the death in what was supposed to be a normal rich family, Robin was doing even more antics to get his attention. He greeted Dick just as warmly as he had Bruce and Alfred. Cass, Tim, and Damian were the other three he seemed to like the most, though they didn’t get hugs. He didn’t react at all to Steph or Duke. He sat on Barbara’s lap for a minute, too, before returning to Dick’s side.
No one noticed the ghost desperate for their attention. Not even Jazz.
Barbara took the time to point out where the drinks were located and Danny looked over the selection of pop before grabbing a coke. He closed his eyes at the satisfying sound of the tab opening and sighed at the first taste.
One of the boys laughed and said, “You’re acting like you haven’t had a coke before.”
“Nope. I’m acting like I love coke and haven’t had any pop at all in ages.” He plopped down on a couch next to Jazz who ruffled his hair.
“Have you been traveling that long?”
Danny shrugged. “How long ago was our last phone call?”
“You don’t remember? Last week.”
“Grandpa had me doing favors for him. He dropped me off this morning.”
Jazz huffed in the way that indicated she was very annoyed. But it’s not like Danny could just not do the things Clockwork asked of him. Besides, his most recent trip was fun. He’d gone to another planet! He couldn’t wait until he could tell Jazz all about it.
Jason looked at them curiously. “You’ve never mentioned a grandfather before, Jazz.”
“Oh, he’s not really our grandfather. Just someone who helped Danny out once and decided to stick around. They’ve gotten close over the past few years. He’s fond of me, too, but we don’t have the same relationship.”
“Grandpa’s great. If infuriating at times. But favors for him are always interesting.”
“Next time feel free to invite him,” offered Bruce.
The image of Clockwork in Wayne Manor caused Danny to snort into his coke. “I don’t think he’d fit in here,” was all he said. Though maybe Robin would appreciate another ghostly visitor.
Dick did a cartwheel and landed upside down on an armchair. “What, too uptight for the likes of us?”
The last prank he and Clockwork had played on the Observants played in his mind and he smiled wider. “Not at all. You just come from different worlds.”
“I’ll have you know I grew up on the streets in Crime Alley.”
“I was a circus performer.”
“I was raised a rich kid through and through, but I hardly spend times in the upper echelons of society.”
“My dad’s in prison.”
“I’m a librarian.”
“I’m a foster kid.”
Danny held a hand up and laughed. They were still from different worlds, but he couldn’t explain he meant Earth versus the Infinite Realms. “I get it, I get it. I’ll let him know next time.”
“If he’s still in the area, you should invite him,” said Dick. “Alfred’s food is to die for.” Robin was hanging upside down next to Dick nodding solemnly.
Danny tried to stop himself, he really did. He even managed to keep from saying he’d been there done that, but he couldn’t keep from laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.
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Part 3
And for the tag list!
@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew
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void-detective · 2 months
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Impending Doom
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((GIF NOT MINE!! Dividers made by cafekitsune))
Authors note: There's no fics for this man so I took it upon myself to do a service. This is my first reader x story 😭 I'm sorry if it's a little awkward!
Warnings: teasing, slightly suggestive(?, and simping
Word count: 1,229
Edited 4/23/24: Part two here!
Summary: With your soft spot for dominant heels in the industry, it only seemed inevitable that he would eventually get to you. Although nervous at first your friend helps encourage you to approach the Intercontinental champion, hopefully it goes well.
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Day 639 of Gunther's Intercontinental Championship run
You always had a soft spot for heel wrestlers, whether it be Miz or someone like Pete Dunne. You always enjoyed loving the bad guys over the good guys when I came to wrestling. So you really shouldn't have been surprised when you ended up liking Gunther, right? No one matched the pure strength and dominance of the when it came to being a force to be wreckin with.
You were seated with Rollins backstage to watch a match between Jey Uso and Gunther for his Intercontinental Championship. You had a hunch on who was probably going to win even if you knew everyone adored the Main Event, Jey Uso. You leaned back in the seat watching Jey finish up his entrance and peered over at Seth who was leaned back holding his own championship close on his lap while watching.
As soon as the lights went out in the area and you heard the first few notes of Symphony No. 9, you were inching closer to the edge of your chair. You ignored the look Seth gave you as you watched Gunther walk out in front of the titantron, lifting his head at the cue of music as the Imperium graphics lit up the screen. With his hands folded behind his back and the gold secured around his waist, Gunther walked down towards the ring.
He stepped up the stairs and made his way to the apron where he wiped his feet back and forth before going under the ropes. Once in the ring, Gunther raised the championship before looking at Jey across the ring with a smirk. He walked across the ring holding the title towards his face and turned to hand it off to the referee with a bit of a scowl.
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Each chop delivered across Jey’s chest sent an echo through the arena and you found yourself sitting at the edge of your seat as Gunther picked him up. With a slam into the middle of the ring, Jey was sent down from the powerbomb before the champion went in and pinned him.
The three count ended as Gunther retained and released a breath you didn't realize you were holding as you relaxed your shoulders. You heard Seth chuckle and looked over your shoulder at him as you raised a brow.
“I never seen you so tense over a match Y/N.” Rollins chuckled in amusement as he leaned forward and raised a brow at you in question. “So it's Gunther now? I guess I'm not surprised.” The architect snorted when you scowled at him and waved at you in a dismissive way.
“Have you ever spoken to the guy?” You leaned back in your seat to look more directly at Seth as you tilted your head curiously. You knew he had previously spoken to Gunther in a promo while injured but that was as much as you saw.
“Outside the ring? Nah, but I heard he's a pretty chill guy behind the scenes though. I'd still be careful though, the rest of the Imperium followed him everywhere.” The champion added with a frown as he propped his leg over the other with the hurt one on top. His face showed mostly amusement and curiosity as he watched you stand up.
“Thanks Seth, I'll be careful.” You nodded in agreement as you patted your friend's shoulder as you moved further backstage. You moved past other superstars as you glanced at the people standing around the hallway.
You kept searching till you recognized the black ring attire of the two main Imperium members, along with the large figure of Gunther. You bit your lip feeling your nerves wrecking up all the sudden as you took a deep breath and approached the stable slowly, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
Ludwig immediately took notice of you and raised a judgemental brow as he moved in front of Gunther along with Giovanni stepping to his side with a stiff looking glare. “Can we..help you lass?” Kaiser questioned with a suspicious tone as he folded his arms behind his back.
“Uh, yeah I was wondering if I could talk to Gunther?” You whispered trying to not sound intimidated considering most of them were a lot taller than you. Your brows furrowed in betrayal of your attempt to appear collected as you curled your fingers in your jacket out of habit. You felt like your heart might as well beat out your chest and you might die on the spot but you tried to retain a calm and confident look.
The pair exchanged a look as Kaiser raised an eyebrow before peering over their shoulder at the leader of Imperium. Gunther was removing the tape from his wrist and only gave you half a glance over his shoulder before simply nodding. The other two members moved aside, giving you accusing looks as you slowed inched past towards the Intercontinental champion.
You swallowed hard and stopped just a few feet from him looking up at him as you smiled folding your hands in front of yourself. Please don't let me look like a nervous wreck. You thought to yourself as the Ring General turned to look at you with an unreadable expression crossing his features.
“How can I help you Y/N?” Gunther frowned as he rubbed his face with a towel so he wasn't sweating as much as he looked back at you, not giving much of an expression like the other two had.
“Oh uh, I just wanted to say I thought you were an amazing heel and that you really deserve to be the longest reigning champ. I really admire your work and I uh..I've been watching a lot of your matches as of late.” You chuckled before feeling your cheeks heat up noticing you basically gushed and rambled to him and looked down at the floor as you fidgeted with the jacket.
God damnit.
Gunther only chuckled in an amused way as he smirked and raised a brow seemingly getting a boost in his ego and both prided being praised so openly. His arms now folded over his chest as he seemed to almost size you up only making you feel smaller.
“Really? I'm not used to getting compliments from female superstars but I appreciate the admiration.” He couldn't hide the pure amusement in his tone as he furrowed his brow leaning down slightly to your height. Maybe he could take advantage of the opportunity just to mess with you, your reactions only fueled his amusement anyway.
“But I'd be careful.” His austrian accent became more noticeable in his low, almost dangerous tone. His eyes glimmering in a condescending and mocking way as he stared you down even at this height now. “Running around getting involved with me might just get you..in trouble.” Gunther muttered and let out a small chuckle at the way your cheeks burned brighter.
Giovanni and Kaiser came into view at either side of Gunther while the General watched you like a predator about to take down prey. The other two men smirked too as they exchanged a knowing glance then looked back at the leader of the stable. The last words of the bigger male wrestler left a shiver up your spine when he spoke again in a low tone.
“I would hate to break something so fragile.”
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jwirecs · 9 months
Text
RECOMMENDED SEVENTEEN FICS OF JULY 2023💖
hello, hello! here are my recs for seventeen for july! hopefully these beautiful stories get more recognition as well as the writers 💝
** anything in parentheses and bolded are my thoughts that can be disregarded if needed **
🔞smut || 💔angst || 💕fluff || ✅completed || 🔄ongoing || 💯favorite
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Admire Me (Like I Do For You) || @wheeboo💕✅
↳ in which seungcheol shows you his tattoos. 
Dimple || @icyminghao💕✅
↳ you can’t sleep, so you try touching seungcheol’s dimple just for the fun of it (spoiler: he loves it)
Shave || @yikesmary💕✅💯
↳ with your boyfriend’s comeback approaching, mingyu asks you to help with shaving.
The Stars And You || @wheeboo💕✅
↳ in which you bring the stars to your boyfriend for his birthday. (to this author, i am so sorry, but 90% of the fics that i have read from you so far, most of them are on this list. keep doing what youre doing please. i love them)
Try Me || @cheolhub🔞✅
↳ you push your sweet boyfriend a little too far when you threaten to fuck his business partner at dinner. he decides to show both you and mingyu who you belong to. (oh lord, heaven have mercy.)
Ukiyo || @wheeboo💕💔✅
↳ in which you and minghao spend the day together.
Wonwoo's Tasty Cereal (And Milk) || @twogyuu💕✅
↳ You've been eating cereal wrong your entire life. Wonwoo and your niece are going to fix that.
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Fake Dating Roommates || @yikesmary💕🔄💯💯
↳ in which choi seungcheol becomes your roommate and fake boyfriend in one fell swoop. and you still don't know how it happened.
Seventeen As Fake Dating Scenarios || @bluehoodiewoozi💕✅
↳ (title says it all and i am out here fulfilling my delulu side of my brain. doing great out here im telling you)
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Baby, All I Really Want Is Your Attention || @viastro💕✅
↳ you and mingyu have been academic rivals since the beginning of your high school career. having always aimed for the #1 spot, mingyu would beat you without even needing to study. now dedicating all your time into studying at the local library, you find yourself wondering who keeps neatly packing your things and waking you up each time you fall asleep while studying. (hes so soft, i cant)
Catnaps || @wheeboo💕✅
↳ in which you volunteer at the local cat shelter with your crush.
Dating Seventeen (Hyung Line) || @wqnwoos💕✅
↳ (out here filling my delulu brain. also seungcheol does radiate sugar daddy tho, ngl)
Fix You || @smileysuh🔞💕💔✅💯💯
↳ “As a member of 53V3NT33N, I have two different states of mind coded into me, aggression and admiration. To love something, to admire it, is to feel aggressive when it’s questioned, to want to control it, if even for a little while- it’s the need to consume it, endlessly, as my fans consume and control me as an automaton. Even though I’m a member of a group, there’s a distance. Automatons can never truly motivate each other because our motivations are based on external human needs, it’s built into us- We can see when humans need us, and we do what we can to fix that need… I know you need me, the way I’ve needed you since I got here.” (god, yall dont even know how much i freaking love their fics. like bro, ily)
Gamers Do it Better || @sluttyminghao🔞✅💯
↳ (listen, just hear me out. tag teamed by the two lord saviors of svt's hhu. i really need like a threesome au/tag or something i swear.)
Hits Different || @hellohannie💕💔✅
↳ it was no secret that you had dated many people in your past. when you were with them, you believed you loved them and they loved you. when you broke up, you realized that they didn't truly love you. but you still believed that love was real. then, you met lee chan. when he broke up with you, you started to question if love truly did exist after all. (i need me some more dino fics cause i barely come across any)
Loving Him Was Red || @boowanie💕💔✅💯
↳ After the café you were part-timing at suddenly closes, you were left unemployed and broke as you tried your best to look for a new job. But when your best friend suggests an alternative way of earning money, you suddenly find yourself falling for a certain Jeon Wonwoo.
Pup Code || @beefboyandbabygirl🔞💕✅💯💯💯
↳ mingyu doesn't have crushes. he likes avril lavigne and sometimes he fucks pretty girls. but you seem to stir something in him that no one else can. without the trusty girl code, mingyu makes his own code to help you fall in love with him. (yall need to read this one. like read it cause i lowkey can imagine him making up his own code ngl. man has no self control sometimes)
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Crossing Boundaries || @wonusite🔞💕✅
↳ Seungcheol has always demanded that all of his employees keep professional boundaries, but it frustrates him that his son’s nanny is a little too good at keeping things professional. 
Happy (First) Fathers' Day || @icyminghao💕✅
↳ it’s fathers’ day, but you seem to be more fixated on an event for your newborn daughter, much to mingyu’s dismay.
Made With Love || @icyminghao💕✅
↳ joshua wakes up to quite the commotion, and you’re not by his side.
The Cake In the Back || @toruro🔞💕✅
↳ cheol is a regular at your bakery, and it's all because his son loves the banana bread you make—at least that's what he tells himself. it also doesn't hurt that you're cute. and polite. and totally someone he'd like to fuck.
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Roommates With Benefits || @shuaflix🔞💕✅
↳ initially, wonwoo doesn’t think much about your incessant requests to play on his xbox. however, when what was supposed to be a two-hour visit to his place stretches out for two weeks, he starts to think you’re overstaying your welcome.
The Secrets Kept From Roommates || @cheolism🔞💕✅
↳ you are hiding a secret from mingyu. little do you know that he's hiding one from you too.
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Broken Pieces || @bluehoodiewoozi💕💔✅💯💯💯
↳ Your friend broke your soulmate's heart, leaving you to pick up the pieces of both his and your own heart. (stop my heart, i cant)
Right? Right. || @bluehoodiewoozi💕💔✅
↳ Your soulmate mark might be broken, but at least he will always be there for you.
Do check out all of the other seventeen fics that i have reblogged as well!!
** if there is any fics that you guys would like to recommend, please do! i am slowly running out of fics to read **
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hederasgarden · 2 years
Text
Flirting For Dummies - Part 1
Summary: Turns out the crush you have on one of the pilots that frequents the Hard Deck isn’t quite so unrequited. You’re just bad at recognizing when someone’s flirting with you. Good thing Jake’s happy to help you understand how interested he really is. 
Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x F!Reader
Rating: General. The second part will include explicit sexual content and be 18+ only. This part features Hangman being a cocky little shit, a shy reader (inspired by @thewhiskersonkittens​​​ post asking for Jake with a shy reader), a misunderstanding and some kissing. 
Word Count: 2.1K
A/N: This is my first of hopefully many Top Gun fics. Please let me know if you enjoy this. Reblogs and comments feed the muse. 
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The pencil is clutched firmly between your teeth as you highlight another important passage in your book. It’s still early enough that the background sound from the bar is at a steady hum instead of the loud, chaotic energy you know it’ll morph into soon. The golden hours between lunch and the evening rush are the best time to study at the Hard Deck, it’s less stuffy than the library or the studio apartment you rent, plus you get free fries here. That’s hard to beat.
“Almost done?” One of the other bartenders, Becky, asks as she passes by you on her way to the kitchen. 
“Almost,” you respond. Technically there are two more chapters you need to read but with only 15 minutes until your shift starts there’s no chance you can make that happen. You don’t really care anyway, you’re tired of studying. What you need is a break, something more than sitting alone on your couch watching true crime documentaries with a pint of ice cream. 
With a defeated sigh you close your book and lean back to stretch, letting out a startled little gasp when you realize the seat beside you is no longer empty, but taken up by the handsome pilot who you’ve spent entirely too much time thinking about. He’s become a regular at the bar over the last few months, coming in like clockwork on Thursdays and Fridays. Sometimes he’s alone, just ordering dinner and a drink though mostly he comes in with a group of other people wearing the same service khakis to play pool.
You don't know his actual name, just his call sign - Hangman. He's friendly, tipping generously and has a habit of winking at you when you dropped off his drinks. That made you incredibly nervous even if you did like it. You know it doesn’t mean anything… He’s charming to all the bartenders, even succeeding in making the unflappable Becky blush once.
Penny warned you the pilots were the worst of the bunch but the others didn’t make you nearly as nervous as Hangman did. You liked watching him from afar, aware of how his type operated. They didn’t go for girls like you. You weren’t pretty like Becky or funny like Janet, the other bartender you often worked with. 
Having his full attention focused on you throws you for a loop. “What?” You stammer, completely missing whatever he just said. 
“I asked what you are reading about?” Hangman repeats, leaning into your space to see the title of your textbook. 
He’s so close that you can smell his cologne, a potent mix of sandalwood and a sweet citrusy undercurrent. When your mouth opens to respond all that escapes is a uhhhh sound. He smirks, pressing into your space and laying his arm along the back of the bar stool. You meet his beautiful green eyes for just a second before you clear your throat and look away. 
“Coastal Ecology,” you finally manage to force out. 
“You’ll have to speak up sweetheart,” Hangman says, tapping on the wooden bar. “It’s loud in here.” 
It’s actually not but he still leans in and warmth sweeps up your chest into your throat. You hate the way the stupid pet name makes your stomach swoop. Normally you despise all the honey, baby, or darlins you get from the men at the bar, but there is something in the way he says it that’s different. You want him to call you that and mean it, even though you know he never would. 
“I’m studying coastal ecology,” you repeat, turning to look at him fully, buoyed by a brief swell of confidence.
“Smart girl, huh?” He asks, grinning. You sit up straighter at his praise. “Why are you doing it at a bar? Hoping for some attention?” 
His words curdle that pleasantly warm feeling in your chest. ​​
“I work here,�� you defend, sliding off the bar stool to put distance between the two of you. “I’m in grad school and the owner lets me study before my shift.” 
The urge to continue and over-explain is hard to resist. You owe him nothing so cut yourself off and focus on putting your things away, but when you reach for your book he rests his hand on it to stop you from taking it. You stare at the large ring he wears on one finger, not wanting to meet his gaze. After a moment he sighs and draws his hand back. You spot an annoyed, almost confused look on his face, which quickly dissipates replaced by a bland smile. 
“Ok then. Guess we’ll take a round of beers. Over at the pool tables,” he says, stepping back.
It’s not your shift for another 10 minutes so you pass on the order to Becky and go hide in the back office until you need to clock in. Despite your best efforts you somehow find yourself looking over to the pool table and meeting the blonde man’s eyes. He doesn’t smirk like you expect. There’s a little furrow between his brows instead. 
"He's hot," Becky says, coming to lean against the bar next to you while you slice up a lime. “Probably a jackass but he’d show you a good time.”
"What?" You ask, embarrassed to be caught looking.
"Mr. Tall Blonde and Built," she indicates, pointing to Hangman. "All pilots are cocky, especially that bunch.”
"Bob is sweet," you defend, thinking of the timid but endearing pilot who always stammers his way through talking to Janet and you. 
"Bob is an outlier and if he wasn't so into Janet I'd love to take him home and sit on that pretty face. He looks like he’d be so eager. Like one of those golden retriever types.” She sighs wistfully. 
"Oh my god, Becky," you chastise, looking over at Bob, half embarrassed on his behalf. He’s staring dreamily at Janet as she cleans off a high top. He really was adorable. 
“Just be careful,” Becky says seriously.
“I don’t think I’m on anyone’s radar here,” you tell her with a sad little laugh.
“Thought you were supposed to be smart, kiddo,” she says, bumping your shoulder and grinning. “Ohhh, I spot a cell phone on the bar. Gotta ring that bell,” she tells you, taking off towards a poor unsuspecting businessman.
Friday is even crazier than Thursday, the bar is packed to the gills. Although you won’t admit it, you catch yourself searching through the crowd for a familiar face. For Hangman. There’s a bunch of military types hanging around the pool table but he’s not with them. It’s stupid to feel disappointed, it’s not like he even knows you exist, not really. It’s best your crush becomes nothing more than a way to occupy your mind with what-ifs and silly scenarios. He’s probably off with that beautiful brunette girl you saw hanging off his arm yesterday. 
“It’s almost 7,” Penny says, interrupting your thoughts. “Go ahead and clock out before things get too crazy.”
“I don’t mind staying to help,” you offer. 
She waves you off. “You closed last night and should have left two hours ago. You’re good. Go.”
“Alright,” you agree, untying your apron, and retrieving your purse from the back room. Trying to leave the bar is like swimming upstream, you’re fighting past throngs of people who are drunk or on their way to be. By the time you break free the cool air coming off the ocean feels wonderful. You close your eyes and take in a clarifying breath, enjoying the peaceful moment. Maybe you’ll sit out on your balcony and read tonight. 
“Got off late today, huh?”
You jump, clutching your purse to your chest at the sound of the familiar voice. Speak of the Devil. Hangman pushes off from the wall he’s leaning against, running a hand through his perfectly styled honey blonde hair as he approaches you. The tousled effect makes him look even more handsome. He’s out of his Navy uniform, wearing jeans and a light gray sweater that clings to the curve of his biceps.
“Becky said you got off at 5 pm today.” He taps the watch on his wrist. 
Was he talking to you? You glance behind you but no one is there. 
“One of the bartenders showed up late and I didn’t want them to be short-staffed.” You respond, trying to process why he’s talking to you. Was he waiting for you? “Penny was worried and I oh…” you trail off when your back connects with the brick wall.
Hangman grins, head cocked to the side while he continues to stalk towards you. You lick your lips nervously and look past him. Was this some kind of joke? There are a handful of people milling about, sharing a smoke or escaping the crowd, but they’re all caught up in their conversations. No one is looking at either of you. 
“Gotta tell you, honey, it’s a real blow to the ego when a girl doesn’t flirt back with a guy like me.”
“What?” You ask sharply, looking back at him confused. “You were flirting with me? When?”
“Ouch,” he says, clutching his chest in mock pain. “You know how to wound a man, sweetheart. I was trying to be charming but I see I’m gonna need the direct approach here. I want to take you out. Tomorrow night. 7 pm.” He pauses, waiting for you to respond but you just stare dumbly at him, mind blank and body buzzing with nerves. “This is the part where you say yes,” he prods, stepping even closer.
You stare into his green eyes. “I don’t even know your real name,” you finally blurt out.
He chuckles. “It’s Jake.”
He’s in your space now, palm resting beside your head. Close enough to kiss, your mind supplies. The thought makes goosebumps break out over your skin and you let out a shuddery breath. 
“No hard feelings if I’m not wanted but I have it on good authority I am,” he whispers. “I need you to say it so there’s no misunderstandings.”
“Yes.” You offer him a soft smile, feeling shy and giddy.
“Yes what?” He prods. 
“Yes, I want to go out on a date with you.” 
“That’s good,” he hums, inching forward until his lips are a hair's breadth away from yours. Your chest rises and falls rapidly, waiting. He smiles. “I can’t do all the work here, sweetheart. Help me out.”
Emboldened by his words and the way he looks at you, you find the courage to tilt your head up and meet his lips. He takes control of the kiss immediately, one hand sliding along the curve of your hip. The other cups the side of your face. You moan, curling your fingers into the soft fabric of his sweater. For a moment you forget where you are, letting Jake’s weight pin you to the wall as his kiss intensifies. 
He parts your mouth with his, the sensation of his tongue against yours making you quake and him groan. A sharp whistle snaps you back into reality and you draw away, shaking and overwhelmed. Jake’s a little breathless too but he recovers pretty soon, looking over his shoulder at two younger men. Both are in uniform and they pale under the dark look he sends them, scurrying back inside. You shrink down, hands coming to cover your face. Your skin tingles, warming with embarrassment and the aftermath of the kiss.
“None of that,” Jake says, pulling your hands down. He runs his tongue along his bottom lip, making a pleased sound. “No hiding that beautiful face from me. You’re cute when flustered.”
You look away, his attention is too much. 
“It’s ok.” He rises to his full height, shielding you from anyone looking. The hand at your waist disappears, but he rubs the apple of your cheek gently with his thumb until you find the courage to look back at him. “That was nice wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” you agree.
“Come on, let me walk you to your car.”
You follow his lead into the parking lot. When you stop at your beat up old Honda he grasps your wrist and pulls you back to face him. He brushes another kiss over your lips. Your whole body tingles in response.
"Tomorrow night. 7," he reminds you, tapping your nose lightly before stepping back. 
He’s a few feet away when you realize he hasn’t said where you’re supposed to be. “Wait!” You call out. 
“Miss me already?” He questions, amused. 
“No, that’s not what I meant,” you stammer, embarrassed. “Where are we meeting?” 
“I know, you’re fun to tease. Check your phone,” he suggests, waiting as you rummage through your purse. There’s a single text for an unsaved number with the location for an upscale gastropub. 
“How…”
“Janet sold you out. I got your number and she got Bob’s. Seemed like a fair deal,” he says with a wink. “See you real soon, sweetheart.”
Part 2 is here.
2K notes · View notes
daimyosprincess · 11 months
Note
oh my gooood tell me about cross my heart (def not bc I'm a med student nyehehehe) (ok it may be bc of it but shh)
Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it.
Bestieeee thank you for ask!!
Below is the scene that came to me that started the whole idea for this fic (sorry, it doesn't have any medic-y stuff but it's in rest of the story I promise). I have this multi-part fic about 70% finished before edits so hopefully y'all will get it sometime later this fall. (and yes there is PLENTY of spice 🌶️)
Snippet below the cut
As always, my work is intended for 18+ audiences even if there are no explicit sexual content.
18+ only — MINORS DO NOT INTERACT
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“I would sleep with your brothers… if you weren’t an option.” You had convinced the sniper to come out and enjoy the planet’s temperate night air and conversation, but now it’s silent, the only sound of the fire crackling between the two of you.
Folding his arms across his chest, Crosshair grumbles, “Don’t say things you don’t mean, it looks terrible on you.” The usual tit for tat the two of played had taken a rather sudden turn and he didn’t like it one bit. Especially not when it concerned you fucking one of his vode.  
“Who said I don’t mean it?” you shoot back, wiggling your eyebrows suggestively at the sniper seated across from you.
“Lying looks even worse,” he retorts, “I know my brothers are the more attractive options, Hunter with his handsome looks or Wrecker with his muscles and good nature. Even Tech and Echo are the caring kind of boys you girls go after.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” 
Rolling your eyes, you lean on one arm to look at him. “It’s not like you haven’t had your fair share of women, Cross.”
Looking away, his tongue moves his toothpick to the opposite corner of his mouth. “That’s different. The bunk bunnies who didn’t get to my brothers first got stuck with me.”
“Quite the pity party you’re having over there for someone with a beautiful woman all to himself,” you snort and his eyes dart back to yours.
“You’re either pitifully desperate or a rather unconvincing whore.” With that, Crosshair flicks his toothpick into the fire and leans back into the night's shadow, sure that he’s landed a blow that will put you off him. No use in entertaining your little game any further, especially not with the way the moonlight is hitting your eyes and the fire is making your skin glow ever so beautifully.
The smirk you give him over the fire tells him that you’ve seen right through him, however, and he hates it. Hates that you refuse to be pushed away and hates that you’re even giving him any semblance of hope. Oh, how he wishes he could hate you too.
Leaning forward with your elbows on your knees, you call out to him. “Oh come on Crosshair, don’t be such a grump. Let a girl give you a compliment.” You flutter your lashes at him as a flirtatious grin plays across your lips.
Those lips… "I’d rather get a blowjob, at least then I’d get something real out of it," he replies flatly in another attempt at dissuading you. 
The way you toss your head back and laugh nearly makes him snap. “Well if you won’t listen, then I won’t tell you what I think about you… handsome.” With a wink at slender man, you pick yourself up and slide your coat up your shoulders as you move around the fire to head back to the ship. As you pass him, you let your fingertips brush his shoulder. “Night, Crosshair.”
He tries, he really tries. He tries to let you slip away back to the ship, leaving him alone and his pride intact. He tries, but he fails. 
Without glancing up, his hand shoots up to grab your wrist, keeping you at his side. “Wait.” He feels you still at his side, silent and expectant. “What were you going to say… about me?” he grits out, his jaw clenching as if to prevent the words from leaving this throat.
If he had had the balls to look up and meet your eyes, he would have seen their tender sheen and the soft smile curling your lips. But he doesn’t, so he only hears your answer.
“Mmm, well I was going to say that you’re tall, dark, and handsome.”
Scoffing, he throws your hand away from his shoulder in disgust. He knew it, he kriffing knew you were just leading him on, riling him up for a joke. “Fuck off.” Why couldn’t he just shut you out like everybody else? 
You reach back down and place your hand firmly on his shoulder. “Oh, come on, Cross, lighten up, I’m joking.” 
Attempting to shrug your hand off, he answers with only stone-cold silence. When you tighten your grip, he shoots a venomous glance up at you. Before he can speak, however, you continue, “What I actually was going to say is that… well…” Your eyes search the stars for your next words as your teeth take your bottom lip. 
The sudden shift to uncertainty in your tone gives him the opportunity to cut you off—he's not making the same mistake twice. “Don’t bother wasting your breath coming up with a lie. Save it for someone stupid enough to believe you.” 
“Oh, for Maker’s sake, Cross!” you exclaim, giving him an exasperated shove. “What I was going to say is that I really do think you’re handsome, you’re tall and strong and smart… and the way your eyes see everything… and your voice, that kriffing voice alone.”    
His eyes burn into you, searing your flesh like they could brand you, searching for the smallest hint of insincerity. He desperately wants to believe you, believe that you would ever desire him the way he desires you. Or even, if he were truly honest with himself, believe that you could see him as someone worthy of your affection as well as your body. He wants to believe it all, but he can’t. He won’t. He’s not worth it anyways. 
Crosshair stares down at his boots and pushes your hand off his shoulder. “Goodnight.”
Though his ears are not as good as Hunter’s, he hears the small disappointed sigh you let out. Good, misery loves company. You and his happiness stood just within reach, which meant it would all be taken from him the second he acknowledges it.
“I wish you would believe me,” you sigh.
He gives a noncommittal huff, leaning away from you and towards the fire, denying you the very voice you craved. Just because you can see right through him doesn’t mean you get to hear him too.
Just when he’s sure you’re going to give up and walk back to the ship, you turn and come to kneel before him, the fire burning a halo around your folded form. Placing a tentative hand on his knee, you peer up at him with those soft eyes. “Look at me.”
He closes his eyes, opening them to meet yours. Hurt and hope swirl around his darkened irises.
Placing your free hand on his other knee to balance yourself, you offer up a small smile. “How’s this for something real?” You lean in and place a chaste kiss on his frowning lips. 
Electricity shoots down his spine, crackling through his bones and boiling his blood. The feeling of your lips lingers on his own even after you pull back. Before you can move too far away, he reaches up to grab the nape of your neck, his long fingers splaying over the back of your skull and holding you close. If anything was ever real, he prays to the Maker, let this be because the final thread holding him back snapped when your lips hit his. 
“Say it. Look me in the eye and say that you mean it,” his demanding tone pleads, his fingers digging into your skin.
“I mean it,” you promise, tender earnestness coating your words as you center yourself in his fire-lit eyes. 
Like a dark, heavy cloud bursting open, he falls into you, his lips crashing into yours. You let the storm of him roll over you for a moment before you murmur against his lips, “I swear I mean it, cross my heart and hope to die.”
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Taglist 💖 @agirlnamejacq @acatalystrising @baufraus @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @andrakass2 @samspenandsword @liadamerondjarin @sleepingsun501 @rescuethewretched @rexxdjarin @ladytano420
some others who have interacted or might be interested (lemme know if you don't wanted to be tagged in the future) 💕 @writingwintermoon @ghostvizsla @erinthevampire @rain-on-kamino @crosshairs-wife @cross-my-heartt
Divider by @saradika
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byeol-ssi · 2 years
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𝗜 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗜𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿!
SYNOPSIS. Kim Dokja was an average office worker who deliberately maintained a low profile to enjoy his sole interest of reading his favorite web novels in peace.
After accepting an unexpected promotion, his quiet world is shaken even further when he's forced to take a newly-hired employee under his wing—you.
Whether Dokja likes it or not, both of you are stuck with each other for the foreseeable future.
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✦ kim dokja x gn!reader | omniscient reader's viewpoint
✦ tags: sunbae!dokja, hubae!reader, modern au, office romcom au, co-workers to lovers, slow burn, mutual pining, no one dies :D except for my own will to live, (to be updated as we go)
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BULLETIN BOARD.
DISCLAIMER: i have ZERO experience working in the corporate field. all my references rely purely on research and the various office romcom manhwas/mangas/kdramas that i've consumed, so please be kind.
Seonbaenim / Sunbaenim (선배님) — directly translates as "senior" and refers to people who have more experience in work, school, or etc. Whether the person is older than you or not, if they started earlier than you did, you should call them sunbae.
Hoobae / Hubae (후배) — directly translates as "junior" and refers to people to people with less experience than you in school or work.
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SEASON ONE.
WARNINGS. chapter titles will be cringe — please don't be deterred. 🙏
This Wasn't Included in the Job Description
to be updated.
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AUTHOR'S NOTES. this is part two of the 1k celebration surprise! i know reader-insert fics with manhwa characters aren't the most common, but hopefully, there is one reader out there who is looking for a story like this. ♡
i would be very grateful if you could spare me some love and feedback for this project. thank you, truly!
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TAGLIST -> @tofuthoma @sleepydang @tellerluna-stories @azucarian @dimayeon @d10nsaint @the-pan-liquid
✦ simply send me an ask/reply to this post to be added!
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karatekels · 4 months
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TIGmas Day #7 – Yule-Tied
Happy New Year everybody! Hope you had a restful and/or exciting (your preference :P) break that’s got you feeling happy and ready to go in 2024.
Today’s TIGmas story gets me well on my way to one of my New Year’s Resolutions: writing more TIG characters! @mrgriffiths has requested a Terry McCain fic, and I’m looking forward to seeing how I do. Thanks for all the pretty pictures and edits of TIG that you do, @mrgriffiths, and I hope you enjoy!
(also special thanks to @argum3ntativ3dr3amgirl for helping me come up with the title after I had been struggling with it for an eternity – I love a good pun!)
Summary: You manage to get Terry to swear off work for a whole week to come with you to visit your family in New York City for the holidays. He has (unsurprisingly) charmed his way into everyone’s good books, so you decide to reward him with an early Christmas present when you get back to your hotel room the night before Christmas Eve…
TW: bondage, teasing, dirty talk, oral sex, graphic sex
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Yule-Tied
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Terry’s POV:
His fingers glide across the keys with practiced ease, and he smiles at the loud cacophony of singers – in varying stages of drunkenness – he’s heard a lot worse at Deja Vu before. He’s partially surprised that he still remembers the Christmas carols; he doesn’t think he’s played them since grade school. The instrument was there to greet him the first time you led him into your parents’ house a few days ago – his eyes seeming to seek it out like an old friend – and immediately gave him a sense of comfort; a sense of being home.
The two of you were spending the week leading up to Christmas in New York City so that you could introduce Terry to your family for the first time; you’d been together for almost a year at this point, and had decided you were serious enough to take this next step. You had greatly understated your family’s wealth, the three level brownstone in Nassau County, and Terry spent the first few days feeling incredibly out of place, sticking out like a tall, blue-collar sore thumb. It had made him a bit embarrassed about his own tiny Chicago apartment over the jazz club. He can’t provide you with a life like you were used to on his meagre salary…
But gradually, your family had welcomed him into the fold, once your father had gotten the stern, not-quite-threatening “don’t hurt my daughter” talk out of the way that first night. Ever since, his self-professed charms had been at work – he wasn’t afraid to lay it on a little thick to please the people who would hopefully one day be his future in-laws, his new family.
And it had worked.
Your mother dotes on him constantly, offering him seconds and thirds, he’d bonded with your father over football and whiskey, and he’d overheard your female relatives – from great-aunts to young nieces – all giggling as they gossiped about his dimples. Even your little nephew was crazy about him, thinking that he was nothing short of a superhero because of his job as a police officer.
His charms had also been at work on you, it would seem. He’d caught you staring at him more than once over the past few days, reading to the younger children or helping his mother in the kitchen – he’s been on his very best behaviour, after all. In some ways it was a good thing that the two of you were staying in a hotel (your parents too traditional to allow you to share a bed under their roof before you were married), as you were desperate to get your hands on him every night this week.
He doesn’t have much family of his own these days, but if being on good terms with yours earns him treatment like this then he’s all for it.
He catches you doing it again now, halfway through leading your family through an ironically raucous rendition of ‘Silent Night’. Flushed cheeks, bright eyes and part of your lower lip in your mouth as you try to bite back a smile over the rim of your rum and eggnog… he loves the way that you look when you want him.
The moment the song is over, he hears you let out an exaggerated yawn and bites the inside of his cheek to keep from cracking a smile. You were so predictable and a terrible actress, but he finds it endearing. You were his source of comfort.
“Well, I think we’d better head out for the night; it’ll take awhile to get back into the city,” you announce, clearly trying not to sound too excited at the prospect. Your family moans in protest all around you, but you’ve already given everyone the slip, presumably to go and call for a cab.
“Oh, but can’t we just keep you both?” your mom asks, wrapping her arms around him from behind and laying a sloppy kiss on his cheek that has him blushing in embarrassment.
“I promise I’ll have her back here bright and early tomorrow, Mrs. L/N,” he reassures the woman, gently freeing himself from her grip as he rises from the piano bench.
He says his goodbyes, and you join him partway through once the taxi is on its way, and before long the two of you have bundled up and made it out of the house and into the snowy night. You’re quiet and maintaining a few feet of distance between the two of you. He presumes it’s in case anyone from your family is peeping through the curtains, but even after you get in the cab you’re keeping your hands to yourself, staring pensively out the window. What was going on with you?
He resolves to investigate further once he gets you into your hotel room.
Little does he know that you’ll be doing an investigation of your own.
Reader’s POV:
You can tell that Terry is getting suspicious of you, but you’re trying to keep him from dragging the truth out of you. But you need to get him out of the room for a little bit to accomplish what you had planned. You know that Terry thinks you’re so predictable, and you really want to prove him wrong, and that you know him just as well as he knows you… while giving him a show in the process. Maybe you could send him down the hall for some ice?
“I think I’m going to take a quick shower before bed,” Terry says, coming up behind you and wrapping his arms low around your hips. “Would you like to join me?” he purrs in your ear. Perhaps you’d been a bit too sexual in showing your appreciation for him this week, if he’s come to expect it the minute you two get some privacy. You can’t say you mind it, with the exception of it interfering with your plans right now.
“I’m pretty tired, honey. I think I’ll just wait for you in bed…” you trail off, turning in his arms to give him a (relatively) chaste kiss before wriggling out of his grip, shooing him towards the bathroom.
The minute he closes the door, you spring into action, moving over to his suitcase and digging around. He had promised that this week would be just the two of you, no work, but you know him better than that by now. Sure enough, tucked into a pair of his socks is his badge and a pair of handcuffs. Giggling to yourself you take the restraints and close Terry’s suitcase again, hoping it still looks undisturbed.
Hopping onto the bed, you crawl to the headboard and thread the cuffs around one of the iron bars before concealing them with a pillow. You know that Terry will need to consent to the cuffs before you put them on – if he’s paranoid or stressed for any reason he won’t tolerate being incapacitated in such a way – but that doesn’t mean you can’t make them a bit of a surprise.
Returning to your own suitcase, you dig through your clothes, looking for the new lingerie that you bought for this trip. Hearing the shower turn off, you quickly change into it and throw your robe on overtop just in time.
Terry comes out, his long dark curls wet and dripping down his bare chest. He makes a beeline for you, but you barely notice, too fixated on how he’s only wearing a towel around his waist. As soon as you’re within his reach he pulls you into his arms, kissing you deeply. He’s already hard beneath the towel, his erection pressing insistently against your belly.
“You certainly aren’t dressed like you’re ready to sleep,” he murmurs against your lips, running his hands up and down your sides. His hands move to the tie on your robe, and you immediately put your hands over his, stopping him.
“Not just yet, Mister!” you exclaim with a giggle, shyly pushing him towards the bed. He follows your lead, sitting at the foot of the bed, pulling you close to stand between his legs.
“Not yet, huh?” he asks, giving you a playful pout. “What are we waiting for?”
You take a step back, suddenly shy, toying with the hem of your robe. Terry always took the lead when you were together, and switching roles has you nervous but excited, especially at the thought of how he’ll respond.
“Well, you’ve been so wonderful this week, Terry, and I’m so grateful. So I was thinking about giving you an early Christmas present…”
His nostrils flare at the implication, his eyes gleaming with interest. You can tell that he’s trying to guess what your gift is – he can’t help but investigate anything and everything.
“What did you have in mind, sweetheart?” he asks in a low, husky voice as he keeps his eyes locked with yours. Not wanting to lose your nerve, you decide that it would be better to show, not tell.
Closing the distance between you, you kiss him passionately, pleased by the groan he lets out into your mouth. You move your hands to his shoulders and press against them, guiding him to move towards the headboard, and as he obeys your wishes you keep your lips locked with his, following him until his back hits the headboard. You straddle his hips, making out with him until he’s trying to hold you down and grind himself against you. You stop toying with his damp curls, sliding your fingers down his strong arms and taking one of his hands in your own, lifting it up to kiss it sweetly. He gives you a soft smile, seeming almost hypnotized, and allows you to move it to the mattress and where the cuffs are hidden.
Not breaking eye contact, you pick up one of the cuffs and run it along his skin until he recognizes them by feel. Once he does you see his eyes widen in surprise before he gives you a coy smile, his dimples on full display.
“Now, where did a good girl like you get those?” he asks, and you fight the urge to blush. Part of the game was you being in control, after all.
“I stole them from your suitcase,” you tell him bluntly, giving him a cheeky smile that he returns with a chuckle.
“Little thief. I should take you in for something like that.”
“Let me put these on you and I’m more than happen to do the time afterwards, Officer.”
His tongue darts out to lick his lips, and he gives you a sly grin as permission to move forward with your little scheme, and you cuff him securely to the bed. You slowly slide off of him, taking his towel with you and leaving him bound and naked.
Biting your lip, you move to the room’s stereo system and put on some sultry music, feeling a little self-conscious. You hear Terry let out a dark chuckle from behind you and it helps you relax a bit. You didn’t need to be nervous around Terry; he wanted you just the way you were.
You toy with the tie on your robe for a moment, watching his eyes hone in on the movement, like he was trying to will your fingers to move. You slowly untie the knot at your waist and slip the robe off your shoulders, gradually revealing a dark red lace and silk nightgown that is form-fitting around your breasts and flows loosely to the tops of your thighs.
You watch Terry roll his shoulders, muscles bulging as he tests the strength of the cuffs and the bed frame; his whole body is leaning towards you like he’s being pulled to you by a magnetic force.
“Now, does this mean I’ve been naughty or nice this Christmas?” he asks, his eyes roaming your body hungrily.
You turn, swaying to the music as you do so. You barely need to bend forward for the bottom of the lingerie to ride up, revealing your butt clad in a matching red thong. “You tell me, Terry” you say coyly, looking at him over your shoulder. A low growl emanates from his chest and you feel a heady sense of power wash over you as you start to grasp just how much he wants you right now.
You slowly walk up to the foot of the bed, your rolling your hips exaggeratedly and look up his body at him. His entire body is tense with desire, and you can tell that he’s fighting the instinct to break free and just take you.
“Sweetheart, my present better not be looking and not touching, because you’ve got me crazy for you right now.”
Terry’s POV:
When Terry first started seeing you, people asked him why he had gone from dating a beautiful supermodel to a pretty but unremarkable ‘girl-next-door’ type. The answer was simple:
Anna was a model; You were a woman.
You were expressive, and passionate, and he knew that everything you did, every sound you made for him when you were together was organic and real and a result of what he did to you.
After your first kiss, he had never wanted a woman more than he wanted you; he was completely under your spell.
You straddle him in your sexy little nightie, purposefully not touching him, though the silk of your lingerie brushes up against his abs as you lean over to give him a scorching kiss. He rolls his hips, trying to grind up against you, but you move out of reach with a mocking pout.
“I’ll make you a deal, Terry,” you purr, fisting your tiny hand in his curls and tilting his head to make him look at you. When had you turned into a little dominatrix?
“The more you’re good for me, the naughtier I’ll be for you. Sound good?”
“Sounds like heaven, baby,” he groans appreciatively. “You can have your way with me any time you’d like,” he adds, giving you a wink.
“That’s a good boy,” you murmur, running your hands along his chest possessively. “Now let me taste you.”
You kiss him with everything you’ve got until you give in to your desire, lowering yourself onto his lap and grinding against him. He can feel how wet you are, your skimpy underwear already soaked, and curses under his breath but fights to stay still.
“You’re being so good for me, Terry,” you say approvingly, rocking your hips against his. Scooting down his thighs a bit, you start toying with the straps of your lingerie. “Do you think you’ve earned a bit of a show?”
“If I haven’t, just tell me what I need to do,” he replies hoarsely, his mouth dry. You teasing him has him nearly feral for you, the loss of control only heightening his arousal. You were the first and only person he’d ever let himself be at the mercy of.
“Good answer.”
Your sinful chuckle sends a pleasant shiver down his spine, and he holds your gaze as you slide the straps down your arms.
“Will you help me take this off?” you ask innocently, and he tugs pointedly against the cuffs, arching an eyebrow at you. Your lips twist into a cocky smirk and he feels himself get even harder, twitching against your inner thigh. “I guess you’ll have to work a little harder for it,” you add huskily, moving so your breasts are right in front of his face.
He immediately takes the hint, grabbing the top of your nightgown in his teeth and tugging it down with a growl. You pull it off the rest of the way once he gets it below your breasts, and he resists the urge to latch onto you, faintly remembering the need to behave himself. You hum with approval, your own hands moving to your chest to touch yourself. He bites his lip, watching you with hooded eyes.
“Watch what you do to me, love,” you demand in a soft whisper, grinding your hips as you roll your nipples between your fingers. “You get me so hot!”
“God, Y/N,” he hisses through his teeth; you have him feeling like he’s got fire running through his veins. “You’re so fucking sexy. Keep going, babygirl – make yourself feel good.”
You let out a needy whine, sliding down his legs and spreading yours to either side of him. Christ, he loves when you act like a desperate little whore for him.
“I’m so wet,” you groan, parting the pathetic excuse for underwear to the side to touch yourself, your other hand still teasing your nipples. His eyes start to roll back into his head, but he forces himself to focus; he doesn’t want to miss a second of this.
“Show me how wet you are. How many fingers can you pump inside that needy little pussy?”
You let out a depraved whine, throwing your head back as you easily slide three fingers inside yourself, grinding your hips in a slow figure 8 pattern and moaning his name again and again.
“Fucking hell sweetheart! I wish you could see how good you look right now.”
“We’ll make sure we have a camera next time,” you reassure him with a wink, and his brain shorts out.
Terry takes a minute or two to mentally recite as many Illinois Criminal Codes as he can remember to keep himself from shooting his load all over your chest and body; he hasn’t been this turned on without physical touch in… forever. He needs to be inside you, and it needs to be now.
“I don’t want to come without you inside me,” you inform him innocently as you get back on your knees, and he nearly loses control again. You’ll be the death of him if you keep this up…
“Can I clean your fingers for you, Mistress?” he requests, looking up at you pleadingly from under his lashes. A sheepish smile spreads across your face at the nickname; only you could be so innocent while being so fucking filthy. But he needs to keep you away from his dick for another few minutes if he wants to last, and by God does he want to last.
You raise your hand, fingers shining with your arousal, up to his mouth, and he stares deep into your eyes as he laves his tongue from your wrist up your palm before sucking one of your fingers into his mouth, savouring your taste and the little whimpers you let out at the attention. He gives your other digits the same dirty treatment, and you’re even more of a trembling mess by the time he’s finished.
“I want you so bad, Terry!” you whine needily, looking up at him with hooded eyes. “I just need to taste you first…”
You slide down the bed between his legs, ordering him to watch before you start giving him the sloppiest blowjob of his life; as if he’d want to look at anything else.
Your mouth is hot and wet as you bob your head, taking as much of him in your mouth as you comfortably can and swirling your tongue around his shaft. He itches to tangle his fingers in your hair and guide your movements, to thrust his hips up so you take him deeper down your throat, but he forces himself to stay still, letting out a litany of animalistic sounds as he endures this sweet torment.
With one last long, lewd suck as you lift your head from his lap, you release him from your mouth, kneeling up beside him.
“Baby, please – I can’t take anymore teasing, I have to take you!”
“I know you do, baby. Let’s get you comfortable, so you can let me do all the work.”
You guide him to move down the bed until he’s laying prone, tucking a few pillows under his head so it’s easier to watch you – you always had to make sure people were taken care of, him especially. He’s come to crave the attention after so long with you, he’s developed a taste for it.
By the time he’s in position you’ve pulled off your underwear and gotten onto the bed beside him, sitting on your knees. Without anymore stalling, you throw one leg over his hips, straddling him and facing his feet. You were going to ride him reverse cowgirl?
He drops his head back onto the pillow with a groan, hearing your answering giggle from further down his body. While you both normally preferred looking at each other, every once in awhile one of you would get the craving for some fast and rough fucking over something more intimate. This was undoubtedly one of those times, and he was completely at your mercy.
“I told you I was going to put on a show for you, sweetheart,” you tell him teasingly, shooting him a cheeky grin over your shoulder as you lift yourself up to line up his cock with your entrance. You sink onto him until you’re fully sitting on him, rolling your hips experimentally until he’s cursing under his breath. “Now tell me how you want me, Terry.”
“Start nice and slow baby, and go deep – I want to watch that ass as you take me.”
You eagerly obey, lifting yourself up until he’s almost fully slid out of you before dropping down again, rolling your hips as you find your rhythm.
“God yes, that’s so hot!” he groans, finally letting himself go as he bucks up against you, your hips working in tandem.
“I want to ride you so good, baby!” you moan, leaning forward slightly with your hands to either side of his legs and somehow making his view even more incredible. “I wanna be your perfect little fucktoy!”
“Oh, you already are, Y/N,” he hisses, fingernails digging into his palms as he thinks about kneading your ass while you’re riding him like this. “And you love it. This ass should be bouncing for me every day, shouldn’t it?” he growls, goading you even as you let out a needy moan as he talks dirty.  The ways that you wanted to be used…
“Fuck, yes, whenever you want!” you wail, your hips moving harder and faster as you get closer. “I was made for you!”
Damn right you were, and he’ll never let you forget it.
“Come for me, Y/N,” he commands, pistoning his own hips as much as he can – you’ve done more than enough for him, tonight and every night. “Come all over this cock, my dirty girl.”
"Come with me, Terry!" you beg, looking over your shoulder with your face a twisted mask of ecstasy. "I need to feel you fill me up!"
"I'm close baby; you gotta earn it. Make me come for you."
He's not even sure what you do - let alone how you learned to do it - but you arch your back just the right way to take him a little deeper, your cunt clenching around him greedily and it sends him over the edge, coming deep inside you with a guttural snarl of your name.
You reach down to your clit, grinding your hips with him still inside you as you give yourself over the edge to a powerful orgasm that has you bending backwards, your hair tickling his chest as you chant his name. He watches you come apart and try to catch your breath and he yearns to hold you.
He's more than happy to let you have your way with him, but he needs to take care of your after.
"Where's the key, sweetheart?" he asks gently, though you're still dazed and riding the high of your orgasm.
"Key?" you echo in a breathy, high voice, your eyes finally meeting his from where you're laying back on his chest. "Oh, right. Sorry!" you chirp, giving him a silly grin.
You reluctantly climb off of him, stumbling slightly as you move to retrieve your robe off the floor, rooting through the pockets for the small silver key. You hurry over to unlock the cuffs, kissing each of his wrists as you free them, back to being his innocent little angel. He slips under the covers with you, gathering you into his arms and laying a kiss on the tip of your nose.
"Does that mean you liked your present?" you ask with a dreamy little smile.
"Just when I think you can't give me any more of yourself you go and do something like this," he replies with a chuckle, taking the side of your face in his palm. "Of course I liked it; I love you."
Your gaze softens and he feels you melt against him even more. "All of me belongs to you, Terry. I love you with all I am."
"Keep talking like that and I'm going to have to do something about it."
"What do you have in mind?" you ask, a pretty blush dusting your cheeks. He doesn't think he'll ever get tired of how you manage to be innocent and depraved. He gives you a serious look, holding your gaze until you're twitching in anticipation.
"Maybe next time it'll be you in the cuffs, babygirl."
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Now, I *did* have an idea for an extra section to this where you wake up with the cuffs on. Should I write a follow up, or save the idea and move on to something else? Let me know!
21 notes · View notes
jigujellee · 2 years
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THROUGH WITH YU -> karina yu hates your guts and you don't really know why. | read part 2 here!
karina x reader angst word count: 3.8k warnings: there might be a swear word or two, nothing crazy
a/n: wow, another fic in less than 2 weeks? who is she? lol i'm jk but the first part to the karina enemies to lovers college au is here! there's only two parts, so hopefully, i should be able to get it out soon. don't worry, i'm also working on the requests you've all sent me so please look out for those. take care everyone, thanks for reading!
smu was home to numerous intelligent and hard working students who were slowly losing their sanity every day in order to achieve their future. if they weren’t burying their faces in their laptops or textbooks, students were drowning themselves in caffeine as they desperately try to work through the hell known as university. it’s definitely not easy for most, but then there are people like karina who make the university life look so easy.
karina yu graduated from kwangya high as valedictorian and received a full grant scholarship at smu where she is now a biomedical student with a dream to pursue a career in medicine. she also manages to maintain the top spot in the entire school while being the captain of the swim team and balances a part time job. the girl’s credentials are unmatched, you’d think she doesn’t have a social life but no. everybody and their grandmothers know exactly who karina is, and with a god given face, brain, and talent like hers, who wouldn’t be drawn to her? dubbed as the campus goddess, she captures the hearts of anyone who glances her way. karina could care less about the title though. she was nice to everyone she encountered and remained humble despite being treated like royalty at school. so when everyone’s attention is focused on something else, or rather someone else, karina suddenly becomes intrigued.
“alright class, that wraps it up for today. don’t forget, your assignments on DNA mutagenesis are due next Friday so i hope most of you have at least started on it”
as soon as the campus goddess finished typing up her last few notes, she sets a quick reminder for herself to finish the references for the assignment. karina’s work ethic was something every student dreamed to have in a perfect world, hence why it isn’t uncommon for students to ask her for help every now and then. her best friend ningning is a perfect example of these said students.
“so you’re going to help me with my assignment, right?” the blonde says, not even sparing a glance to karina as her eyes remained glued on her phone.
“ning, why do you still have to ask? i’ve been helping you with your assignments since we were in high school. but let me remind you that you’re smart enough to do it on your own. maybe if you spent less time on your phone, you would’ve gotten it done early”
“thanks for the ted talk but you know i gotta stay updated with the tea around here”
“right, so what’s new gossip girl hm?”
“well, jeno recently got injured after their last basketball game so he’s sitting out for the next few. then there’s yeji and ryujin who got into a pretty nasty fight and people are saying they still haven’t talked it out”
“isn’t it gonna be their 3 year anniversary in a few weeks? i hope they resolve things soon”
“well well well, would you look at that? seems like someone is fairly updated too” ningning chuckles and finally tears her eyes away from the phone to find karina putting her stuff away into a tote bag.
“you live and breathe tea and drama, and unfortunately, i’m the only one who has to hear all of it since i’m pretty much the only friend you have,” karina jokes.
“you make me laugh miss yu,” her best friend says dryly as rolls her eyes and continues to scroll through her phone once more. “oh, and there’s a new student coming in today. apparently they’re coming all the way from canada,” ningning turns off her phone and grabs her bag before sticking her arm out so that karina could link arms with her. the latter didn’t care much about the new transferee, not with her empty stomach practically ringing in her ears.
“yeah yeah whatever, let’s go grab lunch. i’m starving” she links her arms with ningning and the two make their way to the campus cafeteria.
they were greeted with crowds of students, which wasn’t a new sight to the two. almost all of campus knew karina ate in the cafeteria during lunch so they would always have an audience as they ate in peace. what was surprising to karina was that the students weren’t swooning over her like they usually do. instead, they were running right past her and making their way to the table where karina and ningning usually sat. confused, karina looks over at her best friend.
“why is everyone rushing to get over there? we’re not even there yet”
“you think i would know? i was beside you this entire time. but it looks like someone is sitting there already, i can’t see who it is though”
a girl in front of the two overhears their conversation before realizing who it was and immediately moves out of the way to let them pass. everyone else followed suit and the two manage to get a clear view of who was causing such a big crowd. they walk towards the table, but even as they get closer, they are unable to put a name to the face sitting in their usual spot.
as soon as they approached the unfamiliar person, ningning doesn’t hesitate to speak, “hi! i’m ningning and this is my friend karina!” the purple haired girl’s eyes widened at her friend’s sudden introduction, but not wanting to be rude, she just smiled and gave a small wave.
“hello! i’m y/n, it’s nice to meet you both” you say with a big smile plastered on your face.
“ah! you’re the new student, right? from canada?” you eagerly nod your head and continue to answer ningning’s never ending questions about your home country. meanwhile, the girl beside her stayed silent and just stared at you. you couldn’t tell what she was feeling, her face remaining stoic the entire time you were talking with her friend. you open your mouth to address her and try to include her in the conversation, but another student calls your name and invites you to eat lunch with them.
“karina and ningning usually sit here, so just sit with us for lunch” the student then whispered in your ear. you look back at the two girls and realize that they’ve been standing this entire time, so you immediately get up and allow them to sit at their respective table.
“well i’d be glad to answer your questions about canada some other time ning,” you chuckle. “i hope to see you both around more! sorry about taking your seat,” you say as your gaze lands on karina, who just quickly bows her head out of respect before taking a seat at the spot you were just in. ningning quickly hands you her phone for you to put your number in before letting you go. as you leave, you turn to take a look at the purple haired girl one more time.
you now understood why she was called the campus goddess.
-
funnily enough, the campus goddess wanted nothing to do with greek gods and goddesses, or any greek mythology in general. she hated history classes. the only reason she was taking it is because she needed an elective that wasn’t related to her major, so she chose ancient greek mythology and apparently, it was a really easy course. but even if this course was super easy, she got bored so easily. it was the only class that she rarely paid attention in and it made her want to fall asleep.
it doesn’t help that this class was a dreaded 3 hours of her professor going on and on about information that had nothing to do with what karina wanted to do with the rest of her life. oftentimes, her thoughts loved to wander off during class, and to her surprise, you are the one currently taking up space in her mind. karina couldn’t help but think about your smile, your dark brown eyes, your soft voice, the way your hair sat perfectly against-
“miss yu?” karina shakes her head and brings herself back to reality. was i really just thinking of the new student just now?
“sorry sir, what were you saying?”
“i asked which two groups fought during the battle of cynoscephalae?”
karina couldn’t bring herself to answer. she should know this, she did her readings on it so why couldn’t she remember? oh right, because some new girl was distracting her, that’s why.
“it was fought between the romans and the antigonids,” you spoke up after minutes of silence from karina. she looked back in shock, finding you three rows behind her. great, the person who’s been wrecking my train of thought is also in the same class as me.
you shoot her a wink with a smile, causing karina to immediately turn back around to the front, hoping you wouldn’t see her cheeks heating up out of embarrassment.
“that’s correct y/n, thank you. pay more attention karina, this isn’t like you”
“yes sir, it won’t happen again” karina sinks into her seat and groans internally for letting herself get distracted and embarrassing herself in front of you… and the class.
and now, she despised you for making her feel this way and decided that she wanted nothing to do with you.
so any attempt you made in trying to be her friend, whether it be buying her snacks, coffee, cup noodles, and even a whole cake, or trying to follow her on instagram and her other socials, karina shut all of it down. she couldn’t afford to be embarrassed like that anymore and she tried her best to avoid you, but she quickly learned that you were stubborn and you weren’t going to stop until you two were at least acquaintances.
“hi karina! i grabbed you a triangle kimbap and a choco pie in case you were hungry,” you hold out the snacks in front of her, hoping she’ll actually take them this time. but as usual, she just stares at them and her hands remain still by her side.
her eyes shift from your hands to your own eyes, and you could feel a bitter coldness being emitted from her dark brown orbs. “i’m going to make this very clear, y/n. i do not care who you are or where you came from, but i do not need you around me. buying me snacks is not going to get me to be friends with you, so drop the act. we are never going to be friends,” she says, words hitting you like a knife. your hands that are filled with snacks drop to your side as you watch the campus goddess walk away from you. from that moment on, you do your best to avoid her, hoping that you are finally giving her something she actually wants.
-
it’s only 9 in the morning, and karina is already having a horrible day.
“what? what do you mean i’m failing? that’s nearly impossible-”
“calm down karina, you’re not behind by much. with a little tutoring and some catch up assignments, you’ll be able to bring your grade up in no time,” her english professor says.
karina huffs in frustration. how could this happen? she swore she handed in all her essays on time and they were all done very well, so she had no idea how could she be failing the class.
“i asked the student who will tutor you to come in today so that i could introduce you two,” and as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.
“perfect timing. come in!”
karina doesn’t bother turning around to see who it was, still trying to rack her brain over how she could possibly be doing badly in english class.
“you wanted to see me professor lee?”
the purple haired girl’s eyes widened and her mouth falls slightly agape. she didn’t need to look at who it was; the voice said it all.
“thank you for coming, y/n! i wanted to introduce you to karina, have you met before?”
“yes, we share a few classes together” you say dryly.
you were aware that you had to tutor someone, but you didn’t know it’d be her. from where you were standing, you could see that she didn’t want to be in this setup either. she was avoiding your presence, putting all her attention onto the stack of papers on the professor’s desk and studying it as if it were the most intriguing thing in the world right now.
“with all due respect professor lee, i’m sure there are a number of other students who would be willing to help karina out. not to mention countless other students who speak english at a much higher level than i do, such as aeri, chaeyoung, jennie, yunjin, jisu, seungkwan.. need i list more?”
for the first time since entering the office, karina looks at you with a confused expression; she didn’t expect you to turn the opportunity down, not after all the nice things you’ve done for her just to be her friend. your focus remains on the professor as you wait for a reply, ignoring the other girl beside you who was trying to figure you out, the stack of papers on the desk now long forgotten.
“nonsense y/n, what better way to learn english than from someone who’s just transferred from canada? besides, english is your first language, correct?” you nod your head, unable to lie because the records were right there in front of the prof.
“then it’s settled! think of it as a way to get closer to one another. karina, i promise you won’t regret this and your grade will improve in no time! you two are dismissed, i’ll see you both on wednesday”
both of you bow your heads, and karina is the first one to get up and leave. you follow suit, rolling your eyes once you’re at the door because she didn’t even have the courtesy to hold it open for you. once you’re both outside of professor lee’s office, you’re about to retreat to your own dorm but karina stops you.
“hey”
you say nothing and just turn to look at her, waiting for her to continue what she wanted to say.
“2pm tomorrow at the library. don’t be late,” she says sternly.
with no ounce of emotion on your face, you turn around and leave the purple haired girl standing in front of the prof’s office.
you hoped this tutoring session will go somewhat smoothly.
-
no, it’s not going smoothly.
karina was the one who said not to be late, yet she’s the one who came almost 20 minutes late. she blamed it on ningning for asking her to accompany her while she talks to one of their other professors.
and now, karina hasn’t spoken a word to you since she got here. she didn’t bother asking for any clarification or any questions and just began working on her assignment, but you couldn’t care less. if she didn’t want to fix her grade, then so be it. you allowed yourself to enjoy this quiet time by catching up on your favourite book, but unfortunately, it doesn’t last long.
“here, check this for me”
you scan the paragraph writing assignment she had to do. with a pencil, you lightly circled her mistakes and even wrote down some comments on things that could be improved. when you hand it back to her, you watch as her eyes scan over the paper and she huffs in frustration. you continue to watch the campus goddess scribble onto her paper, erasing and rewriting things every other second. your eyes move to the paper and you notice her making the same mistake again.
“you did the same thing aga-”
“shut up, i got it” but even after she erases it, she does it again. this time, she realizes what she wrote.
“not a word, y/n”
“rina look, i just-”
“first of all, do not call me that. we’re not close, okay? and second, i don’t care that you were asked to help me. i just need to pass english and then i’m through with you,” without missing a beat, she continues writing her assignment.
you won’t lie, it hurt whenever karina dismissed you like that. you don’t even understand why she hated you so much. was it because you answered for her in class? or was it because you stole her seat on the first day? whatever it was, it still hurt. but if she was going to be like this towards you, then you figured you should be the same back.
and that’s how the rest of your tutoring sessions go. you both arrive at the library, not uttering a single word to each other. you immerse yourself in your book or in other school work, and you only say something if karina asks you. as you meet up more and more, however, you notice karina is slowly starting to ask more questions and actually initiate conversation but you always gave her a dry reply, not even bothering to look up at her as you answer. why should you? you were just here to help her.
after one of your tutoring sessions, you were walking back to your dorm when you suddenly receive a phone call. the caller ID was enough to make you decline the call, but you answer it anyway. you don’t bother saying hello, and just wait for the other party to say something.
“not even a hello? wow, who do you think you are?”
“what do you want?”
“jeez, what’s gotten into you? i just called to check up on you”
“i never asked you to check on me”
“god, you’re unbelievable. you should be thankful i’m even checking up on you even after what you did to your-”
“stop trying to act like my mother. you are not her and you will never be her, so just shut up and leave me alone,” you angrily say as you hang up, not letting her get a response in. you shove your phone back into your pocket and stormed off to your dorm, but you don’t notice the girl behind you who heard everything.
she didn’t mean to eavesdrop. if anything, she blames you for stopping in the middle of the hallway and answering the call, and even putting it on speaker phone. but she heard it either way, whether she wanted to or not. karina watched as you stomped away and she felt a heavy feeling in her chest - it was guilt. she’s been rude to you all this time when all you wanted was to be her friend. you even agreed to tutor her (though it was pretty much forced) and she was still acting like such a bitch to you. but after hearing the conversation, she couldn’t help but feel sad. she didn’t have the best relationship with her mom either, so in a way, she kind of related to you. she starts thinking that maybe you weren’t so bad after all.
-
a few more tutoring sessions and three assignments later, karina manages to get her grade back up. once she hears the good news from professor lee, she immediately goes to find you.
“y/n!”
you turn around to find an ecstatic and smiley purple haired goddess coming your way. she crashes into you and wraps her arms around you, but you just stand there and look straight ahead, leaving your arms glued to your side.
she finally lets go of you after what seemed like minutes of hugging, and she shoves a paper in front of your face.
“look! i got my grade back up, and it’s all thanks to you!”
“good. now we can go our separate ways,” you try to walk pass her, but she grabs your arm to stop you.
“wait! let me treat you to something to eat! as a thank you for helping me”
“i’ll pass,” and you try to walk by her again. she doesn’t stop you this time, but she starts following you instead.
“how about tomorrow? or next week? i’m free whenever, just let me kn-”
“what’s your deal, hm? why are you so nice to me all of a sudden? just because you got your grade up or what?”
karina’s smile fades and a nervous expression appears on her face, scared to tell you why she was acting this way. she fidgets with the paper in her hand, avoiding your gaze and biting her bottom lip.
“so what do you want?” you ask, trying to get an answer out of her.
“i..” she starts. “i overheard your phone call with your mom. i didn’t mean to, it’s just you were right there and you even put it on speaker phone so i just happened to hear everything..” you say nothing, and you wait for her to continue.
“i feel bad for how i’ve treated you all this time. the truth is, i get it. i know what you’re going through, and it’s okay to-”
“stop,” karina looks at you, and she looks scared but she’s not scared that you were angry, she knew you’re probably pissed at her. what was scaring her is the lack of emotion you were showing. she wanted you to scream at her, to cuss her out for being such a bitch, but instead you’re as calm as ever and it terrifies her to her core.
“she’s not my mother. that was my stepmom who tries way too hard to be my mother,” you say calmly. you start making your way to her, making sure that she hears what you have to say next loud and clear. once you're right in front of her, you continue.
“don’t act like you fucking know me just after hearing one phone call. if you’re being nice to me because you feel bad for me, then just save it. i don’t need your pity and i don’t need you around, got it? i’m through with you” you’re close enough to feel her breath on your lips, but you back away as soon as you’re done talking to her and you leave her in the middle of the hall with people were staring, but you didn’t care. you didn’t need karina or her pity, and the campus goddess got that message loud and clear. but it still hurt her. it hurt enough to make tears fall from her eyes, and karina rarely ever cries. she wipes away whatever tears were on her cheek and starts making her way to meet with ningning.
karina didn't want you to be through with her, but she deserved it. especially since she's the one who said it first.
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cadybear420 · 2 months
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WIP Wednesday!
Thanks to @jerzwriter for the tag!
I've got like, one or two other WIP fics, but they're currently on hiatus while I'm focusing mainly on this Evie x Aiden birthday fic. Although Evie's birthday this year has already passed, I'd still like to get this fic out by the end of her birth month haha.
Tagging: @inlocusmads @peonyblossom @aces-and-angels @aria-ashryver @lover-also-fighter-also (apologies if you've already been tagged this week, this is my first time doing a WIP Wednesday thing so I'm a bit unfamiliar with the process)
Title: [Title still pending.]
Rating: G.
Fandom: High School Story (Original Trilogy)
Pairing: Evie Ayana (f!MC) x Aiden Zhou
Friday, March 8, 2019. The day of Evie’s 18th birthday.
She’d been planning to host a birthday party at one of her favorite restaurants in the city, starting in the early evening after school. Almost everyone she knew from school was invited. 
It was late in the afternoon now. Evie took one last look at herself in her new outfit– a navy blue suit with a purple floral necktie– and grinned, before dashing to the living room. There, her dad was checking his phone. 
“Alright, I’m ready to go!” she said. 
He turned to her. “Actually… we can’t leave just yet…”
She pouted. “What??? But Daaaad, the party starts at 5 PM and it’s already 4:45!”
“The people doing the decorations are… taking a bit longer than expected.”
“Oh…”
“It’s a bit awkward to go to a party when they’re still putting decorations up, isn’t it?”
“That’s true,” her face softened. “Do the other guests know?”
“...yep! I’ve just told them, in fact.”
“Okay… but how long do we have to wait?”
“Shouldn’t be more than… ten to twenty minutes?”
Evie pouted again. 
“It’s not that long…”
“Okay, fiiiiine, I’ll be patient…”
“And I’ll be doctor!”
Evie winced. “Dad, NO…”
About twenty minutes passed, and then finally, her dad said it was okay to start driving to the restaurant. After a fifteen minute drive, they arrived, and Evie wasted no time going in. 
The room was alive with upbeat music, purple decorative lights and flowers, and many of Evie’s friends. It seemed like just about everyone she’d invited had shown up– her main friend group, her teammates, her friends from the other cliques and Hearst, Cher and her friends from theatre, the seniors from last year who hadn’t gone away for college… And all of them greeted her with a big “Happy birthday, Evie!!!”, in unison. 
Evie inhaled, beaming at her friends. Many of them ran over to hug her, a few others cheered for her. Then she saw Emma and Cher push their way through the crowd and grab her by her arms. 
“Evie! There’s a special surprise for you, right now” said Cher. 
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah!” said Emma. “Just come with us…” 
The crowd parted, making way for Emma and Cher to pull Evie to the opposite side of the room. As they did, the party music slowly faded out and the lights began to dim. 
When they made it to the opposite end of the room, a warm spotlight turned on over her, and there she saw it. The jazz band, all set up with their instruments and dressed in matching black-and-red suits and… devil horns?
And at the front of it all… was none other than her beautiful boyfriend Aiden. And she just about stopped in her tracks when she took in his outfit– an ivory-colored flapper dress that had silver beads sewn into intricate patterns, and hung just barely above his knees. Plus, a couple of matching long pearl necklaces, and a fluffy white halo accessory over his head.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
And that's as much as I've gotten so far. What exactly is Aiden's surprise for Evie? Hopefully we'll see soon enough.
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2dmenenthusiast · 6 months
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Last Night on Earth Final Part
(Ethan Winters x Gn!Reader)
yo yo yoooo I have nothing to say other than this was a painful chapter to write hahahaha :) But thank you to everyone who has liked, commented, and reblogged this fic, it means the world to me, and I can't wait to write the next installment!
ALSO the title of this fic was based on this song
Warnings/other info: none I can think of!
Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6 Pt.7 Pt.8 Pt.9 Final
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The hospital was so clean it almost made you uncomfortable. All you’ve known the past few years was the swamp and mold everywhere, so being somewhere this neat and tidy was… something you weren’t quite used to. You were used to you being this clean. When you first arrived, a couple lovely nurses took you away and scrubbed you raw, and then threw away your clothes. Not that it was much of a loss. They had been torn beyond repair, and were most likely covered in more contaminants than you could count. But, you were given a BSAA logo hoodie and some comfy sweatpants, so it was really a win in your book.
After they ran some EKG’s and a few other tests you couldn’t remember the name of, you were deemed healthy. Now, you were just waiting for the labs to come back with an explanation for your high regeneration. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t scared of what the results might be. You knew you weren’t infected anymore, but the idea of the virus still lingering inside you, it wasn’t exactly a comforting thought. Especially when you knew so little of what it actually was.
Your leg bounced impatiently on the edge of the hospital bed, fingers fidgeting and a sigh leaving you for the umpteenth time. The doctors wouldn’t let you leave your room for whatever reason, and you were getting increasingly impatient. You had received no word about Zoe or Ethan, your only knowledge being that they were stable, and that was it. A voice in your head was telling you to just say ‘fuck it’ and go looking for them, anyway. But, you felt like you were on thin enough ice as it was.
When the door opened, you shot up off the bed and held your breath, hoping to see one of the two people you desperately wanted to see. But when Chris’s large frame came through the door, you sighed and collapsed back onto the bed.
He chuckled. “What? Not happy to see me?”
You sighed, shaking your head, “It’s not that. I’ve been waiting in this room for hours and they still won't let me leave.”
“Well, when the labs come back, I’m sure they’ll let you see your sister.”
You perked up at the mention of her. “Is she alright?”
He sat in the chair next to the bed and pulled it up so he was closer to you. “Yeah. Vitals are stable, she was given the vaccine and the virus seems to have cleared out of her system.”
You sighed in relief. “Good. Hopefully we can put this all behind us soon.”
Silence blanketed the room for a moment as you tried to find the courage to bring up what you wanted to ask next, but you found yourself swallowing down the lump in your throat and just coming out with it.
“Um… How’s Ethan? And Mia?”
Chris tensed, and while it was a small gesture, you still noticed it.
“Mia’s good. Same as your sister, she’s been given the vaccine and the infection cleared out. As for Ethan, he’s… okay. He’s healthy and awake, responding correctly. But, there’s a few things the doctors and I are concerned about.”
You moved to the edge of the bed. “What is it? He’s gonna be okay, right?”
“For the most part, yes. But I can’t tell you the rest. It’s classified.”
Your eyes narrowed. “‘Classified?’ You’re fucking kidding me.”
“I’m serious. Only the doctors, Mia, and I know—”
“Oh, Mia gets to know. The woman who was working for a terrorist organization. That Mia? Yeah, makes perfect sense.”
“She’s his wife. It’s a matter of safety.”
“Safety?! So- So, what you're telling me is that you, her, and a whole bunch of other people get to know, but the man whose safety you’re concerned about doesn’t?!”
“You don’t understand. And it’s none of your concern, either.”
“Bullshit! Ethan and I fought like hell together to get out of that hellhole, I have a right to know what’s going on with him.”
“You’re lucky I even told you we had concerns in the first place! Do you know how much shit I could get for disclosing any amount of information to you?”
“Oh, right. Wouldn’t want me getting you in trouble or anything with fucking Umbrella. Christ.”
The door squeaked open, and a blonde nurse popped her head in.
“I don’t mean to interrupt, but if the noise continues, I’m going to have to ask you to step out, sir. You’re causing stress for the patient.”
You waved her off just as Chris went to speak.
“It’s okay. It won’t happen again, sorry.”
She gave you a tight-lipped smile and closed the door, and you sighed once she left, body deflating.
“Look, I don’t wanna fight with you. All I’ve done is fight for the past however fucking long and I’m tired of fighting.”
Chris almost looked guilty, not quite hanging his head, but he wouldn’t meet your eyes for a moment.
“I know. I’m sorry it has to be this way.”
“S’not your fault. Fuckin’ red tape bullshit.”
He hummed in agreement, and the silence that followed made your mind spin in circles. What could possibly be wrong with Ethan? You knew it had something to do with the virus, but what exactly? Was it incurable? Was he too far along that any dose of the vaccine would kill him? You could feel your chest tighten with each anxiety ridden thought, and you were grateful when Chris suddenly cleared his throat to get your attention.
“I um, I have something for you.” He reached behind his back and pulled out a photo frame, the back of it facing you.
When you took it from him and flipped it over, your breath stuttered in your chest and your heart stirred. It was an older photo, your parents sitting on the couch while you and Lucas sat in between them and Zoe rested on your father’s lap. This was only a few months after they adopted you. Your mother insisted on getting an updated photo of the family, considering its newest addition. You had never experienced more love and compassion in your life than when you grew up with them, and the memory made your chest warm.
You finally realized you were crying when a tear hit the glass, and you quickly sniffled and wiped at your eyes. “Shit. I’m sorry. I…” Looking up at Chris, you smiled. “Thank you for this.”
"It's the least I could do."
He stood from his seat, making for his departure from your room, when you stood up as well and grabbed his arm.
"Hey." He turned towards you. "Thank you for what you did for me, letting me go after Lucas. I won't forget it."
Chris scoffed, the sound bordering on a chuckle. "Not like you gave me much of a choice."
You huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, I guess I didn't."
Before he could leave, one of the Doctors stepped into the room, adjusting the glasses atop his bumped nose.
"Up on your feet, I see. You feeling better?"
You fought the urge to roll your eyes. "I've been up on my feet and ready to get out of this place hours ago. You guys sure took your time."
"Lots of tests to run. I'm sure you can understand."
With a shrug of your shoulders, you sat down on the bed again. "So? What's the diagnosis?"
"Well," he cleared his throat, flipping through your chart. "Your vitals are functioning normally, but we did find something interesting, of course."
"Regarding my, like, ridiculously fast healing?"
“Yes. Let's put it this way." He set the chart on the bed. “Your infection was more advanced than we originally thought. When you died, it sent the virus into overdrive and started your heart back up, as well as healed any previous injuries you had. You were about to reach the final stages of infection when you got the vaccine, which is why it didn’t kill you, but it didn’t get rid of all of the mold infected cells in your body. “
“So… I’m not gonna end up like my parents, right?”
“No. The vaccine and the antibodies are preventing that. And while you still have residual traces of the E-Series inside of you, you won’t have to worry about being controlled like your family either.”
You slowly let the information sink in, and you found that even with a medical explanation for all this nonsense, it still didn’t make sense.
“What about Zoe? She was as exposed to the mold as I was.”
“It’s completely out of her system. We believe that your death caused an excess of mold infected cells to form to revive you. You were lucky to get the vaccine when you did, or else you would’ve been completely infected.”
You forgot Chris was in the room until he suddenly spoke up.
“So they’re okay? No risk of suddenly growing an extra limb or something, right?”
The doctor chuckled and shook his head. “Not likely, no. Just make sure to get your annual vaccination and you should be fine. But, please remember that you’re not invincible. A shot to the head will still kill you, super soldier.”
You gave a mock salute with your two fingers. “You got it, Doc.”
He was halfway out the door when he turned his head back towards you. “Oh, and you’re free to visit your sister and friend if you would like.”
Your eyes lit up, practically jumping off the bed. When you looked back at Chris to make sure it was okay, he just gave you a nod with a small smile. With a wide grin, you practically burst out of the room and almost knocked down a nurse or two whilst you were rushing to your sister’s room. It took less than a minute to find her room, and while you had been waiting hours to see her, you couldn’t help but stand there, clenching your fists anxiously as you swayed back and forth on your feet. But it only lasted for a moment, and soon you were opening the door and locking eyes with Zoe.
“Holy shit,” she breathed.
You smiled. “Nice to see you, too.”
She laughed and stood from the bed, and you met her open arms with a tight hug. Your eyes squeezed shut, holding her like you haven’t seen her in years. It certainly felt that way. Just hours ago, you thought she was going to die from Evie’s weird, mind power bullshit, and now she was here, standing and talking and smiling. She was okay.
 When your eyes started to sting, you pulled away before you could start crying like a baby in front of your little sister. When you got a good look at her, your eyes widened.
“Oh wow, your hair!”
She looked away with a shy grin.
“Yeah, a little parting gift from Evie,” she said, running her hand through her short, white hair.
You stepped back and crossed your arms over your chest, lips pursing as you examined her.
“I don’t know. I think it suits you.”
She scoffed. “Oh. shut up.”
“I’m serious!”
Your laughter bounced off of each other’s, and fuck, it felt so good to feel this again. To just be vulnerable and laugh and not have to worry about how you’re going to survive the next day. If only your parents were there to experience this with you.
You gestured to the bed, and you both sat down.
“So,” you began,“where do we go after this?”
She sighed, as if the weight of the question physically affected her. “I don’t even know how to begin to think about that. Been so focussed on survivin’ all this shit, I…” She grabbed your hand and squeezed it. “As long as we stick together, I don’t care where we go. Hell, we can move to fuckin’ California if you wanted to.”
You grimaced. “Eugh. I’ll pass, thanks.”
She pinched your arm and you punched her leg, falling into a fit of giggles when the door opened. You groaned, irritated that your time with your sister was being interrupted, and turned to whatever sorry soul that walked in.
“Can’t you hear we’re busy—”
The words died in your throat when your eyes locked on a pair of brown ones staring right back at you, and the air in your lungs vanished with a shuddered breath.
“Ethan.”
He let out a heavy breath, shifting on his feet as he took you in.
“Hey.”
Standing from the bed, you approached Ethan with slow, calm steps, despite everything in your body screaming at you to barrel into his arms and cling to him like he was a buoy in a vast ocean. You barely recognized him without the dirt and grime on his face. He looked good, slight stubble on his face and a scar on his nose.
You always dug guys with scars.
Raising your fist, you connected it with Ethan’s shoulder.
“‘Hey?’ I’ve been worried sick about you and all you have to say to me is ‘Hey’?”
Ethan chuckled and rubbed his shoulder. “You want me to ask you how your day’s going?”
You muttered for him to shut up before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards you, wrapping him in a tight hug that he immediately reciprocated. He squeezed you against his front, hand coming up to cradle the back of your head, and you closed your eyes as the warmth of his embrace enveloped you. As far as you were concerned, you never wanted to forget what this felt like. How his arms perfectly fit around you, how his front felt pressed up against yours.
Too bad it couldn’t last longer.
Zoe cleared her throat behind you. “I hope I’m not interrupting your quality time in my room.”
You chuckled and pulled away from him, but the warm hand Ethan kept on your back sent tingles shooting down your spine.
“Zoe. You’re looking well,” he said.
Your sister shrugged. “All thanks to you both.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t do anything. You had to endure our brother’s annoying ramblings when he kidnapped you and Mia.”
She let out a dry laugh, idly playing with a frayed corner of the blanket and suddenly avoiding your gaze.
“Lucas… is he…?”
“Dead. For good this time. I’ll save you all the gory details.”
You could almost feel the relief coming off of Ethan when you confirmed your brother’s death, his lungs releasing a deep sigh. Zoe almost looked disappointed, and if you were honest, you empathize with her. Lucas was barely pleasant even before Eveline came alone, but he was still your brother. Still your family. Even if he was a fucking psychopath.
Ethan cleared his throat, catching yours and Zoe’s attention.
“Uh, do you mind if I steal you for a second?”
You looked to Zoe, and she nodded, giving you the okay. When you relayed the same gesture to Ethan, he gave your sister a quick smile and led you out of her room, softly closing the door behind him. The quiet of the hallway suddenly felt overwhelming, because now you were left with every little thought and feeling you had about Ethan and his stupid, handsome face and every damn emotion felt like it was ready to come spilling out of you at any second.
Ethan Winters, you bastard.
You leaned against the wall opposite your sister’s room, sunlight spilling in through the window behind you. As soon as you looked at the man in front of you, your heart jumped into your throat and it was suddenly hard to breathe.
Fuck this. You hate this. 
“So—”
You held up your hand. “Don’t—! I… Just give me a second because if you start talking, everything you say is gonna go through one ear and right out the other because the only thing on my mind right now is certainly not appropriate for our current setting.”
His eyes widened, surprised by your boldness, but then the asshole smirked and you immediately wanted to slap it off of his face.
“Uh-huh… Interesting.”
“Oh, fuck you.”
He barked out a laugh, the sound echoing off the white walls of the facility, and you hated how much you liked it.
“Ethan, I swear to christ—”
You watched as he closed the distance in just a few strides, fingers tracing over your jaw before cupping your face and fitting his lips against yours. You sighed through your nose and brought your hands to his chest, sliding them up until they rested at the base of his neck. It wasn’t a deep or intense kiss, but it was more than enough to have you weak in the knees and craving something more.
He pulled away much too soon for your liking and placed his hand on top of one of your own, giving it a squeeze. His gentle smile sent your heart aflutter, and you almost felt embarrassed of how smitten you probably looked. Like some dumb, lovesick teenager.
“You scared the hell out of me, you know. Going after your brother like that. I knew you would be okay, because somehow you always are, but…”
You gently pushed against his chest to create some distance between you and gestured to yourself. “Hey, look at me. I’m right as rain.”
If the rain had some weird mutation.
Ethan’s lips formed a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, and you could still see some leftover doubt in his expression.
“Hey.” You took his hand again. “You just snogged me in the hallway of a hospital. I’m more okay than I’ve ever been.”
He laughed and pulled you forward, kissing your forehead.
“I’ll make sure to kiss you in hospitals more often if that’s what you’re into.”
Eyes widening, you quickly pulled away and searched his face. You knew it was just a silly joke, but the way he said it made it sound like there was a future between you two. Like he would be around to kiss you and hold you whenever you wanted. But you knew that couldn’t happen. Because you barely had the rest of your life figured out and he had a fucking wife. A wife he went through absolute hell to find, and one you garnered zero sympathy for. Would he really waste all that effort he went through to be with you?
No. That’s next level delusional, and you were nothing if not a realist.
“What’s wrong?”
You blinked, realizing you hadn’t spoken for a moment, and cleared your throat as you shook your head. “Nothing. Um… how’s Mia?” Her name tasted bitter on your tongue, but you swallowed down your disdain and tried not to show it on your face.
“Oh, uh, she’s good. Doctors checked her out and she’s ready to go home.”
The smile on your face was forced, and it made your cheeks hurt. “That’s good! I’m glad she’s okay.”
Nothing was said between you for a moment, and you crossed your arms uncomfortably over your chest, suddenly felt dirty thinking about the kiss you shared with Ethan only moments ago. No, you didn’t like Mia. But even still, a part of you felt awful for even thinking about him like that, let alone acting on those feelings.
No shit. It’s her husband, for fuck’s sake.
You sighed. “Ethan, I—”
“Well I’ll be damned.”
Your head turned in the direction of the voice, smiling when you saw your Uncle Joe coming down the hallway towards you. All stressful thoughts were momentarily abandoned as you met him in the middle and leaned into his open arms, his tight hug practically crushing your ribs whilst he lifted you onto your tippy toes.
“Jesus, kid, how long’s it been?”
It gradually became harder to breathe in his embrace, and you took in a deep breath when he finally let you go. Joe’s always been tough, but somewhere in the years you haven’t seen him, you must’ve forgotten just how tough.
“Too long. I’m really glad you’re here.” Turning black to Ethan, you grabbed his hand and brought him forward to stand next to you. “This is Ethan. He helped us.”
He held out his hand, and Joe clapped his own palm against his before giving it a firm shake. You watched Ethan’s face as he winced, and couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle.
“Thank you, son. I really appreciate what you did for my family.”
Ethan gestured his head towards you. “If anything, they helped me. I would’ve been screwed if I hadn’t run into them.”
“Yeah. Tough sonuvabitch, ain’t they?” Joe chuckled. 
You rolled your eyes, but chose to accept the compliment anyway. After everything, you deserved a little praise. But then your mind returned to the previous conversation you were having with Ethan, and your lips turned downwards. 
“Hey, Unc, um… Could you give Ethan and I just a minute?”
Joe looked between you for a moment, lips disappearing under his beard as he gave you a small grin.
“Sure thing, kid. I’ll go visit with your sister.”
You said your thanks as he walked away and then sighed. Ethan’s expression was one of concern when he turned back to you, and you wished he wouldn’t look at you like that. You didn’t want to have this conversation, but this might be the last time you see him. The thought made your heart crumble.
But, the truth was… well, it was certainly a bitter pill to swallow. Something between you two couldn’t happen. As much as you wanted it to. He had obligations, a wife, a life far away from you that never had you in it to begin with. It was by dumb, stupid fucking chance that Ethan ended up in your life at all, and maybe under different circumstances, things could’ve worked out. But not now. Not like this.
“Everything okay?”
Ethan’s voice brought you back to earth, and you gave him a tight lipped smile.
“As okay as I can be.”
He didn’t seem satisfied with the answer, and when he took a step towards you, you took one back.
Fuck, this hurts.
“Hey—”
“Ethan, I—” you sighed, dragging a hand down your face. “I’ve never met anyone in my life like you, you know. I probably never will. So… When you go back to whatever life you had before you were roped into this fucked up mess, I want you to remember me. ‘Cus I will certainly remember you.”
His brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I mean… fuck.”
When he moved towards you again, you didn’t try to escape him, keeping your arms tightly wrapped around yourself. He muttered your name, and the sound of it softly tumbling from his lips was almost your breaking point. You swallow thickly, struggling to meet his eyes.
“I have lost so many people that I cared about. And I’ve learned to deal with it and move on because that’s what I have to do. But then… then you just fucking crash into my life and make me care about you. And I have to go through the same shit all over again.”
It hurt, pouring yourself out at his feet like this. But you had to get it out, because if you didn’t, it was just going to build and build and build until you couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe. But, you wondered if suppressing it would’ve hurt less than just spewing out all your feelings.
He shook his head. “What? You’re not losing me.”
“What do you think this is, Ethan? That you’re gonna leave your wife, never go back to California, and run away with me while I try to figure my life out? That you’re gonna be patient with me through the nightmares and the pain?”
“We haven’t even talked about this! You’re acting like everything is gonna go a certain way when you don’t know that.”
“It can’t be any other way!”
Your voice echoed down the hallway, and you cleared your throat to try and regain some sense of control over your emotions.
“You have obligations, and I’m not gonna be the one holding you back from them.”
Turning to walk away felt more painful than when your brother smashed your head open, and you clenched your jaw tightly as you willed yourself not to cry. But, the telltale burning of your eyes proved you to be unsuccessful.
“What if it was my choice?”
You stopped in your tracks, turning your head.
“What?”
He started walking. “What if it’s my choice? To leave. To be with you. What if that’s what I want?”
Every word that came out of his mouth was like shrapnel to your heart. You wanted that life. You wanted it so fucking bad it hurt.
So why couldn’t you have it?
Because this was reality. A fucked up, shitty reality. And you couldn’t have everything you wanted.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I am.” He gripped your arm, turning you to face him. “I’m serious. I’m serious about you, about how I feel. I know you feel the same.”
God you did. More than he knew. You think you liked him too much if you were being honest. Which is why it hurt all the more when you swallowed down every confession you wanted to throw at him, and said something completely different instead.
“Go to Mia. She needs you.”
“Do you still love your wife?”
That seemed to stop him in his tracks, because he was suddenly speechless as he opened his mouth and tried to search for the right words. Ones that wouldn’t hurt you. His silence did enough of a job of it, though.
You placed your hand on his chest, feeling his racing heart beneath it.
The words were painful to say, and you wished you could take them back. Because god, the look on Ethan’s face when you said them might’ve been one of the most painful things you’ve ever seen. 
When you went to pull your hand away, Ethan captured it faster than you could blink and yanked you into his chest, crashing his mouth down onto yours. You inhaled sharply, his hands cradling your face with a gentleness that contrasted with the roughness of his lips. His thumbs on your cheeks caught your rogue tears. It felt like he was breathing you in, committing you to memory with each bruising kiss that sent your brain spiraling and your heart into overdrive. 
You clutched his shirt tightly in your hands, and when he finally pulled away with a gasp, you didn’t want to let go. Because this was it. This was probably going to be the last time you’d ever see him again, and the fact was absolutely crushing. Like your heart had been ripped out of your chest and smashed on the ground.
“Hey.” You gazed up at him, watching as he searched his pockets before grabbing a pen that he probably nabbed from a doctor.
“Turning to a life of crime already?” you joked.
He smiled, and damn if it didn’t make your heart stutter. His fingers wrapped around your wrist, clicking the pen before dragging the ball point across the back of your hand. His number.
“Ethan—”
“You said to remember you. I don’t want my only memories of you to be of us fighting for our lives. We’ll keep in touch, I promise.”
With a sad smile, you nodded, despite the doubt you felt in the pit of your stomach. It was better than nothing, and it was all you could ask for. With one last hug, you willed your feet to begin moving in the opposite direction, and it took everything in you not to turn around and give him one last glance. Because if you did, you’d run right back into his arms again, and you couldn’t do that to him. Couldn’t do that to you.
Shit. You didn’t think it would hurt this much. Thank god you were turned away from him, because you couldn’t stop the tears from rushing down your face. Your footsteps sped up into a light jog until you made it back to your room, shutting the door behind you as calmly as you could before the facade broke. Your back pressed against the door, and you choked on a sob whilst you slid down to the floor, hugging your knees to your chest.
For the longest time, you thought growing close to anyone would be impossible. After the constant abuse you suffered in foster homes, and the loss of your friends in the field, you closed yourself off, only letting your family see a little behind the stone walls you took so long to build. And you were comfortable that way. Despite it being a lonely life, you never gave anyone the opportunity to hurt you ever again.
And then Ethan Winters came and smashed your walls down with a fucking wrecking ball.
You couldn’t describe it, but there was something about him that was just so inviting. Captivating. Maybe it was his kind eyes, or the way he spoke to you with assuredness and respect. Maybe it was something entirely different.
You wouldn’t call it love. You’ve known him for all of two days. But… it was certainly longing. A deep ache to fill the lonely void you’ve lived with for so long. Maybe it wasn’t even real. Maybe you’re just so desperate for companionship that you latched onto Ethan like a last resort.
But if that was the case, then why did it hurt so fucking much?
You gasped when there was suddenly a knock on the door, scrambling to your feet and furiously wiping at your eyes. It didn’t matter, the red rings around your eyes were a dead giveaway.
“Just a second.”
You cursed yourself in your head for how your voice trembled, clenching your fists so hard you formed small crescent shapes in your palms.
“Everything okay?”
Chris. It was just Chris.
Breathing a sigh of relief, you hesitantly put your hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the door. He smiled when he saw you, but it immediately dropped when he got a good look at your face.
Like you said, a dead giveaway.
“What’s wrong? Something happen with your sister?”
You shook your head, opening the door wider so he could enter the room. “No, nothing like that. Just some other stuff. I… don’t really wanna talk about it.”
Chris nodded, respecting your boundaries, which you were more than grateful for.
“Alright. I wanted to discuss some things with you, if that’s okay.” He gestured to the bed, and you sat down, him taking his place next to you. “I finished up my report on the mission and the BSAA just got back to me. They were impressed with your performance.”
You smiled, trying to mask the aching of your heart as you pointed both thumbs towards yourself.
“Super soldier, remember?”
He chuckled, and the sound comforted you in a small way.
“What would you think about joining up?”
Your brows shot up. “I’m sorry, you wanna recruit me?”
“You’re good on the field, can handle yourself in a fight. You’re a decent sniper too, right? You were a bit reckless on the mission, but your fast healing made up for it. If you were to join, though, you’d have to make sure not to pull stunts like that again.”
“You say that like I’m considering it.”
“Are you?”
You paused, looking down at your feet that dangled a few inches from the floor. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think about joining the fight again. It was all you knew, and you were damn good at it. You just didn’t think it would be so soon.
Of course, what other options were there? Live a boring, normal life, working a nine to five? It sounded like hell. But, you had to think about Zoe first. Because wherever she went, you went, too. Ultimately, you were leaving the decision up to her.
“Let me talk to Zoe first?”
“You should do it.”
You practically jumped off the bed at the sound of her voice, snapping your head in her direction to see her leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest.
“When the hell did you get here?”
She shrugged. “Few minutes ago. I heard enough of your conversation, though.”
She came forward, sitting on the other side of you and effectively sandwiching you between her and Chris.
“You should join. I know it’s what you want. And I can take care of myself while you’re off killin’ god knows what.”
You faced your body towards her. “You’re not worried?”
She scoffed. “Please. You took shrapnel to your leg, fought like hell the past three years to get us out, and you’re still here. Alive. If anything, I’m worried about the sorry bastards that are unlucky enough to come toe to toe with you.”
You smiled at your sister’s praise, glad she believed in you more than you believe in yourself.
“It won’t just be people I’ll be fightin’, Zo. The BSAA deals with bioweapons. As in the shit we were facing those said three years.”
She shrugged. “So? Means you got experience, then. Like I said, unlucky, sorry bastards.”
Shaking your head, you wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into your side. “Alright, shithead.” You pinched her arm, and she pulled away to smack your leg.
With a chuckle, you turned back to Chris, and noticed him watching you with expecting eyes. You sighed, and like that, your decision was made.
“Where do I sign?”
The pack on your shoulder weighed heavy, causing you to slump on one side as you lightly kicked the suitcase at your feet. You had woken up at the ass crack of dawn to get to the airport on time, and after a warm shower and the excessively long cab drive, you were still an hour early.
3 weeks later
Where the fuck is he?
Your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you quickly fished it out to see a text from your sister.
You quickly typed up a response, fingers flying over the keyboard.
-6:15 Zoe:
Get there safe?
You smiled at that, glad she was feeling at home. You both had bought a small, two bedroom apartment somewhere just outside of New Orleans, and it was nice enough. Of course, when you brought up the idea of leaving Louisiana, Zoe shut that idea down with a firm “Hell no,” which was exactly what you were expecting. After all that’s happened, this place was still home to you, and you weren’t planning on leaving.
-6:15 You:
Yeah. Way too early for this shit.
-6:16 Zoe:
You’ll live. Apartment is looking nice.
After the shitshow ended, the BSAA and other government officials grilled you and your sister for information, and you told them everything you could remember. No, you weren’t happy with so many persons of authority sticking their noses up your ass, but you didn’t have any other choice. Afterwards, they made you sign some documents swearing on your life and liberty that you wouldn’t reveal any information about Eveline or anything else that happened to you, and you did so with mild irritation.
-6:17 You:
I expect it to be fully furnished and painted when I get back.
-6:18 Zoe:
You gonna send me the money?
-6:18 You:
Government pays well for you to keep your mouth shut.
At least you were safe. That’s all that mattered now.
Your phone buzzed again, this time with a text from Chris.
You rolled your eyes.
-6:20 Sir Punch-a-lot:
ETA 5 minutes.
With a laugh, you pocketed your phone and idly rocked on your heels as you waited for Chris to shop up. Seconds had barely passed before you grew fidgety and pulled out your phone again, mindlessly scrolling through apps. It had been years since you had a phone, and you barely knew how to function. You found yourself using it a lot these days. It was a good distraction from all the racing thoughts in your head.
-6:20 You:
You’re texting me, not the president. Stop being so formal.
-6:21 Sir Punch-a-lot:
It’s convenient. Less words to type.
-6:21 You:
Maybe you should try using a gif next time. Even faster.
-6:21 Sir Punch-a-lot:
Gif?
-6:22 You:
Oh dear god.
You didn’t know why, but your thumb mindlessly pressed on the contacts icon, and you read the three names you had in there.
Zoe
Chris
Ethan.
Nibbling on your bottom lip, you pressed on his name and the options to call or text came up. It had been weeks since you last saw him, and despite him saying that you’d keep in touch, you haven't tried to call him once since then. There’d been many times when you considered it, holding your phone close to your face late at night, the UV light burning your eyes as you read his name and number over and over again. But, you always talked yourself out of it.
What if he moved on? What if he didn’t really want to hear from you, and he said all those things just to be nice? What if… What if Mia was making him happier than you could’ve ever hoped to make him?
You breathed out a sigh, clutching your phone tightly in your hand. You were about to travel to the headquarters of the American branch of the BSAA so you could be briefed, and you had no idea when you’d have another free moment to call him. Now was a better time than ever.
Anxiety crawled down your throat as you pressed the call button next to Ethan’s number, and with a shaky hand, you held the phone to your ear.
Ring…
Ring…
Ring—
"We're sorry The number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service. Goodbye.”
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artaxlivs · 10 months
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WIP Wed/Weekend/Whatever/Someone Help Me Get My Shit Together Please
I've been tagged a few times over the last two weeks and I've got no excuse except that I was writing drabbles and prompts and just generally fucking around. It's like everything is more appealing than the things I need to get done, you know?
Thank you to @penny00dreadful for this most recent tag which is hopefully lighting a fire? Or maybe just encouraging me to play with matches. Who knows.
‡ Rules ‡
In a reblog (or new post w/ rules attached), post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.
Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to post!
After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can’t share from (for example, an event fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.
That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. If you tag me in your post, I will send you an ask request!
I am going to take a page out of Penny's book and include a poll and attempt to write as many words as % of votes the WIP gets (i.e. if an option gets 40% of the vote I will make it my goal to write 4,000 words in the next 7 days etc.) for all of the options listed.
Snippet below the cut is from "Eddie's babies" which is inspired by @doomcheese's lovely artwork which you can find here.
One of the bats - the one that had hissed - nuzzles against Eddie’s collarbone where his shirt is ripped and bloody. The other perches on Eddie’s bent elbow like a hawk. Talons gripping the skin of Eddie’s arm but not breaking it. Bringing his hand up, he cups it’s head, petting gently. When it bumps it’s head against Eddie’s palm, it lets out a chirp, mouth open, showing off several rows of sharp teeth. The chirp turns into a happy purr and Eddie sort of melts. They’re just sweet babies. Holding them both close, Eddie coos, bumping their heads with his nose as their tails flick and swish, curling delicately around his thigh and waist as both bats allow themselves to be cuddled.
No pressure tags: @penny00dreadful @eriquin @scarcrossdlvrs @finalmoondragon @sentient-trash @starryeyedjanai @lorifragolina @loki-is-my-kink-awakening @wynnyfryd @oftignored @betrayedbycinnamon @there-must-be-a-lock @noxnthea @carcrash429 (The Ghostbusters said not to cross the streams but they didn't say shit about fandoms so I'm mixing ya'll up)
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the-ace-with-spades · 9 months
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Some like a monkey pilot lore/behind-the-scenes no one asked for because there's a lot and I love this fic with my whole heart...
It's first title was a supersonic man (Don't Stop Me Now by Queen obviously) but I've used this song as Ice's ringtone for Mav in slow down (in a future chapter 6) and it just seemed to suit Mav better
Second title option was (I am) the man in the making, from Number One by Chaz Jankel - Number one is a hard time in the making / Number two is the one plane I'm not taking and I am (I am) / The man in the making / I'll stake (I'll stake) / My claim (my claim) / I'll make (I'll make) / My name (my name) / My love (my love) / My game, my vocation. In the end, I thought it might sound too literal and cliche.
The story was originally supposed to be about Rooster transitioning but without the running away from Jake bit - so sort of like a small AU of this fic - where Jake would still be very dense about stuff and a lot of the breakdowns and emotions would still be in place, but Rooster stayed in Lemoore with Jake and they got married while he was in transition. Jake still had a hard time adjusting even if he personally thought he was adjusting very well - at some point when Jake was on deployment, Bradley's state got bad enough that he still landed in the hospital and Mav and Ice were called and he moved in with them. It's part of life for many trans people (family and loved ones thinking they're supportive while not really and getting better at it only when drastic stuff happen) and it is something that hit me a bit too hard and emotionally, it'd be difficult to write so the story was changed.
First Jake POV deleted scene from earlier chapters (1 or 2?) was him and Coyote talking about the topgun winner with some squad buddies and Jake hearing 'Bradshaw' and going a bit crazy only to get all depressed when he hears it was a dude (in 2016, about a year before the recall), missing finding out about Bradley by a minimal chance
Another deleted scene that was never finished because I emotionally couldn't write it was the bar scene but in Jake's POV, when he meets Bradley for the first time. He and Coyote actually leave the Hard Deck when Bradley starts playing the piano and have a talk about how Jake feels about all this new info. While I get finding out your loved one is trans can be a lot, I personally never would have cared even a bit so it was just emotionally draining to try to express Jake's thought process
There is also a deleted scene of Ice talking to Slider and Sarah (who are married in this fic) about Bradley's hospitalization and the start of his transition (from Ice's POV) -- it concentrates on how bad Bradley's mental health is at that moment and how visible it is to them, as well as the guilt Mav and Ice have for not intervening early. And a scene when they get the call from the hospital (from Mav's POV). Both are not finished and stuck as mostly dialogue.
So far there are also two more deleted scenes: Mav and Ice being at Bradley's first T-shot appointment while he's being taught how to do the injections and a scene where Bradley is at Ice's doc appointment when he finds out about cancer
Chapters 9-15 are post-canon and a bit Jake's POV heavier. He's going to be such a dumbass in them.
This fic might or might not have a sequel about reintroducing Bradley back into the Seresin family. Some readers hopefully realized that Jake's mom wasn't Bradley's fan when he was still female-presenting and certainly isn't after he transitioned. There's a whole lot of drama in that sequel involved, especially about her -- Jake's the youngest sibling (a miracle baby born a few years after his last sister) and has always been babied a bit by his mom and never experienced how bad she could be the same way his sibling had and he'll have to face it along with her awful behavior toward Bradley.
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ndrayton · 11 months
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Ghost Stories Postmortem!!!
It’s me, FieryGaze!!! Now that Chapter 13 is out and posted and my brain has freed up about 75% of its RAM, I wanted to make a post just to reflect on the journey, drop some fun facts, & explain the intent behind some of my choices. Here they are in no particular order.
Spoilers beware, obviously. I'm going to be talking about the whole fic here.
Episode Titles
Each episode title refers to two things at once – the monster or challenge the group is facing, plus one other important thematic element. “The Demon King” is the simplest one, referring both to the actual Demon King and then to Kim Dokja gaining that power for himself. The others are a little more open to interpretation, but were chosen with the intention of referring to 2 specific things.
Constant reappearance of the number “Thirteen”?
I’d like to say there was a lot of thought behind this, but there wasn’t. I just went “ooo, unlucky number” and ended up repeating it as often as possible. 13 years since KDJ and HSY met; 13 years spent in the spirit world chasing the Endless Cycle; 13 loops before KDJ met YJH. It was a lucky coincidence that the chapter count also happened to be 13 (I’d initially planned for twelve, and everything that happened in Unseen World was supposed to be squished into the end of Infinite Loop Part II. When I realized that was absolutely NOT going to give me enough space to resolve everything, I was delighted to realize that I could make the chapter count 13 and have it be thematically relevant and Not just a case of poor planning).
Lee Seolhwa also states that the number 7 is significant for certain spirits. I just think it’s fun that the total chapter count ended up as 13 and the total Episode count as 7.
Perspective and Tense Changes
From the beginning, the use of first person was actually a bit of a false flag—it’s meant to represent the ghost of Kim Dokja, trapped in the loop, imagining himself as the living version of himself going on these adventures. Kim Dokja as the narrator states this outright.
It was about time I stopped pretending that “I” was really this person called Kim Dokja. (Ch. 11)
Maybe I pretended for a while, for a long while, that it was really “me” who was fighting at your side. (Ch. 13)
The first person narration also tends to flip between present and past tense, especially in later chapters when Ghost!KDJ begins using second person to refer to Han Sooyoung and Yoo Joonghyuk, but also when he’s making general observations about the world. It’s not technically grammatically correct, but I was trying to grant a small step of separation between him and the other characters, whose perspectives are written more strictly in third person past tense.
The final monologue is also in present tense, unmooring it from the sequence of events of the story, hopefully making it feel a little more dreamlike/internal. I feel like I’m allowed to mess with tenses this much only because it’s an orv fic and I’m not afraid to get meta.
I also used present tense during almost all of chapter 10. I wanted it to feel like a whole separate fic-within-a-fic, and a lot of fanfic is written in present tense, so I was deliberately evoking that (including See You Yesterday, undeniably a MAJOR inspiration for this chapter). I also wanted to provide a sense of immediacy—Yoo Joonghyuk truly believes that what he’s experiencing in the dream is really happening to him, right now—that I could pull back on once he realized he was dreaming, returning to past tense and the main flow of the larger story.
As a side note, by the time I finally finished chipping away at chapter 10 I thought it was awful, so I was surprised and delighted when it became everyone’s favourite chapter, lmao. This is probably why people have beta readers, to get a little bit out of their own heads. Anyway, the positive response to that chapter really brightened my week.
… My favourite scenes 😊
The first scene I really had a blast with was probably the possession scene—what can I say, you don’t make a “Paranormal investigation AU” without wanting to play with a few of its standard tropes. That’s when I realized I could happily keep writing this fic for as long as it took to finish it (I initially planned for 2 months. It became 4.)
I also had such a fun time writing all of “Blank Message”, from the kids bullying poor Dokja to what amounts to me basically just drawing hearts around Yoo Joonghyuk’s name as he fails to use technology but also gets to be the most specialest boy in the world. That episode practically wrote itself, honestly. I accidentally wrote like 12,000 words of it in my phone notes app because I kept having ideas at work and had little else to do during our slow season.
My actual favourite scene, though, might be Yoo Joonghyuk cooking in Han Sooyoung’s kitchen in Ch. 12? I just thought it was sweet. Maneuvering those two into a position where they could be emotionally vulnerable with each other was a challenge. My notes for that section are funny to me, I’m just struggling to get to the heart of the scene and yelling at them to please be emotionally vulnerable.
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... There was like 500 more words of this.
I can’t help but feel the yoohan corner of yoohankim got a little neglected in this fic, but it’s because they had so many unresolved issues that I couldn’t just leap ahead to the romance angle without first addressing them… and by then the fic was kinda over. Please understand, however, that they love and understand each other deeply despite (because of??) being the way they are. Maybe I’ll explore that more in future stories. Who could say.
Most challenging part to write?
Wrong Room Part II, Forgotten Boy Part II, and the first bit of Devourer of Dreams Part II before Kim Dokja showed up (it was way easier to write once he was there because the joongdok dynamic really pulled the plot along).
All three of these had significant rewrites and Forgotten Boy Part II took me like… an entire week to figure out. The Part II’s tended to be tricky because that’s when I was making all the setup from Part I pay off, but I wanted it to be engaging and exciting and not feel too paint-by-numbers. I learned a lot writing these!
What was Yoo Joonghyuk saying at the end of Blank Message that got censored?
“▪▪ ▪▪▪ ▪▪▪▪▪▪ ▪▪▪ ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪ ▪▪ ▪▪▪▪▪”
“Do you really not remember…”
Well, maybe you can intuit the rest from context clues (what Mia was saying just beforehand).
There was a bunch of other censoring when Kim Dokja was trying to explain to Yoo Joonghyuk where all his special knowledge of the time loop came from, but I didn’t actually note it down as it was all pretty much able to be inferred, like “the loop is actually based on a book series”.
There’s certainly more to find, but that’s all I have to say for now!
I fun with foreshadowing, but I’m not going to call out anything specific, because I think it adds to reread value. There’s an especially mean bit of “foreshadowing” in one part that had me absolutely cackling. Let me know if you find it.
Anyway!
I had no plans to put so much time and effort into writing fanfic this year, and yet here I am with 120,000 words in four months, which is… FAR AND ABOVE my normal writing pace, especially lately. What can I say? Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is a really special story and I don’t have any friends who have read it, which put my brain into an absolute pressure-cooker for which the only release could be writing orv a novel-length love letter.
I’m seriously thankful for everyone who read the story and left so many emphatic, excited, and kind comments. The readers absolutely transformed this experience from something I was plodding away at by myself just to see if I could do it into something I was really excited to share with others, and as a result I put a lot more effort and care into the story.
I do have a few other ideas for this AU—for which the seeds are actually already planted in the story—but, as I mentioned in my author’s note, I desperately need to take a fanfic break for a while. I can’t promise if/when I’ll get back to it, but I would definitely like to at some point.
IN ANY CASE, FOR THE LAST TIME ON THIS ADVENTURE….
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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noforkingclue · 2 years
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Hey what's up. I hope you had a great weekend.
May I please request a Steven Grant x reader where they are in a car chase with some of Marc's enemies who are trying to kill the reader and Steven. Would it be possible if you included the dialogue "There are no red lights in the middle of a car chase."
I hope this did not come across as being bossy, if it has im really sorry.
Have a great week :)
Thank you so much! I’m now on annual leave for two weeks and I’m so happy! Work has been very stressful lately so I’ve desperately needed a break!
Of course this didn’t come across as bossy! I loved Moon Knight and I’m glad I got a some requests for it :D
Hope you enjoy the fic!
Title: Chases
Marvel tag list: @geocookie21​, @greeneyedblondie44​, @purebloodwitch
Everything tag list: @greenrevolutionary​, @imjustassaneasyou​, @spngingerbread21​, @layazul​, @lov3vivian​
“Turn left! Turn left! Turn left!”
You gritted your teeth as the man in the passenger seat pressed himself further against the car door and gripped the seatbelt tightly.
“I know, Steven,” you said as calmly as you could manage, “I do live in London, y’know. I know which way I need to go.”
“Right,” Steven said awkwardly, “Yeah, I knew that. Silly me.”
“Although who the fuck starts a car chase in central London,” you muttered, “This isn’t a film. There are-“
“Pedestrian!”
“Shit!”
You slammed on the brakes at Steven’s yells and narrowly avoided hitting someone. You glanced at Steven out of the corner of your eye. He had his eyes tightly shut and you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, although this was all Marc’s fault. Who knew that the bastard had so many enemies?
“Look,” you said as you briefly looked into the rear-view mirror, “I’m trying to find a place to dump the car. I think we’ve lost them for the time being. The sooner we get off the road the better.”
“Yeah,” Steven opened his eyes slowly, “Good thing you can drive.”
“Umm.”
You coughed awkwardly and avoided eye contact. Steven sat up straight and the panicked look returned.
“You can drive?” he asked desperately
“Of course I can,” you said, “I wouldn’t be driving in central fucking London if I couldn’t. It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Legally speaking, I can’t.”
“What?”
“I didn’t pass my test. I almost did,” you added quickly, “It’s just my driving instructor was a cu- jerk. He failed me on one stupid little mistake.”
“So you don’t have a licence,” Steven flopped back in his seat, “Great. We are breaking so many laws right now.”
“Now see-“
You didn’t get to finish your sentence before another car slammed into the back of yours. You swore and glared at them in the mirror.
“One good thing,” you muttered as people jumped out of the way, “No guns.”
“What a relief,” said Steven, “Marc doesn’t agree though.”
“Well tell Marc that he’s a dick.”
“He heard you.”
“Good.”
You gripped the steering wheel tightly as you desperately tried to lose the cars that were chasing you. Part of you was glad that it was Steven next to you, while the other part secretly wished that it was Marc. Marc was more used to situations like these and would’ve been able to lose the cars quicker than you could. Well, at least you hoped he could. You glanced at Steven again who looked like he was slowly recovering.
“Y/n-“
But you still needed to get rid of those damn cars.
“Y/n-“
If only you could find a place to dump your car then run to underground. Hopefully you’d be able to lose then in there and-
“Red light!”
“Fuck.”
You didn’t have time to hit the brakes and you narrowly avoided hitting another person. Steven was gripping the seat belt again and he said weakly,
“You skipped a red light.”
“There are no red lights in the middle of a car chase,” you said, “We really need to get out of London.”
“You’re being very sensible.”
You snapped your head around to glare at Steven. You opened your mouth to argue back when you realised that you had taken your eyes off the road. You jerked your head back just as the steering wheel slipped from your grasp. As quickly as that had happened a hand shot out a grabbed your hand, steadying the wheel.
“Not very sensible,” Marc voice seemed to cut through the noise like a knife, “Maybe Steven needs his view reassessed.”
You swallowed thickly as Marc remained near as he helped you steady the car. With your eyes firmly locked on the road in front of you, Marc looked behind.
“Well done,” he said, “You’ve managed to lose them. Good girl.”
You wrinkled your nose at Marc’s words which earned a chuckle from him. As he relaxed back into his seat you said,
“Should I asked why those people were chasing us?”
“Best not to worry about it.”
“Even if not knowing is why Steven and I get killed?”
“You won’t. I have faith in you.”
“Glad to hear it. Where to now? Hey are you sleeping?”
Marc, who did have his eyes shut, open one eye and said,
“Preferably out of the city. I trust you to keep us all safe.”
You remained silent as Marc shut his eyes again. You weren’t expecting Marc to say that or the odd feeling that you got in the pit of your stomach at his words. What you did know was that nothing good was going to come from it.
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