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transvampireboyfriend · 1 year

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Had this “Steve only hates impersonal nicknames” idea in my notes for a while and then after seeing @cholvoq ‘s wonderful art I had to turn it into a real thing for Valentine’s Day. This is 2.4k, i’m SO sorry edit: you can now read this on ao3 :)

Eddie’s a nickname guy. It’s always Dusty this and Gare-Bear that and JeffJeff here and Bobbie there and it’s Mikey and Maxxii and Nance-pants and Johnny and… big boy?

Him being a nickname guy makes it near impossible to hide his crushes. Thankfully, Steve had been really cool about it. Sure, he seemed a little stunned, but Eddie still had all his teeth in place by the end of that interaction, so he had called that a win.

He hadn’t known then that Steve was… different. Or he was starting to see it but what he thought was shocking then had really been just the tip of the iceberg. He hadn’t expected Steve to be nice. Or funny, or caring, or protective, or understanding.

He had learned all of that after everything. During chats on Hellfire nights while the kids cleaned up after themselves, during hangouts at the diner with Robin and Nancy, during Saturday afternoons when he went to pick out a movie only to end up talking with Steve, their conversation flowing until it was cut short by Steve’s shift ending.

After some time, Eddie had gotten to know Steve even more during long weekday nights when one came over to bring the other something they left behind, or to share a record, or to demand the beers the other owes or to show the other a stupid article in a stupid magazine only to end up making dinner together and watching a movie afterwards.

They stopped making excuses about two weeks ago.

Eddie had asked “do youuu… wanna come over?” on Saturday night, while nervously twirling his keys as Steve locked the front doors of the Family Video.

The evening chill had cut right through Eddie’s leather jacket as his keys clanged against his rings. But Steve had nodded with a smile and asked “pizza?” on their way to their cars, and Eddie had forgotten all about the cold.

Point being, Steve had been just fine with ‘big boy’ when it happened. Eddie’s a nickname guy. Him and Steve are hanging out more now, and so, Eddie’s been calling him more nicknames. Some of them are very intentional, others come completely without thinking, and it turns out, Steve takes issue with a few of them.

The first time it happens, Eddie’s underneath his van trying to get the damn thing to cooperate, the recent winter was tough on it, and it keeps dying out on him.

Steve sits nearby perched on a little stool, wearing his Family Video vest since he came by right after finishing his morning shift to see if they could make plans for lunch. Eddie suggested they grab something at the diner if and when he finally gets the van to start back up and Steve had agreed to wait.

He’s been telling Eddie about tonight’s basketball- game? match? super bowl? Is there such a thing as the major leagues of basketball? Eddie’s not sure, but he adores the sound of Steve’s voice and he’s kind of invested in the drama of players switching teams and retiring and whatever else Steve wants to tell him about. So, he’s been listening, not really bothering with asking for clarification for what he doesn’t understand yet. He’ll figure it out as they go.

He's blindly patting the floor around his legs for his rag, when he feels Steve put it right in his hand.

Eddie’s relieved. "Thanks, bud!" he says, the nickname just rolling off his tongue effortlessly, no meaning attached.

It gets kind of quiet all of a sudden. After about five seconds of Steve not talking, Eddie comes out to check on him, and finds him frowning at his legs.

"Don't call me ‘bud’" Steve requests, looking up at his face, his tone just a tad harsh. Eddie would think he ran into King Steve if he didn't know any better.

As it is, Eddie gets Steve probably thinks the nickname is childish or patronizing, so he doesn’t think twice of it, just gets a little sheepish and says "sorry, Stevie".

Steve smiles at that, a little cocky. He does his little mean girl shaking his head thing like he just got exactly what he wanted. Eddie feels his face twist a bit in confusion, but he likes it when Steve gets a little mean so he doesn't say anything about it and just dives back under his van as Steve resumes their conversation.

The second time it happens, they’re outside the supermarket. The kids shot out of the van as soon as it rolled to a stop, Steve calling out a warning after them while still listening to Eddie explain why Star Wars and Star Trek are actually very different but really good in their own way. Their conversation carries on as they hop out of the van, lock up and walk to meet at the front.

“I’m telling you, Star Trek is great. You would love it,” Eddie says, “you just have to give it a chance”.

Steve rolls his eyes at him, but Eddie can see his smile.

“Ok, alright,” Steve answers, “you can show me tonight then”, it’s almost too nonchalant. Eddie has to hide his grin.

Steve’s been suggesting they hang out more and more lately, and he can’t help but feel a bit hopeful. They clearly enjoy each other’s company, their time together is never dull, Steve seems to be really comfortable around him and maybe, just maybe…

“Should we get beers then?” Eddie asks, excited at the prospect of some more time alone with him. They haven’t had a weeknight hangout since Eddie fixed his van last week. He kinda misses the very specific color of Steve’s eyes in the Harringtons’ yellow living room lamplight.

“Yeah,” Steve says, his eyes get soft in a way Eddie only started noticing a couple of weeks back, “we can watch it at my place” he adds. Eddie thinks he definitely hasn’t seen him look at anyone else like that.

To shake himself out of the spell of the prettiest boy he’s ever met making the prettiest eyes he’s ever seen at him and ONLY him, Eddie grabs Steve by the wrist and starts marching them towards the supermarket’s front doors.

Without thinking, Eddie says "c'mon man," as they go.

Steve, who started easily following him (like he always does these days), suddenly stops in his tracks. Eddie gets pulled back and almost stumbles on top of Steve. He'd get flustered if Steve wasn't frowning at him like he’d just said the most insulting thing he’d heard this month.

"Don't call me ‘man’" Steve says. Eddie feels his eyebrows raise a bit.

He debates asking why but doesn't question Steve in the end. He’d rather offer understanding than judgement to him any day.

So, Eddie takes advantage of Steve's wrist in his hand, and squeezes there a bit, says "I'm sorry sweetheart" sincerely, looks into Steve's eyes so he can see Eddie means it.

Steve blushes a bit then, not really used to the nickname yet, Eddie just got the balls to start using it last week. Eddie himself is not really used to seeing Steve blush, and at something he says? It’s too much power for one metalhead.

But he gets distracted from Steve’s blush because it happens again, Steve basically preens like a peacock once Eddie switches nicknames. Looks smug, like he has Eddie wrapped around his finger and well, Eddie guesses he does, so, no arguments there either.

He just smiles back at Steve, really, has no other choice, it’s not like he can control how he reacts to the most gorgeous fucking face the universe could ever come up with. But he tugs him along again, Steve happily following this time.

The next time it happens, Steve’s leaning against his kitchen island, with Eddie leaning across from him against the counter.

The party is watching a movie in the Harringtons’ living room and at some point, Eddie got up to get himself another soda, Steve not so subtly followed after him, taking the empty popcorn bowls to the sink. He struck up a conversation and there they stayed.

Eddie’s been turning the small gesture around and around in his head. Clearly Steve’s not shy about seeking him out, and he’s obviously good with the party knowing, which means a hell of a lot because those are Steve’s people, that’s his family.

Eddie’s honestly running out of excuses to not ask him out. Seeing him reaching out to bump his sneaker against Eddie’s boot when he says something funny, laughing just a little too hard at Eddie’s dumb joke; seeing his eyes widen a bit when Eddie compliments him; seeing him notice when Eddie is holding back from talking too much, and not letting it go until he thinks Eddie’s shared all of his opinions on the subject; Eddie thinks maybe he can be brave, when it comes to Steve.

And this week might be the perfect time.

Here they are still, the movie long ended and several easy conversations floating from the living room to the kitchen, where they’re still engrossed on their own.

“I mean I taught the kid how to do his hair for god’s sake!” Steve is saying, Eddie’s laughing easily, and he has a slight suspicion Steve’s acting way more annoyed than he really is because he knows Eddie dies laughing every time Steve roasts the kids.

“Just, if he’s gonna give me hair advice, he should work on that goddamn tone. At the Very Least.” Steve finishes, Eddie giggling all the while at his Annoyed Mom tone.

"Yeah, dude!" Eddie agrees, wanting to egg him on, but Steve's face suddenly falls and whatever remark Eddie had locked and loaded just fades away.

Eddie blinks perplexed; he’s getting déjà vu.

Steve frowns at him, says "Don't call me ‘dude’".

It’s eerie, only he sounds a bit annoyed this time.

Eddie thinks, maybe someone called Steve ‘dude’ before in an unpleasant way, so he doesn't pry. Instead, he takes the chance to call him a nickname he likes more, and says "Sorry, pretty boy", his heart fluttering in the milliseconds he has to wait for Steve’s reaction.

And it happens one last time: Steve absolutely beams at that one, his smile so bright it makes Eddie want to jump in place.

He leans further back on the counter returning the smile, not noticing the common thread in Steve’s reactions to him switching nicknames.

But then the glint in Steve’s eyes suddenly brightens a dim corner of Eddie’s brain. He gets this feeling that reminds him of a perfectly set up riddle or finding that one perfect note for his latest song. It’s like everything suddenly just makes sense.

Eddie feels realization dawn on his face as he pushes himself off the counter to walk right into Steve’s personal bubble, grabs both of Steve's hands.

"Steve" Eddie says, not even caring that he sounds like the name is dripping in honey when it comes out of his mouth. With how sweet Steve is, it might as well be.

Steve just looks at him a little stunned, but doesn't say anything. Eddie draws circles in the back of his palms to reassure him.

"Why don't you want me to call you ‘dude’?" Eddie asks, trying to find out if this whole thing is what he thinks it is.

Steve looks down at their joined hands,.

"You call Nancy that sometimes..." Steve mumbles.

His answer would sound inconsequential to the unsuspecting, certainly would have to Eddie as late as last week, but Eddie thinks he’s finally getting it, and he hums his understanding.

"How ‘bout ‘man’?" he asks

Steve replies "You call Robin that sometimes..." his eyes still on their hands.

Eddie nods his agreement.

"I call everyone those things" he points out.

Steve agrees. "Exactly" he says, finally looking at him again, sounding annoyed and confirming Eddie’s suspicions.

Eddie feels his face split into a smile. He wants to grab Steve’s beautiful freaking face and just plant one on him.

"Can I still call you sweetheart?" he ventures instead. The nickname brings the hint of a smile to Steve's face but then he seems to realize something not so pleasant.

"Do you call someone else ‘sweetheart’?" Steve asks in return.

"No one" Eddie says, shaking his head, his tone vehement.

"Then yes" Steve finally answers. Eddie's heart wants to beat right out of his chest.

He interlocks their fingers to ground himself, Steve looks down at their hands and smiles at the sight.

"So, you don't want me to call you something I call someone else?" Eddie states, more than asks, calling Steve’s eyes back to his again.

"Anyone else" Steve confirms, holding his gaze.

Eddie lets out a small shuddering exhale and feels his heart fluttering in his throat, he really cannot believe this boy.

"Steve" Eddie drawls, dripping in honey again, his hands coming up to cradle Steve's face because he really can't resist anymore "Sweetheart" he says.

Steve's eyes grow a little wide and he starts blushing so much that Eddie can feel it in his palms.

"Steevieeee" Eddie sinsongs, squeezing Steve's face a bit "Pretty boy" Eddie calls him. Steve just keeps looking at him and a small smile blooms in his pretty, pretty face.

"Would you let me take you out to dinner this Friday?" Eddie finally asks him, his fingers curling to the back of Steve's head to play with his hair there. Steve's eyes get even wider.

" 's Valentine's this Friday" he points out. Eddie knows.

"Mmhm. Want you to be my Valentine." Eddie tells him, tugs his hair gently, "How's that sound?" he asks, bold in a way he never has been before. Steve blushing does things to him.

"Sounds nice" Steve answers. He smiles and nods while his hands hook on Eddie's belt loops.

"Then it's a date?" Eddie asks, trying not to sound too eager. He thinks he fails spectacularly but Steve beams and pulls him in to kiss his cheek.

"It's a date" Steve tells him, his breath ghosting on Eddie's cheek and making him shiver.

Steve pulls back, lets go of Eddie’s belt loops and tugs on a strand of his hair gently, smiling like the cat that got the cream as he walks back out into the living room.

Eddie’s gonna make this the best Valentine’s Day date Steve has ever been on.

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sals-sonic · 9 months

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Art is much more fun when you start caring less about "the right way to do things", and focus on what you think would be really cool and awesome!

Experiment with colors and shapes, go crazy with the power of creation that is resting on your fingertips, indulge in your fantasy and unleash your creativity!!

The passion for what you create will encourage you to improve your skills!

#posted this on aethy first #totally forgot to post this here omg #proship #proship positivity #profic #art positivity #pro fic #proship please interact #pro fiction #my post

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writindom · 1 year

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Rivalry.

< Jaehyun x female reader >

Never say never, because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion and so was your dislike towards him.

Part I - Espresso Martini

Hello there, this is my first time ever writing...anything, I really hope you enjoy it (if someone out there ever reads it) and may consider posting a second part as I already have it. Thank you again for taking the time to read this.

Word count: 4 k.

—

You sat at your desk, staring at the computer screen in front of you. You had been working on a new project for weeks, pouring all of your energy into making it a success. As Vice President of Starlight Entertainment, one of the most prestigious K-pop companies in the industry, you knew that your success was not only important for your career but also for the company's reputation.

As you typed away, your phone rang, interrupting you concentration. It was your assistant, informing you of a major K-pop industry event that was taking place the following week. The event would be attended by all of the top executives from K-pop companies around the world, and it was a chance for you to showcase your company's latest achievements and innovations.

You were thrilled at the opportunity to present your ideas and impress the attendees, including your CEO. You knew that this event could be a game-changer for your career and for Starlight Entertainment as a whole

—

The day of the event arrived, and you walked into the conference room with confidence. You were dressed in a sleek black suit, tailored to fit your slim and toned figure. Your long, dark brown hair was styled in loose waves that cascaded down your back, highlighting your sun-kissed skin that glowed under the fluorescent lights and drawing attention to the delicate curve of your neck. Your oval-shaped face was framed by subtle makeup that accentuated your full lips and striking dark brown eyes, which seemed to sparkle with determination and intelligence.

Your petite frame at 5 foot 2 inches was perfectly balanced, with delicate curves that hinted at femininity without being exaggerated. Your physique was symmetrically proportioned, with toned arms and legs that hinted at your dedication to fitness. You commanded attention with your presence and poise, exuded an air of confidence and elegance, without the need for the exaggerated curves that some other women in the industry were known for.

As you looked around the room, you noticed Jaehyun, the Vice President of Moonlight Entertainment, Starlight's sister company and close partner in the entertainment industry.

Jaehyun commanded attention with his tall and imposing presence, standing at 6 foot with a muscular build that hinted at his dedication to fitness. His chiseled jawline and sharp cheekbones were accentuated by a hint of stubble, and his dark and intense eyes had a piercing gaze that seemed to penetrate through anyone he looked at. His light brown hair was styled in a sleek and modern way, framing his angular face perfectly. He was dressed in a deep shade of navy blue suit complementing his pale skin tone that fit him like a glove, highlighting his broad shoulders and tapered waist. Despite his commanding presence and piercing gaze, there was a hint of approachability in his warm smile and friendly demeanor, making him a natural at building relationships in the industry. Jaehyun was equally confident, exuding a sense of self-assuredness that made it clear he was a force to be reckoned with.

You couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as you took in his polished appearance, despite the animosity between their companies. The two of you locked eyes and exchanged curt nods, the tension between you palpable.

The event began, and each company's representatives took turns presenting their latest achievements and innovations. You were nervous but determined to make a lasting impression. As you stepped up to the podium, you took a deep breath and began your presentation.

You spoke with passion and conviction, your words flowing smoothly as you explained your company's latest project. The audience was captivated by your ideas, and received thunderous applause at the end of your speech. Jaehyun stepped up to the podium next, and you couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy at his commanding presence. He spoke with a confidence that was hard to match, his voice deep and smooth as he explained Moonlight Entertainment's latest achievements. His ideas were just as innovative as yours, but somehow he managed to make them sound even more impressive.

As the event came to a close, you were approached by Levi Ackerman, the CEO of Starlight, standing tall at 6'3" with broad shoulders and a chiseled physique. His dark hair was cropped short and styled in a slicked-back fashion, accentuating his sharp jawline and angular features. The black tailored suit he wore seemed to have been made specifically for him, emphasizing every curve and line of his muscular frame with expert precision. He offered his congratulations on a job well done. You felt a sense of relief wash over you, knowing that your hard work had paid off.

Levi is a man of few words but immense power. He is known for his strictness, attention to detail, and unwavering dedication to excellence. His piercing gray eyes seem to see through people and his unwavering posture commands respect from everyone around him. Levi has a no-nonsense attitude when it comes to business and expects nothing but the best from his employees.

He is an imposing figure. Despite his intimidating demeanor, those who work closely with him know that he can be surprisingly kind and understanding when the situation calls for it. However, crossing him or not meeting his expectations is not an option if you want to keep your job.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun was approached by his CEO, who seemed less than impressed with his performance. You watched from a distance, a small smile playing at the corners of your lips. You couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at your rival's failure.

As the attendees began to filter out of the conference room, you made your way over to Jaehyun. You couldn't resist the opportunity to gloat. "Looks like my company's still one step ahead," you said, a smug smile on your face.

Jaehyun scowled. "Don't get too ahead of yourself," he retorted. "Moonlight Entertainment will always come out on top."

You rolled your eyes. "We'll see about that," you replied before walking away, feeling a sense of victory. But little did you know, their rivalry was far from over.

After the event, you felt like the winner and celebrated with your coworkers. The weekend had finally arrived, and you were looking forward to a three-day break as Monday was a national holiday in South Korea, commemorating the founding of the country. You didn't have any plans to travel or spend time with friends or family, as they were not particularly close. Instead, you looked forward to a quiet weekend at home, relaxing and recharging your batteries.

As you walked out of the office building, you took a deep breath of the cool autumn air and smiled. You felt proud of yourself for a job well done and grateful for the upcoming break. You knew that you would return to work feeling refreshed and ready to tackle any challenges that came your way.

—

You had always known that your penthouse was the best one in the apartment complex. It had a breathtaking view of the city, luxurious amenities, and a pool and jacuzzi that only the penthouse owners were allowed to use. It was on one of those holiday seasons that you decided to take a dip in the jacuzzi after a long day of work.

To your dismay, when you arrived at the pool area, you found that someone was already there, and it was none other than Jaehyun. You had seen him around the complex before, but you had never spoken. You couldn't deny that he was attractive, but his aloof and cold demeanor always put you off.

"Oh great, you're here," you muttered sarcastically. “I was hoping to have some alone time here.”

Jaehyun smirked, "I could say the same about you. What brings you here, Y/N? Need to cool off from your 'high-stress job'?"

You rolled your eyes. "Actually, I live here, just like you. And I don't need to justify my presence to you."

Jaehyun chuckled, "Okay, okay. But you're right, we are neighbors after all. Can't avoid each other forever."

You let out a sigh. "I guess not. Nonetheless, I should try to make the most of it. Would you like to share a drink?"

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you offering me a drink? You must really be desperate for some company."

You bristled at his insinuation. "Desperate? No. I simply thought it would be nice to share a drink with someone who isn't as insufferable as you usually are. But if you're not interested, I can always find someone else."

Jaehyun chuckled. "Touché. I'll take you up on your offer. But only if you promise to be on your best behavior."

You rolled your eyes. "I make no promises."

You and Jaehyun were interrupted by a worker from the jacuzzi area. "Excuse me," the worker said, "would you like something to drink? We have water, juice, and some cocktails available."

Jaehyun turned to you. "What's your drink of choice?"

"I'm into coffee-based cocktails," you replied. "Maybe an Espresso Martini?"

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow in surprise. "I didn't take you for the martini type."

You smirked. "I have a lot of sides you don't know about. I'll have an Espresso Martini," you said.

"Very well, ma'am. And for you, sir?" he asked.

Jaehyun hesitated for a moment, looking at you. "I'll have the same," he finally said.

The waiter nodded and took note of their order. "Right away, sirs and madam."

As the waiter walked away, you looked over at Jaehyun. "I take it you've never had an Espresso Martini before?" you asked, a hint of amusement in your tone.

Jaehyun chuckled sheepishly. "No, I haven't. I usually stick to beer or whiskey."

You smiled, secretly pleased that Jaehyun had taken your suggestion. You could tell that he was the type who stuck to his usual drinks, so this was a small victory for you.

As you both relaxed in the jacuzzi, the waiter approached you with your cocktails. "Here are your drinks. Anything else you need, just let me know," he said with a smile before walking away.

You took a sip of your martini and savored the rich and bittersweet taste. "This is delicious," you said.

Jaehyun took a sip of his own martini and nodded in agreement. "I have to admit, this is pretty good," he said with a hint of surprise in his voice.

You chuckled. "See, finally not being so cheap as usual," you teased. "Who needs beer or whiskey when you can have something like this?"

Jaehyun rolled his eyes playfully. "You and your fancy coffee-based cocktails," he said with a grin. "But I have to admit, you might be onto something here. Though I suppose that's the only thing you have going for you. In the rest, you may be helpless."

You raised an eyebrow and took another sip of your martini. You weren't sure what to make of Jaehyun's backhanded compliment, but you weren't going to let it get to you. You had worked too hard to get where you were and wasn't going to let anyone belittle your accomplishments. Instead, you simply smiled and said, "Well, I'll take what I can get."

After a moment, you and Jaehyun continued to sip on your drinks in comfortable silence. The warm water of the jacuzzi and the cool night breeze were the perfect combination for relaxation. You both closed your eyes and let out a contented sigh, enjoying the moment of peace and quiet.

You felt a sense of calm wash over you, and for the first time in a long while, you were able to let go of all your worries and stress.

The two of you continued to sip your drinks in comfortable silence for a moment before Jaehyun spoke up again. "Well, I can tell you're a hard worker," he said, studying you from across the water. "And surprisingly, not as stuck up as I thought you were."

You raise an eyebrow and set down your glass on the edge of the tub. "Excuse me?" you say, crossing your arms over your chest.

Jaehyun chuckles. "Come on, you have to admit you give off a bit of an ice queen vibe."

You smirk and shake your head. "I suppose I can see why you might think that," you say. "But I'm not really like that."

Jaehyun smiles and holds up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. Fair enough," he says. "But you have to admit, you do have a certain air of... elegance about you."

You chuckle and pick up your glass again. "I'll take that as a compliment," you say. "And you, Mr. Jeong, give off a bit of a player vibe."

Jaehyun's smile grows wider. "Guilty as charged," he says, winking at you. "But you know what they say, it takes one to know one."

You roll your eyes, but you can't help but laugh. "You're impossible," you say.

Jaehyun just grins and takes another sip of his martini. The two of you settle back into a comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth of the water and the soft glow of the moon overhead.

As the night goes on, you both continue to sip on your drinks and engage in conversation. The dim lighting of the pool and jacuzzi area creates a cozy and intimate atmosphere, and before you know it, several hours have passed. Eventually, Jaehyun gets out of the jacuzzi and reaches for something near his towel. He returns with a pack of cigars and a lighter, surprising you. You look at him hesitantly, but he simply shrugs and lights one up, offering you one as well. You both take a drag and exhale the smoke into the cool night air, feeling a sense of relaxation wash over you. For a moment, you simply sit in comfortable silence, enjoying the quiet moments of the night.

You raise an eyebrow as you look over at Jaehyun. "Well, I'll give you credit for being polite for once," you say, sipping your coffee cocktail.

Jaehyun chuckles. "I can be polite when I want to be," he replies, taking a drag of his cigarette.

You doubt that. "You're usually too busy trying to one-up me in everything," you shoot back.

"I'm just doing my job," Jaehyun says defensively.

"Your job is to be a pain in my ass?" you ask, rolling your eyes.

Jaehyun shrugs. "My job is to make sure my company is successful, just like you."

You scoff. "And yet you always seem to have a personal vendetta against me."

Jaehyun grins wryly. "Maybe I just like to see you squirm."

You glare at him. "You're impossible."

Jaehyun laughs. "You're not so easy to work with yourself, you know."

You raise an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Jaehyun shrugs. "Take it however you want."

There is a moment of silence as you both sip your drinks, studying each other.

"You know, we don't have to hate each other," Jaehyun says suddenly.

You raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? And why is that?"

"Because outside of work, I don't think I actually hate you," Jaehyun says with a small smile.

You frown in confusion. "What does that even mean?"

Jaehyun sighs. "Look, I know we've had our differences in the past, but I think we could actually get along if we tried. Plus, it's the holidays, we should try to be civil, at least for tonight."

You study him for a moment before nodding slowly. "Okay, I'll give you that."

As you finish your cigars and the night grows even later, Jaehyun looks at you and says, "You know, it's getting pretty late and we're both off the clock. Why don't you come back to my place? I've got a bottle of scotch that's been calling my name all night." You hesitate for a moment, but ultimately agree, feeling a sense of excitement at the prospect of spending more time with Jaehyun outside of work. You both get dressed and head out, making your way to Jaehyun's penthouse as the city sleeps around you.

—

As you watched Jaehyun expertly prepare your favorite scotch cocktail, you couldn't help but admire the way he moved around his kitchen with ease. Pouring and mixing the ingredients with practiced hands, he created a drink that you couldn't resist savoring every sip of.

"You're quite the mixologist," you said with a smile. "I had no idea you were such a master of the bar."

Jaehyun chuckled. "I've picked up a few tricks over the years," he said. "Spending as much time in bars as I do, you tend to learn a thing or two."

You were impressed by his skill. "Well, it certainly shows. This is delicious."

Jaehyun took a sip of his own cocktail, savoring the taste. "Really? What can I say, I have refined tastes."

You chuckled. "Ha! You wish. You're just trying to impress me with your fancy drinks."

"Maybe I am," Jaehyun admitted, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Or maybe I just want to get you drunk and take advantage of you."

You raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that's really charming. Is that how you usually win people over?"

"No," Jaehyun replied with a grin. "I usually just rely on my good looks and irresistible charm."

Rolling your eyes, you said, "Oh, please. Don't tell me you're one of those guys who thinks he can get anything he wants just by being good-looking."

Jaehyun shook his head. "No, of course not. I also have a great personality."

"Hmm," you said, pretending to consider. "That's debatable."

As the night wore on, you found yourself sitting in the living room of Jaehyun's penthouse, sipping your drinks and enjoying the conversation. It was strange to be there with him, considering your fierce rivalry at work.

"I never thought I'd be sitting here in your penthouse, having a drink with you. We've always been such fierce rivals," you said.

Jaehyun nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I never thought I'd be here with you either. But you have to admit, there's always been some kind of tension between us."

You laughed. "That's an understatement. But seriously, I'm surprised we're getting along so well."

Jaehyun leaned back in his chair. "Why's that?"

"Well, we've always been professional rivals, and we don't exactly see eye to eye on everything. But here we are, having a civil conversation," you said.

Jaehyun nodded in agreement. "It's like we're two different people at work and outside of it. Maybe it's because we don't have to be in competition with each other all the time here."

"Maybe. Or maybe it's because we're both a little... tense. I know I am, with all the pressure at work," you said, taking a sip of your drink.

Jaehyun raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I feel it too. Maybe if you relaxed a bit more, you'd be able to focus better."

You looked at him, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Jaehyun chuckled. "I mean... maybe if you got laid more often, you wouldn't be so wound up all the time."

Your eyes widened in shock. "Excuse me?"

Jaehyun held up his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just teasing you. But on a serious note, I think it's good that we can have conversations like this, even if we don't always agree on everything."

You nod, still a bit flustered. "Yeah, you're right. It's nice to have someone to talk to who understands the pressures of this industry."

As you both continue to talk, the hours seem to slip away, and before you know it, it's well past midnight. You've both had a bit too much to drink, enough to feel the effects but not enough to be completely drunk. Jaehyun finds himself staring at you, and he can't help but give you a compliment.

"You know, Y/N, I have to admit, I'm a little jealous of how great you are at what you do," he says.

You chuckle. "I know, I know. I'll always be the one you're living in the shadow of," you say teasingly.

Jaehyun playfully rolls his eyes. "Hey, don't give yourself too much credit," he says, throwing a bit of playful shade your way.

You just laugh and shake your head. "Oh, Jaehyun," you say, before trailing off.

Jaehyun finds himself getting lost in your smile, and before he knows it, he leans in to kiss you. You initially freeze in surprise. But as your lips meet, you feel a jolt of electricity shoot through your body. Jaehyun's lips are soft yet firm, and his kiss is filled with a raw passion that you've never experienced before. You're lost in the moment, the heat between you intensifying with each passing second. The taste of scotch lingers on your tongues as you kiss passionately. For a moment, you forget about everything else—their rivalry, your work, your responsibilities. All that matters is the here and now, the two of you together, caught up in the heat of the moment.

As you continued to kiss, Jaehyun lifted you off your seat and put you on top of him on the couch. Your passion grew even more intense as you straddled him, your hands roaming over his chest and shoulders. Jaehyun's hands slipped beneath your blouse, his touch igniting a fire within you that you couldn't control. You moaned into his mouth, unable to resist him any longer.

Your hands roamed up and down Jaehyun's back, pulling him closer to you. Jaehyun's hands found their way to your waist, pulling your body tightly against his. Then, your hands worked their way to Jaehyun's shirt, fumbling with the buttons as you tried to remove it. Jaehyun pulled back, his eyes dark with desire as he helped you with the buttons. Soon, you were both topless, your bare skin pressed together as you explored each other with abandon.

Your bodies pressed together, the heat between you becoming almost unbearable. Your fingers tangled in Jaehyun's hair, pulling him closer as you lost yourself in the moment. You moved together in a dance of desire, your bodies pressed together, the heat between you almost unbearable.

For a moment, you forgot about everything else—the worries, the fears, the inhibitions. All that mattered was the here and now, the two of you together, caught up in the throes of passion.

As you lay on the couch, lost in passion, Jaehyun realizes that he can't hold back any longer. He needs you, and he needs you now. Without breaking your kiss, he stands up, lifting you effortlessly in his arms, and carries you to his bedroom.

Once inside, he gently places you on the bed, his eyes searching yours for any sign that you want him to stop. But all he sees is desire, burning hot and bright in your gaze. He can't hold back any longer.

Your clothes are quickly discarded, the sound of buttons popping and fabric rustling filling the room. As you come together, your bodies move as one, lost in a sea of sensation and pleasure.

Your moans fill the room, the sound driving Jaehyun to new heights of passion. He can't get enough of you, can't stop touching you, tasting you, feeling you against him.

As you both lay entwined, your bodies slick with sweat, Jaehyun knows that he has never felt this way before. He looks at your face, searching for any sign that he has gone too far, but all he sees is raw desire and lust burning in your eyes. You want him as much as he wants you, and nothing will ever change that.

With a final thrust, you both reach the pinnacle of pleasure, your bodies shuddering with ecstasy. As you both lay there, spent and sated, Jaehyun knows that he has found a powerful attraction to you, something that he can't ignore or resist. With his arms wrapped around you, holding you close, you both drift off to sleep, your bodies still humming with the memory of your passionate night together. Jaehyun knows that he has found a powerful attraction to you, something that he can't ignore or resist.

—

You stirred and slowly opened your eyes, feeling the warmth of Jaehyun's body next to yours. As you tried to adjust to the dimly lit room, you realized with a jolt that it wasn't a dream. It had actually happened. Your heart raced as you sat up, trying to process the events of the night before.

"I can't believe this crap," you muttered to yourself, your mind racing with thoughts of how this could have happened. You knew you had had too much to drink, and the combination of that and the intense chemistry between you had led to a night of reckless abandon.

As you looked at the clock on your phone, you saw that it was only 4am. Your alarm would go off soon, and you needed to get home and start your day. You slowly slipped out of bed, trying not to disturb Jaehyun as you gathered your clothes and quickly got dressed.

As you made your way to the door, you couldn't help but feel a sense of shame and regret. This wasn't like you. You had always been so focused on your work, and you prided yourself on being a responsible and level-headed professional. But last night had been different.

As you stepped out of Jaehyun's penthouse and into the hallway, you realized with a sinking feeling that you were neighbors. You both lived in the same building, just different penthouses. The thought of seeing him again, of facing the awkwardness and tension between you, made your stomach churn.

But you knew you had to push those feelings aside and focus on work. You were a professional, and you would not let a moment of weakness ruin your career or your reputation. You headed to your own penthouse, determined to start your day as if nothing had happened.

#OMG #Here it goes #My first fanfic ever #NCT #nct jaehyun #jaehyun #nct 127 #nct x reader #nct 127 x reader #jaehyun images #jaehyun x reader #nct 127 jaehyun #nct fanfic #jaehyun fanfic #jaehyun fics #nct smut #jaehyun smut

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clover-46 · 11 months

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the writers on here making the miguel fics need to remember his fangs inject paralytic venom hes not a real vampire it was just a joke in the movie 😭

oh but i still want him to bite me don’t get me wrong idgaf if they have venom 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

#the copious amounts of smut i’ve seen with this man and the fangs is crazy #y’all need to tone it DOWN wheres the fluff omg??#there’s like so many smut x reader fics clogging the miguel o’hara tag and people can express their creative liberties or whatever but it’s #getting CRAZY #like why is almost nobody talking about his character and writing an analysis on him #AND WHY ARE SO MANY FICS WRITING HIM TO BE SOME FERAL AND MEAN BEAST #firstly it’s feels racist to write a brown latino man that way.#second it feels fetishiz-y with how people only sexualize the fuck outta him and talk about nothing else when it comes to him #to add onto that people are drawing him with a MUZZLE on #at first all this didn’t really register in my head as bad but after seeing so much i see it 😭#also some spanish speakers have said people are using incorrect spanish when writing dialogue for him and thats kinda funny #don’t use google translate please 💀#miguel o’ hara #spiderman 2099 #across the spiderverse #i also saw someone say miguel would not be a good partner or something and i just know you didn’t pay attention #and i wont go into why because its spoilers but we have seen him be soft and happy with someone he cares about it’s just trauma that has #made him mean and depressed #he was obviously projecting onto miles in the movie when he acted like that let’s be fr #why am i writing a novel down here idk i just wanted to talk about it a little #i love the smut (trust me) but pleaaseee don’t start being fetishize-y

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nextstopparis · 2 years

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What are some of your favorite Modern Royal!AU Merthur fics?

ahhh hello!!! i hope u find something u hvent read yet on here!!:)

wanna be your endgame (my youth is yours) (series) by ladililn

same river twice by kianspo

drastically redefining protocol (series) by rageprufrock

ever on and ever back by SomeTorist

previously unexpected by suntipped

maybe we were coming all along by sassafrasx

the lonely king by Cori Lannam (corilannam)

these feathered breaths (a handfasting remix) by Emjayelle

third time’s lucky by glim

not in this land alone by torakowalski

and all the days ever after by schweet_heart

possibly maybe i’m falling for you by lady_ragnell

next time around by LamentableComedy

my significant bother by evaelisaa, Leandra

charting stars on a stained glass ceiling by mornmeril

#there are a couple on here that i havent read in a while #but they were all in my bookmarks sooooo im pretty sure i adore them #THE LAST FIC IN THE MY YOUTH IS YOURS SERIES IS ONE I ALWAYS READ WHEN IM UPSET #ESP THAT LAST PART OF THE FIC…. WAS CRYING OF LAUGHTER WHEN I FIRST READ IT #omg i love doinf fic recs i hope you like them!!!#bbc merlin #merthur #merthur fic #merthur fic rec #ask

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firewoodfigs · 9 months

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all the love we unravel

Summary: It’s the mission that leads him to think that she’s almost incandescent in the morning light like this: safe and warm and here.

SPYxFamily | twiyor | chapter 1/3 | rated M

🏷️: angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, humor, mutual pining, “for the mission” loid forger

for @nightofnyx8 — happy birthday! 🩵

#twiyor #spy x family #sxf #twiyor fic #writing #here we go lads #my first fic that’s not for royai omg🥺🥺

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demonicfarmer69 · 11 months

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Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín/Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī Characters: Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī Additional Tags: Masturbation, Bottom Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Mutual Masturbation, Mentioned Jīn Guāngshàn, Post-Sunshot Campaign (Módào Zǔshī), set after lwj leaves seclusion, Accidental Voyeurism, Sex Toys, Boypussy, 69 (Sex Position), Inappropriate Use of Zǐdiàn (Módào Zǔshī), Belly Bulge, Size Kink, panty sniffer lwj (LOL), Edging, Overstimulation, power bottom jc/virgin lwj, Vaginal Sex, historically inaccurate underwear, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Loss of Virginity Summary:

All Lan Wangji wanted to do after a bothersome discussion conference was to go to his room and unwind. Coincidentally, Jiang Wanyin also had the same idea, but in a very different way.

#zhancheng #jiang cheng #lan wangji #mo dao zu shi #mdzs #im gonna take a ris and share my fics on here too omg im sweating #this is my first ever fic that i ever finished and posted btw!!!!!!!#i think its one of my nottiest fics if i do say so myself #read the tags x #my fics

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jadepetals · 9 months

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*holy fuck, it’s GALLAVICH time* 💖🧑🏻‍🦰🧑🏻💖- You are getting this message because you are awesome. Please share one Gallavich fic or art or post that you’ve enjoyed recently, or share something you’ve created recently, or just feel free to say how much you love them! & pass this on to your fellow Gallavich fans!

it took me 3 years to answer this but it doesn't matter cause as far as i'm concerned it's always gallavich time. ANYWAY i'm gonna share some of the fics i've been enjoying recently because i could not mention just one.

i've recently finished The Fine Art of Falling For You by @goodkwuestion . What can i say about this that you already don't know? it's so soft and wholsome it made me wanna throw a pillow against the wall sometimes, but as with every other fic from this author my favourite part are ALWAYS those original characters.

then a mountain at my gates by @gardenerian . i jut love any fics with this kind of plot what can i say, i literally devoured this in one sitting.

i also love fill in fics so i obviously enjoyed Love can damage your health by @energievie . tw for 3x6 for those who don't like reading about it tho, it happens before that and nothing bad happens but you can never be too safe.

ok and now to what i am currently reading yayy

just started Undead Agents of Chaos by ElizaPembroke which is a really cool canon divergence fic that i can't wait to finish.

and i obviously can't finish without mentioning The Menagerie by @crossmydna which is my favourite WIP currently, if you haven't started it yet go do it immediatly.

and to close this off i'd like to invite everyone to check out everything that's being shared for Gallavich A.U.gust 2023 (@gallavichthings)!

#omg this went on for so long #there's probably many typos here english isn't my first language yadda yadda #fic rec #gallavich

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crybaby-bkg · 6 months

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it was three years on the third of this month since I started writing fics for bnha 🥲 and to think I started writing fics again bc of a bkdk dream that I couldn’t stop thinking about :))))

#and I’m still here #who woulda thunk #(me. my hyper fixations can last for years when uninterrupted by outside stimuli)#(and being in a pandemic and not going in person for school is outside stimuli if that wasn’t obvious btw)#but that’s crazy omg three years and almost a hundred fics 🥲#my brain just won’t shut up huh #also the dream was actually my first *** dream ALSJDDKDJ #I didn’t think I could have them but. that night proved me wrong I fear.#—in store chit chat! 🍫

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jianghushenanigans · 1 month

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Its... its my immortal except Nirvana in Fire. Thats it thats the fic.

I suddenly remembered this exists and was crying laughing about it and have decided to inflict its existence on tumblr you’re all so very welcome

#i want to get into the habit of sharing new fics on tumblr but i haven't actually Posted aanything in a while #and so the first one yall can get graced with is this absolute monstrosity which is also my favourite thing i've ever created #i haven't decided if i'm going to post my fic to here or my main (which shares a name with my ao3) but THIS is going here only omg #nirvana in fire #oh man i don't even know if i actually want to drop this in the tags but hey whatever

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sketchtheinfinity · 10 months

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some sketches of this fic's 3rd chapter by @losergender

they're a bit rushed and not that well made but I promised I'd have this done by the time they published the 4th chapter so we'll just have to take what we can get

#sk8 the infinity #sk8 renga #fic fanart #sk8 langa #sk8 reki #omg my first post in this acc‼️#this wouldn't even exist if @losergender handn't blackmailed me (/hj) into making this #but oh well here we are now

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eternal-reverie · 3 months

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have to take a break with the otome visual novel I’m playing since I finally unlocked the secret character route and as much as I wanna dive in right now I know I’m going to short circuit if I binge it right now 😵‍💫

#when u play the whole thing just to get to that one character’s storyline #the main routes are rlly good for the most part but every time this guy shows up in the others ppls routes I’m!!!! like omg it’s you!! hi 👋#guess I’m finally talking about it albeit vaguely (｡-_-｡)#I have bounce around my whole room energy I can’t wait to bite into the angst this dude has I even loaded in the first game #to get reacquainted with his storyline #click clack #guess I could name drop it here it’s the piofiore sequel #I wanna draw them write fic about them I wanna go insane maybe 🫨

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that-was-anticlimactic · 2 years

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his brand of make believe convinces me it’s real

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “I’m just tryin’ to—I don’t think you’re ridiculous. And… I know that whatever you’re hiding ain’t ridiculous either.” And it was the truth because Aren loved listening to Shun and he loved loving Shun. Dark Reunion wasn’t real, nor was Shun part of the Jet Black Wings, but his imagination, his ability to make believe and create everything out of nothing was as real as flesh and blood. It was magical, something that Aren didn’t know was possible before he met Shun.

Now, he believed in things that didn’t exist, he listened with bated breath as Shun told him stories about things that never happened. It was Shun that made them real, by thinking and feeling and emoting in a way that most people weren’t able to do.

So, no, nothing about Shun was ridiculous. Not when he could make dragons real and everything exist simply by choosing to believe, choosing to pretend.

[or: aren wonders why shun always wears those "bandages" around his hands]

☆4,600 words | kubokai☆

big shoutout to @matcherry for beta-reading for me! you were a huge help and i couldn’t have done it without you <3

☆part three of my ts awareness month fics☆

#corey writes:)#kaidou with tourette’s #ahhhhhh it's here !!!#i have worked. so hard on this lol #writing for aren was a STRUGGLE #but eli was so freaking helpful - seriously couldn't have done it without you !!!#i hope this is alright omg it's my first saiki k fic ahhhhhhhh #saiki k #tdlosk #kubokai #kaidou shun #kuboyasu aren #kuboyasu x kaidou #tdlosk fanfic #kubokai fanfic #y e a h #i probably won't finish the rest of my ts fics in time because ts month ends the fifteenth but imma still post them because i have more #in the works ! i also want to post my n.anami one on n.anami n.friday lol so i gotta wait till the ts month ends to post his haha #aNYWAYS imma stop rambling ahhhhhh i'm so nervous about this one omg been working on editing it all day lol #also ‘magic in the man’ from big fish is a kubokai song i am Correct <3

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you-are-so-much-better-than-that · 1 year

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#OMG I MISSED YOU GUYS!!#I did not think I'd be away for this long but it's been a wild couple of months #First I was sick with not covid #And then before I was even recovered I had to move apartments #And then a week after I moved I hopped on a plane and went to New Jersey for seven (!!) weeks!#And I finally met my my little nieces and nephew who were all born during covid and was even there for the birth of my cousin's baby!#ANDDDDDD I MET SO MANY FRIENDS!!!#I still can't believe I got to hug them and share friendsgiving with them and feed them chocolate and experience at least one of them prosec #I still can't believe I got to hug them & share friendsgiving with them & share chocolate & see at least one of them prosecco drunk #👀👀👀#also hashtag jackal 😭#It was a great trip but I missed SO much and I am READY TO CLOWN AGAIN #I missed your art and your fic and your gif sets and your passion and the love around here!#Also I have...so..much..porn to catch up to...#Let's do thiiiiiissss

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lilypadding · 1 year

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The Fifth Trial

Crossposted on AO3

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

In which Nanami and Komaeda are closer friends before he sets up his master plan.

Word count: A bit over 4k

(Some gore, only what's present in the game.)

There is a dead Komaeda Nagito behind Nanami Chiaki.

The first time she hears his voice, she thinks she is hallucinating. But her programming doesn’t glitch in that way. It shouldn’t . Her perception has not failed her, not this drastically.

She knows very little about how she was created, but her coding has never tripped and triggered the live words of a dead person. She has never felt the presence of a murder victim leaning into her during their own class trial from behind her. She has never felt the cool of their breath as they repeat her name almost helplessly, begging for attention, for her to spin around and face them.

Nanami-san. Nanami-san. Nanami-san—

His voice is so quiet, so quiet , she must be hallucinating. She’s hearing things. She has to be. Her eyes settle on Hinata from across the circled podiums and remain there.

Komaeda Nagito is not here.

He is not settled behind her in the middle of a class trial, he is not calling for her attention by pressing into her, she cannot feel the lack of his warmth against her.

The true cause of death has come to light. Poisoned by a single fire grenade that one of them threw into the flames in the warehouse. An elaborate charade to get someone to kill him, to pin the responsibility of his life on the toss of a fire grenade. A suicide, by all reasoning—except Monokuma’s.

The group is convinced Komaeda had ill intent. That he took advantage of the trial system for the sake of leaving the group empty-handed in terms of a verdict. But this cannot be true.

Nanami swallows a lump stuck in her throat, eyeing her classmates. Their expressions are fear-stricken. It’s always fear when it comes to Komaeda. She spent her time trusting him on the island. She hadn’t felt this fear; not until now.

“Nanami-san.”

Komaeda’s voice is low. It’s enough for her to ignore, instead focus on gripping the bars of the podium before her.

She can’t decide on an answer.

It could be a glitch. A break in the system. A few, shattered lines of code.

Her classmates don’t perceive him, certainly, because they dive into yet another conversation topic that Nanami doesn’t bother listening to. She couldn’t even if she wanted to, all too distracted by the mystery that Komaeda Nagito has induced by his mere presence. Which is not new.

Maybe acknowledging him will make him disappear. Like noticing a shadow in the darkness of a room, but when your eyes focus, all traces of it vanish. But the idea of spinning and catching his face is mortifying. What would he look like? Would he look normal? A faraway look in his eyes, a feigned smile, the same as always?

Nanami locks eyes onto her classmates. Sonia. Owari. Kuzuryuu. Those who are actually alive, anyone she can rightfully perceive. Anyone that doesn’t make her think she’s lost it.

Komaeda’s next words are quiet, but his tone of voice is easy to distinguish. She trembles under his breath. Desperately, she tries shoving away the memory of his voice, the clarity of his words.

She can still see him in his cottage, pensively gazing down at her, shaking his head at the idea that she was worried about him. She doesn’t miss the mockery in his words.

“Can you hear me?”

Hinata’s voice pierces her thoughts:

“Komaeda did all of this… to pin his death on us,” He seems to be grappling with this, disbelief killing his assertion, “He didn’t care who the blackened was. That’s… what he wanted.”

It sounds more like a question than a statement.

It sucks the air dry. Nanami’s eyes dart to the trial grounds, defeat suffocating her.

“Bastard,” Kuzuryuu barks, anger and confusion powering him, “Fucking bastard. Of course, he was scheming something. We should’ve kept him—”

His cut-off is abrupt. As if he’d realized that a should’ve is pointless.

“It doesn’t matter,” Sonia concludes for the group, “I… I just can’t believe he… I mean, all of those wounds, which are not even the cause of death, are self-inflicted …? He’d have to have been holding the spear while he used the knife to...”

Their dread piles with every word. The refusal to finish Sonia’s sentence leaves too much room for the imagination. The silence visualizes the scene for them.

Komaeda, deliberately wrapping thick rope to his limbs; Komaeda, looping the cord of the spear around the ceiling beam for it to dangle over his stomach; Komaeda, with far too little hesitance biting back screams while relentlessly mutilating his thighs with the knife, the spear swaying threateningly over him as blood splatters.

“Nanami-san…”

She stiffens and looks for a distraction within her classmates. They’re busy mulling over the idea of him, faces nearly pale. She needs someone to pull her away from him . To expel his voice from her mind.

But it’s impossible to ignore Komaeda Nagito. Even beyond his living days.

“Are you going to tell them?”

She doesn’t want to. She has to.

It will come up, because Hinata was the one who watched her scramble out of Komaeda’s cottage the night prior. He’d ignored it during the investigation, refusing to ask her anything, to even so much as acknowledge their late night interaction. But he wouldn’t ignore it during the class trial, not when he still didn’t know what happened between Nanami and Komaeda the night before he died .

She’d spent a lot of time with Komaeda already, around the island during the easier days, the hours between other murders. Nanami had been undeterred by everyone’s hesitance towards him, their fear and apprehension after having that first trial. She understood their reluctance, really.

Komaeda spoke in unsettling ways since their first trial, to say the least. His seeming lack of remorse, his willingness to kill and die for them. But it was all the more reason to seek him out.

He always refused her company, insisting she shouldn’t spend her free time with someone like him, that he’d be fine without anyone’s company. But he wasn’t going to survive this killing game alone. He wouldn’t get through the heavy days, isolating himself. She’d learn about him, she’d come to understand him, even if it cost her classmate’s wary stares while they were seen together.

She had one responsibility, one command to follow under Future Foundation.

Take care of them all.

And this would not exclude Komaeda Nagito. No matter what.

Everyone else, though… had a hard time accepting him.

“So, who was the traitor?” Owari’s voice snaps Nanami back to the trial. Everyone shoots Owari a confused look. “I mean, didn’t Komaeda say he already knew who the traitor was? What was that about?”

“If he knew who the traitor was, why would he die?” Hinata snaps back, an unnerving hostility clouding him. He’s been tense this entire trial. Ever since they’d found Komaeda’s body, he’d only spoken in clipped sentences and a flat tone.

Nanami wasn’t confident in her judgment of character and behavior. But she did know that something struck Hinata when he saw Komaeda’s corpse.

A hazy look in his eyes and a weakened stance was enough for Nanami to deduce two things. One, Hinata was going to be sick. Two, Komaeda Nagito’s death was the thing that Hinata Hajime had least expected.

“Because the guy makes no sense,” Souda scratches his chin, glaring at Hinata, “He probably did it ‘cause the sicko felt like it. That’s all.”

“That’s too simple,” Hajime’s response is immediate, “He has to have a good reason for setting this elaborate plan up. This is Komaeda we’re talking about.”

“You’re putting in way too much effort,” Souda crosses his arms over his chest, “Komaeda’s crazy . There’s no logic with that guy. He probably just wanted to put on a stupid show just to kill himself.”

“That’s not it,” Hinata glares, his stance unwavering, “Komaeda’s dead . This isn’t a show. And there is a logic to him. Yeah, it’s crazy, and his thought process gives me a headache, but it’s always calculated. There’s something we’re missing.”

Hinata usually loses merit through his arguments during trials, confidence slipping from between his fingers as he asserts himself. He’s never displayed such unwavering determination before. It’s comforting, knowing he’s not letting himself slip now.

For too long, Nanami has wondered whether Hinata even liked Komaeda. It was always hard to tell. Hinata’s eyes were never completely comfortable around him, not after that first trial. But they did have their moments. Short and brief and fleeting where they acted normal. Almost friendly.

And now that Hinata is clouded by his loss, the pendulum swung back in favor of the guy.

“But it’s just like Komaeda to be dramatic for the sake of hope or whatever he says— or said. And it’s just like him to do this for hope. He was always talking about being a sacrifice.”

“Souda. Did you even listen to me? I said that—”

“Okay, well…” Kuzuryuu raises his hands in front of him, attempting to quell the tension. Both Souda and Hinata’s annoyed gazes fix on him.

“Let’s look at this one more time…” Kuzuryuu states, but Nanami fails in following his next words.

She reflects on last night instead, caught up in recalling every miniscule instance that would have suggested an outcome like this. Every glance Komaeda threw, every word he muttered— he was always careful with his phrasing, and often, the meaning behind conversations with him would go unnoticed until the benefit of hindsight kicked in.

But Nanami can’t pin anything suspicious in what he’d said. He’d gotten foggy-eyed when he expressed his gratitude for her visit, and reflected almost wistfully at their time spent together on the island for the previous days. That isn’t much of a surprise anymore— now knowing that he knew it would be his last day alive. His last moment to appreciate anything at all.

Maybe that’s why he didn’t act hostile with her, not in the way he’d been with the group previously: antagonizing them and mocking their Ultimate titles.

She had half expected the harsh treatment— for her to walk into his cottage and immediately be received by verbal blows to her lack of leadership or embodiment of hope . He’s behaved smugly towards everyone up until then anyway, jabbing them with bitter insults, a stark contrast to the praise and worship he’d given them prior.

But he hadn’t done any of that last night. He hadn’t insulted her, or the others, while she was speaking with him. He’d been… normal. For once. And for a person that was planning his own suicide… That… makes sense.

Nanami feels an ice-cold sensation land atop her wrist. Her eyes flick down to it.

It’s a hand.

His hand. The sweater sleeve and blood stains give that much away.

She bites back a gasp, harshly looking away, recuperating herself. Her expression must be a dead give away that something is blatantly wrong , but everyone is distracted with a distant conversation.

A thick trail of blood is running down the wrist of his sleeve, the skin of his hand, snaking thin lines around his fingers, pooling in Nanami’s sweater sleeve where he’s lightly gripping her, the fabric of it darkening as it sinks into her clothes.

She stares at it, the growing stain, and a faint sensation of warmth from the blood is what forces her to clamp her jaw shut and fight the urge to scream in the middle of the trial.

She glances up at her classmates, and no one is looking at her.

Komaeda is here.

It’s not just his voice.

Nanami lightly shakes her head, trying to clear her mind. She closes her eyes, a silent prayer that when she opens them, he’ll be gone— his hand will be gone, and this will be yet another unexplained, self-induced hallucination, a defunct mistake in the Program that shouldn’t be possible in the first place.

She opens her eyes, and Komaeda’s hand is still there. Dread tightens her throat. His presence is starting to overwhelm her, the warm blood solidifying him in her mind. He’s behind her. He’s here to stay.

Nanami grips the podium shortly, a weak attempt at grounding herself in reality and claws her gaze into Owari, spouting off about something about a gut feeling.

But his voice starts up anyway, clearer than before, and an ugly chill scratches her. He sounds identical to how he sounded last night— a casual lilt in his tone, bordering on upbeat. As if he were really here.

As if it was just another day of Komaeda speaking when he wasn’t supposed to.

“Nanami-san…?”

She gives him nothing.

“Wow, getting ignored even in the afterlife… You must really think lowly of me, huh?”

Nanami keeps her eyes trained straight ahead as his cold hand travels up the cloth of her arm. It’s almost an affectionate gesture— If his hand wasn’t so bloodied.

Souda is saying something , she thinks, watching the mechanic’s face morph into a scowl. His voice is unheard as he speaks, muted while his lips move, and her mind is desperately trying to make its way back into the courtroom, into anything but the presence behind her.

Komaeda’s voice envelops the foreground regardless.

“Not that I can really blame you… I really am worthless…”

She’d always pestered him to not talk badly about himself. When he was alive. She’d slap his shoulder lightly when he made remarks like that, scolding him. He would always laugh.

“You hate me, don’t you?”

His voice is distant this time. As if he were questioning himself instead of her. Nanami fights to urge to face him head on.

Seeing his bloodied hand and sweater sleeve, feeling it burn into her was enough. Her mind wanders despite herself— if she were to turn around, what would she see ? Would Komaeda’s face be bloodied, too? Would his eyes be empty? Would the duct tape be hanging off his cheek?

Why is his hand covered in blood?

Is she haunting herself? Is she imagining it all? Is she forcing herself to live through another string of Komaeda’s words through the guise of his dead, animated body? Could her programming even do that? Was she built to this level of consciousness, of guilt?

No one else can see him. That’s blatantly obvious— They’re so immersed in the court trial at hand, and no one has screamed about seeing a ghost over her shoulder. Only she is perceiving him. But, why?

“Nanami-san,” Komaeda whines, “At least an acknowledgement would be nice…”

She bores her eyes into Hinata from across the circle of podiums. He’s not speaking to the others. He catches her eyes immediately and frowns slightly, seeming confused by her fixed gaze on him. Certainly not enough to indicate he saw him.

She tears her attention away. It’s impossible to communicate to Hinata that a dead boy is trying to speak to her.

Komaeda groans, the sound emitting from deep in his throat. She feels him move impatiently before he dips his head, setting his chin on her shoulder. Nanami almost flinches at the notion, his cold skin freezing her through her sweater.

“Well… Will you tell them our secret?”

She furrows her brows and hovers pensively, ignoring the desire to jab into his form, shove him off.

Guilt had burnt into her after finding his body. In seconds, minutes, what felt like hours , she reflected obsessively on what she could have done.

Every idea, every grievance after the fact, every nerve in her mind concluding the same thought: she should have stayed in his cottage. I should’ve shoved myself in there last night. Broken the door down. Of course Komaeda would end up doing something like this. She’d cheated herself when she told herself he’d be okay.

The warehouse— the sight of him splayed on the floor, covered in his own blood, was enough of a sinking pit. And the investigation following flooded with flashes of the previous night. The short exchange in his cottage, the lack of answers he gave. His face.

Troubled, and lacking sleep— as always. But alive. The smile he wore while praising her, and the glare he gave while reproaching her.

Searching his cottage during the investigation was not easy. Hinata had accompanied her to the task, silent against last night, clearly refusing to bring it up. It was almost like he had forgotten about their exchange entirely. Or maybe she’d hallucinated her conversation with him, just as she’s hallucinating…

“Well?”

Secret?

As she reflects again, her ears finally sink back into the trial discussion.

“What if… What if he was leaving it up to the traitor?” Hinata asserts, eyes scanning, entranced in his own thoughts. They all watch him.

“What’re you saying?” Kuzuryuu winces, disapproving already.

“He was leaving it up to the traitor,” Hinata concludes pensively.

Nanami’s heart begins to race.

“Dude, spit it out already.”

“Komaeda wasn’t randomizing the blackened,” Hinata looks around the group anxiously, “We completely misunderstood him.”

“What the fuck are you saying?” Kuzuryuu is lacking patience.

“It’s not an unsolvable mystery,” Hinata snaps back, voice louder. His eyes flash across the circle, determined, before he declares words that make Nanami’s blood run cold.

“The culprit is the traitor.”

The air is tight, sharpened only by their reciprocating silence and unbelieving eyes.

“There is no way for us to know who was holding the bottle with poison. Nothing indicates which bottle was the murder weapon. We all threw a bottle into the fire, and what we do know is that one of those bottles is what killed him.”

Nanami wants to curl in on herself when Komeada laughs behind her. As if watching Hinata fit the puzzle pieces together was so amusing.

“One of the bottles was poisoned, and one of us was the one to throw it. Komaeda was obsessed with finding the traitor. What better way was there to pin them down, to put them on the spot, than to make them the blackened in his own murder ?”

Truthfully, Hinata was a spectacle to watch when he pieced the evidence together. When he draws a conclusion that he’s so certain about, when he asserts himself amongst a questioning group, only certainty brimming in his eyes. Nanami hasn’t seen it often.

It’s only rational that this is occurring now that Komaeda’s the victim.

Still, as she gazes at his confidence, his straightened posture and fixed eyes, her heart can’t help but tremble.

“... Hinata. If I may ask,” Sonia’s voice is soft but forceful. Her demeanor and tone always demand respect, and now is no exception, “How are we sure the traitor was the one who chose the poisoned bottle? I understand that Komaeda could have intended for this to be the case, but anyone could have picked up the poisoned bottle, couldn’t they?”

It’s slight, the movement of Hinata’s lips upturning. He’d been expecting the question.

It’s admirable, really, how sure he is. But Nanami’s stance is weakening at her podium, for this certainty is what is going to get her—

“You’re right,” Hinata’s voice is calm. He straightens himself slightly, “ Anyone could have picked up that fire grenade. But Komaeda had a goal. Komaeda had a target , he had a plan , and what better thing to implement into this complicated set-up than his Ultimate talent ?”

The courtroom goes silent.

No one moves.

Nanami doesn’t have to analyze the tension that has risen to know they realized it. The air has thickened, and it’s getting hard to breathe, because these are her last moments, and there’s no getting out of this now.

There’s no escaping Komaeda’s plan, and there’s no escaping Hinata disassembling it.

She’d hoped her conclusion was wrong while they were investigating.

But her only thought was that Komaeda wanted to find the traitor while she examined his body and reevaluated his torment.

He might have planned and executed his death to spite them all, to put all their heads on a chopping block. But when it became clear that Komaeda would never kill them all, not completely, not without giving them an opportunity of escape, not without leaving enough evidence to let them live;

A fragment of hope…

This is when Nanami was shoved into accepting her fate.

If Hinata’s expression is any indication, he’s successfully won them over. Has he realized what he’s doing? Would he stop if he did?

“Our Reserve Course has really cleaned up…” Komaeda’s voice is almost dreamy, “I never expected this.”

“Liar,” She mutters, barely a whisper. Of course Komaeda had expected this.

He’s the one who met Hinata first, and he’s the one who’s witnessed him shining during the trials since. His words are hollow, tasteless , when remembering the way he always looked at him.

She realizes too late that replying to him is a mistake. The acknowledgement only strengthens his presence. He draws closer to her, brimming with a smile she can hear already.

“Oh, Nanami-san!” Cheery, carefree, and he’s closer than ever. Familiar, too familiar. His hand retracts, leaving behind only the sensation of warm blood on her sweater. “I really thought you couldn’t hear me for a second. How comforting…”

Nanami wonders if she can ignore him again, pretend his voice is invisible, but there is no point in drawing a silent vow after replying to him, even if it was just with one word.

She sighs quietly, defeat piling in her. Komaeda chuckles, leaning toward her ear. The room is deathly silent, save for him.

Everyone is basking in the bewilderment of Hinata’s revelation. Like they’re scared to say it, bring it to light, to life.

“ Nanami-san .”

“He was the Ultimate Lucky Student,” Sonia draws out of herself. She looks mortified.

“ They’re about to find our secret after all.”

“And what else could possibly cause the traitor, of all people, to pick up the bottle of poison?” Hinata declares, refusing to back away from his line of reasoning, “Only one thing could allow such a thing. Having that same Ultimate Luck.”

“Now. Will you concede?”

Nanami draws a blank at the question. Komaeda knew.

Komaeda knew .

Why was he acting so disturbingly casual about such information? Was being dead really that much of a blessing?

Often, she’d judged Komaeda for his sheer ability of laughing at such tense and uncomfortable moments. But it’s now that all she wants to do is laugh. How could he know? How could he guess? Was his life as a ghost granting him the ability to see through secrets? Was it obvious in her behavior? Did he always know, that she was the—

“Nanami?” Sonia’s voice calls.

Nanami blinks and steals a glance around the courtroom. All eyes are on her.

“Yeah?”

“We were asking you a question…” Sonia trails off, eyes wary. For a split second, Nanami wonders if they can see him too. Sonia’s gaze fixes over Nanami’s shoulder, but doesn’t remain.

And, still, no one is screaming about a ghost.

“Were you with Komaeda yesterday?”

Nanami’s mouth draws closed. Her mind scours for ways to answer the question, but all she draws are blanks.

“You told me you had somewhere to be in the evening,” Hinata adds, his voice going soft, “When I asked to speak with you? And I saw you… um… walk towards his cottage.”

Nanami’s eyes widen before she recuperates. Hinata had been watching?

She stares him down. He refuses to meet her gaze, and Nanami is suddenly sure that he had watched them talk. For as long as they were talking outside, anyway.

“Wow, the Reserve Course loves using common sense…”

She can feel Komaeda’s sneer behind her, and she feels the need to snap back. But her prolonged silence has been incriminating enough.

“I… did see Komaeda yesterday,” Nanami states, her posture and tone maintaining a sense of stability, despite her mind going haywire, “I went to his cottage to ask him why he was doing all of this. I wanted to know.”

“There’s no reasoning with that guy…!” Souda yells, “Why didn’t you bring anyone with you? He could’ve hurt you…”

“He didn’t,” Nanami replies, “He just… talked.”

“Care to give details?” Kuzuryuu raises an eyebrow, clearly suspicious.

“Yeah, I can tell you what he said… I think.”

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3

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