Lee Soo Hyuk Insta Update

Trouble

Pairing - Sylus x f!MC

Summary - As it turned out, lavish events in the N109 Zone were not quite your thing, and this one did nothing but prove it. You weren’t looking for trouble, but it often had a way of finding you.

Word Count - 6.4k

Warning - MDNI. 18+. Oral sex f!receiving. Fingering. Light bondage. Mention of murder.

You were in trouble.

Not that it was immediately bothering you. You were having a good time—it wasn’t your fault that the rest of your companions were quite clearly not.

And besides, it wasn’t as if you were breaking any rules. Sylus had simply advised that you remain where he and the twins could see you upon your arrival at the lavish event, and that’s exactly what you were doing.

Whilst you watched a delectable cocktail being made for you at the bar as per a stranger's request, the three sets of eyes in various places around the room burned holes in your head as they watched you and the nameless man like a hawk. You only threw a few glances at each of them, catching Luke waving the tips of his fingers against his neck in a warning to get away from the guy.

You did no such thing, however. Listening to people kissing Sylus’s ass to stay out of his warpath had quickly bored you half to death, and some stimulation was very necessary for your withering attention span. You didn’t think much of the man who had approached you at the bar. He was dressed up like every other guy in the room, but he held a familiar air of dominance around him. Just as a certain silver haired man fuming a dozen metres away did.

The man ordered you what he deemed as being the best cocktail you would ever drink, along with an identical one for himself. One sip had led to another, your glass completely drained in a matter of a few seconds. He had another one raring to go before your glass landed back on the mahogany bar.

“Didn’t I tell you? The perfect cocktail.” The slight grin he shot you revealed two golden teeth that replaced his natural canines. You imagined the man would be quite intimidating to look at for most, but you took down Wanderers for a living. He’d need to do a lot more than flash his expensive gold fangs at you to make you feel threatened.

Not that you were getting that impression from him in the first place. He actually seemed rather pleasant.

“It’s delicious,” you agreed, already starting on the second.

He perched himself on the stool beside you, taking a sip of his own as he studied you for a moment. “You came with Sylus, huh?”

You nod, not seeing any harm in answering truthfully. “Is it obvious?”

The man chuckled. “His eyes are like lasers through my skull,” he crooned. He turned his head to wiggle his fingers in greeting to your companion. You didn’t dare turn to look in the same direction. “So, what are you doing on your little lonesome, darling?”

A shiver ran up your spine at the pet name. It was almost as if Sylus had caused it as a warning to you. You could feel his patience thinning by the second.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” you responded, starting to feel a bit like a worm in the sights of a crow. 

Although you weren’t entirely sure which of the two men were making you feel so much pressure all of a sudden.

A blaringly obvious hand shot in the air a little distance behind the silver-eyed man beside you, catching your attention. Kieran had attracted more than just your attention as he threw his thumb back over his shoulder, eagerly coaxing you away from the man.

It was time to wrap things up.

You finally took the hint and slipped off of the barstool and onto your stilettos, your movement mirrored by the man before you. A large hand landed upon your shoulder, causing you to freeze up. At first, you thought it was his hand clamped there, but the sheer size and strength as it gave you a small squeeze was immediately recognisable.

Sylus.

Putting your face in one of the large fireplaces in the room sounded more appealing than looking up at him at that moment, so you kept your gaze on the sly smirk now spreading across the shorter male’s face.

“Sylus. It’s about time our paths crossed tonight,” he crooned. Gone was the admittedly quite charming face you had been accompanied by, replaced with one that could be compared to that of a viper. 

This man was not someone you should have engaged with.

Sylus’s firm grip remained on your tensed shoulder, anchoring you to him. His voice was cool and indifferent, like he was already bored by the idea of conversing with the individual.

“If you fancied my attention, Frank, all you had to do was say,” he drawled.

Frank cocked his head to the side, his silver eyes dropping to your chest. You suddenly felt a little overexposed in the plunged neckline of your fitted black dress.

“I was just on my way to you when I stumbled upon a lonely little stray,” Frank purred, his cold, lingering gaze finally flickering back up to your face.

Hiding the disgust in your expression was difficult, but you had a feeling it would be wise to at least try. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the twins standing together, watching the situation unfold. They were always ready to get involved if required.

Sylus chuckled, not one iota of humour in it. “I didn’t take you for the type of man to take pity on a stray kitten,” he said flatly. “Especially one with its collar on.”

He slipped a long finger into the chain of your ruby encrusted choker, giving it the smallest of tugs. You didn’t hate it, and honestly, you felt it more in the pit of your stomach than you did in your neck. Now didn’t seem like the time to think on that, mind.

The backs of his fingers smoothed over your racing pulse as he pulled the digit back out of the small space in your tight neckpiece. You shivered quite noticeably, the sensation awakening the pulse between your thighs.

“As you can see, this one is already taken care of.”

You didn’t miss the flare of hostility in Frank’s silver eyes as he followed every movement of Sylus’s hand—even as it moved to hang from his trouser pocket with his thumb tucked inside.

“Maybe you should keep her on a shorter leash. Anyone could have gotten their hands on her,” Frank said tightly. It sounded awfully identical to a threat. “This is hardly the room full of people you would want to lose such a precious little thing in.”

Sylus didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed your arms and moved you to the side, away from Frank’s cold glare. Before you could even react, two strong arms either side of you hooked your arms with their elbows.

Luke and Kieran practically dragged you away, your feet struggling to keep up. As soon as you were released from their bone crushing clamps for inner elbows, you turned back to the interaction you were just kidnapped from.

Only to find the space completely empty.

“Okay, either you’re blind or really, really stupid,” Luke scolded.

You frowned back at him, crossing your arms over your chest. “Excuse me?”

“No, we won’t excuse you,” he snapped. “We’ve spent the last ten minutes thinking up different ways to dispose of your body after Frank was done with you.”

“Honestly, woman. Do we have to take you over the basic commands, again? I looked like a tool flapping my arms at you!” Kieran chimed in, looking like he was telling off a toddler.

Unsure whether it was the alcohol or their incessant rambling, you were starting to feel quite overwhelmed. You weren’t sure what they had seen differently while you were sitting with Frank, but you knew that the man had to have had a sinister intention for occupying you.

“Wait, wait,” you cut them off as Luke started to scold you again. “Shouldn’t we go find them?”

They both stared at you for a moment before bursting into obnoxious laughter. You weren’t sure what the joke was, but you were confident you wouldn’t find it funny even if you did.

If Sylus had gone off alone with the unfriendly man, then surely he would need the three of you there, too.

“You’re lucky you still have a tongue in your mouth to be able to make dumbass suggestions like that,” Luke sneered, still shaking from his chuckles.

You clenched your fists at your sides, irritated by their insults. How were you supposed to know that Golden Teeth was an enemy? You weren’t exactly well versed in the good and the bad when it came to attending events in the N109 Zone.

If they were that concerned, they could have remained beside you.

Each minute that passed without a visual on Sylus felt like an eternity, but in reality, only three minuscule minutes went by before he emerged from a door beside the bar.

His facial expression gave away absolutely nothing, but the red split in his lip did. You swallowed as you watched his tongue peak out to run over the small laceration, followed by the pad of his thumb. It disappeared in an instant at his touch.

You began to walk towards him, curious about what the hell had just happened, and if Frank was still breathing. Before you could open your mouth, however, he bent at the waist the second he got close to you, his shoulder connecting with your stomach as he hauled you off of your feet.

“What the—what the fuck are you doing?!”

He did not dignify you with a response as he stormed towards the exit, his solid arm squeezing your knees into his ribs as you started to assault his back. 

“Put. Me. Down,” you grit between harsh slaps to his back. You might as well have been flicking his ear for all the difference it was making.

He carried you straight out of the building and towards the matte black saloon car Kieran had driven you all in earlier that evening. You were utterly furious and embarrassed, doing everything in your power to wriggle out of his hold.

“I can walk!”

Sylus snorted. Snorted, like it was funny. No humour lay in his tone as he spoke, though. “Well that’s a little hard to believe.”

You whacked his muscled back again. “Meaning?!”

He yanked open the back door of the car, practically dropping you into it on your back. You felt it again, at the worst possible time.

That flutter of lust in your core.

It was something about the way he stood over you as you panted from the physical exertion of trying to fight his spine. He must’ve been able to see up the short skirt of your dress, and you hoped to god he didn’t spot any indication of your arousal on the cherry red thong you were wearing.

“Meaning, you had plenty of opportunity to use these apparent walking skills when your safety was threatened,” he growled, moving your legs so he could slam the car door, not interested in anything you had to say back.

You huffed as you pushed down on the unfolded mass of clothes in your backpack, trying to fit them all in.

It had been hours since you all got back from the absolute disaster of a night, and you had been holed up in the room you were occupying since then. Part of you expected Sylus to come and explain what the hell his problem had been, but he didn’t.

The longer you sat and dwelled on it, the more you wanted to go home. You only came to stay because he’d asked you to attend the event with him. He hadn’t mentioned that you were expected to stay by his side like an obedient dog. Nor had he bothered to mention the types of people you were to avoid.

Not only were you pissed at him, but you were pissed at the fact that he’d made you feel a certain way. Who in their right mind gets aroused by a man embarrassing you by hauling you out of a room full of people—likely with your bare ass on show. 

Scientists would have a field day with your brain.

And although you hated to admit it, it wasn’t the first time you had felt that familiar feeling of lust at his touch. The last time you had stayed, you had to relieve yourself in the shower after training with him in the ring. Every inch of him was sculpted with perfect precision, almost as if an architect had dedicated their life to working on his blueprint.

If you were being honest, you weren’t bothered about the event he wanted you to attend when he’d asked you to join him. You just wanted to see him.

But at the end of the day, you had no idea where you belonged in his world. In Linkon, a friendly face buying you a drink wasn’t something to be feared. It was exhausting having to recluse whenever you accompanied him anywhere. 

The clasps of your bag struggled as you tried and failed to clip them together. You had no idea how you were getting back to your apartment, but you were confident in your ability to just suck it up and figure it out. Even if you had to trek there in your most expensive pair of (uncomfortable) stilettos.

You slipped your feet out of them, throwing your barely closed bag over your shoulders before picking the silky, red shoes up. They’re far too noisy against Sylus’s marble floor for you to be able to slip out without being accosted by him or the twins.

Without so much as a squeak, you gently turned the doorknob, pulling the door slowly to peer down the long hallway. Nobody could be seen or heard, so you slipped out and carefully closed the door behind you to not draw suspicion.

You hurried yourself down the hallway to get to the front door, stopping dead in your tracks as you turned the corner. 

Mephisto was perched outside of Sylus’s bedroom door, his beady red eyes on you in an instant. Like hell was the glorified magpie going to let you pass him without kicking up a fuss.

“If you keep your scrap-metal beak shut, I’ll be out of your feathers. Got it?” Your voice was a whisper, but you knew he could hear you.

He did not make a sound as you slowly passed him, keeping your eyes on his as he followed your every move across the luxury floors. By the time you had passed him, you were fully convinced that he was willing to let you go. The minute you took your eyes off him, though, he started to screech.

“CAW! CAW!”

“Oh for fuck sake! You couldn’t just work with me for once in your—”

“CAW!”

“I wasn’t finished you squawking little—”

You were cut off by Sylus’s door opening, his unamused expression still ever present on his face. He was freshly showered, silver hair dripping onto the bare expanse of chest showing between the lapels of his bathrobe. You had to swallow a noise that rudely made its way up from your suddenly dry throat.

Eyes as red as the rubies around your neck flickered between Mephisto, you, and the bag over your shoulder. He clicked his fingers, sending his winged companion away.

“I was under the impression that you were above cussing out mechanical crows,” he drawled, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe.

It wasn’t clear whether or not he was joking, considering the less-than humorous look on his face. Either way, you weren’t in the mood for it.

“I’m going home.”

“I can see that,” he responded immediately, nodding towards your barely closed bag. “And how, exactly, are you planning to get there?”

You crossed your arms over your chest, feeling a bit like a teenager who’s just been caught sneaking out to a party. “I’ll figure that out myself.”

Holding his cold stare wasn’t usually a challenge for you, but you found yourself desperate to look away. You had compared Frank’s domineering aura to Sylus’s earlier, but it didn’t actually come close to the man before you. 

You had seen men and women strapped with weapons that could swiftly eliminate even the most dangerous of Wanderers cower at the sight of Sylus. He was the true definition of a force to be reckoned with.

He raised a lazy eyebrow at you, his hand slipping into the pocket of his robe. “You’re not leaving without a ride home. You’re over the limit, and if I wanted you to be skinned alive walking through the N109 Zone, I’d open the front door for you.”

“You give me a lift then,” you rebuked, your patience already thinning.

Sylus offered half a shrug. “I could, but I don’t make a habit of going out half naked.” You hoped to the lord that he didn’t see your shiver at the fact that he was only concealed by a thin robe. “You’re welcome to ask Luke and Kieran.”

“And where are they?”

The corner of his lip curled so subtly that you almost didn’t see it. “Out.”

You growled at his relaxed attitude. Why the hell would he even suggest it if they weren’t around?

“They’re cleaning up a mess of mine,” he answered as if you had asked.

A chill ran through you. “Would that mess happen to be Frank’s body?”

Sylus turned away from you, strolling into his room. You weren’t entirely sure why, but you followed him in, suddenly wanting answers.

“Well?”

Dark tendrils coiled around the bag on your back, gently tugging it down your arms and carrying it out of the room, closing the door on the way out. You had a feeling your belongings were heading back to where you just came from.

Sylus fiddled with the sleek black turntable in the corner of the room, carefully setting a vinyl record into place. It was a stark contrast to the way he’d hauled you into the car.

“You’re aware of the saying, right? Curiosity killed…” he trailed off, putting the pin in its place upon the record.

You frowned at his back. “The cat?”

He blew out a short laugh, not an ounce of humour in it. “The crook.”

He turned back towards you, slowly making his way to where you were a little rigid by the door. There was that feeling again. That you were a worm in the sights of a crow.

“Tell me,” he crooned, stopping right where your forehead would connect with his heart if you took half a step forward. “What was it about Frank that had you feeling adventurous, hm?”

You forced yourself to look up at him, feeling your cheeks heat at how close you were. “What do you mean?”

“Kitten, I can read you like the nervous wrecks who attempt to double cross me. Don’t play dumb, it does not suit you.”

His eyes were fierce and serious, but you hadn’t a clue what he was getting at. Your silence only lasted a few seconds before he leaned towards your shoulder.

“What was it that attracted you to him?” He whispered so quietly that you just about heard him over the thrum of your rapid heartbeat.

Attracted to him? In the approximately two minutes you had spent with Frank at the bar, you hadn’t spoken more than ten words to him. 

You stepped away, your back connecting with the door immediately. Even with the slight gap, his look over your much smaller form was rather harrowing. And yet you felt that unhelpful flutter in your core again, so strong that your knees wobbled in place. What was this man doing to you?

“Did you hit your head this morning?” You bit back, clenching the muscles of your thighs tightly to relieve some of the pressure there. “You think that I had an eye for him because he bought me a drink?”

He closed the gap again, his large palm resting against the door right beside your head. “Why else would you not walk away when you were quite blatantly warned to do so.”

“Maybe because I was tired of—” you cut yourself off before you could finish. 

You had told yourself that the reason you hadn’t wanted to remain at his side was because you were tired of watching people practically tremble in his presence.

Now, though, you weren’t sure that was the sole reason.

Every woman in that damn room had an eye on him, and it had made you feel…strange. You weren’t typically a jealous person by nature, but tonight had proved you capable of such emotions. In fact, you were practically tearing the heads off of beautiful women in your mind, wanting to punish them all for having the audacity to look at him like he was a piece of meat.

Maybe you and him weren’t so different after all.

He cleared his throat pointedly. “Tired of…?”

You huffed rather childishly, turning your head away from his hard stare. “Of the attention that certain people were giving you,” you begrudgingly admit. 

There was no use lying to him, since falsely having him believe that you were actually interested in Frank seemed like a sure way to get on his bad side—if you weren’t already on it.

With his hand that wasn’t resting beside your head, he took a hold of your jaw, carefully turning your face back to his. “And would these people happen to be women?”

You merely shrugged, having no desire to discuss the matter any further.

Sylus studied you for a moment, contemplating. He looked as if he couldn’t decide between scolding you or shaking some sense into you. You were almost shocked that he didn’t go straight to mocking you, but you had an inclination that he had felt the same thing whilst you sat at the bar with one of his enemies.

He dropped his head beside yours again, murmuring in your ear. “If you wanted my attention, sweetie, I would have given it to you.”

You almost moaned, his breath tickling the sensitive column of your throat. Lifting a hand, you grabbed onto his wrist to steady yourself, only for him to pull out of your grasp immediately.

A flash of fear shot through you at his sudden rejection, but it was almost immediately soothed as he pried your fingers open enough to slip his own between them, pinning your hand to the door. 

“Do you have any idea the kind of danger you could have been in tonight?” It was a growling question that didn’t require an answer. You felt your breath pick up in pace, the swollen peaks of your nipples skimming the top of his abs every time your chest heaved. “Frank has been known to have a string of disappearing acquaintances. He wouldn’t hesitate to maim you out of spite to me.”

You shuddered at the thought of being so close to a killer. And yet the proximity between you and Sylus did not give you that same feeling of dread. You know that he has killed many before, and despite not having his death confirmed or denied just yet, you knew that Frank was now somewhere in the afterlife, hopefully being accosted by the people he had killed.

You knew, but you had to ask.

“Did you kill him because I was speaking to him?”

Sylus shook his head, pulling back just enough that he could look you in the eyes. “I killed him because it was long overdue. I’ve had men who have been sent out to keep an eye on that bastard, and many of them did not return,” he explained quietly, a hint of frustration in his tone. “If I had taken my eyes off of you for a second—”

He audibly swallowed, cutting himself off. You could easily guess what he was going to say, and clearly the mere thought of it was haunting him.

A wash of guilt fell over you. If you had just walked away when you were told, he wouldn’t have had to do anything.

“He wasn’t going to take one more person from me,” he finally gritted.

That very thought should have filled you with dread. It should have made you sick to your stomach.

But the mention of his eyes on you for every second you weren’t beside him caused a spreading warmth to grow in your chest. Despite the situation you hadn’t realised you were in, you had been safe that whole time under his watch.

“I would have thought you’d be glad to get me out of your hair,” you said, only half joking to diffuse the tension between you.

He didn’t seem amused by it at all, his grip on your hand tightening. “Like I said, kitten. If I wanted you dead, I’d be seeing you out of the front door instead of standing here, resisting urges I have no right to have.”

Your thighs pressed together again at his whispered confession. His eyes always warned of danger, but they were gleaming with desire. 

You were not losing out on him tonight.

With the most tender of touches, you ran the tips of your fingers over his exposed chest with your free hand, feeling his steady breath falter. He swallowed thickly, suffocating your hand in his against the door. 

“I apologise,” he whispered gruffly, his head dipping to where your collarbone was visible to him in the neckline of your dress. 

You shuddered as his breath danced across your clammy skin, droplets from his wet hair falling against your chest. “For what?”

“Handling you the way I did.” His lips were mere inches away from you, and it took all your strength not to grab the back of his head and slam his face into your chest. “The thought of that bastard doing something—”

“Kiss me.”

Sylus didn’t give you a chance to cringe at your own slip up as every inch of him pressed you into the door, his mouth attacking your pulse with expert precision. You let loose a shaky moan, your nails scratching down his rock hard pectoral.

Every ounce of animosity you had been harbouring since the event dissipated at his touch. He was rough and unrelenting, his indistinguishable power overwhelming you in the most delicious way possible.

“Lower,” you breathed softly, wanting him everywhere.

You weren’t sure how he heard you, but he obeyed your hushed command. In one swift movement, his free arm clutched you around your waist, lifting you up. Both of your legs perched perfectly either side of him, suffocating his waist.

With his newfound access to your already exposed chest, he immediately got to work, sucking and biting at the thin layer of skin over your collarbones. The pain of sharp teeth sinking into flesh married faultlessly with undeniable pleasure, causing you to writhe against him. 

A firm bulge pressed against your heat as he ground himself against your cunt. Even with the sensation being drastically muted by the material of your thong and his robe being between you, you appreciated the absolute weapon he was concealing beneath his nightly attire.

“Ah—” you gasped, the soft sound immediately erased by a sharp hiss as he sunk his teeth into your skin again.

His mouth slowly travelled down to the tops of your breasts, where he pressed uncharacteristically tender kisses to each one. You were a wriggling, desperate mess already, but he was still sane enough to take a moment to study your chest.

“I have always appreciated art,” he crooned.

He removed the arm that held you around your waist, purely holding you up with his lower body alone. Your breasts were granted a sweet release as he pulled the thin straps of your dress down, pulling the material out of his way like a man depraved.

It was the look in his eye. A million compliments that didn’t need to be put into words. You could see them. Hell, you could feel the utter captivation radiating from him.

Your free hand smoothed over the delicious muscle of his shoulders before curling around the back of his neck. With a swift yank of his head, his mouth locked onto one of your firm nipples. Back arching off of the door, you cried out as his tongue swirled and flicked the sensitive area, leaving you a little mindless.

He finally let go of your hand, hungry to feel more of you. One hand pushed up your thigh, the skirt of your dress riding up with the movement before he squeezed your hip. The other cupped your neglected breast, thumb brushing over your pert nipple as if it were the joystick on a gaming console. Up, down, left, right, and all over again. 

It was almost too much, and yet you still wanted more. He ground himself against you again, your head slamming back against the door with a reverberating thud. You felt it this time. The thickness of his solid shaft, followed by the damp sensation of your arousal.

You needed him there. Now.

“Mm—” you mumbled pathetically, unable to get a word out.

Sylus chuckled against the breast he was feasting on. “What was that, sweetie?”

All you could do was wriggle yourself against his cock, hoping to convey a message to him without the need to trip over your words. You wanted to swallow up every inch of it with your warmth, leaving it glowing like a damn firefly with the glistening sheen of your essence.

“I know that pretty mouth of yours can talk,” he whispered against the column of your throat. “Tell me what you want.”

Your mouth was dry, like the space between your legs had stolen your saliva to lubricate you further.

“More.”

Sylus clicked his tongue. “There are nicer ways to ask.”

You knew he wasn’t being serious, but you would have begged on your knees at this point. He had to have felt your legs trembling against his waist, aching for him to fill you.

“Since you haven’t specified…” he began, pulling his head back completely.

For a second, you thought you had actually irritated him. There was a darkness in his stare, a hunger. You couldn’t figure it out, but it didn’t matter once the dark tendrils of his Evol snaked around your arms, dragging them up above your head. Your eyes widened.

Was he going to leave you tied up here?

“Do you trust me, sweetie?”

Any sane person being restrained against a door by the literal epitome of bad news himself would have frantically shook their head.

But you didn’t. You trusted him with every damn crevice of your soul.

“Y-yes,” you stammered.

He brought up a hand to stroke your side before hooking it under your thigh, along with the other one. One swift lift had you hurtling upwards, as if you weighed no more than a spaniel puppy.

Your legs were quickly on his shoulders, securing him a front row seat to your soaked thong. Getting any wetter had to be impossible, but your position was serving to give it a good try. Wrists tightly secured above your head, your legs wrapped around his neck, and his warm breath fanning over your damp thighs.

No throne in the most lavish palace on earth would be more tempting than this seat of yours.

His crimson eyes flickered up to your face, a flash of uncertainty in his gaze. “Is this where you want me?”

You nodded rapidly before his hand came up to hold your jaw, halting your wordless answer.

“Words please, kitten,” he requested.

“Yes,” you breathed. “Please, Sylus.”

He grinned, an unnerving and yet exciting sight. Wasting no time, he gripped the flimsy material of your cheap thong, tearing it at the seams to grant himself access to your bare cunt.

There was no teasing. No small pecks to your inner thighs. Not even a warning before his hot, balmy tongue lapped up a line of your juices through your folds, slowly dragging over the bundle of nerves nestled within. It took him no time at all to figure out where that heavenly little mound was, as if he knew your body like the back of his veiny hand.

Teeth. Tongue. Lips. All three of them fighting brutally for their moment on your clit, as if he couldn’t figure out which to use first. Your brain could hardly keep up with the flitting between this and that. All you knew was that you didn’t want it to stop.

Your legs tightened around his head in a bone-crushing squeeze. The suffocation only served to push him further, like he was fuelled by the possibility of having his jaw crushed like a damn walnut between your thighs.

“I could think of worse ways to go,” he growled against your hole, nose buried deeply into your folds to inhale your scent.

He pressed further into you, his tongue penetrating you with a greedy lick down your plush walls. Your hips jolted of their own accord at the sensation. He was your puppet master, making you grind and flinch on demand with his calculated actions.

The more his tongue slid in and out of you—the tip of his nose perfectly hitting your clit every time—the more of him you wanted inside of you. 

Gone were your soft, airy moans. You were crying out to whoever would listen, announcing to the world beyond the walls that you were being fucking devoured by the most feared mouth in the N109 Zone.

A mouth that could bring grown men to their trembling knees with one mere bark of an order.

You were drunk on it.

He slowly withdrew his tongue, immediately swallowing. “Like candy,” he murmured.

He licked at his lips, eyes trained on the concoction of his saliva and your fluids with awe. His hand shifted from where it had still been gripping your thigh, the soft pads of his fingers tracing circles around your hole for lubrication.

“Can you handle them?” He didn’t look up as he asked, fixated on the patterns he was repeatedly drawing through your folds.

“Mhm,” you mumbled.

He clicked his tongue. “Words.”

“Yes.”

He seemed to make quite the habit of just diving in as soon as he had permission. In one swift push, he impaled you on his lengthy index finger, his knuckles pressing against your pelvic bone.

You cried out towards the ceiling. “Fuck!” 

“You must’ve had some pretty disappointing experiences down here, sweetie,” he purred. “You’re so very tight.”

Every muscle in the lower half of your body was quivering with need, your hips unable to still themselves. He wasn’t wrong, nobody had ever truly left you gasping or crying out to the heavens.

You had a feeling he was about to change that.

Slowly, he dragged the digit back out, making sure to scrape down on your walls as he did. He began a steady rhythm, plunging his finger in and out of you lazily. His eyes held a repertoire of fascination, as if he’d been dreaming up this moment for quite some time.

He didn’t rush to add the second digit, but as soon as he did, you lost all sense of reality. The curling and pounding was precise and calculated, every brush of your neglected g-spot extracting a whimpering moan from you.

“Ngh…oh fuck,” you managed through a shuddering breath.

“Good girl,” he praised huskily. “I want to feel you come undone. Can you do that for me, darling?”

If he kept talking to you like that, it was going to happen a lot sooner than he would expect. The mental challenge of holding back was near impossible, and seemed to be displeasing him.

He picked up his pace. Firm, brutal bucks of his hand giving you every push towards that edge that you were trying to keep a distance from. You were yanking at the tendrils gripping your wrists, crying out pathetically at the sheer velocity of his fingers.

“I hope you’re not holding back on me,” he warned quietly.

He wanted you to finish. He was so very desperate to feel your release that he was practically shoving you towards it.

You couldn’t deny him.

The building pressure in your core gave out as you orgasmed, a litany of thuds marrying the sounds of your pleasured cries whilst you writhed against the door. Sylus, at the feeling of your walls contracting around his fingers, became a little breathless himself. He didn’t slow his pace, helping you ride out the waves of pleasure until your very last whimper. 

By the time you had caught your breath, the restraints on your hands slowly loosened, and you expected to be put back down onto solid ground.

Instead, Sylus brought his mouth back to your folds, clearing up the aftermath of your first real orgasm. He was slow and gentle, savouring the taste like a vintage bottle of wine.

He was gentle when lowering you back to the floor, your legs trembling beneath you. You kept a hold of his arms, looking up at his hazy eyes. Anyone would think that he’d been the one on the receiving end of oral sex.

You wanted to give back. You wanted to see everything beneath his robe.

And apparently, your need was rather obvious.

“Not tonight, kitten,” he murmured, fixing your dress to cover your exposed body.

You didn’t know if you were more perplexed or hurt. Why not tonight? Did he not see you capable enough of being able to return the favour?

He brushed a strand of your unruly hair behind your ear in a contrasting manner to how he’d been handling you earlier. “I won’t know when to stop.”

You shuddered at the thought. “I’m okay with that.”

It wasn’t a lie. He could bend you over the railing of the balcony for the whole city to see, and you wouldn’t bat an eyelid.

But he wasn’t budging, the corner of his glistening lips curling upwards at your eagerness. “I don’t doubt that.” 

He leaned towards your ear, his voice a low whisper.

“But it’s going to take a lot more than my saliva and your sweet fluids to help you take me, sweetie.”

heartburn

pairing: sylus x gn! reader (not mc)

synopsis: he made you a promise he couldn't keep, all because he was distracted with someone else, because he chose someone else. so, what happens when a mission goes wrong and hes not there?

flower: black dahlia

warnings: angst, a lot of angst.

w/c: 6.8k

a/n: it is here finally, my first finished longshot! it took me 2 months to complete it cause I'm lazy af, so dont expect anything new soon lmao. apologies for any mistakes since its eng is not my first language (and me dumb).

wanna thank my girl @tarjapearce for helping me throughout the process, you're an angel <3 dividers by @rookthornesartistry and @strangergraphics-archive.

Each breath you take seems more raw than the previous one, your throat burning with each inhale after exhale. Your thoughts are as uneven as your breathing, the anxiety and fear fighting your instinct to survive.

As you reach the car, you’re finally able to open the door after countless attempts, as your blood burns through your vessels and chains you down. It seems like a blink before you’re driving away to God knows where, the only certain thing at the moment being the lump of fear in your throat.

It’s when you regain control of your mind that you reach the phone and frantically search for Sylus’ contact, looking up and down to the road in front of you. The numbness from your mind travels to your limbs, as if the only thing you can feel is the rapid heartbeat inside your head and the tight grip in your chest. Once you see it you click it almost instantly, a shuddering breath of relief leaving your lips.

‘Its okay, I’m safe now. Everything is gonna be okay.’

While waiting for the call to pick up, you try to regain your other senses and look at your surroundings as a way to figure out where your survival instincts took you. You then proceed to use the GPS on the dashboard panel, redirecting yourself back to the base.

The plan was simple: meet with the seller, receive the protocore and go back to the base, but that is if the other party didn’t take you for fools. Once you understood the ambush at place, it was almost too late. Almost.

There was always a possibility and you knew it, everyone knew it, even Sylus. That’s why the protocols existed, to make sure if things got complicated you could get out safely even if he or the twins weren’t with you. 

First things first, you would always call him for help. During these missions it was established that he would always have his phone close in case of an emergency, and honestly it normally wouldn’t reach the second ring before he picked up whenever you needed. That's how careful he was, it was his promise. His deal, and he never breaks his deals.

That's why when it reached the last ring, your blood grew cold. The reassurance you’ve built until now going down the drain as if you didn’t make an effort to gather it all up.

Your breathing picked up again, all the hairs in your arm raising up in terror and fear. ‘No, nononono.’ 

You try again. And again. 

And nothing.

The only thing you could hear were his words of promise towards your safety, a soft lullaby that normally would bring you comfort, but now just brings a new sense of dread and betrayal.

Suddenly two blinding lights appear on the retro visor, and a sense of dread falls upon you. A heavy hot feeling washes from your head to the pit of your stomach, so heavy that it almost makes you fall forward on the steering wheel. You’re being followed.

You get it together and search for Kieran’s contact, immediately pressing the call button, and when he answers you at the 5th ring, you rest against the back of your seat as some of the burdens upon you leave your body. 

Kieran answered, so why didn’t he?

“Hello hello, how can i assi—“ “Kieran, it was all a trap and they are following me now.” Your voice sounds rough after biting your lip for so long, the vibrations scratching your throat as it tries to escape. You can hear him pause for a small second before calling his brother and immediately taking action.

“Where are you lil boss?” his tone is the most serious you’ve ever heard, cementing the realisation that you’re truly in trouble.

As you let out a shaky breath, you shake your head in denial as if he could see you. “I-I don’t know K, i don’t fucking know where i am a-and they right behind me—“.

Your tone is pathetic and you know it, but can anyone blame you? You’re supposed to be safe, he promised, and now everything seems so uncertain. “Take a deep breath for us yeah? I need you to do that.” His voice turns from serious to a comforting tone, bringing you back from the pit you’re already in.

You do as he says, word for word, and he makes sure to hear it before proceeding, “Thats perfect lil’ boss, now I need you to look at the dashboard and see the location you have in the GPS, can you do that?”

Once again, you nod in an attempt to communicate with him and search for an address, saying it loud enough before hearing a loud thud through the phone. They are searching for you. “Okay now you need to keep updating us on your location and direction, once you notice we’re already home yeah? Luke will keep talking to you so don’t worry, we’ve got you”

From there, everything felt like a quick blur. All you remember is being followed and then a loud crash happening behind you. Next thing you know, Luke is in the backseat with you while trying to talk to you out of it. But you’re not in the car with them right now. You’re in his office, the scent of leather filling your senses. You can feel the chair sinking beneath you and his caress on your hands, grabbing them while his red piercing stare reassures you. And he says it, he says that if anyone even tries to mess with one of his, he will be there to make sure they know who they were messing with. But you’re not there, nor is he here.

Sometimes you would help your “sister” in her… business. You grew up with her, a case of a chosen family since your parents knew each other by heart, before everything fell apart. Since then, you’ve gone through the hardships that N109 zone threw at you both, her being the brains and you being the practical side. She was always more street smart than you, taking the sisterly role at a really young age and neither playing chess or checkers, but her own game created by her own rules.

So when your aunt's shop wasn’t enough to go through difficult times, she was the first to give you an opportunity to be great, and to be great means to be powerful. The world doesn’t favour the weak, it only strengthens the strong, so why not take a shot to help the ones who really need it?

Your fascination and experience with protocores came handy in tradings and auctions, using your pair of expert eyes to look for diamonds in the dirt. And that’s how you met him.

You met Sylus through a protocore auction, a poor one may be added. The prices on it were horrendously high for such poor quality, and when you saw him pondering to buy one of them you couldn’t stop yourself from giving him some advice — Seeing such precious money being spent on waste is hard on anyone.

Your keen senses attracted him, the sense of opportunity too strong for the leader of Onychinus to ignore, so he made you deal: be his eyes and he will put you under his wings, providing anything you need.

From there you started to make appearances in his name, making business with dealers and getting better protocores and better prices. The more you interacted the closer you got with Sylus and the twins, to the point that you started to look at them more than simple coworkers, instead, more like family.

But as the bond changed so did their boss, a slight shift in his demeanour almost invisible to the naked sight. There started to be a tension clinging to the air whenever you two were together, pushing each other's buttons. Normally it would be him provoking you, but those slabs felt like tickles in comparison to what you’ve gone through, so it would be useless. Unless of course, he took a more soft and gentle approach, then it would be impossible not to bend.

It was in those moments where the knot of need would crawl to your throat, the line between danger and want blurring the more you felt his gaze on your form, and it felt exciting. After 2 years, it was impossible to not fall for Sylus’ late night talks, the intimate trust he never showed anyone else and words that would only be spoken in a whisper, to you. Although that was before she came around.

They quickly bring you to the living room to sit you on the leather sofa, making sure you’re comfortable before going on separate paths. Kieran quickly turns around and goes to search for the first aid kit, leaving Luke to search for any potential injuries you have. After sitting on his heels in front of you, he gently grabs your shoulders first as he moves you gently while checking around for any wounds while trying to bring you back from your disassociated state.

“Where is he?” 

He knew the question would come earlier or later, but it still made him stop in his tracks. If he didn’t have his classic mask on, it would be pretty obvious he was sweating out of remorse and guilt, so he tries to change the subject while waiting for his brother’s return.

His mask hides the nervousness felt by the sudden question, drops of sweat pilling up out of remorse — or perhaps guilt. He tries to change the subject while waiting for his brother's return, hands retreating to his lap to nervously play with his fingers. “Before that, why don’t we wait for Ki-“

“Luke.” Nothing else moves besides your lips, a chilling silence making the poor man almost choke on his words. 

You were always a light hearted person, sometimes teasing the twins and indulging their goofy pranks, pranks who would get you chanced by Onychinus leader himself. Each day that you passed together made them realise how your closed, but gentle heart was able to warm the coldest parts of someone, making them even more attached. They’ve seen you angry as well, really angry, and it's something they dread to see it again, but it’s in that moment that Kieran realises there’s something else scarier than your burning fury;

Your lifeless eyes, empty of any emotion. It’s now he realises how fucked up the situation is. You are not like them, you could’ve died.

Kieran interrupts the pregnant silence, confused about his brother’s low levelled head — as if in pain. He closes the distance between you two, sitting down right next to you with the aid kit in his lap and positioning himself towards you. Before he can open his mouth, your voice cuts their thoughts once again.

“…Where is he?” You repeat your question while looking at nothing, reflecting the void inside your heart.

Both twins look at each other, as if discussing with their eyes if the truth is the best they could give you at the moment. The thought of bringing you pain as a consequence of your request, hurts them more than any wound they have ever stitched on themselves.

Luke is the first to break eye contact. ‘I can’t do it brother’. Kieran sighs, putting the kit on the table beside him before shifting on his seat, looking ahead while supporting his elbows on both his thighs.

He hesitates, his lips parting and pressing together a few times in an attempt to organise his thoughts. After battling with his thoughts he lets out an exhale in defeat, your pain more important than any cover up.

“…He had to go to Linkon at the end of the day, he told us not to wait for him and in any emergency to call him, but —“ The man sighs and shakes his head in frustration for the man he serves. Sylus is more than he could ever ask for and done more than he could ever thank, but seeing someone like you being thrown in this makes his unconditional adoration shake for the leader.

For the first time since you’ve sat on the couch, your gaze lowers, processing the twin’s words with your mind and heart. He was with her when you needed him the most, and it seems you're not the only one who reflects on that. 

The room is engulfed by the soft lights that the fireplace provides, warming up superficially but leaving a frostbite feeling in everyone's hearts, as the three of you fall into a moment of reflection. The ringtone of Luke’s phone cuts the silence short, bringing everyone out of their trance, and once he goes to pick it up, your hand comes flying in his direction and grabbing the device from his hand, throwing it to the wall in your left.

The action surprises both twins as they slightly jump on their place and look at you, shock invading their hidden features. They can see your arm frozen, still in the throwing motion as you try to regulate your breathing. You then open your lips and let the words spill through, letting their fears become reality.

Both men get up in a blink of an eye, already throwing questions and pleas for you to not make rush decisions. Their voices feel like long distant whispers in your mind, the only thing going through being the promise he made and the one he broke.

“Don’t pick his calls, not until I’m gone.”

A few months ago, Sylus started to act… differently. He started to make Mephisto work overtime, to the point you wondered when was the last time you’ve seen him pestering you for attention. Whenever you tried to spend time with him on the usual ungodly hours, he seemed distracted with reports and news of N109 Zones’ beloved sister, Linkon city. 

You knew better than to be bothered by it, no matter how much affinity you had with the man he was the leader of Onychinus at the end of the day, trouble found him the same way he would find you in the middle of the night. When the city’s shadows got darker, you could see a shift in his attitude as his cold features appeared often, absent of any emotion or the usual glint of mischief.

But on the day of the Nest meeting, things changed drastically. After they got to the base and settled in one of the rooms downstairs and the gunshot was heard, all you could do was jump in place and wipe your head to the direction of the noise. You and the twins knew whatever was going on in there Sylus would not get hurt, but just the sound itself was enough to make your heartbeat fasten its pace with worry.

Once that episode was done you did give him an earful of swears, telling him off about his recklessness and manipulating tactics — i mean can’t he convince the girl with less self damaging methods?

As time went on, you could say your relationship with MC was … stable, just civil enough to promote a neutral ambience. She wasn’t really up on making new friends and you weren’t really interested in someone as unstable as her — she was part of one of your enemies after all. As time passed though, you could see her being included more into the organisation, which didn’t bother you if it wasn’t for a few peculiarities.

It seemed, bit by bit, the solo attention that was given to you by Sylus was starting to diverge towards her. Not just that, but the trust he would’ve put on you to do the job you were assign to was also being put on her, on the miss hunter that decided to buy the whole action just because she wanted to be bratty. Slowly, the confusion turned into uncertainty, and the uncertainty turned into something you didn’t feel in a long time since being at his side — insecurity. MC wasn’t just anyone; she was a professional hunter, one of the best it seemed, and not with a normal evol, no. With an aether core, just like him. Suddenly you could see why he was relying more on her than you, and how compatible they seemed even with all their bickering. 

He noticed it of course, and it was the perfect opportunity to tease you about it. When he noticed it was deeper than a simple “jealousy”, that sweet voice of his sang like a lullaby in your ears.

‘No matter how important she is for our mission, she will never be as important as you are to me, little flower.’ 

And you trusted him, you dumbly did.

The twins are walking by each of your sides, your fast pace making them more and more nervous about the thoughts on your mind, “L-Look let's talk about it yeah? Why don’t we sit down and-and try to come to a better solution?” Luke tells you while stumbling on his words, almost matching his clumsy steps to wherever you’re going.

Kieran nods affirmatively while keeping a hand ghosting the middle of your back, as if to catch you in case another episode begins, “He’s right lil boss, making decisions in the heat of the moment never goes well. And you should be restin—“

As you make a sharp turn towards the corridor of your room, your pace is a clear answer for them two — ‘The decision is done.’ You enter your room and go to grab the travel bag beneath your bed, laying it on top of your covers and opening it completely.

Kieran calls out your name once again with an authoritarian voice, an unfamiliar tone from the twin behind you. “Please,” he begs, the desperation in his voice overpowering his need to take some sort of control, “ — talk to us, this can’t be the only way can it?”

Your hand stops in place, fingertips barely caressing the ends of the bag as your mind goes to a blank. The truth is that if you take time to think as much as a drop, you know it will overboard the ocean of emotions inside you — and you know that once it begins, it will be hard to reach an end.

So you stay quiet, get your back straight before slowly turning towards the men that anxiously wait for an answer. And even with silence falling on you three, they wince at the statement you’ve done. Kieran breathes in sharply while Luke takes a step back, both startled with your silent response that could mean a thousand words alone. Pain? Betrayal? Maybe even emotions that you promised to seal deep in your heart.And that was their answer.

Your mind covers the sands of time, as next thing you know you’re feeling the tears that the sky is letting down for you, walking by foot until — until somewhere.

You couldn’t even farewell the two people that were always there for you, the only ones that really took their word up to their promise. You stopped at the stairs from the entrance, rain engulfing you into a tight embrace before turning around to face the twins. They look at you, and you can imagine the expressions they’re making so vividly that it stabs a fourth blade into your heart. All you can do is hug them one last time and control the tremors that your body is letting out, a last effort to make this goodbye less painful. But they know, they know that the drops on your face are not made by the clouds above, but from you.

You turn around, not daring to share another word nor gaze. It would just make you weak, so instead you go forward, walking through the open gates that once opened your heart and now close along with it.

After walking for what seems like hours, a sob is hidden by the rain that shocks the floor. Another one gets out, and another one, and another, until you drop to your knees in angst. You almost died. You could still feel their hands gripping into your arm and — 

You clumsily reach your phone and make one last phone call, to someone that you know will listen to your pleas and anguish.

Once you finish the call, all you can do is close your eyes and feel the gentle touch that the water provides to you, and share to her the yells of your broken heart.

That night, the skies cried with you.

The ear-piercing noise of the brakes screeching on the road can be heard inside the manor, before the air goes heavy with anticipation. A door suddenly opens, letting the chilling melody made by the rain creep in and, for just an instance, overthrow the deadly silence that consumes the house. The moment is broken by the tremor that shakes the house, caused by the smashing door.

Quick breathing and heavy steps echo through the corridors, each one more desperate than the last. When Sylus reaches the living room part of him knew, he knew something wasn’t right. He tries to catch his breath, but each inhale scratches the inside of his throat as despair replaces the oxygen in his lungs — almost as a punishment.

“What the hell happened?” The man spits out, the authoritarian tone hiding the fear in his voice. Sylus pants while looking at the twins, both sitting on the same sofa you’ve sat before — a futile way of prolonging your presence. They don’t answer, maybe didn’t even hear it, one of them keeping his face in his hands while the other simply looks down with his forearms on his knees. 

“Where are they!?” His yells pierces the room as well as the brothers mind, waking them up from a protective slumber which avoided them from facing reality. Luke jumps in surprise looking at his boss in despair, and as he tries to formulate an answer, Kieran cuts him off.

“They left, boss. They quit.”  

It was after the dinner party, when the faint festive mood still lingered in the air but the quiet manor expressed explicitly that the day had ended. Sylus couldn’t believe it still, he wasn’t accustomed to celebrate his birthday even with the unsuccessful tries of his twins. He needed to give you the credit, he was expecting something, but not this.

Everything in the celebration screamed ‘him’, making him participate in his favourite silly activities and helping the twins with offering their leader a new karaoke set — even if it pained you internally.

“Running away from me already, birthday boy?” You broke his wandering mind, making him stretch the smile in his face a little longer. 

He chuckled before taking his forearms from the railing and straightening up his back. “Im afraid your birthday boy isn’t here, as for my understanding it's the 19th already.” Your silent cussing made him snort in amusement.

“Well, uhm — would you kind sir be mindful enough to give him a gift of mine?” You improvised, hiding the nervous tremor your hands had let out.

Sylus pretended to think for a moment, before giving up to your hopeful look — too adorable for your own good if he might add. “Hm, I guess that can be arranged. It is the least I could do to thank the host for this extravagant party.”

You swayed your hand up and down, suggesting him to stop with the compliments — accepting those were never your forte per se. You walked up next to him before resting your hands against the railing in front of you, and take a deep breath.

“Well, I had some really poetic words to tell the birthday boy, but it seems harder now that I’m sharing the message.” A sigh escaped your lips, and you wished that some of your nervousness did too.

His intrigue only grew from there, facing you with his body as to give you his full attention. “Is that hesitance I sense? What could such an important message be to make you fear its content, even after lying and hiding this big of an event from Onychinus leader himself?”

You scoffed and shook your head as a response to his question, quickly following up “Why are you saying as if I committed a crime? It's a surprise party for a reason.” You couldn't deny the success from his effort in making you feel more at ease, maybe a reminder that this isn’t a bigger deal than what you did daily.

“This past year has been, well something”, you chuckled to yourself, “but even amongst the strongest waves, there’s a serene feeling to it. A feeling I’ve been waiting to hold on to.”

His eyes scanned every move you made, even the small smile you tried to contain as memories came to bay, and he himself tried to hide how much he adored it.

“He pays me extremely well, but I find it futile to buy him anything when he can buy anything he wants and more, so —“ Your left hand trembled as you lifted it up from its support, reaching into your pocket and taking out a small velvet pouch.

“— I tried to be creative.”

You turned to him, extending the present and staying still until he picked it up, eyes looking anywhere but him.

Sylus took in your flustered state, maybe enjoying it a bit too much, before carefully picking up the present in front of him.

“Well miss, I will need to confirm the gift before delivering it to the client in question. Security measures, as you understand” He looked at you through his lashes, and even if the look could be perceived as sensual, there was a glint of reassurance behind his gaze. ‘Your thought on it is already enough’ it whispered, but falling in deaf ears as you couldn't even look at him.

“Yeah yeah just open the damn present. I'm dying of anxiety over here…” Your last mumble wasn't ignored, and made the leader of Onychinus have a laugh himself. He respected your wishes before opening the small pouch.

After gently picking up the object with his fingers, he couldn't even hide his surprise when looking at it. 

“What… Is this a necklace?” He asked, his confusion obvious in his tone. He definitely wasn’t expecting getting surprised once more today,

“Yeah, I — uhm, I made it.”

Nor the words that came out of your mouth. A silence fell upon you two, and even the stars seemed to be waiting for your next move, observing your interaction from afar.

Sylus broke everyone’s expectations by laughing. Not his usual laugh though, not the sexy smug laugh that he lets out once in a while, no. He laughed as if he was a young child, free of malice or second intentions. It was so beautiful, so raw and pure that you almost cried by the melody he created so effortlessly, so beautiful that it made you stop and stare at him.

Once he calmed down, he cleaned the corner of his eyes, as if to catch the tear that dared to escape his ruby eyes. “You just keep on catching me off guard more and more, I’m not sure if I enjoy it.” But his genuine smile contradicted his statement, clearly enjoying every moment of it.

As you got to your senses, you couldn't help but be embraced by a wave of embarrassment. “… If you don’t like it it's okay, I’m not a jeweller by far, so i understand if it's not your taste —“ “Its the most beautiful thing someone has ever gifted to me.”

The sudden shift in his voice caught you completely off guard, snapping your gaze towards him instantly. Despite the seriousness of his tone, his eyes didn't lie, full with a gentleness foreign in his eyes. 

“Its the first time someone has ever given me a hand-made gift like this,” he caressed the metal beads of the necklace, falling in love with it the more he looked at it, “I couldn’t ask for more, little flower”.

The manor’s floor ranges in pain as Sylus’ footsteps press against it, the pace mirroring his racing mind. The closer he gets to your bedroom, the more his heart jumps against his chest. He had to see, he had to confirm this wasn’t just a shitty prank you three pulled on him, even if in the back of his mind the truth was looking straight at him.

He races through the stairs, walking them up in groups of two, and his body just gets into autopilot. So many times he has made this same path, only this time it is filled with dread. Going forward, sharp turn to the right and walk a few feet until he reaches your door, but once he stops, he hesitates to open the door. Sylus’ hand trembles, probably for the first time in his life, in fear. He already lost so much, faced so many horrors, but it’s now he realises that losing you is the biggest one until now. The hesitance annoys him deeply, so he pushes it aside while grabbing the doorknob tightly and twisting it with force, opening a new wound he couldn’t heal.

The twins catch up on him slightly later, looking into the room and watching their leader in the middle of what used to be your room, empty of any sign that would proclaim this space as yours. He doesn’t move, he doesn’t speak. He just stays there, expressionless, like he was before he met you.

Seconds pass before he regains his sense of self, turning around and going back on his steps, walking straight past the brothers and towards his own office. He can’t hear Kieran's and Luke's questions, since the only thing in his mind is the way your cute chuckle slips through when you’re embarrassed, how your eyes close when you laugh so hard you’re almost wheezing, and how you look at him as if he was just another human being instead of the monster other proclaim him to be.

And then he wonders, do you believe their words now? 

It truly is like two faces of the same coin, bringing the the twins into a sense of deja vu — the way he gets into a dissociated state like you do when stressful situations appear, how he doesn’t stop his tempo because they all know if he does, he falls, the same way you do.

He steps into his office and prepares Mephisto for the night shift ahead, as well as assembling himself for the round he is about to go through too. Quick and direct, Sylus doesn’t lose anymore time entertaining his brainstorm of emotions, only having one goal in mind — finding you. 

Once out of the room and heading towards the stairs, he stops by the call of his name. Luke steps closer to the man while his brother stays behind, now only a few feet away from the white-haired man. With a strained voice, he speaks the words that are plead in everyone’s minds,

“Please find her Boss.”.

Sylus clenches his jaw, the tension breaking his expressionless facade as dread falls from its slits. No, he won’t let you go like this, not because of a stupid mistake of his responsibility, not because of a promise he couldn’t keep. He turns to face the younger male, and his eyes shimmer in determination and pain, cutting the heavy ambient around them.

“I will.”

He was waiting for you at the entrance, already bored to mind even before the event even started. It was a social party of a trusty source of his, and for the sake of his business relationship, Sylus had no choice but to participate. He would always bring you along to avoid “unwanted” attention to himself, since lately he hasn’t gotten the curiosity to entertain himself with a stranger.

He would normally give you full liberty to choose your own clothes, as long as it was adequate for the meetings he didn’t really care about, but in the past few months he couldn’t help but … spoil you a bit. A coat that seemed clearly your style? Or that set that would look so good on you for the auctions ahead? He couldn’t just pass by, he needed to buy it. So when he saw a suit that complemented his own iconic colours, it was a match in heaven.

He waited (im)patiently for your arrival, wondering how the outfit would look on you: Would you like it? Would you feel comfortable in it? Would you feel confident in it—

“Sorry I took so long, took a while to figure out how to wear it” You chuckled nervously as you approached him at the bottom of the stairs. He searched for the source of your voice before his gaze fell upon your figure, and Sylus got quiet.

The tight shirt already shaped your figure beautifully, but the vest on top? It was as if you were built by Astra Himself. With the black shirt a few buttons open your chest was shown just enough to tease, and the black vest with crimson strikes was adjusting your torso so perfectly he thought it was dangerous. You couldn’t help but try to hide yourself, not used to his hungry eyes, but as soon as you tried to cower your figure he was suddenly in front of you, with his hand gently grasping your wrist forbidding you from covering.

“Don’t,” he stroked your palm with his thumb, feeling the warmth of your skin, “You look too beautiful to be hidden.” You shook your head in denial and let out a nervous chuckle, not used to being complimented by the Onychinus leader himself, “You don’t need to stroke my ego now, we’re wayy past that phase.”

Sylus frowned, not enjoying the tone that accompanied your words, “Are you doubting my truth, puppy? I think we’re past that phase as well.” The hand on your wrist slipped into yours instead, interlocking your fingers in his. You looked at him shocked, not quite processing his words immediately, and once you stumbled on your words after attempting to retort, you knew you were done.

Annoyance long gone, the soft ruby eyes softened at your embarrassed expression, enjoying every minute of your visual flustered state. He must say, red does look good on you, especially on your cheeks. And it's once he noticed his own heart jumping against his chest that he knew, he was done for as well.

It’s hard to determine how much time has passed since Sylus got to the road in hopes of finding a trail of you. It pained him to think you would’ve walked the same path he’s driving drenched and cold, shaken up by a meeting that shouldn’t have happened. He thought he could find you wandering the streets since it didn’t take him much to reach home before you left, but since there was no trace of you, he could only conclude someone took you. 

The thought would be enough for him to grab the steering wheel tighter, enough for his knuckles to turn white. There was no doubt in his mind that you’ve contacted someone you trust, probably your sister, but after what happened to you… he couldn’t handle the possibility of you being in danger and him not be able to save you, again.

His eyes burned, enough to leave the ruby of his eyes even more crimson, and Sylus didn’t know if it was because he refused to blink, or if it were tears that threatened to escape. Memories and flashbacks wouldn’t stop from coming in and out of his mind, leaving a little bit more of madness in his brain. 

With his left leg twitching, hands slightly trembling, and breathing getting heavier by the second, Sylus could feel something new brewing inside of him, another emotion no one else has made him feel besides you: panic.

In one of those sleepless nights of yours, when memories of your past taunt you in your dreams, you’ve got used to the ruby-eyed male’s company to ease your mind. And back then, it was one of those nights. 

Sylus was observing your sleeping form, your chest rose and lowered with each breath, eyes softly closed and parted lips that made you look so beautiful. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you, enjoying every minute while he could to take in all your features — it was the only way he could without seeming lovestruck (which he totally was).

He already accepted he was a lost cause, even if you were the one with the nickname it seemed he was the dog on the leash, and the one holding it was you, even if you were too dense to decipher. 

The man couldn’t contain himself, and so he reached his calloused hand and rested it against the softness of your cheek, gently stroking it with the pad of his thumb. He thought and overthought, until finally surrendering to his desires and leaving a kiss on your forehead so light it felt like two petals against the skin.

As he pulled away, he opened his eyes and sighed in content, grateful to have you resting in his bed with him. Maybe one day he will be as bold as he is in his line of work to make sure you’re there for other reasons.

A loud screech cuts the silent street as Sylus turns to stop at the side of the road, his hyperventilating making him dizzy enough to shake his sight. The memories overflow him and the bother in his chest turns into pain, making his right hand abandon the wheel and grab where it hurts. He leans into his seat quite roughly, a way to shake off this awful feeling he can’t quite shake off.

Both of you were in the kitchen, you and your stubborn self trying to pull him into the middle of the “dance floor” while your favourite song plays in the background. His eyes glinted in amusement while his lips let out a breathy laugh, your excitement expanding to everything around you. 

While you sang your lungs out and swayed Sylus towards every direction, he couldn’t help but stare at your goofy smile and so beautiful lips. He then slid his hands down to both sides of your waist and secured them there, while a genuine smile of his own slowly made way to his face.

You opened your eyes in surprise, but non the less delighted, and you looked at him. For some reason this caught him off guard as well, bringing you two to a stop while the melody kept on playing. It’s true what others say: in moments of intimacy with a cherished one, it’s as if the sands of time are at each other's fingertips, stopping its continuous flow. 

In a sudden move, Sylus leans forward and slams both hands against the steering wheel: once, then twice, then one final blow. His breathing is erratic now, his mind — it just doesn’t stop working, it keeps replaying moments he wouldn’t even remember on an ordinary day and clinging onto him when he doesn’t even have you near anymore. Every time he remembers, a part of him gets cut and keeps on bleeding, stinging every time he notices you’re gone.

One of his hands left your waist and cradled your face, making you close your eyes and lean into the warmth of his rough palm. A melodic silence fell upon you both, but no words were needed to be said. Sylus didn’t need his Aether core to know your deepest desire at the moment, and he couldn’t lie that it mirrored his. So he leaned it, and as a good reflection you are, you did so as well.

The car door slams against the vehicle by force, the space inside being so claustrophobic that it makes the air in his lungs trapped in place. He leans against the car and lets himself be embraced by the rain above, a chilling comfort given by the skies. While his breathing slowly comes to a steady, the pressure on his heart only increases as so the burning feeling in his eyes. 

He doesn’t move nor does he make a sound, only the rain drops against the concrete and metal being heard. But the same way you reflected him back then, this time he’s the one mirroring the skies this time, as only Astra himself is the only witness of his crystal drops that interline with the ones from above.

And so, the skies cried alongside him that night.

oharasmommymilkers00 © do not steal, plagiarize, modify, translate or repost without my consent.

THE MAKING OF A MRS.

shackled to sylus and stuck in the N109 zone with no way of leaving until you figure out how to remove the aether core bond between the two of you, you take up his offer (and begrudging help) to try and blend in with his high-stakes, high-rewards life. how? by learning struggling to be his wife

ᥫ᭡ sylus x fem!reader

ᥫ᭡ fem!reader, wife!reader, arranged marriage, contract marriage, fluff, crack, eventual s/mut, angst, close proximity, cuffed together trope, illegal stuff (it's sylus we're talking about), suggestive, luke and kieran try to play cupid, language, tension, enemies to friends to lovers, heavy illusions to the myth of hades and persephone, pregnancy mention, more tba...

ᥫ᭡ updates every week with shorter chapters!

ଘ(੭◌ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ♡‧₊˚ 𝐋𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒…

lesson 1: becoming mrs. qin

lesson 2: bathtime

lesson 3: my side of the bed

lesson 4: dancing with our hands tied

lesson 5: baby shower

lesson 6: cock(crow)blocked

lesson 7: dangerous liasons

lesson 8: how to love

lesson 9: haunting me

lesson 10: a N109 welcome

©️ all works belong to lalunanymph. do not copy, repost, take elements of my story and claim it as yours. i strictly do not allow translations of my works across other platforms.

tsunodaradio’s masterlist ⛐

❝ WHAT THE HELL, SURE. WHERE’S THE FIC? ❞

ⓘ I WRITE BEST FOR...

🟢 tsunoda, piastri, norris, hadjar, sainz, albon, russell.

🟡 hamilton, verstappen, leclerc, guanyu, stroll.

MASTERLIST —

🩵 PERSONAL FAVORITES. ⭐️ POPULAR. 🔞 MDNI.

SERIES/EVENTS.

this is: formula one milestone · requested song fics for select drivers.

soft spot mini-series · inspired by keshi's soft spot. drivers and the 'soft spot' they have for you.

GRID.

racing for your number · lando x reader x oscar, coming soon.

past lives 🩵 · carlos x reader x charles. 14.6k.

the summer you turned pretty · lando x reader x oscar. 12.2k.

miss possessive · multiple drivers, girlfriend!reader. 4.4k.

𝐘𝐓𝟐𝟐, YUKI TSUNODA.

love on track · romance. coming soon.

all along there was · soulmate!reader, romance. 3k.

it’s a bad idea, right? 🔞 · second chance romance. 5.8k.

yuki’s pet diaries · girlfriend!reader, romance. smau.

love problems ⭐️ · girlfriend!reader, romance. smau.

quicksilver 🔞 · girlfriend!reader, smut. 0.8k.

it’s not hype, baby · rockstar!reader, romance. smau.

in(love) language · fluff, romance. 0.8k.

i believe in miracles · photographer!reader, romance. 2.3k.

love at first flight 🩵 · graduate student!reader, romance. 5.4k.

𝐎𝐏𝟖𝟏, OSCAR PIASTRI.

an act of pure defiance ⭐️ · girlfriend!reader, fluff. 1.3k.

i hope this finds you well 🩵 · little women au, romance. 10.2k.

say it first! · ex-girlfriend!reader, romance, humor. 3.3k.

autumn leaves · girlfriend!reader, romance, fluff. 4.9k. sequel to cold coffee.

so pretty 🔞 · girlfriend!reader, smut. 1.4k.

romance isn’t dead · girlfriend!reader, romance. 1k.

cold coffee ⭐️ · café owner!reader, romance. 4.8k.

but i’ll do it for you · fluff, romance. 0.8k.

𝐋𝐍𝟒, LANDO NORRIS.

the thrill of the chase · law student!lando, romance. 3.3k.

the perfect match part one, two 🩵⭐️ · matchmaker!reader, smau.

kalamantina 🔞 · girlfriend!reader, smut. 1.5k.

a movie i’ve seen before · indie artist!reader, romance. 1.3k + smau.

only exception ⭐️ · girlfriend!reader, romance. 2.7k.

everyone wants him (that was my crime) 🩵⭐️ · girlfriend!reader, romance. smau.

unless you call tonight · pilot!reader, romance, friends with benefits. 4.3k.

sorry, chat! ⭐️ · girlfriend!reader, fluff. 0.8k.

pick your poison babe (i’m poison either way) · dj!reader, romance. 2.8k.

𝐈𝐇𝟔, ISACK HADJAR.

afterglow · underground fighter!isack, romance. 2.5k.

cupid’s chokehold · girlfriend!reader, romance. 0.7k.

not a lot (just forever) · childhood bestfriend!reader, romance. smau.

they should call you sugar · fluff, romance. 0.9k.

𝐂𝐒𝟓𝟓, CARLOS SAINZ.

just to know you’re alive · ex-girlfriend!reader, angst, hurt/comfort. 2.1k.

change me at all costs 🩵 · girlfriend!reader, romance. 2.8k.

come find me 🩵 · childhood best friend!reader, angst with a happy ending. 4.4k.

𝐀𝐀𝟐𝟑, ALEX ALBON.

to be honest · girlfriend!reader, fluff. 1.4k.

something to you · fluff, romance. 0.9k.

𝐆𝐑𝟔𝟑, GEORGE RUSSELL.

the one to beat · journalist!reader, romance. 2.7k.

not what it looks like · girlfriend!reader, fluff. 0.6k.

| WORK FOR DRIVERS I DON'T REGULARLY WRITE FOR.

𝐋𝐇𝟒𝟒, LEWIS HAMILTON.

a good run · ex-girlfriend!reader, angst. smau.

𝐂𝐋𝟏𝟔, CHARLES LECLERC.

wonderstruck · singer!reader, romance. 4.1k.

𝐃𝐑𝟑, DANIEL RICCIARDO.

house handy · girlfriend!reader, romance. 1.6k.

loml (loss of my life) · drive to survive producer!reader, romance. 1.3k + smau.

𝐙𝐆𝟐𝟒, ZHOU GUANYU.

just call me yours · childhood crush!reader, romance. 3.2k.

request guidelines ⛐

i primarily write driver x female!reader fic. my work does not represent the drivers i write for in any way, shape, or form.

ⓘ WHAT REQUESTS ARE OKAY?

🟢 fluff, romance, angst, crack/humor. established relationships, platonic/friendly relationships, poly relationships. a range of au's i.e. bf!f1, brother!f1, husband!f1, non-driver au's (e.g. uni, other professions, etc). reqs based on media (i.e. movies, series, songs), tropes, or prompts.

🟡 smut/suggestive content, cheating/infidelity, emotional hurt/comfort, themes of grief. content for team principals/drivers not indicated above.

🔴 age gaps, character death, emotional manipulation, gender swap, sa/sh/ed, terminal illnesses, yandere. romantic content for any drivers below 20 y/o.

📟 BOX, BOX! · MAKE THAT REQUEST! CURRENTLY: CLOSED

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲

Story Masterlist

Pairing: Toji Fushiguro x f!Reader

Story Warnings: Arranged Marriage, Enemies to Lovers, Heavy Angst, Attempted Murder, Murder, Smut, Eventual Fluff and Romance

Summary: In order to not live on the streets with your daughter, you're forced into an arranged marriage with a complete stranger. Your husband also has a son, and you try to treat the baby the way you wish you were treated. You try to keep peace in the house but for some reason your husband can't stand you.

He hates you for accepting the proposal, even though like him, you had no option but to agree.

How can two human beings live in the same house when they can't stand each other?

Discord +18 - Twitter - Ko-Fi - Bluesky

[Chapter 1] Marriage Proposal

[Chapter 2] Lunch

[Chapter 3]

[Chapter 4]

[Chapter 5]

[Chapter 6]

[Chapter 7]

[Chapter 8]

[Chapter 9]

[Chapter 10]

[Chapter 11]

[Chapter 12]

[Chapter 13]

[Chapter 14]

[Chapter 15]

[Chapter 16]

[Chapter 17]

[Chapter 18]

[Chapter 19]

[Chapter 20]

[Chapter 21]

[Chapter 22]

[Chapter 23]

[Chapter 24]

[Chapter 25]

[Chapter 26]

[Chapter 27]

[Chapter 28]

[Chapter 29]

[Chapter 30]

[Chapter 31]

[Chapter 32]

[Chapter 33]

[Chapter 34]

[Chapter 35]

💔Let's Break Up!💔

As a Valentine's Day special, we're breaking up with our favorite fictional men! But not to worry, we'll be making up as well!

Sometimes I catch myself thinking if I'd be able to be in a relationship with either one of them. As much I like to think that they're perfect, some moments remind me that they have their own flaws, which normal, but it does make me wonder how I'd react and behave if I was in MC's place.

⸝⸝ ♡ Breakup and Make up dates ♡⸝⸝

જ⁀➴ ♡ 11th Feb - Sylus જ⁀➴ ♡ 14th Feb - Zayne જ⁀➴ ♡ 18th Feb - Xavier જ⁀➴ ♡ 21st Feb - Rafayel

Reblog if you think it’s okay to platonically say “I Love You” to your friends

“𝐖𝐇𝐘 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐀𝐂𝐘?” -> SEASON ONE

✎ 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 ✎

summary: the chairman of the gojo group of companies, gojo satoru, is in need of an heir and quick. however, with a wife who is struggling to conceive and his subsequently crumbling marriage, he is forced to explore other options which now comes in the form of his wife's secretary.

warnings: 18+, angst, smut, unrequited love, themes pertaining to infertility, female reproductive health issues, surrogacy, mentions of pregnancy, marital troubles, suicidal tendencies, self-harm.

📌 pinned announcements: nothing yet. see everyone in the first chapter!

—𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍—

episode list: 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | epilogue

—𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓— (open!)

@lvstyangel @harlamarie @forever-war @indecisive-capricorn @sammytheotakunerd @luciesoflosses @raeyunshm @krokietino @bloopsstuff @cleostufff @polarbvnny @satxoru @seajelllies @aishies-stuff @catowru @pinkblossoms @chilichopsticks @bleppt @wizlizliz @ssetsuka @kouyoumarryme @ryumurin @gentlebeari @3lushkiii @username23345 @reine-son @sleepyyammy @stxrielle @gojoscock @alwaysfreakingout @iwanttohitmyself @an-ever-angry-bi @tbeanonia @tadabzzzbee @itachiiwrites @monserrath0730 @r0ckstar4rjk

—𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒—

official playlist | fic art | inspirations | bonus stories

Hello! Thank you for your service omg ur single handedly carrying Sylus nation‼️🙏🏼

Can I request a scenario where reader (who isn’t MC) has been a long term situationship of Sylus, like they’re very much in love but refuse to commit because of the dangerous nature of their work in the N109 zone, but reader really hopes they’ll end up together, only for all her hopes to come crashing down when suddenly MC shows up and Sylus becomes really neglectful towards reader, only prioritising MC until one day he doesn’t accompany reader to one onichynus’s deals and it goes horribly wrong with the reader getting hurt/abducted. Angst to fluff pls a happy ending with Sylus coming to his senses 😮‍💨

when you become his second priority

tags-angst with eventual fluff,mentions of violence

The night sky over Onychinus’s sprawling cityscape was studded with stars, casting a subtle glow through the towering high-rises.

Sylus had suggested the two of you head out for a mission, a deal with some Onychinus contacts. As usual, you couldn’t resist tagging along, always thrilled to be close to him in his world.

Sylus, tall and intimidating as ever, glanced down at you with a glimmer of amusement in his red eyes. You could tell he was ready to take control of the situation like he always did, exuding confidence and calm in a way that made you feel safe, even in the darkest parts of his world. He looked over at you, his eyes softening slightly as he murmured, “You ready, kitten?”

“Of course, I’m with you” you replied with a grin, bouncing a little as you slid into the passenger seat of one of his luxurious cars. Your bubbly energy was contagious; he always acted as if he wasn’t affected by it but you’d caught him smirking more than once.

Tonight, he rolled his eyes in mock exasperation but his hand settled on yours, holding it a little too long to be casual.

As he drove through the city, you admired the skyline, sharing random stories about your day and small, happy details about your favorite things.

Sylus listened, nodding occasionally, a slight smirk on his face, though his eyes stayed mostly on the road. At a red light, he finally turned, letting his gaze linger on you. “You know, sweetie, you’d be a lot safer if you didn’t join me on these things” he said, but there was a softness in his voice, a hint of protectiveness beneath his usual hard edge.

You gave a playful pout. “Then who’d keep you company and make you laugh?” you teased, reaching over to ruffle his hair lightly. Sylus gave an exaggerated sigh, though you could see his lips twitch, fighting off a smile.

When you arrived at the Onychinus base, the atmosphere shifted. The bustling headquarters buzzed with energy and you could feel the tension as the meeting began.

Sylus’s demeanor turned serious, his attention sharp and unwavering as he led the deal. You watched him, entranced by his confidence and poise. His eyes, intense and calculating, scanned the room, noting every movement and gesture of those around him. It was moments like these that reminded you why he was so respected—and feared.

The deal itself moved forward without any issues but you stayed close, offering your support however you could. Sylus kept one arm loosely draped around you, like a silent reminder that you were his, his “kitten” in this dangerous world. Every now and then, he’d murmur a soft “Stay close, sweetie” his voice laced with the quiet authority you’d come to adore.

At one point, the meeting wrapped up and you were alone again with Sylus in the hallway leading back to the car. As you walked side-by-side, you took his hand, squeezing it gently and looked up at him with a playful grin. “See? We make a great team.”

Sylus chuckled lowly, his fingers tightening around yours. “Careful, kitten” he murmured, his voice dropping to a tone that sent a shiver down your spine. “I might just start believing that.”

He leaned closer, brushing his lips against your forehead with a rare tenderness that he’d only ever shown to you. Moments like these made you wonder if there was something deeper between you both. But for now, you were happy in this undefined space, enjoying his closeness, his rare softness and the way he let his guard down just enough to show you how much you meant to him.

For tonight, you were his and he was yours in the only way he knew how to be and as you laughed and chatted on the drive back, you couldn’t have known how precious that laughter would soon become.

the next morning the café was small and tucked into a quiet corner of the city, with floor-to-ceiling windows that let in soft morning light and gave the place a warm, cozy glow.

You felt an excited shiver as Sylus guided you in, his hand on your lower back, a gentle but firm presence that never failed to make you feel special. The café wasn’t his usual scene but he seemed relaxed, perhaps indulging your love for quieter, more intimate places.

He glanced around, then met your eyes, his mouth quirking into a smirk. “This place…suits you” he murmured, pulling out a chair for you. “Sweet, but a little chaotic.”

You laughed, sticking your tongue out at him. “I’d say the same about you” you teased, settling into the chair. He rolled his eyes but took the seat opposite you, resting his elbows on the table, leaning in close. His gaze, as usual, felt intense, even as his expression softened.

“You’re in a bratty mood today, aren’t you?” he remarked, voice low and slightly teasing.

“Only because you make it so easy” you replied with a smile, reaching across the table to gently tap his hand. “So, what’s the plan? You’re the one who dragged me out here.”

His smirk grew, and without saying a word, he raised a finger to get the barista’s attention. When she arrived, he placed the most absurd order, one that left you wide-eyed: every single flavor of coffee they had on the menu. You tried to protest, laughing as you looked from him to the poor barista, but he only shrugged, looking unbothered.

“You said you always wanted to try them all” he said, leaning back in his seat, arms folded. “So go ahead. Indulge.”

“Oh my god, Sylus!” You felt a mix of embarrassment and excitement. “You know I was joking about that, right?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t joke about things you want, kitten. Not with me.”

The coffees started arriving, filling up your small table with an assortment of steaming mugs, each one a different shade and aroma. Sylus watched as you eagerly tried each, laughing when you made a face at the overly bitter or strangely flavored ones and taking note of the ones that made you hum with satisfaction. Occasionally, he’d reach out, taking a sip of one of the cups himself, then giving you his quiet, amused approval if he liked it.

After a while, you found yourself leaning across the table, sharing sips from the same cup, your laughter mingling in the cozy warmth of the café. You watched him, noticing the rare moments where his features softened, and his usual guarded expression gave way to something gentler.

“Did you always know you’d be leading Onychinus?” you asked, a little more curious now that you’d settled into the warmth of the moment.

He leaned back, tracing the edge of his cup with one finger, his gaze drifting. “I didn’t know. But it wasn’t like I had a choice.” His eyes found yours again, something dark but honest in them. “The things you don’t choose often become the things you’re best at.”

You tilted your head, studying him. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t have a choice” you replied softly. “Otherwise, who’d be here buying me twenty coffees?”

He chuckled, a genuine laugh that you rarely heard. “You’d find some other poor fool, I’m sure” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. But his hand moved to cover yours, his thumb brushing over your knuckles.

Just as you were about to respond, his phone buzzed, and his gaze darkened. He glanced at the screen, and for a split second, his expression changed—hardened into something unreadable. He sat up, pulling his hand away from yours and the warmth that had been between you seemed to evaporate in an instant.

You tried to catch his eye, feeling a flicker of unease. “Everything okay?”

“It’s just an…old friend” he muttered, voice suddenly cool and distant. He stood up, turning his back to you as he answered the call, his voice low and strained in a way you’d never heard before.

You couldn’t make out much of what he was saying, but you heard the shift in his tone—calculated, restrained, almost careful. It was a stark contrast to the teasing, soft-spoken Sylus you’d been with just moments before. He kept glancing out the window, one hand shoved deep in his pocket, the other clutching his phone tightly. His words became hushed, tense, as if he was guarding some important secret.

Your mind raced with questions but you pushed them down, trying to respect his privacy. Still, a pang of worry settled in your chest as he finally ended the call, his posture stiff as he turned back to you. The usual warmth in his eyes was absent, replaced by a distant, almost guarded look.

“Sorry about that” he said, his tone flat, almost dismissive, as he pocketed his phone.

You forced a smile, hoping to ease the sudden tension. “No problem. Everything okay?”

“Nothing to worry about.” He gave a faint smile but it didn’t reach his eyes. He seemed distracted and as much as you wanted to believe him, there was a nagging feeling that something had shifted.

It had been days since you’d last seen Sylus. The texts you’d sent were sparse on replies—short, curt answers that only seemed to grow colder each time. You told yourself he was busy, wrapped up in some new mission for Onychinus but an uneasy feeling had settled deep in your chest. You remembered the way he’d brushed you off in the café after that mysterious phone call, the way he’d shut down, closing himself off as if you were suddenly a stranger.

With the next Onychinus deal approaching, you couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. Usually, Sylus would be the one preparing you, going over every little detail so that you’d be safe. But this time, there had been nothing—no message, no warning, no instructions. The silence weighed on you, suffocating, until finally, you couldn’t bear it anymore.

You found yourself standing outside his office door, hesitating. The hall was eerily quiet, an atmosphere that felt darker than it had ever been. You pushed the door open slowly, your heart pounding with a mixture of hope and dread.

Inside, Sylus stood near his desk, leaning in close to a woman you’d never seen before. She had an aura of quiet confidence, her gaze sharp, as if she were sizing him up even as they talked. Their heads were close together, too close. She said something, her tone low and laced with a teasing edge and Sylus chuckled—a sound that sent a chill down your spine. It was the kind of laugh he used to share with you.

You swallowed, forcing yourself to step forward. “Sylus?” your voice cracked, the warmth you usually brought into his space muted by the weight of everything unsaid.

Sylus straightened, his expression darkening the moment he saw you. The easy humor that had filled his face just seconds before vanished, replaced by a cold, impassive mask. The woman beside him glanced at you, her eyes glinting with a kind of curiosity, as though she were sizing you up, wondering what your place in Sylus’s life could possibly be.

“You’re busy” you managed to say, fighting to keep your tone light. “I just thought—I thought we could talk about the next mission.”

He looked at you for a long, silent moment, his gaze empty of the warmth you’d come to expect, replaced by an iciness that felt almost cruel. “I didn’t ask you to come here” he said, his voice low and cutting.

You took a step back, stunned. “Sylus, I…I just wanted to help. You always said I could be useful—”

“You should learn to know your place” he interrupted, his words sharp enough to cut through your heart. He didn’t look away, didn’t flinch. His gaze was steely, indifferent, as though you were nothing more than an inconvenience, a shadow he hadn’t meant to let linger.

It felt like the floor had fallen out from under you. “My place?” you echoed, trying to keep your voice steady even as it threatened to break. “Sylus, what’s going on? You’ve been distant… I thought we—” You stopped yourself, swallowing back the words, but the damage was done.

Sylus’s gaze flicked to the woman beside him, who watched the exchange with an amused smirk, her arms crossed as if she were enjoying every moment of this. He turned back to you, his eyes devoid of any kindness, any of the softness he’d shown you only days ago. “You thought wrong.”

Your throat tightened and the warmth that had once filled your shared moments now felt like a distant memory, slipping through your fingers. You forced yourself to nod, to keep your head up even as your heart shattered with each second of his cold stare. Without another word, you turned and left, not wanting him to see the tears that threatened to spill over, the silent pain you’d carry alone as you walked away from the one person who’d ever made you feel whole.

The drive home felt like a blur, headlights and streetlights passing in a haze as you wiped away tears that wouldn’t stop. Your hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles turning white, as your mind raced with everything that had just happened. It was like you couldn’t make sense of it; every memory of Sylus’s familiar warmth and teasing words felt out of reach, replaced by his cold, indifferent face and that harsh tone. His words, “Know your place” echoed in your head, hitting you harder each time you thought of them. You couldn’t understand. Had you pushed him too far? Had he been pretending all along?

The question lingered, gnawing at you as the car rolled down the empty roads leading home. By the time you reached your place, you were exhausted, the adrenaline replaced by a deep, hollow ache.

The next morning, after another sleepless night, you found yourself staring at his contact on your phone, debating whether to call him. The memory of his sharp tone still stung but the confusion was unbearable. You couldn’t just let things stay like this.

Finally, you pressed call, holding your breath as the phone rang. When he picked up, his voice was casual, almost dismissive, as if the tension from yesterday had never happened.

“Yeah?” he answered, sounding distracted. There was no warmth, but there was none of that anger, either.

“Hey” you managed, your voice wavering slightly. “I… I wanted to talk about yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” he repeated, his tone barely interested. “Is something wrong?”

Your heart sank. He was acting like it hadn’t happened at all, like you were the one imagining things. “I just thought—after what you said, I thought maybe we could… clear things up.”

He let out a long sigh, almost like he was bored. “Look, I have things to take care of. If that’s all, I have to go.”

Your grip tightened around the phone, and you felt a chill run through you as he continued talking, casual, unaffected, as if he hadn’t torn into you less than 24 hours ago. He ended the call with a brief “Take care” leaving you standing there with the silence of the empty line.

It was like a stranger had replaced him overnight and the warmth you’d felt was now a painful memory, drifting further out of reach.

The night of the Onychinus deal was bitterly cold and a dense mist clung to the riverbank, muting every sound but the rush of water. You had been hoping—secretly, quietly—that maybe Sylus would show up, that his absence would somehow break and you’d see him standing there with that familiar smirk, ready to tackle the mission together. But the minutes ticked by and the waiting grew heavier, settling like a weight in your chest until the deal began without him.

but in an instant things went horribly wrong, spiraling out of control faster than you could react. You held on as long as you could, fighting with everything you had, but there were too many of them and you were alone. A sharp, searing pain was the last thing you remembered before everything went black, the sound of rushing water filling your senses as you were tossed into the cold, merciless depths of the river.

When the news reached Sylus, it felt like a blow to the chest, robbing him of breath. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing—the thought of you alone, vulnerable, facing the dangers he’d promised to shield you from. His mind raced, replaying every interaction, every cold word he’d thrown at you and the realization clawed at him with an intensity he hadn’t expected. Guilt twisted in his stomach, a relentless ache, as he thought of the way he’d pushed you aside, how he’d let you walk away, hurt and confused and for what?

He moved quickly, barely registering the world around him as he reached the river, scanning the dark waters until he found you, still and pale, lying half-submerged on the riverbank. His heart pounded, a surge of panic piercing through his usual composure as he dropped to his knees, pulling you into his arms with a desperation he hadn’t felt in years.

“Kitten…” His voice cracked, the endearments he’d so easily tossed at you before now carrying a weight they’d never held before. He brushed damp hair from your face, his hands shaking as he checked for a pulse. Relief flooded him when he felt the faint, steady beat beneath his fingertips, but it did nothing to quell the terror that gnawed at him.

“Why the hell did you go alone?” he whispered, his voice trembling with guilt and grief. “You should have known better than to… God, this is all my fault.” He held you closer, pressing his forehead to yours as if his touch alone could bring you back from the brink. Regret crashed over him like a tidal wave, every moment he’d ignored you, every cold word he’d thrown at you haunting him as he realized just how deeply he’d driven you away.

“I’m so sorry, kitten” he murmured, the words spilling out, raw and unfiltered. “I was stupid. I was a fool. You didn’t deserve any of it.” His fingers brushed over your face, tracing the lines of your features as if committing them to memory and he swore to himself that he’d never let you go again.