Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Tk knew better than to play with Carlos's jealousy, but who said he made smart decisions all the time. He could feel Carlos's eyes burning holes into his back as he talked to the bartender, purposefully leaning onto the bar, a little too close for his husband's liking. He knew he was in trouble the whole ride home, it was silent and Carlos's hand gripping tight on his thigh. Tk's nerves were on fire since the bar, even his clothes were giving him goosebumps.

"Carlos-"

"Trying to talk yourself out of this won't work." Carlos said firmly, grabbing his wrist, all but dragging him in their house. Tk purposefully dragged his feet causing Carlos to impatiently toss him over his shoulder.

"So you just want to be bad today." It was a statement, not a question, but Tk still shrugged like he'd been asked. After being dropped on the bed, he barely had time to move before Carlos was hovering over him.

"You didn’t seriously think you could get away with that did you?" Tk shook his head slowly, confirming what Carlos already suspected.

"Listen Babe, Bahahahabe!"

"Nah, you knew damn well this would get you here. Don't backtrack now."

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Gi-hun had completely forgotten what it felt like to relax. He hadn’t relaxed in four years. After his first go through the squid game, he had been on edge, alert, constantly. Now he was back in that retched place, swearing to help as many people as possible, even if he died in the process. He'd ignored his teammates' please to swap out so he could sleep and sat on the stairs, Hyun-ju had sat and kept watch with him for a while before he shooed her off to bed, arguing that she's one of their best assets so she needs to be well rested. At some point Young-il had joined him on the stairs, giving him the same speech he had heard three times already about him needing rest too.

"I haven't gotten a full night's sleep in four years, my body is used to it, everyone else's isn't, I'm fine." Young-il stared at him for a while, like he was trying to understand him. In-ho could never quite understand Gi-hun, he almost couldn't believe that someone who feels that much could still be so good after everything he'd been through.

"You should still get at least an hour or something. No sleep at all will not do you any good, I can keep watch until then." Gi-hun shook his head, nodding back towards the bunks.

"I got it, go back to sleep. I couldn't rest in this place if I tried, I'd just be lying awake with my eyes closed." In-ho kind of hated how sympathetic he felt for Gi-hun's situation, knowing full well that numbness and ptsd that comes with leaving that place a winner. Gi-hun suddenly stiffened at the sudden feeling on his shoulders.

"W-what are you doing? I told you to go to bed, not strangle me." Gi-hun tried to look behind him where Young-il had moved.

"I'm not strangling you, I'm trying to help you relax. You're so tense all the time, there's no way you're muscles aren't in constant pain." In-ho did his best to rub his shoulders, trying to work the tension out of his shoulders. He worked his way down Gi-hun's back, but rather than relaxing, he seemed to be tensing up more.

"Wha-?" He paused mid word, suddenly noticing Gi-hun biting his lip, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Really? I go to give you a massage to help you relax and you're too ticklish for that?" He asked in disbelief, pressing circles into his back ribs, watching Gi-hun pressing his lips shut tight, arching his back from his hands, gripping his pants.

"Yohohoung-il, peheheople are sleheheeping!" He hissed, trying to turn away from him.

"Are you going to go to bed?"

"Fihihihihine alrihihihight."

"Good, go, I've got the watchtower covered." Young-il gave Gi-hun a pat on the shoulder and a small push, taking his spot on the stairs. Gi-hun would never admit it, but that was actually the best sleep he'd gotten in years.

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Hyun-ju learned very quickly that Gyeong-seok's love language was physical touch and gift giving. It lead to rather consistent teasing about his love language being physical touch yet he was too ticklish for most touch, his adorable pout when she did it was just a plus. Hyun-ju had taken some time to adjust to the constant touch, eventually getting used to him coming up to hug her from behind.

"It's nice that you don't flinch when I do this anymore. I was kinda worried that you secretly hated it, but you weren't saying anything." Gyeong-seok hummed contently, head pressed against Hyun-ju's, arms wrapped loosely around her waist, his chest against her back.

"I never hated it, I just wasn't used to positive touch and still had that military instinct kick in from being snuck up on." She explained, continuing to put the cabbage in the marinade she'd made for the kimchi she was making, needing it to be a little less spicy than normal for Na-yeon. Gyeong-seok turned his head to gently kiss her cheek, giving her a small squeeze.

"You smell good." He hummed, nuzzling into her neck, making her twitch.

"You're extra affectionate today, I'm the date person and I know for a fact there's nothing going in today so what's this about?" She asked, putting the lid on the tupperware, turning to face him, her arms loosely draped over his shoulders.

"I don't know, just kinda woke up feeling touchy." Hyun-ju hummed in acknowledgement, giving him a sweet kiss before nodding towards his sketchbook.

"Why don't you draw a family portrait while I finish these up, then we can order take out and just cuddle and watch Halloween movies since Na-yeon won't be home until late." They had the evening to themselves, Na-yeon at Geum-ja's home for the day, her insisted that they have a dinner just them. Gyeong-seok pouted for a couple seconds, fading as soon as Hyun-ju kissed it away. He begrudgingly walked over to the couch, picking up his sketchbook and pencil, expertly sketching the blank page, almost immediately getting fully immersed in his art. Hyun-ju continued her kimchi making, labeling the tupperware containers by spice levels before putting them in the refrigerator. She used her phone to order them some bibimbap and then Google what Halloween movies they haven't seen. She eventually moved over to the couch, catching a glimpse at Gyeong-seok's sketch, the three of them fit perfectly on his page, he was just adding details. She gently tapped his shins, waiting for him to move his legs before sitting down, his legs instinctively resting on her lap. Hyun-ju's hand rested warm on his crossed ankles, her other using the remote to pull up the new Conjuring movie that had just come out, turning on the Korean subtitles for them before hitting pause since their food wasn't there yet. After a few moments of silence, Hyun-ju decided to indulge in her mischievous thoughts. She had been growing out her nails, her and Jun-hee had just gone and gotten them done, she and Gyeong-seok absolutely loved the dark red on her. She had been using them mostly to play with his hair and give Na-yeon back scratches, however there was one thing she'd been itching to do with her new nails. She very slowly dragged one nail up Gyeong-seok's socked foot, hearing his breath hitch and his pencil freeze, no scratch of the led on the paper filling the room anymore.

"H-Hyun-ju..."

"Hmmm? What's wrong?" She asked innocently, her hand on his ankles tightening a little bit, trailing her finger over his foot idly. Gyeong-seok didn't respond, eyes squeezing shut, biting his cheek, foot twitching slightly.

"Keep drawing Babe~ Finish it~ Don't laugh though, you'll ruin it~" She teased, keeping her touch light, watching his face. He forced his eyes open, biting his lip, bringing his slightly shaking hand back to the paper, trying to finish the portrait he'd started, he was almost done anyway. Hyun-ju suddenly swapped to his other foot, pulling a soft squeak from her husband, watching him attempt to hide behind the sketchbook.

"You're so dramatic~" She chuckled, narrowly avoiding his toes, watching him shake his hand a few times like he was trying to shake the giggles out of himself.

"I'm being so nice right now~" She cooed, watching him put his pencil in the ringlets of his sketchbook.

"Yohohou cahahall thihihis nihihihice?" He mumbles, covering his face with the book, unable to see the way her jaw dropped.

"Oh~! You want to play it that way~?" She suddenly reached up scribbling her nails up his ribs, smiling triumphantly when he shrieked, his legs instinctively bracketing her, holding his sketchbook pressed to his face muffling his laughter slightly.

"You don't seriously think that's helping do you~?" She teased, plucking the sketchbook from his grip, tossing it on the coffee table, skittering her nails along his neck, giggling at how he curled up like an armadillo, frantic, hysterical giggles pouring from his lips.

"Hyuhuhun-juhuhu! Hyuhuhun-ju! Bahahahabe plehehease, cohohohome ohohon!" He pleaded, a knock on their door making her pause.

"Lucky you~ Saved by the delivery guy~" She giggled, kissing his flushed cheeks, getting up to answer the door as he caught his breath. He eventually sat himself up by the time Hyun-ju had placed their food on the coffee table, drawing a quick heart with a 'we love you' inside.

"Those new nails of yours are actual murder weapons Hyun-juna." He whined, rubbing his neck, pouting at her pleased grin.

"I thought you loved them~" She teased, wiggling her nails at him, giggling at his sudden wave of goosebumps.

"You're not done with me are you...?"

"Oh absolutely not, I'm just hungry, so we're gonna eat, watch these movies and cuddle, and then I'll finish what I started."

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Anthony did feel slightly bad at how after getting married he barely spent quality time with his siblings, especially the older ones. He honestly couldn't tell you the last time he and Benedict had hung out just them after he and Kate got married. Now the two eldest Bridgerton children sat together in Benedict's bedroom, a couple of drinks in their system as they continued to chat.

"Are you still as ticklish as you were as a teen? Has Kate figured it out yet!? Can I tell her?!" Benedict drunkenly giggled, voice rising as he got increasingly more excited. Anthony's cheeks warmed with an embarrassed blush, shushing Benedict quietly with a wave of his hand.

"Hush Benedict! No, that's childish, no, because there's nothing for her to find out, and no, you may not." Anthony hissed, listing off his answers on his fingers, quickly downing the last of his drink before refilling his glass.

"Really, then why don't I believe you?" Benedict slurred, raising a disbelieving brow in his older brother's direction. Anthony shrugged, making a noise of discontent when Benedict plucked his glass from him mid drink, setting it on the table.

"Alright then, prove it." He challenged, watching Anthony swallow his whiskey slowly, confusion written all over his face.

"How exactly?" Anthony asked warily, shifting himself to be criss-cross on the floor they were sitting on, the marble being cooling on their alcohol heated skin.

"Well Brother! I'm so glad you asked! I dare you to place your hands upon the top of your head and keep them there until I finish... experimenting." Benedict said excitedly, clapping his hands together with a bright smile, watching Anthony turn bright red and gape like a fish.

"You're serious?" He asked hesitantly, swallowing hard when Benedict nodded once, big and firm. Anthony grumbled lowly, slowly raising his hand until they rested on his head, taking a deep breath, biting down on his cheek, refusing to look at his younger brother. Benedict scooched forward eagerly grinning like a kid on Christmas. The only way Benedict could tickle Anthony when they were younger without teaming up with someone was to dare him, Anthony never backed down from a challenge. Anthony swallowed a squeak when Benedict reached for him, squeezing his eyes shut when Benedict squeezed up his sides, pressing his lips together, squeezing his own hands and twitching from side to side.

"Oh you little liar~!" Benedict exclaimed, poking his brother's ribs so he'd flinch into the other finger.

"Ihihi- BEHEHEN!" Anthony yelps, curling forward when Benedict drilled his thumbs into his underarms. To his credit, his hands were still on top of his head.

"I can't believe you lied to me about this!" Benedict chuckled, grabbing the junction of hip and thigh, squeezing firmly as Anthony jack knifed, cackles flowing from his mouth as he tried to pry Benedict's hands off him.

"STOHOHOOHOP COHOHOHOME OHOHOHON! THAHAHAHAT'S NOHOHOHOHOHOT FAHAHAHAIR!"

"Oh this is great, Kate! Come he-" Benedict was cut off by Anthony's hand over his mouth, the force knocking them to the ground.

"Dohohon't... you say I thing..."

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Gyeong-seok somewhat envied how quickly Hyun-ju adapted to his little quirks, the constant craving of touch, the positive sticky notes on everything, how he fidgeted with things when he was focused. He, however, still couldn't grasp how quiet she was. He's referred to her as a ninja more than once, half joking. The amounts of times he's turned around and she was just there, or him rounding a corner to find her walking down that hallway, or calling her name, thinking she was in their room only for her to respond from behind him. He freaks out everytime, Hyun-ju used to apologize profusely for startling him, but now she very clearly finds it amusing. Yong-sik told him he'd just have to get used to it, Jun-hee had said that Hyun-ju was just quiet and he'd have to use his other senses for her, Geum-ja had joked that he should put a bell on her like a cat. He had been painting in his office for the past 3½ hours, fully immersed in his work, painting a sunset city landscape for a rich guy that commissioned him, he normally wouldn't have taken it but he was offering him an insane amount of money.

"Yeobo." He called out, not yelling, just raising his voice a bit, thinking she was just one room down in Na-yeon's playroom, cleaning up. She was actually in the bathroom across the hall taking her makeup off. When he didn't hear a response he turned his head a bit, calling out a little louder.

"Hyun-juna!"

"What?" She responded from directly behind him causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. She gently placed her hands on his shoulders as he groaned, hand on his chest, looking at her with mock annoyance when she chuckled at his fear.

"What do you need My Love?"

"Christ, how do you keep doing that? Do you think this looks OK? I don't want this dude disappointed and then he won't pay me." She rounded his slowly, letting him pull her into his lap.

"I think it's beautiful, good color blends, the lights in the buildings are a nice touch, it looks realistic. I don't see a reason he wouldn't like it." She reassured, gently squeezing the back of his neck, pressing a kiss to his temple.

"If he doesn't pay you I'm happy to go whoop his ass for you to get your money and for wasting your time." He chuckled at that, pressing their foreheads together, feeling slightly better. He hadn’t put his watermark on it yet, staring at it, seeing if their was anything he wanted to change, add, or fix. He knew that the longer he stared at it the more he'd find he didn't like about it but he couldn’t help himself.

"Oh my- Gyeong-seok..." She sighed, her head falling back in exasperation.

"What? I literally haven't moved." He stared at her, bewildered, not understanding why she sounded so annoyed.

"You got paint on my shirt. I just changed into this." She whined, in her defense, her tank top was white. Orange and yellow smears on her lower back and the part of the shirt by her hip. Gyeong-seok looked at his hands, finally noticing that they were covered in the paint he had used to paint the sunset.

"Well I'll call it revenge for you constantly sneaking up on me. I'm starting to think you do it on purpose now." He chuckled, intentionally swiping a bit of paint on her cheek, watching her mouth fall open in silent shock.

"Scaring people on purpose is rude Hyun-ju~!" He said, both hands wrapping around her sides, taking up a lot of space on her small waist, squeezing quickly, but holding firmly so she didn't fall off his lap. He grinned at her shocked face turned into a bright smile accompanied by surprised giggles as her back arched and her legs kicked out.

"You're a little sneak~ and I know you do it on purpose~!" He playfully accused, slipping up to her ribs, digging into the backs.

"IHIHI DOHOHOHO NOHOHOHOHOHOT!"

"Oh you so do~! You think it's funny to scare me like that~ I should put a collar or bells on you so you can't do it anymore~" He teased, dropping his hands down to rub circles into her hips, nuzzling his stubble into her neck.

"AAHH! ALRIHIHIHIGHT! IHIHIHI'M SOHOHOHORRY! IHIHIHIHI'LL STOHOHOHOP DOHOHOING IHIHIHIHIT OHOHOHON PUHUHURPOHOHOSE!" She cried, pushing at his shoulders, whining in after giggles when he continued to press little kisses to her neck even though he had stopped.

"'Preciate it Jagia, we should probably shower though, you are now, also, covered in paint." He chuckled, her once white tank top now coated in smears of orange and yellow, the same colors on her hands, cheek, neck, and parts of her chest.

"If this doesn't come out of this shirt when I bleach it, I'm going to kill you."

Chapter Text

It was no secret that XD was fascinated by humans and that George was amused by said fascination. XD had learned to size themself down when visiting the human realm, their full size being extremely intimidating to humans. They had also learned that teleporting made humans nauseous. Currently, George and XD were laying in a meadow, far from civilization, just soaking in the sun.

"George..?"

"Mm?"

"Why were you fighting my brother yesterday? You usually don't resort to violence when you have a problem." George turned to look at them in utter confusion. Fighting? George didn't fight Dream, wha- oh.

"XD we weren't fighting."

"Yes you were, you were literally grappling all over the community house."

"No no, not fighting. We were wrestling, not fighting, we have no problem. Boys wrestle, it's fun, don't know why, it just is." XD stared for a minute, George knew they were processing the information.

"It wouldn't really work with us, you're a God, you'd have to do it with... other gods I guess."

"I still don't fully understand." George sat up, turning to face him.

"Ok, so there is no intention of harming each other, not that much anyway. More just trying to get the other to yield, whether it be by tiring the other out or pinning them in a way they can't escape or something like that." XD nodded slowly, clearly trying to make sense of everything in their brain. They suddenly grabbed George by the sides, pulling him back flat on the grass, squeezing in a way that pulled shrieks from the ravenette.

"Does this count?" They asked curiously, watching George attempt to fight back, roll them, push them off, pull them down, anything.

"THIHIHIS IHIHISN'T A FAHAHAHAIR FIHIHIHIGHT!"

"I never said it was, I just asked if it counted."

"FIHIHIHIHINE YEHEHEHES! IHIHIHIT COHOHOHOUNTS!"

"Ok great! Thanks George!" XD stopped suddenly, laying back on the grass, leaving George panting and heatlessly glaring at the god.