brklynbxby

.

[brklynbxby]

PINNED POST. 

Heyyy, I’m Beth! She/her, 27, GMT timezone, and finally back on Tumblr after a little hiatus (so bear with me while I get the hang of post cutting again). I am quite selective and most likely won’t reply if the reply isn’t aesthetically pleasing (large gifs, large text). Sorry, it sets me off <3

I mostly write f/f but I’m open to m/f too. I like to think I’m pretty friendly—at least I try to be—and I’m always up for OOC chats, so don’t be shy!

here are my links:

RULES | MUSES | OPEN STARTERS | WANTED PLOTS | WANTED OPPOSITES

[mysteriousxgirls]

You’ve got yourself, Ella. Yeah. She always had. Azriel wasn’t wrong, and somehow that made it worse. For a second, Ella just looked at him, her grip tightening around the beer bottle as something painful twisted quietly beneath her ribs. She couldn’t even fully explain why it hurt so much hearing him say it. Why looking into his eyes suddenly felt difficult. Why she felt dangerously close to tears over something so small. Because he was wrong too. He didn’t understand. Azriel was the one person who had ever truly known her beneath all the violence and blood and carefully sharpened edges. The only person who could look at the ugliest parts of her and never flinch. In a world that constantly demanded pieces of her until there was barely anything left, he had somehow become the one thing that still felt steady. Her constant. Her peace. On the nights where everything collapsed inward, when silence became too loud and the shadows in her head started swallowing her whole, it was always Azriel who pulled her back without even realizing he was doing it. So yes. She needed him more than he would probably ever know. But Ella swallowed all of that down the same way she swallowed everything else.

When he mentioned Luna again, a softer smile finally touched her mouth. “A good girl, huh?” she murmured, arching a brow lightly. “Didn’t know that was your type these days.” She took another sip of beer before setting the bottle down, suddenly realizing she needed something stronger if this conversation was going to continue. Ella lifted two fingers toward the bartender without looking away from Azriel. “Two glasses of your best whiskey.” Then her gaze settled back on him fully. “So,” she said lightly, “when do I get to meet the girl who stole your heart?” And she meant it. Ella was happy for him. Truly. Deeply. Maybe more than anyone else could understand. Because Azriel deserved something good. Something soft. She had wanted that for him long before Luna ever existed. But there was still a selfish, ugly part of her that hated the distance growing between them. Diego had Liyana. Now Azriel had Luna. And Ella? Ella had Morta Fenice. Maybe that was all she would ever have. Maybe she was always destined to remain exactly what Ryder made her into, something useful. Something owned. A beautiful weapon dressed up like a person. The bartender returned with the whiskey glasses, amber liquid catching beneath the low golden lights of the bar. Ella slid one toward Azriel with a small nod before lifting hers slightly. “To you two.”

[brklynbxby]

At her response to the mention of Luna, he let out a scoff and shook his head. She knew him better than anyone, sometimes better than he knew himself. His gaze tracked the movement of her hand as she flagged down the bartender, catching the order as it was placed. Of course. A night between them wouldn't really be a night between them without whiskey somewhere in the equation. "I'm not doing the whole mixing-worlds thing," he said simply. There was no edge to it, no hostility. He just didn't think it was a particularly good idea. Luna and Ella were very different people, and he was acutely aware of the distinct places they occupied in his life. More importantly, there were parts of his relationship with Ella that Luna might not appreciate, and he had no intention of risking something that didn't need to be risked. Before he could elaborate, the bartender slid their drinks across the counter. Azriel's hand was around his glass almost immediately. He lifted it, taking a slow sip as the burn of whiskey settled warmly in his chest. "Anyway," he said, shifting the focus back to her. "Enough about me. What's been going on with you?"

[brklynbxby]

Azriel finally lowered himself onto the barstool infront of Ella, then tipped the beer bottle back for another long swallow. He knew this was not going to be easy. Ella had never been someone he could charm his way around completely, not when she knew him this well. She would notice the gaps in his explanations. Still, he was willing to take the hit if it meant keeping the rest of it untouched. “I didn’t mean to disappear.” The words felt clumsy coming out of him because there was no clean way to explain this. No version of the truth he could hand her without unraveling things and information he should never have known in the first place. Azriel rolled the bottle slowly between his hands before finally lifting his eyes back to Ella’s. “I’ve been needed” he said simply. Nothing more. No elaboration.

[mysteriousxgirls]

Another scoff slipped past Ella’s lips, quieter this time. She stared at him for a long moment after he spoke, fingers tightening slightly around the cold glass bottle in her hand. I’ve been needed. That was it. That was all she got from him. Of course it was. Ella shook her head faintly, eyes dropping away from his face as she inhaled slowly through her nose. For a second, the noise of the bar seemed louder than before, music humming low, glasses clinking somewhere behind them, strangers laughing like the world wasn’t rotting beneath their feet. “Right…” she murmured. Then she looked back at him. “Well, I needed you too.” There was no softness in the words. No accusation either. Just something rawer sitting underneath them. Hurt, maybe. Sadness. The kind neither of them were particularly good at naming out loud.

But then Ella smiled anyway. A small, fake thing that barely reached her eyes, because none of it mattered now. Not really. He was here. And deep down, she already knew what had pulled him away from everything else. The girl. Luna. She remembered the first time he had mentioned her months ago, speaking about her like she was temporary. Like she was just another distraction that would eventually burn out the same way everything else in their lives always did. But then the whispers started spreading through Morta Fenice. Azriel going on a mission with her. Azriel risking himself to save trafficked kids from Viper’s Kiss. Azriel throwing himself into danger for something that didn’t directly benefit him. That wasn’t who he used to be. Ella lowered her gaze to the beer in her hands, gently swirling the bottle between her fingers. “You remember that night Ryder told us about Mexico?” she asked suddenly. “The cartel job. Eight million dollars worth of cocaine.” A faint smile touched the corner of her mouth at the memory, tired and distant. “The night Ryder wanted to punish me with your belt…” she continued quietly. “And you took the beating for me instead.”

Her eyes flicked toward him briefly before falling away again. “Afterward we sat outside smoking cigarettes..” A soft breath escaped her. “And I told you I wanted to fall in love someday. Have a family. Live something that looked remotely normal.” Slowly, she turned her head toward him again. “Guess you beat me to it.” This time the smile that appeared was real. Small, but real. “You look happier, Azriel,” she said softly. “Exhausted as hell… but happier.”

[brklynbxby]

well I needed you too. The words wrecked him. That wasn’t what Azriel had expected to hear from Ella. Not when the two of them didn’t speak with that kind of honesty. He drew in a sharp breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it through his nose. His gaze never wavered from Ella’s as he lifted the beer bottle to his lips and took another drink. “You’ve got yourself, Ella. Ain’t nothing you need me for,” he muttered, shaking his head. That belief had been carved into them young…rely on yourself, because nobody else would save you. And as much as he would always come running for her, no matter the hour, as much as he would tear the world apart if she ever needed him to, he still couldn’t force the words I’m sorry past his lips.

But then she brought up the night with Ryder. The night he almost killed a man with his bare hands if he had the chance. Nothing had ever angered him more quite like the way that man had laid his hands on Ella, the venom in his voice when he spoke to her. “Of course I remember that night,” he spat. Yet the conversation veered somewhere he hadn’t expected. A chuckle slipped from him as he shook his head, gesturing toward Ella with the neck of his beer bottle before taking another swig. “I think you’d like her,” he said at last. He neither denied nor confirmed the others comments. “She’s a good girl.”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Ella snorted softly at that, shaking her head as she wrapped her fingers around her beer bottle again. Her eyes lifted toward him as he stepped closer, and for one dangerous second she became painfully aware of how familiar he still felt. The scent of cigarettes, whiskey, expensive cologne. The heat rolling off him. The way his attention settled on her so fully it made the rest of the room disappear. It still affected her. That was the problem. “Don’t,” she warned quietly, though there was no real venom behind it. “Not even flowers could save you right now.” Ella tipped the rest of her beer back in one long swallow before setting the empty bottle onto the counter with a sharp thud. Almost immediately, she reached for the second one he’d ordered for her. A silent truce. Temporary, but still.

Her shoulders loosened slightly as she exhaled through her nose, gaze dropping briefly to the bottle in her hands before finding him again. “Seriously, Azriel… how do you just disappear like that?” she asked, softer this time. “I was worried.” And there it was. Not anger. Not really. Something worse. Because she knew him. Knew there was always a reason behind the silence, behind the vanishing acts and half-answered messages. Azriel had never belonged to anyone long enough to stay still. But this felt different somehow. Like while she had been standing still waiting for him to come back, he had kept moving forward without her. Like maybe there wasn’t space for her in his life anymore. The thought sat heavy and unfamiliar in her chest. Ella looked at him for a long moment before speaking again, quieter now. “What’s going on with you, Azriel?”

[brklynbxby]

Azriel finally lowered himself onto the barstool infront of Ella, then tipped the beer bottle back for another long swallow. He knew this was not going to be easy. Ella had never been someone he could charm his way around completely, not when she knew him this well. She would notice the gaps in his explanations. Still, he was willing to take the hit if it meant keeping the rest of it untouched. “I didn’t mean to disappear.” The words felt clumsy coming out of him because there was no clean way to explain this. No version of the truth he could hand her without unraveling things and information he should never have known in the first place. Azriel rolled the bottle slowly between his hands before finally lifting his eyes back to Ella’s. “I’ve been needed” he said simply. Nothing more. No elaboration.

[mysteriousxgirls]

Ella looked up the second his voice hit her ears. And there he was. Like no time had passed at all. Azriel always carried himself the same way, slow, loose confidence like the entire world moved around him instead of the other way around. White shirt half-open at the chest, sleeves pushed back just enough to expose tattooed skin and familiar scars she could probably trace from memory alone. He looked good. Too good. Annoyingly good. For a moment, all she did was stare at him. Because God, she had missed him. Not in the pathetic, aching way songs talked about. Nothing soft like that. She had missed him the way addicts missed a vice they swore they could quit. Like muscle memory. Like violence. Like home.

Ella scoffed softly, lifting her beer toward him in mock acknowledgment. “Look who finally remembered I exist.” Her eyes followed the movement of his hand as he ordered two beers- one for himself, the other very obviously meant as an apology he would never actually say out loud. Typical Azriel. And God, she was pissed at him. She should have stayed angry. But standing there beneath the dim lights of the bar, he looked… different. Better. Happier, somehow. Like the constant darkness that had clung to him for years had finally loosened its grip. There was still danger in him, still sharp edges and chaos beneath the surface, but it didn’t consume him the same way anymore. The girl, she realized. The thought sat strangely in her chest. Ella ran a hand through her hair before exhaling quietly, shaking her head like she was irritated with herself more than him. “You disappear for months, ignore half my texts, and think buying me a beer fixes it?” she asked, arching a brow at him. “Bold strategy.” But there was no real bite behind it. Not with him.

[brklynbxby]

The bartender slid the beers across the counter just as Azriel finally looked at her properly. The bar hummed around them. Low conversation drowned beneath the pulse of bass-heavy music somewhere near the back booths. Azriel wrapped his hand around the neck of the bottle, rings tapping softly against the glass before he lifted it to his lips. His eyes never left hers while he drank. “Thought about flowers” he said finally, voice rough and low beneath the noise around them. “You would've complained about the colour or something.” One corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he set the bottle back down against the counter. He shifted closer then. Not enough to touch her. Close enough that her perfume cut through the smoke and alcohol lingering in the air. Close enough that if she turned her head even slightly, she’d realise he was already watching her.

Azriel leaned back against the bar, broad shoulders settling against the wood behind him while he dragged his thumb slowly across the condensation gathering on the bottle. His gaze flicked briefly toward her beer before returning to her face again. “You look good pissed though" he added quietly. Azriel tilted the bottle toward her slightly before taking another drink, dark eyes still fixed on hers over the rim.

[mysteriousxgirls]

closed starter for @brklynbxby // Ella x Dante

Ella had no idea how many days or maybe weeks had passed since she had last seen or heard from Azriel. Time blurred when it came to him. But she knew one thing for certain: she needed a reason to see him again. A meeting. A job. An excuse. Anything. Especially now that Diego was out of jail. Maybe she would bring up a surprise visit for him, or throw around the idea of a party. Honestly, the excuse didn’t matter. She just wanted him in front of her again. So she waited at their bar. The same dimly lit place they used to haunt back then, when nights bled into mornings and neither of them cared enough to go home. A few hours earlier, she had texted him, telling him to meet her there.. and making it very clear that if he even thought about ditching her, she would hunt him down herself and kick his ass.

His response had been simple. A middle finger emoji. Which, coming from Azriel, was about as close to a yes as she was ever going to get. Ella sat at the counter with a beer in hand, long legs crossed beneath the stool as she took slow sips, waiting. The low hum of music and conversation filled the air around her while strangers.. mostly men, kept glancing her way, debating whether they were brave enough to approach her.

[brklynbxby]

Azriel had become consumed by Luna. The rest of the world had blurred into background noise over the past few months, people reduced to unanswered messages while he spent every spare second orbiting Luna instead. He did not know how much time he had left before everything inevitably fell apart, and the thought alone made him greedy with it. With her. Unfortunately, that had come at the expense of everyone else in his life. Including Ella. He couldn't remember the last conversation they had. Ella had woven herself into his life so much over the years that silence between them felt unnatural. Then her message arrived. Demanding enough that he could practically hear the irritation beneath the words. And Azriel knew immediately he needed to see her.

So here he was. Their bar. His eyes found Ella instantly... of course they did. She sat at the counter, beer held between her fingers as expected. God, he'd missed her. Not that he would ever willingly admit that to her. Azriel adjusted the sleeves of his white shirt as he crossed the room slowly, unhurried confidence as usual. Several buttons undone at his chest, exposing just enough of his skin, black trousers tailored sharp against him. When he finally reached her, he leaned one elbow against the bar without sitting down just yet. “Hey, stranger” he drawled smoothly. “Still as approachable as ever.” Azriel glanced toward her beer before lifting two fingers toward the bartender. “Two of whatever she’s drinking.” One for himself. One as an apology he would never phrase properly. Only then did he look back at her fully, meeting her eyes at last.

[mysteriousxgirls]

“Azriel!” Luna let out a startled laugh as he lifted her over his shoulder with ridiculous ease, one hand instinctively bracing against his back as he carried her down the hallway toward her bedroom. “You’re insane,” she muttered, amusement bleeding through every word despite the shake of her head. By the time he set her back on her feet, her hair had fallen slightly out of place and she was still laughing under her breath while watching him move around the room. Then came the real confusion.

Luna leaned lightly against the doorway, brows furrowing as Azriel started gathering pillows from her bed like he was preparing for a camping trip instead of a drive. “What exactly do we need pillows for?” she asked slowly, eyeing him with growing suspicion. “I thought we were just going for a drive?” Even so, her hand automatically reached for the pair of warm fuzzy socks lying near the edge of the bed, pulling them on without much thought. She had a feeling she would need them. She looked back at him while tugging the socks into place, lips curving faintly. “You’re being weirdly secretive right now, and I don’t know if I should be concerned or impressed.”

[brklynbxby]

With a smile, Azriel turned on his heel only to find her lingering in the doorway, and the sight of her struck him with the same force it always did. Luna existed as though beauty had shaped itself into something human purely to kill him. Of all the annoyance and irritation she caused, he was glad she was the one constant in his life that returned even when he told her to stay away. She remained the single constant in a life full of temporary people. The one person who always returned, even when he’d convinced himself she shouldn’t. For everything she had awakened in him in such a short amount of time, Azriel knew he owed her more than fleeting moments. He owed her a lifetime of joy, however long that lifetime might be for her.

He stopped his steps in front of her and pressed one of the pillows into her arms. “I think we should make this more than just a drive.” Leaning down, he brushed his lips gently against her forehead before pulling back to meet her eyes. “We keep driving wherever the road takes us…” His voice softened slightly, the idea unfolding in real time despite how long it had already lived inside his head. “And tomorrow, we turn it into a road trip.” The words lingered between them for a moment. Azriel almost laughed quietly to himself at how spontaneous it sounded coming from him. He could practically taste the uncertainty, could feel the unfamiliar weight of spontaneity pressing against the carefully controlled parts of him that usually demanded plans, schedules and exits.

[mysteriousxgirls]

"Wait, what?" Luna blinked slowly when the television cut silent, her attention dragging away from the movie and up toward him. For a second, she just watched Azriel move around the room like he had already made the decision for both of them before he had even spoken it aloud. Typical. A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth despite herself. “Going out?” she echoed softly, pushing the blanket down from her legs as she sat up straighter against the couch cushions. Her hair was slightly messy from laying against him, oversized hoodie sleeves swallowing her hands as she looked toward the window. The sunlight pouring through the apartment painted everything gold and warm, making the world outside look too alive to ignore. Then her eyes flicked back to him standing there with his keys already in hand. Luna narrowed her eyes playfully. “You muted the movie like you’re about to commit a felony.” Still, she was already pulling herself up from the couch.

“Where exactly are we driving to? And since when are you this spontaneous?” she asked, stepping toward him as she slipped past the coffee table. Her fingers caught lightly around the sleeve of his hoodie for a brief second before letting go again. “Or was the movie not to your liking, Mr-I-suddenly-feel-like-going-for-a-drive." There was teasing in her voice, but underneath it sat something softer. Excitement. The kind she only really let herself feel around him.

[brklynbxby]

When Luna pushed herself up, Azriel couldn’t hold back the smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He knew how this looked. Entirely out of character for him. But somewhere along the line, he’d made a promise to himself that he would cross things off that bucket list. At her question about where exactly they were driving, he shrugged, though his mind immediately drifted to the route he’d already mapped out in his head. Not that she needed to know that part. Azriel lifted a hand, gently brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear. “I haven’t planned that far ahead” he answered, the lie effortless. “I’ve also seen that film too many times.” Reaching behind her, he grabbed the blanket they’d been sharing from the couch. “We should grab some pillows” he added before sliding his arms around her waist and tossing her over his shoulder.

Once inside the bedroom, he lowered her carefully back onto the floor before turning and gathering a few pillows while already mentally calculating how long they had before the sun dipped.

[brklynbxby]

Closed starter for @mysteriousxgirls // Azriel x Luna

Azriel barely registered the opening twenty minutes of the movie. He was far too aware of Luna curled into his side underneath the blanket, her legs tangled with his on the couch. The weight of her head rested against his chest while his hand absently traced slow circles against her arm.

Outside the window, late afternoon sunlight spilled gold across the floorboards. Azriel’s eyes flicked toward the clock on the wall before returning to the screen. The mountain pass was under two hours away. Then the thought arrived suddenly enough that it almost felt reckless, spontaneous, except it wasn’t reckless at all. Not to Azriel anyway. Not when he’d revised that bucketlist like his life depended on it. A spontaneous roadtrip, music and the windows down. A mention of mountains and sunrises. He leant forward, disturbing their positions and muted the television with the remote control. “We’re going out.” Azriel shifted forward, grabbing his keys from the coffee table before standing from the couch. Grey joggers hanging low on his hips, he dragged a hand through his dark hair and nodded toward the front door. “It feels illegal to waste weather like this… Come on, let’s just drive somewhere.”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Harmony laughed softly as Nate reacted to the food, the sound warm and proud, her shoulders relaxing even more now that they were all seated, eating, together. “Okay, okay,” she teased, reaching across the table to nudge his knee lightly with her foot. “I get it. Compliments received.” She glanced at Diego when he asked, a playful spark lighting her eyes. “Honestly?” she shrugged. “Survival, boredom, and YouTube.” A grin tugged at her lips. “When you don’t have much, you learn how to make what you do have taste like comfort.” She took a bite herself, humming softly in approval, then added, “And my abuela would haunt me if I didn’t say she taught me the basics. Everything else was trial and error.” She smirked. “Mostly error at first.”

Her gaze moved between the two men, something tender settling in her expression as she watched them eat, laugh, exist in the same space without tension. “This,” she said quietly, almost to herself, “is one of those moments I used to wish for. Normal. Warm. Safe.” She lifted her glass again just slightly. “So eat up. I worked very hard to impress you both.” Then, lighter again, she added with a grin, “And Diego, don’t get any ideas. I’m not moving back to Medellín just to cook for your ass.”

[brklynbxby]

Nate continued working through the meal his girlfriend had prepared for them, Diego doing the same. The two men sat in the same space in a way life likely never would have orchestrated if it wasn't for Harmony's involvement. They were cut from completely different cloths, shaped by opposing worlds and incompatible lives to say the least. Yet here they sat, united by Harmony. At the mention of not returning to Medellín, Diego gave a faint clear of his throat before taking another bite. He set his cutlery down, reached for his glass and let the drink linger briefly on his tongue before swallowing. Resting the glass back against the table, he looked toward her. “So what, nothing could make you come back home?” he asked. Even he understood the audacity of the question, especially asked in front of the man she was clearly building a future out here with.

Nate’s expression tightened, a slight frown touched his face as his gaze lowered to his plate. Instead of voicing his confusion, he listened. Waiting and trying to understand where exactly this conversation was heading towards, why this man had appeared on their doorstep and what his real intentions were. There was concern simmering beneath his composure but intrigue was there too. And for now, he was willing to give Diego the time to reveal what needed to be said.

[mysteriousxgirls]

“Yes,” she whispered, voice low and steady. “I like it. A lot.” Her lips curved, slow and unapologetic. “The thought of you touching her while I know you’re thinking of me.. hands polite, smile perfect, cock hard for the wrong woman.. that’s the kind of cruel I want to taste from across a crowded room.” She leaned in, mouth grazing his jaw in the barest kiss. “Play it well, Cassian. Make her believe every word. I’ll be watching. And when our eyes meet… you will know I’m already wet thinking about how you will come back here afterward and fuck me like you hate yourself for wanting it.” She stepped back, giving him the path to the door. “Keep her busy,” she echoed softly, smile turning wicked. “I’ll keep the bed warm.” she winked one last time then opened her bedroom door and stepped out with him. "Thanks for coming today.. I will see you again soon."

[brklynbxby]

Cassian’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, those stayed dark, intent, fixed on her like a vow he had no intention of breaking. “I never half ass a performance.” His fingers brushed her cheek, a fleeting contact that still carried promise, heat sparking where it shouldn’t have lingered. “She won't suspect a thing and we'll have another arrangement sometime soon.” He leaned in, breath warm at her temple, the faint scent of cedar and clean linen wrapping around her like a memory she’d replay later. “I’ll know where my attention truly lives. And so will you.” At the door, he glanced at her, eyes catching hers with ruinous certainty. “Keeping watching for me out there because just like you” he added, already stepping away. “I never disappoint an audience.”

[brklynbxby]

Cassian let the words hang in the air, slow, deliberate, like a candle flame refusing to be blown out. His eyes lingered on her, tracing the curve of her neck, the way the fabric clung to her skin, the subtle sway of her hips as she moved. A slow, half smile tugged at his lips. “Is that so?” His voice was low, almost a cares in the moment. He lifted one hand, brushing the tip of his fingers across her jaw, tracing her cheekbone as if memorising it in case he never saw her again. “You have no idea what that does to a man who’s supposed to be in control.”

He took a step back, tilting his head, eyes never leaving hers. “But,” he added, the faintest smirk teasing the corner of his mouth, “control is overrated, right?” His fingers lingered at the collar of his shirt but he let them brush just enough for her to notice they’d followed the path hers had once taken. “Maybe I’ll watch.” Then, just for a heartbeat, he leaned in — close enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath, the faint trace of his cologne, the heat of his chest — and whispered, “I’d love to add meaning to the crowd of yours, Sophia. My arms around my girlfriend, kissing her and whispering in her ear about the things I wish to do to her later.” He straightened, smooth and precise, as though nothing had happened, yet the air between them still vibrated with the unspoken, dangerous promise. His gaze lingered one last time, tracing her from head to toe and back up again before nodding towards the door. “Now am I to climb through the window?”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Sophia’s breath caught just for a second as his fingers traced her jaw, her cheekbone, the lightest ghost of a touch that somehow felt more intimate than anything they had done without clothes. She didn’t pull away. She leaned into it instead, eyes half-lidded, letting him see exactly how much that slow drag affected her. When he stepped back and murmured those deliberate, provocative words, arms around his girlfriend, kisses and whispers never meant for her.. a low, throaty laugh slipped from Sophia’s lips. Not mocking. Indulgent. Darkly pleased. “God,” she murmured, voice husky and approving, “you’re cruel when you want to be.” Her smile deepened. “And I like that far too much.”

She closed the small distance he had created, pressing her palm flat to his chest again, right over his heart, feeling the quicker beat beneath his carefully controlled exterior. “Fuck,” she admitted quietly, “I don’t want to let you go, but…” She pulled back then, the smile returning, soft and dangerous. “As for the window…” Her gaze flicked toward it, then back to him with mock innocence. “You could. Dramatic. Sexy, even.” A soft laugh followed as she shrugged. “But the front door works just fine.” She tilted her head, eyes glinting. “Don’t worry. She won’t tell anyone.. she’s my best friend.”

[brklynbxby]

Cassian’s fingers stilled at her wrist, just long enough to make the contact feel intentional before easing away again. His expression didn’t soften. If anything, it sharpened, mouth curving slightly as he considered her words. “You like it when I’m cruel?” he murmured, voice low, meant only for her though only two of them still occupied the room. “Then tell me something.” A brief pause, deliberate. “Do you enjoy the idea of me standing somewhere else when you perform… hands on someone who thinks she has all of my attention… while you’re on stage pretending you don’t feel it?”

“Because if that’s the case,” he added quietly, “you should know I will play it very well.” Cassian’s jaw tightened a fraction — all instinct, no drama. “We don’t need conversation” he said under his breath. “Keep her busy” he instructed softly. He straightened, already stepping back into the version of himself that belonged to the outside world. “After you.”

[brklynbxby]

He nodded, conceding to her phrasing—that she would triumph if he were present—but the comment that she would win regardless of his presence that night was something he could not grasp. “And how exactly would you win if I weren’t standing in the dark, watching you perform?” he asked simply, then took a step back to retrieve the shirt he had discarded earlier on the floor, sliding it over his arms. This, of course, was not what he would wear to the restaurant, nor what he intended to go home in. He knew the stakes all too well. He had made mistakes before and understood what he needed to do to avoid repeating them this time. “And you,” he added, his gaze lingering on her, “you’ll be up there on that stage performing, not wondering whether my eyes are somewhere in that crowd?”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Sophia watched him pull the shirt on, the shift from skin to cotton marking a subtle change in the air between them. She didn’t rush to close the distance again. Instead, she smiled.. slow, thoughtful, entirely unruffled. “If you’re not there?” she said quietly, voice carrying across the room like smoke. “I still win because I’ll know you’re thinking about me anyway. Every time you close your eyes tonight, whether you’re at home, at work, or lying next to her.. I’ll be the one under your skin. The memory of how I tasted, how I clenched around you, how I begged quietly with your hand over my mouth." She let the silence do the rest, then smiled, just a touch cheeky, as she reached for her white top and slipped it on, tying the strings at her back with unhurried precision. She pulled on the matching skirt next, smoothing it into place as if this were the most natural thing in the world. “That doesn’t disappear when you walk out the door, Cassian,” she added lightly, meeting his eyes again.

“So go,” she said simply. “Be good. Be careful. Take her to dinner, kiss her goodnight, do whatever keeps the questions at bay. I’ll be on stage at eight either way.” She reached out then, fingertips brushing the open collar of his shirt lightly, before letting her hand fall away. “But if you do show up… even if it’s just for one song,” Her smile turned slow and wicked again. “I’ll make sure the performance is worth every second of risk.” A Pause. "Choice is yours.. Mr Manager."

[brklynbxby]

Cassian let the words hang in the air, slow, deliberate, like a candle flame refusing to be blown out. His eyes lingered on her, tracing the curve of her neck, the way the fabric clung to her skin, the subtle sway of her hips as she moved. A slow, half smile tugged at his lips. “Is that so?” His voice was low, almost a cares in the moment. He lifted one hand, brushing the tip of his fingers across her jaw, tracing her cheekbone as if memorising it in case he never saw her again. “You have no idea what that does to a man who’s supposed to be in control.”

He took a step back, tilting his head, eyes never leaving hers. “But,” he added, the faintest smirk teasing the corner of his mouth, “control is overrated, right?” His fingers lingered at the collar of his shirt but he let them brush just enough for her to notice they’d followed the path hers had once taken. “Maybe I’ll watch.” Then, just for a heartbeat, he leaned in — close enough for her to feel the warmth of his breath, the faint trace of his cologne, the heat of his chest — and whispered, “I’d love to add meaning to the crowd of yours, Sophia. My arms around my girlfriend, kissing her and whispering in her ear about the things I wish to do to her later.” He straightened, smooth and precise, as though nothing had happened, yet the air between them still vibrated with the unspoken, dangerous promise. His gaze lingered one last time, tracing her from head to toe and back up again before nodding towards the door. “Now am I to climb through the window?”

[brklynbxby]

He listened as she laid out her reasoning, each explanation delivered with effortless precision. Every detail was plausible, every angle covered — so much so that it made him wonder if this was something she’d done before. She was prepared. Too prepared. Each question he might have raised was met with a calm, reasonable answer, the kind no one would think twice about, especially with his girlfriend’s name attached to the invitation. The image struck him then — standing beside the woman he claimed, watching the woman he’d betrayed her with under stage lights. The idea felt like a particular kind of cruelty, a step beyond what even he deserved. And yet, he couldn’t stop turning it over in his mind. How neatly it worked. How much he stood to gain by showing up.

When she finally stepped back, giving him space and an alternative, his mouth curved into a knowing smirk. “You and I both know I don’t want to do that.” Cassian had never been subtle. If he wanted something, he took it — hesitation was for other people. His hand slid to her waist, firm and possessive, drawing her back against him until there was no space left between their bodies. He felt her warmth, the quiet hitch of her breath, the electric awareness that settled low in his spine. “You win either way,” he murmured, his voice dropping. “So how do you win standing on that stage and not driving me insane?”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Sophia let out a soft, breathless laugh as he pulled her flush against him, the sudden press of his body reigniting every nerve that had only just begun to settle. Her hands slid up his arms, fingers curling into the fabric at his shoulders as she tilted her head back to meet his gaze, blue eyes bright with triumph and something darker, hungrier. “I win,” she whispered, lips brushing his as she spoke, “by knowing you’re out there in the dark, watching me. Knowing every time I hit a high note, you’re remembering exactly how I sounded when I came for you. Knowing you’ll be hard under those lights, shifting in your seat, trying to look normal while your girlfriend’s hand is in yours.”

She rocked up onto her toes, pressing her bare breasts against his chest, letting him feel the way her nipples hardened at the contact. “And when the set ends?” Her voice dropped lower, velvet-rough. “When the house lights come up and everyone’s clapping… you’ll catch my eye for one second, maybe two.. before you have to turn away and play the perfect boyfriend. That single look will be enough to make you ache all night.” One hand slipped between them, palm sliding down his stomach until her fingers curled loosely over the front of his trousers. “You’ll go home with her,” she continued, stroking him once through the fabric, slow, deliberate. “You’ll fuck her if she wants it. You’ll tell her it was a good night. But the whole time, it’ll be my face you see. My body you feel. My voice echoing in your head.” She squeezed gently, then released him and stepped back just enough to break the contact.. leaving him wanting. “That’s how I win standing on stage,” she said, smile turning wicked and soft all at once. “Because you won’t be able to stop thinking about me. Not tonight. Not tomorrow. Not until you come back here.."

[brklynbxby]

He nodded, conceding to her phrasing—that she would triumph if he were present—but the comment that she would win regardless of his presence that night was something he could not grasp. “And how exactly would you win if I weren’t standing in the dark, watching you perform?” he asked simply, then took a step back to retrieve the shirt he had discarded earlier on the floor, sliding it over his arms. This, of course, was not what he would wear to the restaurant, nor what he intended to go home in. He knew the stakes all too well. He had made mistakes before and understood what he needed to do to avoid repeating them this time. “And you,” he added, his gaze lingering on her, “you’ll be up there on that stage performing, not wondering whether my eyes are somewhere in that crowd?”

[brklynbxby]

He bent to retrieve his trousers and slipped into them as her question reached him. “I do have a job to get back to,” he said with a faint smile, his gaze tracing an unhurried path over her body. When she crossed the room toward him, he ignored the discarded shirt at his feet. His hand slid up her side and came to rest at the nape of her neck, fingers curling there with deliberate ease. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” he asked, the words carrying more than one implication. His sudden appearance would invite questions—questions from people far too nosy for their own good. And it would be even stranger to explain to Selene why he’d decided to attend her concert alone. “I don’t think your concert is somewhere I’d be expected to show up.”

[mysteriousxgirls]

Sophia stilled under his touch, the warmth of his hand at the nape of her neck sending a quiet shiver through her. She tilted her head slightly into his grip, eyes searching his, reading the hesitation, the practical excuses, the flicker of something conflicted. A slow, knowing smile curved her lips. “Not expected, maybe,” she murmured, voice low and soft. “But that’s what makes it perfect.” She stepped closer, bare skin brushing the rough fabric of his trousers, close enough to feel the heat still lingering between them. “You think showing up would raise questions?” Her fingers trailed lightly down his chest, stopping just above his belt. “Then bring her. Bring your girlfriend. Take her to my concert like it’s the most normal thing in the world.” She rose on her toes, lips hovering near his ear.

“I invited you because you let me celebrate my birthday at your restaurant. No one bats an eye at a chef coming to see a friend perform. It’s polite. Professional. Completely innocent on paper.” Her breath ghosted over his skin. “You two sit in the back if you want. Arrive together. Hold her hand. Pretend it’s just a nice night out.” She pulled back just enough to meet his gaze, blue eyes steady and unapologetic. “I’ll be on stage singing, and you’ll be the only one who knows why your pulse is racing every time our eyes meet.” She stepped out of his hold with a small, graceful movement, giving him space. “Or don’t come at all,” she said simply. “Go back to your job, your life, your perfectly reasonable explanations. I’ll still be performing, and you’ll still be thinking about me. Either way, I win.”

[brklynbxby]

He listened as she laid out her reasoning, each explanation delivered with effortless precision. Every detail was plausible, every angle covered — so much so that it made him wonder if this was something she’d done before. She was prepared. Too prepared. Each question he might have raised was met with a calm, reasonable answer, the kind no one would think twice about, especially with his girlfriend’s name attached to the invitation. The image struck him then — standing beside the woman he claimed, watching the woman he’d betrayed her with under stage lights. The idea felt like a particular kind of cruelty, a step beyond what even he deserved. And yet, he couldn’t stop turning it over in his mind. How neatly it worked. How much he stood to gain by showing up.

When she finally stepped back, giving him space and an alternative, his mouth curved into a knowing smirk. “You and I both know I don’t want to do that.” Cassian had never been subtle. If he wanted something, he took it — hesitation was for other people. His hand slid to her waist, firm and possessive, drawing her back against him until there was no space left between their bodies. He felt her warmth, the quiet hitch of her breath, the electric awareness that settled low in his spine. “You win either way,” he murmured, his voice dropping. “So how do you win standing on that stage and not driving me insane?”

[brklynbxby]

When her lips met his, he didn’t hesitate. He kissed her back slowly, matching her pace — a contrast to the urgency that had come before. When she eventually pulled away to speak, he smiled, his gaze drifting from her eyes to her mouth and back again. “That’s because I don’t want to leave.” He should have gone. There was work waiting for him, a life he was meant to return to — a girl who believed he would. And yet, lying there with her, he found himself reluctant to step away from the room, from the moment. Still, he withdrew, the regret unmistakable as her warmth slipped from around him. He turned without a word and headed for the attached bathroom. He cleaned himself up quickly, avoiding his own reflection before returning to the bedroom. He reached for his boxers and pulled them on, the fabric settling against his skin.

[mysteriousxgirls]

Sophia watched him pull out, the sudden emptiness making her breath hitch softly. A faint shiver ran through her as his warmth left her body, the slick evidence of them both trickling warm and slow between her thighs. She didn’t move to cover herself, didn’t reach for the sheet. She just lay there, propped on her elbows, blonde hair a wild halo against the pillow, eyes tracking every line of him as he moved toward the bathroom. When he came back, clean, composed, boxers already on, something tight twisted in her chest. Not regret. Not quite. But close enough to sting.

She sat up slowly, knees drawn loosely to her chest, arms wrapped around them. The motion made her wince faintly at the tender ache between her legs, a delicious reminder. “You’re really leaving?” Her voice came out quieter than she intended, soft, almost vulnerable beneath the usual tease. She tilted her head, studying him. “Just like that?” She let the silence stretch a beat, then unfolded her legs and slid to the edge of the bed, feet touching the floor. Naked, unashamed, she stood and closed the distance between them in two slow steps. Her fingers brushed his wrist, light, barely there, before sliding up to rest against his chest, right over his heart. "I have this concert on saturday. Would love to see you there."

[brklynbxby]

He bent to retrieve his trousers and slipped into them as her question reached him. “I do have a job to get back to,” he said with a faint smile, his gaze tracing an unhurried path over her body. When she crossed the room toward him, he ignored the discarded shirt at his feet. His hand slid up her side and came to rest at the nape of her neck, fingers curling there with deliberate ease. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?” he asked, the words carrying more than one implication. His sudden appearance would invite questions—questions from people far too nosy for their own good. And it would be even stranger to explain to Selene why he’d decided to attend her concert alone. “I don’t think your concert is somewhere I’d be expected to show up.”

[brklynbxby]

As she finally came undone, he held her tight, refusing to release her—pinning her wrists, keeping his hand sealed over her mouth to keep any sound from spilling further from the room where they’d completely lost themselves in moments ago. Only when her body softened did he slowly—reluctantly—ease his grip, freeing her hands and her lips. He shifted then, bracing his elbows on either side of her so his full weight didn’t crush her slight frame. His gaze roamed over her flushed cheeks, the dazed blue of her widened eyes, the fullness of her swollen lips. Fuck—she was perfection. “I didn’t know you were going to be this fucking filthy,” he murmured, leaning in to brush an unexpectedly tender kiss against her bottom lip before pulling back again, just to take her in once more. His hand moved up to let his index finger brush back a strand of her blonde locks that had fallen onto her forehead.

[mysteriousxgirls]

Sophia’s chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths as the last tremors faded, leaving her limp and glowing beneath him. When he finally released her wrists and lifted his palm from her mouth, she drew in a shaky inhale, lips tingling from the pressure, skin still buzzing where his teeth had marked her shoulder. She blinked up at him slowly, eyes glassy, pupils blown wide, and a soft, wrecked laugh escaped her when he brushed that tender kiss across her lower lip. The contrast of it, raw, animal hunger one second, gentle the next, made something warm twist low in her belly all over again. “Filthy?” she echoed, voice hoarse and teasing as she lifted a trembling hand to trace the line of his jaw. “Says the man who just came inside me while my housemate’s home… and kept fucking me through it.”

Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging lightly to bring his mouth back to hers. This kiss was slower, languid, tasting of sweat and shared secrets, before she pulled back just enough to meet his gaze. “You’re still inside me,” she whispered, rolling her hips in a lazy, deliberate circle. His release leaked warm between her thighs.. she could feel it, dripping, marking the sheets. “Feels like you don’t want to leave... I dont want you to leave."

[brklynbxby]

When her lips met his, he didn’t hesitate. He kissed her back slowly, matching her pace — a contrast to the urgency that had come before. When she eventually pulled away to speak, he smiled, his gaze drifting from her eyes to her mouth and back again. “That’s because I don’t want to leave.” He should have gone. There was work waiting for him, a life he was meant to return to — a girl who believed he would. And yet, lying there with her, he found himself reluctant to step away from the room, from the moment. Still, he withdrew, the regret unmistakable as her warmth slipped from around him. He turned without a word and headed for the attached bathroom. He cleaned himself up quickly, avoiding his own reflection before returning to the bedroom. He reached for his boxers and pulled them on, the fabric settling against his skin.