#mrpopoki

He loved that there was still a piece of you beyond his reach. That, despite everything he thought he knew, you still had a secret tucked away. It only made him want you more.

If I asked, would you tell me? Would you get shy and defensive? What would you do if I began to pry? What pretty face would you make when I found out the truth?

Navros was dramatic enough to confess that it kept him up at night. He made a list of what-ifs in his head. There could be a million things you were hiding, embarrassing or not, and he had fun just trying to guess them. But there was also this creeping unsettling worry… what if you liked someone? Who wasn’t him?

His skin itched at the thought and he began to rake his nails down his tattooed neck. No, no, it wasn’t that. There was no one you met that you seemed interested in. He would know if that was the case.

Smoke billowed from his nose. His grey eyes turned black as he glared at his phone, scrolling through your social media.

There wasn’t a single soul in the fucking underworld, or the entire damn world, who could ever understand you the way he did. They’d scoff at your music, judge your strange breakfast choices, and overlook all the little things that made you beautiful. They’d never appreciate you the way he could. The way he already did.

You were too angelic for humans and demihumans. You were a treasure far too rare for anyone else to recognize. But Navros understood, he noticed, he watched. Even if you did have a crush on some nobody, he wouldn't allow you to get manipulated and used by them. He’d make you see the real them somehow.

“Navros, are you listening to me?”

He stopped scrolling, his body going stiff as he glanced up from his phone from the corner of his eye. His boss, the Don of the Esposito Family, Matteo, was leaning against his cluttered desk with a small smug smile as if he knew what his bodyguard was already thinking about. When he didn’t answer, he raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll take your silence as a no,” he snorted, red eyes narrowing. “What I was saying was that I want you to stand guard at the Market tonight.”

Navros said nothing at first. His head on the other hand went haywire. You were working the night shift tonight from eight to eight. “…Has something come up?”

“Jaz told me that they think some of Leon’s boys will be there tonight. They keep walking on my territory and we both know what happened last time they tried to do that,” the Don’s smug smile transformed into something deadly, “and I’d like to stop them before they try shit.”

Navros squinted. Leon was pushing his luck a whole lot lately, but he never thought he’d try to send his men into the Don’s territory so brazenly. It made sense that Jaz knew. That damn hyena knew pretty much everything, and as annoying as he was, he was useful when it came to getting information. He sighed and shoved his phone into his pocket with a small nod.

Leon and his men were an inconvenience he didn’t want to bother with, but you on the other hand… this gave him an excuse to be around you. And find out what you’re hiding.

“Very well,” he said, turning to the door, “I’ll head over there now.”

Matteo sat back down at his desk and his lips twitched into a small smile as he picked up an unopened letter. “Good. You know what to do if you see them. Make sure it’s bloody enough to give Leon a message.”

Navros didn’t look back as he exited the office, his scaled tail giving his excitement to see you away as it swished behind him slowly. He wouldn’t want to kill anyone in front of you but if he had to, he wasn’t worried. You had seen worse. He vividly remembered the time the Market was infiltrated and your desk was soaked with the man’s blood, your face coated in red as you rubbed it off with a wet rag as if it was just paint.

It was attractive, he won’t lie. Seeing you wipe off another’s man’s blood as if it was nothing… It made that dragon in him brew up like bubbling fire.

However, he wasn’t hoping to see that tonight and he just hoped it went smoothly. Because if it does, it gives him every excuse to get closer to you, and maybe if he was lucky—swoon you.

⦿ ━━━━━━━━━━ ⬇︎ ⬇︎ ⬇︎

Working at the Market was chaotic. Half the time, you wondered if each shift would be your last before some pissed-off customer put a bullet in your head. But even with the looming threat of death around every corner, you loved it.

It was the only job where you could do almost anything you wanted, so long as your actual responsibilities were taken care of. Scrolling on your phone, sketching in your notebook, binging Netflix shows—it was practically paradise! Just two weeks ago you were able to binge a whole first season of your favorite show because only three people walked in.

And luckily for you, Wednesday nights were dead.

The last Wednesday night shift you worked only included one crazy guy and he left after he realized he was trying to stir shit at the wrong place. Even though you weren’t high ranking, just mentioning the Don’s name made the usual people scurry. If they were smart, that is. The dumb ones were the ones you had to keep an eye out for.

Leaning back in your chair, you lazily scrolled through social media with a small grin. Navros’s profile was practically a ghost town, forcing you to dig through his friends’ accounts whenever you wanted to learn something new about him. And thankfully, his one friend, Damian, was chronically online.

The man documented every second of his life without shame. Honestly, you’d think a Capo would know better than to post so much on social media, but apparently not. Why the Don allowed it, you had no idea, but you weren’t fucking complaining about it.

It made stalking Navros ten times easier.

“Woah, when was this photo?” you mumbled as you zoomed in on a recent party post, noticing Navros drinking in the background with a displeased expression. A small grin slipped on your face. He looked like he was on the verge of slamming the bottle into someone’s skull. “Did someone put a fucking party streamer on his horn? He’s standing so stiff!”

Navros didn't like parties so you hadn’t a clue why he went to that one. Maybe he just wanted a drink.

From what you knew, even though he was quitting smoking and wearing those nicotine patches on his left arm, he drank a lot. Maybe it was just because he couldn’t get drunk because he was a dragon demihuman, but it still had to be messing with his kidneys, right? He really needs to watch that.

Maybe if I mention something in passing… no, no. That would be weird. He doesn’t even talk to me a lot.

Navros was in a world you had no right being in. He was a league above your own, you didn’t want to taint his perfection by getting your grubby hands all over his life. But it was tempting. It would be a lie to say you didn’t daydream about it… about being the one to hang out with him, to kiss him, to hold his hand, and go on silly dates.

You giggled and spun in your chair. He’s just so perfect!

He was so loyal to the Don it made you sick with admiration. And because of that undying loyalty and maturity, you knew he would hate your guts if he knew about your camera that had snuck a hundred polaroid photos of him when he wasn’t looking. He’d hate your guts if he knew about your sketchbook filled to the brim of his face, muscles, and silly scenarios.

You knew very well you were crazy… but how could you not be? Just look at the guy!

Finding another photo, you smiled at the photo Damien took with him. He looked sleepy in it like Damien woke him up from a nap just to take a photo, his white hair sticking out in odd angles as he scrunched his nose in a small snarl.

“So cute~! I wonder how he looks in the morning.”

You’d admit it. You’re a stalker. But you weren’t that bad of a stalker. Even if you were tempted to break into his place (because of course you knew where he lived), you knew you’d be caught instantly. You were human… he could sniff your scent out in seconds the moment you stood outside his door, much less walk around his place when he wasn’t there. You sighed and leaned against your palm.

I don’t think he has a girlfriend… you thought, frowning. His friends never talk about it and he doesn’t post about it. Plus I’ve never seen him with a girl.

The thought left a sour taste on your tongue. You didn’t want to think about what you'd do if he had a girlfriend. He was too busy with the Don to ever be focused on a girl, but if he was… you quickly shook the thought. No. You didn’t want to think about that. You didn’t want to imagine him with anyone else but you. Sure, you weren’t brave enough to be in his life, but some bitch ruining your fantasies with him made your chest tight with loathing.

I could always make sure no girl dates him. Like… if they got interested, or too close, I could always intervene. It’s not like he would notice if I talked to them before they even made a move on him…

“Hey there, doll.”

“Huh?” your head snapped up, scowling the moment your thoughts were interrupted, “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to—“

You stopped and your heart dropped to your ass.

Navros stood on the other side of the desk with his hands shoved in his pockets. His white hair seemed to glow in the dim lobby light, his grey eyes crinkled around the edges as he smiled, his pointy ears twitching slightly. You noticed he was wearing his work clothes; a loose fitted button up, dress pants, and shiny black shoes.

Shit, shit, shit. What the fuck is he doing here? Well, I’m glad he is here. But he shouldn’t be here! I didn’t do my hair perfectly today—

“Navros!” you choked, almost falling from your seat as you scrambled to sit up straight. “What are you doing here? You never—uhm, you never come here without the Don. Is… Is he here?”

He chuckled and your heart stuttered. Holy fuck, he’s so pretty.

“Ahh… no. He told me to stand watch here tonight, we got a tip that some of Leon’s shitbags might breach the territory and he wanted me to stand watch. So your night might be a little eventful.”

You didn’t know what to say in response to that. Leon and his boys had tried to mess with the territory before but you were never really worried about it… but why would they send someone like Navros to be sent here? This was a job meant for maybe a lower class worker or a group of boys, not the Don’s bodyguard. It just didn’t make sense why he’d send him and only him.

“Uhm… does that mean standing up here with me all night?” you asked, feeling sweat start to slick your palm. No way in fucking hell he was going to hang out with you the one night you were unprepared for him to do so. “You can, uhm, use this seat here!”

Navros raised an eyebrow and watched as you pulled a spare chair that was tucked away under the desk. He said nothing as he walked around the desk and plopped down on the seat. He sat on the very edge, his long legs bouncing on the edge.

Was he anxious? How cute. He didn’t seem like the type to be anxious, but maybe being away from the boss on such a low grade mission was making him a little anxious.

“Do you just sit here all night?” he asked, staring intensely. He really doesn’t blink a lot…

“Yes. I’m allowed to do pretty much anything I want as long as I make sure to pay attention when people come in,” you offered a small smile, rubbing your sweaty hands on your thighs. “I usually binge watch shows to pass the time… if I had nothing this job would be miserable.”

He smiled, shifting in the seat. “Oh, I can’t imagine. What were you doing before I got here?”

For someone who was supposed to be keeping an eye out for Leon’s goons, he sure as hell was only staring at you. It made you feel like you were under a spotlight. Did he know about what you were doing? Was that why he was asking? You glanced to the side, avoiding eye contact with him.

“Oh just scrolling through social media… My friends posted some things about a party recently and I was going through and liking their posts.”

That wasn’t a lie, they did have a party recently. However you hadn’t a clue if they posted anything on it. You prayed it was true.

Navros’ eyes narrowed slightly. Your friends hadn’t posted anything in hours, he always kept an eye on that and kept their notifications on to see when you were tagged by them on anything. So you were lying to him… he hummed slowly with a nod and glanced around the desk to see if he could see anything that stood out. Maybe anything that would give your little secret away.

There was nothing out of the ordinary. Most of it was sticky notes about work or notes left by your coworkers. There were some doodles on random pieces of paper and be paused when he saw your sketchbook sticking out from under a pile of papers. The same sketchbook you always covered with your arm when people were near so nobody saw…

I need to look in it.

Navros glanced over at you, watching as you pretended to do something important on your computer. He took that as a chance to do something bold.

“Oh wow! Doll, I didn’t know you did art!”

Time came to a screeching halt when you saw him reach for your sketchbook on the edge of your desk out of the corner of your eye. It was your fault, you didn’t think anyone would come in so you didn’t put it up in the drawer or your bag, especially not him.

Ice washed down your back when he quickly opened to the first page and you jumped up from your seat to snatch it back from his hands. But he was faster, of course he fucking was, and he stood up and held it above your reach with a laugh.

Your chair almost fell to the ground, his own squealing as it was pushed back. Now the two of you were standing. And there was no way to pretend as if you weren’t about to rip it out of his hands.

“Ah, ah. Now that’s a reaction. You must really not want me to see what’s in this,” he mused, his grey eyes crinkling around the edges. “That makes me want to look at it more.”

No, no, no. Your gaze sharpened and you glared daggers at him, ignoring the heat swelling up the back of your neck. Did he catch a glimpse of the first page? Did he see?

“Hand it over. Now.”

His grin widened and he lowered his voice into a low, raspy whisper, waggling the book as if it was a dog treat for a puppy. He hadn’t expected you to act like that, but he didn’t mind. He was getting information out of this.

“…and what are you going to do if I don’t?”

That was the problem, you didn’t know what to do. You couldn’t tackle him without hurting and embarrassing yourself, you doubted you’d even be able to knock him down. And threatening him with the pocket knife you had in your drawer would be pointless. Pointing a knife at the love of your life just because he held your sketchbook? Yeah. If you did that, you’d have to slit your own throat with it. You couldn’t threaten or harm his pretty face. So that meant you had to persuade him to drop it.

“It’s private!” You confessed, making your voice as stern and serious as it could be without being panicked, “so put it down and leave it alone! I… I didn’t think you’d be here so I didn’t put it up!”

Navros hummed and didn’t say anything as he examined your face. Your wide frantic eyes, rapid heartbeat, and sweaty brow—you were hiding something serious. His tongue swiped over his teeth as he debated on ignoring you and opening it. He wanted to see, wanted to see if you had a crush on some stupid nobody, he wanted to see what made you panic.

If it was something small, you wouldn’t have jumped up like that to stop him.

“Is it about a boy, doll?” he teased, trying to get a response. When your eyes widened he felt something sickening curl around his heart. He was going to fucking kill whoever the bastard was. He forced a sharp smile, eyes narrowing. “Oh. It is.”

He was definitely not putting it down now. He needed to find out who it was. Even if you were mad at him, he could find a way to make you forgive him after. He could just blame it on his curiosity, maybe explain that he had to make sure it wasn’t one of Leon’s boys as an excuse. Sure… you wouldn’t like to hear that, but he needed to know which man had your focus.

You jumped up to grab it and he held it higher.

Navros hated how desperate you were just to get it out of his hands. What guy was making you so nervous and embarrassed of a sketchbook? He couldn’t think of a single guy you talked to for more than a day or two. Anyone you were interested in the past… Well, they were more interested in you than you were. So he hadn’t a clue who caught your eye. Maybe it was someone online… maybe that was why you were on your phone so much.

Throwing his subtly out the window, he opened the sketchbook. Your heart skipped a beat.

“No! Wait, don’t look!”

Navros turned his body so your hand grabbed his arm, his eyes dropping to the paper as he began to flip through the pages. What prick was so important—

Navros went dead quiet. He stared at the pages and you swore you felt the entire world start to crumple beneath your feet. He was looking, he was looking at the artworks you made of him. His eyes widened slightly and his pointy ears twitched, the rest of his body unnervingly still. Even his tail wasn’t moving. His clawed nail flipped to another page and you shrank when you noticed what was on that one.

Drawings of what you imagined of him shirtless, his body in ways that would make you the biggest stalker pervert of the year, and taped in photos of him, walked in the lobby with the Don. Your legs felt like jello as you stumbled back. Panicked tears swelled in your eyes, your face scalding hot as your heart began to thrum like a drum in your chest.

“That—that’s not… I…”

There was no lie you could think of to save your skin. Saying you were just studying by drawing people you saw would be an obvious lie because the book was only filled with him, and saying you just thought he looked cool would be dumber because you had photos. All of the evidence pointed to you as a stalker… because you fucking were one!

Your throat closed up and you glanced to the side, wondering how fast you could run before he caught up to you and killed you for being a fucking creep.

He flipped another page. It was even worse. The sketches were much more obscene; outlines of what she thought his cock looked like, his hands and fingers in devious positions, the sketch of her hands holding onto his horns. There was one even with his tail wrapped around her naked torso followed by a sketch of his tail wrapped around her thighs.

Yeah, you needed to leave. Immediately. Screw this fucking job, your life was now on the line. He was going to rip out your throat with those claws, or worse, break your neck. Or maybe death was the better option—how the hell were you going to live through this mortification?

You took a step away from the desk. He snapped into motion.

Navros yanked your arm back so fast your vision blurred. You winced when he slammed you against the edge of the desk. The sketchbook clattered to the floor as he leaned into you, his face inches from yours as he caged you in with arms, nails biting into the wood. His dark blown out pupils stared into your own.

You saw your own terrified reflection in his eyes and suddenly you had the realization that this was where you were going to die. At your job, by your obsession, late at night.

At least he was the one about to kill you and not some disgusting fucker.

“I’m sorry,” you choked, trying to sound as if you weren’t on the verge of passing out. You might. His distance, cologne, and the fear of getting your throat slashed was making you dizzy. “I just—uhm… I—… I didn’t mean uhm…”

His jaw was tight and smoke billowed from his nose. You always wondered what being so close to him would be like, but you never thought it would be like this. Up close he looked ten times prettier. His white long lashes, the flakes of charcoal in his eyes, his plump lips. He was so handsome it hurt. You supposed seeing his face as your final moment was the best thing you could get out of this life. You glanced down at his clawed hand on the desk.

He would have no issue killing you. He was the Don’s bodyguard, he had killed innocent people for less than fucking stalking just because the boss ordered him too. You? Yeah, you were easy.

“You like me?” he blurted, his voice rough and low. “No, no, you more than just like me. You love me, yeah?”

You blinked. Would admitting that you were sickenly obsessed with him save you? Or make this situation ten times worse? You thought it was quite obvious you were obsessed with him. He saw the drawings you made of his cock and fingers doing obscene things, you were self aware enough to know that looked obsessive. You stammered to come up with an excuse.

“I.. uhm…”

Navros’ lips parted and his tongue dragged over his teeth, making your breath hitch as he tilted his head. “Baby girl, do you love me? Yes or no?”

Your brain glitched at the pet name. You were so used to calling you ‘doll’, a nickname you only assumed was something platonic, but now he was calling you baby girl. Your stomach fluttered with butterflies and you stared at his lips as you spoke. It felt as if you were staring directly at the sun, so warm and radiant, that you were getting burned alive.

“I mean, uhm… I—I wouldn’t have drawn those if I hated you…” you averted your gaze, “I mean…”

Navros shakily exhaled. “Ohh… you do. You love me.”

Mortification lodged itself in your throat and you struggled to come up with a response. He watched for only a second before suddenly, before you have time to think, he surged forward. His lips slammed against yours.

The lobby faded as your brain focused on the feeling of his warm lips on yours, his hands shifting to hold you.

The kiss was harsh and bruising. Your eyes widened and his lips glided over yours, his hands cupping your face as he pulled you so close you were convinced you were about to get absorbed. Every neuron in your brain sparked and it took only a second before your hands kicked into gear. They wrapped around his neck and roamed his hair, your eyes shutting instantly. A groan rippled through his chest and his tail whipped behind him, knocking one of the chairs down. You didn’t bother to worry about it.

He was kissing you. Navros was actually kissing you! This had to be a dream. No, he killed you already, this wasn’t real and you were just in heaven.

As if you’d go to heaven.

His hands roamed down from your face and to your waist and then to your ass. He was handsy, groping, pulling you close as he could. His sharp teeth nipped at your bottom lip and you moaned against his lips, making his entire body arch into yours. You don’t know how long the two of you kissed, but by the time he pulled back to breathe, your lips felt as if they were on fire.

His lips brushed over yours as he pushed your back into the edge of the desk again. He huffed against your lips and pecked them, again and again, as if he couldn’t get enough. Your clammy hands gripped onto his biceps as he leaned back to stare into your eyes.

“Ahhh… I’m so glad,” he licked his lips, “I thought—I thought I was going to have to bash some fuckers head in.”

You were slow to respond. “What?”

His grey eyes were black as they crinkled around the edges, so giddy and adoring that you thought your eyes were making it up. He laughed softly and his hands grabbed your waist again. “I watched you. For months. I thought you were hiding some crush that was a fucking nobody and heh, it’s me. Fuck… that’s so good. Really good. I learned everything about you but didn’t even fucking realize you were taking pictures of me when I wasn’t looking—Ha! you’re just as bad as me!”

It took you a second to register what he was saying. Navros, the man you had spent a whole year pining for, stalked you. While you stalked him. He was just as crazily obsessed as you were with him. And he was going to kill someone just because he thought you had a crush on a made up man.

“I—“

“I learned everything about you,” he confessed, the words spilling out so fast now that he knew he didn’t have to hide it. His breathing was ragged and he began to pepper kisses on your face. “I know where you live, your favorite breakfast food, your favorite songs, what your hobbies are. I know how you sleep. I even know what shampoo and conditioner you use in the shower. I watched you walk home whenever I got the chance between time at work. I… I know everything—No, wait, now I know everything.”

All of those fantasies you had about him were true. Those late night dreams where you wondered if he was just as obsessed as you were with him, the times you wondered if he wanted to kiss you like you did him, it was true. He was hooked on you. He was staring at you as if you were a drug and he was an addict finally getting a taste. Just like you thought about taking care of a girl who talked to him, he thought about killing a guy you had a crush on.

This… can’t be real, you thought. This isn’t real.

But it was. And fuck, you might as well be in actual heaven.

“Now I know you’re really perverted, aren’t you, baby girl?” He cooed and tilted his head, grinning, “Drawing my fingers like that… and what you think my cock looks like. You weren’t even far off either. Mine has a little bit more of a curve, but it’s okay—I can show you on another day.”

Your face blazed. All of this was just happening so fast. One moment he was looking at them and you thought you were about to die, then he kissed you, and now he was confessing his undying love for you? Plus he was so bold you weren’t sure he could get much bolder than that!

He grinned, his tail swishing behind him as he grab your waist and hoisted you up to sit on the edge of his desk. He looked up at you and his eyes softened.

“Ahh… I’m keeping you forever,” he murmured, “you’re perfect. You’re a crazy bitch just like me.”

He looked crazier. His eyes were manic with the thought of you, his fingers tracing symbols on your waist.

“You’re not creeped out?” you asked, hesitantly raising your clammy, shaky hands to touch his face. He melted and leaned into your touch like a lovesick puppy, a purr like growl in the back of his throat. Oh my god he’s leaning into me.

“No, baby, I’m happy,” he confessed and his black eyes bored holes into your face. “You can take as much photos as you want. In fact, you can tattoo my name on your forehead and I’d be happy. I want you to look at me. Only me. Fuck… I won’t let you even glance at anyone else.”

Your shaky fingers trailed his cheekbone. You exhaled, already forgetting you were at work and were in an empty lobby. The cameras were most likely catching every wind of this—hopefully they didn’t have mics attached to them as well.

“…Does that mean you’ll only look at me too?”

Navros nodded eagerly, his hands squeezing at your sides as he pulled your legs to wrap around him instead of dangling over the edge the desk. His breath brushed your lips as he leaned in for another kiss, saying, “Yes. Only you.”

It was a blur. The kiss, the conversations shared after, or even if anyone showed up for the rest of the night. All you could remember was the smell of his cologne and the feeling of his clawed hands holding your waist, hands, and face. He didn’t do anything raunchy—but he was definitely touchy. He had every excuse to touch you, even if it meant holding your pinky.

You weren’t really sure how it got to this point. If you knew he was as obsessed as you were with him, you would have shared your sketchbook and photos with him sooner! But now he was leaning against your shoulder, sitting beside you at work, talking about something you never thought he’d talk to you about… and he was just as hooked as you were.

It was safe to say when you went to bed after your shift, you prayed to God that it wasn’t a dream.

And he did too.

↳ | 5k words | Aug 2nd 2026 | Edited ✔︎ |

LINKS ☆ ║ requests : wattpad : discord server