#//tysm both of u < 3

[vanoincidence]

Power Creep || Van, Wynne & Emilio

TIMING: current. LOCATION: deersprings. PARTIES: @ohwynne @mortemoppetere & @vanoincidence SUMMARY: wynne and van are on a walk to the store when they get interrupted. luckily, emilio shows up. CONTENT WARNINGS: none!

Van kicked at a loose rock, watching as it skipped over the edge of the sidewalk and into the road. “I miss winter.” She hated slipping on ice and not being able to ride her board, but hated allergy season even more. She looked over at Wynne with a frown, pulling her hat down over her ears. It was a little too small for her, and every time she talked, the fabric wiggled upwards. “We should have a beach day once it’s warmer though… even if we don’t go swimming.” She kicked another rock, squinting into the darkness as it hit the tire of a car. 

“Maybe we can collect seashells.” Van wanted things to be normal so desperately. It was easier to pretend they were if she didn’t think about the magic coursing through her, or the fact that Regan was leaving. Though, she guessed one of those things was normal. People always managed to leave, especially in this town. “Do you really think Dr. Kavanagh is going to stay there? In Ireland, I mean…” Would she be back, or would she love Ireland so much that she stayed put? “I heard they have free healthcare. I think. But she’s a doctor… doesn’t she already have health care?” 

—- 

“I don’t,”  Wynne said, and though the idea of disagreeing with someone didn’t sit well with them, it was the truth. They did prefer summer over winter, thought spring the best season of all. Especially when the days got warmer. Winter made the clouds in their mind seem heavier. “I would really like that, to swim as well. And maybe we can do something fun with the shells we collect. Do you think we could take a surfing class? Or … well do you already know how to do that?” Their eyes followed the rock too and they smiled at the small collision. “If you want, we can also celebrate the spring equinox together. That’s what we used to do at home too, but I do it my own way now. It’s later this month.”

It was nice to walk though. Even if the skin was so cold that it was harsh against their cheeks. Besides, the two of them had a goal — to get a snack! Wynne was glad to have Van’s expertise when it came to treats. They looked sideways at her as she mentioned Dr Kavanagh. “I don’t know.” They looked ahead again, at the way the streetlights were reflected in the icy streets. “Maybe. I hope not, but maybe that’s selfish.” But if Regan’s family was really like their own, they hoped she’d be back. “I don’t know a lot about healthcare, Irish or otherwise.” They were pretty sure they got it through their current job, though. At home, they’d not gone to hospitals. They now understood people had died when maybe they hadn’t had to. “She is a good doctor to have in town.”

—- 

“Surfing?” She shook her head, “no, I’ve never tried that… but I’m sure we could find somewhere around here to do it.” Van was sure that somewhere in Wicked’s Rest, somebody was offering surfing lessons in the summer– she just hadn’t ever looked. “We could try snowboarding, too, if you wanted.” She’d only been a few times, mostly on school class trips, but she always became overwhelmed with the ski lifts and opted to stay closer to the bunny slopes. She wondered silently if things would be different now. “Oh, that’s what–” your cult did – it contains itself before it slips, and Van nods instead, “I think I saw a documentary about that the other day! I think um, that’s what it was.” Nice save, idiot. “It’s too bad I wasn’t born on the equinox… I think that would’ve been cool.” 

“What’s selfish about it?” A part of Van felt relieved that she was leaving, but only because it meant she wouldn’t be thrown out onto the street. Then again, she guessed she could go back to her house, even if she didn’t necessarily want to anymore. Dr. Kavanagh’s apartment was sterile in a way that felt right– it was void of any memories, good, bad– any of it. Though, Thea brought in… different feelings– seeing her every day. She cleared her throat and tightened her arms around her, kicking another rock. They weren’t too far from the corner store now and her stomach grumbled at the promise of hot funyuns. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her be like, a doctor. Only talk about it.” Dead people needed doctors too, she knew. They needed to be respected, and it really seemed like Dr. Kavanagh did that. “But I hope she likes Ireland, but comes back…” For her sake, for Jade’s– it seemed like Wynne cared about her too with the way that they had shown up at Regan’s apartment, expecting her. “Have you ever been to Ireland? I’ve never been to anywhere abroad except for Toronto, but we like, drove there, and it was super quick.” 

—

“Yes, right? Because there’s beach. We sometimes did some watersports at home, but that was a lake. Mostly a lot of swimming.” Wynne missed the lake, the way the fog formed in the mornings. The squeals that erupted when you dove in in the summer. “Snowboarding? That sounds … cool, but also a bit scary. I’d like to go on the mountains, though. I’d love to do that. Is it still cold enough for this? I bet, right?” They nodded. “It would have been. But your birthday is also special!”

They were quiet for a moment, processing that question as well as why they thought that selfish. Wynne shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I should just be happy for her that she’s going to her family. And not be thinking about my own feelings or something. That feels selfish.” It had always been branded selfish to take their own emotions into consideration. They had been more than just a person, at home — they had been sanctified, a future savior, a beacon of hope. Prioritizing that was key. But maybe not wanting Dr Kavanagh to leave just meant they cared about her. “I have been to her office. She has a lot of skeletons there. I never saw the corpses, though. I don’t want to.” They grimaced, kicked the same stone after it had rolled their way. “I hope she does too.” They shook their head. “No. I’ve only been here, in Maine. And New Hampshire, a little. I have never been in another country. The world is so big, am I right? How was Toronto?” 

—

Van silently tried to imagine the life that Wynne had before finding themself in Wicked’s Rest. She’d heard enough to picture it in bits and pieces, but it wasn’t entirely clear. She tried to imagine people who looked like Wynne– siblings, maybe, or cousins, who dove beneath the water to grab at rocks beneath the lake’s surface. “It’s definitely still cold enough for it.” Van offered a smile, brushing past the memories she was re-creating in Wynne’s stead. “I want to, for sure… we should definitely do it.” She was a little nervous at the prospect of falling flat on her face, but she was great at skateboarding! The mechanics were there! “The 21… I’ll remember that, I think.” She nodded, committing the date to memory. It was clear that it was important to them, because this hadn’t been the first time they’d mentioned something about an equinox. 

“I think it’s okay to be…” Van gestured vaguely, “upset..?” She thought for a moment before shaking her head, “maybe that’s not the right word, but..” Van shrugged, mimicking the way that Wynne kicked a rock, sending her own flying to the side, off into somebody’s yard. “I don’t think it’s selfish to feel things. You can be selfish, but I don’t think feeling things has anything to do with it.” She offered Wynne a small smile before shrugging, pulling the sleeves of her coat down so that she was cupping them against her palm. “It was okay. It was for a convention.” She couldn’t remember too much about it. Her anxiety had spiraled tenfold, and now that she looked back at it, she was sure that the melted convention tables had been her fault. 

As they continued to walk, Van saw movement out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, the cemetery is over there… I wonder if Nora is home.” It felt weird, calling the cemetery Nora’s home, but it felt right, too. “Should we go check?” She offered Wynne a smile, before it faltered. “Wait, this isn’t hers, never–” The sound of something scraping against the floor, a body being dragged through mud– there was dirt, too. The sound of gagging. Van’s eyes widened as she grabbed onto Wynne’s arm, dragging them backwards from the fence where the creature stood, taller than either of them. “What is that?” Van asked, breathless, skin now itchy by merely looking at it. As if in some kind of response, the creature dropped the individual by the leg it held onto and leapt over the fence, now standing a foot or so away from either herself or Wynne. “Wynne–” 

—

“Let’s do it! I love trying new things,” Wynne said, glad that there was another possible prospect to look forward to. They had learned that it were those kinds of things they needed to continue to feel like life was valuable, to keep them from sinking into the dark and depressed mood they were always teetering on the edge of. “Especially with friends. And if all goes wrong we’ll at least laugh about it, right?” They smiled at Van. “Sweet. I will let you know where to be when it’s time! I think on the beach near where I live now.”

They were silent as Van spoke, focusing on the pavement. She didn’t think it was selfish to feel things — and it sounded right coming from her mouth, even if the concept in and of itself was wrong. It was selfish to be overrun by emotions, to feel so deeply that it might upset others. Wynne wished there was another stone to kick. “Oh,” they said, as if Van was saying something completely new. In a way, she was. “I think I find it hard to be upset. I was taught it was bad and selfish. But I think you’re right. I wouldn’t think it selfish if you were sad.” And Wynne was no longer someone special or chosen, so why shouldn’t those standards apply to them? They were here now, in this world. “What did you convene about?” They weren’t sure if that was what people did at conventions, but it sounded right. 

They looked at the cemetery, nodding at the suggestion. They hadn’t really been at Nora’s cemetery home a lot, as they’d always met in public or wherever Emilio was living at that time. Wynne was ready to go in, though. Seeing Nora would be nice — but she didn’t live there, Van realized. And there was something else. Their eyes were wide, pushing deep into the darkness to try and see what it was the pair of them were hearing. They too felt an itch running down their skin. “I don’t know.” Wynne took a step backward, felt themself holding onto Van’s hand where she’d grabbed their arm and took them further back with them. It looked monstrous. Their free hand reached inside their jumper, pulling out the necklace Emilio had given them. It seemed to cause some kind of response, the silver cross and Wynne held it out as they kept stumbling back, a moan escaping from their throat. Something fearful, something pathetic, something that wasn’t equipped at all to handle the winged beast closing in on them with a fist full of dirt.

—

If she and Wynne lived anywhere else, they could have continued their conversation. Van would have convinced them that they deserved to feel anger, if they wanted to— that it was alright to exist for themselves now that they were out of their cult. Though, she still wasn’t sure that was the appropriate word to use. Probably not. It didn’t matter that much, though, because the beastly figure that stood in front of them now took over practicality on Van’s behalf. 

It advanced on them, and Van noticed out of the corner of her eye that Wynne was digging into their sweater, pulling something out— the hand that was closed around theirs tightened, and she half expected something to happen at the reveal of whatever Wynne had closed in their hand, but nothing did. There was no magical light that poured from the necklace, but it did, however, deter the monster for a moment. That moment was all Van needed for her magic to push forward. The ground at the monster’s feet began to melt, cement running grey around the creature’s feet. It caused it to slip, almost too comically, and Van was stumbling backwards, pulling Wynne with her. 

“I did that, and we have to go�� what is that!” She was shrieking now, admittance for what she’d done ringing through the air. She thought about all of the times she had denied such a thing, and how it felt almost freeing to finally say that yes, she had been on the other end of the magic that temporarily rendered the beast unable to advance on them. “Wynne, what do we do!” The melted asphalt wasn’t enough to keep it at bay for long, and it was trudging towards them, steps too careful for something entirely beast like— this had smarts to it, Van realized. The dirt that it held in its hand spilled from the corners of its large hands, and Van shrunk away as it got closer. Panic rose in her chest and Van outstretched a hand, willing something to happen, but nothing did. 

Wynne knew that strange things existed. There were demons and vampires, fae and mares. There was such a thing as magic as well, but they didn’t fully understand it — but when the ground started melting they figured that might be it. The thing slipped, ugly and made clumsy and they stared with wide eyes. Disbelief still washed over them, an emotion so familiar to them that they might as well no longer register it. The world was full of strange things, but they weren’t used to it yet.

And then Van was shouting that she’d done that and Wynne wanted to ask her what she was going on about, but in stead ran after her. They too were letting out a shriek, “I don’t know! It — maybe — vampire!” It had responded to their cross, hadn’t it? Did Van know about vampires? She had made the ground melt, so maybe she did. They continued to move backwards, fear continuing to strike in their heart and striking twice as heard when their bodies hit what seemed to be a car. “I don’t know! Do that thing again!” Whatever it had been, it had seemed to slow the creature down.

But nothing was happening and the creature was upon them now, taking hold of Van and ripping her from Wynne’s grip. It stuffed a hand of dirt in her mouth and they didn’t even know what to do for a moment, so stunned by this action. “Stop that!” They kicked at the creature, which seemed very intent on finishing his task of making Van eat dirt. 

“A VAMPIRE?! Wynne, that looks nothing like Edward Cullen!” She wasn’t exactly upset by the lack of Edward Cullen-ness, especially because to her, he was the least attractive in the family. If the vampire looked like Alice, on the other hand… Van’s thoughts jumped from one medium to the next, trying to dilute the idea of vampires into one single image. If both magic and bugbears existed, then who was to say something like vampires didn’t?

While she really wanted to have a breakdown about it, she knew that now was not the time. “I can’t just do it, it just happens!” She was panicked enough, but that brought on another fear– that the ground might come up to swallow both herself and Wynne. 

As hard as she tried to concentrate– to follow Wynne’s instructions, she was interrupted by the beast ripping her forward. Had her shoulder just popped out of place? The pain was blinding. She let out a scream, but it was soon muted by the way dirt poured into her mouth. She choked on it, kicking against the creature. Her fingers dug into the arm, but it was no use– he was far too strong for her. The dirt in her mouth was rancid, and she couldn’t breathe. She was going to die here, all because her stupid magic only worked when it wanted to. 

—

There was always something to do in a graveyard. Emilio longed for a busy mind these days, needed the constant distraction that came with pumping adrenaline and hands covered in dust. He was no good on his own, with his thoughts and his feelings, and he couldn’t expect to always be surrounded when the people he cared for had worlds all their own inside their heads. So he fell back on old habits. He stalked graveyards with stakes and blades gripped in his hands so tightly his knuckles hurt, he made himself useful. There was relief to be found in destruction, in the sound of commotion that he knew he could resolve.

There was less relief when the voices causing that commotion were familiar ones.

He recognized Wynne’s voice first, of course. It was the one he heard more often, the one he’d had many a late night conversation with in the hallway of their old apartment building or the quiet living room of Teddy’s house. It took him a second to pinpoint that other voice. Not Nora, not Ariadne. Someone else. He was almost on top of them before it hit him, though given the way he spotted the ground half-melted, he wasn’t sure the revelation meant much. Van was the only person he knew with a habit of melting the ground they stood on as a mechanism of defense.

And defense was a necessary thing here. He spotted the vampire instantly, recognized it as a blutsauger with a quiet string of curses. He didn’t have any garlic on him, and he felt stupid for that. These things were rarer than most other types of vampires — it wasn’t the kind of thing you went out expecting to find. But of course, Wynne and Van had found one anyway. And of course, it was doing its goddamn damndest to turn Van with dirt going for her mouth. “Hey!” He called out, unsure if he was trying to get the kids’ attention or the vampire’s or both. “Get over to me. Okay? Get over here.”

—

Van didn’t know about vampires and Wynne wasn’t sure who Edward Cullen was and it was all a little bit too much to comprehend and explain, so they just tried to focus their energy on what needed doing. The whole vampire and supernatural things exist conversation could come after they’d survived this. Besides, they had questions about what Van had just created! They hoped one day they’d have to stop learning about things that made their head hurt.

For now, they continued to kick at the creature, their anger and fear both growing louder with the sound of Van’s voice. Wynne watched with horror how the dirt got stuck in Van’s throat and they dug for their knife, the one that Emilio had gifted them but that they hadn’t had to use yet, that just sat in their pocket in case of. The knife they hoped to never have to use.

They kicked the creature again, screamed at it to, “Let her GO,” and then tried to hit it with the knife. It wasn’t wood and the skin barely broke, the knife sliding down and leaving a cut that seemed to barely bother the thing. They roared, trying to take Van’s hand to pull her away but Wynne wasn’t strong like that. They didn’t know what to do and they hoped that someone else was here, that —

And that’s when fate seemed to be on their side for once, Emilio’s protective voice calling out and ringing through their body with a feeling of recognition. “I don’t know how!” Their voice was shrill as they called back. How could they just run towards the slayer if their friend was in such trouble? If she might die? The fear struck through their heart and they looked at Emilio. “Van — I can’t — we need to stop it, I don’t know what it’s doing but it needs to stop.” Wynne pushed with their hands at the vampiric monster again, their knife cutting into some of its skin but it was futile in the grand scheme of things. “Van, Van, can you — pull free? We need to run.”

—

There was another voice– although grating, Van felt a wave of relief. She’d recalled the last time she’d gotten into trouble with Emilio, how he’d taken care of it pretty swiftly. Would this be like the last time, or would she die here? Her mouth was full of dirt and she was coughing it up as the monster was shoving it in. She could see Wynne out of the corner of her eye kicking at the creature, but it didn’t seem to care all that much. She tried to, too, but she was growing tired– exhaustion set into her bones the more dirt that filled her mouth. 

Van spluttered, nails digging into the wrist of the creature as she tried desperately to break the hold it had on her. Tears streamed down her face, both from the suffocation and the fear. She was starting to lose feeling in her toes, she thought– was that what that was? Suddenly, one moment she was being held upright, and the next she was being half-tossed, half-thrown to the side. The ground beneath the monster began to disintegrate, liquid asphalt pouring over the creature’s feet. At least her magic was working now. Was she about to die? Was that what this was? 

She hit the ground hard, stars scattering across her vision as she coughed up the dirt, hooking a finger into her mouth to scoop it out. Tears made her face sticky and wet, and she could only imagine what she might have looked like to those around her. But that didn’t matter– not right now. When she looked back towards the beast, it was stuck in the goo she’d created. The divet into the earth looked like a large pothole, and then suddenly– a giant hand, grotesque and feathery grabbed onto the creature’s shoulder, pulling it down beneath the level at which Van could see it. 

—

There wasn’t time for this. The blutsauger had a hold of Van, was already stuffing dirt into her mouth, and it wouldn’t be long before it killed her. Maybe Emilio couldn’t keep it down permanently, but he had to do something, had to find some way to at least save the kid’s life. He yanked his holy water from his pocket, pushing himself as best he could to cross the distance between himself and the kids quickly in spite of the pain in his bad leg, but he could already tell it wasn’t going to be enough. Van was sputtering and coughing and running out of time, and Emilio could push himself as hard as he wanted to but he couldn’t force his useless leg to work. He couldn’t close the distance quickly enough, couldn’t stop what was about to happen. He’d walk away from this with another dead kid on his conscience — or two, if he was too slow to save Wynne, too. The thought was enough to push him a little more, make him move faster but still too slow. He was going to be too late, he was going to fail here the same way he had a thousand times before, he was going to —

The Earth opened up beneath the blutsauger’s wretched feet, close enough that Emilio stumbled back to avoid the gaping canyon that had appeared in the world. It looked like what Van had done back the last time he’d run into her, but… different. Bigger, more intense. Something came out of the hole — a hand? None of it made a whole lot of sense, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter, because Emilio was close enough now to dart around that hole, to close the distance between himself and the kids.

He came in as quickly as he could, still clutching that holy water. It had seemed small in comparison to the blutsauger, but it seemed utterly miniscule when held up against the size of the hole that had opened in the ground. Emilio held it anyway, unscrewed the cap with his teeth as he crouched next to Van, between her and the crevice that had swallowed the blutsauger. “You okay? You — Can you breathe? Wynne.” He gestured wildly at them, ushering for them to get behind him, to let him put himself between them and the hole, too. “Here.” He pulled the cross from around his throat, shoving it towards Van. Wynne had the one he’d given them, still; it would be better if Van weren’t entirely unarmed. Although… looking to the hole, Emilio had a feeling Van never quite had that problem.

—

Wynne was moved by pure instinct only, driven by the fear of losing Van, of this ugly creature killing her on a random evening. They had just been on their way to get some snacks — surely that couldn’t be how death went? Death came for old people or happened in grotesque ways, like a sacrifice on an altar or a vampire’s head being torn off. It didn’t just happen like this, did it? Sure, there were stories of things just happening like this, but Van couldn’t just die, right here, on a random evening when they had been going to get some candy. And so they were trying whatever they could, attempting to pull and hit and kick and shriek – but none of it gave.

And then the ground started to move, something strange happening and Wynne jumped back a beat after Van was tossed away. They watched her cough up the dirt and started to pull at the bandana tied around their neck. Their intention to hand it over for Van to wipe the dirt off of was discarded when they looked at what was happening. The ground was transforming, sinking, becoming some kind of hole — and then there was a hand, a tug and it was gone. The feathery hand and the vampiric thing itself. They stared, tasted the salt of tears leaking into their mouth and let out a whimper.

Soon enough they rushed over, pulling off their bandana fully and holding it out to to Van. Their eyes danced viciously from the hole to Emilio to Van, not sure what to focus on. “Is it — is it gone?” They were crouching, hand placed on the ground and an exhale passing from their lips. “Van —” They didn’t know what to say. Should they address it, how afraid they had been? How she’d almost died? No, probably not – it would probably not be sensible, even if it was the thought circling their mind viciously. “Are you okay? What can we do?”

—

Between colliding with asphalt and the dirt in her throat, Van was gasping for air. Chest heaving, she held onto her shirt, pulling it slightly as if it’d allow her more room to breathe. She wasn’t dead, and neither was Wynne. Emilio was still talking, and now Wynne was talking to her, too. She blinked rapidly, tears blurring her vision making it hard to take in her surroundings. Something dropped into her lap and her hand splayed wildly around until she felt the weight of the cross. She held onto it as if some sort of lifeline, reaching up to rub away the dirt on her face.

“I think I’m okay,” Van managed to choke out, wheezing slightly as she tilted her head back, blinking away the now dirty smeared tears. Her mind raced from Diana in the parking lot to recently with Regan’s apartment, and now–? Once her vision became slightly more clear, she found the space where the creature had been, where the ground had swallowed it whole. It was left with an indent just as it had been when Diana disappeared, and as when the man in the ice cream shop had. She felt less guilt, less fear about this one, though. 

“I did that,” Van whispered, confirming what she was sure both her companions were trying to figure out. “I did that.” She had saved her own life, and possibly Wynne’s by proxy, but it’d been too close– what if the creature had dragged either herself or Wynne with it? What if Emilio had been trying to fight it off? “I’m sorry– I–” She choked on the remaining dirt in her throat and shook her head. “It was going to kill me, and maybe you, Wynne, I couldn’t– I had to do it, I had to kill it.” Even if she hadn’t exactly instructed her magic to do such a thing, the fear had pulled up over her like a second skin, leading the way to the creature’s destruction. She wasn’t sure what had come up to take down the vampiric beast, but she was grateful for it. How many more times would she feed her demons (literally)? “I don’t know how it– I– I was scared, and then– this happens when I’m really scared.” She looked at Emilio, “I didn’t want to hurt Wynne, I swear.” Because Emilio hurt things that hurt other people, right? Van had hurt people, plenty of them. Would Emilio retaliate? She stared at him, eyes glossed over with fear and regret. 

—

It all happened pretty quickly. There was a threat, there was a hole, there was a hand, there was nothing. Emilio’s adrenaline was pumping, but there was nowhere for it to go now. Nothing to fight off, nowhere to put the energy buzzing beneath his skin. The paranoia that had taken up a permanent residence in the back of his mind worked overtime as a result, insisting that something else was going to happen, that he’d missed something. Was that tingle on the back of his neck anxiety, or his senses warning him of another approaching undead? He whirled around, glancing off to the side with wild eyes. But the only chaos here was inside his head now; everything else was still.

“It’s gone,” he said, half in answer to Wynne’s question and half in an attempt to reassure himself of as much. There was nothing left to fight. He repeated it to himself a time or two, tried to calm the wild beating of his heart. It was gone. Van was alive and coughing, working on getting that dirt out of her lungs. Wynne was at her side, offering her their handkerchief and making sure she was okay. Emilio was scanning the perimeter like a damn crazy person, half-convinced something else was going to pop out of the woodwork and drag Wynne away next, or Van, or him. Was that something he needed to worry about? It must have been Van who’d caused the hand to appear, just like it had been Van who’d melted the asphalt during the goo shit, but how much control did she have over it? He’d wager that the answer was not much. 

Van’s voice managed to force its way through the haze of paranoia in his head only after she’d admitted to the ordeal, and he tuned in about halfway through. She was apologizing, she was scared. Of him, maybe? Guilt churned alongside the adrenaline in his gut. He felt a little nauseous. “Hey, it’s okay.” It didn’t come out quite as comforting as he’d meant for it to. It wasn’t gentle, wasn’t paternal. It was hoarse and uncertain instead, like a man out of practice with kindness. He grimaced at the sound of his own voice, shaking his head. “Look, you — You did what you had to. That thing was going to kill you. Then Wynne, then more people. You did good, kid. Okay? You did good.”

—

They wiped at their eyes, where tears of their own had fallen in the blind panic that was slowly ebbing from their body. Wynne didn’t know how to cope with these surges of emotions, but it didn’t much matter — there was no time to stress about emotional incapacity when there was something to take care of. And that, at the very least, was someone they had learned at home. Besides, Emilio was there now, and with Emilio they felt safe. Even if the earth had opened up and strange claw had snatched their assailant away, even if Van was still shaking.

And Van was apologizing for killing the thing and they wondered what it said about them that they were taken aback by it. Maybe it was because they hadn’t known a lot of people who apologized for their murders and sacrifices. Blood stuck to all the hands of the protherians, even Wynne. In this case it wasn’t even a matter of sacrifice, this had been self defense. This had been one of the monsters that should be killed, like the vampires in the barn or the demon their people had worshiped. They looked at Van with wide eyes, “It’s okay,” they said. “You did what you had to do. I’m glad you did. Okay? I — but … I don’t know what it was you did. But I’m glad.” If the world was filled with death – which it quite clearly was – Wynne wanted it to be monsters like the one who’d been swallowed whole to die, and not the people like Van. 

Emilio was also saying that Van had done good and they were glad for it. They remembered the vampire falling on their stake and turning into dust. Emilio turning more of them into nothingness, because maybe that was what best. They remembered Padrig, guts spilling. Jac, neck slit. The creature that had just died didn’t tug at their gut the way those last two did. Wynne nodded. “Do you want to go back home?” 

—

You did good. 

Van choked on the apologies as they swarmed her mind. She would need to explain this in further detail to Wynne, would need to figure out how to make them understand that she wasn’t dangerous in the same way that the creature had been. In a different way, sure, but different. Van didn’t want to hurt anyone, much less Wynne. Van blinked back the tears, both from the fear and agony of not having been able to breathe. She reached up to wipe away the few strays that managed to fight their way through with the back of her hand. 

She grabbed onto Wynne’s hand, holding it tightly as if willing them to be an anchor of some kind. If Van could feel something real in this moment, it would make it easier. She could feel Emilio’s gaze on her, too, and so she pushed herself up, exhaustion evident in her movements as she struggled to get to her feet. Her hands and knees were scraped and she could feel the sting with her movements, but that wasn’t important right now. 

Home was an option, but Van didn’t want to be alone. Regan’s apartment, though put back together after what had happened that night, felt a little… wrong. 

“Can I come over?” Van asked, stare blank as she looked down at the asphalt from where the creature had disappeared. “Is that okay?” She tightened her grip on Wynne’s hand, looking between them and Emilio. “I don’t–” She thought it was obvious, but she forced herself to say it, to bend at will to the idea that maybe they didn’t want her to be alone, either. “I don’t think I want to be alone.” 

—

There were tears, though none were from Emilio. He wondered, somewhat absently, if Van had done this before. Not the melting — that was familiar enough that he knew it had happened before — or even the hole that opened up and the hand that thrust its way out of it. Instead, he wondered about the creature he presumed to be dead now, wondered if Van had killed anything before it. How much of the fear on her face or the tears in her eyes were for the suffocation she’d nearly suffered, and how much were for the sensation of taking a ‘life,’ however ugly it had been? He tried to remember the first time he’d killed something, tried to remember what it felt like. But it was hard. It was hard to remember his hands before they were bloodied. Maybe it was better that way. Maybe that was the way things were supposed to be.

Wynne assured Van that she’d done what she’d had to, and it was strange that Emilio had thought that went without saying. He rarely considered things like this to be something a person needed comfort for. No one had comforted him, had they? His mother had praised him if he’d killed something exceptionally well but, beyond that, it had only ever been expected. Van killed the blutsauger, and of course she had to. But Wynne said it like the reassurance was necessary, so Emilio nodded as if he believed it, too. It was hard, teaching an old dog new tricks. None of them ever felt natural.

He glanced to Wynne at Van’s question, though he wasn’t sure if it was for them or himself. Wynne’s house was their own; Teddy had made sure of it. But Emilio nodded, anyway. “You can both come to Teddy’s,” he offered, because he thought Wynne might feel safe there and he thought he might feel better if he could keep an eye on them, on both of them. “You can have… Uh, how old are you again?” Wasn’t the drinking age different in America? In the twenties instead of eighteen. Emilio had been far younger when he’d had his first drink, though, and he’d never cared much for laws, anyway. So he shrugged. “Eh, doesn’t matter. You can have a drink. Helps calm you down. Or… There’s probably food. Uh, whatever you want. Yeah? You can do whatever you want.”

—

Van’s hand was in theirs and Wynne held on tight on her too, her thumb running small circles over the back of her hand. They weren’t sure what to say just yet, but maybe that was okay. There could be conversation about what exactly it was that Van had done and what it meant later, just like they could converse later about the existence of vampires. (And demons, maybe those too, if they were ripping off bandaids anyway.)

For now, though, there was a hand to hold and tears to let dry. As Van quietly asked if she could come over, they were ready to offer their home. Going to Teddy’s (and Emilio’s – even if he didn’t quite see it that way yet) home seemed like a good idea, though. More space, there, and the slayer could remain to linger in their periphery and make sure no other vampires somehow ended up on their trail and attacking them. They wanted to ask if there was a chance that there was more, as there always had been in their previous encounters with vampires. One look at Van made Wynne think twice about bringing up that potential reality, though.

“Sounds good,” they said, nodding. They squeezed Van’s hand. “Are you … did you drive?” They looked up at Emilio, who seemed to be suggesting a favored solution. Liquor. They wouldn’t mind some at this point. “There’s a bunch of stuff there. We’ll just go there and get you cleaned up and relax, okay? Teddy also always has treats. No need for the shop.” They looked at Van, catching her eyes. “We’ll be okay there.”

—

She wasn’t sure why, but she half expected Emilio to tell her no. She felt a little guilty for that– thinking so badly of him when all he was trying to do was help. Van leaned into Wynne as they ventured away from the scene of the crime. At Emilio’s question, her brows furrowed. It occurred to her that Emilio hadn’t even said happy birthday to her. Actually, that seemed normal. “I just turned twenty-one, and I like pink drinks.” Her voice shook slightly as she explained herself. It didn’t really matter what she liked or not, she didn’t think. 

Van attempted a smile, but she could still feel the dirt on her teeth. “Do you think Teddy has an extra toothbrush?” Would they be upset with her for what happened? Especially after getting her the ring that was supposed to help? She wasn’t sure. She bit the inside of her cheek as she stared off into the distance, She had to believe both Wynne and Emilio that it would be alright– that the beast she’d sent off to… wherever, wouldn’t come back to finish the job. 

—

“Oh. Happy birthday.” It was flat, and a little uncertain, but it was genuine, too. Emilio was sure Teddy had the ingredients to make pink drinks (were those just drinks that were pink?) back home, though he had no idea how to go about making one. He’d figure it out, he guessed. Fuck only knew the kid could probably use one, after everything.

He turned to Wynne, shaking his head a little. He hadn’t driven — and if he had, he’d have been on his bike, which he wasn’t sure would comfortably carry three people — but they should be fine to walk. And… stop by a store on the way home to buy a toothbrush. “I’ll get you one. Call it a late birthday gift or something. And Wynne’s right, okay? You’ll be all right.”

Emilio would make sure of it.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

HOW DEEP IS YOUR DEVOTION? ; SATORU GOJO

synopsis; you’re his knight, and he’s your prince. if only it were that simple.

word count; 6.6k

contents; satoru gojo/reader, gn!reader, royalty au (..but no effort put into making it historically accurate in any way oops), knight!reader x prince!toru!!, childhood friends, mutual pining, fluffy overall, some hurt/comfort too, vague allusions to abuse (reader is punished by one of the castle maids as a child but it’s only really hinted at), knight!reader is horrendously devoted but prince!gojo is arguably worse, he would burn the world down if u asked nicely <3

a/n; big big BIG thank you to @/teddybeartoji for having the biggest brain in the galaxy and infecting me with this concept <33 if u pay attention while reading you can tell the exact moment i started slowly spiraling into insanity

you are five years old when you meet the prince.

five years old, a mere child, and too young to be blinded by such brilliance. too young to be where you are; curled up in a dark alley, back against a grimy brick wall, covered in bruises. like a beaten dog — scrawny and afraid. waiting for a strike that never comes.

the boy in front of you is also five years old, but you don’t know that. something in him looks older, somehow, something in the way he carries himself. like he doesn’t have anything to be afraid of. like he’s never even felt fear. he parts his lips and speaks like he has the right to, like he’s comfortable in his own skin, a radiance so blinding you could mistake him for the sun. too much for you to bear.

”does it hurt?”

the words fall on deaf ears. but you flinch, your body reacts, a tremble down your tiny spine. you hear the sound but not the words. too mesmerized, too paralyzed, unable to look away from the blue of his eyes, painted with rich watercolour hues. seeping into the world around you like ink on paper, cobalt and aquamarine and something else, something you’ve never seen before —

a blue so jarring it makes you shiver.

the boy has an innocent face. almost girlish, plump cheeks and long lashes, clean clothes and smooth skin. a little too pretty to be out here, you think, in this part of town — too pure to be anywhere near someone like you. he’s above you, that much you can tell. a pretty, innocent face, untouched by dirt or ache; the face of royalty. an entirely different species.

there’s something keen in his eyes, a contrast to his childlike features. a sharp gaze, something that sees through you, something that won’t look away. something mildly frightening. enough to have you cowering in fear, hugging your knees closer to your chest.

but then he smiles. and it’s sincere. sweet, vibrant, all honey and milk and a world you cannot reach.

a smile so captivating you take his outstretched hand, and let him drag you away to god-knows-where.

(that's how it begins. the dynamic that’ll follow you into your adult lives; satoru takes the lead, and you follow. no matter where he’s going.)

satoru gojo, as you soon come to learn, is the prince of the nation you reside in. the only child of the royal family, born with talent and prestige, fame and fortune, set to become king. a different species, indeed.

but he brings you home with him, to a castle so grand you feel as if your very presence is an insult to the architects who designed it, and convinces his parents to let you stay. it’s surprising, but you don’t protest; following him like a puppy at his trail. and he’s stubborn, insistent, demanding that he get to keep said puppy. 

the king and queen don’t care one way or another. they glance at you with apathy, and tell satoru to do what he wants — but convincing the scary and displeased castle maids takes some work. 

satoru doesn’t waver, though. he holds your hand in his, and demands that you be treated with respect.

and he wins. he always wins.

that’s how you become the prince’s playmate. raised alongside him, allowed to stay close, eat from the same food. he won’t settle for anything less. defending your honour, always, before you even know what honour means. before you care.

time passes slowly. joyously. every day is a new adventure, as you attempt to get used to the miracle that is your new life — sweet and silky, apricot blossoms and fresh peaches, duvet pillows and a bubbly laughter you didn’t know you still had. he coaxes it out of you, with every secret midnight outing, every bout of mischief he drags you both into. 

satoru has nice hands, uncalloused palms, fingers that grasp yours and don’t let go. he takes you outside, to see the stars, to catch fireflies in the dark of night on top of the hill that oversees the castle. to take a dip in the river just below it, gleaming a silver hue under the blue shade of the moon. you worry about getting in trouble, but he reassures you — the prince can do what he wants.

that might be true, but you are no prince. not even close. satoru may safeguard you, but all you’ll ever be in the eyes of the world is a stray he got to keep.

and one time, only one time, you do face the repercussions of your midnight outings. you, and you alone. a bad influence — seething words, buzzing in your ears. an angry castle maid, and a stinging pain in your cheek. blurry tears. 

but that’s an incident no one in the castle dares to speak of.

(you’ll never forget that look in his eyes.)

satoru is an odd boy. he keeps you close, always, clinging to you like he needs you to breathe. you don’t understand why, but you’ve learned not to question him. the castle guards all know you as the prince’s best friend, and some part of you knows that’s all you’ll ever amount to. but you don’t mind.

because you love him. at five years old, six years old, seven and beyond, you love him. satoru gojo, the kindest boy in the stratosphere. 

a boy who keeps finding you, no matter where you are, who tugs you along as naturally as the rise of the sun. who raids kitchen cabinets with you and always makes you laugh, little giggles and chuckles that have him beaming proudly. a boy who cleans your wounds with a serious expression, and tells you that he’ll protect you forever. 

(you tell yourself the same. that you’ll protect him forever and ever, until you run out of air to breathe. a boy so sweet you’d die for him.)

a pledge is made. you make it before you know what a pledge is. pledging to protect him, to become his sword, because even as a child you understand that his life will be difficult. you see it in the dullness that sometimes comes over his eyes, the apathy of his so-called parents, the hours he spends locked up with nothing but a pile of dusty books to keep him company. 

so you decide to become his knight. his, and his alone. 

it’s challenging. but you push through; training with another aspiring knight, miles better than you, black hair tousled by the breeze as he knocks you off your feet for the thirtieth consecutive time. wincing as the girl who sometimes watches your sparring patches you up, soft hands cleaning your wounds so tenderly that you almost choke up.

and eventually, as the apricot blossoms of the castle orchard wilt and bloom over and over in a flurry of pure white, your dream comes true. 

there’s something playful in satoru’s eyes, when he places his blade on the curve of your shoulder. something sweet and fond, and just a little bit ironic — as if you’re still seven years old, and playing house. 

you want to tell him that it isn’t a joke. that you’re serious, about this, that you’d tear your stomach open to keep him safe. but you know he’d just laugh. so you let the words clog up your throat, honey-sweet devotion sticking to the walls of your esophagus. breathing in through your nose, as he speaks. as the words you’ve waited to hear flow from his glossy lips.

when all is said and done, satoru smiles. he calls you his little knight, and you can tell that he’s teasing you. indulging you, as if he’s in on some joke that you aren’t. but you’ll take what you can get.

you call him my prince, expecting him to laugh it off, but his smile begins to fall. and a pang of ache rushes through your soul, instantaneous, guilty, although you don’t understand why.

so you keep calling him satoru. even though it’s more than a little unprofessional, and you become painfully accustomed to receiving a few judgemental looks here and there. a knight and a prince shouldn’t be so very close, they think, and you don’t disagree. but there’s nothing they can do about it, anyhow.

the prince and his knight can do what they want.

not much changes. you’re his knight, but he treats you the same as before. he’s playful, a little goofy, and you indulge him. as always. attached at the hip, bickering and bantering, bouncing off each other effortlessly. and satoru never bothers to hide your history, the soft spot he has for you; it’s in every fleeting glance, soft tilt of his head, teasing call of ah, there’s my favorite knight. 

(you’re no stranger to jealous looks. sometimes a pout on the lips of a pretty girl, a crease between the brows of one of your fellow knights. and sometimes a glare, from his fiancée — a woman he was engaged to before he was old enough to speak.

but you don’t mind. you’ve never cared what anyone but satoru thinks of you.)

satoru never loses his smile, that effortless air of confidence. the charm that makes people want to follow him, a charisma you know well. one you fell victim to at five years of age. he’s still just a prince, far from being a king, but he receives the same respect.

and that keen, sharp glimmer in his eyes never quite goes away; the hardened shell around his heart unbroken. you see it in fleeting glances, during meetings, ones he allows you to attend despite your status. when he speaks to a room of people with more power than you can imagine, his voice unwavering. back straight. elegant, serious, the presence of royalty — enough to receive respect without even trying. 

but he still shoots you a smile, easygoing, when your eyes meet. one only you can see.

as for you, the step into knighthood is a clumsy one. but you take your duties seriously, and adjust properly. a deep devotion runs through your veins, from your beating heart down to the tips of your fingers, where a sword lies clutched. you keep it close, always, ready to serve. to obey. to protect. 

all of it for one person.

all you do is for him. duels in his honour, beasts slain for his peace of mind, and he’s always there to welcome you back. wiping the blood from your cheek, tenderly, smearing his untainted skin with red; all while he looks at you softly, a coo or word of praise waltzing on the tip of his tongue. 

that’s only for when you remain unscathed, though, when the blood on your cheek isn’t your own. when you get hurt, it’s different — something begins to brew inside his eyes, and you can’t tell what it is. but he insists on bandaging you himself, paying no mind to your meek protests.

sometimes, you’re more reckless than usual. your injuries worse. sometimes he looks upset, angry with you, and doesn’t speak. you don’t, either.

a strange look comes over his eyes, every now and then. when you get down on one knee, to kiss his hand, the metal of the ring on his finger — and if you look up, you’ll see it. simmering inside those blue depths, something just as fond as it is sad. troubled, you think.

(something tells you he’d kneel, too, if only you’d let him.)

the bond between you remains intact. even as you begin to shoulder more responsibilities, more duties, even though you don’t have as much freedom as you used to. even though you seem to get less time to spend with each other every single day. but you stay together, even so; just like when you were children, running around and causing trouble, more than you could get away with now. 

despite everything, satoru has grown up into a fine man. and you couldn't be prouder.

“do you think i look good in black? be honest.”

you throw him a glance. curious, somewhat perplexed, eyeing him up and down.

satoru is wearing a white blouse, puffy sleeves and a low neckline, showing off the skin of his bare chest. no black colours to be seen. you think back to that banquet he attended last month, forced into an expensively tailored black coat. a corset around his waist. and then you hum.

“sure you do.”

”suguru said it makes me look like a try-hard,” he scoffs, crossing his arms. tilting his head in your direction. ”do you think he’s jealous?”

”definitely.”

a moment passes. 

satoru narrow his eyes, and gives you a dubious look. clicking his tongue. ”… something tells me you aren’t taking this seriously.”

”i am,” you assure him, a lazy smile at your lips. meeting his gaze, that displeased little pout. still smoothing a brush down the mane of your horse, the smell of hay soothing your muddled senses. ”just tired. you look good in anything. you know that.”

he hums. silent, the sound of a spring breeze filling in the gaps.

it’s late. outside the stables, the world is engulfed by a dark sky, almost too murky to see anything. hazy stars glimmer in the distance, and a sense of fatigue gnaws at your bones. it’s been a long day, and yet you’re here — doing even more work. just a little more.

and satoru’s right there with you. even though he’s just sitting there, on the floor, not lifting a finger to help. not that he has to. insistent on spending some quality time with you, keeping you company. just talking and munching on the food he snuck in, bread and cheese and an expensive bottle of wine, that he leaves completely untouched. he tries to leave some of everything else for you, though. keyword being tries.

a sense of peace simmers in the air. palpable, almost enough to taste, as midnight air streams in from the opened doors, chilly and pleasant on your skin. ruffling the thin fabric of your clothing.

and it’s nice, you think, just to have satoru there — talking about this and that, complaining about all the annoying people he had to meet yesterday, yawning every now and then. nostalgic. like this, it almost feels like you're still kids. back when you spent every single hour of the day by each other’s side.

it’s been a long time since you got the chance to speak like this. satoru’s been busy, and so have you. more so than usual.

”are they running you ragged?” he suddenly asks, and you don’t realize you’ve spent the last minute staring into space. resuming your brushing, with steady hands, but turning your head to meet his gaze.

”need me to…” he makes a slicing motion with his hand, right over his throat. a glint of mischief in his eyes. ”handle it?”

and you scoff. amused, but answering him seriously; unsure if his question is all-together humorous, if it doesn’t carry a hint of something genuine too. ”of course not.”

there’s a weariness in the way you blink. the way you pet the animal in front of you, having finished getting the dirt and blood clots out of her mane. she lays down in her stall, and you smile. turning around to rest your back against the wooden border between you, a respite for your aching bones.

it gets just a little bit tiring, sometimes. fighting, patrolling, helping townsfolk. protecting the castle, making sure everything is in order. killing whatever needs to be killed. cleaning the stained silver of your sword.

but…

”it’s my duty,” you answer, seriously, and it comes out sounding like a vow. because it is. 

you avoid his gaze, but you can feel it, as you pick up the wine bottle by your feet and pop the cork. soft moonlight flits in from the windows, illuminating the green glass. a chartreuse glow that reminds you of fireflies, shimmering in your grasp, and for some reason it soothes your heart.

satoru only hums, far from approving. popping a piece of cheese into his mouth. 

after a brief pause, he continues. ”you don’t have to be so serious all the time, you know.” his voice comes out a little raspy. it’s got a certain tilt to it, one that means he wants you to take him seriously. ”not around me.”

you take a sip of the wine. expensive, blood red. it’s too sweet for your taste, heavy on your tongue.

”… i’m less serious with you than i am with others.”

satoru sits up a little straighter.

”yeah?” he grins, a kind of satisfaction blooming in his eyes. cerulean and sweet. almost smug, you think, like the cat that got the cream. ”that’s good. you really should loosen up, though.”

a glance. fleeting, just to see him — but he isn’t looking at you. he’s looking outside, through the opened window, at the sway of the apricot trees. white petals flitting in, landing by his feet. in his hair.

when his eyes meet yours, they’re smoothed over by that something you can never put your finger on. a blend between longing and fondness. crinkled at the edges.

”you’ve got a pretty smile,” he exhales. ”be a shame not to show it off.”

when you look at him, really look at him, you see it. that fatigue. it slips out when he talks to you, a sincere way of speaking that never quite allows him to hide his emotions. you hear the hint of a yawn, can practically feel the weight on his shoulders. the weight of an entire nation. a weight he was always bound to carry.

(you could never bring yourself to be even remotely alright with it.)

“have you been doing okay?” you ask, and satoru blinks. there’s a soft look in your eyes, as they trail over the contours of his face, his lashes catching the light of the stars. an innocent, pretty face. but he looks tired. frail. like he hasn’t been sleeping properly.

something rotten bubbles up inside your throat.

”they’re running you ragged, too,” you say, hand settling on your hip. where your sword usually is. unconsciously, on instinct — or maybe just to make him laugh. ”need me to step in?”

satoru chuckles. husky, mellow. dripping with soft amusement.

”settle down, little knight.”

a moment passes. silent. his eyes flutter shut, for a second, and a breath slips from his lips. almost a sigh. in the distance, you hear the quiet coo of an owl. 

”of course,” he eventually answers, opening his eyes. and you think he looks a little resigned. but smiling. self-deprecating, you think, although he’d like you to assume otherwise. ”all of it is just preparation, anyhow.” 

a flimsy smile, as he looks into your knowing eyes. ”it’s what i was born for, wasn’t it?”

you purse your lips.

“… i don’t think so.”

another chuckle. a little delighted, this time. 

“yeah,” he cranes his neck, emitting a low groan. “me neither.” something sweet blossoms in his eyes, sweet like the crunch of the apple he bites into, juice dribbling down his chin. ”but it is what it is.”

a beat. you part your lips, trying to find the right words. ”tell me if there's anything i can do,” you settle on. the same words you always choose. ”anything at all.”

satoru smiles. “right.” his voice carries a teasing tilt; almost a purr. ”there’s nothing you wouldn't do for me, hm?” 

“— there isn’t.” you smile. “nothing at all.”

he blinks. a little dazed, for a second, and you watch as his ears redden. slight, enough for you to notice, but gone before you can bring it up. a contemplation smooths over his features. and a pleasant breeze flits in, ruffling his hair, apricot petals kissing up his skin. he looks at the apple in his hands.

then he sighs. placing his palms on his knees, and rising to his feet. his arms twitch, muscular beneath the flimsy blouse, and you gulp. although you aren’t sure why.

“alright, then.” his eyes flicker in the dim light, sharp and decisive. he crosses over to you with long strides. “there is something you can do.”

when he’s close enough, satoru reaches out his hand; opening his palm. a silent beckoning. you look at him, not saying a word. his expression is unreadable. 

then you intertwine your fingers with his. unquestioningly, even in the midst of your confusion.

(it reminds you of that day. when he pulled you up to your feet, held your hand in his and refused to let go. leading you to the promise of something better.)

no matter where he goes, you follow.

and satoru grins. it’s sweet, just like back then, a smile so vibrant you wish you could tuck it into your sleeve and keep it there forever. he curls his fingers around yours, gentle, fondness bubbling up inside his eyes. for a second, you think you see the sun.

“come with me.”

at first, you truly aren’t sure where he’s going to take you. hand in hand, you begin to walk, feeling the midnight breeze nip at your skin. beyond the castle walls, away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby town. satoru holds your hand and smiles, tousled tufts of white hair swaying with the wind, leading you to a place you know well. a place where the air tastes like freedom.

it’s the river you used to play by as children.

gleaming a solemn silver under the evanescent moon, framed by bushes of lilacs, blooming indigo and violet and pure white. butterflies flutter about, almost glittering, blue wings settling down on the leaves. the scent of nectar hangs heavy in the air. on top of the hill just above you, you think you can spot tiny little glowing dots; green and yellow, buzzing around. dancing merrily, now that there aren’t any troublemaker children left to trap them.

satoru lets go of your hand, to roll up his sleeves. the hems of his pants. then he’s taking a step forward, dangerously close to the edge of the river, and you can tell what he’s thinking.

“ah — wait —“ you stumble forward, to grab hold of his arm. a worried crease forms between your brows. “that's dangerous, satoru. you could slip and fall.”

he turns to face you, a teasing mirth in his eyes. smirking lightly. “oh? is that so?” he hums, a slight tilt of his head. then he’s stepping closer, so close you feel his warm breath on your skin, but you will yourself not to step back. “wanna know what i think?”

he leans forward, just a little further, warm air brushing against the shell of your ear. flushing beneath it. his voice comes out low, a sleepy lilt, dangerously raspy. hand ghosting over your waist.

”i think you’re too scared to get in.”

you blink.

”… really?” you deadpan, stepping back a tad. satoru looks pleased with himself.

“really,” he purrs. “you were always like that. could barely dip your toes in without shivering.” he reaches out to pinch your cheek, a coo on the tip of his tongue. ”scaredy-cat.”

you raise an unimpressed brow. satoru steps back, inching closer to the river, until a quiet splash tells you that he’s standing in the water. lapping up his bare legs, not enough to even reach his knees — it felt a lot scarier when you were smaller. he’s still holding your hand, very loosely, fingertips ghosting your own. 

“c’mon,” he coaxes. soft, encouraging, a playful glimmer in his eyes. teeth catching the light of the moon. “or is it too much for my brave knight to handle?”

satoru laughs, when that makes you furrow your brows, attempting to hide the flush of your cheeks. a warmth spreads through your chest at the term of endearment, and you bite your lip. melting a little. 

his knight. his favourite knight.

“... fine,” you tangle your fingers in his own. sighing deeply, taking a tentative step forward. “just be careful, okay? i don't want to deal with your whining if you hit your head.”

“ah, but you’d kiss it better, no? if i asked?” he flashes you a honeyed grin, eyes rich with amusement. you hope the darkness of the night is enough to hide the red of your ears.

a grumble buzzes in your throat, locked behind your pursed lips. something in your jaw goes tight.

the man in front of you softens. parting his glossy lips. he says your name; slowly, thoughtfully, as if savouring every syllable. dragging them out, speaking with a lilt that tells you he’s being sincere.

“— loosen up. it’s just you and me.”

so you do.

and it’s odd. how easy it is to get lost in him, the watercolour of his eyes, the brightness of his grin. how pliantly you let him whisk you away. before you know it, you’re playing in the water — because satoru splashed you, laughing at the shock on your face and the shiver of your spine, and you had no choice but to retaliate. 

the sound of his laughter fills the air, sweet and bubbly. deep and giddy. strands of hair stick to his wet skin, droplets running down his neck, but his grin never falters. bright and toothy, boyish. he looks younger than you ever remember him being. like there’s no weight on his shoulders, none at all, only soaked fabric weighing him down. a flimsy, see-through blouse.

you think it’s ridiculous. two grown adults, splashing each other like children. but his melodic giggles are contagious, and before you know it, you’re laughing too — and satoru looks at you like you hung all the stars in the sky. through dewy eyelashes, with cerulean eyes that melt into the pale blue of the moon and the silver of the river. filled with wonder.

a particularly ruthless splash knocks him off balance, and he has the instinct to reach for your arm; stumbling, slipping, dragging you down with him. you land on his chest, cheek against his neck, his pulse against your skin. erratic, joyous. fluttering happily. his chest is heaving, lifting you up and down, a little, rhythmic and comforting. 

a sudden yelp slips past your lips, as you get snapped back into reality, into the realization that you basically just pushed your own prince into a river and used his unfairly soft chest as a cushion. a mumbled string of apologies escapes you, as you attempt to get up, scrambling to find footing.

but satoru wraps his arms around you. tucking you under his chin, keeping you flush against his chest. nice and still. 

and then he sighs. a blissful little breath, fatigue seeping out of him. into the air. 

“stay like this, for a bit,” he rasps. ”it’s okay.”

his heartbeat resounds in your ear. warm and rapid, like claps of thunder, coaxing you into closing your eyes. satoru has always felt so very safe. the water of the river is cold, seeping through the fabric of your clothing and sticking to your skin, but…

(he’s warm.)

silence. and then, a whisper; frail, slipping past his lips, gently slicing the silence in half. softer than you've ever heard him speak.

“i missed this.”

…

nuzzling into his neck, you breathe him in. he smells like sandalwood and dried roses, buzzing with warmth, heavy arms around your waist. solid. when did he get so big? you used to be taller. 

then again — that was a long time ago, wasn’t it?

“… me too.”

“missed you,” he continues, his jaw on top of your head. it’s a sincere confession; childlike in its innocence. “missed hearing you laugh like that. feels like it’s been so long.” 

you stay silent. unsure of what to say. satoru continues, and you let his husky voice carry you away, the tremor of his chest running through your entire body. soothing like a lullaby. 

”we haven't had much time together, lately. i’ve been worried,” he admits, and something about it strikes you as rather sheepish. a little ashamed. ”it bothers me that i can't be there to watch over you. make sure you're treated with respect, you know.”

a sleepy chuckle. muffled into his shoulder, almost a scoff — slightly exasperated. little droplets cling to his skin, sticking to your lips.

”relax, your majesty,” you tease. ”i promise the other knights aren’t bullying me.” 

satoru pouts. you can hear it, when he speaks. ”i’m serious,” he huffs, squeezing you lightly. ”and it’s not them i’m worried about. suguru’s there.”

another scoff threatens to escape your throat. you want to tell him the only knight that should be suspected of bullying you is suguru himself, but before you can even think to part your lips satoru’s beaten you to it.

”they all treat you so carelessly.” there’s something cold to his voice, an irritation tugging at his teeth. oddly seething. ”like you exist to serve them. like you’re disposable.” 

a moment passes, heavy with a silence so thick you don’t dare break it. when he speaks again, it’s an order. a demand. 

”i want you to tell me if they go too far.”

silence. again. you can do nothing but gnaw at the flesh of your bottom lip. 

(he isn’t wrong. but that’s simply what it means to be a knight — half-human, half-weapon. an unattainable ideal, stuffed inside a suit of armor.

when a weapon breaks under the force of a slash, the only choice is to throw it away. that much you know.)

”it’s fine. i’m not that fragile,” you weakly protest, but it’s not enough. satoru huffs.

”you’re a human being,” he reminds you. strangely stern, for once. chastising. ”you deserve to be treated with respect. knight or not. fragile or not.”

a deep inhale. he breathes in, and the rise of his chest carries you with it. his voice buzzes with something, a slumbering kind of fury. one you haven’t heard in years. 

“if anyone gives you trouble — if anyone hurts you… if anyone makes you feel unsafe,” he almost spits the words, like they’re venomous, sacrilegious. ”tell me. i’ll destroy them.”

silence. and then, a chuckle.

that’s all you can manage; that one meek little breath. resisting the urge to cower, at the love that clings to every word he speaks. angered affection. a promise, dangerously genuine, like a growing wildfire. ”i can take care of myself, satoru,” you remind him. hoping it’ll soothe him. ”you know that.”

but his grip around you only tightens. gentle, even still. as if you’re made of glass, a firefly cupped in his palms. he lets the silence linger, for a moment.

and then; 

“i’d do it, you know.”

“… do what?” you ask, though some part of you already knows. 

satoru’s reply is instantaneous. an arrow hitting its target, cold and concise, decisive. frighteningly honest. almost a growl, flattened, a hint of teeth behind his soft lips. ”destroy them. anyone.”

”i’d tear this nation apart if you asked me to.”

…

(ah. that look in his eyes — one you remember well. strung together with blurred memories, the sting of a palm on your cheek, a castle maid you never saw again.)

you search for the words. biting back a gulp, hesitant. “… i wouldn’t.”

“i know.” satoru yawns, breathing you in, voice shifting back into the softness you’re so used to. your shoulders relax. “but i would. if that’s what you wanted.”

and it’s a little scary, the depths of his devotion. but you’re almost certain you’d do the same for him. maybe you're both a little sick in the head, a little too eager to serve your hearts on a silver platter.

“it bothers me, you know.” satoru breaks you out of your thoughts. gentle, a soft lull of his tongue. ”when you get hurt. when you fight for me.”

“i know,” you murmur. you’ve seen it in his eyes, a worry he’s not as good at hiding as he thinks. ”i want to, though.”

“and i want you to be safe.” a chuckle bubbles up in his throat, just a little bit rueful. “you never listen, do you? so stubborn, i swear. always worrying me.”

you bite down on your lip. he sounds… a little sad.

“… sorry.”

a moment’s pause. then he shakes his head; cradling you close. “it’s fine. i’m here. always,” his palm runs down the small of your back. ”in case anything happens.”

he inhales. ”and when i become king —” a beat. he swallows thickly. ”you’ll never have to worry again. no one will be able to touch you.”

”satoru,” you crack a small smile. amused. raising a single eyebrow. ”i’m not worried. i can protect myself.”

”i know. but i’m saying you don’t have to.”

and then he’s pulling back. just a little bit, just enough to see you. cheek smushed against his chest, comfortable and soft, more unguarded than he’s seen you these past few months. it’s enough to get his heart racing. enough to have him reaching out, fingertips ghosting over your hand, tangling your fingers together. bringing it to his glossy lips. a chaste kiss, brimming with unspoken murmurs of love.

”— i’ll protect you forever,” he vows. ”remember?”

there’s devotion in his eyes. heavy, a vow he’ll never quite be able to voice in full. something that makes the blue of his eyes glow even brighter, cerulean, aquamarine, a blue so jarring it makes your heart beat faster than it should.

you blink. starstruck, caught in a daze, lost within that sea of blue. distracted by his warm breath on your cold skin, the soft whisper voiced against your knuckle. something shy blossoms in your chest, enough to have you averting your gaze. 

“... you really don’t care about the dynamic here, do you?” is all you can reply. a meek scoff, a weak attempt at hiding how flustered you are. “i’m the knight. i’m your protector.”

“oh, i know.” a smile sticks to his lips, playful, the back of his hand caressing your cheek. a coo on his tongue. “my little hero. what would i ever do without you?”

a roll of your eyes. satoru chuckles. in the distance, you hear crickets chirping, a breeze rustling the lilac bushes all around you. he’s still cradling your cheek, smoothing over your wet skin, brushing a drop of water away with his thumb. clinging to your bottom eyelash.

“i don't get it, though.”

you blink. when you meet his eyes, satoru looks a little perplexed. muttering under his breath, absently rubbing circles over your cheekbone. you resist the urge to close your eyes again, biting back a blissful sigh.

”a prince shouldn’t care for his knight…” he repeats, like he’s heard the string of words a million times before. ”the idea of that. i don’t understand it. never have.”

the smile that blossoms on his lips is soft, indescribably so, as if he’s looking at the most precious thing in his life. rich and warm, like wine in your veins, nectar on your tongue, a chest pressed against your own. dripping with fondness.

satoru tilts his head, as if in confusion — but he’s smiling. “what’s so strange about wanting to protect the one dearest to my heart?” 

…

his hand slips from your skin, a warmth leaving your cheek. only to search for your hand, again, cradling it in his larger palm. placing it right over his chest, against the soaked material of his blouse. ”feel that?”

you do. a rhythmic rise and fall, a soft flutter from the depths of his ribcage. as if it’s itching to break out, out of the cage that binds it, the hardened shell around it. a heart too big for his body.

”it’s you,” satoru whispers. ”all for you.”

a moment passes.

silently, you lean forward; tucking yourself into his neck. into that comforting warmth, wet skin beginning to dry, the steady thrum of his heart right by your ear. you listen. not saying a word, afraid of what might leave the confines of your strangled throat. it feels as if your heart has begun to crawl upwards, sweet honey blocking your airways, and all you can do it feel it pulse. 

all while satoru gazes at you, fondly. placing a big palm on the back of your head.

fireflies dance in the distance. butterflies flutter about. strings of lilacs bloom under the glow of the moon. and satoru’s heartbeat never changes, never falls out of tune, a sound you would recognize even if the sky were to shatter, if the world were to end. the sound that saved you, the boy who dragged you out of hell. into his light. 

satoru gojo is everything. he’s the beat of your heart, the silver of your sword, the reason you believe in goodness. he’s your prince, your favorite person, and you’ll protect him until your very last breath. until the world runs out of oxygen.

a boy so sweet you’d die for him.

(a boy so sweet he wouldn’t want you to.)

a shiver runs down his spine — sudden, a shudder of his bones, and a quiet little sniffle. you feel it, hear it, and don’t attempt to bite back the fond smile that slips into the curve of your lips.

”c’mon,” you beckon, almost a coo, placing your palms on his chest to hoist yourself up. ”let’s go home.”

but satoru shakes his head. and then he traps you again, strong arms around your waist, pressing you against him. you could escape — you’re almost certain you’re stronger — but you don’t quite have the heart to. ”it’s fine,” he huffs. almost a whine. ”stay.”

”you’ll get sick.”

”i never get sick.”

a deep exhale. tumbling from your lips, just a little bit humorous. mostly exasperated. ”that can change,” you mumble, fingertips dancing along his exposed skin. absentmindedly.

a smile. one you can’t see, but you hear it clear as day. he sounds content, like he’s got everything he needs right in front of him. ”some things never change,” he informs you. pleased. ”just look at us.”

and he’s right. so you don’t say anything else. 

but your heartbeat quickens, only for a beat or two, and you’re almost certain he feels it. if he does, he opts not to tease you for once, and you’re grateful. and so the silence lingers. as if time has begun to freeze, into an eternal dusk, a string of silent seconds. broken only by low melodic chirping from faraway fields, his soft breaths in your ear. 

until satoru suddenly chuckles.

��hey,” he hums, shifting a little, the river swaying around you. pulling back to meet your gaze, eyes crinkled and voice raspy. “wanna know a secret?”

you raise your head. a dubious look on your face, one that has him breathing out an amused puff of air, like you’re getting ready to hear a bad joke. “... what is it?”

before the words have fully left your throat, he’s resting his forehead against yours — breath fanning over your lips. a pleasant shiver trails down your spine, at the close proximity, goosebumps spreading across your chilled skin. only exacerbated by the whisper that follows, so quiet you almost don’t know if you heard him correctly. childlike in its sincerity. a sunlaced smile woven in between the vowels.

“i think i was born to meet you.”

(a sentiment so sweet you barely even feel the warmth of his lips meeting yours.)

[larsnicklas]

first off, so panthers fans aren't freaking out, show the camera your left hand... your right hand too. // all good. i have both.

[bitternace]

if youre still taking the top 100 song rqs - how about 34 and something kairi related? ❤️ (dont worry about it if you're already swamped with rqs!)

but i regret just one thing: i never got to change your mind

[ID: a digital drawing of kairi from kingdom hearts. the background is a sketchy rendition of the tunnel in Traverse Town's secret waterway. the shadows are a little chunky, and the circular waterway frames her from the shoulder up.

she is in her kingdom hearts outfit, shown from the thigh up. with her back to the audience, kairi holds her right arm behind her back, shoulders tense. her right hand is curled into a fist. /End ID.]

[kindred-spirit-93]

Sup, it's me Astron

I adore the idea of a reality TV show with the Olympians. Poseidon rambling underwater, but the only thing we get from him is bubbles - has to be my favorite. I love the idea of that gag

I'm currently taking a break from the Astral Train brainstorm asks, mainly because I have the memory of a goldfish, so I can't remember everything I've already told you - but if you have any questions please let me know! I hope everything is well!

ahahaha that would be my bad! ill get to them inshallah and then ill make a masterpost thingy because i am, much like my blog, a little very all over the place. i need to spring clean the place fr.

im something of a goldfish cracker memory owner myself (fun fact humans now have an average attention span less than a goldfish!)

--

i am in fact a lil curious about the coup hera and athena kicked off (be it in the context of AT or the mythos whichever u prefer) if thats up ur alley :D

keeping up with the olympians!! muehehe perhaps i could take a few scenes from astral train and draw a lil comic >:)

in the meantime have a doodle of the olympian bros lol ft. a sopping wet poseidon bc i havent recovered from get in the water yet

slapped some colours on (dont look too close lol)

i had a bit of a brainwave w zeus' braids being zig zags like lightning, but the rest of his hair is neal illustrations'! also the idea was a sun bleached moment but idk it looks odd with the colours lol. glimmering gold (similar to heras in concept) and side burns lmao. i think hed prefer looking more youthful. do kings wear crowns? didnt know what kind of headpiece to give him. ignore his random earring pls

kickass poseidon! his hair is bluer here and he has a bit of a surfer tan thing going on lol? i think hed spend time on land/ near the surface a lot bc his love for the earth and leave amphitrite do most of the ruling and administrative work. he still lives in the palace but he doesnt like to be tied down to one place. she made him the necklace tho :) they have an interesting & unconventional dynamic i think.

hades my beloved, the idea of him being something of a nerd abt minerals and geology and all that good stuff is so funny to me i love it. his jewelry is gold but mainly precious stones. the eldest and most sensible. also the tallest (ha! take that zeus). i think he and persephone do each others hair, its like a bonding thing they have; she weaves gold into his hair and he picks flowers to put in hers. they als have an interesting dynamic. i love complex couples lol

poseidon with his hair down! classic wet strand of hair in his face bc hes going through it. his hair pin (not shown lol) is a lil harpoon hehe

--

thank u for ur patience and see u in the next one >:D

[falsiliar]

He was wracking his brain just a little too much (Eurgh, gosh knows how HE wouldn't let him live it down, had he known, heh)-- when it came to the little gremlin's birthday this year. While he had once more made sure to get all of their friends together (With Itsuki once more going all out when it came to the decoration, snacks and ofc-- cake) to party it up on this day-- Kaito had been focused and fretting especially on his little gift for this year.

And by the end of the day, when it was just the two of them again. Kokichi was met with a slightly flustered astronaut in training, as he rubbed the back of his head and peered off towards the starry night sky above... Almost as if he was asking it then for some support, for what he was about to do next.

"... here." Pulling a little handwrapped (In the most sparkly damn wrapping paper he could find) box from out of his coat pocket, Kaito would pause for a moment-- uncertain about whether he should press a kiss (Like he would normally do by this point) to the top of the other's head, or... give him his present first. Eventually deciding to go for the latter, he places the box into his hands.

Inside, was actually one of two couple bracelets he'd spent the past months working on. The woven wrap done in white and black, with two charms strung in. One a tiny little dice, and the other a simple star. His own wasn't that much different, safe for the colors he had picked for his own wrist wrap. But he wasn't wearing it then, not yet at least, "Y-You don't... you don't have to wear it, I just... well..." it's been while since Kaito would find himself stammering like his around the other. "I just... thought-- 'd be nice. Y'know...?" He was smiling just a little then, as he thought about how fun it had been to make these. "I mean-- Since you gave me my own checkered scarf and all... kinda felt like a pair of these for us might be the next step, hehe..."

Well, that couldn't have come out any worst. Ho boy, he knew the other was just going to tease the crap out of him now... So, best prepare himself--

"Anyways, Happy Birthday, Kokichi..." He quickly presses a kiss then to his lips, as he smiles a goofy smile down at him. His gaze lidded with soft content, as he simply looked at his boyfriend then, who was now holding onto that bracelet.

(A few days late but HELLO HELLO he's back to celebrate the bf's birthday!!! TAT <333)

@idyllicserendipity || Kokichi's (belated) birthday! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )

Kaito was always a big bumbling doof about things like this. —said the Supreme Leader of Evil who expertly dodged all acts of sentiment that weren't on his schedule and previously approved.

He'd spent most of the day seemingly fine: delighting in the energy of the best party ever for a criminal mastermind who very much deserved the reverence—but now that it was just the two of them in an almost eerie quiet (yeesh, it was too calm out here, wasn't it? Kokichi had half a mind to start making some sort of noise again), Kaito almost impressively devolved into a stammering mess. Kokichi had every opportunity to interrupt, to just snatch that glittery little gift out of his hands and make him shut up, but he managed to wait. Mercy wasn't a thing he practiced often.

And no, it had nothing to do with some... dumb desire to hear the idiot out or anything—! Yech! Kokichi just liked watching this tall dumbass attempt to string words together coherently, that's all!

When he eventually got his point across, a woven band now entangled in Kokichi's fingers that he appraised with contemplative eyes, a delayed snicker split through lips now stretching into a fresh smirk. He flicked his wrist, the bracelet enclosed now in a fist, and his attention skirted back to the stupidly flustered idiot watching him closely for a reaction. "Awh, Kaito~!♡ You shouldn't have!" Temporarily, he left a shred of distance between them—

Because, damn it all—! An increasingly dumb swell of warmth had exploded in his chest, and it was encroaching way too close for comfort to his pale face.

"My very own friendship bracelet? For our incredible, couldn't-possibly-be-anything-more camaraderie? That's waaaay neat! You really know how to send a message!" he beamed with the convincing innocence of someone who had totally misinterpreted the meaning. (But, thing is...? He hadn't. Kokichi knew exactly what this was.) As Kaito leaned in to steal a kiss—again with the lame softness!—Kokichi didn't quite let him get away as quickly as he wanted.

His teeth playfully grazed over the doofus's lip in his retreat, and only when their faces were at a distance to look at each other did his grin stretch fuller and mischievous. "Don't insult me, Kaito," Kokichi uttered, voice lower and quieter. "I'm gonna wear this every day, and if I don't see you wearing yours, there will be consequences!"

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

@catchuuu @staryukis

no escape

[vanoincidence]

Uh Oh! Spaghettios! || Van, Ariadne & Cass

TIMING: current. LOCATION: the common. PARTIES: @magmahearts @ariadnewhitlock & @vanoincidence SUMMARY: van, ariadne, and cass go out for a picnic where everything is fine until van thinks she's seen a ghost. CONTENT WARNINGS: references to kidnapping.

Van sat with her back pressed firmly against the tree. At her feet were an assortment of treats, both salty and sweet that Ariadne had brought. She’d supplied the slim jims, but they remained untouched, even by her. At least there wasn’t any hay. Van had been nervous about Cass and Ariadne’s friendship, but only because it meant that their secret could get out, even if Cass reassured her that it wouldn’t happen. The party at her place had introduced the idea that she could be a normal twenty-something, but she wasn’t sure if she deserved to be. 

Her thoughts were jumbled, catching every moment where something could have gone wrong. It was easier to focus on that, and see the bad in herself than the good; than the fact that Ariadne, an old school friend, had wanted to try and be friends again and with Cass in tow. She would try, just this one, to be normal. Not pretend to be, but to actually be. “I didn’t even know they made sour strawberries,” Van remarked, leaning forward to pluck one from the tupperware and pop it into her mouth. It was coated in sugar and made her salivate. She could have eaten the entire container, but she stopped herself.

—

Before the party, Ariadne hadn’t thought that she’d really be able to have a “cool” friend hangout, again. She’d managed to not make a complete fool of herself and had managed to actually, somehow, miraculously have friends, but a group hangout felt different. Like the good parts of middle school, or like lunchtime outside at the end of senior year. Best of all, it was with a newfound best friend (Cass), and someone she’d figured she might never see again (Van). It let her selfishly pretend to be normal, pretend to not be some terrifying murderous creature. Before she’d gotten kidnapped, she’d had thoughts that clouded her mind, but it had only gotten worse since. Still, she figured making herself socialize was for the best.

Cass knew what she was, and Ariadne wondered if Van should know too, but Van was human, and so Ariadne didn’t want to be the first person to bring up the supernatural to her. Or whatever. So she sat contentedly and grabbed a few sour strawberries just after Van did. “They make all sorts of kinds of candies. It’s wild, in like, the best way.” She turned to Cass. “What do you think?” Her smile felt like a lie, and she hated that feeling, but there wasn’t much else she could do.

—

It still felt like a miracle, this strange fact that Cass had procured a group of friends for herself here in Wicked’s Rest. She’d wanted something just like this all her life — people who would have parties and invite her to them, people who would sit under a tree with her and eat snacks, people who would hang out with her without her having to beg for it. She’d never imagined it was something she’d actually get; when you spent your whole life being abandoned time after time, you started to get it in your head that abandonment was what you deserved. But Ariadne and Van didn’t seem to think that about her. They thought she was worth hanging out with. They liked hanging out with her. They wouldn’t have invited her over today if they didn’t, not when they weren’t bound to. And the idea that she’d nearly lost this, with Ariadne’s experience with the hunter and the van, only inspired Cass to cling to it more tightly.

“I think these are awesome,” she said around a mouthful of the strawberries. “Maybe my new favorite.” It wasn’t just the candy she was talking about; it was all of it. It was the tree, it was the conversation, it was the warmth of Van sitting close to her and the way Ariadne asked her for her opinion and cared about her reply. “Where did you get them, anyway? We should totally have some at the next party.” She hoped it wasn’t too much to assume that there would be a next party, someday.

—

“I’ve had sugar coated fruit before, but nothing like this.” Her dad had taught her how to do it, but ultimately stopped after Van nearly spilled the entirety of the sugar onto herself. She’d gotten too excited and decided she wanted to do it all by herself. It was a fond memory, even if it stung a little. She chewed thoughtfully as she listened to Cass appreciate the fruit, too. Van found herself smiling a little too hard before she pulled her knees up to her chest. We should totally have some at the next party. 

As much as Van wanted to tell Cass that she didn’t think there should be another party, especially after what happened with Nora, she couldn’t get the words to come out. She didn’t want to disappoint her friend, and she didn’t want Ariadne to think she was being rude. Instead of saying anything at all, she shoved another strawberry into her mouth and wiped the sticky residue off on her shorts. The sun was hidden behind a blanket of everlasting clouds, and Van had to admit, she was a little disappointed. She missed feeling like the sun was beneath her skin. It was her favorite feeling. “I bet these would be good with chamoy gushers.” Maybe that was pushing it on the sweet scale, but Van had always had a sweet tooth, no matter what. After a few beats of silence, Van finally looked at Ariadne. She seemed like the same girl from school, if only a little more sad. “It’s cool to see you around more often.” A leap, all things considered. But she couldn’t take the words back now, and she did mean them. “I’m really glad Cass and you became friends.” 

—

“Good.” Ariadne looked between the two of them, and for a moment, maybe only a millisecond, she felt like maybe she was still human, not yet a monster, but instead someone who could just chill with friends without a care in the world. (Even if, truth was, that she cared a whole lot and wasn’t sure exactly how to come to terms with that). (Even if the truth was, He’d locked her away and she thought herself more a monster than otherwise, recently). “My mom got them - I think - just at the supermarket? Unless she made them. I can’t cook or bake or make food too well, but she’s good at all of those things.” That and she was extra on top of things, recently.

“Chamoy gushers? I’ve never had those, but they sound amazing!” She wondered if either of them could tell that she was forcing cheer into her voice far more than she would’ve liked. Which was sort of like lying, and she didn’t want to lie to her friends, but Ariadne also didn’t want to disappoint them by being glum. There was a reason characters didn’t want to play with Eeyore all the time, and she refused to be that, even if her former bouncy personality wasn’t so much around anymore. “It’s cool to be around you more often,” she offered Van a genuine smile. “Cass is pretty great,” she made sure to look over to her friend when she said that, “I’m lucky she wanted to be my friend. I’m glad you wanted to hang out.”

—

Cass actually hadn’t had sugar on fruit before, though she didn’t say so. She didn’t want Van and Ariadne to think she was strange. The latter, at least, knew that Cass was fae and hadn’t judged her for it yet, but she wasn’t sure how much Van even knew about the supernatural. Did Van know fae existed at all? Was she afraid of them? She knew bits and pieces about Cass — that she lived in a cave, that she was from Hawai’i but had left a long time ago, that she had no family here or anywhere — but the full story very well might scare her off. It was better to be like this. To eat sugar-covered fruit together and plan parties.

Van didn’t seem particularly interested in the latter, but she didn’t say no, either. And Cass was glad for that, could work with that. Not no might not be the same thing as yes, but it also wasn’t the opposite. “They do sound good,” Cass agreed, though she wasn’t even really sure what they were. But Ariadne thought they sounded good and Van liked them, and that meant Cass would like them, too, would make herself like them. She was pretty good at that, really. Grinning as Van spoke to Ariadne, Cass felt warm all over. Van was glad that she and Ariadne became friends, Ariadne was happy to hang out with her, and Cass felt content. Like everything she’d ever wanted was finally, finally well within her grasp. “I’m really glad we’re all friends, too,” she agreed with a smile. “I’d hang out with you guys any time. You know that, right? Any time. We could — We could go on a road trip sometime. I know some cool parks and stuff we could go to.” It seemed like the right thing to offer — a road trip, so they could all hang out in different places, long term. Sleep in a car under the stars, see the sights. Wouldn’t it feel like magic?

—

As Ariadne explained that her mom had been the one to supply the sugar coated fruits, Van nodded as if it made all the sense in the world. Growing up, when they would sit within proximity to each other at the lunch table, Ariadne’s lunch always looked the best. Hers was good, too– a lot of soul had gone into her own meals, despite the money they lacked, but she’d always been a little jealous of the love that’d been present between Aria and her parents. Anyone from the outside looking in could see they had a good relationship. But to focus on that might sour this entire experience, and even if it was a little hard, she forced herself to listen to Cass. 

At the mention of a road trip, her eyes grew slightly wide and she busied herself with another strawberry. Truth be told, Van wasn’t too sure how much longer she could stand to hang out with either of them. What if something terrible happened? What if she melted them like the signs she’d melted next to Nora? What if something worse happened? What if they got into an argument and a black hole swallowed them up? Coming out here now had been a feat of its own, and even if Van felt it necessary to tie up some loose ends, a part of her really didn’t want to lose her friends, both old and new. “That would be fun, maybe. Maybe we could just do something here?” She was afraid to leave Wicked’s Rest, afraid of going out into the world to just bring it down. Van chewed the inside of her cheek as she stared down at the berries. “Sorry, I just… my car is kind of not great right now.” She still hadn’t gotten the tires fixed, and she didn’t want to just assume that somebody else would drive. “We could probably camp in your cave, if you wanted? Do the karaoke thing?” If she were still around, still hanging out– then maybe she could do that as the last hoorah before she closed herself off entirely.

—

“I’d hang out with you guys anytime too. A road trip could be neat.” Leaving could be neat. Ariadne grabbed another strawberry and chewed on it. “Or just stay around here, uh, yeah. That works too. I’d just like to hang out with the two of you.” Even if they probably wouldn’t want to hang out with her once they knew everything about her. About what she’d done.

“I can always drive, but yeah – around here’s good.” She nodded enthusiastically – maybe too much so – at Van’s comment. “Camping in your cave sounds amazing, Cass, if you’d want us there.” She wouldn’t be sleeping, but she could still enjoy it, still look up at the stars and tell them both different facts, if they wanted to listen. She could try to keep them safe from other nighttime creatures. “Have you ever had s’mores, Cass? Because if not, we should make those. It’s not the same as that ice cream I had you get.”

—

Truth be told, Cass was a little disappointed to have the idea of a road trip shot down. They always seemed so fun in movies, but the closest she’d ever come to one had been traveling around the world after being forced out of her aos si, and that hadn’t been quite the same. There’d been no snacks, no singing into the dashboard with friends, no rolling down car windows and hanging out into the wind. There had only ever been the crippling loneliness that seemed to follow her everywhere she went, the only constant companion she’d ever had. She’d wanted to… replace that, somehow. To find a way to feel the things people felt in the movies, where everyone was laughing all the time. But she quickly pushed the feeling away, quickly shoved her disappointment down. Van and Ariadne still wanted to hang out with her. They just didn’t want a road trip. And that was just fine.

“Hanging out in Wicked’s Rest is fun, too,” she agreed quickly. “And we can definitely camp out in my cave. I can show you guys all the hidden parts.” Just… probably not any of the parts with human remains. Cass might not have been the one to put them there, but she still thought Aria and Van might not like her as much if they saw them. They’d probably think she was weird or bad or evil. She couldn’t handle that. Her face lit up a little at Ariadne’s question. “I haven’t, but I’d love to.” She wanted to add that they wouldn’t even need a fire, that she could melt the marshmallows with her magma, but her eyes slid over to Van and she thought better of it. “We could do hot dogs over a fire, too. That, um… People do that sometimes. Right? They do it in movies, anyway.” 

—

Van watched Ariadne for a moment, oblivious to the blonde’s inner turmoil that, if she were any good at paying attention, might have noticed from the days it started. Their separation after high school had become something easy to ignore. She had known Chance, too, and had spent more time in his company mostly because they were like minded. But she wouldn’t say that she was particularly close to either of them. Not anymore, not like in elementary school. “Yeah, it would be cool to hang out with you, too.” It was a lie, not because Van didn’t want to be around Ariadne, but because she was afraid she’d bring her down, too. Both of the girls sitting next to her were too good for that. 

“Right… the hidden parts.” The parts that had been too dark for Van to see. She wasn’t really sure about taking the route to the mines that Cass had mentioned, but knew she might be picked on if everyone else wanted to try and do it and she were the only one who didn’t. It was a common issue in her friend circles, and the only time she hadn’t let anxiety ruin it all, had been the night that Debbie died. There had been courage there, no matter how small. “S’mores are really good, too, and you can use any chocolate you want.” She ate another strawberry, contemplating the logistics of this kind of thing. If she could be around for them for this to happen, and then slowly remove herself from it all. Maybe she could move houses, go become a hermit in the woods. The thought ran a shiver down her spine. She hated the woods, and there’d be no indoor plumbing. She couldn’t do that. “Hot dogs? Yeah! You can do anything you want, even pop our own popcorn.” She smiled at Cass, knowing how enthusiastic her friend typically got over making plans. Van felt guilty for knowing she’d be ruining this part of their friendship, for pulling away when all Cass wanted was to be friends, and Aria, too. “There’s a lot you can do at campfires.” Van tried her best to get her voice to go an octave higher, to share some of the enthusiasm, but she was too tired. “It’ll be fun,” she reiterated with a nod, forcing herself to believe it. 

—

“I’d love to camp out in your cave.” Ariadne nodded, a smile forced on her lips. She was going to be happy for them, because they did make her happy to be around, even if she felt like she was lying to them, like there was some intense sense of wrong, all because she was a monster and they weren’t. Ariadne certainly didn’t enjoy that feeling – not even one tiny bit, but she could fake it for now, enjoy her time with them before they inevitably left her. Cass knew what she was, and Cass had seemed fine with it, but she had a sneaking suspicion that that could all change at the drop of a hat. If Cass really stopped to think about the kind of person Ariadne was, she wouldn’t want to be around her anymore. Even if they’d agreed to be best friends for hundreds of years.

“We could each make our own popcorn, yeah! Like, pick the toppings!” Namely because Ariadne knew that she wouldn’t be able to do any of the classic salted popcorn, and having an easy way out of that was much preferred as opposed to having to claim a salt allergy. Of course, she claimed that to others, but claiming it to people she considered friends – or had once considered friends and wanted to be friends again – felt wrong. Like she’d be giving into the evil side of herself, admitting that being a monster was right. “We can tell stories, too, if we wanted – but yes, it’ll be fun. We can always start with that, and then maybe sometime go on a road trip. I’ll do anything with you all that you want.” Though if they went on a trip, she’d ask if Wynne could come along. Even without the full trip, she’d ask that.

—

You got good at picking up on the emotions of the people around you when every move you made was some desperate attempt to get them to stay. Cass had learned to catch on quickly when the tides turned, when the winds of a conversation shifted direction. She knew, because of this, that Van and Aria were both sad. But she was sad, too. And wasn’t it better that way, just a little? Better for the three of them to be sad together than for any one of them to be sad alone, even if they each locked their sadness behind heavy doors and pretended it wasn’t there at all. There was comfort in company; that was why Cass sought after it so adamantly.

“I’d love to pop our own popcorn,” she agreed. “Not even, like, the microwave kind. Like, legit popcorn. You know they make different flavors of popcorn salt? We could get the kind that tastes like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.” Anything, anything to make them stay. She could be there for them, she could bribe them with snacks and whatever else they wanted. She could shift her heartbeat around, make every beat echo that old plea of love me, love me, love me until they decided to take her up on it. She could do that. “Stories! Yes! I bet you both have some really good stories to tell.”

—

It was easy making plans with people who were agreeable. Usually it was Van who was indecisive. She didn’t like making one decision, much less several. But the promise of popcorn and s’mores seemed to be enough. Van picked up a loose blade of grass and began twirling it around her finger as she sat cross legged on the picnic blanket. She should have been more enthusiastic, like Cass. Should’ve been a little more grateful about Ariadne bringing the snacks to begin with. She looked up at Cass and nodded. “We could probably mix it in!” She’d tried it before, and it was good. 

Cass’s words forced a laugh out of Van. She had plenty of stories, but none that she thought either of the girls in front of her would want to hear. She would probably need to make something up, or use one of Mau’s stories he told to her and the rest of them on discord. She nodded, instead of telling Cass that no, she had nothing anyone would want to hear. “I’m sure I can come up with something.” Her gaze lifted to movement, to a couple of girls who were wandering down the nearest sidewalk, their own blankets tucked under their arms. The one in the middle took the breath right out of her. She looked like Diana. So much so that Van was almost positive it was her. Anxiety coated her tongue with iron and her fingers began to tremble. She dug them into the blanket, pulling it up slightly. Some of the items on the blanket shifted, falling. She didn’t care. 

Van stared ahead as the stranger threw her head back in laughter, manicured nails coming to claw playfully at the blonde in the group. Her laughter didn’t sound the same, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Because in front of her was the ghost of someone who Van had loved with her entirety, or with the entirety of what she thought love looked like. Diana’s smile flashed ahead of her, and then it was her screams. “No–” She backed up off of the blanket, fingers digging into the grass as she tried to get away. “No, no, no.” The items that had been brought for their picnic began to melt into the blanket, and a neighboring bench did so as well. It was only a matter of time before they became sludge with it. “Diana,” Van croaked, unaware of her surroundings. “No, please– no.” Her sights zeroed in on the girl who wore her smile in the same way Diana had. Their hair was a little different, and this girl had freckles. Had Diana had freckles? No, it didn’t– it didn’t matter. Diana was dead. Diana was dead. 

—

“I might, uh, pass on the salt, but you both should totally get it. I just – I like sweeter popcorn, is all.” Ariadne bit her lip, because that wasn’t totally true, and she didn’t like the idea of lying to her friends, and even though Cass knew what she was, somehow it still felt wrong. Especially since when she was younger, she’d adored having popcorn with butter and salt, fingers getting greasy, the most satisfying snack of all.

She wasn’t sure if she had any stories to tell, or if she was any good at telling the ones she did have. Still, disappointing her friends wasn’t something she felt comfortable with, so she gave an eager nod. “Yeah, no, for sure. I’ll have to think up some, but I know I have them!” Ariadne grabbed another strawberry and took a bite out of it, before Van’s words distracted her.

“Hey – Van?” She dropped her other half-strawberry onto the ground. “What’s the matter?” Eyes growing wide with concern, Ariadne fought the urge to reach out and touch Van’s arm. “What happened?”

—

“Oh, right.” How had Cass forgotten, so easily, about Ariadne’s salt aversion? About how her best friend was a mare, and about how mares couldn’t eat salt? She felt a little ashamed, but Ariadne didn’t seem to mind it much. She wasn’t sure if the ‘sweet popcorn’ line was true, or if Van just didn’t know about the mare thing. Just in case, she said “We can buy sweet popcorn, too.” 

Something seemed to shift, all of the sudden. One moment they were talking about the stories they’d tell, and Cass was scheming about what tall tales she’d spin for her friends around the fire. The next, Van was stiffening, the blood draining from her face. She looked — afraid, suddenly. Or anxious, maybe. No longer relaxed or at ease the way she’d been moments before when talking about popcorn. Instead, she was stricken. She was saying an unfamiliar name, she was repeating no. 

Cass looked over at Ariadne, catching her eye over Van’s head with a concerned furrow to her brow. She didn’t understand what was happening, but clearly something was wrong. Was it something one of them had said? No. No, that couldn’t be it. Van had been talking about someone called Diana, had been looking out into the sidewalk. Carefully, Cass put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Van?”

—

The strawberries that had been plucked from the tupperware had become a mess of something on the blanket– bright pink now staining the checkered blanket she had brought. Van clenched her fists, fingers creating half-crescents at the center of her palms. She stared as the girl walked away, laughter bubbling until Van could no longer hear it. 

She wanted to run after her, but she couldn’t get her legs to work. The girl’s hair bounced at her shoulders as she threw an arm around the blonde that was in her company. Van felt a scream building in her chest, but she swallowed it whole. It came out in a half-plea, half-gargle. “No–” Van shook her head to try and shake the vision of Diana’s doppelganger. That was what it had been. Diana was dead. Diana was dead because she had killed her. Because Van had left her to fall into the black portal, and because Van hadn’t tried to help her. She had fucked everything up, and she was fucking it all up now. 

Her mind raced as she struggled to get to her feet, knocking over the items that hadn’t yet been touched by her magic on the blanket. Van swayed uneasily beneath the weight of their company, no matter that they hadn’t been company at all, but instead fleeting figures. She thought about the moment Diana had slipped into the darkness, how as soon as the portal had opened, it was closed, leaving behind bits of upturned asphalt and nothing more. How her knees had hurt as she crashed into the ground, fingers digging into the earth to try and dig Diana out from where she’d disappeared to. The blanket had started to sink into the ground now, melting at her feet. It was on her shoes. They’d probably melt too if she didn’t stop. Even though she knew she was with Cass and Ariadne, she couldn’t focus on their words, or their faces. They spoke and it came out broken, like she was under water. “This isn’t real.” Because like everything else, it couldn’t be. She refused to let it be. 

—

“Sweet works, whatever works for you both!” Ariadne flashed Cass what she hoped was something of a reassuring smile, though she didn’t have too much time to focus on that, given what started to happen around them.

Ariadne didn’t know what to do.

She was fairly certain, in fact, that, especially now, she was one of the worst people you could call upon to deal with any sort of crisis. Which this definitely was.

Especially since a whole lot of things that shouldn’t have been possible had started to happen, and all Ariadne could feel was all the panic that Van seemed to be having. The panic and the melting blanket and the melting bottles of water and lemonade on the blanket.

“Van, Van please –” she finally did reach out to her former-but-now-current-maybe friend, fingertips only ghosting the edge of her arm, first off, then she let her hand settle on Van’s arm, the other one moving up toward her forehead, and before she knew what she was doing, she’d thought sleep and Van had collapsed onto the blanket. “I – I didn’t hurt her.” She turned to Cass with wide eyes. “I just didn’t – I wasn’t – that was all I could think of to do.”

—

There was something strange going on, something unthinkable. The fruits that had been solid a moment before were bubbling liquid now, the blanket quickly following suit. For a moment, Cass wondered if it was something she’d done, if some of the magma running through her veins had somehow made some grand escape without her knowledge, but that wasn’t the case. There was something else causing this — and judging by Van’s panic, Cass had some idea what it might be.

But how could that possibly be the case? Van was human, Cass was sure of it. Van didn’t even seem to understand that there was a world beyond the one she’d grown up with at all, didn’t seem to recognize anything outside of what she knew. So how could she be melting berries and blankets and who knew what else? 

While the ground melted, Cass did the opposite and froze. She couldn’t puzzle out how to proceed, couldn’t decide what the best next move was. But luckily, Cass wasn’t the only one there. Ariadne reached out and touched Van, and Van slumped over in sleep. The moment she did, everything else stopped. The melting didn’t progress any further, the chaos quieted down. The world continued spinning as if nothing had happened at all, and Cass stared, wide-eyed, at her sleeping friend.

“No!” She said quickly, turning to look at Ariadne. “No, you didn’t — of course you didn’t hurt her, Aria. This — You did — That was good thinking. Fast. She’s… I don’t understand what just happened. I don’t know what…” She was babbling now, confused and uneasy. “Did you know she could do that?”

—

“I didn’t mean to.” Her words came out all wobbly and unsure. “I didn’t – I wasn’t thinking.” Which was true. Ariadne certainly wasn’t thinking when she’d just up and knocked her friend out. Wasn’t thinking at all, and she only hoped that she hadn’t overdone any of it. It wasn’t like she was especially well practiced at that part of her skill, and when she had practice it was only during times when it was intentional.

She shook her head, excessively so. “No. I – that was her?” Ariadne had figured as such, though there was still a part of her that was processing everything that had happened. Everything and how impossible it was – or should have been, at least.

“Had no clue she could do that. She never did that when we were kids.” Right? Or had Ariadne been too wrapped up in herself to notice? Or had something happened to Van in the way that something had happened to Ariadne, and that was why she melted things now? “I – should we wake her up? What do we do?” Her voice rose, and she chewed on her lower lip.

—

“It was good! It was a good thing.” Van didn’t want to hurt anyone. Cass was positive of that, had seen the proof in it when Van tried to put distance between them. And if she’d continued on like she had been with… whatever she was doing, she would have. Ariadne had saved her from that, intentional or no. Cass hoped she saw that, hoped she understood.

Shifting a little, the oread glanced around. The chaos had stopped the instant Van fell asleep, as far as she could tell. “I think so,” she replied. “She, um… She told me a little while ago that she could hurt people. But I didn’t think she meant like that. I thought…” The words stuck in her throat. She thought it had been a reaction to what had happened with Debbie, but she couldn’t say that. She was bound to keep it a secret, even from Aria. So, “It doesn’t really matter what I thought. Obviously, I was wrong.”

She looked down at the sleeping Van again, trying to determine what that had even been. Magic, right? But since when did Van have magic? Had she always had it? Cass knew so little about how human magic worked. “Maybe it’s like the X-Men,” she offered, “and it comes with, like… puberty, or whatever? Or, um, it could be like the Inhumans, and it was in her DNA but got awoken by some external force? Or — Or she was bitten by a radioactive… melty… thing…” Yeah, comic books hadn’t really prepared her for this one. “I don’t know. I don’t think it’s important. She… She was upset, wasn’t she? That’s why it happened. Because she was upset.” She glanced out at the street. The girls Van had seemed to have zeroed in on before her (literal) meltdown were out of sight now, but… “Maybe we should wait a minute. Before we wake her up.”

—

“Okay, okay if you say so.” Ariadne wasn’t sure that randomly using her powers to knock her former close friend out was good, but she’d used them in other cases, before, so maybe this was just an extension of that. Plus, Cass couldn’t lie. She’d said that. So this all had to be true. At least that was what she’d lie and tell herself.

“What you think still matters. Always does.” She shifted around on the blanket. “Okay? I – your thoughts matter, and opinions and whatever else. I’ll always think your thoughts matter, I promise.” Ariadne looked between Van and Cass, again, trying to sort things out. She wasn’t too sure if she was any good at that at all.

She offered a shrug. “Maybe. I don’t know – you know more about this than I do at all. So it could be. But yes. She was upset. Very upset. Waiting a moment might be good – but maybe not too long. In case I did do something to hurt her. Because of my quick reaction, you know?” And the fact that maybe He’s still in my head and so I freak out about everything.

—

Ariadne seemed to accept what Cass was saying and that, at least, was a relief. She knew that Aria didn’t have the best relationship with what she was, knew that things had only gotten worse after the recent… events that had occurred. And she didn’t want that. Aria didn’t deserve to feel that way, didn’t deserve any of it. If Cass could help ease some of that, even if only a little, she wanted, so badly, to do so.

And she knew Ariadne felt the same about her insecurities. It was why her friend was reassuring her now, why she was telling Cass that her thoughts and feelings mattered and saying that wonderful, terrible word. “You don’t have to promise,” Cass said quickly, refusing to tie the bind. “I just mean… I was wrong. What I thought. I thought she was talking about… something else.” She hated that she couldn’t tell Aria what it was she’d been wrong about, but she wouldn’t release that promise bind any time soon. Not when it was single-handedly protecting a good chunk of her friends. 

“I don’t know much about it at all,” she admitted quietly. “I… learned a bit about fae things. And some other stuff on the road. But this… Van isn’t fae. I’d be able to feel it if she were. I don’t know what this is.” And it was kind of scary, the not knowing. She just wanted Van to be okay. “Yeah. Okay. I think… Maybe you can wake her up now? I think the danger has passed, maybe.”

—

“Okay, but I do. I won’t say that word but I do. Please believe me.” She really hoped she sounded sincere, that Cass wouldn’t fight her on it. “Maybe she was? I don’t know.” Ariadne shook her head again. Another breath she didn’t need, tempering her heart rate that she didn’t have. “It’s okay if you were wrong, though.” Helping calm down others was easier than letting herself calm down. Namely because she wasn’t sure if she ever could, at least not fully, and that wasn’t something that she wanted to admit it.

She reached her hand out to her friend, “I’m not – I’m not gonna knock you out,” she gulped. “That’s cool you can sense other fae. I can’t sense other,” monsters, “people like me. Sure wish I could, though. But yes …” she gently shook Van’s shoulder. “I, uh, Van? It’s Ariadne.” Duh. “You can wake up now.”

—

“I believe you,” Cass assured Ariadne, and she did. She believed her more than anything, believed in her more than anyone. Ariadne was her best friend, and she was good. No matter what anyone else said, no matter what the mare herself might think. She was good. And so was Van, who was still sleeping between them. 

She nodded as Ariadne reached out. “I know you’re not,” she said with a nod. “It’s… cool sometimes.” But nerve wracking, she didn’t add. Terrifying, really, because other fae always knew that Cass was wrong, that there was something not right about her. She wasn’t what she should have been. She knew that. She just hated it when other people knew it, too. She leaned back as Ariadne moved to wake Van, absently running her fingers through the sleeping girl’s hair in hopes of making her return to wakefulness a pleasant one.

—

Van was awake one moment, turmoil splitting like lightning through her, and the next, she was asleep. She didn’t feel asleep, especially not when she woke up. She barely registered where she was until she heard Ariadne’s voice, and then Cass’s. She blinked groggily, rubbing her temples. She could feel somebody’s hand running through her hair, but Ariadne was across from her, which meant it was Cass. It took her a moment to understand what had happened. 

The girls were gone now– the vision of Diana that she had, gone. She was left to the things she had melted and two girls who, before this moment, had no idea what she was capable of. The number of people who did know was growing at an alarming rate. She needed to get this shit under control now. Van tried to process both her thoughts and feelings regarding the situation as her mind raced. 

“I’m– I’m sorry.” The words came out jumbled as Van looked down at the melted objects before them, gaze cutting to meet Cass’s. Silently pleading for her friend to understand she hadn’t meant to do it, she slowly turned her attention to Ariadne. This was a childhood friend she lost to time sitting across from her, and she’d fucked everything up. She clenched her jaw and made a move to get up quickly, knocking over some of the un-melted foods in her mad dash for any kind of exit she could find. Diana’s face flashed before her, and the looks of concern from her friends were ingrained, leaving Van to feel pathetic and small. Before they could say anything to her, she ran faster than she’d run in her entire twenty years of living, hopeful to put distance between herself and what she had done. 

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

i am so lost and insane for an angsty idea of navigating poly!stsg where you join their established rl!!!!! i love your poly fics so much and it's given me these bedtime daydreams!!!

the insecurities and doubt and fear and sadness you might feel from never having a bond strong enough between urself and them and the angst and tension it can create because u feel like ur never enough for satosugu oh gosh and the sadness they might feel if you leave or distance urself from them and idk how to verbalize my thoughts but i hope you feel the energy i am trying to show🥺🥺🥺

ANON!!!! I DO!!!!!!! I DO SEE THE VISION!!!!!!!!

wahhhhh this is a common daydream of mine too…….. stsg have such a unique bond and i don’t think you could really replicate it :((( but at the same time i think that for the relationship to work, they’d have to see you as an equal!!!! this is just a pet peeve of mine but i rlly Cannot Stand poly stsg fics where they see reader as being beneath them… first of all they would Never second of all!!! they should all be in love. and they should all respect each other more than anything. it’s just a matter of realizing that you’re special to them in your own way, and that it’s in no way lesser than what they feel for each other!!!! but obviously the road there might be kind of tough…..

and gosh, they would definitely be heartbroken if you distanced yourself from them!!! :((( they just don’t understand what they did wrong and you don’t know how to open up about it…. i think they’d eventually corner you and kinda force you to do so (cue lots of crying and their desperate attempts at soothing you) and after that it’d feel a lot easier. if you’re precious to them then i don’t think there’s anything they wouldn’t do to understand you properly!!! and love you properly. they’re sweethearts and i love them <3333

[nanaslutt]

Can we get a part 2 of when reader asks satoru and suguru if they fucked before

of course ml!! tysm for asking <3

part 1 here~

contains: fem reader, fluff, crack, choking, hair pulling, anal sex (gojo gets fucked) spanking (geto spanks gojo once), dirty talk, overstimulation, dacryphilia if you squint, dare i say sub satoru, sub/dom dynamics if you squint, suguru and reader are competitive, u tag team gojo together

MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS DNI

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔

“so, when we’re you guys gonna tell me you’ve fucked before?” you asked, raising your eyebrows

gojo froze in place, pausing his efforts to get a towel to clean you up, he slowly turns to you, faux innocence on his stupidly pretty face, a big hand coming to rub the back of his neck

both you and geto stare at him, a smirk plastered on sugurus handsome features, heavy hand holding up his head, awaiting his response,

“now what on earth put that idea in your pretty little head?” he questions, hand falling on his hip sassily as he does an absolutely awful job lying

“oh i don’t knoww,” you drawl, pretending to think, “maybe geto telling you he was going to fuck you like it was the most normal thing in the world,” you scrunched your nose, shrugging

“but what do i know!” your eyebrows raised, suppressing a smile,

“nothing, you know nothing,” he replied, wiggling his finger back and forth in front of him like a child

“don’t tell me you forgot satoru, you might hurt my feelings.” geto teased, from his place between your calves, tilting his head to the side, “i know we were a little tipsy, but you told me i was an unforgettable fuck.” he pouted, faking offense, “you weren’t lying to me were you?”

satoru’s hand still on his hip like the sassy man he was, his mouth just flopping open and closing like a fish out of water, trying to think of a quick retort but failing to come up with anything, because the raven haired man was right

he was a truly unforgettable fuck

“now my feelings are hurt, he didn’t say I was an unforgettable fuck..” you pouted, crossing your arms over your bare chest,

“your mouth almost sucked the soul out of me,” he echoed from the hall

he had taken the opportunity of getos attention on you while he was ‘consoling’ you to slip out of the room, walking back in with a few damp towels, “course you’re an unforgettable fuck, way more than that monkey brained freak,” he hisses at geto, sitting next to you on the bed, using the warm towel to wipe his cum from your cheeks,

“oh? really?” geto let his head fall from his hand, landing against your knee, squinting his eyes at satoru while the blonde continued cleaning down your body, wiping up any fluids the two men had left

“think i remember making you cum..how many times was it again? 4? you were shooting blanks before i was even done with you” he smiles, rubbing your knee fondly with his strong hand while staring at gojo challengingly,

gojo looks away from your breasts, staring back into geto’s deep brown eyes,

“n they only made you cum once..” suguru mumbles into your knee,

“woah! woah, okay, I didn’t know i was competing with you in the first place!” you defend yourself, front half of your body shooting up, making gojo sigh as you accidentally knocked his hand back, “‘s not about quantity anyways, it’s about quality” you said smugly,

“n toru here, said I almost made him die so id say my quality is michelin star,” you proclaimed, narrowing your eyes at him before gojo pushed ur torso back down,

“i’m surrounded by a buncha babies jesus christ,” gojo shakes his head, pulling your leg out of sugurus grasp to access your leaking cunt better, pressing the harsh cloth against you and wiping you as gently as he could,

“sorry,” he winced for you in sympathy when you groaned out a protest, trying to close your legs on his hand at how painfully sensitive the rough towel made you feel, “anyways, you’re both good in bed, kay?” he continues,

“when suguru fucks me, it feels like my fucking guts are getting all messed up to make room for his stupidly big cock,” looking up through his lashes at sugurus smug expression, then back down to focus on what he was doing before making eye contact with you,

your arms still crossed over your chest, “n your throat squeezes me so fucking good i thought i was seein the pearly gates,” hand coming up to pinch your cheek, discarding the towel somewhere on the floor, standing once more to look for someone’s shirt on the floor he can put on,

“ ‘fucks’ as in you’ve had sex multiple times?” you stared in disbelief between the two of the large men, before settling your eyes on suguru

continuing your teasing you spoke up again, “and my compliment still sounded better,” you challenged him, a smug looks gracing your features

“you think so?” the raven haired man scrunched his eyebrows together, before turning his head to look straight at gojo’s supple bent over ass as he picked up a shirt and started to pull it over his head, “well, only one way to be sure which of us is really better.” he says to you quietly before standing

coming up behind gojo and grabbing his raised arms, preventing him from putting on his shirt, “hold that thought satoru, we’re in the middle of a little debate right now” yanking the shirt from satoru’s hands and throwing it back to its prior home on the floor,

“think you can help us? hmm?” he whispers, right into the shell of his best friends ear, sending goosebumps down his neck, “we’ll make it worth your while.”

———————————————————————

almost two hours later and the three of you were still in the same room, on the same bed,

gojo on his back, suguru fucking his cock right into his prostate as you face gojo, bouncing on his overstimulated dick, a thick ring of yours and his combined cum on the base of his overstimulated cock,

“c-cant cum anymore p-please- haaah- fuck please!” gojo whimpers out, thrashing his head back and forth on the sheets as fat tears drip down his face, making his cheeks shine under the light, “‘s too much ‘m too sensitive, ohmygodd” he drags, curses spilling from his lips one after another, his hold on your grip sure to leave nasty bruises as his hips fuck into your warm cunt without his brains permission,

“not till you tell us who’s better,” geto emphasizes with a heavy thrust, hand coming up to choke you out while he gives gojos poor hole the meanest treatment,

“‘s me right? ‘ve made you cum inside me so many times.” you slur, voice strained from getos rough grip on your throat

“bold of you to think that was your doing,” geto scoffs at you, “cmere,” he pulls your head back to press your lips together, other hand interlacing with gojos on your hip

satoru whines underneath the two of you, watching you makeout and feeling your cunt pulse around him because of suguru’s expert tongue work in your mouth had him spiraling

your hands coming up to grab geto’s wrist while he hums into the kiss, biting your lip between his teeth and pulling on it, letting it go before he chases after it and connects your lips once more

“‘m gunna cum again- please fuck- nggghhh i c-cant cum again,” gojo whines, squeezing getos hand and your hip for support as he’s falling into yet another orgasm and fast,

suguru pulls away from the kiss, releasing his grip on your neck as he pushes your lower back down twords gojos chest, “yes you can,” he growls

the raven haired man grabs your hair by the roots and pushes your face into satorus, “help him through it baby,” not needing to be told twice, you grab gojos cheeks with both your hands and slot your lips against his,

“mmmmph- mmm- can-t- p-please i-“ his protests being cut off by your lips, not letting him catch a breath

“got you, cmon” you comfort him in between your assault on his lips, geto reaching between his bestfriend and your body, finding your neglected clit, and rubbing sloppy circles on it, helping you get closer to your own high

“right there with you,” geto grits his teeth, resisting the urge to squeeze his eyes shut and tip his head back, so he can watch the show unfolding in front of him,

“gonna fill up this tight ass while you cum inside them, okay? and you’re gonna take everything we give you, right?” geto’s hips losing their rhythm, teetering on the edge of his own orgasm

gojo just whimpers into your mouth, hes trying to speak, he really is, but it’s all too much, he’s completely fucked out

“need to hear you say it satoru,” he emphasizes with a mean thrust, fucking impossibly deeper into his tight hole,

getos hand rubbing sloppily on your clit almost becomes too much, “yes! yesyes please ohmygod- gonna take it- shit-“ gojo’s whiney voice gets out just before he feels your cunt start to squeeze him,

“toru! fuuuuck me!” you whine, the blondes hips mindlessly fucking up into you helping you ride out your high as he cums so fucking hard, bordering on painful as spurt after spurt of his warm seed fills you once more,

and he’s gasping, barely coherent broken moans of both of your names on satoru’s tongue

geto not far behind you as he stills, balls deep inside gojos ass, the last push he needed seeing the two of you cum all over each other,

“yesssss fuuuuck” he clenches his teeth together hard, toothy grin emerging on his face, finally letting his head fall back, eyes following suit, rolling to the back of his head, “take it f-fucking t-take it.” fucking each rope of his cum deep into gojo’s ass

all three of you bask in the aftershocks of your intense orgasms, core clenching and unclenching around gojo’s length as you finally come down, picking your head up from gojos neck and smiling at his current state,

he was sniffling and gasping, red faced, tears decorating his lashes, making them look like glitter, he appeared more fucked out than ever

geto behind him slowly pulls out his softening cock, and gojo lets out a long groan of overstimulation when he does so, digging his fingers into the fat of your sides and wincing, “fuck, please don’t move yet, might pass out if you do” he says to you, his poor dick crying for relief, still snug inside your pussy, twitching every so often against your walls

you giggle, peppering kisses all over his face, he lets his eyes shut, finally relaxing a little as he relishes in the feeling of your soft lips on his skin,

suguru coming around to sit by his head

when you stop your assult of kisses on his porcelain face geto grabs gojos cheek furthest away from him and makes him turn his head into his thick thigh, “so,” geto starts, rubbing his thumb on gojos cheek, “who was better?” he asks, cocky smile finding home once more on his face

gojos eyes shoot open, looking at him slightly panicked, squeezing your upper thighs for support before he speaks, looking back between the two of you,

“i….im afraid if i don’t answer we will never leave this room.” he gulps

geto confirms his fears, tilting his head to the side, face sporting the fakest smile of comfort gojo has ever seen, “you would be absolutely right.”

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

okay so,,i got an ask but instead of saving it i posted it unfinished like a dumbass so i had to delete AUGHHH anon man i hope you’re still sticking around n tysm for the ask :((( if you saw this earlier you’re a hacker bc I deleted that AT LIGHTNING SPEED anyways hope yall enjoy <3

Fem reader (boobs), fluff, katsu n reader in their 20s, katsuki is nyasty and a big baby, nakedness and such, katsuki talks about boobies soo suggestive i think?? just to be safe :3

request : i saw this video on tiktok before and thought it was so cute! it was a girl pranking her boyfriend by telling him to leave the room so she could change and he was just so confused, was wondering if u could do that with bkg 🥹 <33

right now, katsuki bakugo is about 99% convinced that there's a stranger in his house.

that, or you're mad at him.

"what ?" he asks again for what he knows is once too many, because you giggle. he feels your hand press against his chest, keeping him from following you into your bedroom. you're all smiles.

"i said, i'm changing."

“..so ?”

"so," you copy, making your voice gruff and nasally in a way that's making his nose scrunch. "you. wait outside." you dig your finger into his firm chest to accentuate your point, talking slowly like he's a dog. katsuki's eyebrows furrow harder.

clearly, you take him for a joke.

"you know i've already seen you naked before, right?"

you splutter at his bluntness and usually it'd make him smirk to see the effect he has on you. You cross your arms over your chest that you're trying to keep him from seeing for some reason. "yes, i know that, thanks for reminding me."

without missing a beat, he grabs both of your arms and pulls them apart, pulling a gasp from you. he's always had this weird trigger with crossed arms. he pulls you closer to him until you're firm to his chest and leans forward.

"so, there's nothin' you gotta hide from me." his voice his gravelly the lower he speaks, half lidded eyes looking you up and down, you do your best not to look too bothered.

" 'm not hiding anything, promise." you wiggle your hands out of his grip to lift them up in surrender. katsuki grumbles, you smirk "i just don't want you following me everywhere."

he leans back like you'd hit him, like you'd popped him straight on his mouth, eyes wide and mouth agape "what the-so what i can't walk around in my own damn house?!"

"and you always happen to be walking where i'm going ? conveniently ?" you cross your arms again, hobbling a bit away from your boyfriend so he couldn't pull the stunt from a few seconds ago.

katsuki, now that you’re out of reach, copies you and throws his beefy arms over each other. “i dunno if you noticed, but this place isn’t that fuckin’ huge. everywhere leads to the same place.” he squints when you giggle with a roll of your eyes.

“uhuh, that’s why you somehow end up in the bathroom just watching me. it’s all connected.” you sass, and you managed to dodge katsuki’s fingers attempting to wedge themselves into your sides with a squeal. you grip at the door in warning.

“i’m slamming this in your face !” you warn, pulling the door open and back to taunt him. he stares at you for a few more seconds before he scoffs, rolls his eyes, and groans dramatically . his arms flop to accentuate how much your denial irritates him.

“fine. since you fuckin’ hate being with me so bad, don’t even know why yer ass even moved in then..” you giggle at his not so quiet mutterings, grabbing his arm you pull him toward you

“i was joking, big baby, you can come in.”

katsuki blinks at you, eyebrows furrowed. then his head drops and he shakes it, hair tussling around as he sighs loudly. you laugh and when he’s finally past the door, he pinches you.

“fuckin’ dumbass, thought you grew a third tit an’ didn’t want me to see or something.”

you spin around, smacking his arms causing him to cackle meanly at you.

“you’re such a child.” you huff, “i shouldn’t have let you in here.” you mutter, kicking off your pants. katsuki snickers behind you, you can practically sense he’s about to say something stupid.

“aw, ‘m flattered baby. ya want me to see your third tittie ?” katsuki swiftly dodges the sweatpants you’d launched at him, continuing to laugh. goddamn pro hero reflexes.

[maplesyrupsainz]

˖⁺｡˚⋆˙20 weeks you say… | LN4˖⁺｡˚⋆˙

pairing: lando norris x pregnant!reader y/n (she/her)

genre: social media au, established relationship

warnings: sexual references but not major, mainly fluff with some joking/play fighting yk the vibes

summary: in which your pregnancy announcement is met with an unexpected response

a/n: chose lando coz im obsessed with him atm😭😭😭 also i think this plot suits him better lol. it's pretty short but it fits the plot best imo!

request!!!: Can I request reader and driver, maybe Carlos or lando, announce her pregnancy only for fans to put together that the baby is a result of a race win

my masterlist

fc: various blonde girls from pinterest

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by landonorris, lilyzneimer, and others

yourusername we've been keeping a secret… 20 weeks and counting 🕊️

view all comments

user1 OH MY GOD

yourmother im crying again y/n!

yourusername you better stop by the time baby's here!

lilyzneimer so happy for you guys 🥹

yourusername tysm angel <3

iamrebeccad amazing news ❤️

liked by yourusername

alexandrasaintmleux congratulations ❤️

liked by yourusername

francisca.cgomes ahhh cant wait for baby to be born!

yourusername 🥹🥹🥹

user2 all the wags comments!! so cute

carlossainz55 are you sure?

yourusername 😂😂😂 yes lando is going to be a father for the 500th time

user3 hahahaha poor lando

charles_leclerc wow sending love to you both! congratulations!

liked by yourusername

oscarpiastri congratulations to my favourite couple!

yourusername thanks osc 😊

danielricciardo contrats 🎉

liked by yourusername

logansargeant wow congratulations guys

liked by yourusername

user4 20 weeks you say... 🧐

landonorris posted a story

liked by lilymhe, francisca.cgomes, and others

user5 ahh she's so gorgeous

user6 i can't believe u guys are gonna have a baby omg 😭

user7 wowwww

user8 cant wait for baby norris 🥹

lilyzneimer you better be looking after her

landonorris i am!!!

lilyzneimer good.... im watching

landonorris scary

yourmother look after my baby!

landonorris i am!!! why does no one believe me

yourmother she's carrying precious cargo

landonorris oh dont i know it 😭

twitter ->

messages ->

instagram ->

landonorris

liked by yourusername, carlossainz55, and others

landonorris anyway 🤫

view all comments

user16 r u telling us to shut up lando 🥺🥺

landonorris yes actually y/n is mad at u guys!

user17 NOOOOOOOOOOOO

user18 smh coz u guys r always running ur mouth

user19 what happened? what did u guys do this time 🤔

user20 ...worked out when their baby was conceived...

user21 HAHAHAHAHHA

user22 too far i fear

carlossainz55 me personally, i think it's funny

landonorris well...

yourusername shut up both of you

carlossainz55 sorry y/n

oscarpiastri forgive & forget 😌

user23 yup i agree with oscar! forgive us y/n

yourusername hmmm.... NO!

user24 HAHAHAHA

user25 hahahah poor y/n!

user26 it was a special race win tbf, we'd all have done the same thing y/n <3

liked by landonorris, yourusername

messages ->

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by lilyzneimer, landonorris, and others

yourusername lil update. we r so ready for baby now

view all comments

user27 omg she's so much bigger now

user28 what's the gender??

user29 they havent told us

user30 ur glowing y/n

liked by yourusername

user31 she liked this.. maybe she is forgiving us :)

lilyzneimer miss you in the garage babe

yourusername miss you so much! please come visit soon lol

lilyzneimer omg i will🥹🥹

mclaren we cant wait to meet little norris!

liked by yourusername, landonorris

iamrebeccad gorgeous girl

yourusername ily

user32 carlando & landoscar lives on in their wags friendships tbh

oscarpiastri lando is miserable without u, hurry up & have the baby & get back to races

yourusername what do u think im trying to do oscar? 🤨

oscarpiastri yea true. my bad

landonorris i dont like ur tone

oscarpiastri im so sorry

landonorris better

user33 LOL😭😭

time skip 🧡

landonorris posted a story

liked by yoursister, lilyzneimer, and others

yoursister is everything ok?

landonorris i'll keep you updated, dont worry

yoursister you better

user34 she's sooo cute

user35 i cant wait for her to have the baby ahh

user36 giggling & kicking her feet she's jus a girl fr

lilyzneimer keep me updated please

landonorris 😂 will add you to the baby update group chat

lilyzneimer please do omg

carlossainz55 dont freak out

landonorris easy for you to say

landonorris

liked by yourmother, oscarpiastri, and others

landonorris first month with our daughter x

view all comments

user37 OMG FINALLY NEWS

user38 a girl omg

user39 lando a girl dad!!!

user40 awwww a beautiful daughter from winning in miami

landonorris DONT BRING THIS UP AGAIN

user40 oop-my bad

user41 HAHAHAHA

user42 they deffo nickname her miami

oscarpiastri congratulations 🥂

landonorris 🧡

lilyzneimer 🥹🥹🥹🥹 so gorgeous

liked by landonorris

carlossainz55 congratulations both of you!

landonorris thanks for all ur help 🫡

carlossainz55 it's nothing :)

yourusername god i love you 🥹

landonorris i love YOU

yourusername posted a story

liked by landonorris, mclaren, and others

user43 HAHAHAHA

user44 ur not mad at us 🥳🥳🎉🎉🎉

user55 this is sooo funny & cute omg i love her

yoursister 😭😭stop it

yourusername hahahaha it is kind of funny tho

lilyzneimer ignoring the caption, u guys are so cute

yourusername 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

landonorris best gift i could ever ask for 😌 i love you

THE END 🧡

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

@catchuuu @staryukis

can't say you dived into a fandom properly without drawing fem versions of your favs am i right

[chaostudee]

my woman part two, lando norris

summary : y/n spends the summer break with her two favourite people but summer always has to come to an end. warnings : none a/n : tysm for all the love on part one, here is the highly requested part two xx

y/nusername summer with my love

liked by landonorris, alexsaintmleux, georgerussell and 4,118,910 others.

user119 omg the bump im sobbing 😭

f1fan my fav family

alexsaintmleux literally glowing

y/nusername 💋

landonorris i don't want this summer to end

carmenmundt can't wait to see you <3

y/nusername literally can't wait to see you again eeek

y/nmyfave i can't believe that they are acc going to be parents soon, literally felt like yesterday when they announced their engagement 🫠

y/nusername

》 landonorris god you are so beautiful

》 y/nusername such a simp 🤭 》 landonorris only for you

》 user11 dress from where???

》 f1fan i think its zara but i'm not sure

》 carmenmundt is that my cardigan i see 👀

》 y/nusername my fashion icon

landonorris the summer break of dreams.

liked by y/nusername, oscarpiastri, charlesleclerc and 5,910,901 others.

y/nusername yes he did ask me to play mermaids with him

landonorris yk u wanted to ;)

f1fan normally summer break is hell but my parents being active makes up for it

user9201 he's so cutsie like look at that smile

y/nlover y/n one chance plssss

charlesleclerc inside he's still a child

oscarpiastri i can confirm this ☝️

carmenmundt reunited with bestie @y/nusername

liked by georgerussell, landonorris and y/nusername and 230,001 others.

y/nusername my fav person

landonorris um excuse me tffff

georgerussell ❤️

f1fan underrated duo imo !

user102 imagine being friends with them 😩

landonorris back to the track 🏎

》 user929 stop no more y/n and lando content kill me now

》 f1fan he looks miserable

y/nusername

landonorris good result, good food, good weekend.

liked by maxverstappen, charlesleclerc and oscarpiastri and 6,334,906 others.

f1lover his smileeee im blushing

user929 the curls are curling

oscarpiastri he did in fact try to fit all those waffles in his mouth all at once

charlesleclerc 💀

f1wagupdates bros majestic

carmenmundt

liked by landonorris, georgerussell, oscarpiastri and 590,820 others.

landonorris george's face is such a jumpscare

charlesleclerc fr

f1_619 queen of the paddock

user929 stop i miss y/n so bad

f1lover BEST WAG AND BEST COUPLE ARGUE WITH THE WALL

georgerussell i love you

landonorris had to dnf on the last lap, but oscar on the podium so great job team 💪 hopefully next week is better.

liked by mclaren, oscarpiastri and charlesleclerc and 4,220,790 others.

f1fan it's okay pookie we still love you

oscarpiastri sorry mate but if u want we can co own my trophy

landonorris um yesss

f1lover mclaren screwed him over again

user528 girl what-

y/nusername baby girl is here (evelyn norris) and we couldn't be happier. we both love you so much already and can't wait for the rest of our lives with you.

liked by landonorris, georgerussell, carmenmundt and 8,910,517 others.

landonorris our baby girl 🫶

carmenmundt my bsf is officially a mommy

georgerussell congrats you guys !!

user7282 yes i sobbed when i saw this post and what about it?

oscarpiastri real

lewishamilton big congratulations to you both ❤️

f1wagupdates sobbing

fernandoalonso wow i feel old

f1lover im calling it first she will be the star of the paddock

taglist ���.ᐟ

@lottalove4evelyn

@sweetestgirlintown111

@hadidsworld

@mxryxmfooty

[chocum]

COMING DOWN !

— bunched up, sweet little whimpers, he always gets so sensitive under your touch feat. choso kamo

WARNINGS. femreader (she/her) x goodguy!cho :3 mentions of violence/death, sub cho, dom reader, overstimulation, begging, blowjob, premature ejaculation ;( crying + 1.2k wc note. i’m so insane abt choso it’s actually scary, he’s all i think about. tysm for all the support on my first post. love u all! feedback + reblogs are appreciated! also art by @/swag_yay on x. ty again & enjoyyy ᡣ𐭩

choso hated missions with a passion that pierced his very soul.

his cursed energy manipulation and combat skills are unrivaled, making him crucial to a mission’s success, but the relentless nature of them drained him beyond words— both mentally and physically.

they feel so repetitive: eliminate curses, protect civilians, prevent damage. eliminate curses, eliminate curses, eliminate.

he has always been driven by a deep desire to protect everyone he could, especially those who were unable to do so themselves, but the constant cycle of violence and death confused him—wrestling with self-doubt, doing mental gymnastics, trying to justify his actions. the cognitive strain became a heavy burden that compounded during missions, further exhausting him like heavy buckets of water dousing an already flickering flame.

and after meeting you — his sweet, sweet girl — his hatred for missions only grew.

the ache of missing you constantly gnawed at him. your homey scent. your taste still fresh on his tongue, preventing him from concentrating because, in his mind, he’s still tangled in your sheets, stealing sweet kisses that linger on his lips long after they’ve left yours.

when out scouting, he would catch glimpses of couples hand in hand in the streets sporting deep smiles, making his stomach twist— his brows pinching together, deepening the ridge between them.

his sole solace was the thought of returning home to his pretty girl once everything was over— it pushes him to keep going, to keep fighting, even avoiding shoko because he preferred your clumsy little hands to patch him up.

finally done with his latest three-week mission — a seeming eternity away from you — he was being driven to your place, to you, home.

head lolling back against the car seat, he spreads his legs wider, rolling his hips to adjust himself, before sinking, letting the leather seat swallow him whole. he tilts his head to the side, deep purple irises flickering, to watch the familiar scenery— large leafy trees crowding the darkening highway under evening skies.

after he waved his goodbyes, giving thanks to his driver, he stumbled up to the door, his fingers fumbling awkwardly with the keys underneath the dim light of the porch. on the other side, the distinct sound of the lock clicking open causes you to bolt up, rushing to greet him.

he pushes it open and there you are. looking up at him with that big smile he adores so much lighting your face— pretty eyes sparkling with relief. you squeal and fling your arms around him without hesitation and he does the same, burying his face into the side of your neck, feeling your hair brush against him, inhaling deeply.

you always smelled so good— a blend of your natural scent and hints of vanilla from your body wash. he’s been craving that scent for so long, growing dizzy now that it finally embraces him, his body falling limp, so weak in your smaller arms.

you pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, fingers gently tracing the smooth lines on his face— lines that seemed deeper since you’d last seen him.

“i missed you so much” you hummed faintly as he cupped your face, nuzzling your warm cheeks against his rough hands.

“i missed you so much more”

he leaned down to find your lips. they felt so much softer than he remembered. kissing you deeply, his calloused hand cradling the back of your neck, drawing you closer into the warmth of his embrace.

and when you moan against him— oh, it sounds so sweet, the blood rushing to his cock so quickly. next thing he knows, he’s rutting against your thigh, pressing against you so, so desperately, almost mounting you.

“what’s wrong cho?” a soft whine escapes him at the sudden loss of contact, “tell me, baby, use your words”

“i’m sorry,” he breathes, a pretty blush crawling up his neck, “just missed you so much— got excited”

“i know, my pretty boy, but ‘m here now, okay? let me take care of you. i know you missed it.” you take his hand, drawing him to your room as he follows obediently, shutting the door behind him, “did you touch yourself without me?”

he shakes his head, his fluffy hair cascading down to rest on his shoulders. “you .. you told me not no”

“good boy”

you push against his shoulders, gently guiding him to sit on the bed, his breath hitching so sweetly watching you lift yourself to straddle his waist. connecting your lips once more, hips grinding against him so slowly— rocking back and forth. his mouth now tinted pink and tenderly swollen from your ardent kisses, you move down to his neck planting a trail of light ones along the sensitive skin, each touch eliciting subtle little quivers and soft exhales. his fists bunch up the sheets, he—

“sorrysorrysorry” he babbles breathlessly— endlessly, his pants turning damp, material darkening as his cock twitches and pulses so cutely, cum drooling out his sensitive slit, “just feel so good against me. been so long. couldn’t even touch myself when you sent those pictures. it’s so sensitive”

“shhhh ‘s okay, cho.” a finger pressed against his pout— pushing its way in for him to suckle on warmly before you slide down to your knees. trailing your hands down his thighs, tugging on the hem of his pants, “i’ll clean you up”

he’s still so hard— his tip blushing, crying white cream, and when you take him in your hands, his hips jerk up for you— body still coming down from his high and you’re already taking him in your mouth, cruelly, licking fat stripes up his twitchy length.

“fuck ‘s too much baby, i just- wai, wait, please.” he’s pawing at you, pushing against your head, but he sounds too cute, crying and whimpering around you for you to stop— looks too cute with the prettiest pink blush shrouding his body from the tips of his heated ears to his curled toes.

you gargle and gag around his cock— exaggerating the sounds because you know it drives him insane. he loves when you get so nasty and messy for him, foamy spit bubbling around where his cock plugs your mouth up. your hands move to cup his warm balls, caressing and squeezing gently, coaxing him to cum for you again.

“ah f- baby, i’m so fucking— please. wanna cum for— you. gonna be so good, gonna—”

he cums salty, thick stripes straight down your warm throat with a whine so pretty you wish it was recorded so you could play it over and over and over.

and he’s crying— it’s too much, feels too good — sweetly hiccuping, sniffing as he hides his face behind his hands. such a pretty boy. he’s growing limp in your mouth and you pull off with a whine before kissing up his shaky legs.

“did so good for me, cho, missed having you like this” lightly moving his hands to pet at his damp cheeks, watching keenly how he leans into your touch, wiping pretty doll-like tears with your thumbs.

knowing that he has you to take such good care of him once he’s home will forever ease his mind while he’s away, a comforting thought that lingers like a soft embrace, even in your absence.

[leclercmode]

golden couple ☁️ charles leclerc

request: can you do a female footballer player smau for charles please? maybe they see her pop up in the paddock and him in the stands, sort of secret but not private kind of thing? could it be set around the fifa women’s world cup if that’s not too much to ask? thank you!

couple: f1 driver! charles x footballer! reader

face claim: jana fernandez & aitana

NOW: F1 2023 US GP Charles Leclerc Post Race Interview

comments ⬇️

user1 he’s such a fan, cute!!

user2 she’s a world champion of course he wants a picture with her

user3 NO BUT I WANT TO SEE THEM TOGETHER SO BAD

user4 omg… he absolutely has a crush on her

user5 im loving this f1 x football crossover

user6 “which team is yn supporting?” NO HES SO CUTE

user7 he wanted her cheering for ferrari so bad

user8 how can he be so hot and respectful

ynusername has added to their story

charles_leclerc has added to their story

ynusername

Liked by charles_leclerc, leomessi, and 1.239.835 others

ynusername champions league winner and vacation with my bae <3

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charles_leclerc you’re the best!!!! love you endlessly.

ynusername @charles_leclerc no, YOU are!!! ty for the support, bae. love you!

charles_leclerc @ynusername any time ♾️

user9 @charles_leclerc i LOVE how support u guys are to each other

user10 GOAT 🤞🏻 we are so grateful to have you in our team

lewishamilton let’s GO 🙌🏻 you are the best, keep going!

ynusername @lewishamilton thank you so much, my friend!! see you soon 🫶🏻

user11 @lewishamilton LEWIS WOWNDIWJS

user12 @lewishamilton always knew lewis is a culer

user13 @user12 dude is a yn supporter

lewishamilton @user13 true!!

user14 congratulations, yn!!

user15 #MadeInLaMasia vamossss 🙌🏻

landonorris you TRULY is the GOAT, keep pushing!!!!

ynusername @landonorris tysm for EVERYthing!! 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻

user16 yn in loved by everyone

charles_leclerc

Liked by lewishamilton, pedri, and 2.827.712 others

charles_leclerc i can only feel proud of everything you've achieved! i know how hard you've worked for all of this and i'm sure culers recognize your hard work. i love you so much, my love. you are, literally, the best in the world. #️⃣1️⃣‼️☝🏻✨

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pedri 💙❤️👏🏻

user17 gràcies, yn!!! ets la millor 💗 (thank you, yn!! you are the best)

user18 they are pure magic and talent together

user19 just cried with joy

lewishamilton another one!! they just gave an object to something we already knew, the best in the world 💪🏻✨

charles_leclerc @lewishamilton tell her, my friend. 🙂‍↕️

lewishamilton @charles_leclerc let's talk about what everyone already knows, buddy!!

ynusername @lewishamilton @charles_leclerc thank u to my ferrari (and future ferrari) boys 🤷🏻‍♀️

arthur_leclerc my sister-in-law is the GOAT 🐐

ynusername @arthur_leclerc i’ve achieved all this because of you guys, thank you for everything ♾️

user20 charles being proud of yn and saying she’s the best making me emotional 😢 like,,, that’s true love and pure joy!!!!!!!

user21 I JUST WOKE UP AND THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER TO WAKE UP TO

user23 their love is so palpable. so cute to witness.

NOW: “I’m living my best life” | Emotional Charles Leclerc On His Home Win

comments ⬇️

user24 imagine achieving one of your biggest dreams and still talking about your girl’s achievements, dude is in love asf!!!!

user25 love them both

user26 such a wholesome couple. they both deserve happiness.

user27 gosh i’m so jealous

user28 I WANT WHAT THEY HAVE

user29 seeing them together makes me believe more in love

user30 THEY ARE SO CUTE