#; ran out of spices ooc

[burninwrath]

Do you EVEN KNOW what I do with you on c.ai?

DO YOU?

{ You use my stuff for ai ??? You're wack, gross even. }

[felinecyan]

Meddle About

[Katsuki Bakugo x Female!Reader]

Synopsis: When something… intimate happens between you and the explosive boy, you seek out the comfort and advice from your fangirl best friend.

WC: 6832

Category: Fluff, Slight Spice/Lime, Mixed Signals

Might be ooc (I blame Chase Atlantic for this one), but I wanted to post something… interesting since it’s OFFICIALLY my birthday 🗣️🗣️

『••✎••』

Here you were, pacing back and forth in your best friend's dorm room. You hadn't said a word, only muttering incoherent thoughts to yourself while your eyes flitted around the room as if you could find the words written on the walls.

Mina watched you from her bed, leaning forward on her hands, which were planted on her mattress. She had her legs crossed beneath her, and she was rocking herself slightly. Her mouth was agape with excitement and confusion, and her eyes were wide as she watched you.

You felt bad for disturbing her sleep, but you were too overwhelmed to wait until morning to talk to her about what had happened. When it happens, you can't even wait an hour to tell someone about it, much less eight hours. So, with your impatient nature, you hunted her down after five minutes of attempting to calm yourself down and failing.

Mina, who had been sleeping soundly at the time, was jolted awake when you burst into her room and slammed the door shut. It wasn't until she heard the lock click that she realized the situation.

You were freaking out, and it had something to do with a boy.

When you first started at UA, the two of you had promised each other that you would never keep a crush a secret from the other so you could gush and squeal over the boys together. Of course, it had always been Mina with a crush, and you were giving advice. She had had her eyes on several guys throughout the year, but you had remained unfazed.

Until...

"Okay," Mina began. "I'm not even going to ask why you were walking around the dorms at one in the morning. But, seriously, tell me what happened!"

Your hands, which had been tangled in your hair, fell to your sides as you turned to look at her. Your cheeks were flushed, and your heart was racing. You didn't know how to begin. You wanted to just blurt it all out, but at the same time, you were afraid.

"I... uhm... well..." you stuttered, wringing your hands nervously.

"C'mon, I'm dying here!" Mina whined, bouncing in place. She reached her hands out and grabbed yours, tugging you forward until you were sitting next to her on the bed. "You're acting as if you had your first kiss or something."

You stared at her, blinking slowly as you processed her words. Then, without warning, she froze. You were afraid she had short-circuited. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes were as big as saucers. Her grip on your hands tightened as she gasped loudly.

"No," she whispered. "No way."

"Mina..."

"You did!" she exclaimed, her voice rising to a volume that could probably be heard throughout the dorms.

"Keep your voice down!" you hissed, grabbing a pillow from behind her and smacking her across the face. She didn't react, her mouth still open.

"Tell me everything," she demanded, her voice lowered. "How did it happen? When did it happen? Who did it happen with? I want to know all the details, so spill."

"Mina..."

It was rough to have her pressuring you. She was always good at doing that. It was part of the reason why you ran straight to her. You knew that she would force you to talk about it, and you needed to talk about it. You didn't want to stop talking about it. You didn't want the night to end, and you didn't want to forget about it.

"I'm listening," Mina told you, squeezing your hands once more. "Don't be afraid to get all the gushy details. You know I love that stuff."

You couldn't stop your eyes from rolling as you took a deep breath. You decided to spill her favorite part first.

"I can't get it out of my head, Mina," you whispered. "I didn't even realize he could do that. I didn't know he was capable of it. I was so dazed by his actions that I didn't know what was going on. It felt like I was dreaming. I don't even know how it escalated so quickly. I just found myself against the wall, and he was looking at me, and his eyes... oh, his eyes, Mina, his eyes."

"Who the hell are you talking about?!" Mina interrupted. She looked like she was going to burst from anticipation, and you were slightly enjoying keeping her in the dark. Especially since she had no idea it was the guy who she least expected it to be.

"Do not yell," you warned her, pointing your finger at her face. "You won't believe me, but I swear it's the truth."

"What?" she asked. "Who was it?"

"Promise me you won't freak out."

"Okay, now I'm nervous," Mina said. She moved backward on the bed so her back was pressed against the wall. You watched as her fingers dug into her blanket, her knuckles turning white. "Now you have to tell me. I'm terrified, so you have to. Who was it?"

You took another deep breath, your heart beating loudly.

Now or never.

"Bakugo."

You were ready for your ears to bleed. You were expecting her to scream bloody murder, and you were ready to clamp your hand over her mouth to shut her up. But, instead, she broke out into laughter. And it wasn't her usual laugh, either. It was loud and obnoxious, and she threw her head back and cackled.

"Yeah, right," she breathed out, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, that was a good one. I almost believed you. Now, really. Who was it?"

Your jaw dropped, and you could feel anger boiling inside of you. She didn't believe you? I mean, yeah, it was completely unbelievable with how he acts with everyone, but you didn't joke around like this. And you were honestly offended that she thought you were.

Mina laughed again and again and again. Every time, it became harder for her to breathe, and her laughs turned into snorts. Her face was bright red, and her shoulders shook violently as she giggled. It wasn't until she finally opened her eyes to see the glare on your face that the laughs eased up.

"I mean, it's a good joke," she chuckled. "But, seriously, tell me who it really was."

You didn't say a word. Instead, you just gave her the most deadpan stare you could muster, which still took her a moment to register. Once she did, however, that smile of hers fell off her face faster than you could blink.

"Wait... you're not joking?"

"Do you really think I'd come here in the middle of the night if I was?"

She stared at you with a shocked expression on her face. She was speechless, and you were waiting for the reaction you expected. You were sure her brain had exploded.

"You mean to tell me," she said, her voice shaking. "That Bakugo... the hot-tempered, vulgar, rude, foul-mouthed, explosive asshole just kissed you? He kissed you?! Are you serious?"

"Mina, please, not so loud!"

"Are you serious?!" she screamed, leaping off her bed. "You have got to be joking. There's no way that happened. No way! It had to be a dream or something. I can't even see him doing something like that. Of all people, it's him? I even see Mineta before him! He's like... not capable of showing any emotion that isn't anger."

"Mina!"

"What the hell happened?! I want to know all the dirty little details!" she yelled, rushing forward and grabbing your arms. "How did you get that maniac to do something so... un-Bakugo-like? What did he do? How did he kiss you? Was it nice? I can't believe he kissed you! He's never kissed anyone before!"

"Mina, shut up!" you hissed, covering her mouth with your hand. She kept mumbling against your skin, and you felt her tongue swipe across your palm. You grimaced, pulling your hand away from her and wiping it on your pants.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!" she squealed, jumping up and down. "How did you do it? Oh, I'm so happy for you! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!"

"Mina, please. It's late," you told her. "Be quiet; he can probably hear you."

"Wait... how long ago was this?"

"Uhm... maybe twenty minutes or so."

She stopped bouncing, and her jaw dropped.

"You kissed Bakugo twenty minutes ago," she said. "And you just came to my room?! Why the hell are you even here? You should be with him! Get your ass back to him and make sure he kisses you again!"

You were taken aback by her sudden outburst, and your cheeks flushed. The thought of going to him now sent a wave of anxiety through you, and you were beginning to regret waking Mina up.

"I can't go back there," you told her. "Not yet. I can't... I can't look him in the eye."

"Why the hell not?" Mina questioned, furrowing her brows. "This is a huge! He still hasn't even called me by my actual name. But, he kissed you? That's insane. He's gotta be a secret softy or something. I need details."

"Mina, you don't understand," you said, sighing. "I- I never felt like this before. I'm... I'm stuck. My mind is blank. I can't get him off my mind. It's driving me crazy. I didn't realize someone could affect me like this."

Mina stared at you for a moment before a smirk appeared on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at you with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "How did he do it?" she asked.

"Mina," you said. "I just told you that—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but did he just walk up and kiss you or what? Like, how did it happen? You have to start from the beginning."

You rolled your eyes but obeyed her orders.

And the truth was, you honestly still didn’t know how it happened. You were yelling at each other over something dumb, as usual, but then the conversation took a strange turn. You had no idea where it had come from, and the memory was hazy, but you remembered what he had said.

"You wanna know what I fucking think?" He was seething, his fists clenched at his sides. His jaw was tight, and his eyes were burning holes into your head.

You didn't remember what you had said, but you remembered what he replied and the way he walked towards you.

"I think," he growled, and you were backing away from him. "You're so fucking desperate for attention that you're willing to do anything. Just admit it. You're so lonely that you'll try to make friends with anyone."

The scoff you had given him was followed by a few insults that you didn't remember. In all honesty, the things that were said weren't worth remembering. It was always the same old fight. But, for some reason, it was the actions in between that had caught you off guard this time.

You didn't realize how much you were trying to create space between the two of you, but every time you took a step back, he took one forward. You were trying to keep your voice steady and strong, but your hands were shaking, and your legs were weak.

It was only a matter of time before you were backed against the wall, and you could feel his breath hitting your face. Your eyes were wide, and your breathing was heavy. You couldn't focus on his words because his body was too close.

He noticed, too, because his insults were slowing down, and you could feel his eyes studying your face as it was turned away from him. When your gaze met him, the room became still. You were frozen in place, unable to move. He just... stared at you.

Neither of you said a word, but there was something in his eyes that changed the atmosphere of the room. It was like a flip had been switched. He was no longer angry or irritated. His eyes were gentle, and his gaze was intense. You had seen his gaze before, but you couldn't figure out why it felt so different.

Until you saw the flicker of his eyes. A millisecond change that anyone could've missed, but you didn't. You caught it as you caught the next one. You felt him move forward, and your mind went blank. Your senses were overrun by him. You could feel the heat from his skin.

He could probably hear your heartbeat; it wasn't very subtle. Your mind was racing, and your vision was hazy. All you could see was... him. And maybe you were just imagining it, but there was something in his eyes that showed you he wasn't mad anymore.

He looked different now, and it scared you. It scared you how you started counting his eyelashes. It scared you how much you wanted to reach up and run your hand through his hair. It scared you how badly you wanted to know how soft his lips were.

And he could tell because he leaned closer. Closer than you didn't think possible. Your breaths mingled together, and your noses brushed. He wasn't there yet, though. His mouth was just barely touching yours, and the feeling sent tingles down your spine.

His gaze was intense, and he looked like he was holding back. You could feel his chest pressing against yours, and he was taking shaky breaths. It was so strange, seeing him like this. Your eyes locked onto his, and you were sure he saw the curiosity behind them.

And then... his gaze fell into a look you've never seen before. Something was swimming behind those crimson eyes, and you found yourself drowning in the intensity. He was staring into your soul, and somehow, you could see the meaning in his eyes.

He was giving you a choice. He was asking a silent question. His eyes were pleading. They were begging. His face was so close to yours, and you were frozen. The way he was looking at you, you could see it. You could see what he was thinking.

He was waiting for you to do something. To push him away, to smack him, or to speak out. He was waiting for the rejection, the denial, the refusal. But you did none of those things because, for some reason, you didn't want to. You were enjoying the closeness, the intimacy, the... vulnerability.

Maybe it was the adrenaline, or maybe you were just insane, but the way he was looking at you made your stomach flip, and a strange warmth filled your chest. It was the way he was holding himself back, the way you could see his fingers trembling, the way his breath was unsteady.

For some reason, seeing him so weak, so open, so defenseless made you feel... something.

He was waiting for a response. It was up to you. You were the one in control, and if you had said the word, he would have walked away. But that's not what you wanted.

You didn't want him to go.

And, so, you had tried to speak out, but the words were caught in your throat. They wouldn't form, and the air was thick. Your tongue was tied, and your fingers were shaking. You were afraid. Afraid of the unknown.

He was patient. His gaze never faltered. His eyes were still looking at you with the same intensity, and you were getting lost in it. He didn't move closer, but his breath fanned across your lips. Your mind was blank, and you had no idea how long the two of you stood like that.

All you knew was that you needed him to do something. You needed him to know he was allowed to, but you couldn't bring yourself to speak. You were terrified, and the anticipation was driving you insane.

So, you used another way to answer.

You grabbed him, jerked his body forward, and pulled him as close as you could. He wasn't prepared for your sudden movement, and the air was forced out of his lungs. His hands found the wall, and his arms caged you in. You could feel his muscles flexing against you, and his eyes widened as they looked at you.

He didn't expect it. He wasn't prepared. It was a shock, but he wasn't about to deny himself the opportunity. Not when you were offering it to him. So, his eyes fell back into that look, and his head moved closer. He hesitated, and his lips grazed yours. You could feel the way his heart was beating.

The first kiss was chaste and barely there. You could've missed it, and you might've imagined it. But then he did it again, this time with enough pressure to make you aware. To make your eyes fall shut and a small sigh escapes your lips.

The next one was a little deeper, and he lingered a bit longer. His movements were slow, and he was giving you plenty of time to push him away, but you didn't. You couldn't. Because the moment his lips met yours, you lost all self-control.

Your body melted against his, and you found yourself falling into the kiss. You were sure you'd end up a pile of mush on the ground if his hands hadn't shifted to your hips, holding you up. The grip he had on your sides was gentle but firm, and the tips of his fingers were digging into the flesh of your hip bones.

Your hands had found their way into his hair, and your fingers tangled themselves in the blonde locks. You were always curious about his hair in that regard, and you were pleased to find it softer than you'd expected. With its jagged spikes, you'd expected it to be sharp and stiff, but it was just as smooth as silk. You really needed to get a hold of his hair products.

But you didn't have time to dwell on the subject because his mouth was moving against yours, and your entire being was focused on the feeling of his lips. Damn, he knew exactly how to use them.

You were already lightheaded, and he barely did anything. It was only a matter of time before you couldn't even think anymore. All you knew was his scent, his taste, his touch, and his breath. He was overwhelming all of your senses, and you could feel your mind shutting down.

But, before you could, you gathered enough sense to do something that caught him completely off guard. When he pulled you even deeper, your teeth grazed his bottom lip, and your hands tightened in his hair. He froze for a second, his movements stopping completely, and you were terrified that you'd crossed a line.

However, that fear was quickly erased because he let out the most guttural sound you'd ever heard. It was low and deep and... fuck. It sounded like a growl, but it was filled with need. It was hungry and rough and sent a jolt straight down to your core.

A moment later, he was kissing you harder than before. He was practically attacking you, and you were glad he still had ahold of your hips because those legs of yours would have given out long ago. His mouth was moving so fast that it was hard for you to keep up, and your lungs were burning.

It felt like a dam had been broken.

He devoured you like a starved man. There was no hesitation, no fear, no nervousness. It was pure desperation, and you weren't doing much better. His kisses were hard and bruising, and his grip on your waist was tight.

When he went to your neck, that was it.

Your head fell back against the wall, painful, but you couldn't care. You couldn't focus on anything except the way his mouth was working its magic on your throat. Your nails were digging into his scalp, and you could hear his sharp breaths.

If all kisses were like this, then you have no idea how people survived without them. It was addicting. The feeling of his lips and tongue and teeth against your skin was euphoric. Your mind was swimming, and your heart was pounding.

Mina was squealing in front of you, but you were too lost to care. You were back in the moment, and the memory was flooding through your body. The feeling of his fingers gripping your hips. The warmth of his mouth. The heat of his body. His hair was so soft. The sound of his breath. His lips. His tongue.

"I... don't remember much after that," you told Mina, your eyes unfocused. "The next thing I remember is me leaving the room and going straight to yours."

She was grinning at you. It was a wide, Cheshire-like smile, and her eyes were gleaming. She looked like she was about to explode, and she was holding herself back.

"This is insane," she said, her voice cracking. "Actually, I take back what I said earlier. This is better than the best day of my life. The fact that it was him—I mean, I'd expect this from someone else, but the thought of him being that good is... wow."

You sighed. "Mina, please. What am I going to do? I'm... I'm..."

"Lost in the clouds?" she offered. "A mess? Unable to function like a normal person?"

"All of the above," you said, running your hands over your face. "I just... I don't understand how someone could make me feel like this. He's a dick, Mina. He was literally insulting me just a few minutes ago, and then... this."

She hummed, tilting her head and looking at the ceiling. Her smile never left her face. "So, what now? Are you guys dating, or...?"

"I didn't ask," you told her. "I just ran out."

"Wait, I thought you meant running away, as in after talking it out and stuff?"

"I mean, running away, as in pushing him and sprinting down the hall to your room."

Her eyes widened. "What?!" she exclaimed. "You're telling me that after he gave you the best kiss of your life, you ran away?!"

You nodded.

"Are you insane?!"

"Maybe a little," you said. "But I was so overwhelmed, and it was too much. I couldn't stay there, or I'd have done something embarrassing."

"You mean something more embarrassing than leaving? Girl, you need to get back there and find out what the hell is going on between you two. I can't believe this. I just..." She let out a frustrated groan. "He's probably pissed off. And confused. And, honestly, I can't blame him."

"What? You think he's regretting it?"

"Oh, honey," she said, her expression changing. "You've got it all wrong. How do I know more than you about this situation? That boy doesn't show anyone this kind of side, I mean... shit, and you're telling me he was the one to initiate it?"

You nodded. "Yeah, he was."

"Well, then... damn. You're special. If he didn't want it, he would have punched you or something, but the fact that he went and did that... then there's no way he would ever regret it. Hell, if I were in his position, I'd have taken you right there, too."

"Mina!" you shrieked, smacking her shoulder.

She laughed. "What? I'm your bestie. I gotta have your back. Now, listen, you've done messed up by running away. There's no way he wouldn't take it as an insult; his ego's too big. So, what you need to do is get back there and tell him what's going on. Be honest. Don't lie, and don't sugarcoat. Just tell him the truth."

"But--"

"No, no buts. No ifs, no ands, or anything. Bakugo is the type to appreciate honesty. You can't be wishy-washy with him. I've learned that after seeing him treat everyone. He doesn't hold back, and neither should you. The good thing is that you know he really likes you; otherwise, none of this would've happened."

You bit your lip.

"Even as sudden as it was, it was a choice," she told you. "He knew exactly what he was doing. That kiss wasn't some spur-of-the-moment thing. He knew what he was doing and what he was feeling, and there's no way he would have done it if he didn't want to."

You thought about her words. "You're right."

"Damn right I am," she said, leaning forward and grabbing your shoulders. "He doesn't regret it. At least, not in the way you're thinking. If he's regretting anything, it's letting you run away without saying anything. So, what you're going to do is march back there and kiss that boy senseless. Got it?"

"But it's almost two in the morning," you said.

"If you think you both are sleeping anytime soon, you're delusional," she stated. "The guy is probably pacing in his own room right now, trying to figure out why the hell you rejected him. He's a wreck, and I'll bet you anything that his thoughts are just as bad as yours."

You frowned. "I guess, but..."

"But what?"

"It's just... he's Bakugo, and I'm... well, me. There's no way this could ever work out. He's too focused on being the best to date anyone, and I'm not the kind of person he'd go for. We're complete opposites. We fight all the time, and he's always yelling at me over something. Even now, I'm still wondering what the hell he was thinking when he kissed me."

"You need to stop doing that," Mina said, her tone firm. "You can't think like that. I told you he wouldn't have done it if he didn't see anything. Sure, you guys don't get along all the time, but that doesn't mean it's a lost cause. The fact that he's showing interest in you is enough to prove that he's attracted to something."

"Okay, fine, but what is it? What does he see in me? Why did he choose me? Why did he—"

"Girl, shut up. I can't handle any more of your doubts. This is a waste of time, and it's just making your brain more and more confused. Stop. Thinking. Go get him and just talk. I swear, you're gonna give yourself an aneurysm if you keep this up."

"Fine," you relented, throwing your hands up. "I'll—"

Then, there was a knock on the door.

You paused, staring at Mina. She stared back, her eyebrows furrowing. The two of you were quiet, not moving, not breathing. Then, another knock came, this time a bit louder.

"Iida?" you asked, your voice quiet. "We were pretty loud, weren't we?"

"Probably," Mina replied. "I hate that guy sometimes. What the hell does he have against us having fun? It's not like we were causing trouble."

"He's just being a good student," you said. "We should probably—"

Another knock and this one was harder. And something in the back of your mind was telling you that it wasn't him. It was different.

You and Mina shared a look before she shrugged and got off the bed. She went to the door, and you stayed seated. You were nervous. The tension in your stomach was building up again.

The thought was already in your mind, but it wasn't until Mina's face fell that you knew for sure.

She turned to look at you, her expression unreadable, but the emotion was clear in her eyes. It was the same look you'd given her before when you talked about the kiss.

And, you knew.

He was here.

"Where is she?" His voice held annoyance, but you could detect the change in tone.

"Bakugo," Mina said, trying to cover for you. "Why are you here? Is everything okay?"

"Cut the crap," he said, his voice a growl. "I know she's in there, Raccoon Eyes. Just... I need to talk to her."

You were frozen.

You were afraid.

You didn't know what to say or do.

Your heart was pounding, and your palms were sweating. You couldn't breathe.

"Send her out here," he said. "...Please."

Mina looked back at you. The pure shock in her eyes told you she'd heard him use the word, and you couldn't help but think the same. Bakugo wasn't a person who asked nicely. Ever. But the way he said it made it sound like it pained him.

You both stood there for a few moments. It was a stalemate, and neither of you could speak. Now that he was here, all the confidence Mina had built up was gone, and you were back to square one. You felt helpless.

Then, there was a sigh, not from him, but from her. It was the sound of defeat and the sound of surrender. She turned back to the door, opening it up to reveal those damn eyes of his.

His expression was hard and unreadable. It was blank, and his eyes were cold. They were the same ones you were used to seeing, the ones that held no emotion, the ones that only held anger. But they weren't as harsh as usual. They were softer.

He looked past Mina and saw you on the bed. The moment his gaze locked on yours, you knew you were going out in that hall whether you wanted to or not. His stare was strong, and it was demanding. It was like the world would crumble if you didn't follow his order.

So, you did.

You got off the bed and made your way to him. Your feet were heavy, and your heart was racing. With every step, the pressure got worse. When you were close enough, Mina shoved you towards him and then closed the door.

It was just you and him now.

You didn't know what to say. He was quiet, and the silence was killing you. It was making your head spin. You felt nauseous, and your stomach was in knots. It was too much.

"You..." He spoke, his voice low. "You're the most annoying person I've ever met."

You didn't respond. You couldn't. Your throat was dry, and your tongue was like sandpaper.

"Do you have any idea how frustrating you are?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're such a fucking mess."

Back to this.

"Yeah, I get it," you told him, finding your voice. "I'm a mess. It's been established. But you know what, Bakugo? So are you. You're an asshole."

"Me?" he laughed. "You think I'm the asshole? You're the one who ran away. I didn't do shit."

"You're the one who cornered me," you shot back. "What the hell was that, anyway? Insulting me into a corner, and then—"

The pause of your sentence spoke louder than any words you could have said. It was a statement, an unspoken accusation, and the meaning was clear. It was obvious.

His jaw clenched, and his eyes darkened. "You know, if I had a dollar for every time you pissed me off, I'd be richer than All Might."

"If I had a dollar for every time I had to hear your rants about being the future number-one hero, I'd be able to retire," you retorted. "You're so fucking arrogant."

"Well, at least I know what I'm good at. You made that much clear, didn't you?"

Offended, you stepped closer to him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

You knew exactly what he meant. It was obvious. He was calling you out, and the fact that he had the nerve to even use those words after the incident in the common room made you see red. So, you might've done something that would get you in house arrest, but it was worth it.

You slapped him. Hard.

He didn't seem fazed, though. In fact, the only thing you did was piss him off even more. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, towering over you. "Are you that much of a dumbass? How the hell did you make it this far in UA with that stupid brain of yours? Do you have any idea how dumb you are?"

"I'm not an idiot," you said through gritted teeth. "I have my strengths, too. I'm not weak."

"Oh, really?" He was mocking you, his voice a challenge. "Then, why did you run away?"

"That's—"

"What? It's not because of weakness? Then, why did you leave?"

You didn't have an answer.

"Exactly," he said. "You're a fucking coward. You ran away from your problems, and that's all you do. That's all you're capable of. You don't know how to deal with situations, and you just run."

"I'm not—"

"You are," he said. "Every damn time. You ran from me. From arguments, from training, from everything. It's all you ever do. And you don't seem to care, do you? You don't care how much it pisses me off. You just do it anyway."

"Bakugo—"

"Tell me, damnit," he interrupted, his eyes flashing. "I... I let you in. I let you see something, and this is what I get? A slap and an escape? How the hell is that fair?"

"I didn't—"

"Yes, you did," he growled. "And it fucking hurt, okay? You don't know how much I..."

The silence was back, and it was more deafening than before. The tension was thick, and the air was heavy. You could feel the heat rising, the pressure building.

You had no idea what to say.

He was right. Mina was right. You had messed up, and you knew it. You knew you had hurt him. The pain was evident in his voice. But it didn't excuse him for being an ass about it.

"Why'd you come here?" you asked. "What did you expect to get out of this? Was it just to yell at me and make me feel bad?"

"No, moron, I came to ask if I fucked up. If I had crossed a line. I know what it looked like, but with your stupid ass, I don't know."

You rolled your eyes, but he made sure to keep them locked on him.

"You pulled me in. You returned it," he said, his voice dropping. "You even deepened the damn thing. What was I supposed to think, huh? You're not telling me anything. You're not giving me anything. If anything, you're taking. So, I'm asking. Stop running away, damnit. Talk to me."

The sincerity of his words struck a chord in your chest. He was right. He was absolutely right. You were running away. You were avoiding him.

You were a coward.

"I'm sorry," you said, your voice soft. "I shouldn't have done that. I... I didn't know what to do, and I was scared."

"What the hell are you scared of?"

"This," you told him. "Of you. Of the kiss. Of... what it meant."

"You're acting like you're the only one involved here," he said, his voice holding an edge. "What about me? Do you have any idea what I'm feeling right now? I'm just as confused and scared as you are, but you know what I'm not doing? Running away."

"I didn't mean to, it's just—"

"You did," he said, interrupting you. "You did, and you knew it. You were running, and you didn't want to deal with the consequences. That's what it was, wasn't it? You didn't want to face the truth. You didn't want to face me. You wanted to run. Like always."

"It's not like that."

"Then, what is it?"

You paused.

"Exactly," he said. "Nothing. You don't have an excuse. You were just being a coward. That's all it is. So, tell me. Tell me why the hell you ran. Tell me what the kiss meant to you. Because if you don't, I'll—"

"It meant everything!" you cried out, only to remember the late hour and quiet down. "It... it meant everything, okay? And I didn't want to lose that. I couldn't. It was... It was everything. It was so much. Too much. I didn't want it to be ruined. I didn't want to ruin what fucked friendship we had."

His expression was unreadable, and it made your stomach sink.

"So, I ran. I didn't know what else to do," you confessed, your voice quiet. "And... I didn't want you to find out the truth. Because if you did, you'd... I'd... Everything would change, and I didn't want that."

"We changed the moment that damn kiss happened," he said, his tone firm. "I'm not blind. You're not subtle, and I can tell that you've had feelings for me. And I think... I've had them for a while now, too. But if you're gonna act like this, if you're just going to run from your problems, then there's no point in doing anything. I can't have a relationship with someone who's just gonna hide and run away. It's not fair to either of us."

"Bakugo..."

"Don't 'Bakugo' me," he growled, his eyes burning. "What are we gonna do about this, huh? Are we gonna keep dancing around each other and pretend it didn't happen? Are we gonna pretend it doesn't exist? Because if we do, I'm not wasting any more time. It's not worth it. I have better things to focus on."

"It's not like that."

"Really? Because it seems like it."

"But—"

"Tell me, damnit. What the hell are we gonna do? What's it gonna be? I can't wait around forever, and I won't waste my time. I don't have the patience for it. If you're not willing to do anything about it, then there's no point in trying. It's just a waste of time. So, decide. Now."

He didn't ease up, and his gaze didn't falter. He was staring straight at you, waiting just as he had said. But you didn't know what to say or do. He was putting the ball in your court, and he wasn't budging. He wasn't backing down.

"Well?" he asked, his voice harsh. "I'm waiting. Make your choice."

"I—"

"It's not that hard," he cut in, his eyes narrowing. "Either we try this, or we don't. So, make a damn choice. If not, I'm walking out, and I won't look back."

You knew the decision was easy. It was obvious. It was obvious, but your mind was spinning. It was hard to concentrate when his hands were on your arms, and his eyes were burning holes into your soul. It was impossible to think.

But, you knew. You knew the answer. You knew what you wanted.

"Do it."

The words left your lips without hesitation, and for a moment, he faltered. His expression changed, and his eyes widened. His grip on your arms loosened, and you felt a shiver run down your spine. He was silent, and his eyes were focused on yours.

"You don't want me to run?" You asked, your voice barely a whisper. "So, make me stay."

The words were simple. They were easy. But they were enough to see the twinkle in his eye. It was enough to see the shift in his demeanor and feel his grip tightening. His body was pressed against yours, and his hands were on your arms. He was leaning forward, his face inches from yours. His breath was hot, and his eyes were dark.

In an instant, you were flung back into the same position you had been in hours ago. His lips were on yours, and the intensity was there, stronger than ever. The kiss was rough and passionate. He was pushing against you, his grip firm. He was in control, and he was demanding.

You kissed him back, and the emotions were overwhelming. They were consuming. His hands met the small of your back, pulling you into him. He was firm, his touch strong and his kiss powerful. It was rough, but it was gentle. It was intense, but it was loving.

The kiss was everything.

The moment his lips left yours, you found yourself wanting more. You couldn't help but pull him back in, kissing him deeper and harder. He met your desire, his movements matching yours. You didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but the moment it broke, you knew.

You knew that this was right. You knew that this was what you wanted. You knew that he was the one.

"Katsuki," you whispered, his name leaving your lips in a breathy sigh. "Katsuki, I..."

"I know," he breathed, his voice husky. "Me, too."

Then, he pulled you close, wrapping his arms around you. He held you tight, his warmth enveloping you.

You knew this feeling now; you understood it. This was the love that Mina had been talking about. This was the emotion she had been describing. This was what it was like.

It was the best damn feeling in the world.

[storiesfromafan]

Little Bird - Part One

A/N: I am finally diving into writing a story for Feyd. Forgive me if he is ooc, but I am trying haha. This idea came when rewatching Dune Part Two almost a week ago. And i haven't been able to stop thinking about it, only to work on Benny one-shots.

Also, things may/have been changed to suit the Story, and will possibly keep changing to fit it as a whole.

This will probably be a slow written/updated story, as I want to make sure it's as good as it can be.

Do let me know what you think 😊

Part One

Rabban strode heavily and with confidence into the war room, his uncle – Baron Vladimir Harkonnen – grotesquely sitting at the head of the table. The Baron looked to his nephew with a scathing look, making Rabban's step faulted for a second, yet he continued on as if nothing happened.

“Well?” Boomed the Baron's impatient voice.

Coming to stand before his uncle, Rabban looked to the man with a proud and confident demeanour. “Yes Uncle. We have successfully obtained Arrakis, and wiped out the Atreides".

The gluttonous man smiled wickedly at his nephew, his plans coming along nicely. “Good. You have done well Rabban".

In the moment Rabban felt light, the weight of delivering what was expected of him lifted. Something that seemed rare, hardly happening for him. Today he had finally showed his worth, and his Uncle had shown him he was favoured. For the Baron had given him the place he conquered. Commanding he go to Arrakis, take the spice and make the Harkonnen name mean something of greater greatness.

A dark chuckle came from the shadows off to the side of both men. Both cast their gaze to the figure that slowly stepped out, their skin pale and head bald, like the other men. But the main feature separating the three was the new comers stormy blue eyes, which shone with mischief and mayhem. His full lips housing a knowing smirk. He was the Baron’s other nephew, Feyd-Rautha.

“Brother, do tell our Uncle about the souvenir you brought back from your invasion of Arrakis" came Feyd's raspy, yet amused voice.

Rabban's jaw clenched at his brothers words, have beating him to the punch. For he had hoped to inform the Baron of his prize himself. Part of him knew that the Baron would be angry for taking what he did. Yet he could not help himself. The perfect opportunity arose and Rabban couldn’t resist taking something for himself. Even if he didn’t truly want it. It was to show his strength and power.

“What is he on about?” Demanded the Baron, eyes drawing together in agitation.

The older nephew sputtered, trying to find the words while being put on the spot. Feyd held his arms behind his back as he leisurely strolled to stand beside his Uncle. His intense gaze on Rabban. With both sets of eyes on him, Rabban was uneasy, yet did his best to not show it.

“Well!” The Baron yelled, now becoming impatient with the man before him.

Once more Rabban could not speak, only angering the Baron more. Feyd smiling joyously at his brothers lack of response, how both he and the Baron seem to effect him.

“Uncle, since Rabban is tongue tied, I will inform you" came Feyd's raspy voice. “It would seem my brother has taken the prize of Atreides niece, the one who’s mother ran away and disgraced her family".

The Baron listened to Feyd's words, staying silent. Which he took as a sign to go on.

“I will say one thing in my brothers defence" Feyd mused, walking towards Rabban. “This prize is known to be good friends of the Princess. So, having her in our hands is favourable. And if we were to join her to our house, we may gain more favour with the Princess. And ultimately her father, the Emperor”. Feyd stood by Rabban and turned to look to the Baron.

Silence fell for a few minutes. Feyd watching the gluttonous man before him. Rabban not looking to his Uncle, and uneasy by the complimentary words of his brother. And the Baron, the wheels in his head turning. But then he smirked, a deep chuckle coming from the man both nephews despised.

“We already have an in with the Emperor. For he supplied us with his own men" the Baron looked to each of his nephews, who stared at the man before them intently. “Having the princesses favour because I allowed Atreides niece to join our house, is not necessary. In fact, it would low us!”

Locked in a windowless, bland room – walls a sterile grey, basic grey and black furniture. It was some sort of holding cell, a fancier one for those who had come from wealthy and influential families. Yet the Harkonnen’s seized, contemplating if they would execute them or not. That was were you were currently waiting, and for over twenty-four hours.

You had been dragged here, after being taken from Arrakis during the take over. You recall being asleep in your room, before hearing noises from the halls. When you left your room you found the chaos. Soldiers moving about, killing all insight. Unlucky for you Rabban Harkonnen had been coming down your hall. His eyes landed on you, recognition flashing in his eyes. And that was it. Before you could run he had his large hand on your arm, dragging you away while death and destruction passed you.

Even now you were still dressed in your night dress, which had dirt and some blood on it. Your hair was a tangled mess from those that would take hold of it and drag you about, Rabban included. Your lip was also split from being backhanded when you finally spoke up. Thankfully it had clotted over, but it was still quiet sore. You were on alert, but frightened. And who wouldn’t be? Yet you thrived, navigating it while feeling everything you did.

You had to be strong from a young age. Due to your mothers choice to pick love over duty, resulting in you, you were the one to suffer for her indiscretion. All the great families looked down their nose at you from the age of seven, when your mother had gotten her foot in the door, your father’s family rising and gaining a small bit of power. It wasn’t much but it allowed you all to be seen in social circles. But many whispered, speaking ill of you all.

Great families told their children to not speak to you, leaving you out in the beginning. When you were nine did the Princess Irulan for-go what people and children said. She was kind to you, befriending you. A true friend. And for once you felt as if you didn’t have to fight to be seen. Over time your friendship influenced those around the Princess, and in turn those children were kind to you under the Princesses gaze. But as soon as she turned her back, or left, they turned their backs to you.

Your ears faintly picked up shuffling in the hallway outside your room. Followed by voices, which sounded to be in a heated exchange. Wearily you stood from the chair you’d been sitting in, refusing to sleep till you knew what was to become of you. Taking a couple steps toward the rooms door, you strained to hear what was transpiring behind your closed door.

“How could you!” A gruff, angry voice said. “She was to be mine!”

Then there was a deep chuckle. “An why would you want her? Don’t you have enough whores to keep yourself entertained?”

“I was the one to take Arrakis and wiped out the Atreides! She is my prize!” A loud bang rang out down the hall, a fist had hit a wall.

“She was taken from you because you hid her from our Uncle”.

“Which I was going to inform him of! Until you told him!”

Their voices lowered, and their words faster. You didn’t hear anything after that. With a final loud aggravated groan, followed by heavy feet stomping away from your room. Then silence. Yet you could not relax just yet, for the other person was still out there. You knew it.

When the door suddenly open did you jump. But the doorway was empty, staring out the door frame  you questioned what was going on. Then he entered the space of the door. You took a step back. Slowly, as if stalking pray, he entered the room. The door closing shut behind him. Like all that you had seen he was pale and bald, but also tall and lean. As he entered into the light of the room his face coming into full view. First you noticed his full lips, that were set in a straight line. His strong jaw and sharp cheek bones. Last it was his blue eyes, their bright blue contrast to the dark look he was giving you.

With every step closer to you, did you step back. Until you were stopped by the chair you had been sitting in. Recovering from being trapped while the man came to stand before you. You stood tall, holding your head up high. Your gaze fierce as it meets his bright blue eyes. What surprised you was the amusement shining in his eyes now. You were amusing to him.

You looked at him, really looked at him. For a Harkonnen, this man had some unearthly beauty. Yet something told you you’ve met before, though you couldn’t believe it. But those eyes, bright blue, different yet familiar. Either in this life, or a past one.

“W-who are you?” You finally asked, wanting the silence to end.

He remained silent, just watching you a little longer, before he took a step back, giving you breathing room. His hands moving to rest behind his back, as a fear enduring smile crossed his full lips, which did not reach his eyes.

“I am Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen” came his raspy, deep voice.

A chill ran down your spine, both from who he was and his voice. You had heard many stories of the man before you, stories that chill to the bone and leave no room for humanity in him. And you stood before him. But why?

“W-why are you here?” You questioned, knowing you were pushing it. And Feyd was allowing it.

“I am here to inspect what is now mine" he coolly replied, as if it was common knowledge.

You looked at him with confusion. How did you end up his, if his brother was the one to take you from Arrakis? “What about your brother?”

Feyd chuckled softly. “My brother did not inform the Baron of taking you. And as punishment you were given to me, little bird".

You remained quiet, letting his words sink in. You had been worried about being Rabban's prize. But now Feyd owning you, that was terrifying. He would either spend his time torturing you, your flesh, before killing you. Or he would make you his whore, your body servicing him in every carnal way. Neither were options you looked forward too. Though maybe the death route would be the best of the two, for it would end the soonest.

“Come now" Feyd's words broke you from your thoughts. “Surely you wish to ask more questions little bird?”

He’d already given you a nickname, one you found annoying. “S-stop with that nickname".

“Why?” He asked in amusement. “I think it suits you. Taken from the wild, only to be locked up" – he reach out to take a lock of hair in his fingers, which you pulled away from – “untamed but with time can be...”

Your gaze darkened, as you managed to move from the chair and putting more distance between the two of you. His words had truth to them, but you would not be tamed. Not by him, and not by his methods.

“You are strong" Feyd said suddenly, his face dropping so it was serious. “I remember you at the palace when we were younger. How the children from the great families looked down at you, spat insults at you. It made you strong...”

Was that a compliment? “So what?” You spat.

He chuckled once more. “I was making an observation little bird. As not once had you cried or cowered when you were taken. Nor when in this room, or in my presence. You stand tall, and do your best to remain calm. I will give you that".

You glared at him. Not for what he said, but the nickname and how sure of himself he was. You were here because of his brother, not by choice. You were here, in your nightdress and looking a fright, because of them. They didn’t even have the decency to let you freshen up.

Feyd took no time to move before you again, his hand taking a hold of your chin. Lifting your head so he could look down into your eyes. Your glare deepened at his actions, which only pleased him more. Feyd then moved his thumb to your bottom lip, the rough pad running along it. The pressure he used collided with the split in your lip, causing it to open and you to hiss. Music to Feyd's ears. Running his thumb over the blood, he moved it over your lip, back and forth till it was completely covered.

Pulling his hand back, Feyd moved the blood covered thumb to his mouth. His tongue licking the pad, collecting your blood. The metallic taste delightful. “You will be moved to a better room. I will send some women to help clean you up, before you get some needed rest. By tomorrow I should have worked it out...”

“W-worked what out?” You asked curiously. A sinking feeling in your stomach.

A twisted smile crossed Feyd's face, chilling you to the bone. “If I will kill you or make you my whore".

With those words he turned from you, and walked to the door. Once it opened, he moved from the room and once more the doors closed, leaving you alone. Leaving you wonder what just happened. You moved to the chair and sat, your mind running over all that transpired with Fayd. Then finally you understood, tomorrow would either be the day you die or the day you loose yourself.

You don’t know how long you sat there, but when the doors opened and two guards walked into the room, you knew it was time to go. Reluctantly you lifted yourself from the chair, and crossed the room to them. One guard exited first, with you following before the second guard brought up the rear. It felt like you were being marched like a criminal, but it was far from it. For as you arrived to your new room, the halls to get there were nicer but still bland. The room was larger, a couch and big bed. The walls were still grey but with this room there was a window. You could see the night of Giedi Prime.

Two bodies walking from an adjoining room caught your attention, and upon turning you were greeted to the sight of two Harkonnen women, slaves, waiting with their hands held before them and eyes down. They were pale and bald, yet thin and were quite beautiful.

“My lady" they greeted softly, scared to be loud.

“If you follow us, we have a bath being drawn for you" one of them advised.

You didn’t say a word, but cautiously crossed the room to them. They stepped aside and allowed you to enter first. The bathroom had the same grey walls and grey, and black furniture, but with a large sunken tub in the middle of the room. Another woman was filling the tub, pouring in oils and scents. It didn’t take long for it to be full, and she left her spot. She walked over to you, bowed and then left. The other two women came in, and moved to undress you. You didn’t fight them when they removed your nightdress and undergarments.

You walked into the tub, the warm water feeling good as you slowly submerged your body in it. Your muscles loved the warm water, it helping with the tension you were holding. The floral scent pleasing to your nose. One of the woman came up and asked to help with your hair, which you accepted. So there you were, relaxing in a tub of water while the slave washed your hair and detangled it. It felt so good you almost forgot where you were, and what had happened to Arrakis and your family.

“Leave me" you commanded when your hair had been seen to.

Both women bowed before scurrying out of the room, door closing behind them. There you floated, eyes cast to the dark, sterile ceiling. In this moment of relaxation did you recall your family. Your Uncle, Duke Leto Atreides. His concubine Jessica. Your Cousin Paul. And all those innocent people serving the family that had fallen at the Harkonnen hands.

For the first time in years did tears rise in your eyes, and made their escape down your cheeks. The situation you were in was not easy. Many would have crumbled as soon as seeing the soldiers, or when they were on the ship to this toxic planet. You crumbled in a tub full of pleasant smelling water, realisation of possible outcomes of fate flashing before your eyes. Tomorrow would come too quick, you just knew it.

TBC...

Next Part: Part Two

[ambrosialdesire]

bloodsports

[ PART ONE ] [ PART TWO ]

18+ DARK CONTENT BELOW, MINORS AND BLANK BLOGS DNI

pairing: modern au!reiner x fem!reader word count: 13.6k warnings + tags: general yandere and obsessive themes, explicit sexual content, unhealthy relationships, misogyny, public humiliation mentions, sorta an unbalanced power dynamic, a/b/o dynamics and themes, modern & college/university au, alpha & hockey player jock reiner (will be sorta ooc but ig you can count it as his s1-3 soldier persona), omega reader, enemies to sorta friends to enemies again to lovers (but both reiner and reader are stubborn dumdums and it's sorta one-sided), bertolt x reader implications, heavy jealousy/possessive themes, heavy self-sabotage, alcohol consumption, violence & blood warning, "fated" mates, usage of suppressants, unwarranted scenting, kinda scenting kink?, pheromone-bombing, size difference, size kink, noncon kissing, all characters are 18+ synopsis: trying to get through uni should've been easy, but presenting as an omega made you become a seemingly easy target for the many disgusting alphas that roamed the campus. no matter how much suppressants you took, you unfortunately just had to grab the attention of the most notorious one out there. the university's famed center in ice hockey, reiner braun. to you, he was nothing but a godforsaken, meatheaded annoyance. a/n: i am not one of god's strongest when comes to a/b/o or the omegaverse LMFAOO LIKE I CAN'T DENY IT, SUMN ABOUT IT MAKES ME GO ABSOLUTELY FERAL AND IDC WHAT OTHERS THINK 👺👺 anywaysss, yea it's another hatefuck reiner fic that i decided recently to make a two parter LOL i made reiner a hockey player because i kinda like hockey more (i watched one game irl with my sibling and it was hella cool even tho the team we were cheering for lost 💀 the state pride was crazy, i had no idea how irritating it was hearing the other team fans cheer 😭) but i'm really really new to the sport so forgive me if i make some mistakes about it lol (i did modify it a little so it can be more dramatic and violent lol) happy valentine's day (ik this late AFFFFF LMFAO) and hope you guys enjoy this! the second part will hopefully come not too far behind, maybe in december once i'm freed from school haha note: please keep in mind of the tags above and do not proceed if triggering or uncomfortable, especially if you are a minor!! do not read my or any other writers' dark content if you are underaged. this is a fictional work and does not reflect irl morals, do not believe this is how a real romance works or functions.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

"You're coming to my game, right?"

The sudden weight on the table of someone leaning upon it on the other side caused it to creak, but you didn't have to look up to know who it was. The wafting smell of warm, spiced vanilla with vague, yet noticeable earthy tones wrapped around you like a familiar heated blanket. No matter how nice it smelled, it only bubbled irritation within you. You continued writing your notes, ignoring the looming presence.

"Omega, answer and look at me." A chill ran down your spine and your head felt heavy once he spoke, the demand stern and clear. You didn't want to answer him, but your secondary gender was scratching at your brain like a persistent fly. Answer him, answer your alpha.

You stubbornly pinched your leg once to get yourself out of it before finally looking up at the man himself, narrowing your eyes at him.

"Can't. Have finals tomorrow. Also, don't ever do that shit to me or call me that."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, already knowing he wasn't going to take that as an answer. "You weren't answering me and c'mon, it's only for a few hours babe. Who wouldn't come to their alpha's big game today?"

"Me because you're not my alpha and I'm not your babe. Go find some other omega that drools over you because this one isn't going." You grumbled as you stood up, beginning to collect your stuff to get back to your dorm. He grabbed your wrist before you got your notebook, pulling you towards him, eyes were gleaming with determination.

"Come to my game and I won't bother you anymore. I promise."

You pulled your arm out of his grasp with a frown, quickly debating in your mind. Could you trust him?

On one hand, it would be nice to not get disturbed by him anymore. But on the other, that means you have to be packed in a stadium with sweaty alphas and a handful of excitable betas and omegas for an hour or two. The smell would be awful and overwhelming, false ruts and heats would get triggered easily from the adrenaline. You didn't even like ice hockey or any sport in general, too many alphas dominated the industry.

You bit back a heavy sigh, finally deciding on your answer.

"Ugh. I'm holding you to that promise then Reiner. No randomly showing up at my dorm, no waiting for me at the end of my classes, don't have your friends try and check up on me for your behalf either. Got it?" His hazel eyes lit up immediately and he nodded, his smile wide.

"You got it babe, I'll pick you up at 6."

You were about to tell him off about the pet name but he ran off, whooping in the quiet library while slamming the doors open. A few of the students' and staffs' glares went over to you, causing you to grimace before finally picking up your notebook. What the fuck have you gotten yourself into?

Life wasn't like this before. For a year and half, you've had an alpha cling onto your every move as if you've claimed one another. It may seem like that to him but you definitely didn't want anything to do with him. All Reiner did was bring a mix of trouble to you, a burden that you never wanted. Your secondary gender was supposed to be a hidden secret for only yourself to know — the prescribed supplements made sure of that — and you were supposed to present as a beta in order to live a peaceful university life. How painfully frustrating it was to be found out from a simple error in your day-to-day routine.

You were in a rush, you're human after all, and forgot to take them before you left your dorm. It wasn't until you entered your class when a brick of strong smells bitterly hit your nose, something that never happened before. One day and that's all it took for everyone's eyes to latch onto your frame, the horrifying hunger glimmering in the darks of their pupils.

You froze, unable to move from the doorway. The vileness of their stench rang alarms in your head, they were all sour and distasteful with every short whiff you took. It was overwhelming, heavy, and nauseating. You knew what they were all thinking, internally debating whether you should run back to your dorm or transfer.

A large arm had made its way around your shoulders, pulling you closer to their body. You panicked at first until a whiff of something sweet in the air stopped you. A spiced vanilla enveloped your senses with every breath you took and like a switch, your body immediately calmed down, unintentionally leaning closer to them to continue feeling this sweet relief.

"Hey." You tilted your head up at the person who was currently holding you by the neck and felt dread quickly fill up your stomach once more.

Reiner Braun, one of the most notorious womanizers on campus and the university's proclaimed players in ice hockey.

Reiner Braun, smelling like a freshly baked pastry, slinging his arm around you while unintentionally managing to bring you back to your senses.

Reiner Braun, whose face is suddenly way too close and you could just barely feel the brush of his lips against yours.

Your face burned up at the realization and you shoved him off you, eyes wide and mouth parted open in shock as you watched him stumble back to reality. What the fuck just happened and why the fuck did he smell so good out of everyone here? He looked like he was appalled by what he did as well but recovered faster than you did, a sly smirk growing on his face.

"Hey omega, just a head's up. The next time you come to class, don't smell like a sweet treat for us alphas alright?"

You thought you couldn't burn up even more than before, your body beginning to tremble in complete rage and mortification as the students began to howl in amusement. All of your emotions were pumping through your system all at once way too quickly and you finally ran out of the class, tears brimming on the edges of your eyes. There was no way you could handle being in there for another second. The boisterous laughter faded away in your eardrums and once you got far enough from prying eyes and ears, you collapsed to the ground and nearly sobbed your heart out.

You knew attending this university would be difficult but never in your life did you think you'd be humiliated in this way, just for one stupid little mistake. To alphas, any mistake that wasn't from their pretentious clique meant your life, your downfall, everything. It becomes a weakness to exploit and use, like a deer with a broken leg completely surrounded by a pack of starving wolves.

All you could think about over and over as you finally made it to your dorm was:

Fuck Reiner Braun.

‘•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’

After that day, you made sure to take your supplements on time with an alarm. Regardless of that, you still felt skittish once you stepped foot in that damn class again. Not because of the possibility that the knowing glances of your classmates would come your way, but the fact that Reiner would not leave you alone ever since he embarrassed you.

When you finally went back to that class in the next lecture, you placed yourself all the way in the back corner than your usual spot, trying to hide yourself away until everyone forgot about the incident. It seemed that your humiliating moment had faded away quickly like a passing breeze since no one looked your way as the seats began to fill up one by one. It was not until you heard the familiar laugh of him, only then you started getting nervous.

You stared down in your notebook, trying to look as busy as possible but the shuffle of a heavy bag and a body sitting down next to you in the loudest way possible confirmed your worst suspicions.

"Good thing you saved a seat for me, that’s so nice of you omega." Reiner congratulated you in a false manner and you grimaced, turning your head towards him. He wasn't looking at you but he was smiling as he looked to the front of the room. You had to force yourself not to stare at his body, which was a mental battle in itself when his pheromones were as strong as ever.

He most likely exercised before coming here, a faint sweat stain on the chest of his white cut-off tank top confirming your thoughts. The tank top was hiding little to the imagination, loose enough to where you can see his sculpted muscles from the side but tight enough to where it accentuated his chest. He was manspreading — a common occurrence in those who were considered to be extremely prideful alphas — and wearing dark gray sweatpants.

You didn't mean to but your gaze slightly wandered a little more down, heart nearly stopped in your chest when you just barely spotted the faint outline of his half-hard cock against the fabric. He was... big and if that was him barely aroused, wow. You'd pray for those that let this son-of-a-bitch hit another time.

The usually dormant annoyance in your brain wanted to get down on her knees and suck him off till he got hard in her mouth, but you had to viciously fight her back into the deep crevices of your mind. You don't know why the urge was so strong, the meds you took usually gave you no sexual desires towards anyone. Maybe you need to up the dosage? You'd have to make a doctor's appointment soon because you don't know if you could stand this new disgusting pervert inside you.

It would be the coldest day in Hell if you ever let Reiner fuck you.

"I have a name, use it or fuck off." You turned back to your notebook and he chuckled in amusement.

"You got a bite now omega? Where was she the last time we spoke?"

"Maybe she would've been there if she wasn't on the verge of a breakdown. Fucking asshole." You muttered the last bit, starting to ignore him once the professor finally entered the class. Cracking your knuckles and opening your laptop to the latest powerpoint, you began writing down the important points of what was in the week's module. It took you nearly half of the three hour long lecture to notice that he didn't make any sound, no writing or keyboard clacking or any tapping from his phone. Your peripherals just barely caught the sight of him and your skin ran cold.

Reiner wasn't paying attention to the lecture. You started to practically feel the absolute intensity of his stare, burning two deep holes into the side of your face. The chair lightly squeaked as he suddenly moved closer to you, the audible sound of him sniffing at you came after.

What the fuck was his problem? You quickly inched yourself away from him, backing into the wall but he followed suit almost immediately. His large frame nearly engulfed yours, the sheer heat of his body radiating off as he neared you.

He sniffed once above your head, then again and again as if he was searching for something. Thank God you decided to shower this morning. The tense atmosphere between the two of you grew thicker with each passing second until his hazel eyes narrowed, the corner of his mouth twitched in faint irritation.

"...You don't smell like anything." Reiner sourly muttered before pulling away, giving back the needed space.

"Uh... yeah? I got back on track with my meds." What was up with him? Reiner had never once spoken to you before the incident, in the class and out of it. In this class in particular, you've usually seen him on his phone, napping, or quietly chatting with the nearest poor soul.

He's known to not fool around with your kind, back when you were still portraying yourself as a beta. Why would he? To them, betas were boring and basic. They weren't alpha enough to be considered to be one of them and not omega enough to fuck. His preferences were pretty out there in whispers and giggles too, so it's not like he would need a reason to talk to you unless it was to get his dick wet for the night. That seemed to be the plan in mind since he was continuously interacting with you.

"Why would you?" Reiner nonchalantly questioned, as if he wasn't the one of the reasons why you take such heavy supplements. Your eye twitched, your fingers tightening around your pen.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" You scowled, watching him shrug and lean back onto the chair.

"Yeah, why not? You're the first omega I've met with a scent that's not doused in cheaply made perfume, it's..." He stopped, thinking of the right words before finally settling on one. "Original."

You scrunched your nose, conflicted with what he just described. He is the talk of the campus, most if not all omegas would've loved to be marked by him; no wonder they try to court him with different concoctions. Then again, he could just be saying that to get into your pants. Original, ha! If he liked this so-called originality, he should find it in someone else.

"I'm not interested y'know, not after what you did last time."

After you said that, all the words seemed to die in his mouth. He became quiet for the rest of the lecture and you didn't have the courage to look back up to see his expression. The silence was a simmering awkwardness, and you could only try and listen to the professor as much as you could. His smell was now twisted with a dullness to it, almost bland and distasteful like the rest of the room. When the lesson finally ended, you started to zip your bag close and pull it through your arms, until his hand grabbed the strap and lifted it up onto his own shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?" Panic bubbled in your chest as you tried to grab it back but he kept maneuvering out of your reach, a playful smile growing on his lips.

"Think of this as an apology to you omega. I'll walk you to your next class." Your heart dropped to your stomach, the last thing you needed was even more people staring at you, especially with the campus fuckboy in tow.

"You really don't have to and don't call me that." Reiner snorted as he walked down the stairs, you having no choice but to follow him.

"What else can I call you if you haven't told me your name yet?" He held the door open for you, readjusting the bags he was holding. You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms.

"Why offer to walk me to my next class when I don't even know your name?" It was a lie, of course everyone knew him just by the simple utter of his name, but he laughed at your simple comeback, genuinely laughed. It didn't sound like it did when he poked fun of you that one day, your face starting to lightly flush warm.

"Fair enough. Name's Reiner, Reiner Braun. One of the University of Marley Warriors centers." You slightly cringed at the title, he just had to add that fact in. Oh well, might as well play along just a little.

"Y/N L/N, one of the many second year students in the University of Marley."

He laughed once more and nudged you on the back with his elbow, letting you take the lead.

"You're a funny girl Y/N."

You had to ignore the way your stomach fluttered from the way he said it, picking up your pace. Remember, you had to remember that he caused you a turmoil of anguish for a near week. All you were going to give him was this moment and that's it.

"Thanks."

Now that you think back on it, how silly it was for you to think that this was the last time he was ever going to talk to you.

‘•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’

There wasn't a minute in your day where Reiner wasn't in your presence.

Nearly every day for roughly five or six months since you've started talking to one another, he'd manage to find you and socialize. He'd give you a small snack or drink too, ruffling your hair once you took it from his hand and sitting down in the seat next to you. Every day was a different topic that he asked, ranging from simple questions to a little more personal ones. You knew he was trying to pry whenever you didn’t say much about yourself so you've revealed only a few tidbits, nothing big. Sometimes he needed studying help and you didn't mind tutoring him about the subjects you were sorta knowledgeable in. He always seemed so interested and focused in whatever you say, so hey, at least he was a decent listener.

He started rejecting hang-outs with his friends and teammates, all to simply talk to you. It's crazy how often he did it, a few times occurring in front of you through phone calls. He'd only mentioned his teammates when he tried to invite you to numerous practices, implying that he wanted them to meet you. You turned him down about it for the first few times, creating excuses to not go, until you got tired of him asking and finally begrudgingly agreed.

Watching him practice made you realize one thing about him: Reiner loved to play dirty.

Of course since you were merely a new bystander of the sport, it might've been one of the core strategies of how to win in hockey. Yet the more you observed, the more you noticed how he treated everyone on the ice, friend or foe. He told you before that centers did a lot for their team and were known to be more on the offense, even when defending. You thought the role was perfect for him, considering how he started this whole "friendship" thing with you. However, the way he treated you was nothing compared to how he treated the sport.

It was like watching an illegal cage fight from the way he quickly sped towards the puck, viciously slamming into others to make way. A frightening sight indeed, maybe even more for the ones on the ice as they were the ones he barreled his shoulders into their chests and sides. You can't remember how many times you flinched watching an unfortunate player get rammed into the plastic barrier by Reiner, the heavy sound echoing throughout the stadium. Everyone on the opposing team was merely his punching bag and though they can get a few hits in, you could tell that they couldn't handle the constant confrontations. He didn't care that they were still his teammates and that this was merely a practice game. To lose is to lose and for an alpha, that could never be an option.

You never told him this, but you never liked the look in his eyes that he gets whenever he played, the darks of his pupils blowing out the once-warm hazel color with a carnal and exhilarated intensity within them.

Regardless of his violent attitude, Reiner genuinely worked well with his team, whomever was on his side at least. He especially got along with whoever jersey number 60 is — the only hint being that his last name is Hoover — and who was noticeably taller than anyone else on the team. The two were extremely compatible, making the smoothest passes that whenever you blinked, it would seem that the other had the puck in the first place.

The strangest part of it all was that he'd make you wear his jersey afterwards, that's also somewhat the reason why you stopped coming over to his practices besides the extreme harshness of the sport. It was way too intimate for him to be sharing a highly scented object to a friend but you've tried refusing, saying that you hated the stink and it was still wet with sweat. Reiner never really cared about what you said about it and pulled it over your head, the fabric hanging loosely mid-thigh. You hated how calm it made you feel and how every time he asked for it back, you'd hesitate.

Even if he did like you, you don't know why he was being overly friendly. Was it because you were an omega that he had to be nice to you? You tried not to think about it like that since you were slowly getting used to his presence, as if he became a part of your routine.

He never pushed anything sexual onto you either like you originally thought he was going to. Sure, he'd make a weird comment or joke here or there but it never really made you uncomfortable or escalated into something else. Your feelings towards him simmered down to a level of neutrality, not quite at peace from what he did but not as angry as before. Did he feel bad for his actions? He never really said an actual apology to you, but is that really why you still find him aggravating to be around with?

"You're such a study bug, don't you know how to have a little fun?" Reiner skimmed his fingers against the already-read pages, your bodies squished side-by-side, one of his arms wrapped loosely around your waist as the two of you read your textbook together. You don't know why or when but you started to not mind the physical contact with him anymore; you chalked it up to it being the winter months and you were cold as hell, he was basically the closest thing to a portable heater. Your physician upped the dosage of your meds as well and there was a noticeable difference, but it didn't seem to deter the thoughts you were having about Reiner. They probably would’ve faded away if not for his constant presence.

"I don't have time for fun, unlike you with your full-ride and sports." You muttered as you flipped the page, eyes skimming over the new paragraphs. He groaned and rested his head on top of yours, taking in a deep breath. You’ve noticed that he was more touchier with you compared to his other friends that you once watched from afar before, but you’ve gotten used to it for the past few months.

He was silent for a few pages until you could feel his fingers trail up against your scent gland, your body immediately freezing up. He shouldn’t be touching you there, a shiver going up your spine as you felt his fingertips rub light circles around it. You couldn’t stop him, not when your brain was currently being scrambled with the feeling.

"Your smell is still not there." He off-handily murmured, finally removing his hand from your neck and letting you collect your thoughts again.

You swallowed thickly, trying to clear your throat. "I think you forget that I take heavy suppressants."

"Why do you? Do you really not want to fuck anyone any time soon?" You cringed at his wording, meeting his eyes.

"Well yeah, pretty much. I want to focus on school, not constantly wonder if I'm going to suddenly go into heat around an alpha. And it's a guaranteed protection, I don't want to get accidentally marked this early in my life." You could feel his hand squeeze and knead at the meat of your hip, knowing that he was in thought.

"I don't know if our class remembers what sub-gender I am but you certainly do, you were literally in trance when you met me," You pointed out, feeling your skin prickle warm as you thought back on the memory. "And it was my mistake, I didn't mean to get off of them and do that to you. I'm pretty much protecting myself and others from doing something... irrational."

What he didn't know is that having no heat at all for months at a time had made you indescribably horny, but you've been managing it so well that you really didn't need any outside assistance at all. Him being the only alpha that hangs around you on a day-to-day basis and consistently touching you has not made the thoughts any better than they were before, but you forced those damn heinous ideas in the back of your mind every time. Bothersome they were and you tried to not let it get to you as much as possible.

Reiner nodded slowly, closing his eyes. "Well if you do get into a heat, I'm available for use."

You gasped, quickly jabbing your elbow into his side, causing him to flinch from the feeling and laugh almost aloud in the quiet library. "God, don't say that here!"

"It's true! There's a line-up of omegas that need help through their heats, I'm not the only one that's getting something out of it. They need a knot and I give it to them." You don't know why but hearing him admit that made you almost freeze and feel your stomach drop. Every time you're reminded of his reputation, something in you twists in an unpleasant way. It's strange. You have no reason to feel this way when you don't even like him in any romantic sense.

"I'd rather not hear about your many conquests, thank you very much." His eyes connected to yours and you tried not to pull away, trying not to feign anything that would give you up.

"Don't tell me... You're jealous, aren't you?" He teased as his grin grew wider and you scoffed, closing the textbook almost a little too hard.

"Please, as if! I'm not the one here insinuating into starting something." You huffed and tried to disconnect your body from his to put the book away but he didn't let you, his arm holding you around the crook of your back firmly.

"I never mark them, if that makes you feel better. No matter how much they beg me to, I don't. I'm pretty good at controlling myself."

You paused, the heavy stone in your stomach still dragging you down. He sounded honest about it and any omega that he marked would've bragged about it for years to come. Hell, you wouldn't even be as close as you were with him right now if that was the case. Yet, the admission didn't make you feel any better and you'd rather not praise him for something so bare minimum.

"...I really, really don't care Reiner. You can fuck anyone you want silly and it's none of my business. I'm not your mate and you're not mine." His eyes softened, looking at you so fondly that you almost wanted to take back every word you had just said.

"We could be."

Time stopped. The way he said it so nonchalantly made you feel absolutely breathless, like you were punched so deeply in the gut. You so desperately wanted to kiss him in that moment — say fuck it, why not be his mate for the rest of your lives — but that was nothing but the godforsaken omega in you talking. This wasn't some cheesy romcom movie, this was real life. Why in the world would he think there was a possibility that he’d be your mate? The two of you barely knew each other besides the light-hearted chats you’ve had together, he only liked your presence because like every other omega, you were easy.

No matter how long you stayed up at night thinking about him or how much you desired pressing your body against his at all times, you would not sacrifice your future for him. You were trying to be more than just your sub-gender and more than solely becoming an alpha’s eventual trophy wife. Being with him would only complicate things. There was nothing he could do or say would change your perspective.

As you stood up with your stuff, you told him as firmly as you were able to make it without your voice wavering.

"No, we couldn't."

It felt like it was you trying to convince yourself otherwise.

You’d do anything to not be the one watching his heart break right in front of your eyes, his mood changing almost immediately. He tried to look away from you but you saw the deep disappointment reflecting in his irises. The softness they once held hardened up once he realized what he was feeling, trying hard to swallow back the pain. The change of his smell washed over you in waves, a cold melancholy hitting the back of your throat while a burning anger bit at the pit of your stomach at the same time. It wasn't like him to be so distraught with a simple rejection, maybe you were the first one that didn't immediately fall for his charms.

Maybe, just maybe... it should've been you that had gotten rejected instead. Perhaps it would've made you feel less awful about it.

"Yeah, sorry. I… I don’t even know why I said that. Why would I even choose yo— No. Wait. Fuck, I—" Reiner cleared his throat quickly and stood up himself, ready to get out of the situation he put himself in. He was backpedaling, you knew he was, but it didn’t make you or him feel any better about the situation. He really was not used to rejection, huh?

"Let's... let's forget all that. There’s a party going on in Delta Kappa Theta tonight. If you want to come, come. I don’t want you to keep preventing yourself from having fun." The way he still cared about you first made you feel like you were the complete piece of shit here. No matter what though, you didn’t owe him a relationship or situationship or whatever you two have.

You partially nodded anyways, a squeak of an ‘okay’ barely escaping you as you watched him walk away. Every step that he took made you feel even less sure about what you just did, but it was for the best… right?

‘•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’

It was the first frat party you’ve ever been to and as you approached the house, you knew that it was going to be way out of your comfort zone. You wanted to go back to your safe and warm dorm, make up an excuse to go to bed early, but Reiner was right, you shouldn't be cooping yourself up for so long without any other interaction besides him. You slowly took in a deep breath, tugging at the seams of your jacket before entering the house, music blaring in your ears and bright lights hitting your eyes as soon as you opened the door.

Find Reiner, find him. Your omega begged you as you shuffled through drunk and dancing bodies, but you ignored it. Would he even want to see you after you rejected him?

Someone tapped you on the shoulder and you turned towards the person, eyes wide with shock.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you," Another alpha, his clean rain-like scent faint from the amount of alcohol in the air. He was extremely tall but folded his body within himself while holding a red solo cup, and his black hair was in desperate need of a new haircut, nearly covering the tops of his eyes. The man didn't seem to present himself like an alpha, his demeanor certainly different to the ones you've met and seen before. "You smelled like my friend and the lights are way too bright so I thought you were him, so sorry again."

He looked vaguely familiar but it seemed that he recognized you first, his mouth suddenly agape. "Wait. Aren't you the girl that Reiner keeps talking about? Uh... sorry. What was your name again?"

"Y/N, nice to meet you. Reiner... mentioned me?"

He kindly smiled and nodded, holding out his hand for you to shake. "Bertolt and you have no idea. You're basically all he wants to talk about recently."

It felt like your heart skipped a beat, butterflies fluttering around in your stomach. You really had that much of an effect on him? You felt partially proud that you, a complete nobody, managed to get him head over heels for you. The other part felt horrible, you didn't mean to lead him on like that to the point where he started bringing you up to his friends. It seemed that Bertolt realized what he said was causing you to get upset, pulling you towards the kitchen.

He quickly scooped up some liquid from a punchbowl and poured it into a new cup, handing it over to you. "Here. A drink might make you feel better."

You weren't new to drinking, only having it a few times casually here and there so you took a quick sip, a smooth burn going down your throat. You coughed lightly and shook your head, hearing him chuckle. He leaned against the countertop beside you, swirling around the cup in his hand.

"Bertolt?" You hated how small you sounded, trailing your fingertips against the ridges of the plastic cup.

"Hm?" He started to take another sip out of his drink, raising it up above his head.

"I don't know if he told you this already but I rejected him this afternoon." The sound of him choking and hacking followed suit immediately after you confessed, a spew of apologies running out of your mouth as you patted his back to get it all out. He definitely didn't tell him yet.

Once he managed to finally stop clearing his throat, he wiped his mouth and turned towards you, eyes wide. "Why did you?"

You bit the inside of your cheek and took another quick sip. "I told him that I wasn't looking for a romantic relationship or sex, all I want to do is focus on is passing my classes and graduating. That's the complete and honest truth."

His friend stayed quiet for a bit until he nodded once, as if he understood your reasoning.

"That's fair, you should be able to pursue what you want to do for your life instead of tending to his needs. It's hard out there for omegas and it's great that you're doing more for yourself. I know Reiner really does actually like you, but you don't have to pursue anything with him if you don't want to. You control what you get to do."

You felt flushed from both the alcohol and his words, you've never met an alpha that shared such a considerably controversial opinion before. You quietly thanked him, watching him tilt his head up towards the ceiling, sighing softly.

"Reiner... I've known Reiner since middle school and fuck, he has his moments where he tends to be a shitty guy, even long before he presented as an alpha. He's stubborn as hell and rarely listens to us and he's occasionally a great guy to be teamed up with, but inside, I know he's just trying to figure himself out."

"What do you mean?" He flinched, beginning to sweat bullets as he nervously fidgeted next to you.

"A-ah, sorry. I don't know if I should be telling you this since you're also his friend but," His pale eyes darted side-to-side, as if he was making sure that no one was listening. "Every omega he's been with, he calls all of them 'practice' for his fated mate. Everyone knows that having a fated mate is super, super rare but since he met you, well..."

He nervously tugged at the hem of his shirt but you immediately knew what he was saying.

"No." You awkwardly started laughing, shaking your head quickly. The house immediately felt even more stuffy and overbearing, a nauseating feeling overcoming you all of a sudden. Omegas being used as practice? Were you just another practice target if the relationship didn't work out?

"N-no, he doesn't seriously think that I'm his fated mate?"

Bertolt sharply inhaled through his teeth, eyes locked to the ground. "Reiner was always hopeful he'd find his second half and you've been the only omega he speaks so positively and constantly about. He mentioned the day you guys met, how your pheromones enticed him so much that he nearly kissed you and he wanted nothing more but to have you as his mate after that. Ugh, sorry. Even saying it out loud makes me feel gross."

You felt sick, numb. Were you even friends from the start or was all of his actions just some kind of courting method? You could barely hear yourself tell Bertolt that you had to go, fumbling a goodbye and an apology to him before pushing yourself into the crowd. The sea of people felt like it was getting more impossible to navigate the more you moved in it, a tight feeling building in your chest from being overwhelmed by every little smell and sound all around you.

Get out.

Get out.

GET OUT.

When you finally managed to push through and find the front door, your blood ran cold immediately. Like a deer frozen in front of oncoming headlights, you couldn't believe what you were staring at. Every part of your body screamed in complete anguish and devastation but you couldn't move. You had no right to, but you couldn't stop your tears from rapidly falling down your cheeks.

Reiner Braun, sitting down on the couch with some stranger on his lap, tracing his hands down their back, and pulling them closer to his body.

Reiner Braun, kissing down their neck, the peaks of his canines just barely scraping against their scent gland.

Reiner Braun, basically publicly grinding himself against this willing participant of his.

His eyes opened half-lidded and in some cruel form of fate, locked onto yours. Out of everyone in the room, he managed to find yours. He pulled away from the omega, a strand of drool still connecting between them. His hand still rested comfortably on the curve of their back, his mouth uttering only one name with wide eyes.

"Y/N...?"

All you could think as you finally snapped out of it — running out of the fraternity until your lungs felt like they were being ripped to shreds — was how bad you felt for that omega. How they were only going to be reduced into something so demeaning, a dummy-run to find his perfect mate. They didn't deserve that, being wide-eyed and hopeful that because he decided to choose them for his lustful pursuits, they're finally worthy of being a candidate of his.

You sobbed aloud as you washed and scrubbed your body red once you reached your dorm, trying to erase every scent and touch he made for the past couple of months. He was nothing more but absolute filth and you fell for it like a fool, a stupid brainless omega. You thought you were better than that but no, you were just like the rest of them. Even if you were his so-called fated mate, why did he continue to seek out others? Wouldn't he have tried to abstain? Sure, you shouldn't have expected that much out of him considering that you didn't even accept his confession but for some reason, it still hurt.

Fuck Reiner Braun. You should've never forgotten that in the first place.

‘•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’

Now you were here, leaving the messy history of the second year behind and now moving onto your third. Always look to the future, as they say. You took a lot of preventatives in avoiding seeing Reiner, the plan nearly as extensive as your studying.

You blocked his number once he started to keep calling over and over again ever since the party, blocking the new ones that came every so often and changing your number once you couldn't take it anymore. There was no reason for you to hear his explanation, it's his business on who he decides to fuck and you shouldn't be mad about it anymore. Part of you was afraid that if you hear him explain himself, you'd run right back to him just like every other omega he had a finger wrapped around.

You stopped frequenting areas you used to hang around in, which was unfortunate since some of those places were your favorites. You moved dorms, avoided places he frequented, and made sure he wasn't in any of your classes. Your majors were luckily too different to be in the same buildings or rooms, and with the help of Bertolt, you were always one step ahead of him.

He was the one that approached you first in one of your classes together at the start of the new semester and taught you the ways in how to avoid meeting up with him. You didn't know why his best friend wanted to help you and once asked him, getting the answer that Reiner hasn't been himself recently and he was afraid that he might do something rash if he managed to find you.

"You have so much ahead of you, I’d hate to see Reiner make you throw it away."

Bertolt made sure that he wasn't seen with you whenever the two of you hung out, and when he was with him, he made sure to steer clear of your direction with a simple text. He had to bathe immediately after just in case your scent got on him, which should be nonexistent but he was afraid that if there was just the vaguest trace on him, Reiner would hound him about it. He basically became your bodyguard whenever it was possible for him to do so, and you didn't even ask. You've never felt so grateful meeting someone like him before.

He also brought up that Reiner's been playing more rougher than usual, and snapping at others even when they're on his side of the team exercises. Even the coach was too afraid to say anything about his behavior, relying on him and a few others that were friends with him to talk to him about it.

"It sounds like he's in a pre-rut." You mentioned, handing over the pickles from your sandwich over to him. He took them with an open palm and threw them into his mouth like chips.

"I hope not, his scent smells the same so far but he rarely gets into ruts for me to really know what he smells like. Plus, he never knows how to handle them well."

"Reiner doesn't choose any of the omegas he messes around with for his ruts?" Bertolt shook his head, swallowing.

"Not at all. It's weird, he may mess around with them during their heats but he never, ever lets them in when he's going through a rut. Think it has something to do with the fated mate mentality he has, but sometimes we don't even know he was ever in one until they're over, he basically disappears for a week or so."

It’s funny in a weird way. The two of you were hiding each other from behind Reiner’s back as if the two of you were dating. Even though the two of you became close, your relationship with him was nothing romantic. Some kind of bro-code would've been broken between Reiner and Bertolt if you started dating him, and you'd be eating your own words from what you've said to Reiner. Then again, you never wanted to date him and tolerated his looming, clingy presence on most days.

Bertolt told you that he liked someone but was too afraid to make any move. She was another alpha and one of his friends, so the pairing itself had its controversies. He kept saying that his confession might ruin what they had for years and he was satisfied being in her shadow. It was sad to hear him put himself in second place for her happiness. So you tried doing a little nudge for him to go for it — 'the worst she can say is no' kind of talk — because it was better for him to say something than nothing at all and still quietly pine for her. Bertolt got too excited and rushed in with the confession after one of his practices without your knowledge, a messy bouquet of roses tightly gripped in his hand.

There was a few word texts that he sent to you after the whole ordeal:

Didn't get accepted.

Heartbroken.

Bar.

You found him standing in front of your dormitory building waiting for you, awkward looks of both omegas and betas glancing at him. As you approached him, he took a few steps towards you and almost collapsed in your arms as you held them outstretched. His tears and snot quickly dampened your jacket, his body wracking out heaves of anguish. There wasn't an alpha in the world that you've seen so vulnerable before, his fists gripping your clothes tightly as he shook in sadness.

He started telling you what had happened once he somewhat composed himself, his voice weak and crackly as the two of you walked to his chosen bar. Unfortunately, she turned him down and told him that she was actually interested in some beta from Paradis Tech named Armin. You could only imagine the bouquet dropping to the floor in dramatic fashion, tears welling up in poor Bertolt's eyes. She apologized and somewhat comforted him by saying that his confession won't change anything between their friendship. That was good, at least on her side.

You started consoling him, rubbing his back in circles as he drunkenly wept on the polished wood after downing one too many tequila shots. The speed in which he drank each one was shocking to say the least, you don't think his glass touched the table since he picked it up.

"We've known each 'ther shince we were kitss." He hiccupped, head resting in-between his arms as he tearfully stared in the distance and dangled the shot cup in his fingers.

"If I shaid sumnthin 'ears ago, would she hab 'ccepted me — or or or — shill reject me because of awer shub-genda?" You pitifully stared at his crumpled form, not knowing what to really say to make him feel better about the situation. The bartender then took his glass from Bertolt and told you to take the poor guy home, shaking his head slowly as he quietly whined about getting cut off.

"C'mon big guy, let's get you back."

The walk was quiet besides the occasional sniffle and you could tell he was trying not to fall on top of you, his feet slowly dragging on the concrete. As the designated sober friend, you were carefully observing him, a hand firmly holding the sleeve of his sweatshirt. He stopped suddenly, the sounds of his sneakers squeaking.

"Y/N."

"Hm?"

You turned your attention towards him, tilting your head to the side.

"If I wazzn'tin love wif Annie, I'd be sooooo in love 'ith—"

Bertolt then jolted to the side of an alleyway before he could finish what he was saying and started throwing up. It prompted you to quickly go by his side and hold him up, patting hard on his back to get it all out. You knew what he was going to say and you hated it. He's drunk and sad, nothing that came out of him was going to be honest.

"Don't say that Bertolt." You mumbled, lifting him back up once he finished and slinging his arm over your shoulders.

"I'm not going to be a replacement for you."

He reached over with his other hand, skin cold around the nape of your neck as he pulled your face towards his. You could smell the alcohol lingering in his breath, face cringing when you saw a bit of spittle still hanging off of his lips. He started saying something even more incoherent, his eyes beginning to close in hints of slumber.

"No, no, no. I... I swer'lve ewtoo."

You laughed softly as you shook your head in amusement, pulling him forwards. He really won't remember this at all. Bertolt finally fell silent, the occasional drunken groans slipping through if you tugged him too roughly.

Maybe in another world, if you had met Bertolt before Reiner...

You made the decision to take him to your dorm. The dormitory building was way closer than the frat house he lived in, and you'd rather not lug around his heavy body another ten blocks to get there. Never in your life you had thought you'd be sneaking in a giant of an alpha into the shared beta-omega dorms, but you wouldn't be the first to do so. It's a good thing his scent was currently dulled with alcohol or you'd be in more trouble trying to hide him. Quickly unlocking your door and taking him over to your loveseat, you watched as his body slowly relaxed into the cushions.

He was simply way too tall for the seating, his legs dangled off of the side of the couch as you adjusted him to a positioning that would prevent any risk of asphyxiation if he started throwing up again. You highly doubted that he had anything left in him, but it was good to be on the safe side. You lightly pinched his cheek, getting a change of clothes and headed towards the bathroom.

You checked on him once more before going to bed, a light snore coming out of him. Seems like he's all tuckered out and okay for now, the hangover is definitely not going to be pretty in the morning. You settled yourself into your sheets and turned the lights off, soon falling asleep.

The sound of your alarm on your phone blared in your ears, arms trying to pull out from underneath the blanket to turn it off but you didn't move an inch. Groggily opening your eyes, you saw an arm wrapped around your body, your mind not registering what was going on until you heard the soft sounds of breathing on top of your head. You turned your head slowly to the couch, the connection finally being put together when you saw his body wasn't lying there.

He started to rouse from his sleep when the alarm kept sounding off, an annoyed hiss slipping through his lip as his head lifted up from yours, reaching over himself to shut it off.

"Good morning big guy." You whispered as he settled back next to you, lightly squeezing you closer to him as if you were his pillow.

Bertolt grumbled quietly. "What time is it?"

"According to my alarm, maybe 8:05 in the morning." You tried to get up to get him water and something for his headache, but he didn't budge an inch. The two of you laid with each other, basking in the morning warmth quietly.

"Sorry for getting in bed with you, I tried finding a blanket but didn't want to wake you up."

"It's fine," You hummed quietly, turning your body towards him. "You okay though?"

He opened his mouth but closed it, falling silent as he slowly began to think. He turned on his back, staring at the white ceiling.

"Not really. Everything still hurts and I'm tempted to cry even more but... I don't know. Some part of me feels... relieved? If I never told her, I'd still be stuck in a loop worrying whether I'd ruin something between us and keep having this twist in my stomach whenever I see her with someone else. I'm glad that she found someone that she's happy with but..."

Bertolt put his forearm over his eyes, letting out a soft laugh.

"But why do I still want her?" His voice cracked, a tremble following the end of his words and once more, you wrapped your arms around his torso. You could smell his sadness, a heavy and misty petrichor filling the room in waves.

"Sometimes there's things that we desperately want to have but can't have. Irrational as it is, it's in our nature." You mumbled, your hands balling up in his sweatshirt.

"Like you with Reiner?" Your blood ran cold as he said that but you merely pushed your face into his body.

"I don't know."

In the end, Reiner managed to find you and ask you to his game. You texted Bertolt, asking how was he able to get your location after being almost MIA for months. Apparently when you and him finally snuck him out of the dormitory, it completely slipped his mind that he had to wash off like usual. When he entered the frat house, Reiner greeted him but stopped midway, quickly approaching him and grabbing his shirt collar roughly.

He demanded me to tell him where you were. I'm so sorry Y/N, I couldn't stop him and our team needs the both of us playing.

You stared at the text, almost throwing your phone in frustration. You should've said no, had firmly stood behind your decision. Yet, the second his pheromones reached your nostrils, you couldn't stop yourself from agreeing, even if you were trying to look angry at him. You've noticed it had gotten stronger than before, was it because you haven't seen him in a while? You couldn't even be mad at Bertolt, you'd be terrified out of your mind too if an alpha was demanding an answer from you like that.

It's only for a few hours, you thought as you took in a slow breath. After that, he'll finally leave you alone.

‘•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’

Reiner picked you up earlier than usual. It was about 5:10 when you heard a knock at your door, causing you put down the lip gloss before you even could apply it. Shuffling over and peeking through the peephole, you saw him standing there in a suit and tie. He cleaned himself up, the stubble he once had when he found you was completely shaven away and his blond hair was slight slicked back with gel.

"You're early." You muttered as you opened the door, keeping it barely ajar. He's not even supposed to step foot in the dorm, nervousness crawling up your spine. His pheromones hit you like a train, practically everyone that was walking down the dorm hallway could smell him, heads turning in your room's direction.

"I wanted to see you." He grinned, pushing the door open even more — nearly knocking you over — and handing you a bouquet of morning glories, camellias, and forget-me-nots. As you were staring at the mostly red flowers, almost a complete eyesore with the addition of the light blue petals that peered out from within, he waltzed in your safe haven without your permission.

"Hey! Reiner, you can't just—!"

You groaned as you exasperatedly followed after him, placing the bouquet down on your desk. His form was absolutely massive compared to the entire room, his head constantly turning towards the different decor that you hung up on the walls.

"I've never seen your dorm on the inside before, it's cute. It's... you." He softly mumbled, your face turning warm. You grabbed his sleeve, trying to tug him out of your space so you can get ready, but he stopped in the middle of the room, his attention honed in towards the messed sheets of your bed.

"Reiner," You started, your eyes following to where he was looking at. Your heart nearly stopped in your chest when you smelled a burning anger occupy the space — a smoldering, cindering scent — nearly making you cover your nose from how horrible it was. You gulped, hand slipping out and down to your side in a fist. "Reiner, w-we... we didn't do anything."

He just stood there silently, still focused on your bed. He has every right to be angry, you were literally snuggling with his best friend this morning, but you didn't belong to him. Scummy as it was, you made your bed and laid on it, there was nothing he could change about it.

"I-I'm just going to get ready." You whispered, turning around to go back into the bathroom. Big mistake.

Large hands grabbed your wrist, dragging you around in a speed that you couldn't comprehend. You almost screamed as he threw you on the bed, Reiner following after you and trapping you beneath him, his leg in-between yours. Fear was pouring out of you in waves but he couldn't smell it, no one could.

It took him little time and effort for him to press his lips against yours, your eyes wide as you soon realized what he was doing. You tried moving your mouth away, a scared and little no slipping out but he caught you again, his hand gripping your chin and forcing your head to stay in place. You tried pulling at his suit, squirming and kicking your legs, anything to get this monster off of you, but he didn't budge, seemingly finding enjoyment in your weak attempts as he pressed himself deeper against your lips.

His knee nudged at your cunt, a muffled, surprised gasp coming out of you, letting him enter your mouth even more. A shiver ran up your spine as you felt his tongue run against yours, the wet muscle violating wherever he went in a meticulous fashion. You could barely breathe, the smell of him and the aftershave he had on was so intense that you could feel the tug of your omega side slipping through the cracks of your mind; not even your medication was able to stop you from feeling this way.

Reiner finally pulled away, a mix of each other's saliva connecting the two of you. Strands of his gelled back hair fell over his forehead, your once-brushed out hair tousled into a mess. Both of your breaths were uneven and heavy, his eyes low and dazed as he stared down at you. Tears were running down your face, ruining what you've already put on, your eyebrows scrunched together in absolute horror as you shared the same stare with him. He sniffed the air once, again and again as he neared your neck.

"Stop, stop, stop." You cried out as you pushed against his stubborn head, fearing that he would bite down on your scent gland.

He didn't make any move, only sniffing at you like a curious dog. He then pressed his lips against it, causing you to abruptly stiffen in horrid expectation.

There was no pain as he pulled away from you, your hand immediately shooting to your neck to feel for any welts or marks. Nothing. A simple kiss was all he did on it, and you couldn't help but feel appreciative that he didn't mark you.

"Don't you dare see Bertolt ever again, you understand?" He hissed into your ear, the threat echoing hollowly in your head. No way in hell were you going to listen to him, but the omega in you nodded slowly, his heavy body finally lifting off of you. You tried to ignore the imprint straining against his lower half, your eyes staring up at him in complete shock.

"Go get yourself ready."

Shakily getting up on your feet, you beelined towards the bathroom without a single word, nearly collapsing on the floor once you turned the lock. As you looked at your face in the mirror, dripping dark drops of mascara and eyeliner stained the apples of your cheeks. The lipstick that was once there, was now rubbed away, leaving nothing but your bare lips. Your hand trembled as you reached over for a makeup wipe, a quiver of a sigh coming out of you.

You wanted to throw up, get every bit of spit and slobber of his out of your system, but you couldn’t. He’d hear you.

Reiner brought one of his jersey's for you to wear once you came out of the bathroom with fresh casual makeup back on, and you could tell that the article was completely drenched in his scent. You sniffed at it gingerly as you held it in your hands, cringing away from the sweet vanilla smell.

"What? It's clean, I promise."

"Liar." You mumbled under your breath but pulled it over the shirt you wore, the fabric loose against your body. He took a quick minute to admire you in his clothing, placing his hand on your cheek and stroking the skin with his thumb. You could still see the red stain of your lipstick smeared on his lips, trying to fight back tears and a sneer.

"You look so fuckable right now," You bit the inside of your cheek as you watched the tip of his tongue licked across his bottom lip, the darks of his pupils reflecting an unhinged licentiousness that horrified you within every atom in your body. "Maybe tonight, when I win, I'll be getting another trophy."

"Don't forget our deal asshole," You finally spat out, ripping his hand off of your face in disgust. "I'm only going to your stupid game because of the promise you made this morning."

Reiner simply stared down at you, your nerves scrambling even worse than before. He finally scoffed, crossing his arms. "Right. Our deal."

You hated the fact that he basically was acting like he didn't just forcefully kiss you, your nails digging into the palm of your hand. "Can we go now?"

He checked his phone, huffing slightly. "Yeah. Don't worry, we're not that far to the stadium. Just a few traffic lights and we'll be there."

You felt all the color drain from your face. You thought it was close by in walking terms but now you had to be in a small space where it now completely smells like him? Might as well hold your breath the entire ride.

The short drive was quiet, some random old rock station was lowly playing on the radio, but the two of you didn't speak to each other. What would even be exchanged anymore? You didn't want to be associated with him so long as you walked on this planet. Reiner's fingers thrummed on the wheel, red spilling into the car and staining every surface within. He turned towards you as if he wanted to say something and you stared back, a chill running down your spine. No words were said, but you felt every little thing from his smell.

Ravenous, a voracious appetite for the predator in disguise. Right in front of him, a five-course meal just ripe for the picking. All he's doing now was waiting for you to back into an inescapable cliff, the perfect moment to finally strike.

"...You have to go." You whispered and he finally broke eye contact, staring at the traffic light above and accelerating.

"Yeah, right."

The silence once presumed until the two of you approached the stadium, him mentioning that he got you a seat near the rink so you could see the action up close. To be honest, you could care less about the game and who would win overall. Reiner handed you the ticket between his index and middle finger, but when you reached over to grab it, he took it back.

"Need a good luck kiss from you first. If this is the last time I'll get to see you, I want to make it last."

You didn't want to rile him up before he played or make him force his hand upon you in the car, so you planted a quick kiss on his cheek before grabbing the ticket from his hand simultaneously. "Okay. Done. Good luck or whatever."

You scrambled out of his car, making your way to the inside as soon as possible. The arena was louder than you thought once you stepped foot, the joyous chatter and screams echoing throughout the hallways. LED screens hanging from the ceiling flashed the words Marley Warriors vs Paradis Titans, showing the line-ups of each team member.

Reiner came first in the centers, his pose prideful and boasting with stats to match. The other three names that you noticed were Porco Galliard, Colt Grice, and Eren Kruger. You eventually saw Bertolt come up as one of the right wingers but no sign of his usual reserved side showed in his photo, he looked focused and tough more than anything else. One of the goalies was an older looking individual by the name of Zeke Jaeger, confident but not too boasting. Clips of their past games showed afterwards, showing their amazing teamwork and impressive previous goals, then moving on to the other team.

The main centers for the Paradis Titans were composed of four men; Eren Jaeger, Jean Kirschtein, Levi Ackerman, and Miche Zacharius. Was the Eren guy related to the other Jaeger on your university's team? They definitely didn't look alike in your opinion but it could simply be because of a crazy Punnett square. Some wingers and defensemen that you sorta paid attention to were Armin Arlelt, Hange Zoë, Floch Forster, and Connie Springer. The goalie on their team was a massive blond man named Erwin Smith, his photo exuding a powerful stance, maybe even more than your uni's goalie. You felt like Reiner's team might have some trouble facing them, their defense and attack seems pretty threatening.

You finally took a glance at your ticket, walking around trying to find the stairway for your seating. The smells of popcorn, melted cheese, and hotdogs filled your nose, but you didn't feel hungry at all, still sick to your stomach from what had happened earlier. Eventually you finally found where you were supposed to go, and if you thought it was loud in the other shell of the arena, finally stepping in the seating area and the rink was absolutely ear-breaking.

Sirens, music, screaming, loud announcers. Almost every unbearable sound was contained in the structure, you should've bought earplugs prior to this. Not to mention, every scent of maybe hundred alphas and omegas intertwined made you feel even more overwhelmed, a headache beginning to form.

It's only for a few hours, a few hours and you'll never see this place or him ever again.

Your seat was nearby Reiner's team, nearly in-between the other team as well, the other teammates chattering with each other. You've sorta recognized them, occasionally seen around campus and such. Heads and eyes of strangers from school nearby were somewhat turning towards you, even the team started to notice you walking up behind them. Your face burned up at the realization once you sat down. Shit. You had completely forgotten that you were wearing Reiner's heavily scented jersey, you might as well be showing off the mating mark that he could've made a few hours ago.

"Yo Braun's omega is here!" One of the team members called out and you almost hid your head in your hands in embarrassment. Oh God, don't say that.

"Y/N, you made it?" The most recognizable voice cleared your thoughts immediately, head perking back up with a wide smile.

"Bertolt!" You wanted to hug him but he recoiled back as if you were a stranger, his nose scrunching. Your face fell immediately, his gaze sinking down in shame when he noticed your crestfallen expression.

"Sorry, it's not you. It's... y'know. That." He nudged the bottom of the jersey with the end of his stick, a frown forming on your face.

"I know. He made me wear it." You frustratingly tugged at the fabric with one hand and he chuckled, ruffling the top of your head. You'd burn it on the spot if you could.

"I didn't make you wear anything babe, you've always liked wearing my clothes." The sound of his voice made you freeze in place, eyes wide as your head turned in the direction of where he was walking in. Bertolt followed suit, his hand retracting away from you as if you were suddenly a hot stove.

"I don't think I could follow up your end of our deal if you're not respecting my demands, omega." No. That was never part of the agreement. You just gave the okay so he'd get off your back about it. He genuinely couldn't be serious about not seeing Bertolt anymore, right?

"Don't be an asshole Reiner. She's not just an omega."

The blond scowled at his friend, shoving his helmet roughly against his chest. He pushed it off of him, staring the other down in a sneer. You've never seen Bertolt like this before, the usual rain smell he had was turning stormy and bitterly furious.

"Oh, I'm the asshole? I wasn't the one hiding my fucking mate from me for months and sleeping in her bed. Not to mention, what happened to Annie or did you get tired of another alpha that's better than you?" You internally winced for him, that was such a low blow. Bertolt looked stunned for a second, glancing over at you for a quick second, but he pushed his shoulder back roughly in return.

"Don't bring Annie into this Reiner, this is about my friend. Did you really think she'd let you — of all people in this school — mark her when you act like a conceited asshole? She's not your fated mate. You've proven that over and over again that she's going to be like the rest, you knotheaded fuck."

You gasped at the sudden insult, a vein nearly popping out of Reiner's forehead but he didn't say anything more, pushing past Bertolt and shouldering him roughly with a scowl. You didn't mean for them to start an argument with one another, the game hadn't even started and tensions were already high. The Paradis Titans team weren't hiding their amused stares, the Eren Jaeger guy whispering to the short haired, bowl-cut blond next to him; Armin, you think. The murmurs of strangers behind you made you feel sick, hearing the word knottease being tossed around, the horrid word directed towards you.

You started to apologize profusely once Bertolt turned towards you, but he simply held out a hand, patting your shoulder as you stopped.

"Don't be. Someone needed to say it to him, maybe this fight would finally clear his head."

"But the game Bertolt, I—" You started but he interrupted you once more.

"I don't give a shit about the game if you're the one being hurt. You matter more than hitting a puck around, okay?" If you weren't wearing Reiner's jersey, you'd hug him right now. He smiled and put his helmet on, leaning close to you to whisper something in your ear.

"By the way, don't listen to the jerks behind you. You're nothing like that, you're going to be something great." He backed away once the horn started, walking over to the entrance to the ice rink to join his team. Good luck, you wanted to say because if anything, he'll need it when he gets into the arena with a monster in tow.

‘•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•’

If you thought Reiner was bad in practice, his violent playstyle was nothing compared to when he's in an actual game. How on Earth this sport was approved to play for anyone, you had no idea. All you could hear was men yelling at each other and slamming each other to snatch the slippery little puck, fans behind you hollering just as loudly.

Both Reiner and Bertolt had seemed to forgive each other on the court, winning being the only thing on their minds. Just like in practice, they didn't have to say anything to get the point across, making passes and attempted shots whenever they had the slightest of openings. The two Galliards seemed to be more communicative with one another, defending the goalie whenever they could with short barks of commands. They were good but Eren Jaeger seemed to be the rookie ace of the Titans, managing to push through and score in the most impossible scenarios.

You could tell he was aggravating them, putting them in a corner while constantly taunting them with a one-liner or a smug smile as he scored. An angry alpha was something not to mess with and putting a whole group of them against other alphas who were mocking them for their failures? It's obviously an immediate recipe for disaster.

Intermission came around, the score against the Warriors by two. As the teams were talking to one another to plan out their next attack, you watched the Zambonis slowly smooth out the ice again. You paid no attention to them and their chatter, you wouldn't have made sense of it anyways.

"Hey," You looked around for the source of the voice and finally down, seeing bright turquoise-blue and a mess of brown hair standing below you. He smelled sharply fresh, like the first bite to a mint leaf and drinking cold water afterwards. It wasn't necessarily bad like most in the arena, just made your nose crinkle a little from the suddenness of it. "Eren Jaeger."

"Oh- um... Y/N. Aren't you supposed to be talking to your team?"

He waved his hand dismissively towards your statement, crossing his arms with a smile. "Nah, there's nothing else that's new with the planning. You, however, are the talk of the arena."

Your cheeks flushed warm, the temptation of burying yourself alive later on growing more and more, but you grimaced instead. "So what? You wanted to see if I'm what they say I am?"

Eren shook his head, taking a few steps closer towards you. "I'm not talking about the knottease comments, I'm talking about the Reiner Braun's mate comments. Is it true?"

"No! Of course not!" You exclaimed in shock, but the subtle-not-so-subtle glance downwards towards your attire seemed to make him doubt you otherwise. You tried defending yourself about it without revealing much about the twisted relationship you actually have with Reiner.

"This is just because he thinks he's claimed me and we've made a deal. I have no other choice."

"Is it now? Well then," He pointed towards himself with a thumb, his grin growing even wider. "When I win, wanna go on a date with me after this?"

How many alphas were gunning for you right now?! You knew that you took your suppressants today after Bertolt left your dorm so how come this was happening to you? The absolute balls on this man, especially since he was thinking that his team had already won. You wearily shook your head, you've had your fill of pestering alphas for the rest of your schooling life.

He looked dejected for a second but perked up immediately, the buzzer of the timer echoing throughout the arena. You thought that was that and began to turn your attention towards your college's team, but then he called out a 'head's up', tossing something in your direction. You caught it in surprise, looking in the palm of your hands and finding a keyhole shaped earring.

"Keep it! For the next time we meet!" Eren waved you goodbye and jogged over to his side of the team, high-fiving and chattering with his friends before putting a helmet on. You let a small smile slip out, he may be a little cute but there was definitely no way you were ever going to see him ever again. You safely tucked it into your pocket, finally looking towards the Warriors.

He was watching you. Of course. There was a livid look in his eyes, his brows scrunched even more in irascibility and his teeth were bared, perhaps even grinding together in this current moment. You paled at the thought of them sinking into your neck like some kind of rabid animal. Reiner was barely human anymore, you realize. Any loving gaze that he had before for you was nothing more but a dangerous hunger.

All you could hope was for the Warriors to win so he would be in a decent mood to finalize the goodbyes, and you'd pray for the Titans for the brutality that they're about to endure because of his horrid attachment to you.

The players slid into the ice once more, the deafening cheers of everyone growing louder and louder as the second half of the game was beginning to start. The referee smoothly made his way between the two masses of men, Reiner staring down coldly into the clear mask of Eren. Like a coin flip, the puck was thrown highly into the midst of them, their eyes following it as it made its way down to the icy ground.

Click.

In a snap of a finger, the sound of sticks bashed together once the puck bounced off of the surface. Like a choreographed dance, the rivals whirled with one another, swinging and twisting their bodies around in order to get ahold of the very thing that might as well be the trophy itself. The intensity of the game was now at an all time high that even you started to pay more attention to it, the hairs on your arms raising in anticipation.

The puck swung back and forth like a pinball, but the Warriors managing to catch up to a tie. It was starting to become a standstill again however, taunting chants coming out from the people in the stands, jeering at the anyone that opposed their team. Players were being switched out on both teams during timeouts but few remained on the ice, a tense aura between the three.

Reiner, Bertolt, Eren.

Bertolt took a few glances at his friend, tapping the end of his stick with his and seemingly started to exchange words with him from what you could see. Who knows what it was about; the game, the enemy team, you. He only lifted his fist up, letting the other return it in a similar gesture and that seemed to calm the black-haired male's nerves.

Reiner's eyes were lasered in on Eren for the most part, gripping the handle of his stick tightly and swiping it around on the ice as if he was practicing a shot. He was truly unrecognizable, a shell of the man that once followed you around like the world's most clingiest puppy dog. You knew he wanted to show-off, his pride was at risk to a girl that he believed he owned for months. Disgusting and typical.

Eren seemed the most lax out of all of them, leaning against the plastic border as fans behind him fawned over him. He seemed not to care about Reiner's burning glares at him, waving across the rink to seemingly you. He seemed nice, but it was obvious that he had more intentions than just wanting to befriend you.

The whistle sounded and the game began once more, the men skating themselves back to the middle. You checked how much time was left on the clock, ten minutes. Ten more excruciating minutes and you were going to be finally free.

" 'Round it now!" You could hear Reiner call out to Grice as he suddenly slammed his complete weight into enemy Jaeger, their eyes meeting as the others chased after the puck. They went after it as well once he recovered from the blow, but it looked like they started talking and you managed to spot a furious glint glazing over his hazel eyes.

He suddenly threw his stick out onto the rink, ripping off his gloves and grabbing Jaeger's shirt by the collar in frightening speed. Reiner was undeniably experienced with his punches, uppercutting him from below the mask. It toppled off of his head, falling to the ground with a crack, and Eren was stunned for a second, just for a single second. He was unable to completely process what had happened before the bigger male tackled him to the cold ground, the deafening sounds of heavy bodies slamming into the ice made the arena stand still.

The referee was too afraid to intervene but blew the whistle immediately, and hundreds of people watched the Reiner Braun brutally dig his knuckles into his face. Fresh crimson spilt down on the ice in splatters and you were forced to witness him weakly trying to stop him, protecting his face as much as possible to no avail. Bertolt immediately tried pulling him off of him, shouting at him that he needed to stop but it was like he was in a trance, almost attacking him in the process.

He finally was pulled off of Eren by the goalie of Warriors — furiously throwing his own punch into his face — and the poor boy having to be quickly removed from the rink on a stretcher. Reiner was pinned to the ground by multiple individuals and given a tranquilizer, his body soon relaxing and slumping over. They put him on a stretcher as well, his hands and legs bounded together and his mouth wrapped with a cloth rag. He was still slightly conscious, his calm and woozy stare meeting your horrified one.

The game had to continue without them but you had already left, not knowing the result. You felt too nauseous from smelling the sheer fear and panic that was coming of Eren, pungent and potent as it filled the air. But Reiner's...

All you could smell was that sickening warmth, a burning sensation in your nares. The same scent from your dorm but that's not at all what made you leave immediately. The sick fuck was happy he was beating into the defenseless guy, exhilarated that his blood was running down his skin and staining the floor, joyful. The nose doesn't lie and you wonder if everyone else caught it too.

Bertolt texted you when he visited Reiner in the hospital, but you didn't respond, busy trying to scrub the remnants of him out of your dorm while tears ran down your cheeks.

He did it for you.

[cod-thoughts]

Day 27 of 31 days of COD

Words: 4.1k

Relationships: GhostPrice

Tags: slightly ooc, courting, soft John Price, getting together

Gaz laughed quietly, leaning back in his chair. “Poetry, proper tea, even good coffee on occasion. The Captain’s makin’ the rest of us look lazy. He’s bringin’ Ghost around slow and steady, like they’re characters in some 19th-century romance.” Soap grinned, his gaze flicking back to Ghost, who was still looking at the book like he couldn’t decide if he’d imagined it. “And Ghost here—doesn’t see a thing. He’s thicker than a brick wall when it comes to this sort of thing.” Keep reading under the cut or on AO3

The mess hall was cold and quiet, its sharp fluorescent lights casting a washed-out glow across rows of empty tables. The base seemed to hold its breath at this hour, the low hum of machinery and distant echo of footsteps the only signs of life. Ghost’s own footsteps broke the silence, heavy and deliberate as he entered the hall, shoulders slumped and eyes shadowed by the early hour. He ran a hand over his mask, yawning beneath it, as he made his way to the counter where the familiar, bitter tin of instant coffee awaited him.

He reached out automatically, fingers closing around empty air.

There, sitting directly in front of him, was a mug of dark, steaming tea.

It wasn’t the cheap, sharp tang of standard-issue tea; the smell was rich and earthy, mingling with a faint hint of cinnamon or clove—something warm and grounding. Ghost paused, hand frozen mid-air as his eyes trailed over the cup, taking in the details of it like he was examining evidence. Next to the mug lay a small note, written in careful, blocky letters he knew all too well from countless mission briefs.

For Ghost—don’t let it go cold.

He frowned, looking down at the note as though it might yield more information if he stared hard enough. The handwriting was undoubtedly Price’s, but the meaning of it… well, that was a mystery in itself. Price’s note was so simple, yet somehow it held weight. The absence of any formal address—no “Sergeant” or “Riley”—felt oddly intimate, as if this gesture were meant just for him.

Ghost’s eyes flicked up, scanning the room for any sign of the Captain. But the hall was empty, the only evidence of Price’s presence that mug of tea, placed just-so, its heat curling into the still air.

After a moment’s hesitation, he picked up the mug, feeling its warmth seep into his cold, calloused hands. He brought it to his lips, taking a tentative sip. The taste was strong, rich with a faint spiced undertone that lingered on his tongue. It was better than any drink he’d had on base, and somehow the warmth of it worked its way down to his core, settling a strange feeling in his chest that he couldn’t quite name.

The smell, the taste, the lingering heat—it was… deliberate. Personal. It didn’t feel like something one soldier offered another; it felt like something altogether different, something Ghost couldn’t put a name to, even as it filled the quiet mess hall like a quiet confession.

He took another sip, his mind whirring as he held the cup with both hands, letting himself sink into the moment. In the harsh light, he felt exposed in a way he wasn’t used to—usually, he kept himself tucked behind his mask and armour, shielded by the routine of the day. But now, as he stood there alone with his mug of tea, he felt… seen.

His fingers brushed over the note again, tucking it into his pocket as he finished the tea. It was a small gesture, barely anything, really. And yet, it lingered in his thoughts as he left the mess hall, the warm feeling in his chest settling somewhere deep, where he told himself he’d ignore it.

But even as he walked away, that simple phrase—don’t let it go cold—played over in his mind, as if Price’s voice were murmuring it, low and unguarded, just beneath the quiet.

---

It was a crisp morning, autumn creeping in with a sharp bite to the air. Ghost had already been through his usual routines: training, equipment checks, and finally a quiet morning in the mess hall. And as had become routine, a steaming mug of tea waited for him, right on the counter, with a note scrawled in that familiar, blocky handwriting.

For Ghost—figured you’d need this in this weather.

He felt his brow furrow beneath his mask. He picked up the tea, letting its warmth settle into his gloved hands, and tucked the note away without another thought. It had to be Price. No one else bothered with notes or the good tea. Ghost sipped, shrugging off the thought; it was just the Captain looking out for him, right?

Later that day, Ghost returned to the common area, hoping to pass the time before the afternoon training rounds. His fingers trailed along the worn book spines on the shelves, eyes searching for anything new to read, when he noticed a small paperback on his bunk, its cover well-worn and clearly used.

It was Catcher in the Rye. Ghost picked it up, blinking down at it with a hint of surprise. He’d only mentioned the book once, in passing during a late-night chat about literature with Price. And there it was, sitting quietly on his bunk, as if waiting for him.

Across the room, Soap and Gaz watched the scene unfold with matching grins. Soap nudged Gaz, his voice just above a whisper. “Tell me you’re seein’ this, mate,” he murmured, his tone light and amused.

Gaz stifled a laugh, shaking his head. “Seein’ it? I’ve been watching this love story unfold for weeks. Didn’t think the Captain had it in him to be so… attentive.”

Soap chuckled, casting a quick look at Ghost, who was thumbing through the book with his usual, unchanging expression. “Aye, but you have to admit… our Captain’s goin’ all old-fashioned with this courtship. Tea, books, and now a bit of poetry?”

Gaz laughed quietly, leaning back in his chair. “Poetry, proper tea, even good coffee on occasion. The Captain’s makin’ the rest of us look lazy. He’s bringin’ Ghost around slow and steady, like they’re characters in some 19th-century romance.”

Soap grinned, his gaze flicking back to Ghost, who was still looking at the book like he couldn’t decide if he’d imagined it. “And Ghost here—doesn’t see a thing. He’s thicker than a brick wall when it comes to this sort of thing.”

Gaz chuckled, glancing at Soap with a warm grin. “Part of me wonders if he’ll ever get it. Meanwhile, Price is probably holding out for some grand moment.”

They exchanged a fond look, both genuinely pleased to see Price’s quiet attentions unfold. In their own way, they were rooting for the two of them, watching as Price’s patience took the slow, subtle route with Ghost, who remained blissfully, almost comically, unaware.

Ghost must have felt their glances because he looked up, his eyes narrowing suspiciously beneath his mask. “You two seem very interested in my book,” he rumbled, his voice its usual low, steady drawl. He tucked the paperback under his arm, giving them both a quick, appraising look.

Soap adopted a casual tone, raising his hands in mock surrender. “What, us? Just admirin’ the Captain’s… attention to detail. He’s been pretty generous lately, don’t you think?”

Ghost’s gaze remained steady, his brow creasing slightly. “Captain’s lookin’ out for his team, is all.”

Gaz held back a chuckle, giving a small nod. “Aye, he is. Wouldn’t want anyone thinkin’ otherwise. Just reckon he’s gone a bit extra with one particular member of the team.”

Ghost’s expression shifted ever so slightly, a glint of something like uncertainty in his eyes, but he dismissed it with a quick shake of his head. “You two have got too much time on your hands,” he muttered, turning away with the book clutched a little tighter.

Soap and Gaz shared an amused smile as Ghost headed out, their laughter quiet, genuinely pleased by the scene they’d witnessed. They both knew Price’s attention wasn’t something he gave lightly, and seeing Ghost completely miss every single sign left them wondering just how long this “courtship” would take.

---

The early evening air was thick with the crisp bite of the season’s chill, the kind that settled into your bones after a full day out on training grounds. Ghost was weary, his muscles aching as he trudged back to the barracks, mud streaked along his boots and his breath fogging up in the cold air. The idea of collapsing into his bunk and calling it a night was one of the few things keeping him moving.

As Ghost entered the dimly lit barracks, a strange sight caught his eye. Draped over his bunk, carefully folded, was a thick, dark wool blanket. His footsteps slowed as he took it in—the neatly arranged folds, the slight wear that spoke of years of use. And sitting atop it was another note, this one in Price’s unmistakable, blocky handwriting.

Thought you’d appreciate something warm. Get some proper rest tonight.

Ghost’s gaze lingered on the words, his fingers reaching out to brush the paper. The blanket was soft and substantial, better quality than anything standard-issue on base—clearly one of Price’s own, judging by the faint scent of cedar smoke that clung to it. It was like a quiet invitation to stop treating rest as an afterthought.

He picked it up, feeling the softness of the fabric as he ran his hand over the wool. It was better quality than anything they had on base—clearly one of Price’s own, judging by the faint scent of smoke and cedar that clung to it, familiar and grounding. It reminded him of nights huddled around small fires on winter missions, of the quiet comfort Price seemed to bring in the bleakest situations. But this… this was different. More intentional, somehow. It felt like more than just a gesture of care.

Sitting down heavily on his bunk, Ghost unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders, feeling the immediate warmth, it offered. The room was silent, but he could hear the echoes of the day—Price’s voice directing them on the field, the sound of steady footsteps keeping pace beside him, the quiet authority in Price’s words as he offered a rare word of encouragement.

The blanket’s weight settled over him, grounding him in a way he hadn’t realised he needed. It felt almost as if Price had given a piece of himself, a quiet, personal gesture that left Ghost feeling… unsettled. He wasn’t sure why it bothered him, but he couldn’t shake the nagging thought that this went beyond the usual camaraderie.

As he pulled the blanket closer, the faint scent of cedar smoke lingering around him, his mind flickered back to all the recent gestures: the early morning tea, the ration packs, the small book. Each gesture, on its own, had felt like a simple kindness, but all together? He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

“Captain’s just lookin’ out for his team,” he muttered to himself, almost as if speaking it aloud would make it true. But as he sat there in the dim light, the room silent except for the soft rustle of the blanket, he felt a strange warmth settle in his chest—a warmth he couldn’t entirely explain.

Tucking the note carefully into the book Price had given him, Ghost lay back, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders. He shut his eyes, telling himself it was just another small act of team solidarity, nothing more.

But even as he drifted off, he found himself replaying every moment with Price, every quiet glance, every word. And in the silence, he wondered if maybe, just maybe, there was something more to it than he’d allowed himself to see.

---

The barracks hummed with the familiar sounds of post-training cleanup. Soap and Gaz were settled in the armoury, methodically cleaning their rifles. Soap ran a cloth along the barrel of his weapon, glancing over his shoulder just in time to catch Price striding in. The Captain looked relaxed, his usual steady presence lingering as he surveyed the equipment racks, but Soap caught the slight shift in his gaze as it drifted in the direction of Ghost’s bunk.

With a barely concealed grin, Soap nudged Gaz. “Clocked him lookin’ again,” he muttered, keeping his voice low.

Gaz chuckled, eyes on his own weapon. “Does it every time. Practically a routine by now.”

Price looked over at the two of them, his brow raised. “Something the two of you find amusing?”

Soap bit back a laugh, shrugging as he kept his focus on the rifle. “Just noticin’ your… attentiveness lately, Captain. Must be this cold weather.”

Gaz nodded, voice just as casual. “Yeah, seems you’ve gone all Victorian. Tea, blankets, even a bit of literature. Ghost’s probably half-thinkin’ he’s got himself a personal valet.”

Price’s expression softened, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Maybe he could use one,” he said, returning his attention to a nearby crate. “Not the type to accept it otherwise.”

Soap and Gaz exchanged a look, both trying to keep their amusement in check.

“Long game, then?” Gaz asked, as if Price were discussing field tactics.

Price nodded, unbothered by their banter. “Ghost isn’t the kind of man you rush.”

Soap let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. “Patience of a saint, you’ve got. But don’t hold your breath, Cap. Our lad’s dense as they come when it comes to things like this.”

Price shot them both a knowing look. “Good thing I’m not in any rush, then.”

They both stifled their chuckles, exchanging a look of genuine respect before returning to their tasks. As Price left, Soap shook his head, his grin genuine. “Reckon Ghost’ll catch on by next year.”

“Or maybe the year after,” Gaz replied with a grin. But even as they chuckled, they couldn’t help feeling glad for the Captain—knowing full well that he’d be there for Ghost, however long it took.

---

It was early evening, and the dim light cast long, slanting shadows across the barracks as Ghost returned from a gruelling mission briefing. His mind was a blur of field reports and tactical plans, weighed down by the day’s work, but he felt a familiar pull as he approached his bunk. It had become routine, these small comforts that awaited him when he returned from the longest days.

But tonight, there was something new.

There, neatly folded on his bunk, was an old military-issue scarf. Its thick, charcoal-grey fabric was clearly worn and well-loved, the edges frayed from years of use. Ghost picked it up, feeling its surprising weight and softness, and caught the faint, familiar scent of cedar and faint smoke, unmistakably Price’s.

Next to the scarf was a note in that same steady, familiar handwriting:

Thought this might keep you warm out there. Weather’s turning fast.

Ghost read the words once, twice, then a third time, as though each read-through might unlock some hidden meaning. Price had given him a scarf—his own scarf, judging by the well-worn fabric and the smell that clung to it. The thought settled over him, heavier than he’d expected. This wasn’t just an item pulled from a supply closet. It was something personal, something Price had trusted him with.

He wrapped the scarf slowly around his hand, feeling the texture under his fingers, the softness that spoke of years of use. Price hadn’t just loaned this out of necessity; he’d chosen it, left it out with the intent that Ghost would find it, a gesture as deliberate as the tea in the mornings, the rations on hard missions, and the carefully selected book.

It was only when he felt the scarf’s warmth against his hand that he allowed himself to consider what this might mean. Price had been looking out for him for weeks—far more than he’d thought necessary. And it wasn’t just the way a captain might look out for a member of his team; it was more personal, more intentional. He thought back on every gesture, every morning note, every knowing look, and the realisation settled, strange and solid, in his chest.

Price hadn’t been doing this out of obligation. Each gesture was a choice, one that had Ghost at its centre.

Ghost glanced around the barracks, making sure no one was around to witness this rare, vulnerable moment. He wrapped the scarf around his neck, feeling its warmth spread over him, a comfort that was both unfamiliar and grounding.

He closed his eyes, replaying every moment in his mind, each memory fitting together like pieces of a puzzle, forming a picture he hadn’t been prepared to see. Price’s presence, the patience in every gesture, the small, personal touches—it was all there, laid out in front of him.

And for the first time, Ghost allowed himself to consider that maybe, just maybe, these gestures had meaning beyond duty.

As he adjusted the scarf around his neck, the decision settled quietly within him. He’d let Price’s intentions go unacknowledged long enough. It was time, he thought, to offer something back.

---

The following morning was cold, the sky overcast and grey as a light mist hung over the base. Ghost had been up before dawn, slipping out of the barracks with purpose. His mind was focused as he made his way to a small, neglected patch of earth on the outskirts of the base, where he’d spotted a few wildflowers scattered amid the weeds on an earlier patrol.

The flowers were modest—a few late-blooming asters, tiny splashes of purple and white peeking out from frost-bitten grass. Ghost knelt down, his gloved hands working carefully as he gathered a small handful. They weren’t much, just a few scrappy stems, but their quiet resilience held a kind of beauty that felt fitting.

By the time he made it back to the barracks, most of the team was up and moving, and he slipped back to his bunk with the bundle of flowers tucked carefully in his hand. Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he placed them on Price’s bunk, arranging them with a slight awkwardness that made him huff under his breath. He’d never done anything like this before—had never felt the need to.

Beside the flowers, he placed a small note, his handwriting plain and deliberate, each word carefully chosen.

Figured you’d appreciate something in return. Not much, but… thank you.

He stepped back, looking at the small arrangement and feeling a strange pang of uncertainty. But something about the quiet gesture settled a calm within him, a sense of acknowledgement that he hoped Price would understand.

Ghost lingered near the bunk just long enough to make sure the note wouldn’t blow away, then walked out, hands in his pockets, his pace casual as he left for the training grounds.

Later that morning Price walked into the barracks mid-morning, having returned from a debriefing. He moved through the quiet hall, his attention immediately drawn to the small bundle of wildflowers resting on his bunk, their soft colours standing out against the stark military bedding.

For a moment, he simply stared, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he picked up the note, his thumb brushing over the words as he read. Thank you. It was simple, understated, and yet the sentiment came through clear as day.

Price glanced toward the doorway, half-expecting to see Ghost lurking nearby, but the hall was empty. A rare smile touched his lips, and he turned the note over in his hands, taking in each careful, deliberate stroke of Ghost’s handwriting.

From the training grounds, Ghost felt a strange sense of restlessness settle over him. He could almost picture Price’s reaction in his mind, the quiet understanding in his eyes as he read the note. The thought left him feeling both exposed and… something else. Something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel for longer than he could remember.

As he went through the motions of training, he caught sight of Price standing near the edge of the grounds, the faintest hint of a smile on his face as he watched Ghost with that familiar, steady gaze. Their eyes met, and in that single look, Ghost felt the weight of everything he hadn’t said settle between them, understood without needing words.

They shared a quiet, unspoken acknowledgment—a warmth that ran deeper than any gesture, spoken or unspoken. And for once, Ghost allowed himself to linger in it, no longer questioning or resisting. Price had been patient, steady as ever, and now Ghost felt the rare, undeniable comfort of being seen.

With a small, almost imperceptible nod, Price acknowledged the flowers, the note, and everything Ghost had managed to say without saying it. Ghost’s lips twitched into a faint, rare smile in return, a silent promise that he understood, that he was here, and that, perhaps, he was ready to let this quiet connection grow, in his own way and in his own time.

---

Winter had settled heavily over the base, blanketing everything in a harsh chill that crept through even the thickest layers of gear. Ghost had returned late from a solo recon assignment, his face raw from the cold, his shoulders tense from hours of silence and vigilance.

When he pushed open the barracks door, he was met with warmth—the dull orange glow of a small electric heater in the corner and, most notably, the sight of Price waiting for him, seated on the edge of his bunk with a faint, unreadable smile.

Price looked up as Ghost entered, his gaze calm and steady, but beneath that calm was something warm, something Ghost had come to recognise as distinctly his.

“You’re back sooner than I expected,” Price murmured, his voice low, familiar in a way that Ghost now found… reassuring.

Ghost nodded, shrugging out of his jacket and letting it drop to the floor. His movements were slow, cautious, but his gaze never left Price’s, and when Price extended his hand, a simple invitation, Ghost didn’t hesitate.

Stepping forward, he took Price’s hand, feeling the calloused warmth of his palm, and allowed himself to relax. Without a word, Price guided him down onto the bunk, wrapping an arm around his shoulders in a quiet, steady gesture that held all the familiarity they’d built up over the last few months. Ghost leaned into him, resting his head against Price’s shoulder, feeling the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest beneath him.

The silence between them was comfortable, filled with the soft hum of the heater and the warmth that settled over them, a balm against the cold world outside.

After a few moments, Price spoke, his voice a low murmur in Ghost’s ear. “I waited up for you. Thought you’d want some company.”

Ghost’s mouth twitched in a faint, rare smile beneath his mask, and he nodded, his hand resting on Price’s arm, fingers tracing absently over the familiar texture of his sleeve. “Guess I’m gettin’ used to that.”

Without another word, Price’s hand moved to Ghost’s back, fingers tracing gentle, steady circles against his spine, a quiet gesture that spoke volumes. Ghost closed his eyes, letting himself settle into the warmth of Price’s touch. It was rare for him to let down his guard so fully, but here, with Price, it felt natural. Right.

They sat like that for a long while, each content in the quiet presence of the other. Finally, Ghost felt Price’s hand shift, his fingers brushing up along the edge of Ghost’s mask, his touch hesitant but sure.

“Mind if I…?” Price asked softly, his gaze meeting Ghost’s, his voice holding that steady patience Ghost had come to trust.

Ghost’s heartbeat quickened, but he gave a single nod, his gaze unwavering as Price lifted the edge of the mask, just enough to reveal his face. Price’s eyes softened as he took him in, and with a quiet intimacy that felt deeply grounding, he leaned forward, his lips brushing Ghost’s in a soft, lingering kiss.

The touch was gentle, a warm, unspoken promise that settled into Ghost’s chest, and he found himself leaning into it, his hand resting on the back of Price’s neck, grounding them both in the quiet, shared affection.

When they parted, Price’s thumb brushed over Ghost’s cheek, his expression calm, a rare and unguarded fondness in his eyes.

“Welcome home,” he murmured, his voice steady and low, each word carrying a weight Ghost felt settle warmly over him.

Ghost’s lips curved into the faintest smile. He rested his forehead against Price’s, letting the warmth and comfort of the moment sink in. He didn’t need to say anything; Price’s presence was enough, the closeness between them a quiet affirmation of everything they’d come to mean to each other.

They stayed like that, wrapped in each other’s warmth, the silence heavy with understanding and the promise of something neither of them had thought they’d ever find—until now.

[echantedtoon]

To Where The Hand Extends

(This is the promised raffle prize for @iron-embers. If Shinjuro comes out too ooc I apologize it's my first time writing him. Warnings for mentioned drinking and alcoholism concerning Shinjuro and mentioned death concerning Ruka. Hatomi belongs to iron-embers. I had to look.up so many japanese dishes lmao.)

The day was beautiful this morning.

With the sunlight sinking into the room through the window as the ball of light was nearing to setting within a few hours. The birds singing outside. Beautiful fresh smelling air. Beautiful visions of nature right outside of you looked. A bright blue sky. Fluffy white clouds. Yellow sun. Flowers of every color. Green plants everywhere. Trees providing shade as the wind rolled by. A little blue pond in the distance full of fish.

Yes.

An absolute picture perfect scene for what could very much be a good day. Nothing in the world to worry about. Nothing to do. Just peaceful quiet and nature. It's why she left most of the windows and doors leading to the outside open today it could get rather stuffy inside. The gentle noises of dishes being moved about the kitchen area along with the distant sounds of a few pots bubbling away on the furnace. The heavy smells of delicious spices and not quite done yet rice lingered in the air before wafting out the mentioned open windows and doors. Small footsteps ran out from up the side hall and the chef knew without even looking around that a pair of eyes had found their curiosity wondering into the kitchen.

"HUNGRY!," A loud voice declared out.

"You're going to have to be patient now.  Food doesn't make itself."

"What we having?!"

"Miso soup and onigiri."

A small chubby face scrunched up in protest. "Soup again?"

"There's leftover ochazuke from lunch if you don't want what I'm making for dinner," her calm voice replied back despite the smile that still plagued her features. Petite hands reached out to grab a potato while the other held up a sharp cutting knife above the chopping board. "And we're having all the leftovers tomorrow night. We don't waste food around here."

"Can't I have some momiji instead?"

Her eyes turned, head looking over her shoulder. Potato sternly pointed out to seven year old pouting in the doorway. "You're not getting any sweets unless you eat something healthy young man. It'll spoil your appetite and give you a stomachache and it's not healthy."

His response was to pout more buuuut his mad face only made him look like an adorable chubby hamster. "That's an old wives tale! Just like saying the Boogeyman is gonna come out of the closet if I don't sleep."

"My answer is still no. Now go wash up. If you don't eat anything good you won't be getting desert and that's that." 

Softer but heavier sounding footsteps came down the same hallway just as the first fiery haired and eyed boy stomped away as all upset children do and second later a second child stood in the doorway. He was a perfect mirror copy of the first boy only older by about six years at thirteen years old and he was smiling instead of pouting like his baby brother. Kyojuro always seemed to be smiling to be honest and it was no exception for when he curiously watched his brother go before looking back on her.

"What was that all about?"

Her smile never left as she went back to what she was doing before, trying to chop up this potato. "He's upset with me for not giving him dessert on demand." The sounds of chopping filled the air as the knife easily sliced through the potato at last. "Although he does seem a little crankier than he was a little while ago. I wonder why."

"Oh...It was Father actually."

Chop-

The hands paused in their movements. Knife resting between two potato slices as her head turned back to him. Blinking wide eyed before a sigh left through her nose and a frown settled upon her face. Oh. Their father.

"Oh, I see. ..What happened?"

His orange eyes sadly looked at his shuffling feet. "W-Well.. There's a festival in town A-And we wanted to go bu-bu-but...Father said it was a waste of time."

"Oh..Well I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. He's probably just tired and cranky right now."

"No. He always says no. Every year...he doesn't like it when we ask him." Young eyes suddenly lit up in a pleased idea as he looked at her in a gasp and clenched his fists in excitement. "I know! Can you take us instead!?"

She blinked at him but couldn't help but smile at the cute face he made while all hopeful. "You want me to take you? Really?"

"Uh huh! You're really nice and responsible and he thinks you're really pretty so of course he'll say yes!" He ended that surprising sentence by throwing his hands up. "So will you ask him?!"

Her eyes blinked again slightly surprised. "Pretty? I doubt that."

"But you are pretty, Ms. Hatomi! You're about as pretty looking as a sweet potato!"

His sentence made her giggle again as she shook her head. "Well thank you. I'm glad you think so."

"So you'll ask?!"

"Alright. I'll ask him when dinner's ready. For now go wash up with Senjuro-"

A rush to her legs made her look down as two arms wrapped around her waist in a tight hug as Kyojuro hugged her tightly. "Thanks, Ms. Hatomi! You're the nicest person ever!"

Her smile didn't wain as she patted the top of the young boy's head. "Thank you. Now off you go. Food is almost ready."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Soft footsteps echoed throughout the hall. The delicious smells of the food in her hands on the tray. The soup in the bowl sloshing around slightly with each sway from her steps through the late evening. There was still plenty of light outside but it was nearer to sunset now about maybe one or two hours away. Hey that didn't stop her from walking down the hall and stopping in front of the one door in particular. One she's already visited two times today to deliver breakfast and lunch. Carefully balancing the tray into one arm, she reached out her other hand to knock on the door just loud enough to get anyone inside's attention.

"Master Rengoku-san? I brought you dinner. Can I come in?"

If no one answered then that meant he was passed out again in which case she'd just leave the food by the door and come back later, however a loud grunt from inside gave her all the go ahead she needed to use a foot and slide the door just enough to peek in first.

The room was dark inside despite the sun still being out. She saw why when her eyes saw the shutters still closed tightly on the windows and the only source of light being the crack in the doorway and a single candle lit on a table in the far corner.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm busy!"

Silvery light collided with the dancing gold of the flame in a beautiful glow making shadows dance against the walls and furniture. Reflection beaming off eyes unblinking within the strange alluring mixture of darkness and lights. The motions of writing ceasing in their motions completely and the emotions taking over. The one whom was working stopping to set the feather back onto it's rightful pedestal and sitting there unblinking. The one who had the emotions stirring around from his mind and down to his heart. Those eyes turned slowly, head turning to the doorway behind him as he sat as his table. The area behind him was dark, and almost hard to see but he saw what the eyes were searching for. Her head peeking in through the doorway and staring back to the man sitting on the pillow in the otherwise dark and silent room.

The master of the entire Rengoku estate. Sitting there with paperwork of some kind unfinished in front of him and a tired look to his face as she quietly shuffled in  holding up the food tray in her hands.

"I brought you dinner, Sir." Nevermind she already told him once outside the door. "I figured you might be hungry by now."

Fiery eyes seemed to glow in the dark as they eyed her..and then the tray in her hands before turning back to stare blankly at the unfinished papers. "Bring it in then."

She smiled walking in with the tray gently over to where she had left the last tray taking note of how it was empty now with the dishes from that lunch being left on top. That's good. That meant he was eating today and filling his stomach with something other than the sake that was usually seen around him. He paid no attention to her as she gently slid the old one away from his side and replaced it with the newer one filled with the delicious smelling good. And despite himself, she caught his head tilting slightly towards it. Good. He was showing more interest in eating again. That fact alone made her smile.

"What is it?", he bluntly asked.

"Miso soup and onigiri. I figured it'd be a nice day to have onigiri since a festival is going on in the next town over," she answered just picking up the tray.

"Is that right?"

"Mm hm...You know Kyojuro was just telling me about it today. I was told there's going to be a Kabuki theater there. It sounds like fun."

"Did that boy of mine put you up to this? If you're here to try and get me to change my mind then you can forget it!" A finger harshly jabbed down into the wood of the table. "Those two are staying HERE where they belong and studying until I decide they're improving!"

"No one put me up to anything." Maybe it was the matter of fact way she spoke of the fact she didn't react to his anger at all but he was taken off guard every time she looked at him like that. The silent calm stare that was both full of disapproval and sadness at the same time. "I was only stating that it sounded like fun. After all  everyone has need for a break sometimes."

"And sometimes someone needs discipline to make them learn."

"And sometimes someone can push someone else so hard to do something so much of the time that they burn out."

He flinched. Hard.

"But that is only my opinions on what might happen to someone if that happened, not that it is happening to anyone else I know." Her body bowed at the middle before turning her body. "I'll come back in a few hours to see if you're done eating."

"... Where's this dam festival at anyways?" 

She paused in the middle of stepping away, head turning back to him but he didn't look up from the papers on the table in front of him. 

"Just in the next town over. It's not even an hour away."

".....I want EVERYONE inside before any sunlight disappears. I do not care what any of those boys have to say."

It was curt, blunt, rude, and with a small time limit for fun...But that was a yes. An actual yes without even saying yes.

She nodded. "Of course. We do that every night." She went to leave aga-

"Hatomi."

"Yes?"

"The lunch you made me."

"Was it too much? I can make the portions smaller if you prefer or maybe you didn't like how I made it?"

There was a long moment of silence between the two of them but she couldn't leave until he finished talking to her. He remained silent sitting there still not looking at her.

"..It tasted good. It could use s-..some more salt but it was fine."

She could not see his face otherwise perhaps she might've seen the way a pink hue coated his features and thank goodness for the dark or else she might've seen the glow to his ears. Instead she blinked slightly in surprise... before smiling wider.

"Then I'll be sure to add some more salt next time I make that dish."

[tenpintsofsundrop]

Reader and Spencer had been friends since she’d started at the BAU. She’d had a crush on him for years but never told him; she saw the way he looked at JJ and didn’t want to ruin their friendship. But then he and Emily went undercover in the Septarian Sect and the team went to rescue them. She wanted to go in right away but didn’t want to expose him as another agent. When the compound blew, it took Aaron and Daveto hold her back and keep her from running into the burning building. She clung to her boss sobbing, sobbing convinced Spencer was dead, until she heard Emily yelling. She looked up just in time to see Spencer and Derek stumble out, and ran towards them. She jumped into Spencer’s arms and her lips were on his before she thought twice.

Okay I started working on something inspired by this because even though the person who sent these is kind of annoying, reading all of these in my inbox this morning did get my brain going against my will (autism).

But like - almost all of the copy/paste requests this person sent dunk on JJ in some way??? Like, they're doing that think of pitting the reader against JJ, and assuming that you have it as a fem reader in your mind - then you are doing it as the 'pitting women against each other'/'fighting over a male love interest'/'bashing the existing female love interest in order to establish a better one'

and like JJ wasn't even his love interest! they had mild romantic tension for like three episodes. he looked at her longingly like twice. and he asked her out on a date that turned into a friendship hangout and then he got over his crush.

(Yes, I am ignoring the later seasons love confession because it's so disgustingly OOC. if JJ is comphet it's William Lemon Tango ALL THE FUCKING WAY. that man simped for her so hard, he deserves the world, he does not deserve that gross fucking betrayal)

Also, I changed a lot of stuff from the request and made it my own. for example: I made it so that instead of Emily being undercover, the reader replaces her role in that episode. and that's just one of the ways I am spicing it up. (there may also be fake dating and near death experience love confessions. who knows.)

[donutsupremacy]

Butterfly's Rainbow

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

Warnings

Mostly fluff and simple, because my brain juice has expired and has yet to refill

A bit of insulting towards reader lol

Probably inaccurate facts about plants and animals

Why I don't write about descriptions about sceneries and backgrounds part 1

Bless you Zachary Gordon

Idk how forest rangers work

Ooc characters

A/N: Putting this here, I ran out of date scenarios and ended up going with a normal picnic like date for Nari. Of course, I tried to at least spice it up a little.

There's one part that's gonna be VERY unrealistic, if you're one of those super picky readers that prefer realistic ones over fantasy ones, this isn't for you. I'm not a science, bio or chem expert, I just write these for fun and do some minimum researching, not making a whole science documentary.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

He's glad you chose him, honestly. He thinks that you and him are practically made for eachother.

Gorou, being the absolute good boy he is, was not hurt whatsoever. Maybe a little sting to the heart, but he can take it. He gave Tighnari a firm handshake and congratulated him for getting chosen, he's sure Tighnari will be an amazing boyfriend for you.

Razor, on the other hand, got his ego hurt a little. You must've chosen him because he's the smartest out of the four, but also probably because he has physical canine traits that he unfortunately didn't inherite. You comforted him, of course, you would've picked him had you not had a romantic interest towards Tighnari.

Cyno began lecturing Tighnari on 'How to be a good boyfriend', partially to sneak in many jokes and to annoy the half-canine student. In return, Tighnari quickly ushered you out of the area, so Cyno wouldn't end up making you feel second-hand embarrassment.

He has already planned a date for the two of you to a nearby forest, saying it would be closed off especially for the two of you. He works part-time as a forest ranger, allowing him to reserve parts of the forest for just you and him.

He drove you there, allowing you to meet his young apprentice; Collei. Immediately, you felt like a big sinling to the young girl, who was shyly hiding behind the counter. It wasn't until Tighnari introduced you to her as you politely waved at her, giving her a soft smile as to not scare her.

That initial shyness turned into bubbling excitement, coming out from her comfort zone of the counter and running over to you, akin to a little puppy joyfully rushing over to it's owner who called it's name.

You were then bombarded with tons of questions regarding her 'Master'; "What was master like in college?" "How did you two meet?" "Is master the top student?"

Tighnari chuckled as he prepared a little picnic basket for the two of you while you try your best to awnser all of her questions. It wasn't until you started showing her some embarrassing pictures of Tighnari you managed to snap during some event that he began to grow flustered.

He frantically dragged you away, silently berating you and begging you to delete those pictures of him getting tangled up in ropes and food getting stuck in his tail. Those are stories for another day, you explained to Collei.

Walking along the trail, the two of you proceeded to chat. The trees had shielded you from the sun, only a few beams of sunlight peeking between the leaves.

As Tighnari was rambling about problems with his white haired roommate, you felt a sting on your skin, your hand quickly reaching to slap the area. Unfortunately, you catch a glimpse of something small and black quickly dodging your hand, hovering around you for more of your blood.

Hearing you click and trying to subtly wave your hand to scare away the bug, he digs into his pocket and hands you a small circular plastic container. "Here, lather a small bit of the cream on your skin, it'll keep the mosquitoes away."

You thanked the male and spreaded the cooling subtance over your skin, the surface of your skin now glistening under the sunlight. "I thought it'd be quicker to take a detour here so we can make it to our destination. Though, there seems to be way more mosquitoes than normal, it might be their mating season.... I'm... uh, sorry about that." He apologised sheepishly, ears drooping downwards.

"That's alright. It's a detour, right? Then, we can get out of the area quicker. Plus, you came prepared." You reassured, noticing his large tail subtly swaying back and forth in content.

"Of course, being in a forest is already dangerous enough. I'm sure you're already aware of this, but there are a lot things that could kill— or even infect us... If you didn't, you wouldn't even graduate High school in the first place." He stated, in a half-joking and half-serious manner.

You chuckled at the last part, causing the male to grin triumphantly. "I wouldn't even make it pass elementary school... Wait, is there anything here other than poisonous plants that could kill us?..." You asked, a little worriedly.

He slips a hand underneath yours, giving you a gentle, yet, reassuring squeeze. "There actually is. But don't worry, the path we're taking won't lead us anywhere near any of the dangerous parts. If anything, just don't touch any bright coloured berries or sharp leaves."

You chuckled, continuing to trudge the dirt path while holding his hand— which was an odd feeling, almost natural when you weren't too focused about the touch of his hand.

Time felt like it flew by too fast, and before you know it— You've reached your destination.

"Ah, here we are... Welcome to what I like to call; Butterfly Spring." He introduced, gesturing to the sight in front of him.

The sight was breathtakingly gorgeous and serene. The golden sun shining brightly on the crystal clear lake's surface, moved by the running water that came from the small waterfall.

School of fishes swam around, under the lily pads and aquatic flowers, while a bale of turtles basked underneath the sun in tranquility. A kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttered around you, greeting you their wings that displayed a variety of colour and patterns.

"Butterfly Spring is one of my personal favorites... It's well known as a Butterfly mating ground, and a safe haven for small critters like Rabbits or Turtles since there's no predators nearby. See that tree over there?" He asked, pointing at a large Oak Tree. You can clearly see something being hung from the leaves. "Follow me."

The two of you walked over, with you getting distracted by the many adorable wildlife that happened to stumble on your path, including a colony of rabbits.

Tighnari sighed as you started petting a bunny, his hand reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone, quickly snapping a picture of you surrounded by rabbits.

"Wallpaper material..." He muttered, grinning slyly at the picture before stuffing his phone back into his pocket. He unintentionally scared away colony, only to remember his fox like features might've frightened them. "My bad... But, let's move one. I want you to see this when it happens."

You took his hand, with him leading you to the tree. Up close, you noticed a chrysalis hanging underneath the tree branches. And there was not only one, but hundreds of them.

"I'm not sure how or why the caterpillars prefer to undergo the transformation phase here, but trust me when I say; It'll be worth the wait." He reassured with a wink. "C'mon, let's have a bite in the meantime."

He hands you [favorite pastry], to which you happily took. "Mind if I ask... wh-why did you choose me as your valentines date?..." You meekly asked, the small pastry barely hiding the lower part of your flushed face.

"Ah, well... Isn't it obvious? I could write a whole book about it." He took his phone out, showing you the picture of yourself being surrounded by the rabbits earlier, the golden beam of the sun framing your gentle smile.

Your face grew hot, pushing away his phone in embarrasment. "For one thing, you're absolutely breathtaking." He complimented, his voice lacking the usual sarcastic tone you would hear. "For another, you've certainly passed way beyong my expectations for you."

Not a single bite taken from your food and you already shot him a puzzeled expression (Or in this case— a glare). "Pardon?"

The half-canine didn't stutter over his words, nor flinch at your icy-cold expression. Instead, he only chuckled. "Please don't take it the wrong way. Be honest now, first impressions are always about appearances. They say 'Don't judge a book by it's cover', but we always end up doing that anyways. You look rather average so I expected you to be someone pretty boring... but now, I regret making that statement."

You choked on your own spit, refusing to lock eyes with him as you looked. "I-I'll let it slide just this once." You stammered out, taking a bite out of the pastry in your hands.

"Well, you asked why i'm interested in you. Ask and you shall receive." He quipped, his large bushy tail swaying around slowly. "Besides... I want you to be more than just my lab partner. I want us to be much more than that."

He laid a hand on top of yours, his smile shy but genuine, you rarely got to see him like this. "So... that's why I saw this as the perfect opportunity to tell you—" He slipped his hand underneath yours, placing his other hand on top and stared at you, eyes holding nothing but adoration towards you. "—I love you."

Your cheeks grew hot, words stuck in your throat as you thought of a comprehensible reply to his confession. "You don't have to return my feelings... I just needed to get that off my chest." He reassured with a crooked smile, but you could see the pain in his eyes at the thought.

"I-I do!" You randomly blurted out, his ears standing erect in puzzlement. "I-I mean... Tighnari, of course I feel the same... I-I love you too." You stammered out, scratching the back of your neck sheepishly.

"You love me too, huh?... And to think this day couldn't get any better." He smiled, eyes glancing over at the tree before scooting closer to your side. You didn't move away, much to his relief. "Well, now that I think about it... maybe it could. Take a look, [Name]."

He gestured to the oak tree, your head turning to see the many chrysalis hanging on the leaves began to shake. You could already see many colourful wings squriming out, their wings expanding to show a variety of patterns.

You glanced at him in confusion, but he only replies with a smile before turning his attention back at the tree. You admit, seeing a healthy butterfly emerge from their chrysalis is something beautiful, but you weren't sure what's so special about—

"It seems like most of them have sucessfully transformed into a butterfly... i'm sure the rest will join them later. Now comes the best part, I hope you'll pay attention to this more than you pay attention in [Hated major]." He teased, earning himself a gentle punch to the shoulder and a laugh from you.

You gazed at the tree in anticipation, and it didn't take long before you realized they were preparing to take off.

This whole date felt like a fairytail to you, and it almost felt unreal when you watched as all the butterflies flew off into the air at once, nearly blocking the sun from your view.

The sun shone through their wings, creating a spectrum of colours that formed a rainbow as they fluttered by you. "Tighnari..." You breathed, unable to tear your eyes off the phenomenon.

"Incredible, isn't it? I named this the 'Butterfly's Rainbow'... Not exactly the brightest name, but eh. When I saw this for the first time, I thought of you immediately." He explained, your eyes that reflected the rainbow met his own. "You've made me see the most prettiest things in life, and that includes you."

"Did you prepare that corny line just for me?" You giggled softly, to which he only rolled his eyes playfully.

"Well, I live with a dude who makes corny jokes, I might've learned a thing or two from him... But this is my gift for you." He spoke softly as to not disturb you to, wrapping an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. "Happy valentines day, [Name]."

You rested your head against his shoulder, his fluffy tail wrapped around your waist as you sighed in tranquility. "Thank you, Tighnari. This is the best gift anyone has ever given to me. Happy valentines day."

There you both sat, resting on eachother in silence, basking im eachother's company as you watched the butterflies in the sky. Perhaps the relationship that bloomed between the two of you could rival the 'Butterfly's Rainbow'.

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

A/N: Havdisbxisi I'm sorry I rushed this, I genuinely didn't know how to make this more interesting and decided to cheese my way through it ;-; I'll make a better Tighnari × Reader Oneshot in the future (I hope)

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

What if...

You chose someone else?

[nevertem]

It had been many a year since last Alexandros had seen the heart of Egypt, the bustling stalls of merchants as men and women alike prepare for the day ahead. The fresh flatbreads of emmer wheat and barley mixed with fresh spices among the array of pottery and tapestries more captivating than any palace to him. Longer still was when he had last seen the outer walls of the Pharoah's palace. A child with his father, playing outside as his father entered the inner sanctum and spoke to the court of matters his child-like mind didn't understand... Now he had grown into a fine young man, his curled brown locks now mid-length and tied back, pale grey eyes shimmering against lightly tanned skin, both learned in speech and combat like his father, and his father before.. but ah, that was little concern now, not with the important information he had to give.. (Ooc: don't mind me going silly on the intro! But *waves around* Also!! Alexandros' lineage was a greek family who ran to Egypt during the bronze age collapse, and lived in one of the cities away from the palace. His family wasn't wealthy by any means, but enough to give proper education to the children n onwards. I like to think his father warned Atem's dad about one of the bigger invading armies after he helped hold them off from attacking the city their in) (Ooc ps: there's more details but I don't want to spam you with too much sjxnsjsj. Also you can pick whoever to find the goob entering the palace!! :3 )

Given the fact that he was in charge of palace security, as well as the Pharaoh's personal right hand and bodyguard, it wouldn't be too surprising that the High Priest of Ra would be the one who had come to meet the visitor personally at the palace gates.

He had already sensed the other's intentions with the Ring, deeming him someone who was not dangerous, but while the Ring reacted to the darkness in a person's heart, he knew it was still an Item with its own will, so he did not rely entirely on it. Rather, if someone was around the palace, he preferred to do it himself. and not rely on the will of the Ring.

Most of his Ba went to controlling the Item, after all. If he used it too much, his Ba would become tainted by darkness, and he couldn't risk that. No--no, he must come to do his duty officially and on his own, and this would still be a part of it. He had cancelled his training with his student for that morning to carry it out.

"If you have come to the palace, there must be a reason for it." He said, getting right to the chase without formality and preamble. He was a very busy man, and he had much to attend to. "The Pharaoh will not simply see anyone. State your business, and we will go from there."

It was highly unlikely that he would allow the other to pass, at least without good reason. Mahad was a very protective man, after all--and very wary of strangers, given his history with the palace.

Try your best, Alexandros!

[frenchfrywrites]

An Accident

MINORS DNI

AMAB GN dom top reader, sub bottom Satan, piss, pet play, master/pet, mating press, dacryphilia, under-negotiated kink!!

The thought first occurs to you as you press the head of your dick into Satan’s hole: you have to pee.

Pushing it to the back of your mind, you hope that if you don’t think about it you’ll be okay. Instead you focus on the task at hand, which is giving your boyfriend such a good fucking that he forgets his own name.

Said boyfriend currently has his legs wrapped around your waist, tightening them around you, moving your hips forward and thus sliding your penis further into his hole. You get the hint, snapping your hips forward, causing his body to bounce a bit at the force of it, the collar adorned with a bell around his neck jingling a bit.

“Oh!” his jaw drops at the sensation of being filled so suddenly. You’re glad you spent so much time working him open earlier, even if he did whine about how long you were taking.

“How’s that kitty-boy?” you ask, flicking one of his puffy, red nipples.

“Uh, um,” he stammers, trying to focus despite you playing with his nipples, “guh-good master, it’s good,” he finally moans. You coo, moving your hands from his chest to his hips and thrusting your hips into him slowly, getting him adjusted.

Fuck. You really have to pee.

Again you ignore the pressure on your bladder in favor of readjusting a bit to rub against Satan’s prostate with your dick for the first time. He wails, clenching around you as some pre flows from his cock.

“You’re so pretty, my kitty,” you tell him as you pick up speed. Satan always looks pretty to you, but his beauty is especially emphasized when he’s got his collar and ears on, completely lax and dazed under you, his small cock bobbing against his pelvis with each thrust.

“Th- uh, thank you master,” he reaches for you, so you lean down to kiss him. It’s not the best kiss you’ve shared- so much spit, teeth, and tongue for it to really even be called a kiss, more like he’s trying to devour your mouth and lips, but it’s so hot. He’s moaning and whimpering, fluttering around you and-

Shit you really have to pee now.

You pull away from Satan and his messy kiss only for him to pout and whine. To sedate him you fuck him a bit more, until it becomes unbearable.

You slip out and Satan cries out like you caused him physical pain.

“NO!! No, no, please, please, no,” his eyes are wide and frantic as he reaches out for you, grasping at your chest.

“I have to pee Satan,” you explain, stress evident in your voice. Satan doesn’t seem to register what you say, tears begin to pour down his cheeks as he repeats “no” and “please” over and over again between his sobs. You try your best to calm him, shushing and cooing softly, but he’s inconsolable.

“Fuck me,” he pleads, “please, fuck me? Please?” he babbles, sniffling and hiccupping. You can’t stand to see him like this, so despite the fact that you feel like you’re going to burst, you push your dick back into him.

Satan lets out a noise somewhere between a relieved sigh and a wanton moan. You try with all your will and brain power to get back to the pace that you set before pulling out. It feels good to be inside him, you would never argue with that, but the strain on your bladder is starting to hurt. Your hands, which have found their way to his thighs, are gripping into his soft skin there as you try to restrain yourself. Satan settles down a bit, now repeating “thank you” like you’ve saved his life.

You hold out for a few good minutes, but you’re only human.

You clamp your eyes shut, knowing the inevitable is about to happen. “‘M sorry kitten,” you tell him through gritted teeth. Then you let go.

It feels so good- so much better than you could have ever imagined. You gasp, your hips thrusting involuntarily,

“Holy shit,” you groan breathlessly, falling forward and thus pushing Satan’s legs forward. You somehow manage to work your way into a mating press without pulling out or stopping your stream. He squeals at the new position, squeezing around your cock, his arms coming around your neck to hold on as you pound your piss into him.

“Feels, hah, so good, fuck- fucking you full of my piss, kitten,” you confess breathlessly as the last of your urine leaves your bladder. Satan babbles something incomprehensible in turn, between high pitched whines and moans.

The combination of hot piss surrounding your penis mixed with the fact that you’re pretty sure Satan came as you peed inside of him (if the fluttering of his hole and the cries of your name and “master” are anything to go by) pushes you over the edge.

You fuck your cum into him alongside your piss. Satan holds on for the ride, mewling while you fuck him through your orgasm.

It’s only once you’ve come down from your high that you slowly open your eyes, pulling yourself up and releasing Satan from the mating press. The first thing you notice is that he looks completely fucked dumb.

His pupils are blown wide, his legs shaking, cum all over his stomach and chest, his hair damp with sweat, his cat ears strewn yet still attached; drool, snot, and tears making his flushed face shine as he looks at you with a dazed expression.

Biting your lip nervously, you anticipate the worst, but he’s mostly quiet, looking up at you lazily.

You brush his hair from his face, and pet his head gently. Satan leans into your touch, his eyes fluttering shut. It’d be a disaster if you tried to pull out now, so you stay inside for now, continuing petting him.

Eventually you think he’s relaxed enough, so you back your hips up- very slowly and carefully, watching for any sign of distress. Satan whimpers a bit, his bottom lip trembling when you fully pull out. You caress his thighs,

“It’s okay kitten, I’ve got you, it’s okay,” you coo, completely entranced with watching your piss and cum ooze from his hole. “We have to clean you up,” you say, and Satan makes a pleased sound at that.

He’s completely dead weight when you hoist him up, though he wraps his arms around your neck as he nuzzles your chest.

You walk him to the bathroom, aware of the mess that you’ll have to deal with later, but first you have to clean up both Satan and yourself.

You set him down in the tub gently and take off his ears and collar, before turning the water on and slipping in behind him. Satan leans back against you, his eyes closed, fully relaxed.

“Hey Satan?” you grab his hand and interlock your fingers. Satan squeezes your hand weakly,

“Yes?” he responds, soft and lazy.

“Um,” you don’t really know how to begin, “are we going to talk about the piss thing?” you ask, again bracing for the worst. Satan moans softly, craning his neck to look at you,

“I liked that a lot,” he tells you honestly. You flush,

“Yeah?” he nods. You let out a sigh of relief, though he’d clearly enjoyed it in the moment you were worrying that maybe he would begin to regret it, that he’d call you gross and nasty (and mean it).

“You think I’d be disgusted by some piss?” oh. Maybe you’d said some of that aloud. Satan scoffs, “I’m a demon, as if some piss is going to gross me out,” you can practically hear the eye roll. You flush, embarrassed for being so worried. Satan clears his throat to get your attention.

“I’m sorry about my reaction to you- um” he pauses, squirming a bit “trying to leave, by the way.”

“It’s okay,” you reassure, kissing his head, and squeezing his hand affectionately. The both of you are quiet for a moment until Satan speaks up again.

“Next time-” he starts, and you can’t help the smile that spreads across your face with just those two words.

“Next time?” you interrupt excitedly. Satan bites his lip to try to stop the way he wants to smile at your eagerness,

“Next time, we have to put down a towel, because I’m not cleaning that up,” all you can do is laugh at that,

“Okay,” you kiss his head, “next time we’ll do that.”

[burninwrath]

Is it just me or does this story seem low quality randomly like

I feel like I’m going insane, some sprites are crunchy and others are SUPER smoother and nice like regular quality・・

And then some of the cutscenes arent even sized correctly to your screen so they’re like squished looking ?

[myakkun]

CALLING THEM A PET NAME FOR THE FIRST TIME

character(s): sano manjiro, ryuguji ken, haitani rindou, haitani ran x gn!reader

notes: this is probably rlly ooc so i’m sorry in advance!! i just need more practice writing them

warnings: none

SANO MANJIRO

mikey is so used to giving people nicknames but not at all used to that endearment being reciprocated. and you’ve only ever called him mikey and the occasional shortened down mike. (though there are those certain moments when he pisses you off and you pull the full name card. those moments scare him, though he would never admit it).

so one day when the two of you are lounging around, you in the kitchen trying to make dinner and him in the living room watching something on tv, and he hears a “baby, can you come help me for a second?” it takes him nearly a solid minute to reboot himself enough to saunter into the kitchen.

“what?” he asks as he walks in, slippers tapping against the tile as he watches you stir whatever you have in the pot on the stove.

“can you come help me?” you repeat, flashing him a smile over your shoulder. “i can’t stop stirring this, i need you to hand me the spices from the cabinet.”

“no,” he answers immediately, then shakes his head at your pout. “i mean, what did you call me?”

your brows furrow as you stare at him, your stirring stuttering for a moment. “uh, baby? is that.. not okay? we’ve been together for a while now so i figured—”

“yeah,” he nods, cutting you off. as he takes steps to close the distance between the two of you, arms wrapping around you from behind, a wide grin stretches across his lips. “i’m totally your baby. definitely.”

“good,” you mirror his smile as he leans in to give you a toothy kiss. “but i still need those spices.”

“call me baby again first.”

congratulations, you’ve created a monster.

RYUGUJI KEN

honestly, draken had expected you to call him by some sort of pet name a hell of a lot sooner than you did. he’d heard you call your friends babe, been there countless times when you addressed everyone with some term of endearment.

but it still doesn’t mean he’s any less caught off guard when you finally get around to doing it one sunday afternoon.

it’s your lazy day, the only one you ever really get with your boyfriend it seems. you’re sitting on the edge of the couch, draken perched on the floor between your legs as you work your fingers through his hair, braiding it back for him. you run a single finger down the zigzag when you’re finished.

“there,” you hum, sliding your hands down to cup his face in your hands, tipping his head back so he’s forced to look up at you. “all done, pretty boy.”

if it weren’t for the way your palms are pressed to his cheeks, you wouldn’t even be able to catch his reaction. but since they are, you get the experience of his face heating up beneath your hands by the second. and you can’t help the smile that finds its way to your lips.

“aw, kennie are you blushing?” you coo, a laugh bubbling out of you as draken twists onto his knees to bury his face in your stomach, arms wrapping around you.

“i’m not,” he tries to reason, and you can feel him frown against your abdomen.

it’s quiet for a moment. you start to play with the end of his pretty braid you’ve just finished, twirling it around your finger. and then.

“you forgot the ‘my’ in front of that.”

HAITANI RINDOU

apart from ‘brat’ and ‘jerk’, there’s never been much nickname giving within your and rindou’s relationship. it’s all lovingly (sort of) but it’s still not sappy. ever.

and you’re fine with that because honestly you get enough of a kick out of watching your boyfriend attempt to hide how flustered he gets when you call him ‘rin’. you don’t need to do anything else because you’re content with what you do now.

then one night he comes home really late from a meeting (even later than his normal late)—and blame anxiety, paranoia, or whatever—but you can’t sleep for the life of you. you’re stuck pacing around the apartment, fingers fisting up the front of rindou’s shirt you pulled on to try to comfort you, checking the time every five seconds.

the second you hear the apartment door open you’re running and basically throwing yourself at the candy haired man. he stumbles, stabilizing the both of you with a hand to your back all while kicking the door shut behind him.

“the hell’s gotten into you?” he grumbles, though his palm stays pressed to your back.

“i’m sorry,” you breathe out, loosening your grip around him slightly, leaning back enough to look him in the eyes. “you’re late. you scared the hell out of me, babe.”

“babe? since when am i babe?”

“since i just drove myself crazy for two hours wondering if you’d be coming home,” you huff, a slight pout playing at your lips.

rindou’s eyes don’t leave yours as he seems to chew over your words for a moment, and even if his face is a stark neutral (almost a frown, really), the way he pulls you closer, as if he’s trying to comfort you, is enough.

“whatever,” he says, finally. hooking his chin over your shoulder. “babe is fair, i guess.”

HAITANI RAN

the only reason you’d never called ran a pet name is because rindou had told you he hated such things. (but looking back, you were stupid for ever listening to your boyfriend’s brother in the first place. you should’ve known better).

he’s called you by things other than your name, but only when he’s about to pass out in bed or when he’s drunk off his ass after some meeting. so still, it’s not really a normal thing in your relationship.

that all changes when one night the two of you are walking around well after midnight—the only time you feel fully comfortable going out with him really, without feeling the need to look over your shoulder constantly—just peering through store windows and admiring displays.

you pause in front of a jewelry store’s window, stepping out from under ran’s arm to admire a necklace that caught your eye.

this was a normal thing for the two of you. you walking down the streets until you found something you sort of like. admiring it for a few minutes as ran waits for you to rejoin him. then that same thing mysteriously appearing on your dresser a few days later. (along with an article in the newspaper, but that’s not important).

this time though, ran doesn’t just wait on the sidelines. he steps up beside you, bending at the waist to admire the piece in the display.

“this would look so good on you,” he muses, a slight smirk curling his mouth.

and you, well you’re so caught up in admiring the necklace, hand resting just below your neck as you think about wearing it, that you don’t realize what you’re saying.

“you really think so, baby?”

ran jerks up so fast it makes you jump, effectively knocking you out of your trance, and placing a hand over your heart. you glare at him, huffing out a (slightly dramatic) sigh.

“what? you almost gave me a heart att—“

you’re cut off as ran reaches forward and grips your jaw, pulling you closer until his lips are brushing against yours. he’s still making eye contact, a glint in them from the street lamps.

“repeat that for me, yeah? wanna hear you say it again.”

likes & reblogs appreciated !

[nrghfufu-brr]

after baking lessons and first times

I had this concept for a long time, like very long. Thought of rewriting it because honeii it's actually good but was executed poorly, by me. Tho this was originally a crush x reader, imma turn it to levi x reader so hehehe

 (i don’t have irl crushes anymore) 

pairing: levi ackerman x fem! reader (college au bcuz we love those) 

tag/warning(s): virginity loss, first times, lots of reassurance (AND KISSES) and shetttt, probably ooc levi, pet name, fluff, confessions (i did say this originally was a crush x reader and it played a huge part and build up to the smut so heh) might be still poorly written because im supposed to be doing school works but heh. Honestly, the reader is kinda living the privileged life so ummm, yea. 

CONTAINS NSFW!!!

word count: 4.1k

a bathtub and a lover (pt.2)

✰✰✰ 

Sugar, spice, and everything nice. 

That thought ran through your head as you laid all the ingredients on the kitchen counter. Making sure you haven’t left out anything for the baking lessons that you were holding this afternoon, enough for the big friend group that you had made during college, especially during your first year. 

Most of them were always urging (mostly Jean and Sasha) that whenever you had free time, that you'd teach them to bake the treats you would always bring on occasions, especially your renowned butter cookies. In your bustling and busy schedule, you were able to fit it to most of your friends' availability. 

By the time the clock struck two-thirty, most of your friends were here and were ready to put their aprons on and get the kitchen smell like vanilla extract. Though you were waiting for one person. 

“Is shorty joining?” Hange asked as they tied the ribbons of their apron. You looked at the digital clock on the wall just to give a small pout on your face. “He only messaged he might try stopping by…but we can start now.”

You were hopeful to see him, but it seems like it won’t be happening soon. 

✰✰✰ 

The lessons were chaotically fun. Mess was inevitable especially when dealing with two bickering guys who almost called an outrage, Sasha attempting to eat almost anything that was on the table, and Hange being Hange, would always end up in a mess no matter what but that didn’t mean they weren’t successful with their results! Most of your friends got a pat down on how you make your butter cookies, only a few were able to take a hold of how you make your egg custards. 

The hours went fast when you guys were mixing and stirring the ingredients of the sweets, the evidence of how the hours were spent were all over the kitchen counter and the air. 

A ruckus that occurred earlier by Sasha and Connie, left your kitchen floor to have stains of good batter for extra butter cookies, were gone to waste. The two best friends were very sorry, but you weren’t one to stay mad over something you can clean up easily. 

All of them offered to help with the clean up, but you just told them you guys won’t be able to clean when there were at least five people who will somehow make a mess in the process. “We’re so sorry, F/N!” Sasha cried out. 

“It’s fine, plus I have something else to bake and I prefer cleaning in one go.” Washing your hands from some of the flour that you got on yourself from the counter, “And I’m sure all of you have somewhere else to be, so I don’t want to delay you guys.” 

Handing you the small towel in the kitchen, “Are you sure?” Mikasa asked as you gave her a thankful nod. “Yes, I insist. Don’t want you guys to be caught in traffic and going home late.” 

“Always the mom, I wonder where the dad is right now?” Hange teased. You scowled at her. Though it was known in the group that you liked him. “See! You even scowl like him!” 

“Quit it and get going, Hange. It’s five-thirty already and your shift starts at six.” 

“What?! Already?!”

Everyone by that point said their goodbyes and thank you’s to you. As the door shut, you were left to your own devices for the evening. “I’ll just order take out.” 

Multi-tasking between eating your fast food (literally fast, since it arrived in less than ten minutes, but that’s the perks of having a housing compound on an industrial road) and stirring the red velvet batter that you were now placing carefully on the cupcake liners, you heard a knock coming from your door. Worried that they’ll probably see the mess, especially some of the stains the batter left on the floor, you put a cleaning towel on top of it. 

With the thought it was probably one of your neighbors, you opened it to see Levi right in front of you in all his stoicness. Composed and pristine contrasting to the mess you were with flour all over your arms. You were surprised and embarrassed of course at this moment. 

“You look messy, tch.” 

“Haha, didn’t expect less from you but you being tardy is rare. Three hours to be exact.” 

Huffing at your comment, “Had to deal with a project. A group project.” he replied. “I even told you I might try stopping by.” 

“No need to get defensive, Mr. Grumpy Pants, come on in.” 

You weren’t surprised that he immediately commented on the state of your kitchen. He was called the clean freak of the group for a reason. “If you’re messy, your kitchen is shitty.” 

“Big words coming from the guy who missed everyone else,” you bantered back, “and it was actually worse earlier.” you added with a laugh. 

“Well, it was by fate I wasn't here earlier.” he said as he sat down on the couch that was facing the kitchen. 

You just rolled your eyes as you finished up filling the liners with batter and putting it in the oven. 

This was the dynamic between you and Levi. Always bantering whenever you two were together. Everyone else would just observe whenever you two got into heated debates about whatever; like what fabric conditioner brand was best. You two would have been mistaken to be in the debate team of the school, but it’s just you two have different beliefs with fabric conditioner. 

It always stuck to him that he could get along with anything you would blabber, ever since he met you during your first year. Especially topics like cleaning products, he was glad another person was interested in that choice of conversation. 

Waiting for the cupcakes to bake, you gradually started cleaning a bit of the kitchen, but before that, you approached Levi with a plate of some of the treats you baked earlier with the others. “I know you don’t like sweets, but we just couldn’t leave you out, so…” 

“I became the official taste tester?” he finished your line of thought. 

“Probably?” 

“I’ll strangle you if one of the cookies, Hange concocted some weird shit in it.” Taking the plate from you as he stated. His fingertips slightly brushing against yours caused his breath to hitch. 

You frowned. “Why am I getting the end of it? Hange is the one responsible!”

He took the one that was already a deformed star. “You were the one in-charge earlier, so it's obvious.” he took a bite of the cookie, nodding in a satisfactory way. 

He kept on eating the treats along with a cup of tea that you prepared for him and kept guessing right on who made what. Luckily Hange didn’t have anything odd in it, saving you from Levi’s wrath. The timer for your cupcakes went off, waiting it out for a few minutes, you finally took it out of the oven to let it cool on the cooling rack. The aroma of the baked goods gave that sense of homeness to your place that Levi couldn’t help but feel contented to. 

What also added to this feeling was seeing you working in the kitchen, making the icing for the cupcakes. In his eyes, you were in your zone being cute and alluring even with the mess. No matter how much clatter was in your kitchen his eyes were only on you. 

That’s when he noticed a lot of stains were on the floor. Made his face scrunch up that he had to do something about it. 

Finishing up the dozen cupcakes you baked, your attention was on the man who went beside you to observe the state of your kitchen. “You’re one messy girl,”

“Sorry, neat freak. I was more focused on not burning the house down,” you quipped as you admired the work you did. Taking one and peeling a side of the lining then holding it in front of Levi to be met with those eyes that never failed to dazzle you. 

“Try one.” 

Only the whirring sound of your electric fan can be heard during this exchange. You felt your face heating up as you admired the features of the most gorgeous man you ever met. As he took a bite of the small treat that was in your hand, the way his mouth attached to the cake was enough for you to almost faint. How can someone look so flawless with such a simple action? The way he takes in the taste of the sweet took you in a trance. 

“It’s nice.” he spoke, breaking the hypnotized state you were in. You quickly darted your eyes somewhere other than his face. 

“Just nice?” you pouted. He just rolled his eyes. “You know I’m not a sweet-tooth person.” 

But just as he said that, he took the cupcake again and bit on it. That didn’t miss your sight causing you to give a small smile. “Sureee, suree.” 

“I don’t want to waste food, brat.” he grumbled. Not pushing it any further, you looked for tupperwares to fit the cupcakes you made. “You can now go back to your dorm. I can handle everything from here.” 

Levi already took a hold of the broom and dustpan. “I don’t trust your word, so I’m staying to clean up.” making you smile at his insistence. 

The cupcakes were now tucked inside the fridge and the cleaning of your kitchen finally commenced. You took care of the dishes while Levi…he almost took care of everything. From getting rid of the batter stain on the floor, wiping down the kitchen counter, and getting rid of the dust of flour from the floor that also covered a bit of your cabinets. You can admit that your kitchen felt brand new after the cleaning was done. 

Finishing up and putting the dishes in their respective places, your friend who was also your crush came up to you with a towel on his hand. “What is it?”

“Step closer to me.” 

You did as he told and got caught off-guard as he placed his left arm around you while his right softly wiped off the flour from your face with the towel. A few smudges of icing were on your neck, courtesy to Hange for declaring to be a menace in the kitchen, that it tempted Levi to use his tongue to clean it up. But he controlled himself. 

Instead, he turned on the kitchen faucet and got a part of the towel with water. Your heart was beating fast due to the small gap between you and him, that your senses couldn’t catch on when he turned off the water and felt the cool damp towel on your neck, which you now discovered it got you all hot and bothered. His warmth, his scent, his touch, it got your mind into a frenzy. This was the closest you have ever been with Levi. 

Placing the towel on the sink, he looked back at you with the same bored eyes yet something was different about it. “You’re going have to clean up by yourself next time, unruly brat,” 

“Don’t worry, I’m a big girl and a fast learner, grumpy.” you chuckled, getting a ‘tch’ from Levi due to the nickname. “So, how much do I need to pay you?” 

The corner of his mouth quirked up, “An unfathomable amount.” 

“Damnnn, then I should have cleaned up myself.” you whined. But you were willing of course, but with a discount. “We made cookies and I made tea, Levi.” 

“Still not convinced,” he replied. “But there is one way…” 

“Tell meee.”

He inched his face closer to yours. You felt your face heating up.

“Kiss me.” 

Were you hearing this right? Was the world moving in the right direction? 

WHAT? 

“Wha-” before you said anything, he pecked your lips. As he pulled away with your mouth slightly opened, you can see his face was dusted with a pink hue that you have never seen before. You were convinced that you were about to die from a heart attack. 

“I’ve admired you for the longest time…” the first words he spoke after that moment. “And it doesn’t even feel like a crush anymore…” 

You were absolutely out of breath. The thought of the one who you harbored feelings for reciprocating it back was something you never knew will happen. Taking all the courage within your body, you placed a hand on his shoulder and the other caressed his face.

 “I feel the same way as well.” 

He gave a smile, “Then I suppose you don’t mind this-'' as he held your face and kissed you once again. The space between you two was non-existent at this point and the temperature was rising, but that didn’t stop you two. He nipped gently on your lips, causing you to let out an airy sigh. 

His hands are already taking a hold of your hips. “Do you want to take this further?” 

The blush on your face was more prominent than ever, but everything happening and what was about to happen was something you’ve always dreamed of. “Mhm..I want you.” 

Things then escalated from there. Levi carried you to your room with outmost care and strength, laying you down on your bed admiring how beautiful you were with the light of your lamp illuminating you in an immaculate glow. In his eyes, you were a goddess. 

Immediately taking his shoes off as well as your socks, he knelt down on the floor beside your bed holding onto your knees. The sight of him between your legs was making your insides especially your pussy flutter. Your arousal was seeping through the thin fabric of your shorts and how it also turned Levi on. 

“Have you ever done this before?” he asked as he grazed his hands from your knees towards your thighs, making you shiver under his touch. You shook your head, holding back a moan as he drew circles on the plush of your thighs with his thumb. 

Continuing with his ministrations, “Have you experienced this before?” you croaked out a question. 

He also shaked his head in the same manner as you earlier. Letting out a relieved gasp as he finished, standing up from his place on the floor he crossed his arms over his stomach and took a hold of his shirt—exposing his firm and built torso to your eyes. Uncharacteristically, he dropped his shirt on the floor. No folding, no nothing. He wanted you so badly. 

You knew Levi worked out, heck you saw him once in your school gym lifting weights and that memory forever plagued your mind whenever you touch yourself. Seeing him shirtless in your dimmed light room added to the sensuality of things. You swallowed a lump in your throat as you saw him start taking off his pants, seeing how hard he was and it was because of you. 

Left in his boxers, you sat up from the lying state you were. As he climbed on the bed you took off your shirt. The dusty blue bandeau bra complemented the tone of your skin and Levi was just awestruck of how heavenly you looked. 

How much more if you were naked? 

“You’re beautiful,” Levi let out a sigh as he went closer to you, capturing your lips in a tender kiss. “I know I’m not the best with words, but I know how to be genuine with them.” 

Smiling at him, you took a hold of his right hand, squeezing it gently. “I can never ask for more.” 

Kisses being exchanged, he pulled you closer to his lap. Shifting to a more comfortable position, your knees were on each side of his thighs. His hands found a way to support your back as your arms were wrapped around his shoulders. The exchange got heated as both of you got more explorative with your tongues. 

Heart beating and breaths heaving, Levi pulled away from your intoxicating mouth that he proceeded to move downwards. Nipping at your clavicles and sucking on the crook of your neck, he left a mark. “I hope you don’t mind,” he hummed with his hands already unclipping your bra, dropping it on the floor. 

You let a sigh out. “I don’t,” feeling his hands taking a hold of your breasts you gave out a muffled cry of pleasure. Teasing your nipples with both of his thumbs and forefingers, the stickiness of your arousal was spreading through your inner thighs. This was after all the time you can finally let your sexual frustrations out. 

Levi shared the same sentiment as well. 

The small noises you were making as he sucked on one of your nipples made him harder. The cloth of his boxers burning against his skin at the same time, he can feel the heat of your cunt. He was so close to just releasing everything but he wouldn’t, not when this was the first time for you and him. Mainly you being his first concern. 

As he sucked on your right breast while his left hand took care of the left, his right hand was now on your dripping pussy. Rubbing through your shorts, it got you whining from the sensation of it. “L-Levi..” 

“Don’t keep those noises to yourself, pretty,” he praised. “I love every sound you’re making right now.” 

You gasped as he placed more pressure, already feeling yourself getting more wet. It then came to mind you haven’t tried touching Levi, and you weren’t going to let this opportunity pass. 

Just to tease him a bit, you ran your hand over his taut chest making Levi take a quick breath. Your mouth gently latched onto his neck, giving kitten licks, the ebony haired man was relishing the moment but when you finally cupped his cock, the lustful sound he made was now one of your achievements. 

“You don’t have to..” he whispered. “I want this night to be only your pleasure.” 

Pulling your mouth away from his neck. “And I want this night to be your pleasure as well-” pecking his lips-”let me make you feel good, Levi.” 

He inhaled sharply as he felt your hand start moving. You were gentle with your actions and did it make Levi let out a contented sigh as he ran his hand over your head. He’ll let you suck his cock next time that’s for sure. 

“How does it feel?” you softly asked. He did most of the work the past few minutes, so of course you wanted him to feel the same you feel. 

One particular stroke got his head leaning back. “It feels so good, kitten.” That nickname stopped you in your tracks, which Levi immediately noticed. 

“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, I-” you placed a finger over his mouth. “I want you to call me that, whenever we…do this…” you said, blushing while you were at it. The way it rolled out of his tongue and the tone of it, kept on replaying on your head. You’re looking forward to the many times he will address you with that pet name. 

He smirked at you. “Whatever you say, goes.” 

A mischievous grin appeared on your face. “Since you said that..'' you once again wrapped your arms around him and looked at him directly.

 “I want you to fuck me, Levi.” 

You can see how his eyes dilated after you said that. Not letting a second to pass, he had you laying down on the mattress, taking off both your shorts and panties in haste along with his boxers. 

His dick was always what you thought it would be, but certainly better now that you’ve seen it. Now the important question was: how long will it take for you to adjust to it?

You were about to find out. 

“Let me get the condom,” he said, before he could get his pants you stopped him with just a shake of your head. “You don’t have to, actually…” you replied, fumbling with your hands. 

You continued, “I’m on the pill actually,” you shyly admitted, “my mom forced me ever since I got into college.” 

His eyes lit up. “Guess we should thank her next time then,” he smirked. The implications of what he said made your heart get rapid. 

Bare and vulnerable to each other’s sight, Levi took his place between your legs. Letting you put your legs around and tight on his waist, it just hit you that you’re finally doing this. 

Breathing a bit unsteady, it's like Levi knew what was going through your mind. “Tell me if it hurts and if you want to stop, okay?” 

Nodding to what he said, he slowly inched himself to your core. Every time he would inch himself deeper in you, he’d ask you if it’s fine, and it just made you fall harder for him. 

Levi was whipped at this point. The way your face would contort to lewd expressions as he would try putting more of his length in you, was egging on his self-control. But he didn’t want to hurt you, that was the more important thing to him. Already bottoming you down, both of you took the time to relish the feeling. 

“Mm, Levi..” 

“Yes?” he was quick to respond to you, causing you to smile. 

“You’re very sweet, did you know that?” emitting the reaction you expected, he muttered a small ‘brat’ paired with a blush. Grabbing his hand, entwining your fingers together. 

“You made me feel nothing but comfort throughout this whole time, Levi…” you said with full of adoration. “I wouldn’t have my first time any other way but only this.”

A soft smile was on Levi’s face once you said that, his hand tightens against yours but not in a harsh way. “I intend to put your comfort above mine, every time.”

Sharing a sweet kiss that both of you intend will happen more. “You can start moving.” you sighed. Finally with your consent, he experimentally moved his hips. It did feel a bit painful, but not the sharp kind of pain. Reassuring caresses and words were shared and did it warm your heart (and your pussy as well). 

The patterned movement of his hips against yours increasingly picked up on tempo and the amount of pretty and lustful sounds that left both of your mouths could cause complaints from your fellow neighbors in the compound tomorrow morning. You weren’t going to last long but you knew; you’d probably go for another round. 

“I’m-ah!” you squeaked. Levi was working up on your clit, your climax approaching faster. “L-Levi!” 

“Keep up with those noises, kitten,” he grunted. Pulling you closer by your thighs and gripping on them tight, enough to leave marks of his hand. “You feel just so right.” 

Just after he said that, your orgasm gushed out. Legs trembling and breaths rapid. Levi pulled out quickly and came all over your stomach, decorating it messily in white. 

Both of you heaved out long sighs, but satisfaction was evident. A cheeky grin was on your face. “Now, who’s the messy one?” 

“Pfft, shut up. Let’s get cleaned up.” 

Ever the gentleman he was, he carried you bridal style to where you directioned was the bathroom. 

You couldn’t help but feel a lot more was about to happen. 

Not that you didn’t mind. 

✰✰✰ 

You can tell which part was rushed because it was making me clench hard jkfbkjer im planning to make this like a series, due to the several concepts i had for that crush x reader had all the sexy times and developments being connected. 

stay tuned ig? XDD

that is all peeps, i hope i get to be more motivated to write for the next weee. 

[rozcdust]

She’s so mean

Pairing: Kokonoi Hajime x f!reader

Genre: Crack, SMAU

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: Canon divergent, profanity, ooc, substance abuse, violence, jokes about suicide, the reader is tired and a bitch

Synopsis: Koko thinks she’s the best thing ever. She wants to put a boot through his teeth.

pt. 1 | previous | pt. 13 | next

You were a bit surprised to find that the address Ran sent you was not the one of his club, but didn’t bother questioning it.

And since you really didn’t feel like walking across Tokyo in a cocktail dress, and with Keisuke and Chifuyu being out of the apartment, you asked Kazutora to drive you there.

Which turned into half consoling him as he teared up, and half mocking him.

“Tora, please stop crying. It’s embarrassing for you.”

“No, I’m fine, it’s fine- It’s just- You never let me drive you anywhere usually,” He took a short break from his rambling to take a breath, “And you look so beautiful, it just hit me how fast you grew up- Come here.”

You sighed, rubbing his back and he clung onto you, bawling into your shoulder.

“You’re like a little sister to me, and I missed all your big accomplishments, and I’m just- I’m so proud okay?”

“Aw. Can you stop now though?”

He only started crying harder.

“I am happy that you show your feelings in a healthy way and all Tora, but seriously.”

“You are so amazing and accomplished and fuck, you balance work and school and you are so hardworking- We’re all so fucking proud of you y/n. I met you when you were so tiny, and you were such a mean kid, ya know? Told me I looked like an owl.”

“You kinda do still,” You snickered when he gently smacked the top of your head, his face still buried into your shoulder, “and thank you, I am happy I can call you and Fuyu my future brothers-in-law. Can we please go now though?”

He drove you there still sniffling, and then gave you a prolonged lecture on drinking and driving, safe behaviour and to call him if anything felt off.

By the time you walked into the building and got to the last floor, it was already 8:05, and felt just a tiny bit pissy you were even slightly late. The doors were unlocked though, and no one was in there, so you figured it was no damage.

You almost wanted to roll your eyes when you saw one wall was just windows looking down at Tokyo.

How stereotypical can one even get?

Putting your things underneath the bar, you took a second to look around the huge open concept penthouse, noting the billiard and poker tables, alongside a couple of couches and tables set up in booths.

You got to chopping the fruit and putting it away in the small mini fridge by 8:10, and by 8:40, you checked the ice maker to make sure there is enough, re-arranged the liquor bottles to go by colour, and made sure you had all spices or garnishes that may be necessary.

You found a couple of ashtrays, so you set them around on the tables, making sure each table and the bar top had at least one.

You were just finished by the time Ran and 6 other man walked in.

You recognised all of them but the short blond man who looked as tired as you felt, and a taller man with a scar across his face.

“Hi guys.”

Sanzu greeted you back a little too enthusiastically, Kakucho and the scarred man just nodding in your direction, the blond man ignoring you to sit at the furthest booth possible, and Rindou looked away, turning bright red.

“Hello Koko. You look good in that suit.”

Kokonoi looked up from his phone, seemingly startled. He stammered out a thank you before rushing after the blond man, blush rising on his face.

You held back a chuckle.

“Do I look fine? This fancy enough?” You questioned when Ran got to the bar to check things over with you.

“You look a little bit too fine,” He smirked, sliding you an unopened pack of cigarettes, “This is for you, you’ll need it. And remember our deal!”

Rolling your eyes, you took the cigarettes, putting them away just as other guests started arriving.

Taking a deep breath and putting on the most charming smile you could muster, you got to work.

What Ran failed to mention, was that you won’t be just making drinks, you’ll also have to pretend to be a waitress and bring them to people, and you really tried to not let that bother you.

You were a bit surprised at how respectful everyone was towards you, leaving you tips left and right, even though the drinks were free, multiple girls complimenting you on your dress, alongside with men complimenting the drinks.

Being polite came easier than expected with such pleasant clientele.

Making a few drinks for a table, and dropping them off with a smile, you indulged a drunk girl who rambled about how pretty you are, before you made your way to Ran’s table, realising they haven’t ordered anything in a while and maybe could use some nudging.

They all looked a drink short of waisted, except for the short blond man, who was sulking.

“No, you don’t understand, she’s so hot. Have you seen that dress on her? She could crack my ribcage open and I’d thank her.” Sanzu was clealy high off his rockers, if the cut up straw and the black card on the table were anything to go by, rambling to Rindou who nodded along enthusiastically, while Kakucho had his face buried into his hands.

Sharing a look with Ran, who seemed to be greatly amused, you cleared your throat loudly.

Sanzu whipped around towards you, now kneeling on the couch.

“Step on my face!” He loudly exclaimed, pointing a finger towards you as he let go of the top of the couch.

Which was a mistake, and you watched with a blank face as he fell back onto the table, sending glasses flying.

Props to Ran for finding glasses that seemed to be able to handle that kind of abuse.

“…So… Drinks?” You smiled politely, ignoring the pinkette as Kakucho shoved him off the table, causing Sanzu to roll down into Ran’s and Kokonoi’s lap, who both pushed him off down to the floor where he landed with a loud thud.

“I want something sweet.” The short blond man said, his tired eyes staring right through you.

And just like that, 5 pairs of eyes were pointed in your direction, begging you to not say anything rude.

And then there was Sanzu on the floor, wildly and unsubtly doing a throat cut motion.

Now, you would usually be annoyed with such a generic order, but you had served plenty of people who had no idea what to order before.

“Fruity sweet, vanilla sweet or chocolate sweet?”

“Fruity.”

“Any preference in the fruit, sir?”

The man shook his head.

Your eye twitched, but you kept the smile, turning towards the rest, who all ordered what they were drinking before, so you got to work.

“Here you go, sir, hopefully that will be to your taste.”

The man took a tiny sip, nodding in approval.

Relief washed over you.

Not to hype yourself up, but that was the prettiest cosmo you had ever seen, and putting that edible lotus garnish on top was a pain.

You were certain if he said he didn’t like it, you would have skydived off the top of this stupid fucking building right then and there.

“And this is for you, pretty boy.” You smirked at Kokonoi as you handed him his drink, enjoying the way his face turned red as he avoided your gaze.

He really was easy to fluster, and you’d lie to yourself if you said he wasn’t adorable.

“Why aren’t I a pretty boy, y/n?” Rindou slurred out, crossing his arms with a pout.

“Thought my name was mommy?” You raised an eyebrow, voice playful and teasing.

His eyes widened, colour draining from his face alongside his drunken confidence, and you had to hold back a snicker as he hid his face into Ran’s shoulder.

“You’re a bit too old to be hiding behind me from girls, Rin.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Rindou smacked him without any heat, pushing Ran forward to hide behind him fully.

“That is pathetic.” The scarred man, who you found was named Takeomi, smirked, lighting up a cigarette before offering you one.

“Please break my back-“ Sanzu, still on the floor, was interrupted by Takeomi kicking his ribs.

Ignoring that as you accepted the cigarette, you excused yourself with a polite bow to go help other guests.

Driving them home will be a fucking pain in the ass.

Taglist (open):

@1818cigarettes @babu-haitani @dilf-city @wakasa-wifey @lagrimasdeglitter @kisekihany @missarabellla @bajifairyy @cryszus @r-xochitl @hana-patata @bontenacious @crybabylisa @spookydraken @rorobaijifuyu @yukihime-mikeys-girl @toobsessedsstuff @sammcaav222 @emilywaters @agoddess-inashell @levistiddies @t04dxm @qualitygiantshoepsychic @chilledraft @bontensbabygirl @brokencoinlocker @somniari-94 @yujibhabie @wakasagurl @sup-zfam @nqctre @chronic-claire-universe @rozewayne2005 @bxnten @graythecoffeebean @hanmascult @sanzuswh0re @yuushs @little-crow @halcyondaisy @st4rryhae (please let me know if i forgot to tag you! people who i was unable to tag were deleted off the taglist, i’m sorry)

[illidesence]

Culinary Mishap

——————————

Jamil x Reader

Hurt Comfort(?)

Summary:

Jamil and Y/n are cooking together, but Kalim messes it up, Now Y/n has to play peace-maker.

A/n: Happy Birthday Jamil! Jamil’s a little OOC

If I told you how long this took you wouldn’t believe me

——————————

As you stare at the shattered plate and scattered food all over the floor and your clothes, you can barely muster the courage to look at the two other people in the kitchen.

Let’s rewind shall we?

Jamil was used to cooking alone, but who was he to refuse your request?

It was almost lunchtime, but since it was a grading day for the teachers, the students had gotten an off day. For Jamil, this meant cooking. A lot. As he was walking into Scarabias kitchen, he noticed you rounding the corner, looking slightly out of breathe. “Jamil! Jamil!” At the call of his name, he focused solely on you. “Would you mind if I helped you cook today? I really need some practice…” While it wasn’t a lie, it wasn’t the whole truth. You had really wanted to spend some time with Jamil, but could never find a good time to ask, so why not now?

As he thought of his answer, you prayed he would say yes, and thankfully he did “I suppose so…” Even if he sounded slightly annoyed, you still were internally thanking the seven for this.

He had pulled out a cook book that looked a little dusty and worn, as if it had been used before but not in a long time. “Pick out a recipe from here while I go and grab everything we need.” You nodded as he walked away

After a while of scanning you had chosen to make Curry. Jamil came back with his hands full, as you helped him set everything down you told him your choice “I want to try making Curry!” He looked surprised at your choice but quickly regained composure “Curry isn’t a hard dish to make, so i’m sure we won’t have much issue.” He sounded happy, in turn making you more confident in your dish choice

“Would you help me get the ingredients” You nodded quickly, spooked by getting snapped out of your thoughts. He handed you most of the smaller items, like spices and other ingredients.

It didn’t take long for you two to grab the ingredients and begin cooking. Jamil was far more patient than you ever could’ve guessed. “Now you just let it simmer” You placed your wooden spoon down off to the side “Can I help you with what you’re making?” You truly did want to help, you had made one dish and he had already finished 2 and began starting another one the second you shot your question. He nodded as a response and you happily walked over to where the cook book laid open to another recipe, “Chicken Shawarma” it read. You looked around and noticed there was only one piece of chicken left, while the recipe called for three. So you decided to go grab more of the chicken while Jamil skimmed through the other ingredients.

When you had come back, you noticed Kalim walking by the door-way, but stopped once he saw you. “Y/N! When did you arrive in Scarabia? What are you doing?” The energetic boy ran in to the kitchen while you set the chicken next to the other piece, you let out a breathy laugh “Me and Jamil are cooking lunch.” Jamil had finally turned around and had an annoyed expression across his face.

“Kalim…isn’t there anything better you could be doing right now?” Jamil crossed his arms, awaiting his answer “Nope! Besides, i’d love to watch you two cook!” The white haired boy flashed you two his signature smile and leaned on the counter.

Although you wanted some quality time with Jamil, you had almost no problems with Kalim hanging around. Jamil on the other hand was far less thrilled. Before Jamil could spout his protest, the timer for the Curry went off.

Wordlessly you turned your section of the stove off and put the Curry into a decently sized bowl and placed it onto the counter, next to the rice Jamil had made not too long ago. Kalim’s eyes stared at the food you had placed next to him, you took note of the shimmer in his eyes

“Would you like to try some?”

Kalim snapped out of it and quickly nodded “I’ve never really liked curry… But yours looks really good!” You could feel your face warm up at the boys words. You could also hear Jamils quick and seemingly upset muttering, but chose to ask him about it later. You still needed to grab a bowl for Kalim.

You placed the bowl down on the counter, but realized something was missing “Where do you guys keep the utensils?” Jamil turned around to face you and answer your question.

But Kalim beat him to it.Physically AND Verbally

“Oh! We keep them here-“ A loud shattering noise along with food splatter echoed through the kitchen. Kalim had reached over to a drawer, but also over your bowl of curry, and as his arm shot up, the bowl shot down.

As you stare at the shattered plate and scattered food all over the floor and your clothes, you can barely muster the courage to look at the two other people in the kitchen. You could only stare in shock at the food painting the room.

Sensing the thick tension, you look up from the bowl to see Jamil with a facial expression that you could only describe as pure rage directed at Kalim. Kalim, finally snapping out of his shock, began rambling on different forms of apologies.

“ENOUGH! Kalim, leave, you’ve done nothing but mess up EVERYTHING for me since-“ You decided to cut off Jamils rant before things got worse than they already were “Jamil…go relax, me and Kalim will clean it up…” “But you did nothing, it was all Kalim-“ “Shhh, go” You interjected. You watched the male walk away in defeat and rage. You turned your gaze towards the guilt-ridden Kalim and sighed “Does he snap often?” He shook his head. You looked around for the towels and tossed one to Kalim and got to work, the contents of the bowl had splattered everywhere so it would take quite a while.

——————————

You had finished cleaning the mess and Kalim had offered you spare clothes to wear so you wouldn’t have to wear your stained ones. As you walked the halls of the Scarabia dorm to find Kalim, but you heard the faintest sniffle from one of the rooms.

You looked to your left to see a door slightly ajar door, more quiet sniffles escaping through the crack. You peaked inside to see Jamil laying on his bed hugging one of his many pillows. You furrowed your eyebrows and lightly knocked on the door while pushing it open “Hey…Jamil…” You spoke softly, as if he was a stray cat. He looked up from his pillow and scowled “Please leave”

You set your bag of clothes down by the door and crossed your arms. “Are you still upset at Kalim for breaking the bowl?” Jamil had abruptly sat up and faced you “No. That isn’t what i’m upset about…” Both of you went silent

You let out a huff and walked over to his bed and sat opposite of him “Then why…” You wiped a few stray tears from his face “Why are you so upset” His face contorted into a look of contemplation. “Because…because it was the only time we had gotten to spend together. And he had to come in and mess up YOUR hard work and/“ he continued to ramble and you half listened, it was mostly him just talking about every time he had wanted to talk or hang out with you but Kalim had interrupted him. All you could think about was that he had..also.. wanted to spend time together

His rant was slowly coming to a close, but you interrupted anyway. You jumped onto him and hugged his waist, both of you falling onto the numerous pillows. “W-why are you-“ “Making up for lost time, now shhh. Relax, you need it.” He went silent and you could feel the heat from his cheeks. He finally took your advice and rested into your shoulder, Happy with how your little disaster had turned out.

[yoimimi]

hi hi! I was wondering if you be willing to do a chubby nb!reader with either bonten Ran Haitani or future Kazutora? Where the reader is a medical student who uses their apartment to help current and former gang members? You can choose what else you’d wanna add and I wouldn’t mind if it had slight spice added if yk what I mean lol

this idea right here <33

chubby!gn!reader x kazutora hanemiya.

cw: im bad at fluff/rusty, mentions of violence & injury, probably ooc kazutora, not proofread, oral sex (reader receiving), suggested overstim

reposts are appreciated, but do NOT steal my work!

kazutora was so ridiculously reckless. it’s not like you were any better, either. after everything, here you were, scolding a founding member of toman and former member of valhalla. one would think you hated the man with how you rambled at him about how he got hurt again, he should’ve been more careful, and et cetera. but you very much don’t hate him. quite the opposite. how could you when he practically crawls to your apartment every few days because he got himself hurt in some way again? how could you when he looks at you with those wide eyes of his? 

you and kazutora go way back. from back when toman was being formed type of way back. "listen, 'miya, you need to be careful." you huffed, reaching for the gauze for what seemed like the tenth time this week. he chuckled softly, watching you work as normal. being friends with a med student was really useful after all. he gets hurt, you patch him up and drive him home. lather, rinse, repeat. it wasn’t so bad, you did get to see him fairly often. 

when he didn’t respond, you turned around with an eyebrow raised. kazutora quickly looked away, bell jingling softy. was he blushing? you smiled and continued dressing his wounds. “hey y/n?” “yes, 'miya?” he hesitated, lips parted slightly as he thought about what to say next. "i think.. i love you." this confession came from thin air, sealing one of many fates that soon intertwine. it wasn't unwelcomed by any means of the imagination, just floored with his blunt suddenness. a small smile crept onto your face, lips turning up as you hugged him gently. "i love you too."

kazutora smiled back widely. it had been so long since you saw him smile. how long exactly? you couldn't even remember. you finished patching him up, wrapping the gauze and applying any bandaids for smaller scratches. an hour or so later, there you were, giggling as you two cuddled on the couch. "he really did that? takemichi hasn't changed a bit!" kazutora chuckled, running his hands through your hair as he held you. his partner, as of today. he's been waiting for years to hold you like this. close and softly, gently rubbing circles on your thick thighs with his thumbs.

a soft kiss felt like walking on clouds, the hand on your cheek feeling as light as a feather. sweet like candy, it started, anyways. the once cotton candy coated kiss soon turned into a heated one as you continued. a desire bubbled into both of your torsos, a heat that needed to be put out quickly. moving to the bedroom, you laid on your back, discarding of your clothes quickly, as did kazutora.

"may i?" he asked, eyes wide and pupils blown wide in his lust-driven state. you nodded, telling him, "please 'miya, need you!" with a sense of urgency he simply couldn't ignore. he leaned down, wiping his tongue up your sex, moaning softly at the taste. he took it in his mouth, sucking softly at the sensitive bundle of nerves. you moaned, legs twitching softly. he continued licking and sucking, entering a finger into your entrance, soon adding another. your moans grew louder as he worked. "close.. close!" this only made him thrust his fingers faster, spreading your hole open as he worked on your sex.

you soon reached your high, gasping for air as tears fell from your eyes. he stopped, licking his lips, and said, "i'm not done yet."