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nitewrighter · 4 years ago

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Karasu Tengu

Will we ever get that fic where a teenager Rei breaks into the Shimada Castle and gets picked up just in time from relieved-but-really-mad Shimada brothers?

(From @nerdingsince96)

The neat thing about getting this as a submission is I can save it as a draft! Nifty!

Alternate title for this fic is “This bird keeps itself in the air through sheer force of anger alone.”

—-

Kenzou cupped his hand over the end of his cigarette as he lit it, tinging his palm orange with the light. He puffed smoke out of his nose and looked out over the lights of Hanamura. The wood of Shimada Castle’s grand veranda creaked beneath his polished shoes. He glanced over at Minako, calmly scrolling through her phone. The omnic was in a suit, like him, with long black wires trailing out of her head, tied back in a sleek Heian style with white ribbon securing the wires at the lowest possible point. He had teased her about it before, but then again Minako had given him just as much shit for using ‘analog’ over e-cigs. Their workplace was a timewarp in and of itself, anyway. No one could really tease anyone for letting it imprint on them. Minako felt his eyes on her, glanced up from the phone and gave him a ‘Yes, I’m still paying attention’ nod and he gave a slightly amused huff, puffing more smoke out of his nostrils. His watch beeped and he brought a finger to his ear.

“Link check,” he spoke quietly, “Taigen?”

“Front Gate’s clear,” a voice came in over his earpiece, “Bernier?”

“West side of the shrine is clear,” said another voice, “Hisanobu?”

“No movement in the garden,” a voice huffed, “You know, it’s been years since our last breach–”

“That we know of,” said Minako, sleeking a metal hand over her wires.

“Oh come on–” Taigen started over the line.

“I’m just saying, thermoptic cloaking, teleporters….” Minako shrugged, “It’s not like management has ever been big on updating our tech.”

“Oi oi oi–” Kenzou put a hand up, “That’s the boss you’re talking about.”

“Right, right,” said Minako with a sigh.

“As I was saying, link check,” Kenzou said, side-eying Minako, “Alenko?”

There was only white noise on the other side of the link, “Alenko?” Kenzou repeated. Still only white noise.

“…Guest house,” said Minako and Kenzou loaded a clip into his gun.

“Hold the veranda,” said Kenzou, “I’ll go—”

He was suddenly sideswiped hard by a dark shape. His eyes only registered black and red. He felt his ribs crack as a clawed boot made contact with them.

“Shit–!” Minako drew her own sidearm but a sound whistled through the air and a kunai knocked the gun from her hand, sending the gun tumbling over the side of the veranda. She quickly drew an extendable shock baton from her hip and ran toward Kenzou and the grappling assailant. “You little–!” she started.

But they were little, at least compared to Kenzou. As the two of them grappled in the milliseconds of Minako’s approach, she made out the rough shape of the assailant. Dressed in a snug but not restrictive black outfit, two dark frames arched off of the figure’s back. The figure’s face jutted up as they caught Kenzou in a headlock and in the darkness Minako made out two red eyes in a black mask, illuminating a narrow, corvid-like beak, she hesitated only momentarily.

“Minako–!” Kenzou choked under the figure’s grip and Minako flicked her baton and rushed them, only for bright red lights to flare out of the two frames on the figure’s back. Like blood-red feathers. Like an avian threat display.

Wings, thought Minako, A demon. A tengu.

And then, with those wings flaring, the figure suddenly swung their legs hard around, using Kenzou’s weight and those very wings to add to their momentum and kick her in the face—But Minako could react. She brought up her arm and baton in a block and forced the figure to push back, they were dependent on Kenzou’s balance, naturally unstable, and Kenzou was struggling against them. It was still two on one, she had to remember that.

But then the figure pushed off of Kenzou’s back in a backflip, touching on the ground with one hand in a backhand spring, as they used the other to draw a wakizashi and the sheath from their hip, wielding both as weapons. Kenzou was coughing but he managed to raise his gun at the winged figure. They rushed him and he fired several times in their direction. The figure brought their wakizashi up and the pulsefire sparked off the blade, Minako flinched as it pocked the wall next to her head, but Kenzou grunted as his own deflected fire impacted the kevlar beneath his suit and grazed his arm and shoulder.

Minako rushed past him and swung down with her baton, only for the figure to block her arm with the wakizashi and then uppercut her jaw with the scabbard. Feeling warm blood running down his arm, Kenzou brought up his gun in his still good hand to shoot at the assailant again, but they were thrashing around too closely with Minako for him to get a clear shot. Grunting in frustration, he tried to grab them off Minako from behind, only for those wings to flare out to buy a few milliseconds of hesitation from him. Minako brought her baton down again but the figure seized her arm and redirected the force of her downward strike, pivoting on their feet, striking Kenzou in the face with their wings in their turn before throwing Minako into him. They both grunted and splayed out with the force of the impact, but as soon as they managed to roll off of each other and Minako sprang up to her feet to see the last flicker of those glowing red wings darting around the corner heading into the main hall of Shimada Castle.

“Shit–” said Minako and Kenzou grunted and held his gun out to her.

“Take it,” said Kenzou, holding the gun out to her.

“Are you okay?” said Minako.

“I’ll be fine! But I’ll just slow you down! Take my gun before she gets away! I’ll get you backup,” said Kenzou.

Minako took the gun and gave him a single nod before running off after the red-winged figure.

Kenzou grunted as he pushed up to a seated position. He brought his hand up to his ear. “Hisanobu–There’s a breach. I need you to back up–”

There was a whirring, whistling sound and suddenly several shuriken pinned his arm to the ground by the sleeve of his suit jacket.

“Whuh–?” Kenzou started but he felt his commlink get plucked out of his ear. His eyes trailed up to a figure in silver armor, with a v-shaped bright green visor.

“Kenzou? Kenzou are you there?” Kenzou could hear Hisanobu on the other side of the line before the silver figure crushed the commlink in his fist.

“We’re not here to fight,” said the figure, “You have our word we’ll be out of your hair soon.”

“Who…?” Kenzou started but he felt a sharp fingertip blow between the shoulder blades and blacked out.

“…you didn’t have to do that,” said Genji as Hanzo stepped over the unconscious henchmen.

“We don’t have time for you to play Zenyatta,” said Hanzo, already breaking out into a run.

Genji huffed and ran after him.

“I still can’t believe you let her out of your sight here of all places!” said Hanzo as they ran into the main hall of Shimada castle.

“She’s fourteen! Angela and I can’t be breathing down her neck all the time!”

“You should, in Hanamura!” snapped Hanzo, looking around, “Now where did she go?”

They heard a grunt down a hallway and sprinted after the sound, until they came upon another unconscious Shimada henchman. A bruise roughly the shape of the tip of a wakizashi sheath darkened his forehead.

“…okay she’s moving a lot faster than anticipated,” said Genji.

“Of course you would be stupid enough to put wings on a ninja!” said Hanzo as they continued sprinting down the hallway.

“I didn’t put the wings on her! And you were the one who started training her!”

“You gave her that first shinai!”

“Kendo is a sport! It’s a sport!”

“It’s still a sword!”

“I just hope she’s alright…” Genji said quietly.

Hanzo just gritted his teeth as they kept running.

—-

Deep in the maze of guest rooms and galleries of Shimada castle, the winged figure’s feet lightly touched down on the ground as their red wings folded against their back. They paused to catch their breath, feeling it fog up against their face underneath the mask. There weren’t nearly as many guards this deep into the castle, so they continued on foot, sliding away door frames and peering inside before moving on. They opened a door to a long gallery featuring numerous weapons on stands and painted silk screens. There was an Edo-era painting showing a woman in beautiful Heian robes holding a baby in a wheelbarrow being pushed by a servant. They were being wheeled away from a manor in flames, and another painting of the same woman now in rags, still holding the infant, now standing before a spring framed by a single Torii. The moon seemed to be descending from the sky its reflection yellow in the water and a great white dragon was twisting around the moon. The tengu tilted their head at this painting, and nearly reached out to touch it, before they caught themselves and continued on in a brisk walk.

They reached the end of the gallery where there was a large ornate door, and they opened it. The room inside was dark, and the air stale, as if no one had been in it for a long, long time. The tengu stepped over the threshold and the lights bloomed on sleepily. Atmospheric, but doubtlessly electric.

“Old building, new tech,” murmured the Tengu to themselves. The room was clearly a master bedroom, elegant in its simplicity. The Tengu walked around the room, pausing next to a bedside table. There was a black framed photo of a five people. A weary-looking man who was the spitting image of Hanzo, a woman with Genji’s smug little smirk, a sour-looking toddler with a chonmage hairstyle, and a chubby-cheeked baby. To the left of this family stood a tall woman, her arms folded confidently. The Tengu tilted their head and studied her more closely. Her hair was piled in a smart faux-pompadour with a ponytail flowing over her shoulder. The Tengu picked this photo up and walked around the room. “I guess it was too much to hope for some kind of computer–” they started before stopping at a breezy noise that almost sounded like air conditioning. The Tengu put their hand to the wall and trailed it along the wood and plaster, until their hand ran over a crack at one of the wooden frames and felt a puff of cool air across the palm.

“Hello,” said the Tengu. They pressed against the wall panel and it pushed inward and slid to the side to reveal a narrow cement staircase leading down. Tucking the photo under their arm, the Tengu headed down the stairs. The staircase lead down just deep enough to be slightly claustrophobic, to feel the weight of the whole castle on top of oneself, but at the very bottom was a steel door.

“Crisis-era panic room,” muttered the Tengu to themselves, looking at the keypad locking the door, “…dead end,” they sighed. They pulled the framed photo out from under their arm, “Well… you programmed it,” they muttered under their breath, “Any ideas?”

The family stared out from the photo in bland photogenic cheeriness.

“…didn’t think so…” muttered the Tengu, “All this way for no–” the Tengu caught themselves and noticed one corner of the photo was dog-eared in the frame. They arched an eyebrow beneath their mask and turned the photo frame over, untwisting the clips to pull away the back. There was a number written on the back of the photo: 9007.

The tengu punched those four numbers into the door and there was a loud beep and a kachunk as several locks receded and the door swung open.

Inside was a bare, all-cement mini-apartment. Dusty canned food lined the walls, a bathroom was tucked away into the corner, a cold fluorescent light shined white overhead, and several bare futons were on the floor. At the opposite end of the room was a large monitor. The tengu silently approached it and turned it on. The word ‘Passcode’ appeared on the screen in Japanese and the tengu typed in ‘9007′ into the entry field. The words ‘ACCESS DENIED’ appeared on the screen in bright red text. Undeterred, the Tengu pulled a data lamprey from their belt and stabbed it into the side of the computer. The screen fizzled briefly before blipping to a desktop.

“There we go,” said the Tengu, scrolling through files. A video file titled ‘For Hanzo’ caught their eye and they opened it.

A figure blipped up on the screen, that same man with a stunning likeness to Hanzo, though he wore his hair shoulder-length and half-tied back, and it was more heavily streaked with gray.

“Hello, Hanzo,” he spoke in Japanese, “If you’re watching this, that means you’re the head of the clan now.”

“…Grandpa?” the Tengu said quietly, watching the screen.

“The truth is, I’m making this video because I’m not entirely sure the council will be happy with my decision not to pursue a partnership with Talon. I know Talon isn’t happy either, and while I have no doubt in the competence of my retainers, I must be prepared. No matter what happens, you, Hanzo, must not allow the Shimada clan to fall in league with Talon. Their interests are not our own, and I fear to see what damage our resources may wreak in their hands. I wish I could say you can trust your family, but with the clan splitting its opinion over this matter…I feel it’s wiser to prepare you. I never told you why my sister, your Aunt Yuriko, committed yubitsume.”

The Tengu gave a quick glance back down to the photo, to the tall woman standing next to the family. Beneath their crow mask, their eyes widened. The woman was missing a pinkie.

“Aunt Yuriko,” the Tengu said to themselves under their breath, tracing over the pompadoured woman’s face with their finger.

“Back when your grandfather, Shohei Shimada, was ailing, it was clear that the title of head of the clan would have to pass soon. As first born, I was the obvious choice, however Yuriko’s effectiveness as an enforcer lead to significant outcry in the clan and lower branches that I was too weak to take over for your grandfather—”

“There you are, you little shit!”

The Tengu flinched, pausing the video instinctively, and their hand went to their wakizashi.

“Don’t even try it. You’re organic. I can tell.”

The Tengu whirled on their feet to see Minako on the stairs, her gun fixed on them. She descended the stairs. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming down here. What kind of stupid are you? A panic room’s a goddamn dead-end!”

The Tengu said nothing, just stared at her, still holding the photo to themselves.

Under the light of the fluorescent, Minako made out their figure more, the size of them in relation to their environment. They looked even smaller with the wings folded in.

“Shinjirarenai…” Minako stared down the gun sights at the tengu, “You’re just a kid, aren’t you?”

The tengu seemed to flinch at the word ‘kid’ but kept pressing the photo to themselves.

“A kid in a goddamned costume…How the hell did you–?” Minako started but suddenly got hit in the back of the shoulder with an arrow and currents of electricity pulsed around her body. She grunted and the gun in her hand went off. The tengu brought up their own wakizashi to deflect but a silver shape leapt past Minako and a green flash dove out in front of them and deflected the pulsefire off into one of the cement walls. The lights in Minako’s forehead flickered out and she dropped to the ground and Genji turned on his heel to look at the Tengu.

“Are you okay!?” he said, reaching a hand toward the Tengu but they stepped back from his grasp.

“I’m fine! I don’t need your help!” snapped the Tengu.

“Who just stopped you from getting shot!?” said Hanzo.

“Then I don’t want your help!” said the Tengu.

“What were you thinking!?” said Hanzo.

“I’m thinking I’m sick of you both treating me like a kid! Or like I’m stupid!” said the Tengu finally yanking off their mask. Rei glared at them both with those big gray eyes as she gripped her crow mask with white knuckles in her other hand.

“Perhaps we wouldn’t treat you like you’re stupid if you weren’t doing the the most foolish thing you could possibly do!” said Hanzo, throwing his hands up.

“Maybe if you actually told me about the clan I wouldn’t have to find out for myself!” said Rei.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?!” Hanzo seethed, “Do you have any care how much danger you’re putting not just yourself, but your family in!? This was nothing but pure idiocy and egotism that put everything we have worked for, for your sake, at risk! This was not why we taught you—”

“Hanzo,” Genji put a hand on Hanzo’s shoulder and Hanzo caught himself, “I can handle this.”

“I–” Hanzo started, glancing between them, “Right.”

Genji stepped past Hanzo and put both of his hands on Rei’s shoulders. “Rei, I need you to understand how scared we were–”

“I had it handled–” Rei started to argue.

“Let me finish,” said Genji and Rei quieted down. Genji drew in a steadying breath. “I understand what it’s like to feel like there’s a big part of you that you don’t understand. I understand being willing to try anything to understand it. There is still so much to teach you, but we also want to protect you from the cycle of violence that defined our clan.” Genji looked around the high ceilings of the room. “This place…this castle, it is a part of your history. It’s also a place of great anger and pain for both me and Hanzo.” Genji sighed. “And…that pain is another reason why you don’t know as much as you should. As much as you have a right to know. And for that I’m sorry.”

Rei blinked a few times. “Do you mean that?” she said.

“I do. Part of this is on me–I always considered you to be so much more than a ninja, that I didn’t consider how much the Shimada aspect might mean to you. Now, we’re still very much in danger just being here, so—” Genji moved toward the stairs.

“How do I know I’m not making their mistakes if you barely tell me anything about them?” said Rei, folding her arms.

Genji paused for a beat. “To be honest, there’s so much of your mother in you that I always took it for granted that you were a good person,” he said with a slight shrug, “I thought you did, too.”

“Mom doesn’t do stupid stuff like this, though,” said Rei, turning the mask over in her hands.

“Rei, I assure you, your mother does stupid things all the time–but like you, she only does them because of something she believes in. You came here for answers, you came here wanting to know the truth, and that’s very brave, but it’s also insanely dangerous. So can we continue this discussion somewhere safer?”

Rei looked back at the screen where Sojiro’s image was frozen for a few seconds before closing her eyes and biting her lip. “…okay,” said Rei with a single nod. She gave a glance to the data lamprey on the processor and yanked it off, “But I’m still taking this, though.”

“…it’s actually a very good idea to take that,” said Genji.

They gingerly stepped over the collapsed form of Minako.

“…Is she gonna be okay?” said Rei, putting her mask back on.

“Give or take a few hours, yes,” said Hanzo, “But we can’t wait around that long.”

—-

The three of them nimbly leapt across the rooftops of Hanamura back towards the hotel where they were staying, Rei was using her wings on gaps she couldn’t clear as easily as her father and uncle. It almost felt thrilling to Rei, like they were all on the same team, but at the same time she was absolutely dreading her mother’s reaction to all this, and felt a stab of guilt as well.

They paused briefly to let Rei catch her breath on one rooftop before she looked back at the castle.

“Thank you,” said Genji stepping alongside her, “For coming back with us.”

“…well they probably would have shot me if I stayed, right?” said Rei, sitting down on the edge of the building.

“Or taken you alive, found out who you were, and forced you into something much worse,” said Hanzo.

Genji gave a wary look to Hanzo but Hanzo just gave a ‘Well, she asked’ shrug.

Rei pulled the data lamprey from her belt. “So do you know what’s on here?”

Genji shook his head. “Hanzo and I will go through it first with Winston and Morrison,” he said. He held a hand out to her.

Rei made a face.

“…if there’s someone dying in these files, I don’t want you to watch that,” said Genji, “I’m going to find out exactly what’s on here before I expose you to that. I do want you to know, and I will tell you, because you should know the truth of the Shimada clan, but I won’t traumatize you.”

“You don’t think they’d actually save something like that, would they?” said Rei.

Genji looked back at Shimada castle. “I don’t know. That’s why I’m making a point of finding out first.”

Rei gave a glance down to the data lamprey, and huffed before handing it over to Genji. “…the first file I found was a message to Uncle from Grandpa,” said Rei.

Hanzo perked up slightly.

“…you didn’t tell me I had an aunt,” said Rei.

“A great aunt,” said Genji, “I mean… she’s… not great, she’s, frankly, terrifying, but she’s your grandfather’s sister.”

“’Is?’“ Rei repeated, “As in she’s still alive?”

“Well someone has to keep sending those assassins,” said Hanzo, “We’re fortunate we did not cross paths with her tonight. If she was in Shimada Castle tonight… I doubt we would have made it out.”

Rei’s eyes widened. A long silence passed between all three of them.

“You know I love you, right?” said Genji, at last.

“Yeah,” said Rei, hugging her knees.

“You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe, right?” said Genji.

Rei huffed a little. “Yeah.”

“Good. So I want you to keep both of those facts in mind when I say you’re grounded, because you are so grounded. I cannot stress it enough how grounded you are. You are… more grounded than you have ever been in your life.”

Rei snorted a little. “Understood,” she said. She tucked her hair back and looked at the crow mask in her hands, “And I’m… I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking of how hard you and Uncle and everyone worked to try and keep us safe…. I was just… angry.”

“Well that runs in the family,” said Genji with a shrug, “I accept your apology. But when we get back I want you to apologize to your mother, too. You scared her half to death. It took everything to convince her not to come and put herself at risk, she was so worried about you.”

“…that’s not going to be fun,” mumbled Rei under her breath.

“No, no it’s not,” said Genji.

Rei huffed and got to her feet.. “Well, better get it over with,” she said, spreading her wings and gliding over the gap between roofs. Genji watched as she ran on ahead toward the hotel with Hanzo standing next to him. The red tips of Rei’s wings bobbed on into the night. Hanzo watched her next to Genji.

“That was…” Hanzo itched at his sideburns, “That was good.”

“Mm?” Genji leapt over the gap after her, “Oh–Well, just ‘playing Zenyatta,’ like you said–”

“No–you spoke to her with… respect. With empathy. You spoke from your own experiences.”

“Oh,” said Genji, “Well… yes. I owed her at least that much with how much we’ve been keeping her in the dark.”

“…I hope you don’t think it too odd of me to say that… I wish Sojiro spoke to us like you spoke to her when we were her age.”

Genji chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his neck. “So do I,” he said, before they both took off running after Rei.

#follow for more gency kid facts #shimada bros #submission

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froggybaek · 6 years ago

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dognapped! - bang chan

♛➩ genre: fluffy as hell, minor angst, Disney!au

♛➩ pairing: fem!reader x bang chan

♛➩ warnings: I will be v sad if no one gets the many 101 Dalmatians references I hid in here

♛➩ summary: when your furry best friend suddenly vanishes out of thin air, you don’t know what to do - until a certain person advises you to go seek out the town sheriff, that is.

♛➩ word count: 6.2k

Ramen was by far your most favorite thing in the world - well, the new world, that is. Something so - so delicious and fulfilling simply couldn’t be found back in the universe you originally hailed from. The closest thing to a delicacy such as the wonders of ramen was the rare stuffed squid, although you dropped off eating the sea creature after an awkward moment of your mouth being filled with squid when you met the abashed gaze of Ursula’s son.

Needless to say, you had found something far better than mere stuffed squid (sorry, Minho) to satisfy your appetite. The yellow noodles paired with a boiled egg and some seasoning could honestly replace any other meal if that’s what it was boiled down to; just ramen, that is. So, naturally, when you stumbled onto a stray golden retriever who’s fur color matched that of the delicate noodles, you simply had to name the adorable ball of fluff after the food.

When you had first run into the stray, you were sure he had not, in fact, been a stray at all. He had a black and white collar fastened around his furry neck and his stomach was nice and plump with good feedings. That was about a year ago, right around the time everyone had been poofed into this new realm of existence.

After, say, another month of being mostly by your lonesome in the journey of adapting to this strange way of living, you stumbled onto the golden fellow yet again. This time around, though, you had noticed that his once fancy collar was tarnished, the bronze nametag rusted so badly that you couldn’t make out the name of the pooch or his original address. His poor tummy, which had at one time been a bit droopy with food, was staunch, bearing sight to a couple of ribs - much to your horrified concern. That very same day, you took him home and dubbed him Ramen.

Ramen was your best friend. He somehow managed to comfort you during your darkest days, mainly those that came from the mangled nightmares of wondering what happened to everyone back home; if you were stuck in this strange, modern world where you could barely operate a telephone or turn on the television without wanting to smash your head into a wall. On the days you had to make a doctor’s appointment (as that was apparently a golden rule of this place to constantly check on your health) and try to remember just how a phone worked, Ramen would place his golden muzzle on your lap as if to reassure you that everything was going to be all right.

The dog painted with different shades of sunlight wasn’t all too adventurous either, much like yourself. He preferred to laze around in your cramped townhouse, only going outside to the even smaller backyard (if you could even call it that) to take care of his business. Simply put, he was your other half - your best furry friend. So when you came home one day after a bit too long of a grocery run to find Ramen nowhere inside nor outside, you were thrown into a panic, to say the least.

“No - there are absolutely no holes in the fence, Woojin,” you breathe out in a haste against the speaker of your smartphone. After a good five minutes of trying to find the man’s contact, you had finally managed to call him so you could truly express your growing panic over the sudden vanishing of your dog. “I triple checked anywhere he could possibly get out. T-there’s nothing to explain how he got out.”

The man on the other side of the line hums to himself as he contemplates how to respond. To be honest, you weren’t too sure why he had been the first person you went to for help; being the offspring of Cinderella, he had a sort of gift for talking to animals... the flying kind, anyway, and mice - but that was about it for all you knew.

“The best thing you can do is ask around town, see if anyone saw Ramen wandering around,” Woojin told you honestly, “I can’t really help besides that, I’m afraid. Most of the birds here still won’t listen to me no matter how hard I try, and the mice usually get lost if they leave my property.”

You run your fingers through your hair in a fit of worry. Having the help of eyes in the sky would’ve been a lot more helpful, but you couldn’t blame Woojin for that failed plan. “I guess you’re right. In that case I’ll head out and ask around. Thank you, Woojin.” You breathe out quietly, humming when he sends you good wishes in finding your currently lost dog.

Slipping your shoes back on to venture outside in your search for the golden retriever, you go to check the time on your otherwise locked phone. A hint of a pout outlines your lips when your gaze locks onto the wallpaper of the smartphone, recognizing the photo you had taken weeks ago at the beach. You and Ramen were the main focus of the candid photo, although you could spot Minho, his now lover, and two of their other close friends chasing each other in the background. The entire day you all spent at the beach was by far the best day you had in the town, a chuckle escaping your lips as you recall Ramen climbing into your lap even though he was soaked to the bone from swimming in the ocean.

Hopefully you would be able to find him soon.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

Not even two hours later, you had started to suspect that something fishy was going on; because not only was Ramen mysteriously missing, but a good handful of other pooches were just - poof - completely gone! When you had asked the local half-lion, half-human Kevin Moon if he had in fact spotted your dog wandering around all alone, the raven haired man had scoffed.

“No, I haven’t seen that mangy - ow, shit! I mean... Ramen, around. But a fuck ton of dogs and puppies have been vanishing for a good week now,” he’d informed you, pink lips pursed into a pout as he rubbed the red spot on his arm, “hell, Eric won’t talk to me since I technically lost his dog while he was out one day. I fell asleep for a few hours and suddenly the damn hairball was gone.”

“Huh... do you think that maybe someone is taking them?”

“Hell if I know, y/n. I just know that none of the damn things have been around to chase me in the park for once.”

He had also suggested going to pay a visit to the town sheriff, stating that it couldn’t just be sheer coincidence that so many dogs were suddenly disappearing without a single trace. Knowing that he could very well have a hunch, you listened to his advice, soon finding yourself standing in front of the station.

You’d talked to the sheriff a few handful of times beforehand - mostly because you hadn’t quite grasped the concept of a home security system or that leaving your strange contraption of transportation (they called it a ‘bike’) unattended was a bad idea. Other than that, you only heard petty rumors about the man.

Although it was usually hidden underneath a blood red cap, you knew his hair was somewhat long and fluffy, the colors a dual-clash of black and white; that alone outed who he was the child of, none other than Cruella De Vil herself. They shared some similarities, of course, with the man inheriting her skill for finding anything (or anyone) that evaded allusion. He was also rumored to be the one who convinced his mother to be part of the scheme to send all the younger peoples to this new world - some claimed that he wanted to rule over all, but that theory had been debunked when he only came to be known as the town sheriff.

Others would pass certain whispers, saying that he desired to just live a much simpler life in a place where he could start life anew. You weren’t sure what to think, not that you cared in total honesty. There was nothing anyone could do to change what had happened, and holding that blame over his head just because he was the offspring of one of the villains seemed way too farfetched to you.

A dingy yellow bell rings as you slowly swing open the glass door, stepping into the eerily quiet station with confusion. Sure, it was getting a bit late, but you hadn’t been expecting the police station of all places to be as quiet as a library.

You’re about to call out to see if anyone is inside when a gray puff of smoke clouds your vision, a stuttered cough breaking past your lips in shock. Waving your hands around in the air to clear the smoke, you blink furiously to regain your lost vision. Out of thin air, the sheriff himself had popped out in front of you, a cigarette pushed between his smirking lips.

“What can I help you with, darling?” He questioned you slyly.

You huff and glare at him, one hand still waving away the secondhand smoke while the other lightly flicked his red leather jacket in a hint of annoyance. “I - I need to talk to you, Chris-”

“It’s Chan to you, y/n,” Chr- Chan, corrected you harshly, his eyelids narrowed in amusement as you try to get rid of the smoke emitting from his lit cigarette bud. Feeling somewhat sympathetic to your plights, he slips the bud out of his mouth and crushes it before effortlessly tossing it into the bin nearby. “Anyway, what’s going on? Please don’t tell me someone took your bike again because you forgot to lock it up.”

He’s met with another harsh glare thrown in his direction. Throwing his hands up in mock surrender, he pipes down to listen to whatever it is you have to say. “Tons of dogs are just going missing out of literally nowhere - no rhyme or reason to it,” you begin to explain, “I think that - that someone is dognapping them.”

Silence.

“... Did you seriously fucking call it dognapping?”

You can’t help but whine at his teasing tone, wondering if you had perhaps made the wrong decision to come here in the first place. “Call it whatever you want, okay? The important thing is that my dog is missing, and so are half of the others in this damn town.”

Chan knew you were onto something. For the past week or so, he’d been getting calls left and right from almost every corner of town about their furry friends leaving home. At first, he hadn’t thought much of it; since he was too busy to take care of such meager tasks, he sent out his deputy, Jeongin, to scope out the alleyways and the like.

But just yesterday, Jeongin had informed Chan that his crew was itching to go out to sea - it wasn’t just the crew, though, and Chan could tell by the way their very young captain bounced on the heels of his boots. With his helper now sailing out of town, the sheriff didn't have any other hands on deck to help with the whole dog situation.

No one else worked at the station. It was just Chan and, on occasion, the little pirate when he wasn’t out in the wide ocean. Most of the townspeople were far too frightened by his bitchy nature and general background, which was only fueled by the cruel rumors surrounding his upbringing and involvement in the curse. Yet, here you were, refusing to show an inch of fear or anger towards the man.

Perhaps... he admired that. “I’m not saying you’re one-hundred percent right, y/n, but I don’t think it would hurt to look into the theft of all those dogs,” Chan murmured after a moment to think to himself, his teeth going to nibble on his bottom lip now that the distracting cigarette was in the trash. You’re just about to thank him when he stops you, mockingly bringing a finger up to your lips. “Seriously, don’t thank me yet. We’ll find the damn mutts and then you can show your appreciation.”

“Wait - we?” You hummed in curiosity, tilting your head a bit, ignoring the fact that his finger was still brushing against your parted lips.

“Yes, we,” the sheriff grumbled, nearly hissing at the sudden rush of heat that travelled up his arm when your soft breaths fanned against his skin, “my uh, deputy, is out of town at the moment. You can be my - my,”

“Partner in crime?”

“... Sure, whatever floats your boat,” he sighed in defeat. Reaching over to the coat rack beside you, Chan snags his signature red ballcap and places it snuggly on top of his head of black and white hair, his bangs just barely visible beneath the hem. “Come on, let’s go find some clues.”

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

Fuck clues. They were absolutely evasive to you, leaving your cheeks red in exasperation and your poor feet completely sore. Chan had made sure to cover every inch of town to find something that might lead to the uncovering of the mystery at hand and, well, you didn’t want to leave the hardworking sheriff all alone.

Until now, anyway.

Because that bastard had found so many possible pieces of evidence that you ended up having to write it all down on an old sticky note just to ‘keep inventory,’ as he called it. You couldn’t even try to defend his quick wit or brilliance with the ‘oh it’s his job, obviously he has some idea what he’s doing,’ because he was a villain not even a year ago! And who were you? His new lackey?

“Oh, your face is getting a little red, y/n,” speak of the devil himself, “how are you doing sweetheart? Beginning to realize this is a lot harder than it looks, aren’t you?”

You couldn’t count on your own fingers how many short glares you had sent the cocky man throughout the remainder of the day, although this time you resisted the familiar urge to do so, instead focusing your attention on the road ahead of you. “I never doubted how hard your job is, Chan. I guess I’m irked that we... well... didn’t find anything today,” you trail off, feeling your heart sink in your chest as you realize that tonight will be the first time in months that you won’t have Ramen curled up on your belly as you fall asleep.

The protective dog made you feel so much safer. While you had an entire year to get used to the new world as best as you possibly could, nothing other than him could shake away your worries and paranoia.

Looking over for merely a split second, Chan could see the distress start to eat you alive from the inside out. Practically everyone knew that you still hadn’t fully adapted to your new life, not at all. Glancing down, he notices that one of your legs has started to bounce in growing anxiety, a feeling he knew all too well himself.

“Listen, why don’t you stay at my place tonight,” he offered, the usual sneer on his face now replaced with grumbling softness and concern. When you don’t respond, he uses one hand to steer his cop car, the other going to rest cautiously on your still moving leg, just on the knee. “I know damn well you haven't set your security system up yet, y/n. If Ramen really was taken from your home, that means someone else also knows that you’re basically defenseless by yourself.”

The red color dusting your cheeks is no longer just an effect of your previous exhaustion, now mixed in with the butterflies that, for some reason, erupt in your chest when Chan’s fingers trace gentle, soothing circles on the rough material of your jeans. “I - oh, it wouldn’t hurt.” You admit quietly, thankful that he’s too busy watching the road to notice how you purposefully let your hair create a curtain around your even redder face.

“Good... that’s good,” Chan breathes out in what sounds like relief, sounding like he was truly worried about your wellbeing, “okay, I need to stop by the corner market to grab something. Would you like me to get you anything in particular?”

You ponder his question for a moment, even though you already had an answer the second those words slipped out of his mouth. “C-can I get some ramen, please?”

A laugh - a real one at that, echoes inside the moving car. “Sure thing, darling. It’s no problem at all. Hey, do you want to see something funny?” Chan continued, his grip on your knee tightened by just a margin. When you hesitantly nod in reply, you’re given no time at all to regret your choice; he flicks the red and blue police lights on, along with the blaring siren. He presses on the gas - not going fast enough to put anyone in danger, but it’s enough for you to squeal in shock and grip onto his arm that’s still trespassing on the passenger’s side of the vehicle.

He doesn’t move his arm away from you the entire ride.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

By the time Chan reaches his home, the sky has already faded away into nighttime. The moon is half-full, emitting a comforting yet eerie light down on the ground before it. Hundreds of thousands of starts twinkle in the cloudy sky, forming constellations you could never find back home.

Your lips part in awe as you observe the mystifying sky and all of its secrets, eyes lighting up despite the rough day you had experienced. Chan huffs to himself, blissfully unaware of how captivated you are with the world you could barely get used to. A noise of joy escapes his chapped lips once he finally finds his house keys in his pocket and unlocks the front door, the man turning to call you inside.

God forbid he ruin such a picture perfect scene. He can’t even attempt to utter out his beckoning call, too enthralled in the ruptured innocence that radiates from your bright expression. Chan was aware that you refused to call this town your home, having overheard that snippet of information from Minho one night when they’d gone out drinking. At the time, he had felt guilty, knowing deep down that he was a major playing factor in the curse that brought everyone here in the first place. But watching you in that very same moment, he didn’t feel one bit of regret, even if he should have.

“Mrrow?”

Both of you nearly jump out of your skins at the sudden sound; you squeak and quickly turn to Chan, meanwhile the bashful sheriff flushes like an apple and hurries to find the source of the scare.

“Shit - Loki, you can’t just do that!” He hisses to the mischievous black cat, one eye twitching in embarrassment as the feline only purrs in response and curls his white-tipped tail around his owner’s leg.

“Cats, huh?” You snort in disbelief and wonder, already voluntarily bending down to crouch closer to Loki’s level. The fluffy feline saunters over to your open hand, nudging it and letting out a satisfied purr as you scratch behind one of his ears.

Chan freezes up, understanding your amusement. He was the son of Cruella De Vil, a vile woman who was notorious for trying to snatch up Dalmatian puppies so she could turn their fur into fancy coats. Hell, he grew up around dogs that his mother kept as security, it wouldn't be crazy or anything if he had his own army of dogs. But, instead, he was crazy... for cats; the polar opposite of the mutts he was so used to seeing as a child.

You can’t help but catch how the sheriff’s shoulders tense up as if he’s seen a ghost - or rather, a ghost of his past. A past that many thought he was trying to forget completely. “I - I didn’t mean that in a bad way, Chan,” you apologize softly as to not startle him, nor the cat below you, ”just a little funny, that’s all.”

“Y-yeah, it’s alright. Come on in, I’ll show you what room you’ll be sleeping in tonight.” He changes the subject quickly, already halfway through the front door before you can object.

Stepping inside, you feel your lips twitch into a knowing smile. The flooring is a simple oak wood, nothing too special; but other than that, pretty much everything else in his house seemed to be black or white, occasionally noting the splash of red here and there. There were at least four other cats simply lounging around in the little nooks and crannies, making you wonder where on earth he found them all.

“You’ll have to use the guest bedroom, which uh, has never been properly set up.” Chan tells you, slipping off his shoes and tossing his duffel bag to some random spot in his living room. You follow his movements, then follow the man himself down a quaint hallway until you reach the last door on the left-hand side. “Go inside, I’ll be right back.” He mutters, leaving you alone while he enters another room in the same hallway.

You slowly open the bedroom door, hand patting the wall for a good couple of seconds before you’re finally able to find the light switch, switching it on and blinking so your eyes can readjust to the light.

‘Wow, he really wasn’t kidding when he said it hadn’t been set up,’ you think to yourself in pure animosity, wandering fully into the small yet cozy guest bedroom. There were stray boxes scattered about here and there, although thankfully most of them seemed to be tucked under the twin size bed that happened to be placed in the farthest corner of the bedroom. A single dresser rested by the door, a tv perched on top of the cracking white wood.

The only real decorations in the room were some cat toys and the like, which were probably just put inside since they didn’t fit into the rest of the house. You take another step forward, seeking to take a seat on the bed, but your foot squishes something that protrudes a loud, almost screeching wail; you barely recognize the object as a cat toy before you begin to fall, your eyes closing to brace for impact -

“Woah, holy shit-” a familiar voice wheezed, the owner of the accented voice arriving in the knick of time to catch you in his arms. It would be quite poetic and serene if it weren’t for the horde of cats that burst into the room with both of you, clearly on the hunt for the toy that had erupted such an ungodly noise. “Fucking hell, are you okay? You didn’t hurt yourself, did you? Shit, I’m so sorry, I just-”

“I’m fine now, Chan, thanks to you.” You sigh in relief with a faint laugh, almost tempted to simply collapse in his strong grip so he would be forced to carry you to bed. A few, oddly comfortable seconds pass before Chan helps you stand back up again, the man then going to bend down and pick up a light stack of clothes he had clearly dropped so he could catch you instead.

Chan quietly hands you the clothes he had dropped, offering you the faintest of smirks, a sight you were more used to. “Here, these are some of my clothes. We totally forgot to run by your place and grab a bag, but it’s too late to go get them now.”

“Thank you... for everything.”

“Hey, I said no thanking me until we find Ramen and the other dogs,” he hummed slyly, playfully flicking your nose to mess with you, “get some sleep. We can head out again in the morning.”

And then he’s gone again, not bothering to utter a goodnight or anything of that manner. Holding back the urge to sigh in disappointment, you start to strip yourself of your own clothes, slipping on Chan’s before sliding into the guest bed.

However, with no familiar presence to rest on your belly, you find yourself unable to fall asleep without much, much difficulty. None of the many cats in Chan’s household were willing to hop into your bed, likely sprawled out in his own bedroom or random spots throughout his home. You missed Ramen - you just, couldn’t sleep alone now that you were used to having him around.

Figuring you won’t be able to get much sleep anyway, you slide back out of the tiny bed and carefully walk out of the guest bedroom, making sure not to have a repeat of the incident from earlier that night. You venture into what you can only guess is the sheriff’s personal bedroom, assuming from the warm light seeping out from under the door that he was still awake.

“Darling, why are you still awake?” The man, who you had correctly guessed was still awake, questioned you, watching with tired eyes as you sauntered over to his bed and crawled on top of the red sheets to sit next to him with crossed legs.

“I could ask you the same thing.” You retort dryly, squinting your eyes to try and see whatever it was he was doing on his laptop that he had perched on his lap.

He hums to himself before replying, “I’m going through my work emails to see if there’s any other connections between the missing dogs.”

You make a soft noise of understanding, your gaze wandering to the three out of five cats that had piled on top of one another just by his bare feet on the bed. This time around, you don’t hesitate to ask him, “so, why cats? I thought you grew up with a shit ton of dogs. Not that it’s weird, just... amusing, I guess.”

Thankfully, Chan doesn’t freeze up at the innocent question; it was harmless enough, right? He had no reason to hide the truth, did he? “I dunno, honestly. I suppose I just want - needed, a change of pace. Having dogs around might only convince everyone in this damn town that I’m just like my mother.” The man admits bitterly at the mention of his mother. “I... Don’t get me wrong, I do love her, but her being a villain basically solidified my future.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” you hum softly, a yawn pushing past your lips, “think about it, okay? You’re our sheriff, the big guy who makes sure everyone is safe - in a town full of heroes and villains, no less.”

“That’s nice, darling, but it doesn’t mean anything to them. I’m part of the reason everyone is stuck here, you know that, don’t you? All I did was tell that damn woman I was sick of being treated like a criminal, course’ she takes matters into her own hands and creates a fucking curse of all things to essentially give us a rewind button,” he mutters with a sickening sneer, only realizing that he’s gone off on a mini-tangent when you slump tiredly against his shoulder, “I mean - don’t you hate me? You were caught up in this mess, dragged away from whatever life you had before.”

“... No, I don’t hate you for what happened, and I never did, truthfully. While I am having a really hard time adjusting to this new life, that doesn't mean I despise it or anything. I just haven't had anyone around long enough to guide me through it all, s’all.”

Chan blinks in surprise at your honest, kind words. Now, it wasn’t as if the entire town hated him, but most of them did - the ones that were totally innocent, that is. Those who were on his side of things came from a familiar, villainous background; Minho and Jeongin both came from just as vile parents, and they actually didn’t mind getting to start fresh.

You were the first person he knew of that didn’t hold some sort of grudge against him. Those who sought his help didn’t quite count, either, since he was the only acting authority in those regards. Compared to most of the town, you had never thought less of him simply because of his background.

“Jesus woman, what are you doing to me?” He grumbled to himself, unable to hold back the ginger smile that bloomed from his pink lips at the sight of you snoring against his arm. Quietly shutting his laptop off, Chan carefully tucks you under the blankets, though he doesn’t remove your grip on his arm; just like he hadn’t earlier.

That night, the cold, unforgiving man fell asleep with a warm heart.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

“Are you done changing yet, y/n?”

You huffed and puffed in reply, much to the man’s amusement. “Listen, why don’t you try fitting in clothes two times your goddamn size and making it look decent for the public!”

“Darling, I already told you that we’re going to the woods. No one is going to see you.” Chan chuckles to himself, almost choking on his laughs when you finally step out of the bathroom in his clothes. Last night, he had been far too tired to truly appreciate how cute you looked wearing his loose clothing; and now, even better, you were pulling off his daily grunge-styled sense of fashion.

What made it even better was that he intentionally lent you one of his many red leather jackets, meaning that you were matching with him. Why did he feel so - so smug about that?

“Oh - be quiet, Chan!” You retaliated with a quick motion, sticking your tongue out at him defiantly before going to stand in front of him. “Hey, by the way, how’d you figure out the dogs were in the woods?”

Chan waited until you were both back inside his cop car to answer, one foot putting pressure on the gas while he slunk out of his driveway. “I got an email late last night from Jacob - you know him, right? He’s Bambi’s kid, apparently he was just hanging out there when he saw Eric’s dog and a few others behind some sort of mesh fence. He didn't want to mess with it, so he told me.”

Nodding in understanding, you stare outside the window, feeling your heat race in your chest. This was it - you could get Ramen back, as well as all the other missing dogs. Ramen was only gone for a day, but you missed him terribly. You couldn't even begin to wonder how the other owners felt with their dogs having been gone for more than just a mere day.

“Do you think the person who took them will still be there?” You eventually asked Chan after another few minutes of comfortable silence, mildly tempted to chew out whoever had laid their hands on your furry companion.

“Probably not, I’m afraid,” the sheriff admitted with a sigh, “Jacob also mentioned that he had brought Johnny and Jaehyun out to make sure he wasn’t just seeing things; according to them, they saw whoever had taken the dogs, but he got scared and turned tail the second they showed up.”

You hated to admit it, but that was better than nothing. After this whole fiasco, everyone would have their guard up, all while the sheriff would be hunting down the dognapper himself. That meant that Ramen and the other dogs would, hopefully, not have to worry about being taken from their homes ever again.

“We’re here. Stick close to me, just in case.” Chan announces when you arrive to the park just in front of the woods, the slides and swings still empty since it was a bit too early for any of the children to be awake and riled up.

Obviously you take his words to heart, sticking to him like glue - definitely not just because he looked very in his element, so to speak, his ballcap snug on his messy black and white hair and his leather jacket clinging to his biceps - nope, no way. Totally not, nope.

Eventually you both stumble onto what looks to be an abandoned cabin, surrounded by mesh fencing; and on the other side of the fence, there are a good handful of dogs. None of them seem to be the aggressive kind, choosing to instead joyfully wag their tails and bounce on their paws in excitement at the sight of humans.

That was probably how the dognapper did it all so easily - the dogs were just too nice.

Venturing inside the wooden cabin, you both see just how well the dogs were taken care of. There were five bags of dry dog food tucked away in a corner next to a looming cabinet, nicely complimented by the handful of bowls on the floor. Hanging by the door that led into the backyard was a strange shelf, the trio of silver hooks holding leashes that were likely used to lead the dogs into the woods.

“You take a couple of them and I’ll take the rest,” Chan broke you out of your thoughts, snagging some of the leashes from the hooks and taking a moment to send you a warm glance, “we can walk them over to the station from here and call everyone down so they can pick up their dogs.”

“Good idea.” You beamed in delight, grabbing the remaining leashes and following the tall man out into the backyard. Before you can even react, an all too familiar pooch barrels into your figure, almost knocking you over in the process. “Ramen! Oh, I’m so glad you’re okay!” You coo at your furry friend, crouching down to attach a leash to his bright red collar. But you can’t resist the urge to hug the golden retriever, happy to have him back, even if you weren’t separated for too long.

Chan watches you and Ramen reunite, carefully making sure to leash the other dogs while he does so. A foreign sort of emotion washed over his being, but before he could question it, one of the dogs he’d leashed up started to cheerfully lick and slobber all over his face.

Yeah, he was definitely a cat person.

✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈«

In total, there were about thirteen dogs that had been taken out of town. Chan led eight of them out of the cabin while you led the remaining five, although he made sure to still stick next to you in case one of your dogs tried to drag you off in an ecstatic frenzy.

“You know, you didn’t really do much to help out,” the sheriff began with a mischievous hum, smirking slightly at how you send him one of your signature glares, “but I’ll admit it, it was nice to have a real partner of sorts working on a case with me.”

“Uh huh, I was your - let’s call it cheerleader,” you shot back at him, unable to stop the smile that grew on your lips, “so I guess now I can say thank you.”

“Mhm, but now you need to repay me for my services.”

“Are you serious? Why just me?” You whined playfully, bottom lip jutting out in curiosity and mild confusion, which only makes your human companion’s once faint smirk grow wider, revealing a dimple on one of his cheeks.

“I only want one thing, and I only want it from you, darling... how about you take me to dinner tonight as celebration for our good work?” He suggests. At first you’re sure that he’s joking, judging by the smirk, but his eyes look dead serious, as are his next words. “We can call it a date, if you’re up for it.”

You blush at his sweettalk, grip tightening on the handful of leashes in your hands. “I would lo- oh my!”

Your response is interrupted by Ramen, who barks suddenly and ducks into Chan’s crowd of dogs. Without warning, another dog does the same to you, effectively tangling all the leashes together behind both your back and Chan’s. Now, your chests are pressed together, you faces mere inches apart due to the dogs’ antics.

And then, Chan’s lips are pressing against yours, bringing you into a sweet, slow kiss. His free hand wanders over to the small of your back, pulling you closer. The kiss is short and sweet, but it felt perfect - for both of you.

“... You don’t need to call me Chan anymore, darling. Call me Chris, please.” He breathes out, gently letting his forehead rest against yours. “I didn’t jump the gun though, did I? Because I quite like you - and I quite liked kissing you.”

“Chris, I was going to say that I would love to go on a date with you; as a matter of fact, I quite like you, too.”

“So... may I please kiss you again?”

“Of course, Chris.”

And so he did, connecting your lips to share one of many kisses to come.

270 notes · View notes

roraruu · 5 years ago

Text

wip: wretched and divine

tw: body horror, talking about blood. even more vamp au. i have a problem w this au i wrote like 3k alone today n had an epiphany in second cup over a plot point lmfao

“Relax.”

His voice is melodic and sweet. It would have been calming, had he not been a vampire and she not a hunter. Is it that charm he works ever so magically? That power he has over people?

Perhaps he is like foxglove. She remembers picking some as a child, thinking it would be a good offering to the Earth Mother’s idol. When she came back from the forest with handfuls of it one of the elder priestess’s swatted it out of her tiny hand and scorched it with her fire spell. She was warned that while it looked quite beautiful, it would kill anyone who ate it and that Mila would smite her. Such a tiny thing instilled so much fear into Silque’s feeble heart.

He speaks again, this time lower and sweeter like wine offered at the feet of the idol. Her journal is heavy in her lap, the pen loose between her fingers.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He says almost touching her elbow but stopping, as if something pulls at his arm. His gaze holds hers again, eyes a dark red. A ring of violet hangs under his eyes; it cannot be bruising for blood doesn’t run through his veins anymore. It must be a longing left over, a lust that his body has for humanly things like sleep and food and warmth.

“Somehow I don’t believe that.” Silque says, turning her gaze back to the ground.

“I can’t touch you at all right now. Even if I wanted to.”

Her brow furrows. Could he read her mind? He must have noticed her heady gaze when he pulled his hands away from her. “Why not?”

He laughs, from the top of the lungs again. “Get writing.” He says with what almost looks like a grin. She lights a lantern that she had taken from the Priory with a fire spell.

She open the journal, flipping through the pages, past sermons and prayers and hymns that she had sat up writing in the night. The spine cracks and she flattens the pages out underneath her thin white fingers. She untwists the cap of the pen, resting it against the page.

“Ready,” She says, glancing to him.

The history is rich like a good meal. Words fall from his mouth like raindrops, heavy but small. She takes down everything in tiny, precise cursive.

“Vampires can’t touch anyone or thing that’s under Mila’s divine protection.” He says. “That thing on your neck has her holy tears in it. You’re safe.”

“And if I wasn’t wearing it?” She asks.

“Still wouldn’t touch you.”

He had touched her before, thrown her around when she had found the bandits that harmed Lady Celica. “Somehow I doubt that.” She says, turning her eyes back to the pages.

“Believe whatever you want, Silque.” He says, getting up. His ruined boots kick against the forest ground. He paces slowly amongst fallen leaves and grains of sand.

The grove is dark tonight. No bright moon or stars to give off much light. For a while they wandered, not sure where to stop and speak. Writing and walking at the same time is not an easy feat.

He throws his tattered cloak to her. “You’re shivering.” He says.

She didn’t realize that she was. Her fingers shy from blood stains and slashes.

“Sir Python is open to your questions.”

“Are you truly a sir?” She asks.

He frowns. “I meant about what I am, not who I am.” He says.

“You said that if I came with you, you would tell me whatever I wanted to.”

“I didn’t say whatever—“

“Then I’m going back to the priory.” She pushes his cloak off of her lap, closes her journal and grabs the lantern.

“Wait, stop.” Python scrambles for words. “Gods, Silque would you just—“

He touches her wrist, hand ice cold. He hisses, pulling back quickly and cussing loudly. Her eyes widen. Did she do that?

“Python?” She says as he holds his wrist tightly to himself.

“Just stops okay.” He winces again.

“Gods I don’t know if my white magic will...”

“You’ve got gauze?” He asks.

She nods. She always carries some, no matter the place or time. An injury can happen whenever. She pulls it from her pocket, cutting a long piece off with her holy dagger. She holds it out to him and watches as he opens his palm. The skin turns gray and dark. He cusses again and wraps it.

Her own hand wound aches. She bites down on her lip. She didn’t mean to hurt him—

Gods what was she saying? He was trying to kill her not even two weeks ago. And now she was concerned that she had hurt him? This was apart of her job as a cleric, to protect the island from the undead be it Terrors is vampires or him.

“Divinity runs deep in you.” He says. “I said it before, when you die, they’re gonna saint you.”

She frowns, looking awkwardly back to her journal as if it will carry her away. If she is divine he must be wretched.

“Sniper in the rebel army.” He says, breaking the silence.

She looks to him. He stares off at the cloak before picking it up again. “I hated it.” He says. “Died in a battle against the main army.”

She frowns. “Did you... have anyone?” She asks.

He glances to her and then laughs bitterly. For the undead, he is too joyful. Terrors can barely make human words, yet he laughs and snarls just like any other being. “Do I look like the sorta guy who has a girl and brats?” He asks.

Take away the bloodstained outfit that makes him look like a destitute beggar, maybe clean him up with a trim of the hair, shave and—nope, he wouldn’t fit that wholesome look or life.

“I didn’t mean a wife and child,” She says. “Parents? Siblings? Comrades?”

His face falls a little. Then he dips his head in a nod. “Yeah I guess I had someone.” He mutters.

“Do they know about you now?”

“No. The poor bastard probably thinks I’m dead. I don’t know what the army forged in their records.” He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

Right, he is technically dead. Gods, she needs a constant reminder of that. She opens her journal again, moving the lantern close to the blanket pages. She drops him personally, although she would love more details on how he became this way, who did this to him...

“So anything that has been blessed by the Mother cannot be touched?” Silque asks.

He looks dazed for a moment, as if pulled from reverie by her voice. “Pretty much. Rivers we can’t cross, they’re her blood. Can’t do anything to anyone in them either.” He explains.

“So when I stood in the river—“

“You were under her protection.” He laughs lightly again. “Seems she hasn’t abandoned the holy at least.”

His gnarled hand points to her neck, the little white ornament that protects her. “You’re wearing her blessing right now.”

She glances down to it before tucking it under the collar of her dress where it nestled into the V of her collarbone. She jots down more notes, trying to focus on the page.

“How is a vampire created?” She asks, glancing up.

“Bite. Bad burial. Curse.” He says.

Her gaze narrows on him. “How were you created?”

He smirks. “You seem a little too interested in me, say, do I occupy all your thoughts, cleric?”

She shakes her head. “I want to know why you were made this way. Compare it to the theories in my texts.” She says. A faint heart washes over her neck and ears.

“I was cursed. Some witch came after me because I apparently broke her heart.” He laughs bitterly.

“You’re incorrigible.”

“And you’re a prude.”

“So this witch cursed you?”

“She compared my way to a vamp’s bloodlust. Didn’t know she dabbled in curse.” He says. “I don’t know what happened to her afterwards.”

She pulls out a provision. An orange taken from the priory pantry. It really begins to get cold and she wraps herself in his cloak. It is thick and worn, both old and young. She notices him smirk when she begins to peel her orange.

“Do you miss food?” She asks, glancing up to him.

“You make it sound like I’m a ghost.” He says.

“I meant actual food, from the earth, from the sea.”

“Oh that.” He mumbles. Then shrugs. “Not really. I guess I miss alcohol a little but, I don’t. Blood can compare to it easily.”

“And how often do you feed? Roughly?”

“Whenever I’m thirsty.”

“My texts say every moon—“

He laughs loud and hard. “Gods, if I could only wait that long.” He says. “I find myself thirsty every couple of days. Those bandits from the other night are keeping me okay for the time being.”

She nods, quickly writing down that thirst depends. She bites her lip. “And... off the record... when we met earlier you said everyone has their own smell.” She says.

His brow raises. His gaze narrows as he comes into the light. “And?”

“And what do I smell like?” she asks.

He stays quiet for a moment, then slides a little into the light. She can see the gauntness in his cheekbones, the harsh curve of his brow, the circles of purple under his eyes. He leans close, almost too close, right to the edge of her hair and takes a deep breath in. Softly, he laughs.

“Good.”

It sends a shiver down her spine, then a nervous shake of her hands. “No I mean, what do I smell like?”

“Like the earth. Soft and...” he stops. “Like spring.”

The heat spreads to her cheeks. She smells like spring, she smells good to him. She—

“I want to tell you something before you ask anything else.” He says lowly.

She nods, closing her journal momentarily. Her fingers curl over the cover and into the pages.

“Don’t ever give your blood away.” He orders, voice serious now. His eyes glint in the light.

“Why?” Silque asks.

“It’s bad behaviour. You should know that as a cleric.” He says, glancing to the grass under his hand. “A vamp could get hooked on your blood and you’d never know peace again.”

“It can’t be only that.” She pushes. “Is this a tactic to corner me?”

“No this is for your own good. Don’t even give it to me, it’s not payment.” He says. “You don’t want this.”

“How are you sure of what I want?”

“You love Mila right?”

She stops. This is a dividing line. Like the gates of the cemetery or the posts of the priory. It is something he or she shouldn’t cross.

Slowly she nods. “Then that should be enough for you.” He says. “Don’t go against her. She loves the living not the dead. The divine, not the wretched.”

“Alright.” Silque says, still a little unconvinced.

“Silque, it’s like a blood bond.” He explains. “It connects one to two and it can’t be undone without consequence.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning you’d die.”

Her hands tighten around the journal. She takes a nervous breath and nods. “I see.”

“Don’t ever give it away. For your sake.”

“Yes. I won’t she says.”

He murmurs a quiet ‘good’ and they slowly begin talking about him again. They listen to calls of nightbirds and the sounds of the rushing river. She takes down notes dutifully, filling pages upon pages until the sun begins to rise, washing the land in red and orange and pink. He gets up from their seat at the grove and she pulls off the cloak handing it to him. With a swift fling, he spreads it over his shoulders and gives her a side glance.

“See you next moon.”

“How can you be certain?” She asks.

He smirks and winks his red eye. “I know how you like a book.”

It sends a flush to her cheeks. “Wait, you didn’t tell me why you want the diadem!” Before the words can escape her lips, he’s gone leaving her alone.

Silque begins back towards the Priory, mulling over what could have happened had he taken her blood. She would have been bound to him and he to her. Could she have hidden in the priory? Hiding like a hierophant or seer to Mila’s vision? Or would his bloodlust found a way to lull her out of the Priory and end her life?

It scares her to think about it. Her feet drag along the dirt ground, the grass thinning along the more trodden areas that connect the Priory to the towns and Greatport. When she is finally on holy ground, she breathes a sigh. Calmness washes over her, although it only lasts a moment.

When she enters the priory, there is chaos.

Lady Celica holds Genny close. Mae and Boey are gone. When the door shuts, the cleric and Priestess look up with wide eyes.

“Silque!” Genny exclaims, pulling herself away from Celica and rushing towards her. Her little arms wrap around Silque’s body, surprising her. She pats Genny’s back and drops her journal. “You’re back!”

“Sister Silque! Where were you?” Celica asks.

Another wave of heat washes over Silque. What could she say? That she was fraternizing with the enemy, the one they are to kill? That the divine was becoming friendly with the wretched?

Celica leans close to her ear, just as Python had done hours ago. Her face washes with red as Celica speaks. “Mae thought you were seeing a gentleman friend—“

“N-No!” Silque exclaims a little too loudly. She apologizes quickly “I just stepped out early this morning. It seems I caused worry, I apologize.”

“Genny wanted to say some rites with you this morning and when she came to your room, you were gone.” She says. “No note or anything. Nomah sent Boey and Mae out to search for you.”

“We thought you had left, your journal was gone too!” Genny exclaims before hugging her tightly again. Silque places a comforting hand on her back, patting twice before shaking her head.

“I’m terribly sorry for the worry. I only went for a walk to clear my thoughts and make some notes by the river.” Silque says as Celica stoops down to pick up her book. She hands it to Silque. “I thought I would only be a few moments, but I suppose I was wrong.”

“Promise you won’t leave without telling us again, Silque.” Genny says, holding out her pinkie. “The Priory wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Silque forces a thin smile and knots her pinkie with Genny’s. Silque wipes away Genny’s tear tracks as Celica touches her shoulder.

“Yes, you have to be more careful Sister Silque.” Celica insists. “Had you been out at sundown, you might’ve run into that horrible vampire. I know you can handle yourself but...”

“I understand, Sister Celica.” Silque says.

“I just thank Mila you’re safe.” Celica says again. “I’ll go find Boey and Mae and tell them that you’re safe.”

Silque nods and Genny takes her hand. “Should we go say our morning rites?” She asks, and Silque can’t say no to such a plead. Hand in hand, they walk to the idol room, and Silque ignores how tired she is.

#fire emblem echoes #fe echoes #vamp au #silque #python #wip #fanfiction #ru writes #aha can yall tell ive been listening to hozier a lot

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derangedsilence · 5 years ago

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Azusa Mukami

Permissions

Please feel free to check any of the Sakamaki Bros.’ permission lists. It’s pretty repetitively the same.

Singleship per verse, please feel free to participate in the plots as appropriate, etc.

*Additional warning for those less familiar with Diabolik Lovers: Azusa in particular could be more upsetting than many are comfortable with. Azusa will often engage in SELF-HARM among other things. You have been warned.

Biography / Stats

FULL NAME. Azusa Mukami ALIAS. Bandage Guy (Ayato) AGE. Appears 17-18 || Actually significantly older BIRTHDAY. October 28 GENDER & PRONOUNS. Male, he/him ORIENTATION. Heterosexual SPECIES. Vampire, former human OCCUPATION. High school student of the night school known as Ryoutei Academy. 3rd year in More Blood, 1st year of the college branch if assuming time has passed. RESIDENCE. Mukami residence, Japan

HAIR. Black EYES. Grey/Purple BUILD. Slim HEIGHT. 5'7'' (170cm) TATTOOS. None PIERCINGS. None. ADDITIONAL MARKINGS. Deep scar across the bridge of his nose, scar on lower left cheek, scar on the back of his neck. OTHER. Left-handed

ZODIAC. Scorpio ALIGNMENT. Chaotic Pain POSITIVE TRAITS. Polite, helpful, gentle NEGATIVE TRAITS. Timid, uncontrollable, forceful

BIRTH PLACE. Japan? NATIONALITY. Japanese? PARENTS. Karlheinz (adoptive father). SIBLINGS. (Adoptive) Ruki, Kou, Yuma. EXTENDED FAMILY. None, technically. EDUCATION. High school (likely several times over) NOTABLE SKILLS. Knife knowledge, use & collection, the ability to handle Kanato better than most, being more stubborn and dominant than you in his quiet way LANGUAGES. Japanese, English FAVORITE FOOD. Shichimi togarashi

"IMPURE” VAMPIRE. Inhuman strength, increased speed, vision, hearing, and smell. Fast healing, but not as fast as a pureblood. TELEPORTATION. Capable of teleporting instantly. OTHER. Azusa can fly during a full moon and displays extreme endurance/resistance for pain. WEAKNESSES. Unlike purebloods, regular vampires do not possess their own magic. Purebloods can “borrow” that for them using their own abilities, but it’s not quite the same. DISLIKES. Being unwanted and not needed

Appearance

[*Credit: Appearance section pulled almost-directly from the Dialovers Wiki.]

Azusa has grey eyes and black hair with lighter gray tips. The longest point in his hair reaches down to his chin, with long bangs that go right past his eyes. The bangs are parted with one piece in the middle and the rest on either side of his head. In the back of Azusa’s hair, right on his neck, he has his hair cut straight. The rest of it looks messy and curly.

He has a pale complexion with a noticeable scar on the bridge of his nose. He has a scar on the lower bottom of his left cheek and on the back of his neck as well. There are bandages around his arms and one around hisneck.

He usually wears a white sweater with sleeves usually around his upper arms with diamond patterns on the left and right side and belts on the bottom parts of the sleeves. He has a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath with a darker blue bordering the top.

His school uniform consists of the black school blazer with the left arm rolled up showing the bandaged arm and a black vest with a white dress shirt underneath and a blue ribbon and black tie. He wears the usual black uniform pants with black boots. He also wears a maroon beret and sometimes holds a long white bandage in his hand.

In LOST EDEN, Azusa’s uniform consists of the dark red school blazer over a purple waistcoat with a white dress shirt underneath. He wears the black school scarf in the ribbon style with a circular brooch attached to it. He wears black pants and tall white boots to accompany his uniform.

Personality

A clingy, timid and polite young man whose soft nature contains an extreme sadist and an extreme masochist wrapped up into one. He enjoys being injured to the point of harming himself. Despite how soft and controllable he may seem, he’s actually extremely difficult to handle and does as he wants to his heart’s content.

Azusa speaks very slowly and often politely, rarely if ever using a demeaning nickname or insult. He has never used a demeaning nickname or insult to Yui herself!

He frequently tries to hurt Yui because he honestly believes she’s a masochist and deserves to be happy by being hurt. He truly believes that it helps her feel alive and gives her purpose, like he feels when he experiences pain. He also uses pain to numb emotional distress and will do the same for others. Azusa has a warped view of physical pain as one of the greatest pleasures.

Azusa thinks being unwanted is far worse than being dead.

History

CHILDHOOD. Azusa’s early life was spend wandering the streets as a beggar. Three street urchins named Justin, Melissa and Christina would often find and beat him up for any reason they could think of. Eventually, when they hurt him, Azusa started to express enjoyment. He felt like the pain was proof he was alive and he was useful to someone, somehow, such as when the children took their frustrations out on him.

Eventually the three children were killed for trying to steal from a noble’s mansion. When Azusa learned of it, he despaired because no one would be able to beat him up anymore. Azusa was eventually brought to the orphanage.

At the orphanage, Azusa was frequently beaten by other children. Azusa followed Ruki around often so that he could be beaten along with Ruki, much to Ruki’s disgust and initial confusion, but eventually he began to treat Azusa like a little brother. Yuma was one of the first people who refused to beat Azusa and showed him kindness. Yuma eventually introduced him to Kou, and all four became friends.

When they attempted to escape the orphanage, it went south. The resulting mess ended with Karlheinz turning the four into vampires in return for their service. Azusa hadn’t minded the orphanage the way the others had, but he didn’t want to be separated from his brothers. He’s loyal to Karlheinz for giving him a way to not be separated from his brothers after the escape went south.

CURRENT. The Mukamis have made themselves known to Eve and must make the choice to continue to attempt to become Adam themselves, assist in one of the Sakamakis becoming “Adam” for their “Eve”, or steal her away for themselves and truly betray Karlheinz.

Verses

Brief summaries of the verses for Azusa along with potential links for those less familiar with Diabolik Lovers but still want to interact with him. For the sake of keeping things clean, encouraging community-wide and cooperative storytelling in roleplay, and not letting things get too crazy, verses will be limited. More may be made over time as needed.

Summaries:

VERSE - MORE BLOOD RIVALS

*This verse will be typically be the default, 'main verse'. In this, it is assumed that Yui Komori is staying at the Sakamaki household with some version of the first game having taken place. The second game is included with the idea that Yui stayed with the Sakamakis. Whether one of the Sakamaki’s, Azusa or one of his brothers winds up obtaining Eve, Azusa’s life continues.

Verse Details | Tag: #V; AZUSA; MORE BLOOD RIVALS

VERSE - MORE BLOOD

A verse where More Blood has certainly occured and Yui did not (at least initially) stay with the Sakamakis and instead is currently living with the Mukamis or was, until recently, still living with the Mukamis. Rivalry abounds and attempts to procure Yui are likely.

Verse Details | Tag: #V; AZUSA; MORE BLOOD

VERSE - MISC.

Posts that could take place in the Sakamaki or Mukami verses but involve duplicates (whether Yui or others) in the same scene in a manner that would be hard to pass off as typical flow for those verses. Also includes nearly ANY time fellow characters are staying at the mansion, otherwise we’d end up with verses of 20+ additional characters hanging out in the Sakamaki villa.

Verse Details | Tag:#V; AZUSA; MISC

SITUATIONAL VERSE TAGS

#V; AZUSA; UNIVERSAL

Posts that can easily be assumed to have occured in either verse, typically answering asks, etc. that aren’t directly related to events unique to their timelines.

#V; AZUSA; WHAT IFS & #V; AZUSA; ONESHOTS

Likely reserved for one-off threads exploring a “what if”, a romantic meme that would otherwise be inappropriate, etc. If a meme doesn’t quite fit with one of the existing timelines, it’ll get one of these.

Trivia

Usually refers to Yui as “Yui-san” or “Eve”

Names the wounds he repeatedly inflicts on himself after Justin, Melissa and Christina

Avid knife collector

Weak to heat

Is able to sleep standing up

Tags

THREAD / WRITING TAG: #echoes in the halls; azusa

HEADCANONS: #hc; dialovers; azusa

IMAGES: #itt // azusa mukami

MUSIC: #music; dialovers; azusa

#blog; stuff #blog; muses

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aaternum-a · 3 years ago

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demon-slayer-kaiden·:

“Another day of cleaning up someone else’s mistake. I swear it feels like this is all I’ve been doing lately.”

What kind of person would she be if not to help someone in need? “ Well, silly, ya’ could of just asked me! I am great at cleaning up mistakes. Because I make ‘em all the time. ” In sudden dawned realization she gasps lowering her voice slightly “ Wait, did I make this mistake? ”

#demon-slayer-kaiden #— v. main ( ❛ underneath the blood red moon )

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nightingaledarling · 7 years ago

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microdrabbles: petits fours

Fandom: Samurai Love Ballad Party Timeline/Continuity: Canon and Modern AU. Characters: All 12 main lords + Shigezane, Hotaru, and Kageie Genre: Varied Microdrabble count: 50 total, anywhere from 2-4 per character Warnings: Spoilers for all routes, Acts 1 and 2. Slight dub con in Mitsuhide’s and Kageie’s sections, but nothing worse than you’d find in canon. Rating: Varied, up to R Notes: Once upon a time when fandoms congregated on Livejournal, they used to have these drabble challenges. One of them was one sentence fics. So you think you’ve seen run-on sentences with metric fucktons (this is an actual legit unit of measurement btw) of commas and hyphens? You ain’t seen nothing yet!

Breaking the rules here and utilizing multiple pairings/characters because that’s how I do. Oof.

Prompts are from Theme Set Epsilon of the 1Sentence Community.

I. Nobunaga

09. King With his sword at his hip, overcoat swaying in the breeze as he stands up on the battlements, smile lined with ruthless ambition, you think he looks rather like a king.

26. Goodbye It doesn’t matter that both of you are fading fast - you simply thank the gods that allowed you to be by his side until the very end, and you hope and pray that one day you’ll meet again.

40. History The pure conviction in Representative Oda’s voice reminds you of rulers from times past - but why does it also make you ache?

21. Fool He calls you a foolish, brazen little thing, but if he still loves you even now, four hundred years later, who is the true fool - he or you?

II. Mitsuhide

12. Wait You put a hand to his chest, your half-hearted protest dying in your throat when you see his pupils blown wide with want as he says, voice low and strained, I am sorry, my darling, but I cannot.

15. Hold My love, my darling, my dearest - all names that wrap you with the warmest affection.

49. Hunger You set the tray of treats onto the dais, and when you turn away and catch his eyes, they speak of anticipation and desire and promises to do all manner of things to you tonight that you flush and cannot excuse yourself quickly enough.

19. Soul Something about him is so familiar and warm and kind and dear that your heart seems to know him, even if you do not.

III. Yukimura

06. Gentle Those hands are strong enough to concuss a man, vicious enough to slice one to his innards, but when they lay upon your cheeks, they are so incredibly gentle.

17. Vision Admittedly, you are but a humble cook’s daughter - but when he looks at you, eyes lit up like the summer sky, you admit with pride - yes, I am his wife, I am the Lady Sanada.

41. Power It’s said that love makes you weak, but that’s a lie - because as he cuts through his foes on the battlefield with your smile on his mind, he knows that the man with someone worth fighting for is the strongest one of all.

01. Motion It all happens so very quickly - one moment your husband is at your side and the next, he’s pulling you underneath him and you can only watch in horror as he uses his body to shield you from the thousands of arrows that come raining down.

IV. Saizo

11. Blur The pair of you zip through the trees dizzyingly fast to leave the world behind, and when his fingers curl into your skin just a little tighter, holding you against his warmth, you thank the gods for his rare selfishness.

44. Wall Lord Yukimura said once that he never lets anyone in - but as time goes on and you see the fondness in those knowing smirks, the softness in the red of his eyes, the affection in the way he speaks to you - you wonder if you’ve made your way in.

18. Attention For the first time, you find that the roles are reversed - now you are the one who prepares to leave the room (only to get a fresh basin of cold water, of course) whereas Saizo is the one who, fever-addled as he is, wraps his arms around your hips in a silent plea to stay.

16. Need You bite your lip, allowing your body’s responsiveness to his touch speak for itself, but your lover is nothing if not determined to hear you voice your desire - be honest with us, little lady, and I might be kind.

V. Masamune

28. Fortune He has given you so much already; you find it is only right to give him an omamori made with the pieces of your hair pin, and it is all the more worth it when he grants you that smile that melts your heart and says thank you, I’ll cherish it always.

32. Eye It still surprises him when you tell him how you feel - because when you say that you love him, he knows that you mean all of him - even the parts that he can’t accept, even the parts that he hates.

13. Change “I will live as long as there are people who depend on me - that will not change, Mother, not even for you.”

37. Time Soon his hair will start to gray, and the backs of your hands will begin to spot, but you will stay by his side as he will stay by yours - because with the moon as your witness, you have promised each other your years, your hearts, your everything.

VI. Kojuro

04. Last There is a certain degree of insecurity to be expected when with a man of Kojuro’s experience - but though you may not be his first lover, you intend to be his last.

23. Child He has joked about it more than once, but when you notice him splaying his fingers over your belly and pressing kisses to the soft skin there more often in recent months, you wonder if he is serious after all.

48. Precious He says it fondly with a smile first thing in the morning, he groans it into your skin when you two are coupled as close as can be, he declares it with a warning when you become overly aggressive in tidying his study - no matter how the word escapes him, you never grow tired of hearing it.

VII. Hideyoshi

05. Wrong “No titles, no honorifics, just me - Hideyoshi.”

08. Thousand You have heard the rumors of course - the man of a thousand lovers - and when he puts his skilled mouth between your thighs, you think that they must be true, that you are only one of a thousand.

07. One But when he laces his fingers with yours and breathes your name with all the reverence and love in the world, you know that you are wrong - that you are not one of a thousand, that you are only one.

VIII. Inuchiyo

35. Sudden You straddle him in attempt to tickle him under his arms, but when he looks up at you shock-still and breathless, lips parted with want, you pause and realize in that moment that nothing will ever be the same again.

24. Now You cannot keep thinking of the past - not when he’s pushing you down into the futon, your hands clawing at his clothing - not when you want him now, now, now.

29. Safe His face pressed to your neck, you hold him close - for with all the years you spent apart, you may not know the demons he battles, but because he spent his childhood protecting you, you’re now more determined than ever to return the favor.

27. Hide You peek demurely up at him from under the wataboshi and whisper you found me, and though his cheeks are flushed from happiness and anticipation, he manages to reply I always will.

IX. Ieyasu

02. Cool This must be a dream, you think upon waking and finding a poultice and a compress packed to your brow, but when he mutters shut your mouth and get better, the sentiment is so him that you realize this must be real after all.

45. Naked Every inch of you is mine, he declares, drawing his fingers down between your breasts, over your belly, settling in the wetness between your legs, from here to here to here.

42. Bother He reaches out to grasp your wrist, tugging you to sit back down next to him - his eyes only straying from his book for a half-second to tell you stay where you are - and you’ve never felt so loved.

X. Mitsunari

31. Book You know that no tome in the world can capture what he’s trying to say, so when you enter his chambers and see him flipping through pages with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks, you press his hand to your heart and cup his cheek and quietly remind him don’t think - feel.

33. Never For someone so learned, he rarely uses his words when it counts - but when he holds you close like this, capturing your mouth with strong but achingly sweet kisses, he doesn’t need to.

XI. Kenshin

34. Sing Let me hear it once more, he murmurs into your hair, trailing his fingers down your throat, across the sweat cooling on your skin, that lovely song that is mine and mine alone.

39. Torn Ah but this is my favorite as well, Lord Kenshin says dreamily as he caresses a ripped blue kerchief, and you wonder if it would be overstepping if you offered to mend it - at the very least, this place would be cluttered by one less thing.

43. God They call him thusly, and when you see the blood dripping from his sword and the crimson that stains the front of his robe, the fear in you cowers to the name so well-deserved.

XII. Shingen

30. Ghost The sharp pangs of loss have long faded, but even now you sometimes think you can still hear his heavy footsteps in the hall, see the flash of his red hair, feel his insistent lips upon your skin.

20. Picture When your son holds out a brush and paper and asks you to show him what his father looked like, you take both items with a smile born no longer of pain but of fondness as you say well my love, I shall try.

XIII. Shigezane

36. Stop Your breath catches when you hear his thinly-veiled threat to your lord - if you don’t start treating her right, someone else will - and he sounds so determined, so sure of the inevitability that you can’t help but think what if.

50. Believe When his forces are vastly outnumbered on the battlefield, he sends you running with a disarming smile and a trust me, doll, and you find that, despite all odds pitted against him, you do.

38. Wash Not there - here, he says cheekily, moving your hand holding the washcloth from his upper back to his front and down until you go scarlet.

XIV. Hotaru

03. Young He may not know the intricacies of human emotion - but that just makes you want to gather him close and love him all the same.

14. Command You know what he can do, how he can bend man’s will with just a word, but he never abuses that with you and never has to - for all he needs to do is smile and you would willingly give him everything.

XV. Kageie

25. Shadow He’ll back you into your room, pressing cold fingers to your mouth to coerce you into silence as his lips fall onto your neck, your chest, before drawing back and leaving you with not a trace, befitting of the shadow that haunts his name.

47. Harm ...Or so you think, until you wake up in the morning and notice a stark purple bruise on the swell of your breast - right there where his teeth had been.

XVI. Reader’s Choice

10. Learn You’re a quick study, he praises you on a sharp intake of breath, curling his fingers in your hair, and though your face reddens, you push the covers away so he can see you swallow him down.

22. Mad All it takes is a kiss, openmouthed and filthy - or a touch, over your clothes to all your sensitive spots, and you’re left trembling and quaking and mad with desire.

46. Drive His hands steering, your hair in the wind - no matter if it’s by horse or by car, four hundred years ago or now, you loved him back then as you love him today.

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lemonscreativeworld · 7 years ago

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Courting Rites

Shiro is a coward but not a lonely one.

Black landed on the cliff, the three bucks in her talons being thrown off to the side, near the wagon. Shiro patted her neck as Lance whooped and hollered above him. He looked up and counted that he and Blue had three as well; with Keith and Red's three bucks, they had more than enough food to call it a successful hunt. He slid off the back of his dragon and walked over to his bucks, inspecting them.

'Nice and fat.' He thought, smiling. Shiro dug in his pack attached to his hip and tossed Black a rabbit, deciding that she was more than deserving of a treat. She caught it and swallowed it in one gulp. She rumbled happily, nuzzling Shiro in the back. "Easy, girl." He said as Pidge came up to him.

"Nice work, Shiro." She praised. "Nine bucks today. That's about twenty for the whole week."

Shiro hummed. "We might be able to get at least another five tomorrow before we risk next year's breeding season."

"I agree. This should last us through the winter, especially with all of the fish and rabbits we've caught for ourselves. If the dragons eat their way through these bucks, then we can always go out and hunt some does."

Humming again, Shiro motioned for Black to pick up the bucks and load them onto the wagon, Green coming over from her spot by the front to help Black. The older dragon rumbled a greeting to her younger flightmate, licking her head. Together, the two of them made room for Lance and Keith's hauls and then all of the bucks were on the wagon. Green was hitched to the wagon and the group made their way to the tribe's camping spot.

They arrived right before dusk, the tribe finishing setting up tents. Their nomadic tribe moved from the mountain valley to the plains and small patches of forest besides the mountain with the seasons; spring and summer in the valley, plains in the fall and winter. It helped their dragons stop the urge to hibernate when the food slowed to a trickle in the valley. It helped the tribe as a whole because the five dragons belonging to the tribe was their only source of protection and main source of hunting.

Shiro smiled with fondness at the memory of Alfor, their previous chieftain, teaching him and his fellow dragon keepers that as he came upon Allura teaching those very same lessons to a group of young children. She looked up and smiled, waving to the group as they passed by her and towards the food tent.

When they reached it, Shiro veered to the right and headed towards the healing area.

"And just where are you going, Shiro?" Lance called slyly.

That stopped him in his tracks and he turned to face his team looking at him with looks of knowing. "Aha, well, Black was flying kind of off today, and I thought I would visit Hunk to make sure everything is okay, you know? Haha..."

"Hm, yes, well." Pidge chuckled. "I hope Hunk can fix her up. I would hate for you and her to spend another whole night in Hunk's tent."

"Wouldn't that just be tragic?! I better get there fast so we can leave quickly! Bye!"

They watched him practically run away, blush bright red on his face. Shaking their heads and laughing among themselves, they dropped off the food and went to do their own separate tasks.

He saw Yellow sleeping outside of Hunk's tent, guarding her keeper's tent. She lazily opened one eye as Hunk guided an elder out of his tent, smiling and nodding his head at her words. Yellow snorted then glanced over to Shiro and Black. She immediately got up, lumbering towards Black with enthusiasm. Black met her halfway, sniffing and nuzzling her while Yellow did the same.

Shiro chuckled at their affection, turning to face Hunk when he heard the other man walking towards him. Shiro took in the sight of the gentle man; a tall, impressive figure that looked like it held the soul of a warrior true, but was instead home to a kind and timid heart that loved with every beat. He was always smiling, always laughing, always a brilliant ray of sunshine that made Shiro melt.

"Hello, Shiro!" Hunk said, wiping his hands on his apron. "What brings you to my tent now?" The words were said teasingly, but his care was always genuine. Even if Shiro made up reasons to see him.

"Ah-uh...Black was flying off today. She seemed to do fine otherwise, but you know how she likes to push herself." He said awkwardly, hating to lie but needing to spend time with Hunk. He hated the worried look in his eyes even more as Hunk went to Black, gently grabbing her by her snout horn and guiding her head lower. He patted along her snout and looked at her eyes.

"Hm. There seems to be a little bit of build-up in the corner of her eyes. Looks like nothing more than sleep crust, but it could be bothering her." He turned to look at Shiro. "Did you clean her this morning?"

"Coran had us in a rush this morning, so I don't think any of us got to it."

"He ought to stop doing that. I know that Black gets sleep crust and ear wax build up quickly easily."

"Tomorrow is the last day of hunting. I don't know if any of them remembered to clean their dragons today, but if not, I suppose they could bring them to you if there's problems."

"True! And I will look at them gladly, but for now, I'd like to make sure that there's nothing else wrong and clean her up, if you wouldn't mind?"

The way he asked was too adorable; big dark eyes that were like a new moon night and sparkled with stars. Shiro felt his legs turn to jelly and nodded his head, unable to trust his voice.

A blinding smile and sincere 'Thank you!' were given to him and then Hunk was leading Black to the open air tent behind his own. Shiro followed and watched as Black settled in, knowing what to do and waiting for Hunk to get a pail of clean water and herb soaked cloth. While he was waiting, he fed Yellow a rabbit and scratched behind her head. It had her chuffing and plopping down at his feet, revealing her tummy for more scratches.

When Hunk came of his tent, he saw Shiro on his tiptoes, trying to get to Yellow's favorite spot. He laughed and it startled Shiro and Yellow; the latter rolling on her stomach again and nearly snapping Shiro in half. He just barely escaped it but was instead crushed underneath her. Black, who was watching them disinterestedly, stretched out her neck to sniff at her flailing keeper and doing nothing to help him, even after he pleaded with her.

"Yellow, up!" Hunk called. The dragon obeyed and stood up, allowing Shiro to crawl away and gasp for breath.

"For the love of Voltron, what are you feeding her?!" He coughed, sucking in huge gulps of breath.

"She's an Earth Dragon, Shiro. She's supposed to be big."

"I could have died and then Allura would have yelled at you for letting your dragon kill me."

"Yes, then you would have no one to mourn in your tent."

Shiro snorted, getting up and dusting himself off. He sat next to Hunk as he was wiping the sleep crust from Black's eyes. "Its not from lack of trying on the village girls' parts. They won't leave me alone with courting gift after courting gift."

Hunk hummed. "I don't understand why you don't accept some of them. Nyma is pretty cute."

"Nyma is interested in Rolo. They're good for each other, both being good-for-nothings."

"That's unfair to the other good-for-nothings!" Hunk laughed. Done with her eyes, he started work on cleaning out her ears.

Shiro looked at Hunk. "And what about you? Didn't Shay give you a courting gift?"

The healer stopped and sat quietly for a moment. "She did. But I turned her down."

Taken aback, Shiro stuttered, "But why? She's very nice and would be a strong mother. I thought you two got along nicely."

Hunk shook his head. "I don't know. We're compatible, but...I have my heart set on another."

The blood in Shiro's veins froze. He knew that Hunk was well liked by everyone, but he had never shown much interest in anyone. That had given Shiro hope but not the courage to give him a courting gift. Now...now, he would never be able to.

Still.

"That's great!" He said on a shaky smile. He hoped that Hunk wouldn't see his disappointment and heartache. "I know that she'll be a fool to turn you down."

"Yeah..."

There was a tense silence as Hunk finished his task. When he was done, he stood up and patted Black. "She should be good for a few days. But try to keep up with her cleaning." Shiro nodded dumbly, not saying anything. Hunk noticed this and looked worried. "Are you okay?"

Shiro looked up and gave him another smile, this one more fake than the last. "Of course! Thank you very much, Hunk." He too stood and grabbed Black's reins.

"Wait!" Hunk shouted, then looked embarrassed at his outburst.

Shiro was taken aback and looked at him. "Are you-"

"I have something for you. Please wait here." Hunk said quickly then rushed to his tent, leaving a confused Shiro behind.

He turned to his dragon and let his head fall on her snout. "I'm a coward...I should have given him a gift before this. Now I'll be a lonely coward."

Black chuffed in sympathy and licked his face. He chuckled and rubbed her snout. "Thanks, girl."

Hunk came out a few moments later, holding box. He marched up to Shiro and shoved it into his face, his own face red. "This is for you!" He yelled again.

Shiro cocked his head to the side in confusion, but took the box and looked between it and Hunk. He slowly started to open it and when he saw what was inside, he nearly dropped it.

A stylized 'V', the symbol of their tribe, painted black on one side and yellow on the other, was printed on a carved dragon in mid flight, its mouth open and roaring.

It was a courting gift and Hunk had just given it to him. He looked at Hunk again and saw he was shaking. "You kept turning down all those girls...and it made me hope...and you always visit me, even when there's nothing wrong. You give Yellow and I the biggest shares of your hunts and you always help me, even when you're busy. I thought that maybe you...were interested in me." Hunk looked at Shiro with tears in his eyes. "If I misunderstood, I don't want you to feel guilty about turning me do-!"

Shiro didn't let him finish as he drew Hunk into a hug, squeezing him gently. He held him for a minute before drawing away just enough to look at him. "Like I said, only a fool would turn you down." The smile, wide and so full of happiness it filled him with golden light, was worth every struggle he was put through in his life that led him to this moment.

Then the smile turned shy and he looked bashful. "Would...it be foolish to turn me down for a kiss?"

His heart beating out his chest, Shiro smiled wryly. "Well...I don't think I'll ever be able to turn down any request you make." He said as he leaned in, letting Hunk complete the distance. Their lips touched, soft as a petal.

They kissed for a moment before parting on exhales. Shiro opened his eyes to watch Hunk's flutter open and stare into his soul. They giggled helplessly like children, still holding onto each other.

"I just had a thought." Hunk said.

"Hm?"

"Do you think Coran will be mad that I already decided that Kolivan will be the one who announces our courtship?"

He laughed loudly and if it caused Black to push him in annoyance, then he counted it as a win.

#voltron #Voltron: Legendary Defender #Voltron legendary defender #vld #shunk

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