#♕ start ﹥ closed

[stardustsymphony]

scar-mates || mattheo riddle

warning: smoking, burning.

a/n: i'm supposed to be studying for the exam i have in four hours and i have my book open in front of me but haven't even started studying yet so i hope y'all appreciate this cause i quite literally risked my future to write this. and please tell me y'all know that ‘sprinkle ✨ sprinkle ✨’ girl from instagram who makes reels about dark romance books mostly and she usually wears that soft, oversized pink blanket-like hoodie (or was it something else?). this one shot is inspired by one of her reel about a dark-romance book, i forgot the name.

✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧ ♕♛♕ ✧･ﾟ: ✧･ﾟ: :･ﾟ✧:･ﾟ✧

“You’re like a drug.” Mattheo said, playing with your fingers. His brown eyes flickered to lock with yours, a mischievous glint in them that made your heart do flips. 

“Drugs are dangerous.”

“So are you.” 

The soft melody of rain echoed in the room, the distant sound of thunder adding in to the comfort. You snuggled close to Mattheo as a shiver ran down your spine because of the chilly room. Noticing this, he pulled you closer, your head against his chest and his heartbeat under your ear making you relax into his arms each passing second. 

“Stop snuggling so much to me,” he said –but his voice was filled with playful sarcasm. He pulled up the thick blanket all the way up to your shoulder, pressing his lips against the crown of your head. 

You lazily smiled up at him. “Stop being so warm then.” 

“I prefer the term ‘hot’, darling.” he winked at you. 

You rolled your eyes, a slight smile on your lips, as he took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips, lighting it. 

“You're smoking here?” you asked, he hardly ever smokes in front of you, let alone when both are cuddling. 

“Can't leave my girl alone to shiver, now, can I?” 

Your stomach flutters at his words –‘my girl’. Oh, how you loved whenever he said stuff like that, and he was well aware of the effect his words have on you, judging by his smirk hidden behind his cigarette. 

A comforting silence washed over you both as you both occasionally mumbled sweet nothings to each other, softly kissing each other between whispered words and giggles. 

It was moments like this that made you forget about everything, all the rumours that surrounded him, the different ways people had said he would break your heart. You never doubted your love for him for even a second, but there was still some time when you wondered if the rumours that surrounded him were true. 

Your relationship was not perfect, of course, it was filled with ups and downs. You never appreciated those ‘downs’, but your sister had always told you that ‘downs’ in a relationship was just as important as ‘ups’. She said she always reminds herself of this whenever she and her boyfriend go through a rocky phase, and next month, they will be getting married. 

“What are you thinking about?” Mattheo inhaled some smoke, kept it in his mouth, then exhaled it in rings. 

“My sister and her boyfriend.”

“They're getting married next month, no?” 

“Yeah,” you looked at him and brushed some of his hair from his forehead. “You've invited, by the way.” 

“I would have crashed the wedding if you hadn't invited me.” 

You snorted. “Of course you would've.” 

There was a moment of silence, then he asked. “What's he like? Your sister's boyfriend, I mean.” 

“He's nice, he used to buy me toys when I was young and sneak me out for lunch whenever I used to feel sad.” You smiled as you remember the time with your sister's boyfriend, Mick. He truly was like an older brother to you. 

“How did they meet?” 

“They're high school sweethearts.”

Mattheo gave you a slightly surprised glance. “That young, huh? You like talking about them, no?” He added when he saw your expression. 

“I can't help it,” you shrugged. “They're just so disgustingly in love, it's so sweet. Mick used to tell me he knew my sister was the one the moment they both met, like love at first sight. My sister tells me they both are scar-mates.” 

“Scar-mates?” Mattheo asked. “What's that?” 

“When my sister was young, she fell from the stairs and got a scar on her elbow. Mick has a scar on his elbow too, she used to tell me that if you have a scar somewhere, your soulmate would have one in the exact same place as well. She used to call them scar-mates.” 

“That's…dumb. And sweet.” He added hastily when he saw your expression flicker. “But you don't believe that, do you?” 

“I do, actually,” you said awkwardly, grinning a bit. “I've been hearing it since I was a child, so it's hard not to.” 

He gave you a look that looked like a mix of amusement and sarcasm. 

“In fact,” you continued, pushing down the shoulder of your sweatshirt and tilting your head to show him your collarbone. “I do have one scar here. It's when I fell from the swings in the backyard.” 

His eyes fell down at your collarbone, taking in the age old scar there. His fingers lightly brushed against it and you shivered. Then, as if you couldn't help yourself, you asked,

“Do you have any scars?” 

Mattheo didn't answer immediately, just brushed his fingers against your scar once more. Just when you thought he wouldn't answer at all, he sat straight and opened his shirt. 

It took all your willpower not to shamelessly stare at him. 

“Yeah, I do actually.” he said, taking his second cigarette out of his mouth and exhaling slowly, keeping his eyes on your face. And before you could react or ask him anything, he twisted his cigarette around and pressed it against his own collarbone, on the exact same spot where you had your scar. 

You gasped, horrified, and pulled his hand away and threw away his cigarette, not caring where it landed in the room. 

“What are you doing?!” you shrieked. 

Mattheo’s eyes never left your face, his expression not giving away anything as he held your chin gently, tilting your head to make you look at him.

“Scar-mates.” he said softly before leaning down to press his lips against the scar on your collarbone.

[kazutora-kurokawa]

Haitani Brothers Headcanons

♡ SFW & NSFW, Tenjiku and Bonten Timelines, AFAB Reader, tried to keep it gender neutral tho ♡

note: may or may not be ooc, this was longer than planned oops

❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀❀

♕Tenjiku♕

♕ Rindou is extremely quiet and he unintentionally sneaks up on you a lot (he's used to walking on eggshells because of Ran's sleep schedule)

♕ Ran has a daily nap schedule he follows religiously

♕ Rindou learned how to braid just so he could do Ran's hair

♕ They match outfits all the time and they will make you match outfits with them whenever you go out

♕ Rindou takes bubble baths and does at home spa treatments (he's big on self-care and would take you and Ran on spa trips too)

♕ If you're dating one of them, you're besties with the other one, no debate fr

♕ Ran would let you choose what color he'll dye his hair next (Ran: If you pick an ugly color, I'm gonna rock you in your shit ♡)

♕ Ngl they'd be friends with Hanma, especially Ran (they'd get on Rindou and Kisaki's nerves all day)

♕ Rindou does gymnastics (self-taught king 🤭)

♕ Ran was surprisingly a decent student in school, he liked classes that delt with science the most

♕ They had their matching tattoos planned out even before they started involving themselves in gang activities

♕ Rindou is more responsible than Ran

♕ Rindou gets jealous of being in Ran's shadow/being seen as just the younger brother (that's why he pulls those crazy poses during fights, because he wants to be memorable for his opponents)

♕ Ran notices Rin's jealously and always reassures him that he's his own person and an awesome fighter and little brother

♕Bonten♕

♕ They chose to get the Bonten tats on their necks because they didn't want anymore torso tattoos (and Rindou refused to get a tattoo on his head like Koko did)

♕ Rindou teared up when he got his neck tat (Ran laughed at him, he comforted him later tho)

♕ Ran has a high pain tolerance, Rindou...not so much

♕ Rindou likes when you call him Rinnie or RinRin (he'll never admit it tho)

♕ You end up becoming friends with Sanzu because of them (Bonten trio headcanons when 👀)

♕ Rindou refers to Sanzu as the bubblegum man because of his hair (it's cool tho cause Sanzu calls him a jellyfish behind his back 💀)

♕ You called Ran and Rin the deadly duo as a joke once, but they lowkey liked it

♕ Ran is really blunt about his feelings, while Rindou is more closed off about his emotions

♕ They invite you to all the clubs they own (the VIP section is calling your name 🍾)

♕ Ran cut his hair because he got sick of spending hours in the bathroom on wash day

♕ Rindou almost cried when Ran came into work with his hair cut (Rindou: Ran...wtf did you do to your hair? 😭)

♕NSFW (with a dash of fluff)♕

♕ Ran's a busy man, but he still makes time to meet your needs (office quickies are a common occurrence)

♕ Rindou takes time off just to stay home with you all day (takes you out to a club he owns and ends up railing you in the VIP section)

♕ Rindou is undoubtedly an ass man, if he sees you in a nice outfit that compliments your "assets" he will pounce on you like a wild animal

♕ Ran likes leaving bite marks on your thighs (they're one of his favorite parts of you and he just wants to mark his territory)

♕ If you get their names tatted on you, they'll be putty in your hands 🙌

(Rindou: You got a tattoo..of my name? You're so lucky we're in public right now or else I'd be doing some unholy things to you.)

(Ran: Aww my pretty baby wanted my name on their body? Now everyone will really know you're all mine ♡)

♕ You sext Ran while he's at work (be prepared for him to be rough with you as soon as he gets home)

♕ Side note: Sanzu was peering over Ran's shoulder and saw the pics you sent him, prepare to be complimented by him the next time he sees you (Sanzu: Hey y/n, you looked really hot in *outfit you wore when you sent Ran the pic*)

♕ Rindou gets flustered when you two fuck, y'all have fucked plenty of times but he still always blushes when he sees you naked

♕ Lazy morning sex with Ran 🤭

♕ Rindou is the king of aftercare fr (he'd be super gentle and soft with you during sex too)

♕ Ran is rough and always leaves you sore (he cuddles you after tho)

♕ Ran would be more likely to get you pregnant (he's irresponsible asf, but he'd for sure be a great dad)

♕ Rindou is less likely to get you pregnant, but he wants a family more than Ran does (Rindou: Wouldn't it be great to have a bunch of mini versions of us running around?)

♕ Rindou put you in a mating press once and almost broke the bed 😭

♕ If you're sleeping with one brother, the other is off limits (they do like to make each other jealous sometimes tho, so expect some flirtation here and there)

♕ Pet names (no I won't elaborate 💜)

♕ Rindou has a choking kink (doesn't matter if he's doing the choking or the one being choked, he gets bricked)

♕ Ran loves when you leave nail marks down his back (Ran: Pain is pleasure ♡)

[fanfaire]

WHETHER THE KNAVE KNOWS THE GAME OR NOT has long slipped furina's attention ; each move she makes may as well be that of teyvat's championship genius invokation player for the way it makes her palms cold and her body restless, as though a hundred ants crawled under her skin, a stomach of knots and one leg jittering beneath the table.

not here to learn something about the tournament. . . but playing it here nonetheless. could it be that the tsaritsa's harbingers have more time on their hands than she'd imagined? she supposes she doesn't know very much about how they live their day to day. . . nothing at all, really. but the assertion that she'd still rather be here anyway still unsettles more than relieves. "o-oh. . . is that so." she doesn't meet her gaze, instead trying to focus on making her next moves. but motions are automatic, hands swapping cards and playing careless attacks without thinking. some electro flies, she switches to clorinde at some point——why had she done that again?——and with some melange of various dice remaining, ends the round once more.

and finds absolutely no desire to go on, really.

perhaps the universe senses this, because at that moment as she's dreading the next thing the knave asks or says⠀(⠀even if it's silence ; maybe that would be worse. would it——?⠀) ,⠀a crash of shattering glass from the corridor sits her straight with a gasp. followed immediately by the pound of running steps.

　✧　WHITE QUEEN⠀/⠀BLACK KING

　　 　　　　 　　 　 　　❪　comm. bloom　/　TCG　❫

[thenickgirl]

Sub!Nick HeadCanons

nick x male!reader

requested by: nonnie 🎀 and @sukiipjs

disclaimer: this is all fictional and based on my own conclusions.

warnings: short-ish. not proofread, nsfw, cursing.

NSFW

♕ as a sub, he’s happy to give up control, he loves it even; however, he’s a power bottom, so you’re playing by his rules even when you think aren’t.

♕ he’s a absolute brat and uses that to get what he wants, and he always gets what he wants. when he doesn’t get his way, he’s huffing and puffing, rolling his eyes until you put him in his place.

♕ he’ll start an argument, or fake having an attitude just so that you’ll fuck it out of him.

“lose the attitude, nicolas, and i’m not fucking playing”

“or what?”

♕ he’s very touchy and handsy, loves being under you, rubbing and touching all over you. when he’s in the mood he’ll tease you, palming you through your clothes, kissing your neck and nipping at your ear.

♕ riding and doggy are his favorite positions, as a power bottom they still give him a sense of control.

♕ he loves to show off his perfect arch for you when you’re fucking him from behind. he’ll fuck you back, throwing his ass back on you.

♕ he loves riding you, rolling his hips back and forth and in a circular motion, making your eyes roll back. his thick thighs slapping against your waist as he bounces on your cock, his walls clenching around you perfectly.

♕ he loves to be praised, nothing gets him going more.

“you’re being such a good boy for me”

“yeah, am i making you feel so good, baby?”

“god you’re so good, mm fuck”

♕ he also loves being degraded, calling him your little slut, or talking down to him drives him crazy.

♕ he loves being overstimulated even when he claims he doesn’t. he’s telling you it’s too much, and that he can’t take it, but the pleasure is so good he’s begging you not to stop.

“y/n p-please…i c-can’t”

*minutes later*

“oh my god, don’t stop don’t stop…mm i’m so close”

♕ he loves sucking you off. he’s given up control as a sub, but this gives him a little bit of his power back. any chance he gets to wrap his pink plump lips around your cock he’s taking it. his soft delicate hands gripping your thighs as he takes every inch of you with ease. he’s looking up at you with those big blue puppy dog eyes, as he bobs his head back and forth over and over, coming to a halt when his nose hits your stomach, moaning around you as your tip hits the back of his throat. he loves the way your body shakes for him, and the way you pull and tug on his hair. he’ll let his jaw go slack allowing you to fuck his throat until you spill into his mouth and he swallows appreciatively.

♕ he hates cum shots. he’ll swallow your cum with ease, but doesn’t like it on him. he gets turn on though when he comes for you and you lick it off of him.

♕ he’s very loud, never ashamed to let it be known that you’re pleasing him. he’s moaning loud, gasping, whimpering and whining.

“f-fuck baby you’re fucking me so good”

“mm so big baby, filling me up so well”

♕ he secretly loves when you leave marks on him, he’ll complain the next day, but in reality he loves to look at them and think back to your wild night.

♕ he loves to be handled roughly. he gets excited when you pin his hands down above his head, he loves being choked out and tied up.

♕ he likes having toys used on him. he loves when you place the vibrator on his nipples or the tip of his cock, making him shake. he’s gripping the sheets tightly and moaning your name over and over.

♕ afterwards, he’s so worn out from everything that once you get cleaned up he falls asleep right away.

🏷️: @mattslolita @muwapsturniolo @luverboychris @guccifrog @freshloveforthefit @orangelala @moonk1ss3d @imsosillygoofylol @sturniolossss @matty-bear @mybelovednick @ghostking4m

[isabelleneville]

♕ @dailytudors TUDOR WEEK 2024 ♕

Day Three: Best Tudor What If >> 2/2 - HENRY FITZROY LIVES

Henry, Duke of Richmond, the beloved first son of Henry VIII born out of wedlock survives his sickness of 1536. Henry was made a possible heir to his father by the 1536 Successions Act until the birth of a child by his third stepmother Jane Seymour who had recently married his father.

During this time Fitzroy consummates his marriage with his wife Mary the daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. They later had four children, three sons one named after himself and his beloved father, one after St. George and one after his wife's father Thomas, and, a daughter named after his wife and beloved sister Mary, the latter stood as godmother to the younger Mary.

In 1537, his beloved brother, the future Edward VI is born, however Fitzroy's stepmother Jane only survives the birth by a few days. During the official mourning period Fitzroy provides a strong support to his father during his grief and emerges in court as one of the possible leading figures.

Henry then lived through his father marrying another two women, one ending in divorce and the other in execution, the latter being the cousin of his wife, but, during the time of this marriage, Fitzroy was abroad as he was the ambassador to France as he had been educated in the court of Francis I and was close friends with the Dauphin.

Once recalled from France after his father's disastrous fifth marriage he became a prominent figure in court after many leading courtiers left places vacant after being executed by his father (the gaping hole Thomas Cromwell left was widely felt even by his enemies). In this time he starts to take part in the council and education of his brother Edward with his father and appoints a few of his tutors.

In 1543 he was in attendance for his father's last marriage to Catherine Parr who is only six years his senior and was the sister of his close friend Thomas. During this time not only does Catherine bring his youngest sister Elizabeth back into the fold she also further nurtures Henry VIII's relationship with all his children and now grandchildren. Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond becomes a close confidant and part of the Queen's inner circle and the fourth lady of the court after her step-mother-in-law and sisters-in-law and even outranking the ex-Queen Anne of Cleves now known as the Kings Sister solidifying Henry Fitzroy as a possible heir after his own brother, debatably in front of his sisters.

During 1544 Henry accompanied his father on a campaign which later became known Battle of Boulogne where he learnt warfare and matters of the military.

In 1547 his beloved and larger-than-life father died, leaving his brother Edward VI a young King in his minority. Richmond's careful years of tutelage in the ever-changing court of his father proved to be a well-earned place in the council of his brother while he provided a much-needed balance between his brother's maternal family the Seymours, the rising faction of the protestants and the well-known conservative faction which included his sister Mary. During this time Henry became the leading figure of court and council and the well-accepted heir of his brother as he was the senior male.

Henry having strong links to France secured an advantageous marriage for his brother to Princess Elizabeth of France the daughter of his longtime friend which proved fruitful. It is debated that during the earlier days of his reign after his minority - before Queen Elizabeth had sons - Edward considered bestowing the title of the Duke of York on his brother.

Henry oversaw the marriages of his sons to daughters of the Seymour, Howard and Grey families and the marriage of his much-loved daughter Mary - who is said to be his favourite child - off to a son of John Dudley (Mary then ended up being a sister-in-law in marriage to her Tudor Aunt Elizabeth who had married one of John's other sons Robert).

Henry died strong in his position as the most prominent man at court after his brother, the King, having seen through and guided him in his minority. He was survived by his wife and four children.

[tortillamastersblog]

♕ Headcanons | Lena Luthor ♕

Pairing: Lena Luthor x reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Just a bunch of headcanons :)

_______________________________________________

˚✧ Lena might act like an extrovert in public and at work but she’s really more of an introvert and enjoys to spend her free time curled up on the couch next to you with a book in her hand.

˚✧ She’s exceptional at almost everything. Almost everything because she can’t accept a compliment for the life of her. Years of torment and abuse from Lillian and Lex have rendered her incapable of seeing herself the way you see her, so you make it your mission to tell her how extraordinary she is and how much you love her every day.

˚✧ She hates salmon and will even go so far as to not kiss you for a while after you’ve eaten some.

˚✧ She would never admit it, but she absolutely melts every time you refer to her as your baby.

˚✧ When the two of you started dating, she was hesitant to touch you. She’s would touch your cheeks while kissing, only to retract her hands again a split second later as though she’s afraid of overstepping some kind of boundary.

“You can touch me,” you said the second time it happened.

Lena’s eyes widened slightly and when she didn’t move, you grabbed her hands with your own and put them on your face, holding them in place.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything, so—“

“I’m sure.” You smiled and pecked her lips until she started to kiss back.

˚✧ As soon as you get engaged, you’re her plus one at every gala or event. She’ll introduce you to hundreds of people with her hand on your chest to show off her ring.

˚✧ Seeing you in your gym clothes after working out makes her go absolutely feral and you can almost always count on her joining you in the shower whenever you get home after the gym.

˚✧ She likes being held by you when she sleeps. She likes how warm you are against her back or how soft the fabric of your shirt is against her cheek when she’s laying on top of you with her head on your chest.

˚✧ You’re a decent chess player, but Lena is better. She won’t rub your nose in it though and she even lets you win sometimes.

˚✧ She isn’t a big fan of PDA. She doesn’t mind holding your hand, or getting a kiss on her cheek, but anything more than that is reserved for behind closed doors.

˚✧ When it comes to your love life, she usually prefers to keep it slow and intimate. Other times though (like when you get back from the gym) she likes it more rough and dirty.

˚✧ She loves, loves, loves marking you whether it’s with her teeth, or her nails. After a long night with you, you’ll wake up in the morning to find her tracing the marks she left on you with her eyes.

˚✧ She’s not bothered when someone flirts with you because she knows she’s got you wrapped around her finger.

˚✧ The fact that she’s rich doesn’t stop you from picking up the check almost every time. Neither does it stop you from paying for your shared apartment’s utilities, and Lena can’t help but love you even more for it.

˚✧ When you’re not home, Lena will cuddle with your pillow and breathe in your lingering scent on the sheets. She hates it when you’re gone and will cling to you for at least a day as soon as you get back (you don’t mind it at all).

˚✧ She likes neck kisses.

˚✧ You’re the only person she doesn’t mind crying in front of. Quite the opposite actually. She’s glad you’re there when she’s upset and she delights in the way you hold her and kiss her temple until she’s feeling better.

˚✧ She’d never admit it, but she likes pampering you when you get home after a particularly long day at the office. She likes how you’ll collapse on top of her on the couch and will run her fingers through your hair while you listen to her heartbeat.

_______________________________________________

This was short and sweet. I hope you guys liked it :)

[everestica]

♕Blade x Reader: General Headcannons♕

♛ - Hello! I'm finally back from my break, and I'm so excited to be back! I'm not exactly sure how much I'll be able to write this week, since I not only have school, and work, but also I'm covering for one of my co-workers this week, so I'll be at work almost all week!

Overprotective, will not let you go anywhere, unless you have the other stellaron hunters or he’s following behind you in his getup

You’re probably really good friends with Kafka, not only because she probably got you and Blade together

Playing so many games with Silverwolf because Blade always refuses, but he’ll always sit with you, either sitting behind you with him in between his legs, or sitting next to him with you slightly resting on his chest

He always seems like he never wants to be approached or anything but kinda likes it whenever you come to him with anything, good news, bad news, something that’s happening in a show/game, really anything

Really good listener, will let you just rant for hours on end

When you two first started dating and everything he would still talk about trying to die and trying to get rid of his immortality, but after he saw how uncomfortable you were with it so he stopped

Kafka always teases him about it, the way that he changes some things he does, ex. Not talking about dying, always being close to you whenever they have to stand or have meetings, not letting you leave anywhere by yourself, following you around the base, (you're in the living room, so is he. You wanna take a nap in your room? Suddenly he’s tired too.) when you ask for anything he’ll go get something

Will get pissed off/pouty if you have to go on a mission without him, or with anybody else from the stellaron hunters. Especially if you are supposed to be done by a certain point and you aren’t back yet

Hates when you spend more time with others then him, but he won’t say anything

He’s not big on words so sometimes it’s really hard to tell what he’s feeling so your best bets are to either wait until he get tired and more vulnerable to tell you what’s happening or, ask Kafka

Overall, really good boyfriend who will basically worship the ground you walk on, but will never say it to your face, it’s all in the actions

♛- Please if you are going to repost any of my works anywhere else, ask permission first! There will be almost a 100% chance that I will say yes as long as you just ask and give credit! Thank you for your understanding!

[tarot-archives]

♕Holding hands— Miya Twins x reader

Aromanticism | Fluff | oh yeah, this is an aromantic series for our platonic enthusiasts

"I don't want to hold your hands anymore."

"Okay,” one twin said.

"Fine by me,” the other followed.

This whole hand-holding agreement started when you were in junior high. It was the first time you went to a community festival without adult supervision. You had promised the twins for a night filled with fireworks and food escapades. Or at least, that was how you initially planned...

The thing is, after a few minutes, you got lost in the crowd of tourist and locals alike. Losing the twins made you anxious as you searched for the two. Eventually, they found you crying on the bench by one of the Takoyaki stands. As they approached, they saw that your feet suffered from red sores and bruises since your sandals broke during your search.

On that night, they comforted you as you went home. Osamu had volunteered to give you a piggyback ride as Atsumu walked beside you two, gripping the broken slipper. Since then, they always held your hand during festivals. At first, it was due to fear until it turned into a mindless habit. But now, since you would enjoy your first festival as a first-year high schooler with the twins, you figured to grow out the practice and show them just how mature you had become!

So far so good, you thought after fifteen minutes in the body-crushing crowd. The shrine was especially packed today because of the successful tourism campaign, much to your dismay.

Dead ahead, you see the familiar shade of grey and gold on top of two towering heights. Their hands were just close enough to be held, but you opted to be independent. But just to be sure...

You grabbed both ends of each respective sleeve of their burgundy jacket. You didn't hold their hand, but at least you felt secure.

It was the start of independence, so to speak...

+Headcanons for holding hands+

-Hand holding isn't an issue with them. Like it's only skin contact? People can stare at them for hecks sake. They don't care at all.

-Osamu does get bothered but only a tiny bit. Their grandmother makes it an issue but it's comments like "you'd make a great pair!"

-competitive hand holding is a thing with Atsumu. It just a squeezing contest to see who has the most hand strength.

-both hands have calluses. so it's expected to be hard textured skin.

-they won't mind the condition of your hands either. whether its soft, hard, or not functioning. they want to h o l d.

-if you have wrist pains Osamu will massage them. Kita-san had given him tips so he tries to practice them on you.

-Atsumu knows you have hand lotion. It's because he gave it to you when he saw a buy one get one deal. He casually steals them one day when he lost his one day.

-Atsumu's fingernails are trimmed and well maintained, you observed. Both of them do maintain them but Atsumu owns a fancy kit.

[wongyuseokie]

Setting the Mood | c.s.c

Summary: After a gruelling day, you want to make your boyfriend feel better and care for him. You think you’re in charge, but that lasts only a little bit. 

☆ 18+ minors dni |☀︎fluff | ♕ smut |  ♥ completed works Word Count:  1901 Words Pairings: Seungcheol x Female Reader Genre/Trope(s)/AUs: Smut & fluff Content Warnings: Smut, fluff, mentions of a bathtub and candles and flowers and blindfolds. Smut Warnings: Smut, unprotected sex (don’t do this), pussy eating, swallowing, multiple orgasms, hand job in a bathtub. Swallowing, daddy kink, because it’s Seungcheol, duh, but very soft (mostly)daddy. Dirty talk and blindfolds, overuse of the nickname princess, baby, pretty girl and kitten. Muscle kink? Idk, man. Cheol is so fucking huge I want to cry. Facesitting. Cheol begs, squirting. 

Authors Note: Listen, this man knows how to rile me up, and so here I am. Thank you so so much to @the-boy-meets-evil for beta'ing this. I love you so much Jess 💕 Also, as always thank you to @here4btsfics for reading this too and letting me know your thoughts! Also to @seungkwansphd I hope this helps the Cheol rot or contributes to it hehehe. Tagging: @duhnova because ily and maybe I like being yelled at. Banner Credits: @classicscreations Cross Posted on AO3 © wongyuseokie 2023. All rights reserved.

“Baby?” Seungcheol called out once he got home. After a gruelling day of dance practice, he wanted to hop into the shower and then crawl into bed with you in his arms. 

“Hi, handsome,” you greeted, emerging from the bedroom and moving closer to him. His arms opened for you to settle in and hug him. 

“You tired?” You asked Seungcheol nodded slowly, and you smiled against his chest.

“Follow me, handsome,” you said, letting go of his embrace, taking his hand in yours, and guiding him to the bedroom. 

“What are you doing?” Seungcheol asked. You felt awful at the tone of his voice. He was so tired, and you knew he wanted nothing more than a quick shower and sleep, But you also knew your plan would make him so tired and feel so good that he’d sleep like a baby the entire night. 

“Helping you. You do so much work, and, for once, I want to make my daddy feel good,” you said softly, guiding Seungcheol into the bathroom. Seungcheol smiled softly at you and turned that smile into delight the minute he took in the bathroom. 

You lit vanilla and peony-scented candles around the bathtub, the tub overflowing with bubbles, and soft jazz music played in the background. 

“Baby, I’m tired, I appreciate this, but I don’t think I have it in me to do a lot,” Seungcheol started to say. 

“Daddy, tonight is about you. Let me do the work, please. I want to make you feel good,” you said softly, your hands moving to the hem of his shirt and pulling it off his toned body. 

“They need to close the gyms. You’re so fucking big now, Cheolie,” you whispered, tracing your hands over him, gently grazing your nails down his well-defined pecs, slightly brushing over his nipples, and then resting your hands on his now rock-solid abs. 

“But are you complaining, princess? I know you like it when I pick you up and fuck you against the wall,” Seungcheol teased, making you smile shyly.

“No, I don’t,” you said, smirking, your hands moving down to his grey sweats. 

“These, however, are illegal, you’re killing me, and I’m sure your fans are writhing watching you in this fit,” you mused, making Seungcheol smirk, 

“But only you can see it. Only you can touch,,” Seungcheol whispered low, making your core clench. “Only you can suck, can fuck…”

“No underwear?” You asked. You wondered when your hands went underneath his sweats and rubbed the tip of his cock, which was starting to harden, instead of another layer of material. Seungcheol shrugged in response. 

“Again, are you complaining?” Seungcheol responded cockily.

“No, I’m not,” you responded, smiling, kneeling and pulling down his sweats. Seungcheol stepped out of the sweats and kicked them across the bathroom floor.

“Where do you want me, princess?” Seungcheol asked. You stood up and pointed to the bathtub. Seungcheol nodded, sighing softly in relief as the warm water immediately soothed his sore muscles, 

“Fuck, this bath feels amazing,” Seungcheol moaned.

“Princess, can you join me?” He was looking at you with all the love possible in his eyes, and you immediately melted, nodding. You pulled your robe off, and Seungcheol groaned. 

“Fuck, you were naked underneath that stupid silk this all this time?” 

You just grinned in response. Seungcheol held out his hand, and you took it once you approached the tub to step into it. You climbed into his lap, and Seungcheol smiled, his hands encircling your waist, pulling you closer to his taut body. 

“Daddy, this is about you, not me,” you pouted, making Seungcheol smirk. 

“Okay, kitten, make me feel good,” Seungcheol said, laying back against the tub. 

You leaned forward, pressing your lips to his plush ones. You melted into the kiss. Kissing Seungcheol was almost addictive. You couldn’t get over how soft his lips were, how plump they were, and how you would always end up seeing fireworks no matter where his lips were on your body. Seungcheol moaned into the kiss the minute your hand grazed his now fully erect cock. The moan allowed you to slip your tongue into his mouth and deepen the kiss. 

You kept kissing Seungcheol, the one hand on his chest casually brushing over his nipples, which made him shudder and buck his length against your core. 

“Baby,” Seungcheol pulled away from your lips to catch his breath and admire you. You moved your lips down to his neck, carefully pressing enough pressure to elicit a moan from him, but not so strong that it would leave a mark. 

“Do you like it?” You asked Seungcheol, who lazily nodded, smiling at you, lust overtaking his handsome features. “Touch me, please,” Seungcheol begged, and it shot straight to your cunt, making you smirk. It gave you all sorts of ideas about making this man, usually in control, beg. He must have read your mind because he quickly added a warning. “Let’s get this straight. This is the only time I’ll beg, pretty girl.” 

 “Well, now you at least know how I feel,” you teased after a roll of your eyes. 

“Fuck,” Seungcheol breathed out when your hand wrapped around his thick cock. You didn’t move your hand, though, like you knew he wanted. You just wrapped it around the tip and ran your finger along his slit, the water allowing you to do that very quickly.

“I love you,” you said as you moved your other hand under the water to cup and massage his balls, making him tighten his grip on the porcelain tub. 

“I fucking love you, and I’m not just saying this because you’re making me feel so fucking good, princess,” Seungcheol said, breathing heavily, and whined when you pulled your hands off his cock. 

“Baby!” Seungcheol whined, making you laugh.

“Now you know how it feels, but I won’t torture you since I’m nice. Can you get out of the tub?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded immediately.

You held Seungcheol’s hand, guiding him out of the tub and back to the bedroom. 

You gently nudged him making him fall back on the bed, and crawled up, so your body was straddling his. You reached over to grab the silk blindfolds on the bedside table and gently placed them over your boyfriend’s eyes, which was almost torture for you because his eyes were so piercing. Still, you knew if you wanted to regain control over him, he couldn’t be staring at you, undoing you with a single look. 

“Fuck, Cheol!” You gasped when Seungcheol’s hands wrapped around your waist and pulled you up to his mouth. You hissed in pleasure the minute his plush lips wrapped around your clit, and you hated how well he knew your body that he didn’t even need to see anything to make you fall apart.

“Cheolie, baby,” you mewled as he flicked your clit with his tongue. For the perfect contrast, his mouth enclosed your clit and sucked. You pulled the blindfold off his eyes because you loved watching him, especially sitting on his face. You loved seeing those eyes of his watch you fall apart at his mercy. 

You sighed in pleasure one more time before reluctantly pulling your pussy off his mouth. You moved down his body, capturing his lips with yours in a soft kiss sighing softly when you tasted yourself.

“Can I ride you, baby?” You asked, and Seungcheol nodded, making you smile. You slowly moved down his body until you straddled his thick thighs. Lifting your hips, you aligned his thick cock against your entrance and hissed as you sank into his length. 

“Princess, this is better when I prep you and get your pretty little pussy soaking fucking wet before I fuck you senseless,” Seungcheol said, smirking, earning a glare from you. 

“This is about you,” you said, pouting and Seungcheol softened, nodding. “Then take me, princess,” Seungcheol said, lying down, sighing the minute you lifted your hips and started to find a rhythm and a perfect position. At this angle, his thick length would hit all the spots inside you that made you clench tightly around his cock. However, Seungcheol was not one for giving up control in the bedroom, and not that you minded, but his need to be in control slowly kicked in. 

“Ah, shit!” you gasped as Seungcheol started to rub your clit furiously. He got off on making you fall apart for him, and at this moment, he was convinced he was about to cum inside you any second, the way you were tightening around his cock. He would be damned if he came before you did. Your pleasure came above all for him, no matter how dominant he was. 

“Baby, hold on,” Seungcheol said before carefully flipping the position so that you were now underneath him. 

“Fucking hell,” you wailed out in pleasure as Seungcheol finally found a position that allowed him to pound into you. His thrusts were hard, relentless and purposeful. Each thrust pushed you closer and closer to your orgasm. 

“Don’t. You’re going to cum again. I don’t care how many times that is, but I won’t stop fucking you until I cum, let the neighbours hear how good I fuck my baby,” Seungcheol spoke, his voice low and husky and gently biting your earlobe before continuing to fuck you hard. You were sure his back was now covered in scratch marks, and you felt your eyes roll back in pleasure. You knew he was trying to make you squirt. He loved it. He loved knowing he was the only one who could make you feel so good. 

“Fucking hell, I’m close, princess,” Seungcheol breathed out. As his thrusts got sloppier, he suddenly pulled out and gave a quick instruction, “on your knees, princess.” 

You shakily got on your knees and opened your mouth, allowing Seungcheol to position his cock against your open mouth.  He stroked himself a few times before he released it in your mouth, groaning and hissing as he came. Seungcheol pulled his cock out of your mouth, but not before you licked his tip, making him whine in overstimulation, earning a playful glare. He pulled you back to your feet and lightly pushed you onto the bed.

“Ah, Cheol!” you screamed as he plunged two fingers into you and thrust them in and out of your cunt, furiously until you were screaming. All you could do was hold his forearm for support as you came, squirting over his fingers and the sheets. You felt lightheaded and smiled softly when you felt yourself being pulled into Seungcheol’s chest, his strong arms wrapping around you. 

“Fuck, this was meant to be about you, baby,” you said, and Seungcheol could feel your pout on his chest. 

“Princess, look at me,” Seungcheol said softly, and you looked up at him. 

“You did fucking amazing, the bath was amazing, and you trying to be in control was adorable too, but you made me feel good,” Seungcheol said genuinely, making you smile. 

“You tired me out enough, and I know I’ll sleep peacefully,” Seungcheol joked. 

“Wait, Cheol! We need to change the sheets!” You exclaimed, jolting up only to be dragged back into Seungcheol’s arms. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve slept on sheets soaked with your cum. We can deal with it tomorrow. I need you in my arms to sleep.” 

[k-n0-x]

༺ ♱✮♱ ¨:·Something Stupid-Chapter 4·:¨ ♱✮♱ ༻

A/N: Hey guys! I managed to get this chapter out early coz I am so hot and amazing at everything my social life is at an all time low and we have Easter break. Some foreshadowing if you guys can guess, but keep it to yourselves for now. Mommy issues y/n? That’s a first 😨😨😨😨. This chapter is also Lucifer basically being: “No, you’re so sexy haha don’t cry”

Also, the slow burn is burning now! YAYYA 🎉

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Enjoy! <3

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You sit on the patio of your home, feeling as though you’re rotting away. 

It’s been 5 days since Adam’s full blown out tantrum, but it feels like it’s been 5 lifetimes. 

A cockatiel lands on your table, its bulging inky eyes staring at you, vying for your attention. 

You laugh, and give it some crumbs of your leftover toast from breakfast that you couldn’t bear to finish.

The bird eats them graciously, and flies away, you watching enviously. 

Oh, how you wished you were that bird. Carefree, and not trapped in the gilded cage that you are in. 

If only… 

Bzz bzz

Your phone rings. The contact Mom glows on your screen. 

Unwillingly, you swipe right. 

“Hey mom, what's up?” This woman never calls you, unless there are three instances; she needs you to get her something of monetary worth, wishing you a happy birthday/any other significant holiday, or-

“Darling, there's something I need to talk to you about. A little birdie told me that you've been stepping out of line recently~” 

Ah yes. The third instance. The times when your actual fucking personality shows, even for a sliver of a moment, and how it  could potentially hurt your ‘relationship’ with Adam. 

“Mom, it's not that big of a deal. I just was feeling rough recently, and-”

“Well it doesn't matter what you feel does it? What matters is that you honour our family. Being married to Adam is what's best for you. You acting outwardly is seriously jeaprodising your relationship, and I am just trying to help you stop before it's too late,” Your maternal figure’s sing-song-like voice turns sharp in an instant, like it could cut through butter. 

“You were always a wild child, a disappointment, I am trying to help you-”

You interrupt. 

“How are you helping?! Belittling me, treating me as some sort of– some do Ill?! I have tried, given my whole entire fucking life, trying to please you in every way, but somehow, it's never enough! And when I do fuck up, suddenly I'm a failure in your eyes?!” 

Silence.

“You better mind your language young lady,”

“NO! I will NOT mind my FUCKING LANGUAGE. I will  swear when I want to, and I will do whatever I FUCKING WANT! I AM DONE WITH YOU AND YOU- YOUR WAY OF THINGS!” 

You press the end button, calmly. 

You storm up to your bedroom and closed the door. Calmly.

You look at the bookshelf, always so perfectly clean, scarce of dust. 

Perfectly clean, no imperfections. 

You let out a cry of irritation and just start throwing out books, ripping the pages of each, crumpling sheets of paper, sobbing hot angry tears while doing so. 

When that was done, you just bring the entire bookshelf down with a bang, and you stomp on it until you feel a sharp pain in your foot, surely that's a splinter right there. 

You stumble over into your bed and scream and cry in your pillow, amongst the mess.

You submerge yourself in your pillow even more, until your anger numbs away, leaving you with a throbbing pain in your head. 

Absolutely drained from your outburst, you drift off. 

꧁ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ꧂

Everywhere is foggy. 

You look around, looking for anything of use, when your attention is turned to a glowing light, placed on a rusted pedestal. 

Since it's the only thing that piques interest, you touch the fluorescent ball and yelp when it scorches your hand.

“Ow,” you pull your hand away and decide to look for anything else. 

As you trek through the nothingness, you  feel like you're being tugged down by an anchor, or treading through quicksand. 

Suddenly, the ground gives way under your feet. 

You’re falling. 

The cold air whistles through your ears. 

You try to fly with your wings, but nothing; it feels like they have been ruthlessly ripped from your body.

You feel as though you're being stretched, squished and deformed like play dough, until you hear and feel something cracking. As you fall, you look towards the light. 

At the entrance of the hole, there are many, unidentifiable figures, just, staring at your downfall. 

You want to scream and cry for help, but it feels like your mouth has been cemented shut. 

A faint noise calls your name, which sounds closer and closer each time as you fall helplessly. 

You make a successful-ish attempt to turn on your stomach. 

In your horror, you see a halo, cracked and muted of its previous glow. Your halo.

Not that far below you, there are hot red coals. 

Oh God. 

The voice becomes louder and closer and you hit the ground with a scream. 

You jump up, to find yourself back in the dump that is your bedroom, slicked with sweat. 

“Oh my God, Y/N! Are you alright?” Emily, who was tentatively paving the way to get to your pathetic self. 

“Emi, hi… Yeah, just eh, rough day,” you smile weakly at the Seraphim, who’s concerned expression shows that she doesn't believe you, but she doesn’t want to put you under pressure.

“What’s all of this?” Emily motions to the wrecked room.  

“Adam pulled a tantrum again?” 

“Huh? Oh that, nono, sorry uhm,” you pause to clean the room as it was with the snap of your fingers.

“Why are you here Emi? Do you need something?” You wipe your eyes, but your bloodshot eyes are still apparent. 

“No, I just wanted to hang out with you, but I can come back if it's a bad time,” The Seraphim stumbles over her words as she looks up at you, slightly flushing.

“No, no you can stay. I’m just a little bit shaken up, but yep you can stay. Uhm….” you trail off. 

This place is feels really constraining

You need an escape. 

“Hey Emily, wanna go on an adventure?” You put on a face of newfound enthusiasm. The Seraphim just had that effect on people.

“Of course! But er, where?” 

“Shh, it's a surprise, now let's go!” You push Emily into the portal you made and go in yourself. 

꧁ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ❂♕☻☹☻♕❂ꕥ꧂

“Woah, this is what it's like?” Emily says as she looks around the hellish landscape like a lost puppy.

She snaps out of it when you drag her out of the way of a thrown carcass headed towards the both of you. 

“Yeah, let's head inside,” You manoeuvre her into the hotel. 

The lobby is more populated than your last visits to the establishment, though all faces are familiar. 

“Emily, meet Angel, Husk Alastor, Charlie, who you know already, and-” Your voice dies down in your throat at the sight of the Demon King, with his strapping jacket and top hat. 

What is going on with you today? 

“And Lucifer,” You motion to the King, who gives you both an acknowledging nod. 

Your heart misses a beat. 

“Well uh, there's one more but I don't know where she is… WOAH NIFFTY!”

The little scamp runs towards the Seraphim with a knife about to stab her with malicious intent. 

“Niffty, no. No stabbing any more angels we talked about this,” Angel grabs the knife from the housemaid and throws it in the trash can. 

“Ugh, not a bad boy,” Nifty grumbles and begrudgingly rushes off to god knows where. 

“Well everyone, this is Emily, not sure if Charlie has told you about her but-”

“Is she your kid?” Angel asks. 

“I’m sorry, what? Oh no, no she is not my kid pff,” you say. 

“Huh,”

“Well as I was trying to say, Emily here is another person on our side,” You give Emi an encouraging squeeze of the shoulders. 

“Well this is quite the improvement. Salutations! Pleasure to meet you,” The radio demon greets himself, extending his hand to shake Emily's. 

She takes it, though cautious. 

She turns to Charlie and warms up to the amicable face. 

“Hi, Emily, er obviously you know who I am,” The princess of Hell welcomes her, as some of the other Hotel residents go off doing their own thing. 

“Oh yes. Y/N told me about you, obviously we've met before, but under less casual circumstances,” Emily scrambles for conversation. 

Obviously, they need a little push to loosen up with each other. 

“Charlie, maybe show Emily the garden? Or maybe the entire hotel for that matter. Emi here has been dying to have a look around,” 

“Oh yes! Let me show you some of the suites, I decorated them myself,” Filled with giddiness, Charlie beckons the Seraphim upstairs.  

Emily turns to you, unsure. 

“Go on, don't worry, I'll be waiting here!” You give her a persuasive smile and shoo the pair upstairs. 

Now you had some time to kill…

“Hey!” 

“Agh!” You jump at the voice of Lucifer. 

“Geez, am I that scary?” He laughs and puts a hand on your shoulder. 

“Pff as if-” You snicker and give him a playful shove back.

“Anyway, how've you been? How's the old rusted machine been?”

“Are you always going to make digs and remarks at my husband in an attempt to get all three of his wives in your pants?” You raise an eyebrow sarcastically.

He sighs, feigning sorrow. “You know me too well. I thought it was the perfect plan, but clearly I'll have to tune it a bit,” The demon rattles on, but your brain fixates on the one word he said. 

Perfect. 

Something you try so, so hard to be, but apparently isn't enough for your mom. 

If your mom doesn't love you as you are. 

Well, what's to say anyone can? 

“Well, what do you say, Butter-Duck? You have to find a nickname for me, but I'll call you that regardless, hmm?”

His question brings you back to the conversation. 

Which, leads you to ugly, fat tears. 

Lucifer’s face contorts into panic. 

“Wait, I'm sorry, it's was a rubbish nickname, sorry I thought it was funny-” He puts a comforting hand on your shoulder. 

“No, no it's not that,” You rub your eyes, your voice croaky. 

“The reason is quite silly, really, it's fine, I'm just being stupid hahha,”

Lucifer is not convinced. 

“Listen, you helped me out the other day, and even though I'm not good at this comforting stuff, please, at least let me listen,” He gives you a weak, gorgeous smile, one that is enough to make you stop crying about. 

Okay, it's really becoming an issue of you being distracted by…

Him.

“Well, just an argument with my mom; basically just her saying how much of a disappointment I am and-” your voice creaks.

“And?”

“And I suddenly just don’t feel like her daughter,just a burden she has to put up with, and then what’s the point of all of this if you're not perfect,” 

And breathe. 

You put your face in your hands. 

“I’ll never find love,” 

“Hang on, but isn't Adam your husband? Don't you love him?” 

“No, I don't. It was a marriage purely organised by my parents. Completely transactional,” you mutter dejectedly. 

“Shit, that really sucks. Listen, I know it's hard to hear, but you need to hear it. Nobody is perfect. No one. That's what makes people interesting. And your mom wanting you to be that is far from perfect of her. Not sure if you're aware, but we're in Hell, right now, amongst many people who are basically morality rejects. But you, you're a Winner. Not in the physical sense, but also metaphorically. And for what it's worth…” Lucifer takes a moment to mull over his next words. 

“Many people love you, like Charlie and, that Seraphim, Emilia?”

“Emily” You amend. 

“Anyway, that's besides the point. The point is that you have many people that adore you, and that's what matters most,” Lucifer comes closer and stiffly puts his arms around you, which you return. 

“Thank you, Lucifer,” You sniffle into his shoulder. 

“No problem, anytime. You are my friend after all,” He gently smiles.

Your heart flutters. Friend? As in, person he considers more than an acquaintance? 

“So, what's this about a Butter-Duck?” You tease. 

“What? I thought it'd be a cool nickname for you,” He huffs. 

“Alright, alright… Let me think of a nickname for you then… Lulu!” 

He grimaces. “Ugh, that sounds like a name for a baby products brand!”

“Oddly specific, but if it annoys you more, all the better!” 

“Ugh, you're like worst than some sinners here I swear,” 

“Who said Angel’s can't be jokesters too?” You give him a wink. 

He coughs, a rosy red complexion appearing on his face.

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Emily and Charlie come back into the lobby, to you and Lucifer making small talk on the couch. 

“Ready to go?”

 Emily nods. She goes to hugs Charlie, which is reciprocated. 

“Well, I’ll see you around?” You squeeze the demon’s king hand. 

He looks at you, and nods, hesitant to return the gesture, as if you were glass. 

“Yes, I will,” 

As you and Emily leave to make your way back to Heaven, you could've sworn you heard Lucifer whisper three words. 

“I love you,” 

You turn back with a questioning expression, but all that was on his face was nonchalance.

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Word count- 2,194~

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[theelvenhaven]

Comforting Glorfindel

Having an Anxiety Attack

Request: If there's still headcanon slots available and one of these ideas strikes you: maybe how Glorfindel and/or Penlod would react to reader having an anxiety flair up where their normal coping mechanisms aren't working and they need extra help (platonic or romantic)? Or if that doesn't strike you, maybe vice versa where they need help from reader? I haven't been on Tumblr recently so I'm about to scroll through your blog and play catch up. Looking forward to reading what I've missed/what's coming up! I hope you're well ❤️

A/N: I decided to do this vice versa, and comfort one of our beloveds for a change. So I hope you enjoy! <;3

*****

♕ Glorfindel isn't afraid of his feelings, but he does struggle with showing his most vulnerable emotions with anyone, especially when it makes him feels so weak.

♕ Not to mention Glorfindel doesn't want to worry you about what the toll of war has taken out from him.

♕ Glorfindel will often try and put on a stronger persona in an effort to try and soothe any concerns that you may have about him.

♕ But that doesn't mean that despite all his best efforts that anxiety attacks don't creep up on him.

♕ Usually he can feel when they're about to happen, and he is quick to dismiss himself from the public place if he can.

♕ Even if you try to press if he's okay, he will only assure you he is as he hurries away.

♕ Following him out is the only way you're going to come face to face with the fact that he's having a panic attack.

♕ At first Glorfindel doesn't realize that you've followed him out, so he begins to loosen his collar and breathe shakily and heavily, his hands starting to shake and feeling like he can't breathe.

♕ By the time he turns to see if he's alone, it's too late to hide his symptoms from you, that you recognize immediately for what it is.

♕ Glorfindel is used to having deal with these himself, and he doesn't have the best coping skills, so at first he tries to thwart you from helping him.

♕ But if you persist, albeit, gently Glorfindel gives in as you reach for his hands and gently help him sit on the ground.

♕ You sit in between his legs as he cries and shakes, trying to catch his breath, helping him take slow deep breaths guiding him through it.

♕ At first Glorfindel is a bit hesitant, but your voice and the feel of your hands in his is just so soothing and he starts to listen to what you're saying.

♕ Especially as you reassure him he's safe, and that everything's going to be okay.

♕ IF anything Glorfindel is also panicking that you're going to be mad at him for having kept something like this from you and he profusely apologizes between the tears and his shaky breathing.

♕ Reassuring him calmly that it's okay, and that you're far from mad at him helps ease the anxiety, he is very receptive to your words as he trusts you implicitly.

♕ Glorfindel doesn't just respond to verbal affection and soothing, he also responds well to physical affection.

♕ Now that he knows you're not mad at him, or that you're not going to embarrass him, Glorfindel will take the opportunity to lean forward and rest his head against your shoulder and hold you close to him.

♕ When you embrace him back, he loves the feel of one arm around his neck and the other carding through his hair.

♕ It makes him feel safe and protected, even if he's the one that has to do the protecting more often than not.

♕ Holding him like this, and rocking him gently helps lift the weight off his shoulders and he rests his body weight against you- carefully.

♕ His symptoms start to die down slowly.

♕ Glorfindel's breathing becomes even, his hands stop shaking, he feels more relaxed but tired and most importantly comforted by you.

♕ He's internally kicking himself for not having brought this to your attention sooner, as going through it with you there to help him has made it a less stressful experience.

♕ As you start to check in on him asking if he's okay, Glorfindel is sheepish and confesses to you that he is not okay but he does feel better having you there with him.

♕ He doesn't part from you, but instead clings to you tightly as if he's afraid to let you go.

♕ Finally Glorfindel will start to open up to you, especially as you start to question him and what was going on.

♕ He explains to you what set him off, how long he's been suffering through these still clinging to you.

♕ Glorfindel tells you how much he loves you, and thanks you profusely for your patience with him and your lack of judgement over his predicament.

♕ Your reminder to him that of course you'd do this for him, and that you love him and his partner warms his heart.

♕ Glorfindel knows he's got his perfect one, being with you and the fact that you'd go out of your way selflessly to care for him when he was so vulnerable.

****

Tags: @saviorsong @lilmelily @dicksoutformtl @fandomhoe101 @celebrimbor-telperinquar @red-riding @miriel-estelwen @ta-ka-shi-ma @nerdysimpy @thegirlwithoutaname87 @spidergirla5 @eunoiaastralwings @eternalabysss @noldorinpainter

[ridhearts]

The first step to your lofty diplomatic dreams starts here...

*note: the housewardens all follow a specific order! please click below for the chapters as they're intended to be read!

overview. ♕ [chapter i.] chapter is. chapter ii. chapter iis. chapter iii. chapter iiis. chapter iv. chapter v. chapter vs. chapter vi. chapter vii.

THE QUEENDOM OF ROSES - RIDDLE ROSEHEARTS

The Queendom of Roses is essentially the economic hub of the continent, at least when it comes to foreign markets. Though any remaining relationships are strictly for business, the Rosehearts family has managed to maintain contact with all the other countries of the continent except Briar Valley. The Coral Coast conducts all of their trade through the Queendom of Roses - while Pyroxene is closer, they have adopted a rather solitary policy, so the Queendom was the next best option. Additionally, the Rosehearts heir has a strong connection to the young heir Che’nya from abroad, solidifying their standing in international trade. Thus, the Queendom has become the unofficial central hub.

The ruling family has a firm hold on trade and on every day life of their citizens. From strictly enforced tariffs and trade routes, to specific tea times and daily beverages that must be consumed, those within the Queendom have a strict regimen that they must adhere to. When attending an important event, the only nobles more easily offended at a brash display than the Pyroxenes are the Rosarians.

The Card Soldiers are Her Majesty’s royal guard and are widely regarded as some of the best personal officers around. Many young hopefuls are trained within the borders of the Queendom before returning to their country to serve their lords, ladies and sovereigns.

MEETINGS

The Queendom of Roses maintained a hesitant relationship with your kingdom during the war. Once news came to the Queen that a new family was taking power, an invitation was bestowed upon you: visit her country, spend some time at the castle, and learn all about the social etiquette of the upper class.

Considering you were only a humble villager before becoming the next in line for the throne, you accepted the invitation. In fact, you were grateful for it. The fact that you had been invited made it easy for you to strengthen your ties to their kingdom, and hopefully reforge your bond!

You traveled to their Queendom as soon as you confirmed the arrangement, eager to start your diplomatic journey. Along the way, you were astounded by the wonderful smell of flowers and the bright, colorful landscape. People milled about the cobbled streets in fanciful suits and dresses, sporting fun decorated hats and eye-catching cravats. The foot traffic darted everywhere, even in front of your carriage, yet rather than busy chaos there was a sense of orderliness to it. A deep chime of a clock tower struck, spurring everyone on with a renewed sense of purpose. It was quite the contrast to your gray, rocky kingdom, where there was still physical damage visible from the dirt main streets and hopelessness seemed a day away.

Although, arriving on the castle grounds, you were surprised there wasn't much…fanfare. Your previous king always made a grand procession out of visitors, even when the visitors became a slow trickle of mages called in to protect the magestones and gorge themselves on food bought with taxpayer money. The guards, expecting your arrival, let you inside of the castle. It was quiet, so quiet your heeled shoes clicked against the floor and echoed. For a moment you thought you got the date wrong and worried that you were trespassing.

Somebody's heels approached from the hallway, quick and steady against the solid, shining floors. You were expecting a regal queen with a large dress, akin to the dresses your mother now wore. Instead, you watched as a short boy with red hair appeared, taking the stairs with ease. He held you in a gaze that bordered between blank and narrowed while gracefully closing the distance between the two of you. No matter how he compared to you in size or how cute he appeared, his aura of command was simply too strong for you to reject. You couldn't decide if the scepter in his hand was an accessory or a weapon.

"Ah…" You trailed off dumbly. His expression didn't change, but something flashed in his eyes and you could tell that your introduction was a test which you already failed. Suddenly rushing in your movements, you fumbled with the fabric of your clothes, tried to remember how to position your hands, and did your best curtsy or bow.

"Greetings…your highness?"

A moment of silence stretched between the two of you, unfriendly and unforgiving. The boy's eyes were as cold as an iron sword left unsheathed in the dead of winter. The longer he looked at you, the more the corners of his mouth tilted down into a small frown. Admittedly, it looked more like a pout than a frown, but you didn't dare utter a word and push yourself further from his good graces.

"Unacceptable," he finally muttered, averting his disappointed gaze. You swallowed.

"Apologies," you tried again. "You caught me off guard. I was expecting the Queen."

"Mother will not be administering your courses. She has left the duty to me," He explained. With a glance, you finally registered the small crown on his head, but quickly ducked your head back down in apology.

"I wasn’t aware. We didn't discuss the details in our letters."

He examined your bashful expression before stepping back, deciding this argument wasn't worth wasting time on. "Very well. My name is Riddle Rosehearts. I am the son of the queen and the heir to the throne. It is my duty to ensure you pass the same etiquette training I received, so that you might not tarnish what little reputation your country has left."

Your heart sank at that. There wasn't a moment that passed where you didn't love your country and its people. Your family risked their lives to fight for a better future, and now you were the one responsible for enriching your people's lives in every way you could. Even if you didn't have much of a name for your country, the dig still hurt. But you needed this to go well more than anything else, so you forced a polite smile.

"Shall we start immediately, then?" You asked sweetly.

Riddle scoffed. "Yes. Our first lesson: do not smile so widely. It is most assuredly without grace."

You instantly dropped your smile and followed Riddle through the hall.

The invitation didn't specify much of the details: who would administer your courses, how long they would take place, what exactly counted as passing - all these things were unknown to you. It appeared, though, that these lessons were going to be much more intense than you thought.

On the first day, Riddle nearly scolded you for coming so ill-prepared when you told him that you didn’t have anything with which to take notes. After staring at you for a moment, he huffed and left the room wordlessly. You sat on the edge of your seat, anxiously twiddling your thumbs until he returned with a bound journal and pen. Though he didn’t allow the book to slam on the table in front of you, he did pass it to you with a pointed look that served the same purpose as a loud thwack! Still, he was mostly addressing the basics verbally, indicating where you should be taking notes…which was practically after everything he said.

It lured you into a false sense of security. Maybe the prince had a bit of an attitude problem, but he was knowledgeable, and he’d pass his knowledge onto you for you to write down and review on your own time - preferably when you were far from the confines of this castle and on your way back home.

How wrong you were.

The very next day, he insisted that you put everything he told you into practice, without notes. You sputtered. “Certainly you don’t honestly expect that I’ve remembered all that?!”

“Why not? Any diligent student would have studied for at least an hour after lessons.”

“An hour?! We went over the information for hours after dinner, and I needed sleep!”

Riddle wasn’t one to be reasoned with, however, and still insisted you repeat the information back to him. Feeling stuck in the castle, without much of an option, you sighed and did your best.

Of course, how could anybody remember the precise order of nobility in such a short amount of time? There were so many dinner, lunch and breakfast rules to learn, ones that seemed to change based on the meal, the day, the amount of time you were sitting at the table after finishing your meal…

Every day, Riddle heaped hours of information on you, then expected you to relay it back to him the next day perfectly. When you fumbled the order of nobility, he made you write the order in your journal fifty times without looking at a reference. If your handwriting wasn’t up to snuff, he made you write out entire sections of the Queendom’s law in perfect script. Your pace and posture had to be perfect, or else you were forced to walk up and down the massive hallways with books stacked upon your head. At meals, every bite had to be prim and proper, or he’d lecture you before you could even pick up your fork again. 

And don’t get him started on the dancing.

You were dreadfully ill-prepared for the dancing. How did you know? Riddle told you first thing in the morning when he met you in the library and immediately shooed you out to go to a ballroom. There was no good morning to preface the information; just, “This next lesson will be positively dreadful.”

The first few hours were spent learning simple steps and motions, where to put your hands, how to follow and how to lead, et cetera. He even brought in two of his staff to help you in practicing switching off. You didn’t spend long in their company, but one of them insisted you were the sweetest thing, while the other gave you a wry grin in silent apology for Riddle’s behavior. It was a welcome reprieve.

But then it was back to being the focus of Riddle’s vigilant attention, and you ended the day with sore feet and growing animosity towards the only country that bothered to remember yours even existed.

You were in the middle of drafting a letter to your father, letting him know that the lessons were intensive and you’d be staying another week but you missed him and the others terribly, when there was a knock on the door. Opening it, you saw the green-haired butler from earlier. He informed you that tomorrow morning, you’d have the day to yourself while Riddle went to oversee some business with the Card Soldiers and you were welcome to attend, but your presence was not an obligation of your lessons. The way he said it made it seem like the only smart option.

Still, the next day you ate your breakfast slowly, trying not to notice how empty the large dining hall truly felt without Riddle berating you for doing something wrong. You barely even noticed how much care you were taking to eat the way he taught you, too lost in thought on what you should do.

After you finished, you glanced at the clock and then remained seated to think. You could explore the castle, or brush up on your assignments. Or, you mused dryly, you could hop in your carriage and leave, never to be seen or heard from by any Rosarian ever again. Or, a little voice said, you could check on Riddle.

You instinctively looked at the clock again, right as 15 minutes had passed. You hated when the universe gave you signs pointing in the direction you didn’t want to go.

Tentatively, you wandered through the halls the way the butler told you to go, walking past eclectic decorations of mainly red and black. Two large doors (that were, honestly, more window than door) led to the gardens, which then led to a training field. Walking through the lush green hedges and fragrant red roses, you were hit by how much you stuck out, dressed in dreary gray. Depressed, you realized that maybe you didn’t fit in at all - you were just a peasant playing royal, and maybe you were a lost cause.

Startled shouts caught your attention, snapping you out of your pity. You hurried towards the training field, a little less graceful than Riddle would have liked, and stopped right as you rounded the corner. 

You were just in time to see Riddle shouting and waving his scepter, summoning a heart-shaped collar around the neck of a redheaded recruit. He immediately yanked at it, though the annoyance in his face indicated that this had happened before. Still, he bit back at Riddle’s vicious words with venom of his own. You admired this future soldier more and more with each thing he said.

All at once, the commotion died down, and everybody fell silent. From the other side of the field, the queen approached, adorned in a great dress with a startlingly high collar. Her crown and scepter were both bigger than Riddle’s, though her hair was a similar, rich shade of red. As she approached, Riddle almost seemed to shrink back. It seemed like a smarter decision for you to duck back behind the corner and eavesdrop than stand and watch dumbly.

Due to the great distance between you and the other royals, you couldn’t quite make out every word that was exchanged. All you knew was there was a cold fury underlying her tone, and nobody dared to interrupt. Harsh words like ‘expected better,’ ‘utterly disappointing,’ ‘wasted authority,’ and ‘disgrace’ floated to you in the wind, so bitter and sharp that you almost felt like crying. After a while, you heard footsteps that you now knew were Riddle’s, and they were much faster than the pace he insisted you keep. For a moment you were worried he’d turn and catch you hiding, but he entered the castle through a nearby door instead. After a moment of holding your breath, you hurried back to the guest room and tried to avoid all the staff, as if you had heard a secret regarding national security and not a very public argument.

For the rest of the morning, you stared aimlessly at your notes, something like guilt gnawing at you. Lunch was spent alone again, and you hurried to get out of the too-big room. Afterwards, you waited in the library for your lessons to begin, but nobody showed up. Hesitantly, you checked the ballroom - also empty. Huffing, you wandered the grounds aimlessly, hoping to run into Riddle and to not run into the queen. Eventually you did run into somebody, but it wasn’t anybody you held a conversation with before.

The orange-haired member of the staff that helped you in your dancing lessons bounded up to you with a bright smile. “Heya! I come bearing what I assume to be good news!”

“Oh?” 

“Yup! Your lessons for this afternoon have been canceled! Though I can see you figured that out from how difficult it was to find you.”

“Oh…” You trailed off, not sure why you felt disappointed. Then you asked, “Did something happen? Something I can help with?”

A sad half-smile took over Cater’s expression. “It would be rude to ask a guest to help settle internal affairs.”

Nodding, you waved farewell to Cater and resumed your mindless wandering for a while. It seemed royals didn’t know how to behave when the feelings and security of others were involved. The grand halls felt all too imposing all of a sudden, like an ominous picture of what you were to become. Would you, too, become callous and cruel, uncaring for your people, uncaring for your family? Would your temper become a small fuse, lit at the smallest infraction?

Shuddering, you spent the remaining hours until dinner distracting yourself with your studies. Dinner was spent alone, again. This time, once you finished, you stayed at your seat for longer than 15 minutes, stuck in a loop of rumination. It wasn’t until Trey called your name that you snapped out of your miniature trance. In his hands, he held a tray of slices of a strawberry tart.

“Oh, you’re still here. Would you like dessert?” He asked, already offering you a plate and a fork. You took it in your hands and held it, not sure if you were willing to spend another 20 minutes aware of how lonely the table was.

But Trey was watching you expectantly, so you cut off a small piece and tried it in front of him. A second after the bite hit your tongue, your eyes widened in surprise. “Woah! This is amazing!”

Trey looked bashful. “Ah, it’s nothing. Riddle thinks so, too. They’re his favorite, after all.”

At the mention of Riddle’s name, you focused your gaze on Trey rather than the tart. “Are you bringing those to him?”

Trey nodded. Then, almost conspiratorially, he added, “But if anybody asks, this is a welcome gift for you.”

“Very well,” you said instinctively, not wanting to involve yourself in personal affairs. As Trey left, though, you couldn’t stop the nagging feeling in your gut. Sighing, you stood and said, “May I take those up with you?”

'Taking the tray up with him' wound up being you standing outside the door to Riddle’s room by yourself. Tentatively, you knocked, trying your best to balance the tray on one hand. In a firm, cold voice, Riddle called out, “Busy.”

You weren’t sure if calling out to him and revealing it was you would make him open the door or insist you leave him alone. Instead, you knocked again, more persistently. Again, Riddle called out, “Busy!”

Adjusting the tray on your hand, you huffed and hit the door solidly once with your fist. Then you stepped back, expecting the door to swing open in indignation. It did, revealing a very angry Riddle who was ready to chew out a member of his staff, or perhaps send them to the dungeon (if the castle even had one. You weren’t sure.) When he saw it was you, shock took over his expression - then indignation, annoyance, and finally, resignation. “What are you doing? I don’t need to tell you how inappropriate that was, do I?”

“You weren’t answering,” You defended, knowing full well that you sounded rather petulant. In an attempt to lessen his aggression, you displayed the tray of tarts. “This was important.”

Conflict flashed in Riddle’s eyes as he gazed at the tarts. Then he cleared his throat and looked away. 

“Dessert is not important,” he started, reluctantly. Trying to change the subject, he said in an accusatory tone, “For the record, it could be scandalous if you were caught outside my room, alone, at night, with a tray of sweets.”

“We haven’t gone over the dessert lessons. How was I to know? I’m also not sure exactly what quantity of dessert is considered appropriate, but I’m almost positive it isn’t eight slices at once. I’ve already had a bite of one, and if I’m left to eat these by myself, I will eat them all.”

Riddle tried to appear scandalized, but only seemed to be amused. “You’d think I’d have learned by now that there is no getting through to you…” But he stepped out of his room, shut the door, and led you to a balcony where you could eat your dessert together in peace.

The two of you sat on opposite sides of the small table on the balcony, overlooking the rose maze. In the distance, the lanterns of the village glowed brightly, the buildings tall and concrete. You were too amazed upon your arrival to realize how different the Queendom of Roses truly was from your country. It was more…stable. Your people deserved such security and beauty.

When Riddle wasn’t breathing down your neck to overanalyze every motion you made during a meal, he was surprisingly peaceful company. You ate your first slices in silence, admiring the dark landscape and sorting through the tension that was thick within the castle walls.

Riddle broke the silence first. “What is it like in your country?”

“Hm?” You asked, before you could stop yourself from acting disgracefully. Riddle didn’t seem to mind, at least, not this time. It never occurred to you that you hadn’t really talked about your home while you were here. Everything was all business, all etiquette and lessons. “It’s…not as green, for starters.”

“You’re situated right beneath the mountain range, right?” He asked, though you knew he wasn’t truly asking for clarification. “Do you…dislike it?”

“No! Not at all!” You insisted, and finally the dam broke. “It’s great at home. The ground is solid and there are forests with rock shelves like giant staircases up the mountains. The peaks are majestic, and there’s almost always a comforting fog in the mornings that feels like a cozy blanket…”

As you talked about your country, Riddle listened with rapt attention and helped himself to a second slice of tart. Every now and then, he’d interject to ask questions, getting you started on a new tangent about your life before royalty and your favorite home traditions. By the time you slowed down and realized how much you’ve been talking, most of the tart was gone and your throat was dry. Doing your best to clear it gracefully, you avoided Riddle’s steady gaze.

“I…realize I forgot many of your teachings,” You said meekly, your voice significantly softer. Riddle widened his eyes and soon watched his lap. He frowned and, much like when you first met him, it appeared more as a pout.

“I wasn’t thinking about that at all,” He admitted. A warm breeze blew over the both of you, nearly carrying his voice away with it. This shy vision of him was far different from the authoritative version that usually walked through the castle. “It sounds lovely, back at your kingdom. I was simply enjoying your stories. And…you’re much better company than the previous king.”

You laughed at that, starting at the prim giggle he originally made you learn before it escalated into something a little more true. “The competition was really stiff, was it?”

Riddle chuckled with you, a warm and rosy blush crawling to his cheeks. After a few stressful weeks for the both of you, a healthy laugh devolved into near-hysterics, taking much longer than the situation truly called for. As the two of you tried to calm yourselves down, you avoided making direct eye contact for fear of starting up again. Instead, you both looked over the small piece of the village again, willing the serenity to reach you.

Your thoughts calmed, first at the beauty of the lights against the dark sky, then at the overwhelming pull of how badly you wanted to achieve this for yourself. There was so much to be done: even after your people fixed the battered streets and structural damage, even after the harvest came and went and you properly rationed the food that wasn’t destroyed, even if you managed to reinstill some semblance of trust in the government of the country, all that work would only bring you to sea level. After that, there was much to improve: defenses, infrastructure, overall quality of life, foreign relations…and, on top of it all, you still had to figure out how, exactly, to defeat the encroaching blot.

For a sobering moment, you realized exactly where you were. The results of the war caught up to you, a king and countless innocent people dead, you and your family on the throne and the final defense between everybody and an unknowable monster. There was so much you didn’t know, and yet it was up to you to save it all.

“I never brought it up,” You started quietly. “But…thank you for continuing to support us all this time.”

Riddle appeared bashful - or ashamed? “Ah…it was nothing. Actually, it was purely strategic. Whoever emerged victorious would be appreciative of our support.”

“Ah. Well, I am,” You admitted, shifting in your seat. “Who knows? Maybe there are a couple of magestones with your name on them back home.”

“I see I’ll have to add a lesson in negotiating to our plans.” Finally, Riddle stood, smiling the kind of grin that, on anybody else, would be accompanied by rolling eyes. He held out his hand, clearly offering for you to take it. “It was a pleasure talking to you. Here’s to reaffirming our alliance.”

Taken aback by his sudden shift into prince mode, you gingerly place your hand on his and let him guide you out of your seat. “Here’s to affirming our friendship.”

For a long moment, neither of you said anything. Then, slowly, as he watched with wide eyes for any hint of dissent, Riddle bent at the middle and pressed a chaste kiss to your knuckles so quickly, it was hardly anything more than an accidental brush.

With your newfound understanding of each other, the future lessons went by quickly. No longer uncomfortable in the castle, you were able to study more efficiently, eventually reaching Riddle’s expectations. He split your workload into sections, taking you on frequent breaks to walk around the castle grounds. While you weren’t working on etiquette or any questions you had, you both planned ideal ways to welcome the other into your respective countries. It was like gossiping with your friends in the village all over again, and it gave you hope for the monumental tasks ahead.

Finally, with most of your lessons having been successfully completed, Riddle spent your final week helping you draft trade agreements, giving you a rundown of each nation’s specialty, the best trade routes, and other important information. For the time being, you knew you’d have to get most of your resources from him - all the other routes were in various states of disrepair, and your relationship with other countries was still practically nonexistent.

One day, he sent Trey to lead you to his office. As Trey opened the door, you were struck by how official Riddle looked behind the grand desk, framed by massive bookcases and an intricate tapestry behind him. However, his stern expression eased as soon as you walked through the door. He gestured at a seat across from his desk, waiting for Trey to shut the door before interlocking his fingers and resting his chin on them.

“We don’t normally do paperwork in here,” You mused, looking around. Once you settled your gaze on him, Riddle straightened his posture and tapped on the forms in the center of his desk with one finger.

“Yes, well. This one is a bit more finicky,” He explained. Curiously, you slid the paper your way and scanned the words carefully. As the words sunk in, your eyes darted from the paper to Riddle and back again.

“You’re transferring some of your Card Soldiers?” You asked. “Thank you, but I couldn’t take them away from home so suddenly.”

“Nonsense. They’re eager for the opportunity. Besides,” Riddle lowered his voice, eyes drifting from side to side as if somebody could simply appear. “You would be doing a great service for them and me.”

Glancing at the papers again, you read the names printed in Riddle’s neat handwriting. After a moment’s hesitation, the names clicked and you remembered which soldiers he was talking about. The two card soldiers had a propensity for trouble - not the kind that would endanger you, but the kind that would endanger them the longer they remained under the rule of the queen. Nodding slightly, you held your hand out for a pen to confirm the transfer.

“Personal guard, huh?” You mused. The situation in your kingdom was getting more and more official with each passing day. It gave you hope.

When it was finally time for you to depart, you thanked Riddle for all of his help with a deep - and perfect - curtsy or bow. He bowed in return, then the both of you watched each other for a moment. The queen hadn’t welcomed you, and she wasn’t seeing you off; after your inadvertent experience with her, you figured that was best.

“I’ll write to you,” You decided firmly. Behind you, the door to your carriage was opened, signaling that it was time to start the long journey home.

“Yes. I look forward to hearing how my lessons have assisted you.”

“That,” you agreed, “and to check in on you. As friends. Interpersonally.”

Riddle paled and cleared his throat. “A-ah, right. I’ll…I look forward to that, as well.”

With a smile and a wave, you turned and made your way to the carriage. Though you would miss Riddle, you were eager to return home and see what progress had been made. You kept waving until the carriage rolled past the gates, but you only turned your back to him once you could no longer see the difference between his white uniform and the white castle steps.

Riddle watched you leave, not daring to release the wistful sigh in his chest until you were entirely out of sight.

[strawberryfairi]

“I loved you then…back when I knew you”

Synopsis: 💎 When your old high school best friend, and admittedly, first love randomly shows up at your door one morning after a bit over ten years apart, your memories of him that you once locked away comes flooding back. Are you open to hearing him out after all this time? (In other words…will you take your man back or nah?)

♕Pairings: Kazutora X Black Fem Reader 🤎 (ANYONE CAN READ)🛑Content: 18+ Eventual smut, Some grief, Some angst ~Crossposted On: Wattpad ONLY ~Updating WEEKLY

w.c. 2.6k💠 Released March 28, 2024

NOTE🧚🏾‍♀️✨: This chapter is so rushed and short fr I'm def not proud of this one, BUT due to this fact I'm doing a double post of chapters 9 + 10❤︎ You're welcome teehee.

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CHAPTER 9; BROKEN

It's been a while now after finding out a bit of Kazutora's past. You were way too nervous to really ask him anything about it as you really didn't want to upset him and ruin your already blurry friendship.

You figured if he wants to share anything about it he will, in his own time.

Today was another one of those school days that were unbearably boring. Though it was actually a bright, clear skied day, the morning was quiet, everyone tired and sluggish from a weekend full of cloudy skies, and rain.

It wasn't until lunchtime that things finally started to get more...exciting for you and your friends.

"Are you deadass?!" You gaped at your friend Hanako-chan, along with the other girls at the lunch table.

"Yup! He asked me out last Friday after school! It was so cute; I couldn't believe it!" Her cheeks were dusty pink as she recalled the memory of her crush asking her out.

"Wooooow! I'm so happy for you, Hanako-chan." You smiled softly at her.

"This is the same guy that came to hang for Halloween, right?" Yumi chimed in, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Yeah! His name's Sora Kobayashi." She swooned hard.

"Oooo! Hanako Kobayashi kinda eats, you know? It's got a lil ring to it." You smirked devilishly, her face turned deep red as the other girls giggled.

"It's giving future husband!" Asuka-chan chimed in, a bright smile on her face.

Suddenly, some commotion going on towards the entrance of the cafeteria caught all of your attention, heads turning nearly in sync with each other.

It was Kazutora, who hadn't been here earlier today, strolling in casually with those two other guys you'd seen with him once before. You already knew what was going on as his eyes locked with yours. A charming grin made its way on his face as he approached you.

"Speaking of husbands...." Yumi murmured with a devilish smile, looking your way for a moment.

"Hey", he nodded towards you, "hey girls." He then acknowledged your friends to which they all smirked.

"Heeeeyyyy." They sang, dragging it out obnoxiously long.

"Ohhh would you look at that, suddenly we all have somewhere to go, right girls?" Miyazaki-chan cut in, clearing her throat and raising a brow so all the girls would get what she's trying to do.

"O-oh yeah yeah! We're needed...elsewhere currently. See ya!" Asuka chuckled, making it so obvious they were leaving us alone on purpose. You sighed, discreetly rolling your eyes.

How y'all needed elsewhere during lunch...?

"Why'd you come to school so late? You dropped me off just to dip out then come back?" You questioned, your brows furrowed. He put on his signature cheeky smile, his eyes closed from how wide it was.

"Uh oh..." You deadpan, already knowing he was up to absolutely no good with that look. "What did you do?" You narrowed your eyes. He shook his head. "What are you doing?" You said next, your expression still the same as the intrigue started to rise more. He shook his head again. "What are you about to do?" This time your brow raised as there wasn't any other variation left that you could think of.

"There it is! I'm bustin' you outta here!" He says excitedly.

"You what?" A playful scoff escaping you as a small amused grin made its way on your lips. Kazutora grabbed your hand with both of his, pulling a bit so you'd stand out of your seat.

"Uh uh! I can't leave!" You pulled against him, trying to keep yourself planted.

"Yeah you can! I do it all the time." He shrugged like it was the most simplest thing ever.

"Yeah but you're not supposed to! And I'm not you!" You frown.

"C'mon goody two shoes, I'm kinda on a time crunch right now."

"No, I can't skip school! Bruh!" You spout rapidly, feeling a mixture of nervous excitement. It was kind of true that you were a 'goody' type of student. Never skipping school, always on time for class, and getting your homework done to the best of your ability was always your thing. Compared to Kazutora you probably were an angelic, perfect example student.

The idea of skipping has never even crossed your mind before, seeing as you figured teachers would worry and highly likely call your mom, which would then petrify her and have an entire S.W.A.T team level search party coming for you. It just wasn't worth it to skip. Besides, where would you be skipping to? For what?

"It's fine! You can miss half'a day." He chuckled, finally pulling you along towards the caf entrance.

"No, I'm serious! This isn't a good idea! I'm gonna get in- You cut yourself off with a gasp, feeling slightly disoriented as Kazutora abruptly pulled you towards him and casually flung you over his shoulder.

"Hey! If you don't put me down!" You blurted out frantically in English, making him laugh. "You're embarrassing me in front of all these-oh my gosh...." You facepalmed in defeat, watching as everyone laughed and took in the scene unfolding in amusement.

"It'll be fun, trust me!" He assured playfully, still keeping you perched up on his shoulder as he and his friends walked out of the school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kazutora had taken you all over the place today. First it was some street race that he took you to watch together. It was all kinds of older guys and even some your age, dressed in streetwear, smoking and driving really cool looking cars.

You were glad he'd taken you to your place first to change out of your uniform, it would've looked so awkward since everyone else was dressed so amazing.

You were wearing a cute black skater style skirt with a slit by the right thigh, sheer nude stockings and a white cropped top. Over the fit you had on a hot pink cardigan with your first initial stitched in the back, and white two and a half inch knee high, heeled boots. It was fully into November by this point, so the cardigan was much needed. It wasn't necessarily blending with the streetwear vibe, but you were still cute nonetheless.

Afterwards he'd taken you out to get food at this ramen place! It was here that you started to wonder if this was his way of taking you out on a date without actually saying it. He was all smiles the entire time, talking up a storm with you, and insisted on paying for everything.

Then you both just wandered around the shopping district, trying on all kinds of things and even clothes and accessories you didn't even like. He'd even gone out of his way to buy you something you liked a lot. These gold, medium sized hoop earrings with little faux diamonds embedded into them. To say you were overjoyed and flattered would be an understatement. Immediately the jewelry became your absolute most cherished item in your accessories drawer.

And now, hours and hours later, the two of you were off somewhere deep in the city, strolling into some random skyscraper.

"K, what are we doing?!" You chuckle, going along with things as he leads you to a basic looking metal door in the main entrance of the building. The door revealed flights on flights of squared stairs, an elevator on the right upon coming inside.

"You'll see." He replies vaguely, a cute yet mischievous looking grin on his face. The two of you went all the way to the top floor, heading to the door that leads to outside.

Instantly you were met with an astonishing view, other buildings, street lights, and the night sky all greeting the both you. It was almost a fully clear sky up above, thousands and thousands of stars along with the half moon shined so brightly. "This is beauuuutiful! We're so high up!" You beam, smiling as the wind slightly brushes past you, making your skirt and cardigan sway.

"I know. I come up here all the time." He says softly, walking ahead of you.

"Come on!" He urges, giving you a nod. Snapping out of your daze you catch up to him, the two of you walking near the edge of the building.

"Wait...don't go too far, K." You warn, feeling your heart drop slightly as he kept going. The two of you weren't so close where you could fall, but it was enough to make you just a bit nervous.

"It's fine, don't worry." He assures. "I brought you here 'cause this spot is really special to me." He says softly with a particularly warm smile.

Your heart fluttered wildly in your chest at his words, a small smile dancing its way across your lips. "I'm glad you took me here. I really like it."

"Y'know, I'm really happy I met you. I want you to know that." He continues, brushing his hand behind his neck nervously.

"Aaaw, I'm glad I met you too, K! You're my best friend." You admit softly, feeling your cheeks heat up as that's the first time you'd ever told him you felt that way.

"Actually, I brought you here 'cause...I gotta-..I gotta tell you something." He adds hesitantly, looking to the side a bit as his expression turns a bit pained.

This time your heart practically attempts to leap out of your chest. You purse your lips together to try and conceal the fully wide, glowy smile, clasping your hands together. Your little paper bag with your new earrings sat between your fingers. You might be joining Hanako-chan in the no longer single committee real soon!

"Yeah?" You murmur softly, biting your tongue.

Was he actually gonna go and confess his feelings?! Maybe that's why he came and took you out of school. He set up this whole thing just so you guys could end here, and he could ask you to be his girlfriend!

"Um..I don't really know how to say this..." He trails off, still not making any kind of eye contact with you.

"No, it's ok!" You assure sweetly, taking a step closer to him. By now your brows start to furrow a bit, slowly becoming concerned as his expression turns almost stony, and his eyes look hollow.

Maybe this wasn't what you thought it was...

"W-what's wrong?!" You press, placing a hand on his arm.

"I-...I may not..see you again." He finally mutters weakly, his eyes looking up at yours finally.

You blink, shaking your head a bit. Immediately your hand drops from his arm, looking at him as though he just went and slapped you across your face.

"What? What do you mean?" You question, your tone a bit sharper than you intended.

"I'm not gonna see you again. Not for a long time probably-

"What are you talkin' about? What does that even mean?!" You rant, feeling your heart start to crack. He lets out an exasperated, conflicted sigh, burying his hands in his pockets.

"I can't really tell you why, but after tomorrow...I just won't be able to see you again." He explains again, not bothering to expand any further.

"You can't tell me?! You brought me here just to say this?! To just drop me?!" Your chest rises and falls visibly as your breathing becomes heavier, an overwhelming amount of emotions starting to wash over you. Anger, confusion, worry, betrayal, even denial.

"I'm sorry." He replied barely above a whisper. You scoff at his weak response.

"You're sorry?! Sorry for what exactly, 'cause you don't seem all that sorry. What did I even do-

"No no, you didn't do anything! It's not even about you, I just have-

"So if I didn't do anything why are you doing this?! You took me out of school, spent all day playing nice, and brought me here just to tell me you're never gonna see me again, and you can't even at least explain to me why?!" You argued with a shaky voice. By now you'd already started crying, the tears streaming down your face like waterfalls.

"I promise I'd tell you if I could, but I can't." Kazutora says regretfully, a pained look on his face as he tries to reach for your hand.

"You can't or you won't?" You question sharply, snatching your hand away as you take a step back.

He goes silent, looking down and to the side, not even at least trying to answer you.

"Wow. So that's it, you just...say nothing." You scoff, shaking your head, looking over at him as if he were the worst person you knew. "I'm sorry..." He mutters monotonously. "I can't believe you." You grumble bitterly. What you really meant was 'I can't believe I actually fell for you'.

"Well I'm glad then, that you won't see me again, 'cause I don't wanna see you." You scowl, giving him one last look before storming off back inside the building, heart breaking even further when he doesn't bother to try and stop you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You'd went home and just cried and cried and cried all night until you fell asleep. It was so bad your mom could hear your sobs, bursting into your room to figure out what the matter was. You'd managed to tell her the whole story, crying into her chest as she tried to console you as best as she could.

The next day was the worst, the realization that what had happened last night wasn't a dream but very much reality made your heart break all over again. You were in so much pain, everything ached, and your head was pounding.

You didn't eat, you didn't turn on any lights in your room, you barely even spoke.

The girls had been blowing up your chat since yesterday, wanting to hear the 'tea' about how things went with you and Kazutora when the two of you ditched school together. You'd went and turned the group chat and individual chats with them on do not disturb. Honestly you were just embarrassed, feeling so stupid about the way you felt about him since it all blew up in your face. It's the way you really swore he was gonna confess to you, tell you he loves you and the two of you would just...who knows?

None of that even matters at this point? He doesn't want you around so any fantasies you once had before were all turned into pitiful ash in a matter of seconds. Your mom had told you last night that she believes he still cares about you and likes you, but he just went and chose to push you away 'cause he's not ready.

You hated him, hated everything about him, especially the things you used to love the most. Even more so you hated the memories, the memories that would flash through your mind, plaguing and haunting you relentlessly every second of every day.

Each day after felt worse and worse, unlike what your mom had assured you of. Every day that you two didn't speak chipped off pieces of your heart. Everything reminded you of him, the stuffed bunny he got you, your own bed that he'd laid in with you multiple times, when you walk outside and he's not there waiting for you to walk to school together.

School was the absolute worst. You'd gone from Hanemiya-san's princess to Hanemiya-san's ex. Rumors spread all over like wildfire, and of course with Kazutora no longer coming to school people felt completely free to voice their opinions loud and proud. Of course your friends would come to your defense, but now all of you were outnumbered, so it didn't do much to stop anyone from talking their shit.

Finally, weeks turned into months, which turned into years.

It took two years for you to finally free yourself from the depression of being left by Kazutora, college being the exciting new beginning for you.

You'd decided to go home, back to America to really clean off your slate. You met new people, made new friends, though you kept in touch with all of your friends from Japan. It was rough though, talking to your friends in Japan, they'd always remind you of what you left behind....

[moodymelanist]

I Depend on Me

happy day 3 of @nestaarcheronweek everyone! I had a lot of fun with this fic because we all know how much I love writing about secret agents, spies, and the like, so I hope y’all enjoy this one 💙 title taken from Independent Women Part 1 by Destiny’s Child (which is about Charlie’s Angels hehe). part two of this will come during @cassianappreciationweek 👀

Summary: Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn are Valkyries, survivors of an elite, brutal program that raised them as assassins. They’re on a routine mission when Cassian forces them to change their plans…

Word Count: 2,630

Read on AO3 here!

♕♕♕♕♕ Nesta

Nesta took a deep breath as she made sure she had everything she needed for tonight, taking one last look around her apartment before she locked up and headed toward the car. It was a short enough drive to the rendezvous point, and before she knew it she was on her way to the Valkyrie safe house she’d be using to get ready for tonight’s mission. 

Emerie and Gwyn were already there when she arrived, calling out their greetings while Nesta headed to the bathroom to shower and start getting ready. She tried not to linger on any one thing as she went through her usual pre-mission routine; if there was one thing the Valkyrie Program had beaten into her, it was an ability to clear her mind so that her only true concern was the mission. 

The Valkyrie Program had been a training program for young women that was so effective in training them to be assassins that it was easier for the governments of the world to turn a blind eye rather than try to take them down. Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn had grown close as they’d managed to survive over the years. To be a Valkyrie was like something out of a comic book – they could blend into any crowd, speak dozens of languages, fight in any number of styles. 

To be a woman was to be underestimated, and their handlers had taken full advantage of that. Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn were some of the last graduates of the program – if you could call them that – but they’d never stop being Valkyries, not even after they’d made sure to burn the entire thing to the ground.

After their revenge tour was over, the three of them had managed to find a place in the world working freelance. It turned out being an assassin was a lot more fun when they could plan their own missions and decide who they worked for, so they tried to do their research before accepting missions. 

Tonight’s mission would start out with stealing a room key from a gala attendee before they broke into his hotel room and stole whatever private information their buyer was looking for. Nesta loved nothing more than getting one over on a man, so she’d been more than happy to agree once Emerie and Gwyn had given their agreement. 

Emerie would be running this segment of the mission from the inside of a fake catering van and serving as their getaway driver when they completed it, so it was up to Gwyn and Nesta to get dressed up and scope the place out from the inside. Nesta had chosen a dark blue gown that gave her so much cleavage it was almost obscene, while Gwyn had gone with an emerald green number with a slit that showed off her long legs. The tighter dresses made it more difficult to bring weapons, but the best part about being a woman was how easy it was to hide such things on their persons. 

Nesta’s hair pins were sharp enough to cut, and there were several throwing knives tucked into her ankle holster. Gwyn had an easy to reach thigh holster on the leg that didn’t have the slit on it, and her necklace could be easily detached to use as a weapon if the situation called for it. The ballroom itself would also be filled to the brim with items they could use in a pinch, from steak knives to forgotten stiletto heels to even bottles from behind the bar. 

Once everyone was ready, it was about a forty-five minute drive to the fancy hotel where the gala was being held. Emerie looked a little funny with her civilian clothes on over her jumpsuit, but at least she wouldn’t be constrained by her clothing as much if she needed to fight. Nesta and Gwyn would be the ones in a pinch, but Nesta wasn’t worried. As much as she hated it, she knew she could always trust her training, and it hadn’t failed her yet. 

The ride over was relatively quiet, the only noise being a mix of Emerie softly singing along to the song on the radio and the occasional tapping sound as Nesta and Gwyn reviewed the mission briefing for the final time. When they eventually arrived at the hotel, Emerie made sure to drop them off close enough to the entrance that it wouldn’t be too much of a pain to walk, but not so close that the van could be spotted and remembered. 

“Good luck,” Emerie said before she passed over their comms. 

Nesta stuck hers in her right ear while Gwyn put hers in the left. “Thanks, Em. See you later.”

Nesta and Gwyn blended in seamlessly with the crowd of people attending the gala, especially once they passed through the valet entrance. Dozens of people were getting out of town cars and limos, so it was easy to merge with the rest of the group.

“Let me know when you’re in,” Emerie murmured into their comms. The tech was so tiny that no one would be able to see it unless they were far too close, so Nesta wasn’t worried about looking suspicious. They just had to make sure they didn’t talk too loudly or reply to Emerie too obviously. 

“Will do, Shopkeeper,” Gwyn replied, turning to look at Nesta with a secretive little smile as they approached the entrance. “Shall we?”

Nesta and Gwyn walked into the ballroom arm in arm once their invitations had been deemed authentic, immediately splitting off from one another to canvas the room. Nesta headed to the bar to flirt a little, more than content to let her breasts do the talking, while Gwyn set a path toward the back of the room where the food was. 

The room was tastefully decorated, with a large dance floor surrounded by dozens of circular tables. If there was assigned seating, they wouldn’t be there long enough to take advantage of it, but it seemed most of the gala guests were mingling away from the tables anyway. Nesta sipped her club soda as she surveyed the room, easily catching sight of their target laying on the charm thick in the further corner of the dance floor. 

“Target spotted,” Nesta murmured. Isaac Hale wasn’t particularly noticeable amongst the sea of white guys, but it hadn’t been hard to find him between her training and how obnoxious his laugh was. “Southeast corner of the dance floor, black tux. On my way to engage.”

“Copy that,” Gwyn whispered back. “I’ll cover you.”

Nesta finished the rest of her drink and tipped the bartender with a smile, more than pleased to pull a blush from the woman’s pretty face before she left. 

Isaac was still smiling and laughing amongst the small crowd surrounding him, and Nesta was about halfway to him when she caught sight of a tall figure. His shoulders were impossibly broad against the cut of his tux, and Nesta had to hold back a string of curses that would draw entirely too much attention to her before she altered her path. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nesta grumbled under her breath instead. 

Agent Cassian Valladares — codename Commander, former military who did something for one of the alphabet agencies — was currently spinning around the dance floor with a brunette socialite who was leaning entirely too close into his chest. His hair was pulled back into a half bun while the other half rested gently against the tops of his wide shoulders. Even from across the dance floor Nesta could appreciate the tailoring on his navy tux, and she belatedly realized they’d managed to coordinate their outfits by accident. 

She’d first met Cassian and his two friends a few years ago when they’d all been assigned to the same target. The Valkyries had managed to scrape by with a victory, but Cassian, Azriel, and Morrigan hadn’t given up without a fight. They’d crossed paths often enough after that initial encounter that Nesta knew to be on her guard whenever she saw one of them; not only were they extremely good at what they did, but Cassian was an outrageous flirt, and even worse, he knew his ridiculous lines managed to have some effect on Nesta. 

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not as bad as—” Gwyn began before she cut herself off with a loud groan.  She must’ve spotted Cassian too. “Ugh, no, you’re right. It’s bad.”

“What are we looking at?” Emerie asked. 

“We have some unexpected friends crashing our party,” Nesta explained, gritting her teeth. 

“So far I’m just seeing one, but…” Gwyn trailed off with a sigh. 

“Good things come in threes,” Nesta finished, doing her best to turn her face so it wouldn’t be as obvious she was speaking. Wherever Cassian went, Azriel and Morrigan were never far behind, so it would only be a matter of time before they made themselves known. “We don’t know their play, but I’ll distract the big guy. Priestess, you’re up.”

“Copy that, Lady Death,” Gwyn agreed to the change in plans without missing a beat. “Engaging the target now.”

Reassured that the mission would continue on as planned, Nesta placed herself into Cassian’s path as subtly as she could. It didn’t take long for him to spot her, and she allowed herself to be turned around and into an easy dance by one of his large hands, the brunette socialite clearly long forgotten. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nesta said. She pursed her lips as she looked him over, thoroughly pretending she didn’t notice the way his tux clung to his muscles. “Seriously?”

“Come on, sweetheart,” Cassian said back, smirking so hard that Nesta half hoped his face would get stuck in the stupid pose. “You’re not happy to see me?”

“I will castrate you,” she snapped. She didn’t have to fake her anger at seeing him — the man had done his best to ruin so many of her missions that her blood pressure had been raised the moment she’d spotted his broad frame. She tried to calm herself down by working her way through every method she knew one at a time; she didn’t even need to break a sweat for at least three of them, and it was working until the big idiot opened his mouth again.

“If that’s what it takes to get your hand on my dick, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” he replied, only smirking wider as they continued to dance. “Besides, I’m sure after you see it, you’ll change your mind about taking it off.”

She made sure to smile at him slowly enough that it would deeply unsettle him. “You sure about that, sweetheart?”

“Very,” he replied, seemingly unfazed by the way she was looking at him. 

“What are you doing here?” Nesta asked abruptly. She knew Gwyn was going to complete her objective, so she’d have to keep the big idiot as distracted as possible to make sure their mission was completed. Riling him up was fun, but she needed to keep him as engaged as long as possible, and her mother had always told her she’d catch more flies with honey than vinegar. 

“Maybe I just wanted to see you,” Cassian answered, his smirk turning into something a little softer and more genuine. 

“There are certainly easier ways to arrange that,” she responded with a roll of her eyes. 

“Probably,” he agreed. His eyes flickered down to her chest and back up to her face so quickly she wouldn’t have noticed it if she wasn’t paying such close attention to him, and she had to stifle a snort. Men. So predictable. “But I like this one. Has anyone told you how gorgeous you look tonight?”

“Maybe you should try telling that to my face and not my chest,” she deadpanned. 

He just laughed. “Two things can be true at once. You look gorgeous and I’m a big fan of this dress.”

“Thank you.” She let him twirl her in a circle and she used that time to quickly visually confirm Gwyn’s position. “Is that all you have to say about it?”

“I mean…” he trailed off, making a big show of sweeping his eyes over her. “I think it would look better on my floor, but other than that, no.”

“Always the gentleman,” she said sarcastically. His hand was warm where it was pressing against her back and a small, traitorous part of her wanted him to slide it a little lower. 

“Can’t help it,” he said back, the smirk returning in full force. “You bring out the best in me.”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Nesta replied with a smirk of her own. 

“It is,” Cassian told her. “You have me here in this stupid tux and acting like I know how to dance. What else would I call it?”

“I don’t think it’s stupid,” she responded. She trailed the hand she had on his shoulder down over the satin lapels of his jacket, making sure to look up at him through her lashes as she did. “You cleaned up better than I expected, Commander.”

“I aim to please, sweetheart,” he answered, his hand digging in a little harder into the small of her back.

“Ugh.” She couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the line; her book club had spent countless hours tearing 50 Shades of Grey apart. “Please don’t quote that garbage book to me again.”

Whatever Cassian’s reply was, it got lost as Nesta’s comm suddenly crackled back to life. 

“Objective completed,” Gwyn announced loudly. Nesta relied on all her training not to jump at the sudden reminder that this was a mission and not weird foreplay for a date that could never happen. “Retreating to the extraction point in approximately three minutes.”

“Whenever you’re done flirting with the Commander, we can wrap this up,” Emerie teased. 

Nesta adjusted the hand that was holding Cassian’s so she could twirl around again, doing another quick sweep of the room. Gwyn’s bright hair was nowhere to be found, but she did spot a blonde woman in a dark red dress dancing far too close for Nesta’s liking. If Morrigan was showing her face, Azriel certainly wasn’t far behind, so she really had to get out of here before she was forced to cause a scene.

“I hate to dance and dash, but…” Nesta said once she was turned around and facing Cassian again, “I’m afraid I’ve worn out my welcome.”

“And what if I want you to wear me out instead?” Cassian fired back without missing a beat. 

“Then I suppose you’ll have to keep holding your breath,” she replied, deftly stepping out of his hold once the song ended. “Have a good night, sir. It was lovely dancing with you.”

Nesta made a calculated decision to bend over slightly as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress, knowing he would stare at the frankly ridiculous way her breasts were almost spilling out of her dress, before straightening up to walk away. Between calling him sir and giving him a show like that, Cassian’s jaw had gone a little slack, and she couldn’t help but smirk a little at him while she turned and made a decisive path for the door. 

“On my way,” she murmured into her comms. Satisfaction thrummed through her, and she decided it was because of a mission off to a good start. It certainly didn’t have anything to do with the way Cassian had been looking at her.

She was a trained professional, for God’s sakes. She’d wouldn’t have to deal with those feelings until and unless the next time she saw him, whenever that would be. 

tag list: @perseusannabeth | @bookstantrash | @charming-butt-insane | @oversizedbats | @melphss | @sv0430 | @podemechamardek | @autumnbabylon | @live-the-fangirl-life | @julemmaes | @that-little-red-head | @jmoonjones | @sayosdreams | @thewayshedreamed | @hiimheresworld | @brieq | @pearlfortears | @swankii-art-teacher | @nerdperson524 | @snickerdoodlechittybangbang | @imsointobooks | @nesquik-arccheron | @sweet-pea1 | @champanheandluxxury | @dustjacketmusings | @mrs-shadowsinger04 | @unlikelypersonalknight1 | @goddess-aelin | @arinbelle | @talkfantasytome | @simpingfornestaarcheron | @duskandstarlight | @letstakethedawn | @vidalinav | @c-e-d-dreamer | @dealfea | @katekatpattywack | @burningsnowleopard

[cilil]

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔: 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒌𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒔

♕ When looking for ideas for the new species he wanted to create, Melkor soon became aware of lizards that lived nearby. He found them promising in terms of survivability in the harsh environment around his strongholds - them being ectotherms* actually coming in handy - and in battle thanks to their scales

[*ectotherm = cold-blooded organisms that often rely on external heat sources]

♕ He continuously developed and expanded on the dragon design. First his little lizard friends needed to become bigger and stronger and grow harder scales; then it occurred to him to add fire breath as yet another weapon in their arsenal (most likely inspired by his own inclination towards the element of fire) and, later on, wings as well

♕ What started out as part of his war effort soon became a passion project and his favourite creation. Melkor began to feel attached to his dragons and dragonlings and they were his pride and joy

♕ Making them intelligent and giving them the ability to speak soon led to the first instance of a dragonling calling him "dada", perceiving him as its father. Melkor was surprised, but found himself strangely unwilling to correct this

♕ He had never really perceived himself as a father in the traditional sense, but very much desired to be perceived as a father/creator figure by beings in Arda like Eru himself is, as well as how Aulë is seen by the Dwarves; and he realised that he wanted to be the Father of Dragons rather than just a dragon breeder

♕ Melkor took to hatching dragon eggs himself, putting them into dedicated fire places (and sometimes the ovens in Mairon's forge when he ran out of space) for their safety, and always kept an eye on his brood. Approaching the eggs without permission was overall a terrible idea

♕ He also made sure to be present when the little ones hatched, not only to help out when needed, but also because he loved being the first thing they saw, which led to them getting very attached to him

♕ Mairon soon found their shared bedroom infested with little dragon nests due to Melkor not wanting to leave his babies alone, and newly hatched dragonlings liked to crawl all over the two and their Balrog buddies for body heat and cuddles. The Dark Lord was pretty much always seen with at least one sitting on or clinging to him and he enjoyed their childish admiration and unconditional love

♕ The little ones also could do no wrong in Melkor's eyes. A random Orc or prisoner got eaten? No problem - the poor thing was probably hungry. Someone got fire blown in their face? Maybe the little darling sneezed - or they deserved it. Little Glaurung ran outside to chase Elves before he was supposed to? Well - inconvenient, but who could blame the darling dragon for wanting to hunt? It must have been someone else's fault for not closing the gate in time

♕ It soon became apparent that dragons tended to become attached to gold and hoard it. Mairon theorised that this must be due to Melkor's essence contained within this element in particular, which Melkor agreed with - truth to be told, he really liked the thought that his "children" loved him so much

[tortillamastersblog]

♕ No Matter What - Part 13 | Lena Luthor ♕

Pairing: Lena Luthor x reader

Warnings: none

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist

________________________________________________

I sip my coffee at the kitchen island, rubbing the sleep from my eyes with my free hand.

It’s barely even six in the morning and Lena is still asleep in the bedroom.

After dinner last night, she wordlessly pulled me to bed with her and snuggled up to me.

It made my heart flip and I can no longer deny that I have utterly and irrevocably fallen in love with her, but we have yet to talk about where this thing between us is going.

I couldn’t sleep any longer because my back hurt, so I got up and took some painkillers before making some coffee.

The rain has finally stopped, but the sky is still overcast, reflecting how I’m feeling inside. I stare into my mug and watch the dark liquid swirl around.

Lex can’t get to Lena, that is one thing I’m sure of, I just don’t know how to stop it from happening yet.

Then there’s also this whole thing with Harper. I know I said we’d get coffee this upcoming week, but I honestly don’t see that happening with everything that’s going on.

I take my phone off the kitchen island and send her a quick message, asking to postpone our get together.

She unsurprisingly replies almost instantly (we’re both used to getting up this early), telling me not to worry and that she’ll be waiting for my message to reschedule.

I sigh and put the phone back down, tensing when a pair of arms wraps around my middle from behind.

“You okay?” Lena mumbles against my uninjured shoulder and I sink back into her. “Why are you up this early?”

I place my hand over hers on my stomach and close my eyes, enjoining the warmth radiating from her. “I’m okay. Just couldn’t sleep anymore,” I say.

Lena sighs and lets me go, sitting on the stool next to mine. She eyes my coffee and I smile, pushing it toward her.

It’s not quite to her taste because I always add some sugar to it, but she doesn’t complain when she takes a sip.

I watch her fondly, admiring the way her hair falls over her shoulders and how her eyes sparkle in the low light when they meet mine.

“Look,” she says, seemingly reading my mind. “I know you want to talk about us and how we move forward. I really like you, Y/N. I do. . .But with my maniac of a brother on the loose and L Corp’s stocks taking a hit because of it, I’m not in the right headspace to be in a relationship.”

I nod, but feel my heart drop. I understand what she’s saying but I can’t help but feel like this isn’t the only reason she doesn’t want to start anything serious with me.

What if she’s having second thoughts? What if she thinks I’m not good enough? What if she regrets the kiss? No, that can’t be. If that were the case, why would she still be this touchy?

My insecurities and doubt are getting the best of me, so I slip off the stool and get started on making breakfast.

“Y/N,” Lena says with a sigh, obviously sensing the shift in my mood.

I hum in acknowledgment without turning around, keeping my eyes on the stove in front of me where I just cracked two eggs into a pan.

I really like— no, I love Lena and I know she feels similarly about me, but what if she’s never ready for a relationship. She’s busy and booked almost 24/7 and there will always be something she has to deal with.

I honestly don’t know where all of these thoughts and feelings are coming from, but I can’t stop them from overwhelming me.

I’ve always been one to overthink, but not to this extent.

Lena likes me and all she said was that she can’t currently be in a relationship, so why am I doubting it?

A hand on my lower back stops my mind from spiraling and when I turn around, I force a small smile.

Lena sees right through it and tilts her head to the side, her eyes softening. “Don’t do that, Y/N. I know what’s going on inside your head. I like you, a lot, and I’m not saying I can’t imagine a future with you, because I can. Right now it’s just not the right time though, but I’d like to try with you once this whole thing with Lex has been sorted. So, please. . . Wait for me? I know it might be too much to ask but—“

I swallow my doubts and nod my head, cupping Lena’s jaw. “Okay.”

Her eyes fill with hope and she raises her hands to hold onto my wrists, keeping my hands in place. “Are you sure? Because I’d understand if—“

I bend down and press my lips against hers, effectively cutting her off.

Seems like I’m not the only one who’s overthinking.

Lena sighs and moves her hands to my hips, trying to deepen the kiss, but I pull back before she gets the chance.

The kiss was meant to shut her up and stop her rambling. I didn’t intend for it to escalate.

A dissatisfied grumble leaves Lena’s lips and I can’t help but smile and brush a loose dark curl behind her ear.

“I’m sure, but we should stop. You’re right. We should wait until this thing with your brother blows over,” I explain and Lena sighs, knowing I’m right.

She leans into my touch and I bend down again to kiss her forehead before turning back to the stove.

She doesn’t leave my side until the eggs and toast are ready to plate and we go to eat at the kitchen island.

I’m feeling better now, trusting that she means it when she says she wants to give us a chance, but I still feel like something is going to get in the way of it.

Whether it’s her changing her mind, or something happening that neither of us could have for seen, I don’t know.

I just have this gut feeling that won’t go away. The day Noah died, I also had a bad feeling when we came to a halt in the small village, but I didn’t voice my concerns because there was nothing to back them up. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and everyone would have looked at me as though I’d gone crazy if I had called off the supply run, not to mention the villagers who relied on us.

“Ms. Luthor, did you helped your brother escape from prison?”

“Where is your brother now? Are you providing refuge for him?”

“Ms. Luthor, are the rumors true that you lied in court to get your brother sentenced for crimes you committed?”

I shove the last reporter out of the way and send him a dirty glare, ignoring his shout of protest when he goes down.

Lena is tucked beneath my arm hiding behind a pair of big sunglasses and if it weren’t for her presence, I would have done much more than just shove that sorry excuse for a man.

After what feels like hours we finally manage to get to the car and Alfred opens the back door for us, working with some other security guards to keep the reporters at bay.

Lena gets in first and I pull the door shut behind us as soon as I’m in as well.

“Are you okay?” I ask immediately, noticing how she has yet to take off her sunglasses. She looks down and buries her shaky hands in her lap.

Alfred gets in the car and starts driving, leaving behind the shouting reporters and nosy passerby.

I put up the privacy screen and turn in my seat as I rech for Lena’s sunglasses. I gently pull them off her face and sigh when I see her watery eyes.

“Hey. . .” I whisper, taking one of her hands to lace our fingers together. “You know that what they’re saying isn’t true.”

She just blinks to get rid of her tears and bites her lower lip.

I only initiate this kind of contact when we’re alone because we’ve decided it’s best for now if I keep on being her bodyguard.

We haven’t kissed since that morning in my kitchen a week ago, which is for the best if I’m going to focus on my job, but I miss the taste and feel of her lips on mine.

We also haven’t slept in the same bed since that night because Lena decided to move back into her own apartment after a rather heated argument.

She said it was safer now that her whereabouts at my apartment had come out, and I only reluctantly agreed when she suggested I temporarily move into her guest room.

That way, I’m around if something happens and we have the added security measures of all the cameras and motion sensors that she has installed .

So that’s where we’re headed now after a long day at the office.

I squeeze Lena’s hand and bend down to catch her eyes. “It’s not true. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You are not your brother and you are not responsible for his actions.“

“Y/N—“

“No, it’s not true.” I cut her off, knowing that she wants to pull the we’re-related-so-his-actions-are-my-actions card.

Lena huffs and uses her free hand to wipe away her tears.

“You’re nothing like him. You’re kind and compassionate and good, Lena. Please don’t ever compare yourself to that monster.”

She stays silent, but I know I got through to her because she lets out a shaky breath and rests her head on my shoulder.

We stay like that until we get to her apartment and I help her out of the car before bidding Alfred a good night and thanking him for helping with the reporters.

The elevator ride up to the apartment is silent and as soon as we step inside, I get stared on making some dinner.

Lena heads into her bedroom, mumbling something about a shower, but I know that she just needs some space.

It’s been like this for a week now, Lena’s busy at work, she gets yelled at by reporters in the evening when we leave to go home and I cook dinner while she showers and calms down.

The fact that the police still haven’t figured out how the security system was hacked into isn’t helping either, so I try my best to be as much of a calming presence as I can be.

I chop some tomatoes for an easy pasta dish and get some water boiling, pouring a decent amount of salt into it before adding the dry pasta.

I sauté the tomatoes in a pan, addinga little pasta water and some Parmesan rind before turning off the heat and letting the sauce simmer.

Lena emerges from her bedroom right as I sprinkle some chopped herbs into the sauce and a small smile pulls at her lips when she smells the food.

I noticed her eyes are red and puffy, but don’t comment on it and strain the pasta over the sink.

“You know, I never thought you could cook like this,” she says with a hint of amusement in her voice.

I smile and decide to play along to get her mind off Lex and what the reporters said earlier. “Now, why would you think I can’t cook?” I ask, raising an eyebrow as I move to dump the pasta into the pan.

I swirl it around in the sauce before dividing it and putting it on two plates I set out earlier. I grab the Parmesan from the fridge and grate some, sprinkling it on both dishes.

“I don’t know,” Lena admits with a chuckle. “I just always thought your main source of nutrition came from protein shakes or something.”

I laugh out loud at that and grab the plates, going to the couch and sitting down. “What?”

Lena blushes and tries to hide it by turning around to grab some wineglasses from the cupboard above the stove. “I don’t know, shut up. I’m not the one built like a linebacker.”

I laugh again and don’t push her any further, accepting the glass of wine she holds out as soon as she joins me on the couch.

We eat in silence and while Lena seems to be feeling fine again, I still take notice of the dark circles under her eyes.

She hasn’t been sleeping well, I’ve heard her waking from nightmares more often than not over the past couple of nights, and even though I always go to comfort her when it happens, she refuses to ask me to stay the way she’s done before.

It makes my heart hurt, but I’ve come to realize that it’s her way of protecting herself. She’s distancing herself from me because we can’t be together just yet.

“You liked it?” I ask softly when Lena sets her empty plate down on the coffee table a few minutes later.

She nods and smiles genuinely, taking a sip of her wine before leaning back against my shoulder. “I like everything you make.”

It’s my turn to blush now and I try to hide it by taking a sip of my own wine.

The rest of the night is filled with small talk and soft laughs until Lena falls asleep with a soft smile on her lips.

I melt at how cute she looks and carefully pick her up and take her to bed. She snuggles into the covers and when I’m about to leave I notice that she’s clutching something to her chest that she didn’t have a few seconds ago.

It’s the sweatshirts I thought I’d lost in my temporary move. She must have had it stuffed underneath her pillow to hide it from me and the realization that she cuddles it while sleeping makes my stomach tingle.

I leave her bedroom with a dopey grin and go back to the living room. I clean everything and make sure all the lights are turned off before retreating to my own room.

“Y/N, come on! Why are you holding out on me?” Sam whines and I reach forward, pinching her cheek.

“Oh my God, why are you so loud?! Do you want Lena to hear you?” I hiss, looking around in fear.

Sam slaps my hand away and punches my shoulder. “She’s getting coffee. She won’t be back for another few minutes,” she argues and I roll my eyes, knowing she’s right.

We’re in Lena’s office and Sam stopped by to drop off some files, but when she saw me, she decided to stay for a little chat.

Lena used it as an excuse to finally take a break and go to get some coffee, declining my offer to get one for her.

“So?” Sam prompts again and I glance at the door to make sure it’s closed before giving in.

“Fine, we kissed when she stayed at my place, but we’re not going to start anything until this whole thing with Lex has been sorted,” I reveal.

Sam squeals with excitement and her eyes light up. “I knew it! You two are perfect for each other,” she says, giggling like a little kid.

I feel my neck heat up and turn to look at the city through the floor to ceiling windows. “Shut up. We’re not even together,” I argue weekly but Sam’s not having it.

“Yet. . .” she says teasingly, before adding, “So, how was the kiss? Was there any under the shirt action?”

I whirl around and stare at her incredulously. “Sam! Jesus, no! It was just a kiss.”

Complete unfazed, Sam just shrugs and continues to ask, “Well, was it good?”

I open my mouth, ready to snap again, but then I remember the actual kiss and can’t help but smile dumbly. “I— Yeah. It was amazing.”

Sam’s eyes glint happily and she pulls me in for a hug. “Ahhh, I’m so happy for you. And I can’t wait until it’s official. You guys will make such a power couple.”

I laugh at that and tickle her playfully so she releases me from her hold. “Thanks, Sammy.”

“What did I miss?”

I turn to find Lena entering her office with a confused smile. She’s holding her coffee in one hand and an envelope in the other.

Her dark hair is pinned up in a neat bun and like all morning, I once again have to force myself to keep my eyes on her face and not on the lower half of her body because the snug pencil skirt she’s wearing highlights all her curves perfectly.

“Oh—Uh, nothing,” I stutter and if our behavior wasn’t suspicious before it definitely is now.

“Okayyy,” Lena drawls and glances between Sam and I before shrugging and returning to her chair.

Sam winks at me when Lena isn’t looking and we chat a little longer before she excuses herself and leaves.

I return to my spot on the couch, pulling out my phone to do some scheduling for the gym.

I don’t even manage to log into my online account though before Lena gasps, earning my full attention.

“What is it?” I ask, seeing her with her eyes trained on the letter in her hand.

It must be what was in the envelope and when she doesn’t answer I get up and round her desk to look at what she’s reading.

Dearest sister—

I don’t get a chance to read much more before Lena slams the paper down on her desk. She jumps to her feet and starts breathing rapidly.

“Hey hey hey,” I say quickly, putting my hands on her shoulders. “What is it? I know it’s from Lex, but what does he want?”

Lena’s wild eyes find mine and when I see the horror reflected in them, I feel my stomach drop. “He wants me to retract the testimony I gave at his trial.”

________________________________________________

Again, a little bit of a filler, but it’s necessary for the next part.

I promise it’s going to be worth the wait.

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