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lunerabo · 4 months ago

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chef’s kiss

cw: sub!Uraume, dom!AFAB!Reader, cunnilingus, fingering, name calling, pegging, anal, hair pulling, degrading praise, free use kink, Uraume’s genitalia isn’t described (but everybody got a bootyhole so 👀), sukume involved but it’s not serious, set in the Heian period, implied cannibalism

It is no small thing to gain the recognition of the lord Sukuna himself.

It would not have cost him much had he overlooked your predictive skills, but it pays to have a guess at the future. Your talent has failed him not once since being accepted into the fold, and you can see in him that since meeting you and listening to your advice, he’s decided that perhaps the rapidly changing social tide is something he should start paying more attention to.

To say it has granted you an important seat is an understatement—and it is from this very seat that you take notice of another lovely gem in your lord’s sparse collection of trusted characters.

Uraume, his own chef, whose work you would not be ashamed to admit you had stolen to taste for yourself once or thrice. Sukuna certainly seems to like keeping talented people around.

It was one blessed evening that they spoke to you at last, voice as smooth as butter and musical as birdsong, only to be wasted on the unsavory threat of including you in their next dish if your thievery continued. You know they would have, too. You know what’s being served on those platters.

But they would have followed through only if you hadn’t been patient—if you hadn’t played your cards just right—and, perhaps, if you hadn’t been so damn good at figuring out how to read them.

They failed to notice how you notice everything. How you notice how eager they are to follow orders from only one specific master, and that if that master handed the leash to someone else, they now belonged to them. They failed to recognize just how much influence you had over that master, and perhaps you did, too, for you had expected to take your lashings and be sent away when having experimentally asked him if he might lend you his chef for a time. You’d not missed how he had taken them to his own personal quarters some nights, so it wouldn’t be lost on him what exactly you were asking for. But, amazingly, he’d said yes, so long as they are returned able to do their job.

So, them having actually visited you in your own private room has you a bit stunned.

You’ve predicted downfalls and uprisings, then wars to conclude them, all of which you estimate will happen in your own lifetime. But you couldn’t have predicted this.

Your lord’s comely chef, yukata hung seductively loose about their pale neck and shoulders. Loaned to you, as a gift, in exchange for your services.

Uraume’s expression is unreadable, but there’s an almost pleased look tugging at the corners of their lips. A scent lingers in the air around them, some expensive perfume you would never have found made just anywhere. They’ve taken extensive measures to prepare.

“You bathed before coming. You used imported soaps, of—“ you give the air another quick whiff—“Dutch make. You also have not yet eaten this morning.”

“All of this is true,” they answer. “Yet you have not been present to see it.”

“I use the present to tell the past just as much as I use it to tell the future.”

Slender fingers glide across the front of their yukata, as if to take it off, but opting instead to tease you with the idea.

“It is much more impressive to tell the future, however. Such as, for example, what you will make of me now that I’m here.”

They’re closer now, and you’re not sure when that happened, but you’re not complaining.

“That depends entirely on what you are now.”

Their clothing seems to melt away as they undress, yet the kiss they press to the corner of your mouth is arctic.

“Whatever it is you wish me to be.”

They tug at your own clothes, bring the both of you to a kneel on your futon, where they slip their icy hands under the fabric and peel it down over your shoulders.

They sink to their knees gracefully, parting yours. Their icy lips drag across your skin, and they seem to take their time admiring you. They don’t rush; they’ve been instructed to make sure you enjoy it. And despite it being merely an order, the manner in which they perform it is anything but mechanical.

Their mouth is on you in an instant, and you had prepared to keep up the smug, composed, superior act to keep this scene rolling smoothly, but a lapse in judgement has you forgetting that Uraume is a pro. They are no stranger to having their mouth used, and the skill they’ve gained from that is evident.

The way they lap at you feels eager, but their expression doesn’t seem to line up with it. It’s a task, you remind yourself—this same focused, pensive expression is one you’ve seen when they’re cooking, when they’re writing, even in everyday conversation. Their hungry mouth betrays them, and their blank expression cannot hide how they enjoy your taste.

They’ve been eyeing you too; though this you’ve felt more than seen. Uraume may deny it but your penchant for mischief despite your status has earned you an unlikely pair of admiring eyes, and a brief glance between their legs tells you everything they’ve been thinking as they’ve watched.

“You’re excited to be here, aren’t you?” You ask, still and relaxed as they pick you apart.

“Any order of lord Sukuna’s is one I will execute with enthusiasm.”

An amused frown plays at your lips.

“Did you just lie to me?”

Uraume blinks, a bit caught off guard. They didn’t, not really. None of what they said was technically untrue. Yet the friendly and jovial tone you take with them as you say that feels like a sign of danger, like there’s no correct answer.

“If you’re going to spell mistruths to a soothsayer, I would suggest at least speaking of things they cannot see in front of them.”

Most of your predictions are bullshit. Educated guesses. You’re just good at noticing things, understanding cause and effect when the answers aren’t in front of you. But you don’t even need to employ this skill to be able to plainly see that Uraume fancies you, far beyond what their master orders.

They shed you of your clothing, and their body betrays them under your touch. Your hands are as sure as death, and they have the poor thing dripping all over your fingers as you work at them. Soft bangs and fine eyelashes tickle your bare shoulder as they rest their head there, perhaps too embarrassed to show anything past a neutral expression around someone new.

“A beautiful whore you are,” you remark. “Does Sukuna loan you out to others as well, or am I special?”

“You are.”

“How lucky am I, then! I must be important.”

Their breath trembles as you play with them, their thighs tensing every so often under your gentle touch.

“You are important. Think of how—ahn!—Lord Sukuna would have f-fared without your help.”

“I’m sorry,” you begin, voice dangerously friendly and sweet, “surely you aren’t implying our mighty and beloved master would have fared poorly if someone hadn’t aided him, are you?”

The switch in their tactics is easily spotted. Rather than keep composure, they collapse, bare chest to yours, arms slung loosely and affectionately around your shoulders. Uraume’s fawning, in the hopes that they might appeal to your sympathetic side, desperately trying to convince you that that is not what they meant. They’re just a little bit disoriented from your touches, they swear! It’s certainly not that they don’t think highly of their lord.

Unfortunately for them, sympathy isn’t a word in your vocabulary.

“Tsk tsk, and I was considering being sweet to you. How would he punish you for such a comment, I wonder?”

You pull hard at a fistful of their hair, practically peeling them off of you as their head tips back and their spine arches.

“You have thirty seconds to prepare.”

They scramble, tight lipped and wide eyed, as you turn away.

What you grab is, you recall absentmindedly, expensive. Well carved and polished ivory, soft yet strong leather pinned to the base of the unmistakably phallic shape it boasts.

It’s fantastic handiwork, you muse for perhaps the thousandth time, as you fasten it about your waist and thighs. But perhaps a bit of a novelty; things like this tend to be bought more for one to tell others about how much they paid for something so frivolous and strange, not to use them.

Uraume sighs, and the sight you turn to see has your pulse racing.

They work at themselves with nimble and well oiled fingers, their rear pointed sharply upward while their head rests on the futon, and they gaze directly at you through the gap between their leg and arm. But, you think, they aren’t working hard enough.

You pull their hand away, reaching around and taking the small vial of oil from them. You’re at their side, tucking your knees under them, before pouring copious amounts of the stuff down over their hole. Your fingers glide upward, gathering it on their tips, massaging over the pert, puckered opening as if to relax them.

But the pace you immediately set with those fingers is brutal, inhumanly rapid, as you show them just how you want them loosened for you. A long series of brief, shocked, rhythmic noises force themselves from Uraume’s lips as their breath hastens to something shallow and ragged. Something that could almost be laughter if it didn’t sound so much like crying.

You give them a break, or so they believe. They nearly thank you, preparing to take a moment to gather themselves, but you begin again before they get a chance. Your hand is so forceful, so powerful, and your fingers so deep. Have you always been so talented? So mean? Something in them hopes you’ll be mean the next time around, too.

“Oh, don’t hang your head, pet. You like it, don’t you? Quit acting so glum,” you giggle, grabbing them by the jaw and forcing their head back up.

“Mm, this is a position you’re well acquainted with, isn’t it? You take to it so naturally. You’re being such a pretty slut for me...”

You stop again, this time for good. They nearly sob, unsure if in relief or in wanting more. They glance up at you, and instantly know that they’re in for it. A deceptively kind, gentle smile crosses your face, eyes half lidded, a soft glint to them that almost gives away your true intentions. The kind of perfectly crafted mask to be expected from a professional bullshitter, but they know better than to speak their mind lest they dig themselves deeper in the hole.

They shudder almost violently just feeling the dip of your weight on the futon behind them. You’re not half as gentle as your expression suggests, but they’re quite loose, not to mention trained to take bigger; perhaps it’s not such a huge deal. Judging by how they collapse rather than begging you to wait or stop, it isn’t an issue at all.

“Now, how would he have taken what you said?”

You’ve never seen the polite, composed, clean-cut chef so fucking messy. Their hair, normally neatly framing their face, splayed out across the sheets and tangled in your fist. Their hands, always so sure and steady as a practiced chef’s should be, grab aimlessly at whatever they can, gripping and releasing again and again.

It’s hard, you remind yourself, that’s why they seem to struggle with it. Flesh gives under pressure; ivory doesn’t. You can never hope to fuck Uraume the way Sukuna does. After all, he has two of what you lack entirely. But this—this feeling is new to them, that much they make very clear.

So, as is the obvious response, you familiarize them with it hard and thoroughly.

They ball up their fists, bringing them in close to their chest as you force their face down, hunching over for a better, deeper angle at which to fuck into them.

They cry and wail, but it’s too muffled in the linens to tell if they’re actually saying anything.

“Go on, pet. Cum all over the fucking place. Nice and hard for me, yes? Give the launderers some work for when they come to collect these sheets.”

Uraume convulses at your command. How you wish you could feel them, sucking you in and tightening around you as you drill them. They tremble and twitch, and their gaping hole makes a sucking sound as you withdraw from it.

They’re a sweet little thing before you, reduced to something small and pathetic under your touch. Their hole clenches around nothing. It still feels good, poor thing.

You click your tongue.

“Awww, I didn’t think it’d wear you out so much. Poor fool. I’m surprised, considering you take much bigger and much rougher on an almost weekly basis. Am I really so good at it?”

They collapse, crying out upon realizing how sensitive they are as the bedding brushes between their legs. You click your tongue in mock sympathy.

“Oh, come here, sweet thing,” you coo, looping your arms around theirs and pulling them into your lap. Your fingers card through their thoroughly mussed hair, parting the knots, straightening it out. They breathe against you as you do, back pressed to your breast.

“Would you like me here more often?”

You grin wickedly at the offer.

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goldfades · 7 months ago

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more nika headcannons please☹️

AAAA YES NIKA !!!!

─ warnings | okay so this is kinda short, pls lmk if yall want more!!!!!!

i don’t feel like nika’s thing is pda, like the most she will do is like a kiss on the cheek MAYBE

but girl trust as soon as you guys are alone she is ALL over you, like she can’t keep her hands off

and nika is like a generally aggressive player and seems very like stand offish

but with her girl SHE WILL LITERALLY BEFOME A WHOLE DIFFERENT PERSON

she’s so soft and like babyyyyyyy idk how else to explain it

she just wants to be taken care of 🥹 like she acts all tough and stuff but in reality she’s just a SOFTIE

and honestly you’re so whipped for her, but nika is like.. DOWN down bad

she’s usually very level-headed but when it comes to you, it is all thrown out the window

and this in ALL aspects — like if you ever need anything, at any time of day, nika will be there for you and do anything you need

also, she loses her shit when anyone hurts you even slightly

you think paige is insane when it comes to their person, you have NOT seen nika

it’s a totally different level of protective

maybe even over protective at times

when it comes to weirdo strangers at parties, yeah she’s cussing them out!!! and she isn’t afraid to put her hands on them too if they get too close!!!

like paige, she will get mad at anyone who hurts your feelings because who the fuck are they to hurt her precious girlfriend??!?!?

oh don’t even get me started if she sees tears, it’s over for them

doesn’t matter if you tell her not to get involved, she will defend you with her life

and it doesn’t matter who either, she’s so fiercely loyal!

speaking of loyalty, she literally only has eyes for you

even before you’d started dating, she’s loyal and will not even think about people

it takes her a while to catch feelings so that means it takes a LOT for her to lose feelings, therefore you’re stuck with her for life

but who would mind she’s the BEST

oh my gosh her accent makes you feral (it makes everyone go feral who can blame em?)

and she uses that to her advantage FOR SUREEEEE

she makes you wear her jerseys to games ALWAYS!

like if you show up to a game without her number on you, she’s gonna be pissed

idk why i get the vibe she’s lowkey petty too😭

she would pick stupid fights with you just so and you’ll get really annoyed with her sometimes because it’s like

babe… is it really that serious?

but it’s never too serious so you guys make up by the end of day

but if it is serious, nika WILL take it seriously and do everything in her power to either make it right or talk to you

because she knows communication is KEY!

#wcbb x reader #wcbb #uconn women’s basketball #uconn #uconn huskies #uconn wbb #nika muhl x reader #nika muhl imagine #nika mühl #nika muhl #ncaa women’s basketball #women's college basketball #wnba basketball #ncaaw

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fanfiction4sooya · 11 months ago

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hiii mother! i was wondering what animals you think twice would be g!p hybrids of? all i can figure out till now is sana is a puppy and nayeon is a bunny ehe

Hi luv!! Sorry for making you wait, this one was quite hard to think of but I think I finally got a conclusion!! Hope you like it 💖 (I do not write for chaeyoung)

Nayeon: Obviously a bunny. Playful, spoiled, extremely bratty and very quick to feel horny; Can go a lot of rounds without resting so you are usually the one to tap out when she gets too excited. Big dick and she knows how to use it, the most sadistic out of the other ones. Likes to make you cry while taking her in your mouth and loves seeing your cunt all red and puffy (loves slapping your pussy with her big hands)

Jeongyeon: Dog hybrid, more specifically a siberian husky. Intimidating, loud with those she trusts, very cuddly and actually very protective. A naturally jealous partner, enjoys hearing you say her name over and over when you two have sex. Doesn't hit you at all because she is way too strong for that, but she knows exactly how to fuck you to the point of you losing counsciousness (literally);

Momo: Grey wolf. Big, introverted, more of a family hybrid, takes care of her partner but doesn't like rules and is often grumpy if she isn't satisfied with something. Is the type to spend hours on end eating you out because your needs come first. Huge dick and I mean it, like 23cm. Has a size kink and will trap you under her body when she feels like fucking. Buys you new underwear every chance she gets because she often rips them;

Sana: Artic Fox. Contrary to what most people feel, she doesn't give me these puppy vibes. She is playfull at times, yes, but when she is serious? intimidating as hell. I believe she navigates easily between serious and unserious, specially because of her cute demeanor. But at the end of the day she is a hunter and she will take whatever she wants. Loves to have you ass up and face down, specially to fuck your ass and get you to cum without barely touching your pussy. Also loves cum play and will get nasty with it;

Jihyo: Lioness. You can't say that the way she acts isn't the way of a lioness!! Jihyo is the epitome of fierce and motherly (and stern too when needed). Always careful to not scratch you, loves to fuck you missionary so she can stare into your eyes while she breeds you. Actually likes to pound into you while hugging your body against hers, specially her boobs against yours. Gets hard at the most basic things such as seeing you cook and will rail you from behind when it happens;

Mina: A cat. More specifically a raggdoll cat. Very sophisticated and elegant, doesn't get loud or throw tantrums but is quite territorial and will stare down with a blank face whoever gets near you; Likes the idea of getting people nervous because of her beauty and elegant demeanor. Loves to scratch you with her fangs but is careful around your boobs so she doesn't hurt them. The only one who was open since the beggining about enjoying the idea of getting fucked in the ass with your strap (and she loves it as much as she loves fucking you with her cock). Can cum just by getting her body massaged by your experient hands;

Dahyun: Red Panda. Small and way too cute, can't seem intimidating or disobedient even if she wants to. She is classy and loves to spend time around you, specially at your feet sleeping. Unintetionally funny and charismatic. Traditional, doesn't let you get near her ass, but will sub enough to let you fuck her amazon position style and loves breeding you in this position too so she can suck you off aftweards. Really loves to be under you looking into your eyes as you clench and sink on her cock;

Tzuyu: Deer. There's no denying her that. Pretty and sophisticated like Mina, doesn't like big crowds specially if there are hybrids involved, she prefers quietly observing. Her ears are always perched up, brown and white. Is the epitome of grace, very submissive to the point of letting you make any (and I mean any) decision for her. cries if she feels overstimulated and loves to watch you ride her cock with the most adorable expression and flushed cheeks. Not usually loud, gets you crazy when you lean to kiss her while fucking yourself on her cock and she quietly whimpers " yes mommy, please"

#gxg smut #twice #twice smut #mina smut #tzuyu smut #jeongyeon smut #sana smut #jihyo smut #dahyun smut #nayeon smut #momo smut

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wyndowpane · 4 months ago

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LOTR in a modern world headcanons? I think yes.

I did this on one of my old accounts that i ended up deleting for some reason, i don’t remember, but here. Back on my Lord Of The Rings BS, let’s gooooo. This’ll be the fellowship with everyone intact, no one is dead.

As always requests are open and let me know if you want more!

LOTR x GN! Reader, general headcanons for if you had to take care of them today, in 2023. Enjoy!

The ring most likely has no power in this dimension, so yay Frodo is free from torment!

Sam loves watching cooking, gardening and home renovation shows, and he gets very invested in the former two. You learn a lot you didn’t really need to know from his commentary

Once Pippin learns about pyjamas and fuzzy slippers he never goes back, you literally cannot get him out of them

Boromir and Aragorn, being human and coincidentally two of the most responsible members of the fellowship, are the easiest to take in public to the grocery store and such.

You can pass off the hobbits (if they cover their ears with their hair) as children, and Gimli is your friend with dwarfism.

Gandalf you can pass off as your grandfather, and Legolas looks pretty normal if you cover his ears.

Pippin is the type to bounce in his seat in the car and ask “Are we there yet?!” every 5 minutes

Frodo really likes to draw, especially when there’s so many cool places and movies to draw inspiration from.

Movie nights? No horrors. The hobbits are terrified by ‘em.

Movie nights are literally so difficult because they all have such different tastes

Merry really likes James Bond movies.

Pippin is obsessed with nail polish when you introduce him to it. Boromir gets his repainted every time the polish come off. His nails need serious help after a while

Pippin and Merry often start pillow fights, and drag everyone else into it

If you have space for a garden or plants in your home, Sam is on it. He finds it calming, so now you have some home grown plants :)

Taking the hobbits in public? Bad idea. You can trust Frodo and Sam, but Merry inevitably drags Pippin off to do something dumb and possibly dangerous.

Gandalf has an old man rocker. There is no discussion.

The hobbits do the classic “getting one sibling to ask for fast food because whoever’s in charge will say yes”, they get Frodo to do this because he has the best puppy dog face and he’s unsure about asking for things normally.

Pippin and Merry cannot handle too much caffeine or sugar or they go crazy

You thought Legolas’ hair was good before? He steals your hair care products and his hair is literally perfect.

(He’s also willing to do skincare with you, not that his face needs it. Again, flawless)

Game nights are so chaotic. You can’t play a lot of games since they don’t know what many things from this world are, so games like Trivia and Charades are off the table

Gimli and Legolas verse each other in video games, often enough it ends with Legolas winning and Gimli rage quitting

Aragorn is so responsible he’s literally the perfect man to do anything with, and he can hold the fort down if you need to leave

Pippin is so clingy, he trails you wherever you go and asks you random questions but it’s adorable

Boromir insists on carrying your stuff, bags of groceries, all that

Frodo often goes to the library to find new books to read, with you of course

There’s a whole debate on whether 3D or 2D animation is better, i would not get involved if i were you.

Pippin and Merry are also avid fans of quoting their favourite movies, once they see them

Legolas and Frodo are the best listeners, they will just sit there and not judge or try to give you advice they just. sit there. like the perfect men they are.

Legolas would have a meme for everything. Like any situation. You text him like “PIPPIN FELL DOWN SOME WELL WE DON’T EVEN HAVE A WELL HELP” and he just has a meme that fits the situation perfectly.

Frodo and Legolas would watch Avatar: The Last Airbender together because it’s their favourite show. Aragorn jumps in also.

Those three are also avid tea drinkers.

Boromir likes Game Of Thrones. I don’t know anything about it, he just does. Please confiscate Pippin while he does.

Pippin gasps dramatically whenever a plot twist surprises him.

Sam loves to cook, and he does a lot of cooking in the house once he arrives. You two just work together in the kitchen (if you can’t cook, he’ll teach you) and have nice sweet conversations

Legolas is great at doing people’s hair. If you ask him to, he’d probably agree, though he’d probably be a bit flustered as that is a courting ritual in his culture.

Ask Legolas to talk to you until you fall asleep. His voice is so heavenly istg-

The hobbits get sleepy when their hair is played with and it’s adorable

Won’t lie this hyperfixation came back then it circled back to TMNT and today i watched these films with my friend and now i’m back to LotR love. Most of this has been sitting in my drafts for a couple weeks.

Anyway, I think that’s about it from me, I hope you guys enjoy! :)

If you want to request, rules are pinned on my page! Let me know if you want a general part two or a set of modern headcanons for a specific character. I love LOTR in the modern world content so much.

Have a good day, and remember that you are loved!

#lotr #ord of the rings #x reader #lotr x reader #gn! reader #frodo x reader #sam x reader #merry x reader #pippin x reader #aragorn x reader #legolas x reader #gimli x reader #boromir x reader #gandalf x reader #platonic headcanons #everybody lives #im not making aragorn a single father no sir #lotr in modern world #repost from my old account!

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vintagetvstars · 2 months ago

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Jamie Farr Vs. Scott Bakula

Propaganda

Jamie Farr - (M*A*S*H) - the way he looks in a dress and the way he was out there doing it and defending it every time someone tried to use it against him, and that when he did stop wearing dresses on mash that it was His choice to but he did keep wearing some bits of jewelry. also straight up just in love with his profile hes one of the first people i remember seeing on tv and being like oh MY nose is like that too so big win for the nose enjoyer community :)

Scott Bakula - (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise (Seasons 1-3)) - Idk how to even explain how hot Scott Bakula is as Dr. Sam Beckett in Quantum Leap. Sam is the ultimate hot nerd - a genius with six doctorates, who invents a way to time travel, he's selfless and pure of heart, and will unhesitatingly punch bigots in the face when necessary. He also does a lot of singing and dancing (Bakula is a Tony nominated musical theatre actor) and takes off his shirt A LOT. He kind of looks like just some guy in still photos, but watch him in an episode, and trust me, you'll understand.

- No Negative Propaganda Please -

Master Poll List | How to submit propaganda | What is vintage? (FAQ)

Additional propaganda below the cut

Jamie Farr:

Scott Bakula:

CW: Text propaganda briefly talks about an episode involving sexual assault

look. the broad spectrum of issues covered in quantum leap with a SHOCKING amount of sincerity and good balance of comedy with serious topics should be able to speak for itself here. to me its a very Classic scifi/speculative fiction model of reflection on social issues - episodes where sam is put through minority group experiences or put in social positions of difficulty (in particular, the episode in which hes in the body of a teen girl thats been raped by a local Golden Boy always comes to mind. for ostensibly a comedy show, they took big serious swings and that helps it hold up still.) and yes he absolutely rocked the dresses they tailored for him. guy that is hot bc hes not afraid to get serious Or sillay. one fun fact i have about him is that his contract for enterprise specified that they had to be done filming every day by a certain time so that he could go have dinner at home, he made the studio give him time to spend with his family bc when they filmed quantum leap he would be away months at a time. also hes a triple threat he has stage experience too <3

youtube

#vintage tv stars poll #tv men 3 #jamie farr #scott bakula #Youtube

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lilacxquartz · 6 months ago

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Those Late Summer Nights | Chapter 12

satoru gojo x f!reader × suguru geto

plot: you moved to tokyo over the summer to take a teaching job. As you get settled in, you find yourself entangled in a toxic dynamic.

chapter summary: alone with someone you should be able to trust. you quickly learn just how cruel the world can be.

warnings: noncon

< Previous Chapter • Next Chapter >

12. Poison

You tried to face the next day as normally as you could, but you still felt pretty shaken up even if it was nothing too serious that came out of it.

While your injuries were thankfully minimal and were already starting to heal, just for your own comfort alone, Shoko decided to spruce you back into shape anyway using her technique.

“You’d tell me if something was wrong, right?” she asked you, trying to make your business her business. Something was up, she could feel it.

“Yes,” you lied, knowing you couldn’t do so right now at least. Your mind felt numb and too much was happening all at once for you to properly do anything right now.

“If it’s someone we both know, you know that I’d be on your side, right?” she promised.

You didn’t reply and she didn’t press you further, understanding that this was something beyond your own control.

She however tried to help keep things feeling normal between the two of you. The conversation topics were tame and you mostly talked about what you both did yesterday, trying to keep things relaxed.

Suguru was over pretty early on, his mind wasn’t in the right place at all. He texted you a while ago in the earlier morning, telling you that he would collect you soon but you hadn’t even looked at your phone yet, hoping to avoid everything else instead.

You reluctantly tagged along when he did arrive though, even if you did want to stay behind for longer. You wanted to stay behind with Shoko and just spend the day quietly with her and yet you didn’t protest when Suguru whisked you away. Your mind was also in strange places too, especially around him; were you involved with him or not? He wasn’t being too clear. You did things, but was that it?

You didn’t really understand what your relationship with him was but it did feel like he was trying to involve you with him, even if you didn’t have a say in it.

The walk happened in silence up to his apartment and he dragged you with some roughness through the crowded street, almost seeming impatient and in a hurry to get back. He only lived about half an hour away from you but the walk felt pointlessly long and tedious and also grating all at the same time, especially in such silence.

Once you had both arrived, he sat you down on the bed and just stared at you for what seemed to be the longest time. There was something a little unhinged in his glare as he looked at you and it made you feel a little uncomfortable.

He tried to talk himself down yet again as he had been trying to do so all night as he laid awake. His eyes looked so tired; dark circles desaturating his eyes with dusty blue hues.

There was something poisonous about you and it ate away at him like a disease, thinking that even just by being around you was probably a mistake, but he didn’t care anymore; he was too far gone.

Suguru momentarily stood up to close the door to the bedroom and clenched his fists as he tried again for the final time to talk himself out of what he desperately wanted to do.

However, his jealousy was beyond its peak and had since then turned into something ugly.

“Do you trust me, [name]?” he asked you as his dark eyes glared right at you.

To you, this felt like a loaded question and you weren’t quite sure right at this very moment. In truth, you were feeling burnt out as of late because you wanted to trust your friends, but your friends also kept hurting you.

“Yes,” you partially lied. You wanted to say no, but you were alone in a place where you shouldn’t be.

Why… did you let him take you back here? You didn’t understand why you followed. You didn’t understand why you didn’t tell Shoko that Suguru hurt you first.

He nodded and parted his lips again, “And do you believe me when I say that I want what’s best for you?”

You paused once again. Oh how desperately you wanted to say no because to you it felt like he wanted to take advantage of you in vulnerable state because there was something about it that excited him.

But you couldn’t.

“I suppose,” you replied once again with another lie. You supposed that you weren’t really sure? You wanted to trust him, but he already talked you into something you didn’t quite fully understand at the time and you were still confused.

“So, what happened last night then?”

“I told you.”

“No, actually, you never did,” he shook his head as he replied, trying to still keep it all together, “see, me and Shoko went based off of assumptions but you never mentioned anything else.”

“I, uh, got jumped… and then… pushed against a wall,” you sighed, you didn’t lie about that part and you were fairly certain that you told him that much already.

Suguru paused, having an idea. Such a bad idea, such a horrible thing to have in mind—but he couldn’t stop himself. Taking your hand into his own, he led you to a nearby wall within his bedroom and pushed you flat on your back against it.

“Like this?” he asked.

Your breath locked; you didn’t like where this was going at all.

Why was he trying to act this out with you?

“N-no, my back was facing the person, it was my chest that was up against the wall,” you hesitated as you replied, unsure why you were indulging in this.

Did you want him to hurt you?

You didn’t.

So why weren’t you telling him to stop what he was doing?

Nothing made sense anymore.

He promptly flipped you over, pushing you face-side against the wall, making sure to push his body right up against yours.

You shuddered at how familiar it felt.

“The bruises…” he commented, remembering a detail from Shoko’s examination. “He felt you up, didn’t he?”

Did you even dare reply?

“Suguru…” you tried to snap him out of this, but he wasn’t willing to listen.

“Did he or didn’t he?” he repeated.

You nodded warily instead, already dreading the worst.

“Hmm,” he hummed to himself, staring at you intently as he pushed himself even closer; his hand moved up your top and slid underneath your bra, his hand groping against your flesh, fingernails almost digging crescents into your skin.

Before you had a chance to freak out, he spoke up again, keeping the distance on you as close as possible—his breath rippling down your neck.

“How’d your face get injured before?” he asked as his fingertips traced along your jawline. He noticed that you barely had anything leftover, which must have been Shoko’s doing.

“I… they… slammed against the wall and my face took a hit,” you reluctantly shared even if he didn’t seem to be heading down that route.

He took a step back and imagined what it would be like on a free space, charading his actions on the vacant wall. He imagined that the attacker’s knuckles or hands would be grazed from doing so.

“I’m not gonna lie,” he spoke up after another painful moment of silence, “this is fucking me up more than it should.”

You didn’t reply as you turned around again. He seemed to let you.

“Did they do anything to you? Please be honest.”

“They didn’t get that far,” you mumbled.

“But they were about to, right?” he furrowed his brows as he considered the idea.

“I’m not sure…?” you hesitated to reply once again. “They seemed like they were about to, but something stopped them. I’m not sure what, though.”

Suguru quietly nodded as he understood this. He mostly just didn’t like that he was finally getting so close to you but someone else almost got even closer. The fact that this person touched you in places that he hadn’t gotten to first was extremely upsetting to him. The fact that this person could have gotten further before him was sending his mind into terrible places that he could just barely get himself out of.

It was a bitter realisation but he ultimately decided that he needed to get a lot worse before he could get better; something extreme to help him finally calm down. This meant doing something he was going to regret though, something that was going to make you resent him—maybe even hate him—but he was going to make it up to you after it was all out of his system.

It hurt him in his own way. He didn’t want you to despise him yet he couldn’t keep himself under control.

Was he going insane? He wasn’t even sure; he didn’t really know the answer to anything currently and he hated where this was going, but he couldn’t talk himself out of it anymore.

“So, you’re probably going to hate me for what I’m about to do,” he spoke, trying to talk himself down but it wasn’t going in that direction at all, “I’m sorry.”

Something about his words felt sharp as if you could feel a cut forming from his intentions alone. You understood it somehow.

“W-what…?” you asked as you felt your heart drop to your stomach. It was becoming abundantly clear what he was about to do, especially as he led back you onto his bed.

“I just—I just don’t want anyone else to ever touch you again,” he began as he moved his legs parallel to side over yours, his body closing in overhead as he knelt onto the bed, “I don’t want anyone to look at you either.”

“What are you going to do?” you asked almost blankly as if anticipating it already, hoping that asking him would snap him out of it.

“You probably have no idea how much I really like you, huh?” he asked, scoffing a little as he spoke, his gaze darkening.

Your tone turned wary again, “Hopefully enough not to do something horrible?”

“I know, I know, I really shouldn’t do this, but,” Suguru spoke, trying to stop himself a final time but failing to do so, “but I need you all to myself in a way that others can’t have.”

Without warning, he then pushed you down against your back, watching you fall beneath him onto the mattress.

You gulped down your fear, still thinking that maybe he was actually pulling your leg and that it was all just a sick joke, but he just kept going and the punchline never came.

“So, here’s what I’m gonna do, [name],” he whispered as he kept you pinned underneath his chest, “I’m going to make sure none of that can ever happen again because I’m going to make sure that you understand that there can never be anybody else ever again.”

His hand crept into your top again, pulling it up as he kept your breasts now exposed. He then moved his other hand into your inner thighs, searching for your underwear just below your skirt, slipping off the pair as he kept the skirt on.

“I’m going to be the only one for you and I’m happy to repeat this again and again, until you finally get it,” he added, his tongue pushing into your protesting lips, tasting you as your hands were now trying to desperately push him away but he wasn’t letting you, forcefully interlocking his fingers with yours, “until you give in, until you-“

“—Suguru, ple-“ you tried to protest as you tore away from his kiss, but you were quickly interrupted as he had no intention of stopping.

“—Keep saying my name,” he whispered as he led the conversation elsewhere, “keep saying it and don’t you dare think about anything else, about anybody else.”

“Stop,” you tried to say instead.

“I can’t,” he simply denied his lips trailing off to your neck now as his hands explored your thighs, he loved your thighs, enjoying the way that they filled out in his hand, squeezing your skin like he owned you.

He had a glazed, almost feral look in his eyes as he slowly undressed, pulling down his sweatpants as well as boxers in tow to reveal his throbbing erection. His dominant hand momentarily retreated as he lazily stoked himself, his teeth tugging against his bottom lip.

“Face it, you’re mine now, [name],” he said flatly in a dead tone, “I knew it from the very moment that I saw you, that you weren’t going to be good for me, that I wouldn’t be able to stay away.”

“Suguru-“

“—Save your breath, say it when you mean it,” he said, silencing you, “say it only when you mean it.”

“But-“

“My pretty little poison,” he whispered over you, “so bad for me, you’re so bad for me.”

He continued as he parted your legs with some force, taking a focused look at your pretty pussy as he leaned back a little, now proceeding to guide himself in against your entrance. The way your warm lips accepted him as he pushed inside felt intoxicating to him, filling you out as much as you could take him.

You tried to fight him off as he did so; your hands pushing against his solid physique that barely budged at all. You felt a wave of nausea sweep over you as you barely processed exactly what was happening.

Suguru initially eased into you slowly; his cock pushing deep within you to get a feel for you, enjoying what was your reluctant tightness as his hands couldn’t help but wander.

He was going to touch you wherever he possibly could, not allowing anyone else to have that first opportunity.

You were his.

“S-Suguru-“ you tried to protest again but he didn’t reply.

He looked down at you as you begged for him to stop, his expression not seeming as flat as it was before with a faint smile curling on his lips. He felt strange about this too, knowing fully well that this whole thing was extremely wrong; that what he was doing was a crime, that it was hurtful, that you didn’t deserve this—but his mind wasn’t well right now and he needed to get it all out of his system.

He needed a cure for his own sickness, an antidote to finally free him from it all.

So as the poison festered within his bloodstream, he simply enjoyed hearing the way you would say his name, wanting to hear you say it again and again.

As such, he increased the pressure on you, his pace becoming a touch more forceful as he made sure to slam his hips right against your own.

He wanted to make you feel him.

He wanted for you to hurt but only as long as he was the one inflicting it and nobody else.

“Say my name again,” Suguru now demanded, feeling himself lose his way as your pained moaning became higher pitched, sounding piercingly loud in the otherwise quiet room.

You surrendered to his demands, unsure of how to feel as he found pleasure in your misery.

“Suguru, I-“ you panted out, feeling yourself becoming breathless.

He sped up his pace once more in response, bucking his hips at a feverish speed, his cock filling you perfectly out—feeling the encouragement as he heard you gasp out his name. His movement felt borderline unbearable as you struggled to take him; his own sounds beginning to sound almost primal as he got closer to his strained end.

The sensation of your own body rubbing relentlessly against his, the sniffle of your cries, the smell of mixed sweat on your skin, the taste of your lips—it was almost becoming unbearable as it all overwhelmed him (and you) to the point of no return, he had quite literally never felt like this at any point in his life before.

This wasn’t the consequence of getting with someone unwilling, nor was it because he finally got what he wanted out of you; this was an emotion that he could only hope to begin to understand.

“—Su-gu-ru—“ you continued to gasp as your breathing fluttered, sounding almost constricted.

His body enveloped yours as you felt a combined presence of heat and sweat mutually collide with his body; you felt as he pounded into your core with the entirety of his length; the very edge of him pushing against you so deep that you felt genuine and utter pain as he slammed his meat inside.

To some guilty feeling, you almost didn’t want him to stop but you felt disgusted with yourself when you made that connection.

It wasn’t something you could justify at all.

Was it confusion? Was it lust? You couldn’t possibly like him… and yet—?

You did?

The realisation was nauseating.

You liked him when he was good to you, but he was being so bad to you; he wanted to hurt you, but he didn’t want you to be hurt by anyone else, you wanted this, you didn’t want this—but—!

Were you messed up for thinking this way?

“You look so pretty when I fuck you,” he whispered as his hands worshipped your body despite invading it at the same time, his palms brushing against your skin as he lightly grabbed you along the way, “please, don’t ever look at someone else the same way that I look at you.”

“I-I-“ you tried to say something back, unsure as to what exactly. Your face felt raw as the tears finally surfaced, a strange surge of both clarity and confusion conflicting with one another at the back of your mind.

“—I don’t want you to feel hurt from anyone, from anything else,” he continued to whisper, his breath heavy against your face, “I want to be the only one who can do that to you,” he told you as he kissed your forehead, “the only one who can take that pain away all at the same time.”

He then pulled back for a moment.

“Do you understand me?” he asked.

You nodded, unsure how else to reply.

“Use your words,” he pleaded, almost.

You gulped.

“I understand,” you barely whispered, your voice practically gone from your body along with any shred of hope you had left for yourself.

He stayed quiet as he parsed your words, seeming to be satisfied after a brief moment had passed. He slowly pulled back just a little bit, gently turning your hips and your shoulders over to your stomach, pulling you closer to him and moving himself back into you from behind.

Such a position now allowed for him to access you deeper than before, his cock now hitting places that were now even more hurtful than before due to the initial soreness he had caused and with such unforgiving pace.

The room was silent except for the sound of raw skin smacking continuously, your thighs feeling red and sore from just the amount of time he spent holding onto you. His fingers dug slowly into the softness of your ass as he held on, making his claim on your body as intense and as memorable as possible.

He slowly lowered you down so that your stomach positioned itself flat against the bed as his chest now pressed against your back, feeling himself almost tremble from what felt like a violent urge to empty himself within you.

“Say my name again.”

“Suguru-“

That was all that he needed; clear and utter obedience from you now that you were broken down and finally his.

With one final thrust, he sighed a low and heavy grunted groan as his body at last had melted against your own. He twitched as he came inside of you, riding out the last of his climax for as long as he could. You felt as he pulled out; a hot and sticky mess, coating your thighs as he finally left your body.

The feeling was sickening.

Yet you felt numb.

He moved you back so that you were facing him, his face pressing right against yours in spite of how drenched you now both were.

“[name], you gotta promise me,” he whispered once more, trying to keep himself sweet just for you even though he just did something so very terrible to you, “you can’t let this happen to you again if it’s not with me.”

You couldn’t reply as his words continued to jolt you, your mind feeling jarred as it only just caught up to what had exactly happened. He was being so confusing, even now, as he plucked the stray strands of your hair from your flushed face just to get a better look at you.

He felt guilty, terribly so, but it was only ever going to get worse the longer that he put it off.

It was never supposed to go this far, but it did anyway.

Finally though, he had an idea of how to make it up to you.

“Hey. Uh, look, I…I’m going to teach you how to hurt people back,” he spoke after a while, a new thought forming in his mind as something within his head finally clicked.

You looked at him with some confusion but didn’t reply. Your eyes were questioning enough though, so he spoke up again, “I’ll give you some time to recover so it’ll be in a couple of days, but I’m going to make it all up to you.”

“H-how?” you finally asked.

He brought your head forward again, kissing your forehead just once more as he held onto your face.

“I’ll help you become strong so that you can defend yourself against people like me,” he said as he paused again as he started to finally give into his suspicions, “against people like…”

(People like Satoru…?)

It was obvious from the moment he made the connection, even if he didn’t want to realise it—it was genuinely so fucking clear that it was almost insulting.

“Hey?” he asked, trying to hold onto your attention for a little longer.

“Y-yeah?” you replied, not feeling as though you had much choice anymore. You were starting to feel as though there was something wrong with you for how you were reacting currently, you should have been much more upset but it didn’t feel like anything mattered anymore.

“You still trust me, right?” he asked you.

You couldn’t reply right away, your gut instinct pointing you towards a definite no even as your heart said otherwise.

“I guess you don’t,” he scoffed lightly, but not quite seeming entirely offended. “I wouldn’t trust me right now either, but allow me at least to rephrase my question. You ready?”

You warily nodded.

“…Do you trust me to keep you safe from everything else?”

There was that confusing feeling again.

“Yes,” you replied, feeling the disgust settle in your body.

“Good,” he finally relaxed as he finally relaxed, getting up from the bed.

Suguru walked then over to the en-suite nearby to get himself cleaned up but then he paused in his tracks.

Taking one last look at you, he decided on something important, “I’ll make sure to fulfil that promise from now on.”

140 notes · View notes

mitsua · 4 months ago

Note

in headcannon format, can you do Lucifer, Satan, and Belphegor with an MC who’s always really cold towards them but also have a soft spot for children? Like if Belphegor asks for a favor they’ll bluntly say that he should do it on his own but if Luke even looks at a plush they’ll buy it in a heartbeat and be so happy and gentle towards him

They don’t hate the brothers, they just. Really like taking care of kids and refuse to do the same for adults

Hello!! First of all, I'm so sorry for the delay.

This request sounds pretty interesting to me and I just had to try my best and make their headcanons a little more longer! Hope it's what you looked for <3

With an MC who's cold towards them but have a soft spot for children

Warnings: bratty behaviour from Belphegor, slightly cold reader I suppose?

Series: Obey me! SWD? Genre: littleee to no angst, mostly fluff

Words' count: 1.13k MC's. . . GN!

Since the beginning he could see you could stand your ground whenever you wanted to, if not, 'how you could have helped him and his brother's with that whole ordeal back on the attic incident days?'

He got to know you were a though and brave human. Then how is it that you're all smiles and cute laugh while spending time with Luke the chihuahua?

After he's seen that behaviour of yours towards no one but Luke, it gets difficult to act indifferently when he gets you to stand in front of him looking as serious as ever.

But that's it, you've never done anything cute or smile towards him really, so? It should mean nothing, if that chihuahua got a better joke that really made you laugh well, then that's that, yes.

He comes up with a plan.

He tries to recreate a similar occassion as the one you gladly offered help to Luke when you saw him baking at the HoL by himself just for fun. He wrecks his library a mess and sighs loudly and frustratedly to see if you'd offer help too. You do out of politeness though, but as his pride gets in the way and brushes it off as 'something that he'll get done in no time', you don't budge further and immediately retire. This freaks him out, he thought you'd pry a little more—but then again, he's only seen you do something for someone when it involved Luke, as he's never got the opportunity to watch you with other looking children—so maybe he should even be grateful you offered to help once.

He tries to pay no mind to those thoughts of you being kind towards other creatures and or people, but at least he now knows—if you ever offert to help again, he'll fight strongly to say 'yes'.

He'll try his best to slowly but surely try and get more reactions out of you, mostly because of his love for you, but his pride may get in the way more than one time again...

He respects you, mostly because you were the one who helped him through his inner battle about his hatred towards Lucifer and his very own self.

He's also researched about common human boundaries and came across a page that read about how they may change when your relation with the person goes further and you develop trust and fondness towards them.

Then he makes his job as a detective and tries to set up (not really 'cause they're mostly usual activities to do in the HoL) some scenarios to try and get a reaction from you that might mean you're relation has gotten stronger and maybe get you to smile like the time he sneaked a peek when Luke came to the house and saw you all giggly. The best reaction he got out of you was when he showed you a book about little demon creatures and the steps to take proper care of them. Your lips curled upwards a little and he saw tenderness in your eyes.

He understood, you liked children the best. Something he can't say he does too, but acknowledges some people do like more kids than others.

He gets frustrated often even after his discovery trying to get you to open up to him or even to get you to laugh about anything at all. He gets he's not the funniest out of his brothers, but he feels the necessity to, since a growing love has been looming over too long now in his heart—and the thought that he's done nothing more than given you his pact after all you did for him and his brothers haunts him.

Later then, he might settle to watch you enjoy your time from affar with Luke or even trying to blend with you two with the excuse of trying to learn more recipes.

For him you were reliable, you helped him get with his family after all he did, except—always with a stoic face.

That surely weirded him out at first because he remembered humans used to be smiling all the time he spent with Lilith in their world.

After a while he forgot his first impressions of you and moved along. Until one day he feels extremely tired to do a chore Lucifer tasked him to and asked if you could do it instead.

You were not new to his tricks and how he'd get his way to not repay you—and you had no interest in gaining another thing to do either, so you disagreed and told him to do it himself, 'as a demon he surely had many other ways to get what he wanted'. Of course this got him in a worst mood and grumpily went to run the errand.

Later on, after that messy event, he found himself observing you a little more. He noticed your behaviour towards his brothers and if you ever got the opportunity—towards any adult too.

'Why?' more possibly was his first question. Then he watched you take Luke around your city on a free weekend you agreed to gave Simeon, Luke and himself a tour around. Surprisingly, Simeon and Belphegor spent more time together walking behind Luke and you, who seemed to be having the time of your lives. He really didn't want to make a fuss about it but after you bought a plushie Luke had eyed a second too long without second thoughts, he started ranting about his observations to Simeon, who—to his not amusement—had been thinking the same. 'So you liked children the most? Why? They're little brats that don't know how to behave and whine too much. Hmm, why does he feel he's heard some of this being directed towards him in the past? But even if that was true, if he did behave like a child sometimes why wouldn't you treat him the same as you treat Luke?' Once your trip is over, watch out 'cause he'll definitely be way more troublesome and start asking snarkily why don't you treat him like you treat children after he asks for a favor and you decline. Of course you wouldn't mind, but at some time you'll grow tired of it and better explain yourself for him to stop being so annoying.

When you finish your explanation, he'll stop his rude behaviour and instead start to pout.

Don't worry, even if he has to put up with some nuisances to see you act so kind and smile just like you do, he'll eat up any remark or joke about it to enjoy the moment with you, and who knows, maybe even might end up liking children just like you too? After all, you taught him how to love humans once again.

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arvandus · 5 months ago

Text

Love and Duty Chapter 2

Banner background made by me; do not copy or distribute without permission.

OVERALL FIC WARNINGS: cisfem!Reader; canon adjacent (i.e., loosely-based); 18+ (Minors and ageless blogs DNI!); NSFW in future chapters; violence in future chapters (not against MC); deceit/lying; fake relationship (one-sided); pining; angst with a happy ending.

Chapter 1

Love and Duty Chapter 2

For all of the drama of the previous night, the brothers were quick to apologize the next day, with Mammon practically groveling for forgiveness.

With your temper now cooled back to its usual low hum, you had accepted their apologies, and in a rare case of cooperation between them, Mammon and Asmo managed to put their funds together to replace the dress that they had ruined.

It was hard to stay mad at them after that...

But it was also hard to focus on much else besides the new development between you and Barbatos. It was a strange vortex of emotions that you found yourself in, caught in a tug-o-war between elation and anxiety.

On one end, you were thrilled that your night had done the one-eighty that it did, the impossible becoming your new reality.

Barbatos had kissed you. Not once, but twice. The memory of it still sat on your lips, the soft flesh tingling while your heart did joyous somersaults in your chest.

But you were now also filled with uncertainty. Yes, you’d kissed. But he’d also made a point to ask you to keep your involvement with him private for the time being. It’d lent the promise of more intimate moments to come, but it also brought to question how official the two of you really were. You couldn’t help but feel the sharp tinge of disappointment; it made you feel like a dark secret, something to be hidden away rather than cherished, and it brought with it a sense of uncertainty and shame.

Deep down though, you had trouble believing such negativity, especially considering the kisses you’d shared, and the way that he’d comforted you that night. Not to mention your lengthy friendship with him that you had both built over the years provided a strong foundation of trust and respect.

So instead, you focused on understanding the difficulty of his position. There was no doubt that your involvement with him could cause quite the political scandal. It was an unspoken fact in Devildom culture that there remained a very real bias against cross-species romance in any serious capacity. Sure, sexual relations weren’t uncommon; demons were more than willing to utilize sex as a form of manipulation when they sought to corrupt a human for the sake of devouring their soul. Sexual involvement also sometimes occurred as a way to solidify pacts between a demon and their human, a vow written into the body and soul via touch rather than verbal contract.

But romantic relations? True commitments? They were still frowned upon by demon society at large, and there was no greater emphasis on this than the persistent archaic ban on interspecies marriage. Yes, it was a ban that Diavolo had every intention of abolishing when he felt the time was right, but who knew when that time would be. Years? Decades? Centuries?

So to not only become romantically involved with a demon, but Barbatos? Even you couldn’t ignore how such news could shake the entirety of the Devildom and compromise Diavolo’s reputation and public trust. It didn’t matter how many times you’d helped the Devildom, whether it was the citizens, the lords of hell, or even the crown itself. It didn’t matter that your approval rating amongst the student body was the highest it’d ever been. And it didn’t matter how popular you were amongst the citizens, a celebrity icon in your own right.

What did matter was that Barbatos was the oldest, most powerful demon in the Devildom, second only to Diavolo himself, and the one closest to the young prince. He was not only the master of time, who’s reputation preceded him in hushed whispers, but he was also the voice of reason, the one who tutored prince Diavolo for millennia and advised him in a multitude of affairs, big and small.

Anyone could excuse the brothers’ infatuations with you as an influence of their pacts or even their Sins. And despite the strength of their Sins, their legal authority was limited by the Prince and the House of Lords, a vital arrangement of checks and balances within the Devildom government.

Anyone could even excuse the infatuation of prince Diavolo, if he were so inclined, with the assurance that Barbatos would always be present to act as a voice of reason and boundary-setting, the invisible leash to a young demon prince with overly optimistic and grand ideas.

But to have Barbatos be the demon that was compromised in a love affair with a human? And not just any human, either; one who had the pact strength of the seven lords of hell, the Ring of Light, and was apprenticed under the most powerful human sorcerer? And not just any sorcerer, but one who’s untrustworthy reputation far preceded him and that Barbatos himself happened to have a pact with?

No doubt many demons would not only see Barbatos’s involvement with you as a conflict of interest, but as a full-on attack to their national security.

The weight of these realizations grew heavier and heavier the more you thought about them. They wormed themselves between what you wanted and what was possible. All you wanted was to enjoy the comfort of Barbatos’s company; to flirt and date and be together without fear of repercussion. Instead, you had to remain secretive, silent, putting a stopper on your joy even as it threatened to bubble over like an unwatched pot. You had no one to talk to, no one to confide in. No one except Barbatos, of course... and his availability was already limited as it was.

The more you looked at it, the more it felt like a losing game, a temporary indulgence with no happy ending. But hope was a funny thing, and the simple fact that Barbatos had seemingly chosen his feelings for you over whatever risks it would bring were enough to give you reason to stay, to take what you could get in whatever form he could provide it.

After all, at the end of the day, happiness was something you not only craved, but needed. And for better or worse, it was Barbatos, above all else, that made you happy.

Which was why you knew you’d have to tread carefully. You were aware of the risks; you were aware of his position and the demands it placed on him. He had made the first move, but you knew that, at least for now, he also had to make the second, and the third. You were in uncharted waters, and he would be your guide, weaving the both of you through any possible political pitfalls.

You opted to wait; give Barbatos time to come to you when he was ready. You knew how busy he was, how heavy his plate of duties weighed upon him day in and day out. And it was for the best, you told yourself. Your own plate wasn’t exactly light either. You had plenty keeping you busy throughout the long Devildom hours.

It still didn’t stop you from checking your phone periodically, hoping for a text message. But each time, you were only greeted with his most recent text, sent after the meeting with the Lords had ended.

‘Well done,’ he’d said. ‘The young master was very pleased.’

The message was timestamped for three days ago. You’d received nothing since.

You worried your lip between your teeth.

Best not to look at it. You stuffed the DDD into your back pocket. But as soon as you did so, it vibrated. You nearly threw it across the room as you clumsily yanked it from the denim at lightning speed.

False alarm. You stared at the brothers’ group chat with an annoyed glare.

But as you stared at your phone, a new text came through, Barbatos’s name flashing across the top of your screen.

Your heart immediately froze and you opened the message.

‘The young master would like to invite you to dinner at the castle this evening.’

You stared at it with a mixture of relief and annoyance. Finally Barbatos messaged you... but certainly not for the reason you’d hoped.

Your fingers hovered over the keys briefly before you began typing.

‘Am I in trouble?’ you joked.

Barbatos responded immediately.

‘On the contrary, the young master was so pleased with your conduct with the Lords, that there’s a new matter he’d like to discuss with you in private.’

Private... you’d grown accustomed to the subtleties of Barbatos’s communication style to know that such a specific detail implied a request for secrecy.

You stared at the screen in annoyance and confusion. The way he was so formal... it felt like you were in a weird alternate universe where the kisses had never happened.

You read the message over again and narrowed your eyes.

A new matter...

Ugh. That sounded like the impending doom of more responsibility... you had half a mind to decline the invitation.

But before you could reply, Barbatos continued.

‘I shall make you your favorite dessert.’

Warmth began to blossom like a morning sunrise in your chest.

‘Are you bribing me?’ you teased.

A pause and you could almost hear his chuckle in your mind. ‘Perhaps,’ he said.

‘You can be rather devious when you want to be,’ you replied.

Barbatos sent you a winking demon emoji and you rolled your eyes.

‘What time should I arrive?’ you asked.

‘Dinner will be hosted at 6.’

‘I will be there,’ you replied.

‘I look forward to it.’

You stared at his response, letting it soak into your bones and water you like a parched plant.

He was looking forward to seeing you.

He still liked you.

He didn’t regret kissing you.

The anxiety slowly faded away and you felt like a normal, functional human again.

---

You arrived precisely on time, as you knew Barbatos liked. It was a skill that you’d never quite mastered until you’d finally learned to teleport. Turns out that removing the transportation aspect of travel made timeliness infinitely easier.

Barbatos opened the door just as you had raised your hand to knock, his body already dipping in a graceful bow.

“Welcome,” he said formally. His eyes lifted and met yours as he straightened, and heat flooded your veins at the very subtle undertone of warmth within their verdant depths.

“Thank you,” you replied in the same formality, a grin barely held back from your neutral lips.

Of course, your resolve didn’t last long. Your joy around him was in constant bloom, and your lips curled into a smile as he beckoned you into the entry hall.

It was all so familiar, now... the stonework, the dancing flamed sconces that never died, the pictures that always watched but never blinked. There was always something strange about the Demon Lord’s Castle, an awareness that seemed to lurk within its very walls. It felt more alive than inanimate, the occasional Devildom wind passing through high open windows like the breaths of a great beast. Even the rooms themselves seemed to change locations occasionally, particularly ones that didn’t like to be visited too frequently (as Barbatos put it). It always unnerved you, inspiring a low hum of discomfort each time you stepped within its ancient magic-laden walls. It made you subconsciously desire to treat the enchanted keep with respect lest it send you somewhere you didn’t want to go.

You never let your defenses down completely within the castle, but you had learned to grow more comfortable with it over time, in much the same way one might learn to befriend a wild beast. It was familiar to you now, as each visit you learned and memorized more and more of its nuances. In a strange sense, it felt like a second home, so long as you kept to the hallways and rooms that you knew you were allowed to venture.

Of course, your knowledge and the comfort it brought wouldn’t be nearly as complete without Barbatos’s help. You’d had countless conversations shared over tea about the ins and outs of the castle; he was a wealth of knowledge, filled with history and memories. He told how some spaces were built by the power of the first Demon King, while other parts came later, of their own volition, manifesting within a night. It was the spaces without origin, without ownership that were the most dangerous, where the magic was at its strongest, warping time and space, impacting the laws of physics in ways that were beyond your human comprehension.

Avoid the southeast tower. And the fourth level of the basement on the west end. Do not enter the room at the end of the long hall; the door only opens in, but not out. Never out. If you hear whispering behind the curtains within the gallery on the seventh level, do not open them.

On and on it went.

You catalogued each warning within your mind with an ease that could only be reinforced by the fear of death or worse.

Barbatos was always generous with answering your curious questions, although the answers he gave were at times cryptic or entirely evasive. No doubt there were some questions that ventured too close to secrets, and in those moments, you knew better than to pursue it.

You followed behind Barbatos, allowing him to lead you, despite the urge to walk beside him where you could steal glances of his profile. Typically, the entry hall led directly into the Great Hall, where most of the hosting and dining occurred when company was present. However, this time, you were led to the right and up a set of stone stairs to the second floor which opened onto a mezzanine.

“Are we not dining in the usual place?” you asked curiously.

Barbatos glanced back at you briefly. “Not this evening. The young master wishes to have his meal in his private dining room. I discouraged the decision due to formality, but he insisted, stating that the smaller space will be better for private conversation.”

Your brow furrowed as he led you down a wide hallway along a row of closed doors before finally turning to face the second to last set of doors. They were tall and ornately carved with etchings of Devildom fauna and wildlife arcing in intricate patterns upon its surface.

“Is anyone else coming this evening?” you asked as your eyes followed the height.

You had kept your invitation a secret from the brothers and provided a school-related excuse for Lucifer when he inquired about your dinner plans, but it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that others might still be present. Solomon, Simeon... even Mephisto on rare occasions had joined you and Lucifer at the prince’s dinner table in the past.

Barbatos paused as you joined him at his side, and he looked down at you with a small smile. “No. The young prince has requested to see only you.”

Your eyes widened and your posture stiffened slightly. Barbatos gave a soft chuckle that traveled right up your spine. His gloved hand took yours, his fingers intertwining to give a gentle squeeze.

Such contact from anyone else would have been entirely normal and innocent. But from Barbatos, it spoke volumes.

“Are you worried?” he asked quietly.

“Maybe a little...” you admitted. “This feels very different from having a luncheon or teatime...”

“Hm, that is true. However, you will soon find that the young master is much the same, regardless of the time of day or the number of people at his table. You have nothing to fear.”

Your fingers tightened between his, allowing some of your anxiety to seep out of you and into his reassuring grip.

“It’s not Diavolo that I’m afraid of...” you muttered.

Barbatos’s gaze glazed over into an unreadable expression, the rich green darkening slightly and pupils dilating. It held you captive and you felt far too seen in that moment, the weight of his endless knowledge and infinite secrets taking everything from you while giving nothing.

For the briefest of moments, you felt the reality of what he was... more immortal being of darkness than friend.

But then his gaze softened again. Time moved forward, the infinity of the moment vanishing, and he was once again the Barbatos that you knew and adored. His hand released your grip to cup your cheek. The intimate gesture made your breath hitch, your eyes locked with his.

“Do not worry,” he said gently. “You will do fine. Besides, I will also be present.”

That did bring some relief, and the tightness in your chest lessened, finally allowing the breath you’d been holding to escape. Barbatos’s hand left your cheek as he faced the doors. He put hands on the large, iron handles and pushed them open with ease, a detail that did not go unnoticed by you as you eyed their height and thickness.

The dim gloom of the gallery hall gave way to the warm, yellow glow of a dining space that was half the size of the great hall. By comparison it was significantly smaller; however, that didn’t account for much. The room itself was still plenty large with a table long enough to seat ten individuals at its center. Diavolo sat at the furthest end at the head of the table, with two place settings arranged on either side of him. His hand was outstretched to the array of food in front of him, no doubt to sneak a sample, but retracted as soon as he was within yours and Barbatos’s sights.

Barbatos’s eyes narrowed, and he loudly cleared his throat in disapproval.

Diavolo pretended not to notice as his face lit up at your arrival. “Ah, there you are!”

“Here I am,” you smiled as you approached.

You took the seat to his left and sat as Barbatos pushed in your chair for you.

Barbatos began to fill the prince’s plate for him, but Diavolo waved him away with a laugh. “Sit, Barbatos. You’ve waited on me enough today.”

Barbatos paused and stared at him as if he grew a second head. “It is my pleasure to wait on you.”

“Yes, yes, I know... but I was hoping for something more casual this evening.”

You glanced at the array of delicacies on the table, the candlesticks and elaborate centerpieces... everything spoke of grandness.

Casual. This was casual for him?

Years you’d lived here in the Devildom, and you still couldn’t quite get use to situations like this.

Barbatos hesitated for the briefest of seconds and then nodded his head in defeat. “Very well.”

He took the empty seat across from you and your eyes locked with his. A flush of heat washed over you and you averted your eyes. You grabbed your glass of water and took a gulp.

Barbatos clapped his hands twice and you watched as two little Ds came out and began serving your plates. Just because he wasn’t serving the prince apparently did not mean that the prince was meant to serve himself.

“My apologies for not hosting you in the great hall,” Diavolo commented. “I grow tired of that big room sometimes. Especially after hosting a major event.”

“I totally get it,” you replied. “It does feel a bit much when there’s only a few of us.”

Diavolo brightened. “My thoughts exactly!”

You watched as your plate was loaded, and it was then that you realized... everything on it was something you loved. Not that you didn’t love nearly all of Barbatos’s cooking to begin with, even with the odd ingredients that were native to the Devildom. Still, you expected at least one dish that was a favorite of Diavolo’s since it was his dinner in his castle.

Suspicious.

Your eyes caught Barbatos’s again and for a moment you thought you saw a ghost of a smirk before it vanished. You stared a moment longer, but his expression remained as placid as always.

Diavolo and Barbatos engaged in small talk with you as everyone began to eat. How are studies at RAD going? How is your apprenticeship with Solomon? How are Lucifer and the brothers?

The questions were kind and genuine but also predictable. You were beginning to get the sense that Diavolo was nervous, procrastinating on bringing up the real reason he invited you here.

You did your best to keep your eyes on your plate or on Diavolo so as not to make your interest in Barbatos obvious, but the eye of your affection sat across from you and you couldn’t help but steal glances. Sometimes he met your gaze, and other times he did not. He watched the young master speak, addressed the Little D next to him with a whisper, or paid particular attention to the food on his plate.

God, how you wished you could read his mind...

You could feel tension growing and you weren’t sure if it was something shared with those in the room, or if it was something purely within yourself as you waited and waited for the truth of your visit.

But waiting wasn’t your strong suit.

“You know...” you ventured, “I’m curious why I’m the only one here tonight?”

“Oh? Really?” Diavolo asked with a tilt of his head. “Haven’t we often shared private meals between the three of us?”

You knew this tone; an invitation to engage in a careful dance of exchanges, a give and take of unspoken questions and answers. It was a game of sorts that demons often enjoyed engaging in, and you’d grown accustomed to it, learning how to play along.

“Lunches or teas, usually...” you replied, “but I think this is the first time I’ve been the only one here for dinner.”

Diavolo put his chin in his hand and looked up thoughtfully. “Hm, I guess I never noticed.” He looked back down at you, his smile genuine, but his eyebrows scrunched slightly with worry. “Does it bother you?”

‘Are you scared?’ Was what he was really asking. It was a test of trust.

You smiled reassuringly. “Not at all. I live in a house with seven demons. This is a very welcome reprieve, trust me.”

‘I am enjoying the game, let us continue’ was your unspoken reply.

A hearty laugh burst from Diavolo’s chest. “Yes, I suppose that’s true.”

“But still...” you pressed. “I’m surprised you didn’t even invite Lucifer. I’m sure he would have been happy to escape his brothers for a night.”

‘What could you possibly want to share with me that you haven’t shared with him?’

Diavolo’s smiled turned into one of darker mischief as he rested his cheek against his fist. “I’m sure he would have.”

‘Something he would do better not to know.’

Now that was interesting...

You halted, your cutlery poised in your hands on either side of your plate. You narrowed your eyes and set them down, the game coming to an end as you swiftly cut to the point.

“Okay, what’s going on here? You have Barbatos prepare all of my favorite foods, you invite me and only me to dinner, and Barbatos said in his invite that there’s something you want to discuss with me. He even promised to make me my favorite dessert.”

Diavolo’s eyebrows raised beneath his auburn strands, the golden irises glinting with mirth. “Did he, now?”

Barbatos froze briefly in the middle of drinking his tea, then slowly lowered the cup to the small saucer. “I will admit, my lord, she did require a little... persuasion.”

You raised a curious eyebrow at the butler but said nothing.

Diavolo released a satisfied sigh. “I do love your ability to read the nuances of a situation, and your directness has always been a breath of fresh air. Especially after a day spent with stuffy old demons whose words always carry three or four hidden meanings, at least. You wouldn’t believe how long conversations can drag on for, especially in a group...

“Yes, I did invite you here to discuss something. But I wanted to discuss it without Lucifer here. He can be a bit....”

“Overbearing?” you offered.

Barbatos smirked into his teacup.

Diavolo raised an eyebrow and grinned. “I was going to say protective.”

You suppressed a knowing smirk of your own.

“So...” you continued, “is this meant to be a secret from Lucifer then?”

“No, not in the slightest. I just simply wanted you to be able to consider the information and make the decision for yourself without external pressure.”

“Decision about what?”

“Well...” Diavolo pushed his plate forward and interlocked his fingers on the table. “That’s what I must talk about. The House of Lords were pleased to meet with you at the celebratory ball a few days ago. You left a good impression on many of them.”

“But not all of them,” you stated wryly.

Barbatos’s eyes glinted and Diavolo gave a half laugh with a crooked smile. “No, not all of them. There are still a few who are... resistant.”

“Because I’m human.”

“Because you’re not a demon,” he corrected. “It’s less about what you are, and more about what you are not.”

Your heart began to beat heavier in your chest, your stomach coiling with the early signs of nausea. “But I’ve been nothing but an ally to the Devildom, have I not?”

Diavolo nodded. “You have.”

Your throat tightened, and your words filled with more and more tension. “I’ve tamed the Seven Deadly Sins, helped to navigate peace with the angels, and saved the Devildom more times than I can count... what more could they want?”

More importantly, what more could you give? When would these endless tests finally end? How much more did you have to prove yourself before you could be left alone to live a happy life with those you cared about, without being scrutinized like a bug under a microscope?

You felt the hard tip of a shoe nudge gently against yours beneath the table, and your eyes caught Barbatos’s. His eyes were soft with understanding, his lips curled into a mellow smile.

Relax.

You took a breath and let it out slowly. “I’m sorry,” you muttered. “It’s just been... a lot lately.”

Diavolo stared at you for a long moment, sympathy in his gaze. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” he reassured. “If you decide this is not something you want to engage in, then I will smooth it over the lords. You only have to say the word.”

You sighed heavily. “I don’t even know what ‘this’ is.”

“The lords have agreed by majority vote to expand the exchange program,” Diavolo said.

Pride swelled in your chest and your eyes widened. “Diavolo, that’s great news!”

Diavolo laughed. “Yes, it is. However, it won’t come without restrictions.”

You narrowed your eyes suspiciously. “What sort of restrictions?”

Diavolo sighed and leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed over his broad chest. “That has yet to be decided. But for now, it is enough to know that support for the program is growing. Which presents us with our next dilemma... we must strengthen our position and prepare for who we will invite next.”

Ah, finally you were beginning to understand...

“You mean like... more humans?” you replied.

“...and angels,” Barbatos chimed in.

You fell silent for a moment as you pondered the significance. Doubt crept along your spine, icy tendrils that warned of danger.

“Is this a good idea?” you finally asked. “You just agreed that there are still some demons who don’t like even me and Solomon being here.... won’t this just anger them more?”

“A fair question,” he sighed. “And one that I’ve been pondering as well. But at no point have I ever waited for a one hundred percent approval rating before making a decision. One of the many benefits of being the prince,” he winked. “RAD was always meant to be more than just an experiment. And progress is only progress if things continue to move forward.”

Dread soaked you from your head to your toes, dampening your appetite. “And how would you like me to help move it forward?” you asked.

“I would like to include you in the decision-making; to utilize your expertise of humans to make the exchange program more welcoming for your kind, help us select our next three candidates, and then provide guidance for them once they arrive.”

You choked on the water you were trying to sip and coughed. “Me?? I’m hardly an expert on humans...”

“You are more of an expert than any of us,” Diavolo replied. “In fact, many demons haven’t visited the human realm for some time now, the House of Lords included. Their understanding of humans is a bit... outdated.”

You could feel a headache begin to form behind your eyes and you rubbed the bridge of your nose with your thumb and forefinger. “Diavolo... there are billions of humans. Trying to narrow it down to just three will be impossible.”

“You will not be doing this alone,” Barbatos offered. “Myself, Diavolo, and Lucifer will be involved in the process as well.”

You raised your eyebrow in doubt. “Yes, and how long did it take you three the first time?”

A silence lingered for three seconds too long before Diavolo finally spoke.

“Well, uh...”

“Yeah, my point exactly,” you huffed. “I’ll be long dead before you even reach a decision, let alone provide guidance.”

“The first time,” Barbatos said, “The entire process was new for everyone. The second time will be quicker, we assure you. The young prince would not bestow this task to you if was outside of your realm of capabilities.”

“Well, why not ask Solomon?” you asked. “At least he is immortal...”

“I have a different offer for him with regards to RAD,” Diavolo replied.

Curiosity made your eyebrow raise. “Oh?”

“Yes, you see, I realized that it would help the exchange program if we expand our RAD staff to include human and angel faculty.”

Your eyes widened and you stifled a laugh. “You... you want Solomon to teach? What on earth would the subject be?”

“I was thinking human world history. After all, he’s been alive for such a long time, and was likely there to witness most of it... I’m rather excited to hear his personal recounting of events...”

Diavolo had that look again, the one that made him seem younger than he was, all excitement and wide-eyed wonder.

You had no doubt that Solomon’s penchant for mischief would lead to a rather biased and inflated account of even the most mundane of historic events.

“Solomon teaching history... that’ll be interesting...” you muttered. “Has he accepted?”

“I haven’t asked him yet,” Diavolo confessed. “But it’s more than that... you have a far better approval rating amongst the populace than Solomon does. If we’re to allow a human to participate in the expansion of the program, then you are clearly the better candidate.”

A laugh escaped your lips and you clamped your hand over your mouth. “I-I’m sorry,” you said. “It’s just... this is not what I expected. I thought you were going to need help for another event, or another trial I’d have to go through or something for the House of Lords... but this?”

You gulped your water, but it didn’t satisfy. A million thoughts were flooding your head at once, pros and cons, unspoken implications and all the ways that you could clearly fail...

RAD studies, living with and managing the brothers, sorcerer apprenticeship, the student council, the judgment and scrutiny of an entire population...

It was too much, too much.

You could feel your heartbeat pounding against your sternum, and it felt harder and harder to breathe... and was the room warmer? Couldn’t someone open a window??

“Perhaps a short recess is in order before dessert?” Barbatos suggested.

His voice sounded distant, muted against the sound of your pulse rushing in your ears. Your eyes were stuck to your plate, but you forced them up to look at him. He stared back at you, but the panic was drowning out whatever it was that his gaze was trying to communicate.

“Yes,” Diavolo agreed. “A good idea, Barbatos.”

You hadn’t even realized that Barbatos had left his seat until you heard his voice next to you.

“Will you walk with me?”

You looked towards his voice to see his hand stretched out, palm up. You stared at it, before absently taking it with your own. He gently tugged your arm and you stood slowly.

Barbatos looked at Diavolo and provided a bow. “We shall return shortly, my lord.”

So much said in so little a statement, and Diavolo understood all of it. He gave a nod.

“Yes. Thank you, Barbatos.”

And suddenly Barbatos’s hand was guiding you out of the dining room and into the quiet and dim gallery. The further you moved away from the room, the more your surroundings returned to clarity.

“Come,” he ordered gently.

You didn’t question him, and you didn’t take note of where he led you, trusting him implicitly to take you somewhere private, somewhere safe.

If you’d allowed yourself the mental wherewithal to think of where he’d take you, you would have assumed the gardens or observatory; a place where you could see the sky, where the vastness of the heavens above you would free the weight from your shoulders.

Instead, he took you to the piano room.

The same one he’d found you in days prior.

The same one where he’d kissed you.

Your heart froze in your throat, your skin prickling and tightening into goosebumps.

A single thought broke through the chaotic hum of your mind and you finally found your voice again.

“Why did you bring me here?” you asked.

“It seemed to be a place you like to come to for comfort,” Barbatos replied. “Would you prefer a different place to gather yourself?”

You turned to him and stared, only to be met by his neutral gaze. Your eyes searched and dug for a sign of something more, desperate for a rock to cling to in a churning sea, and finally you found it... the most subtle furrow of his brow, the ever so slight downward turn of his mouth. He was concerned for you.

It was small, but it was enough.

You crossed your arms over your chest protectively. “No, no.... you’re right. I like it here.”

But instead of sitting and calming yourself, you paced, your feet moving you back and forth in front of the tall windows where starlight poured in. Barbatos watched, waiting, allowing you the space you needed to process and organize your thoughts.

“I don’t understand,” you muttered. “Why me? Why does he think I can do this? Help pick out the next three humans to come here? And guide them? What if they don’t even speak the same language as me? Do you know how many human languages there are? Thousands! Literally thousands! And how am I supposed to know what qualities to look for in a person? Are they qualities that demons will respect or want? Are we ruling out certain age groups? I mean, obviously no children, but that still leaves so many... and what about Solomon? That sly bastard... did he know about this? Why does he get to teach history while I have to be the one to search for three needles in a haystack...”

On and on your rambled, your words spilling from your mouth in a disorganized heap and you hated it, hated the way you were losing control of yourself. Barbatos’s reserved nature was more painful than it was helpful, he’s own calm resilience put in stark contrast to your own emotional state. Surely he was disgusted with you, found your emotional outburst unbecoming...

But then you felt his gloved hand grasp yours, heard your name spoken with gentle firmness on his lips. The interruption halted your pacing, and you turned to look at him, your eyes wide.

His gaze was soft, his touch secure and warm, and it grounded you instantly.

“Breathe,” he ordered, “before your damage your fragile human heart.”

You couldn’t help but smile and give a small laugh. “I don’t break that easily...”

Barbatos smiled in amusement and gently pulled you closer to him. “One can never be too careful. Now talk to me. What exactly is troubling you?”

You were inches apart now, and the closeness of him made your heart begin to race for a different reason.

“I already told you—” you started.

“No,” he replied, cutting you off. “That was not talking a moment ago, that was panic. You scarcely even acknowledged my presence.”

You stared up at him for a moment, your mouth opening and closing as you struggled to organize your conglomeration of worries into something cohesive.

“Ah,” Barbatos noted. “Perhaps I can assist. Earlier you had stated it wasn’t the young master you were worried about. What did you mean by that?”

You searched your memory for the moment outside the dining room doors as you stared at the details of Barbatos’s clothing.

“I... was worried about the House of Lords.”

“Why?”

“Because I know not all of them approve of me. And I know they likely talked with Diavolo after I met them at the ball.”

“Hm,” he commented.

You shot him a playful glare. “Hm? What kind of response is that?”

Barbatos’s lip curled into a half smirk. “It is the kind that is appropriate for this moment.” He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. “Continue. What do you suspect they talked about?”

You stared off to the side as your thoughts returned to Diavolo’s request at the dinner table. Your thoughts began falling rapidly into an organized pattern, a series of what ifs and consequences.

“I fail, then it’s going to give the opposition everything they want,” you said.

Your response didn’t answer his question, but Barbatos’s eyes glinted anyway, and his lips curled into a smile. “Splendid. I see you are already three steps ahead.”

Your mind continued working. “If I don’t participate in expanding RAD for more humans, then it’ll negatively impact the influence humans can have moving forward. What good is a human on the student council if they’re not even a part of selecting the future exchange students? My position would be in title only and wouldn’t bear much weight. It would make me look either irresponsible, or too afraid to make major decisions.”

“A valid point,” Barbatos agreed. “Your position as a student council officer was not given lightly and it would be a waste to not utilize it to its full potential.”

You fell silent for a moment, and Barbatos gave your hand another gentle squeeze.

“Continue,” he said.

“If I do participate in the selection process, then that will also carry its own risk. If for any reason the candidates I help select end up being a poor fit for the program, then it will not only call into question my skills but will reflect poorly on humanity as a whole.” Another realization came on the heels of the previous, and you looked up at Barbatos, your eyes wide. “The opposition will try to sabotage any new candidates that arrive here. They’ll try to make them fail.”

Barbatos’s smile faded to neutrality. “A likely possibility. Of course, we will do what we can to mitigate such attempts.”

Your brow furrowed for a moment. “Why didn’t they try to sabotage me?”

Barbatos’s smile returned but it was entirely devoid of warmth. “They did. We stopped them before you fell into such traps.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. “Oh...”

“Although to be honest,” Barbatos added with a slight tilt of his head, “your celestial heritage makes you particularly resilient to demonic influence, which made our work infinitely easier. Plus, we didn’t have to protect you for long... you managed formulate pacts with the brothers rather quickly, which only strengthened your resistance and deterred anyone with half of a brain.”

You flushed beneath his gaze and looked to the side again as you continued thinking. “This will put more pressure on me with all of my other duties, which is what they want. If I can’t handle it all, then they’ll call me incompetent. And if I give up anything, then it’ll lessen my impact and undo all that I’ve worked for. I’m sure they’d love nothing more than to see me vanish into obscurity, bogged down for decades behind mountains of paperwork about human candidates.”

Barbatos nodded in agreement. “There are those who would gladly take advantage of your short lifespan.”

“Of course they would....” you muttered. “Diavolo knows all of this too. And he knows he has to offer me this responsibility or it will look poorly on both of us if he doesn’t. That was why he didn’t inform Lucifer. He knew Lucifer would try to talk me out of it.”

“The decision must be yours and yours alone,” Barbatos said. “The young prince did state that you can refuse. It will not be the first roadblock he’s encountered, and I assure you he will overcome it as he’s done with all of the others.”

“No, no...” you muttered. “He’s worked this hard already... who knows how long this will set back the program and humanity’s place amongst the three realms if I refuse.”

“And thus you understand that all of our hands are tied.” Barbatos said quietly.

A heavy silence fell for a moment before you finally spoke again.

“I have to be perfect...” you muttered. “Anything less will be used against me, one way or another.”

Barbatos tilted your chin up to look at him. He smiled down at you, a hint of mischief glinting in his timeless gaze. “Luckily for you, you have me. And I happen to be an expert at perfection.”

You stared into his eyes, and it felt like weightlessness and falling at the same time.

“Do I?” you whispered.

“Hm?”

His stare made you so vulnerable it ached. The burning sensation of impending tears itched behind your eyes, but you fought it down.

“Do I have you?”

There was a moment of silence as Barbatos’s smile faded and his gaze stretched like the infinite darkness. It terrified you and called to you, and the longer you held his gaze, the less ‘human’ he seemed.

Then he leaned in and kissed you, gentle and feather soft, and the ethereal demon was once again a man. It felt hesitant, as if he feared he’d break you, but his lips were warm and real, and you leaned into it, grateful for the contact.

It was over too soon, his back straightening and your eyes fluttered open.

He smiled at you tenderly. “Of course,” he answered.

Relief pushed back the clouds of dread that your impending new responsibility had summoned forth and you smiled at him. Barbatos’s pupils dilated slightly, his own lips curling into a smile of his own, and his thumb gently caressed the apple of your cheek before taking your other hand in his.

“So tell me, star of mine... what shall we tell the young prince?”

You let the love-haze linger for a few seconds as his pet name echoed through every crevasse in your body, mind, and soul. One. Two. Three. Then you closed your eyes and pushed it down, stashing it away to savor for later.

When you opened your eyes again, you were once again firmly seated into your position of power. Apprentice of Solomon. Keeper of the Deadly Sins. RAD student council member.

And above all else, human.

“I will tell him that I will accept his offer,” you stated firmly.

Barbatos smiled fully, and it lit up his face in the most beautiful ways. He took your chin in his thumb and forefinger and stared into your eyes as if he were checking for something. “Ah,” he commented. “There she is. Welcome back.”

Chapter 3

#barbatos obey me #obey me barbatos #barbatos x reader #barbatos x mc #om barbatos #barbatos om #om fanfic #obey me fanfic

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kamisatomay018 · 2 months ago

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Thorns Under The Moon (My theories and interpretations) - Major Spoilers Ahead!!

Okay holy shit you guys I needed hours to gather my thoughts and theories for this one because my god was this main story quest a rollercoaster of emotions!😭

Where do I even start OMFG, there’s so much to unpack here so please bear with me if my thoughts are a little scattered! Also this will be a long rant so please feel free to ask questions or share your opinions too!!

Firstly can we please just appreciate how husband coded Zayne really is? Like him and MC have the most canonly romantic relationship in the main story quest till now! With the other boys, MC isn’t as romantically involved as she is with Zayne imo and I absolutely adore that!

ALSO JEALOUS ZADDY? Yes please I had so much fun🤤🤤 (more on that in another post!)

All in all I loved just how much trust Zayne and mc put in each other and their abilities. Like Zayne knew that MC would be able to control the metaflux with her evol, and MC knew that Zayne would absolutely finish the surgery in 5 minutes. I really admire how they’re so trusting of one another🥹🥹

Now let’s get to the serious part shall we?

I swear I felt my heart stop for a moment when I saw Zayne in dawnbreaker’s clothes. For literally a solid 10 minutes while the story progressed I thought that the wanderer had teleported MC in dawnbreaker’s world and doctor Zayne got left behind. The way he gave her a chocolate and his fridge was full of those energy drinks, the jasmine on the table and the eerie vibe of the scene gave me chills.

However. I can very confidently say that it was NOT dawnbreaker, and I know there’s a lot of confusion about the same so let me break it down for you guys here:

1. We all know that MC has the ability of distinguishing her Zayne from Dawnbreaker, because it has happened in a 4 star memory before (I’m so sorry I can’t remember which one) where for a brief moment Dawnbreaker entered Zayne’s consciousness and MC immediately recognised it was not him just by looking into his eyes, even though the physical form was literally the Same. Here, we see the way MC was puzzled by his clothing and made sure to thoroughly examine Zayne by touching his face and looking into his eyes. Once she realised that it really was her Zayne, we saw how she visibly relaxed.

2. Had it truly been dawnbreaker, he would’ve been CONFUSION! Because how is it that the girl of his dreams is in his world? But Zayne had his familiar humour, making jokes about carrots and even knowing all about the wanderer situation that him and MC were facing. Had it truly been Dawnbreaker, it would’ve been impossible for him to understand anything at all.

3. And of course there is the most important fact that we know now that the wanderer had transported the two of them into Zayne’s dreams to trap them there, as it had the ability of traversing through space and time. And since Dawnbreaker and Zayne dream of each other all the time, we got transported to the ‘nightmare’ that always plagues Zayne. There was no reality as such in this case, they were in a Dream, and the even though the two had gone missing for 3 days in real life, they were never in Dawnbreaker’s world. It was simply an illusion of Zayne’s nightmares.

Now that we have established all of this, I just want to take a moment to emphasise on just how broken dawnbreaker’s world really is. The darkness, the loneliness the must face on a daily basis hurt my soul. Like if Zayne is so fucking troubled just by DREAMING about what Dawnbreaker has been through, I do not even want to imagine how Dawnbreaker Zayne is able to live in his broken world every single day after dreaming about how Doctor Zayne in another life is happier than him. Like please don’t hurt my poor baby Dawnbreaker like this😭😭

Then of course comes the climax of the story, when Zayne and MC split up to destroy the protocore cluster. When I tell you I SOBBED seeing Zayne in so much pain you guys😭 I just wanna hug him and put him in my pocket🥺 However all this aside, there’s so much we need to focus on from that one scene alone!

Firstly we get to see glimpses of Doctor Zayne’s trauma with how he struggles to save every patient that comes to him, with voices of people begging him to save him and accusing him. We also see how William had begged him to kill him because it was too late when they were in the arctic, which deeply traumatised Zayne.

However, the more interesting part is that of Dawnbreaker’s trauma. We see how he had to kill the little child and his mother, and how they were so surprised and kind of betrayed by the fact that he had to kill them, but at the same time they also begged to be killed when they realised that their time was up. BUT! Who is this girl that was featured again and again? Who was afraid of being killed next but all the same begged Dawnbreaker to kill her?

I believe it is MC, his MC. Because we see how Doctor Zayne is visibly pained when she gets injured or well killed. This is where shit gets real dark: I think we now finally know what happened to dawnbreaker’s MC. I believe that she either got turned into a wanderer, or her protocore syndrome went out of control and so she begged Dawnbreaker to kill her off.

Of course there is no confirmation of her being MC but it is the closest possible theory because we know that the girl held a great deal of importance for him. And my god this SUCKS because just how much pain will you give to that poor guy😭

Nowwww here comes another very interesting part: we potentially heard Astra’s voice. And I HATE HIM UGH- IF it really is him, He said two lines: “you shouldn’t throw yourself in danger just for her.” “Seek your destiny, only then can you be redeemed.”

Of course again there is no confirmation that it was Astra but with what the male voice said, him being Astra makes the most sense. What absolutely pains me about this is that Zayne potentially knows that he can break himself free from this cycle of death and trauma that he puts himself in by loving MC, that he STILL has a chance to be redeemed by seeking his “destiny” despite disobeying his god. But he doesn’t want to do it at all because it would involve living in a world where he cannot be with her and that to him is unacceptable. He is ready to die and be in all this pain just so that he can get to love MC😭😭 Tell me a love purer than zayne’s🥺

This also leads me to speculate that Doctor Zayne is already also aware about Foreseer Zayne. We know that Foreseer knew of a “Zayne”. But now I think that Zayne has either regained his memories of that lifetime or through research has found something about the Foreseer. That would explain his frequent trips to the arctic which he doesn’t even explain to MC in full detail, as well as him hearing Astra’s voice.

And while we are at foreseer’s topic

Once MC started healing Zayne’s injuries, she saw a fragment of her past life with Foreseer who also begged her to leave him. That gave me absolute chills you guys because we have been able to see her get flashbacks twice now- one with Sylus and now one with Zayne. Could this mean that she will soon start spiralling because of all these unknown memories of her past? And how exactly would she be able to accept just how much she’s hurt the boys (unintentionally ofc)?

But my goodness Zayne really needs to stop putting his life on the line to save us, I mean come on he somehow froze MC’s wound or something like that and absorbed it in his heart???😭😭 MY BABY IS SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU HOW WILL I SURVIVE😭

Towards the ending we get to learn a very important piece of information- that Ever is creating monsters and are basically saving people or extending their lifetime who are nearly dying. And who do we know had basically gone Kaboom?? CALEB. I am so fucking sure that Caleb is going to be a part of Ever in some way or the other and it will NOT be pleasant.

What also bothers me is that Xavier and Rafayel are also somehow linked to Ever- Rafayel through the deal he made before he sent MC into the N109 zone, and Xavier through the red collar type situation that he is forced to have on which restricts his freedom. Just how powerful is this group??

The last thing that was on my mind was the ending of the main story. Zayne’s dream. He apparently finally catches up with “the girl” and just as they are happy together, they end back into the doomed hospital corridor where she seems to be dying/heavily injured. So what bothers me is that is this dawnbreaker’s past or is it a hint of what MC and Zayne’s doomed fate holds for them? Right now they’re so happy together, but with how their love is cursed, is the ending supposed to be some twisted way of telling us that no matter what, Zayne cannot truly be with us and will have to watch us die?

I swear if this is what it is I will sob and cry and quit the game because I WANT A HAPPY ENDING WITH ZAYNE😭😭

Anyways this is the end of my long rant with some theories I had!! I would love for you guys to tell me what y’all think in the comments and let me know if I missed something!🩷

#lads zayne #love and deepspace #zayne #zayne love and deepspace #dr zayne #l&ds zayne #lads #lds zayne #zayne x you #lnd zayne #zayne x mc #doctor zayne #dawnbreaker #love and deep space zayne #lnds zayne

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kandadze · 12 days ago

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Ep 29 loose thoughts

Oof, Li Lun's really on his last legs, eh? I do feel sorry for him, but I feel even worse for Bai Jiu - locked up inside his own body, poisoned, forced to ingest human livers, coughing up blood and dying. Can this kid get a break, please.

It's funny to me how ZYC might have figured out ZYZ's ruse because of his top-tier observation skills... or it might have been because he pays *that* much attention to the demon. I guess we'll never know 😅

It's heartbreaking in a way how well ZYZ knows LL, still, after all, and trusts him not to hurt Ying Lei, trusts LL to honor an emotional debt. Also, interesting how even while pointing a sword to ZYZ's throat, ZYC trusts him not to go to certain lengths for his goals... I keep saying this, but- the bonds in this drama! 😭

Is this really the time to walk away without saying anything, ZYZ? (I know, I know. It's so that they can break our hearts more thoroughly real soon.)

Oh okay. So even Wen Xiao doesn't know what exactly is wrong with her - don't you think that's kind of vital info you should've shared, Bai Yan daren? Ngl, I guffawed when ZYZ said, "I searched Wen Xiao's body etc," not sure if it's the translation that's lacking or what, but I'm pretty sure we all had the same thought about how thorough that search was 😝 On a more serious note though, is poison always the most powerful weapon of destruction in cdramas? Like ZYZ has the power to heal stab wounds and vein cuts that would otherwise be lethal, but he can't do shit about poison?

Thanks for explaining why she wasn't there when the gang came back with the scale, I thought it was so weird for Bai Yan to just leave like that when she was supposedly the one to tell them how it works. (Still not sure why it had to be her and not Ying Long or even the princess Longyu herself, but oh well.)

Yes, that's why ZYZ stole the scale. The never ending variations on the trolley problem in this drama (I think I saw someone mention it re the Bingyi cave and then it happened again in ep 28, and now it's happening again)!

"It's hard." And? That doesn't mean it's impossible, right? Bai Yan, *please* speak plainly and in full sentences, because instead of raising tension you're raising my blood pressure.

Ah, of course she would withhold that info if it meant saving her son. ZYC, going straight for jugular lol (gotta love the man, for him restoring the sword means not only getting Bai Jiu back but also saving his own life, and he still would choose not to go through with it if it meant losing ZYZ or, as he just found out, WX.) As a mother, she might have thought of letting her son know who she was when she still had a chance; she might have thought of a contigency plan in case something happened to her. They might have not been in this particular mess now, had *someone* made sure the kid didn't have to resort to making wild guesses, ultimately leading him to be lied to and exploited.

Wow, yeah, okay. I officially dislike both of Bai Jiu's parents now. Also, Bai Yan's words once again reinforce the difference between humans and demons/gods and how they think about time and bonds. ZYC might be a demon now, so technically his lifespan is way longer than human's, and still he might not live long enough to see the next incarnation of the Baize goddess; and even if he could, at this point his concern is the *current* incarnation, thank you very much, whereas BY's looking at the situation from a much wider perspective. Because of course both worlds will be involved. And I'm still with ZYC on this. (Unrelated, but I love Bai Yan's voice. It's not often we get to hear that low of a voice from a woman, and especially not in cdramas, as far as I can tell.)

Oh, fuck off. The fatalism rubs me the wrong way always, and coming from such a supposedly powerful being it's even more grating. (Not for the first time while watching this drama I get a flashback to reading Clamp's "X-1999," the set-up and tone is eerily similar.)

Well I guess I got my wish. Li Lun, you sad little demon possessing a dying child's body, I feel for you and your longing. The white petals around them (white, for death and mourning), oh my heart. The fact that they kept switching the actors throughout his reflections made it even more painful. And then he goes and (indirectly) quotes ZYC, the bit about the lamp kept on for travellers... while Ying Lei can only listen and cry. Oof. Can't help but notice that he still focuses mostly on his own suffering, though... I guess it's fair, for all intents and purposes he still has a mentality of a hurt teenager.

The whiplash I got when he switched to, "if I die, I have to find someone to die with," ouch 🤣 Once a drama queen, always a drama queen, right, LL? Gotta find yourself the grandest stage for your final exit... am I ready to see that? (I adore his character song, btw, even though when I first heard it, it gave me a completely different image of what his character's going to be. Hmm.)

Again, fuck right off, Bai Yan. I kinda wish they showed us more of WX in that scene, but hey, I'll take ZYC's memories, too (probably the first time with a time stamp!). "You must live well." It's like a refrain at this point that they seem to cling to, the worse the circumstances get. And the care between them, I'll never be over the bonds we're being shown in this drama.

I relate to WX so much. Like I get the idea that some things are worth dying for and no one in the gang would hesitate to put their lives on the line. And still, WX wants to live. Staying alive is just as, if not more, difficult as dying. Staying alive while others leave is difficult. Only when you stay alive can you really change the narrative. (Also, can we please *stop* sitting on that goddamn bridge. Why are you even there when ZYC was clearly shown back at the Mount Kunlun? Come to think of it, I just realized that they seem to have completely forgotten about Ying Lei??? And where did PSJ go?)

"How is wanting to live not the right choice?" Funny, coming from you of all people, ZYZ. Will you make the right choice for yourself, then? Thank you, WX. Make him sit on that for a bit... Ngl, I cheered when she tore up that goddamned contract. I don't care if they get to kiss now or no, but I care that he won't have to experience a mild heart attack every time he focuses on his affection towards her. (Because I've never seen him look at her as you would a colleague, so technically his heart should've been acting up nonstop, unless the emphasis was on conscious intent on his part. I'd have to rewatch that ep to see if they actually mention the exact wording.)

Awww look at her boys going "I'll find a way" at the same time! I just hope I'm not gonna cry when their way turns out to be yet another self-sacrificial mission. Interesting, there's a bottle of wine and two cups sitting by ZYC, even though he seems to have been sitting there by himself for quite a while... is it going to be one of those tiny details that become relevant later? (I love how this drama makes me pay attention!)

Oh dear gods, I really hope this isn't what I think it is. ZYC!!!

GODDAMNIT IT IS, HE WENT TO SEE WZY BY HIMSELF, FUCKKKKKK

At this point in the story my sincere wish is that, if nothing else, we *will* get to see WZY dying a slow and horrible death. If *he* survives, I'm throwing this whole drama in the garbage. (Also, somehow I'm not in the slightest concerned about what ZYC's choice might be. I trust him this much.)

Lol the moment Bai Yan mentioned that the fire of the mortal world is not enough to forge ZYC's sword I totally went, "it has to be taken to the Mount Dooooooom!" 🤣

Huh, okay, I didn't expect the ever-burning wood to be necessary for this. That's how we know that we're close to the final boss battle, folks, the quests are getting more and more complex.

"Take it"??? Wait, is it that easy? Oh no, of course not. How did it *not* burn him up after all this time though, was it just chilling in his body without actually doing anything? Other than accidentally hurting LL with it, I don't think we've ever seen ZYZ use it in any way, either 🤔 Okay, so he needs the creation stone as well, okay-

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲

That's the live reaction of yours truly at *that* visual of golden light blasting from ZYC's sword as he grasps it. Holyyyyyy shit, Guo Jingming, Silmarillion adaptation when????

Oh gods, their hands on that stone. Like in ZYZ's vision. I'm scared again. The image of ZYC morphing into LL and then back again!!! If you want ZYC to promise that he'd protect the Wilderness with you, then *you* better promise not to die, ZYZ! Also, could they be any more queer coded at this point? (Aww, WX, I want to give her a hug so badly. Where the hell is PSJ when you need her???)

I take that back, they can and currently are even more queer coded. ZYZ's face when ZYC prepares his drink for him with yet another jade pendant!!! This whole scene, starting with one of my favorite songs from the OST playing in the background, the soft focus, warm lights, close-ups of their faces, the way they gaze at each other... so beautiful. Of course there had to be some theatrics (ZYZ) and fond exasperation (ZYC) involved, too, that's just how they roll, and I'm eating it alllll up.

Did they *have* to go and draw the parallel to last drink and meal though? 😭 also, also, ZYC doing his best to emphasise that their "blood feud" is in the past! In how many ways does he have to tell you that he wants you to live before you get it, ZYZ?

I also remembered their conversation in ep 15, when ZYC asked how ZYZ could live with contradictions, and boy, is ZYC a walking paradox himself. His feelings seem so tangled and complex, but at the same time he's so clear eyed about them, and able to express them, even while saying that they're ineffable. And ZYZ's response! His face! ::head in hands::

The toasts broke me a bit. The way ZYZ hesitated for the longest time before downing his cup for the first toast. The goddamn *poetry* in ZYC's words, the goddamn eye contact throughout, the goddamn tension, HMH's goddamn face! So good! 😭

!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay you know what? I think I'm getting better at this. There *was* the slight pause before the camera cut to WX and then back to our soulmates (they said it more than once now, I feel justified in using the word for them 😁), I'm gonna wait and see first!

Aw but they're both just so stunning with their hair flying around them lke that. I could watch them forever.

Loved the slow-mo before ZYZ collapsed. Poor WX! That quick shot of her wiping the blood off of ZYZ's chin was so satisfying somehow...

Ahhh I was right, they were in agreement and trying something dangerous together, not against each other! Yay for removing that godawful thing from his inner core, but now what? Are they gonna give it to WZY in exchange for the antidote? Do they actually believe that after all he's done he will play nice??? I love WX, scolding them both like a pair of unruly children 😂

Okay this is getting a little too convenient that they can get eavesdropped on so easily. And not to repeat myself, but where the hell are Ying Lei and PSJ?

I certainly didn't expect to get my wish so quickly lol I guess now we're really down to business when it comes to death countdowns... What did I just say? There is no goddamn antidote! What the fuck did WZY use to create that poison in the first place? The only solution is for someone to use their demonic power to absorb the poison into their own body??? Don't tell me that that's how ZYZ is gonna cure WX. And then ZYC will kill him so that he doesn't suffer. Looking at ZYC, he's about ready to sacrifice himself, though... ::incoherent pterodactyl screeching::

I keep repeating myself, but how is this kid 12. And finally the missing members of the squad reappear! (Just to get the front row, of course.) Oh, oh no. Even though I kinda knew that Ao Yin was going to do this... (I wonder if the poison worked way faster on her because she's a lesser demon?) I can't believe they made me cry over the human livers dealer!

I feel like I said it after every episode so far, but what an episode. I also find it more and more difficult to watch without being tempted to read other folks' commentary first, since I'm so anxious about what's going to happen next; so on one hand, I'd want to be prepared for the worst (so I should spoil myself), on the other though, I want to see what happens with my own eyes first... ah, decisions, decisions.

#fangs of fortune #fof ep 29 #fof liveblogging

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