#( could i resist the cameo? no no i could not )

[fev3rish]

YOUR EYES TOLD ME, “GIRL, COME RIDE ME !” kenji sato x fem!reader

you never could resist kenji’s eyes.

cw. oral (m receiving), overstim (?), mild dumbification (kenji doesn’t like thinking when it comes to you), kenji’s highkey obsessed with you, sex toys (vibrator that reader pulled out of god knows where), sub!kenji & gentledom!reader who’d do anything for him, alt synopsis: you and kenji fuck NASTY, aftercare, mina cameo, kenji and reader are equally obsessed with eachother. porn with barely any plot

notes. i’m releasing all my inhibitions just posting this; it’s incredibly self indulgent 😭🙏 this is my first time writing & posting smut, so i’m sorry if there any errors. this’ll likely be the first and last time i’ll post smut ever . chat i am literally so embarrassed this is not what i stand for . this is also good for a select audience; the ppl who get it, get it😄🙏

you never could resist kenji’s eyes.

it’s funny, you were the one to ask him out—you took a chance and decided to be brave, and when kenji heard the words roll out of your mouth, the expression that made its way onto his perfect face—god, it took all you had in you not to take him then and there. his eyes were so big, and he was just so cute, and the both of you were so very flustered, but as he smiled and accepted, you knew that you were in for the long run with him. 

his eyes pulled you in at every possible moment.

they pulled you into bed at night, and out of it in the morning. all kenji really needed to do was look at you the right way and you’d give in to every one of his whims, no questions asked; you were his. as much as you wanted to tell yourself you had him wrapped around your finger, because you did, it didn’t compare to just how much you’d risk for him. you were his, through and through. just looking at kenji did things to you.

you never could resist kenji’s eyes, especially now.

did he know what he was doing? in those sweatpants, that white shirt that accentuated his biceps just a little too good—the way his mouth hung open tiredly, the prettiest soft lips—in his hand, some of that ‘damned’ coconut water mina had given him. he must’ve been so tired to just settle with that. he was sprawled out on that weirdly big sofa of his, head thrown back, resting against the arm of the chair and legs spread—already enticing enough. you trailed your eyes from his tired body, to his eyes.

oh god, his eyes.

kenji’s hooded eyes raked across your form, then back to your face. His pretty eyes seemed to stare into yours for a little longer, almost needing—longing—to be paid attention to. 

you caved.

kenji’s breath hitched when you had suddenly straddled him, embarrassment evident in your face along with hints of poorly hidden lust. “baby?—“ he had tried to give you a proper greeting when you walked in, but you had foiled his attempts. now, he just looked at you cluelessly. you were breathing heavier than usual. “whats got you so perked up?” he tried to tease, but you shushed him. “you’re so — you’re so fucking stupid —“ you whispered. he raised an eyebrow.

“where’d that come from?—“ 

“can i give you head?” you blurted out and he did a double take. “where is this coming from?!” he asked again, his face heating up—he didn’t seem against it, though. you looked at him. he always looked at you when he talked, even when you didn’t have the bravery to look back into his pretty eyes—he always looked at you. It disarmed you so quickly. “Your eyes are so fucking pretty.” you began. “—Haven’t known love until you looked at me with them.” 

Kenji went haywire. it was so obvious that he was flustered, the blush reaching deep into his neck and the way he tried to cover his face was proof of that. you didn’t let him cover his face, you never did. “too pretty.” you muttered, and he only gave in to you more. “I want you so bad.” you looked into his eyes for what seemed to be the first time in forever. everything in you was just screaming, screaming at you to, for lack of a better word, fuck him. You wanted him so motherfucking bad.

kenji could never really resist your eyes either.

something in the way you looked at him, as you kissed the tip of his cock, did something to Kenji. “Shit.” he cursed, watching your spit dribble down the base—and he jolted up as you wrapped your fingers around him because you were being such a fucking tease. “You wanted me so bad, now you’re teasing me to death here, baby, please—“ he pleaded. you only smiled, your hands, your touch, was so light on him now. he could barely feel it, which made him reasonably pouty. then you unexpectedly pressed the tips of your fingers into him, and he gripped the couch a little bit tighter.

you took the tip into your mouth first, tongue swirling around it as he twitched in your control. kenji’s tip was always so sensitive, it wasn’t a surprise you had decided to go for it first—you wanted him to give in to you, after all. to give all of him to you this time.

it was funny how easy it was to get him to cave; just the bob of your head up and down had him clawing at your hair and pulling you in deeper and deeper. you could feel him in the back of your throat, and as you watched him babble on and on about how every hole you had was made for him (all the holes that mattered, atleast), and how you made him feel so good, you clenched your thighs and chose to be patient. 

you wanted to play with him for a little while.

“please, please, please, please, please—“

“oh, kenji, you’re moving too much. try to sit still, okay?”

kenji never realized his dick could get that red, nor did he realize you ever had any of this in you—you were always so obedient. you did what you could to please him, and he always made it a point to take good, good care of you; he was just so tired today, he didn’t think you’d be the one taking care of him this time. where did you even get that vibrator? how are you so good at handling it? why is he asking these questions? he doesn’t even want to think anymore, he just wants you on him. the feeling of your tongue, planting itself on the very tip of his cock—and the feeling of the vibrator perched upon his base is dizzying, and kenji can’t even speak. can’t talk. 

 it all just hurts so good.

how many times has he came again? he’s neglected counting. you’ve just been taking care of him so, so well, he doesn’t even want to think about any one but you. what does it matter? your pretty face is right infront of him, smiling up at him as you help guide him through yet another orgasm. another orgasm without him inside you.

he almost cries at the feeling.

he just feels so incomplete without his dick inside of you, feeling you clench all around him and watching you sink into his cock, watching it disappear, it’s fucking addicting. you’re fucking addicting. he can’t stop thinking about you, can’t stop saying your name, can’t stop reaching for your body because he just wants to feel you! he just wants to feel you. whatever he can get, he’ll take. 

just let him feel you.

your eyes widen at just how far you’ve pushed him, his eyes are so glossy, and his cheeks are covered in dried tears—his lips, swollen and red because you may have gotten a little too carried away in last round’s impromptu make out,  call out your name weakly. his throat is hoarse and when you stand up, he forces himself off his position in the couch to wrap his arms around your body, his head resting on your stomach. his breaths are ragged, and you can feel his cock hardening against your leg once more. you coo.

“kenji, what is it you want, baby?” you ask him, soft and sweet. he looks up at you, and he shyly mutters something about… ah.

“let—let me feel you.” he hiccups,before quickly adding, “please!”

he wants to be inside you.

that’s so cute. you audibly ‘awww’ at the state you’ve reduced him too, so pliant and willing—eager to please, eager for you to take from him as much as you let him take from you. his eyes are glossy, glistening with unshed tears, and they will likely be that way for a while. kenji looks up at you, his doe eyes making you abandon any and all plans you had for him. 

you could never say no to those eyes, they were just begging you for more. 

and more you would give. 

“there, there we go, there we go, yes— yess..” his voice is a husky whisper in your ear as you sunk down onto his cock; you never did get used to the stretch, and kenji can tell, with how you grip his shoulders so tight the hold is almost bruising. he squeezes his eyes shut once more and he hisses, you’re so tight, he’s such a weak fucking man, he has to still himself for a bit—has to hold on to your hips to stop you from continuing, because he doesn’t want to cum, he doesn’t want to cum yet—you haven’t even started speaking yet, he wants to hear you talk him through it.

you’re so beautiful.

“kenji, when can i move?” you ask, you’re so close to his face—he hates to say it, especially since he’s balls deep inside of you right now, and because you’ve been dating for a while already, but he has the biggest crush on you. “you can move now.” he replies. you smile, and press a kiss to his lips. “you’re being so good to me, kenji. you’re always so good to me, i’ll be good to you too. always.”

kenji wonders how you’ll go about that.

you’re going so fast.

he didn’t know you had the stamina for that, and neither did you, but this is kenji sato you are riding—god forbid you waste a single second when he’s inside of you. kenji can’t even speak, kenji can only moan, moan, and keep moaning. he watches you ride him and he swears he’s died already.

this is a view you can only find in heaven.

you’re just so pretty, he’s going to cum just from looking at you in this state.

look at you.

kenji’s mind is gone, and the kisses you share while you ride him are messy—teeth clanging and tongues crashing, but he loves it. he loves it when you get messy. 

“you’re so—”you bite back a moan, “you’re so pretty, kenji, oh my god—” you say to him, and he whimpers. “you make the prettiest sounds, baby, again.” again. again. again. he whimpers and he writhes again, and again, and again, for you. you only look at him in awe, because he’s so pretty when he can’t think. it makes you want to do all the thinking for him.

maybe you will.

“kenji.” you call, “you with me?” and he nods, his eyes lidded. he’s tired, but he’s with you. your left hand grabs his face, squishing his cheeks together. a feline grin makes it’s way onto your face as you lean in, “you always take such good care of me, kenji. this is my ‘thank you’.” and you’re making him pull out, and kenji whines, but he moans even louder when you sink all the way back in and he feels you squeezing him all over again. you take him to the hilt, skin slapping against skin as you watch his mouth part in utter bliss.

“do you want to cum inside me, kenji?” you ask, so very sweetly to him, and he’s so fucked out that all he can do, all he wants to do, is say “please.”

the shit you pull next has kenji dazed. you’re going so fast, you’re taking him all in, he can feel you squeeze every time you sink down and oh my god, it feels so good. “you feel so good.” 

you cum with him in a sea of bliss, and the ring that he can physically feel where you and him connect, has him on a new found high.

“wow.” 

“you really took me by surprise there.” kenji chuckled, now laying on the same couch that probably needed to be deep cleaned—you laid on his chest, smiling up at him mischievously. “i wanted to be the one in control this time. you always take good care of me, so why wouldn’t i do the same for you?” you ask, a rhetorical question that has kenji tilting his head and patting your cheek. “well, i was in great hands with youu!” he hummed, taking your hand and placing a kiss to the back of your wrist. “literally. i was in great hands.” 

you laughed, eyes creasing at the pun—and kenji laughed, too. then, he nodded towards the bathroom. “you wanna take a bath together?” he asks, “that’s about the most romantic thing you’ve ever asked me.”

“well, most is an exaggeration.” he shrugs,

“what other question would have me so happy other than that?” 

“you would know.”

“no, i don’t, wanna say it?” you challenge, a glint in your eye and kenji knows that you know.

“i don’t have a ring yet, babe.” he chuckles, wiping a stray hair off your face. “gotta make sure you get only the best, after all.” 

“well, i already have the best.” you smile into his chest, and kenji looks at the ceiling with a stupid grin on his face, before he calls mina over to tell her to set up a bath for the two of you. she obliges, snickering. as you hear the slow running of water, you feel kenji’s fingers sneak into your scalp. you needed the massage. as you let yourself give into true relaxation, you hear kenji’s voice lulling you asleep. he trusted mina would wake the two of you up once the bath was ready, anyway. 

your eyes close, and so do kenji’s, but he can’t help but reply to you—you say you have the best, but he can’t help but disagree. “i have the best, not you.”

[puffcap-factory]

Oh, the man he is... (Wriothesley x Reader)

Wriothesley x fem!reader; fluff, shared feelings, implied mutual pining or some sorts + Sigewinne, Furina, Neuvillette appeared as cameos!

You had agreed to extend your work in the Fortress, much to Wriothesley’s delight. However, recently, he found it harder and harder to spend time with you, and it left him feeling restless.

((The story is a sequel of my previous fic here! Although you can always read it separately, the build-up is somewhat connected to the previous one))

Words: 3.1k

Notes: 

I’ve always wanted to do the continuation of my previous stories, but I clearly went overboard for this one since I didn’t plan this to be this long. But, I mean, it’s Wriothesley, who could resist? ;) and don't judge the title pls HELP

Enjoy the story!

•~•~•~•

No, Wriothesley wasn't a jealous man.

As a responsible warden of the fortress, he remained focused on his professional duties, fully acknowledging the demands they entailed.

However, ever since you’ve agreed to extend your work at the Fortress of Meropide—with Neuvillette’s permission, of course, Wriothesley had unconsciously developed a habit of seeking you out—whether it was to hand you some documents or simply to ask about your day. 

Yet, it had been a week since he had a proper conversation with you, since the conflicting work schedules you two had left little time to spend with each other. And somehow, it was starting to bother Wriothesley more than it should. 

Wriothesley exhaled as he stood up from his office seat, leaving piles of documents sprawled on his desk. Despite his usual preference for lunching in his office, he found himself walking towards the cafeteria.

As he approached the bustling cafeteria, his hopes lifted momentarily when he saw you already seated, only to deflate when he spotted you already seated… with another young man in front of you. 

Oh. He thought to himself.

In that moment, he recalled that your latest work involved cooperation with some of the fortress’ members. Right, it was business matters and he’s the Duke of Meropide, he got nothing to worry about, right? 

So, he greeted you, asked about your day, and went back to his office.

•~•~•~•

Wriothesley surely wasn’t a jealous man...

Another day, he discovered that you were done for the day as your work for the day was finished. He was just about to step out of his office to search for you when, to his surprise, you appeared right in front of the office doors. What luck, he thought to himself. However, your sheepish smile hinted at something else.

“Oh, hi, um— I’m here to tell you that I won’t be here for the weekend.”

His plans to ask you out crumbled inside his head.

“Oh, you got called in by the court?”

“No, but I’ve got other things to do,” you replied as you gave him an apologetic smile. “Is that okay?”

Well, he couldn't just outright refuse; after all, you deserved a break too. However, his mind raced, wondering about the nature of the 'other things' you had mentioned. Was it work-related? Or perhaps it was something more private?

"Of course, don’t worry about it," Wriothesley reassured you with a smile, trying to bury his own thoughts as he mentally cursed himself for his train of thought. "I'll see you next Monday then."

You thanked him and went off. He sighed, hoping that you would be available for the weekend so he could at least ask you out. But for now, he would have to wait.

•~•~•~•

Wriothesley definitely wasn’t the jealous type... or so he believed.

But lately, he couldn't shake this nagging feeling of restlessness. You seemed busier than ever, going back and forth between the surface and the fortress. And, to make matters worse, you were spending less time with him compared to a certain assistant. This young man had been assisting you in the latest case at the fortress, and he seemed to be handling it well. In fact, it was Wriothesley himself who suggested you to appoint an assistant in order to lighten your workload—as you seemed to have some business to take care of on the surface, only to find himself now competing for your attention.

It was like his own idea to help you had turned against him, backfiring in the most frustratingly ironic way possible. 

Massaging his temples, Wriothesley groaned as his thoughts swirled in his head.

“Feeling unwell, Your Grace?” Sigewinne's soft and cheery voice interrupted his brooding as she entered his office, carrying documents from the infirmary.

“Oh, Sigewinne, it’s nothing,” Wriothesley exhaled. “Thanks for the documents though.”

“If you’re wondering about y/n, she’s already gone to the surface,” Sigewinne said softly, yet, her tone masking a hint of mischief.

Wriothesley sighed in defeat. “Right, the event tomorrow. I figured she'd be attending.”

“Didn't she tell you?” Sigewinne asked innocently.

Oof.

Wriothesley fell silent, then replied, “No, but I had a hunch.”

“I saw her heading to the surface with Antonio—the assistant, did I get his name right? I heard there’s a ball in the event, right? Maybe they’re preparing for it,” Sigewinne added, her smile widening just a bit, her eyes anticipating his reaction. 

Wriothesley lifted his head to stare at Sigewinne, at a loss for words.

Wait, were you actually planning on dancing together with Antonio?

She giggled innocently at his reaction before continuing.

“But you’ll be there too, Your Grace. And for security reasons, I don’t see any problem,” she chirped, her amusement evident in her voice.

With a grumble, Wriothesley stood up and headed straight to his room. “Security reasons, right… I’ll need to think about tomorrow's outfit then…”

Sigewinne watched him go, giggling softly to herself.

“Racing hearts, rising blood pressure, uneasiness. Yep, those are the physical symptoms of jealousy, alright,” Sigewinne mused to herself.

“Human emotions are truly interesting.”

•~•~•~•

You stared at the dress laying on top of your bed at your dwelling in the surface, mentally preparing yourself up with confidence to wear it for the event tomorrow. In fact, Furina had picked the dress together with you. Classy, beautiful, drop-dead gorgeous; was what she commented. But honestly, when was the last time you'd slipped into something so elegant? 

As you lay back on your bed, your mind wandered over the events of the past few weeks.

--few weeks before--

“A… ball, you said?” 

"Yes, in fact, Lady Furina will be hosting the event. And we are expected to attend as representatives from the court," Neuvillette explained, his tone as flat as ever. Beside him, Lady Furina nodded eagerly. “The ball will pose as the closing ceremony.”

"Ah, I see... so the event about three weeks away," you replied, your confidence faltering slightly. "To be honest, I'm not exactly skilled at dancing..."

"Oh, nonsense! A Fontainian lady must know how to dance!" Lady Furina interjected, her voice brimming with determination. "Fear not! I'll personally train you at least twice a week until the ball. How does that sound?"

You swallowed nervously, anticipating her rigorous training methods. You glanced to Neuvillette, only to found him nodding in agreement. 

"Um... alright, thank you for the offer, Lady Furina. I'll try to make time during the weekends."

"Excellent! It's settled then!" Lady Furina exclaimed with a wide smile, her hand clasped in front of his chest. "Meet me in front of my house this weekend!"

You closed your eyes, recalling the training sessions with Furina as you tried to gather your confidence for tomorrow. Although you could safely say you were doing okay-ish with the training, your mind kept wandering back to a certain man in the fortress, leaving you longing for the interactions you shared with him.

•~•~•~•

The next evening, the venue began to fill with people, the atmosphere bustling with liveliness. You positioned yourself near the Palais Mermonia members, keeping Neuvillette in your sight as you glanced over at Furina, who was already engaged in conversation with other people.

As you talked with various guests, your thoughts often drifted to whether Wriothesley would attend the ball. The idea of dancing with him crossed your mind, but so far, he was nowhere to be seen.

Come to think of it, you hadn’t told him a thing about your secret dancing lessons. 

“You haven’t found a dance partner??” Furina's panicked tone was evident as she approached you, her arm linked with Neuvillette's, signaling that they would dance together. 

“Um, well, not yet…” you mumbled, feeling a bit flustered.

“Oh, my! I won’t allow you wasting your skills today! Let me see…”

Furina pondered for a moment before suggesting a few Palais Mermonia attendees as potential partners. However, none of them really piqued your interest. If you want someone, it would be– 

“Wriothesley is also attending this event too, in case you are wondering,” Neuvillette added suddenly, catching you off guard.

Your eyes widened slightly at the unexpected mention of Wriothesley's presence. You knew Neuvillette must be offering his personal opinion, perhaps based on his own observation of your close working relationship with the Duke, in addition with Wriothesley's request to extend your stay at the fortress. However, the comment had caught you off guard, and you went silent, a faint blush tinting your cheeks as you hid your excitement.

But your reaction had caught Furina’s attention as her smile turned into a mischievous grin. “Ah, the Duke of Meropide! How could I forget?” she exclaimed dramatically, holding her hand up to her face. “I saw him near the gardens earlier. You should go check him out!”

Although you realized her attempt on teasing you, you found yourself nodding hastily and made your way outside to the place she had mentioned. 

“And the ball is starting in fifteen—!” Furina added rather enthusiastically, her voice trailing behind you. 

And so, you went outside. The atmosphere was less crowded than indoors, but there were still plenty of people mingling about. You paced around in search of Wriothesley when suddenly, a young man intercepted you from the side, introducing himself.

“Good evening, m’lady. You're as lovely as a fresh rainbow rose. Would you do me the honor of a dance?”

“Thank you, but I’m actually looking for someone…” you began, trying to politely decline.

“A dance partner, perhaps?” he persisted, holding out a real rainbow rose this time.

“I’m sorry, but I really should— ,“ you attempted to excuse yourself, but he wasn't taking the hint.

“The ball's starting soon. It'd be a shame not to enjoy a dance with such a beautiful lady…”

Feeling pressured but unable to escape his persistence, you were about to step away, but a reassuring hand suddenly clasped your waist, holding you close from the side.

“The lady clearly indicated she wasn't interested.”

Relief flooded through you as you immediately recognized the voice. Looking up, you saw Wriothesley standing with a polite – or perhaps, intimidating – smile on his face, standing rather menacingly in front of the persistent man. The young man went off immediately, clearly taking Wriothesley’s cue.

After the man had hurriedly retreated, Wriothesley released his arm from your waist and turned towards you, his gaze lingering for a moment, a small smile playing on his lips as he took time to admire your delightful appearance. He then bowed slightly towards you, lifting your hand with a gentle touch and pressed a small kiss to the back of it.

“M’lady,” he murmured, his voice low and husky. 

You were stunned by his gentlemanly gesture, as you just felt a flutter of butterflies inside your stomach. “Wriothesley…” You found yourself momentarily at a loss for words, struck by how incredibly charming he appeared in his formal attire.

“You look stunning,” he complimented, his warm gaze met yours, a stark contrast to the coolness of his icy-colored eyes. You shyly thanked him for his kind words, feeling a warmth spreading through you at his sincere compliment.

As the two of you were lost in the brief moment of admiring each other, he cleared his throat, subtly regaining his composure as he glanced around. “…Are you perhaps, waiting for someone?” he asked as his curiosity piqued. 

“Oh, well, I was…”

Wriothesley immediately caught onto your choice of words.

“You… were?”

“Mhm, but not anymore,” you replied with a warm, sheepish smile.

A hint of confusion flickered across Wriothesley's face, his thoughts momentarily jumbled. Wait, so you weren't waiting for Antonio, which meant…

You sensed his slow realization and couldn't help but let out a small laugh as you added, “You, Wriothesley. You’re the one I’ve been searching for.”

Your words came out cheesier than intended, and you felt a blush creeping up your cheeks as you scrambled to explain. But Wriothesley did not seem to care as his smile grew wider. It was what he had hoped to hear. 

But then, before he could say anything, your attention shifted to the direction of the building, with the music began playing from inside the hall, signaling that the ball had already begun as people started flocking into the building.  

Observing the dwindling crowd, Wriothesley turned to look at you. “As much as I want to dance with you, I don’t think we’ll make it in time inside.”

You returned his smile at his eagerness to dance with you. You looked around, taking in the serene atmosphere of the nearly empty garden. “It’s fine. Instead… I’d hate to miss the beauty of the moon tonight.”

He gave you an affectionate smile as he seemed to understood the hint, and extended his arm towards you. “Well then, m’lady, may I have the honor of a dance?”

With a nod, you gladly accepted his hand. “Of course, Your Grace,” you replied, earning a small chuckle from him at your sudden formality.

As the music played softly in the background and the moon cast its gentle glow upon you, you and Wriothesley began to dance. The waltz you had practiced with Furina proved its worth as you both moved gracefully under the enchanting night sky. You realized that you had been longing for his company for this whole time.

As you danced, you became acutely aware of the close proximity between you and Wriothesley. Your faces were just inches apart, and his eyes seemed to be locked onto yours with an intensity that made your heart race. His hand rested firmly on your back, providing a reassuring support, while the other held yours with a gentle yet firm grip. 

“You dance well,” you whispered softly, breaking the silence.

“I could say the same about you,” he hummed, his eyes affectionately locked on yours as you two transitioned into a slower dance. “Have you been practicing in secret? Or were you just naturally gifted?”

You gave a small laugh at his remark. “Actually…” You paused, shying away for a bit. “I’ve been attending dance lessons with Lady Furina these past few weeks.”

“Oh? Is that why you've been going back and forth to the surface?” 

“Mostly, yeah, since I agreed to return her favor,” you explained with a sheepish grin. “But she also roped me into helping compile some data for this event. I must thank you for offering me appointing an assistant to help with the job though. He really did his job well.”

“Wait, I thought he’s also coming to this event?” He stopped the slow dance momentarily, still holding you in his arms as he processed the new information.

“Antonio? No, he’s taking care of my duties today in the fortress, as I instructed him yesterday.”

Wriothesley went silent as everything seemed to click inside his mind, a chuckle escaping his lips, amused by his own thoughts. You looked at him in confusion, but he waved off your concern with a dismissive smile.

“Never mind, it’s not the time to dwell on petty things,” he said, his focus returning to you. “I don’t want to spoil the moment dancing with you tonight.”

You stared at him for a second, before nodding in agreement, letting go of any lingering questions inside you as you both resumed your dance under the enchanting moonlight. It felt like you were dancing without a care in the world, lost in each other’s embrace.

As the song reached its conclusion, you both stopped gracefully, locked in a gaze neither of you wanted to break. A warm smile played on your lips as you looked into his eyes, feeling the warmth of his gaze that he returned to you.

In that fleeting moment, as the night air wrapped around you like a gentle caress, there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere. His eyes began to flicker between your lips and your eyes. You were ready to surrender yourself into the silent invitation as you slowly leaned forwards, feeling his breath brush against your skin as your noses almost touching.

Seeing you responded to his silent cue, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Wriothesley's lips as he too began to close the gap between you, inching closer. Finally, his lips met yours as he kissed you gently, sealing the moment carefully with a tender embrace.

Despite your racing heartbeat, you melted into his soft kiss, feeling his hand cupping your cheek gently that made your heart flutter. As the air around you seemed to grow warmer with the intensity of the moment, you pulled back slightly, needing a moment to catch your breath. Your cheeks flushed with a rosy hue as you met his gaze with half-lidded eyes, the heat of the moment still lingering between you.

He leaned in closer, as if to pull you into another kiss, but then abruptly halted, his body rigid as his eyes widened slightly. He then quickly turned his head to the side facing the bushes, while his hand remained protectively on your waist.

“Who’s there?” he asked, his voice a bit demanding.

Slowly, a small figure behind starting to emerge behind the bushes, revealing Sigewinne who slowly tiptoed out.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Your Grace, I thought I was hiding well,” she said with a sheepish smile. “I didn’t want to bother, so I waited.”

Wriothesley immediately released his hand from your waist, bringing it to his face to hide his embarrassment. “Ah, it’s you…, what brings you here?”

“Monsieur Neuvillette was searching for you, and I happened to spot you here,” she explained, her tone light and playful. 

Wriothesley let out an exasperated sigh, his hand falling to his side. “Right.”

Then, Sigewinne glanced at you with a mischievous gleam in her eye. “Looks like your jealousy was a tad unnecessary, Your Grace,” she teased.

“Huh, where did that come from?” Wriothesley responded with a bemused expression.

You stood there, momentarily stunned, before Sigewinne’s words finally sank in. “…Jealous? Of whom?” you asked, glancing between them in confusion, before it dawned on you as you recalled your lingering questions from your mind.

Wait…could it be? 

A smile tugged at the corners of your lips as Sigewinne continued, “Ah, you see, this big man was actually jealous that new assis–”

“Ugh, spare me…” Wriothesley groaned, turning to walk away, not wanting to hear the rest of Sigewinne’s teasing. You laughed softly as you followed behind with Sigewinne as she started to explain her observationsfrom the past few weeks.

As you walked, you caught Wriothesley stealing a glance back at the two of you, a playful smirk tugged on his lips. It seemed like he was content with how things had turned out.

And so, the rest of the night unfolded with cheers and laughter, with everyone by your side. Despite the lingering feeling of a certain unfinished business, you couldn't wipe the smile from your face for the entire night.

After all, you now know that the feelings were mutual, right?

[alwayssassydreamer]

Charmed And Disarmed

A/N: thanks Ann for asking for a fluffy story with Shanks who is getting on the readers nerve until she agrees to go on a date with him, hope you like it.

Plot: you're trying to avoid your incredibly charming captain but he wouldn't let up until he gets what he wants

Warnings: none, just a fluff-ish story

Characters: Shanks x F!Reader cameo by Beckmann, Hongo, Yasopp

You were busy working on the deck of the Red Force, focused on your task as the sun shined down, the wind was gentle, the crew was bustling around you, and the day should have been peaceful. But, of course, nothing was ever peaceful when Shanks was around.

"Need a hand?" Shanks’ voice suddenly drawled from over your shoulder. You felt him lean in, his breath brushing against your ear. His tone was smooth, that familiar teasing edge made your heart skip a beat.

"I’m fine," you said, trying to keep your voice steady as you felt a flush creeping up your neck.

Shanks didn’t budge. "Are you sure? It looks like you’re having a hard time... concentrating." There was amusement in his voice, and you could feel his grin without even looking at him. He leaned even closer, practically invading your personal space.

From the other side of the deck, you heared Yasopp snicker. "C’mon, captain, don’t be shy now. You know she can’t resist your charm."

The rest of the crew burst out laughing, clearly enjoying the show.

You shot Yasopp a glare, but Shanks seized the opportunity, lowering his voice so only you could hear it

“They know you like the attention.”

Your face turned even redder, and you opened your mouth to protest, but he was already standing up straight, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

"How long until she cracks? I give it two minutes," Yasopp said loudly.

"Two minutes? I say less!" Hongo shouted, and soon, the entire crew was placing bets on how long it’ll take for Shanks to get under your skin.

Shanks winked at you, stepping a little closer again.

“We’ve got an audience now. Care to make this interesting?” His voice was playful, but there was a challenge in his eyes.

The whole crew was watching, waiting for you to crack, while Shanks stood there, all charming smiles and relentless teasing.

The longer you tried to keep your composure, the more impossible it became. Every little word, every glance, just added to your growing fluster, and Shanks knew it. He was enjoying every second of it.

Finally, when you couldn't take it anymore, you shoved the papers into his chest.

"You want to be helpful, Captain? You finish the paper work then!"

The crew erupted in laughter as Shanks held up his hands in surrender, but his eyes sparkled with victory.

After days of enduring Shanks’ relentless teasing, you decided to take matters into your own hands.

Every time you stepped onto the deck, it seemed like Shanks was there—ready with a smirk, a flirty comment, or some harmless touch that sent your heart racing.

You needed an escape, so you started spending more time in the infirmary, assisting Hongo with medical supplies, or helping Beckman sort through the endless stacks of paperwork.

"If you keep hiding in here, the crew's going to think you’ve suddenly developed an interest in medicine," Hongo said with a raised brow.

"I'm just avoiding.....distractions." you said with a sheepish grin.

"Sure. But you know he's going to find you in here right" Hongo replied with a small chuckle.

And he was right. It didn't take long until Shanks entered the infirmary.

"There you are. Already feared you would have gone overboard" Shanks joked.

"I’ll leave you two to it.” Hongo said glancing between you and Shanks, smirking as he left.

"What’s this? Playing nurse now?” Shanks teased, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Just offering a helping hand" you muttered not meeting his gaze.

"Seems you've been developing some sort of helper syndrome lately. Or is this part of your strategy to avoid me"

"No.....I'm just being helpful" you said as you felt that familiar warmth in your cheeks as he stepped closer again, clearly not buying your excuse.

"Sure you are" he said his tone full of amusement. "But you can’t avoid me forever, you know."

Unfortunately for you he was right. Everytime you were hiding in Beckman's quarters helping him with the paperwork Shanks would enter the room. Dropping a playful comment, teasingly poke your side or stand too close to you all while Beckman chuckled under his breath.

It seemed like there was just no way to escape your captain's teases.

After he left you flustered again Beckmann smirked.

"You know he’s not going to stop, right? Might as well face him head-on.” he said amusement in his voice.

You sighed feeling the need to find a better tactic.

Next day you told yourself that you would just blend your captain's advances on you out. Which worked at the beginning pretty well but not for long cause Shanks isn’t easily deterred.

“What are you working on so hard that you can’t even look at your charming captain?” he called out, his voice loud enough for the whole crew to hear.

You ignored him, focusing intently on the chart in front of you, pretending it’s the most fascinating thing in the world. The laughter of the crew filled the air, and you could feel their eyes darting between you and Shanks, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

“Is she playing hard to get?” Shanks teased looking at his crew. “I like a challenge.”

You refused to glance up, but you couldn’t suppress the smile threatening to break through. You heard the crew chuckling, and you wished they would have just let this go.

"C’mon, sweetheart! Just a smile for your charming captain?” Shanks persisted, leaning over your shoulder, his presence made it increasingly difficult to concentrate

"I’m busy, Shanks!” you exclaimed, shooting him an irritated look.

The crew bursted into laughter, clearly relishing the interaction.

Shanks raised his hands in mock surrender, but the playful glint in his eyes remained. “Busy? Or trying to ignore me?”

“I’m trying to get work done!” you replied, trying not to chuckle.

"You know you can’t ignore me forever, right? I’ll always be right here, waiting for you to crack.” His teasing tone sent butterflies fluttering in your stomach, and you turned back to your work, determined not to let him get to you.

But you could feel the tension in the air, the crew’s eyes watching the unfolding drama with glee and you knew you couldn't resist him much longer.

------

You were sitting at the table playing cards with Beckmann, Yasopp and Hongo enjoying the peace without the captain. You were determined to finally win, not realizing Shanks approaching.

The other men at the table already grinning as they saw their captain carefully sneaking up to you.

You jumped in your seat as you felt him poke your side. "Fuck" you cursed, breath hitching.

"You should definitely work on your observation haki" Yasopp teased you with a smile.

"I hate you all" you said not able to supress the smile on your face.

"Maybe the captain can help you win before I'm starting to feel sorry for how bad you are at this game" Hongo stated making the others chuckle.

"Sounds fair" Shanks replied as he pulled you off the chair, sitting down on it and pulling you onto his lap. You could feel your cheeks flush almost immediately, your body was on fire.

"Show me those cards" he motioned for your hand to hold the cards up. He rested his chin on your shoulder oberserving the cards while you had a hard time to hold your hand still and keep it from shaking.

You could feel the other three staring at you knwing that they were amused by your 'misery'. Shanks clearly enjoying your discomfort and the way your body tensed.

"Maybe this was a bad idea it seems you're about to lose again" Yasopp teased smirking at you.

And he was right of course you lost. Shanks seemed too observed with you sitting on his lap and you were busy to keep your body from shaking.

Shanks sighed.

"Sorry for that I was sure we'd win. But I'll make it up to you, we will dock tomorrow. I know this quiet little place on this island that serves the best drinks. You’ll love it. Good food, good atmosphere..you and me" he said smoothly, voice dropping to that low, almost-too-charming tone he used when he was up to something.

"Wait what?" You asked getting off his lap.

"Just some......relaxation after I've been annoying you" he continued.

Yasopp, Hongo, and Beckman were watching with amused expressions, clearly catching on to Shanks' real intent, but they didn’t say a word. They just sat back, watching as the realization slowly dawned on you.

"Fine but you have to promise to leave me alone until then" you said. You could really use some time off and a good drink.

"Deal" Shanks winked, then stood up, heading off with that casual, confident stride of his.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Yasopp let out a low whistle while Hongo chuckled lightly. You looked at them confused.

"You do know he just asked you out right" Beckman said a small smirk playing on his lips

"What!?!" You almost yelled. You froze, blinking as it hit you.

You glanced at the others, who were all smirking knowingly.

Hongo glanced at you a mocking grin on his face. "Looks like his strategy worked. In the end he got what he wanted"

[violettathepiratequeen]

How could the Shanshu Prophecy NOT have been about Spike in Chosen?

The Prophecy states that a vampire with a soul would play a pivotal role in the apocalypse, and would be rewarded with becoming human when that happened. This was introduced in S1 of AtS, where it was also explicitely stated that the vampire in question isn't named, just that it's one with a soul. And since Angel was unique in that way, naturally it's assumed that he's the one they're referring to (but then why not name him if he was the only one it could apply to hmmm?) Wolfram and Hart took the extra step of research to learn that it was unclear whether the vampire would play a pivotal role on the side of good, or the side of evil, so they tried their darndest to get Angel on the side of evil through all five seasons.

But, hello? Angel has had a soul for a hundred and something years. And he's been through an apocalypse or two, first with Buffy, then on his own show. What's he been doing all this time? Which apocalypse are we talking about here? Lindsey claims the apocalypse has been going on all around them in Season 5, but the Buffyverse has always had clearly marked events signalling the end of the world that had to be prevented. The world being a mess is NOT an apocalypse in and of itself.

And then another vampire gets himself a soul, that could only have been forseen in prophecy, because he decided on his own to go and fight for it. After getting said soul, the First Evil immediately latched onto Spike and started grooming him, manipulating him, and brainwashing him into killing people. Random bystanders at first, probably testing to see if it could work on Buffy and her friends.

So Spike could very well have been on the side of evil in S7, if he didn't work so hard to resist the First's influence, if he didn't ask Buffy to help him, if he didn't break through his trigger. Or hell, even if he'd left town.

And then Angel is handed a mystical amulet and some info meant to help with whatever is going on in Sunnydale. He hands it over to Buffy and offers to be the champion in question, but she says no, and chooses Spike instead.

I'm not gonna get into the whole Spuffy side of this, haha, but S7 was about Buffy choosing Spike, every single time, in every aspect of her life, in love, and in battle. And this universe did originate with her, so she ought to be the one to determine this, within the confines of the show, anyway.

Spike takes it willingly, they both know he's probably going to die, Buffy does try to get him out of there when she sees he IS dying, and he stays, giving his life so that she and everyone else can live. His soul powers the amulet, his love sets their hands aflame, and his heroic act bathes him in sunlight before he's destroyed.

In the battle against THE FIRST EVIL. If I was gonna pick which apocalypse the Shanshu was talking about, I would choose one that had a villain called THAT. Plus it's Spike's first apocalypse with a soul, so that would also make sense that it's the one the Prophecy is referring to. No resting on his laurels for THIS vampire.

Except, instead, he dies and shows up on Angel's show disoriented and alone and without Buffy and with a complete 180 personality, battling with Angel on who the Prophecy is about, and you'll notice the show never does answer that question. Because Spike objectively makes the most sense. But it's not like they could make Angel play second fiddle ON HIS OWN SHOW.

No, what they should have done, is let the finale of Buffy cross over with Angel properly. Not just a cameo, but bring the whole Angel crew in, so that anyone watching the show would be forced to watch that specific episode of Buffy just to keep up with the story.

And Spike should have Shanshued. And Angel would have been disappointed, sure, but hey, he's BEEN human before. And he didn't like it. He even got a ring that made him impervious to harm. And he didn't like it. He loved Cordy more deeply (and more recently) than he ever loved Buffy. So it's not like he's really waiting for her anymore. Plus Cordy is part demon now, so Angel doesn't have to worry about not being enough for her. (Oh yeah, they should have brought Cordy out of her coma for this ending, to make any kind of cohesive sense).

But Spike... Spike was always more human to begin with. He may not have ever thought becoming human was on his bucket list, but he didn't think that about a soul either, until the time came where he needed it. He would LOVE to take Buffy out in the sun, and grow old with her, and give her the family and white picket fence that she's always secretly wanted and didn't think she could ever have. He would have still died, the same way soulless Spike died the minute he got a soul, but without all the heartbreak the canon ending gave us.

I'm partial to the stories where the Shanshu means some vamp powers like extra strength and healing remain, but those are just semantics.

As a cherry on top it would prove to anyone who's ever called it into question, and I include Buffy and Spike themselves on this list, that it's not that Buffy wants normal, nor is it that she wants a demon. She loves Spike for who he is, demon or not, human or not, but the soul and humanity would have helped him be the best version of himself, a man worthy of loving her and living with her, and after all the battles they've fought in their relationship to get here, it feels like it would have been kind of a sign that someone out there gives their blessing on this pairing. And Buffy could have said she loved him and chosen him AGAIN, in front of everyone, including Angel, and that would have been our endgame ending. (Though... to be honest if the comics still happened after this and Spuffy broke up at any point I would have been betrayed in a whole different way.)

And that's how BtVS could have ended. Angel could have gone on to have another season more or less the same, without any Spike or Buffy or Shanshu to speak of. And it could have ended EXACTLY the same.

The writing was literally so perfect and set it up for Spike so beautifully and unexpectedly. It wouldn't have even had to be a slap in the face for Angel because a. neither show was afraid of disrespecting a character at any point, and b. if it had been done on Buffy's show, it would have been less of a blow and made more sense, that Angel went back to BtVS to watch this unfold, where he wasn't the main character anyway. The Prophecy introduced on his show was really intended to be in service to hers, as any spinoff show ought to be.

Plus the episode title Chosen is such a beautiful one that has so many double and triple and quadruple meanings that one more would have been awesome.

So yeah. Those are my thoughts on the Shanshu this fine evening. Obviously many, many Spuffy fics (including my own) have given it to Spike or Angel or neither, all with their own reasons. And of course there's lots and lots of opinions on whether we would even want that for Spike, or if Spike and Buffy would want it.

But I think it just needed to be spelled out that from a writing standpoint, this would have made the most sense, and why.

[fitrahgolden]

(I've been trying to resist for 9 whole hours, but I cannot. Please allow me this one short whiny post.)

- Kate and Anthony got no on-screen courtship or wedding.

- We didn't get to see them on either of their honeymoons or see them find out they are pregnant or have the baby.

- Their pregnancy announcement was cut off.

- They left for India off screen with zero fanfare. (And this constant abdication of their responsibilities goes against the very core of who these characters are.)

I could go on, but I'm trying to keep this short. Netflix knew exactly what they were doing with all the Kate and Anthony promos leading up to this season. Purposeful false advertising. They had approximately 16 minutes of screen time after being the second most promoted characters after this season's stars.

I'll still love Kate and Anthony forever and will come back for any cameos in the future, and Simone and Jonny somehow managed to still be perfect despite the shittiest of shitty writing 👏🏾👏🏾

But Netflix and Shondaland can fuck off for the blatantly dishonest marketing.

(OK, that's all.)

[raplinesmoon]

원샷! (One-Shot!) - MYG X F!Reader

Part 1.5: Half The Man

series masterlist

pairing: Doctor!Yoongi x Doctor!Reader genre(s): crack, fluff, angst (i'm sorry) au(s): medical AU, idiots-to-lovers (not quite yet) word count: 1.7k chapter warnings: cynical Yoongi, Jeonghan cameo!, hospital talk, artificial insemination and pregnancy, sperm for insemnation switched without readers’ knowledge/consent, Yoongi has no filter, mentions of previously regretful acts done while drunk, arguments, lots of unresolved feelings, did I mention they’re idiots (affectionate), rating: 18+

summary: As your pregnancy progresses, Yoongi continues to wrestle with his long-standing feelings, culminating in an argument that has you making an unexpected move.

a/n: Hi, thank you so much to everyone that has shown love to this series. I'm so sorry that it took me so long to upload the second part, I struggled a lot to continue writing this partly because of my own insecurity, partly because of other things (which I don't want to get into). But Doc!Yoongi is so fun to write! I hope you enjoy!

disclaimer: I do not own, or have any affiliation with BTS. Any similarity between the version of the idol(s) mentioned and portrayed here and their real life counterparts is purely coincidental, and does not represent the thoughts and opinions of said idol(s). Any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real-life scenarios. This specific fic is based on the 2010 movie The Switch, which contains sensitive themes relating to accidental artificial insemnation, consent, and pregnancy. Please do your research before engaging with this fic, as these themes may not be for everyone.

The small splotch on Yoongi’s white coat, the byproduct of an accidental run-in with a very flustered Jeon Jungkook holding a very hot cup of coffee, had now turned into an unsightly bloom. Yoongi rubbed at the stain, cursing under his breath that he’d skipped laundry day this week.

To make matters worse, he’d gotten an impromptu page right in the middle of his lunch break. The three tiny beeps went off, and Yoongi’s face turned stark white.

“Oh no,” you gave him the most sympathetic look you could muster, your eyes turning misty. The pregnancy had thrown your hormones completely out of balance, the smallest inconvenience turning into enough to make you cry. “Jeonghan?”

“Jeonghan,” Yoongi sighs. 

…

The frigid air in Jeonghan’s office was nearly enough to rival the stare he currently possesses. Yoongi has to resist the urge to scoff. Yoon Jeonghan was the head of his department, full of pride with a face to match his inflated ego. A handful of years younger than Yoongi, he’d only gotten the position after Yoongi had turned it down multiple times, grumbling about how he was too busy taking care of real patients to deal with all the paperwork that department heads had to put up with. 

“I’m going to be very frank with you Dr. Min,” Jeonghan leans over his desk, a few stray papers falling to the floor. “You’re falling apart.” 

Yoongi bristles, shuffling his feet. He’d felt off ever since the night of your party, and even worse a few weeks later when you told him you were pregnant, all the memories coming back to him. He’d pushed it out of his mind, but clearly Jeonghan had noticed which meant it was affecting his work.

“Namjoon says you’re ordering X-rays and labs for your patients, but not coming up with any diagnoses.”

He straightens, heat coming to his face. “Dr. Yoon, I can explain—“

“No need, Dr. Min. The whole hospital knows you’re in love with ___. You don’t do a great job of hiding it.”

If there was ever a time Yoongi wished a sinkhole would open up and swallow the hospital whole, it was now (not that he’d thought about it before). Almost as if he can sense Yoongi’s sheer embarrassment, Jeonghan is by his side in no time, pulling up a chair to catch Yoongi’s unsteadily swaying figure.

“I’m too fucking sober for this conversation,” Yoongi groans, plopping into the comfortable cushion, Jeonghan looking on with an amused smile.

“That’s probably why Seungcheol also said he saw you throwing up in the hallway like a sorority girl the night of ___’s party.”

Yoongi cursed his stupid neighbour, who also happened to be one of the hospital’s charge nurses, for ratting him out. But then again, a free therapy session with his director was hard to come by, so maybe Yoongi would need to stop and buy Cheol a coffee sometime.

“He has a PhD from Harvard… HARVARD,” Yoongi whines, thinking back to the stupidly attractive man he’d met who was going to be your sperm donor.

“You’re just mad because ___ put you in the friendzone,” Jeonghan sighs.

“We put each other in the friendzone,” Yoongi interrupts, but Jeonghan waves him away.

“No, you had your chance six years ago when both of you started working here, and you blew it.”

“How did I blow it?” Yoongi questions, even though he knows exactly how – and what you’d say if he ever had the guts to ask.

“You went all Yoongi on her — it kills the vibes. You showed too much crazy too soon,” Jeonghan is moving around him now, picking up the stray papers, and Yoongi’s patience becomes thinner than the 11 blade he uses for procedures.

“Oh I’m sorry, did your extortionate divorce settlement teach you that?” He quips back, purposefully sliding his chair onto some of the sheets so Jeonghan can’t reach them.

“Yoongi, you sent me a picture of your armpit three weeks ago while I was in the middle of a surgery.”

“I thought I had a growth! You’re a doctor, you should want to help me!”

“Newsflash, Min, we’re all doctors in here.” And Yoongi knows Jeonghan’s right – he was eccentric, too much at times. But somehow, you never seemed to mind, from always having his back through his daily rants, to showing up at his apartment with a tub of ice cream after his call shifts so you two could make affogatos (Yoongi was nothing if not a caffeine addict).

He hears the door click shut behind him, and Jeonghan’s gone, leaving Yoongi alone with his thoughts, thoughts he’s had many times before. But somehow, it all feels different this time around. You’re pregnant with a child - his child, and you’re not supposed to be. It’s everything he’s ever wanted, and yet, he can’t have it because it would mean confessing that he’d messed up. And like Jeonghan, Yoongi much preferred to shut the door on things rather than let anyone in.

The moan you let out is borderline indecent, and probably not something you should be doing in the middle of your best friend’s apartment. But you were four months pregnant, and the tangy spice of the kkaenip-kimchi Yoongi had prepared for you at 1am was the best thing you’d ever put in your mouth.

“My eomma would have a heart attack if she saw you eating unfermented kimchi at 1am, she says—” 

“The fermentation is good for the baby, I know, I know,” you finish Yoongi’s sentence with a pout. “But I wanted kimchi now.”

“You’re lucky I’m Korean. What if you didn’t have a best friend like me and your random kimchi cravings hit?” Yoongi chuckles, his gums peeking out from one of his rare smiles. The dim lights from the city skyline reflect onto the window behind Yoongi, casting a faint glow over him, and you feel your heart flip-flop, unsure if it’s from nausea or something else.

“I would have gone to H-Mart or something, or called up Seokjin,” you mumble under your breath, but Yoongi, the ever preceptive one between the two of you, catches your hushed response.

“You’re still in touch with him?” His face is pale, a far-away look in his eyes, and you feel your stomach drop, a lead weight settling on your chest.

A strange heat crawls up your spine, and you feel yourself flush at the iciness in Yoongi’s tone, wanting to defend yourself.

“Of course I am Yoongi. The whole point of doing this was so that I could have a donor that I’d be able to meet face to face, look him in the eyes, shake his hand —”

“What, are you going to marry him or something?” Yoongi cuts through your rambling, eyes blazing. “I thought the whole point of this was having a baby. I thought he didn’t matter.”

“Obviously he matters, but not like that, I just–” you trip over your words, unsure why you’re growing so frustrated. This isn’t what you expected when you’d called Yoongi up asking for kimchi. “Why are you being so weird about this?”

“I’m not being weird,” Yoongi’s back is to you, shuffling around in the kitchen. He is being weird, refusing to meet your eyes. “It’s just – what if you meet someone tomorrow? Or in six months? What if you fall in love? Isn’t that an important part of this?”

“This isn’t like you Yoongi,” you shove your bowl of kimchi to the side, wrapping your coat around your arm. Yoongi pales, watching you get up to leave. “I’m not going to spend my life waiting for some what-if. I didn’t exactly dream of this okay? It wasn’t like I was sitting there suffering through med school, just pondering the idea of putting an ad out for a sperm donor one day! But this is real, and it’s happening, and even though you’ll never say it, you think I’m making the wrong choice. You’re supposed to be my friend!”

Your voice breaks at the last sentence, eyes filling with tears. Yoongi had always been there for every stage of your life, through all your terrible dates and failed situationships. He’d been your one constant, but lately it felt like he was fading, purposely removing himself from your life the moment you’d told him you were going through with this.

“I think we need to take some time apart. We need a time-out,” you throw your coat over your shoulders, and Yoongi stiffens, a choked sound escaping him.

“Already learning how to speak mom,” Yoongi quips, but his signature Yoongi humour isn’t enough to quell the rage filling your body. You don’t spare him a second glance, turning on your heel, letting the door slam behind you before you fall apart.

Yoongi wasn’t just your friend, he was so much more than that, but now you weren’t sure if he remained anything to you at all.

Jeonghan’s face is no longer smug when he breaks the news to Yoongi. You’re moving back home, claiming that the city is no place to raise a child. For once, Yoongi is thankful that the younger man doesn’t let his ego get in the way, opening the door to his office so Yoongi can lament in peace, the walls he’d built around his heart growing higher and higher. 

Two weeks later, you were gone. Yoongi stood with you as the moving trucks pulled up, watching you get choked up, the two of you barely having the guts to say more than a simple goodbye, for fear that you’d crack and say the wrong thing. 

Yoongi had always thought of himself as a mature, stable adult, but he fell apart at your leaving, feeling much like a child in need of constant attention. Your words ring back to him – a timeout. You’d left your friendship in constant purgatory – daily texts turned into once-a-week phone calls, which then turned into once-a-month emails, until you’d exchange Christmas cards once a year.

Seven years passed by in the blink of an eye - bringing with them two failed relationships, a stock market crash, a new roommate in the form of a poodle named Holly, and one phone call that changed everything.

A/N pt. 2: Thanks for reading! As always, any feedback or comments are much appreciated, but I appreciate you all anyway. Lots of love, Isi 💜

[sucredreamer]

how i met your mother ᯓᡣ𐭩 aurélien tchouaméni

what’s it giving ᯓᡣ𐭩 in which Aurélien tells his son just how he met his mother

pairing ᯓᡣ𐭩 aurélien tchouaméni x black! reader

warnings ᯓᡣ𐭩 cussing, heart warming fluff, some ill french translations lol and the possibility to completely fall for Tchoua if you haven’t already. (a Jules cameo as well!)

A/N ᯓᡣ𐭩 i got tired of being an anon and put my imagination to work, i hope you freaking love it! (also i’ve given you the nickname Lovie 🥰)

y/n & aurélien’s interlude ᯓᡣ𐭩 forever my lady x jodeci

w/c 3918

Waking up to the sun shining through the curtains and his alarm clock blaring, Aurélien groaned, cuddling closer to you. He felt the warmth of your body next to his and sighed contentedly, savoring the few extra moments of peace before the day began. The soft light illuminated the room, casting gentle shadows that danced on the walls. You stirred slightly, your hand finding his and squeezing it gently.

"Turn that shit off, please" You mumbled pulling the comforter over your head as he let out a light laugh.

“I’m sorry, mon amour. I’m getting up now” He said, trying to move but finding it difficult as you were now latched onto him. {my love}

“I said turn it off, not get out of bed. What are you doing?” You pouted, hugging him from behind while he sat on the edge of the bed.

Aurélien chuckled, feeling your arms tighten around him. “I guess I misunderstood” He teased, reaching over to turn the alarm clock off. “There, it’s off.”

“Good,” You murmured, resting your chin on his shoulder sending tender kisses to his skin. “Now come back to bed”

He couldn’t resist your plea, the softness of your voice and the warmth of your vanilla scented embrace. He shifted back onto the bed, pulling you close as he laid down again. Cuddling into his side, your eyes began fluttering shut as he rubbed circles on your thigh that was placed over him.

“Me and Halo have busy day, mama” He mumbled into your temple before adjusting your bonnet to completely cover your hair. Their busy days consisted of trying a new sport, getting ice cream or a treat and buying you something just so you knew they were thinking of you the whole time.

“I know, have fun getting him out of bed” You laughed. Halo, just like you, was the furthest from a morning person anyone could be. “Just be careful and make sure to send me pictures please” You said as your eyes fluttered closed once again.

“Always baby. You get some rest” Aurélien said gently kissing you back to sleep. “You too, ma princesse” He whispered to your growing belly before leaving a soft kiss on your skin. {my princess}

Getting up he slid his feet into his slippers before heading to his sons room. After sending two knocks to the door he opened it to find Halo asleep. Half on and half off the bed, tangled in the sheets, much to his father’s amusement.

“This kid” Aurélien chuckled, shaking his head.

As he sat on the edge of the bed, he heard a deep sigh which brought a mischievous grin to his face. “C'est l'heure de se lever, mon bébé” Aurélien murmured, his hand gently tracing soothing circles on Halo’s back. {It’s time to get up my baby}

Opening one eye to take a peek, Halo noticed his father’s full attention on him making him snap them back shut. “Is the sun awake?” His little voice spoke just before a sleepy yawn escaped his lips.

“Yes, and the earth says hello,” Aurélien smirked as he playfully began to tickle Halo, who responded with a burst of heartwarming giggles.

“Tell the earth I need five more minutes, please,” Halo said, trying to catch his breath as he wrapped both arms around Aurélien’s neck and pulling him down onto the bed.

“Just five more minutes?” Aurélien asked, gently placing Halo on his chest. Halo responded with a sleepy nod. “I guess football will just have to wait, then” He said with a playful shrug.

Halo’s eyes popped open in pure excitement as he sat up on his dad’s chest. “We’re going to play football?!” He exclaimed, holding both sides of Aurelien’s face affectionately.

“Yes, of course, but if you’re too tired—” Aurélien began with a smirk, only to be cut off by Halo’s excited interruption.

“Nope! I’m up, just waiting on you, man,” Halo declared, patting his dad’s chest before hopping out of bed and grabbing his hand.

His smirk softened into a warm smile as he stood up, lifting his son into his arms. “Oh, so I’m the hold up now?” He teased.

Aurélien set Halo down as they headed into the bathroom. He grabbed his step stool and placed it in front of the sink. After applying toothpaste to both of their toothbrushes, Aurelien started the two-minute timer. With a few playful hums and silly faces that coaxed sweet giggles from Halo, they finished brushing their teeth together.

“You ready, papa?” Halo asked in his small voice, and Aurélien nodded in response. Early in your relationship, you made it your job to guide Aurélien through affirmations every morning, and it had slowly become a cherished daily ritual—one that continued even after your two became three.

Standing together in front of the mirror, Aurélien and Halo recited in unison, “I am loved. I will do great things today. I am smart and capable. Feel the love, catch it, and put it in the wind.”

Once they were both dressed and ready for the day, Halo suddenly realized they had forgotten something. “Papa, we forgot ‘handsome’” He said as Aurelien finished lacing up his mini Nike Phantom Luna 2 boots.

“That’s a given, baby boy, we’ve got that covered” Aurélien said with a confident smirk. Halo nodded, a grin spreading across his face. “You’re so right” He agreed, matching his dad’s energy.

The two made their way to the room, they saw you sleeping soundly. Bonnet long gone, your hair spread out across the pillow and Ocho curled up at the foot of the bed. “Can I give her a kiss?” Halo whispered to his dad, who nodded with a small smile.

“À plus tard maman” Halo murmured softly, placing a tender kiss on your cheek after being gently set beside you on the bed. {See you later, mummy}

“All right, let’s roll,” Aurélien said, tossing Halo over his shoulder, prompting a burst of laughter. After buckling him into his seat, they exchanged a playful wink before heading out to start their day.

"I can't wait for Mommy to play at the park with us again," Halo said, staring out the window as the trees blurred by.

"Me too, baby," Aurélien replied, glancing at Halo in the rearview mirror. "Y’know, your mama and I met at that park?"

"Really?!" Halo asked, excitement lighting up his eyes.

"Mhm," Aurélien replied, his voice softening as he reminisced. "It all started at one of your grandma’s cookouts..."

•••

"Thank you, Lovie!" Your little cousins chimed in unison after you finished applying sunscreen to their faces.

"You're so welcome! Have fun!" You called after them as they ran off to play.

It was your family’s annual cookout at the park, and everyone and their mother was there. Since moving to France at the ripe age of five, your family decided to bring your family traditions to the new environment, inviting everyone you’ve come to love since settling there.

"Baby, you're so good with kids, when you gonna have one of your own?" Your grandmother, Cicily, asked you making you scrunch up your face slightly.

"Nuh uh, don't even speak that into existence! I'm young and turnt!" You replied, grabbing a strawberry Fanta out of the cooler before heading back to the picnic table.

"You know it takes the right man to change that," Cicily said with a knowing smile. "I remember I was young and hot too, until I met your grandfather." Her eyes softened as she reminisced about the good times she had with her late husband, Quincy.

"Now this is something I have to hear," You said, amused. "What was so different about Pop that made you finally settle down?" You couldn't help but grin, knowing from the stories your grandma had told you that she was quite the maneater until Quincy came along.

"Not only was he a great man, but he had the walk," Cicily said with a flirty grin, her eyes lighting up with the memory. "I’d recognize that walk anywhere." The other ladies around her giggled in agreement.

"What walk? It can’t be just any regular walk," You asked, intrigued.

“No, you’ll definitely know it when you see it!” Cicily said with a playful nod.

“They walk like they’re carrying some heavy artillery” Lola, your grandmas close friend, remarked with a wink causing you to burst out laughing.

“You’re all so cheeky, but I get it,” You said, making air quotes with your fingers. “I’ll keep an eye out for this ‘walk.’”

The elders drifted into their own conversation while you watched the kids play. Suddenly, you heard a familiar voice, as sweet as ever, cutting through the chatter.

“Hey, Mrs. C!” Jules, your best friend, called out cheerfully as he approached with a taller, handsome man beside him.

Your grandma’s face lit up. “My sweetest boy!” she murmured warmly, her voice full of affection. She waved at him with genuine delight. “Hi, baby!”

Jules, with his easy smile and doe eyes, had always been like a grandson to Cicily since he met you, a cherished presence in your lives.

“Nana, you’re so obsessed,” You laughed, shaking your head before turning your attention to the unknown man.

He was undeniably one of the most handsome men you had ever seen. His deep-set eyes were a mesmerizing shade of brown, framed by thick, dark lashes. The way his lips curved into a perfect, confident smile was almost disarming, and his facial structure was enough to catch all of your attention.

Every feature seemed to be sculpted with careful attention, making it clear that he was, without a doubt, one of God’s favorites.

“Take a good look at that walk, sis” Selene, your close friend, said with a flirtatious tilt of her head toward Aurélien.

You watched him intently and soon realized that the walk was as captivating as Lola had described. “Armed and dangerous?” You mumbled making her laugh at your teasing words.

“Qui est-ce?” Aurélien asked, nudging Jules with a flirtatious glint in his eye. His eyes roamed from your stylish Chanel Dad sandals to the form fitting sleek Jacquemus rib-knit romper that accentuated your every curve. {Who is that?}

Your bohemian braids added a touch of elegance, and your radiant glowing skin, with just a hint of makeup that only highlighted your effortlessly stunning natural beauty. But it was the lip gloss—glimmering with every movement—that truly drew him in.

"C'est mon meilleur ami; we call her Lovie," Jules said, pulling up two chairs to sit in front of you. {She’s my best friend}

"Best friend? Why haven’t I met her before?" Aurélien asked, clearly intrigued, his tone feigning playful offense.

“Because I don’t need you and your deep French accent wooing my dawg, man” Jules said with a laugh as they sat down.

“You’re late, Koundé” You added with a playful scowl.

“I know, I’m sorry, lil’ bit” Jules replied, as the two of you did your handshake from childhood. “I was dropping off flowers to Mama,” He said, referring to your mother, who was at her teaching job. “And I brought my guy along.”

“Oh, so you’re my competition?” You said with a playful smile as you’ve heard so much about Jules having another best friend, extending your hand.

“Aurélien, how are you?” He replied, his thumb brushing against your knuckles as he held the shake a moment longer than necessary before you pulled away.

“I’m fine, how are you?” You asked, opening the cooler to offer them a drink.

“I can see that you’re fine, I have eyes” Aurélien said with a teasing smirk. “How are you, really?”

You glanced up, a hint of a smile playing on your lips. “Well, since you asked so nicely, I’m doing amazing. Thank you for asking” You shamelessly blushed, closing the cooler and meeting his gaze.

“You guys still doing the annual reunion games?” Jules asked. It had been a while since he had been able to make it to the cookout due to his busy schedule.

“Yes, it’s girls vs. guys, and the guys are going to lose just like every year,” You shrugged, while Jules rolled his eyes.

“Y��all get beat every single year?” Aurélien asked, laughing as Jules waved him off.

“Bro, every single year,” Jules said, shaking his head. “We have a different person at each course, and we almost win until we hit the one versus one basketball game and come face-to-face with MJ over here,” He said, pointing to you.

“Oh nah, your winning streak ends today,” Aurélien said, shaking his head and setting his drink down.

“Is that so?” You asked, smirking as he nodded confidently. “And why is that?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Because I’m a pro bébé. Football is just a side quest” He joked, grinning as the other men hyped him up.

“Yeah sure, we’ll put that confidence to the test today” You replied playfully rolling your eyes.

As the games kicked off, everyone settled ready to dash to their stations, eager to be the first to arrive. An extra point was on the line for whoever got there first, and the competitive energy was electric as everyone was ready to race to gain the early edge.

“On your marks, get set—NO CHEATING, SELENE—Go!” Cicily shouted before blowing her whistle, sending everyone off in a flurry.

You took off toward the court across the street, with Aurélien hot on your heels. As you picked up speed to outpace him, he slowed down, a grin spreading across his face as he took his time, savoring the view.

Years of volleyball and track had sculpted your body into something truly striking, and you wore that confidence effortlessly, turning heads wherever you went.

“Mec, come on man get on your zoom, we need every point we can get!” Jules yelled, passing his friend as you laughed, turning around to send a wink Aurélien’s way.

“I’m just a man bro, how strong do you expect me to be?!” Aurélien shot back as his face lit up with a playful smirk.

Once they reached the court, Aurélien decided to try his luck with some small talk. “So, Lovie, how come we haven’t met before?” He asked, spinning the ball on his fingers with a casual grin.

“You won’t catch me at the same spots you kick it, superstar, but I’m definitely outside” You said, crossing your arms and giving him a teasing look.

“Outside? Doing what, exactly?” Aurélien asked, his face scrunching up in a joking manner.

“Boy, acting bad! As I should,” You teased, knowing damn well that you were always home by 11 p.m., fully moisturized in bed and men were the least of your concerns.

Aurélien flashed a playful grin as he sunk the ball into the hoop. “Oh, we’re going to have to put a stop to that” He said, his eyes lingering on yours.

“Love your confidence, but that’s not happening, sweetheart,” You said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Aurélien leaned in, his voice a soft, seductive murmur. “How about this? If I win this game, you’ll take a break from your hot girl escapades and let me take you out for the weekend,” He said, his gaze intense as he bit his bottom lip gently.

“You have really pretty eyes,” You said, dismissing his earlier words.

“Thank you,” Aurélien replied with a smirk. “You have really pretty everything, Miss Lovie”

“Miss Lovie? That’s cute,” You said, playfully stealing the ball from him.

“Real cute,” Aurélien replied with a teasing grin, “but how much better would it sound with ‘Tchouaméni’ right behind it?”

“Hm. Deal. But if I win, you let me drive that beauty over there,” You said, pointing to his stunning red Lamborghini convertible.

Aurélien’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “Deal,” he said, his voice low. “But don’t get too excited—you’re not winning.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw Selene sprinting toward the court to hand off the flag.

“Use this time to warm up, babygirl,” Aurélien said with a laugh, watching as Jules lagged far behind the girl he was racing.

“Come on now, this is just embarrassing,” You said with a laugh as Jules approached the two of you.

“Nah, man, she tripped me at that tree back there,” Jules protested, pointing behind him as he handed Aurélien the flag.

You dribbled the ball between your legs before passing it to him.

“Ladies first, ma belle,” Aurélien said with a grin, passing it back.

“Big mistake,” You shot back, smirking as you took a deep three-pointer.

“What are we playing to? 21?” Aurélien asked, rebounding the ball as you got into position on defense.

“Yes, sir,” You replied as he maneuvered past you and laid the ball in. “Let’s get it,” He said with a determined grin.

You both went shot for shot until the score was tied at 18, and you found yourself struggling with the ball.

“Back your nasty ass up” You giggled as pressed himself against you, almost causing you to momentarily lose focus.

“I’m just playing the game, bébé” He whispered in your ear, his breath warm against your skin. With a quick move, he stole the ball and took a three-pointer. The ball swished through the net, and the men cheered while the women muttered a chorus of “boo’s” and “whatever’s.”

He turned around, shrugging cockily. “Don’t worry, we’ll take her on our date,” Aurélien said with a wink, pointing to his car. You playfully rolled your eyes and waved him off.

As mealtime approached, it looked like the universe had decided to hit the pause button on dinner plans…

“Jadyce! You were too busy doing the electric slide, and now look!” Cicily yelled, pointing to the food burnt to a crisp on the grill. Your uncle stood there in playful surrender, a sheepish grin on his face.

“You know when Candy comes on I gotta get down” He said continuing to dance to the music as your grandmother scolded him.

“How about some pizza?” You asked getting cheers and thankful mumbles in return.

As you, Jules, Aurélien, and Selene shared a table at your favorite diner, you couldn’t help but eye Jules’ plate. His personal pizza looked just a little too tempting.

“Jules, that looks really good” You said reciting one of your favorite tiktok sounds. “I should’ve got that”

“Yeah, you should’ve. Read my lips, Lovie—no,” He said, stretching out the “o” as you rolled your eyes.

Turning your attention to Aurélien, you tried your luck once again. “Wow, Aurélien, that looks really good. I should’ve got that,” You said, pointing to his personal pizza while wigging your brows making him smile.

Sliding half of his pizza onto your plate and half of your pizza onto his, you let out a fake innocent gasp. “Oh, for me? That’s so nice,” You said with a playful grin.

“It’s your world, pretty girl,” He winked, then went back to enjoying both his food and the group's lively conversation.

As the sun set, you and Selene decided to call it a night. You both stood from the table, exchanging heartfelt goodbyes and hugs all around.

“It was so nice meeting you, Aurélien” You mumbled into his shoulder as he rocked the two of you side to side in a long hug.

“The pleasure’s all mine, ma belle” He said as his large hands rubbed your back falling just above your ass before sliding back up.

After pulling away, You and Selene intertwined your hands and made your way out of the diner, trying to shake off the tingling feeling his touch left behind.

“You’re such an idiot, you know that?” Jules said, shaking his head at Aurelien, who looked puzzled.

“What did I do?” Aurélien asked, genuinely confused.

“How are you going to take her on a date without her number, dumbass? And I’m not giving it to you” Jules laughed, as Aurélien facepalmed.

“Oh Mon Dieu!” Aurélien murmured, realizing his mistake. Turning around he saw that the two of you were just in front of the diner and took his chances. {Oh my god!}

Hearing a couple knocks on the window, you and Selene turned around to see Aurélien standing there, playfully mugging you. He motioned with his finger for you to come closer.

Approaching the window grinning, you crossed your arms, waiting for him to speak. Aurélien pulled out his phone, pointed to the numbers keyboard, and looked around with a cheeky, fake nonchalant expression.

Putting up your fingers to represent the digits of your number while giggling at his antics, you soon heard your phone ring.

“Hello,” You said sweetly, still gazing at him through the window. “Just wanted to hear that pretty voice again,” He replied, making your cheeks flush with a new shade.

“Why don’t we cater to all your senses and let you see something?” You said, turning around with a sultry smile. You began to walk toward your car, each step a deliberate, sexy strut, leaving him mesmerized as he watched.

“Mmmm. Can you, those legs adorned with a pair of heels and a way to cater to all the rest of my senses see me tomorrow at 7?” He asked before tucking his bottom lip inbetween his teeth still intently watching you.

“Yes sir” You smiled settling in the passenger seat as the two of you ended your call.

“So, about your fine ass friend. Jules was it…” Selene started as you laughed at her instant infatuation.

•••

“And that, mon fils, is how I met you mama” Aurélien said finishing the story, leaving out certain details for his innocent ears, as they finished up their ice cream. {My son}

“You didn’t let mama win?! I thought we were supposed to be gentlemen” Halo exclaimed perplexed, taking a spoon full of his father’s ice cream.

“If I let maman win, she wouldn’t have let me take her on a date” Aurélien explained as his son nodded in understanding.

“Well I think she would’ve, mummy likes you a lot” Halo explained making his dad chuckle lightly.

“You think so?” Aurélien asked Halo, his tone filled with warmth. “Yes, sir. She prays for you every night before bed, and I do too,” Halo said, his innocent sincerity making Aurelien blush and smile with a tender pride.

“Is that right? Well, before we go, do you want to get her something?” Aurélien asked, standing up. “Yup! I think we should get flowers this time,” Halo said, grabbing his dad’s hand as they headed down to the market together.

Meanwhile, back at home, you were preparing lunch for everyone. The night before, Halo had eagerly written on the chalkboard fridge that he wanted "the world's greatest sandwich" for lunch today.

“Mama! We’re home, and guess who we got something for?” Halo said, running in with flowers in hand. “Hmmmm. I don’t know, who?” You asked, putting on a thoughtful expression.

“You of course! Here you go,” Halo said, handing you a bouquet of white lilies. You gasped in delight. “They’re gorgeous, thank you so much,” You said, leaning in for a loving kiss from Aurélien.

“And these are for Sissy,” Halo said, holding a small bouquet of pink carnations up to your stomach. Your hand flew to your mouth as tears welled up in your eyes. “My sweet boy,” You whispered, touched by the thoughtful gesture.

[cinnbar-bun]

One Happy Hawk (Mihawk x Reader)

Summary: After getting hit with the Happy-Happy Fruit during a fight, Mihawk returns home in a rather… peculiar fashion.

Rating: SFW /Kinda Crack

Note: Takes place during the timeskip, is crackish, and features Perona, Zoro, and a cameo from Crocodile. Reader and Mihawk are married. Reader is GN.

Word Count: ~1.7k

A/n: Hey besties, sorry, my appendix burst a few days ago and I was in the hospital! I’ll do my best to finish some requests while I recover!

Mihawk getting caught off guard was one thing but now, after Mihawk slain his attacker and was resting at home, you couldn’t tell if this new behavior of his was unnerving or welcome.

“Wow, my house is so dark! It needs some light, right?” Mihawk asked loudly, before he opened the window curtains he almost always refused to open. You, Perona, and Zoro gawked as Mihawk pranced happily around the room, opening the many windows and letting the light shine in.

He sighed happily at his work and widely smiled to all of you. “My, isn’t this lovely? The sun is so beautiful.”

You three gasped at his innocent and sweet expression that seemed to glow brighter than the sun itself.

“I-I need to take a photo-“ you quickly mumbled. Perona nodded while Zoro looked as if he’d faint.

“What? Is something wrong?” Mihawk asked, before he made his way to you and felt your forehead. “Oh, darling, are you alright? Are you sick at all?”

You shake your head and Mihawk’s face softens. “Good. Yes, very good.”

“Uh, Mihawk?!” Perona yelled. “Why are you like this?!”

Mihawk gave a confused look. “Like what?”

“Like…. Like that!!” She pointed her finger at him, unsure of where to begin. Mihawk hummed as he massaged his beard.

“Hm, I’m not sure what you mean. Aren’t I always like this? You three always bring me such joy. I just wish to change things up today,” Mihawk explained.

Zoro leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.

“What the hell is going on?!” He cried, before he handed Mihawk a sword. “Come on! Fight me!”

“Fight you? Why would I do that? That could cause serious harm to us,” Mihawk gasped. If Zoro wasn’t clinging to Perona, he may have just fainted on the spot.

“I don’t want to hear anymore of this. (Y/n), he’s your husband, please do something,” Zoro mumbled despondently.

“What should I do?! I don’t know what to do!” You frantically answered.

“Ah! I got an idea! Maybe I can sicc my Hollows onto him! That should make him grumpy again!” Perona snapped her fingers.

“Great idea!” You and Zoro said at once. Perona then turned to Mihawk and summoned a Negative Hollow to pass through Mihawk. Mihawk simply watched curiously as the Hollow went through him, unfazed.

“Did it work…?” Perona whispered, before her answer came in the form of Mihawk laughing and clapping.

“Great job, Perona! Your Hollows are always such a treat to witness! It even tickled a little!” Mihawk stated proudly to Perona.

Perona screamed at Mihawk’s face and wrapped herself around you like a koala.

“Make him stop! Make it stop!” She wailed. “Go back! Go back!”

“Perona! I’m gonna fall!” You wobble, while Perona clung to you tighter.

“Waaaaaah! I thought he’d be nicer if he was happier but I hate itttttt! Turn him back, (Y/n)!” Perona ignored your comment, sobbing loudly. You sighed and placed Perona down before going to your husband.

“Darling, why don’t we go rest and-“

“Oh my!” Mihawk’s cheeks turned red as his eyes sparkled excitedly. He grabbed your hands and held them in his. “You wish to take a nap together? What an amazing idea, my love!”

The blush on his face is too cute to resist, and you can’t help but feel your face heating up at his undivided attention. Before you can say anything else, Mihawk tilts your chin up and gazes into your eyes dreamily.

“My love, have I ever told you how gorgeous your eyes are?”

“H-huh?” You reply, shocked at his honest compliment. Not that he never complimented you- he did- he was just usually more subtle about it.

“Yes, your eyes lead me astray every day. I wish to melt into them. I wish to look into your eyes forever and never be parted from you. I sometimes wonder if you are even real with how beautiful and ethereal you are. But when I look into your precious eyes, I know for certain that you are real, and I’m so grateful to have you in my life,” he stated earnestly, a gentle smile on his face.

You giggle at his proclamation of love and twirl your hair with your finger.

“On second thought, maybe we should keep him like this,” you grin.

“No way!!” Perona and Zoro shout in unison. You huff and pout, before Mihawk strokes your head.

“My love, please do not frown. I did promise that I would never let you be unhappy again.”

You perk back into a smile and nod. “Yes, you did!”

“Ah, there’s that smile I love so much!”

You two hold hands and smile in such a disgustingly cute way that Zoro and Perona gag.

“Great. Now (Y/n)’s fallen into his charms,” Perona groaned.

“We have to do something. I can’t become the greatest swordsman if this is how Mihawk quits,” Zoro pinched his forehead.

“New plan!” Perona pounded her hand in determination. “We make him remember how grumpy he is!”

Zoro nodded, eager to get his teacher back to normal.

“Hey, Mihawk!” Perona shouted to get his attention.

“Yes, Perona?” Mihawk replied, curious about what she wished to say.

Perona snickers and pulls out two coats, his usual black and red one, and the pink one she designed for him in an attempt to be ‘cute’. “Which one do you like more?”

Mihawk looked deep in thought. “The pink one. It’s clear that you put so much love and effort into tailoring it for me. And it even matches your outfit!”

Perona’s face shrivels up as Mihawk decides to wear the pink coat. “Yes, just splendid! You really have outdone yourself Perona! How do I look?”

You and Perona clamp a hand over your mouth as your eyes water at the adorable coat on a smiling Mihawk.

“So… cute…” you two mumble.

“Would you two knuckleheads think straight for a moment?! He’s obviously not himself! We have to fix him, not play dress up with him!”

“Now, now, Zoro,” Mihawk wags his finger. “There’s no need to yell. (Y/n) and Perona just wished to compliment me on my new outfit. I think it’s a great-“

Before Mihawk can finish, his Den Den Mushi begins to ring and he answers it quickly.

“Hello? Ah, Sir Crocodile! How wonderful it is to hear your voice!”

You and Perona snapped out of your thoughts as Zoro’s eyes widened in horror.

“Shit! They’re coming today for a meeting!” You whisper-shout as you remember the important meeting Mihawk told you about. “Quick, we can’t have them think anything is wrong!”

Zoro and Perona nod and run around the room, closing the windows again and redecorating so the place looks just as cold as before. Mihawk raises a brow as you swipe his Den Den Mushi and laugh nervously.

“Good morning, Sir Crocodile! I’m so sorry to tell you this, but it seems like my poor Mihawk has come down with a nasty cold!” You try your best to sound worried in hopes Crocodile will cancel the meeting.

“But darling, I’m perfectly-“ Mihawk tries to argue, before Zoro and Perona cover his mouth.

“He… is sick? Mihawk?” Crocodile asks, unimpressed and not believing a word you say.

“Mhm! He’s just had the nastiest cough you could ever imagine!” You glance at Zoro and he begins to cough loudly. “Can't you hear him? He’s been like that all day!”

“Right. And that is why he sounded so chipper to greet me just now?”

“Oh, the medicine the doctor’s gave him makes him rather… uh… loopy! Yes! He’s been a bit out of it!”

“Mihawk,” Crocodile sternly says, and Mihawk breaks free from Zoro and Perona’s grip.

“Yes, Crocodile?” Mihawk replies.

“Are you truly sick?”

Mihawk laughs loudly. “Oh no, my friend! I’m not sure why my love is saying such things to you! I’m excited to have you over, in fact!”

You, Perona, and Zoro are frozen in shock as it is silent on the other end of the line.

“Dear lord,” Crocodile states, stunned at what he just heard. “It’s alright. We can have the meeting another time.”

“What? But why, Crocodile? I’m completely fine!”

“No I… I think your partner is correct. You are very sick. You should lie down.”

“I don’t need to do that! I’m absolutely okay! I was even going to make you my famous cookies for the meeting!” Mihawk shouts, hoping Crocodile changes his mind.

“Goodbye, Mihawk,” Crocodile quickly says before he disconnects the call. Mihawk pouts sadly as he holds onto his Den Den Mushi.

“Aw… he’s not coming today anymore,” Mihawk sighs. You pat your husband on the shoulder to soothe him.

“It’s alright, my love. You two can have that meeting another time!”

“You’re right! And I’ll absolutely impress him with those cookies! In fact, I’ll go make some cookies right now!” Mihawk shouts as he runs to the kitchen.

“How long is this thing supposed to last?” Perona whines. Zoro waves his hand and begins to walk towards the staircase. “I saw nothing. Today was just a bad dream.”

You massage your temples as you follow your husband to the kitchen, praying for this “condition” to pass soon.

Bonus:

“Ugh, my head is killing me…” Mihawk groans. He winces as he notices the light pouring through his open windows. He registers a heavy weight around his arm as he notices you’re sleeping peacefully beside him. A warm feeling builds up in his chest before he looks down to see he’s wearing… pink pajamas with red and black ribbons on them.

He closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then opens his eyes again. It is not just a dream, but in fact, reality. He is wearing those pajamas that Perona made him. He sighs and closes his eyes.

“I’ll deal with this in about an hour,” he mumbles to himself, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you in closer.

[idleoblivion]

"A Dangerous Muse" Jade Leech x GN Reader

Synopsis: You found him so pretty, it was hard not to get inspired. Still, it felt a little creepy to sketch him without permission. But it’s fine as long as he doesn’t find out, right?

Word Count: ~1.5k

A/N: This was supposed to be like maybe 500 words idk what happened

Warnings: Lots of teasing (I mean, it's Jade), brief Floyd cameo

Your secret wasn’t a particularly bad one, it was mostly just embarrassing. When he sat with his brother and Azul at lunch, when you could catch him during his shift at the lounge, and if you just happened to spot him at random around campus, you would take almost any chance to draw Jade in your sketchbook. They were usually just sketches of him looking poised and gentlemanly as he did whatever task he had taken up at the time. Occasionally though, you caught him being slightly more expressive, smiling in a way that showed his pointed teeth and made his eyes wrinkle. You were more than a little embarrassed of how well you had learned the details of his face, and by the dozen or more pages you’d already filled up with drawings of him. Something about him just felt naturally alluring and intriguing to you, he made the perfect muse.

Right now, you’re sitting at a table in the lounge trying to look like you're studying and not waiting for the appearance of a certain eel. You picked a seat off to the side by yourself like usual to not draw any attention. You were pretty sure you had overheard him in the halls earlier say he was working this afternoon, so it was odd to you that he hadn’t shown up yet. You pull your sketchbook out while you wait and look through some of your previous works. You sigh looking at one of them where you were especially proud of how you captured the mischievous look that he had been wearing, with a predatory glint in his mismatched eyes that-

…Was incredibly similar to the way he was looking at you right now.

You hadn’t seen him enter from the front door or kitchen, he seemingly materialized out of thin air. But he was there now, walking past the other patrons at their tables and headed towards your own. You hurriedly shut your sketchbook and try your best to act casual.

“Oya, what a surprise seeing you here, prefect. Are you here to try our new menu?” His eyes still have a dangerous look to them, and he not so subtly steals a few glances at your sketchbook.

“No actually, I just got done studying. I was getting ready to leave.” You try to grab your sketchbook and leave before he has time to question you further, but his hand reaches out and sits on top of it first.

“Oh, you’re already done? Are you sure? I could take a look at what you’ve been working on and assist you if you need.” He has a knowing smirk on his face that immediately increases your anxiety. His hand is still resting on top of the sketchbook.

“Uh, that won’t be necessary. I can’t afford to be making deals right now and-”

“Why, who said anything about a deal? Can’t I want to help you simply out of the goodness of my heart?” He feigns an innocent expression that you don’t trust in the slightest.

Before you can retort, he grabs the sketchbook off the table and moves to open it. You nearly lunge out of your seat to try and grab it from him but he seems to anticipate it and holds it behind his back, out of your reach. He smiles again at your panicky face.

“Oya, what’s this? Is there something private in this book of yours? I thought you were supposed to be just studying?” 

“I-I was, I just don’t want you doing anything to my notes, I worked hard on them.” His eyes narrow but his smile widens. “Yes, I’m sure you did. I promise I won’t compromise your work, I only intend to look.”

He pulls the sketchbook in front of him again, and you have to resist the urge to attempt to snatch it immediately. He steps forward until he’s too close, in your personal space. You try to back up only to find he has you caught between him and the table. He really leans in, his face only a few inches from you and you feel your cheeks heating up at the unexpected proximity.

“You’re sure all I’m going to find in here is notes, hm?”

Your mouth opens and closes a few times, trying to find another excuse to get you out of this. Him being so close to you certainly isn’t helping you get your thoughts together. He takes advantage of your shocked state and finally opens it to the page you’d been on.

“W-wait, Jade you can’t-”

“My, what’s all this~?”

He holds the book out of your reach again while he flips through the pages. You don’t even move to stop him this time, accepting your humiliating fate. You look away from him in your shame, which makes you miss the way his eyes light up as he skims over your work.

“...You’re certainly a skilled artist, I’ll give you that.” You force yourself to look back at him and gauge how upset at you he is, but his demeanor offers you no clues to what his mood really is. “I’m no critic, but I can appreciate how detailed your drawings are. You must have studied me very intently, no?”

“I…um, I guess? I just draw you whenever I see you around. I’m sorry, I know that’s-” “Why me?” You’re caught off guard by that question, and he repeats, “Why me? There are a plethora of other students you could draw, but as far as I saw, I appear to be your only subject. Why is that?”

Well, there’s no point in lying to him, and you were already so mortified, what’s a little more humiliation?

“You’re really pretty.”

For the very first time, you see Jade look almost dumbstruck. Only for a brief moment though, as his face almost immediately changes to something much more intense. You almost think he’s upset until you realize he’s looking at you with the same face he made at his terrariums, or when he cultivated a new species of mushroom. He was intrigued, you had his full attention and interest and the weight of it was becoming overwhelming the longer he stared at you.

“You…” he trails off for a second then leans in close to you again. “It’s impressive how often you manage to surprise me.”

“I’m sorry, I still should’ve asked. I can stop, really, I will. I’m so sorry.” You spoke fast and quietly, still wishing for nothing more than a way out of this situation.

“Now, there’s no need for that. Artists need to practice regularly to improve their skills, yes? I would hate to take that away from you.” “Huh? So…you want me to keep sketching you?” “Unfortunately, Azul would have a fit if he found out I was offering you a service and not charging anything.” Of course, nothing comes for free in Octavinelle. 

“Well, what would you charge then? Madol? Would I have to wait tables here?” He laughs lightly under his breath.“No, nothing like that. I believe our little deal should be well thought out and discussed, not impulsively decided right here and now. Why don’t you meet me back here this weekend, and we’ll work something out? Just you and I of course, I’m sure we don’t need Azul to mediate. Maybe I could even have you sample some dishes from our new menu during our discussion. There would be no charge for that of course, since you’d be doing me a favor by agreeing.” 

As you look at his face to decipher his intentions, you're left even more confused. Why is he looking at you almost…fondly? And he wants to meet with you completely alone? And he’d offer you food for free? What did he mean by you meeting with him being a favor to him? Was this…a date? What exactly was he implying? He just continued watching you, with his polite and courteous persona that you can never truly read put back on. Still a bit flustered, you try and rationalize why you should or shouldn’t go, before he interrupts your thoughts one last time.

“Oh, and you’re very pretty as well.”

Your face is burning after that. You swallow the lump in your throat before you meekly respond.

“Oh, t-thanks. Um, yeah, this weekend sounds great.” He smiles with his teeth on display again. “I look forward to it, prefect.” He grabs your hand and places a chaste kiss to the back of it before offering you your sketchbook back. You take it without a word, brain completely short circuiting.

Then just as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone. He left you by yourself with your own racing thoughts and heart and headed towards Azul’s office. You quickly gather yourself and get ready to leave. On your way out the door, you suddenly spot Floyd watching you with an amused smirk. He makes some kissy faces and noises at you teasingly and points toward the office where Jade is. Your face gets hot all over again and you rush out of the lounge, hearing Floyd cackle at you as you hurry away.

[fletchingbrilliant]

My Little Black Heart Day 2

A Nightmare on Elm Street

@zaebeecee suggested this scene and I could not resist. Kinda combined elements of the scene since a still image doesn't get across all the cool visuals. Plus we get an Alastor Shadow cameo on top of the creepy Freddy Glove Hand!

and here's a closeup of the glove unobstructed by the bloooood

69

nice

[mournivaldisco]

Sanguinius and Horus being entirely normal about each other, a quote post

In roughly chronological order.

(LONG. Apologies for the terrible mobile formatting)

Mortarion’s primarch novel:

The two of them have been sent to find out what Mortarion is up to with his, uh, unconventional methods of compliance.

[Horus] grimaced and placed a hand on the Angel’s shoulder. ‘Our judgement must not be rushed, though. I understand the temptation. Believe me, I feel it too. That, I am convinced, is why our father sent us to meet with Mortarion. We can check each other’s first impulses without causing offence.’

‘You think we can check Mortarion’s too?’

[…]

‘I think it is good that we have our time to think about that before Mortarion arrives.’

Sanguinius smiled. ‘The better to check our first impulses?’

Horus smiled back. ‘I do think it’s best that we greet him calmly, don’t you?’

(No, I don’t know why this sounds like they are going to bang in the meantime.)

Mortarion is pissed off that the two of them in particular are there: Sanguinius and Horus were so close. Mortarion felt a bond with Horus, but he knew it was not as strong as the one that joined Horus to the Angel. He was facing a united front, whether or not the other two would admit it, even to themselves.

He has a point; they are basically finishing each other’s sentences during their cameo in this novel: [Mortarion:] ‘I have nothing to hide.’

‘We don’t mean to imply you do,’ said Horus.

‘It’s not your honesty that concerns us,’ said Sanguinius.

---

The flashback to Melchior in Fear to Tread:

[Sanguinius]: ‘I must content myself with merely being the better warrior.’

‘Don’t make me pluck those wings,’ Horus retorted.

‘Perish the thought!’ said Sanguinius. ‘Without them I’d only be as handsome as you are.’

‘That would be tragic,’ Horus agreed.

(guys are you flirting right now)

They both express that they are sad they can’t spend more time together: ‘I confess I would relish the opportunity to share the battlefield with you again,’ Sanguinius went on. ‘And not just that. I miss our conversations.’

Horus’ frown deepened. ‘One day we will be done with all this […] Then we can talk and play regicide to our hearts’ content.’

Ohhh nooo

Horus Rising

When Sang first arrives on Murder: “[Horus] stepped forwards and embraced Sanguinius to his breast. No two primarchs were as close as the Warmaster and the Angel. They had barely been out of each other’s company since Sanguinius’ arrival.”

Horus is determined to go into battle personally on Murder. “Loken was sure that Sanguinius was the reason. Horus could not bring himself to stand by and watch his dearest brother go to war. Horus could not resist the temptation of fighting shoulder to shoulder with Sanguinius, as they had done in the old days.

Horus would not let himself be outshone, even by the one he loved most dearly.”

During a discussion about the interex: “Sanguinius said nothing. He allowed his Chapter Master to weigh in with the opinion of the Blood Angels, but kept his own considerable influence for Horus’ ears alone.”

Making each other giggle:

“[Horus:] ’And it seems my wisest option is to return to Terra and confront the Council on the issue of taxation.’

Sanguinius sniggered.”

The scene which comes immediately after the infamous ‘on his knees and not above a whisper’ moment, where Sanguinius appears in Horus’ chambers having eavesdropped on his conversation with Loken and Aximand. It gives very ‘I was just hanging out in my boyfriend’s bedroom in a robe, eating cherries, like ya do’ vibes.

“Sanguinius stood in an archway at the far end of the chamber, behind a veil of white silk. He had been listening. The Lord of Angels brushed the silk hanging aside, and stepped into the stateroom, the crests of his wings brushing the glossy material. He was dressed in a simple white robe, clasped at the waist with a girdle of gold links. He was eating fruit from a bowl.

Loken and Aximand stood up quickly.

‘Sit down,’ Sanguinius said. ‘My brother’s in the mood to open his heart, so you had better hear the truth.’

‘I don’t believe-‘ Horus began. Sanguinius scooped one of the small, red fruits from his bowl and threw it at Horus.

‘Tell them the rest,’ he sniggered.

Horus caught the thrown fruit, gazed at it, then bit into it. He wiped the juice off his chin with the back of his hand[…]

‘Sanguinius, my dear brother, is right, for Sanguinius has always been my conscience.’

Sanguinius shrugged, an odd gesture for a giant with furled wings.”

Loken’s POV:

“Two days earlier, Primarch Sanguinius had finally taken his leave and returned to Imperial territory with the Blood Angels contingents. Horus clearly hated to see him go, but it was a prudent move, and one Sanguinius had chosen to make simply to buy his brother more time with the interex.”

Later in Fear to Tread, Horus’ choice of messenger to Sang is… interesting:

An unnaturally tall female clad from head to foot in robes of a strange, sheer material […] beneath the shapeless robes she wore nothing else.

‘Horus Lupercal’s message is for his brother’s eyes only. The meme-blocks in my psyche and the telepathic codes holding my aura closed will only dissolve…’ She released a sigh, gazing dreamily at the primarch. ‘When we are alone.’

Sanguinius was like marble for the longest moment, his face unreadable.

[he agrees]

The primarch reached out and raised her chin with his fingertips, making her meet his gaze. ‘You’re a curious one,’ he offered. ‘What has made my brother send you to me, mamzel?’

‘I would not like to guess,’ she breathed, fingering a silver clasp upon her robes.

[…] ‘I am not divine, sayeth the angel.’ She reached out, daring to touch the trailing edge of his folded wings beneath the mail cloak.

To deliver the message, she of course has to strip off. I can only imagine Sang at this point thinking he has basically been sent a strip-o-gram.

The End and the Death. Ohhh boy. (I’m trying to avoid real plot spoilers so these are mostly out of context quotes)

Ways in which Horus describes Sang in this book, sometimes within a few pages:

Sanguinius, whom you’ve always loved

The beautiful Angel

He was the only other choice [for Warmaster]. Can I tell you a secret? He would have been my choice. I love all my brothers, but my love for Sanguinius is particular. […] You must meet him. He will take your breath away.

Back in the day, you adored him because you thought him fearlessly brave. But it was effortless back then. To see him now, fighting on despite his mortal dread of you, you understand that he has become fearfully brave. That is impressive. It makes you love him a little more.

He’s taunting you […] You thought he was better than that. You thought, in fact, that he was perfect. [It] makes him seem juvenile, and you don’t want to think of him that way. He’s Sanguinius. You’ve always loved him.

He’s got a little left. A little strength. A little speed. More than you expected. He deserves his fame. […] Oh, he’s good. Even now. Still trying.

The dreams were real. Your favourite brother should have heeded them.

He sees himself as the last good man standing. The last loyal son. The last bastion of noble valour, fighting to the death in his father’s name, refusing to submit. That’s why you love him. It is painfully heroic. It is the quintessence of what he is.

Before Sang finds Horus, A Character explains to him that ‘You don’t know if you want to [kill him], because it’s Horus.’ […] and that the pain he feels is not his wounds, but grief for the loss of Horus as he knew him. Sang says ‘I couldn’t see it. Now you say it, I do. I miss him very much. So very much.’

The same Character: ‘Join him? He’d love that. He loves you.’

Sooo as if that wasn’t heartbreaking enough -

Their first words to one another:

Horus: ‘Brother.’ […] My brother. My dear brother. I waited for you for so long. You have come, as I hoped you would. I have missed you. […] My heart is full that this is the choice you made.’

Sanguinius: ‘And my heart is full to see you again. […] Despite all that has taken place. I have mourned the loss of my brother Horus. I would not have let this monstrous war end without seeing you, with my own eyes, one last time.’

Horus tries to convince Sang to join him straight away. ‘Make a wise choice, my dear brother. I have longed for your company.’

When Sang declines: A single tear wells from his eye and trickles down his cheek. ‘Pity,’ he says.

Sang’s POV (a passage which has such Vibes that I immediately wrote a fic based on That Intimate Knowledge):

He knows Horus, just as he knows the Vengeful Spirit. He knows his brother’s secret levels and concealed flaws, because Horus taught them to him. In those far-off days before the shadow fell, Horus shared everything with his angel-brother. That intimate knowledge, granted without vanity or hesitation, has allowed Sanguinius to penetrate the most formidable flagship in the Imperium. It will also lead him to his brother’s heart.

Horus wanting to turn Sang to his side rather than kill him, against the wishes of the chaos gods:

You’re still holding back a little. He doesn’t have to die. When that instant of recognition finally hits him, you’ll give him one last chance to reconsider his position.

He will see, at the very last, the way things truly are. An epistemological revelation. Weeping in joy, he will beg you for forgiveness.

And you will, in your infinite mercy, grant it to him. It will be the greatest moment of his life, and the sweetest victory of yours.

At what point will he realise that everything he’s doing is utterly pointless? How beautiful will that moment of recognition be? You want to see that futility dawning in his eyes. Close up. Face to face. You want to smell it on his breath.

(calm down Horus)

Once futility has broken him, you will lift him up again. You will carry him to the throne you have prepared for him, and invite him to sit there and rest. He will have played his part, and done all he could. There’ll be no shame in saying yes to you then.

He is your favourite. Always has been. You want him with you, because that will mean something. […] To break him, to bend him to your will, now that’s a true triumph. The embodiment of Imperial loyalty, cowed at your feet, feeding from your hand, pledging his devotion. Look upon that, father.

(excuse me Horus but feeding from your hand???)

Sooo there we have the sheer vibes of the final fight featuring Horus constantly narrating how much he loves Sang. My face went through so many permutations of expressions while reading it for the first time.

[chocodile]

Answering this ask for @kwillow since the name wasn't her doing!

"Amaranthine" was the name my sister @lsdoiphin and I used for our character world full of ascended Neopets OCs when we were kids/teens. At the time, we played a lot of virtual pet sites like Neopets and Subeta, and on Subeta in particular there was a lot of thesaurus humping involved to find cool obscure words to name your pets/characters (real word names = more prestigious). So we always had lists of cool obscure words saved for potential character names.

"Amaranthine" was chosen as a setting name back then because the original premise was that the world was a flat plane that extended infinitely in every direction (pretty much exactly like a Minecraft world, though Minecraft didn't exist yet at the time). The premise was also that the world had infinite possibilities, too, that it was a setting that all of our individual stories could coexist on at once and everything could all be canon somewhere on this infinitely large plane. So "Amaranthine" would have been the story with Alex and Hyden, but also 100 other unrelated or barely related half baked stories that took place in the same hub world.

That original concept eventually got abandoned 15+ years ago when LS and I realized that smaller, tighter scopes were better for telling stories than zany crossover universes. So we went our separate ways in terms of story settings (though we still can't resist crossing over our current projects a little by cameoing each other's characters here and there... you might notice some familiar surnames on the map in the Forever Gold demo, or see a few of her characters in Wishbone...)

ANYWAY. It's a happy coincidence that the more common definition of the word, undying/everlasting, fits quite well with the fact that each of the major characters in current-Amaranthine has a weird relationship with death. Hyden is mortal but cheated death and is alive and well-ish far, far past what should have been the end of his lifespan, Ambroys is potentially immortal, Theo seeks to reverse death, and Alex almost seems to seek it (but hasn't found it yet), with a running theme of actions having unforeseen consequences far down the line.

The current Amaranthine I'm doing with Kwillow still takes place on a pancake world and it's potentially still an infinite-ish plane, buuuut I think this post is long enough without also getting into fantasy world topography!

[somerandomdudelmao]

I just wanna ask, will the resistance be able to reunite with them again, too? Or is this only for the Hamato family? Will they get a little cameo or mention? I just don't think I could bear losing these amazing side characters you've created. They have devoted half their lives and for some of them their entire lives to Raph, Leo, Mikey, Donnie, April, Cassandra, and maybe even Big Mama and Draxum for a very small chance that they could make it out of this with a Krang-free world. Which was not what happened.

Believe me, I understand if they won't be a part of the reunion. First off, that would probably be hell to draw. Two, this mini-series has been about the Hamato family only. But, in some way, I would think the rest of the resistance would become part of that family, too. I mean, c'mon, everyone in the resistance has known them for 3-20 years? In an apocalypse with them as the only chance to save the world AND the galaxy? Everyone there, Yokai, Mutant, and Human alike have trusted the Hamato family with their family's safety as well as their own. That kind of reliance isn't just handed out.

Ahhhhh...This is a very interesting question.

I'm not going to lie, I originally created these characters just for a functional plot crutch. They don't have names, half of them don't even have a coherent design. But the more the comic went on, the more I thought about them. How they live, what they think about. Their problems, their little inconspicuous adventures. And now that we're so close to the events of the movie, I'm a little...at a loss.

You see, originally I was going to kill them all and then just forget about them. Because pffff who even cares?

Turns out, I do. And some of you too. So now...now I don't know anymore

[crossdressingdeath]

Zevran: So we head into the city to face the archdemon together, do we? Just as it should be. If this should be the last we speak, I want you to know... assassinating you was the luckiest thing that could have happened to me. Asterius: I love you, Zevran. I hope you know that. Zevran: Yes. Yes, I know that.

Oh I love him. Love a good "I love you" "I know" exchange, it's so nice. He's not quite ready to say it back but he loves his Warden so much! Also "assassinating you was the luckiest thing that could have happened to me" is such a beautiful line, I don't know if it's romance-exclusive (it's been a while since I've gotten this far without romancing Zevran, I can't resist him) but the sheer affection in it...

Also that reminds me, I need to make sure the DA2 mod that fixes romanced Zevran's cameo is installed before I start that one...

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

The Littlest Lelouch

Characters: Clavis Lelouch, unnamed wife, OC (baby), brief cameos

Rating: pg13 (?)

Genre: Saccharine fluff, dash of angst, humor (sfw)

WC: 1,296

Warnings: Mentions of battle/blood/death (none happen on-screen), mentions of pregnancy and birth (none graphic), afab oc/insert and female pronouns, (are babies a tw?), humor of the aerin variety, not proofread, potential minor Clavis route spoilers?

Request?: Yes (currently open? also yes. pls see pinned first!)

Summary: As it would happen, having to work with the bloody beast means often having to pick up after said beast, or even indulge in the sins of war. Unfortunately for Rhodolite palace’s resident mischief maker, the call of his duty could not have come at a worse time.

A/N: Apologies if it is a bit OOC or would benefit from better pacing, I haven't read Clavis' route in a bit and he's a little tricky to nail at times without me getting cliché. (Sorry this one isn't gender neutral, for the folks familiar with my general fluff.) I worked to the best of my current ability, as the request was a bit vague. Feel free to stop by and request again sometime, nonnie!

          Clavis’ wife was due soon, expecting their first child amidst the frills and flowers that come with Spring. And excited they were to welcome the newest member of the Lelouch gang when Clavis suddenly receives summons for a round table meeting. It isn’t until much later that he returns, brows furrowing as he walks through the doors to the couple’s shared room at the palace.

         “Dearie me,” Clavis starts, running a singular gloved hand through his lilac locks, boring holes into the wall as he figured out how to best break this to his very pregnant wife. No amount of trying to haggle with the court would get him out of this, much as he tried. Hesitantly, Clavis’ wife pipes up, wanting to console her husband who seems he may fray at the seams any moment.

         “What’s wrong, Clavis? Cat got your tongue?” She jokes, waddling over best as she can, causing Clavis to fret and meet her halfway. He is far too overprotective sometimes, she feels, but understands he is that way out of sheer love for her.

         “Council was held today.” Clavis starts, receiving an acknowledging hum from his wife. At his uncharacteristic pause, she nods, gently trying to urge him to continue his train of thought. “I will have to be away for a while,” and in true Clavis fashion, he tries to soften the blow the best way he knows how.

         “Oh, but don’t you both go missing me too much. I know just how to console my lovely, dearest wife-”

         “Clavis.” If he insists on acting fine, then she will shoulder it for them both and allow him to save face.. this time. “I’ll miss you too, darling. Please come home safe.” With eyes that look like he is trying his best to hold back tears, Clavis dons his most convincing smile, gently pulling his wife in as closely as he comfortably can by her waist.

         “I knew you couldn’t resist your handsome husband,” he murmurs, pressing a loving kiss to her lips, fitting every apology known to man in the sincere way Clavis cherishes her so. Pulling away, he rests his head atop hers, cursing his fate and drasted brother for nearly ruining yet another special occasion in his life.

…

         As the fateful day comes, Clavis parts from his beautiful wife, reassuring her he will be fine just as much as she does him. Riding off atop his royal steed, he waves farewell without looking back, steeling himself and all of his best inventions to end this damn thing as early as physically possible. In his plan, he hopes to lure out the enemies and confuse them with his myriad of (smoke) bombs, so that he and Chevalier may be able to finish with time to spare.

         “If I miss my child’s birth, this time I really will kill you,” Clavis threatens. At this, Chevalier simply scoffs and rides away. Cyran shakes his head, a mundane ordeal when it comes to these two.

         As fate would have it, back at the castle, just a few days after the second and third prince had set out to quell skirmishes along the borders, his wife goes into labor. It would seem the third prince’s child was not a very patient one, wishing to meet everyone as quickly as possible. Panic spreads, the early arrival of the baby having the maids rush to get everything together shortly after her water breaks. Though her husband is not present in body, he is present with her in spirit, and in all of the reading they had done together to better prepare themselves for their little one’s arrival.

         After many painful hours, a cry is heard, and thus the third prince of Rhodolite and his wife welcome a tiny baby Lelouch into the world. Hardly visible for how light a color it is, there are the smallest tufts of the signature lilac stands upon her head, and piercing eyes of gold. Having already decided upon possible names beforehand, his wife holds baby Felicia (a tribute to Clavis’ late mother Leticia) in her arms, exhausted but moved to tears over the life they created, together.

         It isn’t until two full days later, that Clavis returns home. The congratulations he receives upon his arrival is both the best and worst of news, for he is grateful they are both alive and well, but terribly distraught to have missed the birth of his first child (and being unable to support his wife as she always does him). He quickly stops by the baths, not wanting to greet them with blood still on his person.

         Gingerly, Clavis makes his way to where he finds both of his Lelouch girls, heart caught in his throat at the sight. Upon his arrival, their daughter is waving her hands around, trying to grab at her mother while she rocks her gently and sings. The gentle smile on her face brings back bittersweet memories, and an ache for a loved one he will never see again. He knows how loved their child will be, even in the most cursed depths of the royal court, and vows to never allow a hair on their heads harm, lest their enemies summon the nightmare that is Lelouchian fury above them. (Assuming they can read the warning letter.)

         “Welcome home, Clavis.” Having spotted him out of the corner of her eye, Clavis’ wife brandishes her grin his way, the glow apparent from what he could only describe as “the light of a thousand- no, a million- no, a hundred million suns!”

          “And say hi to your daddy, Felicia,” she coos, patting the baby’s back gently as she sits up further in bed. “But please don’t learn from his example.” Clavis theatrically slaps a hand over his chest, looking exasperated, as if he hasn’t the faintest clue what she could be referring to.

         “What better example would she have to learn from, aside from my most lovely wife?” Clavis sits at the edge of the bed by her side, leaning in to place a kiss to her forehead, lingering at her scent. “Would you rather she learn from one of my brothers?” At her grimace, he laughs, husky and warm and everything deliciously Clavis.

         “I was hoping Sariel could tutor her the way he did me,” she jokes, enjoying the look Clavis shoots her. “I’m kidding, love. Honestly.” He is still grimacing when she stifles her laugh. “Would you like to hold her?”

         Nothing in the world could have prepared Clavis for the reaction of finally getting to hold his beautiful, delicate baby girl in his arms… only to have her immediately begin wailing. Clavis tries everything he can to get her to stop crying, but she is only finally comforted by the feel and smell of mom, who she has become most acquainted with in her two shorts days on this Earth. A true connoisseur knows how to relish in the saltiest of tears, but these in particular left a sting in his heart. But no matter, he won over his wife’s heart, and he’ll win over his daughter’s affections. Clavis understands the appeal of being in his wife’s arms, he must admit, only slightly jealous of all her attention not being on him now.

         And if there’s anything that made Clavis happier than his wedding and the birth of his child, it’s that his little girl would prove to show her affections with signature Lelouch pitfalls. Clavis-patented, Yves-tested, Felicia-approved.

[raplinesmoon]

Après Moi, Le Deluge (JHS x F!Reader)

pairing: Hoseok x afab!reader genres/au/rating: angst, smut, some fluff, mafia au, sort of arranged marriage au, exes au, 18+ summary: It was one night. One night where Hoseok sought refuge from the storm outside, from the life he led, from the past that haunted him. And where else does fate lead him but back into your arms?

word count: 8.2k

warnings: the mafia, mentions minor character death, cursing, smoking, alcohol use, use of weapons, strained relationships with parents, mental health issues, mentions threats against people Hoseok cares about, brief, non-graphic depiction of blood and injuries, breakups, makeups, a cameo by one Xu Minghao, Hoseok and OC are both very closed off and bad at communicating, Hoseok is lowkey an asshole for most of this, happy-ish ending, smut warnings: making out, fingering (fem receiving), nipple play, unprotected sex, marking, teeny bit of cockwarming

a/n: Hello it is me, profusely apologising because there is no reason this should have taken this long to write, other than I had the worst case of writer's block ever, but I missed Hoseok and I needed to see this through. This fic is set in the same universe as Doom Boy, my Namjoon mafia fic! You don't necessarily have to read Doom Boy to read this, but it may help some of the moments mentioned here make sense! The title is a reference to a famous saying by King Louis XV of France, or if you're me, season 1 episode 11 of The Originals. I hope you all enjoy <3

listen to the playlist here!

The rain slams down on the pavement, rendering the soles of Hoseok’s shoes even more sodden than they’d previously been. A cold, sticky feeling settles across his spine, and he heaves for breath, wishing he could just stop and take a break. But he can’t. He has to keep moving. Resisting the urge to shiver and warm himself up, he rounds the corner.

The day had started off normal enough. Hoseok had been assigned patrol duty for the day by Namjoon, a task he was more than familiar with. After the collapse of the Kim empire and his father’s death, Namjoon had returned to clean up the family business. And he was doing a damn good job at it, training the younger ones like Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook in how to run a business.

But there was more to this than a business, and Namjoon knew that well enough. Someone had to be around to air out the dirty laundry, to clean up the streets. And who better for the job than Hoseok? 

He was used to it anyway, more comfortable around knives and guns than he’d ever been around people who weren’t Namjoon, Yoongi, or Seokjin. It was partly the reason he’d been sent out tonight, to monitor the slimy activities that took place under the cover of night. 

Yet sometimes, the downpour got the best of Hoseok. He hadn’t been expecting the Choi cronies to spot him, much less for them to be armed. Luckily they were as thick-skulled as Hoseok expected them to be, and he’d been able to craft a quick escape. For the time being.

But it wouldn’t last for long. Hoseok knew the men would be on his tail all night, and as much as he wanted to call for backup, he didn’t feel like bothering Namjoon, Yoongi, or their families, at this time of night. He wouldn’t have had a problem bothering Seokjin, but that fucker had run the moment he’d shot up Namjoon’s father. 

Looking around, he falters. The buildings around him loom ominously, stretching much taller than he’s used to, the lights from the highest floors creating artificial stars against the cloudy backdrop of the sky. Hoseok gathers that he must be in the swanky part of town. He scoffs, knowing from personal experience the rich were no better than the mobs and gangs they pretended to look down upon, licking at their bootstraps whenever the necessity arose.

Still, he decides it’s better to take cover. He spots the sleeping security guard from outside one of the buildings, and slips in, shaking the raindrops from his hair. Making his way to the elevators at the end of the lobby, his mind ran with plans of how he’d clean up the mess with the Choi men in a way that Namjoon would approve of. 

Which is why he misses the other person entering the elevator at the same time as him, instead collapsing against the railing and letting out a loud sigh, rubbing at his eyes.

“H-Hoseok?” the voice that calls out to him is quiet, barely above a whisper. But its familiarity sends a chill down Hoseok’s spine. It’s a voice he thought he’d never hear again.

His eyes open slowly, and he sees his shocked reflection mirrored in the ones directly across from him, eyes that he’d never been able to forget. The way they look at him now is the same way they’d been the last time he saw you, on a similarly cloudy day.

The eyes of his former fiancée.

The doors of the elevator screech shut, the sound doing nothing to drown out the pounding of your heart. The soft tiny plops of raindrops echo on the grey floor, falling from Hoseok’s hair as he freezes at the sound of your voice.

You suck in a breath, lungs desperately searching for air, unable to squeak out anything beyond his name. Brows furrowing, you check him for any signs of injury, relieved when you find nothing but his blank eyes blinking back at you. You didn’t have to ask him where he’d been tonight. Both of you already knew.

It infuriates you that even after everything, after all this time, he still manages to have this effect on you. You hate how you can’t take your eyes off the lean curve of his neck, or the tiny mole above his heart-shaped smile.

A chill runs down your spine, despite having never stepped foot out in the rain. 

“Why are you…” your throat feels heavy, struggling to get the words out, to ask him why he ended up here of all places. Especially when you made it clear you never wanted to see him again after the last time.

“Choi’s men were tailing me, I had to get them off my back,” he barks, immediately regretting his harsh tone when he looks into your weary eyes, on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry,” he adds on, more gently this time. “If I’d have known, I would never…”

Never what? Never managed to infiltrate the one place you thought you could be free of him, from the past the two of you shared?

Your shoulders slump against the panel, and you realize you’d never pressed the button to go up, too consumed by his presence. Finally managing to muster up the focus, you turn away, hearing the elevator creak to life.

“You’re always sorry. How can I be sure that this time, you mean it?”

Hoseok is annoyed. First of all, this damn elevator is taking nearly too long to go anywhere, and he longs for escape from this metallic box that’s imprisoning you both. Second of all, your words cut at him, sharper than any knife and hotter than any bullet any of Choi’s men could have sent his way tonight.

As far as he remembers, you’d been the one to end it. You’d been the one to walk away from your arrangement.

He doesn’t know why he grits his teeth, biting down to combat the throbbing pain in his temples. You were supposed to be gone, your goodbye delivered in the same way the designer bags and packages piled up at your doorstep - neat, polished, shallow, the ties that had brought you together unraveling before they’d even had a chance to be joined properly. 

Unfinished business. That’s what you were. And Hoseok hated unfinished business. But somehow, he’d never managed to hate you. You’d never given him a fair chance.

. . .

Hoseok shrugged the wife beater over his head with a grunt, immediately turning around to see if he’d woken up his sleeping companion, but she remained unfazed, her soft snores echoing into the pillow. 

He lets his eyes linger over her body appreciatively one last time before he slips on his leather jacket and is out the door. For a brief moment, his hand twitches, yearning to reach into his pocket and call Namjoon for old times’ sake, detailing every last detail of his lascivious romp. The thought is abandoned immediately, Hoseok’s mood souring at the thought of his former best friend. Namjoon had no trouble leaving all of them behind, so why should he even bother? Instead, he reaches into his other pocket, his frenzied emotions finally calming down when he pulls out the lighter. Ducking under an awning, he checks his surroundings for anything suspicious before affirming that the coast is clear, lighting up and taking a drag. The smoke drifts away on the nighttime breeze, and Hoseok follows, roaming the city streets. 

It’s lonely at this hour, not another soul in sight, but Hoseok prefers it that way. Gone are the days when he and his friends would run through the city, stealing cars and honking horns at everyone for fun. Now, shit had hit the fan big time, and there was no room for fun anymore. With Namjoon gone, Hoseok, along with Seokjin and Yoongi, had been sucked into the tangled web of duties he’d left behind, each stepping up in their own way.

Holding a gun in his hands for the first time had been a sobering experience for Hoseok. It rattled him that if he pressed down on the trigger, so many things could change in a split second. He’d heard the higher-ups in the organization rave with glee about how much fun it was putting the city’s other families in line, Namjoon’s father at the head of them. And for a brief moment, Hoseok understood what it was that Namjoon had run away from. That didn’t mean he wasn’t still pissed off about it though. 

His lips turn up in a smile when he takes in the graffiti on the building in front of him, thinking back to his younger, more rebellious self, before faltering. Someone else was there. 

He wonders if you’re cold, the thin satin gown doing nothing to protect you from the chill, and he wants to laugh at the contrast between his well-worn leather jacket and the jewels dripping from your ears. They must cost a few thousands of dollars, money he’d never had in his pocket. His eyes scan around for someone, anyone – a boyfriend, or a husband maybe. But you’re alone.

Nobility has never been Hoseok’s forte - Namjoon and Seokjin had always been the womanizers, and poor Yoongi had been in love with the same woman for over ten years, but he clears his throat, prompting you to turn around, eyes widening at your company.

If he catches a glimpse of unshed tears in your eyes, he doesn’t say anything. 

“Kids these days, huh? They’ll do anything to cause a little chaos,” he quips, a sinking feeling building up in his chest when you don’t respond.

“Ma’am,” he grapples with whether he should ask for your name, “do you need me to walk you home?”

“Did you read it?” your voice is quieter than he expects, yet he draws closer, wanting to hear more of it. Coming to stand beside you, he takes in the captivating features of your face, made all the more alluring by the shadows cast across them.

Following your gaze, he looks at the mural on the wall. A giant wave, Hosukai-style, crashing into a set of words. “After me, the flood,” your voice whispers, and Hoseok feels a rush of emotion at the way you say it, his mind circling back to everything that had happened in the past few years - the dark cloud that had settled over all their lives with Namjoon leaving, the city’s underbelly coming to life, crawling out of the woodwork. 

“I have to go,” you interrupt him, heels clacking against the pavement, before Hoseok’s gaze turns sharply on you, the desperation in his eyes begging you not to go. Come sunrise, he’d be forced back into the same grim routine, but right now, it felt nice, standing here with you.

“Will you be okay getting home alone?” he asks, grappling for any chance to prolong the moment.

“My driver is around the corner,” you tell him. “Thank you for keeping me company, –”

“Hoseok,” he fills you in, his chest aching with the desire to ask for your own name, but you’re already gone.

. . .

Hoseok wakes up the next morning to the rattling of the blinds, the sunlight causing him to immediately shut his eyes and bite back a groan. There was only one person who’d have access to his apartment at this hour – and exploit it.

“Eomma?” he rasps, burrowing his head further into the sheets. “What are you doing here?”

“Did you forget Hoseok-ah? Hurry up and get dressed, everyone’s waiting! You have five minutes.”

Forget what? His mother’s fussing continues in the background as she leafs through his closet, no doubt trying to find him a suitable outfit amongst the many pairs of ripped denim and oversized shirts he prefers on a day-to-day basis. Hoseok wracks his brain, trying to remember what could have called for such an occasion, but comes up empty, his mother’s stern warning echoing in his ears. 

As per usual, if it had anything to do with the organization, he’d do best not to ignore it.

Slipping on the stark white shirt and tie she’d chosen, the fabric itches against his skin, and he rakes his fingers through his hair, attempting to comb the mess into something somewhat presentable. He’s sure there was little to be done about the bags under his eyes, and the faint smell of tobacco emanating from him, and hoped that whoever these important guests were, they wouldn’t catch onto his late-night activities from the previous day. 

Stumbling into the hallway, Hoseok hears the faint chatter of voices, his father’s bellowing laugh a stark contrast to his mother’s delicate titter, and is immediately confused. Conversations with the bosses of the organization weren’t usually so… enthusiastic. 

When he rounds the corner to his living room, he stops in his tracks. Sitting next to his mother and father is another older couple he doesn’t recognize. They reek of wealth that his family could never even imagine, he notes, the polished Italian leather of the man’s shoes and the older woman’s massive diamond ring speaking for themselves. But he could honestly care less. Because to their left side, sitting on his favorite armchair, is you. The woman from in front of the mural. You’re clad in a simple sundress today, but you still manage to be nothing short of breathtaking against the backdrop of the sun’s rays. 

“There you are, Hoseok!” his father beckons him over jovially, but Hoseok remains frozen. “This is Mr. and Mrs. ____, and their daughter ____.”

Hoseok’s turns his gaze to his father, watching him recoil at the sharpness present in his son’s expression, a thousand unspoken questions lingering on his lips as to why these people were here, what purpose they had in his home, his space.

“We’d like for the two of you to get to know each other,” your mother speaks up with a smile so wide, he’d assume it’d been plastered onto her face. 

“Why?” he finally manages to whistle out in between grit teeth, looking only at you. But you don’t meet his eyes. Instead, your gaze is looking out his window, at the city beyond, the same loneliness from last night ever present in your eyes. 

“Because,” his father continues uncertainly, fidgeting the glass of wine in his hands, “___ is going to be your wife.”

You can feel Hoseok’s eyes glaring into the back of your head as he follows you wordlessly down the hallway. Moments pass before you come to a stop outside your apartment, and you hear the faint stumble of Hoseok’s boots as he stops unexpectedly in his tracks. His warm breath fans against the back of your neck for a brief moment before he straightens with a grunt, and you resist the urge to shiver, despite having never stepped foot into the rain.

The lock clicks, and he follows you inside. You can hear him rustle behind you as he struggles to remove his coat and boots, but you look straight ahead, hoping the darkness can hide how your fingernails are digging into your palm. 

“I won’t stay long,” his low voice breaks the silence. “Just until the storm passes.”

“Please,” you manage to muster up your most polite sounding voice. “Have a seat. I can get you something, maybe some water, o-or a cup of tea…” 

You want to curse your voice for wobbling in his presence, hating the way he still affected you even after all this time apart. Your brain bades you to walk away instinctively, and so you pad into the kitchen, wanting to put distance in between you and Hoseok so he can’t hear the rapid fluttering of your heart. The noise pounds in your ears as you rattle around in the cupboards, cursing when you realized you’d forgotten to turn on the light. It seemed embarrassing to do it now, and so you reach aimlessly, looking for some coffee. 

The pot bubbles, and in mere moments, you’re clutching two steaming mugs, finding your way back onto the living room. Hoseok has settled himself onto your couch, taking extra care not to rest his soaked shirt against the back of it, instead hunched over and dangling an unlit cigarette from his fingertips.

“Sorry, I didn’t know if you’d be okay with me…” he gestures to it, twirling it around in his fingers. “I know you don’t like the smell.”

You’re unsure whether to be touched that he remembers, or uneasy at the way he says it so monotonously, as if you’d still judge him for something so mundane when so much else had happened in between you.

“Here,” you set down the coffee in front of him, taking the seat directly opposite. “It’ll help take the edge off.”

The warm liquid burns your throat as you rush to take a sip, and you nearly sputter trying to keep it down. Over the rim of your cup, Hoseok remains frozen, his own mug steaming and untouched. His dark eyes bore into you, studying your face, and you feel your cheeks begin to burn.

If he notices the bags under your eyes, he says nothing. The same way he says nothing when he probably remarks at your simplistic clothes and lack of jewelry, a far cry from the expensive dresses and diamonds he’d been used to seeing you in. 

“Were you about to go out?” Hoseok asks, and the question catches you off guard. “I’m sorry if I stopped you from going somewhere.”

“Or meeting someone.” The last part is a hushed whisper, mumbled underneath his breath, in the hopes that you wouldn’t catch him. But you had. You wish he’d stop apologizing. It makes you feel guilty when you shouldn’t be, like he’s trying and you’re shutting him out, when in reality it’d been the exact opposite. 

All of a sudden, your phone buzzes to life, a text message lighting up the screen. You freeze when you see who it’s from, quickly snatching your phone and cursing in your head. Minghao was a friend of a friend, the two of you running into each other a number of times over the past couple of weeks, before he’d finally plucked up the courage to ask you for a coffee date.

You’d told him you’d think about it, and now here he was, lighting up your phone to ask you about your decision. Of course, how was he supposed to know that the reason you’d been holding off was the very man sitting in your living room, whom you’d almost married, and still couldn’t seem to let go?

Clutching your phone to your chest, you turn it to silent, setting it down beside you. Hoseok’s eyes are alight with curiosity, his lips turned up in a faint smirk, as though he’s remembering his statement from earlier. 

You take another sip, willing the caffeine to give you some strength, to rein in the bare threads of this conversation back to your control.

“How are your parents?”

Hoseok is taken aback by the question. He hadn’t expected it from you. There had once been a time where you’d been bright eyed and eager, wanting to know everything about him, bombarding him with question after question every time you were together. And yet somehow, he’d never managed to give you the time of day, always giving brusque answers and half-hearted excuses that there were other things that needed his attention.

He knew it was just a poor attempt to fill the silence, but his heart lurches at the thought that there’s so much you don’t know anymore. Namjoon coming back, Seokjin running away, the life that Hoseok knew being turned inside out. What’s more unsettling is the fact that he yearns to tell you, despite knowing he’d lost the privilege to do so.

“They’re okay. Doing well,” he lies through his teeth. “We all are. How about yours?”

He thinks it’s an innocent question, but he watches your fingers blanch as you grip the mug so tight, he thinks it’ll break. 

“I wouldn’t know,” you whisper out softly, and his heart stops. “I haven’t spoken to them since– you know.”

Hoseok feels dizzy at your confession. What do you mean you hadn’t spoken to them? Suddenly, it all begins to make sense in his head. The fact that he hadn’t expected to run into you tonight, because he hadn’t expected you to live alone, with your austere clothes and hair tossed up into a messy bun. It was so different from the woman he’d known, the dazzling one he’d written off as hollow in his mind, the one he was incapable of forming a real relationship with. 

And here you were, living the exact opposite of the cozy life he’d painted for you in his head. He thought you’d be fine, that you’d move on, your family offering you up to the next prospect that came along. And you’d accept them, like you’d accepted Hoseok with all his flaws, not caring that he could barely give you what you deserved.

His thoughts flash back to the last conversation you had, tears streaming down your face as you sobbed.

I can’t live like this anymore.

“I’m sorry,” he says again, and he watches annoyance flash across your face. He knows he’s done nothing but apologize this entire time, but it probably isn’t even worth a damn. No consolation would ever make up for losing someone that meant everything to you. He’d known that when Namjoon had run away.

“Hey,” you set the mug down, leaning over the table. For a brief second, he sees your hand reach out blindly in the darkness, almost as if it’s searching for his, but you withdraw just as quickly. “I’m okay. I really am.”

“I wish you’d stop pretending,” Hoseok blurts out, and he watches you jolt in surprise. “Why do you always have to pretend like everything’s okay, like nothing affects you? Is it the society training? Or do you really just not care about what happened at all?”

You chew the inside of your cheek, mulling over Hoseok’s words in your head.

“The same way you can pull the trigger on someone and be able to lie in your bed and fall asleep,” you seethe, a venom that Hoseok has never heard in your voice. 

“I knew who you were Hoseok. I knew what kind of man I was marrying. You think it didn’t affect me? You think I wasn’t scared out of my wits because of what you did, what other people could do to you?” 

You rise up, palms quivering as you open and close them, strolling over to the window. Hoseok watches your shoulders shake before they slump completely, and he knows that you’re crying.

He’s up before he can stop himself, feet ready to walk out the door. He’d fucked up the moment he’d stayed in the elevator with you, all the ugly feelings between you coming to a head, ones he’d struggled so hard to keep buried. 

But his body betrays him, instead leading him right behind. He pauses until he’s just close enough that if he reaches out, he’d be able to grab your arm and turn you around to face him. But he waits instead.

“I did what I did because I realized I was chasing a ghost,” you huff out, resignation in your tone. “I wanted you to be someone you weren’t. I wanted you to care so badly. But you didn’t. I don’t want any part in whatever you’re caught up in, Hoseok. Whatever has a hold on you so badly that you couldn’t even look beyond your cynicism to give me a chance.”

“I just want to survive.”

Hoseok grips the bathroom sink, knuckles turning white. His cell phone clatters on the counter beside him and he has to keep from heaving. This whole thing was a mess – no one had counted on Namjoon coming back. Even less so on him refusing to take up his father’s mantle. And so the threats continued – the words from the anonymous phone call still ringing in his ear, your name echoing across the line.

While he didn’t know what he felt for you, or whether he could even marry you, Hoseok knew you were an innocent person. You didn’t deserve to be the victim of your parents’ greed, them using you to bury their secrets in the hands of even more powerful people. You deserved gardens full of flowers and meals together every night, not coming home to an empty bed. Or a fiancé who couldn’t spare a moment during the entire night to even dance with you. 

He’s so lost in his brooding that he doesn’t hear the door the click behind him, the soft tapping of heels on the floor coming up behind him. 

“Is something wrong?” you ask him gently, and he feels the bristle of your hand on his jacket. 

So much was wrong. You couldn’t even begin to understand. 

“It’s fine,” he clears his throat, straightening up to adjust his jacket. “I’ll need to leave soon. I can have the car stay behind for you.”

The farther away he got from you, the better. That way no one could hurt you – or him. 

“I can go with you,” your voice echoes from beside him, “I was getting tired anyway.”

Hoseok turns to face you, watching you recoil at the red rimming his eyes, the bags underneath them becoming even more prominent in the dim lighting of the bathroom.

He doesn’t know what possesses him to reach for the single strand of hair that has managed to escape your polished bun, but he watches you suck in a breath, lips parting in surprise.

Before he knows it, your face is drawing in closer, and he can smell the rosé on your breath. Your lips barely ghost against his, and he has to fight every nerve ending not to grab your hand and run away from here, somewhere where he wasn’t Hoseok, and you weren’t ____, and you didn’t need protecting from everything around you – most of all him. 

His paralysis slowly melts away and he’s pushing you away without realizing, the door to the bathroom suddenly materialising in front of him. 

“Like I said,” he doesn’t bother turning around, knowing his heart would twist at whatever expression he found on your face. “I’ll have the car stay behind for you.”

Before you can wrestle with the weight of your confession to Hoseok, a hand is clamping over your mouth. Caught in a silent scream, you turn your eyes to see Hoseok lifting a finger to his lips, willing you to stay quiet. And that’s when you hear them. The voices.

Raucous laughter echoes through the hallway, tinged with malevolent glee. The air around you feels cold, a breeze at the base of your spine, and you instinctively curl into Hoseok.

“Come out, come out,” the disembodied voice cackles from the hallway. “Are you hiding from us, Jung? Found some poor rich girl to use as a body shield?”

Your hand seizes Hoseok’s wrist clamped against your mouth, nails digging into his arm, the fear taking over. Slowly, his wrist lowers, slipping to take your hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“I won’t let anything happen to you. Do you trust me?” 

He’s so quiet you almost can’t tell he’s said it at all. You nod reluctantly, eyes continuing to dart to the door.

“Go hide underneath the bed. Lock the door. I may or may not come back but please stay inside. Don’t come looking for me.”

His voice is clipped, the faint hint of nerves colouring his tone, but his eyes are filled with a resoluteness you know all too well. You’d spent the better part of over a year staring into them, hoping they’d look back. And now they finally were. 

“Be safe.” Your voice comes out louder than you’d intended, but there’s no anger in Hoseok’s expression. All he does is nod, and then you turn, stumbling down the hallway to your room, never bothering to look back until you hear the door click behind you.

. . .

Hoseok’s heart pounds in his chest, a strange pain settling in his ribs – he never expected to be in this position again. His sense of duty had always been his biggest downfall – and while you were no longer his, he owed it to you to make sure he gave you exactly what you’d asked him for – the chance to survive, to come out on the other side of this. That’s why he had to settle this once and for all.

Choi’s cronies linger at the other end of the hallway, too dumb to notice Hoseok slipping out of your door, reaching for the revolver he’d kept hidden in his coat pocket. A chill settles in his bones as he runs his fingers over the metal.

The brief events of the night play over in his head – the rain pounding against the pavement, the ding of the elevator, the now-cold mug of coffee that sat on your coffee table. And then there was you – your eyes, the softness of your skin, the faint smell of gardenias that lingered on your skin.

And it hits Hoseok that while he was very much alive – he’d been in mourning. Mourning for the friendships he’d never be able to recover, for the youth that had been taken away from him. But most of all, Hoseok’s heart mourns for the relationship he’d never gotten to have with you. The glass walls he’d so carefully put up around himself shatter, making way for a torrential deluge. 

After me, the flood.

He remembers the first night you’d met, how he’d been drawn to you without even trying, the portrait of the wave. He remembers the months that passed afterwards, where you drew closer to him and he drew back. He remembers the regret he’d buried deep in his heart for not kissing you back the night of the gala, not knowing he’d never get another chance.

But most of all, he remembers the somber expression on your face the day you’d ended things, pressing the engagement ring back into his hands, the very same ring that was still sitting in the first drawer of his nightstand. 

Choi’s men finally perk up, noticing Hoseok’s solitary figure lingering at the end of the hallway, smirks twisting on their grotesque faces. A shot rings out, and Hoseok thinks of you now, hiding under your bed. And then he charges.

The alleyway was grim at this time of day, the sunlight barely able to reach beyond the towering skyscrapers, the clouds casting everything in grey. Rain fell softly from the sky. You clutch your coat tighter around you, unable to stop looking at the mural of the wave.

So much had changed since you’d first seen it. And yet it was still the same.

You know Hoseok from the thud of his boots against the pavement, coming up beside you. His head turns, an eyebrow raised in your direction, wondering why you’d asked to meet him here of all places.

You avoid his eyes, fingers clasping around the blue velvet in your pocket. His eyes widen with surprise when he sees the box, confusion marring his handsome face. 

A knot forms in your chest when you watch the confusion turn into alarm as you press the box into his hand, the dazzling diamond no longer on your left finger.

“I don’t understand,” he grunts, breath visible in the cold air.

“We can’t do this anymore, Hoseok. I can’t do this. I can’t live like this.”

“Was it something that I did?” he questions you, desperation creeping into his voice.

You scoff, watching him flinch, pain on his face. 

“No, it’s the opposite. It’s what you haven’t ever been able to do. It’s been an entire year, Hoseok. I’ve watched you answer every phone call that comes your way, disappear into the night to do god knows what, run whenever your friends call. And in that entire time, have you ever thought about us? About the future?”

You take a deep breath.

“I know that neither of us chose this, but Hoseok, we were engaged. Did that mean anything to you?”

He squares his shoulders, fists clenching at his sides, a tick in his jaw.

“You don’t understand. I-I’m not good for you, ___. I dont think I’ll ever be. There’s too much that’s happened, too much I’ve lost. But please don’t walk away like this.

“I thought it’d be enough,” you whisper, and Hoseok freezes. You didn’t know he’d heard you.

“I thought me loving you would be enough for the both of us. But it’s not. I need more. I need someone who I know will come home to me every night. But what I need even more than that, is for you to let me walk away so I can breathe again. So I can be myself.”

Your eyes are just as sad as the first time Hoseok saw them, and all of a sudden, you remark at how stagnant the two of you had been together.

“Hoseok please, I know I can’t ask you to do it if you love me, but if you’ve ever cared about me, even the tiniest bit, let me go.”

You watch him open the box, gazing at the ring. Moments pass by before he slips it into his own pocket, his eyes flitting to the wave as he gives you a small smile, the most genuine one you’d ever seen.

“Goodbye, ____. 

Hoseok’s fist rattles against the door, before he slumps over, heaving for breath. The pain in his side licks at him like the flames of a fire. He hisses when he presses a hand to it, eyes widening when it comes away covered in blood. Those fuckers had managed to get him. Shit.

His eyes are about to close when the door springs open, the wide eyes of Kim Namjoon taking in his battered figure. 

“Hobi, what the fuck?” Namjoon seethes, offering him an arm and pulling him inside. Slinging an arm around Hoseok’s shoulder, the two of them hobble to Namjoon’s kitchen, the burning in Hoseok chest causing him to let out a loud groan.

“Hyun is sleeping,” Namjoon chastises him, and Hoseok bites his tongue, remembering that this Namjoon was dealing with a pregnant wife and a toddler. “You gonna tell me what the hell happened, or do I have to force it out of you?”

“I made a mistake, Namjoon. I went somewhere I shouldn’t have tonight. I fucked up, but I-I didn’t mean to I swear…”

Hoseok feels himself shake as the words pour out, the ruined mission the furthest thing from his mind. He tells Namjoon everything – from being tailed to running into to you, to how he’d left, not knowing whether you were okay or not. 

“That was a dick move,” Namjoon huffs.

“Excuse me?” Hoseok looks up at his best friend, who looks more pissed off than he’s ever seen him. 

“I said what I said. That was a dick move, just leaving her like that.”

“I don’t need a lecture on running away from you, Namjoon-ah.”

Namjoon wipes away the blood on his side, and Hoseok bites his tongue at the sting of the alcohol, before slumping into the chair next to him. 

“You’re an idiot, Jung Hoseok. You’ve been so afraid of letting yourself feel things for so long, and I know it’s because you think that everyone around you is going to leave, or that you’ll lose them. But I’m telling you right now, that’s the stupidest thing you could ever do.”

“You have to let yourself just be, Hobi. Just let go. Enjoy things - life, your friends, your family. Be open to the possibility of love. It’s the only thing that can keep the darkness away.”

Namjoon’s voice shrinks when he says the last line, and Hoseok knows his friend is far off in his own mind, battling the demons that plague him. 

“I think I’m too far gone for that, Namjoon,” Hoseok tells him. “Maybe some of us weren’t meant for happiness. Maybe some of us needed to make sacrifices so others could live the lives they wanted to.”

“That’s a damn lie if I’ve ever heard one, Hoseok.” Namjoon striaghtens, rising up from the chair. “I know you’ve been angry at me for leaving, for keeping you all in the dark. I know how much it hurts to not be able to share your happiest moments with people you love. And I’m sorry for that. But you have a chance to change things.”

“Listen Hobi,” Namjoon crouches down to his level. “I want to be the best man at your wedding – I want to be there for you in all the ways you didn’t get to do for me. This is my way of making amends, but you need to fix whatever this is between you two.”

“What makes you think she’ll even take me back? I was awful to her… god, she didn’t deserve that Joon. She deserves so much better.”

“Do you love her?” Namjoon asks him, and Hoseok is shocked when he doesn’t even have to pause to think about it. He wants to start over, to be by your side, to have a chance to love you properly this time around. 

“Second chances come when you least expect them, Hobi. Think about what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped out into the rain last night. And don’t let it happen again.”

The knock at the door startles you, your phone clattering to the floor. Swearing under your breath, you pick it up, perusing the message from Minghao once again. He was nothing if not persistent. And Hoseok was never coming back. You’d convinced yourself of that.

It’d been over a week since he’d left you that night - the promise to keep you safe burrowing its way into your heart. And then radio silence. You’d heard the gunshots in the hallway, but when you’d opened the door, no one was there, the only evidence of the showdown being the faint splatters of blood on the wall. When the police had questioned you, you’d left Hoseok’s name out of it – those words echoing in your mind, instilling a false sense of loyalty in you.

Why did you think things would be different this time around? It’d been foolish to assume that Hoseok thought anything more of you. But you couldn’t forget the look in his eyes, the gentle touches, the way he’d promise he would never let anything happen to you, and you fell for him all over again.

Throwing your phone aside, you grumble as you make your way to the door, making a mental note to respond to Minghao later, agreeing to the date.

Swinging it open, you freeze when you see who’s on the other end. Hoseok, looking worse for wear with bruises on his jaw and a nasty cut on his forehead, nervously twirling a tiny bouquet of flowers in his hand.

You’re dumbfounded - unable to speak as you take him in, his dark, inquisitive eyes gazing into your shocked ones. 

“You better let me in, ____,” he says with a grin. “Or the neighbours are gonna think I did something really bad this time.”

Wordlessly, you open the door to allow him to enter, watching as he slips off his coat and shoes, an exact repeat of a week ago. You watch him, trying to open your mouth and say something, ask him anything, but nothing will come out. 

“These are for you,” Hoseok nearly shoves the bouquet in your hands and you watch him rub at the back of his neck, his ears reddening.

“Are you okay Hoseok?” you finally manage to ask him, setting the flowers on your coffee table. Your concern wins out over your confusion once again, but the whole scene is odd – him, smiling in your apartment, the late afternoon sunlight casting half his angular face in a mysterious shadow.

“Just a little nick to my side,” he lifts his shirt up, your eyes widening at the bandages on his abdomen. “But actually, I’m not okay. I haven’t been okay since the day I let you walk away, and I can’t live with it anymore.”

You take a step back, unable to breathe. The space in between you seems to have lessened considerably, and you can make out every delicate detail of his face. Dizzy, you put some distance in between the two of you.

“Everything hurts, ___. It hurts because I look at you and I feel like I can’t breathe anymore, knowing how much pain I put you through. It hurts knowing that you’re so kind, so understanding of someone like me, when I don’t deserve it at all. And what hurts the most is knowing that I love you, and I’ve been lying to myself this entire time because I’m afraid you’ll leave just like everyone else, but I lost you anyway.”

Hoseok’s voice cracks on the last words, and you watch him sway, gripping onto your counter for support.

“I thought it was just me this entire time,” you finally manage to look him in the eyes, tears spilling out of your own. “I thought I was crazy, because ever since you walked out that door a week ago, all I’ve been doing is waiting for you to come back.”

“I’m here,” Hoseok closes the gap between you, arms wrapping around you. You breathe in the faint scent of tobacco on his leather jacket, mixed with the spice of his cologne. “And I’m not leaving. Not this time.”

You grip his lapels, before your arms come up to wrap around his neck, running your fingers through the soft hair at his nape. 

“What if it’s not different this time around?” you whisper into his neck. “What if nothing changes?”

“What if it is?” his low voice rumbles into your hair. “Can you trust me, ___? One more time?”

You take his hand in yours, bringing it to your chest, his lips parting in awe at the fluttering of your heartbeat.

“Only you can do that to me,” you say softly, a smile gracing your lips. 

Before you know it, Hoseok’s lips are crashing against yours, and you can feel him release a euphoric sigh, groaning into your mouth. It’s slow, tentative in the way he waits for your body to respond, never pushing more than you’re comfortable with. Eventually, even the small bit of distance in between you becomes too much to bear. You card your fingers into his hair, pulling slightly at the strands, warmth blossoming in your chest.

It feels too short when he pulls away all too soon, lips tinged with red and eyes dark with something that sends a shiver down your spine.

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since the night of the gala,” he rasps, warmth blooming in your chest at his confession. “You were—, I mean you still are, breathtaking.”

You can feel the rapid beat of his heart, his pulse point right there below your fingertips, and you reach for his hand, watching his entire body soften at your touch. 

“Come with me,” you ask him, eyes turning down the hallway to your bedroom. “We have a lot of lost time to make up for. 

Hoseok tries to ignore the rapid rushing of blood in his ears, his focus narrowing to your head resting on his shoulder, the two of you looking out at the city together for the last little while from your bed. It’s somewhere he never imagined he’d be, but he’d felt the ice around his heart melt the moment he’d finally kissed you for real, warmth filling his veins.

And despite relishing in your presence, it was spiking to a fever pitch. He’d tasted you, and now he couldn’t get enough. All it takes is a brief moment for you to look in his eyes, and he’s pulling you into him once again, mouth hard on yours, unable to resist the desire for more, more, more. 

You whine into his mouth, hands fisting at the edge of his shirt, struggling to pull it over his head. He uses one hand to pin both arms behind you, reaching over with the other to hike your dress up to your stomach, finally peeling it off, and you lie back, eyes alight with desire as you take him in. 

He kisses you again, his lean body hovering over yours, hands roaming everywhere – your arms, up your neck, and on your thighs. He inches higher and higher, fingers ghosting over your core.

“Hoseok please,” you whimper, digging your nails into his shoulder blades. “I can’t wait anymore.”

You part your thighs for him, and he wastes no time, pulling your soaked underwear to the side and dipping his fingers into your arousal. He presses another hard kiss to your lips, catching your moans in his mouth while he works you open, leaving you trembling underneath him.

You whine when his fingers leave you, clenching around nothing, coming up to cup your exposed breasts in both hands while he licks and sucks at your nipples.

“Fuck,” he groans against your chest. “How are you so perfect? How are you even mine?”

His voice breaks, and you mouth at his jaw, mirroring his actions until purple bruises begin to bloom in the spots where your lips previously were.

“I’m yours,” you nip at his bottom lip. “Whether you like it or not.”

“Believe me,” he smirks. “I like it. I like it a lot actually. Let me show you how much.”

With adept skill, he manages to remove your panties in seconds, throwing them to the wall. The clinking sound of his belt drives you mad, and your hands join his, the two of you awkwardly fumbling to remove it.

You feel your mouth go dry when his cock springs free, and he chuckles at the depraved look in your eyes.

“Some other time, love,” he whispers, voice lowering a few octaves. “Right now, I need to feel you.”

You gasp when he pushes in, and he pauses, wondering if it’s too much, but you nod, letting him know it’s okay. He thrusts shallowly, before pushing in all the way, watching you squirm underneath him while rutting your hips.

“Move, please,” you beg him, and he obliges, hiking one leg up over his shoulder to open you up for him, the wet sounds of your pussy accompanying the fluid snap of his hips. His knuckles grip the headboard, turning white while he pins you underneath him, unable to take his eyes off the way your tits bounce with every thrust. His hands grip at your ass, every jerk of his hips an excuse to hold you tighter, until he can see your skin redden underneath his fingers. 

“Oh my god, Hoseok, I can’t–, it’s too much,” you groan, rocking against him in an attempt to quell the sparks underneath your skin, lighting you up like a livewire.

“Come for me,” he grunts, trapping your clit in between his fingers, rubbing tight circles until you snap, seeking his lips once again, your orgasm flooding your entire body like a wave. Hoseok speeds up his thrusts to join you, roaring when he feels himself explode, before slumping against you, chest heaving with the weight of his breaths. 

Moments pass like this, him remaining inside you while he burrows into the crook of your neck, his warm breath fanning your damp skin. Eventually he pulls out of you with a soft whine, brushing away the sweat-soaked strands of hair at your temple, before rising. 

You trap his wrist in your hand, panic settling in. He watches your expression change and immediately stiffens, cradling you against his chest.

“That expression you always talk about, the flood. I-, I looked it up. And I know the life I have isn’t ideal, and maybe things will only get harder, but I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. I don’t want to live out the rest of my life not caring anymore.”

“Do you know what I was thinking of that night, looking at the wave?” you mumble in his ear, and he gazes at you inquisitively, watching the way your skin glows under the moonlight as you take a breath.

“My whole life, people have forced me into this box, this image, of someone they want me to be – the perfect daughter, the perfect wife. It’s been suffocating. All I wanted that night was a taste of freedom - that feeling of happiness you have on a beach, feeling the waves crash at your feet. And then I saw you.”

Hoseok leaves a kiss in your hair, his fingers intertwining with yours. Briefly, his heart drops at the absence of the ring he’d given you on your finger, but he knows when you’re ready, it’ll be waiting for you. He’ll be waiting for you. And the two of you will step into the flood, together. 

a/n pt. 2:  Okay long ending note here. First, please visualize this Hoseok with the undercut ;) Second, I don't normally say this but the writer's block really got me good with this one, so I apologize if it's not up to my usual standards (pls be kind tho). And third and last, this fic definitely would never exist if it weren't for the wonderful Guarded series by Ana (@xjoonchildx). I think about it more than is necessary and this is definitely my tribute to the impeccable Captain Jung.

As always, any comments or feedback are much appreciated, but I appreciate you all anyway. Lots of love, Isi <3

taglist (pls let me know if you want to be removed): @jalexad @secfir @hobi-love @back2bluesidex @temptingempress