#(again made transparent elsewhere)

[pelman]

men who are .0000001 seconds from infodumping about bugs

setter belongs to @dillybilly

[questionable-doctor]

juuust finished this. going to be putting it everywhere i can in the future

[pin-k-ink]

transparent // dazai osamu

tw ⇢ sexual tension, teasing, groping, mention of a casual relationship, grinding, semi public sex, fingering, dirty talk, pet names, praise kink, unprotected sex, blowjob, face-fucking

wc ⇢ 8.1k

The ambient bustle of the Armed Detective Agency's bullpen faded into white noise the second Dazai sauntered through the door that morning. As usual, every molecule of oxygen in the room seemed to realign around his presence - an inescapable gravitational pull you'd learned to resist through sheer stubborn will.

"Well, well..." That dangerous rasp curled upwards to greet your ears like a physical caress. "If it isn't my favorite co-worker looking bright-eyed and dangerously gorgeous as ever."

You refused to rise to the blatant bait, keeping your attention firmly affixed on the paperwork before you. Out of your periphery, you tracked Dazai's leonine prowl as he drew nearer, moving with that unnervingly predatory grace. 

"No 'good morning' for me today?" he purred once near enough for you to smell the sandalwood tang of his soap. "And after I took such care with my appearance in hopes of stealing a smile."

That got you to cut him a sidelong glance - the tousled artistry of his chestnut locks, the elegant sprawl of his limbs as Dazai braced himself against the edge of your desk. One dark brow winged upwards leadingly, beckoning for you to drink in each carved angle and sinuous line.

You simply hummed a vague, noncommittal noise before refocusing elsewhere. This game between you two was too well-trodden to merit much reaction anymore. Dazai practically vibrated with sensual presence hoping to rattle you, to compel even the barest response. But you'd learned to ignore those silken ploys through sheer repetition and stubbornness.

"Oh, so we're going to be difficult today, are we?" The insinuation curled rich and buttery against the sensitive whorls of your ears. "You know how I adore a spirited challenge, gorgeous."

The subtle lean of Dazai's torso brought the smoky, masculine blend of his cologne into your atmosphere in dizzying concentration. You couldn't quite smother the infinitesimal stall of your lungs as that potent scent catalyzed unwanted responsiveness low in your belly. 

Dazai didn't miss the reactive flutter of your lashes either. A low rumble vibrated up from the broad column of his throat as he straightened again, relieving the intimate invasion temporarily.

"We're early yet, I suppose," he mused, tone dripping arch self-assurance once more. "But not to worry. I plan on coaxing plenty of delightful sounds from those pretty lips before the day's through, my dear."

Allowing your eyes to slit open revealed Dazai leaning in once more, close enough for you to feel the whisper-soft phantoms of breath ghosting across your cheek like sin made solid. Close enough to drown in those heavy-lidded russet pools glittering with blatant promise and challenge.

"I do so look forward to seeing what other...responsive tells I can tease out of you next." The words all but vibrated against your own parted lips, laced with a blistering edge of confidence. "This game's only just begun..."

With that deliberately provocative murmur, Dazai swept away towards his own workspace with that distractingly predatory grace. Leaving you struggling to recover your equilibrium as heated tendrils of awareness sparked low in your abdomen despite your best efforts.  

As much as you tried to bury yourself in menial busywork over the ensuing hours, you couldn't quite shake off the thrall of Dazai's electrifying presence. Of the effortless male potency that seemed to radiate from his very pores and cloud the air into near-solidity whenever you were in proximity.

He always seemed to find reasons to invade your orbit, crowding into your space under the flimsiest of pretenses. Dazai would stretch languidly, allowing that leanly muscled torso and the shadowed vee of his collar to present itself for shameless perusal.  

Or he'd sprawl against the edge of your desk, one lean thigh brushing yours in seeming accident as those heavy-lidded eyes bored into you with simmering heat. Forcing you to confront the sensual geometry of his features up close and at dangerously point-blank range.

The air between you and Dazai seemed to grow heavier and more charged with each passing interaction. An undeniable, nearly tangible tension that thickened the atmosphere into an insulating haze of pure distillation.

Like the time you'd been bent over one of the file cabinets, digging through the lower drawers for an elusive case report. The whisper-soft pad of Dazai's measured footfalls was your only warning before the solid wall of his chest pressed flush against the curved line of your spine. 

You jolted upright, ready to berate him for the inappropriate proximity. But Dazai simply hummed a low, distinctly satisfied rumble as you found yourself effectively pinned between the unforgiving metal and his firm masculine heat.

"There now, no need to panic," that treacherously rich timbre rasped against the nape of your neck. "I'm simply...appreciating the view up close for a change."

You could practically feel the smoldering weight of Dazai's hooded regard skating down the length of your trapped form in unhurried debauch. The subtle flex of his abdomen with each humid exhale pressed your lower backs even more snugly together.

Despite willing every nerve to remain impassive, your traitor body responded to the overwhelming physicality of being encased in Dazai's orbit like this. You swallowed hard, acutely aware of the thunderous trip-hammer of your pulse visible at the hollow of your throat.  

Dazai's answering hum vibrated straight through to your very marrow, this one edged with dark sin and a hint of smoke. Then he shifted fractionally, allowing the insistent ridge of his cock to grind against the swell of your ass in blatant taunt.

"It's a perspective I really must take advantage of more often," he practically purred against your nape. "Don't you agree, beautiful?"

You opened your mouth, determined to unleash a scathing rebuke for his flagrant impropriety. But Dazai simply chuckled again - rich and indolent - before that scorching brand of his torso finally disengaged. Leaving you to sag weakly against the drawer front, ears ringing with fractures of your own wildly skittering pulse and Dazai's husky endearments.

Another time, you'd been rifling through the copy machine's depleted supply tray in search of a new ream of paper to reload. So absorbed in your simple task that you didn't register the weighted silence signaling Dazai's intrusion until he moved to loom at your back once more.

"Need a hand there, gorgeous?" The words dripped molten sin directly into your ear. "Seems awfully inconvenient having to crouch down like that in that tight little skirt of yours..."

Cheeks going instantly incendiary, you snapped ramrod straight only to find Dazai's smoldering regard searing directly down the generous vee of your blouse from over one shoulder. A deliciously wicked slant curved those lush lips as he drank in every flustered micro-expression flickering across your features.

"Although..." he mused, rich and resonant. "I can't say I mind the view from this angle." 

Dazai leaned in slightly on the emphasis, allowing the solid wall of his torso to brush against the curve of your backside. Just a fleeting whisper of contact, but it seared like a brand all the same - sparking riotous consciousness of every place your bodies didn't quite touch.   

You struggled to rally a retort, to summon some semblance of the withering composure you desperately clung to amid these escalating provocations. But Dazai simply slanted you with another heated sweep of that darkly weighted stare, effectively robbing you of both breath and cutting words.

"Then again, we'd hate for you to...overexert yourself in such discomfort, now wouldn't we?" The words dripped like poisoned ambrosia from between those sensuous lips you'd been trying not to fixate upon.

Before you could formulate a response, Dazai's hands settled in decisive arcs around your waist - pulling you snugly back against the rigid wall of his chest. Not ungently, but with enough deliberate physicality to send a tremulous frisson ricocheting through your nerves like skipped stones across a glassy mere.

"Allow me..." he rumbled, voice dropping to an even more dangerously resonant timbre that catalyzed your pulse into a thunderous gallop. 

Dazai's answering chuckle against your nape made it clear he could sense every reactive shiver rippling through you. Yet he made no move to extract himself or relieve the overwhelming potency of being encased in the scorching orbit of his body like this. The silence grew thicker and more electrically charged by the second...

The tension almost became a living, breathing force unto itself - thickening the atmosphere around you and Dazai into a heavy, charged miasma. Every interaction seemed to crackle with unspoken provocation and heated undercurrents begging to finally breach the surface.

Like the time you were working late reviewing security footage from a stakeout, so absorbed in studying the grainy images that you didn't notice Dazai's approach until he materialized directly behind you. The solid bulk of his chest pressed flush against your back as those long arms bracketed the desk on either side, effectively trapping you in the scorching vise of his body.

"There you are, gorgeous," the silken timbre vibrated against your nape, raising delicious little contrails along your sensitized nerves. "Getting some overtime in, I see..."

You opened your mouth to issue a reprimand, but all that emerged was a strangled little noise as Dazai allowed more of his weight to settle against you from behind. The hard ridges and hollows of his frame etched themselves into the soft give of your body with delirious, molten precision.

"Now, now...no need for such an...enthusiastic welcome," he crooned, each consonant seeming to score tingling paths across your thundering pulse.

Dazai shifted infinitesimally, rolling his hips in a slow, suggestive grind that had you stifling a tremulous whimper against your will. You could feel the smile curving against the sensitive span of your nape as he luxuriated in your body's involuntary reactions.

"Although I must admit, I do love how...responsive you are to me, beautiful." The words emerged thickened by sin as one large palm skimmed up your ribcage and splayed with obvious possession between your breasts. "Makes a man wonder what other delicious little noises he could coax out with some...dedicated effort."

Despite your best attempts at impassivity, you couldn't quite restrain the full-bodied shudder that rippled through you at the lascivious implication. Dazai's hips rolled again - a pointed, insistent grind punctuating his velvety murmur as he leaned until you could practically taste the sandalwood tang of his skin.

"What do you say, gorgeous? Why don't we find out together..."

Another time, you'd leaned over to plug in your laptop charger that had come loose from the outlet, dress riding up to expose an indecent swath of thigh and backside. So focused on your search that you didn't register the telltale quiet until Dazai's heated rumble caressed your senses from somewhere directly behind.

"Well...hello there." The gruff rasp contained undisguised sin as you whipped around to find him looming at your back - chest only scant inches from brushing your own. "Now isn't this just a delicious view to stumble across?"

You couldn't even summon an ounce of outrage, too immediately arrested by the unapologetic heat blazing in Dazai's midnight regard. The way it seemed to physically scorch across your exposed skin, raising delirious inflamed prickles.

Dazai allowed his stare to streak down the length of you in one unhurried, carnal sweep. When his russet gaze finally battled back up to lock with yours at eye-level, you felt like every molecule had been methodically undressed for perusal despite remaining clothed.

"You know..." He rasped at last, pitching his timbre around the words like a physical caress. "For someone who so adamantly claims they're not trying to tempt certain...responses...you certainly have an interesting way of presenting yourself, beautiful."

On the emphasis of that last word, Dazai allowed his upper body to roll forwards in one languid swell - forcing your spines into heated alignment as he crowded you snugly back against the desk. You couldn't stifle the sharp inhalation as sinuous muscle and blistering male heat surrounded you in a searing brand.

The low, humming growl Dazai released seemed to reverberate straight through to your very marrow. You shuddered despite yourself as his broad palms mapped the flare of your hips in a scorching, proprietary glide that stopped just short of indecent territory before retreating slowly.

"Well then, I certainly can't fault your...presentation," he husked, the words ghosting across your thundering pulse point. "Although you're making it dreadfully difficult for a gentleman to retain his composure around such blatant temptation..."

The thick, luxurious weight of the tension binding you and Dazai together grew heavier and more insistent with each passing encounter. until it felt like a living, breathing force of nature unto itself. An elemental power that threatened to finally shatter whatever fragile truces still existed between you.

Like when you reached above your head to reshelve some files, causing your blouse to ride up and expose a tantalizing strip of toned abdomen. You didn't hear Dazai's silent approach over the whisper-shush of papers until the solid wall of his torso pressed flush against your lower back.  

His palms settled with scorching possession around your waist, fingers splaying to maximize contact as Dazai effectively pinned you between the searing brand of his body and the shelving. A rumbling purr of approval reverberated straight through you as he allowed his hips to grind in one molten, indolent roll.

"Well, well..." The words dripped molten sin against the nape of your neck, raising delicious frissons. "What an absolutely tantalizing surprise to stumble across..."

You couldn't quite restrain the tremulous whimper that slipped free at the insistent outline of his dick nestling against the cleft of your backside. Dazai answered with a darker, smoke-edged growl of blatant male satisfaction deep in his chest - the sound catalyzing a betraying spire of heat in your core.

"So responsive," he rasped in carnal delight. "I'd wondered just how far I'd have to push before coaxing those pretty little sounds out of you again, beautiful."

One calloused palm stroked up the vulnerable inward curve of your waist in a lingering caress. Then Dazai splayed those sinful fingertips across your abdomen, the brand of his touch raising molten wildfires in its wake as it slowly wandered higher.

"Although now that I've heard them..." His teeth grazed the thundering thrum of your pulse in a searing graze. "I seem to find myself utterly incapable of resisting the urge to hear them again. And again..."

He punctuated the delirious promise by flexing his hips with pointed emphasis, forcing your lower back to arch in order to maintain that scorching point of contact. You heard yourself keen softly in a plaintive, needy rasp that only seemed to stoke the banked wildfire in Dazai's smoldering stare to searing new heights.

"There it is..." The timbre emerged nearly unraveled into gravel now as he sealed you flush once more. "Sweeter than any symphony, wouldn't you agree, gorgeous?"

Another time, one of Dazai's hands settled low on your hip as he leaned around you to reach for a file you were reviewing. Instead of extracting himself afterwards, he allowed the solid brand of his torso to remain locked against you from behind as if it was the most natural thing in the world.    

Even with you facing the wall, you felt the scorching weight of his hooded stare caressing the exposed nape of your neck. Each measured exhalation feathered across those sensitized nerves in delirious, searing contrails guaranteed to raise prickles across your skin.  

"You're awfully tense, beautiful," Dazai rasped at last with that rich, dripping insinuation. "And after the long day you've endured, so focused...so disciplined..."

His free hand settled at the dip of your lower spine, callused fingertips trailing up in a lingering glide that catalyzed your pulse into a molten gallop. You couldn't quite suppress the tremulous shiver despite willing every molecule to remain composed and unaffected by the branding possession of his touch. 

"Don't fret," he murmured, chin dipping to graze the fragile whorl of your ear as his palm continued meandering ever higher. "I'll be sure to take...such exquisite care in relieving that tension for you."

One broad splay spanned the expanse between your shoulder blades, allowing the solid brand of his forearm to pin you flush as Dazai's hips rolled in a suggestive grind. You couldn't quite muffle the choked whimper that slipped free despite your best restraint, scalp tingling beneath the rasp of his answering chuckle vibrating against your nape.

"There now...isn't that better already?"

After weeks of the escalating tension and suggestive encounters between you and Dazai, he finally decided to change tactics. One afternoon, after another heated brush of intimate proximity had left you both simmering, Dazai caught your arm gently as you tried to make your escape.

"Enough games between us, don't you think?" His tone was low but serious, none of the usual honeyed taunts coloring the words. "We both know this delicious dance can't go on indefinitely before one of us combusts entirely."

You opened your mouth, not sure if you intended to feign ignorance or finally give voice to the crackling awareness stretching between you. But Dazai merely shook his head, holding up a hand to forestall you.

"Don't bother denying the heat, beautiful. We're both too far down this road to keep playing coy." His gaze bored into yours with surprising intensity. "Which is why I have a proposal for you - a way for us both to finally scratch this undeniable itch that's been driving us slowly mad."

Interest and trepidation warred within you as you regarded Dazai steadily. He seemed to read the conflict because one side of his mouth kicked up in a slanted smile, but not the usual teasing curl. This one was weighted with quiet promise.

"Hear me out," was all he said, letting the susurrant words hang pregnant between you. "I'm prepared to make you an offer, gorgeous...one that will allow us both to have what we've been craving with no more teasing or games involved. If you're amenable, that is."

For once, you found yourself speechless under the solemn intensity of Dazai's regard. He was clearly offering a way to finally resolve the explosive tensions building between you, laid bare with none of the usual dazzling deflections. The decision rested entirely with you now.

After a pregnant pause where you searched his expression, you gave a measured nod. "I'm listening..."

Dazai's gaze remained steady and unflinching as you indicated your willingness to hear him out. For a protracted beat, the weighted silence stretched taut between you - alive with the same sparking undercurrents that had been slowly reaching a simmer over the past several weeks.

"What I'm about to propose may sound a bit...unconventional," he began at last, rich timbre stripped of any extraneous inflection. "But I think we're both finally ready to acknowledge that there's something undeniably potent between us. A craving that's only going to keep escalating until it finally explodes in spectacular fashion."

You felt your breath hitch despite willing your lungs to remain steady. Dazai's manner was severe now - bereft of any lurid suggestions or honeyed come-ons. This side of him felt almost dangerous in its solemn intensity, drawing you in like a cobra's mesmeric dance.

"The way I see it," he continued after a charged pause, "we have two choices before us. We can keep playing these delirious games, circling one another until the inevitable conflagration consumes us both in riotous ruin..." 

Dazai allowed his smoldering stare to streak down the feminine lines of your body in one ponderous sweep before returning to lock with yours. The sheer corporeal weight of his appraisal raised exquisite tendrils of heat despite yourself.

"Or we could...indulge ourselves a bit. Satisfy this relentless craving in a controlled manner before it spirals entirely out of hand."

The meaning behind his quietly purred suggestion catalyzed a wildfire of its own inside your veins. You couldn't quite mask the reactive shiver that rippled through you, though Dazai didn't seem to fault you for it. He simply tipped his head a fraction, maintaining that weighted connection between your locked stares as he allowed the implication to sink in.

"Just a temporary arrangement between colleagues, you understand," he clarified after a protracted beat. "No strings, no pesky romantic entanglements to complicate matters further. Just two consenting adults sating this rapacious hunger that's becoming so painfully... insistent." 

Each husked word felt like searing little brands scoring across your nerves - stoking the already molten kiln banked low in your abdomen. Despite the clinical way Dazai couched his proposition, the subtle langue of his body seemed to bleed with darker promise as he shifted fractionally closer into your space.

"Think about it, beautiful," he rumbled, pitching the entreaty to detonate against the sensitive whorls of your ears. "All of this delicious tension finally allowed to unspool in unbridled release. No more restraints, no more teasing folly - just the sweet rapture of indulgence you crave as badly as I..."

The deliberate roll of Dazai's formidable torso brought his intoxicating musk crashing over you in dizzying waves. You swayed automatically towards the epicenter of that sensual gravitational pull despite your better instincts. Close enough to feel the branded caress of each measured exhale fanning across your thundering pulse.   

Close enough to be utterly transfixed by the smoldering mural unraveled in smoked whiskey and molten onyx as Dazai searched your expression for rejection - or acquiescence.

"So tell me," he rasped at last, voice descending into a ruinous timbre that resonated straight through to the hollows of your marrow. "Do we finally break this sweet torture between us, gorgeous? Or keep stoking the embers until we incinerate ourselves entirely?"

The razor-edged promise hung in the electrified space twinned heartbeats seemed to suspend entirely. Dazai simply held you transfixed with that pointed, infinite stare - allowing his words to fully permeate your awareness and render you weightless in their wake.

For once, you realized with dawning inevitability...you didn't actually have an objection to voice.

You held Dazai's piercing gaze, feeling the weight of his proposition settle over you like a heavy mantle. The suggestion of a casual, no-strings arrangement between you hung thick in the air, heavy with unspoken caveats. 

Deep down, you knew there was no way to keep things impersonal or detached if you went down that path with Dazai. The sheer smoldering intensity between you, the steadily simmering hunger you saw reflected in his russet stare...it carried an inexorable gravity that would consume you both entirely if unleashed.

For a suspended breath, Dazai simply watched you digest the implications in silence, mahogany eyes glittering like polished obsidian. Then you saw a muscle feather almost imperceptibly along the stark line of his jaw as you failed to immediately agree.

"Or perhaps..." His rumbling timbre emerged roughened by sin and smoke. "A more... permanent arrangement might be in order between us after all, hmm?"

Your indrawn breath felt approximately as loud as a sonic boom in the weighted quiet. Dazai didn't so much as blink, maintaining his leonine scrutiny as you tried to process that molten undercurrent suddenly shifting between you. 

The very air itself seemed to thicken and constrict around you both, alive with the sparking frissures of unraveling tension. Whatever this was rapidly metastasizing into felt too profound, too utterly cataclysmic to be sated through mere indulgence any longer.

As if intuiting the trajectory of your thoughts, Dazai's full lips curved into a slanting, almost feral approximation of a smile that sent delirious tendrils of heat barreling outwards.

"Yes... I can see it in your eyes now, beautiful." He veritably purred the words into the electrically charged space twinned heartbeats seemed to suspend into breath-held entropy. "This is quickly evolving into something more insistent. More..."

Blazing overhead lights turned his irises into molten eclipses as Dazai allowed his hooded stare to openly devour you once more. Mapping every micro-shiver and telling flutter as his body seemed to radiate waves of tactile seduction without closing the scant distance between you.

"Insatiable," he concluded at last, the tone pitched to detonate with exquisite precision against every nerve in wanton detonation. "Something that won't be so easily slaked through fleeting capitulation between us, hmm?"

The weighted assessment hung in the electrified tension like the string of a bow drawn taut to near snapping. You couldn't even formulate a reply, too transfixed by the banked inferno steadily spiraling into unchecked wildfire behind Dazai's uncompromising mien.

Then his jaw flexed almost imperceptibly before he allowed an exhale to shudder free in humid duress. "Very well then..."

Before you could even process the words, Dazai surged forwards into the scant inches separating your bodies with leonine grace. The sudden, shockingly intimate collision of his larger frame with yours obliterated whatever feeble scraps of space still remained, searing a brand of delirious heat down every straining nerve ending. 

His fingertips seared like molten possession bracketing the soft knolls of your hips as he pressed the irrefutable ridge of his arousal against the cradle of your lowermost curves in a slow, purposeful grind. A starburst of whited-out rapture detonated behind your ribcage at the unapologetic insistence of the motion.

"If total... profane consumption is what you require," Dazai husked against the overheated thrum of your pulse, "then that's precisely what you'll receive from me, beautiful. No half-measures, no restraints..."

The deliberate sweep of his nose nudged yours fractionally to one side, catalyzing twin gasps that mingled with heady potency in the scant space separating your dually parted lips. Searing molten onyx held you hypnotized and weightless, transfixed beneath the intensity of Dazai's smolder as he sealed the vow in that final, scorching murmur.

"I'll simply have to raze you down to your very atoms...and rebuild you entirely anew as mine."

The finality underlying Dazai's vow catalyzed your surrender like a stone finally yielding to gravity's inexorable pull. You couldn't resist the delirious whirlwind of sensation as he closed the last few inches - mouth crashing against yours in a searing, possessive brand. 

Dazai kissed you like a man hungered, all simmering restraint finally shattered into dust beneath the onslaught. His tongue swept between your lips in blatant possession, igniting every receptor into feverish communion as you arched helplessly into the scorching demands of his larger frame.    

One broad palm anchored your nape, angling your parted mouth to deepen the onslaught as Dazai's other arm banded around your waist. Lashing you flush against the exquisitely hewn planes of his torso in a searing, rapturous grind that stole any last lingering objection you might have harbored. 

His growl of dark triumph rumbled straight through your bones as you melted completely beneath that sensual siege - thoughts unraveling into rapturous ash as you finally surrendered to the devouring provocation of Dazai's kiss. Allowing yourself to be plundered with ravenous, openmouthed sweeps that curled your very toes and liquified your bones.

When he finally wrenched his mouth from yours in clear defiance of needing oxygen, you swayed numbly in the aftershocks. Ambient reality felt scorched away by the elemental entropy now rapidly consuming you both in its path. The only remaining anchor was Dazai's half-lidded stare - a molten supernova holding yours effortlessly transfixed as your chests heaved in unison.

"There now..." His graveled growl whispered across your swollen lips, arms still banded in inescapable possession. "Doesn't giving in feel so much better than fighting me at last?"

You could only manage a tremulous, soundless nod - still too thoroughly undone to rally any response beyond instinctively arching for more searing contact. Dazai made a pleased rumble deep in his chest, holding you pinned against the rigid contours of his body by sheer corporeal dominance.

Then his mouth crashed down again in another possessive onslaught, tongue stroking between your lips in blatant avowal of control. He walked you backwards with a series of inescapable grinding steps until your back met the solid resistance of a nearby wall. Caging you there in the vise of his larger frame as his mouth plundered deeper.

You clutched at any available anchor, fingers snarling through the crisp strands at his nape in a desperate bid to ground yourself amid the delirious whirlwind. But there could be no bracing against Dazai's onslaught, only utter surrender to the maelstrom.  

He growled visceral approval at your mindless responsiveness, hips angling to bracket yours in scorching emphasis as one broad palm mapped down your body.

A strangled moan spilled from your lips at the molten drag of his hand across your waist, down the flare of your hips, around to splay against the exposed vee of your inner thigh.

"Look at me," he husked, waiting until your hazy eyes dragged up to his. Then Dazai rolled his hips in a slow, sinuous grind - making sure you could feel the rigid line of his arousal through the confines of his slacks.

"See how utterly wrecked you've left me, gorgeous?" The words vibrated against the fragile whorls of your ear, raising delicious goosebumps. "That's how I've felt since the moment you first walked in here. And now, finally..."

His voice trailed off, allowing the scorching implication to speak for itself as Dazai flexed his hips in another pointed, searing roll. Your eyes practically rolled back in your skull as the pressure ignited a wildfire of need, a molten cascade of sensation that pooled low in your abdomen with alarming speed.

"But I'm not the only one, hmm?"

Those dexterous fingers inched higher along your inner thigh, skating up the tingling span to hover just shy of where you desperately ached for him. You shuddered, unable to contain the tremulous little gasp that spilled free as your hips automatically canted towards the delicious torment.

"You're equally ruined, aren't you, beautiful?" Dazai's words seared directly into the tender shell of your ear, setting each delicate nerve alight. "I can see it in those gorgeous eyes. The way you melt into me like a kitten seeking affection, aching for my touch..."

You moaned deliriously as he allowed his fingers to skate the sensitive hollow just above your hip, dipping beneath the hem of your blouse. Each stroke raised exquisite frissons along your spine as you strained for more.

"Don't fret, sweet girl..." Dazai murmured, voice dipping even lower as his fingers continued mapping higher. "I'll make sure we both get exactly what we crave. What we've needed since that first meeting in my office..."

When his fingers finally delved between your thighs, parting the fabric to tease along the wet cleft within, your head fell back in utter surrender. Eyes slipping closed at the overwhelming surge of pleasure that rocketed through you, searing every receptor into ecstatic communion.

"Yes," he rumbled darkly against the vulnerable slope of your neck, mouth trailing a series of scalding little bites in his wake. "I'm going to make sure we both unravel and find exquisite ruin together, sweet girl. But first..."

Those long, elegant fingers finally found their target, sliding against the slick center of your desire. You cried out, spine arching as Dazai's thumb stroked a deliberate path across your throbbing clit.

"I think it's only fair to return the favor, don't you?"

Then he sank two fingers into your welcoming core, the stretch forcing a sharp keening sound from your throat. Dazai released a rough purr of approval at your reaction, laving the stinging bites with the soothing flat of his tongue as he slowly pumped the digits.

"That's it, beautiful," he crooned against your thundering pulse. "Give me everything. Let me hear how utterly wrecked you are already."

Each thrust stoked the embers blazing into wildfire inside you, turning your muscles into liquid flame as the molten rhythm built. Dazai's mouth crashed against yours in another searing kiss as the fingers curling deep inside you stroked incessantly.

You surrendered completely beneath his relentless siege, the only thing holding you upright being his solid frame bracketed against yours. Each thrust stoked the molten flames higher, driving your senses into a delirium until the world narrowed down to the incendiary rhythm between you and Dazai.

A keening wail erupted from your lungs as the pleasure coalesced, cresting and exploding behind your ribcage in a devastating implosion. Dazai's answering groan felt like the sweetest reward as he drank in every tremulous sound and reaction.

As the tremors slowly receded, you became dimly aware of his lips grazing the crown of your head as he carefully withdrew his fingers. Your thighs trembled in the wake of that intense climax, but Dazai merely gathered you against his larger frame.

"That's it, gorgeous," he rasped against the shell of your ear, the timbre thick with lust. "You've been so good, letting me take you apart completely. So good for me, my sweet girl."

The praise made you whimper softly, a shiver rippling through your limbs as the last lingering sparks of rapture finally dissipated. When you managed to crack your eyes open again, Dazai's expression arrested you instantly.

His pupils were blown wide, nearly overtaking the irises entirely. Those full lips were reddened and slightly swollen, the lower still gleaming wet from his ravaging kisses. Dazai's chest was heaving as if he'd run a marathon, but his hold remained steady as he continued murmuring quiet praise into the crown of your head.

"There you are, sweet girl," he rumbled, a crooked little grin twitching across his features. "Still with me?"

Your head managed a feeble little nod, earning an amused chuckle. Then Dazai tipped your chin up until his searing gaze bore into yours with palpable intent.

"Good, because we're far from finished," he warned, the graveled timbre resonating through your bones. "I've wanted you for too damn long to be satisfied with a single taste, sweet girl. Once is going to be nowhere near enough."

You shivered at the unabashed promise, though couldn't quite muster a rebuttal. Not when the molten embers inside you were already roaring back to life beneath the searing heat of Dazai's stare.

"Now, where shall we begin?"

He pondered aloud, tilting his head to one side as he surveyed the options. His free hand wandered lower, tracing idle patterns along the slope of your spine as Dazai considered his options. You could practically hear the gears in his head whirring.

Then his gaze sharpened, honing in on something before a wicked grin split his features. You opened your mouth to inquire, but the words dissolved into a sharp gasp as Dazai seized a handful of your ass and squeezed hard.

"I've had plenty of time to fantasize about this pretty little rear, you know," he murmured against the sensitive whorl of your ear, eliciting shivers. "So many nights wondering just how good you'd look bent over my desk, ass presented and waiting for me..."

Another squeeze, harder this time as he pulled you tighter against the ridge of his erection. Dazai rolled his hips languidly, eliciting a whimper at the delicious friction.

"And the best part?" His voice dropped to a smoke-edged rasp, the timbre reverberating straight through you. "Now I finally get to find out."

Dazai didn't give you time to formulate a reply before he turned, steering you through the maze of desks with a firm hand on the small of your back. He paused once you reached the large executive desk, turning to survey the scene with obvious approval.

"Right here, sweet girl," he purred, fingers drifting down to unzip your skirt and allow it to puddle at your feet. "This will do nicely, don't you think?"

You managed a tremulous little nod, unable to resist leaning into his touch as Dazai guided you towards the edge of the desk. Your hands settled atop the cool surface for balance, and he gave a soft hum of approval at the sight.

"Such a good girl, aren't you?" He praised, calloused fingertips stroking the sensitive flesh along the backs of your thighs. "So eager to please. And you've been doing such a splendid job so far, my sweet."

A tremulous little mewl slipped free at the gentle strokes. You shifted restlessly, arching for more.

Dazai released a rumbling purr, the sound thick with satisfaction as his palm curved around the flair of your backside. The other hand reached for the waistband of his slacks, easing the zipper down as his thumb stroked along the line of your thong.

"I can't wait to get my cock inside you," he rasped, the filthy words causing a shiver. "To feel this perfect little cunt wrapped around me. So tight, so wet...and all for me, gorgeous."

His palm cupped one cheek, kneading gently as Dazai rocked his hips forwards. The ridge of his erection dragged across your slit, parting the fabric with its insistent press. Your mouth fell open in a soft whine at the delicious friction.

"I bet I can even make you scream," he husked against the nape of your neck, rolling his hips again. "Make you fall apart all over my cock as I fuck you right here, bent over this desk."

His palm cracked against the supple flesh, the sound reverberating through the air and causing a sharp cry. A second stinging smack followed, then another. Dazai's mouth roved against your shoulder blades as his hand kept punishing the swell of your backside.

"Just the thought of that has me rock-hard already," he growled, punctuating the vow by grinding his hips forwards once more. "Imagining you all desperate and dripping wet for me, aching for release."

The words alone were almost enough to tip you over the edge. Then the hand palming your backside slipped between your thighs, teasing the fabric covering your soaked slit. You gasped, canting your hips instinctively for more.

"Mm, just like that," Dazai murmured against the nape of your neck. "My sweet girl wants to be fucked, doesn't she? She's so eager, so responsive..."

One finger hooked beneath the fabric, tugging it aside. You could feel the blunt press of his erection nudging between your thighs, so close to finally entering you. The anticipation ratcheted even higher, a delicious tension.

"I've waited far too long to finally claim you, gorgeous," Dazai husked, voice thick with lust. "And I fully intend to take my time with you, sweet girl. But right now..."

One broad palm splayed across the expanse of your lower back, pressing your torso flush against the polished desktop. Your legs were spread wide, and you were held pinned in place by Dazai's weight bearing down behind you.

"Right now," he repeated, the words resonating with finality as his hand wrapped around your waist, fingers curling into the wet fabric of your panties. "I'm going to fuck you the way we both desperately need. Hard and fast, until I've completely ruined you for any other man. Is that understood?"

You managed a frantic little nod, eyes clenched tightly closed as you waited. Every nerve felt alight with anticipation, breath held in suspension.

Then, without any warning, Dazai snapped his hips forwards in a punishing thrust. You cried out sharply, unable to muffle the keening sound at the sudden penetration. His cock drove impossibly deep, filling you so completely you could almost taste him at the back of your throat.

"There now..." He rumbled dark approval, hand stroking up your spine in a soothing gesture. "So beautifully tight around me. You take me so well, gorgeous."

His hips began to move, rocking into you in slow, torturous motions that stoked the inferno burning higher. Each stroke was exquisitely thorough, each thrust bottoming out and sending a delicious jolt up your spine.

Your hands scrambled for purchase against the smooth desktop, seeking an anchor amidst the relentless sensual onslaught. You could feel every inch of Dazai's cock pistoning inside you, could hear the filthy little grunts of pleasure each time his hips snapped forwards.

"Does that feel good, sweet girl?" His voice emerged in a rough growl, the timbre nearly unraveled with the force of his need. "Being so thoroughly filled, so taken apart by my cock?"

A strangled moan ripped free from your throat at the delicious pressure, and Dazai chuckled roughly in response. One hand curled around your neck, pulling your spine flush against his chest as he increased the pace.

"That's it, sweet girl. Let me hear you. Show me how well you're being fucked, how much you enjoy taking me."

Your hips rocked back to meet his, mindless in the pursuit of ecstasy. Each thrust was more powerful than the last, a relentless cadence that stole your breath and left you helplessly panting. The delicious friction stoked the inferno blazing into wildfire, obliterating all thought in its path.

"That's it, my sweet girl," Dazai husked, voice thick with desire. "Give yourself to me completely. I'll take care of you, sweet girl. I'll always take care of you, sweet girl."

Those words alone nearly tipped you over the edge, a tremulous keen ripping free from your throat as you surrendered. You arched for more, desperate for him to finish what he'd started.

Then his arm wrapped around your waist, holding you captive as Dazai pounded into you. The angle was deeper now, his cock hitting places inside you that caused stars to explode behind your eyelids. Each thrust was more powerful than the last, driving you closer and closer to the razor's edge.

"So close, sweet girl," he husked, voice nearly unrecognizable. "Come for me. Let go, my beautiful girl."

The command detonated like a sonic boom inside you, shattering the tenuous restraint and setting the world ablaze. You screamed his name, back arching as the climax crashed over you.

Dazai snarled a filthy oath as he felt the convulsions ripple through your body, his grip tightening. He kept thrusting, dragging out your orgasm until it was nearly too much to bear.

Your legs trembled, muscles liquefying as the ecstasy crested. But Dazai didn't stop. His hand remained wrapped around your throat, holding you flush against his torso as his hips snapped forwards.

"Yes," he growled, the words vibrating straight through you. "Give it to me, sweet girl. Let me feel that sweet cunt milking me dry, let me fill you up and hear you scream..."

Each word felt like a brand scorching directly into the core of you, the heat so intense it nearly seared. You could barely breathe, barely think, barely do anything beyond shudder and moan beneath the onslaught.

The climax tore through you in an inferno, obliterating any remaining scrap of rational thought in its wake. All you could do was ride the waves, drowning beneath the deluge of pleasure.

Dazai's hips snapped forward once more, hissing a guttural curse as his own release crested. You could feel the liquid warmth filling you, flooding your core and coating the inside of your thighs as his thrusts slowed.

Then, finally, his rhythm stuttered to a halt. The arm holding you steady against him loosened, allowing you to collapse against the desktop. Your muscles felt utterly spent, trembling in the aftershocks as you struggled to catch your breath.

Dazai's hand remained on the curve of your hip, anchoring you securely as he slowly withdrew. A breathless little moan slipped free at the loss, though he immediately shushed you with a kiss pressed against the nape of your neck.

"There now," he murmured, tone thick with satisfaction. "Wasn't that infinitely better than keeping our distance, my sweet girl?"

You couldn't even formulate a reply - still reeling from the intensity of that orgasm. But Dazai didn't seem to need an answer, content to hold you pinned against the edge of the desk for a moment longer.

"But now I need you to do something for me," he rumbled after a beat, the words thickening with sin and smoke. "Be a good girl and stand up for me."

You managed a weak, confused little sound as you complied. Dazai's arm was instantly around your waist, steadying you as your trembling limbs struggled to obey. Once your knees stopped shaking, he pulled you closer.

"Good girl," he praised, the words a velvety rumble against your temple. "Now stay right here for me."

Before you could question, his hands dropped to his waistband. You watched in mute fascination as Dazai tugged his slacks down, revealing his half-hard erection. It glistened with the evidence of your shared release, a bead of his spend slipping down the side.

He didn't break eye contact, holding you trapped in the molten depths of his stare. One hand curled around his shaft, giving a languid stroke as Dazai swiped a thumb across the head.

You swallowed thickly, eyes unable to look away as he used the pearled dew to slick his hand.

"Now then," he husked, expression dark with promise. "Open that pretty mouth for me, my sweet."

Your lips parted of their own accord, the motion instinctive. Dazai's smirk widened at the immediate compliance, his free hand tipping your chin upwards to hold you pinned beneath the smoldering heat of his stare.

"I need you to clean me off, sweet girl," he explained, the graveled timbre of his voice sending goosebumps rippling across your skin. "Every. Last. Drop. Understood?"

Another tremulous sound spilled free as you nodded, eagerly getting down on your knees. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with erotic intent as you awaited his next command.

"Good girl," Dazai praised, the words dripping like honey. "Now open that pretty mouth and show me just how good you are at listening to instructions."

Your jaw fell open, tongue darting out to lap against the swollen crown. His fingers tangled in your hair, guiding you forward until you were able to suck the entire length of him into the velvet cradle.

"Just like that," Dazai crooned, the words emerging half-unraveled as his hips bucked forwards. "So fucking perfect. You look so beautiful like this, gorgeous."

His words were punctuated by shallow, rolling thrusts. His shaft grew impossibly hard against your tongue, thick and pulsing. You could feel him swelling, filling your mouth with his musky scent.

Dazai's eyes were blown wide, the pupils completely overtaking the irises. They burned with molten desire, the sight almost enough to tip you over the edge again.

"Now I need you to take me deep," he growled, voice roughened with lust. "Let me feel the back of that pretty throat, my sweet girl."

You could only nod, unable to do anything beyond comply. His fingers tightened in your hair, tugging gently as he angled your head where he needed. Dazai's cock filled your mouth, stretching the walls of your throat as he rocked forwards.

"Such a good girl," he crooned, the words emerging ragged and breathless. "That's it, take all of me. Such a good girl, sucking my cock like a proper little whore. Now open that pretty mouth and let me see those gorgeous eyes."

You moaned, the sound muffled by the length of his shaft. Dazai's fingers tightened in your hair, a warning.

"Good girl," he growled, the words almost feral with the force of his need. "I'm going to fill your sweet little mouth with my cum, sweet girl. Then you're going to swallow every drop. Understood?"

Another frantic nod, your cheeks hollowing as you sucked. He groaned, the sound rumbling through his chest as his thrusts grew sharper. His shaft filled your mouth, pushing deeper and deeper until you could barely breathe.

"Take it," he ordered, voice rough and commanding. "Take every drop of my cum, sweet girl."

Then, without warning, Dazai's entire body went rigid. His jaw clenched, eyes closing as his head tipped back.

His hips slammed forwards, bottoming out and hitting the back of your throat. You gagged slightly at the sudden intrusion, but he held you pinned. His entire body seemed to shake, muscles corded with strain.

Then his cock throbbed, pulsing against your tongue as his seed flooded your mouth. You moaned, the sound muffled by the shaft filling you.

His eyes flew open, pinning you beneath the molten weight of his stare. You held perfectly still, allowing him to spill into your mouth until his thrusts began to slow.

"Fuck, gorgeous," he panted, hips still rolling as the last spurts trickled down your throat. "That's a good girl, taking it all for me. What a sweet little thing you are, swallowing down my cum like that."

His thumb traced the outline of your lips, the calloused pad dragging along the sensitive flesh. You shivered at the feather-light caress, unable to look away from his half-lidded stare.

"You've earned a reward," Dazai husked, his voice a velvety purr. "And I fully intend to spoil my sweet girl tonight. Shall we begin with dinner? My treat."

[soldiersslut]

GHOST OF YOU — SOLDIER BOY "CHAPTER THREE"

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Female!Reader

Warnings: Language, sexual advances, implied smut in the end, and Soldier Boy being Soldier Boy

Word Count: 3,452

Author's Note: Thank you so much again for all the love and support! Keep in mind this chapter is a flashback! Thank you, thank you again :')

IF YOU WANT TO BE TAGGED PLEASE LET ME KNOW. DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW, HEART, AND REPOST. THANK YOU AGAIN!

Early 1980s – The Beginning

“Soldier Boy! There is someone I would like for you to meet!”

It is not the first, nor will it be the last time Soldier Boy ever hears those words. He was attending one of Vought American’s extravaganza. The whole point? Show him off and tease the upcoming group of Supes that’ll band together to wipe out the last bit of communism left. Soldier Boy wanted the best and the only thing he requested of Vought American is that he’ll be the captain. He wanted to be captain because he got so used to being the only one in the spotlight, and all of a sudden he needed to share it with others? Hell no. He is Soldier Boy. That alone is enough.

During this time it was the rise of materialism and consumerism. Blockbuster movies were being made and the emergence of cable networks was increasing. Vought jumped on it and created VNN, and their movie studio gained more popularity overtime. A group of Supes coming together should be groundbreaking entertainment!

The best thing to come out of from all of Vought American’s success? Soldier Boy can get all the drugs, liquor, and whores he wanted. Who can say no to him? He is the poster boy for Vought American. It is because of him the company has grown.

So, when Vought American announced Soldier Boy was attending; many, if not all, important political figures confirmed that they’ll be attending this evening. Other Supes will be in attendance to prove their unique abilities and convince Vought American and Soldier Boy that they deserve a spot in what the group will be called, Payback.

Though Soldier Boy’s priorities were elsewhere. At some point the entertainment came out and by the end of it Soldier Boy was surrounded by these pretty entertainers. He made his way around with one on each arm.

He recognized Legend’s voice and the way he kept calling after him was annoying. Legend always had him meet new people who were just old fucks believing that because they endorse and buy stocks from Vought American they have some ownership over him. Fuck these people.

“What?! I am fucking busy!” Soldier Boy snapped and motioned to the two girls in his arms.

“I am aware you are busy, but there is someone I would like for you to meet.”

Soldier Boy expressed no interest until Legend moved to the side, and a woman stepped forward. The woman was dressed modestly. A celeste ruched and drop waist dress that reached below her knees. Soldier Boy has seen these dresses in women and the waist part of the dress tended to be loose. Though her waist had a nice and tight fit. For boys they might not find the appeal of a woman shaped this way, but he is a man and he fucks anything and everything that calls to him.

She was not like the two dancers next to him whose hair is so frizzy to the point it was inching closer to the ceiling as time passes. The tight red fit easily leaves to the imagination, and the makeup was bold and mismatched.

“Go away, I will find you both later,” he whispered to the girls. They giggled and walked away, though before they were out of hands reach he slapped their bottoms. He winked which made them laugh like schoolgirls.

“It would be rude of me to not give you my full attention. What’s your name, beautiful?” he asked and so, the flirting began.

The woman smirked. She was already given the heads up the kind of person Soldier Boy is. The man is as transparent as glass.

“She is Mimicry, both of you will be working together to create Payback!” Legend sounded way too excited. Mimicry’s smirk hasn’t left yet, especially seeing the way Soldier Boy’s smile faltered.

“I’m sorry, I must have heard wrong. I was under the impression I was going to be creating the team?” Nobody consulted him about this stupid idea. He did not need anyone’s help, and much less from a woman who thinks they’ll be equal. “And who the fuck vouched for her?”

“The one vouching for me is Mr. Frederick Vought and Stan Edgar. If there is any issues with their executive decision I am sure they would love to hear you out.” Mimicry suggested. Vought may be old, but he was still running the show. When he came to a decision there was no changing his mind.

Soldier Boy wants to wipe that smirk off of her face.

“And why the fuck would they vouch for you?” he demanded to know, crossing his arms.

Legend was going to answer the question, but Mimicry lifted her hand to him to stop him from further saying anything.

“You will have to wait and see, but in the mean time wouldn’t it be wise for us to take a look at our prospects?” she questioned. Soldier Boy took a look around. There was other Supes around, but none of them were like him. He was one of a kind, but out of this selection he and Vought will pick out who is fit for Payback. Any of these Supes can show off to him, but the true test is when they are in a fight. All of this fancy, show and tell bullshit means nothing. That’s why he did not bother in interacting with any of these people.

“We could also take this chance and get to know each other,” and right away Mimicry’s hand trailed up his arm. Hook, line, and sinker. Soldier Boy stared at her hand feeling his muscles. He smirked and agreed. “Who am I to deny a beautiful lady that courtesy?”

Mimicry flashed him a smile this time. Her hand snaked down and she linked it with his bicep.

They walked towards the bar. She took a seat down on one of the empty bar stools while Soldier Boy remained standing, but he leaned against the counter. He ordered a drink for himself and Mimicry. “Wow, Soldier Boy is a gentleman? I am honored to see it firsthand,” she teased. Soldier Boy snickered. His choice at the moment was whiskey on the rocks.

“I do have to ask though. Why am I getting champagne?” she asked, tilting her head. She pouted her lips in a teasing way.

“Whiskey is a little strong for you. You won’t be able to hold your liquor,” he answered. He took another sip but before he could finish it Mimicry’s hand wrapped around his hand that held the cup. She finished the whiskey for him. His lips parted ways slightly. Mimicry used her finger to wipe away the excess that fell on her lips. After doing that she sucked on her fingers, and Soldier Boy felt himself stare at her finger and then the lips.

“Don’t underestimate a woman, Mr. Soldier Boy.” He knew damn well to not underestimate her. Mimicry turned away from Soldier Boy and watched the crowd. There was a lot of chatter going around, soft piano melodies being played in the background, and Supes showing off their power.

“So, who has grabbed your attention?” Mimicry asked.

You, he answered in his mind.

Picking out team members was the last thing on his mind at this very moment, but if it will please this woman then so be it. He looked around and pointed out a few. Every time he pointed someone out there was a look of disapproval in her eyes. Soldier Boy was unsure if it was exciting to see her react this way or concerned at the fact that she was not pleased with none of his answers.

“Are you thinking with your brain or your cock?”

Soldier Boy let out a laugh, “don’t sound too jealous now.” Mimicry rolled her eyes. Oh, what he would do to get this woman to roll her eyes back for him. She is intriguing, confident, bold, and a tease. As much as he did not appreciate women talking back her attitude was heartwarming to him.

Mimicry pointed out a few and Soldier called her out on them. He claims most, if not all, are idiots. He still thinks he should be the sole captain and pick his own damn team.

“Oh no, I am not a captain and we are not going to be co-captains either. You don’t need to worry about that. Just think of me as your first member of Payback and the most loyal one,” she assured. Her hand went up his arm. Her finger trailing up and down. Soldier Boy stared, “there is one way you can show me you’re really loyal” he whispered. Mimicry smirked again and leaned close to his lips.

“As long as I have your sole attention for the rest of this party I am more than happy to demonstrate” she whispered back and looked into his eyes. Soldier Boy was centimeters away from closing the gap to her lips, but someone interrupted. His irritation was shown.

“The hell you want?” he asked. The woman smiled and extended her hand to him. She’s Crimson Countess. Soldier Boy hated her already for her timing. He was already planning in shrugging her off, but Mimicry entertained her. They spoke and got along well.

“You are a pretty thing. Don’t you think so, Soldier Boy?” Mimicry asked. She touched Crimson Countess’ hair. Soldier Boy diverted his attention to the redhead. Countess was not ugly, but she was nowhere near close to Mimicry. Though for the sake of it he played along and agreed. Crimson Countess’ introduction had opened the door for other Supes to jump in the conversation. Soldier Boy tried to keep the conversations short and dry, though Mimicry entertained each and every one of them.

Mimicry knew what she was doing. She no longer looked his way, and let alone give him attention. It had felt like hours, and Soldier Boy reached his breaking point. He moved away from the bar and went to find the two girls from earlier. Mimicry was mid conversation with Supes, but her eyes followed Soldier Boy. For the rest of the night they no longer spoke to each other. Though their eyes would meet. They were on opposite ends, but they knew when the other was staring.

The party was over, and Mimicry had a head start in unpacking her belongings in Vought American’s housing facility. Each year the company would grow and expand. They hope that one day the company would become big enough they are the tallest building in New York surpassing the Empire State Building.

Mimicry unpacked the rest of her belongings and anticipated someone’s arrival soon. On cue, there was a knock at the door.

“If it isn’t the man of the hour,” she teased. Soldier Boy did not wait for her to invite him in. He moved past her and began to remove his clothes.

���I’m going to fuck you so hard, you little tease.” He was going to keep this promise. Mimicry wanted to interrupt him but he was quick to slam his lips against her’s. She kissed him back for a second, but attempted to stop. Soldier Boy was so deep into the kiss he was not lighting up. She attempted to pull away but his strength kept her in place.

Mimicry closed her eyes and let her hands rest on his shoulder. When it was time she used Soldier Boy’s own strength to push him off. He hit against the wall and fell to the floor.

“What the fuck?!” he yelled. He was not sure what pissed him off more, her pushing him away or the fact she was able to throw him back as hard as she did.

“Don’t be angry with me, you did not keep your end of the bargain.”

Soldier Boy wanted to argue that she did it on purpose. He was so frustrated that she was not giving him attention so he went somewhere else to get it. That was the entire point of the agreement. He failed, so he won’t be able to sleep with her tonight.

“And what kind of strength do you have?!”

Mimicry scoffed and put her hands on her hips. “Does the name not ring a bell? Mimicry? Mimic?” His handsome features makes up for partial intelligence. It clicked to Soldier Boy when she put it that way. That explains why Vought American wanted her to help him with the team. She can potentially be his equal.

“I am too tired for this, could we discuss this tomorrow? I am sure there is plenty of other women that can get your dick wet.” There was no time for argument as she opened the door and motioned for him to get out. Soldier Boy clenched his jaw. He grabbed his clothes and walked out with all the dignity he had. He did not give a fuck who would stare at his sculpted figure.

This is not over, Soldier Boy vowed.

When next day came around Stan Edgar requested a meeting with Soldier Boy and Mimicry. Apparently, he went ahead and chose the members of Payback.

Swatto.

Gunpowder.

Crimson Countess.

TNT twins.

Mindstorm.

Black Noir.

“I like the selection,” Mimicry stated, there was an optimism in her tone that irritated Soldier Boy. This might be the worst selection ever, but apparently he had no say in this matter anymore. This was angering him, last night made him angry, and seeing how she was so unfazed made it worse.

“Whatever, as long as they have enough fucking brain cells to know what they’re doing.” He really didn’t want to be here, and seeing Mimicry practically gloat in his face made it worse. Of course he found other females that he fucked, but he didn’t want to fuck them. He wanted to fuck Mimicry and now that he had a taste of her lips he wanted more.

Stan Edgar, Soldier Boy, and Mimicry discussed the portfolios of each member and how they will contribute to the team. Edgar asked Soldier Boy and Mimicry to get to know the team, and learn to work together. Mimicry agreed, and it took awhile to persuade Soldier Boy but she managed.

The rest of the team was invited into the briefing room, Soldier Boy stood front and center, and Mimicry stood behind him on his right hand side. Soldier Boy believed the best way to get to know the rest of the team is the training grounds. Instead of going against him they’ll be going toe to toe with Mimicry. Not only was he going to test them, but he will be testing her.

Training began, and Mimicry moved around quickly like a snake. She ducked and dodged, and did everything to avoid getting hit. Just how it happened with him a single touch to a Supe and she observes their power. It was hilarious to see each member lose to Mimicry using their own power. The only one to give her struggle was Black Noir, but eventually she got the upper hand. The one who did not last long at all against her was Crimson Countess who had horrible aim.

By the time training ended the members of Payback were beaten and out of breath. Even Mimicry needed to sit down and control her breathing.

“Alright, guys! That was great, except their was one tiny problem,” Soldier Boy pointed out, the fake optimism in his voice bleeding through. His smile left very quickly, “all of you are fucking horrible.”

Whatever illusions and dreams the rest of the team had of Soldier Boy had crumbled. The way most, if not all Supes, held this man on a high pedestal only to come and find out the kind of man he truly is. Instead of giving the team some encouraging words or even wisdom they were humiliated, disrespected, and bad mouthed. Mimicry was not phased nor did she feel this was targeted to her.

When Soldier Boy was done the team was kicked out except for Mimicry. “You shouldn’t take out your anger on the team if it’s about last night.” Mimicry pointed out. Soldier Boy scoffed,

“This has nothing to do with last night. I don’t even know what you are talking about. After I left your place I found myself in a threesome. Phew, best thing to come out of yesterday”

Mimicry looked amused. Her eyebrows went up and she nodded her head. “You were in a threesome and yet your panties are in a twist?” Mimicry knew she was pushing his buttons. “Shut up,” he told her. Mimicry smirked. “Make me.”

His annoyance was showing and yet Mimicry just kept pushing. Soldier Boy stared at her, he noticed the way her smirk turned into a mischievous smile.

“You want to laugh about something? Come on then,” he moved towards the center where the members of Payback were training. “Let’s see if you can hit me.”

Mimicry let out a laugh and nodded, “fine, but don’t get pissed when you lose.” Soldier Boy chose to ignore her comment. She got into a fighting stance and right away he launched himself at her.

Mimicry had done her best to get a hold of him, but he knew better than to let her touch him. Without her powers she was completely useless. The only way Soldier Boy got a hold of Mimicry is by grabbing her wrists. Soldier Boy threw Mimicry across the room and she let out a yelp.

He was about to celebrate his victory until he heard Mimicry crying and whimpering. Shit, Vought and Edgar are not going to like that he broke her.

“Let me take you to the doctor. Where does it hurt?” he asked. He knelled to carry her, but his guard came crashing down. Seeing an opportunity Mimicry put her hands on his face and in an instant observed his power. She wasted no time in pushing Soldier Boy off with his own strength and got back up.

He was livid and was throwing punches at her all because he can. He was no longer thinking logical, and yet, she was. Mimicry slid in between his legs and got a hold of his shield. It was lightweight for her, and without a thought she swung it at him and he fell.

Soldier Boy let out profanities. He held onto his side for a moment, trying to ease the pain, and when it lowered he propped his elbows to look at her. Mimicry got close and smiled.

“Don’t get mad now, Mr. Soldier Boy” she teased. He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Now her guard was down. He grabbed her ankles and dropped her. She gasped at his sudden movement. So she does not get the upper hand at the moment he laid on top of her, and held her wrists together. Mimicry tried to fight against him, but he tightened his grip.

“Okay, fine fine. You won this round. All better now?” Mimicry asked, giving up in fighting him. Even with the beating she still remained a pain in the ass. If this is the beginning he wonders what else is in store for them.

“Call me Ben.”

Mimicry was taken back, and decided against teasing him. “You can just call me Mimi.”

They looked into each other’s eyes and stayed there. They weren’t sure how much time passed, and no one went looking for them either.

“Maybe it’s time we get up from the floor,” she whispered. Ben agreed, but neither Mimicry or himself attempted to get up. If anything their faces got closer.

“We need to keep this professional. Whatever happens there will be no attachment” she warned him, “I can’t have you falling for me now. What would people think of the Soldier Boy?”

Christ on a cross, he really wanted her to shut up. He kept telling himself that his goal was to get in her pants and move on to the next. Ben leaned down and kissed her. Her hands cupped his face and then she removed the back. His hair was soft against her fingers and she tugged on it. They did not care who was going to see, or who would walk in on them. Ben was not going to develop feelings. He did not do feelings, nor relationships. Women only served one purpose, and he has always taught himself that he is better off on his own. The only way to survive is to only trust himself.

If only he knew that the moment they sealed the kiss, Mimicry was going to become the bane of his existence.

Next Chapter: Chapter Four

Author's Note: Okay! So we got Ben and Mimicry's meeting for the first time. Some chapters will revolve around the past, but the main focus is the present time. I just want you all to keep in mind how Ben is with Mimicry, and how it is reflected with the reader. Thank you guys again <3

I am tagging everyone, but I am not sure if all of you are getting notified! Please let me know if you are not. I am more than happy to send each and every one of you a personal message when I update! :)

Tagged List: @seven709 @sadpods @mayafatimakhan @justiceforquentin @ultracarpediemfan @bitchykittenconnoisseur @spacecowgirl126 @ultraviolencexs @deans-spinster-witch @xx-spooky-little-vampire-xx @manicjk @demodemo909 @robertthehoover @riah1606 @onlyangel-444 @cunningboyouare @posiemax

[venusmage]

Commission/Life update for 2024

EDIT 9/16/24

As of now I've resolved around 15 commissions since this post was made at the start of June! This is much faster than I was going the past year. They're going well and I thank everyone again who has been so patient and kind. I've gotten nothing but kindness as a response to the wait, even from those who have been waiting for over a year by now. Thank you.

I recently started two new jobs and school again, so I'm a little busy. BUT everyone is (albeit not at a super fast speed) moving up in queue! Once the owed "Full" commissions are done, I expect to get through Sketch Coms even faster and currently I'm at a good pace to be done by the end of the year.

The best days to reach me are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the moment. Otherwise it might take me a day or so to get back to you. I work on my own projects on the weekends to preserve my sanity, lol! Just know if I'm drawing something else, I haven't forgotten my queue!

------

Original post:

Just want everyone to know I AM okay now and life has gotten better recently. However the past year and a half have been extremely difficult and I'm only now getting back on my feet. I generally don't like sharing life details publicly, but as a freelancer with clients that have been waiting for a while I feel like transparency is key.

If you don't want an explanation for the delays and just want to know my completion timeline, that's totally okay. Here is all the info up front. I'm going to continue updating my commission queue as usual and will not be accepting any more orders until ALL of the queue is completed. I'm working on finishing the half and full bodies first since they've been the longest waiting in queue. Then the rest. I don't have a set date in mind for when they'll be all done for good but the goal is by the end of the year. I think that's more than doable for me now. If you're a client of mine and have questions/concerns, please message me either here or on Discord and I'll do my best to help you. My username on discord is the same as my Tumblr username. Twitter and Ko-Fi are also options but I don't check them as frequently. I usually work Monday-Thursday so that will be the best time to shoot me a message or expect an update to the queue.

Information on what's been going on is below.

CW for mentions of death, financial hardship and homophobia.

As a few of you might remember, in 2019 I was disowned by my mother for being a lesbian. I made the choice to go no-contact. Since then, up until LAST YEAR, she's routinely harassed me or had other family harass me, stalked me on social media, tried to get to me through the website I take commission orders, and threatened me multiple times. I was forced to move across the country both because I felt unsafe and because my partner had family elsewhere that were more accepting. I've had to change my phone number twice.

It's been extremely difficult both financially and mentally to keep my head above water. In 2021 my grandfather died and I still haven't felt like I've been able to properly grieve. I wasn't able to see him due to her and I wasn't invited to his funeral. We were very close and he meant the world to me. In 2023 my grandmother passed away very suddenly as well, and my mother used it as an excuse to harass me over ko-fi/my professional email. It was such a horrific experience that I fell into a months long spiral that I only just now feel like I'm climbing out of. This is when commissions first stalled. I was also starting to get overwhelmed, as I had to take on more work than I could realistically handle in order to pay bills and rent. That's really it - I just had to take more orders so we weren't kicked out of our apartment, and as my mental state deteriorated I couldn't keep up.

The good news is that my wife and moved earlier this year we're living with supportive(!) family now and our financial burden is much lighter. This gives me time to work on my backlog without re-opening. I'm also going to school again, back in college starting this summer for a second degree. For my own health after commissions are finished I'm likely going to take a break on opening them for a good while, even though I really enjoy doing them.

In the past two months amazing and not-amazing things have happened. The amazing thing is I got an ADHD diagnosis, something I didn't even know had been ruining my life for years. I'm still getting used to the proper medications but I'm already seeing a big improvement. It's as much of a relief as it is frustrating. My mother also reared her head again (like she usually does at least once a year) - this time, though, I learned she'd had a stroke. While I'm not involved with her anymore, I think most people could understand how it would still be a very weird and upsetting situation. As of right now I'm free of her once again, she seems to be making a good recovery and will hopefully continue to live a happy life far away from me. Still, those two things back to back have been a LOT to deal with on top of just trying to get better in general. I stepped away from the internet for a while for my own sanity.

The downside to being a freelancer is that there's not always a safety net. That's what happened to me. Thank you all very much for being kind and patient, I genuinely have had nothing but polite interactions with all of you and I really appreciate it. I'm sorry my personal bullshit got in the way of getting my work done for you. This is the longest I've ever taken to complete commissions and it's something that I'm deeply ashamed of. I promise they will get done. Being medicated and starting to recover from the family drama has revitalized me a bit. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out.

[beatinginavoid]

From the Deep

Every part of this room was custom built for one purpose. It was a purpose that many had believed would go unfulfilled. Yet here and now, the room was in use. The lights were dim, and reflected lights danced over the ceiling and some of the walls in mesmerising patterns, dancing and flickering endlessly.

The alluring light dance came from the ripples of the water that filled a massive tank. It took up the full length of one wall, a good thirty feet minimum. It was not quite fifteen feet tall, and contained no foliage or ornamentation, empty but for the water and one other thing.

A figure glided through the water. Sleek and swift, every motion it made caused more ripples on the surface.

The upper half of the figure resembled a young male human, while the lower half was that of a scaly tail with fins. A merman. A legend proven real.

He was a sight to behold.

He had been caught on the edges of the deep sea and seemed to live there. His body certainly suited that mostly unexplored area of the ocean, and what an intriguing body it was.

The merman’s entire body, from his short, wispy hair, to the very tips of his tail fin, was completely transparent. No muscles were visible, nor was there much of a skeletal figure to be seen beyond sharp teeth and a spine. Interestingly enough, no blood vessels could be seen, but every single internal organ, including the muscle that served as the heart, was completely on display.

Multiple cameras were focused on the tank, recording every movement, internal and external. This was groundbreaking new territory, history being made, and no one wanted to mess it up or miss a thing.

They only had one merman so they had to be incredibly careful.

There were thin, barely visible lines following the curves of what you assume are the ribs. The gills? The lungs resembled biology closer to a stingray or a shark, leaving more immediate space around the heart unlike a human, whose left lung hugged the muscle and partially hid it from sight. This was incredibly helpful for an unobstructed view of the epicentre of the cardiovascular system, especially for the excited medical staff that had access to this magnificent specimen.

Standing in front of the tank, the merman’s interest is caught right away and he lunges toward you. He smacks heavily into the glass, his shiny black eyes observing you unblinkingly, his head tilted in confusion as his hands lay flat against the tank wall. He floats to a stop upright, mimicking your posture.

The atria squeeze and his heart swells minutely before the ventricles twist a little and contract. The process repeats again and again, the pumping action fast and relentless. Throbthrobthrobthrobthrob. It’s so hard to look elsewhere because the motion is so hypnotic.

His heart appears to resemble a human’s so much, you can’t help but wonder if it sounds similar as well. A stethoscope was not an option, but there had to be a way.

Time slips by and you notice the rapid pace of his heart has slowed down significantly. Throb…throb…throb…throb…throb. You feel as if your own heart is trying to match it. Does his pulsing organ feel stronger than your own nestled in your chest?

Throb…throb…throb…throb-ob…throb…throb…

Was that a skip? Fascinating to witness!

Was it normal? Harmless? Indicative of a problem?

You scurry off to find help with your stethoscope problem, returning an hour later with a special microphone designed for underwater use. Such devices are used to record the sounds of dolphins and whales, and you hope it will be enough to pick up the merman’s heartbeat, especially if it ends up against his chest.

There’s a metal staircase at the far end of the tank and you ascend it. Leaning over and holding the microphone, the cord wrapped around a pole, above the water carefully, you lower it bit by bit. The microphone is attached to a box with a waveform metre and a speaker. It crackles and gurgles in a muted manner while it moves, the sound loudly reverberating around the mostly empty room.

You wedge the pole into place and resume your former spot before the tank. The microphone dangles in the water just above your eye line and your gaze quickly hones back in on the merman’s chest. The organic pump was still dutifully performing its sacred role, filling with blood and ejecting it to circulate around the rest of his body.

The mer himself gives you a cursory glance before hesitantly reaching out to the invader in his space. Fingers tipped with claws poke at it. Thuds ring out from the speaker and you smile.

He drifts closer to it, his face getting quite close. Fangs flash and the microphone screeches and groans as it is bitten. The mer lets it go quickly, jaw working open and closed a few times. It seems the taste, and maybe the texture, is not to his liking. A see-through hand grasps the microphone with surprising gentleness, creating a ruckus of awful, distorted noise.

Dexterous looking fingers inch their way up the microphone. A slender wrist follows, then a forearm and elbow. He continues to cautiously follow the cord higher and higher, and you bounce on your heels in eager anticipation as his chest finally draws level with the microphone.

Ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…

There it is. What you’ve been waiting for.

The rhythm, the rate, the snap of valves, the distinct S1 and S2 sounds that make up the oh so familiar lub-dub. There is no way you would ever be able to distinguish this from a human’s regular heart sounds. This could be a major evolutionary find!

The merman freezes in place, his head tilting around. There were no visible ears but he was clearly listening to something. Could he hear the speaker projecting his sounds of life? After a few seconds he sucks in a sharp breath, holds it for a moment, and lets it out.

Ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thumpba-thumpba-thumpbathumpbathumpbathumpbathumpbathumpba-thumpba-thumpba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump..ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thumpathump…ba-thumpathump…ba-thumpathump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thumpathump…ba-thump…ba-thump…

His eyes are wide and he seemed as enthralled by the sound as you are. Several beats had visibly and audibly skipped and it had been an amazingly delightful experience for you. The acceleration and deceleration of that pulsing muscle was something that could keep your attention for hours.

Or until the call of nature became too much to ignore.

Your hand presses against your chest, your own heart meeting it with faint pushes as if determined to be a part of things.

Throbthrobthrobthrobthrobthrobthrob-

Ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…ba-thump…

The fast pace of your heart feels weird as the merman’s restful beats fill the room. The two disparate rhythms seem to work together against all odds.

Human and mer stay in place, living in the moment.

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My first proper post on here and my first ever piece of cardiophile writing! 🫀🫀🫀 I hope you like it! I may make this mer an OC and play with him more...

pssst: will trade writing for art/anims

[spockandawe]

Oh, this is interesting. To me. I'm not sure it's interesting to anyone else! But I'm on my computer for once and FULL of words again, and I'm delighted to talk to myself given half an excuse.

So, I made a post about Long Live Evil! Because I cracked open the book and was absolutely taken aback by how transparently it seemed to be an SVSSS reskin. I wrote up a goodreads thing (it's whatever, I'm going to rehash the main points here too), because I was also full of words and beans after finishing the book yesterday, and after polling online friends, I was surprised to see that the comparison didn't seem to have organically occurred to anyone else, when it was so naked to me. I know there’s a TON of transmigration and isekai stories out in the universe, and pointing at one single book was a big claim, so I just had to assemble all my thoughts! I find this so interesting! And I reblogged my initial one-off post with a little more elaboration about some of the things that jumped out at me, then got on with live and went back to chipping at ORV and GHG, and shotgunned MADK this afternoon.

This is a subtle nod and a wink to my passionate love for these kind of... morally grey main characters! Calling them villains might be a bit much, I don't think there are many true villain protagonists out there (LLE included), and even Devil Venerable has a demonic cultivator who's doing demonic shit and killing loads of people... but with the ultimate balance of the heavens and earth as his priority. This kind of story is my jam. I was recced this book on the basis of transmigration and sketchy protagonists being my thing. I can't rightfully call SVSSS the best cnovel I've ever read, but it is my favorite. And I've probably reread it more times than any other cnovel.

So, that SRB post, huh? I put Long Live Evil behind me, and honestly even following up on the sequel is mmmmmdoubtful, but THIS snagged my attention again. First, the comparisons she's calling out as incorrect are wild to me. Draco and Harry? What? Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian?? (I had to ponder that one for a hot minute, but I bet you anything it's about 'the golden cobra' and 'the last hope' and that's just silly, they're not wangxian, they're MOSHANG)

I was recced LLE in one friend group, but I had an anti-rec from my book club friend group. My book club friend hadn't been at all impressed by it! And she's cool, and I talk up svsss and mxtx to that crowd every so often, without really expecting them to read it. I talk about transmigration as a plot device that I love, and the things that can be done with it! But with that connection in mind between the books, as I started LLE, I was jokingly defending the honor of SVSSS to this crowd, so I admit I was primed to recognize similarities.

I really truly did not make it far in the book before locking it down. I was getting vibes basically from the moment Rae started gushing about her problematic fictional fave, I referenced 95% certainty shortly after she makes the jump to the fictional universe, the golden cobra was 98%, Lia Mingyan's, I mean Liu Mingyan's lack of sex scenes was 99%, and the first pov section for Marius-jun was where I gave up and called it as a sure thing.

It'll be very funny if I'm wrong! I don't think I'm wrong.

Plenty of spoilers to follow, because I identified this inspiration early, I guessed basically every plot twist early, I don't have the patience to dance around spoilers while explaining how it all lines up.

Now, I said this elsewhere, but it bears repeating: I don't think this is plagiarism. I think it's tasteless to accuse an author of stealing and repurposing characters to her face. But I think it's also tasteless to repurpose characters as nakedly as happened here! Again? If I'm wrong? That's why I'm talking to myself on my blog and not messaging her directly (?????? who even does that). What are the stakes for me being wrong here? I look like a clown online? That would be terrible, I've never done that before! It's not a crime to write in ways I find distasteful. It's not a crime to write a book I think is not good, even apart from the use of fictional influences. But I like talking about my feelings online, and I can't be stopped!

But there's two aspects of this that make me somewhat uncomfortable in a less fun way. Both are contingent on the big IF. If this is inspired by svsss, I think it's not a classy move to take a Chinese story in a Chinese setting, inspired by the modern Chinese literary scene and classical Chinese fantasy, and just dump the characters into a generic western setting. Fanfic? Have fun and try to be respectful. Profic, making money off it? Ehhhhh. The question of how much change is necessary is a tricky one! It's not one I'm equipped to answer, this is not my wheelhouse or my place to speak. But it doesn't make me feel good!

However, here's where I have more personal stake:

Again, if this is inspired by svsss. It really doesn't feel great to see a queer story (a smash hit in more than one country!) stripped down for parts and made into a heterosexual story. It's not all heterosexual, we get side lesbians, we get men with homoerotic tension. But the central ship is now a guy and a girl. And it... stings a little extra, because in the story of svsss, the idea of assumptions about default (hetero)sexuality are such a central theme. A queer man has written a trashy, oversexed stallion novel where the hottest guy in the universe collects the hottest women like pokemon, and it sells so much better than the more personal stories he tried to write. He has to write this pandering trash to make money to live, he can't live on the more authentic stories he tried to tell before. The protagonist is the projection of his own insecurities and self-hate, and the protagonist's right hand man is his projection of his own ideal man. Another man transmigrates into the book, assuming that he himself is straight, assuming the protagonist is straight, and the force of their love changes the course of the entire narrative. In retrospect, it's upsetting to see those load-bearing themes casually carved out of the story and the hollowed-out remains used like this.

Anyways, in their place, now we've got running gags about how the heroine's tits are BIGHUGE now and she can't keep her balance because her GIANT HONKERS keep tipping her over.

I'm a little more bothered than I was yesterday! On the other hand, since I saw SRB's post, I've been chewing on that central ship. Full disclosure, it was one of my favorite aspects of the novel! My other favorite aspect is the dynamic between the golden cobra and the last hope (the moshang, which I think some people misdiagnosed as wangxian).

I know that the central ship here is the thing that's LEAST comparable to svsss, and the biggest roadblock in the way of my theory. On the other hand, I think it was the thing that HAD to change if this story was going to repurpose svsss without getting called out for being a classic 'bro can i copy your homework' adventure.

For this section, let's assume that I'm right and let's roleplay an author trying to figure out how to change Bingqiu into something not-obviously-Bingqiu. How do we need to differentiate Rae and Key from Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe.

First, we eliminate the martial sect thing. Easy peasy! That's a wuxia concept, and this book goes full nondescript western fantasy. She's not his teacher, he's not her student. And if she's not his teacher and he's not her student, why does this woman have power over this man, to build up the resentment that inspires him to turn the tables on her later? Well, in nondescript western fantasy, she's a noblewoman of some kind, and he's a servant of some kind. Noble lady treats servant like garbage, servant resents her. Doing great.

And to loop back around to the beginning of this a little, I think it really is key to this reskinning that Rae is a SHE. If the central ship remained queer, it would be so, so hard to pull away from the most identifiable thematic aspects of svsss. And pieces of what remain are... kind of bizarre for a normie heterosexual ship where our protagonist is aware that she's transmigrated into an impossibly desirable sexpot character!

Shen Qingqiu never considers that Luo Binghe might be interested in him because Luo Binghe is about to have a HAREM of beautiful women, he's the most heterosexual man of all time, and Shen Qingqiu is straight too! Besides, Shen Qingqiu is his teacher! He half-raised Luo Binghe! Even if Luo Binghe was bent, he wouldn't be interested in an old man like Shen Qingqiu!

Rae is 20, occupying a 24-year-old body. Her character's sexiness is relentlessly remarked upon from start to finish. Key is 18. Why is Rae so sure that he looks up to her as... a mentor, as an older woman? He almost goes down on her! He makes out with her! And she's like 'ah yes, it means nothing. lol. so funny how these things happen.' Bruh, at least after Luo Binghe kissed Shen Qingqiu, Shen Qingqiu finally got hit with the clue stick. Binghe didn't try to blow him only for Shen Qingqiu to keep noodling on about how Binghe definitely isn't into him in any sense, even the most oblivious man in the universe managed to catch on.

Why doesn’t Rae think there’s any chance of genuine attraction here? Yeah, I get that she's coming back from terminal cancer. She's doing great. She knows that the fictional character she occupies is one of the most desirable ladies in the land. He’s a teenager. He’s not expressing disinterest. A lack of horny for sexy lady ought to be more surprising for her. But I guess she’s slightly older than him and that small age gap has been magnified by the transmigration, so she conceptualizes herself only as his teacher, I mean mentor.

I’m not even mad at this dynamic. I love their chemistry, the ‘boss’ thing is cute, but lordt, I have to wonder if it’s meant to substitute for ‘shizun.’ But you know where this comparison really falls apart? Key isn’t really THAT much Luo Binghe.

At least, he isn’t in terms of personality. I mean, we’ve got the mysterious magical heritage, the healing factor, the unbeatable fighting skills, being beaten repeatedly because of the protagonist (tbh it’s sexier when she’s responsible, rather than just being a bystander), being yeeted into the abyss, I mean the ravine, to rise again and assume power as the merciless ruler of all the land. Oh, and he comes back from the dead still bearing the scar that represents her betrayal. In the original novel, he turned on her the moment he got his opening and was responsible for coming up with her gruesome torment.

(Also, Shen Qingqiu being terminally ill isn’t canon, but it’s very popular fanon, and it’s hard to ignore that with how hard the narrative lingers over Rae’s terminal illness as her gateway into this fictional world)

But! But the things that are different! Luo Binghe is a smart and sweet teenager, who had a rough start on the streets and has a tragically deceased single adoptive parent, but that’s their only backstory parallel, he doesn’t blacken until he’s thrown into the abyss. Not like Key, Key is a murder-happy sociopath, a former street kid who fought the odds and made good, and who’s a lot sharper and cleverer than the upper classes think someone like him should be. He utterly destroyed a righteous cultivator clan, I mean glassblowing guild, for the sake of revenge. Once our heroine scores a number of trust points with him, we unlock secret backstory about how as a small child, he experienced deeply formative hand trauma.

He’s Xue Yang.

It took me a moment to process the wangxian allegations SRB mentions in her post, because I was trying to figure out how someone would be aware of wangxian, and read that backstory, and somehow miss it. But it’s fine, I’m pretty sure they were actually talking about the golden cobra and the last hope! So LET’S TALK MOSHANG.

It was so funny. I was liveblogging the book to friends, because honestly, I do not jive with the buffy-esque joss whedon relentless quip-quip-quip writing style. I was struggling to stay engaged when the narrative never took a moment to breathe. And I perked up at the introduction of this new character! He seemed kind of fun, kind of meta, Key came over to share Secret Info with him, and I messaged the friend who recced this to me (also an svsss appreciator) ‘lol, what if he’s shang qinghua. just straight from svsss shang qinghua.'

Reader, a second transmigrator has hit the narrative.

Now, in some ways, he’s a disappointment to me. He’s not nearly as interesting as Shang Qinghua. Adding the author to their own narrative is way more fascinating to me than just dropping a rando into the story. But I’ll take what I can get, I think multiple transmigrators are almost always a fun decision. And for the queer reasons I mentioned above, I think Shang Qinghua ties into the themes of his novel a lot more strongly than Eric does here. I don’t want to call him ‘the golden cobra’ every time, I get more self-conscious every time I write it. And honestly, the reveal of Eric’s full Eric Whatever name feels a little awkward and… pointed compared to the sheer opacity of Shang Qinghua’s existence. Never mind what his name was in the real world, we don’t even know his name before he was a Peak Lord. I’m not upset we got a name or anything, it would make certain fannish activities a lot easier if Shang Qinghua had additional canon names, but it was an interesting detail in light of how parallel the characters are.

Okay! He’s not the author! He’s still a super-fan. He transmigrated into the book years before the LLE main character, and has settled in pretty well. According to canon as Rae knows it, he’s fated to be killed by his own favorite character. He’s fast-thinking and fast-talking, and scattered and all over the place, but dangerous when cornered and more competent than he looks. He deals in information and manages a network of spies. He’s a creative! He and the main character banter relentlessly and get along like a house on fire. He and the king’s trusted ice-cold right hand man share a weird codependent dynamic that’s part hostile, part homoerotic.

Marius has complicated feelings about not-shang-qinghua. Eric is a coward, he’d rather talk fast and lie than stand up for anything, he cowers and cringes and isn’t honorable. He and Mobei-jun also shared a deeply formative experience in their youth, where as a teenager in distress, Eric/Shang Qinghua appeared before them and announced their devotion. In Shang Qinghua’s case, it was offering to serve him (and saving him from huan hua injuries), and in Eric’s case, it was declaring him to be his favorite character (and saving him from sad teenaged isolation), but man. And in the end, after a long, fraught relationship, Marius/Mobei-jun is furious and strangely distraught when Eric/Shang Qinghua abandons him.

Guys, it’s not wangxian.

I think it hits less hard when Marius’s themes of family violence aren’t allowed to sit directly in the narrative, and when it seems like some vague berserker rage thing rather than Linguang-jun just bluntly wanting to murder him for practical reasons, but hey! This was still, genuinely, one of my favorite parts of the story. I wanted more more more of them, I would read this moshang au any day.

After that, the parallels get a little more nebulous! The comparisons between the abyss and the ravine are pretty obvious. I’m not sure why we decided to build our city and palace right on top of the pit of people-eating ghouls rather than literally anywhere else, but it means we don’t need to take a special field trip to Jue Di Gorge, which means we can do the bait and switch where it turns out Key was a heavenly demon all along. The temperamental King Octavian, the young master of the palace, one might even say the xiao gongzhu if they were feeling spicy, jealously tries to romantically monopolize half our main ship and has the other half flogged with a magic whip.

I already mentioned that Rae brings up that Liu Mingyan — wait, I said I’d change some answers so it wasn’t obvious I copied — Lia doesn’t get a sex scene in the books even though loads of other people did, just like Shen Qingqiu praises Liu Mingyan for her untouchable image in such an oversexed, gratuitous book. I don’t think it would be right to call Liu Mingyan a white lotus heroine in either SVSSS or PIDW, but her archetype is in that wheelhouse, and Lia is just a white lotus rival played straight (and played deliberately, another touch I liked). We don’t have made up animals like black moon rhinoceros pythons in LLE, but we do have leucrotas, which are like a lion and a hyena and serve no narrative purpose.

Oh, you know what else I forgot to mention? Rae gives Key one of her red ruby earrings, and he refuses to sell it, and stubbornly holds onto it until the bitter end. Is this Xue Yang holding onto the last piece of candy Xiao Xingchen gave him, or is it Hua Cheng determinedly keeping Xie Lian’s red coral earring with him even through his own death? Por que no los dos?

There are things that are original in here. I know that this presentation undersells how much of the book is original. The trouble is, almost everything I thought was good is something that either was lifted from another person’s creative endeavors, or is being tainted by association with all the other naked lifts. Some of the noble ladies have an archery contest! That’s pretty new and fresh, huh? We didn’t have any archery contests in SVSSS!

Yeah, but we sure did in MDZS. And MDZS is already in play, because we’ve already got one character who’s just copy and paste Xue Yang.

There’s a thermocline of trust in this book that fell off for me sharply, and it turned a lot of this into a guessing game of ‘wait NOW what the refrance? owo'

I’m probably on a hair trigger by now, but I’ve also probably missed some things. And I’m sure this is a synthesis of multiple influences, because most stories are. But this feels like cooking and trying to season your dish with a little salt and then the container lid just falls off.

Emer isn’t a clear parallel to an existing character! Love that for her! Love a lady with an axe, especially if she gets a nice girlfriend! On the other hand, in terms of backstory? Wow, she’s been raised with our protagonist since early childhood, as not-quite-foster-siblings, but she was always the clear unfavorite and harbors a lot of resentment over that. Oh, and once Rae entered the story, Rae started trying to speedrun an enemies to 'hello hiiii we should bestiessss' arc with her. I think she had to have an axe, because a whip or a sword would make the Jiang Cheng and/or Liu Qingge vibes a little uncomfortably strong. She doesn’t follow their character arcs! But the disappointing thing is that it felt like she was just there to facilitate pasting the frankenstein patchwork of the narrative together rather than having an arc of her own.

(why did Marius stop to give her a sword lesson? Why did she immediately sneak onto the roof to eavesdrop on the king?? It’s hard to give her credit for being an original character when none of her original actions make sense in the greater universe)

Oh, I almost forgot, we’ve even got magic plot macguffin plants. While Binghe is in the abyss, Shen Qingqiu needs to get the Sun And Moon Dew Flower Seed so he can build an escape hatch for himself before Binghe wrecks his shit. Rae, on the other hand, needs to secure the Flower of Life and Death by an arbitrary deadline as an escape hatch so she can go back to her original life rather than being trapped here forever. Very different! There’s even little side tangents about how these plants can be so beneficial to others, Zhuzhi-lang is desperately trying to secure a seed to build a new body for Tianlang-jun (which Shen Qingqiu enables him to do, despite not knowing what he wants it for), and Rae thinks about how the flower could “save someone on the very doorstep of death,” and gives it away for that exact purpose. So different!

I need to cut myself off, otherwise I’ll keep going. Truly, there is original content in here. It was just all the stuff I didn’t like. The character quipping was. God. There sure was a lot of it! By sheer volume, that’s a lot of original content. Some of the extended cast was interesting, I enjoyed the Horrors and their brothers, I liked Valencia. Now, I didn’t like how basically every girl ADULT WOMAN in this cast was in shitty teen mean girl mode. I didn’t like how immature every character interaction period was. I lost track of how many times Rae was going around in sexy clothes and rando servants were like “HARLOT,” out loud about a favored noblewoman, you know, as you do. Especially when her bodyguard is pulling against his choke chain just waiting for an excuse to do a murder. I don’t need Rae to be the picture of flawless maturity. But nobody is mature, full stop, not even the set dressing servants.

For a less loaded example, the cumplane friendship dynamic is here, practically intact. Shen Qingqiu can't snipe about authorial choices, because Eric isn't the author, so instead Rae and Eric squabble about favorite scenes and favorite ships and such. But it isn't nearly as charming when we don't see these two characters dropping their dignified Peak Lord cultivator roleplay to talk shit with each other. Rae and Eric never have a filter once in this book. They are always Like This, it isn't a secret face that gets unlocked when they're bouncing off each other, they are never circumspect, never have a filter, never have any idea they shouldn't be speaking their full thoughts at full volume 24/7. Even after this starts to have material consequences when they're inevitably overheard! It's an immersion-breaking level of immaturity, which is terribly frustrating when the original dynamic that I loved is only changed in such minor ways.

And another thing that actually tastes way more sour than it did on first reading – Valencia is probably the least mean girl of all the women in the cast. She’s delightful. Too bad that in every scene but her last one, Rae, who repeatedly references her own experiences having her body and appearance ravaged by cancer, cannot for love or money stop talking about how uggo Valencia is.

I know this is an adult novel. The characters are, by age, adults. There’s almost an oral scene. God, I wish we’d gotten the oral scene. But by every other metric, the characters are all high schoolers and I’m an exhausted adult muttering to myself ‘they’ll grow out of it, please GOD let them grow out of it.’

Again, none of this is a crime! Nobody forced me to finish the book! And I did enjoy the book. Parts of it! But that very distinct partial enjoyment experience almost forced me to dissect my own emotional response. And truly, other than a few flashes like Valencia, almost everything I enjoyed about the book was something I could trace directly back to one author, and mostly to one book by that one author. I… enjoyed half of the book. And if I can track most of that half back to mxtx and svsss, I really think that says something about how much wasn’t done to make the inspiration behind this book the author’s own.

It's disappointing! I read this book because I like svsss, I read it because I want more books like svsss, I read it because I trawl the novelupdates tags looking for more books that will hit me the way svsss did. It doesn’t taste good to be served reheated svsss with expired buffy sauce drizzled on top. It tastes even less good once I have a minute to think about what turning an m/m meditation on sexuality and self-image and assumptions about others into a m/f snooze does to the themes I loved so much. It stings to see an author rehash a book that was/is so important to me, and see what they kept and what they threw out, and be like ‘oh, so… these were the elements that mattered to you?’

Again, I hate to be redundant with this, but. I think calling this book plagiarism would be overdoing it. I think it’s tasteless. I don’t think being tasteless is a crime. It remains wild to me that she’s getting messages calling out her supposed inspiration, even if I’m simultaneously criticizing the judgment of the people making those specific comparisons. And I ABSOLUTELY understand why she’s reluctant to own up to the specific inspirations behind this book, because good lord. If it was me, I’d be professionally embarrassed too.

It’s not my job to be the book quality police, but I think someone as experienced as this should be able to do a better job of synthesizing inspirations into something original. I dropped ‘can’t afford to offend my scheming disciple’ earlier this year, because that narrative couldn’t shake the taste of stale svsss fanfic, and it was much more subtle than this is. Once again, if I’m wrong, this post will be retroactively VERY funny and I’ll be all ears to see what her inspirations actually were. I don’t think I’m wrong.

[demonqueenart]

Hey Evie! You may not see this since you said you were considering taking a break, but I wanted to say it anyway: thanks for keeping the phandom honest. I'm glad you're here and I appreciate you posting that writeup from twitter as well - it's practical and actionable and I'll keep it in mind going forward. I hope dnp can see some of this and take it upon themselves to be more transparent in the future, and I hope you still find joy in their content, or elsewhere! <3

Racism is something that happens on twt over and over again it’s exhausting. I’m sad to know dnp don’t escape that stereotype as well.

I appreciate you being here to support me Red, as you always do when I experience crisis such as this. I’m aware that this is something that can be hard to do, and there can be so many mistakes made along the way. But I’m ready to forgive them all if only people are trying to learn. I appreciate you trying to be here Red. Thank you so much.

And I do need to point out when problematic actions are made. We cannot keep silent about these things to protect people’s feelings. These need to be addressed so that things can get better

[sundeathh]

So hey! What's up? I uh, could use a favor. I'm kinda going through some nonsense and could really use some daddyzawa headcannons. Maybe his reaction to you send nudes or him seeing you in a lutty version of his hero costume? Or both. Please, my love.

Helloooo!!! Alright sweetie, I practically wrote a fucking book for this request. I believe I probably went further than necessary but I just couldn't help myself!

Sorry it took a long time for me to reply, but anyway, I hope you enjoy it!!!

.

NICE COSTUME, NICE VIEW

Request | Masterlist | NSFW / +18 only

Pairing: Aizawa x Fem!reader

Fandom: BNHA | MHA. Word count: 5,6K

CW: Smut, unprotected sex, heterosexual relationship, reader being a tease and taking control, good boy/girl calling, several pet names.

1. First of, I believe that if you sent a full nude picture to him he would nearly pass out; he is a really reserved man so he usually don't receive nor send those kind of pictures;

2. He would cringe at first for being caught off guard but he would like it anyway;

3. If you dressed in a slutty version of his hero costume, he would be rather confused, yet unbelievably aroused. That's why I wrote the following headcanon! Enjoy!

Oh, how daring of you to come up with this idea while he was still at work.

Shōta still wasn't sure how you managed it; you just sent him the picture randomly and without any further context.

Anyway, he had to admit that it was pretty good, if nothing else – it was totally unexpected, of course, but also very well done.

He was on his break at work when he received your picture. And, as soon as he opened it, he was speechless. 

Thus, he didn't respond. He had no idea if he should just text you some sort of compliment or if he should go to the restroom and do...something? Take a photo for you, maybe?

However, his lack of answer didn't bother you that much; you weren't expecting an immediate reaction from him at all.

You knew he had a tendency to be dense sometimes, and although it infuriated you in the beginning of your relationship, now it didn't bother you as much – in fact, it turned into the exact opposite, you loved taking advantage of this.

So you had already decided that you were definitely going to get through that thick skull of his with what you had planned. It would require more effort than you thought, but it would be worth it.

You put on a tight black long sleeved shirt, imitating his own hero costume; however, yours was more revealing, since it was thinner and more transparent than his.

You also wore one of his spare capture weapons loosely around your neck and goggles over your head – almost mimicking cat ears. You weren't wearing pants, showing off the long length of your legs and thighs that seemed so inviting, covering just what had to be covered with lace panties and the shirt itself. 

Shōta knew you could make yourself look good if he had a say in the matter, but damn this costume wasn't showing that off at all; he wanted you without it. 

He sighed. What was he supposed to think? He wanted you. No, he needed you. He felt an incredible urge to just leave work and come to you, without even taking anything else with him. 

It took everything in him to not call you right then and there or text you asking what the hell you had been thinking about. So he settled for just roaming his eyes up and down the picture as he admired your form, his face flushed red from his thoughts and embarrassment.

Damn did he want to be with you now. 

He closed the picture before he stared at it for another few seconds. He knew how you made his heart race every time you sent something to him but it was different now. You never sent anything like that before. 

Another sigh left his lips as he rubbed his temples, trying to clear his mind. He had to stay calm to actually focus on work again.

After taking a deep breath, he turned back to work; aware that he would have a lot of paperwork to get done.

Unfortunately though, now his mind was elsewhere.

× × ×

The day went by, and Shōta couldn’t stop thinking about your picture. Not only was it incredibly hot, but also incredibly provocative.

He hated to admit it but he wanted you naked; not that he hasn't seen you naked for several times before, after all, you were together for years now. But it was definitely a need anyway.

So that's what he was hoping for when he knocked on your door after work.

You opened it with your usual smile, and he couldn't help but notice your outfit – you were thoughtful enough to put it back on when it was time for him to leave work.

He knew he was blushing furiously from the way his heart beat and the warmth spreading across his cheeks.

Then, he cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to regain a bit of his composure before he spoke.

"Can we talk? In private?"

You raised an eyebrow at him but nodded anyway, stepping aside for him to enter. He walked inside, still trying to figure out what he was going to say.

And, once you both entered the room, you shut the door and looked at Shōta expectantly; you could tell he wanted to speak but it was clearly taking him some effort. 

"Um... I... well..." he paused for a moment.

"What is... this?" He finally asked, pointing at your outfit. He didn't mean it rudely though; he was truly confused as to why or what exactly you were wearing.

"Oh," you said, slightly taken aback by his question. "I was inspired."

"Inspired?"

"Yes! Inspired." You repeated slowly, as if making sure the word really got through to him.

"By my costume." He finished dumbfounded.

You smiled and nodded. "Yup!"

"Right..."

The awkward silence that followed after that grew a bit uncomfortable. However, neither of you said anything.

That is, until Shōta decided it was better to go straight to business instead of trying to come up with something else to say.

"So what does this mean?" He asked.

"Hm? What do you mean?" You tried to play dumb.

"This," he gestured toward your attire, "what does this mean?"

"Oh, well... it means that I like your costume." You explained simply. "So I just tried to show you that."

A faint blush returned to his face and he nodded his head.

"Alright. I suppose that makes sense." He stated. "I am just surprised, I guess. I don't usually see you dressed in such a revealing manner."

"Yeah. I don't dress like that at all. I did it now just to show you." You replied, flashing a mischievous grin. "Didn't you like it?"

His face heated up again at your words. The fact that you thought of him like that made his heart flutter like crazy. He loved it.

Shōta cleared his throat again before answering your question.

"I can assure you it doesn't bother me."

"Good." You responded simply before looking away and shifting your weight to one foot. "Did you like it then...?" 

He stared at you with wide eyes for a moment, slightly shocked by what he wanted to answer.

"I liked it. Very much in fact. It... it looks very nice." He replied slowly.

It definitely caught him off guard; seeing you in his uniform, especially since it showed way more skin than his.

"I'm glad." You looked over at him with a smile and added, "I can take it off now if you'd like."

He swallowed nervously and shook his head. This was getting ridiculous. How could you affect him so much?

"No, I don't want you to take it off." He insisted. "I mean... I...I like it on you. I like seeing you like this. But if you want to take it off and put on something else I won't stop you."

It sounded cheesy and he cringed at how lame it sounded when he said it, but he figured this was the best he could offer you to express what he meant; you could read between lines, after all.

"Oh, well, I wasn't thinking about changing though... just taking it off. Completely. If you want me to, of course." You shrugged playfully and gave him a flirtatious smirk.

"Please don't wear anything else tonight." He said, grateful that he kept his voice steady considering how hard he was finding it to keep his composure – you were always so bold, but that just further fueled his desire for you.

"Okay." You agreed, giving him a small nod. "Is that everything?" You asked with a hint of sarcasm.

He groaned inwardly. Did he really seem too desperate to you?

After realizing he must've been silent for too long, he cleared his throat.

"Yeah... that's all." He replied. He knew if he stayed any longer his resolve would crumble completely.

"Alrighty then..." you replied joyfully, before standing on your tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek.

He froze up, not sure whether to hug you and thank you or kiss you. So he settled for both; it was the appropriate thing to do.

"Don’t worry. I won’t show it to anyone else." You whispered to him after pulling away, smirking.

He couldn’t hide the heat that spread across his face; not only because of your teasing comment but also because he knew you were serious.

He pulled away as well, embarrassed but happy nonetheless. He stood there staring at you for a second before he finally managed to find his voice.

"Good... that's good. I don’t want anyone seeing you like this either." He muttered, his cheeks turning red again.

You smiled, feeling satisfied.

"But I thought you liked it!?" You teased.

"I said, I don’t want people to see you like this." He repeated, slightly annoyed.

You giggled. "Oh~? Shōta, are you... jealous?" 

"I'm not jealous." He flatly denied it. "I just don't want other men seeing these pictures of yours, alright?"

"You're totally jealous." You poked his chest, grinning. "But it's okay, Sho. I promise I won’t show them to anyone. Not even to you."

He rolled his eyes at you, but relaxed as soon as he saw you smiling.

"I trust you." He said softly.

"Good. But we have lots of unfinished business to attend to. Are you staying or do you still have work for today?” You asked, changing the subject.

"Just let me finish my reports first." He assured you with a nod. "But I can do it right here if you don't mind. Then we can spend the rest of our nights together." 

"Of course I don't mind. Do you want to work here in the living room or...?"

"Here. No distractions." 

You pouted playfully at him but complied.

"Very well, Sir Aizawa."

With that, Shōta sat down on your couch and began to fill in paperwork as you went to your bedroom, giving him space to finish work; he needed something else to occupy his mind for a while.

Unfortunately though, that other distraction quickly evaporated, and thoughts of you came back to his mind again.

It took every ounce of self restraint he possessed to not go into your room and jump on top of you immediately; he knew he wasn't going to finish his work if he went that route. So he forced himself to concentrate, doing all the paperwork he could do while he tried to calm down and stop thinking about you in that very specific way for a bit.

After about half an hour, he gave up and went to you to ask if he could use your bathroom. He needed a cold shower to get rid of the needy feeling he had of having his pants pulled down by yourself since you sent that picture earlier.

When he walked into your bedroom, he noticed you had changed your provocative attire into something more comfortable: your usual sleeping clothes.

No, that was not it. He realized you were already wearing one of his shirts, actually – it was a little too big for you. 

You were reading a book, and you turned your gaze up when you noticed him enter the room.

"Can I use your bathroom?" He asked quietly.

You raised an eyebrow at him but nodded anyway, motioning to it. "Sure, go ahead."

He thanked you before walking passed you and disappearing into your bathroom. He stayed there for a while, and when he got out of there you weren't caught up in your book anymore.

Instead, he found you in the kitchen preparing some snacks. Your hair was wrapped in a messy bun, and his eyes lingered momentarily on your frame.

You were still as attractive as ever.

He felt a blush creep up onto his face and he quickly averted his gaze to make sure you didn’t catch him ogling your body.

"Hey. Are you feeling better?" You asked, coming over to him, a warm smile adorning your lips.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah I am. Thanks." He told you honestly. "Sorry... I lost track of time."

You chuckled lightly at that. "It's fine. Now come over here and eat." You ordered and pointed towards the table. 

He did as he was told and ate his food. You didn't speak a word, instead choosing to just sit there eating and watching him.

And, once you finished, you excused yourself from the table and went to the sink to clean the dishes.

Not long after, Shōta was back to his paperwork, only this time he was sitting at the kitchen counter instead of on the couch.

After another moment, it seemed like he was becoming progressively stressed and irritable and it was starting to worry you; but you didn't want to distract him after he asked you not to, so you limited yourself to glance at him occasionally at each sigh you heard him make.

When he finally had it all done after a few more minutes, he set down his pen and exhaled deeply, before looking up to meet your worried gaze.

He smiled weakly at you as an attempt to reassure you that he was okay. But you didn't buy that, of course.

So you leaned over the countertop, watching him carefully.

"Done?" You asked softly.

He nodded but remained silent, letting out a deep sigh. He hadn’t noticed how tense he’d gotten until you spoke up to him again.

"Are you alright?" You inquired gently.

His brow furrowed slightly and he frowned.

"I guess so. Just stressed, I suppose." He murmured.

"Oh…" you replied, sounding somewhat concerned.

The pause that followed afterwards felt like an eternity to Shōta as he watched you; he wasn’t sure what he should do now that the silence had gone on for so long – you seemed nervous, and nervousness didn't suit you.

He found himself wanting to reach over and cup your cheek, or brush the strands of hair away from your face, anything so he could make you don't feel like that. But he just kept looking at you.

Eventually though, he opened his mouth to speak again.

"Would you... like me to carry you back to your bedroom?" He suggested softly.

"Huh!?" You exclaimed, surprised; you didn't expect this sudden boldness from him.

He smiled lightly in amusement.

"I mean, it seems like you are getting tired, so... yeah." He explained innocently.

You chuckled. "Alright, yes. Please!" You answered, making your enthusiasm clear.

Then, he stood up and walked around the counter, picking you up easily as if you weighed nothing. He carried you bridal style into the bedroom and placed you down gently onto your bed.

He laid down next to you and rested his weight on one of his elbows, prompting his head up to stare down at you for what seemed like ages as you gazed back at him, waiting for him to say or do something; your eyes shining from excitement and your lips forming a huge smile.

Finally, he broke eye contact and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do you think..." he paused, swallowing thickly.

"Do you think maybe we could... you know, continue our earlier activities? ...like... uh..." his face turned a light shade of pink as he trailed off.

"Like what?" You prompted him with a smirk, clearly amused by his awkward behavior; he was really struggling trying to find the right words to express how he was feeling and what he wanted at that moment.

He smiled and averted his gaze.

"Like... cuddling maybe?" He mumbled.

You laughed quietly, unable to resist the urge of poking fun at him.

"Cuddle? Is that all?" You joked. 

He glared at you, his embarrassment becoming more apparent.

"No...!" He grumbled, averting his gaze once more.

You giggled. "Why is someone embarrassed about it?" You teased him again, unable to help yourself; he looked adorable when he was flustered. "Or perhaps it has nothing to do with the 'cuddling' part of it?" You smirked.

He sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "Quit the teasing."

"Sorry. I can't help myself." You nudged him playfully and smiled.

He gave you another stern look before leaning down and pressing his lips against yours tenderly.

"Don't tease me anymore." He said after pulling back. You giggled again and continued to tease him anyway.

"Didn't know I was getting you worked up that much." You whispered, running your fingers through his soft locks. 

He sighed once more, unable to stop the blush that appeared on his cheeks again.

"Just shut up already." He scolded you, before reaching around the back of your neck and pulling you closer, causing you to gasp slightly in surprise. Then, he kissed you again, deeper than before and that alone made you melt beneath him. 

It wasn't exactly a tender and gentle kiss like before. This time it was far more passionate and he was far more aware of what your reactions meant.

After a few moments passed, he pulled back from the kiss, unable to stop himself from staring at your flushed features. He wondered to himself if he should get you out of those clothes now.

So, he slowly traced his hands along your sides, earning a slight shiver from your body. Then, he leaned in and pressed one last lingering kiss to your lips, hoping it'll be enough to put some pressure in his pants.

You moaned quietly against his lips and this sound drove him insane. How did you manage to turn him on like this so easily?

He pulled away from your lips just enough for him to be able to speak properly, before whispering to you.

"If I recall correctly... I thought I told you to not wear anything else tonight."

"Yeah, well," you grinned mischievously. "I've never been good at following orders."

"Really?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

You nodded, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Now hurry up and lay there like a good boy." You teased him. "I’ll take care of everything else!"

"I'd rather do it myself." He complained.

"Oh, come on!" You whined. "What's there to do!? I can take care of that myself! We aren't teenagers." You argued.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "But-"

"No 'buts'." You cut him off. "Let me put it like this, Shōta-" You said as you grabbed his hand that had been caressing your side and pulled him toward you; then, you moved your hands to the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, leaning forward and giving him a quick peck on the lips before nipping at his lower lip slightly.

"-I don't mind doing it for you, love. So lay down and let me take care of you." You finished, ordering him again.

He huffed, but complied anyway. He knew he couldn't win any battles with you when you were determined to do something. Besides, he didn't know what else to say, so all he could do was do as you say.

After making sure he was laying comfortably, you straddled his hips and placed both of your hands on either side of his chest, leaning down with a grin on your face and pecking his nose before capturing his lips with yours again.

He returned the gesture immediately and wrapped his arms around your waist; his hands sliding up under your shirt to hold you close.

And, after a few seconds of this, you slipped your tongue between his lips – which he responded enthusiastically, eagerly opening his mouth to allow you entrance. 

Then, as soon as your lips left his, you trailed kisses along his jawline and down the side of his neck, letting your lips wander around as you explored his skin and trailed downward, enjoying the way his breath hitched whenever you touched him.

When your teeth brushed against the sensitive skin just above his collar bone, he growled low in his throat, gripping your hips tightly to pull you closer onto his lap.

You reacted at that with an approving hum, wasting no time as you proceeded to nibble and suck lightly on his pulse point; moving your hips slowly on his lap to cause a little bit of friction, craving more of him.

His breathing quickened, and he gripped onto your hip bones even tighter as his erection grew harder than ever within his trousers – he had to fight the strong desire to just push you down onto the mattress, desperate to get inside of you. 

You smiled against his neck and continued to grind against him, eliciting a shaky and audible breath from him.

Oh, you were having a lot of fun – you allowed yourself to explore his chest and stomach, trailing kisses along each individual muscle as you went, taking your sweet time to savor every inch of his body as you worked your way down towards his pants. 

By the time you'd reached the waistband of his trousers, his breathing was labored, and he was almost panting with need. Suddenly though, you heard him whimper; so you stopped immediately.

"Hm?" You murmured, looking up at him worriedly.

He gulped. "Can't.. you... keep going... like that...? ...please?" He begged, his voice laced with lust.

You smirked. "Of course. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your precious release..." you replied, offering him an innocent smile.

He looked at you suspiciously.

You chuckled, reaching for his waistband to remove his trousers along with his boxers, tossing them aside to make sure they land somewhere where they wouldn't bother him in the morning.

Then, you ran the tips of your fingers slightly over the insides of his thighs, his cock twitching in anticipation.

He bit his lip harshly. "Are you... are you just gonna...stare at my dick all night?" He asked impatiently. "...is that all you're gonna give me?" 

You giggled. "Nope, of course not." You said as you took his member in your hand; he let out a quiet sigh of relief as soon as your fingers began to massage him thoroughly.

"Eager, huh?!" You teased, and he only gasped in response.

After a short while, you inhaled deeply and licked your lips, lowering your head to position his shaft at the entrance of your mouth.

Shōta's eyes were glued to your face; he felt his muscles tense in anticipation as he watched you slowly drag your tongue across his tip, making him gasp once more at the sensation. 

Soon enough, he reached up and tangled his fingers in your hair, biting his lip as your tongue swiped against the underside of his length.

He let out a shaky breath, watching in absolute bliss as your tongue glided around him.

After you got tired of teasing, you took in another deep breath before sucking him into your mouth; and he couldn't help it – his grip tightened around your hair as pleasure coursed throughout his entire body.

An involuntarily moan left his lips and he tilted his head back, allowing his body to fall helplessly backwards against the pillow.

After a few long moments of stimulation, a small amount of precum splashed onto your lips, eliciting yet another groan from him as you licked it clean.

Then you began sucking again, slowly at first, until you felt him bucking his hips into your mouth as he felt his need for release growing.

He moaned your name between shallow breaths and heavy gasps, gripping your hair painfully as your mouth engulfed him fully.

His breath caught in his throat as his orgasm overcame him; causing him to let out a breathless "fuck!" as he pushed your head further down his length.

Your cheeks then became soaked and you swallowed him down as hard as possible.

Muffled gasps left him as he desperately tried to catch his breath; his grip on your hair loosened and eventually his hand slipped to the bed.

He laid there, breathing heavily as he tried to process what happened. Everything was hazy and his heartbeat was racing. He was so unbelievably weak at that moment, he thought he might pass out any second.

"Y/n..." he managed to say in between heavy breaths.

The sound of his voice sent shivers down your spine; he sounded completely wrecked from your actions, and you grinned widely as you whipped your saliva from the corners of your mouth.

Then, you crawled up over him and placed a light kiss on his neck, causing him to tense up instantly, but relaxing again right after as you continued kissing his skin.

And, when you finally pulled away from his neck and gazed into his eyes, you smiled warmly.

"Hey baby." You whispered, stroking his forehead lovingly as he rested his hands on your hips and returned your gaze.

"Everything okay?" You asked, still smiling at him.

He smirked weakly before responding.

"I think I came earlier than planned." He admitted. "But I'm alright now."

You giggled. "Don't worry too much about it, Sho." You said, giving him a reassuring kiss. "I liked seeing you like that."

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at you.

"You are... something else." He murmured, before grabbing you by the waist and pulling you close on top of him again.

You smiled softly as your lips found his once more, brushing it lovingly against each other.

You didn't pull away or deepen the kiss; you preferred to enjoy his gentle touch rather than rush through it – however, before you knew it, his tongue slid against your bottom lip, and you gladly opened your mouth, welcoming his tongue inside.

He slipped his tongue past your lips easily, feeling intoxicated with the taste of you on his own tongue. You brought your legs together underneath you to support yourself against him, leaning your weight against him as he held you tight in place.

His large palms traveled downwards to rest on your ass, and you gasped in delight when he squeezed it gently.

You could feel he was getting hard again beneath you. Unfortunately though, you were still clothed.

So you reluctantly pulled yourself away from him, breaking the kiss momentarily; causing him to growl quietly in protest.

"Sorry, baby. I still need to undress." You apologized.

"No problem. Just hurry up already."

You chuckled softly and pecked his lips. Then, you stood up straight again to pull your shirt off over your head in a haste, before getting rid of your underwear with the same promptitude.

He lifted himself up on his elbows, watching eagerly as you crawled back onto him. You straddled his lap again, smiling up at him.

He smiled brightly in return and placed his index finger on your lips.

"Not yet." He warned you.

You narrowed your eyes at him. 

"Fine. We'll just wait a little longer until you've satisfied me..." you said exasperatedly.

"Good girl." He cooed as he pulled you closer to him, leaning back against the mattress with you on top of him.

You pressed your lips together again, moving in perfect sync. The kiss wasn't heated or aggressive like last time; instead, it was sweet and soft, full of love and affection.

You cupped his face with one hand as he held you tightly against him. And, when the kiss turned more passionate, Shōta felt his arousal throbbing again, and you moaned quietly as he sucked your upper lip into his mouth.

He broke the kiss after a minute, and you took advantage of that to sit yourself back up, running your hands lazily down his chest, lingering slightly in between his scars before settling your hands at his hips.

He gave you a questioning look and you just smiled and gave him a quick wink, signaling that you were okay.

He seemed satisfied with this response and moved his hands to rest on your hips as he urged you down to continue what you were doing. You obliged without hesitation, lowering yourself on him, making sure he understood how much you enjoyed touching him. 

He let his fingertips graze the skin on your hip bones, tracing lazy circles on them as you shifted slightly, leaning down to taste his lips as you rode him slowly, eliciting sounds of approval from the both of you.

You closed your eyes contentedly, feeling his tongue entering your mouth for a moment before he nibbled on your lower lip, pulling you close.

He had his hands resting on your hips as he allowed you to work at your pace; which you enthusiastically did.

And, as soon as you felt your legs becoming weaker, you couldn't hold back the whimpers that started to emanate from your mouth.

"Sho... I need you." You breathed out after you felt that you couldn't work your hips alone anymore.

A flash of lust filled his eyes the moment he heard those words leave your lips; so he quickly nodded, pushing you up carefully as he sat up on the bed, tugging you on top of him afterwards.

He grabbed your hips and hoisted you up onto his lap, earning a surprised cry from your lips. His arms wrapped around your waist securely as he rocked his hips upwards with slight pressure, creating friction for both of you.

You moaned softly as he leaned forward and pressed kisses onto your shoulder and neck, sending goosebumps all the way down your spine.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders as you tried to grind back against him; your breathing being already erratic.

"That feels so good..." you uttered quietly as he sucked on that sensitive spot on your neck – just an inch below your ear; and now it was his time to smirk triumphantly.

"So does having my dick inside of you." He said smugly.

You blushed profusely when he mentioned that, and you instantly buried your face in the crook of his neck, hiding your embarrassment as well as your desire into his skin.

He chuckled slightly at your reaction and tightened his hold around you.

"Don't hide from me, Y/n." He told you.

You inhaled deeply and nodded, lifting your head up again.

"I know...I'm sorry." You mumbled apologetically before you kept doing your best to ride him properly.

His breathing quickened as you picked up speed again; he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from moaning out loud.

"Fuck...!" He breathed out roughly as you rolled your hips harder, causing him to tighten his grip around you; the sound of the bed cracking rhythmically beneath your movements echoing through the bedroom, muffling both of your moans.

You could feel yourself becoming more stimulated by every passing moment, and Shōta could feel it too – you were clenching tightly around him.

Naturally, he increased the pace as well, leaving you breathless with pleasure as you fought back tears.

"Shōta... I... I-" you stuttered, being unable to finish speaking as a deep groan took over your speech; your climax crashing strongly into you, bringing hot tears to your eyes as you tilted your head back, feeling the waves of pleasure coursing thoroughly your entire body.

A pleased gasp left him when you collapsed onto his chest – your body was trembling, your soaked pussy was squeezing him perfectly – right there; right where he liked it the most.

So his arms wrapped around your waist tightly, and he kept his pace until he came as well; emitting a satisfied grunt while filling you up with his warm cum.

Afterwards, the room was completely silent; except for the sounds of the heavy breathing coming from the both of you. 

And, after another few moments passed, Shōta finally lifted you off of his lap and laid you down next to him, before turning towards you to capture yourself in his tight embrace.

"I really missed you." He admitted in an almost inaudible voice.

You chuckled lightly. "I missed you too."

A small smile played on his lips and he placed a kiss on your forehead.

"I can't believe you did that." He murmured sleepily, resting his head comfortably against the pillow.

"Did what? What did I do?" You inquired curiously.

"Made me come first." He muttered in reply, bringing you closer as his arm tightened around your waist. 

You felt your cheeks instantly heating up, yet you couldn't help but grin at him.

"Well, I kinda got carried away..." you admitted.

"I don't care, it was amazing." He said confidently, nuzzling against your hair.

A huge smile grew on your lips.

"How long will it take for you to recover from this?" You asked in amusement. 

"As long as it takes... I should be fully recovered by tomorrow morning though."

You laughed before cuddling up to his side.

"I guess you better go to sleep then."

"Mhmm." He murmured sleepily as he kissed the top of your head. "You go to sleep too." He said.

"Okie dokie buttercup."

"Y/n!" He exclaimed with annoyance, trying not to laugh.

You grinned as you poked his side teasingly. "What?!"

He looked up at you, seeming genuinely annoyed.

"That was horrible." He scolded.

You pouted childlike and shook your head. "I thought it was hilarious, I can't deny that."

He let out a small chuckle, amused.

"Whatever. Now go to sleep."

"Hmmph!" You mumbled mockingly, snuggling closer to him.

He smirked before placing one last tender kiss on the crown of your head, letting his eyes fall shut as his exhaustion took effect.

You also let out another small chuckle before resting your head against his chest; allowing his heartbeat to lull you into a peaceful sleep.

Likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated! Requests are welcome, check the fixed post.

[sentientgopro]

Everything in the & 196 Video explained

A good place to start for learning 196 culture and understanding some of the stuff we mention is this video, made upon the end of 196, showcasing some of the biggest moments on the sub. Im gonna explain as many of these as possible. First, the history of 196. My source is a post I loosely remember from the person who made 195.

r/195 was a subreddit created by a few roomates living in apartment no. 195 to allow them to share memes easily and save stuff. They didn't set it to private and were suprised when they saw people starting to join. They decided to screw with them by creating the ONE GOLDEN RULE. You must post before you leave. They decided to do this as an experiment for 420 weeks (If I remember correctly.) Alot of fun was had and alot of 196s culture began here , such as Floppa and fanter. People were upset when the experiment ended, the sub had truly struck gold, so its permanent (or so we thought), sequel was created, 196. Its wortg considering, as what was basically an anarchy sub, why didnt it turn into a racist and himophobic shithole like the other ones? Its obviously dependent on the mods. The mods of most anarchy subs create them because they just want a place where they wont face consequences for saying terrible shit. 195 was different, and was moderated by more reasonable people. this is why 196 became the trans friendly space its known as today. Okay, onto the video.

Love of: The two 196 mascots, Floppa and Spronkus. These 2 will show up alot in this video. Spronkus was created in a meme comparing left and right shitposting, where the right is just a racist caricature and the left is "a popular recognisable cartoon character with a gun thay says trans rights and shoots fascits." It also has a gun thats labelled "this is a gun". Spronkus was, infact, not a recognisable cartoon character, but one created by the artist of the meme. It was named and became a 196 mascot, appearing in our r/place image.

The sun: alot of these images are just memes that did well on this sub and fit the lyrics. they explain themselves, theres no more culture to it, I wont mention them in the list from now on.

Came back again: The pillar wars. 196 had a lengthly battle over an image of different pillar types, where people would argue for their favourite pillar.

To make it clear that: When AI filters were just starting to pick up, someone ran their face through a masculinity filter many, many times, and this was the result.

Shame on a martyr: 197 is a place generally recognised as the place that people who liked 196 but got banned for being an asshole go. So its basically 196 but a little more right leaning.

Either perspective of &: First image of Bridget/ Biscuit/ Brisket/ Bucket. One meme where a guy mispelled bridget (Or was it someone who said one of their relatives kept mispronouncing it? Not really important either way) so it became a running joke of Spelling bridget incorrectly. I imagine this was elsewhere on the internet, not just 196.

Dry: Not sure if this is really a 196 culture thing, but its a common joke on 196 that there is nothing dryer than the pussy of Ben Shapiros wife.

& All the &s that we forgot: 196 was known for having microcelebrities, people that were easily recognisable in comments and people know their name. Most notable is Goblinhog, who became a moderator, but the rapid expansion of microcelebs came with monko74 who became one. Alot of people started signing their posts/ comments in a certain way to make them more recognisable.

Leave if you can't stand the thought of it: Not alot to it, 196 mods made the based decision to ban any and all people using the reddit NFT avatars.

New & Old: The new and old images for the sub. Everytime the image changed, it would replace the old one, they would all still be partially transparent. First was that rabbit, then a globe thing was added. The mods did a random choice of who would get to choose the new sub image for a month, and the winner chose a picture of that guy you can faintly see in the new image. It was changed back to the old image and the guy was added at the end of the month. Spronkus also temporarily became the sub icon, before it was added to the full image.

John & Yoko: A heavily edited version of a comic that was used as a frequent meme template on 196. The original joke is that 2 guys and a girl meet their future selves, and one of the guys is suprised to find his future self as a woman.

They took a lesson from their fathers: Explained by the 196 history at the start

Their lives stuck beside every &: The yoshi and toad kissing tattoo was a like goal thing if I remember correctly, "If I get this many likes Ill do this" and they did it. Either that or it was a goal for the sub itself.

Stop the peace: When 196 was at a perceived low point, and Sprokus was on the rise, people came to the conclusion that 196 just wasn't as Gay as it used to be, and it needed to be fixed.

We digress: There was a post (Dont think it was on 196) of a 4 panel comic thats supposed to be something about women moving on from heartbreak or something but the 4th panel was replaced with an image of a shitting toothpaste. Someone commented to ask for the version without the toothpaste and this comment and post was screenshotted and became popular on 196. When the no toothpaste version was posted, the same person asked for a version with the toothpaste. It was a common joke for a while for people to replace the fourth panels, or other panels, of other comics with the toothpaste. This is an amogus version of it. That should be everything, please reblog if Ive missed stuff.

[kim-jongin-s]

svt fic rec (mostly nc-17; minwon, jeongcheol, wonchan, verkwan + other)

MINWON

"kisses leave bruises". lawyer!au, omegaverse: beta!ww, alpha!mg. twoshot, 22k. nc-17.

Wonwoo finds himself giving into Mingyu's little spiels, finding his arguments for taking on unlikely lawsuits rather convincing. Though, he's never made a request that is so outrageous that it's made him reconsider the younger's position as a junior associate.

Until tonight.

"my greed just might be the end of me (how lovely you are)". college!au, roommates: fwb!au. oneshot, 27k. nc-17.

Wonwoo likes to think that he and Mingyu get along really well. But one day, Mingyu decides to stop talking to him. In a last desperate attempt to save their friendship, Wonwoo makes simultaneously the best and worst decision of his life.

↳ "fantasize". college!au, rommates: fwb!au. oneshot, 26k. nc-17.

Mingyu dreams about his roommate. It all goes downhill from there.

"kiss the sky". college!au: professor!ww, student!mg. 11 chapters, 68k. nc-17.

Halfway through the semester, Professor Jeon Wonwoo has to pick up an extra class. One of the students in the class happen to be post-graduate student, Kim Mingyu.

"amhrán na farraige". historical!au, pirate!au, merman!ww. 14 chapters, 160k. nc-17. ♡♡♡♡

Mistakes are like cannonballs, fired against a perfectly unmblemished mirror in slow motion. They obliterate peace and clarity, but the glass shards that fly around them are often more beautiful than what the mirror was before.

Someone has made a mistake, someone needs to fix it.

JEONGCHEOL

"my style, my ego". oneshot, 2k. nc-17.

jeonghan buys a skirt, and seungcheol really likes it.

"us alive, right here, feeling lucky". omegaverse: alpha!sc, omega!jh. oneshot, 3k. pg-13.

Most noticeably, Seungcheol’s quiet in a way that makes Jeonghan's teeth ache. His gums feel sensitive just like the way they get a few days before his heat. Hm, he thinks, studying Seungcheol from across the room.

"undeniable". oneshot, 3k. pg-13.

“—and all but how can we not mention the moment Jeonghan hyung laid down on Seungcheol hyung’s lap.”

/or what happened after Follow Again concert in Seoul Day 2, where The moment happened.

"kingdom come". omegaverse: alpha!sc, omega!jh, historical!au. oneshot, 5k. nc-17.

Four weeks after his husband dies, Jeonghan marries his husband’s brother. He loathes knowing that he has to swap his black mourning clothes for the wedding robes, but war looms over the kingdom and the country demands an heir.

"i thought that space was mine". 3 chapters, 25k. pg-13.

If Jeonghan was being completely, one hundred percent honest and transparent with himself, ever since they were young he had always thought Seungcheol was a little bit in love with him.

So when Seungcheol starts seeing someone, Jeonghan is suddenly faced with feelings he doesn’t know how to deal with.

WONCHAN

"strawberry tears". omegaverse: alpha!ww, omega!dn. oneshot, 8k. nc-17.

Chan applies scent blockers because it's what the doctors recommend. No one wants to smell a pregnant omega.

But then when it comes at the cost of Wonwoo's ability to navigate Chan's emotions—Chan falls apart, and Wonwoo holds him together.

"after class". college!au: professor!ww, student!dn. oneshot, 58k. nc-17. ♡

Chan signed up to be a TA for his favorite professor only to find that administration mixed up the paperwork. Now, he was stuck spending an academic year with the person he hated the most: Professor Jeon Wonwoo.

VERKWAN

"a cozy night in". omegaverse: omega!sk, alpha!vn. oneshot, 2k. pg-13.

When one (1) roommate asks Seungkwan to sleep elsewhere for the night, he must rely on one (1) Hansol Vernon Chwe's generosity as he migrates his evening plans (including a regular, ordinary nest).

"primadonna". au: camboy!sk, asmr artist!vn. oneshot, 60k. nc-17.

Seungkwan thinks Vernon is nothing but a two-faced asshole that plays the dedicated boyfriend on his OnlyFans, but in reality is nothing more than a playboy jerk. It's a bit ironic, really, considering Seungkwan's own hobby is completely at odds with his public reputation too.

SEOKSOON

"tiger inside". oneshot, 3.7k. nc-17.

He still isn't too sure how to explain it. Like, hey I know this was just a joke for our promotions, but I ended up buying that tiger suit you wanted to see me in, and I thought you might want me to fuck you in it, haha.

"fire, flame, your mouth like a hurricane". omegaverse: omega!hs, alpha!dk. nc-17.

Seokmin [7:00 PM]: Would you be mad if I said I dry humped your pillow?

OTHER

"place to land". seokhan. omegaverse: omega!jh, alpha!dk. oneshot, 6.6k. nc-17.

It’s natural. It’s simple, this thing they’ve built between themselves.

It's a line they don't cross.

"delayed". wonboo. omegaverse: omega!ww, alpha!sk. 5 chapters, 22k. nc-17.

Wonwoo presents 8 years late.

"chasing or being chased". wonwoo/hoshi/woozi. alpha!ww, alpha!hs, omega!wz. 7 chapters, 35k. nc-17.

Wonwoo's luck in love hits an all-time low when he discovers his two unrelated crushes are not only taken, but taken by each other.

Luck has a funny way of coming back around, though.

"down to our delicate bones". junhao. hunger games!au. 19 chapters, 98k. nc-17.

There were only seven slips with Minghao’s name on them in the bowl with thousands of others. He only had seven slips. It shouldn’t have been him.

[lotus-tower]

you know, it’s really really frustrating to have to work my whole life, literally 5 out of 7 days of my entire life, in order to save for retirement so I can maybe if I’m lucky enjoy 10-15 years of living without having to work, because that’s the only expected, “right”, responsible, “normal” thing to do. we’re expected to make enormous sacrifices—literally the majority of our free time and energy—for the sake of this nebulous future, and this is deemed not only completely normal but proper.

but when it comes to covid prevention, it’s “you have to live your life”, there is absolutely no allowance for a long-term view beyond a few years and even that is pushing it for most people. it’s suddenly strange and oppressive to have to hold back from activities you like in any shape or form or to put yourself through mild discomfort by wearing a mask, for the sake of a nebulous future.

but the thing is that if I develop dementia at an age where it’s “normal” and not considered early for it, or even if I develop it “late”, that’s still a tragedy. if I develop alzheimer’s at 70, that’s a tragedy. I don’t want to develop it at all. it’s hardly entirely within my control, but the unfortunate truth is that we won’t feel the true impact of all these covid infections for years—decades, realistically. our concerns are totally dismissed at this, because there’s no “proof” until it happens, because it’s unreasonable to make sacrifices for something so far off. and it’s not a surprise because people are allergic to the long-term in many areas (insert generic criticism of society here), but it is so incredibly frustrating to be met with that kind of logic when elsewhere, we’re literally expected to slave away and sacrifice the majority of our lives for the sake of making some companies some profit. and that equally far-off future, the exact same timeline really, is presented to us in this bizarre aspirational way.

even though we’ve all seen how the elderly and the disabled have been treated throughout this pandemic. congratulations, you worked all those decades and made it to this day—now your death is “understandable”, normal, unavoidable. it’s so cruel and transparent about it too, in fact it’s transparent enough that I can barely muster up much energy to be angry about it because the logic is entirely self-evident and consistent. yet somehow people buy into these absurd narratives of hard work and meritocracy and blah blah blah.

honestly, it’s not like I can’t understand the fact that people feel like they just have to do some things or they’ll go crazy. again the causes are the same. it just feels so bonkers to me that we’re meant to act like we’re okay with this and that some people genuinely buy into it

[blucassiopeia]

Sullen Books

"A prelude spin-off for an upcoming fic"

warnings: afab!reader, passive angst

A Kuroo Tetsurou x reader one shot or???

a/n: no comfort on this, i wanna pin this mf till the end of my breath LOL; i honestly had a hard time on this one, avoiding as many clues as possible omg; fufufu

"ーma. I don't know."

"Well, we all don't know. And c'mon, she's pregnant. We have to be present in her life in these times. She's alone."

"She's not. That motherfucker will be right there with her any day now."

"And the other one."

"Not the other one."

"If you could be so kind with him."

"I just wish they'll kill the biggest motherfucker ever existed."

You're staring at the vast table that's lining this book café in the university. It's not crowded in this time of day, still got some vacant seats elsewhere, but not directly next to you.

You tried to sleep again when you noticed your phone died and the humming music in your headphones got silenced, but, for the love of God, how? Muffled conversations is all you could hear. You tried not to groan in frustration.

"Akaashi's visiting this weekend, are you really gonna pass?"

You also waited for the other one with the muffled voice to answer to maybe put an end to your over reacting misery. But it never came. Right. Keep that silence and never talk again. Your head is still turned away from them, resting on an opened french book. You didn't read it, you don't even know much about french, you just love how it smells it lulls you to sleep. Yes, your kind of pillow.

Shufflings that came from things being dumped to a bag and minimum volume of a game you once played with your brother over the few months sounded. And Lo! Silence! The last you heard from the man next to you before you went back to your dreamland wasー

"Don't I really have a chance, Kenma?"

It was raining when Kuroo walks out of the university and onto the bus stop. The transparent umbrellaーone which she had left and forgotten in Nekoma's gym from the last Training Campーwas somehow relaxing to watch. The droplets make a hurried plop sound and it slides to the sides, hang on the silver tips and falls to the already wet pavement. He occassionally stares at it as he walks.

Then he heard some heavy books fall in the other side of the pavement, near the bicycle parking area. He turned to your unsuspecting figure that's too messy on picking the scattered, and now wet, books. Your bag threatening to give up on your shoulder too. He just stares at your back for a second or two and walked on, fearing he might miss his bus if he would help you. Also ignoring the fact that he somehow remembers that same long light blonde hair from the university book café three days ago.

"Why is this wet, Y/n?" the attendant on the book café grumpily asked you as you returned the books you borrowed. You frowned as you recounted to him yesterday at the sidewalk just by the bus stop. "You have to pay for the damages."

Your jaw dropped. "But no pages were torn." Your frown deepened when he dismissed you with a tab you have to pay before exiting the book café, or you have to face extra payments in your tuition. Ugh.

You grouchingly made your way to your spot. The book café is strategically situated at the center of a cross road in the university and your favorite spot is facing a part where students rarely pass by, it's peaceful with all the trees fresh to spring forth leaves.

Then you saw a raven-black haired man in your spot. Your frown deepened just a little more you can feel almost wrinkles automatically appearing in your face. Not your day, huh?

His face is turned to your side. He's not especially handsome but he's sort ofーwellーfanciable, at the least. But not your type. Definitely. You grimaced and plopped your things gently to his side, a chair away, not giving up the serenity this spot has to offer. But still grumbling because that grumpy attendant has banned you on the books until you pay up. Grr. You put your headphones on and decided to rest your eyes.

You woke up to the sound of soft dings. You peered and accidentally caught a glimpse of his lockscreen. A golden-haired girl next to his beaming figure. And the screen darkened just as fast. You couldn't care less but that woke you up real bad, your head started to throb.

You were grimacing and finding a perfect angle to rest your head against your arms but to no avail. It was until you tilted your head to his direction again. He's facing you right now and snoring. You softly snorted and somehow, to the soft hum of his snoring and music on your discarded headphones now hanging on your neck, you found yourself closing your eyes.

Kuroo jolted at a tiny pull on his hair and he looked up to find Kenma. "I have been texting you for two hours already."

Kuroo groaned and put his stuff back on his bag, finding a note with his notebook. I like it when you sleep, so adorable but unaware of it. You look so peaceful.

"If I haven't gone hereー"

Kuroo shoved all of his things, note included, to his bag and slung it on his shoulders, wrinkling the fabric of his sweater. "Sorry. Sorry. Let's go."

"Y/n, go with me to this wedding in Miyagi please? It's in 3 weeks."

Your nose scrunched up when you read your brother's message that weekend morning. You yawned as you dialed his number.

"Please! It's my friend's wedding."

"But why do you have to bring someone?" Geez.

"Well, everyone I'm close with are bringing dates."

"Then bring your girlfriend!" Ugh.

"I don't have one! No more of this. You're coming with me!"

And he fucking hanged up on you. Miyagi's 2 hours away. What the hell is he thinking? You rolled your eyes as you took a shower to start your day and classes is in an hour. You'll definitely gonna be late.

The hall was packed already when you arrived. This is a new class you just enrolled in because you just realized this is a prerequisite to that one major next semester. Blockmates are not as kind as you think, if being new to the place is still not as inconvenient.

Your eyes flew to an empty seat at the back. Next to that same raven-black hair in the book café. His eyes were dead straight to the professor and writing stuffs as he goes on with the lecture, thankfully ignoring you as you bend down trying to be obscure. He didn't spare you a glance when you sat next to him, just a subtle drag of his scattered notes out of your space. And you ignored it.

Cold.

But you were surprised when he hurriedly came pass you out of the book café that afternoon. He was all smiles and seemingly excited for something. You looked back to where he is going. And you saw her. The same golden-haired girl in his lockscreen running to meet his open arms.

"Tetsuuu! I missed youu!"

"Hey! Don't run!"

She jumped to his arms to where he spinned as he catches her, hugging her tight, brows all up above his closed eyes, face snuggling in her neck. You saw how his hug tightened as the second passed by, brows furrowing and you have to go on in the book café because of the weird feeling you had harbored in that scene.

The day you gave up a day in your favorite spot is the day you sat by the entrance and see how his face changes as he talks to the sunshine girl that has her waist carefully held by another man standing beside her. You saw Kuroo's face under his mask.

"Don't I really have a chance, Kenma?"

A voice rang loudly as you watch him watch the couple in front of him.

Kuroo's mind was swarming with lots and lots of thoughts. Mostly from what his friend said about his wedding. Wedding. He felt like he's tearing up. What a weak man he is. He just wants to storm outside the lecture hall and go straight home or anywhere else where he can scream his lungs out. His thighs are popping under the long line of desk, his fist resting on it as it bounces up.

"Lemme answer that, sir!"

"Okay, Miss Y/n. Mr. Kuroo is somehow not in my class right now."

He closed his eyes in realization that he was called a few times, and that a girl, you who is sitting rows away from him, saved him from half of the embarassment. C'mon, Kuroo. Focus. Head on the lecture.

Friday came and your brother was already nudging you to pack your things for both of you will be in a train in two hours. That Miyagi wedding is a hassle but you can't ditch your brother when he's being too cute in front of you now.

"So who is this friend that's getting married?"

He grinned in his seat and pulled out his phone. "She's my crush way back first year." Your brows shot up at his confession as he shoves his phone to your face. "Isn't she pretty? Her name is Tsukishima Ran. Well, tomorrow, she'll bear a new family name."

Your face went cold when you saw the bride-to-be. Your eyes travelled to your brother so slow and flickered back to his screen. "Y-yeah, she's really pretty."

You should've asked him before you sat on that bloody train to Miyagi. Now, you wonder what to do to avoid people. You felt your breath hitched as you realize you'll see him again, now out of the university walls.

The walk to the stunning venue was unnerving. The men were in black and the women are in either gray or white. You padded the white fabric against your skin and turned to your brother. "You look scared Y/n." He took your hand to his arm for you to cling to. "You want to poop?"

"Idiot." You hissed and pinched his arm to where he flinched and laughed as he ushered you to a table full of his volleyball friends.

You took a deep breath and act insignificant, dying to ignore the stares of a blond-hair-with-black-roots man across the table. You restricted your eyes to your phone, to your space in the table and to your brother's face. You badly want to end the night fast.

"Ran-chan! Well, you'd still be myーourーRan-chan even if you're married to that fucker. I'd still be your knight in shining armor whenever you need me, will always be available, but not on changing diapers okay? That's someone else's job."

"Who is that someone else?"

"Her fucking bestfriend, who else!"

Your head perked up when laughs were roaring throughout the venue as a man from the nearby table raised his middle finger to Kuroo, of which he kindly returned.

"In all seriousnessー" That stare he gave to the bride sent shivers to you, it made you want to run away.

"ーI'll still protect you and the ones you love with my life. That's how you both are special to me. And to that small one in your tummy right now.." He trailed his eyes to the groom that's still beaming throughout his friend's unsuspecting confession.

"He'll have the bestest dad ever, and the coolest uncle and a bunch of extra shitbag uncles. Best wishes to the both of you. Be happy now."

Kuroo wasn't supposed to say those words aloud. He wasn't supposed to. He was dead-set on keeping his feelings under control but seeing her in her wedding dress with his friend next to her, he lost it. Now he's desperately trying to find a peaceful place away from the venue to rant out, beer on one hand, loosened necktie dangled around his disheveled polo.

And you found him hunched on one of the small round pavillions away from the venue. He was sobbing real hard when you silently walked up to him. The ice came in contact with sunshine and it melted, drowning you too in the process. You pursed your lips and sat quietly two spaces away from him. That moment you held with him was suspiciously your solace from all else that's bothering you right now. His sobs, heaves, whimpers and shuffles, trying to wipe his snotty nose in his slacks. He might've noticed you but chose to ignore, like what he has been doing for the past two months.

He must really love the bride. To the point where he has no choice but to put down his mask like this. You hummed and rested your back on the wooden rails that's encasing the pavillion, careful not to make much noise, careful not to watch him cry his heart out. You closed your eyes, enveloping yourself with the sound of cries from a heartbroken Kuroo Tetsurou.

It seemed like an hour or two before Kuroo stopped crying, the can of beer crumpled on his bloodied hand. He felt his legs cramped as he stretched out and caught a hand next to him. He breathed heavy and out as he brushed the back of your hand with his thumb and looked up at your peaceful, angel face.

He's not an idiot to not know you're around. He just chooses to ignore you to not pass the pain. And he can't, he's still too in love with Ran. He's too in love with her to pay attention to others poking on him. And so, he walked away without waking you up.

Years had passed and you found yourself in his proximity again. Well, you applied at the Japan's Volleyball Association on the sole purpose of indulging what your brother loves, and now you learned to love too. Never did you know it's also his field.

Wait. Who were you kidding?

You still remember the thing Kenmaーthe blonde hair with black roots guy from that weddingーsaid to you after you woke up alone in that pavillion.

"It's better if you stay away, Y/n."

You were still shocked about how he knows your name. And if this is what it is, then Kuroo knows your name too? Is that it?

"He's dead-set on Ran right now, and maybe for a few years. He'll never be ready. I know him. When he's into something, he's going all out."

You remembered what Kuroo said in his message a while ago. "If he's gonna protect her and her loved ones, then who's gonna protect him if I avoid him now?" You smiled. "It's okay. I'm not asking for reciprocation. This is not business anyway."

Then you left Kenma dumbfounded.

You didn't know when did you start falling for Kuroo. Nor know why are you acting like the situation's okay with you. You just know that you're at peace when you see him. Just seeing him breathing and comfortable is okay.

Through the years, you started to do things to make him comfortable in every littlest way. To making him coffee when he's out cold on his desk during a night-shift, to the simple saves you did just to ease his way out of a situation, to that bento you bought him once when he forgot to buy his lunch, to volunteering to cover his shift when Ran's twins needs him for something, to rigging the Christmas raffle to let him win the vacation package.

All those were subtle. And you're comfortable with it. At least, he's happy with it.

Over the years, much to his displeasure, he is still in love with Ran. He has fully accepted that he can't be that person whom she will love, and naively thinks that acceptance itself will make him move on. Oh how wrong is he. Now, he's suffering from your little gestures of appreciations and love.

If he just fell out of love with Ran, he'll gladly turn to you. If he just forced his way to you, he'll gladly hold you in his arms even if you're both hurting. If he's just brave enough to drag you into his life, he'll kiss you breathless. But he won't, and he can't. Coz he loves someone else.

And how bad was it for him when that day came on both of you. Him, holding you in his flailing arms, tears coming down his cheeks and trying to grip your hand to a note from years ago you thought he discarded, returning it to you but the thought's so reversed now. Kenma's words ringing in his ears as he stares at you.

"If you're gonna protect her and her loved ones, who's gonna protect you if she's not around. She said something like that. And you don't have to reciprocate what she gives, she added. She's too pure for your dumb ass but let her love you, Kuroo."

You just made an irreversible sacrifice. And he's gonna regret this for the rest of his life. Well, it's not so long before that too. Kuroo smiled through his tears and he kissed you so earnestly, the kiss he should've given you in that pavillion, or when you saved him from the professor's questions, or when you stared at him getting broken with the wedding news from his friends, or when you walked up to his side on that certain class, or when he saw you getting stumped with so much books under the rain.

He should've done this kiss to you a long time ago, instead of waiting for it from another. He wasted so much time.

Semi Eita | Sugawara Koushi | Akaashi Keiji | Sakusa Kiyoomi | Kageyama Tobio | Oikawa Tooru | Miya Osamu

Reblogs and interactions are appreciated. Theories will be entertained. Cassie 2023.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios Adventures

"Thanks for coming, Your Highness. It's been awhile since I've been to the archives. Probably not since school."

Edana chuckled nervously, her eyes darting around the room looking for danger. After many, many talks with her ex-husband, Edana had been forced to admit that a visit to the Strangetown royal archives was necessary to help narrow down her search for the reaper her brother had urged her to find. It contained countless texts that couldn't be found elsewhere on a variety of topics. Vampires, reapers and zombies? All covered. The history of the Strangetown coven was recorded here, going back countless centuries. If the information her brother had wanted her to find could be found in the living realm, it would likely be in the archives.

Princess Anneken smiled politely.

"Of course, Edana. I'll be right here on the ground floor. Dad wanted some paperwork from Casper Darktide's reign of the Strangetown coven anyway. I'll save him a trip."

It was a lie, of course. Anneken had a million other things to do that needed to be done urgently, but Edana was family. Sort of. While Edana searched boring stacks of books, Anneken planned on getting a cappuccino from the coffee shop connected to the archives and reading the latest gossip magazine. Even though she was going to be queen one day, Anneken utterly despised stuffy archives. When she needed something old and musty, she would send her own heir to do the research.

Edana had barely made it into the first room when she heard it. Her blood froze in her veins, her chest suddenly unable to take in air.

"Edaaaana. Did you really think you've won?"

"Turncoat! Oath breaker!"

"Eden, why would you do this?"

Edana plugged her ears and tried to shut out the voices assaulting her. A bemused woman watched Edana with distain, flooding her mind with anxiety. That woman was dead. She was gone and dead and never coming back to this realm again under orders of the Grim Reaper.

"This isn't real. It isn't real. You're all dead. I did the right thing! Leave me alone!"

"You know, most witches don't abandon their coven when they're needed. You once stood before me and swore an oath for life. You are a part of us still. When we all died, you should have too. Traitor."

Edana stared at the woman before her, still unable to move out of sheer fright. She was exactly as Edana remembered her, right down to the hair accessory she loved to wear, imagining it as a sort of crown. Her grey eyes were filled with hatred and anger and a never-ending sense of entitlement. It wasn't enough for her to covet the throne of Strangetown from its rightful rulers, no, she had aspirations of becoming a god.

"You aren't really here. I'm hallucinating this. People are going to see me talking to myself and think that I'm crazy, but that's fine. It means that you aren't really here and haven't escaped hell to come bother me like Adam."

Edana breathed as deeply as she could manage to try to calm herself. This was all in her head. Anneken was just downstairs and she could verify if Charlotte Medora Maricourt, her former coven leader, was truly haunting her if need be.

She closed her eyes and then opened them, expecting to see the ghost of her coven leader disappear from sight. To Edana's immense disappointment, Charlotte hadn't moved. Edana struggled to recall her supernatural criteria from school.

Well, she wasn't transparent like Adam had been when he appeared to her. Her body and bones had been salted to prevent zombism or a ghost. There was no way that she had faked her death, Edana had seen her corpse herself and had helped her ex-husband prepare the salt. This had to be a hallucination or some sort of waking nightmare she couldn't escape.

"Still deciding if you're crazy or not?" Charlotte asked, faking concern. "I'd love to watch you squirm longer, but this is getting rather tiring."

No one would ever clear her to be a reaper, Edana decided. The Grim Reaper would never allow it. There was no one else in the room channeling her ghost and though her actions always seemed to fit a demon, Edana knew the exact pedigree of their leader and demons were never mentioned.

"You're boring me!" Charlotte called. "Clearly, Adam got all the smarts in your family since you can't recognize a curse when it's sitting right in front of you."

Edana blinked with confusion, stepping backward to put more distance between the two of them.

"A curse? How? When?"

"When you broke your oath to the coven, stupid. Some of us aren't children and know their way around dark magic. My father and I experimented with magic in ways that no one thought possible. Did you really think that a witch who was barely twenty could leave my coven, go against her sworn leader and expect no consequences?

"No, I'm not engaging with this bullshit," Edana decided, turning her back to the angry reflection of her former coven leader. "I'm not cursed, you're not real, and I'm clearly not going to find what I'm looking for here. This has been a spectacular waste of time."

She paused, waiting for the spirit or curse or whatever it was to call out to her. If it truly was Charlotte Maricourt that she was speaking with, that woman could never resist having the last word.

"You can't step foot on coven land without facing your abandoned peers. You are no longer a part of our coven and you are no longer welcome on our land, even if your precious king says you are. You are expelled from our coven for treachery."

"That's impossible. I run the Strangetown coven now and my ex-husband and I disarmed all of your hidden traps ourselves. You're gone, Charlotte. Gone and forgotten."

"Not by you, it would seem."

"Your son is a teenager now. You've been dead for a long time. No one would let you escape your punishment. This isn't real. I refuse to believe this is real."

Edana stormed off towards the safety of the exit. She was getting out of there immediately, no further questions asked.

When she passed a bored looking barista on her brisk walk towards the exit, a wave of anger ignited within her.

She and Adam always made fun of Josh Toyonaga's inability to make both magic and a decent cup of coffee when they were younger. They used to sit together and mock the people strolling by, casting low-level spells to rub their talent in Josh's face while he struggled to serve coffee. It was mean and immature and she'd reprimand any of her children if she caught them doing the same, but it had felt good at the time. Despite her regrets about her past choices, the memory still made her smile. She and Adam were all the family they had left at the time, which meant that she was never alone as long as he was there. Her brother. Her coven. Everything she had left in the world.

"I'll have the strongest coffee you have. As quickly as possible."

Coffee in hand after leaving a generous tip, Edana searched for a place to collect her thoughts.

It would be just like Charlotte to curse anyone who left the coven. That was the type of person she had been: petty and vindictive. Edana could still hear the terrible voices ringing through her mind, though they were much more distant now.

After all the drama with that Bellamy child and her son, Edana should have thought about possibly being cursed herself. She had broken her oath; it all made sense. Still, this was the first time she'd ever experienced anything related to a curse. Losing so much of the coven at once had likely weakened it. Being the last one standing had made it irrelevant. There was no way that her coven could ever be allowed near the living world again, which meant that this incredibly weak curse was merely a reflection of those who had created it. There was no way Charlotte was able to maintain the magic needed to actually properly curse someone in her grave. At most, such a curse could only hold on in limited areas, meaning that leaving this lot would end the effects. If any of her former coven had survived, perhaps the curse would be stronger, a fact that Edana was suddenly grateful for.

This curse had only popped up in this one building, and she hadn't properly visited it in years. Avoiding the archives would be easy. She had been in other coven owned buildings without a problem since the coven fell. This complication was unfortunate, but it gave Edana a valid reason to search for records of her ancient reaper elsewhere. It was a mixed blessing, but nothing that she couldn't work around.

While Edana finished her coffee and stormed off to find her royal companion, another visitor to the archives stood in solemn respect before an ancient painting.

It was a ritual he performed as often as he could. There were times when his duties called him away from Strangetown and his ritual was interrupted, but he always came back. He would always come back as long as this building stood.

There was only a single remaining portrait of Morganna Grunt known in existence and the royal archives was where it was displayed. It was countless centuries old, dated just after the fall of Strangetown. Few people cared to learn about it as Morganna wasn't a queen or a revolutionary. She was just a girl who had lived through a dark period of Strangetown history. As far as the world knew, Morganna had lived and died just as any other mortal did. She was ordinary in a world that focused on the extraordinary. The only person who had known the truth of her importance was her only son, Atem.

For centuries now, Atem held a private vigil for the young woman on the left of the painting. He was rarely disturbed in this quiet, unassuming portion of the archives. Everyone always gravitated towards the rooms about the famous or infamous Strangetown residents. That suited Atem fine; he liked the silence.

A good son would bring flowers to the closest thing his mother would ever have as a grave, but Atem couldn't bring himself to do it. Leaving flowers might alert other guests to this otherwise unassuming painting and draw unwanted attention. Besides, it wasn't like Morganna could appreciate the gesture. She was dead, yes, but she was also dead and gone.

Becoming a reaper and working for Death gave dead souls both a purpose and a chance to experience life again, even if was just a pale imitation of life in the end. The hours were long and the pay was barely enough to blend into the living world successfully. But reapers had already died once in their lives, surely they had to be out of danger in death.

Atem shook his head sadly, trying not to get lost in the pain of the past. He'd been married once, and he'd had a mother once too. Both of them were lost to a magic so dark that it could kill the dead. A magic so powerful, any mention of it had been wiped from textbooks and the mere mention of it cursed the speaker into silence until they relented.

As much as Atem longed to reminisce about the past, it was getting late. His visit had to be quick today, as he was assigned to train the newest reaper in Arkhelios. No one trusted Zane on his own just yet, especially when his last few assignments had been done so poorly. Being the oldest and most powerful in their team, Zane's training had fallen to Atem. He was a son of the Grim Reaper; certain duties fell to him even if he didn't want them.

As he headed for the exit, Atem stopped to smile at another painting on the wall.

"See you around, Alpheus," he chuckled to himself. "I wish you were still around to see how irrelevant you are these days."

[divinemare]

-ˏˋ⋆ 𝔄 𝔠 𝔬 𝔲 𝔯 𝔱 𝔬 𝔣 𝔤 𝔬 𝔡 𝔰 𝔞 𝔫 𝔡 𝔪 𝔬 𝔫 𝔰 𝔱 𝔢 𝔯 𝔰 ⋆ˊˎ-

└──» ✎ 。 Azriel x Oc

part eight

┊✧*｡ ✯┊☪︎⋆✧*｡ ┊

Azriel had heard it from Rhys first, the male's daementi power reaching into his mind to tell him. But still, Azriel refused to believe it until he saw it with his own eyes.

His palms were sweating as his heart pounded hard in his chest. His shadows hid part of his face and body in hopes of concealing his master's unease. There was no way he could calm his erratic nerves as he waited, and waited, and waited.

Until he saw her. Entering the room, with her eyes, normally full of life and curiosity, staring at the floor, lost and unsure.

He almost let a gasp escape as he saw the tattoo that wrapped around Mareena’s arm and disappeared into the shoulders of her shirt. It wasn’t just any kind of tattoo, Azriel recognised it perfectly as a bargain mark.

“You and I are going to cause your dear father an outburst when he sees you with that,” Rhett laughed cruelly, taking Mareena’s arm in his hands and stroking the tattooed skin.

An inexplicable wave of rage coursed through his body, but Azriel kept his gaze fixed elsewhere so as not to look directly at Mareena.

“Shadowsinger,” when he heard the High Lord calling him, Azriel had to muster his most rigid expression to finally be able to look at him. “Would there be any trouble now that Miss Mareena is joining us? I know you two might have been…close.”

Azriel looked at Mareena, who finally had raised her head from the ground as if just realizing he was there, it was just a split second, but he felt a lump in his throat he had to swallow before looking back at the male with no emotions at all.

“None, Sire.”

Oh, there were already a thousand fucking problems going on in his head right now.

☪︎⋆

Mareena had been presented to the Court of Nightmares. And what an awful fucking place.

She had hated the second she had stepped into it. The High Lord made her change her clothes into some trousers and a top in the Night Court style she loved, but the fabric, even tho it was a beautiful shade of shiny purple, was almost transparent. The top didn’t had the right sleeve, so to reveal the tattoo that curled up her arm, while the transparency of the fabric allowed it to show where the tattoo finished at the back of her shoulder.

She was paraded as a new weapon, a new adquisición, and it all fell all too similar to her fathers dungeon, where he showed her off to his awful friends.

But there was one thing that made everything less horrible, one person. Azriel was constantly, all the time, near her. Even if he had to act like he didn’t care for her, every time she was standing in one corner, shadows caressed her arms in a soft, comforting way. And in every glance they stole from each other across the room, she saw the trouble in those beautiful hazel eyes.

“So she’s what, your new guard?” Keir, Mor’s father, and Rhys’ uncle, asked his brother with a horribly unnerving smile towards her.

“Something like that, yes,” the High Lord nodded slightly, looking at her from head to toe.

Their bargain had left many questions in Mareena’s head. She was to be his new blade, his new weapon. He had said she had a power that not even she could understand herself, and that he would use it as he saw fit, using her against his enemy and anyone that would want to attempt against his crown.

Mareena was simply a weapon to be yield, something to brag about.

Oh, if he knew what she had been capable of before she locked the bigger part of her power inside her…

“What is she, anyway,”

“I’m not sure yet, I guess we’ll know once I see her father next week, but she’s Mother damned powerful, that is.”

A sense of terrible dread filled her entire body at the horrible realization; she was going to see her father again. After all those years running as far away from him as she could, she was going to be forced to see him again.

Panic started settling in her chest, now she was under the relative protection of the High Lord of the Night Court, the bargain she had made for eternity not allowing her to ever leave the Court.

She had to advert her eyes from the two males staring at her in hunger and cringe at the thought of being trapped between her awful male of a father and the awful male that now basically…he basically owned her.

What had she done. What had she accepted. She had traded an evil for another evil, and she wasn’t sure which one was the worst of them.

The panic started to intensify in her chest.

She retrieved to a dark corner in an empty space, she had to calm herself down or she was going to make of herself a bigger spectacle. But the realization of her whole situation was just settling down, and it all was fucking terrifying.

Suddenly, while her chest felt as if it was about to burst out and her breathing became more rapid, a calloused hand grabbed hers and squeezed slightly.

She didn’t startle at the touch; for she knew it all too well. She had held that same calloused hand a thousand times after horrible Nightmares, had held it while she got out of the woods when she fell into that same hole in the ground six times. Those hands had touched her face and healed her wounds when she trained a little too hard with Mor or simply got an injury for doing something incredibly stupid.

She squeezed Azriel’s hand in return. His body hidden in shadows, while she stared at the party with a raised chin and an expression she had learned from the very male at her side right now.

No, being her father’s captive couldn’t be the better evil than this. Because there, nor Azriel or Rhys or Cassian or Mor or Alhena and Valeria were with her. In there, Azriel would never hold her hand like this again, and so she held tight into that hope, held tight to his grip.

Because there was no holding back now, but as long as she had her family, she would not let the panic take over her.

☪︎⋆

Her hands were so sweaty she couldn't wipe them no matter how hard she tried. Nerves were eating her alive, taking over her heart and her entire nervous system. But Azriel's words echoed in her head like a safety mantra she repeated every time she felt her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

"Don't let them see your fear, don't let them take hold of your fear. It is yours, and yours alone."

It is mine. Mine alone. Mine. Mine....

She repeated herself over and over again as she walked behind the High Lord of the Night and his Lady through the corridors of Adriata's castle. Where the meeting of High Lords was to take place.

High Lords…Her father would definitely be there, and her brothers...she didn't know. Rhys wasn't there for the obvious fact that they were at war, and he was too busy leading a squadron to attend these ridiculous meetings. But her brothers were not warriors, Mareena knew all too well, and if they were there too....

At least Azriel was at her side, and Alhena was one step ahead; that was enough to keep her from panicking.

When the doors to the hall opened, Mareena took a deep breath, before being greeted by the image of the 7 most incredibly intimidating men, exuberant with power. Everything inside her trembled in terror, and that power that activated whenever she felt a latent threat pulsed nervously in her veins.

Mareena swallowed dryly and raised her head, forcing her power to remain silent and obey her command.

“Rhett, what a great pleasure you finally decided to show up,” his voice made something feral and wild alter her every insides.

Something she hadn’t felt in a long while, something she had hoped she never had to feel again. But there she was, years after everything she had went through to escape, standing only meters away from her father.

Her blood fell cold and her breathing started to catch up in her lungs. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t brave enough, she…

She felt a little push at her back, and by the way those hands made her skin feel hot and her chest to squeeze, she knew perfectly well who had it been.

Discreetly looking at her side, she saw Azriel’s impassive face, his scarred hands were at his side, but his shadows slightly twisted. She tried hard not to smile, to copy his same emotionless expression, but it felt almost ridiculous, by the way her heart was absolutely betraying her with its heavy rhythm.

Mareena gave a step closer, then another, and then she was close enough for her father —and, her three older brothers, alongside their mother—, for them to see her.

She would never forget their expressions, the absolute masterpiece of the utter shock and disbelief in their pale faces.

“You…”

“Is something wrong, Jalus? You look a bit pale,” The High Lord of Night said condescendingly.

Mareena stared at her father’s eyes and did not avert her gaze with a stolen bravery she did not know where she got from.

“You had her all this time,” her father stood from his seat, his eyes almost out of their pockets.

“Who?” Rhett pretended confusion, and then he looked back at her, as if understanding. “Oh! You mean my beautiful goddess?”

Mareena saw a flinch of something similar to surprise in her fathers eyes for a split second, but it vanished so quickly she could’ve had imagined it, only anger was left in his deep green eyes.

Mareena almost cringed at the nickname. “Goddess”, that’s how the King of Hybern had called her once.

“Who is the beautiful lady, Rhett?” A dark skinned male questioned, a brow lifted in amusement, and Mareena almost gasped at his beauty.

It was as if the sun had taken human form. All its light and roughness and power molded into an almost too rough, yet too perfect male.

“Gentlemen, I don’t see how my company would be of any of your interest, but if you’re all too curious; may I present to you my newest acquisition, a true goddess come to live, just as beautiful, and just as powerful. Mareena, darling, would you come forward?”

He signaled with his hand, and she had no option but to obligue. As she passed by Alhena, the female softened her gaze a split second, telling Mareena she had nothing to worry about, her mother was right beside her, and so she lifted her face just as the female had taught her, and faced her father with unbothered eyes.

The four males squeezed their jaws so tightly she thought they may break at one point, while the Lady of Spring merely…stared at her, Mareena couldn’t exactly decipher in what way. There was no sign of Tamlin whatsoever. Good.

Then her father’s eyes lingered in her bare arm, where the bargain tattoo curled up in a beautifully tragic way.

“Oh, you did not.”

“You bitch,” one of her brother’s laughed drily, and all the other five High Lords stared at her arm all at once.

“Hello, father. Brothers.”

“Father?” The perfect sun crafted male said with amused surprised, and then threw his head back in laughter.

“Father? So she’s the girl your little bitch of a son almost killed mine for,” another male said, his voice so cold she felt it freezing her insides.

Mareena adverted her eyes from her father to look at her side, where a male, pale as snow, with hair as moonlight, sat with a raised white brow. Everything about him was pure coldness, from the way his glacier blue eyes stared at her, to the way his every feature seemed to be as sharp as ice. Besides him, tho, was a male that made Mareena’s heart pound with excitement and nostalgia, a male that almost stole a smile from her lips, hadn’t she been so scared to show anything but complete unbothereness in front of all those people.

Kallias stared at her with cold eyes, but behind them, she saw the same as she felt; the nostalgia, the relief of seeing each other again. It had been so long ago that he found her almost dead in the frozen woods of the Winter Court.

A female that she could only guess was his mother sat at his father’s other side. An impossibly beautiful female that looked too bright, too sweet to be what she imagined of a Lady of Winter.

Wait a second, Kallias had been attacked by one of her brothers? Mareena regained conscious of what the High Lord of Winter had said, and a wave of rage and guilt cursed through her, making her look back at her former family with more will in her eyes.

She took a moment to scan the room at last. Everyone else was extremely confused as they stared at them, the sun god; the dark skinned male, seemed to be enjoying all of this way too much, another dark skinned male, one Mareena could only guess, by his clothing, was the High Lord of the Court they currently were on; Summer, seemed to be completely lost of all context. The one red head male looked completely annoyed, with a gorgeous female at his side that simply looked lost and a little red haired boy who clung tightly to his mother. Then there was a tanned male with a scrutinizing gaze, the one that had to be, by her own conclusions, the High Lord of the Dawn Court, as if he was paying extra attention trying to understand the drama that unfolded in front of him. And Kallias’ father, who stared sharply and bone-freezingly towards one of her older brothers, the one in the middle, the one she hated the most, Reed. So he had attacked Kallias, she was not surprised at all. He used to beat her up too, very often.

The memories of it made her feel that same wild outbursts of feelings threatening to shatter her gained calmness and control. She felt the heat in her face before she realized her hands itch with the necessity of letting her power burst. She felt a light brush of a delicate hand in her arm, and a murmur of softness in her ear. Both Azriel’s shadows and Alhena’s touch brought her back to the necessary control.

“So what, are we going to ever start the important meeting at hand, or you’ll just stay there and stare at each other? Because I would love to go back to my business if that’s the case,” the red haired male said with a bored look.

Her father took a deep breath, Rhett laughed slightly, amused by his own twisted games, and Mareena did not lowered her head until her father arched a brow.

“Glad to see you’re alive, child,” oh, he was anything but glad, and everyone could clearly see it.

“Couldn’t say the same, to be honest,” she didn’t know where all that insolence had come from, but she was satisfied of it when she saw her father’s jaw so tense it almost snapped.

Rhett and that sun male laughed out loud, her brothers stood all from their chairs but their father stoped them immediately. She saw from the corner of her eye how Kallias smiled slightly, quickly taking his smile away but winking at her.

Then she felt the shadows again, caressing her skin with soft proudness, delivering the message from their master.

“That’s my girl.”

[sasukimimochi]

🌨️⭐️🪸 - @boredtxdeath (snow, star, coral)

Whew this one was a toughie. Ended up being long because i couldn't figure out an easy way to tie these together. super long for a prompt XD but i like how it ended up. gonna put a read more on this to prevent it from clogging up the dash too much.

Travelerji/Merxian AU (The Night We Met) - See the first six prompts here.

-

The Night We Met - Part Of Your World

Wei Wuxian smiled silently at his companion, unable to help himself now that he got to see the traveler so close. He hadn’t considered how unsettling this may be though.

“…Is…there something on my face?”

Wei Wuxian was startled and laughed, “Aiyah, no- I’ve just never been this close to a human while not fearing for my life.” Close to you.

Lan Wangji furrowed his brow slightly. “Did something…happen with humans?” He gestures to the scar on the other’s wrist.

“Ahh…well…pirates.” Wei Wuxian smiled, “I got away as soon as they looked the other way. They stole my bands and a good majority of my pearls, though. The bastards.”

Lan Wangji frowned, reaching out to hold their wrist carefully. “How did they even manage to catch you?” He turned the other’s wrist and ran a thumb across the scuff that must have been from chains. “Or even…how did you get away?”

Wei Wuxian’s hand turned blue and slipped out of the other’s grip, solidifying once more once he pulled his hand up to wiggle his fingers at the other as if saying hello. He chuckled, “I’m not a human, so of course I'm not a one-trick pony.” He smiled at the traveler's amazement, letting him take his hand again and turn it over in his hands.

“How did you do that?”

“Magic. It is a bit complicated.” Wei Wuxian smiled and took the other’s hand. “You’ve got scars too, right?” He brushes the calluses and tilts his head.

“Oh…no, those are calluses. It’s from all the sailing I do.” Lan Wangji spread out his hand, allowing the other to rub the hardened skin and nicks in the skin. “You don’t get them because you’re underwater, probably…” He considers with a hum. The other’s skin was so soft and smooth…

Wei Wuxian nodded, placing their hands palm against palm. “We’re probably not that much older than each other…but look how different our hands are.”

Lan Wangji felt his stomach flutter from the gesture, swallowing softly. “They are quite…different. Our worlds must be pretty different as well…” He wonders if it’s dark and cold, as unforgiving as it was during the storms where he’d nearly drowned twice now.

“We live in the same world. Just different parts of it.” Wei Wuxian’s words made the traveler freeze for a moment. Well, he wasn’t wrong. But it felt very different. “At least, it feels like I’m part of your world.” He smiles.

Lan Wangji nodded subtly, “...Y….you are part of my world.” Saying it aloud made his ears combust with heat, turning his head away while his companion burst into laughter.

“You’re so much more shy than I thought you’d turn out to be! You haven’t even asked my name yet.” Wei Wuxian leaned over and smiled. “What can I call you, traveler?”

Lan Wangji kept his eyes trained elsewhere, still too flustered to meet the other’s eyes. “Lan Zhan…”

“Lan Zhan.” Wei Wuxian giggled quietly, crawling over to try to see his face even though the other kept turning it away. “Call me Wei Ying.”

Lan Wangji nervously peeked over at the other and felt his face instantly warm again. “Wei Ying…” He cleared his throat. “We should get you some clothes.”

Wei Wuxian turned his hips, trying to get a good look at the outfit his companion had put him in. “So much fabric. At least the shirt is breathable.” He waved his arms, smiling at the airflow against his arms.

Lan Wangji was smitten, thankful his clothes managed to fit the other with very little difference. Plus…now he didn’t feel so embarrassed looking at the handsome curves of the other’s body, and the shirt was just transparent enough that he could tell where his skin ended and the clothes began. “It looks good on you…”

Wei Wuxian beamed and grabbed the other’s hand, running out of the sea cave with the other. “It stopped raining! Come on, let’s go look at the stars!”

Lan Wangji stumbled as he was pulled along, quickly catching himself and running at the other’s side once he got his balance back. He smiled slightly, a helpless warmth spreading through his chest.

“What’s the ocean like? You know…further down.” Lan Wangji had his arms resting over his stomach, staring up at the now cloudless sky. The stars were breathtaking out here on an island in the middle of the ocean. The stars back home were nice, but nothing compared to stars out in the middle of nowhere.

Wei Wuxian turned his head to the other and hummed in thought, “The ocean is all sorts of things. It depends on where you go, really.” He smiled and rolled over to support himself on his elbows. “Coral reefs are beautiful. Full of dangers like any part of the ocean, but so beautiful. There’s so many colors and fish and at night- at night!! You get to see the bioluminescence and it's really something else. I know I’m a bit bioluminescent myself, but it's different seeing it.”

Lan Wangji turns his head too now, a thoughtful look on his face. “Bioluminescence?”

“It’s like…well, light. not a ton of it, but it's not like the sun.” Wei Wuxian rests his head on the other’s chest and smiles, “It can be a bit scary, but I can show you.”

“No thank you.”

“That was too quick!” Wei Wuxian whined, rubbing his face on their chest now. “I’ll be with you the entire time and we don’t have to go too deep for that. I can show you the whales- or dolphins! Oh, there’s so much you can see that you can’t see from the surface.”

Lan Wangji furrows his brow, “Mmmn…I will think about it.”

“Okay then, what about you?”

“Huh?”

“What’s land like? Not like this island, but…Where all the humans live.”

Lan Wangji turned his head so he could see the other a bit better. “...There’s not a lot to say, really. It's pretty boring.”

“Nothing at all?”

The subtle disappointment on the other's face had Lan Wangji backpedaling.

“Well…have you ever gone far enough to see snow?”

Wei Wuxian shook his head and perked up a bit. “What’s snow?”

“It’s this powdery ice that falls from the sky instead of rain. It's cold, but it's very soft and falls slower than rain.”

Wei Wuxian smiled, “Is it colder than the ocean?”

“Maybe a little bit.” Lan Wangji smiled subtly in return but stopped when he saw the amazement come over his companion’s face.

“You smiled…!” Wei Wuxian reached out to hold his face, eyes twinkling with wonder. For some reason, he had a feeling like Lan Wangji’s smile could be compared to something like the sun reflecting snow. No…maybe the moon? He’d be thinking of ways he could compare that smile for hours.

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Check out art for this and other MDZS Projects on my masterpost! ❤

I created these two mermay au's for mermay prompts i'm writing. (check back to the prompt list for updates)

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