#...so we're all going to pretend these look sharp

[syninplays]

In a parallel universe where Katja and Finnr are no longer vikings and actually engaged to each other 👀

[pseudowho]

"So, you go against the hairs...that's right...and then with the hairs..."

"...is-- is this right?"

"Mmm. Now, clean your blade..."

You pretended to tidy the bedroom, sneaking glances up to Kento, and Yuuji, stood shirtless at the bathroom sink. Both had thickly lathered faces, and sharp razors, examining their faces in the mirror with absolute precision.

Sshhhhick. Swshswshswsh. Shhhhick-ck-ck. Swshswshswsh.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

Peach fuzz.

"...and so anyway, I said to Fushiguro, shadows are great but sometimes you gotta just hit a guy..."

Kento listened, quiet, his mind always calculating several threads while mentoring Yuuji; yet, he was distracted. The old school corridor bathed in orange evening light, setting Yuuji's hair aflame, to coral in rocks. With Yuuji's nattering profile illuminated, the edges of his cheeks blurred from their usual sharp relief.

Fuzzy.

"...like, Kugisaki gets it, but she's like, just a bit feral and..."

Kento wondered if Yuuji had noticed. Kento recalled he only noticed, when his grandfather brushed his jaw with one clawed-over old hand, softly mocking Kento's furry scowl in lilting Danish. Kento's eyes lowered to the floor, counting his own steps and thinking in one, two, three and thoughtful on four, five, six.

"...Gojo's great but it's hard to learn from a guy who's that far out of my league, y'know? So--"

"Itadori-kun."

Kento had stopped, straightening his glasses, looking out onto suburban skyline. Yuuji stopped with him, inquisitive. A train rattled through, distant, splitting through the sunset. Kento looked back to Yuuji.

"It's important to look tidy, at work. Professional."

Yuuji raised his eyebrows, elbows rounded as he held his arms out, looking down at himself. He shot Kento a bashful smile, rubbing the back of his head.

Fuzzy peach.

"...ah-- yeah...guess I've always been a bit scruffy, huh? My grandad used to tell me I'd never get a job with hair like this."

Kento hummed. He stepped forwards, and raised one long-fingered, broad hand to gently grasp Yuuji's jaw, tilting it back and forth in the amber glow. Yuuji's bottom lip drew up, his eyes wide in surprise.

"...Nanamin?"

"Has anyone taught you how to shave, Yuuji?"

Yuuji blushed, his eyes flicking away from Kento in a mortified little scowl, his jaw still clasped. Kento released him, clearing his throat and checking his watch.

"I think we're finished up, here. Do you have any evening plans, Itadori-kun?"

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"If you need to go over an area again, get more shaving foam-- not that much-- and repeat the steps..."

"...this is...tricky..."

"With regular practice, you can improve any skill, Itadori-kun. Unless you'd like a beard, which still needs management, you'll be shaving every few days, or more."

"...you always...look so tidy..." swshswshswsh.

"It takes effort." Shhhick. Swsh.

"Yeah right. I bet you wake up like that. Tie and all."

A deep, rumbling laugh. Yuuji's foamy, surprised face, looking so boyish.

You slid past the bathroom. You pulled your phone out, surreptitiously clicking a photo. Kento and Yuuji, leaning over the sink while Kento steadfastly instructed him, became your new phone background, and stayed as such for a full year.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

"Took a lot of portions to send him to bed with a full tummy."

Kento chuckled at you, his hair mussed and soft. Legs crossed in bed, with a book on his lap, he read to the sound of soft snores in the guest bedroom next door. The lamplight, low and warm, illuminated Kento's face in the gloom.

Stubbly.

You reached a hand out, brushing across his jaw, feeling its sandpaper rasp across your fingers.

"I think you were so busy teaching Yuuji," you whispered, scratching Kento's chin as he crumpled his lower lip up, "that you missed some patches yourself. C'mere."

You stood, walking to the bathroom and sitting on the counter, grabbing a razor and shaving foam. Kento's eyes twinkled at you, feigning annoyance. He walked to you at the sink, looking straight into the bones of you. He grasped your thighs, pushing them apart before settling between them, chuckling again as you lathered his face.

Shhhhick. Swshswshswsh. Shhhick-ck-ck. Swshswshswsh.

You felt a growing pressure between your legs as you focused on shaving Kento's jaw. Kento fidgeted, pyjamas tight and tenting. You bit your lip, smirking.

"...Mr.Nanami. I am trying to concentrate."

"Mmm, so am I, but it's...hard."

"Yes. I can feel that."

Another deep rumble of a laugh. Kento grasped your thighs tighter, pressing forwards into you. You gasped, taking the razor from his face as Kento nuzzled shaving foam into your giggling neck.

"Don't stop." He whispered, a crooked smile on his lathered face. "Concentrate, please, Mrs.Nanami."

[steddie-as-they-come]

"Mom," Steve whispered in the inky blackness of his parents' room. "Mom, there's something under my bed."

Patricia Harrington turned over. "Steven, go back to sleep," she murmured.

"I can't." Steve said. "There's a monster."

"No such thing." his mom said, angrier, more awake. "Go to bed now, and if I catch you out of bed again you can forget going to Tommy's this weekend."

Steve nodded and padded back down the hall, pausing at his door then taking a running jump into bed.

The room was silent.

"I know you're here." Steve whispered, making sure all his limbs were tucked safely away under the covers. "You don't scare me."

A couple minutes of quiet, then Steve heard a scraping sound come from under his bed. He squeaked and pulled his blankets up to his nose.

A horrible, raspy laugh came from below him. "I do scare you!" said a voice. "You lied!"

"No-no you don't!" Steve said boldly. He clutched his blanket tighter, then said, "I can't be scared of something I can't see! That's just dumb."

Something dark began to slither across the floor out of the corner of Steve's eye. Oh, I'm gonna regret that, he thought.

The thing began to pull itself up, looming over Steve. It cracked a smile, and sharp white teeth gleamed in the light from his closet.

Steve screamed.

"Shut up!" his dad shouted angrily from downstairs, and Steve clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes flicking between the shadow and the door like he wasn't sure which monster to be more afraid of.

The monster crept toward him, and Steve dug his fingernails into his face, scooting away from the horror. He whimpered, not daring to close his eyes.

Then the monster began to shrink.

It shriveled away, changing color and backing up, until a little boy, about Steve's age, stood in front of him. He had long curly hair and was dressed in a t-shirt that was way too big on him. When he opened his eyes, Steve flinched, because the whites of his eyes simply...weren't there. His eyes were an onyx black.

"Hi," the boy said. "I'm Eddie."

Steve was too stunned to speak, but he did uncover his mouth.

"I'm the monster under your bed!" Eddie said. "I'm supposed to scare you, but, um-" he risked a quick look at the door "-I don't think you need my help for that."

"Why are you supposed to scare me?" Steve asked.

Eddie shrugged. "Dunno. Every kid's got one. It's just how it works. I was made to be your monster, forever!" He sat down on the edge Steve's bed, bumping Steve's shoulder against his. "Weird to be on this side of the bed. No dust bunnies or anything."

Steve giggled, forgetting his fear. "You're fun!"

Eddie grinned at him. "Thank you! None of the other monsters think my jokes are funny."

"So you have to scare me?" Steve asked. "But you're not scary. Not after talking to me."

Eddie paused. "Oh, right. I'm not supposed to talk to you. Um..."

"What if we just say you're scaring me?" Steve asked. "I'll pretend I'm really scared of the monster under my bed, and you pretend you scare me every single night. But really we're hanging out instead of scaring!"

"Ooh, I like that idea!" Eddie struck a dramatic pose. "I'll be the monster under your bed, but I'll be ready to protect you if you need it too!"

Steve stuck out his hand like he saw his dad do for business deals. "Deal?"

Eddie shook it. "Deal."

-

Steve sprinted through the forest, the kids hot on his heels. "There!" he shouted. "Everyone in!"

The kids bolted to the abandoned cabin, and Steve slammed the door shut. "Is there a bed in here?" he called. "A couch? A fridge?"

"Bed's in here!" Will yelled, and Steve followed his voice to the cluttered bedroom, complete with partially-caved-in bedframe. He gingerly took a seat on the mattress, cringing when it crackled. He did not need to know what was on this.

"Eddie?" he called, tapping on the flaky painted wood.

The shitheads crowded in, and Mike murmured. "What the fuck is he doing?"

Steve ignored him. "Eddie, come on, I need your help."

Something tall, dark, and lanky slid out from under the bed, and all the kids jumped back in fright, raising their various weapons. Steve leapt to get in front of them, raising his hands as a shield. "Chill! Calm down, this is Eddie!"

Eddie shrank into his human form, draping himself over Steve. "You had to summon me to the nastiest bed in Indiana? Really, Steve?"

Steve shrugged. "This was the closest one. We need your help, Eds."

"We?" He focused on the Party. "Well, these must be the infamous buttheads." Eddie slid into the shadows and reappeared behind the Party, inspecting them. "Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Will, El, Max, right?" he said, pointing at each one as he said their names.

"What the fuck are you?" Dustin asked.

Suddenly Eddie was under Steve's arm, wrapping a hand around his waist. "I'm Steve's monster under the bed." he said. "I'm just... friendlier with Steve than most of the monsters I work with."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You can tell him you're my boyfriend, they know I'm bi." He kissed Eddie on the cheek.

The kids all broke into gasps, except for Max, who fake gagged. "Don't be gross!" she yelled. "Demogorgon outside, remember?"

"Ah, right." Steve said. "Eds, can you-"

"On it." Eddie kissed Steve. "I'll be back."

The kids watched Eddie melt into shadows, then wheeled on Steve. "Steven Don't-Know-Your-Middle-Name Harrington," Dustin said. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

edit: i did not expect this response to the short little thing that took me 30 mins max at 2am!! i’m planning on rewriting it and turning it into a full length fic, so i’ll come back and edit this with the link!

edit #2: if there’s anything you guys want to see in the full length version of this please let me know!! i’m trying my best to make it a slowburn which is horrid for my adhd so let me know if there’s anything you want!!

[bklynsboys]

Operation: Hide Our Relationship (?)

pairing: dean winchester x reader

summary: “you know,” dean murmured, his voice barely audible over the engine. "you always look so cute trying to deny we're not together." you jumped, startled, your hand instinctively reaching for the door handle. “what?”

genre: fluff

word count: 0.5k

author's notes: wrote a silly little drabble about how i see dean hard launching his relationship! the man is the biggest blabbermouth & he'd definitely be the first to announce that he's dating the love of his life to the most important person in his life (aside from you, of course), his brother. so, sit tight! i hope you'll smile from the the tooth-rotting fluff <3

THE IMPALA HUMMED WITH THE AFTEREFFECTS OF THE HUNT, THE AIR THICK WITH THE METALLIC TANG OF BLOOD AND THE FAINT, ACRID SCENT OF BURNT BONES. Dean slumped in the driver's seat, his eyes closed, his breathing deep and rhythmic, a stark contrast to the chaos you had just escaped. You sat beside him, your hands trembling despite the adrenaline fade. A thin film of sweat clung to your skin, and your heart pounded like a trapped animal. In the backseat, Sam tried to ignore the charged atmosphere, his eyes darting between the rearview mirror and the darkening road.

He’d suspected for a while. The knowing glances, the easy touches, the way their eyes lit up when they spoke – it was like an open secret, obvious to everyone but them. He'd tried to voice his suspicions, but they’d always laughed it off, their denials as practiced as their hunting rituals.

“You know,” Dean murmured, his voice barely audible over the engine. "You always look so cute trying to deny we're not together."

You jumped, startled, your hand instinctively reaching for the door handle. “What?”

“You heard me, sweetheart.” A lazy grin spread across Dean’s face. His green eyes, usually sharp and focused, held a softer glow. "You look adorable when you're all red-faced and in denial that we're together in front of Sammy."

A blush warmed your cheeks, and you could feel the heat rising in your neck. “Shut up, Dean!” You tried to sound indifferent, but your voice cracked, betraying the giddiness within.

There's nothing more than you want aside from screaming at the top of your lungs that finally, you and Dean were together.

"And you," cheeks still pink from your boyfriend's teasing, you turned your head towards his younger brother in the backseat. "Sam Winchester, stop smirking. I know you're finding this really funny."

Sam merely raised his hands in surrender, shaking his head at your accusation. "I didn't say anything."

Dean chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “See? So cute trying to prove my point.”

Sam couldn’t resist a snort. “Really, Dean? Now’s the time?”

Dean feigned offense, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “A guy can appreciate his own relationship, can’t he?”

You groaned, burying your face in your hands. “You two are impossible.”

Sam grinned, his eyes dancing with mischief. “Just admit it, you’re totally into each other.”

They exchanged a look, a silent agreement to ignore him. But the truth was written in their eyes, in the way they moved in sync, the unspoken understanding that hummed between them like buzz.

“Can we please just go?” you mumbled, your voice muffled by your hands. "I wanna shower. I stink of graveyard dirt and sweat."

Dean nodded, his expression softening. He reached for your hand, his touch grounding. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

Sam sighed dramatically. “I’ll pretend I didn’t see anything.”

As the Impala ate up the road, the tension eased. With Dean's hand in yours, a promise of safety and companionship, you drifted off to sleep, the rhythmic hum of the vehicle and the gentle sway lulling you into a state of quiet.

[pomefioredove]

Can I request either Jade or Azul with, “let’s flip a coin, heads I’m yours, tails your mine.” They seem like the type to make that kind of deal.

haven't done Azul yet ouhhhh

summary: "let’s flip a coin, heads I’m yours, tails you're mine" type of post: short fic characters: azul additional info: romantic, reader is gender neutral, reader is not specified to be yuu, not proofread a part of this event

Azul doesn't like playing games of chance.

This is the first real thing he tells you about himself. You had brought a deck of cards to the lounge, and asked to play war; he immediately shot you down.

"What's the purpose of a game without strategy?"

He's shared many more things about himself since, but none had captured your interest quite as much as his distaste for luck.

You've let it sit at the back of your mind, waiting for a moment like this.

"Here's how you play," you explain, setting the dice in front of him.

"You only get to roll the dice five times per turn. Once you think you've got the highest number, you end your turn. Highest number at the end wins."

Azul narrows his eyes as you describe the rules of the game.

"So this is... purely...?"

"Luck," you finish his sentence. "It's fun, you'll like it."

He grumbles under his breath, but the smile on your face is enough to dissuade him from turning you down.

"Alright. One round, and then I get to pick the next game,"

Azul cups the dice in hand, a melodious symphony of clinks coming from within his palms as he shakes and rolls.

"Five, eleven, twenty four..." he counts each one. "Only thirty one. Five turns, you say? I'll roll again."

You can tell he's pretending to be disinterested, much to your delight.

"Eleven, twenty one, twenty eight, twenty nine... thirty four. That's not much better,"

"Having fun?"

He shoots you a glare, scooping up the dice between you for his third roll.

"Thirty five. It seems that low thirties are the average. I'll keep this, then,"

You can't help a grin. You can tell he's trying to work out the game in his head, searching for something to turn it in his favor... and coming up short.

The expression on his face is pure frustration. It's amazing.

"Forty," you're unable to hold back the glee in your voice.

Azul narrows his eyes. "Keeping?"

"Oh, yes. Your turn,"

He draws the dice on the table back to himself, eyes sharp. You love seeing this side of him; competitive, analytical, and oh-so frustrated.

"Seventeen. I'll reroll," he mutters. "Twenty five..."

He settles at thirty one, handing the dice back to you with a scowl. You roll, smiling widely.

"Oh, my... thirty eight!"

Azul's face pales. "Wh- how? On your first try? What are you playing at?"

You can tell his patience is wearing thin. You gasp in mock-offense, putting a hand over your heart.

"Are you implying that I cheated? We're using the same dice, Azul!"

"Sevens. You really find it so entertaining to watch me squirm?"

"I just like seeing that look on you," you smile, leaning against your elbow.

"You're all cute when you're competitive."

Azul narrows his eyes, trying to maintain himself despite the blush on his face. "I want to play something else. My choice,"

You watch him stand and walk across the room with a chuckle. He's always so easy to get a rise out of...

"Here," he says, returning to your side with nothing but a coin.

"Since you like games of chance so much, I have one we can both win."

You raise an eyebrow. Out of all the things you'd expected from him, this is not one. "Really? ...Where's the fun in that?"

He smiles slyly, almost looking pleased with himself. His mood has taken a complete 180, much to your curiosity.... and dread.

"Let's flip coins. Head, I'm yours. Tails... you're mine,"

...Azul takes as much delight in seeing your face go red as you did riling him up.

He's even prepared to dodge when you lunge at him in a vain attempt to take the coin out of his upper hand.

"Tsk, tsk..." he chuckles. "Who's competitive now?"

[ribbonprincess]

no thoughts,just rafe and his baddie gf (wrote this with Maggie Lindemann type of aesthetic in mind!)

Oh,I know he would eat that up. Having a gf who would bark back at him with no fear,slapping boys around when they say a thing over the line over her friend. Kelce and Top are low-key scared of her.

She'll always have the best outfits,all black and lots of silver. Chunky platforms with the tiniest mini skirt she could ever find. Her nails are always done in sharp stilettos and they're sharp.

"shall I go with this? or this?" you're holding up two skirts in which, your boyfriend's opinion they're the same and in yours they're very different. They're both black,but one's pleaded and the other pencil like,both very short. "I think I'll go with the pleaded one" Your answer comes before he can even think about giving you his opinion,you decide to go pick some black fur boots and a studded belt and a simple corset top,making your tits look just the right way.

She always has the nastiest attitude ever and Rafe has learned to make peace with it,for most of the time at least.

"what the fuck did I say,hm? One night,that's all I asked doll. One night of you being nice and not fucking talking back to the people with us,but no you can't do that"

Another mean slap meets your already red ass,making you wince in pain "s not my fault,they were being sexist and just assholes in general-" "yeah,I know. But we're business partners and they're important ones so you can't let that mouth of yours just run around,you get that?" His calloused hand runs over the red skin of your bottom before he bends down to press a sweet kiss over it. "I'mma Need you to start acting like a good girl sometimes,baby.."

And maybe,just maybe after he's able to coax a couple of orgasms out of you,he's able to make you apologize to the two men the next day. They both pretend to not see the way your usual confident walk is a bit more shakier.

[shadebloopnik]

Unrequited/One-sided Radioapple but it isn't treated like an angsty end of the world thing.

Imagine they slowly get closer after all the banters, and eventually becoming close friends. Lucifer ends up catching feelings for him, and after a long while, decides to confess and ask Alastor if he felt the same.

Alastor admittedly does not feel the same.

He's getting uncomfortable, struggling to keep his composure because he's DONE this before. He KNOWS how this ends. He remembers Vox and all his insistent declarations of affection and desperate pleas for Alastor to reciprocate; the possessive entitlement. He remembers how all those sickly sweet words morphed into something venomous when he didn't give the lowlife what he wanted. He remembers the anger, the ridiculous notion that it was Alastor's fault why he was so mad, that Alastor led him on and that he obviously deserved something in payment for it all-

So yes, Alastor knows how this ends.

It doesn't mean he isn't disappointed though, because he actually LIKES Lucifer, far more than he ever did Vox. Perhaps not in the way the king might have wanted, but he did. He treasured their little talks, their drinking sessions, their shared love for their instruments, Lucifers singing, their little duets, the banter, the playful jabs, the sparring.

He'd even slowly grown accustomed to the other's touches, not feeling the same surge of disgust and discomfort whenever the shorter man would grab at his arm in excitement, forgetting his usual thoughtfulness of Alastor's touch aversion for the short moment of whatever distracted him. Alastor even enjoyed it at times, relaxing at the feel of soft feathers beneath his claws, or the sensation of gentle scratches against his ears.

Difficult as it was to admit, Alastor had grown to care for the angel, the same way he had for Rosie orv Mimzy.

But no matter how fond Alastor was of Lucifer, it didn't change the fact that he didn't feel the same way romantically, or even sexually. No way in the 7 rings of Hell was he going to lie to Lucifer about either, not going to even entertain the idea of pretending he reciprocated for Lucifer's sake. He respected his friend too much for that.

So a clear, direct rejection it is. It was a shame, but nothing could be done. He said his piece concisely, and waited, shoulders set, back straight, smile and eyes a careful blank canvas as he prepared for the inevitable.

Lucifer nodded, a normal soft smile still in place, "Thank you for your answer, it means a lot."

Which......what? Alastor expected an outburst, or at the very least sharp words.

What he did NOT expect was....acceptance? And not just that but, a happy one? Contentment?????

"You're....alright with that?", he had to ask, he had to. Lucifer was clearly just very good at masking his upset.

But the damn angel just smiled?? And it didn't even look fake, just as bright and soft as his normal smiles, albeit a little confused?? Lucifer smiled at him, his brows furrowing in a bit of confused disbelief, as though Alastor is being the weird one here.

"Uhh, yeah??? Why wouldn't I be??? Yeah I may have some feelings for you but its not like you're obligated to feel the same. Above anything else, we're friends first and foremost and i'm alright with that..."

Then he seemed to have reached his own little conclusion as his words trailed off, because suddenly Lucifer's eyes widened in realization of something, and his words picking up with a sense of panicked urgency.

Alastor would really like to know what Lucifer's supposed realization was about himself because he had absolutely no clue.

"I mean, we ARE still friends right?? I don't- I- I hope this doesn't like- change your opinion of me. You're not- oh gosh I'm not making you uncomfortable am I? I- I won't mention it! You can even forget this whole confession ever happened! We can just go on as before! I don't feel any different or would act any different! Honest! I mean, I don't regret confessing because you deserve to know and I'm not ashamed of my feelings, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable! It doesn't change the way i'll treat you! Or change any aspect of our relationship! I don't even think I like you more as a lover than as a friend! I really, really do love our friendship, it matters more to me than any thoughts of being in a romantic relationship with you! So please just forget it all-"

Alastor let the word vomit wash over him, every word leaving him more confused by the minute.

Because yes, there's the desperation he expected, but...it was more about, convincing Alastor to remain friends?? Reassuring Alastor that nothing has to change?? That their friendship is the most important thing here??

(If anyone asks, no Alastor's heart didn't swell. Only lesser beings would have had the urge to cry, and Alastor is anything but.)

Lucifer is unknowingly reassuring Alastor of every single one of his insecurities about the situation. Because Alastor DID want to remain friends, he cared too much about the man to let it go so easily. It was rare to find people who treasure friendships above romantic relationships.

"I don't tend to forget easily, nor will I forget this one in particular.", he spoke, finally finding his voice. At Lucifer's defeated, pained expression( is their friendship really that important to him?), he continued. "But....yes. I'd like that.. To remain...friends."

He didn't often say the word out loud, being comfortable enough with each other that it need not be reassured with the label. But with Lucifer brightening up like his namesake, relief and happiness palpable, Alastor felt no qualms at declaring their friendship out loud.

So life went on as usual. True to his word, Lucifer remained basically the same. The following weeks were a bit stilted for Alastor, as he put some rather painful distance between him and the angel; limiting their interactions, their usual touches.

Anytime now, Lucifer would break and show his true colors, Alastor would think, waiting for the boot to drop. Lucifer would end up angry, and dissatisfied, and that was that.

But it never happened. Lucifer never expressed discomfort when Alastor avoided him, seeming to be understanding of the others need for space. He was just as affectionate as before, though initially a bit held back, as though gauging Alastor's comfort.

Months would pass, and the king never faltered. Their friendship remained strong, if not growing ever closer than before. Alastor found himself even growing more comfortable with the man. Affectionate touches were becoming common, hugs and head pats and cuddles being a welcome thing, with the reassurance that the shorter king would never disrespect his boundaries.

Lucifer seemed genuinely happy about it, despite being clearly told that none of Alastor's actions hinted at anything romantic. In fact, he seemed ecstatic that Alastor was getting more affectionate towards him as a friend. The embarrassment the radio demon felt at having Lucifer basically tear up (no really, he was crying so hard, full on drama sobbing) with joy in front of him was intertwined with the sheer incredulous fondness he felt for the man at that moment.

They were sitting at a couch one night, more than a year passing since that confession. Lucifer was leaning back, resting against the cushions, while Alastor had his head on the smaller one's shoulder, nuzzling at the crook of his neck, legs tucked close to his body. Both had a book in hand, two nearly empty cups of tea on the table in front of them. Every so often, Lucifer would flex his fingers that rested on Alastor's head, running a digit against the other's ear, often prompting the demon to lean into the touch. White wings enveloped the two, blanketing them against the chill of the night.

As Alastor turned the page of his own book, relaxing into the touch of his dearest friend, he wondered how he ever got so lucky in hell.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

David Tennant at This Morning show with Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary talking about Good Omens Season 2, 11.07.2023 :) ❤

DO: And David joins us now. I mean, this looks like a great show.

David: Oh, yeah.

DO: So, I mean, It's pure Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, isn't it?

David: It is, yeah.

DO: The whole thing. So tell us, so if people haven't seen the first series and they want to go back, set the whole scene.

David: So I'm Hell's representative on Earth, Michael Sheen is Heaven's representative on Earth, put there to do the biding of our respective Head Offices. But we found out that if we became mates and sort of helped each other out, it kind of cut out the workload, cancelled each other out. So we're best mates. But in Series One we end up having to avert the apocalypse, which we managed to do, but as a result of that, we get cut off. So we're now living on Earth as independent individuals.

AH: So do you still need each other, then?

David: We still need each other. We've only got each other now because we don't have Heaven and Hell anymore.

DO: Because you both love earth so much, you both like.

David: Oh, we much prefer living on Earth because Heaven's a bit stuffy and Hell's awful.

DO: So you conspire to thwart the Armageddon. Exactly.

David: We thwart the Armageddon. That's fine. But Series Two begins when the angel Gabriel, Jon Hamm, who you just saw there, shows up at Aziraphale, Michael Sheen's bookshop, naked with no memory, holding a cardboard box. So suddenly we're locked into the politics of Heaven and Hell again. We don't know what's going on. We've got a mystery to solve. Why is the angel Gabriel here? The angel Gabriel tried to kill us both at the end of the last series, so we've got to...

DO: But now he's kind of got amnesia and...

David: Yes. So he becomes like our weird child, in this sort of weird sort of eternal marriage that Michael and I are locked in.

DO: So many shows now use a book as their base and then they do really well and you can see the company and the writers go, better come up some new ideas, I suppose. So the book's obviously Terry Pratchett and then Neil Gaiman, correct?

David: That's right. They wrote that together years and years and years ago. Much beloved. And that's what the first series was. But Neil and Terry had always talked about possibilities of this sequel that they never got around to making. Terry's no longer with us. But when the possibility came up, Neil thought, well, listen, I've got some ideas. Let's spin it forward. Let's see if we can tell the story we were always going to tell. So we get to come back.

AH: Should we have a little sneak look at the new series? Let's have a look. So good. Did you ever think it was going to be this successful? Did you even know that you were going to go into a second series

David: Oh, no, not at all. No. There was only one novel, so we just thought we were coming together to do that. And I didn't realise how beloved this book was. I first read a script. But it means a lot to a lot of people.

AH: And the look of you is so striking. Did you have any input into that? A bit, yeah, we sort of all found it together, myself and makeup and costume and Neil Gaiman, who ran the show. So, yeah, we kind of arrived... in the book he's a bit more - because obviously the book was sort of early ninetues, so he was a bit more sharp-suited and a bit more Wolf of Wall Street. So we've kind of had to find the kind of modern equivalent of that.

DO: Is he... obviously you're playing a demon. Has he got any humanity in him or is he purely self-centered?

David: Well, he's not a very good demon. He's good at sort of the snarl and the swagger and pretending that he's terribly cynical, but actually his problem is that he's a bit too...  there’s a bit too much heart, really.

DO: He's alright

David: Yeah, yeah.

DO: Must be wonderful playing a baddie.

David: Oh, it's great fun, but he's not a baddie, is not really a baddie.

DO: Yeah, yeah.

David: And just like Aziraphale angel is not always as goody goody as he likes it, so they meet very beautifully in the middle.

DO: You and Michael Sheen. I mean, you've worked together a fair bit, don't you. I loved Staged. That was such fun.

David: Yeah!

AH: Have you ever not worked together?

David: Now we only work together.

AH: All the time.

David: Yeah. I mean, He's not sitting on this sofa, but he is backstage. We can't be apart.

DO: He's speaking in his ear right now.

David: Exactly, yeah.

AH: But you are... you have got a genuine friendship. You're growing old together gracefully.

David: We're growing old together?!

AH: You look good for it, I'm not going to lie. What's the secret, babe?

David: A lot of makeup. It's very thick.

AH: We've got to talk about the fact that you are returning to Doctor Who.

David: Ah, yes.

AH: I can't believe this. And can you tell us anything at all?

David: I mean, beyond that I'm doing it? I think...

AH: No.

David: Really. Because that's the fun of it, isn't it? Hopefully tt was a bit of a surprise when I showed up. When Jodie Whittaker regenerated into me.

AH: We were shocked.

David: It was a bit of a surprise, so we wanted to sort of keep some shocks, but Catherine Tate's back, so it's a bit like 15 years never happened, to be honest.

DO: Know about it for a while. Like... did Russell T get in touch and say...

David: Yeah, it sort of gradually kind of evolved as an idea and we thought maybe they'd let us do a one off for old time's sake. And then suddenly it became a bit more than that and we were back for a bit of a run.

AH: So how many episodes did you get to do?

David: We did three.

AH: Wow. That's incredible. What's it like to be back? Did he just slot straight back in?

David: I mean, sort of. It felt weirdly familiar. Yeah. And you think, 'Oh, will I still able to run as fast? Can I still kind of...?' But it was like we'd never been away. It was joyous. Yeah.

DO: And could we talk about your son? Because is your son in Good Omens with you?

David: Ty's in... has a part in Episode Two of Good Omens.

AH: Is he?

DO: And I loved him in House of the Dragon.

David: I know. He's very good. He's very good.

DO: What a relief.

David: There he is. I know, what a relief. Exactly. No, I mean...

AH: Imagine if he was bad.

David: Imagine if he was rubbish. How would we tell him? Sit down, listen...I know it's sort of the family business, but maybe joinery? So... no, he's really good. And he's annoyingly good looking. You know, he's just got it all. So it's lovely and great to get to work together. Brilliant.

[endieinwonderland]

Let The Light In: Part 2

Part 1 Part 3

Words: 1,598

Pairing: Paige Bueckers/Media Manager! Reader

Warnings: Angst, Friends to enemies (but the reader doesn’t know why they’re enemies), reader is actually so in the wrong, angst no comfort.

“Is that Paige Bueckers?” The guy sitting next to you nudges your elbow, his eyes glued to your computer screen. 

He didn’t need to ask you to confirm that it was her, given the massive ‘5’ on her jersey and those unmistakable blonde braids. But you indulge him anyways, turning back to the screen of your laptop as if you need to double check who’s picture you’re editing, before giving him an affirmative hum and re-focusing your attention on the exposure curve that’s been giving you trouble all morning. 

Seemingly unbothered by your lackluster reply, he leans closer, letting out a sharp whistle as he gets a better view. “Damn, that’s good. You take it?” 

“All mine.” You reply hastily, reaching over to pat the camera bag next to you.

“Are you on the media team or something then?”

You just nod, casting a quick glance in his direction while his eyes stays fixated on the image of the girl on your screen until you swear you can see drool forming in the corners of his mouth. 

“You know this should go up on the posters they have around campus” he says, finally leaning back into his chair. 

It’s almost like he knows that stroking your ego is surefire way to get you to soften up. 

You turn to him, a hint of a smile playing on your lips. “If you think that you should go check them out next week. There might be a few changes you'll like.”

An impressed look passes briefly over his face before returning to a cocky smirk. “You know, you’re doing her a favor. She looks way hotter in this than the ones that are up right now.”  

Guard all the way back up, you turn to him, doing very little to hide your disgust. Without a word, you scoop up your belongings and move to another spot, eager to distance yourself far, far away from him.

Your new spot is near a window, which you’d normally avoid since you need to see your computer screen clearly while editing, and sunlight wouldn’t help with that. However, when a blonde woman walked by, hand in hand with her toddler who was clearly fighting off sleep with a blankie draped over her shoulders, you couldn't resist the urge to get as closer to the all-too-familiar scene.

----

"Hey, you awake?” Paige's voice is barely audible over the soothing hum of the air conditioner. You’re half asleep, nestled comfortably beneath the blankets, and all you can manage is a low, affirmative hum in response.

"I can't sleep," she whispers again, this time poking your cheek to ensure you’re paying attention. 

"Count sheep.” 

A loud groan echoes through the bedroom as Paige turns over to face you. 

“We should do something." 

You pretend not to hear her, keeping your eyes shut. 

“Wake up, wake up, wake up” she intones, pulling the covers off your chest as she sits up in the bed. 

"Let's go for a drive."

You peek one eye open, glaring at her. "Paige I love you but, please, for the love of God, just let me sleep." She keeps her mouth shut, but you can feel her gaze on you as you pull the covers back over yourself. 

After two blissful minutes of silence, a soft "please" brings you back to consciousness. Opening your eyes fully now, you stare at her.

"Paige, I'm really tired." 

"I'll let you have the aux, and you can bring your blanket," she offers, nudging your shoulder gently, trying to coax you out of bed.

With narrowed eyes, you meet her gaze, her face is illuminated by the moonlight streaming through your open blinds. With just that one glance, any remaining sibilance of a resolve is shattered.

"An hour tops, and if I fall asleep again, you can't wake me up until we're home." 

A soft smile crosses her face. "Deal." 

Before you really know what’s happening Paige has an arm wrapped around you, practically skipping as she drags you, half asleep and wrapped in a quilt, through the parking lot to her car. She turns your seat heater on, connects your phone to the speakers, and lets you choose a playlist before pulling out onto the main road, interlocking your fingers, and letting your hands rest on the center console.

"Dude, come on, really?" she groans as your sleep playlist begins and the sounds of an artificial rainstorm flood the car. 

"I'm going back to sleep," Is all you can manage to say in your fatigued state, leaning your head against the window and shutting your eyes once again. 

You don’t wake up again until sunlight has begun to shine through the trees lining highway, urging you to peek your eyes open. The gentle shake of the car almost lulling you back to sleep before you realize where you are. 

"Paige, you've got to be kidding me," you groan out after catching a glance at the 6:45 A.M. flashing on the car’s dashboard. She looks at you briefly, a sheepish expression passing over her face. "You're awake." 

“I am.” You respond, not hiding your irritation.  “Where the hell are we, Bueckers?" You ask turning to look at her, but as your eyes briefly meet hers, a soft “Oh” escapes your lips, and suddenly, where you are doesn't matter anymore. 

With your camera, you could have captured every detail—the way the morning light seemed to dance across her blonde hair, the delicate shadows her eyelashes threw across her under-eyes, mingling with the dark circles from a restless night. She looks beautiful.

It could be the best picture you'd ever taken of her. - And if you hadn’t been so clueless and absorbed in your art, you’d probably be paying a lot more attention to the miserable expression across your best friends face instead of the light that was hitting her perfectly.

"Wait, hold still," you whisper, your tone softening as you reach for your phone and point the camera at her. “Just let me get this shot.”

____

It takes a few seconds for you to dig your phone out of the bottom of your backpack where it had been left it in a now futile effort to prevent distractions. Once you find it you waste no time, opening the favorites album in your camera roll, holding up the image from that morning next to the one on your laptop. 

‘Oh’

Side by side, the pictures are nearly identical. 

Without realizing it, the two of you had recreated on of the last pictures you had taken of her before the two of you stopped talking, before she stopped talking to you. 

In this new version, a stark black backdrop replaced blurry trees seen through a car window, and artificial orange and pink lights substituted the natural sunlight. In each image, her expression remained unchanged—those firm glares and pursed lips staring back at you from both screens. A heaviness settled in your chest as you set the phone aside and shut down Lightroom.

‘I’m not doing this right now.’

It was undeniable that you still missed her, even though the two of you had barely spoken in the past year. And despite all of your friends telling you that you should be furious at her for essentially ghosting you, your feelings hadn't changed. 

Pure, unbridled misery. That’s the only way to really describe it.

The day you realized your best friend wasn’t ever going to respond to the 20+ ‘read’ texts and missed calls from your attempts to reach her was one of the worst days of your life. 

----

Paige had just gotten the OK to return to campus after her ACL surgery, you had been on your way to try and visit her when Azzi had knocked on your dorm room door. 

“Oh, were you on your way out?” She had questioned, seeing your outfit and the purse in your hands. 

“I was gonna go check up on Paige I heard she was back.” Pausing before you add, “actually I’ve been meaning to ask if you had heard from her? She hasn’t gotten back to me yet and I’ve called like a million times.” You ask, forcing a chuckle to mask the stress bubbling beneath your words.

Azzi's expression hardens, her eyes avoiding yours. "Listen," she begins, her voice heavy, "that's actually what I came to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Your voice rises slightly, a mix of confusion and apprehension.

She takes a deep breath, steadying herself. "Paige doesn’t want you reaching out to her right now. She just needs to focus on getting healthy again."

"Oh." The word escapes your lips softly, tinged with hurt and disbelief, as the weight of her words settles in your chest.

----

The memory fades but the unmistakable hurt is still coursing through you as you close your eyes for a moment, letting yourself breathe.

It had been a mistake to let your guard down.

“You good?”

The voice you’ve been longing to hear for the past year interrupts your thoughts, sending a familiar pang through your chest as you look up, locking eyes with the blonde, her brows raised as she looks down on you with an unreadable expression. 

[kyeomkuppie]

Rooftop.

Pairing: Wonwoo x gn!reader

Genre: I honestly don't know but let's just say crack and a pinch of angst

Warnings: Wonwoo thinks reader is about to commit suicide

Synopsis: You were just trying to get a better look at the sky, but someone misunderstood and tried to save you.

You valued your peace of mind and the best way (in your opinion) to clear your mind was to look at the stars. At the edge of a rooftop.

Yeah, not the smartest idea but who cares!

Technically, anyone was bound to see a random person standing at a rooftop, misunderstand the situation, then call for help. Something you didn't exactly take into account.

And bingo as you had guessed, not only did someone see you, someone was at the same rooftop thinking you were about to jump, and you being at the edge didn't exactly help either.

Out of nowhere, you felt yourself being pulled backwards. Your back was now against the chest of a random stranger, and to make matters worse, on top of him.

"Uh, excuse me?" You were baffled and you didn't really know how to explain without him thinking you were lying "Can you let me go, please?"

No answer.

Oh shit. Is he dead? I don't think I'm that heavy though. You were thinking of the endless possibilities of you being charged for involuntary manslaughter. Great.

You finally feel the person who you thought you murdered move. "Are you okay? Why did you pull me like that? You could've been hurt!" You turned around only to be left awestruck. At least he was handsome.

His eyebrows were furrowed and his breathing was heavy, yeah it isn't the time for flirting. "How could you treat your life like it's something to be toyed with! You can't simply choose to end it because things are getting rough." His tone was stern and angry— but wait.

What? Your mind short-circuited for second. He thought you were doing what!

"What about your loved ones and the people who would blame themselves for your death? At least think about all those variables before treating your life like-"

"Excuse me?! I was just standing like a normal person, looking at the damn sky. I wasn't toying with my life, I was enjoying it!" You were starting to get riled up as well, couldn't he at least wait to hear what you had to say about yourself— and wait, what does he even have to do with it?!

"You shouldn't lie about things like this! If you need help, say it."

There's was no convincing this man. "Listen here stranger, if I needed help I would in fact ask for it. But can't a person watch the fucking sky in peace." You huffed "Why are you even making a big deal out of it? It's not like we know each other."

You pushed his hands which were gripping you away. "At least try to understand, I mean it's not the smartest thing to do, to stand at the edge of a rooftop I mean, but I assure I wasn't trying to do anything you were thinking of."

You had an idea! Not the smartest either but good enough "Want to grab a meal?" If he didn't say yes, you'd bury yourself alive, but you wouldn't have to see him again. If he said yes, you'd resolve that misunderstanding and you could go your separate ways.

He suddenly realized that his body was so tense and his body was still on the ground.

You gulped as he proceeded to get up. His features became more clear. His face had a soft expression but his eyes were sharp, so was his jaw. Yeah, you were right, he was one handsome fellow.

He was weirded out by your spontaneous personality. One moment you were all angry, and the next you were asking him to grab dinner? Yeah, not normal.

"Fine. I'll pretend that I believe you, and we'll go grab dinner. But for the love of god go stargaze anywhere but at the edge. I had the ambulance ready." He scratched his neck.

"Okay Mr. Overdramatic." You laughed, it was a peculiar day, not the peaceful kind you usually preferred, but definitely a day to remember.

"Wonwoo."

"Hm?" You tilted your head in confusion.

"If we're going out for a meal, you might as well know my name." He shrugged.

Yeah, he had split personalities, you were sure of it.

"[name]." You extended your hand "It was nice meeting you here— wait what were you doing up here?!" Your eyes widenened.

"I was stargazing."

"Yeah, no shit. I'll pretend that I believe you." You mimicked him from earlier.

Inspired by that one scene in true beauty.

Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

[altxrrmelancholy]

Tags: fwb!Yunho, smut, problems that come with having a fwb, exhibitionism, public sex(at a party), Yunho is sweet and attentive.

Listening to: Party Monster - The Weekend.

•••

The living room was really dark, save for the occasional flashing lights coming from the machine on the table pushed to the corner. The people who threw the party wanted to give the house the illusion of a club, so that the party goers can let go and have as much fun as they would in a club. The music was therefore consuming, matching the vibe that they wanted to give out. At this time, nobody knew where anybody was. People were scattered around the house doing anything. There was a distinct smell of weed in the air, almost like whoever was/were doing it didn't want to be found out.

It's not like it bothered you or anything. The only scent around you was Yunho's. It overtook you, mind, body and soul. After fingering you near the kitchen counter for almost half an hour, he dragged you to the living room couch, manhandling you to lay down. You looked up to him with half closed eyes. Though you could barely see him in the dark, he was all you smelled, heard and felt. He caressed your naked thighs and dragged them up to your underwear slowly. You pushed your skirt up to give him easy access. His thumb began rubbing your clothed clit, eliciting a soft moan for him. You wanted to reach up to him and unbutton his black button-up shirt but remembered that you were in public.

With that knowledge, you tried to push his hands away and tell him that you could go to any of the rooms in the house if he was in a rush. He however firmly held both your hands in one hand and continued his ministrations.

"Mmmh Yunho. Can we do this somewhere else..." You drawled breathily, feeling yourself getting wetter from his touches. He turned his head towards you from his hand on your lower half. He struggled little to look below at you in the darkness, as most of your antics were done in the dark. He could see your eyes piercing up at him softly. He liked to pretend in these moments that you were looking up at him with love. That this was not pretend.

Before his thoughts clouded his intentions, he hurriedly pulled down your panties, which startled you a bit. You watch him pocket your panties before leaning down to your level and pressing his lips to yours. You moved yours immediately, pushing back the worries that someone might have seen him. He deeply kissed you, making you get lost in him almost completely.

"Yunho..." His lips moved to your neck. You could feel his bulge against your hip as he started to roll his hips. He let out a small moan as he proceeded to mark your neck. "Hey, let's do this- ah! Somewhere else please, please..." You didn't even know why you were begging, for him to stop or continue. The reason wasn't being processed in your brain.

"Let me take you here, y/n. Please, I won't be able to wait. I need you right now, y/n please..."

You felt good as he was caressing your naked waist. Pleasure clouded your senses, but you could still think about how Yunho really liked your private moments. Why he suddenly didn't want you two to run off in private so you can enjoy each other without anyone worrying about anybody watching you. Was he starting to catch on your feelings? Did he not want to be alone with you anymore? You knew your relationship was unconventional, so you couldn't blame him if he didn't want to meet you in private anymore. A sudden sharp pain sored through your lower half as he pinched your clit. You yelped and opened your eyes to look over to Yunho.

"Baby... You're overthinking again." He smiled as he kissed your forehead. He then reached behind him and took the thin blanket covering the couch and covered the both of you. Your lips parted as he massaged your mound. "Did I hurt you?" He whispered. "You're gonna feel good soon, okay? Nobody cares what we're doing. Don't focus on them."

You let out a quiet moan. Although the music was shielding your sounds, you still couldn't be sure who was close listening to you.

Yunho sat up and unbuttoned his pants. He pulled himself out, stroking himself a little bit while keeping his eyes steadily on you. Everything seemed to go in slow motion as he leaned back down on you completely, both his hand wrapping around your waist completely as you felt him enter you, your legs spread for him. Your eyes widened and then closed right after, a relaxed sigh leaving your lips. You wrapped your hands around his shoulders and hugged him to your chest, feeling slowly grind in you. His face appeared relaxed too, small sighs leaving his slightly parted mouth, his face buried in your neck.

With your face exposed to your surroundings, you looked around to see what was going on through your half-opened eyes. You were not that badly off as you could distinctly see a girl on her knees for some guy at the corner. You continued uttering small moans as Yunho's thrusts quickened a bit. You however almost alerted Yunho of the presence of a figure looking at you in the corner, hands folded, his eyes focused on your face. He noticed your eyes on him and smirked, turned, and headed towards the kitchen. You clearly saw the back of his head as he retreated.

Mingi?

A grunt from Yunho brought you back to the moment. He leaned up and kissed you, tongue and all. He felt your distraction and started thrusting more. You swallowed up each other's moans as you started getting louder.

"I'm yours, y/n. P-lease say your mine, please y/n. Please... Ah..."

His voice was rilling you up. "You're mine Yu. And I'm yours- fuck!"

And both of you wanted to believe that so badly.

There was so much to your lives: work, school, your social life, your friends... But both of you were each other's constants. Though you were not in a relationship, you always fell back on each other.

Your orgasm crept up without warning and you came, your walls repeatedly hugging Yunho's length. Your moans prompted him to come in seconds, twitching inside of you.

He rode both your highs for a while and settled completely inside of you. Reality took a while to crash down on you and make you realize that you just had sex in public, and Mingi saw.

Your breaths came down and you looked down at Yunho, thinking that you had to tell him. But the sight made you falter, the sight of Yunho lying peacefully on your chest.

You would talk to him about both of you too later, you thought.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

You know when this all started coming to light, I fully expected that leftists would try to downplay the horrific violence by acknowledging that it was "bad and our hearts go out to the victims and their families, but......" or by making a sharp distinction between civilians and soldiers (or even like, minors and adults), but the thing that's fucked me up is that nope! We sailed right past any attempt to even pretend at human decency and cut straight to "they deserved it."

Even the kids?? Yep, even the kids.

Like Jesus H. Christ y'all.

I'm used to people feeling like they need to at least gesture vaguely in the direction of giving a shit about Jewish lives and not justifying actual terror tactics and war crimes on civilians (you'd think for consistency's sake they might care about looking like they care for the credibility but..) even if we both know they really don't actually care about antisemitism in a meaningful way. We both know that they won't be there when it actually counts, and they sure as fuck aren't going to interrogate their own personal or group's antisemitism. But usually there's a fig leaf. There's at least a baseline assumption that they should care about antisemitism and Jewish people staying alive, even if they don't actually, so they'll say the minimum amount of correct sounding words and then quickly skedaddle onto whatever it is they actually care about.

And like, is that good? No, it's not. It's not good enough. I'm sick and fucking tired of people doing juuuuuust enough to pretend to care without ever addressing the real underlying issues.

But this? This totally floored me. This drops that baseline assumption that antisemitism and murdered Jews is a bad thing entirely and blatantly sides with literal actual terrorists committing unspeakable horrors while holding it up as "liberation."

And what's worse? Most of those were the further out fringe types (although there were a horrifying amount more than I expected) right? Most everyone else wasn't spouting off about how happy they were that vive la révolucion, right? You know what was really deafening?

The silence from everyone else.

Literally everyone except for maybe one or two gentiles I remember seeing kept their mouths shut. Everyone else? Not a goddamn word about how fucked up it was that people were crowing over our people's fresh corpses. The bodies hadn't even cooled yet and we had jackasses on here publicly celebrating with memes and gore videos, and not a word from 99.9% of you.

The people who did speak up? You have no idea how much it means, and I'm grateful. Truly.

Everyone else who was too gutless, spineless, or oblivious to realize how critical a moment this was for support and/or was more interested in protecting your image or whatever?

Let's just say: duly noted.

I may continue to work alongside you (what choice do I have?) but the trust is gone.

We're clearly on our own, with rare exception.

(This is a vent post I will not be adding any caveats to it and I will be blocking anyone who tries to be an asshole. I will lock reblogs if there's any discourse. Our lives are not up for debate you sick fucks.)

[hairmetal666]

Eddie's hanging out with Steve at Family Video when Robin stomps in like a whirlwind.

"Oh, god, I did something so dumb. You have to help meee."

They straighten from where they lean over the counter towards each other, and Eddie takes a big step back, sure that all his big gay feelings for Steve are on display.

"What did you do this time?" Steve smiles with exasperated fondness.

"It's so bad." Robin faceplants with a dramatic wail.

"What happened?" Eddie asks

"I--I'm so sorry!" She looks at both of them, and a tingle of panic works it's way up Eddie's spine.

"My parents started going on and on about me and Steve and why we won't just admit we're dating, and I started to freak out because they won't accept that we're just friends, and I'm not ready to tell them that I'm a lesbian, even though I think it would be okay, so, I told them you were dating someone, Steve."

"Well, that's not so bad, Rob. So, what, they think I have a girlfriend? Who cares."

Her shoulders slump and she frowns. "I wish that's what they thought. They kept asking who, and I panicked!"

"Robin." Steve looks alarmed now, his pretty mouth pulled into a grimace. "What did you tell them?"

"Okay, please don't hate me," she begs. She's looking at Steve, but then she's looking over at Eddie. And oh, god, oh fuck, this can't be happening.

"You've got to be kidding me, Buckley," he says. He keeps his voice light but the touch of panic has become a punch.

"Wait. How do you know--how does he--? Who am I dating?"

"Me, Harrington. She told them you were dating me."

"Oh," Steve shrugs. "Sure."

Eddie chokes on air, plays it off. "For you maybe, Stevie. We in the Munson household have standards."

Steve doesn't meet a beat. "I'll have you know, Edward, that I am a catch."

"Yeah, for the lovely ladies of Hawkins," Eddie winks, even though every word, every gesture aches.

"Oh, c'mon! I'm a great boyfriend. Defend me here, Robin"

Normally, Eddie finds these antics to be charming, but confronting his crush on Steve so forcefully has ruined his mood.

"Need a cigarette," he says to escape.

He's only alone for a few minutes before Steve is sidling up next to him.

"What's she need us to do?"

"Dinner."

He grimaces, exhaling a plume of smoke. "I'm so bad at meeting the parents."

"Shut-up." Steve pokes him in the chest. "Everyone loves you. It's kind of obnoxious, actually. Plus, I think this'll help her feel more comfortable about coming out."

He snorts if only so he doesn't have to think about Steve talking about him and love in the same sentence.

"Fine. For Buck, I'll do it." But he doesn't know how he'll get through pretending to date his biggest crush with out spontaneously combusting.

"Love the enthusiasm," Steve laughs. "You know I'd treat you right, Munson."

The blush that rolls over his face is crimson. "Alright, big boy, calm down. We're not actually dating."

The bark of laughter Steve lets out is a burst of pure adrenaline to Eddie's heart. This is going to be a disaster.

---

The night of the dinner arrives and Eddie almost blows the whole game when they walk in the Buckley front door and Steve's arm wraps around his waist. The night is all casually intimate touches and Steve leaning into his personal space; calling him "baby" in a soft, warm voice; eyes drifting to Eddie's lips as they flirt and banter.

It's almost like they're a couple; almost like Steve could love him.All of his senses are overwhelmed with Steve Harrington and it fucking hurts. But Eddie lets himself indulge, finally running his fingers through Steve's gorgeous hair, tracing the moles on his face and neck, outlining the sharpness of his perfect jaw, calling him "sweetheart" with heartbreaking fondness.

It's intoxicating.

They're helping Mrs. Buckley with the dishes when it happens. When Steve leans over and casually presses his lips to Eddie's, tasting like vanilla ice cream and spiced apples and something indefinably warm. Eddie is helpless not to crumple, leans into Steve, wraps fists into the perfectly fitted polo, drawing them closer.

The night ends and Eddie thinks he's finally free, except the Buckleys love them. Keep inviting them back.

He goes for Robin, he tells himself, but he knows that it's for the hope of it. Knows that he's a ship breaking himself against the rock that is Steve Harrington, and god help him, he can't stop.

---

Of course, of course, the wires get crossed. The kids have a pool party, leave Steve and Eddie to ice cream clean-up duty. Of course, he can't stop himself from smearing some melted mint chip down Steve's face, and Steve retaliates with chocolate sauce.

They giggle and flight and make mess until Steve's eyes are bright, cheeks red, and Eddie can't look away. He clocks Steve's eyes drifting to his mouth, is helpless as the distance between them closes, as Steve captures his lips.

It's not the brief, chaste things from the Buckley's; it's hot, all tongues and teeth and desire, and it's not fucking real.

Eddie lurches back, making Steve stumble. "Stop," he snarls.

"Eddie--" Steve's eyes are wide.

He's panting, can't catch his breath. "You can't just fucking kiss me like that when it doesn't mean anything to you."

"Please," Steve begs. "Let me explain."

"Save it. We're done with this. Robin is good now. And I'm out."

He turns away, heads towards the front door, but Steve pulls him back.

"Let me explain. Please. Please, Eddie. I didn't mean--"

And it's too much. Steve's plaintive voice, his big eyes wet with tears.

"Of course you didn't mean it," he spits. "It's nothing to you, pretending to date me. Touching me. Kissing me. Acting like you love me. It doesn't matter to the Heartthrob of Hawkins. But have you or Buckley ever taken the time to think that it's everything to me?" Hot tears spill down his cheeks and he can't even be embarrassed because all of this has been so humiliating.

Steve gapes at him, face slack and stunned. "Eddie, I--I'm so--"

"Don't. See you around, Harrington," he says. Then he runs.

---

He doesn't leave the trailer for a week. Refuses to pick up the phone.

It's Saturday, early evening. Wayne just left for his shift when there's a knock on the door.

Eddie is content to ignore it, to wrap himself in a quilt on the couch, but the knocking doesn't stop.

"Eddie, I know you're in there. Your van is here. The lights are on. I can hear you," Steve calls.

Longing clenches at his heart, but he's not in the mood for the gentle let down.

"Go away, Harrington." He starts towards his bedroom, thinking maybe he can lock Steve out.

"Please, Eddie."

"I don't need anything from you, Harrington."

It's silent for long enough that Eddie thinks it works. And then, " I have so many things I should tell you, Eds. If you still hate me at the end, I'll go. I'll never bother you again. But please, please listen."

Resigned to having a conversation he never wanted, Eddie opens the door. "Okay, Harrington."

Steve steps inside, twisting his hands for a few seconds before blurting out, "I've had a crush on you for months."

The confession briefly steals Eddie's breath from his lungs before he scoffs, "and you never said anything? C'mon, Harrington, when have you ever hesitated to ask someone out?"

Steve blinks a few times, before he answers. "I've been terrified to say anything because I didn't want to lose my best friend."

"And what, Robin asks us to pretend to date and you think that's the perfect time to make your move?" Eddie grips at his hair, pulling it in front of his face.

"Yeah, a little bit!" Steve raises his voice. "I tried but I was terrified you only wanted me as a friend."

"You know I'm gay, Harrington!"

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Of course I wanted you!" Eddie's yelling now, has closed the distance between them so they're almost nose-to-nose.

"I didn't know! How could I? You could've said something!"

"I thought you were straight! Fucking look at you! You've slept with 75% of the available girls at Hawkins High!"

"Who cares about them, Eddie? I want you!"

"Funny way of showing it, Harrington."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm sorry? Cause I am."

"Is that why you kissed me at your house? Making your move?"

"It wasn't supposed to be. I got--" Steve's throat bobs as he swallows. "Caught up in the moment. I know I shouldn't have kissed you like that. I know."

"Then why did you?" Eddie's voice breaks. "Why then? Why not any of the other nights we spent together?"

"Because that's when I realized that I'm fucking in love with you!" Steve shouts.

They're both breathing hard by the end, Steve's eyes too bright, face too flushed. They stare at each other, unmoving, Steve's confession ringing in his ears.

"You done?" Eddie's voice waivers, his heart pounding, stuttering, flipping in his chest.

Steve nods, but Eddie doesn't give him a chance to move. He brings their mouths crashing together, Steve not even hesitating to slip his tongue between Eddie's lips. They kiss hard enough that they draw blood, but that just makes it more frenzied. Eddie grips Steve's hip, presses him against the trailer door, grinding against him with abandon.

Eddie breaks the kiss to finally pay some attention to the delightful moles on Steve's neck, working his way up to his jaw. "I'm going to have so much fun taking you apart, sweetheart," he whispers, mouth pressed to Steve's ear, delighting in the way he shivers at the words.

[kaisa-ryo]

little revenge

soshiro hoshina x reader

tw: 18+, obscenity (blowjob), english isn’t my native language!

***

In the quiet office of the headquarters, where Hoshina sat, only the occasional tapping of the keyboard could be heard. The pungent scent of coffee, lingering in the air, was soothing. The damn paperwork and the mountains of information that Soshiro had to double-check almost daily were draining him to the bone. In short, everything was as usual. This feeling of stability and immutability seemed to protect him from surprises.

But not this day.

A timid knock came from behind the door. It was so unexpected for the guy that he flinched slightly.

“Come in.”

Seeing you in the doorway was a big surprise, as you were supposed to be asleep for two hours already.

“Y/n? Did something happen?” Soshiro completely turned away from his laptop and turned towards you, placing his hands on his lap.

“Yes. I saw the light behind this door and thought you weren't asleep.” Your soft voice was a delight to his ears.

“What? But you know I almost always stay late here. Is that really the reason for your coming?”

“Not at all, Captain.”

“Captain”? We're not in public. Why the formality? After a one-second pause, you slowly approached him, which only raised more questions for him. Your gaze was quite… uncharacteristically playful. His eyes were fixed on you. Inside the brunette was a complete mess of thoughts about what was about to happen. Not that your behavior scared him, just… it was very… unexpected for him?

To his bewildered surprise, you sat on the vice-captain's lap, facing him, with your legs spread on either side. From this gesture, Soshiro didn't even know where to put his hands. Blood began to slowly rush to his face. As if something whispered to you to do this specifically to embarrass him.

In one moment, your face came so close to his that the distance between you was just over an inch. Your sharp look would give anyone goosebumps. Even your deputy commander.

You gently run your finger across his lips, causing him to blush even further.

“It's okay. I just want you to relax a little.”

Without missing a beat, you slide under the table and get on your knees. If the deputy commander was a regular PornHub visitor, he would have understood what was going on.

But before he could think about it, you unbuckled his belt.

You look into his eyes. You were flattered by his reaction to what you were doing. Well, there was no point in him starting this game first.

Just under a week ago, you, like him now, had to experience mixed feelings. You guys were fucking all morning before work. Not only did you end up soaking wet, but Soshiro thought it was a good idea to take your panties for the whole day. This toothy, self-absorbed jerk hid them in his pocket stealthily, pretending he hadn't taken them at all, and spent the whole day holding back laughter at how you blushed and squirmed, being in a short skirt, just so no one would notice that you were without underwear. You were so cute when you glared at him maliciously from the crowd. He definitely deserved an award for the best prank.

“Get and sign, Soshiro.”

“Y/n… mf-f…”

Slowly squeezing out his pre-cum, you enjoyed his reaction, stroking his cock up and down while he trembled. You were in no hurry to take him in your mouth. Turns out, teasing Vice-Captain Hoshina was a very interesting sight. Tonight, you would give anything to see him like this, needy, cute boy.

“Y/n, n-no… what are you doing..? I can't right now…”

“Hm? You don't like it? Should I stop?” Oh, how skillfully you were playing with fire now, knowing he wouldn't say “yes.”

The brunette didn't know what to answer. On the one hand, it wouldn't be very pleasant if you were both like two vegetables the next day, or worse: Mina would see you. But on the other hand, it was truly necessary right now, besides, you looked damn enchanting, kneeling before him, with the knowledge that you could be seen. Just like in a cartoon erotic film.

“No, keep going.” The guy said with difficulty, continuing to watch your actions. Well, how can you refuse such a boy, right?

You run your warm tongue along his tip and the guy immediately flinches.

“Ready to cum already?” you tease.

“Just shut up and keep going.”

What a impatient one.

After playing with his tip, you run your tongue along the entire length.

Soshiro moans and groans. This is the first time you’ve seen him like this.

You continue running your tongue along his cock, giving him the feeling that you’re about to take it in your mouth. Just think, you’re so good at this…

“Y/n, please…”

“Please what?” You knew what it was, but you wanted him to say it himself.

“Please, let me cum…”

Heavy sighs filled the entire room, gradually making it more and more like a brothel. The realization of what was happening seemed to never quite reach the guy. The thought of saying it to your indecent desire, from which you can’t hide, made your fingers clench your hair. The tip went deep into your throat, pushing him down slightly, and the guy paralyzed by being hard, was completely in your power. A whirlwind of thoughts swirled in his head, if they were even there, then they were still very vague and unstable - you set this high note yourself. A little more - and you will reach that very end, where you will hear his loud moan.

“More… like this… aggh!”

To be honest, you were starting to feel sick. But it was worth it to see him worn out from such a pleasurable blowjob. If it weren’t for the incident with the panties, you would have melted in front of him.

“I’m at my limit… keep going, p-please…”

The tempo was increasing. It felt like you could go faster every second.

You didn’t have time to notice how your mouth was filled with hot cum, and Soshiro’s grip on your hair became much stronger. Trying to look into his eyes, you only saw his head thrown back against the back of the chair. From that angle, you could even see the veins in his neck bulging from tension. He is so good, after all.

Besides swallowing the cum and waiting for his further actions, you had no other choice.

“Fuck, damn… ” he exhaled barely audibly, overcome by dizziness and a surge of orgasm, “Come here, baby.” The guy reached out to you to pull you onto his lap.

Without rushing, you climbed out from under the table, wiped your mouth from the leftover cum, and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” The brunette asked, as if under stress.

“Where? To my room. It’s late.” Unusually for you, but quite funny to pretend to be a fool.

“What? Y-you can’t leave me here like that!” Soshiro yelled indignantly, blushing like a lobster.

“Shush, Vice-captain, they’ll hear you. Good night~”

“No! Wait!”

Before he could finish, with a soft chuckle, you slammed the door.

Poor Soshiro didn’t know what to do with his hard as jade dick. Hiding it now would be oh-so-very difficult.

“Damn… I think I messed up…”

[bbina]

notes. smut practice for me basically so expect that this would be terrible. not proofread at all. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT cw. semi public(?) oral and hj (m. receiving)

wonbin found it cute and endearing that you found comfort in laying your head on his lap to rest a little bit after having a couple of drinks

as of the moment shotaro was driving everyone home after catching up with each other after a while. just your typical late night sessions with your friends

wonbin strokes your hair as you make yourself comfortable at the farthest seats in shotaro's suv.

at first, he initially thought of it as nothing. you did always sleep right after drinking with the guys so to him, this was just a typical aftermath of a night out

what he didn't expect was your hand to slowly creep up his pants, slowly palming him through the fabric. wonbin's breath hitches at the contact of your hand to his clothed crotch

you blindly try to find the waistband of his pants. you thanked whatever deity was watching over you when you realize that wonbin was in sweatpants

tugging on the waistband of his sweatpants, you dip your hand inside and free his cock out. as if on instinct, wonbin bucks his hips up the moment you wrapped your hands around the base of his cock.

he was lucky that shotaro's suv was heavily tinted. not much light can penetrate through the windows and illuminate whatever the fuck you two were doing at the back. his friends, shotaro most especially can't know that he's getting a handjob at the back of his suv. wonbin will never hear the end of it

still half asleep, you slowly pump his cock. it was practically second nature to you to skillfully collect his leaking precum just from the tip to spread it around his shaft.

wonbin, still unsure if you were really asleep or not, pats your head lightly. trying to make sure if you were even aware of your own actions

"y/n.. stop that" wonbin leans down, trying to stifle in his moan when you jerk his cock faster

instead of answering, you let out a hum, pretending to stir awake

"are we there yet, binnie?" you ask in a daze, loud enough so the others who were still awake could hear you

wonbin lets out a loud cough when shotaro suddenly looks at the rear view mirror to answer your question.

"not yet, y/n! we're dropping off seunghan first- woah, wonbin, you okay?" shotaro cuts himself off when his friend at the back was having a coughing fit

you halt your actions at the exact moment wonbin was questioned. again, wonbin bucks his hips up at the sudden stop. he feels a little annoyed that you'd actually play dirty with him, leaving him to fend for himself in this awkward situation

"y-yeah man, i'm g-good" wonbin stammers, his voice quivering when you resume jerking him off mid sentence

shotaro nods and diverts his eyes to the main road again. when wonbin notices that the attention wasn't on him, he suddenly grabs a fistful of your hair, slowly yanking your head up from his lap

"behave." wonbin quietly says through gritted teeth. now you got him all worked up. your response was simply tightening your grip on his dick. wonbin takes another sharp inhale when you let go and removed your hand from sweatpants

suddenly, you sit up from wonbin's lap. he stares at you with wide eyes, dumbfounded that you'd get up like you just didn't work him up back there

noticing that it was only shotaro and eunseok, who was on the passenger seat awake, you lie back down on wonbin's lap.

wonbin sighs when you lie back down. you're gonna finish what you started when you two get back home. what wonbin didn't expect was for you to tug on his sweatpants again.

you have once again freed his now hard cock out. wonbin was about to protest but he was met with you kissing the tip.

wonbin purses his lips shut as you do your magic on him. he honestly cannot believe that he's really getting head at the backseat of his best friend's car

he bites his lip to prevent any moan that could come out as you hollow your cheeks, slowly bobbing your head up and down on his cock, careful to not make any noise that could alert your awake friends.

wonbin squirms under you. he's not sure if he can take it much longer. his initial annoyance with you slowly turns to arousal at the mere fact that his friends can catch the two of you doing the dirty.

why was this so hot for him all of a sudden?

and as good things come to an end, you accidentally choke on your spit, causing you to gag on his cock.

wonbin closes his eyes shut as he waits for the reactions of his two friends. he's praying that nobody heard anything since there was still music playing on aux

you stay incredibly still, wonbin's cock still on your mouth as you wait for a moment til the coast was clear.

without warning, wonbin pushes your head back down, ushering you to finish what you started. you happily hum against him, sending vibrations through his body

you can feel wonbin slowly getting close with the way his cock was twitching inside your mouth. this gave you the green light to go faster and even wrapped your free hand around his shaft, simultaneously jerking and sucking him off

wonbin hisses, eyes rolling to the back of his head. just the mere sight alone of you taking all of him with just with your mouth is sending him to euphoria. he feels himself about to let loose til eunseok breaks the silence

"let's know our time and place, lovebirds. time and place"

eunseok speaks up, having enough of hearing wonbin's low grunts and groans.

"what?" shotaro asks, eyeing eunseok before looking at the rear view mirror again to look at wonbin

"your car is now the bang bus bro" eunseok erupts into laughter after catching you and wonbin in the act, "wonbin's getting head back there"

"what did you say?!" shotaro slams on the breaks, causing everyone to jolt forward.

"what the fuck shotaro hyung!" seunghan complains

"what happened?!" sungchan exclaims, in high alert

"ouch!" sohee rubs his temple

"are we home already?" anton asks quietly, rubbing his eyes

with all the commotion going on now that everyone is awake and shotaro and eunseok are fully aware of what you two just did, wonbin quite literally pulls you off of him.

"the fuck? who said i'm getting head back here when y/n's just fast asleep on my lap?" wonbin tries to defend himself but ultimately fails when eunseok points out his flushed cheeks

"your face speaks for itself, bin" eunseok cackles

"you're gonna have to turn this car inside out tomorrow morning" shotaro chimes in, only fueling eunseok's laughter.

the rest of the guys just give each other questionable looks but decides not to speak on it

you bite your lip to prevent yourself from laughing. maybe it is fun to tease wonbin in front of the guys. the way wonbin was now too stunned and embarrassed beyond measure to even speak

thankfully though the rest of the guys drop it and continue on driving. you all were nearing the first apartment complex anyway. wonbin suddenly leans down and whispers something in your ear

"two can play this game"

[otomehoneyybearr]

Kagari Ending

The Beast Tempts the Little Rabbit Keith vs Kagari Story Event

Warning: slightly nsfw suggestive (and Kagari’s kink at the end?), mentions of blood and trafficking

Minors DNI

Ep 1 | Ep 2 | Epilogue

Kagari: "Wait until there's more of a distance between you before you move. You wouldn't want to be found out so clumsily."

It was Kagari who held me back.

Emma: "But why are you...?"

Kagari: "I just happened to see him leave the dance hall."

(Despite me searching so much, he just had a passing encounter.)

Kagari: "Let's go."

Whispering, Kagari looped his arm around my waist as if escorting me and began to walk.

Emma: "Um, what are you doing...?"

Kagari: "Pretending we're lovers. Even if he notices us, his guard will be lowered if he sees a couple."

Emma: "Shouldn't we go call Prince Keith?"

Kagari: "No need. It's troublesome when he's around."

(Well, that's a problematic statement.)

While paying attention to my steps, we continue to follow the man.

Emma: "The person you’re really looking for isn't that man, is it?"

Kagari: "You got it. Well done, Princess."

(Given what I've seen of Kagari so far, he could just catch him immediately.)

Kagari: "I have business with the guy that man is contacting."

Emma: "...Are you going to take him back to your country?"

Kagari: "No, I'll make him disappear."

●●●●●● Flashback ●●●●●●

Kagari: "Don't worry, there won't be a war. We're just stopping a negotiation."

Kagari: "But, it's not so minor of an offense that we can just let things slide either."

●●●●●● Flashback End ●●●●●●

(I had a feeling it might’ve been something like that.)

Despite his casual tone, his words weighed heavily on my heart.

For a royal to come all the way to Jade to deal with a criminal, it must be an issue that couldn’t be resolved through discussion.

(But... is there really no other way?)

Man: "..."

(What? His pace seems slower than before.)

The feeling of unease suddenly turned into certainty, as the man came to an abrupt stopped.

As if he was about to turn around――

Kagari: "......"

I grabbed Kagari's arm and pushed him forcefully into a nearby room.

......

(Did he see us? Are we safe?)

I wanted to check through the gap in the door, but the chance of getting caught would defeat the purpose.

Kagari: "You certainly have a lot strength to push a trained man into a room, Princess."

Emma: "I often carry dozens of books at once, so that's probably why."

Kagari: "I see. You should continue that training to protect yourself in the future."

Kagari: "So, what do we do now? The footsteps are getting closer."

(...!)

(They ARE getting closer. Just how sharp is Kagari's hearing?)

I listen from the door and contemplate.

(The owner of the footsteps might not be a man, and I’m not even sure if they’re really heading towards this room.)

(Still, it’s better to hide just to be saf—Oh, of course there’s only a table and chairs!)

Perhaps because the room is rarely used, but there’s no furniture to hide behind.

(If they come into the room, I could pretend to faint... but what if it's a different person that comes in? That would be disastrous.)

Kagari: "Time's up, Princess."

Emma: “What...? Time's up?"

Kagari: “You can scream if you want, but don’t refuse.”

Emma: “Um, Kagari…? Wah!

I was pulled by the arm and suddenly felt weightless.

Kagari sat on a chair and placed me on his lap, facing him.

Kagari: “If there’s nowhere to hide, then we’ll just have to create a reason for us to be here.”

(So this position…)

(Is he suggesting we pretend to be lovers here too?)

His hand ran up my thigh as if lifting the hem of my dress, and I felt a heat surge through me.

(Right, I can't hesitate anymore! I have to do something!)

I made up my mind and wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Kagari: “They stopped in front of the door.”

(They found us out.)

Kagari: “…”

As I tensed up, my arms tighten around his neck and—

Emma: “Ah!”

A slight pain shot through my neck.

(Wait, did he just… bite me…?!)

Before I could understand what happened, I heard the door open from behind me.

Man: “Oh…”

Woman: “Eek!”

(A woman’s voice?)

Kagari pulled my head closer to his shoulder.

The sweet, fleeting scent of cherry blossoms made my heart strangely flutter.

Kagari: “We're in the middle of something. Get lost.”

His emotionless tone seemed to stoke fear in the intruders, as the man and woman quickly left the room.

(At least that man didn’t notice us, right?)

(That’s a relief. But still…)

I remembered the embarrassing sound I made and felt an urge to roll on the floor.

(Who would’ve thought I’d be bitten…?)

(I’m sure they all heard. The people who came into the room, and even Kagari…)

Emma: “--AH?! K-Kagari, you don’t have to pretend to be my lover anymore!”

I hastily grabbed the hand that had begun to stroke my thigh again.

Kagari tilted his head curiously...

Kagari: "Are you sure you’re okay with that?"

Kagari: "You didn't seem to want to get off, so I thought I should continue."

Emma: "I'm sorry, I'll get off now."

(Actually, it was rude of me to be lost in thought on a prince's lap in the first place.)

I hurriedly put my dangling feet back on the floor.

●●●●●● Flashback ●●●●●●

Kagari: "I have business with the guy that man is contacting."

Emma: "...Are you going to take him back to your country?"

Kagari: "No, I’ll just make him disappear."

●●●●●● Flashback End ●●●●●●

(....)

Seeing that I hadn't made any effort to get off, Kagari tilted his head slightly.

Emma: “…Can I ask you something?”

Kagari: “Yeah, go ahead.”

Emma: “What kind of crime did the person you’re looking for commit?”

Kagari: “Why do you want to know?”

Emma: “Both Rhodolite and Jade are countries that find taking away someone’s life unacceptable.”

Kagari: “Your quite knowledgeable, Princess.”

After staring at me for a moment, Kagari slightly hesitated before speaking again.

Kagari: “Human trafficking.”

Emma: “….”

Kagari: “That merchant colludes with orphanage directors, regularly selling children to nobles as tools for profit."

Kagari: "Even if there are laws in place, why should a second chance be given to someone who’s done nothing but evil?"

(Evil, as the name suggests, might be a term that's fitting for this.)

Emma: "The crimes of the merchant cannot be forgiven."

Emma: "But I believe everyone deserves a chance for redemption."

Emma: "I don't want them to die without knowing the severity of their crimes."

Kagari: "....."

Kagari: "Unfortunately, people who’ve had a taste of power tend to repeat their crimes."

Kagari: "Their crimes spread like stains and become irreparable as they continue."

(It sounds like he's speaking from personal experience...)

I was gently lifted up and placed back on the chair where Kagari was sitting.

Contrast to his words, he handled me as delicately as fragile glass.

Kagari: "Wait here, Princess."

Kagari: "People like you, who are so fixated on peace-making, will only get in the way."

With that, Kagari left the room without waiting for my response.

The painful silence felt like it was blaming me.

Taking a life could be considered the greatest crime.

But history has taught us that peace can only be attained through sacrifice.

(....It's natural to be perceived as complacent about making peace.)

(But before that, I should have understood the situation properly and not forced my thoughts onto him.)

Guilt weighed heavily on my chest.

Emma: "W-what... was that sound just now?"

Suddenly, I heard a loud noise from afar, as if something big had fallen, accompanied by a faint vibration.

(It came from the direction Kagari went.)

(...I'm sorry.)

As if shaking off my hesitation, my intuition urged me, and I dashed out of the room.

……

(What... is this?)

Upon entering the room where the intense noise emanated, I was met with a gruesome sight.

The floor and walls were stained red with splatters of blood, and there were heaps of people groaning and trembling in pain all around.

In the midst of it all, Kagari stood there calmly.

(There's so many of them lying on the floor. The people from earlier we're also on the ground.)

(Did Kagari take them all out in that short amount of time? And without a single scratch...)

Overwhelmed by the sudden surge of fear and discomfort, I leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy.

Kagari glanced over at me and casually flicked the blood off his sword.

Kagari: "You’re so fearless despite being weak, Princess."

Kagari: "But, that fine. It'll be over soon. Just stay quiet over there."

His indifferent tone only added to the tense atmosphere.

His emerald eyes fixed on the man with trembling legs.

He was probably the man Kagari was looking for, and surrounding him were a few mercenaries, glaring at Kagari with swords in hand.

Merchant: "Damn it... You actually came all the way to Jade to disrupt our negotiations."

Merchant: "Hey, how much are we paying you guys? Hurry up and finish him off!"

With the angry shout as a signal, the mercenaries rushed towards Kagari.

Kagari: "Don't get so frustrated. You're the one who wasted you money on them."

Kagari: "...But seriously, opponents this weak are hardly worth my time."

His heel slowly lifted off the ground.

It didn't take long for blood splatters and screams to fill the air.

The mercenaries fell without even knowing what had happened.

Kagari effortlessly wielded his sword, as if performing a dance in hell.

Then, one mercenary sneaked up behind Kagari and raised his sword.

(No...!)

Kagari: "...."

Before I could even think, my body moved instinctively, and I pushed the man's back with all my strength.

(I did it...! It’s all thanks to carrying those heavy books every day.)

Mercenary: "You bitch...!"

(...Uh oh.)

The enraged mercenary directed his attack towards me, and I brace myself.

Mercenary: "Guh...!"

(W...what?)

Before I realized it, the tip of the sword was protruding from the mercenary's side.

A few millimeters closer, and it would have surely reached my abdomen.

Kagari: "Are you incapable of waiting patiently like me, Princess?"

Kagari: "I won't stop you if you want to die, but don't mistake bravery for recklessness."

As the sword was pulled out, the last mercenary collapsed at Kagari feet.

Shortly after, I saw the merchant crumbling to his knees.

There was no trace of the vigor he had moments ago in his expression.

Merchant: "I... I'm sorry. It's my fault. I won't do this anymore."

Merchant: "So please, spare my life. I don't want to die... I'll give you all my money, everything, please..."

(How selfish...)

My hands clenched in anger as the merchant begged for his life, pressing his head against the floor.

Kagari: "..."

(Kagari...?)

I felt a slight sense of unease as he shook his head ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, the tip of the sword was directed towards the ceiling—

And without hesitation, descended directly towards the merchant's neck.

Keith: "Stop!!"

A sharp, low voice filled with anger, echoed in the room.

The sword stopped just as it touched the merchant's neck in response to Prince Keith’s voice.

I let out a shaky breath.

Kagari: "You've arrived just in time, Keith. How disappointing."

After glancing at Prince Keith and me, Kagari looked down at the merchant again.

Kagari: "It’s thanks to both of them that you narrowly escaped death."

Keith: "K-Kagari!"

Merchant: "Gyaaaah!!"

Amidst the merchant's blood curdling screams, I realized he was rolling on the floor, blood flowing from one of his eyes and his leg.

Even though Prince Keith was holding Kagari’s wrist that held his sword, Kagari‘s expression remained unchanged.

Kagari: "What's wrong? He's still alive."

Keith: "Even so, that doesn't mean you can just do anything you want."

Kagari: "You're still the same as ever."

Kagari: "That's why you always end up losing control."

Keith: "...!"

Kagari shook off Prince Keith's hand, wiped the blood off the sword, and sheathed it.

At the same time, knights hurriedly appeared with bustling footsteps,

Under Prince Keith’s instructions, they began to restrain the fallen individuals on the floor.

(...Is it over now?)

With the danger gone, my legs give out from under me as if the tension had been cut loose.

Prince Keith, who rushed over, squatted in front of me with a visibly worried expression.

Keith: "Emma, are you okay? Are you injured? Please tell me anything, no matter how small."

Keith: "...I'm sorry I came late."

Emma: "No, thank you. I'm not hurt, so there's no problem."

Emma: "I just sat down because I felt relieved. I'm sorry for causing a commotion."

I smiled to reassure him, and a sense of relief colored my golden eyes.

Knight: "Prince Keith."

Keith: “Ah, just a moment.”

Emma: "I'm fine, please go ahead."

Keith: "...Thank you."

With a hint of hesitation, Prince Keith headed towards the knights,

And as he passed by, Kagari approached me.

Just that, for some reason, my heart started to pound unpleasantly, and I felt breathless.

(Why am I suddenly feeling afraid of Kagari?)

Kagari: "..."

Emma: "...!"

His eyes looking down showed no emotion.

As if to prevent me from backing away, he stepped on the hem of my dress.

Kagari: "You tried to stop me and then you tried to help. Why are you running away?"

(My voice... won't come out.)

Kagari: "Cat got your tongue...?"

Kagari: "Yet, you talk normally with Keith... It feels lonely."

(Why... why does he sound so resentful?)

Just as Prince Keith did before, Kagari crouched down in front of me.

His emotionless face remained unchanged.

His expressionless emerald eyes remained the same.

(...But it's different.)

In his eyes, there was a viscous, syrupy heat that hadn't been there before.

Kagari: "If I kneel down and cutely meow like a cat, will I get your attention?"

The words were whispered as if to himself, and his wicked smile amplified the fear...

Kagari: "Princess."

(Ah....)

As his face approached, and his breath brushed against my neck—

With a sudden snap, everything went dark in front of my eyes.

▼・ᴥ・▼