#Beloved Kinship

[atrayo]

Channeled Angelic Wisdom of the Jewels of Truth Series on Beloved Kinship, Unique Blessed Talents, & godly Ascension

Hello All,

As we're on the cusp of being one month away from the start of the holiday quarter of the year. I wanted to reach out and post another trio of angelic-channeled Jewels of Truth statements. All three topics touch upon the spiritual Intuitive gifts in some fashion or another. Just as it is seen as pious to develop one's divine gifts from God in his worship. It is also seen as righteous by the heavenly angelic host to develop your Intuitive faculties in conjunction with further appreciating the holy upon the world and the afterlife therein. 

Perhaps with the exception of Judaism where the High Priest could use oracular abilities. The other two Abramahic faiths of Christianity and Islam go basically frantic when a person embraces their divine clairvoyant Inheritance on earth. 

If it wasn't for my not listening to my Inner divine calling as a scribe utilizing psychic Inspirational automatic writing to date. There would be no Jewels of Truth series of 28 years of channeling spiritual compassionate wisdom, metaphysics, and mysticism at large as a clairaudient and claircognizant. As they say no risk, no reward. 

I always affirm the presence of God's Absolute Love in my life. Whenever I connect informally and formally with the angels, fairies, mythological lesser deities, and so forth. In that way, there is nothing to fear and they arrive always like a gentle whisper in my mind's eye when spoken to telepathically. As long as you pray and ground yourself to Heaven and Earth as a beginner. You can cross the spiritual realms with confidence with the only caveat is if you channel something garbled your human ego got in the way. 

Today's trio of topics consists of Beloved Kinship which covers the statement of praying to departed loved ones be they a person, a pet, or some nostalgic place in a distant time. Next, there is the topic of Unique Blessed Talents which delves into the Intuitive Clairvoyant suite of psychic senses of your spirit/aura and Divine White Magicks overall. Lastly, there is the topic of godly Ascension as a summary of how and why to prepare your spirit for the hardcore ascetics to overcome the world in general. 

May you find these topics intriguing, to say the least regardless if their merit is too much as a bridge too far for you to travel in your faith with God to date. Amen.

Beloved Kinship:

3262) When any loved one as a dearest fellow person, creature, and even a place in time fades from recent memory upon the world. They are surely missed from our daily lives in terms of intermediate contacts generally being the case. 

It is here one must have the self-realization that such a beloved consciousness recollected isn't in vain at all. That what is omitted now in a permanent fashion due to the finite mortal coil by appearance's sake can indeed return. Just not under its original guise in question that must be readily acknowledged in peace. 

Here is where personal sorrow can be eased and lessened by developing your own psychic spiritual faculties upon the world responsibly. These are standard skills or senses of your Soul on earth in the Image and Likeness of God as what you call your Divinity. Available to all physical beings be they human or some other sort of creature such as mammals, reptiles, etc... However, humanity is the keenest able to discern intellectually where the other species of the earth are not so much. 

No one entity as a Being can deny you your graces of spiritual interactions with the Heavenly Host. These expressions are profoundly Holy and carry the gravity of the Will of God upon them as Divine Law. To be intimidated by well-meaning religious Institutions and other secular organizations leaves you at their mercy. The faith-filled being better prepared as in skilled to face the world spiritually and intellectually can offset many troubles over time. 

The Holier Realms are your Divine Birthright here on Earth, whether you construe it as Heaven on Earth or something else by another namesake. If you are deaf, dumb, and mute with your innate psychic standard gifts then surely you can easily be manipulated by conditions on the ground at a huge disadvantage. 

With all beginnings, you will stumble like a naive toddler learning to speak, read the omens, signal, and walk in an Intuitive psychic fashion. Taking years to learn the spiritual Intuitive basics and decades to master all the rest upon a mortal lifetime. There are grand differences between the mundane physical dominion of your Creation and the spiritual realities be they astral, fairy, or heavenly. The Inner Mind's Eye of your 3rd Chakra is the conduit of self-realized expressions feeling and not necessarily thinking your way to parse your Intuition. 

One has ample time and opportunity to engage with the Holy Masters be they angels, ancestors, and the lesser deities as exalted angelic beings overall. What can be easily dismissed as mere nonsense intellectually has profound emotional undertones if interpreted correctly. However, if your Intuitive faculties have you startled easily like a child. 

Then consider the tried and true devotional tools or graces all religions espouse in one manner or another. For example, prayer to your ancestors be they loved ones or historical figures and then watch for coincidences as validations of their generic or specific response to you personally. Next, there is counting your blessings as a form of thanksgiving. In giving thanks to the heavens be they God, your beloved ancestors, and/or the angels you open up your heart to receive divine blessings. As like attracts like kind as an echo response of goodwill. 

There are other spiritual devotional tools such as supplication this is the needy form of prayer versus the conversational kind. Calling in for reinforcements to aid you to lessen dire conditions and circumstances in your life from the greater hereafter. Often a bulwark after a prayer of supplication there are Affirmations here to empower your psychological sensibilities in the world. Claiming such and such is a truth in your personality matrix alleviating your fears of lack and/or trouble. Affirmations provide you the worshipper of God with levers to switch on strength as living courage. When everything else appears toxic all around you in a temporary fashion. 

When you pray, give thanks, supplicate, affirm, and so forth to a loved one upon the afterlife. The Holy Ghost as the exalted Supreme Spirit of God hears it simultaneously and profoundly. Where it is dispatched to your guardian angels and other ancestral supporters in paradise like an instant email system. It is Indeed Instant due to the timeless nature of the afterlife without the constraint of temporal occurrences. 

Often if you listen deeply and gently enough you can feel the immense love pouring out to you. It can be sensed like a wave of positivity washing through you giving you chills up and down your back. Where the 1st Impression is often the correct response and not the one you perform overkill with by second-guessing yourself into paralyzation. 

It takes practice and immense patience to overcome incremental steps of the infancy of a beginner's development with your sacred Intuitive faculties of God in you. Never can it be rushed it has its own graceful elegance on your human end to endure. This is whether you adore a loved one as a person, a creature akin to a domestic or wild pet, or a place in time long since faded. None are far away in terms of situational or spatial spiritual Infinity. For Infinity is another conundrum dimensionally speaking with endless spacelessness as the extended Meta-Being of God(dess). Amen. ---Ivan Pozo-Illas / Atrayo.

Unique Blessed Talents:

3261) Everyone as a Divine Being of God whether Incarnated or not upon other spectral ghostly forms of existence. Has an Intrinsic make-up directly attributed to the Likeness of God metaphysically as a co-creator, co-sustainer, and co-destroyer upon the world. These are but the basic premise of the meta-constant circular nature of the Great Mysterious Maker. 

Consider it akin to an Infinite unique watermark or fingerprint of your native bodily appearance as genetics go physically in time. Such a mark is both Holy and Sacred when it is posited upon the metaphysical afterlife by comparison as the extended essence of the Divine Supreme One. All are Children of God as people, creatures, ecosystems, meteorological patterns, etc... 

Unfortunately what is also Above in Heaven has its corrupted Twin in the Hellish realms of the cursed underworld of the afterlife. Each is considered a separate dominion of God itself. Structurally speaking what is perfect in Heaven is warped in Hell. Basically, Creation as your physical universe is shared equally with both Heaven and Hell in tandem. Heaven on Earth and Hell on Earth for instance as ethereal places as States of Being of both the Human Condition and other expressions of totality itself.

Every being or entity has latent powers of the Soul of God within them earnestly. Whether these are expressed responsibly by righteous means or selfish mean-spirited occurrences of misconduct. Although there is an equal spread of the type of clairvoyant and magical modalities upon the world. Each arrives uniquely through the person in question as configured differently as a pattern of proficiency. 

We the Heavenly hosts often realize someone is spiritually talented when they are cooking off abilities randomly without discipline. Much like a toddler with a cigarette lighter. When there is love in the home the person is stronger than any form of fear. Often their curiosity may pass in time and if not the old soul must be careful not to provoke the ire of relatives inadvertently. 

Heretofore we as the eternal blessed witnesses see all under the sun of men and women alike. When such godly holy nature exhibits itself naturally at first blush as it was said. These are powers or talents that need careful development if they are to be awakened spiritually with respect to all concerned. As there are physical bodily senses of sight, taste, hearing, touch, and smell. Your spirit body or aura has an equal set of spiritual senses as a ghost incarnated into a physical body. 

Often depicted as clairvoyance by sight, clairaudience by spiritual telepathic hearing, clairsentience by feeling akin to touch, clairalience as smell, clairgustance as taste, and an extra ability as claircognizance as Inner Knowing. These are the standard powers of all spirits regardless if they are disembodied or incarnated. 

Further afield there lay the godly angelic powers of said magicks of evocation, Invocations, conjuring, abjuring as forms of exorcism, and many other lesser pools of magical being. This too can be construed as either elemental as earth-based or divine high magicks as strictly interacting with the heavenly angels when faith is strong and conviction is steadfast. For some magical living is like a religion all its own settled within another contemporaneous spiritual tradition. Akin to a force multiplier that affords a bigger bang for your buck in divine interactions with hopefully only the heavenly host in question.

When there is such a silent majority upon the spiritual world living in the flesh whether declaring their utmost presence without fear. There can be a galvanized awakening for the world to realize what it has feared completely out of hand was an overreaction. Careful understanding with respect to the undertakings must be adhered to with sensibility. Nothing is to be taken for granted even if it means that it must be tested as there are truly no sacred cows as taboos. Question until you feel secure enough and then live by a higher sophisticated ideal of what it means to be truly spiritually alive in union by faith with God(dess). Amen. ---Ivan Pozo-Illas / Atrayo.

godly Ascension:

3260) All forms of Divinity are not alike thus the makeup of truly being alive in faith united with the Heavenly Host is paramount not unlike anything before in spiritual truth. Every entity or being is an Infinite facet of the cosmic Creator the God of all gods supreme. All facets as slivers of the spect of God in each of you are truly universally unknowable it is a universe unto itself mysteriously so.

Your soul bodies must abide in utmost alignment with your spirit here on earth. If and when you decide to be devoted to religious or spiritual traditions of the endless afterlife. Here is what is by the auric tones symbolically what is entailed for spiritual ascension upon a lifetime briefly. The totality of God has generically extended out its hand to all whom would carry the sacred flame of truth with conviction. Not just into the world but all other astral and otherwise spiritual realms that be made so possible metaphysically. 

For a human being or any other semi-sentient intelligent creature out in your physical cosmos. Intends to live a devoted ascetic life in service to all including themselves without neglecting self-care. They can begin to syncretize themselves to wisdoms and other spiritual knowing beyond this world. This entails being adopted by the Holy Masters otherwise progress is dwarfed as the sojourn goes forward.

Depending on the religion or lack thereof of such a background many errors introduced by so-called learned men as theologians must be unlearned as innocent mistakes. This clears the way for later more complex rudimentary understandings to be envisioned within a lifetime. No one wants to move forward half-cocked only to realize they need to double back to undo assumed mistakes long ago made by well-meaning spiritual forefathers. 

All godly spiritual powers are angelic in holy nature period. The next evolution of all fully or partially intelligent lifeforms out in your cosmos spiritually speaking is into the next rung on the ladder of eternity and infinity as angelic in the perfect template of God itself. The animal or other ephemeral mortal coils on whichever planetary sphere you began upon are immaterial in question. All roads lead upwards as an uneven celestial cosmic corkscrew. 

You and I are different manifestations of the god force of the totality of being alive. You are human and I am angelic in godly holy nature. I am highly evolved and by happenstance, your soul eclipses my own since you have more than one soul, which I only have one which is the standard holy fare dearest "Ivan the Atrayo". 

The conundrum doesn't escape us as a paradoxical flip of the uneven nature of God to keep us all on our so-called toes as divine beings. As we explain these feats of ascension to your esteemed modern spiritual readers. There comes a limitation placed on what can be explained with simplicity based upon your human vocabulary as our oracle or herald. 

Those who are philosophically inclined may mutter what all this means with confidence. Your lack of a fuller education in the literary arts Ivan has afforded us the chance to work with you as a truly blank slate as it were said. To Be like God can not be overstated here for that is the yardstick of measurement required for any person to overcome the societal norms of convention at least metaphysically at present.

Here is where morality as the norms of virtues, ethics, and another sound basis of well-meaning care with common sense and uncommon wisdom is also required. At least for those seeking Enlightenment from Heaven. Enlightenment is possible through Hell, however, that is a tortured affair altogether and not the basis of this statement of the Jewels of Truth series. 

Detachment from the obstacles of modern living is a plus if one has the mental acumen to be divorced from the popular rage of the world. For spiritual service, whether you call this dharmic or something else must have a caring compassionate center within moderation to affect positive changes overall. To be extremely detached and one becomes a fool without any bearings as a balloon without any proper moorings. 

One must inhale life in all its glory and exhale all its lacking poisons, otherwise, imbalances will occur. Patience with fearlessness upon courage is also required to act when all others have frozen feet coupled with loathing fears. To Be Saint like is a good start, but not to the point you have an inflated vain ego because of it. Everything holistic whether mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual spheres are required when interacting with forces beyond your total control. Anything short of this call upon us the heavenly host to aid your path when encountering circumstantial turbulence in life. 

All forms of godly Ascension is a team or heavenly societal effort it is welcoming a renewed luminary upon the world and the hereafter simultaneously. There are many unique creative one-time and otherwise frequent paths of celestial ascension back to God prior to a mortal death blow. Not all are created equal as the caveat is so simply put. We welcome all earnest efforts even if one abandons their efforts in one lifetime and comes back in their next reincarnation where they last left off. The holy of holies is a stickler for details like that to be wholly respected. 

There is a metaphysical near endless universal angelic arts and sciences that dwarf all knowledge-based knowing in your bubble of a physically created universe altogether. Only the perfect absolute Mind of God mysterious and unknowable upon totality as it were dwarfs our collective angelic knowing completely of the infinite heavens. Amen. ---Ivan Pozo-Illas / Atrayo.

Ivan "Atrayo" Pozo-Illas, has devoted 28 plus years of his life to the pursuit of clairaudient-inspired automatic writing channeling the Angelic Heavenly host. Ivan is the author of the spiritual wisdom series "Jewels of Truth" consisting of 3 volumes published to date. He also utilizes a unique channeled angelic divination method called the Multi-Deck Divination System. Numerous examples of his work are available at "Atrayo's Oracle" blog site of 18 years plus online. You're welcome to visit his website "Jewelsoftruth.us" for further information or to contact Atrayo directly.

[localgirlbecomesobsessed]

The things you do for a date

ITS HEIST TIME

heist time turned kind of spooky and Xena is having an unfun time and Romeo is done with life. This actually turned a bit horror lmao

part one

Leo x Xena

something something something...thinking about how rich people used to eat mummified bodies.

warning:violence,detail of injury,kind of cannibalism?

Xena took a deep breath to steady herself as she smoothed out the emerald dress Romeo had forced her in. It was a simple slip dress that slitted at both sides, revealing toned thighs and Xena’s heavy scars, earning looks she’d rather ignore and is meant to ignore as Kaito retied the laces of her knee high boots.

How Romeo convinced Kaito to play the role of servant she doesn’t know…but she does know he’s enjoying this a little bit too much.

“Kaito; see if you can get any info from the others, just in case we missed something.”

Xena hissed out at him, subtlety yanking her leg away. The blonde haired man pouted at her but followed her instruction as she grabbed a flute of what she’s hoping to be wine, the server carrying the plate of drinks eagerly started talking to kaito as the two disappeared into the sea of people walking into the ballroom, Kaito giving the excuse he needed to get his mistress her favourite dessert…

Xena walked through the huge hall, narrowly avoiding the dancing dolls swirling around her as she aimed her direction to the stage, pretending to be like the many people who seemed to be extremely weirdly estactic for the hypnotist…she was more excited to see Romeo flop on stage.

It was still the beginnings of the party, people still filing in as she found a quiet place to sit. Angling herself in the corner nearest one of the huge windows in order to get a better view of the both the eerie stage and the row of mausoleums at the back of the mansions gardens.

There were five mausoleums and two of them were painted a light gray, the other three black with golden doors. The last one with the golden door was meant to be the entrance to the underground hopefully-not-dungeon but just storage basement that holds the anomaly artefact.

She had to wait for Romeo’s show to start and for him to give the signal before she can actively explore, the plan was for Kaito to wait with her until the signal is given and then he’d meet them at the rendezvous area.

If all goes to plan...

“Mistress, I brought you the chocolate covered strawberries.”

Xena raised an eyebrow as Kaito handed her the hugest bowl of strawberries, he grinned sheepishly at her as he sneakily took one for himself as he leaned against her chair, they probably seemed too causal for a master and servant but she didn’t care that much.

“You’re enjoying this.”

Kaito laughed lightly as he took the bowl off of her, holding it so the two can munch on their snack, he shrugged shyly as he grabbed her another drink.

“They say a secret party happens in the mausoleums, they’re not sure which one but apparently the organiser and his husband send special invitations that tells you which mausoleum to get into…”

Xena frowned as she looked around the many invitees who cheerfully chatted with eachother, she needed to get one of those invites…knowing her luck she’s going to walk right into the party grave.

Her own faked invite was mustard coloured with small golden doves above her name, she flipped it over trying to see if there’s some sort of clue of how they differentiate between the special and the normal invites when a passing group’s gossip was overheard.

“Oh Diana, getting a plain pink invite well I would just die, see Nancy got the special invite and I got the prestigious one…”

She whipped her head at Kaito, taking a deep breath as she slid into the group.

“Oh my Diana it’s been so long, it’s me Cassandra do you remember?”

She forced on a huge smile as she went in for a cordial hug and awkward kiss of the cheek, Diana forced by social convention to awkwardly pretend she recognises the girl before her. A forced strained smile on her face as she turned to her group.

“Everyone this is Cassandra! It’s really been such a long time!”

The group turned to look at her, eyes hungrily eating up the sight of the fake aristocrat, Xena smiled as she greeted each and everyone of them, already feeling exhausted from the group of seven as each demanded a hug, they all glanced at Kaito ignoring him as Xena gestured for him to follow behind.

“Darling, you must tell us what colour your invitation is, the lowest has to volunteer to get on stage with the dreamy hypnotist-he’s a professional you know!”

They all laughed cheerfully with no actual emotion underneath it, they reminded her of blank dolls with nothing under their surfaces. The three men all had the black tuxes, one was bedazzled with diamonds and rubies, the other was a black velvet and the last one had a dark green trim all around his suit with a matching shirt. The women all had backless black dresses that matched with the men…except one, Diana, the one with the plain pink invite, she had an extravagant golden dress with golden chains and silver swords swinging down the back, it was deep plunged with bat winged arms and it seemed heavy, she stood out and was in both Xena’s and Kaito’s words ‘extremely hot.’

“Mines, mustard with doves…”

She held it up between two fingers as the others sighed in disappointment.

“I guess Diana will be the volunteer.”

The man with green trimmings said, disappointment and jealousy dripping off his words as he glanced at the woman.

“Hmm I guess so, how entertaining.”

Diana chimed out, popping her fan out as she cooled herself. Xena inwardly squealed at the movement; it was just like what they did in her manhwas, Diana looked at them with amusement as she twirled around, the rest eagerly following as they strode to hypnotists area. They all had to get out their invites to sit at the front, apparently the invites all have levels to them, she just hopes she has the right one.

She checked over the ones everyone held out, in case there was a clue or a clear sign as to what colour was the special invite, she had an inkling but she had to see the others before she swapped hers.

Two of the men had green ones, the other had a blood red one; obviously Diana had pink; the prestigious invite was the mustard with the doves; the other two also had green ones and the one that was meant to have the ‘special invite’, had a plain white one which was actually just the basic invite and Xena had to watch as she got turned away. Her supposed friends all walked off ignoring the woman who demanded to speak to a manager as she proclaimed it was special.

Xena held back as she looked around as the other guests who all had the same white invites went into the places behind them. The ballroom had been swiftly converted into a seating hall, everyone in their seats with a drink in hand as they waited patiently for the hypnotist.

Diana swished her way back to them, noticing Xena straggling behind as she wrapped a hand around her with an iron grip, dragging a surprised Xena as Kaito hurriedly followed them. The others gaped at her as Diana forced her to sit closely next to her, to the point they were basically sharing one seat, Diana traced a finger lightly over Xena’s scar smiling flirtatiously at her as she leaned in close to a flustered Xena.

“You don’t know me do you?”

Xena dropped her face into its usual one of indifference, the act of a too friendly acquaintance being thrown away as the women chuckled at her. She could've kept up the act but honestly undercover work wasn't quite for her.

“Don’t worry, you’re far too interesting to stop talking to now~how bout we find somewhere more private to talk?”

She had brought her hand further up, Xena gently grabbed it as she smiled apologetically at the lady.

“You’re a very very and I mean this with all my heart, very attractive person, isn’t that right K?”

She gestured to Kaito who had been watching the ordeal with an extreme flush covering his ears, face and neck. He began nodding enthusiastically as the woman sighed in disappointment.

“I'm sensing a but...can I guess what it is Angel?...You have a partner.”

Xena nodded, brushing her hand against Leo’s necklace with a slight smile.

“I have a partner.”

The woman smiled before leaning away, taking her hand back as she pointed at Kaito.

“Does he have a partner?”

Xena cracked up as Kaito leaped at the chance to tell Diana that he definitely didn’t have a partner, his enthusiasm not lost on Diana as she chuckled in amusement as she slid Kaito her number, winking as Xena settled properly into the chair next to her; sipping her drink as her phone buzzed erratically.

Romulus: IS THIS A DATING SHOW? BBD GET HIM UNDER CONTROL.

She grimaced as she looked up and met Romeo’s furious gaze, Kaito gulping as he paused in conversation and physically paling at Romeo catching them.

“Hmmm I thought he was single.”

Diana whispered to Xena.

“It’s uh-complicated.”

Diana raised an eyebrow before looking back at the woman who kicked off about her basic invitation-who was now sat at the front of the cut off point for the basic invites with a glare of pure fury aimed at Diana, who sighed before nodding in understanding.

“I get it…”

She reached out and squeezed Kaito’s arm in sympathy, who feigned tears as he thanked his new goddess.

Xena ended up switching chairs with him as he begged to talk to Diana the breezy hall ran a chill down Xena's back as she did so, the woman pausing in conversation as her gaze flickered between the two.

“You two are quite different to the usual crowd that comes here, it’s lovely.”

Diana gestured happily to the two of them as she brushed a hand across Kaito’s blushing cheek. Her kind eyes gazed at him in admiration, she had deep brown eyes that you could melt into and long red braided hair that she had tied intricately with tiny golden skulls and butterflies clipped on each braid, she had a dark emerald eyeshadow that made her eyes stand out and she had golden bangles running up her arms with tattoos hidden underneath them, brown skin shining beautifully, she really was a vision, even Romeo couldn’t help glancing back repeatedly as he seemed to check Diana out.

“It’s actually our first time here believe it or not! We were told we just had to see what was in the mausoleums~!” •_•

She couldn’t force herself to smile but made sure to keep the enthusiasm clear in her voice as Kaito silently agreed with her, Diana’s eyes shone as she grasped their hands, pulling them both in as she glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

“Speak no more, we can go after the show, I can only take one of you with me but I’ll let them know that your invitation has been upgraded!”

She spoke excitedly, running a thumb over Kaito’s knuckles.

“That would be amazing, Kaito could go with you right! I’ll go in afterwards.” ^_^

At least someone could keep an eye on Diana, how does she have so much influence to the point she could change the levels…she wasn’t on their dossier of the family who’s organised it. Plus, from the way the others spoke she had the lowest level of invites among them...

“Wow! Really shgsgsgss ahem…. Thank you Miss.Diana!”

Kaito’s blush never disappeared as he went all gooey eyed at Diana, who’s attention got turned to the stage as the lights began to dim and Romeo confidently and slowly strides onto the stage.

“Welcome one and all, to a night of mystery…”

A puff of smoke boomed around Romeo as he got swiftly replaced by the actual hypnotist. Smoke surrounded the stage before dramatically being blown away as Romeo was revealed on to be sat elegantly on a tilted throne. The hypnotist bowed before him as he faced the audience, the hypnotist started the show bringing randoms on stages which of course included Diana as he made them pretend to be duck, ballerina and such.

Romeo was his unmoving assistant, correcting and bossing the hypnotist about as he explained and worked the room with the science behind hypnotism. It was actually quite fun watching the hypnotist shake in his boots under Romeo’s watchful eyes, their plan was to get the room under their control, find one of the family members (who are meant to be sitting at the front) and get them to lead them to the mausoleum or for them to be brought on stage and Romeo will swipe the key, if the hypnotist fails then at least they have Diana as a backup plan.

If all else fails Romeo will cause a distraction and Kaito and Xena will make a run for it during the commotion.

They had a multitude of plans that they’re hoping they’re not going to have to run through but…

As the hypnotist worked the room, now involving everyone in his tricks, they couldn’t help but notice not one family member was there. The hypnotist called for them to come forward only for an attendant to run onto the stage whispering something in his ear, both Romeo and the hypnotist frowning from the news.

“Well it seems our dear rulers for this evening started their private festivities early, I’ll need…some different volunteers, you girl come forward.”

Diana cheered as he dramatically beckoned Xena to join him, who just sighed in disinterest as she got up and made her way to the stage.

He placed a blindfold on her and placed her next to Romeo, claiming he’ll make them swap minds through just the sound of a gong. Now the hypnotist doesn’t know they knew eachother, only seeing Romeo’s face when he came to blackmail him, so it’d be amusing to see how he’d go about it.

“Oh!! Im terribly jealous how exhilarating!!”

Diana proclaimed as the hypnotists eyes gleamed in self satisfaction as his eyes raked over her figure.

“Then my queen, how about you do it instead, with myself of course.”

He snatched the blindfold off Xena as he attempted to seductively wrap it around Diana, the woman couldn’t help giggling at the hypnotists obvious ploy to flirt with her, enjoying every bit of attention as the crowd gasped at the dramatics of it all.

“It seems the owners have secret parties in our targeted area…”

Xena murmured to Romeo, who slightly nodded as he crossed his legs haughtily.

“They’re not here so the bastards have probably started early.”

She continued as she leaned slightly on the chair’s arm.

“We have a way in, the hot lady has a special invite.”

Romeo’s eyes flitted to hers as he slightly nodded, a quirk of a smile flickered on his face before falling.

“Good work BB.”

Xena tried not to preen under the small bit of praise, she had begun to highly respect Romeo as they continued to work together…he was tenacious in what he wanted and slightly insane, not only that but the way he perseveres despite how painful things can get was inspiring. Sometimes when her leg injury acts up she can barely get out of bed, it was encouraging to see how he continues on despite everything.

Kaito awkwardly sat in the crowd, as he tried to concentrate on the show, which was quite entertaining if not annoying how he also had to sit front row to the show of Romeo and Xena chatting it up. He tried to swallow the bitter ball of jealously that kept trying to rise up…it was bad enough she was with Leo, now she’s all buddy-buddy with Romeo too?

Xena awkwardly waved at Kaito as she watched his face fall into a deep frown…he probably didn’t like being by himself surrounded by hungry sharks that seemed ready to pounce on anything.

They just had to get through this show…and through the mission.

Then it’ll be over.

———————————————————

Diana lead them to the mausoleums, preening under Kaito’s constant compliments, the hallways were abuzz with excitement as people passionately chatted about the hypnotist show, they were lively and full of guests showing off their newest businesses or purchases as they all tried to loudly outdo the other.

Which is why Xena found it strange that as soon as they turned a corner the hall was empty…in fact instead of the blinding white walls they were previously trapped in, the walls were black with gold covering previous cracks that littered the walls, the floor was still a boring white tile but in between each tile there was one with a silver cobra painted onto it…

“They’re all connected my dears~all the little mausoleums, it’s just for show so they can make their family look large and important.”

Xena furrowed her brows at that statement and the indifference of Kaito and Diana at their change of surroundings, this all differed from the original house plans that Romeo had acquired, though from how hush-hush they are about everything it’s no surprise that they faked the layout.

“How do you know so much Diana?”•_•

Xena kept her voice low as she walked beside Diana, her eyes narrowed as the woman had avoided answering that very question everytime Xena tried to subtlety ask previously.

“I’m the chef darling.”

Diana answered, her smile too wide, her eyes void of any emotion as she turned to face Xena, they were in the middle of the hall now, surrounded by paintings that reminded her of a Francisco Goya piece, the unsettling images putting Xena further on edge.

“They have a…peculiar palette you see, I’m one of the only chefs on the planet who can capture a cuisine like that.”

She leaned in twirling a strand of Xena’s hair as she sniffed the air before hungry eyes landed on Xena. Who stood frozen as her hand trailed to her nape, Kaito shot his hand out in an attempt to stop Diana as he watched Xena’s face ashen, finally snapping out of whatever spell Diana had him under.

But it was too late…

Diana’s claw like nails ripped at Xena’s skin drawing blood as Xena hissed in pain, her blood boiling in anger and fear as realisation hit her like a truck.

Diana…She knows…

Xena and Kaito watched in horror as Diana swiped up the blood with her finger before sucking on it, moaning at the taste as drool escaped her mouth, she tried to reach for another taste only for Kaito to shakily stand in front of Xena, looking more like a protective chihuahua than a guard dog, Diana only laughed in amusement sighing as she wiped the drool from her chin.

“Truly delectable darling…I knew you were a treasure.”

Xena shuddered stepping back as she tugged at Kaito’s sleeve to follow her. He couldn’t move, frozen in fear as predatory eyes locked on his, he was shaking in pure terror, eyes filling with tears as Diana’s face slowly transformed, long fangs protruding from her lips as golden scales bloomed all over her face. She smirked as she reached out for Kaito, drool dripping off her fangs and falling onto the tiled floor as smoke emitted from the ground, her spit was acidic and burning A gaping hole into the floor.

“I’ve never tasted ghoul before either!”

Xena yanked Kaito away, using all her strength to throw him behind her as Xena hastily reached into her boot, pulling out a tiny pod and pressing her thumb hard into it causing it to snap in two, the pod extended into a long and thick staff. She silently thanked Alan for the hours of training with the weapon as she swung ferociously into Diana, hitting her violently in the stomach as she doubled over.

“Don’t.”

Xena warned as Diana tried to get back up, the woman’s furious eyes met hers as she struggled to get back up.

“Xe-xe XENAWESHOULDLEAVEPLEASE-“

Kaito screeched at her tugging her arm vigorously as Xena glared down at Diana stubbornly standing in place as she anticipated that them running was exactly what Diana wanted.

Kaito, however let fear overtake him as he let go of Xena and made a dash for it, promising to get some form of help as he tried to run. Yet, as much as he ran the hallway just continued to extend…

There was no escape.

———————————————————

“Those idiots have been OOC for a while…”

Romeo sat on one of the white marbled chairs with the hypnotist, who was currently sweating buckets as he watched probably the prettiest man he’s ever saw sip his wine as he fiddled with the gun hidden under his long purple cape.

“Th-they did go with that woman…”

He managed out tremors racking through his body as Romeo turned to look at him in disgust.

“I’m aware.”

Romeo snapped at him as he pulled out his phone, he made the two of them carry trackers for this very reason (also so he can stalk Kaito later.) Sighing as he forced himself up, Romeo followed their trail, calling one of Darkwick's agents to take the hypnotist away. He was lucky that Hyde allowed him a couple of agents to be dotted around...but that also concerned him, surely this wasn't as easy as Hyde originally made it out to be if he's allowing him all this extra help.

Clumps of people gathered around eachother, all grouping themselves seemingly by their colour coded invite. Romeo watched as a group of red invites got lead out of the room, they all held tightly to the cheap pieces of paper as they seemed to be enveloped in joy at the fact they’re getting something exclusive from the elusive family…

But Romeo always found that special privileges in a place like this…never lead to anything good.

———————————————————-----------------------------------

“PUTAIN DE SAKÉ.”

Xena spat out as she dodged the stinger, Diana as it turned out was some fucked up scorpion-snake-dragon like anomaly, something they so luckily found out when a tail with with huge stinger came launching right at them.

The electricity that thrummed through her staff needed a moment to charge as she had been keeping her at bay with just that…that wasn’t going to get them out of this, something that was frighteningly clear to Xena as she looked around the strange hallway for anything she could use. They couldn’t break through the windows, they’d pause before completely shattering and then putting itself back together again, which was what Diana also did when Xena beat and ripped her arm off….

In conclusion they were fucked.

There were only paintings surrounding them, the windows were unbreakable, Kaito was having a minor breakdown after failing to hit Diana 3 times and Xena was trying to both calm him down and avoid getting murdered or worse…drugged by the stinger.

“Kaito we don’t have time for a melt-DOWN!”

She dived out of the way as Diana flew at her, rolling herself away as she glanced around once more. Diana had been proactive at keeping them away from this end of the hallway…so maybe there was something here.

Diana had been calculative though, stood in between the two as she glanced from side to side deviously smiling at Xena as she watched the girl locate the garden doors.

“KAITO COME ON!”

She kicked the door open, breathing a sigh of relief when it actually flew open.

Kaito stood frozen though as Diana loomed over him, feverishly grinning at him as her jaws snapped at him.

“Poor pretty boy…whatever will you-“

WHACK

Xena slammed the staff across Diana’s head, aiming to burst her eardrum as she watched blankly as Diana screeched in pain. The noise being so loud as Kaito covered his ears tremoring in pain as he struggled to stand up, grabbing one of his arrows as Xena started repeatedly beating Diana with the staff. Blood splattered across the floor and Kaito thought it looked like the cobras were spitting blood at Xena.

Xena who was now covered in blood frantically panting as she threw the staff away, falling back in shock at what she had just done…

She couldn’t.

She couldn’t handle the way she was looking at her, like she was meal to be devoured…

She had a feeling whatever she was about to see in the mausoleum…she definitely wasn’t going to like it.

Before she could have a moment of reflection and delve into whatever horrors await her, the broken body in front of her started twitching forcing itself back together as a strained arm reached in desperation towards Xena.

Who tried with extreme restraint to calmly step back and not let herself attack the dying anomaly, instead she felt bile rise in her throat as she watched Diana screech in pain grappling to pull herself together and tear the frozen girl apart.

"Xe...XENA!"

It all sounded muffled to Xena, she tilted her head as she watched almost mesmerised as Diana's features flickered between human and monstrous...is this what she'll look like? she couldn't help herself as she looked down at the anomaly...at Diana...was she like her? someone cursed to become twisted or was she just born like this?

Was there a difference between her and Diana?

Were the two not monstrous in their own rights? Diana just underestimated or even misunderstood what sort of monster she was dealing with...someone like Xena, she wonders what will become of her in the following months-

"XENA?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?"

Kaito grabbed her arm yanking her backwards and by his side as he stared in fright at the seemingly apathetic girl, Diana slowly and with extreme sluggish movements stood upright and attempted to make her way over to the two.They could hear her bones reforming as she used the wall to stablise herself, dragging herself towards the two and leaving a trail of blood in her wake, her eyes fixed fiercely on Xena.

Diana spluttered as she shakily pointed at Xena, her talons broken and bleeding, she was grinning showing Kaito and Xena her broken fangs that were dripping acidic poison into her own mouth causing her to drool and bleed as her tongue dissolved and rebuilt itself over and over again.

"Y..o.."

Yet, before she could even try to get a word out the piercing sound of a gunshot echoed through the air, snapping Xena out of her own turmoil as she turned to face a furious Romeo.

"This is why I can't leave you two morons alone."

Romeo sighed as he lowered his weapon, rolling his shoulder as he had to hastily try and get a decent aim on the anomaly. He strode over to the two frowning as he caught a glimpse of Xena's face twisting into a horrified look before taking a deep and forcing it back into it's blank state. Kaito was shaken up as he held on tightly to Xena's arm causing Romeo to roll his eyes as he grabbed Xena's other arm and leading them through the door to the gardens. Leaving behind the dead body of Diana, something Xena forced herself not to look at.

"LET idiots-this is more of a massive headache than that SOB let on."

Romeo grumbled out as Kaito and Xena followed him, Xena took a deep breath and forced herself onward finding herself more distracted and annoyed by her dress, it was torn and tattered whilst also being in the way of her scar, brushing against it in a way that was slowly starting to make her extremely irrate. It was all she could focus on...all she allowed herself to focus on, but even that fact was pissing herself off to no end.

Kaito was muttering something to Romeo as Xena marched onwards, ignoring the irritation, the bubbling anxiety and slowly increasing pain in her leg was something she couldn't concentrate on right now...what she needed right now was to smash someone to pieces.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xena kicked down the mausoleum door, wincing as she had to put all her strengh into it, the feeling of the weighted door slamming against her foot vibrated throughout her leg.

Romeo pushed past her sending her a look of mild concern as he walked confidently and with purpose into the crypt. They could hear the cheers and laughs of the 'special' guests down below, Kaito repressed a shiver as the smell of smoking meat breezed to them, the smell unsettled something deep within Kaito as it smelt like something he couldn't quite place.

It didn't take long for them to find the source of the smell, all three of them paused at the entrance of what was meant to be a place of rest...instead the tombs had roasted anomalies splayed on top of them, they were all crudely cut open as the trio watched in horror as the fellows who had the red slips and the family who owned the mansion itself ripped into the bodies in a frenzy.

Xena felt cold sweat drip down her back as she watched the disgusting creatures ravage the poor bodies before them, some of the anomalies she recognised...they were ones kept in Jabberwock, ones she's cared for and know they would never harm anyone...

"Ah! Glorious days young ones I say better late than never, our chef is running a bit late but Matthews decided to crack them out anyway, Ol' lad's better than that monster anyway!"

A man who disturbingly looked like colonel Sanders came up to them, slapping Kaito on the back as spit flew from his mouth, as he spoke he waved a bloodied rib around; Romeo and Xena had to hold back their looks of disgusts. They recognised the man as the patriarch of the family, the eldest and the one with the most bloodon his hands...both literally and figuratively. Kaito faked a laugh and nodded at the elderly man as he guided the trio to a table, Xena felt her hands tremble as she looked at the body before them...it looked like a Kyklos.

"This here is one I caught on a hunt just last week, a Eleusis! something more for the vegetarians aye love!"

The man tried to grab ahold of Xena a greedy grin spread across his face as grubby hands darted towards her, before Xena could launch herself at him and slightly kill the man, Romeo wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close leaning his head on top of hers and chuckling gently.

"But sir Eleusis is a place, don't you mean this is Chlooephi?"

Romeo's tone was light as purple dangerous eyes darted into the man's enraged ones, he spluttered as his face turned a bright red, he forced himself to turn himself away from the trio not wanting to ruin his feast but a subtle hand gesture to what they thought were just other invitees caused Romeo to hastily force the other two to sit at the table.

"He's called for reinforcements."

Romeo muttered to the other two causing Kaito to audibly gulp as Xena nodded, her leg bouncing as she continued to stare at the anomaly before her.

"Why the fuck did you antagonize him?"

Kaito seethed out, not even budging when Romeo's eyes narrowed at him.

"Look at the anomaly they chose for us, those POS know who we are...look at Xena."

Romeo crossed his arms as he smugly watched Kaito freeze in horror as he turned to finally face the girl. Her jaw was tense, her eyes dark and furious as she glared fiercly at the patriarch.

"We're gonna have to fight our way through this."

She announced nodding at her own words as Romeo sighed but reluctantly agreed, Kaito just gaped at her but one look from Xena forced his mouth shut as he silently agreed.

They hadn't even found the artefact yet...

"Kaito, you look for the artefact, me and the BB will handle this."

Romeo ordered and before Kaito could argue with him,not wanting to leave Xena alone with Romeo or in the room with a bunch of rich bastards wanting to devour her. Xena placed a hand on his shoulder and solemnly nodded in agreement with Romeo's orders...

Kaito waited for the battle to commence, Romeo leaving it up to Xena as she abruptly got up, her chair falling behind her as she stormed towards the colonel sanders look-a-like grabbing a metal pole that was used to roast one of the anomalies. She twirled it in her hands as she winked at a group of people who were munching on some poor creature, unsure if this was some weird entertainment act or an actual threat, she grinned maniacally her sharp canines poking out as she swiftly approached the colonel ignoring the people who tried to call to her or stop her as she wildly swung the pole.

Kaito watched in placid horror as Xena kicked the back of the colonel's knees and then promptly swung hard, knocking the colonel out...

"Fucking go Fuji."

Romeo brought out a revolver from his jacket as he shooed Kaito away, the blonde not waiting around as he ran off happily avoiding a fight as he looked back at the scene behind him catching sight of Xena flipping one of the men over and breaking his arm, smiling cruely as she did so.

Kaito was slightly greatful at getting to avoid the mini bloodbath as he went searching for the artefact...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Romeo sighed as he put his glock away as soon as Kaito ran off, pulling himself up as he avoided swinging fists and scared patrons as he found his way to the bar, the clearly anomaly bartender looked at him in surprise as they started to prepare him a drink.

A sparkling red wine with crushed ice.

"Belissimo."

He cheered with the anomaly, a slightly robotic looking creature in a bartenders outfit...he could use one of those for the casino, he glanced at the silver and gold necklace adorned around the creatures neck, ignoring the sound of Xena's grunt and fists landing blows against their enemies.

He wanted to leave her too it, letting her get her anger out on these bottom feeders as he enjoyed his delicious wine. He gestured for the creature to come close as Romeo leaned forward tugging the necklace off and watching the creature let out a sigh of relief. He saw the same sort of thing on that Diana creature...

It was the same sort of thing he caught Xena staring down at when she couldn't take her eyes off of the creature on the table.

He spun in his chair as he watched her grapple with one of the larger enemies, he winced slightly as Xena got thrown hard into a tomb, breaking the stone as she let out a low groan. Xena huffed out a laugh reaching for a sharp rib poking out of the Merrow and stabbing it into the man's eye, she struck at his nerves immobilising the man as she swept under his feet and smashed his head into the wall.

The anomaly passed him another wine this time it was in an even bigger glass, with a decorated rim and strawberries cut into intricate shapes.

"Thanks."

He raised his glass cheersing the anomaly and taking a sip, sighing happily as he waited for Xena to finish up.

All he had to worry about was Kaito fucking this up...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"PLEASEDONTBEADEADBODYPLEASEDONTBEADEADPLE- AHHH"

Kaito shrieked out as he stared at the black and gold tombstone, it was behind a hidden door with the same Cobra sign on it. The tombstone had moved slightly as Kaito pleaded with literally any god or anomaly or Xena out there that he hoped was blessing him with luck, he shakily pushed the lid off hiding behind it as he waited for something-anything to jump out at him.

But, there was nothing...

He got up from his hiding place as he looked into the tomb, only to find it was hollow with a set of stairs cascading downwards.

"Nope."

He shook his head frantically as he went to rush back to Xena only to let out another cry as a hand with broken talons slammed against the wall.

"NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE-"

He screeched as he ran down the stairs, blasting through the heavy set door that had an abundance of locks on it. It was enough to keep out a human...but not a ghoul.

Kaito paused as cries screamed out to him, a large amount of rusty cages surrounded him, filled with sad looking anomalies...all with gold and silver chains around them.

"Y..you found it."

A quiet voice floated to him as Diana heaved for air as she slid against the wall, she'd seemed to be halfway healed but still deeply struggling as she looked at Kaito with hope in her eyes.

"He did."

Xena's montoned voiced chimed out to them causing Diana to flinch as the bloodied girl stumbled into the room, she limped over to Diana before joining her, sitting next to her with her bad leg stretched out.

They all sat in tentative silence as Kaito nervously glanced between the two, neither making a move as the two women seemed to debate on their next move.

"I'm sorry."

Xena hurried out as she looked at Diana in a panic, she took a deep breath as Diana stared at her with shocked wide eyes. A silent understanding between the two women as they looked at eachother.

"Me too..."

Diana triedto smile sweety but the exhaustion and pain wouldn't allow for it.

"I can take it off of you? if you'd like..."

Xena fiddled with her hands as Diana silently nodded at her, nervously turning around as Xena started fiddling with the chains on her dress, undoing them one by one.

"My children are here..."

Diana muttered out as she looked around the room, Kaito gasped slightly as he spotted a cage with two scaley children in it, they were silently crying as one gripped hard at the bars staring at their mother with shining brown eyes. Kaito hurried over to them, kneeling down as he ripped the lock off of the door taking a step back to give them room, the kids didn't move though. They huddled further back into the cage shivering in fear as the smaller one curled into the larger one, they both had black curly hair with Diana's deep brown eyes.

He turned away from them, their gaunt tearful eyes terrorised him as he went to help Xena, who's shaky hands struggled to undo the chains. Kaito took ahold of some, gently undoing them as he glanced at Xena.

"Where's Romeo?"

He whispered to her, as she stopped undoing the chains, leaving Kaito to finish the job. It was only then that Kaito noticed Xena's hands, her knuckled were split open bleeding an bruised with dust covering them as they shook in a mixture of fear, exhaustion and pain.

"He's calling for reinforcments...so we don't have much time."

She shakily got back up running over to the children's cage as she opened the door and held her hand out. Tiny hands reaching out for her bloodied ones as she guided them out of the cage, Kaito raised an eyebrow slightly jealous at how easily the kids went with her.

"They can smell the Kyklos in her blood."

Diana murmured out, letting out a sigh of relief as the last chain fell. She abruptly stood up stretching out as long pink fluttering wings burst out from her back, twitching and flapping as Diana let out a pained groan from having them tied back for so long.

Diana strutted over to Xena and her children, standing before her as she reached out and gently cradled Xena's face in her hands. Diana's eyes searched hers, becoming tearful as she seemed to find what she was looking for...

"I'm sorry sweet one."

She brought her forhead to Xena's before reaching out for her children, glancing between her and Kaito in a silent plea.

"Let them go."

Xena commanded, her voice shaky as she tried to hold back a wave of overwhelming emotion...her mother used to call her that-

Sweet One.

Kaito stared at her wide eyed before nodding in agreement, stepping out the way as Diana hastily made her escape pausing as she handed Kaito a golden dagger, he could tell just by holding it that this was the artefact they were all after, Diana glanced one more time at Xena as the two shared a watery smile before she and her children disappeared into the shadows.

It took all of Xena's energy to keep herself together as Diana left before collasping onto her knees, gasping for air as Kaito ran over to her.

"It's okay, hey Xe please don't...it's okay-"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Xena took a deep breath as she forced herself into the vagastrom dorm, her body aching all over as she waited for the painkillers a very disappointed Professor Nicholas had given her to kick in. She was basically a mummy with how many bandages she had wrapped around her.

She forced herself up the stairs and to Leo's room, knocking on the door as she was met with no answer...she sighed in disappointment as she realised he must already be asleep.

She hadn't had a moment to charge her phone or even grab proper clothes as she had to wear her destroyed dress back to the dorms. She could’ve just burrowed some clothes from the hospital but she desperately just wanted to get into bed and crash out for hours on end and not wait around embarrassingly in a breezy gown as she awaited for someone to bring her new clothes.

She leaned against the door letting out a slight yelp as it swung open behind her forcing her to fall on the floor with a loud oomphf.

She laid on the floor in despair as she peeked a look at Leo’s bed, seeing if he was actually there or if she’s just accidently awoke the grey haired man. She smiled softly as she realised…

He was there.

-and luckily, he hadn’t woken up.

Xena sighed as she grabbed onto the door frame using it to help her sit back up as she silently closed the door, limping over to Leo’s closet as she grabbed one of his t shirts and hastily made her way into the bathroom to get change, in her tired state she missed the crack of bright yellow eyes beaming at her presence as he feigned sleep.

He forced his eyes closed when he saw her tip toeing out of the bathroom-or her attempt of it at least; she was hobbling to Leo’s bed, trying her best to not collapse on top of the sheets as she struggled to find the effort to make herself actually comfortable.

Leo peeked an eye open once again as he sensed her deflation, turning over to face her as he pulled the covers from under her.

“Have you showered?”

She huffed out a weak laugh at his question as luminescent eyes found hers.

“Ya.”•_•

He held up the covers inviting her in as she awkwardly shuffled into him, he flopped his arm over her sliding his hand under her shirt as he started lightly dragging his fingers up and down her back, frowning at the feeling of her bandages as he glared at her.

“The mission go okay?”

Xena sleepily nodded, exhaustion setting in as her eyes fluttered, she was trying so hard not to keep them closed, Leo dragging her closer as she sighed wrapping her arms tightly around him as she hid her face into the crook of his shoulder and flinging her leg over Leo’s waist, which made Leo’s glare lessen as he brought his other hand to gently brush through her hair.

“…you okay? Not gonna bleed out on me or anything? that would be disgusting and you'd have to pay for the dry cleaning Xexe”

Xena shook her head, tightening her hold painfully around Leo causing him to hiss out in annoyance.

“Xe, what the fuck?”

Xena gasped a shaky breath escaping her as she tried to bite back the threatening sob, she silently trembled trying to grasp at the man before her to help anchor herself and forget the possible future that she saw for herself…everything she tried to keep down during the mission was slowly rising up as she finally got a moment of quiet…

Leo sighed grimacing as he felt her tears seep through his own pyjama shirt, a choked apology escaping her when she realised. He couldn’t bring himself to make a bitchy comment or tease the girl and instead clutched her closer to him, forcing himself to ignore the gross fluid seeping in his shoulder as Xena sobbed into it.

They stayed like that for a while…Xena letting out sweet hiccups as she finally stopped crying, her moment of vulnerability ending as Leo gently pushed her away.

“Oi, your face is all puffy now…”

He murmured out rubbing a thumb across her cheek.

“Hmmmm-you could use an actual bath, not just a shower.”

He wrinkled his nose as both got a whiff of Xena…the showers in the hospital weren’t the greatest and she only had a quick one to wash the blood off…

“But the band-“

Leo shook his head as he helped her into a sitting position.

“They’re waterproof moron.”

He flicked her forehead rolling his eyes and sliding off the bed as he dragged her to the bathroom, pausing halfway before turning to the wincing Xena. He clicked his tongue before swooping her under his arm, carrying her like a piece of luggage as he shook his head.

“You overdid it honour roll.”

Xena grumbled under her breath letting herself be carried as Leo chastised her, though it was hidden under a barrage of insults that had no real heat to it.

She could feel his curiosity eating at him to find out what happened on the mission, she was surprised he wasn’t questioning her but took solace in it as it gave her time to inwardly take in what happened.

He plopped her on the ground as he set up the bath, bringing out an army of salts, dried oranges and a milky liquid that Leo seemed pained to pour out.

“Get in.”

Xena sighed from her spot in the floor, the cool tiles felt nice and she really didn’t have the energy. But, Leo’s look of expectancy forced her up as she threw her shirt off and clumsily went to sit awkwardly in the bath. Leo sighing as he followed suit, getting in with much more grace that Xena did as he pulled her onto his lap, earning a small squeak of surprise from her. Leo wrapped his arms around her waist resting his head on her shoulder as he waited for his potions to work…

Xena felt weird…the pain that drilled into her very being seemed to slowly drift away, she was able to clench her hands without the strained feeling of her skin pulling away. She tilted her head in confusion as her leg that was literally screaming at her to stop moving, felt almost pleasant…almost normal (well normal for Xena.)

“It’s a healing potion.”

Leo was partly pouting partly smug as the gift from Romeo was working wonders on his girl. He smirked to himself as she finally relaxed in his hold, leaning against his chest as she turned her head towards him. She had so many questions…too many questions to count about where the fuck he found a healing potion and why didn’t Darkwick use these all the time.

But she was far too tired, feeling her eyes droop as her body finally felt relieved of pain…for the first time in a long time.

“It only works whilst you bathe in it…your fresh wounds will be healed but anything else…”

Leo murmured out, gently massaging her waist as he watched her sadly nod in understanding.

They stayed like that for a while…Xena falling asleep as Leo tenderly caressed or massaged anywhere that seemed to be causing her pain. He even washed her hair whilst she slept, ensuring to use his best products…not that he’d tell Xena this but she would guess it as the sweet smell of pina colada’s drifted to her when she awoke the next day…

Leo had scooped her out of the bath, dried her off and dried her hair, braiding it before putting it in a silk bonnet. The shivering girl was then dressed in an oversized hoody, one of Leo’s favourites that was big even on him.

She was still asleep and Leo was glad for it as he didn’t want to be caught doting on her, not for free at least.

He carried her back to bed, the octopus that is Xena grappled him in to a hug, legs and arms wrapped around him as Leo melted in her embrace with a mixture of defeat and preening at her need to be close to him even when she’s deep asleep.

If he had the ability to move his arms he would’ve taken so many selfies, but he just had to will Sho to do that job when he came to wake Leo up in the morning…

———————————————————

Sho sighed as he tried to get the best angle of his two favourite idiots.

Xena starfished on the bed with Leo starfished on top of her, the snoring morons were both snuggled into eachother and fighting for the covers.

He decided to give them an hour more of sleep as he left the room to make breakfast, if the blood on the door frame and the many bandages covering her was anything to go by…Xena was in need of something to cheer her up…

Maybe she’ll even tell them what happened on the mission if she felt up to it…

[theyarebothgunshot]

i just visited a new client, and her 25 year old son was sitting on the couch scrolling on his phone. he was on tumblr 💀💀💀💀

[gregmarriage]

“patty chose a life of celibacy.” marge, babe, patty is a lesbian.

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"Don't worry, lass, we've made sure he's had plenty of rest today!" Wilhelm smiled lightly as he walked by, at which Randall blushed a little in embarrassment-it was true, his parents had fussed over him quite a bit, making sure that he had plenty of water and pain medication to keep the aches at bay, that he didn't strain himself too much as he helped around the house, that he was comfortable whenever he sat down, and so on. He appreciated their efforts, of course, but that didn't stop his cheeks from warming a little all the same.

"I'm alright," he reassured her, before lowering his voice a little as he took her hand, asking, "Are you alright?" He was sure this was very nerve-wracking, tonight's little get-together...even with his parents meaning well, wanting to clear the air between them all, he was sure it was not an entirely comfortable experience...

...but again, he knew what his parents plan was; he may not know all the details, true, but he had faith that tonight would go smoothly, and that by the end of the evening, their relationship would be at least on the mend. He would be there for it, and for her, every step of the way, something he made sure she knew with the squeeze he gave her hand.

[pulchramusae-archived]

starter for @kinships! ( camilla + nilou)

one last stretch of her arms before rolling them a few times, nilou shuffles down from the stage of the zubayr theater with a content smile after concluding her brief warmup. she had time to spare before rehearsals truly began for their next show, the redhead sighing before she steps out of the grand bazaar and into the streets of sumeru city. to be fair, it was perfect timing to grab a bite to eat and some more materials for prop making and costume design, but... she had to keep her wallet in mind.

though she had a change of plans seeing a new face within the bustling streets.

with a bit of energy in her step, she approaches camilla with a warm smile, all with the intent on getting to know one of many new faces. “excuse me - i’m sorry if i’m interrupting anything but i couldn’t help but notice you were a bit perplexed about something. is there anything i can do to help you? “

[shadyy-doire]

ive got my house mate really into dragon age and he comes in and watches me play but i just made him watch a youtube comp of the romance for zevran like a movie bc i keep hyping him up but were not that far in the game and i forgot how much i fucking love him and how much he hurts my heart

[the-acid-pear]

you're so real olive man.

[whoarethesepeopleinmyhouse]

Yk what fuck it these seem fun

Give me a picture of your F/O (2 max pls bwkeksks) and I’ll give you a onesie/kigu that I think suits them

ex.

[violetrainbow412-blog]

From hate to love… or something like that

Aegon II Targaryen x fem!reader

word count: 15.7k (sorrrryyyy)

warnings: arranged marriage, hate-to-love, mentions of rape, mentions of incest, mentions of suicidal thoughts, drinking alcohol, mommy issues, daddy issues, mentions of sex without love, unprotected sex, oral sex (f receiving), porn with plot (but something cheap, tbh) and I probably forgot something but I think that makes it clear that this shit is not for minors, so MINORS DNI :)

A/N: I started this since the second season premiere started so if you find any canon-like scenes I completely promise it wasn't intentional. I also want to make it clear that you are responsible for what you read and if you don't like something please just let it go, that would be very kind of you!

And this doesn't make me team green at all, I'm a defender of the rightful queen to the death… it's just that her brother is too sexy to ignore 🫦

Enjoy!

taglist (who I thought might be interested): @barcelonaloverf1life @ilovequeen978

FIRST ACT: HATE

Finding a wife for Prince Aegon II was probably one of the most difficult tasks Alicent Hightower had to face.

The engagement with his sister Helaena had been broken after a more tempting offer for the princess, which would get them a permanent alliance with the Lannister house that they couldn’t refuse. Viserys himself had agreed to accept and the queen consort had no choice but to give her little daughter in marriage to a blonde lord. The problem was that her son was left without a fiancée.

Aemond didn't worry her, after all he was growing up quite quickly and she knew that he was more inclined to become a warrior than to fulfill his marital responsibilities. But Aegon, however, was a lost cause.

It was no secret that Alicent had always felt disappointed in her eldest son. He was careless, lazy, and a hopeless alcoholic, qualities that couldn’t be celebrated at all. Now that her beloved father had returned, the queen didn’t hesitate to consult him on the matter, hoping that the man had a solution for the problem that afflicted her, and together they analyzed what was the best option to unite the king's first-born son. Especially after, years ago, Rhaenyra and Daemon got married and moved to Dragonstone indefinitely.

“It must be someone we completely trust, someone who cannot dare to hurt us because they know that their blood is linked to ours.”

The Arryns were loyal to the future queen Rhaenyra and some of the houses south of Vale were too. The Westerlands was the richest section of the Seven Kingdoms and was already secured, so it seemed prudent to the king's hand to go for the next widest section: The Reach. The most formidable options within this area were the Hightower and the Tyrell. Obviously taking the first option would be a waste since the members of that house would support Aegon without complaint due to their kinship, so the decision was made with the direct heir of Highgarden.

King Viserys agreed to the idea without putting up many obstacles, since poppy milk clouded his judgment most of the time and also the affairs of his first son had never interested him much.

The union was sealed as soon as the deal was offered to Lyonel Tyrell, who was extremely happy to be able to assure his family a future with said marriage. It was thus that he gave you, his only daughter, to Prince Aegon II Targaryen.

And the second the boy saw you, he absolutely hated you.

He had come to the idea (very unpleasant, by the way) of marrying his younger sister and now that his mother was forcing him to marry a complete stranger, he couldn't be angrier. In a short time he would turn twenty and it seemed pathetic to him that at that point he would have to offer shows like those before the kingdom. Because the wedding wasn’t simple, of course, but thousands and thousands of guests were present at the banquet that Alicent forced the king to prepare, claiming by saying that he had done the same for Princess Rhaenyra's wedding.

“It is a pleasure to finally see each other, your grace. They have told me a lot about you”

You had said those precise words the first time you had met, when his mother organized a walk so that you could 'get to know each other better', although supervised by her own eyes that were behind you, making sure that her son didn’t commit any indecency. But no matter how sweetly you smiled and spoke them, Aegon could sense that you were lying.

There was hatred in your eyes and a clear resentment towards the life from which you were torn, as if it weren’t an honor to have the opportunity to marry the prince of the seven kingdoms. Your hypocritical words represented an insult to the boy and that is why he decided from the first moment that he would hate you deeply.

With your mere existence you would have deprived him of his freedom, his entertainment, his youth. He would be tied to you for future occasions, he would have to take you to all the events, secure your food, your clothes. share the same roof and pretend to be nice to you in the eyes of others. And, besides, he could have thought of a lot of candidates better than you, physically speaking. Your beauty was quite ordinary for his taste, as if he were looking at any painting; cheap and repetitive.

“I regret to admit that I am not so fortunate, Lady Tyrell. But I am happy for the union of our houses” he lied, in the same way that you had done.

And it was obvious that this didn’t go unnoticed by you, that you had the same critical eye as your recent fiancé but that you sought to maintain composure in the presence of your future mother-in-law.

On the wedding day Aegon had a good time only because he was able to drown himself in monumental quantities of liquor and because he was able to eat as much as he wanted of the exquisite banquet. He didn't even pay a bit of attention to how you looked in the wedding dress that the royal seamstresses had been in charge of making in record time, because when the time came he flattered you superficially and then ignored the matter. The ceremony kiss was the first you shared, and it was so fleeting and awkward that the prince felt disappointed. On the wedding night he was so drunk that he didn't even look at you.

You knew that the unfortunate day would come when you would have to carnally please the young man and the simple thought of being defiled in this way caused you terror and nausea in equal parts.

It was a stranger whom you had married, of whom the only thing you knew was his noble title and name.

In the days following your marriage, unfortunately or fortunately, Aegon didn’t even speak to you. You didn't have to share a room, so it was easier for him to completely ignore you while he went about his ways.

You had to admit that the only good thing about having taken this trip was the beautiful landscapes that King's Landing offered you. Your room had a direct view of Blackwater Bay and you spent several days looking out the window at the beautiful sea. Sometimes you could watch Prince Aemond ride his dragon, and honestly, the size of the beast scared you a little. You hadn't had the chance to observe Aegon in Sunfyre yet but if he was as impressive as Vhagar, then he would be quite a sight.

A week passed, then another and another where you were nothing more than a guest in the palace. You didn't talk to anyone, you ate dinner alone, you barely saw the outside of the castle. Sometimes you went to the Sept, pretending to pray, but really just killing the endless boring hours of the day. You were somewhat lucky if you found Helaena, the most sensible and calm within the royal family, because you had pleasant conversations with her. When you met the queen it was a little more difficult, because she asked you endless questions in which you had to fake the answers. How could you be fulfilling your parenting responsibilities if the capricious prince wouldn't deign to lay a finger on you?

After a month, Alicent seemed to take matters into her own hands and forced her eldest son to take you to sleep in the same room as him. However, Aegon seemed to want to blame you for something you hadn't chosen. He never spoke to you and every time you went to bed, he would stand with his back to you as far away as possible. And as if that weren’t enough, he had explicitly ordered his guards not to allow you to leave the room unless it was in his company. It was his way of punishing you, of getting even for the complaints of his mother and grandfather regarding his lack of interest in marriage.

“My mother wants us to attend a dinner tonight” you were so unaccustomed to hearing his voice addressing you that it took you a second to process what he was telling you “I will talk to the maids to bring you a suitable dress.”

You didn't know what to say. You didn't want to go to that dinner, nor did you want to be with him, or wear one of those tight, annoying dresses. Aegon, noticing your silence, deigned to look at you and in your eyes he could see the aversion you felt for him. It was something difficult to mask and he had seen it on so many faces that it was nothing new.

“As you wish, prince.”

A bitter laugh came from your husband's throat.

“Don't be a hypocrite, for God's sake. I know you hate me as much as I hate you. Save appearances for guests, not in the chambers."

You wouldn’t have had the courage to admit out loud what his majesty had said, but you didn’t dare to contradict him either. You had to play the role of a self-sacrificing and suitable wife for the man if you wanted to keep your honor, but above all your head.

You tried, with all your might, to see some quality in Aegon that you liked so that you could treat him in a better way, which always resulted in something useless. Perhaps if he had been nicer to you, you could have known how to forgive his faults, but even that wasn’t granted to you.

The dinner was mostly family-oriented, with the guest of honor being from House Baratheon whose purpose was to discuss some political matters with the king and queen. Due to his health, Viserys didn’t usually leave his room more than necessary, however, that night the occasion warranted it.

“Lady Tyrell, how is your stay in King's Landing?”

The king had a reputation for being gentle with his guests and was the first person to ask you a personal question, so the smile you showed him was genuine.

“Very pleasant, your grace. The servants treat me as well as possible and I must admit that the views from my room are beautiful. Your dragon is impressive, Prince Aemond, by the way.”

The boy, who wasn't all that expressive, just looked at you for a moment and tilted his head down slightly.

“I'm glad you like it, princess.”

"And my son? How is our Aegon treating you?”

That question was more complicated to answer, since it required expressing a lie. Everyone present focused their attention on you, except your husband who had been staring into nothingness for a long time.

“Very well, my king. He’s a good husband and I am happy to have been able to unite our houses.”

The aforementioned snorted, incredulous at what you were saying at the table, and took a long drink from his glass of wine.

“And I hope very soon you can give us strong and beautiful heirs.”

Although that was intended as a compliment, you felt the weight of that responsibility pressing down on you again.

“I wish the same. It will be an honor to serve the crown and bear the progeny of a house as formidable as yours."

The queen was pleased with your answer and for a moment felt sorry for you. She knew her son well, so deep down she knew that it wasn’t a gift from the gods to be married to him. The rest of the table looked at you curiously, wondering if you were serious, trying to be ironic, or just trying to play the good girl role.

Aegon, as expected, became intoxicated during dinner and when Queen Alicent announced that she was going to retire to sleep you thought it prudent to do the same. Your husband, however, had other wishes.

“Stay here,” he asked, his voice serious.

When he was drunk he looked you up and down, probably evaluating how worth it would be to decide to strip you naked and fuck you once and for all. Your body in the dress you were wearing looked better with a few drinks on him.

“I think it would be best to retire, my husband. This way you can stay with the men to chat and… drink”

“But I want you to stay here to keep me company,” he insisted, holding your wrist tightly “Or don't you want to please your prince?”

It wasn’t a loving request, but one for control. He wanted to have you there only to demonstrate his power over you, without paying attention to you or talking; only as an ornament.

“Aegon, enough,” Alicent interrupted, observing the scene that had begun to unfold. “Daughter, let's go to sleep. “I will accompany you”

“Fine, do whatever you want,” he spat contemptuously, abruptly releasing the wrist that was holding you. There was hatred in his eyes, but also pride.

The queen said goodbye to everyone present and then offered you her hand to take you away from there. You spent most of the way in silence, walking through the long, wide corridors of the fortress followed only by the faithful footsteps of Ser Criston Cole.

“You must be patient with him” he began to say “He is a particular man and sometimes… difficult, but I know that with your docile character you will be able to deal with his temperament.”

What did she know about your character? She didn't know you at all.

“So it shall be, Queen Alicent.”

“I understand what you are going through, dear. We both come from the same lands to endure the difficult task of accompanying a monarch. But it is our duty to carry it out with all the honor and temper worthy of our homes. Of course, I can trust that as a woman you will be able to help him fulfill another of the most important marital commitments, such as having children, to maintain the lineage and blood. For a virgin like you, Aegon may be rough, but... patience and resilience are among the best virtues. A woman in royalty must endure these things to give the best to the people.”

You had never wanted to be a princess. And just when you thought the queen was showing you compassion, you realized that she was only looking out for her interests and those of her family.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind"

She smiled and immediately left a kiss on your forehead, which could have been taken as a maternal kiss but which you didn't like at all. The longer you can postpone suffering, the better. If Aegon didn't even want to look at you, it was perfect.

That night, as soon as you touched the mattress and the silk sheets that decorated it, you began to cry until you fell asleep.

SECOND ACT: CONTROL

Time passed again and although the punishment of not leaving your room was not revoked, you found multiple activities with which to entertain yourself in the prince's absence. You filled your mornings and afternoons with reading, writing, knitting and embroidering. The nights were even more boring because most of the time your husband wasn't there either.

Rumors that you hadn’t yet consummated the marriage had spread through the halls of the palace and soon the smallfolk would murmur too. After all, the people couldn’t entertain themselves with anything more than the gossip and the plays that were going on in the poor neighborhoods, making fun of royal affairs.

You no longer even had the energy to deny those accusations and Aegon had given you the perfect opportunity by throwing you out of his room and refusing to leave the four walls of yours: if you didn't leave there, there was no way anyone would question you. And since you didn't have family inside the Keep, you didn't have any visitors either.

One night, however, your husband surprised you by entering your room. It had been days since you two had seen each other and his staggering around the room warned you that he was drunk again. You often wondered how he resisted drinking so much and the long-term effects it would have on his health, but right now your mind could only focus on the fear of what he might want in that state.

“Good night, dear,” he drawled, sounding as sarcastic as possible.

You were in your nightgown and you were carrying in your hand an old book that you had been reading and that you threw on the nightstand as soon as you saw him approaching you. You didn't have time to say or do anything else when he had already approached you in giant steps to grab you by the back of your neck and start kissing you. He was abrupt, careless, with his mouth smelling of wine and tasting even worse. You wanted to cry from helplessness.

“It's what everyone wants, isn't it?” he murmured, separating himself from you, but still holding you by the hair at the back of your neck. “A marriage arranged in a couple of days to form alliances. And that's it, my life was ruined thanks to my father wanting your stupid castle to expand his domain."

The truth is that couldn't be further from the truth. Viserys’s ambition had never been that, as he had been so little involved in the process that he simply didn’t care who his children were or were not married to. Except for Rhaenyra, of course.

Aegon continued:

"I didn’t want this. I didn't want to marry you, or anyone..."

“And you think I do?” you confronted him.

You were tired of the insult, the humiliation and him ignoring you as if you were worthless; even if that was what a husband did. And the most likely thing was that your words would be forgotten due to alcohol or that they would put an end to the wait for your suffering to begin and Aegon decided to take you once and for all.

“You have nothing to lose, prince,” you continued. “You get drunk as much as you want, you run away from your responsibilities and walk everywhere when I have to stay locked up here all day just because you want me to. I have to endure the suspicious looks of everyone because I still don't have an heir in the womb while you go and fuck your whores."

“I'm the prince and I fuck whoever I want, did you hear me?” he hissed. The grip on your hair had already begun to become painful and a few tears slipped down your cheeks “And I stop fucking whoever I want too. I'm not going to please anyone by getting you pregnant. There they will see if they come and force me to put my cock in you”

“Do you doubt that, your grace?” you exclaimed bitterly “Doubts that will force us to conceive?”

“So that's what you want? Do you want me to do it?”

“I want to go home. That is what I want. But my father used me as a bargaining chip and that's why I can't do anything."

“I'm sorry it was like that. If I had chosen my wife, I would surely have chosen someone prettier and more educated than you, but I can't do much either."

Once again, the man pushed you until your lips joined his and the same discomfort settled in you. He didn't kiss you with love, but with fury and violence to the point that you had to push him away when he bit you so hard that a trickle of blood began to come out of your lower lip. Aegon was also stained by it and with an acidic smile he ran the tip of his tongue all over his mouth to remove any traces.

Looking at you he didn't look happy, but he didn't look angry either. He just seemed fed up.

Everyone knew, or suspected, that the prince was very capable of taking sexual advantage of any woman. He had done it before with maids and prostitutes and had slept peacefully throughout that time. However, there was something about you that encouraged him not to. He didn't even think it was something about you specifically but about the situation, because he wanted to do the opposite of what he was ordered: if everyone ordered him to take you to have an heir, it automatically became an unpleasant act and at the same time that he refused.

He was hurt, not because of you but because of years and years of abuse and neglect. He didn't really know you at all, he only knew what you represented.

You were just the unlucky one who had married him.

"I hate you. I hate that you are my wife and you are not worthy of me even touching you” he snapped with disdain. You were still fighting to keep the tears inside your eyes and his vision had also blurred slightly “I wish I had never met you.”

“The feeling is mutual, your grace,” you expressed, your voice breaking. If it was an offense to the crown, you wouldn't even care anymore and if he killed you right there you wouldn't regret it too much either.

Aegon looked at you one last time before staggering back out the door without another word, closing it behind him with a loud gesture and leaving you alone in the room. The reality that you had escaped, once again, from being raped by the man fell on you like a bucket of cold water and your knees weakened until you fell to the floor.

You were hurt, tired, and defeated by the stress of the situation and the fear that had washed over you the entire time. Luckily he was gone, otherwise you didn't know if you would have endured what he had to do to you. It was better to have him busy in a brothel than to have to endure him in your bed.

You wished you could talk to someone and cry on a loved one’s shoulder, only to realize a second later that that was impossible. Aegon was your new family, now you belonged to the Targaryens and you would have to do as they wished.

Anger completely overwhelmed you to the point where you stood up from your seat and began throwing pieces of glassware all over the room, in a violent outburst at what had just happened and the way you felt. None of the guards outside your door dared to come in to check on you and soon enough you fell back to the ground, exhausted from the effort.

As you cried, perhaps for the umpteenth time since you had been married, you thought about how you would never be able to love Prince Aegon. Not even if you tried.

THIRD ACT: PAIN

After months, the inevitable arrived. The truth was that the first time you felt sorrow and anger, but the following times it became more tolerable. Not because it was better, but because you began to get used to it. Aegon didn't change his attitude towards you one bit. You indeed spent more time together, although that didn’t mean that you got along better or that you had begun to have more sympathy for each other.

The only advantage was that you had started to be friends with some people in the palace. Your sister-in-law, to begin with, as well as some of the maids who were in charge of looking after you, as they turned out to be your only company during those days. Those distractions were more than enough for you, considering the situation you were in, and they kept you sane as time went by.

Almost like a punishment from heaven, it seemed that you weren’t pregnant yet, since your biological processes seemed to continue working to the letter. That meant that, unfortunately, you would have to keep trying; when Aegon was lost enough to forget who you were and you had to stand still as a statue to let him loom over you.

You often liked to imagine what your life would have been like if you had stayed in Highgarden. Nobody knew it yet, but there you had found your first love and although it never went beyond a few kisses, you treasured the memory with particular affection. You had always wanted to marry a sweet man who loved and respected you, who would give you your place as a wife and adore you day and night; someone with whom you could feel protected, cared for, but above all happy. You thought, naively, that that boy you had met and who was nothing more than a commoner could have given you that life, but all those possibilities were nothing more than fantasies in which you tried to lock yourself in to feel less miserable with your unpleasant reality.

One night Helaena had invited you to a modest dinner in her company that you couldn't refuse, since none of your husbands were present and some time with friends could clear your mind. You didn't even know where the prince was, although it was expected that he was spending some time in the town with his friends.

“Sometimes I feel sad about our situation,” said the blonde. You were in the privacy of her chambers, not even with the maids present, so confessions like that were allowed “But I am happy that you are my friend, something that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.”

“I'm glad to talk to you too,” you smiled sincerely. “You're the best thing I've found around here.”

“My brothers aren't that bad, they're just… well, we've had a hard life. And that's why they behave like that."

“I think there is no justification for being a…” idiot, you wanted to say, but you had to remember that you were in the presence of the princess, “a person who is rude to others. But I guess that happens with royalty, right? They do what they want without consequences”

"I guess so. Kings, princes, the heirs, lords, dukes…”

“Okay, I get it,” you laughed bitterly “It's probably a masculine quality.”

You never thought your sister-in-law would have that kind of humor and to be honest, most of the time she was a comic relief for the situations you two were going through. Sometimes her prophecies scared you, especially the way she phrased them, but you wanted to think that her premonitions would never affect you directly.

When you finally got tired of chatting and the food was finished, you decided to return to your room, so you could have a peaceful night's rest. It was raining outside and thunder echoed in the distance, making the atmosphere slightly gloomy, but at the same time cooling every corner of King's landing.

The novelty of your position was no longer important enough to require you to be escorted by guards twenty-four hours a day, so you were able to slowly walk through all the corridors that led to your sanctuary. It was modest but cute, although not on the level of Aegon’s.

A man was guarding the door and you bowed your head to him to let you pass, which he did without any opposition. Once inside you got rid of your shoes and unbuttoned your corset, not caring that the room was almost in darkness; only the moonlight illuminated from the window. You took a few steps forward and squealed when you discovered that there was another person in the room, sitting at the small table with a drink in his hand. You would have started screaming for help if you hadn't noticed that said intruder had silver hair falling like a curtain over his face.

"Your grace?" you asked cautiously.

It isn’t usual for Aegon to drink in your room, as he preferred other places with more interesting company, and when you didn’t receive an answer you approached slowly. You thought that at best he had simply fallen asleep and at worst he would be dead.

At first his long, wavy hair covered your view of his face, but when he noticed your presence he raised his head and then you could see him. His features became clearer as lightning illuminated him from the outside and for a second you were horrified.

His cheek was red and a trickle of blood was dripping from his nose, however, what surprised you the most was seeing his eyes completely swollen.

“For the seven, I… I'll go call a maester”

“Don't even think about it,” he exclaimed hoarsely, seeing that you were already rushing towards the door.

Your husband didn't sound like his usual angry tone, but rather he seemed... hurt.

You thought for a second about what the appropriate reaction to the situation was. You couldn't leave the room because, in addition to the guards murmuring, it would be impolite to leave him in that state; also, where would you go? If you ignored him, he would probably take it as an insult and he had already made it clear that he didn't want to see someone who could take care of those injuries.

You hated him, it was true, but you weren't an insensitive monster either.

"Who did this to you?"

Aegon was surprised by how soft, even kind, your question sounded and the intoxication gave him some courage to answer.

“My mother and my grandfather. Mostly my mother, my grandfather rather dedicated his efforts to reminding me how useless I am”

You didn't know what to say. You never believed that the queen would be capable of hitting one of her sons like that. You didn't believe it from any mother, actually.

With some trepidation you took one of the chairs and placed it in front of him, expecting him to immediately push you away or ask you to get out of his sight. However, the prince didn't seem to have enough energy to do any of those things.

He had a lost look on his face and tears began to run down his face.

“Nothing… nothing I do pleases her. Neither to her, nor to my grandfather. All the time they are pressuring me, demanding me, yelling at me. Apparently Otto still hopes that my father will name me king, but I've never wanted that. They blame me for drinking all the time and how do they expect them not to? My father cares so little about me and my mother hates me. All his life he has hated me. She does it, my brothers… and so do you. My own wife hates me. Everyone… everyone who knows me does it”

You were silent for a moment.

There were mixed feelings inside you, because you couldn't forget the mistreatment that the man had given you during those months, nor the way he used you for his pleasure. He was right when he said you hated him. However, there was a compassionate part of you, deep down, that felt sorry for the man's state.

“And sometimes I just want to be dead. I just wish all the shit would go away and drowning in alcohol and dying would take away Alicent's problem and allow her to focus her attention on something better”

His gaze lifted and he looked at you with crystallized eyes.

“Maybe you should poison me one day. So your suffering would also end”

“Your highness, I cannot do that”

“But would you like it? Do you hate me enough to wish me dead?”

“Of course not,” you said quickly.

"Liar. You lie like everyone else. You want me dead”

You knew that saying something negative at that moment, in the state he was in, could result in him making some incoherence that you would be blamed for the next morning. So it was best to act cautiously.

“I don't think anyone wants that”

“My mother does. My father, Rhaenyra does it, and so does her stupid new husband…”

“Your grace…” you interrupted him harshly. Listening to him sink into his self-indulgence was too much to bear “You better go to sleep, don't you think? Now you're not thinking clearly, you'll feel better in the morning."

But Aegon seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to anything you had to say to him.

“I guess I just wish someone wouldn't completely detest my existence, you know?”

Aegon had done terrible things to you, of course, but seeing him at that moment made you wonder if all of this was the product of poor parenting and psychological abuse that had been perpetuated for twenty long years. You couldn't say your father loved you, not after what he had done, but at least he hadn't constantly hurt you as the man in front of you had. You knew better than anyone that hate had to be healed with empathy and for a brief moment you felt soft for him.

Once Aegon was a small child, without sins, without accumulated hatred, without evil... and apparently that frightened child hadn’t been completely buried, because it was him who cried inconsolably and saw death as a viable alternative to end that suffering. However, there is no redemption without guilt, right? You don't get to heaven without first repenting.

You stayed silent for a long time, listening to him sob, and when you gathered the courage you spoke:

“Prince, can I be honest with you?”

You had spoken in a low and benevolent voice, while you slid from your chair until you were kneeling in front of him. The boy didn't even want to take advantage of that position for a sexual act, he was simply too tired and drained to think. You placed your hands on his knees and seeing that he nodded, you continued:

“You say you wish someone wouldn't hate you, but have you ever made an effort to do so? Or have you even wondered why people feel that way about you?”

“It's something natural for them”

“I didn't feel it,” you said, honestly. You hated the idea of getting married out of obligation, but if he had been different from the beginning maybe your feelings for him would be too “And you made me feel it. With your contempt, your humiliations, your punishments…”

“If everyone thinks you're a monster, what's the point of contradicting them?”

“And then you prefer to agree with them?”

You were probably taking too many liberties with the prince, but you would never have a chance to talk to him like that again. He was vulnerable and therefore less defensive than normal.

“Every person is responsible for their actions,” you continued. “You can't change how the queen or king feels about you, but you can choose to offer something better to others. If it’s your desire that people not hate you, that won’t happen overnight just because you tell it to. It takes time, effort and above all it requires kindness. If you live regretting the concept that people have of you, without doing anything to change it, then you will live a lifetime of dissatisfaction. If you seriously want someone to feel happy about your existence then pursue that goal, don’t expect it to be granted to you as a divine work.”

A deeper cry began to well up from the man and you almost thought he would lean down for your hug. Still, he didn't.

“I don't know how to be someone else. I have always been this”

“Not always, that's for sure. Water that stagnates rots and becomes a swamp. The one that runs, on the other hand, becomes a river and flows into the ocean.”

You raised the handkerchief you always carried and, in an act of kindness that was also intended to be an offering of peace, you gently wiped the tears and dried blood from his face. Aegon squirmed as he had never experienced that kind of care.

“You just have to ask yourself: what do you choose to be?”

For an endless moment he watched you. His judgment was clouded by drunkenness, but he wondered if he wasn't hallucinating and you were simply the voice of his conscience telling him something he had never wanted to accept.

It was easier to blame others for his mistakes, to justify himself by saying that everything about him was his mother's fault and that if he behaved the way he did it was only a defense mechanism. Aegon had never thought about how his treatment of women was a direct consequence of Alicent's upbringing: if his own mother had hurt him, why wouldn't other women do the same to him? And since he was convinced that they were all going to do it, he preferred to turn them into objects that he could use for his benefit.

He was so drunk and so exhausted from all the crying he had shed that he simply pushed your hand away from his face and stood up from the chair, without saying a word. You, now standing, saw him begin to undress and the first thing you thought was that he would seek to heal his sorrows by having sex with you. However, he only got rid of the essentials and then lay on his stomach on the bed. Without any choice, you took off your clothes for the day, put on a nightgown and also lay down on the mattress to sleep.

You were sure that the next day Aegon wouldn’t remember anything and you weighed the possibility of the whole story repeating itself, in an endless and painful loop for the two of you. And if you were right, it would be a shame if you had to live like this for the rest of your days.

FOURTH ACT: REDEMPTION

“Do you know where Meryna is?” you asked one of the maids who had come in to change your bedding.

“No, your grace”

“I'm starting to get hungry and she still hasn't brought my breakfast,” you exclaimed sadly.

You had woken up a while ago and had gotten dressed to go for a walk after eating, to see if this would cheer you up a little. It had been a few days since Aegon had opened up in the privacy of your room and after that you had barely seen him, much less spoken to him. You believed that everything was due to a matter of pride or even shame for what you had witnessed and you simply didn’t give it importance, because you knew that eventually he would approach you again. You just had to wait for him to want to do it.

Almost as if by summons, the black-haired girl appeared through the door, looking agitated and embarrassed by the delay. Furthermore, she came empty-handed.

"Princess…"

“Didn't you bring breakfast?” you asked, still sounding cordial but slightly surprised.

“I'm very sorry, it's just that Prince Aegon asked me to bring the food to the royal dining room. He is waiting for you there, he told me to come and get you.”

He hadn’t mentioned requiring your presence for any breakfast and, according to you, there were no guests in the palace to accompany. The two women noticed your dismay and Meryna stood waiting for a response.

“Did he tell you why?”

“No, your grace”

"Good. Then tell him I'll be there in a moment."

You only took a few minutes to change your dress, one more suitable for being in the presence of the prince and in case there was a guest you didn't know about. There were no guards at your door so you were able to walk to the dining room by yourself and were surprised to see that only your husband was at the table. He had an expression that you interpreted as a mix of impatience and nerves.

“Oh, you finally arrived. Sit down. You, bring the princess something to drink,” he ordered a maid. He used to call you that in the presence of guests, but it was rare for him to have that courtesy when alone.

“Are we waiting for someone?”

"No. I just thought you might want to have breakfast together.”

You were already sitting next to him, and for a second you watched him with a frown. Had he hit his head somewhere or why was he acting so strange?

“Do you prefer juice or wine, your highness?

"Juice"

“And bring her some strawberries,” Aegon exclaimed.

There was something about the situation that scared you, because you imagined that he wouldn't be treating you so kindly without wanting something in return. But you were already his wife and he did whatever he wanted with you, what more could he want from you?

You looked him up and down, as if searching for some sign, but he looked completely normal. He was wearing one of those full black robes he was used to, with a golden chain with emeralds decorating the hem of his neck and a belt accentuating his figure. The dark circles in his eyes were pronounced, as always, but the look was not that of someone angry; you would even say that he looked somewhat passive, even sleepy.

While you were thinking about all that, you remembered the last conversation you had had with him. You feared that madness had finally exploded in your husband and the food you were about to eat was poisoned, as he had suggested at the time. Perhaps out of courtesy he was waiting for you to take the first bite and, trying to control the trembling in your hands, you took a portion of the cold cuts on your plate to put it in your mouth. Luckily the food didn't taste different and after seeing that the man ate it with the utmost calmness, you assumed that it didn't contain any poison either.

There was freshly baked bread, jam, some cheeses, the aforementioned cold cuts, a variety of fruits, scrambled eggs with fresh herbs and chives, as well as some stuffed buns for dessert. It was a mini banquet and as you ate it you couldn't help but wonder why this show of kindness was due.

Aegon didn't seem to have any intention of talking and you didn't try to force him, not wanting to either. The atmosphere was one of peace and tranquility, one you had not experienced since your wedding day until now, and it was a very different but strangely pleasant feeling.

It was just a couple sharing breakfast time, but for two people who come from such a broken home it felt like a totally new experience.

You continued in silence until most of the things served were finished, leaving only what wasn’t to your palate's liking or that your body was simply no longer able to ingest.

“Do you need anything else, your majesty?”

“Clear this table, we won't eat anymore,” he said to the maid, nonchalantly pointing to the leftovers you had left. Then he looked at you “Satisfied?”

"I am. Everything was delicious”

“I want us to do the same tomorrow. I will send a maid for you, so get ready soon,” he said decisively.

Then he got up from his chair, stretched a little, and left the room without saying anything else to you.

You didn't see your husband the rest of the day, but the next morning he kept his promise without fail. Although the breakfast menu was different the routine was the same and again it made you wonder what the reason for it was.

The next day he also requested your presence for breakfast and you concluded that he intended to make it a habit. For the rest of the morning you were supposed to dedicate yourself to your activities, but after a week of following that routine Aegon informed you that he had other plans for you.

“I want you to come with me for a walk.”

"To the exterior?"

"Yeah. I have training with Ser Criston but I don't wish to attend, so you will be my excuse. I'll tell him that the princess wanted to go for a walk and that I couldn't let her go alone."

He was telling you that lie almost like a childish prank and you would swear he was about to smile.

“Huh, okay. If you want it, we will”

You were still confused by his actions, because in all the time you had been there it was the first time he treated you decently. You didn't know if he was still drinking in large quantities, but at least when he went to sleep he no longer reeked of liquor in the same way. And all that week he hadn't forced you to have sex with him.

What had motivated the prince to change his way of behaving towards you?

"Do you want to go to the beach? I will order a couple of horses to be saddled for us” he exclaimed when you had already left the dining room.

You couldn't refuse to go to the bay, because in your entire life you had never seen the ocean and your curiosity was greater than any other feeling. Besides, you loved horses, and being with them might even make you feel better.

Aegon did as he told you and soon enough you were in the stable. He had ordered a beautiful white mare for you, with a silver mane the color of your husband's hair and a formidable build.

You approached to pet the animal, carefully, and tensed completely when you felt another body behind yours. Until that moment you hadn't realized how warm your husband was.

“She's pretty, right?”

His voice sounded at your ear level, as he had also reached out to touch Frostfire’s hair.

"She is"

“I guess you know how to ride,” he muttered under his breath and you let out an offended sigh.

“Of course I do. Highgarden is the heart of the chivalry of the seven kingdoms”

After saying that you turned your head just a little and met his gaze, indigo eyes with hints of lilac looking at you carefully. You could feel his breath against yours and at that closeness your cheeks had already turned red involuntarily.

He separated from you and then went to choose his horse, a black thoroughbred with beautiful braids, to get on it and ask the guards to open the door for you. You almost managed to sneak away, but Ser Criston stopped the two of you just before you could do so, claiming that he had a scheduled practice with the prince.

“I'm taking my wife to Blackwater, she hasn't had a chance to visit since her arrival.”

“But your grace, your father…”

“We will continue with training later, Ser Criston,” he said firmly.

“Will you go to Blackwater without an escort?”

“I will”

"That's impossible"

“Don't worry, I don't want to be accompanied. Just rest for now.”

“But you are the prince.”

"Exactly. I am the prince and I want my orders to be respected."

The boy was a smug son of a bitch when he put his mind to it, just like now. The man had no choice but to obey the words and then the two of you were able to leave. You could get there on foot, but Aegon had felt like riding and had wanted an alternative to quickly escape if something went wrong.

You walked along a path that still belonged to the Red Keep grounds, so there was no great danger of being attacked along the way, and you soon reached the bay. It was even more beautiful up close and as soon as you got off the mare you forgot any courtesy towards your husband, as you rushed towards the shore to watch the waves crash. Your pumps and dress were soaked when the water reached your calves, but it didn't bother you too much because you were happy for the reason.

“Have you never been to the ocean?”

“I'm afraid not, your grace. There was never any business that required me to be on the coast of The Reach and I have always lived surrounded by hills and forests. I had seen some rivers, but…”

Before you could continue your story you staggered because of a wave and to avoid falling you tried to hold on to whatever was within reach, which turned out to be the man next to you. He supported you from the elbows with his strong arms.

“Oh, I'm so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” he laughed. For the first time in your presence, he had laughed “But we should get away from the shore. I wouldn't want to take you back to the castle all soaked”

You heeded the boy's advice and, still leaning on him, walked towards the sand. The sky was slightly cloudy, so the weather was perfect for walking around without any discomfort.

“I've never visited Highgarden, is it as impressive as rumored?” he asked, as he began to walk in the opposite direction of the Red Keep.

Although you never believed that the prince would be interested in such things, you began to talk to him about your hometown with particular emotion. You told him about his surroundings, about the castle and you also told in greater detail the gardens that once belonged to you and were full of golden roses, as was the emblem of your house.

You were surprised by how attentive the boy was to everything you had to say to him and for the first time since your arrival, you didn't feel like a stranger in your own skin. Talking about your home was like remembering a part of yourself, as if you were showing him your insides through stories of the beautiful hills where you had ridden so many times.

“Everything sounds wonderful,” he concluded. The sea breeze had already ruffled both of your hair and he took advantage of this to brush a strand out of your face “Someday I should go visit it”

“Yes, maybe you would like that” you exclaimed smiling. You had come too far and it was time to walk back, towards where you had left Frostfire and Moonshadow tied up “Your grace, may I ask you a question?”

"Yeah"

You opened your mouth to ask him why he was doing all that and why he had suddenly started showing so much interest in you. You wanted to know the reason for his unexpected kindness and his abstinence from activities that weren’t very pleasant for you. But before you could speak, you took a moment to observe him. His skin looked paler in the light outside and his silver hair waved in the wind, however, what caught your attention the most was the serene expression on his face.

Although you couldn't say that you knew Aegon, the time you had lived together had shown you that his personality was extremely challenging. If you pointed out that he was being nicer to you and questioned him about it, he would most likely revert to his old behavior towards you simply on a whim. So no, you couldn't ask him about anything or you'd ruin the minuscule part of a good relationship you had managed to build.

“I was thinking... Do you think we can one day bring golden roses to the royal gardens? Green and gold are part of your emblem too and that would beautify the place. I could take care of them, if you want.”

“That's a good idea,” he exclaimed happily. You had already turned around to return and you calculated that it must be after noon “I will order them to be brought in as soon as possible, in the hope that the hot weather at King's landing will not ruin them”

“I hope not,” you said, although a little less enthusiastic than before.

You had been lost in thought after the appearance of that question that you did not verbalize and suddenly Aegon feared that he had made some mistake. You walked a few meters in silence, until this state was unbearable for his majesty and he stopped you by holding your shoulders. You were about to ask what had happened when he pulled you against his lips, stealing your breath. It was still a rough kiss, but this time less desperate than before. His hands went down to your waist and held you to his body until there wasn’t even a centimeter of distance left, with your belly touching the heat of his stomach.

“Still no signs that you are pregnant?”

You thought that, perhaps, your answer was in that question and that the only thing the man wanted was to convince you to hurry up the matter of producing an heir.

“I'm sorry to say no. It's very unfortunate."

“We'll have to keep trying,” he said, shrugging his shoulders as if he wanted to downplay the matter “Mother insists on it.”

“Has your mother always been like this to you?”

"What are you talking about?"

“It's just… she seems to have everything under control all the time.”

You couldn't be further from the truth and rather than describing it that way Aegon would have said that she was controlling. She wanted to have things under control, but she couldn't and as an example was the eldest prince himself, whom she had never been able to persuade to behave the way he did.

“Well, she is the queen. I guess that's how she must be” he exclaimed without much encouragement. He was still holding you by the waist and was surprised by how intimate that position was. “But we better get back, they must be wondering where we are”

“Maybe they even think I ran away, taking advantage of the fact that you weren't there to watch me,” you joked.

"Would you do it?"

"Do what?"

“Run away”

You looked at the man, incredulous, because it was stupid to think that if you were planning to run away you would just tell him like that. That was the characteristic of it, that it was surprising and hidden.

“Why would I do, your grace?”

“Maybe because I'm a bad husband,” he said quietly. You weren't understanding the game Aegon was playing and it was driving you crazy.

“I wouldn't dare do it. I have nowhere to go and I know I couldn't even get through the doors without your majesty noticing,” you replied.

The prince didn’t want pragmatic reasons like that, but rather his question was more aimed at whether it was your will to abandon him.

Against all odds a couple of raindrops began to fall and very soon a storm had already brewed over your head. It was useless to run, but you did it anyway and Aegon held your hand to prevent either of you from falling due to a trip. Somewhere along the way you lost one of your pumps and at this you began to laugh and he, infected by your joy, did the same. It amused you greatly to think of the face the queen would make when she saw you enter the castle, with her eldest son soaked from head to toe and your clothing incomplete. But you also laughed from the joy of feeling so alive in that moment. You felt like a girl playing in the rain and despite the coldness of the falling water, you felt a certain warmth traveling from the tips of your fingers to your chest.

Although he was sure that you were an excellent rider, your husband insisted on taking you on his own horse to avoid any accidents and you agreed without complaint. His body sheltered you all the way to the Red Keep and once there, under the roof, he helped you down from the chair with extreme care. You didn't think he was that strong until you felt him grab your waist and place you on the floor effortlessly.

“Ask the maids to prepare a bath for you, or you will catch a cold,” he said, putting on your back a cloak he had found hanging on one of the walls.

There was the hint of a smile on his face and seeing him behave like this towards you made you feel weird. You almost felt like he was trying to be affectionate with you, even though he wasn't quite succeeding.

“You should do the same,” you exclaimed softly.

Motivated by the kind moment you had shared, you reached out to brush away the wet hair that had stuck to his face and he shivered at your touch. It was the first time you touched him that way, out of conviction and with care.

“Your majesty, Lord Hand is looking for you. He says he needs to talk to you urgently."

“My grandfather,” he sighed at you, as if wanting to apologize for the words the guard behind you had just said.

He gave the man Moonshadow's reins and then explained that someone had to go get the horse you had left in the bay, so you assumed your presence there was no longer necessary. You were about to leave when he stopped you, grabbing your arm somewhat roughly and looking at you with a feeling that you couldn't decipher.

“I'll go to your room tonight,” he informed.

You felt a little disappointed by the reality of having to share a bed with him, after so long without having done so, but you were grateful that he was at least warning you.

You nodded your goodbyes and he did the same, forming an unspoken agreement. You thought maybe that was why he had been polite to you, so he could get back under your bed sheets. But there was no point in doing it, he wasn't courting you to win your hand, but you were already his wife and he had made it very clear that he could do with you whatever he wanted.

Still a little confused, you were escorted to your bedroom, where you hoped that a tub with hot water and essences would be enough to appease all those doubts that were growing in you.

FIFTH ACT: LOVE

At some point Aegon would get tired of all this, you were sure. But while that moment arrived, you were thoroughly enjoying all kinds of attention you received from your husband. He kept his promise to bring golden roses for the gardens and although the queen wasn’t very happy, in the end they adorned some of the busiest sections of the place. You took that as an act of good faith, so you thought that maybe the thought of repaying him for some of the decency he was showing you wouldn't kill you.

There wasn’t a single breakfast that you skipped, except when the prince was required for political matters or had to travel. You were too proud to admit that you had begun to genuinely enjoy his company, as you still had some distrust due to how temperamental the man was. It wasn't all sunshine and flowers, as the young man still had some outbursts that made you fear him and reminded you that this was who you were really talking to.

His drinking habits hadn’t changed much, since although he was able to handle it during the first week after that period, it was inevitable that he would go back to his old ways and drink an entire jug of wine in a couple of minutes. With sex it was the same, because he continued to fuck you without signs of care and regularly when he was lost in drink. It amused you to think that perhaps that was the reason why you still didn't carry a child in your womb; that he was too drunk when you tried to be of any use.

However, as your relationship strengthened you could notice slight (you almost swore they were imaginary) changes when having sex. He was no longer as rough towards your body as before and tried to thrust into you a little slower, as if he wanted to lengthen the moment and not just unload into you and sleep like a baby after that. Maybe it was just that the drink made him lethargic, but he had even started seeking your lips in the middle of the act or kissing everything within reach of the skin on your neck. You didn't intend to spend much time analyzing his behavior because for you it already represented a victory that he had stopped hurting you after every time you had sex and, honestly, you didn't want to inquire about it. Once again you thought it was more prudent not to question the prince and simply let him continue behaving that way.

Until one night, things looked different for you.

When you heard your husband open the door, quite late at night, and saw him approach your bed, you knew that the same dynamic of nighttime visits would take place. Aegon, already hard as a rock, would kiss you a few times, undress, order you to undress, and then position on top of you to satisfy himself. Needless to say, under the confidence that being in the dark gave you and your husband's lack of interest, you looked away or concentrated on something else while your martyrdom was carried out. He would finish, lie naked next to you, and then sleep soundly with no memory the next morning of what had happened.

Aegon called your name, just to check that you were awake or otherwise wake you up, and you were surprised to hear that his voice sounded quite normal. He wasn't slurring his words like usual.

"Your grace?" you called back, propping yourself up on your elbows so you could look at him.

He did what was expected and as soon as he was far enough away, he started kissing you. You must have known something was wrong from that first moment, when he grabbed your cheek with his wide hand and offered you the most passionate kiss you had ever had. It is reiterated that Aegon was always somewhat careless in intimacy, but this first contact hadn’t felt as impatient as others, but rather was something more careful and planned.

Only one other man had kissed you like that in your life and although the feeling brewing in your chest must have been pleasant, the truth was that it wasn't. You had endured too much abuse from the white-haired man so your body didn't know how to react otherwise. That's why when he continued kissing you for longer than usual and then laid you down meekly, you couldn't do anything but tense uncomfortably.

You were only in your nightgown so there wasn't much difficulty in sliding the straps to the side, almost exposing your tits. Suddenly Aegon lowered his kisses to your neck, where his stubble scratched your skin. Knowing that he would be busy in that area, you turned your head away to focus your gaze on a tapestry on the wall. However, you got a surprise when you felt the prince move away from you and then a bigger one when he took your face between his fingers, placing his index finger and thumb on each of your cheeks to force you to look at him. At first you thought there was anger in his eyes, but after looking at them for a second more you concluded that the feeling was more like that of someone insulted. And why? you asked yourself. What had you done that had offended the prince?

“Why are you looking away?”

His question had a certain aggressive tone, but, at the same time, he sounded hurt. With that you confirmed that he wasn’t drunk or that, if he was, he had drunk just enough to make him feel slightly dizzy. You couldn't tell the way your eyes looked at him, but Aegon interpreted your expression as one of disdain.

Unbeknownst to you, he had his own whirlwind of feelings inside him, one that was driving him crazy and causing him to look you up and down while still holding you. He’d never been like this on another night, so you were at the mercy of knowing how good or bad that would turn out.

Suddenly he seemed upset, you would even say disgusted, and surprisingly stood up from his position. The cold air hit you where he had been before and you sat on the bed to watch him, completely confused by the way he was behaving.

"What's going on…?"

“You don't want this,” he spoke firmly. It was obvious that you didn't want to and you wondered how he had barely realized it. “Not like that… I… no. Not this way"

His babbling confused you even more and when you saw him walk away with exaggerated steps until he left through the door, you couldn't help but feel totally amazed.

What was the reason for what your husband had just done?

The feeling of being abandoned was more hopeless than having him fuck you would have been, and for a moment you even felt ashamed. Maybe he didn't like you anymore or he would just go and cure his frustration in the bed of a woman you didn't know.

He had watched you very strangely and the whole scene wasn't like him. You even pinched yourself just to check that it wasn't some strange dream, getting a moan of pain in response to your question. You thought that perhaps you were acting impulsively, but barely a minute later you put on a green robe over your nightgown and headed towards the door, still not knowing exactly what you were going to do.

“Where are you going, your grace?” the guard on duty asked, putting his voluptuous body in your way.

“Prince Aegon, do you know where he went?”

“In that direction, your majesty. But I'm afraid I must recommend that you return to your room, it is dangerous to walk around the palace at this time."

“But I wish to see my husband,” you said firmly.

The man let out a sigh and then slid to the side of the hallway, leaving you a clear path. Even so, when you started walking you felt his footsteps following you because he probably wanted to make sure that something didn't happen to you. You walked for a while, but you knew it was useless when all you found were locked doors that you couldn't knock on and that you couldn't open either. If Aegon was in any of those rooms, you wouldn't know it. Defeated, you returned to your room and, as expected, found it empty again.

The next morning there wasn’t a single word about that event, but it was present in your mind throughout the day. You had already lived with him enough to realize that something was bothering him, however, upon noticing that he was less talkative during your usual breakfast, you decided to give him time.

You were about to leave the table when he stopped you, asking you to take your seat again and looking at you seriously.

“I have to travel for a couple of weeks,” he informed you. You were surprised to hear that he almost sounded sad “The king is required on some business and since my father can no longer travel, I will have to do it.”

“I hope the entire journey is favorable and the visit profitable, your grace,” you exclaimed cordially. However, your husband didn’t seem pleased with it.

One of his hands slid to hold yours, with a strength that surprised you. There was urgency in his grip, like he needed to hold on to something.

“Is that all you have to say?”

A couple of wrinkles appeared on your brow, as you clearly weren't understanding what he expected of you. Accompanying him would be reckless and you didn't know if he wanted you to keep him there at King's landing.

During those last months something had changed in the man's face, because those eyes surrounded by purple marks no longer saw you with the same aversion as the first time. And it disheartened Aegon that his attempts to please you were yielding no apparent fruit. He was giving you time, effort, and being kind to you like you had said was necessary, but he still couldn't help but feel that you still considered him a stranger.

He had been patient because he thought that, as time went by, you would begin to seek him out or not shy away from his touch. Aegon cared a lot about the physical, so every time he sneaked into your room he did so with the hope that you would welcome him with open arms and give yourself to him willingly. Countless nights he waited in his own room for you to show up to keep him warm and love him throughout the night. But it never happened and a part of him couldn't blame you either.

However, he was already tired of it. He wanted to make it clear to you that he not only wanted to give, but also receive. But forcing you to do anything would ruin everything; you had to want it.

“Have I said something that offended you, prince?”

“I just thought you would say you were going to miss me”

A laugh echoed in your throat at those words and for a second Aegon felt hurt, like you were mocking you. He was going to let go of your hand and walk away, insulted, but you squeezed his hand harder as a sign that you didn't want him to do that.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you. I just didn't think that if I harbored feelings of that kind they would be of interest to your majesty."

“Do you miss me when you don't see me?” he asked now, allowing himself to be vulnerable in front of you “Or are you glad to have me away?”

You didn't know what those direct questions were about, because you didn't expect that a man like him would be plagued by uncertainty about knowing the answers.

“Not at all. I will always be willing to be with you whenever you want.”

“And you want to be with me?” he insisted.

“I think that what I want is not important”

“But I'm trying to make it so. I thought I was making it clear enough,”

He was angry, but not for the reasons you might think. It frustrated him that he was trying hard to improve and that your eyes continued to see him like that first time. Too many people were already observing him like that and he thought that, perhaps, since you were the most recent to do it, you could also be the first in whom he could manage to modify it.

You, however, were still too confused by his signs. Sometimes his attitude didn’t coincide with the intentions he had, since antipathy was often the only emotion with which he allowed himself to express and feel, accustomed to what he received during all his years of life.

All those months of effort were a direct product of the talk you had had with him, of that moment of weakness in which, instead of ignoring him like everyone else did, you had stayed with him. Aegon was aware that the treatment towards you was sometimes inhumane and he couldn’t explain how despite this you had wiped away his tears with such care, expressing nothing more than an act of integrity. Sometimes he even just imposed things on you to see if he could push you to the limit and he was surprised to see that you endured everything with honor and decency. You were good, something he could never be.

He didn't want to hear anything more and then let go of your hand, feeling rejected again.

"Majesty…"

"It's getting late. I have to go feed Sunfyre so he can endure the trip.”

“Will you travel by dragon?”

“How else would a Targaryen do it?” expressed obviously.

You were silent for a moment and then he stood up, ready to fulfill his obligations. In the afternoon he had already left, without emotional goodbyes or anything like that.

You had those weeks alone to reflect on everything that had been happening. You firmly believed that a cruel and evil person would always be that way, even if they hid it, because humans can’t change from one day to the next. Still, you had to allow Aegon the courtesy of admitting that he wasn't being a complete jerk lately.

You tried to think of any unpleasant moments with him during that week and although you found a couple, you realized that they had all been because of minor arguments or simply that one of the two of you had woken up in a bad mood. The hatred for the boy had been so ingrained in you that now it was difficult to decipher how much of it was due to things that were really happening and how much of it was a resentment carried from the past, at the beginning of that harmful relationship that existed between you.

He was no longer a mean man to you, he just sometimes had those logical slips for anyone who has never been taught to love. He didn't know how to care for you, how to talk to you, or even how to touch you properly. He had always existed alone and could still be seen reflected in his incessant desire for you to be the one to look for him, in his longing to know that you would miss him during his absence and in wanting you to look forward to his return. He wanted you to pay attention to him. He needed it.

One fine afternoon the vision of Sunfyre finally appeared in the bright blue of the sky, with you watching from the huge window of your room. He looked majestic, flying deftly and confidently with the rider above him grinning from ear to ear. Aegon had once confessed to you that he loved to fly on his dragon and he spoke about it with a devotion that completely touched you.

You thought about going to look for him, grateful that he had returned, but you were afraid that your presence would bother him or, in that case, that there would be murmurs about you. You didn't want to seem like a desperate wife so you thought it would be best to look for him at dinner time and in case he wanted to see you before, you stayed in your room all afternoon.

Once night fell, you put on one of your prettiest dresses and went to the royal dining room hoping to find him there, but it was in vain. Luckily one of the cooks had seen him and he told you that he was in his room, since he had ordered that something to eat and drink be brought there.

Determined, you made your way there and took a moment before entering. You hoped that the time away from King's landing had not hardened your lover's character, because it would be a shame to waste what you had built for some time and have to start over, or not do it at all, which would be even worse. Since there were no guards at the door, you were able to push the wood without any hindrance and then you saw it.

Aegon was sitting near the fireplace, his back to the entrance and leaning against a table that had a jug that you assumed was full (or not so full anymore) of wine. When he heard your footsteps he turned slightly and when he saw you, he kept a serene expression on his face.

“Hey,” he exclaimed quietly.

“The maids informed me that you were here” you explained and he nodded.

You noticed that he no longer wore his black doublet with the Targaryen emblem, he only kept the breeches of the same color and a mint-colored linen shirt that left part of his chest exposed. His white hair had some natural curls that fell delicately over her shoulders.

“Yeah. I don't feel like seeing my parents.”

“I understand” you assumed that if he hadn't wanted to see you he wouldn't have hesitated to tell you, so you approached him. Undecided whether you should greet him with a kiss or just stay to the side, you placed your hands on his shoulders and leaned a little to look at him “How was the trip?”

“It was good,” he responded with reluctance. “But my body feels completely crushed”

“Hm. It shows” you whispered, amused. The tension in his body was palpable and that's why you began to massage him, pressing hard just where he needed it. Aegon, feeling your skilled hands doing this, let out a satisfied grunt and leaned his head back with his eyes closed.

Doing that wasn’t something you had planned when you went there, it had only happened out of the heat of the moment and the reality that your husband's body was taking its toll on him for the hours he had spent riding his dragon.

With each passing second Aegon's burden felt lighter and lighter, wondering where you had learned those movements and how your hands were strong enough to exert the right pressure.

"Feel better?" you asked kindly and he nodded immediately, eyes still closed.

Suddenly one of your hands slid lower, towards his chest, to caress him. This time your fingers were light as feathers, sending an electrical current up and down the man's spine under your touch. No whore had ever touched him like that, with that force and at the same time so delicately.

But it was clear that you were not a whore. You were his wife.

“Come here,” he said firmly, reaching out to wrap his hand around your wrist and pulling you directly into his lap.

It was extremely painful to admit that he had missed you. He was physically frustrated because he hadn't dared to take any other woman in your absence. It had been a long time since he had frequented pleasure houses, since his appetite was awakened only by being with you.

What the hell had you done to him?

“The cook told me that you ordered some food, but I only see wine around here. Have you already eaten anything?”

“Mhmm,” he said absently. Your legs dangled to the side and one of his hands came up to your face, brushing your loose hair away from it. The other one surrounded you until it planted itself firmly on your belly. “Still no signs of anything?”

“Honestly, I don't know. The maesters can’t say with certainty… I am sorry”

“What if you are sterile?” the mere possibility of it made you nervous and you wondered what your fate would be if that was the case. Aegon didn't look so worried “What a disappointment for Alicent.”

You didn't know how to take that, because on the one hand it could be that your husband was amused by the irony of the matter and on the other hand it was that he would never have wanted to have children with you. For a moment you thought that the tranquility of the environment had been fragmented by this, but it turned out that the man couldn't care less. He was completely focused on your lips, almost as if hypnotized.

“I trust that is not the case, your grace. Just… it was a streak of bad luck.”

“I guess so,” he murmured nonchalantly. He was still watching your mouth when you spoke “But now I don’t care much about that.”

He carefully grabbed you by the back of your neck and brought you closer to shorten the distance, giving you an eager kiss that took your breath away. The hand that was on your waist pulled you closer to his body, leaving practically no separation between you and him. You could feel the desperation on his lips and in his touch, like he was eager to make you his. And at the same time, he was kissing you like he had never done before: it was sweet, yearning, passionate. You felt like he really wanted you.

He separated from you so you could breathe and, as best he could, he maneuvered to lift your body until he placed you on the table, where it was easier for him to place himself in the space between your legs. You instinctively placed your hands around his neck and wrapped one of your legs around his body.

“I longed for you. These weeks” you finally confessed. You heard him, and felt him, breathe more erratically at this because your words had fallen on him with the force of an axe.

From there, Aegon acted solely driven by the feeling of knowing that you had wanted to see him as much as he had wanted to see you.

His entire body leaned over you to kiss you, with the same urgency as at the beginning. While he did that he grabbed you by the lower back, pulling you until your body collided with his crotch which, if it wasn't already hard, wouldn't take long.

His kisses were clumsy due to urgency and after a while he moved away from your mouth to descend to your neck. Sometimes he left a kiss or two, at most, but this time he seemed to want to take his time. His tongue ran all over your skin, freshly washed, and he spread caresses without restraint. Every place the dragon's lips touched lit up with fire and his hips grinding against you weren't doing much for the blush on your cheeks. Inevitably you began to sigh from so many stimuli, right at the level of his ear, which only motivated him to continue.

As best he could he pulled the laces on the back of your dress and it didn't take long to get rid of the restraints. He slid one of your sleeves over your shoulder to begin kissing that section, the same way he had done with your neck. An indiscreet moan escaped you as your husband bit into your soft flesh and you could feel him smile against your skin.

“You're mine, right?” he sighed brokenly. You had tilted your head back to give him more space and he took the opportunity to lower the entire torso of your dress. “Only mine…”

With the same devotion he took care of your breasts and you couldn't do anything but continue alternating between sighs and some muffled moans. You could feel how he longed for you, eager to be able to kiss every inch of your skin even if it took him the entire night. Suddenly your body had become a temple, an object worthy of worship. The prince continued to distribute kisses that each time descended towards your belly, until with one hand he violently threw everything that was on the table and you ended up lying completely on it. Then he walked away.

You were about to ask what had happened when he took care of taking off your ballerina flats and throwing them somewhere far away in the room, only to stretch your leg up to the height of his torso to start kissing it. No one, not even him, had ever done that to you, so it was natural for you to be dismayed. His kisses moved quickly up your thigh and once he did that, he dropped to his knees in front of you. The skirt of your dress blocked your view and when you tried to get up something made you scream. Aegon had bitten into the tender flesh of your thighs, quite close to your crotch and with more force than he had hit your shoulder. You could only imagine his face when he carefully licked the mark he had surely left on you, once again making your chest exhale a moan.

What he did next and the sensation it caused, you could never have even imagined. That mouth, which most of the time was used for ironic puns and sloppy kisses, was now taking expert care of all of your pussy. Aegon was devouring you completely, touching just where it was necessary to make you squirm on the table. He wasn't careful at all; it was a touch hungry and extremely dirty.

You wanted to hold on as much as you could to keep yourself attached to reality, but it was difficult with your husband eating you like that. One of his arms wrapped around your leg and placed it over his shoulder, probably to give him better access. You had never moaned like that in his presence and it only made him harder and harder beneath the tight fabric of his breeches.

The pleasure was barely getting to your head when he stopped and a dissatisfied grunt escaped you shamelessly. Aegon laughed unabashedly at this, pleased at the control he had gained over you, and then went up again to kiss you hungrily. You couldn't do anything but welcome his salty lips and you moaned against him as he leaned against your body and you could feel his crotch, not knowing if it was your own wetness or his that was present.

He held you from behind and, without stopping kissing you, carried you until he placed you on the bed. You considered it somewhat unfair that your husband already had you trembling beneath him and still hadn't taken off a single piece of clothing, but your complaints were silenced when he hurriedly pulled his shirt over his head and took off his breeches in record time. In the same way, he pulled your dress towards your legs so that a second later it ended up on the floor, along with everything else.

He knelt down on the mattress and spread your legs roughly, lining himself up with your entrance. He began to rub the tip of his member up and down your already wet center and that did nothing but drive you crazy again.

When a delicate, pleading, «please» escaped your swollen lips, Aegon knew it was more stimulating to have you begging for him than to worry about only satisfying himself.

He played with you for a while longer, smiling from ear to ear at the sight of his delicate, pretty wife vibrating from having him close, until he finally plunged into you. For the first time there was enough wetness in you that the stroke felt satisfying rather than painful and both of you let out a delicious moan.

He set the pace, slow at first, but after a while his movements became more desperate. He wanted to get to the core of you, he wanted to fill you completely so you knew that only he could make you feel that way. When his body began to ache he leaned towards you, resting each of his arms on the side of your head and looking directly at you. You had stopped looking away from him, now you were looking at him with your mouth open with pleasure, your eyes watery and your pupils dilated on your completely flushed cheeks.

“Aegon,” you sobbed pathetically, clouded by everything you were experiencing and proving that it wasn't long before you reached your orgasm.

You had never called him by his name. You always referred to him as «your grace», «prince» or «husband», at best. So hearing his name come out of your lips like that, under those circumstances, was too much for him to bear.

Knowing that he couldn't last much longer, one of his hands moved down to rest his thumb on your clit and once there he began to make erratic circles. You closed your eyes, completely seized by pleasure and a couple more thrusts were enough to make you lose the battle. Hearing your whimpers, combined with the way your walls squeezed him, was enough to make him cum too. With trembling legs you felt the warm liquid filling you and, for the first time, it was comforting.

When Aegon plopped down next to you, you immediately missed his body warmth. Both of you were breathing heavily, trying to catch the breath that the orgasm had taken from you. You could clearly feel your heartbeat bouncing off your bare chest and the stinging sensation coming from your crotch and running through your entire body was something you could get used to. Your hair had stuck to your face from the sweat and not to mention your lips, which you felt were burning from your husband's attention.

Aegon had already had many orgasms in his life so this time he decided to turn his gaze a little to see you enjoying yours. The mere idea that he was responsible for your condition made him completely shake.

“You look beautiful,” he blurted out suddenly. You thought he had heard wrong because of the rush, but from the way he was smiling at you, you highly doubted it. “Just like that”

“Like what?”

“Freshly fucked. Well fucked” he corrected himself.

A laugh bubbled up from within you and you blushed even more, if that was possible, perhaps from the nerves and elation of what had just happened. The man stood up a little from his seat and leaned down to kiss you, although this time he did it with a calm and affection that you never thought you would see in him. It was just that he couldn't deny it anymore; from that moment on he would become an open book for you, where you could see all his feelings, desires and fears.

“I don't know why you're doing this,” you suddenly murmured and Aegon pulled away enough to look at you “And I don't know why you've been acting like this these past few months. But I like it. I think it's a good time for you to know."

“You said I could choose who I am,” he said meekly. One of his hands grabbed your chin and stole another fleeting kiss from you. “I haven't forgotten, every word is present in my head. It's just... sometimes it's hard. And I thought I would have a better chance with you, even with the things I did to you when we got married”

You smiled at him and were happy to know that the change in his behavior was because of the talk you once had with him. If he continued like this, ignoring the demons inside him and trying to be better, then your marriage had a chance to become more than just a condemnation.

Driven by the pleasant feeling growing in your chest you reached out towards him to reward him with a kiss. The man's breath hitched when you pushed him to the side and reversed roles, now you being the one pampering him while he was lying down. There was a playful glint in your husband's eyes as you looked at him.

“Do you know this is the first time you kissed me?” he exhaled softly.

You couldn't believe that was possible and for a few seconds you tried to remember so you could contradict him. But every time you remembered you realized that it was always him who initiated the contact to which you only responded, so, effectively, it was the first kiss you gave him out of conviction.

Maybe it was an omen that something good was coming.

Still happy with how everything had turned out, you snuggled into his side, your head resting on his chest while he hugged you and threw a sheet over your bodies. You planted a hand on his bare skin and began drumming your fingers, alternating with small circles made with the greatest delicacy.

You were silent for a long time, you even thought that your husband had fallen asleep until you heard him speak again:

“It's also the first time I'm doing this.”

“Are you talking about sex, your grace?”

“No, I'm talking about cuddling,” he confessed softly, his hand caressing your back the same way you did with him, “And don't call me your majesty anymore. I am Aegon. Or my prince, at any rate. But my is important”

With the affection worthy of a wife, you raised your head to place a kiss on his cheek and assured him that from now on you would call him that in the privacy of your chambers.

Suddenly, after another moment of silence, Aegon pulled you close to him as if afraid you were going to suddenly evaporate. Intending to calm his fears, you climbed until you were on top of his body, hiding your head in his neck so that the distance became minimal.

There was silence for another couple of minutes.

“Do you think I can ever be forgiven?”

Apparently the atmosphere of the moment had managed to soften the boy's heart.

“We can all be absolved, Aegon.”

"And you?"

"Me what?"

“Do you think you can ever love me?” you were quiet for a second, thinking about your response. Then, he added “Or could you at least try? It would be a nice detail for me. No one has ever done it before.”

Not wanting to ruin the mood with a false word you decided to kiss his neck gently and that was enough of an answer for him. He would have to trust in your goodwill and that he could continue to restrain his impulses to keep this newly discovered gem that was his wife. With some luck you could even be that person he prayed for so much all his life, one with whom he could feel safe.

The slowing of the man's breathing revealed to you that he had already fallen asleep and you discovered that it seemed not so bad to find yourself in that position, sheltered by your lover's arms.

Under that scenario, the idea of eventually loving Prince Aegon Targaryen no longer sounded so far-fetched.

[unkstaarwysbr]

A Beloved Legacy: The Ninja Turtles Capture Hearts and Inspire a Lifelong Bond

In TSDS 275, the profound adoration for the Ninja Turtles spills forth from the speaker’s heart, unveiling a cherished connection like no other. They wholeheartedly proclaim the Heroes in a Half Shell as their favorite, depicting an intimate bond that transcends the realm of fiction. To this fervent devotee, the Ninja Turtles are not just fictional characters, but genuine companions who have…

[critterbitter]

re: your thoughts on legendaries (which is very cool and based) what’s your take on the differences between legends:arceus giratina and platinum giratina, especially since you defined them as hating the world? specifically the bit where giratina (at least seemingly) actively defended the world from cyrus trying to destroy it, after trying to do the same thing with volo’s help centuries prior?

Weird ghost worm upon yee (AND MORE ART BELOW CUT!)

Anyways, here’s my mad ramblings about Giratina and Arceus’s backstory.

Tldr: Giratina’s a conglomerate of angry souls scorned by Arceus.

(Here’s the playlist. It’s all about worms.)

How it Started.

The original one has chosen favorites over the passage of time. Heroes, legends, protagonists…

Arceus intervenes for those it loves, and the consequences of a god touching the mortal world is devastating in its entirety. One act of divine intervention causes entire civilizations to collapse. One whispered suggestion drives an entire legacy insane.

So Arceus, paralyzed by its love for the mortal world, acts very little, learning from its mistakes. Apathy soaks through every motion. And thus is the way of the world.

But people love the Originator. Religions are born from Arceus’s rare deeds, and generation on generation taught its benevolence. Imagine spending your entire life chasing after that golden light. Imagine knowing its real and there, and it loves you.

Imagine begging it for help, and seeing it turn away when you need it most.

I think those people would feel very abandoned indeed, if they spent their lives worshipping, and receiving no response at all.

Giratina is born from the abandoned, the lost, and the angry. They’re a hundred thousand souls who’s adoration turned to spite. They’re an entity who demands for Arceus to look at them, so they can finally rest.

Arcues can not look at them in full, because if it does Giratina will fade.

(Scio, beloved. For I can not let you go.)

So the Original One banishes the Unwanted Beast into the distortion world, and Giratina seethes, and starves, and screams.

(Here are two truths about the Beast Between Dimensions—

1. Some part of them still loves Arceus. Arceus is their anchor, after all— the sole reason why they exist, why they are. But Arceus can not love it back in a way that matters, and that hurts.

2. Giratina is made of a thousand voices. Some of these voices remember that there’s a world above. They miss it.)

Why Giratina attacked Hisui in PLA:

PLA Giratina’s not a new god, but they’re very, very bitter and barely coherent on a good day. Volo serves as a conduct to help unite the broiling mass of ghosts against Arceus, and thus Giratina’s hatred overcomes any flickering affections they have for the land.

It doesn’t help that Arceus intervened for Hisui, sending Akari to directly stop Volo from summoning Giratina.

(As for Volo, well.

Imagine being a child who was thrown into the future due to Palkia and Dialga’s fits, who learned his people (his world) no longer exist beyond a shadow in the history books and a single, bitter lore keeper.

Volo doesn’t remember his original culture beyond vague imprints and singing praises to Sinnoh, but he knew he was loved, and he knew his family is dust four hundred years in the past. There’s a special sort of rage in him that echoes Giratinas.)

(Why did you abandon my people, Arceus? What kind of god are you, to leave those who love you so callously behind?)

(Maybe some part of Giratina recognizes Volo, beyond a feeling of kinship.

Maybe some part of Giratina grieves because it recognized the child Volo was.)

When Volo gets his pound of flesh, (when he realizes Arceus is not beholden to him, that the inherent alien morality Arceus holds is not a personal slight), Giratina will finally rest.

Anyways what I’m trying to say is: Arceus is never a person, but a nebulous embodiment of the connection shared between pokemon and humans. It tries to experience what it’s supposed to embody, but millennia of watching people be and cease has given it choice paralysis, apathy, and a hoarding issue. If something lasts forever next to it? Good.

Giratina was once a person. (Correction, a LOT of persons.) They don’t think very linearly either, but they have context on mortal matters and are thus the more benevolent and malicious of the two. One day, time will smooth them into something like Arceus. We can only hope the two keep each other in check.

THE DIFFERENCE OF LEGENDS ARCEUS GIRATINA VS PLATINUM PEARL GIRATINA

If the ancient version of giratina is an angry conglomerate of ghosts scorned by Arceus, the modern iteration of Giratina’s a creature that’s more settled in its skin and more assured in its duties. Giratina still has beef with Arceus, but they unionized into one being who’s love of the mortal world has triumphed over its ancestral grudge. One might even postulate they have shifted their anchor from Sinnoh the god, to Sinnoh the place.

((We call this character developement. Good for you, weird ghost worm!))

(((FULL DISCLOSURE, VOLO BEING FROM THE PAST IS INSPIRED FROM FOXFALL. You know. The fic that got me into this fandom. Please give it some love.)))

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Synonyms for love?

Love—strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; a beloved person; to hold dear; to like or desire actively

Admire - to feel respect and approval for

Adoration - the act of adoring

Adore - to regard with loving admiration and devotion

Adulation - extreme or excessive admiration or flattery

Affection - a feeling of liking and caring for someone or something; tender attachment

Allegiance - devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause

Amative - relating to or indicative of love

Amorous - indicative of, or relating to love

Appreciation - a feeling or expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude

Ardor - loyalty

Attachment - affectionate regard

Beloved - dearly loved; dear to the heart

Cherish - to feel or show affection for

Craving - an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing

Crush - an intense and usually passing infatuation

Cup of tea - a person suited to one's taste

Darling - a dearly loved person

Dear - a loved one; highly valued

Desire - longing, craving; exhibit or feel desire for

Devotion - the fact or state of being ardently dedicated and loyal

Eagerness - marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest

Enchant - to attract and move deeply; rouse to ecstatic admiration

Enthusiasm - strong excitement of feeling; ardor

Esteem - high regard; to set a high value on

Fancy - amorous fondness; like

Favorite - one that is treated or regarded with special favor or liking

Fealty - intense fidelity

Fervor - intensity of feeling or expression

Fidelity - the quality or state of being faithful

Fondness - tender affection

Inamorata - a woman with whom one is in love or has intimate relations

Infatuation - a feeling of foolish or obsessively strong love for, admiration for, or interest in someone or something

Jewel - one that is highly esteemed

Like - to feel attraction toward or take pleasure in; preference

Longing - a strong desire especially for something unattainable; craving

Paramour - lover; specifically: an illicit or secret lover

Partiality - a special taste or liking

Passion - ardent affection

Predilection - an established preference for something

Preference - a person or thing that is preferred over others

Respect - high or special regard

Revere - to show devoted deferential honor to

Swain - a male admirer or suitor

Sweetheart - someone who is loved

Treasure - to hold or keep as precious

Truelove - one truly beloved or loving

Value - to consider or rate highly

Venerate - to regard with reverential respect or with admiring deference

Yearning - a tender or urgent longing

Zeal - eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something

Hope this helps! Would love to read your work if it does.

More: Word Lists ⚜ On Love

[howlsofbloodhounds]

I think my favorite “fanon” interpretations of nightmare have to be like cartoonishly evil and silly. Or like, old and powerful and grumpy about it and you best get off his lawn.

Peepaw Nightmare, he complains about his back and how “back in my day!” and he calls Killer “boy” when he’s upset with him. “Boy quiet.” “Boy quiet.” “Boy quiet now.”

Killer uses the movements of his tentacles to predict the weather like some older folk say they can feel the weather changing thanks to things like their “bad knee.”

And most of the time NM’s tentacles usually can predict the weather. Nightmare smacks killer over the head with his tentacle like an older man hitting the ankles of youngsters with a cane for being rowdy.

And like peepaw is really knowledgeable about a ton of things but also doesn’t keep up with modern technology and killer uses this to fuck with him for amusement. Convinced him a roomba is some type of highly intelligent pet.

And nightmare knows he’s being fucked with, but he’s just too stubborn and prideful to “get with the times.” And killer knows that he knows, so it’s like a game to see who cracks first.

Peepaw Nightmare uses the “it’s because you’re always on that damn phone” with killer a lot. Even in situations where it doesn’t make any sense. Killer threatens to put him in a nursing home frequently.

And nightmare has this big specific chair thats just for him and everyone knows it but it’s become a game to see who can sit on it for how long without getting caught. (Cross is the only one refusing to probably).

Killer frequently hears “why can’t you be more like cross and dust?” from the old man whenever he’s Had Enough of the antics.

And nightmare knits like cartoonishly evil versions of holiday sweaters for the group and has like the fucked up creepy doll equivalent of a beanie baby or porcelain doll collection. Dust feels like a sort of kinship with dolls and the other dudes have like a comical fear or aversion to them. Nightmare named every one like they’re his kids & the only ones understanding it r error & dust.

Everyone else refuses to call the dolls by name, besides cross who does it in a reluctant creeped out way.

Nightmare & error have old people beef over aus like old neighbors beefing over property lines & mowing the others lawn or something. & nm beefs with color about being a “good influence” on killer.

Nightmare calls dream at random intervals just to curse him out and insult him before hanging up and refuses to answer whenever Dream calls first. The “stars vs bad sanses” “negativity vs positivity” war/balance doesn’t actually exist or is just tipped enough in nightmare’s favor that he doesn’t worry about it so instead the twins just squabble over the golden apple though phone like its a custody battle over a beloved pet.

[vampcubus]

𝐒𝐓𝐀���𝐄

𝐊𝐘𝐎𝐉𝐔𝐑𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐎𝐊𝐔 𝐗 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑

:ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 : kyojuro sure likes to stare, doesn't he? :ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 : sfw, gn!reader, pre-established friendship, background obamitsu meddling. :ఌ¨ ♱ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 : 1.4k+

Kyojuro, bless his heart, is so hopelessly attracted to you in ways he’s never experienced. 

Everything about you draws him in, from your striking beauty to your quick wit, how despite your snark you always treated others with compassion. You were fast friends, not that Kyojuro was particularly difficult to get along with. You’d even argue that such a person as him was impossible to dislike, at least without feeling guilty about it. 

He was blunt, genuine, and brimming with so much enthusiasm it tended to unsettle some. But never you. You would look upon him with quiet acceptance, hanging onto his every word. You didn’t seem to mind his complete disregard for eye contact or his erratic conversational skills. 

You just get him, he muses. And he’s never felt a kinship like that with anyone.

Kyojuro has always felt like he was moving faster than everyone else, both in mind and body. The man couldn’t sit still or shut up to save his life, or so the other Hashira would say – endearingly of course. No matter the sentiments his comrades held for him, none of them seemed to keep up quite as well as you did. Which is why he presumed you worked so well together.

He could blabber on about anything and have you following along just fine. Though after a few roundabout conversations ranging from swordplay to street food, he musters the confidence to ask if he talked too much for your taste. 

You only quirk a brow and snort, “Pffft, of course not! I like listening to you talk.” and you see something shift in his gaze, the softest shade of pink tinting his round cheeks.

It’s around there when the staring starts.

It’s a subtle change at first, catching his wide-eyed gaze from across the training field. Feeling his eyes upon you as you shared meals together. Stumbling over your words when you realize for the first time that he’s actually looking you in the eye as you talk.

It’s a new and exhilarating feeling to be able to admire those honey-colored eyes fully fixated on you for a change. Too often you found yourself staring back. And the way he brightens when your eyes meet sends your fickle heart into pesky palpitations every time. You swore his pupils bled further into his golden-red irises every time he spotted you. 

The idea of his eyes dilating at the mere sight of you endears you even more fiercely to him. As if such a thing was possible. You’re already attached at the hip, not to mention the dozens of joint missions you’ve taken. 

His exuberance could be trying when your objective was to blend in, but his swordsmanship more than made up for it. He was incredibly good at taking the edge off when tensions were high, he was an emotional pillar of support, and you were honored to have his focus.

The beloved Flame Hashira was enthusiastic about many things, but you most of all it seemed. You’ve been told by several other Hashira that you were one of his favorite topics of conversation. The image of him gushing about you to other people is as embarrassing as it is flattering.

“Y/n is so easygoing, I cherish their company!”

“Did you know Y/n makes the best rice cakes?”

“Y/n is such a fierce swordsman, I am honored to fight at their side!”

“Y/n this, Y/n that. You’re all he talks about you know,” Iguro points a finger in your face one morning.

“So I’ve heard,” you hum, hand perched lazily on the hilt of your sword, though you’re unsure of precisely why he’s telling you this. Your eyes stray to Kaburamaru, who only flicks his tongue at you, leisurely slithering down Iguro’s shoulder from his coiled position around his neck.

You’ve always known the Serpent Hashira to be abrasive and confrontational, but the sudden interest in your relationship with Rengoku was uncharacteristic. Especially since he usually disregarded your presence unless he had something to criticize. You didn’t dislike him, but you wouldn’t say that you were close.

Did he know something you didn’t? 

You try not to make assumptions based on the worries of others, but Kyojuro’s childhood friend approaching you out of the blue to tell you something like that? It makes you wonder just what sort of things Kyojuro has been saying about you to warrant such an interrogation.

Was Iguro trying to discern your intentions as a way of looking out for him? Perhaps your feelings for Kyojuro weren’t as internalized as you’d thought. 

“Is this your way of saying you’ll snap me like a twig if I break his heart?” you ask, lips curling up into a sly grin, head cocked to one side.

Heterochromatic eyes blink in surprise, and then narrow.

“You catch on quick.” 

“You can relax, Iguro. I won’t hurt him.”

“Few can be entirely sure of that. For your sake, I hope that’s the truth,” he waves you off, turning away in disinterest upon hearing your response.

The encounter leaves you with mixed feelings. Would Iguro have asked if he didn’t already know how Rengoku felt in return? It's an unsettling and gnawing feeling. Not the idea that your feelings could be returned, just the uncertainty of it all. If Iguro noticed it, why didn’t you?

“Iguro approached me earlier,” you say as you sit across from the flame-haired swordsman, currently having lunch at one of your favorite spots to eat.

“Did he now?” Kyojuro acknowledges, eyes still closed as he stuffs another bite of octopus into his mouth. His round cheeks puff out cutely, the image of a chipmunk with its cheeks full of nuts forming in your mind.

“He told me you talk about me a lot.”

“All good things of course!” he assures, seemingly unbothered by the news.

“That’s the thing,” you chuckle nervously, poking at your food with your chopsticks. Kyojuro’s eyes fluttered open, now focused on your fidgeting hands. “He seemed concerned that you had feelings for me beyond friendship.”

It’s silent for a moment, and you stuff food into your mouth to escape it, eyes focused on your plate. You can feel his gaze, but you’re too intimidated to meet it.

“Would that be a bad thing?” for once, Kyojuro sounds nervous. 

It's a subtle strain in his tone that others who didn’t know him as well might have missed. But years of close proximity have made you perceptive to the almost invisible chinks in his armor. Kyojuro was heavily guarded for being such a friendly man, always eager to lend a hand or ear when others were in distress, but quick to clam up when it came to his own problems.

Your heartbeat skips, excited and terrified. Was that a confession? Were you reading too far into things? Was the question rhetorical? All these questions well up inside until you feel like you’ll burst. 

You can’t help but let out an exasperated sigh.

“You’re so hard to read,” you lamented, nearly jumping out of your skin when his fingers brush yours from across the table.

“Perhaps If you looked at me, you’d have an easier time,” he laughs, and your heart already feels lighter at the joyous sound. 

The anxiety in your tummy melts into giddiness, and you demurely tilt your head up to meet his eyes. They’re crinkled fondly, pupils large, and fully fixated on yours. His golden-red eyes consume yours, inspiring your fingers to twitch against his. You can only compare such an expression to a smitten puppy. 

You suddenly feel silly for entertaining any doubts that the Flame Hashira was any less enamored than you were.

“To be completely honest, I have been interested in you romantically for quite some time now, and at a loss of how to contain such strong feelings,” he confessed, and suddenly a lot of things started making sense.

He stared at you so much because he liked you. He talked about you so much because he liked you. He let you tag along to missions he could have easily handled on his own because he liked you. Iguro approached you because he noticed.

“Then no, I don’t think that would be a bad thing at all.” You turn your hand with your palm facing upward to accept his own into your grasp.

Kyojuro’s smile widens, and he nearly shakes the entire restaurant with the volume of his declaration of, “WONDERFUL!”

“See, Obanai? I told you they just needed a little push!” Mitsuri gushes from across the restaurant, just her green eyes and the top of her head peeking over the menu.

[lilac-5ky]

TOJI AND VIRGIN READER!

The Favor (officeAU!Toji x virgin!Fem!Reader)

Plot: The first day you met Toji, he told you everything on his CV was a lie. Three years later, he's your beloved work husband, the one you go to when you decide it's time to lose your virginity.

Tags: Office!AU, loss of virginity, fingering, oral sex (f.receiving), agee gap (reader mid 20s, toji mid 30s), soft!dom toji, dirty talking, praising, pet names (sweetheart, darling, kid, wife, whore, slut, etc), aftercare, toji catches feelings after fucking you, daddy vibes without the word, friends to lovers dynamic, size kink, lube handjob, MDNI obviously.

A/N: Combined your idea with my intense need to write an office!au. Hopefully this turned out to your liking and you forgive me for writing this much filth LMAO

Masterlist | AO3 | Requests

For promotion, for demotion, for raises and for cuts, in overtime and in bureaucracy, until layoff do us part.

In the insufferable reality of Japanese corporate life, a work spouse exists to shoulder the burden of overdue deadlines and never-ending stacks of paperwork. A husband who, in spite of not being bound to you through marriage, has vowed to stick by your side until either one of you breaks free from the shackles of human resources; your work husband.

You met each other on your first day at the company, both of you passing interviews for the same lowly position of staffing coordinator.

Your first impression of candidate number 9 was that his suit wasn’t really his but was likely borrowed from someone whose bicep wasn’t the size of their thigh and calf combined. Your second impression was whispered to your ear as the dark haired man rose from his chair and paraded down the interview room, nonchalantly letting slip that his bachelor’s degree along with every bit of qualification on his CV had been faked.

Whether that was a declaration of war or a testament to his unparalleled confidence, you wouldn’t know until a week later when you were assigned to the same miserable office corner, sharing a desk, a title, and a secret whose value skyrocketed once you became acquainted with your work place’s imposing policies.

One word would get both him and his knowing smile fired, but the moment you shook hands with Fushiguro Toji and promised to get along, you signed yourself up for a long-lasting partnership.

Over the three years you worked together, each grew out of their initial post. Your all-nighters paid off and you got promoted to an HR assistant, meaning you didn’t have to memorize everyone’s coffee order any longer, while Toji flourished as the department’s eye candy.

He’d ceased pretending that his broad shoulders could be boxed in second-hand suit jackets, and instead opted for rolled-up button-ups with the occasional monochromatic tie—a fit that put his sculpted physique into full view and threw the entire female populace out of balance.

He was an objectively good-looking man who bordered on great. The type to be conscious of their effect on others, cutting corners with suggestive glances and smiling his way out of otherwise unforgivable report oversights. Every woman in the office was openly in love with him. Even your supervisor referred to him as the team’s ace and discreetly unbuttoned her cleavage in his presence.

You realized then, they’d sooner let go of you and your hard-earned master’s, than part with the department’s mascot.

Despite the differences in skill and appearance, your sense of kinship survived the passage of time. Perhaps you’d subconsciously fallen victim to his charms, but whenever you saw his thin brows furrow and his right foot threaten the unresponsive copy machine with a killing blow, you couldn’t look away. This is a favor; you’d remind him at every formal email and resume assessment you helped put together.

And favors are repaid.

While Toji couldn’t assist with payroll processing, he always had the scoop on who cheated on their spouse with whom and whose bra was filled with padding—which you didn’t find all that interesting, but turned into a fun game of guess the cheater during dull 9 a.m. meetings.

On mornings when the alarm was hurled at your bedroom wall, he made excuses for your absence, and on work dinners, he saved you a seat away from all the grabby drunks.

Toji was far from a good person. His mere presence in a company you’d broken your back to get into was a mockery of your efforts. He led others on and got into muffled shutouts over his phone behind the water fountain, where he thought no one was listening in.

That’s how you found out about his eight-year-old kid and the custody battle with his allegedly “psychotic” ex-wife. He didn’t know you knew because you never told him. Everyone had skeletons in their closet, and it wasn’t your job to sort his out. As far as your work marriage was concerned, he was a good husband who diligently fulfilled his marital duties—all except one, which you feared the pretext of a favor wouldn’t begin to cover.

“Here’s your poison,” you slid the scalding coffee cup in his direction, mindful of the papers on his desk. “Black Americano with four shots of espresso and no sugar to compliment your wretched dark soul.”

Toji raised an open palm in your face, motioning for you to wait until he was done punching words on the keyboard and pressed save file. Your eyes were drawn to his fingers, threaded with faded scars that followed the expanse of veins down his wrists, dipping deep below the white cotton of his shirt. Another unsolved mystery you hadn’t gotten to the bottom of.

He brought the cup to his equally scarred lips, defying the steam spirals with a long-drawn sip. “Unnecessary intro, but thanks.” He gave a lazy smile. “Aren’t ya a sweetheart?”

You dropped your beverage on your side of the desk and swiveled your chair nearer. “Think you could do said sweetheart a favor?

“A favor, huh?” His breath was laced with caffeine. “Depends. If you’re asking for a buck, ‘fraid I’m all dried up till the end of the month.”

So he isn’t planning on paying for his order.

“I make more than you.”

“Doesn’t mean ya can’t find yourself in a pickle.”

You shook your head, stealing a sip of liquid courage from your mocha. How did people ask those things again?

Your contemplation lasted long enough for him to turn his head back to work, filling his home screen with enough tabs to distract you from his unfinished round of solitaire.

“What are you doing after work?” Your voice cracked into shards of uncertainty.

“Nice try.”He sneered. “You dug your own grave taking on the grievance procedures from the union. Climb out on your own.”

“Not everyone offloads their work load on others, Toji.” You rolled your eyes, scooting even closer to make sure only he’d be the recipient of your next words.

He sensed something was off because he wasn’t pretending to input random lines into the search bar anymore, and while he studied you, you studied him back. You had your doubts about this, and you weren’t sure he was your type either. You liked your men responsible and mature—like Nanami from sales, who would’ve been your first choice if your legs didn’t turn into jelly the minute you saw him.

Toji was the safe option. You talked to him. You joked with him. You were used to him, and more importantly, you trusted him. All the lack of qualifications in his job, he made up for with his experience in that other field you were a stranger to.

“Hey, kid.” His voice mellowed down with a beat of concern, a heavy hand landing on your shoulder. “If you’ve gotten yourself into trouble, I—”

“Please have sex with me.”

“Make yourself at home.” He nudged your back into the apartment, glancing over his shoulder to make sure you were following even after he’d pulled away.

Moving forward felt hard—as if you’d forgotten how to. You weren’t sure whether to wipe your shoes on the mat or stash them in the corner. You didn’t know which foot to put forth and what set of slippers to pick. Every decision suddenly mattered a lot more than it should.

You’d never been to Toji’s house before, and up until a few hours ago, you couldn’t fathom standing at his doorstep either. You weren’t that close so as to meet outside work hours, but you were about to get a lot more up close and personal.

The way he accepted your request with a mere, almost offensive, okay still boggled your brain. You’d considered every question he could possibly ask, painstakingly compiling your list of answers like a witness called to the stand, only for him to not speak a word of it—not even when it was just you and him and the solitude that came from enjoying lunch a hundred stories above Tokyo’s bustling streets.

He seemed to have forgotten all about your plans, up until he pulled over at the bus stop where you were waiting and stuffed you in the front seat of his car.

“You coming?”

Kicking your heels off your feet, you skipped straight through the hallway, your head turning left and right as if you were at an art gallery. You didn’t know what to expect, but a high-end apartment in the heart of Minato wasn’t it. Neither your income nor his justified an inox steel kitchen with mahogany wood flooring—let alone a direct view of the illuminated Tokyo Tower.

You were so bedazzled by the city skyline that you nearly missed the hastily buried socks peeking beneath the kotatsu, along with the cobwebs his untouched bookshelf flaunted. Much like his suit, his apartment was handed to him by someone whose love for both their books and spouse had run out.

“Whaddya think?”

Toji stalked behind you, his reflection in the glass becoming more defined with every step he took. He was holding something in each hand—two glasses whose orange liquid sparkled in place of the stars.

You turned around slowly, accepting your share with a small smile on your face.

“Your ex-wife has good taste.”

He blinked, taken aback for a split second. He wondered what gave it out—the pink slippers or the flipped-down picture frames you’d yet to notice—and somewhere down the line, he got the wrong idea, beaming with an unwarranted “Thanks.”

“I meant the house, not you.” Although you couldn’t blame him for his inflated ego when every female practically dropped their panties at his feet. Especially not when you were there to do the same.

Your teeth clicked sharply against the glass as you tilted your head and sipped on what tasted too sweet to be whiskey. Apple Juice?

“That’s not alcohol.” You stated.

“Ever thought of becoming a detective?” Toji padded toward the leather couch, spreading his thighs across the two middle cushions.

“Ever thought of becoming a comedian?” You retorted, squeezing in to his left. The furniture would’ve been big enough to fit you both, had he been considerate. “So what’s the joke? Too young to be drinking, or hard liquor ain’t for pretty girls like me?”

“Nah.” His head dropped on his shoulder, both propped against the headrest. “Need you sober for what’s about to happen.”

You mirrored his stance, your knees touching as you folded them on the smooth leather. “And what’s about to happen?”

“I think we both know, or else ya wouldn’t have followed me here.” He wet his bottom lip, pretty green eyes clouding dark.

A certain dryness gnawed at your throat, the pink color of his tongue appealing to you more than it should. You weren’t interested in Toji, but the strands of black that fell over his forehead painted a cuter image than you were used to seeing at the office. You wondered what he’d look like with his hair pushed back, all slick from beads of sweat rolling down his temples. And when you realized you couldn’t pin any of those thoughts on the alcohol, you took another sip, hurriedly averting your gaze.

“How many have? Women from work, I mean.”

You were surprised to hear him state “None,” and even more surprised that he claimed not to mix business with pleasure. You could think of at least three coworkers you suspected he fooled around with. At least so they bragged in the ladies’ room.

“So why bring me home?”

“‘Cause you asked.” Toji said gruffly.

“You fuck every woman who asks you to?”

“Only the cute ones.”

Your cheeks flushed red as you reminded yourself to take his words with a grain of salt. He wasn’t interested in you any more than you were in him. This was simply platonic—almost transactional. He’d do what you asked, and then you’d pay him back with another, mundane favor like sorting mail in his stead.

You finished your drink, your eyes licking up the remaining drops at the bottom of the glass. “This line works?”

Toji shrugged. It probably did. He probably didn’t even have to open his mouth for it to work. While the moment you opened yours—

“Want more?” He motioned to your glass. You nodded, extending your arm, only for his expression to turn sour. “I’m not your fucking maid. Bottle’s on the counter.”

You sighed, getting up so he wouldn’t see your eyes roll at his comment as he shoved his glass in your face. Who’s the maid now?

Aimlessly, you strolled into the kitchen, taking longer than necessary to fill both your glasses. You didn’t mean to start snooping around, but you couldn’t help yourself from seeking a sign of his presence in his picture-perfect apartment. Houses typically reveal something about their residents, and while the display of crystal glasses spoke plenty of his ex-wife, there was no evidence of Toji’s personality.

You weren’t interested in him—just curious. That’s what you kept telling yourself as you picked up a frame stowed away behind an empty cookie jar.

Four smiles greeted you, the brightest belonging to a young girl with elongated bangs, holding a boy who strove to copy his sister’s expression. Their parents stood behind them, a beautiful woman with long brown hair tucked in a ponytail blissfully leaning against the shoulder of a Toji that seemed less happy the longer you processed his strained features.

“She left.” The proximity of his voice startled you. The frame danced between your fingers until he snatched it, his jutted-out chin betraying his annoyance. “Took the kids, left the house and me behind. Ain’t that what ya wanted to hear?”

You shook your head, about to drop to your knees and beg for forgiveness on his parquet. However, the hostility that rose faded as soon as he threw the picture in the first open drawer and returned to the living room, leaving you to fetch your drinks. Then you remembered the phone calls. They weren’t on good terms.

“Having kids isn’t bad. Nor being divorced.” You handed him the glass, assuming your previous position on the couch. “Doesn’t ruin your cool guy image whatsoever.”

“Who said I care about that?” Toji snorted.

“Then you wouldn’t care if anything slipped in front of your fan club?”

“Mind your own fucking business.” He hissed. You chuckled. Sharing a couch wasn’t that much different from sharing a desk, and sharing two secrets was the same as sharing one.

“What are your kids’ names?”

“Kid,” he corrected. “Megumi.”

By the name, you assumed it was the girl. You were wrong. You tried to ask something about his son’s mother, but somehow you couldn’t find one right thing to say, since the woman in the photo wasn’t the boy’s biological mom either. You were lost. The more cryptic answers he gave, the more unanswered questions you ended up with.

Your plan took a backseat while Toji trod the sensitive topic of his divorce to that “bitch,” who’d taken his kid from him out of spite. The custody battle was tipped in her favor, courtesy of a legal system that’d rather see a child separated from its biological parent in the face of cold cash.

Megumi only visited every second weekend of the month, which explained his father’s eagerness to leave early on certain Fridays and come late on the following Mondays. He didn’t need to say this, but you understood his reasons for cheating his way into the company. A proper job looked good in court, and whatever earned him those scars was far from proper.

Both your hands emptied as you finished your second round of drinks. Your head would be buzzing if there was alcohol involved, but you didn’t miss it. Toji was hard to engage, and talking to him felt like running into one brick wall after another. However, working out of those dead-ends was preferable to clinking glasses with some guy who wouldn’t quit boasting about his Ivy League diploma or his burning passion for vocaloid singers—both cases reflecting the sad reality of blind dating in your twenties.

“So.” Toji drawled, a burly arm stretching behind your head. “Why you want me to fuck you? Can’t find good dick in the market?”

Your mind went blank in an instant, every excuse and curated version of the story vanishing when you needed them the most.

“I—um,” you cleared your throat, while your eyes scanned over his body.

There was a lot to take in: the fine lines of his pecs, highlighted under the taut white fabric; the black tie hanging loose around his unbuttoned collar; the hem of his shirt that dangled out of his fitted pants, exposing the tiniest window to the happy trail on his lower abdomen; his slim waist and his thick thighs; the curve of his bum; and the light touch of his fingers closing around your shoulder. You traced the same route of landmarks, finding yourself returning to his achingly handsome face and the playful curiosity in his eyes that had you shifting in your place.

All the reasons for someone to want to be fucked by this fine specimen of a man were right there, and you picked the most inclusive one. “Because you’re hot.”

The ends of his scar drew apart as Toji smiled a wolfish smile. He inched closer, your back hitting the armrest when his right hand caged your body between his arms and the couch.

“Bullshit.” A tickle from where his nose brushed against yours, and a thud from where your heart dropped inside your chest. “You think I wouldn’t know if ya had the hots for me, kid?”

“N-not everyone throws themselves at others.” You tried to reason.

“Maybe. But attraction comes with signs.” The side of his hand grazed the corner of your eyelid. “Batting your pretty lashes,” he trailed off, rough knuckles softly tracing the apple of your cheek. “Blushing your cheeks red.” The pad of his thumb swiped down your cupid’s bow. “Biting your lip raw.” He continued with his eyes, glancing at the skirt that lay high above your knees suggestively. “Pressing those plushy thighs together.”

“You do none ‘f those things.” Toji accused. “So why the sudden itch? Indulge me, and I’ll pound that pussy till ya scream.”

The promise of his words forced a gulp down your throat as your thighs involuntarily rubbed together. You started to reconsider. You didn’t want to fuck him just because any man would do. You wanted to fuck him because it was him and because every patch of skin he made contact with begged to be touched again.

“I’m a virgin.” You admitted, voice low, and stare even lower—utterly defeated as he flinched away in surprise.

You wondered what he’d say. A virgin at your age? was the most common response, followed by Is something wrong with you? and typically concluded with You sure you’re not a lesbian?

Everyone preaches how precious innocence is, but no one wants the pressure of taking it. What men really want is a woman who is both a saint and a slut—a woman who can suck their dick ten inches deeper than they can provide while simultaneously shying away from every insinuation of sex.

The problem is with the poor souls who belong in either category without adhering to the other, because squeezing your legs shut is just as faulty as spreading them open for the public.

Seeing as Toji remained silent, you realized you wouldn’t get an answer, and maybe it was for the best. You didn’t want to put a strain on your work relationship. It’d take a while to look him in the eye again, but in a month or two, you’d laugh about the incident over a cup of soggy store-bought noodles like nothing happened.

“Sorry for bothering you.” You mumbled as you picked up your last vestige of dignity and stood on your feet, only to be anchored by a set of fingers that tightly gripped your wrist.

“Sit.” His unfaltering gaze confirmed the sincerity of his command.

You thought about breaking free and dashing to the door. You thought about how much it’d actually hurt to let him ridicule you, and the tears started to build up on their own. And when you didn’t do as you were told, he towered over you with a palm that was eager to cup your cheek, tilting your face in position for him to print a rough kiss on your parted lips.

“I said fucking sit.” Toji repeated, while you contemplated how someone who spews words so harshly could have such soft lips.

Sheepishly, you fell back onto the couch, expecting him to follow suit and not kneel on the floor like he did. “What’s the story?” He asked, large hands taking hold of your knees and slowly rubbing them apart.

“What makes you think there’s a story?” You prayed that he couldn’t feel your heartbeat bounce across your body as if it were an empty vessel.

“With you, there always is.” He licked his lips as his eyes settled between your thighs, darkening with lust the second they were met with the damp patch in the middle of your pink lace knickers. “Wanna hear all about it while I feast on your little hole.”

“You’re not gonna fuck—”

“First things first, sweetheart. Gotta make sure y’are all prepped before I stuff you with my cock.” Toji smiled, pushing your skirt until it rolled over your stomach. “If ya gonna scream my ears off, better be from pleasure, mm?”

You nodded, watching as his slender fingers slid your underwear off and temporarily—you hoped—shoved it in his back pocket. You saw him marvel at the sight of your exposed cunt and wished you could peer into his brain to hear him curse himself for not coming up with this idea first.

You looked so pretty down there, your puffy clit safely tucked behind its hood while your lips shimmered with your wetness—the scent so intoxicating his pants tightened into a size too small.

He was already considering his next favor. Now that the door was open, he’d make sure it never closed again. Bending you over the copy machine was the front-runner. Getting a print of your tits squeezed against the scanner while he blows your back, his palm muffling out the pathetic sounds you let slip—he’d be lying if that wasn’t what he fantasized about whenever you refilled the ink cartridges for him.

“Ya ever touch yourself here?”

His thumb swiped over your clit, drawing an incomplete circle that ended with light flicks around the sensitive nub. Left and right. Up and down. Searching for the combination that’d have your body answer in place of your mouth, and when your hips bucked forward, he knew exactly where to press.

“Y-yes!” You whined, more as a reaction than an answer to his question.

“And ya ever push a finger in?” He continued, teasingly dragging his thumb between your lips.

“Just one. Rest hurt.”

“Mhm, bet they do.” He hummed as he tasted you on his finger, exaggerating the suck with a soft pop. “Ever had a guy kiss ya there before?”

Toji gave his own answer as he buried his head in your pussy, the sticky mix of his saliva and your juices trickling down your entrance while he made out with your clit. You struggled to keep your thighs apart, the raspy grunts at the back of his throat vibrating against your mound in joint symphony with your breathy moans. His tongue felt so good soaking on your slick that you felt yourself melting into a pool of pleasure.

“Get talkin’ or I’ll stop.” He warned, slowing down with broad, near-maddening, strokes that occasionally dipped between your folds.

“I wanted to w-wait,” you panted. “Wanted to fall in love first, but then I waited too long, and—ngh, fuck, right there!” Toji pinched your folds apart, his stare lecherous as he sucked the puffy pearl into his warm mouth.

Your body jerked in response, the leather squeaking hard beneath your bared ass. You weren’t sure at what point interest surpassed curiosity, but the signs were all there, manifesting as heat in your cheeks and blood that threatened to drop from your chewed-up lip.

His jade eyes narrowed into a shrewd reminder. Putting your thoughts in order was impossible, but if you stopped, so would he.

“Everyone ‘round me started d-doing it, and I was the only one l-left.” You tried to regulate your breathing through your nose, your throat turning hoarse from all the strain. “Went on a bunch of blind dates, but the guys were t-turned off, and—how the fuck are you so good at this?”

Toji chuckled, the pink tip of his tongue parting your lips in a languid motion that made you shudder. “Let’s just say my marriage didn’t fall apart ‘cause of this.”

He mounted your knees atop his shoulders and neared your entrance, with his middle and ring fingers ghosting over the softness of your pulsing slit. “Gonna use my fingers now. Be a good girl and cum on them, will ya?”

The first digit pushed forward, much thicker than any of your fingers. You felt so full already—nails digging into the cushions, while he thrust in and out of your walls, curling the lone pad to find a spot so sweet it elicited a moan of equal sweetness.

“Ya did well to come to me.” He continued, his raspy voice effortlessly sexy. “Kids these days don’t know shit ‘bout pleasing a woman.”

The veins on his wrist flexed along with his scars as his ring finger joined in the action to defy your previous claim. There was no pain. Only immense waves of pleasure leaking through your squinted eyes as hot tears beaded your eyelashes.

“Doin’ so good for me, darlin’.” He praised, repeatedly hitting the swollen bundle of nerves inside your throbbing cunt, bringing you closer to the edge with each thorough pump.

“Maybe I was wrong, hm? Maybe that’s what ya wanted all along. I know I did. Fucking wanted my hands on this pussy since I first saw ya fidget with your little skirt at that interview.”

“Toji—”

He dived between your legs again, his hand maintaining the same erratic pace even while his tongue hungrily lapped at your clit. Your head lolled back, the tension in your guts rapidly building up until you came undone, your pussy clenching and creaming around his calloused fingers.

You’d never finished so hard on your own, the tremors of your orgasm ringing in your ears and jogging your memory.

Your first impression on that day was sadness, right? Sadness over the wedding band the handsome stranger hid in his pocket right before entering the building, thinking no one else caught sight of it, and embarrassment about how your impure thoughts for a married man followed you into the shower every night after work.

“Atta girl.” A present-day and very-much divorced Toji licked his lips into a smile. “Their fucking loss.”

His knee pressed into the gap between your thighs as he stood on his feet and prompted you to open your lips. You took his fingers in your mouth, licking your cum off while your chest heaved with one labored breath after the other.

“See how good ya taste?” Toji cooed, rhythmically fucking his fingers on your tongue before removing them. “Sweeter than honey.”

“Thought you didn’t like sweet things.” His coffee order came in mind.

“How ‘bout we make an exception?”

You weren’t sure what got into you when you grabbed him by the tie and pulled him forward, kissing him with such vigor you’d never experienced. You always thought of losing your virginity as checking an item off your bucket list. You didn’t imagine you could ever lust after someone the way you currently lusted after Toji, your desire escalating into an all-consuming need.

His tongue moved as skillfully in your mouth as it did when it explored your pussy, dancing with your own rather than overpowering it. You liked kissing him. You liked kissing him so much that you wanted to incorporate it into your morning hellos and your evening goodbyes, dragging yourselves into an endless loop of returned favors.

Without breaking the kiss, Toji hoisted you up from the couch and held you in his arms, his palms finding the perfect excuse to grab onto your ass while he carried you across rooms you didn’t care enough to see. A door creaked behind your back, and soon you were tossed onto a large body of endless softness—a bed, you realized as Toji hastily shoved a couple of pillows behind your head.

“Ever heard of that stupid nickname that goes ‘round work?” He whispered in your ear while his fingers worked on undoing your blouse. “How they call ya my work wife?” His palms slid around your ribs and back to unhook your bra. “Guess this makes it our wedding night, heh.”

You rolled your eyes, holding back a chuckle. “Don’t you feel any shame calling me your wife when you’re about to fuck me on your ex-wife’s bed?”

“My bed now, and what I say fucking goes.” He stripped your body from every garment, salaciously gawking at your nude figure on his (her) satin sheets.

You didn’t feel too bad about showing your body, but his stare was almost intrusive—especially with how he hadn’t lost a single article of clothing himself.

“Such a gorgeous body, wife.” He dragged out the final syllables, hoping to elicit a reaction separate from the soft pants you let out as he caressed your soft curves—both much softer than the bedding you were splayed across, liquid velvet in his hands. “Such a good little wife, saving herself for her husband to deflower.”

“Why thank you, husband.” You chortled, cupping his face in a deep kiss.

You knew Toji was the right choice. Not because touching him felt like winning the lottery or because he knew exactly what he was doing, but because he could’ve made this situation a lot more awkward and didn’t. He made your first time feel special, granting your wish of doing it with someone you loved, even if it was all an illusion that’d fade come tomorrow morning.

You almost thanked him as he began to unbutton his shirt, the display of corded muscles and pale scars breaking the dam between your legs. Whatever your type might’ve once been, was no more. It was all Toji, with his clenched fists lifting the weight of his brawny, veiny arms, his shoulders so wide you could ride on them, and the self-complacent smirk your stupefied expression brought to his lips.

“This ain’t an exhibit, sweetheart.” He mocked. “You can touch all ya want.”

He didn’t need to say it twice for your palms to roam his body, starting from his neck and slowly gliding down his torso, feeling out the tension in his steeled abdomen. His skin was smooth, except for the few unruly hairs leading down to the bulge in his crotch, whose sight alone made you lick your lips and buck your hips into his. You wanted to see the rest of him.

“You are the hottest divorcee I know.” You smiled earnestly.

“Ya know lots of ‘em?” Toji cocked his head while you shook yours with a giggle. “Don’t be so flattering.”

“I do have a great-aunt…”

“Oh, please.” He groaned, allowing you to laugh it out. He didn’t like how his bottom lip twitched as he struggled to contain a chuckle of his own. He’d long sworn off girls that made his heart skip a beat.

“Think y’are ready?” You nodded. Repeatedly.

Digging his knees into the bed, he stretched an arm toward the nightstand, fishing for a bottle in one of the drawers. Lube, you realized as he settled it beside you to remove his pants, flinging them along with his boxers to the other side of the room.

Your eyes widened at the sight of his cock, an expression that didn’t look too good considering fear was about the last emotion you should be experiencing.

He was packing in every sense of the word. Long, thick, and definitely heavy as it hung above his hefty balls, the reddened tip pointing at your entrance. It wasn’t like you’d never seen a cock before. Porn existed, and so did perverts in trench coats, but comparing either one to him was both disrespectful and a huge understatement.

“Don’t go cold on me now, mm? It will fit.” He read your mind, taking your hand in his and slotting the bottle in your fist. “Prepped you so good for it. You’ll see; you’ll like this more than my fingers.”

“Promise.” He added, squeezing your hand reassuringly. You chose to trust him, and when he brought your other hand to his shaft, you knew what he was asking you to do.

The bottle spurted a thick glob of liquid that your palm smeared all over his cock head. Toji watched with bated breath as you stroked his length, each thorough pump of your delicate hands warming him up.

He deserved a pat on the back for not cumming right then and there—the distinction between the clear lubricant and his creamy precum becoming more prominent while he throbbed and twitched in your tight grasp. He thought about how much tighter your walls would be, milking every drop he had to offer while you writhed beneath him, with little ah-ah-ah’s and Toji please’s complimenting the squelching of your tight virgin cunt.

“That’s enough.”

He pulled your hand away and cracked the bottle open once more, rubbing a small quantity between his fingers and then scissoring them in your walls. You clung onto him, your hips chasing after his touch. Cute.

“Eyes on me, darlin’.” Toji leaned close enough so that your field of view was consumed by his face. “Keep your eyes on me, breath in ‘n’ out, and it won’t hurt one bit. I’ll take good care of ya.”

Your legs were parted as he ran his cock between your folds and pressed down firmly, his hand moving to your hip once he guided the first inches inside.

Toji was the first to react as he sank in deeper, about two-thirds in when he felt your pussy snare around him like a vice, the warmth of your walls making him curse under his breath. His last fuck was less than a weekend ago, and yet he felt like one of those loser kids he scorned earlier. He’d forgotten just how good being inside a virgin was—a one-and-done deal that would cease to amaze him after he fucked you into his shape.

“All good?” He remembered to ask, taking your strained yes at face value.

Small creases formed over your forehead, contorting your expression into a pained wince the further he sheathed himself into your wet cavern—and when his words weren’t enough, his lips took over. He kissed your worries away and cradled your breasts in his palms, doing everything in his power to keep the pain to a minimum as his hips met with your pelvis, bone against bone and skin against skin, until he finally bottomed out.

A whimper cut your kiss short, and for a second he feared tears would stream from your glassy eyes, not considering the possibility of your shaky legs wrapping around his back and your swollen, pretty lips calling out his name with a stuttered moan.

“F-fuck me, Toji. Please—fuck, I need you so badly.” You begged, dropping the pretense of composure.

“Yeah? Want me to fuck your little virgin pussy?”

“Y-yes, Toji, yes!”

“Yes, what, doll?” He teased. “Say it.”

“Please be my first, Toji.”

His grin turned feral in a heartbeat, your words stirring something in him that he could not explain.

He was prepared to spend the entire night fucking you at a snail’s pace, buttering you up with praises, and pampering you as if you were a golden egg goose, but now he didn’t have to. He could fuck you exactly how he pleased—fold your knees onto your stomach and hold down onto your thighs, pussy all exposed to where he could watch his cock pound into your hole and hear each and every strike of his balls against the fat of your ass—and you would take it.

But when he looked down and saw the ring of red that’d formed around his shaft, he had a change of heart. Maybe another time.

Planting his fingers on your hips, he withdrew slightly, purposely aligning his tip with the roof of your cunt. He didn’t have to go hard to make you happy. All he had to do was hit that one spot, and you’d be coming back for more. Having a steady thing wouldn’t hurt either. It was convenient—certainly better than burning gas driving across town just to pick up some random slut he’d tire of five minutes into her over-the-top screams. At least you lived close by.

With lavish strokes, he rolled his hips against your own, dipping forward to grind his pubic bone against your mound. It didn’t take long for the stimulation to get overwhelming, your hair falling from your strict work up-do all over your sweaty forehead while you thrashed around the sheets, huffs escalating into whiny moans.

“Sh-shit, gonna cum, Toji.” You managed, though there was no real need to tell him.

Your body responded perfectly to his, wetness gushing over his cock while your walls tightened impossibly around him. He fucked you through your high, wrapping his arms below your shoulders and muting your blissful sobs to chase after his own release. Your breasts were squeezed against his pecs, pebbled nipples making him regret not giving them the proper attention.

This wouldn’t be the last time. Your body was like a playground to him, and he sure as hell wasn’t done playing.

“My fucking work wife.” Toji grunted possessively in your ear, nipping at the lobe. Only his lower half moved, a constant snap of hips bouncing through the room as the second lewdest sound after the ones you traded. “Wanna send your ass crawling to work on all fours. That’ll show them, mm? Show them who fucked you so good. What a—fuck, what a good slut y’are f’me. From a virgin to my whore—hah, make ‘em all so jealous.

“Shhhhit, ya like that?” He interpreted your clenching as he willed. “Wanna start a rumor? Fuck on every desk, in every stall, and have everyone know?”

“Yes, Toji! Yesyesyes, want everyone to know you f-fucked me.”

You went back and forth between panting out his name and chanting yes, as those were the only two words you could mindlessly repeat. He wasn’t joking about making you scream. You were on the verge of passing out, so engrossed in ecstasy that you’d lost track of how many times you’d climaxed.

“‘s too much, T-Toji!” You begged, burying your head in the curve of his neck and breathing in his musk. You were both so sweaty, glued together like two puzzle pieces.

“One more, sweetheart. ‘m so close—wanna feel ya cum with me.”

He toyed with your clit until he started to fall out of pace, drawing his cock out before it was caught in the spasms of your pussy. A hefty load burst in his fist as he jerked himself off to your fucked-out form, hot drops of cum spraying your stomach like creamy droplets of rain.

Neither of you realized how soaked the sheets were until Toji left the bed, his eyes not faking their surprise. You didn’t seem to be in that much pain, and yet the amount of blood and wetness was at least equal to carnage.

Would it be a dick move to task you with his laundry?

He spared you a glance, not bothering to hide his smugness. Your legs were still trembling, your breasts puffing up in your struggle to breathe through your agape lips. He was tempted to tell you off—something cheesy like, “Want somethin’ in your mouth that badly?”

“Hey, kid. You are not dead—are you?” He asked jokingly, laughing through his nose as you found the strength to flip him off. Now that the effects of your orgasm were wearing off, so was your obedience.

“How’d ya like your first time?” A thumbs-up this time. “A’right. C’mere.”

The longer he let the stain settle, the more of a bitch it’d be to remove it. That’s what Toji told himself as he picked you up in his arms and carried you into the bathroom, returning to the bedroom only to roll the sheets into a ball he’d later discard in the washing machine. He wasn’t avoiding looking at your cute face, and he definitely didn’t think of your weakened infant-like state as cute when he scrubbed your thighs clean with a wet towel either.

A weird image sparked in his memory, one from the many nights you’d spent working side by side at a dimly lit office. He remembered you ordering him takeout and looming over his head like a vulture while he went neck-to-neck with the vicious spreadsheet program. You insisted on tutoring him, claiming your dressy outfit was a result of canceled plans—even though you kept stealing glances at the clock—and staying with him until the wee hours when you didn’t have to.

You really were a sweetheart, an angel, and all the other terms of endearment he used on you knowing they made your lips stretch and your eyes sparkle. But that wasn’t for you to know.

“Toji?” Your voice jolted him out of his reverie—frail, but not as frail as the hands that wrapped around his own to snatch the towel.

What could he say to make you leave without any harsh feelings coming back to bite him in the ass?

He pondered his options while you bent forward from where he’d seated you on the counter by the sink. You held his limp dick in your palm, gently wiping the dried blood and cum that clung to his girth.

It was sickening how quickly he stiffened, all ready to ram it in your pussy and fuck you with the mirrored view of your ass in the backdrop, but what truly made his guts churn was the little cheeky smile you beamed with. He stood by his words. Virgins were the biggest sluts.

The towel dropped to the floor as you pointed his cock at your entrance, and that was all the convincing he needed.

“Fine.” Toji sighed, pinning your wrists on the cold quartz counter top. “You can stay the night, but mention work and I’m kicking ya out.”

This is definitely not how you say it.

You made it to the office the next day after a brief raid on your apartment. Going to work in your previous day’s clothes screamed, “Look at me! I got laid!” And as fun as creating all those fantasies with Toji was, you could do without earning “Hated Employee of the Month.” Everyone hated you for being friends with him as is.

He waited until you’d changed into a presentable outfit and dropped you off a block further away for precaution. You shared your final kiss in the car, wasting a whole fifteen minutes sucking each other’s faces off like teenagers at a drive-in. Dating a colleague was against the rules, and you didn’t want to date Toji either. Not that he’d asked. Not that you expected him to ask.

Losing your virginity was a lot more complicated than you thought.

He counted on you to bring coffee, and you would have if an intense craving for spicy tuna onigiri didn’t win you over. The convenience store was right around the corner, and its coffee was honestly not that bad if you squinted your eyes and fooled your senses a bit.

You grabbed two onigiri from the stand—in case Toji felt like stealing yours—along with an apple juicebox, both as a means of thanking and poking fun at him. You paid for the items and walked to the office, nauseated by the butterflies that swarmed in your stomach. You should’ve really eaten something instead of having your final hookup at the breakfast table.

A few people greeted you in and out of the elevator to the forty-seventh floor, some commenting on your looking less gloomy than usual, but that was about it. The world spun the same way it did even before you had sex. No big change or mind-blowing epiphany; just a euphoric feeling of accomplishment that dissipated the moment you saw the stack of documents waiting on your desk.

“That’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Toji magically sprouted from behind, loaded binders balanced on his arms—the same arms that’d lavished you with affection all night long. “They had a fall out at one of the subsidiaries, and now we gotta clean up their shit.”

And back to reality we go.

“Where’s my coffee?” He searched for a cup on his desk.

You pushed your desperation aside and held the juice to his face with a smile that turned awkward the longer he took to accept it.

“It’s um, you know.” You stepped closer, placing the box atop his mountain of files. “Thank you.”

“Also, got you this, so don’t even think of taking mine.” You balanced the onigiri beside the juice and plopped down on your chair, an antsy, blushing mess that refused to meet his stare until he looped an arm around your headrest and attached his mouth to your ear.

“Care to do me a favor?”