#COME HERE AND HUG ME YOU USELESS KING

[legally-killable-sparrow]

Odysseus over here like ‘I was such a terrible person… I came back but Penelope I’m not the same man…’

And Penelope’s Not Having That Shit, girl is just like ‘FUCK THAT. YOU ARE my HUSBAND. YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST QUIT BECAUSE YOUVE MURDERED A BABY OR TWO? FUCK I COULD KILL A BABY RIGHT HERE IF YOU NEED ME THAT RIDE OR DIE’

And anyways one day I’ll find a woman who I can confess my love and terrible deeds to just like her

[imdeadinsidesiriuslydead]

Must you be so cruel?

Cardan Greenbriar x fae!princess!reader

a/n: this concept was most requested so here you are. warnings: swearing, no smut (unless y’all want a part 2 with some😏lmk), not proofread I have like six more to write

As your steads stop for water, your mother approaches you.

“We are almost there.” She grins excitedly.

you roll your eyes as you fix your riding skirt.

“yay.” You say, unenthusiastically. Your mother had arranged a ball with the High Court, you suspected she was trying to marry your older sister off to one of the princes. But you dreaded seeing a particular prince with a stupid rat tail.

“Don’t take an attitude with me, y/n” your mother warned, “we need to be on our best behavior. We mustn’t insult the High King or Queen.”

Your mother made you changed once you made it to the Palace. Your dress was black as to not outshine your sisters. As you walked into the Throne room, you spotted the king and queen but no sign of that dreaded prince.

You make your way to the King and bow as your parents exchange pleasantries.

After your mother turns to you “Go grab your sister some wine.”

“Why? She has legs.” You said as you smooth down the ruffles of your skirt.

“She is talking to Prince Dain. I will not interfere with the makings of an engagement.” Your mother said sternly.

you sigh, “yes ma’am.”

As you make your way to the banquet table, you look around at the folk dancing. Trying to shield your eyes from the naked folk, you grab a glass and have a servant fill it with wine.

You look back and see your sister dancing with Prince Dain, and you smile to yourself. Even though your mother made you come here and has been driving you crazy, it’s nice to see your sister radiant smile light up the dance floor.

The glass being rather useless now that she’s dancing, you start to down the drink when someone clears there throat.

“It’s unlady like to chug wine 30 minutes into a ball.” Nicasia said sharply. “You filthy half breed.”

you turn dreading facing her. When you look, she’s wearing a body hugging blue dress and a face of pure disgust.

“Mermaid style dress? That’s a bit on the nose isn’t it?” You say continuing to sip from your glass.

“Why are you even here?” She spits, seemingly losing her patience even though she approached you.

“She was invited unfortunately.” A voice behind you called.

You freeze. God damn it. You turn around to find Cardan’s gold rimmed eyes staring back at yours.

“Cardan.” You acknowledge, turning back to watch your sister.

“Y/n. Is your mother trying to push your boring sister onto my brother?” He asked as Nicasia laughs moving to link arms with him.

“Must you be so cruel?” You ask, annoyed.

“Only to you.” He replied.

“I’m not completely sure of my mother’s intentions, I haven’t asked.” You say, finishing your glass. “Afraid of your reputation if you become related to a half mortal?” You ask, motioning for a servant to get you another glass.

“I’d be disgusted to be related to you.” He says as Nicasia laughs.

A grin spreads across you face as an idea comes to your head.

“Why?” You ask with an innocent grin.

“must there be a reason? That’s a reason enough.” He replied.

“Yes, I’m curious. Why would you be disgusted to be related to me?” You ask.

“Most far find the existence of half bloods disgusting.” He said brushing if off

“Yes most of the folk. What about you though? What’s your real reason for not wanting to be related to me?” You smirk.

His smirk momentarily drops before regaining his composure.

“My opinion of you.” He says before grabbing Nicasia’s hand and pulling her to dance. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll be leaving.”

you laugh to yourself as a servant puts the wine glass back in your hand.

—————————

Later that night as the ball is winding down, your Mother asks you to retrieve your sister.

You look around the dance floor to no avail, no sign of her.

Walking out of the hall, you make your way into hallway. Looking around and opening seemingly endless doors, grew tiresome.

As you give up and walk back to the banquet hall, you feel a hand on your shoulder.

“Your boring sister is in my brothers room.” A drunken voice called.

turning to see Cardan with the gold juice of fae fruit smeared on his lips while the smell of wine on his mouth. He looks at you with an intensity you’ve never seen before.

“Oh.” You say, realizing you’ll have to explain to your mother that your sister is spending the night with the prince. But then you realize Cardan has not moved his hand from your shoulder.

Quickly pushing his hand off you, he stumbles grabbing ahold of your arm to stabilize himself.

“Cardan how much have you had to drink?” You asked annoyed.

“I lost count after 12 glasses.” He said as he focused back on your face. “And why’d you have to shove me?” He whined.

“Oh you’re such a baby.” You say, using your arm to support him as you guide him to walk.

“Where are we going?” He asked leaning on you.

“Your room, you need to be put to bed before you hurt yourself.” You say dragging him through the corridor.

“But I left my wine goblet.” He says trying to pull you back to the alcove he emerged from.

“If you go back for it, I’ll leave you there and you can pass out on the floor for all I care.” You say letting go of him.

“Fine.” He huffs.

As you reach his room you open the door and close it behind you. You push him onto the bed and he laughs looking up at you.

“That’s not how I imaged it.” He laughs, eyes glazed over.

“Imagined what?” You asked as you move to leave.

“You pushing me onto the bed.” He replied as if it was common knowledge.

You mule over the words in your head. He seems more honest when drunk. Before you can stop yourself, you find your self asking.

“Why would you hate it if we were related?”

“My thoughts of you would be considered inappropriate. The thoughts I don’t want to have.” He relied his eyes getting droopy.

“What do you think about me?” You ask.

“The thought of you in my arms.” He said as his eyes shut.

You stare there for a minute, processing this new information. You wait until you hear soft snoring before opening the door and turning to find your mother.

~~~~~~~

[aajjks]

can you write about tc yn leaving without telling jungkook so he thinks she’s ran away only for her to come back with an anniversary present?

“WHERE IS MY WIFE? IT’S BEEN HOURS.” Jungkook screams at the top of his lungs as he pushes the book rack aside, the servants cower in fear.

“FUCKING FIND HER IMMEDIATELY!” you are dead meat as soon as he finds you, Jungkook growls, eyes darkening with anger and desperation.

When you’re not near him, he can’t breathe, but do you care? No, you don’t.

He feels like he’s being suffocated right now, despite being in control, why did you leave him again? He thought everything was going great. You guys got married. It’s been magical.

He’s been a good guy to you. He hasn’t been crazy. He hasn’t hurt people, he hasn’t pressured you into having a child.

he has been a good husband to you so why did you leave him? Why did you betray him yet again? He hasn’t eaten anything in the past four hours since you’ve been gone.

“Y-Your majesty please calm down please you need to eat something. I’ll find her. I swear I will find the queen- SHUT UP YOU’RE USELESS AND NOW YOU’RE GONNA DIE BECAUSE I WILL BEHEAD YOU!” Jungkook, he cuts off the in charge of the search party that he had arranged in order to find you, Jungkook takes out his sword from his belt and points it at him

“say goodbye to everyone because you’re gonna end up in hell.” The servants want to scream in fear, but they know better than to do that because if they piss off their king, they’re all gonna die and it’s gonna be a bloodbath.

All of them watch in horror as he begins to tilt his sword in order to behead the older man, the man cries and begging for mercy, but your crazy husband doesn’t care

“Jungkook? What the fuck is going on here?”

Is he hallucinating or was that really your voice? His grip on the sword losens and he looks in front of him and there you are.

“Y-Yn where the fuck were you a lot of these people were going to die because they couldn’t find you and you escaped me? I WAS A GREAT HUSBAND TO YOU AND THIS IS WHAT I GET IN RETURN?” he begins to scream at you towering over at you immediately.

“EVERYONE GET OUT IMMEDIATELY.”

And all of them vanish, “you better have a reasonable explanation for your disappearance or I’m gonna punish you.”

The truth is that he wants to do nothing more than to cry in your embrace and hug you like it’s the last day on earth.

But he needs to be strong right now and punish you.

“I. I went to buy an anniversary present for you. I bet you don’t even remember our anniversary tomorrow.” You roll your eyes at your husband because he’s so overdramatic.

jungkooks eyes widen. “of course I remember our anniversary and I had the biggest surprise for you but then you had to escape and then I got crazy.”

“you better got me something good OK or I’m gonna be mad. SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT FOR ME.”

[chrisdr3]

In the middle of the night ~CL16

Summary: While sleeping together, Y/N wakes up realising her period came early and she bled through the bedsheets, and Charles is taking care of her.

Trigger warning: period blood, insecure

Fluff

You were finished taking your bath and drying your hair, then wore one of Charles' hoodies and a pair of shorts. Charles was in his office streaming with his friends. It was only 10 o'clock at night, but you were already feeling sleepy, so you decided to go kiss him goodnight before going to sleep.

You entered his office quietly, seeing him focused on his game. He didn't notice you getting in, so you tapped his shoulder lightly.

He turned around seeing you and kissed your cheek. "Hey princess. Everything okay?" he smiled. "I'm going to sleep. Will you come join me?" I responded, yawning. "Let me finish this race first and I'll come join you in 5." he kissed your lips gently. "Okay, I'll go then" you said, getting out.

You went to your bedroom and laid down in the king size bed, eyes closed, waiting for him. A few minutes later, you heard footsteps, you felt the mattress sinking and his arms wrapping around you, pulling your body close to him, kissing your cheek goodnight before you drifted off to sleep.

You woke up in the middle of the night, tears falling down your cheeks and a terrible pain in your lower abdomen. Charles felt you shifting around and woke up. "Why are you awake princess? What's bothering you?" he whispered softly, half asleep. "M-my stomach...it-it hurts...very much." a sob escaped your mouth. He got close to hug you, looking all over your body and his gaze stopped at your legs, his eyes widening in shock.

You looked down. There was a huge bloodstain in-between your legs and a even bigger one in the bedsheets. You started to panic, bursting out in tears. Charles hugged you tightly. "Hey hey shhhh... it's okay... don't worry about it" he whispered in your ear. "I-i ruined the bed, I'm sorry..." you could hardly speak "I'm useless."

He wiped your tears away. "No princess. You're the most talented, capable and beautiful person I've ever met. You're bold and happy and daring and even dangerous sometimes, don't say such things about yourself." You couldn't stop crying "You say such things because you are my boyfriend." "No, i mean these, not just because I'm your boyfriend."

You stayed in his hug for a bit more, and , when he was sure you calmed down he got up. "I'm gonna go run a warm bath for you and find clean clothes, okay?" You looked at him "Thank you Charlie." You tried to smile.

He went to your wardrobe, got a pair of panties and shorts and ran to the bathroom. After a bit he came back, carried you to the bathroom and helped you undress, then got you in the tub. "Stay here and relax as long as you want." he said, kissing your forehead.

You sat there for maybe half an hour, when you decided to come out. Charles went to check up on you and helped you dress and put a pad/tampon on ( your preference luvs) and carried you in the bedroom, laying you down gently in the clean bedsheets.

"Here" he said, giving you a painkiller and a glass of water. You swallowed it and he layed down with you, wrapping his arms around your body carefully and pulling up the blanket. "Better now, princess?" you nodded yes. "Well goodnight my beautiful lady" he kissed your forehead and pulled you close. You soon fell asleep listening to his steady heartbeat and hypnotized by his scent.

Hi everyone, this is my first F1 fanfic, i hope you liked it and feel free to aske me anything or requesting me about writing a fanfic. Bye for now luvs🤗

[whumplump]

Content: vampire whump; unsuccessful suicide attempt; sunburn; aggression; blood; biting; swear words.

Word count: 1.5k words

The Angel King, chapter 1

Siege hesitated. He looked back at his brother's face. He looked ahead, at the door. He shot across the wooden floor until he left the house. His bare feet touched the grassy ground, damp with dew. He ran. He crossed the clearing until he reached the open plain. He couldn't hear the angry screams of his younger brother, who was trying to catch up with him right behind. He just wanted to escape. He didn't want to be a vampire. He was afraid of blood. One day, he hurt his face with his father's razor blade and fainted when he saw the blood running down his chin in the mirror. His older brothers made fun of him. The other day, they took him to the animal slaughterhouse to see the work. Siege was a child at the time. He cried, screamed, begged for his mother. He was booed, humiliated, like the fearful man he felt. He wanted to escape those memories. He was afraid of everything. Of the cold, the heat, the dark, the blood. How would he survive being a creature with a cold body, an unmoving heart, that only walks at night and feeds on blood? He preferred death. That's why he was running.

On the plain, he walked a long distance and fell to his knees on the grass. He saw the sun rise over the horizon. The star-king appeared, releasing its powerful rays across the entire plain. The sunlight soon reached Siege, who screamed in agony, feeling his skin burn and peel with condemnation. At that moment, Zaphir caught up with him. He pulled him by the arms, trying to get his brother to get up so they could run away, but Siege resisted. They both screamed in pain from the burns. Zaphir dragged his brother by force, desperate. If they didn't get out of the light now, they would die.

Siege, against his will, relented. Something in his instinct, which was now growing compulsively, told him to get out of there. And quick. It was greater than his desire to die. He got up and ran with Zaphir back into the house.

Zaphir slammed the door. The two brothers collapsed on the floor, covered in burns. A smell of burning flesh hung in the air. Siege curled up on the floor and broke down in tears.

Zaphir staggered to his feet and walked to a basin of water. He placed his arms in the water, feeling the painful sting of the wounds. He screamed in pain. He grabbed a handful of water and rubbed it on the side of his face that was burned. With care, the pain went away. The dead, burned skin detached from the rest of the body like shavings of coal, which turned into smoke as they fell useless into the water.

After he finished, Zaphir poured the water from the basin over his brother's shaking body. Siege coughed, choked and surprised. He felt the same pain as Zaphir: that of dead skin giving way to new cells. Zaphir roughly released the empty basin, letting it crash to the floor. Siege didn't get up, even when the pain was gone. He was still processing his new condition, imposed from now on.

“Do you think about what was proposed to you, brother?”

Siege glared at Zaphir over his shoulder. He continued crying. Zaphir knelt on the floor and hugged his brother.

“Tomorrow, I'll take you to see the city. You are confused now, but you will see our power. And you will love it.”

Siege woke up to a thump on the bed. Looking out the window, he realized it was night. Zaphir was kneeling beside him. They were both better dressed, no longer wearing the burnt clothes they had before. Now their bodies were covered in hazelnut-colored flannel fabrics.

"Did I sleep all day?" Siege asked.

"Yes. Me too. The necessary sleep. Now, get up and get ready."

"Where will we go?"

"To the capital, damn it. I told you I'd show you the city. Let's go."

"What do you want there?"

Zaphir didn't respond. He walked to a small mirror and stopped.

“First, come here," he called.

Siege got up and stood next to his brother in front of the mirror. He shook his head in disbelief. He knew that he himself was staring at the glass and that Zaphir was at his side. In the reflection, however, there was no one. No one. He was saddened.

Zaphir turned to his brother and looked at him proudly with a wide smile on his face. Siege didn't look back at him. Zaphir patted his brother on the back twice and left the mirror. He ran his hand through his long, straight brown hair, putting it back. He opened the door for his brother and waited for Siege to come through the opening, then left shortly after.

The capital is more populated at night than during the day. Torches on tall stone posts hold lights for the festivities. Music, dance, food. Cheerful gentlemen dance with perfumed ladies. Ownerless dogs are fed by charitable people.

Much joy. Little did those people know the danger posed by two ordinary-looking men, apparently peasants. Soon, the capital would be empty at night.

Siege watched the streets in fascination. Like his other five older brothers, he was born in the countryside, in the village. His parents were traveling when his mother was pregnant with her seventh and last child, Zaphir. His parents went to collect the rest of their children while the youngest boy was raised in the capital for a few years. Zaphir remembers a few things, mainly how pretty the fire lights on the ornate pillars were. He always wanted to share his fascination with the brother he was closest to, Siege.

Zaphir pointed to the decorations in the taverns, stalls and shops with his other arm around Siege's shoulders. The older brother looked happy. They stopped at a tavern and bought meat skewers and beers. They should take advantage while they can still consume human food, before the emptiness of their stomachs can be filled only with blood. They ate while talking, remembering moments with their family. They were alone in the world now, just the two of them, but they weren't sad.

“Hey!” A large, strong man grabbed Siege and Zaphir by the arms. “I already said that I don't want hillbillies in my bar!”

“Hillbillies?!” Zaphir replied, irritated. As answer, the man pulled the two brothers upwards, forcing them to stand up.

“Get out!”

Zaphir was becoming increasingly irritated by the tall man's attitude.

“Stop now, and I'll let you live…”

“Let's go, Zaph” hurried Siege, in a pleading tone.

Before Zaphir could protest, the bar owner grabbed the two peasants and roughly pushed them, until they were thrown out of the tavern. Zaphir grunted in annoyance.

“Leave it alone”, Siege suggested.

“No fucking way! He won't do it again.”

Siege saw Zaphir turn into shadow and walk with heavy steps towards the back of the tavern. He didn't follow, as he had managed to keep his meat skewer in his hand and wanted to finish eating. He sat on the floor and took generous bites of the meat.

After finishing, he reflected. What would his life be like from now on? Fear returned to his mind. He was also a little angry with the rude man from before, but he was afraid to act out. Unlike Zaphir, who was fearless and didn't take shit home.

Zaphir.

Siege stopped at the opening of the side hallway that led to the back of the bar. The darkness made that passage uninviting.

“Zaph?”

For a moment, no one responded. Suddenly, Siege got startled by the loud noise of something heavy falling to the ground. He started to shake.

“...Zaph?”

"I'm here”, the vampire's voice called.

Slowly, Siege crossed the alley until he reached the back. Zaphir was there, prostrate over the dead body of the bar owner. Siege put his hand over his mouth to keep from screaming. Zaphir lifted his face from the dead man's jugular, his bloody mouth and vampiric fangs bared. He walked up to Siege who, in shock, had no time to react.

Within seconds, Zaphir had forced Siege to kneel and was insistently pushing his brother's head towards the corpse's neck, which was displaying fresh blood.

“N-No! I don't want to! Stop! P-Please, no!”

The tip of Siege's nose touched the pool of blood on the floor. The sweet, tempting scent of blood filled the vampire's nostrils until it made him dizzy. He stopped screaming, but he was still stiff.

“Drink it. Drink or you will die. I know you want this”, Zaphir persuaded.

Siege stared at the blood on the floor and at the dead man's mangled neck with wide eyes. Yes, that's what he wanted. He had just eaten, but he still felt hungry. It was what he needed. The blood. Blood. Blood.

He pushed Zaphir back and sank his head into the bloody jugular, feasting on the precious, invigorating liquid.

Zaphir wiped his mouth with his sleeve and watched Siege feed, satisfied.

[linabirb]

Deep Cover ENG Translyrics

*shaking* hhi so i've mentioned a few times that i actually sort of. write translyrics a-and i wrote these like. in an hour. i am not insane btw. i am so normal.

a note: we don't have an official eng translation rn and i do learn japanese and can speak it a little bit, but i am definitely not fluent, so there can be some mistakes and also these lyrics might not be the most accurate because i changed some stuff to add more rhythm (?) to the lyrics and just because i thought it sounded cool. but i still tried my best to keep it as similar to the original ones as possible!

also i do write translyrics often but i don't have that much experience with translating stuff to english so. um. pls be nice ;w;

i wish i could add a recording of me singing it to show how they're supposed to sound, but. my voice is too weak for this song djdkkd i think these should sound good though :'D

(UNDER)

Feeding off of you, don't say it's over

(UNDER)

I've achieved my goal, but it's still getting colder

It's so dumb, it's so dumb, but

My rage can't be stopped, can't be stopped!

You're so lame!

(UNDER)

The queen is here, that's the role she's playing

(UNDER)

You think a thief like you can save them?

It's so dumb, it's so dumb, but

My love can't be stopped, can't be stopped!

It's so hard!

I wonder who should I get rid of?

Oh, you're guilty? It's what you deserve

That's why I have become your fangs and claws

The hero that everyone has been waiting for

My answer? You should already know

"Stop it, please" Oh, please, I thought you wanted more

Why would you stop me now?

A mission, a motive and a goal, that's what I need

I beg you, beg you now

Please give me my next reason to live

(UNDER)

Put your mask on, king, and don't stop faking

My faith's too strong and you'll never break it

It's so dumb, it's so dumb, but

It's true, I forgot, I forgot!

I'm so bored!

(UNDER)

Your memories are lost inside this prison

(UNDER)

Wish to defeat me? How funny, what's your reason?

It's so dumb, it's so dumb, but

Let's go and knock this damn door down!

That's why you have become my reason to live

What you're waiting for, go and choose "Not forgive"

Empathy is an illusion, don't listen to it

Evil is evil and that's what you have to defeat

Why would you stop me now?

A mission, a motive and a goal, that's what I need

I beg you, beg you now

Please give me my next reason to live

(UNDER)

(UNDER)

What I'm looking for has to be correct and just

This hopeless future, I want it to be crushed

It's so dumb, it's so dumb, but

I'm the one that you can trust

That's why I have become your fangs and claws

The hero that everyone has been waiting for

My answer? You should already know

"Stop it, please" Oh, please, I thought you wanted more

Why would you stop me now?

A mission, a motive and a goal, that's what I need

I beg you, beg you now

Please give me my next reason to live (x2)

(UNDER)

Number one! A parasite, good for nothing

(UNDER)

Number two! A slut that has no shame

(UNDER)

Number four! A queen wearing a fake crown

(UNDER)

Number five! Cutting them open, failure of a savior

(UNDER)

Number seven! A liar wanting to stay hidden

(UNDER)

Number eleven! A useless prison warden

It's so dumb, it's so dumb, but

Can you stay behind, stay behind, just shut up

Translation notes:

"Feeding off of you" is a reference to Kotoko calling Haruka a parasite and "don't say it's over" is a reference to Haruka's relationship with his mother and "wanting her to hug him again as she once did".

"The queen is here, that's the role she's playing'' I really wanted to keep the "queen game" part, but I just couldn't make it sound good, so at least we have this :')

"You really think a thief like you can save them?" The original one had "stealer" but I thought "thief" sounds better in this version!

"It's true, I forgot, I forgot!" At first I wanted to keep the "can't be stopped" bit, but I just really couldn't come up with anything related to it and then I thought that Mikoto having a part that sounds different would be really cool in a way.

"Wish to defeat me? How funny, what's your reason?" Please feel free to correct me, but I genuinely don't know if Kotoko is asking Es if they want to "defeat" her or if she's talking about Es assuming that Kotoko wants to "defeat" them, it doesn't help that she also says "Laughable justice" after this, but I went with the first option.

"This hopeless future, I want it to be crushed" The original lyrics mention the "dirty future" and I. Have no idea what she means by that, so I went with this.

"Number one! A parasite, good for nothing" LISTEN, HER SAYING EVERYONE'S NUMBERS LIKE THAT SOUNDS COOL. Also, I really did want everyone's parts to rhyme, but I just couldn't come up with anything and all my ideas sounded weird, so I decided to keep it this way, sort of like Kotoko is yelling at them and really calling them out?

[levwrites]

The King's Favorite

The Knight just wants to give his report, but today his King has other plans.

A prequel scene featuring the Knight and the King from Vows.

For a while the Knight's reports have gone directly to the King. Sometimes in person. There is a specific sitting room that seems dedicated to that, or at least so the servants murmur when they think the Knight will not hear them.

He knows they love to gossip, and tolerates that behavior as long as they're not disrespectful towards his King. A single out-of-line word is always met with harsh reprimand.

Nothing scandalous ever happens in that room, in any case: the King always sits on one of the couches, and the Knight can enjoy the soft armchairs.

Until one day, the King pats the cushion next to him. "Sit here, my Knight."

The Knight stops halfway to the armchair, perplexed for a second. But it's not his job to question orders. He goes to the King and sits down next to him, leaving a few centimetres between them. Not daring to invade the King's space.

Not the most efficient way of giving a report.

The King turns a little to look at him. "I'm listening."

"Sire." The Knight imitates him. "The villa had the information we'd been looking for. I personally interrogated the owner-"

Suddenly, the King's hand is on the back of his neck. His warm calloused fingers dig in the Knight's muscles, rubbing gently. "Yes?"

The Knight trembles, words failing him. Oh. He tries to keep going, desperately struggling to maintain composure. "The owner. He told me about his work partner, a certain Decimus Tane. We believe-"

The King starts scratching his scalp, fingers getting under his hair. Mussing it up, just a little. He says nothing, just keeps looking at him with his dark, intense eyes.

The Knight shivers, waves of desperate pleasure coming off of him. He bites his lips and stops his sentence in its tracks again, afraid a helpless sound is going to come out instead.

"Go on, darling." A quiet order, low.

The pet name resonates inside his head like a bomb going off; the shiver is more violent this time. The Knight sends him a desperate look. What are you doing to me? He squeezes his eyes shut, hoping to get through his report if he at least doesn't have to look at him. What's going on? An overwhelmed thought.

Little by little, the King has been drawing him in. Leaning him sideways, towards himself - and the Knight has been too focused on not melting in his arms to notice.

"...we believe the operation is using them as faces. Their business is the perfect cover." He takes another breath to keep going.

His cheek meets the King's shoulder.

The breath gets caught in his throat. His eyes open again, shocked.

The King wraps his other arm around him in a loose hug. One hand holding his nape, the other caressing his hair.

Immediately, the Knight gives up on his useless fight: he melts in his King's arms, rewarded by the King's pleased hum.

"There you go."

The Knight isn't really sure where this is going. He feels terribly unprofessional, overwhelmed, faintly shivering every few seconds.

But the King is holding him, and caresses him gently. He can't believe the King is holding him. He can't believe he is melted in his arms, on his couch, in his sitting room.

He called me darling. A faint thought.

"How are you feeling, darling?"

The Knight shivers again at hearing the pet name, helpless to do anything else. Said with that voice...

He is my King. He asked me a question.

"...I feel overwhelmed, Sire." It feels odd to call him that while leaning on his shoulder, his arms around him. "I am not... used to this." Then, more quietly. "I am enjoying it." Like he's afraid he'll be punished for it, no matter how nonsensical the thought.

Despite the nervousness, he is happy. He never let himself even think about something like this, even after the King started touching him sometimes. Now that it's happening...

The Knight stays very still, afraid he will do something wrong.

His King smiles, pleased. "I know." He keeps touching him. Keeps caressing his hair. "Can you keep telling me about your mission?" Not an order, but a polite request.

If you stop doing unexpected things, Sire, perhaps I could concentrate. No bite to the thoughts.

"Of course, Sire." The Knight supposes he can tell him everything from against his shoulder. In his arms. He doesn't quite understand how he ended up here, but he's not going to protest.

And when he's finally done despite the shivers and the gentle pleasure of being held, the King presses warm lips against his temple before finally releasing him. It's a curse and a blessing - especially since the Knight is starting to suspect this will not be a one time thing.

It's going to be the end of me.

But there is no protest in his heart. He would deny his King nothing.

[ghostclowning]

OK BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OBLIGATORY "my big gay demon boyfriend turned into a child :0" ARC FOR MOSHANG like come on. Hua Cheng did it. Lo Binghe did it. Every self-respecting demon must go through it. *snaps fingers* Let's fucking go

Of course Mobei wasn't too happy about becoming weak and unable to defend Qinghua. He even feared that if this continues for too long, Qinghua will just leave him as he becomes useless. And so, he tried to hide in his room, but sneaky Qinghua found out anyway.

*

Shang Qinghua would probably not even recognize Mobei at once bc he became so cute and squishable and tiny and holdable. First Mobei would try to tell Qinghua to get out and leave him alone but Qinghua wouldn't be able to not give smallbei a headpat once and that's it. Mobei-jun can't resist anymore. He needs to be with Qinghua, even if it exposes his weakness now. Screw the pride or the chance that Qinghua will leave...the childish part of Mobei has reawakened in this body, and it demanded to be close with Qinghua as if it was vital. Meanwhile the way smallbei leans in for Qinghua's hand would just break his heart. He literally gave Mobei a childhood trauma and now the said child stood before him, making him realize what a terrible person he is. He can't help but hug his king, who doesn't seem to really object that much, but frowns in a funny way. "Qinghua, let go!" He tries to sound intimidating, but with this childish voice, really? Qinghua only laughs. "My king, I'm afraid there's nothing you can do now to stop me."

*

Mobei wouldn't stop following him around, even though it probably would be safer if he stayed in his room until he becomes normal. Which is why Qinghua has to stay in his room too.

"My king, no one should find out you're vulnerable now. And I have things to do."

"...Say that again."

"My king..."

"That's it."

Although Shang Qinghua wants to laugh at the sight of these puffed up cheeks, he can't argue. Well, if the king says he has a day off, who is he to disobey?

*

He wonders why smallbei clings to him so much, but finds it cute. Mobei knows that Shang Qinghua probably won't be of big help in case of attack, but he just feels the safest with him.

*

Shang Qinghua was dead sure he'll have to pay for this when his king returns to normal state, but he can't refrain from squishing and cuddling with smallbei bc he's just too cute. He knows it's the same Mobei, just that his body changed a little ("a little"), but that only makes him want to cuddle more. He even falls asleep still hugging his king.

When he wakes up, he sees normal Mobei sit near him.

"Qinghua."

"My king...glad to see you in proper state and good health, hehe," Qinghua chuckles nervously. "I hope you're not holding a grudge on me for my...excessive affection?"

"You will pay."

With that being said, Mobei locks him in a tight hug and doesn't let go. Qinghua almost gets scared at first, but then bursts out laughing once he realizes what's happening.

"My king, let go!"

"There's nothing you can do now to make me."

*

"...I thought you will leave. You didn't."

"My king, I would never. Especially when you're like that! How could I leave you?"

"I was weak."

"My king, compared to your normal state, I'm weak all the time."

"You don't need to be strong. I am. But back then, I wasn't."

"And I'm not a princess who needs a saviour. My king, I'm here now not because of your strength. And I am more than ready to be the strong one when you can't be."

Mobei says nothing and tucks his face in Qinghua's shoulder.

[noa-de-cajou]

Various mentioned characters here belonging to @corneille-but-not-the-author , @soupedepates , @thal-ent , @hel-phoenyx and @azeler

The following text contains domestic abuse and references to suicide.

It started with a storm. Yet when I lowered the spyglass, the sun was shining high in the sky, irritating my eyes and skin. It still does as I rest my arms over the boat guardrail.

“Are you sulking, Leo?”

I glare at Kalerich. His little remarks are really starting to piss me off.

“I'm taking a break. And I'd appreciate if you didn't pollute it with unwarranted comments.”

“Well someone sure is in a bad mood.”

Maybe I wouldn’t be if this hadn't turned out to be such a disappointing turn of events. The duel started off great, Brynja got the advantage surprisingly quick, despite the storm raging on louder and louder.

Then he unleashed the Carnage. Fascinating magic, really. But that's when I knew Brynja wouldn’t make it. Even I wouldn't be able to fight this off, so how could she?

It would have been handy if she had killed Kaizarz, but it was unlikely from the start. If I could at least see the monster he really hid, what really lurks inside… If I could see with my own eyes that this oh-so benevolent monarch isn’t so benevolent after all…

But then they stepped in. The other four, those little pests, barging into a fight that wasn’t theirs to win. Domhildr and Tyrfing’s first intervention was nearly useless, but of course even Oli and Meili had to get involved.

A hug, a few words I couldn’t hear, and it was over. Just like that.

Why? Why were you so intent on bringing him back?

He threw your friend on the floor and knocked her out. He crushed Brynja’s throat. He damaged your boat. He would have killed you. He broke the hand you weakened just so he could.

You saw it.

Yet you pulled him back into his mask. Into some fake, meek version of himself. Why?

Why does he get to be pulled back into himself, why does he get forgiveness after everything he did, even though he has nothing to give?

Why does he get all of this, and I didn’t? Who stopped me when I needed it?

No one. There was no one to fight off the monster. There's no one to stay if they don’t have anything to gain or if there is no fear to keep them in place, no one.

Because I made it so no one cared.

…

Jealous, Leonova?

No. Not at all.

It's only a brief respite. The monster is bound to come back anyway.

Not everyone is like you.

Shut up. Shut up.

What infuriates me too is how they still healed Brynja after she hurt their king, after she stabbed him in the back, after she almost doomed them all. And how they didn't let me get her. I could have healed her. I could have healed her throat. But she didn’t looked like she wanted it.

… That, I can understand. I've seen what the sirens do. Even I wouldn't stoop that low.

But what’s the point of being free if it's to end up like this? Voiceless? Powerless?

I already know that she won’t come back to me. Not even for protection. She’ll go back to the Kraken Coast and I'll be left with nothing gained from this.

All those years on my ship, and I didn't even get to say goodbye.

That doesn’t matter. She was a tool. An asset. You would have gotten rid of her, eventually.

Right.

You won’t miss her, will you?

No. That’s fine. No one stays, anyway.

It didn't mean anything.

Rescuing Brynja didn't mean anything.

Losing against Tyrfing didn’t mean anything.

Sleeping with Domhildr didn’t mean anything.

Dancing with Oli didn't mean anything.

None of it matters, none of it.

Ungrateful. All of them.

My eyes hurt.

“I’m going back to my cabin.”

I start to walk away, Kalerich grabs my wrist. Gods, what now?

“I can see you're sad, Leo, don’t just walk away. There's no point in trying to hide it from me.”

Stop. Stop it. I’m not sad. I am not. I’m angry, and pissed, and frustrated, I'm certainly not sad.

“Let go of me, Kal.”

“Leo-”

Stop. Stop pretending you care. You wouldn't even stay with me if I didn't force you to. And you never stopped me from doing what I do. You have no right to look at me this way.

I tear myself away from his grip and start walking down to the inside of the ship. I hear his footsteps behind me.

Why won’t you give up

He grabs me by the sleeve.

Why aren’t you

“Leo, please, could you just-”

Gone

“I said let go of me!!”

My hand flies.

I blink and there’s four scratches across his cheek. Blood trickles down his face. His eyes have widened a little.

Who hurt him? Who dared?

I did.

No. No. No. He’s my brother. He’s all I have left. I can’t… I shouldn't… I would never…

I can feel his blood under my nails.

“Kal… Kal, I’m…”

Are you happy now?

There's no way he’ll stay after this.

No, no, this isn’t what I want, it isn’t-

I try to wipe the blood away. He grimaces. He’s in pain. I hurt him.

You hurt him.

Again.

“I’m… I'm sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I'm sorry- ”

You keep messing up.

You’re not careful enough. You weren’t careful with Misha either.

Kalerich wouldn't leave me. Not like that.

You didn't think she'd do it either, did you? How many times have you checked his room for a rope under the bed?

If you keep this up, the noose will tighten around his neck too.

And you'll be truly alone.

There's tears on my face.

“I’m sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry-”

“Leonova.”

He gently takes my hand and pulls me towards him, wraps his arms around me.

“It's fine. I’m all good. It’s nothing. You’re just upset. You didn't do it on purpose.”

… He’s right. I didn’t mean it.

“Don’t cry. I’m not going anywhere.”

I hug him back. Right. He's not leaving. Because we're siblings and siblings stick around for each other.

Which is why you need to bring her back and fix your mistake.

Kalerich holds me wordlessly for several minutes before letting me go.

“When do you want to leave, Leo?”

“... Tomorrow. I’m sick of this place.”

“Okay. You go rest. I’ll go tell the crew.”

“... Kal?”

“Yes?”

“You're not going to leave me. Right?”

“No. Never.”

He smiles at me.

Isn’t that smile a bit cramped?

Must be my imagination.

“Until death do us part, right?”

Yes. Until death do us part. Only then will we be free of each other.

The mere idea terrifies me.

He lets me go.

“Go lay down. I'll be right back.”

He walks back out, and I get to bed. It’s fine. I'm just tired. Maybe I've overexerted myself. It's not worth getting worked up about a bunch of strangers, is it?

History may sing their names, but I won't. They're not worth remembering.

The only names you need to remember are theirs. Your mother. Your sister. Your family.

I think about Domhildr. About the customs so dear to her. I remember the nursery rhyme some of the fairy sailors would sing. To remember the dead. Always remember the dead.

But I don't want to remember.

I want them back.

Screw those nursery rhymes. Screw their stupid passiveness.

I’ll overcome that death you’re so afraid of.

In the meantime, I need to forget you. All of you. And your stupid faces.

...

I hope I can.

[sisterspooky1013]

Parallel, Chapter 6/6

Rated X | Read it here on AO3

She wakes with an arid gasp, shooting upright and scanning her surroundings in a panic. It’s dark, and she reaches blindly across the bed for Mulder to find that he isn’t there.

There’s no sunset, no window, no California king size bed. As seconds pass and her hammering heart slows enough for her thoughts to organize themselves, she realizes that she’s back in Georgetown. The bedside clock reads just past 3:00 am, and she scrambles for her watch to confirm the date. Fewer than five hours have passed since she got into bed.

She picks up the phone and begins to dial Mulder’s number, but hangs up before it has a chance to ring. She doesn’t just need to hear his voice, she needs to see him, to smell him, to know that he’s the right one. That he is hers.

She takes all of five minutes to change her clothes and brush her teeth, forgoing any attempt to look halfway decent. Not that it should matter what she looks like; he’s seen her at her objective worst. He’s seen her exhausted, and dirty, and on the brink of death, and he still looks at her with so much wonder, so much admiration it makes her uncomfortable, because she feels so undeserving of it. She walks out the door in jeans and an oversized sweater, her hair combed but her face bare, and her heart pinned to her sleeve.

Her mind is oddly blank as she drives to his apartment, ascends the elevator, and knocks on his door. She’s operating on instinct, allowing her emotions to lead for once instead of stuffing them down. Allowing the ache in her chest to seek resolution instead of ignoring it. He doesn’t answer and she knocks again, more urgently this time, afraid that she might lose her nerve.

He opens the door and squints at the lights in the hallway. He’s wearing flannel pajama pants but no shirt, and his hair is entirely flat on one side. His rumpled, boyish appearance is disarming and endearing all at once.

“Scully?” he asks groggily, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Did something happen?”

She steps forward and wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her nose into his chest so she can breathe him in deep. A feeling of calm washes over her and she sighs with relief. This is him. This is the right one. Her Mulder.

“You okay?” he asks, returning her hug. “Scully, it’s 3:00 am,” he adds with an edge of surprise.

“I’m okay,” she says, her voice muffled against his skin. “I just had a bizarre dream and I needed to know that you were here.”

“Here at my apartment?” he asks, pulling away a little. She nods, not quite ready to explain it. Not quite sure how. “You could’ve called me,” he points out, and for the first time since leaving her apartment she feels embarrassed and afraid of what he’ll think of her.

“I know,” she says, avoiding his eyes. “But the nature of this dream was—I don’t think I would have felt sure it was really you just from a phone call.”

She can feel his interest piquing, and she wishes she’d been more vague. Most people find discussion of other people’s dreams intolerably boring, but Mulder isn’t most people.

“Come sit down,” he says, gently steering her towards the living room. “I’ll put a pot of coffee on.”

“It’s 3:00 am, Mulder,” she objects, though she knows it’s useless.

He brings her a cup of coffee in what he must have gathered is her favorite mug among his collection. It’s tall and narrow, bearing the faded logo of a long-since closed diner they used to frequent in the days before she started sleeping with her weapon in her bedside drawer. It has just the right amount of cream and sugar, and she tries to remember when and how he perfected that. He never asked, just observed, like he’s observing her now. Watching her bring the mug to her lips and blow the steam away, take a sip and then lower it back to her lap. Three, four, five times he watches her do this, saying nothing. She feels the weight of his attention and for once she lets it sit, lets herself become acclimated to it instead of distracting it away.

“Was it a nightmare?” he says suddenly, and she lifts her eyes to find that his are on her, his elbow propped on the back of the couch and his head resting on his fist.

Her memory flashes on him wrapped around her in the shower, and then his hand gently kneading her breast, and she feels her cheeks warm.

“No,” she says. “Not a nightmare.”

“What was it, then? Not a nightmare, but strange enough to send you across town at 3:00 am? I’ll admit that I’m intrigued,” he says, setting his cup on the coffee table.

She looks down at her lap, running her thumb along the rim of her mug nervously. Her thumbnail is tattered, her manicure ruined, and she frowns as she examines the other hand to find it similarly defaced.

“I think—” she begins, preemptively embarrassed. “I think that maybe our conversation influenced it. In fact, I’m positive that it did.”

“Our conversation?” he asks, oblivious. Leave it to Mulder to have no recollection of an extensive discussion on alternate universes.

“Albert Homnell’s theories on alternate dimensions?” she reminds him, and in her periphery she sees him nod.

“That’s interesting dream fodder,” he says, taking a drink before returning his mug to the coffee table. “What’d your subconscious cook up?”

She steals a glance at him. He still has that unkempt, unguarded, fresh-from-sleep look about him. His cheeks are dark with stubble and his already hooded eyes are drooping. Knowing him, he likely only went to bed a couple hours ago.

“It’s not important, Mulder. I should go so we can both get some sleep,” she says, moving to stand. The weight of his hand on her forearm stills her.

“C’mon, Scully. You’re already here, and now you’ve got me curious,” he gently chides her, and she acquiesces with a sigh.

“It’s, uh…it’s a bit awkward,” she prefaces, setting her mug on the table beside his so she can wring her hands instead.

“If you were hoping that would dissuade my curiosity, you should know that it has the opposite effect,” he says with a smile in his voice, and despite herself she smiles as well.

“I dreamt that…we were together,” she says quickly, her eyes darting between his face and the wall behind the couch. His eyebrows lift, but he otherwise gives no reaction.

“Together?” he repeats.

“Married, actually,” she says, then sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. It feels like the hardest part is out of the way.

“Married?” Mulder repeats again, his eyebrows sailing higher.

“Mmm hmm,” Scully says with a clipped nod.

“Okay,” he says, studying her closely. She can only look at him for milliseconds before she has to look away. Each time he manages to catch her eye, her stomach does backflips at the memory of his mouth on hers and…everything else. “What else?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I don’t think a dream about us being married would make you drive over here in the middle of the night to confirm my existence, so I’m wondering what else happened. There was more, right?”

He’s not being argumentative, and he does have a point.

“Well, it was sort of…it was like an entirely different world,” she attempts to explain. “We lived on the West Coast, and California was part of Canada, and my sister was there, and so was—”

“California was part of Canada?” he interrupts.

She stops and looks at his face. She was about to tell him about Sam, but that very well might just hurt him.

“Yes,” she confirms, but doesn’t elaborate. The more she tells him, the more he’ll want to know, and talking about it makes it feel real again. All of it. She shifts in her seat. “It was very vivid, and a bit disconcerting. So when I finally woke up back at my apartment, I just felt the need to be sure that I am me and you are you, if you will.”

“Was your dream version of me not your dream version of me?” he asks playfully, though she detects a hint of nervousness underneath.

She thinks about the other Mulder for a moment. Tanned, just slightly less serious, unburdened by a lifetime of tragedy. It feels like a betrayal to even entertain the idea that he might be a “better” version of the Mulder sitting right in front of her.

“He was great,” she says sincerely, “but he wasn’t you.”

Something like surprise flashes across his face, and then his eyes narrow just slightly.

“Married, huh?” he asks, and something about the tenor of his voice betrays what he’s thinking. Scully swallows nervously. “How sure are you that it was just a dream?”

Scully balks.

“What else would it be?”

Mulder shrugs, but the look on his face tells her that he’s prepared to defend his theory and she doesn’t quite feel up for that, not after what she’s just been through. And if it was real, what would that mean? For her and the version of herself who is married to Malibu Mulder.

She looks at her lap again, unsure where to go from here. She’d had such clarity back at her apartment, when she could still feel his kiss tingling on her lips. Now, it really does feel like just a dream, fading away into her memories with each passing moment. She notices her thumbnails again and runs the pads of her index fingers over their jagged edges as she tries to recall what happened to them.

So what do you say? Are we finally gonna hit that ghost tour on the way back?

She looks up at him and is momentarily surprised not to see a tanned, shaggy-haired man on the couch beside her.

“I don’t think it matters, Mulder,” she says, and he cocks his head at her. “Regardless of what it was, I think…I think it was an answer of sorts.”

“An answer to what?”

He no longer looks sleepy. His eyes are alert and focused, jumping around her face as he waits for her to speak. There’s so much expectation there, so much interest, and the stakes feel so impossibly high.

“Why did you kiss me on New Year’s Eve?” she blurts out, which is partly deflection but still very much on topic.

Mulder gapes at her, completely caught off guard, and sits up straighter.

“Where did that come from?” he asks uncomfortably, reaching for his mug only to find it empty. “I guess it seemed like the thing to do at the moment. Did it bother you?”

The fact that he seems genuinely concerned that she might be upset about it is almost funny, if not for the fact that they have been stuck in this confusing limbo for what is starting to feel like an eternity.

“No, Mulder, it didn’t bother me,” she says with a slight laugh and a shake of her head.

“Okay. Good. I’m glad to hear that.”

There’s a heavy pause and someone slams a door in the hallway. He answered her question, but at the same time he didn’t answer it at all. He didn’t say what she needed him to say, which was that he kissed her because he wanted to. If he would just give her that, she might feel brave enough to take them the rest of the way.

In her effort to look anywhere but his face, her eyes fall to the scar on his shoulder. She scoots closer and reaches out to touch it, and Mulder follows her hand with his eyes as she brushes the pad of her middle finger across the smooth pink flesh. Without thinking, she leans forward and presses her lips to it, laying her hand on his chest for stability. Beneath her palm, his heart is hammering so hard she has to resist the urge to count out his pulse rate.

I love you, she mouths against his skin.

When she lifts her head to look at him, there’s an incredibly pained expression on his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, her hand still resting on his chest, fingers splayed.

“In your dream—” he begins, then clears his throat. “Were we happy?”

“Together?” she asks, and he nods. “Yes,” she says with a soft smile, remembering how easy it felt to just let him love her.

“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” he asks, and now it is she who nods.

It feels as though they could fall down this rabbit hole forever, continuously ignoring the fact that they never seem to arrive anywhere.

“I wonder why you haven’t kissed me again,” she says quietly, and immediately her blood runs cold. Despite a hundred different death-defying situations she’s found herself in, this feels like the most terrifying yet.

“I wonder if you’d want me to,” he says back, and again his heart is thumping against her palm, giving him away. For some reason knowing that he is also afraid makes her feel brave.

“I would, Mulder.”

He sighs, and the warmth of his coffee breath against her cheeks is so familiar she barely hesitates at all before arching up to kiss him. He initially receives her kiss with surprise, but before she can pull away his hands are on her jaw and he’s kissing her back in earnest.

With her eyes closed, muscle memory takes over. It’s not that she’s pretending he’s Malibu Mulder, but that when she was kissing Malibu Mulder she was pretending he was her Mulder. And so kissing him, sliding her tongue across his, letting him pull her closer, all feel like things they’ve done before.

But where Malibu Mulder had the practiced, comfortable demeanor of a man kissing his wife, her Mulder has the nervous, adrenaline-fueled energy of a man kissing his partner for the very first time beyond a peck in a hospital waiting room. And his nervous energy combined with her own un-sated desires from just hours prior put them on a fast track from kissing, to making out, to him pulling her into his lap and grinding his erection against the seam of her jeans.

“Is this okay?” he mumbles against her mouth as his hands slip under her sweater.

“Uh-huh,” she assures him, moving her hips in tight circles when she finds just the right press of his erection against her clit.

Both his hands find her breasts, gently kneading and brushing his thumbs across her nipples. She’s fairly certain that if they keep this up she’s going to have an orgasm fully clothed in his lap. She’s fairly certain that she intends to do just that.

“Mulder,” she whispers, high and needy, and he groans.

Does he know? She wants him to know. Somehow, she thinks it won’t feel as good if he doesn’t. She brings her lips to his ear, circling her hips while he continues to gently pinch her nipples in the webbing between his thumb and forefinger.

“Wait, stop stop stop,” he says suddenly, pulling his hands out from under her sweater and stilling her hips. Her orgasm slips away, and the stark reality of what they are doing quickly settles in. She immediately feels ashamed and moves to get off him, but again he grabs her by the hips to stop her. “No, don’t go,” he begs. “I just…I need a minute.”

“We can stop if you want to stop,” she says, not looking at his face.

“Scully,” he says sternly, then waits until she looks at him. “I do not want to stop. Do you want to stop?” She shakes her head. “Great, then we’re on the same page. I just—this is a little embarrassing but I just didn’t want to make a mess, if you catch my drift.”

“Oh,” she says with a nervous laugh. The idea that he may have also been on the brink of an orgasm sets off a fresh wave of arousal.

“I don’t want to stop,” he says again, “but I do want to be sure that this isn’t…I don’t know, too fast? Too much too soon? I don’t want you to do anything you’ll regret later.”

Scully lets out a blustering sigh.

“You’re probably right,” she says.

“So what should we do?” he asks, brushing her hair behind her ear.

“I think I should go?” she says, uncharacteristically lifting the end of her statement into a pseudo-question.

“Yeah,” Mulder agrees reluctantly.

She awkwardly removes herself from his lap, quickly averting her eyes when she sees that he is still very much erect. She walks to his front door on unsteady legs and he trails a few steps behind her. When her hand is on the knob, she turns around and looks up at him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course,” he answers.

Seconds tick by. Her hand is still resting on the door knob behind her back, but she doesn’t turn it.

“Goodnight, then,” she says, still unmoving.

“Goodnight.”

She turns the knob and the latch pops open, allowing a sliver of light in from the hallway. Still, she just looks at Mulder. He stares back at her, his bare chest rising and falling at a labored clip. He takes one step forward and she reflexively lifts her chin, her mouth falling partly open.

“Would it be okay if I kissed you goodnight?” he asks, and she’s already nodding emphatically before the final word leaves his mouth.

The first kiss is chaste. The second is lingering. On the third, she swipes her tongue across his bottom lip and he hums. The fourth, his hands are on her waist and the door slams closed when he presses her against it with his body. The height difference is awkward, but they are beyond motivated to compensate for it, and he alternately stoops a bit and lifts her off the ground while her calves ache from standing on her tiptoes. His stubble scrapes her chin and his eager teeth pinch her lip painfully, but she’s never been so happy to be so uncomfortable.

When he straightens up she feels the brush of his groin against her belly. The throbbing between her legs is nearly unbearable, and she knows she is past the point of self-control. If Mulder doesn’t stop this, she won’t either. She slips her fingers under the waist of his cotton pajama pants and he heaves a shuddering breath.

“What are you doing?” he asks tightly.

“Tell me to stop,” she whispers around desperate kisses.

“Fuck, I don’t want to,” he groans.

Her hand slides lower until she feels the tickle of his pubic hair against the tips of her fingers. He’s breathing so hard he’s pulling the air right from her mouth as they attempt to keep kissing, making her feel light-headed. His hands move from her hips to her ass cheeks, the grip of his fingers desperate and feral, and she is completely incapable of rational thought. She wraps her hand around his shaft, smooth and thick and warm, and his knees warble before he steadies himself with one hand against the door.

“Jesus fucking christ,” he hisses.

“I don’t want to go,” she whimpers, giving him one firm stroke.

His hands are back on her ass, kneading and pulling her pelvis against him, which makes her bump up against her own hand. He starts tugging at the waist of her jeans, fumbling with the button, then the zipper, and before she really registers what’s happening he’s wedging his hand under the stiff denim with his palm pressed against her belly. There’s no room for him to move, but she feels the brush of his fingers across her clit and an involuntary moan bubbles up from the back of her throat. Mulder’s forehead drops against the door with a loud thunk.

They stay frozen like that for a few seconds, with her hand wrapped around his cock and his fingers resting over her slick lips.

“I want you,” he breathes into her ear. The heat of his breath makes her quiver under his fingers and he groans.

“Then take me to bed,” she says, feeling bold beyond what she thought herself capable of.

He doesn’t need any time to contemplate her proposition. He withdraws his hand and she withdraws hers, and he scoops her up and carries her to his bedroom with a level of urgency befitting the situation. The room is dark save for what leaks in from the living room or around the blinds, and he sets her carefully on the floor before divesting her of her sweater. She pushes his pajama pants off his hips but they get caught on his erection, which makes her laugh. The shine of his smile in the dim room sets her at ease, and they slow down a bit. As much as they both want this, there’s no need to rush.

He lays her down on the bed and peels her jeans from her legs, leaving her panties on while he kisses the insides of her thighs. She knows that the second he touches her she’s going to come, and she’s as excited as she is nervous. He kisses as far as the seam of her leg, pulling in a deep breath through his nose that makes her self-conscious. Then he kisses her right over her panties, and a jolt of pleasure shoots through her pelvis.

“Oh my god,” she whispers.

“Is this okay?” he asks, brushing his nose back and forth across her clit.

She feels herself unraveling. She’s too far gone to stop it.

“Oh my god,” she says again.

Her hips arch up off the bed and he presses his face between her legs as an orgasm tears through her, powerful and overwhelming. She cries out, completely unable to contain it, and she feels the wet heat of his mouth directly on her pussy as she comes and comes and comes. When the height of it has passed, she looks down and sees her panties pulled to the side, and Mulder’s face buried between her thighs, eyes closed in concentration. As she slowly comes down, she feels surprised and a little embarrassed.

Mulder crawls up to the bed beside her and kisses her neck while she catches her breath.

“That was…unexpected,” she finally says, feeling her cheeks warm.

“Was it okay?” he asks nervously.

“Yes, very much so,” she reassures him. “Just not the standard order of operations, I suppose.”

Mulder chuckles a little.

“Well, you know I’m never one to do things by the book,” he says lightly, tucking his face into the crook of her neck.

“That quality about you typically annoys me, but I find myself willing to make an exception,” she quips.

He starts dropping little kisses to the side of her neck, and despite her recent release she clenches her thighs together, ready for more. She rolls to her side and finds his lips, and they just lie there and kiss for a while, completely nude save for her panties. Her hand wanders down the firm planes of his back, over his hip, and finally back to his cock, which is stiff to the point of leaking. His breathing shudders and his muscles tense as she strokes him languidly.

“I think it’s only fair that you don’t judge me for my unimpressive stamina at this point,” he says, drawing the end of the sentence out with a low moan.

“I would never,” she says, greedy to see and feel him lose control in the same way he’s seen her.

Releasing him, she wriggles out of her panties and kicks them away, then gently pushes on his shoulder. Rolling him to his back, she slowly climbs on top of him. She still feels nervous, even after what they’ve already done. She settles over his lap, sitting directly atop his shaft such that it brushes across her clit when she shifts her hips forward and back. Immediately she knows that she’ll come again if she keeps it up, and it feels embarrassing for reasons she couldn’t possibly explain. It’s like her body is telling all her secrets to his, revealing just how much she’s wanted this and for how long.

His body answers by gripping her hips to hold her steady and grinding against her. She’s folded in half, her forehead resting against his, and her mouth hanging open in overwhelm.

“Oh my god,” she breathes into his face, and he has clearly already intuited what that means for her.

“Come on,” he says softly, rutting up into her.

She lifts her hips and reaches down between them, taking hold of him and guiding him inside her. There’s a stretch, a sting, and then overwhelming pleasure. She loses herself again, sitting up and planting her hands on his chest for stability as she rides him roughly.

“Oh fuuuuuuuck,” he hisses.

His shoulders lift off the mattress, his hands still planted on her hips. She’s right there, right there on the edge, and when he starts throbbing inside her she is gone, gone, gone.

Later, she’ll blush when she thinks about how loud she was, how brazen. How greedily she continued to fuck him until he was too soft to continue. How he flipped her to her back and slipped two fingers inside her, making her come again. But in the moment, all she knows is that she has never felt so good in her life, so safe. He touches her like he’s done it a hundred times, like he knows just what she needs. And when she finally becomes over sensitive and pushes his hand away, he throws a blanket over them both and wraps his arms around her. It’s nearly 6:00 am and the hazy yellow light of sunrise signals the arrival of morning.

“We have work in a few hours,” she says sleepily, resting her head on his chest.

“I think today is a good day to play hooky,” he tells her, giving her a squeeze.

They are quiet for a few minutes, and she starts to doze off.

“I’m glad you came over,” he says quietly.

“Me too,” she agrees, tilting her head up in invitation of a kiss.

She drifts in a sea of dopamine and oxytocin for some time, slipping into sleep until Mulder sighs or shifts and reminds her that she is not sleeping alone for the first time in years.

“Can I ask you a question?” he says, pulling her back again.

“Hm?”

“The dream me, or alternate me…was he an improvement over the model in this universe?”

She props herself up on an elbow and looks at him in the hazy morning light. He looks uncertain. Vulnerable.

“Not any more than the alternate version of me was,” she says, meeting his eye. “I think we’re products of our experiences in many ways, but at the core we’re still the same people. You would still be you and I would still be me even if our lives had taken different paths, but maybe those paths were meant to cross. I don’t wish you were different, Mulder, if that’s what you’re asking.”

The corner of his mouth quirks.

“I was actually referring to the sex,” he admits sheepishly.

Scully’s mouth falls open in surprise, and then she drops her forehead against his chest to hide her face in embarrassment.

“I wouldn’t know,” she tells him, resettling herself.

“Really?” he asks in disbelief. “Not even a kiss?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Wow. It took me nearly seven years to do what that man did in a day. What’s his secret?” he asks, jostling her playfully.

“We were married, Mulder,” she says with an edge of irritation. “Can I please go to sleep now?”

“Okay, okay. Sweet dreams, Scully.”

She snorts a laugh.

“Goodnight, Mulder.”

She falls asleep surprisingly fast and is quickly pulled into the limitless world of dreams. These dreams are of the ambiguous, hazy nature she’s used to. They are non-linear and full of missing context, but when she wakes she’ll recall the twinkle of Christmas lights and Mulder’s hand on her rounded belly, and the loud bark of her father’s laugh.

Tagging @today-in-fic

[welp-back-on-my-bs]

Here is ikepri Morgan :3

Name: Morgan Solase

Age: 25

Occupation: Minority Reprisentitive in the royal court of Bennonite

Minorities: Queer(Bisexual), Nonbinary, and Disabled (AUDHD and newly PTSD)

Relationships:

Silvio: Confidants, allies, mutual menaces

Carlo: besties

King: silently mortal enemies

Gilbert: LETS NOT TALK ABOUT THAT

Eldimio: distant

Nokoto: they dont care too much for him

Clavis: entertaining, a good person to go to

Chalaver: comfortable being in silence with him

Luke: absolutely likes the new kid, helps him out with transitioning from commoner to royal life

Keith(host): sweets bestie

Keith(alter): doubble menaces

Backstory:

TW: Colonizeation(?), implications of rape, miscarrage

Silvio was sitting on the patio of the Bennonite palace, with Morgan across from him. They were quite confused as to why they were there

"You asked me to come?"

"Yep, sit"

Morgan did as they were told and Silvio poured them a glass of alcohol.

"I don't really-"

"You're gonna wanna with the conversation we're bout to have"

"Oh- you want to know about..."

"Yep-" Silvio pushed Morgan their glass but atleast cut it down with some juice for their sake.

"Well... you already know I'm from one of the lands Obsidian took over...

It was quite the peaceful land, liveing off of trades with other lands, culture, and hope. It was one of many smaller nations, probably around the size of Rohdinite, but there was multiple of the same size cluster together and formed a tight knit alliance with one another."

Morgan sighed softly and took a sip of their alcohol.

"So, when Obsidian came, we shared that peace, trades, and our traditions... but we'll, we were scammed out of everything."

They sighed and shook their head softly "I may be two generations removed from that... but... I can see the pain it has left us... see my friends being hurt... see the judgement and fear... but... by blood... I was one of the ones who hurt them..."

"When my family first moved there, it was in hope to be able to get a better life than what they had before... but Obsidian just destroys and destroys... and I was... useless..."

They fidgeted with the glass quietly, to collect themself. Silvio nodded and offered a hand of empathy. Morgan ignored it.

"When the time had come to figure out how I was to be useful to the 'Grate Obsidian'. I was chosen as a hose wife. A breeder..." Morgan quietly shook and finished their drink.

"I was married off quickly, to someone who at first was quite kind. He was a younger man, but a good soilder for the army. He PROMISED... he... promised..  that... we wouldn't have to... have to..."

Silvio growled a bit as his own glass broke. He knew Morgan was uncomfortable sleeping around men. He knew he made her feel scared when they first met. And that was why. Their first husband was why.

"You don't have to say it..."

Morgan just nodded an continued "so... after... that... I had a miscarage... and it... finally snapped in my head... I don't... I dont have to stay... i could go somewhere else... that's when I ran here."

Silvio nodded and Morgan pulled him into a hug as they cried into his chest. Silvio did his best at comforting them, it wasn't good but hey, he was trying.

TLDR:

Morgan grew up in a town that was taken over by Obsidian. They could feel from a young age the corruption was rampant there. They want to do what they can to give it back to those who were originally there, but they knew that they couldn't do anything. When the time came to be selected for a job, they were made to be a housewife and given a husband who used that position greedily. They decided to run away after they failed to carry a child to term. After escaping they met Silvio and started to work for him.

[dr-abitat-blog]

Day 23: "Hey?! Stay with me, okay?!"

@ailesswhumptober

T/W: Captivity, experimentation, implied referenced character death, illness, vomiting

The characters of Hatter, White Rabbit and King of Hearts belong to @whumpsmith

“Dee!” 

Alex immediately runs forward to support my shivering form. The two guards all but throw me onto the cold floor of our bunker, like I’m nothing more than a rag doll. They almost remind me of Hatter’s goons — but much meaner.

“What the heck did you do to him?!”

Somewhere I hear Nick growling, followed by other bad words I won’t repeat. I must look pretty awful. I really feel awful.

“H-hey, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

A pair of warm arms wrap around my body, holding me in a supportive hug. I peer up with teary glazed eyes, sniffling ever so slightly. Just lifting my head feels like an extreme effort. Everything hurts.

“A…lex…?”

“Y-yeah. It’s me. Oh God, Dee…” His blurred white and grey form goes all fuzzy in front of my eyes. His own brown ones are wide with concern. It looks a little like he’s crying too, his black hair all tangled and messy as he helps me sit up. I gratefully let him guide me, too exhausted to do much else. My body aches and burns from the usual testing. I used to scream and plead with them to stop, but now — I know that they won’t, so pleading is useless. You just have to grit your teeth, close your eyes and be brave.

Be brave like a hero.

Sometimes I try to pretend that I’m King of Hearts, strapped down in the Hatter’s lair, being tortured into giving up where White Rabbit is hiding — except a rescue doesn’t come. It never comes — and it doesn’t stop. Not until they’ve finished all of their horrible tests. Then it’s back here, to our ‘home’. It took time to adjust — especially after they moved us a few times — but now we have a routine going. I at least know what to expect — and I know when the pain ends.

First, we wake up together at 7 AM sharp. Then we have breakfast and they take us to have a wash down. That’s usually being hosed down until we’re clean. After that they take us intermittently one by one for testing. It hurts. It hurts so much. They stab us with needles, or shock us, or inject things through our veins. After that we’re allowed to rest. We have dinner. We tell each other stories before lights out  and then we go to sleep. A lot of the time I get nightmares. Alex comforts me if I get them. He’s like the brother I never had.

I have no idea how long we’ve been here, but I do remember what happened before this. There were sixteen of us on this residential hospital programme. It was meant to help us feel better about our mental health — but they were just experimenting on us, like mice in a lab. We escaped — well, not all of us. Joe didn’t make it. I still miss him. Then we got taken to a place like this for ‘safety’ and they split us all up. I haven’t seen Ash and Levi for so long — and then Sam got moved a long time ago too. I don’t know where any of them are. Maybe I never will.

At least I have Alex — and the other boys who are still alive. Nick used to frighten me because he got very mad very easily, but he can’t help it, like I can’t help my stimming, or finding bright lights and loud noises too overwhelming. Now he’s quite nice, usually protecting us. Theo is nice too, although his pink hair dye has worn off now, revealing his natural dark brown hair. Josh was with us for a while too, but…I think he failed his last test.

What if I fail my test?

That thought scares me. I don’t want to fail. I don’t want to be all alone. I-I want to see Mom again…

“Come on, let’s get you into bed. Theo, give me a hand.”

“Coming, Al — hang on, buddy, we got you.”

Together, they half carry my limp form over to my bunk bed. I got to pick which one I wanted. The other boys already here — Ray, Leon and Gus — have also started warming up to us. They’re nice but quiet. I notice them watching me as Alex and Theo help me into bed.

“N-no more hurting,” I murmur weakly.

“No more today, Dee. Here, drink some water. Slow sips, that’s it.”

Whilst Alex starts letting me drink the water, the guards stride into our small bunker, walking straight up to Nick.

“Your turn.”

“Fudge you,” he growls (well, he didn’t really say that, but I don’t want to repeat bad words), but still lets them drag him off with a few defiant struggles. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine—!”

His reassuring yell gets cut off by the door locking behind them. That leaves the rest of us in silence, my head throbbing and pulsing. The water does help a bit. Alex and Theo remain quiet, just watching me and keeping me company until the exhaustion takes over and I slip into quiet sleep.

I don’t know how long I sleep for. Probably a few hours, since Alex wakes me up for dinner. The stew is way too lumpy in texture for me to eat. I end up gagging on it and having to go without. Nick also chooses to miss out on dinner. He got back an hour ago and he hasn’t really said much. When the others have finished eating, we all go back to our beds to rest. I don’t get much rest though. Something feels…off. That ‘something’  soon becomes obvious when I start violently throwing up all over my bed-sheets. 

“C-Cody!”

The others immediately surround me. My entire body feels weak and shivery. The smell of my vomit only makes me throw up again. Alex rubs my back gently, supporting me as I start to fall back onto my back.

“What’s wrong with him?” “No doubt a side effect of whatever fudging thing they were testing.”

Gus lets out a gasp.

“I-is that…blood?”

The others quickly take a look. I don’t want to, but the expressions on their faces suggest that it is.

Oh no…

“D-Dee…you’re burning up.”

Alex’s hand presses against my clammy forehead. I shiver again, my breathing suddenly becoming harder. 

“Wh-what’s…happen…gnnk..”

“I-I don’t know—someone call a nurse or something!” “Like they’ll do anything, Four Eyes.”

“Shut up, Nick—Leon! Call them! Call them now!”

I hear the panic rising in Alex’s voice. Leon soon disappears, banging on the door.

“Hey! HEY! We need help in here!” The minutes pass — no one comes. I throw up again — twice. Tears roll down my cheeks as I pant for breath. My mouth tastes horrible. Everything feels all spinny. My eyelids are really…heavy.

“L-Lex…nngh…so���tired…”

His grip on me tighten. He even gives me a little shake.

“F-fight it. You have to fight it, Dee,” Alex tells me shakily. “I-I know you’re tired, but if you close your eyes whilst you’re like this, how are we to know that you’ll ever open them again?”

“Nngh…”

The world pulses around me. The spinning continues. My eyes droop—

“Hey?! Stay with me, okay?!”

He shakes my shoulders. Through the blur, I notice the tears behind his glasses, crawling down his face. “P-please, Dee — stay awake. Stay with us.”

“Y-yeah, we’re right here. Just don’t close your eyes, okay?”

All of them are…so concerned about me. It’s nice to be surrounded by friends, by people that care.

“I…want…Pad…dy…”

“You’ll see him again, Dee. I-I promise, you’ll see that big fluff-ball again soon, so you have to stay awake, no matter what? Got it?”

I don’t answer immediately, drawing in a strained breath. 

Keep eyes open…keep…eyes…op…en….

“Nngh…read…to me…”

“H-huh?”

My request takes them aback for a few seconds — until Nick finally understands.

“Your comic? Y-you want your comic, Dee?”

“M-mhmm…”

“Okay — hey, someone grab it!” There’s an odd scuffle as the others move a little closer. Ray is the one to grab my precious comic, flicking to the last dog-eared page. 

“It was…page sixty two that we reached last night, right?” I nod weakly, leaning back against Alex. His hands tremble a little as he runs them through my curled brunette hair. “Okay…King of Hearts and the Cards of Calamity—”

“I got it.”

To my surprise, it’s Nick who takes the comic. It’s Nick who starts to read aloud to me. When he once laughed at me for my childish interests in superheroes, now he reads with me. “King of Hearts had had quite the day. Since he and White last overcame the Mad Hatter he…h-he was ready for a break. Except…heroes don’t get breaks.”

I blink groggily at him, tearing up a bit as he continues to read. “One day, he was out…at Central Park when he came across…a tarot reader who could…share his fortune. She used a…deck…of her own…cards…to read his…”

The words start to fade in my ears. I feel the darkness creeping in from the corners of my eyes. Alex squeezes me gently, even as I struggle to stay awake.

“But…the cards…cursed…him…to be…trapped…with no…other…hero…to…save…”

The last part of the sentence is lost through…a loud boom. The sound of our door being thrown open fades in my ears. I see the hazy figure in the doorway — and then nothing but black.

[welkinsky]

Chishiya X Reader | Too Good At Goodbyes

WARNING: Spoilers, curse words & mention of weapons, death!

Author's Note: Thank you so much for your support and reblogs, as always! I see and appreciate each one of you! This is a PART OF A SERIES so people who are just reading this one post for the first time might not understand the context please read the parts linked below.

Part 1 | ... | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 (Coming Soon!)

"You're not that bad of a person you know. I don't know what picture you've painted of yourself in your head but I'll blank the canvas and paint a beautiful one. The true one." you said as you hugged him.

You were not aware of this but he had tears in his eyes. Even he was surprised to feel this emotion again. To be heard and understood.

----------------------------Time Skip-----------------------

You found yourself running for your life. King of Spade found you. This time you were alone in a general store with only one exit where he stood waiting for you.

How did you end up alone? What happened to Chishiya? HOW DID YOU END UP BEING THE TARGET OF THE FUCKING KING OF SPADES?

Well, let me enlighten you.

After hiding from the King you and chishiya decided that it was better to clear as many games as possible. Because of course, this is a collective game so all the survivors have to work together on this.

Silly of you to think that they were all going to think the same way and act like a team.

You knew that even if you were smart, your specialty lies in the physical games so you went in the Jack of spade game and Chishiya went to Jack Of Diamonds. You two stayed away from heart games and even if you were forced to enter, you agreed that you two won't play it together.

You two decided that you'll meet at the Shibuya Crossing once you two were done.

His game took unexpectedly long (because then he went to Kind Of Diamonds on his way back) so you decided to get something to eat where you met another very anxious player and you didn't like anxious people in borderlands because they were not reliable. So you kept your guard up. What's the worst that can happen?

You saw King of Spades Blimp and he was crossing from right in front of your store. He hasn't noticed you both yet. You looked over to the guy he was about to through a fit and was shaking like crazy. But you sneaked up to him as quietly as you can and covered his mouth and took control of his limbs. You were visible to the King's range of view the only thing between you two was a thin glass window.

Luckily he still hasn't noticed the both of you. So you slowly started pulling the guy back as he was trying hard to get out of your grip and was making too much movement. But to your relief King almost passed from your window, JUST ALMOST.

When this dumbass took out a very tiny useless gun and tried shooting the king. One missed shot and king started shooting in your direction. You fell back behind the shelf but the guy couldn't make it and now it was just king and you in this TINY ROOM.

You knew Chishiya was going to come soon too. You cannot just run away you have to warn him.

You started shifting towards the door as the king entered more into the room. You knew you were not going to get out of here without being injured or killed if you just bolted, you HAD to make a distraction.

Chishiya's bomb came into your mind. You were planning what should you do when the King Of Dimond Blimp blew up, it was Chishiya. King looked at it and you bolted but not before throwing Chishiya's bomb in King's feet. So before he can turn and shoot you the bomb created another distraction.

Maaaan you've never run faster than this in your entire life. You knew that you cannot run faster than the bullets so you took to a low alley and started moving in the Crossing's direction so that you can warn Chishiya once he come there.

But on the way, you met up with Arisu and Usagi. You were so happy to see both of them! Finally some familiar faces. You explained the situation and they came with you.

Usagi was a bit hurt and King of spades' blimp was nowhere to be seen so you two went into a general store to get the supplies and that is when you heard a gunshot.

You two came rushing out and on your way as you heard a couple of more rounds being shot. You were sure that it wasn't King because the sounds of all of them were different.

As you entered the crossing your eyes landed on Chishiya who was hiding behind a car. When you looked closely & he looked hurt and then you saw blood. Everything blurred out and all you managed to say silently was, "Chishiya" as you ran towards him.

Then you spotted Niragi who was intently looking at you as he pulled up his gun and said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you two." and started shooting in your direction.

You made it behind the car in time but Usagi couldn't because of her injury and that is when he shot his last bullet at her.

It was all in a blur and slow motion. You were asking her to come to you but she couldn't. Then you saw Chishiya run over to her. You heard two shots.

As your eyes land on Chishiya, his white jacket had two huge blood stains. He saved her. You ran with all your will and stopped him from dropping directly on the floor as you called out his name loudly.

"Why would you do that?" Usagi said as she came along with Arisu. "I wanted to do something that was a bit out of Character," he said his eye glued on you.

More than him being hurt he was worried about you. He was trying to cheer you up. He knew that this was a bit selfish of him because he promised you that you two will get out of here. Now he did this but it was important for him. His eyes were constantly glued on yours and as you start to tear up he put a hand on yours as he said...

"I know it is thanks to people I know here. To Kyuzuryu, Arisu, and You." he looked back at you. Arisu cut in, "Hey, before what were you gonna say?" Chishiya looked at Arisu and let out a weak chuckle that sounded more like a grunt. His heavy breathing and weak voice were breaking you down slowly. You didn't know how to stop this. For the first time, you felt helpless here.

Then he looked back at you not leaving a chance to soak your face in his memories, "Oh yeah." His eyes went back to Arisu and Usagi, "Honest people always seemed stupid to me. I've always loved messing with people who try too hard at life." Then he looked back at you and continued, "I hated selflessness. It's probably because I'm jealous. They all had something I didn't. It was like they could always see what a pathetic and small-minded person I really was." He squeezed your hand, "I was always scared."

Now tears were running like a river you didn't want to stop them. You could hear Arisu and Niragi talking in the background when you pressed your forehead against Chishiya's, "I hope you're not considering this lame speech as your goodbye." as you both chuckle. You could feel Usagi's eyes on you two with curiosity but you couldn't care less.

"Don't bail on me," you said softly as you lift your forehead away from him. He was too weak to answer and before he can gather the courage, the King Of Spades' Blimp came around. You looked back at Chishiya who said, "Don't even think about it." 

"No, I'm staying. I won't leave you." You could hear shooting in the background and people started pouring from the streets. Chishiya took his hand out of his hold and ask you to go. "No! Shut up I'm not leaving!" You said now shouting at him for the fact that he is even suggesting this. "Let's hide them under the cars," Arisu said.

"Are you nuts? This is not going to work. I'm not leaving him here." you said clearly intimidating Arisu. You never raised your voice ever since they knew you.

"Go. I promise I'll be okay. We'll meet again. You have a better chance at saving me if you kill the king" you hated that he was right. So you helped Arisu in shifting them under the cars but not before giving Chishiya a lingering kiss.

You started running into an alley and reunited with Kuina and Ann. As you were running King got close, PRETTY CLOSE, and got a hand of Ann. All of you saved her with team efforts when a guy ran into the king with a car.

Part 1 | ... | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 (Coming Soon!)

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

Thanks For Reading and for all the support! Have an amazing week <3

Alice In Borderland Materlist

If you liked it you can check out the masterlist too!

A-Z Headcanon

[kaelsleftverdantsphere]

This is set BEFORE Corvus gets murdered and AFTER he got kicked out of the magistrate by his father. Thank u for understanding.

Just a little fluffy fic, nothing extra, just figuring out the dynamic of the two.

—

As the darkness settled around the camp and everyone was slowly getting ready to sleep, Corvus was restless. Sitting in his chair, reading his notes over and over in the dim light of a candle.

“What are you sulking about?”

Corvus turned as quickly as possible just to meet the familiar face. “Caspian.” His brows furrowed. “You cannot be here. Not now. Not like this…”

The redhead slowly walked on over to him, gripping one of his shoulders and turning him back around to the table. “My sweet sweet darling, what’s on your mind?” He started massaging Corvus’ back, relieving some tension.

“There are…” He sighed, lifting his hands to lightly press fingers against his temples. “-many, many matters I must tend to… and believe that even more is to come.”

“Hm…” Caspian moved his hands, hugging the other man from the back and peaking over his shoulder. “What are these notes about?”

Corvus hastily covered the loose papers on his desk, turning his head a little to see Caspian’s face. “None of your business now is it?”

“Oh how I adore it when you’re so rough with me…” An ever present smile and arms squeezing Corvus’ shoulders clearly showing just how comfortable he was. “I just wish I could… Maybe calm you down a little- help you…”

“I don’t think you can help me… I just need space to get to the bottom of this-“

“What you need, my dear, is sleep…” Caspian planted a gentle kiss under his ear. “Go to bed, I’ll accompany you and leave just before sunrise, I promise.”

Corvus frowned, although his heart was longing to lie next to him. “I have my duties…”

“To who? Not the magistrate, that’s for certain… not to your father… not to yourself-“

“Stop acting like you know everything that happens in my world…” Corvus’ tone was harsh, the mention of his father hurt like a freshly opened wound. He owes everything to him and the Magistrate, and he cannot fail them once again.

“Ouch… up until now I thought I was your world, sweetheart?” Caspian straightened his back, taking a step away from his beloved. “But clearly your work is far more important than that, isn’t it?” He didn’t physically pout, but clearly really wanted to.

“My work is important for the entire realm, my sleep is important to me and lying in bed with you only benefits the two of us, what do you not understand? We’re a part of a bigger picture that is getting torn more and more with each passing day and the responsibility to glue it back together lies on my shoulders alone… I cannot rest.” He stood up from the chair, turning to Caspian. “I apologise…”

“This is going to destroy you.” Caspian shook his head, crossing his arms on his chest. “When have you last actually slept? Not rested, slept?”

“I don’t know… and it matters not, as long as I can hold a pen, I am useful-“

Caspian quickly stepped in closer to him, catching him by the collar of his shirt. “I don’t care about you being useful when you’re dead, you absolute mad man! It isn’t selfish of you to sleep! That is a necessity for every mortal!”

“But the abyss doesn’t rest, Caspian, the darkness doesn’t either.” His gaze softened, staring into the eyes of his partner. “I apologise, I apologise for everything…” He lifted his hands to Caspian’s cheeks and held them. “I need to protect this realm… And I must protect you.”

“Your protection is useless to me when you’re dead… Nor is it needed…” Caspian tugged on his collar and planted a kiss on his lips. “Come to bed or I’ll carry you there, idiot.”

Corvus smiled, caressing his cheeks. “I hate you, Caspian, your morals are horrendous and your lifestyle disgusts me.”

“Well, maybe, in your princely duties, you shouldn’t have chosen an assassin of kings for a partner, don’t you think?”

Corvus chuckled, both of them smiling at one another now. “You’re no assassin of kings, you just know how to look pretty with a sword-“

“Is that what caught your eye? My sword?”

“Mayhap it did, not like you’ll ever know.”

[anotherrosesthatfell]

One last warmth

A Sunflower in full bloom au belong to @abloomingsunflower Yeah- I got motivation out nowhere so here we go 💀

Crescent is taking a nap until Angst dunked a bucket of snow on him.

"Ah— Cold!"

"that's what you get for skipping the lesson again." Said Angst. "Why do you keep doing this, father will be upset and who knows he might eliminate you."

"he won't, he don't have to guts to kill me anyway." Crescent sighed. "I'm planning to leave this place, Angst. There's no point of me studying to become the heir and fight with you."

"Leave...? No you can't leave. You're supposed to stay here with me and live quietly. We're twins, Crest. You can't live without me." groaned Angst.

"That's the part you don't know about me. Don't you see it? Despite being twins, we're like strangers." Said Crescent.

"then tell me, why do you want to leave. It's not because of me right? I did what you told me, pretend to be a good son. What else I need to do?!"

"No it's not about you.. It's just I got a dream."

Angst was dumbfounded by Crescent response. Crescent then sighed and invite Angst to sit next to him.

"In that dream... You were killed by father to protect mother. We were so young and no one want to bury you." Crescent began to tell the details about his dream to Angst. "we both were thrown in the dungeon, Father wanted you to rot and expected me to take this as a lesson not to be like you. Yet... In that dream, I found a way out from the dungeon and I brought you the light kingdom, asking for help."

"did... You find help?" asked Angst.

Crescent smiles gently and pat Angst on his back.

"indeed I did. It was lord Dream who helped me, he taught me how to pray and taught me that emotions is not a weakness rather a blessing." Said Crescent. "I was very happy living with the Lord, Angst. He treat me like I'm his own son and appointed me to be the high priest... And I want it to be reality in this world."

"b-but it's just a dream. There's no way a mighty person like him will accept bastard children like us." Angst rolled his eyes. "If he's like that, he already save us long time ago but he didn't."

"Come on Angst, look at the bright side for once can you? I was happy, isn't that what important?" Crescent frown. "We... We can run away from here and ask for help from the right person. Father won't try to find us, I promise."

"Then what...? After we run away, what can I do? What is my purpose after running away, Crest." Angst response with a sigh. "You can't just expect me to follow you, I'll be useless forever and watch over that damn little girl take the throne just because she is favoured by everyone."

"Angst..." Crescent sighed and hug his twin brother. "Look, if you don't want to follow me, it's okay. You can be the king, I'll convince everyone to like you to take the throne okay? If that's really your only purpose then I'll support you."

"... Thank you." Angst smile faintly. "I don't think I'll be fine when you're gone though. Who know what I might do-"

"Don't turn into a full sociopath for God sake-"

"I don't believe in God."

"Right- of course...- I don't know what the future might hold for you but I need you to stay away from father. Even if you said you hate him, I know deep down you wanted his recognition... Plus you always listen to him anyway-" Said Crescent.

"Not my fault I don't have anyone to talk to expect for our family." He frowns.

"Haha... You know in that dream I leave when I turned 18 but I really want to leave now and experience my childhood." Said Crescent. "So you better promise me not to hurt Artemis. I know you don't like her but for me, please pretend that you're a good older brother. I don't believe father that much and I'm afraid he'll bring bad influence- So can you teach Artemis every kindness I taught you?"

"... Ugh I hate when you use the twin privilege..- fine whatever, I'll do it." he sighed. "I'm going to miss you."

"Awe... I'll miss you too. Also can you keep mother away from me? I'm afraid she might kill me one day."

"Now you're asking too much—" Angst pushed Crescent away. "Fine fine. Whatever, I'll try whatever I can."

"Thanks Angst! You're the best brother ever!" Crescent smiles happily and lay down on the snow. "Come on, let's take a nap. Don't mind the lesson."

"I really can't say no to that face." He sighed and lay down next to Crescent. "I'm going to regret this for sure-"

[charleneferlay]

Useless fool

Art by Kloh.eh of Philippos and All The Things That Haunt Him lol. It's not only the fratricide - knowing your new stepfather probably wants to kill you is one of them, being the "dumb son" of the family is another.

Below the cut is a piece of my story, The teeth of the lamb. It's one I love because as a teacher who has seen plenty of students with damaged self esteem, I really want to give the poor boy a hug.

For context: Philippos, prince of Makedonia, has been sent as an hostage to the city of Thebes by his stepfather Ptolemaios of Aloros. After a week, he is invited to the house of the great general Epaminondas.

“Come here,” Epaminondas called, gesturing for me to insert myself at the best spot, between himself and Pelopidas.

I liked that I was close to my friend; not so that Epaminondas stood at my side. He cut an impressive figure and if Pelopidas was the sun, bright and warm, Epaminondas was the moon, colder and harder to read. 

Pelopidas started to empty the boxes of their soldiers. They were crudely made, but well enough that I could see some were heavy infantry and some lighter troops, such as slingers. The man took the small soldiers and arranged them in two fat lines facing each other, while Epaminondas selected one figure for each type.

“Do you know what that is?” he asked, showing me a small man with a helmet that fully covered his head, a large shield, a cuirass, and spear and what looked like cnemides.

Of course I knew, I knew that, it was – it was…

“Do you know,” my stepfather’s voice echoed, “why Thebai can impose demands upon us?”

He was eating. The room (my father’s room, that had been my brother’s Alexandros the last time I had been there) smelled of lamb cooked in herbs. He chewed as he spoke and played with his food with his knife.

“Tell me,” he insisted, “how did Thebai grow powerful?”

I couldn’t look away from the knife. It was small, much smaller than the sword that had slashed Alexandros, but it cut easily enough into the flesh of the lamb. I could almost feel it grazing my skin as Ptolemaios of Aloros had his lamb. It disgusted me. I was not a follower of Orpheus, the weird men who ate no meat, but I knew the stories, the stories of cursed families such as ours: brothers killing brothers, fathers raping daughters, children cooked by jealous relatives.

A lamb, just a lamb. Ptolemaios waved the knife.

“What is the matter with you, Philippos? Did the Illyroi hit you on the head while you were herding goats with them? Or were you always that dumb?”

I did not remember. Maybe I had known, one day. I used to study with Perdikkas before I was sent to Illyria. Perhaps I was dumb, I thought. Our mother had learnt to read with Perdikkas and I, and Perdikkas had been much faster; he could even read silently, without mouthing the words. My teachers had always liked him better: bright, fast, bookish Perdikkas, the heir to the king. They hadn’t slowed down for me.

The answer did not matter anyway. Even if I had known how Thebai achieved hegemony over Hellas, no word would have gone through the terror clotting my throat.

“Unbelievable,” Ptolemaios spat. “Well, they can have you if they want, useless as you are!”

He had laughed a mean and somewhat relieved laugh, and I had fled by to my own room.

And that night, I was in Thebai, and I was asked a simple question I knew the answer to. But Epaminondas’ clear eyes were on me, searching my face for hints of the Gods knew what, and all I knew slipped away from my tongue. I shuffled on my feet. People were staring at me. Finally, painfully, I managed to respond, sounding very unsure, though it was common knowledge, even in Makedonia.

“Hoplite?”

Epaminondas nodded. Incredible relief washed over me, and then was snuffed out when he took another clay figure. Light infantry, with a shield shaped as an 8.

“Peltast.”

Another one, carrying a bow.

“Toxotai.”

“Good.”

He went through all the figures. I could name all of them, but once he was done, I felt like he had drained me of all my blood. The others had finished arranging their mock battlefield.

“Do you recognize this battle?” Epaminondas asked. “Take your time. See how the troops are laid out. And you,” he said, pointing at Lysias and Philolaus, “hush.”

They stared at me intently, their boys’ eyes soft and pretty as cows’. I knew the farce was up. Every brainless child could tell light from heavy infantry – I had seen my father’s and my brother’s troops marching for the crowd during the festivals of Xandika and like every boy, I had pointed at each unit, shouting their name in delight. Now, they would all see how ignorant I was. I could hear Ptolemy’s laugh at the back of my head. Useless fool.

I had to say something. The silence was smothering me; a man started to whisper to the one at his left. Was he mocking me? My throat felt tight again. Think think think. What would Perdikkas say? Surely, someone taught him about Thebai, with him being the heir, surely, some tidbits of those lessons must have gone into my thick head.

I felt trapped. I scrapped all the corners of my brain. It felt empty and clogged by wet cloth. I think I would have failed to answer with my own name, if someone had asked me.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. Barely a whisper. Dumb, barbarous boy. Pammenes had brought me here to weight against the fight at the palestra. Brave lad, bright lad, he had hoped. But Ptolemaios was right, just as Perdikkas had been right when we were younger: I was never smart, and now I had degenerated into a brainless idiot.