#Framed autumn poster

[medo57]

"Vibrant Fall Landscape – Nature Art Poster with Wooden Frame"

This breathtaking poster with a wooden frame captures a peaceful autumn landscape featuring a serene lake surrounded by trees in brilliant red, orange, and golden hues. The calm water reflects the warm tones of the foliage, creating a mesmerizing mirror effect. Sunlight filters through the trees, adding depth and a dreamlike glow to the scene. Perfect as wall art, this framed poster brings warmth, tranquility, and nature’s beauty into any space, making it ideal for home or office decor

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[glittervame]

Your mine

Based off of this fanfic Billy <3

The warmth of the summer had finally given way to the briskness of early autumn as Y/n stepped off the Hogwarts Express, her eyes scanning the platform for her friends. She had returned to the castle, feeling a peculiar blend of excitement and nervousness for her sixth year. It wasn't just the thrill of new classes or the anticipation of the latest Quidditch tournaments that filled her; it was the secret she had been carrying with her all summer long. Her body was a canvas, adorned with fresh ink, each tattoo telling a story of her life or memories with her friends.

Her hair had grown out over the months, cascading in gentle waves down her back, and her skin glowed with a subtle tan from countless hours spent outdoors.

As she made her way through the throngs of students, her heart skipped a beat when she spotted Mattheo. His eyes lit up with recognition and he broke into a wide smile, rushing over to envelop her in a tight embrace. He had grown a bit taller over the summer, his frame more muscular and his features more defined, but it was his kind eyes that held her attention as they searched hers.

"You're back!" he exclaimed, his voice a familiar comfort. "I've missed you so much!"

Y/n blushed, returning his smile. "Missed you too," she murmured, feeling the warmth of his body pressed against hers. They had been together for three years now, and every moment apart felt like an eternity.

Mattheo's eyes began to rove over her, taking in her new look. He noticed the way her robes hung differently, the hint of new ink peeking out from her collar and wrists.

The tattoos have been a part of her body since she was allowed to enter a tattoo shop with a parent's signature. New ones would pop up during their holiday breaks and they quickly became a defining feature alongside her beauty.

Mattheo's dorm room is a cozy and slightly messy haven filled with the scent of old books, faint notes of incense, and the occasional waft of takeout. The walls are adorned with posters of his favorite bands and artists, while the floor is scattered with clothes, empty soda cans, and textbooks fighting for space. The bed, a lofted wonder, hovers over a desk that is cluttered with wires, a laptop, and a half-finished sculpture. The room is dimly lit, with only a desk lamp and the glow of a lava lamp providing the ambiance.

Mattheo and Y/n are in the middle of a make-out session playing catch up because they haven't see each other all summer break due to her spending it in France with her grandmother. His arms are wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her closer as their kisses deepen. Y/n's hands trace the contours of his face, her thumbs brushing over the stubble that has formed since his last shave. His hands wander, too, slipping under her shirt to feel the warmth of her skin. They're both lost in the moment, the world outside their little bubble fading into oblivion.

The sound of their laughter pierces the silence as they break apart, both slightly out of breath. "God, I've missed you," Mattheo whispers, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

Y/n smiles, her cheeks flushed. "Me too," she says, before leaning in to kiss him again.

Mattheo playfully nudges her, pushing her backward onto the bed. They giggle as they collapse onto the mattress, which protests with a series of squeaks. He straddles her, his hands interlocking with hers, and raises their arms above her head. "Gotcha!" he declares, grinning.

Y/n tries to wriggle free, but his grip is firm. "No, no, you don't!" she squeals, her laughter bubbling up as she kicks her legs.

Mattheo leans down, his smile turning into a playful scowl. "You're not going anywhere," he says, before letting her go.

Y/n takes the opportunity to flip him over, now on top of him. "Now who's got who?" she asks, her eyes gleaming.

He chuckles, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close. "Alright, alright," he surrenders. "But only because I like this view better."

They lay there, tangled in each other's embrace, sharing whispers and secrets from their summer apart. Y/n tells him about her adventures in Paris, the art she saw, and the food she ate. Mattheo tells her about his internship at the local music magazine, the bands he discovered, and the concerts he went to.

The conversation eventually shifts to more intimate topics, their whispers becoming softer, their touches more tender. They explore each other's bodies, reacquainting themselves with the familiar contours and curves. It's a dance they know well, yet it feels new and exciting with every encounter.

Their kisses grow urgent, their breathing heavy as they let their desires guide them. Clothes are peeled away, revealing skin that's warm and eager for contact. Their hands roam, caressing, teasing, setting each other on fire.

Y/n's heart raced as she straddled Mattheo, feeling his strong thighs tense beneath her. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast a warm glow across his sculpted abs, making his skin seem almost golden. His eyes, dark with desire, searched hers, seeking confirmation. She nodded, her cheeks flushing, and he took that as his cue to lean in, capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss that sent waves of heat coursing through her body.

Their tongues danced together, a delicate tango filled with the sweet promise of what was to come. His hands roamed up her back, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. She could feel his arousal pressing against her, and it only served to make her more eager. Gently, she began to grind her hips against him, feeling his grip tighten as he moaned into her mouth.

Breaking the kiss, she whispered his name, her breath hot against his neck. He responded by nibbling her earlobe, sending a shiver down her spine. She leaned back, giving him access to her neck, which he kissed tenderly, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. His hands found their way to the hem of her shirt, and he began to lift it up, revealing her naked torso.

The coolness of the room contrasted with the warmth of his touch as he cupped her breasts, his thumbs flicking over her sensitive nipples. A soft gasp escaped her lips, and she arched her back, encouraging him. He took the hint, his mouth following the path his hands had made, kissing and suckling each peak until she was squirming with pleasure.

Mattheo sat up, his own shirt joining hers on the floor. He wrapped his arms around her, his bare chest pressing against her as he kissed her again. Their bodies were now one, skin to skin, and the sensation was electrifying. Y/n's hands found the buckle of his belt, and with trembling fingers, she undid it, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

Mattheo stood up, gently lifting her with him. He laid her down on the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as he removed the rest of their clothing. The sight of him, standing over her, completely naked, was almost too much to handle. She reached up, her hand tracing the line of his chest, down to his waist, and back up again. He took her hand and placed it over his heart, feeling it thump wildly against her palm.

He climbed onto the bed, his body aligning with hers, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He took a moment to appreciate her beauty, her eyes wide with anticipation, her skin flushed with desire. He positioned himself at her entrance, and with a deep, shaky breath, he pushed inside her.

The feeling was indescribable, a perfect blend of pain and pleasure that had her eyes rolling back in her head. He stilled when he found a tattoo of his name in swirling black ink on the inside of her thigh. It was a secret she had been keeping from him, a declaration of her love etched into her very skin.

"S-shit," His hips stutter at the sight, and his eyes meet hers, wide with shock and arousal. "You're so fucking perfect."

He began to move, a slow, steady rhythm that had her nails digging into his back. She matched his pace, arching her hips to meet each of his powerful thrusts. The friction between them grew, igniting a fire that threatened to consume them both.

Their moans filled the room, a symphony of need and want. He kissed her again, hard and possessive, as if he could brand her with his passion. She responded in kind, her tongue fighting his for dominance as their bodies moved together in a dance of pure lust.

The tension grew, coiling tighter with every stroke. Y/n could feel it building deep within her, an unstoppable force that threatened to shatter her into a million pieces. She clung to him, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to hold on.

One of Mattheo's hands had found itself around her neck, "Mine," he growled, his teeth scraping along her jawline. "You're always going to be mine."

The possessiveness in his voice sent a shiver up her spine, and she couldn't help but moan in agreement. It was true; she belonged to him, heart and soul.

The climax hit her like a tidal wave, crashing over her with the force of a thousand suns. She cried out, her body shaking as wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her. Mattheo's own release followed, his body tensing as he spilled himself inside her.

He lays her on the bed and starts kissing up her thighs to the tattoo of his name, and she giggles. "Always," she whispers, her voice a little hoarse.

[essmeow]

CHAPTER ONE : MIST

❝ first meetings & other cliches ❞ previous | masterlist | next wc | 1.2k

as you step off the train, a cool autumn breeze sweeps past you, lifting the soft flowy sleeves of your top. the train ride from your new aparemnt to work was only about a half an hour, and now you stood down the road from the used bookstore. the streets are quieter than you're used to—and the light of early morning filters through the trees, casting shadows on the pavement.

you countined to walk down the sidewalk, only a few cars passing you on the slow road. as you apprach the bookstore, you stop. it was older, a hand painted sign that had seemingly start to chip away over the years. the wooden exterior—weathered by seasons of sun and rain, gave off a sense of warmth and welcoming.

the doors were glass, you peeked inside. you saw nanami at the front coutner—his focus fixed on a stack of papers he was carefully sorting through. you looked to the right, seeing a younger boy around your age with striking pink hair that caught the light in an almost unreal way. he was on a ladder, sorting through books on the higher shelf.

you walked in, a small bell hanging above the door letting out a small ring. nanami looked up, giving you a small smile before speaking.

"ah, y/n, there you are! right on time."

"goodmorning."

you looked around the store, it was cozy—older looking books lining the walls. a few movie posters—classic films with faded edges, and framed photographs adorned the other walls. the lighting was warm, the store being lit by natural lighting and a few lamps across the floor. the cash register where nanami was standing was wooden, there was even a type-writer on the counter and a few trienkets.

your gaze drifted to the pink haired boy you had saw in the window earlier. he was lost in the rhythm of whatever song was playing in his headphones, his head bobbing to the beat. he was wearing baggy jeans that were swallowing his sneakers and a red oversized hoodie. he seemed completely absorbed in his own world as he restocked books. you wonder why he choose to dye his hair pink but you on't want to stare, so you just look back at nanami.

"yuji."

nanami spoke, bringing his glasses up with his finger. he looked but also tired—wearing an oversized-ish collared sweater and khaki pants. defintly more mature then shoko, even though she mentioned he was in the year before her in school.

the pink-haired boy, yuji, dosen't reply, you assume he can't hear over his music and you wonder how safe it is for him to be on a ladder while not being able to hear. nanami groans and clears his throught twice.

"yuji!"

he says, much loader this time, almost even startling you. yuji finally looks back—moving his headphones down to his neck. he looks over to nanami, then to you, and you think you see his eyes widen a bit when he glances at you.

"yo, you must be the new employee!"

he jumps down from the ladder, you make another mental note of something that is proably not very safe that he's doing and he runs over to where you're standing in front of the cash register. you open your mouth to begin to speak, but nanami instead introduces you.

"this is y/n l/n, she's moved here all the way from the city and she'll be working with you."

he smiles a bit to bright for your liking and moves his hand forward to shake yours. you're caught off guard by the gesture, hesitating for a moment, then reach out to shake his hand, and he grips yours firmly.

"im yuji itadori, nice to meet you!"

"nice to meet you."

"yuji, can you show her the ropes please? i have to make a few calls about the next shipment."

nanami spoke, heading into a door which you assumed was his office. for a moment, you were confused as to why he would leave the register unattended—but it was only 8:30 in the morning, there probably won't be many costumers.

"sure thing nanamin!"

yuji replied cheerfully as he made his way to the back corner of the store. you followed behind him, trying hard not to be annoyed by how effortlessly upbeat he seemed.

"so, all we have to do is unload these boxes of used books. it's pretty easy—but i'll show you how, 'kay?"

you nodded in response, mentally cursing yourself for forgetting your headphones—now you'd actually have to talk to him.

he picked up a book on the top of the box, his fingers brushing off the dust with a quick sweep.

"there will be a tiny sticker on the spine that says the genre, look at that and find the section for it! pretty easy, huh?"

"sounds fine."

you replied in a monotone voice. you looked around the store once agian, seeing a small handwritten sign next to the diffrent sections. you decided that you liked the charm of the store—most if not all of the furniture and decorations being vintage.

"its nice right? i love it here. i've been going here for ages even though i don't read a lot, been trying to get nanami to sell comics for like ever but he says that they're not real books."

you watched Yuji as he spoke, pulling a few books from the box. as you observed him, you couldn't help but wonder about the dynamic between him and nanami—they clearly knew each other well, probably for quite some time. you decided that you probably needed to start conversation with him.

"so you like comics?"

he sparked up, as he grabbed a few books also. "yeah! my favorites spiderman...but you can probably tell from my hoodie."

you glanced back to his hoodie and then up to his smiling face. it was sort of...cute, but you quickly pushed that thought away. no way.

"i liked across the spiderverse, the animation was nice—i've always loved animated films."

you replied, placing a book in a shelf as you spoke. a hint of annoyance stirred within you—why did you have to find something in common with him? after all, you weren’t here to make friends.

"you like movies, what's your favorites? i love movies."

"i like studio ghibli stuff, anything tim burton, human earthwo-"

"you like human earthworm! those are my all time favorites."

you turned around as he spoke, his face lighting up in excitment. You nodded, feeling a slight spark of excitement yourself. turns out, you had more in common with him than you thought.

"hold on, wait."

he quickly ran over to the register, rummaging through the drawrs untill he grabbed what seemed to be a peice of paper and a pen. he clumsly scribbled something down before rushing back to you.

"here's my number, please text me after work! i've never met anyone here that likes the same movies as me."

you hesitated for a moment. you'd never had anyone seem to eager to be your friend before, it made you slightly...happy. and you thought he seemed not to bad to be friends with.

"alright."

you took the slip of paper from him and slipped it into your pant pocket.

the rest of your shift went supprisnly well, you spent the day restocking books while yuji chatted with you intermittently. nanami came back and seemed pleased the two of you were getting along. as costumers started coming in, the pace went by fast, and before you knew it, the day had flown by.

once you were back home, you sank onto the couch and pulled out your phone, carefully typing in yuji's number.

notes / extras :

yuji's backstory will be reveled in later chapters :3

the store is very vintage, nanami got all the furnite from antique shops and thrifting (he probably thrifts his clothes for the most part aswell)

yuji LOVES spiderman

yn is a bit scary at first...yuji was 100% nervous around her untill she started talking about things they have in common

yn reminds nanami of his younger self

a/n : chapter one !!! i love writing this sm already guys, yuji & nanami are so fun to write! you guys are in for a wild ride w/ the yuji and yn backstory lore drop coming soon hehe, also not proofread shh

taglist : ask/comment to be added @brideads @stillnotherapy @solaqes @chososcamgirl @yuu-via @mikikkoo @gumims @hel-lhound @m1ndfulsorrows @fushiguruuzzzz @kiss-my-asscheeks @rreveurdoll

[ms0milk]

firework breathing, fifth form.

tengen uzui(s) x bounty hunter of sorts

no cw whipped tengen and the wives try to recruit the love of their lives using all means available. thank you @ltadoriyuujl for making this request for the @ficsforgaza initiative! to say I had fun with this one is an understatement 2.5k

Vigilante justice had repercussions, and before you would have said you were amply prepared. Law enforcement had no chance of keeping up with you. That’s what happens when you don’t believe in monsters. You could make all the noise you’d like in a hunt and their incompetence only served to soothe, always looking for the humans on their wanted posters. Bounty hunters cowered when your blade cleaved through the throats of demons and theirs hacked pitifully at the creatures happy to consume them.

A looted sword and penchant for timeliness, what fight couldn’t you weasel victory from? The answer was rhetorical until a letter arrived on scented paper, where, buried under three pages of classical poetry there lay a clear and calligraphed, 'Marry me.' Signed, Uzui Tengen.

“Saw your kill,” Tengen gleamed at dawn outside the shop that kept you good and fed on steamed buns. “Just as flashy as they say.”

“Next time someone has something to say about me, kindly change the subject.”

To call him persistent was an understatement. The Uzuis were old money with old traditions and older practices. Their mansion sat behind flowering hedges and wisteria vines on the stream at the lip of the forest, just too far to receive visitors and just close enough to rub the opulence in the whole town’s face. You quite liked your little life, the little apartment above Old Man Tatsu’s udon shop, the reward money that came in little pouches when you rolled bountyheads across the sheriff's desk. Though you had to be fast. Their expensive criminals had a habit of disintegrating.

“Are you Kinoe?” He’d ask as you shopped for dry goods. Obnoxiously tall and draped in silk for every color of the week, the master of the mysterious house was never too far from the hunter in her linen haori. “Who's your master?”

Sometimes a wife would come and when Makio accompanied you she would drop coin into the merchants’ dishes before you had the chance to pay for yourself, “Stop asking her so many questions.”

“Women like to talk.”

“Not to you.”

And so gifts started arriving shortly after. Clothes and ribbons, a barley pillow of purple silk, perfumes, ceramics– your one room above Tatsu’s udon shop was soon so laden with treasure you worried it might fall through the floor. “Leave it here,” Hina whispered to couriers from the staircase outside your apartments.

“I’d rather you didn’t,” you yawned in the doorframe, wrapped in a padded red hanten. It was one of your many new treasures. Hina smiled wide at the insinuation and you could see even through sleep, all the notes she took behind bright eyes. Three more jackets came that autumn and the fourth was delivered in person.

You slid a cloth down the bladedge of your sword after a hunt. As always, your weapon had burst from the arc over your head and with shattering speed through the back of the creature’s throat, but it found your scent the second the rattling strike touched its flesh. It twisted this time and caught the blade at a notch in its neck before losing its head. Every swipe of the cloth down your sword was filled with the apprehension of it catching on a crack in the blade.

In the cold candlelight, there was a grunt and then a hand in your apartment window. You startled when the hand started to talk, and gripped your sword from the cover of blankets. “Don’t pounce, princess.” Tengen’s voice was at least better than the snarl of a demon. His head peeked over the frame. Two lilac eyes grinned at you.

“Little late for a climb, Uzui.”

“S’cold,” he grunted and his head dropped below the frame for a moment before his hand gripped the sill and the rest of him followed, swinging over itself into the room. His mountainous body landed without a sound and he smiled, white hair framed by moonlight, “brought a gift.”

You thought he might be referring to himself before he rummaged through his haori and pulled a twine wrapped bundle out from under his arm. You rolled your eyes, “How do you know where I live?”

“You know where I live.”

“You want me to know where you live,” you crept forward to accept the package, “you’ve practically spelled my name out with your hedges.”

“Did you like that?”

He crouched a respectful distance away from where you startled back into blankets and settled on his knees. He and his family moved like cats in the night. They appeared exactly where you expect them and still it was always surprising. “Why do you work so hard for my attention?”

“I want more than your atten–”

“Mr. Uzui.”

He bobbed his head in concession and shifted his legs underneath him so that the white muscle of his thigh glowed through the drapes and folds of his long pretty robes. He pulled one knee up and rested like a king against your simple wooden window. “Who taught you?”

“Taught me what?”

“The sword.” He pointed with a painted nail to the weapon you kept tucked against your chest.

You shook your head, “No one, I just– I found it.”

“And so you hunt demons for fun?”

You smiled through the sarcasm, “For money.”

“Is there much money to be had in bounties that disintegrate?” He loved to thread a reel between endearing and irritating and that evening was no different. He watched you like an acrobat on a line.

“And what do you know about hunting, Sir?”

“Why do you think the strong ones stay away from this town?” Strong ones, was a horrifying thought and for a moment you forgot to stay cool across from the sudden and fleeting stoicism of your patron. Tengen’s eyes darkened, his broad hands flexed like a fist would be more natural. “You’re safe here. Protected.”

“That’s not necessary.” 

And his facade changed with a nod of his head. The smile returned under summer eyes. “I hear you fighting, you strike like fifty firecrackers– a roman candle–” You jerked your hand to your lips in a signal to keep it down, which he did, and leaned forward with a simmered voice, “Your breath is like a firework. Like nothing I’ve ever heard.” It was as if the sound followed the command of its master and cupped your jaw where he’d like to. Worry about your chipped sword was as far away as ever. Your life was warmer with the Uzuis in it, if not just slightly more embarrassing. He raised an eyebrow, “Have you studied the poets?

One picture of your apartments could inspire a whole comedy performance. Cold and wooden and upholstered with jewels that could buy the building five times over. If he started sending poetry you might have actually had to pay taxes. Tengen waited, happy and handsome, for your response as you stared. Could you have ever guessed grabbing the sword of a fallen soldier as your village crumbled around you would have led to this?

“In pale moonlight,” he urged and leaned farther towards you, drawing his knuckle over your fingers at sword hilt, “the wisteria’s scent…”

You steadied yourself through the waves of goosebumps that came from his touch and his gaze, closer than he was before. “It’s late, Mr. Uzui,” you managed and closed your hands around his to keep it from wandering farther. He sighed through a smile and drew back slowly to stand.

“Then I’ll wish you goodnight, Mrs. Uzui.”

You pursed your lips and he laughed like a windchime, lightly, his warmth and perfume spilling from his chest as he drew a thick haori tight around himself. “I’ll show myself out.” He stood and crossed your room to pull open the door.

“No,” you startled again and covered your own mouth at the volume. He turned to you, grinning, surprised, and it took everything you had not to grin back behind your fingers. His flamboyant dress was already enough, townsfolk didn’t need any reason to speculate on why a man who dressed like a successful pimp was coming from your rooms at midnight.

Tengen flashed one more obnoxious and knowing smile before crossing back over his dozens of gifts and stepping through your window frame like there might be a staircase waiting outside. “As you wish.”

He dropped with your heart and your sword clattered to the ground and you dove to see, surely, a broken puddle of a man two stories down. But the master of the flamboyant mansion only dusted his shoulders off with his landing and turned back up to watch you from below. As always, every proposal of his was punctuated with a deep bow.

See how he likes it, you grumbled, brimming with renewed frustration. Just a few weeks later and it was supposed to be a simple night.​​ The edge of town reeked of blood that day, the blood of fresh kills and wild animals, all day it lingered on the shadows that touched the forest. A new demon was always easy to track because hunger is easy to smell when you’re quiet. You were the loudest thing at twilight. You hushed the moss underfoot and bobbed between branches. Simple. Night. You would have been easy to smell too if demons weren’t too gluttonous to realize humans can reek of bloodlust.

In the clearing ahead where iron mingled in the fog, stood a woman where, by all accounts of your tracking, the creature should have been. Uzui’s Suma stood alone, pregnant beyond imagining, and dropped her kunai in the grass when you stumbled into the open. She wailed when she saw you and sobbed immediately to the tune of, “s’not fair!” and “wanna propose too!” as she waddled closer.

Like gifts that much– lucky I’m even delivering this one.

You spent the better part of two hours walking her back home, sword raised and mind racing at all the ways you might strap a pregnant woman to your body and walk a little faster for the both of you. She apologized sixty-seven times and kept track herself and when you finally approached the back gate of her home, she labored over her belly to pull the latch open. No key, no guard, no Uzui. No supervision! No protection! No worried greeting at the door–

You gripped tighter at the vines on the side of the house and pushed higher. Your feet found purchase in wisteria so solid it must have been a hundred years old, farther, higher towards the window at the corner of the mansion that Suma pointed you towards. You hissed and pulled yourself the last two feet to the windowsill.

“Uzui,” came out as a grunt.

“M’lady,” he smiled. You edged yourself into the room with an arm braced over the sill. Tengen rose from his desk to meet you. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Bite me,” you grunted and regretted immediately and slung your other arm inside, ignoring all the retorts such a man might have to that.

He settled on, “Happily,” and offered you a hand. Suma had pointed you to her husband’s office before drifting towards the pantry for a snack. The room was modest, tatami mats and a paper door, and a low desk on the floor long enough to fit his long legs. Western paintings were hung satisfyingly asymmetrically in what would otherwise be a very traditional room. A coal brazier glowed beside the cushion he used as a seat. 

You tried your best to do without the hand but when footing gave way and your chin dipped below the window, he snatched you up by the bicep. The temperature difference inside was dizzying.

“Long night?”

“Understatement,” you shivered in the new heat. Your shoes and scabbard suddenly seemed too dirty inside such a pleasant home and a bit of your fire faded. You sat on the lip of the widow and pulled your legs up beside you. “You–”

“Yes?” Tengen cocked his head, smiling always smiling. His loose white hair fell in locks over his shoulders.

“Your wife was wandering demon-infested woods until just a minute ago.”

“My Suma?” You thought he might ask which one and had prepared a thousand scathing retorts, but he only watched your anger fall from you cooly, “she wanted to impress you.”

“By dying?”

“She killed your demon didn’t she?” You opened your mouth too quickly to realize you hadn’t processed the thought. Tengen massaged a hand through his hair and down the back of his neck. He almost looked normal like this, in a pretty house, in a warm room glowing by firelight. The cold of the night nipped your back in breezes. “Did it work?”

“Did what work?”

“You impressed?” He chuckled and settled himself on the floor beside the window. He knelt beneath you, elbow on sill and cheek in hand. “Do we impress you?”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t fight a smile, “You all do something to me, but impress it not the word.”

“Do you think of us?”

“Naggingly.”

“You worry?”

“Not anymore,” you sucked your teeth and pushed his head off balance with a finger to his forehead. “She really scared me, you know. All those months pregnant and alone like that.”

He grumbled something like, not alone, and, mice were with her, which you chose to ignore because Tengen Uzui took up your rough fingers in his. Whatever face you made he couldn’t see. He brought the knuckles to his lips and kissed your ring finger just once before releasing you. “My wives are capable. They don’t need permissions and they don’t need escorts, but know they are cherished by me.” You watched him, fingers lingering in the warm space. “They want you, I want you. Want to cherish you.

The sincerity, the lack of laughter, made your ears hot. His lilac eyes set to swallow you. “Mr. Uzui–”

“Tengen.”

“Tengen–”

“Mrs. Uzui?”

“No,” you giggled and rolled your eyes. He rose to his knees and made to guide you inside but you rested two hands on his broad shoulders to settle the advance. You turned and tucked your legs back out the window, “It’s late.”

“Then come rest.”

“Mr. Tengen,” and the voice came out so much softer than you meant it to, “In pale moonlight.”

He clenched his own jaw at that as if to keep himself from pouncing. The veins in his hands rose on the sill instead of around what he so badly wanted. “The wisteria’s scent..”

“Comes from far away.” With your last murmured words and a smile, you dropped back into the vines and floated to the garden floor. He stared after you from the second story as you took a theatrical bow and called back up just once, “G’night princess.”

Next time then, he agonized behind his own smile, pink climbing up his throat like a spell. In the hallway outside of his office, the wives groveled amongst each other in piles cursing their husband’s lack of charm.

"In pale moonlight the wisteria's scent comes from far away." -Yosa Buson, 18th c.

[cityof2morrow]

3t2: The Market Basket 001

Published: 1-14-2024 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY Build and buy mode items inspired by The Market Basket, a grocery store from Sims 3: Showtime (EA/Maxis, 2012). This is not an exact conversion. I’ve made several changes and added items based on my own gameplay needs.

DETAILS Requires all EPs/SPs. §100-1000 | Build/Buy Mode All files with “MESH” in their filenames are REQUIRED for all textures/recolors to show properly. This set requires the Repository Pack (Simmons, 2023) and BBNiche1Master (Buggybooz, 2012 – also included in the Repository Pack). You’ll also need one of the following: Shift Everything (Lamare, 2022) OR Object Freedom 1.02 (Fway, 2023).

WARNING: The DiGiMART Grocery Vendor has pulsing, flashing, and glowing light effects. If you are sensitive to visual noise, please download the LIGHT SENSITIVE version of this set. Only use ONE version in-game at a time.

The set includes matching recolors for Poster Pack 001 (Simmons, 2023). ITEMS Billboard (3070 poly, HIGH) Door Frame 001-002 (56-224 poly) Mini Signs 1-2 (92 poly) Single/Double Bollard (60-120 poly) Bulletin Boards 1-4 (18 poly) Shopping Cart (456 poly) Ceiling Lamp (56 poly) Columns (1-Story/2-Story/3-Story) (210-442 poly) Fences 001-002 (Orange/White) (180-315 poly) Garage (Deco) (36 poly) Grocery Display (82 poly) – holds up to 18 nonperishable items. HVAC Units 001-004 (Deco) (18-900 poly) Hanging/Standing Signs 001-002 (26 poly) Store Signs 001-002 (824 poly) Wall Signs 001-002 (18 poly) Rooms 001-002 (Frame/Roof) (672-978 poly) Building Trim (1-Tile/3-Tile) (4 poly) DigiMART Grocery Vendor (72-224 poly) – functional grocery kiosk DOWNLOAD (choose one) REGULAR VERSION (w light effects) from SFS | from MEGA LIGHT SENSITIVE VERSION (no light effects) from SFS | from MEGA SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED Be sure to place door frame 001 and 002 on the same tile. The building frame/roof objects fit 4x18 and 11x24 rooms respectively. Grab them on the front, left tile (see pic).

CREDITS Thanks: UV Mapping Tips (Frac, 2024 via SimCrafters Discord), Visual Noise Feedback (Despondenthottie, 2024). Sources: Any Color You Like (CuriousB, 2010), Bank (TruForm, 2015), BBNiche1Master (BuggyBooz, 2012), Beyno (Korn via BBFonts), EA/Maxis, Great Groceries Display (Balkopat, 2020), Imagery (Freepik, 2023; 2016; 2014; Macrovector, 2020), Lay Me Low – Sims 3t2 ‘Late Night’ Metropolitan Buildings – Part 5 (Misty_Fluff, 2013), 3t2 Market Ads (Amovitam, 2012), Offuturistic Infographic (Freepik), Solar Panel (Autumn Rose, 2020; EA/Maxis, 2020), Supermarket Concepts (Yaun, 2017; McDonald, 2017).

[lele5429]

Retired Assets - Story and Art Master Post

Story (Read the tags!)

Ch1: Prologue

Ch2: The Cold Within

Ch3: The Fire Won’t Light Itself

Ch4: Blind

Ch5: I Will Not Leave You

Ch6: Broken Things Can Be Mended Anew

Ch7: Home (Coming Soon)

Ch8: (Act 1 Finale)

AO3 main page

Art

Illustrations for the Story (by Lele)

THE TITLE PAGE (Key Visual) - I’ve finished it but I’ll post it with the finale.

Ex Libris (book plate)

Ch 2: The Cold Within

Ch 4: Blind

Ch 5: I Will Not Leave You and Never Alone

Character Design and Sketches

A Precursor to RA Ravio: fanart for @shirley-99

The first drawing of RA Ravio

RA Ravio's costume design (spoiler-free)

ALBW vs LU vs RA Ravio designs

LU Ravio vs RA Ravio - comparison and design notes

RA Ravio in a more naturalistic style (first attempt)

RA Ravio smiles and Part 2

LU Legend vs RA Legend

Love transcends the veil of absence

RA Legend in a more naturalistic style (first attempt)

RA Ravio (TW: blood)

Ravio and Sheerow for an art challenge

Tagaki Ravio profile pic

Art Process

THE TITLE PAGE (Key Visual Time Lapse)

Key Visual - inking

Ch 2: The Cold Within - scrapped designs

Drawing Eyes

Ch 4: Blind - time lapse

Ch 5: “Never Alone” - scrapped designs

Unrelated dark Ravio

Artistic Responses/Art Gifts

Discussing the Script by @moonriver080

The Burning Bridge by @moonriver080

Emoticons ft. The cast @violet-xd09

Emoticons Part 2 @violet-xd09

Ravio’s magic and smile @violet-xd09

Illustrations for Ch3 @violet-xd09

Nursery AU @violet-xd09 and Part 2

Ravio in the headlights by @violet-xd09

Ravio Tegaki by @wardingshout

Ravio mural by @hero-of-fortune

Disaster bunny and his faces by @violet-xd09

Drawing faces (art challenge) with @violet-xd09

MS paint and Tegaki Ravio blorbo @violet-xd09

Mid-Autumn Festival @violet-xd09

Under Her Favourite Apple Tree by 枭柏

Innocent RA Ravio by @whatvioletdoes-blog

RA Ravio’s 2024 Halloween costume by @violet-xd09

A Happy Fic by @lennsart

Trick or Treat/New Year @wardingshout

Bonus

Memes / Crack / Fluff (my art!)

Ravio wants you to stop and read the warning tags

Ravio with STOP sign animated

Disaster Bunny

Going to work with your landlord?

Get-along Shirt

PAY NO RENT

Why does RA Ravio fear Hilda?

Blue Potions

To Heaven

Jet lag

Legend explains things to Ravio (Ch4)

Self care or draw 25 and Part 2

RA Ravio ™️

Nope/Yep

Goodnight Ojousama

Account Deleted

Nothing is perfect

Ch 6 Teaser and Part 2

Drawing with my eyes closed

Babies need a hug

Why dis bun look so mad 😭

Working Properties - Retired Assets Actors AU

Take a break

No work

Trick or treat

Chibi

Ravio hugging Sheerow

Legend ╭(°A°`)╮

Sticker Pack #1

Poster Pose

Happy Fable

The Cold Within but Chibi

Apple juice

Hilda reading Ravio’s diary

Hilda Boop

Nursery AU (The Cast as Kids)

Nursery AU - first drawing

Kid!Ravio tries lemons

Crafts

Linocut: RA Ravio

Linocut: RA Legend

Prints ft. the RA leads, signed and framed

PAY NO RENT: heat-transfer vinyl T-shirt

Lasercut on wood: some keychains and tickets by @moonriver080

Button-making (with a sneak peek of additional memes)

Ravio’s robe and scarf (cosplay)

Bracelets inspired by LU characters

Stamp

Shaker charms and Part 2

Sheerow doll (by Alex Lynn crafts)

RA Ravio sleep mask

ID Cover

Q&A

Search for #retired assets ask game

Ravio character notes [1]

[spicerackofblorbos]

Epilogue

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world

☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, romance, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse, smoking and alcohol abuse mentions, domestic violence, light assault, eventual smut

☾ Author's note ➼ Heeeeyy I'm back. If you haven't had an eye on my masterlist for Unspoken Words, you might have missed that I've been working on an epilogue. SURPRISE. If you have, then here it is lol. I am OFFICIALLY done with UW and I'm so sad about it. ALSO for some reason my tumblr app hates me and any time I italicize a line, it italicizes the entire paragraph and I have no idea why. As always, the sign language lines are marked with ' and speaking lines marked with ".

Thank you to anyone who has taken time out of their lives to read my "little" story. I enjoyed writing about this little world and I could not be happier to know that most of you liked reading it. I appreciate you more than you know. Can you believe this is around 100k words? Crazy. Anyways, I'm gonna go write some more, I'll see ya around! &lt;3

☾ Word Count ➼ ~4k

Reddish-orange leaves dance in a unique ballet number past the window you were currently staring out of. You can't keep your fingers from picking at the sleeves of your wool sweater as you wait for your speech therapist to come and get you from the semi-quiet lobby. The only noises you hear comes from the reception desk and the TV mounted opposite of the couch you were waiting on. The weather channel calls for a beautiful weekend with warmer than usual temperatures – which is good considering Halloween is tomorrow.

A side door leading to the back offices opens up, and your name is called from a stout brunette woman with large rimmed glasses and a kind smile. She holds it open as she beckons you forward, and you don't hesitate to smile back as you pick up your bag and make your way through the door and down the familiar hall on her heels.

You’ve been seeing Dr. Boreal for about almost two years now. You started speech therapy shortly after starting trauma therapy – something they had recommended. You weren't quick to decline the suggestion, but you'd be lying if you said you had ever thought about taking back your speech. Some time in your youth, you just assumed it was gone forever. That it was something that couldn't be fixed.

According to Dr. Foust, your trauma therapist, the speech block was mental. Therefore, it was something that could be explored and possibly broken through.

When he had said that, you had newfound hope and suddenly a silent goal to work towards.

It's like clockwork the way you stepped into Dr. Boreal's navy blue office, stepping over to the right and onto the plush cream colored couch meant just for patients. On the walls of her office sits multiple picture frames and motivational posters, all with smiles and bright colors. Her dark curtains sit parted, letting in the afternoon autumn sun that hits the wall next to you. You watch as she grabs the folder with your name on it before sitting in her large red chair and smiling over to you.

“So, how have you been? How was your trip with Levi?”

‘I’m doing well. And It was lovely! You were right, too. The road to Trost is gorgeous this time of year and the trees! So pretty.’ You think back at the little vacation Levi took you on just a week ago. He had taken the scenic route to the little town that you and he had rented a cabin in.

The leaves were at the end of their life and littered the ground wherever you went, crunching underneath your boots. Between the intimate moments and crisp atmosphere, it really was a magical time. Levi practically had to drag you back home.

On the way out, Levi found this adorable tea shop. It's not easy finding a place that made tea as well as he did, and of course he didn't say anything, but you could tell how much he enjoyed it. You won't soon forget the content on his normally stoic face. That reminds you of the little package snuggled in your purse so you reach down into it to pull out a small, rectangular tin.

‘I got this for you.’ You beam at her as you hand it over gently.

“Cranberry autumn tea?” She inspects the wording on the metal, hazel eyes glittering gold in the sunlight that reflects off the container. Her eyes shift to you as a grateful smile lights up her weathered face. “Oh you sweet thing, thank you so much. But you shouldn't have.”

‘As thanks for dealing with me.’ You laugh softly, leaning back into the plush couch.

“You know it's no problem. Even if I wasn't paid, I'd still enjoy your company.” She waves dismissively after setting her gift down on the table in front of her. “So, let's see where we left off last time.”

You pick at the edges of your sleeves once again as you watch her find the right place in her notes. Dr. Boreal is one of the kindest people you've had the pleasure of being around. Though she was being paid to help you, she always did so much more. She was patient with you when you struggled to get past certain goals, and when your voice hurt after a grueling session she would bring you herbal tea with honey to smooth the pain. Levi joked that you liked her tea more than his to which you always rolled your eyes at.

“Well you have made outstanding progress. Of course, there is still plenty we still need to work on. But you're doing well.” She looks down at her papers as she talks, the scratch of her pen fills the silence after she finishes. She looks back up to you. “Have you shown anyone your progress yet?”

Those around you are aware of your long journey through therapy. They even celebrated with you after one year - Hange's idea of course. Your sister couldn't hold it in when you had told them of the progress you've made and the goals you were looking forward to completing in the oncoming sessions.  

What they didn't know was that you were even in speech therapy, and how far in your speech recovery you were. Keeping it secret from Levi was getting harder with every passing week.

‘No, but I plan to soon, I promise.’ You pinch your lips together in a grimace. This has been a threat for the last 6 months but truthfully, you've been too scared to tell anyone. No, not scared. Nervous.

“Well, you know my stance on that. I’m sure they're going to be ecstatic, when you're ready to do so.” Dr. Boreal sets out a recorder to let you hear your voice the way she does, a tool you both found the most helpful when it came to fixing the areas that needed the most work. “Enough of that though, are you ready to start?”

With a confident smile, you open your mouth to speak.

.

A few hours later, you find yourself home and in the kitchen with your mind in another dimension. You’re currently plating up a vegetable tray on a tupperware platter as autumnal lofi weaves through the room from the speakers behind you. You’re so focused on arranging your sliced up miscellaneous veggies that you don't hear the metal key in the front door and the light footsteps of your boyfriend coming home for the evening.

“Hey.” Levi mutters from behind you, snaking his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder to look at what you're doing – not without difficulty, of course. You jump at his sudden proximity causing you to drop the chosen dipping sauces in the middle of the platter, disturbing the once perfect arrangement.

There's a soft sigh from you, but you feel the giddiness at the expected company fluttering in your stomach. Even after a few years, he still gives you that effect. You twist in his arms to face him, and his gray eyes are downturned in concern.  

“Are you okay? Was therapy too much today?” He lessens his grip on you so you can pull your hands up to sign.

Levi Ackerman’s raven hair is slicked back from him running his fingers through it, and the way that it stayed put and the sheen on the strands, you can tell it must be raining. You've been so fixated on making sure it looked good that you hadn't even noticed. His gaze stares into yours as he searches for what might be bothering you, so you give him a reassuring smile.

‘No, it was actually really good. She said I've made a lot of progress.’

“That's good. Did you come home late, or have you been working on this tray the whole time?” He glances over your shoulder at the vegetables now thrown about on the counter.

‘Yes and no. I decided to run by the farmers market for more options. But they didn't have anything we didn't already have.’ You explain, shrugging your shoulders.

The afternoon sun was so nice on your face that you would have been a fool to not take advantage of it - and it's a good thing you did. Your eyes slide to the water droplets that drip down on the outside of the living room windows.

“Hm. Well we need to leave for Hange's party soon and you're not dressed. Let me finish this for you and you go get ready.” He leans in to kiss your forehead before unraveling his arms and pushing you in the direction of the bedroom. You only roll your eyes but make your way to the back as he asked.

Hange's Halloween Bash is something they have been planning for about a year. The moment the decorations went on sale last winter, she snatched up what she could. She said something about starting a new tradition for her friends turned family. Levi wasn't as excited about the prospect of such a social gathering but you were, and that was enough to get him to go.

Not only were you able to get him to go, you were also able to talk him into dressing up with you.  

In front of the mirror, you finish tying up a black corset that wraps around your waist. It helps form-fit the blue long sleeve dress that drops down to your bare ankles with your pair of flats completing the look. You were almost ready – all that was left was the big blue bow that you pinned to the back of your head as best you could. You suppose for a makeshift Ariel, this would do just fine. You almost chuckle at the irony of the characters you suggested to Levi a month ago.

A girl who can't talk and a prince that loved her despite it.

You do a small twirl in the mirror to make sure everything looks right. You almost jump out of your skin at the sudden sight of the person standing in the doorway. Levi leans against the door frame, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smirk. His hands are in the pockets of his work clothes as he watches you intently, taking in the sight of you. With a hand over your heart, you give him a small frown.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.” He doesn't sound sorry at all.

‘You are too quiet for your own good. One day you're going to scare me so bad that I'm going to punch you.’ You shake your head but smile anyways. You make your way to the closet to pull out Levi's costume for the night, making sure to grab the red waist sash that threatens to fall to the floor.

“You keep saying that.” He takes the hanger from you but not before leaning in to give you a chaste kiss. With a small laugh, you head out of the bedroom and down the hall back to the kitchen.

On your way there, you take a moment to glance at the framed photographs on the walls. Levi made sure to hang up the pictures he took from his apartment that he shared with Erwin as soon as you both moved in.

There was the one of him, Furlan, and Isabel as well as the one of him and Erwin on graduation day though Levi had persisted with Erwin to keep the latter. His blonde and blue eyed friend told him to take it as he had plenty more photos of the two he could hang up. That didn’t make Levi feel any better and it makes you wonder what photos Levi might be hiding from you.

Dispersed in between those are ones of you and Hange, and some with your shared circle of friends. The last one frames three photo strips next to each other. The first one is from your first Sakura Festival a few years ago where you sat on Levi's lap – both red faced and unaware of the extent of your affections for each other.

The other two are from the same photo booth, taken from the previous and current year. With each year, the smiles and looks of adoration grew. Both, luckily, were without the presence of your sister and Erwin. Surprisingly, it wasn't your idea to go back. As much as Levi did his best to hide his sentimental side, it was always present.  

When you get to the kitchen counter, you see the platter rearranged and closed up with the matching plastic lid. It looks perfect, even better than when you took a crack at it. You also see two cups of tea on the counter, both with steam rising up and dancing in the kitchen lights before dissipating into the air.

With a grin, you reach over to grab what you can only assume is yours based on the light color of your tea then walk around the island to sit on the bar stool, leaning on the counter with the mug in both hands. After your first sip, you sigh happily. It was one of the new teas Levi had brought back from the trip because he couldn't get enough of it. Earthy with hints of floral notes, topped with a citrusy zing.

When you start to wonder if Levi was okay, your eyes catch movement in the hallway. You watch Levi struggle with his sash, the soft grumbling of his irritation coming from under his breath as he tugs on it. Sometimes you never realize how hard it is to do something with less than the normal amount of fingers until it's forced upon you. Of course, Levi was never one to ask for help even after all these years.

Without a second thought, you stand up and make your way over to him. He doesn't fight as you take the fabric from his fingers and tighten it from the back. Tucked into the sash is a white blouse, loose enough to billow in the evening breeze. Black pants and matching boots fit snug against his lower half. When you're done, you turn him to face you to inspect the whole ensemble. With his hair properly slicked back, he was the perfect Prince Eric.

‘You look rather dashing, you know that?’

“Tch.” He rolls his eyes at you, but there's not a trace of annoyance radiating off of him. As much as he hates it, he loves you and would do anything you asked – within reason.

‘Are you almost ready to go?’

“In a few, I didn't just brew this for nothing.” He makes his way to the counter to grab his mug and instead of sitting, he stands propped up against the counter like you were but with his phone in hand.

“Your sister wants to know if you want apple juice or apple cider.” He mutters, his gray eyes flicking up over to you as you make your way over to the seat you were just at to finish your own cup. “Both, right?”

‘How did you know?’ You laugh, but nod in agreement. You watch as his fingers type away, the clicking of the keys filling back empty space. There's barely any sunlight coming through the closed blinds signifying that nightfall was almost here. You just now noticed Levi had gone ahead and turned off everything for you while you were getting ready.

The gut feeling you felt last week is back. There was a moment when Levi drove through the rolling hills, the golden rays of sunset lighting up his face. A moment of peace that washed over you as his soft gaze flitted over to you in the passenger seat for only a second, one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh.

With a nervous sigh, you reach over and pull down his phone with one finger to get his attention. Instantly he looks at you with worry, his mouth downturned.

“Are you okay?”

‘I bet you love me.’

His eyebrows raise, a little surprised at your random question – at something so obvious that he worries even more that something is wrong.

“What’s this about?”

‘Humor me. I bet you love me.’

“You bet right.” He draws out, confusion lacing his tone. 

‘You have to answer a question now. Since I was right.’

“What do you want to know that you don’t already?” His eyes roll at you again, but he sets his phone and mug down and leans over on his elbows to watch you intently.

‘It’s a simple but very important question, I promise.’

“Tch, okay. Hit me.”

Your eyes are suddenly fixated on the fridge to the right of you, the heat of his stare making you shy. For a split second, you almost chicken out. With your heart in your throat, you feel as if you're going to choke as your pulse quickens. Can you do this? Were you ready for this? You were quite tired after today, maybe it's best saved for another day. These thoughts race loudly in your head, but the moment you look back up to meet Levi's gaze, they cease to a quiet murmur.

No, you're ready. And you can do this.

With your fingers laced together, you rest your chin on them and continue to look up at Levi's perplexed expression. Your mouth opens and closes a few times before you're finally able to find your voice.

“Will… you marry… me, Levi?” Your voice is scratchy despite the honey tea you drank after your session. It's rough, and to you it's far from pretty. But the change in expression on Levi's face is almost worth it as he stares at you dazed. It's almost funny to see the physical reaction of his brain comprehending what just happened, like a computer crashing and rebooting.

He's reaching over the counter suddenly and cupping your face in his calloused hands. He holds you there as his wide eyes bounce back and forth between yours. You fight back a laugh, your lips pinched together and quivering.

“Do that again. Say my name again.” The urgency in his voice is palpable.

“L…” You take a deep breath and close your eyes, trying to find your voice yet again. It's hard, but you try again anyway. “Levi.” It comes out brittle this time, leaving an uncomfortable pain in its wake.

“How did this happen?” His own voice sounds a little higher than before, and you have to bite back another laugh.

‘I've been working on it alongside my sessions with Foust.’ You've met your vocal quota for the day. Levi's hands stay cupped around your cheeks and he pulls you in until his soft lips touch yours again. Your eyes flutter closed as you kiss him back, feeling the weight of your anxiety lift off your shoulders in an instant.

When he pulls away, his stare is conflicted and before you know it, he's released you and whips around the corner down the hallway. Dread inches its way into your chest where the anxiety was before as you realize he never answered your question. Did he need a moment? Did he even hear what you asked? The shock may have been too much. Your teeth bite into the inside of your cheek as you watch the dark hallway nervously.

A few seconds later, he emerges from the shadows with red creeping from his neck up into his face. He's flustered and holding something small in his hand. It takes you a moment to register what it was, and when you do, you jump to your feet to meet him halfway.

He doesn’t hesitate to open it to you though his fingers tremble ever so slightly. Inside are two golden rings, interlocked together. A small oval ruby sits surrounded by metal vines beset by smaller white diamonds in the shape of leaves. It's simple yet elegant. Your eyes snap up to his, no doubt as big as saucers.

Not only is this ring breathtaking, it's also groundbreaking to you. You've seen this ring box around since before you both had moved in together. It's been in the closet collecting dust, so of course you didn't think anything of it. He's had this ring for a long time, sitting right under your nose.

‘How long were you planning to propose?’

“For a while now. I just didn't know when would be a good time.” He carefully takes out the one with the red ruby and holds it up to you. The kitchen lights glimmer off the smooth surface reflecting red against his fingers. “I can't believe you beat me to it, though.” So he did hear you.

‘I wasn't planning to do it tonight, but I just had a feeling.’

“You never cease to amaze me, you know that?” He leans over to place the ring box onto the side table behind him, then turns to you. Then he does something you've only ever seen in movies – Levi gets down on one knee and the ring out to you.

“Um. I'm not good with things like this. But I just want you to know that I love you. And I've never been more prepared to spend my life with someone, if you'll have me. Will you marry me?” His eyes look away for a second before focusing back on you. Even though you had pretty much said yes when you asked first, he still seemed so nervous.  

To see Levi in such a mess like this in front of you makes that laugh you held back burst forth, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. Speechless again, you reach your hand out to him and just like that, he slides the ring on your finger with ease.

“I- uh, borrowed one of your rings to get it resized.” He mutters as you stare at it curiously. “So, that's a yes right?” Even though you took the ring, you can still hear the anxiety in his voice.

‘Of course, dummy.’ You laugh again before pulling him up on his feet by his collar and into you for another kiss, this time deeper and full of the love that you have for this man. When you pull away, you can't help but stare at the metal hugging your ring finger.

“It was my mom’s, she insisted on me having it. I think she knew.” He grabs your hand and pulls you into him, one hand on your waist and the other cupping your face. “I suppose we should call her tomorrow, yeah?”

You nod sharply, your smile hurting your cheeks, but you don't care. All you feel right now is the same peace you felt last week and excitement for the future ahead. You didn't want anyone else. 

“Say it again?”

“Levi.” He leans in again, hand still on your face as he presses his lips against your once more. There have been many shared kisses since you both became official but this one felt different. You didn't have the words for it, but it was miles away from being bad.

Levi's phone vibrating loudly on the counter disturbs the comfortable silence and you can only sigh. You almost forgot that you had somewhere to be and are reminded by the caller ID flashing your sister's name. In Levi fashion, he ignores it but he does pull away to look at you with a grimace.

“So who’s telling them?” 

☾ Previous Chapter: June - Part 5

[dwaekkistar]

Pack Omega

Chapter 1: First strike

So now here he was in the airport waiting for the host group going by the name of Stray Kids, according to the email, to pick him up. He didn't have a grand amount of belongings with him, just an average black traveling bag that contained all his pieces of clothing and his Doc Martins, as he was wearing his Converse sneakers on his feet at the moment. He readjusted his clear-framed glasses, pulled his phone out, and checked the time, it was 12:30 p.m. He softly sighed to himself as his stomach seemed to grumble in response. As he waited he played a little game, until someone inconspicuously bumped into him, jolting his arm and sending his poor phone, which was in miserable condition, flying just a few feet away from him.

He sighed to himself once more and walked over to the phone picking it up. He accessed the phone, making sure it hadn't sustained drastic damage that would deem it useless. When he saw that it still worked he let out a soft breath and chuckle he hadn't realized he was holding in. He looked back up checking his surroundings as he didn't want a repeat of what just happened seconds ago. He began to get even more hungry and he didn't know how long it would take before his host pack would show up and was contemplating buying food at the airport and getting ready to turn around. He was stopped in his tracks when he saw a small poster board that had stray kids and both his English and Korean names written on it in the distance. He took in their appearance realizing there were at least 8 in their pack, and they all looked divinely attractive. He instantly knew it was going to be a long year ahead of him if these were the visuals he was going to have to wake up to every day. He slightly shivered as the airport air was starting to get to his omega body, and it hadn't helped that he traveled to the country on its coldest autumn day so far, it only being 61°F/16°C. It took every fiber in his body to convince his introverted mind that he needed to walk over to them so he could finally be taken somewhere warm and get some food.

He shyly walked over to them, softly waving, when their jaw dropped as he got closer to them.

He slightly furrowed his eyebrows in confusion at their responses, unsure of what could trigger such a reaction. That's when the thought popped up. 'Do I look ugly or something?' he thought to himself, causing a river of negative thoughts to suddenly pile through his brain. He internally held back the urge to cry, as he told himself his pack had to be right if this was how people reacted to him. But not wanting to create a scene the omega forced a small meek smile onto his face as he hid his hands in the paws of his sweater.

"Wow, he's so... tall.." the light blonde one said aloud. His voice was quite deep and it piqued Alex's interest and attention.

"Yeah, I thought they were bluffing but it turns out they were telling the truth." another one with reddish brown hair said.

"Minho, I've never met an omega that tall if we're being honest ?" another one said, this one being completely ripped with muscles.

"Me either," said another one, who from the looks of it was probably just an inch or two taller than Alex himself.

The poor omega was so shy, and fighting back the feelings he had over his appearance that he didn't quite know what to say. He just stayed silent and quietly watched them all take in his appearance. He looked down at his feet and continued to mentally nitpick his entire appearance as they did so, a habit he likely picked up because of his former pack. It had turned him into a dreadful perfectionist. Oh, how he had wished it was so much easier and cheaper to change his face and body. He wasn't the type to gravitate towards cosmetic procedures but in this instance, he honestly wished he was financially better off as he was considering it now. Maybe then he would have been able to make himself look more like a cute omega.

"He's quite adorable though," a boy with light orange blonde hair said while all the others agreed. That was the sentence that had snapped him out of his thought process. They thought he was cute? He slightly blushed at the thought and instantly tried to cover his face.

"Awe, he's flustered." they all said in unison, which made Alex blush even harder, his ears and cheeks flushed a deep red. He shivered once more, as the cold was starting to become a problem, and the same red-haired one, who sujin assumed was Minho, seemed to take notice.

"Ah okay, let's hurry up and get Sujin home," he said, turning to the Orange blondie, " I think the cold is starting to bother him, and that shirt is way too thin."

The same Orange blondie that complimented him, folded the poster up, resting it back in his pocket before gently grabbing the omega's hand and leading them towards the vehicle they drove to the airport in. They had been walking for a bit, as they Parked in a parking lot, and Alex couldn't help but uncontrollably shiver, the shirt he wore doing absolutely nothing to keep any heat against his body. The orange-blonde holding poor Alex's hand took notice of the shaking at his side and decided to pull the other in a bit closer to give him some extra heat, to which Alex internally thanked him while slightly blushing, his body shivering a lot less as the alpha's body heat radiated on him. They eventually got to the car, it was a sleek nice-looking SUV, but Alex was unsure how it could fit 9 of them into it. It seemed that his confusion showed when the muscular one softly chuckled as he slipped into the driver's seat and allowed everyone to start getting in. As most of the pack slipped in, the one in the driver seat spoke.

"This car can seat like 11 people," he said with a soft chuckle as he patted the outside of the door, "so don't worry about all of us fitting cutie."

Alex softly blushed in response to the word cutie, quickly getting in the car and setting his bag between his legs when the orange-blonde gestured for him to get in first. The alpha followed behind him, and everyone buckled their seatbelts as the alpha closed the last door. The same red-haired one eventually slipped into the passenger seat just in front and turned on the heat in the car. Soon enough Alex felt comfortably warm and relaxed into his seat.

"Okay, Sujin my name is Minho," the red-haired one said with a soft smile as he turned to face me in his seat, " I just want to warn you that this is gonna be a 3-hour ride so get comfortable... also is that the only bag you have?"

The latter was taken aback not expecting Minho to ask about his belongings. His mouth parted open to speak but nothing came out as he couldn't push himself to verbally respond, so he nodded instead.

"Oh... if your stuff in there looks anything like what you have on at that moment, I'm afraid that's not gonna cut it," Minho said as his face became a little more serious. Alex softly pouted as he knew the other was right, considering he was downright freezing whilst walking in the parking lot not too long ago. He had underestimated South Korea's weather compared to Auckland and a part of him wished he could have a do-over in terms of his wardrobe.

"Since we're gonna be in this vehicle for a while," the orange-blonde alpha spoke up, "why don't we do ice breakers?" and everyone cheered agreeing in unison. Alex wanted to agree with them as it sounded somewhat fun, but his introverted nature just nagged at him, trying to convince him that he shouldn't speak. He mentally argued within himself until he decided that he was going to speak, as he was worried that maybe they would think he was mute, something that had happened to him before at his previous job back in Auckland. He had accidentally spent an entire week of shifts not verbally speaking, and a rumor on the job developed that the poor omega was mute and customers were wondering why his boss wasn't accommodating him.

The orange-blonde seemed to be waiting for Alex to respond as he silently stared at Alex from the side. "What about you Alex? Or do you prefer Sujin?"

      The omega couldn't tell why but the way his Korean name was rolling off the tongue of those who had already mentioned it, kind of did something. Don't get him wrong... Alex is a great name... But it was beginning to remind him all too much of the pack that essentially abandoned him before he traveled here in the first place.

"Sujin is better, and an icebreaker sounds good to me." the omega finally spoke albeit very shyly with a smile. Before he could even begin to process how the other knew he could speak English, he was suddenly hit with a smell of strong confusion and a tinge of arousal as everyone's scent started to fill the car. "Is something wrong? Why does it smell strongly of confusion and who's aroused?" he said as his voice and scent began to drip with worry and embarrassment. He couldn't wrap his head around the latter of the scent... how could his speaking make someone aroused? It's not like he said anything remotely even sexual.

"Why is Sujin's voice so deep but his scent is so sweet ?" someone blurted out.

"Maybe we'll find out soon Jeongin." the same orange-blonde alpha said in response. "Although maybe we should set up the seats in a comfortable way for this activity since they're able to turn and stuff."

This statement confused Sujin even more because he'd never heard of cars having seats that were able to turn around. It was then that the alpha next to him pressed something and his seat turned in a 35-degree angle allowing him to see everyone behind him, and the driver's seat, but not able to see Minho. You're probably wondering how the omega could tell the orange-blonde was an alpha, but in reality, it was the boy's omega that was able to sense it, and the latter was covered from head to toe in the scent of seawater. It quite honestly fit his appearance and was very comforting for the omega as it reminded him of his former escape place back in Auckland. He could sense himself becoming somewhat dazed and having a harder time breathing as he continued to take the scent in, his eyes becoming half-lidded as he was suddenly and overwhelmingly aroused all too quickly.

" YAH, Channie stop bedazzling the poor boy" Minho laughed and yelled from behind Sujin, " his scent smells like he's practically ready to take you at any second." followed by the entire pack giggling at the situation.

Minho's words made Sujin unintentionally blush his ears turning a deep red, as he tried to hide the fact that he was somewhat affected by whatever the alpha was doing. Not that he minded it, it was somewhat comforting and left a nice warm feeling in him knowing there was a possibility for once in his life that an alpha probably wanted him.  But just as quickly as he had that thought, the negative thoughts he knew all too well began to pile up on him. His nagging self-conscious nature beginning to convince him that the alpha didn't see him that way and he was reading into the scent situation all wrong.

"Well I'll go first, I'm Chan, and I'm the pack leader and alpha, I'm 25 and alpha," the alpha said softly smiling at the omega who was now watching him intently wondering why his voice had a feeling of familiarity. That's when it hit Sujin that he was hearing an Australian accent from the alpha. He sat there deep in thought, as the dots connected, his application must have had his native tongue listed, and the Australian pack leader took advantage of that probably wanting him to feel welcomed.

"I'm Han or you can call me jisung and I'm 23 and Alpha," another said with a soft smile. This particular one, Han, had a British accent and resembled a squirrel or quokka to Sujin, and that kind of shook him out of his thoughts and made him giggle. "What's so funny?" Han said furrowing his eyebrows in confusion on what could have led to Sujin's reaction.

"Nothing, you just really resemble a Squirrel," he said as he tried to stop himself from giggling earning a soft whine from Han, "it's quite cute."

"Well if you find it cute, I guess I can't be too mad can I ?" he said sending another soft smile to the omega. "Do you hear that guys? Sujin thinks I'm cute." Some of the pack groaned in annoyance while others laughed at the antics of their pack member.

"I'm Hyunjin the pack Prince, I'm 23 and also an alpha," another one said. This one in particular was sporting a short ponytail with an undercut. His demeanor at the moment was somewhat sensual, and Sujin wondered if he was the only one noticing it as everyone else seemed to be perfectly calm. Sujin carefully grabbed the sleeves of his shirt into his hand as he suddenly became shy. He softly bit his lip and tried to look around the car when he caught another blonde pack member looking dead at him, smiling when he noticed the other looking at him. Sujin once again blushed and immediately looked down, and he was 100% certain that everyone in the car could smell the embarrassment laced in his scent.

"I'm Felix, the pack sunshine, also 23 and also alpha," the blonde one said with a smile as Sujin looked back up. His voice was quite as deep as Sujin's and that kind of surprised the omega as he never frequently heard other people's voices with as much bass as his. It also surprised when he noticed the boy had an Australian accent just slightly stronger than the first blonde who spoke.

"I'm Changbin, I'm 24, and also an alpha, " The muscular one in the driver's seat spat out quickly before shooting a smile in Sujin's direction. Something about his smile brought out a warm feeling in sujin's stomach and he couldn't quite place why. He smiled to himself as the other already looked away, wanting to keep his eyes on the road.

"Seungmin, 22, beta," another one spat out as he went back to his phone. Sujin carefully took in his appearance and thought to himself that the other resembled a puppy in a way, causing him to grin widely without realizing it. Sujin loved puppies and dogs, and the mere fact that someone in the pack resembled one brought a feeling of content happiness to him.

"SUJIN, why are you smiling so hard at Seungmin?" Jisung yelled out causing everyone to laugh except Seungmin, who just looked at the omega and scoffed in annoyance. Sujin immediately furrowed his brows in confusion at the other, wondering what he had done to evoke such a reaction out of the elder. He softly frowned and looked back down at his hand, carefully fidgeting with his fingers as he tried to not let it get to him.

"I'm Jeongin, 22, and a beta," he said with a griny smile. The last one seemed sweet and friendly, and he had a strong feeling that he and the other would get along quite well soon.

"And I'm Minho," Minho said with a soft chuckle, " although you already knew that, I'm 25 and alpha. Your turn Sujin."

        "My name is Sujin,  I-I'm 20 and an omega," Sujin said feebly as he internally cringed at his stutter. All of the pack however immediately gasped in unison at the omega's words and he couldn't tell why as his anxiety started to consume him. 'Now of all moments was not the time for my anxiety to show face' he thought to himself. He carefully retracted his hands into his sleeves, not having any other way to calm himself, when suddenly he felt the scent of seawater from Chan and a dark chocolate scent from behind consume him. He immediately assumed the chocolate scent was from Minho, and figured he would have to make a definite confirmation sometime later. But at the moment all he could focus on was two Alphas pushing out various calming pheromones, quietly slumping into the chair as he continued to stare at his shoes. He couldn't push himself to continue speaking as it seemed that icebreaker had already drained him enough. He was sure Chan noticed because the alpha returned his hand to the button from earlier as he turned the omega back to the front. He was met with Minho looking back at him shooting the younger a quick reassuring smile.

     Sujin became curious about how much time had passed and decided to pull out his phone. He knew that it was roughly 12:50 by the time left the airport, so he was quite surprised to see that the cracked monitor of his phone read 2 p.m. That meant they had at least two hours until they reached their destination. He softly sighed to himself as his stomach grumbled with hunger, but was thankful that it wasn't very loud as the introvert didn't want to attract any further attention to himself for the afternoon. He sighed as he tried to get comfortable in his seat, the jet lag from his flight and lack of food in his stomach making him more restless than usual. His eyes slowly began to close on him as he drifted to sleep, the scent of dark chocolate overpowering his nostrils once again it pushed out comforting pheromones once again, aiding him to sleep.

Time skip.

Sujin was woken up by the motion of being shaken. He softly whined in response, the omega not wanting to open his eyes, he couldn't help it when jet lag was consuming his entire being.

"Sujin, you got to wake up so we can go in the house... it's either that or I carry you." Changbin whispered, not wanting to spook Omega in front of him out of his sleep. But changbins words were enough to wake the other up fully, as he frantically looked around and took in his surroundings. The car was empty beside him, Changbin, and his bag. The car was parked in a driveway, in front of the garage that the omega noticed was connected to the house, a huge 2-story house at that meaning there had to be more than enough room for all of them including Sujin. Quickly he got up from his seat and discarded himself from the car.

"Sorry about that... I take it I had been out for the last 2 hours then?" sujin said softly to which the elder nodded.

"And there's no need to apologize Sujin," he said shooting the omega a soft smile as he started leading the omega into the garage closing its doors behind them, "I wouldn't have minded carrying you at all.. Just didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

Sujin softly smiled at the older's thoughtfulness as they finally reached the door that connected the garage to the house. Changbin opened the door as they both slid off their shoes and placed them on a nearby rack, and both he and Sujin were met with utter chaos. Han was chasing after the youngest Beta, Jeongin, with a shoe yelling unspeakable curse after curse while the younger mischievously laughed seemingly having done something that set the alpha off. Chan was chasing after them both, trying to break them up before any serious damage could be done. Hyunjin was sitting on a couch cuddling up with Felix, Minho sat next to them, focused on a show plastered on the TV, while Seungmin was sitting on another couch alone still going at some game on his phone. Changbin sighed before looking back at the omega.

"Sorry about this, this is usually us on a normal day... I'll just show you to your room and let you get situated," he said nonchalantly grabbing the omega's hand as he led Sujin up to the stairs to his room. When they got there Changbin swiftly opened the door, a fully furnished room meeting the omega's eyes. It had a desk, a wardrobe, a dresser, nightstands, and 2 beds, a regular one planted against a wall, and a nesting one as it was placed in what looked like a nesting nook to the omega. The nesting bed was filled with various blankets and pillows.

"OH, uh we decided to all gift you at least one of our blankets and pillows, well except Seungmin. Seeing as your application said you were an omega..." changbin said trailing off a bit at the end. He knew what the alpha getting quieter meant. 'Of course, he doesn't believe I'm an omega..' Sujin said thinking to himself. Who would honestly? He didn't look like one or sound like one, the only thing genuinely solidifying him as an omega was his scent, his overly sweet cotton candy scent was the only proof of it. He softly clenched his hands into a fist, as he tried to hold back the urge to cry in front of the alpha, not wanting his scent to go sour and alert the alpha that he wasn't okay.

"Uh, can I have a moment ?" Sujin said just barely audible. Holding back his emotions was seemingly way harder than he thought at the moment. All of the fucked up things his former pack ever told him came puddling back at an alarming rate and it was taking everything in him not to cry.

"Of course, I'll let you set up and relax until dinner is ready." with that Changbin left closing the door behind him. Sujin sighed as he dropped his bag near the wardrobe not having the energy to fully unpack it. He opened it having the intent to shower and pulled out a pair of black skin-tight boxers, something his old pack teased him for. He couldn't wear loose boxers as they made him feel weird, triggering his sensory ick. He then pulled out a pair of black PJ bottoms and socks, he also pulled out a black Tee, knowing that when dinner was done he couldn't just walk out of his room shirtless. That would have been too much in his opinion, an overkill. He placed the items on the bed and decided to look around the room. He saw 2 doors in it besides the one they just come through. He opened one seeing it was a closet but was surprised to see the second one was a door to a decent-sized bathroom that was only connected to his bedroom. His brain lit up at the thought of not having to bother asking anyone about the bathroom.

He carefully walked back into the room picked up his clothing and headed into the bathroom. He saw that a towel and various toiletry items were waiting for him, so he placed his clothes on the counter and quickly turned on the shower, removing his glasses shortly after. He locked his bathroom door, and headed into the shower, instantly relaxing the moment the hot water came into contact with his body. He let out a low groan as all the anxiety and ache from his flight finally left his body. He began to lather some soap all over his body. He carefully rinsed his body once he was done before grabbing the nearest shampoo and conditioner and washing his hair. He rinsed his hair out drying it with a towel as he stepped out of the shower. He silently took his appearance in while staring into the full-door mirror. Oh, how he hated his body. He would give anything right now to have a small cute build like the others he's seen. He softly traced his hand across the rose tattoo resting just near his rib cage that he had gotten two years ago and softly sighed to himself. he quickly got dressed, opting to keep his glasses off and holding his t-shirt in his hand as he wasn't ready to quite put it on. He walked into the room, eyeing the nesting bed for a few seconds before eventually giving in as he walked over to it and lay in it. As soon as he fell into the bed, his omega fully took over as the scent of all the alphas and Jeongin mixed at an overwhelming rate. His eyes turned a soft golden color as he softly groaned into the array of blankets and pillows. As he roamed the bed giving into his headspace, he began to intricately place them all together, until he was content with how his nest looked. He carefully placed himself in the middle of the nest and hugged his legs against himself as he continued to take everything in. Getting way too deep into his headspace, he started to gently scent the nest, letting soft little whimpers slip through his soft plump pink lips.

"I see you're enjoying the nest we got you," he suddenly heard Chan say, causing Sujin to instantly sit up as he snapped out of his headspace. 'I told them you were an omega... No beta reacts that intensely to scents...' Chan mentally thought to himself.

"Yea.. s-sorry about that..." the omega said back in response. He cursed himself once more for his stutter. Why wouldn't his anxiety just allow him to speak normal coherent sentences for once?

" There's no need to apologize Sujin," the elder said in response as he walked closer to the omega, "It's natural."

That made Sujin smile as he calmed down a bit until he noticed Chan was quietly staring at him longer than usual. When his eyes met where the other was looking he realized he was still shirtless, and jumped up frantically to look for the shirt, spooking the alpha with worry.

" Are you okay Sujin?" Chan spoke as he tried to reach out to the latter. But Sujin only recoiled as he found the shirt and quickly put it on.

" Never been better," he said high-pitched as he ran out of the room. He didn't even know if dinner was done, but he just needed to be somewhere else that wasn't alone with an alpha. He couldn't help but feel like Chan was silently judging his body. He quickly went down the stairs quietly walking past the living room which was currently occupied by the entire pack.

"Oh, Sujin's come to join us," Jeongin said out loud seeing the omega appear reaching his hand out, but Sujin was not joining them. The omega stayed silent ignoring them all as they tried to speak to him, avoiding Jeongin's hand. All of the emotions that he bottled up were starting to get to him as the tears started to drip down his face. He continued walking to the door to his garage, quickly opening it to grab his shoes before placing them on and leaving the house through the front door. He cried even harder once he reached outside. He didn't know a thing about South Korea but he just wanted to be alone, everything becoming all too overwhelming to him at once. He saw that the house was near what looked like woods, and decided to take a walk into it as the tears continued to fall his face. He walked for about 20 minutes in no certain direction before collapsing onto the ground and crying to himself as he held his legs against his body.

Sujin stayed like that for almost 2 hours crying, eventually falling asleep as he shivered from only having the t-shirt and pj pants on. It wasn't a very peaceful sleep either, as what started as him trying to escape to a happy place became a nightmare. The omega was dreaming and reliving a memory that he knew far too well but always tried to shove deep into the pits of his brain where he couldn't reach. It was an uncle from his family pack, an alpha, who at first was very sweet to the omega pup or so Sujin thought. Every time he came over to the Sujin's parents' house the uncle always had treats and toys for him. The uncle would sit in the omega's room and play for hours until the younger fell asleep. As Sujin grew into a teenager it transitioned from toys and sweets to a weekly allowance and video games. One night on his 15th birthday, however, the omega decided he would call it a day and head to sleep. His uncle was watching him as usual because his parents never liked staying home on Sujin's birthday, but they also needed someone to watch him because they never quite trusted him. That very night His uncle traumatized him and took away what little innocence Sujin had as a homeschooled 15-year-old, and any time his negative thoughts became too overwhelming he was brought back to that very memory. No matter how many times he tried to wake himself from the dream it would just keep replaying, that was until he felt a soft jolt that awoke him.

        Sujin frantically shot up awake in the woods, trying to regain his composure and breathing. But what was more surprising was the huge scent wave of seawater hitting his nose, the pheromones strong of a comforting component indicating that they were trying to calm him down. He turned his head to be met with a chest. He tried to use his hands to stabilize himself against the alpha's chest, as they were holding his body up and gently rubbing his back. Sujin knew it was Chan, but he just couldn't push himself to look the alpha in the face, not after what he just did to him back in the house. Chan moved his index finger to sujin's chin, causing the younger to slightly flinch which the alpha took note of, before the elder continued to tilt his face upwards to look at him. He quietly assessed the omega's face in its red and puffy state, his slightly breaking at the sight of him.

"I may not know... what made you react like that or what you've been through," the alpha said ever so softly as he pulled the omega closer, "But I want you to know that I'm always here for you no matter what." Chan then carefully stood up bringing the omega with him. He properly wrapped his arms around Sujin gently hugging him. Sujin relaxed into the hug eventually reciprocating it back to the alpha.

"Would you like to tell me what triggered you back there?" the alpha gently said to Sujin, continuing to rub his back.

"I don't know if I'm ready to talk about that at the moment," Sujin replied softly. He honestly felt tired, even after being asleep for god knows how long. His body ached, and his face was just puffy and irritated and he was covered in mud.

"That's perfectly okay, let's go back to the house and get you cleaned up then," Chan said calmly as he grabbed Sujin's hand the same as he did when they first met today and quietly led the omega back to the house.

They eventually reached the house and Chan quickly kneeled in front of the omega gesturing towards his shoes indicating that he wanted to take them off for him. When Sujin caught on he blushed but he couldn't possibly just accept such a gesture.

"O-Oh no, it's okay I got it !" he said trying to hide any signs of his shyness, but failing as he stuttered immediately. "I just couldn't accept such a gesture."

"Sujin you're in a program where people look for new packs," he said with a chuckle, "It's okay to accept any gestures from us, that you're comfortable with that is. How else are we supposed to get to know you and what you like and vice versa."

Sujin could only softly blush in response. He didn't know how to respond to it, so he put his foot forward, watching as Chan carefully removed the muddied shoes. He internally smiled to himself at the sight in front of him. The alpha then gestured for Sujin's other foot and the omega followed, the alpha then removed his other shoe. He then got back up removing his own before carefully opening the door. When they both walked in, Sujin was immediately face to face with Seungmin, Which caused the omega to look down, his face immediately changing into a frown as he tried to walk around the beta.

"Well I wasn't happy to see you either." the beta scoffed, and that hit Sujin pretty hard in the feels as he clenched his hands into a fist again before unclenching it.

      "Seungmin, what's your problem?" Chan asked the beta, but before the beta could respond, Sujin already made his way upstairs to his room. He went to the bathroom immediately locking the door behind him. He kicked off all his clothes and threw them into an empty laundry basket, before turning the shower on and practically shoving himself in it. He let the hot water run all over his body as he roughly scrubbed at all the parts of his body that came in contact with the mud outside. He then sat crouched in the corner of the shower, letting the water run all over him, as he tried to release all the negative emotions with the steam from the shower. He stayed like that for about 20 more minutes before shutting the shower off. He quickly dried himself off and pulled a pair of boxers on, heading to his regular bed. It was getting late and at this point, Sujin didn't care if he hadn't eaten all day, he just wanted some rest.

         He splayed his body out before eventually sliding under his comforter trying to fall asleep. That's when he heard a soft knock at his door.

         "Come in.." the omega responded lowly, not having the energy to be any louder. The door opened and he was met with the same deep voice blonde from the car ride, Felix.

          "Hey, you okay?" he said in a whisper as he carefully walked to the side of my bed. "I came to check up on you."

      Sujin softly nodded, as he was starting to slip into a non-verbal headspace. He positioned himself under the blanket to face the blonde alpha. Felix took the initiative to sit on the floor in front of sujin so that the omega wouldn't have to strain his neck to look up at the other.

       "Sorry about Seungmin by the way," Felix said softly, " he wasn't the most open or happy about us joining the program to find an omega for the pack." Sujin just quietly stared at the alpha not sure how to take in what was being said to him. Is that why the beta was being rude to him?

         "Uhh... I'm not sure what else to say, but do you want to hang with us downstairs?" Felix added quickly. To the omega, it seemed like Felix was trying to find a way to make him feel comfortable and included, which would be the goal since they were courting him. "Your dinner is ready by the way."

         "Oh, let me put some pants on then.." Sujin said softly as he did not want to reject the alpha's offer, especially when the other seemed to be so nice and accepting of him. Felix waited for him at the Door of the bedroom, as he carefully got out of the bed, almost struggling at a point to get the comforter off himself, before he ran to his bag in just his boxers which were again somewhat on the tighter side. He swiftly pulled out another pair of pj pants which were black and another black t-shirt.

         " I'm kind of glad I checked up on you," Felix said with a soft chuckle, " 1. because you seem to have a nice body for an omega, and 2. Just looking at you rummage through your stuff tells me I need to go buy you more stuff."  Sujin shot his head up in surprise at the last part. It felt weird having someone offer to buy him things, as it was something he never experienced in his former pack. He was used to getting hand-me-downs from them or buying himself things when he had enough money saved up back in Auckland. He was worried that if he accepted the offer, he wouldn't be able to pay them back, because, from the looks of it, their taste seemed to be pretty expensive. Just earlier today when they picked him up Chan was wearing a Givenchy sweater, and those cost a very pretty penny.       

        "Ah thank you but you don't have to do that.." Sujin replied, "I'll just try to get a job and buy some myself when I have the chance."

       "You don't have to worry about paying me back you know," Felix deadpanned, " I'm doing it because I want to." Honestly, Sujin didn't know how to respond to the Alpha's words so he just quickly put on his pants and shirt as the Alpha seemed to be adamant about his offer. He followed the alpha downstairs, seeing that everyone was in the living room watching TV. He assumed they must have eaten while he was in the room. He silently sat at the island they had in the kitchen, Felix handing him the plate of food that was still very warm and a utensil. He looked down at the and began to smile as he saw it was a beef stew with a side of rice and some kimchi. He carefully ate the food as Felix sat next to him and rested his head on the Omega's shoulder.

"So how do you like it ?" he said wiggling his eyebrows as he excitedly waited for sujin's answer.

"It's really good," Sujin said with a smile, he couldn't deny that he was enjoying the food a lot more than he thought he would. He gave it extra points for the fact that it gave him a homey feeling as he always made it for himself back in Auckland whenever he was feeling down.

"Good because Seungmin made it," the alpha said with a gentle grin. 'Oh' was all the omega could mentally utter. It's not that he thought the beta couldn't cook, more so that the behavior he experienced from the beta gave him the impression that they weren't so nurturing in the first place. He eventually finished the food, Felix picking up the plate and washing it after ushering the omega to the others. But Sujin felt way too shy to just walk up to them and join them on the couch. He didn't want to throw off whatever balance they currently had.

That's when Minho turned around on the couch to look at Sujin who was currently watching the entire pack. It was as if he could sense the omega was watching them. He carefully got up from his seat on the couch, grabbing Sujin's hand once he reached the younger and pulling them towards the spot he just come from. Upon reaching it Minho sat down, pulling the omega into the spot next to him without a word or warning, causing Sujin to yelp in embarrassment. The entire pack began to giggle at the omega'a shyness which made him turn even more red in the face.

All Sujin could focus on at the moment despite most likely having the pack's attention was the scent right next to him. The way Minho pulled him onto the couch and had him sitting in a way where the alpha's scent gland was practically right near his face. Having been through what he experienced, he couldn't understand why most of the pack was so affectionate towards him, although it was better than having them treat him how Seungmin was. He turned his head towards the TV to see what they were watching realizing it was some movie he wasn't able to recognize. The omega softly sighed, as he tried to fixate on the tv when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. To his surprise, it was Han, the alpha resting his head on the omega as he got comfy.

"Shouldn't we let Sujin make a communal nest or something," Hyunjin blurted out mostly towards Chan, "we might as well since Minho and Han are getting all touchy with him. Sujin just stared at the alpha that spoke in confusion, because despite their affection he hadn't noticed that was the route it was going. Was he comfortable with that? Was he even ready for that was the better question he thought to himself?

" I don't know if I'm ready for such a task honestly," Sujin said shyly. His face turned red again as he tried to hide it. But he couldn't because Han wasn't allowing the omega to as he held the younger's arm away from his face.

"Don't omega's like things like that? Are you not an omega?" Seungmin blurted out in response. Again striking the same nerve as before. Sujin clenched his teeth together and closed his eyes trying to help himself calm down. It was as if the unruly blunt beta was purposely saying things to try and convince everyone and the omega that he wasn't his true sub-gender. And that irked Sujin to no end. Still not opening his eyes, Sujin finally spoke.

"Never mind I'll do it.." Sujin spat a lot more aggressively than he intended it to. He slithered his way out of the hold the two alphas beside him had.

"Sujin you don't have to do it if you're not comfortable yet," Felix said softly, as he could sense the anger in the omega, from Just his tone alone. But this was the first time the pack was able to get a full whiff of Sujin's scent, the omega's angry pheromones mixing with his strong sweet strawberry and honey scent. The omega just getting angrier by the second the more he tried to calm himself down, as began clenching his hands into really tight fists and biting his lips. That's when the omega began to smell an overbearing amount of Fresh blood, causing him to let out soft whines of worry in a panic. The smell was so strong that he thought someone had hurt themselves or possibly him, causing him to force his eyes open and take everything in. His bright golden omega eyes began to search the room for blood only to be immediately met with the source of the smell sitting right next to him on the floor holding him, Hyunjin.

"where's blood?" the omega said softly in way too nervous omega headspace. His face dripping with worry, as he was in a highly vulnerable state and couldn't hide any of his emotions.

"There's no blood silly, that's my scent," the long-haired alpha said as he picked the omega up bridal style, quite surprised at how light Sujin was and how easily the younger gave into his action with no fight. He carefully started heading up the stairs, only stopping at the top unsure of which room he should bring the omega to. He knew he couldn't just leave Sujin vulnerable like that in front of the entire pack. Who knew how the omega would feel about them after? He also knew it would have been a good idea to not have Sujin around Chan as the Head alpha was fuming once he realized Seumgmin's behavior triggered the younger into the headspace in the worst way possible just to prove if Sujin was an omega or not. He didn't think the beta would act on his doubt despite being warned. Hyunjin mentally fought with himself for a bit more until he decided it would be better to take Sujin to their room.

He quickly walked to the omega's room, setting sujin down to open the door. When he turned back to the omega, Sujin was sitting against the wall with his legs hugged against his chest while he softly sucked on his thumb. The omega's eyes were now a deep rosey golden color and Hyunjin couldn't help but feel that the boy looked weirdly adorable. He had never seen an omega behave in such a way while in the headspace, It was almost childlike. He kneeled in front of Sujin and softly caressed their cheek, before deciding to snap a quick photo of the latter's eyes to show Minho later. The older alpha despite being one of their lovers was indeed also the pack's nurse, and who would know better than him what was going on with the omega?

He gently picked up Sujin once more, slightly jumping as he felt the younger purring as they began to wrap themselves around him. Hyunjin knew for a fact he wasn't going to be able to leave the other any time soon. The alpha then eyed the omega's nest but thought that it wouldn't be appropriate to just invade the nest Sujin worked so hard on, especially since he hadn't been permitted to enter it yet. He walked over to Sujin's bed slipping them under the comforter as he gently started to rub the omega's back, which earned him a small coo from the omega as they closed their eyes and rested their head in the crook of his neck.

Hyunjin, seeing that sujin was most likely way more occupied with his scent and the gland it was protruding from decided he would text the group chat to ask Minho what the eyes meant.

stray kids

hynjinnnn:

Minho hyung?

Uhm.. What's with Sujin's eyes?

Youknowiknowleeknow: What do you mean?

yong.Lixx: Yeah what do you mean? Is there something wrong, is he hurt?

i.2.n.8: don't tell me Seung-min broke him before he even got through a proper day with us...

miniverse.__: I DIDN'T BREAK HIM.

Jisungamericano: dude, yes you did— I literally never smelled an omega get that angry before?!!?

It was kinda hot…

gnabnahc: Seungmin and Han shut it, Seungmin we're going to talk later. Now Hyunjin, what about Sujin's eyes?

jutdwae: [Reply to gnabnahc] I'll also join that talk later, simply because it seems someone here has forgotten my lesson on consent and boundaries, especially with omegas. Seungmin you crossed a huge line and it hasn't even been a Day with the new one, what happens if your actions possibly scare him off? What are we gonna do if you scare off every new omega we come into contact with?

miniverse.__: sigh. I'm not talking about this right now.

hynjinnnn:

Good because I still need to show you guys Sujin's eyes which was the topic at hand here—

[Image Sent]

Youknowiknowleeknow: Wtf? Why are his eyes bright orange? I mean new pups have orange eyes but it's a very deep orange? This one is very light? Let me do some research.

yong.lixx: Uh guys... Idk how to say this but I actually know what his eye color means...

I had a friend experience something similar back when I lived in Australia...

Sujin's in little space at the moment... he's mentally regressed to a certain pup age.

Jisungamericano: you're kidding right? I thought that only happened in the shows and stuff???

yong.lixx: that's because it's not a common thing... Not everyone goes into little space Ji. People who slip into it usually experience Something pretty traumatic and are trying to go back to a period when they felt the safest or non-traumatized.

Youknowiknowleeknow: lixie is right. Sujin's definitely in little space. But now I can't help but wonder what that event was and what got triggered the moment Seungie questioned his sub-gender.

gnabnahc: Hyunjin where are you?

hynjinnnn:

Sujin's bedroom—

IWJEDJEIEIODDKDIEN

SORRY, I DROPPED MY PHONE SUJIN JUST SUDDENLY SUCKED ON MY NECK—

SOMEONE HELP DON'T. JUST. READ.

Jisungamericano: PFT, there's absolutely no way you're complaining about that—

gnabnahc:...

I'm coming...

Although mostly because I wanna see this for myself.

i.2.n.8, Jisungamericano laughed at a message.

hynjinnnn: YAH STOP LAUGHING.

Within mere seconds, Chan was in Sujin's room with Hyunjin. The orange-haired alpha softly chuckled at the sight of a dramatically horrified Hyunjin who was currently holding the omega as they suckled onto the older's neck.

"Chan make him stop!" the long-hair alpha said with a whine, "if he continues I'm going to get a boner and it feels wrong when he's like this—" the younger said as he gestured to the omega.

Chan walked over and carefully pulled sujin off Hyunjin, giving the taller alpha a chance to regain his composure and calm himself down. Chan then carefully placed Sujin back down in his bed, watching as the youngest in the room moved his thumb to his mouth.

"I wonder if I should ask him how old he is?" Chan quietly whispered to Hyunjin. The taller alpha looked at him confused, greatly furrowing his eyebrows as he tried to figure out what Chan's intentions were for such a question.

"Fourteen," sujin quickly blurted out as he continued to suck his thumb. His answer however caused the two alphas in the room to jump, the omega's level of self-awareness catching them off guard.

"Well, that answers only one of our questions.." Hyunjin said even more unsure than he was minutes ago. " What happened to him when he was 15 that he regressed to 14 at the age of 20? And why was he so baby-like at such an older puppy stage?"

Chan could only shrug in response as he took in the omega's behavior. Sujin was still sucking on his thumb, pulling on his comforter as he tossed around to get comfortable. The omega's lack of communication at the moment just exposed how much of an introvert he was.

" I think I'm gonna stay with Sujin for the night. You should get some rest Jinnie." the elder said to Hyunjin, as he carefully got into the bed with the omega. Hyunjin quietly left the room as Sujin softly purred at the feeling of the bed dipping as Chan lay next to him. The younger snuggled up to the alpha quietly, purring even more as he got closer to the source of Chan's seawater scent. He softly cooed before wrapping his arm around the alpha the best he could.  Chan couldn't help but think to himself how cute the younger looked at the moment, as the omega searched and longed for any kind of skinship in his head space.

[nothingtherefornow]

Potential Date and theory about Miraculous World London : at the edge of time

So it's been pretty much confirmed that the new miraculous special wouldn't come out before autumn 2024 T_T Probably the same date Miraculous World Paris got released in 2023 : November 26th T^T

For me That's still too long waiting until the release.

That's why I'll have to kill time by making some shorts theories about this special.

First, I'm convinced that this special will take place during the ellipse between the moment when Gabriel made a wish and the ending with the Adrinette kissing, the poster above pretty much shows clues about that, just like it confirm Lila's big involvement and role in this special, as well as the confirmation that Marinette will team up with young Bunnix and not the adult one. Adult Bunnix may be the one to give Marinette her own time miraculous as well as the ladybug earings received either by Master Fu from the past or the future Ladybug, after Marinette got her earings stolen by Lila.

Now there's something I'm the most curious about this special : Why London ?

If this is an adventure across time to reveal who discover Ladybug's secret indentity and how did they stale her miraculous, why does this special must take place in London and not Paris ?

My theory is that Lila won't just will not just become the new ladybug and ruin the reputation of the old one, she will arrange for all of Paris to be against Marinette, potentially by framing her as the new villain armed with the butterfly miraculous. Which is entirely within Lila's reach, since with the butterfly miraculous in her possession it would be enough for her to akumatize innocent victim and then save the day by pretending to be a heroine with the ladybug miraculous she stole.

But with the power of the butterfly, Lila can akumatize herself, and nothing would be easier than bringing back Volpina or Infox, and create an illusion showing the new butterfly villain detransform into Marinette. With all of Paris wrongly mistaking her for a super-villain, Marinette would be forced to flee to London in the company of Bunnix or even Luka and Su-han who all know that Marinette was Ladybug (Alya would stay in Paris for Nino and to try to defend Marinette's honor I will go further, perhaps it is even Felix who, as a resident of London knowing that Marinette = Ladybug, will offer the young girl a roof under which to hide. So instead of revealing to Adrien that Marinette = Ladybug to ruin their relationship, Lila will make the young girl look like a new villain, and Adrien will not be fooled because he knows his sweetheart well (we'll see what will be the excuse to put Chat Noir aside during this special)

Traduction for my fellow french :

Il a donc presque été confirmé que le nouvel épisode spécial de Miraculous ne sortira pas avant automne 2024 T_T Probablement pour la même date que le special Paris en 2023 : le 26 Novembre T^T

Pour moi, c'est encore trop long comme attente pour cette date de sortie. C'est pourquoi je vais devoir tuer le temps en faisant quelques petites théories sur ce prochain spécial Londre.

Premièrement, je suis convaincu que ce spécial aura lieu pendant l'éllipse entre le moment où Gabriel fait son vœu et la fin de la saison 5 avec le baiser Adrinette, l'affiche poster ci-dessus montre à peu près des indices à ce sujet, tout en confirmant la grande implication et le rôle de Lila. dans ce spécial, ainsi que la confirmation que Marinette fera équipe avec le jeune Bunnix et non avec a Bunnix adulte. Bunnix adulte est peut-être d'ailleurs celle qui donnera à Marinette son propre miraculeux du lapin ainsi que les boucles d'oreilles d ela coccinnelle reçues soit par un Maître Fu du passé, soit en rovenance de la Ladybug du futur, après que Marinette se soit fait voler ses boucles d'oreilles par Lila.

Maintenant, il y a quelque chose qui m'intéresse le plus dans cette spéciale : pourquoi l'histoire doit-elle se dérouler à Londres ? S'il s'agit d'une aventure visant à percer à jour l'identité de la personne ayant découvert l'identité secrète de Ladybug et comment cette personne s'y ait prise pour lui voler son miraculeux, pourquoi ce spéciale doit-il avoir lieu à Londres et non à Paris ?

Ma théorie est que Lila ne se contentera pas juste de devenir la nouvelle ladybug et de ruiner la réputation de l'ancienne, elle s'arrangera pour que tout Paris soit contre Marinette, potentiellement en la faisant passer pour la nouvelle villaine armée du miraculous du papillon. Ce qui est tout à fait à la portée de Lila, puisqu'avec le miraculous du papillon en sa possession il lui suffirait d'akumatiser d'innocentes victimes pour ensuite sauver le jour en se faisant passer pour une héroïne avec le miraculous de la cossinnelle qu'elle aura voler. Mais avec le pouvoir du papillong, Lila peut s'akumatiser elle-même, rien de plus facile que de fire revenir Volpina ou Infox, et créer une illusion montrant la nouvelle villaine papillon se detransformée en Marinette.

Avec tout Paris la prenant à tord pour une super-villaine, Marinette serait forcée de fuir à Londre en compagnie de Bunnix voir même de Luka et Su-han qui savent tous que Marinette était Ladybug (Alya resterait à Paris pour Nino et pour tenter de défendre l'honneur de Marinette. Je vais aller plus loin, peut-être même que c'est Felix qui, en tant que résident de Londre sachant que Marinette = Ladybug, offrira à la jeune fille un toit sous lequel se cacher

Donc au lieu de révéler à Adrien que Marinette = Ladybug pour ruiner leur relation, Lila fera passer la jeune fille pour une nouvelle méchante, et Adrien ne se fera pas dupé car connaissant bien sa dulcinée (à voir donc qu'elle sera l'excuse pour mettre Chat Noir de côté durant ce spécial)

[the-oakwald-ambassador]

The Masks We Wear (8)

Az stood stuck in the clove-scented chambers. 

Why was it so nice here? Why was there comfort so deep in the house of Beron’s cruelty? 

The idea that even barren deserts get rain sometimes struck him differently. Maybe there was joy and love in Autumn. 

If it was here, then it was probably other places too. 

Like Spring. 

And the Hewn City. 

The thought shook him to his core, and he physically shuddered to rid himself of the guilt associated with leaving other Dreamers like himself in places that stifled them. 

He wandered through the cavernous chambers slowly, taking in every detail. 

There was a large dog bed by the hearth.

The bookshelves that lined the walls were covered in trinkets and portrait frames, all tasteful but filled with paintings of what looked to be the Vanserra brothers when they were younger. 

All seven of them. 

The largest boy, presumably the eldest, held a babe in one of the portraits - it was in the largest frame, hung delicately over a desk in the corner of the room. 

 Eris. Holding Lucien. 

He had to have been maybe thirteen in that portrait - Azriel thought back to when he first met the heir of Autumn.

Yes, he thought, thirteen. 

He remembered meeting the Autumn Court heir that day in the Hewn City, with Rhysand’s father watching him like a hawk. His shadowsinging abilities had been recognized and reported on by Rhysand’s mother, and his father had made quick work of recruiting him into his service as his Illyrian training continued. 

Cassian was irate. 

Rhysand was jealous. 

And Azriel was tired. 

But that day, when Rhysand’s father called him to Kier’s domain for a meeting with Autumn, his orders were very clear. 

Be aloof, give nothing away - valuable or not, and stay fucking silent. 

So even though he normally would have given the younger male a small smile, maybe even offered his scarred hand to shake as per custom regardless of his insecurities, Azriel stayed aloof. And reserved. And quiet.

He noticed the portrait of just two of the Vanserra brothers - the two oldest, though they themselves were babies. 

What was that one’s name again? 

Before Azriel could recall, he heard a few sets of footsteps rapidly approaching the study. He rushed through an open door off the main chamber, closing the door quickly and silently only to find himself hiding in the shadows of a beautifully plush bedroom.

It smelled like Autumn personified. 

A gold four poster bed was draped in white gauze, and the bed was dressed in white linens with furs and an auburn quilt thrown haphazardly over the foot of the mattress. There were pillows galore, and the sheets smelled like cloves and some sort of cedar. 

The cedar scent wasn’t native to this room though, not like the clove-scent of whoever lived here. For it had embedded every fiber of these four walls and everything inside of it. In contrast, the cedar scent had been placed there on purpose, on one dented pillow and just that pillow alone, as if spreading it further was both impossible and painful for its inhabitant.

He sent shadows throughout the room, if only to investigate how that particular scent got there.

There is a bottle of cologne in the nightstand drawer. 

That solved it, he supposed as his shadows kept mumbling,

And a bottle of lubricating oil, much like the type you keep in your bedside table. 

That was quite enough, Azriel thought, cheeks reddening besides himself. 

Why was he embarrassed? He was alone, in a foreign place, feeling shame for what? Masturbating in his own home? 

He told himself to shut the fuck up, and listened closely to the conversation that the nearing voices were having as they entered the room he had just exited. 

Azriel had heard these voices before - they were those of the Vanserra brothers. 

He had only ever met Eris and Lucien, and had long since presumed that the other five were as cold as their eldest brother. 

But as they spoke and cooed at the pups they’d brought with them - those of the exquisite smokehounds of Autumn, if Azriel were to guess - he was forced to change his assumptions. 

For they were gentle with each other. One would ask how the other’s wife was, and cared about the answer. One asked another of the health of their second babe. Another was intrigued about someone’s travels, and was gifted a trinket from a foreign court, seemingly Summer. 

They all received gifts from that brother, all variations of shells and glass and wine and gold. 

Tarquin’s realm had served them well. 

Odd, Azriel thought, for Autumn Court fae to have an affinity for Summer. 

Relatable though. He had always thought Tarquin’s realm too hot and sticky, but had long-since relished in the beauty of those few weeks of summer in Illyria at his mother’s cabin, where he’d vanish off to yearly without word. 

A perk of his job, he supposed.

To walk without others hearing. To watch and observe without being noticed. 

To see his mother without anyone thinking to inquire.

Some part of him wished someone would - his brothers, their mates, or just their friends in general. Hell, even his spies. 

But he was typically unnoticeable, and had made a career out of being just that. 

So as he stood in that luxurious bedroom, smelling the most comforting scents he’d ever smelled and contemplating why he was so unmissable, Azriel frowned. 

He should leave, he thought to himself. It would be as simple as winnowing away to somewhere deeper in the Forest House. 

But he didn’t leave. Couldn’t. 

The conversation in the other room was too fascinating. 

The hearth’s gentle warmth was too comforting. 

The scent of this bedding was too inviting. 

So he stayed and listened and breathed and relaxed for once - even though it was against all of his training. For he knew, for some unknown reason, he was safe even though all evidence would tell him he wasn’t. 

It was as if this bedroom was impenetrable by anything other than comfort and cool air. 

So Az breathed and breathed, and when the voices died down once again and the footsteps disappeared down the halls of the Forest House, Azriel stayed. 

In fact, he had his shadows ward the door, and against all of his best judgment, he succumbed to the primal urge to sleep. 

So he did. 

He warded the doors, instructed his shadows to wake him if there was danger, and then he slept in that plush four poster bed that smelled of cloves and an old spritz of cedar cologne, and he didn’t bother to wonder why he had the best night sleep of his life that night. 

When he rose, it was quick and with shame, and he was gone and in the sky over Velaris moments after he woke up. 

By the time he landed, discombobulated and ashamed on Rhysand’s lawn, his cheeks were the color of Cassian’s siphons.

___

It took weeks for Eris to return home, knowing that Beron had been deathly serious in telling him not to return without results. 

He’d secured the trade routes but had not soothed Helion’s suspicion.

Eris had fielded too many thinly-veiled questions about his mother’s wellbeing, and was exhausted from playing courtier by the time he made it through the halls of the Forest House, entering his own chambers quietly. 

He walked through his sitting room first, though it was mostly a library with a touch of office and a large helping of dog kennel. 

Something was off. 

By the time he saw his rumpled sheets and smelled the air, he knew exactly what. 

For some unknown fucking reason, Azriel had been here. 

In his bed. 

By the smell of it, weeks prior.

So instead of bathing after traveling in Helion’s hot air, and winnowing miles and miles on sheer willpower, Eris crawled into bed - if only to breathe in Azriel’s real scent on his sheets rather than the cologne he’d bought and sprayed nightly as a small, private indulgence to his baser needs.

He fell into his dreams quickly and without fanfare, and when he woke it was with the haunting realization that he’d never slept so well in his life. 

[medo57]

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[chaotic-on-main]

Epilogue

☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world

☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.

☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, romance, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse, smoking and alcohol abuse mentions, domestic violence, light assault, eventual smut

☾ Author's note ➼ Heeeeyy I'm back. If you haven't had an eye on my masterlist for Unspoken Words, you might have missed that I've been working on an epilogue. SURPRISE. If you have, then here it is lol. I am OFFICIALLY done with UW and I'm so sad about it. ALSO for some reason my tumblr app hates me and any time I italicize a line, it italicizes the entire paragraph and I have no idea why. As always, the sign language lines are marked with ' and speaking lines marked with ".

Thank you to anyone who has taken time out of their lives to read my "little" story. I enjoyed writing about this little world and I could not be happier to know that most of you liked reading it. I appreciate you more than you know. Can you believe this is around 100k words? Crazy. Anyways, I'm gonna go write some more, I'll see ya around! <3

☾ Word Count ➼ ~4k

Reddish-orange leaves dance in a unique ballet number past the window you were currently staring out of. You can't keep your fingers from picking at the sleeves of your wool sweater as you wait for your speech therapist to come and get you from the semi-quiet lobby. The only noises you hear comes from the reception desk and the TV mounted opposite of the couch you were waiting on. The weather channel calls for a beautiful weekend with warmer than usual temperatures – which is good considering Halloween is tomorrow.

A side door leading to the back offices opens up, and your name is called from a stout brunette woman with large rimmed glasses and a kind smile. She holds it open as she beckons you forward, and you don't hesitate to smile back as you pick up your bag and make your way through the door and down the familiar hall on her heels.

You’ve been seeing Dr. Boreal for about almost two years now. You started speech therapy shortly after starting trauma therapy – something they had recommended. You weren't quick to decline the suggestion, but you'd be lying if you said you had ever thought about taking back your speech. Some time in your youth, you just assumed it was gone forever. That it was something that couldn't be fixed.

According to Dr. Foust, your trauma therapist, the speech block was mental. Therefore, it was something that could be explored and possibly broken through.

When he had said that, you had newfound hope and suddenly a silent goal to work towards.

It's like clockwork the way you stepped into Dr. Boreal's navy blue office, stepping over to the right and onto the plush cream colored couch meant just for patients. On the walls of her office sits multiple picture frames and motivational posters, all with smiles and bright colors. Her dark curtains sit parted, letting in the afternoon autumn sun that hits the wall next to you. You watch as she grabs the folder with your name on it before sitting in her large red chair and smiling over to you.

“So, how have you been? How was your trip with Levi?”

‘I’m doing well. And It was lovely! You were right, too. The road to Trost is gorgeous this time of year and the trees! So pretty.’ You think back at the little vacation Levi took you on just a week ago. He had taken the scenic route to the little town that you and he had rented a cabin in.

The leaves were at the end of their life and littered the ground wherever you went, crunching underneath your boots. Between the intimate moments and crisp atmosphere, it really was a magical time. Levi practically had to drag you back home.

On the way out, Levi found this adorable tea shop. It's not easy finding a place that made tea as well as he did, and of course he didn't say anything, but you could tell how much he enjoyed it. You won't soon forget the content on his normally stoic face. That reminds you of the little package snuggled in your purse so you reach down into it to pull out a small, rectangular tin.

‘I got this for you.’ You beam at her as you hand it over gently.

“Cranberry autumn tea?” She inspects the wording on the metal, hazel eyes glittering gold in the sunlight that reflects off the container. Her eyes shift to you as a grateful smile lights up her weathered face. “Oh you sweet thing, thank you so much. But you shouldn't have.”

‘As thanks for dealing with me.’ You laugh softly, leaning back into the plush couch.

“You know it's no problem. Even if I wasn't paid, I'd still enjoy your company.” She waves dismissively after setting her gift down on the table in front of her. “So, let's see where we left off last time.”

You pick at the edges of your sleeves once again as you watch her find the right place in her notes. Dr. Boreal is one of the kindest people you've had the pleasure of being around. Though she was being paid to help you, she always did so much more. She was patient with you when you struggled to get past certain goals, and when your voice hurt after a grueling session she would bring you herbal tea with honey to smooth the pain. Levi joked that you liked her tea more than his to which you always rolled your eyes at.

“Well you have made outstanding progress. Of course, there is still plenty we still need to work on. But you're doing well.” She looks down at her papers as she talks, the scratch of her pen fills the silence after she finishes. She looks back up to you. “Have you shown anyone your progress yet?”

Those around you are aware of your long journey through therapy. They even celebrated with you after one year - Hange's idea of course. Your sister couldn't hold it in when you had told them of the progress you've made and the goals you were looking forward to completing in the oncoming sessions.  

What they didn't know was that you were even in speech therapy, and how far in your speech recovery you were. Keeping it secret from Levi was getting harder with every passing week.

‘No, but I plan to soon, I promise.’ You pinch your lips together in a grimace. This has been a threat for the last 6 months but truthfully, you've been too scared to tell anyone. No, not scared. Nervous.

“Well, you know my stance on that. I’m sure they're going to be ecstatic, when you're ready to do so.” Dr. Boreal sets out a recorder to let you hear your voice the way she does, a tool you both found the most helpful when it came to fixing the areas that needed the most work. “Enough of that though, are you ready to start?”

With a confident smile, you open your mouth to speak.

.

A few hours later, you find yourself home and in the kitchen with your mind in another dimension. You’re currently plating up a vegetable tray on a tupperware platter as autumnal lofi weaves through the room from the speakers behind you. You’re so focused on arranging your sliced up miscellaneous veggies that you don't hear the metal key in the front door and the light footsteps of your boyfriend coming home for the evening.

“Hey.” Levi mutters from behind you, snaking his arms around your waist and resting his head on your shoulder to look at what you're doing – not without difficulty, of course. You jump at his sudden proximity causing you to drop the chosen dipping sauces in the middle of the platter, disturbing the once perfect arrangement.

There's a soft sigh from you, but you feel the giddiness at the expected company fluttering in your stomach. Even after a few years, he still gives you that effect. You twist in his arms to face him, and his gray eyes are downturned in concern.  

“Are you okay? Was therapy too much today?” He lessens his grip on you so you can pull your hands up to sign.

Levi Ackerman’s raven hair is slicked back from him running his fingers through it, and the way that it stayed put and the sheen on the strands, you can tell it must be raining. You've been so fixated on making sure it looked good that you hadn't even noticed. His gaze stares into yours as he searches for what might be bothering you, so you give him a reassuring smile.

‘No, it was actually really good. She said I've made a lot of progress.’

“That's good. Did you come home late, or have you been working on this tray the whole time?” He glances over your shoulder at the vegetables now thrown about on the counter.

‘Yes and no. I decided to run by the farmers market for more options. But they didn't have anything we didn't already have.’ You explain, shrugging your shoulders.

The afternoon sun was so nice on your face that you would have been a fool to not take advantage of it - and it's a good thing you did. Your eyes slide to the water droplets that drip down on the outside of the living room windows.

“Hm. Well we need to leave for Hange's party soon and you're not dressed. Let me finish this for you and you go get ready.” He leans in to kiss your forehead before unraveling his arms and pushing you in the direction of the bedroom. You only roll your eyes but make your way to the back as he asked.

Hange's Halloween Bash is something they have been planning for about a year. The moment the decorations went on sale last winter, she snatched up what she could. She said something about starting a new tradition for her friends turned family. Levi wasn't as excited about the prospect of such a social gathering but you were, and that was enough to get him to go.

Not only were you able to get him to go, you were also able to talk him into dressing up with you.  

In front of the mirror, you finish tying up a black corset that wraps around your waist. It helps form-fit the blue long sleeve dress that drops down to your bare ankles with your pair of flats completing the look. You were almost ready – all that was left was the big blue bow that you pinned to the back of your head as best you could. You suppose for a makeshift Ariel, this would do just fine. You almost chuckle at the irony of the characters you suggested to Levi a month ago.

A girl who can't talk and a prince that loved her despite it.

You do a small twirl in the mirror to make sure everything looks right. You almost jump out of your skin at the sudden sight of the person standing in the doorway. Levi leans against the door frame, the corner of his mouth twitching into a small smirk. His hands are in the pockets of his work clothes as he watches you intently, taking in the sight of you. With a hand over your heart, you give him a small frown.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.” He doesn't sound sorry at all.

‘You are too quiet for your own good. One day you're going to scare me so bad that I'm going to punch you.’ You shake your head but smile anyways. You make your way to the closet to pull out Levi's costume for the night, making sure to grab the red waist sash that threatens to fall to the floor.

“You keep saying that.” He takes the hanger from you but not before leaning in to give you a chaste kiss. With a small laugh, you head out of the bedroom and down the hall back to the kitchen.

On your way there, you take a moment to glance at the framed photographs on the walls. Levi made sure to hang up the pictures he took from his apartment that he shared with Erwin as soon as you both moved in.

There was the one of him, Furlan, and Isabel as well as the one of him and Erwin on graduation day though Levi had persisted with Erwin to keep the latter. His blonde and blue eyed friend told him to take it as he had plenty more photos of the two he could hang up. That didn’t make Levi feel any better and it makes you wonder what photos Levi might be hiding from you.

Dispersed in between those are ones of you and Hange, and some with your shared circle of friends. The last one frames three photo strips next to each other. The first one is from your first Sakura Festival a few years ago where you sat on Levi's lap – both red faced and unaware of the extent of your affections for each other.

The other two are from the same photo booth, taken from the previous and current year. With each year, the smiles and looks of adoration grew. Both, luckily, were without the presence of your sister and Erwin. Surprisingly, it wasn't your idea to go back. As much as Levi did his best to hide his sentimental side, it was always present.  

When you get to the kitchen counter, you see the platter rearranged and closed up with the matching plastic lid. It looks perfect, even better than when you took a crack at it. You also see two cups of tea on the counter, both with steam rising up and dancing in the kitchen lights before dissipating into the air.

With a grin, you reach over to grab what you can only assume is yours based on the light color of your tea then walk around the island to sit on the bar stool, leaning on the counter with the mug in both hands. After your first sip, you sigh happily. It was one of the new teas Levi had brought back from the trip because he couldn't get enough of it. Earthy with hints of floral notes, topped with a citrusy zing.

When you start to wonder if Levi was okay, your eyes catch movement in the hallway. You watch Levi struggle with his sash, the soft grumbling of his irritation coming from under his breath as he tugs on it. Sometimes you never realize how hard it is to do something with less than the normal amount of fingers until it's forced upon you. Of course, Levi was never one to ask for help even after all these years.

Without a second thought, you stand up and make your way over to him. He doesn't fight as you take the fabric from his fingers and tighten it from the back. Tucked into the sash is a white blouse, loose enough to billow in the evening breeze. Black pants and matching boots fit snug against his lower half. When you're done, you turn him to face you to inspect the whole ensemble. With his hair properly slicked back, he was the perfect Prince Eric.

‘You look rather dashing, you know that?’

“Tch.” He rolls his eyes at you, but there's not a trace of annoyance radiating off of him. As much as he hates it, he loves you and would do anything you asked – within reason.

‘Are you almost ready to go?’

“In a few, I didn't just brew this for nothing.” He makes his way to the counter to grab his mug and instead of sitting, he stands propped up against the counter like you were but with his phone in hand.

“Your sister wants to know if you want apple juice or apple cider.” He mutters, his gray eyes flicking up over to you as you make your way over to the seat you were just at to finish your own cup. “Both, right?”

‘How did you know?’ You laugh, but nod in agreement. You watch as his fingers type away, the clicking of the keys filling back empty space. There's barely any sunlight coming through the closed blinds signifying that nightfall was almost here. You just now noticed Levi had gone ahead and turned off everything for you while you were getting ready.

The gut feeling you felt last week is back. There was a moment when Levi drove through the rolling hills, the golden rays of sunset lighting up his face. A moment of peace that washed over you as his soft gaze flitted over to you in the passenger seat for only a second, one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh.

With a nervous sigh, you reach over and pull down his phone with one finger to get his attention. Instantly he looks at you with worry, his mouth downturned.

“Are you okay?”

‘I bet you love me.’

His eyebrows raise, a little surprised at your random question – at something so obvious that he worries even more that something is wrong.

“What’s this about?”

‘Humor me. I bet you love me.’

“You bet right.” He draws out, confusion lacing his tone. 

‘You have to answer a question now. Since I was right.’

“What do you want to know that you don’t already?” His eyes roll at you again, but he sets his phone and mug down and leans over on his elbows to watch you intently.

‘It’s a simple but very important question, I promise.’

“Tch, okay. Hit me.”

Your eyes are suddenly fixated on the fridge to the right of you, the heat of his stare making you shy. For a split second, you almost chicken out. With your heart in your throat, you feel as if you're going to choke as your pulse quickens. Can you do this? Were you ready for this? You were quite tired after today, maybe it's best saved for another day. These thoughts race loudly in your head, but the moment you look back up to meet Levi's gaze, they cease to a quiet murmur.

No, you're ready. And you can do this.

With your fingers laced together, you rest your chin on them and continue to look up at Levi's perplexed expression. Your mouth opens and closes a few times before you're finally able to find your voice.

“Will… you marry… me, Levi?” Your voice is scratchy despite the honey tea you drank after your session. It's rough, and to you it's far from pretty. But the change in expression on Levi's face is almost worth it as he stares at you dazed. It's almost funny to see the physical reaction of his brain comprehending what just happened, like a computer crashing and rebooting.

He's reaching over the counter suddenly and cupping your face in his calloused hands. He holds you there as his wide eyes bounce back and forth between yours. You fight back a laugh, your lips pinched together and quivering.

“Do that again. Say my name again.” The urgency in his voice is palpable.

“L…” You take a deep breath and close your eyes, trying to find your voice yet again. It's hard, but you try again anyway. “Levi.” It comes out brittle this time, leaving an uncomfortable pain in its wake.

“How did this happen?” His own voice sounds a little higher than before, and you have to bite back another laugh.

‘I've been working on it alongside my sessions with Foust.’ You've met your vocal quota for the day. Levi's hands stay cupped around your cheeks and he pulls you in until his soft lips touch yours again. Your eyes flutter closed as you kiss him back, feeling the weight of your anxiety lift off your shoulders in an instant.

When he pulls away, his stare is conflicted and before you know it, he's released you and whips around the corner down the hallway. Dread inches its way into your chest where the anxiety was before as you realize he never answered your question. Did he need a moment? Did he even hear what you asked? The shock may have been too much. Your teeth bite into the inside of your cheek as you watch the dark hallway nervously.

A few seconds later, he emerges from the shadows with red creeping from his neck up into his face. He's flustered and holding something small in his hand. It takes you a moment to register what it was, and when you do, you jump to your feet to meet him halfway.

He doesn’t hesitate to open it to you though his fingers tremble ever so slightly. Inside are two golden rings, interlocked together. A small oval ruby sits surrounded by metal vines beset by smaller white diamonds in the shape of leaves. It's simple yet elegant. Your eyes snap up to his, no doubt as big as saucers.

Not only is this ring breathtaking, it's also groundbreaking to you. You've seen this ring box around since before you both had moved in together. It's been in the closet collecting dust, so of course you didn't think anything of it. He's had this ring for a long time, sitting right under your nose.

‘How long were you planning to propose?’

“For a while now. I just didn't know when would be a good time.” He carefully takes out the one with the red ruby and holds it up to you. The kitchen lights glimmer off the smooth surface reflecting red against his fingers. “I can't believe you beat me to it, though.” So he did hear you.

‘I wasn't planning to do it tonight, but I just had a feeling.’

“You never cease to amaze me, you know that?” He leans over to place the ring box onto the side table behind him, then turns to you. Then he does something you've only ever seen in movies – Levi gets down on one knee and the ring out to you.

“Um. I'm not good with things like this. But I just want you to know that I love you. And I've never been more prepared to spend my life with someone, if you'll have me. Will you marry me?” His eyes look away for a second before focusing back on you. Even though you had pretty much said yes when you asked first, he still seemed so nervous.  

To see Levi in such a mess like this in front of you makes that laugh you held back burst forth, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes. Speechless again, you reach your hand out to him and just like that, he slides the ring on your finger with ease.

“I- uh, borrowed one of your rings to get it resized.” He mutters as you stare at it curiously. “So, that's a yes right?” Even though you took the ring, you can still hear the anxiety in his voice.

‘Of course, dummy.’ You laugh again before pulling him up on his feet by his collar and into you for another kiss, this time deeper and full of the love that you have for this man. When you pull away, you can't help but stare at the metal hugging your ring finger.

“It was my mom’s, she insisted on me having it. I think she knew.” He grabs your hand and pulls you into him, one hand on your waist and the other cupping your face. “I suppose we should call her tomorrow, yeah?”

You nod sharply, your smile hurting your cheeks, but you don't care. All you feel right now is the same peace you felt last week and excitement for the future ahead. You didn't want anyone else. 

“Say it again?”

“Levi.” He leans in again, hand still on your face as he presses his lips against your once more. There have been many shared kisses since you both became official but this one felt different. You didn't have the words for it, but it was miles away from being bad.

Levi's phone vibrating loudly on the counter disturbs the comfortable silence and you can only sigh. You almost forgot that you had somewhere to be and are reminded by the caller ID flashing your sister's name. In Levi fashion, he ignores it but he does pull away to look at you with a grimace.

“So who’s telling them?” 

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☾ Previous Chapter: June - Part 5

[c-e-d-dreamer]

You Are Not the Kind of Boy (Who Should Be Marrying the Wrong Girl): Part Two

A/N: Don't you just love the (squints at the smudged writing on my hand) tradition of fucking a Duke's son? Prompts are made to be suggestions, right? Anyways! Happy Day Two of @sjmromanceweek! I hope everyone enjoys this very smutty part two of Regency Elucien 😉

Read on AO3 // Previous Part // Next Part

“Promise me, Elain.”

It takes everything within Elain to keep her face neutral, to not give away her swirling emotions or where her thoughts have strayed. She keeps her smile sweet, keeps peering up at Lucien from beneath her lashes. She places both her hands on his chest, slowly sliding her hands down, digging her nails in just enough to feel the way Lucien shudders beneath her touch.

“I said of course.”

“Fuck,” Lucien murmurs, his hands traveling further down Elain’s arms until his fingers circle her wrist, squeezing gently around her fluttering pulse. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”

Elain presses up onto her toes, her lips barely a breath away from his. “Show me.”

Lucien’s hands move to Elain’s jaw, the warmth of his skin tingling across Elain’s cheeks. He tilts her face up to his, bettering the angle, before slotting his mouth firmly against hers. It’s a kiss, a proper kiss, his lips moving and slotting against Elain’s. She sighs and melts against him, drawn into his warmth, into his light. She meets him stroke for stroke, finally giving in to her desire to bury a hand amongst the red strands of his hair.

Both their chests are heaving by the time they finally separate. Lucien seems almost reluctant to pull away, leaning in and stealing another searing kiss. With a soft groan, he pulls away completely, eyes burning beneath the red and orange glow of the setting sun. His lips are already slightly pink and swollen from just that one kiss, and Elain is sure she’s never seen a more beautiful man in her life.

Lucien grabs Elain’s hand again, but this time, he starts to lead her across the grass and the field and toward his family’s estate. With their fingers laced firmly together, Lucien guides them both to a door along the western wing, yanking it open and tugging Elain inside.

Elain expects them to have stepped through a servants’ entrance, perhaps to have snuck in through the kitchen or even the servants’ quarters, but instead it appears to be some sort of drawing room overlooking the gardens. Lush rugs cover the floors, thick, gorgeous curtains framing the tall windows along the walls. Whether Lucien notices Elain’s shock or confusion, he doesn’t stop, pulling Elain out of the room into the main hall beyond and toward the large staircase.

“Lucien,” Elain hisses, squeezing his hand tighter. “Aren’t you worried someone will see us?”

“Let them see,” Lucien offers over his shoulder. “They should get used to the sight anyways.”

Lucien turns back around, continuing up the stairs and pulling Elain behind him. It’s just as well. It means that Lucien doesn’t see the way Elain’s face falls, the way she swallows hard. She supposes she should have known. Of course, someone as beautiful as Lucien, a Duke’s son, was sure to have the attention of many in the ton. Of course, Elain isn’t the first person to pass through these doors with him. After she walks away, she’s sure that she won’t be the last.

“Elain,” Lucien’s voice draws Elain out of her thoughts.

Elain blinks a few times and realizes that they’re now standing in a bedroom. It’s like stepping inside an autumn wood. The walls are hues of oranges and reds and golds, curtains fluttering in the early evening breeze of the opened window overlooking the lake. A large four poster bed of dark wood sits in the center of the room, dark green blankets draped across the mattress.

“Elain,” Lucien repeats, his fingers gentle beneath her chin. “If you’ve changed your mind, we can–”

“No,” Elain quickly cuts him off, curling her fingers into fists in her shirt. “No, I want this. I want you.”

Lucien groans again, burying his nose against her hair. “Hearing you say those words… it’s going to be the death of me.”

“Perhaps that’s my plan all along.”

“What a way to go it would be. I’d meet the Mother smiling.”

“You really are a scoundrel, Lucien Spellcleaver.”

Lucien’s smirk has Elain’s heart thudding harder still between her ribs. “Your scoundrel, Elain Archeron.”

Before Elain can even really think on those words, Lucien’s lips are back on hers. One hand curls around her jaw, holding her exactly how he wants her, the other curling around her waist and pulling her close again. His tongue slips into her mouth, curling and drawing a moan from her, as he presses her back against the wall.

He pulls away but he doesn’t go far, trailing his lips along her jaw, down her neck. Heat fires down Elain’s spine, and she presses her thighs together against the flare of warmth low in her gut, as his teeth nip right at her pulse point, sucking the skin between his lips. His hand finds the sleeve of her dress, pushing it down her arm and exposing her collarbones for him to trace his lips across.

“Lucien…” Elain whispers, her voice breathless and chest heaving.

Lucien lifts his head, and Elain is quick to draw him back in for another kiss, already drunk off the taste of him. Already desperate to keep him pressed here against her, their lips sealed firmly together.

“Keep saying my name,” Lucien murmurs against her lips.

“Lucien,” Elain moans, her head falling back against the wall as Lucien’s fingers knead her breast through the fabric of her dress.

He drops down to his knees, Elain blinking in confusion and able to do nothing but watch as Lucien gathers up the skirts of her dress, ducking beneath them. She nearly jumps in surprise when she feels his fingers on her ankle, his touch slowly sliding up over her calf, her knee.

“What are you doing?”

“Something I have long dreamed of,” Lucien answers, his fingers making surprisingly quick work of her undergarments.

Elain feels truly exposed, and she can’t decide if it’s better or worse that she can’t quite see Lucien beneath her skirts. But she can feel him. Feel the heat of his gaze burning straight through her skin. Feel the way his fingers curl into her thighs. Feel his hot breath where it fans out across her cunt. She can feel her own arousal damp and sticky against her thighs, a thrumming need that matches the pace of her pounding heart.

She lets out a squeak of surprise when Lucien licks a thick stripe over her, the sound spilling over into a moan when his tongue finds her clit. Lucien repeats the motion again and again, and Elain has to press a hand over her mouth to keep in the choked out sounds threatening to escape. Especially, when Lucien lets out a groan of his own against her, Elain able to feel the vibrations all the way down to her toes.

“Oh my gods,” Elain sighs, starting to rock her hips against Lucien’s mouth and his ministrations.

Lucien’s grip on her thighs tightens, lifting one of her legs and settling it over his shoulder. It fully opens her up to him, allows him to feast like a starving man, like this is the only meal he’ll ever want. The magic he works with just his mouth draws endless moans past Elain’s lips. It’s licking long, slow stripes and then swirling his tongue in circles over her clit. It’s sucking her clit between his lips and then his tongue breaching and fucking up into her.

Each change up, each groan from Lucien, has Elain grateful for the wall at her back holding her up. Time slips away from her, every point of her body and mind and soul focused on Lucien and the way he works her body. Her toes curl, that heat low in her gut tightening like a coil, like a bow being strung back and ready to strike. Blissful release seems within reach, glittering just ahead of her outstretched hand.

“Lu… Lucien… oh gods.”

It’s the only warning Elain is able to give before her orgasm sends her tumbling down headfirst. Her thighs squeeze around Lucien’s head, her back bowing forward off the wall, as heat rushes through her veins. The hand over her mouth does little to hide or disguise her loud choked off moan, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Elain only hopes there aren’t too many people in this wing of the estate.

Lucien slips out from beneath her skirts, his lips and chin shiny and slick. Elain can feel embarrassment beginning to flood through her cheeks and heating the tips of her ears, but then Lucien makes a big show of licking his lips, eyelashes kissing the golden skin of his cheeks as his eyes flutter. Somehow, he makes the obscene sight beautiful, and all the heat in Elain’s face quickly simmers and begins to flush down her chest instead.

Lucien clambers back to his feet, crowding into Elain’s space again. His hand comes up to cradle her cheek, thumb dragging across her bottom lip. “Elain Archeron, you are something else.”

“You better mean that in a good way,” Elain fires back, daring to nip at his thumb in retaliation.

Lucien chuckles, Elain able to feel it where their chests are pressed together. “Always.”

Before Elain can say anything else, Lucien kisses her again, deep and thorough. Elain moans against his lips, able to taste herself where he slides his tongue with her own. Without breaking the kiss, Lucien’s deft fingers work at the fastenings of Elain’s dress, tugging and untying until her dress is nothing but a puddle of fabric at their feet. The tearing of her bodice echoes in her ears before that too joins the discarded items. He only pulls back enough to tug his shirt off and toss it aside, and Elain has never been more grateful when he dives back in for her neck only because it allows her to simply stare.

Elain is surprised no one has painted Lucien before, that there aren’t statues of him cast in glowing marble. There should be. Hard cutting lines of lean muscle make up his chest and his arms, golden bronze skin on full display. Elain wants to dig her fingernails in and scrape down all those lines. Wants to lick all those lines. Especially the v-lines, like a tantalizing arrow leading beneath the waistband hanging low on his hips.

Lucien’s hands find her thighs again, and Elain lets out a squeal of surprise as her feet leave the ground, Lucien lifting her up with ease. She wraps her legs tightly around his waist, her arms scrabbling to curl around his shoulders. Lucien walks them over to his bed, depositing Elain against the soft blankets and pillows.

He wastes no time covering Elain’s body with his own, the heat and weight of him pressing her back against the mattress. His lips kiss and nip along her neck, traveling down across her collarbones until finding home at her now exposed breast. His tongue moves in those same delicious circles he used on her clit, swirling over her nipple until Elain is arching up against him with a choked moan. He switches to her other breast, laving the same attention, before he continues his path downward. Along her sternum. Down her stomach. Across her hip bones.

“Wait… shouldn’t we–um…” Elain trails off, not quite sure how to say it. It doesn’t help that Lucien’s lips keep distracting her. “Don’t you want me to do something… for you?”

“What makes you think this isn’t for me?” Lucien asks, spreading her thighs wide until she’s on full display for him. “Did you already forget when I said I dreamt of your cunt?”

“If you keep saying things like that, you’ll never beat the scoundrel allegations.”

“Who says I want to?”

Like a true scoundrel, Lucien smirks and dares to offer Elain a wink before he delves back in between her legs. He focuses his mouth’s attention on her clit this time, his hand coming up to join. He sinks one finger into her, the slow drag leaving Elain gasping. She’s still coming down from the previous orgasm, clenching and fluttering around that single digit, and when Lucien starts to move and curl that finger, she bucks up against him with a shout.

Lucien presses in a second finger beside the first, scissoring and curling them, as he builds up a steady pace. Elain’s head feels dizzy with pleasure, her hand reaching down to grip Lucien’s hair, tugging in time with each moan of his name that tumbles past her lips. She can already feel that heat building again, dangerously quickly. Lucien’s name feels like a chant heavy on her tongue. Or maybe it’s a prayer. Either way, there’s no warning to give this time before release yanks her hard over the edge.

Elain slumps back against the blankets, eyes closed and chest heaving as she tries to catch her breath. She feels Lucien shift, feels him slide back up her body and settle over her. His nose slides up her neck, along her jaw to her ear.

“Alright, my love?”

Even with her eyes closed, Elain can imagine his smirk, can hear the smugness coloring his tone. “Don’t sound so proud of yourself.”

“Tired out already?” Lucien continues his teasing despite her warning.

With a huff, Elain opens her eyes just so Lucien can see her roll them. She curls her fingers around his shoulders, digging in and pushing until Lucien falls onto his back beside her. Before he can move, she slings a leg over his, settling astride his hips. She leans forward and pins his wrists above his head, her hair a tumbling golden curtain around both their faces.

“Does this look tired to you?” Elain challenges, raising an eyebrow.

Lucien’s smirk turns into a full blown grin, those golden and russet eyes sparking and burning. The sight is enough to have Elain’s thighs tightening around his hips, to have heat licking up her limbs despite the two releases she’s already had tonight. Lucien breaks the hold on his wrists easily, gripping her hips but not moving her. Like he enjoys having her exactly where she is.

“So feisty,” Lucien comments, his voice almost reverent. “Go on then, Elain. Take what you want.”

Elain settles back on her haunches, but suddenly, she finds herself feeling nervous, unsure. She’s certainly out of her element. She traces a finger teasingly along the waistband of his pants, relishing in the way Lucien breathes in sharply, the way his whole body seems to shudder beneath her touch. It makes her feel powerful, daring. She shifts her hand to press her palm against the hard length still tucked away, watching the future Duke groan and toss his head back.

“Not so talkative now,” Elain notes, moving her hand down before sliding it back up.

Lucien’s answering chuckle is breathless and strained. “And yet, I could have sworn it was you chanting my name mere minutes ago.”

“Perhaps I want you chanting my name.”

“Oh, you don’t even have to ask for that.”

He says the words with enough definitiveness, enough casual ease and without an ounce of doubt, that Elain can feel another blush threatening to spill across her cheeks again. She instead focuses on the laces of Lucien’s pants, a distraction for her hands. When she gets the fastenings loose enough, she tugs his length free, curling her fingers around it. It’s heavy and warm in her palm, and Elain just prays her surprise doesn’t show too much on her face.

She had some idea what to expect, had snuck some of Nesta’s romance books out of her eldest sister’s room, but seeing and feeling are completely different to words on a page, and she’s quite confident that Lucien is what many would consider large.

Steeling herself, she tests out moving her hand, noting what pace, what grip, gets the most reaction from the man splayed out beneath her. True to his word, Lucien starts to chant her name beneath his breath, a harmony to the groans Elain wrings from him. Spurred on by the reaction, Elain bows forward, tentatively licking at the liquid glistening on the head.

“Oh, fuck,” Lucien swears, fingers flexing hard enough against her hips, Elain thinks there may be bruises tomorrow. “If you keep that up, this will end before we’ve really started.”

“Then finish it.”

Lucien’s grin is practically feral, all teeth and burning gaze. Before Elain can even blink, his hands are sliding up to her ribcage, one of his legs kicking out to trap her own. He flips them over until Elain is flat on her back, blinking up at Lucien’s looming figure. Somewhere in the move, he’s fully kicked off his pants, strong thighs now fully on display where they’re cradled between her spread thighs.

“This may hurt,” Lucien offers, his voice surprisingly gentle despite the way he drags the head of his cock through the wetness pooled between her legs from her two releases already tonight.

“I know,” Elain tells him, and she does. She heard the way the lady maids spoke before they were dismissed, but this is what she wants. What she came here tonight for. So she lifts her legs and wraps them around Lucien’s waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back.

Lucien closes the distance between them, locking their lips again, just as he lifts her hips up slightly to a new angle. It’s clearly a distraction tactic, but there’s no distracting from the stretch as he sinks in inch by inch. It’s certainly a new and uncomfortable feeling, but it’s also addicting, pleasure cloying through Elain in a way she knows she’ll never get enough of.

She moans into Lucien’s mouth, toes curling against his back. She digs a hand in the red strands of his hair, clutching and tugging as that pleasure only grows, until Lucien is buried to the hilt, their hips pressed flush together.

“Fuck, if I died right now, I would be a lucky man,” Lucien groans, dropping his head into the crook of Elain’s neck. “Wrapped in your delicious, tight warmth.”

Elain can do nothing but whine high in the back of her throat. She clenches and flutters around him, hips rocking up in a desperate chase of friction.

“Do you like that, my love? Telling you what you do to me? Telling you how I’ll never get enough of your sweet cunt.”

Lucien pulls his hips back just to snap them back forward, building a steady rhythm as he sinks into Elain again and again. And again. She feels dizzy on the pleasure he coaxes from her body, each drive of his hips hard and deep, the drag of his cock dissolving her into a puddle of moans and choked off gasps. She slides her fingers down his back, nails biting against the skin, and tries to meet each thrust with a rock of her own hips.

“Gods, the way you squeeze around me is better than any dream,” Lucien continues, lips slipping against her skin. “You were made for me, weren’t you, Elain? Made to take my cock?”

“Yes,” Elain shouts, giving in to the heat pulling her under. “Yes. Don’t stop.”

Lucien’s hand sneaks between where their bodies are pressed together, reaching down to where they’re joined. His fingers find her swollen clit with ease, tracing tantalizing circles to match the snap of his hips. Elain feels powerless to the way he plays her body, to the fire racing through her veins and pooling low in her gut.

“That’s it, Elain. Come for me again. Come all over my cock.”

One more hard thrust, one more stroke of Lucien’s fingers against his clit, and Elain can do nothing but follow the request. With a shout of Lucien’s name, she arches up against him, clenching hard as an orgasm tears through her hard enough that tears prickle the corners of her eyes. She feels weightless, feels like she’s floating.

Lucien continues to rock his hips against hers, stretching out her release as he chases his own. His thrusts start to pick up in pace, start to become sloppy, and then he stills above her. He groans Elain’s name, warmth filling her where he’s buried deep.

Lucien all but collapses against her, and they lay there still joined as they catch their breath. Elain swears that she can hear his heartbeat, swears she can feel it matching the steady beat of her own where their chests are pressed together. She whimpers quietly when Lucien finally pulls back, sinking back against the blankets with a satiated sigh.

Her body feels wrung out in the best way. She’s half aware of the mattress shifting beneath her as Lucien clambers off the bed. Half aware of the sound of footsteps fading and then returning. Only when there’s pressure between her legs do Elain’s eyes fly open, peering down to find Lucien gently wiping a cloth against her.

“What are you doing?”

“A gentleman always takes care of his lady.”

Lucien sets the cloth aside, kneeling up onto the bed and over Elain. Fingers beneath her chin lift her lips to his. The kiss is gentle, sweet even, and Elain’s allows herself to sink into it even as her heart shatters and cracks in her chest at the gesture. She knows that she should leave, that now is the time to cut ties and walk away. But then Lucien is climbing back onto the bed, his arms curling around Elain’s waist and tugging her into him, and maybe… maybe she can allow herself just one more moment.

He pulls the blankets up and over their still naked bodies, arms holding Elain close. She rests her head on his chest, her ear over the song of his heartbeat. Lucien’s fingers trace patterns up and down her spine, curling a strand of her hair around his finger.

“Elain…” Lucien begins, turning his head so his lips brush against her forehead. “What I was trying to tell you before…”

“Later,” Elain dismisses, pressing a placating kiss to Lucien’s skin.

Lucien sighs softly, but his arms tighten around her. “Alright, my love. Rest and then we can speak.”

Elain nods her head, focusing on keeping her breathing even, on getting her body to relax. It’s not particularly hard with the weight of Lucien’s arm across her waist, the warmth his whole body seems to exude. Not hard with the safety and contentment wrapped up here in these blankets, in this room, with this man.

But it can’t last.

She counts in her head until Lucien’s own breathing evens out, clearly having fallen asleep, and then she counts fifty higher just to be safe. Slowly, she extricates herself from his grip, slipping off the bed carefully to avoid too much jostling. She snatches up her discarded dress and cloak and pulls them back on, running her fingers through her hair and hoping for the best without any sort of mirror. At least the sun has set and the darkness will help hide any dishevelment.

She tiptoes to the bedroom door and pulls it open, peeking outside to make sure there’s no one in the hall. She turns and looks back at Lucien’s sleeping form on the bed one last time, swallowing hard around the pain twisting and writing between her ribs, threatening to rise in her throat like bile. The heat of tears is a familiar prickle behind her eyes, but she pushes that down too, reminding herself that this is for the best. One final huff of determination and Elain steps out into the hall, the door closing behind her with firm finality.

—

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[tinyravenfeathers]

https://www.vulture.com/article/neil-gaiman-allegations-controversy-amanda-palmer-sandman-madoc.html

Link without paywall here: https://archive.is/W1arC

I was a Neil Gaiman fan.

I’m mourning his worlds today. He had so many characters that spoke to me—Richard Mayhew and Door, Coraline and her cat, the Endless, Wanda and Thessaly. Across hundreds of worlds, you get to know a writer…or at least what they produce and exhibit.

I went to book signings. I thought it would be cool to know him.

And now I’m glad I didn’t.

I’m sad that he was broken in childhood and never got therapy. I’m sorry no one taught him how important consent is.

Or, if he did know, I’m so disappointed that he willfully harmed all those women. It’s crazy that he didn’t find someone somewhere who was into what he needed.

And his wife enabled the abuse.

And then he apparently exposed his own son to it.

I have an old poster of the Sandman sitting on a stone wall against a background of autumn leaves. It’s in a nice frame. Bought it in the 90s, it’s one of my prized possessions.

It’s coming down.

I wish there was a clear line in his art, a mark that would separate the creator from the demon. There probably won’t be.

Reading the article, I’m reminded of the scene in one of the Sandman comics where Destruction of the Endless sits with Delight as she slowly slips into the madness of humanity and becomes Delirium.

Writers take from their own lives.

Neil Gaiman probably assaulted multiple women.

I will always mourn Delight.

[kuwdora]

for all the art i've made and sold and received lovely photos of my art on other people's walls, I have historically had a hard time getting things up on my own wall. but a few weeks ago I managed to do it! so I gotta share and celebrate my win.

This is my gallery wall above my desk. I designed the layout around @andordean 's fiber art heart. I'm so happy with how this space turned out.

left wall

top left: Cumulus Cat by Shaylin Wallice whose work makes me 😍

top right: one of my own acrylic pour paintings

bottom left: empty frame, TBD what goes there

bottom right: @perseruna 's wonderful yennefer/jaskier art

bottom right: unicorn art by autistic mixed media artist and illustrator Vyara Brennan (closeup beneath the readmore).

right wall

first column:

Sleep, Adam by Sunny Jin Smith

Forest Fiber art Heart by @andordean

Yennefer & Geralt art by @llorithaine (Inprnt shop here)

second column:

empty frame, TBD !!

small green 6x6 acrylic pour art that i made in 2022

a sketch of a deer in a field by @aurumcalendula

a photo of several large boulders in the shade, a thoughtful card sent to me by my friend destina

third column:

an illustration of a hummingbird, a thriftstore treasure, artist unknown

a photo of a tree during the autumn, taken by a friend in scotland

a woman in a glittery monarch butterfly-esque skirt. Art by Bella Pilar. This was another card from destina.

fourth column:

empty frame, TBD!! hopefully some @sassaffrassa art

art by local neighborhood child named Ronon

empty frame, TBD!

the Thor Love and Thunder poster is Jane wielding the hammer and part of @elipie's current roster of Marvel posters. I decided to put Ronon's art right next to it because I liked the swirl of red and blue together.

beneath the cut: some closeups of my thriftstore frames and the art I couldn't find online.

The bottom art here in the purple flower frame is Vyara Brennan's unicorn illustration. She's a mixed media artist and illustrator. I met her at an art festival and was captivated by all the texture and colors her work displayed. She and her friend seemed confused and surprised that I had stopped to make small talk. I had asked about her use of felt in the designs and her original characters which were quite varied and I misgendered several of them along the way with my questions but was happily corrected. It was a great conversation. I think a lot of people walked by without stopping to check out her table. She and her friend were extra surprised when I said I had to run to the ATM to get cash and I actually came back. So many her collages were so varied and complex with her original characters and chunky felt and other very tactile things that made my brain go happy. I got a number of art postcards of her various characters. She's loaded up her Etsy shop since I last checked, so you can have a look and see what's available. SHOP LINK. Also I really love this thriftstore frame with it!!

this is art by @aurumcalendula who sends me the most wonderful nature art. I have a ton aurum's colorful birds and other sketches in scrapbooks right now but I pulled this one out after noticing a green and nature theme from my layout design. I found this frame during one of my many excursions to thrift stores in the area. I love thrift store frames so much and was so happy to finally use this one.

art by Bella Pilar whose cards are so beautiful. I placed this specifically on the wall so it would catch the mid/late afternoon light and glitter nicely when I'm sitting at my desk. The words destina wrote me inside I have treasured for years, just like I have been treasuring destina's words since I read her Stargate fic a million years ago.

There was an art festival nearby a few months ago and I was heading over to check it out. I came across Ronon and his mom set up on a corner several blocks away and he had his own art out for sale. He couldn't have been more than 10 or 11. He and his mom were so surprised that I had stopped at all, let alone started asking him questions about what he had been making and being excited about it. In addition to some abstract watercolory pieces, he had this amazing 16x20 canvas featuring characters Among Us. He had such a strong figurative skills, I was really impressed. I didn't really have good wallspace for a canvas that big. I opted for two smaller abstract canvases and gave him a $20. By the look on his face I think I might have been his first ever sale. His mom was also so shocked that I bought something. I gave her my old art instagram to connect with me, I told them I could offer up some of my old art supplies if he ever ran out. I haven't heard back but that's alright. There had been a moderate amount of foot traffic of the neighborhood coming and going to the art festival but I got the impression that they had been ignored by everyone all morning. Which was sad because he was a cool little guy and his art was great.

so that is the art on my wall! I have many feelings about the art and managing to get!! it! UP!

art ❤️❤️❤️

[beyourownkind92]

Whimsical Autumn Skeleton Tea Party Moumita Blooming