#He would rarely ever show his face willingly

[freedomfireflies]

Jealous*

Summary: The fourth part to 404*

The one where Harry's even more annoying when he's jealous.

But he's kind of cute, too.

Word Count: 5.6k

*Contains Mature and Explicit content! Please only consume what you feel comfortable with!💞You are so much more important!*

(Note: This edit is not mine!! I believe the @ is on it, but full credit to the incredible creator! It's so perfect!!)

“Head back, tongue out.”

Quickly shifting onto your knees, you glance up at the man before you. Watching eagerly as Harry’s large hand strokes the hardened cock that lingers near your lips.

His other palm reaches out for your neck, slowly sliding up into your hair before tugging you back even further. “Like this,” he murmurs, only satiated when you oblige. “Good girl. Show me your tongue, Tink. Come on, not gonna ask you again.”

Quickly, you rush to obey, presenting it to him willingly as you scoot closer and silently plead for his offering.

He gives you a rare, pleased smile that makes your insides jump before he brings his cock closer to your mouth, tapping it twice. “Gonna swallow it all, yeah? Like a good little cumslut?”

Nodding fervently, your lashes flutter in a somewhat desperate attempt to coax him closer to release.

To this, he exhales an amused breath, smirk growing until you see that familiar and infuriatingly charming dimple. “You’re a lot less annoying when you’re desperate, you know that?”

You swat at his thigh. “Shut up and cum in my mouth already.”

“Eager, are we?”

“The fuck do you think? Just do it, come on.”

“See, there you go again. Don’t know how to romance a guy, do you?”

“And why would I ever want to romance you?”

He laughs and sweeps the tip of his cock along your bottom lip. “Because deep down…you like me. Don’t you, Princess?”

And before you can reply with another quippy retort, he’s sliding himself along your tongue, and filling your mouth completely.

It doesn’t take long for that warm, salty tang to go slipping down your throat. Effortlessly coating your taste buds as Harry tightens his grip on your head and releases a rather lascivious groan.

“Fuck…there you go, that’s a good girl,” he murmurs, using his other hand to brace himself against the wall to keep upright. “Take it…fucking take it, Tink, good. Feel so fucking good, don’t you? Such a tight little mouth, yeah?”

He’s babbling, a string of nonsense and praises falling from his tongue, but you revel in it. Indulge in the way you’re the only one on his mind, the only one to make him fall apart so quickly.

And you imagine you’d both like to stay here in the lobby coat closet for at least a few more minutes (or a few more rounds), but before you can entertain the idea, your phone is going off.

The shrill alarm cuts the moment in two, slicing it right down the middle as you pop off his cock and reach over to turn it off.

In turn, Harry blinks, breathing still a tad ragged as he steps back. “What…what is that for?”

“Oh, I have a meeting with Mr. Prescott in five.” You straighten up onto your feet and swipe the back of your wrist across your mouth. “This was fun, though. Thanks.”

Harry blinks. “Wow. Way to dine and dash.”

“Funny,” you snort as you head for the door. “Anyway, I think I’ll be good for a while, so…no need to keep dragging me in here.”

“I didn’t drag you,” he argues with a huff while yanking his jeans back up. “I casually suggested it and you jumped at the opportunity.”

“Mm…wrong.”

“Mm…right. Face it, Princess, you can’t stop thinking about me.”

“Actually, I think about everybody but you,” you tell him. “Seriously, just the sound of your name kills my libido. It’s quite sad.”

His eyes roll. “Fucking go already, I have shit to do.”

“Fine, but you have to wait at least three minutes,” you remind him as you slip out into the hallway. “I mean it. Cassie almost saw us last time and I was mortified. So be less suspicious this time.”

“Come on, do you really think I want people to know we’re shagging?” he retorts, crossing his arms as he leans against the wall in wait. “Getting seen with you at the bar was already bad enough.”

“Yeah? Is that why you stuck your hand down my pants in front of everybody?”

“Okay, you know what—”

“No, I don’t. Bye,” you call before swinging the door shut.

Harry’s muffled grumbling follows you all the way to the elevator.

You can’t help but grin as you step inside and hit the button for the fifth floor, flashes of his hands and practiced fingers flooding the forefront of your mind.

You might still hate him, but you suppose you don’t mind his company as much anymore. He’s not as irritating as he was when you first started this little arrangement, and you’ve noticed his technique has gotten better. He’s always been good, but recently he seems to be trying incredibly hard to make each time the best. 

Not that you’d dare complain. After all, it’s not like you’ve really—

“Wait, hold the door!”

Quickly, you reach out and press your palm against the sliding entrance, keeping it inside the frame as the stranger swiftly slides through.

You watch as he gratefully slumps against the railing, seemingly out of breath as he nods his appreciation and allows you to release your hand.

“Thank you,” he exhales, head dropping back against the wall as the elevator takes off. “Thought I was gonna have to take the stairs.”

“No problem,” you return before gesturing toward the buttons. “Which floor?”

“Fifth,” he answers, smiling when he notices it’s already been selected. “You, too?”

“Yeah, I work in the lab.”

Curious, the man straightens up. “No kidding. You’re one of the engineers?”

“Mhm. For about four years now.”

“No fucking way,” he replies, studying you with interest. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah, actually. Pay is good, hours are better.”

“Ah, very nice,” he muses. “In that case, do you think you’d be able to show me to Prescott’s office?”

“Sure. I’m headed there now, actually.”

“Yeah?” His head tilts. “Wait, shit…you wouldn’t be working on the Keaton Project, would you?” 

Surprised by his knowledge on your current work, you blink. “Uh…yes, actually. How did you…?”

“I’ve been hired to help with your development operations,” he tells you. “Just for a couple weeks, see where you’re at.”

“Oh, that’s good. Harry and I could use the help.”

The mystery man smirks. “Good. S’what I like to hear.”

With that, the elevator comes to a stop and the doors open, allowing you and the stranger to begin down the hall and toward the main office.

After a rather interesting discussion with Mr. Prescott, you learn a bit more about Lucas, your new project partner. 

He’s incredibly smart and well spoken, he’s got some wonderful ideas for the website, and he’s absolutely going to drive Harry up the goddamn wall.

You’re practically giddy as you lead Lucas back to the lab to help him get set up. Already imagining the scowl on Harry’s face when he learns he’ll be sharing a space with someone else. Someone arguably much better suited for the position and with much fresher ideas. 

Unfortunately, Harry has already left for the day by the time you return. And while you’re somewhat disappointed that you’ll have to wait on the introductions, you use the rest of the shift to get acquainted with Lucas.

Turns out, he’s delightful, and you laugh harder with him than you have anybody else in a long time. He’s rather flirty, too, you notice, but you don’t mind. It’s nice to have such forward attention and you revel in his sneaky smiles and playful remarks.

You leave the lab that afternoon with a large grin, laughing when he calls, “Goodbye, Duchess,” as you walk out the door.

Come Monday morning, Harry is in a foul mood. You notice it before he’s even set foot into the room, the exasperated expression on his face visible from the parking lot.

He walks differently when he’s upset, you realize. With his hunched shoulders, clenched fists, and heavy footsteps that echo through the halls.

Everyone within a hundred-foot radius takes notice, shooting him odd looks as he strides by, but he pays them no mind. Instead making a beeline for his corner of the room where you reside before throwing his things down with a huff.

“Morning, Sunshine,” you call, turning in your chair to watch while he slumps into his. “What the hell is going on with your hair? It looks…well, like shit.”

A venomous glare is shot through the dark frames of his glasses. “Blow me, Princess. I’m not in the fucking mood today.”

“I can see that,” you reply calmly, hiding a smirk behind the rim of your coffee mug. “Hope you’re at least a little nicer to the new guy.”

Harry’s frazzled and irritated shuffling stills. “What new guy?”

“The new guy,” you say, nodding toward Lucas who’s beginning to make his way through the lab. “Prescott told you, right? He’s working with us for the next couple of weeks on development operations.”

Harry’s attention follows the tall, lanky figure as he moves between the tables, a frown beginning to form. “What the fuck?” he scoffs quietly but full of repulsion. “I’m sorry, since when do we need a fucking babysitter?”

“He’s not a babysitter, Harold. He’s just extra help—”

“We don’t need extra help,” Harry bites back. “Okay, I had it covered—”

“Clearly, yeah. Is that why the simulation kept glitching—”

“It wasn’t glitching, the code was just off. But I had it handled—”

“Sure, yeah. Obviously. That’s why Prescott hired someone else—”

“Duchess,” comes a new addition to the conversation, forcing you and Harry to lean back as Lucas approaches. “Hey, listen. Thank you again for showing me where to set up my shit, I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” you return with a smile. “Seriously, anything we can help you with, just let us know.”

He nods. “Perfect, yeah. Most of it is just working on the HTML, but eventually I’d like your input on the file transfer.”

Peeved, Harry’s eyes flitter across the man’s face. “Right. And you are?”

“Lucas,” he replies brightly, offering you both a charming smile. “Yeah, sorry. Met Duchess here the other day on the elevator. You must be…Harry, right?”

Harry’s eyebrows begin to weave together, broad shoulders straightening up ever-so-slightly. “Why the fuck were you in our elevator?”

“Well, Duchess was showing me up to the lab," Lucas says, nodding his chin at you while you share a smirk. "Helped me set up, which was really sweet.”

You wave the compliment away while Harry slowly turns to you and subtly mouths, “Duchess?”

You shoot him a pointed look. “Yes. Well. Anyway, Harry and I are really excited about working with you. Aren’t we?”

Harry merely returns your stare with a glare of his own before gritting his teeth. “Fucking ecstatic.”

If Lucas picks up on the charged air between you, he doesn’t comment on it, instead grinning again as he steps back. “Perfect. I’ll see you around, yeah?”

You nod. “Absolutely. Oh, we’re still on for lunch, right?”

“Of course,” he calls before returning to the hallway, leaving you with a very displeased partner. 

You blink.

“Lunch?” Harry repeats, almost incredulously. “You’re having fucking lunch with the babysitter now?”

You snort. “It’s lunch, not an orgy. Relax, Harold—”

“And what the fuck is with the degrading nickname?” he continues, nodding his chin in the direction Lucas disappeared to before nudging his glasses back up. “He sounds like a fucking twat.”

“For your information, Duchess means queen,” you tell him haughtily. “And I love it. It’s a lot nicer than anything you call me.”

“I call you the same fucking thing—”

“No, you call me Tinkerbell,” you correct. “And Princess. Which is nice. But Queen trumps Princess. Sorry.”

He makes another noise before spinning around in his seat, turning his back to you. “Fucking ridiculous. Fine, have your fucking tea parties and your fucking nicknames while I get some real shit done.”

“It’s not a tea party, it’s lunch—”

“Oh, my apologies, your Royal Fucking Highness.”

You smirk.

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Got it stuck right up there. Poor thing had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.”

Lucas laughs – a loud, infectious laugh – while glancing down at his plate with a shake of his head. “Shit. I bet he enjoyed that.”

“No. No, not at all,” you chuckle. “And he wouldn’t speak to me for about a week afterward. Honestly? It was the best week of my life.”

“I imagine.” He runs a long finger around the rim of his glass in thought. “So, he’s always been like that, then? Kind of…sullen? And moody?”

Smiling to yourself, you run through your memories of the brooding man you’ve known for years. Remembering the first day you met, and the way you instantly became enamored by those bright green eyes and chestnut curls.

“No,” you admit. “No, he used to be…fun. Nice. Shy, even.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he was…I mean, he was nervous, I think. It was one of his first jobs out of university, and I think he just wanted to do a good job.”

“Makes sense,” Lucas replies. “From what I’ve seen, he’s quite good at what he does.”

“He is,” you agree, almost begrudgingly. “Always has been, which is really annoying.”

He smiles. “So, what happened? What made him switch?”

You release a heavy sigh and shrug your shoulder. “Honestly…I don’t know. There was a bit of a dark period. He stopped talking to people, stopped going out. Got a motorcycle of all things. And then he just…wasn’t the same.”

“And he never talked about it?”

You snort. “No, Harry doesn’t…talk. About personal things. At least not with me. And asking never gets me anywhere.”

A quiet pause settles over your small table before Lucas leans closer.

“I think he trusts you, Duchess,” he says. “And I think he’s scared of how much.”

“That’s quite an observation from someone who just met him.”

“What can I say, it’s my superpower,” he teases. “But I mean it. His hostility felt…forced. Like he was putting up a wall to save face. And if he really didn’t like you…he wouldn’t spend so much of his time trying to be near you.”

It’s a nice thought. Sweet, even, and you’re almost tempted to entertain the idea.

But you know Harry. You know his cruel jokes, and his pensive demeanor. You know that he fucks to drown out the rest of the world, and that he’d rather spend the rest of his life alone than in someone else’s company.

So, you simply sigh, and offer Lucas another shrug. “Yeah, well. If that were the case, I’d hope he’d at least—”

“The fuck is all this?”

The two of you turn toward the sound of Harry’s huffed remark, smirking to yourselves when you see that familiar frown.

“Uh…lunch,” you reply calmly, raising an eyebrow. “Like I told you.”

Harry comes to a stop just beside the table, flicking his glare between you. “It takes you a fucking hour to eat?”

Your eyes narrow. “It hasn’t been an hour, and we were talking.”

“So you were wasting time?”

Lucas grins, and you catch the way he glances down at the table to hide his amusement.

You straighten up and direct your displeasure toward Harry. “We were not wasting time, we were eating and getting to know each other. Is that all right with you?”

“No,” Harry says simply, and it infuriates you. “You don’t get paid to talk shit.”

“We were not—” You suck in a sharp breath, silently commanding yourself to remain relaxed. “Do you want something?”

“Yes, actually. Prescott wants to see us.”

You blink. “Why?”

“Don’t know.”

You look to Lucas, confused and slightly annoyed while Lucas leans back curiously.

“I’ll come with you,” he offers as you both stand. “If it’s about the project, maybe I can help explain—”

“We don’t need your help,” Harry interjects bluntly. “And he didn’t ask for you. He asked for us.”

You shoot another peeved look his way. “Harry—”

“Really, it’s no problem,” Lucas tries. “I probably need to get caught up, anyway—”

“Then catch up on your own fucking time,” Harry nearly snaps, large hand outstretching to snatch onto your upper arm. “If we need you, we’ll ask for you.”

With that, he begins to drag you away from the table, leaving Lucas and his mystification behind.

Stumbling along, you begin to fight against Harry’s firm grip, already wildly annoyed. “What the fuck is your problem—”

“Your car is fixed, right?” is all he says, keeping his eyes forward as he leads you through the lobby and toward the parking lot.

You hesitate. “Uh…yeah? Why?”

“Where is it?”

Your lashes flutter as you look from him to the array of vehicles before you. “Um…there. By the tree.”

With a short nod, he yanks you forward, guiding you to your car without so much as an explanation. 

Still irritated, you slip yourself free right as he stops beside the trunk. “The hell are you doing—”

He opens the backdoor. “Get in.”

“What?”

“I said get in,” Harry repeats, “Duchess.”

You frown. “And why would I do that?” 

“Because I’m gonna fuck you.”

And you almost want to laugh because you can’t believe where he got the nerve. “You’ve got to be kidding—”

“I’m not,” he says, rather assuredly before guiding his glasses back up. “Get in.”

“Harry…this is so fucking—”

“Don’t care.” He nods his chin toward the backseat. “In, Princess.”

You reckon you should stand your ground and refuse him. Tell him how childish he’s being, how vulgar, how rude. Make it clear that he doesn’t get to stomp his foot and demand you do as you’re told just because he’s upset.

And yet…your legs urge you forward until you’re slipping inside the car and settling on the other side.

Harry follows suit, yanking the door shut to close out the rest of the world before facing you. “Take off your jeans.”

However, your expression is menacing as you begin to fumble with the zipper on your pants. “You’re so fucking pathetic, you know that?”

“Yeah,” he says simply, but he’s beginning to smile as he tugs off his own belt. “But I’m not as pathetic as whatever the fuck that was.”

“What was? A harmless, friendly lunch?”

“Please,” he snorts. “He was clearly flirting with you, and it was hard to watch.”

Your eyes roll as you tug your jeans down your legs. “He was not flirting with me, he was just being nice—”

“Guys aren’t nice,” he retorts. “Not for nothing. He wanted something from you, and I spared you from having to pretend you were interested. You’re welcome.”

“Oh, really? And what did he want? To fuck me? Like you so desperately want to do?”

He scoffs, but he’s smirking. “I fuck you to make you feel better.”

“Right, okay.” You wiggle your underwear down your thighs. “Who’s to say he wasn’t gonna do the same?”

“He wasn’t,” he replies simply. “Trust me. Get up.”

With a huff, you oblige, turning around so you can settle on your hands and knees while Harry gets situated behind you. Strong hands melding to your hips to keep you steady.

His fingers move to smooth between your cheeks and down to your cunt, stroking it softly to prepare you.

Then, he chuckles. “And who is this for, hm?” he taunts, dipping into your arousal to spread it around. Ignoring the way you inhale a sharp hiss. “Me or him?”

You brace yourself against the seat of the car, chin dropping to your chest. “Him,” you grit. “Obviously.”

Harry hums, thumbing at your clit. “Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, there’s a sharp smack to your left ass cheek that makes you reel, the pain instantly dissolving into pleasure as you whine. 

“Try again,” he tsks before slipping a practiced finger inside. “And this time…be honest.”

“I’m always honest,” you argue, already breathless from the feel of his touch. “How could it ever be for you?”

You can’t see him, but you imagine he’s smiling, entertained by your bratty behavior as he adds a second digit. Curling and pumping at a deliciously slow pace. 

“You’re right,” he finally answers. “You hate me. You’d never get wet for me.”

You swallow another noise. “Exactly.”

“And if I fuck you…you’ll moan his name. Won’t you, Tink?” 

“Yes.”

“Think about him the whole time. Beg him for what you think he can give you.”

“Shit—”

“Imagine his tiny, soft little cock. Too small to get you off. Probably wouldn’t even feel it, would you?”

He’s cruel. Sadistic and outrageously annoying. But he knows exactly how to play you, and you damn him to hell for how well it works. 

He reaches around your body to tug your shirt up, pushing it over your tits until he can take a nice handful.

You love his hands. Love the way his skin feels against yours. The way he tweaks your nipple and rolls it around.

“Like that, don’t you?” he coos, the rhythm of his strokes through your pussy ever steady. “Know you do. Cause I know your body, Princess. Better than he ever will.”

You try to ignore the pleasure that ripples across the deep of your stomach, keeping your focus on the stitching beneath you. You hate when he’s right.

Suddenly, and without warning, he rips his fingers out, leaving you empty and dripping while you groan.

“Easy,” he tuts, now tugging his cock free. He shifts some, propping his leg up onto the seat while his other foot remains on the floor. “Gonna have to be quick, aren’t we? Since you wasted so much of our lunch break with him.”

You exhale a scoff at this, glancing back just long enough to glare.

He grins.

“Stay still,” he instructs, dragging the tip through your folds. Spreading you gently and moaning when he sees his cock glisten with you. “Just like that, s’a good girl. Gonna make it better. Gonna fuck you right.”

The first push in is heaven. It always is, and you aren’t sure why. Like adding the final piece to the puzzle. Complete, in a sense.

Your nails curl into the seat below, a futile attempt at finding some stability as his thick cock stretches you open. 

You hear him hiss through gritted teeth, his hands once again finding your waist to hold you in place. “Breathe,” he suddenly calls, smacking your leg once. “You’re not breathing.”

“Sorry,” you gasp, forcing air back into your lungs. “Don’t…don’t know why I do that.”

He makes a small, entertained noise before allowing you a moment to adjust. “Feels that good, yeah? Do I take your breath away?”

“Blow me,” you retort, but you can’t help smiling. 

Finally, he settles himself all the way, sinking into your warm cunt rather comfortably as you both release sighs of relief. 

“There it is,” you hear him murmur, his fingers curling into your side before he pulls back. “Okay, easy. Easy, Tink, yeah? Shit—”

The rapid but hard pace is addictive. Perfectly full and pleasurable with each thrust and snap of his hips against your ass. 

Despite the somewhat small space, Harry finds a way to bend your body to his will. Keeping you below him as he drives himself faster and faster. Uncoordinated and unrhythmic. He’s merely chasing the feeling, chasing the way your pussy pulls him in. Clenches around him, soaks him, keeps him warm.  

“You know what?” he suddenly seethes, surging forward until he finds a new angle. “I think you were right…think you should have gone with him.”

You want to respond – want to make any other noise besides these strained whimpers, but it’s useless. Your voice forming around his name yet again as your toes curl.

“You were better before he came along,” he says, hand coming down to slap against your ass. The sound echoing around the tiny constraints of the vehicle. “Tighter. Needier. So fucking easy.”

Your lashes flutter, eyes rolling back. He’s feeding into the part of you that likes to be degraded, and you feel a chill dance down your spine.

“Did anything I fucking wanted. Took my cock like a good girl,” he continues. “Let me stretch you. Let me train you. Break you. Have my fucking way with my fucking pussy. Behaved so well for me.”

Another spank is had to your tender skin, and you cry out as you bury yourself into the seat below.

“Now, well…now you're just useless to me. Aren’t you, Princess?” His movements get sloppier. Faster. “Now you waste your time with him.”

In any other moment, you’d refute his comments. Play his game, egg him on.

But in this moment – a moment where your singular focus is him and only him – you find that you can only shake your head quickly and with misery. “No. No, just you.”

You hear him chuckle, and it makes a new wave of arousal rush between your legs. A type of praise you thrive on. “Just me, huh? But you’re not my whore anymore, are you? You’re his—”

“No,” you whimper, writhing when he reaches down to press his fingers to your clit. “Yours…you…only you.”

“I don’t know, Tink. Seemed awful smitten with him. Same way you used to be smitten with me—”

You can do nothing but whine pitifully as you push back into his touch, ass raised and spread in front of him.

Another smack ripples across your cheek before he kneads the flesh with his free hand, circling your clit with the other. “What? What do you wanna say, baby, hm? Wanna beg me to let you cum? Is that what you want?”

You try to nod, but your cheek is pressed firmly to the seat of the car. 

“I know you’re close,” he murmurs, shifting some so he has a better position to fuck himself into you quicker. “God, you’re so fucking close. Can feel your pretty little walls clamping down on me. You’re fucking shaking, baby, come on. Come on, let go. I’ll let you cum. Go ahead.”

To accompany his instruction, he begins to rub the sensitive nerves in a harder fashion. Pressing them down as he forces your body to comply.

It happens all in the same moment. There’s no time for preparation or warning as you release a strangled gasp that disappears into his equally fervent moan.

Instantly, he releases your clit to take hold of your hips with both hands, and slam his cock into you – sheathing himself completely as he releases his load.

It’s familiar and incredible. The car is hot and filled with the sounds of your ecstasy. You’re drowning in it – drowning in him. In the way he makes you feel, in the blinding pleasure that still travels down the back of your neck all the way to your toes.

It’s deep and it’s full and it’s endless. One of the best you’ve had, and you can’t help but smile as you work to catch your breath.

You begin to slump forward as Harry chases after you. Slipping his arm beneath your stomach to keep you upright and turn you toward him as his cock slips out. 

“Hey, hey,” he mumbles, glancing over the part of your face he can see. “You all right? You breathing?”

You nod weakly. “Mhm. M’good. So good.”

You catch his soft smile. “Good.”

He reaches for your panties, gently dragging them back up until they settle around your hips. Keeping what’s left of his cum inside of you.

“Just in case Lucas gets any ideas,” he teases, shooting you a wink before helping you sit up. 

You both begin to wrangle your clothing back on, redoing belts and buttons as you work to catch your breath. 

Oddly enough, Harry doesn’t rush to exit the car, and you find yourself somewhat surprised. Instead, he merely readjusts his glasses, runs a hand through his hair, and slumps back against the seat.

And for some reason, the sight of his flushed cheeks and dilated pupils makes you grin. And you find that you can’t resist moving closer and crawling onto his lap.

Once you’re straddled across his thighs, you dip down, and take his lips with yours. Kissing him hard and with everything you haven’t been able to give him before, ignoring his look of his surprise. 

But he kisses you back, exactly the way you knew he would. Taking hold of your body once more to keep you close.

Tongues and teeth clash – it’s messy and rushed, yet effortless and easy. And you can’t help but smile giddily as you tug on his bottom lip.

When you finally pull back to breathe, Harry is wearing a similar expression, seemingly dazed and amused as he holds you on his lap.

Chuckling, you swipe your thumb across his mouth. “God, you’re so fucking annoying.”

He nips at your finger to make you squeal. “I know.”

A quiet moment settles then as you study him, feeling entranced and relaxed by the soft green behind his crooked glasses.

With a gentle smirk, you push them back up, and whisper, “Were you really jealous?”

His snobby scoff makes you laugh. “I was not fucking jealous, Tinkerbell. You just don’t know him.”

“Neither do you,” you retort. “He’s really nice. He just wants to help.”

He groans again, letting his head drop back. “For fuck’s sake, Princess. You’re so goddamn trusting—”

“Yeah, I am. After all, I trust you.”

His eyes fall to yours. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He smiles again, and you feel your heart flutter. Reminded yet again of the way things used to be – a time before the hostility and angry comments.

You think back to what Lucas said. His inquiry on the shift, and while you’re sure nothing good can come from your prying, you find yourself asking, “What happened?”

Harry blinks. “What?”

“To you. To us, I guess,” you ask, growing oddly nervous under his confused stare. “When you first started, you were so…nice. And happy. And sweet, even.”

His expression falls, settling into a chilling frown.

“And then…I don’t know, something happened,” you continue, now a bit quieter. “You changed, you got…angry, and tense, and you just…you hid yourself away, you know? And don’t get me wrong, I like bickering with you, I just…I guess I’ve always wondered what…went…wrong?”

You feel him tense beneath you. The way his hands tighten and the way that soft green turns into a raging storm of indifference and spite.

Almost within the blink of an eye, he disappears into another version of himself. One that refuses to participate in this discussion and one that desperately wants to remove himself from you.

You can feel him slipping away. Can feel the drop in your stomach – a pit a mile deep. Normally, you like to piss him off. But this is different, this is…this isn’t what you want.

He swallows, Adam’s apple bobbing once. “Why does it fucking matter?”

“I don’t…I guess it doesn’t,” you stammer, shrugging once. “I just wondered, is all. I don’t mind, or anything, I just…I was thinking about it—”

“Why?”

“I…I don’t know. Lucas asked, and I thought—”

“Lucas?” It’s a venomous scoff that makes you jolt. “Let me guess. He was just trying to help—”

“No, he just…he asked what you were like, and I said that you…you—”

“I what?”

“That…fuck, I just said things used to be different,” you huff, but your cheeks feel warm. You’re embarrassed. Disappointed in yourself for pushing. For ruining the first calm moment the two of you have ever shared. “And it made me think about it, so I…I wanted to ask—”

“Well don’t,” he seethes, releasing your waist as if trying to get away from you. “It’s none of your fucking business.”

“I know,” you agree, sliding off his lap to give him a bit of space. “I know, I’m sorry, I just…I thought maybe I could help.”

He shoots you a look that splits right through you. It’s cold and it’s incredulous and it makes your throat run dry. 

“Why?” he says again, studying you closely. “Why the fuck would you want to help?”

Truthfully, you aren’t sure. “I don’t know. Maybe because there’s a part of me…a very small part…that doesn’t totally hate you? I guess?”

You wince as you say it. You hate the way it sounds. Hate what it implies because you do hate him. 

But not enough to leave him when he needs you.

Harry’s lashes flutter at your response, and he watches you for a moment more before he leans back, and his expression twists.

“Yeah, well…it doesn’t matter,” he mumbles, almost to himself as he reaches for the handle on the door. “So don’t fucking worry about it.”

Confused and somewhat dejected, you lean forward. “Har—”

“I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“…what?”

He sighs, looking down toward the floor. Refusing your eye. “I can’t do this anymore, I can’t…I don’t want to do this. With you. It’s too fucking…there’s too much extra shit. All right, it was fun, but I don’t…I’m done.”

There are a hundred things you want to say. A hundred excuses, a hundred pleas, a hundred retorts.

But none of them feel fitting as you watch him push the door open and step out. 

He hesitates, almost as though expecting you to stop him. To argue and call him back.

Yet you don’t. Because you know that nothing you say will ever be able to change his mind.

He’s already decided.

“Fine,” you whisper, offering a short nod. “Yeah, fine. Whatever you want.”

He looks at you. Finally. Expression filled with a solemn sort of goodbye before he nods as well.

And the door slams shut.

Next Part:

~ Always*

Previous Part:

~ SnakeBite*

~ Full 404 Masterlist

~ Main Masterlist

~ Blurb Masterlist

Taglist: @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @keepdrivingkisses @swiftmendeshoran @tiredinwinter @straightontilmornin @justlemmeadoreyou @harrysdaydreams @tiaamberxx @peterparker1sgf @myfavfanficsever @littlenatilda @vamprry @fdl305 @tchalametishot @ssaama @indierockgirrl @likeapplejuicenpeach @vane28282 @lukesaprince @closureesny @lc-fics @0nlythrowharrybeaux @daphnesutton

[simp4konig]

I'm undecided as to whether or not Nikto would ever show his lover (you) his face willingly — and if so, how he would go about it... 😟❤️‍🩹

I'm torn between him putting it off as long as he can put it off for, so paranoid by the prospect that the sight of his mangled face will repulse you, that it becomes a phobia that his traumatised mind justifies.

Nikto valued you over anything, and should the sight of his face — irreversibly disfigured and ugly — look utterly repulsive and nauseating to you, it would devastate him.

So, with that said, perhaps Nikto would wear the mask always, parting with it never, ever, and refuse to be seen without the reinforced plastic mask strapped tight to his thick skill — with a black balaclava beneath just for safe measure. Only when you'd be soundly asleep would he brush his teeth and wash his face, cursing silently in Russian at the hideous face that stared back at him in the mirror. A stranger who he couldn't recognise.

I doubt he'd be able to raise this with you, and I headcanon that you would feel sheepish to ask. At this rate, he would never, ever take off the mask, for as long as he could help it. And any glimpse of his profile would have been on accident, and a secret that you'd keep to yourself. Out of respect for his privacy, you'd never sneak a peek behind the rare door left ajar, closing it quietly for Nikto before he realised his mishap.

Or, Nikto, considered the nobody, no one worthy of your love, thinks that if his stoic personality and traumatised self haven't done enough to drive you away from him, surely the fact that he is an ugly brute ought to do so? Surely you'd come to terms with how he doesn't deserve you, and that you deserve better? Deserve better than a shell of the man that he once was?

Because you were too good to be true. There was no reality in which a sweet little one like you would love this repugnant, disfigured face, even if his dick — miraculously in one piece — satisfied you and the scarred tissue after chemical burns and scars on his body alone weren't a sore sight to begin with. He didn't deserve someone so lovely, so loving, the epitome of beauty. The complete contrast of him.

So, thinking, “Fuck it”, having convinced himself that you'll inevitably leave when you see the face he keeps hidden from view anyways, he rationalises his impulsive action as not prolonging the inevitable. As not getting his hopes up and letting himself be disappointed later when he won't be able to imagine his life without you.

Maybe Nikto would impulsively discard the mask on the ceramic sink after a shower, and exit the bathroom nonchalantly, his expression emotionless and unreadable to conceal the inner turmoil and hurricane of emotions like a whirlwind in his mind, silently awaiting your approval. Maybe Nikto would surprise you by having you in his arms after a long deployment, and catch you off-guard by his face, laid bare for you to see and criticise. Maybe Nikto would ask you to help him paint his eyes with black warpaint, pretending to need help, when in reality it was simply an excuse and a test. To see if his face would shock you.

In any case, whatever the case, Nikto would feign indifference, appearing uncaring, when he was internally in turmoil, a violent storm of emotions like a whirlwind in his mind.

Were you repulsed? Did the scar tissue from chemical burns on one side of his face disgust you? Did that lifted lip — cut when he was tortured — resembling an animal’s snarl make you visibly cringe? Was the hooked nose that had been broken so many times that it was permanently off-center and deformed, the root of his snoring and inability to breathe, make you grimace? What about his crooked teeth? His thin, cracked lips? Those stained, out-of-shape teeth really that bad to look at? The bald patches of closely-cropped, prematurely grey hair on his scalp that would never regrow a full head of hair? The sunken cheeks? The hollow eyes? The slight concave to his jawline?

He noticed the initial wince, the reaction that came instinctively, which hurt regardless, even after having had braced himself for that grimace.

Bozhe. Stop looking at him with sympathy with those earnest eyes. Don't pity him. Don't pity him. Don't pity him.

Yet, when your eyes wouldn't linger on any specific aspect of his face, and you would offer him a smile that reached your eyes, the stormclouds would calm, and the intrusive thoughts slowly dissipate.

TL:DR, either Nikto will never show his face to his lover, or will do so impulsively.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A/N

Couldn't sleep, so I decided to brainstorm Nikto drabbles 😍😍❣️❣️❣️

My neighbour wouldn't stfu. GOD I hate my street!!!!! 😡😡😡👊👊✊👊👊✊💥💥💥💥💥🥊🥊🥊🥊 (and Linda!!!!!! )

The description of Nikto's face is a compilation of my own headcanons. 🥹 (I want to kiss him SO BAD 😣💔💔💔)

This was going to go in another direction, but I have another Nikto work coming after I realised that I could write a separate ficlet 🤭✨✨

[greenandsorrow]

I'm really curious about how you think Alastor would handle a deaf sinner (revenge plot gone horribly wrong). The reader is staying at the hotel.. actually, it'll probably be challenging for everyone! Reader (f/gn) can read lips fairly well, but when Alastor does the whole "face made for radio," shtick his mouth doesn't move.. can't be threatened if you dont know what's said. It looks weird, though! Reader uses a phone to communicate mostly due to convenience, doesn't use signs because deafness comes as a bonus with death, also carries a pen but rarely paper so ends up writing notes on arms. Habits that linger from life are low self esteem covered masterfully with sass and sarcasm, humming and singing to themselves, remembering perfect pitches and how they felt to sing, can also match pitch by matching a vibration and drumming or tapping hands when needing to focus or is anxious.

Platonic relationships all round, not looking for romance here, just a place to belong for a bit, familial/sibling ribbing and sass!

I'm sorry in advance if it is a lot, but you do ask for details!

"This face was made for radio."

The Hazbins with a deaf!sinner!reader

You'll never forget the day you landed in Pentagram City. The world around you on mute... It will always stay carved in your memory... the way you had screamed until your throat ached and then had come to the conclusion that even though your voice worked fine, your ability to hear hadn't come with you to the afterlife.

Your sass did save you on multiple occasions that your lack of hearing left you with double the insecurity you carried from your days on Earth. The good news is that, eventually, you learnt to read lips and use your phone to communicate, making your afterlife a bit safer and easier.

However, some -Charlie- would say that your biggest achievement is willingly asking for residence at the "Happy Hotel"! It was a welcoming change to the constant battle of survival, that the streets of the City of the Damned are.

You have your own room and belongings. You have access to food and even made... friends. With your little notepad and pen you scribble your thoughts and answers when interacting with them. In all honesty, you like your new neighbours more than you ever thought you would.

And the feeling is mutual amongst y'all.

You enjoy how Charlie is always putting on a show and how she sings more than she talks. Not only that, but she makes sure to let you know how impressive it is that you can match the rhythm of her songs, by tapping your fingernails on your notepad.

Vaggie makes an effort so you're always safe and that was before you even got close. She's a bit overprotective in your opinion, but then again... kindness in Hell is scarce and more than appreciated.

Seriously though, you're not handicapped, but it's no use explaining it to her.

Even the famous Angel Dust speaks slower when addressing you. Just like Vaggie, he's protective of you. It's rare for Angel to try to not make a fellow sinner uncomfortable.

In a way, the spider demon has adopted you and Niffty, concerning himself with your wellbeing. You want something but don't have your pen on you? He's willing to play pantomime just to make sure he can provide it to you.

And then there's Husk. The bartender is surprisingly gentle when it comes to you. Caution mixed with fondness. He doesn't mind that you speak too loudly in the rare occasions you use your voice. He doesn't mind having to wait for you to write down your jokes. He actually enjoys your company more than he lets on.

Just a detail, you became part of the crew around the same time Sir Pentious did. Consequently, in the beginning you two kind of stuck together, both seen as newbies.

You're so grateful for how he still washes your arms from the ink of your trusty pen.

To put it into a few words, all families are colorful and yours is no exception. Dysfunctions, disagreements and some sappiness are all part of your every day life. But the Hazbin Hotel has become your home and that's all that matters.

Noticed how I overlooked a very special sinner??

Yep. That's right. Alastor.

The radio demon didn't pay you much attention when you first moved in. You have come to the conclusion that your lack of hearing just underwhelmed him.

He's the radio demon. Sound is his weapon and you're immune to it.

Obviously, his animated personality didn't go unnoticed to your observant eyes. Still, the old radio effect of his voice, the static he produces and all those flamboyant aspects of him are thrown out of the window when it comes to you.

He can't intimidate you. Not that he's tried. Not yet.

You have kept to yourself and maybe even subconsciously avoided him during your settlement in the hotel. It's not out of fear. But what fun is a fellow sinner that speaks more than he moves his mouth? Thank Lucifer he's expressive, otherwise he'd be muter to you than you're to yourself.

And that permanent grin doesn't help either. You've discreetly been relying on his shadow's expressions to make out what's going on in his antlered head.

Today is no different.

He's just stranding there. Black cane, an ignorant and simultaneously arrogant aura, the same infuriating smile and Pentious's egg-bois around him.

Meanwhile, you're sitting in the lounge, inspecting a very 2000's looking camera. It's a way to kill time, watching your surroundings through the lens. At some point the camera lands on Alastor's figure.

It immediately starts glitching.

You burrow your eyebrows in confusion. When you look again, Alastor isn't where he was a few seconds ago.

You sigh.

"What do you think you're doing there, dear?"

Silence. No reaction. You keep looking through the camera at the place Alastor occupied just a few moments ago.

Alastor narrows his eyes. He's standing almost next to you.

But of course you didn't hear him.

The intensified static in his voice... wasted.

He clears his throat loudly, but to no avail.

Eventually, he gives in and taps your shoulder. You blink, lowering the camera to your lap and looking up at him, head slightly tilted.

Taking in your expression, Alastor secretly enjoys the animated scrunch of your brows, a clear indication of confusion.

He's not saying anything, so you shrug to yourself and absentmindedly focus the camera on him once more.

Alastor's eyes narrow with a sadistic glee as the camera suddenly breaks, fume coming out of it, the lens now cracked. You drop it, a bit startled but not on the degree he was hoping.

You don't bother standing up but you do glare at him in exasperation.

"Well, well... Aren't you a brave one?"

Finally! Something you can make out coming from his razor sharp jaws.

You pop the lid off your pen, but before you have time to write "What's that supposed to mean?" on your arm, he has already dimmed the lights and leaned down so he's at eye level with you.

"Let me tell you something while we're at it."

His neck bends unnaturally and his eyes turn black. It's not exactly a sight to enjoy, but it doesn't matter since you're too focused on trying to read his lips.

"This face was made f......"

For?

For what?

What could it have been made for?

His mouth stopped pronouncing the words before the sentence was finished, so it's not your fault that you're chuckling now.

Alastor's chest literally deflates at your reaction.

His ears droop.

It wasn't even full on laughter but his pride took a big hit.

While he's frozen in shock at your lack of fear, you finally scribble down at the back of your hand "Was made for what?"

You extend your hand for him to read with an apologetic gaze. He does look kind of wounded.

Alastor takes in your words and accepts that you didn't laugh at him on purpose. Not to humiliate him at least.

Placing a gloved finger under your chin, he makes you look at his face before speaking slowly, moving his lips almost comically.

"This face was made for ra- di- o."

You let out an "oh" of realization.

Your eyes have a new light of interest in them as you write down your answer.

"I used to listen to that, when I was alive."

"Mhm, that's a pleasant piece of information my dear!"

From that day on, every time before he broadcasts, he makes sure to give you his notes to read, even making them more elaborate just for you.

For him, the only downside of your loss of hearing is not being able to enjoy his radio show.

At least you now get along.

Hazbin Hotel masterlist ❤️

Tips are highly appreciated! (PayPal)

Shout-out to @buggieluv79 for helping me with the deaf POV 💌 I also want to point out the fact that the wonderful being that made this request is both kind and patient, having waited three months for me to write this and supporting me in the process❣️

I'm open to writing for a deaf!reader again, whether you want it to be the same person we met in this fic or a different one. (Wait till reqs open again please!)

[captain039]

PART 7 Daddy’s Little Girl (LAST PART)

Logan x reader

Warnings: Age gap (early twenties reader), swearing, first times, virgin reader, plus size reader, tension, oral f receiving, smut, daddy kink, dom! logan, Abuse (Not from Logan), anxiety, depression, mention of self-harm scars, reader has muscle issues and body pain, angst, unprotected p in v

Previous part <-

Taglist: @mmeerraa @the141bandicoot @clairealeehelsing @dirtydianaahah @babey-fruit-bat @roseydoesypoesy

You awake slowly, feeling warm and safe, a rare feeling here. You frown though feeling breathing against you as last night comes reeling in. You flush, get embarrassed deeply, hide your face in the pillow without disturbing Logan behind you. You feel his arm tighten around you, a small mumble into your hair and you freeze.

“Why’re you so tense?” He mutters and you take a small breath.

“Morning” is all you can think of and you hear him chuckle softly, voice filled with sleep.

“Good morning” he says as you roll over in his arms to face him.

“How you feeling?” He asks thumb gently caressing your cheek.

“Ok” you say as his lips find yours slowly. He keeps his eyes on you before closing them and kissing you. You sigh hand on his chest as you feel his heart beating. It’s steady under your palm.

“Just ok?” He teases and you slap him on the chest lightly hiding your face under his chin. He laughs, the sound so deep and rich as he wraps his arms tighter around you and nuzzles into your hair. Your bliss is interrupted though, a knock sounding out through the small cabin and you frown pulling back from Logan.

“Stay here, probably some mail man” he sighs untangling himself from you. You watch his naked back, his toned ass as he slides his grey sweats on as the person knocks again.

“I’m coming!” Logan yells as he slips on his white singlet and walks out the room. You sigh, a smile creeping onto your lips as you giggle to yourself softly before getting embarrassed. You hear commotion though and get dressed as well quickly.

“Look, I-“ Logan starts but stops as he glances to you. There’s three police officers outside and Logan sighs, hands on his hips.

“She’s fine see” Logan rolls his eyes.

“Ma’am are you ok?” The female officer asks and you frown and nod.

“Yeah I’m ok, what’s going on?” You ask standing by Logan.

“Your father reported you kidnapped” she says and you scoff lightly.

“Of course he did” you mutter making them all frown. There’s an anger in you, one you can’t push down.

“My father’s a piece of shit whose been abusing me for the last four years, I’ve worked my ass off for the last four years as boss of the lumber station, I ran that damn company by myself and put up with my fathers shit for years! Logan didn’t kidnap me, I went willingly!” You shout, feeling tears in your eyes as Logan’s arm goes around your shoulder and rubs your arm.

“It’s ok” he mutters pressing his lips to your forehead.

“We’re sorry Ma’am” the older male police officer says.

“I want a restraining order on him, I don’t want any contact ever from him, I want my hard laboured compensated to” you say as you look to the female officer who nods.

“Would you be willing to come to the station? We can sort all that out for you” she says. You recognise her, she’s been at the lumber station a few times for check ups, she was always nice to you.

“Can we have breakfast and a shower first?” Logan asks and she nods.

“Whenever you’re ready, I’ll personally handle this, my names Janice Role” she says handing you her card.

“Thank you” you say and she smiles and cocks her head to the two others with her. Logan slides the door shut and you let out a long breath.

“You did good” he says wrapping his arms around you.

“I’m proud of you” he mutters.

“I don’t know what I just did” you say against his chest feeling tears roll down your face.

“You fought for you, for the first time and it was scary” he says and you nod, it’s exactly what happened.

You both showed and have breakfast before you’re heading into town in Logan’s Ute. You’re nervous the whole way, wondering what was going to happen. You see Janice there, she welcomes you into her officer before she starts to go over legal things about the restraining order and no contact. She talks you through the process and everything needed, she sets you up with getting a ID, help with getting your bank account perfect, she offers referrals to local lawyers on seeing about how to get compensation, she offers job help, to get all your experience on paper and documented. it’s all a lot and by the end of the day you have a stack of paper on your lap the whole way home. Logan was quiet the whole time, offering help when you struggled or glanced at him, he either held your hand, or softly had his hand on your thigh, thumb caressing softly. By the time you’re home it’s almost dinner, the amount of things you went through blowing up in your mind as well as one other thing from last night. He didn’t wear a condom. It’s been bugging you the moment you thought of it and you’re unsure of how to bring it up. You’re both on the couch, your head on his chest his arm around you, fingers making random patterns on your arm.

“You ok?” He asks softly.

“I will be” you say exhausted and he hums.

“Logan” you say sitting up and he straightens looking to you.

“What is it?” He asks giving you his full attention making you falter.

“Last night” you mumble and he frowns a little.

“You um-“ you gulp a little.

“Didn’t-“ you curse yourself silently.

“Wearacondom” you mumble the words together and he raises his eyebrow slightly.

“You didn’t wear a condom” you repeat.

“And now I’m worried-“ you say as he takes your hand.

“Hey, you’re right to bring it up, but you don’t need to worry I can’t get you pregnant” he says and you feel some relief.

“Are you sure?” You mutter and he smiles.

“I’m sure, if you’re worried still, in a week I’ll get you a test just to confirm ok?” He offers and you nod feeling at ease and you lean back against him. You both sit till your stomach decides to grumble and Logan chuckles softly before making dinner. Well he puts some pizzas in the oven and turns on the TV. He grabs your soft blanket laying it over you before grabbing some water and lying it on the coffee table for you. You watch as he does, his movements, his calm face.

“You’re staring” he comments when he comes back and sits down by you again.

“Sorry” you flush bringing the blanket to your chin.

“Don’t be, I enjoy when you stare at me” he smirks and you huff a little a small smile on your lips. When dinners over and so is the movie you’re exhausted and head to bed, Logan frowning when you go to your room instead of his.

“Where you going?” He asks and you turn around in a half asleep state.

“Bed?” You say confused.

“Did you want to sleep by yourself?” He asks.

“What?” It takes you a moment to process his words.

“Oh” you mutter.

“No” you add moving back towards his door and sluggishly going under the blanket.

“Shoes, princess” he says and you fake a cry as you forgot you even had them on. The man walks over and kneels taking your shoes off and socks. You curse your jeans, undoing the button and mindlessly taking them off too before you curl up into the bed and sigh. Logan closes the curtains and switches the lamp off before he’s hoping into the bed.

“Can I join under there?” He asks and you grumble but open up your cocoon of soft blanket and he chuckles softly. He brings you to him, arms around your waist, you lay against his arm, leg lying over his, hand on his chest.

“Comfortable?” He teases.

“Shuddup” you say hearing him laugh quietly.

“Sleep well, princess” he says quietly.

“Love you” you mutter without feeling your mind drift to sleep.

“I love you too” Logan whispers.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hopefully this doesn't come off as snarky, but I find it genuinely hilarious that every "big-name" Leona fan that I've seen seems to like him against their will lol. I've always had Leona as my favorite, so it's fun to see the journey other people go through to liking/appreciating him!

Look 💦 I can’t speak for other L*ona likers (regardless of size, honestly; I'm a firm believer that one's level of internet fame isn't a factor in the devotion for a character) but for me—to quote Scar—“my words are a matter of pride.” And by confessing to (ick 🤢) LIKING LION… it’s throwing all that pride out of a window. It seriously does feel like these feelings exist against my will.

I have a summary of my story to explain my relationship with the lion lore 💀 I call it a summary, but it’s still kind of long— It's below the cut for those who are interested!

To begin with, the promotional materials didn’t sell me on him. Everything about how he initially presents—from his arrogance to his “tough/bad boy” design (seriously, that biker-cowboy combo of his dorm uniform is SO ugly and shows way too much skin for my liking…)—was so unappealing to me. He seemed exactly like the kind of character and tropes I tend to dislike. The only “good” thing I saw in him was his face (which, ironically, is what Vil says about him) and maybe his UM chant particularly the line where he demands you kneel before him. Then comes along book 2, which is easily the weakest of the main story and does a HUGE disservice to him, making L*ona seem a lot stupider than he actually is. At that point, I had basically written his entire character off. I claimed to all my Twst friends that there was nothing that would ever make me like him.

Around 2022, I decided to get involved in a round of EBG (Epic Bias Game) which is basically like a test of your will?? You’re supposed to compete with your friends to see who can go for the longest without talking about or acknowledging their oshi (which includes not being able to react to fan works of them). As part of EBG, each participant was randomly assigned a “new oshi” to replace the usual one AND GUESS WHAT, I GOT HANDED L*ONA BY THE WHEEL OF FATE 💀

One of my friends (who knew I hardcore hated him at the time) assured me that this would get me to change my mind. They even went out of their way to write a little story explaining how my OC was forced to spend more time with L*ona, which led me into writing interactions between them to build more of the lore. I managed to outlast the friend in EBG, but didn’t win the entire game. I came out of it not really feeling super different about L*ona, but I think forcing myself to write about him extensively helped me gain a little more perspective on his character. I still didn’t like him, but I at least appreciated his presence in the cast a little more.

AND THEN TWST HAD TO COME AND BASH ME OVER THE HEAD WITH L*ONA CONTENT… All the little vignettes and voice lines where other characters would talk about what a good leader he is (*glares at Epel, Jack, Ruggie, Savanaclaw mobs, etc.*), when he sarcastically claims to be a “delicate prince” or a “lost child”, those moments where he sasses others, times when he’s able to use his charisma and/or intelligence to pull ahead, rare instances when he whips out his royal manners, him respecting women… But I think the turning point for me had to have been book 6 OTL GOOD LORD, BOOK 6 FUCKED ME UP 😭 Him using his UM in a creative way to turn falling glass shards into harmless sand? And strategically turning himself in?? Willingly ceding control of the dorm to Ruggie??? Telling everyone about Styx’s lore???? AND THE BEEF HE HAD WITH JAMIL BUT STILL GIVING HIM WISDOM AND ADVICE… Sometimes I still tear up thinking about how L*ona says “You’re not like me,” to Jamil 😔 implying that part of the reason why L*ona guides others is because he has hope in their futures but not his own… (I’m still salty that EN messed up this line by changing it to “I’m not like you,” which makes him come off as way more arrogant 💦) Anyway, I blame book 6 for being the tipping point in my downward spiral 🌀 IT GOT WORSE IN BOOK 7 WHEN HE STARTED SHOWING HE'S MOTIVATED TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE AND TAKES ON AN INTERNSHIP THAT COULD BENEFIT HIS COUNTRY... Special shoutout to the Club Wear card for being especially hot-- I did my best to hold out against the steady drip of content that called attention to his… positive traits… (Not that I’m saying he doesn’t have any; I mean this in that whenever his strengths as a character are brought up, they really get to me as someone who loves intelligent, mature/responsible types and “big brother” figures OTL) BUT IT'S SO HARD WHEN TWST KEEPS PULLING STUFF LIKE THAT???

Then in 2024 came the stupid Lost in the Book with Nightmare Before Christmas event 💀 which finally introduced us to L*ona in full formal attire (MY WEAKNESS) and gave him the opportunity to be in the role of the "hero" and leader... and those Nightmare Suit vignettes 😭 Leona thinking about what it actually means to be "king"... Ugh, it was another strong showing of his character. I'm pretty sure it was this event that started the snowball of my friends (lovingly) bullying me about him and calling me a tsundere about it. Weirdly enough, a BUNCH of things started happening irl to push L*ona at me too. For example, my pet (who usually actively avoids or attacks Twst stuff) was actually eager to pose for a picture with a L*ona standee. In a group fan merch order, I had asked for the bonus Grim sticker but the artist (who had no idea about my complicated thoughts on L*ona) said they were out of the Grim sticker but they had L*ona stickers they could include instead. Most recently, I had just finished this last-minute artwork of Miss Raven eating pocky by herself to celebrate Pocky Day (11/11). Typically the fan art you'd see on this day would involve two characters playing the "Pocky Game" (in which the players try to eat a stick of pocky from either end; usually it's framed as romantic since meeting in the middle results in a kiss). However, I had chosen to do a solo Miss Raven art because I thought this suited her "I want to be taken seriously!" personality better. Well, guess what? I GOT A PACKAGE DELIVERY NOTIFICATION FOR THE TWST MERCH ORDER... WITH L*ONA IN IT 💀 Almost like he heard there was food meant for sharing and he came to claim it for himself... Like I literally did NOT choose for these things to happen to me, THEY HAPPENED ON THEIR OWN. I DON'T BELIEVE IN PREORDAINED EVENTS BUT THE UNIVERSE SURE IS WORKING IN STRANGE WAYS.

So now that the tables have turned, it’s really embarrassing. Everything is coming back to bite me in the butt… It truly feels like L*ona plotted this all along and was on the prowl, patiently waiting for me to get worn down before he pounces and delivers the final blow to my ego OTL Like, it's gotten to the point where many of my long-time friends in the Twst community are now joking that "It's over" for J word... ONE OF THEM EVEN TOLD ME IT FEELS LIKE I'M GETTING DIVORCED AND L*ONA IS THEIR NEW STEPDAD, HOW AM I SUPPSOED TO FEEL ABOUT HTHAT ??????????? ? ? ????? ? ??? ? ?? ?? ? ???? ?

But by the far the worst, the WORST part about everything here is that if L*ona were fully sentient, he would be so smug about recent developments 😡 It makes me SO mad thinking about how he'd look down on me with that hot smug rage-inducing smirk of his and make fun of me for eating my words so badly.

“What was that you said about hating my guts, herbivore? … Hah, it's written all over your face--you're terrible at hiding your true feelings. You can just give in, you know. Tell me how much you worship me. How much you want me. You'll give in eventually one way or another--so why not make this easier for the both of us and save us the time of playing the wait game? I don't bite, promise." (<- a liar)

(Disclaimer: NOT MY MERCH; this is a L*ona Liker friend’s picture that they’re letting me use as a reaction image 😅)

THIS IS FR MY OVERBLOT ORIGIN STORY…

[gaysindistress]

The question that I think never leaves Astarion alone; Will I ever love?

misc masterlist

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image gif. found on google/Pinterest

Will I ever love?

It is a question that sits heavy on his mind constantly. It weighs like a meal of stale bread and rotten soup on his heart. It makes him nauseous to think about but still the question is always lurking just beyond his thoughts of blood and revenge. Sometimes it can penetrate the sanguine veil that blocks his inner most thoughts from his bestial urges.

When that question starts to haunt him, he finds peace in you; whether that be your arms, your bed, or simply your presence, he finds peace. It’s usually short lived because the moment you’re gone it comes right back and he’s seeking you out once more.

A part of him thinks that he will find love when you willingly let him slip his fangs deep inside of you. The other part, the one that reminds him far too much of his abuser, tells him that he’s foolish for ever thinking such a thing. No one could look upon this pathetic excuse of a vampire spawn and find love in the cold sarcastic shell of a man that stares back. No one could look into his criminal crimson eyes and find safety in them. No one could allow him to touch them and delight in the biting freeze that comes with. No one could ever love Astarion so why would he ever find it himself?

You know his battles far too well having fought similar ones yourself. You know the torment that he faces when he thinks no one can see. You know the agony that he feels when he comes to you like a whipped dog and meekly asks for your affection. You know the warmth that spreads into his unmoving heart when you smile at him. You know it all because Astarion is a terrible liar and an awful actor. The rogue is good at being convincing, undoubtedly so but it only lasts so long. Maintaining the facade of arrogant noble born elf fails when you show him kindness and respect. When he does slink over to you and attempts to play it off as a promise of a passionate night with your lover, you can only smile at him. Agreeing to see him later, you allow him to maintain his dignity and let the others think that you’re ravenous for each other. You are, make no mistake about that but it is the gentle touches and soft intimacy that fill your nights together. The nights that he feeds from you rarely end in sex anymore but instead with him lying on your chest, arms wrapped tightly around you, and your fingers softly twirling his tousled curls. His eyes are closed, the long lashes tickling your bare skin and his breath comes out in small warm puffs. His nimble fingers flex against your skin, kneading at your back and sides like a content cat. His body is curled around yours, causing your legs to be tangled together and impossible to move. The complete entanglement of you two proves to be what the question desires to cease its grip on his mind.

Will I ever love?

Astarion thinks that he will. With your fingers gently brushing against the edges of his ears and smoothing down his curls, he thinks he might have already found his answer. With your assuring words and sweet whispers of adoration, he thinks he knows the answer if you were to ask him.

“I love you, astarion. Full heartedly and without hesitation, I love you,” you murmur into his silver strands when you think he’s finally fallen asleep. The only give away that he’s not is the way a small smile pulls on his lips when he nuzzles into you.

[shwoyo]

can we get tsukishima and kuroo x figure skater gf headcanons pls?

skater gf hcs ! ﹫kuroo ; tsukishima

🏷️: fem!reader, skater!reader, fluff, not proof-read :))

wc: 536

a/n: sorry for the long waitt! honestly i wanna be a skater girl so bad but the second i'm on one i'm screaming. also, if there's any grammatical errors or wrong spellings, this is NAWT proof-read so i'm sorry

𝜗𝜚 TSUKISHIMA KEI

he's neutral about it

he talks to yamaguchi about how cool you are me thinks

is also worried, but keeps to himself most of the time

will always say "keep safe" when you leave to skate

when you bring him to watch you skate, he'll be smiling brightly when watching you

BUT will drop his smile once he sees other people near him LOL

will take videos of you skating and puts it on his story to flex you :3

i feel the other first years will find out about you, and of course ask tsukki about it

"hey hey! i heard your girlfriend skates" hinata says

tsukki will keep his response short though

"hm, yeah, she's very good at it," he says stoically

"how is she? does she get injured a lot? can she teach me some tricks?" hinata asks

"she's fine, and rarely gets injured. and no, she cannot" he replies

would keep entertaining hinata's question though, cause he gets to show you off

his ig feed would probably just consist of volleyball & you, skateboarding, or just with you with your skateboard

if ever your skateboard breaks, he'll probably save up and buy you a new one on your birthday

if you get injured though, he's worried

"are you okay? are you stupid" "tch, you should've been more careful" he says as his eyebrows furrows

he's not angry no, he's just vv worried okay !!

he would take care of you until your injured part heals

would already know what you're craving & would buy it immediately

would do your errands as well !! willingly !!

when you recover, he'll watch you 24/7 when you skate

but he'd probably not let you skate right away

"dumbass, be careful! do you wanna get injured again?"

𝜗𝜚 KUROO TETSUROU

he gets so worried sometimes

"don't do that, it might harm you baby" with a pouty face

but all in all, he's okay w/ it! he just wants you to be safe.

will talk to kenma about you, he'd boast about how good you are

will have the biggest grin if you master a trick

"you're so cool baby! do that with caution, though."

at some point, would also wanna try skateboarding...

"teach me, baby, please!" "i'll be fine, promise!"

but once he's on a skateboard, he's screaming n crying LOL

"maybe... i'll just leave you to it... never again."

when you get injured though, he's reciting everything he says about safety

"i told you to be safe!" "you should've done that carefully" "don't do it so carelessly"

he's only saying those because he's worried !!! ok !!!

he would take care of you until your injured part heals (2)

will do anything you ask of and will buy you your favorite food (or current cravings)

once you recovered, he's not letting you skate yet

"after a month! what if you get injured again?"

again, he's only saying this because he's worried !!

and after that happens and he lets you skate again, he'll be watching over you 24/7

"be careful, y/n!"

will calm down eventually

but whenever you leave to skate, will always remind you to "be careful" and "watch your movements carefully".

OH and random thought, he would buy you both skateboard keychains & phone charms !!

© shwoyo, all rights reserved

[sweet-evie]

Satoru & Suguru defending Shoko like…

I have so much brain rot about this, so hear me out and take the imagine/scenario... 😭

TW: Sexual harassment

This also may or may not be inspired by a recent real-life experience of mine where a bunch of guys harassed my friends and I at a bar, but thank God three gentlemen on the opposite table existed and were kind enough to tell the others off and walk us back to our car in the parking lot just to make sure we were safe.

✨ masterlist ✨

Shoko has scary dog privileges... Her "scary dogs" in question being Satoru and Suguru.

The trio had just finished their festival food.

Satoru wanders off to find shaved ice and some crepes, Suguru excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and Shoko willingly stays at their outdoor table, smoking her cigarette while keeping an eye on her friends’ things.

A guy approaches with ill intentions.

He’s hitting on Shoko, trying to engage her in conversation. At first, Shoko entertains him and participates in the casual talk, but when the guy invited her to come spend time with him and his friends (there were 5 other dudes standing not far away, grinning and hollering at their friend).

The guy hitting on Shoko is like, “I promise we’re cool.”

Shoko says ‘No.’ The guy was flirty about it at first, but when she expresses that she’s waiting for her friends, the guy keeps pushing and starts to try and touch her inappropriately. He tried to slide a hand around her waist and Shoko slaps his hand away. He pushes and pushes and leans closer and Shoko’s getting very uncomfortable, but she plays it cool.

Shoko is calm, collected, and plainly tells him something along the lines of, “You’re making me uncomfortable," "Please stop," "Thanks for inviting me, but I’m waiting for my friends. Nice talking to you.”

Unhappy, the guy explains that he’s going to lose a bet to his friends, and grabs Shoko’s arm. He’s manhandling her from the seat, pulling her up, ready to drag her towards his groupies. She struggles and tells him ‘No’ firmly.

People are starting to look…

Suguru is back, sees Shoko’s predicament, and acts immediately.

The guy looks older, a little bulkier, but Suguru isn’t fazed. He closes the gap in three strides, separates Shoko from the stranger and puts himself between her and him. He was just glaring menacingly at first, but the stranger is cocky and flashes a smile.

“This your girl or something?”

“No, she’s not. But even if she is, it’s none of your business. She told you ‘no.’”

Shoko is now just standing casually behind Suguru, taking another drag from her cigarette. There’s tension, and it looked like the stranger was raring for a fight. He’s sizing Suguru up. They’re about the same height… Maybe the other guy was four inches shorter. His friends are closing in now too, subtly.

Suguru looks calm as ever.

“What if we just took her and leave you for dead?” One of the guy’s friends pipes up, grinning and cracking his knuckles, rolling his neck. “Bring it on big boy, I got a black belt.”

He throws experimental aerial punches that look absolutely ridiculous.

Suguru looks dreadfully bored, but he’ll let them talk for the fun… well, until Satoru shows up anyway.

“Five against one, what do you say?” One of the other guys sneered.

Shoko snorts. “If only they knew. Can’t we just go?”

“Satoru should be back any minute now.” Suguru grinned.

“Having one of your other friends won’t save you.”

A guy throws a punch that Suguru effortlessly blocks, dodges, and counters against. It’s at this moment, Satoru shows up with small bags of kikufuku in hand, and he looks surprised for a second, before his face breaks into a shit-eating grin.

“I leave you alone for 5 minutes and you get into a fight.”

“Not like you would have stopped it.” Shoko deadpans. “And they were harassing me. Suguru stepped in before they could.”

“Huh…” Satoru dropped his bags on the table and sauntered up to the ongoing one-sided scuffle between Suguru and four other guys. 

It was a poor match-up. Suguru was alone, but the rest of the men were clearly outmatched. Tired of the bullshit, Satoru uses Amplification Blue to manipulate a pocket of space, pulling all the strangers away from Suguru, sending them crashing against each other. Disoriented, one of the guys get up and try to challenge them again, but Satoru steps up with hands in his pockets and slams his foot into the guy’s face.

Kinda like this...

He was trying to stand, but Satoru kicked him down before he could. One of them tried to touch him but failed (for obvious reasons)...

“That’s for harassing my friend. Can’t even defend yourselves against one guy." (He means Suguru) "You’re embarrassing.” He glowers at Shoko’s assailant over the rim of his glasses. “Think twice before trying to commit a crime, will you?”

SaShiSu, how I love you~ 💔

[eff4freddie]

After She Left | Five

Words: 6k

Preparations for Jackson's first ever prom are well underway, and even Ellie is helping out. As Jackson's only teacher it is, of course, your job to run the show and you'd be more than capable if one parent didn't keep distracting you.

Chapter warnings: Illusions to smut, slow burn, angsty memories of being a teenager, 'She' finally arrives. Minors DNI.

A/N: Ok, second act kicks off after this chapter. You'll get a glimpse of what that means now. Hope you enjoy!

Four | Series Masterlist | Six

Your dreams were changing. Used to waking with a chill, the echoes of loss and the face of your sister blurred in the grey clouds streaking across your dreamscape, you’d started to wake now with a warmth, a vein of light. You felt it on your skin like the first spring day out of a long, cold winter. You’d wake trying to grip its tail as it slipped from you.

The prom thing was your idea, and you only half regretted it. You’d had the idea when Isaiah had asked you what school for you was like, so fascinated by the before times, the kids trying hard to imagine classroom upon classroom filled with students all of the same age. You’d tried to explain that school wasn’t anything, really, that sometimes you didn’t even go because it was so boring, and they gawped at you, disbelieving. You felt a little sliver of shame at having wasted it, reminded yourself that was what you were supposed to do at age 14.

You’d mentioned prom, and there had been a ripple of interest throughout the room.

‘So, there was dancing? But it wasn’t the whole town, it was just you and your friends?’

‘Well, there were teachers and parents as chaperones, but…yeah, there were so many of us that it was just each grade. We got all dressed up, we had our picture taken, we had to choose dates.’

‘You went with a boy?’ Celina piped up from the front row, her nine-year-old face scandalised by the idea that you would willingly expose yourself to boy germs.

‘Yeah, well, some girls had boyfriends in their grade.’

‘Did you have a boyfriend?’ someone asked, the judgement almost silent, and you knew without looking that it was Ellie.

‘No, I didn’t. I had a crush on a boy, but it didn’t really…’

You remembered him, even now, an actual apocalypse not enough to erase the shame. You’d let your friends talk you into a promposal, standing in the bleachers as he ran track with an enormous sign that you’d spent far too many hours painting at your bestie’s kitchen table. It had heart-shaped glitter. You were especially proud of that detail.

You hadn’t realised that the entire track team would also see it, that you would need to specifically point him out in the crowd. Never had you imagined that he would dodge away from your finger, pretending to hide behind another boy, dodging your desire for him while his teammates laughed. It was enough to shrivel your heart into coal. You’re not sure you ever recovered.

You said none of that in your Jackson classroom. Instead, you focused on the decorations, that there was always a theme, that you heard the high school two towns over got Nelly Furtado to play live at theirs, but you weren’t convinced that was any more than an urban legend. They had no idea who Nelly Furtado was. You didn’t try to explain.

‘So can we have one?’ Mika asked, finally looking up from his comic book. You hadn’t thought he was paying attention.

‘A prom? Well, I’d have to talk to the town council.’

‘Tommy’s my uncle, I got an in,’ Ellie said, her face lighting up with the power of being connected, such nepotism so rare as the last vestiges of civilisation withered.

The kids grinned up at you, and you realised that maybe this was something they needed. Jackson already did Christmas, blew eggs, painted them with bees wax and dye from mashed beets and honey, and held a hunt on the first weekend of what the town council’s best guess was April. You could get the kids to decorate with paper flowers. It would be really cute to watch them decorate the mess hall, and there was probably some kind of educational value in it, too.

--

From his post, Joel watched Guillaume and Jonah, his new patrol partner, disappear into the treeline. He watched them, a little nugget of shame festering in the depths of his belly, but mostly – if he allowed himself to admit it – he was happy to have been moved to shifts on the wall. It meant he wasn’t back so late for Ellie, that he could be home to help with her homework or make her help him make dinner, and he didn’t feel so paranoid all the time when he could see the horizon. He didn’t mind the early starts, preferred the quiet up there, liked being able to turn and survey the town as much as the wilds outside it.

If he turned and leaned over a little, up on one foot on the top rung of the ladder, and leaned a little to the right he could make out the path heading up to the schoolhouse. When Billy asked him what he was doing, he explained he wanted to make sure his girl got to school OK. He generally, for the most part, broadly speaking, was referring to Ellie.

Tommy had been nice to enough not to give him shit for it, even after a bloody-nosed Guillaume took it upon himself to point out that Joel was a liability out there. Tommy had appeared on his doorstep the next morning, his brows crowding together, but Joel had spent most of the early morning on the wall, had imagined you lying in bed as he made sure to keep the nastiness away from you, and he was more ready than his little brother expected to hang up his boots.

‘M’getting older, Tommy, we talked about that,’ Joel reminded him, and Tommy nodded.

‘Still the best shot we got, and the best survivalist.’

‘Don’t mean I can’t advise if anyone asks it of me,’ he said. ‘S’not even that hard, just gotta keep your wits about ya.’ He thought for a long moment. ‘Maybe it’s gettin’ harder, now I think about it,’ he conceded.

‘Well, so long as you’re agreeable,’ Tommy said, shuffling awkwardly.

‘What would’ya have done if I wasn’t?’ Joel asked, a crooked grin forming on his face.

‘Would have taken you off patrol, but mighta felt a little bad about it,’ Tommy answered, earnest. Joel scoffed.

‘You’d pull rank, Town Councilman?’

‘Yes’sir, I would,’ Tommy said, no less earnest. Joel nodded at him.

‘Good,’ he affirmed, and saw the way Tommy expanded under the praise of his big brother. ‘You do what’s right for Jackson, always,’ Joel said, and Tommy agreed.

It was cold up there, though, the windchill on his face and his fingertips causing his whole body to tremor in his coat. It was Spring, but it was turning out to be a cold one, not a lot of warmth getting around the mountain. Joel shuffled his feet, trying to get the feeling back in his toes a little. He hadn’t brought his big coat, thinking the sun would be enough to keep him warm, but now that it was nearing the end of the day, the sun disappearing below the mountain ridge, he was counting every minute until he could clamber down and warm up.

He knew you’d be at his place already, working with Ellie at his kitchen table now that the heat had gone out of the day. He was going to try and make his beef stew tonight, had practically begged the kitchen staff to let him have a side of the meat. He hadn’t resorted to violence, but he would have.

He just wanted to thank you for everything you were doing for his daughter. Wanted to nourish your body the way you were nourishing her mind.

Billy called up to him from the bottom of the ladder. ‘Come on down, Joel, night shift’s here.’ Casting one last glance at the treeline, he vaulted down the ladder to rungs at a time.

--

You’d held a democratic process to determine the theme for the prom, but Ellie had dominated it anyway, either unfamiliar with, or just straight up unwilling to, compromise. As the day grew closer you gave up any pretence of tutoring her, working instead on cutting out yellow paper stars at Joel’s kitchen table.

‘Why does the moon change?’ Ellie asked, one day, and you’d paused for a second. You weren’t sure how bad FEDRA school was by the time she was in it, but that seemed fundamental.

‘Well, I mean, you know we’re a planet, right? That we’re like, a big round ball? Floating in the sky?’ Ellie levelled an impatient gaze at you, and you swallowed.

‘Do you think I’m an idiot?’ she asked, and you thought very hard and very fast.

‘I think you’re brilliant and FEDRA school is terrible,’ you said, diplomatically. She softened, her cheeks pinking up a little.

‘Can’t argue with you there,’ she said, quietly.

‘I mean, how much did they teach you about planets?’

‘Sweet fuck all,’ she said, plainly, and you wanted to tell her not to swear but she was in her own house, and it felt like the horse had bolted long ago in any case. ‘But I read about it as much as I can.’

‘The moon?’

‘All space… being that high up where nothing can, no-one up there who can…it’s just so cool. Were you alive when they landed on it?’

‘Ellie, that was the 60s,’ you complained, waiting for her to do the mental maths and wondering how old she thought you were, or if all adults were just ‘old’ to her, a kind of non-descript age in which you are both responsible for everything and also mere moments from shuffling off into death.

She stared at you blankly. ‘I wasn’t born for another like, twenty years,’ you said.

She nodded. ‘Oh.’

‘A lot of people didn’t even believe we really did land on the moon,’ you said. You picked up another piece of paper, your pile of stars nearly double the size of Ellie’s. She wasn’t being careful, her general distractedness was making her slow.

‘What? But wasn’t it on TV?’

‘Yes, it was, but they said it was faked.’ Her eyes blew wide at this, and you realised she was considering it. ‘Ellie, there’s no way it was faked. There are footprints up there that’ll be there forever.’

‘Guess we’ll never know, now,’ she said, quietly, and you suddenly wondered whether the space theme was such a good idea, after all, whether you were tormenting the kids with something they would never see, never have even the smallest chance to explore.’

‘Ellie…’ you said, but she wasn’t looking at you anymore, concentrating hard on her paper star.

‘It’s ok, it’ll be fun to pretend for the night,’ she said. ‘There’s a lot of pretending, won’t be too hard.’

You wanted to ask her what she meant, who she thought was pretending, but you heard heavy footsteps on the front porch and knew Joel was home. You felt your cheeks flush, your hands picking up a little tremble that make it hard to grip your scissors.

‘Hello, ladies,’ Joel said, and when you looked up, he was grinning at you both from the doorway, his hands criss-crossed over his chest as he leant on the frame. It was a domestic enough moment that you had to fight the impulse to go over to him and welcome him properly, into your arms. Ellie barely acknowledged him, because she was 14.

‘What are we making?’ he asked, picking up one of Ellie’s ‘stars’ and genuinely requiring clarification. You winced a little at it. Perhaps it could go towards the back.

‘Prom decorations,’ Ellie said, and she still seemed a little down. You watched her, carefully, trying to determine if she’d already lit her fuse.  

‘Oh, I won’t interrupt,’ Joel said, raising his hands, feeling something in the air. ‘You stayin’ to eat, Teach?’ he asked, and he hoped his voice didn’t make him sound too eager, didn’t give him away.

‘I don’t want to be a bother,’ you said, just like you always did.

‘Oh my God!’ Ellie sighed, throwing her star down in front of her and pushing her chair back. ‘Just say yes, you always end up staying anyway.’

‘Ellie!’ Joel barked at her, and she huffed, her shoulders so high they nearly touched her ears.

‘It’s true, you guys do all this polite bullshit and for what? Just say what you want and then you can get it. It’s not so hard.’

You looked over at Joel, who was staring at his likely hormonal teenager with a perplexed look on his face. You took a second to gather yourself.

‘I would love to stay for dinner, Joel, but one of these days I want you to let me cook for you both.’

Joel paused, considering this. Eyes still on Ellie, who was still quietly fuming, he nodded his head, once. ‘I would like that, Teach,’ he said, his careful tone that of every bewildered teenage-girl-Dad the world over. ‘Ellie, I want you to go wash up before dinner, then I want you to peel the carrots.’

She stood up, stomping to the washroom. You concentrated hard on the paper in your hands, hoping it was enough to stifle your smile.

‘I want to know what the fuck that was about,’ Joel said to you, but smiling.

‘I want to remind you there’s nothing worse than being a teenage girl,’ you replied.

--

You stood, wobbling on the end of a step ladder, hanging up the stars. Tommy found some string lights and put them up around the mess hall, and Johnny and his assembly of post-apocalyptic musicians set up in the corner. You and Tommy had already pushed all the tables back against the wall to make a dance floor. As you worked, he regaled you with his favourite memories of his own prom, most of which seemed to involve trying to get up the skirt of someone called Tammy Schmidt. She’d never let him anywhere near her, and you told Tommy to his face she was right to do it.

‘You would have been Tommy and Tammy,’ you said, and he started to giggle. Actually giggle.

‘That was the appeal!’ he said, sheepish. ‘I figured it sounded like those made-up celebrity names.’

‘Brangelina,’ you said, and he grinned.

‘Tomammy,’ he replied, and you rolled your eyes.

After everything was set up you went home to get dressed, pulling out a little black number foraged from the bottom of Maria’s wardrobe. She had complained she was never going to get back into it, and you had waved her off. It made you feel silly and out of place and pretty and ridiculous, and you liked the way it swished when you walked. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d swished anywhere. It felt so normal you weren’t sure you could trust it.

When you arrived back at the mess hall the lights had been dimmed, and Johnny and his band were starting to warm up. With the lights down and the paper streamers and stars you could forget for a moment it wasn’t a normal prom, a real one. You felt a surge of pride in your belly, looked around at the tangible good.

You heard the doors to the mess hall swing open, followed by shrieks and laughter and multiple sets of rapidly advancing feet.

‘Oh my god it’s so amazing!’ Mika said, his face illuminated by the warm glow of the string lights, of the smile stretching his cheeks.

‘This is cool,’ Dina said, quietly, up the back, and you grinned. Something in you, some teenage part of you, was quietly relieved.

More kids arrived, some trailed by their parents, and you busied yourself setting up the orange juice and cola station. The kitchen had done little sandwiches and finger food and you wanted to make sure the kids ate, worried you’d send them home on empty stomachs and sugar pinging through their veins. That their parents would never forgive you, and that they would be right.

As soon as the band started up you stepped back, letting the kids swarm the plates and start to dance. You wanted to join them but you also felt a pull back to the edge of the room, kept thinking you were seeing snatches of your sister in the half-light, of you as a girl. You weren’t sure what the feeling was, some kind of melancholic nostalgia, some kind of longing for something that didn’t make sense to you. You’d never even liked prom that much, had mostly just gone because everyone else was. But it was different seeing one from the other side: from the other side of adolescences, from the other side of the end of the world. It felt precious and sad and joyful, and you weren’t sure if you wanted to turn away from it or bottle it up and store it safe under the bed.

You kept wondering if this was what your 14-year-old self ever envisioned for herself, if she could have envisioned anything so apocalyptic at all.

The doors swung open again, and you exhaled the breath you didn’t realise you were holding when Ellie strode in, almost skipping, her face titled up to the ceiling to see all her decorations hanging in the rafters. ‘Holy shit!’ you heard her exclaim, and you cringed a little, trying to avoid the eyes of the parents. You would have to speak to her about that, eventually.

You turned to pour yourself a juice, the acid tingling at the back of your teeth, before you heard heavy footsteps behind you, even over the thrum of the music and of Ellie grabbing Mika and swinging him around the dancefloor.

‘Hey, Teach,’ Joel said, his baritone rumbling out from his chest. You suppressed a shiver.

‘Joel,’ you turned to him, allowing the surprise to show on your face. ‘What are you doing here?’ You were ignoring that he was standing in black suit pants and a white shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, maybe a size too big, you couldn’t be sure. He’d done his hair, or had made an attempt at it, maybe running water through it and in the humidity of the room it had started to curl. You were alarmed at how distinctly you wanted to lean forward and sink your teeth into his neck, to lave at the skin there, to feel his pulse with your tongue.

You swallowed, the juice catching in your throat and making you splutter. Suddenly Joel was beside you, an enormous warm hand between your shoulder blades as you fought, doubled over, for breath.

‘Easy, easy,’ he was saying, and you wanted to slam your eyes shut and imagine him whispering exactly that as he slid inside you, as he rocked into you and felt your cunt quiver around his length. Jesus Christ, you were going to spontaneously combust.

‘Sorry, went down the wrong hole,’ you said, fluttering your hand in front of your face in the hope it would ward him off somewhat. As you straightened, he let his hand slide down your spine and away just as he reached the small of your back, and you felt your spine arch towards where his touch had been.

Fucks sake, you needed to get it together. You were like some horny teenager at, well, prom.

‘Tommy had something he needed to do at home, something with the baby.’

‘Is he OK? Is Maria Ok?’

‘Yeah, they’re fine, the baby just has a sniffle and I believe Maria’s exact words were “you’re not going out there to watch teenagers marinate in their hormones while I sit at home being snotted on by your crotch fruit”.’

You gaped at him. ‘Maria did not say crotch fruit.’

‘Might have put my spin on that bit,’ Joel said, grinning.

For his part, Joel was watching your eyes so that he wouldn’t look down at your dress, a little black flitty number that came up to your knees and down close enough on your chest that when you leant over trying to get your breath he had to move away to resist the urge to stare at the swell of your breasts, instead coming to stand beside you and placing his hand on your back just to try and keep himself standing. You were so fuckin’ pretty, done your hair all up nice. He wanted to swivel you around, tuck you into his chest and nibble on the nape of your neck, put his nose in your hair and inhale as he flipped that silly little skirt over your rear, letting one hand wonder over your cheeks as he slid further down, cupping and probing, into the slick between your legs.

Christ on a cracker, he needed to get it together. He was behaving like Tommy at, well, prom.

‘Place looks great,’ he said, his voice slightly strangled. You gazed up at him, taking a second to comprehend his words.

‘Thanks, Ellie did amazing work with the stars,’ you said, and you knew he knew you were lying, and you also knew he was a good enough Dad that he was going to let you get away with it.

‘She certainly has her own style,’ Joel replied, eyeing one particularly wonky cutout you had strategically placed in a dark corner.

You turned to watch the kids dance, Ellie’s hair bouncing around her face as she twisted her hips, holding Mika’s hand as she did.

‘She’s really gravitated towards him,’ you commented, and you looked over at Joel just in time to see a cloud pass over his face.

‘He probably reminds her of…’ he said, but then he trailed off, recalibrated. ‘He’s a sweet kid, so it makes sense,’ he finished.

‘Oh, speaking of sweet, Billy loves having you on the wall,’ you said, smiling at him and watching him blush.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked, and you swore you could see genuine anxiety on his face.

‘Big Bad Joel Miller helping out? Billy getting to tell you what to do? He’s like a pig in shit.’

Joel could feel the heat on his cheeks and was powerless to stop it. ‘Big Bad Joel Miller,’ he echoed, feeling the words on his tongue, seeing how they tasted. ‘Not sure about that.’

‘You must know there are stories,’ you said, leaning into him a little, goading him a little, wanting to see if you could get him to crack and tell you something about himself.

‘Don’t pay any of that much mind,’ he said. ‘Don’t reckon any of ‘em are close to the truth.’

‘Well, no they can’t be,’ you agreed, quickly, feeling like the conversation was slipping from you and not really knowing why.

‘Not sure there are words for some of the shit I’ve…seen,’ he said, and he saw the shift in your face, the shock before you covered it, and he knew that he’d scared you a little, but there were things he didn’t want to talk about, shit that he’d had to do to get Ellie here, to get her to be able to forget the cost of it all. Big Bad Joel Miller. No one had any fucking clue.

He looked over at you, at the way you had sunk into yourself, and he cursed himself. You were too sweet, too warm, and he’d gone and thrown a wet rag on your fire. If you knew about him you wouldn’t want to be anywhere near him. He took a step back, too. You’d made him forget for a second, that he was no good to anyone. Especially not to someone like you.

You were lost in your thoughts, watching the kids again but not really seeing. It wasn’t even what Joel had said, although you felt the way he was pushing you away, and you went willingly. It was that as he spoke you realised, finally realised, what the feeling was that had been pulling at you all night.

You were fucking lonely. 14-year-old you might have been OK with the QZ stuff, with what you had to do to survive, with keeping your sister alive along as you could, with making sure her death meant something, even just until they cleared her body away. 14-year-old you might have even been OK with the teaching, although that would take some convincing. But the fact that you were alone, that you were nearing 40 and hadn’t ever really loved anyone other than your family, hadn’t ever really had anyone love you. OK, so you hadn’t married Jonathan Taylor Thomas, in the circumstances maybe for that you got a pass. But that you weren’t with anyone, that you had wanted love for yourself and never got it, that you had wanted to belong in that most specific way and you hadn’t, hadn’t ever really come home. 14-year-old you was screaming and howling and gnashing her teeth. You’d failed her, failed the both of you.

You were horrified to feel a tightness across your throat, the heat building behind your eyes. You needed to get away from all these people, needed to go and pity yourself in peace.

‘I just need some air,’ you said, barely above a whisper, pushing past Joel with your face turned away lest he see your eyes growing redder and wetter by the second.

‘Teach…’ he called after you, but you were gone, heading straight to the door, not seeing Ellie turn to follow Joel’s voice, to see you making a break for it, turning back to him with her hands in the air.

Joel felt his stomach drop, staring back at Ellie with panic written all over his face.

‘What did you do?’ she mouthed to him, and he shrugged, helpless. He’d pushed you away, had shut you down, had been rude and cruel and cold. But he had no idea how to mouth that to his teenage daughter across a dance floor. ‘GO AFTER HER’ Ellie whisper-screamed at him, and it jolted him, got his feet moving before he’d even given it another thought.

You were standing under the awning a couple of paces from the door, leaning on the railing and sucking in the chill of the air. You realised when you heard the door swing open that you’d cornered yourself, cursed yourself for getting all your years in the QZ.

‘Teach,’ he said, and you hung your head. ‘M’sorry, I didn’t mean to…’

‘Wasn’t you, wasn’t that, I just…I needed to breathe for a second.’

Joel paused, watching the way your shoulders rose and fell, sharp and insistent, as you gathered yourself.

He took a step forward towards you, saw the way you flinched and turned away, and stopped, deciding instead to sit on the steps, giving you space but not too much, distance but enough that he could reach out for you if you wanted him to.

‘I did a lot of things to get here,’ he said, after a while. The hair stood up on the back of your neck. ‘I ain’t ashamed of ‘em, I’d do ‘em all again to keep her safe, you understand?’ he asked, and you nodded, still with your back half-turned. ‘Never regretted getting her here, both of us, to safety and to family.’ You nodded again. You knew all of this, had lived all of this, but you didn’t stop him, couldn’t turn to look at him, just let him talk because you couldn’t think of a single thing to say. ‘What bothers me, Teach, is that Big Bad Joel Miller might be too old to do ‘em again.’

You felt a pull towards him, turned your body to peer at his face. He was staring down main street, avoiding looking at you, too.

‘What if I can’t keep her safe?’ he asked, almost to himself. You swallowed, moving towards him, sucked into his gravitational pull. As you sank down beside him on the step, he shuffled to make room for you, but you didn’t want distance, leaning further over so that your shoulders touched. He was so warm even in the chill of the night. You wanted him to take your hands and blow warm breath onto them, smile and put them on his chest to warm them even though the cold of your skin stung him.

‘She’s so capable, Joel,’ you said. ‘You did that. She’ll keep herself safe, soon.’

‘She’s just a kid,’ Joel said, but he wasn’t attacking, just stating a fact.

‘I wasn’t much older on outbreak day,’ you said, simply.

‘Lotsa girls her age weren’t so lucky,’ he replied, quiet.

Blood smattered all over a pink and purple tee-shirt. Curls caked in blood and mud. He swallowed.

‘I know that,’ you said, after a while. Joel watched your face. He saw that it was true, that you knew.

‘S’what was it, if it wasn’t me being so rude to ya?’ he asked, after a long silence that would have made his bones itch if he’d been sharing it with anyone else but you. You shied away a little, and he watched as you started to recede. ‘Hey,’ he said, reprising the conversation from the night at the kitchen table. ‘I want you to tell me what’s up,’ he said, and you smiled, faintly, recognising what he was doing.

‘Prom, I guess. Memories. I don’t know.’ You paused, tried to form the words. ‘It’s all about promise, isn’t it, being a kid and being in high school and doing all of these…rites of passages. There’s an assumption about how things will go. We all make ‘em, made ‘em. Guess it’s hard when they didn’t come true.’

Joel nodded. He wanted to pull you into his lap and rock you, gentle and soft in the night, feel your warm breath on his neck as you pushed your fingertips through the buttonholes of his shirt.

‘Most of the time I’m OK,’ you went on, trying to repair it, slink back under your shell, your slimy snail body suddenly exposed to the elements.

‘Everyone’s OK til they ain’t.’ Joel said. He turned to look at you, swivelled his body to yours so that your knees rested against his. His eyes were so deep and dark in the streetlights, his brows saddled as he petitioned you. ‘I don’t mind it, Teach. You can be all of it with me.’

You felt your heart gallop in your chest, heat suddenly in your belly.

‘So can you, Big Bad Joel Miller,’ you told him, smiling but earnest, wanting him to believe it was true. ‘I’ll take whatever you got,’ you said.

There was a moment, Joel knew, when he could pull back from it. That this was that moment, when he could turn away from you, could crack a joke or make some excuse to head back inside. Could get up and bolt for the gate, swing it open and face whatever demons were out in the darkness so as not to have to face his own. He knew this was the moment of no return, for him.

He looked down at your lips, painted red for prom and so soft, so plump. Your skin soft and glowing so gently in the light. How many more times was he going to have to resist you by porchlight? How many times could he?

‘Joel…’ you whispered, edging yourself closer to him, leaning in without even really thinking about it, watching him mirror you and Joel knew the moment had passed, that your little whimper of his name was branded on his chest, that he would parade it around town for you, would bare it to anyone who wanted to lay their claim.

Your hair was soft, so soft, in his palms as he pulled you into him, his lips crashing into yours, your mouth opening to welcome him, tongue dancing across his. He groaned, from deep down in his belly, for the want of it, for the way his tummy flipped at his first taste of you.

You were pretty sure you were dead. It was the only explanation. But if this was heaven then so fucking be it, because Joel was cupping your face in his hands, and his kiss was insistent and gentle and he was guiding you through it, teasing you open as you felt the hinge of your jaw creak under the pressure of your want for him. You weren’t sure you were breathing. You weren’t sure you cared.

He was pulling you closer, wrapping his arms around your back and pulling you into him, the weird angle meaning both sets of knees were in the way. You considered vaulting over the top of him, riding him on the steps of the mess hall while a bunch of teenagers supposedly under your charge danced under paper stars, but you had the wherewithal to hold back, to pry yourself from him, to lean your forehead on his and catch your breath.

Granted, you didn’t have a lot of experience. But you’d never had a kiss that felt like that.

‘Teach,’ Joel said, so quiet and just for you, and you could hear that he was out of breath, that his chest was heaving, that he was fighting it back just as hard as you. He lifted his head and gazed at you, the look of naked desire on his face such that you wanted it to be photographed, painted, hung in a gallery and studied by future generations.

Then, alarms. And yes, you thought, that felt about right. Everything had just shifted off its axis, after all, it made sense that the universe was now screaming.

Except it sounded weirdly familiar. Kind of like the one that you pulled when there was a problem at the gate.

You turned your head down main street as you saw the flood lights come on. You were up, Joel just behind you, as you and your little swishy dress headed towards it, front doors ripping open around you, men and women pulling on jackets over their pyjamas, arming themselves for war.

‘State your business!’ you heard Billy yell from the top of the gate, his rifle trained at a hard angle just beneath him. Jesus, they were close, you realised. Nearly right up on the iron.

You couldn’t hear the reply, vaulting up the ladder without thinking, without a weapon, leaving Joel to defend the gate.

‘State your business!’ Billy called again, and you came up beside him, peeping over the edge to report back on what you could see. There were three of them, that you could see from here. You scanned the treeline, the floodlights turning the trees into fingers scratching harsh at the night sky.

‘Where they come from, Billy?’ you asked, and he gestured with his head over to the right. You picked up the binoculars and scanned.

‘Can’t see any others,’ you reported back, going to the other side and holding up three fingers to the crowd.

‘We’re just passing through,’ the man called back, ‘saw your lights and thought…we’re injured.’

‘Injured how?’ Billy called. You could hear murmuring beneath you, a plan being hatched.

‘One of us is a woman. We were ambushed. They took everything we have, nearly took her but she got away.’

You peered down over the gate, could see that a woman was indeed holding her arm in a sling, her face pale. She was wavering, like she was ready to collapse.

You heard footsteps on the ladder, felt it sway the wall as Tommy appeared beside you.

‘Whatdya reckon?’ he asked you, his eyes focussed but his breath coming in short and fast.

‘They’re telling the truth so far,’ you said, ‘best I can tell.’

You stepped out of the way, Tommy taking your place at the wall while Billy stayed fixed, his gun unwavering from the strangers.

You heard a gasp, a kind of choking shock. ‘No fucking way,’ Tommy said, and you peered over his shoulder again, trying to figure out what he could see. ‘Shauna?’ he called down, the woman’s face snapping up to him, a shaky hand covering her eyes to make him out.

‘Tommy?’ she asked, as though she was dead and found herself at the gates of heaven, surprisingly less gilded than expected. You swallowed, saw Billy’s hold on the gun waver.

‘Open the gates!’ Tommy called, before turning back to the strangers. ‘Hands up and come forward slowly, I’ll meet you there.’

‘Who is that, Tommy?’ you asked him, grabbing at him as he made to hurry past.

‘It’s Shauna,’ he said, his face pale and disbelieving. ‘Where’s Joel?’

‘Who the fuck is Shauna?’ you asked, every nerve ending screaming.

‘She’s Sarah’s mom,’ he said, before he disappeared down the ladder, calling for Joel as he went.

‘Who the fuck is Sarah?’ Billy said to you, his gun lowered but eyeballing the group all the same.

You had no idea.

Taglist (let me know if you want to be on it)

@harriedandharassed

@vickie5446

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[uplatterme]

Two for the price of one.

—sub!aether/dom!reader, amab!reader, traveler!aether/reader, abyssprince!aether/reader | blowjobs, praise, overstim, cockwarming, rimming, fingering, 3P, vouyerism

—do not ask me anything about this omg

It was chaos when you returned from your mission.

The abyss members were all shriveling, scared that hell would be upon them once the prince snapped. It only stopped when you, his right-hand, scolded them for acting so childishly.

“What exactly is the problem here?” You questioned. You were already tired since you just came back and this is what you have to deal with?

You sighed, walking to where Aether usually would be at this time of day.

When you first see him after all those weeks of being apart, you couldn’t help the smile on your face.

“Your highness, I’ve returned.” 

When your voice reached him, he visibly flinched.

Flinched? Why would the prince flinch from your presence? Did you do something that he disliked?

“Welcome back, how did your mission go?”

Hm. Were you imagining it?

“Everything went just as you planned. The area was littered with Fatui but It’s nothing I couldn’t handle.” You informed.

“Did you get hurt?”

Alright, this was really strange. You’re starting to think that how the other members reacted wasn’t an overreaction.

It’s not that Aether didn’t care for you. He always did. However, it’s been years ever since he’s asked that question. You and him trusted each other enough to the point that such questions weren’t needed even if it came to the most dangerous tasks.

“I’m fine.”

“Good.” He said with the same stern voice.

Perhaps, it was you being delusional again.

At first, the nicer change in attitude was a welcomed one. After all, you liked whenever Aether showed this side of him. A remnant of who he previously was, or still is. It’s just been mostly overshadowed by the…threatening glares that the members of the abyss would cower to.

The prince smiled at you as he called for your name. Your heart felt like it was struck by multiple cupid arrows. You were ready to ascend to heaven now. It was rare to see him smile like he did back then.

“Your highness,” You greeted back, bowing and kneeling in front of him.

An act that brought out an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Is there something wrong?” You asked.

“Nothing!” He quickly said, turning away his head.

“Did I…make a mistake when it came to my previous assignment?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that…” Aether responded, unsure of how to explain everything.

“So, what is it?”

He didn’t answer. He looked panicked. When was the last time the prince visibly showed his feelings rather than hiding them?

You got up from your knees and went closer to Aether, leaning down on him as he sat on his throne.

He didn’t push away, nor did he act first.

You used this as an opportunity and closed the gap between your lips. You could see Aether’s surprise as that happened. 

You and Aether’s relationship was quite hard to describe. Back then, he wouldn’t have hesitated to call you his partner.

Now, you were only his most trusted. 

Just a right-hand. Even if you two spent nights together on his bed, even if you two sneaked in kisses between meetings, even if you said “I love you” to him while he never responded.

It wasn’t enough.

You’d been so focused on thinking that you forgot the person below you who was currently starting to struggle to breathe as your lips pressed deeper onto him.

His face was just like him. Even his tongue tasted the same way.

Your hand found its place on his cheek as you caressed it. So soft.

Who was he? Where did your prince go while you were gone?

When Aether willingly got on his knees to serve you, there was no doubt in your mind that this wasn’t the man you’d been with for years.

His small mouth took you in as much as he could, licking the tip as he looked at you obediently. You played with the strands on his head, mesmerized by that look on his face.

And perhaps it was rude, but definitely not unwelcomed, when you shoved further inside his throat without any warning. Tears slipped out of his ducts with a pained cry.

He looked so drunk, not even any hesitation when you’d done that. Almost as if he trusted you that you wouldn’t hurt him or do anything that he would have disliked.

“What a good boy,” You praised. “My prince would never do such a thing, you know?”

He looked up at you, probably thinking about how his whole cover was blown away.

“Well, he did. It’s just different nowadays.”

You grabbed the hair on his head and basically used his head as if it was an object, going at your own pace as your cock slid inside of him.

He didn’t argue with you. This person let you do all of this with a loving look on his face.

“You’d probably swallow if I cum inside your throat, huh?” 

He nodded without hesitation. You didn’t get it at all.

“Take it then, you whore.”

As your cum battered his throat, he swallowed it all just like he said he would. The whole situation was strange. You were fucking some stranger and he was overly submissive without even needing to do any kind of work.

You pulled his head away. You needed answers, now.

“Where’s the prince? What did you do to him?” 

He smiled, too aroused with the way you treated him. His cock was visibly throbbing through his pants as he replied to you with a hoarse voice, his throat hurting from you.

“A-Away…He said he needed a break.”

“A break…and who are you exactly?” 

He blushed and turned his head away.

“Aether.”

When he explained everything, you nearly stabbed him with your sword.

An outlander who’s an alternate version of your prince, who is apparently resting inside of a teapot. You thought he was mocking your intelligence at first for making such an excuse.

But when he showed you a floating teapot which transported you inside of another dimension, you were stunned, to say the least.

“It took you a while.” Your Aether greets you, setting down a book that you were not familiar with.

“I didn’t want to doubt you.”

“You trust me too much.” He said as he looked at you, seeing the troubled expression you had. “I missed you too.”

You clenched your fists. “You left without a word. I almost killed that clone once he admitted to your disappearance. You never even waited until I got back. It’s like you didn’t care.”

“He’s not a clone, and I did care. I do. I even asked him to ask if you were hurt in any sort of way. I would have come back if you even had a slight cut on your finger.”

Your heart ached. Why was he being honest now? Why just now and not all those other times when you needed him to be?

“I hate you.”

Those words seem to hurt him even if he knew how untrue it was.

“I love you too.”

“You can’t say that after all those years of ignoring me when I said it!” It hurts you to yell at him. You never liked arguing with him in any sort of way. Still, it had to happen at some point. Maybe, that time was now.

“I didn’t deserve to have it said to me. After all that I’ve done, you stayed with me. Even Dainsleif left once he knew of the stupidity of my plans.”

“I’d follow you until the end of time. I promised you that, didn’t I?” You reminded him. Nothing would separate you two..

“It’s a stupid promise.” He said.

“And yet, I’ll still fulfill it.” You replied, wrapping your arms around his waist.

The Abyss Prince sighed and kissed you, you wanted to cry but you held it back. Finally, after all this time. He was back.

“So, who is that person back there? He better not be a triplet.” You questioned.

Aether laughed at your words. “No, no. He…got here accidentally. I’m still trying to put him back in his original timeline. Of course, I’d have to erase his memories of this. But, talking to him really made me look back on things that are important to me.”

“And that is?” You teased.

“You know the answer already so stop trying to force it out of me.” He said with a slight chuckle.

“By the way, is there a reason he seems so sheepish?” Aether asked.

“I—Well, we may have done something. Please don’t be mad.” You admitted.

Once you told the entirety of what happened, disappointment rose from his face. 

“You did what?”

“I-I was mad! I needed a release and well, he looked and acted so much like you used to!” You told him.

“And? Was he better?” 

“That’s not the fact that you should be worried about!” You shouted again.

“So, he is better, huh? I get it, he’s younger.,.” He grinned, acting hurt about the whole situation.

“No! Stop putting words in my mouth! Besides, it’s been a while since you’ve ever…you know…” You countered. It was nice talking to him so honestly like this.

“Would you let me then?”

You’d never thought you’d be faced with your prince looking so hungry for your cock as another version of himself stood by the corner watching every move.

It’s not fair to compare the two at all. Especially since one is more experienced and knows every kind of thing you like.

“I missed this. Do you think everyone knows how much of a whorish mouth you have?” You questioned while Aether licked the side of your cock, wanting to put it inside of his mouth already.

“I bet everyone else wants to fuck this mouth instead whenever you scold them, huh?” You teased, his cheeks flaring up from your words.

“I only want you.” He said as his ass slightly shook due to impatience.

You smiled. “Good boy. Go on then, take your reward for being so patient.”

The outlander blushed as he stared at the prince taking you in one go. 

He knew exactly how to please you, looking up to you so needily as he took in your entire size. It’s been a while since you’ve done this and yet he still remembers your shape as if you’ve stuck your cock inside his throat for so long that it accommodated your shape.

“You’re doing so well, my prince.”

He visibly choked at your words of praise, he’s a sucker for that. He just needed to be told good things after all the times he’s suffered. And that, you would provide.

“My handsome and talented prince loves sucking my cock, huh? You want to drink my cum, dear?”

Aether nodded as he bobbed his head up and down, enjoying every single moment of it. He rolled his eyes back when he felt your shoe on his cock, stepping on it freely. His previous calm actions were now turning into more anxious ones.

His thighs shook against one another as you continued stepping on him, he’s getting distracted by your movements that he’s forgetting to breathe while your cock is inside of his throat. 

“Calm down. You want to please me, don’t you?”

He nodded again. “Then, relax. Let it all happen. I’m your right-hand, aren’t I? I’ll take good care of you, my prince.”

Aether whimpered, his moans vibrating against you.

Once you finally reached your peak, you didn’t hesitate to press even harder on Aether’s cock that his thighs quivered as he came. You spilled inside of him and he drank it without any complaint, slightly choking as he was too busy and was still on that high from cumming.

He removed his head with a satisfied breath. It was hard not to as it was obvious the two of you missed this for so long.

“Did I do good?”

“Of course. You always do.”

A cough interrupted the two’s longing look into each other’s eyes.

“Right.” Your Aether said as he urged the other to come towards you two.

“What are you…?” You uttered as he followed the prince’s order and walked until he reached the two of you.

“Please. Let me move…” Aether breathed out as your cock was lodged inside of him, it’s been minutes but you still haven’t given him permission.

“Stay still. You’re the one who wanted to include him.” You said as you returned to your tongue on the traveler’s rim.

“C-Can I touch it?” He said, his cheeks warm from the unusual sensation.

“No. What is it with you two being impatient?” You pointed out before taking your fingers and plunging them inside of him.

The traveler easily moaned as it spread through his walls.

Your prince watched in jealousy as the other got pleasured while all he could do was sit there aching for some kind of movement. He so badly wanted to move, but to go against your orders…He’d rather wait than be forced not to cum.

“Isn’t there a version of me in your world? What a shame, look at what you’re missing out.” Your fingers continued to press inside that nub of his, Aether struggling to sit on your chest as he’s forced to take every single thrust of your fingers.

“I-I don’t know…” He responded with a shaky voice, too distracted to even think straight.

“Hm? Well, better find them then.” You said as you give his shaft a lick that sent him trembling.

“Hnngghh…Please!”

“So weak, are you that close already?” Aether nodded as he sobbed, wiping away his tears.

The poor traveler could barely speak anymore, he wanted to cum so badly and here you were bullying him. How mean.

The prince watched intently, he was also waiting for that moment. Once he’s orgasmed, he can finally move. He’s so excited that he didn’t realize he was shifting on your legs, not that you minded much.

“H-Haah~ C-Cumming! I-I can’t!” Aether limped and would have fallen down if it weren’t for you holding him. He came a lot, and his cum tasted just like your Aether’s. It was fascinating getting to fuck two Aethers at once.

“Look at me, hey…” Your prince pleaded for attention as his ass bounced up and down on your cock, sliding in from how stretched he was already from sitting on it for too long.

You gently laid down the traveler next to you, seemingly too tired that he let you move his body however you wanted.

“I’m looking, my prince. Show me how good you are, your highness.”

Aether’s whimpers grew louder and louder as he held onto the bed, continuing to ride you even as tears seeped through his eyes.

“F-Fuck—love love your cock soo much-!” He exclaimed, precum already leaking out of him.

Aether’s insides felt so good. His legs felt so weak already but he wouldn’t let that stop him. He wanted more, more of that pleasure.

It’s so rewarding seeing him act so dumb, incoherent noises coming out of his throat as he struggled to plunge your cock inside of him, his legs shaking so much as it hit deep, so deep inside of his.

“Y-You’re breaking me…Hnn!” He mewled, your cock visibly showing through that tiny waist of his.

“Is that so? But you’re the one bouncing up and down, aren’t you?”

“Yess…I want to be broken by your cock—Mmmf…so good!”

Aether continued in that trance, mindlessly moving his hips until he finally finished, collapsing onto your body as he breathed deeply, his heart about to jump out of his chest.

“You alright?” You asked with a grin on your face.

“Y-Yeah…”

You smiled as you changed positions, getting up and holding his legs up your shoulder.

“You can take more then.” You said, filling him up with one deep thrust.

“N-No! Wait! I-I—I’ll break!”

Aether’s eyes rolled back as you continued to savagely pounded inside him, his fingers grasping through the sheets of the bed, unable to resist as his insides gripped your cock unintentionally, making it even harder to keep his screams from leaking out.

[etrsilk]

Hi! Can you do the main four with a famous cook reader, ? Like she always cooks for them, always do delicious lunch box for them when they get away and when they meet she always brought pastries specially for them that she cooked herself. Have a nice day !

𝐖𝐖𝐖.𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓.𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

₊✩‧₊˚ ᡣ𐭩 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ⇝ 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙨: 𝘒𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘢,𝘎𝘰𝘯,𝘒𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘬𝘢,𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 — ✘

˗ˏˋ ➛ 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 — 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧

⎝ 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙚:: here is your request! I hope you like it and sorry for the wait ♡ and thank you for being so active on my account!! ヾ( ˃ᴗ˂ )◞ ♡

 —𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ Killua loves food, especially anything sweet. He frequently asks you to make homemade cakes or candies for him. He also often sends you recipes he finds in his recommendations, hoping you’ll try them out for him.

❀ Even if he doesn’t always show it willingly, he’s your dedicated assistant. When you cook, he’s always by your side to help, handing you ingredients and reading the recipe. He loves feeling involved in creating his favorite treats.

❀ Killua has made it a habit to rate your dishes on a scale of 1 to 10, even though he’s not an expert. He always tries his best to offer constructive feedback and suggestions, aiming to make you smile with his comments.

❀ He would never dare to tell you, but you literally make his day when you slip your homemade lunches into his bag before he heads to work, especially when you include little love notes. It reminds him of how much you care and makes his day much better.

❀ You always make sure that when he comes home from work, there’s something he loves waiting for him. Whether it’s a dish, a dessert, or even just some sweets, you ensure that he feels cherished and appreciated every moment.

 —𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐊𝐀ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ I have a headcanon that Kurapika deeply appreciates food and uses it as a way to de-stress. So, naturally, the fact that you are a pro in this area makes him incredibly happy!

❀ The first time he tasted one of your dishes, his eyes literally lit up. He said it was the best thing he had ever eaten, with a sincerity that warmed your heart.

❀ He loves being with you while you prepare your meals. Often, he just watches you with admiration, and sometimes, he stands behind you to give you a hug while observing your cooking, finding comfort in your presence and culinary skills.

❀ From time to time, you secretly slip lunches filled with his favorite foods into his bag, especially when you know his workday will be particularly tough. These thoughtful gestures warm his heart and help him face challenges with more ease.

 —𝐆𝐎𝐍ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ He asks a lot of questions, being very curious about what you’re preparing, how you’re going to do it, and why you choose that particular order… In short, he’s always eager to learn.

❀ When you cook, he’s constantly underfoot, eagerly waiting for you to appoint him as your assistant. He loves being involved and feels honored to help you.

❀ Somehow, you’ve managed to pass on your passion for cooking to him. It’s not uncommon for him to try cooking on his own, often in the hope of impressing you. Although he rarely succeeds, his enthusiasm and effort are absolutely endearing.

❀ Cooking has become a shared activity for the two of you. You carefully teach him the basics, while he puts all his concentration and motivation into mastering even the simplest dishes. It’s a moment of sharing and bonding that strengthens your relationship.

❀ You often slip homemade lunches into his bag when he goes off on adventures. He truly appreciates these gestures and finds them incredibly sweet. However, he often gets “robbed” by his friends who clamor for your precious and delicious food, which has gained quite a reputation.

 —𝐋𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎ꫂ ၴႅၴ

❀ I can easily see Leorio being an excellent cook. It’s not his main passion, but he certainly doesn’t dislike it. You’ve even had cooking competitions before. The premise is simple: you both cook the same dishes and have your friends decide which one is the best. Naturally, Leorio loses almost every time, which always brings a lot of laughter between you two.

❀ You often try to help him in the kitchen, but out of pride, he always pretends to know everything with a slightly arrogant tone. It’s endearing to see him trying to hide his need to learn.

❀ In reality, Leorio is very creative and innovative, perhaps even more than you. He always has the best ideas and advice to improve your recipes, adding a touch of originality that always surprises.

❀ He loves to brag about your reputation as a chef and constantly encourages you to open your own restaurant. He is your biggest supporter and firmly believes in your talent.

❀ When he wants you to prepare homemade lunches for him, he drops “subtle” hints, leaving little clues here and there. Each time you slip these meals into his bag, you brighten his day. His eyes light up with gratitude, and he feels incredibly lucky to have you by his side.

—English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes!!

[antimatterz]

making them a flower crown

dan heng, gepard, seele, bronya, welt, blade x gn!reader

how they react when you make them a flower crown! pure fluff and maybe some humor, no further warnings apply.

content under the cut | masterlist

dan heng

dan heng already has his suspicions when he sees you tying the small daisies together into a string. he knows you; you're definitely going to persuade him to put it on top of his head. and indeed, he's going to say yes because he can't say no to you. he even lowers his head for you when you want to put it on his head, only to look up awkwardly afterward. but when you literally coo at the sight, he's loosen up a little, though he keeps his stoic face. "aww, you're so cute!" you tell him, and to that he would slightly blush (which he tries but fails to hide). he looks super adorable with a crown of tiny white flowers atop his head so you're probably going to make one for him more often hehe.

gepard landau

at first he does not want that thing on his head. as much as he adores your enthusiasm, he just doesn't want to ɓe seen by his subordinates with a flower crown. what if they would laugh at him, and never take him seriously ever again? but worry not, when you show it to him with a big smile, you somehow manage to convince him to put it on. made freshly out of the first flowers that bloomed after the eternal freeze, you present him a crown of the prettiest flowers and he just can't say no anymore. to see such a tough captain with a tiny little flower crown is endearing, especially when he blushes furiously. sadly you can't convince him to let you take a picture, as he rapidly takes it off and puts it on your head instead.

seele

flowers quickly wither away in the underworld, if they even grow at all. so when she's in the overworld with you, she's greatly impressed by the beauty of them. that's why you decide to make her a flower crown out of the prettiest ones you manage to find. as you gather the flowers, she simply thinks you're making her a small bouquet, so she gets a little confused when you tie the strings together. but as you show her the completed flower crown and reach out to put it atop her head, she'll flash you an uncharacteristically wide smile. she'll happily let you put it on her head and even strikes a pose when you ask her if it's okay to take a picture of her. she doesn't take it off as you continue to walk around!

bronya rand

it is a rare occasion for lady bronya to have a free moment to spare, and she chooses to spend a lot of free time with you. as the eternal freeze is over, the private gardens behind fort qlipoth bloom again. the two of you are often here, hidden away from the public's prying eye. at some point the flowers inspire you, and you skillfully tie them together into a small and colorful crown. bronya's toughness is basically an act, and the proof is when she lowers her head with a smile, allowing you to place to flower crown on her head. she looks really adorable with it, and willingly grabs her phone to take a picture of herself because she finds the crown super pretty. much like seele, she doesn't take it off, but proudly wears it.

welt yang

don't tell pom-pom, but you actually made the flower crown from flowers you picked from a vase in the astral express. it turned out pretty, though, so it's worth the risk! you surprise welt with it when he returns to the train, holding it in front of him with a wide smile. albeit a bit awkwardly, he lets you put it on his head. he tries to keep his calm and collected attitude but can't help the soft smile that spreads across his face as you smile widely at him. he's a little flustered when you coo over him but you can't help it! it's not often that you get to see welt like this, so you gotta enjoy it. sadly he only keeps it on his head briefly, because he doesn't want anyone else to see it.

blade

here's the thing. blade might be the bad guy of the story so far, but as soon as he's around you, he totally drops the bad guy act and becomes an absolute softie. that's why it's not so hard to convince him to wear the flower crown you made for him. just imagine blade with a string of tiny colorful flowers on his head, you can't help but pinch his cheeks and bust an uwu. you're well aware of his occupation, but his actions are temporarily forgiven and forgotten as he looks so cute. also he doesn't give a sh*t about what others think, and is totally unbothered as he walks around with the tiara of flowers on his head – and he will swiftly ignore kafka's teasing. he does it for you, because you seem to like it.

[enzoarweq]

(im talking about the characters q!, not the cc!)

imo no one else seems to understand the landduo/foolhalo relationship is much much deeper than "he's a friend who annoys me and i love to annoy him" or "they are secretly in love" in fact i might be as bold as to say NO ONE does till this day. which is pretty funny how they understand and notice the littlest things about each other but no one can see their deep bond despite that... tho to be fair Bad has said multiple times that he praises Foolish till high heaven from his skills, smarts, to his good looks but he would never ever admit it or say it to his face. (he RARELY does actually so when it happens, we all cheer and die) same for foolish.

Jaiden, who is probably one of the closest to Foolish rn said recently no one else takes Foolish srsly or that they are like outcasts of the island or that no one cares for Leo (para). and im like um theres literally Bad who cares a lot for Foolish and Leo. and has said multiple times that he is much more intelligent than ppl have granted him to be (but ofc she doesn't know, she doesn't know the early moments where they would hang out together almost all the time, constant banter, she doesn't know of THE convo where Bad literally for his advice and was treating and talking to him like two gamemasters in equal footing talking about the games they will play, she doesn't know should anything happen to Bad, he left Dapper in Foolish's care, Foolish constantly leaves Leo in Bad's care, she doesn't know that Leo loves and adores his Tio Bad, she doesn't know a lot of their "true hidden" relationship/sides, she doesn't know how easy Foolish can read Bad like an open book like that mine roulette game which i think she participated but not when both bad and foolish were playing iirc etc etc) not to mention theres also Roier who cares a lot for Leo and vice versa and constantly thinks about her (but this post about foolhalo so i digress)

There was also that moment with Bagi and Tubbo where they were like go ahead and cage Foolish or smtg. like daring Bad to do it. Bad was like aww thats no fun, its boring (cuz yk theres no song and dance, theres no arguing back n forth, it was just that). so when foolish shows up and bad was like hey could u step in ig *shrugs* Foolish was like urgh ok ig. I still remember Bagi's and Tubbos reaction, they were like mildly surprised. like ok what now. Bagi then said to Foolish, hey Bad is insane. Foolish then replied, yeah i fcking knew that already (in a so what tone) and again, Bagi seemed slightly taken aback. Tubbo then went on a rant about them being in love or smtg idk.

or the time when Bad would make a torture chamber for Foolish which he willingly went along cuz why not. and ppl were making angst about it as if Foolish didn't just walk into the torture chamber willingly to play a fun torture game with Bad smh.

also the time when Foolish was hiding his hurt over Leo's absence but Bad knew deep inside he feels deeply. that time where Foolish will run away from everyone else when confronted about his feelings but finally stood silently besides Bad in comfort, instead of a hug. (wasn't Jaiden there for that?)

--

theres soooo many foolhalo landduo moments where so many fans just blatantly ignore, like they have selective memory. genuinely confuses me everytime, like are we even watching the same POV.

theres also a lot of moments where ppl were gen mad at bad for the pranks n shit, like its 2023 ppl, we've been thru with this already in dsmp, do better pls. (ik them be new fans but still urgh)

[divinemare]

Legend of a Mortal Love

┊ ➶ rhys x oc

┊ ➶ part eight

part seven

Rhysand walked into his father’s office with his back so tightly straight his muscles ached. He rarely stepped a foot on there if it wasn’t ordered by his father, for anything, ever.

Maybe because he always feared he would be unfortunate enough to encounter a deeply uncomfortable scene that involved his father and a slave, or slaves. Or maybe because every time Rhysand looked at his father’s eyes, the ones that resembled so much like his own, he saw nothing but disappointment in them.

Or both, really, he just liked to think the first one was the most accurate because it felt way much better than admitting to himself the throat-closing feeling of failure faced by his progenitor.

“I don’t think we had anything scheduled, son,” Rhett did not looked up from the documents he was looking at when his son entered.

Rhysand sent a silent grateful prayer to the Mother that he didn’t encounter any traumatic scene.

“We didn’t,” he answered, keeping his voice even and calm.

“Then you came to visit your father willingly? What a surprise,” the male laughed so coldly Rhysand’s back shivered, but he didn’t make a move to show that.

“I want to take a slave with me to Illyria, if that’s ok with you,” the word tasted bitter in his tongue, something that made him irk every time he even heard it. But now, referring to Ariadne as a slave…

Because she was one. He reminded himself. Ariadne was a slave. And if his father so much as suspected that Rhys considered her anything but…

The thought alone was enough to send a cold tug at his heart.

The High Lord finally turned around to look at him, his thick black eyebrows raised with amusement, while Rhysand did everything to keep his expression completely unbothered.

“A slave, huh? I did not know you fancied human girls, son,” the wicked grin his father gave him made Rhysand’s entire body shiver with disgust, but he did not let the sentiment slip into his expression as much as it was beating in his heart.

He forced himself to return the smile, lowering his head if only for a moment to nod to his father, and to not look at him for a second in order to gain back his calm.

“Then do as you please, my boy, she’s your slave, after all, there isn’t much she can say or do in protest,” Rhett walked to his son and put a big, calloused hand in his shoulder, giving small pats that made Rhysand’s skin burn and his disgust only to increase.

“Thank you, father, I’ll be leaving to Illyria first thing in the morning.”

The High Lord dismissed him with a shrug of his hand and a mumble of something like a goodbye, while not even looking back at him as he went back to the documents he had been staring at before Rhys arrived.

Rhysand didn’t waste another second in getting out of that room, his entire body felt dirty, he felt dirty, wrong.

All while Ariadne’s eyes never stoped burning feelings of shame in his mind.

Just how easy that human girl could alter him, that without even her present, with only the mere mention of her, his heart and mind both reacted against all of Rhysand’s protest.

༺ ♡ ༻

Both Ariadne and Tara were picking up their things as they finished the day with a successful work. They hadn’t spoken in all day, not even Ariadne had said a word yet, and had even focused entirely on the job without drifting away in her own thoughts.

But that was only because both knew what was coming, what inevitably would happen tomorrow, because earlier on that day, Rhysand had come to tell her first thing in the morning that they’ll be leaving the Moonstone Palace by tomorrow morning.

The reality of it all only settled in now, for both of them.

But the silence was killing her, her thoughts were consuming her, and not in the way they usually did, but rather intrusively

“Say something, please,” Ariadne said with a heavy sigh to her friend as soon as they both were entering the slaves quarters of the palace.

Tara stoped walking and so did she, for a moment, neither said anything, and Ariadne was growing nervous of all the silence.

Then, so unexpectedly that it took her a moment to register what was going on, Tara threw her arms around her, bringing her close. Ariadne didn’t move an inch at first, Tara had never hugged her before, they had never shared a moment like this before, a moment that felt so intimate, so close, so meaningful.

Neither said anything, they only kept each other close for as long as they could, because what they were to each other, what they had meant to each other over the last years, it meant more than anything, they had kept each other alive in more than one way.

They had become the closest thing both had of a family, and the worst thing is that they only really realized it when they were being pulled apart.

After some time holding onto each other, it was Tara who let go first, her eyes were glazed with tears but none of them ever reached the outside, she tried to smile softly to Ariadne, and took her hand to continue walking before a guard came.

“Come on, let this be your last awful meal here.”

༺ ♡ ༻

Ariadne couldn’t even blink an eye the whole night. Anxiety creeping up and replacing any tiredness she might have felt.

So exhaustion naturally followed the next morning when she had to wake up for the day. As if all the events that were to take place weren’t enough already.

Her hands were abnormally shaky as she walked through the halls of the Moonstone Palace being escorted by two guards. She had no idea where they were taking her, they hadn’t said a thing besides “come with us” when they had come to get her at the slaves quarter that morning.

She already knew, though, what would be waiting for her at the end of that hall, who would be waiting for her.

“Gentlemen,” Rhysand’s graceful voice made her entire body freeze suddenly, every hair in her body stood on end, and her heart started beating so fast her cheeks turned red at the embarrassment of knowing the High Fae around her could probably hear it. “Thank you, you may go,” he finally dispatched the guards after a long, agonizing moment of him just staring at her.

Ariadne couldn’t still raise her eyes to him.

She only heard the guards leaving, didn’t take her eyes off the floor. After some seconds that seemed like whole minutes, when the steps of the guard faded in the distance, she heard Rhysand clear his throat, and a slight tug of curiosity made her raise her head even just a little, enough for her to catch a glance of his completely black outfit, and those gorgeous, hypnotizing wings.

“Are you…uhm…” Ariadne didn’t need to look up at him to know he was failing to find his words, which, in truth, did amused her ever so slightly.

The male that always seemed to have a sneaky comment, a witty remark for everything.

“Are you ready?” He finally asked with a sigh.

Ariadne lifted her head, then, showing her troubling, untrusting eyes to the male for the first time. She saw him take a deep breath the moment they met eyes, saw his shoulders roll back and his wings tend behind his back. His eyes roamed her face in a way that made her feel exposed, almost as if he could read her mind, her thoughts.

But wait, he could read her mind.

That only increased her nervousness, Rhysand was the last person she wanted roaming in her mind, especially since most of her thoughts had been lately consumed by this confusing male. He seemed to have read her concerns, for he broke the eye contact, lowering his head for a moment, and smiling in a way Ariadne could see a side of him that did not stopped surprising her; that kindness, that understanding and compassion, not pity, but seemingly genuine compassion.

“You’re gonna be ok, Ariadne, I gave you my word, trust me.”

His word. But what did that really meant? Ariadne’s first principal ever taught by her family, in fact, every human’s first principal, was to never trust a High Fae, ever. But then here she was, putting whatever trust meant in not only a High Fae male, but the Heir of the Night Court.

If her mother were alive, Ariadne would’ve killed her of a heart attack by now.

“I don’t know what trust is supposed to mean,” she admitted with a sigh, fidgeting with the hem of her dirty clothes, but when she looked up again, she found the sweet, understanding smile of Rhysand looking back at her.

“Then let me show you,” he extended a big, tanned hand towards her.

A final offering, a final choice, as he liked to call it.

She could turn around right now, forget all of this, go back to her normal life only daydreaming about a future without chains. Or, she could take her chances with him, let him take her somewhere far away from this haunted place, where she lost everything she once ever loved, including herself.

Her hand was already raising before she even realized it, and once she felt the soft skin of Rhysand’s hand compared with her calloused one, she lifted once again his gaze at him, finding two starstruck violet eyes shining right back at her.

[midmourn]

drivers license

title drivers license

pairing huang renjun x gender neutral!reader

summary you don’t know how he can be so okay when you’re not.

warnings angst, post break up

word count 1308

“I hate him, but I miss him. How is that even possible?” You murmur into Karina’s shoulder, the dark haired girl frowning in sympathy as she wrapped her arms around you. A cold breeze flew through the air, making you shiver and Karina held you tighter, as if she was the only thing holding you together.

“Love sucks,” is all she had to offer. The two of you have already gone through this so much throughout the last month since you and Renjun broke up. She didn’t know how someone could love and miss and hate the same person all at once. You talked even more about the boy than you did when you were still dating. She thought it was bad enough back then, now she missed that time more than ever. She never thought she would.

“I wish …” You sniffed, feeling tears sting at your eyes. No, you weren’t going to cry. Not again. “I wish I never met him.”

Karina didn’t say anything. She was too distracted by the fact that the bane of your existence and the object of your desires all at once walked in, a familiar blonde girl walking in front of him. You heard her inhale sharply, pulling you away and grabbing your face in her hands. You frowned, looking at her in confusion as tears gathered in the corner of your eyes.

“Let’s go to a Rage Room,” she smiled, desperately trying to keep your eyes on her. She always did. “Get all our anger out there.” She then added, “Legally.”

Despite the tears, you laughed and wiped under your eyes, “OK. Let’s go.”

Karina didn’t tell you that Renjun was there, or that his eyes followed you out of the diner. She was terrible for it; but she couldn’t let him hurt you again.

After finally getting your driver’s license, you willingly drove everywhere. More often than not, you were out and about instead of wallowing in your room. Your friends would ask for rides in an attempt to distract you, but very rarely would it work. Especially when you always somehow found yourself driving through the same streets you once went to almost every other day. But instead, you weren’t the one driving back then— Renjun was.

The car slowed down as you drove past a familiar home, and you found yourself searching through the windows and yard for even a glance of Renjun. When you did, you regretted it immediately.

At the side of the house, Renjun wore swim trunks and held a pool floatie in his hand, looking behind him. Your heart soared at the sight of him in betrayal, before it dropped when you saw what he was looking at.

As soon as you saw the familiar, long, blonde hair, your foot pressed down on the gas and sped away from the house. Tears blurred your vision, blinking repeatedly to get them out as you could see as you drove. You hope he didn’t know what car you drove. You knew he didn’t.

How could he be so OK after you were gone? Did he never actually care? If he did care, he wouldn’t still be hanging out with the girl that broke the two of you up.

Your lips trembled, blinking furiously as your chest rose up and down at a pace that was concerning. A broken sob ripped out of your chest, making you immediately pull to the side of the road and park your car.

“Oh, come on, just show me!” You laughed, not understanding why Renjun was so worried for you to see the notebook in his hands.

“No! It’s embarrassing,” Renjun laughed in embarrassment, clutching his notebook to his chest tightly.

“Do you think I’ll laugh?” You tilted your head, looking at him with a soft smile. You then understood it was a vulnerable moment for him. “I won’t. I love everything you do.”

Renjun stared at you for a moment before relenting, slowly placing the notebook on the table, “OK, but … If you hate it, don’t tell me. Just pretend you like it.”

“No need to pretend,” you grin, sliding the notebook to your side of the table and flicking through it until you got to the last page that was written on. Your eyes carefully read through the lyrics, spotting your name with hearts decorated around it adorably on top. You swore your heart stopped beating for a moment before it rapidly increased in beats. When you finished, your face was blank and you didn’t say anything for a moment.

He sighed, throwing his head back as he closed his eyes in embarrassment and dread, “See, I knew you’d hate it. Why do you never listen to me—” He whined cutely, trying to change the topic so you two never had to speak about the damn song again.

“Shut up,” you cut him off, reaching over the table to grip his cheeks lightly, making him stare you in the eyes. “Huang Renjun, I love you. I love this song. And …” Your grin grew bashful, “I want us to be together forever, too.”

Guess he didn’t mean that.

For the next thirty minutes, you sobbed and screamed in the driver's seat of your car. You were sure you looked like a mess to the other people in their cars, but you didn’t care. Not at the moment, anyway.

Your crying fit was interrupted when red and blue lights shone through the car. You hadn’t realized how quickly it got dark in the past thirty minutes. Cursing when you saw the police car parking behind you, you threw your head back in frustration. It didn’t matter if Renjun didn’t love you anymore, because your parents would kill you if you got a ticket this early into your driver’s license.

You rolled down your window as the officer walked up to the car, his flashlight shining at the car.

“Everything alright here?” The brown haired man asked, glancing around inside the car before looking outside the car.

Clearing your throat, you forgot you had been crying and your eyes and face were flushed red. Your swiped at your face almost discreetly, but you knew he saw. “Um, yeah, I’m fine, Officer. Sorry, just …” You paused, unsure how to go about this. Law enforcement made you nervous. “Got some bad news.”

He nodded slowly, your eyes glancing down to his badge to read JUNG on the name tag. “I’m sorry to hear that. Alright, well … It’s dangerous out at night around here, you should get on home.”

“Yes, sir, thank you,” you forced a smile, nodding. Officer Jung stared at you for a moment before nodding once and walking back to his car. You watched him start to leave, the red and blue lights blinding you momentarily.

For a moment, you swore you could see Renjun’s face in the lights. You blinked, and he was gone. You scoffed at yourself in disbelief after pausing in shock, shaking your head and turning your car on. Were you going crazy?

It wasn’t abnormal for you to see Renjun’s face in everything. You’d think you saw him across the room, and almost give yourself whiplash trying to find him. He was never there.

You exhaled, glancing around as you came up to the street that held Renjun’s favorite cat cafe. You stopped at the red light just before you’d turn, thinking. Did you really want to drive past the cafe? Knowing you’d just torture yourself by being reminded of all the memories.

When the light turned green, you did an illegal U-turn and ignored the furious honking behind you. You sped down the street, letting out a breath of relief once you were away from the street.

You’d just find another way to get home. Even if it was longer.

sour masterlist. main masterlist.

[dior-luxury]

twst reactions

~ pretending to flirt with a guy online ♡ crack / gn. reader

[c]  ࣪⋆་ ˖ .  ︶⏝︶⏝  ୨ ♡  ୧ ⏝︶⏝︶   . ˖ ་⋆ ࣪

-[i] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯     း   " Sorry if this sounds kind of rushed besties, time and stress is a thing sadly... o(TヘTo). But enjoy! ☆⌒(>。<)."  ͮ     𑄹

pairing] Idia, Ace, Kalim, Vil cw] . (g/c): game of your choice. عزيزي: ‘Dear’ in Arabic. Amoureuse: ‘Sweetheart’ in French.

Idia Shroud:

It´s no secret that he´s used to people being flirty over video games before since he even went through this before. It happens more in games that have voice chat.

He usually is right by your side when your playing video games, either playing two-player or co-op games is his favorite.

Idia tends to have a fiery side to him that is only available at 3 am or and has a vast range of emotions. It was curious how he rarely showed it, and why it piqued your interest so much.

You then decided to test if you could maybe unlock the side of him.

You quickly texted Idia that you wanted to hang out and chill... it has been 10 minutes and you were currently playing on the new Xbox he got as Idia was chilling on his bed looking at his phone.

Finally, you felt like this could be the right time to prank him!

You put on the headset as you felt Idia glance at you. Then you went to play (g/c). As you finally went into the lobby, you then smiled evilly as you fake laughed.

The sudden laugh caused you to look as you confused mixed with curiosity... ¨Y/N, who- what are you doing?¨ He said as he put his phone down to then walk over to you.

You felt a guilt bubble in your stomach as you gripped the controller tighter than before. You then brushed it off as you went back to (g/c).

A few more minutes went past as you kept this whole act going. Then later when your (g/c) ended, Idia looked at you annoyed. ¨Y/n-shi, you still have to tell me who your talking to.¨

Idia groaned as he looked at you dead in the eyes with your startled face.

Idia pouted as you looked at him with your smiling features holding in your laugh.

Ace Trappola:

Ace is generally kind of a clingy person in general so it would be kind of hard to prank him without him knowing or even being by your side 24/7.

Not to mention, Ace could probably read through your actions like a book (yet he can't read through emotions. so good luck.

The moment you ever pass through a sly comment when you're talking to "someone else". his head darts over to you.

"Y/N, who are you talking to~' He'd say in a cherry monotone, then his mood shortly changes when he hears obvious flirts come from your lips.

Ace isn't one to become territorial real fast, but that comment triggered something in his brain. He is quick to action, as he makes his way over to your frame on the floor.

Then he takes the headset off your head mid-speech, and he then speaks into the microphone himself. For there only to be no answer.

he rolls his eyes handing the headset back over to you.

"Ace it's a prank," You say as you let out a chuckle to yourself. But Ace only scoffs as he then begins to lay in your lap.

"I know."

Kalim Al-asim:

Kalim seems to be on the more chill and forgiving side of the whole jealousy scale. During situations like this on the other hand... he's internally panicking.

He can't believe what he's witnessing! You, the most lovely, loyal, and prettiest person; flirting with some random guy!

This poor guy wouldn't even try to find the context of what's going on, in front of his eyes too!

He sighs in defeat as he flops on the ground near you, "عزيزيwho are you talking to? :(". Kalim then begins to stare at you.

With only your confused eyes meeting his. "Sorry, what did you say?" You took your headphones off your head.

Kalim then pouts as he runs to back-hug you.

In case you actually were genuinely flirting with the guy online, he would never think you would willingly do that because, as I said, he loves you with every fiber in his body <3.

As he pulls you closer, you gently rest your head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Kalim, it's a prank :(".

He sighs, "I couldn't believe that you were 'flirting' with random guys online! What if he was serious? What if he wanted to take you out? Or get you to go out with him? Or something-"

You give him a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Kalim, you don't need to be paranoid. I wouldn't go out with random guys online." You chuckle as you look at the sad puppy in front of you.

"Okay :("...

Vil Schoenheit:

Vil for one isn´t one to encourage staring at a screen for anything under 15 minutes since he generally believes that it leads to lazy behavior.

But you were testing his patience right now, weren´t you? The sound of your laughter presumably talking to someone. He wouldn´t ever mind as much as if you two were just talking...

But, nope. You were occupied 'flirting' with someone over a video game you both were playing.

Now Vil never was the type to jump to conclusions... but he could tell you were just enjoying as much as the person you were talking to was.

A burning flame of jealousy filled his system as he eyed you from the current place he was standing in the room. Vil is an insignificantly jealous one only when his s/o puts compliments, praises, and flirty comments out there... when they are not for him.

He sighed as he went over to where you were currently sitting, extending his palm out for you to hold. ¨Amoureuse~, Sweet Potato... Will you tell me to who you are singing those praises?~ You are saying them to my face.

Vil said tenderly as he pulled a sly and jealous smile on display. You responded that you were talking to one of the people in the lobby you were in.

Vil´s smile seemed to get more conniving as he went to get up, ¨Well tell them that you have a boyfriend.¨

You chuckled as you pretended to say goodbye to whoever you were talking to, Then got up to calm Vil down who was fuming inside.