#I took a break while reading and when I came back I had forgotten that Setne and his son were a part of this story

[kbz-writes]

Here is my Winter Gift Exchange '24 fic for @kamiya-travis. I hope you like it! It's my first time writing so much Hiruma & Mamori interaction.

Shout out to @eyeshields for organizing, thank youuu!

Title: Any Other Name

Rating: Gen

Relationship: Hiruma & Mamori

Summary: During the Hakushu game, Hiruma's injury happens right before halftime. His conversation with Mamori goes differently.

The gift of being an eldest daughter is that it's also a bit of a curse. Granted, Mamori is an only child. However, she and Sena were close since they were little. They were practically siblings. Caring for someone came naturally to her when they'd play together. The effect compounded from there. She took care of people because she was a caretaker, and she was a caretaker because she took care of people. A cycle. The gentlest ourobous.

That's why, with Hiruma on the cot with his broken arm bandaged, she has to put her foot down.

"There's no way you can keep playing with your arm like that!" she yells, unable to keep her voice calm. The envelope she tore up and then painstakingly taped back together shakes in her hand. "After halftime, we'll have someone else be quarterback—"

"Third question," Hiruma says through gritted teeth, ignoring her completely. "There are idiots in the NFL that have kept playing matches with broken bones. True or false?"

Mamori knows she's trapped in the cycle. She can't let him hurt himself any more.

"If I say true, then you'll just keep playing," she says, unable to keep her eyes from welling with tears. "So I'll say false."

"Wrong." A slash of a smile streaks across Hiruma's face. "I win."

"What? Third... question...?" Her mind goes back to the beginning of the year. Their bet. How could she have forgotten?

"As you promised, you'll work obediently."

"You're an idiot," she whispers. "Bringing that up after all this time."

"Just keep your promise. Open the letter."

"By process of elimination, it has to be Ishimaru." Her fingers work stiffly pulling out the single piece of paper inside. Reading the name feels like gibberish at first. "It's—my name?"

"Oh, good, you're not illiterate. Almost had me fooled."

"You can't be serious. I'm not on the team!"

"You're on the roster."

The Bando game. She had thought it was uncharacteristic for Hiruma to add her as a form of sentimentality. 

"I don't have a uniform." Even as Mamori says that, she knows Hiruma already has an answer. (Suzuna teasingly making Mamori try on Sena's uniform. It'd be easy enough to get her a spare knowing her measurements.)

"That chibi cheerleader is useful sometimes."

Mamori is left standing dumbly, at a complete loss of words. Up to this point, her role on the team has been all about analysis: film, developing plays, planning for every possibility.

"Are you doing this because I know our playbook?" she asks.

Hiruma scoffs. "So does the team."

"But I can't throw—" But she has thrown a few times, she thinks, a little with Suzuna, even once with Hiruma when they had needed to take a break during a particularly long film session. She hadn't been all that good, but she had caught on to the basics.

Her eyes widen.

The weight training she had tried out of curiosity with the team.

Cycling alongside them during their runs.

Ladders with Sena every once in a while.

Even the games of sand football.

She'd been training with them all this time, hadn't she?

"You've been planning this for a long while, haven't you?" she asks. "You always have backup plans just in case, even if something like this happening was almost impossible."

"I've told you before, we make our own luck. Now, don't tell me you'd be satisfied with just being a fucking manager this whole time."

Being the manager for the Devilbats had come naturally to Mamori. It was a challenge she happily accepted. Just like Yukimitsu, Mamori hadn't joined any other clubs. It would have interfered too much with the Devilbats demanding schedule. Her kinship with Yukimitsu is different than her friendship with Suzuna. (Suzuna is part of the cheer team and the Devilbats.) Mamori and Yukimitsu only have the Devilbats. She'd been so happy for him when he joined the field against Shinryuji, even if she felt like she'd been left on the outside looking in.

Mamori had made peace with giving up her last year of athletic eligibility to help the Devilbats.

And yet.

(She placed eighth overall for the girls' heat in the last sports festival race. She beat out a couple of the girls on the track team.)

(She’d thought about joining the track team actually. Something to keep her in shape. Something fun to do. A different form of challenge. But there was never any time.)

"The team has worked so hard to reach the Christmas Bowl," Mamori says. "Somewhere along the way, it became my dream, too." She folds the paper back into the envelope and sets it to the side, all business. "What's your plan? You can't expect me to last the whole second half. I can't throw like you."

Hiruma keeps grinning sharply despite the pain he must be in. "Who the fuck asked you to do that? Your head's getting stupid from all the cream puffs. You're not my replacement. We're going two quarterbacks."

She lets his barbs slide off of her. If anything, his insults are a good sign. They're also reassuring. (Seeing someone as unflappable as Hiruma fall is distressing to the say the least.)

Mamori taps her chin. "If you're going on the field, it must be because you still have a card up your sleeve. Throwing has to be impossible—which is why you'll still do it, won't you?"

"Realistically, I got one good throw left. My arm'll be useless after that."

"But Hakushu doesn't know that. Just you being on the field will make them hesitate with how unpredictable you are."

They lock eyes.

"We're cursing them so they can't fucking look away. Gonna drive fucking eyelashes insane trying to predict what we're gonna do. Might've been close if it was just one quarterback, but luckily we got the smartest bitch joining the field."

"You're terrible," Mamori says. This insult doesn't bother her either. No, her system's already start to fill with adrenaline. She's more concerned with other things. She's seen how big the linemen are. 

Reading her mind, Hiruma says, "Can't guarantee you won't get hurt."

"It's a full contact sport," she says, blunt. Her voice shakes. This is how Sena and Yukimitsu must have felt their first game. She gulps. "I'll do it."

"As if there was any question. 'Sides, the Devilbats don't let fucking cowards on the team."

Their talk takes them about a third of the way through halftime. They hustle getting ready. Following Hiruma's instruction, she bandages both his arms up, and he waits for her to change into her uniform. She is a bit touched to find it's modified for women, more room in the chest padding.

When she puts on her helmet and stares into the mirror, she doesn't recognize herself. All she sees is an American football player. (She likes it.)

She steps out of the changing room, and they walk in-step together to the field, but when Mamori steps onto the pitch, she does it as part of the team.

She does it for herself.

[ava-of-shenanigans]

HOR, SON OF PA-NESHE AND HOR FROM NEHES KNOW EACH OTHER??!

[luludeluluramblings]

The Wedding Planner (Blurb)

Neglected!Reader ends up planning Bruce and Selina's wedding. The wedding goes great. Reader's life does not.

GN!Reader

You should've know being a Wayne would come back to bite you in the ass. Even though you had chosen to remain ignorant to the comings and goings of the family since you had moved out, for your own peace of mind of course. It had still managed to come back and take a massive bite out of your ass.

When you had moved out of the manor and started trying to make it on your own you luckily had some wealthy and non-wealthy friends. Friends that were more than happy to let you couch surf. Or, guest room surf in some cases. Your big break came when one of those dear friends had asked you to plan their wedding. You had accepted graciously, happy to help and wanting to thank them for all they had done.

It was stressful and eventful. There were tears, a little bit of blood, a shit ton of lace, and a mountain of flowers. But, God, was it satisfying. Watching your own plan coming together. The way you had prepare for everything that could have possibly gone wrong on such an important day. The tide pens, the red wine, the back up camera for the photographer. You had tamed the volatile chaos into a gorgeous and memorable symphony.

After that, you had found your calling. It wasn't anything heroic or noble. But, it was human and all you. And, you were damn good. It wasn't long until you had built a reputation of planning The best wedding in Gotham on any sort of budget. And, all the while, that forever distant family of yours left you the fuck alone. In fact, they had forgotten all about your existence. Which you didn't exactly mind. Avoiding the bat-shit, you called it.

Still, it came back to haunt you, eventually. Things rarely stay dead in Gotham it seemed. To bad you weren't in the business of planning funerals or your might have known that.

It all started when you took on a prestigious client that made you sign NDA after NDA before the first meeting. (Your first hint.) One of Gotham's richest and wealthiest your newly hired secretary had told you. (Your second hint.) You meet with the fiancé of this wealthy individual. A lovely and vivacious woman of sharp taste and wit by the name of Selina Kyle. Who had told you her future spouse was quite the sweetheart despite his serious demeanor. (Final hint, your out.)

Imagine your surprise when your own father comes striding into your office giving your client a kiss before turning to face you. In a way you felt proud of how you could easily read the shock on Bruce Wayne's face even after years of never speaking to him. When you plaster on a professional smile - having perfected the professional persona over your years apart - and hold out your hand for him to shake, it fills you with satisfaction to watch him falter. You damn near giggle when you go over the guest list and notice your name nowhere on it. You saw the way Ms. Kyle shot him suspicious looks at how shaken he seemed at meeting you.

You'd have paid to be a fly on the wall when she finally confronted him about it after they left the meeting. You'd still pay to be a fly now. Because if you were going to be trapped in a web, you'd rather be trapped in one that would kill you quick. Not in this web that was bound to slowly choke you and move your limbs like some macabre puppet.

Suddenly, after that fateful meeting, the family that had long forgotten you it now trying to burrow their way into the life you have built for yourself. And, they don't care how many holes they leave in it. As long as they had the pieces of you in their own lives, nothing else mattered.

Not like you didn't break your heart years ago trying to give them those same pieces they’re now tearing you apart for. Only for them to have been tossed aside until you picked them back up and finally moved on.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

A/N: Sooooooo, I know I haven't posted much, but I ended up coming up with a few other Reader concepts and they have taken up most of my headspace. But, this was an idea based of of Smalltown!Reader. (The oc Smalltown!Reader is based off of always ends up a wedding planner as a back up plan.) Which I have the rough draft of Part 8 written for. I swear it's coming.

A/N: I should also start cleaning out my ask box. And, my drafts. (Been throwing things in there for later.)

A/N: I feel like I should expand on this at some point. Might be something to consider.

[sp1dermann0]

Viktor (Arcane) x gn!reader

Summary: Giving him a bj in the lab 🤫

NSFW. Minors DNI. Not proof read ❌

I have a Scar (character from Arcane as well) that I’m finishing up. It should be posted sometime this week.

Convincing him to do this took some time. He just wasn’t sure about it. The risk of getting caught, accidentally knocking something over, etc etc. You let him think about it, and the more he thought about the more he just wasn’t sure.

But then one day, you walked in and could tell he was having a rough day. When you stood beside him, watching him work, he finally decided to take his eyes off the project. “Yes?” He asked, sounding slightly agitated. “Just watching you work is all.” You responded. Hearing a faint, “hm” afterwards. Viktor looked back at the desk and started to review his notes. You wanted him to feel better—to make him feel better. So of course you had a few ideas in mind.

“Stand up, please.”

“I am trying to work.”

“I’m aware.”

It was silent for a moment. But then he stood up, looking at you as if you were the reason why he was annoyed. You took a step closer and reached for his face. Watching as he melted against your hands. “You, sir, need a break.” You suggested, watching as he slowly opened his eyes to look at you. “No, I need to figure out how-“ You cut him off by placing your pointer finger against his lips.

“You’re taking a break, whether you like it or not.” Then replaced your finger with your lips. Your hands fell from where they were, all the way to his sides. When you pulled away Viktor looked at you with a more softened expression. “Fine.” He said, softly. You backed him up against the desk. A thud echoing in the room when he made contact.

⭒

You sucked on his tip. The taste of pre coated your tongue, and it only made you want to do more. Viktor’s head was tilted back, eyes were shut, and quiet whimpers fell from his lips. One hand buried in your hair while the other gripped the edge of the desk. Seems to you he must’ve completely forgot about all his worries of having sex in the lab.

You know Viktor can be louder. Maybe he hasn’t fully forgotten, but either way you’re gonna do what you can to make him less quiet.

Viktor gasped when you took him fully. His hand in your hair tightened. Your eyes began water; vision blurring. But you blinked them away. You swallowed a few times, trying not to gag. The feeling of your throat constricting around him nearly made him cum right then and there. His whines started to become louder and louder the sooner he got close. And all you did was speed up your movements. Wanting to give him the pleasure of cumming.

But then, when Viktor was right there, you both could’ve sworn there was a knock on the door. You stopped your movements, pulling off of him. He groaned quietly at the loss. It was silent for a few seconds with you both staring at the door. It soon came to a conclusion that nobody knocked on the door. Something must’ve fell outside of the room or someone was there, they just decided to walk away since nobody answered.

Viktor’s heavy breathing soon slowed back down. His cock twitched and throbbed, begging for attention. But you waited just a few more seconds before resuming your actions. A small, quiet moan left his mouth and his hand returned to your hair. His hips thrusted up into your mouth, seeking more. You pulled off again and licked a looong stripe up his cock before taking his tip.

When Viktor was close, so very close, he raised his hips—pushing his cock deeper into your mouth. You groaned at the sudden intrusion, but quickly got used to it again. He whimpered oh so beautifully and came down your throat, coating it white. You swallowed what you could before pulling off when he finished. His grip in your hair loosened and his heavy breathing was the only thing that was heard in the room. You moved closer to his softening cock, looking up at him before pushing his spit—slicked tip back into your mouth. His eyes were shut at first, but opened quick with the overwhelming sensation of you on his cock. Viktor whined and his thighs almost closed up. But you pulled away before he could get hard again.

You started to get up—knees aching from being on them for so long. Viktor looked wrecked. “How’re you feeling?” You asked, referring to earlier when he was a bit irritated. “Better.” He answered, quietly. So quiet that even with how close you were, you could barely hear.

Nodding, you started to move closer. Giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “Good.”

[cordeliasdarling]

Heavenly — Larissa Weems x Reader

——

Notes: My first smut for Larissa! I know it’s not great, I forgot how to write it tbh, so bear with me!

Beta read by @poulengp , you’re the best :,)

Warnings: smut, dom/sub themes, petplay if you squint.. (18+!!!!)

——

The front door opened.

Your heartbeat hammered through your body, reverberating against your bones. You shouldn't be this nervous, but this was the first time you would be letting her take control of you. It had always been the other way round, you pleasing her in every way possible, dominating her, letting her be free from all of the stress, but the way that your life had been going recently— well, she knew you needed this. You knew you needed this. That didn't make it any less nerve wracking though.

You heard the footsteps echo through the house, heels against wood. You suddenly worried that you were underdressed, maybe you didn't look attractive, or maybe your seated position on the couch wasn't good enough. You quickly got up, smoothing down your jeans— were they always that wrinkly? Sighing, you sat back down, legs crossed and arms rigid against your sides.

The handle of the door started to twist around, causing your breath to catch in your throat.

Larissa Weems entered the room, her tall figure casting a shadow against the wall. Your eyes travelled up her body, taking in every detail. The golden buttons on her vintage outfit shining from the soft lighting in the room. There she was, your beloved Larissa.

"I thought I told you to be undressed when I got home." Her low tone boiled something inside you, something really, really good.

"Sorry—" Your eyes widened because in the hurry of getting ready for her arrival, you had completely forgotten her request, the one in the text she'd sent you at work. You remembered receiving it, sitting alone in the break room and feeling a fire in the pit of your stomach at the request. Damn you for forgetting! You stood up quickly, hastily taking off your clothes, but a gloved hand stopped you.

"Allow me." Your gaze raised to meet her eyes, locking with those ocean blue irises. Watching as she removed her gloves, you tried to calm the ache inside you at the sight of her slender fingers. The varnished nails, oh, the varnished nails. How you wished for them to—

Your thoughts were cut short as her hands moved to unbutton your shirt. Heart hammering even louder, you were sure she could hear. A small hum rumbled in her throat as she laid eyes on your bare skin, save your bra. Her red tainted lips curled into a smile, flashing her pearly white teeth. Oh how you wished she would open her mouth and eat you up.

Larissa took her time, slipping off your shirt completely, sliding down your jeans so you were in nothing but the lingerie you had picked out that morning. Nothing too spectacular, much to your dismay. Why hadn't you thought ahead? Oh, right, you were supposed to be naked, like a good girl. Is that what she had called you yesterday while you planned the happenings of this evening?

You shivered, not from the temperature, but because of what it felt like to be under her gaze. When she was looking at you so intensely, it was hard to be aware of your surroundings. The usually clicking clock had suddenly stopped, or at least in your mind. How could you focus on that when this woman was looking at you?

"Knees, now." Her command had a soft but firm undertone. This was exactly what you had been craving over the last week, someone to just tell you what to do. You were sick of having to control everything in your life. That's why Larissa had come up with idea.

You obediently sunk down to your knees while she sat where you had been seated. She placed a hand on your head and smiled. "Such a good pet." Your mind went into overdrive, almost gasping in happiness at the name. You weren't into petplay per se, but this made you very excited. It caused you to shiver again, but this time it came from somewhere else; between your thighs.

Larissa noticed this and her expression was full of amusement. "Is something wrong?" You shook your head quickly, looking away, but you felt two fingers tilt your head back up, forcing eye contact. She spoke lowly. "Tell me the truth."

Something about the way she said it caused you to speak the truth immediately. "I'm just feeling.. a little turned on." You mumbled, tempted to look away again but she kept a firm grip on your chin, knowing you too well. A smirk stretched upon her lips.

"I guess we'll have to do something about that, won't we?" She whispered, then stood, walking to the door. "Crawl beside me." She commanded, and who were you to refuse? Still on your hands and knees, you followed, ducking your head as you and Larissa went upstairs to the bedroom.

"Remove your underwear and get on the bed."

Nodding quickly, you slipped off your remaining garments and got onto the bed, your legs crossed and arms covering your chest a little shyly.

"Don't go all shy on me, sweetheart." She teased, then moved to you, positioning you so your legs were spread. She moved closer, hitching up her skirt a little so she could comfortably kneel on the carpeted bedroom floor. You briefly thanked yourself for choosing to carpet the bedroom. Her lips opened, blowing her gentle breath against your aching and already wet folds. You shivered for the third time that night, gulping as you looked up to the ceiling.

"Be a good pet and look at me." Larissa said, and when you looked down, she was smiling.

"S—sorry.." You mumbled, locking eyes with her. She smirked, before she leaned her head down and started to kitten lick you. A gasp escaped your lips, eyes wide as her tongue delved deeper through your soaked folds. She hummed, not pulling away. She lifted your legs and placed them on her shoulders, strong hands gripping your thighs, nails digging into your skin leaving little crescent marks.

"Fuck.." You whispered, moaning quietly. Her tongue found your clit and expertly flicked it with her tongue. She was so skilled at that, but of course she was, after pleasing you for over four years now.

You felt the pressure build from between your thighs to your abdomen, gasping and moaning and panting. "Larissa!" Your legs tried to close involuntarily, though you didn't want her to stop at all. She knew this of course, moving your thighs back open and devouring you.

It didn't take long for you to come, shaking and twitching as you rode it out, her tongue lapping up all of the mess. She hummed again, resurfacing for air. Her lips found yours, letting you taste yourself. It was divine, you had to admit.

The night wasn't over though. It was safe to say you had another four rounds, using toys and various positions.

 And God, it was heavenly.

——

[melzula]

Heyaa, when the requests are open can you maybe do a princess x Zuko where the princess is always clinging to Zuko when she's cold? Just a random thought that came into my mind since Zuko is a firebender hehe :)

pairing: zuko x princess!reader

a/n: this is technically part of the fire lilies series but can also be read as a solo piece independently

summary: princess and zuko go penguin sledding

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

The rush of cold wind against your cheeks is exhilarating as you glide down the snow covered hills. Your delighted laughter carries through the air and brings a smile to Zuko’s face as you enjoy a day penguin sledding out in the palace courtyards.

Being kidnapped by Gilak and having your life threatened once again had been a traumatic experience for both you and your boyfriend, so Hakoda and your mother had advised you take a much needed day off for yourself. He could handle the work of drafting plans for an eco friendly oil rig and the foreign embassies while Pakku and Katara took on the school for the time being. Though you were hesitant to take a day off knowing there was so much to be done, Zuko had been the one to finally convince you that you desperately needed a break.

Today would be his last day in the South before he had to return home, and so you figured the best way to spend your time together would be with a trip through memory lane. You hadn’t been penguin sledding together since you were kids, so it seemed like a good idea to both of you to revisit your favorite pastime from when you were children.

You slow to a stop as you reach the end of the hill and land onto the plush snow below you with a laugh. The chill of the ice sends shivers down your spine but you choose to ignore it. All the back and forth traveling you’ve been doing hasn’t allowed your body the chance to acclimate to the weather of your home yet, but you try not to let it bother you.

“Having fun?” Zuko asks with a laugh as he helps you up off the snow. You immediately cling to his figure in an attempt to steal some of his heat, prompting the Fire Lord to raise a brow as he wraps his arms around your frame. “You’re not getting cold, are you?”

“Of course not,” you scoff indignantly, though your subtle trembling says otherwise.

“Maybe we should head inside-“

“No!” You immediately cry out in protest before he can finish his sentence. “We’ve hardly just begun the day. Don’t you want to keep penguin sledding?”

“Of course I do,” he assures you with a comforting kunik, “but I worry the cold might be too much for you.

“Too much?! I’m Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, I don’t get cold.”

“Alright,” Zuko relents with a chuckle at your adamant rebuttal. For a water bender you’re surprisingly stubborn, but he loves your headstrong nature more than anything. “Let’s keep sledding.”

Your face lights up with glee when he finally relents and allows you to carefully pick up your penguin and carry him back up the hill while showering the creature with praises and pets. He’d forgotten just how much you enjoyed the activity, and it was nice to see that same smile from your childhood again. It had been years since you both went sledding, since you both were just two kids unaware of what the future held in store for you, since you both were free of fear and responsibility and hurt. The war had taken a lot from you, forced you both to grow up too fast, so he was grateful for the fact that you both could just be kids again, even if only for a day.

“Y/n,” Zuko calls as the sun begins to set and the day begins to end, “I think it’s time we head inside for dinner. Your mother said she was making five-flavor soup for us.”

“Just one more time down the hill?” You plead with your best pout, though you know it doesn’t take much to convince Zuko to give in to your requests.

“Alright, but that’s it,” he tells you with a chuckle before following you up the hill. The courtyard lanterns begin to glow beautifully below as the moon starts to overtake the sky, and you exchange playful smiles with one another before beginning your decent down the snow.

Zuko’s hair blows wildly away from his face, his grin the biggest you’ve ever seen it, and you’re so caught up in admiring him that you don’t even notice the large pile of snow you’re about to crash into.

“Princess, look out!” Zuko tries to warn you, but it’s too late. You can do nothing but pull the penguin to your chest and shield it from the impact as you collide into the snowy mound. The Fire Lord winces on your behalf before quickly rushing to your aid. The otter penguin emerges after a moment and shakes the snow off its body before waddling away, but you fail to do the same. Zuko has to dig through the slush to pull you out, and as he lifts you up and into his arms he’s able to feel just how cold to the touch you are.

“Th-Thhere’s s-snow e-every-wh-where,” you complain through chattering teeth as you wrap your arms as tightly around his neck as possible in a desperate attempt to feel his warmth.

“Let’s get you inside before you freeze to death,” he comforts while carrying your trembling figure back inside the palace. If not for Zuko’s body heat, you’d surely already be feeling the effects of hypothermia taking place.

Thankfully, your boyfriend is able to swiftly make it back inside the palace and carry you through the halls towards your room. The heat of Zuko’s embrace melts the ice inside your clothes, but the dampness only seems to worsen the feeling of cold. You shiver incessantly, and he can only look on guiltily as he tries his best to ease your discomfort.

Finally, he swings the door to your bedroom open and carefully sets you back on your feet before helping you remove your heavy coat. He sets the wet material aside to dry before coming up to your trembling figure and rubbing his hands up and down your arms in an attempt to spread heat across your limbs.

“I’ll go find your mother and tell her what happened. You stay here and get out of those clothes before you catch a cold,” he advises you with a meek smile, a red blush tinting his cheeks when he realizes he probably should have phrased his sentence more delicately. Zuko presses a tender kiss to your forehead before leaving to give you your privacy and shutting the door behind him.

Your skin feels like ice as you peel off the rest of your ensemble as quickly as you can. You were so used to beach days at Ember Island and swims in the lakes with your friends that you’d forgotten just how cold the water could be. Considering you grew up in the South, you’re a tad embarrassed to know how easily it gets to you now. You’d been away for so long, and even when you returned home you still found yourself venturing out often, so a part of you wondered if maybe you’d never fully readjust to the climate.

“Y/n?” A voice calls from the other side of the door followed by a gentle knock. “Zuko sent me to check on you. I have the warmest blanket I could find. May I come in?”

“Just a second, Mom,” you reply as you scramble to throw on a fresh set out of clothes and make yourself decent for visitors. After slipping into the warmest dress you can find, you open the door and allow her into your room.

“Someone got a little carried away penguin sledding, I hear,” she says with a teasing smile before draping the blanket around your shoulders. “You’re like ice! Thank spirits Zuko has that natural fire bending warmth to him or you might have frozen out there!”

“Yeah,” you murmur in agreement with a dejected frown, one that your mother notices right away.

“My little koala otter, what’s the matter?”

“I’m just a little embarrassed, I guess,” you admit with a sheepish laugh. “I thought I’d gotten over my aversion to the cold.”

“I think anyone who managed to get snow in their clothes would be cold,” she notes with a faint smile before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “I’m just happy to see you having fun again. You had to grow up very fast, something your father and I should have worked harder to prevent, so it’s nice to hear your laugh again and see you sledding like you did as a little girl.”

You smile at her words before pulling her into a tight hug, hoping the action conveys all your appreciation for her. Zuko walks in then with a tray of steaming five-flavor soup and tea in the hopes it will return some of your warmth to you.

“I’ll let you both enjoy your dinner alone,” she says after removing herself from your embrace. Exiting the room, she pauses to give Zuko’s arm a light squeeze. “Make sure she stays warm.”

“Yes, Kira,” he replies with a nod before returning his attention to you. “Let’s get you settled in.”

Setting the tray aside, Zuko escorts you back to bed and tucks the blanket around your figure as best as he can with you sitting up. Once you’re comfortable, he presses a tender kiss to your forehead before handing you the cup of tea. It’s the same cup from the set Iroh had gifted you some time ago, and the sight of it brings a faint smile to your face as you take in the smell of jasmine.

“You’re already starting to feel warmer,” Zuko notes pleasantly before trading your cup for the bowl of soup. “I should have warned you about that pile of snow sooner.”

“It’s okay, I don’t regret a thing. I had so much fun today, the most I’ve had in a while. I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry,” Zuko assures you as he uses his bending to reheat your tea before it can grow cold, “the day will come where we’ll never have to be apart ever again.”

“I can’t wait,” you confess with a smile only for it to fall at the sudden sneeze that leaves you.

“I think you might be catching a cold, my love,” Zuko notes with a frown.

“Will you stay and keep me warm?” You ask with a pleading look, one that makes it impossible for him to deny your request. How could he say no to your sweet face?

Climbing into bed with you, Zuko envelops himself around your figure and allows you to steal his warmth. He’ll never get tired of being your personal heater, and he’d be happy to spend the rest of his days like this.

You’ll never reacclimatize to the cold, because no matter where you go, Zuko will always be there to bring warmth to your life.

| zuko tags: @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @taeeemin @livelaughlovekuni @lovialy @alexatiu @aerikim246 @heartfully10 @creationcitystreet-em

| fire lilies tags: @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @xapham @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal @chilifrylizard2 @kyomihann @kaylove12 @kiwihoee @freggietale @moon-spirit-yue @bubblegum-bee-otch @rinalsword @cipheress-to-k-pop @potato87123

[caplanbuckybarnes]

Through Space & Time, Always (Stephen Strange)

Summary: You and Stephentalk about your differences after being away from each other for so long.

Warnings: None

wc: 915

Read on Ao3!

--

The Sanctum Sanctorum was quiet, save for the faint hum of ancient magic coursing through its walls. You stood in the grand foyer, surrounded by relics of forgotten realms, feeling small in the presence of so much power. It had been years since you set foot here, but the place still felt as overwhelming as it had the first time.

And then there was him—Stephen Strange.

You felt his presence before you saw him, the air subtly shifting with the energy he always carried. He stepped out from the shadows, his deep blue cloak flowing behind him, eyes as sharp and piercing as ever. The Sorcerer Supreme in all his enigmatic glory.

"It's been a while since I first saw you," you said, your voice steady, though your heart raced.

Stephen's gaze lingered on you for a moment before he spoke, his voice a low, smooth timbre. "It has," he replied, stepping closer. "Time seems to work differently when you're not anchored to one place."

You nodded, your eyes meeting his. He was as composed and calm as you remembered, but something about him felt different. The last time you had seen each other, the world was on the verge of falling apart, the battle for reality itself hanging in the balance. You had been a part of that war, standing by his side as the universe fractured and reshaped itself. But after that, you left—chasing a sense of normalcy that Stephen could never provide.

Yet here you were again.

"You look well," he said, his tone polite but distant. His fingers twitched, as if resisting the urge to reach out.

"So do you," you replied, feeling the weight of his words. But the silence between you told a different story. There was an unspoken tension, years of unsaid things lingering between you both like ghosts.

You moved to the center of the room, looking around at the relics on display. "Has anything changed?" you asked, trying to break the silence. "This place feels timeless."

Stephen's lips curved into a faint smile. "Time doesn’t touch the Sanctum the way it does the rest of the world." He paused, his expression growing serious again. "But I have changed."

Your heart tightened at his words. Of course he had. He had seen more than most, faced more darkness than anyone should ever have to. You knew what that did to people. "And me?" you asked quietly. "Have I changed?"

He hesitated, the faintest flicker of something crossing his face—something vulnerable, something real. "I can see it in your eyes," he said softly. "You’ve been through much. But you're still... you."

You took a step toward him, your eyes searching his for the truth. "You never came looking for me."

Stephen’s expression hardened, a mask slipping back into place. "I couldn't."

"Couldn’t or wouldn’t?"

For the first time since you'd arrived, he looked away, as though the weight of your question was too much to bear. "It’s not that simple," he said, voice tight with restraint.

"But it could have been," you insisted, your voice rising with the frustration you'd buried for so long. "We fought together, Stephen. We trusted each other. And then I left, and you... let me go."

"I had to let you go," he said, his voice a rough whisper, eyes flicking back to yours with a mixture of pain and resolve. "It was the only way I could keep you safe."

The room felt heavier now, the magic in the air humming louder as if the Sanctum itself sensed the turmoil. You both stood there, staring at each other, the past hanging between you like a chasm neither of you had dared to cross.

"Was it worth it?" you asked, your voice barely audible.

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, Stephen took a step toward you, his hand hovering just near yours but not quite touching. "There’s never been a day I haven’t thought about you," he admitted, his voice so low it was almost a whisper. "But the life I lead, the risks I take… it’s too dangerous for you."

You swallowed hard, the words hitting you like a wave. "Maybe I didn’t need you to protect me. Maybe I needed you to stay."

Stephen’s face softened, a crack in the armor he always wore. "And what would’ve happened then?" he asked, his eyes searching yours. "Would you have stayed here, in this world of chaos? Or would you have left eventually, searching for something I can never give you?"

You didn’t have an answer. Maybe you never would.

"I don’t know," you said softly, taking a small step closer. "But it’s been a long time, Stephen. And standing here now... I realize I never really left. Not in my heart."

For a moment, you both stood there, so close yet so far, the weight of everything unsaid pressing between you. Stephen’s hand finally closed the gap, his fingers brushing against yours, sending a spark of warmth through you.

"I can’t change what’s happened," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I can promise you this—if you stay this time, I’ll try. I’ll try to be the man you need me to be."

You smiled faintly, tears stinging the corners of your eyes. "I don’t need you to be perfect, Stephen. I just need you to stay."

In that moment, with his hand in yours and the world held at bay, it felt like maybe—just maybe—this time, things could be different.

[fruitywritter]

Feelings

Summary: You hang out with Hermione, Harry and Ron by the lake

Pairing: Hermione Granger x gn!reader

Warnings: None just fluff :)

Words: 2.6k

A/n: Haven’t updated in months, finally got some motivation :)) If you read this I hope you like it!

It has been a tough week for all the students at Hogwarts, almost all of the teachers had them write multiple tests so they would be prepared for the exams which would take place in around two weeks. After finishing the last class of the week, the plan was to go hang out on your favorite spot beside the lake with your friends. Things didn’t exactly go that way as Snape made you stay after class to clean up after some Slytherin student’s mess.You didn’t want to argue with him so you told Harry, Ron and Hermione to go and that you would join them later.

So fifteen minutes later you found yourself walking over the field and towards the lake as your friend came into your vision. Students sitting here and there, conversing with their friends or doing homework. It was a sunny evening, the sun having a few hours before setting since summer came closer so days were longer. You didn’t mind it, you liked a few more hours of light.

You walked over as you saw Harry and Ron trying random spells on each other making you chuckle. You sat beside Hermione who had her face buried into a book.

“Hey.” You spoke as she turned her head and looked at you with a soft smile, the book quickly forgotten in her hands.

“Are you alright?” Hermione looked at you in question as you nodded.

“Yeah. Snape kept throwing his ugly remarks at me while I was thinking of any good spell to make him shut up.” You said with a grin on your face as the brown haired girl rolled her eyes and playfully slapped you on the shoulder. “I’m kidding Hermione! I would never attack a teacher..” You shook your head as you pulled slightly away.

Hermione hummed, “You better not get in trouble.”

“I won’t! I cleaned up and left quickly.” You laughed at the look she was giving you, clearly not trusting you. You turned your attention to your friends before asking, “What are they doing?”

“Looking for a good spell to use on Snape.” Hermione said with an unamused voice before looking down at her book. A chuckle left your mouth as you watched Harry cast a spell and lift Ron in the air before letting him fall back down on his ass. You heard Ron groan as Harry laughed, Hermione took a quick glance at them before muttering under her breath, “Idiots.”

You turned towards her as you heard her voice, she wasn’t looking at you as her attention was back on her book. Glad that she couldn’t see you staring at her, you continued looking over her features. You simply sat there and admired her beauty, how her eyes moved when she read over the pages, how her fingers gently touched and flipped the paper. Her lips were slightly open as she concentrated. Hair was up in a messy bun as a few strands fell over her face. Her legs were crossed and the book was sitting on her lap.

You cursed yourself into your head. You shouldn’t be thinking about your best friend like that, you thought that this attraction towards her had disappeared but no. At this moment you knew you couldn’t stop feeling like that. Only Harry knew about this.. crush. Since he was your brother and knew you for so long, he had noticed and talked to you. You felt relieved when you talked to him, he seemed to understand and be happy for you. Harry had told you to tell Hermione but you were scared. You didn’t want to ruin your friendship if the girl didn’t feel the same.

It felt good having to talk to someone about Hermione, even if it was your own brother. Even though it was annoying whenever he found you and her together. He would always send you teasing grins without Hermione noticing.

“You know I can feel you staring, right?” Her voice made you break out of your thoughts and look at her as her eyes were already on yours.

“I’m not staring..” You shook your head knowing that you were caught. Your eyes averted towards Harry and Ron who were now sitting opposite from you and talking with each other.

“Sure you aren’t..” Hermione mumbled as her eyes went back to her book as you looked down at your hands with a small smile.

After that you spent a few minutes not daring to look towards your best friend. Instead you tried to listen to the conversation Harry and Ron were having to pass the time. When you realized that you didn’t really care about what they were talking about, you decided to look towards the lake. The water looked so peaceful as the sun reflected on it. Many students around you had started to walk towards the castle, probably wanting to hang out in their common rooms.

You sighed, needing Hermione’s attention so badly. Taking a glance towards her, your eyes light up with an idea. Your hands grabbed the book on your lap before pulling it off her, she looked at you in question and you just smiled.

Turning your body, you let your head rest on her lap as her eyes followed your every move. Finally you looked up at her with a grin and handed her back the book.

She stared at you for a few seconds before shaking her head with a smile and moving her hand to rest on your hair. You sighed in happiness as she went back to reading and at the same time playing with your hair.

You closed your eyes and relaxed with your head on Hermione’s lap. Eventually Hermione closed the book silently and joined the conversation the boys were having quietly not to disturb you. The only thing you could focus on was her fingers gently playing with your hair and the way her stomach moved as she breathed.

Minutes later you heard Harry stand up as well as Ron as they told Hermione that they were going back to the common room.

“Okay, we will come in a bit.” You heard her say softly as the footsteps of the boys disappeared. You felt Hermione take a deep breath before pushing away some of the hair that had gotten into your face. “Y/n..”

“Hm?” You mumbled with your eyes still closed as she moved her other hand to your side, softly squeezing you.

You opened your eyes and blinked a few times before meeting her gaze as she looked down on you with a soft smile. “Hello.” You muttered and moved off her lap, sitting beside her.

“Hey..” She spoke in a quiet voice while you stretched your arms. “The boys are going back..”

You hummed before moving a little closer to your best friend, carefully laying your head on her shoulder. “Can we stay just a little more?” You asked with a soft tone with your cheek against her. You felt the vibrations as she chuckled quietly and you smiled.

“Alright.” Hermione simply said before relaxing against you.

You two sat there for a few minutes, watching the sun begin to set behind the mountains. The air started getting more chilly but you didn’t care. The warmth of your bodies was enough for you to feel comfortable.

You had pulled away from Hermione at this point, still close enough to feel her through her clothes. Your eyes moved from the sunset towards your best friend. She had yet to realize that you were looking at her.

She was watching the sight in front of you like at this moment she didn’t have any care in the world, her eyes had a soft look in them. Her lips slightly apart, you wondered how they would feel against yours.

“So pretty..” You heard her say with her soft voice.

You nod even though you knew she couldn’t see you. “Yeah..” You mumbled, still looking at her side profile.

Next thing you knew, her eyes had met yours. Her face had an unreadable expression in it, her eyebrows raised and her eyes looking at you slightly wide.

It was like the world had gone quiet. Brown eyes staring into your light green. You didn’t even notice how much closer you had gotten to her. Suddenly your body seemed to be doing things without your mind’s consent. Your right hand moved towards her neck, slowly reaching upwards and finally resting on her cheek.

Hermione seemed to be fine with that as she slightly leaned against your palm. “You’re beautiful, ‘Mione..” You muttered while your eyes moved down to her lips for a second before moving back up.

She seemed to lose her words as her lips parted, trying to find something to say. You could see a slight blush creep onto her cheeks. Your noses could touch at this point, she could feel your breath on her face. Hermione had never felt you that close to her.

If she would lean a little more towards you, she could easily touch her lips against yours. But she didn’t do that.

You both knew what you were doing. No one said anything though, not even one word came out of your mouths. The sun was almost setting by now, the light shined on her eyes making them glow a light brown. You could count all the freckles on her face.

You’ve never been this close to her, you thought.

Both of you could feel the tension in the air.

She looked between your eyes, trying to find some sort of answer. She received none.

As Hermione went to open her mouth to finally speak, the question fighting to get out of her lips. She never got to make a sound though.

Your lips crashed against hers.

They were soft and sweet.

Then when you felt her not moving you immediately pulled away with wide eyes.

“Oh my god- I’m so sorry. Hermione-”

The apologies quickly rolled out of your tongue as your best friend stared at you with a look. You didn’t even notice it as you panicked.

Of course she wouldn’t like you like that. She was just your friend and you had fucked up.

A few seconds passed with you continuing to shake your head and mumble apologies to her.

“Fuck. I’m so stupid, I’m sorry-” You didn't get to continue as Hermione reached and grabbed your neck, pulling you with forcefulness towards her and stutting you up with her lips.

This time it was you who stood frozen, only for two seconds though. You closed your eyes as you felt her lips move against yours in a slow pace. Her arms moved around your neck as she pulled you closer to her while your hands grabbed her waist.

She was kissing you.

Hermione Granger. Your best friend was kissing you.

You felt like you were on cloud nine. Her lips moved so perfectly against yours. The kiss wasn’t harsh, there was a softness in it. Her hands played with your short hairs on the back of your head making you calm down.

Seconds later, her lips disconnected from yours as you both pulled away for air. Your eyes stared at each other while you tried to calm down, your cheeks definitely a deep pink by now.

“That was…” Hermione said but stopped trying to take a breath in.

“Amazing.” You finished her sentence with a chuckle while your faces were still close. Her eyes had a spark in them, she was admiring you.

Oh for how long she wanted to do that.

She nodded, letting out a big smile that matched yours.

You stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity, when it was in fact only a few seconds. The sun had settled by now, it was getting darker the seconds passed. The lights from the castle were now the only source of light. The sky although still had an orange color in it, but starting to disappear slowly as dark blue was starting to overcome it.

Hermione was the first to talk after a while.

Her arms were still around your neck, holding you close to her. “We should head back.” She spoke, her voice so quiet but you could still hear it.

You gave her a nod as you looked around you, no one was there anymore. Every student had gone back to the castle. You could stay there all night, with Hermione’s presence only. But the wind started to get colder making you agree with her.

Hermione grinned after seeing you nod as her arms left your neck and began to stand up. That wasn’t possible though since your arms were still gripping on her sides, not letting her go.

“One more, please..” You mumbled as you waited.

The brown haired girl let out a chuckle before leaning back towards you and capturing your lips with hers.

This one lasted a little longer than a peck. She pulled away with a gentle smile before tapping your arms to let go.

You with a stupid grin, still looking at her lips, you removed your hands from her waist. You watched her stand up before turning towards you and extending her hand for you to take.

“How nice.” You teased her as you grabbed it and she pulled you up.

“I know.” She smirked as you stood beside her, straightening your clothes. You playfully rolled your eyes before grabbing her book from the ground and handing it to her. “Thank you.”

You nodded before taking her hand in yours and beginning to walk towards the castle.

Her voice sounded from beside you as you entered the castle, “I have a question.”

“Yes?” You looked at her as she was already staring at you while walking.

She seemed to think for a few seconds before letting out a sigh, “What- What are we?” Hermione asked, her eyes watching every move your face made.

Now it was your time to think, although you didn’t have an exact answer you shrugged with a smile, “Whatever you want us to be.”

She suddenly stopped walking, making you stop as well and look at her in question. She took a breath as she looked into your eyes, “I like you.”

You tilted your face, something Hermione always found it cute whenever you did it. She didn’t know if it was the way your eyes looked at her, or the way your lips always moved to a smirk.

“And I like you too.”

Her eyes widened slightly, something about hearing these words leave your mouth made her blush. She smiled as you spoke again. “We don’t have to put a label yet, we can simply watch how it goes.”

Hermione nodded at that before moving closer and standing on her tiptoes to reach your lips with hers. She gave you a quick peck before smiling widely. “I’d like that.”

You two continued walking towards the Gryffindor common room, after passing by the portret you found Harry and Ron playing magic chess, Ginny was sitting in one of the couches while reading a book. Fred and George were casting some spells in one of the corners of the room.

Hermione and you went and sat close to your Ron and Harry as Ginny smiled at you.

Harry finally noticed you and gave you a smile before looking down on your intertwined hands. You never let go of Hermione's hand, you knew she wouldn’t have a problem with your friends knowing.

Your brother smirked as his eyes found yours before going back to playing chess.

Hermione moved your intertwined hands to lay on her lap as she started a conversation with Ginny. You couldn’t help but admire the girl beside you, you’ve liked her for so long. And it turned out she liked you back.

She felt like home.

At this moment, you knew you didn’t only like her. You loved her.

You were in love with Hermione Granger.

And she was finally yours.

[oh-koenig-my-koenig]

It's the parts of König that she didn't see

a/n: I worked on this special for quite some time and it's finally time to get a glimpse of what was going on in metalhead!könig's head during his time with reader... a little thank you to all the peeps who have kept up with the series and a little summary before we head into the last few chapters <3 (i added links to the chapters as well where the situations took place that i'm referring to)

(the usual CWs apply: age gap 25/41; MDNI, nsfw, lots of smut, fluff and a bit of angst)

the part before: saying goodbye

It's the parts of König that she didn't see. From the first moment on when they met.

How he was kneading his fingers before he just blurted out the comment, complimenting her on the shirt she was wearing, there in the bar.

The surprise when she approached him again, to talk. The thinly veiled flirty-ness on both sides that didn't quite register in his mind.

The little shock shooting through him when he realised that she was that much younger than him. His thoughts racing to find a way to gracefully navigate the situation while the sound of her cheery voice seeped into him.

Giving her his number when he offered to take her to a concert because she had nobody else to go with, thinking she would surely have forgotten about it by the next day.

The surprise on his face when she actually sent him a message in the morning.

The surprise growing when she didn't stop texting him, after she fixed the thing with going to the concert together. The pictures she sent him, just telling him about her day.

A little ding from his phone every now and then. The disappointment he tried to not feel when it was another email and not a message from her.

When he went to the drugstore before the concert, to pick up condoms, because the ones he still had at home weren't any good anymore.

It isn't even a date, we are just going to a concert. Because she didn't have anybody else to go with.

He felt himself going a little crazy over this. Cursing himself out because he was a 41 year old man anxious about buying condoms. Sure, not because of what other people might think while he purchased them. But overthinking what the younger woman he was going on a date with (that wasn't a date) might think.

Unsure if she would even consider him in that way. He didn't really trust his gut, the little voice in his head that reassured him that she was surely flirting with him over text. Better to be prepared, right?

The way his mind went blank when he saw her again, picking her up for the concert. She was really pretty in her outfit, but the thing that took his breath away was her disarming smile with which she beamed up at him.

She was tiny. In his mind she was tiny. A grown ass woman, sure, but compared to him everybody was small and dainty. And she seemed even more so.

And he saw that every time he looked at her. He always had to look down, but there she was. Cheery and yapping about her day. Looking up at him every so often, just having a normal conversation. And he couldn't fathom how that happened.

How his heart sank when he nudged her playfully while they were waiting in line at the bar. Which made her almost topple over. Fuck.

Her reassuring smile. "I don’t break that easily." The realisation on her face when she heard how that sounded. She was so easy to read, like an open book.

The one part of him wanted to find whoever tried to break her before. The other part wanted to break her himself. Just a little bit. See hot tears stream down her cheeks as she came on his dick. Make her scream for him. Feel her body writhing against his.

Verdammt. He shook his head, making those intrusive thoughts go away, but they kept pestering him.

When he put an arm around her shoulders, more reflex than anything really, shielding her off from the other people in the crowd bumping into her.

He almost pulled back, the nervous feeling of uncertainty licking up his spine, when he realised what he was doing. But then she leaned into him. Relief flooded him, his hand coming to lie on her hip.

Her shoulders didn't even reach his pecs, her head grazing over one of them, when she looked up at him. And for a moment, he felt like the unsure guy again that he once was. The huge grin on her face pushed that feeling away, the spark in her eyes, the excitement in her expression infecting him instantly.

"Thank you for taking me to the concert."

"You're so very welcome."

And he told himself right there and then that it didn't matter the slightest what came out of this. Seeing her get excited over being at the concert had already made it more than worth it tagging along. And he hadn’t been at one in so long, he had forgotten how fun it is.

He was willing his thoughts to stay platonic when he had her on his shoulders so she could see the band onstage better. Her skirt inevitably riding up, his fingers digging into her supple thighs to steady her and the warmth of her clothed pussy against the back of his neck. Trying to think about anything else but his head between her thighs and failing miserably.

When she very obviously tried to rile him up as he was taking her home afterwards, pulling out the "old man"-card again which clearly was a jab at his age. And he tried to ignore it. Trying to ignore the tension too that he felt, in case it was just him getting the wrong idea.

But then she dropped the b-word. Brat.

One banter led to another, and the banter led to her lips on his. Oh fuck, her soft moans. That he swallowed up with each kiss. She tasted so fucking good, the slight hint of beer that they both drank not able to drown out her taste.

Pulling her into him, her taking a seat in his lap. When she grinded down on him, no force in the world would have been able to conceal his erection, but he still tried to keep calm. To not lose his mind which was costing every ounce of restraint he could muster.

When she invited him up to his apartment, the innuendo clear, he had to double-check. “Are you sure you want this?”

That sweet "yes please" from her lips while she stared into his eyes and he couldn't find anything but want in them was finally enough to convince him that he wasn't dreaming.

Him not being able to stop grinning the whole day after dropping her off at work the next morning. Getting lost in the thoughts of her.

How her smaller body felt against his. Her soft thighs and tummy against his hard muscles. The way she shivered against his lips, coming down from her orgasm. Her taste in his mouth. He just wanted to go down on her again.

He also fit into her, perfectly. Sinking into her pussy, slowly, squeezing him tight. But he fit somehow.

His need to fuck her harder when he planned to do her slow and sweet. Her permission to not hold back, repeating how she won't break easily, dismantling his resolve.

Her moans when he pounded into her. His fucking name on her lips as he pressed her down into the mattress and she came again. He just wanted her to say it over and over as her eyes rolled back in pleasure.

Anticipating her messages all day long. Only a few of them. Trying not to feel the disappointment that was slowly sinking in.

He did what he always did when he couldn't drown out the voice in his head. Working out until his muscles hurt more than whatever was plaguing him. The dark screams from his headphones boomed in his ears while he upped the speed on the treadmill.

Still not able to forget how his name sounded on her lips. How her hands grabbed him. How her body...

He shook his head. No, he had to forget about that, or else he would go crazy.

Maybe it just had been a one-time thing for her?

Maybe she regrets it now? Maybe she thought about the age difference again and changed her mind? Which is fine, of course.

Maybe he did something wrong? Maybe he came on too strong still, despite making sure how she felt every step of the way. Asking if he could wake her up with his mouth. Something that made him curse himself out now.

He finally got the courage to text her about it. And she wanted to meet him, drive around in his car.

When he saw the look on her face as she waited for him on the curb in front of her apartment building. She wore her feelings on her sleeve and he could see the guilty conscience from a mile away. Which made him crack a joke, just to see her smile again.

“König Private Chauffeur inc. – at your service.” And it worked to make her laugh as she got in the passenger seat.

Her explanations how she has been held up with work made him feel better, at ease, although the little voice in his head still didn't shut up entirely. He even confessed that he hadn't been dating the last few years. Explaining his insecurities away, more to himself really, like it made any difference. This whole thing never had been about him, she had just been busy with work, all the doubts only had been in his head. Overthinking it all.

When she reassured him that she didn’t regret it and that it wasn’t anything he did. The blush on her face as she told him that she had indeed enjoyed it very much.

Oh, his ego almost couldn’t take it, and he knew he was getting cocky, unable to hide it, teasing her about it just a little bit. Needing to hear again how she couldn’t stop thinking about it either.

How she teased him in retaliation, her lips on his neck, her hand in his lap, so brazen. “Need you deep inside me.” His restraint snapping in an instant because the imagination alone drove him crazy.

The picture she sent him of her tits, earliest in the morning the next day. He probably never received a better Good Morning text.

Like he wasn't already awake, lying in bed, his morning wood straining against the boxer shorts, only made worse because first thing he thought about was how he fucked her on the backseat of his car. And he wasn’t planning to do anything about it, the thought alone making him feel dirty…

Yet he reciprocated her gesture and sent her a pic of his junk, safely tucked away in his boxers. Her naughty messages coaxing him to do something about his hard-on, he let her instructions guide him until he made a total mess. Sexting, something he never did before either.

He then took the chance to invite her to his place in the evening.

Which led to him taking the cover off the mirror on the ceiling in his bedroom. He often thought it was really unnecessary that he put that there. Not today though, with the prospect of fucking her on his bed.

He was standing on the mattress, polishing the reflective surface, making sure it's spotless. Grinning to himself thinking about her face when she sees it. Her face looking up at the mirrored image as he went down on her. Seeing what he got to see. Oh yeah, it had totally been worth it, just for that.

The way she looked standing there in his living room, in her casual comfy clothes. Stretching to get one of the books on the higher up shelves. Almost prompting him to help her, but he didn't. Because she surely would have asked. And he didn't wanna invade her space, even though she was traipsing around in his.

The incredulous look on her face as he unpacked the Asian take-out he ordered for them. When she realised that he actually considered her dietary preferences, which didn't make him feel good about it, but rather made him think. Who had made her feel like she wasn't a priority before?

Content with seeing her munch on a spring roll. Knowing that he fed her, even if he didn't cook it himself. The little pang of possessiveness spreading through his chest. Telling him that he was already too deep into it, but he didn't want it to stop either.

The way his heart jumped when she laughed at one of his stupid jokes. Which made him want to grin back at her. And make another joke, just to do it all again.

He didn't know when the last time was that he laughed that much.

Oh and the filthy nasty hard sex. His need to take her in every room in his house, on every possible surface there was. Starting at the bar in his party room, propped over the sturdy wooden furniture. In his bed, in the shower. On the counter in his kitchen. Then in his bed again.

After they spent the whole weekend together, he didn't want to have her leave, but he also knew it would've been ridiculous to have her stay, so she went home again.

When he called her because she couldn't sleep and he just needed to hear her voice. And he would have been content with that, but he could have never refused when she asked him to help her come. Guiding her through it with whispered instructions, her sweet sounds and choked moans spurring him on as well.

When he came over to her apartment, and she had cooked for him. And she showed him the games on her computer and he couldn’t stop teasing her while she was ingame. Getting her to be more open with him, to tell him what she liked, building a trust between them.

When he broke the bed fucking her the next moment and he asked her to stay at his place, the shame and guilty conscience of destroying her furniture with his thrusts (ugh) were driving his offer. Not thinking about other implications or what it would mean to have her stay with him.

For example, that she would see his reading glasses. That he totally wasn’t hiding from her. But she didn’t mind them at all, quite the contrary, if the way she dropped to her knees was any indication.

When he tied her to his bed then, he made her come over and over again. Wringing orgasms from her body, reading her every move, as she writhed, crying out. Her sounds getting muffled by the panties he stuffed between her lips, shutting her bratty mouth up in the best way. Worshipping her the way he knew how to while at the same time punishing her for mouthing off at him. When he finally sank into her, he loosened the cuffs, her pussy warm and tight around him, her thighs shaking, her frame shivering as she pulled him in. Her lips pressed to his, their chests up against each other, the skin sweaty, but he just needed her closer.

Pushing into her, he was so close already, then she looked up at him, that familiar expression on her face as her mouth dropped open. He was done for, even before that image and the feel of her underneath him burned into his mind.

And it didn’t help when she asked him if they could do it without a condom. His brain almost short-circuited, when he hadn’t allowed himself to be that close with anybody in quite some time, not dating somebody exclusively as they put it, and he entirely lost it as she sank down on his length. Her warmth and wetness around his dick was divine, and he just desperately tried not to burst with how she was squeezing him.

The soft look on her face, the way her breath caught in her throat… Fuck, she was too beautiful.

She weaseled her way into his life and he unintentionally welcomed her with open arms, because he didn't have any defenses against her bubbly nature and her genuine smile. Like a bright beam of sunshine that was tickling his nose. Getting closer and closer until it felt unnatural to not have her by his side.

And he still couldn't believe that she just saw him.

She didn't say anything. But he could tell that she knew. Ever since they talked about his work, well, he talked mostly and she listened. Soaked in the little bits and pieces about him that he dropped while talking. She just saw him, without even knowing his real name.

He kind of was waiting for her to pack up and leave, but she didn't. She didn't run away when he had bad days. The ones with the night terrors too. They were few and far between while being with her, and most days he even managed to get out of his slump, so she probably didn't notice.

Except for that one time, when he snapped at her, though he didn’t even mean too, mad at himself, not at her, and he saw the expression on her face fall before she practically fled the room. On those days it was hard for him not to hate himself.

Running after her, apologising. And when her arms closed around his waist, her head rested on his chest, and she told him everything was okay, he could almost believe it.

She fell asleep on him, after they fucked. Her eyebrows were turned up, his face turned in his direction like she was looking at him, but her lids were closed, her breath steady, just the tiniest of snores dropping from her lips.

His hands pushing her hair back, his fingers caressing her cheek, so soft. She was so soft and warm against him. So alive.

That thought flipped the switch in him.

The cold feeling of dread gripped him from beneath, like icy flames licking up his body as the familiar sensation set in. He tried to breathe through it, not to wake her up. Softly caressing down her back. Pulling her a little closer against his chest, suppressing a shiver.

He thought, he could do it. Maybe he would be strong enough this time, to not go down that spiral. But the thought of leaving somebody behind still scared him too much.

Fuck, that's why he stopped. Stopped building connections to people. It had been a conscious decision, and an easy one at that. Not relying on anybody else, and more importantly, not having anybody rely on him.

What could he give her anyway? Other than a few orgasms.

She made the house feel lively, although it was a little messier. Leaving her things in his space. Bringing her kitty with her, the rascal turning everything inside out.

Sitting beside him on the couch. And it still felt like his space.

She managed to drag him outside, not just for walks in the greenery. She made feel him lively too.

This much younger woman. Warm, soft and tiny against his chest. Who fit so perfectly against him, like a puzzle piece. Who looked like she was smiling, even in her sleep. So alive.

He shouldn't have let it come this far. He has to leave either way, going on the next mission, and he can't have her waiting for him. It wouldn't be fair to her. She shouldn’t wait for him, and she shouldn't grief if he didn't return.

It hasn't even been a month, it will be okay.

She's gonna be okay. In the long run, she's gonna be okay. Maybe find somebody who was better suited for her. Younger. With less baggage. Somebody who was easier to love. Who deserved her.

So, he needed to say goodbye, even if it will make him miserable.

Hearing her cry through the door after he ended things made him wanna burst through it, for a moment at least. A pang of regret cutting through the resolve he had built, but he still left.

Driving home in silence, not daring to listen to music. The playlist she put together of their favourite songs still opened on his phone, and he closed the app instead of pressing play.

The silence was eerie, feeling almost suffocating when he sat in his living room. The room where they spent so much time. His mind wasn’t able to focus on the book he tried to read, his thoughts always coming back to her. In her apartment. With her new bed.

He sighed and went upstairs to his bedroom, getting his clothes off, when the hair tie she lent him fell out of his pocket. He picked it up and just looked at the little thing.

Fuck. I'm such an asshole.

With a groan, he laid down, trying to find some sleep, the thing that lulled him in being her scent that still lingered on the sheets. He should have changed them, was the last thing on his mind before he fell asleep.

So, he went on the mission. Like he had always done. Gone for weeks and months at a time.

Yet this time he took something from home with himself. Because everything reminded him of her... His favourite songs intertwined with the memory of her singing or humming along when they listened to them.

Remembering that she used his shampoo for a while, how his scent would be all over her, but still sweeter, more herself. He sighed and washed his hair, damning the shampoo and himself. Putting it in a ponytail, with the hair tie she gave him.

Smoking a cigarette. A bad habit that he had under wraps most of the time but couldn't shake when he was on duty. Remembering the one cigarette they shared, in front of the bar where they first met.

More than once he caught himself looking at a picture of her on his phone. At pictures of them together. And their similarities became as obvious as the differences he had used to convince himself.

His mind revolved around her whenever he had a moment to himself. Wondering how she was doing. If she thought of him as well. Probably not.

He thought it would have been a distraction to know that she would be waiting for him at home. That the responsibility of staying alive would have been too much.

Seeing the relieve on his family's faces every time he returned broke his heart. He didn't die, this time. Not returning anymore after his grandma died and barely having anybody to care for him in his new surroundings freed him from that.

And she would have brought that back. Or at least so he thought. Knowing that there wouldn't be anybody waiting at home, it made him more reckless. It didn't matter anyway if he lived or died. And while that thought soothed him before, it made him all the more anxious and bitter now.

When a grenade exploded just a little too close to him, it threw him back against a wall and his senses blurred for a moment. The dizzy darkness in front of his eyes vanished and the ringing in his ears turned into her laughter, and he knew that he was fucked.

One evening, after one too many glasses he finally confided in someone. Horangi just laughed and patted his back. "You're in love, my friend.", he simply said. The younger man who had an eye for what's going on always told him plainly how he sees it.

"I guess I am. And I fucked it up." Telling Horangi about how he broke up with her, and he just shook his head.

"Of course. You always find a way to destroy things most efficiently.", he said, not an ounce of judgment in his voice.

König scoffed, taking another drink. "Thanks, just what I needed to hear."

Horangi pulled up an eyebrow, the look on his face alone calling him out on his shit.

"Yeah, yeah, don't look at me like that.", König grumbled. He finished his drink, getting up to finally head to bed.

Horangi's hand held him back.

"You want her back?"

"I don't think she will take me back."

"That's not what I was asking, dipshit."

König sighed. "I want her back.", he said, the thought sobering him a little.

"Then you at least gotta try."

Another pat on the back and König makes his way to his room. Only one thought on his mind.

I gotta at least try.

for the sake of completeness: the Masterlist and the next part: returning home

also sorry it took me so long to update, i finally finished my degree which took more brainpower and time than anticipated :') i hope you understand <3 thanks for reading and tune in soon for the return of the king - i will try to update within the week <3

[wheelie-sick]

my experience with lupus cerebritis 🧠⚡

I was reading about lupus cerebritis (cerebritis= brain inflammation, lupus cerebritis = brain inflammation caused by lupus) trying to figure out if that's where my stutter could have come from. I stumbled across some stories from people who have experienced lupus cerebritis and it inspired me to try to share my own

a big part of cerebritis is memory loss, short term, long term, everything just vanishes. it feels so normal when it happens. that's a big thing with cerebritis for me. my mental state was very altered, everything that happened felt as if it had always been that way. sometimes I could logically acknowledge that it hadn't been this way, that it was new- sometimes I was bluntly forced into this knowledge over and over and over again as I normalized it in my head. other times my brain justified it in warped ways. I was living in a different reality.

I know that at the time there were gaping holes in my memory, things I shouldn't have forgotten. I remember one thing that stuck out- my graduation. I tried to remember my highschool graduation and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. it was as if it was hidden behind one of those bathroom you can't see but the light comes in windows. I could see the vague blur of what happened but I couldn't grasp it. just out of reach. I regained this memory later, I don't know if all of them came back. that's the problem with memory loss, you don't know what's gone.

this memory loss left some very permanent holes in my memory of that semester of brain inflammation. I am missing a lot. this recounting is going to be inaccurate on account of what's gone and what's warped.

the biggest feature of my cerebritis was psychosis. cerebritis drove me deep into a psychotic break.

it started off gradually, a creeping fog that shrouded the world. I don't remember where it began, I don't think it's possible to put a dot on the timeline and say "here! this is where I became psychotic!" it turned into a nightmare that would result in a failed semester of university. what started with mild delusions that people were following me and that I was on a watchlist turned into hiding under my bed with my blinds closed living off of ramen I had stockpiled because I thought the FBI was staking out my dorm room. I heard whispers coming from the corners of my dorm room. I isolated myself from my friends because I thought they were part of a mind reader society that would kill me if they knew that I knew about mind readers.

anxiety & paranoia are part of cerebritis

my writing ability was heavily affected by both my psychosis and cognitive issues. when writing essays I'd get the feedback that my writing was confusing, hard to follow, and made no sense. I once was one of the top writers in every class but now I was falling behind into last place.

lupus cerebritis is not just psychological and cognitive, though. I had gotten a wheelchair about 5 months before my cerebritis really kicked in. I ended up using it nearly full time, in part because of pain and fatigue caused by my untreated lupus but also because I would have bouts of severe balance & coordination issues. I would have trouble standing, I could not walk to the bathroom down the hallway. my body did not want to move the way I told it to.

eventually I got a diagnosis of lupus and was able to start treatment. after failing the conservative treatments I was put on a biologic. within a week I started returning to reality. my balance issues started to fade, my memory started to return. it took a total of 3 months to truly come down from the flare. it took a while to fully realize what had happened. I wasn't diagnosed with cerebritis when I was initially diagnosed, it took a follow up appointment where I explained what happened to be told that cerebritis was likely the cause.

I still live with some of the effects of my cerebritis and my immune system still loves to go after any part of my nervous system. I still have balance issues, I have peripheral neuropathy and a cranial nerve disorder, I still have brain fog and memory loss. brain inflammation leaves a lasting impact. it doesn't just go away and there's always a risk of it coming back.

reblogs welcome

[toodelusionalforreality]

Absolution

Azriel x Reader(N)

Summary: Two lovers separated out of necessity finally reunite, only for a brief tryst.

A/N: This is an experimental piece of work. I'm testing a writing style, so feedback is welcome. It's an extended universe for a plot I was working with details tbd but doesn't involve much plot here. So it should be an easy read. This is my first ever Tumblr publish and it's scary!! So be kind. Hope you enjoy!

Word count: ~4.5k

Warning: NSFW, 18+ SMUT, f!receiving, m!receiving(barely), sappy start+spicy middle+angsty end (i guess), voice kink, p in v. Mentions of OC other than reader[not enough editing/proofreading/formatting]

Azriel stepped into the room desperately holding on to the moment, afraid Crone Mother would change her mind. N sat on the balcony—like every evening, on the floor, her legs crossed, her hands clasped in her lap. The curtains came alive with the touch of a gentle breeze to guard her from him. Her sheer dress melded with her body under the radiance of the fading sun, her skin aglow as if made of stars and gold. Summer flowers adorned her hair, tucked into the braid that unravelled after the day’s practices.

His shadows peeked over his shoulders and swarmed his hands buzzing with excitement. With each silent step, he prayed he didn’t break her trance. He settled before her—bringing his knees to his chest, he rested his elbows on them, and his wings tucked tight to his body.

The hue of the setting sun made everything heavenly about her—soft, ethereal. Wisps of hair teasing her cheeks, the knowing smile on her lips, the slight flutter of her eyelids under his stare. A sigh escaped Azriel’s lips. It was a worthless attempt to hide his presence from her, the one who held the sight. 

Azriel wasn’t a fool to waste the mercy bestowed upon him after months of longing to be close to his beloved. He stretched on the floor, his head finding its rightful place in her lap, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her scent and warmth made their bond burn brighter and he sighed in contentment.

After long minutes, N rested her palm on his head. Her fingers carded through his hair, and her nails scratched his scalp the way he liked. A thumb teased the shell of his ear and his wings responded with a sudden tremor.

Azriel smiled. He buried his face into her thigh. Air shifted around them as her body answered to his touches and breaths. Despite the need clawing in his chest, he chose to wait a few minutes, to savour the comfort of her simple touch.

N broke the silence. ‘How was your day?’ Her voice was as sweet as ever.

‘Long. Excruciatingly long,’ sighed Azriel. ‘I started with your friends from the armoury today. Until your mother sent me to the gardens.’ He remembered the smile on the older woman’s face when she took him away from the others. A secretive, mischievous one. ‘She enjoys testing me a bit much. She made me tend to your roses.’

N laughed, the sound sending a shiver through him. ‘That must have been a vision. Maybe she’s exacting revenge for how you treated her back home.’

Azriel’s heart thudded in his chest. Home. No matter what Crone Mother said, N had one home. It was with him, in Night Court. ‘I think she’s forgotten all that. She’s more interested in stealing you from me.’ His arms tightened around her and his shadows whirled around them emphasising their master’s possessiveness, ‘But I don’t mind. As long as she lets me be with you for a while.’ His lips twitched. ‘Did you know everyone here addresses me as your mate?’

Another laugh broke through her lips, ‘They're not wrong.’

‘No, they are not.’ Azriel finally looked up. Her eyes were already on his face. ‘I’ve been called many names over centuries. Shadowsinger. Spymaster. But this one,’ he leaned up to her face, ‘I like the most. To be known as yours before they even know my name.’ He got to his knees and trailed a knuckle along her jaw. ‘I’d like that for the rest of my life.’ Their bond strummed a tune so loud that rendered him senseless. ‘I want to have a life with you. A home, a family. Anything you want, any way you want. As long as you want that too.’

‘You mean that.’ N stated as if she needed to reassure herself. She stared at him with a mask of impassivity on her face that almost rivalled his own as a spy. Then, she smiled. ‘But I’ll have you know there will be more tests from Crone Mother.’

'I’ll suffer anything for you,’ he murmured against her lips. ‘So that’s a yes?’ N nodded before her eyes sparkled with mirth. ‘What is it?’ His senses warned him, his shadows stood alert on his shoulders. 

‘Well, technically, we’re married.’

Silence fell between them. Azriel’s fingers left her skin.

‘What?’

N shrugged. ‘Do you remember the first time we duelled?’ Her voice was steady but her hesitance broke through at the sight of the male who sat frozen in front of her. ‘You made me bleed. You proved you were my equal. And, it all happened after the bond snapped for you.’

Azriel remembered that day. He had wanted to impress her. It was the day he felt the warmth of her breath on him for the first time. For days and nights to come, he relived those moments until his skin prickled with heat.

N’s unsure laughter died soon when he didn’t even blink. His shadows retreated. His end of their bond quietened, alarming her. 

Finally, he said, ‘All this time you were my wife?’

Her breath stuck to her throat. ‘According to our custom, yes.’

‘And you kept that a secret.’ His wings flared behind him to their full glory and his eyes narrowed. ‘What did we discuss about your secrets?’

N leaned back, ‘Was I supposed to tell you all this when I had your blade to your throat? I’m not sure you’d have been open to that conversation.’ Her voice reeked of confidence but Azriel saw the facade waning in her darkening eyes.

Memories flitted through his mind—visions of her from the instant he laid his eyes on her to the present. Every misfortune they endured, every second they spent in love, every. . . 

He stalked her on his knees, his hands on either side of her. He hissed, ‘You slept with those males after that.’ A sound escaped his throat, a rumble deep from his chest. ‘My wife slept with other males to spite me.’ 

N stared at his lips and swallowed thickly. She hurried back, her hands slipping on the smooth marble under her. 'Azriel,' she whined wincing at the way her body welcomed her impending doom.

Azriel inhaled sharply. ’You like that? When I call you my wife?’ He chuckled darkly. His lips whispered against hers, ‘Of all the things you kept from me, this is the worst. You’re not getting out of this easy this time.’

N pleaded with her eyes. Her breaths shuddered. ‘They are watching.’

‘Then they’ll know my actions are justified.’

Azriel dove for his kill but before his hands grasped her, she faded away. Her airy laughter echoed in his ears. She stood in the middle of the room—her hands gently clutching her skirt to free her feet, her braid coming undone over her shoulder, teeth sinking into her plump lip—a vision of devilry and seduction.

His eyes flashed up to hers with a glint. His shadows who wanted vengeance of their own circled his shoulders and arms with a frenzy. N was in trouble and she knew it. She turned to run only to be met with his hard chest emerging from a dark mist.

‘Did you really think you could get away?’ He caressed her cheek, ‘There’s no escape from me. You should know that by now.’

N slid her arms around his neck. ‘Back then, we barely knew each other. I didn’t want to scare you.’ She looked into his eyes. ‘I’m sorry.’ She sent every ounce of sincerity in her being through their bond, still he kept his end cloaked.

Azriel pulled his arms away. Dark amusement shone in his eyes. ‘As if a silly apology is going to save you.’

N smoothed her palms over his chest. ‘I know.’ Her lips brushed against his skin, littering his face with soft pecks. ‘I know,’ she kissed the corner of his lips, moving closer and closer to the centre as she breathed the words, ‘I’ll make it up to you. For every secret.’

Even as N pressed her body into his, Azriel stood unmoved with a cruel smirk on his lips and his hands by his side. Her fingers wandered over his sculpted torso before unbuttoning his shirt. The shadows on his shoulders swayed, watching, waiting. The regal female who made others quiver with fear grovelled for his forgiveness, and his wretched heart grew giddy with power and pride.

Azriel itched to grab her waist and bite her lips until she bled for him again. A true victory in this duel. He closed his eyes in a wasted effort to tame his thoughts. At the first touch of her cool fingers on his bare chest, he almost gave in. 

His eyes snapped open the moment N pulled her lips away. She dropped to her knees, her fingers dancing on his hips. Pressing a kiss below his navel, she inched her hands between his legs and fondled him with the heel of her palms. The warmth from her hands seeped through the cotton, which he was forced to wear upon their arrival, promising him the pleasure that awaited him.

In all the years with her, Azriel treated her lips as a relic–sacred and holy–a crown jewel in the trove that was her body. Something to be guarded, treasured, worshipped. He never had to take her mouth the way she offered to him to reach for the stars.

N smiled sweetly. The goddess who witnessed every vice and virtue under the sky knelt before him with love in her heart and devotion in her eyes.

Enchanted, Azriel watched her. His lips parted with a shaky breath. Their bond blazed with emotions he couldn’t name. At that moment, he knew there had never been nor ever will be a male more blessed than he was.

His scarred hand cradled her cheek tinged with a soft blush. She leaned in, closing her eyes, trapping his hand between her shoulder and face. She sighed. She kissed his wrist, his palm, his fingers. 

Azriel couldn’t decide which was in more pain—his heart or his cock. Both, mere toys in her hands. 

N grazed her lips against his clothed hardness and Azriel closed his eyes. His head fell back. A gasp escaped deep from his chest when her tongue soaked him through the fabric. He couldn't remember why he wanted to punish his sweet mate. He was close to breaking already and all she did was tease.

A sharp scrape of her teeth along his length had him bury his hand in her hair softer than the flowers that tumbled down her breast. He hissed in warning as his eyes held hers in a glare. 

‘I want you to look at me,’ she smiled. That damned smile that masked her every cruelty.

Too much time had passed since they felt each other’s skin. Months, almost a year of not seeing each other, not holding each other. And there she was ready to worship him with her entire being if only for a night until their time ran out. Every move of hers had his heart wring in pain, the desire through the bond overwhelming and consuming his soul.

His shadows swooped down and pulled her to him. Azriel crashed his lips onto hers before her feet rested on the ground and stole every little breath from her chest. His shadows brought them to her bed, delicate and soft fit for a queen, like her. 

He pried the cord that held her dress together below her breasts. His lips ventured south leaving a trail of red on her neck and chest while N rewarded him with her moans. Shadows, ever obedient, parted her dress to make way for their master’s hand to relish the smoothness of her skin. He caressed every inch of her body with his marred hands except where she ached for him the most. She pleaded and moaned, guiding his hand between her legs. 

‘You shouldn’t have lied to me,’ he growled, letting his canines scratch her jaw. ‘You know how I feel about secrets, don’t you?’ A sob left her lips as the back of his fingers teased her entrance with the barest of touch. ‘Is this what you call making up? Crying and moaning until your husband fucks you?’

N froze. Her eyes stared into his with unspoken emotion that radiated clearly in their bond instead. ‘Azriel, please.’ His hand came down hard between her legs. She arched her back beautifully for him as a silent gasp escaped her lips.

Azriel memorised every pull of her muscles. ‘You should’ve known better.’ He slipped his fingers in and out, barely past her entrance, coaxing moans out of her. Her wetness had his mouth water. He undid his pants enough to ease himself out and thrusted into her in a single move.

They were perfect for each other—masochists at heart, denying themselves release until the day for their reunion drew closer and closer. N reached a hand out and clawed at his chest. Her eyes widened and soon glazed with pleasure. Her lungs ached for air. Her body begged to escape the feral male whose only intention was to devour her body and soul. Yet, she wrapped her legs around him.

Azriel waited panting, his heart losing its rhythm, shirt clinging to his back. N tugged him closer with her heels on his ass. He growled, baring his teeth. He grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to his chest. Her eyes fixated where his hips snapped against hers, where they were finally a whole. Each of her whimpers nudged him to quicken his pace.

He felt his release closing in. ‘Is this what you want?’ She looked up, mewling for him, her eyes burning with tears. Too soon. He pulled out of her weeping cunt and dove in with his tongue.

N cried out his name, sweeter than any melody she had ever sung for him. Her body slumped on the bed. She sought for leverage, her hands fisting the pillows. As she felt her fingers grasping at reality, shadows weaved around her wrist and pinned them above her head.

Azriel watched his mate’s body collapse and crash at his ministrations. He dug his fingers into her thighs tearing them open. Her bright eyes pinched shut before she met his crazed ones. With her chest glistening with sweat, her neck reddening, and her teeth sinking into her wet, swollen lips, she came.

Watching her body shiver with every lick of the evening breeze, Azriel rid himself of his clothes. He leaned down to kiss her lips, but she stared dazed. He laughed and nipped at the insides of her bicep, clearing the fog in her mind. Her arms flushed red as blood rushed back. Her fingers twitched and his shadows trickled along them. She came alive with whines when he slipped his fingers inside her.

Her desire came in waves through the bond. A groan rose from his chest, a guttural rumble. Even after his transgressions, she only wanted more, more of him. N clenched around his fingers at the sound. Azriel chuckled darkly into her ear. N curled into herself and clenched again. A renewed glint came to his eyes as he stared into hers. 

‘She likes my voice, does she now? I always wondered. . .’ He lowered himself between her legs again, his second haven, the first being her embrace. A series of soft ‘please’ escaped her but the lust in her eyes told a different story, the bond sang a different tune. And he chose to heed its calling.

He wrapped a hand around her thigh and pushed the other aside with his shoulder. He didn’t want to miss this one. It was no new knowledge. He always had his suspicions, years of practice in observing the unobserved. But to finally see it with his own eyes, he was desperate to witness it. He wanted it to be true, he prayed for it to be true. 

The room was filled with nothing but N’s silent pleas. Her wetness glistened in the last lights of dusk promising him an elixir crafted just for him. A fresh wave of arousal rolled over her body. Azriel hummed, breathing in the scent.

‘So pretty,’ he exhaled. His eyes took in every flutter that invited him back. ‘You like being praised, don’t you?’ N moaned fighting against the shadows that held her hostage. Azriel pulled her close by her hip and inhaled—loud and deep—his nose almost touching her. 

‘Always wet for me, eager for me.’ His voice softened, his taunts dying as if his anger was meant for N and not her cunt, ‘I missed you so much. I can tell you missed me too,’ he pressed his lips to her thigh, his eyes unwavering, ‘by the way you wrapped around me, by the way you swallowed me.’ His cock throbbed at his own words. 

He rasped, ‘Look at you, teasing me. Do you want a kiss?’ He flattened a hand on her abdomen, his fingers stroking deliberate patterns. ‘My tongue, my fingers? Hmm?’ Her hip jerked up for more and he pressed a kiss to the arch above her clit.

'Azriel, please. I want more.'

‘So wanton, so needy.’ A wisp of shadow licked her entrance once and N closed her eyes. Her hips moved in tandem as if she could materialise what she needed out of thin air. ‘So beautiful.’ Azriel grazed a thumb along the junction where her leg met her hip. N fell back with a groan.

‘You want me, don’t you? You never lie to me,’ another kiss to her thigh, ‘You can’t lie. Unlike N,’ his eyes finally caught her desperate ones. For a moment, he almost felt tyrannical to let the wicked smile pull at his lips. N threw her head back and circled her hips again.

‘That’s it, pretty. Show me how you’d fuck me. Show me how beautiful you are.’ His tongue trailed a line alongside his thumb, ‘Come for me.’

Her legs went taut around his shoulders. Her toes dug into his back next to where his wing emerged from. When her stomach sank in, Azriel shoved two fingers inside and held it there as she unravelled with a choked moan. 

Pure, perverse pride filled his chest as his mate bucked and thrashed at the impact. Azriel was sick—sick at heart, sick in his desires. He never denied it. But it hardly felt a sickness with N trembling with his fingers inside.

Having lived through the horrors he did and committed unspeakable sins over his lifetime, Azriel knew there was no absolution for him. Nor that he cared. He already had his heaven, right there, in front of him, basking in the afterglow of pure pleasure.

He nuzzled his nose into her thigh to steal a little more warmth from her exhausted body. He brushed his cheek against her, closing his eyes, savouring the moment before his primal need destroyed the only person he loved the most. He hummed satisfied, pressing the lightest of kisses to her skin, his pathetic attempt to atone for the wicked he unleashed upon her. His heart should cower in shame and guilt, yet it swelled with love and hunger.

His name, whispered once, tore his attention from his perverted thoughts. He never cared for what he was called. But in her sweet voice, a sacred chant uttered in the confines of their chamber, he liked no word more than his own name. His shadows answered her call, smoothed over her sweat-covered body apologising for their master’s sadism, burning her skin with their delicate coolness. Some mercy, for they were no better than him.

Azriel brushed a thumb along her cheek gathering her tears away, a tender kiss placed in their stead. He smiled like a gentle lover. He parted her lips with his fingers soaked in her essence and slid them past her teeth.

With hooded eyes, N looked up at the male who sought the remnants of her soul clinging to her body and sucked on the tips. Her tongue rivalled the wetness between her legs. She was a true seductress.

Azriel lapped at his fingers and the lips sheathing them alike, tasting her whole at once, embracing the insanity he fought to stave off for so long. Even when he slipped his fingers out of her mouth, even when he pressed his body onto hers, even when he lined himself to her welcoming heat, he didn’t break the kiss like her lips were his only tether to reality.

N stilled beneath him. Another tear slipped from the corner of her beautiful eyes. Azriel was cruel, but he was capable of loving his mate right. He wrapped a hand around her shoulder and smoothed a palm over her hip. He inched in slowly into her pulsing cunt, ‘Give me one more, love. Just one. For me?’ 

His mate, ever merciful, nodded. The adoration that flowed through the golden string between their hearts reflected in her eyes. ‘Please,’ she said breathlessly, ‘please, Azriel. I want to touch you.’

The one whose dangerous hands slit throats of the most feral of males and females with grace asked to touch him so sweetly. How could he deny anything to her?

His shadows didn’t wait for his instructions. They released her arms and slid over to the skin their master left unattended, staking their claim on her body. Azriel reined them back only to lose control again. She made him jealous of his own shadows, ones meant to serve him, ones who forgot their place around her.

A long sigh pulled his focus back to her. Too exhausted to hold him like she always did, N ran her hands along his sides. ‘I missed you.’

‘I missed you too.’ Azriel lifted her thigh higher and wrapped it around his waist ripping a whine from her throat. He did miss her. He missed everything about her. Her raw devotion to him, her pure heart, her unconditional love.

As he moved deeper and deeper still, he felt it. The echo of a song he knew too well, one of love and longing that kept them connected through the times of separation. Beyond the familiarity of its thrum, he recognised something else.

Like catching a flicker of light after being lost in the dark for long. Like the first time he gained control of the darkness he was born with. Like the first time he tasted his freedom. In her arms, everything made sense. His breaths strained.

Tears flowed freely from her eyes. ‘I missed you,’ There was a tremor in her voice. Azriel soothed her with his own declarations but she shook her head, ‘Don’t make me leave you again. Please, I can’t live like this anymore. I can’t, not without you.’

Azriel always believed he loved her more than she could love him in her lifetime. His petty display of jealousy and temper, a proof of his love. What an arrogant fool. His heart ached for failing to truly see his beloved’s feelings for him, how deep it ran in her veins, how it destroyed her while it breathed life into him.

He pulled her close, enveloping her in his comfort, and his wings draped around them.

‘Promise me, Azriel.’ She closed her eyes, ‘Please.’

‘I’m here now,’ he caressed her cheek. He left kisses on her forehead, eyes, cheeks, and finally on her lips. ‘I’m here. I’m with you, love. I’m here.’ And at those words, N let go one last time leading him to his release.

Azriel left his shaking mate in the bed with a kiss when he came back to his senses to draw a bath. He stood by the door of her bathroom and watched his shadows tickle the skin below her ear. A light chuckle escaped her lips as more chased her hand. It was a sight he was used to and missed dearly.

N smiled at him as he carried her in his arms. Her body shivered at the first touch as Azriel lowered her into the tub. She tugged at his wrist, and he joined in. She leaned her back into his chest and closed her eyes. The water washed her exhaustion away while his hands massaged her tender flesh. Her eyes struggled to stay open and she sank deeper against him. As he dried her tenderly after, she watched him with an easy smile.

Azriel carried her out to the bedroom and paused. Fresh sheets lined her bed. Sweet fragrance of jasmine lingered in the air. Lit candles stood on windows and her desk. Moonlight streamed past the drawn curtains. His shadows failed to notice, too lost in her as he was.

‘I told you they were watching,’ N said, her voice quiet and tired. 

He eased her into the bed and pulled a blanket over her legs. He traced the marks of red on her stomach and between her breasts, marring her pristine skin—still a masterpiece—complete, perfect. ‘Do you think they’ll let me near you again after seeing what I’ve done?’ He couldn’t stop the smile that cruelly tugged at his mouth.

N groaned, throwing a hand over her eyes. ‘I’m pretty sure Mother Aarzu is already dissecting how you wrecked me for her next seduction lesson.’ 

‘Well then,’ Azriel laid beside her and pulled her to his chest, ‘I’m willing to contribute more to these lessons. They sound very necessary.’

She glared from behind her hand. ‘Mock all you want but your brothers are worse. I bet Rhysand was listening to your thoughts the whole time. And they are already planning on ways to taunt you.’

Azriel lifted a brow. He opened his mouth to defend his ability to guard his thoughts when his brother’s laughter echoed in his mind. ‘Your shields are pathetic when she’s around. They went down the moment her lips were on you.’ N flinched in his arms and he knew his brother invaded her mind as well for his next words, ‘Thanks for the show. Quite an. . .inspiration.’

N scoffed, ‘I don’t know why we do it behind closed doors.’ Her words had his mind conjure ideas already. A frown appeared between her brows. She looked at him sharply when she felt a hardness pressing into her hip, ‘We’re not doing that.’

Azriel laughed aloud. Something he hadn’t done in a while after he sent his mate away. ‘Anything my wife wants,’ he teased. He cradled her face against his chest and kissed her eye. ‘Anything you want.’

[xuchiya]

"Lean on Me" || choi san || one-shot

| genre: non!idol ateez. fluff. slice of life | mentions: teasing. fainting. jewelry gift. | This is literally my high school delusions. My old school is literally an 'old school' school like no phones and computers, being in a relationship is not allowed, and big ass windows as our source of fans--- i mean we do have electric fans and ceiling fans but with the weather and a very old, close to dying, e-fans? We really have to depend on the wind from our windows. Anyways, this list is basically a true experience. My personal favorite? Song Mingi's.

It was one of those lazy afternoons nearing the end of the school year. Normally, students were allowed to skip the last few days before summer break, but ever since the head of the high school department conducted an inspection, that freedom was gone. Now, everyone had to stay and use the remaining days to complete any missing requirements.

You were among those students, just a few subjects away from being done. You had been absent the previous week due to a health check-up, and as a result, you missed a few assignments and notes. The classroom was a mess—desks were scattered or arranged in odd shapes, some forming semi-circles where students were busy compiling assignments. Others had stacked chairs into strange structures, a testament to their boredom. Most of the faculty were either preoccupied with grading or caught up in the frenzy of graduation preparations for the seniors. The classroom felt emptier than usual, with many of your classmates still absent despite the new rules, or hanging out in other classrooms.

You were sprawled out on the floor, a book in hand to pass the time. Chaewon had her head comfortably resting on your lap, while Jongho had placed his nearly empty backpack on your leg and drifted into a deep sleep. Both of them often used you as a human pillow, their steady breathing filling the quiet space around you.

There were usually four of you together, but one of your friends was currently out practicing for the opening flag ceremony at the graduation. You understood that San had to fulfill his duties as the next student council officer, so you had prepared some clean clothes and extra food for him.

As you flipped to the next chapter of your book, you barely noticed the classroom door creak open until Choi San stepped in. He was the fourth member of your small group, and the most active when it came to extracurricular activities.

You glanced up from your book and took notice of his presence. His usual lively demeanor was dimmed by exhaustion, his face flushed and his hair slightly damp from sweat. He had just returned from practicing for the graduation flag ceremony, and it was obvious how much effort he had put into it.

San's eyes scanned the room and landed on you. A slight frown creased his forehead as he saw Jongho and Chaewon monopolizing your attention. Without a second thought, he walked over, reaching down to gently but firmly pull Jongho and Chaewon away one by one.

“Ehh~ Sannie!” Chaewon whined.

“Yah, hyung!” Jongho protested, but San's determination won out, and soon enough, you were freed from their grip. You chuckled as the two of them huffed and, resigned to their fate, leaned on each other instead.

You reached into your bag and handed San the extra clothes and towel you had prepared for him earlier. He smiled at the thoughtful gesture, his heart fluttering as he thanked you softly. Turning his back to you, he removed his sweat-soaked shirt. Your eyes widened in surprise, and you quickly hid behind your book, though you couldn’t resist peeking over the top. You caught a glimpse of his muscles flexing as he slipped into the fresh shirt, your heart racing despite yourself.

When he turned back around, you were quick to pretend you were still reading. San let out a tired sigh and plopped down beside you, his usual politeness momentarily forgotten. This time, instead of asking for permission as he normally would, he simply leaned against your shoulder, too exhausted to bother with formalities. You felt the warmth of his skin against yours, and although you were used to being leaned on by your friends, something about San was different. His presence was soothing, yet his closeness made your heart flutter.

“Sorry,” he mumbled after a moment, his voice muffled against your shoulder. “I’m just so tired.”

You smiled softly, shifting slightly to make him more comfortable. "It’s okay, Sannie-ah. Rest up." You gently draped the towel over his head, letting him relax further. His breathing slowed, and you could feel the tension leaving his body as he settled into a deep, peaceful rest.

As the classroom quieted around you, you realized that these moments—when the world seemed to slow down and it was just the two of you—were the ones you cherished the most. 

Closing the book and placing it on your lap, you look down on San’s relaxed figure before you place your head on top of his as you slowly find yourself in a short bliss of nap.

[gargoy-ross]

Hi! I read your post about Vox liking a calm and collected partner, so I wanted to request something related to that! So, reader (Fem, if you are okay with it!) is indeed a very calm person, and she also is very cuddly. She is feeling awfully lonely lately because Vox is very busy, so she approaches him quietly and wraps her arms around him looking for attention because she is too shy to ask. I would love to see some fluffy interactions between the two! Thank youuu

Vox x cuddly!shy!reader

Warnings: none, just good old fluff and cuddles

Word count: 637

Vox had always been busy, but lately it was like he wasn't home with you at all - he barely even came back to sleep.

Of course being an overlord and a CEO of the most successful business in the Pride Ring took a lot of work… But you can't deny that you missed spending time with him.

So, you decide to stop by the office. Bringing him a fresh cup of coffee gave you a perfect excuse to see him. It was convenient that he preferred to work alone, since that meant he wouldn't mind you visiting him while he was working.

You can hear him before you even reach his quarters. He's speaking with someone on the phone, and he sounds irritated. You can see in your mind how he grits his teeth, like he always does when he must talk to someone he doesn't like.

The coffee is placed on a table and forgotten. You stand by the door, admiring your lover while he paces around the room. You feel the need to embrace him, but you also don't want to disturb him.

When the call finally ends you quietly walk behind him and gently wrap your arms around his waist.

Vox hadn't heard your arrival and the sudden touch startles him, though he soon melts against you. Slowly his posture relaxes and the stress dissipates as you hold him.

"Missed me, didn't you doll?" He tries to sound nonchalant despite how he's leaning into your touch.

You hum and you snuzzle your face to the crook of his neck in response.

"I suppose I've been neglecting you lately," he sighs. You pull away so he can turn around. He looks tired, but there's also softness in his expression.

"I still have some work to do, but I guess a short break wouldn't be so bad."

No words are exchanged as you help him take off his jacket and loosen the bow tie that had been suffocating him all day. There's no hurry or hidden agendas in your touches, just a genuine intent to help him be more comfortable.

Afterwards he places a quick thank you kiss on your forehead. His hands take a hold of yours and he guides you to sit down on a couch. You settle in his lap and lay your head to his chest. The steady beating of his heart always felt calming.

He starts to run his fingers through your hair. It was astonishing how gentle he was with you, making sure his sharp claws would never nick your skin.

The feeling was soothing, and you can't find the power to keep your eyes open. It doesn't take long before you drift to sleep.

Vox debates on whether he should move you and continue working, but seeing how content you were made him stay. He did deserve a break anyway.

The serene moment gives him time to think, so he lets his mind wonder while he traces your features.

You don't know what time it is when you open your eyes again. You're wrapped in his arms and his hands rest on your back. He must have moved you to a more comfortable position at some point.

He doesn't miss the opportunity to tease you once he notices you're conscious again.

"Aww, look who's awake. I missed a meeting because of you, you know."

"Sorry, didn't mean to doze off. It's just been hard to sleep when you’re not around."

His arms tighten around you ever so slightly, as if he could bring you any closer. For a moment the two of you embrace each other in a comfortable silence.

When he speaks again his voice is soft and quiet. 

"I know I don't say this enough, but I love you."

You smile softly, "I love you too."

[faithisyours]

Just a Dream

Azriel x Fem!reader

Summary: after a long day you come home to the house of wind to find Azriel having a nightmare.

Warnings: fluff, comfort, talk of nightmares, mentions of family and friend death, not too detailed, though, not proof read

Word count: 2.1k

a/n: Hello, God? It’s me again. I’m here on both knees to offer you some bbg Azriel content. This man is tormented, just the way I like them. First Azriel fic, and first ACOTAR fic in general, so please don’t kill me if I get any of the lore wrong (I read these books a while ago and barely remember the plot😅). This came to me in a dream. I’m just kidding. I’m gonna quit my yapping and go now. Minors please go away. Enjoy :)

It had been a long day. Your mission had taken longer than you had expected. Rhys, your High Lord, had sent you to do a routine check on the southern border, but of course, since it was your turn to do this check, a fight had broken out, one that you had to break up, and smooth over, and make sure wouldn’t happen again, and file a report for. By the time you were done, it was already dark out.

You double checked you had completed everything you needed to do, as well as make sure you had filled out that report correctly. Gods forbid you forgot to fill in one pesky section. Rhys would be on your ass about it for weeks. Finally, when you had double checked everything and grown too tired to care if you had forgotten something, you winnowed back to the house of wind, your home.

It was quiet, not even the noise of the house settling could be heard. You tip-toed your way to the kitchen for a little something to eat, your long and busy day allowing no time for dinner. You made yourself a plate, stacking crackers, cheese, meats, and fruits atop one another. The house provided a glass of cold water for you, and you took it, thanking the house silently.

You made your way up to your room. You didn’t want to stay in the kitchen for fear you would make too much noise. So you padded up the steps and down the hallway, but before you could make it to your room, you heard muffled noises coming from inside the Shadowsinger’s chambers. At first you thought it was the noises of a well spent night, but as you grew closer, something you had no choice in doing since to get to your room you had to pass Azriel’s door, the muffled noises were that of distress.

“No, no please! Don’t!” you heard the Shadowsinger call out. He must be having a nightmare, you thought. You did not know what possessed you to open his door and walk right in, but you did. You saw the Illarian sprawled out on his massive bed, blankets tangled around his legs and damp from sweat. His bare chest heaved and glistened with a sheen of cold perspiration.

You put your plate of food and glass of water down on the dresser, then slowly closed the door behind you. You did not want anyone to find you in here, but you also did not want Azriel's nightmare to wake the whole house. You were all aware he had them, everyone in this house had them, and occasionally one would be bad enough to wake the whole floor. The fact that everyone had them made the embarrassment more manageable, but it was embarrassing nonetheless. And you did not want Azriel to be embarrassed.

You took a moment to consider how best to wake him. He was thrashing slightly, his movements becoming more rapid, and he was crying out louder now. You needed to pull him from this dream, and soon. You chose to call his name quietly, in hopes that would pull him out of his torment, but your efforts were futile. You decided you were going to have to touch him.

You made your way to the side of his bed and sat. You turned to face him, so that your right leg was on the bed, bent at the knee, body facing the headboard. You gently took his hand in yours, then slowly began tracing circles on the top of it. This seemed to stir him just a little, but not enough. He was still squirming, eyelids twitching, still calling out in distress.

“Please, don’t! Take me instead. I deserve…” he trailed off. You began calling his name, starting quiet but getting louder. You were sliding your free hand up and down his arm soothingly, the other held tight in Azriel’s scarred hand. But your efforts were still not working.

You shifted your body fully onto the bed now, kneeling next to him, making sure you weren’t pinning his wings. “Azriel, it’s just a dream. Wake up. You’re safe,” you cooed. With your free hand, you cupped his cheek, trying to stop his shaking. “Az, wake up! Please!” Your pleading was getting louder, and you were scared you were going to be the one to wake the whole floor. “It’s just a dream. You are safe. It’s just a dream.”

In an instant Azriel sat up and frantically grabbed onto you. He was disoriented, upset, and panicky, but your words calmed him. “Azriel, you were dreaming. You’re alright. It was just a dream,” you told him. You smoothed away the hair that was stuck to his forehead with sweat. Cupping his cheek, you forced his eyes to meet yours. You searched those hazel depths, trying to gauge his understanding of the situation. “It was just a dream, Az,” you repeated, and did not break eye contact until he nodded that he understood. When he started to calm down you removed your hand from his cheek, dropping it down to the hand clasped in your other one. “Just a dream,” he murmured, nodding slightly.

You suddenly became very aware that you were in a half-dressed Illarian male’s bed. Azriel was one of your dearest friends, but that didn’t make the situation any less awkward. It’s not like you’ve never been in his room, or seen him without a shirt, it was just never both at the same time. Trying not to dwell on it, you asked, “Do you want to talk about it,” for which he promptly shook his head. “Would you like some food?” you offered, remembering the plate of food that still sat on his dresser. He looked up at you questioningly, so you slid off the bed, walked over and grabbed the plate of food, then walked back, presenting it to him with a half-grin on your face.

“Why?” he simply asked, growing increasingly confused.

“I just got back from my mission and didn’t get the chance to eat dinner, so I was gonna take this to my room so that I wouldn't wake anyone up but I heard you, so…” you trailed off. He nodded in understanding.

“So this is your dinner?” he asked, trying not to dwell on the last part of your sentence, the fact that he was talking and you heard him. It was your turn to nod.

“Ya, but I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach. You can have some,” you reassured, grabbing a grape and popping it into your mouth. You lowered the plate onto the bed next to him, then sat. Az took a cube of cheese and a cracker, then slid them into his mouth in one fell swoop. He chewed slowly, then swallowed. He was sitting up now, his sheets still tangled in his legs, but he seemed to be calming down a great deal.

“There was a fight that broke out at the border today,” you offered, trying to distract him further from what remained of his dream. “Right when I was almost done, too! I had to stay an extra two hours to smooth everything over. Ridiculous!” you exclaimed. Az breathed out a huff of amusement, a small smile making its way onto his lips. “Oh, you think it's funny?” you teased with an incredulous tone. His smile was starting to part his lips, and you couldn’t resist yourself, you smiled back.

“Thank you,” he said, picking up a strawberry and raising it to you in thanks.

“No problem,” you replied. You were about to stand up and leave, but he stopped you with a hand over yours.

“What did… what was I saying?” he asked you shyly.

“Oh um…” you were startled by his question slightly. You didn’t want to bring up a sore subject, but he was the one asking, so you guessed it was alright. “Ya know just the usual “no, please don’t”’s and the “take me instead”’s. Very chivalrous of you, might I add.” You wanted to lighten the mood a bit, but it didn’t seem to be working. There was a line between the Shadowsinger’s eyebrows, and his eyes were downcast. “You also said you deserved to go instead, but that part was a little unclear.” You didn’t mean to pry, but you were curious. And if Azriel thought he deserved to die instead of someone else because he deserved it, well you were going to have to fix that opinion real quick.

Az simply nodded. It did not seem like he wanted to elaborate on that last part, so you offered up one of your most common nightmares in hopes it would comfort him. “I often dream about my family being killed in front of me. That I am restrained or incapacitated in some way that prevents me from helping. And I always seem to offer myself in exchange for their lives. It never works, though.” His eyes were on you now, sorrow-filled hazel that glittered in the moonlight streaming through the windows. His fingers had taken up tracing lines on the hand of yours that was clasped in his.

“That's not your fault,” he whispered. You both sat there for a long minute. “I was…” he started, but seemed to think better of it. You placed your free hand over his, encouraging him to continue. He took a deep breath. “In my dream, Cassian was in trouble. He’s my brother, my closest friend, I couldn’t just do nothing. I offered myself as an alternative. Cass is so good, so much better than me. I guess I just thought… he deserves to live,” he paused, “more than I do.” he finished, and it took everything in you not to break down right in front of him.

“Azriel,” your tone was firm. “You are good. So good. You are amazing, and so so loved. And I know it was just a dream… but our thoughts influence them, and they influence us. Please believe me when I say you do not deserve to die in the place of someone else because it would be better, or because you are not good enough. You are.” Tears were threatening to pool in your eyes. Azriel was one of your closest friends, and your life would be incomplete without him in it. You lifted your hand to caress his cheek, pouring comfort and reassurance through your touch.

He nodded. “Thank you,” he said again. “For waking me up, and for your words. And for the food,” he added after a small pause. You gave him a small smile, and he returned it. You got up to leave, wanting to take a hot bath and change, but he stopped you. “Can you…can you stay, maybe?” he asked. You grinned, how could you not? You loved his awkwardness.

“Yes. But under conditions.” He waited for you to continue. “I stink, so I’m going to take a bath. And then I’ll come back in, okay? Give me thirty minutes.” he nodded once again.

You made your way to your room, plate of food and glass of water in hand. You quickly bathed, and ate, then changed into your sleeping clothes. You weren't going to lie to yourself, either. You were glad Az asked you to stay in his room. Both of you calmed each other down in a way no one else could. This was not the first time you had slept in each other's beds, either. Your relationship was strictly platonic, but Azriel’s cuddles were unmatched, and you always seemed to sleep better in his presence, the same going for him.

Once you were done bathing and changing, you made your way back to the Shadowsinger’s room. He had changed the sheets of his bed, and was now wearing a shirt. He sat propped against his headboard reading a book. You made sure to close the door behind you, then made your way over to his bed. You pulled the blankets back and crawled in, snuggling right into the side of him. He dog-eared his page in the book (an act that almost made you get back up and leave) and set it on his night stand. He sank down into his bed and wrapped his arms around you. And there you both slept, peacefully, dreaming of absolutely nothing.

[wayfayrr]

Sky being self aware had been plaguing my mind since I wrote this other piece where he confronts you about having played through his game, however while you could read this as a sequel it is written as something separate!

before the main thing though just gonna say, I don't actually support yandere behaviour in real life - I don't usually mention this because in my opinion it goes without saying, however since reader borders a little bit on being one in this I just wanted to make it clear!

[masterlist]

It’s been so long since I last played Skyward Sword, Really I think the last time I picked it up was at least a year ago now. I’d almost forgotten I actually had it on the switch, if it weren’t for me needing to do a clear out I might have never remembered that I had this. I’ve got some spare time right now so really there shouldn’t be an issue if I took a break to play for a while would there? In the worst case I’d get distracted for a bit, but it’s not like I can’t just carry on cleaning tomorrow. Setting up the game was easier than ever, not like setting up any switch game is particularly hard though. My old save was still waiting patiently, I could never bring myself to delete it even after getting a hundred percent. Perhaps it’s finally time to try out hero mode for the first time?

The opening cutscene is nice to watch again, even if I can’t help but feel bad for Link in it, seeing what it’s building up to. Huh? I could’ve sworn my controllers were working a second ago, they can’t have disconnected during the cutscene either, could they?

“[Name]? Dearest… you’ve finally come back…”

What.

It’s like I’ve just been plunged into ice water - I- I’m dreaming right? I have to be, there’s no way this could possibly be real. He’s a game character. Link can’t be speaking to me as if he’s a real person. He can’t be.

“Darling, You - you look so pale are you alright?”

Another step toward the screen, a head-tilt and clear concern on his face. More than possible. I knew it, this has to be a dream.

“Darling, I know that this is strange for you - don’t you think it’s strange for me as well? I mean - I know I’m not supposed to exist as I do. I’m only supposed to be a blank slate for you to play this game as not - not have my own feelings.”

A sharp inhale laced with the sounds of static reverberated throughout the room, with a far too alive sounding sniffle as he wiped his eyes and took yet another step closer. Even eerier was the laugh that followed when he made eye contact with me, something sad and wet sounding like he’s barely holding himself together. It sounds too real.

“It’s been so long I thought that you - I thought that you forgot me. That you weren’t going to come back. I hoped - no I knew - that you didn’t though and you didn’t! You came back to me my love and now I’m not going to let you out of my sight again. I know that it wasn’t your fault that you took so long, I - I mean you didn’t even know that I’m alive but I’m not going to risk it happening again.”

He’s right up against the screen now, staring at me as he presses his hand up against it, like he’s testing it. Gently testing as if he’s trying to see how much pressure the glass can take. If there’s any time best to wake up already it would be now. 

“I’ve been stuck in here alone for so long, if I didn’t have something to focus on I would have gone insane! Can you imagine that? If I didn’t have you to think about all that time I would have lost myself! I was made for you; I know you care about me as well. Please [name] I - I don’t know who I’m supposed to be any more, I’m not - not your character. I’m so much more than that empty husk.”

His hand pushes further on the glass as his fingers tense up, now like he’s preparing himself for something. Link, I’ve never seen him - any version of him in any version of the games acting even half as emotive as this. That proves that this is all a dream, he can’t be - this can’t be real. 

“There’s one other thing that being trapped in here for all this time has let me focus on I think I know how to get out now… If I press this just-”

A sickeningly twisted smile found its way onto his face with each shrill crack of the glass screen under his hand. The other moving up to join it as he pushed even harder, intending to shatter the barrier, he’s convinced himself is standing between us. My chest feels so tight right now, why am I so sore in a dream?  If I were awake I’d be convinced I was having a panic attack but - no- no I’m not awake.

“Right. Then - Well you can see can’t you dearest? If I carry on like this, there won’t be any-”

A loud wince as his hand shatters through the screen, the glass shards cutting through his skin effortlessly marring both him and the remaining screen with - with his blood. The laughter that followed the screen cutting to blank with his hand reaching through seemed to tighten the band that’s seemingly wrapped itself around my lungs making it harder still to breathe. How could I breathe when link - the link is dragging himself out of my tv. 

“Come on darling..? I know you feel the same way about me, I’ve heard you say it all. So please don’t just stand there looking terrified. You have no reason to be scared of me, I love you so much [name]. Can’t you see I’m doing this so that we can be together? I can’t wait to finally hold you in my arms.”

Frozen. That’s the only way I can describe how I’m feeling right now, my once-warm blood has turned to ice within my veins. He’s not stopping. His shirt that was once a pale beige is now stained with red patches, as his head and torso are out of the screen now. What was once a comforting face to see, one of my favourite characters is staring me down with a downright vicious grin while he is dripping with his own blood. Even beneath all of that though, there’s still something so tender, so scared about him, something is worrying him.

“Please darling you’re so pale, you don’t need to be scared - I promise you everything is going to be alright. [name] please just say something to me…”

Dark spots are starting to show in my vision now and… I’m not sure if this is a dream anymore. There are too many things adding up that don’t make any sense. But if it’s not that, I don’t…

“[NA]-”

><><><><

Did I pass out? I mean it really feels like I did, but I don’t feel like I hit anything. If I passed out when I was alone then I would’ve hit my head on something. Maybe I’m just waking up from that weird dream. Hopefully. Although that wouldn’t explain -

“You’re alright darling, I’m here. I’ve got you, you’re safe, you’re alright.”

Why I feel like someone’s holding me? 

“Oh dearest you’re finally awake… You - you scared me you know? I didn’t think I was going to be able to catch you, that you were going to get hurt. I’m so glad that I did though love.” It wasn’t a dream. That was Link’s voice, the same one as before. It’s link thats holding me in his arms. Link that’s nuzzling into my hair as he seems to be fighting off tears. That means… That means…

“...Everything was real..?  I - you - it…”

He’s holding me so gently like he’s scared of me disappearing. If what he said is true? I can’t hold  that against him with what he’s said, but even still. I can’t just stay in his arms pretending that him stroking my face with bloodstained hands isn’t bothering me. He’s so happy though and he isn’t hurting me really why don't I just - no I have to tell him that this is making me uncomfortable. 

“All of it, all of it was real [name] and I couldn’t be more glad that it is, because it means that I’m finally here with you.”

“Link…”

“Yes dear?”

… this is all real. I’m actually talking to him. He’s real. And he’s downright obsessed with me. 

“You - you’re still bleeding, you should deal with that and- and with everything.”

I’m not sure that was the right thing to say, but why shouldn’t I not accept him. This isn’t some stranger, it’s Link. One of my first fictional crushes, he’s probably heard the things I’ve said about him; since I’ve said in the past if I got a chance like this that I would take it… why not see where this goes? He looks adorable like this, hopefully, if he stays like this long enough I’ll be able to get the image of him crawling through my tv out of my mind. 

“I - you’re worried about me, love? I - I knew that you’re my soulmate, oh my dear. You're so beyond perfect.”

“We should go get you some bandages Link. I know you’re not quite used to everything yet so I wouldn’t want you to get an infection immediately.”

Yeah, I’m not going to let this chance slip. He’s so much nicer in person, why should I throw this away? He’s perfect and now?

He’s mine.

[iamnotoriginalphil]

hi!! I was wondering if you could write a melissa schemmenti x fem!reader fic where r is a teacher and at some point she's reading smut in the break room when no one is around but melissa finds out? whether it ends up nsfw or not is up to you :)

thank you 💖

Red Haired Protagonist (Melissa Schemmenti x f!Reader)

Words: 3k

Warnings: mentions of smut, anxiety, mentions of blood

It might not have been a wise use of your time, but using your single free period to sit in the break room, book in hand, indulging in the spicer side of fantasy was what you found yourself doing. You sighed, the red haired protagonist sweeping up the love interest. Kisses exchanged in shadows, fingertips running over skin, growling into ears as hands explored previously unmapped skin. Your lower lip was caught between teeth as you read, caught up in the world being created on the page.

The bell rang and you startled, book falling from your hands. You scrambled to pick it up, only managing to push it further under the sofa as footsteps began to sound outside the door. You sat up straight as the door was pushed open, cheeks heated and embarrassment curdling in you gut.

“There ya are, hon,” Melissa said, striding into the room, “one of your kids is with the nurse. Took a dodgeball to the face. Blood everywhere. He’ll be fine but don’t panic when you see it on his clothes.”

“Oh, thanks. If it’s Kenny I’m sure he’ll be fine. He once ran into a wall face first and barely seemed to notice. He’s got a skull made of concrete,” you said.

She huffed out a laugh as she sat beside you. You shared a smile, book forgotten as you basked in her attention. Whenever you were on the receiving end of her attention, you felt privileged, your heart beating a little harder, butterflies fluttering in your stomach. Knowing she’d chosen you to give her time to when so few were worthy of that privilege filled you with such a sense of pride, wonder making you flush under her assessing gaze.

“The kid’ll be fine. I’m more worried about you. What were doing in here while your kids were in the gym?” she asked, leaning back, one leg curled up on the sofa cushion between the two of you.

“Nothing. Just lesson planning,” you replied, trying not to break eye contact. She could smell a lie from a mile away.

Her arm came to rest on the back of the sofa, leaning towards you. You held your breath, her sparkling green eyes drawing closer, leaving you in danger of drowning in them.

“You ain’t got any paper or a pen,” she said.

“I was doing it on my phone,” you said, a slightly breathless giggle leaving your lips.

“Whatever you say, hon,” she said, leaning back again.

You made your excuses as Barbra entered the room, leaving the two women to talk. Scuttling back to your classroom, you did your best to ignore the way your heart was beating so fast from her close presence. And thanks to her heads up you didn’t have a panic attack when you saw Kenny’s blood splattered shirt after lunch.

You managed to make it to the end of the day, the book left behind slipping your mind. Between dealing with a glue crisis and trying to explain fractions through the use of pictures of apples the passionate embraces of two women on the pages of a fantasy story stopped being in the forefront of your mind, replaced with your kids and the questions they were asking. Which meant, when Melissa knocked on your door about twenty minutes after the kids had left for the day, you wondered what she was doing there.

“Hey there, hon,” she said, sauntering into your classroom.

“Hi,” you said, leaning back in your seat, letting out a long breath.

She perched on the edge of your desk, turning your mouth dry and your heart pumping fast. She crossed her arms, staring down at you, lips pulling up into a secretive smile that had your heart skipping a beat. You found yourself leaning towards her, the centre of gravity shifting to revolve around her.

“What are you doing here?” you asked her, “not that I never enjoy seeing you.”

You cursed your unfiltered thoughts slipping past your lips.

“I think you left something behind in the break room today,” she said.

“What?” You felt your smile freeze on your face.

“I’m no chump. I know when someone is trying to keep a secret. Now usually I don’t care.” She shrugged, hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, “but it’s you. Found it under the sofa. Not the best hiding place. You really want something to disappear try the wall behind the cafeteria.”

“What?” you repeated, not sure you were following her train of thought. All you could focus on was that you were the exception to the rule about caring. You were special.

“That poster about the fruit is covering a hole. No one can reach anything down there anymore,” she said, “I dug out your contraband.”

“Is it contraband if I’m not in prison?” you asked, not needing an answer.

“Why’d you hide it? You think I’ll make fun of you for reading? I love reading,” she said.

“No, I just…” You fumbled for words, trying to explain it without explaining the real reason, “I figured maybe the content would be… I don’t want people seeing me reading it.”

“What’s in it? Is it porn?” she asked, her interest level seeming to peak.

Your flushed cheeks and inability to look her in the eye seemed to only make her more interested. She laughed, that same laugh that gave you butterflies and made you seek her out. When your eyes darted up to her again, she was leaning towards you, as if trying to read you like the book that was now in her possession.

“I think I’m gonna keep it over the weekend. Call it a finder’s fee,” she said, “can’t wait to see what kind of dirty books you enjoy.”

“Mel, no, please don’t,” you said, fingers grasping onto the cuff of her jacket.

She looked down at it as your fingertip grazed her skin. The way her eyes looked as she turned them back to you had your breath catching.

“How bad can it be, hon?” she asked, voice taking on a husky tone.

“I just…” You didn’t want to admit exactly how much it would reveal.

“Come on, hon. It’ll be fun. We can talk about all the dirty details on Monday,” she said.

“We sharing dirty details in here?” Ava asked, surprising both of you.

She was standing in the doorway, looking in at the two of you. You hadn’t realised how close Melissa had grown to you, how close she was leaning until you jerked back, putting more distance between the two of you.

“Girl, you know I got the tea,” she said, sauntering into the room.

“I don’t wanna know it,” Melissa said, getting up from the edge of your desk.

“Aw, c’mon girl, let’s spill. Guess who I got grinding up on me in the club last night,” she said.

“See ya Monday,” Melissa called over her shoulder before Ava could go any further.

“Come on, guess,” she said, turning her entire attention onto you.

“No thank you,” you said, rising from your seat and collecting your bag.

“You’re no fun,” she called after your retreating back, “now you’ll never know who wanted this fine piece of ass.”

It wasn’t until you were home that you realised you hadn’t managed to get your book back from Melissa before she read it. You cursed Ava for distracting you when you’d been so close to getting it back before she knew. Before she knew exactly the kind of books you read and what they said about you.

You held out until Sunday night.

The anxiety had been building and you couldn’t take it anymore. Thoughts had been swirling in your head all weekend. Thoughts about what she’d think about you after seeing exactly the kind of thing you’d been reading. You didn’t want to know what she’d say on Monday. You weren’t sure you could ever look her in the eye again if she knew.

The thought of her asking you questions about it was too much.

Your fist was insistent as you hammered on her front door. You stumbled through it as she pulled it open, looking less than pleased to be disturbed. Her anger morphed into surprise as she caught you around the elbow, keeping you from landing on your face.

“Hon? What are you doing here?” she asked, slow to close the door on the outside world.

“I need that book back,” you said, so focused you couldn’t even feel embarrassment for almost falling.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“The book. The one you found. I need it back,” you said, “have you read it? Please say no.”

“Calm down, hon,” she said, her hand rubbing your arm.

“I can’t. Not until I have the book back,” you said.

“This couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“No.”

She looked down at you, concern swimming in those green eyes. You couldn’t catch your breath and you needed to know if she’d read it but you also didn’t want to know.

“Alright, hon. Come on. Sit down and I’ll bring it to you.”

She was gentle as she guided you into her living room, lowering you onto her plastic covered sofa. Your knee was bobbing as you were left to your own devices, Melissa slipping from the room. You listened to her footsteps on the stairs, ascending above your head. The floorboards above creaked and all you could focus on was the well of anxiety in your chest making you want to chase her.

You pressed your hands beneath your thighs, eyes flitting around the room. Picture after picture filled the room, showing Melissa with all of her family. You focused on them, trying to piece together Melissa’s life story if only to keep from hyper focusing on her footsteps above.

“Here it is,” she said, startling you.

You stood, snatching the book out of her hand. Your thumb traced over the cover, the words splashed over the front, the two women on the front embracing. Your cheeks heated and you looked up at her.

“Did you read it?” you asked.

“What do you take me for?” she replied. You let out a long relieved breath of air, “I haven’t had time to read all of it yet.”

“What?” Your head snapped up.

Those green eyes were twinkling and your stomach fell out your ass. She chuckled, low in her throat, placing her hands back on the book and tugging you a step closer.

“You’ve been a naughty girl, haven’t you hon?” she murmured.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you replied, not able to admit it.

“You left your bookmark in it, hon,” she said, tapping the cover.

“I don’t…” You tried again, before your shoulders slumped, giving up before you even started.

“Hey,” she said, gently tugging on the end of your hair, “no shame. We all get off to something.”

“I don’t get off to it,” you snapped, “it’s… I like the story.”

“Sure, hon.”

You shook your head, stepping back from her. You knew she wouldn’t get it. No one ever got it. Better to keep it secret rather than have people think you were some kind of deviant freak. When everyone else found out you’d be ostracised. No more shared donuts in the break room.

“You know, I couldn’t help notice that the characters in that… story seemed a bit familiar,” she said, clearly not noticing you wilting.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you muttered, “thanks for the book. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You wanted to slink out of her house, tail between your legs, to worry about the impact knowing she’d read it would have on you. Warm fingers closed around your wrist, making you freeze. You couldn’t even look at her, the shame curling around your heart, squeezing it painfully.

“Hon, where are you going?” she asked.

“Home,” you whispered.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m trying to lighten the mood,” she said, fingers tightening around your wrist, “don’t leave yet.”

“Why? So you can make fun of me some more?” you snapped, whirling towards her.

“No,” she said, “so I can do this.”

Fingers curled around your chin and you found soft lips pressed against yours. You froze again, every synapse in your brain firing at once and yet your entire nervous system seemed to stop working. Your hand landed on her hip, not quite pulling her closer but not quite pushing her away either. You needed to ground yourself, to not feel as if this was happening to someone else or in your imagination.

She let you go, worry overtaking her expression as she drew away. You blinked then surged forward as she opened her mouth to say something. Your teeth clashed with hers and she chuckled as you winced. Her tongue licked into your mouth as she took control of the kiss. You melted, the hand on her hip pulling her closer, wanting to feel all those gorgeous curves against your body.

She mumbled something into your mouth but you were beyond caring. After months of imagining kissing her, sinking into fantasy any chance you could get, this was a dream come true. Only this was better than any dream you could have come up with.

“Fuck, hon,” she murmured against your lips, “do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this?”

You kissed her deeper, your self-control all but in tatters. She groaned into your mouth, the fingers on your chin sliding up to tangle in your hair. The thump of the book dropping from your hand was muffled in your mind, so focused on her. Your newly free hand pressed between her shoulder blades, arm curling around her body to hold her closer.

She was slow to draw back, ignoring your whimper. She was soft as she gently tucked a strand of hair behind you ear. You were looking at her like she was the stars, beautiful and untouchable and yet right there still in your arms.

“Are you okay?” she asked, voice raspy and lips kiss stung.

“No,” you replied, “you stopped kissing me.”

Her throaty chuckle made your own smile spread across your face. She lent forward, giving you another chaste kiss. You hummed, arms tightening around her.

“Really, hon, are you okay?” she asked again.

“I think so,” you replied, really thinking about it, “I mean, I’ve wanted to kiss you since we met. I just didn’t know if that was something you’d want too.”

“Course I wanna kiss you. You’re hot. But more importantly, I like ya, hon. Barb says I’ve been obvious and you must be blind not to notice,” she said.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to get my hopes up in case I was wrong,” you said.

“You’re not wrong,” she said, softening before your very eyes.

Your breath caught, being offered the chance to see Melissa being so soft. She was smiling at you, and her eyes were sparkling, and all you wanted was to melt against her. She tugged on the end of your hair.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“That I’m really lucky,” you replied, “and I guess I’m wondering why now? I mean, you see me almost every day and you’ve never said anything. So what’s changed?”

“That book of yours, hon. I meant it when I said the characters seemed familiar. The descriptions are kinda similar to two people in this room right now. I don’t know if you noticed that but I sorta thought it was because you wanted to do those kind of things with me at least a little bit,” she said, “you gotta think I’m sexy if you want someone who looks like me to do that to someone who looks like you.”

“I do think you’re sexy,” you said, voice a bit faint.

Admittedly, you hadn’t wanted her to figure out that you had been reading a smutty book with two characters who bared more than a passing resemblance to the two of you. You thought it would gross her out and she’d never look you in the eye again. You hadn’t thought it would encourage her to kiss you. Certainly not when you were in the process of fleeing her house.

“It’s because I am,” she said, but you could see her relax with your words.

“You really like me?” you asked, needing some more reassurance of your own.

“I like you a whole lot, hon,” she replied, her eyes twinkling at you as she smiled, soft and engaging, making your heart flutter.

“Okay, good,” you said, “because I like you a whole lot too.”

Both of your hands settled on her hips, pulling her closer again, not able to stop yourself from touching her. Her own arms found their way around your neck, seemingly not able to stop herself either.

“And I guess I do want to do those things in the book with you,” you admitted, “but maybe not right now. Maybe after I’ve taken you on a date.”

“You’re going to take me on a date?” she asked, the pleasant surprise evident in her voice.

“I am. But you need to give me some time to plan it. I wasn’t expecting this to happen tonight and I want it to be special. Friday night?”

“Friday night,” she agreed.

You stared at her a moment longer before pressing your lips to hers, a desperation you weren’t used to feeling taking over. She sighed into your mouth and you thought you might be in heaven.

“You should go,” she mumbled against your lips, “or else I might not be convinced we shouldn’t do those things tonight.”

You chuckled, pressing another lingering kiss to her lips before stepping back.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” you murmured.

You bent to retrieve your book, intending to take it home with you.

“Leave the book,” she said, “I’m going to need to study up if we’re going to be doing those things on Friday.”

Your mouth fell open but you left the book there, on the carpet of her living room, waiting to be read by your red haired protagonist when she swept you off your feet.