#I tried to make it resemble me aha

[gloomyshoujo]

My gift for Kate for the @sheithxmas 2024 exchange!!:-D

I'm gonna put all of my yapping + bonus stuff under the cut, because it's a lot lol. (there's concept art, mini comic, and a drabble, if you wanna skip the yap)

Firstly, I really need to give a huge special thank you to my bff, who has helped me with decisions and just cheering my on throughout this whole project, ily my liege!! <3 And to pejaposarambi who offered his help near the end, when I was losing my mind and gave me SUCH good tips to help me complete this!! Seriously, thank you both so much omfg!!TTATT

So, I tried my best to incorporate a few of the asked prompts: fairytale, fantasy, hurt/comfort or angst with a happy ending (more implied/vague, in this case), soulmates, a bit of 'they're a fantastical beast that can hurt the other' vibe, and something sweet where they're kinda comforting each other? Idk, but I tried aha.

For the fairytale and fantasy, I gave them original designs to fit the theme of both. The whole angst/hurt is more implied, but I tried to convey a bit of a story here; where Keith's sword is wrapped in broken chains, after helping free Shiro, and they're comforting each other.

The soulmates is implied from the stars. Their zodiac constellations (Scorpio & Pisces), are mapped in the sky together, along with their respective planets (Mars, Jupiter, Neptune). I wasn't sure how to place soulmates persay, but I think its romantic and conveys it pretty well. And the water is also representative to their signs too, aha!

The fantastical beast part is me really pushing it lol. But often times, dragons and unicorns are seen as like, enemies or hurt one another in a lot of stories. So I was going for a bit of that here. + their designs kinda resemble prickly thorn vs softie? Yea, I know, ya gotta squint for this part of the theme but I tried.xDD /also has a nice dark vs light theme hehe.

Some quick lore 'cause why not: when Keith was younger, he was going to die (idk, abandonment? defeat during battle? Saving Shiro? idk), but Shiro saved his life, using his tears. Keith was deeply touched, as it was the first time he experienced kindness? Idk. But when Shiro had to eventually leave, he swore to himself he'd repay him one day. Fast forward, and the king Keith is forced to serve, has captured a rare unicorn, that could give him eternal life using his tears? Or force Shiro to take him to eternity/paradise? Idk. Keith fought through hell and back to eventually help free Shiro (breaking the chain), and the two managed to escape, fleeing to a peaceful place where they can be together. Yea, there's a lot of "idk's" and big holes there, but I've yapped TOO MUCH.TT.TT

(Also, can I just say PLEASE. If this had an OST, I'd say the Galaxy Express 999 OST would be it for me. But for this illustration in particular, this song is doing it for me.)

So uhhh, this was a *journey*. I think I've been working on this for over 2 months now? A lot of thought went into it. I only do this level of planning when it's a huge project, and I typically don't share my thumbnails and concepts; because they're garbage and only meant for me. But I figured it could be fun for others to see lol.

For the design, I had a good idea of the theme at least! I wanted to have Keith's design to really resemble a dragon, while also using some elements from his BOM outfit. I leaned into the purple because I like purple, but wondering if I should have gone red. Hmmm. I tried to make him look as intimidating and prickly as I could; almost like if you were to touch him, you'd get pricked like a thorn.:-3

For Shiro, I went with looser clothes; kinda inspired by ancient Greek fashion and gods. I rushed his more, and ended up not having the time + energy to put in all the details I wanted for him.:-( I kept his clothes and hair all white/silver, to make him look like he came from the stars. His jewellery is gold + blue to relate to his zodia planets aha. I was gonna have him have longer bangs, but decided against it as I inked.

Anyways, I wanted the pose to be the same as “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt. But uhh, once I got all the designs done, and actually started sketching things out; I just couldn't get it to work. I am still disappointed in myself for that, but I had to move on and find ways to make things work. I guess that's part of the process. How humbling.=_=

I don't have too many progress shots, because I suck with that; but here's a few lol.

And then a bonus comic, because I couldn't stop thinking this throughout this entire project.xD Where the real angst lies.

I also wrote a teeny, tiny drabble. It's kinda trash and superrr corny, sorry;;; I wrote it in like, an hour or something with very little editing. But I wanted to I guess explain a bit of the story, in this particular scene specifically. Idk. Sorry to those who can actually write it's terrible;;;

So that's the end! I really tried my best to cram as many prompts into one; I know I changed the designs a lot, but I hope they still look recognizable. I still feel disappointed with myself, because it didn't come out exactlyyy how I envisioned. There were so many bumps along the way, I wish I could have done better. Still, there were fun moments (when it wouldn't slow down my PC lol). I tried out so many techniques, both old and new; it was quite the experience! I'm especially proud with some of the effects and texturing. And I hand-drew soooo many elements. Like, I could have used a pre-made grass brush for ex. But nope! Drew each blade of grass like a loser.=_= (but was worth it; was able to preserve the *crunch*)

And yea, don't expect this level of detail from me often. This is a once every few years kinda piece lol. Usually my stuff is pretty wonky and rushed. But I was happy to work on such a big project after so many years!!

Anyways, if you got this far, thanks for reading.xD Hope y'all got a kick out of it. AND SORRY FOR THE YAPPING BUT I DESERVE IT, IT WAS A BIG PROJECT.

[tpfw01]

Bingjiu x I Have to Be a Great Villain/I Want to be a Big Baddie Fic Idea

Fuuuuck. I was rereading I Have to Be a Great Villain/I Want to be a Big Baddie when it dawned on me how to make it into an SVSSS au.

Gonna be forever before I write this into a full fic so might as well throw the idea into the void.

Post-PIDW, Shen Jiu is dying in the pot. No matter what LBH tries, there's no way to save him. SJ is breathing his last breath when a villain system companion shows up and explains to him that they've been watching his life and decided that he's a perfect candidate to become a host.

Basically, SJ has to go into different worlds/novels and act as the villain. His role is fulfilled after he dies (the villain is usually killed by the MC) and he'll get reward points for it. The companion tells SJ that he can buy items in the shop with the points. One of them is the Tianming Ling, which can send him back to his past. SJ accepts, not for himself ofc but to reset everything to save CQM sect and YQY.

SJ gets assigned a novel where SJ is a disgraced prince taken in as a war prisoner/hostage. Despite hardships over the years, he becomes a trusted family friend to the royal family and they put him in charge of raising and tutoring the newborn prince. Who else, but Luo Binghe?

SJ is appalled seeing the familiar name and their resemblance. But he still has to do his villain missions to make LBH hate him. There's something odd about this kid though, he's not quite sure what, but LBH gives SJ the creeps.

After LBH turns 17, SJ betrays their kingdom by helping their neighboring, defeated kingdoms launch a coup. It's successful but LBH escapes (the plot dictates that he just gets away, but in this version, something goes wrong and SJ secretly gets him out). 5 years later, LBH is back with an army and retakes his throne. SJ, the villain, is supposed to be executed but... LBH takes him instead.

"What the hell is wrong with this LBH?" SJ curses, as LBH promises that he won't ever harm SJ. He asks SJ to become his empress, and SJ and the companion are befuddled how did the MC become messed up.

Unfortunately for LBH, the villain is bound to die, no matter what. It's inevitable. An enemy surprise-attacks throwing a spear at LBH, which SJ takes for him (not to save him, SJ just saw it as an opportunity to die and leave this world).

SJ is dying. The ringing in his ears and the notification sounds from the villain system on the success prevent him from hearing LBH say: "Ahh. He got away again. Don't worry, I'll follow you into the next life as well, Shizun."

RAAAA how's that for a first few chapters?! I've got the idea for the last arc/chapter ready in my mind too. Curses! Agony! I wanna write but I don't wanna be half-assed not finishing the rest of my works before this asdfghjl

No, LBH will not have mind-reading powers like in the og manhwa. He doesn't need it aha.

[poseidonsdaughterthesiren]

The Daughter of Poseidon: Chapter Two

Della pulls Jason along to meet Chiron. She glances at him every once in a while and he looks panicked. 

“You know no one is going to execute you right?” she giggles.

Jason’s face resembles a deer in headlights. He pauses by a sign. 

“You know something about who I am right? You and that Annabeth girl were very invested in my arm.” Jason’s blue eyes were full of paranoia. 

Della sighs, “Look I don’t know who you are. That mark on your arm is unusual, and you know the gods by their Roman personas.” 

Jason crosses his  arms, “How do I know this Chiron guy isn’t going massacre me?” 

“Chiron is just and fair. He won’t kill you unless you give him a reason. Now let's go I need to talk to Beth.” Della begins to walk towards the trail. 

“About that Percy kid right?” Jason doesn’t move from his spot.

“Yes,” Della sighs, “about that Percy kid.” She swallows hard holding back any feeling that tries to escape her. 

Jason has moved to the trailhead now, “Who is–”

“He’s my brother,” Della sniffs, “Let’s go.” 

They meander up the trail to the Big House. A four-story manner painted baby blue with white trim. The wraparound porch had longue chairs, a card table, and an empty wheelchair. 

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Jason said. He stands petrified on the spot. 

“It’ll be fine Jason, I’ll be here the whole time. You won’t get massacred.” 

Jasons nods. 

The sound of hoof steps came from the house and Jason straightened like a soldier at attention. 

Della smiles at the centaur on the porch, “Hey Chiron this is Jason.” 

Jason backs up so fast he almost trips. 

Chiron adorns his World's Best Centaur shirt and has his bow on his back. He ducks to avoid the porch light and starts to smile at Jason. Then the color drained from his face. 

“You…” Chiron says, “You should be dead.” 

An uncomfortable silence passes over the three of them. 

“Adella, I need to speak to Jason in private,” Chiron says. He was stiff as a board. 

Della frowns, “Are you sure I can stay if you–”

“Adella, now please.” 

Della nods and steps back from the pair. 

Jason’s face screams HELP ME! 

Della pats him on the back. Once the door clicks shut. She makes her way down the trail. 

The ring of cabins is deserted. Everyone is off doing activities to keep busy. She stops in her cabin and grabs her market bag. She shuts the door and makes her way to the lake. 

Once her feet hit the shore she slips off her sneakers and sets them to the side. The wreckage of the chariot was cleaned up. The only evidence of the event was a black smoldering mark on the sand.

Della rummages through her bag, she should clean this thing out more often. Shells from Dad–no, blue Jolly Ranchers–no, aha! Della pulls a quartz crystal and a drachma. She sets the bag by her shoes. Skillfully, Della angles it to create the smallest of rainbows she tosses the drachma and says, 

“Iris goddess of the rainbow please accept this offering. Show me Percy Jackson.” 

Nothing happens. 

Della sighs and sticks the quartz back in her bag. She should’ve known. Normally, the offering presents you with the person you’re trying to get a hold of. Ever since Perc went missing any time Della or Annabeth tried nothing happened. 

Frustration seeps into Della. She knew better than to let it fester. Fully clothed in her oversized orange shirt and cut-off shorts she slips into the lake. She swims towards the bottom. Perks of being Posedion’s kid she could breathe underwater. 

She nuzzles herself into a little spot crosses her legs and tries (key word tries) to meditate. Not achieving her goal Della opens her eyes to green mist instead of blue water. 

Free me daughter of Poseidon, or the Earth will swallow us. It must be by solstice!  A familiar older woman’s voice rang through her head, “FREE ME!” 

Della gasps awake. She wasn’t underwater anymore. No, instead she’s levitating above the middle of the lake—no sign of the green mist or the voice. There is however a crowd of campers by the lake. 

“Della!” Will yells, “Della, are you okay?” 

Is she okay? She tries to control the water to help when whatever force is holding her up decides to drop her. Before she can crash into the lake she is caught by Will. 

“You good?” Will asks. 

Della gives him a dazed look, “Chiron–I need to see Chiron. Vision, bad vision” 

Will sets her down but keeps an arm on her just in case, “Alright everybody move. Nothing to see here.” 

Della tries moving forward when her legs nearly give out. She grabs Will again.

Will swiftly scoops her up and rushes them towards the Big House. 

“Ugh, I’m never going to live this down am I?” Della asks. 

“Don’t worry Dell,” Will pants, ��I’ll let you keep your dignity.” 

She focuses on staying awake. She vaguely remembers feeling like this at the Lotus. Disoriented. 

Will bangs through the doors of the Big House. 

Chiron, Annabeth, and Jason's heads all snap toward them. 

“Will? Della? What happened?” Annabeth places a hand on Della’s forehead. 

“I don’t know,” Will pants, “She was floating above the lake and then she fell. I barely caught her–then she said she needed to see Chiron–something about a vis–”

“A vision?” a unique voice said from the couch. Red hair appears in Della’s tunnel vision. Rachel. 

“Rachel?” Della croaks. She tries to roll out of Will’s arms. 

Will takes the hint and sets her on her feet. He and Annabeth both have a hand on her. 

“Will, go prep the infirmary, I need to speak to Della,” Chiron orders. 

Will slips his hand off her and dashes out the door. 

Annabeth slips Della’s arm over her shoulder for stability. 

“Chiron,” Della rasps, “Green smoke–meditating–solstice–” 

“It would seem Della has had the same vision as Ms. McLean.” 

“Huh? Piper had a vision?” 

“More like Hera hijacked Rachel who seemed to have communicated for her,” Annabeth says.

“But Della wasn’t in the cabin–” Annabeth says.

“Guys,” Jason says, “She doesn’t look too good.” 

“Della?”

Della felt her spinning like she was on the merry-go-round with Percy and their mom on the beach. Her knees buckle, and she slips out of Annabeth’s grasp on the floor. She can see him. Percy. He’s running by a freeway Riptide at the ready. “Percy? Percy, I can see you” she sighs. He just barely glances at her before the darkness swallows her like one of her father’s waves. 

[mirikitakato]

[Translation] Reflections of the Moon in the Teardrops of Pavone: Episode 5

Akira: Murr!

Oz:《Vox…》

Murr: Stop!

Oz: ......

Riquet: Wah, the wind suddenly gets strong...

Rutile: Sage!

Rutile grabbed my hand and pulled me close, hugging me protectively.

Akira: (Ugh, the wind is so strong I can't open my eyes...!)

As the strange gale that was raging indoors finally subsided and I opened my eyes little by little - I saw a beautiful green-haired woman standing right in front of Murr.

Murr: ......

Slender white fingers, like delicate porcelain, reached out to Murr. A gentle caress grazed his cheek, followed by a soft clink as their foreheads touched. As if claiming him as her own, the woman's long green hair, like a verdant embrace, wrapped around Murr's body and arms.

Murr: ...Aha, so that’s you. If I hadn't fallen in love with the moon, I would have fallen for you in a heartbeat.

Green-haired woman: ......

Murr: But I'm not going.

Oz: 《Vox Nox》

Green-haired woman: ...!

At Oz's spell, the Taboo Peacock shook greatly, and a loud noise started to blow around the woman with the wind.

Rutile: ...The wind is wrapping around the woman...

The swirling wind gradually began to glow, and the moment the faint green light completely enveloped her...The woman's figure disappeared and Murr's restraints were released.

Murr: Oz, what did you do?

Oz: I didn't attack. I simply diverted her mind elsewhere with magic.

Cain: Sage! Everyone...!

Bradley: I heard the leaves was making a fuss, so it was you guys after all.

Cain and his party, who had entered the research institute first, appeared. I breathed a sigh of relief as I looked at everyone's faces.

Akira: I'm glad you're all safe.

Shylock: You too, and speaking of which...where is the man you guys followed earlier?

Akira: That's...

We talked about Keith, and the green-haired woman we met earlier.

Cain: ...I see. So he’s the Doctor’s colleague and also the one who requested us.

Bradley: The green-haired woman...Just like the Western pipe-man said, it seems she appeared in front of you guys too.

Akira: Do you also know her?

Mitile: Well, that green-haired woman appeared on our side earlier too. And, she tried to charm Mr. Shylock...

Riquet: Shylock? But isn’t Shylock's specialty also charm magic?

Shylock: You’re right, but even I was in danger. It seems that if you look too closely into her eyes, the power of charm works even stronger. Be careful if you meet her again.

Riquet: Ah, I understand. What on earth is that woman... Oz, since you’re Oz, do you know?

Oz: ...Dryad. She is a rare fairy who dwells in trees. Perhaps she was originally dwelling in the Taboo Peacock of this research institute. Then, due to the influence of the Great Calamity, she became unable to control her power and swallowed the research institute itself.

Shylock: Looks like Oz shares the same thought as mine. Dryad possess a very strong power of charm...It is said that they charm men they like and take them into the tree.

Rutile: Then, did Dryad try to take Mr. Shylock into the tree because she liked him...?

At Rutile's words, Shylock glanced at Murr.

Shylock: No, the Dryad's target is Murr. I don't know why she likes him, but that must be the reason. She must have reacted to Murr's aura coming from us.

Bradley: The humming of the Taboo Peacock was also calling for that bobby-haired guy.

Shylock: ...Murr, do you have any idea?

Murr: .....

A beautiful purple leaf resembling the feather of a peacock fluttered playfully above Murr's head.

???: Ah, Murr, you're here again?

Cain: The voice just now...

Riquet: Where on earth is it coming from...There's no one here but us.

Rutile: It sounded like it was mixed in with the humming of Taboo Peacock...

Murr: ...Let's hear the story while we walk. To the place where Angelo is.

[Voice of the past]

Angelo: Hey Murr, what do you like about the moon? What kind of feelings do you have for the moon?

Murr: I want to know everything. At the same time, even if I know nothing about it, this love is still fulfilling!

Angelo: That's quite philosophical...Specifically, what do you like about it?

Murr: It's big and beautiful, and it shines in the sky without changing no matter what I do...I love that about the moon! No matter how far I reach, I can't touch it. That distance excites me!

Angelo: What would you do if you could touch it?

Murr: I'd be so happy that I'd do a somersault!

Angelo: What would you want to do after touching it?

Murr: The moon wouldn't change at all, I suppose. I'm curious about how my desires would change though.

Angelo: Give me a hypothesis. How do you think you would feel?

Murr: Sounds interesting! For example, it might feel the same as when I sit on the ground and caress the earth. I don't know if I'd be disappointed, excited, or if it would awaken a new desire in me. I love the unknown! I have a tendency to obsess over the unknown. So, I guess it’s a given that I’m concerned about the Great Calamity…

[Voice of the past stops]

Everyone followed Murr as he started to walk. The swaying Taboo Peacock, along with the sound of rustling leaves, created the voice of someone. The voices of two people happily talking about what they love.

Murr: ......

I could tell without asking Murr. ...That these voices were Murr’s and Mr. Angelo’s.

Cain: Is this...the Taboo Peacock’s memory?

Oz: ...The presence of the fairies has grown stronger since just now. Perhaps it's because the one Dryad desires - Murr, is here.

Murr's footsteps, as he walked ahead, were steady. He entered the inner sanctum as if he were familiar with it.

Akira: ...Did Murr come here often?

Murr: A few years ago! There was a time when I used to come here often to play. I was interested in his research, but it was also fun to talk about our love with each other!

Murr's green eyes twinkled. They resembled the look he had when he found something he liked or was interested in. Somehow, from that expression, I could tell that Murr had a fondness for Angelo.

Murr: What particularly interested me was Angelo's sadness at the Taboo Peacock he loved being rejected by others.

[Voice of the past]

Angelo: I want this child to be loved by others, Murr. I know it's a selfish wish. But...this child is just living its life. And yet, it's called Taboo Peacock just because it lives like that… So first of all, I want to create a way for this child and others to coexist.

Murr: Why?

Angelo: Huh...?

Murr: Why is it necessary to coexist? Why do you want everyone to love it?

Angelo: That's...you're the same way, aren't you?

Murr: Not at all.

Angelo: But...The world fears and rejects the one you love. There are people who completely misunderstand and despise you for talking about what you love. Right?

Murr: That’s right.

Angelo: Don’t you dislike it?

Murr: Not really.

Angelo: I see...I hate it. Both the fact that my love for Taboo Peacock is considered wrong, and the fact that it is hated by others.

Murr: Hmm, then I have a different opinion from you.

Angelo: Don't you want the moon to be loved?

Murr: I do. When I look at the moon, I feel calm, excited, and I even let out a gasp of wonder. There are also nights when I feel pathetic, when I feel uncomfortable in the moonlight. On those days when I've unraveled a mystery, unearthed a new truth, and then find the full moon hanging in the sky, it's like everything in the world clicks into place. It's an overwhelming rush of emotion! Sometimes I cry when I look at the moon, and sometimes I can't help but smile. But this is my love story. I don't think everyone should love the moon that might destroy the world!

Angelo: ......

Murr: Let's talk about your love story. Why do you think that you, me, and the objects of our love need to be loved by others? Why isn't it enough for you to love it? Where did this idea come from in your life?

Angelo: .....I just want the one I love to be healthy and happy all the time. And for that, I want it not to be feared.

Murr: If they are feared, they can't be healthy?

Angelo: If they are feared and hated, they will be persecuted.

Murr: That may be true in some cases. But isn't that just your desire to control the environment you find unpleasant?

Angelo: ...Is it wrong for me to want that?

Murr: Of course not, having desires is good too!

Angelo: ...I don't think I've told you this story before. When I was a child, there was a Taboo Peacock tree near my house. The moment I saw it swaying in the glow of the evening sunset, I fell in love at first sight. The nectar dripping from its leaves reflected the orange sunset, sparkling... I've never experienced anything more shocking than that.

Murr: That's great, you fell in love at first sight. Is that Taboo Peacock this child?

Angelo: ...No. That child was eventually burned. By humans who feared its deadly poison. They smashed the charred Taboo Peacock with a hammer, leaving no trace of its form... Everyone laughed. They said they could finally live in peace. Murr, I don't want to see these beautiful Taboo Peacocks suffer that kind of fate again.

[Voice of the past ends]

Murr: If there's an antidote, people's fear of the Taboo Peacock will diminish, right? That's what Angelo is thinking.

Akira: …Mr. Angelo, he has been working hard to protect what he cherishes.

Episode 4 | Episode 6

[harrietsdreams]

Chapter 5

From the shadows behind the rundown fountain, someone appeared. The dim light made it hard to distinguish features. Was it Theo? I threw that whimsical thought into a wishing well.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were-" I approached the stranger slowly. It was a guy, about my age. Dangerous. He blinked, glancing at me as if he was just now remembering something important.

"Good night? Who are you?" With the corners of my eyes, I searched for a way back.

"Don't you remember me?" he approached the fountain, palms in front of him, as if to show there was no danger. Hah, he underestimated what living in a big city taught me.

"That's not what I asked. Answer me or I'll scream!" He laughed soundly and stared at me firmly in the eyes.

"Oh, that kind of thing, you could say I'm your maid." Great, on top of being a stranger, he was out of his marbles. I should have never let my guard down and left my phone back at the house…

"Sure! It's the 21st century, that could happen. You can be anything nowadays, aha." I instinctively stepped back, on the brink of bursting out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

"Harriet. I am the housekeeper's son. Claude, the youngest of the Olives,” he said seriously. “I literally live right there.” He pointed to a smaller house in the middle of the garden.

"Oh, my mom did say something about that…" I approached slowly. With proper lighting, his red hair stood out and his face was familiar.

"I remember you. We built forts in the forest back when we were kids." He sat in a cleaner spot on the fountain.

“Sorry… I forgot most of my memories of that time.” I smiled, hoping he would move on.

“It was nothing important, either way.” He looked down at his shoes. “Did Lily arrive too?”

“At the exact same time as me-” He suddenly seemed down in spirits. “Is everything okay?”

“Just disappointed. You see, she used to meet me here…” I stood wide-eyed. “Not at night… I mean just normally-”

“Yeah. I will just let that go.” I strode forward determined to sit beside him. Lily also had some secrets, it seemed. “So are you friends with my sister? Before you ask, she is technically my cousin.”

“I know that. But how are you so similar?” He tilted his head.

“Nurture.” I flashed a smile. He seemed taken aback. Were we that similar?

“Whatever. She is really funny, isn't she?” I could physically see his attempt at continuing the conversation about Lily.

"We will have this conversation once. Siblings need to be praised but much more humbled.” His cheeks filled with a tint, resembling his hair. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything. You see, I also study at your university. I come back every weekend… Not important,” he paused. “I thought we were friends or more even, but this past week she just ignored me. We even had a group project to finish…” 

Oh. Wait, does this mean that she had someone else while Theodore was gone? And she just ditched him without warning?

The mere idea that my sister could do this was foreign to me. Did it make me feel less guilty about me and Theodore? For sure. Whatever is about to happen these following days, honesty seems to be due between us. Tomorrow is the day.

I tried to subdue my reaction and answer without the bias of the situation. “Well, she is the same, no matter the age. Strong, smart, and beautiful, but she has space to grow when it comes to relationships.” Holding back a smile, I swung my legs and arms in a strange pattern to emphasise the point.

“So it does have to do with that black-haired guy.” He chuckled, reading between the lines. “Is he her boyfriend?” Petrified, I had two paths to take: being petty after learning new information or being a good sister.

“Talk to her, just not tomorrow. Then you can ask her about him.”

He nodded. “Are you aware you talk like an old shaman?” he asked half-jokingly. "I am looking forward to seeing what is happening tomorrow," said the laughing boy.

"That's tomorrow. What are you doing here today and at these hours?" I asked playfully.

"The fountain, we tried fixing it all evening, but I guess the years don’t forgive." I couldn't tell if he was lying or if it was the truth. Just that he was a peculiar sort of individual. “Maybe it had fixed itself somehow, I know it’s dumb, but yeah…”

"This entire place is wonderful. I can tell your family takes care of that, of this abandoned castle. It's an old fountain, just replace it," I said nonchalantly. However, the lack of an old statue would reduce the cursed manor vibes this place sometimes had.

"I'm glad you can tell. About the fountain, Mrs. Allard says-" He started a phrase, but I already knew the ending.

Getting up, I could feel my jeans had tarnished my green vibrant moss. "Well, boy maid. I'm leaving," I said with my lips pursed, waving goodbye.

He waved back, and I swore he almost laughed at my bad joke. Now laying on my bed I cannot help but wonder. Could he be lying? Either way, it seemed that talking with Lily would be the right choice.

[vitchimage]

Can you do a Kaz Brekkerxsister!(16 yr old) reader. He lost her when he was young and he finds out she lives in the little palace. So he basically kidnaps her and he doesn't tell the crows why. They kidnap her and she is scared but kaz doesn't tell her who he is. She escapes and gets lost in the rain and passes out. Crows find her shaking with a fever. Crows take her inside and help her with her fever and Kaz tells her who he is and she hugs him. Change anything & tell if u wil write thank you!!

Heyya! And yes! I can, sorry for using such a long time! Please forgive me aha..<3 I hope you really like this piece.

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To Conquer, To Seize Ketterdam

TW!: Violence, kidnapping, hurt/comfort, SoC book spoilers!

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Note: As usual, might be grammar mistakes ehe 

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Indeed, small things can cause big changes. A big twist.

Kaz was scouting this place, scouting for his target until his eyes landed on her, who waved and bid Alina farewell. He recognized her quickly, Her H/C and E/C everything, resembling the sister he had long lost. And when Alina also quickly bid farewell by saying her name, he was certain.

It was her, it was his sister he had been looking for, who he lost during that fateful day, and he couldn’t feel any happier to finally have her back in his life. Quickly announcing that there was a change of target, throwing everyone off guard with that, they laid out another plan.

Matthias and Inej would sneak attack, Nina and Kaz would stand on guard, while Jesper grabs them a carriage and a horse to get away with, and Wylan creates a distraction.

“Kaz, who even is she?” Nina whispered harshly.

“None of your business,” Kaz spits out, eyes cautiously waiting for the right moment.

When Y/N got into her room, closing the door shut, Kaz quickly signaled the others to take action.

Caught off guard, they managed to hold Y/N down, mostly Matthias as he was much stronger than the others.

But that didn’t stop her from retaliating back, stepping on Matthias' foot with her heels, making him release her. She quickly pushed him away, but any more attacks against him were stopped by Inej who was holding her back. Jabbing Inej with the album, she was about to run off to call the guards, before Kaz and Nina interrupted and stepped in.

“Nina!”

“I know damn it!” She quickly moved her fingers, lowering Y/N’s pulse. She quickly falls unconscious, Nina catching her.

“You better explain, Brekker, once we get back,” Inej said sternly, rubbing where she got jabbed.

“We should focus on getting out of here,” Nina says, hearing the guards approaching.

Everyone nodded and quickly got onto their escape plan.

–

Blinking her eyes open, Y/N took her surroundings. She was in a carriage and realizing she was with the people earlier who kidnapped her – did not help her ease the panicked state she was in earlier as well. This time was just worse.

“You’re awake,” Kaz speaks up.

“What do you want?” Y/N tried to be brave, but the way she held her arms tightly said otherwise. Kaz knew that body language, it was the same when she used to hide behind him and Jordie.

“We don’t want anything,” He stated.

“That’s bullshit,” looking away from his brown eyes, Kaz didn’t answer.

‘Should I just break the window? It could be risky though,’ She thought to herself, trying to form an escape plan in her head. ‘I wish my brothers were here..what would they do…?’ She thought bitterly to herself, yet it gave her comfort thinking about her brothers.

Minutes passed, and the others began to have a little chat to which Y/N could care less about, but noticing that their attention might be elsewhere, she took her chance in opening the carriage door when Kaz looked at Inej, telling herself to stay calm, she jumped out of the carriage, feeling leather brush against her arm, her heartbeat quickens, but she managed to land on the ground on the right time before it could fully reach her. However, she lands on a hill, making her automatically roll down. She could hear the carriage being thrown into chaos in the distance.

“Woah! Woah! Is she insane?!” A male voice yells, “Where did she go?”

“What the hell?!”

Landing on her feet again, she quickly ran off into the distance, not caring about the fact she was covered in scars and bruises from the impact of the fall and the nice stroll down the hill, her feet aching, and she was getting more and more drenched by the rain per second, the wind harshly blowing against her.

Her adrenaline was kicking in, she could almost hear her own heartbeat. ‘I need to hide..!’ her mind was a mess, scattered, afraid that they were going to catch up, and it didn’t help her ease her mind one bit when hearing someone yell, “She’s over here!”

‘I want to go home…I want my brothers…’ There were many things she wanted, many things she wished for.

‘Run!’ Three letter words her brothers had once screamed to her as they were being ambushed. Kaz and Jordie were trying to hold them back as best they could as she ran, ran as fast she could, just like now.

Trying to shake off the past as it wouldn’t help her, she tried to find a hiding spot, figuring her legs would soon give out, unfortunately, they did as she stumbled on a root. But she couldn’t hear their voices anymore, it was just the sounds of leaves and rain. She didn’t even notice how cold it was while running, until now. She tried to pry her body up, but she couldn't as her own body felt too heavy for that, her breathing shortened and she leaned back against the tree, trying her best to hide behind it. But feeling reassured that they weren’t near as she couldn’t hear or see them, she gave in to the darkness filling her sight, just for a moment.

–

Y/N opened her eyes. She noticed how warm her body was, her breathing is heavy, but something cold on her forehead. Turning her sight to the side, her eyes were met with her capture.

Room, she was in a room. Torture room? Basement? but the environment felt too comfortable for it to be one of those.

“Where..” She was too tired, she felt exhausted.

“In The Slat, my bedroom,” the guy answers, his brown eyes piercing through her, “You..passed out..and have a fever..”

Trembling? His voice was trembling like he was reminded of a past.

“Why..why would you do such a reckless thing?! You got yourself injured, you got yourself in danger! What if we didn’t find you?” He raises his voice, making her flinch.

“Isn’t it normal for someone to try and escape when kidnapped?” She scoffed,

‘Did he really think that someone would just sit still, and accept it like it was a normal day thing?’

“Especially by a stranger?” She adds.

Kaz looks up, “Stranger? You don’t recognize me?”

‘Recognize him? Am I supposed to?’ She questioned herself trying to dig up her memories, 

‘Now that I think about it he does look like Kaz..but his haircut is terrible, no way it’s him.’

“Am I supposed to?”

“I’m your brother!” He cries out, “You really don’t remember me..?”

“...” Y/N blinked, completely frozen to even utter a word,

No way that was him, no way. She was told they were dead, all of them,

“No..they all died, they all died…I don’t know who you are but…!--”

“I survived! Not Jordie…but me..!” She could tell he was pushing every sorrow down his throat, drowning all the guilt he felt for being the only one who survived that day, let alone using Jordie as a..

“What was our plan…?” She whispered quietly.

“To conquer, to seize Ketterdam,”

Silence filled the air until a sob was heard. The warmth of his sister engulfed him. Kaz flinched, trembled, and held his breath at her touch, at her arms hugging him tightly with the energy she had.

Noticing it, her touch went to feather-light one,

“I thought you died…I thought…, they said you were dead..that..” She couldn’t bring herself to say anything anymore.

But Kaz knew, knew what she was going to say, she didn’t need to say anymore.

“But, I’m here…I’m here…” He finally got the courage to hug her back, although the touch was very light, and he had to take a deep breath each second, he also felt a bit at ease. To know she was here, breathing, her heart beating, alive.

“And, I’m here too..” She mumbled, words so reassuring he felt so at ease. Although they wished Jordie was here to say the same, to engulf them in his warmth as well, both's warmth was enough for now.

Silence prevailed between those two as he let go, and she laid back down.

“You really didn’t recognize me?”

“I think it’s the bad haircut,” She laughs lightly.

“It’s not that bad,” He scoffs,

“Whatever you say,” She bantered back.

The silence between them settled again, and she soon felt too exhausted to hold her eyes open.

“Rest,” Kaz refreshed the cloth, putting it on her forehead, “Everything is going to be alright,”

She closed her eyes, Y/N could hear him repeating the same apology for being so brutal earlier over, and over again, until a smile was plastered on her face, and muttered before she completely drifted off,

“I missed you,”

Words of forgiving, words of honesty. And maybe she couldn’t forgive him for what happened earlier, but it was at least the truth from the bottom of her heart, as there wasn’t a single night in the past where she wished to be beside her brothers, happily laughing and finally be at peace.

Jordie may not be with them anymore to experience it, but they were going to carry his peace together.

–

m.list

[tossawary]

RE: your post about Binghe and Shang Qinghua's not-relationship: I keep thinking about how funny it would be if back in Binghe's disciple days he accidentally overheard Shang Qinghua talking to himself and referring to Binghe as his son. Like if Shang Qinghua is just living his life, assuming Binghe barely knows he exists, then one day the protagonist ambushes him and is like "are you actually my father???"

This actually made me laugh aloud. I love it. I keep seeing "Shang Qinghua raises Luo Binghe" AUs and wondering, "Did I contribute to the popularity of this at all?"

I mean, these AUs are great and I love them, they're fun, but it did make me wonder how many people (who haven't read SVSSS) are out there with the mistaken impression that Shang Qinghua and Luo Binghe have anything resembling a direct relationship with each other, much less any kind of parent-child relationship. The uncle-nephew relationship in PINTWILF is so heavily, heavily AU.

But Luo Binghe mistakenly thinking that Shang Qinghua is his father is so fucking funny. He just confronts this guy he thinks is a total fucking deadbeat like, "Hey, I'm your bastard child!" And for story purposes, this must be done in such a way that Shang Qinghua cannot squirm out of it, possibly in front of other people.

Shen Qingqiu (Shen Yuan): "WHAT."

(This is how the transmigrators get outed to each other.)

Maybe Shang Qinghua gets tricked into revealing that he actually knows information like Luo Binghe's hometown and Luo Binghe's washerwoman mother's name? So everyone is like, "Oh, yeah, he's definitely the father trying to wiggle out of his responsibilities. He abandoned the pregnant mother of his child. Shame on you." Yue Qingyuan's disapproval is super uncomfortable.

So, Shang Qinghua is forced (practically physically forced) to run with it and even Mobei-Jun gets taken in by the story. Though Mobei-Jun is thinking, "When did Shang Qinghua fuck a Heavenly Demon??? What Heavenly Demon was still around for him to fuck??? Did Tianlang-Jun's sister have another kid or something???"

But, like, Binghe dislikes and resents him for most of the story, probably. Like, "I'll show you for abandoning me!!!" Every friendly gesture Shang Qinghua tries to make in Binghe's direction (so that he doesn't later get all of his limbs chopped off by a Demon Emperor) is met by an angry teenager prepared to bite off his fingers if Shang Qinghua tries to pat his head. (Shizun only!!!)

And then the Heavenly Demon reveal happens and Tianlang-Jun shows up eventually, so Shang Qinghua is like, "AHA! HERE'S THE REAL DEADBEAT DAD!!!" And Tianlang-Jun is like, "Wait, what?" and Shang Qinghua is like, "Yeah, I have... no idea how this happened. Fuck you, Cucumber Bro, you should have backed me up."

[giggly-bun]

Tis The Season {ChiScara}

A/N [WARNING THIS IS A TICKLE FIC] if you don’t like it, don’t read it. Sorry for any mistakes that i’ve made but i hope if you read this I hope you enjoy it. i cant guarantee that i’ll be writing before christmas so merry christmas everyone and ily all! :D -bunny 🔮

Tis the last day of school before Christmas break, and Ajax was on his way back from class. The soft bitterness of winter nipped at his nose as he walked along the icy path leading up to his door, pulling his scarf up gently. Upon entering his dorm, he felt a gentle warmth coat his face as he shook off his snow covered coat and boots. The faint smell of something sweet was lingering in the air, and he continued to make his way to the living room. Opening the door, that’s where he found his lover laying peacefully asleep on the couch, a thin blanket keeping his legs warm. 

Ah, yes, home. 

There was a fond smile resting on Ajax’s face, one that only appears when his gaze falls on Scaramouche. He walked closer and, on further inspection, noticed his boyfriend was wearing a Christmas jumper, the same Christmas jumper that Ajax had bought him. Ajax scoffed playfully as he remembered how much Scara had protested at the sight of it. 

“You’re not getting me to wear that! It’s hideous.” He had said, a look of disgust on his face. 

“What, but it’d look so cute on you, Scara. Look, it’s even got little elves on it, it’s your brand.” Ajax joked, watching with a smirk as Scaramouche’s face caught a tint of pink, and the shorter just walked off. 

Now here he sat, snuggled up in said sweater, looking as cute as Ajax had expected. His hair was gracefully splayed out on the pillow, his mouth slightly ajar, and- oh. Said jumper had ridden up. Ajax chuckled and went to sit down next to Scaramouche, making sure to watch his legs. He admired his boyfriend for a little longer before a mischievous idea caught his attention. 

He slipped his hand gently at where the sweater had ridden, just above his belly button, and began tracing light lines at the dip in his waist, catching the older’s sides on purpose. Ajax watched as Scaramouche shuffled slightly in his sleep, but nothing more than some slight movement was made. So he continued. He decided to use his nails slightly and dragged a straight path from his bottom rib to where his sides met his hips and- aha, results! The ginger saw how Scara’s lips twitched at the corner, and he stirred more in his sleep, letting out a huff that resembled a laugh. Feeling the motivation to continue his action, that’s what Ajax did. Until some soft, sleepy giggles started protruding out of his boyfriend’s mouth. 

“Mhmhm stohop.” Scara mumbled out, evidently still slightly asleep but on the verge of waking up. The taller man smiled to him, oh how cute he found his partner. 

“I see you’re wearing that Christmas sweater that I bought you.” He said, moving his fingers so that they were swirling around the bluenette’s exposed belly button. That one got him awake. Scaramouche’s body twitched at the feeling, suddenly being away of what his body was going through, and his eyes fluttered open. 

“Ajahax? Mhmhmhm w-whahat are you doihihing?” Scaramouche giggled, still trying to register his surroundings. 

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Ajax grinned down, not stopping his motions. “Did you have a nice nap? You look awfully cosy in that sweater.” Scaramouche tried to move his body away from the sensation he was feeling, but he was still so tired he couldn’t bring himself to move. 

“Why are yohohou doihihing thahat- ack! go away ajahahax.” Scara’s giggling began to pick up as Ajax began to apply more pressure to the tickling. He used his index and middle finger to walk a path up from his sides to his upper ribs, where he gently wiggled in between the grooves of the bones. Oh, Scaramouche wasn’t ready for this at all. 

“Well, I just missed you all day and I come home to such a lovely surprise. So, what made you wanna wear the jumper, Scara?” Ajax teased with a slight smirk on his face, watching as that tinge of crimson set itself on the shorter’s cheeks. 

“Shuhuhut up ihihit gohot cold, okay. Mohove your hahands- mhmhmhm. stohohohohop” Scaramouche tried to purse his lips to keep in his laughter, but the sleep that was still intoxicating his mind wouldn’t let him. 

“Oh you were cold? Well then I guess it came in handy, didn’t it? See, I told you it would, and you look absolutely adorable. It makes it easier for me to do this.” And then Ajax did the unthinkable. He moved his fingers to the space just below Scara’s navel, scratching lightly at the skin. The shorter’s body jerked, that familiar feeling taking over and he finally managed to bring his hands down to block his tummy, attempting to turn over. Ajax just swung a leg over his boyfriend and straddled his waist, laughing. 

“No! Ajahahax not there- you knohohow it’s sohoho bad, you jerk!” Scaramouche protested, although it sounded whinier than he intended. The taller boy just chuckled to himself. The sight of his boyfriend begging ignited something so dangerous in him. He tried to get to the spot again but Scaramouche’s hands stayed persistent in their blocking so Ajax just sat back and gazed at him with a look so dark. 

“Scara, move your hands.” He said, low and stern. It made the other gulp. 

“Make me, asshole” 

The seconds of silence that followed were deafening. Then the younger clicked his tongue and in one swoop, had Scaramouche’s arms were being held above his head in one of Ajax’s hands. The eldest gasped, peering up at his boyfriend in slight fear, slight excitement. Ajax smirked. 

“You really are forcing my hand here, darling.” And he went for it. He shuffled down Scara’s joggers slightly, just below the waist band and experimentally swiped his finger across the thin skin of his waist band. Scaramouche flinched so hard, and a round of anticipatory giggles began rolling out. 

“Plehehease Ajax dohon’t you know it’s soho so ba-AHAHAHA NO!” He screeched as the ginger used his four fingers to begin scribbling at the small bit of skin. Ajax can’t exactly remember how he figured out that this was one of his partner’s death spots, but he’s so glad he did. Watching how Scaramouche squirmed and jerked while he laughed and laughed brought out an excitement in him he didn’t know he had. 

“Why not, Scara? What’s wrong with this little spot? I love it so much, how something so small can get you so worked up.” Ajax taunted, a teasing lilt to his voice. Scaramouche was indeed worked up. He was thrashing his head to the side and bucking his hips, trying to escape the feeling. It was electric, it was hellish. 

It tickled. 

“NOHOHO p-plehehehehease AHAHEHEEHE! YOHOHOHOU ASSHOLE!” Scara was trapped in a ticklish torment, the mixture of Ajax’s slightly cold finger tips, the use of his nails and the sleep that he had finally gotten rid of was all too much. Ajax laughed along with him. 

“Well that’s not very nice. What’s wrong, Scara dearest, I hope i’m not bothering you.” 

“YOHOHOHOU ARE! thihihis- STAHAHAP- IHIHISN’T FAIR! i cahahahahan’t i-it’s bahahaAHAHAD. AJAX!” Scaramouche continued to scream and screech as his feet drummed on the couch in defeat. He tried to bury his burning face in his bound arms to hide his embarrassment, but Ajax could see it clear as day, and he grinned like the cheshire cat. 

“I dunno, I really do like seeing you like this.” And he leaned down to Scara’s red ear. “Do you really think I should stop, dear?” It was low and seductive and god it was humiliating how much it effected the bluenette. 

“YEHEHES NO MOHOHORE- I CAHAHAN’T!” The screech that was released at the end of that sentence was absolutely deafening, and Ajax had to cover his ears, letting out his own laughter. 

“Ohoho my gohohod, was it that bad? You’re sohoho loud my god, Scara.” Ajax sat back, easing off his boyfriends legs. The latter immediately pulled the jumper down and curled his legs up protecting tummy. 

“Yohohoho are horrible! Why did you do thahat, you jerk.” The shorter glared, still panting out his final giggles. 

“Because, like I said, you look cute. Be grateful I didn’t go for those knees that I know are just as bad.” Ajax threatened and he reached out his hand to wiggle his fingers by the elder’s knees but Scaramouche slapped his hand away. 

“Don’t you dare, you’ve done enough tonight. You owe me another hot chocolate” He grumbled, trying to fight off a smile that was still present on his face. Ajax just chuckled and got up, not without leaving a forehead kiss of course. 

“Merry Christmas, ya little Grinch.”

[kookieswan]

Nocturne of Waves-Part II

SeaCreature!Yoongi x Heiress!Reader (f)

Word Count: 2k

Genre: Mermain!AU, Slight angst, Some humor.

Warnings: Yoongi gets a bit saucy with MC (unintentionally) Mentions of Yoongi munching on fish (and MC)…

Summary: Your poor, poor carpet. Things are probably only going to get worse from here, huh?

Notes: I got this out relatively quickly after posting the last part, so that’s exciting! Also, sorry for spelling mistakes I didn’t have much time to check aha

Series Masterlist found here! 🌊

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“Please stop flailing around, there’s already a river of water running into my living room and the idea of having to clean it up is making me disappointed already. I just got that carpet too…” The man doesn’t listen to you for a single second. Tentacles flopping around wildly as he attempts to take in the scene of the bathroom all around him, more than a little pissed of that he’s stuck in the bathtub most likely. It’s the best you can do at this point though. Sitting on the edge of the tub, you try and level with him to see if you can get any answers about what he is or what’s going on.

“So, can you speak at all? Like, even a little bit? Because if not this is going to be a whole lot harder than I was hoping it would be.” He doesn’t speak, no, but the smallest of sounds comes from deep within his chest, almost like a rumble as he settles. Definitely not a human sound in the slightest, but hey, it’s a response of some sort. Not a peep leaves his mouth that resembles your language though, leading you to think that his kind might actually be selectively mute or have a completely different way of communication than humans.

“I’ll take the silence and glare as a no.” The man sniffs the air light, glancing around your bathroom slowly as if to find any threats. There aren’t any of course, but he manages to fine on in the fluffy pink towel that hangs over his head. He pokes it curiously before it falls from its spot, landing on his head. He doesn’t take kindly to that, the rumbling leaving him this time being a near snarl as he whips it off. It lands in the toilet with a small plunk, and you quietly think about how much better life was about an hour ago.

“Okay, now that you’re settled in my only bathtub, let me go get you something to eat before you start gnawing on me again.” Standing up quickly, you rush off to the kitchen to see what you have. Thankfully since you decided to live but the ocean for a good while, most of the stock in your fridge is some sort of seafood or meat. You don’t think you’d manage to actually catch something from the sea even if you tried… You don’t even have a pole, and the merman might not take kindly to it.

Pulling out some of the fillets, you stare at them for a bit trying to decide what to do. He probably wouldn’t like them to be cooked… Shrugging your shoulders, you take the fish out of the container and carry it to the bathroom quickly, trying not to drip gross fish juice all over the place. The cleanup for it most likely wouldn’t be the most fun.  The strangely good-looking man still sits in the tub, looking insanely bored as his tentacles idly move around on the surface of the porcelain.

“So, I have some fish… That’s not cooked. Yummy, right?” You hold the fish up to him uncertainly, not sure how else to present it. Most of the stuff he eats in the ocean is raw most likely, so you’re probably not too far off. The mans eyes widen considerably, hands twitching where they lay on either side of the tub. You hold it out farther and just like that its gone and in his mouth. The sound is… Interesting, and slightly disgusting, to say the least. He tears into it viciously, sharp teeth snapping through the meat like scissors through paper.

“I need to call you something, right? How about, uh… Sugar? Since you’re so undeniably sweet…? It’s a good play on the situation I think.” Sarcasm drips from your voice, but you can’t help it. The man (creature) is slowly turning into a nightmare. He’s already dragged salt water and sand all over the plush carpets of your house, and now he’s taking up the space of your porcelain tub while he scowls at you and munches on raw fish. The nerve. He doesn’t respond at all, too occupied with consuming the flesh of the thing in front of him. So, you decide he must be okay with it. Fantastic news.

“Sugar it is. Alright Sugar, I’m going to bed now because I’m tired after dragging your slimy ass up the beach. If you need anything… Try to refrain from needing anything, alright? I think I could sleep for a solid day straight.” Deciding to be nice, you plug in a nightlight into the wall quickly, one that makes starts and moons shine across the room in waves. You’re determined to leave the room as soon as possible, but as soon as you switch the lighting from one to the other, a shrill sound rings out in the room.

You glance back at Sugar, surprised to see him looking around the room in wonder. He stares at the ceiling and walls in awe, following the stars as the slowly move from one side to the other. Its then you realize that he’s probably never seen anything like this… That he’s probably never even been in a damn house, or even out of the ocean. This is like, a huge culture shock to him and fuck, you’ve been treating it like its nothing. Deciding to try and help out, if even a bit, you go over to the tub and plop yourself back down on the edge

“This is a nightlight; it’s used as a lesser source of light at night to help humans see. They come in a lot of different forms but this one is a little special. There’s a little machine inside of it that moves this outer shell, making it rotate slowly and display the shapes of moons and stars on the wall around it. Pretty cool, huh?” Sugar stares, but it’s morphed from his usual glower into something akin to curiosity. You still can’t tell if he understands anything, but it doesn’t hurt to try, even if your explanations are subpar at best. The poor man has to sleep in your tub tonight after all.

“My name is _____, um… I’m currently taking a vacation and that’s why I’m here for now. I have a close friend named Jimin. I just graduated college… Film and photography actually. I honestly don’t know anything about sea life or where you might have come from, I never studied anything that could help…” Sugar stares at you as you talk, the wonder remaining in his eyes as he stares at your lips. You feel kind of bad about rattling off random things about yourself, but you’re not sure what to say to the man.

“I know you have no idea what I’m saying bit, like, I don’t know. I feel bad about leaving you here all by yourself! I do need to go to bed though, I’m exhausted. Feel free to come get me if you need to think or to just… wander, I guess. Sleep well if you even sleep that is.” Before you get up from the tub, you extend a hand outward slowly as a peace offering. Sugar stares at it wordlessly before huffing a bit and turning away as if he wasn’t just gawking at you two seconds ago. There’s a long road in front of you, it seems…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Startling, you’re awoken from you dream as you hear a dragging sound resonating throughout the house. A pity really, it was a good dream you think, and you’re so cozy… It seems like something is gliding against your flooring slowly still, somewhere in the living room. Your carpets are never going to be clean again…  At least you can pay for them to be replaced. You lay silently, unsure of what to do until your bedroom door opens up, the handle twisting jerkily a good few times before the door pushes free. This is fine, this is totally fine and there’s nothing to be worried about.

There are a few more curious sounds before there’s a tug at your sheets, then another, then another until they’re nearly pulled from around your body. The sheets aren’t though, and instead there’s a light plunk as something very similarly shaped to a human pulls itself up onto your bed with a strange amount of upper body strength. Well, if it isn’t Sugar creeping around at this point, you’re not sure who else it would be. To be fair, you did tell him that he could do whatever he wants… which in retrospect probably wasn’t the brightest idea that you’ve ever had.

Perhaps it’s because you’re simply curious, but you decide to keep your eyes closed and play it like you’re asleep. He won’t eat you, right…? Right. Maybe just a little nibble or something, that wouldn’t be so bad as long as he didn’t rip a finger off or something. A very wet hand rests against your bare ankle then, claws running against the skin surprisingly lightly as he glides it back and forth. He’s feeling out the bones in your leg, first your ankle, then up to your knee where he becomes particularly fascinated at the structure of it.

He pokes at the area a bit, never hard enough to draw any blood though. He even goes as far as to squish the skin together curiously. You try really hard not to giggle as it tickles quite a bit, but that bit of fun quickly turns to something else as his hand starts to glide up your thigh slowly. Oh, okay then. You can’t decide if you regret wearing such tiny shorts to bed of not. In your defense, it is rather out outside at the moment and the air is grossly sticky… And you didn’t think a man would be feeling you up in the middle of the night but who are you to complain.

He stops as your inner thigh finally, squishing the skin there yet again as he lightly runs his nails over it. You know it’s because he’s curious about legs and their function most likely, but he’s dangerously close to the apex of your thighs. Sugar doesn’t linger for long either way, a good thing for you, pulling himself up until you can feel him hovering over your form. At this rate he’d probably be straddling your body to get a closer look if he were able to do so. Quite a curious creature this man is turning out to be.

Not being able to keep your eyes closed any longer, you open them to see what’s happening. It’s dark for the most part, nearly pitch black but you can make out the form of Sugar overhead. His eyes nearly glow in the dark as he peers down at you, graying skin almost do the same as his hair frames his face perfectly. You notice then that there’s a faint glow coming from where your legs lay, and see that his tentacles are… radiant? Like he’s luminescent or something. What a strangely beautiful quality to have as an odd tentacle monster of a man. You move to speak, to say something to try and understand the situation before he leans down swiftly, effectively stopping you in your tracks.

His lips fall onto yours, kind of like a kiss but also not so. It’s a deep kiss (or not kiss), his chapped lips brushing against yours quickly as his tongue pushes through and into your mouth. A surprised sound leaves you then, a borderline moan since you haven’t gotten any action in quite a long time. Sugar pulls back almost as quickly as he swooped in, a thin bridge of spit connecting the two of you as his hair ticles against your face. He licks his lips a few times, almost like he’s savoring the taste of you before he leans back down. You do the same, surprised to find out that he almost tastes… Sweet. Again, his eyes peer into yours expectedly, luscious lips turning up into a glower, sharp teeth glinting as they catch the small amount of moonlight flowing through your window.

“That square water box you have been keeping me in is not comfortable, human.”

[mrskodzuken]

Late Night Stroll/A Cure for Insomnia

pairing: Kozume Kenma x f!reader

genre: fluff with crack bits; part of the Kenma with f!Filo!reader as s/o au (same universe as “Kodzuken Tries Eating Filipino Food for the First Time” and “How I Met Your Friend”).

wc: 0.8k

tw/cw: food, monosodium glutamate (MSG)’s sleep-inducing powers used as a punchline (sfw), some Filo phrases and jokes (obviously /lh) also a cameo mention of the Miya Twins, a bowl of sunshine and Iwaizumi Hajime (27), Athletic Trainer 😆

a/n: for @cryxtal-ame’s “In The Moonlight” collab—thank you for allowing me to join in your event, sweetie *headpats* ♥️ also I hc’d my selfship with Kenma as night owls, always staying late at night (even though I scold him for not sleeping early every now and then ahaha). Imma use that late-night stroll/konbini raid-with-Osamu prompt you’ve sent to me months ago here @love-amihan 😘 thank you @milffanaccount (I couldn’t tag you so...) @water-and-grass and @paradise-creator for beta reading this!! 🙇🏻‍♀️ *headpats 🥰* || Dedicated to all the night owls out there 🌃

Wanna join my general taglist? Click on this link 😉

[00:25]

“Kenma…” The tick-tacking typing sound of the keyboard stopped as your boyfriend turned on his gaming chair and looked at your pouting figure near the doorway, lifting his headset down to rest on his neck.

”Need something, kitten? I thought you’d be sleeping, why’re you still awake?”

You looked down anxiously then on one side until your eyes settled on him. Your hands can’t stop stuffing in and out of your hoodie’s front pocket. Your feet rocked back and forth gently.

“Um, I… I couldn’t sleep,” you mumbled.

Kenma slowly blinked then sighed before he smiled at you. “Get changed into something warmer and wait for me at the doorway. I’ll turn this off in a bit then I’ll follow you there, okay?” He turned his back on you, removed his headset and resumed his typing on the keyboard.

You were still clueless as to why Kenma wanted you to wear some warm clothes and wait for him at the doorway, but nonetheless you followed his instructions and quickly got outside the game room.

[00:53]

“So dark and quiet outside,” you softly whispered, your breath somewhat visible in the chilly midnight air. You glanced at Kenma as the two of you were walking down the dark and empty street, both your hands intertwined and swaying to and fro. “Why are we outside? Where are we going?” you asked.

“To the konbini. I’m still hungry, the beef sinangag (fried rice) you made is good but isn’t enough to make my stomach full,” he grumbled. And as if on cue, Kenma’s stomach grumbled loud, which made the both of you stop walking.

“Aha… gutom nga (hungry indeed),” you observed jokingly while seeing the former Nekoma setter blush with embarrassment.

“Shut up. I wish I could eat another bowl of it, but the meal’s good for two people only.” Kenma tugged on your hand and you both started walking again. “Thank goodness there’s no one in the street at this time… so embarrassing.”

“But the hungry sound your tummy made is cute though!”

“No, it’s not.”

“It is~”

“It’s not.”

.

.

.

“Yes, it is.”

“It’s not!”

[01:34]

The soothing background music blared faintly on the konbini’s speakers as you and Kenma both ate your food on the tables near the glass window, slurping on your cup noodles and chewing on convenience store onigiri.

You took the last bite of your onigiri into your mouth, licking the rice grains off your fingers. “Delicious, but not as delicious as Osamu-san’s onigiri,” you said in a hushed tone, drinking the noodle broth straight from the cup.

“Mhmm… wanna go to Onigiri Miya tomorrow for a date? I’ll clear my schedule—“ His sentence was cut short when you let out a loud burping sound (the staff who’s on shift that time heard it also, their eyes bulged at the sound resembling that of a croaking toad).

Kenma covered his mouth to muffle his laughter, with his back facing you. “How cute.”

“No, it’s not!”

“At least we’re even now.”

“S-shut yer trap, you…”

“Don’t Atsumu me, kitten. You still suck at speaking Kansai-ben.”

[01:56]

The lamppost illuminating a part of the park’s pathway flickered as you both strolled on the way home from the konbini. You both favored the quiet night surrounding the park, aside from a few car sounds from the nearby road and some chirping cicada noises, prompting you to yawn and stretch your arms upward.

Your boyfriend noticed this and calmly asked, “Feel sleepy now?”

You nodded, wiping a stray tear from your eye. “I guess the MSG in the cup noodles we’ve eaten earlier is kicking into my system.” Then your body suddenly shivered and you tighten up your jacket closer. “S-so cold, I wanna go home and curl myself under a kotatsu and sleep there… Kenma, what are you doing?”

You looked down and were faced with a crouching Kenma, his broad back in front of you and his hands curled backwards, as if he’s offering you a piggyback ride.

“Y/N, hop on.”

You felt your face getting flushed and waved your hands in panic, looking around just in case someone saw them. “K-kyanmaaa! Please get up, it’s embarrassing!”

“I know it’s embarrassing, but what would you do if you suddenly pass out and sleep here?” he mumbled, still in a piggyback position; you could see the tips of his ears getting redder every second—and it’s not just because of the cold freezing night. He has a point, you thought, another yawn escaping between your lips.

You walked a bit towards him, a little hesitant at first, before leaning down to rest yourself on his back. You quickly wrapped your arms around Kenma’s shoulders as he hoisted you up on his back comfortably, his arms hooking beneath your thighs.

“Don’t worry, we won’t fall down! All thanks to Shoyo for introducing me to their Olympic trainer Iwaizumi-san,” he grinned, gripping your thighs firmly as he started walking through the pathway towards the park’s exit.

You felt your eyes slowly closing, drowsiness taking over, and faint snores made their exit as you fell asleep on the pro-gamer’s back.

Kenma heard your soft snores and smiled lovingly to himself before looking up at the crescent moon shining above the sky, footsteps nearing your house.

“Sweet dreams, my dear kitten.”

Reblogs are nice, reposts and plagiarism stuff are frowned upon 🥰 all works by MadKittyBlossom © 2021.

My Masterlist

[clone-wars-imagine-2]

Bad Batch Preference: How they react when you make a doll for them that looks like them

A/N: This idea comes from a friend on discord, I hope you enjoy this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sergeant Hunter: To begin with, you were hella bored and flying through hyperspace for 10 hours straight was making you insane. Meditation could only pass that much time, so you decided to start a little project for the remaining time until you would reach Coruscant again. Soon enough you gathered all materials and started to make a little doll. You didn’t have any particular thing in mind you wanted the doll to look like but having Hunter sit right across from you with his datapad in hand was a convenient thing. It only took you 2 ½ hours until the doll was finished, now you only had to show Hunter. “Hunter! I need to show you something really important!” You said dragging out the really, a grin plastered on your face. His response was a simple ‘aha’ but he glanced up from his reports to look at you for a moment. He seemed tired which made your heart ache, he is always overworking himself. You took the doll from behind your back and held it out to him. Hunter looked surprised at the sight of the doll and laid his datapad down, reaching forward to grab the little fabric version of him. He could see all the details you did, you even put a little bandana on the doll. The Sergeant was speechless to say the least. “Do you like it? I made it for you.” You made it for him… “Of course I do. I love it! Thank you, kar’ta.” “You're welcome, Love.”

Crosshair: Building something was one of your hobbies you had since you were a kid, it was always something you could do on your own, inside or even outside. You build things out of wood, metal, fabrics, flowers and basically everything you could find. So whenever the boys were out of the ship, getting supplies or doing assignments the thought would be too dangerous for you to tag along on they left you to look after the havoc marauder. This was one of those occasions. You’ve been sitting in the pilot seat for the past few hours making something for Crosshair. You weren’t quite sure if he would like it or not but if the latter would happen you’d just keep the little doll of him for yourself. Holding the doll up you looked it once over before deciding you were finished. It looked exactly like Crosshair, you even went as far as to carefully draw on his tattoo. You smiled and decided to put it away until he came back. It didn’t take long for your boys to come back and leave the planet as fast as possible. When everything calmed down you went to Crosshair, telling him you made something for him. He gave you a sceptical look but followed you to your quarters you had on the ship. Turning around you presented him with the doll.  “You made a doll of myself? For me?” You nod your head and beamed up at him with one of your smiles. “It looks hideous.” You saw that coming. “But it’s you!” “I know.” “You want me to take it back?”  “No it’s mine.”

Tech: Getting to spend time with Tech was hard after the Bad Batch stopped protecting you and your father after they catched the people who were after you. Now it wasn’t certain when and for how long you would see him again and it killed the both of you. The last time he came to visit he gifted you a necklace with a small piece of his armor hanging off it. He said it was so something from him was always with you and protected you. It was by far your most prized possession and you never put it off since you got it. So you decided to make something for him. You were amazing when it came to the knowledge of advanced technologies and new inventions but building something on your own wasn’t something you could say you were good at. So the only plausible thing to do was ask your mother for help which she gladly lended. Together you two made a little doll, it was only a few inches in size but it looked so much like Tech it made your heart ache for him even more. It even had a small replica of his goggles on. Now you only had to wait for him to arrive home. It was another two months before you got the message from Tech that they would be heading back to get some downtime. You were filled with exaltation and couldn’t wait until he was back, but you were also nervous about what he would think of the doll. You would find out soon enough. It wasn’t until a few hours of him being back and the two of you cuddling in bed that you showed him his little present. Tech was more than just surprised and you could swear you saw him stop breathing for a few seconds. A smile spread across his face and he gave you a kiss on the forehead, pulling you closer and nuzzling his face into your hair. “I love it, mesh’la. I will always keep it with me.” You blushed at the little word of endearment and hid your face in his chest. “Glad you like it, handsome.” Guess who is blushing now. 

Wrecker: You were set at home on one of the few days you could take off, waiting for Wrecker to arrive after one of their missions. He had commed you earlier in the day, letting you know he would be there today and that he got some more stuff for you. The clones didn’t earn a lot of money so Wrecker never really bought much but he brought some stuff back for you that he found on his journeys. Be it intriguing  looking stones, beautiful flowers he pressed under some weights to preserve them or shells he found on shores. Seeing all the little things lying on their own little shelf in the living room you took the opportunity of being alone for a little while longer and started making something you knew Wrecker would like. Wrecker owned a tooka doll he so fondly called Lula that you decided it could use a little friend and what better friend would there be than a smaller version of your boyfriend himself!  It took you longer than you would like to admit until you got the hang of stitching the doll together. You were a mechanic, an inventor, not a sewer! But thankfully Wrecker wouldn’t arrive until late in the night as he told you in a message. Great, more time to figure out how to not poke you in the fingers 50 times in a row. You finished the doll around 11pm, mere ten minutes before he arrived. When Wrecker arrived he crushed you in one of his tight hugs which you endured with a smile, by now you were used to his strength. He immediately started rambling about the mission and taking the stuff out he collected for you during his time away when you stopped him. “Before you continue darling, I want to show you something I made for you. I-” “You made something for me?! When?!” You let out a laugh and smiled up at him. “Today, I had some time and thought you might appreciate it.”  Wrecker immediately begged to see it and how could you keep him waiting? You showed him the doll of himself, it was by all means the first thing you ever made in that regard but it didn’t look too bad, and it resembled him which you wanted! His eyes lit up the second they met the doll and he took it out of your hands. “This is amazing! And it looks like me! I will put myself right next to Lula so she isn’t alone!” A laugh bubbled out of your chest and you looked fondly at him. “That was my intention. Glad we are both on the same page.” You got pulled in another bone crushing hug and you savoured every second of it.

Echo: It has been over a year in which you thought that Echo was dead. After the Citadel mission Fives and Rex came to you, bearing bad news. The moment you saw them you knew and cried your eyes out for weeks. You couldn’t believe he was just gone like that, taken from you from moment to the other. Both Rex and Fives tried to help you and they succeeded in some ways until Fives passed away.  You had thrown yourself in your work for the senate, doing everything not to think about how your heart ached for the love of your life and your best friend who were gone. When your body finally broke down, telling you to rest and to process you did. In memory of the both of them you made two little dolls, the one of Fives you put right next to his gravestone. You did everything to make sure he got buried and his body wasn’t used for scientific research by the Kaminoans.  The doll of Echo you always kept close to you. There was no body you could bury or mourn so this was the only alternativ you got, and it helped, it really did. And then Rex commed you, telling you Echo was alive right before one of your most important senate meetings. It was another few days from when they brought Echo back to when you were allowed to see him and your heart stopped when you saw him. What have they done to him? Tears filled your eyes and you threw yourself at him, not letting him go as you thought he might disappear again. Echo was very hesitant at first, fearing he could hurt you with his prosthetics, yet he still forced those thoughts from his mind and enveloped you in his arms.  You talked for the maker knows how long, trying to comprehend what the other went through while giving as much comfort as possible. Every time Echo would flinch at your contact, even if it was tiny, your heart felt like it got stabbed a thousand times. When he carefully reached for your hand and told you he was leaving with the Bad Batch you tried to protest but he shut it down, telling you he had to do it and you only nod. “I promise you that I will come back, I always do, don’t I?” Echo had a smaller version of his usual sly smile on his face and for the first time in a long while you felt your heart melt again. You smiled softly at him, leaning closer to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I know you do, but before you go I want to give you something.” , you mumbled against the skin of his cheek, taking out the small doll you made months ago. Carefully you handed it to him and watched his face for his reaction. You could see tears gather in the corner of his eyes and you pulled him closer. “I made it a while after you… Well…” Echo shushed you and looked up into your face, smiling. “I will keep this close to me so whenever I see it I will think about you, cyar’ika.” 

[mellowyandere]

SCP Academia Containment Breach

Reader: F

Characters: Aizawa Shouta (main); Shigaraki Tomura

Rating: M

Summary: Dr. L/N tries to find somewhere safe during a containment breach. 

Length: 1604 words

Warning: Yandere, mentions of death, mild dub-con/non-con.

Hurried footsteps carried you down the dim hallway. The only light source coming from the red alarms periodically placed along the corridor. Sirens blared overhead as you clutched your files closer to your body.

CONTAINMENT BREACH. ALERT CONTAINMENT BREACH. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO YOUR DESIGNATED SAFE ZONE.

KNOWN ESCAPED SCPS INCLUDE…

You listened as the automated message listed off a series of varying classed SCP’s, straining to hear if any of them were assigned to you. If you made it through this alive maybe you’d consider resigning. They say memory wipes aren’t so bad.

No, you couldn’t leave. You had seen the way SCP’s were treated, you couldn’t abandon the few you were in charge of. Leaving them behind to someone cruel just didn’t sit right with you.

You were approaching a four way intersection in the compound, you’d need to take a left if you wanted to get to his enclosure. A rather interesting male humanoid SCP you had dubbed “Eraserhead”. You were too far away from any safe zones, he was your only bet at survival.

Reaching the intersection you moved to turn left before stopping dead in your tracks. Guttural screams and snarls echoed down the poorly lit hallway. It sounded as if some SCP’s were fighting, and since you didn’t know if Eraserhead had breached containment you didn’t want to test your luck and end up dead.

To your right gunshots and more screaming discouraged you from going that way. You’d have to go straight, or back the way you came. Behind you was a dead end in the facility, that being your small section for testing and personal office. You’d be screwed if anything came down that way and cornered you, so you decided to go straight.

You were running now, panting as you attempted to fill your lungs with oxygen as you descended further into the foundation, away from your zone of expertise. As you progressed deeper into the facility the sounds of gun shots and screaming became quieter. Even the overhead message had ceased playing, leaving only the blinking lights of the alarms to illuminate your path.

Squinting as you ran you saw a form slumped over on the ground. Honestly you don’t really know how you had managed to make it this far without bumping into anyone else. Running up to them you recognized the uniform they were wearing. A Class-D Personnel. Humans typically on death row, brought here instead to die some cruel and unusual way all in the name of science.

You slowed down as you approached their body, intent on checking if they were alive but stopping just before you fully reached them. Their head and arms were completely missing, but there were no traces of blood. Instead, black ash surrounded them, as if their body parts had been reduced to dust. Unfortunately for you, you knew exactly who the culprit was.

Your hairs stood on end as a raspy cackle sounded above you.

“Ahhh Dr. L/N, you weren’t supposed to see that.”

You jumped back from the corpse, yelping and dropping your files. The papers scattered all over the floor. You looked up to see one of your assigned SCP’s smiling down at you, sharp teeth seemingly glowing despite the dim light of the hallway. Curse this stupid power outage, you didn’t even see him.

“De.. Decay what are you doing here..” you mumbled the nickname you had given him pathetically as you began to step further back. As if it was even possible his grin grew wider, chapped lips cracking as his red eyes squinted in delight.

“No need to be afraid little human, you’ve always been so good to me. I’d never dream of hurting you.” With that he fell down from the ceiling with a thud. Standing up to his full height he opened all six of his arms, as if inviting you in for a hug. His blue hair fell messily over part of his face.

“In fact I was just on my way to find you! Thank you for saving me the trouble…” He began to shuffle closer, slowly approaching your smaller frame as if you’d bolt at any second. Which, to be fair, you would have if you believed you stood a chance.

“Me? Why on Earth were you looking for me?” you asked while frozen in place as he continued to approach. If any of his hands got five fingers on you, you were in for a bad time.

“You’re kidding right?” he questioned. “All humans do is poke and probe at me, treat me like shit, hurt me, experiment on me,” he snarled. “But you…” he continued in a softer tone, his hands reaching out for you. “You talk to me, make sure I’m okay. Treat me like I fucking mean something… like I exist. Such a sweet little human… but you’re always behind that stupid glass. Glass I can’t fucking decay. But now I’m free. No, no, I won’t hurt you. I want to touch you.. I want..”

The SCP stopped mid sentence, his eyes taking on a far more sinister appearance as he snarled at the space behind you. He lunged for you, desperate to get you in his arms. Suddenly, something wrapped around your waist and you couldn’t help but scream as you were quickly dragged away from the six armed creature. Your back crashed into a broad chest as black tendrils violently whipped around the hallway.

“GIVE HER BACK!” The creature rushed forwards fully intent on dusting the bastard who dared to take you away. His hands wrapped around the tendrils, ready to plow straight through. Much to his surprise nothing happened, except him violently being thrown back.

Bright red eyes cut through the darkness of the hallway, penetrating the fallen creatures own red orbs.

“Back off or I’ll kill you.” A deep voice rumbled against your back.

“Eraserhead!” you exclaimed in relief. While Decay was known to turn anyone who got to close to ash with violent outbursts, the SCP behind you was far calmer in nature. That didn’t make him any less dangerous, but between the two you’d pick him any day.

“Dr. L/N will be coming with me. If you know what’s good for you, you won’t follow.”

Decay hissed in anger but backed down. Eraserhead had a far larger stature than the other male. With his tendrils filling the hallway, as well as the inability to currently dust the man, the extra arms made no real difference in a battle.

“You best watch your back… you and I both know I’m not the most dangerous thing around here…” With that the blue hair creature slunk down the hallway, off to go decay whatever was unfortunate enough to cross his path.

You released a breath you didn’t even realize you were holding and slumped backwards against Eraserhead.

“Thank you, you really saved me aha,” you nervously chuckled. Craning your head back you peered up at the large male, his bloodshot eyes gazing down at you. The tendrils filling the hallway retreated back into his form, large black lines that almost resembled scars housed them all over his body.

“You shouldn’t have left your area, I would have come to you. Others momentarily got in the way, but not anymore.” With that he scooped you up. You squeaked out in surprise as he carried you bridal style in his arms. You were too exhausted to fight against his decision to carry you.

“That rectangular piece of plastic you use to enter and exit my area, where is it?” The creature asked.

“My key card? In my pocket where it always is, why would you need it? You’re already out.”

“There are still doors I can’t open without it, and we’re not out enough. It’s not safe here. I need to take you somewhere safe for us to nest.”

You gawked a bit at his statement “Wait, nest? What are you talking about? You can’t get all the way out this facility, it’s impossible. Look, let's just go back to my office and lie low I promise I won’t let them hurt you.”

The creature couldn’t help but scoff at your remark. “Little one, I’m far stronger than I appear. I’m taking you out of here to protect and mate, and with your key card we can open any door we need… you said so yourself a couple months back. Full access level 5 whatever.”

At this you began to struggle a bit. Mating? Nesting? What the hell was he going on about.

“Eraserhead no. I don’t understand, but we can’t leave.”

The tall figure sighed, as if he was merely reprimanding a child. “I didn’t want to do this but I need your full cooperation. Don’t worry, next time you see me we’ll be somewhere safe my little human.”

With that he leaned down and latched his mouth onto your own. You cried out in shock, and he took advantage of your surprise to slip his long appendage into your mouth. He threaded his hand into your hair and slotted your head back, and soon enough you felt hot liquid begin to seep down your throat.

Your struggling increased, small fists pounding against his chest. You had no idea he was even capable of doing this, what the hell was going on! The longer he held you there the sooner you realized you had no choice but to swallow the warm fluid. Satisfied that you finally drank it he pulled back and you desperately gasped for air. Your vision became hazy, until finally you fell limp in his arms.

[yuujism]

Sun and Night. (gojo satoru x reader)

Chapter 3: Greed

← chapter 2 | chapter 4 →

| PAIRINGS: gojo satoru x gn!reader ; mentions of getou suguru

| WARNINGS: a few spoilers but nothing too important right now, nsfw, explicit/suggestive language, kinda rough sex, toxic behaviour, unprotected sex (be safe and pee after yk aha), gender neutral reader, toxic gojo satoru, reader and gojo are down bad, grammar errors

| WORD COUNT: idk lol i’ll count later

| A/N: so chapter 3 uhh didn’t think i would reach this far but yea !! i think you kinda know where this is going, a lot of toxicity and satoru suffering of a possible one sided love?? who knows !! anyway i tried not to make this chapter way too explicit since it’s not the goal of the series, just wanted to add a spicy chapter !! anyway i hope you enjoy and tell me what you think <3 i’ll post it on ao3 too!!

summary;

You and Satoru were in love.

You were both so deeply in love, just not with each other.

Where you and Satoru found comfort in each other after the accident happened.

Advantageous.

Convenient.

Superficial.

Selfish.

That’s how your relationship with Satoru could be described since that night after the heated argument you both had regarding the feelings towards Getou Suguru.

Nothing really changed.

You both still ignored each other in the hallways of the school, walking past each other as if you weren’t a tangled mess of limbs the night before, coming undone in the arms of the other. There was no point in discussing the boundaries and consequences of your actions, not after implicitly admitting what you wanted from each other:

A fantasy.

Was it correct to use each other in hopes to feel closer to Suguru? No, it wasn’t. And, honestly, it didn’t matter. Not for you and certainly not for Satoru. But how could you blame him? How could he blame you? You found the necessary comfort in each other’s touch disguised as the ghost of a memory that was never going to come back. In the end, however, you sunk into the illusion and believed. You wanted to believe.

“Ah, yes...” You moaned, eyes closed as you threw your head back against the mattress due to the pleasant sensation of lips brushing against the sweet spot of your neck. The soft locks of hair between your fingers were the only factor that held you back from letting out another name.

You couldn’t bring yourself to call out for him even if your mind was filled with pictures of his features.

The wet and messy kisses threw you into a spiral of thoughts that you connected to the late sorcerer, even if they created a contrast to the sensation of his soft touch in your body whenever he was with you. You still tried and tried. You tried to keep your eyes closed, almost as if avoiding the deep blue eyes in front of you in fear of waking up from the reverie. You tried to enjoy and lose yourself in pleasure. You tried to not think of Satoru. Anything but him.

Long fingers entered your core, breath hitching in your throat as sharp teeth sunk in the soft exposed flesh of your shoulder. God, how you came to love the feeling of his mouth on your body, marking you only for you and him to see. The man on top of you must’ve felt your insides clenching around his digits, and you felt a smirk forming against your skin.

“You like that, don’t you?” His voice came out as a groan next to your ear, sending shivers all through your body as fingers curled inside you, reaching that sweet, sweet spot that made you whine pathetically. The grip on his hair tightening, pride filling your stomach for a brief second when a deep moan erupted from his throat; he loved having his hair pulled.

As always, you didn’t answer his question. There was no need for any of that. After all, he wasn’t really asking you.

Satoru was also deep within his daydream, thinking about long black hair and sly eyes that scrutinised him mockingly. The skin underneath him caressing his bare body was just like he remembered: cold yet warm with a softness to it and, most importantly, familiar. How he missed this.

How he missed him.

The feeling of his throbbing, leaking cock was becoming too much quickly, hips involuntary moving to grind against the mattress as another grunt left his throat. Satoru needed release, soft inner walls clenching around his fingers eagerly, asking for more and more. Satoru smirked once again. Greedy. It was all so greedy.

“God, you’re always so desperate.” Once again, teeth sunk into your skin, this time marking the side of your neck as you moaned louder this time. That was going to leave a mark, but your mind was so fogged with desire you didn’t care anymore as your hands blindly grabbed the sides of Satoru’s face, pulling him towards your own.

All for him.

Your wet lips crashing against Satoru’s in a feral and hungry kiss made him open his eyes for a moment, ice blue irises studying your face as his daydream started to distortion right in that moment before he could even stop it.

The long strands of black hair were suddenly morphing into locks that resembled your own, the scent of your shampoo invading his nostrils as his heart started to pick up the pace against his chest. The cold touch of your hands against his warm skin made every hair in his body stand, the memory of that pale familiar skin long forgotten. And, fuck, the way your legs wrapped around his waist as Satoru felt your insides throb around his fingers made his cock jump in excitement.

Satoru shut his eyes again, tightly. God, not again.

With a low growl, Satoru pulled away quickly, a strand of saliva connecting you both still as his fingers left your insides with an explicit squelching noise. Before you could even complain to be filled again, you were being manhandled into turning your whole body around, laying on your stomach. A surprised gasp escaped your mouth as rough, warm hands digged into the soft flesh of your hips, slightly lifting them up for a better angle.

It wasn’t until the hot tip of his cock leaking with pre-cum teased your entrance that you opened your eyes, turning your head to see Satoru above your shoulder. Your mouth fell agape in the ghost of a wanton whine when blue fiery eyes connected with yours, filled with passion and a hint of something you couldn’t describe as nothing but a warning.

Don’t look at me. Please, don’t look at me.

“Fuck!” you couldn’t hold back the high-pitched moan that came out of your mouth from the deepest part of your chest as Satoru finally entered you, head falling back to the mattress and breaking the almost too intimate moment. The hot sting of being stretched open by his large cock was your favourite sensation and he knew it. He was considerate of your pleasure above his own.

Satoru bottomed out quickly, a whiny gasp coming to your ears as an indication he was feeling the same as you. Pleasure. Pure bliss.

Nails digged deepper into the flesh of your ass as Satoru’s hips didn’t hesitate in pounding into your core hardly, the sound of skin slapping against skin and the embarrassing noise of wetness filling the room that slowly started to smell like both of you.

“You always feel so good, shit” Satoru groaned as his balls smacked against your ass, the feeling of his cock rubbing your inner walls as his tip kissed that sweet spot over and over again sending you into a drooling mess you couldn’t even process the way his words felt different this time.

But Satoru could. And he knew he was getting into dangerous territory.

You tried to gather the strength to hold yourself up with shaky arms, completely failing due to the strength of Satoru’s thrusts abusing your messy tightness. However, you tried to turn your head once again. For some reason, just for this one time, you wanted to see his expression. You wanted to see if he was as much of a mess as you were. To see the great Gojo Satoru slowly losing himself into pleasure just for the sake of it.

But he didn’t let you. A large hand pressed against the side of your head, pushing you against the mattress hardly as his thrusts became more erratic and rough. Your loud moans and sobs of pleasure were muffled by his hand and the mattress, trying your best not to let the tears run down your face as your eyes rolled back. But it was too late.

“Oh, you crying?” A mocking chuckle accompanied the way his thrusts came to a stop, harshly hitting your deepest bundle of nerves inside you as he leaned down to your ear, hips slowly circling as you mumbled non-sense. “Keep crying, baby. I’m the only one who is allowed to make you cry.”

You were too lost in the sensation of his cock sliding in and out of you again you didn’t even bother to question his words. Words that didn’t mean the same anymore, at least to Satoru.

Everything was quick and carnal. One moment you were sobbing loudly, mumbling small ‘I’m cumming’’s as Satoru kept his intense pace while watching you underneath him, your expressions being engraved into his mind. The next moment you were coming undone with the feeling of Satoru filling you up to the brim, his steamy seed drowning your insides until it was leaking down your thighs and into the silky sheets, cock still throbbing inside you as you both came down from you highs.

You weren’t sure who got tired of waiting first. Wether it was Satoru who slowly pulled out with a groan, or you who didn’t even have the strength to look at him anymore, not even caring about the cum oozing out of you. You were just too sleepy, too tired, you didn’t want to move.

“Tired...” you whispered, an indicator of the end of this session. Simple and direct, just like it should be. Moving around, you tried your best to get in a good position as you threw the covers over yo it body, not minding the other presence in the room that would soon walk out.

Your eyes fluttered shut with the image of Suguru calling out your name, a sweet smile on his face as you fell into a deep sleep.

However, Satoru was drowning in his own head, sitting on the edge of the bed as he stared at the nothingness of the ground under his feet. Something didn’t feel right, and it wasn’t the fact he was thinking about Suguru just like in the beginning of whatever this was, no.

This time, he fully thought of you.

Your moans, your touch, your skin heating up against him, the feeling of you clenching down on him and your eyes locking with his for a brief moment while you both came. Everything was you. You, you, you. You were present the whole time. God, he had to refrain himself from letting the sound of your name slip past his lips, a knot stuck in his throat as a result.

But you were just invading his mind. Slowly but firmly. Satoru thought of you a lot the past few days, fighting the urge of walking up to you and kissing you right there and then in the hallways of the school. He didn’t care anymore. He wanted you. He needed you.

Greedy.

Satoru was becoming way too greedy.

He wanted more of you. He wanted you to think of him as much as he thought of you. The faint memory of his best friend started to blur out as the nights next to you passed, welcoming your pretty eyes that resembled the same gaze in his teen years. You always knew what he was feeling, even if he didn’t say it. And he hated you for that the same way he hated him.

And tonight, while he was pounding into you harshly as his eyes never left your face contorted with extasis, Satoru realised he reached a point of no return. A crooked smile creeped up his face, the vague breeze of the room hitting his skin as he turned to see your alreasy sleeping figure. Oh, how he yearned for you.

It didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter if you kept thinking about long silky black hair and the ghost of soft touches while you were with him. Satoru was going to make you forget him just like you made him think of nothing but you. He was going to deposit all his spare adoration on you until you suffocated, a pain so sweet you would be asking for more and more. You wouldn’t have to think of a memory again because, at the end, you would have him and only him.

Satoru sighed dreamily at that though, hand reaching your cheek in the softest of caresses you’ve ever exchanged between the other.

Too greedy.

[good-doctor-imagine]

Wingman (Bill Denbrough)

Pairing: Bill Denbrough x Fem!Reader

Prompt(s): A86. “Because you’re so young.” / B43. “We’re friends, you can tell me anything.” from @swanimagines​’s prompt list [xxx]

Summary: Georgie seems too young to know anything about love but that doesn’t mean he can’t be his big brother’s wingman.

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: I’m sorry if this one is a bit different from normal. I’m trying to get back into writing and for some reason I felt out of my element while writing this one.

Your hand swung side to side as you waved back at your friends. Behind you, Bill offered a sheepish smile to his friends, fiddling with the house key in his hand as he walked to the front door. After saying goodbye to your friends, you turned around and followed closely behind Bill, rocking on your heels as he messed with the keys.

A few moments of struggling later, you two were able to step foot in the house. Your shoulders relaxed at the familiar atmosphere. You'd known Bill for a long time since both of you were in kindergarten. His house was not something new to you, you had plenty of playdates as a kid and every summer you would spend practically every weekend in his house.

"(Y/n)!" Georgie came running down the stairs, a wide smile plastered on his face. Your hands shook a little as you extended your arms towards him out of worry. Thinking you were offering a hug, Georgie only ran faster and jumped into your arms as soon as he made it to the entrance.

You let out a surprised noise as you were pushed back a bit from the young boy's strength. It was a bit shocking realizing how much Georgie had grown up.

"Georgie, you scared me," You sighed, wrapping your arms around him and giving him a squeeze. "You shouldn't run down the stairs with socks on."

Georgie separated from you and shook his head, playfully pouting at your scolding. In response, you ruffled his hair, making him laugh.

"Why do you like (Y/n) doing that but not me?" Bill questioned, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Because it's (Y/n)," Georgie simply shrugged before running off into the living room.

"I don't get why he likes you more, I'm his brother," Bill grumbled, sending you a fake glare.

You smiled at him and raised your hand, extending your arm towards Bill's head. "Oh, I'm sorry," You grinned mischievously, "Were you jealous? Did you want me to mess with your hair too?"

Bill's eyes widened as he dodged your hand, feet scurrying into the living room to get away from you. Laughing, you followed him, leaning over the sofa to ruffle his hair. Bill frowned and quickly grabbed the throw pillow sitting on the couch next to him. You didn't get much time to react before he swung the pillow and hit you straight in the face.

You stumbled back, a hand covering the side of your head. Bill dropped the pillow and immediately ran towards you, waving his hands around frantically. "Sorry! I'm sorry I thought you would dodge it!"

You chuckled at your friend and hit his arm, sending him a smile. Bill's shoulders dropped at your gesture and an embarrassed smile replaced his panicked expression.

"(Y/n), are you staying the night?" Georgie asked from the sofa.

"No." Georgie frowned and sunk into the couch slightly. "But I am staying for dinner. I'm leaving when your parents get back."

"Then can we watch a movie before dinner?" Georgie gazed at the two of you with puppy dog eyes.

You smiled at him and looked over at Bill. Bill grumbled and walked off, heading to the basement to grab their box of DVDs.

As Bill took his time searching for the DVDs, you took a seat next to Georgie, relaxing into the cushions of the sofa. When Bill disappeared into the basement, Georgie leaned over to whisper in your ear.

"Why are you being weird around Billy?"

Your heart froze for a second as you struggled to respond. How did his little brother even notice anything?

"Ah, it's nothing..." You responded, keeping your eyes on the TV to avoid eye contact.

"We're friends, you can tell me anything," Georgie added, leaning in front of you so you couldn't avoid his gaze.

"No, I can't."

"Why?"

"Because you're so young," You rolled your eyes, once again reaching out to mess with his hair.

This time, Georgie dodged your hand and shook his head at you. "I'm six," He defended.

"Exactly." Georgie angrily sunk into the couch, turning his head away from you. Sighing, you leaned towards him. "Sorry, Georgie. I will tell you some other time, okay?"

Georgie grumpily turned back, arms crossed in front of his chest. You had to keep yourself from laughing at the resemblance the two brothers had.

"I'm back," Bill announced, closing the basement door with his foot. "Pick the movie, Georgie."

•••

The movie was a bit awkward, to say the least. You sat between the two brothers, Georgie curled into your side as Bill fidgeted next to you every few minutes. Whenever Bill would move closer to you, Georgie would pull you towards him. By the end of the movie, Georgie was practically sat on your lap. Bill had given up, jaw clenched as he stared at the screen. Anyone could tell he was upset. His brother was supposed to be his wingman, after all.

When the credits started rolling, you stretched slightly, trying not to disturb Georgie as he slept.

"I'll order pizza." Bill shot up from the sofa and sped to the kitchen, his face red as he passed by you.

You watched as Bill strode out of the room, obviously not in the greatest mood. You bit your lip as your mind wandered to what your friends told you yesterday.

"You should just tell him," Beverly stated simply as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Wha– no!" You dismissed her idea, "That is not what I should do."

"Come on," Richie rolled his eyes, "As if he'd say no. Big Bill is practically whipped for you."

"That's not true," You shot at him, "Bill only thinks of me as his friend. We've known each other for a long time."

Richie dragged his palm down his face and groaned, tired of your excuses. Beverly shook her head at your words.

"Which is why you should tell him," Eddie joined in, "Bill understands you more than anyone, right?" You nodded. "Then he should understand."

"Ugh," You complained quietly, rubbing your forehead to relieve your headache.

"(Y/n)?"

The quiet voice made you jump slightly. "Yeah?"

"Do you like my brother?"

"Georgie!" Your voice rose, panic beginning to kick in. "Why would you say that?"

Georgie grinned sleepily at your reaction. "Y'know, Bill won't stop talking about you."

Your heart froze for a moment. "Really?"

"Mhm!" Georgie enthusiastically nodded, "I don't really get it, I think girls have cooties."

You looked down at him, noticing he was still curled into your side. "You think I have cooties?" You playfully asked, hands coming to his sides.

"Well, you're a girl, aren't you?"

As soon as he answered, you moved your fingers along his sides, making him squeal.

"Aha!" Georgie started laughing hysterically from your sudden tickle attack.

"Take it back!" You yelled jokingly, your smile widening.

"I'm sorry! You don't have cooties! You don't have cooties!"

"That's what I thought," You chuckled, standing up from the couch.

Georgie took a few seconds to catch his breath. By the time he calmed down, Bill entered the room, looking between the two of you.

"I heard yelling?"

You smiled over at Georgie before turning back to Bill.

"It was nothi–"

"I told (Y/n) you have a crush on her."

Bill's eyes blown wide at his brother's statement. The smile that was on your face disappeared when you processed his words.

"Y-You did w-what?" Bill stuttered, his face turning completely red as he stared at Georgie.

Georgie smiled mischievously as he pointed at you. "And (Y/n) said she has a crush on you too!"

Your throat went dry as your hands shook. You didn't say that, but it wasn't like Georgie was wrong.

"G-Georgie," Bill gritted his teeth, taking steps toward his brother.

"I'm going to my room!" Georgie giggled, running around the couch and sprinting up to his room to avoid his big brother's wrath.

The room was silent when Georgie left, leaving you and Bill alone together.

"Well, this isn't how I expected this to go," You rubbed the back of your head as you tried to swallow down your embarrassment.

"You really like me?" Bill questioned.

You looked at him. Surprisingly, all of the anger he had a few seconds ago disappeared as he stared at you. Instead, it was replaced with longingness and fear.

"I mean," You stumbled with your words, "Yeah, I do like you."

Bill's face once again bloomed red at your words. He coughed nervously and covered the bottom half of his face with his hands.

"I like you too."

Despite how tense the situation was, you laughed at Bill's confession. "I kind of figured that after what Georgie said."

"Shut up," Bill mumbled, hanging his head.

When your laughs died down, Bill rose his head and walked towards you, pushing his lips.

"Do you maybe want to go on a date with me sometime?" Bill asked quietly.

"I'd love to," You responded, your chest fluttering at his words. Was this even real?

"Cool," Bill nodded. It was silent for a few more seconds before both of you started to laugh.

"Georgie is really smart for his age," You wiped the tears that pooled in the corner of your eyes.

"He can't keep secrets," Bill protested but a wide smile was still on his face.

"Obviously not," You shook your head. "But maybe that's for the best."

[pagingdoctorbedlam]

And now, that cyberpunk AU I’ve been talking about the past few days...here’s the result from one of my potions for @quirkyseastone ‘s “Brew a Love Potion” event!

Characters: Kaku x Reader; cameos by Chopper, Franky, Kalifa (unnamed) and Rob Lucci (also unnamed).

Genre: Cyberpunk, Enemies to Lovers

TW/CW: Violence, guns and swords, cyborgs, partial memory loss

Word Count: ~4.2k words

...

You'd say it was fate, but really, it was no surprise that the Greatest Thief in Water 7 (that being you, of course) would attract the attention of assassins sooner or later.

The first time you met, you were running along rooftops in the world's first and only floating city, and you nearly ran into his sword. Not one of those laser-sabers or poseur chainsaw-blades, but an actual steel sword that tore your sleeve, would've torn your throat if you hadn't pivoted at the last minute.

"You'd best watch where you're going pal," the assassin said, his smile barely creeping past the high collar of his black uniform. His face was almost entirely hidden, save for large eyes and a long, square nose that jutted from his face like the barrel of a gun. "These rooftops get dangerous at night."

"I could say the same to you," was your response. And you shot him. Not the most romantic introduction ever, you admit, but he walked out of it fine. The bullet seemed to bounce off his torso. Bulletproof vest, you thought at first. You didn't get to consider beyond that because he swung a second blade and did a pretty good job of keeping you on your toes.

From this rooftop, you could see the whole city. Water 7, a marvel of engineering, floated over an ocean that seemed to glitter with starlight instead of all the neon signs. You could look across every district, including all the Docks that produced everything from marvelous flights of fancy to dangerous war machines. Down on the streets, market stalls offered every delight imaginable. Paradise for a thief. But sometimes, you needed a challenge, and a target to stick your ire to. You figured which one might've sent an assassin after you.

"Let me guess," you said between breaths and shots. "You're a government goon, aren't ya'? Mad I stole those weapon blueprints from your headquarters last week?"

The assassin had the gall to laugh. "You sure hit the nail on the head! We put a lot of work into acquiring those, and then you go on and walk right out with them. Got the whole place buzzing worse than a hornet's nest." Then he moved faster than any natural human you've ever met, and next thing you knew, the tip of his sword pressed up into your chin. "If you tell me who you sold those blueprints to, I can make a case for sparing your life. For being so darn cooperative and all."

You couldn't help but look into his wide, dark eyes. There was an earnestness in them you'd never seen in anyone else who'd tried to kill you. You also noticed the inner workings, that those weren't human eyes but cybernetic lenses. Ah. That made more sense.

"I didn't sell them. I was hired to snag and burn, and you know what? If I'd known what they were for before I got hired, I would've done the job for free. Did you know what those blueprints were for, or are you the kind of lackey they keep in the dark?"

The cyborg didn't answer right away. His blade lowered ever so slightly.

"I did. That's why we had to secure the blueprints, to make sure no one else makes use of them."

"That's what the previous owners tried to do. Now those blueprints have changed hands twice this month. You really think that if I hadn't destroyed them, some power-hungry idiot wouldn't have eventually grabbed hold of them and actually built the damn thing?" A war machine that could sink all of Water 7 toppling into the sea with a single shot. Nations would bow before it. Not something you'd want in anyone's hands, much less the government.

"Shame to hear you had such good reasons," The assassin said, an honest goodbye. "But orders are orders."

"Indeed they are." And it was time for you to make your escape. You angled your gun up and fired. The assassin was human enough to flinch when a bullet fired at his head, even though you only hit his baseball cap. You ran and flung yourself off the rooftop, using a grappling hook to swing over to the next skyscraper before you could see his reaction.

A small part of you wondered what the assassin's name was. The rest of you, more practical, decided to put that train of thought to rest at the station. No matter how charming an assassin might be, there was no point in wondering about someone who'd tried to kill you.

Next time you two ran into each other, you shot at him again from the opposite end of a mansion hallway.

"You must really hate my hat, huh?" He put his hands up and tried that bright smile on you once more. "Easy there, pal. I'm not here for you."

"Though I'm sure if you offed me as collateral, you'd get a pretty bonus on your paycheck, huh?"

"Depends. What're you after here?"

You debated telling him. Didn't want your goals used against you, but you really didn't have time to chase off an assassin while finishing your job. "Wapol killed my client's adopted father years ago, and hung onto some of the man's personal items as a trophy. I'm stealing them back."

"What a coincidence! I'm here for Mr. Wapol's head. Or at the very least, to threaten him to fall back in line. Someone's been selling supplies to foreign armies, and we'd rather he stop." The assassin slowly walked toward you, hands still up, until the two of you were only a few feet apart. He lowered one hand, offering it to shake. "Tell you what. I'd rather not fight you tonight and risk another hat. So say I deal with Wapol, you get in and grab what you need, and we both pretend we never saw each other. Deal?"

You glared at the offered hand. For all you knew, he could have all manner of weapons built into it. "I don't even know your name. Though I'm sure you know mine, what with being hired to kill me earlier."

"I do." Your name rolled off his tongue in a way that made your traitorous little heart flip in your chest. "And my name's Kaku. That better?"

You wondered if his skin was plastic, or flesh and blood. "You could have a gun built into your palm, or something."

Those camera-lens eyes widen. "You could tell...?"

"I deal with a lot of cyborgs. Some of them don't even try to kill me."

"Aha. Well, you may not believe me, but I try to stay honest, so I mean it when I say I have only one firearm built into me."

You smirked and shook his hand. "If that's a pickup line, you really need practice."

You learned two things that night before parting ways. One, that his hands were warm and calloused, and you felt a steady heartbeat under his skin that no robot could replicate. Two, he was human enough to blush and sputter at your innuendo, giving you enough time to run off into the depths of the mansion.

Wapol's death hit the news the next day. You'd half-expected the crime would be pinned on a break-in, and eventually on you. But no, the death was clean. Made to resemble a suicide. Nothing reported as missing, even the handful of extras you'd taken while Wapol had been distracted. You found yourself pleasantly surprised. Really, the night would've been perfect, if you could get that bastard's blushing face out of your head.

Over the next few months, you two kept ending up at the same places with different goals. The first times were coincidences. The rest were casually coordinated, notes left tucked into the windowsill of your cruddy apartment or texts from what you assumed were burner phones. Coordinates or articles about unique treasures. You once responded back "sounds like a date" and he responded with a flustered emoticon like a teenager from the early 2000's.

Either way, you two made a pretty good team, and no one had to know if he cleared out the security in your way or if you showed him a sneaky shortcut through a building. You finally saw his built-in firearm too; turns out, there was a reason his nose was so long.

And whenever these "accidental" meetings involved staking out the locale first, you'd make small talk. He'd ask about your plans for whatever treasure laid in wait. You decided not to ask him about his murder plans, instead opting for hobbies and whatever an assassin might do outside of work. Found out he liked vehicles of all sorts, especially ships, and that's part of how he'd ended up assigned to Water 7. You once admitted that you were born in Water 7, lived in the slums your whole life.

"I've never even seen a live animal, other than the birds that sometimes fly overhead. Sad, isn't it?"

Kaku perked up at that. "You know there's a zoo here, right? Most of the animals are electronic, but a few are the real deal. You can even feed some!"

"Yeah, but zoos are so expensive. Gotta' pay big bucks for authenticity, you know."

The conversation had drifted off after that. But the next time you got a text, the coordinates and timestamps also included a photo of two tickets.

The practical part of your brain warned you that this could be a trap. Surely, a trained assassin could find plenty of ways to murder someone in the emptier corners of the zoo, and then toss the body into a carnivore's mouth to be disposed of. Yet as was more common of late, you ignored your practical side and snuck off to the zoo like you were off for another big score.

You're sure the two of you stuck out. Sure, he was in more casual clothing (that still concealed most of his body), but the reflexes of a trained killer didn't reflect well in real life. Neither did a thief's. You both jumped at the wrong sounds and gave security a wide berth. There were nerves to you two that didn't settle on the shoulders of the easygoing crowd.

"We should hold hands," you whispered. He gave you a questioning look. "To blend in, right? No one thinks twice if a happy couple acts odd. Love makes people do weird things."

"So...pretend we're weird and in love, hmm?" He interlaced his warm, human fingers with yours. "Should I call you darling, then?"

"If you're that old fashioned, sure." The two of  you laughed as if you hadn't tried to kill each other only a few months before.

It was strange, seeing animals and being unsure which ones were full of blood and muscles instead of gears and electricity. For someone partially artificial himself, Kaku had a good eye for such things, and pointed each one out. There was a spark in the eyes of living, breathing animals and, an unpredictability to their actions that made them stand out no matter how lifelike their companions seemed.

"What about you?" you asked on a park bench. He'd treated the two of you to popsicles on that warm day, and you watched the giraffes as you talked. "Like, I know you've got a couple cybernetic enhancements, but this..." You shook his hand, still in your own. "This is real."

Kaku glanced around to make sure no one else was watching the two of you instead of the animals. He tore his fingers from yours and for the briefest moment tugged down the collar of his jacket. The letters CP-9 were emblazoned on the side of his neck with laser precision.

"Typical tragic orphan story. Family got into a terrible accident when I was a kid, parents passed, and I was broken up literally and figuratively. Government swooped in and rebuilt me, raised me with a bunch of other orphans to be secret agents. And here we are."

"So...your job is repayment because they saved you?"

"Pretty much. Rebuilding my face alone cost a pretty penny, to say nothing about the rest of me or the years of training. I'm saddled for life." He winked and added, "But I still squirrel away a little bit for myself. Like for this. Being around animals calms my nerves when things get too much. Especially the giraffes. Beauties, aren't they?"

You turned your attention back to the exhibit. They were strange and gangly things, that sort of weird that humans couldn't make up on their own. But they were kinda' cute, galloping around like that. (And if their dark eyes and long lashes reminded you of a certain someone sitting next to you, no one had to know.)

You pointed at one. "That one on the left's been licking the fence for like, fifteen minutes now. Robot?"

"Real. Stranger than fiction, I guess."

He ended up telling you about the giraffes, as if animal facts could bury the bits of backstory the two of you had revealed to each other. He accidentally got popsicle juice on his nose, and flushed the brightest red when you brushed it off. Sometime after that, you took his hand in yours again. You didn't want to part ways when you returned to the gate.

You didn't see him for another month after that.

Funny, how quickly another person could become a staple of your life, and how you came to miss those infrequent texts and adrenaline-fueled meetups. Every job you went on left you peering into shadows as if he'd emerge in his assassin blacks with a smile sharp as his swords. But Kaku was never there.

Despite yourself, you started seeking him out. Texted back every number he'd messaged you from, hoping one burner phone might still be active. Snuck into the zoo and lurked around the giraffe exhibit, hoping he'd show. You even broke into a couple government facilities without any goals beyond finding him. And you knew it was stupid, knew it was dangerous, you barely knew this man and every vulnerability he'd shown you could be part of an elaborate ruse to trap you...but you wanted to believe in him. That whatever had sprouted between you two was as real as your heartbeats syncing when you held hands.

You realized you'd hit paydirt when a new assassin came after you. Even if she hadn't tried to kick your head clean off your neck, you would've recognized her as one of Kaku's coworkers with her black uniform and the tattoo creeping out from under her jacket.

"Things must've gone sour if I've been reassigned," you said. Tried to keep it light as you had with Kaku, even as your mind spun with implications.

"This is entirely your fault, you know." Oh goody, this assassin had a spiked whip, and she got one end wrapped around your foot. "If you hadn't compromised my coworker, if you'd rolled over and died like you should've, we wouldn't be here."

Ah. You'd half-expected that. "Your bosses found out about the date." Your ruse had worked too well. But what else could it have been construed as? You'd even thought of it as a date yourself once he'd disappeared and you'd realized that more than any treasure, you wanted to go back there with him, wanted to go everywhere with him.

"They knew well before that. Did you really think they'd give him camera eyes without reviewing the footage?" The whip tightened around your ankle. "They let it slide for a time because you were useful, and they thought he could still capture you. And he did, but not in the way anyone wanted."

"Where is he?" You tried, and failed, to not sound desperate.

"It's already too late. They decided he was too human, and now he's being rebuilt. There isn't..." and here, she faltered.  Out of fear for her coworker or of such a fate befalling herself, you're not sure. "There isn't anything left of the Kaku you knew. So please, don't go after him. And die while you're at it."

The fight with her was more brutal by far than any of the brawls you'd had with Kaku. She actually scored a few hits on you, and once you finally gave her the slip and made it to one of your hideaways, your ribs and legs ached something fierce. You patched yourself up, and you began to plan.

You'd never stolen a human before. You hoped there was still one left to steal.

Breaking into a secret government laboratory was easier than expected. You built a crew, called in every favor you could, reviewed blueprints until you swore the building's layout had been tattooed on the back of your eyelids. The night of the heist, another crew of saboteurs known for their bombastic fights distracted the security guards, making it seem like they were the true culprits out for revenge.

You alone went underground. In stolen laboratory gear, you entered the cybernetics facility. Your breath fled from your lungs, and it wasn't from the shock of sharp antiseptic clinging to the air.

In a glass pillar full of fluids and wires, Kaku floated. Even from a distance, he looked more plastic and metal, like someone had crafted a lifesize doll replica of him. The monitors showcased diagnostics on a metal skeleton and the integration of circuitry in organs. You touched the cold glass, but he didn't respond.

You got to work. Following instructions you'd reviewed every waking hour, you hacked into the system and initiated the extraction procedure. You already had a gurney for transport, and a prepped lie that you'd be transporting the body of a failed cybernetics integration to be disposed of. The fluids behind the glass slowly drained, wires disconnecting. You held your breath.

Then you crumpled as a bullet hit your side.

You hissed, feeling your side for blood even though you had armor under your disguise. And looked up to see a black uniform, an assassin pointing at you, bullet shaped like a sharp fingernail loading into place.

You gasped, "Don't do this. I'm trying to save him."

"Far as we're concerned, you're stealing classified government property. He's one of our most expensive assets. Second to me, of course." The assassin wore a predator's smile, and the heels of his shoes clicked ominously on the floor as he strode toward you. "It'd be so easy to end this here. It wouldn't be the first time I've made a mess of the lab."

"Yet here you are, chatterbox. I get the feeling you don't want to kill me."

"How bold. As it happens, I like to play with my prey. But so did Kaku, and he got so wrapped up in the chase that he forgot what to do when he caught you."

"Stop talking about him in past tense like he's dead."

The assassin shrugged. "Isn't he? Not in body, but in spirit. They tore out most of his brain and replaced it with machinery. The process wipes most of one's personality and emotion. There isn't a person in there anymore."

"Then I'll find him again and bring him back. That's what a good thief does." The glass opened up, and Kaku nearly fell out. You stepped forward to grab him. First contact jolted your body; you didn't feel a heartbeat anymore. And when you angled him onto the gurney, his body felt cold and smooth. You glared up at your unwelcome guest, who'd watched the event in silence. "Now, are you going to finish the job, or get out of the way?"

"Unlike a certain someone, I'm not in the business of keeping fools alive."

The assassin's fingers sharpened into claws as he closed the distance between you. He swiped at you with those claws, and you barely dodged the first one while pulling the gurney back with you. Whatever happened, you couldn't let Kaku get hurt in this state. But to your surprise, when the next claw swung, you heard a gunshot that you didn't fire. And whoever fired it knew where this cyborg assassin was still flesh; he fell to his knees, surprised at his own blood.

Smoke rose from the gun built into Kaku's nose as he sat up. Camera eyes opened and refocused with faint clicking noises. For a long, quiet moment, he scanned the room. But then they settled on you.

"Darling." 

Your heart flipped in your chest again. "You remember me?"

"Of course. They did their best to wipe everything else, but I couldn't let them take you." He paused, unused to his new body, and the resulting smile looked more like a grimace. But he still said, "I love you."

"I love you too. And I'm going to get you out of here." You grabbed Kaku around the shoulders with one arm and grabbed your gun with another, now that you knew where to shoot your foe. You said to the other assassin, "Well? You were wrong about him."

"Was I?" The assassin lurched back to his feet, one hand over the bullet wound just above his clavicle. "Kaku, how much did you give up in order to keep the memory of one thief you failed to kill?" No answer. "Do you even remember who I am?"

"I made my choice," was all Kaku said. "Now let us go."

The assassin turned away before you could see if there was any hurt had broken across his cold face. "Killing you like this won't be any fun. Once you can be a challenge to me again, I'll come back for you. But for now? See if you can run." His heels clicked against the floor as he walked away. "I'll clear your path out of the facility. You're on your own after that."

Time stretched long as the other assassin left the room. You held tight to Kaku. When you held his hand, it was so smooth that he didn't even have fingerprints anymore. But he still intertwined his fingers in yours and squeezed.

"I'm still me," he whispered. "Even if I don't have a real heart or anything else left."

You forced yourself to shrug and smile. "Just means you're a little closer to some of the giraffes at the zoo." That earned you a quizzical look. "Uhmm...you know, because some of them were robots too?" Still blank. "...Did you even forget about giraffes so you could remember me?"

"Suppose I must have."

You resolved to take him back to the zoo once he'd recovered, bring him back a little of that wonder he'd showed you. But first, time for your masterful escape.

The following weeks were long and painful.

Soon as you broke out and got to one of your safehouses, you called in two last favors. One from Franky, cyborg engineer who'd hired you to retrieve and destroy the blueprints for that war machine that started this whole debacle. The other from Doctor Chopper, who'd been so grateful to have his mentor's things returned. The two of them came in and worked on your assassin-turned-lover tirelessly, fixing up what little flesh remained and making sure all the cybernetics were in-check. There was plenty of work to do, as you'd stolen Kaku before his procedures had been complete, and rewiring muscles and nerves turned out to be a long, painful process.

And while you'd rescued Kaku before they could completely erase his humanity, there were still gaping holes in his knowledge, and his smile didn't reach his eyes nearly as often. There was much you had to fill him in on. You spent many nights just talking to distract him from his painful recovery. You held his hand and tried to pretend he still had a heartbeat.

But now? Now you're back at your dingy old apartment, limbs entangled on the couch, staring out the window at the skyscrapers above.

"I think that one will be my next target," you say, pointing up at a gilded skyscraper that seems to pierce the clouds. "Heard the owner there hoards gold. Actual gold! Can you believe it? We'd be rich."

"Sounds like a challenge, though." Kaku's free hand twirls a dull blade between fingers, trying to familiarize himself with his new body. He's admitted a couple times to phantom limb syndrome, like his flesh and blood is just beyond reach. "Sure you'll be able to handle it, darling?"

"It'll be no problem for the Greatest Thief in Water 7. Stealing a bunch of gold will be a cakewalk, seeing as I already grabbed the greatest treasure this city had." You get a quizzical stare in response. "That'd be you, partner."

"Partner," Kaku echoes. This smile lights up his whole face. "I like the sound of that. So, what's the first step in your plan?"

You hum in thought and look deep into his eyes.

"I do believe our first step should be a visit to the zoo. We've got a lot to catch up on, after all."

[lambden]

Here’s some belated Geraskier fic that I finally get to post, as last week’s flash fic challenge has wrapped up! This was originally published anonymously; kudos to those of you who guessed that I was the author. Head to the collection to see the picture prompt that inspired this, as well as view the other works. I've been having a great time participating in fandom events like this; I promise there's more on the way!!! (Read on AO3)

Up To Date

prompt: "You were so hot that when you asked if I was the blind date you were looking for, I lied and said yes. But then your actual date comes up to introduce themselves and I'm so embarrassed."

G, 2.3K words, modern AU, Geralt/Jaskier

It shouldn’t be this difficult to find inspiration. He never used to struggle like this in high school, finding his muse in everyone and everything. Even his mundane trip on the city bus to and from school would give Jaskier hundreds of ideas, for poems too personal to publish or lyrics too deep for his band to use. Back then he had thought he lacked discipline and experience, so the clear choice had been to take his interest in poetry one step further and go to university.

The problem, as he’s now discovering halfway through his second year, is that he maybe hates university. He loves it, of course; he loves the praise from his professors and peers, he loves learning about the history of literature and art. He even loves the academic rivalries that wax and wane every term, and the competitions that ignite a mean streak in him he didn’t know he had.

But his assignments are of worse quality than anything he’s ever written before, and try as he might, they aren’t getting any better. Putting words on the page just to meet a count is impossible for a poet, not when the space and thoughts and images are all supposed to be cohesive. Poems used to flow from him so freely he hadn’t been able to keep track and now his well of motivation has just about run dry.

That’s what led him here, for the third time this week. His creative dysfunction has forced him into the day-to-day habits of an elderly man who spends his days reading in public gardens. It hasn’t helped so far, but maybe this third time will be the charm. Jaskier finds his favorite place: right by the koi pond, next to a strange art installation with ivy crawling along it. He sits at the base of the giant question mark, dropping his backpack onto the bench beside him.

“This better fucking work,” mutters Jaskier to himself and the koi, opening today’s book to a random poem. He refuses to let his mind wander at first, gluing his eyes to the page and reading with intense intent. The first poem he sees is about love.

Groaning, Jaskier flips the page. The next poem is also about love.

The third poem is about war, and Jaskier thinks that might be alright, until he realizes what this long-dead poet is trying to tell him, which is that war is also about love. Because it is, of course, but also of course it is. Jaskier scowls deeply and flips through the book to a random page, hoping to find something to spark inspiration that won’t just make him feel hopeless and single and hopelessly single.

Before Jaskier can get through the title, someone speaks to him, startling him so badly he jumps. “Are you Yennefer’s friend?”

Jaskier scrambles to catch the book by its cover and nearly drops it. He hadn’t even heard anyone approach. “Sorry?”

The stranger audibly sighs, as if Jaskier has inconvenienced him terribly. With all the force of someone announcing their presence at their own death row, he grits out, “I’m here for a blind date she set up. With you.” Jaskier looks up at the man and sees him wearing a blank expression, pointing at the question mark in front of the bench. “By the thing.”

“Oh,” Jaskier says, still looking at the man. It takes a second for the words to sink in because the stranger is perhaps the most handsome person Jaskier has ever seen. He could write a thousand poems and still fail to capture his beauty. He has golden eyes, for one, and a sharply chiseled face. Even grimacing like this, his jaw is set in the loveliest way, and his stern brow is framed by platinum white hair, half-tied up. He’s wearing a fairly gloomy outfit for a blind date, but maybe he told whoever Yennefer is that he would be dressed in black. Regardless, he’s making it work.

The gorgeous stranger is still waiting for an answer, scowl worsening as Jaskier tries to make his decision about how the fuck to handle this. Really, there’s no decision at all— he just impulsively takes the leap. All his best ideas come when he’s stumbling forward blind anyway. “Yes,” he finally says, jumping to his feet. “Yes, um, I’m sorry, you caught me off-guard. I’m Jaskier.”

“Geralt.” They’re of a similar height, but Geralt is so much wider. Jaskier wants to climb him like ivy on a question mark. “I’m sorry I interrupted.”

“It’s fine! I got here a while ago. You know, can’t be too early!” Jaskier has never been early for anything in his life. He sits down again and shoves his books into his bag as quickly as he can. Geralt shifts his weight back and forth between his feet before awkwardly sitting on the bench next to Jaskier, looking out at the garden. “I’ve never done this kind of thing before,” he admits, which is true. His usual lies and schemes are much less chaotic.

Geralt doesn’t reply to that, leaving Jaskier to privately wonder about his dating life. He stares at the plants, giving the impression that he might be hideously nervous. Jaskier has no idea why someone like Geralt would be nervous about anything but it’s an awkward situation, to say the least. Right as Jaskier’s about to suggest they get out of here before Geralt’s real date shows up, the man asks, “What were you reading?”

“I was studying, sort of,” Jaskier says. “I’m a student.” Then abruptly he wonders how much Geralt knows about who he’s supposed to be, and he swallows, pulse racing.

Glancing over, Geralt’s yellow eyes meet his. There’s no obvious doubt there, just a curiosity. “What’s your major?”

“Poetry,” Jaskier grins as their conversation starts to pick up something resembling a rhythm. “What about you, are you in school?”

“No,” says Geralt, cutting his dreams of a normal date conversation short. “Are you any good? At writing poetry?”

What a weirdo. Jaskier’s heart thrums. “I’d like to think so!” This, at least, is something he knows how to talk about. Except, of course, it isn’t really the truth. “Well… recently, I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut. Just waiting for the right burst of inspiration to come along.” Perhaps this blind date that he’s stolen will suffice, but he doesn’t say that. “This place is great for that, actually. I mean, it hasn’t worked yet, but I’m sure any day those fish will sing for me.”

Geralt blinks. Jaskier feels a bead of sweat run down the back of his neck. He tries a different tactic, crossing his ankles and asking politely, “Are you a reader? What kind of things do you enjoy?”

“Nonfiction,” Geralt answers, slightly stilted. His gaze drifts over to the plants once more. “Not biographies, more like… encyclopedias and field journals. I like field journals.”

“Alright,” Jaskier says, shrinking into himself. This is going terribly. “I’ll have to go bribe some scientists for their field journals, then.” The corner of Geralt’s lip twitches, and Jaskier’s stomach flips. Gorgeous and weird and maybe, although he’s trying his best to hide it behind seven layers of nerves, maybe a little amused by Jaskier. Jaskier is going to fuck him right here in the garden. “Do you take journals of your own for work?”

A rather roundabout way of asking ‘what the fuck is it that you do’ but somehow, it lands. “I’m a… researcher,” Geralt mumbles. How very vague. “But I don’t publish my findings very often.”

Jaskier raises an eyebrow. “Do you work… for a company?”

“No.”

“Right. So you’re just keeping all your findings to yourself for no good reason at all.”

“No.”

“Then it sounds like you’re a pretty terrible researcher, actually.”

Geralt’s eyes flash as he turns to glare at Jaskier. “What?”

“Well, if you don’t share what you’ve found with anyone—”

“My… colleagues—”

“Aha! So you have colleagues!” Jaskier pokes Geralt’s side. “You aren’t just holed up in some depressing storage unit with months and months of research just for you.”

Once more, Geralt half-smirks. Not even half— more like a one-fifth smirk. “Years,” he admits.

“Years…” Jaskier tilts his head to the side thoughtfully. “Why do I have the feeling that you’re perhaps a significant number of years older than me?”

“I had the same thought when I saw you sitting here,” Geralt mumbles.

Jaskier snorts. “Seems like something Yennefer should have warned us about, perhaps. I would ask you directly how old you are, but I’m fairly certain that the only response I will get is a very gruff no.”

“No,” says Geralt, nearly smiling.

Making a show of pouting, Jaskier folds his arms over his chest. “Is that your favorite word?”

“No.” Geralt breaks into laughter as he repeats himself, and his whole face lights up with it. Jaskier laughs too, delighted by how joyous Geralt looks. He’s even more beautiful when he’s happy like this, and Jaskier wants very badly for this not to be their last date. “If I tell you my favorite word, you’re bound to judge me for it, as a poet.”

“As a poet, I swear not to mock you,” Jaskier raises his hand to cover his heart, barely restraining himself from grinning.

But before Geralt can share whatever it is, someone else approaches their bench. A second stranger— a woman about his height with short brown hair, wearing a pretty blouse. Jaskier notices her much more quickly than he’d noticed Geralt, and he makes the connection instantly. This can’t possibly end well.

“Oh, Yen wasn’t kidding,” says the stranger, eyeing Geralt. “You are very distinctive!”

Geralt stares back at her, slack-jawed for a moment. “What?”

“I’m Renfri,” Geralt’s date introduces herself. Jaskier wishes the earth would open up and swallow him whole, especially when she glances over at him. Her gaze slides back to Geralt, as does Jaskier’s, and yeah, he is very fucking distinctive with that white hair and those yellow eyes. Damn. “My friend Yennefer set us up for a blind date…?”

As Jaskier contemplates throwing himself into the koi pond, Geralt twists to stare at him. Jaskier can only imagine how mortified he must look right now; his face burns as both Renfri and Geralt look his way. Perhaps Renfri will figure it out before Geralt says anything; she looks like a smart woman.

But Geralt just gets up, dusting himself off and shaking his head. “No,” he tells Renfri, which would almost be funny if it weren’t the weirdest thing Jaskier has ever seen anyone do. Then Geralt leaves, turning to walk away from both of them, leaving Jaskier and Renfri alone together in the garden. Renfri frowns, watching him go with obvious increasing confusion. Jaskier also jumps to his feet, equally confused but determined not to lose sight of Geralt.

He chases the man— and it does feel like a chase, Geralt must be fucking speed-walking away— and finally tracks him down well outside the garden. Geralt is thundering down a set of stairs leading to a parking lot and he doesn’t stop at the sound of Jaskier careening towards him. Only when Jaskier desperately calls his name does he finally stop, slowing until he reaches the bottom landing and then standing there, still.

“I’m sorry,” Jaskier calls down the stairs, breathless. He begins to descend them but Geralt doesn’t turn around. “Fuck, you’re fast! Shit. I’m sorry, Geralt.”

Without looking his way, Geralt complains, so quietly that Jaskier nearly misses it, “Yennefer is going to kill me.”

“I would have fucked off,” Jaskier says quickly, hurrying down the rest of the steps until he gets to the bottom. Geralt still doesn’t look at him so Jaskier slides none-too-gracefully into his space, demanding his attention. He’s hardly red in the face or anything, but he looks embarrassed. Jaskier crumbles. “I’m sorry. I— seriously, I don’t care, I would have fucked off. I should’ve left, I should’ve— You should go back there, she’s beautiful!”

Geralt’s nostrils flare but he doesn’t look away. “Why did you lie,” he demands, flat.

“Well,” Jaskier deflates. “Um. You’re beautiful.”

“Hmm.��

“I really am sorry,” he offers.

Geralt, still watching him closely, says, “You don’t sound sorry.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jaskier throws his hands in the air, breaking away from Geralt’s stare— in the greenhouse, surrounded by bright lights and open, manmade nature, it had been easy to sit under the weight of Geralt’s eyes on him. Down here, at the end of a staircase and the entrance to a dark garage, chest still heaving, it feels too intimate. He puts some distance between them, sighing. “You want me to go back there and explain the whole situation to poor Renfri?”

When Jaskier finally turns around again, Geralt’s gaze hasn’t left him. “I want you to come have dinner with me instead,” he says, slowly but purposefully.

“Oh,” breathes Jaskier. “That’s— well, if you want that.”

“I already made a reservation for two. My name’s on the list.” Geralt is fidgeting with the end of his sleeve at first but when he approaches Jaskier he drops it, striding forward without hesitating. “Table for Geralt and one young brunet friend of Yennefer’s.”

Jaskier chokes on his own surprised laugh. “I don’t actually know Yennefer,” he needlessly explains.

“She’s going to hate you,” says Geralt, half-smirking, and then he adds, “Well, she’ll hate both of us now.”

They get to the restaurant twenty minutes late, Geralt’s hair mussed up and lips a bitten red and Jaskier wearing his backpack and a shit-eating grin. The host sees them and immediately tells them their table has been cancelled, and they end up getting terrible two-dollar slices from a hole-in-the-wall pizza place. They eat on the way back to Geralt’s car and then he drives Jaskier back to campus, kissing him soundly in the door to his apartment until Priscilla comes home and yells at Jaskier to get a room. As they squabble Geralt apologizes, polite and nervous, and kisses Jaskier’s cheek and tells him it was nice to meet him.

Jaskier goes inside and spends the next thirteen hours writing the best poetry he will ever write.