#I’m real active tonight huh

[kbots]

sometimes I forget that people don’t know i work at a zoo so I told my friend I got bit by a macaw the other day and suffice it to say she was baffled

[tubattutu]

I'm a soob girly but your "three blueberry scones" got me fantasizing real bad ugh! I love it smm! I wanted to request a fic where soob has breeding kink and corruption kink. (I'm really down bad for soob w breeding kink and corruption kink) I really love your fics! May your acc grows moree🫶🏼🫶🏼

i’m glad u enjoyed it !!! tysm for the love <3

warnings: breeding kink, some corruption kink-? (sorry i suck😭) pet names (good girl, bin), pregnancy kink, soobin wants reader pregnant REAL bad, slight messy sex, dry humping, clit play, squirting, hand kink if you squint, i think thats abt all lmk if i missed some !

a/n: i apologize for not being so active on tumblr :( exams are next month and i’m streeessssingggg and trying to prepare. i also have a trip this weekend so i may not be too active ! as always requests are open !!!

soobins breeding kink was bad. really bad. he’d always talk about how he wanted you two to have a baby, and occasionally he’d get certain small dreams about breeding you. you could tell what he was dreaming about by his small murmurs and whimpers as he slept.

sometimes he’d wrap his arms around your waist, his hands rubbing your soft tummy underneath your shirt, making circular motions as if you were actually pregnant. and despite soobin desperate to breed you, to have babies with you, you just couldn’t. neither of you could, honestly. especially with how busy the both of you were with work.

tonight was normal—until you both got into an argument. it wasn’t severe but it was clear you both pissed eachother off. when it was time for bed he lied next to you, both of you keeping distance from eachother. it was uncomfortably silent, annoyingly silent.

you could hear the sound of soobin shifting a bit to glance over at you, before your body then tenses up slightly as his chest pressed against your back, his arms wrapping around you. besides that, you could feel something hard nudge against your ass. this boy…

‘are you seriously hard right now?’ you ask, turning your head to look at him from the corner of your eye.

‘please..’ is all soobin could whine out, thrusting his hips into your ass, practically dry humping you at this point, his slender fingers sliding your sleep shorts and panties down already. ‘bin—its late-‘ you gasped lightly, though make no move to stop him.

soon you found yourself all fucked dumb on his cock, walls clenching around his fat cock that was slamming into you in quick, rapid and hard thrusts, his breathy whimpers and short gasps against your neck.

‘f-fuck.. gonna.. gonna cum.. please- please can i cum inside?’ he moans and whimpers, his grip on your hips getting tighter as he quickened his already fast pace.

‘bin—bin-!’ you cry out, soft sounds from both of your skins hitting against eachother echoing in the room along with both of your moans. ‘mmh- fuck.. such a good fucking girl.. gonna let me cum inside you, huh?’ he pants, the bed rocking slightly with each movement he made. all you could do was whimper in response, feeling the way your thighs trembled faintly from the overwhelming sensations.

‘a-ahh—shit-! fuck, m’ gonna come- gonna breed you.. get you pregnant with my babies..’ he moans deeply, his fingers snaking down your tummy to your pussy, his two slender fingers rubbing your clit quickly in circular motions. your jaw drops, legs shaking softly as a loud cry rips from your throat, squirting around his cock.

that triggered his own climax, a soft pornographic moan coming out of his mouth as he cums inside your womb, filling you up with his precious seed, thrusting deep inside a few times ensure his seed stayed inside you.

‘love you..’ he finally managed out after trying to catch his breath for probably about a couple minutes, pulling out gently and cuddling back up to you, not even attempting to put yours and his pants back on. when he didn’t hear a response from you, he lifted his head to look over at you, seeing you already passed out asleep. he smiled, nuzzling into your neck and soon falling asleep.

little did you know the two of you would have a surprise in a couple days..

[alienaiver]

Multiple gold medals 🥇

Kuroo Tetsurou x gn!reader

synopsis: athlete is a noun. it is the person who is involved in the physical activity of sport or containing that agile quality. athletic is an adjective meaning physically active. you are neither, at least according to your rude boyfriend.

tags: summer olympics 2024, fluff, sfw, established relationship, banter and playfighting, canon compliant-ish, post-timeskip, no use y/n, humor, poc and body positive reader tho reader is Not sporty, one shot warnings: theres a minor-minor description of tickling/blowing a raspberry. otherwise, none! wordcount: 1.2k

notes: written for @tetzoro 's summer olympics collab! this was so fun. ive probably watched a total of six minutes of the olympics this year, i apologize 😔👊🏽 i love a good banter, tho. i hope i delivered!!! ✨

You throw an M&M up in the air to catch with your mouth, but it lands sadly on your collarbone before sliding down by your neck, lost underneath you between the throw pillows. You mentally promise Kuroo to pick it up as soon as you get up for water.

It’s your day off and you’re beat. The heat is nothing to scoff at, either; the humidity making any endeavors outside of the apartment walls virtually impossible.

Well, to you at least. Kuroo’s on a convenience store run to pick up as many snacks as he’s able to carry, and your favorite milk tea. The men’s volleyball game in the Olympics is tonight, Argentina against Japan. He’s been buzzing ever since they qualified for the finale. As much as you love to listen to him yap, his excitement is only working to make you impatient for something you didn’t think you’d care that much about.

Volleyball’s never been your strong interest. Sport in general isn’t high on your list, actually. It wasn’t until you met Kuroo that you even began watching the Olympics at all.

Right now the Olympics are on, too. It’s been on most of the days when either of you occupy his home, and right now it’s time for the Men’s Single luge. You’ve never heard of it before, but it’s a sort of sled competition in an ice tube sort of field.

You’re about to throw the next M&M into your mouth when the door clicks open. “I’m back!” you hear Kuroo yell out, and you greet him back before eating the candy. You hear him sit down by the genkan to take off his shoes; he firmly refuses to toe his new sneakers on and off like his old ones. It ruins the structure of the back quicker, he claims. He wants to be more environmentally conscious and take better care of his things.

He groans as he comes in, wiping his neck and collar with his handkerchief. You smile up at him, admiring the way his bangs stick to his forehead from the perspiration. On his shoulder hangs his tote bags, brimming with contents you can’t wait to dive into. When you reach out for it, he yells, “ah!” and pulls it dramatically away from your reach.

“It’s for tonight!” he huffs, puffing up his chest and jutting out his bottom lip. You shake your head, “just lemme see! Gimme an unboxing, at least!” you make grabby-hands at him, and he throws his head back, “nuh-uh. I’m putting it in the kitchen for later. You need a real dinner first, too.”

You fall back onto the couch with a huff, “as if you’ll be able to eat anything during the match anyways.”

“What was that?” he calls back tersely from the kitchen but you just blow air out through your nose, “nothing.”

As in defiance of him restricting you, you put four M&M’s in your mouth at the same time.

Just to prove a point.

He comes back out after he’s washed his face, and leans against your head, “what’s on now?”

He kisses your cheek.

“Luge.”

“Huh?”

“Sled.”

“Ah.”

He jumps the backrest of the couch to land next to you, and you laugh and dodge the arm that almost pulls your head down with his entire weight. The plastic of the M&M’s container crinkles as you lift it to offer him some. Instead of reaching for it like a normal person, he pushes his face into the bag like a freak, and you pull it away with a screech. He looks proud when he looks up, crunching loudly to prove he succeeded in getting a few.

You take a handful before you put the bag on the table and cuddle up to your boyfriend. He sighs as he settles with an arm around you and you start to watch the games silently.

There’s an awkward sort of silence from the commentators as the athletes ride on their sleds, like they’re holding their breath and waiting for something spectacular to happen at every turn, but it’s pretty straightforward. Technical, sure, but straightforward nonetheless. It’s only during the sharp turns that they really say anything, and it’s without much substance. It doesn’t really give a fair idea on how much skill is needed to do this.

You throw an M&M and succeed in catching it. “I could do that.” you conclude after a person reaches the goal, the successful catch fueling your ego. Kuroo doesn’t even spare you a glance or a visible reaction, “sure.”

You playfully punch at his thigh, “I totally could! It’s just downhill.”

Kuroo snorts, “yeah, then to the left in a sharp turn and oh! Right after that another sharp turn. I’d sooner see you crash walking up the stairs to the ice tube.”

You gasp in offense and sit up, shaking off his arm from your shoulder, “excuse me!” you say, your voice high-pitched and scratchy. Kuroo gives you one of his handsome, disarming, lop-sided smirks that you almost fall for, before you catch yourself.

He reaches out for you again but you move further away, “have you no confidence in me?” you mock-cry, giving him a look of absolute disgust, “are you all talk? Lowering the net for people to enjoy your favorite sport, but you don’t care about other athletics like me? Huh?” you cross your arms and pout, and Kuroo snickers at your choice of words before he leans his head back onto the backrest. Athletics.

“You can barely catch a stray piece of candy you throw yourself.”

You gasp, and point to the bag of M&M’s, “you saw me catching one just a minute ago!”

Kuroo lifts his arm, his hand closed in a fist. You follow his movement as he reaches out for you, turns the fist and reveals a half-melted M&M in his open palm, “there’s like six of them between these pillows right now.”

You raise an eyebrow, “so? That’s from when you stuck your head in the bag like a pig.” your exaggerated lie makes him nod thoughtfully, “yeah, yeah, I’m sure you’re right. You’d win, but not at luge.”

Your eyes open up, excitement visible as you lean forward, “what sport do you see me winning?”

Kuroo keeps his face neutral as he collects the fallen heroes of candy you've sacrificed to throw out, “you’d win a various of games, actually. You’d be the gold winner in all of them, even.”

You lean forward even more, and he laughs then, “qualifications for sports like overthinking situations that happened years ago, jumping to conclusions and complaining about your stomach hurting after eating dairy”- he’s interrupted when you push all the way onto him with your entire weight, smashing your face into his chest and immediately blowing a raspberry -”and best of all,” he laughs and feebly tries to push you away as you try to reach his neck to give it the same treatment, “being delusional on main, and hey! Stop it!”

He’s pushing at you more desperately now, unwilling to let you attack him directly on the skin. There’s mirth in his voice still and you giggle before you succeed. He howls and grabs onto your shoulders, “I yield! I yield! Fine! You’d win in luge!”

You pull away immediately as he yields, a satisfied grin on your face. “Hmph, now that wasn’t so hard, was it? To recognize talent for what it is.” you turn around and situate yourself again up against him and he lets out a chuckle as he kisses the crown of your head and wraps his arms around you.

After a moment of just resting his own head against yours, he asks, suddenly serious, “do you wanna try luge one day? There’s also luges for doubles. There’s a stadium for it downtown.”

“Oh, never in a million years.”

[itsallmouthwashing]

Ghost Adventures AU- Survivor!Curly (Part 1)

Alright fellas, I got stupid high last night and rubbed this out with some editing while I'm at work. Please enjoy and feel free to write your own interpretations of this AU!! I don't really want to claim 'ownership' or whatever (if that's even a thing with AUs? Listen I haven't been in fandom for a while before Mouthwashing. It hath risen me from the soil like a necromancer and I am it's silly little skeleton minion) I just want to see what everyone else thinks may be going on

Anyways, please enjoy part one (out of Only God Knows) of the Ghost Adventures AU!

“Are we ready? Cameras are rolling? Yeah? Alright… We’re here at the site of the historic Tulpar Massacre-”

God, I thought I could handle this. He’s not even said anything but Tulpar. Fuck, I need to tune it out. The images are already flying through my mind. I’m reliving it all at lightspeed and it keeps fucking repeating. Every second I’m seeing it all-

“Behind us is a long-haul freighter that belonged to a company known as Pony Express. This corporation was known for cheap and speedy deliveries, along with being one of the last few companies to rely on human employees in an age of automation.”

I hope they know. We’re all heroes today.

“However, while Pony Express may have provided jobs to hundreds of people, the abuse these employees suffered is the real root of this tragedy.” Zac puts his hand up and turns his head to me. “Would you like to say a few words?”

“Huh, oh- No, I trust you.”

He nods, short and with a small smile like he’s seeing it all happening behind my eyes. Maybe he knows I'm not listening. Trying to, anyway.

“Employees aboard Tulpar were only allotted a mere FIVE hours for rest. This does not include recreational activities, which they were not allowed to do in the other nineteen hours in their day. NINETEEN hours, non-stop working around Tulpar.”

His eyes are on me. He wants to know if I’ve changed my mind.

“That’s not the worst part, oh no, friends,” He says when he realizes I won’t, “For a company that claimed to care deeply for its employees, they made it hell to file complaints or go to upper management for help. While on this year long trek-”

My stomach is in hell. I cover my mouth, pretend I’m stifling a cough, and swallow the vomit before it floods their headquarters. Think about something else. 

Anything, Anya. Anything.

“Joining us for our lock-in tonight is the sole survivor of this tragedy, Captain Grant Curly.” He opens his arms to welcome me into the frame. “We’re happy to have you here, Captain.” He says, shaking my hand.

��Happy to be here with you, fellas,” I lied. 

We aren’t even to the door and I already see the inside. We’re simply standing in a residential space travel unit, on the landing pad, which connects to the main door. To the lounge, my quarters. The cockpit, the medical bay. The lounge. Utility. The Pod.

“Captain, off the record,” He nods for his partner to turn off the camera,” In all seriousness, I want to express my appreciation. Please know that at any point you can bow out. Or if you don’t want to be in the episode at all. You just let us know if you need a break or leave all together.” 

I smile. I have to or else I may break. 

“Of course. I think more people need to be aware just how awful Pony Express was to us. It’s great that you guys are covering this.” 

They’re all waiting for me at the door. Swansea and Jimmy cross their arms and grumble something about dying to get started. Two grouches on the ship could be difficult. But Anya and Daisuke are chatting about expectations. She’s stitching the air, mimicking the motions shown in a textbook on her lap. Daisuke copies her and she rolls her eyes playful, remarking that she’s glad he’s not her intern. Swansea tells her to not give him ideas.

“Captain, where’d you go-”

“Besides, who is a captain without his crew?”

“You really loved them, didnt you?”

“Yes,” I say.

They were my responsibility, I don’t. 

Zac smiles back at me before stepping back and observing the map of the ship. He mumbles something to his crew, all of two other people, and they go separate ways to gather equipment. Zac marks something with what looks like a bingo blotter around the blown-up image of my ship. 

“Zac?”

My face looks back at me in question. I’m in my uniform, bent over the blueprints of my ship. My belt buckle, a gift from the company when I was promoted to Captain, shines in the harsh light of the ship. 

“Yes, Captain?” I ask. 

“Uh,” I start, running a hand over the dim and rusted buckle of my own, “Why do…” I have that look. The one like he sees it all before it all comes back to the front of my mind. Zac blinks and leans forward.

“What’s up, Cap?” He asks. 

“Can you read minds… or something?” 

“Ha!” He laughs, hearty and true. “No, nothing like that Mr. Curly.” He wipes moisture from his eyes. “I’ve been told I’m something of an empath."

“Ah, no wonder you’re so kind.”

Zac starts to say something, but his crew is back and dropping equipment on the floor with heavy grunts and sighs. 

“Guys! You need to be careful-” Zac rushes over, but I’m still standing at the table.

[bird-in-the-space]

Echoes of the Unknown

Your summer camp experience came with a rough start. You already considered ending it all. But then, things go wrong, when you decide to investigate the strange sounds in the mountains and you end up falling into the abyss. You find something you were likely never supposed to find.

Warnings: mentions of rude kids, uncertainty about the future, some teasing, falling, broken feet, bruises, losing your breath, and losing consciousness.

Chapter 2

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

It's only been a day and a half but you were already feeling drained and like you wanted to throw yourself off the cliff. You tried to keep up a bright mind and avoid brooding like Emily said, but after an activity that included helping first-year campers in arts and crafts and getting glue and stuff thrown at your face for the fifth time, you wanted to end it all. Modern social media and TikTok have created real monsters. These kids are supposed to be ten or eleven, yet they are cursing worse than sailors and crafting questionable things. 

Luckily, Mr. Robin had mercy on you. He allowed you and the other members of your group to take a break and go on a short hike near the mountains. You somewhat liked it since it allowed you to calm your mind. 

The forest was green with life. You saw squirrels, rabbits, and even a few deer on the hike path. It was calming and eventually, you reached the cliffs that led to the mountains. 

“You seem more calm now,” Emily stated. 

“I am…” you uttered. 

“Who knew, (Name), is not a child person,” Amanda teased. 

“Well, you weren’t the one who got unruly media monsters for you to help” you snarked at her. 

“Children just like me more…” she said, making you roll your eyes at her. 

“So, what kind of plans have you all planned after this?” she asked. “I’m gonna go abroad. I found a pleasant college in Europe,” she said. 

“Lucky you!” one of your group members said. 

“I’m gonna go to Stanford!” 

“I’m gonna take a long family trip with my family,” 

“I think I’m gonna start working,” 

“I’m still looking through my options. I want to be a photographer, so I’m still deciding if I want to go to college or start working on that,” Emily answered. 

“What about you, (Name)?” Amanda asked when you didn’t tell yours. 

You looked at them and saw them all look at you, waiting for your answer. 

“I… I’m still deciding. I don’t know what I want to do,” You answered, looking at the ground. 

“I’m sure you will find what you like eventually,” Emily nudged you with a smile. 

A loud bang echoed through the mountains and you felt the earth shaking beneath you. 

“Wow, did you all hear that?” Emily questioned. 

“That sounded way more close than before,” Amanda said. “How close are those roadmakers here?” she questioned. 

You all looked toward the caves that led inside to the mountains. You felt rather spooked when you looked into that darkness. 

“Are they even roadmakers? That sounded more like an explosion” One of your group asked a good question. 

“Huh? Maybe the mines have been opened again,” Emily said thoughtfully. 

“But let’s get back. Our break is going to be over soon and Mr. Robin needs us to aid the first years with the swimming lessons,” she said and you all agreed, leaving the hike. 

You looked toward the mountains when you heard the sound again. You do not know why but you felt odd by those sounds. 

The day was quick. The night came and you lounged in your camp house with Emily after having dinner. You would have tried to find sleep, but it did not come easy tonight, so you tried to spend time reading one of Emily’s books. You weren’t the biggest bookworm, but Emily knew how to pick good books.

The moment was quiet between you, but since you two were reading and simply enjoying each other’s presence— it was enough for you. 

“You know…. I have been thinking what you could do after this?” Emily broke the silence. 

“What you had in mind?” You looked at her curiously. 

“You are talented in the arts. Why don’t you try art school?” she asked. 

“My mom said I needed a real profession,” you answered. “And I haven’t drawn much for a long time. I think my skills have become severely rusted,” 

“Then—” Emily thought to herself for a moment. “Then how about anything related to crafting or mechanics? You liked to do woodwork with your dad and you were really good at building those scientific things in computer classes,” she suggested. 

“Maybe… but those no longer interest me much,” you said. 

“Well, there has to be something. How about you try something completely new? You are a fast learner when you put your mind into something,” she said.

“Maybe… but what?” you questioned, staring at the ceiling. 

“I’m sure it comes around. I can throw in some suggestions,” she said. 

“Thanks… but I think I will be worrying about getting myself a place to live and learning how to be independent after this. Then I might find a career. I don’t want to throw myself into a career that is big but has no interest in me,” you explained. 

“Don’t think about it too much. We have two whole months to think about it together. And I meant what I said about you coming to live with me,” Emily said. 

You smiled in return. “I know I know… But I want to try to figure something out,”  

“Attagirl,” Emily smiled again. 

You then glanced through the window and noticed something strange. Amanda and some of her friends were outside their camp house, wearing jackets and flashlights. They seemed to be talking to each other before walking toward the woods. 

“Hey, is that Amanda?” you frowned. 

Emily looked over your shoulder and saw the people outside. 

“Yeah. What is she doing?” Emily asked when Amanda and her friends seemed to leave for the hike paths. 

You two decided to step outside. You opened the door and Emily shouted over your shoulder at the leaving group. 

“Hey! Where are you guys going?” Emily asked. Amanda and her friends stopped to look at you. 

“We’re gonna go check if we can see the miners in the mountains through the caves,” Amanda replied. 

“Isn’t that dangerous? Everyone in these camps has told us that those caves are unstable?” you frowned. 

“You are welcome to join us to make sure we will be safe. Come on, we won’t be waiting for you,” she said as she and her friends left for the hike trail. 

“Fucking hell— is she looking for a death wish?” you asked. 

“Well, there’s no point in pondering about it. Let’s go,” Emily grabbed her jacket. 

“You can’t be serious?” you frowned at her. 

“Amanda is difficult to convince, and we will be in trouble if something happens to her and we were the last ones to talk with her,” she said, handing you your jacket. 

“So, let’s go. I’m sure we will be fine,” she stepped out. 

You whined, taking your jacket and following after her. 

You two quickly caught up with Amanda and her friends. The night was chilly despite the summer heat, so you were glad to have taken your jacket. You all then arrived at the mountains and stood before the cave entrance. You nearly shuddered as the darkness in the cave looked even more menacing at night. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea? Do you even know where this cave leads to?” You asked Amanda. 

“Only one way to find out,” She said, stepping forward. 

“I don’t think we all should go inside. What if something happens and we need help?” you questioned. 

“Don’t be a wuss. What bad things could happen?” she crossed her arms. “We just take a quick look and go. Simple as that,”

“(Name)’s right thought. Maybe we should leave someone behind. Just to be sure. Maybe just three of us should go?” Emily backed you up. 

“Fine…” Amanda groaned, then looked toward her friends. 

“Stay here, me, Emi, and (Name) will go. Call for help if something happens,” she said and you three then entered the cave. 

Amanda used her flashlight to show the way forward. You and Emily used the lights on your phone to look around the walls and corners. Shivers ran down your spine. The cave leads to a larger cavern, making it look more intimidating. Large spikes were hanging from the ceiling and over the edge, you could see a dark abyss look back at you. Your mind wondered what was at the bottom, and it came up with spikes and nonexistent monsters that only waited for something to fall into their sharpened mouths. 

You three walked a mile into the cave. The entrance was still in sight but provided little light. You tried to hear anything related to the miners or roadmakers, but there was nothing. However, for a moment, you thought you heard sounds you could only describe as drilling. 

“Ah! A dead end!” Amanda stopped and you saw the cavern floor end to another edge. You looked around but saw nothing that would allow you three to go deeper. You were honestly relieved by this. 

“I was hoping we could go deeper and see if we could find the workers,” 

“Well, there’s nothing we can do. I can’t see anything from here,” Emily looked over the edge. 

“Well, that’s too bad. Can we go now? This place is giving me the creeps,” you asked as you really wanted to go back. 

A loud boom was heard across the cavern, causing the cave around you to shake. You lost your balance but when you saw Emily about to fall over the edge, you grabbed her, throwing her back and falling over the edge instead. 

“(Name)!” Emily shrieked in terror when she saw you fall. 

You screamed as you fell into the abyss below. 

Your fall was quick. For a moment, you managed to land and slide against the cavern wall before falling a harsh mile and landing on your feet. A loud crunch was heard from your feet and you yelled in pain, withering against the cavern floor. Burning tears forced themselves out of your eyes and you started sobbing. Your ears barely heard Emily’s and Amanda’s yells from above as they tried to call out to you. It took you many long minutes to calm down and endure the pain from your foot. 

You grabbed your phone. The screen was cracked from the fall but your phone was luckily not completely broken. You used the light to help you sit and look at your injured foot. It was motionlessly lying against the ground and you could feel the pain in your very bone, so it did not take much for you to guess that your foot was broken. 

“(Name)!” you heard Emily’s voice in the distance. 

You looked up but only saw darkness. You must have fallen quite far if you were not able to see the cave entrance or Emily. 

“(Name)! Please answer me!” you heard her yell. 

“I’m here!” You yelled, even though you were in a lot of pain right now. 

“(Name)! Are you hurt?!” she yelled. 

“Yeah! My foot!” You groaned. “It broke from the fall!” 

“Okay! (Name)! Hold on! We’re gonna go get help!” Amanda yelled. “Stay where you are!” 

You heard them run and yell to their friends outside. It then became quiet and you figured they must have returned to the camp to find help. 

You leaned against the cavern wall, breathing and moaning from the pain. In all your life, you never experienced pain like this. You had experienced sprained ankles and muscles, but never a broken bone. You had always been careful to avoid seriously injuring yourself. 

You checked your phone. Luckily it had a lot of battery, so you did not need to worry about it running out and losing your only source of light. 

Five minutes run by. It was still a bit early to think if Emily and Amanda abandoned you to die even though your mind was entertaining the thought. You trusted Emily to alert Mr. Robin and the other camp chancellors. She was your friend. Even though Amanda was someone you weren’t overly fond of, you knew she would get help too despite the troubles it would bring her and her friends. They were good people deep down. 

Your eyes suddenly noticed an odd blue glow in the darkness. You showed your lights and saw cracks that led somewhere. Your ears then caught the strange sound of drilling again. 

You felt hopeful. If there was drilling, then that meant there were people. If you could find the miners, perhaps they would help you out of the mountain faster. 

With a pained groan, you slowly picked yourself off the ground. Standing up, you tested your foot and felt a sharp pain when you put weight on it. You held it up. There was no use in trying to put any weight on it. Your foot had become numb, making it somewhat tolerable but for the best, you just needed to hop. 

You knew Emily and Amanda told you to stay put, but this could be a good chance to get out than wait in the ominous darkness. 

Carefully, you hopped toward the crack, using your phone’s light. You carefully limbed through the cracks, finding tunnels and more caves. 

The sound of drilling became louder and you saw the blue glow again. The blue glow became brighter from another crack. You hopped over to it and slid through the crack. 

After you pushed yourself through the crack, you were amazed when you saw what seemed to be blue crystals in the shape of cubes. They were bigger than you and stacked nicely against each other and on top of each other. However, they did not look like sapphires as they were way too blue and glowing. 

You took a picture and tried to use the Google search to figure them out. It only gave answers to sapphires and gems that looked nothing like them, making you confused. Was this some kind of new undiscovered crystal? 

However, one important question was, why were they so big? 

The sound of drilling became louder and it nearly made you wince from the loudness. However, you felt hopeful since it meant you were near. 

You saw an opening to another cave where you saw light and hopped between the giant cubes. However, instead of miners or roadmakers, you found something completely different.

After you came to the opening, you hid when you saw what seemed to be giant robots. You stared in shock at the robots. They were maybe fifteen feet tall, or bigger. They had no faces and had this odd symbol in their chests. Some of them were mining for the blue crystals while some of them seemed to be on guard for something. 

You managed to control your shock and tried to avoid getting noticed. Whatever they were, they were not humans. You are not even sure if they were made by humans. 

Your mind came back to the story about the missing miners and the giant metal beings. That rescuer might have not been insane after all. 

You quietly took out your phone. Putting it on silence and turning off the lighting, you then started to record the robots and their mining operation. You need to show this to Emily and the others or they will never believe you. 

You captured thirty seconds of footage. You ended the recording and hid when you noticed one of the guards coming. The ground shook beneath your feet from the robot’s footsteps and you could not help but shudder as the robot looked even more menacing from up close. Your heart was painfully pounding against your chest as you watched them leave. 

You then decided you had seen enough and tried to find your way back to the cave you came from. Emily and the others should have already called for help. Limping painfully toward the crack in the cave. You were nearly there and ready to slide yourself through, but then you saw the guard looking at you.  

“Shit, shit, shit!” you cursed as the guard walked toward you. 

You managed to slip through the crack to the cave behind. However, there was another way and the purple robot followed you. It tried to grab you with its claws but you managed to throw yourself out of the way. However, now you are trapped. 

It pointed its arm blaster toward you. 

“No! No! No! Please!” You begged for your life. 

The cavern suddenly shook. You heard what you could describe as blaster fire from the other part of the cavern and wondered if they were fighting something. A wall in your part of the cave suddenly crumbled and a metalling thing fell out of it. 

You both stared at it as it activated, aiming two lights at you and the robot. You were then hit by some kind of blast. A blue light formed between you and the purple robot. You began to feel faint and lost your ability to breathe as something was happening in your mind. It felt like your mind was detaching itself from your body. You shrieked when you suddenly lost your consciousness and everything became dark. 

[jahayla-parker]

hiii! Hope ur okay. I’m so happy to see you’re back being more active!

can I request a Freddy Carter and his sister reader pls? thank u! x

Hi!!! Thank you lovely! I’m starting to feel a bit better 🥰

Here ya are!

Comedic Carters: Freddy Carter x Sister!Reader

Description: SMAU, Freddy and his sister engage in more playful banter via Instagram.

Warnings: jokes and playful ‘insults’

liked by freddycarter1, yourbffname, amitasuman_, and 662, 916 others

yourusername: partners in crime 😘

view all 54,789 comments

freddycarter1: 😑 we talked about you leaving the house with no trousers on

yourusername: har har you’re soo funny 🙄

carolinemford: gorgeous girls ❤️

yourusername: thanks Car 🥰

yourbffname: damn right 😎

freddycarter1: Why are you doing a photoshoot in a parking garage?

yourusername: Why are you still here? Get off my post 😑

freddycarter1: I will when you edit the photo to show you with trousers on, smh. You’d think at your age you’d know you have to be fully dressed when going out

yourusername: You’re older than me Freddy 🤨 besides, I have shorts on thank you very much; now leave ✌️

freddycarter1: shorts typically go past your bum y/n y/m Carter 🫣

carolinemford: Freddy, leave your sister alone, she doesn’t need your bantering on her Instagram

freddycarter1: @/carolinemford darling, I love you but I don’t need her post on my Instagram 💁🏻‍♂️

carolinemford: Freddy

freddycarter1: fine… it’s a decent photo of you and y/f/n. 🙄

yourusername: I know 👸🏻

liked by carolinemford, yoursername, amitasuman_ and 874,256 others

freddycarter1: pov: your face when you find out they’ve canceled season 3 of Shadow and Bone…

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yourusername: we riot tonight!

amitasuman_: 💔

yourusername: That face though 😬

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yourusername: Let’s just say that I’m very glad @/carolinemford was drunk enough to say yes when she did 😝

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lbardugo: 🖤

liked by carolinemford, freddycarter1, amitasuman_ and 743,992 others

yourusername: 🦋

view all 234,981 comments

yourbffname: mwah, you’re so beautiful

freddycarter1: It was so tempting to shove you in

yourusername: @/carolinemford wouldn’t let you 😌

freddycarter1: 🙄

carolinemford: 💙 I have the prettiest sister in law

yourbfname: wow darling! 😍 you’re so gorgeous you made me forget my pickup line

freddycarter1: @/yourbfname who are you & why are you flirting with my sister? 🧐

yourusername: @/freddycarter1 Freddy!

liked by carolinemford, yourusername, kittheyounger, and 783,526 others

freddycarter1: Happy Birthday my darling ❤️

view all 278,329 comments

yourusername: and here we have the stunning birthday girl, looking gorgeous as always 😍 meanwhile my brother is looking in the wrong direction 🤦‍♀️

freddycarter1: Neither of us were looking at the camera 🙄

yourusername: Yes but, I get why Car’s looking at something else, however you had your radiant wife right there and yet you’re looking elsewhere smh. 👎

carolinemford: lol I love you @/yourusername ❤️

amitasuman_: I love this photo!

kittheyounger: Happy birthday Caroline!

carolinemford: Thank you my dear ❤️

liked by freddycarter1, yourbfname, amitasuman_ and 875,238 others

yourusername: How did I manage to land a modeling gig with @/vogueuk?! 🤩

view all 158,257 comments

amitasuman_: wowww ❤️

freddycarter1: killing it sis, but the real question is did you manage to not trip in those heels? 😏

yourusername:… I may have … I may not have.. I don’t think it’s any of your business

carolinemford: @/yourusername ignore him sweetie, we can make him try to wear a pair and see how hard it can be 😉

yourbffname: @/carolinemford I’m here for this!

vogueuk: we’re excited to have you on the team!

yourbfname: Good thing I just bought life insurance cause you made my heart stop 😘

freddycarter1: keep it in your pants mate

carolinemford: @/freddycarter1 Leave him be 🤦‍♀️

liked by carolinemford, yourusername, freddycarternews and 732,875 others

freddycarter1: Little preview of my upcoming project: Recursive Dreams.

view all 188,237 comments

yourusername: I suppose I’m very excited for this.. but I do still miss Kazzzz 😟

freddycarter1: So do I ☹️

carolinemford: ❤️

freddycarternews: This looks great!

yourusername: Why do you keep getting cast in these types of roles?

freddycarter1: Because I’m talented, obviously

yourusername: hmm no, that can’t be it 😝

kittheyounger: can’t wait for more information mate!

liked by carolinemford, freddycarter1, amitasuman_ and 774,250 others

yourusername: Can’t tell if my friends love it or hate it when I get a new camera & have to photograph everything to try it out

📸: @/yourbfname

view all 134,354 comments

freddycarter1: you got a new camera without consulting me?

carolinemford: @/freddycarter1 she’s a big girl Freddy lol 🤣

freddycarter1: @/carolinemford it’s just rude is all I’m saying

yourbffname: It’s a mix, but as long as I look good in the test photos it’s fine 😉

yourusername: shut up, you always look good 😘

tommyae: I miss you, come visit soon? ❤️

yourusername: miss you too! unlike someone else’s behavior in my comment sections, this is the correct brotherly response 😊

freddycarter1: The difference is I see you all the time @/yourusername

yourusername: @/freddycarter1 Lucky you 😌

liked by carolinemford, yourusername, tommyae, and 975,236 others

freddycarter1: I’m a pretty princess 👑 #butmysisterisprettier

view all 225,916 comments

carolinemford: the prettiest princess there ever was 😘

yourusername: hmm, not bad.., but you need to learn to accessorize more; really make that crown pop ✨

freddycarter1: omfg how did you get into my account?! Yn! @/yourusername

yourusername: I have no idea what you’re talking about Freddy.

yourusername: It’s rude to accuse someone without cause you know 😢

yourbfname: The Carter family truly is full of pretty princesses 🤣

yourusername: we are huh? Thank you babe 😘

amitasuman_: This is great 💀

Taglist: @ell0ra-br3kk3r @missdreamofendless @nikfigueiredo @b3kk3r-by-br3kk3r @alex-kazbrekkersimp @opheliaofficial07 @historynerd77 @el-de-phi

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[octo-artist]

Calm before the Inkstorm

Pre-war yan! Octavio x reader x platonic pre-war yan! Craig

Chapter 3: Chilly Evenings

TW: Possessive relationships, toxic mentalities,slight abuse of power, Typical Yandere shenanigans on both sides

I do not condone any of the actions in this series! If you are in a relationship like this please seek out help!

Certain parts are heavily inspired by Dissonant melodies by DriftingNova

Y/N=your name

T/C=tentacle color

E/C=eye color

Mastserlist Previous chapter Next chapter

———————————————————————

“Well here we are! Octavio’s already seen the place but I know you haven’t yet Y/N!” , Craig prattles on presenting the treehouse to the duo, Y/N looks up at it intrigued and Craig starts climbing up.

“Yea the dork lives here apparently”, Octavio says, moving next to the ladder waiting for Y/N to start climbing themselves, helping them up into the treehouse despite his earlier annoyance at their disobedience.

“Wow really? What’s that like? I hardly know what living outside the palace is like since I grew up there, my folks are smiths for the palace.” ,Y/N states with excitement as they climb up, Craig waiting at the top and holding out a hand for them to grab and help them up the last couple rungs, Octavio following soon after scoffing, a look of jealousy briefly flashing across his face.

“It ain’t much but I guess it’s nice to wake up to the cool morning breeze and see the sunrise from up here.” Craig sits on the edge of the deck and points towards the town and shoreline in the distance. Y/N sits nearby motioning for Octavio to join them, who when Y/N turns their attention from him picks them up and sits down with them in his lap much to their protests, Craig laughing next to them though with a bit of a worried look going unnoticed by the duo. “So Craig what’d we get from the competition?” Octavio bluntly asks startling Craig who starts to dig into his pockets. “Nothing big unfortunately but we did get some participation tokens!” He says with an awkward smile handing Octavio his token.

“The loser's token, huh?” Octavio says unimpressed.

“I thought we did surprisingly well!”, Craig responds from his spot prompting Octavio to boredly say, “Yeah, for a back-alley hack job of the Calamari Incantation!” Craig awkwardly chuckling, “Ah, l-let’s not dwell on that too much, take a moment to enjoy the view!” He motions out at the view.

Octavio looks to the side knocking on the wall a bit, “I gotta admit I’m surprised an airhead like you build a treehouse this stable.” This statement making Y/N lightly smack his shoulder with a quiet comment of “that’s rude!”

“WELL… The first time I tried, the floor broke apart.

“WHAT?!” Octavio exclaims looking at the inkling in shock and horror.

“After that mess, I went to the docks and asked a nice mechanic to help me.” Craig assures the prince.

“Ok, but? Why didja wanna live up in a tree anyway!?” Octavio questioned Craig settling back down.

“Because I overheard some locals talk about how much trouble they have with the smallfry waves in the spring.” He pauses to take a breath looking out over the lights of the town before continuing with pride, “I plan on staying one year, and up here, nothing escapes the razor sharp gaze of capt’n Craig Cuttlefish! I wanna do good with my short time on Mount Nantai by warning the folks of fishy activity~”

“BLEGH, I didn’t think you were such a goody-two-shoes” Octavio feigns disgust smirking as the mood lightens back up. Y/N lightly laughing before yawning a bit, which both the boys take notice of.

“Whatever. I'm glad you're staying a full year. That means we can crush the competition for real next time the festival rolls around.” Octavio states moving Y/N to lean up against his chest as they start drifting off slightly.

“Wait, really? You want -You want to keep the band going?” Craig says surprised, confused Octavio looks at him saying, “UUH, yeah? Why wouldn't I?”

“I thought you were mad about tonight! And you're ROYALTY! I bet there's important

stuff you-“, Craig starts rubbing the back of his neck.

“ARE YA KIDDING МЕ?! They gave FIRST PLACE to a buncha PREPPY school band geeks! We gotta take back what's ours!!” Octavio states fired up from frustration accidentally waking Y/N back up. “Ah sorry Y/N, didn’t mean to wake ya…”

“It’s ok, I probably should head on ahead back to the palace anyway, I need to get some sleep still if I’m gonna be able to function tomorrow for my duties as the gardener.” Y/N carefully standing up from Octavio’s lap who pouts a bit in response.

“Well let me at least help ya down the ladder so you don’t get hurt on the way down. Talk to ya again soon though! I’m sure tavi will join you soon enough once we finish up with our conversation.” Craig stands up helping lift the hatch and lower Y/n onto the ladder, a pang of jealousy hitting Octavio again but restraining himself as to not weird out Craig with his more possessive tendencies. Once the hatch lowers once more Craig returns to the deck and sits back down.

“Alright Tav what’s going on? I didn’t want to bring it up while they were around but I noticed y'all had some tension between y'all earlier… Everything alright between you two?” the inkling asks shocking octavio that someone like him would notice something was up.

“Everything is fine.”, Octavio scoffs, brushing him off and avoiding the question.

“I may be an airhead but even I can tell that’s bullsquid.” Craig responds with a deadpan look on his face, “come on I’m your buddy you can tell me. I know I saw you two hanging back earlier and saw the concerned look on Y/n’s face when you whispered something to them.”

“Like I said it's none of your business, let's just focus on crushing the competition next year before you go ya slimy hipster!” Octavio snaps back annoyed at the cuttlefish’s persistence to butt in on his business. Even if he had every reason to be concerned. He did let his anger get the better of him earlier and got jealous over nothing.

“Riiiiiight, well, It was a fun night otherwise, even if we didn’t win.” Craig states eventually dropping the topic in favor of talking about the two’s band again.

“Yea, the way all those people just…listened. The way they moved to the beat.” Octavio calmed down, reminiscing the competition earlier, the crowd’s faces as they played.

“Heh, the thrall of the moment is nice and all, but it’s what happens AFTER that matters.”, Craig says, holding up a finger and grinning his signature goofy grin. Confused Octavio side eyed the inkling asking, “What’s that s’pose to mean?”

Craig looks out over the mountain, the late night breeze blowing past the pair, he smiles and says, “A great song is one you remember. After the shows over, and there’s nothing to see~ The melody etches your soul and sets you free~” Octavio scoffs at this and smacks Craig's shoulder with a smirk Laughing, “PFFT! Ya sound like my kooky philosophy teacher!”

“Its true though!”Craig laughs with him, making Octavio respond, “Sure, sure, ya slimy hipster!”, he pauses before getting a giant smirk smacking his fist into his other hand he says with excitement, “Oooh, and next time we'll have a cool catchphrase like: Time ta drop beats till

ya DROP DEAD!”

Craig gives Octavio a sly grin responding with a hand on his chin, “Okay well, maybe avoid THREATENING the audience.”

The prince rolls his eyes at this saying, “C'mon. Don't throw shade at an idea just cuz it's trying something new.” At this Craig soon says deep in thought, “Huh. 'Trying something new. Out of the…”

“Try something new.... We're....” Octavio joins him in thought, but soon the two get an idea saying together, “Try something new… We're here Out of the Blue!” Both men grin at the sound of their new catchphrase, it rolling so smoothly and easily off both of their tongues. Watching the horizon the two sit in silence, the only sound being the crickets and the faint buzzing from the small zapfish nearby. Both once more deep in thought, only breaking out of their individual trances when they start to see the faintest light peek over the water.

Groaning Octavio stands up stretching, “Ah shit I gotta get back before the retainers realize I’ve snuck out or think I was octonapped.”

Also standing up Craig responds, “I’ll walk you back, I know the best route to sneak back in.” The duo climb back down to the ground, they talk as they return to the palace. “Todays gonna be rough since we were up all night, hopefully they advisors don’t notice the exhaustion.” Octavio sighs.

“Well if they do you can always just say you didn’t sleep good” Craig suggested.

“True, I’m definitely telling Y/N to take the day off cause they were up late too.” The prince says half heartedly, exhaustion clear in his voice. Eventually the duo reach the wall bordering the garden.

“Well you get some sleep Tav, wouldn’t want you passing out at any point today!” Craig says as Octavio climbs up, turning to look at the inkling “yea you too, don’t want you falling from your tree house because you’re too delirious to see straight.” He responds with a smirk before dropping back down into the garden. Creeping back into his room he changes into his sleep wear, hiding his disguise in a decorative chest. Turning to go to his bed he notices a small package on his table with a note. “I found something for you when I was out, I wasn’t able to give it to you earlier. Hope you like it, love Y/N”

He smiles a bit at the note before picking up the parcel, opening it and seeing a new octobrush maintenance kit, the comb in his last one had broken and had been using his fingers to clean out the brush for a bit, often forgetting to request a new one, the wax had also gone bad due to his past kit being of a bit lower quality, a servant who’d since been fired for cutting corners in their duties had not grabbed the correct one when given instructions to pick up a new kit, they’d tried to pocket the extra coin from their attempt to once more shirk their job. This one however he could see was much higher quality, a sturdy comb laid in the small box with a new stick of wax, stamped with the maker’s signature, as well as an application brush for the wax and a new cloth for finishing the process. There also was a small jar of conditioner for the bristles of the brush as well. He smiled at the thoughtful gesture, his prior anger completely fading and becoming a bit embarrassed at how he behaved towards them, especially when he’d seen Craig helping them up into the treehouse. “Shit, now I feel bad snapping at them like that, looks like I owe them an apology, I should return the favor and find something nice for them as well next time I get out to town with Craig.” Yawning he closes the wooden box and sets it down, turning in for the night, his kind set on making it up to his partner in the morning.

[gwyns]

I’m feeling a little snarky tonight. I was reading something a Gwynriel/Elucien posted, and saw an E/riel had reblogged it to share their opinion, so I randomly saw it (I didn’t go actively seeking E/riel content).

An E/riel - “And for the love of god, the "you're the new ribbon Az." line: Tell me you can't discern the difference between platonic and romantic banter without telling me you can't discern the difference between platonic and romantic banter. Every single instance in ACOSF that involves Azriel being around Gwyn for training, for example Gwyn's loud laugh, is quite obviously platonic. Her laughing loud enough to briefly gain the attention of absolutely everyone in the room? Come on now. That is a natural reaction to look over in the direction of a loud noise.”

Same E/riel - “Gwyn to be Azriel's partner and lover and mate? Doubtful. Very doubtful. There's just not enough evidence in the current text to come to that conclusion logically vs what's going on with E/riel together. Why can he smell elucien's bond when no one else can? Why does such a thing physically hurt and sicken him to sense? Why does he agonize so much over Elain to the point where he can hardly take care of himself? Why is he always so instinctively protective over Elain? And yes, I am bringing up the "shadows poised as snakes, ready to strike" against Nesta. Azriel was willing and waiting to scrap it out with Nesta over Elain. Let's be real now.”

I laughed out loud when reading this. They also said that Azriel’s shadows were dancing to Bryce’s music in the HOFAS bonus chapter. It literally says in actually text, that Bryce’s phone had died, and that Azriel’s shadows were dancing to his humming. Azriel smelling Elucien’s bond isn’t a big deal, and it was in his pov, so obviously?? And Amren could smell Feysand’s. When Nesta & Cassian visited the Prison, Lanyths was about to tell them that they’re mates from smelling them.

WE can't discern the difference between platonic and romantic? US??? that's a big claim coming from the same fandom that hinges all their hopes on smelly bread

gwyn being loud isn't the only instance of sjm highlighting az's attention shifting to her though. if that were it, i'd agree with them that it doesn't necessarily mean anything but both az and gwyn are constantly looking or paying attention to one another. sjm continuously shows us this in a nessian book. it's been said many times, if e/riel were endgame, sjm could've easily made these type of interactions happen between them. like hello?? we all expected elain to be in this book more but guess what? she was notably absent and that's for a reason

hey um, do they realize that agonizing over someone to the point they can't take care of themselves isn't a good thing? like... at all? i am actually worried for them if this is what they think relationships are supposed to be like. i mean sure there will be uncomfortable moments and you will worry and struggle at times, i've been there. i've worried to the point where i made myself physically ill but it wasn't over whether or not i'm worthy of him, it was because i was genuinely worried for his safety. big difference. relationships take work, but ultimately your partner will make you feel good about yourself. they'll encourage you (hey that's something that az did for gwyn!), you'll feel at ease around each other (hmm something az was around gwyn, interesting...) and making conversation will be the easiest thing in the world (huh yet another thing that happened around gwyn... weird how that works)

yup! i've only read that bonus chapter once but i remember bryce being upset that her phone died since it was her only connection to home, to hunt, at the time. if his shadows were dancing to the music on her phone, why weren't they doing it the whole time? e/riels really act all high and mighty and like their word on canon is law when they literally can't even read. sjm explicitly tells us things but they're so delusional they actually believe the opposite. it's quite fascinating really

[sasaranomiya]

Koukyuu no Karasu Volume 3 Chapter 2 - The Turtle King (Part 2)

This one took a while

Translation Notes

1. A yuzu is a citrus fruit from the East Asian region

2. Gou (Ao in Chinese) uses the same character as the mythical sea turtle in Chinese mythology. The goddess Nuwa chopped off Ao’s legs to support the sky after a disaster.

Previous || Index || Next

At night, Koushun came to Yamei Palace.

“You smell good,” Jusetsu sniffed around him. “You’re like a dog,” Koushun said, taking a round fruit from his pocket. It was a large, golden citrus fruit.

“This is a Summer Treasure yuzu. (1) I picked it from a tree in the Gyokou Hall garden.”

“You did?”

“Yes.”

Koushun put the fruit in Jusetsu’s hand. It was large enough to cover her hand. The skin looked tough and thick. When she brought it close to her face, the scent grew stronger. It was the refreshing scent of citrus.

“Don’t citrus fruits ripen in winter?”

“They do bear fruit in winter, but they are too sour to eat at that time of the year. The sourness becomes more moderate if you wait until summer. It is a valuable citrus fruit that can be eaten in summer. It was discovered in the countryside during my grandfather’s reign and offered up to him as an auspicious omen. They call it a sign of the gods’ blessing on the Ka dynasty. That’s why it’s called a Summer Treasure yuzu.”

Huh, Jusetsu said, but she was only half-listening to him. She sniffed the fruit. Citrus were the produce of the winter, but it certainly did smell like summer. It was the scent of vibrant life that enclosed sunshine.

“The skin is thick, so it’s better to use a knife to peel it.”

Well then, Jiujiu approached her, but Jusetsu shook her head.

“I’ll eat it tomorrow and leave it here for tonight, since it smells good.”

Jusetsu put the fruit on the table and stared at it. It shined golden, like the sun. Jiujiu had the sense to extinguish the incense that was burning.

“How is your new bodyguard?”

Koushun sat down across from Jusetsu. He seemed to have come here today because he was concerned about that.

“He’s doing just fine.”

“I heard that he and Onkei don’t get along too well.”

Jusetsu glanced at Ei Sei, who was standing behind Koushun. Ei Sei feigned ignorance.

“I see. Should I send someone else, then?”

“No, Onkei said that won’t be necessary. I will also keep an eye on the situation.”

“Tan Kai is talented, but he’s also a smooth talker and has sharp ears. He does have a capricious side to him, though.”

“He’s a bit too easygoing. But, very well. Speaking of sharp ears, I heard from Tan Kai about a ghost haunting the inner court.”

“Ah…” Judging from Koushun’s response, he seemed to already know about the rumor.

“Is there actually a ghost?”

“I’ve never seen it, but some of the eunuchs said they have.”

“Then, does that mean it’s true?”

“It only totters along and doesn’t seem to do any real harm, so we left it alone.”

But a ghost is wandering around.

She felt a twinge of pity when she imagined the old ghost tottering alone in the darkness.

“I want to investigate it.”

When Jusetsu said that, Koushun didn’t seem to like that idea. “You want to go now?”

“You don’t want me to?” Koushun was reluctant, and Jusetsu was surprised. “Up until now, you were the one who kept bringing up the subject of ghosts to me.”

“That’s true, but…” Koushun stared thoughtfully at the fruit on the table. “You once told me that you didn’t want to actively get involved with ghosts.”

“…I suppose I did.” It was back when they were dealing with the ghost who possessed the cloth mask.

“That was why I held it back.”

“You decided to not even mention the ghost in the inner court?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re too considerate at times,” Jusetsu said with a furrowed brow. Koushun looked at her intently.

“Do you think so?”

“I do. I’m sure you must have offended people by considering things too carefully.”

“...I can’t say I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She had assumed that an emperor would be more arrogant and careless of his surroundings. However, after observing Koushun, she found that he looked at things from many angles and was carefully attentive, to the point where she was afraid that he would have a nervous breakdown.

“You should direct that consideration to yourself a little more.”

Koushun listened to Jusetsu’s advice with a serious face. “Is that so. I’ll bear that in mind from now on.”

“...I didn’t say anything of that magnitude.”

“I will try to remember what you said.”

“You don’t need to remember it. I don’t remember every single word you say either.”

Is that so? Koushun, still expressionless, tilted his head a little as though considering her words. Being too serious is something he should also think about, Jusetsu thought. Koushun didn’t know when to relax his shoulders, and he didn’t know how to express his emotions.

“Then, shall we go?” Koushun said and stood up. “Where?” she asked. “You want to see the inner court ghost, don’t you?” he asked back. Come to think of it, that was the original topic.

They left the palace and headed for the inner court. It was east of Yamei Palace. Ei Sei, holding a light, was leading the way, and Onkei was shadowing Koushun and Jusetsu. Tan Kai was left behind to guard Yamei Palace. Jiujiu was also left behind, much to her annoyance.

“I heard that the ghost was apparently a servant from a very long time ago.”

“It seems to be true. That’s why it’s walking around with some sort of vessel.”

“I doubt it’s a rumor that’s been around for a long time.”

“Yes, this is the first time I heard it. I wonder why it appeared now.”

Jusetsu also wondered about that.

They passed through Ringai Gate, which connected the inner palace with the inner court. The inner court consisted of various palaces with Gyokou Hall at their center. Goushi Hall was nearest to the gate, and Koshi Palace was at its back. All of them were places where Jusetsu had been before.

“Where does it appear?”

“It wanders around, so there is no fixed location. Some say they saw it near the walls that surround Gyokou Hall, while others say that it was near Goushi Hall. It’s said that the ghost disappears into thin air after watching it for a while.”

The flickering light stopped. Ei Sei had stopped walking.

“Dajia, look at that.”

Lowering his voice, Ei Sei pointed to the left. Tonight, clouds covered the sky, and the moonlight was unreliable. Under the scanty shimmering moonlight, the tiled roof of the palace was visible. In front of it, in a corner of a coldly glossy clearing paved with polished stones, there it was.

He was an old man with a hunched back, dressed in a dirty linen robe. His gray hair was wrapped in a black kerchief, and he was holding a small vessel in front of his face. His head was hanging down, so only his gaunt cheeks could be seen. He staggered along slowly, one step at a time. It looks as if he was limping.

He was wearing a short jacket with a belt of straw rope and short hakama pants, and his feet were bare. The way his topknot was tied and wrapped was different from how it was done today. Certainly, he was an old man who looked like a servant from ancient times.

Jusetsu approached the ghost. He continued to lurch forward. Rather than walking with a singleminded aim somewhere, his gait was as though he was wandering around without a goal.

She couldn’t see his face even from up close. His figure was also somewhat hazy and unfocused. She couldn’t even make out the shape of the vessel he was holding. Jusetsu pulled a peony from her hair and blew on it. The pink smoke surrounded the ghost and made him stand out clearly.

The ghost’s decrepit old face appeared. His cheeks were hollow, his eye sockets were sunken, and even his wrinkles and blemishes were visible. Fatigue, sadness, and despair was in his face. His half-opened lips were dry and cracked, but they were pale with no blood welling up. His lips were quivering faintly, but no sound escaped them even when she strained her ears. She had thought it was a vessel that he was holding up, but it seemed to be a small ornament. It was a turtle figurine. The ghost’s hands were as thin as a dead tree. His hands were also trembling.

The turtle figurine seemed to be carved out of stone. It was bluish black with stripes.

“...That’s a stone turtle casket.”

Koushun had come up beside her without her knowing and murmured that.

“What is that?”

“That vessel is a stone turtle casket. It’s in the treasure room.”

A casket was a container. And being in the treasure room meant that it was the emperor’s treasure.

“The shell is the lid. At first glance, it looks like an ornament.”

“Is there something in it? Or is it empty?”

“It’s said that it used to contain medicine, but it is now empty. I think it belonged to a dynasty from long ago. The contents must have been lost in the meantime.”

“Medicine...”

Jusetsu returned her attention to the ghost. The expression on his face remained unchanged and hollow. Jusetsu blew out a breath to clear the smoke. The ghost disappeared as well.

“The treasure room, huh,” Jusetsu looked up at Koushun.

“You want to enter it,” Koushun said before she could make her request. “I’ll make the arrangement. Just like before, I’ll send a messenger in the morning.”

“Ei Sei?” Jusetsu glanced at him. He was the one who came to get her when she visited the treasure room. She had been greeted with a look of unparalleled disapproval.

“Okay,” she said. Koushun turned to Ei Sei. “I’m entrusting this to you.”

In front of Koushun, Ei Sei obediently replied, “Yes, Dajia,” but his eyes as he glanced at Jusetsu were still full of disapproval.

When the sky began to lighten, Ei Sei came to Yamei Palace. He gave a perfunctory bow and immediately started walking. Since Koushun wasn’t here, his attitude towards her was open and blatant. Jusetsu had already become accustomed to this side of him and could no longer imagine an affable Ei Sei.

“Ei Sei,” Jusetsu called out to Ei Sei as she looked up at his back while he went on ahead. “You sent Tan Kai here knowing that Onkei wouldn’t like it.”

“Is there an inconvenience?” Ei Sei said without looking back.

“I don’t care if you do it to me, but there’s no need to harass Onkei.”

She thought that he didn’t like the fact that Onkei was close with her. Ei Sei glanced at her.

“Considering his abilities, he was the most suitable for the job. I’m sure Onkei knows that as well.”

“Sly bastard,” Jusetsu glared at him, and Ei Sei knitted his brows together in annoyance.

“If you don’t like Tan Kai, then we can choose someone else.”

“I never said that.”

“That is akin to what you are saying.”

Jusetsu was at a loss for words. It was true that the more she complained about Tan Kai, the more it seemed like she was saying Tan Kai was inadequate.

“...You’re an unpleasant fellow, aren’t you...” she said in frustration.

“I feel the same way about you,” Ei Sei said, cool-faced.

“Aren’t you being a bit too direct?”

“You aren’t a consort stipulated by the codes, and you aren’t recorded in the inner palace’s registry either. The ‘Raven Consort’ is a separate existence from ‘consorts.’ Therefore, I do not consider it necessary for you to be treated with the same courtesy as with the other consorts.”

He spoke smoothly and decisively. Certainly, in regards to the laws, he was right.

Ei Sei coldly looked down at Jusetsu. “You call me an unpleasant fellow, but you assume you won’t hear the same from me? Because I’m a eunuch?”

Jusetsu’s breath caught, and she turned red. He had hit the nail on the head.

She lowered her head in shame. It’s just as Ei Sei said. She had thought that because he was a eunuch, a subordinate, he wouldn’t say such things. Although she usually said that she didn’t care about manners, it was still deeply ingrained in her consciousness.

I’m the one who’s unpleasant.

“...I’m sorry.”

Ei Sei looked at her, then silently started walking again.

“It’s true that I am a sly and unpleasant fellow.” Those were the only words he said after a while.

As they walked in silence, Ei Sei stopped and turned around just before the Ringai Gate. “Could you please stop making such a pathetic face?” he sounded irritated. “Dajia will reprimand me if he finds out.”

“...I can’t see my own face. What do you mean by ‘pathetic face’?”

Ei Sei frowned. “You look like you’re about to cry.”

Jusetsu turned her face away. “I am not making such a face.”

“Didn’t you say you couldn’t see your own face just now?”

“I know without needing to see it. I am not crying.”

“I said that you looked like you’re about to cry. To think that you can’t even remember what someone else just said.”

“I...I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” Jusetsu raised her voice like a child about to throw a tantrum.

“Is that so? Then I suppose we are on the same page,” Ei Sei said without changing his expression.

This was the moment when Jusetsu realized that she would never be able to match Ei Sei in a war of words. Even with Koushun, she had never felt more acutely like a mere sixteen-year-old girl than she did now. In front of Ei Sei, Jusetsu was nothing more than a child.

An old eunuch in a charcoal-colored robe was kneeling and waiting for them in front of the door to the treasure room.

He was Ui, the keeper of the treasure room.

“I’m sure you’ve already heard, but I wish to see the turtle vessel.”

When Jusetsu said that, Ui looked up. He was full of wrinkles but his cheeks were as smooth and ruddy as ever. The fact that he showed no expression on his face also didn’t change.

“I shall fulfill your request. Please, this way, Lady Raven Consort.”

With those words, he easily opened the heavy-looking door of the treasure room. She had also wondered this before, but where did he get such strength from?

Before going inside, Jusetsu looked back at Ei Sei. “I know. You’re going to tell me to be careful not to break any of the treasures,” she said, anticipating his words.

Ei Sei raised his eyebrow a bit and looked bored. Feeling a little triumphant at that, Jusetsu marched into the treasure room with satisfaction. Ui closed the door.

Inside the room, numerous treasures were tucked away in boxes and lined up on shelves. One of the walls was covered with a painting depicting the island nation and the sea surrounding it, as well as the palaces of the gods beyond the sea.

“Please come over here, Lady Raven Consort.”

After saying that, Ui disappeared between the shelves. Almost immediately, he returned with a box in his hands. He put it on a table and opened the lid. There was a cloth bundle inside. He removed the cloth and unveiled a turtle vessel, the same one the ghost was holding last night.

“This is a stone turtle casket.”

It was a casket made of smooth stones. “These stones are called wave stones. Their beautiful striped patterns are their distinctive characteristics,” Ui explained. The carvings were finely detailed, with the patterns on the carapace, the eyes, the mouth, and even the claws on its limbs meticulously rendered. Colored stones were set in its eyes. “Amber is used for the eyes,” Ui said as though reading Jusetsu’s mind. “May I touch it?” she asked. “Of course,” he answered, so she reached out to touch the shell. She then held it up and discovered that the inside was empty.

“It once contained pills. Pills for prolonging life.”

Ui spoke as though he knew that to be the truth, not just a story.

“Life-prolonging medicine. Do you know the specifics?”

“It was medicine made from grinding the claws of a god.”

“What?”

“The claws of a god,” Ui repeated calmly.

“The claws of a god...do you mean Wulian Niangniang’s claws?”

Ui shook his head. “No.”

“Then, whose?”

Ui stared at Jusetsu’s face intently. There was no emotion in his eyes, and Jusetsu felt a strange sense of deja vu. Ui’s expression felt familiar. Why was that—?

“Ui?” Jusetsu called out. Ui’s eyes fluttered, and then he opened his mouth.

“The Gou-no-Kami. Gou means Great Sea Turtle.” (2)

“The Great Sea Turtle...God?”

“Yes.”

“You’re saying that medicine grinded from the claws of that god was contained in this casket?” Jusetsu stared at the turtle vessel. “You said this casket is called a stone turtle casket, yes? So, is this casket modelled after the Great Sea Turtle God, then?”

“Yes,” Ui repeated without intonation.

“This is from a very old dynasty, right? I heard so from Koushun. When exactly is it from?”

“It is from around the time of the Hi dynasty. That was about one thousand and eight hundred years ago.”

“One thousand and eight hundred...so old?”

She truly was surprised. At the fact that such an ancient thing still existed, and the fact that it was so skillfully crafted.

Then, that ghost is also...

He was most likely someone from that time as well.

“Do you know the origin of this casket?”

“It is something that a king of the Hi dynasty had an excellent craftsman make for him.”

There seemed to be no other origin for it.

“Then, have you heard any stories about ghosts or something like that regarding this casket? Such as an elderly servant possessing it?”

Ui tilted his head to the side somewhat.

“I do not know.” His voice was still monotone. Jusetsu was disappointed. She stared at the turtle vessel. It was as if the amber eyes were staring back at her.

“The Hi dinasty and the great sea turtle god, huh...” she muttered as she looked into those eyes.

Jusetsu returned the vessel to Ui, stood up, and left the treasure room.

After returning to Yamei Palace briefly, Jusetsu decided to head for the Winter Ministry.

“I was going to go straight to the Winter Ministry, but Ei Sei insisted that I mustn’t do so, so I came back. He said that it would attract too much attention if I left from the inner court’s gate. He is not a man of flexibility,” Jusetsu muttered while changing into her eunuch’s uniform.

“Niangniang, you really don’t get along well with Attendant Ei, do you?” Jiujiu laughed as she helped her change. “You’re like a cat and dog.”

“Which one of us is the dog, and which one is the cat?”

“Attendant Ei is like a guard dog, and Niangniang is like a kitten with a lustrous coat.”

“A kitten...”

“Yes, like a kitten who desperately making its fur stand on end with all its might. Ishiha, you worked for Attendant Ei for a short time, right? Was it hard?”

Ishiha, who was practicing his writing at the table, looked up. He was supposed to be practicing his penmanship in his free time. Jusetsu, Jiujiu, and Kougyou took turns teaching him. In some rare cases, Onkei and Tan Kai also taught him sometimes. Right now, the one watching him was Kougyou.

“It was...not hard at all. Attendant Ei was strict, but he never said anything unreasonable. He taught me everything one by one in detail.”

He was a bit scary, though, he added apologetically in a small voice.

“Oh, so he’s surprisingly a kind person,” Jiujiu said. “He has nothing but harsh words for Niangniang, though.”

“...I will not quarrel with him anymore,” she grumbled sullenly.

“Because you will lose?” Jiujiu said bluntly, and Jusetsu glared at her. Jiujiu ducked her head.

Jusetsu finished changing and stepped out from behind the curtains. Onkei was waiting for her outside the thrown-open doors. She left Yamei Palace with him.

“Onkei.”

While walking, Jusetsu looked back at Onkei. “Please face forward, lest you trip,” Onkei cautioned and quickly came up to her side. “What is it, Niangniang?”

“What do you think of that ghost?”

“The ghost in the inner court?”

“Yes.”

Jusetsu had thought that he would be bewildered by such a question, but surprisingly, Onkei thought it over with a quiet expression on his face before opening his mouth.

“He is a man of loyalty.”

“A man of loyalty?”

“That man has the appearance of a servant, but more than that, isn’t because it’s obvious that he is a deeply loyal person that everyone who saw him concluded that he is the ghost of a servant?”

“...Why do you think that he is deeply loyal?”

“I can only explain it by his ‘feel,’ but he is someone who only has one thing in mind. He is bowing his head for that one thing.”

I am a eunuch, after all, Onkei continued. “And those who witnessed the ghost in the inner court are also eunuchs, so they can tell that he is someone who serves another and swore loyalty to them.”

A man of loyalty.

Loyal to whom?

“That was very helpful. Thank you.”

“Not at all,” Onkei replied shortly and moved back behind her again, even though she would have liked to have someone next to her to talk to.

The Winter Ministry was located on the outskirts of the imperial palace, and Seiu Temple, which enshrined Wulian Niangniang, was located there. When they passed through the gate, it was as shabby as ever, but it was still clean and tidy. They headed for the Winter Ministry building in the depths of the temple and were greeted by the Winter Minister Senri and the acolytes. Senri led Jusetsu to the outer corridor. There was a table with a Go board set up out there. She recalled Gyoei and Koushun playing Go here.

“Did you play Go with someone?”

“No, I was playing by myself. I was coming up with various moves while remembering a game I played with Master Gyoei before.”

“For a rematch?”

Senri smiled. “...That’s right.”

Senri, who was over forty, was a man whose impresion at first glance was very different from who he actually was. He was tall and thin, and because of his gaunt face, his gaze seemed sharp and highly strung, but when he opened his mouth, his tone was gentle and his laugh was unexpectedly cheerful.

“Are you feeling alright?”

Sitting across from him on the other side of the Go board, Jusetsu observed Senri’s pale cheeks and asked that question. He was prone to illness and had been bedridden for several days recently when the heat and humidity increased. She felt like his cheeks had become even more sunken.

“Yes, I am. I apologize for making you worried. My body can’t keep up when it suddenly gets hot.”

“You should take care of yourself without pushing yourself too much.”

“Thank you. ――Is there something you would like to ask me today?”

Senri was perceptive. Jusetsu nodded.

“Have you ever heard of the Great Sea Turtle God?” she asked without any preamble.

“The Great Sea Turtle...you mean Gou-no-Kami, yes? He’s also known as the Turtle King,” Senri answered without hesitation. “He was a god widely worshiped in ancient times. Sometimes, the ruins of his former shrines have been excavated. There are still a few shrines in the countryside, but they are few and far in between.”

“You’re very knowledgeable about him.”

“That’s because I’ve been researching temples and folk beliefs in various places for many years. Also, he was worshipped as a god of prolonging life and longevity, so one of the shrines where my parents went to pray for me was his...”

It seemed that because of his sickly condition, his parents visited various shrines to pray for his recovery and prolong his life.

“That’s why I’m a bit familiar with the gods of that aspect.”

I see, Jusetsu nodded.

“Have you heard of a medicine that’s made by grinding the claws of the Great Sea Turtle God?”

Senri tilted his head, then shook it. “No, I don’t remember hearing about that or reading about that.”

“I also do not know anything about it, but there is a turtle vessel in the treasure room that once contained the medicine.”

Jusetsu told him about the ghost with the turtle vessel in his hands. Senri quietly listened to her without interrupting.

“Apparently, the turtle vessel is from the Hi dynasty.”

“Hi dynasty, you say?”

That’s before Wulian Niangniang, Senri said.

This country had two histories. The official history that was publicly taught, and the story of the Summer King and Winter King that could never be told. In the official history, the existence of the Winter King had been erased. The two kings ruled the country peacefully for about five hundred years, and then afterwards, after losing the Winter King, Shou entered a long period of war. Many ruins and artifacts were destroyed during this time, and there was little to no way of knowing the details of the previous eras. It was fortuitous that there were some treasures left in the treasure room.

In official history, the Hi dynasty was just one of many dynasties. It was so long ago that it was almost mythical. On the contrary, in the history of the Summer and Winter Kings, the Hi dynasty was a milestone dynasty.

“After the fall of the Hi dynasty, Wulian Niangniang came to this land...”

It was exactly before the time of Wulian Niangniang. That meant the era before she came from Kakurenomiya. Jusetsu didn’t know anything about what happened before. That was because the Soutsuten in Yamei Palace didn’t contain any details about that time. For the Raven Consort—the Winter King, what happened before the arrival of Wulian Niangniang was meaningless.

However, there was of course history between the birth of the country from the corpse of a god and the subsequent arrival of Wulian Niangniang.

“It is a vessel from that time? It must be very well preserved.”

“Perhaps it’s because it’s made of stone. What do you think of that ghost? I’m curious as to who he is, but I’m also curious about why it appeared now.”

“I am as well...” Senri put his hand on his slender chin and pondered.

“Have you thought of something?”

“No,” Senri hesitated for a moment, like he wanted to say something, but he ended up shaking his head. “My apologies. I don’t know.”

“I see...I thought you would know something, because you’re so knowledgeable.”

“You’re overrating me. I am not even close to Master Gyoei in terms of knowledge.”

Senri smiled wryly. It was a nostalgic, wistful smile.

I saw that smile before, she thought. Not from Senri, but Koushun. I think it was at Koshi Palace, when we were talking about Gyoei——.

Jusetsu peered at Senri’s face. He smiled at her. A cheerful smile, different from the one before.

“So, Lady Raven Consort, do you want to save that ghost?”

“...Yes, if possible.”

“If he’s a servant, then he must have a master. Perhaps that master lies at the root of it all.”

Onkei also said that he was a man of loyalty. So was his master the key to all of this, then?

“I’m not sure if I think this because I am ill, but perhaps the servant’s master was also ill. The fact that he is holding a vessel that contained a medicine to prolong life is...”

After saying that, Senri stared off into the distance.

Koutou Palace Academy—generally known as Koutou Academy, was overflowing with books in every room. Wooden strips, bamboo strips, scrolls, transcribed books, and sheafs of paper were piled up on the shelves... The smell of ink was strong.

“Paper gets damp at this time of year, which becomes a problem.”

Meiin said after he led Koushun to a room. It was quiet inside. He thought that there was no one there, but then heard a noise at the back of the room. Meiin called out in that direction.

“Shiki, His Majesty has arrived. Come over here.”

A young man appeared from the other side of the shelves. He stepped forward before Koushun and knelt. It was a gentle movement with no exertion. He was a man who seemed to be a year or two over thirty, and had the air of a third son from a wealthy merchant family, rather than a capable official who had traveled around the rural regions. He wasn’t particularly beautiful, but he had a gentle and refreshing appearance.

From the way Meiin spoke about him, Koushun had imagined a somewhat brusque and obstinate young man, but at first glance, he appeared to be an agreeable young man.

“Raise your head.”

After Koushun told him that, he slowly got up. His eyes were gentle, but he noticed that there was a shade of sadness in his face. There was a shadow over his eyes. Koushun suddenly sensed something similar to himself in his eyes. He had an intuition.

This man holds hatred deep inside his heart.

A smouldering flame of hatred with nowhere to go burned in the depths of his eyes.

He had no proof, but somehow he was convinced of that. Koushun sat down in a chair. “Over there,” he pointed to the seat across from him and prompted Shiki to sit down. Shiki glanced at Meiin with a hint of bewilderment, but Koushun repeated, “We can’t have a long conversation there,” so he obediently sat down.

“I heard that you were in Ga Province until recently.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

His answer was short, but his voice was clear. He had a mellow and deep voice.

“I want to know the situation there,” Koushun said point-blank, and Shiki’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Are you concerned about Ga Province, Your Majesty?”

“I am a little concerned. Did something happen there?”

Shiki looked away in deliberation, then spoke.

“I don’t know if it can be called an issue that happened, but...do you know of the Moon Truth Sect?”

Koushun nodded lightly.

“Its successor is now spreading in Ga Province.”

“The Eight Truths Sect? Is that the Moon Truth Sect’s successor.”

“So you knew about it? The person who was once the evangelist of the Moon Truth Sect became the founder.”

Koushun peered at Shiki’s face. “How do you know so much?”

“I investigated them. Because of that, my life became endangered, so I resigned my position and left Ga Province,” Shiki explained with his gentle expression.

“Wasn’t it because your relationship with the Saname clan had deteriorated?”

“Ah, yes, that isn’t necessarily wrong either. The Saname clan seems to be...somewhat patronizing the Eight Truths Sect.”

“The Saname clan?”

“I don’t have any proof because I’ve never publically became a believer or donated money. I was just trying to obtain some proof when I was poisoned.”

Shiki said that so casually that Koushun was slow to react.

“...Poison.”

“Shiki, this is the first time I’m hearing this as well.”

Meiin was also startled. On the other hand, Shiki looked like it was of no concern to him.

“It wasn’t fatal poison. It was a threat. The Saname clan are poison users, after all.”

“Poison users?”

“It was a rumor that had only been whispered of in Ga Province, but it was true. The Saname clan originally hailed from Kakami. It is said that they have a secret poison. There was a frightening rumor that they obtained it by killing a god.”

I don’t know how much of it is true, though, he added.

“So, I left Ga Province, making it seem like I escaped out of fear.”

“Ho...” Koushun stared at Shiki’s face and expressionlessly responded. Shiki smiled gently.

“You don’t believe me, Your Majesty? Well there’s no proof that the Saname clan poisoned me, so if you say that it’s all a result of me overthinking, then that’s the end of it.”

No, Koushun answered.

“I’m thinking about whether or not Saname believed you. Did they believe that you were the type of person who would give in to threats and run away?”

“I suppose I’m still alive because they believed it. They are also taking the approach of letting me go freely and watching me.”

Or it could be that Shiki is working for Saname—though neither of them said it aloud.

“The Ga Province inspector was Kou, I believe. Were you working under his orders?”

“No, it was my own arbitrary decision. Inspector Kou has no suspicion towards the Saname clan.”

The inspector was an important post that directly answered to the emperor and was appointed by him. The deputy and lower ranks were chosen at the inspector’s discretion. Shiki, who was a deputy inspector, had ignored his superior’s inclinations and acted on his own accord?

This man seems to be acting on some other motive.

He didn’t know what that was yet, though.

Do I have to send spies to Ga Province…?

Normally, the province’s governor or other official dispatched from central would report any suspicious activity without having to do such a thing.

An unspecified official.

Had the real power been transferred to the inspector and he was unable to do a good job?

Koushun looked at Meiin, who nodded as though he fully understood the situation. He would make the necessary arrangements.

“Is it because of the precedent of Reki Province that you decided to probe into the Eight Truths Sect?”

When Koushun suddenly asked that, Shiki looked as though the emotions had slipped off his face.

“Yes, well…”

“You were from Reki Province, weren’t you.”

Yes, he answered and frowned slightly. It seemed to be a topic he didn’t want broached.

“I also lost an acquaintance in the Reki Province riots. It was the man who was supposed to be my friend’s…husband,” Kajou’s face flashed through his mind.  “Things like that shouldn’t happen.”

Shiki lowered his eyes. “Yes—precisely.”

Koushun had a feeling that he too had lost someone important to him.

Koushun invited Shiki to the lotus pond. It was located on the same site as Koutou Academy. Walking along the corridor, they moved from the palace and came to the outer corridor where the beautiful lotus pond could be seen.

“Even though the waterways have been built and the transportation of goods have become faster, Ga Province is still a long distance from here. There must be many things that cannot be seen and voices that cannot be heard there. Even the government there is hard to grasp, so it would be even more so when it comes to the people,” Koushun spoke plainly as he stared at the closed lotus buds. “This doesn’t only apply to Ga Province.”

“…This country is divided by mountains, after all.”

Koushun nodded. The capital was located in the east of the island, with steep mountainous terrain to the north, much of which was unexplored, and a soaring mountain range in the center, impeding travel between the east and west. Although the roads were built on relatively gently sloping terrain, it took many days to travel on them because they took detours around the mountain range. The sea route was somewhat faster, but this was also dependent on the weather.

“The fragmentation of information is very frightening. It can become irreversible at times.”

Shiki nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s why a man like you, who has seen so much of the country, is very valuable. And you know the people well as well as the government. I would like to increase the number of people like you.”

For this purpose, unspecified officials who directly answer to the emperor were very convenient. But there were also downsides. It was difficult to find the right balance, so to speak.

“Your Majesty…is a very serious person,” Shiki said in a tone that was either impressed or astonished.

“I’ve thought about expressing my opinions in a non-serious way, but it was difficult.”

He said with Jusetsu in mind. Shiki laughed in amusement. “You have?”

“Yes, driven by necessity.”

Shiki’s shoulders shook. The air around him was gentle, and there was no hint of timidity even when dealing with the emperor. However, he wasn’t overly familiar. He was relaxed and gentle in a proper manner—and there was sense of loneliness coming from him at the same time. His air was different from anyone he had met so far. Was it because Koushun had sensed something similar to himself in the depths of his eyes?

“Who is it that you hate?”

Those words suddenly came out of his mouth. Shiki’s smile disappeared, and his face became blank. There was a shadow over his eyes.

“I can assure you that it is not you, Your Majesty.” He then added, “Can you tell that because you also harbor a similar hatred, Your Majesty?”

He stared into Koushun’s eyes as he said that, as though probing him.

“…The person I hated is no more.”

Koushun murmured, and Shiki narrowed his eyes as though in sympathy.

“Then, you feel empty right now, don’t you, Your Majesty.”

This man understands me very well.

Koushun turned his eyes toward the lotus pond. There was no breeze, just a sweltering heat and humidity. He wasn’t even sweating. It was simply agonizing.

Koushun wondered what Jusetsu would say to them if she was here.

“Have you ever seen a ghost?”

Despite the suddenness of his question, Shiki answered “Yes” without any hesitation.

“I’ve traveled to many different regions, so I’ve heard many stories about ghosts. People in all regions like ghost stories and strange tales.”

“I see. There are many such stories here in the imperial palace as well. I’ve also seen some with my own eyes.”

“You have, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. Ghosts are tragic beings, aren’t they.”

The ghost that haunted the jade earring, the ghost that stood under the willow tree, and finally the ghosts of his mother and the eunuch flashed through his mind before disappearing.

“Last night, I saw the ghost of an old servant. He wanders the inner court with a treasure from the treasure room in his hand.”

“A treasure?”

“A treasure called a stone turtle casket. It is a turtle-shaped vessel that once contained medicine. He seems to be a ghost from ancient times, but no one knows why he’s wandering around…”

It was pitiful, almost painful, to see the old servant tottering about, holding up the vessel like an offering.

After Koushun told him about the ghost, Shiki was silent, looking perplexed.

“What’s wrong?”

“No…it’s only that I remember hearing a similar story in the provinces.”

“A similar story?”

“It’s not about ghosts. It’s about a pitiful elderly servant who was killed over medicine…”

“What kind of story is it?” Koushun’s interest was piqued, and he turned towards Shiki.

“I don’t know if I can remember it exactly, since I’ve heard it many years ago. I heard it from the people of Raku Province, which is located at the foot of the northern mountains next to Reki Province, while I was working as a patrolling inspector there.”

“Raku Province was said to be where the capital was located in ancient times, during the Hi dynasty.”

Yes, Shiki nodded.

“In the era when the capital was still there, there lived an old servant who served a noble family. The family had already fallen into ruin, and there was only the young lady and old servant in the deserted house. The young lady was bedridden with illness, so the few other servants that were there had given up on her and left. The old servant served and nursed the young lady very attentively. One day, he heard of a life-prolonging elixir in the castle. It was the medicine of the gods, stored in a turtle vessel. He went to the royal family, with whom the young lady’s family had a slight connection, to ask if they might share the medicine with them. The royal family listened to his request and handed over the medicine. However, it was a fake medicine. They were annoyed by the old servant who repeatedly came to ask for help and handed over the drug in order to get rid of him. The young lady died. The old servant, who learned that it was a fake medicine, blamed the royal family but was tortured to death after angering them. After that, the royal family died of a mysterious disease, and it is said that that was the old servant’s curse.”

Shiki sighed.

“It was one of those kinds of stories… One of the legends in that region. I am sure some of it has changed over time, but it is also interesting as a story about a dynasty that died out.”

“It certainly is,” Koushun nodded. “Sometimes there’s unexpected truth behind those legends.”

The old servant and the turtle vessel…

“I’ll tell Jusetsu about this,” he murmured without thinking.

“Jusetsu?” Shiki tilted his head in confusion.

“No, it’s nothing.” Koushun cleared his throat.

Koushun arrived just when the sun was about to set. Looking at his face, Jusetsu thought that he must be in a good mood. There was no change in his expression, but he somehow seemed like that.

“I heard a story about the turtle vessel and the old servant from someone who worked in the provinces.”

That was the first thing that came out of Koushun’s mouth.

“I was wondering what urgent business you had…you came here to tell me that?”

“Yes.”

“A letter would have sufficed.”

“I wanted to tell you directly.”

Jusetsu remained silent, unable to answer.

Because it was still early, Jiujiu and Ishiha hadn’t yet retired for the night. “Have you improved in your handwriting?” Koushun asked Ishiha. “Yes,” Ishiha replied respectfully, then added, “A little.”

“There’s no need to rush. Just work steadily. I taught Ei Sei how to write, and now he’s more skilled at calligraphy than me.”

“Really, Your Majesty?”

Ishiha looked up at Ei Sei. “It’s all because I had a wonderful teacher,” he said with a cool face.

“Ishiha is a quick learner, so he is improving very quickly. He has also improved a lot in reading.” Ishiha smiled bashfully when Jusetsu praised him.

“Shall I bring some books? Something that Ishiha can read,” Koushun said.

“We have the books Kajou lent us. She brought all kinds of books,” Jusetsu pointed at the cabinet. Several books were stacked on top of it. When she had asked Kajou if she had any books that children could read, she happily brought them herself.

“Kajou seems to like reading books,” Jusetsu remarked.

“She does,” Koushun nodded. “I also gift some to her from time to time. They please her more than flowers or hairpins. It’s about time I bring her some new books.”

“She said she wants to borrow some classics from Koutou Academy. She wants to read classic poetry.”

“Okay. I’ll give her permission.”

Even consorts could leave the inner palace with permission. Kajou sometimes went to Koutou Academy or the chronicler’s pavilion in the imperial palace to borrow books.

Jiujiu brought tea, and Jusetsu drank it with Koushun. She had misgivings about drinking hot tea in hot weather, but Keishi, Kougyou, and Jiujiu all said that it was better to sweat to get rid of the heat. She blew on the tea as she drank.

As they drank tea, Koushun told her the story about the turtle vessel and the old servant that was handed down in Raku Province.

“An old dynasty…the Hi dynasty?”

“Yes. It’s said that their capital used to be at the foot of the northern mountains.”

“The turtle vessel in the treasure room is also supposed to be from the Hi dynasty…”

Was that old servant the ghost who was tricked with fake medicine and killed?

“It’s still a mystery why a ghost from so long ago would appear now,” Koushun said, and Jusetsu nodded.

“Mm-hmm. I heard that the vessel once contained medicine made from the claws of the Great Sea Turtle God.”

“The Great Sea Turtle God?”

“Apparently, he was a god that was widely worshipped in ancient times, so he must also have been commonly worshipped in the Hi dynasty. When I asked Senri about it, he said that the old servant’s master might have been ill. If what you told me is true, then he hit the nail on the head.”

But even if it turns out to be correct, we still don’t know what to do about it…

“Medicine…he’s fixated on medicine…?”

The ghost of the old servant holding up the turtle vessel. Did he still want the medicine he never got while he was alive? For the sake of his mistress.

Jusetsu pondered this for a while. “Can I see the treasure room again?” she asked Koushun.

“I don’t mind, but…what are you going to do there?”

“I want to search for the medicine. Even if it isn’t in the vessel, it may be somewhere in the treasure room.”

“The Great Sea Turtle’s? I don’t believe it’s in the treasure room ledger.”

“It might not necessarily be in the ledger. I’ll ask Ui.”

Mm, Koushun made a sound.

“Because he is a strange keeper, indeed,” he nodded. “Are you going tomorrow morning?”

“Oh—no, Kajou said she’s visiting tomorrow morning. She’s going to bring new books for Ishiha.”

“The afternoon, then. I’ll go with you as well if that’s the case. It won’t be too much trouble that way.”

Jusetsu peered at Koushun’s face.

“I asked this before, but are you allowed to just let me in many times like this?”

“It doesn’t change whether it’s one time or many times. I don’t think of those treasures as only belonging to me to begin with.”

They don’t only belong to the Summer King, but also to the Winter King—he was saying.

Then, Koushun’s eyes softened a little. His expressionless face took on a gentler shade.

“Besides, it’s not bad to have you ask me for a favor.”

Because we’re friends, he said.

It was at times like these that Jusetsu didn’t know how to respond. However, she could feel a slight but definite warmth in her chest.

Previous || Index || Next

[xvminkook]

Locker Room | Kim Taehyung fanfic

Warning: This fanfic is not based on real events and is only for entertainment purposes. I am not trying to sexualize BTS in ANY way.

This fanfic includes the following: Smut, sex, NSFW stuff, dirty talk, swear words and other vulgarities. If you’re sensitive to any of the following activities, do not read and block my account.

Please be AT LEAST 18 to view. Enjoy!

“𝐒uck it loser” showing your middle finger to him, you stuck out your tongue as he gritted his teeth while walking past you, ignoring your teasing. “Aww, the captain is mad because he lost?” You giggled following him into the boys locker room which was now empty. “Shut up” he grunted as he turned towards you. “Oh no, how can I? You lost the match and you expect me to shut up?” You pouted, stepping towards him “See, I always told you Namjoon was a better playe- ah!” You yelped as he grabbed your forearm and slammed you against one of the lockers, holding both of your arms over your head. “Say one more word and I can show you what this loser can really do” he rasped leaning extremely close to your face as you chuckled nervously “Oh come on Taehyung, you can’t do shit!” You taunted, knowing damn well you were pushing his buttons and it was the last straw. His body pressed against you, as his lips landed on your jaw softly, sucking and biting on your soft skin. One hand was still holding your hands up against the locker, whilst the other was moving up and down your body, over your curves before stopping on your chest to give your boobs a firm squeeze.

You whined and squirmed against his hold as he trailed wet kisses down your neck to the exposed skin of your collarbone before pulling away. His fingers unhooked the buttons of your shirt while you stared at him, your chest heaving up and down at the intimacy. “You like playing, don’t you? Tonight I’m gonna show you what the real game is” his tone dripped with lust and sarcasm as he pulled your shirt off and unclasped your bra. His lips latched to your pink buds as he sucked and glided his tongue over them, tugging them with his teeth. Your back arched at the pleasure, as you held onto his collar pulling him closer. His hand made its way up your skirt, as he trailed it upwards and slowly making you whine desperately. Finally, his hand comes in contact with your throbbing cunt as he rubbed his fingers over your wet folds. “So wet for the loser, huh?” He taunted before pulling your skirt down till they hit the ground. His thumb rubbed over your sensitive clit, making you moan and and bite down on your lower lip. His fingers teased your hole, rubbing on your entrance before moving towards your slits and spreading your wetness throughout.

“T-tae please” you whimpered impatiently, wanting to feel some kind of friction. “Please what?” He raised an eyebrow, his hand coming to your face and squeezing your cheeks as he made you look at him. “Please, I want you” you blushed as you whispered. “Look at what a desperate slut you are” he chuckled as he put his long fingers inside you, making you moan even louder. “Keep shut baby, there are still people outside” he reminded as your eyes widened, the thought of you getting caught made you even more aroused. He started to thrust his fingers in and out at a fast pace, his fingers hitting the right spots making your thighs tremble. Your stomach twisted as you felt yourself getting closer, and it was a shock to you at how fast he can make you cum just with his fingers. “Close huh?” He tilted his head as he felt your walls clenching around his fingers. You nodded so faintly but he pulled away as a loud whine left your mouth. “What the fuck, Taehyung?” You groaned pressing your thighs together. “Where are your manners baby? If you want it then be obiedient” he pouted sarcastically as he unbuckled his pants.

Pressing your lips together you waited as he took off everything he had, taking his sweet time. “Can you move a little faster?” You questioned, your bratty and impatient self coming back, as he looked at you before holding your wrists and holding them behind you back making you squirm. “Stop being a brat if you want me to fuck you alright? Or I will edge you until you pass out, and I don’t think you’d like it that much” he warned, making you quickly shut your mouth and nod obiediently. He smirked and pushed his tip into your wet hole with ease. “Beg for the rest, love. Tell me how much you want me” he brushed his free hand against your cheek as you gulped, squeezing your palms into a fist. “F-fuck me please” you bit your lips feeling embarrassed as he chuckled at your reaction. “I need more from you. I expect you to beg for me” he was teasing the fuck out of you made a note to kick his ass later for this. “Please fuck me, I want yo- oh god” you moaned throwing your head back as he pushed in the rest of his length, and oh my lord, he was HUGE!

“Oh fuck” you whimpered as his dick stretched your walls out. Without letting you adjust, he started pounding into you, holding your thigh and pushing your hole further open. The pleasure started to hit you as you dug your nails into your palm. Your eyes were squeezed shut as he slammed harshly inside you. A groan left his mouth, making you open your eyes. The sudden urge to touch him came like a truck as you started to squirm again and whined moving your hands against his grip. He seemed to understand you as he let go of your hand. You quickly circled around your arms around his neck, tugging on his soft hair as he thrusted into you, harder and harder each time. “This is what you wanted huh? To get fucked by me? You’re such a little slut” he chuckled followed by a groan when you clenched into him harder. He adjusted your thighs as he hit deeper, on the right spots as a high pitched moan escaped your mouth.

“Oh god Tae, right there” you whined as he started hitting the exact same spot, abusing it and pushing you closer and closer to your climax. His thrusts got sloppier as he chased his high while pushing you to your climax. “I-I’m cumming…” you let out a whimper before letting yourself cum around his dick as he continued his thrusts. With a few more sloppy strokes, he pulled out cumming. You held onto his shoulders for support as your legs were shaking. He wrapped his arms around your waist snuggling to your neck. Both of you were sweating and breathing heavy. After calming down, he helped you clean up and put your clothes back on. He noticed your flustered state and pulled you against his chest. “Well baby, having you once wasn’t enough” “And who said it only had to be once, Tae?”

[melonisopod]

Strange Reunion (HGW fic excerpt) (WIP)

Myra and Oberon had just finished patrolling the area, hunting down any rogue Servants.

The other Masters didn’t seem to be active tonight, giving them a better opportunity to move. And besides, rogue Servants provided Oberon the extra magical energy he needed in upcoming battles. Even as a homunculus with plenty of mana reserves, Myra couldn’t count on herself alone to sustain the Abyssal Insect. 

In the dim twilight of dawn, she spotted a figure, and the glint of a crimson blade. 

“Master, we’ve been spotted,” Oberon whispered to her, before disappearing among the shrubbery. Myra was about to call after him, but could see the figure draw closer. 

She ran, turning odd corners in the twilight garden, until she thought she’d lost sight of him.

Then, the Servant materialized in front of her, clad in blue and silver armor and wielding two demonic swords. His golden eyes nearly seemed to glow in the low light.

“Eep!”

“Myra?” the Servant said, “is that really you?”

“Myra - is that really you?”

Diarmuid looked at her in astonishment, but also relief. He almost seemed ready to cry from the sheer joy of knowing his beloved was alright.

Myra scrambled to think of a response.

“Uh, no?” she paused, seeing his face fall, then let out a heavy sigh, “Yes,”

“It’s so good to see you again,” Diarmuid said, smiling again, and gently touching her cheek with his hand. The sensation was almost unbearable for her, every neuron in her brain seemed to be firing off at once. How was she supposed to think straight now?

“It’s good to see you too, Dia,” she answered.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke, until Diarmuid decided to break the silence:

“Did you change your hair? It’s a nice look for you. I especially like the ribbon,”

“Huh? The ribbon…oh, this!” Myra said, reaching to touch the cloth she used to tie back her hair. In truth, it had been cut from the cloth Diarmuid had used to seal his Noble Phantasms and conceal their true power. Upon learning of his death all those years ago, she’d scrambled to recover some trace of him and salvage it, holding onto some vestige of him.

“You’re as lovely as you ever were,” he said dreamily, “I’m just so happy to know you survived,”

‘Survived,’ Myra thought to herself. That she’d ‘survived’ the poisoning, been transported to Tir na nOg, and then made it back to Chaldea alive. No, that was a pipe dream. The real Myra had died and was never seen again, and Chaldea created this carbon copy, a shell simply filled up with the memories of Humanity’s Last Master. 

She wanted to be the real Myra, more than anything. But ‘real’ was an ideal far beyond her reach.

“Oh, your Command Seals,” Diarmuid remarked, noting the red sigils on Myra’s hand were now completely changed. Instead of the spiral flowery shape, these took the form of one long, thin strip, with two identical wings on either side. It more resembled a dragonfly than a rose.

Myra jerked her hand back, covering the seals with her other. “Wait, I can explain!”

“It’s alright, Myra, I understand,” Diarmuid reassured her, “You were separated from Chaldea after the third Lostbelt mission. It makes sense that you would have lost your Command Seals,”

Myra breathed a sigh of relief, and nodded. 

“What troubles me is, how did you end up here?” 

Myra shrugged. “Gosh, if only I knew,”

It wasn’t a lie. She really was perplexed at how she found herself in the Irregular Singularity. 

“Well, in any case, I’m just glad you’re alright,”

“Same,” Myra said.

“If I might ask, who is your Servant?” 

Myra’s blood ran cold. 

“M-my Servant?” she sputtered, eyes darting about. “Um, well…uh, that’s eh, complicated…”

“I don’t think the other Masters have seen you anywhere,” Diarmuid remarked, “so you and your Servant must be keeping a low profile,”

Myra nodded enthusiastically, “Yeah, yeah we are. We’re not really much for fighting right now, because…”

“Do you know what class your Servant is?”

“Well…” 

The two were interrupted by a rustling in the nearby bushes. When they turned around, out stepped a tiny figure wrapped in a white cloak, who walked over to Myra and stared up at her with big, clear-blue eyes.

“Is that your Servant?” Diarmuid asked in disbelief. Myra almost felt like slapping him.

After sighing heavily, then stooping down to pick him up, Myra replied, “Yes, this is my Servant. Robin Goodfellow, Rider-class,”

“I understand why you’ve been laying low for most of the Holy Grail War,”

“Diarmuid, shut up,”

Oberon remained silent, and only looked from Myra to Diarmuid and back with a curious expression, before turning back to face Myra and winking at her with a mischievous grin. Myra imagined squishing him in her hands.

Just play along, Oberon said to her through their mental link.

What do you mean ‘play along?’ Myra asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Well, I am your Servant, right? Said Oberon. Now you have the perfect cover not to have much presence in the Grail War. You’re welcome!

She once again considered squishing Oberon in her hands, before being made aware that Diarmuid was still intently watching them both.

“Myra…”

“Oh, uh, so this guy here,” Myra said, pausing a second before continuing, “He was a rogue I found just wandering along all by himself. I couldn’t just let the little guy fend for himself, so I took him in. We’ve been close ever since!”

“I see,” Diarmuid observed, still a bit perplexed, “He does look a bit like Ruler,”

“Ruler?” Myra repeated nervously, “Er, I wouldn’t know, that’s odd though…”

“Did you register him?” 

“Did I what now?”

“Well, I suppose not,” Diarmuid said, “I believe there’s already a Rider registered to the Holy Grail War,”

“Right, Mandricardo and his Master,” Myra commented.

“You know Rider’s True Name?” Diarmuid said in astonishment.

Oberon glanced back at Myra with a side-eyed expression. Myra glared at him before turning back to Diarmuid.

“Eheheh, well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Myra lied, “His Noble Phantasm invokes Durendal, the holy sword that Mandricardo sought after in the Orlando Furioso,”

“I see,” Diarmuid replied thoughtfully, “You’re quite well-read, but you always have been, Myra. I’ll be sure to call him by his True Name the next time we meet,”

That’ll be sure to piss off Mandricardo’s Master, but as long as Mandy’s happy, it’s fine. I think he’d like the recognition. Myra thought to herself.

Nice cover, Master! Oberon said. It seems like you’ve got this one under control. I’m going to take a nap now. Goodnight. 

Oberon, no, don’t doze off! I still need you!

The little Pretender lay down in her open hands and closed his eyes. Myra once again contemplated squishing him.

“Oh my goodness,” Diarmuid said, overcome at the sight of it. “That’s adorable!”

“Yeah, he gets tired out easily,” Myra remarked. She hated how adorable he looked right now, sleeping in her hands. 

“I can’t imagine someone like this becoming a Servant,” Diarmuid remarked, “I mean, we’ve both seen plenty of oddities in Chaldea, but this one seems unusual even among them,”

“Hm? Is that because he’s weak, or is it something else?” 

“Well, you did say he was Robin Goodfellow, didn’t you?” Diarmuid said, “From A Midsummer Night’s Dream?”

“Well,” Myra explained, cradling her companion in her hands while reaching with her thumb to stroke his hair, “He isn’t the only classic literature-based Servant here. We also have Don Quixote,”

“You know about Don Quixote?” Diarmuid asked, raising an eyebrow.

Myra sputtered out an explanation. “Um, well see, I ran into him the other night (true), and he didn’t want to fight us (also true), after all, who’d want to hurt a poor, innocent young woman and her tiny, defenseless little Servant? (extremely false),”

“It’s good to know he’s such an honorable man,” Diarmuid remarked, “Though I doubt the other Servants would be quite as forgiving. Be very careful, Myra. If they see your Command Seals they’ll no doubt make you a target,”

“I understand,” Myra said, “But I’m handling things well enough on my own. You don’t have to worry about me,”

“Well, alright then,” Diarmuid said at last, “I have to go. My shift at the local cafe starts soon,”

“The cafe?” Myra asked, “What are you doing there?”

“Oh, Myr- uh, my Master, is struggling to pay their rent this month, and so I agreed to take a part-time job to help her. To help them,”

Aww! That’s so nice! I wish Oberon helped me pay rent, Myra thought. Hey, Oberon! Did you hear? Saber’s helping his Master pay the rent by taking up a part-time job! You should do that for me sometime!

Zzzzzz….

Quit pretending to be asleep, you little bastard!

“Well, goodbye!” Myra said, “Hopefully, we can meet up again sometime. Maybe introduce me to your Master,”

The last sentence was said with just a bit of an edge.

“Oh uh, that,” Diarmuid said sheepishly as he began to walk away, “Well, we’ll see, right?”

With that, he walked off. Once he was out of sight, Myra scowled.

“Hey, Oberon! Wake up!” Myra nudged Oberon with her finger, but her Servant continued to sleep.

“I’m going to squash you if you don’t wake the hell up right now,” Myra threatened.

Still, no response.

Myra gripped the little Pretender in one hand and shook him. “Wake up, asshole! Wake up!”

At last, Oberon returned to normal size in a puff of smoke.

“Ow, ow! Hey! What’s the bloody idea?” he said, fixing his hair and dusting off his clothes. “You couldn’t just let me have a rest?”

“Why’d you have to get involved?” Myra asked.

“Oh, I just wanted to see that old flame of yours!” he chuckled, “Aren’t you a lucky girl, to have had him for a Servant!”

“Oberon, be serious,” Myra said, “You nearly blew our cover,”

“Oh, I did? I thought that was you, at least twice, actually,” he said without dropping his cheerful tone, “I had to come and rescue you. But you recovered pretty fast. Bravo, my Master! You’re almost as big a liar as me!” “Well, in any case,” she concluded, “We’re going to head home. And then you can take a nap,”

[tomoyajpeg]

White Brim | BATTLEROYAL/8

Hiyori: Really, though, I’m exhausted. I want to take a quick break somewhere that I can calm down.

But until “clamming” ends, there’s nowhere that we “fish” can rest, is there?

Tori: I’ll massage your shoulders for you, Hiyori-sama! As thanks for saving me!

Hiyori: I’m not an old man, you know?

But, well, it doesn’t feel half-bad to be shown thanks.

Tori: Right~? Hey, Anzu, you got saved too, so you have to thank him! You know, in fairy tales and stuff, the prince who rescues people always gets a kiss—

...No, no kissing. Not even for Hiyori-sama.

Hiyori: Fufu. Gratitude isn’t something you should force, now is it?

Tori: T-that’s true... Wait, I know it’s a little late to ask now, but why do you have a gun, Hiyori-sama? We’re “fish,” so is it okay for us to be armed?

Hiyori: Well, it’s not like it was ever explicitly forbidden, right? I’ve been running around here and there this whole time—

And after a little while, I saw someone who works for us, so I called out to them. After a little negotiation, they handed over their weapons.

That whole “your status doesn’t matter during ‘clamming’” thing is just a pretense, anyway. We’re all very much humans, so it’s not like we can actually throw our titles away that easily.

Determining that if they disobeyed me now, they’d really be in for it later, our servant happily handed over their weapons. Running into one of my people was really a stroke of good luck.

Tori: That... that’s true, huh. Life goes on even after the game is over.

If you mess up and make your master upset, after that you could have to deal with a lot of difficult stuff, like a pay cut or something.

Hiyori: Yep. Maybe if we were younger, we could forget about the obligations of the world of the living and devote ourselves to playing around.

Hiyori:Growing up is such a lonely thing, isn’t it?

Tori: ...Hmph. If our Yuzuru was taking part in “clamming,” he’d definitely be on my side, no matter what.

I wonder where he is and what he’s up to. I want to go find him and drag him over to our side~ He’s been through some sort of weird training, so if you have him as your ally, you’ve got the strength of 100 people.

Hiyori: Ahh, Yuzuru-kun’s not supposed to participate in “clamming.”

This is just what I’ve heard from my older brother, who’s taken part in “clamming” before, but apparently that kid was banned from “clamming” a few years ago because he went on some sort of rampage.

Tori: “Banned,” huh... what did that servant of ours do, exactly?

Hiyori: I heard that he totally ignored the obligations of the world of the living and pulverized everything that crossed his path. He was doing one hell of a job following the rules of “clamming” to the letter.

Recently, you Himemiyas have been acknowledged as deserving of respect - or, rather, people have stopped looking down on you for being “nothing but nouveau riche.”

There’s a rumor going around that it’s all because of Yuzuru-kun’s active participation in “clamming.”

“The Himemiya house isn’t just all-talk-and-no-action new money. They’re terrifying if you make an enemy of them,” they say.

Tori: H~m... Maybe that’s why Yuzuru went to some facility somewhere for physical training (?) a long time ago.

Is “clamming” more of a major event in the business world than I thought it was?

Hiyori: Yeeaah, it really shouldn’t be. It’s just a game.

But. As you’re well aware of, displays of manners and dancing skills during social gatherings are essential evaluation criteria for us aristocrats.

If you can show off your merit at a social event like tonight, where everyone’s gathered, it’ll affect your connections and the value of your household in the future.

Forgetting about the real world and playing around idly is just lip service. Even in the midst of our foolish games, we can’t forget about our ties to the world of the living.

That stuff is a real pain, though. In place of my older brother, who has to properly manage our business, it’s the duty of the prodigal second son - me - to make an impression and show his worth.

Tori: ..........

Hiyori: Well, we ended up talking about something pointless, huh? If we dawdle around here for too long, Tsukasa-kun might return with reinforcements, so let’s get moving.

I’ve found some places that are great for running and hiding, so I’ll guide you there first.

If we can hold out until the time limit runs out, it’s our win. To be precise, it won’t be a win but a draw, but that’s a hundred times better than losing.

Tori: Y-yeah. Sorry for causing so much trouble, Hiyori-sama.

Hiyori: It wasn’t any trouble at all! We’re in the same boat right now, so we have to support each other. ♪

Tori: (Hiyori-sama’s amazing, just like I thought.)

(Honestly, when I was younger, I used to look down on Hiyori-sama a little bit.)

(I believed all the gossip of the adults around me, and thought “the Tomoe family’s second son is a bad boy who just fools around all day - he’s useless.”)

(For the Tenshouin conglomerate, who the Himemiya clan has always cozied up to, the Tomoe conglomerate is something like a business rival. The enemy of your friend is your enemy too, and all.)[1]

(But. Deciding that someone is worse than you, or inferior to you, just because you’re enemies... that’s just prejudice.)

Hiyori: ? What’s wrong, Tori-kun? Are you tired out from doing stuff you’re not used to? Aaaalright, “Hiyori-onii-sama” will pick you up and carry you! ♪

Tori: Th-that’s okay! There's no need to trouble yourself on my account...!

Hiyori: Ahaha, do you hate being treated like a child?

Tori: N-not really. Weirdly enough, if it’s Hiyori-sama I don’t mind that much. If anything, it feels like I have a real big brother, so I’m happy.

Tori: (...Then, why do I hate being treated like a child by Eichi-sama?)

Literally “the enemy of the parent is the enemy of the child.”

[norabenhaddou]

Falling for a Roadman

Jane is a girl who lives in Amsterdam. She loves her life there. She has her friends and lovely parents and perfect grades in school. Jane has always been the girl who has everything figured out. She organized everything in her life. For her masters degree she moved to London. The Amsterdam life was not enough for her. She craved excitement and adventure, and London was the best place for her to live her dream.

On one evening, she decided to grab dinner with a classmate from her study group. They chose a trendy rooftop restaurant that showed stunning views of the city. As Jane enjoyed her meal, she took the time to look around and enjoy the moment. It was a vibrant place and she felt happy to be there. However, after dinner, her friend had to leave. Jane felt a little sad but decided to make the most of her evening on her own.

After saying goodbye, she stepped out to the rooftop to enjoy the midnight air and light up a cigarette. The sparkling city lights captivated her and she found herself lost in her thoughts about how much she loved London and all the new adventures that lay ahead. Suddenly, a voice jolted her from her daydream.

“Wow, it’s pretty chill up here, huh?”

Startled, Jane nearly dropped her cigarette. She turned to see a handsome guy leaning casually against the railing, flashing a playful grin. His dark hair was beautiful in the light and his blue blouse fit well with his crisp white and blue sneakers. She was stunned and struggled to speak.

“Uh, yeah. I didn’t expect to see anyone else up here,” she replied, trying to catch her breath.

“Didn’t mean to scare you!” he chuckled, his voice smooth with a thick London accent. “I’m Jamal. What’s your name?”

“Jane,” she said, feeling a bit flustered. “I thought I was going to have the place to myself.”

“Nah, not tonight! What brings you up here?” He was looking around, taking in the view.

“I just had dinner with a friend, but she had to rush off. I’m here for my masters degree. I’m from the Netherlands,” Jane said, trying to keep it casual.

“Ah, so the Dutch babe is smart, huh? I like that,” he grinned. “What do you think of London so far?”

“It’s incredible! The energy is so different from back home,” Jane replied, her excitement spilling over. “I feel like I’m living in a movie.”

“I get that! London’s got that vibe, but it’s also raw. I grew up on these streets,” he said, his expression shifting slightly. “There’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.”

Jane was taken aback by his honesty. Jamal was unlike anyone she had ever met before. His relaxed attitude and street-smart charm drew her in, and she felt a spark of curiosity.

“You seem really laid-back,” she said, genuinely interested. “I’ve always been the organized type, but I want to explore more of what life has to offer.”

“Why not? Life’s too short to be serious all the time! You’ve gotta embrace the chaos,” he said, leaning in with an encouraging look. “London’s the perfect place for that.”

They continued chatting and Jane found herself captivated by his stories of the city and his passion for music. He talked about rap, about how he was working on his own tracks, and she couldn’t help but be fascinated by his passionate story. This was a different world and it made her excited.

“Thanks! You’ve gotta see the real London, not just the touristy spots,” Jamal replied, a twinkle in his eye. “What do you say we explore together, innit? I know some hidden gems you’d love.” As they made plans, Jane felt a rush of excitement. She never expected to meet a roadman like Jamal when she moved to London. While exploring this new world was exciting, it also had its challenges. She loved the energy of the streets but felt uneasy about the rough side of his life. She was thinking a lot about how her parents were going to react. Jamal took her to a lot of activities. Each night was filled with fun and she deeply enjoyed discovering this new world with Jamal by her side. He made her feel at ease

[seitmai]

You push back on his chest gently, raising your eyebrows. “Now I’m starting to think this is just a ploy to get him jealous. Does mustache man get on your nerves that much?” You grin as he takes your hands in his. He rolls his eyes. “I got the cutest girl in the room all to myself. Who wouldn’t be jealous? The only ploy here is the one where I try and get you to come home with me.”

🤭🤭🤭

To his credit, Jake seems completely okay with getting to know you before heading out. The conversation is engaging, studded with flirting and genuine curiosity. It’s like he’s hanging on to every word you say, truly attempting to form any sort of connection. Most guys wouldn’t make this effort for a one night stand, especially not someone who looks like they could have a new one every night.

Honestly that sounds like a perfect scenario 😌

Your hesitation makes him falter just a bit. Jake would be okay with waiting, if he was being honest. Yeah, he’s been semi hard the entire time you ran your finger up and down your drink absentmindedly, but he could take you out on a real date first. One where you stare at him with those pretty eyes and smile your captivating smile.

Oh he is already whipped 🤭

He takes your arms and wraps them around his shoulders, spinning you towards the entrance of the bar. “Well, we wouldn’t want a nice girl like you to pay for her own drinks, huh?”

Facts ☝🏻

Before you can blink, Jake has taken off his shirt too, and his hands are kneading the bottom of your breasts, beneath your lacy bra. “You sure?” He asks. You nod vigorously, unhooking your straps with your fingers, but he just looks down disapprovingly. “With your words, baby.” “Yes.” You breathe. With that confirmation, he wastes no time.

Checking in and active consent is so sexy, gets me every time 🥵

You feel your face grow warmer at exactly how right he is as you slide the drawer open and grab one. “Ah, you’ve even got my size. What a responsible girl you are.” His voice comes out as a half laugh, and you try to stifle your own laughter with the palm of your hand. “I like to be prepared.” “Might as well throw the smaller ones away after tonight. You’ll only want mine when I’m done with you.” He’s so cocky it’s funny instead of off-putting.

Ahhh the banter!!! So good! 😍

He has a right to be cocky, you think, with a body like that. All taught muscle and chest hair.

Jake Seresin core lol

“Prove it.” You say, for the second time that night. He gives you a look that says he’s going to prove it more than once, over and over until you’re begging him to keep proving it, then a bit more after that.

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

You sit up, taking his face in your hand. “You’ve proved it. Oh, and I’m officially tonight’s lucky winner.” You say with a beaming smile. He scoffs lightly. “You were a winner the minute you stepped into that bar.” He winks at you as your hand moves down to rest on his collarbone.

“Just let me join in on your winnings when you cash out.” He blows a little air out of the side of his mouth before collapsing onto your bed like he owns it, pulling you into his arms. “I’ll take what I can get if it means I can see you again.” You sigh happily, snuggling into his chest. “Is that a promise?”

Obsessed with them🥰 if you ever feel up to it, I would love to read more of these two

TAKE A BITE

- your best friends challenge you to bring the hottest guy at the bar home, and you can’t manage to say no. (jake “hangman” seresin x fem!reader, random original female characters for plot purposes, ⚠️ 18+!! adult content, p in v, jake being a sweetheart for once, I’M BEGGING PLEASE BE 18)

word count: 3,034

a/n - dipping my toe into the adult writing scene for once 😚 i have no idea if this is good or not bc my only experience is one commission i did a long time ago and a half-finished fic from a year ago, so i hope it’s satisfactory. jake is also an unexpected visitor but everyone has their moments <3

“So…” Kaiya drawls, drawing along the rim of her condensation-covered glass, “because no one here seems to want to put themselves out there,” there’s a pointed glance at you, “I propose a challenge.”

Sandy squints at her suspiciously. Kaiya always comes up with the most outrageous schemes, usually drawing in you and the rest of your friend group. “What are you thinking?” She asks.

Kaiya’s manicured nail taps on the table. “We each pick a guy, one that individual thinks is the hottest at the bar— first come first serve, of course. And then we take them home. Anyone that’s successful gets next week’s drinks paid for by the rest of us.”

You roll your eyes. She’s a looker, for sure, which is likely the only reason she proposed something like this. She could get with any guy in a hundred mile radius with her luscious black curls and babydoll cheeks. “Are you sure you aren’t just doing this because you don’t want to pay for yourself?”

Kaiya puts one hand to her mouth, eyes widened in comical horror. “I would never! I just want what’s best for my dear friends.” She exclaims, batting her eyes. Sandy laughs in her own charming way. Sandy is cute, sweet. She’d also have no problem taking her pick.

“I want that one.” Kaiya says, pointing at a tall man with shortly cropped curls. From the looks of it, he’s exactly her type; confident, quick-witted, and evidently skilled as he nails a dart throw.

Sandy pretends to squint around the bar before throwing a thumb over her freckled shoulder. “Buzz cut. I like that in a man.” You peer around her, taking in a nice-looking guy with tanned skin.

“And you?” Kaiya asks, reaching out to thumb at the strap of your top. Her small look of concern makes you remember why you’re her friend in the first place.

She’s always looking out for you, always finding opportunities for you to shine when she is so obviously the star. After you broke up with your boyfriend for some unsavory reasons, she resumed her role as your rock. Even now, she wants you to get over what’s in the past. You curse yourself for even considering that she was being selfish.

You look around the crowded bar, eyes scanning over heaps of mildly attractive Navy and civilian men. You’re about to just pick the closest one before your gaze stops on a person who almost immediately takes your breath away. He’s exactly, exactly what you pictured your dream guy to look like.

Kaiya follows your line of sight and smiles. “Let’s get them, tigers.”

“Alright,” You say, standing as your chair creaks from under you, “I’ll take a bite.”

You lean against the cool counter of the bar, smiling at the bartender. The man you picked out has a beer in his hand and a certain swagger in how he scopes out the room. “Could I have one of those, please?” You ask the woman behind the bar, looking pointedly at the guy. She looks at you with a knowing smile, handing you the drink.

“You have good taste.” Your pick says, his voice heavy with a drawl. His green eyes glance down at the drink in your hand, then up to your face. You swear you almost see him lick his lips.

“So do you.” You respond simply. “What’s your name?”

“Jake, but if one of those idiots asks, it’s Hangman.” He nods over to a group of men by the pool table. In a passing flash, you notice the two your friends picked out mingling. How could this one squad have so many attractive people? “I saw you with your friends a bit ago. I have to say, though, you’re more my type. Not that they aren’t nice girls.”

You take a sip of your drink, eyebrows quirked. His arms are basically bulging out of his Navy attire, and you struggle to keep your eyes off of them. Decidedly, you try teasing him, pushing the boundaries of flirting. “You’re my type too. More than the one with the mustache, but he’s not so bad.”

His smile crinkles his eyes, and you think you might swoon. This is good, you tell yourself. It feels good. It’s a bit awkward, with just the slightest bit of tension, but you’re warming up; you just got out of a relationship for god’s sake.

“Trust me, sugar, however good you think he is, I’m better.” He punctuates his sentence with a wink.

You’re drop dead gorgeous, he thinks. Jake meets gorgeous women every day, but not one has made his heart beat just as fast. When you smile up at him through your lashes, he’s done for. Locked, loaded, and done for.

“You’re that confident, hm?” You muse, setting your beer down on the counter. It took a great deal of complacency to not throw yourself at him and wrap yourself in his large hands. He swipes a bead of water off of your bottle, and you think all sorts of things. His fingers dripping, his face hot and sweaty, his hair messed up… you almost melt at the idea. “I think you’re going to have to prove it.”

He holds an arm out to you, and you graciously accept. “I’ll prove it in a million ways, pretty girl. Dance with me and see for yourself.”

Jake leads you to a small area by the jukebox. His palms skim over your waist, pulling you closer but still leaving you aching for more. A song starts playing, one you don’t recognize, but he seems to know exactly how to move to it.

If you’re being totally honest, he’s a really good dancer. And it’s so hot, unbearably so. He doesn’t step on your feet, and he leads your every step without being overpowering. Every song, you seem to get closer and closer until your chest is basically pressed right up against his, and he can still move gracefully.

“How’s this for proof?” He whispers, lips grazing over the shell of your ear. “Rooster’s got moves, but he isn’t half as good as me.”

You push back on his chest gently, raising your eyebrows. “Now I’m starting to think this is just a ploy to get him jealous. Does mustache man get on your nerves that much?” You grin as he takes your hands in his. He rolls his eyes.

“I got the cutest girl in the room all to myself. Who wouldn’t be jealous? The only ploy here is the one where I try and get you to come home with me.”

Your teeth find purchase in your bottom lip, trying to hide your ever-growing smile. You might be getting free drinks more than once. “Buy me a drink and we’ll see how that works out.”

To his credit, Jake seems completely okay with getting to know you before heading out. The conversation is engaging, studded with flirting and genuine curiosity. It’s like he’s hanging on to every word you say, truly attempting to form any sort of connection. Most guys wouldn’t make this effort for a one night stand, especially not someone who looks like they could have a new one every night.

To say he’s beyond saving is an understatement in Jake’s opinion. With every second that goes by, you’re sounding more and more like his dream girl. You like his beer, his favorite place to eat, and you share a few of his hobbies. It’s like a match made in heaven.

As the night progresses, guilt starts eating at the hem of your shirt. The drinks are running low, and the sky is growing dim, and the opportunity to fulfill your challenge is opening up more with every second that ticks by. Do you really want this amazing guy to be a bet?

He stands to leave, offering a hand to help you slip off your bar stool. “Shall we?”

Your hesitation makes him falter just a bit. Jake would be okay with waiting, if he was being honest. Yeah, he’s been semi hard the entire time you ran your finger up and down your drink absentmindedly, but he could take you out on a real date first. One where you stare at him with those pretty eyes and smile your captivating smile.

The feeling takes over as you take in his willingness. “I have something to admit.” You murmur, almost too quiet to pick up over the din of the bar. Luckily for you, he has great hearing.

“Lay it on me, sweet thing. I can take it.” He grins. Your hands find the edges of your shorts and play with the little string on the seam that you’ve been meaning to cut for a few days now.

“I made a stupid agreement with my friends that if I took home the guy I thought was the hottest at the bar, then they’d pay for my drinks next time.” You blurt out. His eyes widen slightly, sending a pang of anxiety through you, before his lips curl up into a smile.

He takes your arms and wraps them around his shoulders, spinning you towards the entrance of the bar. “Well, we wouldn’t want a nice girl like you to pay for her own drinks, huh?”

You arrive at your small house and fumble with the lock while Jake presses hot kisses to your neck. You’re biting back a whimper as the door finally swings open, walking short, hurried steps into the bedroom. His hands are all over you, burning like fire. They’re gripping at your shirt, your waist, the column of your throat, your upper thigh— anywhere he can get ahold of. You pull off your shirt as the back of your knees hit the soft mattress.

Before you can blink, Jake has taken off his shirt too, and his hands are kneading the bottom of your breasts, beneath your lacy bra. “You sure?” He asks. You nod vigorously, unhooking your straps with your fingers, but he just looks down disapprovingly. “With your words, baby.”

“Yes.” You breathe. With that confirmation, he wastes no time.

Your clothes are tossed to some unknown corner of your room. You couldn’t care less about where they ended up, not when Jake is running his fingers over your hardening nipples.

He ghosts over them with just enough pressure to get you cursing. He’s hardly done anything and you can still feel a wetness gathering between your legs. When he moves up, taking your left nipple in his mouth, his bare thigh pressing between yours, a gasp escapes your mouth.

“That good, baby?” He asks. His low voice sends vibrations up your chest, and you utter a quiet confirmation. He pays some attention to your other breast as you practically grind against his thigh, desperate for any sort of friction where you need it most.

He gives you a playful sigh, looking down at your writhing body. You look gorgeous, and knowing that his slight touches are enough to make you squirm is the ego boost of the century. Your eyelashes give a slight flutter at his next words. “Patience. I’ll give you what you want eventually, don’t worry.” His hand slips down and squeezes your thigh encouragingly.

“Now, Jake, please.” You almost whine. It’s embarrassing how well he seems to figure out your body. Even now, he’s kissing his way down your neck, finding every place that heightens your growing arousal. You hook your legs around his waist and rest your arms on the sides of his neck. “I want what I want now.”

It’s amazing how quickly your words travel to his dick. Jake’s roaringly hard, and you can feel it pressing against your inner thigh. You rub your legs up and down, teasing, drawing the most beautiful groan out of his open mouth. You’re going to be the death of him, he thinks.

“You drive a hard bargain, darlin’, and I’m not one to refuse.”

His hands travel down your body, taking time to caress your sides and send shivers up your spine. When he finally reaches the puddle under you, he quirks his eyebrows. “That excited?”

You roll your eyes at him, even though all he can see is the slightest movement of your face. “Get on with it, cowboy.”

He chuckles and places a small kiss on your hipbone. “Yes ma’am.”

He slips one finger inside you, pulling a soft noise from your swollen lips. “Fuck, you’re tight.” He grunts. “Might take you a bit to get used to me.” He curls the finger gently, and you see stars as it brushes up against the spot inside of you that you can’t reach yourself. He’s bigger, stronger, longer, wider. A second finger joins the first, the digits stretching you deliciously.

A pressure begins to build in your stomach as his thumb finds your clit, rubbing gentle circles. Ah, fuck, he knows what he’s doing. Your hips buck up slightly on top of your mattress, pressing your core into the palm of his hand. “Please.” You squeak.

He frowns, but his pupils are blown up in pure ecstasy. “Well excuse me for trying to give you a good time.” His free hand moves to pinch the curve of your ass lightly. You sit up fully and trail your nails down his back, reveling in the shiver it draws from him. With one smooth motion, you take his cock in your hand and give him a small stroke that has him jolting in his place.

“We can both have a good time if you would put on a condom and fuck me already.” The words are out of your mouth before you can stop and consider how needy they sound. They seem to work, though, as he smirks at you and guides your hand up and down his length.

“I’m guessing your dresser drawer is ready for stuff like this?” He asks. You feel your face grow warmer at exactly how right he is as you slide the drawer open and grab one. “Ah, you’ve even got my size. What a responsible girl you are.” His voice comes out as a half laugh, and you try to stifle your own laughter with the palm of your hand.

“I like to be prepared.”

“Might as well throw the smaller ones away after tonight. You’ll only want mine when I’m done with you.” He’s so cocky it’s funny instead of off-putting. You hand him the condom and he rolls it over himself. He has a right to be cocky, you think, with a body like that. All taught muscle and chest hair. When he brings his hand up to the back of your neck to lower you down on your bed, your heart gives a mighty flutter.

“Prove it.” You say, for the second time that night. He gives you a look that says he’s going to prove it more than once, over and over until you’re begging him to keep proving it, then a bit more after that.

Your eyes flutter shut as you feel his tip pressing into your warm entrance. As he pushes forwards slowly, teasingly, you’re suddenly aware of just how big he is. Bigger than anyone you’ve ever felt, and despite how wet you’ve become, it’s a lot to handle. You wince as his length stretches you, waiting for the feeling to shift from uncomfortable to ungodly good.

“You bit off more than you can chew, didn’t you?” Jake teases. “We can stop if you want, just say the word.”

Your steady voice challenges him as you try to pull it together. “Keep going. I can take it.”

He doesn’t know how, but Jake gets impossibly harder. He indulges you, though, leaving small kisses on your cheeks to distract you from the pinching pain. Once he’s completely bottomed out, you breathe a sigh of relief. Then, of course, you notice that it feels good. Really good.

He’s pressed right up against a spot that has you seeing stars, and when he moves, slowly at first, the drag forces a moan from deep in your throat. You feel so full, so complete. His pace picks up, and you close your eyes.

“Fuck, baby. You feel so good.” He praises, voice strained. The movement of his hips is delicious. Smooth, quick, deep. When his fingers find his way to your clit, you almost finish right then and there.

You’re panting, breath coming out in hot waves against the nape of Jake’s neck. He shivers at the feeling, pressing closer to you to soak in more of that warmth. “Jake, I’m- I’m gonna…” you trail off, closing your mouth as another whimper tries to sneak out.

“Go for it, sweetness. Let me hear that pretty voice.”

With one, two, three more strokes, you feel the knot within you beginning to unravel. Your nails rake down his sides, one of his hands is gripping your waist and the other is firmly attached to your bundle of nerves, and his mouth is suddenly on yours, muffling your noises. It’s overwhelming. With one sharp gasp, you clench down hard and come undone.

Jake follows soon after as he pulls out with a groan. The sound falls heavily on your blissed-out ears.

You sit up, taking his face in your hand. “You’ve proved it. Oh, and I’m officially tonight’s lucky winner.” You say with a beaming smile. He scoffs lightly.

“You were a winner the minute you stepped into that bar.” He winks at you as your hand moves down to rest on his collarbone. “Just let me join in on your winnings when you cash out.”

“In your dreams, cowboy. The most you’ll get is a beer or two before my friends take their cards away.”

He blows a little air out of the side of his mouth before collapsing onto your bed like he owns it, pulling you into his arms. “I’ll take what I can get if it means I can see you again.”

You sigh happily, snuggling into his chest. “Is that a promise?”

“Sure is. The Hard Deck, next Friday. Bring your friends and we’ll figure it out from there.”

Taglist: @seitmai

[bri22222]

Below The Surface

Fnaf fan fiction

Chapter 2: Who programmed him?!

Her face widens as she stares up at the big gator. His eyes turn blue and looks her up and down, head to toe. ‘What is happening!? ‘

Scanning…

M, Bri

Personnel: STAFF

Status: New

Department: Unknown

“Heh, yer new aintcha? “ The huge gator remarked. He scanned her. With no hesitation. “ Uh.. y-yeah?” She claimed. “Why?”. The gator scoffed." Then whatcha doin round here lady? “ The gator said with irritation. ‘Kill me’ she muttered under her breath. Luckily the gator didn't pick it up. “ I'm just giving myself a tour. I'm still not seeing the problem here?" Why had he just come up to her like that? Did he not like her? Did she do something wrong? He literally just MET her for Christ's sake!

The robotic alligator growled. “ Just STAY outta my way!” The gator hissed as he stormed off to his own green room that read ‘Montgomery Gator’ just above it. ‘So that's his name. Wonderful’. She rolls her eyes as she stalks past Montgomery's room.

Bri walks by a purple room with go- karts, gasoline, wrenches, hammers and plenty of portraits of the beautiful wolf herself. Bri looks above the purple madness. It reads ‘Roxanne Wolf’. “ Huh. That's a cool name” Bri stated. “I know”. Her heart skipped a beat. She looks back down into the room as she finds the wolf talking to herself in the mirror.

“ Your performance was perfect tonight! “ Roxanne utters to her reflection. ‘o-k. I'm just gonna go…. Where AM I gonna go?’ She Unnoticeably stops in front of the last room COVERED in orange. Scrolling through her Fazwatch, trying to figure out how to use the damn thing. ‘Didn't Brian say there was a map of some sort on here? Oh! ‘. She tapped on her Fazwatch once more, opening a map of the place. ‘Oh yeah! The daycare! I could go there. I don't think Brian will mind right? ‘

A slight ‘tap’ came from the right side of her. She thought it was her Imagination. So she thought nothing of it. The place was still active at this time anyway. There were families starting to flood in from the first show. So it's pretty much her cue to get the hell out of there.

Suddenly the sound echoed again through her ear drums. This definitely was real. This wasn't a dream. She rotated her head at the slightest angle to shoot a slight glance through the window. As she spots a pair of glowing blue optics up against the window.

“WHAT THE-!” She blurted, stumbling back, almost falling on her sorry ass. ‘What the hell!? ‘ She shot her head up at the glass to observe the glowing eyes that met hers. But they had vanished. But only temporarily.

Before long the same blue optics shine around the corner, followed with orange limbs and a bright blue lightning bolt on his chest.

“ Are you ok Miss?" The bear frantically pleaded. Jogging toward Bri as she has a hand on her chest, struggling to catch her breath. “Apologies, I should have known." The Bear urged. " No no! It's really ok Mr…..” She trailed off as she stared at the huge robot. Orange casing with a little red earring and a small black top hat.

“ Freddy. Freddy Fazbear.” He protested. “ And you are….." The bear trailed off. Standing oddly still, his eyes grew blue. The same blue in his eyes as Montgomery's when he had scanned her. ‘ Why those eyes again? Is there something wrong? What the hell did I do this time? ‘ Soon enough, Freddy's eye returned to his shade of blue.

“ Hm, scanning complete, How odd. Your guest profile is…..unknown to me. Who are you? “ He genuinely asked. Huh, never would have known they could SCAN YOUR FREAKING BODY! Like why? For safety reasons? Just to look cool? Man, I don't know!

“I-i’m Bri. I'm new here. I start tomorrow." She assured him. " Well then!” Freddy praised. “ It is wonderful to meet you Bri! It Is always great to have new staff members! Due to the lack of people applyment!” The friendly bear exclaimed.

“Uh y-yeah.”She shrugged. “ Are you… quite alright? Are you lost perhaps? Do you need assistance?" He said in his ‘ urge to please’ manner. " Uh… Y-yeah, I do. Could you…. possibly show me where the daycare is?" She shuddered. ‘God DAMN! HOW IS HE SO FREAKING HUGE?! ‘ He has to be at least 7 feet tall. If not more.

“ Why of course!" He beamed all of a sudden. “ Would you like me to take you there? I know some great elevator music! “ He goes. Could you imagine? A huge, 7 foot tall bear animatronic, following you in your tracks.

“ Oh n-no no! I-i’m ok! Can you just show me how to get there? Please? “ She requested. ‘I'll shart my pants if you follow me.’ “ Of course! To make it easier, I will mark the location on your Fazwatch. His eyes grow a glowing blue once more. Just blankly standing there for a half a second.

“There” The bear says as he blinks his plastic eyelids and his optics returning to its ‘natural’ blue. Seconds later a small chime comes from Bri’s Fazwatch. She glances at it to see a pinpoint on a location that claims to be the daycare.

“Hey! Thanks Freddy!" She beams in all gratefulness. " It’s my pleasure, superstar! “ Freddy exclaimed. " Say, According to your file, you appear to be staff. But no status. Are you new?” He genuinely asked." Yeah I am. I start tomorrow. “ She claimed. " That is wonderful news Bri! It's always a pleasure to have new staff members! “ He blurted.

“Well, I hope to see you soon! Bye Freddy!" She hollered farewell. “ Goodbye superstar!" He hollered back.

But the glowing red eyes coming from behind the tilted curtain from Montgomery's room goes unotaced .

[mechanical-sunchild]

bI hope you don’t mind, but I got some advice to ask of you. Haha, been a while since I’ve done that huh? This whole thing’s gonna require a lot of explanation so be warned, this is gonna be long, sorry! 

So I’ve been practicing Witchcraft more actively this last year or so, and in particular I’ve taken an interest in Pop Culture Magic. Mainly just in an “Oh! Seems neat!” Kinda way. But recently, pretty much right after discovering Welcome Home actually(even predating my Barnaby ‘link if I’m not mistaken!), I became fascinated by the idea of Wally as a PCM spirit: what sort of offerings I’d give, what spells one might call on him for, things of that nature. And very recently, last night i believe, i actually decided to do something with that idea.

I won’t go into much detail, because it’s not essential to what I’m asking, but long story short: I successfully contacted Wally in spirit form(whether it’s *my* Wally I’m not entirely sure, but that’s what i was attempting to do), had a conversation via pendulum, and, after promising to paint a picture of him in return, convinced him to do a tarot reading with me about my canon/timeline/whatever you wanna call it. He seemed a bit hesitant to talk with me at first, giving me a “maybe/I don’t know/you shouldn’t be asking this” when asked if he wanted to talk but a hesitant “no” when I asked if he wanted me to end the summoning. Overall he seemed inthusiasticly interested in offerings(as well as the previously mentioned painting, he also appreciated the quartz I offered during the initial summoning and the promise of an apple at the nearest convenience), but not all that interested in answering questions or chatting.

With all that (unfortunately necessary) context out of the way, I can finally get to the thing I *actually* wanted to ask you for advice about. Tonight, I was bored and decided to try shufflemancy. The results were… fascinating? Mildly concerning? You’ll see what I mean:

First, i asked what Wally thought of me/our relationship. My YouTube mix spit out:

“Give a little” by LeGrand and CG5 (https://youtu.be/_YWEd7K1u9c)

The answer seems pretty clear to me. Wally feels that our relationship is purely transactional and that I only called upon him to get things out of him and give him offerings in return. A perfectly reasonable conclusion to come too based on our interactions, but one that made me feel a bit guilty nonetheless. While I’d love to hear your thoughts on this answer, the real kicker is the answer I got for my next question: how should I approach Wally to improve out relationship? I got:

“Your love (deja vu)"  by Glass Animals (https://youtu.be/Ts–MxmAFkQ)

It would not be an exaggeration to say I did a mental double-take when this came on. As such, I asked for clarification. I received the answer:

"Too late” by The Happy Fits (https://youtu.be/f4ii2gSqfRM)

Upon listening to the above songs, you will probably be able to tell why I need some guidance. It’s probably necissary at this point to bring up the fact that, if I’ve been interpreting my noemata correctly, me and Wally were most likely romantically involved. Or rather queerplatonicly, but in a very affectionate, could-be-mistaken-for-romance kind of way. I’ve avoided bringing it up in past submissions for fear of making you uncomfortable, since in a previous response you mentioned being in love with Wally. But I’m bringing it up now because I think it’s necissary context for this situation, and quite frankly I can’t think of anyone else who I could trust to advise me on this. I fully understand if this does make you uncomfortable and you are welcome to delete this submission if that’s the case(/gen). But, if you do decide to respond, I’d really love some advice on what you think the shufflemancy is trying to tell me. I’d talk more about my conflicted feelings about these answers but I’m already running the risk of sending you a small novel.

-sincerely, and somewhat apologetically, your friend, 🍰 anon (no mention of a linktype because for whatever reason talking about magic puts me in Human ModeTM)

Despite my lack of ability to relate, I decided to answer this. First of all, in my noemata quite a lot of the neighbours had something vaguely queerplatonic going on so I absolutely do not hate you for that. In my canon I was close to both Frank and Wally in a more romantic way but I don’t think we ever fully got into a polyamory.

Second of all I’m not very spiritual, so I’m probably the wrong person to talk to completely. I don’t have an interest in witchcraft, at least not in a traditional sense. I believe that witchcraft only works because one believes it will. I’m not sure I actually believe contact can or is made in most cases with anything except the subconscious. I fully support the belief in universes where fictional characters are not fictional. I fully support people who believe they can make contact with these universes. But I don’t believe the latter myself. And if it is possible I’m not sure about the logic in treating them as if they were spirits, deities, or similar? Unless that’s what they actually are? I’m sure there’s plenty of arguments to and for this and I’m not going to involve myself I’m afraid.

If you ask me, I’d say that all version of contacting ‘spirits’ of any kind like this is actually an form of meditation. In other words, it allowed you to reach deep into yourself and receive answers from the back of your mind through the medium of believing to talk to another person. This may be especially so if your identity is only a linktype, as you have created this yourself so it’s spiritual aspects are purely up to your own self.

There’s nothing wrong with believing you can talk to your version of Wally through traditional or neo witchcraft methods and if that helps you, it helps you. I can’t and won’t tell you how to live your life.

But only You can say what those things mean. Whatever you think it means, that’s what it means. If you’re not sure, meditate or work on it some more. I can’t tell you what they mean or that you’re wrong or right because everything you just did relies so heavily on interpretation by the one asking questions. I hope you find something you like, or that brings you more peace. Never forget you’re in control and can stop and change whatever you like.