#Initially I wanted it to be pinker

[distinguished-slacker]

I tried not to run away from my responsibilities and actually try to do a background for once… I still have a long way to go🌸

[after-witch]

Two in the Hand [Yandere Sukuna x reader]

Title: Two in the Hand [Yandere Sukuna x reader]

Synopsis: Sukuna wants to eat you. 

Word count: 1000ish

Notes: yandere, threats of cannibalism, mentions of sexual conquests 

Inspired by the interaction prompt: Sukuna says he wants to eat you. Reader replies: "Ah, I'm flattered, but I'm saving myself for marriage!"

The dual reactions on Yuji’s--but not entirely Yuji’s--face play out swiftly. Yuji’s cheeks flush a pinker hue at your words, while the mouth currently planted in the center of one cheek curls downward… and then upward. 

It’s almost dizzying, the way you’re trying to pay attention to both of them at once. Yuji, your friend; Sukuna, the curse currently lodged inside him, of which you can only see a mouth that has shifted location three times during Sukuna’s diatribe about consuming you.

He means it literally. You realized this early on. Or rather, he admitted it directly without so much as a metaphor when he discussed the best cuts of human meat, the best ways to consume it to ensure best flavor, and the way that he wonders if modern humans taste better or worse than their predecessors. 

“You would let your spouse consume your flesh?” Sukuna asks, and Yuji slaps his hand over the demonic lips on his face to silence them.

”Just--” Yuji begins, but he cringes--

The lips reappear on the top of Yuji’s hand, unbothered. 

“Answer me, human. Or I’ll eat you right now.”

You almost want to ask him how he plans to eat you when he’s currently a pair of lips, but if Sukuna can make the lips on Yuji’s body speak, perhaps it’s not far off to assume they might be able to tear at your flesh.

So you start to think, and think quickly. You keep your posture meek and you even give a little bow.

"Of-of course, Sukuna." You pause. Should you call him something more deferential? It might help. You've gained the strongest sense that he sees himself as vastly superior to everyone else in the world, human and curse alike. "I mean, of course, lord Sukuna. I'd be happy to offer an explanation."

If only you could think of a proper one, beyond your initial excuse, stammered out because you didn’t know what else to say to such an awful, violent, disturbing threat aimed at you from a demonic pair of lips. 

There's a moment of silence. Two, three or four. And the lips on Yuji's hand--still there, despite Yuji attempting to literally shake them off--begin frown again. They’re starting to twist, perhaps to threaten you again, when you perk up.

“It’s just that…” You lower your head in deference again. Yuji quirks his head, but you can see from the corner of your eye that the lips have ceased to curl downward. “Being devoured is the ultimate act of intimacy. And if I’m going to be one with someone forever, my lord, it’s only proper that it’s my spouse.” 

You fiddle with the edge of your shirt. “I certainly couldn’t imagine some stranger consuming me, keeping me with them forever like that. It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be proper.”

You swallow against spit and the faintest hint of bile, before daring to glance up. Yuji’s gaze goes between you and his hand, until--

Laughter comes from the lips embedded into his skin, low and mean. You can imagine, if Sukuna were in front of you, that he would throw his head back in mockery. 

And then, Sukuna says something. It’s not a word that makes any sense, really. But Yuji throws his head back and suddenly, he’s not Yuji at all.

He’s Sukuna.

With black markings on his face and a look in his eyes that makes you want to run. Only then, a thought comes to mind, something your father told you when you were little, and hiking in the woods: 

Never run from a predator. It only makes them chase you.

“You’re most entertaining,” he says, while you stand there, open-mouth, trembling like a cold wind has blown through the air. 

“Entertaining?” You parrot. You take a step back, and he matches it forward.

“Most humans are too frightened to do anything but beg for their lives, if they even get that far, when I threaten to eat them.”

You force your hands into fists and will them to stop shaking. They don’t.

“I suppose,” you begin, looking downward, partially out of the fear of not showing respect and partially out of the way you hate to look at him. “That most people are concerned with dying when they hear you say that.”

Sukuna’s smile widens into a grin.

“And you aren’t concerned with dying, little lamb?”

This conversation might as well take place on a butcher’s block, you think.And you’re the cut of meat trying to convince the butcher to put you back in the freezer. 

“Of course, I wouldn’t want to die.” You stare down at the ground. He’s taken another step forward, and his shoes--no, Yuji’s shoes--are in  your line of vision. “But that is where the question of… spousal intimacy comes in, you see. With a stranger…” You shake your head, feigning distaste. “It’s simply not proper. But with my spouse, well, I would become one with them in a manner far beyond simple matrimony.” You manage a smile, feeble, but hopefully not too fake. 

There’s silence, for a moment.

And then there’s a finger on your chin and it feels like cold steel as it tilts your chin up, and you’re forced to look at him, though you keep your eyes averted. 

“Aren’t you prim and proper?” He says, low, teasing. “You know,” he says, taking your chin between two fingers, “it was always the prim and proper ones who came the most undone in the past. They were raised to be so uptight…”

He leans in closer. There’s something awful that seems to come with his closeness, a darkness and heaviness that threatens to pull you down to the ground. 

He’s going to kiss me, you think. He’s going to kiss me and then rip open my mouth and chew the flesh and--

But he doesn’t kiss you. Instead, he lets go of your chin and takes a step back.

You look at him with what must be the loudest confusion in the world on your face. He laughs, and tilts his head back. 

“If we’re to be spouses, I intend a traditional courtship first. Kissing comes later. Wouldn’t that be proper?”

There’s hardly any relief to be felt when it’s Yuji, not Sukuna, looking at you.

“Huh?”

[cosmicdahlias]

For Science

a ford x reader fic

MINORS DNI

After researching giant vampire bats, an old interest of Ford’s has resurfaced. He has a theory about the difference in the taste of human and animal blood. He suggests making you his test subject.

warnings: knives, bloodplay, masturbation, p in v, blood as lube, biting

okayyyy y’all! i have finally returned with another fic about your favorite autistic scientist!!! i got journal 3 (and book of bill) as a belated birthday present to myself and i posted about the giant vampire bats entry on here because the last line was… interesting. It heavily implies that ford has a thing for the taste of human blood. @chillinglyadventurous said it would make for a good fic so i took the idea and ran with it!

You were sitting at your desk writing in your notes. Your boyfriend and research partner sat at his own desk behind you.

You had been working with him since ‘75. You shared his fascination for the weird and paranormal, quickly sparking up a friendship during your college years, but secretly you always longed for more. His intellect and passion for research were incredibly alluring to you.

You weren’t subtle in showing how much you liked him, but he always seemed to be buried in his studies and thus never caught on. As observant as he was, his knowledge on attraction was next to nothing.

After you both graduated you kept in touch, sending letters back and forth often. When he called you up one day it was a welcome surprise. He had finally received a grant to pursue his study of anomalies. You were about to congratulate him when he said he needed an assistant to help him uncover the weirdness of Gravity Falls, a small logging town in Roadkill County, Oregon and hotbed for all things anomaly. You felt your heart do a somersault and immediately took him up on his offer. You could finally have him all to yourself.

You immediately returned to your usual tactics of exceedingly obvious flirting. One day you came in awfully close and took his hand in yours, studying it.

“You know Ford, I’ve always wondered if those six fingers can do things better than my regular five could.”

“Why yes, they’re actually quite good for handling machinery! The extra finger provides more grip.”

After months of effort you realized that your approach was getting you nowhere. It took sharing a bottle of bourbon after a long night of research to give you the liquid courage to confess. You kissed him passionately and he turned pinker than a kitten’s nose, he didn’t hesitate in kissing you back. He led you back to his bedroom and you tried to initiate sex, but he insisted you were too drunk to consent. You settled for falling asleep in his arms and hooked up the next morning. You had a long conversation afterwards about what you both wanted from each other and came out of it as a couple.

You busied yourself in your research when Ford suddenly broke the silence. Coming behind you, turning your chair to face him and putting a hand on your shoulder.

“Y/n, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Yeah?” You asked.

“So, you know those giant vampire bats we studied the other day?”

“I remember, yes.”

“Then you’ll recall how I theorized that they much prefer the taste of human blood over that of animals. I want to… put that theory to the test.”

“Ford, where are you going with this?”

“I want to know if there’s a difference in the taste of animal and human blood. I’ve already sampled animal blood, but I have yet to taste the blood of a human.”

“Okay, so you want to taste blood. Why are you telling me this?”

“There’s more to it. I’ve always had an… interest in blood- specifically the blood of a lover. I’ve never had the opportunity to try it and now I that have you-“

He took a deep breath, tilting your chin up so you were looking him in the eye.

“I want to taste you.”

You blushed deep scarlet and bit your lip. The idea of sexually gratifying him in the name of science was incredibly tantalizing, but your low pain tolerance said otherwise.

“I don’t know. I want to, but I’m not sure I can handle the pai-“

He cut you off with a deep kiss.

���I promise if it hurts too much, I’ll stop immediately. Okay, stardust?”

For a man who claimed he had no experience with romance he was incredibly good at knowing how to win you over with a good kiss and a pet name.

You sighed. “Okay, Ford. I trust you.”

“Good girl.” He said, taking your cheek in his hand.

He turned around and headed for his desk, retrieving a small knife from one of the drawers. He walked back over to you, pulled his chair over and sat directly in front of you, taking your hand and turning it over to show the underside of your arm. He angled the knife at a 45 degree angle just below the pit of your elbow.

“Remember, if it hurts just tell me.”

You nodded and he sank the knife into your soft flesh, beginning to drag it down the length of your forearm. You cried out.

His brow furrowed in concern. “Are you alright? Do I need to stop?”

“N- no, it’s okay. Keep going.”

He continued moving the knife, large pearls of blood formed at the freshly cut wound and dripped onto the floor. Perhaps it had something to do with the love of your life being the one to inflict pain on you or maybe this was just something you were always subconsciously into, but it felt strangely good. Either way you couldn’t help letting a soft moan escape your lips. He stared at you in surprise.

“Is- is this turning you on, love?”

You laughed softly. “Sometimes I amaze even myself.”

You noticed immediately how hard he had gotten, his cock strained in his pants. He reached his hands down and started fumbling with his belt and pulling down his zipper.

“I’m sorry, I have to touch myself. Fuck, this is so arousing.”

He took out his cock and began to stroke himself madly as he pulled your arm closer, leaning his head down and latching his mouth to the cut, lapping at the steady trickle of blood. He moaned against your skin and throbbed wildly in his hand.

“Dear god, stardust, you taste incredible.”

Between his words and watching him become aroused at just the taste of your blood, you felt yourself become drippingly wet.

He stood and slid his hands underneath your thighs, picking you up and setting you on your desk, facing him. He kissed you, the metallic taste of blood hitting your tongue, you found it strangely pleasant. He hiked up your skirt and pulled your panties down and off your legs. He gathered your blood on his fingers and stroked himself before angling his throbbing, stiff cock at your entrance. He slowly slipped inside you and thrusted at a slow pace.

“Jesus christ, this is a thousand times better than regular lube.”

It didn’t matter how many times you’d had sex before, every time felt just as amazing as the first. He slipped a hand between your thighs, stroking your clit.

“Y- you feel so good.” You moaned.

“Stars, I love seeing what I do to you.”

He picked up the knife and pressed it lightly against your other arm.

“May I?”

You nodded fervently and he slowly sliced a second long slit into you. You threw your head back, moaning both in pleasure and pain.

“Oh god, Ford.”

“That’s my girl. Feels so good doesn’t it?”

He dipped his head down and drew his tongue across your arm.

You whimpered at the sensation. “Mmh, I didn’t know something like this could feel so good.”

“And I didn’t know your blood would taste this good.”

He gripped your hip in one hand and keeping the other on your clit, increasing the speed of his thrusts and fingers. He typically opted for soft and slow lovemaking, but seeing you like this left him unable to control himself.

“I need your hands on me.” He panted.

“But what about the-“

“I don’t care.”

You wrapped your arms around his neck, blood staining his collar.

“I’m never washing this shirt again, your blood is too precious to waste.”

You felt yourself growing close, he was too. He pumped himself furiously into you as he rapidly circled your clit. You rolled your hips against his fingers, the motion stroking his cock.

“That’s it stardust, almost there.”

You moaned loudly and came undone on him, your pussy spasming around his cock. The sensation made him unable to resist biting your shoulder and sinking his teeth into you. The taste of your blood immediately caused him bury himself into you down to the hilt, shooting rope after rope of hot cum deep inside you.

He began to slow his pace, breathing raggedly. He pressed his forehead to yours.

“God, stardust, I’ll never tire of you.”

He withdrew his cock from inside you and zipped himself up. He pulled out the first aid kit he kept in one of his desk drawers in case experiments went awry. He doused a cotton pad in disinfectant and dabbed it on your wounds. You flinched at the stinging sensation of the solution.

“I know, I’m sorry, but I can’t let them get infected.”

He pulled a roll of gauze from the kit and wrapped your arms, securing them with medical tape. He turned his attention to the bite, cutting a large square of gauze and taping it down. He kissed your cheek.

“There you go, stardust.”

He picked you up again and sat down in his chair, sitting you on his lap. He turned to his desk and opened his journal, he had just started his third one. He flipped to his entry about giant vampire bats and began writing.

“Human blood tastes better than anything.”

He paused, crossing out “better than anything” and replacing it with “I can only ASSUME human blood tastes better.”

“Ford, what was the point of all of that if you’re not going to be honest?” You giggled.

He kissed the top of your head. “If I’m going to publish my findings, there are some things that I think would be best kept between just the two of us.”

You turned to him, putting a hand to his cheek and kissing him.

“If you say so, sixer.”

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

After your most recent yandere TWST fic (the one w/ Vil, Neige, etc) I just need to beg you for more yandere RSA content 😭😭

I just need more yandere Neige/Chen’ya/Rielle whatever if it’s against their rivals, fics, headcanons, blurbs, if it’s set within the Crewel’s Daughter timeline, if this is now just going to be an on-going thing

Whatever I JUST NEED MORE 😭😭 PLS IM THIRSTY THOSE RSA GUYS HAVE SM POTENTIAL TO BE ABSOLUTE YANDERE PRICKS 😭

-From an anon who needs to be thrown into the sun🤡

Well anon who needs to be thrown into the sun

I'm happy you like them, I'll try including them more

🖤🖤🖤🖤

The Dangers of the RSA | Yandere Twisted Wonderland

In a way, it’s almost worse than the boys at Night Raven. In NRC everyone at base level is a jerk or majorly insensitive. But once you peel back the layers of their onion actions you find they have a warmer center, a softer center. Even at the height of their obsession, you can’t say you don’t feel for them. And in this way, RSA is bound to be rotten on the inside. On the outside their sweet and kind, welcoming you with open arms and less confrontational behavior. But as the ice cream melts you’ll find on the inside they aren’t so sweet and instead reveal the harmful hidden danger they pose. The world loves them, their kingdoms love them, and they’re already so sweet you’ll be the one who’s crazy to turn tail and run: 

Neige Leblanche

He’s the worst 

he never outright says what he’s doing 

Or even acknowledges

Gaslighting, gatekeeping, boy bullying you into becoming his 

It seems like everyone around you is warping around you

Forcing you to play the role of his perfect little partner

And no! He’s not at fault here

He’s never at fault

You’re the one who is crazy when you plead for help

The only ones who probably believe you in any regard 

Would be your beloved crew at NRC

But even so, he has eyes everywhere Rook

So it won’t be long until he’s hugging you tight

Pouting as globs of tears fall down

“Oh thank goodness (Y/n)! I was so worried you wouldn’t have made it home!” 

Crewel's Daughter Reader is better at fending him off

Never before has a student of the Princess Academy gotten so far with such a sly tongue

Rielle

Annoying and presumptuous 

So deluded in his belief that he is meant to woo you

He can’t seem to wrap his head around the fact that you’re just not interested

He pushes through your barriers, solely focused on getting his hands on you

Well don’t be sad that he’s cursed your legs to become a tail 

It's your fault for not running into his arms immediately

You thought he was just a friend? 

No no, when he invited you to his house that meant he wanted to court you

And by eating a biscuit he made you said ‘yes’

Foolish you!

The world bends a little but not entirely 

Rather than blind praise, he’s excused 

‘He doesn’t know any better’ 

‘He’s just trying to be a good boyfriend’ 

As is with most in RSA 

It doesn’t help to call anyone other than the slimiest at NRC

Who suddenly looks a whole lot more cuddly when he’s more than willing to start a war if it means having you in his arms

Everything means nothing without you

And if the world doesn’t corroborate his philosophy 

Too bad he’ll just burn it with that fire he’s so enamored by

“Yo~ho my pearlfish! When you ran for our hide and seek I was worried for a second there! Don’t be scared of these guys beside me they’re just here to protect us!”

Crewel Daughter Reader has trouble with him as well but the best method is to keep him on the farthest edge of your circle

The closer he gets to you the more likely he is  to delude himself that you return his affection

“Chen’ya” Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker 

Sneaky in a way that’s hard to miss

Not usually taken seriously after the initial shock of meeting him

He sways you and everyone into a false sense of security

Usually revealing himself with his head or a sneaky laugh

Because of his silly demeanor

You hardly suspect an invisible cat boy to be bearing witness to your most intimate moments

Or that the same smile is behind the sudden disappearances of your friends

He’ll let you fall in love with him

Or at the very least turn to him as a friend in need

He’s good at loosening people up 

And he’s only helping you relax after an inexplicable tragedy

“Kekeke poor neko-chan you look as though you’re going mad with pain! Let me help you~!”

Crewel Daughter Reader use their magical prodigy status to force him to reveal himself 

Which can be hard when he’s deciding to be wary 

Deciding to pick off whoever what?! you’re not watching

[maknaesdancersrappers]

devoted 2.

part 17.

Overall warning/s: kinkier smut (eg. voyeurism, exhibitionism, etc.) character death, dark themes

Chapter warning/s: vulgar language, violence, self harm, stalking, kidnapping

Just how devoted is Jaehyun to you?

prev: part 16

wc: 6.9k nice

November 8.

You carefully swept the doe foot applicator of your favorite gloss over your lips, smacking them together to even out the product. It had a soft strawberry scent and flavor that gave your lips just the right amount of sheen. This was the last part of your makeup routine, satisfied with how you kept your face as bare as possible but covered any blemishes and brightened up the darkness under your eyes. 

Today was your first date with Jaehyun.

The first semester was ending which meant you weren’t going to be classmates anymore. For the longest time, you were both meeting up at the library or the quad to study — even if it was for different subjects. But a few days ago, Jaehyun ran after you when class finished as you were rushing to your next one for a quiz, and he asked you out on a date.

You were elated, bashfully accepting his invitation and completely distracted for the entire day at the thought of going on an actual date with your crush. You initially believed that the feelings were one sided, he didn’t seem to be interested in you and was just naturally friendly. You’ve seen him around campus hanging out with other people — mostly girls, so you didn’t feel necessarily special when he met up with you at the library.

Your phone chimed as it received a text and you peered down to see the notification.

I couldn’t wait. I’m outside your dorm to pick you up.

You let out a quiet sound of surprise, rushing outside to the living room of your shared apartment to look outside the window there that was right above the entrance of the building. You saw Jaehyun leaning against the brick half wall that enclosed the property your dorm was in. He was on his phone, probably waiting for your reply.

Instead, you gathered up everything into your purse and ran out the door.

“Hey.” Jaehyun greeted you with a smile when you called out to him. He was in ripped, baggy jeans, a white shirt that fit just right, and a neutral cardigan. You felt relieved to know that you dressed just as casual as he did by sporting tight fitting, but stretchable jeans and a nude chiffon blouse.

“Hi.” You breathed, hoping it wasn’t obvious you were excited. “H-how… how did you know where my dorm was?”

His forehead scrunched ever so gently, “You mentioned it in passing when I offered to walk you home one time.”

“Oh.” You do recall him offering to walk with you back to your dorm multiple times, especially when it got too late that the librarians themselves were the ones kicking you out. You were too shy to let him, mostly because you also didn’t want to bother him with his own journey back to his place.

“Well, shall we? There’s this cafe I’ve been meaning to try in town.”

You nodded your head, taking a step forward but faltering when he just continued to smile down at you. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head, ears a little pinker than usual, “No, sorry. Nothing’s wrong. You just look extra cute today.”

You could feel your face burst into heat at his words, “O-oh, thank you…”

Jaehyun chuckled, holding out his hand to you.

For a split second, you were scared that your palms started to sweat out of nervousness but not wanting to delay the date any further, you placed your hand on top of his. He threaded his fingers with yours and squeezed your hand, nudging you towards him.

“Let’s go.”

You’ve walked beside Jaehyun multiple times already but this time you’re walking hand in hand with him — and he’s even swaying your conjoined hands! You were screaming inside at how cute he was to do this. He gave off such a cool vibe that you didn’t think he had such an adorable side.

Autumn has started and the weather was perfect to be outside, the leaves were turning to beautiful shades of reds, oranges, and yellows. It was nice to take a stroll under them right now and it feels quite cozy, especially with Jaehyun.

He filled up the silence growing between you, not that it bothered you, with small talk. He asked about your morning and the day before, if you had any plans for the holiday break. You told him that you were going back home to your parents over the holidays and was unsure if your parents had plans to celebrate.

You could feel his thumb gently smooth over your skin as he talked about his plans over the break, mentioning how he’s going to be helping out his dad in his business.

The cafe you both arrived at was smack dab in between a bookstore and a mom-and-pop store. There were little to no patrons in the cafe from the looks of it and it still had some streamers and balloons from their opening.

“Good morning! Welcome to Cafe Hue.” One of the three workers on duty, the cashier, greeted as you entered.

You offered a smile and glanced briefly at the interior — a habit you picked up in middle school that pushed you into taking interior design. For its namesake, the overall interior was a crisp white with loud, brightly colored decors dotting the shelves. There was room for improvement with the choice of furniture, but it still works.

“What would you like?” Jaehyun asked, pulling you out of your reverie by softly squeezing your hand.

You looked up at the chalkboard menu, giving each item a thought until you settled on a hot cup of French vanilla tea. Jaehyun relayed your order to the cashier, who’s eyes seemed very eager to meet his gaze, and added his own order of an iced americano.

“Do you want anything to eat? We can share something if you’d like.”

“I don’t mind a slice of cake or muffin.”

Jaehyun bobbed his head, “Anything in particular?”

“What would you recommend?” You directed the question to the cashier giving heart eyes up at Jaehyun. She shifted her attention to you, a full second of annoyance flashing in her face before plastering a model customer service smile.

“Everything is freshly baked, our baker’s favorite is the basque cheesecake, but personally, I love the chocolate carrot cake.”

“Both sound good, so I’ll leave the choice up to you.”

The cashier’s smile brightened as she returned her attention to Jaehyun, who seemed oblivious to it.

“Then a slice of each.” He didn't wait for her to tally the order and pulled out his wallet, brandishing a black card from within and placing it on the counter. She seemed astonished to see the card in front of her, but it only took a second for her to punch your orders in while repeating it out loud to confirm. Jaehyun nodded and she swiped the card.

“Have you always been a tea person? I could have gotten you tea instead of coffee all this time at the library.” He inquired, pursing his lips ever so slightly at you.

“Not necessarily.” You shrugged your shoulders, “My mind has strongly associated coffee with productivity and since we’re not here to study, I’d rather have tea. I like both, equally.”

Jaehyun finished paying for the order and guided you to a seat by the window. He helped you into your seat briefly before seating himself.

There was a palpable pause when he looked at you and it almost became awkward until he coughed and glanced away, ears visibly red.

“I’m sorry,” He cleared his throat, “I’ve never really… taken anyone out on a date before.”

The admission made your brows shoot up a little, “What? You’ve never dated anyone?”

He shook his head, “No. Wasn’t really interested… until I met you.”

The confession made your heart skip a beat and the faintest heat rose up your cheeks. “Oh. Uhm,” You stuttered, “I… I didn’t expect that from you.”

He sighed, “I get that a lot — not to be vain or anything. I was just never interested in the dating scene.”

“Haven’t girls asked you out? None of them caught your eye?”

Jaehyun shook his head again. “They all seemed… pretentious? No, too eager? Like I’m prey or something.”

You’re still having a hard time believing that this gorgeous man has not dated at all — let alone having you as the first person he’s ever expressed interest in. “What makes me different?”

Slowly, a small smile formed on his lips, “That’s what I’d like to know.”

You woke up startled, as if your body reminded you that you were in no position to be sleeping in. Honestly, you don’t even know how you fell asleep. You remembered looking around the room in hopes to find a way out, but everything was sealed shut with bolts or protected with grills. You discovered that despite being kidnapped, you were still provided other basic necessities. The other door led to a small ensuite bathroom; just one solid square where there were no partitions or dividers between the shower and the toilet. There was even a drawer full of clothes in your size (that you found mildly disturbing).

It almost felt like Yuta wanted you to feel like you were just away from home instead of being used as bait in a trap.

“Jaehyun.” You mumbled, covering your mouth with your palm. Yuta was right. Regardless of your current relationship status, Jaehyun would do anything in his power to find you and you don’t even want to think about what he could possibly do to Yuta when he gets his hands on him.

All you could do was hope Jaehyun won’t be careless in this situation.

You looked around the room as if you would find something new, but it was more bare than a real estate showroom. Yuta seemed to have cleared the food he had brought in for you last night while you slept, and thinking about it now, you were growing hungry.

There was a small knock at the door and you expected Yuta to come in, but you were pleasantly — also slightly confused — to see someone else come in.

“Oh,” The woman meekly said, “Good morning, Ms. [Y/N]. I’ve brought you breakfast.”

You stared at her; she looked so familiar. You watched as she pushed the door open with her shoulder while her hands were occupied with carrying a tray of food and water.

When she placed it on the table, you gasped.

“Mina!”

She smiled, “I’m flattered to know you remember me, Ms. [Y/N].”

“You’ve been missing for weeks. A-are you working for him?”

The smile disappeared from her face as she vehemently denied your accusation, shaking her head. “Please don’t misunderstand this, Ms. [Y/N]! I… I’m forced to do this. If not…” Mina paused, “I’m sorry, I was only tasked to bring your breakfast. I’ll collect the plates later when I bring up your lunch. I’m sorry again, Miss. Please, enjoy your food.”

“Wait—” You clambered off the bed, but Mina was out the door with a soft click behind her.

This just left you with more questions to haunt you. Why was she here? Why was she cooperating with Yuta? Is she a victim as well?

Despite doubting the food’s integrity, you were starving and even though you were served a simple bowl of congee and orange juice, it looked like the most delicious meal you’ve seen in your life. You helped yourself to the food, savoring the flavor exploding in your mouth.

Halfway through your meal, you remembered the dream you had last night.

Your first date with Jaehyun happened almost exactly 8 years ago. Times were simpler back then; everything was just about getting deadlines done at school, going on lunch dates, and clubbing every weekend night.

You started to lose your appetite and felt like throwing up.

How did you end up here?

Burying your face into your palms, you breathed in deeply to stop yourself from crying. You didn’t want to blame Jaehyun, but it’s the truth. You can’t help but think where you would be today if you had walked away from him the first time. You could have still been roommates with Minkyung and Yebin, somewhere in the city. Maybe you could have met someone new at work or the girls could have set you up with someone. Although, you have to admit that the idea pinched at your heart.

You still loved Jaehyun despite everything. Rather than hoping to move on as quickly as you can, you wished he had done things the right way with yo—

Lurching forward, you clamped your mouth shut as you suddenly stood up, the chair falling back with a loud thud. The taste of acid and the congee you had just consumed filled your mouth and you bolted into the bathroom, kneeling at the toilet to expel the vomit.

You barfed into the bowl until you felt like you couldn’t possibly heave anything else from your stomach. Sweat started to build up on your forehead as you calmed yourself down. You spat the remaining sour taste from your mouth and hoisted yourself up, flushing the toilet while you wondered if you caught a virus again.

Then it hit you.

You were supposed to meet Dr. Ahn. Unconsciously, your hand went over your abdomen. Surely, you weren’t…

You brushed the idea away. You’ve been on IUD for years and it’s been extremely effective; why now? These were just your nerves getting to you.

“Please eat something.” Jaehyun’s mom gestured to the maid she entered his room with to replace the food they brought last night. It was barely touched and the rice had gone stale.

“I don’t have an appetite.” He mumbled through his palm, focused on the latest report from the Commissioner General. They were just more reports on how other missing women were possibly linked to him and he honestly didn’t care about it. He just wanted to know why this is happening — what did he ever do to him.

“Sweetheart, even a few slices of fruit?”

Jaehyun looked up at his mom, contemplating telling her what he’s discovered on his own but decided against it. “Sure, I’ll have an apple.”

She perked up, “Alright, I’ll go prepare it myself.”

When his mom and the maid finally left him alone, he pulled out his phone and dialed one of his recent contacts.

“I found out something crucial.” He skipped formalities and greetings. “I don’t want to discuss this over the phone. Can you gather Doyoung and Minkyung for me? And do you think she can host us?”

“Okay, hello, I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Yebin sarcastically responded. “You know any other day, I would have dropped the call.”

“You wouldn’t have picked up.”

Yebin cooed, “Aw, I’m a little touched that you know me so well.”

“Yebin.” Jaehyun impatiently said. He didn’t have the time to have these types of banter with her right now.

“Fine. I’ll contact them.”

“As discreetly as possible, please.” Jaehyun paused, “Wait, don’t ask Minkyung to host us. I’ll get back to you on that.”

Without any further questioning, they ended the call with no goodbyes and Jaehyun flinched as the door opened.

“Here you go!” His mother sashayed into his room, handing him a small plate of peeled, sliced apples. “And if you decide to have anything more, let me know, okay, sweetheart?”

He smiled up at her, “Yes, mom. Although, I might have dinner with Johnny some time soon.”

“Oh,” She said, “Why not just invite him over? Wouldn’t it be safer?”

“I don’t really like bringing home work. We’ll be fine. I’ll bring extra bodyguards if it would put your mind at ease.”

“It would, thank you. Please be careful and give my regards to Johnny. He’s always welcome to drop by here whenever he feels like it.”

Jaehyun snorted, his mother always treated Johnny like a second son and of course, he had no qualms about it. “I’ll let him know.”

Once his mother left, he picked up an apple slice and dialed a different number on his phone. He listened to the phone ring while munching on the fruit until the other person picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hello. I understand this is a bit last minute, but could we possibly meet up in your place? Out of everyone that we’re friends with, your place seems to be the safest. I’ll explain more when we get there.”

“Of course. I’m off early today so I can accommodate you guys. I’ll send my address in a bit.”

“Thank you.” He paused, “Please be careful and wary of your surroundings. As a safety precaution.”

“I will. See you later.”

“Who arranges a meeting and is late for it?” Yebin griped, flicking popcorn with the tips of her long nails to choose the one with the most butter on it. 

Johnny, picking out all the pieces she had discarded on the side and tossing it into his mouth, glanced at her, “It is rush hour. Maybe he got into traffic.”

“Maybe he’s in trouble.” Yebin snapped back, shrugging her shoulders. “He could be bleeding out from a gunshot wound right now.”

“Yebin!” Minkyung gasped, swatting her shoulder briefly before clasping her hands together in prayer. “Surely, he’s caught in traffic.”

Although at the last minute, they were able to gather at Kun’s apartment at the designated time. Kun was originally worried if he could host this many people in his small apartment but he’s never been thankful for signing the lease for the one bedroom apartment over the studio type.

He’s even more thankful he believed the feng shui expert who told him to prioritize having a bigger dining area than lounge space so almost everyone tonight could be seated. He is, however, a bit embarrassed he only had movie snacks in his pantry instead to offer as they waited for Jaehyun, hence Yebin and Johnny sharing a bowl of freshly popped popcorn. Luckily, Minkyung had brought some rice cakes and chicken with her — saying it’s her cheat day and wanted to share her cravings with them.

Doyoung had finished swallowing a rice cake that was way too chewy for his liking before making a comment about Kun’s apartment. “As a doctor, I’d expected you to have a healthier food selection.”

“I don’t have guests over often and I haven’t had time to go get groceries.”  He sheepishly admitted, placing the bottle of makgeolli he had received from a former patient. “I live off hospital cafeteria food most days.”

“What a mood.” Minkyung quipped, “I respect it. I used to take home leftovers from the food spreads at photoshoots to save money.”

“You always brought home the good stuff when you had small gigs back in college.” Yebin mused, flicking another butter-less popcorn over to Johnny’s side. “[Y/N] and I would always fight for the bougiest one.”

“Speaking of [Y/N],” Minkyung snapped her fingers and pursed her lips, “I haven’t heard from her in awhile. She hasn’t responded to my messages.”

“I was gonna ask the same thing.” Doyoung said before picking up another rice cake from the plate. He glanced at Kun, “I was surprised that you called me over instead of her.”

“Oh! Are we planning a surprise for her or something?”

Johnny and Kun looked at each other, then turned their attention to Yebin, who shut her eyes in annoyance when they did so.

Minkyung gasped, “Did you see that?” She asked Doyoung, “They shared a look!”

“I did.” He narrowed his eyes, aiming them at Kun. “Is there something we don’t know? Is something wrong with [Y/N]?”

“We should really wait for Jaehyun—” Kun cleared his throat, glancing back and forth from Johnny and Yebin for support.

“If something’s wrong and you guys know about it, then what’s the point of waiting for Jaehyun to tell us? We’re all equally her friends here.” Doyoung’s tone made Kun wince.

“We know that!” Yebin butted in, throwing her hands up in frustration. “But we barely know anything as well! Only Jaehyun does and this motherfucker is late—”

On cue, there was a knock on the door and Kun promptly walked over to open the door after checking who was outside through the peephole.

“About time!” Yebin hissed, crossing her arms and glaring up at him.

“I’m sorry. There was a meeting held on the case that I was allowed to listen in to.” Jaehyun said, coolly, no trace of joy or bashfulness his voice usually had when he was with them.

“Is it about [Y/N]? What happened to her?” Minkyung sat up on her seat, brows furrowed in worry.

Kun offered the last seat at the table to Jaehyun, who nodded but remained standing.

“[Y/N] has been missing for over a week now. She’s probably been kidnapped.”

“By who?” Minkyung gasped, “Her college stalker?”

Johnny scoffed, “That dude’s still after her?”

Jaehyun caught Doyoung’s gaze flickering over to him, eyes twitching briefly before he closed them and rubbed his fingers over them to pinch the bridge of his nose. He’s always been the protective brother figure in your life and being one of the last ones to find out about your current situation must be making him feel like shit.

“We don’t know yet. However,” He coughed, clearing his throat. “We have reason to believe that [Y/N]’s case is related to the string of missing women around Seoul.”

“So…” Johnny drew out, “It’s not a targeted type of situation? It’s not the creep from college?”

Jaehyun inhaled deeply and sighed, finally taking the seat that was offered to him. “From the findings of the police — the meeting I had joined earlier — it seems that the suspect does have a target… and it’s me.”

“What?” Yebin spat, “How are the other missing women related to you?”

He cupped his face, massaging in awkward circles to avoid their gazes. “As the police have uncovered, all the missing women have either worked for me, interacted with me, or… participated in an online thread about me back in high school.”

He said the last bit hurriedly, almost embarrassed about that fact.

Yebin’s face was painted with pure disgust, “You’re telling me that women are missing — most are reported to be presumably dead — because they were your fangirls back in high school? And our precious little [Y/N] has been kidnapped… because she’s your fiancée?”

Even Yebin bit her tongue when she said the last word, looking a bit apologetic when Jaehyun hung his head low. She knew calling you his fiancee dug the knife deeper into him than she had meant to. With the lack of reaction from the room, she could tell that only she knew the state of your current relationship.

“I don’t…” Jaehyun mumbled, “I don’t even know what I did to deserve this.”

“You weren’t in the best crowd in high school, but you were an angel compared to them.” Johnny spoke up, being the only one who came from Kyeonggi’s despite only attending for a year. “Who could possibly go through these lengths to get back at you?”

Jaehyun pulled his hands away from his face, expression grim and jaw tight. “I already know who it is. I don’t have enough concrete evidence, but I just know it’s him. He’s got the money to do what he wants, he’s smart,  manipulative and he’s cunning and deceiving behind that fucking smile of his—”

“Smile?” Yebin cut him off, “Ooh, I knew that Japanese man was trouble! I’m canceling that fucking deal—”

“Don’t.” Jaehyun stopped her from taking her phone, “Unless you have a good reason as to why you’re breaking off a seemingly good contract with his company. Or any of you who had signed with him, for that matter.”

“Wait, wait,” Minkyung waved her hands in front of her to catch their attention, her perfectly shaped brows perpetually burrowed between her forehead, “Japanese man? Do you mean that Nakamoto guy? He’s your suspect?”

“I’ve always been suspicious of him. Everything started when he came into the picture: the number of missing women increasing… the stalking… this monopoly of their tech company in the country — especially in the security industry — that he’s offered to people around me and [Y/N]... He’s smart, yes, but like the snake he is, he’s leaving behind his skin.”

“Why aren’t you telling this to the police?” Doyoung inquired, taking everything Jaehyun had said. “You just said that the police are already investigating the case.”

“And they are. The commissioner general himself is heading the case.” He nodded, “But as I said, there’s no concrete evidence for me to pin this on Yuta.”

“Wait,” Kun interjected, “Nakamoto… Yuta? I think… he accompanied a patient of mine a while back.”

“Aren’t you a gynecologist?” Yebin scowled, “That man is not allowed to procreate— wait, he knocked someone up? Could it be one of the missing women?”

The thought of Yuta possibly touching you, consensually or not, hadn’t crossed his mind (or maybe he just didn’t want it to) and it made him seethe, balling his fists tightly until his nails dug into his palms.

“I’m not one to break doctor-patient confidentiality but if I remember correctly, he presented himself as a potential father despite what my patient was claiming.”

“What an asshole.” Yebin remarked, lips still downturned.

Kun continued, “He also seemed withdrawn from the whole ordeal — physically present, mentally absent.”

“Do you remember when this was?”

The doctor licked his lips, thinking hard about it. “Probably a few months ago? Barely a year. She was one of my first patients. She had come into the clinic with her arms around his arm, practically dragging him in. I can search for her name tomorrow at the clinic if we want to track her down.”

Minkyung gasped, “Oh my gosh, Kyungwon! We should check up on her. What if she’s been missing too?”

“Didn’t she say she broke it off with him? I guess it wouldn’t hurt to check up on her, she’s one of [Y/N]’s closest colleagues.” Yebin picked up her phone from the table and scrolled through her contacts, “Good thing I got her number last time so I could set her up with a cousin.”

“If there’s a way you can do it inconspicuously, then please do.” Jaehyun implored, “For now, I just need everyone to be on high alert. Act like you don’t know anything if you come across him.”

He sighed, cradling his jaw with his hand after propping his elbow against the table.

“Hey,” Johnny called from across the table, “[Y/N]’s a feisty girl. She’s not going down without a fight. I’m sure she’s okay.”

“I know she is. I’m just trying to figure out this fucking psychopath’s motive and plan.” He mumbled, “I’ve been wracking my brain out how it ended up this way. Did I step over his pride? Did I come off the wrong way on him when he was having a shitty day? I just don’t understand.”

“We can mull about it when we find out more things about him. My family has close connections to a prominent family in Japan, I can have someone get intel on Nakamoto from his home country.” Yebin offered, standing up from her seat. “This sicko is going to pay hell for even touching a single hair on [Y/N]’s head. I’d love to stay and plan out the ways we’re going to torture the fuck out of this guy when we catch him, but I have to handle an ingress of a museum exhibit down in Busan over the weekend. Keep me posted, yeah?”

“Of course,” Jaehyun started to rise from his seat but Yebin waved him off, “Yebin, thank you.”

“Don’t be gross, Jung. I’m doing this for her.”

“I’ll be heading out as well with Yebs. I have a photoshoot tomorrow at Daegu. I haven’t interacted with Yuta at all, and I’m hoping I don’t have to, but I’ll be vigilant.”

They saw the girls off and Kun offered the boys the case of beer he had in the back of his freezer.

“He seemed like such a cool dude. It’s rare to see guys who know the shit they work on, you know?” Johnny was the first one to break the silence between the four men quietly breaking open their respective beer cans and sipping the foam. “But I’m somehow not surprised about it either.”

“I barely interacted with him at the housewarming.” Doyoung confessed, “Even when our security system was replaced with his tech, I didn’t handle it personally.”

Jaehyun somberly acknowledged them, gently pushing the soft aluminum of the beer can that made a soft popping sound every time he let go. With their friends knowing the situation, he felt a little relieved to know he’s not alone in trying to save you.

If he could save you.

“Hey,” Kun nudged his arm and as if he had just heard his thought, said, “Don’t take it too hard on yourself. He’s playing a game that only he wants to play.”

“A game?” Jaehyun repeated.

“Well, that’s how I see it. The way I see it from what I know — which isn’t much — it seems like he’s learning about you to bait you out. Why take the time to find all these people from your past? People you don’t even know? If he’s got all this money and power to do virtually anything he wants, why waste it on them when he could’ve gone straight to people you actually care for?”

Kun shrugged, “Think of it like chess. He’s taken the rooks and the pawns — and even your queen. And the only advice I can offer now is for you to be careful and walk right into his trap.”

Just as the hour hand passed midnight, the boys called it a night. Kun saw them off at the entrance of his apartment building. Johnny had parked all the way down the street while Jaehyun was lucky to have gotten a spot nearby, offering Doyoung a ride after finding out he had commuted.

“I’m sorry, by the way.” Jaehyun said just as they buckled themselves into his car. Before Doyoung could respond, he continued, “You should be one of the first people I should tell about anything related to [Y/N]. I guess a part of me had always seen you as her older brother and I was ashamed to admit I couldn’t protect her.”

He nodded his head in acknowledgement, lips pursed in contemplation.

“You…” His voice trailed off, “You were her college stalker, right?”

Jaehyun’s fingers gripped the steering wheel, “I was.”

“Are you surprised that I know?”

“I had a feeling when it was brought up a while ago. Although as I said, you’re practically her brother. You two know everything about each other.”

“Apparently not everything.” Doyoung bitterly grumbled, slapping his forehead afterwards. “I’ve been so caught up in my own shit that I haven’t checked up on her at all even when she mentioned she had to go home to her parents because she was sick.”

Silence came over them inside the car that seemed louder than the late night city life they were passing by.

“How did you react when she told you about what I did?”

“I told her she was crazy for coming back to you. I’ve urged her multiple times to break it off again.”

Jaehyun is oddly calm. He knew he would have been thinking about all the ways to make Doyoung eat his words, but now he’s just accepting all of it. Maybe because it was over between the two of you.

“But she fought for you.” Doyoung brought him out of his reverie. “Like her life depended on it. It made her look like an idiot, for sure, but she defended you. She gave you a second chance and begged me to do the same. So I did.”

“That means a lot to me. Thank you.” Jaehyun responded once he pulled over in front of Doyoung’s building. “But… I have to apologize again. Before she disappeared, she broke up with me.”

He looked at him like he had grown a second head. “I don’t believe you. I literally just told you she fought to be with you.”

“People… change their minds.” Jaehyun turned the engine off, but didn’t unlock the car. “And I’m starting to think it’s better that way. I never considered this situation before… someone is using her against me, but then again, I’m not entirely a good person for her.”

“But you’re good to her and that was enough for her.”

Jaehyun chuckled morosely, thinking, “If only you really knew everything, man.”

“So what? After we save her, you’re just… going to let her go?”

The response weighed heavy on Jaehyun’s tongue, refusing to be spoken and heard by someone else other than his thoughts. Every fiber of his being didn’t want to let you go, he wanted to fight for your relationship — but he knew he didn’t have the right to.

“Yeah,” He eventually said, “That’s the plan.”

You woke up to a muffled noise and a soft, rhythmic thumping on the adjacent wall of your bed. You groaned, a bit annoyed that your slumber was interrupted, but shook the grogginess away to figure out what was making the noise.

Sitting up, you didn’t bother to rub at the dryness of your eyes and pressed your ear onto the wall, only to gasp and pull away with cheeks flaring up.

Was that… a moan?

You put a hand to your mouth, pressing yourself back up on the wall to hear.

That’s definitely a woman moaning in pleasure and despite not being able to make out the words, the male voice accompanying the woman’s moans was Yuta. Shame overcame you once you realized overhearing their private moment had started to make you press your thighs closer.

You scooted away, jumped off your bed and sat at the table on the other side of the room. You could still hear the soft thumps, but at least you couldn’t hear the moans. Crossing your arms, you sat back on your seat and closed your eyes.

He’s doing this on purpose, you thought. For some twisted reason, you know he wants you to hear that.

Looking out the window, you tried to gauge what time it was. Around midnight, perhaps? What was Jaehyun doing? Is he even getting enough sleep? Is he eating properly? You slapped yourself.

“For someone who broke up with him, you’re pretty concerned about him.” You murmured, but bit your lip when it began to tremble. You should be mad at him. For all that he’s done. You’re in this situation because of him. But why does a part of you want him to leave it to the police? You hoped deep in your heart that he’s not going to come here himself like Yuta is anticipating because you don’t know what this psycho is planning — what his end goal is.

But why do you care? Why does it matter? You laid your head on the table and sobbed, “I still love him.”

“Please, please if there’s any higher being listening to me right now.” You prayed, voice shaky and strained, “Please don’t let him come here. Please.”

After some time, you jolted in your seat at the sound of the door knob rustling. Had you cried yourself to sleep?

The door opened and Yuta sauntered in wearing nothing but a pair of baggy sweats that hung low on his hips, smirking at the sight of your face that’s red and puffy from crying. “Aw, did you miss Jaehyun after hearing all that? Did you enjoy the show? I’ll let you watch next time~”

This man has an innate ability to fill you with rage within seconds.

Before you could think it through, you stood up and pushed his body with all your might, running at the door he hadn’t closed yet. You were able to swing it wider, but couldn’t get a foot out when you felt your hair being yanked back. You felt a few strands snap as you yelped in pain, trying to grab at Yuta’s fist around your head.

“That’s cute.” He laughed in your ear, kicking the door with his foot. He tossed you towards the bed like a rag doll, your body just hitting the edge of it before crumbling to the floor. “Don’t do that again. I’ll forgive you this time, but if you insist on taking a little stroll outside, I don’t mind trading a few minutes of freedom for some head.”

“Fuck you.” You spat, visibly shuddering at the offer.

He just laughed again, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t have to fuck myself. Your friend is a great fuck and leaves me happy every time.”

“What?” You massaged the part of your scalp that had been strained. When realization hit you, you gasped in horror, “Kyungwon?!”

You called out to her, scrambling onto your feet and running towards the wall. You pounded on the surface, “Kyung? Kyungwon, it’s me, [Y/N]!”

Yuta merely chuckled behind you, “Do you really think I would let her stay here overnight and discover you’re here?”

Somehow the thought of Kyungwon still being able to go home comforted you.

“That’s risky of you to bring her here in the first place.”

“It’s a gamble, but someone has to bring the prince to the damsel in distress, no?” Yuta dragged the chair you had sat on towards him and sat down.

“What do you plan on doing when Jaehyun gets here?” You heaved, keeping your emotions in check. “Do you honestly think he’s going to go here alone?”

He gave you a wicked smile, the type that made you shiver.

“I know he is.”

Yuta reached into the pocket of his pants, leading your gaze to the prominent tent between his legs that made you want to vomit. Does this type of scenario excite him? You averted your gaze to the television that turned on.

“As expected, Jaehyun had contacted your friends. Presumably to recruit them in saving you.”

A CCTV footage on what seems to be the front entrance of an apartment building appeared on screen. It didn’t look familiar to you, but then you see a familiar mop of head in the corner.

“Kun?”

“He graciously hosted everyone in his apartment. Smart move on Jaehyun since my company failed to convince the building owner’s to switch to my tech — but I doubt Jaehyun knows that. Good thing there’s a bunch of free streams of city’s CCTV on the net, huh? With a little nudge here, the camera is focused more on the apartment.”

Yuta tapped his phone and the video sped up. He only slowed it down to show you who was entering — first, it was Doyoung. Johnny followed, and Yebin and Minkyung came together.

“And last, but not the least,” Yuta sang, tapping his phone once more to show Jaehyun, even zooming into the video to get a better look at his face.

Your heart sank. He looked so sullen, it hasn’t been long, but he looked like he lost weight and aged a few years.

“Oh! I would have loved to hear what they were talking about.” He sighed, “Don’t you?”

“I don’t get what your end goal here is.” You hissed, balling your fists at your sides. “Kill Jaehyun?”

“Kill him? Heavens, no.” He laughed, “He can do that himself.”

Your nails almost pierced your palm at how much you balled your fists tighter upon hearing that.

“I want to break him — mentally and emotionally. I’ve already started to unravel him since I got the single thread that was keeping him together.” Yuta tipped his head at you, “I want to drive him insane until he loses himself — be that monster he really is.”

“He’s not a monster—”

“[Y/N], [Y/N],” He clicked his tongue in disappointment, “Should I give you another copy of his journal for you to read to pass time here? Did you forget already just because you saw him all mopey and sad just now? [Y/N], that man invaded your privacy from when you were younger! He had personally sent people to the hospital because of anger issues AND did not feel an ounce of remorse for doing so. Does that not bother you at all?”

You refused to comment, opting to control your breathing to stop yourself from hyperventilating at the reminder of the things you’ve read in the files.

“Aw, [Y/N], it’s okay. We all make mistakes. Yours was giving him that second chance.”

“No.” Your voice cracked.

Yuta’s brow rose up at your response.

“Giving him that second chance wasn’t a mistake. I don’t regret it.”

“I hope you don’t eat your words, [Y/N].” He sighed, “You haven’t read everything yet.”

“It doesn’t matter.” You snapped, defiant and curt. “I hope he kills you.”

Yuta chuckled, nonchalantly with a nod as he slowly stepped towards the door.

Your brows burrowed ever so slightly, what did he mean by that? Did he really just want Jaehyun to kill him? For what reason?

“By the way,” He said as he opened the door, the tone of his voice dropped lower and you’re mortified at how it sends pure fear shooting through you. “Try to escape again and there will be consequences. Don’t ruin the fun, [Y/N].”

And just like that, he left you once again in the room. The loud click of the lock signaled that you’re once again alone with your thoughts, drowning endlessly in questions that suffocated you to sleep every night since you’ve been here.

A/N: and it's finally here!! if anybody is still notif gang, thank you for being so patient 🥹 i hope it wasn't too fast paced, but i literally just wrote out what i typed out in the outline thats been rotting in my notes.

i hope it's not too much to ask, but please share my uncle's getfunding link for his chemo therapy 🙏

support me by reblogging with the same tags! i would also really appreciate leaving your thoughts in my inbox as it would help me become a better writer and prepare me to write my own book 👀

for extra support, you can check here on ways to send me a tip ~

[heuldoch7b]

Why does Dorn have such big nipples??? Is he lactating? If he is, I could help him out

anon my christ. you want to juice that big yellow man like a lemon dont you.

i must defend myself, when i did the initial sketch and coloring his nips werent as like. big and pink (the color i chose is like just a pit pinker from his skincolor) but his big white fluffy fuzz really contrasts it in a way that makes them look way more than they are.

anyways no hes sadly not lactating but with your help we can change this. keep suckig his chest.

[hutaoscoffinn]

You said Rika gets flustered sometimes omg..😳 do you have any headcanons on what she gets flustered by in a relationship? Or even BEFORE a relationship when she’s just crushing hard? How could you get revenge on her for making YOU a flustered mess 🤔

Boy oh boy DO I. I have a lot of headcanons for good ol’ Rika so I am more than happy to feed you guys the content you deserve. HERE WE GO ON THE FLUSTERED RIKA TRAIN WOOP WOOP

Warnings: fluffy fluffy fluffiest of fluff, flustered Rika, Rika being a simp because I mean its Rika she lives to simp, trying to fluster Rika, maybe it backfires maybe it doesnt ehe, suggestive as FUCK, NSFW under the cut

Character: Rika of the Elite 4

Requests: OPEN

SFW

Oh so we are trying to fluster Rika now? Okay bet

Rika is incredibly difficult to fluster

She can read you like a goddamn open book so she can tell exactly when you’re starting your shenanigans

But there are a few tried and true ways to make Rika the one who is red faced in the end

One of these ways is to wear her clothes

As much as she absolutely loves loves loves to see you wearing her clothing, especially her shirts

She cannot handle it

You look too cute!!

You first discovered this when you were cold one day and ended up pulling on one of Rika’s shirts for warmth and because it smells like her

As soon as Rika laid eyes on you, she went beet red, eyes wide as she looks at you

If she’s holding something, she dropped it

“O-Oh… you’re wearing my shirt?”

“Yeah, I got cold. I can take it off if you want.”

“No no no keep it… you look… cute”

Yeah she’s a goddamn simp but hey shes YOUR goddamn simp

Bonus points to a flustered Rika if her clothes are baggy on you and hang off your figure

You look so cute all cuddled up in her clothes and you look tiny in them no matter what size you are

Safe to say she’s now only buying clothes that make you look tiny and adorable whenever you steal them from her, she loves it so much

Another way to fluster Rika is to give her random kisses!

Rika is usually the one to initiate kisses between you both, pulling you in for a sweet kiss before leaving for work, when she gets home, when you or her are cooking, whenever she needs a little kiss from you, ect

So when you’re the one to sneak up and steal a kiss from her?

She malfunctions

Rika.exe has stopped working, please give another kiss to restart her system

Whenever you manage to sneak up on her and give her a kiss, she freezes whatever she is doing

Her face will slowly start to flush and gets pinker and pinker every second

Doesn’t matter where you kisses her, her cheek, her neck, her lips, her forehead, anywhere

She will freeze if she wasn’t expecting it

You’ll have to administer a second dose of your love for poor Rika to regain her consciousness again~

Another big way to fluster Rika is back hugs!

Like with kisses, Rika tends to be the one to hug YOU from behind no matter what you’re doing

Be extra careful when changing, this is when Rika is most likely to go in for a back hug ehe

So like with kisses, if you manage to sneak up on Rika and hug her from behind, wrapping your arms around her waist and snuggling up against her back

She will freeze, heat climbing up her neck and if you peek up at her ears the tips will be a pretty red

NSFW

Like most aspects of your relationship Rika tends to be the dominant one which transitions seamlessly into the bedroom

And while you may not get one over on her and be able to dom her

She’s shockingly strong and is extremely controlling in bed in the hottest of ways

You can still fluster her quite well, at least until she starts to get used to it

Rika is quite obviously a masc, so try calling her “Sir” in bed and see what happens

The first time you did she stopped what she was doing, her eyes immediately darting to yours and her ears turning a pretty pink

“…what did you just call me…?”

“I said please, sir”

“…fuck you’re too sexy baby.”

Safe to say, despite how she identifies, Rika has a kink for being called some more masculine terms in bed and sir is one of her favorites

Now if you really wanna play around with this little kink of hers, call her sir around the house

God forbid you call her that in public

As soon as the word leaves you lips Rika is looking at you with a heated stare but you can’t miss the way the heat crawls up her neck and onto her cheeks every passing second

After doing that, Rika will be quite sensitive to any of your other shenanigans

But don’t worry, she will punish you for it later~

Reblogs are always appreciated <3

[astronyu]

Sketches and commentary on the Folly ref sheet for RAT's newest plush! (info below the cut vvv)

(note: RAT commissioned me to make the character ref sheet, which is NOT the plushie schematic that Makeship actually uses as reference to produce the plushie)

This is the first sketch we sent to Makeship!

I'm starting to add details to push Folly's identity a bit more and differentiate her more from RM (Rat Maid), i.e. neckline, nose, gloves, blush. Lots of curves! (And I also added two rats instead of one <3O~ <3O~)

At one point we considered giving her the eye design shown on the right (red thread embroidered around her eye) as a reference to her MC skin's glowing eyes, but we decided eye shadow was a better look. also it looks like sans undertale

This is the back! The Folly skin has a long pretty bow, but it's scrapped by the end because A. her hair obscures everything on her back and B. as we went along we increasingly afraid of the sheer mass of fabric building on this plushie.

Most of her palette is colorpicked from the original minecraft skin by Arathain (who also made RM!) but iirc we made the ears pinker and lighter. You can see their OG tweet featuring the Folly skin here!

Onto the dress design!

RAT wanted the Folly plush to feel like more than just a recolor, so he had me redesign her dress. I started off with an inspo board focused on elements we wanted to keep-- Folly's lighter palette, the middle slit of her dress, the off-shoulder straps, and the overall maid theme.

You'll notice that Folly's expressions here are kind of all over the place (I don't think she's ever looked that sympathetic in her life). I think I made these sketches before I finalized her face, where RAT requested some mixture of murderous intent with mischief, but in a subtle way. Later down the line the specific smirk Folly has actually gave the physical plushie a lot of trouble (faces do not scale easily on cone shaped snouts).

The first alternate dress designs!

RED: RAT (paraphrased), PURPLE: me ofc More refined sketches! As you can see here RAT's working me to the bone with all of his requests. It's okay though, b/c after I sent him the completed ref sheet I got to watch him turn on Makeship. (KIDDING, KIDDING)

Overall, I was looking for a dress that felt regal, beautiful, and unconventional, while still feeling like a maid dress. Wow, after physically typing that out I feel like face palming. "I need a dress for a GODDESS also a uniform good for housekeeping please" (???)

After feedback, I focused more on variations of the 2nd option.

You'll see at the last Folly, I combined the 2nd variation with the tie ribbon, the layered dress design, and long puffy sleeves. I decided to bring over the long puffy sleeves specifically because I hoped that they would give Folly a more interesting silhouette that of course contrasts with RM.

(To be fair, this contrast isn't very visible on the plushie itself but it is fun to draw.)

And finally, the second and last ref we sent to Makeship!

imo Makeship did an INCREDIBLE job translating the design to plushie!! I'm sure there's plenty of challenges Makeship's plushie makers have to deal with that we don't see, so I always specify that I'm only responsible for the initial drawing when people ask me if I "made" the plush.

One really delightful surprise were the 3d rats; we didn't think they were possible but they were (ilu makeship)!! You'll probably also notice that Folly's eyes look pretty different--- they were changed slightly in each step and ultimately ended up softer, which is interesting because I feel that it kind of mirrored how RAT's approach to Folly as a character changed in the months of the plushie's development (and up to her release!).

And that's all I have for my part of the plushie! I always love working with RAT on projects and plushies are a highlight. They're especially surreal to think about when we all used to joke about them before RAT really blew up.

ofc, the shill if you want to get her: Makeship Folly plush and RM's ref sheet if you're curious: Rat Maid plushie ref

i think the campaign ends about October 7th, 2023, but you and i are very likely to be in different time zones so if you're interested doublecheck with the site. if the date has long past then ig this is just a fun little time capsule for you, which can also be pretty cool :)

[mikuyuuss]

Waaaah~! Thank you for reblogging my ask game, Unni!

Since you're open to answering questions, can I ask 4, 18, and 20 for Akari?

AHHH thanks for the ask as always Erika!!

4. Why did you give them the name they have? Whats the in universe reason for their name?

Im gonna be honest IM BAD AT NAMING THINGS 😭😭 So I happen to choose Akari because it's a common girl's name and it sounds pretty (surely if it's a common name it won't have a weird meaning RIGHT???!!!) At first I was scared bc apparently the "aka" in akari can also mean red which like, Akari's obviously not a red girly 😂

But her name actually ended up having a beautiful meaning to it (Thank God) The "明" in her name stands for "light" or "brilliance" I believe. Coincidentally, I also have "明" in my name too. I believe it's associated with smartness (at least in chinese culture) So I believe Akari was given that name by her parents because she is the light in their life, and they want her to grow up as a brilliant person.

18. Imagine meeting your oc what would you imagine you'd say to them or do with them

It's gonna be SO messy and complicated if she knew that I created her. In all seriousness I don't think Akari would like me at all. Anyways that aside.. If things were a little simpler, I'd love to just hang out with her, play dress up and do cosplays and other fun stuffs. I could give her words of encouragement about the things that I wish I could tell myself too, but in reality I think I will just go :

She can do it because she's fast and I'm as slow as a turtle.

20. Share a random piece of trivia about the creation of your oc (scrapped idea or changes you didnt expect to make)

This is her old design:

Initially, her vibes was a lot darker and edgier, but somehow she got softer and pinker the more I drew her.

Tbh Akari looks way cooler here, but her design feels a little messy. There were many cool ideas but nothing came out of it. In the end she's just kinda there. I originally wasn't gonna ship her with Giyuu bc I was a giyuu x shinobu shipper back then and thought they would be canon XD (I just prefer them as bros now) It doesnt help that I was so busy with school and its the pandemic, so my creative juices were little to none. But one idea that has always stayed is Akari having a good relationship with the girls, especially Mitsuri. After that I forgot about her...

Then I took a year off university, so more time to draw. I was on my way to moving on from kny, until I saw the swordsmith teaser and was like "Okay this show helped me get through pandemic, why not post some art to pay tribute at least." one art became more and suddenly I realized I wanna revisited Akari again bc omg this oc has so much wasted potential I need to fix this 😱 Guess I wont be moving on from kny soon 🤡

I thought about different breathing styles, illusion, star breathing etc. I decided that Akari is a battle seamstress character so I thought of silk breathing bc you know silk but I was like: "ok shes a seamstress who does seamstress powers?? thats it?? she needs something more specific" Eventually I settled for Camellia flowers bc I think its perfect for her in every way.

[rogersideup]

777 😏😏😏

Okay… since you so kindly requested the one shot AND the preview, you can have a snippet 🥰

"I'm sorry, I didn't even get your name."

"O-oh!" The man seemed to be taken back by that statement for a second. A look of momentary confusion furrowed his eyebrows before a happy smile returned to his kind face. "Sorry, I'm Steve!"

You made a small mental note of his initial shock that you asked for his name, but your drunken brain didn't hold onto that for very long.

"Alright Steve, here's the plan." You rocked up on your tippy toes and kept yourself braced with a steady hand on his solid shoulder so he could hear you better in the loud and chaotic environment. "Half my drink just ended up on the floor when you won, so I'm going to order another one. Then after that, I somehow need to end the night at my hotel on the complete opposite end of the strip without getting taken or murdered. So if we can somehow make it from here to there while blowing through that money you just won, then I'd be more than happy to help you spend it."

Steve's eyes went wide in concern at your statement. "Where are you staying?"

You narrowed your eyes at him. "My gut is telling me not to tell a strange man where I'm staying."

"Smart girl, but I'm not letting you walk down the strip alone at night. The people here are crazy." He challenged. "No funny business. Pinky promise."

Steve raised his pinky for you with a genuine look of promise and concern on his face. "Do people often trust you to get them to safety?"

His cheeks turned pinker, and he let out an adorable giggle. "Yeah, I think most people find me to be very trustworthy."

Didn’t want to give away anything too too juicy, but it should be out soon 🥰🎰

[eclecticysm]

Rethinking Taylor Swift's "Lover" Bodysuit

Image from Vogue, shot by Jeff Kravitz

When Taylor Swift began her Era's tour last year in March, it quickly swept the nation. The movie was a hit, she was topping charts, and everyone and their mother was trying to get tickets. One costume in particular from this tour (okay, a lot of them) became a big hit: namely, the "Lover" era bodysuit. Made by Versace, beaded to the nines and sparkly as a disco ball, there's no denying this bodysuit is a beautiful showstopper. But is it the right choice in costume for Taylor and her "Lover" album? Now, take all this with a grain of salt. Taylor Swift is beautiful no matter what she wears, and the costume is undoubtedly gorgeous. However, I think with a little more intentionality and thought towards the album she's performing for, her look for Lover could be an absolute showstopper.

In my personal opinion, the "Lover" bodysuit simply isn't suited to the album it's for, nor does it work as well on Taylor as it should. It's a beautiful costume, but it isn't styled on her at all. Her hair is straight with bangs, and her makeup is a light shimmer look with a red lip- an iconic and gorgeous look for Taylor, but not one that can stand up to how bold the bodysuit is. This combined with the lack of accessory beyond a necklace, and the bodysuit unfortunately drowns Taylor out.

I'll get into why I think the bodysuit doesn't work for the album and the direction I think her team should have taken in a moment, but I first want to focus on how this bodysuit COULD have been made to work if their hearts were really set on it. The bodysuit is bold. It's festival wear, something you might wear for a show out in Vegas. A bold costume needs bold styling. A little hair and makeup goes a long way. Bringing back her windswept curls from her initial Fearless era, using a pinker shade of lipstick and a darker tone of eyeshadow would have done wonders for this look. (Getty Images)

I want to point out again that Taylor's accessories are very minimal for this costume. The boots are a good accessory on their own, and the necklace is nice, but there's a lack of balance: there's nothing on her arms or her ears. (Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)

With a little more accessorizing, this costume would be taken to the next level. Gloves are a fun way to do it, but for the soft romantic vibe of "Lover" and the playfulness of this costume, the way to go is some crystal jewelry. Think big. I've chosen some pieces from Swarovski to compliment the look. Some fun blue earrings, some bracelets to layer, and you can never go wrong with a big ring. (There's a million ways to go for this, of course- these are just examples.)

And there's way to go further with it. A big fur coat, to really play into the vintage romantic feel! Hair gems! Really fun nails! This is a costume that I feel has a lot of wasted potential: While I still don't think it suits "Lover", I think it really could've been an even bigger moment than, admittedly, it already was. I have a different vision for the "Lover" costume, though! Now, I'm no pop star stylist who works with Versace... but I do love to offer my own two cents. First things first, we need to consider the 'vibe.' "Lover" is a soft and romantic album with a little pop playfulness. Think "Cruel Summer" and "Paper Rings". It's fun music, but it's not quite the same vibe as "Lady Gaga in Vegas" as the costume might lead you to believe.

I also want to consider Taylor's general vibe over the years. Her fashion, her music, her marketing- it's very light and airy, and she has an almost vintage feel to her look.

I think there's a way to combine the bold, sexy and playful feel of the Versace bodysuit while fitting the vibe of the album and Taylor's personal look: Go for the old Hollywood look. Silken robes, soft wavy hair, and Taylor's signature red lip. Maybe even a feather boa, if we're really feeling fun!

These are some example pieces I think would make for a fantastic "Lover" look. (They're silk lingerie gowns and robes from Apilat Wedding, a custom wear lingerie and boudoir wear brand.)

I think the flirty and playful lingerie look could work really well for the "Lover" album, especially considering her ever so romantic performance of the song "Lover" with the dancing couples on stage. Pair it with square cut diamond earrings and some sparkly stiletto heels, and you've got a certified Moment on your hands.

I want to reiterate that I think the iconic bodysuit IS a cute look. I just think it could have been styled better, or perhaps used in a context it makes more sense for.

I want to cap this off by pointing out a costume from the Era's tour that I think Taylor's styling team did a fantastic job on: Her brand new "Midnights" bodysuit by Zuhair Murad. (Getty Images)

This is a costume that's well styled, well suited to Taylor, and fits the vibe of the album it's for. "Midnights" has more of a mysterious diva vibe to it than "Lover" does, and this costume embodies that. It's styled well- the fringe jacket is very "Taylor", the bold red lip fits the deep blue of the costume well, and while I still think it could use a little more jewelry without the jacket, the garter and the slight mussed up hair goes a long way in making this look like a cohesive look. Plus, I won't lie, I'm a sucker for a starry motif. <3

What do you think about Taylor's "Lover" era costume? Do you have any thoughts on how you'd style it? Do you think it works as is? If so, why? Reply, send in asks, get discussing! <3 Stay cute, Ky

[dotster001]

CONGRATS ON YOUR MILESTONE!!

May i have matchup type 3 with Twst wonderland?

Deal with the Devil

The Fine Print

I Know

July

Everybody Loves Me

the songs all from spotify :) don’t mind my music taste kinda suck

Event Closed

(so initially I was leaning towards Azul, until Everybody loves me, then it hit me...Congrats, you are the first one I've matched with a non NRC student 😁)

I match you with Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker (Chen'ya).

Song One: I'm crazier than you, the Adams Family

Your relationship begins with Chen'ya seeing how far he can push you, prank wise. At first, he wants to see Riddle and Trey's new friend break. He's an eccentric fellow, and well aware of it. But when he falls for you, and falls hard, he'll learn you can keep up with him just fine. And he wouldn't have it any other way. 😁

Song Two: Goose on Holiday, Random Encounters

You're causing wild shenanigans together, whether willingly or unwillingly. If he has to drag you with him, and then turn invisible when the jig is up, he will. But if you're a willing accomplice....he knows all the INS and outs of NRC and will get you out of trouble. Am I thinking of a fic about this? Maybe

Song Three: Fallin' for you, R5

Believe it or not, the man has his own insecurities. Why do you think Trey and Riddle see right through our beloved Cay Cay? Because they grew up with Chen'ya! Ever since Riddle was banned from hanging out with them, and Trey started working more hours at the family bakery, then they went to different high schools, then different colleges.... Chen'ya believes people disappear just as quickly as he does. It's why he's willing to be his true self at all times. Why pretend if you'll never see them again? But when he falls for you, he might let you into this insecurity, and it'll be up to you to tell him "you're not goin anywhere."

Song Four: As Long as You're Mine, Wicked

There are a lot of random romantic meet ups in your relationship, most of them orchestrated by Chen'ya. You'll be minding your own business, in Ramshackle, in Heartslaybul, in class, in the hallway, and suddenly you'll feel his lips on your neck, and his arms around you. He's a very passionate romantic. And he lives for surprising you. Whether it's a quick makeout session, or he wants to lead you to a candle lit dinner, or he just wants to snuggle, he'll appear anytime, anywhere. And he makes the most of the moment, like every moment could be your last. *See song three analysis for details

Song Five: something to believe in, Newsies

See previous analysis 😂

[changelingsandothernonsense]

Skyrim OC asks! 2, 16, 24, 37 & 39!

The last question has art so...yay? 2. Do they worship any deities, be it aedra or daedra?

Sydari is mostly apathetic towards the gods. Whilst she is a Nightingale and therefore in the service of Nocturnal it's more akin to a business partnership. She grew up with a hard-line Tribunal stan who would spend hours monologuing his own interpretation of their doctrine and deeds. It turned her off worshipping the gods, but also showed her how fallible they actually are. If one person can bring down the strength of the Tribunal (whose strengths were highly exaggerated by Eno) then what's the point in worshipping any? No, she likes this business-style relationship, she gets a great deal out of it and Nocturnal tends not to be the clingy sort.

16. Did they feel sympathy for any villains they came into contact with? If so, who and why?

She felt some sympathy towards Miraak, he was not so different from her (as far as a mortal with a dragon soul goes, they do not do or enjoy similar activities). She could so easily fall for Hermanus Mora's offer, endless knowledge is hard to say no to. But she's seen what it's done to Miraak, how he barely resembles anything mortal anymore and she wants no part in it.

24. Who would they consider their biggest rival?

She doesn't have any rivals per se, enemies yes, but she doesn't really have any true rivals. If anything, her relationship with Maven Blackbriar might qualify. But she sticks to her business, Sydari sticks to hers and they have their contracts. The guild no longer relies on the Blackbriars for contracts, and she likes to remind Maven of that whenever she oversteps.

37. Did you make this character with a certain love interest in mind?

So I wanted to make a Dunmer character to lead the thieves guild, the three love interests came much later. I had almost ignored Teldryn for years before actually hiring him after getting back into Morrowind. I then lost my mind completely and now we have this ungodly mess.

39. Has their character design changed?

She started with white hair initially, I then fiddled around quite a bit before settling on dark red hair. (like 4 playthroughs) She use to have more of a dark grey ring around the red in her eye as well. I first drew her about a year ago with this design.

And this is the design that stuck. The red was much pinker once I painted it and it just stuck. I have since made her skin a little more blue.

Then I thought "Hey a soul gem on a necklace seems kinda cool". So That became a thing, as did her full *casually do not give 2 shits about tits* outfit. (It's just me being jelly about her not having to wear a bra and I guess I like drawing boobs idk). But she also needs an overcoat if she's going outside. I had decided on giving her the throat scar in a previous work that I want to redo, but the voice loss came about after this work...So did the whole Teldryn thing...

So then I played around and settled on all her jewellery, her face shape, eye colour etc. This is probably my favourite representation of how she looks so far. Every artwork afterwards, as well as her in-game design, are based on this look. (I settled on a face reference basically).

And then I decided that all her rings are purple and blue. Her colour scheme Is red, black and amethyst. She now has a side part because I like that, though her hair changes in length a few times in the story.

And then I painted this and decided we have a goddamn fic now.

[linksthoughtbrambles]

I would love to hear about "Be Mindful" :)

Wow, anxious, it's amazing you asked about that one, because it's a draft of an idea I had for a gift fic for you! I ended up not going with this one because I thought it would end up extremely long - like a multi-chapter fic - but I would like to write it in the future.

It's an AU in which the only initial change from BotW is that Link arrives at Hyrule Castle much earlier with his father - long before he would pull the sword - and meets Zelda right away, neither of them having any idea who the other is. It gives them a little time to develop a relationship without the sword being an issue, and changes the entire chain of events. Here's a snippet:

----

A fair number of people were in view—some soldiers on the battlements, some Sheikah, some going about daily castle business—but a glint of bright lemon-yellow drew Link’s eye to a woman taking the same path he and his father had to reach the courtyard stairs.

That bright yellow sat atop her head in the form of hair—an astoundingly long braid wrapped around the rest of it, tied back out of her face.  She clutched something to her chest—a book maybe—and she had a frown on as she watched the flagstones pass her feet.  She was walking fast, her practical clothing allowing it far better than a dress would have, but it wasn’t Sheikah clothing, nor did it look like a servant’s.  She wore Hylian trousers, soft and close to form-fitting like his, and boots (also a lot like his) with a practical shirt and bodice, with leather half-gloves.

He found her eyes downturned, as deep green as rhododendron leaves in sun-dappled thicket, and his heart—which had ceased to beat—careened into his ribcage.

She was beautiful, wasn’t she?   She-

She looked up.

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open.

Link realized he was doing the same thing.

“Uh,” he said.

“Oh!” she said.

Her eyes stayed on his.

And his stayed on hers.

Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward to Link.

Apparently it didn’t feel awkward to the woman either.  She approached him, small step by small step, hugging her book to her chest more tightly.  “Are you new here?” she asked.

Why wouldn’t Link’s mouth close?

He tried very hard to swallow.  His mouth and throat were so dry—but he couldn’t take out his canteen and just… swig water down while she was waiting for him to answer her.  Right?  Right.  Imagine if she did that.  If he asked her what her name was, and she just… grabbed that container off her belt and started drinking from it, looking him right in the eye while she gulped and gulped and gulped and time just got longer and that WOULD get more and more awkward, with total silence except for the gulping—he wouldn’t be able to look away from it either, he’d be riveted to the spot.

Yep.  He would not drink from his canteen. That would be really off-putting and it would take way too long to answer.

Kind of like how he was taking way too long to answer—right now.

Her mouth had closed and she had kind of a worried look on her face.

“Sorry,” he said.

“S-sorry?” she said.

“Yeah.”

“For what?”

“For- for taking so long to answer you.”

She just stared at him.

“Oh!  Right!  Um.  Yes, I’m new here,” he said, turning a little red, but less red than he thought he would, so that was something.  He needed to get his inner monologue under control.

Her face started moving in an odd manner.  It turned downward and to her left a little, and that side of it scrunched up a bit.  Then that corner of her mouth started to turn up and ohhhh, she was going to laugh at him, wasn’t she?  Yeah, he deserved that-

“Eh- eh- hehehe!” she giggled.

Yeah.  Totally deserved.  He was kind of an idiot.

“I take it by the sword at your side you’ve come to enlist?” she asked.

Link’s mouth dropped open for the second time.

She… still wanted to talk to him?

“Yeah-s,” he said.  On the end of the word, he’d remembered courtly manners were a little more formal than what he’d been used to in Hateno.  He turned ever so slightly pinker than he’d already been.

It didn’t do anything to dampen the smile the woman now wore.  She turned her face upward and it accentuated the swooping shape of her nose.  “I see.  Have you some skill already?”

“Oh,” he said.  “I- yeah, I know how to use a sword,” he said.  His hand itched to come up and grip the back of his own neck or scratch the back of his head, but he resisted.  No need to act like a shy kid.  People would make enough fun of him, with how short he was.

----

[It's still in a very drafty state - but someday I hope to spruce it up and flesh it out!]

Thanks for the ask!

[sailtomarina]

Exact Complements, Part 2

Part 2/4 for the DEG's Ostara Fest featuring four different prompts for each day of the celebration. Day 2 is Renewal (Fertility, dawn, sun, rebirth, awakening)

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Hermione followed him into his home without further comment, and he caught her gaze roaming over each floorboard and painting as he led her to the kitchen. Antonin knew his log cabin was far different from her own cosy cottage. He favoured rustic design and minimal decor; most everything had a clear purpose and meaning. 

That was unfair. He knew her home—warm and overstuffed as it was with knick-knacks, plants, and books—meant just as much to the witch. She might have over lingered in her relationship with that ginger of hers, but Antonin had noticed that she didn’t otherwise clutch onto meaningless things. She just had a larger heart than he with plenty of room for more.

“Tea?”

“Please.”

He poured two cups, doctoring them each with just a splash of fresh milk.

“Why am I not surprised that not only do you know how I take my tea, but that you take yours the same way?” she asked, her voice wry but lacking any suspicion as she accepted her mug and inhaled deeply before taking a sip.

“Because you know me.”

She held his gaze long enough for lesser men to find it uncomfortable, but Antonin was not a lesser man. She gave a little laugh, shaking her head and passing a hand over her eyes as she did so. “I can’t believe this.”

“Believe what, sladkaya?” 

That lovely flush to her cheeks. He wanted to see the colour spread down her neck and across her chest. He wanted to follow it to an even pinker flower ripe for the plucking. 

“That I’m sitting in Antonin Dolohov’s kitchen and drinking tea, instead of reporting everything you’ve done the past several months.”

“Ah, yes. I would apologise, but I believe you found the attention flattering, did you not?” He played with the rim of his mug, busying his hands from reaching out and touching her.

The light from the rising sun filtered through the windows like it did every morning, filling the space and its occupants with light. Antonin felt like one of Hermione’s cats, of which she had three, fat and happy in the warmth of her company. They’d taken to him quickly when he’d first started visiting, yet another sign he and Hermione were meant to be.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes clenched shut as she sighed. “Godric help me, but I did.”

“Drink some more tea. It might help.”

Now she looked suspicious, narrowing her eyes first at him, then at her teacup. “You didn’t drug this, did you?”

“No, Hermione, I did not drug the tea.”

He reached over for the kettle once their cups were empty to top them both off. As he did so, he noticed her eyeing his arm, the sleeve of which he’d rolled up to his elbow. It was also the arm bearing the Dark Mark. “I can glamour it, if you like.”

“That wasn’t what I was looking at.”

That surprised him. “No?”

She shook her head, sending curls spiralling around her face. They were too short to stay up in the clip she’d used to pin back the majority of it. “No. I was looking at your veins. They’re quite prominent.”

He rotated his arm to inspect them, then brought the other up for the same treatment. “I suppose they are.”

He’d never put much thought into it, but now that she’d pointed them out, he quite liked how they looked. He imagined raw power flowing through them, just as much a source of life as the blood that had spilled from them.

He laid one hand out flat on the counter, palm down, veins visible across the back. Just as he’d hoped, she reached out, then paused, her eyes seeking permission. He nodded.

The initial brush of skin to skin, barely there at first, sent a jolt straight up his arm and into his chest. She jerked back with a gasp. 

“Did you feel that?” she asked.

“I did.”

“What is that?” Without waiting for an answer, she fully laid her hand atop his own.

Heat bloomed at the point of contact and spread rapidly, coursing through Antonin with a completeness and finality that reaffirmed everything he’d done up to this moment to make Hermione his. This was magic in its purest form. This was a recognition of souls.

This time, when their eyes met, there was no more barrier. She was fully awake to their inevitability. Antonin, for his part, had hoped even as he’d planned. Her survival of his curse, the only person to have done so and not without difficulty, had been the first sign of their complementary magic. She’d been far too young, too frightened, too sheltered. There were so many obstacles that could have changed the future.

Those were gone now, leaving only the two of them to make what they would of this second chance at life.

“That, my dear, is a promise.”

“Why didn’t it feel like this earlier?”

He flipped his hand so palm touched palm, fingers automatically slotting into one another. “We are inside my domain, and the tea we drank loosened the natural limitations we placed on ourselves.”

“So you did drug the tea,” she exclaimed, but without any hint of betrayal in the tone. He knew that gleam in her eye. He burned with the same hunger for knowledge.

“I did not drug the tea. This concoction is one of Severus’ making.”

She scoffed lightly. She did not, however, remove her hand. “Semantics.”

“It does not do to ignore precision in haste.” 

She would learn in time. Either way, Antonin was delighted. Not only had she willingly stepped into his blood wards, set to only accept the two of them and Thorfinn, but she hadn’t shied away from their magical reaction. Call it what you may—soul mates, kindred spirits, true love—they all pointed to the same logical conclusion. 

“For what reason then did you not drug us with Severus Snape’s concoction?”

He maintained hold of her as he slowly stood to his full height and moved around the counter so he had only to bend down to meet her lips with his own. He was sorely tempted to do so. Instead, he studied every curve of her face. The fine hairs of her brows, a shade darker than her thick mane. Golden flecks within the rich brown of her irises. Freckles faint against her milky skin. He knew extended sunshine brought them out to prominence. One day, he would kiss every single one. A stubborn chin and a defined jaw that challenged his own. A scar from Bellatrix’s cursed blade along her neck which would never disappear.

He already knew her face as well as his own. There wasn’t a single part of her that was not dear to him. Not the blood in her veins, no matter what others might say. Not the infamous temper that he adored. Not even those supposed moments of weakness when she emptied glass after glass with no one but her cats and tears for company.

“I would very much like to take you upstairs.”

He did not imagine her breath catching, nor the way her pupils grew larger at his words. They beckoned him forward, and he obeyed, lowering his head, inhaling deep, brushing past her high forehead and reddened cheeks. He hovered at the precipice, lips just above her own. 

“Please.” He wasn’t sure which one of them said it; it could just as easily have been either one of them.

What he was certain of was that it was not him that moved, but her–pressing upward to meet him, cushions moulding and nibbling and slotting into place. He couldn’t help but moan low in his throat at the sweetness, giving Hermione the window to slide her clever little tongue in and swipe along his inner lip in an indulgent caress before pulling back.

“Show me,” she said.

He didn’t need any further instruction. He helped her up to her feet and wrapped his free arm around so she tucked in beneath his chin. In a gentle twist, they disapparated.

1354 WC

Cross-posted on Tumblr, FB, and AO3.

Okay-okay, so, soulmate-esque. I’m a sucker for the trope, particularly between these two. Ohhhh, he tried to kill her? But she survived! It’s a sign! Now kiss and make up XD

I started out with him having drugged her pantry at home, but thought that was going too far. LOL. Yes, he has limits. He wants her to want him out of her own free will, because the alternative would be messy. He can do messy; he’s great at it, in fact. He just prefers not to whenever possible.

Part 3 has smut planned for it, if that was already obvious. I was always going to go there. It was as inevitable as these two.

[13thpythagoras]

why it pays to be able to change your mind

see if I describe it faster than Steven pinker

The background is that you're on a game show and there are three doors. Behind two doors is nothing and behind the third door is a gold brick that you get to keep if you guess that door correctly. The catch is that after you guess, but before they show you the result of your guess, they actually open one incorrect or empty door that you didn't guess, and then they give you a chance to switch your guess, if you want to, or not switch your guess.

basically, it's kind of a potentially devastating paradox because initially your odds of being correct, and getting the gold is one out of three, and your odds of being wrong are two out of three. But after they show you that wrong door and eliminate it, and give you a chance to switch; if you actually switch guesses, then that turns your 2/3 probability of being wrong into a 2/3 probability of being correct.

so the punchline is if you switch your guess every time, or guaranteed in your one try, then you're actually going to be correct 2/3 of the time and get that gold break 2/3 of the time.

maybe my explanation clicks or doesn't maybe it's actually wrong or incomplete, it makes sense to me but I'm curious to hear the input from other statistics researchers.

bonus example for intuition borrowed from the world's smartest lady, but if there are say 100 doors, and only one gold brick, your first guess would be 1/100 chance for gold right? But after you guess and before the reveal, if 98 other doors are opened to reveal nothing, and you're given the chance to switch your guess, would you?...