#It's stupidly long-winded on account of the situation

[cactusspatz]

December recs

Whew, I read a lot of fic in December! My Yuletide recs are here and here, and I winnowed down the rest of them to a mere ten recs.

Click on for Batman, Murderbot, and Goblin Emperor fics!

BATMAN

The Time Before by @cdelphiki

One moment, Red Hood was fighting with Black Mask, listening to the idiot go on about how he'd murder Jason long before he'd become a problem. The next… Jason was ten years in the past, nine-years-old, and fending for himself on the streets of Gotham. Bruce might not know about Jason yet in the timeline, but Batman was the only one who could protect him against Black Mask. If only Jason didn't hate him so much…

Excellent time travel fic!

this kind of weather by r_astra / @heyy-its-skip

Jason’s at school when his mom dies, and that’s the only reason any of it happens. If he’d been home, if he’d been with her, he would’ve been in the wind before anyone else even knew. Even if they looked, no one ever would’ve found him. He’d have taken to the sewers if that’s what it took, man-eating crocodile guy and all.

I love Jason in this, and his friendship with Stephanie, and the identity secrets.

seventeen going under by @bonerot19

"Where's your pops?" Terry shouted down the sidewalk. "Dunno," Jason said. "Haven't seen him in a week. I stopped goin' lookin' for him a long time ago." Hell, Jason was happy with the man's absence. Maybe it would stick, this time. "He owes me fifty bucks." Terry, closer to Jason now, was still shouting. Jason spun around and started walking backwards. "What'a'ya know," he said. "Me too." AU where Jason is seventeen, his parents are alive, he works nights at a convenience store, and everything is about to go to shit.

Loosely inspired by this kind of weather (in that Jason's parents survived longer) but much heavier on the angst and h/c. I'm loving the WIP sequel as well!

coconut and aloe by merils (Tim/Kon)

Tim still doesn’t sit. “I washed it like three times, but my hair still smells like vinegar and death,” he says, and gazes intently into Kon’s eyes. …Ah. Now Kon gets it. “Tim, buddy,” he says, amusement bubbling up in his chest, because apparently Tim can’t just ask like a normal person. It’s stupidly endearing. “Do you want me to wash your hair?”

Soft and sensual and sweet.

MURDERBOT

An Unexpected Quarter by @ilovedthestars

Murderbot is captured by the company, with no one to come to its rescue. Help comes from somewhere it doesn’t expect.

Aimed directly at my id, and a great outsider POV. On a similar theme, I also enjoyed Salvage or Repair by the same author.

words left behind by torpidgilliver

"How do you stand it?" Dr. Gurathin's tone is slow and even when he asks, "Stand what?" SecUnit 3 shares its feelings with someone who might understand.

Beautiful exploration of Three's grief, and a lovely look at Gurathin's life.

Terrible Tactical Strategy by audreycritter

Three is behaving oddly. There's a surprisingly ordinary explanation, it's just that the explanation isn't fun for anyone.

In which Three has feelings about media in an entirely new direction, and a mini breakdown. Achy but kind.

Un/Safe by John_lzhc

Ayda Mensah was in her office cubby, reviewing the last of the council dispatches, when she received an urgent assistance request from Secunit. That… had never happened before. Murderbot has a close encounter of a 3-year-old kind. It is not impressed.

*cackles* Look, Murderbot is so competent that I just can't resist stories where it panics in social situations.

GOBLIN EMPEROR

The Search for Marneise Amalo by Sphragis

"Before we may attend to the truly important aims of our account, we must address a matter that we had rather not. Were it not for the prurient curiosity of the worst kind of people, we would not deign even to introduce the following subject. As we are obliged to speak, we shall keep the point brief: Pel-Thenhior was not marnis. The accusation was always and only vicious rumor." On the (in)ability of love to find expression in the historical record.

Gorgeous fic using historical research (letters, academic writing, and video/interview) to explore the edges of Thara and Iana's relationship and future. Creative and wonderful.

[s9fti3]

I HAVE THE FUNNIEST REQUEST FOR YOU (because this actually happened to me and I need to tell someone send help please)

I started talking to this guy on a dating app a few days ago. He's a little younger than me and normally I don't really date people that are younger than me; for context, it's because I had to mature really early on (it's a whole thing, I won't get into it). Anyway, I gave him my phone number when he asked and so we've been texting ever since; he sends me cute little 'good morning' texts, tells me that he hopes I have a good day, etc. (entirely different from my last relationship of several years - for comparison, it's like I was dating Jane or Caius and suddenly jumped to Seth???).

SO ON SUNDAY, I had been up all night trying to get roleplay stuff together and I stupidly went down to the mini Mart by my house early in the morning (still sleep deprived) to get some coffee, and before I left, I took a cute little selfie in the car and sent it to him. Well I was all excited from how cute the selfie was, and when I climbed out of the car, I LOCKED MY KEYS IN THE CARRRRR FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE I WAS TWELVE.

ヽ(｡◕o◕｡)ﾉ

I haven't told him about it yet ...

I also found out that he roleplays like I do, and so I gave him my Sideblog. And when he followed me, I followed him back.

And I completely forgot that you can only follow from your main blog.

SO NOW THIS MAN CAN SEE ALL THE WEIRD THINGS I LIKE AND DO AND SEND HELP PLEASE

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE WAS FOLLOWING MY MAIN BLOG UNTIL I CHECKED MY FOLLOWERS BECAUSE TUMBLR DIDN'T NOTIFY ME????

ANYWAY, this is all a really long winded way of asking you if you could please ease my embarrassment and write something between Seth and the reader involving these situations and Seth finding out from the reader about it (because my embarrassment is great for writing and I think Seth would be so amused to find out he flustered someone that much)

Thank you for the request, Lovebug!! I hope you like this :) (I have no idea what I’m doing!)

‘Call me maybe?’- Seth Clearwater Headcannon!!

• You had just so happen to meet Seth through Jacobs 17th birthday party. The conversation was very tame, introducing yourself to one another, talking about up coming events and how you liked the small, yet fun party.

• Seth was going to leave early as he had his ‘studies’ to get to. You took your shot and walked over to him, saying your goodbyes and offering to stay in touch. You had given him your personal number- not your home number, which you usually did.

• Sooner or later you guys started talking… a lot. You guys had also just so happened to share your facebooks with one another over call, friending each other. A very new app, Tumblr, was also something you guys had used to communicate. Well, at least on a fake account that is…

• On a very uneventful day, you had came home and opened up all of your social media to see if anything had happened. New friend request on Facebook? Except. Checking to see if Seth had texted you on Tumblr? Nothing. You had went to your other account that was used for your silly likings. Such as books, or movies, or even just clubs! Your heart sunk when you went through your followers for fun.

• You face bad became at least 3 shades lighter than what it was originally. As if on queue, Seth had called. You stared at your phone before picking it up and flipping it open, clicking on the call button… ‘Hello?’ Your voice ran over the line. ‘You’re into ___? Never knew!’ Seth said over the phone. Embarrassed you were. ‘Hey uh Seth, I’m going to have to hang up. I only have a few more minutes until my minutes run out and I can’t call anymore.’ You replied, almost wanting to die. ‘Huh? You said you had bought some extra minutes like… 2 days ago?’ He said confused. ‘Talk to you later, bye!’ I don’t think you’ve ever hung up the phone so fast.

• As if death had taken you by the hand, you avoided Seth, every chance you got. Of course it broke the poor boy’s heart, but over time you both overcame this little embarrassing moment, and now your telling it at your 3rd anniversary with Seth.

[gourmetpunk]

Holy shit, this has to go somewhere, so uh...

If you haven’t read my previous post on how much I hate my current (thankfully) temporary job, I will try and summarize it quickly in the following three statements:

1. I was hired for a job based on a negligent supervisor’s misreading my email and realizing too late that I don’t really have the skills they want, so I do a whole lot of nothing most days and feel useless most of the time.

2. Said supervisor is an absolute nightmare and completely incompetent at their job.

3. Government bureaucracy is slowly killing me and I have no idea how anything gets done ever.

Now that that’s out of the way, let me introduce a co-worker of mine who I will code-name “K” to protect their identity. K is close in age-range to me and has only recently graduated, having worked in our government department for only the last couple years. They are also an incredibly hard worker, possibly to an unhealthy point.

And they have to be on account of our mutual supervisor’s incompetence. It has not gone unnoticed by me that whenever we get an “urgent request” (which I am only just starting to understand what they are; my supervisor *shockingly* neglected to explain any of the process of our team’s most common form of work to me), K is working non-stop. This is likely not made any easier by the fact that because our supervisor isn’t very interested in putting any effort into training me properly, K ends up teaching me most of the practical things I have learned in this job.

OK, background’s over, story time begins: over the last two days, our supervisor was away sick (understandable). They assigned everyone on our team tasks to work on by email. I was given an extremely difficult task that I had no experience in whatsoever. This difficulty is not purely my own subjective opinion; naturally, I had to ask K for help on it (who, don’t forget, was given tasks of their own to work on alongside this) and they noted it was particularly tough to complete, especially given a clearly-stated deadline of the next day in the email. I’ve italicized and bolded that because it will become important later.

So basically K and I work non-stop on this project for the last two days with reduced break-times, etc., K doing most of the work seeing as they’re the one actually familiar with the type of task and pretty much teaching me along the way. During this time, our supervisor is very slow in responding to any questions we send them over email - this is not unusual behaviour for them, just more frustrating than usual. At least two of our questions stemmed from the fact that their original email was so poorly written as to cause some sentences to become almost completely indecipherable. Please keep this point in mind too.

By the end of the second day, we are exhausted and frustrated but nearly finished. We’re just dealing with some printed documents that need to be highlighted, but we’re not entirely sure where, so we decide to ask another manager who is present in-person that day for advice. Keep in mind that this is not a task that could be accomplished over email or any communication channel other than in-person as it involved a physical document.

We go to the manager and they notice that we look kind of panicked (I will add a side not here that this particular manager is actually helpful and nice in comparison with our own and has given me the majority of the work I’ve completed this semester). They ask us what’s up and we explain; they say to hold on while they call our supervisor, who they put on speaker-phone.

Our manager proceeds to claim that they never stated that the project was due that day, that they told us it was not urgent and basically everything but that we were wasting everyone’s time. They then proceeded to send us a passive-aggressive email asking us why we thought it would be due that day and why we went to another manager instead of them.

In response, I sent them the original email with its due date and pointed out that none of their emails contained any reference to the project’s non-urgency and that it concerned high-level staff approval, which is what led me to believe it was urgent. I then explained that the other problem could not have been solved except by a manager who was there in-person.

They send me back an email that largely ignores what I had written, stating that I should have asked about its urgency if I was unsure of it (which I wasn’t) and that I should always come to them first with problems (which, if you’ve been paying attention, why the hell would anyone with this one?).

But more importantly, my supervisor does something really unethical here: in between my reading the email and responding, they send K (who has also received this email) the same questions in an accusatory manner over our private government chat on which records of conversations are deleted after the program is closed.

I only know this because K actually took me out into the hall to talk to me about it because they were scared. Apparently K’s performance review has been going on for the last 6 weeks and has been steadily going downhill.

I am stunned.

Please tell me how this is right. K is ten times harder of a worker and approximately as many times as knowledgeable on any of the subject matter. K did absolutely nothing wrong in this situation. How could they possibly be blamed for any step of this?

I am coming to understand that our supervisor has a very serious issue: they have insufficient communication skills to properly work in the job they have. This has been apparent in almost all of our communications, including recently a point where (I shit you not) they began to read a table (one that K and I assembled) from right to left and complained about not understanding it before reaching the left of the page, stopping and saying “Oh...now I see. But you should make this more clear!”

But it’s worse than that. Look, I personally believe there should be no shame in finding yourself in this awkward workplace situation where you realize you lack some important skillset. The workplace changes all the time and let’s be honest, the job market is inefficient as hell at fixing this. It can be awkward when you’re in a higher-up position because you’re supposed to look like the All-Powerful Boss, but I guarantee you that your employees will respect you more if you admit that you have a gap and are trying to work on it or find some kind of work-around.

Our supervisor, however, does not seem to have figured this out. Instead, they pick on individuals to scapegoat for all their mistakes. And they smile, and they act very nice to all other co-workers so no one suspects it. But they are effectively a bully in the classical definition I experienced back in grade school: one who is insecure about some aspect of themself they see as deficient and try to make up for it by re-directing mockery to a chosen target in a subordinate position. Our supervisor doesn’t “write badly”; we just don’t read them carefully. They don’t “read badly”; we just don’t write clearly enough. In fact, I believe that the only reason I am not technically the “chosen scapegoat” in this situation is due to my status as a student, meaning I can’t really be fired except for doing something truly awful (though this doesn’t stop much of the blame from being deflected onto me much of the time, too).

Do this, and I guarantee you it is only a matter of time before someone notices what you’re doing and calls you on your shit. If this keeps up (and most importantly, if I see K fired in the time I’m working here), that someone might just be me. At the very least, I plan to contact the school department that got me this job and recommend that they never allow this supervisor to hire another student of theirs again.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

[manonblaqkbeak]

Sugar, sugar

(genuinely hate coming up with titles lol)

this is just rowaelin being pining idiots, one of my fave tropes for day 11--delayed love confession

just a note, the lifestyle in this fic is more of a background note and doesnt really take centre stage in this fic. it’s one ive been tempted to write for a while tbh but didnt really get around to it until now

cw: very, very light smut (like barely non existent, but just in case), a lil bit of swearing

enjoy! :)

3k words (officially my longest fic, yay!)

Every thought in Aelin's mind was blank. She trudged through her apartment that she shared with Nehemia, absentmindedly kicking off her heels that Rowan purchased for her months ago. Then the light jacket she wore joined the shoes, the fabric was perfectly soft and perfect for the autumn chill.

It was yet another piece of item that Rowan purchased for her. A lot of the things she had know were thanks to Rowan, either from his own wallet or from the biweekly allowance he sent her—a generous allowance that was a thousand times better than her weekly paycheck from the bookstore she'd been working at since she turned twenty-two; her business degree had turned out to be useless and so she turned to the bookstore that had been her stable job for three years.

Aelin barely touched her weekly wage now, it was practically buried underneath the money the Rowan gave her.

Because Rowan Whitethorn, thirty-five and a successful CEO who was well known, was her sugar daddy. Had been now for fourteen months. But he was more than that, more than just a man that paid her to spend time with him. He respected her, was loyal to her, listened to her and responded with actual sentences instead of a word or two like other men she had dated. He was charming, didn't treat her like she was nothing but arm candy, and she knew him so well, as he knew her, and each fortnight she sometimes forgot their whole arrangement, but she was sharply reminded when she received the notification from her bank that the two and a half thousand dollars that Rowan sent her was now in her savings account.

When she agreed to their arrangement after several get-to-know you dates, Rowan had wanted to give her three and a half grand every week, and gods Aelin had been tempted because she had never had so much money in her life, but told him that it was far too much and negotiated.

Two and a half thousand was the lowest that Rowan was willing to go, and even though Aelin only knew him for two weeks at that point, she could tell that he would not budge, so she agreed to the amount.

The first time that money had landed in her account, Aelin had thought that maybe she had imagined the whole thing, but the money was a sharp reminder of what she know was—a sugar baby. Those words still didn't feel like they applied to her.

And he still spent money on her when they spent time together. Just last week he gifted her with diamond earrings in the shapes of roses with a necklace to match. She wore them tonight, not because he bought them for her but because she genuinely loved the pieces.

Needing something sweet—despite the fact she had only finished her chocolate hazelnut gelato twenty minutes ago—she dug through her fridge and found the brownies that Nehemia had baked the other day. She told herself that she would leave some for her long-time friend, but Aelin really doubted that would happen.

Aelin relished in the cold air of the fridge as she found the new can of whipped cream on the top shelf. The fridge was one of the first things she purchased with the money she was now being gifted with (and after that came a new washer and dryer, a dish-washing machine and television. Almost everything in her apartment was brand new now, the food were actual brands instead of the generic, tasteless shit. She had bras that fit her properly and were so damned comfortable that she forgot she was wearing them half the time).

The old fridge was a cheap hunk of junk that she and Nehemia purchased off Facebook marketplace for a hundred dollars, it barely kept things cold, but with expensive rent and bills and general life things, Nehemia and her couldn't afford anything better.

Which was how she ended up in this situation. Picking up more shifts barely gave them anything extra, because the economy right now in Terrasen was shit. Nehemia had made a joke about needing sugar daddies, and Aelin, knowing that Nehemia could never really do such a thing, had decided that maybe it was a good idea.

Nehemia had told Aelin that she was insane for pursuing such a thing, and that she had only been joking, but Aelin was not and that she could handle herself if things went wrong.

Nehemia had told her not to do anything, but Aelin was determined and started her search. It had taken a while to find a website that was genuine and didn't make her feel like she had to scrub her eyes out with bleach.

She created her page in private, because she not only was Nehemia against the idea, but so was Elide and Lysandra—she didn't dare tell Aedion what she was doing. Her cousin could be an overprotective pain in her ass at times, and Aelin was very well aware that if Aedion caught wind of what she was doing, he would have locked her up in her room without any type of device so she couldn't go forward with her plan.

She appreciated their concern, she did, but she was a consenting, tax-paying adult, and if she wanted to use her time to get paid spending time with a rich man, then Aelin was allowed to do exactly that.

It wasn't prostitution, she had looked it up, because it was the sugar babies that had the power and so that was how it went with her and Rowan.

Aelin didn't even have sex with Rowan until it was the sixth month anniversary of her and Rowan's...relationship (and gods, it was the best sex Aelin ever had. Rowan was a generous and completely unselfish lover).

He was the first one she came across on the site and almost drooled down herself when she saw his picture. Silver hair, pine-green eyes, a beautiful tattoo down the length of his left arm and tanned skin, he was stupidly attractive and only ten years old than her.

Aelin messaged him first only after being on the site for ten minutes, deciding that surely he was the best one and that she needn't bother to look at any other candidates.

They hit it off straight away, and after deciding on a restaurant to meet at, Aelin had informed Nehemia of the matter, which she was promptly met with question after question: why can't a thirty-four year old man find someone his own age? Is he one of those men that can't date a woman five minutes older than him because of some stupid made up reason? How do you know for certain that it's him in the picture? What if he's cat-fishing you? What if he's a freak, or a killer? What if he's just pretending to be rich to kidnap you? What if, what if, what if?

And so after a heated discussion, Nehemia had come along on her date-that-wasn't-really-a-date and sat a few tables away from her and Rowan, watching them—especially him—the entire time like a hawk.

Aelin had completely forgotten that her friend was there, so enraptured by Rowan and what he did and how he saw life.

It had been fourteen months of seeing Rowan and genuinely enjoying spending time with him and weeks ago, she realised that she wanted it to be something more. That she had come to care for him, not because of the money, but purely because it was Rowan and he made her feel seen and he wasn't afraid of her, because she had once been told by an ex that she could be too much and that he couldn't handle all her baggage.

Aelin wanted a life with him.

So Aelin told Rowan she loved him when he dropped her off tonight after their dinner and a movie date, telling him how she felt, and he had said thank you. He gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek and went home, leaving behind the pine-and-snow scent of him.

Aelin really wanted to find a hole to crawl into and die.

She was scarfing down her third brownie when Nehemia's bedroom door opened, her friend clad in an old matching pj set, her slippers shuffling across the tile.

“What happened? Are you okay?” her friend asked upon seeing Aelin's guttered look. Her dark brows furrowed. “Did that bastard hurt you? If he did, I'll—”

“He didn't do anything,” Aelin interrupted her friend. Taking the food, Aelin planted herself on the teal blue velvet sofa Rowan gave her for Yulemas last year, ignoring the scent of not just him, but of them both from when he came over after work just the other day with pizza and a DVD that she insisted that she watched because it was too good not to, when they forgot all about the movie as Rowan buried himself inside her, leaving hickeys all over her neck that she had to cover up with thick concealer.

Nehemia joined her on the couch, her friend momentarily forgetting for now that she had walked in on her and Rowan just moments after they finished, muttering under her breath in Eyllwe as she glared at them defiling the couch, and gave her a look that Aelin knew that Nehemia would listen to every word that came out from her.

And when Aelin was done recounting the story, all Nehemia could come up with was, “Oh.”

“Yes, 'oh,'. I've probably fucked up the whole thing. So don't be surprised if I call you on your lunch break tomorrow telling you he's broken things off.”

“Aelin, I don't think he will. I know that I'm not the biggest fan of your...situation—”

“I'm aware,” Aelin said, cutting her friend off. “You still won't let me buy you a new mattress, even though yours is hard as a brick and lumpy as hell. I've told you that you can pay me—”

“Aelin,” Nehemia said, “we're not talking about mattresses right now. As I was saying, I doubt he'll break things off because I've seen the way he looks at you. I still think he's too old for you, but he cares for you. You probably just caught him by surprise.”

“How does he look at me?” Aelin was observant, but sometimes when she was with Rowan, all her observation skills went out the window.

“Like he loves you,” Nehemia said, no hint of doubt in her voice.

Aelin sighed, her feelings slowly starting to crush her. “I guess I'll just have to take your word for it.”

Sighing once more, Aelin put the food back in the fridge, showered and went to bed, forgoing her usual night texting ritual with Rowan.

She really wasn't looking forward to tomorrow.

X X X X X X

Rowan couldn't concentrate, which wasn't a good thing, since his job dealt with having to concentrate all the time. But no matter what mind-focusing techniques he did, he couldn't stop thinking about Aelin.

Couldn't stop thinking about how she said she was in love with him. How her beautiful eyes had been sparkling when she said those words to him. And how the light in them dimmed when he said thank you and kissed her on the cheek, telling her that he would talk to her later. But he hadn't texted her, nor did she.

I love you, Rowan. I'm in love with you.

Thank you. He really couldn't believe that was what he said. Felt like an utter fool and a bastard as he realised he probably crushed her heart. Aelin didn't like being vulnerable, and she had been when she said those words and he had gone and fucked it all up.

Rowan loved Aelin, he did, but he truly wasn't prepared for those words. He loved how on the weekends they would be up at one am, baking chocolate goodies, dancing in the quiet kitchen, humming quietly to Aelin's classical music playlist, with her wearing not the nightgowns that he loved, but one of his old hoodies.

He didn't think that he would get along with her so well once they met, thinking that their online interactions were nothing but a fluke. He was moments away from deleting the profile because he didn't actually create it, but Fenrys had, his friend grumbling that he needed a girlfriend, with Rowan arguing that creating a profile on a sugar daddy site was not dating but probably the opposite, when Aelin messaged him.

His life-long friend didn't listen, much to Rowan's annoyance—but he didn't grab his phone out of his friends hand; Rowan blamed it on the several whiskys he had downed by that point.

Aelin bewitched him on that first meet up. She was intelligent as hell and funny, and creative and beautiful. He was aware of why she was on the date with him, but he didn't care, just as long as he got to see her again.

Fourteen months later and Rowan was still bewitched. He wanted to be with her on a permanent basis, but wasn't completely sure how to take that step.

Clearly, Aelin had taken that step for them, and Rowan was the worlds biggest moron.

I love you, Rowan. I'm in love with you.

Thank you.

Groaning, Rowan turned away from his computer and looked at the skyline, ignoring the buildings to instead watch the puffy clouds drift by.

Aelin loved watching the clouds, loved stargazing, loved questioning about the universe and what the skies held.

He never really paid any of that stuff attention, not until he met her.

Rowan didn't want to lose her, didn't want her to think that he was about to break up with her over this. He had to see her, so he grabbed his keys and wallet, told his secretary to hold his calls for the rest of the day, and went to visit Aelin.

X X X X X X

It had been an usually busy day for a Wednesday and Aelin was glad for her lunch break as she trudged up to the roof of the shopping centre. She wasn't really allowed up here, but she wanted some fresh air and to feel the sun against her skin as she sat down and dug into her lunch—fast food, unfortunately for her, because she was so frazzled from last night that she completely forgot about making a pack lunch.

Rowan hadn't called her, or texted her. Not even an email had been sent her way.

Aelin hated that she felt so damned mopey. She was an independent woman, but gods, even a good morning text would have been fine.

She finished her lunch, popping several mints into her mouth to get rid of the onion taste, when the roof door crashed open and a familiar hulking figure came into view.

He must have spoken to Elide to find her here.

Aelin's brow furrowed. “Rowan, what are you doing here?” Oh gods, surely he wasn't going to break up with her, she still had hours to go; there'd be no way she could work if she had tears in her eyes.

Taking her hands in his, Aelin stood up. She steeled herself against whatever he was going to say.

“I love you, Aelin. I'm in love with you, too,” Rowan said, his eyes soft and full of genuine love. Aelin's heart shot up into her throat. “I want a life with you. I want us to buy a home, one that has warmth and character, and a big garden. I want a dog. And kids too, if you want, I know that you've never mentioned it, but if you don't want any then that is completely fine. I want to support you in whatever endeavors you want to take, and if you ever want to go back to university, then I'll support you, or if you want to find a way to use your business degree, I'll help you with that, too. Whatever you want Aelin, I'll give it to you, as long as you're by my side, I'll be happy.”

Aelin was silent for so long that Rowan thought that maybe he shocked her into silence. But eventually, she smiled, one that was dazzling in its beauty that it took his breath away.

“You love me?”

“I do, Aelin, I love you.”

She kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

Rowan groaned at the amusement in her tone, in her eyes. “You're never going to let me live that down, are you?”

She smirked. “Definitely not. It'll be a nice story to tell our children...one day. For now, I think we should contend with being proper significant others.”

Rowan nodded, smiling. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good, because I need to get back to work, since I'm no longer accepting your allowances. I won't deny the use of your credit card, but other than that, you are no longer my sugar daddy.”

It was Rowan's turned to smirk, and it was the one that made her core clench. “How about I be 'daddy' instead?”

Aelin snorted, even as she clenched around nothing again. Smacking his arm lightly, Aelin kissed him. “Only if you behave,” she said against his lips, “and now I really need to go back to work.”

Rowan walked her back, their fingers laced together, and as she turned to say goodbye, Aelin said, “I'll see you later, daddy.”

Rowan groaned, and it took everything in him not to take her hand and into his car to have his wicked way with her.

By the time he thought of a response, Aelin was already back to work, helping a customer with an impressive stack of books in her arms.

But she knew he was still there, because the way she swayed her hips to the counter was all for him, and when she saw him watching her, Aelin winked, making Rowan's heart flutter in his chest.

He really did love her. And he would live with her teasing him for the rest of his life, just as long as she was with him.

[carewyncromwell]

“Oh, you're everything I'm wanting -- Come to think of it, I'm aching... On account of my transgression, Will you welcome this confession? Could this be out of line? Could this be out of line, To say you're the only one breaking me down like this? You're the only one I would take a shot on -- Keep me hanging on so contagiously...” ~“So Contagious” by Acceptance 

x~x~x~x

In Estrid Soelberg’s @thatravenpuffwitch sixth year, there was a noticeable shift in the kelpie who’d taken on the identity of Rudolph Ollivander. Ru was as snarky and anti-status-quo as ever, but they also didn’t seem to look upon everyone with so much universal disdain or distrust. They would initiate a game of Wizard’s Chess with their fellow Ravenclaws now again, including Siobhan Llewelyn @kc-needs-coffee. They enjoyed spending time with Galen Stagg @cursebreakerfarrier, even going so far as to rope the meeker Gryffindor into helping him scare some of their classmates at the Shrieking Shack (which resulted in the two “running for the lives” to get away from their targets’ retaliation, Ru laughing their head off all the while). And with Estrid herself, Ru had actually started taking to asking her to dance with them and then whisking them away so that she wouldn’t have to deal with a hundred and one guys trying to court her at parties. Admittedly that particular behavior only made the rumor machine at school work double-time -- the entire school, it seemed like, saw Ru and Estrid as a couple, or at least sweet on each other, just because of how much time they spent together. It had been rather aggravating for both Ru and Estrid for a long time, even after they stopped actively hating each other and started nurturing a real friendship. 

As their seventh year began, Ru’s relationships with both Galen and Estrid grew even closer. Before long, you wouldn’t see one without the other two. If Galen ever got bullied, Estrid and Ru would ride to his rescue. Whenever Estrid had to brave parties, Ru was her shadow, warding off all unwanted advances. And once, when Ru was challenged to a duel by a Gryffindor and one of his buddies and then attacked from behind upon them winning by throwing a potion in their opponent’s face, Galen went full-on “Papa Bear,” blocking the spell before it could land on Ru, disarming the bloke who’d attacked them, and sticking his wand right in the other Gryffindor’s face until he backed off. And as the three’s friendship grew stronger, Estrid really started to realize how much she dreaded the end of her time at Hogwarts. She’d miss spending time with Galen and Ru -- having them always there. 

Ru in particular she hated the thought of saying goodbye to. As a kelpie, Ru had no real family, and they didn’t see themselves as having many prospects for a real future. They didn’t have very strong magic, and their life-span was short enough that they’d have trouble disguising themselves after a while. 

“Sooner or later, any folks around me at a job or some such would start giving me the side eye,” Ru had said at the time, sounding rather grim and resigned, “they’d dismiss all the theories like botched Transfiguration or a Dark curse, and Bob’s your uncle, they’d figure out the truth. At that point...well. The game would really be over then, wouldn’t it?”

It was that masquerade that was central to Ru’s current life. They’d only gotten into Hogwarts by pretending to be Rudolph Ollivander, so without their identity as Rudolph, they didn’t have a pair of shoes to fill that wouldn’t arouse suspicion. And once that identity was taken from them and they were revealed for what they were, Ru seemed pretty convinced that no one would want to stick by them. They hadn’t even told Galen the truth about what they were yet, and Estrid suspected it was largely because they feared what their best friend would think, if he knew they’d stolen the identity of the Ravenclaw boy they’d drowned in the Lake four years ago. Estrid got the feeling that Ru was already preparing to say goodbye to their life as a human and retreat back to that solitary existence they led prior to attending Hogwarts...and that thought hurt Estrid. She hated the thought of Ru living out the rest of their life alone...only being able to look back at all of the fun things they did at Hogwarts, and never be able to try anything new ever again. Never be able to take any more pictures, or get any better at their crude animations, or even take a stroll through the pouring rain again...

The memory of the two of them dancing in the rain together the previous year rippled again over Estrid’s mind. 

Ru had been so happy, just dancing with her in the rain and enjoying the squishing, squelching sounds made by their shoes and their sopping wet clothes. It just didn’t seem fair that someone who could be happy with so little had to condemn themselves to a life devoid of even those little pleasures. But could she really expect a wild creature to put their own self-preservation at risk -- expect Ru to actually brave the consequences of their past actions? As much fun as they had as a human, and as much fun as they had at school...well, it’d already seemed like they’d given up. Like they’d seen the writing on the wall and were prepared to go out quietly, like a very old cat sneaking out of the house to die in peace. And as human as they were...they were still a kelpie. Would they even be happy with the kind of life witches and wizards led post-Hogwarts -- one with structure, with employment and responsibilities -- with family? 

Perhaps it was because of how guilty she felt about Ru’s situation that Estrid agreed to go with Ru when the kelpie decided to take advantage of the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend to sneak out to a photography exposition in a nearby Muggle town. It was likely because of his loyalty as a friend than Galen tagged along too...and perhaps because Siobhan Llewelyn had also caught wind that Ru was sneaking out and decided to tag along too. 

It was a bit strange, dressing in something other than their school uniforms. Estrid had decided it would be practical to wear pants, since they’d probably have to be able to run quickly in case they got caught sneaking out or sneaking back in. She hadn’t been sure what Ru would do, exactly, since she’d never seen them in anything but their school uniform -- when Ru met up with them, though, dressed in a flared red hunting jacket and khaki trousers with no shirt underneath, she found herself completely unsurprised. Ru already never buttoned their uniform shirt, presumably because of how much they hated collars -- Estrid supposed it was only the next step, to walk around just in a jacket without any shirt on at all! 

The exhibition showcased a series of so-called “moving pictures” -- compilations of still photographs that, when put together, created the illusion of movement. Magical photography tried to create such movement through the use of enchantments, like the kind used on enchanted portraits, but the technology of photography didn’t mesh well with those sorts of enchantments, since it was harder to “fold” the enchantments into the photographs the same way one could with paints, and so they were often poor quality and would often lose a lot of the magic trying to give them the ability to talk and move before long. But, as Ru pointed out to the others, these “moving pictures” the Muggles had developed could be played over and over and over again in a loop, and even if there was no sound included, the overall quality of the pictures remained the same. 

“It doesn’t even try to recreate life, like wizards do with their pictures,” said Ru. “Instead it creates the illusion of life -- records one moment, rather than stupidly trying and failing to recreate everything that person was. And that one moment is enough! It’s more than enough. With that one moment recorded, you get all the information you need. You can fill in the blanks of everything else on your own.”

The four spent the day watching and enjoying moving pictures of walking in Paris, France, galloping horses, and even a girl feeding her cat. The entire time, Ru was transfixed, sitting awkwardly as ever on their chair between Estrid and Galen with their way-too-long legs crossed at a weird angle and leaning across their own lap to look at the pictures better. At one point, Ru leaned their head very far to the side close to Estrid, to try to see the picture from a certain angle, and their long black hair came down like a curtain beside Estrid’s face. 

Biting back a laugh, Estrid carefully brought a hand up to smooth Ru’s hair out of her face. The gesture startled Ru and made them look at her.

“Here,” whispered Estrid with a fond smile. 

She very gently reached up to tuck Ru’s hair behind their ear. 

Ru’s face flushed slightly. Their electric blue eyes darted off to the side.

“...Thanks,” they muttered.

Close by, a couple of older matrons whispered amongst themselves.

“Ah, that’s how the couples are split, then -- left and right pairs -- ”

“Such a strange-looking pair on the right, wouldn’t you say?”

“Perhaps...but look at that dark-haired lad, he’s clearly smitten -- ”

“Is that a lad? Good heavens, that hair -- ”

Estrid shot a tired look over her shoulder. 

“Sounds like people are jumping to that old conclusion again,” she said to Ru with a wry smile.

Ru was still blushing slightly, their mouth twisted in a frown. “...Mm.”

No snarky comment? That was odd. Ru would hardly ever pass up the chance to scoff about how humans’ ideas of “romance” and courting were utterly bizarre. Instead there was almost something...grim in their expression.

People wouldn’t be making that mistake anymore, Estrid thought sadly, if Ru disappeared back into the void, once their class graduated... 

The kelpie returned their focus back to the screen, and Estrid followed suit gladly. At least it seemed Galen and Siobhan were too distracted talking amongst themselves to overhear. 

Unfortunately the group couldn’t stay for the entire exposition, if they wanted to sneak their way back into school with the rest of the kids enjoying their Hogsmeade weekend without getting caught. And although Ru flagrantly ignored the rules most of the time, they seemed oddly concerned about the others’ feelings on the matter, for once.

“Don’t want your whole future getting derailed right as you’re reaching the finish line, do you?” they said rather gruffly.

Estrid had almost never heard the kelpie think of the future that way before. But, of course, even then...it was their friends’ futures. Not their own. Because they didn’t think they’d have any chance of a future themselves...

As the four sat together at the table in the Three Broomsticks, chatting and laughing over some butterbeers and pickled oysters, a fiery, robust feeling was slowly forming in Estrid’s chest, crystallizing and hardening like some kind of flaming hot diamond. 

Ru deserved a future. Even if they had once drowned somebody and stolen his identity -- even if they’d nearly eaten a first year -- they’d grown so much since then, and Estrid had seen there was so much more to them since then. Ru deserved to be able to keep living as a human as long as they wanted. They deserved to live their life to its fullest, even if it was short. They deserved to have somewhere safe to go, even if everyone else found out the truth about what they were and turned their backs on them. ...They deserved to be happy. 

“Estrid?”

Estrid felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. It was Ru, looming over her like a shadow as always.

“Everyone’s getting ready to leave,” they prompted her.

Estrid looked up. All the students in the Three Broomsticks were gathering together in a clump that migrated toward the door. Galen and Siobhan had already started heading out too, whispering amongst themselves -- Galen shot a very quick glance over his shoulder at them and smiled before turning back to Siobhan. 

“...So they are,” said Estrid.

Despite this, she found herself not immediately getting to her feet. She stayed seated for another moment, her eyes on the table. She could sense Ru watching her, but they didn’t speak again. They sensed that she was deep in thought and decided not to interrupt. It was something Estrid appreciated about Ru -- they were never afraid of silence. 

Estrid closed her eyes, exhaled through her nose, and then opened her mouth to speak. Unfortunately, before she could, a voice cut her off.

“Come on, lovebirds!” crowed a particularly obnoxious Hufflepuff boy. “Don’t want to be left behind, do you?”

Both Ru and Estrid shot the boy a very dirty glare.

“We’re not lovebirds, Wilfred,” Estrid shot back dully. 

She sighed. 

“...What is it you like to say about silence being better than stuffing the space with useless words?” she asked Ru, her voice touched with dry amusement.

Ru avoided her eyes, frowning deeply again. “...Hn.”

The amusement slid off of Estrid’s face. No snarky response again?

“Ru?” she asked. 

“What?” said Ru. 

“Are you...” Estrid bit her lip, “...is there something on your mind?”

Ru gave a loud bluster through their nose and mouth. “I would damn well hope so -- I don’t know how so many people go around with nothing in their heads...”

Estrid relaxed noticeably despite herself. 

“Well, now you’re sounding more like yourself, at least,” she said with another light sigh and a small smile. She rose from the bench at last. “Come on then...suppose we’d better catch up with Galen...”

She’d barely gotten all the way to her feet when she suddenly felt a light tap to her cheek. 

Estrid turned her head. Ru had brought a hand up beside her face, their long pointer finger and thumb only touching her skin just enough to prompt her to look at them. They’d also bent down enough that the collar of their jacket gaped slightly, showing off the Adam’s apple and the top of the pale chest under their silver chain, and that Estrid’s and their faces were only a few inches apart. 

“Estrid...”

Ru swallowed. Something seemed to harden in their electric blue eyes, and they plowed on bluntly. 

“...Look -- I’m attracted to you, okay?”

Estrid gave a light start, but Ru pressed on, undeterred. 

“I know it’s stupid, but I like you. I don’t need you to act any differently, and I’m not going to prance about like a show horse trying to make you like me too. If you don’t like me as I am, I’m not going to change myself so you do. The only reason I’m telling you is…”

They glanced away uncomfortably. 

“...Well, for once, everyone else isn’t being stupid when they talk about me being interested in you – and I just thought you aughta know.”

They looked her full-on again. 

“Now you do.”

Estrid was left speechless. Ru’s electric blue eyes were very intense, and more serious than she thought she’d ever seen them, as they removed their hands from Estrid’s shoulder and away from her face. 

It was strange, for Ru’s face to be so serious. It made them look oddly grounded, steadfast...dedicated. Ru had never been particularly suave or romantic in their manner of speaking, but the bluntness in their tone only seemed to highlight how very truthful and sincere the sentiment behind their words was. It was...really quite sweet. It was like Ru had rested a warm hand over her heart, along with lightly touching her face. A hand that made her feel fuller and happier than she had in a really long time.

Estrid had already come to the thought that Ru wanted to stay as they were, as a human -- to keep enjoying little human pleasures like wearing earrings and taking pictures...but now she also knew for a fact that if Ru could...they would also stay. They wouldn’t just charge off into the sunset and disappear. They might even, if she asked, not hate the idea of living like a human -- of having a job and a home like a human, of dealing with everyday human problems...of settling down and laying down roots and...staying. 

If she asked...Ru might stay.

“Ru...”

Estrid reached out and took hold of the red sleeve of their jacket, preventing them from completely straightening up. 

“...Come home with me.”

Ru stiffened. “What?”

“After graduation,” Estrid clarified. Her words came out at a bit of a rush, despite her best efforts. “You can stay with my grandfather and me in Denmark. I’m sure Grandfather won’t mind. You could look into a job with the Daily Prophet -- they could use someone who knows what they’re doing with photography. And if you’re sending stuff in through Owl Post, no one’ll notice if you don’t look human...I can always answer the door, if someone comes to call and you’re not yourself...”

Ru stared down at her, not quite comprehending what they were hearing. Estrid could feel her face flushing, but she kept a brave face on all the same.

“...You don’t have to stay here all alone, Ru,” she said under her breath so no one else could hear. “I’ll help you protect your secret. And even if everyone does find out what you really are...I’ll stand by you.”

Ru seemed stunned. Their electric blue eyes ran over Estrid’s face, dipping in and out of her eyes and into the corners of her lips. They didn’t say anything for a long moment, but Estrid could sense they were searching her face for any flicker of doubt. When they didn’t find any, their face seemed to lose the rest of its color. 

They bit their lip, looking hesitant in a way Estrid had never seen before.

“...You want me to follow you?” they asked very lowly. “To live with you?”

Estrid’s cheeks were burning, but she nodded all the same. 

“Yes,” she said. 

And as soon as she said the word, she realized how deeply and sincerely she meant it. 

She wanted Ru to follow her. She...wanted them to stay with her.

Ru’s expression seemed to clear. Their face broke into a broad, beautiful smile, full of both a childish kind of delight and quiet, soothing relief. They bowed their head toward Estrid, their lightning-like eyes sparkling just like the silver chain on their neck. 

“...Well, then...” 

Ru brought a hand up to tuck some hair behind Estrid’s ear, trailing their long fingers through it so that it lay flat. 

“...Guess you’ll be my ‘keeper’ a bit longer then...won’t you?”

Estrid felt her own lips curling up in a smile too. “...Guess so.”

“You’d better keep a tight hold of me,” Ru said with a mischievous smile. “Kelpies don’t tame easily.”

“Oh yes, I’m very well aware,” Estrid said coolly. “Your lack of table manners alone make that obvious.”

“Humans have hands, we may as well use them.”

Once Estrid’s hair was smooth enough for Ru’s liking, the kelpie’s smile grew a bit more wry as they extended their arm to her in a mockingly over-the-top formal gesture. 

“Lead and I’ll follow, madam,” they said dryly. 

Biting back a laugh, Estrid brought her arm down onto Ru’s and started to walk with them toward the door.

“Oh...and Ru?”

“Yeah?”

Estrid moved up onto the tips of her toes as she walked and just barely managed to graze their chin with her lips. 

“I like you too,” she said softly. 

Ru looked down at her, startled. They examined her face again, searching it for any hint of insincerity or teasing, but Estrid merely smiled.

“It is weird,” she admitted, “considering everything we’ve gone through -- where we started...”

“...What I really am,” Ru pointed out lowly, cocking an eyebrow.

Estrid nodded. “But, well...I guess both of us were always a little weird, to begin with.”

Very slowly, Ru’s lips spread into another beautiful smile, purer and happier than ever. They moved into Estrid, leaning down enough to rest their head down on her shoulder and gently nuzzle the crook of her neck. 

“More than a little,” they whispered into her skin. 

With a light pink flush to her cheeks, Estrid secured her hold on Ru’s arm, and Ru straightened up again as she led them out. 

The pair left the pub together, perfectly unaware of how many people around them were exchanging Galleons.

Turns out that Ru and Estrid had been the subject of quite a few bets around both Hogwarts and Hogmeade village. 

[lets-get-kraken-boys]

Yandere! Hawks/Keigo Takami X Reader: Caged Songbird~

(Description: Ooo, y’all are in for a treat today~! Hey, my first Gender Neutral AND Yandere fic on this account! And no less, it’s our favorite manwhore, Hawks! I sincerely hope you enjoy reading my story and if you like this fic, don’t worry, I have more yandere fic on the way~! Thank you for your time, consideration, and all the love you royals have shown a simple jester like me!)

~

Fanfiction Lingo

(Y/N) - Your Name

(N/N) - Nickname

~

“Normal speech.”

‘Inner thoughts.’

~

Requester: No One!

Reader Gender: Gender Neutral (They/Them)

Style of Story: Oneshot (Possible Part 2?) // Manipulative, obsessive, and controlling behavior; hints of stalking; kidnapping

Word Count: 1.7K Words

WARNING(s): Yandere themes, so if you aren’t okay with obsessive/possessive/psychotic natures then please don’t read!

~

[P.S: I DO NOT SUPPORT YANDERE TENDENCIES IN REAL LIFE!!! Do not confuse me writing this subject as encouraging it, there is a difference from reading/writing yandere stories V.S real life situations. Please, if someone in your life is behaving like the character in this story (i.e. obsessive, possessive, controlling, abusive, psychotic, sociopathic, LIKE A WACKADOO, etc.) get immediate help! That behavior in the real world is not romantic, sweet, or NORMAL! Stay aware and stay safe.]

~

~

“Baby bird, wait up!” the last person you wanted to talk to right now, Hawks, giggled as he drifted down to glide next to your frantic self. Even though you were already speed walking down the sidewalk away from his apartment where the two of you had previously been 20 minutes ago, you tugged your jacket closer to your frame and scurried faster through the drafty night in a desperate attempt to make him leave.

“Go away, Hawks. I’m done talking with you tonight.” you mumbled as he continued to spin around you in an almost teasing way that further pissed you off.

“Ouch, (N/N)~,” Keigo grabbed his chest where his heart is while floating directly in front of you to block your path with his massive scarlet wings, “Not even calling me by my first name anymore? C’mon, what happened to ‘my hero~’ or ‘Mr. Stud~’? Not even ‘bird brain’?” he mocked in fake shock.

You scoffed and stepped past his fiery feathers, marching down your path while shouting back, “You don’t get that lovey-dovey crap from me tonight!”

Though the rest of the world was dark in the wee hours of the night, the flickering street lamps guided you to the train station that would take you back home to your apartment that you thankfully hadn’t moved out of yet, even though Hawks constantly  whined about you ditching the “dingy” place in favor of the two of you living together in his over-the-top penthouse. You had no roommates to notify that you were heading back after a few days with Keigo and you had long ago left your parents’ house to live on your own so you pressed on, blocking out his pouty, annoyed huffs of air in favor of dreaming about your cozy bed waiting to coddle you in its embrace with no fear of sharing the space with anyone.

“(Y/N), slow down for a second! Why are you acting so weird?” you heard Keigo’s voice and jogging footsteps sound from behind you. You recognized the feeling of his hand trying to circle around your wrist but before he got too comfortable, you snatched it away from him and swiveled your body back to meet his teasing hooded eyes.

“I’M acting weird? What about you! You brought this onto yourself, stupid!” you hissed while stepping a foot back.

Though that action didn’t make him falter, instead he stepped with you and stared you dead in the eye, “What did I do, hummingbird?” he asked with another sly cock of his head.

“Really? Me yelling at you in the penthouse wasn’t enough,” you growled, “You were checking through my phone while I was in the shower like a total CREEP, Keigo! What were you thinking, that I was just gonna come out of the shower, see you looking through my private messages with friends and family without you previously asking for permission to do, and I would say “Oh, no worries, love!” Are you nuts or something?!” you hollered at the hero whose smirk made you want to gift him a punch straight in the face for his cocky attitude.

“It’s fine, baby bird, I’m just checking to make sure everything was okay! You’ve been distant with me lately~,” his eyebrows twitched up and he gave a small pout as his wings slightly drooped to the pavement.

“Wait, hold on, we’ve been on a few dates for the past two months, no where near officially dating yet, and you think stuff like that is okay? You trust me so little that you have to go behind my back and search through my private things, to what? Prove a point to yourself or something? How did you even get my password?!” you barked in his stupidly attractive face.

“Love, you’re overreaching,” Hawks strode over to you and quickly locked you in his strong arms, though you tried to squirm away in disgust, “There are things in this world that a civilian like you wouldn’t understand. Heroes have to make so many hard decisions and as your hero, I have to make sure to be just that, save you from everything and everyone, even yourself sometimes.”

He leaned his head on yours and you heard him take a deep breath in only to let it out with an almost loving sigh while he continued, “There are bad people in this world that I encounter every day and I don’t want you accidentally stumbling on them through the internet. You know, it’s really rude of you to have kept Tinder on your phone even though we’re already in a committed relationship. Good thing you have me here to help!” he chuckled, his hold on your body tightening with each passing second.

Thoroughly creeped the hell out and not one to look past such obvious red flags though his looks tried to deceive you, you finally broke free of his tight grasp and shoved him back a few feet with shaky hands. You kept your hands outstretched in front of you, though you trembled in fear, and spoke in a fake strong voice, “That’s it, Hawks, we’re done, even though there’s nothing really to be done with in the first place. No more dates, no more hanging out, just flat out don’t talk to me ever again, okay? You see me on the street, walk the other way. I sincerely wish you the best with your dating life, but here’s a tip for the next person you seek out, don’t go poking your head into their personal life until you two are more than close. Goodbye, Keigo.” you finished, breaking out into a sprint towards the train station, leaving a flabbergasted Hawks in the dust.

Keigo stood where you had just been and simply stared at your retreating form as you sped off into the night. His eyes glazed over in pure jealousy and rage as his wings poofed up behind him to physically show his anguish. He stood under the buzzing streetlamp for a couple minutes more, processing the information, until he let out a small snicker. His snickering turned into giggling, escalating to laughter, and finally into an uncontrollable hollering. He bent over himself in the fit of insanity and after gulping down the lost air in his lungs as he looked back up to the place where you had previously stood with a menacing glint sparking in his honey-colored eyes.

“(Y/N)’s just...confused...yeah. Yeah! My god, how didn’t I see it before?! I’m such a bad boyfriend! But I can fix this,” Hawks shakily straightened back up and pulled his jacket tighter to himself, smoothing down his ruffled hair and wings, “Yeah, I can fix this.” He concluded to the empty air with a satisfied hum.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N), Keigo’s here to save you yet again~,” Hawks’ crazed smile flashed in the night as he flipped down his wind-resistant glasses.

~

~ Timeskip to 10 minutes later and we’re with you! ~

~

You panted for air as your run slowed into a brisk walk yet again. Now about a half a mile away from the complete psycho you had been with, you felt much safer now than any time you’d ever been around him, pro hero or not. You swiveled around on your feet and looked behind you as you walked down the street backwards, taking careful steps and surveying the area to make sure that weirdo hadn’t followed you. No one behind you on the lonely road, no one hiding in the allies or on the rooftops you could see, and no bird brain flying behind you in the air. It was almost eerie how alone you were but you still smiled, finally free.

“Thank goodness, that was getting awkward. I’ve really gotta stop letting guys with pretty faces fool me into a date.” you huffed to yourself as you remained walking backwards. Pulling out your smartphone from your jacket pocket, you swiped through your device and pushed on the phone app to call your mom to let her know that instead of heading back to your apartment you’d like to spend the night with them, no doubt in your mind that if Hawks was determined enough he probably would have scoped out your place already since ‘heroes have connections’ and all.

As you tried to press the ‘call’ button, you heard the sound of something swiftly cutting through the air behind you but before you had time to react your phone was launched out of your loose grip. You watched as the fast moving object shot and stuck into the ground, having entirely pierced through your phone and the solid cement, rendering the device useless. Nothing but fear raced through your veins as you recognized the weapon as one of Hawks’ scarlet feathers you had happily stroked not so long ago.

Before you could book it once more down the empty street, you felt two strong arms wrap around your arms and torso. You yelped as they constricted around you like a snake wrapping around its prey and began wildly thrashing your legs, trying to wiggle your way out of your captor’s hold. You heard the “hero” sweetly coo in your ear, almost like he was trying to calm a restless baby, and you suddenly felt big gusts of wind push around your body and through your desperate squirming you realized that you were no longer on the ground.

“Relax, baby bird,” Keigo sighed in content as he swung your body up and into his arms, pinning your arms to your side and carrying you like a royal being saved by their knight, “We’re just going back home so you can...calm down a little! You’ve been under such stress lately, haven’t you? That’s probably why you lashed out! I’m so sorry for not noticing sooner, love.” Tears of frustration blurred your vision as your legs thrashed as hard as they could, but nothing could loosen the man’s tense grip.

“Let me go, you...you psychopath!” you screamed out, fast wind whipping past your face as Keigo sped back to your prison.

“Awe~, (Y/N), don’t cry,” Hawks nuzzled your head, a purr rumbling in the back of his throat as one of his feathers brushed away the tears dripping past your cheeks, “Your hero will take care of everything now~!”

~

~ The End ~

~

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale’s Pick: Miraculous Ranking (as of Season 3)

Rules:

1. The miraculous will be taken at their maximum potential. That means the user can use the special power as many times as they desire and what we know about those powers currently. (Example: I can't assume Chat noir will be able to throw his cataclysm like Chat Blanc, I only know he can destroy something he touches with it.

2. This list does not take into account the Kwami themselves. Their personality and abilities hold no bearing on the rankings.

3. The miraculous ranking will only be including its potential by itself. Not with fusions, power ups, just the bare essentials.

4. I will be ranking this based on Combat usage, practical usage, creative possibilities, and overall effectiveness

5. This is Opinion based and I would love to hear your logic on whether you think certain miraculous should be ranked higher or not. 

_______________________________________________________________________

13. The Mouse

It is a super situational miraculous. Its ability “Multitude” is a good ability when paired with other miraculous, but by itself, it sort of lacks in everything except stealth. It does allow for you to be in multiple places at once, but it isn't helpful when you are smaller then an actual mouse. Its not gonna win any fights, In a fight, it isn't gonna help the user out as anything more then a distraction.

12. The Fox

Now I know a lot of people will be shocked to see this one so low. But really, while its a cool ability, Illusions are kind of useless outside of distraction and deception. If used right it can cause your opponents some trouble and I do think it has a lot of creative usage and practical usage. But the problems set in when the user actually is aware that they are illusions. Now a clever person might be able to use the fact that their opponent knows they are illusions to their advantage... but that is also situational. Also, the weapon is a flute. It is one of the lamer weapons to use, little range, and needed for the power use, so if someone knocks the flute away, the illusion power is useless.

11. The Monkey

So how did the monkey’s situational power up beat out the fox? Simple, its power is useful in besting other miraculous  wielders and super powered individuals. Uproar is the power to mess up powers, your unique abilities become useless against this mad monkey. In terms of a fight, its like being an equalizer. Though the problem is, its kind of unpredictable. its effects change depending on who is hit and the power’s effect is only temporary, so if you use it, the user should act fast. Also, while the weapon is cool,, the miraculous is probably really easy to snatch off of his head.

10. The Butterfly.

Yes, I am putting the main villain’s miraculous down here. My reasoning, its highly conditional.

1. You need a consenting individual, usually one with negative emotions, or a willingness to do the user’s bidding.

2. The person with the akuma usually influences the power. Hawkmoth’s influence on their power set is confusing and its unknown. But it leans more towards the user’s mental state.

3. Hawkmoth can only control the akumatized victim somewhat. Again, this varies.

4. Only one akuma can be created at a time without power ups or boosts. 

5. There is a range on how far the akuma is that Hawkmoth can't influence it.

6. If that akuma is out of range, it can't be called back and a new akuma can't be made.

Now the butterfly miraculous does have some cool bonus abilities. Such as feeling other’s emotions from a stupidly far distance. If the akuma isn't purified it can multiply. It can boost the powers of other miraculous, and even make an akuma that has the power to boost its own power but again... that varies.

The butterfly is sort of like the king of conditional powers. It can be useful but it also can be limiting.

9. The Bee

How did I put the bee Miraculous this high up? Simple, stunning an opponent is crazy OP and its pretty much a one hit KO on most foes. Sure the user has to touch them, but at max potential, the attempts are unlimited and all the user needs it one opening and it is over. It is definitely more reliable in a fight and honestly in general.

8. The Turtle

Some say the best defense is a good offense, I say the best defense is a f***ing force field. The applications of Shelter are phenomonial. The shield is able to take a good amount of damage, Fu’s shield was able to hold out a long time even with attacks from Hawkmoth, Mayura and a sentimonster. Its a great stalling tool and great for protecting others as well as yourself. Plus the shield means you can Captain America all deadbeat fathers. And if Rising of the Shield hero has taught me anything, a good shield can do wonders.

7.The Dragon

I was actually surprised by how low I had this on the list. A miraculous that allows the user 3 different elemental abilities. Control of Wind, Lighting, and Water. How can I put this so low? Well the truth is, even though this is totally awesome and versatile. The other miraculous on this list are also stupid overpowered. But despite that, this is likely the best ranged power that is used.

6. The Horse

Transport is an amazing ability. Its fun with portals. Late for school? Portal. Need to avoid an attack? Portal? Want to send a weapon somewhere far away? Portal? Throw your enemies into the sun? Portal. Transport is crazy over powered, The only drawback being that the user has to jump into the portal to actually utilize it. So if someone sees a portal, they know something can happen.

5. The Black Cat

The cat miraculous is the best Offensive Miraculous. It’s weapon, the ever extending staff has crazy range, has a tracker, and can split into two weapons for duel wielding make it great to have. And its power Cataclysm can destroy ANYTHING it touches. While at first glance this seems lacking, imagine unlimited destructive attacks, not only that, it acts as the user’s protection from having the miraculous snatched, and it works on anything. Except sentibeasts, it just makes those go haywire. If you want the best example of how powerful and dangerous this power is, look at plagg. A cataclysm can level a city if not controlled. Chat noir has brought down things as large as the Eiffel Tower. And with unlimited cataclysms, One touch and the opponent is done FOREVER. It doesn't matter their ability if their dead. Also on a lesser note, Night vision and the ability to purr.

4. The Peacock.

The power to create Sentimonsters. Beings that can demonstrate sentience if not controlled by someone. The peacock seems to have the ability to make amok for people if they are willing to accept it or even themselves. The peacock has every advantage the Butterfly has, and more. It even gives the Peacock user free reign on what the amok is, Nathalie was able to make an exact replica of Ladybug with her own version of lucky charm. Meaning a peacock can make an evil version of pretty much any hero to an extent, though the amount of concentration needed is up for debate, which could be limiting. But a bonus is  that if the Sentimonster acts up, she can remove the amok. The only downside is that whoever has the item controls the sentimonster, and that can be turned against the user. But outside of that the weaknesses are pretty limited when it isn't corrupted.

3. The Ladybug

At first Glance it doesn't make much sense that Ladybug would be so much higher on the list, but the thing is, the Ladybug is crazy powerful, able to undo ALL damage done with miraculous healing. Able to summon an item that is guaranteed to help them in some compactly, and with unlimited summoning, can be used to handle ANY situation.

Plus, her weapon, the Yo-yo is also just as versatile as the Black cat staff. 

The only downside is that the Lucky charm needs to be figured out, in a hypothetical situation, with enough time and preparation, the lucky charm can helpfully beat any foe. But the key word is Preparation. Also there are some shortcomings of the Lucky charm.

1. It randomly give charms that are useful in an situation father in advance. (like the key in season 3)

2. It is not prepared for unknown elements. Like in season 2 finale, it summoned a miracle box, likely to get Hawkmoth’s miraculous, but the Lucky charm wasn't expecting Mayura so the item was useless.

3. If the user is not creative enough to know how to use the lucky charm, its pretty much useless.

But outside of that, at its max potential it is one of the most overpowered Miraculous.

2. The Snake

Anyone that has played undertale can tell you how OP save points are. Second chance is insanely broken. The user can memorize what their opponent’s attack patterns and counter. They can do this as many times as they want within a 5 minute interval.  Its a redo button and there is pretty much no limit to it at its max potential. Even with the limited 5 minutes before retransformation, it can be abused. In a one on one match, it is pretty much invincible. The only caveat is that the use nerds to slide the bracelet back to go back to the save point. So if the opponent wants to win, they have to incapacitate the snake user. Outside of that, Fu himself talks about how dangerous this miraculous is, and it is completely understandable.

1. The Bunny

Time travel in this universe is completely OP. Since the ML universe doesn't run on Multiverse theory, Time is delicate and can be changed easily. Bunnyx has the power to alter time in anyway she wants. Rabbit hole not only sends her to any time she thinks off, it takes her to the Burrow which allows her to view MULTIPLE periods of time and look at them like she is watching a movie, she can rewind and fast forward to find key events. Bunnyx could go back in time and simply take the miraculous away before the user even transforms. Heck, the bunny miraculous allows the user to do pretty much ANYTHING. Trap your opponents in the Dino age? Stop them from being born? Travel forward in time and find the cure for cancer? Bunnyx also has Pockets, she can HIDE HER MIRACULOUS!?

Seriously, The snake miraculous can have all the save points in the world, but it can't counter someone jumping through time.

Ladybug’s lucky charm won't work if isnt expecting a f***ing dinosaur to pop out of nowhere after its summoned.

The point is, Time travel is the best power and thus the bunny miraculous is dangerously OP and the best miraculous

[danganronpa-21]

Kiiruma for the fanfic request

Pairing: Kiiruma (Kiibo x Miu Iruma)

Word Count: 4729 words (11 pages)

Applicable Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending

Warnings: Mention of suicide, heavy violence and bullying.

Summary: Miu wishes Kiibo hadn’t protected her that way. She couldn’t support it, knowing what would have to be done.

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

It was Miu’s fault. 

What Professor Idabashi had to do, it was Miu’s fault. 

She didn’t know how long the two of them had been standing there, just staring at the deanimated body of their loved one. She could barely even recall arriving, her entire being having been consumed in a fog. A fog that hadn’t lifted since the day the professor told her about Kiibo’s deactivation. She supposed it paired well with the rest of her body, the whole thing tingling with this profound sense of numbness She’d already spent the time she needed feeling those deep stabbing pains in her guts, squeezing out a seemingly endless stream of tears. Her mind drifted back to that first night, her roommate holding her hair back as she dry heaved. She’d been crying too hard. Hadn’t been able to stop the dinner she’d barely eaten from coming back up.

“It’s okay, Iruma-chan.” Kaede’s voice was supposed to be soothing to Miu’s ears, but with everything that happened, it felt honeyed. “You’re okay, Iruma-chan.”

She’d hated hearing those words. She knew she wasn’t. She could never be. Not after what happened, what she did. She could never be okay with leaving things the way they were. But could she say that to Kaede? All the poor girl wanted to do was help. Much as Miu mocked her sometimes, she didn’t have the heart to tell her off. She knew she was a mess. It would be wrong to fault Kaede for trying to pick up the broken pieces of who she was. Whether she believed the other girl or not, she was just trying to help.

Kiibo would have been fine if Miu stood up for herself that day. It would have been better for everyone if she’d just worked up the courage to pound that guy’s face in the moment he started to disrespect her. It was what any gorgeous girl genius would have done in her place, but she knew she wasn’t that person. Not really. It was just a front to keep people from feeling as if they could mess with her. And even then, what happened to Kiibo made it clear that it didn’t work. How could it, when that boy had marched up and smacked her across the face like it was nothing?

People were always shocked when people they liked were hit. They’d all yelp and cry out, kicking up a big fuss. Sometimes someone would even come to their defence, in hopes of protecting them from their assailant. Miu saw that very same thing happen time and time again, when girls prettier and more popular than her were struck. Usually on account of some drama, she’d guessed. She’d always had to guess. Nobody but Kiibo wanted to tell her anything. The two of them had always just had to assume that the drama was really terrible, for the girl to warrant a hit like that. But regardless of what happened with each of those girls, someone always came to their rescue. Someone would lift them off the ground, check their wounds, call the other person some horrible name. Then they’d squabble until a teacher came rushing out, all wide-eyed and crotchety over the scene. Like students beating on each other somehow took the skin off their backs. Miu remembered thinking about how stupid their faces looked every time she saw it. All wrinkle lines and gaping mouths as they yanked students away from each other; their whole professorly set-up askew as they lost what remained of their dignity to their duty. She lacked respect for them. How could she even dare? After what they’d done when she’d been pushed down, when she’d been beaten on, when Kiibo had been the only person kind enough to come to her rescue… Who’s to say that she should have any respect for those teachers who so clearly didn’t care about anything but keeping their stupid jobs?

Hiroshi Obinata was the name of the boy they’d defended that day. The same boy who struck her. The same boy who ensured that Professor Idabashi had to deactivate Kiibo. Her hands curled into fists at the mere mention of his name, or the crossing image of his face in her mind. I should have beaten the shit out of you myself, Miu thought angrily, I should have shown you how strong I can be. 

But I didn’t.

Kiibo had to protect me. 

She swallowed hard. If she didn’t know any better, she’d have sworn that a rock lodged itself in her throat. That’s how difficult it felt to do something as stupidly simple as swallowing. Then again, most movements came to her in waves of discomfort after that day. After the first day, her shoulders seemed as if they had been wound tight; they were almost totally collapsed. The day after, air sucked itself from her lungs almost entirely. And the day that followed after that one, she erupted with sobs so strong that she vomited, and Kaede ran to her side to hold back her hair. And now she was at today, staring at Kiibo. At least, what used to be Kiibo.

If she were to be honest, she didn’t feel like she’d entirely left the day he struck her. Ever since it occurred, the memory played in her mind on an endless loop. Every waking hour she replayed the situation in her mind, wishing that she did something differently. In some versions, she pushed herself up off the stone path and socked Hiroshi in the jaw. In other versions, she stopped Kiibo before he could get out of hand. He was always so gentle; surely he would have listened to her if she’d just pressed him sooner. How could a boy that gentle be capable of what he did? 

Hiroshi had it coming, Miu thought bitterly. No matter how drastic the measures Kiibo had taken, Miu knew he deserved it. Nobody should get away talking the way he did. His every word hung in the air like fairy lights on a wall — if fairy lights were ugly and horrible, rather than charming and bright. Hiroshi was crude, he was crass, he spoke like he didn’t care who listened. He would throw out some far-fetched gossip here, insults against innocents there, and every once in awhile, he’d be sure to throw some slurs in… to take a stab at the school’s minority groups. Miu hated him from the moment she first heard his voice. She hated him from the moment she saw his face. She hated him from the moment he took a jab at Kiibo’s expense. 

Her defending Kiibo against Hiroshi melted into Kiibo defending her against Hiroshi. It would’ve been funny, she thought, if it weren’t so sad. Irony has always worked in strange ways. This time, it punched Miu in the face. Much like Hiroshi had.

The hit got her good, she would allow him that. A harsh, forceful punch that would easily bruise his knuckles and her face. Just the one hit, and he managed to draw blood. The sign of someone who knew what they were doing. Did he get into a lot of fights like this, she almost wondered aloud. It would certainly explain why the punch hit her less like a punch and more like a brick. Without even having to thrust his fist into her gut, he winded her. Without having to say a word, he humiliated her. She heard them all gasp in delight when she hit the courtyard’s path, going down like a bag of rice someone lobbed at the floor. Her chin collided with the path, and her voice squished out from her belly as she fell. Some of them snickered at the sight. Had the weather been any more cruel, she was certain he would have shoved her straight into a mud puddle. That’s how it always happened in the cheesy anime, right?

Instead of a mud puddle, she recalled how her nose acquainted itself with the smell of grass and dirt growing between the cracks in the old stone path. Copper coated her tongue when she licked her lips, and for a moment, she could hear nothing about the sounds of Hiroshi’s hollering and the hurled insults of all of the people who stood around them. 

“Look at the gorgeous girl genius now!”

“Quick, someone take pictures of the stupid slut!”

“Way to go, Obinata-kun!”

“It’s about time someone put her in her place.”

“Wow, isn’t that just so humiliating?”

“I bet she’ll cry. Just watch, she’ll start bawling. Did you see her after that Sato-san struck her? She wailed for hours!”

Fuck you. The words were right on the tip of her tongue, yet they refused to roll off. Fuck you, she chanted internally. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuck all of you. I hate all of you. I hope you all fucking die in a big monster fire and makes you realize what fucky shitty people you all are. Fuck.

Tears pricked at her eyes, but god, she couldn’t let them see her cry. Not after what they said. Giving into it would only make them think they were right about her, and she would rather slit her throat on the spot than let that happen. She had to swallow her tears, and she had to get up. Get up. Get the fuck up. Get the fuck up, Miu!

The ragged stone scraped against the palms of her hands as she tried to push herself up. Tremors washed over her at the mere idea of having to face her offenders again. Not that she’d receive much of a chance, for the second she started to get up, Hiroshi’s boot connected with the back of her head and shoved her back down. He took extra care to mash her nose into the ground, just to humiliate her further. She was certain he’d insist that it was “for good measure”. Whatever that meant. Everyone knew she wouldn’t get up anyway. They weren’t exactly wrong when they suggested she might cry. The pressure had already built up in her throat, but she was loath to let it out. Keeping her grief at bay was the only thing on her mind — aside from the persisting wonder about where Kiibo was. Surely, Kiibo would come to save her, wouldn’t he? He always did, in moments like this… 

Why did he have to come?

Why did he have to get so... violent? So ferociously out of character? The memory of it all, it boggled her mind. The fact that sweet, gentle Kiibo could become such a menacing character when he wanted to be… it made her head spin. Then again, it probably made Hiroshi’s head spin, too. Looking back, Kiibo jacked him up way worse than what he had done to her. By the time a teacher came around to catch what was going on, Hiroshi was practically writhing around in pain. His once tanned skin had since become dotted with ugly hues of purple and green; in some places to the extent that it began to swell and puff up. Particularly around his eyes, she noted. Completely unashamed, she recalled how she relished in his misery. The poor asshole would barely be able to see for what could be weeks. Fitting pay back, she thought bitterly. The scarlet liquids gushing from his nose and lip felt fitting, too. By the time Kiibo was done, the blood on her face had begun to dry, but she could take some satisfaction in watching Hiroshi get a taste of his own acrid medicine. Her nose still hurt from when he mashed it against the pavement, after all. Of course, Kiibo did a lot more than just mash Hiroshi’s nose into the ground. He knocked the air out of his gut, left the nastiest bruise on his jaw — even threatened to blow his head off with a blaster should he ever come to hurt Miu again. Hiroshi was so terrified that he fell to the ground screaming about Miu being a psychopath, and how Kiibo was her sadistic little toy that helped her get off to other people’s torture. She wasn’t surprised in that moment that he still opted to take shots at them. Guys like him never did know when to quit. What did surprise her, though, was the way Kiibo reacted. 

“Shut up,” The words dripped off that mechanical tongue of his like venom, “Just shut up.”

Hiroshi flinched, but the students behind him continued the taunt, unwilling to see their leader lose. “What are you going to do if he doesn’t, Roboboy?”

Idiots. The word rested on her lips, but she didn’t dare utter it. Her situation came with enough risks already. She would prefer that the beatdown not return to her if she could avoid it… Not that she expected anything to get past Kiibo at this point. He kept flexing his fingers like he itched for more of a fight, and she wondered if Hiroshi would be getting out of this with greater injuries than the ones he already possessed. Miu couldn’t be certain that Kiibo would be willing to go easy on him, after all that she’d witnessed already. In fact, she felt more than certain that he wouldn’t, given what she saw already. Something inside of Kiibo had snapped — and not in the robotic way. 

She could see the change in his demeanour; that once friendly, smiling face twisting into an expression of rage she’d never seen from him before. His body actually shuddered. Before seeing him here, she wondered if robots could even shudder from fury and revulsion. Now she knew that this was a feature Professor Idabashi installed. For what, she didn’t know, but in retrospect, the presence of that function should have been a warning. 

Kiibo’s eyes could only narrow as he stared, almost blankly, at the boy on the ground. Though he tried to hide it, fear rattled Hiroshi’s bones. Miu recognized the sensation, and that feeling of aching bruises and blood dripping from seemingly every hole in his face. For a minute, she hoped that this might be a wake-up call for him about his actions, but she shook it off as soon as it came. People like Hiroshi could always be put into their place, but they would always have the benefit of popularity on their side. Their current situation came as proof of that. Even though Hiroshi had been reduced to the same scenario as Miu, the other students still rallied behind him. Pathetic. The word hung in her mind. People who had nothing real to stand for. 

Kiibo’s voice deepened as he stepped forward… like some kind of menace that Miu knew he wasn’t. What was even trying to prove? “Would you care to find out what I’ll do?” The question was practically spat through his gritted teeth, “Do you want to see what happens to people who beat down on people weaker than them?”

She swallowed. Words cut through Miu’s throat like the bone of a hunk of meat, her voice weakened as she called out to Kiibo. It took her by surprise, in all honesty. She hadn’t been expecting how raspy it sounded, or how willing it was for this to end. “Kiibo, don’t.” 

Recalling that he whipped around to stare at her didn’t feel like truth. Though she knew she didn’t fabricate it, his confusion and anger struck her as a false memory. Maybe it was because the whole incident was a blur, or perhaps it was the stunned and upset expression on his normally cheerful face. He wanted to keep fighting. “Why not? After what they did to you? I’m not going to stand by and let this keep happening.” 

Miu found the strength to do little more than reach up and wipe the scarlet stains off her face. God, she wished there was more she could do to convince him, but all she could do was try to force a phrase from her throat. She knew that couldn’t be enough. “Fucking hell, Kiibo, you’re not like this.”

She’d tried. Even with her feet knocked out from under her, all battered and bruised, tears wetting her lashes, she’d tried. If anyone were able to reason with him, she would be the one to do it. Everyone always said that the two of them had this unbreakable bond… Even Professor Idabashi, who had taken Miu aside, and thanked her for being such a good friend to him. Of course that had to be the memory that came back as she and the professor stared wordlessly at what remained of Kiibo.

Her tongue felt like cotton in her mouth. No matter how many times she stood in that spot, right next to the grieving professor, and replayed the incident… she could never figure out what to do. What she should have done, how she could have protected him. The only answer that snake-like voice in her head could offer was “be less of a coward”. But would even that have saved Kiibo from his fate? Or would it have just made it happen differently? 

She didn’t give herself the time to ask the question. She only sighed, slowly turning to the professor with tired, sad eyes. Admittedly, it stung, when he didn’t meet her gaze.

“Hey, um… professor?” 

God, she wished she didn’t have to talk. The sound of her own voice echoing against the lab’s chambers made her want to scream. Just hearing the sound of her own voice reminded her of what happened. Once upon a time, her voice rang out alongside Kiibo’s in the chambers, laughing together at some joke she’d made, or some human thing that Kiibo didn’t understand. Her voice wasn’t made to bounce around these chambers alone — Kiibo’s was always meant to accompany it, like they were performing a symphony. Only… the music wasn’t there anymore. Just the sound of Miu’s voice.

The professor’s face flashed a strobe light of emotions as he turned to look at Miu. There were so many that she couldn’t even be bothered to try and discern what each little twitch and twist in his face meant. Something like defeat, and grief, and anger, and all of those wretched feelings she knew too well. 

“Miss Iruma.” 

Her name dropped from his tongue so sadly that just the sound of his tired old voice made her want to bawl. Look at what you’ve done to him, the voice in her head sang, you’ve taken everything from him. 

“Sir?” 

It felt too formal in her mouth, but using anything else to refer to him wouldn’t feel half as appropriate. 

“I… I’m sorry that things turned out the way they did…” Professor Idabashi looked as if he were in physical pain as he tried to force the words from his mouth. Miu almost wanted to make him stop just so he wouldn’t hurt himself. “But I think you should know that… Kiibo cared about you a great deal. He didn’t blame you for what had to be done.”

He should have, that same voice screamed, she should have hated you and wanted you to die because you’re a horrible slutty bitch who just deserves to get fucked and die die die die die die die die die die-

Opening her mouth to answer him was a mistake. All that left her mouth was a pathetic sob, and for a minute she swore she wanted to do nothing more than melt into a puddle of heartbreak. She knew he wouldn’t blame her, but even so, hearing the words came as too much. Within an instant, tears poured over her and she just couldn’t control herself anymore. Her lip finally allowed itself to quiver. Her fists slowly but surely relaxed, and her hands flew to her face to wipe away her tears. And all Professor Idabashi could do was watch her with these horrifyingly hurt eyes, wishing more than anything that there was something he could do. All she could manage for herself was a nod to his statement, so she hardly believed that he could do anything to make it better. As much as everyone wanted to try, nothing could.

“Is there something I can do, Miss Iruma?” 

She didn’t deserve his kindness. Kiibo had been like a son to him. He loved him above everything else in the world. And Miu took that away from him. Her recklessness and cowardice took the one thing he truly felt he had in the world. Her lungs longed to scream at him for it; for daring to be kind to her when she didn’t deserve an ounce of respect. This was her fault! It was her fault and he should  be letting her know that it is her fault! 

As much as she tried, words refused to come. All she could do was lift her head up to look at the man, acutely aware of how awful she must have looked. All things considered, she found herself to be an ugly crier — with her, crying always came to a dripping nose and a crinkling chin and a crease in her brow. The only thing the nature of her tears did to give her an advantage was incite a higher degree of pity. She always seemed to look so pathetic that people around her would do just about anything to get her to stop with the tears. 

Unless of course, they were people like Hiroshi. Then they would just laugh. Like they did when they heard Kiibo would be deactivated.

“Would you perhaps like a moment alone?”

She shook her head furiously. “No…” She reached up to wipe some stray snot on her sleeve. Without even having to feel it, she knew it would be there within a matter of seconds. “Kiibo would want us to comfort each other.”

Professor Idabashi nodded. “Kiibo would want us to comfort each other.”

_______________________

Deactivated for a memory wipe.

It was a detail the professor left out. He hadn’t wanted Miu to get her hopes up once she knew that Kiibo could be rebooted. After all, without his memories, he wouldn’t be the same. The mind Professor Idabashi had so lovingly crafted for him would recall nothing of his experiences with the professor himself, let alone his various adventures with Miu. Apart from fundamental personality traits like his kindness and his pride over his abilities, nothing more would remain. He wouldn’t remember his hatred of vending machines, or his favourite concentration of volt charges, or the kinds of dirty jokes that made Miu’s laugh turn to something akin to a witch’s cackle. He wouldn’t remember the first time the professor held him in his arms, or the first time Miu told him she loved him. All of those memories would be stored away on the professor’s computer, and new ones would grow and take their place. And though it hurt, though it made them both want to scream, it had to be that way.

Still, Miu decided she wanted a place in the new memories anyway. In spite of the professor’s worries about her getting too excited, she begged him for the chance to be with Kiibo again. He tried and tried to warn her that he wouldn’t remember, and that she might only be going in to break her own heart over and over again. Refusal to listen on Miu’s part followed that statement. God, she didn’t care if Kiibo didn’t remember her. She just wanted to see him again. 

Winter came full force the day that dream came alive. Snow dusted every inch of the earth; the flakes fluttering down on the people like droplets of heaven from the sky. Miu couldn’t help but smile to herself as she watched the sight; her mind drawing back to Kiibo’s first experience with the snow. Professor Idabashi had taped it with an old camera and shown her the footage after Kiibo’s initial deactivation, and she still laughed to herself about it. His jaw hung open in shock, and his hands reached up desperately to try to catch the flakes. All the while, the professor’s deep, hearty laugh sounded around him as he watched his creation of life swipe at the snowflakes. That video was one of Miu’s favourite things.

How funny it was, that she thought of it while she walked to the lab, where she would only see it again. Bright as day, right in front of that old building, stood Professor Idabashi and Kiibo, mimicking the memory they’d caught years before. Like nothing had ever happened. Like the world had never stopped. The professor sat on an old rock, a paper cup of coffee in one hand as he watched Kiibo try to grab a flake out of the air. Kiibo rushed around him, desperately doing whatever he could to try and secure one. He was still so unaccustomed to his body and overall sentience that she caught him almost tripping over his own feet. She could hear his voice calling out to his father figure, asking him why the snowflakes were so good at evading him. She chuckled at his innocence, suddenly realizing how much she’d missed it.

“Having a bit of trouble there, Keebs?”

The phrase and accompanying endearment slipped out before she could think to stop it. She cringed immediately. Perhaps this was what the professor meant by having trouble moving on. Oh well. The damage had been done. Kiibo had already turned to look at her like she had three heads, wondering how on earth she knew his name. Or, rather, his not-name. 

She did what she could to shake it off, stepping forward. “I guess you don’t remember me, huh?” She joked, tossing some of her blonde hair over her shoulder dramatically, “Not that I’m entirely surprised.”

Kiibo did little more than swallow, glancing back at the professor, who nodded him forward in encouragement. A signal that it was okay to talk to her. That she didn’t bite. Miu wished she could have thanked him for that in some way. “What’s your name?”

She could have laughed at how small his voice was. He always used to talk to her like that when they first met. He later confessed it was because he felt intimidated by how pretty she was. How funny that it should come to fruition once again, when he saw her for the first time a second time. 

“I’m Iruma Miu-san, the gorgeous girl genius. You and I are best friends.”

Slowly, a smile began to creep across Kiibo’s face. She half-expected it to be sad, but… it wasn’t. In a way, it struck her as almost knowing. “I’m not so sure about that.”

Ouch. She swore she felt her heart break in two, but she couldn’t risk breaking up appearances now. She’d probably freak him out if she showed how much that hurt anyway. Instead, she cocked a hip and raised a brow, speaking to him once again, “Oh, really?”

He nodded without a moment’s hesitation. “I know I don’t remember who you are. Professor Idabashi told me that I lost all of my memories, and I won’t know some of the people who try to talk to me.” In spite of the harshness of his words, Miu couldn’t help but notice how his cheerful smile seemed to stay. Did the lost memories really not bother him at all? “But I know what I feel about the people when I see them.”

Miu’s entire chest tightened at his words. Even with the cold air nipping at her cheeks and nose, heat pricked at them. Without even hearing what he had to say next, her body was already preparing to succumb to tears. Please, she begged internally, please let him remember something of me.

“And Miss Iruma-san, forgive me for being so forward, but…” He giggled softly, “I know that I feel we’re more than just best friends. I remember, somewhere deep down that I… that I really love you.”

Here come the waterworks, Miu thought as tears sprung to her eyes. She didn’t have it in her to fight them off, and instead embraced them, smiling softly to herself. “I really love you too, Keebs.”

[kaiinyourarea]

Fix Me Not (16) | Sugawara Koushi X Reader

Wattpad: heartbeats_forU Previous chapters can be found on my tumblr account/profile <3 ___

              16. This time I fear there's no one to turn to

(Yn)

"Yoo-hoo!"

I froze in my seat and felt like I was in a movie where the girl protagonist meets someone important and their hair suddenly flows along with the wind gracefully. I looked at Ya-chan who was just as shocked and confused as me.

"(Yn)-chaaaaan! Long time no see!"

"W-who let you in--AHCK!"

I was cut off by the energetic guy giving me a bone-crushing hug. Wow, I almost forgot that he's one of those clingy bestfriends.

"You could've visited me before, you know? Long time no see your face!" I joked before hugging him back. I looked around to see if my mom was present but she's not. It's not like I'm being careful though. She knows how close I am with this guy even though we're just friends.

"That's mean! You're already shouting at me? Didn't you miss me? I missed you!"

He was about to cling on me again when I moved away, his front and arms hitting the dining table instead. He backed away instantly with a pouty look before sitting on a chair. Yachi excused herself and quickly went back to our shared room. She's been really quiet since yesterday and also a lot more panicky than usual. I wonder if it's because of school.

"Tooru, what the heck? You're so enthusiastic. You even barged in without telling me!" I exclaimed before handing him a glass of water. He's still wearing his after training attire so I think he came from volleyball practice.

"Why didn't you go to Aoba Johsai, (Yn)? It's like hell without you," he said with a grin.

"It's not like we've been classmates before, idiot. Why are you here? What if we moved to a different house and you barged in on other people?"

"That's not possible. Can you stop worrying too much? I might think that you still have feelings for me-- ow, that hurts!" he cried out.

"I'll sew your mouth shut if you bring that up again," I warned in a serious tone but we both laughed anyway.

There's really a good kind of feeling whenever I'm with him. Maybe it's because he was one of the firsts to take my feelings and situation into consideration or maybe because he's overall a really nice guy? It's both.

Oikawa Tooru.

He's the guy I had feelings for back in middle school. I only met him during volleyball-related events before since we weren't in the same school. I kinda had a crush on him when we first talked to each other because he was so cute. Plus, he's a great volleyball player.

But Sugawara Koushi is my number one!

"You don't want me to bring that up? Why? (Yn)-chan has a boyfriend already? Are you keeping it a secret from your mom?" he snarked.

"I don't have a boyfriend. Why are we not awkward though? It's been years... and you're still stupid--"

"Stupidly in love with you."

I immediately glared at his comment before rolling my eyes. It's been years. He couldn't possibly mean that. I wanted to joke around with him and play along but Koushi might get the wrong idea even though he's not with us at the moment.

"How's practice? You're still doubting yourself?" I asked, half teasing and half serious.

I've been to their volleyball practices back then so I've seen him in action but only for a few times since we're both busy middle-schoolers and he has ranted to me before. Even though we only bonded for a short period of time, it was enough for us to become comfortable in each other's presence.

I saw the curve on his lips turn into a straight line as he suddenly became quiet. I looked at him while he drank the water I gave earlier. As I was observing him, I began to feel conscious about how I looked. Compared to him who looks like the typical campus heartthrob even when he's just breathing, I looked like a potato in my oversized white shirt and white shorts. I know I'm pretty but in front of him? I look like a sack.

"I saw Tobio-chan again," he started, his cheerful facade completely disappearing. I nodded at him to urge him to continue before standing up to comb my hair a bit.

"Do you want me to hear something from me?" I sincerely asked him.

"Yeah, even though I can hear you in my brain already--"

"You have a brain? Joke. Seriously though, you're your own. You don't have to surpass anyone you consider greater than you. You're already great, Tooru. I'm not trying to get in your way, you know that but I'm just reminding you to have pride in yourself as well. They might have natural talents but your hardwork is something else. I'm proud of you."

I kept on remembering Koushi while talking to Tooru. I've seen Kageyama Tobio back in middle school and I know that he's now in Karasuno's volleyball team with Koushi. Isn't it crazy how the two setters that I know are both linked to Kageyama?

That reminds me... if there are two setters on the team, doesn't it mean one of them has to be out of the court most of the time? I've also heard from Hitoka about the people considered as the 'regulars'.

I hope Koushi is not feeling the same way as Tooru. They're both great players. Regular player or not, they're amazing players and I'm proud of them both.

__________

"An old friend visited last night. I'm sorry I couldn't answer your call!" I apologized to my one and only bae, Sugawara Koushi. We're walking to the park today because I asked him to play volleyball with me. He was calling me last night so he can video chat with me but  my phone was in the room and on silent!

"It's fine. I was just worried but it's fine now. May I ask who it was?"

"Oikawa Tooru. I heard you had a practice game with their team."

I saw how his brows furrowed right after I mentioned Tooru.

"The suitor left you alone but it's a volleyball player now?"

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, clinging on him slightly with a pout.

"Nothing."

"Koushi, tell me," I whined.

"It's nothing."

I feel like he's a bit mad at me for not answering his calls but I'm trying to make up for it now so why is he not saying anything? I'm pretty sure he's not just being the usual quiet and composed. He's being quiet on purpose!

I kept on asking him but all I got was the shrug of his shoulders and a few monotone phrases. I removed my hands that were holding onto him earlier when he continued on answering me in a harsh and uninterested tone. I didn't want to anger him more by being more annoying. I still can't get over how composed and charming their manager is and as much as I hate to admit, I'm trying to be more like her just in case Koushi likes girls like her more than girls like me.

He didn't even react and care when I started to slow down my walking pace. I didn't even say anything bad! It's not like Tooru's making a move on me, too. I'm going crazy!

We barely get to hang out with each other and I want him to talk more but he's being like this. It's disheartening. It makes me more jealous of their manager because she's always with them.

Does he not like me anymore?

[whats-the-story-tc]

4th of February, 2020

"The One with Aphrodite and the Tempest"

[LONG POST WARNING]

You know it's cold outside when V wears a sweater. I swear this woman owns only 3 types of upper body clothing — flannel, striped or something with cats on it, with the occasional something grey.

First time I spotted her before Physics, she was crossing the "bridge" with the relentlessness of a warrior. Here's to another cheery day at school, I thought. I was already tired and half asleep by then and it wasn't even 10 AM yet. Pocketwatch Friend told me to hold on, as we only had 3 more classes left, "two of which you'll enjoy." I don't think I need to specify that one.

Rumours spiralled that, even though we were having double Literature today, V would have us write a previously promised Grammar test. We all started studying in a complete state of panic. What we didn't expect is that, indeed, she was going to quiz us—but in spoken word instead, by the usual rolling of her magic geek dice.

There's this competition between a girl and a boy. He jokingly claims he is better than her at everything, she challenges him. Whichever one of them has better grades at the end of the year wins. V is an absolute fan of this competition, and is pretty vocal about her support for the girl. She was V's first victim today, and when she failed to answer her questions, V, shoulder leaning against the wall, smiles and asks her "How are you gonna win this competition then, babydoll?" Haven't heard her use this pet name for any of us in a hot minute. We're usually fairies or kittens lately. (Pet naming children as a teacher is a thing here folks, don't get alarmed. Our homeroom teacher, for example, calls us her darlings all the time.) Now that I think about it, I don't think she ever called me personally any of these. The day she does is probably the day I die.

Next one up was Know-It-All, who, contrary to his pseudonym, knew fuck all about romanticism, and basically bullshitted his every answer very stupidly, having us all in a laughing fit during those ten minutes he was in the spotlight for. The faces V made were the best, I swear. She tried so hard to be polite and not to say what she thinks, and, in the process, looked at me every half a minute or so like a cry for help. Pocketwatch Friend, who also noticed it and thought it interesting, later explained it as "You're the one who's a bit higher up the intelligence scale out of all of us, of course she looks at you. And you're the one who talks to her." I don't think I was of much help, though. I was giggling the entire time. Especially when V admitted "I have no idea what's going on."

Her third and last victim was Bandana Friend's best friend, and the entire time she listened to her, V was sat in her chair, leaning back, legs crossed, absentmindedly chewing on her pen/holding it to her lips in concentration. When I tell you I could barely keep my calm, I mean it. I'm more attracted to her personality and wit than I am to her visually, but like... holy shit, you guys. The situation only worsened when she started writing on the blackboard, left hand in her back pocket... Thank God she wore a sweater. Were I exposed to that waist of hers, I don't think I'd still be alive to tell the story. "Take your hand out of your pocket," I muttered in agony, through gritted teeth as I watched her. Pocketwatch Friend had a lot of fun at my expense.

We read Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death today, featuring the character of Prince Prospero. V, sitting on top of her desk as she always does, asked us if that name was familiar, and left us a little time to think. Then she looks straight at me with her usual looking-at-me expression and just waits in silence. I'm panicking and probably going red in the face under that gaze that was simply too close, and, with a hand on my chest, nervously asked her "Me? Why are you looking at me?". You guys. Eyes are the first thing I usually notice in a person, the one thing I am a sucker for. And this woman has eyes to live and to die for, unparalleled by anything of this Earth and beyond. Under eyes like that, I think anyone would've struggled to form coherent thoughts. I think I know what Sappho felt when she wrote Fragment 31. As she went on to explain, she was looking at me because there is a character with the same name in Shakespeare's The Tempest. She still associates me with him, it seems. Oh, the nostalgia. Fun fact, Hamlet was the topic of our very first conversation out of class back in October 2018.

In the lunch break, I vented to my friends how I can never really impress her, no matter how hard I try. She and I both know what I know, it just frustrates me that no matter how precise and fancy I get, even then I fuck things up, or miss my chance and I can never surprise her. Turns out I was boo boo the fool. Again.

In The Masque of the Red Death, there's this ongoing motif with the clock striking, which symbolises the coming of Death. As V was talking about this, and how it frightened the guests of the masquerade, I said "I guess you could say their clock was ticking." And what do I know, she not only calls it good, but when I looked at the blackboard, she actually included it in the analysis notes! I said something useful. I was absolutely over the moon.

The Boys in the Back, in their usual mood yet again, were talking non-stop. As I looked at the annoyed V, I could read "for fuck's sake" off her lips before she told them off. Goodbye, V the professional, hello, V the civilian. I had a good laugh.

I don't know how partying came up in conversation, but Blonde Boy in the Back asked V: "Miss, do you go clubbing sometimes?", to which she answered "I'm too old for that". You are still a bloody millenial, dear, stop acting like you're sixty. But, on the topic of old ladies, when we spoke grotesque, scary and bizarre, she brought up having a room full of porcelain dolls or an old lady with a house full of cats, who looks cute on the outside but is quite creepy, I immediately went "Umbridge". At first, I didn't think she heard me, but a few seconds later, she tied what I said into what she was going to say. I feel valid.

Today, we had some rain and incredibly strong winds. "There were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before." As a girl from my class was reading these lines, another strong gust of wind came with a whistling sound, making the windows tremble and everyone went silent. "I think it just arrived." I said immediately. Another strong blow. "[Name], I think you conjured it." I said, and looked at V, leaning over her book, trying not to react, but I think I might have seen the faintest smile run across her face.

Towards the end of the lesson, V told the gang in the back to pass notes instead of talking, to which I said "old school", and she did that thing again where she repeated what I said. Then cats came up once again, I think it was Debate Friend saying that a cat staring at a wall for an hour is creepy. "Cats will stare at a wall for an hour anyway cuz cats are crazy." V said, without missing a beat. I'll have you reminded that V owns a cat herself. And, apparently, a Netflix account, as she mentioned having seen Episode 1 of Moffat's Dracula with the boyfriend yesterday. May I just say... couple goals.

~ S ♡

[Every story I share here, no matter how specific I get with my wording, depicts actual events from my own life.]

[hannah-mic]

Partners in Crime: Chapter 1

Hello there! Here is the first chapter of a hades x reader fic I am working on. I posted it on @ouatimaginesnetwork, where I am also an author, but I wanted to post it here as well. Please let me know what you think! I have 10 chapters so far. 

Prompt: you’re a college student definitely in need of break. On holiday in Greece, you find yourself in a world of things you barely know.

You look out your plane window at the rolling deep blue water before you. It’s breathtaking, gorgeous in fact. You can’t wait to get in the water. Greece is such a beautiful place. Before you know it the plane lands and you have your things sent to your cousins house. Being Greek yourself, you already know where you’re going as you head down the docks, cross over them, and find your familiar secluded inlet. Dipping your toes in the water you feel a rush of pleasure flow through your body. You hadn’t been to Greece since you were a little girl, for your grandfather’s funeral. At a very young age your parents moved to America where you now attend college in the great state of Ohio. Since your freshman year, your mother died and you have few friends. Wading further into the water you sigh a deep breath of contentment. Deciding to go for a real swim, you backtrack to the shore and shimmy off your shorts and t shirt, leaving your phone in the pile with them. Diving head first into the water, the sea comes alive around you. You love swimming and venture out further into the deep. The next events transpire so quickly you don’t even have time to get out of the way. An unmarked boat speeds above and runs right over you, just as you are about to surface. As a result, you’re knocked unconscious, your body floating lifeless in the water, blood pouring from a gash on your head. 

Later your eyes flutter open, as you cough up seawater. Glancing around, you find yourself in a cave of sorts. Slowly sitting up, you feel someone watching you. Turning around, you find a hooded figure, pale as ash, waiting in a row boat, calmly staring down at you. “Where am I?” You ask the figure. “A state of sorts,” they reply with a smirk. Upon your look of confusion he decides to elaborate, “You lie between life and death, life ebbs out of you as we speak.” You look around panicked. “Where am I actually? Is this a dream?” “Of sorts,” he smirks again, “Your actual body lies in a hospital in Athens. They do everything they can to keep your breathing going. Only time will tell, is what they want you to believe, but really, it’s someone who will decide your fate. Now come along,” he gestures to the boat. In your head you know it is a dream so you see no harm in stepping into the man’s boat. He rows slowly, down a river that winds through this dark, dank place that reminds you of the underground. It’s on this journey that you finally take into account your body. For whatever reason, you are robed in deep red silk gown with sleeves cut open at the shoulders that flows all the way down to your toes. Reaching up to your head you gasp as you feel no gash where there should be. The man rowing simply snickers.

After another 10 minutes of rowing the boat suddenly stops. The man gestures to the shore and you carefully step out. “Walk down the corridor and take a left at the end. His majesty is waiting for you.” You step lightly and quickly on the balls of your feet, searching for any source of light. Turning left, you see a door, just as the man said. You carefully push it open. At the end of an open chamber sits the most beautiful man you have ever seen in your entire life. With hair so black it’s almost blue, it glows in comparison to his deep blue eyes that pierce into your very soul. With skin so pale, he almost appears as if a ghost, you study him in awe. He talks with a tiny man, who has wings, they appear to be arguing. He slowly looks up, and his eyes bulge as he glances over you. Quickly regaining his composure he tells the winged man, “get this done,” and ushers him away. He motions you forward. You walk across the floor toward him as if you were floating. Upon closer inspection you see he is wearing a crisp blue toga. A toga. And suddenly you understand who he is. “Hades,” you mumble, lowering your head slightly. Most people would address him as lord, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. “(Y/n). I must say it is a surprise to see someone so young in my presence.” You barely nod as you continue to stare into his deep deep blue eyes. He offers you a place next to him, and you sit down. He begins to tell you the predicament of your situation. “You see y/n, you’ve lost too much blood for any normal person to live. You have no family, no friends. It’d be very easy for you to slip away of the mortal world without notice.” You nod solemnly. He continues to rattle on about your situation but instead of paying attention your eyes wander to your surroundings. Everything here was so dead. Of course it is the underworld. Above you a dead branch hangs from a dead tree. It makes you sad to see something so lifeless. You can almost imagine the flowers growing off of it and the branch springing back to life. And much to your surprise, that’s just what the branch does. The flower reaches towards you and you pick it up in your hand. Bright yellow, almost like the sun itself created it, the flower stares back at you. That’s when you noticed that hades stopped speaking. He looks at you, jaw dropped. “Nothing...... nothing grows here,” he whispers. You pull your hand back from the flower, and just as quickly as it came, it shrivels up and dies. “It’s dead now,” you state plainly. Hades nods and recomposes himself. Weighing the options, he decides it’s time for you to go. “Y/n, you may go.” Before you even know what your saying you reply, “Maybe you’re right. If I left, it’s not as if anyone would miss me. Besides life here seems interesting enough,” boldly you add, “Would I be able to see you? If I stayed?” He eyes you curiously. “You know most people would rather avoid the lord of death.” “But your also the lord of wealth,” you point out. He cracks a grin and says, “Someone knows their mythology.” You blush as he continues, “You know I could sense you’re Greek. Your long thick brown hair is telling, and your olive skin just gives it away. The only thing that would give someone pause is your stunningly deep e/c eyes.” You blush even more from his praise. Summoning two glasses of wine, he hands you one and says, “Tell me more about yourself.” You frown staring at the glass. “Will this keep me here. Like Persephone?” You ask. His gaze immediately darkens as he says,  “There is no Persephone. That part of the myth is something you mortals made up. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone. But she was destined for mortality and died eons ago. I never met her.” It’s hard to hide the shock on your face, but more importantly, you feel guilty for ever asking if he would keep you here against your will, when you asked to stay. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. He shrugs your apology off. “You were going to tell me about yourself,” he adds. You nod and begin. “My mother was born here, and my father born in Italy. When they met and fell in love, worlds collided. Their families hated each other. So I was born in Greece but my parents didn’t want me to grow up around those so hostile towards each other. So we moved to America. To a small town in Ohio, called Athens actually. My mother taught Greek mythology at Ohio university. My father died shortly after we arrived. Like my mother I decided to attend school where she taught, but in the middle of my freshman year, she passed away suddenly. No one knows why. So I will continue my studies there in the fall. I came to Greece this summer to try and relax but we see where that got me,” you stupidly grin. Hades watches you with interest. “I’m sorry about your parents,” he says softly. You nod your thanks. He studies you carefully. Before he can think or realize what he is saying he blurts out, “You are the most beautiful mortal I have ever seen.” Then he lowers his head as he mentally curses himself for embarrassing you. You lower your gaze as you shake your head no. He blushes even more, sitting in silence. It gives you a chance to watch him. His eyes twinkle and you try to soak up all the beauty before you. Admiring him, you look up as the flower above you blooms again. Instead of frowning, Hades too looks up at the flower. Extending his arm towards it, his eyes leak through a look of wonderment. “Nothing is supposed to grow here,” he says again. “How....” he ponders. Thinking about more flowers, three more appear. Each brighter than the last, you feel positive the sun has something to do with these flowers. Hades reaches for one, and plucks it gently. He brushes aside your hair and sticks it behind your ear. It blooms even more at the gesture.

“I wonder how I got so lucky as to get noticed by one of the most powerful gods ever,” you mumble. Suddenly, the little winged man appears again. “Sir, I really must advise that you come with me. There are other souls to be decided,” the man urges. Suddenly guilt fills you, you’ve kept one of the most important people in the universe from doing their job. Hades shakes from his daze of staring at you. “Of course.” He gulps before saying, “Y/n, you may go. Follow the hallway back to Charon and he will take you back across the river Acheron to the land of the living.” He pauses, looking at you solemnly. “It certainly was a pleasure meeting you my dear.” You can’t hide your displeasure as you depart this handsome god. You feel his gaze lingering from behind you as you leave.  

You go back across the river all to quickly. Walking around where you first woke up, a bright white light begins to descend upon you and you flash back to reality.

[ouatimaginesnetwork]

Partners in Crime: Chapter 1

Hey guys it’s Hannah! Here is the first chapter to my hades x reader story. So far I have ten chapters. I love it, and I hope you guys do too. As I explained in my earlier post, this Hades is not based on the Hades from ONCE, however I still feel it is a story you would all love. Please enjoy! 

Prompt: you’re a college student definitely in need of break. On holiday in Greece, you find yourself in a world of things you barely know.

You look out your plane window at the rolling deep blue water before you. It’s breathtaking, gorgeous in fact. You can’t wait to get in the water. Greece is such a beautiful place. Before you know it the plane lands and you have your things sent to your cousins house. Being Greek yourself, you already know where you’re going as you head down the docks, cross over them, and find your familiar secluded inlet. Dipping your toes in the water you feel a rush of pleasure flow through your body. You hadn’t been to Greece since you were a little girl, for your grandfather’s funeral. At a very young age your parents moved to America where you now attend college in the great state of Ohio. Since your freshman year, your mother died and you have few friends. Wading further into the water you sigh a deep breath of contentment. Deciding to go for a real swim, you backtrack to the shore and shimmy off your shorts and t shirt, leaving your phone in the pile with them. Diving head first into the water, the sea comes alive around you. You love swimming and venture out further into the deep. The next events transpire so quickly you don’t even have time to get out of the way. An unmarked boat speeds above and runs right over you, just as you are about to surface. As a result, you’re knocked unconscious, your body floating lifeless in the water, blood pouring from a gash on your head. 

Later your eyes flutter open, as you cough up seawater. Glancing around, you find yourself in a cave of sorts. Slowly sitting up, you feel someone watching you. Turning around, you find a hooded figure, pale as ash, waiting in a row boat, calmly staring down at you. “Where am I?” You ask the figure. “A state of sorts,” they reply with a smirk. Upon your look of confusion he decides to elaborate, “You lie between life and death, life ebbs out of you as we speak.” You look around panicked. “Where am I actually? Is this a dream?” “Of sorts,” he smirks again, “Your actual body lies in a hospital in Athens. They do everything they can to keep your breathing going. Only time will tell, is what they want you to believe, but really, it’s someone who will decide your fate. Now come along,” he gestures to the boat. In your head you know it is a dream so you see no harm in stepping into the man’s boat. He rows slowly, down a river that winds through this dark, dank place that reminds you of the underground. It’s on this journey that you finally take into account your body. For whatever reason, you are robed in deep red silk gown with sleeves cut open at the shoulders that flows all the way down to your toes. Reaching up to your head you gasp as you feel no gash where there should be. The man rowing simply snickers.

After another 10 minutes of rowing the boat suddenly stops. The man gestures to the shore and you carefully step out. “Walk down the corridor and take a left at the end. His majesty is waiting for you.” You step lightly and quickly on the balls of your feet, searching for any source of light. Turning left, you see a door, just as the man said. You carefully push it open. At the end of an open chamber sits the most beautiful man you have ever seen in your entire life. With hair so black it’s almost blue, it glows in comparison to his deep blue eyes that pierce into your very soul. With skin so pale, he almost appears as if a ghost, you study him in awe. He talks with a tiny man, who has wings, they appear to be arguing. He slowly looks up, and his eyes bulge as he glances over you. Quickly regaining his composure he tells the winged man, “get this done,” and ushers him away. He motions you forward. You walk across the floor toward him as if you were floating. Upon closer inspection you see he is wearing a crisp blue toga. A toga. And suddenly you understand who he is. “Hades,” you mumble, lowering your head slightly. Most people would address him as lord, but it doesn’t seem to bother him. “(Y/n). I must say it is a surprise to see someone so young in my presence.” You barely nod as you continue to stare into his deep deep blue eyes. He offers you a place next to him, and you sit down. He begins to tell you the predicament of your situation. “You see y/n, you’ve lost too much blood for any normal person to live. You have no family, no friends. It’d be very easy for you to slip away of the mortal world without notice.” You nod solemnly. He continues to rattle on about your situation but instead of paying attention your eyes wander to your surroundings. Everything here was so dead. Of course it is the underworld. Above you a dead branch hangs from a dead tree. It makes you sad to see something so lifeless. You can almost imagine the flowers growing off of it and the branch springing back to life. And much to your surprise, that’s just what the branch does. The flower reaches towards you and you pick it up in your hand. Bright yellow, almost like the sun itself created it, the flower stares back at you. That’s when you noticed that hades stopped speaking. He looks at you, jaw dropped. “Nothing...... nothing grows here,” he whispers. You pull your hand back from the flower, and just as quickly as it came, it shrivels up and dies. “It’s dead now,” you state plainly. Hades nods and recomposes himself. Weighing the options, he decides it’s time for you to go. “Y/n, you may go.” Before you even know what your saying you reply, “Maybe you’re right. If I left, it’s not as if anyone would miss me. Besides life here seems interesting enough,” boldly you add, “Would I be able to see you? If I stayed?” He eyes you curiously. “You know most people would rather avoid the lord of death.” “But your also the lord of wealth,” you point out. He cracks a grin and says, “Someone knows their mythology.” You blush as he continues, “You know I could sense you’re Greek. Your long thick brown hair is telling, and your olive skin just gives it away. The only thing that would give someone pause is your stunningly deep e/c eyes.” You blush even more from his praise. Summoning two glasses of wine, he hands you one and says, “Tell me more about yourself.” You frown staring at the glass. “Will this keep me here. Like Persephone?” You ask. His gaze immediately darkens as he says,  “There is no Persephone. That part of the myth is something you mortals made up. Demeter had a daughter named Persephone. But she was destined for mortality and died eons ago. I never met her.” It’s hard to hide the shock on your face, but more importantly, you feel guilty for ever asking if he would keep you here against your will, when you asked to stay. “I’m sorry,” you whisper. He shrugs your apology off. “You were going to tell me about yourself,” he adds. You nod and begin. “My mother was born here, and my father born in Italy. When they met and fell in love, worlds collided. Their families hated each other. So I was born in Greece but my parents didn’t want me to grow up around those so hostile towards each other. So we moved to America. To a small town in Ohio, called Athens actually. My mother taught Greek mythology at Ohio university. My father died shortly after we arrived. Like my mother I decided to attend school where she taught, but in the middle of my freshman year, she passed away suddenly. No one knows why. So I will continue my studies there in the fall. I came to Greece this summer to try and relax but we see where that got me,” you stupidly grin. Hades watches you with interest. “I’m sorry about your parents,” he says softly. You nod your thanks. He studies you carefully. Before he can think or realize what he is saying he blurts out, “You are the most beautiful mortal I have ever seen.” Then he lowers his head as he mentally curses himself for embarrassing you. You lower your gaze as you shake your head no. He blushes even more, sitting in silence. It gives you a chance to watch him. His eyes twinkle and you try to soak up all the beauty before you. Admiring him, you look up as the flower above you blooms again. Instead of frowning, Hades too looks up at the flower. Extending his arm towards it, his eyes leak through a look of wonderment. “Nothing is supposed to grow here,” he says again. “How....” he ponders. Thinking about more flowers, three more appear. Each brighter than the last, you feel positive the sun has something to do with these flowers. Hades reaches for one, and plucks it gently. He brushes aside your hair and sticks it behind your ear. It blooms even more at the gesture.

“I wonder how I got so lucky as to get noticed by one of the most powerful gods ever,” you mumble. Suddenly, the little winged man appears again. “Sir, I really must advise that you come with me. There are other souls to be decided,” the man urges. Suddenly guilt fills you, you’ve kept one of the most important people in the universe from doing their job. Hades shakes from his daze of staring at you. “Of course.” He gulps before saying, “Y/n, you may go. Follow the hallway back to Charon and he will take you back across the river Acheron to the land of the living.” He pauses, looking at you solemnly. “It certainly was a pleasure meeting you my dear.” You can’t hide your displeasure as you depart this handsome god. You feel his gaze lingering from behind you as you leave.  

You go back across the river all to quickly. Walking around where you first woke up, a bright white light begins to descend upon you and you flash back to reality.

[alrightinbed-betterwithapen]

i always tell the truth, even when i lie...

{prologue pt two: how Kova is formed}

Mob Boss!David x Reader

A/N: hey guys, so this is just blurbs about how each vlog squad member became real members of David’s gang. I left some people out just cause they don’t fit in the narrative I’m picturing. But I hope you enjoy! Strong violence ahead folks, as well as the rest of the series! A couple deaths too.

•Alex Ernst•

Alex always knew something about David was off. He always thought he saw the charming brunette hiding dead eyes behind feigned excitement. Too calculated for a boy of only nineteen. But Alex saw himself reflected in every move the man made.

Alex could relate to his friend more than anyone else he’d ever met. He instantly respected David and latched onto him. You don’t meet many people in this world who are as uncaring and unconcerned in the way they climb the ladder to the top as David and him were.

David hid behind charm and likability.

Alex hid behind innocence and religion.

Alex doesn’t say anything about it until David comes to him one evening and tells him he’s going to see their friends at the Denny house to offer them... a new business venture.

He offers it to Alex first.

Alex says yes, took you long enough, what do you need me to do, who do you need me to act as? Willing as always to take on any role he had to, to get what he wanted (or in this case what David wanted).

David knows right away Alex will always be on a different level than the rest of the crew. Alex will be more his equal than anyone else he has to corrupt.

Because he doesn’t have to corrupt him. He doesn’t have to convince him. Alex is willing and as ready as he is.

Alex is also good with guns. He talks Tomas into letting them add a large gun running operations revenue to the drug running money they’ve been laundering. (That’s the first fucking nail in the coffin for Tomas, but the large, dumb man has no idea.) The weapon buyers and sellers like Alex way better than they ever like Tomas. It’s a profitable situation for all.

In the car ride back to their apartment, leaving the first meeting with Tomas since Alex established himself with the weapons clientele, Alex says, “Your business needs a name.”

“It has a name, the Brothers’ Circle.”

“That’s the name of the cunts Tomas works for.”

“That we work for, Alex,” David facetiously reprimands, pushing to reveal the true meaning behind his friends words.

“Yeah,” he answers, looking out the window of David’s beat up Corolla, “for now.”

It makes David’s heart fill with love for the man. His best friend is thinking bigger picture just like he is. He feels validated in his internal descision to make this man the de facto co-leader of his future gang.

(Alex comes up with their name, Kova, a throwback to David’s origins and core of who he really is. A boy born in nowheresville Slovakia who’s gonna take over the world.)

•Liza Koshy•

Liza is like a lump of clay when Gabbie introduces her to David. He’s immediately drawn to her soft face and lively personality. He wants to ruin her. (Gabbie pulls him aside at the party they’re at, long before Kova was even a thought, and tells him she’s a gift. For being a good friend. And that he can make the dark skinned girl into whatever he wants her to be. “She’s young and insecure, go play.” Gabbie’s always been a dark minded girl, she used to read David like a book.)

He has fun reeling Liza in with his boyish charms and faked romantic sensibilities. She’s sooo easy. He picks apart her mind, morals and principles in one night, the night he first tells her he loves her.

He’s not lying, not really. He loves who he’s going to twist her to be. His perfect Harley Quinn. He’ll rip the compassion out of her if he has to.

He doesn’t actually have to, the girl is just a sweet little teenager looking for true love. It makes him laugh in hindsight at how simple it actually was. At how much goodness was once in the girl he’s seen curb stomp a drug dealer in the back alleys of LA because they refused to cut profits with Kova. She broke his jaw and David fucked her in his Tesla, giggling out a narrative of how the guys teeth popped out of his head while she rode him.

Liza would burn the world for David when he meets (Y/N).

She gets jealous and insecure by that fact that she needed to be programmed by David with a darkness that (Y/N) wore like skin, comfortable and natural.

You don’t pose a threat, not right away.

And if you send her into a trap, a drug drop off that was being ambushed by a rival amateur gang, that leads to her untimely death...

Well, what were you suppose to do? David would never do it. Too proud of the work that went into the weak girl.

And you wanted the man to yourself.

(He’s impressed, as you are smarter and more conniving than the guinea pig he’d been given as a present by Gabbie would ever be.)

Liza’s there at the beginning of Kova and she plays her part. Until you decide you can play it better.

But that’s a story for later...

•Gabbie Hanna•

Gabbie is easy. She wants money and attention and acceptance. She hands over her merch account info and starts finding leads to other vloggers who have a substance abuse problem. They always have friends who are as addicted as them, Gabbie explains, which is long run profitable. The girl is ruthless and David admires that about her.

She was one of his first close friends when he moved to LA. He’s stoked she’s progressing so nicely in his operation.

David includes her in his plans from the beginning, because she’s loyal and as obsessed with money as he is. But when he takes her to meet Tomas with Alex and Liza the first time, she’s so freaked out. Gabbie doesn’t grasp the severity of the situation until she’s in a warehouse full of drugs and guns.

David meets with her the next day and offers her an out. It’s late at night after the long, winding talk, but Gabbie is relieved and accepting that she can back out, promises not to tell anyone. He respects and genuinely cares about Gabbie and gives her what she wants, like promised. But not before Heath and Zane grab her arm and hold it down while David carves Kova into her upper arm.

Gabbie takes it, she understands.

It’s not two months later when he gets a call from Liza telling him that Gabbie’s trying to talk her into leaving him and helping her go to the cops. (Gabbie mistakenly thinks that because Liza was her friend first that her loyalties wouldn’t lay with David. She’s wrong.)

David brings Scott and Zane to grab her coming home from a late night gym session (that she’s stupidly been Snapchat-ing all evening).

He doesn’t need to torture her, but he thinks it’s a good lesson for Scott and Zane. The word will spread quickly through Kova.

You don’t fuck with David, ever.

The man could have deep love and respect for you, but he’d put a bullet in your head without thinking twice and if you make him angry enough to hurt you before that, well... you’ll be wishing he had just shot you instead.

The boys burn her body in the desert while David waits in the car and finishes editing his next vlog.

What a shame.

She was always reliable as clickbait for a thumbnail.

•Scotty Sire and Kristen McAtee•

Scotty’s chomping at the bit when David first offers the dude a bag full of cash late in the early morning at the Denny house. He can’t help the large, wicked smile on his face the entire time David spiels to the group.

He’s in from the first sentence, desperate to channel the darkness his depression had cursed him with from childhood. He could do this, and much more. Scott’s excited to become apart of something bigger than him. He’d happily worship the gospel of what would later be called Kova.

Kristen is easy to drag along, especially because of her addiction to pills and then later, more heavy drugs. She’ll do whatever she has to keep her man and her fix. She turns a calculated blind eye to their dealings and separates herself as much as possible.

David doesn’t like loose ends.

Word about Gabbie gets to her and she internally freaks out. She doesn’t know why, she doesn’t really care. Gabbie fucked up and got what was coming to her. But it feels like the calm before the storm.

David tells Scott he needs more from Kristen. He wants her to wear the Kova brand, he wants them all to after Gabbie tries to fuck them over. But he wants the curly headed girl to be first. Scott understands, he’s front row to the distance she’s created between her and the Kova family.

She’s partying with them all when Liza lures her to talk in an isolated bedroom, where Scott, Alex and David are waiting.

“Sorry, Kris. It’s just how it is,” David’s telling her when Scott and Alex maneuver her to the desk chair while their leader cleans a knife. “And you should be honored, I want you to be the first. I want you to start the family. Cause that’s what we are. We’re a family above all else. You wouldn’t betray your family, would you? You wouldn’t be Gabbie... Would you?”

Kristen resigns to shaking her head no, allowing Scott to extend her arm as David encroaches and presses the tip of the knife into the sensitive skin of her upper arm. Liza and Alex stand back, watching and blocking the exit. Kristen looks to Scott who only nods his approval before shutting her eyes tight when David begins slicing her arm.

The bass of the music throughout the house muffles her screams.

(Scott feeds her Percocets when it’s over and promises her the world. That’s the night she’s introduced to heroin.)

The rest of them receive the same mark personally from David by the end of the week.

•Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar•

Zane’s psychotic. Genuinely a mad man, and David loves it as much as it’s a liability. Heath is a good reprieve though, knowing how to wrangle the crazed man.

They’re a fucking pair, that’s for sure. And with Heath’s experience in drug dealing and Zane’s past with beating the shit out of anyone who tried to stop or hassle Heath, they fit into Kova like they’ve been waiting their whole lives to be in the upper echelon of a gang. (They have.)

Heath is the guy David sends out to potential drug suppliers, such a people person and manipulator that David wishes he could bottle the man’s relatability to dose his entire crew with. The man has made him some serious fucking money with his banter.

Zane’s the guy David brings out at night or to see Tomas’ men, to terrify the peasants around him into submission. Zane is his guard dog on a short, but removable leash. The taller man is always just looking for a good time, whether that’s doing shots or breaking someone’s arm.

With the boundaries of what it means to be Kova and family set, etched into his skin, Zane becomes determined to protect his new clan, and his new always changing and addicting life.

David buys him a Porsche after he beats a thug of Tomas’ to death with his bare hands. The man had insulted David, his height and his hair. It rolled off the leaders back, but set something alight in Zane.

David doesn’t call him off until his hands are completely coated in blood.

(Tomas doesn’t say a word except to tell his men to clean up the mess and apologize to David. The fat man slaps Zane on the back on his way out, murmuring, “That’s a man you want around.”)

•Jason Nash•

Jason is his personal sounding board. The man is so much smarter than he lets anyone see. Jay can see from the outside in, how people will preceive them and how to effectively hide in plain sight.

Jason has a family, so it’s a little more difficult to convince him to give David his loyalty. Until the money is presented and David offers his family a clear cut and prosperous future. And to keep them out of all of it. The older man says yes after a couple days of thinking.

David seals the deal by bringing him to Miami, meeting with some drug runners from Belarus. They try to haggle David, get the price higher that what Tomas had offered. Jason laughs at them and follows David when he goes to walk out.

One of the men grabs Jay’s wrist and yanks his hand back to the dinner table they’d been sitting around and stabs his palm through with a steak knife, pinning him to the table in a bloody mess before hissing about disrespecting his boss.

Jason takes the knife out without flinching and stabs the guy in the aortic, blood splattering on his own face and chest.

“Don’t try to fuck with us,” Jason says so calmly to the criminals watching in awe, it’s unnerving, “and keep a leash on your puppy.”

The boss from eastern Europe laughs and apologizes before continuing the transaction with the original offer. He gives Jason the dead man’s Rolex, as a token of good will.

David accepts.

•Todd Smith•

Todd is a guy who wants to be smart, and just fucking isn’t. He’s easy. Money, girls, drugs and Todd is fucking his. It only takes a itty bitty cocaine addiction and Todd’s loyalty is an ever lasting stream of favors and obedience.

Scott takes Todd to kidnap a daughter of one of the Mexican mafias generals. David wants to run a piece of West Hollywood that he currently controls.

David is highly impressed with the lies Todd weaves to the pretty girl, keeping her calm and placated through out the ordeal. He’s even more impressed when Todd follows his orders to cut off her finger to send to her father; the olive skinned man doesn’t think twice. And the girl is still stuck deep in her Stockholm Syndrome, even after she only has nine fingers.

They return her to her family, no worse for wear, when the general gives up his terrority in WeHo.

David rents out a Vegas strip club and penthouse for Todd. He did well.

•Carly Incontro and Erin Gilfoy•

Carly and Erin are too fucking excited about Gabbie’s death. He watches them pick apart the story from Scott and Zane, and laugh manically when David tells them too much detail about the torture she had endured.

They are great to use strategically with their seduction or mask of ignorance used as a weapon. He has them paired up with a couple of guys higher up in Tomas’ operation, waiting like sleeper agents for the day when David will tear apart Tomas and his men. They’ll deliver the first bullets, crippling the obese excuse of a man’s team so that David can go in for the kill.

He had them train with Alex, who reports exactly what he had predicted about the girls: they’re addicted to the perks, the money, the clothes, the power. They love David, they’d do anything for their boss and friend. It makes David so happy.

They’re his favorite little princesses.

•Corinna Kopf•

David’s been working on Corinna since high school. She doesn’t contribute anything but her tits really, he only needs her every once and a while to seduce someone before killing or maiming them. He gives her to Todd to make her happy and keep the overly horny man satisfied.

But she’s loyal, has been since David met her. She tells David the things the vlog squad thinks he doesn’t know. She’s like an internal mole, not needed in most moments, but useful when people start getting too big for their britches.

Like Matt King. Zane vouched for the guy, (Heath tells David privately not to trust his best friend because his judgment is always clouded when it come to new people offering him a good time) and David lets it slide.

Until Corinna comes over one day, leaving Todd at home to fuck David while he edits and Liza is in New York. The blonde is sucking his cock, when she pulls back and says,

“Matt is trying to convince Zane to move to Europe. Says he has friends in Amsterdam doing bigger things than Kova.”

David comes in her mouth and kisses her forehead before sending her off and telling her to round up Scott and Todd and send them his way.

David picks up Heath and Zane, asking if it’s true. Zane says yeah, but he thought the dude was kidding, they were drunk as fuck at Todd’s.

(Zane doesn’t lie, he doesn’t have it in him. Too insane to try to manipulate or spin his words like his best friend.)

Heath is livid when they meet Scott and Todd at one of their hideouts filled with money and weapons. David is tired and thinks this is a good opportunity to release the reigns a little bit. He tells the men what they’re going to do and watches them plan how to end the bleached blond man’s life.

He leaves when they’re loading up one of their nondescript SUVs and Alex is arriving. His best friend is grabbing his arm, halting his steps as he makes his way to the Tesla, leaning in and asking, “Are we gonna make him hurt before we bury him, or nah?”

David gives him what do you think eyes, and replies, “If they come up with the idea themselves, I’ll buy them all fucking Tesla’s.”

The next day he’s purchasing four Tesla coupes and sending Alex an envelope showing the stock he now owns of Elon Musk’s company, valuing upwards of five hundred thousand dollars.

•Jeff Wittek•

Jeff approaches David, which is a first. But David’s well aware of the man’s past before he introduces himself. He’s just as dumb as his new friend Todd and more naive. He fits him to the same role as Todd after watching the man put a bullet between the eyes of a lackey that couldn’t pay up fronted money David gave the guy.

But, Jeff proves way more useful than David ever could have imagined.

Jeff slaps down a duffle bag in front of David one day, oddly symmetrical to the way David had started everything. He says it’s a gift from his uncle in New Jersey. There’s two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in it along with a hard drive of incriminating photos, videos and documents on Tomas and his men.

“My uncle doesn’t like how Tomas runs the most lucrative port on the West Coast. You... you he likes, David,” Jeff tells him, crooked grin on his lips.

And that’s how David finds out that not only is Jeff the nephew of the last Godfather of the Italian mob in the United States, but that the centuries old organization is actively courting him to take over.

He likes Jeff.

David still demands loyalty though, even from a man owned and born into the Italian mob. He doesn’t get Kova carved on his arm, he gets it cut over his heart after he and Alex mentally break Jeff down over the course of a weekend in David’s basement.

“And what do you have now, Jeff?” Alex asks, as David finishes up the A in Kova with his dagger. The modelesque man doesn’t flinch with the cut, he just stares ahead, tears dried on his face from a long weekend of reprogramming.

“A new family.”

David laughs as he wipes away the blood from the man’s chest and disinfects the wounds so they don’t fester.

He’s got international backing and a spy now.

David buys Jeff a nice house and spends an insane amount of money ruining his ex-girlfriends acting career. He likes the malicious look on Jeff’s face when he sees the tweets roll in, exposing Cierra’s MDMA addiction and several crude sex tapes from Jeff and her’s threesomes with a married director.

Jeff thinks he made the right choice.

Family over blood, always.

•••••

That’s how the kids become Kova.

And how David builds his empire to reflect his strength.

•••••

Mob Boss AU Masterlist

[your-iron-lung]

No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross 11

aka ‘Down in the Ground’; available to read on AO3 HERE

Story Synopsis:  Some weird low-key occult parties start popping up that Steve can’t in good conscience ignore and takes it upon himself to investigate. Billy gets caught up in the consequences of his meddling, and isn’t it funny? For all the strange things the Upside Down has thrown his way, it’s werewolves that Steve has trouble accepting exist.

Chapter Word Count: 5939

Pairings: Eventual Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington

Genre: Supernatural/Suspense/Drama/Horror-ish

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Next Chapter: Unavailable

Notes: dont have anything to say about this one other than i hope u all dig it

                                                           RUN.

The further Steve traveled through the tunnel, blindly feeling his way along with one hand pressed against the crumbling wall, the more he became aware of how frightened he’d become. Terror the likes of which he hadn’t felt since the first night he’d become involved with the horrors of the Upside Down was upon him, turning his legs into wobbly, unsteady messes that had already caused him to fall once. He could feel the warmth of his blood spoiling yet another one of his coats as he bled out into the sleeve, certain that he’d ruptured several of his stitches when he’d landed on his injured arm after his violent stumble.

It hurt terribly, but there was little more he could do about it other than grin and bear it. He hoped, rather bitterly, that werewolves weren’t like sharks and couldn’t somehow hone in on his fresh injury, but knowing Billy’s capacity for being aware of hidden wounds, he couldn’t really find a reason to believe why they wouldn’t be.

Deep down in the ground, he was defenseless, bleeding, and blind. He felt vulnerable in ways he hadn’t felt since he was a child, in the days when the scariest thing he’d had to face was the possibility of being jumped by monsters when he had to use the bathroom at night. Then, the darkness that his hallway contained had felt oppressive and overwhelming to his young psyche, but he hadn’t known true darkness until now. It was deep and all-consuming, the long, narrow tunnel no longer illuminated by the preternatural glow that had once lit the way. His eyes could only barely pick out where he was, although there were times when the tunnel wall would branch away and upwards to an opening, where the dull evening light shone dimly in to help guide his way.

Billy was out there, somewhere, and if he hadn’t already left the complicated system of tunnels then that meant that he was still down there somewhere with him, and not knowing if Billy had enough humanity left in him to recognize and not kill him on sight constantly had Steve second guessing his recklessness in following after him. The slower pace he kept now at least allowed him time to listen for him, but Steve hadn’t been able to hear anything more than the hollow sounds of the winds blowing above the ground, his heartbeat pounding rapidly within his chest, and… something else.

Steve paused and took a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves before he determinedly pressed on again.

He didn’t want to think about what else he’d heard down there, in the dark. He wished now that he’d spent the five minutes it would’ve taken to get a flashlight before he gave chase, but he hadn’t anticipated being so afraid.

“Stupid, so stupid,” he muttered to himself, and in his mind he heard Nancy’s voice chiding him, calling him an idiot for being so willfully careless.

Distantly, he could see another side tunnel coming up. A pale light shone on the decrepit floor ahead of him, and he hastened towards it. Snow was blowing in gently from the opening as Steve stepped outwards to see if any of the fresh snowfall had been disturbed, but it was fresh and unmarred. If Billy had come by here, he hadn’t gone up. Holding his arm tenderly, he reluctantly crept back into the gloom and pressed onwards through the dark.

                                                           RUN.                                                        HUNGER.                                                           HUNT.

Looking back over his shoulder, Steve paused. He thought he’d heard something again, echoing up through the cavern from behind. He bit his lip and tried to focus, but no amount of squinting would allow his vision to permeate the darkness. All he could see were motionless swirls as his eyes tried to form recognizable shapes out of the emptiness. He held his breath and waited for the sound to come again, but it didn’t. He exhaled a shaky breath and ran his hand nervously through his hair; what had it been? Something soft, trying not to have been heard at all. Something following him, trying to match its steps with his own.

He couldn’t calm his heart from the rapid pace it was beating despite doing his best to remain calm about the situation. Dread the likes of which he’d never known flooded him as he stood there, wondering what he’d do if he did see something back there, and his hand clenched instinctively for the handle of the bat he’d stupidly neglected to carry with him. Was it possible Billy had hidden in a side tunnel, or even waited against the opposite wall, shrouded in darkness, for him to pass by in order to start hunting him? There was something back there, stalking him, but what it was eluded him. The thought that he was nothing more than a piece of shark bait, walking around and chumming the waters came to him again as he swallowed hard and tried to will his legs to continue forward.

They wouldn’t move.

He turned his back against the wall and sank to the ground, fear momentarily overtaking him. All he wanted to do in that moment was scream in frustration; it wasn’t supposed to have happened this way. Everything had gotten out of hand so fast he hadn’t had time to properly process it all, and now he was blind and alone, lost, cold, and exposed in a tunnel he’d already almost died in once before.

What had he really expected to do, though, anyway? Even if he found Billy, there was a greater chance he’d end up getting mauled by him than there was of him actually doing anything to help.

There were so many things they should’ve done differently; they should’ve bought a lock to keep the chains in place, they should’ve come up with a plan b for if Billy escaped, they should’ve accounted for-

In the midst of his self-pity, he heard, again, a sound come from somewhere behind him: a soft, quiet inhalation of air, too intentional to be the wind. His blood ran cold as his heart began to beat harder, and although he didn’t want to, he slowly rose from his spot on the ground and looked back the way he’d come with his back braced against the wall.

There was still nothing to be seen.

‘Just an animal’, he thought to himself, breathing in faster than he ought to have been. As he stared into the dark, he thought, perhaps, that he could see something moving in the blackness but couldn’t be sure that it wasn’t his brain trying to make sense of something it couldn’t see. He swallowed hard and utilized the spike in adrenaline to get his legs moving again in order to hasten onwards through the tunnel. ‘It’s just an animal that got lost down here, that’s all. A deer, or something. Coyote, maybe. Wolf.’

Goosebumps broke out across his skin as he tried to work himself into a jog. There, again, he could hear it. A footfall, soft, quiet, and out of sync with his own. Something down the way he’d come, sneaking after him. Hunting him.

“Just an animal,” he whispered to himself, over and over like a mantra, trying to find peace in his own words.

A slight noise came to him then, like a quiet huff of laughter, and he knew that he was wrong.

Steve took off into a panicked sprint, the uneven ground almost causing him to stumble again as he ran forward carelessly. He couldn’t hear anything over the labored sounds of his own breathing and the rush of blood pumping in his ears, but up ahead he could see another pale beam of light cutting through the darkness. He ran towards it desperately like a parched man racing towards an oasis in the desert, and the irony that he was running towards the light at the end of the tunnel evaded him.

The passage that branched out from the side was steeper than he’d judged it to be as he ran, and as he turned into it, running up the slope a small ways, he slipped on the snow and fell back a few feet. He gasped in alarm as he slid back into the dark opening, falling forward onto his hands and knees as he clambered out, plunging his hands into the frigid cold, grasping for the soil, not minding how badly his arm was hurting in the process.

It felt like an eternity before he was able to escape, but in actuality only a few, frantic seconds had passed by the time he was able to make it up the slope of the bank. He jerked upright, caught a stitch in his side, and turned to face whatever had followed him down the length of the tunnel. As he held a hand to his side, breathing hard, Steve stared into the open maw of the cavern opening and saw-

Nothing.

Panic dwindling, he looked around confusedly. He had heard something down there with him, hadn’t he? Or had the intense darkness mixed with his fear to create a paranoia too thick to shake off? He couldn’t say, but either way, it didn’t seem like anything was with him there now. Still, he did not feel entirely at ease; he had no idea where he was.

As he allowed time for the cramp in his side to ease up, he took a look around himself to see if he could find any identifying landmarks. Despite the fact that the light of the full moon was being heavily Obscured by Clouds and a brisk snowfall, Steve had no trouble seeing that he’d wound up in some forested area, but couldn’t find anything familiar enough for him to pinpoint his location. How far he’d traveled since leaving the safety of Dustin’s cellar was unknown to him, but as he looked about the area, he could hear the yips and howls of some hunting dogs somewhere in the distance.

Far enough away from the suburbs for people to be out hunting, at least.

Steve turned in place for a moment, trying to come up with a plan of action when he noticed that his tracks were not the only ones that had marred the fresh snowfall: he could see long, animalistic footprints leading out of the tunnel and away into the woods. A feeling of relief settled into the pit of his stomach when he realized that he was, at the very least, on the right track. Feeling more winded than he would have liked to admit, Steve ignored the cold in his feet and started walking, following the marks into the woods.

Every few steps he’d turn around and look over his shoulder to be sure he wasn’t being followed, unable to completely shake that terrible sensation of being stalked in the dark. There was never anything to be seen as he wandered, keeping a careful eye to the ground and listening to the echoing sounds of the hunting dogs through the trees, his wounded arm kept stiff by his side. He was just beginning to think that maybe things wouldn’t turn out quite as badly as he’d initially feared they would when he heard the sharp crack of a rifle being shot.

The dogs he’d been listening to were closer now, and yowling madly as a second shot followed up the first, but the ecstasy of the hounds was cut short. Frozen in place, Steve heard their eager howls turn into yips of terror, and distantly he could hear the unmistakable howl of something not quite human, but not quite not.

                                                           PREY.                                                            HUNT.                                                            FEAST.

Steve could hear voices ahead, shouting loudly in confusion and then alarm.

“Shit,” he breathed to himself as he started into another sprint, stumbling through the thick snow as hurriedly as he could manage, but he wasn’t wearing the right sort of shoes for it.

The voices that at first had begun to sound closer began to fade as he ran along, vocalizing distress while they called out to their dogs and to each together as they fled whatever monstrosity they’d accidentally come upon.

Snow was falling heavily around him as he pursued the commotion, obscuring his vision as he tried to follow the tracks Billy had left behind. He was forced to slow his pace down as the snowflakes stuck in his eyelashes, hindering him as he tried to navigate his way around the thick trunks of the trees. His toes were going numb in his dampening sneakers as he plodded forward, unaware of where he was heading until he finally came across what had scared the hunters away. He stalled when he saw the dark shape up ahead, barely discernible in the low lighting and the violent snow flurry, hunched over something half-buried in the snow.

From where he stood, Steve could heard the sounds of something crunching and squelching grotesquely as the form shook its head side to side in short, quick bursts, tearing a limb away from the body of whatever it was feeding upon. Steve was rendered immobile by the sight, and although it was hard to see, he could tell that what he was looking at was none other than Billy transformed.

Even with his body hunched over what he’d caught, (and Steve hoped desperately that it wasn’t a person), there were notable differences in the physiology between what Billy had become and the thing that was responsible for that change; where the thing that had attacked them before had been long, sinewy, and nothing but terrifyingly long limbs, the creature before him looked to be made out of pure muscle.

Billy was massive; even with most of his form submerged in the nighttime shade, Steve could see how bulked out his body had become with the change. Steve felt hopeless in his presence, and turned away as the Billy-thing chucked the disembodied limb aside and began eating from the carcass in earnest. He slid out of site and kept his back pressed up against the broad trunk of a tree, desperately trying to think of what he was supposed to do now.

Was he meant to try and lead him back into the confines of Dustin’s cellar like he’d tried to do with Dart before? If he offered himself as bait, would Billy even take it, and how far could he reasonably get with a beast like that chasing him down? He sighed miserably and closed his eyes, listening to the wet, sloppy sounds of Billy feasting on whatever- or whoever- he’d managed to catch. He winced at every crunch of bone that met his ears and wondered how the hell he was going to fix this.

He opened his eyes and tentatively peaked around the safety of his tree, monitoring Billy’s progress as he devoured the corpse. At the very least, he could probably try to tail him; that way, he’d be able to at least know where he went and keep tabs on what he did until the sun rose and returned his sentience to him. But that would take all night, and Steve was already exhausted from his adventure in the tunnel. The only thing keeping him going at this point was fear and adrenaline, one of which he had only a limited supply of.

As he ducked back into position behind the tree, he locked eyes with a face and nearly screamed.

The man- ‘It’s Hopper’, he realized belatedly- moved fast and forced a hand over his mouth to muffle his loud gasp of surprise.

‘Shh,’ Hopper mouthed quietly, eyes wide as they darted from the look of fright on Steve’s face to Billy, too preoccupied with eating to notice anything else. He looked back to Steve and raised his brows, asking him silently if he was okay enough to not scream as soon as he took his hand away. Steve nodded, and Hopper dropped his hand.

Steve was panting, open-mouthed with fright as he leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. His body shook all over, trembling with fear he couldn’t suppress. He felt Hopper grip his shoulder in support and looked up to meet his eye.

“Oh Jesus- What are you doing out here?” he whispered hoarsely, voice barely rising above the sound of the snow falling on the ground. Steve had never been so scared, and couldn’t keep his voice from breaking as he talked. “How did- how did you know where-”

Hopper’s eyes glanced from Steve and away to where Billy was again, still crouched over before he replied, speaking slowly. “I was following a lead,” he said, not quite able to pitch his voice as lowly as Steve had managed. “What are you doing out here?”

But Steve couldn’t reply. Rather than speak, he shook his head and ducked his head back down, afraid he might end up puking if he opened his mouth again.

“Don’t,” Hopper quietly commanded, putting a hand to Steve’s back to try and soothe him. “You’ll alert it.”

Choking back a harsh sob, Steve swallowed hard and managed to stand upright, though his body hadn’t quite stopped shaking.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, but I couldn’t call out to you,” Hopper explained, speaking slowly and deliberately, making stern eye contact with Steve who could only manage a feeble nod in response. He waited a moment for Steve to catch his breath before asking, “That’s it, right? The thing that got you before?”

He jerked his head in the direction of Billy, and Steve was numbly aware that Hopper had placed a hand over his gun, moving to take it out of his holster slowly.  

“Wait,” Steve said as Hopper stepped away to get a better look at the creature Billy had become. Panic blossomed in his chest, born from the need to keep Billy relatively unharmed; he’d trusted him to do that much. “That’s not- Don’t shoot him.”

“Him?” Hopper paused and turned back to Steve, gun drawn but angled towards the ground. His face was drawn tight, a mixture of confusion marred with disappointment spreading across his features. “Him,” he repeated, and this time there was anger tinging the inflection of his voice.

“It’s not what you think,” Steve stressed, hardly aware of the rising pitch his voice was taking as he struggled to convey to Hopper that the situation was not what he thought it was. He couldn’t let him think that he and Billy had somehow orchestrated the whole incident in the woods as some kind of hoax in order to fuck with him; they needed him on their side. Trust had to be based in trust, and if Hopper’s perception of him was already being built on the assumption that he was a liar and a trickster, then it wouldn’t bode well for them in the future. “It’s complicated; we were attacked, before, but that out there- that’s not- there’s another one-”

“Keep your voice down,” Hopper hissed urgently, and they both realized at the same time that the sloppy sounds of consumption had ceased in the midst of his babbling.

Wide-eyed, Steve looked to Hopper in alarm. A heavy silence hung in the air for the moment where neither of them reacted, until the sounds of snow crunching under the feet of something heavy coming towards them drove Steve to act.

“Don’t shoot him,” he said, looking Hopper in the eye as he tried to channel the last of his courage. His body was still shaking as he tried to tap into it, but if there was any courage left in him, it was making itself scarce. “Stay hidden, run when you can,” he added, swallowing hard, and before Hopper could react, he dashed away from their position behind the tree to meet the beast Billy had become directly.

“Wait! Steve!” Hopper cursed and made to follow after him, but was stunned into immobility with what he saw when he rounded the tree. He shrunk back against the bark involuntarily at the sight of the tall, hulking form that towered over the Harrington boy, dripping blood and looking oh so hungry.

Ignoring every alarm that was ringing in his head to turn tail and run, Steve stood very, very still, staring up into the grotesquely animalistic features Billy’s face had morphed into. Blood was dripping freely from his mouth and down the length of his throat, lips drawn back into a snarl exposing all his pointy new teeth. A low growl was rumbling out of his mostly furless chest, growing louder as Steve tentatively began to raise his hand that held the invisible wound.

Steve licked his lips anxiously before he spoke, saying, “It’s just me, Hargrove. Don’t- no need to cream your pants here.”

He laughed nervously, hoping that his callback to a familiar dialogue would somehow be enough to trigger some kind of recognition, but Steve found no hint of familiarity in Billy’s bright, yellow-blue eyes. They glinted with barely restrained madness as Billy snarled and snapped his jaw angrily, strips of unidentifiable flesh stuck hanging in his teeth. What little courage Steve had managed to draw upon to face him was quickly leaving him, but still he stood strong, his feet frozen in place. In the back of his mind, Steve began to wonder if that wasn’t because of the onset of frostbite.

There were less than five feet between them- an easy distance for Billy to gap, and yet, he hadn’t. Despite all the aggression he was displaying, he hadn’t yet made a move to attack, an observation that Steve struggled to make sense of.

“Steve.”

Hopper’s voice, a hoarse whisper behind him, went as unheeded as the wind blowing by them.

“It’s just me,” he said, addressing Billy and raising up his marked hand to him again, hoping that it might spark a less aggressive reaction this time. Billy gnashed his teeth and set his lips back into a deeper snarl in response, startling Steve into taking a step backwards. He lowered his hand helplessly, watching as the muscles in Billy’s legs coiled tight, his whole body tensing as he lowered into a crouch, readying himself to spring.

He was going to die. Steve’s eyelids fluttered at the realization; it didn’t matter if his toes were frostbitten if he was just going to get eaten in the end. Taking a deep breath, Steve felt some of his panic ebbing away with the inevitability of it all, nowhere left for him to hide that Billy couldn’t chase him down to kill. The second he turned his back, he was sure Billy was going to pounce.

“Steve!”

Drawn out of his pre-death introspection, Steve twitched, blinked, and turned to face Hopper, the start of an apology on the tip of his tongue, words he wanted to share to let him know that he hadn’t really expected this to end well for him anyway, and froze when he finally saw what Hopper had been urgently trying to get him to see.

A shadow- long, thin, but spawned from nothing, had been creeping along the ground towards him. It was indented into the snow, a deep void pressed flat against the stark whiteness of the frost that was moving so slowly, it didn’t appear to be moving at all. The other one, still trying to reach him, one long, skinny hand stretched forward to claim its prey at last.

When it saw that Steve had finally noticed it, it grinned, red eyes blazing.

Several things happened at once in that instance. At the same time he heard Hopper cocking his gun and yelling for him to move, he felt the warm, hot hand of Billy grab him by the shoulder. Long, sharp claws pierced through the fabric of his layers of clothing and inches deep into his skin, and as the first werewolf began to rise, Billy’s grip over him tightened and Steve felt himself being thrown violently backwards. Bellowing out a deafening roar, Billy sprung forward with the momentum to meet the creature, red spittle flaring out of his mouth as he was met with tooth and claw.

Steve’s feet left the ground as he was flung aside, his back colliding with a sturdy tree that pushed all the air out of his lungs. He gasped, wheezing for air as the edges of his vision blackened for a precarious moment. He coughed and struggled to breathe as Hopper ran towards him, slipping in the snow before frantically trying to help Steve to his feet. Steve stood, but wavered in place as he continued to struggle to get air in, not quite able to fully comprehend what was happening around him.

“We have to go,” Hopper said, trying to hustle a dazed Steve away from the terror taking place. “We have to go now; can you run? Walk?”

“Yeah, yeah, I can-” he began to say, and although Hopper had faced him away from it, Steve could hear Billy fighting the other creature. Savage, wet sounds reached his ears as the two beasts tore into each other viciously. “I can’t leave him,” Steve gasped out, turning away from Hopper who, this time, did not let him get away. “I can’t leave him!”

“You are hurt,” Hopper stressed, dragging Steve away through the snow with a strong arm wrapped around his waist. “You’re not dressed for the weather and you. Are. Hurt. Whatever that thing is, you can’t help it; we have to go now!”

Steve struggled uselessly, watching aghast as Billy was tackled into the snow, the head of the other werewolf bearing down on him to tear at his chest.

“Billy!” Steve shrieked as Billy unleashed a horrible howl of agony.

The first beast almost sounded like it was laughing as it tore into him, blood and flesh being slung into the air before Billy was able to kick him off, using the enhanced muscles in his legs to propel it backwards. It flew away from him, much in the same way Steve had been launched before, but Billy didn’t allow it time to recover. He sprung after it immediately, pouncing atop of it and grabbing it with his jaw by the shoulder.

Steve watched, wide-eyed and horrified as Billy pulled it up and ran, dragging it away further into the woods and away from them.

“We’ve got to go after them,” Steve said, sound frantic as he struggled to give chase. Hopper didn’t listen, nor did he give Steve any slack to escape.

“We have to go,” he growled out as he pinched Steve to his side, veering them away from the direction Billy had dragged the other werewolf.

Steve tried one last time to pull himself free from Hopper’s iron grasp before giving up, letting himself be led out of the woods to the road where Hopper had parked his truck. He couldn’t tell if he was shaking from the cold or from the possibility that Billy could die or already be dead. He’d trusted Steve to keep him contained, and instead of doing his job he’d let him go.

“You are going to explain everything to me,” Hopper said, his voice gruff as he opened the passenger door and all but shoved Steve into the seat, “and when I say ‘everything’, I mean everything.”

As he slammed the door shut, Steve sat numbly in his seat and watched as Hopper walked around the front of the truck to get in on the driver’s side. With the engine started, Hopper turned the air on to the hottest setting before shifting into gear and driving them away.

“Don’t take me to the hospital,” Steve said once he’d found his voice, but it felt rough and wrong in his throat. His eyes were wide and practically glued to the window, unable to tear his gaze away from the woods they were speeding past, hoping to catch some glimpse of Billy or the other one.

Hopper side-eyed him tensely, frowning at the request.

“You’re hurt,” he said simply. “Your arm is bleeding.”

“It’s just some torn stitches; it’s not bad. I’ll go tomorrow.” He turned in his seat to face Hopper finally, desperation creasing his forehead and making him look far older than he was. “First thing tomorrow, I swear I’ll go, but you have to take me back to Dustin’s house tonight.”

Hopper’s frown deepened. “Why?” he asked slowly, mistrust lining the tone of his voice.

Steve struggled to find the words he needed to explain their situation, unsure of how much Hopper would be willing to believe and how much he was allowed to tell. In the end he wound up disclosing everything, leaving it to Hopper’s discretion to choose what he would take seriously and what he’d find too outrageous to believe. He told him everything, about their hastily thought out plan to the minimal amount of research they’d done on Billy’s condition and how Steve himself hadn’t even believed it at first.

Hopper remained quiet and impassive as he listened to all that Steve had to say. His face betrayed no emotion on whether he thought Steve was lying to him or not; he merely took it in, acting as a sponge as he was relayed all that Steve knew.

In the end, Hopper didn’t take him to the hospital. He drove Steve back to Dustin’s house as was requested of him, wherein he was able to see the evidence that fortified Steve’s words. The gore of Billy’s shed skin that was left in the basement seemed enough to solidify his thoughts on the matter.

“That thing out there- the one we saw together- you’re telling me that was Billy Hargrove?”

Hopper looked at the hair that lay in clumps on the floor, noting from the colour and the curls that it was Billy’s.

“Yeah,” Steve affirmed, curling his toes in his wet shoes. He could feel them moving, but they still felt disturbingly numb. “I think I might have frostbite in my feet,” he added offhandedly, trying to sound casual about the prospect.

Hopper gave him an alarmed look that suggested he felt he should have taken him to a hospital after all.

“Let’s go inside; I’ll take a look,” Hopper said, sounding hesitant as he gestured towards the stairwell, “but if they look bad enough, then I am taking you to a doctor. Frostbite is serious.”

“That’s fair.”

They climbed the cellar steps quietly, and each step Steve took was painful. Hopper made him sit at the kitchen table once they were inside and then kneeled down, peeling off his sneakers and damp socks and laying them out on the linoleum flooring with a wet plop. Steve watched nervously, afraid for his own wellbeing for the first time that night as Hopper appraised his feet, looking at his toes carefully.

The skin, mercifully, wasn’t dark or black, but looked waxy and unnaturally pale. They felt stiff whenever Steve tried to move them.

“You’re right,” Hopper said with a sigh eventually, causing Steve’s stomach to drop uncomfortably. “Mild. Treatable here, but still frostbite. Do you know where the bathroom is?”

Steve shook his head as Hopper came to a stand and looked around awkwardly, uncomfortable at the prospect of having to look for it in a home he hadn’t properly been invited into. “Stay here,” he said after a moment, as if Steve had plans to run back out into the wilderness to look for Billy on frostbitten feet.

He watched wordlessly as Hopper left the kitchen, wandering down the halls of the Henderson household to look for a bathroom. After a few minutes, during which Tews had come in to keep him company, Steve heard the sound of a faucet turning on and water being drawn into a bathtub. Seconds later and Hopper was back in the kitchen, holding out his hand for Steve to take.

Hobbling to his feet, Steve used Hopper’s arm for support as they slowly made their way into Dustin’s mom’s bedroom and then into the master bathroom, where Hopper had indeed begun drawing a bath. He helped Steve sit on the rim of the tub, knocking over a few of Dustin’s mom’s bottles of soaps in the process as he checked the temperature of the water.

“Your skin needs to thaw. Keep your feet in the water until you can feel your toes again and then wrap them up with whatever you can find,” Hopper explained as Steve began to roll up his pants legs. He was aware of the chief’s eyes on him as he hesitantly shifted in place to bring his legs up and over the rim, hovering his feet above the water, afraid that it would hurt once they breached the surface. “If the skin doesn’t turn red in half an hour call someone that can bring you to the ER. Okay?”

“Got it.”

“If you don’t regain feeling in half an hour, you call someone or you’ll lose your toes; do you understand me?”

“Yeah.”

Steve slowly let his feet sink into the water then, wondering what he would do if it came to that. He wouldn’t be able to play basketball anymore if he lost them all, probably. When the water met his skin, there was no pain.

“What are you going to do?” he asked after a long moment, turning up to look at Hopper, his concern wavering from potentially losing his toes to wondering where Billy was and if he was alright.

Hopper didn’t answer right away, and when he did his voice sounded heavy and tired.

“If that thing has what you say is the Hargrove boy, I suppose it’s my duty to go back out and try and find them.” He sighed deeply and rubbed a hand down his face. “You sure he’ll… be normal, come sunrise?”

Steve nodded; he was pretty sure that was the case, at any rate- everything else they’d hypothesized had thus far been proven true.

“And you’re sure he’ll come back here when he does?”

“If he can,” Steve replied. ‘If he’s alive,’ Steve thought.

Hopper sighed again and nodded once to himself. “Alright,” he said. “I’m going to leave, then. If he comes back before I can find him, you call the station and tell them to radio me to tell me you found your dog that got loose, you understand? And I’m serious about your feet; don’t feel like you have to stay here and wait for him if your toes don’t regain feeling.”

“Alright, alright, I heard you the first time,” Steve snapped, flexing his toes in the warm water irritably. It might have just been wishful thinking, but he believed that he could feel some sensation returning to his feet. “Don’t let him or the other one bite you, if you do find them,” he said, letting his misplaced frustrations go with a slackening of his shoulders. “Don’t- don’t let him die.”

“I’ll do what I can, kid.”

And then Hopper was gone, leaving Steve to sit alone with his frozen feet dangling in the warmth of the water. His eyes began to water with shame and anger as he sat there, but he rubbed the tears away hastily before he could devolve into hysterics. He felt cowardly and like a disappointment, but it was all out of his hands now. If Billy survived the night it wouldn’t be because of him, or anything he did, but if he died…

If he died, then it would be.

[thatlesbiannudistcult-stories]

Finding Goddess (Chapter 18)

"I'm still naked, aren't I?"

Carol let out a long, defeated sigh as the realization hit her, though she could no longer say it was surprising anymore. Her body was just finding more and more ways to keep itself bare that it was quickly becoming normal for her. But what really embarrassed the nudist was not the fact that she forgot to dress herself again, but that it took her almost fifteen minutes to catch this latest mishap. At least she now knew what Henrietta and Katherine were grinning so stupidly about.

"You sure are!" cackled Henri from the driver's seat.

"Took you long enough, Mommy," giggled Katherine from where she sat next to Carol in the backseat. She unbuckled her seatbelt and slid closer to the older woman to give her a hug, wanting to enjoy her nude body after clearly holding herself back for so long.

"You really should stay buckled up, Katy, it's not ohhhhhhhh!" Carol shuddered as the black girl took one of her nipples into her mouth and starting suckling on it gently.

Carol really wanted to curse herself for being such a sucker, for being so weak to the sexual whims of her current company. But...shoot, her young lover was just too good at this. And knowing she was doing something so lewd and so indecent in public, surrounded by people on all sides who had no flipping idea what she was doing...got her hot. Really, really hot. So Carol couldn't complain, and she couldn't mope. She could only lean back and enjoy it.

"Hey, Henri?" she said after a few moments, finally finding the energy to speak in between the kisses and laps Katy was sprinkling all over her breasts. "Where exactly are we going anyway?"

"Before I tell you that," said the bikini-clad woman, "have you given it any consideration? You know? Joining that lesbian nudist cult?"

"Mmmm...maybe," Carol murmured, not certain if she was moaning in pleasure or mumbling with indecision.

"Oh, good, good," said Henrietta. "Because you see, both Katy and I have been talking, and we agree that we would appreciate it if you did."

"What are you trying to do, peer-pressure me?" said Carol. "I can't outright change my religion just like that. It requires a lot of thinking. And that's without taking into account the...lifestyle changes it requires, and finding out if it's really not just some big con..."

After giving Carol's nipple one last playful flick of her tongue, Katy pushed herself away from the older woman's breast to look her in the eye. "It's not a con at all. I've been looking stuff up about the Zenrists online, and it's totally legit. There's been no criminal investigations into them at all, and nothing about them requires you to give up any money aside from what you donate to them—"

Carol rolled her eyes doubtfully. "Donations, riiiggghhht. I bet that fancy Temple we went to was paid for entirely by donations as well."

"Yeah, about that," said Henrietta. "Donations did play a big role in the construction of that place, but most of it was financed by the priestess and a bunch of her adherents, a number of whom sold their houses to build it. The Temple in New Deastone is by all accounts their home."

"Where'd you hear this?" said Carol. "Did Maisie tell you?"

"Yep! She's been telling me all sorts of things in between the kinky stuff she's done ever since she converted." At this, Henrietta let out a moan and shuddered as some sudden sexy thought played out in her head. "Ohhhh...Carol, honey, you would not believe the kind of stuff that girl has done. She's a real 'sweet-talker,' if you know what I mean. Among other things."

"Okay, I get the picture," said Carol. "But what does this have to do with where we're going?"

"Well, Carol, both Katy and I have concluded that we need a Zenrist in our life. Right here, locally in Beringall, a hot, naked woman who'll always be around to entertain us. You know, whenever we feel under the weather. And for reasons that should be obvious, we think that woman should be you."

"We want to help you decide quickly, Mommy," added Katy. "And we want to do that by giving you a real Zenrist experience!"

"You, completely naked, no clothes in sight, far from home, outside," said Henrietta, her tone getting increasingly breathier with every word she spoke. "Getting horny, ready to be pleasured at any time...and maybe, ready to pleasure us any time as well."

"I can't...I can't pleasure you anytime in public just like that," said Carol, though she couldn't deny how sexy that sounded. Goose bumps were already prickling up on her flesh and she could still feel Katy's wet lips on her tits even though the black girl had just pulled away. "I'm not a Zenrist yet! I could get in trouble! And so could you!"

"That's why we're not taking you to too public a space," said Henrietta. "Just somewhere where it'll be just us. Katy, me, you, and your wonderfully naked self."

"What, do I count as two people now?" said Carol with an amused chuckle.

"With these mommy-balls, you should be," giggled Katherine, who took that moment to fondle Carol's breasts again before leaning in and rubbing her face all over them. She cooed as the soft warm flesh squished all around her before she paused with startling abruptness. Looking up with an uncertain expression, she asked: "This is allowed with Zenrists, right?"

"Everything is allowed with Zenrists," said Henrietta in a strangely serious tone. "There is nothing a woman and a Zenrist cannot do together."

***

On the trio rode, past the city limits, off the highway, onto a side road, onto another side road with more cracks and dirt in it, until they finally came to a stop at a little parking lot situated at the mouth of a trailhead leading into a forest. Carol recognized the place.

"We're hiking on the Vage Nature Trail?"

"Not very far," said Henrietta. "We're going to take a little detour on it. Go to a nice secluded spot on the Vage Lake."

"Vage Lake, huh." Carol took note of Henrietta's bathing suit. "So you're taking us out for a swim? Or a skinny dip in my case?"

Henrietta winked at her. "That's the plan."

"I...guess I don't have anything against that," said Carol. It had been a long time since she got to go on a proper naked swim. The idea of submerging her completely bare body into a pool of natural water sounded absolutely heavenly. Still, there was a reason she hadn't done it at all recently. "But, uh, is this safe? I've never hiked the trail...like this before."

"And I never hiked it like this," said Henrietta as she gestured at her bikini. "Besides, what are the chances we'll actually bump into someone on the trail?"

Carol's eyes fell on a couple of cars also parked in the lot. "Uh."

"Don't worry about them, Mommy," said Katherine. "There's no signal out here, so no one can report you anyway."

"And even if some prude asshole did want to," added Henrietta, "they'd have to hoof it back to their car, drive to the nearest town, report to the nearest cops, and hope they'll actually care enough to drive all the way out here to arrest you. Believe me, Carol, police stink, but even they have better things to do than hunt for random perverts in the woods."

"I...guess you have a point," said Carol. Come to think of it, hiking the trail in the buff sounded like a fun idea, and a very low-risk one at that. Why hadn't she ever thought of it before?

"It's settled then! Let's go!" cheered Henrietta.

The hike proved to be a relaxing affair for the three women as they walked side-by-side in the forest. The weather was reasonably cool, the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind was soothing on the ears, and there were no bugs in sight to prey upon all the bare skin that was being displayed. About the only troubling sight was the sky, which was blanketed with gloomy grey clouds that warned of impending rain. Wouldn't be a problem for me though, Carol thought with a smug grin. It's been a while since I got to experience a proper outdoor shower.

Thinking about that brought the mother back to the immediate situation, which was that she, Henri, and Katy made a really strange sight. The black girl was the only one among them who was decently dressed for the occasion, sporting a pair of hip-hugging khaki shorts that showed off what a firm booty she was packing underneath them, as well as a camo-patterned top. It didn't fully cover her waist and left her cute belly button exposed, but it was decent enough; no one would be doing any double-takes on her if she strolled past them. Meanwhile, Henrietta was wearing her black bikini, a pair of plain brown hiking boots, and a small duffel bag of sorts over her shoulder. She just looked plain weird, wearing an assortment of stuff that didn't match in style or purpose. But Carol knew she was in no position to criticize her redheaded girlfriend's current attire, for she herself was wearing nothing but her weathered grey (formerly white) running shoes.

Here I am. Butt-naked again. This time in the wilderness. Miles away from my clothing, which is getting farther and farther away with every step I take.

She shivered all over just thinking about it. Knowing that the distance between her body and her clothing was growing steadily wider excited Carol for some odd reason. It was like she was getting even more naked now, even though she had nothing left to take off.

I wouldn't ever wear clothes if I could. I wouldn't even own clothes if I could!

Looking all around her, at the natural grace of the forest, almost completely untouched by human hands, inhabiting it in her almost completely natural state, made Carol start to feel strangely wistful. The women in Zenriah's time were so lucky. They got to enjoy the natural world like this all the time. They could go anywhere, do anything, do any girl without guilt or shame. And they did it all naked. They never wore clothing. They didn't even have a concept of clothing. Just living and loving in the presence of the Goddess the way She made them...that was all they ever needed. She sighed. I wish I could have lived in that time.

Carol frowned and cast her eyes downward, feeling her heart clench up as that familiar sensation of emptiness started to come over her again. Damn it, not now. Why does thinking about the Goddess make me feel so...

A hand passed over her butt and gave one of her cheeks a reassuring squeeze. Almost immediately, the feeling of melancholy left her. Looking to her right, Carol's eyes fell upon the smiling face of her fake daughter, Katherine. Just seeing it warmed the nudist's heart, enough to make her lean in and give the black girl a gentle kiss on the lips. Another hand passed over her left butt cheek and gave it a squeeze in turn, prompting Carol to turn to her other lover, Henrietta, and kiss her as well.

As she pulled back and set her eyes back on the trail, Carol got to thinking again. Divine Language of the Goddess, hm. I wonder if we're speaking it right now? According to Celeste and the Scripture of Zenriah, lesbianism was a way, if not the way, for women to communicate with each other. Every intimate gesture, whether it was a from a tender caress, a gentle kiss on the lips, a circular lick on the nipple, or even an orgasm, conveyed a thought, emotion, or idea, and it did so in a way that the spoken and written word could not. Even a playful squeeze of a girl's butt cheek said something. Still sensing the ghost her girlfriends' hands on both sides of her posterior, and feeling a little tingly from them, Carol wondered just what they were unconsciously saying to her when they touched her like that. Were they just obvious statements like "You're so hot, Carol," and "Nice butt, Carol?" Were they assuring her that everything would be okay? Or did they tell her something more personal, something they had never said to her before? And what would it be like to 'hear' them?

Carol couldn't help but ponder as she walked alongside her lovers. They hiked a little more up the trail until they turned down a slightly less beaten side path that led them to their destination: Vage Lake. The trees thinned out on the footpath approaching it, leaving the area around the water bare save for some tall grass and a few rocks jutting out here and there. Off to the side, there was an old wooden deck where people could presumably go fish on, but no one really did that on this side of the lake. If people wanted to fish, canoe, or do any other water-filled activities, they did so on the opposite shore, which was closer to the road and had more developed facilities. This side of Vage Lake was really more for those who wanted to take in the view.

Or do something of a naughtier, more legally-ambiguous nature.

"This looks like a nice spot," said Henrietta as she knelt down on one decently leveled patch of ground. From her bag, she pulled out and unfurled a quilt to serve as their little picnic blanket. "Come, Carol, sit down here."

Carol would have been happy to oblige her normally, but Katherine was all too either to take the older woman by the hand and guide her to it, escorting her like she was some kind of princess. As Carol took her seat in a feminine sideways position, she flinched as her bare skin made contact with the quilt, which was softer and more plush than a picnic blanket had any right to be.

"Do you want me to take your shoes, Mommy?" said Katherine.

Carol wiggled her toes. Going barefoot outside was always risky, but then, she did fancy the idea of being completely naked out here. Her feet were starting to feel awfully cramped anyway, and the shoes honestly just looked silly and out of place on her otherwise completely bare body. Looking at her two very happy girlfriends, it seemed they wanted to spoil her. If that was the case, who was Carol to deny them? "Yes, please. Thank you."

She extended one leg out to Katherine, allowing the black girl to untie the laces and pull it off. Her smile widened as the shoe slid off her foot, exposing her heel, sole, and then her toes to the world. Giddily, Carol wiggled the now exposed digits, excited by how free they were and how much more naked she now felt. Then she pulled her leg back, and gave Katherine her other foot. In less than a minute, the other shoe was off, and Carol was now completely nude.

"Mmmmm," she murmured, reveling in the sudden rush of sensation that she could now feel everywhere on her body. Being naked felt so good. It's why she loved to be in that state every chance she got.

"Is that good, Mommy?" said Katherine as she sat down on her knees, looking like an excited puppy.

"More than good. It's divine," said Carol. Sitting up on her own knees, she took the younger girl's face into her hands and gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "Such a good daughter." Katherine's smile did not waver, but her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink at Carol's comment. She kissed Katherine again, this time more deeply, lingering on the younger girl's lips longer. She was compelled to press herself even harder against Katherine when two fingers suddenly brushed against her nipple tips and started tracing circles in the air around them. Carol shuddered all over, her flesh rippling in delight as her tits extended out just a little longer.

In ancient times, she really could become my daughter, she thought, taking a deep breath, if only to press Henrietta's fingers even harder on her nipples. Henri and I could make love by the side of a lake, much like this one. She would impregnate me. Nine months later, I'd give birth to a beautiful baby girl named Katy. We'd raise her together, teach her all there was to know about the Goddess, Her wonder, Her beauty, Her love...the only things worth knowing in the world...

Her hands slithered against Katy's stomach, slipping under the hem of her shirt.

Then we would go to the Goddess. Present Her newest bride to Her. Show Her all the things Katy learned from Henri and I. And all the things we learned together forming our union.

She pawed at the black girl's shirt starting to pull it up.

Katy would take Her lips. Henri Her nipples. And me...I'd take...I'd take...

She was tingling hard, growing increasingly wetter, her inner self was starting to peer out.

I'd take...!

Henrietta pulled away. There was a ruffling sound in her bag, as though she was digging around inside it, before she pulled something out. "Carol, honey, eat this," she said.

Carol pulled away from Katherine to see what Henrietta was offering her. She was greeted by a length of succulent meat cooked to a rich golden brown hue and dripping with sauce. The smell of smoke, salt, and sesame told her that her friend had brought Chinese for their little outing, bourbon chicken in this instance. Feeling her mouth water at the sight, the naked woman obliged her friend and leaned forward to take a bite, sinking her teeth into the closest chunk of meat and sliding it off the skewer. A few drops of sauce dribbled off it and spattered on her breast, and as she rolled the piece of chicken around her tongue to enjoy the rich flavor, they ran daintily down the curve of her orb, dripping onto the red circle of her areola and against the side of her sensitive nub.

After swallowing her first piece, Carol leaned forward to take another, hovering parallel to the skewer for an easier bite. She bit a chunk off the next piece of meat, splitting it between her teeth and pulling it apart in raggedy white strips. More drops of sauce fell, one landing square on the erect nipple of her other breast. Katherine seized that moment to lick it off, flicking the nub excitedly with her tongue before pulling the whole rosebud into her lips and suckling on it as if it would give her more of that sweet, saline flavor.

"I think you could use some more energy," said Henrietta as she put the chicken skewer away and brought out another item. "Have some rice."

She extended a pair of chopsticks up to Carol's lips, holding a gob of white rice between them, each grain so sticky that they stayed neatly clumped together even as they were held aloft in the air. Carol gladly took it into her mouth, alongside the next bite Henrietta offered her, and the bite after that. And all the while, Katherine continued to play with her boobs, massaging and squeezing them with both her hands and her mouth.

"Would you like a drink?" said Henrietta, pulling out a bottle which released a distinct pop sound that could only come from a suddenly loosened cork.

The sweet, fruity aroma of fresh wine filled Carol's nostrils, awakening another kind of thirst in her. "Yes, please," she whispered, already feeling it on the tip of her tongue. She loved wine, fancied herself a connoisseur of the stuff actually. She'd drink nothing else if she could. She opened her mouth eagerly to accept her lover's gift. She was not disappointed; Henrietta tipped the bottle and poured it delicately into her. It wasn't a fancy or expensive wine of course, but to Carol, who was as happy as she could be, naked, outdoors, horny, and being licked by a beautiful young lady, it was more than enough to make her taste buds dance.

She drank happily, taking small rhythmic gulps as Henrietta slowly pulled the bottle away from her. She poured wine on Carol's tongue, then on her teeth, and then onto her lips, until more of the liquid was dribbling down her chin than down her throat. Then she tipped the bottle more, pouring an even greater stream onto the naked woman. She jumped when the fluid hit her breast, chilling every inch of skin that it splashed upon. For an instant, Carol's boob looked like a big, juicy grape as the whole mass of flesh was painted a delicious shade of maroon. Then it slid down her stomach, dipped into her navel, and finally cascaded down her crotch, soaking the trimmed black hairs down there, and seeping into the crevice within.

Katherine lapped that up too. She licked the wine off Carol's skin, sucking in little pinches of flesh to slurp just a little bit more of the sweet-smelling liquid. A bit even fell into her hair and streamed down her face and neck, but she didn't care. She was too distracted by the body of her 'mommy,' glistening, wet, and tasting of the finest thing in life.

Henrietta pushed Carol down until she was lying on her back, and then poured more wine on her body. She poured it on the naked woman's other breast, on her shoulder, on her stomach, and on her thighs. Then she looked at the slightly parted lips of Carol's vulva, licked her own lips at the sight of it, and poured the drink directly into them.

Carol jolted and gasped as the shock hit her, splaying her legs and arching her back in a way that thrust her whole form up in the air, chest, stomach, and crotch. This pumped her mound even harder into the gentle shower of burgundy rain, catching more of the heavenly liquid within her ripened flower, wettening her petals, enflaming her core...

"Mmmm," murmured Henrietta as she watched her lover convulse, soaked in wine and feminine pleasure. "I think I'm feeling a little thirsty myself." Stowing the now nearly empty bottle, the redheaded woman lowered herself to all fours until she was looking directly into Carol's twitching, heaving pussy, drenched, dripping, and smelling of nectar and wine.

"AH...GLAHHH!" Carol cried as Henri charged forward, thrusting her head in between her legs. She nuzzled the naked woman's nethers, rubbing her lips and her nose all over Carol's womanhood. She licked every inch of her sensitive flesh and breathed deeply into it, catching every individual trace, fleck, and vapor of wine that still lingered on Carol's thighs, that still shimmered on her trimmed hairs, that still slid on the skin of her mound, and that still appeared to ooze from the pores of her wet, pulsating sex.

Carol bit her lips as her lover licked and lapped at her innards, slurping the juicy cocktail brewing within. Henrietta's tongue and lips seemed to be everywhere, licking, tasting, and sucking the sloshing petals of the nudist's vagina. Henrietta was drinking her wine, drinking her nectar, drinking her essence, and the more she drank of Carol, the more drink Carol produced in turn with every buck of her hips.

"MMM! MMM! MMMMM!"

She was hot. She was kicking her pelvis into the air, pushing herself harder against Henri's face. Her hands were balled up on the blanket, holding onto the fabric for dear life, as if her naked body was going to fall into the sky if she even considered letting go. But she dared not open her mouth, for fear of who would hear her screams. She had to maintain control...she had to maintain control...

"Do it, Mommy," whispered Katherine as she ran her own tongue along the underside of Carol's breast, lapping up an especially deep pool of fruity aroma around it. "Let it all out."

"I...I...OHHHH!" Carol groaned, trying to voice a straight thought and failing. She couldn't talk, she couldn't think. Not with Henrietta eating—and drinking—her out like this. Not with Katy suddenly latching onto her wine-soaked nipple again. Not with the running and dripping and oozing and splashing of wine all around her...all over her...inside her. "I can't...I can't...OH MY...GAWWWWWWDEEEESSSSS! OH! GODSS! YES! YES! GODSS! YES! OH! OH! GODDESS! YES!"

She bucked and thrashed as her orgasm tore out of her, writhing around on the blanket as if she was chained to it. Muscles clenched and went taut all around her, toes curled, and the enticing aroma of sweet wine and musty womanly essence flooded into her nostrils and poured onto her tongue as she gasped for breath, a lingering ripple from each fiery explosion that erupted from her loins.

By the time it subsided, Carol had only enough time to take in three breaths before the scent returned in full force, alongside the now even stronger taste as Henrietta's lips engulfed her own.

"I think I may have found the Goddess myself," whispered the redhead as she pulled back, breathing heavily. "And She's lying right here under me."

"Woman is the physical manifestation of Zenriah," Carol said, her tone faint, her voice breathy, almost as if she was in a trance, addressing no one but talking to everyone, even though she had the distinct impression she was responding to her friend, telling her something vital, something important. "All that She is. All that She desires. Taught to become a goddess in and of herself."

She half-yawned and half-moaned, stretching herself out on the blanket, loving how it glided against her skin. She took hold of her breasts, squeezed them, pinched her still erect nipples between her forefingers and thumbs. Then she slid them down her body, one rubbing her stomach and coming to rest at her thigh, while the other went down her side and around to her derriere. She squeezed both. She felt wet and sticky all over, damp with perspiration, saliva, and wine. On her skin, on her breasts, and inside her still moist flower.

This is the Goddess' doing. This is the Goddess' work. I must commit to my duty. I must honor Her creation.

Carol spread her legs.

"Are you still thirsty, Mommy?" said Katherine.

"She is," nodded Henrietta. "Good thing I brought more wine!"

Again, Carol was treated to a shower of burgundy. It was poured less conservatively than the last one, first on her lips, then on her face, all over her hair, and then down the length of her body. Henrietta took care to drench her thighs and her legs too, before ending things with a sprits over her pussy. Then Katy sprinkled rice onto her, covering her with hundreds of little white grains that clung to her wet body before following up with a smothering of sauce that she lathered here and there all over Carol's skin. They pulled out more bits of food, including skewers of chicken, chunks of pork, and bits and pieces of broccoli, and dropped those on her as well, some on her belly, some into her cleavage, some on her shoulders, and some onto her thighs, where they would roll down between her legs and come to rest on either side of her Venusian mound. Some pieces they would leave alone, some bits they would take hold of and press into her body to ensure they clung to her sticky flesh, some morsels they would roll on her sensitive skin to get them further covered in the mixture of wine and rice and sauce.

And when they were finally satisfied, they began to feast on her.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

🏰👑🐲⚔️🥔 - DMODT 72 - I've started today's quota 😜

It wasn't just Eren who's life was pulled to pieces. The second day of the trial saw both Armin and Historia called to answer questions. Armin's on account of how he'd grown up without ever considering the possibility that he could be royalty, followed by what he hoped to shape Eldia into and how would Eldia support Marley if Dina was to not return to the throne. Not having had to give a royal address, or having had to step so far out of his comfort zone, Armin's performance stunted and stuttered, bumbling his way through with a red face at the end. Historia faced an equally rough time. Draecia's stance of non-interference questioned over how it conveniently ceased to exist when it'd come to the princess private friends. They also questioned if the three dragons had actually been insane. Yes, they had been. Yes, magic had been used. Yes, the shackles and collars presented to the court were the ones used on the dragons. No, she'd never personally met the dragon. Yes, their identity had been confirmed. No... well, yes, you'll have to accept the testimony of a three-hundred-year old dragon that lives in the back of Levi's mind. Yes, they have the sword that infected him. No, it wasn't safe for anyone other than Levi to draw and handle it. Yes, it'd been the one Marley had tried to steal. Yes, the sword Zeke wore on his hip was made from Obsydin's mate. No, Eren had not known. Yes, they may examine and compare the scales between the shackles and Vermil's sword. Yes, possible infection may be possible. Yes, both Eren and Levi were both still affected. Yes, Eren's scales had been blackened. Yes, he had excess scale growth on his back. Completely inappropriately Eren was asked to bare his back, Freya using her magic to slice through his robes then to rejoin them. Yes, Zeke had known about this. No, Historia didn't know Zeke intimately and there had been no way to save him, or to save Erwin. Yes, she and Eren had tried to seal Obsydin's sword and failed. Yes, it went against not interfering, but Eren is a dragon with Levi as his human rider. No, it's not a typical arrangement. Yes, he has proven himself a good father to Luca despite the racial difference. Historia held her head high, projecting confidence despite the situation. Ymir, however, was ropable over the treatment of her pregnant mate. For Levi it was relief that Eren wasn't the only one they'd taken a hard stance on, though it wasn't a pleasure to see their friends going through the same treatment Eren had. The omega was holding his hand hard enough to crush it. Marley had been confident until it turned to their turn. Everyone in their party had thought Eren would be called to answer the tribunal again, yet, a rather severe looking man by the name of Theo Magath was called upon. As commander of the Marleyan Army, the man seemed... somewhat lacking. Perhaps it was simply Levi's self drawn conclusion, but it seemed to him that he was a man with his back against the proverbial wall. The way he talked and the way he carried himself indicated he believed in Marley and his home countries actions, but knew he was now in an impossible situation. Dina was the only one who wouldn't be walking away from this trial, and without some form of help from Eldia, Marley would fall. It was clearly a tough internal struggle for the man, shaking his beliefs to the very core. Speaking words of love for his homeland, and hate for both Eldia and Draecia, he served to make Dina proud. His gravely voice speaking of the few times he'd been at the same events Eren and Zeke had attended. Zeke keeping the omega on a short leash, and Eren's only redeeming social grace was that he knew how to keep his mouth shut. Continuing on, he explained how Zeke had betrayed them all at the final hour by choosing Eren over Marley. How unsettling it had been for everyone in Marley to learn that Zeke had impregnated Eren, only for the truth to finally be revealed that the child was not Zeke's at all. As the man began divert on that tangent, he was pulled back into line. The questions pertaining to Eren shifted back to Zeke and the sword he'd left Eren. Again, it fell to yes and no questions. Yes, he'd seen the sword before. Yes, it belonged to Prince Zeke, but... he wasn't allowed to explain his "but". Scolded that the question only required a yes or no answer, Magath clearly didn't appreciate taking orders from someone younger than himself. Keeping to the topic of Zeke and the sword, Magath was questioned over his knowledge of the slaughter of dragons along the border between Marley and Draecia. Initially he denied knowledge, insulting magic users until he eventually tripped over his own tongue, roaring that the threat dragons posed meant they couldn't ignore the great, and while weaponry had been developed, it wasn't enough. Mentally Levi was shaking his head the man, his face turned a ruddy red as he reiterated repeatedly that he'd done what he needed to protect to Marley. If Marley hadn't been completely fucked over by its royal family, the man's loyalty might have actually meant something. If he could take even a drop of that fire and turn it into a bullet... well, the consequences could be scary... if he wasn't going up against dragons, or Eren. Mostly Eren. Eren would protect the people of Marley to the death if pushed that far, and even if it meant destroying himself in the process. Given the gravity of the weigh the omega carried on his shoulders it was painfully easy to forget from time to time just how young Eren truly was. He wasn't even 19 when Levi was infected by Obsydin, yet the first thing he did was attempt to seal the dragon with his soul. A stupidly selfless act. Over and over again, Eren had pushed himself to the very limits of sanity in the search for peace. Over and over again he'd been the light in the darkness for Levi, his fire burning bright even when dimmed by the driving rains and howling winds of the storm his existence brought with it. No. Even if Magath fired that bullet, Eren's fierce and desperate love would ensure it would never reach its target. That's why Marley was left to grasp at straws. Left to twisting the truth and self promotion to prevent the world from crashing down on them in a battle that would erase the country from existence. They were in too deep now, and like many had wished over the centuries, they could not turn back the hands of time. When court let out for the day, the Eldia party retired to Historia's room again. Settling her mate down on their bed, Ymir wouldn't allow anyone close, despite Historia softly scolding her for her behaviour. With his arms around Eren's waist, Eren had his face buried against Levi's neck, simply holding each other as they processed another long day. Luca had caught the attention of Armin, while Viren was in Moblit's hold so that the two mate's might have a moment to regroup. The constant tit-for-tat was far more a strain on each of them than the hours spent standing in the courtroom. Levi could feel Eren's exhaustion almost bleeding into him, his alpha upset that their omega was so vulnerable to everything, and that they couldn't make a single thing about the situation better. Further back in his mind Obsydin was upset that Vermil's sword was still in possession of the tribunal for testing against the scales used to imprison the battle dragons. If all he had left of his mate was a scale, he'd never want to lose the item from his sights. Sighing heavily, Hanji broke the silence as she addressed Freya "Do you know what we should expect tomorrow?" Freya was as clueless as the rest of them "I'm afraid not. Maria and my father are yet to make an appearance in the courtroom. We must also await the results of the tribunal's test. Though their questions were hard, I believe that Marley is not going so well. Their Commander Magath has a clearly deep rooted dislike of magic" "Normally I would be the first to agree, but did you see the looks they gave at the explanation of Levi still carrying Obsydin. I don't think they believed the details" "Levi is what he is. He is an alpha human male, infected by dragons blood. We cannot change that. If we could give them the sword examine in a controlled environment, they may be more willing to accept things. Though, they did acknowledge that magic does run through the blade, so that is something" "But what's to stop them from saying it's Eren's magic? Obsydin was supposed to drive people crazy. Dragons even. Eren is part dragon, so how can we say that, when Eren is... standing there mostly intact" "Obsydin holds a very small part of Eren's soul that impossible to reclaim. If anything, Levi is the one we need to continually watch. Obsydin may have quietened his mind, but there is still an enormous strain there..." Levi would have growled if Eren hadn't given the softest of whimpers, his lover holding him even tighter "How do we know that if we do submit the sword for testing, that they won't use a magic that will cause some kind of issue?" "We don't. Absolutely none of us were prepared for Obsydin to still live. His case is unique, as is the fact he is a human rider. Being paired with Eren is the only precaution we can take... No offence, Levi. I'm purely speaking speculation" "No offence" was easy to say, but it didn't take the pain from Eren's scent, nor did it ease the burden on his mate "Look. Obsydin and I have a deal. If something was to happen, he'd step in. Right now though, I would avoid upsetting him. The tribunal has the sword of his mate, the last traces of Vermil. It's not a pleasant or easy subject" Hanji sighed again "This is something we..." "Hanji, not now. Talking in court is terrifying, and I think both Historia and I need a break from all this heavy negativity. Why don't we have dinner early? I know it's barely late afternoon, but I could sleep like the dead" Snorting against him, Eren nodded "Food and sleep sounds like a good plan" "We aren't going to discuss what happened in there?" Interrupted by both Eren and Armin, Hanji didn't sound pleased. Had Erwin been alive to be there, he would have insisted on a debriefing "We'll talk at breakfast tomorrow. Everyone is far too exhausted Hanji. Don't make me use my prince voice" "Oh no! The Eldian prince is getting bossy, Historia. Whatever shall we do?" Yawning, Historia ruined the teasing moment "I don't know. I'm sorry, I really am rather tired. I think tonight I should just rest" Pulling away, Eren smiled at Historia "I understand completely. Why don't the rest of us have dinner in Armin's room, that way he can deal with the crumbs in the bed" Bowing slightly, Freya then shook her head "I'm sorry. I too must excuse myself. I want to write down what happened today before I forget. Don't let our absence stop you" That was how it ended up with purely the Eldia party in Armin and Mikasa's shared room. Leaving his side, Eren had moved to Armin's. Levi was forced to squash down his jealousy as Armin snuggled into Eren's side, only finally beginning to relax when he realised Eren wasn't about to leave. The alpha hadn't thought of how hard it must have been for Armin to once again talk about how he'd been lied to his entire life. From the way he spoke, the Arlert's clearly loved the boy before their death. Maybe it would have been easier for Armin had they not? That way Armin wouldn't have been left feeling so conflicted over finding out his family wasn't actually his family. The way Levi looked at it, it was basically adoption, and as an adoptive father, he say without a shadow of a doubt that he adored Luca. It didn't matter to him that Luca couldn't speak to them with words, or that he was a dragon. Luca was Luca. He loved him and his mischievous outlook on life. If there was one thing he could change, it would be to undo all the terrible memories he'd left his son with as he was losing his mind. Even Luca's razor sharp claws made it onto his love list, as they were part of Luca. All of this was he couldn't say. He'd sound like a shitty idiot if he tried to put it into words, and may very well end up insulting Armin instead of helping. If Eren was to say it, he was sure the omega would get the point across. Why did his words have to falter when it came to talking to anyone but Eren? Even Hanji... He'd known her for so long, yet as they sat across from each other, she seemed unreachable. That night was far from peaceful. Staying in Armin's room, the silence was disturbed by Freya informing them that Historia had gone into labour, and as such, Ymir had taken her back to Draecia. The female dragon decreeing that if anyone was to follow them, or to disturb them, they'd find themselves small enough to fit within a snuff box... provided she was feeling generous enough to not erase them from existence completely. Eren was both worried and ecstatic, he and Armin quick to start guessing at clutch sizes and names, which Mikasa was soon pulled into. Armin and Mikasa also receiving a lesson in birthing a clutch that struck them speechless, and somewhat queasy looking. Surely they'd both had the "talk" by now, but in Armin's case he may have thought it really never needed given he was much happier with his books than people. It was funny how Eren hadn't been able to draw Mikasa into conversation since their fight, but as they got to talking, they fell back into natural habits, like the fight had never happened. Watching Eren interact with his best friends, Levi sighed wearily to himself having finally decided it was time for that talk with Hanji. He'd been talking himself out of it all along, building the issue to the point he grew angry at the mere thought of her. Eren and their sons would be safe under Mikasa's watchful gaze for a few hours, he'd already retrieved Luca's blanket, and Viren's clean nappies. Quietly excusing himself, he left to face Hanji, her room right down the hall and given Historia had gone into labour, Moblit was probably caught listening to her ask him a million questions over the birth of clutch, while Moblit's cheeks would be red as he attempted to curb Hanji's enthusiasm over the birth of the new dragons? It'd be dragons, right? She was having a clutch... so it had to be dragons? But then, how was a dragon rider born? Did they come from eggs? Shit. Hanji's imagined enthusiasm was wearing off on him, thought he was relieved that Historia wouldn't have to give evidence again, and that something joyous was finally happening after all the craptastic fun court was turning out to be. Reaching Hanji's door, Levi was quick to close just as fast as he'd opened it. There was a whole lot of nope in that room, that left his cheeks warm as he backed away. Talking to Hanji was postponed. Levi interrupting her and Moblit in a less than desirable position, leaving him with mental scarring he definitely didn't need and a profound regret that he didn't knock. Returning to Armin's room, Levi found Eren settled down for the night with Viren laying on his chest. Armin was curled into Luca, with Mikasa laying on the other side. How they'd all fitted into the same bed together, Levi wasn't sure. All he was left with was his annoyance that Eren wasn't in his arms, and that he'd seen Moblit dick deep in a very naked Hanji. His omega was probably going to laugh himself stupid once Levi informed him of the horrors he'd been forced to witness. * Eren was affectionate when he woke to find Levi sleeping in the room's less than comfortable chair. Rousing Armin to watch over Viren, the omega was quick to take Levi by the hand and lead him from the room. Confused as what was happening, the alpha found himself pinned against the wall between their rooms, Eren hungrily devouring Levi's mouth as he ground up against him for several long moment. Breaking the kiss with a shy smile, his omega nested his face against Levi's shoulder with a happy sigh "Well that was one hell of a wake up" Not caring they were in the corridor, Eren pressed a kiss to his neck "Mmm. I'm excited" With his erection poking Levi's thigh, Levi had already been clued in on his omega's mood. With last night's excitement and the trial's continuance, a horny lover was not what he'd expected "I can see that. I wasn't expecting this" "I know... can we? Fuck it, we can. I want you" Taking his hand again, Levi was pulled into their bedroom. While his dick was now wide awake, his brain was still struggling to catch up. Eren hadn't wanted sex... but for some reason that had gone out the window... again, he was definitely not complaining... he still wasn't complaining as they found their way into the shower, and he found his way between Eren's legs. Or when he was slightly over enthusiastic as he fucked Eren up against the shower will, with his lover's long legs wrapped firmly around his waist, mewing and moaning until both lovers finally came. Coming down from his high, Eren's lips were quick to find his again. His fingers threaded through Levi's hair as his green eyes stared down at him with such love that Levi couldn't find the words to tell him how incredibly in love with he was. It was Eren who finally brought him back to reality, his words mumbled through his kiss swollen lips "I really fucking love you" Snorting, Levi hiked Eren up slightly so his omega could rest his whole weights against the wall "I really fucking love you too. Want to tell me what suddenly changed your mind about fucking?" Eren took a long moment to reply, his fingertips moving to lightly scratch Levi's scalp "I just... had a dream about giving birth to your clutch. Maybe it's because Historia went into labour, but in my dream we had a whole brood of our own. All of this was over and it was me, and you, and Luca, and Viren, and another pup... and I... I think my omega's picked up on Historia's scent and is sending my body all kinds of mixed signals. I just need you... I feel almost dizzy with how much I need you right now" Dizzy wasn't good. Placing his palm to Eren's forehead, he didn't feel a fever. Levi was also fast to scold himself. They were in a hot shower. His hands too warm to tell, given how everything was warm "I'm not sick" "I was more concerned with you going into heat" Eren pouted "I'm not in heat. It's my omega being a shit. It wants it alpha to make everything better, and it wants another baby" Nuzzling into Eren chest, Levi mouthed his way down to take Eren's right nipple in his teeth. Biting gently, his lover moaned and clenched around him "So soon?" Rocking his hips Eren whined at the lack of movement, Levi smirking as he sucked "Not right away... God... Mmmm... my body needs to heal... but yes..." Pulling off Eren's nipple, his mate whined "Don't stop" "I'm not going to stop. I wanted to ask what you needed..." "What I needed?" "From me" "I need you to fuck me and knot me..." "I meant today. Should I scent you? Or wait until we're out the shower and screw your senseless? Cover you with the smell of our sex" Taking Eren's left breast in his hand, Levi moved to tease his neglected nipple "Scent me... I don't... don't want to smell like sex... in front of the kids... shit, you're going to make me come like this..." "Come as much as you like. You're safe with me" "I know... don't let anyone too close... my instincts... she's not even here and I want to protect her and her clutch..." Growling, Levi bit down hard enough for Eren to shriek. He didn't want his love thinking of another "Sorry. Sorry, sir. I wanted... you to understand" "I do, but no more talking of others while we are like this... I want your focus completely on me, sweet boy" "Sorry... I'll be good" "I know you'll be good for me. Always so good for me sweet boy. But I do think you need some form of punishment" Eren's eyes widened, his delight far too evident "No. Not a spanking. No, this one I'm going to save until I've knotted you all over again" "Will I like it?" "You're not supposed to like it" "Be gentle?" Abandoning Eren's breast, Levi cupped his mate's face, Eren nuzzling into his touch "Eren, you know I wouldn't hurt you maliciously as a form of punishment" "I do. I guess I should say you need to think of me like I'm coming out of heat. All I want to do is cling, and fuck, and cry. But I don't want to be a bother" "I would love nothing more than to hold you all day. You're not a bother, I promise you" "I don't want to go to court today" "Neither do I. I didn't have enough sleep last night" "I should have let you sleep" Eren's smile fell, Levi not liking it "Hey, I am more than happy to be woken up by my beautiful lover. I was simply surprised, is all. You said no sex, then you treat me to your body like this... I don't mind being sleepy" "I do. I saw you creep out last night. Where did you go?" So Eren had noticed? "We'll talk about that after. Now I've got you messed up like this, I intended to make the most of it" The second round was hard and fast, Eren begging him not to stop as he came between them again, biting hard on Levi's shoulder as he did. Lapping at the wound mark, Eren was putty in his hands as he cleaned him down, still knotted firmly as they finished showering. Carrying him out to the bedroom, Levi pulled Eren down atop him, covering him with the blanket as Eren curled into him "I'm sorry, I'm sleepy" "You don't need to be sorry. I did wreck your arse" "Mmm... you make me come too hard. Gonna have you in me all day... going to be thinking about it..." "You probably don't want to continue this chain of thought if you want to make it to court in time" "Instincts... what's my punishment" "I walked in on Moblit drilling Hanji last night" Eren groaned, half rising and dropping back against him "You had to tell me that? You couldn't have kept it to yourself? You're still in me... I'm not horny now" "I didn't like seeing it either" "Ugh... how am I supposed to look at her? How am I supposed to look at Moblit? And since when did you... did you not knock?" "No. I thought she'd be talking about Historia giving birth with Moblit, not... In the mood" "I guess... actually, I don't know what to say. I'm happy for them, but I didn't need to know my alpha watched them..." "I didn't "watch". I was traumatised" "Sure you were" Slipping his hands down, Levi groped at Eren's arse "I was. Seeing you talking with the others last night, I wanted to finally have that talk. I have no idea how I'm going to face them" "Me neither. Do you think Historia has had her eggs?" "Possibly. You passed the first few pretty quickly" Eren's scent turned sad. Levi hadn't thought things through apparently. If Eren felt like he was coming out of a heat, his omega was probably being more of a shit than he thought "I mean, I'm sure she and her clutch are fine. Ymir is probably watching over her, as they both bask in happiness" "I hope so. I'm so happy for them..." "It's ok you know, not be as ok as you're saying. This trial isn't easy, losing the clutch wasn't easy. I love you, you know" "I know... but... am I jealous? Is that why I want to protect her and her clutch, even though they're not here?" "No. It's because you care so deeply for everyone" "Is it though? My omega... it wants another baby so badly, but I'm barely coping with Viren as it is... and Luca. I want more time with them, but everything... it never ends" This wasn't a conversation for groping. Sliding his hands up, he wrapped his arms around his mate "I get it. Soon, though. Soon all this will be a bad dream" "If I wake up and find out this is all a dream, I'm going to be pissed" "Obsydin is going to find his sword smashed to pieces if this is a dream" "Mmm... can we stay like this a little longer?" "I'm not going anywhere" "But your knot's going down" "Eren. You told me your instincts are playing up. You told me your all over the place today. Now I know what to look for, I can help you through the day. That doesn't involve ravishing you and leaving" "I'm sorry" "Shhh. Relax... let your instincts calm. You're safe here with me" Mumbling something Levi missed half of it, only catching the end "if only that could be the case forever". A soft plea, not meant to be heard, but that didn't stop Levi from mentally promising his lover that it would be so. * With Eren's instincts being a mess, the omega accepted Levi's touches in the courtroom. Holding him close, Eren's head rested on his shoulder in a position that couldn't have been good for his neck. After the hit Marley had taken the previous day, there were less soldiers in the Marley side of the room, as Magath glared openly at everyone. Overnight someone had delivered new clothes to Dina, the woman now groomed and dressed in fine silks as she sat chained to the chair she was in. Levi didn't like it. Dina shouldn't be allowed such luxuries given her crimes. The first hour or so of the trial that morning was spent explaining that Historia had gone into labour, and wasn't able to attend as she'd returned to Draecia the previous night. Marley was fast to accuse Historia of running from her crimes, yet given the tribunal knew that she may go into labour, all of served to do was make them look petty. It wasn't like she'd magically fallen pregnant just to escape the shitstorm that this trial was proving to be, especially not after she'd stood tall and testified. Even Dina stated that these things couldn't be helped, and when it was time, it was time. Though that may have been to make herself look better. Moving on from the subject of Historia, it turned back to Vermil's sword. Testing having been completed overnight by one of the tribunal members. Rising to her feet, she neglected to make her name known as her long black curls tumbled down her shoulders "She's gorgeous..." Mumbling by Levi's ear, Levi momentarily tensed at the unexpected comment "... her skin looks so silky, and her dress... I wonder if she's a queen somewhere. I get the feeling she's a kind and fair ruler. Do you think she'd be open to trading with Eldia" Dressed in a blood red and gold dress, it hugged every inch of her dark skin. Levi forced to do a double take as he paid closer attention to her. Being seated at the tribunal table, she'd mostly been hidden. Now they viewing her in full regal elegance "She looks the part... she really does" Whining softly, Eren nuzzled into him "Don't go complimenting other people in front of me" "Why not? You just did?" "I know. I didn't expect you to agree so fast" "I'm a simple man..." "You're going to be elbowed if you keep going. She's staring at both of you" Scolded by Mikasa, the pair found that they were indeed being stared at. Despite the height differences, Eren still tried to half hide behind him, as the woman smiled at them. Maybe she was part dragon? Or something similar? Oh well, it wasn't as if they'd insulted her. Eren had jumped right to wanting to be friends with her, not that he expected anything else from him. She was also the first judge he'd been positive towards. Confirming the link between the scales and the sword, she stated she felt that the dragon magic within the scale had been bolstered with use of other scales, over years of use on multiple dragons. With her permission, the sword was going to be returned to Eren's possession, as per Zeke's last will and testimony, and as per the alpha's desire for the sword to be reunited with its partner. Progressing further, it was Willy who was called to testify. Standing on the Marley side, the alpha ran a hand through his hair with his trademark smile on his lips. Beside him, Eren stood a little straighter "I don't know if I want to hear this" "Eren?" "I know we can't trust him, but... I'm so sick of lies. He's going to lie. He's going to tell the court what he thinks they want to hear" "They'll know that" "But how am I supposed to abdicate the throne, when my liaison with Marley is nothing but a liar. Those papers, his papers, how do I know my wishes are going to be accepted? How do I do business with him, when I can't trust his words" "The same way Erwin and I did. The same way you have been. With a smile on your face, fake pleasantries and the knowledge that you're not lying" "That means nothing when you ooze character like Willy does. His family has connections world wide. I'm not like him" "No. You're not like him. He's a master manipulator, where you would rather bare the truth to all" "That's not true..." "Will you two be quiet already? Or do I have to seperate the pair of you?" Mikasa may have a point about being quiet, but she earned herself a growl over her joke of separating them. Eren's scent shifted the moment the words had left her lips, the space filling with the smell of pelting rain and burning forest, disturbing Viren's sleeping against his mother's breast. Hushing and bouncing their son, Willy shot them a confused look. It wasn't their fault that Eren had accidentally woken Viren. Eren was a bundle of nerves as it was, praying for the day to pass without major incident like they all were. Scowling coldly back at him, Levi pulled Eren back firmly against him, making a show of standing by Eren's side no matter what came from Willy's mouth. Confirming his name, Willy smiled broadly as his family ties were explored, agreeing that his family was indeed connected world wide and well travelled. Around him, the Marley soldiers all seemed to move away, leaving Willy to stand with no close support, unless that was all part of his plan. Asking Eren of the relationship between him and Willy, Willy confirmed that he was acting as Eren's point of contact for Marley. From there, Willy launched into a speech of his own, the tribunal not happy over it, yet letting him speak as it was related to the case. He'd approached Eren after Dina was arrested, as he'd been a close confidant of Zeke's, and Zeke had held grave fears over Eren's safety and that of what he believed to be his child. He'd also been appointed as Marley's temporary leader, a position he legally couldn't take with Eren still being alive. When he'd first met Eren, he'd been shocked that Eren didn't know he was legally a prince, recognised through Marley law as its legal ruler. Since then, his own concern had been for Eren taking up rule in Marley, advising him to draw up his legal papers to abdicate the throne, yet to wait until the trial had been presided over and a verdict delivered. Marley was in a bad way, and needed a stable monarch to help them find their feet again. He'd hoped Eren would take up the mantle, having legal claim to it and being an omega of "superior stature". As Willy talked, Levi's frown grew. His eyes narrowed and his scent sharpened. It was all to perfect. Is all sounded as if Willy was reading from a script, both staring in and directing a play so to speak. The courtroom his rapt audience. With careful words, he spoke of his closeness with Zeke. How Zeke had felt he was the only one he could turn to, to protect Eren from his mother. It struck Levi that that wasn't strictly the case. Eren had said Yelena was the one closest to Zeke, that the alpha had trusted her right up to the moment she'd run him through with her sword. Once he'd established that lie, every other word coming from his mouth only strengthens his suspicions. Dismissed early so the tribunal could discuss what Willy had presented, Eren had chewed his lip bloody on the walk back to the hotel. Allowing Armin entrance into their room, the Eldia party opened the door to find that Eren and Levi's room had been completely trashed. Even the bed had been torn to shreds by what Levi guessed was a sword. Handing Viren to Armin, Eren ignored his own safety as he rushed from Levi's side, to where their trunk contents had been strewn everywhere. It only took Eren a moment before he fell back on his arse, his hands going to the back of his head as he drew his knees up "They're gone. All my papers are gone. The spare copies are gone..." Off loading Luca to Mikasa, Mikasa was in the middle of altering the guard of what had happened as she accepted the dragon in surprise, Levi already by Eren's side by the time the female alpha comprehended what happened. Squatting down next to Eren, Levi rifled through the broken trunk to find the false bottom had been smashed through and that every single one of Eren's carefully penned papers were gone "Fuck... I'm going to fucking kill him" Looking up to Levi, Eren blinked "Who? Do you know who this was? They've used something in the air and I can't smell them" "Who the fuck do you think it was? It could only have been Willy. He saw how many documents you had. He spoke about them in court today. He was the only one who could have... orchestrated this" "Willy... are you sure?" Levi's anger manifested as he snapped at his mate "Are you fucking kidding me? Don't tell me you believed his lies, Eren. You fucking heard him. He stated that he took a copy of your papers from you. A copy. He probably had Marley going through all our rooms while we were at the courthouse!" "But..." "Really? You're going to stand up for him? There are too many inconsistencies in his story. He said he'd accepted the position as temporary ruling power, but couldn't take the throne because you are alive. He said that, Eren. We let him get too close, even though we suspected him, and look what happened! I know you had sensitive information in those papers, and now Marley has a copy of them!" With a miserable whimper, Eren pushed himself off the floor. Fleeing to the bed, he sank down on the edge "This is all my fucking fault" Shit... fuck... he'd forgotten Eren was on edge and basically a slave to his omega at the moment "Eren..." "No! This is all my fucking fault! I copied everything down! I insisted there were copies! I didn't trust him, and I let him close! All because I wanted to pass the crown off as soon as I could!" "Eren..." "This is karma! I caused all of this! I wasn't a good mate to Zeke. I wasn't a good mate to you. I couldn't leave Marley on my own, and just turn the crown down! I had to run off sprouting garbage about peace and freeing our people! Why the fuck am I not on trial?! I'm a murderer! I killed people and people were killed because I exist! Now I'm acting like this, because the man who was ostracised from Marley finally..." Waving his hand, Eren shook his head. Carrying Luca over to him, Mikasa had a fierce glare on her face as she sat beside her brother "Eren, we don't know it was him. He was at the courthouse with us all day. This is clearly an act of desperation on Marley's behalf" "How could it be? We're only three days in! Three! All we've been doing is giving statements. None of the information coming through has been vetted and processed. That could take weeks. Weeks, Mikasa. With Willy's testimony, it doesn't make things better. He made Zeke sound paranoid. He made him sound as if he was jumping at shadows while we still lived in Marley. That's wasn't... when we were alone, it wasn't like that. He believed himself safe there, and believed that the army backed him. Magath makes it sound like the army acted before consulting Dina, forcing her to sign off on the mess they created after the fact. What we need is Porco, Pieck, or Yelena to testify what really happened, but I killed two out of those three. He also made it sound like Zeke wasn't a man-whore. He spent the days after we were wed fucking other people. For all his talk, he never knocked anyone up to his knowledge. I feel like there's more to all of this, but I'm too fucking stupid to see it all" Placing Luca in Eren's lap, Mikasa went to place her now free left hand on Eren's shoulder. Eren immediately whimpering away from the touch "I'm sorry. I can't... not right now" "I'm not going to hurt you" "I didn't say you were" Clearing her throat, Freya drew the attention to herself "Mikasa, please do not take it personally. The lingering pheromones of Historia's labour have left Eren in a somewhat heightened state. It's called out for the dragons around her to protect her and her young. Both Steege and I are also affected. However, we've been exposed to these pheromones before, so are used to them. For Eren, it is most probably a new experience. I didn't think to notify him, as Historia's labour had barely started when Ymir left with her. I simply placed your need for Levi by your side down to your omega dynamic. For that, I am sorry. You're also right about the scent in the room. I would say something along the lines of a pepper was used, hence the irritation to the nose. You won't be able to rest here comfortably. Steege and I can change rooms with you" All eyes were on Eren. Levi anxious for his mate to accept the swap. Twice someone had been in their room, and now this had happened "No..." "Eren, you can't be serious" Armin summed up everyone's thoughts on the matter "I... if Willy's playing a game, we need to come together. If he's lying to us and toying us along, than what's to say he hadn't already considered Levi and I changing room, and set some kind of trap?" "And what's to say he doesn't know that you staying here is exactly what you would do? Zeke told him about you. About how you don't back down, Willy said that in court today. I think whatever he planned, he would have planned to take place in this room" Eren gaped at Armin for a moment, before nodding "I suppose so... I mean, you have a point" "Then we need to change rooms. Since Armin and I aren't affected by pheromones like you are, we'll move to Historia and Ymir's room. Eren and Levi can use ours. It's not as big, but it'll have to do. I'll station Connie and Sasha in this room, where they were supposed to have been. Sasha wanted to have lunch down in the dining room, and Connie has yet to discover how to say no to them. Jean swears he heard nothing at all, despite their room being so close. I also think it would be a good idea if we all took stock of our personal items to ensure nothing is missing. Freya, how hard is it to manipulate those letters?" Again, Levi found the words taken out his mouth and vocalised by Mikasa "That depends on how Eren signed them?" "With ground scale in the ink, and a wax seal. Each stack was bound with ribbon" "Scale in the ink... I can't say I've seen that approach before. It would hold, far better than a normal letter. You didn't think to place a spell on the seal, did you?" "No. Even if I had, my magic isn't at it's full strength" "Right. Of course. It perplexing as to why that is, but that's an issue we can address once the trial has passed. Mikasa is correct. For now we focus on changing rooms. Once that's done, I'll use my magic to clean this room up" Eren sucked down an overly loud and shaky breath "Thank you. You're right... I don't feel safe in here" Eren paced their new room back and forth, Viren cradled against his shoulder as the omega walked off his frustrations. With Luca sitting in his lap, Luca was watching his mother carefully, so carefully that pats hadn't distracted him. At least Obsydin's sword hadn't been taken, while Levi could understand how upset Eren was over his papers, if that sword had fallen into Marley's hands things could be so much worse. The alpha had forgotten to retrieve the sword thanks to Eren's "happy" mood, then they'd been running far too late to do much of anything after an unintended round three. Chirping at Eren, Luca was done with his mother's pacing "I know. I know... I can't stop" Levi had asked him to sit, only for Eren to ignore him. Luca on the other hand... "Eren, you're upsetting him. You're upsetting yourself. You need to sit down and take a breath" "How can I? Marley knows absolutely everything. Levi, my copy of the court papers are gone. They know how awfully I described the outer regions of Marley are. They know... all my thoughts. All my feelings. They were in those documents" "Freya..." "Freya has a copy. The copy you gave her, but... they weren't supposed to know" They couldn't have been that bad. They may have induced tears and anxiety in Eren, but Levi couldn't see them being as bad as Eren seemed to think they were "Eren..." "Levi, I wrote everything... everything that happened. Zeke's cruelty to begin with. His repeated liaisons before my pregnancy was confirmed. How they treated me at parties because I am omega. How they feed omegas barely enough to survive. How I was put in a dress and made to play a woman... everything that is wrong with Marley, I put in there. Now Marley knows what I think. They... if they think Armin thinks like this, they could force another war..." Oh... so that was what Eren was worried about. This all devolving into war "Marley already dislikes us, but they can't go to war with us. Not when they're trying so hard to find a way to get her off these charges. If they do try to go to war, I'm certain the tribunal will step in" "I hope so... the woman today seemed more down to earth than the rest of them" "I noticed that. You seem to like her" "She just gives me the feeling that she's trying to remain objective in all of this. And she's really pretty" "I don't think I've heard you talk about someone like that before" "Historia's really pretty" Levi rolled his eyes at the pout in Eren's voice. Tapping Luca's butt to their son jumped off "Come sit here" Breaking his pacing Eren plonked himself down in Levi's lap "Now. We're not going to talk about pretty people. We're not going to talk about this war. We're not going to talk about Marley anymore. We're going to sit here like this and you're going to calm down. We can't be sure of anything until this trial ends" "But it doesn't look good for Marley, and it doesn't look good for us..." "Maybe whoever took them was looking for something in particular?" Huffing, Eren rested his chin against the top of Levi's head "I thought you said we weren't talking about it" "I did. You're right. At least not until Mikasa comes back to report what's going on" "I don't know if I want her to. I don't think I want to know what's going on..." Probably because Eren smelt terrified, even with the change of room, and the overlaying hues of anger and despair "What can I do then?" "Nothing. Scent me? I don't know. Instincts..." It was the worst day for this to be happening. Eren couldn't help the confusion or being overwhelmed by his emotions today "I know, sweet boy. Just sit up a bit for me? Your chin's digging in" Nothing was missing from the other rooms, besides a sheet from his and Eren's room. Mikasa's working theory was that someone had paid the cleaner for the floor and had them set the room in such a way after smuggling the papers out in a dirty sheet. The cleaner had already left for the day, and the hotel wasn't prepared to give out her details. Not that they knew their way around the city well enough to seek her out. It was entirely possible that Marley had paid her enough that she wouldn't be returning to her old job. Levi was furious that the cleaner had been allowed on their floor again, though the others didn't hold the same anger as they didn't have an omega with anxieties to think of. Despite the fact they should all know well enough that Eren had more than enough on his plate as the only omega in their group. Stationing Sasha and Connie outside their door, it was a long night for all of them as they waited for some kind of fall out, only for the night to pass with nothing happening.