#Nobunaga fic

[arias-diaryy]

Under New Management

Nobunaga x Reader

warnings: yandere, fem reader

synopsis: Following Uvo's death, Nobunaga decides to take you in.

3.2k words / this is a reupload of an older fic from my (now deleted) old account, so it probs looks familiar. i didn't have any new fic lined up for Nobu's birthday so ur gonna have to take this, sorry!

Nobunaga closes the door to Uvo’s place behind him. The place is familiar, and it’s as if Uvogin could come back at any moment. There are a few day-old beer cans on the living room coffee table and one of his large jackets thrown over the sofa, waiting to be worn again. If he was any less jaded, he might have thought Uvogin was still alive.

The house, alas, is empty. It’s an older building on the outskirts of its nearest town. It’s one of many slightly run-down homes that are left (mostly) unoccupied in the area. It’s not derelict by any means, but it's probably seen better days. He isn’t here to judge the foundations of the house though, how there are some cracks in the wall from where the door was slammed with too much force or how there are weak spots in the floor. No, he’s here for you. 

You, who's down in the basement, are probably still waiting for Uvogin. You, whom he’s only met a handful of times, spoken to even less. He’s jerked off to you more times than he’d like to admit, something Nobunaga would have never admitted to Uvogin, not when the man was so finicky over you.

Nobunaga continues to walk through the home, a chapstick tube catching his eye on the counter. It was placed with some spare change, sunglasses that certainly belonged to Uvo and various keys. He pockets the keys, assuming he might need them later. Holding the chapstick in his hand, he examines it more closely. This was probably yours, based on the ‘Vanilla Apple” flavoring. With almost no shame and a mild sense of entitlement, he applies the chapstick to his lips. It’s like an indirect kiss. He puts that as well in his pocket.

His mind continues to linger on you as he takes his time looking around. He wonders how he’ll break the news to you, he isn’t sure what approach to take. He wonders if you’ll cry, or if you’d even believe him. You two have seldom spoken with each other, Uvo did most of the talking for you on the rare occasions you were present when Nobunaga visited. The longest conversation Nobunaga ever had with you probably didn’t even last ten minutes, and it consisted of him asking questions while you gave very short responses. Uvogin had always been in earshot. As if daring one of you (mostly Nobunaga) to say something out of line. It previously hadn’t been an issue if the two of them went after the same woman, but now all of a sudden Uvo was so uppity about if Nobu even looked at you for too long.

Nobunaga can remember feeling a sense of annoyance at your very existence in the beginning. It ebbed and flowed, but it was always consistent. The more time Uvogin spent with you, the less time Nobunaga got to spend with him. In addition to the fact that Nobu couldn’t make a suggestive joke about you without Uvogin snapping at him, it didn’t make Nobunaga particularly fond of you. He hadn’t even met you yet and already had a soured image of you. It didn’t help that it seemed like everyone else had someone to return home to, meanwhile, all Nobu had been his right hand.

The day Nobunaga did get to meet you, he still didn’t see what it was about you that had Uvogin so worked up. You were cute, sure, but he couldn’t point out anything remarkable, other than that you had particularly nice legs. Maybe whatever it was about you was something only Uvogin saw. You didn’t say anything to him, which he was fine with. You were probably just shy. Uvo joked later that you didn’t like him very much, which couldn’t have been true. Nobu hadn’t made that bad of a first impression, surely.

It was only in the coming weeks that his distaste for you would warp into something else. You were cute, and something much more tangible than the women in erotic magazines. A thought crossed his mind that he’d probably be as uptight as Uvo was about you if you were his. Maybe if Uvo wasn’t so strict about who you got to interact with, you’d give Nobunaga a chance. 

He idles about for a few minutes, a strange suspense hanging in the air that only he can sense. He wonders if you’re still down there or if you somehow escaped. Maybe you’ve withered away. He wonders if you think about him or even remember him. As he stands in front of the heavy basement door, he supposes it’s time to see what all the fuss over you was about.

-

If you had to guess, you’d say it’s been about a week since you last saw Uvo.

The basement isn’t so bad. It’s got an old television to keep you entertained. It only works half of the time, but it’s the thought that counts. There are a few blankets and the mattress you sleep on is comfortable. Uvogin left you with some water bottles and food (mostly snacks) to keep you from starving to death, though he usually wasn’t gone for more than two weeks. Even then, you were only resigned to the basement if he was going somewhere far. You never knew where he went, and it all seemed to be pretty last minute when he did go, but he always told you when he’d come back. He should have come back days ago. 

Part of you hopes to see him again. All things considered, he wasn’t the worst. If you can look past the obvious (the threats of violence if you ever stepped out of line, which you stopped doing months ago, and the kidnapping and the inability to ever leave), Uvo wasn’t so bad. He went out of his way to make sure you didn’t go hungry. He brought you gifts and anything you asked for. He made you happy.

Maybe being forced to be a violent man's live-in girlfriend for 11 months has taken a toll on your mental health. But you were alive. The few bruises he gave you were long faded. Uvogin was good to you, surely he wouldn’t abandon you in his basement now. Wouldn’t he have given you a heads-up? Had he gotten bored? Have you been too good? Maybe you should have acted out more. You haven’t been able to sleep much. Every noise would wake you up in the dead of night because of how much you wanted to see Uvogin again.

Your head perks up at the sound of the basement door slowly opening. It’s not Uvogin, it can’t be. You would have heard his heavy footsteps, and he would have announced himself somehow. Instead, you’re met with a man who is only faintly familiar to you. He’s tall with a face that’s on the gaunt side, though not outright unhealthy. His clothing doesn’t stand out, with beige pants and a green long sleeve. His most distinct feature is his hair, which is long and slightly greasy from what you can see.

“You’re still here, that’s good.” He says nonchalantly, as if you had anywhere else to go. Nobunaga’s eyes drift to the chains around your ankle. “You must have given him a lot of trouble if he had to chain you up.” He remarks, trying to ease up any tension with what was meant to be a joke. It isn’t working. You stare at him blankly, scanning his face. You’ve seen this guy before, but at the moment, his face isn’t recognizable to you. Nobunaga sighs, looking you over. You look sick, and he isn’t sure if you actually are or if it’s the unflattering lighting of the basement. Once locating the light switch, he flicks it on, and you don’t look much better. There are dark circles beneath your eyes, your lips are cracked, and your complexion is dull and lifeless.

Nobunaga comes closer, crouching down next to the mattress. He takes the chain into his hands, eyeing it over. It isn’t particularly thick or very heavy. It attaches to the wall, and there’s a cuff around your ankle to keep you from going far. He hadn’t found an obvious key in the basement, so he settles for using his strength (and nen) to simply break the metal chain without warning. The way you flinch doesn’t go unnoticed, but at least you’ll be able to walk out of here now. You scoot away from him, sitting up and against the wall rather than laying lethargically on your side. 

“Hey, come on, we’ve met before,” Nobunaga says, the discontentment in his voice thinly veiled. He fishes your chapstick out of his pants pocket. “Look, here. This is yours, isn’t it?” After a few seconds of warily staring at him, it finally clicks. It’s your kidnapper's equally strange friend, whose name you barely remembered. You tentatively take the chapstick from him, untwisting the cap, and apply some of the chapstick liberally, and there’s an awful fluttering feeling in Nobunaga’s chest.

He wonders if you’d somehow notice that he just used it minutes earlier. He averts his gaze, suddenly remembering the key ring he pocketed away. Again, without warning, he grasps your ankle, holding you in place as he tries out the different keys on the cuff. After some trying, it eventually comes off. There's a slight imprint of the cuff on your skin, but it hasn’t torn or broken your skin. 

“You’re Nobunaga.” You croak out, finally remembering his name. He grins, relief audible in his voice. “There you go, I knew you couldn’t have forgotten me.” You don’t smile back. Something must be wrong if Uvo was letting someone else get so close. Nobunaga’s gaze meets yours again, and he waits for you to speak. He’s expecting some sort of thanks for his good deeds. “Where’s Uvogin?” His expression falls slightly. Right, he forgot that you still think Uvogin is going to come home at some point.

“He’s dead.” 

There’s a heavy pause after he speaks. Nobunaga stares at you, waiting for you to emote, but you only stare back. He had hoped, expected, that if anyone else were to outwardly share in his grief it would be you. He stifles a frustrated sigh. The other members of the Spider grieved for Uvogin, nobody was thrilled about his death, Nobunaga knows that yet he can’t ignore the feeling that none of them truly understood. He chalks it up to shock, surely you’ll properly react to Uvogin’s death in the coming days.

The man wastes little time, not wanting to sit around in the dusty basement any longer. Without warning, Nobunaga takes you by the wrist and pulls you up, forcing you to stand on wobbly legs. He’s all too eager to have you lean on him for support as you get used to walking again. The days of being chained to the ground hadn’t done your muscles any good. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Nobunaga’s words replay in your mind, yet they never truly stick. For half of a second, you’re relieved that your kidnapper is dead. Not arrested, dead. On the other hand, you’re now left with an equally dangerous man. What exactly was going to happen to you now? You weren’t clueless about Uvogin’s crimes, far from it. Uvogin boasted about the stealing and killing he did. At first, you thought it was a scare tactic, something to keep you from acting out, but he was truly proud of his proclivity for violence. Would you be killed? Surely the Troupe wouldn’t just let you go, it’d never be that easy.

As if Nobunaga could see the cogs turning in your mind, he speaks up again. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you from now on.” His voice takes a softer tone, trying to be reassuring. Each step up and out of the basement only makes the pit in your stomach deeper, to the point where you’re starting to feel sick.

Nobunaga barely picks up on your inner turmoil past what’s written all over your face. In his mind, him coming for you should be a great relief (and in a way, it is. You might have withered away in the basement if nobody bothered to come for you). Aside from the obvious fact that he can't let you go free, he doubts you’d be okay on your own at this point.

You’ve been dependent on Uvogin for anything like food or attention for nearly a year. As far as Nobunaga is concerned, you wouldn’t do well if you were thrown back into the real world and forced to take care of yourself. You might as well be a bird that’s had its wings clipped. Besides, it’s not like anyone else in the Troupe was going to take you in. Some of the other members had their own partners to occupy themselves with, Feitan even suggested outright killing you since you probably knew too much about the Troupe. It was only right that Nobunaga got to have you, he was the only one who was willing to anyway.

Besides, Chrollo did say that he could make the final decision about what happens to you.

He gets lost in his own thoughts; so caught up in his fantasies about his soon-to-be domestic life with you, that he almost doesn’t notice the way you dig your heels into the ground once he’s got you out of the basement and back on floor level. Nobunaga looks back at you, the corners of his lips twitching downward. 

“Come on, it’s fine. I told you that you’re safe with me.” He says, an impatient edge to his voice as he continues his firm hold of your wrist. “Do you want to bring some of your things with you?” Nobunaga says it as if he’s extending an olive branch. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion and you blink at him. “What?” “We aren’t going to be staying here.” Nobunaga says like it’s obvious. “You’re coming home with me.”

The apartment is quiet, save for the new pitter-patter of rain outside. You stand there idly, watching Nobunaga go through your and Uvogin’s belongings in the bedroom you used to share with Uvo. What right did he have to put his hands on your things? He shouldn’t be here, you think. You hold your tongue, the words not coming easy to you. You don’t attempt to help him or give any input on what clothes you want to take and what you want to leave behind. 

“I don’t believe you.” You say abruptly, still standing in the doorway. Nobunaga goes through the closet with his back to you, looking for a backpack or spare luggage. For half of a second, he doesn’t know what you’re talking about. “Are you sure he’s dead?” You ask, which answers the question that was on the tip of his tongue. His expression falters slightly, but he doesn’t turn to meet your gaze. “I’m positive.” Nobunaga says with a strange finality to his tone.

He’s found a decent backpack now, more focused on deciding what belongings of yours to bring and which to leave behind. As far as he’s concerned, you two will have all the time in the world to talk about Uvogin once Nobunaga just gets you back to his place. It doesn’t even cross his mind that you wouldn’t be 100% thrilled at the prospect of being transferred over to his care.

You aren’t willing to drop the conversation topic though. You don’t want to believe Uvogin is gone, but there’s no way he’d willingly hand you over to this guy, right? “How? How did he die?” You press for answers, wondering if this is some prank. Nobunaga sighs, still not bothering to turn back to face you. “We can talk about that later.”

He says, taking your clothes out of the room’s dresser and putting them in the backpack. “You’re probably hungry. Why don’t you go get yourself something to eat? I’ll finish up here.” He says dismissively, effectively shooing you off. You tentatively leave the bedroom doorway after about a minute of silence, surprised that Nobunaga is so easily letting you out of his sight.

Wandering over to the kitchen, you numbly go about making yourself something to eat. It feels like muscle memory at this point, you’re so used to fixing up a sandwich for Uvogin. Today, though, most of the ingredients you’d usually use aren’t at your disposal. The lunch meat that was in the refrigerator expired last week, and there’s no cheese left. All you’re able to come up with is a sandwich with mayonnaise and some tomato slices.

You eat slowly, your appetite diminished from the turn of events and from how bland your sandwich is. Your eyes shift to the front door, and you can just barely hear Nobunaga back in Uvo’s bedroom. Maybe if you timed it right, you could get out of here. God knew if the front door was locked, but if you didn’t at least try, then you’d never know. You can hear the rain outside more clearly now. You’d be risking getting sick by running out in the rain, but that’s a small price to pay for freedom.

What would you even do, though? Where could you go that the Troupe wouldn’t follow? By the time you gather the nerve to take a few steps out of the kitchen, Nobu’s finished packing. “Do you feel better after eating something?” He asks, his voice catching you by surprise. He doesn’t comment on the quality of your sandwich. You choose not to answer him.

The rain picks up, now it’s impossible to treat it as a soothing white noise. It’s loud and you can hear the roaring winds with it. “I guess we can just stay here until the rain dies down.” Nobunaga proposes, and he motions for you to follow him. He sits on one of the two couches in Uvo’s living room, expecting you to sit next to him. You take your seat on the second couch, and Nobunaga’s able to hide his disappointment well enough.

He takes the remote and turns the television on, keeping the volume low. The news channel only talks about the current storm, it seems like you’ll both be stuck here for at least a few more hours. You focus on the news reporter, not wanting to look at Nobunaga. You can feel his staring, you know he’s waiting for you to talk to him. 

“What’s going to happen to me?” You finally break the silence, and Nobunaga seems just about amused at your inquiry. “I told you, I’m going to be taking care of you from now on.” He says it slowly, as if you didn’t understand him the first time.

His answer is too vague for you to do anything with, or maybe it’s the brain fog from not eating much in these past days. Nobunaga continues to look at you as if you were a beloved houseplant while you think over what he’s said. After a long pause, you finally respond. “I want to go home.” Once again, his smile falters and his voice returns to a more neutral one. “That isn’t going to happen. Your best option is to come just with me.” 

Nobunaga waits for you to say something, to give any indication that you at least understand your circumstances. You don’t though, rather you choose to pretend that you’re invested in anything the news anchor is saying. He’s confident that you’ll come around, though; it’s not like you have anyone else to rely on. 

[ddevours]

 ✦ㅤ  .ㅤ  ˚ㅤ dança de espadas ( projeto )

[teabutmakeitazure]

rare sneak peeks from the chrollo series that's decomposing in my google docs

yeah every single time reader calls chrollo, he makes bedroom eyes while he talks. at first it was "I need to keep a close eye on her until I can steal her ability" then it turned into "I need to keep her close because I like her" which later turns into "I need her in my basement"

he is not doing okay.

[alien-from-planet-zog]

Spider alignment!!! (+ Gon)

[and-then-she-died-tm]

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE IKESEN FANDOM

👉👈

[xxsycamore]

𝘐𝘒𝘌𝘔𝘌𝘕 𝘚𝘌𝘕𝘎𝘖𝘒𝘜 𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘛𝘌𝘙𝘓𝘐𝘚𝘛

featuring works written after July 1st, 2021. You can find my old (misc) masterlist here. Browse my Ikesen fics by tag here: 🏯 #ikemen-sengoku

⤶ go back to masterlist navigation

••• ━━━━━Oda Nobunaga

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: 💃- Pull them in for a dance when noone else is around

Because, I said So [smut] Tags: Semi-public sеx, Modern AU, Boss/Employee Relationship

Owning you completely [smut] Tags:Bathroom (Onsen) Sex; Slight exhibitionism; Slight scent marking kink; Vaginal sex

Valiance [angst and fluff] Tags: OC; Strong Female Character; Light Angst; Feelings Realization; Love Confessions; First Kiss; War Allies to Lovers

••• ━━━━━Date Masamune

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: 🥺 - Ask them how much they love you 

How The Dragon of Oshu Breeds His Wife [smut] Tags: Breeding; Impregnation; Ovulation; Crying; Gentle Sex; Cunnilingus; Oral Sex; Married Characters; Mentions of Pregnancy; Dirty Talk; Multiple Orgasms; Creampie

Wild like the color blue [smut] Tags: Modern AU, Public sex, Pool sex, Cunnilingus

••• ━━━━━Takeda Shingen

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: 💃- Pull them in for a dance when noone else is around

Captor and Captured [smut] Tags: Kidnapping; Vaginal Sex; Cunnilingus; Femdom; Power Play; Nipple Play; Woman on Top; Alternate Universe - Modern Setting ;Light Dom/sub

••• ━━━━━Toyotomi Hideyoshi

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: Give them: 😘- A kiss on the cheek

Affections at dawn [smut] Tags: Vanilla; Vaginal Sex; Riding; Creampie; Aftercare; Gentle Sex

••• ━━━━━Akechi Mitsuhide

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: Give them: 🌼- A symbolic small flower 💃- Pull them in for a dance when noone else is around 🥺 - Ask them how much they love you

Blizzard incoming [smut] Tags:  Modern AU; Not wearing underwear; Slight exhibitionism kink; Vaginal sex

••• ━━━━━Sanada Yukimura

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: 💃- Pull them in for a dance when noone else is around

••• ━━━━━Kanetsugu Naoe

Tea break [fluff & smut] Tags: This is 90% tooth-rotting fluff and 10% smut; Massage; Body Worship; Blow Jobs; Cock Worship; Established Relationship

••• ━━━━━Mai (MC)

ficlets from my 1000 followers celebration event: Give them: 🧵- A hand-made craft

[citrus-writing]

is there a reason you dont include nobunaga?

Hi! Thanks for the ask! There isn't a reason, I just forgot to add Nobunaga, as well as some other characters. You’re not the first person to notice him missing, but rest assured he’ll be added to the new things i write! 

I’ve been really inconsistent with who I include in my fics, which I'm working on fixing. i‘ve been just kinda writing for whoever came to mind when i wrote, but i’m going to try to be more consistent and include more characters (nobunaga included). 

If you're curious, nobunaga is one of the characters you can send in requests for! I will take requests for any troupe member.

[not-krys]

74. Are You Challenging Me? (Houki, Abby, Miri)

This one was a fun prompt as it let me explore more platonic relationships between my girls and the suitors (save for Miri but we'll get to her)

Regular warnings apply: incomplete raw writing, might ramble in some places. Spoilers for Lessons 11/12 from Nightbringer as well.

Some Notes: I only briefly glanced at how Go is supposed to be played so I'm fairly certain how Houki and Nobu are playing it isn't how it's supposed to be played, but just roll with it; Arthur just inserts himself between Abby and Isaac playing a card game so there's that, and Miri's entry also involves choking.

-----

Houki

Nobunaga laughed.

"So, are you challenging me, Fireball?"

Houki pouted, staring directly into Nobunaga's carnelian eyes.

"You stole territory from me, my lord," she said, looking at the board again, "I won't let such a travesty stand for long."

Nobunaga smirked.

"I look forward to your counter-attack. What you look like riled up."

Houki concentrated, looking for any openings she could, what strategy would be best to take him down, quickly preferably. The longer Nobunaga had to think, the more he could render her defenseless and defeat her in this battle of wits. She looked left and right, scanning what strategy would be best deployed where.

Finally, to finish the game quickly, she pulled a risky move leaving her defenseless on her right, but it gave heavy damage to her opponent. Nobunaga's eyes glimmered as she picked up his stones.

"I see you've learned well." Nobunaga picked up a singular black stone, spinning it between his fingers. "However, you still have much to learn."

He set his stone down in her defenseless place, dealing just as much damage to her as she had given him, the number of white pieces he picked up and set in his bowl like a knife stabbing her the same number of stones. She frantically searched the board, trying to find any openings she could, something she could use to win over him.

She sighed when she couldn't find anything and handed over a white stone to Nobunaga, who chuckled.

"Giving up already?"

Houki nodded, defeated. Nobunaga then set a black stone in her hand as well.

"You fought well, regardless of the results, Fireball. Hold your head high."

"T-thank you, my lord." She looked at the board again, counting the number of empty on her side. "Thirteen."

"Twenty-six."

Houki flinched at the number. Even with her handicap, Nobunaga still won by a large margin. She sighed.

-----------

Abby

"Oh, is that a challenge I hear?" Arthur said, leaning his elbow on the table, his hand cradling his chin. He was far too much in Abby's personal space for her comfort, make the girl lean back and bite her lip.

"C'mon, love." Arthur leaned in further, "a simple card game? Surely you can give me the thorough thrashing I deserve."

"B-but, I just wanted to play with-"

"Leave her alone, you brute." Isaac grumbled, pulling him away by his coattails. "Abby and I were going to play a game just between the two of us. You don't need to be butting your nose in where it doesn't belong."

"Aw, c'mon, Newt! Haven't you heard the phrase, the more, the merrier?"

"Would you just bugger off and just let us play cards in peace?"

"Just between the two of you? That's no fun. Surely three playing would make it more exciting."

With the permission of neither player, Arthur pulled up a third seat between them and began shuffling the cards.

"We didn't want you to play because you win each time!"

Abby just sat quietly, her hands clutching her woolen skirt.

"So kids, what are we playing? Blackjack? Rummy? Some good ol' poker?"

"…Bl-Blackjack." Abby stuttered, keeping her head down.

Arthur smiled.

"Ah, the perfect game to play with three people!"

"We never said you could play too!" Isaac scolded.

"But you need someone to be your dealer, don't you?"

"You can play Blackjack just fine with two people!"

"But it's much more interesting with three people, Newt!"

"Stop saying that." Isaac grumbled.

"That said," Arthur smirked, "what should we wager?"

"W-wager?" Abby blinked in surprised.

"We're not betting anything!"

"Sure we are." Arthur smirked, "who's ever heard of a game of Blackjack without stakes?"

He then looked at Abby, watching as her cheeks warmed.

"What are you willing to put on the line, dearest Abigail?"

"I-I…."

"Stop intimidating her, you twat!"

"I-I… I can make something for whoever wins? Like some chocolate fudge… o-or a sandwich?"

Both Arthur and Isaac froze.

----------

Miri

"Miriam." Lucifer said, his voice low and sharp as steel.

She stepped back, knowing she had nowhere else to run. Solomon was on the ground, held down by Lucifer's spell. She felt hands brushing her shoulders, her only warning as long, cold fingers grasped her neck, choking her. Her feet then left the ground, putting her eye to eye to Lucifer blood red eyes.

"Lucifer, stop!" Mammon called out, only held back his younger brothers, their eyes full of fear as they clung to him in his Little D form.

"I want answers, Miriam." said Lucifer. "Who are you, really? Why are you here? Why do you have my Ring of Light?!"

Miri winced, trying desperately to uncurl his fingers, struggling for air.

"You know you'll kill her before get any answers if you keep that up, right?" Thirteen drawled with a sigh.

"Let her go, Lucifer! Please!" Levi called out, shaking just as much as Asmo, both trying their best to hold Mammon back.

"Silence!" Lucifer yelled, "are you challenging me too?"

Levi shook his head frantically. Lucifer turned back to Miri, still struggling to free herself.

"Answer me, Miriam." His hand clenched tighter, making her cough.

[tiny-wooden-robot-fics]

Voyager - Seven

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Oda Nobunaga (Ikemen Sengoku) x Original Female Character Characters: Oda Nobunaga (Ikemen Sengoku), Eri Davidson (Original Female Character of Color) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Grief/Mourning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Eventual Smut, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, Flirting (so much flirting), Teasing, Oda Nobunaga is a huge flirt and a huge tease, Angst with a Happy Ending, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Slight Timeskip Near the End

Previous Chapter (Six): No Easy Conquest | Next Chapter (Eight): A Familiar Face

Chapter Masterlist

Summary:

"Valerie, you should know that I never say anything I don't mean."

She glares at him.

"Calm yourself," he laughs. "It isn't as if I've never seen a naked woman before."

Read on AO3

“You did well today.” The Lord of Azuchi says the words as he helps her dismount from the pretty chestnut mare she’d chosen for her riding lessons. “How do you feel, having completed your first lesson?”

“Like I’m going to be really sore tomorrow morning,” Eri laments. “I can already feel the tightness in my legs.” 

“A soak in the baths tonight will ease the soreness,” he tells her, leading the horse back to the stable to brush and feed it. 

“Baths?” Eri raises an eyebrow, unsure if she’s heard him correctly. 

“Mm.” He grunts in response, his attention focused on the horse. 

“Wait… you did say ‘baths’, right?” She shakes her head. “As in, baths?”

He looks up at her. “I didn’t think there was anything unclear in what I said.”

She squeezes her eyes shut tightly. “You mean to tell me,” she starts, “that there have been baths at Azuchi all this time?” 

This seems to amuse him. “They were there before you arrived, and they will be there after you leave.”

Exasperated, she clicks her tongue. “No one told me!”

“I just did,” he replies simply. 

“Where are they?”

“Not far from here.” He motions vaguely toward the area behind her. At Eri’s blank look, he sighs. “Help me feed her,” he starts, motioning to the horse, “and I’ll show you where they are.” 

***

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She murmurs the words, her eyes taking in the sight in front of her. She turns to him, incredulous. “I can’t believe this has been here the whole time, and I’ve been wasting away in my room wishing for a hot bath where I could soak.”

“Why did you never ask?”

Because I’m a moron. Eri shakes her head. The maids must think I’m a nutcase. “Because I just… I guess I just didn’t think to,” she admits. “No one ever offered me anything different, so I didn’t know another option existed.” 

He cocks his head to the side curiously, studying her. “Surely they have baths where you’re from.”

“Actually---” She stops herself. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter.” She shakes her head again. “So it’s alright for me to use this tonight?” 

“As much as you like.”

“I get to wash my hair,” she croons happily. 

“Is that a special event?” 

This makes her laugh. “You have no idea.” 

“Well then,” he says thoughtfully, flashing her a smile. “Perhaps I shall come by tonight and observe this special event for myself.” 

Is he… serious? Before she has time to contemplate it further, he has turned on his heel and is walking away from her. 

***

“Lady Eri,” Haru calls from the other side of the shoji. “I am here.” 

“Oh, Haru,” Eri calls back, as she gathers her clothing into a bundle. “Come on in.” 

“I’m sorry for the delay,” Haru apologizes, bowing low as she closes the shoji behind her.

Eri waves a hand. “No, it’s alright. I just wanted to see if I could get your help with something.” 

“Anything,” the young lady smiles. “I’m here to serve you, My Lady.”

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that, she thinks, shaking her head. “Tomorrow morning, before tea with Yasuke-San and his family, I’d like to go into town to buy a few things. I’ve already spoken to Ishida-San, and he’s given me a list of places I might find what I need and the money with which to buy them. Would you be available to go with me?” 

“Of course,” Haru beams at her. “I’m so glad you asked. There’s a new vendor I heard about who has the loveliest hair pins. I’d like to go see for myself, if we have time.” 

“I think we can arrange that,” Eri smiles. “I’ll send for you mid-morning, if that’s alright.” 

“As you wish, My Lady.” She bows once more before leaving the room, and Eri turns her attention back to gathering the clothing she needs for her trip to the baths.

***

If there is a more luxurious feeling than the one she is experiencing now, Eri has yet to find it. 

She sighs in contentment as she lowers herself into the steaming water. The baths at Azuchi are laid out much like the more modern ones that she has seen occasionally during her time in Japan, and she is grateful that just like those modern baths, there is an area for her to clean her body and hair before soaking in the steaming hot water of the large bath. She has purposely waited until late in the evening, when most of the estate’s residents have retired for the night. Her patience has served her well, as the baths are deserted by the time she gets there. 

I haven’t felt this clean in days, she thinks to herself languidly, watching the steam rise over the surface of the water. She submerges her head, re-wetting her hair before reaching up to grab her comb and oils. She has just started working the camellia oil through the first section of her hair when she hears his voice.

“It appears I have arrived too late to witness the beginning of your special event.” 

Eri lets out a yelp, dropping the comb in her hand onto the stone lip of the bath. Frantically, she reaches for her robe, but realizes that she is too far away from it to retrieve it without coming part of the way out of the water. “You--!” She gasps, letting herself sink deeper into the water and trying to cover her breasts with her arms. “What are you doing here?” 

The Lord of the castle gazes at her, genuine confusion in his features. “I did tell you that I wanted to witness it for myself,” he says logically, as though he hasn’t just scared her nearly to death. “Did I not?”

“I didn’t think you meant it!” She’s still curling away from him, mortified, trying to hide the private bits of her body. 

“Valerie, you should know that I never say anything I don’t mean.” 

She glares at him. 

“Calm yourself,” he laughs. “It isn’t as if I’ve never seen a naked woman before.”

She sputters, trying to come up with a snappy retort and finding she is utterly unable to. It becomes even harder to speak once he removes his own robe and Eri realizes that he intends to join her in the bath. “Oda-Sama---!” She averts her eyes, her face burning. 

“I think,” he starts, “that in such a casual setting as this one, it would be appropriate to use my given name. Don’t you agree?” He submerges himself completely, moving to the other side of the bath. “Please,” he continues, motioning to the abandoned comb and oils, “don’t let me stop you.” 

Stubbornly, she keeps her arms crossed over her chest. 

“Would it make you feel more comfortable if I looked the other way?” 

“Do whatever you want,” she snaps, refusing to look at him. 

“I told you, it isn’t as if I’ve never seen a naked woman before.”

“You’ve never seen me naked before.” And I was hoping to keep it that way.

“One could argue that I still haven’t,” he chuckles. “You’ve been keeping yourself covered, but even if you hadn’t, night has already fallen, and the darkness of the water covers what you don’t want me to see.”

She can’t refute that point. “Are you really that curious about what I do with my hair?” 

“I really am,” he answers. 

“It isn’t that interesting,” she rebuts. 

“Perhaps not to you,” he shrugs, the water lapping at his collarbones. “But the things we find uninteresting because we do them often are the things that are most interesting to people who have never seen them done.” He offers her a smile. “I promise to keep my eyes above your neck.”

Eri sighs. She knows that if she doesn’t resume detangling and moisturizing her hair before it dries, she will have a tangled, shrunken mess on her hands very soon. “You give me your word?” 

“You have my word,” he tells her solemnly, raising his right hand. “I would ask you for the same, but the truth is that I don’t really mind if your eyes wander.” 

Son of a bitch. “My eyes won’t be wandering anywhere near you,” she snaps. 

True to his word, however, he keeps his eyes on what her hands are doing in her hair, studying the way she parts the thick curls into sections and works oil through each section from root to tip. Even without her arsenal of modern styling and holding products, her hair takes well to the camellia oil, shining in the light of the lamps placed around the tub and curling into its natural z-pattern. 

“It’s beautiful,” he muses, once she has finished doing the same all over her head. 

Eyes wide, she looks over at him. “Thank you.” 

“You seem surprised,” he remarks. 

She shrugs, her arms instinctively crossing over her chest again. 

“The mere fact that something is unfamiliar to me doesn’t make it any less worth admiring,” he reflects. “Do you think me so incapable of recognizing beauty in all its forms?” 

Eri isn’t sure what to say to that. “Oda-Sama---”

“Nobunaga,” he interrupts her, laughter in his voice. “We’re naked in each others’ company. I think you can drop the formality.” 

Her face goes warm. “Nobunaga,” she tries quietly, the name fitting strangely in her mouth. 

“How sweet it sounds coming from you.” She can’t tell if he’s flirting or just teasing her. 

“I’d like to get out now,” she tells him. 

“I won’t stop you.” 

She huffs indignantly. “Can I ask you to please look away?”

“If that’s what you want me to do,” he shrugs. 

“Yes,” she tells him firmly. “I’m going inside to dress.” 

“As you wish.” He turns away from her, and she scrambles up out of the water, snatching up her robe and wrapping it tightly over herself. 

She takes her time drying and moisturizing her skin before dressing in her newly-cleaned modern clothing. She exits the bath house just as Nobunaga is pulling himself up out of the water, and a gasp escapes her. 

“Oh, you’re finished,” he says conversationally, as if he isn’t standing in front of her stark-naked and dripping wet. “I’ll escort you back to your room.” He seems to realize then that he’s still naked and reaches down to pick up his robe and drape it over himself. “So your eyes did wander a bit,” he smirks. 

“It isn’t as though I’ve never seen a naked man before.” She throws his words back in his face. 

“But you’ve never seen me naked before. Did you see anything you liked?” He asks her, that teasing lilt back in his voice. 

She ignores his question. “What do you think I am?”

“I think,” he starts seriously, holding out his arm for her to take, “that you are a mystery that I would like to solve.” He looks down at her, watching as she accepts his arm and loops her own through it.  

***

“You know,” Valerie starts, looking past her reflection in the mirror to gaze at his, just behind her, “you’re being awfully distracting.”

“Me?” Shinichi chuckles. “I’m not even doing anything. I’m just watching.” 

“Yes,” she says, “but it’s very hard to concentrate on what I’m doing when every time I look in the mirror, I see you lying there.” 

“Would it help if I helped you?” 

“Maybe,” she giggles. “It would help even more if you’d put some clothes on.” 

“But I’m comfortable like this.” 

“What you are, is a distraction,” she reiterates, wagging a finger at him playfully. 

“Alright,” he says, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and standing up. “How about a compromise? I put on a pair of pants and help you.” 

“That sounds like a fair deal.” She watches his reflection go into the third drawer of the bureau, pull out a pair of blue pajama bottoms, and slide them on. His reflection turns to her. 

“Better?”

“For now.” 

Her boyfriend closes the distance between them, bending over slightly to press a kiss to her lips. “Want me to get the back?” He asks, motioning to where her hair has been divided into two large sections. 

“Yes, please,” she tells him gratefully. 

They work together in a comfortable silence then, each tackling a section of her hair with moisturizer and a wide-toothed comb. More than once, Valerie stops moving, relishing the feel of Shinichi’s gentle hands working through her hair. Every now and again, he presses his fingertips to her scalp, softly massaging it and eliciting a pleased hum from her. 

It isn’t long before her hair has been completely worked through, divided into large two-strand twists. Without her even having to say a word, Shinichi reaches over and grabs the length of satin she uses to tie her hair up at night. He hands it to her with a smile. 

“Thank you,” she says, turning her face up for another kiss. 

“You’re welcome,” he says, obliging her and pecking her on the lips. “So now that you’re done and the danger of distraction isn’t an issue anymore, is it okay for me to get naked again?” 

“Well, I guess it’s alright now,” she giggles. “But I can’t promise I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself.” 

“I honestly don’t expect you to.”

***

“Valerie?” Nobunaga is calling her name, concern lacing his deep, heavy voice. 

“Oh, yes?” She looks up at him. “I’m sorry, you were saying something?”

“I was, but it was of little import.” He pauses, looking down at her curiously. “You seemed to go somewhere else for a bit.”

“It’s nothing,” she tells him, trying on what she hopes is a reassuring smile. “I was just… thinking about something from a long time ago.” 

He looks as though he wants to ask her what, but thinks better of it and decides not to. “A mystery, indeed,” he says instead, almost as if to himself. 

“Thank you,” she says quietly. “For walking me back.” 

“Does this mean I have your permission to join you some other night?” 

The question makes her laugh in spite of herself. “I promise to make less of a fuss if you warn me before you decide to show up,” she tells him sternly. “But you’ll have to keep your hands - and your eyes - to yourself.” 

“Hm,” is all he’ll say. 

Previous Chapter (Six): No Easy Conquest | Next Chapter (Eight): A Familiar Face

[bearsace]

does anyone have any good nobunaga fic recs, well-written and preferably longer? i’m highkey loving on him rn

[syneilesis]

A fic concept:

Three thousand years of longing AU where you're a history professor specializing in Sengoku era particularly Oda Nobunaga's life and you're attending a conference in Kyoto. In your desire to buy a souvenir, you chance upon an old replica of Fudou Yukimitsu, a tanto once owned by Nobunaga, sold at an antique shop. You bought it, happy with your purchase (despite its being a little pricey). In your hotel room, you cleaned the short sword, but then lo! Smoke filled the whole room and after it dissipated Oda Nobunaga stood before you, wearing his most imperious expression.

"Oh? Someone dared summon me?" he began, looking down at you with an eyebrow raised, clearly skeptical. "Your ambition must be lofty, then. Very well, I shall grant you one wish. Let us hear it."

You blinked at this Nobunaga-lookalike and then glanced at the closed window. This cosplayer must've sneaked in as the smoke rendered you temporarily blind. You wondered about the state of security of the hotel.

When you returned to him, the man was radiating impatience and a hint of a frown emerged on his lips.

"I'm sorry," you finally said. "If you're trying to troll me because of my presentation this morning, I'm gonna have to report you to the authorities."

Nobunaga-lookalike didn't react for a moment. But then a smirk replaced his impatient frown.

"A scholar who studies my life?" he deduced. "And yet, who doesn't recognize the man standing here right now."

It turned out, he was the real deal. Oda Nobunaga. For some supernatural reason he became a youkai after the fires of Honnou-ji and was cursed to grant wishes to whoever summoned him from the (authentic!) Fudou Yukimitsu sword.

You, being an Oda Nobunaga scholar, found this to be wild but fortuitous. Here he was! In the supernatural flesh! He could answer all your burning questions! Take that, academic rivals!

Except, he refused to answer them because he didn't feel like narrating the story of his life. Too long, too juicy. So what you did was outline his life and just asked him if your knowledge was accurate and correct, after which you proceeded with interviewing him about his life as a youkai. He was still mum about it, and would rather hear your wish.

"But you're here," you said, "talking to me. It shouldn't be possible but here you are. This is like my greatest wish come true."

I don't know what happens after that. I guess Nobunaga stays and it's going to be a slice of life where he marvels at the progress of Japanese society as you try to gently nudge him into revealing his life as a wish-granting youkai. You both fall in love and there's going to be snu snu. At the end of the story you'll wish Nobunaga to be free of his curse and that will make him disappear. But being OP, Nobunaga uses his remaining youkai powers to make himself mortal again so he can live out his days with you. Happy ever after, the end.

[ich-lese-fanfiction]

Whumptober Day 4

Taroutachi makes a cameo /j to be serious tho, Magara's demise was actually really sad even tho he's on the opposing side. 

Prompt(s): Dead on Your Feet (Hidden Injury) (4)

Fandom: Nobunaga no Shinobi

Character(s): Magara, Yamazaki (mentioned)

Warning(s): non descriptive mention of injury

[envy-of-the-apple]

Poly's Fave Fics

im so sick of scrolling thru my likes just to find a 500 word piece so here are all my favs on tumblr. none of these are mine.

JJK

Geto Suguru

Polluted (Multi)*

Bullying hcs

Gojo Satoru

Polluted (Multi)*

One moment was all it took (Dark!Soulmate!Gojo)*

Bad Boys Bring Roses (Yakuza!Gojo)*

Sukuna

Fight Night *

Polluted (Multi)*

The morning after (yakuza!sukuna)

Satosugu

Satosugu murdering your kid (cuz they love you or whatever)

College au Satosugu

Haikyuu

Oikawa

Naga!au

Bully*

 Like Nobody Else 

The Lion’s Den

Iwaizumi

Naga! au

 Like Nobody Else 

 Inexorable

Bokuto

Delusional fool*

Tutoring Session*

Kuroo

Undone (Squidgame au)*

Gift wrapped*

Osamu/Atsumu

Different*

control+shift+n*

complex*

Tendou

Unprofessional(office au)

Outrunning Fate 

HxH

Illumi

Trips

Enjoy the Silence (vampire!Illumi)*

Ingress [Part Two] [Part Three]*

Chrollo

30 Seconds (Bodyswap Soulmate AU)

Incitement*

Snowfall

Cost Affection

Uvogin

Lucky find*

Set Up (poly!Uvogin x reader x Franklin)

Shalnark

Sixth floor game

Moving Up (mafiaAU)

Nobunaga

Digging Deeper (College!Au)*

DBH

Connor

Connor likes to inflict pain*

Conor+Nines study group*

Connor + somnophilia*

Connor+hank escape attempt

The blue dress

Nines

Conor+Nines study group*

Obey Me

Simeon

Simeon gives mc an Aphrodiasic *

Simeon+Diavolo Corruption*

Drugging Mc with Cookies

Simeon+somniphilia *

Diavolo

Dissonance

Simeon+Diavolo Corruption*

[alien-from-planet-zog]

If you like my rankings, then you may enjoy

Platonic relationship focused Spider Gon AU (as in: he joins the phantom troupe).

[uvobreakmylegs]

New Beginnings

a fic I wrote in earlier in the year for Suiren's birthday :D

Mafia AU, Nobunaga x reader

Warnings: kidnapping, captivity, stalking, delusional Nobu strikes again

Word count: 3.8k

The flowers probably weren't salvageable, Nobunaga thought to himself.

He'd intended on them being a nice gesture, something to make you feel more at ease when you saw them. Instead, they were the first thing you knocked over after he grabbed you in order to keep you from running out of his quarters.

A mess was all that remained of his gesture: the water that had quickly soaked into the carpet while the spider lilies and bits of broken vase were strewn about. A mess that needed cleaning up, but one that he'd been unable to get to for….. Damn, a few hours now.

Turning his attention away from the time and back to you, Nobunaga did feel a little bit of relief.

This whole thing had been a little chaotic, but at least you had finally calmed down now.

After spending hours fighting against Nobunaga, struggling in his grip and crying and just trying to get away from him after the harrowing experience of being kidnapped, you had stilled as you finally sat motionless in his lap with your back leaning against his chest. You still sniffled from time to time, a few stray tears still rolling down your cheek, but you weren't actively trying to escape him anymore.

Nobunaga's arms were still wrapped around you, but once you had settled some, he had placed one hand on your head to softly stroke your hair.

“Finally tired out?” he asked.

You didn't give a response. Earlier, when you'd been fighting him, you had tried to scream as loud as you could, hoping that the noise might get some help sent your way. Nobu had anticipated this, and one of his hands clamped over your mouth to muffle your screams as he told that you'd be disturbing the others on the floor if you did that. It seemed that because of that, you didn't want to answer him now.

Nobunaga tilted his head at you, saying your name in a questioning tone.

“Don't ignore me now,” he said, “talk to me.”

You shook your head.

He considered you for a few moments before he sighed.

“I know that wasn't the best way to bring you here,” he said, “but others had become aware of you. I couldn't risk leaving you out there while enemies knew about our relationship.”

That seemed to strike a nerve.

“What fucking relationship?” you hissed, “I don't even know you.”

“You know that isn't true,” he replied, “I saw you almost every day last week.”

“Yeah, and it was weird as hell to see you outside my apartment almost every day,” you snapped, “you stalking me doesn't count as us having a relationship.”

Nobunaga sighed.

“I hate to go playing the blame game,” he began, “but you do know that I needed to do that since you wouldn't talk to me, right?”

“You didn't need to do that!” you spat, “you could've just accepted that I wasn't interested and left me alone!”

“We made a connection-”

“No we didn't,” you insisted, interrupting him, “you're not my boyfriend, I'm not your lover; we're two complete strangers who happened to have a conversation on the street and went our separate ways after. There's nothing more than that.”

Your voice then wavered when you said “we don't have a relationship.”

Anyone else may have answered the wake-up call in your words, that he was seeing things that hadn't actually been and try to make this situation right by letting you go as you so desperately wanted.

But Nobunaga found himself focused on the fact that you remembered the first time the two of you met. And while you hadn't spoken much of the details of that meeting, the fact that it stayed in your mind must've meant that it was just as significant to you as it was to him.

Despite how short that meeting had been, you had felt a connection to him just as he had to you.

You were just having a harder time accepting it, that you could jump into a relationship with him based on that alone.

For that reason, Nobunaga wasn't at all surprised that you had fought with him during and after your kidnapping, but he was hoping you would given up earlier. Every second you fought him was a second he could've used to prove that he loved you.

“I know,” he answered, “I know you don't get it yet.”

“But this is necessary. To keep you safe,” he added.

“Kidnapping isn't how you keep people safe,” you responded bitterly.

“In this instance, it is,” said Nobunaga, “and eventually, you'll realize that.”

“No-!”

You began to struggle again. Despite how little it had done you earlier, the urge to get away from him took over you once more and you did your best to wiggle out of the firm grip that held you.

Fat lot of good that did.

Nobunaga was starting to get annoyed, but he told himself he couldn't become angry with you. If he did something drastic like hitting you or tying you to the bed, it would make you that much more resentful of him.

“Is this a second wind?” he asked, “if I have to hold you the entire night I will.”

“No!”

Just as before, your attempts to get out of his hold were pitiful, and you were reduced to a sobbing mess within minutes. Nobu watched you carefully, readying himself to cover your mouth again if he had to. He had gotten annoyed with other spiders for the noises their darlings had made on the first few nights they had been taken, and he didn't want to give any of the others any ammo to mock him for you being just as bad.

When your sobs had quieted again, Nobunaga turned you so you were facing him, using his thumb to wipe away your tears before lifting your chin up so you could look him in the eye. You gave him a sour look, but he ignored it.

“I know you want to leave, but I'm sure that in time, this place will feel like home for you,” he said.

You shook your head.

“No.”

Were the other darlings this obstinate when they first arrived? Nobu personally couldn't imagine Feitan, Shalnark or Machi tolerating behavior like this. He sighed again. Hurting you and showing you how bad things could be if he was unhappy was certainly an option, but he had no desire to break you and make you fear him more than you already did. Punishment would only come for truly serious offenses. Right now he needed to be patient with you.

“Give it time,” Nobunaga said, “for the next week or so you won't be allowed out of our living quarters, and if you keep acting up, it could be longer before I let you into the common areas of the floor. After that, you'll be allowed in several points of the building. And maybe on occasion when we get permission, we can go outside together.”

“I need permission to go outside?” you asked. There was a rage bubbling in your eyes again. Somehow learning that made you more angry than afraid again.

“You're mine now,” he explained, “and there will be those who will try to hurt me by hurting you.”

“I'm not yours! People don't belong to people!” you yelled.

You began to hit him again, beating your fists against his chest over and over. Nobu decided it was better to just take this and let you tire yourself out again. Better this than you starting to yell again and force him to hold your mouth shut. Angry tears flowed down your cheeks at the hopelessness of the situation. Surely you realized that even if you managed to get away from him, the amount of security you had seen on your way in was still in your mind, and you would know that there was no hope of you running out of this building without being stopped by someone.

Eventually your assault on him stopped, and you pressed your forehead against his chest in defeat.

It was quiet now, the only noise in the room being that of your ragged breathing.

Should he say something?

… Maybe not. So far Nobu had only managed to upset you every time he spoke, and that certainly wasn't winning him any points with you. The best course of action might be to stay quiet until you said or did something.

And a few moments later, you did speak.

“Why…”

Your voice was barely over a whisper, but he still heard you, and he tilted his head at you as he waited for you to continue whatever you were saying.

“Why did you do this to me?” you asked.

Betrayal.

Through your soft, sad voice, he could clearly hear it. Sense it in the way you now clutched at his shirt. You had trusted him, and he had re-payed that trust by forcibly taking you. That needed to be what this was.

And yet knowing that gave Nobunaga a bit of hope. For you to be betrayed, you had to have liked him at least somewhat. The way you had smiled at him on the day you met was still so clear in his mind. He was certain that there was at least some bit of affection for him in your heart, and once you got over your kidnapping and you realized just how much you meant to him, he was certain those feelings would come back and grow stronger.

Once you were able to get over that hurdle in your head, everything would be fine.

Nobu wasn't sure if you had wanted an answer to your question, but after a few moments, he responded softly “because I love you.”

You didn't react.

Maybe you weren't listening, or maybe the events of tonight had simply exhausted you and you no longer could react. Either way it was out in the open now, and even if you didn't believe him in that moment, eventually you would.

He now had all the time he needed to convince you of that.

When you shifted in his hold and tried to pull away again, his grip around you tightened, anticipating a third attempt of getting away from him.

“Please let go,” you said, not looking at him, “I need to use the bathroom.”

“…. Alright. But leave the door unlocked,” he said, his tone becoming a bit more firm as he added “there'll be problems if I need to break it down.”

You nodded somewhat hastily, and with that, he finally loosened his grip completely. You were fast to scramble off of his lap and make your way to the bathroom door, closing it a bit too quickly, but you listened to his warning as there was no click of the lock after.

But what he could hear after was the sound of you sobbing again, your soft cries echoing slightly against the smooth surfaces in the bathroom. He had thought that maybe you had run out of tears, but apparently not.

Now was probably the best time to give you a bit of space. You hadn't immediately run for the door to the entrance of his quarters like he was worried you would, so you were deserving of that much.

As he sat and waited for you to process your emotions, his mind went back to the day the two of you met and the random act of fate that put the two of you together.

He'd run into you on a windy day when you were coming out of a flower shop, a bouquet of red flowers in one hand while the other had been occupied with shoving your wallet back into your bag. While you weren't turned away from him, the majority of your face had been obscured from his view due to the wide-brimmed hat you were wearing.

At first he had only barely acknowledged your presence, his eyes naturally going over to you when you had initially exited the shop just to be aware of the new person that was now in his sights. Nobu hadn't anticipated that you might be a threat, but with his status in the troupe and the dangers that came with having such a position, it didn't hurt to be too careful. The would-be assassins of the world took many different forms.

He didn't spend long looking at you once he determined that there was nothing to be worried about, turning his attention back towards the walkway in front of him, his thoughts going back to the troupe and recent issues that had cropped up, ones regarding the owner of a private security company that operated within Yorknew. From his peripheral vision, he had noted that you had begun walking away from the flower shop entrance, heading in the direction opposite of him, and the thoughts of you would've quickly exited his mind once you were out of his line of sight.

Nobunaga would've passed you by completely had it not been for what happened next.

A gust of wind blew past you, and it was strong enough that it knocked your hat off of your head. You tried to grab it with your free hand but you weren't fast enough, and you started to follow, trying to hurry and grab it before it got too far away or touched the ground.

Instead, Nobu caught it.

It was mostly instinct that made him catch it. Just an instance where he saw from the corner of his eye that something was coming towards his head and he reacted. He only realized what had happened when he felt the material against his fingers and then looked at it to confirm.

And then you walked up to him, thanking him for not allowing the thing to blow away.

Something about you struck him. Something about the way you smiled and thanked him as he handed the hat back to you.

Something about the way you looked at him so sweetly.

“No problem,” he told you, having been barely able to remember that it was best to give you some sort of response.

That probably should've been the end of it, but something in him compelled him to keep talking to you. You'd set the hat back on your head when the wind blew again, and while this time it didn't escape you again, you needed to grab and hold it in place.

That had made for an easy enough topic of conversation.

“Doesn't seem like you dressed appropriately for this sort of weather,” he commented, brushing some of his hair behind his ear.

“Guess not,” you agreed, laughing as you said “it looked nice enough out today, so I didn't think to check what the conditions were. Lesson learned. Won't do that again.”

Nobu nodded along absentmindedly before glancing at the bouquet you held. All he'd really noted before was their red coloring, but now that he was looking at them for more than a few seconds….

…. Weren't the Spider Lilies associated with death and bad luck?

“Someone die?” he asked, nodding towards the flowers.

“Hm? Ah, they do tend to have a negative connotation, don't they?” you said, laughing a little.

Then you shook your head, adding “but these are for me. I like them.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I think they're pretty.”

Nobunaga glanced at them again.

The shade of red was nice, he supposed.

“I am a little surprised, though,” you said, “I didn't think most guys were interested in flowers. Not most guys around here, at least.”

“I can't say that I'm interested,” Nobu answered, “I've just heard enough about them to know that they're typically a bad sign.”

“Yeah,” you said again, “but I still like them.”

The conversation came to an end after that; you apparently had somewhere you needed to be. And to be fair, it was the same case for Nobu, as he was very likely going to be late for a troupe meeting.

You thanked him once more for saving your hat, and shortly after you were on your way, once again heading in the opposite direction of him. And although your face was quickly obscured from him, Nobunaga felt certain that he saw you smiling to yourself as you walked away.

After watching you for a moment, he had turned and began to walk as well, heading back towards his destination, though his thoughts had remained on you.

It was strange how one little interaction had stayed with him like that. How a single conversation about weather and flowers that hadn't even lasted five minutes replayed in his head for the entire rest of the day and only ended when he finally fell asleep that night, just to end up replaying in his head again the morning after.

He had accepted that the meeting between you two was fate the day after that and that the two of you were meant to be together. Why else would he be thinking of you so often? Why else would you have spoken with him like that? Why else had the elements themselves conspired to bring about a scenario where you were made to interact with one another?

It was the only explanation that made any sense.

Luck had been on his side when he remembered the flower shop he saw you walk out of – it was one that was under the troupe's protection, and for that reason, the owner had no choice but to allow Nobu to look through the shop's recent orders when he went in for a surprise 'visit'.

Luck was on his side again as it turned out you had called the shop to place the order for the spider lilies, giving them your name and phone number that they had yet to clear from their records.

It was incredibly easy to find you after that.

Back to the present, Nobu sighed to himself as he thought over what had happened after he'd found where you lived and how you'd become increasingly defensive every time he spoke with you. Maybe he'd come on too hard those other times. And now this, having no other option than to take you to the Nitery just to ensure your safety when you made it clear that you didn't want to go.

Nobunaga had no doubt that it would be a long, strenuous process for you, to accept your place as his darling and to learn to love him back, but even if that process took forever, you would give in.

You were meant to.

Several minutes had passed, and you still hadn't left the bathroom. He wasn't worried that you had managed to escape through there; that room had no windows, and the air vents were far too small for anyone to fit through.

Still, at a certain point he needed to make sure you were alright.

Getting up and standing before the closed door, he knocked on it gently as he called out your name.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

No answer.

His brows furrowed, and he took the knob in hand and turned it.

He found you in the shower, curled up in a corner of the stall and your head resting against your knees as you were fast asleep.

You must have been truly exhausted to have fallen asleep in such a place.

Nobunaga gingerly picked you up and carried you bridal style out of the bathroom. Though he had spent several hours with you in his arms, there was something about how you were so docile right now, not fighting against him and even pressing yourself further against him in your sleep. A shame that it was only because you weren't awake at the moment. But someday, he told himself, he would get to the point where you would long to be in his arms, where you would beg for his touch and for him to give you everything he had to give.

Not tonight. Or anytime soon.

But maybe in a matter of months he could get you to that point.

He placed you on his bed, putting the covers over you after. Tomorrow he'd have some of his lackeys accompany him to your old apartment and gather up some of your clothing and other items that you might miss. For tonight, though, you'd need to make due with sleeping in your clothes.

And what he'd need to make due with tonight was sleeping on the couch. As much as he wanted to go to sleep with you in his embrace, you'd be upset in the morning if that was what you woke up to.

Eventually he'd get to that point without you being disgusted with him, he told himself as he turned off the light of the bedroom, leaving you sleeping peacefully in the dark.

Now alone in the main area of his quarters, Nobunaga was about to turn off the lights and pass out on the couch – it was horribly late by now.

But just as he went to flick the light switch, he caught sight of the broken vase and flowers that still hadn't been cleaned up, and he sighed to himself again. Better to clean it up now so he wouldn't have the hassle of doing that the next day as well.

Pulling over a small trash bin, he began to collect the pieces of vase and tossed them in before going to the flowers. It felt like a shame to throw them away, especially since you liked them. Though it really was your fault for smacking them like you did.

Nobunaga looked at the flower he currently held; the stem was bent and some of the petals had fallen off.

Death, bad luck and abandonment, he remembered. Just a few of the meanings this flower had.

You'd met him when you were carrying a bouquet of these, and you saw the red spider lily again when you were brought to his room at the Nitery.

Maybe you were reconsidering how much you liked them and how much bad luck they had brought you so far.

That fleeting thought caught him off-guard, and he froze, broken flower still in hand.

…..

… Superstition was silly, he told himself as he continued with the clean up.

If anything, these flowers represented good luck for him, because if it hadn't been for you going to that flower shop on that day to collect them, he might not have found you.

It was pure chance and good luck that brought the two of you together, and while Nobunaga knew you didn't see it that way now, eventually you'd stop lying to yourself and admit that it was true: you were meant to be together.

But until that day came, he'd be patient with you and do whatever he could so you would understand that. Happiness for the two of you would come eventually when you gave in.

You were meant to, Nobunaga repeated to himself.

[mako-neexu]

keypoints about Fes (Aug 3-4, 2024) in relation to Dantes/Edguda (aka notes for me after reading a hundred or so Fes tweets)

Fes Day 1

The reveal that Salieri was among the Fes costume line up was hilarious so many people were saying "Okay Jalter!! Du Haine these traitors!!" and also "Come back and enjoy the fes with us Jalter! Bill all your expenses to that stargazing yukata ojisan over there!"

This was truly Avenger class summer (marie alter was also included)

Light reading was absolutely phenomenal - the lines delivered by sakamoto maaya and nobunaga shimazaki in Expo Live were amazing in Id chapter portion!!!!!!

[link of me crying about it] [second link] [third link] [fourth about his tears]

Official ID chapter MAD was insane it 1000% showed that the song was truly the feelings of the Avenger class from the bottom of their heart especially with dantes at the last few lines / the "noise" part too was freaking Salieri's i knew it!!!!!!

Paradis Chateau d'If was said to be insanely sweetly flavor that was strong. The grape is seems to be more jam than jelly. The bottom part was said to be peach syrup itself (but also mixed with some grape). The silver pearls sprinkles are called silver dragees that make it really fancy! It was also really thick that even when the ice melts, it won't thin out or get diluted at all.

Merch of Dantes is always sold out within the hour of both days

Oyo has a new wet monte cristo art

Chaldea (sweet papa) Kitchen Voice - "Owner...? Manager...? No! No, I am neither! I am but the patron. I am the ruler of shadows with an oriental-taste who have contributed in creating this tavern with ample (financial) resources. So enjoy yourself to the fullest! I am sure there is something here that will suit your tastes... No, there certainly is. Ahh, and one more thing, be careful of the heat. Even if you are not hungry, don't be afraid to rest and cool off."

Eye mirror quetionnaire top 3 - tenochtitlan, tonelico, and Monte Cristo

Side note: binaural Live2D Goredolf was cute!! Voiced goff!!!

Royst on day 1 flag with a new work

Tsuzumuda sensei with their message flag released!! thank you for the weapon design!

Fes Day 2

9th Anniversary live with Punchline Cosplay Ojisan!

He has the omamoris, maneki neko design!!! his notebook and feather pen prop!!!!! the cross designs on the glasses, the corset!!!! the gloves!!! the 14 stones!!!!! his cape also has the sea bream pattern!!!!!! the ponytail for Monte Cristo having also purple ends of his wig!!!... his stylists and makeup artists are so cool!!! the bestt aaa

Nobu complimenting Toyonaga Oberon!!!! i love it!!!!!!!!

He also complains being picked by his team mates for who looks like they're a good teacher he's embarassed wwww

"Who is the Servant who is most likely to have the most fun at FGO Fes?" Answer: Castoria Ishtar Mash

When revealing the answer he confidently explains that edmond is having the most fun considering his chaldea kitchen voice!!

After revealing the true answer, he RIGHTFULLY!!! complains to the audience that he's the type to go all out for Master!!!! It was amazing!!!

はしゃいでるマスターを見て一番はしゃいでるのはアイツ😭

I'll make a more detailed post about this... no let's turn it into a fic

Introduction of favorability gauge from space ere-chan brought out tweets of "monte cristo's favorability is MAX from the start so let's keep stacking~" from a lot of jp users www

Usagi Routo new illustrations are about PapaFesmon about guda's future and trying and failing to deny guda's offer of food as well as nobu's day 1 performance and day2 cosplay.. the best.

Flames of Applause Ce [cries and dies]