#WE DID IT WE MADE IT TO SASHIMI

[kyeterna]

"Sashimi", from Glow's poem collection

"Lyria is fish"

"With big round eyes that look at me weird"

"Lyria is odd"

"With strange smell"

"Lyria is scary"

"With black sword and black armour"

"Lyria is old"

"and she looks at me like she knows me"

"But she does not know Glow"

"So I make sashimi with fresh fish I find in dirt water"

"I make sashimi to forget Lyria"

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[the-californicationist]

Cali's Kinktober: Day 01

post cibum - "after a meal" - Kinktober Masterlist TF141 x f!reader Kinks > wet/messy, food play, objectification Full tags on AO3 - MDNI - Read at your own risk.

Your new job as a professional nyotaimori model pays all the bills and then some, but tonight, you are serving a group of soldiers who want more than just the novelty of eating fancy sushi rolls off of a naked woman. After they’ve had their fill of the nigiri and the rolls, they want you for dessert. 

“That’s fine, sir. We can do a seven o’clock tonight. Have you had a chance to choose your selections from the menu?”

You strained your ears as you listened to your maître d' consult with a customer over the phone. You were prepping in the adjoining room, going through your normal routine, but the growling, Manchester accent coming through the speaker was making it difficult to focus.  

“Yeah, give us a full spread. The works. No barriers.”

It must be a big party, you thought. The full spread option included a large array of sushi and sashimi. Asking for no barriers was quite adventurous, and you felt your skin flush with excitement. 

“Yes, sir. And would you like your artist bound or unbound?”

“Mm,” he thought for a minute, and you tried to send telepathic messages to the gruff stranger, “Let’s have ‘er tied down.”

Yes, you celebrated, already imagining the feel of the ropes crossing over the big, wooden table and pinning you to it, forcing you to stay in place all night long.

“And will you be including the sake option?”

“Yeah, sure. Johnny’s a bloody lush.”

Your heart began to race just imagining what sort of night you were in for. The sake option meant needing to shave your sensitive pussy completely bare, so you added that step to your process. Being a food model wasn’t something anyone seemed to take seriously, but you felt like a true artist, and you wanted your guests to have an unforgettable experience when they came to dine with you… on you. 

“Alright, sir, that’s –”

“And we want the additional package. I’ll pay extra. Whatever it costs. Just put it on the tab.”

“Yes, sir. Would you like A, B, or C?” 

The additional package? How did he know about that? You’d never performed for this man before – you would not have been able to forget that voice – and only your regulars knew about your secret options.

“A and B, but keep her mouth open, yeah? In case she gets hungry…”

His dark laugh made your blood burn in your veins. Your add-on package meant that he wanted to fill your holes while you lay on the table for him. Option A was for a large glass dildo in your pussy, warmed and heavy, option B was for a bulbous anal plug made of the same body-safe glass, and option C was for a rubber ball-gag in your mouth. But, he wanted to have access to you there, and that made you almost see stars when you thought about the implications. What did your mystery Manc have planned for you?

“Yes, sir. Do you know how many will be in your party tonight?”

“Four. The one with the mohawk is the birthday boy.”

“Thank you, sir. I will add that to the notes. Any allergies?”

“No.”

“And the name for the party?”

“Riley.”

“Thank you. See you later.”

When she hung up the phone, you listened to her boots clack against the marble floor as she came into your dressing room,

“Hey babes, here’s your ticket for tonight. Table of four. Bunch of soldiers. Sure you’re up for it?”

“Yeah,” you nodded, not feeling as confident as you sounded, “Just make sure to keep their drinks coming. They tip more when they’re drunk.”

You winked at her and she laughed, closing the door behind her to let you finish grooming and cleansing your body. 

Each swipe of your razor was another tantalizing part of your ritual. Once you were fully shaved, you cleaned your skin with special antibacterial soap before applying neutral oils that wouldn’t affect the taste of the food. No perfume, no deodorant. Those were the standards. You weren’t allowed to talk, or to move if you were bound by the tight ropes that pinned you to the table, and you were simply there to be a beautiful platter for the immaculately-made sushi. 

At more traditional restaurants, your position was revered, and guests were forbidden from interacting with you directly. You’d worked at a number of venues that hosted nyotaimori events, all with varying levels of standards and rules, but this one paid the most. This place allowed their guests to do almost anything they wanted, and those high risk situations added to the excitement and to your bank account. However, you’d never felt safer. There were cameras, guards, and highly trained staff all over the premises, and if you ever needed to press your emergency button, you could do so. You wore your panic ring at all times, and you’d used it effectively once or twice; it worked like a dream. 

But, you had to admit, it wasn’t just the money that kept you coming back here. You liked the clients. You liked feeling their hands and mouths eating off of your warm body. You enjoyed the more adventurous customers who wanted to taste you and touch you after they were done with their food. It was exhilarating, and you loved being at their mercy. 

Just before your call time, your attendant brought you your glass dildo and anal plug from the back. They had been sanitized, and you used a little lube to insert the familiar, rigid shape into your pussy. You felt yourself already wet from anticipation, and although the glass phallus was thick and heavy, you took it with a satisfying ease. 

The anal plug was another story. You used much more lube and began to play with your hole with your fingers before you committed to pressing it through your tight rim. The pressure from the fat dildo in your cunt made it even harder to accept, but after a few deep breaths, you felt your body relax and allow the round bulb to sit inside of your ass, pushing against all of the sensitive nerve endings inside of your stretched hole. 

You washed your hands thoroughly and cleansed your skin again, just to be sure. Eventually, you finished with your prep and walked through the hallways to lay on your long black table. It was a chabudai, a short table where guests would sit on mats on the floor, and the dining room where you served was dimly lit, very minimally decorated, and had instrumental music playing softly through the speakers. You looked up into the corner and saw the camera light go from red to green. It was showtime. 

Your attendant returned to perform your shibari. You were laying on your back, and she tied your wrists to your thighs, making sure to position your thumb so that you could press your panic ring easily. Then, she began to lay the ropes over your ribs, framing your breasts, using the ties to make them stand perky and proud on your chest. Finally, she fed the bindings under the table and fastened them down. You were stuck. You could bend your knees and twist your body, but that was about it. 

“All good, ma’am?” She asked.

You nodded,

“Yes, thank you. All good.”

“Alright. I’ll tell chef.”

She left you alone, and you tried your best to focus on your breathing. The dildo was nudging a very sensitive spot inside of you, and you pulsed against it, attempting to find some relief. But, you were just making it worse. Your clenching muscles were allowing it to thrust against you, and no amount of wiggling was going to grant you any reprieve. So, you stopped. You shut off your mind as much as you could, listening to the music and imagining an infinite, empty expanse in your head. 

The door clicked open and the sushi chef came in with his two other servers. They set to work, laying slabs of salmon and octopus sashimi across your breasts in a spiral pattern, using delicate roe to dust the inner circle over your hard nipples, making it look like the pollen-covered pistil of a flower, the fish serving as your beautiful petals. 

A row of maki trailed their way down your belly and each arm. More sashimi were laid on all the places where a roll wouldn’t sit, and one of the chef’s assistants began to place thinly-sliced mango across your neck like a choker. Your legs were covered in sushi and more fruit, and finally, right in the join of your legs, you balanced a bowl with a single lotus flower inside. 

The door cracked again, and your attendant poked her head in,

“Chef, your party is here. Should we send them in?”

The chef nodded, and everyone left the room. But, this time, the silence was deafening rather than zen. Your heart was pounding. You couldn’t wait to see and hear and feel what these four guests had in store for you. 

Finally, the door opened, and you heard their jovial laughter and talking. 

“Cannae believe you got a reservation, LT! Been dyin’ to try this for the longest.”

“I know, Johnny,” you recognized that deep, Manchester accent, “Won’t shut up about it.”

Johnny finally came into view. He peered down at you with a uniquely boyish wonder, staring at your face and your body like a kid at Christmas, eager to unwrap his presents. His friends surrounded him on both sides. You guessed that the wry blond was Simon, your vocal crush. You didn’t know the other two, but they were just as nice to look at. One of them was enormous, over-muscled with a bit of a belly, and an odd beard. The other was like a professional athlete, chiseled and masculine, with big brown eyes and dark, smooth skin. 

“Sure is a pretty plate, huh, lads?” The beard spoke with a growling, gravely Scouse accent. He was a smoker, that was for sure. 

“Fittest table I’ve ever seen,” the athlete smiled, his full lips revealing sharp, blinding teeth. 

“Please, have a seat, gentlemen,” your attendant put on her best sexy customer-service voice, “First round is on the house.”

“Oh, shit,” Johnny laughed.

He and his friends ordered an absurd amount of alcohol, and then you were left alone with your party. 

“Think we can get started?” Johnny asked, “Is that alright with you, bonnie?”

You watched out of the corner of your eye as the bearded one hit him lazily on the arm with the back of his hand, 

“She isn’t supposed to speak, MacTavish. Didn’t you fuckin’ listen, or is all the blood that’s meant to be in your brain stuck in your prick?”

“Here, Captain,” the athlete called the bearded one over, “Try this.”

You felt the soft wood of your restaurant’s polished chopsticks graze the side of your breast as he lifted a slab of salmon off of your skin. 

The captain grabbed the fish with his fingers clumsily, but he slurped it down, groaning with pleasure,

“Mm, that’s not bad, Gaz.”

Johnny reached out to you, his hands steady and sure, 

“Lemme try…”

You felt his warm thumb graze over the top of your nipple, pushing some of the fresh roe onto a cut of octopus, and as he curled the fish, he let it drag over the same spot he touched, purposefully teasing you. 

Once they started, they didn’t want to stop. Their hands were roaming all over you, picking up food and feasting on what you had to offer. 

“Look here,” Gaz commented, letting his fingers swipe up the side of your ribs, gathering up dark sauce and licking it off of his knuckle. 

“Oh, tha’ looks tasty,” Johnny smiled, leaning his head down and using his tongue to lick up the rest of the flavor, taking great pains to get as close to the side of your breast as he dared. 

They were getting braver, but you could tell they still weren’t sure what they were allowed to do.

Before long, your attendant was back, ready to get more drinks and appetizers for your men, and you listened to them politely dismiss her, too focused on their task at hand: uncovering you from your delicate morsels of sushi. 

“Mm,” Simon grunted, “Not bad, hm?”

“It’s proper tasty,” the captain agreed. 

“I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying yourselves,” your attendant encouraged them, “Could I interest you in a sake presentation?”

“Wha’s tha?” Johnny asked with his mouth full, excited to know more. 

“Your artist has more than one talent, gentlemen,” she smiled coyly down at you, kneeling beside the table, carefully removing the bowl from where it was so carefully perched on your pussy. 

The whole room stood still as your smooth, oiled vulva was revealed. Your attendant leaned over you, pouring warm sake into the divot between your closed legs and your mons, filling the space with drink. She made sure the men were looking at her with rapt attention, and she bent to suck the alcohol from your body, her mouth sucking right below your clit, slurping up the delicious sake until it was almost gone. 

“Creepin’ Jesus,” Johnny said under his breath, “Can I do one, lass?”

“Yes, sir,” she smiled, “Of course! You can do anything you like.”

“Anything…”

Johnny’s eyes watched as she filled the crevice between your legs again, letting the sparkling fluid pool and ripple against your skin. Then, when she was done with her pour, he bent to drink from you, putting his mouth exactly where hers had been, gulping and swallowing the sweet brew, his eyes fixed on your pretty pussy until you were empty. Then, he stole a lick, shoving his tongue between your lips to tease your clit, testing the limits of what was allowed, trying to find the boundary. 

“I’ll leave the bottle, yes?” Your attendant asked, leaving it on the table without waiting for an answer. 

“Thanks, love,” the captain smiled, watching his friend hovering over your wet quim as Johnny considered going back between your legs for seconds.  

“Go on, then, Sergeant,” Simon encouraged him, “For what I fuckin’ paid, you better enjoy it.”

That was the only permission the mohawked birthday boy needed. He sank his hot mouth down onto your pussy and began to suckle at your clit like it was part of his meal. He laved his tongue inside of your swollen lips, licking you in rhythmic, rolling thrusts. 

You tried your best to control your reactions, but there was only so much you could do to contain your pleasure. Gaz noticed when your eyes rolled back in your head, your lashes fluttering closed as you tried to breathe through the feeling. 

“Delicious, aren’t ya, babe?” 

He bent his head to your breast, feasting on the two pieces of sashimi that were left behind, using his tongue to pull them into his mouth. You could feel the warmth of his full lips on your skin as he ate from you, and every little touch was electrified by Johnny’s feast between your legs. 

As Gaz chewed on his bite, he used his thick finger to scoop up the fresh roe that remained on the peak of your nipple. Then, he bent over you, smiling like a demon, 

“Open up.”

You obeyed, and you melted into your submission. The hard, unflinching stare from those big brown eyes was enough to crush your will to dust. You felt your skin flush across your whole body as you surrendered to him, as if allowing him to control you made you even more sensitive to the touching, licking, kissing, and groping that was happening to you.

He slipped his finger past your lips, placing the roe carefully on your tongue. You felt the tiny eggs spill into your lips like beads. Just when you were about to swallow them, he grabbed your chin in his hand sharply, his face turning darkly serious,

“Hey, open, I said. There’s a good girl. Stick that pretty tongue out for me. Say ahh, pretty girl.”

You did as you were told, and to your shock, he bent his mouth over yours and spit into your throat. You could feel the bubbling drool pooling in your cheeks and sliding to the back of your tongue, but there was nothing you could do about it. His lips turned up into that same dirty smirk as he said, 

“Swallow.”

You took the roe into your mouth and swallowed it along with his saliva, the salt of the fish eggs mixing with the salt and alcoholic tinge in his spit. He must’ve been drinking at the bar before his party sat down at your table because the herbal scent of gin was unmistakable. 

He pet your cheek with the back of his hand, praising you with his touch, watching your face twist with pleasure as Johnny became almost uncontrollable between your legs. The mohawked man was sucking so hard on your clit that the slurping sounds from his mouth were filling the room. 

Gaz bent to kiss you, and you kissed him back. The softness of his lips lulled you into an even deeper sub state, and you felt like you were melting. Suddenly, he forced his tongue into your mouth and wrapped a huge palm around your jaw, holding you in place as he began to slide his slippery muscle in and out of your cheeks. It was as if he was fucking your throat with his tongue, and your mind fed you an imaginary scene of how his cock might feel in its place. 

When he pulled away, you felt Johnny stop his kisses as well, and your body writhed without your consent, desperate to feel them tasting you again. 

“This is the best fuckin’ birthday I’ve ever had,” Johnny smiled, wiping a hand across his shining mouth. 

The man who’d made the booking, Simon, sat beside his friend and pointed between your legs,

“Pour us one, Johnny.” 

“Aye. Here ya go, lads. Slàinte mhath.”

You watched as he poured sake into the divot between your legs again, but he over-indulged. He began to pour it across your belly as well, letting it pool in your belly button and settle in the dip of your sternum. 

The captain was the first to take a sip. He lapped at the pool of sake that splattered across your mons and lips like a hound, aiming to taste you more than he was the alcohol. Then, he followed Johnny’s trail, dragging his hot tongue along the swell of your tummy, aiming for the well of spirits in your belly button. He hovered over it when he found it, and as he leaned down to drink from you, you could feel the tickle of his mustache, making you squirm.

His filthy, gravelly chuckle made your blood run cold. It seemed that he enjoyed forcing your body to respond to his touch. 

“Ticklish, love?” He returned to your lower belly, letting the bristles of his beard tease you until your breathing became ragged, your lungs trying to suck in, doing your best to pull away from him and yet not being able to escape. 

Your tormentor shoved Gaz around the table so that he could tease your breast with his bearded mouth, and Gaz followed suit, both of them fighting for the puddle of sake between your breasts before suckling on your tight nipples. They had such different agendas. Where Gaz seemed to suck because he wanted to see you squirming from pleasure, the captain seemed hell-bent on keeping you from it. 

You could feel him biting into your delicate flesh with his sharp teeth, causing just enough pain to pull you out of your relaxed, pleasure-induced haze. Then, when he could see your eyes flash with just a hint of apprehension, he would retreat, rewarding your responsiveness with a long, deep suck or hungry, flat licks with his tongue, a barely-there smile twisting across his cheeks as he did. 

You felt something brush against your leg, and Simon was using a napkin from the table to wipe the rest of the food off of your legs, not giving a shit about the hundreds of pounds worth of sushi being gathered up in the cloth. Dinner, apparently, was over. 

Your mind raced. This was far and beyond the bravest party you’d ever served before. They worked on you as a team, giving each other silent feedback, and when Simon finally bent to drink from between your legs, your mind was throbbing from the overstimulation. 

You weren’t supposed to, but you began to let long, cracking moans escape from your throat. Anything you did to hold them back was just making them worse, and your voice only seemed to spur these men to double down on their efforts. 

Simon did not eat you like Johnny did. His Scottish companion ate you out like you were the food, but the Manc was more like his captain. He wanted to see where your buttons were, and when he found them, he began to press them just like a lad playing with a shiny new toy. 

His tongue found the body of your clit and swirled around it, avoiding the searing head, swollen and sensitive to the point of discomfort. Instead, he pushed the tip of his tongue just below it, lifting it up, making the hood stretch just enough to apply its pressure. 

You bucked your hips, the sake that rested in your thighs sloshing out, ignored by your new master. He didn’t give you a smug grin like his bearded boss. In fact, you could barely tell what emotion he was feeling. It wasn’t until you met his gaze that you noticed the fire behind his eyes. 

Only then did he begin to drink from you, emptying the alcohol from your body, letting his tongue venture down into the crevice of your thighs and licking between them as if they were your cunt. He had gone deep enough to feel the edge of your dildo, and when he found it, he turned to the others, getting their attention,

“Had them do something special for Johnny. Wanna see your surprise?”

Johnny had been busy sharing a nipple with Gaz, leaving hungry little hickies across your skin. But, when Simon called him over, he seemed all too eager to return between your legs.

“Aye,” he smiled rakishly, “Gonnae spoil me, Si.”

All four men shifted to the foot of the table, their eyes wide and focused on you like hyenas with a wounded gazelle, selfish and ready for their next taste of you.

Simon took your legs and lifted them up, bending your thighs at the hip, showing the others how two fat, glass dildos were shoved deep inside of your holes. 

“Oh, bonnie…” Johnny reached forward, grabbing the dildo stuck in your pussy gently between his fingers and giving it just the slightest twist, “For me? Such a good lass, innit she?”

Simon reached down below Johnny’s hand and began to tug at the anal plug. The resistance was driving you mad. You tried to relax, but he was not waiting on you, and the pressure began to build and build until finally, your muscle relented and you felt the heavy bulb slip wetly out of your asshole, soaking in lube.

“Bloody hell,” Gaz murmured, not wasting any time, sticking a long finger into the gaping hole left behind by the plug, testing the stretch of your ass with his strong hands. 

Simon pressed it back in, forcing Gaz away, slowly fucking the heavy toy back into you, letting it sink inside of your body with a sloppy pop, pushing on it just a little harder than he needed to so that it would feel like it was thrusting inside of you. 

Then, Johnny did the same with the dildo in your swollen pussy. He didn’t pull it all the way out, choosing instead to fuck you with it, shoving it into your hole with wet, slicking sounds, marvelling at the sight. 

You were so drunk from the pleasure that you hadn’t noticed their captain sneaking around to the head of the table. He startled you, grabbing you beneath your arms and yanking you and your ropes up, strong enough to move you even though you were tied down. He had pulled you far enough that your head hung off the edge, and you found yourself staring at his black slacks, amazed at the thickness of his thighs. Then, you watched him roll down his zipper, stroking his cock until it gleamed with his precome. 

You felt his other hand supporting the back of your head, holding you at just the angle he wanted. Then, he purred his command to you,

“Let me in, pretty girl.”

You allowed your muscles to weaken, opening you mouth wide, unsure if you could pry your mouth open enough for his girth to fit inside of you. He chuckled in that same, devilish way, slapping his sticky head against your lips twice before feeding his head into your cheeks, settling at the back of your throat, letting you gag and cough around him all you wanted and doing fuck-all about it. 

Between your legs, you felt the dildo slip out of your pussy, replaced with eager fingers and a tongue. Now that you had the captain’s thick cock to block your noises, you let yourself whine against him like a gag, moaning and crying out from the overwhelming feeling of being used. 

“Oh, fuck. That’s it, lads,” he grunted, “Make her scream for me.”

Both of his hands were cradling your head as he fucked your throat, guiding his fat dick in and out of you like a piston. You breathed when you could, but it was only just enough, and you felt yourself going light-headed. 

A mouth found your nipple again, and a hand rolled itself beside your clit, making frantic circles from above. Then, below your thighs, a round prodding cockhead pressed its way into your lubricated walls, making your dildo seem like nothing more than a thick finger or two. You were being well-stretched, and your body flooded your cunt with wetness to try and ease his way, doing everything it could to make it easier for whoever it was to fit his prick into your warm body.

He rested your ankles against his neck, and your bare feet scraped the side of his head. Buzzed hair. It was the birthday boy afterall. 

“Mmmph, fuckin’ hell, bonnie. Too tight. Too goddamn tight. Fuck…”

As he pumped himself into you, his movements made free and fast by the lube and your dripping cunt, your whole body began to jerk across the table. These men weren’t just large; they were stronger than you could’ve ever imagined, and you felt like you were nothing more than a mere toy to them. 

The fingers teasing your clit were sending your mind into a panicked orgasm, and your whole body convulsed as you let yourself tumble into the swirling madness of your bliss, your eyes wrenched shut and flashes of rainbow light dancing across them as you came violently. 

Apparently, that was enough to send the captain over his edge because as you were trapped in the throes of your orgasm, he shoved himself all the way inside of you and began to pulse hot shots of his come into your belly. You were desperate for air, but there was nothing you could do. They were in control of you, and you were ashamed by how much you enjoyed being at their mercy. 

“Ohhh, Cap’n. She loves tha’, dontcha, lass?”

“Knew she would,” the captain slipped out of your throat, smiling down at you as you gasped wetly for a breath, “Filthy little slag.”

You watched as he shifted to the side of you, his thighs leaving your line of sight, being immediately replaced by a pair of dark jeans. You knew it was Gaz when his wide thumb reached down to wipe the drool and come from your lips, lovingly cleaning up after his captain’s mess. 

“Being so good for us. Still hungry, baby?”

You couldn’t answer him, but he didn’t care. He tugged his long, curved rod out of his pants and let his balls rest on your mouth. You started to suckle on one of them, taking it into your mouth and letting it roll between your lips.

“Yeah, she is. Mmff-fuck, tha’s it.”

Gaz lifted your head up with his hand to help you reach, stroking his huge shaft with the other, jerking off as you did your best to pleasure him, trying to be careful with his sensitive sack. 

Johnny’s thrusts became frantic. Simon and his captain were taking turns pouring sake across your belly and sucking it off of you, and you were dizzy from the feeling of being fucked with your heavy plug inside of you. When you began to come again, it hit you slowly, building and building in waves, making you tremble from the suffocating joy of it. 

You cried out, and your mouth was open wide in a silent oh. Gaz took the chance to feed you his cockhead, giving you something to scream around. You felt Johnny pause deep inside of you, his cock nestled as close to your womb as he could get, and he began to fill you with his come, shamelessly bending himself over you to fit his rod down to its root in your wetness. 

“Christ, bonnie! Come for me. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Hnngh…” 

He slid himself out of you, but almost immediately, someone filled your empty hole with your dildo, keeping his load sealed safe inside. 

Gaz was still jerking his cock as he rested his tip inside your mouth, and you could feel him shuddering above you, his fingers twisted and tugging at the base of your scalp. 

“Suck on me harder. Yesss,” he groaned, “Just like that�� mmfgh. Good… girl…” 

You felt him throbbing, pulsing, and ready to come. Then, just when you were ready to taste him, he pulled out and painted your mouth, chin, and neck white with his seed. There was so much of it, and whatever your tongue could reach, you licked it up, sucking him clean when he let you have the tip one more time before he smeared the remnants of his dripping cream across your cheek. 

Suddenly, Gaz’s hands returned to the back of your head and lifted it up. At the same time, another man yanked your whole body back down the table, making the wood creak from the stress. Now, you could see what was happening to you. 

Simon was holding your thighs, playing with your pussy, making sure your dildo was nice and snug. Then, he removed your anal plug again, twisting it out with a steady tug. When you made a whimpering cry, he looked up at you, and you saw that same light in his gaze, a hunger unlike that of his other friends. Something uncanny and secret about his message that you failed to decode. 

He began to pry open your asshole with his fingers, exploring just past the rim. First, it was just one, but then it was two. They twisted, curling inside of you, plunging deeper and deeper and testing how pliant you were. Your plug was pretty large, so you weren’t usually concerned about a man’s cock being a challenge. But, the way he was preparing your hole made your whole body tense with anticipation, worried about what was going to happen to you. 

You watched him rest your heels on his shoulder, just like his friend had done, and his tattooed hand held your thighs as the other placed his swollen head at the rim of your asshole, teasing it, barely even touching you. 

You thought he would plunge inside, but he never did. He just kept painting little warm circles around you, pressing on the outside yet never allowing himself to slip into your ass. 

“Mngh…” You whined, twisting your hips as much as you could, begging for it. 

“What’s that? Speak up, love. Can’t hear ya.”

You looked at him with pleading eyes, knowing you weren’t allowed to break your ceremonial rule but desperate just the same. He let himself smile softly down at you, planting his head at your hole and using the weight of his cock to rest it there. 

“C’mon, sweetheart. Tell me you want it. It’ll be our little secret.”

His friends were kneeling around you, spent but still groping your body, licking and kissing you lazily, enjoying watching Simon torment you.

“She doesnae wanna break the rules, Si. Good lass tha’ she is,” Johnny cooed, letting his fingers rest on either side of your clit, drawing deep ovals and watching your face twist in desperation.

“Let him hear it, love. We won’t tell,” the captain whispered in your ear, using his fingers to slide Gaz’s come from your chin into your mouth, making you taste his salty seed. He kept his fingers inside of your lips, pushing them all the way to the back of your throat, letting you suck on them, “Tha’s right. Our perfect little slut.”

Your mind went blank, and all you could focus on was the feeling of relief that would come to you if you just broke your rule…

The captain removed his hand, returning to your tits to suck on them and pinch your nipples. Then, Simon pressed forward just a little more, giving you his head before immediately taking it away, leaving you hollow.

“... please…” You whispered, your voice so shallow and small. 

“What? Cannae hear you, bonnie,” the Scot smiled, moving his hand faster between your pussy lips. 

“I think I heard something, did you?” Gaz joked, raising his eyebrows at Simon, smacking your ass cheek with the palm of his hand. 

“Say it,” Simon growled. 

His team was all smiles, but he was dead on. You locked eyes with him and said it again.

“Please.”

“Fuck,” Simon’s eyes rolled back in his head, the whites peeking through his long lashes, and he sank himself deep into your asshole in one punishing thrust. 

He was as thick as your plug, but he was so much longer, and you had never felt so stretched out in your whole life. As he began to fuck you, he wrapped his hand around the dildo in your pussy, covered in come and lube, and he fucked you in time with his own prick, making it seem like he was in both places at once. 

“You ready for more?” Simon asked you breathlessly, checking in with you. 

You nodded, fuck-drunk but just as submissive as ever. Whatever he asked for, you were ready to give it to him. 

When he saw your shallow nods, he began to fuck you at an incredible pace. Your whole body was shuddering every time he slammed himself forward, and the strength of his thrusts was making you feel like his cock was even bigger than you thought, your poor asshole stretched past the point of comfort. 

“She’s takin’ it so good, Si,” Johnny sighed, watching your face go slack as his friend railed himself into you.

You weren’t even moaning. You were barely breathing. Your mind only had one goal: making you come and come and come. 

“Spread her legs,” Simon commanded his team. 

You heard the schnick of a knife’s blade being unsheathed, and then the ropes around your ankles were sliced away. Gaz and Johnny pulled your knees up to your chest, forcing you open for him like a book. 

Johnny bent down over your pussy and spat onto your slit, smearing it with his fingers. Then, he slapped you gently a few times, increasing the pain each time his hand came down until you were literally screaming from it. But, it didn’t hurt. It just made you come even harder. The pleasure was muting the pain to an incredible degree. You wanted him to give you more, but you were too far gone to ask. 

The captain was kissing your mouth, using his hands to feed you come again, and you couldn’t even kiss him back. Your body was frozen, your muscles tight and stuck in a loop of pleasure. You were coming in cyclical waves, unsure of where one started or ended, just suspended in blissful torment, sucking in breaths when your lungs allowed you to. 

Then, Simon’s movements stuttered, and he slowed, sinking into you as deep as he could fit before pulling out in one swift movement and jerking his cock right in front of your swollen, punished pussy.

He slid the dildo out of you, leaving you feeling empty to the point of grief, and you watched as he hovered at your entrance, shooting his load into your already-filled cunt. Rope after rope of milky come seared its way into you, messy but accurate. Then, he replaced the dildo and sat back on his heels, out of breath. 

His friends let your legs back down, and they all moved away from you, leaving little kisses on your body as they retreated. 

Once they recovered, they had one more shot of sake together, and Johnny poured one into your mouth. 

“There ya go, bonnie. Job well done, aye? This birthday party willnae be topped anytime soon.”

You swallowed the shot, tasting just not the alcohol but the remnants of Gaz’s come as well when it slid down your throat in tandem. 

“Don’t worry, pretty girl,” the captain said, “You don’t have to say your goodbyes yet.”

Simon peered down at you over his shoulder,

“Riverbend street, apartment six, right?”

Your eyes went wide. How did he know where you lived? 

But, before you could ask him, they let themselves out, leaving you stunned, full of their come, and thrilled about what you would find when you finally made it home tonight.

[jinnie-ret]

Don't know if you're taking prompts atm but...

Can't believe I'm asking this but could you do a ninth member fic but they're Nuna to Bangchan as well instead of younger? Just wanna see all the boys taken care of, maybe like made casual dinner with their favorite foods or soft comfort after a hard concert or something. Just the boys and OC being good family.

let noona handle it

stray kids x ninth member!reader (platonic)

genre: fluff, slight angst

content warnings: flirty minho? (haha)

word count: 1k

summary: after a difficult, chaotic concert, you prepare a feast to take care of your beloved dongsaengs

Thank you for this request! Hope you enjoy! :)

MAIN MASTERLIST

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The concert you had just returned from was hell, and you hated to say that it was because of the fans. You nearly had a bit of deja vu, as the events that took place reflected those which happened at a past Indonesia concert. This time, you were in Seoul.

Fans had been constantly pushing each other back and forth, those who were standing scrambling amongst each other to get closer and closer to you and the boys. It was chaos.

"Guys, please! We want to do this concert but you have to move back!" Chan said into the mic, desperately hoping that the frantic Stays would listen.

"Move back, please," Han tried to help, using his hands to gesture them to do as he said.

"We don't want anyone to get hurt, please move back and we can carry on performing for you," Chan signed, and you saw how he was getting more and more frustrated.

You felt awful, that you didn't say anything to help. As their noona, you always wanted to look after your members, and you kicked yourself for not taking some of the weight off of your dongsaeng's shoulders, instead of standing there quietly. It wasn't your fault you felt overwhelmed though.

At least you weren't the only ones. As soon as you all returned to the dorms, wordless wishes of a good night's sleep was wished and you all fell asleep easily, the exhaustion hitting all 9 of you.

But you had other plans. Setting an alarm for 10am the next morning, you prepared yourself to get up early enough where the guys would still be asleep, but that you could go out, get fresh food, and prepare them with a feast for lunch time.

Yes, the shopping was very heavy, but it was worth it for the premium dining experience you had brought to the dorm. You were surprised they hadn't woken up yet from all of your clattering around and the smells of food, but it only made it far more worth it in anticipation of them seeing all of their favourite foods: sashimi, jokbal, yubochobap, kimchi jjigae, fried chicken, ramen with fried eggs, pizza. And of course for dessert you had some cheesecakes defrosting.

"Boys!!! Come in here!" you yelled at the top of your lungs, giggling to yourself when you heard the thumping of footsteps and mutterings of 'shit'.

"Noona?! Are you okay?" Changbin was the first to rush in, eyes zeroed in on you as he went to check if you were hurt or not.

"Wow..." Felix gasped, looking across at all of the food spread out on the dining table.

"I'm fine, Changbin, why don't you take a seat?" you soothed his worries, gently stroking his hands that rested upon your shoulders and diverting his attention to where you wanted it to be.

"Noona, did you-?" Hyunjin cut himself off as he entered the kitchen, feeling rather moved that you had done this all for them.

"It was a hard concert yesterday... I thought this would help cheer us up?" you awkwardly stood there, hands clasped behind your back. You felt your cheeks flush from their reactions, but they all stared on in amazement.

"You're the best," Jisung whispered as he engulfed you into a big hug. His arms wrapped around your waist and he buried his face into your neck.

"You all deserve it," you smiled bashfully, ruffling his hair as he pulled away, going to take a seat.

"You deserve it too, noona," Jeongin said earnestly, giving you a quick side hug before he went and sat down too.

"I just... I know yesterday was difficult, wasn't it?" you asked them all as you began talking once more. As you did so, Seungmin silently patted your back as he walked around you, his own way of letting you know he took was thankful. "So I thought what could be more healing then our favourite foods?"

"I think a kiss from noona would be healing as well," Minho bluntly said, wiggling his eyebrows at you as you facepalmed.

"Yah, Minho-ah! Don't tease her, she already can't handle all of the compliments," Chan scolded Minho before taking a seat too, gesturing you to sit next to him in the empty one.

"Noona is so good to us," Hyunjin said, almost as if you wasn't there and he was confessing his thoughts on you.

"I think noona should take the first bite," Changbin folded his arms, leant back in his chair with a proud smirk on his face as he looked at you approvingly. You could tell his mind was going 'jutdwae, jutdwae, jutdwae'. He was very proud of sticking to his principles.

"No, no, you guys eat first, I just want to see you be happy," you waved them off, arms resting in your lap. And it was true, you just wanted to see them eating happily.

"Come on, noona, we just wish to see you eat first," Jeongin pouted, and normally you'd cave straight away, your dongsaeng knew that, but you had a few principles of your own.

"Nope, I refuse. I wish to see all my precious members eat first. I want to see you happy because that's all that really matters to me, ok? We had a rough time of it yesterday and this is my way of showing you how I'm supporting you all. Yes I'm a member of this group just like any other one of us, but I'm also your noona, let me take care of things. Let noona handle it, ok?" you preached, rambling off all the thoughts in your head as looking them all directly in the eyes as you wore your heart on your sleeve.

"I'm going to eat before I cry," Felix took a mouthful of ramen, looking away from you, feeling warm from not only the food but from your sweet words too.

"There, we've all taken a bite now, noona should eat," Seungmin firmly said.

"Or do you need me to feed you?" Minho winked daringly.

"You're so flirty today," you take a bite of fried chicken, not giving him the opportunity to tease you more.

"He wouldn't be Minho if he wasn't flirty," Chan laughed.

"And noona wouldn't be noona if she wasn't so caring," Jisung heartwarmingly said.

"Well, speaking of, there's cheesecake for dessert," you smile as you take a bite of some sashimi.

"Noona you're the best!!!"

tagged: @skz-streamer @kiraisastay @hannahhbahng @backintomykpopphaseagain @sakufilms @hanjiquokkaaa @arloo00 @dunno-wut-to-do @splat00z @cheesemonky

[mindblizzard]

we're all aware that Harvey recently had a renaissance because someone on tiktak did something about him with Too Sweet by Hozier. and we all know the whole "I'll take my whiskey neat my coffee black and my bed at three" lyrics, blah blah blah, you know what I'm talking about.

I have some slight beef with this because it is fundamentally Not a harvey song. he is not propagating unhealthy habits because we're here for a good time not a long time and it's the life he chooses, he's propagating unhealthy habits because he's loaded with stress and anxiety and feels guilty if he spends too much time on himself. This man takes his whiskey not at all because it could be quite a health risk, he prefers to stick with a nice wine and perhaps a locally made beer if he's feeling it, his coffee black because he needs that caffeine to survive the day, and his bed at anywhere from ten to one depending on how late the making-model-airplanes-autism-vortex lasted.

However.

Too Sweet is not a Harvey song. That is clear. But it is undeniably a farmer song.

Think about it. This person has no respect for themselves. They don't drink often, but when they do, it's a horror show-a full pint down their gullet, a bottle of wine chugged in seconds, and they're off again, racing away through the town perhaps a bit slower than before, but their steps are sure and their target clear-to them, at least. Their meals are haphazard and dangerously unbalanced-hell, they're not even meals, merely rations consumed at random, four plates of sashimi down their throat and washed down with coffee-so much coffee. What human could need so much caffeine. They should probably be dead at this point, but they're not, they're faster than they were before. And when do they sleep? Do they sleep? Someone asks one day and the answer is "eh, some time before two", which... fine, until you realize that they get up at six every morning. That's four hours of sleep a night for months. They never sleep in.

They should be dead.

But they're not. And when Harvey finally coerces them into getting a checkup and then tries his best to intervene, begs them to try just easing up a little on... anything, they look at him with placidness and slight mystification and reply...

[itsmarjudgelove]

Wasabi is one of the most distinctive condiments in Japanese cuisine today, particularly for sushi and sashimi. But how did we get here? The journey of this pungent green root, also known as Japanese horseradish, spans over a millennium of culinary and cultural history. The story of wasabi in Japan begins in the Asuka period (538-710 AD), when it was first recognized not just for its unique flavor but also for its medicinal properties. Growing naturally in cool, clear mountain streams, wasabi was initially foraged before cultivation methods were developed. The plant's scientific name, Wasabia japonica, reflects its Japanese origins. A pivotal moment in wasabi's history occurred during the Keicho era (1596-1615), when villagers from Izu presented the plant to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate. Ieyasu was so impressed by wasabi's flavor and the resemblance of its leaves to his family crest that he declared its cultivation methods a closely guarded secret. During the Edo period (1603-1868), wasabi's popularity soared, particularly as an accompaniment to raw fish in sushi. Its antibacterial properties made it invaluable in an era before refrigeration, helping to prevent food poisoning and allowing the flourishing of Japan's raw fish culinary traditions. By the Meiji era (1868-1912), wasabi cultivation had spread to other regions of Japan, such as Shizuoka Prefecture, which remains famous for its wasabi to this day. For those interested in experiencing wasabi's history firsthand, the Daio Wasabi Farm in Azumino, Nagano Prefecture, is a must-visit destination. This farm, established in 1915, offers visitors a chance to see traditional wasabi cultivation methods and even taste wasabi-flavored ice cream while exploring the picturesque wasabi fields.

[loveroftoomanyfandoms]

Sweet on You, Chapter 4

Pairing: Matt Murdock x F!Reader

Story Summary: HERE

Warnings/Tags: Sugar Daddy!Matt Murdock, Idiots to Lovers, No Age Gap, Alternating PoV, No Use of Y/N, Fake dating (sort of)

Word Count: ~2500

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has liked and reblogged/commented thus far! Enjoy Matt and Reader's first official "not"-date!

As always, if you'd like to be tagged, please let me know!

Tag List (struck-through blogs could not be tagged): @danzer8705 @capylore @shouldbestudying41 @atemydadforbreakfast @peachy-flxwr @sleepysleepymom @fishinsuits @milkbummm @lazyxsquirrel @beezusvreeland @caughtthefever @bohemianrhapsody86 @yarrystyleeza @indestructeible @pepperthebi-spy

Divider by the always amazing @theradioactivespidergwen!

You were quiet as you and Matt headed towards the restaurant he had chosen for dinner, your mind still processing the contract as you walked. 

To be honest, you hadn't expected the terms of the agreement to be quite so fair and even, and you definitely hadn't expected the increase in the amount of money Matt would be giving you per month. 

Just from the little bit of time you had spent with him you could tell that he was honest, fair, and kind, and you couldn't help but wonder if maybe the reason Matt was paying you more was because you had told him about having joined S&S in order to help your mother with her medical bills, rather than his given reason of simply feeling that your time was worth more than the amount you had originally agreed upon due to what was being requested of you. 

You mentally shook your head. No matter the reason, you were touched by Matt's fairness and generosity and were feeling better about having accepted his offer.

Matt slowed as the two of you approached Okinawa, a Japanese steakhouse where you sometimes picked up lunch for the partners. “We're here.”

He held the door open for you. “Ladies first.”

“Thank you.” You stepped inside.

“Good evening,” the seating hostess said. 

“Hi,” Matt replied. “We have a reservation for 6 o’clock under ‘Murdock’.”

The hostess tapped at the tablet in front of her. “Yes, of course. Right this way.”

She led the two of you to a quiet table in the corner. “Here you go. Your server will be right with you.”

You took your coat off and draped it across the back of your chair, pleasantly surprised when Matt pulled your chair out for you. “Thank you.”

Matt took his own coat off and folded his cane, putting it in his jacket pocket before sitting across from you. “You're welcome.”

You cleared your throat. “So, how was your day today? Do any interesting lawyer stuff?"

Matt chuckled. “Depends on what you'd consider ‘interesting’. I mostly did paperwork -- briefings, evidence review, stuff like that, although I did meet with a few clients. What about you? How was your day?”

You shrugged. You weren't going to complain about your job, especially since this was your and Matt's first dinner together. “It was busy, but fine. Made the day go by faster.”

Matt nodded. “That's good at least.”

“Yeah.”

Your conversation paused as your server stepped up to your table. “Good evening, and welcome to Okinawa. My name is Katie and I'll be taking care of you tonight. Can I get you started with something to drink?”

Matt said your name. “Would you like to go first?”

“Oh.” You quickly glanced at the wine list that was on the table. “Um, yes, I’d like a glass of rosé, if you don't mind.”

Katie nodded. “Of course, ma'am. And for you, sir?”

Matt turned his face towards her. “Can I get a Sapporo, please?”

“Yes, sir. I'll get those drinks for you right away.”

You flipped open your menu as Katie left to go get your and Matt's drinks, inwardly gawking at the prices of the entreés. Maybe I can make do with a side salad for dinner. Or soup. Or a single piece of sashimi.

Matt seemed to be able to sense your panic, because he smiled gently at you. “Order whatever you’d like. It's on me, remember?” 

You took a breath and nodded. “Right, okay.”

Katie returned with your drinks. “Alright, would you like any sushi or appetizers to get started?”

You shook your head. You would've loved to try some sushi and there were a few appetizers on the menu that looked interesting, but even though Matt had said to order whatever you wanted you didn't want to push it. “No thank you.”

Matt tilted his head curiously. “You sure?”

You glanced down at the table. Matt's focus was piercing, as if he could sense that you weren’t being truthful. “I'm sure.”

“Okay then. I'm good as well.”

Katie clicked her pen. “Do you need a few more minutes to look over the menu?”

Matt shook his head. “I'm ready if you are.”

You nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

Katie turned to you. “What can I get for you, ma'am?”

“Can I get…” You quickly scanned the menu and named something that sounded good but didn't cost an arm and a leg.

“Absolutely.” Katie wrote down your order before turning towards Matt. “And for you, sir?”

“I'd like the tuna steak, cooked medium.” Matt picked up his menu and handed it to Katie. “Thank you.”

Katie picked up your menu as well. “I'll get those right out for you.”

“So do you come here often?” you asked as Katie went to put in your orders.

Matt shook his head. “Not very. I mostly do takeout from the more casual places near my apartment, but since this is near the office my partners and I sometimes grab lunch from here, or we'll order in dinner if we're working late. What about you? Have you ever been here?”

You took a sip of your wine before answering. “I've picked up sushi from here for my boss and his colleagues, but I've never actually eaten here myself.”

Matt nodded. “The sushi's actually really good here. Maybe we can come back for lunch one day soon, sit at the sushi bar or a hibachi table.”

You glanced over at the hibachi tables as one of the chefs lit an onion volcano on fire to the delight of the people sitting there. “That would be nice.” If I get a proper lunch break ever again.

“I did think about booking us seats at a hibachi table for tonight, but then figured that something quieter and more intimate would be more appropriate for our first dinner together.” Matt waved a hand around the otherwise-quiet restaurant. “You know, in case we needed to discuss private matters regarding our arrangement.”

You nodded. In all honesty, you were glad Matt hadn't booked a hibachi table -- considering how much he was paying you just for your presence and how expensive the regular menu items were, you couldn't justify making him pay for a full hibachi dinner. “Right, of course.”

Matt took another sip of his beer. “Oh, I meant to ask you, how was lunch with your mom yesterday?”

You smiled. “It was nice. She and I made stir-fried noodles with homemade spring rolls.”

“Oh, that sounds great.”

You nodded. “It was. Mom and I both decided it was a keeper.”

“Do the two of you cook together a lot?”

“We used to before Mom got sick, but since she's been feeling better I think we might start up again.” You took another sip of your wine. “What about you, do you like to cook?”

Matt shook his head. “I don't really have time with my busy schedule. I'm either working or… well, working.”

You huffed out a light laugh. “No wonder you don't have time to date.”

Matt chuckled. “That's why I'm lucky that my best friends are also my business partners. I at least get to spend time with them, even if it's at work.”

Your conversation paused once again as Katie brought your dinners. After she had made sure that the two of you didn't need anything and left once again, you continued. “So how did you and your partners meet?”

Matt nodded. “Foggy and I were paired up as roommates our first year of college and quickly became friends, then once we graduated with our law degrees we decided to open our own firm together. Karen, our other partner, was actually our office assistant when Foggy and I first started the firm but eventually she earned her law degree and joined us as a partner.”

“Oh wow, that's so cool. No wonder the three of you are so close.” 

Matt cut into his fish. “We've gone through a lot of tough times together but we made it out in the end.”

You took a bite of your own dinner. “Mmm. Oh, wow.”

Matt smiled at you. “Good?”

You nodded. “Yeah, it's excellent.”

“Good.”

The two of you ate in comfortable silence, Katie only interrupting once mid-meal in order to check on you.

Once you were both finished, Katie came up once again. “Can I interest you in any dessert tonight?”

You hesitated. You definitely felt like you could go for something sweet but you already felt like dinner was costing Matt enough. “I'm --”

“--Actually, yeah,” Matt said before you could wind up saying ‘I’m good, thanks’ . “Can we see the dessert menu, please?”

“Certainly,” Katie replied. “I'll be right back.”

She quickly went to grab a menu, then handed it to Matt. “Here you go. I'll be back in just a few minutes.”

Matt handed the menu to you as she left once again. “Is there anything that strikes your fancy?”

You glanced over it. “Actually, I think I could go for some ice cream.” Besides the fact that it was the cheapest dessert on the menu, after the day you'd had (with the past couple of hours excluded) you definitely needed ice cream, a hot shower, and some sleep -- in that order.

Matt nodded. “You know, actually, that sounds great. What flavors do they have?”

You looked down at the menu. “Vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, green tea, and red bean.”

“Okay.”

Katie came back. “Decided on anything?”

“Actually, yes.” Matt gave her his ice cream order. 

You smiled. That was the flavor you had wanted as well. “Make that two, please.”

Katie picked up the menu. “Okay, I'll be right back with that.”

“By the way,” you said as she left to go put in your dessert order. “I’ve had a really nice time tonight. You’re easy to talk to.”

“Yeah, same,” Matt replied. “On both counts.”

Katie soon returned with your ice cream and so you and Matt lapsed into comfortable silence once again.

After the two of you had finished and Matt had taken care of the bill, you both stood and put your coats back on.

Matt walked around the table, one hand trailing along the top in order to guide him.

He stopped beside you and unfolded his cane. “Ready to head out?”

You nodded. “Mmhmm. I'm ready.”

“Um, I might need you to guide me outside if that's okay.”

“Yeah, of course.”

Matt gently took your elbow and you guided him back towards the front of the restaurant, stopping briefly to thank both Katie and the seating hostess before exiting the building.

Once you were back outside, Matt let go of your elbow. “Thanks. I've got it from here.”

You nodded. “No problem. I'm happy to help guide you whenever you need me to -- consider it part of the service.”

Matt chuckled. “Noted.”

“Are you heading home?”

Matt shook his head and pointed back towards the direction you had come. “I have a few more things I need to wrap up before I call it a night, so I'm heading back to the office.”

“Oh, okay. I'm actually headed in the opposite direction, so yeah, just let me know when you want to get together again and I'll…see you then?”

Matt nodded. “Oh, about that. I was actually thinking Thursday evening, if that works for you.”

You mentally ran through your schedule. You didn't think any of the partners had a late meeting that you'd need to stick around for that day, so… “Yeah, that should work.”

“Great. I'll text you on Wednesday to confirm.” Matt paused. “I’m thinking we could try to keep on a regular dinner schedule of Monday and Thursday just for simplicity’s sake, but I'll let you know as soon as possible if I ever need to reschedule because of work or anything.”

“That sounds good.”

“And I'll give you as much of a notice as possible on any other potential non-work-related outings, which’ll all likely be on the weekends given both of our work schedules.”

You nodded. Besides your weekly visits with your mom your weekends were usually pretty open otherwise. “Okay. So I'll see you on Thursday then?” 

“Yeah. See you Thursday.” 

“Goodnight, Matt.”

“Goodnight.”

You turned and headed towards your apartment. 

You couldn't deny that Matt was attractive, and on top of that he was also sweet and attentive. Hanging out with him definitely isn't going to be a chore.

Matt headed back towards Nelson, Murdock, & Page until you were sufficiently far enough away to where he wouldn't catch up with you, then he doubled back to head home to his apartment. While he had wanted to do the gentlemanly thing and offer to walk you home, he hadn't wanted you to feel pressured to say yes, so instead he told you that he was heading back to the office.

Even though you had said that Matt was easy to talk to, he felt like you had been holding back from him. There had been times during your dinner together when you hadn't been entirely truthful -- the first time being when Matt had asked you how your day had been.

You had said that it had been fine, but the slight tension in your shoulders and the stress in your voice had told Matt otherwise. Either it had been busier than you had let on or something had happened at work to upset you, but either way you clearly hadn't wanted to talk about it.

The second time was when you had been looking at the menu. Matt had purposely chosen Okinawa because not only was it close to the office, but also because the two of you were celebrating the official start of your arrangement.

(And okay, maybe deep down Matt wanted to impress you just a tiny bit.)

He knew the place wasn't cheap -- he, Foggy, and Karen had only started eating there after Nelson, Murdock, and Page had retained enough high-profile clients for them to each earn comfortable livings while still being able to do the pro bono work they were passionate about -- and even then they only ate there on special occasions.

But despite Matt's reassurance that you order whatever you wanted, you had still declined ordering any sushi or appetizers even though you had spent several minutes reading over them, and -- if Matt’s memory served him correctly -- had ordered one of the cheapest entreés on the menu that wasn't a tasting plate.

(Not that there was anything wrong with what you did or didn't order -- Matt just had the feeling that you were uncomfortable with spending more of his money than what you thought you could or should.)

Luckily you had enjoyed your meal and had at least been willing to order the ice cream you had wanted for dessert -- even though it had been at Matt's prompting. I should probably take her somewhere less opulent on Thursday so she feels more comfortable.

He shook his head. He’d worry about that later -- he was going out on patrol once he showered and changed and needed to get into his Daredevil mindset. No distractions. That's the whole point of this arrangement.

[pinegreenapples]

Your Teeth In My Neck (Fucking Sucks)

"Whatever. We're getting off topic." Vox waved his hand. Alastor gave a mocking tilt of his head, his arms spread wide as if to implore Vox to speak. "So last time we fucked, it was good, real good. Except for the part where you ripped out my carotid artery and had a little snack while I cauterized the fucking chunk missing from my neck." Alastor's smile widened. "Yes, I remember." He swirled his wine. "Your arteries have such a unique flavor. Not nearly as chewy either because of your mechanical kidneys!" Vox leveled a glare at Alastor but the other simply smiled larger. "Yeah. So, then I was thinking over all the times you've deigned to sully yourself with me and I noticed a pattern. You-" Vox pointed a finger at Alastor's chest. "Are a fucking biter."

Ever since Vox had lifted the wards on Vee Tower, Alastor had decided that-to use some of the Spanish Val had taught him-Vox's casa was his casa. Nowadays, he could often find Alastor lounging on his couch in the evening or rummaging through his record collection with an expensive vintage in hand.

It wasn't with any sort of rhyme or reason that Alastor visited, as always, he was a creature powered by whims and boredom. Sure, he was cunning and calculating and all that, but at his core, Alastor was a thrillseeker and a little shit.

So he loved showing up unannounced and ruining Vox's evening plans. Granted, sometimes he greatly improved the trajectory of Vox's evening (who wouldn't say yes to getting some pussy?) but generally he came over to be a nuisance and enjoy Vox's company.

Tonight was no different as the voice of Ella Fitzgerald greeted Vox when he stepped inside his penthouse. Alastor had taken up residence on his couch and was lazily conducting the music with one hand while the other held open a book. A glass of merlot sat next to him on the side table. No coaster in sight, the fucking bastard. It was like he knew that Vox had had that table imported from Earth.

"Hey." Vox greeted. He toed off his oxfords and tossed his wallet into the little rhinestone dish Val had gotten for him last Hellmas.

"Evening." Alastor replied. He turned a page and kept reading. Vox rolled his eyes fondly at the other's antics. Alastor loved to play little games like, pretend to ignore the man you came to see, and I'm God's gift to demonkind and you're just a lowly sinner-why would I pay you any attention? Too bad that Vox saw right through his fake ass.

He made his way to the kitchen and began to unpack the takeout he'd bought from its bags.

"Hope you're hungry. I bought sushi." He called out.

Alastor's nose twitched as he took in the smells emanating from the bags.

"Did you buy the-"

"The Envy ring sashimi? Yeah, I did." Vox pulled the container out and shook it for emphasis.

Alastor raised his eyebrows, unimpressed.

"Well, I suppose I could eat a bite or two." He hedged.

Vox knew better.

"Sure you could." He snorted. "I got two orders this time so I expect to get at least one before they all disappear, capische?"

Alastor hummed. 

"I make no such promises!"

The deer closed his book and scooped up his wine. He meandered over to the end of the bar to watch as Vox opened up each container and then collapsed the bags. One remained standing however, a smaller bag with no telltale fish emblem from Vox's favorite sushi shop.

"And what sort of tchotchke have you brought home today?" Alastor pointed to the last bag on the counter.

Vox spared a glance over at the bag. He shrugged and grabbed two plates from a cabinet.

"It's a gift for you, actually."

"Oh? Well do tell!" Alastor preened.

"Well, I was thinking about our nights together and I wanted to try something out." Vox slid the bag over. "Here."

Alastor peered into the bag and then hummed in disinterest. The bag disappeared into a shadow and Vox felt something hit him over the head.

Out of instinct, he raised his hands to catch the bag.

"I fail to see what that is for, but I'm sure your depravity has an explanation that will burn my ears."

Vox snorted.

"You say that as if you didn't literally attend orgies as a voyeur when you were alive." He said as he plated up some sushi for them both.

Alastor smirked.

"Attended, certainly. Participated? Hardly." He leaned forward on his elbows and tucked his chin on his interlaced fingers. "It was rather less than sanitary, and I do so hate to ruin a good suit."

"Besides, it wasn't like I sought it out. Jazz is just so liberating! A few dances, a few drinks, and suddenly everyone's swinging on the dancefloor with a little less decorum!"

"Uh-huh." Vox replied. "Doesn't make you any less of a fucking freak."

Alastor cackled.

"Well now, my dear, that'd be the kettle calling the pot black, now wouldn't it?"

"Whatever. We're getting off topic." Vox waved his hand.

Alastor gave a mocking tilt of his head, his arms spread wide as if to implore Vox to speak.

"So last time we fucked, it was good, real good. Except for the part where you ripped out my carotid artery and had a little snack while I cauterized the fucking chunk missing from my neck."

Alastor's smile widened.

"Yes, I remember." He swirled his wine. "Your arteries have such a unique flavor. Not nearly as chewy either because of your mechanical kidneys!"

Vox leveled a glare at Alastor but the other simply smiled larger.

"Yeah. So, then I was thinking over all the times you've deigned to sully yourself with me and I noticed a pattern. You-" Vox pointed a finger at Alastor's chest. "Are a fucking biter."

"Guilty as charged." Alastor grinned and raised his glass in salute before taking a sip.

"So as I was thinking about all the times I had to patch up a nasty gouge from your teeth, I decided maybe the solution wasn't to get you to stop biting, but instead for you to bite something else."

Vox reached into the bag and pulled out the gift.

"Voila! Your very own chew toy that isn't me."

For the first time in a while, Vox was treated to the very special experience of a stunned Radio Demon. Alastor's glass had paused halfway to his mouth and his signature smile had dimmed down to almost a frown, with his lips pressed tight. His ears flattened and his eyes flickered between shock and indignation.

Vox drank it all in. And recorded it too-for posterity. It took Vox moving the toy closer to him before he finally snapped out of his stupor.

"Get that thing away from me before I take your hand for my evening snack." He snarled.

Vox smirked and wiggled the toy. To be honest, this reaction was absolutely worth the trip to the pet store alone. Vox hadn't seen Alastor so scandalized and offended in a long time. He was gonna have to make a montage of this later to enjoy.

"Aw c'mon, Al, give it a tryy-ahhhh fuck!" He swore as Alastor's teeth clamped down on the toy through the meat of his hand.

"Shit. Fuck! That smarts." He hissed. He shook his hand to dislodge the absolute freak of a demon he had fallen in love with but all Alastor did was growl and sink his teeth in deeper. Blood burbled up from between Alastor's teeth, down his fingers, and onto the floor with a gross plop.

Vox scowled. Great, he was gonna need to call his cleaning service for a deep clean tomorrow if this was where the evening was headed.

Vox tried smacking him next but Alastor simply growled louder, his antlers cracking as they grew. His frequency sent out a short burst of warning and Vox quickly withdrew his fist.

"Al, c'mon. That's my fucking hand. I need that."

Al merely hummed and began gnawing on the flesh between his teeth. His tongue lapped at the blood still gushing from the punctures in Vox's hand. It rasped over his raw skin like sandpaper, dragging over every cut. Vox grimaced at the unpleasant sensation.

Alastor was a weird amalgam of predator and prey with the instincts of both and one of the weirder things about him was his tongue. It was covered in hooks like a large cat's and just as rough. Vox had literally seen him lick the skin off a deer carcass down to the muscle underneath like some fucked up red mountain lion about to start a feast. Needless to say, it was fucking gross to watch.

So no, Vox was not enjoying the way his beloved's tongue was laving over his palm and fingers.

It was better than losing his fingers to Alastor's gullet, yeah, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Vox could admit that he was maybe a slut for pain, but getting fucking vored was not a kink he was into.

Vox sighed and rocked back on his heels. It was probably gonna be a while before he got that hand back, so he might as well get comfortable. At least he would probably regenerate most of it by lunch tomorrow. He could just take all his meetings digitally to avoid the handshakes.

Alastor's teeth sank even deeper-stupid fucking cryptid ass with an unhingeable jaw- and Vox yelped. The chew toy wheezed out air as Alastor's teeth sawed back and forth.

"Motherfucker! Al!" He snarled. He tried to tug his hand to his chest and ended up bringing a radio demon with it, still attached. The movement dislodged his beloved nutcase somewhat and the strangest thing happened as Alastor's tooth snagged on something embedded in the toy.

A loud weee-wooo! squeaked out into the air and both Alastor and Vox froze.

Now, when Vox had gone to Demon's Den Pet Supplies, he had not been paying the most attention as he wandered the aisles looking for the most annoying chew toy he could find. He was half reading emails, half scanning the toys for the most obnoxious one and at the time, he hadn't thought to actually read the labels before he picked up the lurid yellow and orange toy and decided that this one would offend Alastor's sensibilities the most.

And because he did not read the label, Vox was now attempting to make peace with the fact that he most likely would need to call his EMT team to stitch him back together and take a couple sick days after Alastor was done with him.

"Heyyyyy Al, let's not be too hasty now, okay?" He chuckled, eyes lasered in on Alastor's face. "It was just a joke, yeah? Just a little prank! No need for any further maiming."

Alastor growled and Vox flinched.

Oh this was so gonna hurt.

A beat.

Another.

Vox cracked open his eyes and stared down at his lover.

He blinked. Then he closed his eyes and opened them again.

Alastor's eyes were wide and dilated, focused down on the hand in his mouth and his ears were twitching wildly.

"Al?" Vox tried. "Alastor? You in there, bud?"

His ear flicked towards Vox's mouth but then swivelled away as if searching for something.

Vox frowned. He sent out a tendril of static and was met with a vibrating intensity, almost as if Alastor was waiting for something.

"What the fuck?" He muttered. Well, maybe whatever had set Alastor off was enough to get his hand back. He tugged his hand again, his other one tried to pry open Alastor's jaw. Alastor's ears airplaned downwards and his eyes darkened further. Vox kept going.

Alastor snarled at his impetuousness and clamped down harder. Vox yelled as his abused nerves took another beating from Alastor's teeth but his scream wasn't loud enough to cover the second weee-wooo! that sprang forth from the toy still trapped in his hand.

Alastor's ears shot upright and his eyes got bigger.

Huh.

Vox slowly squished his hand as best he could inside his dickhead of a lover's mouth and squeezed the chew toy one more time.

weee-wooo!

Vox cringed as it rang out but he kept his eyes trained Alastor. Once again, Alastor's ears perked up and he chittered-he fucking chittered.

"Holy shit." Vox breathed, "Holy shit!"

He started to cackle.

"You fucking-" He gasped. "Oh! Oh, this is too good!"

And the best part of all, was that Vox had bought two. He summoned the other toy to his free hand and squeezed it by Alastor's head. It let out a shrill shriek and Alastor turned so fast his neck cracked. Vox squeezed it again and Alastor's mouth loosened. A rumbling sort of chitter emanated from his chest.

Vox squeezed the toy one more time then tossed it as hard as he could against the nearest wall. In seconds, Alastor had melted into shadow and pounced on the unsuspecting toy. A terrible chewing started up interupted by little weee-wooo!s. Vox smirked and turned his attention back to his latest love tap from his beau.

Vox flexed his hand. He had all four fingers but his palm was sliced to bits. There was practically no skin left and it stung like a mother fucker. He'd definitely have to wrap it. Probably would need to wear gloves for the next few days too. Typing was going to suck so much tomorrow.

He sighed.

Sometimes, Vox wondered what the hell he saw in that psycho.

He rolled his hand in his jacket and made his way to the bathroom. The fabric snagged on the edges of the lacerations and Vox kept up a solid litany of swears as his hand continued to burn like it'd been dipped in lava.

As he ran his hand under the sink, he could still hear Alastor going to town on toy in the living room. He started chuckling again. His chuckles turned into hearty laughs and soon he was wheezing and bent over the sink.

Alastor, the mighty Radio Demon, felled by a fucking chew toy. It was too good to be true.

Vox had heard about why dogs loved chew toys, something about them having an overactive predator drive and the noise reminded them of prey, but he hadn't thought that his little predator would maybe have the same instincts baked in.

"Awww, Alastor's been too cooped up in that little hotel," he joked to himself, "Can't get any enrichment through murder!"

"Poor, poor Radio Demon!" He wheezed and reached for the gauze. "Doesn't little Miss Morningstar know how to take care of her pets?"

Vox had to stop to laugh again. He couldn't help it. He had never seen Alastor like this before and it was honestly priceless. It took him several minutes before he sobered up enough to continue dressing his hand and strode back out to the living room.

Alastor was kneeling by the wall with one hand holding the toy in his mouth, teeth clamped around it like a bear trap. His eyes had blacked out completely and his antlers had grown to their full 12 point rack. The toy was making pathetic little mewls as his teeth crunched down.

Vox whistled. His internal server whirred as he snapped picture after picture.

"Damn, Al. You're in deep, huh?" He muttered, waving a hand in front of Alastor's face. All his beau did was growl a warning and hunch deeper over the toy.

Vox brushed his frequency against Alastor's, but there was little to no thought coming from the other. He got a few vague impressions and a contented sense of satiation before he pulled back.

"Well, this wasn't how I expected this evening to go, but I suppose I'm not complaining." He commented. "Will you kill me if I eat all the sashimi?"

Alastor just kept chewing.

"More sushi for me then!" Vox crowed and moved to the kitchen. He finished plating the sushi and brought both plates out to the coffee table in front of the couch with a glass of riesling for himself and a coaster like a civilized demon.

Alastor seemed happy to chew his toy as Vox flipped through his streaming catalogue to find something worth watching. He put on a crime procedural and settled in to eat his sushi.

Ten minutes in, Alastor approached the couch with the toy in his mouth. Vox watched as he dropped it onto his slacks and then stared expectantly at him.

He grimaced as the black saliva oozed over his good slacks and started to seep in. The toy was practically torn to shreds. It looked like someone had put it through a woodchipper and the noise box hung limply from the end like some sort of technological entrail.

"Thanks, Al. That's...that's great, baby." He managed. He picked up the toy and placed it on the floor next to him. It spilled out even more black saliva.

"Eugh, that's fucking disgusting." Vox muttered and summoned a napkin to try and dab at the stain on his pants.

Alastor snorted and pawed at the hardwood. His frequency shoved displeasure at Vox.

"Fuck! What do you want? A fucking treat? God, you're such a diva." Vox complained, but he reached down to Alastor's plate and tossed him a sashimi. Alastor caught it with his mouth and let out a gravelly purr. "There. Eat your fucking sashimi, you bastard."

Alastor swiped the rest of the sushi into his mouth with his tongue and settled back on his haunches to chew. 

"You know, it really is a shame that you refuse to eat ass." He observed. "The things I would do to get your tongue inside me."

Alastor merely blinked lazily at him and swallowed. Vox sighed.

"Well I guess we're not doing anything tonight but waiting this out, huh? In that case, I'm getting out the shark onesie because you can't make fun of me right now."

Alastor merely yawned and then walked off.

Vox took that as his go ahead and got changed into his favorite pjs and the onesie. When he came back, Alastor was curled up on the couch with the first chew toy in his mouth, gnawing gently.

Vox cooed and took another dozen pictures before he sat back down and started the show again. Alastor shifted and Vox watched in amazement as he curled into his side and placed his head on Vox's lap.

"Holy shit. Holy fucking shit, you are going to kill me tomorrow but it'll have been worth every second." He whispered. His fingers twitched towards his lover's ears, the opportunity presented was way too good to miss. He stroked the ears and Alastor hummed deep through the airwaves. His head nestled closer and he leaned into the featherlight pets.

"Oh Al, you're gonna kill me if you keep being this cute, you little motherfucker." Vox groaned. He'd flipped from pictures to video and was now zooming in on the happy little swish of his partner's ears and tail. Alastor had even let his frequency unfurl to tangle with Vox's. Vox let his own free in response and the two began to thrum and pulse in harmony.

They sat like that for hours, watching episode after episode until Vox could barely keep his eyes open. Alastor had fully fallen asleep on him and was letting out cute little snuffles as he breathed.

Vox looked over at his bedroom door, then back at the adorable demon on his lap. Yeah, it wasn't worth getting up for the bed. He snuggled down into the armrest and shoved a pillow behind his head and conked out.

****

The first thing Vox was aware of was little pinpricks of pain circling his wrist. He grumbled and shook his wrist.

"Vark, fuck off." He mumbled.

But the pinpricks didn't go away. They came back in a barrage of sharp shocks and Vox bolted upright. His arm tried to curl to his chest on instinct but it wouldn't budge, instead the pain made him yelp.

He cracked open his eyes and was greeted with the sight of Alastor's teeth embedded in his wrist. His eyes were black and ticking and his smile had grown feral. A low growl was emanating from the radio in his chest.

"Oh shit." Vox hissed. He tugged frantically at his hand but Alastor held firm. His teeth began to clamp down harder and Vox yelled.

"Ow ow ow ow! Hey Al, buddy, you don't want to do this!" Vox babbled. "It was just a joke! I didn't know it would do this-ahhhh fuck!"

Vox howled as Alastor's teeth scraped his bones. It felt fucking awful. It grated like nails on a chalkboard and Vox retched.

Alastor snapped his head backwards suddenly and Vox ragdolled forward. Alastor growled and shoved a hand against Vox's chest before he resumed his pulling.

Vox screamed. There was an unnatural stretch as he felt his tendons start to tear, each one snapping like strings on a harp. Blood gushed down his arm like a cyan waterfall. His vision blurred and black spots tap danced across his screen.

Alastor kept up a consistent gnawing on his radius and ulna in between pulls and Vox fought to stay conscious through the pain. Alastor's teeth nicked the bone with each bite and Vox swore he could feel his arm splintering. Bile rose in his throat.

With a sickening crack, Alastor snapped his teeth through the bone. Vox vomited, tears dripping down his casing.

"Oh God, oh fuck!" He whimpered.

But Alastor wasn't done, with one vicious tug, he ripped Vox's hand clean off. Vox's voice broke into a hoarse sob and the black spots swarmed his vision.

When he woke back up, Alastor was back to his normal size and chewing loudly on Vox's hand. Neon blue blood ran down his chin and his radio was chirping out a little ragtime tune.

Vox stared down at the bloody stump of his arm in stupor. It was pouring out blood like a fucking fountain. Vox felt queasy. He used to have a hand there.

It pulsed hot pain and he hissed. He tightened his fist over it and let out a sob as his nerves wailed. He braced himself, then shot electricity through the wound to cauterize it.

His vision whited out. All he could feel was pain for what felt like hours. He blacked out again.

When he came to once more, Alastor was humming as he licked Vox's blood from his fingers.

Vox's throat felt raw. He swallowed and tried to sit up. His mouth tasted coppery.

"I fucking hate you so much." He rasped.

Alastor turned to him with a cold fury in his eyes.

"If you ever treat me like some pet again," he spat, static thickening his voice, "I will scatter your parts across all seven rings and mount your head on my wall as a trophy."

He stalked over to Vox and let out his demonic form to loom menacingly.

Vox glared back, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

Alastor shrunk back down. He dusted off his overcoat and summoned his microphone.

"Well, thank you for the breakfast, but I really must be going." He said cheerily. His hands came to adjust his bowtie. "A hotelier must always keep his duties! Ta ta for now, old friend! See you soon!"

And with that, he melted into the shadows.

Vox scowled deep at the spot he had occupied.

"Rat fucking bastard." He muttered. His fingers fluttered over the stump that used to be his right hand and he sighed.

Today was going to be a long fucking day.

[tokiro07]

Ichi the Witch ch.11 thoughts

[WitchCon 2024]

(Topics: praise - comedy, narrative progression, world building, thematic analysis - freedom vs. order, predictions)

Make 'Em Laugh

Y'know, for a chapter that was like...90% political dialogue and exposition, this still managed to end up being one of the funnier chapters so far: Desscaras' report being a comic book that makes her look like the hero and Shirabedonna just throwing it away, Ichi straight up leaving the Zoom call to get food, Togeice goofing up her dramatic entrance; and that's not even every funny bit from this chapter

Handled wrong, this could have come off as a super dry and meandering chapter, but for the sake of setting up the conflict of revealing Ichi's existence to the world, I think an in-depth analysis of both sides of the argument was necessary

Better to Ask Permission than Forgiveness

While I agree with Togeice that Shirabedonna's conclusions are being made on too few datapoints (one grateful village and three unusually quick hunts in only two weeks), I'm also inclined to agree with Shirabedonna that this is a tricky situation to maintain

The longer Mantinel tries to hide Ichi, the more contradictions and public distrust are bound to pile up. Coming up with excuses later to explain every little detail will just make discussing it more difficult, and Mantinel will only look more suspicious. On the other hand, coming clean now less than a month in should be fairly understandable given the implications of Ichi being a male Witch that acquired Uroro - some people will be mad, sure, but most people would probably be forgiving of the caution exercised

More than that, though, Mantinel's acquisition of the first male Witch would do wonders for their reputation, as that's a historic discovery. Even if he ends up being dangerous, the narrative wouldn't be too hard to spin in Mantinel's favor, as no one could have predicted how a male Witch would behave

The fun thing about this argument to me, though, is the acknowledgment of other Witch organizations

Frog in the Well

We haven't been shown a world map or anything yet, so we don't really have any sense of scale to this world, but I wouldn't have been too surprised either way if either Mantinel had a monopoly on Witch administration or if they were just one of many such organizations

The acknowledgment of an equivalent of Japan last week was a good clue that there was more to this world than...whatever this one country is called, but we still know nothing about this fantasy-Japan's society other than that they still have sashimi

Do they have their own Witches Association? Do they even have Magiks there in the first place, or are they endemic to the current focus country?

Black Clover kept expanding to reveal that other nations had different relationships with magic, while JJK revealed that Curses pretty much only exist in Japan for...some reason. I would imagine that this is more like the former, but the realization that one nation is hoarding the concept of magic would be pretty wild, wouldn't it?

Then there's the fact that ch.1 told us that there's only a 0.001% chance of a man being able to acquire magic even if he did have the capacity to pass a trial and physically handle casting spells. That seems like a low number, but...it's one in a thousand

For every thousand men, one of them has the capacity to acquire magic. Presumably this number is compounded by the ability to use it, since the narration said there were so many other factors that had to line up perfectly first, but that just means that the chances of finding another man with the potential to overcome those factors aren't actually all that slim

EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that I goofed the math and this is one in a hundred thousand, but my point stands! I thought it was going to be like one in a million or even a billion, and it ended up being a lot more generous than I anticipated! In our world, that would still be 40,000 men with the capacity for magic!

In other words, it's only a matter of time until another male Witch is found

From there, the method for cultivating male Witches will likely start to become more widespread, and eventually the proportion of female to male Witches should approach an equilibrium

That's probably looking too far ahead, though. That's the kind of thing that would probably take several generations to pass, so while we may have like...a dozen male Witches by the end, they probably won't be a normal part of Witch society until a far-flung epilogue

For now, I'd like to focus on the worldbuilding that we actually received this chapter: that Ichi's acquisition rate is ridiculous

Gotta Go Fast

Ichi has three Magiks under his belt in less than two weeks, and Shirabedonna tells us that one week is on the fast end for a hunt. That seems especially strange to me, since one of the first trials we're ever told of was only set for an hour, but I suppose that figure is based on the number of attempts and the prep-time? It's easy to assume "oh, they got it one," but this statement gives the impression that almost no one acquires a Magik on their first try

I do think it kind of skews our perceptions to tell us the upper and lower limits of one week and ten years without also giving us an average or at least a mean. All she says is "some take X amount of time," like that means anything statistically...

It also doesn't help that the first hunt we actually saw would have been over almost immediately had it not been for the circumstances: Desscaras immediately stabbed Uroro's heart, and only failed to pierce it because she was a woman. Now, Desscaras is likely an outlier herself because she's ostensibly the strongest living Witch, but sub-10 minutes is nowhere near a full week!

Again, it's entirely possible that the hunt for Uroro was on a constant timer since Mantinel first started trying, so that would be an extreme circumstance no matter what. I suppose in a sense that would mean Ichi has the record for clearing both the shortest and longest hunts?

But just being fast or lucky doesn't make Ichi an expert, and it's only a matter of time until he hits a wall where his unique perspective fails to compensate for his lack of experience in the field he's so suddenly found himself in

Rising to the Level of Your Incompetence

Togeice is being presented as morally incorrect here, with her talk of reforming Ichi into a "proper Witch" being accompanied by a vision of all of Ichi's best qualities being sanded down to a bland scholarly appearance, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't have a point

Ichi's lack of experience makes him something akin to an outsider artist, which is what allows him to discover unconventional methods within the field, but it also means that he's not familiar with the pitfalls of the profession. Ichi took Hisame's challenge in a different direction than what was intended by the rules; it worked out, but if Hisame hadn't been impressed with this loophole, then that gamble would've gotten everyone present killed. Since she expressed that she wanted to attack another village as a palette cleanser, it's entirely possible that she could have taken this approach as an insult and gone on an even worse rampage after the fact

In fact, Ichi going straight for attacking Hisame could have resulted in her not even bothering to issue her trial, which would have effectively made her invincible in the resulting combat encounter. Perhaps Magiks don't work that way and they have to share their trial in order to maintain their power, but there's no precedent for that yet, so Ichi's ignorant and rash behavior could have sabotaged the entire mission

There's also the possibility that Ichi will continue to acquire stronger and stronger spells that he's less and less equipped to control and will cause some kind of huge disaster. He already used Parthion to create an entire new ecosystem on Druid Mountain, which could well have untold consequences on the local wildlife and nearby settlements, so what's to stop him from naively trying to save a desert village with Poltata and just washing them all away?

Togeice's desire to force her vision of order onto Ichi is obviously wrong and potentially detrimental to Ichi's value, but she is right that he's not capable of wielding his powers effectively or responsibly. Even if Ichi is a perfectly moral and upstanding Witch, if his trump card will only result in him being rendered unconscious for three days, then he's only going to be a liability when the time comes to use it against a major threat

The goal then should be to cultivate Ichi's sense of freedom and experience using magic while also giving him a clear sense of the responsibility that he carries. Fortunately, he's already demonstrated the capacity for that with his strict adherence to Death for Death, but unless he can prove to Togeice that he already has the discipline she's looking for, she won't be able to trust such an unknown with her back

Fortunately, the upcoming challenge provides the perfect opportunity for Togeice to get to know Ichi

Just a Little Guy

It was pointed out to me by @wickedsick that because the mushroom Magik isn't a human-hater, it likely doesn't hold any ill intent towards humans and doesn't go out of his way to hurt them, and therefore shouldn't trigger Death for Death. This would likely prevent Ichi from harming it, and in turn give Togeice the opportunity to take the win

The way I see it, there's five ways that this could go

Ichi loses because the mushroom isn't hurting anyone and he can't bring himself to hunt it -> school arc, Ichi learns valuable lessons, though he doesn't fundamentally change the way that Togeice wants him to

Ichi is just hopelessly outclassed and decides he has plenty to learn from Togeice and Mantinel -> same outcome as above

The circumstances of Ichi's refusal to hunt the mushroom somehow prove to Togeice that he's already plenty disciplined -> she wins, but still lets him go free because she doesn't believe she has anything to teach him after all

The nature of the trial doesn't necessitate Death for Death, and Ichi wins solely through his specific skillset -> Togeice realizes that she was not equipped for this specific scenario and different approaches will always be necessary for different circumstances, so she drops her objection

Togeice accidentally goads the mushroom into triggering Death for Death and realizes that it was her irresponsibility that endangered people, not Ichi's -> same outcome as above

For sure, there are more nuanced outcomes available, but those seem like the most likely either for developing the themes of the story or driving the plot in a specific direction. I'm definitely open to whichever route Nishi chooses to take, as I think that the two broadest outcomes of Ichi going or not going to school both provide interesting opportunities for the story going forward. Whichever she chooses, I have faith in Nishi that it'll be a fun time

Until next time, let's enjoy life!

[yeahtimesten]

disaster date w/ tashi duncan

you and tashi started off the year as total strangers, sitting next to each other during lecture by coincidence, because neither of you knew other people taking this class. but her taking a chance and grabbing the seat next to you proved worth it. every group discussion was the perfect blend of intellectual and humorous, the both of you making each other laugh about what you two were studying. the dynamic was so good, you were eager to take it outside the classroom.

and that’s why you found yourself sitting across from tashi at a swanky little sushi spot in the city off campus.

no, you weren’t sure if this was a date. yes, you asked her out. you felt maybe it was implied when you asked her to join you at dinner with a movie afterword. but the word ‘date’ actually never left your mouth. and you totally skirted around that word on purpose, unsure if she even liked women like that. and you were equally unsure if she had picked up on the fact that you did.

earlier in the night, you had picked her up at her dorm, and you were totally in shock at how she looked. clearly, she was beautiful, naturally and effortlessly. but the effort she put in for you tonight was enough to make your heart wrench and ache. her hair was slicked back into a long low ponytail, with her curls and waves on display. she wore a black off the shoulder long sleeve that showcased her sexy shoulders and collarbones. and navy blue jeans that hugged her ass in such an excruciating way. yeah, you were smitten.

you let her be on aux on the way into the city, and her choice in music had you both singing along. check on it by beyoncé, from her brand new album, played. you had listened to the song plenty of times since its release, but still managed to fuck up the lyrics of the fast part.

“girl, maybe we should just leave it to beyoncé,” she had said, and your cheeks were rosy in embarrassment. she felt bad and grabbed your shoulder. “i’m just kidding.” a beat of silence hung over you two, and at first she was actually nervous she hurt your feelings. until you burst out singing again, making her laugh as she joined along.

you arrived just in time for your reservation, but they stuck you at this tiny side table, and were too busy to accommodate for anything with a tiny bit more surface space. so your table was overloaded with cups, long sashimi and sushi roll plates, condiments, and sides of rice. you loved that she ordered food at restaurants just like you did. she told you to pick a dish and she’d pick a dish and you could both split and share, which is something you had proposed on other dates before and was refused.

with chopsticks, she reached over the island of dishes and plucked a piece of sliced yellowtail on top of a bed of rice, but upon pulling her arm back, her elbow knocked over her glass of water, promptly spilling it all over the table and herself. shocked, she just sat there as it spilled over, wincing, before her face released into a look of annoyance. you were stifling back laughter, and you could tell she was too. you reached over to pick up her glass, and she began to wipe up her spill with a napkin. you made the same mistake that she did however, as you lowered your arms back down to your own body, your elbow hit the handle of a spoon perfectly, catapulting rice across the aisle, leaving a trail of food that reached all the way to the next table over. tashi couldn’t hold back her laughter no matter how hard she tried, sending you into a fit that elicited snorts, which only caused her to laugh even harder.

“holy fuck, we’ve made a mess,” you state the obvious.

“they are gonna kick our asses out if we don’t get it together,” tashi jokes with you. and in this moment, her smile is dazzling. you could be so embarrassed right now, and maybe you were a little bit, but tashi made you feel so comfortable and at ease with just the way her eyes met yours.

you finished your meals and apologized profusely for the mess. you payed for the bill and you both shelled out a fat tip for the poor server who’d be cleaning up after you. as you walked down the busy downtown street of the city, your both bumping hips with each other, possibly due to feeling the cocktails you both had at dinner a bit. tashi spotted those electric scooters resting on a street corner, and her eyes lit up as she walked towards them.

“have you ever ridden one of these,” she asks you. she looks about tempted to get on one.

“yes i have,” you admit. “and i do not suggest we do tonight, especially in your heels.” and she knows your right.

“we should come back some time and try them out,” she suggests, as she walks back to your side.

“maybe, but i’m sort of traumatized from the first time i did,” you laughed, and she gave you a puzzled look. you pulled out your phone and scrolled through your gallery, and handed her the device once you found it.

she grabbed your phone and immediately cringed at the image before her. she was looking at a photo of your thigh, all scraped up and bleeding. she studies it for a long time, and your cheeks start to flush because you realize a good chunk of your ass (in some cute panties at least) is showcased in the photo. she’s still looking at the photo mortified while you tell her about your drunken night out on the town when you and your friends decided to scooter around. you had mishandled a sharp turn and tumbled off, leading to a gnarly injury of road rash over a decent amount of your body.

“i have this crazy scar still there too, even though this happened like six months ago,” you told her.

“you’re going to have to show me that sometime, that’s crazy,” she says, glancing down at your legs. and as you step in front of her to navigate the busy walkway, you can feel her eyes still staring at your lower half, definitely checking out your ass to see if it compared to what was photographed.

the question of whether this was a date or not still remained as you two reached the theater. she insisted on not only paying for your tickets, but also for the popcorn, soda, and candy you both ordered too. was she just trying to be a good friend and pay you back, or did she want to treat you too?

the movie was proving to be a horrible choice. that was apparent maybe 20 minutes into the film. it was a late showing and despite it being the weekend, the theater wasn’t packed to the brim, just couples and small groups of people scattered evenly amongst the seats. except for the couple who decided to sit right in front of you two, despite having ample seating choices anywhere else. you wanted to feel bad for them, as you and tashi had been chatting and giggling and making fun of the acting in the movie the whole time, but they brought it upon themselves when they chose to sit directly in front of you two.

in the lull of silence between you two (that the people in front of you had been praying for), you decided rest your head on her shoulder. it was… a move, yes. that you overthought the whole time leading up to actually making it. you were terrified of creeping her out and making her uncomfortable by making a sudden move, but also extremely nervous that maybe she didn’t see this as a date at all, and just a hangout between two good friends, and that you making this physical connection with her was just you being an affectionate friend. but, she leaned her head on top of yours, and you melted a bit in your seat.

you sat like this for a while, until she went to readjust. as she pulled her head away, your hair locked into her hoop earring, pulling you along with her. you yelped and panicked, as she whispered apologies to you, and you to her. as you both desperately try to untangle your hair from her jewelry, you’re both laughing, a bit louder than the giggles from earlier in the showing. the couple in front of you finally turn your way, giving these terribly annoyed expressions, displaying some faux-intimidation hoping you two would quiet down. but that only sent you two spitting, attempting to hold back more laughter, unable to take them seriously.

as you both left the theater, you spotted the couple in the lobby talking to guest services, with stern looks on their faces as they demanded refunds on their tickets due to the excessive disturbance caused by you too. you’re both making fun of them, imitating their crazy faces as you exit the building. as you’re both laughing, tashi’s heel gets caught in the crease of the sidewalk, causing her to trip, but luckily you too were walking so cuddled up together you were able to catch her before she fell flat on her face.

“damn, i said you shouldn’t ride the scooter while wearing those shoes, i didn’t know they’d inhibit your walking as well,” you tease. she playfully slaps your shoulder and you two make the trek back to your car.

the city streets were quiet now, with only a few drunk college students hanging around outside the clubs they just got kicked out of, the only other sound on the streets were coming from the muffled music and cars whizzing by. the walk back was the most silent you too had been all night, but it was comfortable. you looked over at her and she was staring up at the stars, she admired how they sparkled as you admired her.

ok, even if this was a date, it was a disaster date. you had some quite horrible nights out with people, but nothing quite like what you experienced tonight. you could have been mortified by every mistake and accident. but tashi, despite being the epitome of grace and elegance in your book, made everything feel so comfortable and natural. if you weren’t crushing on her at the beginning of the night, you definitely were now. scratch that, this wasn’t a crush, you liked her. and you only hoped you’d get the chance to have a terrible night like this again with her.

once you reached your vehicle, you opened the door for her and motioned for her to get in, but she bumped it closed with her butt, leaning on your car. she grabbed you by the shoulders and pulled you closer to her. your hands comfortably landed on her hips, as she stared into your eyes. your heart was racing now, unable to believe the physical contact being made.

“i had such a fun time with you tonight,” she said, voice sultry and alluring. she pulled you into her and planted the softest, most supple and sweet kiss upon your lips. “this was the best date i’ve ever had.”

[nethhiri]

Siren Charms: Chapter 15

Zoro x Siren!Reader

Warnings: blood

Murky Waters

The entire ship was awoken by a bloodcurdling scream the next morning. Usopp stood in front of the aquarium, shaking, as the rest of the Straw Hats ran in. A few gasped and covered their mouths. The water in it was murky red and there was not a single fish to be seen. There was, however, a dark shape in the center, slowly moving towards the glass. Your front half came into view, face up. Your mouth was open and your eyes were closed. It looked like you were a floating half of a body. 

"Oh my god. She's dead!" 

"Is there a shark?!"

You floated closer to the glass until there was a soft bonk as your forehead connected with it. Your eyes flew open, causing more screams, including from yourself. Everyone looked upside-down to you, and not just because you were hungover. You spun yourself around to be facing them and your tail came into view. It seemed neither Robin, Franky, nor Zoro had told anyone about yesterday's discovery, because everyone who was not them was pointing and yelling. You pressed your hands on the glass and waved. It was difficult to hear, but you heard someone distinctly say the 'm' word.

"Not. A. Mermaid." You poked the glass with every word. The water distorted your voice, but you made sure they understood. You looked around. "How do I get out?"

"How did you get in!?" Nami yelled. 

Sanji gleefully skipped off to the hatch that led from the deck to the aquarium. "I'm coming, darling!" 

There was a rectangle of light that revealed itself several minutes later and you swam to it. You poked your head through and then pulled the rest of your body out. You slapped the hatch closed with your tail and rolled on your back, groaning. Your stomach was killing you, from the drinking or from the one or two fish you ate, you didn't know. You must have sniffed out the fish when you were near-drunk.

"Holy shit," Nami's mouth hung open. 

The rest of the gang was similarly surprised by the sight. You were a lot bigger than a mermaid would be proportionally, your tail was longer and your fins were bigger. The black scales glittered in the sunlight in a way that made them look like thousands of small rainbows, something that was not visible in the murky water.

"I think somebody ate all your fish." You said nonchalantly. "Probably that mermaid girl."

"Yeah, somebody." Usopp eyed you. "You have something there." He pointed at the side of his mouth. 

You reached up and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, brushing away a scale that was not your own. "I might have had one."

"My darling Ether should be able to eat whatever she desires." Sanji dramatically put the back of his hand on his forehead. "Though it pains me deeply to think she was so hungry, she ate unseasoned, raw fish." 

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't me." It definitely was, but you couldn't actually remember. 

"Do you know how long it took to get that many fish?" Usopp whined. "It's going to take forever to get more. What if we run out of food and have to resort to eating each other!?"

"I call Zoro," you said way too quickly. "I mean I'll help get more fish. Even though it for sure wasn't me." Everybody was staring. "What?! He has the most meat." 

Luffy had his fingers in an L-shape, resting on his chin. "You have a point."

"Hah?! Look at her she's way bigger than me." Zoro pointed at you. 

"Only sometimes!" 

"We could be the first people to try siren sashimi," Robin mused.

"When you put it that way, I bet we could sell it for a fortune," Nami was lost in a daydream. 

"Nobody has to eat anybody. It'll be a cinch to catch more." Franky piped up. "Check it out. While you guys were arguing over who to eat first, I made this crazy awesome winch with a giant net. We plop it in the water, Ether can chase fish into it, we pull it up, and whammo-blammo we got a buffet, baby! Wa-OW!" 

"Wonderful idea, Franky," Robin patted him on the arm. 

"That sure was fast," Usopp commented.

Hachi and Camie, who were asleep in their own ship, still tethered to Sunny, heard the commotion and came on deck. They were both wide-eyed when they saw you, and Camie moved behind Hachi, along with her starfish. 

"Ah... You guys didn't mention you had a siren on the crew." Hachi might have been more wary had he known. He couldn't tell just from looking at you now. You sort of resembled one of those exotic, deep-sea mermaid types. He had seen you yesterday with wings though, and could put it all together. 

"I thought they were made-up!" Camie hid further behind the fish-man. "They used to tell us as kids that if we misbehaved, they would leave us in the middle of nowhere for the sirens to eat."

You snickered at that. 

"You don't have to worry about that now. She's probably pretty full from eating our entire aquarium's worth of fish," Usopp grumbled.

"I told you already. That probably wasn't me!" You slapped the deck with your tail, causing Camie to flinch. 

The plan was explained to everyone, and Camie and Hachi were enlisted to help as well. You decided to wait until dusk, when the fish were more active. In the meantime, you were guilted into helping clean the aquarium of bones and other debris, while the water was changed. You hugged your tail when you were done, floating around aimlessly, stomach still killing you. It was around mid-afternoon when you heard clinking, rousing you from a half-asleep state. You turned to see Zoro taking a bottle from the bar outside the aquarium. He saw you watching and walked over, opening whatever his drink of choice was on the way. 

"Hey."

You swam closer to him, bringing yourself eye to eye. 

He stared at his drink a minute before looking, not directly at you, but sort of past you, so he didn't have to meet your eye. "I, uh, didn't mean to hurt your feelings yesterday." He ran a hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head. "I'm, uh, glad you took it out on the fish instead of eating me. Since apparently, um, I'm your first choice." 

You looked him up and down. "I didn't take you for the apologizing type." 

"I'm a nice guy!" Zoro paused. "I guess you haven't really gotten to see that though since I've been keeping my distance."

"And if you had gotten to know me, you would see there's no- barely any reason to keep your distance." 

Zoro grunted and took a drink. 

"Guess we have to get to know each other, huh?" You winked at him. 

Zoro choked the sip down and mumbled a goodbye, leaving abruptly. 

Sheesh. Normally your flirting made people stick around. Actually your feelings may have been more hurt by him running away just now, than by his words yesterday. You went to the hatch and pulled yourself out on deck. It wasn't comfortable to move across wood in this form. You positioned yourself to roll towards the railing. Then from there, it was easy to pull yourself up and over, diving into the water. Your goggles and mask were snuggly on your head, acting as a headband. You only used them in combat for the most part. You didn't need the mask to breathe or the goggles to see, they just aided those things when you were moving very high, very deeply, or very quickly. 

You passed time swimming around at a leisurely pace. When the fish started to become more active, you started rounding them up, chasing them towards the ship. The sun was sinking below the horizon and the sky was gradually darkening. Hachi and Camie did the same as you from flanking sides. Only when the winch started to whine with the weight of their catch, did they stop. Franky was able to craft it in a way where the fish were deposited directly into the aquarium through the hatch. 

"We only lost a day to stocking up, thanks to this one," Nami tilted her head in your direction, "but we're still making good time."

"I don't know what you're talking about," you retorted, not-so-subtly pointing at Camie. You were on deck with your tail curled under you, observing the fish be dumped into the tank. 

"I'm startin to think maybe I ate the fish," Luffy mused.

"No, Luffy. You didn't." Nami rolled her eyes. 

The nap from earlier prevented you from finding rest that night. You had shed your tail before dinner and were walking on deck without purpose, every so often looking up at the stars. Sometimes when you were on your own, you would float on your back and watch the sky. Your eyes caught the lights of the crow's nest. Maybe you could lay on the roof of it and you would eventually fall asleep. You figured Zoro was up there since the lights were on, so you grabbed a bottle of booze to bring up to him as a token of good will. You knocked on the hatch and invited yourself in. You could have flown up but you didn't want to waste your energy on wings just to get to the roof. 

"Hi. Brought ya something." You set the bottle by Zoro, who was cleaning his swords. Then you headed towards the top hatch. 

"Thanks." He didn't look up from what he was doing. 

You went to the roof and laid out, thinking about your time with the Straw Hats so far. It hadn't been that long, and you had been apprehensive at first, but you did like being with them. It was weird to have people that did things for you and it was weirder for you to do things for them, but it felt nice. You weren't sure how much time had passed when you heard the hatch open. 

"Uh, hey, Ether." Zoro pointed to the sword around your waist. "Do you want me to do yours?"

"Hm? Do what?"

"Clean your sword."

"Why does it need to be cleaned? It's in the ocean all the time."

A vein popped out on Zoro's forehead. "Are you saying you don't clean it AND it's in salt water all the time?" You didn't answer him. "Come on." He disappeared down the hatch.

You followed him and handed over your sword. You sat next to him on the bench.

"It's actually not that bad."

"Yeah cuz the ocean water cleans it." 

Zoro shot you a look. 

"I'm only teasing. Jeez you take swords seriously."

"I have to if I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman." 

You watched him as he worked with your blade, making sure to clean between each of its joints. "You're the only swordsman I've ever met, so you're already the greatest to me." He cursed under his breath and stuck his finger in his mouth. That wasn't even meant to be flirtatious and he turned pink. You were only stating facts. Then the grin on your face faltered when you smelled the sweet iron of blood.

Next

Tag list: @bbnbhm

[come-away-with-me87]

Modern Hearts Chapter 7

Chapter 6 here

******

When you arrived back at the campus, you walked up the stairs and came face-to-face with Shouta.  He was walking out of his dorm at the time...which just happened to be right next door to yours.  "Y/N...I think we should talk."  You just stared at him for a moment, until it finally dawned on you what he said.  "Yes, of course! Would you like to come in?" you asked him.  You unlocked your door, and he followed you inside.  You put your food down on your kitchen counter, turned around and saw him looking around your dorm.

"It looks like you've settled in nicely," he said, when he looked over and finally spotted the food on the counter.  "I'm sorry, were you about to have dinner?" he asked.  "No, no, it's okay. It can sit there for a bit, I'd rather talk to you," you replied.  You then went over to your couch, where you patted the spot next to you for him to sit down next to you.  He did just that, and started talking.  "Y/N, I have complicated feelings about seeing you again."  You just looked at him, feeling more confused than ever.  "Or at least, I did," he continued, "you see, I took the pen pals thing very seriously, and was thrilled when we continued to write to each other throughout elementary school."

"I never made any other friends during elementary or even middle school, so your letters meant the world to me.  I noticed that they started to die down during middle school, then by the time we reached high school, you never responded to my last letter."  It hadn't even dawned on you that he was the last one to make contact, and you never responded.  You felt horrible.  "Shouta, I'm so sorry..." you didn't know what else to say.  "It's really okay, Y/N.  We were just kids, I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you.  I was just starting at U.A. High School myself, and ended up becoming friends with Hizashi, who you met earlier, and Oboro..." he trailed off.

"Anyways, I just wanted to talk to you about the way I acted towards you earlier today and apologize; that was uncalled for."  You looked at him with tears in your eyes, "Shouta, I didn't realize I was the one who stopped responding, I should be the one saying I'm sorry."  You wanted to put your hand over his, but if he's still anything like he was in his younger days, he wasn't a very touchy-feely person, so you opted not to.  He just shrugged his shoulders, repeating "we were just kids, it's really okay."  You looked over at him, "do you think we could start over, and try to be friends again?"  He smiled faintly, "I'd like that."  

You offered Shouta a glass of wine, and you two sat there on your couch for the next hour and half just catching up while you both shared your sashimi.  The conversation flowed nicely, and it was comfortable.  It almost felt like no time had passed between the two of you; it was nice.  Suddenly, it was 8:00pm, when Shouta announced he should get going stating he still had some papers to grade.  You looked over at him once again and smiled, "thank you for coming over and talking to me.  I feel much better than I did earlier today."  "I do, too, Y/N.  I will see you tomorrow."  And with that, he patted your knee like an old pal, got up from your couch, and left your dorm.

What you didn't plan to tell him, or anyone for the matter, was the bolt of electricity you felt when he touched you.  It was just a simple pat on the knee, but the way you felt, he may as well have grabbed your face and passionately kissed you.  You had a chemistry with Michael back in the states, but never felt that bolt of electricity when you two would "accidentally" graze hands, or "bump" into each other.  No, this was different, you couldn't explain it.  You tried to shake it off, thinking it was just a fluke.  Shouta was an old friend, and that was it.

******

To be continued...

******

Tag list: @jaguarthecat ; @lili-pond

[featherwurm]

Curse of Strahd crew has been busy! Sadly my husband and I had to miss a session, but that's ok there were plenty of adventures:

Izel and Maverick, with Bluto, went back to lake Zarovich to do their druid shit and help ensure there wouldn't be repercussions from the Mad Mage killing all the fish. Vol came along to swim.

The rest of the crew were rousted into saving Milivoj and his young sibling from the werewolves we have very much been ignoring up to this point (hey they weren't bothering anyone... yet.) The werewolf posse rolled out.

Garland made the encounter VERY SHORT by making quick work of the werewolves' fascist leader (lucky rolls.)

Mortimer got in touch with his inner horsegirl (tm) after many poor animal handling checks in the past.

He also managed to save Milivoj through MORE lucky rolls.

After that was wrapped the crew checked in on them back in Valaki and someone needs to give Milan a kid.

Pazuzu 2.0 has been busy in Valaki making every possible thing he can in his quest for masterworks, including candles that burn underwater and a spice pouch that's extra good - in addition to the usual potions and trinkets.

As we ready ourselves to approach the Amber Temple we sent Motherfuckin' Mordenkainen a missive, given that we DID save him from madness. He has personal investment in this as he still hasn't found his staff (lol.)

Invited into his magical mansion, the crew all throughly enjoyed their dinner as brought to them by magical servants. Vol in particular had a wonderful time, ordering food all night, much of which they can't get in Zarovia. The orders from the others were:

A huge cut of prime rib for Garland (who is from Faerûn and misses beef - which is scarce in Zarovia.)

Frozen chocolate covered banana slices for Osry (who is from ??? and wanted something they've not had in a long time.)

A beautiful Honey Cake for Irina (Zarovia native).

Sashimi for Izel (originally from Ravnica) who just likes an excuse to eat a fuckton of perfect delicious raw fish (there was even wasabi! Real wasabi!)

A bowl of communion wafers for Mortimer. Man has issues.

Something elven and unpronouncable for Kasimir.

Milan (native to Zarovia), when confronted with choice, got lost, so Vol (originally from Ravnica, hence their continental order) insisted he have a hamburger.

[mazeofyeni]

౨ৎ⠀𝓛 IMITED 𝓒ONTENT⠀⠀𓍼⠀⠀⠀𝐕.⠀BOSS RIIZE⠀⠀!

ⓘ 🎞️. 𓂃 EPISODE TWO

౨ৎ a two-day and one-night trip to gangneung and yangyang, gangwon-do, where RIIZE selects a 'boss' from among the members with the votes earned through various missions and enjoys the trip according to the rules set by the so-called 'absolute power', the boss, and it is expected to meet riize's dynamic travelogue where healing emotions and passionate competitiveness coexist.

「 keikos masterlist 𖹭 」

"i just don't like this." she said as they sat around the table , waiting for their food. "it hurts my ego you know? sucking up to sohee." shotaro who sat next to her , chuckled. "only she could say something like that and get away with it."

"that's cause she curses with her eyes." she smiled. "don't lie."

they picked from the menu what to eat , wonbin and sungchan getting up to get water for the table. "noona i should've made you worker." sohee confessed suddenly.

"it would've been fun." her mouth dropped open at the boys confession , the rest of them laughing at her reaction.

"yah lee sohee, remember this moment in the future okay?" sungchan turned to her. "are you threatening the boss." she nodded. "yes."

the food finally arrived, sungchan and wonbin being ordered to serve it by the younger boy, different assortments of side dishes. "it looks good."

after that they passed out the crab and sashimi dishes on to the table. "i need a cup." she whispered to herself. "where did mines go?" she scratched her head in confusion.

"noona." sohee handed her a cup. "thank you thank you." she poured a glass of water, taking a sip. .

a sudden noise made her look up from the food. "what is that?" the group all sat in confusion. "oh i don't like that at all." she smiled nervously at the staff behind the camera.

"there's been a coup against the boss." the staff said. "oh?" the girls eyes widened a bit at the sudden change. "we're opening the polling booth to pick a new boss."

"the person who succeeded in the mission coup is..." they waited in anticipation of the reveal of the traitor. "wonbin." the boy threw his hands up in excitement.

everyone was confused. "what? when?" sungchan asked. "i was sitting here the entire time." she said. "i didn't see you do anything."

"get fed by sohee three times." she laughed. "that's why he kept asking sohee to give him this and that." sungchan said. "this is how you take advantage of my kindness?" sohee said , she spoke up. "helping someone take your own spot is crazy."

"i had get each member to pet your head." sungchan confessed.

it was time to vote again , they handed out the ballots. "this means we have to pick new workers?" she said. "i've made enemies in this group im doomed." she said to herself.

"i don't like this at all."

©MAZEOFYENI

[cryoculus]

— people pleaser ⟢

pairing: thoma x ex-assassin!reader

summary: it’s been three weeks since you left for yashiori island, and saying that thoma was stoked to have you back was an understatement. but as the days passed, he noticed something quite...distressing.

word count: 5.7k words

notable characters: thoma, kamisato ayaka, kamisato ayato, gorou, yae miko

tags: jealousy, misunderstandings, light angst, suggestive themes

notes: this is a guard dog side story that was written for thoma's birthday back in january 2022!

masterlist

“Miss Kira!”

Naturally, Thoma was the first to greet you by the gates once you and Ayato finally made it back. He took it upon himself to take the bag you brought off your hands, beaming at you like a puppy who just met its owner after being gone all day. Well, in hindsight, that’s not too far-off an analogy.

You shot him a tired smile, lacing your arms around his neck to peck him on the cheek. “Hey, pretty boy. Did you miss me?”

“You bet,” he replied with a chuckle before pulling away to turn to Ayato. “I’m glad to see you’re well, too, my lord. Any progress with the investigation?”

The Yashiro Commissioner heaved a long-winded sigh, handing his own luggage to the other guards. “Barely. Locating the wards was quite tricky. We had Doctor Shinya with us, too. He’s a learned gentleman from the Sumeru Academia, so if he can’t locate them even with the guidance of our Yashiori native, Miss Kira, then it’s best if we went back to the drawing board.”

Thoma nodded in understanding. “I see. No wonder you got back so early. But is it really alright to leave the Tatarigami unattended?” 

“Don’t worry about it,” you insisted, patting him on the shoulder. “‘Yato over here made good on the diplomatic interventions you and milady have been overseeing in his stead. He talked some former resistance soldiers into keeping an eye out for the situation. So it’s all good.”

…Alright, Thoma was more than glad to hear that Ayaka’s efforts to restore Narukami’s relationship with the Sangonomiya faction have borne fruit. But did you just call the head of the Kamisato House ‘Yato?

Ayato didn’t seem fazed by this, though—chuckling as you all headed inside. “It’s as the lady says. Sangonomiya Kokomi has agreed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, since the Tatarigami also poses a threat to the safety of her own citizens.”

You snorted. “We nearly got kicked out of Sangonomiya Shrine when you criticized the way they prepared their sashimi, though. I know you’re a big shot and all, but you should seriously keep things to yourself sometimes.”

“I did no such thing. I simply suggested that it would be better if they served them fresh!”

“That’s not how the shrine maidens saw it…”

Thoma was no stranger to conversations that had nothing to do with him, and thus couldn’t relate to. It’s a staple for a chief retainer to stand on the sidelines and simply let his charge do all the talking. But the…familiar way in which you addressed Ayato was something entirely new to him. He didn’t think you’d ever spoken to someone else in the estate (someone that wasn’t Thoma, at least) in the same, animated manner you conversed with the Commissioner. Despite being officially hailed as a retainer of the house, you still had your reservations for the people that got close to you.

He used to pride himself for being one of the select few you’d fully put your faith in, but…

“Now that you mentioned it, I did come off as too forward for someone that’s already asking for a favor,” Ayato sighed. “This is why I let Ayaka handle all the formalities instead. Let’s send them an…apology package, shall we?”

“Sure. I’ll help you pick some stuff out in the city after I get a good night’s sleep,” you said. “Gods know it wasn’t exactly comfortable sharing a tent with you of all people.”

The moment the words left your lips, Thoma felt his brain short-circuit and jumpstart back into motion right after. You and Ayato shared a tent. For three weeks. His girlfriend slept in the same, close proximity as his lord. And they were acting completely casual about it!

This is probably just nothing, he assured himself—albeit poorly. Right…?

Thoma took all of that in stride. Of course he did. He’s Thoma—the level-headed, even-tempered housekeeper of the Kamisato House! It’s in his job description to take things in stride. So when he decided to tail you and Ayato to your impromptu shopping trip to Inazuma City the next day, his actions didn’t bear any ill will at all!   

He was as discreet as a Mondstadter could be smack in the middle of Inazuma. Making himself scarce was something that Thoma has had trouble with for the longest time. Everything about him screamed outlander no matter how much he tried to dress himself up as a local. But you and Ayato didn’t seem privy to his advances—sampling dishes from Kiminami Restaurant without a care in the world. 

You weren’t really up to anything suspicious so far. But the fact that Ayato insisted that you two go out without any guards was already worth looking into. It didn’t help that you hadn’t spoken a word about this before heading to bed either. 

To Thoma’s relief, you still opted to sleep in his room last night like you always did before. The feel of you snuggling against his body underneath the sheets was a feeling he missed so much, he could almost cry. So even if he wanted to break the ice by asking how you and Ayato had suddenly grown closer, the chief retainer couldn’t stand the idea of ruining the cozy atmosphere that he hasn’t felt in weeks. Besides, he might just be reading into it too much. Thoma does that a lot these days. 

“Hm? Thoma? Is that you?”

He nearly jumped out of the bush he was hiding in at the sound of another voice, hiding the binoculars (that he definitely didn’t steal from your drawer) from view. However, when Thoma saw who exactly caught him stalking you from such a high vantage point like a psychopath, he could only crane his head in confusion.

“General Gorou?” he half-asked, half-greeted. “What brings you here?”

“Um,” he began awkwardly, ears perking up. “This is my hiding spot, too, so…”

Thoma didn’t even know where to begin asking about the general’s predicament, but he decided not to press the matter. This wasn’t the first time he’s spoken to Gorou—given the peace talks he was mandated to attend by Ayaka’s side. But this was definitely the first he’s seen him loitering around the city.

“Who are you…?” Gorou squinted from the cliff’s edge where Thoma decided to conduct his stakeout, following it up with a quick— “Oh.”

“...Don’t tell me you see them from all the way up here.”

“Don’t tell me you’re performing an espionage mission on your own charge!”

Oh, right. Of course Gorou would focus on Ayato; not you. 

“I’m not,” he explained. “I’m just…”

For a moment, Thoma considered unloading the troubles he’s been harboring since yesterday onto this not-so stranger. Gorou wasn’t someone who he saw on the regular, so surely it wouldn’t hurt to confide his girl-problems in the guy? Besides, from his contributions to the peace talks alone, Thoma could tell he was someone who gave top-tier advice. 

But before he could even speak a word, Gorou suddenly froze up—body reflexively easing into a defensive stance. “Tch… My apologies, but I’ll have to make an abrupt leave or else she’ll catch me.”

“...She?”

The general immediately bolted away from the shrubs, scampering back to the streets of Inazuma City and leaving Thoma more clueless than he was to begin with. 

When Thoma glanced back at Kiminami Restaurant through the binoculars, he realized that you and Ayato had already left in the midst of his chance meeting with Gorou. Great. Now he had no one to stake out for. 

“You there.”

Thoma jolted in surprise once again—immediately assuming that an officer from the Tenryou Commission was probably going to scold him for going over the fences. But when he whirled around, it wasn’t a bulky soldier that greeted his sight, but rather a familiar shrine maiden with a cunning air to her.

“Have you seen a little fox boy running around?” Yae Miko asked with a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We have a deadline coming up soon, and he just keeps slipping right underneath my nose. What a pain, that one.”

“Uhh…” Something told him Gorou was going to be very happy if Thoma did him a solid right here, right now. “Nope. I’m sorry to disappoint you, Lady Guuji.”

She sighed, crossing her arms with a resigned look. “Well, frankly, I can’t be bothered to chase after him now. How about you entertain me instead, Kamisato retainer?”

It took him a moment to realize that Yae Miko actually remembered who he was, and Thoma swallowed the lump in his throat before hopping back over the fence—leaving the binoculars hidden in the shrubs to retrieve later.

“How may I be of service?” he asked nervously.

Yae Miko gave him a single look that was enough to make any lesser man cower. It’s a good thing he regularly accompanied Ayaka to her meetings with the priestess at the shrine. Else, Thoma might’ve grovelled at her feet from the pressure of her gaze alone.

“Give me your palm, would you?” she requested softly. 

Thoma blinked. “Pardon?”

“Your palm, boy. I’d like to read it.”

He still didn’t fully understand what she was trying to make him do, but Thoma unfastened the harnesses on his right glove—flexing his fingers a bit before extending it to Yae Miko. The priestess took his hand in her much softer ones, and while the other men from the Yashiro Commission preferred women who were soft to the touch, he’d developed a fondness for your calloused palms. The same hands that he held in his own during colder nights or a simple stroll around Ritou. The same hands he wouldn’t mind holding for the rest of his life.

Wait. Why was he thinking about you when—

“You’re a fire elemental,” Yae Miko murmured, tracing the lines on his palm firmly. “That explains the Pyro Vision, yes. Hmm… Good vitality, strong mental constitution, relatively stable, and… Oh?”

Thoma felt his stomach drop. He did not like the sound of that.

“I-Is anything wrong, Lady Guuji?” he asked dryly.

The priestess continued running her finger along his palms, as if tracing a poem out of his skin. She had a hint of a smile playing on her lips, but Thoma knew better than to deduce a kitsune’s intentions from their facial expressions alone. 

“Your other lines are in order, but your heart line… Quite shallow,” Yae Miko sighed, shaking her head. “This means you’re more sensitive and vulnerable than the rest. For someone who’s stood by Kamisato Ayaka’s side all this time, this is quite the surprise. You’ve always come off as a level-headed person to me, but I suppose living here as an outlander makes your heart waver every so often. Am I right?”

…How on earth did she find all that out just by reading his palms?

“From the look on your face, I can tell that you’re going through something unpleasant as well,” she continued, letting go of his hand with a stern look. “I don’t know the specifics but it would be good to actually speak to the person or people involved. There’s no point in punishing yourself with uncertainty when their reassurance is readily attainable. Isn’t that right, Kamisato retainer?”

Now he knew why some of the shrine maidens at the estate spoke of Yae Miko with a hint of fear in their words. She was way too perceptive!

“It’s an honor to receive direct counsel from you, Lady Guuji,” Thoma said with a small bow. “Thank you very much. I’ll make sure to reflect on it.”

“Oh, reflection alone won’t get you anywhere, sweet boy,” she chuckled behind her hand. “Rather, you should act on it. Playing the people pleaser can only last you for so long in a place like this. I’m sure you know that well—being an outlander and all.”

That hit a little too close to home, but Thoma didn’t make it evident on his face. “I understand. Thank you again.”

That day, Thoma decided against searching the city for yours and Ayato’s whereabouts. Instead, he went straight home and leveled the hedges faster than the time it would take for three people to do the job. Yae Miko’s words repeated themselves like a mantra in his head, and all he could do to cope was keep himself busy.

Playing the people pleaser can only last you so long in a place like this.

You and the Commissioner didn’t return until nightfall, and Thoma didn’t voice out a single complaint—receiving you and his charge with bright smiles and a warm welcome as usual. During dinner, though, he felt Ayaka’s gaze trailing after him every now and again. That was a telltale sign that the princess was catching on to whatever was bothering him, but Thoma had a tad too much pride to let her in on the situation.

After all, this was probably just nothing.

Right?

Things didn’t exactly get better in the next few days like he’d hoped.

You’ve been quite elusive as of late. You hadn’t slept in his room since the night you first came back, and while Thoma usually didn’t mind your independence, his…current predicament made going about this in a completely logical manner quite difficult. Your outings with Ayato have become more and more frequent than what he was accustomed to. The Commissioner had a penchant for holing himself in his room for days, and now he took public matters into his own hands?  

Another thing that startled him was the fact that you’re oh-so willing to tend to Ayato’s requests! Back then, you used to bemoan the workload and talked Thoma’s ear off about how much you wanted to quit despite the Kamisato clan’s good graces. Of course, you didn’t mean a single word. Both of you knew how attached you’ve gotten to this family, and peeling yourself away was more work than you’d otherwise expect.

But now, even when you weren’t busy, Thoma would catch you going up to Ayato’s study to do Archons-know-what. He wasn’t so terrible a person that he’d jump to conclusions about his lord doing unsightly things with his lover, but…

“Thoma.”

He sighed, casting a sidelong glance across the hall. “Yes, milady?”

Ayaka had that look on her face—the one that spelled you owe me an explanation for this—and Thoma wondered why he thought he could ever escape her scrutiny. This was Ayaka after all.

Wordlessly, he led her to the pavilion, where the fresh breeze wafted through the courtyard. They sat on the edge of the platform like they always did, since they were children. And as Thoma gazed out into the ocean below, Ayaka patiently waited for him to speak.

“Milady, what would you do if you thought your lover was…losing interest in you?” 

It’s not like Thoma never considered the possibility—in fact, he has. Multiple times. You used to be one of the underground’s renown assassins. Even if you’ve successfully adapted to your life as a retainer in such a short time, Thoma knew very well that you were still a lone wolf by heart. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to him if, one day, you decided that you didn’t need the Yashiro Commission—didn’t need him—anymore, and fled into the night. He didn’t like it when it felt like you were slipping out of his grasp. You already did once, and he feared that it was bound to happen again.

This definitely wasn’t a thought that occurred to Thoma on a daily basis. But whenever he did consider the idea of you leaving him behind…

Ayaka’s eyes widened slightly at his inquiry, and Thoma could almost hear the thought process occurring in that head of hers. What do you mean? Did you and Miss Kira have a fight? Is there anything I can do?

However, the reaction that he actually got was…far from what he imagined.

Ayaka pressed her lips together in an attempt to suppress a snort, startling when such an unbecoming noise came out of her before pressing a palm across her mouth. Thoma didn’t know whether he should be offended that she was laughing at his predicament or relieved because the Shirasagi Himegimi was finally letting herself express an extensive spectrum of emotions. Either way, Ayaka was quick to recover from that quick slip-up.

“And here I thought you might’ve been coming down with something,” she sighed, clearing her throat as she composed herself. “Thoma, what gave you the idea that Miss Kira was losing interest?”

“...You’re going to think I’m ridiculous.”

“I’m sure your reasons aren’t any more ridiculous than the list of complaints we receive from the citizens on the regular,” Ayaka reassured. “Now, go on. You’ve always heard me out when I have things I can’t get off my mind. It’s only proper for me to lend you an ear as well.”

Thoma closed his eyes. Yup. There was no escaping Kamisato Ayaka’s scrutiny. 

So, he told her. About how he noticed you and her brother have grown exponentially familiar with each other ever since your trip to Yashiori Island. How you’ve been avoiding him(?) as of late. He’s not very sure about that last one, since you still respond whenever Thoma calls out to you, but it’s as if you had more impending matters to attend to than paying attention to him. If he’d been any less understanding than he was, he would’ve sulked.

Ayaka listened to every word carefully, nodding every so often. And once Thoma was finished speaking, she breathed in deeply.

“I see. So that’s how things appeared on your end,” the princess lamented. “I’ll be the one to apologize on their behalf. Those two… You’re right about the fact that they have grown closer since Yashiori. But there's absolutely no reason for you to fret, Thoma.”

Thoma shot her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“What I’m saying is, Brother and Miss Kira are two people who, when they put their backs into planning something, give it their all so it would be a success.” Ayaka grinned. “That kind of explains why she’s been hard to come by lately. Although, you should be seeing the fruit of their labor very soon.”

“...That doesn’t make you sound cryptic at all, milady.”

She giggled behind the guise of her fan, and Thoma ultimately resigned himself to the fact that he wasn’t going to get any answers out of her anytime soon. 

“You’ll see~”

He hardly got a wink of sleep that night.

Thoma tossed and turned alone in his bed—wondering what in the seven nations you and Ayato had been cooking up to warrant this much of your time. Could it be pertaining to your investigations on Yashiori Island? Was it some sort of new and improved cure for the Tatarigami? He hadn’t the slightest clue, and he wasn’t getting anywhere near a logical explanation come morning either.

To his disappointment, Madarame had to get him out of bed because he’d overslept. This was something unusual for Thoma to experience because his circadian rhythm was as impeccable as Ayaka’s swordsmanship.  

(He humbly blames it on the lack of attention from his significant other.)

“Lord and Lady Kamisato have already gone out for the day,” Madarame explained as he and Thoma made their way to the courtyard. “But they did leave instructions for you to drop by Komore Teahouse once you’re able. It’s for an…urgent matter, so to speak.”

Thoma sighed. Great. Now there was another impending issue on his plate, when he hadn’t even sorted out his conflicted feelings about your recurring absence. Not that Madarame had to know about these tendencies of his. Nobody would believe it—the housekeeper of the Kamisato clan, craving the love and affection of his girlfriend like a kicked puppy.

“What of Miss Kira?” he asked, just in case. “Has she said anything?”

Madarame’s face scrunched up into an apologetic look. Thoma sighed.

“Thanks anyways,” he told him glumly. “I’ll head over to the city now. Hold down the fort while we’re gone, okay?”

“Of course.” Madarame bowed, but just as Thoma was about to turn on his heel to make his leave— “Oh, Master Thoma, one more thing.”

The chief glanced at the other man with one brow arched as he flashed him a sincere grin that only served to puzzle Thoma. “Yes?”

Then, earnestly, Madarame spoke: 

“Happy Birthday.”

Things just got more depressing, if that was even possible.

Thoma made the trip to the capital in several states of distress. He’d been so caught up in trying to wrap his head around yours and Ayato’s antics that he forgot today was his birthday. 

It didn’t help that it seemed he was the only one left in the dark. Ayato knew. You knew. Hell, even Ayaka knew what was going on. During last night’s bout of senseless overthinking, he considered ditching common courtesy and just straight up asking the princess all the things he wanted to know about. As strong-willed as she was, Ayaka was still quite meek. Thoma knew he could pressure some answers out of her given the right conditions, but he never once tried to do so in any other situation. Being a people pleaser, and all that. 

But now, he was at his limit. His lover obviously thought another man’s time was worth her while compared to Thoma’s. Even if Ayato loved and raised him like they were blood brothers, he couldn’t help the unshakeable feeling of resentment. Just one trip to Yashiori made them all smitten like that? When Thoma has been by your side far longer?

In the back of his head, an ominous voice reminded him that you and him only became more honest with your feelings after retrieving that cure from Yashiori all those months ago. 

Who knew Miss Kira was that easy? It hissed. She ditched you for Ayato on your birthday.

Shut up. Shut up, she’s not like that. 

Okay, having an internal argument with himself in broad daylight was all sorts of weird. But that extensive contemplation made Thoma fail to realize that he’d already arrived. 

Komore Teahouse has been the Yashiro Commission’s stronghold in the capital since time immemorial. Both Ayaka and Ayato preferred having business dealings in the discreet rooms of the shop rather than back at the estate. Not only was it carefully guarded by the Shuumatsuban, but it was more accessible compared to the manor in Mount Yougou.

The first thing Thoma noticed, however, was that nobody was stationed outside. Not Kozue, not Heihachi. Even that pesky Snezhnayan Ramsay was nowhere to be seen. 

All of a sudden, a chill ran across the length of his spine. The grisly that thought the Teahouse had been under siege crossed his mind as quick as lightning. Kozue would never leave her post for just any reason, so that was the most sound explanation he could think of. Hurriedly, the chief retainer slid the door to the shop open; hoping that this wasn’t where Ayaka and Ayato were headed for the day—

Pop!

Thoma could only stand by the doorway in stunned silence as a small blast of confetti hit him in the face. To his side, the Commissioner’s familiar face came to view—an unsuspecting party popper in his hands, before the rest of his company shouted:

“Happy Birthday!”

All around him, the familiar faces of friends, family, and comrades were present. Taroumaru was seated comfortably on his usual spot on the counter—holding up a sign that spelled Happy Birthday, Thoma! Ayaka was, surprisingly, in the company of none other than Yae Miko herself, a person he never thought he would see again so soon. She winked at him from behind the princess, as if telling him to keep a secret only they knew about. Yoimiya and Sayu have also joined the fray; with the former clapping her hands gleefully and the latter napping on top of the counter. 

And then there was you.

“Hey,” you greeted casually—holding a delectable-looking cake in your hands as Yoimiya took it upon herself to light the candles. “How’re you doing, guard dog?”

Thoma was at an utter loss for words. He gaped at you in silence, green eyes alight with surprise as he absentmindedly let you ease the cake into his hands.

“W-We’re both guard dogs,” he mumbled before promptly snapping out his trance. “Wait, what’s this? Don’t tell me…”

Ayaka chuckled from where she sat herself down in front of the counter. “Miss Kira and Brother have been putting together a surprise party for you, if that isn’t any more obvious than it already is.”

“We thought you’d appreciate the, ah, change in pace,” Ayato supplied, setting the party popper near the door as he crossed his arms. “You’ve been working so diligently these days, that you deserved as much.”

His lips quivered with the intent to speak, but no words were coming out. Thoma’s gaze darted around every person in the room, as if unable to get a grip on the reality before him—what the hell is Yae Miko doing here?!—until his emerald gaze landed on your form. 

You grinned. “What are you waiting for? The candles aren’t going to blow themselves y’know? Plus, we prepared an entire repertoire for your special day.”

The thought of you going out of your way just to prepare all this made a familiar warmth surge through his chest. Of course, he felt all the more guilty of thinking those nasty thoughts about what you were up to. But he supposed he could repent for that a bit later. The others looked on expectantly, and Thoma, who’d always been weak to the whims of others, heaved a sigh.

So he puckered his lips and blew out the candles.

“I am so sorry.”

Those were the first words that came out of his mouth once Thoma pulled you into another room in the Teahouse. You gawked at him, confused as your lover sank to his knees and bowed before you.

“You know, I’m not really into this sort of S&M play, right?” you told him as you sat in front of his repentant form on the tatami. “But do I want to ask what this is about?”

Thoma sat upright with a sigh, maintaining a certain distance given that he felt like he didn’t deserve to be near you at all after everything he just assumed… “I thought you didn’t want me anymore. You’ve been so busy with the Commissioner these past few days that I assumed—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a sec,” you interjected, palms raised. “Are you saying you thought Ayato and I hit it off or something?”

“...Yes?”

If the small snort that Ayaka gave him yesterday was disrespectful, the reaction he gained from you was downright insolent. You laughed your heart out until you were a giggling mess on the floor, wiping the tears in your eyes at the prospect of Thoma getting jealous of Ayato over something that he completely had the wrong idea about. 

“Okay, for the record, ‘Yato and I are just tight as hell. Like bro-bros, y’know?” you explained, and Thoma didn’t really understand your verbiage. “He’s the one who dragged me back to fix things when shit hit the fan, so he’s kind of like my voice of reason for a lot of things now…”

“That includes how I’m going to handle...us.”

Now, that caught his attention. “Pardon?”

You sighed, pulling yourself upright before scooting a bit to lean your head on his shoulder. “I’ve never nurtured any sort of stable relationship in the past, y’know? Zero experience. I’m terrified of messing up somewhere so badly that you’ll leave me because of it. That’s why I asked for Ayato’s advice while we were in Yashiori.”

…Thoma had no idea that you carried such sentiments inside. He wanted to tell you that even if you slaughtered every person in this building right now, he would still love you. Though that’s stretching it a bit, it didn’t make it any less true.

He was so hopelessly in love with you. It was downright ridiculous! 

“He told me that one of the best ways to keep a relationship going is consistency,” you murmured, linking your hand with his. “I have to be consistent in letting you know how I feel. Always, without fail. I can’t just be a lone wolf forever, since I came to work at the estate on my own volition. It means I gotta be more open with you, too, yeah? That’s why I thought throwing you a birthday party was a good place to start.”

He couldn’t believe it. The woman he feared would leave him one day also harbored the same thoughts. That made him a hypocrite, now that he thought about it. Thoma had been so busy keeping the peace and making things easy for everyone in the present, that he hadn’t dedicated any time to addressing the future he’s bound to share with you.

He was yet to give you a proper reassurance. 

“I-It’s just—” You groaned, burying your face in your hands. “You’re just so amazing, you know that? Everyone trusts you, everyone looks up to you—even if you’re an outlander. I can barely talk to one of milady’s annoying socialite friends without saying something standoffish.” 

Thoma squeezed your hand with a fond smile. “And?”

“And I feel like, I— Ugh. You are so going to give me an earful for this, but… I still feel like I don’t deserve you.” 

The chief retainer exhaled loudly through his nose before pulling you closer to his chest. You visibly startled at the gesture, but followed his lead, no less.

“That’s something you can’t easily convince yourself of,” he acknowledged, remembering the times you told him about your childhood in Yashiori Island; about the years you spent as a wandering mercenary. “And I don’t blame you for it. But I hope that you’re willing to move forward to the next phase of your life, and not chain yourself to the sins you committed in the past. I’ll always be here, Miss Kira. Every step of the way.”

He felt your fingers tighten around his bicep and the sigh of relief that expelled from your chest. You turned around to face him with a teary look in your eyes. But just before he could panic and wipe them away—

“It’s been a while since you’ve called me by my real name,” you sulked, cupping his jaw in the curve of your palm. “That one’s reserved for you alone, remember? Don’t forget to use the privilege.”

Thoma let out an airy laugh, pressing his lips to yours in a firm kiss as he murmured the syllables of your name against your mouth. You sighed—hands moving to the back of his neck as you shifted on his lap. Both of you were well aware of the fact that the others were in the other room, playing a very interesting variation of mahjong that Ayato came up with, but you didn’t care. 

Your lover even let his tongue slip inside the cavern of your mouth, hands firmly planted on your hips as he—

“I was wondering where the celebrant was.”

Needless to say, the two of you sprang apart at the sound of Yae Miko’s voice. Red-faced, Thoma greeted her with a stuttered reply that has the priestess chuckling at the doorway.

“No need to explain yourselves. Young ones always have so much energy, after all,” she teased. “Lord Ayato was kind enough to invite me to this little get-together, but I must take my leave. There’s something I need to look into back at the shrine.”

“T-Thanks for coming Lady Guuji. It really is an honor,” you told her dryly, with whatever semblance of composure you could muster up.

Yae Miko flashed another one of those conspiratorial grins. “That reminds me, I left a matrimonial charm in Lady Ayaka’s care as your birthday present. If the two of you ever plan on tying the knot, just show that to one of my shrine maidens, and I’ll personally oversee the ceremony myself.”

…Wait a moment. Did Yae Miko, the Lady Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, just give the two of you her blessing for marriage?

“Well, you can continue what it was you were doing,” she laughed, lifting one hand in a wave. “I hope to see you both soon~”

Then, there were two.

“We’re going to pretend that didn’t happen, right?” you asked.

Thoma nodded. “Definitely.”

As the two of you straightened yourselves out before rejoining the others at the party, you randomly asked, “Hey, this is a little out of the blue, but have you seen my binoculars anywhere? I put it in the drawer by your cabinets, but I can’t seem to find them anymore.”

He feigned a look of contemplation—wholly aware that he forgot to retrieve your special gadget from where he hid them in the bushes the last time he saw Yae Miko. Fuck. 

“Nope, no clue,” he replied swiftly. “We could ask around in Ritou if they’ve imported anything similar?”

“Ehh, that was just a hand-me-down from the Tenryou Commission anyways.” You shrugged. “Oh, by the way…”

Thoma paused as you leaned closer to his ear to whisper something. If he hadn’t been embarrassed when Yae Miko walked in on the two of you, he definitely was now. 

“I’m going to make up for the time we spent apart when we get home,” you whispered. “You’ll play along, right, pretty boy?”

The chief retainer could barely suppress the groan that reverberated in his chest as you tantalizingly ran your hand across it. Now that he’s fully recovered from his own emotional turmoils, the fact that he’s been wanting to get you alone all this time came crashing down. But it wasn’t as if he’s in any position to refuse.

He was the people pleaser after all. 

© cryoculus | kaientai ✧ all rights reserved. do not repost or translate my work on other platforms.

[quinloki]

Birthday Request Event

"It's my birthday and I'll write what I want to \o/"

Gift Details ♥ Reader: afab!reader (she/her pronouns requested) Character: Sir Crocodile Kink: #9 Nyotaimori Prompt: #10 "Someone's going to hear you." Gift Giver: @zimzalabimmmmm

Summary: There's yet another party at the manor tonight, but your roll isn't to be on the arm of your lover. It's to provide him a private meal amidst the festivities.

Content Notes: Nyotaimori is food set on a naked body, implied voyeurism, oral sex, pet names.

This birthday party is 18+, consensual unless explicitly stated otherwise, and BYOB

You could hear the party on the other side of the curtain. That was all that separated you from the dozens of people who had come to the estate this evening.

One curtain.

It was heavy, certainly, and no one could see beyond it, but you were in the dimmed corner of the hall, bustling with people, completely naked. Laid out on a table for any curious passerby to see, an assortment of sushi and sashimi laid out artfully on your bare skin.

Some pieces were laid atop little mounds of crushed ice, and the cool waters teased down your skin as they melted slowly. Your arms were tied behind your back, and a custom gag in your mouth held a small tray of pickled ginger and wasabi. The pungent wasabi had made your eyes water a little, so close to your nose, but you were adjusting to it.

Your legs were tied wide apart on the table, trails of nigiri set down along your thighs – the slightest of quivering from you would upset the arrangement, so you worked to stay as still as possible. A tray of sauces was laid out between your legs, and decorative shibari added a lacy look against your skin in places.

Though none of it did anything to cover you in the strictest sense.

The curtain was moved aside, and you closed your eyes against the sudden bright light. The man standing outside was only supposed to allow Sir Crocodile in, but there were quite a few curious, brazen, and powerful people gathered here today.

Darkness fell back over the room, and you opened your eyes carefully, deeply relieved to see those amber golden eyes looking down at you. And how they looked! You were nothing and everything in those eyes. A piece of meat, a delectable dessert – both his most treasured conquest and his favorite toy.

He reached out, fingers against your skin, tracing a lazy line along the few empty areas of your torso. Your muffled moan is quiet, barely loud enough for ears, and the slight shiver in your skin isn’t enough to upset the delicate meal placed upon you.

“You must be cold, desert flower.” He muses quietly, picking a piece of food from the middle of your chest, and eating it thoughtfully. “Admittedly, your petals have been adorned satisfactorily.”

He looks down between your thighs.

“Most of them.” He muses, picking another piece of food off you as the backside curve of his hook presses into your labia. The cool metal and sharp sensation against your already on edge body causes you to flinch and squeak behind the gag, but nothing topples or spills.

“That’s my good girl.” He muses, easing the cool metal between your slick folds and teasing your clit idly with the smooth curve. “You’re trying so hard not to ruin my meal.”

He leans down, licking along the side of your breast, bringing his mouth slowly to the morsel set atop your nipple. His tongue brushes against the stiff flesh and you squeal a little more loudly, the noise bubbling against the gag as you’re trying desperately not to move as he continues to tease you.

He consumes the piece quickly. “I seem to have missed a spot.” He grins, grabbing your breast with his hand and moving it as needed to, licking, kissing and sucking all of it. He paid extra attention to your nipple, but the sensations against your skin were all like fire as you shivered in the ropes holding you to the table.

Crocodile undoes the snaps on the gag, pulling it away and setting it aside.

“There we go.” His grin sends a shiver down your back. “Now you’ll have to be extra careful, my love, or the guests will hear you while I feast.” He caresses the side of your face softly before moving to another side of the table.

“Please,” you whisper quietly. “I can’t possibly keep quiet, give me -… what are you doing?” Your pleas fall away as you see him moving the tray of sauces away from between your legs and setting it aside.

He grins that grin at you, the one that you swear he must have grinned at his birth to be named thus, and you almost feel your stomach drop before he replies.

“Feasting, my sweet desert flower.” He answers, his hand crushing the food on your thighs, his hook knocking some aside as he leans down and devours your cunt with his lips and tongue.

Your body tenses, your toes curling and legs straining against the ropes that held you. Your breath shattered in your throat as your body bucked and tensed, the need to be still lost as he knew every sweet spot you had. His tongue always went deeper than you thought it could, and the flat of his teeth teased your clit even as your body feared his fangs.

You sucked in a breath when you could, teeth grit as you tried desperately to stop the pleasurable moans rising up inside you. He may be devouring you, but he never seemed to stifle your cries, intent, as well, to feast on your sounds as much as your flesh.

And let there be no doubt, you were the prey in this situation. What you wanted was hardly a concern, and the more you struggled to hold some kind of control, the more he drove your body toward his desires.

Garbled pleas tumbled from you, mixed in gasps and struggles as you fought to keep yourself quiet, to keep your voice behind the heavy curtain. All your pleas won you, was his hand sliding up your hips, to your waist, to your chest – thick fingers teasing your nipple as the cold, hard, curve of gold slid up the other side of you, caressing twitching skin.

Your mangled pleas turned into needy, gasping, begging whines as the pleasure overtook you. His rumbled approval sinks into your core, and you let yourself fall into the whims of his will.

He was feasting after all, and you had no real desire to deny him.

Check out the event - requests are accepted until 7/31/2023 EST

[atinycafe]

LIME SORBET — special 01 [hatchan live!]

PROMPT; reader finally comes back to s. korea as she finished her training in los angeles, ready to debut as a solo artist under kq ent! exciting right? well her sunbaes seem to like that idea too.

FEAT; alpha!ateez x omega!idol!reader

IN THIS BONUS; reader goes live 4 the first time with sannie, she introduces herself to atinys

RELATIONSHIP STATUS; unmated

WRD COUNT; 1k

NOTES; this is a bonus, not a chapter!! i'm gonna have many of those, the bonuses are just random chapters that don't fit the main story's timeline. contrary to the main chapters, the bonuses can be reactions, most to least, blurbs and can be requested

TAGLIST; @marievllr-abg @cookiechristie @sugarrush-blush @hiraii-gf ; lmk if you want 2 b added 2!

atiny-34r: omg first time i arrived this early for a live?? chwewoosan: where's my baby mingi 119smallhwa: i heard that they're gonna make an announcement hoong2ho: hongjoong finally went bald ig

"Did the live start already?" a soft voice echoed from the surroundings as the girl gracefully reached down to retrieve her delectable sushis from the delivery bag.

With a contented sigh, San settled himself in front of the camera, playfully balancing chopsticks in his mouth, "I think so."

mounta46in: omg san!!! 2jeongyw: where's woooo 10-bulgoriya: whose voice was that? amatzfangirl: is there a girl with u??

"Hey, y/n could you grab the soy sauce it's right behind you on the counter."

Obliging without hesitation, she swiftly retrieved the sauce bottle and gracefully made her entrance on screen, taking a seat beside San. Clad in a modest black t-shirt and vibrant red pajama pants, her tresses cascaded elegantly over her shoulder, partially concealing her neckline and the collar adorning it.

"Hello atinys!!" she murmured in a gentle, hushed tone, leaning closer to the camera to peruse a selection of comments.

teddyjongho: who is she omg she's so cute yeohehetsangie: WHAT IS HAPPENING ddeonghwa: san acc gets bitches no way??? 1117haneul: twitter stans are gonna go crazy at this

"San do the intro for me," she finally turned towards him, delicately plucking the chopsticks from his mouth.

San's hands applauded with enthusiasm, as though beckoning for everyone's attention. "Atinys!" he exclaimed, his voice brimming with excitement, "Let us welcome the latest addition to the KQent family, new idol Hatchan!"

The girl gracefully inclined her head in a gentle bow, thanking the viewers for their time, savoring a delectable piece of sashimi as she deftly picked up the other phone from the table to look at the incoming comments. Upon stumbling upon a particularly humorous one, she burst into laughter, playfully tilting her head backward and directing her mirthful gaze towards San, showing him the amusing remarks.

yunhenergizer: lmaooo this is so ghetto, budget of 200₩, slay tho captnjoong: oh okay just like that, this better b real balmainboi: no fucking way, they must be trolling a2thez: so we get an ateez comeback and a bad bitch, life is so good rn

"So basically, my formal introduction will take place alongside my KQ fellaz season just like the boys had, which is set to release tomorrow at 5 PM. But, my manager kindly granted me permission to greet you all beforehand," the girl chuckled, her eyes twinkling as she once again perused the entertaining comments. A tinge of blush graced her cheeks, a testament to the fans' delightful humor.

Curiosity piqued, San leaned closer to her, peering over her shoulder at the phone nestled between her hands. He couldn't help but notice the subtle intake of breath she shyly took at their proximity, causing a mischievous smirk to play upon his lips, hidden behind her hair.

"What's so funny?" he inquired, his voice laced with curiosity.

Gleefully, she replied, her smile widening as she reached for another succulent piece of sashimi, "Someone said that KQ's budget was two hundred won!"

Just as she was about to indulge in the delectable piece of rice, San swiftly seized her wrist, playfully taking the food and nonchalantly taking a bite as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

The girl, taken aback by the unexpected act, turned towards the camera, a mixture of surprise and amusement evident on her face. She pointed at San, a bewildered expression still lingering, and addressed the viewers, "Did you guys see what just happened? Did he just steal my food? Should I beat him up?" she asked the last question in english.

jjongapl: get him! princssminki: personally i wouldnt take that level of disrespect san0810: nooo don't hurt our baby puppyunho: ROCK HIS SHIT!!

"Atinys are telling me to beat you up."

"What?!" San exclaimed, feigning innocence. "But why? What did I do?" He turned his gaze towards the camera, employing his trademark puppy eyes and adding a slight pout to his expression, hoping to elicit sympathy from the viewers.

"You used your big alpha strength to steal food from a poor omega," she melodramatically sighed, casting a mockingly exasperated glance at San. Then, she swiftly redirected her attention back to the camera, her tone laced with playful amusement, "are you all seeing this, should we cancel him?", she inquired, her words tinged with jest as she playfully entertained the notion of holding San accountable for his mischievous deed.

woosmole: she's an omega??? noticemehwa: she's so funny hahahaahbha yosongfan: did she just say omega? gueri11a: omega????

"Oh you guys didn't notice it?" San playfully pushed her hair back, revealing a subtle glimpse of her neck, and gently placed his hand at the base of her neck. Meanwhile, she began tapping on the black collar with her meticulously manicured nails, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes, "should we bring Seonghwa oppa here for an ASMR session?"

The unconventional act of an alpha touching an omega's neck in such a manner did not go unnoticed by the keen netizens. Given the societal norms and the implied significance of such an interaction, speculations and assumptions about the two idols' relationship began circulating among the public even before the girl's career had officially commenced. The unexpected gesture fueled curiosity and led to conjectures about their relationship, setting the stage for intrigue and anticipation surrounding her journey in the industry.

"So what did they say?" San asked her as soon as she ended the call on her phone.

Both of her managers had immediately called her out when they finished with the live, expressing their dissatisfaction with the unscripted interaction. Their words carried a weight of admonishment, but she chuckled, feeling a tad defeated.

"They chewed me out a little bit, but it's all right," she confided in San, her voice tinged with a mixture of resignation and amusement, as she recounted the aftermath of their impromptu on-screen moment.

"Sorry, it's my fault," he pouted, his expression reflecting a mix of remorse and frustration. "You know how I can get touchy sometimes," he admitted, acknowledging his tendency to act on impulse and physical affection without considering the potential consequences.

"It's all good oppa," she reassured him, playfully punching his shoulder with a light touch. "You're going to get me trending even before I've officially started. I should be thanking you for all the attention," she remarked, her tone laced with a hint of playful gratitude.