#a handsome boy and a disgruntled human

[angsty-aliens]

“What do you mean, tomorrows Monday?”

[moodymisty]

I mean you got anything sweet for Blood Angels...

Though my brain keeps jumping to Flesh Tearers but I feel like that's just me trying to get myself to write for Flesh Tearers (and Lamenters)

(Rambling idea below)

I mean lets be honest Blood Angels are ultimate predators for humans... being so handsome I mean Sanguinius was often called ethereal and other worldly with his beauty. So of course his sons are handsome and all so well bred for the arts... easy to lure in many humans to just listen to their prose or see their paintings.

Just don't show up during your period because suddenly a lot of the poetry is about blood or blood adjacent... they can't seem to find the right red paint... and why do so many of them look at you like they are dying of thirst?

[ 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖞'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 | 𝕬𝖔3 ]

Author’s note: Do I have something for Blood Angels- BOY DO I! Enjoy! I didn't exactly do your idea but I've had this plot in my head for weeks and wanted to use it and you're ask was the only one that let me /sob Not my best work by far, but I hope you enjoy.

Relationships: Unnamed Blood Angel/Fem!Reader

Warnings: NSFW, Oral, Period blood kink/menstrual kink that type of stuff, Is this too weird? maybe I dunno you guys all seem like freaks so hopefully this will go over well? If not I can just return to my dungeon

"Why are we going this way?"

This is a long way around, though some of the Red Tear's maintenance areas. He doesn't answer you however, and with disgruntlement you let the question lie as you return to more civilized parts of the Red Tear.

This whole interaction has been odd, since he had picked you up to escort you back from your duties. Normally he doesn’t act like this; He's stoic and lacks a good bit of emotion yes, but you almost feel as if now he’s taking you to your execution.

"I thought you were missing,"

You had jokingly said, walking closer to him. This planet had been pleasant enough after the Blood Angels brought it under the Imperium, but you're quite eager to return to Terra. Or at least the Red Tear.

He ignored your little comment and stepped closer, but you noticed his face change when he got close enough to touch you. His body became more rigid, and you furrowed your brow as you looked up at him.

"Are you ok?" You say as he clears his throat and nods stiffly. "Yes. We should return to the Red Tear. Our work here is done."

You look up at him again try and get any sort of hint as to how he's feeling, but he only has that same, stiff expression; Though slightly more irritated than usual.

You round yet another corner to see a group of freshly armored Blood Angels leaving one of the armoring rooms. They all perk up at the sight of you, staring at you like something fierce. You get more than a bit uncomfortable under their gaze, until your supposed guardian grabs your arm and swiftly pulls you down the hall past them. He glares at them to keep their distance, and you grab at his gauntlet to try and relieve some of the pressure. You're arm is in pain from how tight he's pulling you along, until you stop in front of a room he opens.

It's not your own, so you presume it's his. He shoves you inside.

"Stay here."

As a diplomat you technically reside outside the command structure of the Blood Angels, but no one in their right mind would disobey an astartes. Especially one that is looking at you with such fire in his eyes. He turns to leave, but your sudden question makes him turn towards you again.

"What is all this? Why are you-" He grabs you tight at the shoulder, and you gasp in pain as the force of it pins you to the wall.

"Why do you smell like blood?"

You pull at his hand and grimace in pain, and at his oddly specific question.

"What? It's just normal, It's that time of the-" He lightly shakes your shoulder and despite speaking relatively quiet, his voice still hits you in the chest with out seething it sounds.

"Every one of my brothers on this ship can smell you. You're lucky I got to you before one of them did."

Even if they did, why does he speak of it like something would happen? Like he avoided it for a reason? He's talking as if you would be in danger if they found you, for something seemingly so simple.

“What would happen if they did?”

You quietly question, watching the expression on his face instantly change. He looks conflicted, like he’s nearly lost in thought. For awhile you think you may not even get an answer from him, until you finally see his lips shift.

“I, assume you’ve heard mutterings of a curse in your time here.”

You have vaguely- even he had cursed it once. At the time you'd assumed it some sort of unfamiliar swear or perhaps just an odd phase adopted by Blood Angels, and so you'd paid it little mind other than the initial confusion. When you hesitantly nod, he continues.

“The curse is real. It has changed our legion. And,” You figure he’s about to speak a secret he shouldn’t to someone like you, so you stay quiet.

“It makes the smell of blood, tempting.” He continues. “It sates a hunger only we Blood Angels possess, and keeps us from going raving mad.”

He quiets, and you feels his gauntlets shift on your shoulders. He changes the subject to something adjacent; You assume he probably feels guilt for confessing a chapter secret to you.

“You’re not hurt?” He says confusedly. You aren’t particularly surprised he knows little about such things, though explaining it to him in this state would take far too long and be far too unfruitful.

“No. I'm fine.” He hums. You think you hear him mumble about hearing such a thing from somewhere, a woman's illness, and the comment would make you laugh if he wasn't looming down on you so intensely.

“Very well.” He shifts his jaw a bit, the scars along it shifting. He seems to have run out of things to say, though it also seems like he can't pull himself away from you. His throat and jaw are tightly wound, like he's holding something back.

“You want some… Don’t you?”

He seems surprised oddly enough; Perhaps by your bluntness and stupidity. Many legions would not take kindly to you assuming things about them, but Blood Angels are remarkably kinder. He is remarkably kinder.

“I," He grimaces. "I would owe you a great deal. Our superiors look at those with the Red Thirst as little more than a danger.”

The Blood Angels have been nothing but kind to you, in their own way. To even just be on the Red Tear is a safety and security you couldn’t repay.

It helps that it's him; You haven't ventured far around the Blood Angels ship alone, and you shamefully feel yourself beginning to get attached. If this curse can be sated by something so seemingly menial to you, then you have no reason to refuse.

“Ok.”

You move to take off your pants hands shaking just barely in nervousness, as he drops to his knee with one heavy thud. The sound startles you, just as your pants fall to the floor.

Once they’re off, and just your underwear remains, you hesitate for a moment. His stare is so intense, and you don't know how to describe it other than hungry. Given what he's told you, it makes perfect sense.

After what feels like and eternity of you being frozen, you finally manage to regain enough control to peel your underwear away. He viscerally reacts to the presumably iron filled scent, and the sight of blood against your now bare skin.

You see the way the knot in his throat bobs just above the black skinsuit beneath his armor.

With a speed that has you almost letting out a scream he grips your hips pulls them forward enough that the angle feels precarious, but he has a solid enough grip that leaves no chance of you falling. He throws your right leg over his shoulder next to open your thighs, your foot pressing against the front of his jetpack.

He hesitates for a moment, and you look away from the sheer intensity of his expression before you feel his hot breath on your skin.

You feel the moment he finally takes a taste and you can barely hold in a whimper, it coming out a tiny squeak as you feel the way his hands shift and tighten against your hips. Any hesitation he had is gone near instantly, as he presses his mouth against your cunt.

His armored hands grip at your hips with a strength that makes you ache and fear bruises, easily keeping your legs spread with minimal effort as his tongue laps at your folds. You can see the blood smear across his face, though he pays no mind. He acts as if this is the first meal he's had in ages, or the last he'll ever have.

But while perhaps your pleasure might not be at the forefront of his mind in his quite literal bloodlust, the way his tongue slips between your folds and teases you still makes shivers go up your spine. Your hands grip his hair and attempt to steady yourself, as his strength pushes you around. It's impossible to stop the way your hips push forward trying to get closer to him, gasping as he briefly brushes around your clit.

Suddenly however he pulls himself away, mouth stained much the same as your cunt and upper thighs are. You can see his eyes are glassy his throat bobs.

"I should stop."

He mumbles something to himself about loosing himself further to the Thirst, as if he's treading a line between sating his hunger or falling victim to it. You, perhaps stupidly, encourage him to do the exact opposite.

"No, no just, just a bit more,"

You breathlessly whisper and attempt to pull him closer. He silently resists for a moment, before the knot in his throat bobs and he returns his mouth to between your legs. You can't stop the loud moan you let out into the barren room, damning the consequences of anyone hearing you.

You're so close to that peak you only need a bit more, and the way his teeth scrape against your skin and nose presses against your clit gets you there. Your hands tighter in his hair and you inhale, trying not to cry out. But even after you start to come down he continues, his mouth overstimulating so many little nerves you feel on the edge of tears. Your face is hot as your fingers grip at his armor, desperately whining for him to simultaneously stop, and never stop.

He pulls away again, and gently emoves your leg from his shoulder to let you stand and wobbly attempt to yourself. Your knees feel weak and so many of your muscles are sore, even though he was exceedingly gentle with you.

Realizing his face is a mess, he uses the fabric of his cape to wipe it; How fortuitous the fabric is red.

"You should still keep clear of my brothers until this, passes. You never know how close one of them is to loosing themselves and hurting you." You'll heed the warning. If they're anything more than what gusto he already displayed, you wouldn't be surprised angels more lost to the thirst would be dangerous to you. He displayed a remarkable degree of restraint, you could tell.

Though, a curious part of your mind wonders what he'd be like if he hadn't.

"Do you at least feel better? I don't know how the Thirst works but," He nods.

"Yes. It is nice to not have my head so clouded. I... Thank you."

You smile, before accidentally letting more words tumble out of your lips that you should've allowed. It seems his presence always seems to makes you accidentally forget how to not act a fool.

"Always happy to help." He takes your phase at face value, though you suppose you wouldn't refuse him if he asked again. It wasn't as if this ended badly for you.

"You are kind, offering yourself to a Blood Angel. Not many would."

Beyond their sophisticated veneer they are still dangerous predators more than capable of killing you with the slightest motion, you understand why any few who learn about their supposed defect would fear them.

Maybe something is clouding your judgement, but you don't fear him; At least not yet.

Adjusting your clothing you watch as he rises to his full height, his cape flowing behind him. You grip your own fingers nervously and look around.

"But, would you mind bringing my back to my own quarters? I'll admit I have no idea where on the ship you brought me, and I'm still a bit woozy." He offers a gentle but stoic smile.

"Of course."

[bitethedevil]

Imagine if Raphael was on the Material Plane in human form when he happens to cross paths with his little mouse (who he is infatuated with) and then, for one reason or another, someone mistakenly assumes that Tav is his spouse and refers to Tav as such ("Oh, apologizes, sir! I didn't realize your spouse would be joining you!"). How do you think he'd react? Do you think he'd go deer in headlights for a second? Would he just roll with it? Would he clear up the confusion?

(I deviated a bit from this ask. Just felt like writing a silly little thing. This one is just Raphael being his dramatic self and a complete ass to Tav lmao. Idk I really had fun with this one but it's not super romantic or anything. It's also not super edited)

Let's Get Divorced (Raphael x Tav)

Tav was in a bar, drinking with the most sweet and handsome man she had ever seen. He was kind, he was interested in her, and he had the cutest smile. It had been a little while since she had last been with someone, so she had high hopes that she would end up in this handsome stranger’s bed later.

Defeating the Netherbrain and getting rid of her tadpole had really done something to her libido. It is as if her brain was still craving that excitement that only multiple near-death experiences can bring a person, and now it was compensating for it by being constantly horny.

She managed to steal a little kiss from the cute man she was drinking with, and she felt her heart beating a little faster. She had him. She was sure of it. She would finally be able to release all that pent up sexual frustration she had.

She went up to the bar to get more drinks and to cool down for a short moment. Her blood was pumping from the kiss. That is when she heard an all too recognizable voice behind her:

“A moment of your time, if you would be so kind, mouse.”

Her heart fell and she turned around. He was looking just as disgruntled as the last time he sought her out and asked her for the Crown. She kept finding excuses for not delivering it to him, even though she had signed his contract. She was way too drunk to have this conversation with Raphael.

“Please,” she said. “Not tonight…”

“Not tonight, not last week, not a month ago,” he said annoyed. “I am running out of patience, dear.”

“And I’m sorry, I’ve been busy…” she said. “I obviously don’t have it on me right now. Just please…not tonight.”

“Busy, are you?” Raphael asked with a sneer. “And what is it that you are so terribly busy with this evening?”

“Uuuh…” Tav said and tried to think of an answer that was not ‘getting laid’, but her mind was not her friend at the moment, and she came up blank.

“That’s what I thought,” Raphael said. “You will take me to it, and you will personally hand it to me, tonight. I am not leaving before I have the Crown of Karsus in my hands.”

“Tomorrow, please,” she pleaded. “Come by tomorrow, and I promise you that I will give it to you.”

Her eyes quickly went to the man she had been talking to and she could see that he was staring at the two of them.

“Please, Raphael,” she said again.

Raphael slowly turned at looked at who she was looking at, before turning back to her.

“Is that what you are so occupied with?” Raphael asked her. “Chasing boys?”

“No…” she said.

Raphael gave her a look.

“Yes…” she admitted. “So what? Look, I promise I will hand you the Crown tomorrow. I will even place it on your head for you, just…let me have tonight…please.”

“You make me come to this disgusting establishment, you waste my time, you find excuse after excuse…” Raphael hissed at her. “I will not abide it, little mouse.”

“’Little mouse’?” she heard a voice behind Raphael ask. “Is he your husband or something?”

Her eyes widened slightly. Raphael’s anger disappeared the moment he heard the voice behind him, and a cruel smile spread across his face as he looked into Tav’s eyes.

“He is,” Raphael said smoothly and turned around to face the man she had been talking to. He put an arm around her waist as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him. “And you are?”

The man’s eyes went back and forth from Tav to Raphael in confusion. Tav was just as confused as to what just happened. She laughed nervously.

“Oh, he’s not…” she explained and pointed at Raphael. “I’m not married.”

“This again, my love?” Raphael asked her with feigned hurt and then looked at the man to address him. “She claims that she does not get enough attention at home, my little mouse.”

“Hahaaa, very funny. I have no idea what—” she said but was interrupted by Raphael, as his arm tightened around her waist.

“It is not the first time I have had to collect her from one of the city’s taverns, of course,” Raphael said with a dramatic sigh. “She keeps throwing herself at the patrons, you see. She can get quite unpleasant when she drinks too much.”

“He is not my husband!” Tav said to the man and tried to pry Raphael’s grip off her waist.

“I…I’m sorry, sir,” the man said to Raphael. “She never told me she was married.”

“I’m not!” she said loudly, still trying to squirm out of Raphael’s grip.

“Oh, that does sound like her,” Raphael said and punctuated it with a patronizing tap on her nose, still effortlessly holding her, despite her putting in her full strength in to get out of his grasp. “She has always been inclined to forget her obligations, isn’t that right, dearest?”

She looked the poor, sweet man who looked so confused and sad at the revelation. The whole situation was extremely awkward.

“Raphael, I will get you the damn…thing…” she said through gritted teeth, looking Raphael in the eyes. “Tell him that we are not married!”

“You say such hurtful things when you drink, my love,” Raphael said. She could see that he was fully enjoying this.

“Again, I am truly sorry for this misunderstanding,” the man said. “I will just…go…”

“No, no, don’t go. He is not my husband. He is a literal devil!” she said to him.

“She likes to exaggerate, don’t you, dear? Come, let us go home,” Raphael said to her as if he was dealing with an insane person and started dragging her out of the bar.

“But—” she said and took one last glance at the man as she was being pulled away.

Raphael only let go of her once they were outside the bar.

“It seems that your oh-so-busy schedule has been cleared,” Raphael said with a smile. “Now, take me to it.”

“There is no way that I would ever have married you of all people, just to make that clear,” Tav grumbled, slightly slurring. “Even the idea of it is offensive.”

“Oh, you wound me,” Raphael said with a cold expression. “Although, much like a marriage, we are bound together unless you fulfill your part of the deal. Of course, with us it is less of a ‘till death do us part’ arrangement and more of a… ‘when your death do us unite’ sort of thing. Let me remind you that I still have a contract, with your signature on it, that promises me your soul if you do not hand me the crown. As things currently stand, I own you, little mouse.”

Tav sighed deeply.

“Let’s go get fucking divorced then, I guess,” she drunkenly mumbled and turned to walk towards the direction of her house, to go get the crown for him, so that her part of the deal was fulfilled.

Raphael mood seemed to brighten at her surrender, and he offered her his arm to take as they started walking towards her home. Tav linked arms with him not to stumble.

She was moping about the fact that Raphael had ruined her chances at going home with someone. It was as if Raphael had read her mind.

“Before we do, I want to express how grateful I am that you finally came to your senses,” Raphael purred. “I am not without generosity for those who help me, and you clearly had a goal in mind for tonight. I would be a neglectful husband to leave my little mouse wanting, would I not?”

Tav’s brow furrowed as she looked at him. He smirked at her. Her eyes widened in realization.

��Oh?

[ultraericthered]

One Villainous Scene: Cage Of Expectations

A brief one, but it gives so much insight and explains so much about the inner world of a character who, up to this point, was kept shrouded in mystery even though we all knew he was the villain, and also perfectly sets him up to make the decisions he ends up making.

While the later retcon tells us that Ken became a prodigious, genius boy due to a "Dark Spore" inplanted in him by accident that only "went off" when he visited the Dark Ocean, the whys and hows aren't really crucial to understanding Ken's story at this point: he's a star student, star athlete, and even something of a young celebrity within the world of science and computers. Because he is so well known and renowned, he's given plenty of filmed interviews like we see him doing here. After the interview is done, the headmaster of Ken's school comes over to him to offer congragulatory words...and then in a very shady move, whispers to Ken the offer to tutor his daughter in her studies over at his place so that she can excell in her grades at his school, saying he'd reward Ken handsomely for it. Ken plays the "I'm just a kid, I ain't THAT good" card, which makes the principal start to back off...but then he turns back around and asks the disgruntled Ken for an autograph. Turns out that beyond mere corruption and nepotism practices, the headmaster was pestering Ken about these things because his daughter's a fangirl of Ken. This does not please Ken. Who do some plain, unexceptional, low IQ girl and her plain, unexceptional, low IQ father think they are asking him for favors like this? Such matters are far below his time and efforts.

(In the English dub, this interaction is changed to some nonsense about the headmaster wanting Ken over to help him win at a video game called "Donkey Madness" prior to getting the autograph. The effect on Ken is the same, but I think it takes a lot out of the scene.)

Ken is then seen at dinner with his parents, who are acting all congragulatory and gushing over their son's interview and how smart he is and how maturely he presents himself. Yeah, they're really shitty parents. Much as they do love their son and loved his late brother, their love for the idea of being the parents of a special genius child enraptures them so much that they lose sight of what's really best for their child and his needs as a human being, and they coast off the achievements and reputation of their child without really giving back to him in any substantial way. Ken isn't really pleased with the way they interact with him either, so he gets up and leaves the table.

Then comes the big moment. An image that says so much even when so little is said (again, in the original. The dub butchered it by having Ken internally ramble the whole way, which not even Derek Stephen Prince can really save.) Ken's on the roof of his apartment building, standing in front of a barred fence. He can see the entire city from here, a city filled with mediocre people who he considers to be completely beneath him, but who will always look to exploit his gifts and use whatever he accomplishes for their own benefit, and will feel alright about themselves for doing nothing, being nothing. Ken would love nothing more than to abuse, bully, enslave, torture, or even kill the whole lot of them...but he's far too intelligent to not know better. He knows that the rules of civil society prohibit him from acting freely upon those cruel urges, making him have to conform and comply with the regulations set by lesser people. He, a Chosen One, a "perfect human", has to just sit there and take it like a good little boy, to not werewolf and go wild on these people. He's trapped. Caged like a rare breed of animal rather than the god he believes himself to be. The bars he grabs onto represents this cage, and all he can do here is snarl and shout out to city below him "INSECTS!"

But of course we know that there's a place Ken goes to where he can actually live his wildest fantasies, and act as he would naturally prefer to act towards lesser beings completely free of repercussions. The world he believes is one large MMORPG that exists for his pleasure. The Digital World, where he asserts himself as the Digimon Kaiser. And it's at this point where he starts to call that place home.

[mollymagician]

Dreamling Week Day 2: stuck in an elevator

Hi guys!! *shows up three days late with a Starbucks, two immortals and an old lady stuck in an elevator*

It was June 7th. Not THE June 7th, not the big one, they’re a few years off from that yet, but a random rainy 7th of June, and Hob was off doing errands. He’d have been a lot more disgruntled about slogging half way around the city in a pelting downpour if he hadn’t known that Dream would pop up somewhere, he always somehow managed it on this specific date.

But it’s still a surprise when he suddenly comes into being just as Hob is about to hop onto the lift at stop #2 on his to-do list.

Hob shoots him a grin. “Fancy seeing you out and about on such a miserable day.”

Dream replied with the small smile that seemed to be his grin-equivalent. “I thought you could use…assistance holding your umbrella?”

There was a ding as the doors slid open, and then began to close behind them as they stepped inside. Suddenly, Dream’s arm shot out, inhumanly quick and totally lacking the primal human fear of getting one’s fingers squished.

The doors sprang back open, revealing a stooped and wrinkled figure shuffling along behind a walker. Her gray hair was bundled into a messy bun, and gray eyes were magnified enormously by the thickest glasses Hob had ever seen.

Her name was Gladys, they would soon come to find out.

She didn’t seem to notice that Dream somehow knew what floor to push for her without asking, just crackled, “Oh, thank you kindly, dearie!” and Hob stifled a snicker. Dearie.

The lift began to rise. They made it to the sixth floor before the power went out.

Gladys sighed and pronounced with feeling, “Oh bugger!”

Gladys was eighty-two years old, never trusted elevators, but was delighted to be stuck in one with “two such handsome young men!”

“Er…I’m sure the power will be back up in a tick,” Hob said. Gladys settled comfortably on the seat of her walker, seemingly very content with her lot.

“So romantic, eh boys? Just like those little stories my granddaughter likes to write!” She gave Hob a wink. Dream’s head tilted and he took on the far-away look he got whenever he was accessing his mental metaphysical Google, or whatever it was he did. Hob could tell when he finally found what he was looking for, because his eyebrows shot up so high they nearly cleared the top of his head.

Fifteen minutes later:

“Well lads, thank the good Lord I had a piddle before I came or we’d be in dire straights right about now!”

Standing behind Gladys, Dream reached into his coat and produced his pouch of sand, giving Hob a look that he could only translate as is it really necessary for us all to be stuck in this box?

Hob wasn’t sure how to telegraph we cannot throw sand at a little old woman and teleport her out of a lift because she will have a STROKE with nothing but expressive eyebrows so he just shook his head and shot Dream his sternest look. It worked on his students…usually. Dream signed and put the sand away obediently.

Another fifteen minutes:

They had heard about Gladys’ late husband, her three grandchildren and how lovely the cardiologist was that she’d been on her way to visit before her morning got derailed. She rummaged around in her purse. “Like a mint, dears?”

Hob swore under his breath at his phone. “Connection is wretched in here. I can’t get through to anyone.” Dream patted him awkwardly on the shoulder. Hob could FEEL him restraining himself from pulling his sand out and dangling it in Hob’s face.

“I’m sure everything will be fine, lovie. I think I have a deck of cards about, somewhere…” More purse-rummaging. “Oh, and a sandwich! Bless, I forgot that was there.”

Ten more minutes:

“So,” Gladys said, “How long have you two been together, eh? I’d have been celebrating fifty years with my Bert this July.”

Silence. Distantly, Hob could hear the rain pounding against the building, echoing down the elevator shaft.

“Er…” he began, eloquently.

“That is…” he continued.

“Oh go on, it’s all right,” Gladys chirped. “My grandson, the one at university, he’s got himself a nice boyfriend. I said to myself, I said, Gladys, you can tell when two lads are sweet on one another, so don’t go challenging anyone to strip poker.” She pulled the deck of cards out of her purse and winked. “Yet.”

“Um,” Hob said.

“Sometimes it feels like six hundred years,” Dream intoned.

Gladys cackled and bopped the Immortal Endless King of Dreams and Nightmares on the arm with her purse. “Oh, listen to this one here!”

“It is…our anniversary,” Dream added.

He reached over to nudge Hob’s jaw shut with a little click, and then tugged Hob into his side like…like it was just something they did. And yes, that was definitely a smirk.

The power chose that moment to come back on.

“Oh…bugger,” Hob said.

——————————————-

They made it back down to the lobby with little incident. Gladys shuffled off to call her daughter, she said, since her doctors appointment was a bust. But first, she gave Hob a surprisingly crushing handshake and thumped Dream on the shoulder and said, loudly, “Well, thank you for the LOVELY time, boys. Let’s hope that the next time you’re stuck in a lift on your anniversary it’s not with an old bird like me hanging around, eh?” She executed a frankly indecent eyebrow wiggle, and shuffled away, humming to herself.

Hob stood for a moment watching her go, and realized he didn’t have the patience for any more of that day’s to-do list. He was to-do’ed out, as it were. Except for one thing. He glanced up at Dream and tried hard to control the idiot grin attempting to take over his face.

“We need to talk,” Hob said.

“That was partially my intent when I came to visit you today,” Dream said, still smirking, the bastard.

“Partially?”

“I must admit, I’d hoped that talking wouldn’t be our only activity.”

Hob sighed. “Right. I’m not hiking back to the tube in this weather. Get back in the lift, dearie. This time you can sand us all you like.”

Dream said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

[wardenparker]

From Dorne, with Love - Epilogue

Oberyn Martell x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

Your little sister is marrying her fairy tale princess on the exotic desert island nation of Dorne. Your soon-to-be sister-in-law’s playboy uncle is the other member of the wedding party along with you, but will your opposite approaches to life drive you apart before the ceremony even begins? Or is it possibly the beginning of a future you never thought possible?

Rating: Teen for the chapter, but this is an 18+ blog! Word Count: 3.9k Warnings:  Honestly, none. This is just pure fluff. Summary: A little slice of life from the future of the Prince and Princess of Dorne. Notes: I cannot begin to say a big enough thank you to everyone who came along for this journey with us! It is such a joy to love and be loved by Oberyn 💖 And to have that beautiful happy ending that is so worthwhile in a fic. Thank you all for reading!

Part 1 ~ Part 2 ~ Part 3 ~ Part 4 ~ Part 5 ~ Part 6 ~ Epilogue

“Braciole for table twelve is up! Branzino for table nine is up! Let’s keep moving guys!” The lunch rush on weekends is always busy. It’s usually busy right through every single weekday, too, but weekends are booked solid for the next seven months at Paradiso and watching your staff hustle to make that demand worth your customers’ while is a thing of absolute beauty. 

“Yes chef!” Is a phrase heard hundreds of times a day as they push through every demand with spectacular efficiency and grace, and there is almost nowhere in the world you would rather be than in this kitchen, unless the alternative being offered is anywhere at your husband’s side. He’s the reason you named your restaurant paradise and the first reason you smile every morning. He’s been the most wonderful support in your lives together and you honestly don’t know where you would be without him.

“Maron!” Oberyn calls out to the boy who starts sprinting to the back to his Momma the second he hits the building’s back door. “Don’t knock anyone over!” He grins as Joss curls against his neck sleepily where she has just been woken up from her nap and is not quite ready to greet anyone.

The loud banging of the kitchen’s swinging door and stampeding of small feet on the busy floor is something you’d been anticipating for hours, knowing that your nine-year-old son has more energy than most whole armies. “Momma!” His voice is louder than the din around you, and he is attached to your side before you can blink. 

“Hello, my little love,” you have one arm around him instantly - the young prince has been the spitting image of his father since the day he was born and it makes you smile to ruffle his hair and be answered by the same disgruntled look as your husband would give. “Did you leave your Papa and little sister behind somewhere?”

“They’re too slow!” He pouts and gives you another hug. The kitchens have been where he could always find you here since he was a toddler. “Do you have cookies?” He asks, turning his big brown eyes up at you pleadingly. “I’m hungry.”

“I don’t know, my love. Running in the kitchen is naughty, and naughty boys don’t get cookies.” The way you raise your eyebrow at him makes him pout even more heavily. “But I guess we can make an exception if you promise not to run the rest of the day.”

“Fiiiiiiiine.” Maron has perfected eye rolling at his tender age and uses it expertly. Knowing full well he will get away with it because you find him completely adorable.

“You are too much like your father.” You can’t help but laugh, ruffling his hair again and leading him by the shoulder to the other side of the kitchen where the airtight container of biscotti and amaretti cookies are kept well out of reach of princely fingers.

“Dashing? Handsome? Or charming?” Oberyn asks with a delightfully smug grin on his face as he opens the door to the kitchen. Joss perks up in his arms when she sees her second favorite human. “Momma!”

“Good at getting his way.” You tell your husband, with an expression that says you know exactly what your son was doing, you just don’t care too much. In one swift motion you lift your little girl out of his arms and place a soft kiss on Oberyn’s lips then one on your daughter’s forehead. “Did you have a good nap, sweet girl?”

“Nuh uh.” Her fierce little shake of her head is obstinate, even if she’s starting to become more alert. “Papa made me get out of the pool for nap time.” She tattles, glowering over at her father.

“Uh oh.” Her ferocity makes you grin, like always, and you press kisses to both of her cheeks as you bounce softly with her in your arms. “Sounds like Papa’s in trouble with his baby.”

“I am.” Oberyn confirms with a grin at his youngest daughter. She was a complete Papa’s girl until he made her mad. Which was at least once a day, but he always redeemed himself by bedtime. “How is your day?” He asks you, picking up a berry from a station and popping it into his mouth. “The restaurant looks full.”

“People like to be able to say they’ve had a princess cook for them.” It’s always been your favourite joke about Paradiso’s popularity, even though there are plenty of people who walk in and out of your doors every day who have no idea who the chef making their meals actually is. “How were your meetings this morning?”

He bobbles his head slightly. “About as well as expected.” He grins when Maron passes Joss a cookie, the boys is always looking out for his little sister. “At least they are done though and all we have to do is relax and enjoy the weekend.”

“My parents are coming into town and you think we get to relax?” One suspicious eyebrow raises itself at him. “Do you know something I don’t?”

Chuckling he leans over and kisses you again. “They are here for your birthday and to see their grandbabies.” He reminds you. “They have mellowed with age. Or I have just gotten used to them.”

“They have mellowed because of the grandbabies.” In the years since Maron and Joss were born your parents have made it a point to visit Dorne a few times a year, and have started talking about retiring to the island where their children and grandchildren all live. “But you’ve probably gotten used to them, too.”

“Although I don’t mind when you get exasperated and come find me for some angry…comfort.” He smirks at you, little ears making him less vulgar that he would normally be.

Letting Joss down when she wriggles insistently in your arms, you slip into Oberyn’s waiting embrace with a mischievous grin. “I’m sure there will be plenty of that. Birthday comfort, too.”

“There’s also weekend comfort too.” Oberyn reminds you, the spark not fading between you despite ten years and two children.

“How about some bath comfort after we put the kids to bed tonight?” You keep your voice low and waggle your eyebrows at him salaciously since you know both your kids are too busy with the sights and sounds and smells of the busy kitchen to pay attention to their boring parents right now.

“I think that can definitely be arranged.” The prince smirks and steals another kiss. “Plus I have to wake you up right on your birthday.”

“You have a plan, I assume?” Every year you and Oberyn have always made a great show of walking each other up with intimacy on your birthdays. You always try to do something a little creative, though in your opinion it would take a miracle to outshine any of Oberyn’s performances.

“I do.” He murmurs, glancing over at the kids as they try to scarf down as many biscuits as they can before you take away the tin. “I want to see if I can put you to sleep with my tongue and wake you up with it.”

“I have the best husband in the world.” An indulgent hum passes your lips as you hug him close, only raising your voice to add: “And two little loves who are going to spoil their very special dinner with Grammy and Gramps if they keep eating the cookies for Momma’s customers.”

Both Martell children groan but know that their mother is serious and don’t reach for another cookie. “Fiiiiine” Maron huffs. “I was full anyway and Joss’s tummy is smaller than mine.”

“It’s uncanny.” You point a finger at Oberyn, always playful when pointing out how like him his only son is. “Let me take off my jacket and grab my purse and we can go.” By this hour your parents’ flight should have landed and your driver should be bringing them to the palace directly, giving you just enough time to get home and wash up so you don’t smell of kitchen before dinner is served.

Oberyn takes the tin away from the kids and winks at them while looking around the restaurant. You had grown it into a success that had nothing to do with the Martell name and everything to do with your talent. He is beyond proud of you, having watched you take on motherhood, a role in the royal family, and the running of your very own restaurant with remarkable flair.

One quick check in with your senior sous chef and you’re dropping your chef’s jacket on the back of the chair in your office and grabbing your purse to meet Oberyn and the kids at the back door where you know his driver is waiting with the car. “They’re going to be packed all weekend, but Allendry promises not to call unless the sky is falling.” You tell Oberyn when you climb in beside him.

“You should really consider hiring another chef.” Oberyn tells you for probably the twentieth time. “The restaurant can handle the overhead considering you don’t even take a salary. And it would free up more time with the monkeys.”

“Actually.” Nuzzling into his side as the car takes off, it seems like this might be the perfect time to let him know what you’ve been contemplating for a few weeks now. “I’ve been thinking about doing a few promotions in the kitchen. Moving up Allendry, making my saucier a sous chef, and taking on a new prep cook.” You doubt it will come as a surprise to him, but the request had made you nearly burst with pride when Oberyn and Ellaria’s oldest daughter had come to you with her plans for culinary school a month ago. “Elia has decided she wants to be a chef.”

There is a pleased hum and a smile on Oberyn’s face as he hears about one of his Sand Snakes plans. “I don’t doubt it, she is always hounding you in the kitchen. I swear I find all of them, Ellaria too, at my table more since I married you.”

Some might have considered the tight friendship you forged with your husband’s former lover to be unorthodox, but the fact is that you and Ellaria get along very well. You value her ferocity and she counts on your steadfastness, and the two of you growing close so quickly had bonded your young children together as well. “I’m honestly glad she came to me. Even if she didn’t want to work in my kitchen, I could have at least helped from a distance. But I love that El wants to learn what she can from me. I just hope she didn’t pick up all my tricks already through osmosis.”

“You will do wonderfully. And she will be a sponge.” He predicts, looking over at where the kids are sitting. Maron is reading his younger sister a book on the drive home. “I haven’t thanked you for them lately.” He realizes, grinning at you.

“Are you thinking about thanking me the way you thanked me for Maron and suddenly we were expecting Joss?” Slipping your fingers through his, you bring the back of his hand to your lips to kiss.

"Don't I always?" He asks with a smirk, although both of you had decided that two children were enough, since he begrudgingly admitted he was getting older. The salt and pepper look has gradually crept into his hair and the thin line of a beard he sports. After Joss was born, he had gone to get a vasectomy, refusing the doctor's suggestion that he let you get your tubes tied during birth.

“Always.” You nuzzle into his side as much as your seatbelt will allow and keep your voice low so that the kids won’t hear you and immediately prove you wrong. “They are fairly wonderful, aren’t they?”

"Of course they are." He chuckles. "You're their mother, they couldn't be anything but wonderfully stubborn and passionate. Creative and kind." He winks at you. "They get their looks and smarts from me." He teases playfully. He loves them just as much as his other children, and as the babies, they were spoiled by all their older half siblings, but were remarkably well grounded. 

“Their humility comes from you, too.” The way you roll your eyes at him is fond, though. Pure love inside the teasing. Oberyn has given you everything you ever dreamt without ever batting an eye - never making you doubt your worthiness or that his love might have a cost. Ten years of his unconditional and unwavering love have been fully committed to you - nine for Maron and five for Joss. How could they ever doubt their worthiness when their parents tell them every day how truly loved they are?

"I'm a prince." He elegantly shrugs a shoulder in unabashed disconcern. "I have no need for humility. As much as I exasperate my brother, he puts up with me." He reaches out to grasp your chin, tilting it slightly. "And my princess seems to like me, so I am favored by the Gods."

“Your princess loves you desperately.” This declaration, quiet as it is, still elicits a small groan of embarrassment from both of your kids and you grin. “And your youngest children seem to tolerate you the way your brother does, so everything seems just as it should be.”

"They will understand when they get older and fall in love." He grins back at you, feeling the car slow down as the driver comes to the gates at the palace. "Although I hope not too soon, right Joss?"

“Nuh uh.” His youngest child gives her usual, obstinate answer for anything she dislikes and makes a face. “Nymmy said it feels like butterflies in your tummy but I don’t want butterflies in my tummy!” She looks horrified at the prospect, actually, and lowers her voice conspiratorially. “Do people eat the butterflies?”

Oberyn can't help but laugh at the very literal way that his daughter took Nymira's explanation for how it feels to be in love. "No, my littlest sand snake." He shakes his head, mirth making his eyes dance even though she's scowling, thinking that she is being laughed at. "No one eats beautiful butterflies. Nymmy just meant that it makes your tummy feel happy. Like when I throw you up in the air and you giggle and demand that I do it again?"

“Oh.” That seems to mollify her a little, and her small mind reviews the facts with thoughtful precision. “In that case?” She looks up at both of you with an expression of determination in her little eyes. “I would like to be in love soon, please.”

"Shit." Oberyn is very liberal and relaxed with his children, letting them find themselves however they wish to. But the idea of his youngest being determined to find love at the tender age of five was going to wreak havoc on the palace for months to come. She will dog the footsteps of every man or woman she sees as a potential for that love until she grows bored of the idea. "So soon, little one? Just remember, we cannot be in love with family. We are not Lannisters."

You barely manage to stifle a laugh at his dig at his family rivals, but Joss seems to just take it as sound advice and nods accordingly. “May I be in love with Hobard?” She asks permission very carefully, as though it were something she could just decide on and not something that would happen to her naturally in time without her ever having a say in it.

"I see no problem with that." Oberyn smiles at her fondness of the older man who has seen and experienced so much in the palace. "Remember, though, his love for you might be different. It might be like the love your Momma and I have for you. And it's perfectly acceptable to love like that too."

“Okay.” And just like that, Joss shrugs her little shoulders and looks over at her brother. “Will you read more?”

Oberyn blinks and looks over at you with a slightly exasperated expression. Maron starts reading to his sister again and Oberyn leans over and nuzzles your jaw before he speaks. Murmuring in your ear, he chuckles. "We are going to be run ragged when she gets older."

“Just as long as she doesn’t make us grandparents at fourteen.” You whisper back pointedly, but turn to plant a soft kiss in his lips as the driver turns off the main road to the long drive of the Old Palace.

"Birth control is a modern miracle." He hums in agreement, looking over at the kids. It was a miracle none of his children had made him a grandfather by mistake, but they had all been careful so far.

“I think Obara might be close.” Tucking your head against his shoulder as the car glides down the long drive is a comfortable feeling, one that is embedded in your muscle memory from countless outings together. “She was very unsubtle about asking some questions about family heirlooms when we talked a few days ago. Either she’s planning ahead, or she’ll have news for us soon.” Oberyn’s oldest daughter had married a few years ago, but there had never been any talk of children until her most recent phone call. Under the flimsy excuse of asking about your birthday plans, she had managed to slip in a few inquiries about Martell family heirloom baby blankets and the rocking chair that still stands in the nursery.

“Hmmmm.” Oberyn smiles at the idea and completely approves. “We will have to throw a party for her when she does announce it.” He doesn’t mind the idea of grandchildren at all, there is nothing he loves more than the sounds of children running through the palace. It’s happy and exuberant, the sounds of life and love.

“Catering baby showers might become a new specialty for Paradiso.” Your staff had gone all-out for you when you and Oberyn were expecting Joss, as if to somehow make up for the fact that it had not yet opened when Maron came into the world. It had been a beautiful party, and much more relaxed than the official celebration that Mellario had thrown for the public eye. That was an elegant soirée. But Lily, Aja, and Ellaria had worked with your restaurant staff to throw something much more playful in private.

“I can see that doing really well.” Oberyn smirks. “A lot of babies are born in Dorne.” He reminds you. The small country did have a proclivity for multiple children in most households.

“I could recreate the menu they made for me for Joss’s shower.” The idea burrows inside you easily, nestling in the part of your heart reserved for nostalgia attached to pregnancy instead of the reality of morning sickness, swollen ankles, and bed rest. “Call it a party fit for a princess.”

“Obara would love that.” Oberyn can’t help but turn and place his hand on your stomach even though he knows there isn’t a baby in there. He had constantly had his hand on his child through both of your pregnancies. “First we have to let her announce.”

“I’ll try not to get ahead of myself.” You can’t promise not to get excited, of course. You would never lie to him like that. For all your early worries, being a stepmother to his older daughters had come naturally, as has your friendships with his former lovers. It was like there was a space in his life, sized exactly right for you to step into - and you had never looked back.

"You will be a very happy grandmother." He teases, winking at you. "Not even forty years old yet." The way you already dreamed of a bigger family makes his heart swell. 

“I’ll have many years with all of my husband’s grandbabies sleeping in my arms.” It draws nothing less than a wistful sigh out of you and you grin guiltily. “I was just about to leave a newspaper article about reversing vasectomies lying very subtly on the kitchen counter, too. She has excellent timing.”

His brow shoots up in surprise, not expecting that to come out of your mouth. It wasn't like the two of you hadn't talked about his vasectomy before he went and got it done. The car pulls to a stop in front of the house. "Baby fever?" He asks as he opens the door to get out and help you out.

“Maybe a little.” Stepping out of the car and into his arms, it’s as easy as breathing to lean in and kiss him. “At our age, though, it’s probably better for me to get grandbaby fever.” As young and spry as you feel on your best days, you are still nearer to 40 than not.

He snorts and turns back to help Maron and Joss out. Maron also wanted to help Joss in and out of her booster seat, playing his role of big brother to perfection. "It seems like the appropriate time to get that fever." He chuckles. "We have both of them out of diapers and dressing themselves."

“You haven’t been without a small child around you in your whole life.” Joss reaches for you despite having both her father and her brother at her beck and call, and you gladly lift her into your arms to carry her inside. “I would hate to start now.”

Maron runs ahead, yelling his thanks when Hobard opens the door and disappears into the house, feet slapping on the marble floors. "You would hate it, huh?" He jokes, hand on your back as you walk inside the large palace that was simply home to your and his family.

His teasing just garners a small smile from you, and you thank Hobard as you pass him into the palace, having promised yourself years ago that you would never take this life and its advantages for granted. “You would be sad if there wasn’t at least one little one running around. Admit it.”

"I love all my children." He admits. "I have loved seeing their innocent joy, carefree laughs." He nods towards the stairs as the two of you walk towards them. "I doubt with as many children as I have sired, there will ever be silence in these halls."

“So much the better.” You promise him. 

And as if to prove it, Joss chooses this moment to nearly blow your eardrum out, screaming “Grammy!” when she spots your mother at the top of the stairwell. You set her down on two determined feet before she can flail her way out of your arms or kick you, and she is off like a shot to get her special Grammy hugs that only your mother can provide.

He chuckles when you press your hand to your ear. "The joyous sounds of children." He reminds you with a grin. "Do you want me to entertain while you clean up?"

“I won’t be long.” The two of you hustle upstairs but are no match for your little Olympians, who are already hugging their grandparents fiercely. 

This is the life you dreamt of - your beautiful home, your standout restaurant, your happy and healthy children that you love with every fiber of your being. And all of it because ten years ago, the man you now call your husband wouldn’t let you give up on reaching for the future.

______

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My Masterlist!

[shoutogepi]

Catboy!Shouto

Todoroki Shouto

word count : ~2K (blurb!)

[ ☀︎ ]  fluff!! 

bio : general catboy!sho hc’s. initial meeting all the way to relationship.

author’s note : a midnight hc that got WAY out of hand. fair warning idk what the fUCK this is, whatever it is is all astrid’s fault. i decided to make this bc i suck at finding fics and i rly wanted to read something about a snuggly catboy!sho.

   ─── ・°* ﾟ✧:* • ｡ﾟ:*･☽･*: ｡ﾟ•*:✧ ﾟ*°・ ───

in my opinion, shouto is already very catlike in certain respects.

he’s aloof and likes to watch rather than engage. he’s very intelligent and he’s driven when he wants to be. and not to mention he’s very loyal to those few that have melted through his ice-protected heart. he’ll probably also only allow physical interaction if he’s the one initiating it... 

you didn’t adopt him in human form. at some point you got a cat and you thought that was it— that it was merely a cat. a cute one at that, split down the middle like a patched together hand-me-down. he reminded you of a ragdoll because of his peculiar colors, even though his coat was sleek and shiny. he also had a very prominent air of elegance... overall, a very pretty cat.

however, he wasn’t the nicest animal at first. he was skittish and guarded. he really only interacted with you in order to get food and water, and he didn’t allow you to touch him all too much. any time you had friends over there was no chance he’d be spotted, always hiding in the shadows of your closet or the safe space underneath your bed. when your company would leave, he would slowly crawl out, watching you from a respectable distance as you tidied up before heading to bed.

even though he was kind of a dick, you spoiled him silly. you bought him his own bed since he refused to even go near you. he had his own cat tree and everything, and ample toys too. that was how he first began warming up to you. 

you had managed to pique his interest by dragging a ribbon toy across the floor and disappearing around the doorframe. you had been over the moon when he had poked his little head into the room, pupils wide as he eyed the ribbon with intense curiosity.

the morning after that, you had awoken to find him sitting on the very far corner of your bed. it was as far as he could possibly be from you while staying on the mattress, but you were elated nonetheless.

— - —

from then on, your relationship was a little steadier with the feline. he would follow you around your place, always in the same room as you but forever out of reach. occasionally he would allow you to give him a little scratch behind the ear or under the chin, but he would get up and leave after a few seconds of affection.

it wasn’t until he came down with a minor kitty cold that your relationship changed. you took him to the vet. he hated it. he was such a misbehaved boy, but when you had nearly cried as you frantically apologized for his behavior, he strangely became limp, a disgruntled expression on his cute little face.

you took him home and attempted to administer the medicine, even if he hissed and growled at you when you approached him with the distinct vial. you tried to give it to him, and he lashed out and scratched you for the very first time.

it was just a little cut, but it was enough to draw blood. you left the medicine with him and closed yourself away in the bathroom as you tended to your wound, irritated that after all you’d done for him he still treated you like shit. but he was a cat, you reckoned, and so you instantly dropped any malice that had come forth in those few minutes. when you opened the door again, he was sitting at the doorway, ears flat to his head and head lowered, the medicine vial resting before his paws.

after that he allowed you to administer the medicine without complaint. he just layed there and would blink lazily at you while you moved him accordingly, never fussing at all. it was clear that he was sick initially, but each time you gave him that medicine he became more and more like himself. he looked strong and healthy once again. you were relieved.

your relationship kept improving. he would now let you pet him from time to time. sometimes he would even jump up and settle himself into a little loaf next to you as you watched TV or typed away at your laptop. he began sleeping closer to you, sometimes on your feet, sometimes on the vacant side of your bed. the sound of his low purrs lulled you to sleep.

things started getting strange when you started going out with someone you had met. you’d given your number to them when they’d asked for it out of the blue. it was all very innocent, nothing too crazy. just a coffee here and there, really.

that was when shouto started becoming more affectionate with you. he would let out a loud meow in greeting when you came home, running to the door to meet you and promptly sticking his head into the shoes you slipped off your feet. he would sit with you as you went through the work you brought home, even nuzzle your ankles while you made yourself dinner. he would start to sit on your lap when you were watching the television.

he would even let you kiss his head , and he’d slowly blink at you when you praised him for all his handsomeness, for how good of a boy he was. he even started slipping into the sheets with you, allowing you to hold him close as you drifted off into slumber, and kneading at your blankets as the two of you fell asleep together.

but coffees turned into lunches. and lunches to dinners. you started spending less and less time at your place, and he would find himself watching the clock on the wall as he waited for your return. though when you finally would, later and later with each passing date, he was not pleased to find your scent mixed with another’s.

he had stayed in cat form for a very long time. perhaps he shifted into human form when you weren’t home, you didn’t know. you thought he was your cat, and that was the end of it. all you knew was that one morning, you woke up, expecting to have your snuggly companion curled up into your side as usual.

instead, there’s a whole ass MAN tucked into the sheets beside you, long leg slung over yours and his arm wound round your waist. what’s even wilder is that two cat ears stick out of the silky hair on his head, colored the distinct red and white of the fur you have become so accustomed to. a long, furry tail also rests on your thigh, brushing against your skin.

he’s also butt ass naked.

to say you’re shook is an understatement. thankfully he’s laying on his stomach, so you don’t see anything indecent. you weigh your options here— this man is so obviously your cat, there’s no way he’s not. but you have a cat, and this is a man!! man-cat? you can’t care to know the correct terminology.

you decide not to scream, but you shuffle backwards. it’s enough to disturb the creature, and his heterochromatic eyes peel open slowly. he sees you looking at him, and still weighed down by sleep, a mild, content smile curls his lips and a loud purr rumbles out of him. then his eyes move down and he catches sight of his own arm around you, and he scrambles off the bed, ears tucked back and tail bristling as he trips over the sheets.

after you find some clothes for him to wear, you have a rather awkward conversation over breakfast. turns out that he’s been capable of turning into this human form the whole time, but he had become accustomed to life as a cat and preferred it to being a human, as he had a hard time fitting in with his big ears and long tail. you reckoned you, too, would live as a cat if you had the option... especially with such a doting and caring owner as yourself.

now though, you can’t really refer to yourself as his owner. he’s a person, just like you— he just harbors many of his cat-like qualities.

initially it’s hard to adjust, knowing he’s also a man (and a very handsome one, at that). you buy him some clothes and start to cook meals for the both of you. what else are you gonna do, throw him out onto the street?

your interactions become a little forced... you’re just really confused as to how you’re supposed to act around him. he seems to sense your unease, and he shifts back into a cat in order to comfort you. he walks right up to you and hops into your lap, standing up to put his front paws onto your chest, and leaning in to rub his cheek across yours, finishing off with a quick lick of affection.

apparently, he has missed the attention the both of you had become so accustomed to giving/receiving. so, the moment you hesitantly begin to rub his ears, he starts to purr loudly, settling on your lap/chest. he’s really warm and soft, so you end up wrapping your other arm around him and continuing to pet his head.

it becomes routine for you to have this nightly cuddle before bed, but after you’re finished with pretending to pay attention to the tv, you tell him goodnight and shut yourself into your bedroom for the night.

no longer does he receive your praise nor your kisses, and it’s taking a toll on him. he’s needy!! you’ve conditioned him to soak up all your love and now you just stop?

so eventually he’ll sack up and knock on your door, asking why you won’t let him sleep with you anymore. he knows you’re intimidated by his human form, but he thinks the reason is because you’re scared of him. you hesitantly let him know it’s really just because you’re attracted to him. and what do ya know, he feels the same.

another reason why you’d been avoiding him that you’d rather die than tell him is that you’re embarrassed that you just straight stared at him in shock when he used your toilet like a human. eye contact and everything. this was back when you’d first gotten him but now you’re just overwhelmed with residual embarrassment LOLLLLL anyways...

from there your love blossoms !! yay!

now he will walk around your place in his human form more often than cat form. though sometimes he does like to be in kitty form so he can sit on your lap while you’re working at your desk.

snuggles become a norm. he’s very affectionate. absolute cuddle bug. 

stressed? cuddles.

happy? cuddles.

bored? cuddles.

i cannot emphasize this enough!!! hold him!! he lives for it! he is baby.

he still loves playing with all the toys you buy him. and what’s hilarious is that he can’t seem to help himself from fixating on those little aluminum twist ties that you keep in the kitchen. he doesn’t know why, but when you toss them across the room he’ll just run for it. nyoom!!

makes sure to bring it back like a good boy every time.

a really good investment is a laser pointer. human or cat, once that little red dot is spotted, you can bet he’s chasing it. this has resulted in broken furniture more than once LOL. at the end of your little play session you guide the laser over to you and he’ll pounce on you!! cue more cuddles. 

as if all the snuggles he gives you through the day aren’t enough, falling asleep is complete bliss.

he’ll slip into your covers and wrap his long limbs around you. lithe fingers will caress your skin and your hair, and if you return the favor, he’ll start to purr softly for you. he���s totally into nuzzling you, too. he’ll just nestle his face right into your neck and breathe your scent in, completely at peace. and he can’t help it when his purrs grow louder, an indication of his complete content.

more rarely he’ll come out into public with you, provided he wear a beanie or something to cover those cute perky ears of his. the tail he can tuck into his pants just fine. when he’s out and about with you, he’ll likely stay right by your side, an arm over your shoulder, around your waist, or your hand held hostage by his.

when you’re out on these rare excursions, he will often ask for a boba or a latte—he loves to indulge in those sweet milky drinks every now and then. plus it makes him happy when you’re happy, and you always get excited when you get one for yourself too.

overall 10/10 would recommend adopting catboy!sho. he will give you all the love and snuggles necessary and he’ll be more than happy to accept your affections too. 

   ─── ・°* ﾟ✧:* • ｡ﾟ:*･☽･*: ｡ﾟ•*:✧ ﾟ*°・ ───

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so... can you guys tell i’m a cat person? 

(づ ｡◠ ‿ ◠｡ )づ <3 <3 <3

➥ masterlist  thanks for reading!! hope u enjoyed whatever... this was LOL 

𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 © 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐩𝐢 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟎. 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.

[the-nagakenny-archives]

((OOC: Don’t have a title for this one, but it was inspired by a short piece my friend @crooked-tarot-rp sent me one day XD It features Gotham AU Kenny and two of my friend’s characters---Alder the elf and Aeschylus the cambion---and also some hypnosis and slight foot domination, so fair warning!))

It had been easy enough for Alder to break into Kenny's office while it was unattended. The hard part, he was discovering with growing frustration, was getting anything out of it to make even that slight effort worthwhile. There had to be something, he kept insisting to himself. All of these rich, eccentric types always had something to hide. And Kenny was very rich and very eccentric---with more emphasis on the latter, in Alder's opinion. Nobody could be that obsessed with snakes and be a well-adjusted human being. The trouble was he couldn't find any evidence that supported that theory; no lurid photographs, no documents detailing embezzlements, no credit card statements with incriminating purchases. Hell, apparently the man didn't keep a spare cell phone or even a laptop to do business on in here. He was well beyond annoyed at how fruitless his search was becoming. "Looking for something?" Alder gave a start; the voice that had spoken from the doorway had been soft and sly, but it might as well have been as loud as a gunshot. Alder's heart thudded uncomfortably in his ears for a moment as he turned around to face Kenny standing there, but reassembled his composure quickly. His eyes twinkled, lips curling into a smirk. "Was that not obvious?" he purred. "Oh no, I just thought I'd help tidy things up a bit. After business hours, of course. Speaking of which: shouldn't you be at home, getting ready for bed? Work must be so exhausting for you, after all." "Heh, not really. I do a lot of napping up here, mostly." Kenny's expression and demeanor were disarmingly amicable, but Alder couldn't help seeing something else there as well. He thought back to when he and Aesch first met him and Alder had tried his persuasive methods on him; it hadn't worked, which annoyed him (in fact just the memory of it now was making him flush a bit), but there had been something altogether more worrying in the man's eyes. A cunning glint that seemed almost inhuman. Alder thought he was seeing it now, too. Kenny began walking toward his desk, gesturing to the chair in front of it while he went to sit down in the faux leather wingback behind it. "Well, since you're here," he said cheerfully, "grab a seat and let's have a chat. I've been meaning to have a one-on-one with you, actually." He folded his hands over his desk and smiled at him expectantly. Alder blinked incredulously for a moment, then snorted. "Aha....a chat, is it? You haven't....you know, called the police with a panic button under your desk or anything?" Or have a gun concealed on you that you plan on using at some point? Because I really don't like that smile of yours, no matter how handsome you happen to be, he thought uncomfortably. Kenny's smile became one of wry playfulness. "Nope. Cross my heart." He drew an 'X' over his chest with an elaborate flourish, then pointed his finger out, beckoning. "Come here." His tone was soft, lilting, though Alder thought he detected a casual air of command. He felt his cheeks flush as a roiling tide of irritation rose in him for just a moment. He wasn't someone who allowed himself to be bossed around like a truant employee, but then again he was the one in a compromising position; the thought of the police getting involved didn't bother him, but the thought of Kenny possibly saying something about this to Aesch certainly did. He wondered briefly if that had occurred to Kenny at all, and got his answer looking into that prehistoric shark smile. Of course he had.

"Hmph," he grunted, begrudgingly parking himself in the chair across from Kenny. "Very well. What's on your mind, then?" Besides snakes, that is, he thought with sardonic satisfaction.

"Actually," Kenny replied, his tone unchanged, "I'd like to discuss what's on yours." His eyebrow arched knowingly. "You think I'm hiding something, and you want to know what it is so you can blackmail me. Do I have that right?"

Alder flashed back a self-assured smile, though small alarm bells were ringing in his head. Careful, old boy. This one's not as dumb as he looks. "Getting straight to the point, are we?" He ran a hand flippantly through his hair. "I'm just looking out for my friend. Making sure he's not involving himself with someone....well...." He chuckled, and instead of elaborating he tipped his hand back and forth, letting that speak for itself. "My snooping around shouldn't bother you if you don't have something to hide though, don't you think?" His eyes glittered slyly. "Mmm, it doesn't bother me," Kenny said, and there was nothing in Kenny's voice or expression that suggested the contrary. "I find it more than a little flattering that you've taken that kind of interest in me. You must care very deeply about your friend to go to all this trouble." He swung his legs up onto the desk with self-possessed nonchalance, propping one foot atop the other. Penny loafers, Alder noticed, not bothering to disguise a slight smirk of amusement. Without socks, no less. How gauche. Then he noticed that knowing look was back on Kenny's face, and realized what he had been insinuating. He laughed out loud.

"What, you think I'm jealous? Please." He tilted his head wryly. "I do love Aesch, but I'd never interfere with his love life out of wanting him for myself. In this case, I'm doing some light investigative work to protect him. Because, quite frankly, you're suspicious as hell." He said this last bit with every ounce of conviction he had while maintaining his languid smugness.

He had expected maybe touching a nerve with that, but Kenny remained unflappable. In fact, he gave a laugh of his own; a throaty, pleasant chuckle that sent an involuntary shiver down Alder's spine. "Really?" he asked, his dark eyes twinkling with mirth. "Interesting. What do you find so suspicious about me, exactly?" He nestled comfortably in his seat and folded his hands over his chest, as though he was about to listen to some exciting news. He knocked his shoes lightly against each other to a rhythm only he could hear.

"The snakes," Alder said immediately. He wasn't about to let that go, he figured he'd get that out of the way up front. "I mean, come on."

Kenny tilted his head and looked at him slyly. "You don't like snakes?" His voice was a silky purr.

"I'm indifferent towards them, personally. You, on the other hand, seem to be unreasonably infatuated with them. One might even say obsessed." Alder crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his seat slowly. "And I refuse to believe someone living and working in Gotham isn't aware of the implications of that. Considering how colorful the city's criminals are."

"And I suppose you also find me suspicious because I didn't react to your attempt to sway me earlier?" The shell of Alder's smug confidence cracked a little, his cheeks flaring brightly in surprise; the remark was so casual and unexpected.  "I, w-well, that is, er..." He cursed himself inwardly as he tried to find his footing again.

"Mmhmm." The cunning shine in Kenny's eyes was back. Clunk, clunk went his shoes against each other. "Because it really should have worked, shouldn't it? If I was just another rich, flaky executive type, that is."

Alder opened his mouth, about to form an acerbic response, when Kenny hooked his right shoe against the heel of his left and gently kicked the loafer cleanly off his foot. It thumped to the carpeted floor, unregarded. The other shoe followed suit shortly after. Kenny hadn't broken eye contact the entire time; now he was leaning his face against his hand, his expression vaguely sly and almost seductive, his bare toes slowly flexing up and down to the same unknown rhythm as before.

Alder was uncharacteristically stunned by this bizarre turn, completely apropos of nothing. Well, no---a nasty bolt of embarrassment struck him. There was no way he could know about that, though....could he? His eyes drifted from Kenny's face to his bare feet propped upon the desk, and maybe lingered there a little too long before snapping back to their original position. He gave an incredulous laugh, though it was somewhat strained. "Interesting interrogation technique," he said dryly. "Though I think you may be taking the phrase 'smelling someone out' rather broadly."

"Do they smell?" Kenny replied, his eyes shining with intense amusement. "I like to think I do a pretty good job making sure that they don't. At least not in a way that's offensive. But perhaps you're a better judge than I am, since you're closer." His foot drifted to rest directly in front of him, toes wiggling playfully. Alder flinched away, eyes narrowing, trying to hide his blush behind a look of annoyance and disgust. His second toe is longer than the others. The thought lit up unbidden in Alder's mind. Flame foot.

"What--I--what are you even--" He huffed, eyes flashing with indignance. "Would you be so kind as to get that out of my face?" His uneasiness was becoming more pronounced the longer Kenny's feet were in front of him. He was trying very hard not to inhale, though he had caught the faintest whiff of something: smoky, masculine, rustic. The faux leather of Kenny's shoe.

"It just so happens," Kenny said idly, as though Alder hadn't spoken at all; his feet remained firmly where they were, propped and crossed in front of Alder's flustered, disgruntled face, while Kenny lounged back farther into his chair, arms behind his head, "I'm not unfamiliar with your methods of persuasion. In fact...."

His feet slowly shifted out of Alder's line of sight---Finally, thought Alder with chagrined relief---but the withering glare Alder planned to give him fled from his face almost immediately at what he saw in Kenny's sly, hooded eyes.

"....I must confessssssss to doing something similar."

Kenny's eyes were full of colors; rhythmically pulsing colors that radiated outward from his pupils in a never-ending pattern. They were stunningly hypnotic; Alder realized with mute bewilderment that he had looked into them for a full thirty seconds, mouth slowly becoming slack, before he was able to wrest some kind of control over himself and try to force himself to look away. His mind reeled from resisting the blank, relaxed feeling that had threatened to overtake him. "What....y-you...." he said in a tight voice as he made a Herculean effort to tear his eyes away, and managed to get one eye closed. Alder found that he was still somewhat capable of self-righteous anger at the nerve of this smirking barefoot cretin attempting to hypnotize him of all people, and he weakly held onto it, though it seemed to be rapidly evaporating into a muzzy, docile fog the longer his blue eye looked into Kenny's kaleidoscopic ones. "Unh, you buh-bastard...." "Mmhmm." Kenny's voice was a smooth, playful purr. "I thought you might be a ssssssslippery customer." He seemed to fix him more intensely with his gaze; the colors in his eyes pulsed faster in a dazzling, dizzying display.

Alder tried to protest, but only an unintelligible garble escaped his lips. Both his eyes widened beyond his control to hungrily absorb the profoundly hypnotic undulations before him. The colors, those eyes. Such power he'd never experienced before. He was losing control fast, he had to think of something while he still had the capacity to do so. He found with a gauzy feeling of dismay that his muscles refused to work; he couldn't even stand up, let alone walk out the door. The urge would light up feebly in his head, but his legs were much too comfortable where they were, thank you very much. He desperately tried focusing on something else. His mind reeled again like a fish struggling on a hook; he managed to lower his head, uttering an involuntary sigh, and began to drift his eyes with difficulty to the small snake plant perched at the corner of Kenny's desk.

"Ah ah ah. Pay attention, pleasssse." A gentle, cajoling rebuke. Kenny's foot drifted close, pressing itself against Alder's cheek, and then slid a slow, sensuous trail to rest beneath Alder's chin. It lifted his head back up, toes pointing, guiding Alder's gaze back to Kenny's eyes. Alder was defenseless against the supernaturally lush smoothness of his skin, and the suddenly intense bouquet of scents: shoe leather, cinnamon, coffee, cloves. His head swam. His eyelids drooped but didn't fully close---couldn't. Kenny's fascinating eyes rippled and eddied without end, dominating his vision.

"Better. Good. Now, you're sleepy, I know, and I'll let you sleep in a moment." Kenny's velvet, soothing voice slithered in lazy loops and figure eights in his ears, through his mind. "But first, you're going to listen. And then, you're going to answer me when I want you to. Listen--answer. Very sssssimple. Do you understand?"

Alder sluggishly fought the urge to reply "yes"; he wouldn't give him the satisfaction. It wasn't fair, him being in this position, one that he had rather enjoyed being on the opposite end of on some occasions. This was nothing like what he did though, he thought defensively through the dense fog. This was diabolical. This was insidious. This was.....was.....

Well...maybe it wasn't all that awful, really. Now that Kenny had ensured he look at nothing else, he had to admit that Kenny's eyes were rather....beautiful. And this drowsy, fuzzy feeling coming over him, winking his thoughts away like so many candles. It felt...pleasant, actually, to not have to think.

Kenny tilted his head slightly, arching an eyebrow. "Hmm? Cat got your tongue?" he asked slyly. "Maybe we can do something to loosen it."

The toes holding up Alder's chin slid out with smooth, deliberate slowness, inching upwards. The large oval of Kenny's big toe softly touched the furrow of his mouth, lingered a moment, and gently pushed down on the ridge of his lower lip, parting it slightly. Alder could just barely taste the toe on the tip of his tongue; oh gods was his last coherent though as he shivered with helpless pleasure, the bliss of Kenny's power now gripping him completely.

"I like your friend," Kenny said. The sly playfulness had somewhat left his voice, replaced by something more contemplative. His toes had retreated back down under Alder's chin. "I like him a lot. And I want to like you, too. But it's hard to do that when you seem to have it in for me. Spying on me. Snooping around in my business. Uncharitably belittling my.....interesssssssts." He hissed this last with particular emphasis, a grin spreading across his face, revealing his teeth. "You want to know why I like snakes so much, hmm? That's easy enough."

Through his dreamy trance Alder became vaguely aware that the foot beneath his chin seemed to be.....changing. The toes elongating, fusing together. Kenny slowly crossed his legs, which also seemed to fuse into one shape, growing thicker. Huge, powerful cylindrical shapes looped and curved around the desk and chairs, filling the space around them, shifting furniture gently in their wake. Scales glistened, coils slithered, and Kenny grinned among them. He brought Alder's face closer, the tail beneath his chin cupping his face.

"I trusssssst this clears that up for you?"

"Mmn....mmhmm...." Alder's right eyelid slowly slid closed, then languidly made its way back up to half mast. His voice was slurred, thick with drowsy rapture. "Yes.....it does...." Why, it was more than understandable to Alder; it was positively fine and dandy. Never mind the fact that he was now surrounded on all sides by huge, shifting masses of scaly muscle that were once masquerading as Kenny's legs.

"Good," Kenny chuckled. "I'm glad. I hope this means you won't be so suspicious of me anymore, now that I've been honest with you. And that we can be friends from now on."

As he slowly leaned closer over the desk, he brought Alder's face even closer with his tail; Alder was leaning completely forward now, his arms hanging limp at his sides, lolling like a marionette. Kenny hovered just close enough for his soporific whisper to reach Alder's ears. "Sssssleeeeep," he hissed.

"ALDER! Don't do this, please, I swear if you---"

Aeschylus burst into the room with a combination of righteous anger and hand-wringing nervousness. He had taken five steps before the scene that met his eyes could really register: a huge slithering mass of snake coils, with Kenny and Alder at the center of it. Kenny was blinking at him in wide-eyed bewilderment. Alder seemed to be completely asleep with an enchanted smile on his face (that was so unlike Alder that it gave Aeschylus particular pause), precariously supported by what could only be Kenny's tail; his head slowly slid to meet the desk with a dull thunk, but he did not awaken.

"Oh!" Kenny's face lit up cheerfully. "Hello, you! Come on in, I was just finishing up!"

"Uh.....huh." Aeschylus looked from Kenny to Alder, to the lot of Kenny's coils enveloping the room, and then drifted back to Kenny again. He awkwardly cleared his throat, adjusting his collar and tie. "Ahem, I see. Alder, uh.....is he....?"

"Oh, he's fine. We just chatted, he admired my feet for a bit, and now he's having himself a little lie-down." Kenny's tail stroked Alder's blonde hair gently. "I did intend for him to be more comfortable than this, but---" Kenny trained his dark, cunning eyes on Aeschylus with a seductive smirk. "---I suppose he can wait his turn for now."

"Ah....aha. Right." Aeschylus watched as Kenny unfurled himself from behind his desk and began to come toward him; he found his languid slithering movements rather mesmerizing. He realized mutely that he had been so busy watching Kenny himself that he neglected to pay attention to what his tail was doing; presently it was making a slow ascent up his legs, wrapping him in the velvety scales.

Hang on....Aeschylus frowned suddenly. "Did you say he was admiring your feet?" he asked incredulously.

The tail paused mid-loop around his waist at this. Kenny smiled innocently. "Just having fun with him on my part, really," he purred slyly. He glided around to Aeschylus's side, leaning close to his ear. "Although, he didn't seem to mind...."

Aeschylus snorted as Kenny drifted away behind him and the tail continued its path around his body, squeezing him gently at regular intervals. The image of steely-eyed smug Alder with someone else's feet in his face was too outlandish to believe. But then again, he'd found himself believing a lot of outlandish things lately. Not the least of which was how much he enjoyed being squeezed by a certain handsome naga's coils...

[sapphicquill]

TAZ Balance: the truth will set you free

(ao3 link!)

Rating: Teen 

Characters: Taako, Kravitz, Magnus

Wordcount: 2942

“You’re fuming, dear.” 

Taako turns to look at Kravitz when the reaper speaks, trying not to let the thin frown fall off of his face at the sight of his uncharacteristically smug dead boyfriend. From his spot as Taako’s personal body pillow, Magnus laughs quietly.

“I can’t believe he convinced you to teach him this shit,” Taako says with an exaggerated huff. The elf crosses his arms tightly across his chest, sticking his chin up haughtily to hammer home his petulence. Magnus laughs again, the vibrations of it rumbling through Taako’s back like a purr. Taako very courteously does not throw an elbow backwards into the fighter’s stomach, despite how much he would enjoy doing just that. Kravitz lets out a hum, smirk not quite leaving his unfairly handsome face. 

“It’s not my fault Angus got curious about multiclassing as a bard,” the reaper finally says. And, as much as Taako was loath to acknowledge it, Kravitz is right. Taako groans theatrically and pointedly does not actually respond like an adult, because fuck that. 

Angus had approached Taako after one of their lessons together--much less frequent than they once were, before Lucas had gotten the idea to start up a small magic school, but Angus seemed content to return to his first (and clearly superior) tutor whenever the chance presented itself. But instead of asking for some sage wisdom or deeply insightful advice from Taako himself, Angus had asked for confirmation that Kravitz had been a bard before becoming a reaper, then begged for Taako to bring him along for their next lesson. 

Kravitz had been over the moon when Taako begrudgingly explained the situation, and the reaper wasted absolutely no time in devising a lesson plan for the boy detective. Taako had to work especially hard to keep from swooning over his boyfriend’s enthusiasm and instead sulked to their other boyfriend about the cruelty of life. (Magnus had been very little help, the bastard. Taako left with a disgruntled whine when the fighter started theorizing on how to convince Ango that learning some rogue skills could be helpful too, the absolute traitor.) 

“You want to know what I think?” Kravitz asks after another moment of silence. Taako frowns as he finally lets his gaze meet the reaper’s eyes directly. 

“Not particularly, but something tells me you’re going to keep talking anyway, you dick.”

“You’re jealous.”

Taako feels himself freeze for half a second before he can pull himself together. Damn Kravitz for knowing him so well. Damn him and Magnus for making him feel comfortable enough to even let himself be read that easily. Damn them both.

“Oh fuck right off, you’re full of shit,” the elf tosses back almost automatically through gritted teeth. 

“Hey, play nice,” Magnus teases, poking Taako in the side. The unexpected jab sends a fluttering shockwave through the startled wizard, who squeaks before he can catch himself. Kravitz continues to look on smugly, not breaking eye contact with Taako as he scoots further up the bed and closer to the other two. 

“You’re very precious when you get all wound up like this, love,” he murmurs. Taako shifts, instinct telling him to pull away and hide, to clam up and put up an even harder front. A quiet voice that sounded worryingly sweet and comforting tells him to just come clean to the both of his boyfriends. It wasn’t like they didn’t know he was secretly a soft, if somewhat emotionally-deficient, sap. Magnus had definitely figured it out somewhere along that first hundred years, and Kravitz was frighteningly perceptive.

A sudden weight around his waist distracts Taako from the beginning of whatever bullshit emotional spiral he’s about to fall into, his body automatically pulling against the sudden restriction. Though the warmth of Magnus’ arms encircling him from behind sends an innate sense of calm through him, the elf nearly pulls something in his neck as he whips his head toward the human because Magnus, what the actual hell. Magnus has the decency to look a bit sheepish, but resolutely does not let go. 

“Mags…” Taako growls, narrowing his eyes and trying to look intimidating despite the growing fluttering of excitement in his stomach. He’s quickly figuring out Magnus’ plan and is now desperate to not show his hand because fuck, this got different, fast. This somehow turned into Taako goading his boys into absolutely wrecking him for being a stubborn piece of shit, which he hadn’t even considered as an outcome when this mock argument had started. Now, however, his mind is three steps ahead, already craving the feeling of his partners’ touches driving him insane.

Because here’s the thing—Taako, maybe, kinda, sorta actually likes getting tickled. He absolutely would never say as much, even under pain of death (and he is really familiar with how  fucking painful death can be), and the only other being in the multiverse that probably knows is Lup because, duh, twin sister or whatever. So it was always imperative Taako never let on in any way he didn’t exactly hate it when Magnus and Kravitz, whether alone or together, decide to tickle him stupid. He would probably implode from the embarrassment—and what a dumb fucking way to go after everything else. No, that wouldn’t do at all. 

Thus, it’s second nature for the elf to throw out menacing glares and cutting threats, which is exactly what he does as he feels Magnus flex his fingers and rest them at the center of his stomach. He’s unable to resist flinching at the sudden light touch to his bare midriff, though—damn, why did he and Lup convert the majority of his wardrobe into crop tops? 

Movement at the other end of the bed catches his attention, so he redirects back to Kravitz, face pinched and pout sufficiently exaggerated. 

“It’s quite alright, Taako, really,” the reaper says, affecting the tone he usually saves for puppies and small children, the absolute ass, “You’re allowed to want to be Angus’ favorite.”

“Shut up, I do not—” 

The remainder of Taako’s protest is swallowed by a sharp gasp as Magnus draws his fingers across Taako’s stomach with a quick flick

“Do you really think you’re in any position to be bitchy right now?” the human says, smile evident despite his gruff tone. Taako feels his ear twitch as Magnus’s breath skates across his skin and it takes every ounce of concentration he has to not shiver or let out a breathy half-laugh. Instead the elf remains as still as possible, frown almost ridiculously exaggerated and eyes narrow slits focused on Kravitz. The reaper adopts an over-the-top pout—no doubt meant to mock Taako’s own expression—and draws ever closer to Taako and Magnus. 

“Magnus, maybe you could help me convince our beloved to be more honest, hm?” 

The words have barely left Kravitz’s mouth when Taako feels Magnus begin to slowly drag his fingertips across his exposed stomach. Tiny zings of tickly sensation burst across Taako’s skin like low-level electricity and somehow keeping still and silent is the hardest thing Taako’s ever done in his life. He can’t, however, keep the warm bubbling feeling of anticipation and excitement from flooding his entire body, and that, of course, makes keeping still even fucking harder. 

Magnus’ fingers trail lightly across Taako’s abdomen before slowly gliding up his sides. Without really meaning to, Taako squeezes his eyes shut, trying to will himself into a trance by force. This clearly amuses both of his boyfriends, as their joint chuckles echo in stereo in the sudden darkness. Taako feels like he’s standing on the edge of a cliff, one wrong move and he’ll cascade off the side and plunge ten thousand feet—

Then Magnus’s devilish touch reaches the top of his ribs and the dam breaks. 

A steady stream of hiccuping giggles pours from Taako as Magnus gently skitters light tickles across one of Taako’s absolute worst spots and even without looking, the elf can tell that his boyfriends have both got gleeful expressions on their stupid fucking faces. He squirms, trying in vain to block out the torturous sensation of Magnus’ fingers or escape their attack altogether, but that just seems to encourage the fighter. Feather-light scritches instantly turn into fast, fluttering pinches and quick vibrating prods and Taako would be embarrassed about how quickly he dissolves into full-fledged laughter if he wasn’t so busy absolutely losing his mind. 

“Ready to admit you secretly adore Angus yet, love?” Kravitz asks from far too close, Taako can tell he’s almost pressed up against his chest, but fucking of course he isn’t. He can practically hear the mischievous grin in the reaper’s voice when he shakes his head. 

“You leave me no choice, then.” 

Over the sounds of his increasingly frantic laughter, Taako can hear Kravitz speaking the incantation for Zone of Truth, and he’s sure Krav’s crimson eyes are sparkling with mirth. The unique sensation of enchantment magic washing over him barely phases the elf—he’s too preoccupied with Magnus’ deft hands flitting up and down his ribs to really pay it much mind. Taako squeezes his eyes even tighter and attempts to focus on resisting the truth spell, gasping around his laughter, trying to push past the way his nerves feel like they’ve been set alight so he can focus—

And then promptly fails his save. 

Of course he fails his save. How could he possibly concentrate on resisting a Zone of Truth from a powerful ex-bard-turned-Grim-Reaper with Magnus’ fucking fingers skittering across his abdomen, drawing squeaky, desperate laughter from him like water from a well? 

“Now, come on, dove, be honest with us.” 

And then Kravitz is tickling him too, on top of concentrating on a fucking spell, his nimble musician’s fingers skittering ruthlessly across Taako’s hips, and it’s impossible to think about anything other than the fluttering in his stomach, the laughter forcing its way out of his lungs, the pleasant fuzziness already clouding his mind. He can’t even remember Krav’s question, really. Taako’s brain feels like it’s been filled with cotton (but like, in a good way) and he can barely string two thoughts together before giving up thinking altogether. 

“Admit it, Taako, tell us the truth,” Kravitz purrs directly into Taako’s ear and even that tickles like hell, and between that and the two pairs of hands currently wreaking ticklish havoc on him, it feels like every wire in Taako’s brain is crossing simultaneously. He wants this to end and also never wants this to end, why can’t his boyfriends wreck him like this constantly, it’s not fair—

“Tell us, Ko, come on!” Magnus whines, seemingly trying to match Taako’s usual petulant tone as he drills his fingers into the wizard’s underarms and knocks his laughter up at least ten decibels, and that’s what pushes Taako to open his big, stupid mouth. He means to say something about the dumb boy detective, he really does, but instead all he can think about is Kravitz and Magnus making him scream and laugh and thrash around with teasing words and fluttering fingers and, well—

“I—I—” Taako’s voice breaks on a laugh, brain going a million miles an hour and also stuck in the mud simultaneously.

“Yes dear, that’s it, come on, out with it,” Kravitz says while rubbing incessantly ticklish circles into Taako’s sides. And that finally pushes an answer out of Taako, who manages to push through his laughter long enough to speak. 

“I fucking like being tickled, okay?—Shit—!”

Suddenly, the two pairs of hands on Taako’s skin still, and as his laughter slowly dies down, the full impact of what he’d just actually admitted to hits the elf like a cartload of bricks. Fuck. Shit.

Weirdly, instead of instant fiery panic, Taako is filled with a sense of...calm? It’s like someone hit pause on the entire fucking universe. Taako keeps his eye closed and resolutely doesn’t think about what just happened; doesn’t think about anything, other than a burning sense of mortification and the deepest desire for a hole to open up and swallow him up. 

“Nope, okay, that’s—I didn’t—no, fuck this,” Taako mumbles as he sits up, easily breaking out of Magnus’ hold. With eyes still closed he leaps up from the large bed and has half a mind to burn a Teleportation spell to get as far away from his boyfriends as possible before feeling a cool hand wrap around his wrist. Taako can identify the feel of Kravitz’s touch almost alarmingly well, and normally he sinks into it without more than a few grumbled faux-complaints. Here and now, the wizard doesn’t instantly pull his arm from Kravitz’s grasp like he desperately wants to, but he doesn’t move toward him either. Instead, he keeps his eyes closed and pretends he’s literally anywhere else. 

“Taako, wait,” and that’s Magnus’ voice, the one that always makes a small part of Taako melt because it’s so full of genuine love and affection and care and fuck, he has to open his eyes and face the two men he actually definitely loves, shit. He braces himself, not exactly sure what expressions might adorn the faces of his boyfriends but he’s prepared for the worst. 

The first thing Taako sees when he opens his eyes is, unsurprisingly, Kravitz, as the reaper is closer to him. What does surprise Taako is the look Kravitz is giving him. The other man looks—apologetic? 

“Taako, I’m so sorry,” Kravitz starts, and Taako feels his heart stutter a bit, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “I should never have cast Zone of Truth and forced you to tell us that.”

And that—

That’s not what Taako had expected to hear come out of Kravitz’s mouth. He’d more or less thought, at the very least, he’d get laughed at. Made fun of. Belittled. Shamed. This is—far from all of that. 

“I—what?” 

If it had been any other time, Taako would have congratulated Krav for actually rendering him fucking speechless, because that’s a rarity. As it is, Taako can’t do much of anything aside from gape, gaze not leaving Kravitz’s crimson eyes. 

“The spell, it didn’t compel you but it forces you to be truthful, and you clearly weren’t ready to tell either of us that you—” 

At this, Kravitz seems to pause, looking like he’s attempting to phrase his words as carefully as possible while still turning over this new information in his mind. Luckily, Magnus, as he always seems able to, picks up right where their Grim Reaper leaves off. 

“You’re totally waiting for us to roast you or something, aren’t you?” 

Fuck, has Magnus always been this perceptive? Taako could have sworn he was oblivious as all hell but no, this is the man he’s known for over a century, of course Magnus knows all his tells. 

“Well, we’re not going to,” the fighter barrels forward, always fucking rushing in, and Taako isn’t sure whether he wants to dive back onto the bed or Misty Step to the front porch to call Lup on the Stone of Farspeech and just scream. 

“Why would we? It’s not like you’ve told us something weird or bad or anything,” Kravitz adds, finally out of his own head. He sounds a little frantic, like he desperately needs Taako to believe him and fantasy Christ, Taako loves him for it. 

“Honestly, it’s kind of adorable,” Magnus adds. Taako finally cocks his head enough to meet the human’s eyes and he’s known Magnus long enough to tell when he’s lying. 

He’s absolutely not lying. 

The sense of relief that Taako expects to flood through him comes in waves. His heart is still beating a million miles an hour (which he hadn’t even noticed, fuck) and it still feels like he could cook a five course meal using only the heat collected on his face, but his desire to run and hide and sulk is retreating, and the space between Magnus and Kravitz is looking more and more inviting by the second. 

It’s the most natural thing in the entirety of the planar system for Taako to lower himself back onto the bed and resume his position lounging against Magnus. Quiet descends on the room and it’s warm, comfortable. 

“We should probably have a real conversation about this later,” Kravitz says, and Taako surprises himself by humming in agreement rather than groaning in protest. 

“Later,” he concedes, and then Magnus is shifting again and Taako’s about to grouse about how a moving pillow is a pretty shitty pillow when—

“So if you actually like getting tickled—”

An involuntary shudder shoots down Taako’s back at this, at Magnus’ voice curling around that word, fuck, and suddenly the great brute’s hands are back on Taako’s ribs and his fingers are slowly tracing Taako’s skin and it’s like a bolt of lightning through his entire consciousness. 

“Then you won’t mind if Krav and I get back to work, huh?”

Despite quickly being overcome by tittering giggles, Taako can sense a voiceless conversation happening over him, and then Kravitz is back in his space and his hands are inching up Taako’s thighs, squeezing and stroking lightly as they go. 

“Yes, Magnus is right—you never actually told us what we really wanted to hear, love,” Kravitz purrs, mischief and affection so clear on his face that there’s no room for Taako’s anxiety to even attempt to convince him of something horrible.  

So instead of spiraling into a pit of despair, Taako revels in the wide grin pulling at his lips, savors the electric sensations rippling across his nerve endings, and laughs. 

[screamingatanemptyroom]

Please Fix the Story! - pt 15 - Vampire Romance

The story continues!

Masterpost linked here

Enjoy!

________________________

“Class we have two new transfers today” The teacher announced cheerfully, ignoring the excited murmurs around the class. “This is Belaire and Alexander, they are a brother and sister who have recently moved to the area, please make them feel welcome!”  She turned towards us. “Would you like to tell us a little about yourselves?”

I stood up at the front of the classroom, feeling tired.

I hate high school so much.

I glanced over at Alex, like me he had camouflaged his red eyes with illusion magic, looking like a fairly normal seventeen year old male.  He looked over the students, his gaze stopping at the front row near the window, breaking out into a wide smile.

“Hello! I’m Alexander. I’m seventeen years old, and I’m looking forward to getting to know you all much better.” His eyes never left the object of their focus while he spoke, the intensity uncomfortable. I followed the trajectory of his gaze, and let out a sigh.

I guess I underestimated the pull of the heroine. I thought uncomfortably to the scene in his bedroom yesterday. He had woken up this morning perfectly normal, but continued to insist that he would go undercover at the school as well. Any time I tried to object he had grown angry, finally snarling at me to mind my own business. Throwing my hands up in the air, I had given up temporarily.

It’s like the reasonable brother I’ve known these past few days was just an illusion.

Everyone had turned towards me, waiting for my introduction. I sighed loudly. “She told you my name already. I’m… eighteen… I guess? I’m here to focus on learning so please keep your distance.”

There were a few disgruntled murmurs at my impolite words, but I ignored them. I wasn’t here to make friends.

The teacher’s smile stiffened in place. “Very… interesting. As for where to sit…” She scanned the room. There appeared to be two open seats, one in the back near the door and the other…

“I guess we’ll be neighbors.” Alexander grinned at Chelsea and stepped towards the empty seat next to her.

Only to fall flat on his face as I tripped him.

“Sorry, brother dearest, I’m a bit short sighted and need to sit near the front.” I stepped on his back, ignoring his grunt of pain and lightly sat down at the desk next to Chelsea. I glanced back at him, noting his gloomy expression and waved cheerfully.

“You…” His voice was a growl, only audible with my better than human hearing, but I interrupted him loudly, giving him a thumbs up.

“Thanks for being so understanding.”

Alex glared at me, and I smiled brightly back. I might not have been able to stop him from following the plot so far, but I’m not about to let him flirt with a confused adolescent right in front of me.

After a long moment, he stood back to his feet and headed towards the empty seat in the back.

“Wasn’t that a little mean?” Chelsea whispered to me, her eyes following his back a strange light in them. Strangely enough, she wasn’t overly concerned about him. If anything she looked… embarrassed. Compared to her tears and tantrums the last time I saw her, she seemed much more reasonable today.

Maybe she’s just not a night person?

“It was very kind, actually, once you take a longer view.” After all, he had committed double suicide after an unhealthy relationship with her in the original.

She seemed unconvinced. “Then why do you seem so… happy... when you watched him fall on his face?”

Oops, my inner villainess must have been leaking out a bit at that time. It was pretty fun to watch the hero fall though.

“It’s a vampire thing.” I answered finally. “You wouldn’t understand.”

She nodded innocently, not questioning further. I watched as she turned her attention to the teacher, taking notes diligently in a bright pink notebook.

You know, she’s a bit of a brat, but she seems fairly normal today... there may be hope for her yet. With Alexander’s recent changes, I might have more luck approaching the problem from her side instead.

My mind made up, I then looked back at the blackboard, wincing at the calculations written there.

Calculus, my mortal enemy… we meet again.

________________________

After class I grabbed Chelsea’s hand, pulling her into the hallway. I could feel Alex’s angry glare on my back, but didn’t turn back to give him attention. Before we could get too far however, we were stopped by two teenage boys.

“You’re the new girl, right?” The boy flipped his overly long blond curls out of his eyes, leaning on the wall to block our path.

I stopped with a sigh. “So they tell me.”

The other boy chuckled at my words, leaning closer. “You don’t look half bad. How about you skip the next period and come out and play with us?”

Chelsea, looking nervous, hid behind my back at their words. “These two are trouble.” She whispered in my ear. “Their fathers are on the school board, so the headmaster turns a blind eye when they bully others.”

“I see…”

She took a deep breath, tears in her eyes. “If you run away now, I’ll try to distract them.”

Did she forget I’m a centuries old vampire? I couldn’t help but grin. Although this habit of saving people is what keeps getting her in trouble, I can’t help but find it a bit cute. Definitely need to protect the young from my brother.

“Hey, we’re talking to you!” The blond one snapped, growing impatient. “Don’t pretend like you’re not interested.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “If you come with us, we’ll show you a great time.”

“Well although that sounds about as appealing as dousing myself in gasoline and running through a burning building, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to pass.”  I crossed my arms and grinned. “If you don’t like it, feel free to start a fight. It’s been a while since I got to beat up idiots, I’m starting to get a bit itchy.”

“…” Both of them stared in shocked silence for a few moments, until it was interrupted by Chelsea’s laughter. Turning red at the sound, the closest boy raised a fist, preparing to strike me.

“You…”

BAM!

He went flying backwards at a high speed, hitting the lockers behind him with a loud crash, denting the metal in. His buddy fell to the ground with a frightened squeal, staring up at the assailant with horror.

“Sorry.” Liam grinned, not looking very sorry. “Didn’t see you there.”

“W-who are you?” The terrified boy asked.

“I’m the new gym teacher.” Liam cracked his knuckles, staring down at him with a frightening smile. “Looks like you two boys have got some extra energy, trying to pick up my wife… I mean pick up this random high school student that I don’t know at all.”

“What?” The confused boy had no time to protest before he was lifted up by his collar. Liam dragged him behind him, picking up the other that had been thrown into the lockers as well. “Time for some special hell punishment… cough… I mean personalized training.”

“Do you know who my father is?!”

“I’m shaking with fear.” With a cheerful wave back towards me, Liam dragged the two boys away, leaving us to stare after him in silence.

“That’s… your husband?” She asked timidly.

“Yep.”

“He’s human, right?”

“Last time I checked.”

“Is he always so….”

“Yep.”

She grinned. “That’s so sweet. I want to have a romance like yours one day.”

Hmm. 

I pulled her into an empty classroom, staring at her for a few moments. After a short uncomfortable silence, she turned red.

“What is it?”

“Why are you so different today?” I asked quietly. “When you came by that night, you were a lot more… excitable.”

She winced at my words, shaking her head slowly. “I …” She trailed off, obviously unsure of what to say.

“You acted like I was your mortal enemy. Now you’re so friendly, and I’m not sure what to do with it.”

Chelsea stared at me for a few silent moments, and then rubbed her face with her hand. “I don’t know if I can explain this, it seems too strange.”

So says the heroine of a failed novel to a world traveling amnesiac.

I suppressed a smile. “Try me.”

“A few days ago, I woke up in the middle of the night, and something had… changed.” She sighed softly. “I felt panicked, lost. It was as if the world had shifted somehow, and left me without a place.”

“Shifted…” A few days ago… that would have been around the time I woke up in this world.

“I know this sounds crazy. I had already met Alex before this, and thought he was handsome and cool but that was it. He wasn’t that important to me right then.  But after that… shift… I started obsessing over him. Wondering where he was, worrying that he wasn’t thinking about me. I received that letter, and it seemed to confirm my worst fears.” She stood up, pacing around the room uncomfortably. “I was frantic by the time I showed up in front of you. I was convinced that you were trying to separate us, that you hated me because I was human… I wasn’t willing to listen.”

“That’s a pretty accurate description of how you were… so what changed?”

She looked embarrassed. “Last night, it shifted back. It didn’t make sense. I felt a sharp pain, so severe that I thought I was dying. But once it passed, I felt… relieved. The world was right, I was no longer lost. It was like my place in the world was secure once more. When I saw you and Alexander this morning, it was horrifying to think of how I had behaved.”

“…” I couldn’t help but think of Alexander’s episode yesterday, which seemed strangely similar. When he was being reasonable, she felt lost and hysterical. Now that he’s obsessed with her again, she’s back to normal?

Something is wrong with this world.

“I know this doesn’t excuse how poorly I’ve acted.” Chelsea sat back down next to me, her eyes slightly wet with tears. “But I am sorry. I am grateful that you’ve gone to all this trouble to protect me. “

I patted her head. “It’s fine. We’ll help you out.”

“Thanks!”

“I do stand by what I said last time though: you shouldn’t be in a romantic relationship with Alex right now. You are a teenager and he is a centuries old being. Allow yourself the space and time to grow up, to enjoy your life without being pressured into life-altering decisions by an adult who is almost fifteen times your age.”

Chelsea paused at that, and then nodded slowly. “It makes sense when you say it today.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I just don’t know if I’ll still be rational about it later.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you whether you are rational or not.”

“…” Her eyes reddened at my words, and she threw herself forward, hugging me tightly.

“Thank you!”

“It’s fine… could you stop choking me?”

“You’re like the sister I’ve always wanted!”

“Sounds good… please let go.” How many times would I have suffocated in this world if I wasn’t already undead?

She finally released me, sniffing loudly. “So can I consider you a friend?”

I held up a finger. “On one condition:”

She nodded.

“Try to restrain the crying at everything.” If I’m going to be spending my time with the heroine, I’ll need all the crying-free time I can get.

She blinked rapidly, stopping the tears in her eyes from overflowing. “Deal!”

I let out a sigh of relief, shaking her hand firmly. “See, this is nice. I don’t get many nice calm moments like this…”

CRASH!

Four men broke through the window wearing bronze masks and brandishing weapons. “Kill the vampire scum and her minion!”

“… Curse my unlucky mouth! I really need to stop making vague foreshadowing statements!”  I pushed Chelsea towards the door. “Go get Liam.”

She nodded, but then halted at the door. “What about you?”

“I’m a vampire queen.” I grinned, showing my fangs. “You should be worried about them.”

She ran out, and I blocked the men from following her.

“Don’t let her get away!”

“Fool! We need to kill this monstrous hag first, then we’ll go after the brat that serves her.”

I paused at their words. “Excuse me? Did you just call me a hag?”

The leader of the four snarled at me. “Silence, foul demon!”

I grabbed a desk chair, snapping off a leg. “No, no no, don’t go changing your insults now. I already heard it, and I must say that I’m very offended right now!”

I let go of my disguise completely, allowing my eyes and hair to become a bright red once more.

“Unfortunately for you, I think I’m going to take out my frustration at your poor choice of words by beating it out of you.” I brandished my makeshift club.  “Try not to die, okay? I need to get confessions out of you later.”

“Don’t listen to her lies! We outnumber her!”

I laughed out loud, going full on villainess laugh with glee. Snapping my fingers, I spread my dark magic towards the doors and windows, sealing the exits, blackening all the lights.

The room plunged into complete darkness.

“You should have brought more men.”

With that, I leapt forward, club raised.

It was a one sided battle. Unable to see in the darkness, the humans flailed around, trying to corner me by the sounds in the room. To me, who could see perfectly, this provided a  source of amusement, including leading them into swinging at each other and injuring themselves. Eventually I tired of playing with them, and with four hard taps, knocked the men unconscious.  I dissipated my dark magic, just in time for the door to burst open and for Alexander and Liam to rush into the room.

“WIFE!” Liam ran towards me, somehow managing to step on all four assailants before reaching my side. He picked me up, squeezing me tightly in his arms. “Are you okay?”

“… You realize she’s standing calmly in a room with four unconscious assassins.” Alexander knelt next to one of the men. “I’m pretty sure she’s fine.”

“’Pretty sure’ is not good enough!” Liam held me up in the air, turning me around, looking concerned.

“Liam, I’m fine, you can put me down.”

“… Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“I can hold you longer, there’s no need for you to be tired.”

“Remember what I said when I agreed to let you be a teacher in this school?”

“…” Liam set me down, hanging his head. “You said don’t be creepy.”

“That’s right, everyone thinks that I’m a teenager and you’re a student. You can’t act like you usually do.”

“But you’re older than me! And we’re newly married!” Liam scuffed his foot against the ground, managing to grind his shoe on the head of one of my attackers. “It’s not fair!”

“We’re in high school. What ever made you think that life here would be fair?”

Liam tilted his head, seeming confused. “Why do you hate high school so much? Did you even go to one? You were a teenager centuries ago.”

I’ve lived multiple lifetimes as the side character or villainess in the worst version of high school to ever exist: teen romance high schools. I shuddered at the memory, patting his shoulder. “Just trust me on this one.”

“Can we focus, please?” Alex interrupted our conversation with a rude tone. “The important thing is that someone put Chelsea in danger.”

“Actually she was relatively very safe, she left the room before any fighting…”

“She’s such a special person, of course these groups covet her.” Alex looked down at the unconscious men with a sneer. “I have to protect her. I’ll pull her out of school, she can stay with me for now...”

PSST!

I pulled my brother behavior modification tool out of my bag and sprayed his face multiple times.

“BAD VAMPIRE! No stalking or kidnapping teenage girls!”

He wiped his face, his eyes changing back to a bright red in his anger. “Can you cut that out?!”

“I will when you stop being a creep.”

“You’re such a bit…”

PSST!

To my surprise, Liam took out a bottle and sprayed Alex before I could react. Seeing my look of confusion, he smiled. “Selina gave me an extra, said I would need it if you were going to be around so many hormonal teenagers.”

“That reminds me, what happened to those two boys from earlier?”

Liam let out an ominous laugh. “Nothing permanent.”

“Don’t ignore me!” Alex shouted. “This is about keeping Chelsea safe!”

“Exactly.” I waved the bottle of garlic water in the air. “Which is why she’s not staying with you. I’ll protect her.”

“Belaire are you okay?!!” Before Alex could respond, a tearful voice called out from the doorway. I turned, just in time to see Chelsea throw herself at me, crying.

“I was so worried about you!”

“I told you I’d be fine.”

“But you were outnumbered!”

“They could have brought an army, and I still would win.” I patted her head. “Trust in your friend.”

“…okay.”

“Now didn’t you just promise me that you wouldn’t cry so much?”

She laughed stepping away and wiping her tears. “Sorry.”

“…”

“…”

Liam and Alexander stared at us in shock.

Alex recovered first. “Since when are you two so close?”

Chelsea’s smile faded a little as she turned towards him. “We’re friends now.”

“But she’s standing in the way of our relationship!”

“We’re not in a relationship.”

“Don’t lie!”

PSST!

Liam stepped between them, spraying Alex again, looking confused. “Is it just me or did we just have this conversation, but with the roles reversed?”

“I’ll explain it later, dear.” I knelt down next to the unconscious men. “Now help me tie them up.”

As we restrained the men, ignoring Alex’s furious sputters. Eventually, the leader of the group woke up first, his initial confusion fading into horror as he stared up at us.

“Don’t be scared.” I smiled at him. “I’m just going to ask you a few questions.”

Liam cracked his knuckles. “Unless you plan on disrespecting my wife. Then you should be terrified.”

Chelsea also tried to crack her knuckles, looking much less terrifying. “Yeah, what he said.”

“…” Everyone, including the assassin, stopped and stared at her.

I patted her head. “I appreciate the thought, but stick to your strengths.” Turning back towards the captive man, I continued. “Now, who sent you?”

He glared at me. “Vampire scum, my brothers will hunt you down and send your soul back to Hell!”

Liam frowned. “Vampire hunter? I don’t recognize him.”

“Not everyone was willing to work under a traitor like you. His eyes were wide and fanatic as his speech became pressured. “A new world is coming, one which has no place for monsters and human traitors! We will cleanse this world of its filth! The flames of judgment will consume you, and we will watch with joy as you suffer!”

I rolled my eyes. “What a pleasant gentleman.”

“He’s certainly… passionate?” Chelsea shrugged.

The man looked up at her. “Foolish girl. You sided with these monsters. You betrayed your kind, and will be the first to fall!”

I saw something flash by me, and shouted “WE NEED HIM ALIVE…!”

SLASH

The man’s throat was cut, his blood soaking the front of his clothing as his wide shocked gaze met my own. His body slumped to the floor. Alex stepped back, wiping the blood from his hands, seeming calm.

“I won’t let anyone who threatens her to live.”

“Oh, isn’t that sweet.” I smiled, and then reared back and punched him.

As he hit the floor with a groan, I leaned over. “We needed him to talk, idiot. To protect Chelsea, I need to know who is behind these men. You are not this stupid, Alex. What’s wrong with you?”

“You don’t understand!”

I grabbed his collar, pulling his face close to my own. “You’re right, because I’m actually using my brain.”

“We have three other…” He paused looking over, as there were light groans from the other side of the room.

The three other men convulsed, white foam spilling from their lips.

“Poison.” I growled, dropping Alex and stepping away, frustrated. I searched the bodies. Beyond silver knives, there was nothing on their bodies. I turned the leaders head to the side, ignoring the large wound in his neck, and found a marking at the side.

A black rose.

A quick look confirmed that the other men had the same tattoo on their neck.

“Liam, do you recognize this?”

He shook his head, frustrated. “I don’t.”

Liam contacted his group, bringing in men to dispose of the bodies. As they cleaned up the room, he pulled me to the side, a sulking expression on his face.

“I need to return to the headquarters and look into this. I’m worried they might have ties to the hunters.”

I reached out and touched his cheek, smiling. “I understand.”

“It’s not fair! We’re finally married!” He frowned, picking me up and hugging me. “…But bringing a vampire into the hunters headquarters doesn’t seem like the best idea.”

“I’ll let Chelsea stay with me tonight and protect her. Don’t worry, and come home soon.”

He pulled me in, kissing me. “I’ll come back as fast as I can. Please be safe.”

“I will.” I squeezed his hand reassuringly. “I promise.”

________________________

It took very little effort to convince Chelsea to come stay with me that night. I was mildly worried about how quickly she trusted me.

But I guess that’s her problem in the story, right? She kept saving people with ties to the supernatural world and trusting everything they say.

Alex on the other hand, argued heatedly all the way to the castle once he heard she was planning to stay in my suite. As we entered the front hall, he grabbed my arm, snarling.

“This is ridiculous! I should be taking care of her!”

PSST!

Feeling bored, I sprayed him. “Maybe I need to put a more effective fluid in here? Like adding silver powder?”

He shook his head, garlic water dripping from his hair. “I don’t trust you to keep her safe!”

PSST!

Chelsea sprayed him this time. She held up the bottle, grinning. “Your husband gave this to me, saying it was useful!”

“That was the right thing to do.” I smiled back. “You keep that with you.”

“Miss… is this… person… staying here.” Selina arrived silently, a look of disapproval on her face.

“She’s going to be in my suite, Selina, please prepare her room.”

Chelsea turned to her, reaching out a hand. “I’m sorry for my actions the other day, Selina. I hope you can forgive me.”

Selina stared at her silently for a few moments. “Try to keep your hormones contained, teenager.”

“Umm… Sure, I promise.”

“… I haven’t teenaged-proofed the rooms. ” She let out a long sigh. “I’ll go prepare the bed… and place protective coverings on the furniture and carpets.”

Chelsea turned towards me, confused by the obvious hostility of my butler. I patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Selina just doesn’t like teenagers.”

“That’s reasonable. I don’t like them either, and I am one.”

We laughed, heading up together.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m staying with you?” Chelsea seemed nervous. “I don’t want to cause you more trouble.” 

“It will be fine.” I grinned, “You’re in the center of my territory now. What could go wrong?”

“... Didn’t you say you were going to stop making vague foreshadowing statements?”

“...” I patted her head silently, having no words to reply. 

________________________

I got her settled into a secure room in the suite after dinner. There were no windows, with only a single entryway through the door. Wishing her goodnight, I set up a chair in front of her doorway, ready to guard through the night.

Fortunately I’m a vampire and don’t really need to sleep.

After a few hours, just past midnight, I heard footsteps leading up the nearby stairs. I jumped to my feet, taking a defensive posture. “Who’s there?”

Alex stumbled up the stairs, his face pale, a pained expression on his face. “Bel?”

“Alex, what is going…”

He collapsed to the ground in front of me, grabbing his head, as I head him whisper.

“Help me.”

[ohheyitsokay]

congrats you angel, you deserve all the love and praise for your writing bc holy shit you’re so talented!!! for the soulmate au celebration, i’m thinking either javi or jack (your choice bc i can’t choose) with the soulmate goose of enforcement au 💕 ik it’s a bizarre au but the potential for chaos is insane 😂 anyways ily and i hope you’re having a great day honey

...not me, having JUST reread your javi/jack fic, considering both... definitely me

Anyway, thank you, jj, you absolute gem of a human. I swear I had to turn up the fan reading this I got so flustered. I hope you have a great day too! And I hope you enjoy- I had to do a little research, and made it shorter than I wanted to, so hopefully it fills your chaos cup still!  (You'll understand, and hopefully forgive my delay when you see what's under the cut :) )

wordcount: 2.5k

warnings: strong language, lil angst with happy endings all around. mild menace meeting menace shenanigans 

Okay this is written as pt 1 Jav, pt 1 Jack, pt 2 Jav, pt 2 Jack, bonus pt 3. If you’re only in it for one of the boys, it makes reading a bit weird, but I liked the format for the whole thing. Sorry!

>>

Javier wanted to hit it with a bat. Or a car. Or anything. All that mattered is that maybe then it would leave him the fuck alone. Of all the stupid, infuriating, ridiculous guides the universe could have given him to find his other half, he was sure this was the worst. Rumor was, he couldn't even kill it if he tried.

It's not that he didn't want to find his soulmate, but he... well, he didn't want to find his soulmate.

There were all sorts of excuses to spout - work, obviously a priority, inconvenience, not wanting to give up his way of life. Not to mention following a damn goose was an impossible task, plus the fact that the stupid thing didn't even like him.

It would appear seemingly at random, honking insistently or flapping erratically, and then be gone before anyone else could bat an eye. To say that he had become increasingly irritated would have been a huge understatement.

The truth of it was that Javier was afraid. No one in the world liked to feel like they were being controlled. People liked to know what was going on, and this just didn't fit the bill. He didn't like that he didn't know you, couldn't be chosen, by you.

His life was already complicated enough - messy enough - that a soulmate would only make it worse. He had made it this long, this far without needing one, so he was fine without, thank you very much. Even to himself, his lie sounded okay.

It was hard to face, the idea that there was someone out there, a relationship that he couldn't have control over. And someone who would love him unconditionally? Terrifying.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t allowed to do nothing, because it seemed like every direction he turned there was a goose from hell wreaking havoc on his life.

They had reached an impasse - glowering at each other as it had planted itself in front of his door. Little feet pacing angrily, unreasonably long neck, all of it was just begging to be kicked. Except, for all he was a seasoned DEA agent, Javier was almost afraid the thing could go a few rounds with him. Feet shuffling uneasily, his hand twitched for his gun, even though he knew he couldn’t, wouldn’t shoot.

It was stupid to have a staring contest with a goose. And even more stupid that the goose won .

Javier turned away, spitting spanish curses in a stream that would make his mama smack him. Maybe it wasn't too late to find a hookup he could use to crash, he was thinking, and that thought was apparently the final straw. The goose reappeared in front of him.

Hissing.

More curses, a quick turn on his heel. This time, it didn't move in front of him, it left a sharp peck on his calf, before dodging his kick.

It was herding him, against his will, to you.

-

When he saw the goose, Jack thought he was delirious. The Statesman lab must've screwed something up because he'd seen that horrible, wonderful, stupid goose once before, in another life.

And he never, ever thought he'd see it again.

He did a lot of thinking, that night and the next day and the next. Strangely, he did a lot of feeling, too, noticing how light his shoulders felt, how kind the ache on his heart had become. He visited their grave, pressed his forehead to the headstone, and breathed some deep breaths.

And when he saw the goose again, he lassoed it.

It wouldn't have died even if it was powered up, but he didn't take the chance, determination and longing filling his being like blood, pumping through his heart to each and every part of him.

Miracle of miracles, it let him, with all the glare a bird could give. Knees only making small pops, Jack settled on his heels, looking at it sternly.

"Can you take me to them?"

The expression on it's tiny, smug face didn't change, but it also didn't disappear to free itself, so he waited.

And he waited. And waited. And eventually, watching it with half an eye, he grabbed a doughnut and offered it to the stupid soulmate goose god.

It considered the doughnut, pecked it as Jack yanked his fingers out of reach, and apparently accepted. After it was finished, it began to tug him along, waddling on its makeshift leash as Jack's heart leapt into his throat. He grabbed the bag of doughnuts and his hat before getting dragged along, to you.

-

At his very core, Javier was a man driven by his personal sense of justice. Being herded by an immortal goose of mischief was unfair, it made no sense that he had to find you, somehow needed more, and wasn't allowed to choose. It pecked and honked and bullied him all the way to a crowded bar, which was a perfect example. 

Just as he was thinking, trying to convince himself he would've come here on his own, it disappeared again and he sighed.

He needed a drink. And, he needed to make some of his own goddamn decisions. Defiance and determination, he told himself. Not stubbornness. There was nothing to prove, it was just defiance and determination, to take his fate into his own hands and make his own choices. And if he was going to do that, he wanted to look for someone who wasn't an informant or a one night stand. His gut was looking for someone he could pull to his side and to show the universe that the goose was right to give up on him.

You were a perfect fit. Slightly disgruntled for whatever reason, even through the crowd he could see the faint, telltale wrinkles of someone just as... determined as he was. Shoulders held the same defiance he was so proud of, and he would be lying if he wasn't physically drawn to you as well. The inconsistent lighting could make anyone look good if you wanted it enough, but you... were something else.

There was a line of pink neon reflection from the top of your ear, across your cheekbone, and just grazing the line of your upper lip as you looked thoughtfully at something he couldn't see. Javier thought he wouldn't mind tracing that path with his fingers, and then maybe his own mouth, and his feet were already carrying him to you to look for an open door. The rest of your form came into view, and Javier noticed the bass of the music was turned up a little bit more than necessary- he could feel it thumping in his bones.

Talking to you went smoother than maybe it ever had before. You seemed resigned, at first, which was a reaction that caught him off guard, and that combined with the weariness of his week, making him unusually candid. In turn, you opened up to him like a flower turning towards the sun, fun and thoughtful and refreshing. 

He liked the way you laughed when his lines came out a little awkwardly - open and appreciative, and it made his chest puff out a little. He liked the way you spoke, too. There was kindness and romance in your soul, just whispering at the edges of the words, and while he didn’t pick up on that, per se, they made him feel special, handsome, worthy, but also trusted and comfortable and safe. Neither of you noticed at first, that you had shuffled into a quiet corner of the bar, that his body had moved close, a gentle shield boxing the two of you into your own little world.

When the question came - what brought you here, anyway? - he found himself answering honestly about half being led by his guide, then wanting to make his own path. His confidence faltered at your quiet laugh. His heart ached. A glance at the clock told him it had been two hours since he'd found you, and already he wanted to... choose you. To have you choose him.

He felt stupid that he had confessed so soon, but...

Oh, you were kissing him. There were hands shooting off sparks into his soul against his chest and his jaw and you were kissing him. Javier kissed you back.

When you pulled away, his mouth chased yours, not ready to give up the contact so soon, but you stopped him, laughing again.

"I have a confession," you whispered, and he paused.

“My guide led me here, too. I thought when it gave up on me when I saw you,” your next kiss was more chaste, “I think we got tricked.” Noticing he liked the feel of you in his arms, even if he didn’t remember pulling you there, he tightened his hold.

Javier felt light, understanding your laughter, and blissfully unafraid. “No,” he said, knowing already you’d understand him. 

“I chose you.” 

- 

Jack was running out of doughnuts. It was easier, safer to have the dumb bird half hog-tied, but he still didn’t feel any closer to you, just halfway across town. He dug in his boots and sunk onto a bench, yanking the goose to a stop, too annoyed to beg for a break. 

He wasn’t giving up and running away, absolutely not, he was just... running out of options. Or, doughnuts. And breath. If this pace kept up, he wouldn’t be able to tell you all the things he had planned out in his head. 

Eyelids closing against the southern sun, he let out a long, slow sigh. His heart was still racing, and he wondered if he was really as ready as he wanted to be, to meet his next soulmate. A sturdier inhale grounded him. He was ready, he knew he was. Whoever you were, you had to have the patience of a saint - it would be alright, he just needed a breath. The ground under his boots was sturdy, the breeze over his skin cooling, and the goose was mercifully quiet. 

“That’s one strange lookin dog you have there, cowboy,” The voice was teasing, but not malicious, and he grinned, eyes still closed. 

“She’s a purebred,” he replied, and he heard a huff of laughter like the first few notes of music. Waiting for your footsteps to carry you away, he savored the moment, feeling silly as he hoped his soulmate would like to laugh as much as he did. 

There was a weight on the other side of the bench, and he wondered at it, as you said, “Want to talk about it?” His smile was softer, this time, intrigued by the moment, but not wanting to be tempted into flirting, not when his soulmate was on the horizon. 

“Nothin to tell,” he replied, feeling suddenly strange. Jack opened his eyes, looking at the rope in his hands, feeling the fibers run through his fingers. “Just a free range chicken... taking a break from tryin to chase down my second soulmate.” He winced, definitely not wanting to look at you, after the second had slipped out. 

It wasn’t judging, though, the voice that said, “You seem like you want to talk about it.”

For once in his life, Jack didn’t know what to say, slipping off his hat to run his fingers through his hair before replacing it. He heard your half-laugh again, and it felt refreshing, like sweet tea on a southern summer day. 

“Okay,” you said, and he heard amusement this time, like you had something to say, some thought you were chewing on. 

Then, there was that terrible honk of the goose, not from his feet, but from where, assumedly, you were. Snapping his gaze to the other side of his bench, he saw a sight for sore eyes, half backlit, glowing like something he never thought he’d see.

There was an indignant goose in a cage at your ankles, now making grumbling bird noises in indignant conversation with the one at the end of his lasso. 

“I thought you were never gonna look at me,” Your arm was across the back of the bench as you grinned at dynamite smile at him. 

Jack returned it, feeling bashful and eager, dropping the rope to grab your closest hand. 

“I promise I aint making that mistake again, sugar.”

-

bonus ending:

Jack was clinging to your hand, grinning like a fool as you introduced yourselves, when another movement caught his eye. There was a man, walking up behind you, a resigned look on his face. Whiskey’s hackles should have been all the way up, yanking you into his arms at the way this man was approaching you, but instead he was dumbfounded for the second time that day. 

He was backlit, too, with shoulders that carried as much weight as the man in his mirror every morning, and he could see the shape of a gun as he knelt next to his soulmate. The stranger’s eyes when they looked at you... were as adoring as he was sure his must have been, a moment before, and he was familiar with you, like you’d known each other before now. Jack wanted to swallow, but his heart felt like it was in his throat, beating like he’d gone a round with a bull at the rodeo.

“This is probably a lot,” Javier said, taking you other hand and quirking an eyebrow. The geese made some loud, obnoxious noises and he looked at them appreciatively. “I wish I had thought of that,” he gestured at the lasso, and you smiled at him. 

“This is Javier,” you said, and you let go of them both to stand up and brush yourself off. Warm hands and strong grips were exchanged, and you watched them curiously as they shook, murmuring names and titles again. They were sizing each other up, certainly, but you felt a rush of relief as you saw a familiar spark of attraction in Javi’s eyes. 

“You got any more surprises for us, then?” you looked up at the cowboy, confused, only to realize he wasn’t talking to you. The goose in your cage was free halfway down the walk, the one in the lasso hissed. The poor man had been an RV in an earthquake and come out the other side overwhelmed and happy, of all things, but there wasn’t much more he could handle. To your surprise, he grabbed a crumbled paper bag and tossed the contents to the bird, before it gave a final honk, and waddled after it’s friend. 

“I guess that’s a no,” you said, suddenly shy at the fullness in your heart. 

“That’s alright,” Jack picked up his lasso, before looking at you and Javier, his eyes happy, and glinting with something stronger. “I think this is more than enough.”

And you agreed.

<<

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize @princess76179

for whiskey:

@0celestialbitch0

[three-gulons-in-a-trenchcoat]

Okay but imagine Sophie and Keefe being forced to hide out in like a little storage closet for hours to avoid the Neverseen or their parents or something. The whole time they have to snuggle up together and he is just relentlessly teasing her because he can sense her emotions and knows she is enjoying the cudddling

The Great Gulon Incident 2.0

words: 3.3k

[notes: this is a long one! really really sorry that this took so long to get out but it's here now! I really like how this one turned out :) although the title isn't very creative heh]

____________________________

“We shouldn’t be doing this”

Sophie had mumbled those words under her breath at least five times at this point, but this time it seemed to catch Keefe’s attention. He glanced over at her, a smirk resting across his face.

“Aw come on Foster, live a little! Tell me the last time you pranked someone, especially Forkle.”

Sophie rolled her eyes, eyeing the bag he had slung over his shoulder wearily as it jostled around, “You should be more careful with those.” she hissed, “have you forgotten you're carrying around live, stinky bombs?”

Keefe snickered quietly, making his footsteps softer as they neared the Foxfire gates, “Don’t worry, I know how to handle these guys, I happened to learn a few from the supposedly very handsome boy who caused the Great Gulon Incident.” He winked as he said the last part, and Sophie scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Keefe had hailed her last night, asking if he could leap over for some “important business”. Sophie had been expecting something more along the lines of actually serious but learned that he instead had wanted to snag some of the gulons that were residing at Havenfield.

“And why exactly do you need ten gulons Keefe?” she had asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Keefe resembled the look of a pouting child as he twiddled his thumbs, “It's been ages since I’ve pulled off a good prank Foster,” he whined, “I think I'm going through withdrawal! The least you can let me do is led a few stinkers for the cause.” His eyes resembled a cute baby alicorn, and Sophie felt her resolve slowly chipping away.

Eventually, she threw her arms up in the air, sighing loudly, “Fine” she grumbled, holding up a finger when his face broke out in a wide grin. She tried to ignore the flickering flame in the back of her chest, itching to cause mischief, but ultimately gave in, “You only get five gulons, Keefe…. and I want to come with you.”

Keefe grinned wider, if that was even possible, and quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her to her desk, “I’m so glad you agreed to help the cause Foster!” he brandished a notebook out of thin air, “Now let me show you the plan….”

She was snapped out of her memory when Keefe shoved the sack of gulons at her, nearly knocking her off balance.

“Ah- sorry, I just need to unlock the gate” Keefe quickly apologized as he pulled out what looked like a keycard and swiped it over a sensor next to the doors. He tugged the hood of his black cape over his eyes and face, stepping in front of Sophie slightly as if to block her from view.

“What's wrong?” Sophie asked, frowning when Keefe all but shoved her into the doorway and through the large crystal halls.

“Sorry,” he said again, “There are security cameras hidden behind the large pillars.”

Sophie smirked, “How did you manage to figure that out?” she asked, handing him back the bag of gulons.

Keefe huffed quietly, “I found a map of the security cameras when I was pulling a prank on Dame Alina last year.”

“You really think far ahead in your plans,” Sophie remarked, following Keefe down the hall. She could have sworn his ears turned pink, but that could be a trick of the light.

It wasn’t long until they reached Magnate Leto’s office, and Keefe used another keycard like before in order to get inside. His face seemed to light up slightly as he untied the cord and gently opened the top of the bag. He leaped back quickly, gently tugging on Sophie's arm as the creatures toppled out of the bag, looking very disgruntled.

One of them let out a large burp, emitting a green-gray gas that had Sophie curling her lip and coughing slightly.

“Come on,” Keefe said, tugging her back slightly, “This is the part I wouldn’t stick around for.”

Sophie let Keefe drag her into the hallway, a giddy feeling settling inside her gut as Keefe shut the door, rather loudly.

They locked eyes, and Sophie felt a laugh bubbling up in her throat, Keefe seemed to have the same problem. Sophie clutched her stomach as a giggle made its way up out of her mouth, she quickly slapped a hand over it, her eyes wide. Keefe laughed at her expression, nearly doubling over.

“Come on.” he wheezed, grabbing her hand, making her blush slightly, but she was too busy trying to contain her laughter that she didn’t pay any attention to it.

They raced down the twisting halls, letting their laughter out freely as their footsteps echoed around the crystal halls.

They slowed slightly, still giggling quietly. They didn’t even notice that their hands were still entwined.

Then Sophie heard it.

Footsteps.

They froze at the same time, fear flashed across Sophie's face, and Keefe's eyes darted around, looking for an exit as the footsteps drew closer. They couldn't run towards the footsteps, but they also couldn’t run back where they came, since it would bring them back to the very stinky office.

In desperation, Keefe yanked Sophie towards the first thing he saw as the elf rounded the corner, closing in.

He covered her mouth as she let out a quiet yelp, pressing her against the wall of a supply closet as he dragged the door shut with his foot. They both flinched when it clanged loudly next to their ears.

Sophie locked eyes with Keefe, who has hunched over her rather awkwardly, trying to keep one hand over her mouth, and one over his own to stay silent.

“Are you certain you heard footsteps?” A voice asked, and Sophie's eyes widened at the same time as Keefe's. They knew that voice.

“I also heard laughter.” Lady Zillah said, and Sophie could hear her walk closer towards their door, the shadow underneath the crack growing larger. She glanced at Keefe, who had panic pacing in his eyes.

“Maybe you just thought you heard something,” Tam said through a yawn, making the shadow stop, “I mean, it's almost dawn, shouldn't we be locking up for the night aways? I’m getting pretty tired.”

Lady Zillah sighed, and Sophie inhaled sharply when the shadow grew slightly closer.

The mentor turned away, “Fine, but we are practicing even more tomorrow night got it?” Sophie breathed out harshly, hearing Keefe do the same.

“Whatever,” Tam grumbled as the footsteps silently retreated deeper into the school, presumably towards the gates.

Keefe finally let his hands fall away from both of their faces and Sophie took a deep breath of air, blinking a couple of times to adjust to the darkness.

“That was close.” They both said at the same time.

Keefe slightly huffed with laughter, nudging past Sophie to get to the door, “We’re lucky we weren't caught” he admitted as he reached for the handle, “It would've been worse than The Great Gulon Incident.”

“Ah, so are you finally admitting that you were the one who did it, Keefe?” Sophie asked teasingly.

She waited for him to reply, but he stood frozen, his hand on the doorknob.

“What's wrong?” Sophie asked, just now noticing how small the supply cabinet seemed. A bad feel brewed in her gut.

Keefe turned slowly, slight panic, with a little bit of guilt etched across his face as he sucked in a breath, “We may or may not be locked in a supply closet.”

Sophie felt her face drop, and she rushed past Keefe (which only took about a step) and tried to turn the doorknob, but to no avail.

She let out a puff of laughter, partially disbelief, that she had somehow ended up in this situation, with Keefe of all people.

“You alright there Foster?” Keefe asked, his breath ghosting along her neck, making her shiver.

She remembered hearing about a game that humans would play. Seven Minutes in Heaven, where they would lock two people in a closet like the one they were currently stuck in, and in seven minutes those two people could do anything they wanted until the time was up.

She pushed the thought out of her mind quickly before Keefe could notice her shift in emotions. He raised an eyebrow, opening his mouth to say something.

“Can’t we just bust down the door with telekinesis?” Sophie said quickly, her voice slightly more high-pitched than usual. She cleared her throat, her stomach dropping when Keefe shook his head.

“Two things,” Keefe said, holding up his hand with one finger raised,“ One, these doors are made of a crazy strong metal, like, as thick as the doors at Luminaria, that's why it was so loud when it shut, and before you ask, no, I have no idea why the doors are so thick, they just are.”

“Second,” he said, holding up a second finger, “The security here recognizes when a door is unlocked, or when a door is, ya know, exploded from the inside.” he mimed an explosion complete with sound effects and Sophie rolled her eyes.

It fell silent, and Sophie stared at the ground, “So” she hedged, “We can’t get out of here.”

Keefe shook his head, “Not until morning, all of the doors unlocked at around six, which is normally when all the mentors arrive.”

Sophie dragged a hand down her face, trying to ignore the panic and sudden other emotion she was feeling.

Embarrassment maybe? No, that didn't seem right, it seemed almost fluttery, and she tried to stamp out the feeling before Keefe felt it, but she saw his eyes flicker.

She swallowed thickly.

“Are you sure?” her voice squeaked slightly, and she cleared her throat quickly.

Keefe's eyes seemed to glow slightly in the dim light, and it was then that she realized how small the supply closet was. Sophie and Keefe's feet were touching, even though they were on opposite walls.

“Oh, I'm sure,” his voice had dropped an octave, and Sophie felt her cheeks flush. He moved slightly, pushing himself off the wall and positioning his leg in between hers as he leaned next to her ear, caging her in with his elbows braced against the wall behind her, “What's wrong, Foster? I’d say you almost seem nervous.” his tone was different, deeper, it lacked its usual teasing tone.

Sophie found it difficult to breathe, and when she did take a shaky breath, it didn’t help, because all she got was a lung full of Keefe.

He smelled cool and minty, almost like the peppermint bark that her human family used to make around the holidays, with a hint of the ocean, no doubt from the white foam waves that he said he swam in every morning. Sophie suddenly felt herself imagining what he would look like after swimming in the water, with his hair flat against his head, and sweat curling around his jawline and his shirtless chest-

STOP! her mind screamed, forcing herself to shred the image from her brain and frantically trying to stop her emotions from getting even more out of control.

She could feel his breath hot against her neck and she shivered as she felt his lips curl into a sly grin. She forced her eyes to look dead at the wall in front of her, certain that if she glanced at Keefe, things would definitely go south, not that Sophie would be complaining-

Stop. her mind growled again, more firmly, as if bating this other, more feral Sophie with a wooden bat into a dark corner of her mind. Shoo! Come out later, when you’re not stuck in a supply closet with one of your closest friends who can also tell what you’re feeling at all times.

Keefe's right hand came up to her hip, and she shivered again, partially from well, the fact that his hand was on her fucking hip, and partially because the supply closet was getting really cold.

“Are you cold?” Keefe's voice was right next to her ear, allowing her to hear that he had a deep timbre to his tone that Sophie had never noticed. And she’d be lying if it didn’t make her legs feel like they turned to jello.

“Y-yeah.” She breathed, hating how she stammered.

Keefe pulled away from her, and she naively thought that it would better, now that she could actually breathe and not inhale his intoxicating scent.

But oh how she was wrong.

Because when Keefe pulled away, she could see his eyes, and his jaw, and his biceps, and his lips, and she hated how her eyes quickly dropped to his lips. But could you really blame her?

Yeah, feral Sophie got another smack with the bat.

She shook her head, pulling away slightly as Keefe removed his hands from the sides of her head. He kept his leg between her thighs, and Sophie pretended not to notice as she shivered again, hoping the cold could be blamed for the pink on her cheeks.

“I told you to bring a cape, Foster.” The teasing tone was back and Keefe finally, finally, took a step back, removing his leg from between hers.

She actually felt like she could breathe again.

“I didn’t think we would get stuck in a freezing supply closet.” Sophie retorted, bringing her hands around her chest, looking away.

Keefe sighed softly, and Sophie glanced at him right as he draped his cloak over her shoulders, pinning it in place with her Ruewen crest that she carried everywhere, even if she wasn’t wearing a cape.

Keefe said something after that, but it was drowned out by the ringing in her ears. Because if she thought that Keefe leaning over her in his scent was overwhelming, she severely underestimated what being wrapped in his cloak would do to her.

She didn’t realize what she was doing until she did it. Bringing the hood to her nose, she took a deep whiff, savoring what his scent felt like in her nose. And wow, she had never felt this safe before.

She snapped out of it suddenly. God Sophie, what are you doing? furiously trying to act like she was trying to warm her nose and not try to sniff his cape like a fucking weirdo.

She glanced at him.

He stared at her, a mixture of amusement and- was that almost pride? No, it couldn’t be that. Sophie felt her face turn pinker. To get away from her mounting embarrassment, She chose to look away from what was causing it.

“W-Why are the supply closets so cold at night?” she asked, blaming the slight stumble in her words as an act of the cold as she averted her eyes from his piercing blue ones.

Keefe blinked, wrapping his arms around himself right as Sophie realized how cold she must have just made him.

“Foxfire gets cold at night normally, so it's not like I didn’t expect this, which is again, why I told you to bring a cape.” he gave her a pointed look and Sophie scoffed.

She was about to reply when a full-body shiver racked Keefe's torso, making him clench his teeth.

She frowned, beginning to unclasp her crest from the cloak.

“You don’t have to-”

Keefe was cut off when Sophie stepped forward and flung half of the cloak over his shoulders. Sure it was slightly cramped, and it caused Sophie to be squished into Keefe's shoulder, but she wasn’t exactly complaining.

Keefe stood stiff for a moment, then very gingerly wrapped his left arm around her waist, pulling her slightly closer and causing the cloak to cover her more. He bent his legs, tugging her down slightly so that they were now sitting on the floor, and unfortunately for Sophie’s poor little heart, in a very compromising position.

Sophie was sure her face was practically maroon as she awkwardly straddled Keefe’s lap, and she looked anywhere but him as he readjusted the cloak.

“You can turn around if you want,” Keefe said softly, his ears slightly pink, “It would probably help the cloak to cover you better.”

Sophie nodded mutely, shifting around in the blond's lap until she was sitting comfortably against his chest, her racing heart didn’t slow down as Keefe stretched out his legs, almost touching the other wall, and let her do the same until they were practically miming the same position.

Keefe's hands were still on her hips, and she could feel her skin burning from underneath the thin fabric of her tunic.

“Is this ok?” Keefe asked, his voice was softer then she had ever heard, and he sounded slightly unsure of himself.

“Yeah, this is fine.” granted, it came out a little more breathy than Sophie was hoping for, but hopefully Keefe couldn't feel how fast her heart was still pounding in her chest.

But oh how he could.

Keefe was eternally grateful that Foster didn’t manifest as an empath. Because if she did, he would be screwed.

His heart felt like a stampede of mastodons as Foster shifted again, bringing her legs slightly closers to her lap, which caused her to fall further into Keefe's torso.

Over the years of living with his father, Keefe had learned how to hide his emotions behind false smiles or jokes, and right now he was grateful that Foster didn’t turn behind to look at him. And he prayed to whatever god was up there, that she couldn’t feel his hands shaking as he readjusted the cloak again, shamelessly giving her more of the fabric for her to curl closer into.

And he’d be lying if he wasn’t absolutely preening at the way Foster looked in his cloak. Pride swelling in his chest as she sighed slightly, seeming to get over her initial embarrassment and burrow into the folds of the black coak.

Of course, there was the other part of his brain, which was screaming over and over, HOLY FUCK YOUR CRUSH IS IN YOUR LAP THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHANCE WHAT ARE YOU DOING JUST STARING GO KISS HER YOU ABSOLUTE DUMBAS-

“Keefe?”

He hummed slightly, and Sophie could feel the vibrations from where she was curled on his lap.

“How long do you think we’ll be stuck in here?”

He shrugged,“ at least for a couple more hours I’d guess.”

She felt his head lean forward, and she squeaked when his hands came around her hips instead of tucked into his side. He hesitated for a second, and she felt her face burn, trying to ignore the fact that they would be in this position for a few more hours.

Suddenly she felt his chin on her shoulder. His breath fanned across her right ear and cheek. Sophie fought not to shiver because she doubted Keefe would believe her if she told him she was still cold.

“Why?” Keefe questioned, and Sophie could hear the timbre of his voice again, vibrating next to her ear.

A voice in the back of her mind told her that she should be on the other side of the room, frantically trying to hide her flustered emotions from the empath, but…

She sighed, leaning her head against his, feeling his eyelashes flutter next to her cheek as she closed her eyes, “Just wondering.” she mumbled, a small smile creeping onto her face as Keefe pulled her slightly closer under the cloak.

Keefe echoed her smile, tugging her back against his chest and bringing his hands across hers. A slight blush tinged his cheeks, but he could feel her emotions against his chest, and they were…

Flustered, yeah. But also… calm, and almost, soft.

Exhaustion pawed at the teens. And Sophie found herself burrowing further into Keefe's chest. And Keefe found himself curling closer into Sophie.

They could deal with the aftermath of this prank later. Right now? They were comfortable, warm, and happy.

____________________________

[just-call-me-the-intrusive-thot]

Soulmate September - Day 6

Day 6 - When your soulmate is injured you will experience pain in that area

Pairing(s): Analoceitmus [ambiguous, can be read romantic or platonic, or a mix], QPR Royality 

TWs: Injury mention, swearing, Remus being Remus near the end 

–

“I’m going to sue him.”, Logan hissed, attempting to sit up in his hospital bed, “Soulmate or not, how can one man possibly be so irresponsible?! I’m definitely going to sue him.”

He winced as he tried to get comfy, but the tough mattress and uncomfortable bunching of the sheets said suffer. 

And boy, was he. 

Logan Sanders was an immaculate, careful man. Had been since he was a child. A neat and tidy lad who - upon learning of the rules of fate - made it his utmost mission to spare his soulmate any pain or anguish for as long as he could manage. 

His soulmate, however, didn’t seem to share that sentiment.

From childhood, Logan found himself with sudden knee pains from scrapes he never fell for, abrasions he had caused no friction to gain, and the occasional shoulder or back pain as if he’d been pushed over when he was standing perfectly upright. At least the universe had decided to spare humanity the anguish of leaving soulmates with the physical injuries that came with the pain, but it was only a minor comfort.

Logan couldn’t say he hadn’t expected a lot of rough and tumble from his soulmate after his elementary school years, but really; a broken leg, facial burns, and a splintered forearm? “This is absolute bullshit.”, he bitterly muttered, “Barely hours apart! How is that even possible?!”

His ranting went ignored by the nurse who came to administer his medication; thankfully science had worked out a wonderful little clear pill that could banish the pain from particularly debilitating soulmate pains. The little bastards were expensive - the true pain is always capitalism within the medical world -  but Logan’s job paid handsomely. Say what you will about computer nerds and whatnot, but programming for the right people lets you make some seriously high end bread. None of that homemade farmer’s market shit.

Unfortunately, he’d have to wait about a week for his pains to ebb gently into nothingness until the klutz of a man fate paired him with got into MORE trouble. Thus Logan couldn’t get back to his work. His leg was, for all intents and purposes, broken so the staff couldn’t let him go home. He couldn’t simply drive home himself either, his splintered forearm saw to that. And Logan couldn’t even ask his roommate Emile to bring him his work laptop to try and keep his workload at bay, his left eye was too cloudy and painful to concentrate on a screen. 

Yes; his soulmate BETTER be paying his hospital bills.

Realisation struck Logan; his soulmate is obviously just as injured, ergo it’s a high probability that he could be somewhere within the hospital too. Using his good hand to reach for a pen, and absolutely dreading adding to his pain, Logan poked the tip into his good arm, wincing as he first attempted to contact them with simple morse code, “My/ Name/ Is/ Logan. Who/ Are/ You?”

He waited for a response, fearing he would have to start scratching his name onto his arm when he felt the little jabs in response,  “Janus.” Great. He FINALLY had a name to put on the lawsuit. Logan, already wincing at the bee-sting pain from the pen, he jabbed out another message,

“Are/ You/ Currently/ Staying/ At/ Stokes/ General/ Hospital?”

The reply came cryptically,

“Yes / I / -”

Logan wasn’t sure why his soulmate had suddenly stopped replying. Had a nurse confiscated whatever his soulmate was using to poke himself? Either way, Logan would have to be content with the knowledge his soulmate was at least close by. He truly had no idea how close until two very disgruntled voices were within earshot of his room door,

“Brilliant, I just adore being ousted from my comfortable bed so I could spend even longer looking at your delightful face.”

“Oh, like you’re the victim here, asshole! You’re the one stabbing yourself and fucking up my unbroken arm!”

Logan watched them both argue outside of his room door. Both men were sporting similar injuries to his own; the first one that had spoken, refined looking gentleman with sharp features and neat blonde hair, had the left side of his face bandaged heavily. Meanwhile the other man, sporting raven hair and eye bags that could carry a month’s worth of groceries, was fitted with a cast on his left forearm. Both of them were on crutches, though Logan couldn’t see if either had a genuine cast.

“Ahem. Gentlemen?”

Logan called to them, watching as both turned to meet his gaze. He lifted the pen in his hand and asked, “I take it one of you is Janus?”

The man with the bandages over his eye, Janus, nodded, “That would be me.”

The man with the broken arm looked confused, “Wait, so, you’re the one who was ramming a pen into their arm? Damn.”, he turned, begrudgingly to the first man, “I guess I owe you an apology then.”

“Really you needn’t-”

“Then I shan’t.”

Janus glared at the other man’s snark, but Logan found it rather delightful. Clearing his throat once more, he breached the topic, “I take it that means we three are soulmates?”

“Four.”

Logan and Janus looked to the third man as he explained, “Your leg doesn’t have a proper cast on it, this asshole doesn’t have one either,”, Janus gifted the man a half glare and a middle finger before he continued, “And since I don’t have one, it’s pretty obvious there’s a fourth musketeer.”

Fair to say, Logan was impressed, even Janus was hiding the tiniest hint of admiration as he retorted, “And are we to call you Sherlock or D’artagnan?”

The man rolled his eyes, “Ha ha, fuck you. My name’s-”

“VIRGIL!!”

The man, Virgil, nearly lept out of his skin, jerking his arm and giving the three of them a jolt of pain. Logan felt relieved he’d only have to put up with it for a few more days once the medicine took effect. 

In the doorway stood a man who could only be described as unnecessarily handsome, clad in a burgundy bomber jacket and a Nightmare Before Christmas shirt that seemed out of place on someone who stood poised like the protagonist of a romance anime. Logan noted he and Janus both checked to see if his leg was broken; good to know they had similar tastes even if the man’s lack of a cast dashed their hopes. Said handsome man made a beeline for Virgil, only to receive a swat and a motion to back off, 

“Jesus fucking Christ, Princey, you nearly gave me a heart attack!!!”, Virgil hissed and took a deep breath. ‘Princey’ let out a fond huff, “You should be so lucky, Bring Me The Depression, do you know how worried Pat and I were when we couldn’t find you!? This, dearest Emo Nightmare, is karma at its finest-!”

“Yeah, yeah, shut up, Roman. Where’s Pat? He’s gonna wanna meet my soulmates.”

Roman blinked, finally registering Logan and Janus just watching the two of them reunite. Clearing his throat, Logan made the introductions, “I’m Logan Sanders, this gentleman is-”

“Janus Delgado. Charmed I’m sure.”, Janus butt in, “Really, Logan, I can introduce myself. Unlike some people.”

Virgil flipped him off just in time for Roman to frown in confusion, “And…. you’re all sure you’re soulmates? I mean, no offense but you don’t...”, he picked his words carefully, his face contorting at the effort, “....act like soulmates?”

The three of them looked between one another and shrugged, “To be perfectly fair - Roman, yes? - we have all literally just met today under…. Less than optimal circumstances. I doubt you and your soulmate, assuming you’ve found them, hit it off instantly.”

Roman blinked, “Kind of, we didn’t have any problems like this, quite honestly...”, he almost sounded guilty at that notion, “The worst we have to deal with is his cat allergies-”

Out in the hallway, a couple of nurses hurriedly walked past and allowed another man into the room who immediately lit up at the sight of Roman and Virgil, “There you both are!!! I got held up at the vending machine, but when I came back you were both gone!”

“Patton! How glad I am to see you once more!”, Roman beamed, pulling the taller man into a hug and planting a dramatic kiss upon his cheek, to which Logan, Janus, and Virgil simultaneously met with an ‘ugh’. Perhaps they were more alike than they first assumed. 

Patton turned to meet Janus and Logan’s gaze, looking back to Virgil who explained, “They’re two of my soulmates, Pat.”

For a moment, the tall excitable ball of sunshine looked like he was about to pop with joy when Roman held up a hand to interject, “Pardon me, but ‘two of’?”, and cast his confusion towards Virgil who explained, “Our last soulmate has a broken leg, it’s the only injury we can’t account for.”

Patton and Roman shared a momentary look, drawing Logan’s attention, “Roman? Patton? Are you both alright?”. The two seemed to play eye contact rock-paper-scissors to decide who would answer, with Roman losing apparently.

“When exactly did you feel the pain in your leg?”

“Couple hours ago” “Around three?” “Precisely 3:27 pm.”

Came the chorus of answers. Janus and Virgil both shot Logan a look, to which he quietly murmured, “It never hurts to provide a little extra clarity.”

“Apparently so,”, Janus began, before shifting his partial gaze to the couple, “So, are you lovebirds-”

“Qpp’s.”, Patton corrected quietly, to which, Janus did apologise, “Pardon me. So, are you queer platonic saps going to clue us in to why exactly you asked us such a specific question?”

Roman sighed, “I ask because my brother, Remus, broke his leg at that exact same time today. Pat and I were going to visit him right after we’d checked in with Virgil.”

The three soulmates shared a collective look, but the first one to pipe up was Virgil, “You have a brother?! Why am I only finding this out now, I’ve known you for 12 fucking years, Roman! What the fuck!?”

Logan exasperatedly ran a hand down his face as he tried to maneuver himself out of his bed and into one of the hospital’s wheelchairs, Janus offering a hand to him, “Virgil, as much as I would love to listen to you and Roman bicker back and forth, could we possibly save such trivialities for after we meet our fourth soulmate?”

This time Patton piped up, “Oh, um, you may not want to do that just yet-”

As if on cue, roughly six or seven medical staff rushed by, causing Patton and Roman to quickly look around the doorway, only to turn back to the others, “Well, no time like the present. Patton, if you help Virgil, I’ll help Janus once Logan can shimmy into that wheelchair.”, Roman assigned as he offered an arm for Logan to hold onto while he got himself in the chair. Noting the context clues, Logan was rightfully worried, especially as he felt a new pain in his hand, only to note that while Roman and Patton helped them move, Virgil and Janus seemed to be experiencing more pain in their legs than before. In the moment, Logan did feel a little bad that the pill he’d taken hours earlier was saving him from too much additional pain. Approaching the hospital room the medical staff had gathered within, the group were greeted with a wild scene.

A scruffy man strikingly similar in looks to Roman - albeit sporting a thin moustache and silver hair streak - wearing a leg cast was holding a crutch in one hand and an honest to god butterfly knife in the other, standing atop his hospital bed, raving like a lunatic and gesturing frantically to an empty space in the room,

“NOW WILL SOMEBODY FINALLY LET ME OUT OF HERE?! ME AND THIS BEAR WANNA GO CATCH HORNY FISH AND SHIT IN THE WOODS!!” 

Charming. 

Logan glanced over at Patton and Roman, the question clear on his face just like their answer. That was Remus alright. He watched Roman talk with a nurse trying to calm Remus, “We gave him some painkillers to ease his leg pains, but it shouldn’t be affecting him this much!”

“Oh, Remus has always been like this with medication, I should’ve warned the nursing staff.”, he groaned, “But that doesn’t explain-”

“He must’ve pushed the blue button behind his bed,”, Logan sighed, already anticipating Roman’s question, “The medical staff likely assumed Remus was coding and thus went into action. That’s why they’re here right now.”

Roman’s expression confirmed that was indeed going to be his question. As Roman went to help the nurses tranquilise Remus’ wild flailing, and while his other two soulmates stood by to watch the chaos - in varying degrees of worry and strange admiration bordering on attraction for his disregard for social norms - Logan tried to come to terms with the facts.

He had three very different soulmates, and by the looks of it? He’d have to get used to frequent hospital stays….

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

This one’s probably on the weirder side, but uh, yeah, I hope it’s still a good read! [Also sorry these have been a little late lately TTvTT] @tsshipmonth2020 Taglist: @somehow-i-got-an-account @cateye-glasses

[hemmoangel]

Dr. Gay Dreamboat Pt. 1

AN: I am giving the people what they want! Here is my comeback one shot’s first part. I hope you all enjoy it because this series is going to be STEAMY! 

Basically, Ashton is a doctor and Luke is his hot femboy nurse who has the hots for him...enjoy 

Warning:There will be smut and mentions of smut throughout the series! Bottom! Luke and top! Ashton, of course.  DO NOT READ IF YOU HATE GAY STUFF! Also, be sure to like a reblog if you enjoy! 

Here’s the link for ao3 :) :

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29210262/chapters/71721195

Working as a pediatric nurse had its perks. For example, Luke enjoyed socializing with children—they always had interesting stories to tell, and he liked wearing comfy clothes to work every day. He felt so professional in his little white scrubs. He also enjoyed stealing the candy from all the jars at the receptionist's desk. They always kept lollipops or gummy bears for the children who had a hard time handling vaccinations. But perhaps, the most exciting part (for most of the nurses, in fact) was how attractive he found his boss.

It wasn't the reason he had initially wanted the job. He was excellent with kids, and the registered nurse position required only a three-year degree. It paid more than enough to support his dog himself. It was a lovely job all around. The people were friendly, and there was such a diverse clientele that Luke met people from all over Sydney. It was social job with excellent pay; he couldn't ask for more. Except for the fact that his boss was a dreamboat.

They met at the interview—Luke was a blubbering mess. He wasn't exactly the smartest interviewee, so he rambled any time the man with fluffy brown hair and deep hazel eyes asked him a question.

"Are you from around here, Luke?" His voice had hit Luke's ears like velvet. It felt like a question he would receive at a gay bar, but he definitely wasn't imagining this guy at a gay bar during something as important at a job interview. Right?

"Oh, yeah. I grew up here...all my life," Luke swallowed thickly. He watched the doctor's hands, searching for a wedding ring. He didn't find one.

He's probably too busy for a love life, he thought and bit his lip.

"That's great. You'll easily relate to the patients then. They need someone kind and familiar with the area. It soothes them. I think you'll make a great nurse," The doctor, Ashton, assured. Luke had never heard such eloquent words in his life. He wanted to marry this man and have kids with him. But then, Luke realized that he had only answered two questions. Were his responses really that good? He was a dumb twink with nothing in his head except this doctor's dick for crying out loud!

Maybe Dr. Ashton Irwin saw a bright future inside of him too.

After that, Luke made it his personal mission to get on the handsome doctor's good side. Any chance that he had, he would ask his opinion or ask how to pronounce the name of some ridiculously long prescription just so Ashton would allow their arms to brush. Sometimes, Luke could smell the aftershave or cologne that he wore. It made his head spin.

He was always looking for new ways to get close to him.

"Dr. Irwin, I really love the new murals that you've picked for the examination rooms. The kids are going to love all the pretty colors!" Luke gushed, snacking on one of the children's lollipops in the office break room. He sucked it to stain his lips red.

"Oh yeah? I think so too. I was a hyper child, so I'm sure I would have loved all of the mind-numbing rainbow," Ashton laughed, looking over at Luke, "Hey, isn't that one of the lollipops we give to the kids?"

Luke blushed, "Yeah...just one. I really like the cherry ones," he felt like a child being scolded. It almost  was electrifying. He was hoping that his scrubs made him look particularly attractive today. They always did give his bum a certain heart shape.

"That's funny, Luke. You always light up the office," Ashton said softly, unaware that he had just made Luke's entire week. Oh, what he wouldn't do to sink to his knees right there in the break room and risk this man's entire PhD.

The room was thick since they were alone. Luke could hear the coffee machine whirring and the hands on the clock slowly tick tock. He ached to hear more of Ashton's praise. And maybe he was delusional, but Ashton only ever spoke so softly about him. It caused him to fantasize about being the doctor's fem-boy wife. They would have so many kids. Ashton was so thoughtful when it came to children, Luke was positive that he would want a million with him. Plus, what could be better than a man who already knows where the prostate is? Maybe he needed a therapist, but he was only human. When he saw the stretch of veins in the doctor's forearms or caught the glimpse of a sweet smile stretch across his lips, Luke felt true love.

"Yeah, I am pretty thrilled with the rainbow myself. I love representation," Luke pretended to flip his hair.

"That's why I chose rainbow walls. We deserve to be well accounted for in the office just like everyone else," Ashton flashed Luke a sincere smile.

Luke was a puddle. Just like at the interview, he was unsure of how to answer. The love of his life was at least a little gay too! He diverted his eyes back to his sucker, crossing his legs and trying to fight back a burning blush. He couldn't help but hope that Ashton had been flirting with him at least a little bit. They always shared carried good conversation and cracked small jokes between the two of them. His heart wished for the best, but his himbo brain warned him of being too rash. He loved this job, and he didn't want to lose it over an assumption.

But in that same vapid brain, devoid of all thoughts except cock and becoming someone's breeding bunny, he thought of a plan.

Luke was going to seduce his boss.

"Well, our lunch is over, Luke. Time to head back," Ashton threw away his trash from lunch, washing his hands before putting his white coat back on. Luke liked the sight of the doctor's figure in his scrubs.

"Yes, sir, Dr. Irwin," Luke stood, making sure to bend over a little when he threw his sucker stick into the bin. He listened for any sounds of disgruntlement, but all he heard was Ashton's footsteps as he walked to the door.

Luke followed, grateful that Ashton had waited to hold the door for him. Could he get anymore dreamy?

"You're with me in room 5, Luke," Ashton said, "Just a 9 month old's check up, but I need a nurse to help me when they get their first round of shots. Usually when the mums try to help, the baby ends up crying more. No biggie. It's still slow since school isn't back in session." He was checking over the baby's medical record. Luke was checking him out. His future husband knew everything. He had to be good in the bedroom.

"Yes, sir, Dr. Irwin," Luke gushed, correcting his tone when he heard himself. He hoped he didn't sound too smitten already. He had a hard time controlling himself around Ashton, especially when he was talking all smart about doctor stuff.

"Luke, don't call me sir. That's for when we're alone in the break room," Ashton teased without looking up from the paperwork in his hands. Luke gasped under his breath, feeling his cheeks burn hot.

Maybe his plan wasn't so vapid after all.

[yoga-onion]

Hindu Mythology & Deities

- Hindu deities (19)-

Asuras / Jalandhara

Jalandara is a powerful asura, son of Lord Shiva. ‘Jalandhara Bandha’ in yoga is derived from his name.

Jalandhara (In Sanskrit, means he who holds water), also known as Chalantarana (In Sanskrit, means he who walks and swims) was an evil demigod who is the offspring of a god and a human.

He was born when Lord Shiva opened his third eye to destroy Indra for his arrogance.

However, Indra was saved and the energy emitted from the eye was sent into the ocean. The energy later developed into a baby boy and Varuna, the water god, felt tremendous power in this child and adopted him. And later, he was raised by Shukracharya (Guru of Asuras).

Jalandhara's childhood was full of wonders. Borne up by the wind, he flew over the ocean; his pets were lions which he had caught; and the largest birds and fishes were subject to him. 

Jalandhara grew up to be a handsome man and was made the emperor of Asuras by Shukra, their guru. Jalandhara was exceedingly powerful and is considered to be one of the mightiest asuras of all time.

When he grew up, he defeated devas when a fierce battle took place between the Devas and Asuras, and conquered the three realms - Swarga (heaven), Bhuloka (earth) and Patala (hell). He married Vrinda, a pious lady.

Later, Shiva was forced to kill him in response to the demands of the disgruntled gods, who were controlled and enslaved by Jalandhara.

インド神話と神様たち

−ヒンドゥー教時代からの神々(19)–

アスラ族・ジャランダーラ

ジャランダーラは、シバ神から生まれた豪勇無双のアスラである。ヨガにおけるシャランダーラ・バンダは彼の名前に由来する。

ジャランダーラ（「水を保持する者」の意）は、チャランタラナ(「歩いたり泳いだりする者」の意）としても知られている邪悪な半神であった。シヴァ神が第三の目を開いてインドラの傲慢さを滅ぼすために生まれた。

しかし、インドラは救われ、シヴァ神の目から発せられたエネルギーは海に送られた。そのエネルギーは男の子と化し、ヴァルナが引き取り、後にシュクラチャリヤ（アスラのグル）に育てられた。

ジャランダーラの幼少期は不思議に満ちていた。風に吹かれて生まれた彼は海の上を飛び、彼のペットは彼が捕まえたライオンであり、最大の鳥や魚は彼に服従していた。

ジャランダーラは美形で逞しい男に成長し、彼らのグルであるシュクラによってアスラの皇帝にされた。ジャランダーラは最強であり、どの時代にも圧倒的強さを誇るアスラの一人であると考えられている。

彼が成長すると、神々とアスラの間で激しい戦いが行われた際に神々を倒し、スワルガ（天国）、ブーロカ（土）、パターラ（地獄）の3つの領域を征服した。彼は信心深い女性であるヴリンダと結婚した。

その後、シヴァはジャランダーラに支配されて不満を持つ神々の要求に応じて、やむをえず彼を殺害した。

[arigatouiris]

redamancy // akaashi keiji x reader (2/2)

Author’s Note: There are far too less notes for this story, but it’s alright. I’ve started to understand and like writing on tumblr for myself. :”) It’s the sort of self-motivation I needed, and I guess I do have it. But, if some of you really like this, do let me know? Also, I have many more strange ideas for fics. Let me know if you would like to see more of them! :”D

Word count: 5k+

Pairing: Vampire! Akaashi x Golden Blood! Reader

Summary: You were head over heels for Akaashi Keiji.

He was a perfect gentleman—hard-worker, handsome, kind, shy, and confident; a perfect blend of all the right things that a human boy could have at the age of 18.

But, what if he wasn’t human? And what if he wasn’t just 18?

As you search for your own answers, Akaashi doesn’t make it easy for you to channel your common sense. After all, a rare blood type only meant danger—especially for a handsome predator with feral eyes.

Warnings: unrequited love, one-sided crush, slight angst, pining, mentions of blood, blood-drinking, vampire akaashi, rare blooded reader, haikyuu manga spoilers???, fluff

The next morning, you saw Akaashi in class; sitting and reading a book. It looked like he had almost finished the book, just a few pages left. He turned to you upon your entrance and gave you an apologetic look, and a soft smile, a question mark plastered on his face. You didn't know how he communicated it to you, but he begged you to not tell a soul just from his eyes, and you really wanted to listen to him. There was still no one in class yet, and for a second, you were just glad.

    "It's called golden blood," You said, almost a whisper, causing his eyes to widen, "It's the—"

    "Rarest blood group in the world." He finished, eyes locked to your form.

You pressed your lips together before nodding, "Akaashi-kun... Can we please talk after school?"

    "Alright—"

    "And even if I cut off my arm and bleed all over the floor, don't run away." You almost ordered him, intending for it to be a joke.

Akaashi smiled almost playfully, but simultaneously there was something dangerous about the very smile that ghosted his lips, "Trust me, if that happens, I won't be able to run away."

You sat at your desk and almost felt the need to count down the hours to being able to speak to Akaashi after school. No one still entered the class, and you wanted to continue talking to him. You couldn't understand why you said what you said, but after saying it, you were surprised to see how you didn't regret it.

    "That day..." Akaashi turned to you with curious eyes, "I wanted to tell you that I liked you."

Akaashi's eyes widened uncharacteristically before a softness swarmed within his pupils. He blinked a couple of times before nodding once and turning away, looking almost hurt at your apparent confession. It wasn't even a confession if you were just stating it to him the way you were; you were informing him of what you intended on doing, but you were not confessing.

After school, you held your notebook firmly in your hands as you walked out of class. You knew that the rooftop on the third building was always empty, giving you and Akaashi enough privacy. Akaashi followed after you, but his eyes wandered to the book you were holding, wondering what it was about. Were you going to take notes? He wasn't too sure what your idea was. Despite walking beside you, Akaashi ensured that there lay a significant bit of distance and that he didn't touch you at all—which would definitely make things difficult for him. He found your scent all the more intoxicating now that he knew about your blood type, but since there was no blood on you, your skin and the perfume and your body's own scent did well to mask the smell of your blood. Even then, Akaashi turned to look at you with uncharacteristic softness in his eyes, you were definitely something else.

On reaching the third building's rooftop, you took out the notebook and cleared your throat. You noticed that he was standing almost five feet away from you, but you didn't question him on his choice.

    "How old are you?"

Akaashi chuckled, "I think you have a significant misunderstanding about vampires."

    "Were you born like a person?"

    "No, not exactly," Akaashi said, smiling at you, "And while your first question is valid, I'm certain that the understanding you have of vampires is incorrect."

    "How old are you, Akaashi-kun?" You pressed, now frowning.

    "I'm over 500 years old," He said, "But, I'm only 18."

    "How does that work?" You asked, genuinely curious.

    "My body is frozen in time. I was turned when I was 18, set to be 18 forever. Time does not pass through me like the rest of you, it passes beside me. So age really doesn't apply to me."

    "Why haven't you killed any humans?"

    "You're assuming I haven't," When you gasped, he chuckled, "No, I haven't killed anyone, but you assumed and it was flattering. I was human when I was turned, so I found it a bit... odd. However, I have tasted human blood. I...receive blood donations regularly."

    "So you don't attack anyone?"

Akaashi shook his head, "Not... Not in a while. You surprised me, that's all. And I truly am very sorry for the way I treated you."

    "You... You think what you did was attack me? B-But, in movies they show that you have fangs and—"

   "Once again, (s/n)-san," Akaashi's smile could literally end you, "You have a significant misunderstanding of vampires."

You blushed at the way he called your name before clearing your throat again and continuing with the questions. Akaashi answered them all patiently, almost expected a few of them, but he didn't move from the spot where he stood. It was almost as if he was afraid to move like he was afraid to get close to you, and while you thought that was quite noble of him, you wanted to know his hesitance.

    "Why are you standing so far from me?"

Now this was the question Akaashi was hoping you'd not ask. He offered you a rather disgruntled look, before gulping. He turned away from you, and let out a breath, almost as if he was put in the spot.

    "The rarer a person's blood group, the harder it is for me to quench my thirst. I'm not... My appetite isn't heavy. I feed once every three months, and while I can digest human food, I do not need it to survive. However," He turned to look at you, and the birth of that feral aspect was evident in his eye, "Your scent is ridiculously strong, (s/n)-san. It almost makes it quite hard for me to... just stay here and do nothing."

    "What'll happen if... if you had a bit of my blood?"

Akaashi chuckled, sounding almost nervous. "Don't even suggest something so preposterous, (s/n)-san, it would do me no good to picture it."

    "But, what would happen?"

    "I honestly don't know," Akaashi said, looking straight at you, "I've never met someone like you."

    "That sounds almost romantic, Akaashi-kun." You said, helplessly.

    "(s/n)-san, about the—"

    "That does it, then," You slammed the book and smiled at him, almost awkwardly. "Akaashi-kun, I like you."

    "(s/n)-san—"

    "And I know you're going to turn me down, so don't even bother. I'll keep your secret safe, no strings attached. I just wanted to confirm to myself that I could like you even if you were a vampire and..." You tilted your head and gave him the nicest smile you could conjure, "...I do."

Akaashi couldn't believe what was happening. Surely, there had been girls and boys who had confessed to him before, several over the years, but you were the first one who had gotten to know him for what he was; and your feelings still remained? One could wonder why Akaashi never took a lover for all these years, living in isolation, afraid and away from human beings yet careful and precise when it came to his appetite. Akaashi loved people and did not want to hurt them, but the secret desire still remained.

Akaashi one day wished to fall in love.

It was the sort of wish a child has about owning an elephant for a pet. It is a wish that felt good while you have it, yet, there was no semblance of a possibility for it to actually happen. Akaashi could dream of love and wonder what it would feel like but he would never know. He would never understand it since he remained unaffected by time but people would move on, people would live and die.

But, there you were, standing and smiling at him, validating his existence as a vampire while the universe had never done; it was a charming sight to see. In over 500 years of living as a vampire, Akaashi had never been moved to tears. But, he came quite close when he saw you smile.

    "Also, if... if I do injure myself in any way around you... Would you lose control?"

Akaashi deadpanned at you, "Please do not speak to me about such hypotheticals, (s/n)-san, it wounds me."

You threw your hands in front of you so as to defend your claim, "N-No, I didn't mean it like a threat or anything! Akaashi-kun," You pouted angrily, "Don't put me in the spot like that! I'm still wrapping my head around you being a vampire! A part of me still thinks you're going to point at a camera and say psyche!"

Akaashi laughed once before shaking his head, "No, I won't do that. I understand this must be a lot to process. I've never told another human being that I'm a vampire."

    "Not even Bokuto-senpai?"

Akaashi shook his head.

    "What about the person who gives you blood donations? Are they..."

    "Ah," Akaashi rubbed the back of his head, gulping and thinking of a certain gold-eyed vampire, "He has sources. Meeting him is quite tasking but he gets the job done."

    "I see," You tapped your chin, "You still didn't answer my question."

    "I won't either. I'm late to practice, (s/n)-san."

    "Also, last question!" Akaashi turned to you and waited, "Did you always play volleyball? I get why you go to school every time, since... It can be boring, I guess?"

    "I ran track in my old high school."

Your heart skipped a beat when Akaashi smiled at you warmly, the feral look completely missing from his gaze. After answering your question, he waited for you to accompany him downstairs, to get off the rooftop. It was strange, how kind he was being to you, and it was strange how he was telling you everything without hesitation. Perhaps, he trusted you? Maybe, it was because since you knew he was a vampire, there was nothing more to hide? Even so, even if you knew that vital piece of information, it felt eerily good that he told you so many details of himself. You followed after him downstairs and felt a ghost of a smile press upon your lips; yes, you liked Akaashi Keiji despite the fact that he was a vampire, and his trust in you gave you a reason to feel joy.

The next day, you greeted Akaashi rather cheerfully and he simply chuckled at your enthusiasm. You leaned over to see that he had a new book in his hand this time, an English book nonetheless. Your eyes widened a bit before giving him a strange look, which he simply returned with an expressionless face.

    "Your English must be really good, huh?"

    "I've had some time to learn it."

You scoffed before noticing the teasing glint in his eye, "Some time, huh?"

Chuckling, you walked over to your desk and sat down right before noticing Akaashi's gaze on you. You smiled back at him, wondering if he had something to say, but he simply shook his head and looked away. You were a bit confused, and in the back of your mind, the feral look Akaashi had was still plastered firmly, but this was a good look too. There were still many things you didn't understand about him being a vampire, and a part of you still suspected if it was even real, but as each hour passed, it sunk in further that perhaps, Akaashi was indeed a vampire.

You had lunch with Sora, and while you knew Akaashi preferred to eat alone (Bokuto-senpai would eat with him before graduating), you wanted to call him over, but with Sora being there, you were certain that there weren't many things you could speak to Akaashi about.

    "You've been staring at Akaashi's back for hours now." Sora whispered, leaning forward. He sat right behind you.

    "What?" You seethed.

    "It's getting a bit desperate," Sora scoffed, "You didn't tell him, did you?"

    "Uh," I did tell him, but I didn't exactly confess in a traditional sense, so... "Not yet."

    "When are you going to tell him?"

    "(s/n)-san, Mamoru-kun, is there something really interesting you'd like to share with the class?" The teacher suddenly called out, freezing you and Sora in place.

You turned away bashfully before the class erupted in chuckles; you noticed Akaashi look at you from the corner of his eye and you felt even more embarrassed than before, but there was yet again a very teasing glint in his eye, which made it all the worse. You groaned before placing your head on the desk wanting to evaporate altogether. After school, you quickly rushed to the library, wanting to grab a particular book. You remembered the title from Akaashi's hands perfectly, and it wasn't as if you wanted to read the book for him or even just to impress him, which was a factor, but it was also because you were curious.

You were curious to see what books he likes, what kind of language he had within his own mind. While understanding his immortality, you knew that Akaashi would perhaps not have had anyone he could share ideas with, thoughts with, or connect with; and maybe, a part of you wanted to be that for him. Even if it wasn't romantic, you wanted him to feel less lonely—at least for this school year.

Because, you weren't sure if you'd ever see him after.

On reaching the English section, you froze to find Akaashi sitting there at the desk, confusing you as to why he wasn't at practice.

    "Akaashi-kun?"

He turned to you with wide eyes, before they regained their regular size. A soft smile presented on his features, before he automatically closed the book, keeping the bookmark in place.

    "What brings you here?"

    "Uh..." Your eyes ran over the books on the shelf before turning to him awkwardly, "I... I wanted a book."

    "Do you need help finding it?"

Your heart rate accelerated. Did it really not matter that he was a vampire? Why was his vague answer to your previous question clouding your mind? You were curious; oh, you were so very curious to see Akaashi in his element, this overwhelming desire to learn more about him made you want to scream. Perhaps, Akaashi sensed a battle raging within your mind and chose to give you a sympathetic look, a look that made you like him more.

    "Listen, (s/n)-san, I really appreciate that you are keeping this a secret. And while I know of your..." He gulped, "...feelings for me, I cannot accept them."

    "But, why?" Akaashi narrowed his eyes with confusion, "No, I'm not asking why you didn't accept my confession, I just... What's so wrong with letting yourself be with someone?"

    "I might sound like a hypocrite, but I dislike lying, (s/n)-san. I have no choice but to do it right now, but... I cannot do it to someone who admires me."

    "You're not lying to me, though."

Akaashi's eyes widened as he stared at you. No, he wasn't. He felt his chest constrict with an uncomfortable feeling, but he ignored it primarily because the look you had in your eye was almost blinding.

    "Ah," You rubbed the back of your neck awkwardly, "I... I'll just go before I say some more embarrassing things."

No, Akaashi thought before feeling his heart rate increase, Don't go.

For the first time in a long while, he found himself wishing for someone to stay. He watched your retreating figure and he waited before turning to his book once again. Of all the times authors spoke about love in the books he read, Akaashi believed that was as far as he would go, but then, a slight turn of events simply scared him. While he was aware that for love to flourish there would be tops and turns that could perhaps shake his entire being, Akaashi was not ready. He had been awake for 500 years, but he was still not ready.

Getting up, he followed after you, knowing exactly where you were headed. You were headed home, the scent you left behind was intoxicating enough; it was rather easy following you. He found you near the gate with the speed he had gone, and the desire to call out your name stumbled him. He couldn't actually recall feeling this way before, and he wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing.

    "(s/n)-san," Akaashi's face was expressionless, "Please, wait."

You turned around with a wide-eyed expression, face flushed red at his sudden arrival. It was almost...cute.

    "I can't let myself get close to a human being for a wide number of reasons," He began, letting out a breath, "Firstly, while I do not age, I can change my appearance slightly to accommodate lifestyle. Which is why it was easy to grow as a high school student to mid-20s. However, I do not age. If I were with someone, they're bound to notice and they are bound to age, even if they are accepting of my nature."

    "Akaashi—"

    "Secondly, and this is the most important,"

Akaashi turned to look at you again, but froze you in your spot since the look in his eye was feral. The very same look he had given you the first time you realized that Akaashi Keiji was not normal.

    "If one day, I lose control and bite you, I'm not sure if love is a reason enough to stop myself from killing you."

You felt nauseous suddenly at his statement. Your eyes were wide and fixed to his feral ones, ones that could stare into your soul as his fangs devoured you, but it was strange how despite the way these eyes had made you feel before, your hand still reached forward to grasp his. Akaashi froze at the sudden warmth radiating from your skin, transferring to his like osmosis, and he felt his chest tighten.

    "What if it's a risk I'm willing to take?"

Akaashi felt anger bubble in his chest. He swatted your hand away before glaring at you, ready to combust.

    "It's not a risk I'm willing to take!"

You gulped before nodding, looking away from his eyes. Akaashi watched you carefully, unaware of why or how you could be so calm at a moment like this. Perhaps, your mind hadn't completely registered the danger that he could be; your eyes had seen his external features and had found it easy to accept him because he was easy on the eye. Maybe, you didn't truly believe him about being a vampire. Maybe, you were living in denial.

     "I'm glad I like you, Akaashi-kun," You said a moment later, twirling a strand of your hair between your fingers, which caused him to gasp at your sudden statement, "Well, anyway, I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched your retreating figure almost in awe. His eyes softened at your words, at the memory of them, and at the thought of you; but he was aware that your unacceptability of the actual fact was what was causing you to have these feelings. If you saw him feed, or if you saw blood dripping from his lips or even his fangs out in the open, he was certain you would change your mind.

*

Akaashi found it humiliatingly difficult to not notice what you were doing in class. He didn't have to look at you to know what you were doing; since his hearing was elevated, he merely had to focus on your voice and he would know. Strangely, Akaashi found himself focusing on you a lot more than he ever did before, and it was when he consciously made an effort not to did he realize he had a problem.

He could hear your breathing slow down as time passed; it was a Japanese history class, and even he found the class a tad bit boring. A smile ghosted on his lips as he understood that you were trying to stay awake, but were failing rather badly. He noticed the teacher walking over to your desk, and he knew instantly that you were going to be reprimanded.

    "(s/n)-san, you must be very tired."

    "Ah, I'm so sorry!"

Akaashi fought a chuckle before pressing his hand to his lips, before listening to the sound of your accelerating heartbeat.

It was during the next period, English, when the teacher asked you to read out a passage did he think you were adorable for the first time. You were struggling to read the excerpt aloud, your face red and your ears red too, and your heart rate was high—embarrassed and anxious at the same time. The teacher sighed before Akaashi allowed himself to turn to catch your expression, before feeling his chest tighten at the sight. You were looking at the book with a pout, clearly unhappy with yourself.

    "You will need some tutoring for English, (s/n)-san," The teacher scolded, "Mid-terms are around the corner."

Akaashi wondered if it would be weird if he offered to help you. But, at the same time, he wanted you to ask him; so that he could say yes after acting like he could give it thought. While the entire ordeal within his mind seemed preposterous, it was perhaps the first time he was behaving like a regular high schoolboy.

During the lunch break, Akaashi noticed you approach him. However, just before you could reach him, your friend Mamoru-kun pulled you away for something else. Akaashi blinked before a bit before turning away, feeling a strange uncomfortable feeling nestle in his chest. He took a sharp breath before walking away from there, unable to take his mind off the incident. Right after school, before Akaashi could leave class, his ears fell on your voice once more, to hear soft laughter exit your lips.

    "...Sora! That's silly..."

Akaashi felt that unfamiliar tightening in his chest once again but swallowed it as he walked to practice. He didn't realize he was clenching his jaw until he had reached the gym, but what shocked him was a soft presence tugging at his shirt sleeve. Akaashi froze before turning around with feral eyes, locking on to your form, which froze in mid-air. You looked almost terrified at his sudden response before Akaashi backed away ashamed.

    "I'm sorry, I must have startled you—"

    "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't..." What was that? "I shouldn't lose control like that."

    "Can you help me with English? Sora was so certain you'd say no," You said, rubbing the back of your neck, avoiding his gaze, "I don't want the teacher to hate on me."

Akaashi had believed this would have made him happy, but it filled his chest with nervousness instead. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was too afraid to see you look disappointed. Instead, he smiled before letting his eyes soften and thinking about the time your fingers had held his.

    "I'd be happy to."

He noticed the sudden elation in your eye, glistening like gold. Akaashi almost laughed at how naked your emotions were, and how easy-going you were with what you were feeling; it was a blessed feeling to have, to watch you be yourself.

The next morning, Akaashi spotted you enter the classroom, giving him a wide smile, which he had been waiting to return all morning. Almost stopping in your tracks, you walk over to his desk before narrowing your eyes at him.

    "Is something wrong?"

    "Do you sleep?"

Akaashi chuckled before once again giving you a teasing look, "You think I don't?"

    "Do you have a coffin bed or something?"

    "No, (s/n)-san," He said, chuckling lowly, sending fire straight to your heart, "I can sleep if I want to."

    "You should really stop smiling like that, Akaashi-kun, it's making it quite hard for me to... just..."

Akaashi leaned on his hand, balanced on his elbow, "Quite hard for you to?"

    "You're a tease." You gasp, before walking away, listening to his chuckle.

He caught his actions instantly before realizing he had been...flirting with you? Akaashi paused before wanting to turn and look at you, but when his ears circled around your form, he could hear how heavy your heartbeat was; and then he could hear his own that rivaled the way yours seemed to be moving.

You meet up with Akaashi during lunch, after having eaten yours in just minutes. Sitting in the library alone with him was sure to make you nervous, but you felt strangely calm. You listened to him talk with dreamy eyes, aware that he caught you staring at him a couple of times but chose to ignore you. The library was strangely empty that Tuesday afternoon, but that didn't matter. The bookshelves hid you from the rest of the library, which left Akaashi and yourself to just sit there, actually studying English because Akaashi was Akaashi.

You didn't realize you were biting your lip at the way Akaashi's steel-blue eyes moved across the pages, and how his lips were spilling out words with a voice that could make the Gods shiver. However, you realized you bit your lip a bit too hard when you winced and leaned back, immediately pressing your hand to your newly acquired wound. However, your eyes widened when you heard the sound of a chair move swiftly, before a force pushed itself on you—Akaashi's hand was on the arms of your chair, and his other hand was on your face before you could blink. Your eyes were fixed to his feral ones, which were gazing straight into yours. His finger slowly pressed itself to your lip, letting a small drop of blood graze on his finger.

You couldn't look away from him, because while it seemed almost strangely erotic, you caught the pain in his eyes, you caught that he was striving hard not to move, to not even breathe, for even doing that could change the air.

Your heart was rummaging and you didn't know if what you did next was courageous or stupid.

You moved forward and pressed your lips to his, slowly pressing your right hand to his cheek. He was cold, not as cold as ice, but as if he had forgotten his jacket during winter. Akaashi's body did not move a muscle, and he desperately wanted to move away, since you felt him shuddering—however, you continued kissing him, feeling your little wound burn a tad bit at the force you were exerting.

In less than a second, Akaashi sucked on your lip softly, afraid he was going to hurt you, and the precise care that he took in kissing you/sucking the little bit of blood from your lip was enough to let you know that this boy was not a monster. He never really could be.

Just before you could extend the kiss, Akaashi pulled away, his lips stained with a little of your blood, before noticing his eyes widen and his face contort with fear; you wanted to know what he was thinking, what he was going through, but something told you he wasn't going to do any of those things.

    "Akaashi—"

In one quick movement, he walked away from you and exited the library. You gulped before feeling the taste of his lips against yours, and feeling how dry your wound suddenly felt. However, your eyes fell on the hands of the chair and you froze. They were broken into two, each of them, as if Akaashi's strength was exerted not at your lips, but elsewhere, just so that he wouldn't hurt you.

Akaashi didn't come to school the next day, but you knew he was somehow nearby. You felt someone's gaze on you as you walked to school, and you wondered if what you had done was wrong or if it offended Akaashi in any way. You ignored Sora's rants on how Akaashi didn't come to school again because he was teaching you, and that he was shy, but when you actually knew the reason, your heart fell.

Your mind thought back to the kiss and you felt strangely elevated at how it happened. He was soft against you, and no part of him had hurt you. Surely, the kiss did sting because of the wound in your lip, which was smaller than any paper cut you've ever had, but at the same time, with Akaashi sucking on your lip the way he was, it was oddly satisfying. You wanted to see him, you wanted to kiss him again, you wanted to hold him this time and see what he felt—however, the look he gave you in the end, the one where he was both confused and terrified, that look broke your heart. It told you right away that he wasn't used to what was going on, he wasn't used to what had happened.

Right before bed, you stared out your window again, feeling eyes on you for the umpteenth time that day. With your heart bursting the way it was, you knew it was Akaashi who was looking at you. You knew it was him at a distance, but you didn't want him at a distance anymore.

    "Akaashi-kun," you said softly, "Please, I know you're there."

There was obviously no response. Frowning, you once again bit your lip hard before feeling your back pressed against the bed just as soon as your teeth touched your lower lip. You gasped when you felt Akaashi's hand around your throat, his blue eyes were glowing in the moonlight as they bore into yours. Tears struck the sides of your eyes as your hands reached over to touch his face, but Akaashi's hand gripped both of your hands by their wrists and pinned them above your head.

Leaning down, he slowly licked the blood trickling off your lower lip before letting out a breath.

    "You shouldn't do that," He sounded like he was in pain, "You really shouldn't—"

    "Bite me," You said, conviction present in your voice.

Akaashi didn't move an inch.

    "You're finding it difficult because you had a taste of my blood, right? It's killing you because nothing makes it feel better, no matter how much blood you have. The downside of having a rare blood type, I guess."

Your explanation made sense, but at the same time, Akaashi knew that you didn't exactly know what was going on. It was simply the curse of being tempted that Akaashi was finding it all too painful. Blood that he got in little packets was not as fresh as human blood that was stuck behind the skin, and there was you—whose blood was by far the richest he had ever tasted. It wasn't about quenching his thirst, it was hurting you, it was seeing your eyes contort in pain.

He couldn't let that happen.

Leaning back, he released your hands and he froze when he saw you smile.

    "You said once," Your hand grazed over his cheek, "That love might not be a strong reason for you to stop if you do bite me."

He couldn't look away from you.

    "I believe, it's too late for that, no?"

He felt tears sting the back of his eyelids. Ah, he thought before moving forward to touch your cheek. The warmth on your skin was intoxicating, but not as much as your smile was.

    "I've never been this afraid before, (s/n)-san," He said, voice shaking. His hand moved from your cheek to your neck, and the temptation presented itself once more, "I can't... I won't be able to."

    "I trust you."

His lips quivered as he moved in, his nose grazing your neck—he felt goosebumps rise on your skin, and again he felt the need to stop; but you pressed your hand to the back of his neck, holding him close. He had bitten off humans before, but none were this inviting, none were you.

None were humans he had been in love with.

Akaashi's teeth sunk into your skin and he heard you swallow your yelp instantly as he sucked in, drinking the nourishment that you so readily offered; he felt his eyes close in absolute elation, and his grip on you grew stronger by the second. However, his other hand pressed against your cheek, wiping your lone tear away. He felt your hand grip his, which was on your cheek and held on tightly, slowly intertwining your hands together. A second later, Akaashi's heart began to race. He directed his hearing to your heart—noticing how it began to drop by just a fraction of a second.

He pulled away immediately before blinking away the tears that fell from his own eyes. You were looking at him with wide eyes now, noticing the residue of blood within his mouth, and how his eyes were no longer feral.

    "If you're going to kiss me please drink some water."

Akaashi laughed right then before leaning away from you and feeling his lips quiver some more. You got up, wincing at the small wound at your neck, feeling two small punctures having formed there. You weren't sure what you'd tell your parents that those were, but that was for another time.

Leaning forward, you embraced Akaashi before smelling him; your chest was pressed firmly at his side, feeling his arm snake around your waist, bringing you closer.

    "How did I taste?"

    "That's a strangely perverted question, (s/n)-san."

    "I didn't mean it like that! Your mind's in the gutter."

Akaashi chuckled before turning to you, brushing some of the hair behind your ear. For some reason, your mind told you that you would no longer see Akaashi's eyes cloud with a feral expression again.

    "I'm in love with you, (s/n)-san."

Your heart skipped a beat at his words and all you could do was smile.

    "I love you, Akaashi-kun," You moved forward and pressed your nose against his cheek, "But please, drink some water, I want to kiss you so bad."

*

The next morning, Sora yawned for the fourth time as he entered the classroom. He blinked when he saw you and Akaashi—you were sitting on his desk, talking to him about something he had no idea about. You were wearing a scarf around your neck and one of your hands was in Akaashi's.

Sora's eyes widened.

    "Your hands!"

You turned to look at Sora and felt Akaashi's hand grip yours a tad bit tighter, making you smile some more. That small grip had told him more than it told you; a desire he had long nestled in the darkest recesses of his heart was allowed to bloom. Maybe this was why, whenever Akaashi saw you, his heart picked up pace, and he felt the smallest urge to shed a tear.