#a million golden stars !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I love deep space nine I'm not shutting up about it anytime soon. In fact, being an infuriating pest that never shuts the fuck up is how I keep my julian bashir apologism alive and well. it's like how some people dye their hair pink because they like sakura from naruto.
#ds9#star trek#i did send like 10 million paragraphs worth of garak meta to someone and honestly#between this and reading medpub for fun I'd be a popular kinnie back in the tumblr kinnie golden age
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sometimes teh hater agenda gets to me. and i need to reason myself away from it
#my brain is telling me to respond like the other person did and explain that no. it actually DOES convey her personaility.#-> -> hiding in tags#found someone complaining about a rhine design on pinterest and i know who it is and. sorry#i jjust think its really disrespectful. and mean. and weird. and funnily hypocritical#4dango's rhine design was absolutely stunning !!!!!!!!!#given we have no TRUE basis for her apperance. the fact they derived all of that from her teacup??? holy shit !!!!!#a million golden stars !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!#rhine is a PURPOSEFULLY ambigious character.. saying a design doesn't correctly portray/convey her is.. very dense#and clearly implies they have only a surface level interpretation of her#4dango does a lovely job at showing elegance + the colour concept (dark under light !!!) + its purposefully encapsulates#the concept of appearance not equating to her morality and such#its UNIQUE#as much albedo based designs are lovely;; 4dango has a wholly unique design. and its very rhine (in my opinion) !#dare i say more than the person im assuming made that comment.#'As a Rhinedottir liker since 2.3 this design does not convey her personality AT ALL.'#WHY WOULD YOU. SAY THAT?????/ THATS SO MALICIOUS???#stop! being! mean! youre not cool youre just edgy and putting down people#your interpretation is not right if you think she's super duper only evil and needs to be portrayed that way. in the bin#crepe rants#-> somebody PLEASEEEE tell me im not insane . or convince me to do it#KIDDING ON THE LAST PART. partially#sorry the nyc public schoolkid in me is yellling for me to go insane over it and tell them to stop being an asshole
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nepo babies =/= person from a rich family i always thought?
#i thought a nepo baby was specifically someone whose parents/relatives are in the entertainment/arts industries#like taylor swift isnt a nepo baby she just had rich parents?? they bought her way into a music career but with their money not any#connections they had in the music industry previously.#whereas likeâŠBen Platt would be a nepo baby because he is a stage and film actor and his father is a film producer and produced films#that star him.#thatâs not really to say that one is better or worse than the other and i donât really care about the discourse either way#(people being upset their fave donât have an organic by-merits-alone rise to fame story kind of confuse me because it seems like a very#modern and out of reality way of thinking)#like i get that people are getting undeserved opportunities through (1) money (2) connections and then putting out subpar art which sucks#but i do kind of think that ultimately you canât trick people THAT MUCH. kim kardashian threw a bunch of money at a music career and it#never went anywhere because she simply was not good and no one liked it.#billie elish has rich parents but no matter your personal taste you canât deny she's found success because she has an audience for whom her#music resonates. idk if she would be as successful if her parents didnât have money and she didnât have the opportunities that gave her#and certainly there are millions of people as good or better than her at music (if you can even quantify it in that simplistic of a way) wh#will never get the opportunities she has had that gave her success but i also donât think she would be as successful as she is if she was#less talented.#also this is literally the worst time in history to be worried about nepo babies lol not saying that no one should complain about nepotism#casting but like we are in the golden age of people achieving artistic success through grassroots means thanks to the internet#getting an audience for work that resonates with people without the machine of the entertainment industry backing you is more possible than#ever before#also and i only have to say this in this exactly corner of the internet#if you are a monarchist you canât use the term nepo baby#sorry you just canât
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MERMAY DAY XXI
TRIAL OF THE MERDRAGON!!!
Fun fact : she admired martial artists when she was a young merfish so much that her dad taught her martial arts with her because she was so hyper fixated on kung fu and many martial arts but since she does not have legs
she went to makoto for training purposes and she Master the power of self-defense by impressing makoto with her self-taught martial arts skills that that she learn from her father and after seeing all of this from one dragon fish
makoto said "well damn...I have never seen anyone be so passionate about self-defense before...great job satonaka-san. "and then she smiled and chie was proud of herself for showing people her kung fu
she however is cold blooded and this will be important later
she was worried about yukiko because she was sick with the flu so she was in her home but after the death of saiki and the fog getting closer to freshwater inaba she worried about something in her mind that plagued her.....
( what if the fog gets to yukiko's house and just straight up kills her when she is still sick ! I cannot let this happen to her! )
So she went to yukiko's house and knocked on her door "yukiko! Open up! I need to tell you something!" As soon she yelled at the door the door opened and it was yukiko wrapped up in a waterproof blanket "oh chie! It's nice to see you! where have you been?" yukiko said in a happy tone
"I was looking for you of course duh!" chie said normally
And so chie went inside yukiko's house and told her about the fog and how it's worrying her friends with saving the freshwatersea or whatever and she was listening to the whole thing "that's terrible!" yukiko said with a scared look on her face "yeah I know right it's messed up!" "but how do we stop it from killing? aren't you like cold-blooded survived more things that will injured somebody?" yukiko said questioning chie
Chie facepalms and said in a serious tone "alright listen, once you get better I want you to join the investigation team"
"why?" yukiko asked again questioning her friend
"we need more helping hands to find the culprit who made the fog in the first place and you seem a great candidate for being a pyrotechnician... If you know what I mean? so would you take the chance?"
"......I'll take it..."
"really!?"
"...hmmm...once I get better I'll show you and your friends what I can do!"
"thank you yukiko...." chie smiled joyfully and hugs yukiko and she sneezes "bless you" said chie
"thanks...."
#persona 4 chie#chie satonaka#anime and manga#persona 4 golden#satonaka chie#persona 4#mermay 2024#mermay#she is a mixture of the sengal and the dragon snakehead fish#she collects ribbons and makes them into ribbon batons for people to use in her spare time#she hunts large fish#like for example sea basses and likes to keep the bones of her meals cuz they look good on a wall so she carefully eats the fish until#it's bone and she can hang up in the wall#also she punched a rock so hard that it cracked into a million pieces and she was able to keep half of the pieces of rock#also she recruited yukiko as you can see this here so she is a compassionate fighter that will not take shit for nothing#also her home is in the ground somewhere because she likes to stare at the stars when she's in her bed and she likes to count them#she'll probably beat âmother natureâ to death for contaminating the sea with nuclear crystals and most importantly the fog#so yeah that's her lore anyways bye#also sorry this came out late I was fucking around and I ignored doing it so here ya go lol
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Last year it was 'Why isn't he here to stop me?'
This year it is 'You idiot. We could've been.... us.'
#why is it always the gay idiots in love that break my heart in a million pieces#and always in the last episode too#i love it and hate it at the same time really#star trek discovery#golden ratio#good omens#ineffable husbands
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THE CONTRACTED HEART â Rafe Cameron (01)
MASTERLIST | Basketball Player & Model!Female Reader
Summary: Rafe Cameron, a basketball star, needs a marriage to fix his image, while Model!Reader needs one for citizenship. They may be the perfect solution for each other.
Warnings: smut, descriptions of violence, jealousy, usage of drugs, talks about body image/ed, angst, and lots of bickering. Reader is confident, a people-pleaser, has a traumatic past, and is a sunshine with an attitude. Rafe is a whore, possessive, cocky, and secretive about his past.
Word Count: 4.2k
Aliyah's Notes: this is my first series on here so go easy on me (#adele) pls + some things are not going to be obx canon ... at least some of yall are warned. anyw im so excited for this cause lord knows the amount of time ive wanted to make a fake dating fic!!!!!!! anyw i hope you all will enjoy this i had so much writing the first chapter
The clatter of high heels against the marble floor echoed in perfect sync with the ticking of your watch. Every step was deliberate, poisedâjust like your life had to be. Perfection, it seemed, was not a choice but a requirement for survival.
You adjusted your sunglasses, your gaze skimming over the glamorous expanse of the fashion agency's lobby. People buzzed around you like bees in a hive, their worlds spinning, fueled by the weight of names, status, and flawless images. You smiled politely at the receptionist, offering a nod, though your mind was miles away.
To the outside world, your life was golden. The covers of magazines, the invitations to high-society events, the million-dollar deals with luxury brandsâit was a fantasy that others could only dream of. It was your dream some time ago, too.Â
But today, your reality felt like walking on the edge of a tightrope, the safety net fraying below you.
Your phone vibrated in your purse, interrupting your thoughts. You fished it out, your pulse quickening when you saw the text from your lawyer. Three words that sent a chill through your carefully constructed façade.
"We need to talk."
Your heart sank. The issue of your visa had been hanging over your head like a storm cloud for months now, growing darker by the day. Youâd known this was coming, but knowing and confronting it were two different beasts.
Fame didnât shield you from the cold bureaucracy of citizenship laws, and your time was running out. One misstep, one delay, and your golden empire could crumble. In a matter of months, you could be deported, left behind by the very country that had built you up.
With a deep breath, you silenced your phone and slid it back into your purse. This wasnât something you could dwell on right now, not in public. Your expression remained serene, even though your mind was anything but. You had a shoot in an hour, a charity gala that evening, and at some point, you had to meet with the lawyer to discuss "options"âa word that had started to feel more like a trap than a solution.
As you exited the building, the cool breeze caught your hair, the city unfolding before you like a glittering stage. New York City. You looked out at the streets, the people, the life you fought so hard to build. The car pulled up to the curb, and you climbed inside. On your way to your lawyer.
You stepped into the law office, the familiar scent of polished wood and stale coffee wrapping around you like a tight band.
"Ms. Y/L/N, good afternoon," Nicolas Ramirez, your lawyer, greeted you, standing behind his desk. His expression was composed, but you knew him well enough by now to spot the unease in his eyes.
"Hi," you softly smiled at him. Your heels clicked softly on the floor as you sat down, crossing your legs tightly, as if holding yourself together. "Letâs just get straight to it, okay? How bad is it?"
Nico sighed, adjusting his glasses. "Your visa expires in less than three months."
You felt your stomach twist, your worst fear inching closer to reality. You swallowed hard, trying to keep your voice steady. "And what about the appeals? The extensions?"
"Weâve exhausted every possible optionâwork visas, artist visas, even humanitarian grounds. Immigration laws are tightening, and without a permanent solution like citizenship or residency, youâll be forced to leave the country."
"Leave?" Your voice was barely a whisper, but it carried the full weight of the nightmare youâd been living with.Â
Leave? Go back there?
The country you had fought so hard to escape. The country where your childhood had been marked by suffocating poverty, where your parents had already planned your marriage before you even turned 15. Where your dreams had been a distant, impossible hope until that one person changed your life forever.
You felt your throat tighten. You couldnât go back.
Nicoâs gaze softened slightly, his voice gentle but firm. "I know what this means for you. I know how difficultâ"
"You donât know," you cut him off, your voice sharper than you intended. "You⊠You donât knowâI canât go back there, Nico. I just⊠I canât."
He nodded, giving you a moment of silence to compose yourself, but the pressure in your chest only grew. You took a deep breath, trying to keep the panic at bay.
"So what now?" you asked, fighting to keep your voice steady. "Is this it? Am I out of options?"
"Well⊠Thereâs one option we havenât explored yet." his tone was cautious, like he knew what he was about to say would open a new can of worms.
You furrowed your brow. "What?"
"Marriage."
The word hung in the air, thick and heavy. You blinked, unable to comprehend at first. "Marriage?" you repeated, as if saying it aloud would make the absurdity of it clear.
"Itâs one of the few legal paths left," he explained, leaning forward slightly. "Marriage to a U.S. citizen could secure your green card and, eventually, permanent residency. Itâs a legitimate routeâmany people in similar situations have done it."
You sat back in your chair, the tension in your body coiling tighter. The thought of marriage, of attaching yourself to someone you barely knew for the sake of staying in the country, made your skin crawl. You had already sacrificed so much for your freedom, for your career. And now this?
"Youâre telling me the only way to stay here is to marry someone I donât even love? Just to avoid being sent back to a country I donât belong in anymore?"
"Not necessarily," Nicolas said, his tone measured. "It wouldnât have to be a traditional marriage. Think of it as a business arrangement. Itâs a legal partnershipânothing more. And it could save your career, your life here."
You crossed your arms tightly, your mind racing. Marriage. It was a word that had haunted you ever since your parents had tried to force you into it as a teenager. Back then, it was their way of controlling you, of keeping you bound to a life you didnât want. Now, it felt like the universe was throwing the same chains back at you, just in a different form.
"Iâve compiled a list of potential candidates," Arjun continued, sliding a piece of paper across the desk toward you. "People who might be open to an arrangement like this. Athletes, businesspeopleâindividuals who might benefit from a similar deal."
You glanced at the paper but didnât pick it up. The names blurred in front of your eyes. This wasnât how your life was supposed to go. Youâd already lost your family, fought tooth and nail to get out of your country and build something for yourself in the U.S. And now you were at risk of losing everythingâagain.
"I donât know if I can do this, Nico," you said quietly, shaking your head. "Iâve already sacrificed so much. My family⊠I gave up everything to be here. And now youâre telling me I have to give up even more?"
"Iâm not telling you that you have to do anything," he replied, his voice calm but firm. "Iâm saying this is an option. One that could keep you here, legally. But the decision is yours. Iâm just laying out the possibilities."
You swallowed the familiar knot of anxiety tightening in your chest.Â
"I canât go back there," you whispered, more to yourself than to him. "Iâve worked too hard to get here. I canât lose everything."
He nodded slowly. "Then maybe itâs time to consider unconventional options."
You finally picked up the paper, scanning the names but not really seeing them. Your heart was racing, your mind spinning with a thousand thoughts. Marriage. It felt like a trap, just like it had back then. But maybeâjust maybeâit was the only way to keep your future intact.
"Iâll think about it," you said, standing up and smoothing the front of your dress. "But Iâm not making any promises."
"Of course," he said, standing as well. "Just let me know. Weâre running out of time, but Iâll support whatever decision you make."
You nodded curtly, turning toward the door. As you stepped out into the cool city air, your chest tightened with the weight of everything you stood to lose. The lights of New York City flickered ahead of you, just out of reach, as though the life youâd built here could vanish at any moment.
And for the first time in a long time, you felt truly afraid.
Your phone buzzed, dragging you out of your spiraling thoughts. You fished it out of your purse, heart skipping a beat when you saw the name: Nina. Your agent.
With a shaky exhale, you answered. âNina, hi.â
âHey, babe!â Ninaâs voice was all cheer, a stark contrast to the storm inside you. âSo, I have amazing news! Guess who just got major campaign offers coming in? You! Chanel, Loewe, and oh my God, donât even get me started on Louis Vuitton. The year starts beautifully for you!â
You shouldâve felt ecstatic, but instead, the words passed over you like an echo. All you could think of was the countdown Nico had set in motion: three months. Three months before everything youâd built here would be taken away from you.Â
âThatâs⊠amazing, Nina,â you managed, trying to muster some enthusiasm. âReally amazing. Thank you so much.â
âAre you okay? You donât sound like your sunshine-self.â Ninaâs voice softened, concern creeping in. âWhatâs going on?â
There was a pause. Nina had been there through all your ups and downs, from your rookie days as a model to your rise in the industry. But the immigration issues, the fear of being sent back to a life you couldnât return toâthat was something neither of you could control.Â
âThree months?â she repeated, her voice going higher. âOh my Godâwhat the fuck? I thought⊠I thought you had more time.â
âSo did I.â You swallowed the lump in your throat. âNina, I donât know what to do. Iâve called Nico and he tried everythingâextensions, appealsâbut the laws are tightening, and he said thereâs only one real option left.â
There was a brief silence before she asked, âWhat option?â
You bit your lip. âMarriage. Nico says I could marry someone for a green card.â
âMarriage?â Ninaâs voice came out in a shocked squeak. âLike a fake marriage? Babe, are you serious?â
âI donât know!â you burst out, frustration and fear colliding. âI donât know what to do! I canât go back there. I canât. My parents⊠My parents already wrote me off as dead, and if I go back, Iâm stuck in a place I spent my entire life trying to escape.â
Her voice softened. âI know, honey, I know⊠Iâm sorry. I didnât mean to soundâGod, I canât imagine how scary this is for you.â
You took a shaky breath, grateful for her understanding. Nina wasnât just your managerâshe was one of the few people who you actually close to. She was a 34 years old American-Filipina woman. You trusted her with your life.Â
âOkay,â Nina said, her voice more focused now. âOkay, now listen. Weâll figure this out. I know Nicolas wouldnât suggest something like this unless it was a real option. Do you trust him?â
You sighed. âYeah. I do. But the idea of marrying someone just to stay⊠it feels like another version of what my parents wanted for me. Like Iâm back in that same time of my life.â
âI get it. But this isnât like that. Youâre in control this time,â Nina said. âIf this is what you need to stay here, itâs not about love or being owned by someone.â
You nodded to yourself, trying to absorb her words. âWell, um, Nico gave me a list of potential candidatesâpeople who might be willing to make an arrangement. Youâll never guess whoâs on it, though.â
âWho? Shawn Mendes? Harry Styles? Tom Hollandââ
âRafe Cameron,â you said, cutting her off. âThe basketball playââ
âYeah, I know who that man is, Y/N. His reputation is a total mess right now. Itâs not surprising for him to be on that list.â
âExactly,â you muttered. âItâs a perfect business arrangement for him, too. He needs a way to look respectable again, and I need to stay in the country.â
âSo, youâre actually considering this?â
You leaned against a streetlamp, staring at the city around you. âI donât know. Maybe? It just feels wrong. Like Iâm giving up a part of myself.â
âAs nicely as this can be said, you are being dramatic here, babe.â Nina sighed softly. âLook, Iâm not going to push you either way, okay? But I do think you need to look at it from a different angle. Youâre not giving up on yourself. Youâre doing what you need to do to stay here, to keep fighting for your career and your future. And Rafeâor whoever youâll end up marryingâis not your parents. Heâs not going to control you or heâll get slapped.â
You closed your eyes, trying to let her words sink in. She was rightâyou were in control now. This wasnât the same as being forced into a marriage you didnât want. This was about survival. About keeping your life in the U.S. intact.
"Yeah⊠I guess youâre right," you said softly, feeling some of the tension release from your shoulders. "I just need time to think."
TWO WEEKS LATER.
The soft glow of the late afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting warm light across your living room. After two relentless weeks of back-to-back fashion shoots, campaign meetings, and gala appearances, you had finally found a moment of peace. You curled up on the plush sofa, sinking into its embrace as the hum of the city outside became a distant murmur. The oversized, loose pajamas you wore were a far cry from the designer gowns and couture youâd been draped in recently, but they were yoursâsoft, comforting, and familiar. Your hair was twisted into a lazy bun under a satin bonnet.
You exhaled a sigh of relief, finally feeling the weight of exhaustion slip from your shoulders as you closed your eyes.
Buzz. Buzz.
The sound of your phone vibrating on the coffee table pulled you from the calm. You groaned softly, reaching for it with one hand, expecting to see another notification about a meeting or event. Instead, it was a message from Nicolas.
âAny thoughts on who you're going to marry? We need to move quickly if we want to ensure everything goes through in time.â
The familiar weight of the situation youâd been trying to avoid crept back into your chest. Two weeks had passed since your lawyer had first laid out the reality of your visa situation. In those weeks, you'd thrown yourself into work, hoping the constant flurry of activity would drown out the anxiety. But now, in the quiet of your home, the decision loomed large again.
You typed back, hesitating for a moment before hitting send.
"I havenât decided yet."
A few seconds later, the reply came through.
"We need to discuss this in person. Can you come to my office today?"
You frowned, your eyes darting around the cozy room, not quite ready to leave your home.
"How about you come here instead?" you typed. "Itâs been a long week, and Iâd rather talk in private."
There was a pause before the three dots appeared, and then the message followed.
"Sure. Iâll be there in about an hour."
You put your phone down and leaned back against the cushions, staring at the ceiling. This wasnât a conversation you wanted to have, but it was necessary. Time was running out, and you knew you had to face itâwhether you wanted to or not.
An hour passed in a blur, and soon enough, you heard the knock at your door. You padded across the room in your socks, your oversized pajama pants swishing softly as you walked. Opening the door, you found Nicolas standing there, looking as composed as ever in his tailored suit.
âCome in,â you said with a smile, stepping aside to let him in.
Nicolas entered, his eyes scanning the room before they landed on you. "You look... relaxed."
You gave a soft chuckle, gesturing to your pajamas. âDonât mock the pjâs until youâve tried them.â
He smiled slightly, but there was a hint of emergency in his expression as he took a seat in the armchair across from you. âI know youâve had a lot on your plate lately, but we really need to make a decision.â
You nodded, sitting back down on the couch, hugging a pillow to your chest. âI know⊠Iâve just been avoiding it.â
âAnd I noticed,â he said, pulling out a folder from his briefcase. âBut with the visa expiration approaching, we donât have much time. We need to find someoneâsomeone who understands the situation and wonât make things harder.â
You bit your lip, holding a smile, glancing at the folder in his hands. âYou bought the list?â
He nodded, and handed it over, and you flipped through the names, recognizing some immediately. Athletes, businessmen, even a couple of actors/singers. And then there was Rafe Cameron, his name standing out like a bold headline.
âIâve looked at these,â you said quietly. âI just⊠I donât know who to choose. None of âem feel right.â
Nico leaned forward. âIt's not about right or wrong. Itâs about who can offer the least amount of personal complications and help you secure your residency. Rafe Cameron, for instanceâheâs someone who could benefit from this arrangement as much as you. His reputation needs mending, and this could be a mutually beneficial situation.â
You stared at Rafeâs name, the memories of seeing his name in the news about how much of a womanizer he was⊠Could you really tie yourself to someone like him in a fake marriage?
âAlright, but I need you to help me decide,â you admitted, looking up at him.
He nodded, his expression understanding. âOf course, thatâs why Iâm here. Letâs break it down together and figure out who makes the most sense, not just legally but for your peace of mind.â
Nicolas opened his briefcase again, pulling out more detailed files on the potential candidates. He laid them out neatly on the coffee table, each name with a stack of informationâfinancial records, personal histories, public perceptions. It was all very businesslike.
You leaned forward, looking at the pages in front of you. Each one represented a major decision, a shift in your life you werenât entirely ready to accept, but you knew you didnât have much of a choice.
âLetâs start with the most practical options,â he said, sliding the file on Rafe Cameron toward you. âI know his name has come up before. Heâs wealthy, influential, and⊠well, letâs be honest, he could use a boost to his public image right now. Itâs a good match on paper.â
You stared at Rafeâs name again, tapping the edge of the file with your finger. âYeah, but heâs also a bit of a mess, isnât he? I mean, the media paints him as this⊠whore, and his personal life is always talked about. What if that blows back on me?â
Nicolas raised a brow. âThatâs something to consider, but you also have to think of the benefits. His public image might not be very clean, but heâs powerful. Marrying him would put you in a stable position, and if itâs a business arrangement, his private affairs donât have to concern you.â
You exhaled slowly, still feeling uneasy. Rafe Cameron was trouble, and you knew it. But at the same time, trouble might be exactly what could make this workâfor both of you.
âWhat about the others?â you asked, flipping through the files. âThere has to be someone whoâs⊠less complicated.â
âWell,â he said, tapping another file. âthereâs Owen Turner. Heâs a succesful tech entrepeneur, keeps a low profile. No scandals, no messy reputation. Heâs reliable, but youâll have to approach this differently. Heâs more private, less likely to want his personal life on display.â
âAnd boringâplus, he seems like the type of white guy to want a traditional wife. Like he would expect me to cook for him every night⊠and he has an ugly name.â
âOwen wonât be expecting home-cooked meals, Y/N. Heâs a tech guy; he probably lives on energy drinks and instant ramen,â Nico pointed out, trying to steer you back to the serious topic. âBut if we position it as a legal arrangement, he could see the value in it.â
You sighed, leaning back on the chair. âOkay, maybe Owen is the safer options. But can you imagine our wedding announcement? âSuccesful Tech Entrepeneur Married Famous Model: They Share a Love for Cats and Instant Noodle.ââ
Nico shook his head, trying not to smile. âFocus, please. This is a serious matter.â
âRight, right, sorryâŠâ you said, wavering your hand dismissively. âBut, what do you think about Rafe?â
âRafe Cameron is the most straightforward option,â he said, his tone now more measured. âHeâs already in the public eye, which means there wonât be as much of a shock if youâre suddenly married. Plus, his need for good press aligns with your need for stability.â
âAnd personally?â
He smiled softly, a rare gesture from him. âPersonally, I think you should go with the person you think you can manage.â
You nodded, appreciating his honesty. Staring at the stack of papers in front of you, Rafe Cameronâs name glaring up at you from the top of the list. Every name on the list had its pros and cons, but something about Rafeâs file felt different. Maybe it was the intensity of his media coverage, the scandals, or the way he dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons. But as much as you hesitated, his name kept pulling you back.
âI know his reputation isn't spotless,â Nico said, sensing your hesitation, âbut in this situation, a clean reputation isnât the priority. You need someone powerful, someone with enough influence to make this arrangement stick without getting tangled up in emotional complications.â
You nodded, again.âBut I donât know if I can handle all the baggage that comes with Rafe Cameron. His public image is a trainwreck. Wouldnât that only complicate things more?â
Nico leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful. âPossibly. But think of it this way: his personal life is already so chaotic that a stable, respectable marriage might be exactly what he needs to repair his image. And thatâs where you come in. Youâd be helping each other.â
Your eyes dropped back down to his file. "Do you think he'd even agree to something like this?"
Nico chuckled softly. âIf thereâs one thing I know about men like Rafe Cameron, itâs that they understand deals. His reputation is hanging by a thread, and a marriage to someone like youâsomeone with a pristine public imageâcould be the ticket to restoring his credibility. Itâs a win-win, really.â
You considered Nicoâs words. He was right. Rafe had everything to gain from a marriage of convenience, just like you. And while his scandals were messy, they didnât define him entirely. He was still an elite athlete, one of the best in the game, and with the right PR strategy, you could both come out looking better.
But the thought of marrying someone like himâa notorious playboy with a history of messy breakupsâmade your stomach churn.Â
âYou know,â Nico continued, âif this were just about your visa, weâd be having a different conversation. But this is about your entire future. Your career, your freedom to stay here, everything youâve built. Iâm not saying itâs an easy choice, but itâs one worth considering.â
You sighed, the weight of the decision pressing down on you. "What happens if it falls apart? What if things with Rafe go wrong?"
"Thatâs why weâll draft a contract," Nico reassured you. "This wonât be a traditional marriage, Y/N. Youâll both have clear boundaries, and legally, weâll protect your interests. If things go south, youâll be covered."
You stared at the file a little longer, then closed your eyes.Rafe Cameron. He was cocky, possessive, and recklessâeverything you usually avoided. But maybe that was the key. You wouldnât have to worry about him trying to control you or make this anything more than a business transaction.
It would be messy. It would be complicated. But it would also keep you here, in the country youâd fought so hard to call home. And maybe, just maybe, it would be the solution you both needed.
âOkay,â you said softly, your decision finally settling. âIâll do it.â
Nicoâs eyebrows shot up, a little surprised at how quickly youâd made up your mind. âYouâre sure?â
âNo,â you admitted with a weak smile. âBut I think this is the best option. Iâll marry Rafe Cameron.â
Nico nodded, closing the folder with a satisfied smile. âGood. Iâll set up a meeting with him. Weâll get the ball rolling.â
Oh God, you were going to marry Rafe CameronâŠ
chapter two
#aliyahs works#the contracted heart#rafe cameron#obx#rafe cameron fanfiction#rafe cameron x reader#rafe cameron smut#rafe x reader#rafe cameron imagine#outer banks#rafe fanfiction#rafe obx#rafe cameron fluff#rafe outer banks#outerbanks rafe#rafe smut#rafe cameron x oc#rafe cameron x you#rafe cameron x y/n#rafe cameron x female reader#obx rafe cameron#model!reader
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#sometimes i wonder if hell would be the first place to welcome me with open arms#the devil would look at me broken and bloody and crying from gods cruel hands and heâd say#me too#and heâd understand me and my pain#and hes seen it millions of times with millions of people#some deserve punishment#but the one who deserves it the most the golden father himself gets to watch his prey suffering eternally#the universes most powerful sadist feigning a frown as he rips the young lambs wool out hair by hair#until it cant help but run to the wolves who will kill it more kindly#and i wonder if the devil would take my hand and bring me somewhere safe#where he and everyone else who has been wronged by the creator can rest together#see that weâre not alone#see that all of us were bred this way on purpose only to be used like playthings#and those of us who wanted to stay could stay#but me and the others who were done with life could be put to rest#and return to the stars
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all the things I never said
pairing: lee heeseung x f reader
genre: childhood friends to lovers
word count: 7.3k
warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, heeseung is so romantic I want to die a little, a kiss that gets quite heated, this is very much unedited
note: happy (almost) Heeseung day! I hope you enjoy this little romantic take on childhood friends to lovers âĄ
â.Ë⥠àŁȘ Ëâ.Ë⥠àŁȘ Ëâ.Ë⥠àŁȘ Ë
Lee Heeseung has a secret.
Itâs scribbled on a forgotten note, tucked away in a bottom drawer, carved with a shaky hand into the aging wood of his childhood treehouse.Â
Sometimes, on cloudless nights, he looks up at the stars and tells them what heâs been hiding for so long. In response, the midnight sky twinkles in a way that looks all too much like laughter.Â
On afternoons in late autumn, Heeseung whispers the truth to the wind and watches as itâs carried away with an array of dead leaves.Â
A million little gestures. A thousand tiny moments that are inconsequential on their own. But when pieced together, string a story so obvious heâs not sure if his heart could ever handle it.Â
But heâs not sure what would happen, if he shouted at the top of his lungs instead of confiding the world around him in hushed whispers.Â
Heâs a firm believer in balance and is terribly afraid that letting words drip from his tongue would only spell disaster.
So for now, he lets Mother Nature serve as his only confidant and hopes that sheâll keep her vows of silence.
There was a time, not all too long ago, when his secret wasnât, well, a secret. When he used to speak freely and honestly without a fear of the future, without anxiety of repercussions.
But all secrets have their reasons, and all stories have a beginning.
For Heeseung, both begin on a rather ordinary afternoon in early summer nearly twelve years ago.Â
âŠ
Heeseungâs right palm is annoyingly sweaty. So much so that the shaky grip on his pencil is in danger of being lost.Â
Half of his attention is directed towards the front of the classroom, where his fourth grade teacher reiterates the guidelines for the upcoming solar system project.
The other half is trained directly on the small white note currently clutched between Minaâs fingers.Â
Even at nine, Heeseung knows sheâs a terrible gossip that canât be trusted. Just earlier today, she spent all of morning recess hounding poor Jake about his supposed crush on her best friend. She was unrelenting, no matter how fervently Jake denied the accusation or how crimson his cheekbones turned.
Unfortunately for Heeseung, she also sits directly between you and him. A particular stroke of cruelty on Mrs. Kimâs part, in Heeseungâs opinion, but the desk arrangement of his fourth grade classroom is the least for his worries at this point.
He swallows. A bead of sweat forms at the edge of his hairline. Late May has tumbled into his hometown with an unseasonable warmth, but thatâs not the reason for his perspiration this afternoon. Â
With an audible swallow, he locates the paper in his peripheral vision.Â
Still clutched between Minaâs fingers.Â
Mrs. Kim has turned her back at least three times since he handed the note off with very clear directions about who to give it to. Thereâs no reason Mina should still be turning it over between her sticky fingers.
UnlessâŠ
No. Heeseung wonât assume the worst. Not when it took him nearly the entire school year to work up the courage.Â
With one final repetition of the project due date, Mrs. Kim slides off of her chair at the front of the room and walks to her desk tucked away in the opposite corner.
Heeseungâs heart skips a beat.
Itâs the perfect opportunity, a golden window.
He glances at Mina, half terrified, half excited.
This is it. The moment heâs been waiting for. The moment heâs been mustering up courage for over the past six months.Â
Heâs doing it. Itâs happening. Itâs really happening.
And then, all at once, his excitement starts to transform. Starts to turn into dread before it morphs into worry.Â
âUh, Mrs. Kim?â Itâs Minaâs voice. And Heeseung knew she liked to spread rumors, but he didnât think that would extend to their teacher.Â
Heeseung is panicking, trying to figure out a way to save face, to avoid the detention that is sure to come with the classroom crime of passing notes.Â
Mrs. Kim looks up from her desk. Heeseung thinks he might pass out.
But then Mina says, âI donât think ___ feels too good.â
For a moment, Heeseung basks in the relief of not having his secrets spilled in the middle of silent work time. But then, the words register. Form meaning in his mind.Â
The loud screech of metal against linoleum rings out like a gunshot in the otherwise quiet classroom. Heeseung stands up from his seat with a ridiculous speech. Itâs a miracle he didnât know anything off his desk. And he didnât mean to, not really, but he couldnât see you around Mina sitting down.
At first glance, her appraisal seems to be correct. Youâre pale, terribly so, and shaking slightly where you sit in your seat.Â
Heeseung doesnât realize his mistake until Mrs. Kim turns to look at him with a raised eyebrow and most of the class does the same.Â
In the back corner, Jake and Sunghoon share a meaningful glance.
âUh,â Heeseung stammers, âSorry.â Red faced, he takes his seat again. This time, heâs more covert as he turns his gaze back to you.Â
Mrs. Kim approaches your desk quickly. âHi, Sweetie,â she greets in that voice she has reserved for scraped knees and other ailments. âAre you feeling okay?â
You shake your head. Itâs a minuscule movement that Heeseung tracks intensely.Â
Mrs. Kim lays a gentle hand across your forehead. âYouâre burning up.â She frowns. âWhy donât you head down to the nurse? Iâll let her know youâre on your way.â
Again, you say nothing. The only response you give is a small nod as you gather the materials sprawled across your desk.
Heeseung watches, a little pathetically, as you place them carefully in your cubby before leaving through the door.
You do turn to look at him, just before you exit. When you find his eyes already trained on you, you give him a small smile.
Heeseungâs heart clenches. Whether in fear or anxiety or the same funny feeling that made him spill his heart in the note, heâs not entirely sure.
And then youâre gone. Heeseung makes a mental note to check in with you later, ride his bike the short distance between your neighborhoods and knock on your front door. Your mother is no stranger to his appearances at this point, after all. He wonât bug you, not if youâre resting. But heâll check in on you, maybe bring you some tea or soup or flowers or whatever else grown ups always say is supposed to make you feel better when youâre sick.Â
Heâs so caught up in his sudden afternoon plans that he almost forgets the paper, the note, still sitting between Minaâs fingers.Â
Oh well.
Heâll have to try another day, he supposes. Itâs not fair to put anything else on your plate when youâre not feeling well.
Heeseung shifts in his seat, turns to ask Mina to just give him the note back. To his horror, sheâs already begun to undo his careful folding. The kind of edges only someone who spends long afternoons doing origami with his grandmother could manage.Â
âWhat are you doing?â Heeseung hisses, trying to shout without breaking a whisper.
Mina pays him no mind, swats the air like heâs nothing more than a buzzing fly.Â
âStop,â Heeseung pleads, âThatâs not for yââ
But Mina doesnât care. Much to his horror, she unfolds the note entirely, leaves it tucked discreetly beneath her desk.
Sparing one final glance at Mrs. Kim, she confirms that her attention is elsewhere. And then she reads it.
Itâs unmistakable, the way her eyes scan over words that were never meant for her.
Heeseung has half a mind to cause another scene, stand up out of his seat again and snatch the note from her, detention be damned.
But itâs too late. The damage is done.
Mina turns to face him fully, a quizzical look pulling her brow downwards. She stares at him, eyes narrowed, appraising, as if this is the first time sheâs seen him.Â
And then she folds the note back up, tucks it away underneath her notebook.Â
A million awful scenarios flash through Heeseungâs mind. Mina making copies of the note and distributing them to the entire class. Mina taking the note to Mrs. Kim and ratting him out. Mina making sure the entire school is privy to Heeseungâs secret before the day is done.
But in the end, he doesnât need to worry about any of that. After an agonizing stretch of silent work time where Heeseung gets absolutely nothing done, Mina finds him outside the classroom at the water fountain.Â
Heeseung is in the middle of downing a near concerning amount of lukewarm fountain water when she walks up next to him.
Lifting his head, Heeseung wipes the spare drops from his mouth.
âHere,â Mina hands him the note. She tried to fold it back up, but it was clearly done with inexperienced hands. The lines are no longer crisp, the edges no longer sharp. His work has been tainted.
âIâŠâ Heeseung starts. Should he thank her? Beg her not to tell anyone? Plead with her not to tell you?Â
Ultimately, he doesnât need to. Mina cuts him off before he can get another word out.
âDonât worry. Iâm not gonna tell anyone.â
Heeseung will believe it when he sees it, but maybe, just maybe, Mina will actually keep a secret to herself this time.Â
Heeseung exhales a sigh of relief, tension draining from his shoulders. The victory is short lived.
âYou shouldnât give that to her, though.â
Heeseung balks, freezing for a moment. âWhat?â
âThat note.â Mina nods towards the item in question, clutched between Heeseungâs white knuckles. âDonât give it to ___.â
Heeseungâs brow furrows. He canât decide whether he should be angry or confused. This was never meant to be something for Mina to pass judgment on. If he wanted her two cents, he would have asked.Â
Still, he asks, âWhy?â
Mina sighs, looks at him like heâs an orphaned panda in the local zoo. âBecause she likes Jay, not you. Everyone knows about it. She gave him a Kit Kat on Valentineâs Day when everyone else just got a Hershey Kiss, and everyone knows that Kit Kats are better. Plus, sheââ
Heeseung doesnât hear the rest of it. Itâs as if heâs suddenly been submerged in icy water. Frozen in his body as the world around him is muffled to a dull, indecipherable hum. His heart drops to his stomach; the world spins on its axis.
Jay.Â
Jay?
Jay?
Heeseung likes Jay. Heâs smart and kind and can play the guitar, which Heeseung canât deny is incredibly cool. Too cool. So, painfully cool, and you must think so too.Â
Heeseung wants to cry a little bit. Wants to scream. Wants to eat his feelings and his words and his incomplete confession until thereâs nothing left of them and this whole terrible day is nothing but a faded, forgotten memory.Â
Instead, he turns away from Mina mid-sentence and takes robotic steps back into the classroom. Slides down into his seat like heâs in a trance. Finished out the school day with his head in the clouds.
You donât return to class. Heeseung assumes that you went home straight from the nurseâs office.Â
And when Mrs. Kim catches him at the door and asks if heâd be willing to bring your backpack to you, all he can do is give a miserable, dejected nod.Â
Mrs. Kim has the tact to not say anything, but she does notice. Especially since heâs usually jumping out of his seat at the opportunity to do anything remotely revolving you.Â
She watches with a frown as he exits through the classroom door, head hung and shoulders slumped. Your backpack dangling uselessly between his fingers.Â
The air outside is warm, uncharacteristically so for late May. But now itâs choking with something too. A humidity that clings to skin and feels foreboding, especially with the way clouds begin to gather overhead.Â
Heeseung is halfway to your house when the rain begins. Itâs thick, heavy, unforgiving in the way summer showers always are.Â
When he dismounts his bike at the edge of your driveway, heâs in such a hurry to get your things to you before theyâre soaked through that he doesn't notice the small, white paper that falls out of his pocket with the motion.Â
Just as he predicted, your mother greets him at the door. Sheâs thankful for your school things and mildly horrified at the dripping wet child on her doorstep. She offers him a towel and a ride home in her car, both of which Heeseung declines politely.Â
By the time he finishes the ride home, he is well and truly soaked. Heâs grateful, at least, for the way rain disguised the singular tear track that stains his left cheek.
And later than night, dry and warm and alone, he lets one more tear fall. Laying against his pillow, itâs warm where it gathers in the corner of his eye, salty as it breaches the barrier of his top lip.
And then he makes a decision. Despair will do him no good, and itâs not like anything has changed, not really.Â
Itâs you that he values, your presence and your friendship and your smiles. He wonât lose those things, even if you save all your Kit Kats for Jay. Even if he has to banish the butterflies in his stomach and hope they donât escape. Even if he has to pretend his heart doesnât hurt a little every time he looks at you.Â
But summer is coming soon and his year in fourth grade is nearly done. There are lots of things to look forward to, and youâll still be just a short bike ride away. Even if your heart suddenly feels unreachable.
When Heeseung falls asleep that night, his sleep is dreamless and undisturbed.
And a handful of neighborhoods away, a small white piece of paper sinks to the bottom of a puddle. Soaked from the rain and worse for wear, the careful writing is nearly unintelligible.Â
But if someone wanted to, if they really tried, they just might be able to make out the message.Â
Dear ___, it reads.
I think you have the prettiest smile Iâve ever seen. I like the way your hair looks in the sun, and Iâm glad weâre in the same class. I couldnât decide how to tell you, so I think Iâll just write it here. I like you. I think youâre pretty and smart and nice and I like you a lot. Can I buy you ice cream at the shop at the end of your street? We can eat it together. :)
Sinceerly,
Sincerely,
Heeseung
âŠ..
The early afternoon sun glints off the ocean in a way thatâs almost blinding. Seated on a faded beach towel thatâs more sand than fabric at this point, Heeseung readjusts his sunglasses. They sit on the bridge of his nose and do less to shield his wandering gaze than he thinks.Â
He reaches for the tote bag a few feet away from him, hands in search of the extra strength sunscreen his mom packed two bottles of and reminded him no less than fifty times to reapply. Heeseung figures nowâs as good a time as any to follow her instructions. Heâs half afraid sheâll actually wring his neck if he comes back sunburnt with his first day of eighth grade just around the corner.Â
Besides, the current object of his attention is down at the waterâs edge. Heeseung thanks his lucky stars youâre too preoccupied with searching for seashells to watch as he slathers a ridiculously high SPF sunscreen all over his face.
Early August has been milder than late July, but the air is still heavy with a heat thatâs almost oppressive. He has half a mind to join you in the water for a reprieve from the weather if nothing else.Â
Despite himself, Heeseungâs eyes never stray far from you. Disaster of a fourth-grade confession aside, he likes to think heâs done a decent job of keeping his feelings close to his chest. Not that theyâve ever changed much, to be honest.Â
Heâs old enough now, far enough into the painfully awkward clutches of puberty to put more words to the way his heart always feels a little funny whenever youâre near.Â
He has a crush.Â
A high school, sweaty palm, awkward conversations at your locker between periods crush.Â
But Heeseung is a master of disguise and this is no exception. For the last six years, heâs held up his side of your steady friendship with nothing outside the realm of platonic.Â
Even if his gaze always tends to linger a little too long, even if he spends most of every middle school dance standing on the sidelines imaging you asking him to join you, even if he never has quite been able to look at Jay the same way, heâs happy to be your friend. Content in the comfortable routines between the two of you. The easy kind of closeness that comes with growing up with someone.Â
For better or for worse, he knows you like the back of his hand. And you know him just as well. Besides the one secret he never can quite bring himself to divulge, that is.Â
On a towel a few feet away, Sunghoon glances at Heeseung. Follows his gaze and is less than surprised to find that his lovesick puppy eyes are trained squarely on your shoulders.Â
Sunghoon nudges Jake, wordlessly gesturing to Heeseung with a jerk of his chin. Jake follows the movement, traces the same line of sight Sunghoon noticed just moments ago.Â
The two boys share a look and then an eye roll.Â
Itâs been the same old story since their shared days in Mrs. Kimâs fourth grade class, and Sunghoon is growing weary of witnessing this same old song and dance never reach any kind of conclusion.Â
Sunghoon clears his throat. Heeseung doesnât notice.Â
A bit louder this time, Sunghoon says, âHey, Heeseung.â
That finally gets his attention, even if it does take him a comically long time to take his eyes off of you. âYeah?â
âYou could, oh, I donât know, just talk to her, you know.âÂ
âWhat?â Sunghoon canât tell if his confusion is genuine or if heâs suddenly become a fantastic actor. âWho?â
âIs that a joke? ___. Who else?â
Heeseungâs brow furrows. â___?â He echoes. âI talk to her all the time. I invited her today.â
âYeah, okay, but I mean really talk to her.â
âI donât know how you think we communicate, but I did âreally talk to herâ when I asked if she wanted to come to the beach tââ
Jake sighs. Heâs not sure how much more of this he can take. âHeâs saying you should tell her that you like her, idiot.âÂ
âWhat?â Heeseung splutters. âI donât⊠I donât like ____,â he insists in a way that is not at all convincing.Â
âRight,â Sunghoon nods. âAnd Iâm going to pass algebra with an A next semester.â
âWeâre friends.â Despite himself, Heeseung glances at you again out of the corner of his eye. His stomach gives a very unfriendly flip, but the two boys next to him donât need to know that.Â
âI donât get why youâre still so weird about it.â Sunghoon shakes his head. âYouâve literally been obsessed with her since, like, fourth grade.â
âYeah,â Jake nods. âRemember that day she got sick in class and he nearly knocked his chair over because he stood up so fastââ
âI was worried about my friend,â Heeseung insists, desperate to change the topic. That day is a particularly sore memory for more than one reason. âI would have done the same for either of you.âÂ
âUh, no thanks.â Sunghoon shakes his head.Â
âIâll pass too,â Jake agrees. âYou can save all that lovesick shit forââÂ
âLovesick?â a voice interrupts. âWhoâs lovesick?âÂ
Three sets of eyes turn to you, two colored in mild humor and one tinged with abject horror.Â
Sunghoon reaches over with devious intent in his grin. Patting Heeseung on the shoulder, he responds, âWell, your friend Heeseung hereââ
âHeard Jungwon talking about a new girl he met this summer.â Heeseung interjects desperately, pausing only to send his two friends a withering glare. âI guess heâs super into her.â
âOh, really?â Oblivious to the sighs of frustration Sunghoon and Jake exchange, you slide down in the seat next to Heeseung. âGood for him. Between school and dance and taekwondo, I thought heâd always be too busy to meet someone.âÂ
Nudging the boy next to you, you add, âKinda like someone else I know. Iâm surprised you had time for the beach today with basketball starting so soon.â
In all honesty, he doesnât. Heeseung should be at the court near his house right now, practicing layups. At the very least, he should be going for a run or getting some pre-season cardio in.Â
But youâve been mentioning wanting to go on one last trip to the beach before the school year starts for weeks now, and Heeseung has never been good at denying you much. Well, other than access to his real feelings, that is.Â
Feigning a nonchalance he doesnât feel, Heeseung shrugs. âI can take a day off every now and then.âÂ
âOh, really?â You arch a brow. Because I heard that a certain someone asked you to the movies last week and you said you were too busy,â
For you. Heeseung should have clarified. I can take a day off for you. Â
âWhat?â Sunghoon pipes up. âWho?â
âNo one,â Heeseung grumbles.Â
Rolling your eyes, you lean over him, angling your face towards Sunghoon conspiratorially. âHer name rhymes with Schmarina.â
âDude!â This time, itâs Jake who slaps him on the shoulder. âKarina asked you out and you said no? Are you stupid?â
âNo,â Heeseung protests. âShe didnât even ask me out. It wasnât like that.â
âMhmm.â Sarcasm drips from your voice. âThatâs not what Mina said.â
That absolute gossip. âRIght, because you can always trust what Mina says.â
âSunoo confirmed it too.â
âHeâs just as bad!â
âOkay, okay.â You raise your hands in mock surrender. âIâll drop it. But if she does ever ask you out, I think you should say yes.â
Heeseung forces his features into neutrality. Tries to conceal the fact that your words feel a little bit like a thousand knives stabbing him right in the heart. Ends up looking a little bit constipated.Â
âDonât look at me like that,â you admonish. âSheâs really sweet.â
Heeseungâs sure she is. He just doesnât care. Karina could be the kindest, nicest, sweetest girl on planet earth and he would still find a reason to let her down gently. But he canât exactly tell you that, not when it would only lead to more questions that he is not ready to answer.Â
Instead, he just shrugs again. A non response. A hopeful end to the conversation.Â
Luckily, you take his silence as a sign to divert, even if Jake and Sunghoon are still sitting flabbergasted right next to the two of you.Â
âSpeaking of basketball,â you redirect the subject. âI heard that East Highâs team is supposed to be really strong this year.â Theyâre your high schoolâs biggest rival and the primary reason Heeseung spends so much of his free time on the court. Theyâre also the reason his coach is already giving speeches about the importance of winning this yearâs opening game.Â
âI figured you might need a little extra luck.â
Sunghoon chokes on a laugh. âCâmon, ____. Cut him some slack. Heâs not that bad at basketball.â
âWhat?â You frown. âNo, thatâs not what I meant.â Turning back to Heeseung, you clarify. âI promise itâs not. I know youâre, like, insanely good. I justâŠâ You trail off. Heeseung is too busy trying not to explode from the compliment to notice the way your cheeks go slightly pink. âI just saw this when I was down at the water.â
Hastily, you shove your outstretched palm beneath his nose. Encased in your hand is a fully intact, unblemished, perfectly round sand dollar. âItâs supposed to be good luck to find them unbroken,â you explain. âIt made me think of you. Uh, I mean, of basketball,â youâre quick to amend.Â
âRight,â Heeseung can barely hear you over the thrumming of his heartbeat in his ears. âFor basketball.â
âFor basketball,â you nod.Â
But when his fingers accidentally brush the skin of your palm as he accepts your good luck charm, basketball is the last thing on his mind.Â
And when he tucks the sand dollar into the bottom drawer of his dresser for safekeeping later that night, he finally lets the giant, unrestrained smile heâs been holding in all day take over his entire face.Â
âŠ..
Heeseungâs head is spinning.Â
And maybe itâs the late summer heat or dregs of the too sweet wine cooler that are getting to him. But neither of those have the ability to fuck with him as much of the sight of you in a sundress does.Â
A sundress. A real, proper, flowy, honest to god sundress.Â
Heeseung doesnât think heâs ever felt more insane in his life.Â
It doesnât help that this is the first time heâs seen you in months. Going from classmates to students at different universities has been a difficult transition to say the least. But your friendship has weathered a lot, and this is no exception.Â
It doesnât matter that the thoughts Heeseung is having right now are very much not friendly. Heâs been dealing with those for the better part of a decade too.Â
But it feels different tonight.Â
Youâre older. Heâs older. The two of you have grown and changed and matured and the feelings he harbors have started to feel a little less like a crush.Â
And a lot more like something with far more devastating consequences.Â
Youâve always been pretty. The prettiest girl in the world in his eyes.Â
But tonight, in the fading glow of another late sunset, looking at you is almost painful.Â
Heeseung wishes for a lot of things. He wishes it was just the two of you here. Mostly because he can see Sunghoon and Jake making vulgar gestures in the background every time his gaze lingers on you a little too long. And that happens a lot.Â
He wishes that he was a better friend. That he could give you the support and undivided attention and platonic love that you deserve. That he wasnât always keeping it guarded behind his fear of revealing too much. Of ruining the best relationship heâs even built in his nineteen years of life.Â
And sometimes, in his weaker moments, he wishes that he could go back to the fourth grade. He would tell Mina to give her opinion to someone that asked for it and give you that letter. He wonders if things would be different. How they would be different.Â
In his favorite dreams, you returned his feelings, even back then. The two of you grew up skirting that line the way teenagers do. And then, when you were ready, it turned into something real. Something honest. Something he doesnât have to hide.Â
But in his moments of fear, Mina was right. Your attention was somewhere else and his note becomes nothing but an embarrassing memory. Something the two of you never overcome. Something that prevents you from forming friendship at all.Â
That, Heeseung decides, no matter how much he might sometimes wish thing were different, will never be worth the risk.Â
So he does what he always does. He keeps his feelings close to his chest and nurses another warm beer along with a wounded heart.Â
Across the yard, Heeseung watches you laugh at something Jay says. Itâs real laugh, the kind that makes your eyes twinkle and makes his head spin.Â
Jay. He canât help the way his grip tightens against the bottle in his hand. Who even invited him tonight?Â
Itâs not like anything ever came of Minaâs prediction. As far as he knows, youâve never so much as given Jay another Kit Kat. But the sight of the two of you together still has an ugly green monster rearing its head.Â
Eventually, the evening, as all evenings do, starts to draw to its inevitable end.Â
You catch Heeseungâs eye across the yard just as everyone is bidding their farewells. Silently, you jerk your chin, motioning him over.Â
Putty in your grip, Heeseung complies with no trace of resistance.Â
When he finally reaches you, you donât offer much of an explanation. Instead, you just motion for him to follow you again.Â
âFor old timeâs sake,â is all you say.Â
But itâs not much of a hint. After all, the two of you have memories scattered across this entire city. Tucked in alleys and street corners and shops. Safekept in all of your favorite childhood destinations. Forged in Heeseungâs memory.Â
Finally, the two of you reach the edge of a small stretch of forest. A place the two of you used to visit whenever the rest of the world just felt like a little too much to bear. A place where you discovered the small treehouse you lead him to now.Â
Wordlessly, you outstretch your hand, encasing his grip in your own. Heeseung has already begun to lose remnants of his boyhood. His features are losing their youthful roundess, are sharpening into a face that unmistakably belongs to a man.Â
But with his hand in yours, he feels nine again. Nursing the unsteady heartbeat and sweaty palms that come with a first crush.Â
When the two of you finally reach the top of the ladder, you ease your way through the opening first.Â
Youâve nearly outgrown this place. The two of you have to hunch slightly to avoid hitting the roof with your heads.Â
âRemember coming here that day my cat ran away?â Youâre not looking at him, gaze wandering around the space, collecting memories like souvenirs.Â
âMr. Mittens,â Heeseung nods. âHow could I forget?âÂ
âI still think heâs out there somewhere. He couldnât forgive my dad when he stopped giving him table scraps.â Your tone is light, teasing.Â
But the space is small and it leaves no choice but for the two of you to sit close. So close. Too close. Not nearly close enough.Â
Still, Heeseung does his best to maintain his composure. âMm,â he agrees. âIâm sure heâs very happy now. Probably eating leftovers as we speak.â
The conversation drifts into silence. Itâs not uncomfortable, but it is charged. Fraught with something Heeseungâs been trying to ignore for the last ten years.Â
âHeeseung?â Your voice is small. He feels it as much as he hears it.Â
âYeah?â He doesnât mean to sound so breathless, but he canât help it. Not here. Not now.
âI missed you.âÂ
For a moment, itâs all he can do to stare at you. He missed you too. So much it hurt. But it feels like heâs been missing you for years now. Missing something heâs never allowed himself to ask for.Â
âI mean, I knew I would.â You drop your gaze now, toying with the hem of your dress. âAnd I know we still texted and called a lot, but there were so many times when I just wished you were there with me, you know?â
He does. He does.Â
âYeah,â Heeseung nods, jaw working. He swallows hard. His voice sounds scraped raw. âI felt the exact same.â
You meet his gaze again. Hold it for a moment. And then another. Heeseung watches as your lips part, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.Â
For a second, he thinks youâre about to say something else. But then you shake your head. Itâs a tiny movement, barely perceptible. But he sees it. He always does.Â
Diverting the subject, you ease some of the tension. âDo you have anything sharp?â
âSharp?â he echoes. âI donât think so. Why?â
Instead of explaining, you reach for a rock next to your knee. Holding it up, you grin at him. âThis should work.â
Scooting closer to the interior wall of the treehouse, you begin your handiwork. After a couple of minutes, you sit back on your heels, satisfied.Â
âWhat do you think?â You turn over your shoulder to glance at him.Â
Heeseung thinks a lot of things. He thinks youâve never looked more beautiful than you do in this very moment, this exact second. He thinks his heart might actually be beating loud enough for it to be audible. He thinks heâs not going to survive another semester away from you.Â
He thinks he might be in love.Â
And when his eyes settle on the wall over your shoulder, he knows he is.Â
Because there, in the respite of your childhood treehouse, youâve carved both of your initials into the wood and framed them with a slightly lopsided heart.Â
Itâs messy. Itâs imperfect. Itâs his favorite thing heâs ever seen. Well, he amends as his gaze slides back to you, itâs his second favorite, maybe.Â
âItâs perfect,â he tells you.Â
A handful of minutes later, when you find yourself approaching his doorstep, Heeseung notices the way you suppress a shiver against the slight chill of the gentle night time breeze. For him, itâs the most natural thing in the world to offer you a sweatshirt. Something to keep you warm while he walks you home.Â
Youâre no stranger to the inside of his bedroom, but Heeseungâs heart still jumps regardless. Itâs so intimate, the way you navigate his space like itâs your own. The way you sit down on the edge of his bed without thinking anything of it.Â
âBottom drawer,â Heeseung nods towards his dresser. He rearranged while packing for his dorm. âI have a few sweatshirts in there. You can take any of them.â
Nodding, you stand from his bed, quiet footsteps tracing a path over to the dresser. But when you open the bottom drawer a moment later, itâs not a sweatshirt you hold in your hands.Â
âYou still have this?â Thereâs a bit of wonder in your voice. A soft edge that Heeseung would read more into if he wasnât suddenly panicking.Â
Itâs the sand dollar, he realizes. The one you gave him all those years ago. A good luck charm. Stupid, how could he be so stupid to forget that he left it in that drawer too?Â
Itâs not damning evidence of anything, not really. But itâs late and heâs tired and youâre still in that fucking dress. Logic was never going to be anything but a losing game.Â
âOf course,â Heeseung admits. âWe won every game that season.âÂ
You know. You were there to watch all of them.Â
âHeeseung?â Something in your tone has all of his attention zeroing in on you. Maybe itâs the strange stroke of timidness. Maybe itâs the fact that youâve always commanded his focus, even when youâre not trying.Â
âYeah?â That breathlessness is back. Heeseung canât find it in himself to curse it.Â
Youâre still standing across the room from him. The sand dollar enclosed in your gentle grip. When you finally tear your gaze away from it, itâs to look Heeseung in the eye.Â
âCan IâŠ?â Youâre unsure. Shy. Heeseung has seen a whole lot of you, but he has no idea what to do with this.Â
âCan I try something?â Your teeth are worrying at your bottom lip like the words taste bitter. Like you canât decide whether you regret them or not.Â
Heeseung would give you the world if you asked for it, but he knows better.Â
Heâll play his cards the same way he always has.Â
âTry what?â
You donât answer him. Not with words, at least.Â
Instead, you begin to trace a steady path towards him. The sand dollar is still in your hand. Heeseungâs heart is still in his throat. The hem of your dress brushes gently against the bare expanse of your thigh, just about your knee.Â
Youâre standing right in front of him now. Thereâs less than a foot of emptiness between you. Heeseung has no idea what to do with that liminal space. He canât decide whether he should close it or widen it until his brain starts to function again.Â
âIs this weird?â you whisper.Â
It is. It is.Â
âNo.â
âOkay,â you nod. You avert your gaze, buying time. âGood.â
He watches your chest rise with an unsteady inhale. Fall with a shaky exhale.Â
You bend to set the sand dollar down on the floor to the left of you.Â
And then your hand is on his shoulder. Gripping lightly, like you need the support.Â
Close. Youâre so fucking close.Â
And with every passing heartbeat, youâre only getting closer.Â
Without meaning to, Heeseung is screwing his eyes shut.Â
Later, heâll regret it. Not committing every possible detail to memory.Â
But right now, any semblance of logic is lost with the shreds of sanity heâs been dropping at your feet for the past ten years.Â
With the sureness of a steady thing, you ruin them all in one fell swoop.
And then your lips are on his.Â
Itâs a gentle pressure. Light. No expectations, no demands. No promises or secrets or vows. But the hand on his shoulder is gripping harder now.Â
And the second Heeseung regains control of his limbs, he mirrors your action. One hand finds the notch at the bottom of your spine and the other pushes hair away from your temple.Â
Youâre gentle, unsure. Youâre afraid youâre crossing a foolish boundary, ruining a friendship you cherish.Â
But Heeseung has been warring with every thought thatâs crossed his mind for years, and he canât find it in himself to be patient now. Thereâs no hesitation when he pulls you closer. No semblance of restraint when he presses his mouth against yours more firmly, when he swallows the shallow gasp you give him and then begs for more.Â
Restraint is all heâs ever known but thereâs nothing left of it now.Â
When he feels your lips part against his own, he takes it as an invitation. An opening. An offering heâs only ever been afforded in his favorite dreams.Â
But this is different. Itâs better. Youâre real. So fucking tangible and his hands canât decide where to go next.Â
They make quick work of tracing your spine, your neck, your collarbone. But heâs greedy and heâs desperate and he wants his hands as full of you as his mind is.Â
Itâs not long before fingers are slipping under the flimsy strap of your dress, forging a path that he follows with his lips.Â
He hears you sigh, feels the whisper of breath against his hair. And then he hears you whimper.Â
A long, drawn out plea that sounds all too much like âHeeseung.â
He shudders, all the way down to his toes. And then heâs pulling you backwards, flipping your positioning so that your spine is pressed against the wall of his bedroom.Â
One hand rests above your shoulder, the other beside your head. He sets his forehead against your own, eyes still screwed shut. His heartbeat races in time with the shallow breath in his chest.Â
âYou have to tell me to stop.â His voice is raw, ragged. âYou have to tell me to stop before I fucking lose it.â
âWhat if I want you to?â
Heâs dead. He has to be. Caught in a purgatory of his own making, stuck between a heaven and hell perfectly curated for his ruination. Â
âWe canâtââ You could, and thatâs what makes it so impossible.Â
But for Heeseung, this is the culmination of a decade of repressed feelings. Of fleeting touches and lingering gazes and first crushes and the realization that heâs been carrying love with him before he knew what to call it.Â
He has no idea what this is for you.Â
âI have to know what youâre thinking.â Itâs barely a whisper. His voice nearly cracks on the last syllable. He doesnât think heâs ever been more scared in his life.Â
Quietly, your hand finds the base of his neck. Your fingertips trace his skin, a soothing rhythm that does little to quiet the war in his mind. But it does tether him to the moment, anchors him in the present.Â
You whisper, and he feels your breath against his swollen lips. âI donât want to scare you.â
âYou wonât,â he shakes his head. Itâs a lie. Heâs terrified.Â
âBut what ifââ
âIâm in love with you.â It was always going to be him that confessed first. It had to be. âIâve been in love with you since we were nine years old.â Itâs like a weight has been lifted off his chest, as if the world around him is a little lighter now. âYou wonât scare me.â
You break the contact of your foreheads, and Heeseung misses your touch the second itâs gone. Heâs grateful for the hand that still traces gentle circles on the skin of his nape.Â
You use the distance youâve created to look him in the eye. Searching for any trace of dishonesty, you find nothing but a long held secret, a well-guarded truth.Â
âYou love me?â You donât even have to ask. You can see it in his eyes.Â
âMore than you know.â
âGood,â you whisper, an echo from before. âBecause I love you.â
When he kisses you this time, itâs softer. Gentler. The urgency in his gut is still there, but itâs been quieted a bit. Replaced with a distinct sort of fondness he does his best to communicate with touch.Â
Love. He spells it with every breath that spills against your own.Â
Love. He imbes it into every touch against bare skin.Â
Love. He whispers it in your ear and shudders when you do the same.Â
Because that sand dollar isnât stuck in his bottom drawer anymore, hidden away from the light. Itâs here, in the openness of his childhood bedroom. A truth between the two of you.Â
And when he picks it up again later, he sets it on top of the dresser. Where he and you and anyone else that might pass by can see it.Â
âŠ..
Lee Heeseung has a secret.Â
Itâs whispered in practice runs with Jake and Sunghoon, imagined on the nights he pulls you closer to him as he drifts off to sleep, hidden away in a small, nondescript black box in the back of his closet.Â
But Heeseung isnât nine anymore. Heâs not fifteen or nineteen.
Heâs twenty-six, and heâs learned a thing or two about secrets.Â
So this time, he only holds this one for a month, only carries it with him for a handful of weeks before he divulges.Â
And when he does finally get you right where he wants you, back in that same too small treehouse, his secret spills easily.Â
Even though his voice is shaky, even though his hands tremble with overflowing nerves.Â
He canât drop to one knee, not exactly. And he nearly drops the little black box when he pulls it from his coat pocket.Â
But the ring slides onto your left hand without a hint of resistance. And the stone flickers in dying daylight like it was meant just for you.Â
This time, he doesnât hide behind a note or a sand dollar or even a kiss.Â
Instead, he looks you in the eye when he tells you loves you.Â
He smiles, a hopeful thing, when he asks you to marry him.Â
All the things he never said, every word he never told you, are all here, now.Â
Every second of torment, every moment of agony suddenly feel brand new.Â
But when you tell him yes, your eyes shining with unshed tears that match his own, he thinks that they just might have all been worth it.Â
And when you tell him, for the thousandth time, that you love him, he knows that they were.Â
â.Ë⥠àŁȘ Ëâ.Ë⥠àŁȘ Ëâ.Ë⥠àŁȘ Ë
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I am still working on sacred monsters, but I wanted to put out something cute for Heeseung's birthday and I had a big chunk of this already sitting in my drafts. I mentioned at the beginning, but this is unedited, so please forgive any little mistakes you saw.
all the love âĄ
#heeseung fanfic#heeseung x reader#heeseung scenarios#heeseung imagines#heeseung fanfiction#heeseung fluff#enhypen x reader#enhypen imagines#enhypen scenarios#enhypen x you#enhypen fanfic#enhypen fanfiction#enhypen fluff#heeseung x you
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Blondie - Call Me 1980
"Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie and the theme to the 1980 film American Gigolo, starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton. Produced and composed by Italian disco producer Giorgio Moroder, with lyrics by Blondie singer Debbie Harry, the song appeared in the film's opening scene and was released in the US in February 1980 as a single. It spent six consecutive weeks at number one and was certified Gold (for one million copies sold) by the RIAA. It also spent four weeks at number 2 on the US dance chart. The single was number 1 on Billboard magazine's 1980 year-end chart. It also hit number 1 in the UK and Canada, where it became Blondie's fourth and second chart-topper, respectively.
Moroder had originally asked Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac to perform a song for the soundtrack, but she was prevented because of a recently signed contract with Modern Records. Moroder turned to Debbie Harry of Blondie, presenting her with an instrumental track called "Man Machine". Harry was asked to write the lyrics, a process that she states took a mere few hours. The lyrics were written from the perspective of the main character in the film, a male prostitute. In 1981, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, as well as for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
"Call Me" received a total of 93,4% yes votes!
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Cali's Kinktober: Day 13
Kinktober Masterlist pulvis et umbra sumus - "we are dust and shadow" TF141 x f!reader Kinks > monsters, knotting, ritual magic sex in a cave Full tags on AO3 - MDNI - Read at your own risk.
Monster AU where the TF141 are gargoyles. You love your shitty 87th floor apartment, you really do. Sure, the view is mostly fog and smog and clouds, but your balcony is shielded by four awesome gargoyles. You spend long nights admiring their statuesque figures wishing they could come to life and please you since no human man seems to be able to. Be careful what you wish for, I guess?
Warning: short part with an abusive ex-boyfriend, but he gets gargoyled pretty quickly, so it's short-lived.
Rain pelted the grimy, floor-to-ceiling windows of your apartment. It seemed like it was always raining. You loved living downtown in District 10, you really did, but damn if it wasnât hard to meet people. Sure, millions of people lived in the city right alongside you, but other than a few dates to the ramen shop around the corner, your attempts to find The One had fallen flat.Â
It was the same song and dance. Theyâd ask what you did for a living, and if they stuck around after you told them that you were a professional streamer, they either thought you were rich or that you wanted to flash your pussy on camera for money. Either way, the only guys who stuck around after they made their judgements about your job were either disappointed by your shitty studio apartment or were terrible in the sack. Clearly, they just wanted an easy lay and never called you again.Â
You didnât really have anyone to complain to since your best friend abandoned you for Topeka, of all places, to get married and have a litter of babies. You were happy for her, truly, but bitching to a woman who was cherished by her man about your shitty Tinder dates was a dark, dark time that you didnât care to have.Â
So, you smoked, and you told your gargoyles all about it.Â
Your apartment was unique in the fact that you had the entire patio to yourself, and it was shielded from the wind by the outstretched wings of four enormous gargoyles. They were huge, at least seven feet tall, and their bodies looked like they were ready to compete in the next strongman world championship.Â
Youâd named them all, of course. There was the spooky one with a skull-shaped mask over his face and huge fangs that you called Mr. Bones, one with a mohawk that you named Mr. T, a supermodel-hot statue that you named Mr. Vain, and your favorite one, the biggest of them all and the guardian that sat right next to your bed, Mr. Big.
Thatâs where you found yourself tonight. You were crouched in your usual spot, tucked in an oversized raincoat, a pair of wellies, and nothing else, smoking a cigarette under the protective wings of Mr. Big.
You watched the tip glow golden bright as you took a drag, holding it in longer than normal, hoping to feel something other than disappointed.Â
âHe was such a jerk, Big. Didnât even bring a condom. Not sure someone with a dick that small should have that sort of audacity, ya know?â
Mr. Big didnât reply. He looked out over the dense, foggy night and shielded you from the rain, keeping you dry while you smoked.
You leaned against his chest as he crouched over you, raking your eyes over his body with more appraisal than you usually did, confessing aloud,
âI bet youâve got cock for days under that loincloth. And I bet youâd pay for a babeâs dinner. Maybe even buy her a strawberry shake afterwards. Bet you wouldnât ask to come up; youâd just wait to be invited. And I bet youâd bring your own damn condoms to a third date, huh?â
He loomed. You sighed,
âYeah, I know you would. You know what?â
At that very moment, you gazed up into the sky as the clouds shifted and cleared, revealing a heavy, orange harvest moon. You spotted a streak of falling stars out of the corner of your eye, and you watched as they crossed the moonâs body, falling towards earth, burning up a million miles away, and you said,
âI wish you guys were real.â
You watched the stars vanish over the horizon, and you took one last drag off of your cigarette, flinging it off the side like a nasty little gremlin, not caring where it landed or what catastrophe you had just contributed to. This whole world was fucked. What was one more cigarette butt, right?
âBut, youâre not real, Mr. Big. Maybe one day youâll wake up and come save me from this damn carousel of nightmares. You and your buddies could fly me around, give me a mindblowing fuck, and steal me away from here. Wouldnât that be something?â
You stood up next to him, barely tall enough to reach his face even though he was crouched over. You caressed his cheek, wiping the raindrops from his brow, and lifted yourself up to kiss him on the corner of his bearded mouth, right where his fang protruded from the lip, round and sharp like a boarâs tusk.
âGoodnight, Mr. Big. See you in the morning.â
You toweled dry as you stepped through the window, using the same old towel youâd been using all week, making a mental note to get around to the laundry. Then, you snuggled under the covers, checking your notifications and getting upset that there werenât more (even though youâd just checked them before you went out to smoke). Maybe you would have to start flashing your tits online if you wanted to make the real bucks. Â
You flipped your phone over and went to sleep, begging your brain to give you filthy gargoyle dreams.Â
Once dawnâs glow yanked you from your peaceful slumber, youâd forgotten all about why youâd been so sad. You forgot about Dan, or David (Darren?), whatever his name was. You hopped online and said hi to your early birds, fitting the headphones over your ears just to let them know youâd be back in a bit. Then, you had a quick shower, ducked out for half of a smoke, and got to work.Â
The day turned into night, and everything was great. The games were fun, chat was a riot, and you even got raided by one of your favorite mutuals. You ordered some takeout and video-chatted with some friends. You even hopped on the stream again for a double feature. All the darkness from the night before was lifted, and you felt like you might be alright. But, then, just as the sun was setting, you got a text.Â
donny-Hinge: hey babe. left my charger. can i come by in 15
you: sure
donny-Hinge: k thx
âUgh!â You audibly exclaimed, forgetting you were still online.
Chat started pouring in with questions and asks about the text. Tell us! They exclaimed. What happened, momma?? They begged to know.Â
You thought about it for a minute, but you decided that your shitty love life was one thing you werenât ready to own up to online, so you side-stepped,Â
âForgot I had to take a friend to the airport. Gotta cut this short tonight, sorry. Love you guys! Donât forget to live, laugh, love, like, share, sub!â You rolled your eyes at your own catchphrase and waved goodbye.Â
You flung down your headset and did a few soothing spins in your computer chair before deciding that you needed to kick this dude to the curb.Â
âWhatâs the sluttiest outfit Iâve got so this asshole knows what heâs missing?â You asked Mr. Vain who was sitting outside your bathroom window, looking bored.Â
âCoachella last year?â You dug around in the drawer and pulled out the too-short, canât-wear-this-in-public slip dress, looking at Mr. Vain one last time before nodding, âYeah. Letâs do it.â
You wiggled into the fit, mangled up your hair into a careless rumpled mess, and threw on some eyeliner to top it all off. Then, you waited. You checked your phone. You waited again. You paced. Then, you had a smoke to try and calm your nerves.Â
You huddled next to Mr. Bigâs giant forearm and looked up at his bearded jaws from below,
âStill not real, huh? I could really use a big, scary beast for some support right now. Why does breaking up with losers still feel so shitty? He doesnât deserve me, right?â
Mr. Big said nothing. He loomed, and nothing more.Â
âRight,â you whispered, starting to worry about yourself now that you were carrying on multiple daily conversations with statues.Â
Your door buzzed. Dumbo was here for his charger.Â
You fixed yourself, checking your eyeliner for just the perfect amount of smudge, and then you cracked open the door. The man was there, looking a little too well-dressed, and he sauntered into your apartment without saying so much as a hello.Â
âUh, hi,â you spat.Â
âHey, sorry,â he frowned, looking around for the charger under your clothes pile, âCanât stay. Gonna meet up with the boys at Six Hands tonight.â
âOh,â you mumbled, feeling a little more than just put out.Â
âAh, here it is,â he dragged the charger out from under your desk and wrapped it up.Â
âI donât wanna see you again,â you blurted out.Â
He looked up at you, noticing you for the first time, eyeing your dress and your makeup, furrowing his brow,
âWhy not? Didnât you have fun last night?âÂ
You didnât like his sly tone,
âNo, so just, lose my number, okay?â
âCâmon, baby. Donât be like that,â he stepped into your space and put your hair behind your ear. You fucking hated when guys tucked your hair behind your ear.Â
You smacked his hand away,Â
âDonât touch me. Just go.â
âIs that why youâre dressed like a fuckinâ slut? You gonna call some other guy up here?â His contempt filled the room, making your alarm bells clatter and peal inside of your head.Â
âNo. Leave! Now.â
âListen,â he took another step into your space, dragging his finger under the strap of your dress and purposefully letting it fall off of your shoulder, âHow about you drop the attitude and let me hit it before I go out, and Iâll come back tonight and we can watch a movie.â
You used both hands to shove him away from you, hating how little he moved backwards,
âFuck you! Get out of my house.â
âYou donât have to be such a bitch!â He shouted at you, grabbing you around the wrist and knocking you off balance.Â
Then, all of a sudden, he stopped. His face became even paler than it already was, and he stared out of the window behind you. He scrambled to drop your wrist and bolted for the door, not even bothering to shut it behind him.Â
âYeah! You shouted after him, fixing your shoulder strap, âGet the hell out and donât come back!â
You shut the door and locked the top and bottom deadbolts, upset with yourself for how badly you were shaking.Â
âWhat an asshole,â you muttered under your breath as you turned around. Then, you looked up, and thatâs when you saw him.
âMr. Big?!â
The giant, hulking gargoyle that you sat by every night was standing, full height, right outside your window. He used his immense paw to open the window and stepped through it, staring right at you with unnaturally blue eyes. He was still not a human color, but at least he wasnât made of stone. His flesh was textured, sort of scaled in a way, and hairline cracks that looked like scars covered him like a broken eggshell. His hair and beard were shaggy and brown, and even though he was enormous, he was graceful, tucking his black wings behind his back to keep from knocking over all of your shelves.Â
âAre you alright, love?â His voice came out like a roaring, tumbling sea, and yet, it was as gentle as a purr.Â
âI⊠This⊠You! You are! Youâre⊠youâre a statue! HowâŠâ You backed away from him, and he did not pursue you. He simply stood there, focused on you, patiently letting you figure it out, âYouâre Mr. Big, and youâre in my damn house!â
âI am John. We come when our mate calls to us.â
âWhat? John? No,â you sat on the bed, wrenching your eyes shut, âThis isnât happening. Fuck, I actually am out of my mind. I donât have insurance. I canât afford fucking gargoyle visions. Fuck!â
You heard the flutter of wings and your eyes darted up to see Mr. T and Mr. Bones squeezing themselves into your tiny home,
John nodded to them,
âThis is Soap and Ghost. Your memories will return to you, my love,â he turned to address them, âDid you find him?â
Ghost let out a dark chuckle full of fire and brimstone,Â
âAye, he screamed like a fuckinâ pussy.â
âWho?â You asked, already knowing the answer.
Soap answered you in a surprisingly smooth brogue,Â
âYour wee suitor, lass. Tried to run, but he couldnae get very far.â
âDidâŠâ You felt your blood rush out of your body, âDid you kill him?â
Ghost, his skin a steely gray with black cracks running across his flesh, his wings a bony ash color and splotched with tears and scars, his eyes an impossible hazel shade, gleaming behind the huge skull mask, stalked over to you, crouching down to look at you closer, studying you. Then, he took his clawed hand and untucked the hair from behind your ear, lifting your locks to his fearsome muzzle to smell your shampoo. He smiled (you werenât exactly sure if it was a smile or not), and said,
âWould you like me to? Because, right now, heâs hanging off the side of a fuckinâ tanker ship headed for the bloody south Pacific. Heâd be easy to capture and ââ
âNo! No,â you shook your head, âThank you. Thatâs⊠that is a great spot for him. Alive.â
âYou must have questions, pet,â a fourth voice spoke over your shoulder, startling you and making you jump out of your skin, âSurely you must remember me; your Gaz, your favorite.â Â
It was Mr. Vain. The others gave him a glare for his comment, but he did have a way of stealing the show. His skin was a shimmering copper, and golden cracks cut through his flesh. His wings were an iridescent green patina, and his eyes were a deep brown. He was every bit as beautiful in real life as heâd been as a statue, and you had a hard time looking away from him.Â
âIâmâŠâ You tried to ask something. Anything. You should have questions, right? Normal people would have questions. Finally, you whispered, âWhat is happening to me?â
John came to crouch beside you, his thick tail curling around his feet, tucking itself out of the way, and he dropped his voice into that deep purr of his,
âYou called us here, love. You needed us, and we were awakened. We have listened to your struggles. For years we have kept you safe in thisâŠâ He looked around with a frown of disapproval, â... bloody meager estate, waiting for the night you would bring us back to this plane of existence to mate with you and take you home to claim your rightful place on the throne of Evenhold. Your people need you. We need you. You are the last hope for our kind.â
You listened to him and tried your best to keep a straight face,
âYou have got to be fucking with me right now. This is not real. You are not real!â
To your shock, instead of doubling down, he looked hurt by your comments. His eyes peered down at you as if he wanted to make you see the truth, like he wanted to convince you of his words, but he held himself back.Â
Soap came over to you, his pale flesh gleaming like a pearl under the moonlight, the cracks of his skin a cerulean blue, and his wings fading from navy to black at the very tips,Â
âBonnie, I ken how it sounds. But, you didnae meet your mother nor your father, aye?â
âNo, I grew up with my Grandma Valââ
âValeria, the Witch of the Four Winds,â Soap confirmed, sitting down beside Ghost, âShe protected you until her death. So, you came here, to this city, and ââ
âAnd this apartment⊠the deal was so good, I couldnât pass it up,â your brain was reaching around in the dark, looking for the light. It was making your head spin.Â
âDid you never wonder how you could afford it, lass? Didnae you remember Darkhollow? The River Binn? Everhold Keep? We ran together as rooks through the halls, stealing burchfruit from the taââ
John cut him off, his eyes studying you in the darkness,
âEnough. Sorcerer Cael stole her memories the same night he fuckinâ murdered the Emperor and the Empress. She knows nothing of home. But, we can help her remember.â
You reached out to him, touching his cheek in such a familiar way, and yet, experiencing it anew,
âHow?â
âWe will take you as our mate. Through our magic, you can use our memories to rebuild what youâve lost,â John cupped your hand in his huge paw, bringing it to his fanged mouth, and kissing your palm reverently.Â
âWe know that you have beenâŠâ Gaz smirked, â... disappointed by suitors in this realm. But, we will help you remember the kind of mate the Empress of Evenhold deserves.âÂ
âTrust us, lass,â Soap lifted your chin up to look into your face, âWe will set things right. Weâll take you home.â
Ghost crawled beside you on the bed, and the mattress dipped beneath his heavy frame,Â
âYou are our guiding star, love. Weâll do whatever you ask of us. If you want us to leave, we fuckinâ will. Just say the word, and youâll never see us again.â
At his oath, you felt something twist in your heart. No! That was wrong. You belonged together. These were your protectors. You needed them as much as they needed you.
âNo. You belong with me,â you said, planting a soft kiss on the side of Ghostâs mask, âHelp me remember.â
âWe wonât be back here, love. Are you sure youâre ready to go?â John asked you, standing at full height.Â
The others stood with him, waiting for your word.Â
You thought about checking your phone, or putting an away message up on your profiles, but what would be the reason? If you wouldnât be back here, youâd just disappear. Youâd fade away from memory just like any other streamer who logged on for the last time and never came back. It happened all the time. Your parents were dead, you didnât have any family, and your friend would be okay without you. What was keeping you here?
âLet me wash my face, and then weâll go,â you said, ducking into the bathroom to braid your hair out of your face and wash the eyeliner off of your eyes. You looked at yourself in the mirror, and for the first time in a long while, you enjoyed looking at the person that you saw. You looked brave. You looked ready. You looked like you were about to have the ride of your fuckinâ life.Â
You slid an extra hair tie around your wrist and met the gargoyle army in your bedroom.Â
âOkay, Iâm ready for the magic mating ritual, I think. Do you wanna do it here, orâŠâ
âNo, love,â John chuckled warmly, âWeâll take you to the portal. Your power will ignite the beacon.âÂ
âWhere is that?â You asked, feeling a little deflated.Â
âFar from here. Câmon, love. Need to beat the sun,â John grabbed your waist and held you against his chest. He wrapped his tail around your body protectively, and you watched in horror as the other three dove through the window, spreading their wings out over the midnight fog.
âOh, fuck. Are we flying there? Holy shit! Wait, wait, waitâŠâ
The next thing you knew, you were sailing through the air, gliding down from your bedroom window and out into the night sky.Â
âItâs alright, love. Hold onto me,â John chuckled, amused by your panicked response.Â
âFuck!â You whispered, burying yourself in Johnâs broad chest, clutching at his waist as hard as you could.
You could feel the powerful beat of his wings as he gained altitude, the rush of wind subsiding when you emerged above the clouds, and the moon looked as if it hung close enough for you to grab it, bright and glowing in the black sky.Â
You were breathing in rushed gasps, and you didnât know if you should laugh or cry. John sensed your distress, and he held you tighter against his warm body.
âShh,â he pet you gently, and you felt his claws trace delicate lines down your back. For some reason, it lulled you into a dazed state, and you thought you might pass out, âSleep, pretty girl. Iâve got you.â
A few more minutes went by, and with each delicate pass of his claws, you watched the stars scatter above you, more and more of them coming into your view as you escaped from the city, and you closed your eyes and let your guardian take you away with him.Â
When you awoke, you were still flying with John, but you were descending on a small hilltop.
âWhere are we?â You asked in a low voice.Â
John pointed below,
âThe portal is here. Iâve sent the lads on ahead to prepare the ritual. We wonât beat the dawn unless we hurry.â
âWhat happens at dawn?â
âWe turn to stone. Youâll be left unprotected.â
âIs that what these are?â You asked, tracing the cracked lines in his skin, âFrom where you broke free?â
âYes,â John nodded, âWe wear them with fuckinâ pride, love. Weâre soldiers. It is our duty and our right to be your guardians.â
âIn the⊠At home, do you turn to stone in the sunlight?â
He paused, and you wished you could hear his thoughts, but after a few moments he said,Â
âNo, only here.â
Something about his answer saddened you. You wanted to wipe all of that pain away from his face. You needed to see him in the light of day. To see him happy. You felt so strongly about it, and it made you wish that you had called for him sooner.Â
âCould you hear me when you were frozen?â
âYes, love,â he smiled, swooping his wings to land with you on the soft grass, âEvery word.âÂ
He placed you down carefully, and as he did, he bent forward, wrapped his wings around you, and kissed you. You leaned into his touch, enveloped in his dark embrace, feeling the bristle of his beard and the fullness of his lips. He tasted like holiday spices and raw honey. His sweetness and heat blending together on your tongue and making you dizzy with want. Â
âTryinâ to get a head start, Captain?â Gazâs voice rang out over your shoulder.
You were unfurled from Johnâs wings and released from his kiss, but he kept a possessive hand around your waist.
âCaptain?â You turned to ask him what that meant.Â
âWeâre soldiers, remember? Iâm the Captain of the Imperial Guard. My two sergeants,â he pointed to Gaz and Soap, âand my lieutenant,â he nodded to Ghost.Â
âCâmere, love,â Ghost pulled you away from John and brought you over to the entrance of a large cave.Â
The mouth of the cave was hidden behind vines and overgrowth, but you could barely make out the ancient carvings that were etched into the side of the round entrance.Â
âThis is the portal, lass. Your magic opens the door, and we can go home.â
âI donât know how to do magic,â you looked at him for help.Â
âWeâll show you. Let us help you remember, love,â John purred darkly behind you, joining you on the side opposite Ghost, taking your hand and guiding you into the cave.Â
Once inside, you saw a large, flat altar, carved with runes and symbols, and all along the back wall of the cave were huge scenes of war and destruction, patterned in gold and silver and bronze etchings. In the images, you saw hordes of gargoyles fighting against an evil wizard who carried a long staff and cast fiery spells across villages and castles, destroying everything in his path.Â
But, you couldnât dwell on the images for long. Your warriors had other plans. John guided you to his arms once more, kissing you chastely this time, before untying his loincloth and revealing his unbelievable cock.Â
When he saw the look on your face, his mouth stretched into a smug grin, and he pumped his wings, proudly beating them once and then twice to stir the air in the large cave, purring deep inside his chest.Â
His dick wasnât just large. It was impossible. There was no way that thing was going to fit inside of you without some sort of feat of strength. As the others disrobed, standing beside their leader, you saw how much of a challenge this venture truly was.Â
Their cockheads were covered in layers of foreskin that lay across their head like the petals of a flower. They were thin and smooth, and it made the tip of their dick look like the head of a blooming rose. John had more petals than the others, while Gaz had only three or four, but his were large, like a drooping magnolia, hiding the fist-sized glans underneath.
The shaft of Johnâs cock was studded with smooth, marble-like protrusions, which, as he rubbed his hand over them, swelled and leaked, producing his own lubricant for him as he worked his phallus to a high, glossy shine. On the underside of the body, two soft bands of flesh hung down like lips on a mouth, creating a flared feature along the base of his cock.Â
At the root of his shaft, John had a bulging, pulsing knot. It looked like it was throbbing with its own heartbeat, and it wrapped itself around his entire girthy base, making your mouth water.
Their physiology was as unique as it was inhuman. Gaz only had three marble protrusions, none of the soft bands on his undercarriage, but a hefty, engorged knot. Ghostâs cock was board-straight, covered in a chaotic mess of marble bumps, making his whole prick drip and drool onto the cave floor without him even needing to touch it.Â
Soap was the only one who had pulled his petals down over his blunt cockhead to reveal it to you. It was bright pink and swollen, looking every bit like a smooth, silky peach. The large slit in the center held a bead of precome, ready to be smeared across either of your lips. His shaft was curved like a bow, and you noticed that the flared flesh at his base looked like a plush bed of fox coral, bending and furling like fine lace on the hem of a dress.Â
âOur mate is pleased,â Gaz noted, sniffing the air and licking his fangs with a skillful tongue.Â
You made your way over to John, eyeing Gaz as he tugged on his giant ballsack, fondling his heavy pearls and comforting himself as he admired you. John was breathing hard, his belly filling with air, his rolling purr growing louder as you got closer to him.Â
You knelt on the soft dirt floor of the cave and began to lick and suck at the knot on the base of Johnâs cock. He growled, flapping his wings with excitement,Â
âNo, love,â he peered down at you, âLet us care for you.â
âI want to taste you,â you looked at the other beasts circling around you, casting long shadows over you with the shuddering wings, âAll of you.â
âYour wish is our command, Empress,â Ghost snarled, fisting his cock in his claws and presenting it to you like a treat.Â
You used both of your hands to rub his shaft, letting his silky lube collect in your palms and drip down your wrists. You began prying his soft petals apart with the tip of your tongue, discovering how sensitive they were. By the time you found his head, he was drooling wet for you, filling the center of his flower with clear, shining precome. You drank from him, sucking the sticky fluid like nectar from a buttercup, sighing when you found it sweet.Â
John chuffed, impatient with his lieutenant for cutting the line, and you looked up at him and smiled, showing him your tongue as it dripped with Ghostâs wet promises. Then, you brought your attention back to your biggest guardian, taking care to use both hands to roll the flesh of his shaft up and down the hefty appendage. You let your thumb dip into his furled folds that ran along his base, and he hissed, instinctively using his paw to cradle the back of your head and encourage you further.Â
You obeyed his silent command, using your lips to kiss inside of his crown of closed petals, slurping and drinking the sweet gift you discovered inside. As you kissed his cockhead, the fleshy flower surrounding his tip tickled your lips and nose and chin, spreading their honey over your whole face, coating you in him and his heady scent.Â
Gaz reached down to touch your breast inside your dress, his huge claws tickling over the smoothness of your skin, making you gasp.Â
âSo fuckinâ bonnie, innit she?â Soap admired you, taking position on the other side to fondle and feel your other heavy teat, using his claws to draw aching spirals all the way up to your nipple.
You were fully suckling on Johnâs wide head, now. He was pouring clear, shining precome down your throat, and you were swallowing it into your belly as if it were his come. Then, Gaz took you from him, guiding your chin over to his hanging prick, smiling at you as you nuzzled it, handsfree, into your lips. His wide petals covered most of your face, spreading his slick over your cheeks and down your throat, sticking themselves to your skin. Then, Johnny took your hand and held it in his own, making you rub his curved length until he was trembling for you. You took turns sucking from them both, realizing that the more you sucked, the more delicious fluid they made.Â
John petted your hair lovingly, drawing your attention away from his soldiers and back to him. You looked into his glowing blue eyes, mesmerized by his magic, and gave him your best doe-eyed face, hoping your hunter would take his shot.Â
âThe sun is nearly here, Empress. There will be plenty of nights to play together ahead of us, but we must open the portal.â
You rose to your feet, shocked by how small you were compared to the monsters that surrounded you, and let John lead you to the altar. He lifted you up and knelt down in front of you, using his long, blue tongue to lick his way up the side of your thigh. When he found your heat, his chest shook with a stifled roar, and he grabbed your hips in his paws to crush you to his face. Ghost stood beside him, peeling off your black slip dress to make you naked, and he and Gaz held your legs wide for their captain. Soap crawled upon the altar to feed his tongue into your mouth, fucking your throat in long, gentle licks just as John stuffed his into your warm pussy.Â
Ghost and Gaz suckled from your breasts, pulling and plucking at your nipples in deep, vacuumed mouthfuls, making you feel like you were being eaten alive from the inside and the outside of your whole body. Your orgasm hit your body before your mind registered that you were coming. You jerked, arching your back and screaming out from the base of your throat, begging for mercy.Â
Your gargoyles pet you with their claws in that same, somnolent way that John had while you were flying, and you felt yourself relax into your orgasm, riding it out in long, suffocating waves.Â
âYou are so tight, love,â John looked up from his eating, his eyes full of worry, âWeâll try to be gentle with you, but you will need many nights of training before you can carry our rooks. Your body will learn from us, in time. For now, your memories are all that matter.â
He stood, and the other gargoyles held you tightly, supporting you on the altar. John huffed out a long breath, spread his wings wide, and stepped forward to mount you.Â
You watched his cockâs petals as they collided with your own, spreading himself all over you like a brush full of paint. He focused on your hole, smearing his hot precome as generously as he could. Then, he began to press forward.Â
âHoly fuck! I canât take it! I canât⊠John⊠itâs not⊠mngh! OhhhhâŠâ You cried out in agony and then melted into a quiet bliss.Â
As he entered you, the other three pet you with their paws, soothing you and helping you catch your breath.Â
Then, when you took his entire head, he rested at your entrance, waiting for you to come back around.
âJohn, what the fuck? Iâm not built for your dick. HowâŠ?â You looked up at him, pleading for some relief.Â
âYouâre doing so good for us, love,â Gaz licked and kissed your neck and breast, suckling on you to calm you down.
âYou can take him,â Ghost held your hand, âHis musk will open you up for us. Look at how itâs swelling your pussy, sweetheart.âÂ
You looked down at yourself, and you saw that Ghost was right. Your pussy was creamy and puffy, soaking in Johnâs fluids, his musk, and it was helping you relax for him. John stepped forward, slipping in another inch or so, fitting his bent petals through your entrance. Then, with each grueling thrust, you felt the line of marble nodes press against your walls, secreting their lubricant all over your walls and making you drip onto the altar.Â
âSo good for me,â John groaned, holding your breasts in his hands, stealing them away from Gaz and Soap, squeezing them hard enough to leave pinprick marks with his talons.Â
âAnhhâ John! IâmâŠâ
âYes, come again, love. Come for me, remember meâŠâ
Your mind was flung through space and time, spinning and feeding you a chaotic string of memories that didnât seem like your own. You tasted food and drink youâd never tried, you sang songs you didnât know, ran full speed across fields full of flowers youâd never smelled. It was maddening, watching you live a life youâd never had. Then, there they were, your four gargoyles, pledging their loyalty to you and your parents, vowing to be your protectors. But, just as your heart filled with hope, there was a great black fire that roared through the halls of your keep, burning the people you loved, destroying the peace in your realm. The Dark Sorcerer, Cael.Â
John was pounding away at your body now, and you were shivering from the heightened pleasure. How long had you been out? Your belly felt full of him, and you could see the outline of his shaft as he shoved himself through you, fucking you nearly up into your ribs. You reached down and cradled him outside of your belly, and he moaned from your touch, his heavy balls slapping against your ass in a punishing, deafening rhythm.
Then, you saw John beat his wings again, fighting with his own pleasure. He speared you fully, sealing himself inside of you, and it was at that point that you felt the curling, pulsing pressure of his knot.Â
âJohn⊠Iâm not⊠I canâtâŠâ You could barely keep your eyes open.Â
He gathered you up in his arms, wrapping you tight to his chest, and hugged you to his scalding, scaled flesh. When he breathed against you, his chest filled your space, and you could feel the tremors racking his body. He folded his wings around you, enclosing you in his protective embrace, hiding you in his darkness, and lowered you with his steady, inhuman power onto his throbbing knot.Â
Your scream was silent as your breath caught in your throat. Youâd been shattered, thrown with supernatural might into a bursting orgasm, forced to come hard onto his swollen, beating shaft.Â
He was coming, too, and it filled your walls, making your belly hang heavy with fertile, gargoyle seed. John roared, thrusting himself up into you to grind his knot within your hole, churning his cream within you, and soaking your womb in his come.Â
John sighed, bending his neck to kiss your open mouth, petting you with his paws, rubbing his cock through your abdomen with his thumbs. His come moved inside of you as he did so, and you were so stuffed with his hot spend, the moment he began to unseal himself, it sprayed out of you and onto his cock, legs, and the floor of the chamber, turning the dirt to mud. You were gaping wide, dripping in his come, and trembling from brain-breaking orgasms. He didnât look much better. He was spent, sitting on the ground of the cave, breathing hard and fast.Â
But, you couldnât think about aftercare. Ghost took his place as soon as it was available, stepping through the muddy, semen-soaked floor without so much as a second glance. His dick was covered in his musk and he used it to rub it all over your clit, arching his back to paint your nipples with it as well, painting long lines of his scent all over your chest, belly, and legs. Satisfied, he notched himself at your entrance and spread your walls wide again, guiding himself deep inside of you.Â
You hissed in sweet agony, and he smiled down at you knowingly,Â
âYouâre taking me so well. My tight little quim. So perfect. How I missed you, lover.â
John was standing again, and he came to help Ghost hold you in place as he pounded himself into you with long, agonizing strokes. You were glad he was there because your whole body was limp. You hung off the side of the pedestal like a ragdoll, letting Ghost rail himself into you, his studded shaft rolling orgasm after orgasm through your nerves, forcing you to come one after the other, just an endless parade of pleasure. Your mouth was open, and Gaz was suckling on your lips and tongue while Soap devoured your breasts, pinching and biting and slurping to his heartâs content.Â
John put his paw on your belly, feeling how Simon was protruding out of your flesh, heavy and built to last, His knot smaller but harder than Johnâs.Â
âRemember, love. Câmon, try to reach deeper,â you keened, feeling hot tears rush out of your eyes and down your cheeks as Gaz devoured your tongue. Then, you were transported again, back to your dear Evenhold. You were locked in a battle, controlling your magic and trying to crack a portal. You didnât have a clear destination, but you found one all the same. Finally, your opponent, Cael, made a misstep. He tried to cast a sealing spell on you, but you deflected it, casting it on your devoted warriors instead, watching them tumble into the portal, wrought in dark stone. You felt yourself scream, and you killed the sorcerer, leaping into the portal to save the heroes you loved.Â
But, something had gone wrong. Time, fickle and flowing, warped itself, wrapping around your magic and flinging you back through time. You were a child again, and you were alone.Â
The look of despair on your face told Ghost everything he needed to know,
âShe remembers. Itâs working. Fuck! Take all of me, love. Come back to us!â
He slammed his knot inside of you and stretched his wings out wide and straight, his whole body vibrating with his energy, the enormous cock inside your core jerked and drooled come all over your walls, drowning itself in your tight, swollen hole.Â
When he popped his knot out of you, he held it to your pussy like a gate, encouraging the come heâd left behind to settle in your belly instead of spilling onto the ground. It worked poorly; there was just too much of it, but you felt fuller than before, and you knew your womb was carrying their seed deep within you.Â
âHurry, Soap,â John stretched his claws, showing his discomfort, âDawn.â
Soap took his place between your legs and struggled with his tip. You were pliant and soft for him, but it still wasnât enough.Â
âTurn her,â he grunted, and your protectors followed his command, flipping your body over so that you could be on all fours for him.Â
He spread his musk over your hole, using his paws and cock in unison, trying his best to prepare you for his cockâs sinister curve, but it was no use.Â
âJust⊠take me, Soap. Please⊠I need to knowâŠâ You whined, just under your breath, preparing yourself for the ache of being stretched by him.
âBonnie, I willnae hurt you. Give me a moment tââ
âNow,â you insisted, spreading yourself wide for him, âIt has to be now.â
He sighed, and he put his wings around you instinctively, wanting to protect you from the pain and not knowing how. Soap slipped forward, and his cockhead caught in your inner ring of muscles, stuck, oozing its precome into your hole. He was afraid to press forward, unwilling to injure his mate, fearful of what he might do to you.
So, you fucked him. You leaned back, pressing your cunt down onto his tip, feeling every hard inch as you did so, prying yourself open like a stone fruit, using his prick to cleave your body. Thankfully, he was not as thick as John nor as long as Ghost, but he was a challenge for the entire ride. Every single thrust felt like a damn marathon, and he was shaped in such a way that your delicate g-spot was bullied into a wet, body-shaking submission.Â
You never stopped coming on Soap, but you didnât remember starting either. He erased your mind and filled it with him, only him, and you slipped into his memories as easily as a warm bath, letting him drown you in his slick affection.
You saw yourself as a child, running through the keep, chasing Soap, a mischievous rook, letting him fly you onto the feast table to steal fruits and berries from the bowls, screeching as the cooks chased you from them, laughing and tumbling and rolling into the garden where you shared them together, ripping off ripe, sweet lobes, and fighting over the last bites.
Then, he was a young man. Younger than he was now, but every bit as handsome. None of his blue cracks were there to mar his pearlescent skin, and you marveled at his beauty. He flew with you to your secret spot, high in the white, chalk cliffs of Evenhold, overlooking the sea. He said nothing, but you understood everything in that moment.Â
The crash of the waves mimicked his rough fucking, and the lightning strike of another pleasure-filled crescendo slammed you back to the present, letting you watch him groan and stretch and fly with your body, pulling you from the altar into the air, clutching you around your throat and belly with his long tail in a deep embrace, trapping you on his knot and using his hands to milk himself into you, squeezing his root like a summer fruit, giving you every last drop.Â
His wings faltered, and his body went limp, and he lay you on the altar as gently as he could before collapsing on the ground of the cave, eyes shut and trembling.Â
Gaz mounted you, grabbing your hips and dragging you toward him. You looked down as he held your legs open, using his tail to protect your head from the rough platform. Then, he slipped into you with a gentleness you were not expecting due to his size. You thought you had finally been stretched to the point of comfort, worried about the state of yourself, but it was just an illusion. Once he impaled you past his enormous head, the petals folded back and his fat prick began to struggle within you. But, unlike Soap, he did not hold himself back. He knew you were close to the answer, and he needed to give it to you.Â
You both stared down at your swollen belly, full of come and beginning to fill with his shape. Gaz took your hand and placed it just above your womb, and moaned, grunting at you,
âHold me here, love. Feel me⊠hereâŠâ
You tried to obey, but doing so made all of the sensations inside of you that much more intense. You could feel every petal, every ridge, every slippery marble node, the furl of his flesh and the impossibly thick length of his phallus, all of it working inside of you, right below your palm.Â
âPressâŠâ He begged, his brown eyes soft and pleading.Â
So, you did, and you made yourself start to come. It was too beautiful of a feeling. You could sense every twitch and pulse and slip of his cock inside of you, feeling it with your walls as if you would your hands, squeezing him within you like a hilt to its blade, wielding him like a weapon.Â
You tipped over the edge, falling into another dream, but this time, it was a place you recognized. You were with Valeria, young again, just a child, and you watched her close the portal, making the runes with her hands, and sealing off the world of Darmoch, Evenhold, and everything youâd ever known.
Then, she cast a spell over your guardians, releasing them from their stone prisons, but at a price. Their skin splintered and cracked, and the stone cut awful shapes in their flesh, burning them with permanent scars. You wanted to help them, but you were slowly forgetting their faces. Things were fading away, and Valeria was the only one who knew how to help you.Â
You opened your eyes, clutching Gazâs long dick within you in both of your hands, massaging him with deep affection and adoration. You looked up at him and said,Â
âI remember everything.â
He smiled, leaning forward to kiss your mouth, nuzzling your nose with his own snout, minding his tusks and groaning for you,Â
âMmm, of course you do, my love. I knew you would.â
Gaz took a sharp breath and rolled his knot into you, emptying himself inside like the others, making you warm, full, and knowing the most perfect love. It was written all over your soul, your promise to them, their vow to you, the ancient oath to protect you and to follow your command until the end of days.Â
When he pulled away, stumbling back and catching himself on the cave wall, you knew your destiny. You rose to your feet, ignoring the aches of your humanity, casting aside your doubt. You pulled your guardians close to you, putting their hands on your arms and shoulders, and just as the pink dawn began to crest over the horizon, you said,
âHold on to me. Weâre going home.â
Don't look at me like that. Y'all knew I was out of my mind before you even started reading this fic. C'mon, now.
#caliâs kinktober#kinktober 2024#cod kinktober#call of duty kinktober#graviora manent#by the californicationist#x female reader#x fem!reader#tf141#captain john price#captain price x reader#kyle gaz garrick#gaz x reader#johnny soap mactavish#soap x reader#simon ghost riley#ghost x reader#gargoyles#monster smut#gargoyle x reader#call of duty fanfic#cod mw2#call of duty#cod#cod mwii#gargoyle x human#monster au#fantasy au#magic au
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Finding Frankie Ending Discussion
I've seen a lot of people discussing the ending and some confused so I thought I'd share my thoughts!
Why does the Real Frankie say: "Stop ruining my fucking gameshow!"
When you meet the Real Frankie in that room thereâs a white board showing his plans. Which are to help keep the player alive until the final round in order to boost views. By not dying during the climatic moment youâre ruining his show.
How does the contestant survive?
Although it's not shown how the contestant survives. It's important to consider this scene is shown from the audience's perspective. Everyone watching assumed the contestant died so the broadcast ends. Which is why the credits begin to play.
We can also see this through the Real Frankie when afterwards he's watching the credits on his monitors. Along with how he's surprised when the contestant appears.
Why does the Real Frankie recruit the contestant?
When the contestant reveals they're alive this is a golden opportunity.
The broadcast is over (shown also by the TVs being turned off). It's just the contestant and the Real Frankie. Since you won, as promised, he gives you the five million dollars.
Although the Real Frankie helped the contestant survive they're the first out of hundreds to make it this far.
Real Frankie: "You're the first contestant we've ever had who won. Hundreds of people last a few seconds, a few last a couple of minutes, but you . . . you're different. I like that."
So he uses this as an opportunity to try and recruit the contestant for another round. Since contestants are disguised if they do another round the audience wonât know itâs them.
What is the contestant's motivation?
While not explained we're given clues throughout the game. Let's start with what the Real Frankie says about the contestant.
Real Frankie: âBut let's be honest with ourselves for a second, contestant. We need each other. Especially you, I mean, look where you live . . ."
We're shown the contestant's apartment which is in rough condition. Along with the detail that the constant has watched prior shows:
It's important to note that the broadcast is privately funded. Most likely through people paying to access the stream and gambling thousands of dollars on it.
ANONYMOUS: "I HAVE 10,000 ON THIS GUY LET'S GO!"
For someone living in those conditions we know the contestant took a HUGE gamble for the opportunity to get on the show.
Considering they spent $3.99 X 769 boxes = $3,068.31
My theory is that the contestant's financial situation may not be the best due to gambling (or other life circumstances) so they chose to stay another round.
Real Frankie: ". . . And you've helped us. Having a privately streamed and funded show isn't the easiest thing in the world, and then, on the verge of bankruptcy, you came along. Our star, but stars don't just leave after a season, do they?"
#âœâœ(o â§ââŠ)oâŸâŸ đ đđąđ©đ đđđđ„đđĄđ đŁđđąđŁđđ đ§đđđ đđđąđšđ§ đ§đđđŠ đđđ đ!!! So if anyone would like to share or add onto it please do!!!#Maybe in another post I'll ramble about the Real Frankie and contestant since I find their dynamic đ©đđ„đŹ interesting!!#How they need each other . . . ANYWAY!!! GO PLAY THE GAME!!!!#Finding Frankie Spoilers#Finding Frankie#Henry Hotline#MaddyMoreauPost#Long Text
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wait..... this is hella cute!!! <3<3<3<3<3<3<3 if ur free to do reqs could you do hsr boys summer headcanons? im not sure if theyre open so it's fine if u dont thx!!! đ©·đ©·
SUMMER SUN; SUMMER FUN â AVENTURINE, DAN HENG, JING YUAN
âïœĄË â a/n: ty anon for the request!! :> yes they are open so request awayyy ! i love summer sm best season fr so this was such a fun vibe to write :3 i hope u enjoy! i wasnât sure which hsr guys u wanted so i just picked my current favs AHDKSLDKÂ
đđ â AVENTURINE
aventurine would love going to the beach with youÂ
building sand castles, picking seashells, jumping over the shallow waves along the shore
it all feels fun and refreshing to him. something he did not have the luxury to feel when he was younger
at your encouragement, he signs the two of you up for surf lessons one day
aventurine isâŠnot a naturalÂ
youâre both falling off the boards and needing the instructor to come and fish you out of the waves
after a few too many close calls, aventurine decides he never wants to go surfing againÂ
when the sun sets and golden hour hits, you take one million photos of aventurine, at minimumÂ
he models and poses for you, enjoying your excitement whenever you get a good shotÂ
once youâd had your fill, aventurine sneaks a few photos of you as well
he shows you his favorite beach pic of you with a smile
âyouâre prettier than the sunsetâÂ
aventurine ends the day off by buying ice cream for the two of you as you head home <3Â
đđ â DAN HENG
while dan heng likes the warmth, he is not a fan of the summer heat
he prefers staying indoors during the summer, at the library or in museum with minimal walking around outside during the day
however, he does like sitting underneath the shade of a tree and reading a bookÂ
some days, heâll set up a hammock between two trees and ask you to join himÂ
when the heat cools down and the darkness graces the earth, dan heng likes to walk around and go stargazingÂ
the temperature is perfect at nightânot too hot but also not cold enough to need anything other than a long sleeve shirt or a light jacket
dan heng has read about all the constellations you can see in the summerÂ
heâs disappointed thereâs too much light pollution in most places, but for the stars he can see, he points it out to you and explains the story behind it
what constellation itâs part of, what planet is next to it, is that a space vehicle or a cosmo?Â
he would definitely go on one of those websites that sell you a star lmao and âbuyâ one for you
even though heâs aware itâs a scam, he know youâd find it cute. dan heng shows you the certificate of your new star ownership and the two of you look for the coordinates in the night sky together <3
âyou deserve the universe, but for now i got you a starâ
đđ â JING YUAN
jing yuan thinks going to an amusement park is the peak summertime activityÂ
doesnât matter if you are sweating buckets waiting in the long lines surround by body heat. jing yuan comes prepared. he has a hat, a battery-powered fan with a built-in mist spray, and water bottles with iceÂ
of course, he shares all that with you once you get tired of using your foldable fan
jing yuan is an amusement park snack afficionado. a salty pretzel? yes. a sweet treat? yes. a whole ass turkey leg? also yes.Â
you are never hungry during your outing since jing yuan has you coveredÂ
when you want photos taken of you, you show jing yuan exactly how you want itâangle and zoom and everything
yet when he takes the photo, it comes out off
crooked. blurry. youâre half cut offâŠ
the only good photo he took of you is one where you werenât prepared and have a horrendously silly look on your faceÂ
âjing yuan⊠delete that right now.âÂ
âwhy? i believe it is called a âcandidâ by the young folks. very popular.âÂ
you may not have come out with good photos of yourself, but at least you and jing yuan had fun and will treasure these memories forever. no matter how bad the photo to capture it is.Â
#why do i headcanon summer jing yuan as 100% dad vibes? idk i just see it ok#hsr x reader#dan heng x reader#aventurine x reader#jing yuan x reader#hsr headcanons#hsr fluff#hsr imagines#honkai star rail#honkai star rail x reader
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Million dollar man
How does your life by his side look like?
General masterlist
Being Aventurine's "Lucky Charmđ" includes:
đ° Always staying by his side. If he has to attend business meetings you sit next to him, when he goes to parties with his coworkers you are his plus one, during his gambling sessions you sit on his lap and cheer on him. He is never seen without you.
đ° If he finds himself in tough situation, Aventurine holds your hand for good luck. It calms him down rather than giving him additional luck (he doesn't care, he has plenty of it already) but it doesn't stop him from calling you his Ladybug, Shooting star or Goldfish. Usually he shortens it to Goldie. He kisses your hand before making his move in games, makes you blow on dice before throwing it or allows you to pick which numbers you bet on.
đ° Aventurine shares his monetary gains with you with no restrains. "Don't worry about anything, just spend" - that's what he says, letting you know the tab is on him. He is happy to finally be able to take care of those dear to him after being so powerless for years. Providing for you, keeping you safe and well fed makes him feel like he does a good job as a man.
đ° You are always dressed in the most expensive clothes, not even the ones from high-end fashion brands, he wouldn't like you to accidentally match outfits with any other woman in the room. All your dresses are made for you exclusively, tailored by best fashion designers from the most delicate fabrics.
Your jewelry matches his, gold with aventurine stones. There is one necklace you never take off, golden peacock feather with green stone in place of it's eye. Aventurine gave it to you as a reminder, so you never forget you belong with him.
đ° He shows you off on every occasion, posts you on social media and proudly introduces you to his work colleagues. Because of that you sometimes assume that he invest so much into your looks, cosmetics and clothes just because he wants to flaunt his wealth, but this couldn't be further from truth. While he enjoyed jealous looks from another men he pampered you solely for his own viewing pleasure. He would never choose a woman based on what others think about how his partner should look like, if he keeps you by his side it's because you're exactly his type and not because he thinks you would make him look more expensive in other people's eyes.
đ° He makes you count his money while you sit on his lap. Of course there's too much for you to reckon, stacks of coins in front of you seemed to only grow. Aventurine adores that concentrated expression on your face, the way you lick your lips with the tip of your tongue and scrunch your nose. He loves how you switch from common language to your native one when you count, especially if you have regional accent, and he just sometimes needs to hear your voice. You speak in steady, slow rhythm, quietly mouthing numbers and his heartbeat slows down to match that pace. Aventurine finds it meditative.
đ° He's afraid that you aren't aware of how precious you are to him. He knows it's very hard for him to be vulnerable after years of being abused and constantly keeping his guard up, so he might seem emotionally detached even with all the money he throws at you and physical affection he baths you in.
The last thing he wants is you thinking you're just a pretty little thing attached to his arm like an ornament. So he tries to show you his love without confessing it directly. He shields you with his own body during fights, he makes time for you no matter how busy he is, he remembers every little detail about you from your favourite food to the size of your shoe, listens attentively to everything you say and frequently does little acts of service.
He ties you shoelaces if you struggle with it in hurry, gives you his jacket when it gets cold, reminds you to hydrate yourself, scolds you if you skip a meal and takes care of every problem before you even mention it to him. His beautiful, unique eyes always find you and watch over you, under his protective gaze nothing will be allowed to harm you.
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You Can Watch, But You Can't Touch [At Least, Not Yet]
Tokyo, a city that never sleeps.Â
You've been a regular participant of the bustling nightlife for years, being a bartender for one of the most famous bars along Golden Gai. Many famous patrons have come and goneâyou've hosted not only Japan's best, but Hollywood's best as well, and with the way you conduct your businessâsweet talking the patrons whenever they strike your fancyâyou're no stranger to bedding some of these celebrities. However, you may have just gotten yourself the opportunity of a lifetime.
"Hngh, my God~!"
"Mmf, aah, fu~ck~."
"Oh fuck yes, yesâŠ"
You have no idea how you'd managed to sweet talk your way into the situation you were in now. You're in the suite of five-star Park Hyatt Hotel, in front of TWICE's Myoui Mina, Minatozaki Sana, and Hirai Momo. All three women are naked in front of you, and you're not wearing any clothes either, all of you having discarded your clothing on the way in.Â
"Come join us here, Takagi~." Sana's saccharine voice, dripping with sexual desire, calls you forth to get on the massive bed, where all three women lie side by side. You don't know where to lookâall three beautiful Japanese goddesses have their hands between their legs, fingers plunging deep into their dripping pussies. You field a glance towards all three women, and your cock twitches when Sana returns you a wink, Mina licks her lips after staring at your hard cock, and Momo blows you a kiss. Precum drips from the tip as you watch Mina fondle her breasts, soft moans escaping her lips as she tugs at a nipple between her fingers.Â
Wet squelches echo around the room, mixed with the varying sets of moans. Sana is unabashedly loud, her sweet whines and moans music to your ears, going straight to your cock. Momo's pleasure is vocalized in her low sultry voice, every thrust of her fingers into her dripping cunt punctuated by a low hum. Mina is the softest amongst the three, just as she would be, but she sounds no less sexyâher angelic voice is something you've enjoyed whenever you listen to TWICE's music, but here, that same voice conquers your mind through soft, breathy moans.Â
"Takagi~," Mina's moan of your name has you twitching once more, your cock at its stiffest. You shift closer to the three idols, and Mina stares intently at your cock as you move, her fingers plunging faster into her cunt.Â
"Takagi, please join us, mmf~... Join us and stroke your cock for us, please~!"
There was no way you were denying yourself the relief you needed, and neither would you deny Mina the pleasure of having her request fulfilled. You grab your cock and slowly lather your precum across your length before gently stroking your cock for the idols to watch. You softly grunt as the pleasure seeps into your system, and you watch as the eyes of all three women burn with lust at your display.Â
"Takagi, who's your favourite out of the three of us?" Momo's signature low voice cuts through your pleasure, and you turn to look at the oldest of the three. The oldest girl has one hand on her left breast, and she kneads it gently, the flesh spilling from between her fingers. You're momentarily stunned by that displayâto see Momo's huge breasts like that so intimately, you'd be an idiot not to enjoy it for as long as you can
"Answer me, Takagi~. Momo-onee-chan's waiting~."Â
"Iâ IâŠ" You're unable to even formulate any coherent sentenceâSana chooses that moment to moan your name, which draws your attention to her. She flashes you her million-dollar smile, ever full of mischief, promising nothing but seduction in this instance. You're fully aware you're being toyed around by the three Japanese megastars, but you're powerless to protest, and neither do you wish to as well.Â
"Ta. Ka. Gi. Answer Momoring's question, please~."
"IâŠ, oh God, fuckâ" You partially moan out of pleasure, and out of indecisionânot on who's your favourite, but on whether your answer would have any repercussions. Tonight could go anywhereâthe only thing you'd known was that you were chosen by MiSaMo to be their sexual partner for tonight, but you weren't sure about the details. Even on the extremely short drive here to the Park Hyatt from the bar, all you were allowed to know about tonight's experience was that you would "enjoy tonight thoroughly and fully", or so Sana said.Â
"Please tell us, Takagi?" You have no idea how Mina manages to look cute as she puts on her aikyo (æćŹ) for you even as she's fucking herself, pouting and whining while her fingers plunge deep into her pussy and draw more and more of her arousal to stain the sheets below. You nearly cum at the sight, and all three women giggle when you rip your hand away from your cock, your hips jerking as a few drops of hot, thick semen drip from your tip.Â
"Oh, Minaring, look at what you've done!" Momo giggles in amusement, bumping the youngest of the trio with her elbow. "You've just made Takagi cum a little."
"Guess we know who's the favourite now, Momoring~."
You're absolutely embarrassedâyou thought you'd be able to edge yourself, but Mina just being herself has you unable to control yourself fully, and you'd just lost a bit of your precious load you were saving for them. Sana must have sensed your disappointment.Â
"It's okay, Takagi. Minaring has this effect on people. I'm sure you have more cum in those big balls for us, don't you~?"
"Y-Yes!" Eager to prove, to please, you begin to stroke yourself again, this time reaching below to fondle your balls as well. The low groan you let out draws giggles from the stars opposite you, and you open eyes that you'd closed in pleasure. In front of you, Mina has changed her method slightlyâshe rubs circles on her clit, her pussy still leaking and dripping. Next to her, the whirr of a vibrator starts upâMomo holds a Hitachi wand to her clit, and she throws her head back, moaning, her free hand on Mina's leg now after letting go of her breasts momentarily. Now, you get to look at the oldest girl's breasts without any obstructionâshe arches her back at a particularly strong burst of pleasure, and you gawk at her heaving breasts jiggling as she bucks her hips, deep moans serving as vocal evidence of the sexual relief she enjoys. Sana is the only girl still fingering herself, but now she has three fingers in her, her eyes switching between you and her group mates, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she whines and moans in pleasure watching everyone else masturbate together with her.Â
"TakagiâŠ" Mina's call for you is breathy, shaky from the pleasure coursing through her veins. You're forced to rip your hand away from your cock again, lest you tip over the edge. This does not go unnoticedâSana and Momo are giggling again at your obvious weakness for Mina. Mina continues, unfazed. "Let'sâmmf~âstrike a deal."Â
"W-What?" You're dying to hear what Mina has to say. It'd probably be worth it, but you know that it'd probably be difficult, considering your current situation.Â
"If⊠If youâoh~!âyou last⊠l-longer than the three of us, we'llâfuckâIâŠ" Mina trails off as she pushes her fingers back into her cunt again, before pulling them out.Â
"What she means, TakagiâŠ" Sana takes over for their youngest. "...is that if you manage to edge yourself until all three of us have enjoyed our orgasms, you'll get to fuck the three of us."
"AâAre you sure?" You can't believe your earsâthis sounds too good to be true.Â
"Are you calling me a liar?" Sana's grin promises she isn't offendedâshe's just teasing, as usual. "Of course we're sure. If you last long enough, we'll fuck you. One by one, in any position and hole you want."
"We'll even go again, if you can keep up." Momo adds on as she winks, her vibrator turned off for this negotiation. "Something tells me you can."
"Takagi." Mina's soft call gets your attention. "If you finish last, I'll fuck you first."
You'd have been a fool not to agree. The three idols grin, and Momo's vibrator clicks on again as you begin to stroke. This time, a second and third whirr join the firstâSana has another Hitachi wand in her hands, and a dildo in the other. She pushes the dildo in her as the toy comes into contact with her clit, and she lets out a long moan at the pleasure. Next to her, Mina also now has a vibratorâa dildo with a clit massagerâand she toys around with it, stimulating herself with different angles. All three women moan your name, staring at you, blatantly displaying their desires and fantasies as they pleasure themselves, and you jerk yourself hard and fast at the sight in front of you. Precum coats your tip, and you spread it all across your cock as you jerk, eyes locked on the idols in front of you. You feast on the sight of Sana and Mina with their arms pushing against either side of their breasts, squeezing them together, before looking at Momo's massive chest jiggling as she writhes in pleasure.
"Takagi, oh God~." Momo calls for your attention. "I want your cock in me so bad, fuckâŠ"Â
"Oh yeah?" You can't help but indulge in the dirty talk. "What else?"
"I need that cock shooting into me, Takagi. I love the feeling of it, the warmth of semen filling me up." Momo begins to finger herself again as she turns up the vibrator. "Especially when these two watch me take it."
A blush spreads across Mina's face at Momo's words, whereas a smile spreads across Sana's.Â
"That's right, Takagi. Momo lo~ves being bred by thick hard cocks like yours." Sana grins even as she fucks herself, her sentences punctuated by the occasional moan. A pout forms on her face at the next sentence. "And she always wants us to watch, because she loves making us jealous."Â
"Don't lie, Sattang. You love watching me cum on hard cocks as much as you love cumming on them too." Momo's rebuttal has Sana giggling, and your brain is filled with the thought that this was a regular occurrence. You groan at the thought, your cock twitching as more precum bursts from the tip.Â
"Oooh, Takagi liked that, Momoring~."Â
"Mmm, of course. Bet you he's wondering how many men we've fucked like that."
Your eyes betray your curiosityâsomething all three girls pick up.
"We're not kissing and telling, Takagi~." Sana's quick to tease. "But I'm going to say⊠the most we've had was sex with three different men at the same time each, one after the other." A wink accompanies the reveal, before Mina moans again. She is clearly revisiting the experienceâ
"Oh yes, those threeâŠ" Momo joins in to add further context, just to rile you up further. "Their cocks were just as long and thick as yours, Takagi. They fucked us so good that we weren't able to get up for a while."
The image of Mina, Sana, and Momo next to each other, semen dripping from their used pussies, naked bodies glistening with sweat as they are right now, nearly has you cumming. You once again edge yourself, whimpering at the denied orgasm.Â
"I think you'd be happy to know that our Minaring hereâŠ" Sana fields Mina a glance, "...liked it the most. Every time she cameâŠ"
Sana's voice drops low, as if to let you in on a secret.
"She squirted all over her partners."
"Oh fâ, no, no!" Your cock visibly twitches at the imagery of Mina's squirting orgasm, and to both your pleasure and disappointment, you're barely able to finish your speech before spurts of semen burst from your tip, your orgasm hitting you like a truck. Shot after shot of semen sprays through the air, with your first five shots spray onto Mina's body, and the next five spraying all over the bedsheets, more semen firing from the tip.
The moment your hot semen sprays all over Mina's breasts, tummy, thighs, and ass, the youngest Japanese girl shudders, eyes rolling back in her head in a picture-perfect ahegao. She orgasms hardâthe toy in her pussy is expelled out of her body onto the bed as her hips buck hard, and a long gush of squirt showers everyone on the bed. Burst after burst of Mina's juices rain over you, and your cock twitches again, just a little painfully after that intense orgasm. The Japanese girl writhes, shudders, and bucks as her orgasm takes her, and when she falls still, a panting, exhausted, sweaty mess, you can see the satisfied grin on her face, her eyes meeting yours.Â
"Takagi, you failed." Momo's the first to get up, and Sana follows after. Both girls stop pleasuring themselves, and they share a look to each other before grinning.Â
"I see you're still hard." Sana licks her lips at the sight of your cock, strings of semen clinging to the tip. "A pity we're not going to be able to help you with thatâŠ"Â
You must've looked so pathetic and lost that Sana and Momo end up giggling at your predicament. All is lost, you think, until Momo speaks.Â
"We'll give you one more chance, Takagi. Would you like that?"
"Y-Yes, please, anything!"
"Hehe, so eager and needy for our pussiesâŠ" Momo bites her lip, eyes raking over your body. "You're lucky we want to fuck ourselves on that cock as much as you want to pump our tight cunts full of cum."
Both girls give their youngest member a look. Mina is at her sexiest right now, her wanton body spread open for everyone to see. Her pussy clenches on nothing, slick dripping from her hole, semen staining her thighs, ass, and body. The afterglow of her orgasm is evidentâshe looks so fucking hot like that.Â
"Since Mina offeredâŠ" Sana turns back to you with a bright smile, not unlike those you'd see on variety shows, or in TWICE TVs. "If you can show us how well you can fuck her, we'll fuck you."
You need no further invitation. Mina welcomes you eagerly when you crawl overâshe spreads her legs wide for you, and she begs you with her eyes and hands. The look she gives you is of pure submission, and you look below to see her spreading her pussy open to welcome your cock. Both Sana and Momo crawl up to either side of you, and they watch you rub your hard cock against Mina's pussy, drawing soft moans from her.Â
"Takagi, in me, please~!" Mina's quick to beg, the desperation eating away at her patience.
"Put it in, come on." With a soft push on your back, you penetrate Mina for the first time. Mina loudly moans as you stretch her wallsâshe's a tight fit, but you slide in with not much resistance, with how wet she is. Inch after inch, your cock disappears into her, and you swear you're in heaven. The pleasure you derive from her walls squeezing you, mixed with the natural scents of Sana and Momo beside you has you almost deliriousâyou can't believe this is truly happening. When you hilt, you groan loudly, and Mina whines as your cock twitches deep in her.Â
"Go on, fuck her. Show us how a man like you fucks a woman, Takagi."
You're unable to keep your groan soft when you pull out of Mina's cunt and thrust back in. Mina joins you in vocalizing her pleasure, and she pulls you in to plant her lips on yours. You're surprised, naturally, but you adapt quicklyâsoon enough, her tongue is against yours in a hot, openmouthed kiss. You begin to pick up the paceâslow thrusts grow quicker, though you're still ensuring to keep it soft to let Mina adjust to the stretch.Â
"Faster."
At Momo's command, you begin to increase the strength of your thrusts. The claps of your pelvis against Mina's ass are steadily getting louder, just as Mina's moans do as well.
"Takagi, fuck her. Make her scream." Sana crawls next to you, her low whisper next to your ear. The hot breath against your skin has you shuddering. "Look at Mina, moaning like that whenever you stretch her. She loves it, wants it, needs it, even craves for it." Sana's smile is audible in her speech. "So fuck her."
Momo is nextâyou feel her breasts press against your back, and she grabs you on your hips, her lips just right next to your other ear. You're starting to get dizzy with the pleasure of all three women being this close to you. Sana nibbles your earlobe, and Momo kisses you on the neck, leaving little hickeys trailing.Â
"Look at her, look at how you're bulging her tummy. Look at how wide she spreads her legs for you, how much she begs you to fuck her. Come on, fuck her like you mean it."
You finally give in to your baser desires. You send thrust after thrust into Mina, the strength of each snap of your hips only increasing. The young star beneath you cries out in pleasure as she writhes, shakes, trembles at the sensations that course through her.Â
"So big, so good, Takagi~!"
Mina's name might as well have been a mantra, with the claps of your body meeting hers keeping the tempo. You're not able to do much of anything elseâher tight walls squeeze you just right, the warmth of her body wrapped around your shaft only enhancing the pleasure of sex with her. You only fuck her faster and harder when you have bursts of energy, and when you hear both Sana and Momo join Mina in moaning, you open your eyes to feast on the sight of all three women in pleasure, be it through toys, or you.
"Yes, just like that, fuck her, yes!"
"Mmf, Takagi, keep going~!"
Mina's call for you comes a second later.Â
"You heard what Sattang and Momoring said, Takagi. Please use me, fuck me, make me scream!"
With these final instructions, you begin to pound Mina. The other two women clearly appreciate thisâthey finger themselves harder, moans more drawn-out, and Mina, most of all, loves it. You feel her walls tighten and get wetter around you, and her moans grow in frequency and pitch as she draws closer and closer, the claps of sex louder and louderâ
"TakaGI, I'Mâ!!"
Mina never finishes her sentenceâshe wails in pleasure instead as she hits her peak. Her hips buck hard, and squirt gushes into the air as your cock falls out of her, twitching hard. You were close, so close, and you grip Mina forcefully by the hips to hilt back into her. The feeling of her squirt gushing against your body paired with the tight squeeze of her walls as well as the friction of penetration causes you to explode deep within her. You freeze as your thick, hot semen paints Mina's walls and womb white, blast after blast of your cum shot deep into the youngest's body. At the same time, Sana and Momo orgasm right next to the both of you, twin jets of squirt showering both you and Mina as you ride out your orgasms.Â
When you pull out from Mina, exhausted, you fall onto the stained sheets, uncaring of where you lie. Immediately, your semen bubbles out of Mina's freshly-used cunt and drips down her skin, and both Sana and Momo reach between their youngest's legs to taste your cum.Â
"Mm, Takagi, you're deliciousâŠ" Sana licks her lips as her eyes twinkle, and Momo only grins at you, her stare just as lustful.Â
"Good job, TakagiâŠ"
Both Japanese women tug you, and they lead you to a drier part of the bed. They both take turns making out with you, and you're ready to go in a matter of minutes.Â
"I see you're ready~." Momo takes her position as she straddles you and lines your cock up to her cunt. Sana swings a leg over your face, and you know you're in for even more fun.Â
The last you remember is Sana and Momo sinking down on you, and at that moment, you swear that Heaven is a place on Earth.
#kpop fanfic#kpop fanfiction#kpop smut#male reader#twice smut#myoui mina smut#hirai momo smut#minatozaki sana smut#sana smut#momo smut
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in the wake of stars... there, we remain
Do you wish to know the horrible truth? When I close my eyes, her memory does not resurface. I cannot remember her laugh, or even tell apart her voice. All that remains is the waking thought that she was the only woman I ever lovedâthe only thing I ever wanted. And the Abyss took her away from me. The gods took her away from me! And all the time in the universeâall the power this world has to offerâcouldn't fill the void she left behind.
ao3: in the wake of stars... there, we remain pairing: capitano x f! reader genre: angst, romance wc: 16k status: one shot art by: C50spicy
âGranny!â
âFreminet! Donât call her thatââ
A soft chuckle echoed in the closed room, halting the chastise the magician was about to bestow on his younger brother.
âItâs quite alright, Lyney. Iâm sure little Freminet meant no harm.â A pair of blackened hands patted the young boysâ heads, the blue veins marring the skin contrasting with the oceans of blond threads.
Despite Freminetâs endearment of the woman, no sign of aging was visible on her youthful face. A stranger might even proclaim her as an older sister to the infamous Knave of the House of Hearth. But the only thing stopping them from doing so was the darkened skin tracing from under her left ear all the way to the horizons of her forehead.
âCan you tell us the story again? Please?â The little blond diver sat near the womanâs feet, looking up at her with big beady eyesâone which always proved difficult to refuse, even for their âFatherâ.
âOnly if you promise not to call me an old lady again.â She playfully bargains with the child, although⊠[Name] wouldnât really mind either way. âNow, gather around.â She ushers the children to move closer to her, for which they happily obliged.
A rhythmic song echoed in the bowels of her soul as she silently watched the children talk amongst one another, a joy she knew could only live here⊠in this home, in this time, with them, and nowhere else.
Once upon a time, in a kingdom under the golden sea, there lived a knight, brave, righteous, and kind as they could be. And this knight, he loved no one else but the woman who threw flowers at strangers with glee.
The citizens loved this knight, and everyone wanted to be acquainted with him. But this knight lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by meâŠ
âHavenât I already told you to get lost?â
Cradled under a dome of a million stars, a noble lady stood far on the far side of the balcony, gazing down with fiery eyes at the knight looking up at her from below. Threads of [h/c] swayed by the eternal gale that rounded the kingdom every after-dark, ruffling the violet and golden garments she wore oh so devotedlyâa striking contrast to him who wore clothes darker than the void itself.
âAh, wellââ his voice echoes in the silence of twilight, hopeful at best, painted as desperate for the woman on the loggia.
âMy answer remains the same, Captain.â
Before the Captain could raise another protest, a plea for her to reconsider, the lady peered over the balustrade, angered at his stubbornness, âNo.â
She could not wrap her head around his insistence, at first finding it admirable before it morphed to be unbearable. Many times had she told him off:
âI must refuse your proposal, my lordâ
âIâm honored, really, but I cannot acceptâ
âSurely, a maiden far fairer than me would most wholeheartedly embrace your affectionsâ.
One would think that after three rejections, he would relent.
At one point, she believed him to have raised the white flag, given that he had ceased his advancement for a full fortnight.
That is until she ran into him at the plaza one fateful afternoon. Finding him surrounded by a sea of people both of highborn and low, militia and serpent knights, harboring him affection and regard.
The shadow of her presence was enough to stop their banters, the weight of her name parting the ocean of people, and before her⊠was a path that led right to him.
Snapping out of the memory, she is reminded that the object of her daydreams was still perched upon the street below her awaiting an acceptance that the lady swore would never come, even if he is a knight. âNow, if you will be so kind as to step asideââ
âMy ladyâŠâ
A sharp stare silenced the Commanderâs tongue, forcing him to freeze where he stands, burning the remnants of his thoughts. All that remained was the echo of her voice, the light reflecting off her eyes, the presence of her soul. He wouldnât have minded staying rooted there for the rest of the evening, shackled to that post until the end of his time, so long as she would be near. A call away, just over the wall, looking at him from the panes of her windows.
âPlease move out of the way, Capitano. I have more pressing matters to attend to.â
The Commander, as if time began to march slower, saw her marching towards the archway that would lead her indoors, and before he could detain his tongueâhis thoughts had run past his better judgement.
âThrowing flowers at passersby hardly seems to be of urgency.â
[Name] let out a scoff of disbelief, swiping away her hand that held the doorknob and turned to march back towards the balcony, peering down at him with all the disdain in the cosmos. The nerve of thisâthis⊠âA lot more concerning than having you propose another time when my take on the matter will not change. Now, move out of the way before I throw a pot at you.â
âBut why?â
The lady looked at him cynically, was he asking in accordance with his repeated rejection or for the threat of the pot? She would be happy to indulge in the latter, but [Name] knew that the ever-righteous Captain was not one to act like a fool⊠yet he continued to play the jester with her.
âAre we really going over this again?â She looks at him in exasperation, internally wondering how he rose to such power when he was stubborn as a mule. âHave you forgotten where you stand? I am a lady of the house [L/n], you are a Commander for the knights. Do you really dare have me be insulted by it all? Let me remind you again: from the moment we met all those years ago, when you had so brazenly declared to me that you would take arms and fight the heavens, your conceit and selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you will be the last man Iâd ever be prevailed upon to marry. And I would rather dine on the scraps of field tillers and cross the seven seas with no leverage than be courted by the likes of you. Good day.â
Capitano stared at her retreating figure, counting that as the fifth attempt to court her that month. And the overall hundredth rejection for the last five, or was it seven, years? Every time she turned down his advancements it had him motivated to do more, to be more, become better.
Because in his eyes⊠there was no greater blessing, no greater honor than to love her.
[Name] who offered him cakes and cookies down by the gardens all those summers ago, the one who ran down the streets to welcome him back, the little lady who pushed the swing when he sat alone by the playground. [Name] who supported his dream of knighthood, the lady who dressed his wounds, who wiped his tears, parted his lips so he could breathe.
Iâd be the last man sheâd ever be prevailed upon to marry⊠she didnât say sheâd never marry meâjust that Iâm her last option.
Even if the same [Name] now sneers at all things related to him and his status as a commander.
A foolish smile carved its way onto his face, eyes as deep as the depths of the ocean shining in delight at the newfound hope.
Thereâs still a chance!
But love didnât come easy for the knight, no matter the ardency of his feelings, the sincerity of his soul, nor the patience in his heart. The lady simply turned a blind eye to himâ
âThatâs awful! Mr. Knight must be very sad.â A little girl cried while her friend tried to console her by rubbing her back, the sight tugging at the seams of [Name]âs heart.
âIndeed, how cruel the lady must have been.â She agrees gently, curling a fistful of fabric under her touch, suppressing the urge to just run outside and comb the earth to make it all right. How cowardly was I to have shunned your affection for so longâŠ
Not long after, one of the older kids spoke her piece, âIf a knight as chivalrous as him had loved me, I would never let him go, not even for all the mora in the world.â
For a few arbitrary seconds, [Name] is left at a loss for words.
Perhaps itâs the curse taking effect or maybe itâs the regret clawing from the depths of her eroding soul. Still, it remained clear that the young ladyâs words were something she wished she had lived by all those centuries ago.
âNor I.â [Name] concedes, acknowledging the boldnessâthe genuinenessâof the childâs declaration with a look of understanding.
But no matter how we wish to change our fate, to pave a way for a better tomorrow, a waking moment where we arenât suffocated by the crushing weight of regretâthat was all they could remain as: wishes.
It didnât matter how ardently we pray for it to be true, how earnestly we chant so we could forge it into being⊠because when the dust settles and the moon is at rise, only then weâll knowâŠ
âYou see, children, to speak of love is an easy task, even the most vicious of people can do it. But to wait and prove that itâs trueâeven when there is no guarantee of getting loved in return, that is an act of faithfulness that cannot be accomplished by everyone. It takes merely a few seconds to profess love, but doing it takes more than a lifetime. And to find someone eager to spend that time with you⊠is a blessing that not everyone is fortunate enough to receive.â
âŠthat some tales are not fated for a happy ending.
The children looked at her in amazement, no matter the blights of her curse on her skinâhow it can easily depict her a monsterâLady [Name] is still one of the kindest people they have ever been lucky enough to meet.
Love didnât come in all the shades of the rainbow as the lady had hoped. Love didnât come dressed in willingness as the knight assumed.
Perhaps, in their hearts, they knew.
Sometimes, love can come painted like a summer night: dark as it comes but scattered with a hundred million stars. Sometimes, love is cloaked in hesitance: a gentle wave by the shores dyed with the warmth of a thousand suns.
And sometimes⊠love appears in forms we least expect it to take.
âYou turned him down? The Captain? The Commander of the Serpent Knights? The Captain?â
A young woman paced around the room, struggling to accept the story her friend told her only moments prior.
âYes, Peruveere, I did.â
[Name] rolled her eyes at the other personâs restless mumbling, continuously taking apart the petals from the flowers. And as if sensing the follow-up questions of her inquisitive friend, [Name] quickly attached the rest of her answers not a breath later, âYes, the Captain. Yes, the Commander of the Serpent Knights. Yes, the Captain. And yes, Il-Capitano, the ever-righteous, strong and brave, nigh-invincible Captain. I turned him down just as I had the previous time he asked, and the time before that, as well as all the other advances he had made. And I will continue to do so if he keeps insisting. It will not change.â
She tore another petal away from the stem, not sparing a single glance at the other lady currently losing her marbles over the simple matter of [Name]âs rejection of matrimony.
âBut why?â
[Name] tore her eyes away from the busy streets and looked over her shoulder to her friend with a stare of utter disbelief, as though she, herself, could not wrap her head around the question directed at her. [Name] could not choose which one of her inner turmoils would best fit the situation at hand: âYou know whyâ, was one, and âI cannot, in my wildest dreams, believe that you would really ask me thatâ, was another. Though it seemed that no matter the choice, it still would not be enough to convey the entirety of her plight.
âI know that look, missy.â Peruveere narrowed her cross-marked eyes at [Name], drawing lines in the air as if it would raise the stakes of an imaginary court to accuse her further. âYour thoughts are all over your face! Peruveere, youâre a fool to ask me thatâa lunatic to even ask whyâI question to this day why I am friends with someone as empty-headed as you.â
The obsidian of her hair shone under the golden light of the artificial sun, casting away the shadows of the locks of her hair that were colored in ivory.
âThose are your words, my friend, not mine.â [Name] smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned to face the fuming lady before her. âYou know me, Peruveere, nothing in this world can persuade me into matrimony. If you wish to be tied to that man so very much, why donât you marry him instead?â she offered, smiling faintly at the prospect of having to get rid of that persistent knight.
Peruveere scoffed at the idea, waving a hand in the air as though it would scatter her friendâs ridiculous suggestions.
Soon after, her expression morphed into something far too difficult for [Name] to interpret, âOne day, [Name], you will wake up with your head in your hands and realize how wrong you were, and you will wish to have done things differently. You will wish that you loved him a little earlier so you could have loved him longer. And you will hear the echoes that my foresight was correct. The way I endeavored to inform you will come into light, and after all of that is said and done, only then will I trust that my earlier warning has been understoodâ"
[Name] let out a sound of alarm at the near cursing her friend was speaking, now it was her turn to wave her hands in the air as though it would rid of the baleful prescience. âStop. Stop. Stop!â
Peruveere ignored [Name]âs superstitions and instead opted to convey her thoughts on all the privileges that [Name] would possess once she is married to the Commander.
âEvery noble lady in the kingdom wants to be wed to Capitano! Heâs got it all, you know, titles, wealth, power, influenceââ Peruveere listed off his qualities from the tips of her fingers, explaining how each one of them would be beneficial to her and what it could mean for the years to come. Peruveere droned on and on until she finished at least ten laps on both hands, and [Name]âs ears were on the verge of caving in from how many times that brooding manâs name left the lips of her friend.
âAnd as your bestest, greatest, most fabulous, not to mention only friend, I have to root for you! I must! You two are practically born of the same soul! And to address your previous statement, no, I will not marry him on your behalf. Capitano is not what I look for in a man, he wears too much black, his friend on the other hand, oh my Dainsleifâhey! Where are you going?â
Peruveere quickly traced the steps of her departing friend, not quite finished with listing off the reasons why [Name] should accept the Commanderâs proposal.
[Name] reckons Peruveere could never understand.
She wasnât present at the time. She wasnât even part of [Name]âs life when it all came crashing down. So how could Peruveere understand why rejecting Capitano hurts [Name] more than it did him? Especially when he was so persistent, so dedicated, treating her feelings as though being at the receiving end of it was an honor far higher than the heavens. Especially because he does all of that.
Capitano gave it all⊠and it was being wasted when she could not bring herself to return it despite every inch of her soul begging her to do so.
âA place where I wonât hear another mention of that manâs nameââ [Name] saw Peruveere brace herself to question and quickly snuffed it out, ââor his accomplishments, his power, his oh-so-handsome visage, or anything even remotely related to him!â [Name] yelled, sick of all the iterating questions of why when she had already been so clear of her intentions. Peruveere, mother, even my sisters⊠all asking the same thing, and no matter my answer, they still wonât relent.
â[Name]âŠâ
She snapped out of her thoughts, the consequence of her action hitting her with full force as she looked at the stupefied expression on her friendâs face. âPeruveereâI⊠I apologize, I did not mean toââ
Peruveere caught the hand that was reaching out to her, encasing them fully in warmth as she gazed at [Name] in a kind light. âNo, I should be the one to apologize, [Name]. I shouldnât have pushed you too far. If you donât wish to speak about him or hear of his person, then I wonât tell of him at all.â
Peruveereâs patience ate at [Name]âs heart, flooding it with guilt. Words said on a whim that hurt her friendâs heart when all she ever wanted to do was ensure that [Name] could live with someone by her side.
Perhaps Peruveere did understand. Maybe she understood far more than [Name] could have.
âIf only my family was as accepting as you.â [Name] could only smile at her kindness, squeezing the hand that held hers.
The two friends laughed at the thought knowing well that the heavens would fall before the great house of [L/n] weakens their immovable resolve. [Name]âs lineage wasnât exactly known for being one of the friendly fellows of the kingdom, with their emotionless fronts, and closely guarded connections, it proved to be difficult to even just see one of their own walking down the streets as leniently as [Name] did. Their headstrong attitudes and unrelenting tendencies to stop at nothing to get what they wanted drove any and all coming acquaintances away.
It was a miracle that [Name] even had Peruveere for this long.
âI just⊠donât wish to be unhappy all my life.â [Name] admits sadly, choosing to look at the dust littered on the cobblestone path.
âWhat do you mean?â
The chatters of everyday life seemed to blend in with all the colors of Khaenri'ah, until all that remained was the echo of the man loved by all⊠and yet loved only her.
She laughs and caught Peruveereâs stare with a net of fearâfrightened of the uncertainty that came with a person like Il-Capitano. âI hear what people say about him, too, you know. The ever-righteous Captain, the nigh-invincible Captain, the brave and fearless Captain.â
âAll good traits, are they not?â
[Name] gave her a pained stare, âWhen people put him in that light, he is. Yet all the same, it paints him in a different color⊠like heâs so far away. Donât you fear that someone possessing such unprecedented righteousness is a latent danger? How⊠how could someone like that ever truly live? Will he ever truly confide? What if I am the embodiment of all that he detestsâeverything he cannot accept? Could he still bring himself to love me just as he proclaims?â
âYou have yet to know that, [Name].â Peruveere shook her head, trying to coax her friend out of the spiralling doubt, âIt isnât fair to put assumptions on him when you havenât given him the chance to act on how he really feels. He loves you. For eight long years heâs proven it, practically reformed the heavens so his adoration for you could be caged by the finiteness of this world!â
[Name] denied her friendâs suggestion, finding it too farfetched to be bled into reality.
How could she bring herself to believe his sentiments to be true when the prime of his promises to her had been broken from the moment he turned his back on her that fateful night?
I want to love you, I really do⊠but what would become of me if I gave it all to you once more? I know itâs tiring to loveâto wait. I know Iâm not the only one drowning in this ocean of grief when a thousand others were subjected to the same heartache.
But why does it feel like such a sin to love you now?
I donât know how Iâll free myself from this fearâthis soul-binding fear of leaving it all behind.
âLove is an illusion, Peruveere. We believe it because we havenât seen whatâs beyond that. That just as easily as you claim it to be true, it is just as easily goneâtaken away before we know it.â
Because what if I did do itâleave everything behind? And what if beyond that, you will leave me, too?
Peruveere sighed in surrender. [Name] spoke words of fear, sentiments plunged in the depths of heartache, a great many things to project hostility but they all meant one thing: come and save meâif you truly love me, take me away from here. That much she understood, it was [Name] who was blinded by her shadows who remained cloaked in ignorance.
âBut he might prove you wrong if you give him a chance.â
At her words, [Name] raised her head to look at her, and Peruveere took it as a sign to continue.
âTell him of your grievances, what makes you happy, the things that upset you. Perchance you might find him a lot more flattering than he does you. He isnât asking you for a thousand chances [Name], just one.â
âCan I escort you to town, my lady?â
âMay I have the next dance, Lady [Name]?â
âPlease, do me the honor of accepting my hand.â
âAnd what if it doesnât work?â She whispers, feeling the tears prickle at the back of her eyes.
Peruveere smiles, caressing the hills of her cheeks, âYouâd be surprised at how often it does.â
The lady found herself tracing the paths of the past. How the pillars of her fear formed the walls that guard her frail heart. Underneath the mountains of rejection, blanketed by years' worth of injustice, numbed by the unrelenting march of time, there existed a version of her⊠who had once loved the knight more than there were stars in the sky.
âAre you so ugly that you have to hide behind a canvas of the evening sky?â
The masked squire pivoted on his heel, nearly swatting her head off clean with the wooden practice sword.
âWhoaâhey!â
A flock of birds flew away from the volume of her voice, shaking the foliage bordering the courtyard. A gentle breeze swayed between the falling leaves, scattering a palette of white and yellow petals in their wake, painting upon the once-green lands with their hue.
Domed by the artificial Khaenri'ahn sky, a young lady and a young boy stood face to face. One with a soul as radiant as the stars in the heavens crouching down to cover her head, and another dyed in the color of the midnight sun, entranced by her abrupt advent.
As if realizing the silence left by their strange encounter, the masked boy quickly got down on one knee and struggled to find the words to say, fearful that he might be offending a prominent figure in court. âI apologize, my lady. I did not mean to endanger you in any way.â
The young woman, as though struck by the reminder of their difference in status, quickly gathered herself: pulling her figure from the ground, patting away the micro spectacle of dust that had managed to touch her expensive dress.
âAhem.â She cleared her throat, every bit of her mannerisms hinting that she was not used to interacting in such a formal fashionâas though she was not used to interacting at all! She took a peek at his still kneeling form, not finding him the least bit familiar, he must be new. She memorized the slouch in his shoulders, the hesitation in his movements, the threads of obsidian hair protruding from under his ridiculous helmet.
âYou are pardoned, please rise.â
A younger version of [Name] stood before the young boy.
âYou are most kind, my lady.â
The one who would soon be known as Capitano.
The lady, curious of his reasons for hiding his face, went by the gardens to pursue an answer. Unfailingly, for three full moons and a crescent, she sought out his company. Finding even the most mundane questions of everyday life directed at him, yet the prime interest she had was not answered until the first fall of the snow.
âI hope you like the cakes. The helpers in the kitchen always seem to make far too much of it,â the young lady walked around the edge of the winter wonders, watching as the young knight trained even under the descent of the cold. âAnd because no one wants to share them with me, I am left to enjoy them all.â
The young knight, ever so subtly, turned his head in her direction, a small gesture to let her know that despite his straining routines he would always make room for the things she had to share.
âIâm glad to be the one who shares them with you, my lady.â
[Name] caught herself smiling at the knight, feeling as the flames stemmed from her racing heart all the way to the horizons of her fingertips, casting fire to the hills of her cheeks, the bowels of her soulâthe embers in her mind.
No words followed those fleeting sentences, only the breaths of a diligent knight, and a lady brimmed with adoration. The heavens falling to witness the waltz of two souls, dancing to the melody of a tune made to bind for all eternity.
The knight ceased his practice, drawing nearer to the lady waiting by the steps.
She could have watched him from the balcony, or not at all yet here⊠in this place shrouded with the harshness of winter, closer to where he wasâthere, she stayed.
He began to wonder, when did I begin to see like this? As though all of the heavens and the earth only came into being so they could hold you. What greatness did I do⊠that I am worthy to behold you? That I am so fortunate to have existed in a timeâa place where I could love you as much as I desired?
Driven by the intensity of his emotions, the knight turned his back and began to walk away from her.
The lady, unsure of what to make of it all, snickered under her breath. [Name] found his behavior strangely endearing, to think one of the most skilled in knighthood could have been rendered flustered just by the thoughts running in his head was something not even the greatest of alchemists could conjure.
With a small laugh, [Name] stepped a foot into the snow followed by another, slowly tracing the footprints the knight in front of her had carved into the winter treasures.
The knight, who had initially only intended to break away for a few seconds, took notice of the way his lady had started to walk upon the path he made. With a smile of his own, he began to take wider steps, knowing that she would surely start to struggle.
[Name] had to leap in her step to continue her little fun, but the added distance in the interval of his steps along with the weight of her clothes had her stumbling a few moments later.
The young knight, ever so quick in his steps, turned with swift haste, catching her in his arms before she could hit the snowy ground.
A different object, however, had fallen into the snow.
âOh,â Her breath was painted white from the cold, yet her eyes reflected the deep blues of the irises that looked to her with such ardent affection. âYou arenât ugly.â
But stars did not shine, they burned. And just as quickly did the snow thaw, the reality of their distant worlds had dawned on them. Lightning painted the canvas of their skies, ripping it open for the rain to fallâdousing the embers of their adoration for one another.
âPlease⊠I beg you, do not go.â An older lady clung to the cloths of a manâs armor, hugged by the artificial lights of the Khaenri'ahn sky⊠the two lovers held onto one another as though it was their last day on this land.
The man touched the ladyâs cheeks, ridding the mar of silver water racing down the canvas of her face. âI must, my dear. It is my duty.â
The Serpent Knights have been called to defend the borders of the kingdom from the ill-will of the abyss. A duty that was promised honor, gratitude, and legacy whether they emerged victorious or notâwhether they returned breathing or not at all.
[Name]âs father was a knight bestowed the rank Captain, prestige that came with the comfort of wealth, and the oath of power. But for her mother, who loved her husband dearly, all it came with was the looming danger, the never-ending saga of fearing for his life.
And even if [Name] was still beyond the sense of maturity, she could piece apart that much.
Many words were exchanged by her mother and father, promises of eternity, a love to last a thousand lifetimes and a thousand more after that, that her mother only needed to waitâwait, and surely, her husband would return to her.
Yet as selfish as it sounds, even if oaths were broken and lives were lost, her mother didnât want her father to go.
âIt is also your duty to stay by your familyâs side! We need youâI⊠I need you.â
âBut the people need me more.â
[Name] who was watching from behind a towering pillar, looked at her father in disbelief, feeling as the little crevices in her heart began to rip its surface clean. Silently coming to terms with the truth that knights and all that they were associated with will always, unfailingly, put their duty above any other.
The real world was not like the stories her father had told her. Knights do not stay with the people they love when a kingdom is in threaten for ruin⊠they go out there and fight for the kingdom they had sworn to protect.
Even if it cost them their lives.
Even if the price paid for a momentary tranquility is the anguish of a broken heart, a wifeâs grief for the loss of a husband, a daughterâs heart shattered to a million irreparable pieces at the loss of a father, a family torn apart so another could live completely.
And as if the universe wanted to play, [Name] found herself looking into the abyssal canvas of his face on the far side of the courtyard, almost as if she was asking him the same request as her mother did to her father.
âDonât goâŠâ
But she knew that this righteous knight, the ever so brave recruit, the nigh-invincible young Capitano was the same as her honorable father.
Even if the price paid for a momentary equanimity was the silence of a lover, the heartache of a soul left alone in the world, a heart once entrusted to the hands of those who had sworn never to break it, shattered by the same hands.
Because that was the price you paid for loving a knight.
The weight of the years numbed the pain, and the tears had blurred the memories. Yet all the same, it proved that no matter how deep the valley that severed their ties, it could not hide the lingering affection littering the oceans of their skies.
"Oh, Il-Capitano~ Commander of the Royal Army."
âWe have most patiently awaited your safe return.â
âWhat an honor it is to have someone like you in the kingdomâs service.â
Nobilities and common people alike gushed at the arrival of the esteemed commander. One enshrouded in the colors of the night, with what looked like the heaviest coat in all of mankind draped over his shoulders.
He marched through the gates of the kingdom perched atop his tall, midnight steed. And as if feeling her drilling stare, that faceless helmet turned to gaze in her direction. A simple gesture, one which a stranger could have passed as nothing but a meaningless movement, but to [Name]⊠she knew, that it meant more to the knight than the praises sung at his name.
Perhaps it was a trick of the light, or the sadness clawing its way out of her soul. [Name] would have taken any other explanation, any other reason, so long as it wasnât the one forcing its way through her throat.
For a fleeting second, everything had crumbled away. In the place of that tall, imposing, broad-shouldered knight was a younger boy, one whose eyes looked far too hesitant to urge the stallion forward, his form was slouched, often kneeling before her, he who had promised the world.
Yet when she blinked, both figures were gone, one buried under the weight of time, and the other marching forward, once again turning his back on her.
No longer a young, naĂŻve, lovestruck squire but a revered commander, righteous, brave, and powerful.
Rumors in the plaza spoke about how the Commander never smiled, or that there was nothing in his life other than his duty and the endless battles against the abyss. But the conversation that sparked about the most was the mystery behind his mask.
Others spoke that his face had been scarred by his countless conquests that he had no choice but to hide it from his enemies, while some say that he was born unfortunate in the department of looks therefore forcing him to wear such a thing to shield his deformed face from the eyes of the public.
But [Name] knew otherwise.
âIsnât this exciting, [Name]?â Her friend, Peruveere, looks to her with eager eyes.
The young lady was a descendant of the previous dynasty, named Crimson Moon. Peruveere was the one who had so boldly claimed to be her friend after [Name] had thrown a fistful of flowers at her by accident.
[Name] shrugged and pretended to be indifferent to it all, forcing herself to look away as she felt his stares burn holes into her very being. "Eh, I've fallen witness to better."
That was a lie, of course.
The only one that could ever hope to best him in anything was himself, and [Name] was sure that the ever so charming Il-Capitano, Commander of the Royal Army, knew that for himself. But [Name] would rather eat all the snow in her courtyard than have to admit that to his face or anyone for that matter.
"The cats loitering the streets would hiss at you for saying that. Even they admire Capitano." Peruveere shook [Name] back and forth as she eagerly watched as the fleet of soldiers march back to the palace grounds.
[Name] tried to ignore the incessant beatings of her heart at the mention of his name. One which she hasnât spoken in a long, long while.
"He looks far more miserable since the last I saw him." She unconsciously whispers, tracing the outlines of his shadows until his figure is nothing but a speck in the far-off distance.
Then again, how long has it been since I last saw you? Certainly not long enough!
"Perhaps it's because you keep declining him." Peruveere perks, smiling pointedly at [Name] who was still looking in the direction of the castle.
The lady let out a bitter chuckle, of course, Iâd never marry him!
Capitano returned to her all those moons ago, nearly after three years, he returned.
But by then, her heart had come to realize the weight of his promises. That next to his duties, they meant absolutely nothing.
"Oh, woe. His poor soul." She emptily comments, finally tearing her gaze away from the reminder of his broken oaths.
"Please, [Name]. Miserable, yes. But poor he most certainly is not." Peruveere hooks an arm with [Name] and dragged her to descend the steps of her balcony.
"Do tell, Peruveere." [Name] rolls her eyes at her friend's antics, with half a mind listening to her ramble on and on about the oh-so-amazing Capitano, as they walked the now-empty streets to the plaza.
"All that power and wealth to his name and he commands half the Royal Army." Peruveere boasts as though speaking about that man made his achievements hers as well.
She really does hold that⊠man in high regard.
"The miserable half?" [Name] jests, leaving a fuming noble lady on the side of the street.
And so, tired of the longing glances and hearing the rhythm of two souls crying for one another, the heavens had moved to have it ceasedâŠ
Far into the depths of the night, when the trees slept and the lands were blanketed in silence, [Name] found herself standing by the steps that led to a courtyard.
Although this time, the space before her was covered with blades of grass and blossoming flora, the breeze was not sharp but rather a gentle lull in the ever-growing warmth of the seasonâa great contrast to a time when this place was riddled with cold, covered in his footsteps, thriving in the words he had no intention of keeping.
âMy lady,â he whispers, drawing nearer to her. Close enough that his breath tangled with hers as the warmth of his hand draped over the hills of her reddened cheeks. âMy heart calls your name, unfailingly, every night. My soul desires to see youâfar too much that it has my gaze lingering in everything that reminds me of you. Each day, this feeling in me grows and I fear that the skies can no longer house them.â
âI love you, [Name]⊠most ardently, please allow me the honor of staying by your sideââ
â[Name].â
The sudden call broke the young lady from her daydreams. She turned hastily to meet the tired eyes looking straight at her.
âMother.â
With the golden light of the chandelier seeping past the windowpanes, the scenery before her nearly resembled a painting of the heavens⊠except, the subjectâs face was dyed in colors of lonelinessâher motherâs heart died along with her father many, many years ago.
âYou have a visitor.â She states plainly before tracing back her steps to enter the house once again.
[Name] furrowed her brows in confusion at who could be visiting her at this ungodly hour. Surely, Peruveere was sound asleep by now, and even if she wasnât, her mother would never go as far as tell [Name] of her presence when she was already known by her entire familyâsheâs my only friend, it would be strange for them to do so.
As she stormed her brain for any other acquaintances who might be brave enough to knock on the gates of her home, the sounds of heavy footfalls and the clinking of metal chains flew past her ears.
Until a large body loomed over her fretting figure.
Even if she dared not to look, the strangerâs shadowâall broad-shouldered and imposingâalready told her enough that this was no acquaintance.
Are you starving for another rejection? You really are thick-facedâŠ
âCommander.â She greets coldly, curtsying for the sake of formality, rising once more to bravely look at the nothingness that shielded his face.
For a moment, Capitano did not know what to say, rendered speechless by the weight of reality that she really was standing in front of him. No longer crowds apart, no wall stopping him from seeing her, no meddling audience.
Just him and her, at last.
âYou look well, my lady.â He smiles, although it was quickly wiped away by the steely expression still plastered on her face as well as the realization that she could not see him.
âI have no interest in making small talk with you, Commander.â [Name] looks away, turning her attention to any other thing that wasnât the darkness in the place of his visage. âSpeak of what you want and be done with it.â
A faint click resounded in the silent atmosphere followed by a small sound of something hitting the earth. Capitano decides then, that if [Name] was going to drive him away no matter his intentions, it was best to just be honest and let all this tangled mess unravel thread by thread, even if it cut and strangled him in the process.
âYour mother⊠desires our union.â
[Name] spun on her heels at the imprudent claim, raising a finger to point at him daringly, âBy that you meanâyou desire this union.â
The now unmasked knight gently shook his head in denial, taking a small piece of parchment from the insides of his cloak, one which was sealed in the sigil of her house.
In a hurried panic, the noble lady swiped the paper from his hand, and every bit of him burned at the faintest graze of her touch.
With unbattered patience, Capitano watched as her eyes traced the ink that was bled onto the paper. He was over the stars, yes, but above all else, he wanted to know⊠if she wished for this to come into reality.
âYou schemed this.â [Name] looks to him in disbelief, a line of silver brimming the horizons of her eyes. She clutched the paper so tightly that the mountains of her knuckles had been painted white, and the parchment had nothing left to do but rip apart at the center from the intensity of her hold.
Capitano awaited her to draw nearer, pressing his lips together before he whispered, âI did not.â
âYou did.â She insisted, stopping in her trails once she was close enough to look him straight in the eye. âBecause why now, out of the many times I have been suave by some nobleman did my mother finally agree? To you, no less. And I mean that in every possible offense.â
His ocean eyes searched the contours of her face for any hints of remorse, traces of hesitation, creases of considerationâeven the littlest of faults, he would have accepted. If she was hiding them, her true emotions, even just a speck of the love he once held in the palm of his hands, then he must let her know that she was doing a splendid job.
âWhy do you detest me so?â He asks softly, unconsciously raising a hand to caress her face but before he could, [Name] had already turned away.
The lady let out a loud scoff and began to walk away from him, blatantly avoiding his questioning gaze.
Unable to hide his frustration, the knight gambled his chances. "Tell me then, that I am not wanted."
[Name] halted in her steps, still looking in the direction of the bordering trees. Desperately ignoring the echoes of a treasured memory formed once upon a time in the same place she stood upon now.
âLeave, Commander.â She says, in a tone so bitter she could almost taste it.
âLook me in the eye, My Lady.â He urges demandingly, softlyâ âStep forth and tell me that you no longer want me. Scream at me. Command me to step aside, show me that I am the last man in this world you could ever want to marry. Then, my heart is yours to break.â
Capitano was not one to relent, choosing to close the distance between them in a few calculated steps, standing in front of her way.
âTell me, what I did to have warranted your aggression. I will make it right, and I swear to you that I will do no such thing to tarnish your honor or be the center of your unhappiness.â
And after many, many years, [Name] finally gathered the courage she stacked upon one another and looked him in the eyes. That same pair of irises, dyed in the colors of the ocean that haunted her every waking moment.
âYou Serpent Knights and your promises. Cease them already! You know you will break them sooner or laterâyou always do, unfailingly. And you always will.â She seethes, hitting his chest as if doing so would make the pain in hers hurt less.
âI will not.â He counters, raising his arms to wrap around her frame.
âYou will. Donât lie to me!â
âI wonât, and I would never.â
[Name] clutched a fistful of his clothing, pulling him closer to herâfar too near that one push would have his lips grazing hers.Â
âAlright then, swear to me right now that youâthat you will not die. That when we are wed, you will return to me no matter whatâthere will stand no mountain, no ocean, nor lifetimes between you and me. Swear it. Say it to me right now.â
Capitano stares at her silence, long gone was the frail young lady who adored pastries. Her eyes shone in a vibrant light, the walls around her heart falling brick by brick to allow him the honor of gazing at the years of anguish she had endured by his single mistake, the passion in her eyes burning straight through his will to speak. This was the most she had ever spoken to him.
âI⊠â He whispers, desperately fighting off the urge to just draw nearer and end this agony. I love you.
âYou canât.â
[Name] laughs bitterly, freeing her hold on him and walking past his figure.
No matter the years that passed him by, Il-Capitano remains the same righteous, brave, and powerful Serpent Knight. [Name] was not about to succumb to the shackles of matrimony with the inkling thought that she be a widow once the threat of war arose. She will not go down a sinking boat. Be married to a dying man.
âThatâs a big promise.â Capitano swallows the lump in his throat as he watches her walk about the garden, ever so close to walking away completely. And he had this inkling thought, if she were to leave his sight right now, he would never see her again.
âYouâre drawing the shorter end of the stick with me,â those were her words all those years ago, when his attempts were nothing but a flickering flame. NaĂŻve, in the kindest words; half meant, in the worst.
Still, the way she had so kindly given him a choice on the matter had him steel his resolve. How easy it must have been for her to say no, tell him offâthat she wishes to never see his face again, be near his soul, or be reminded of his existenceâbut she didnât.
Even if it slipped her thoughts, what she gave him all those moments ago⊠was a chance.
One chance. One take. One moment to make it all right.
And all of the heavens will be damned if he did not take it.
Capitano did not speak of love to her, rather he showed it with every atom of his being. In every breath he took, all the gazes he sent her way, in his lingering but persistent affection. There, right along with him⊠his love had existed.
[Name] remains in silence, trying to suppress the trembling of her voice. He was not one to relent, not then⊠and most certainly not now.
It was useless trying to get soldiers to choose their personal attachments over the good of the many. Thatâs why I dearly detest them. Why allow yourself to love, to make home in the heart of another⊠only to leave and never return? Â
Capitano waited for her, even when there was no guarantee that she could love him in return.
If she would have him, he would have all the eternities to tell her he loves her.
But here, when she is not so accepting of him, he would not do it.
âI would rather live my days as the most unfortunate man to ever come into being than to live a life where you do not know that I love you.â
And his sentiments had sought him in his every waking moment.
âBut for you, anything.â
[Name]âs world came to a standstill.
Every star nestled in the depths of the cosmos had ceased their dance. Blackholes frozen mid-spin. Nebulas that scattered like clouds lulling at the echo of his words. It drifted from galaxy to galaxy, in different timelines, in every version of existence.
"I would have seized the stars for you if you asked." He continues, taking step after step to close the distance between them, a silent promise that once she allows him to be nearâa place in her life where he could stay, he would never leave.
Capitano could never have fathomed the gravity of those words, pulling every world she built, the doubts, the longing, every molecule of eagerness... they collided, spun, condensed, and burst forth to resound his words for all the eternities to come.
"The stars?" She echoes.
Everything began spinning fastâtoo fast. The colors around her merged, blurring her surroundings until all she could see was him.Â
"Taken every single one of them." He affirms, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. "I would tally the heartbeats of every single thing that has ever lived on this planet, count the grain of sands in the deserts, drain the oceans, freeze the skiesâyou will only ever need to ask⊠and I will make it so. This is how much I would love you, if you will have me. You only ever need to say one word. Speak my name, and I am yours... from now until you are sick of me, 'til the last of the embers burn out into oblivion, until life ceases to existâeven beyond the destruction of nothingnessâI am yours."
She allowed him to cross the distance between them. Not raising a hand in protest when the expanse of his palm had covered the plains of her cheeks.
She didnât utter a single rejection when he touched her forehead with his, not even when his nose brushed against hers.
"In your acceptance, and in your denial... I am yours. In death and life. In the wake of destruction and reform. In this soulâbefore and beyond. Yours... and no one else's."
She didnât do anything, even when the softness of his lips had descended on the meadows of her hairline.
Capitano, her memory reminded. Oh, but how could she ever forget? Not when he was looking at her like thatâlike one word from her would send him to paradise. She should be the one looking at him like that.
Because as it stands, [Name] was already thereâin paradiseâas though his soul was the shadow that guards her everyday life, the scent of flowers that follows her like daylight⊠the love that soothes her heart, every time he was away.
And so, the woman set her heart free and granted the knight a chance.
The lady and the knight loved with a love that was more than love.
Affection that was far from perfect, but they were made perfect for each other.
And so⊠love was made perfect for us.
The sound of waves crashing against the rocky mountains filled their hearts with ease. Nothing but the serene symphonies of nature pooling within the depths of their ears.
A thousand wonders brought by autumn descended from the trees, now looking as if they were reaching for the vast, multi-painted sky above. The breeze carried the leaves dyed in shades of vermillion and gold, scattering them across the earth.
The ladyâs sudden laugh broke apart the peaceful atmosphere, making his heart tremble in delight as his head ever so slightly looked to her direction.
The way the late afternoon breeze danced with the threads on her head, eyes reflecting that of the sun which sat on the hands of the seemingly never-ending ocean. Her face that looked as if a painter spilled a bucket of orange dye on it.
His deep-colored irises stared at her with wonder.
And Capitano thought to himself, how could anyone⊠be as lovely as her?
Feeling his gaze fall upon her, the lady tilted her head in confusion, a small yet playful smile resting upon her lips. "What are you looking at, man?"
Raising his bare hand, the knight gently rested it on her cheek, leaning in to touch her forehead with his before momentarily closing his eyes only to open them and whisper...
"I'm looking at you, woman."
The lady wondered then how she could have endured denying the knight for so long when the light of his love was something she now no longer knew how to live without. She asks the heavens for answers, and sometimes even herself if the reason she was born long ago was so she could live in this plane of existence⊠and be loved by him.
The day the heavens bestowed upon the land a gift so majestic and wonderful that the earth has marveled upon it ever since its descent from the gentle hands of the clouds was beginning to dawn upon them once more.
At least... to the knight who loved her dearly, it was his interpretation of the special occasion. Her birthday. He was always so dramatic, that one.
His ocean-dyed eyes stared lovingly at the lady who stood not too far from where he was currently leaning against the threshold,
The knight observed the woman from a distance. His heart free from wickedness.
Ever righteous, they spoke of him. But with her, Capitano was certain he would do unspeakable things to those who dared bring her harm. Brave, still⊠he feared her denialâthat a day will come when she realizes she did not want him anymore. Powerful, so why did he feel no power when he stood next to her?
Why was he anything but their depictions when she was the one standing in front of him? [Name] could have seen him as anything⊠yet she chose to see him as he was, as Capitano. No more, and certainly no bit less.
He loved her so, even more than his own life. And his affection for her flourished like fresh spring flowers each and every single passing day.
There was just absolutely nothing about her that he couldn't adore. The little things like how she would swivel and sway with the leaves when she danced with the melody of the breeze, exclaiming that the years of arduous dance practices had finally been put to good use, or when she would hum a tune when the silence was too heavy to bear.
To the knight, everything she did represented grace and beauty in a different light. She was simply just... heavenly.
When the light of the crescent moon penetrated through the curtain of clouds, the knight knew that the awaited day has been gifted to both him and to the woman he loved.
The gentle rhythm of waves crashing against the shoreline filled the silence left by the cold evening.
As quiet and light as a feather, he approached her, draping a shawl over her shoulders before sitting right next to her on the bench.
The woman was not the least bit startled by her lover's stealthy advance, far used to it more than she would have liked to admit. In the place of caution was peace; his presence helped calm whatever disaster was brewing up within her.
And ever so subtly, his warm fingers interlaced with her own. The little touches had flames burning at the tips of their fingers, crawling their way to the caves of their hearts, bursting forth to drape them in a blanket of fiery warmth.
"My dear, the moon is beautiful, isnât it?" The woman's gaze turned towards her lover the moment his endearment left his lipsâa far wanted term than the ever-so-formal my lady.
"Indeed, it is..." A gentle smile replaced the previous dazed expression that had been painted upon her face.
Nothing more was said within the next few passing moments. No words in all the letters of the worlds could describe the way their souls seemed to long for the other's presence.
"Thank you, my love." She spoke in a gentle whisper, leaning her head to rest on the expanse of his shoulder.
The midnight-eyed knight craned his head to face the lady who was still staring at the moon, admiring the way the lights above reflected the colors of her face.
"What for?" He questioned, unconsciously rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.
She gave his hand a subtle embrace of her own, smiling at him with such gentleness that he was afraid she'd break at the lightest of caresses. "For staying..."
For remaining by my side even if there was nothing for you but denial. For your persistence. For your affection. For everything and anything all at once. That youâve loved me even if I was the least deserving of it. Because you didnât surrender.
You had so many chances to give it all upâso many reasons to grow weary and leave, but you didnât. You found reasons to stay.
Caught off guard, the knight could only stare at her. An unexplainable blend of emotions swirling within the pools of blue that tinted his irises.
Iâm happy to be at the end of your adoration.
He chuckled at her sentimental declaration, indeed... everything she did was absolutely breathtaking.
"Come." He urged, tugging at their entangled limbs, prompting her to rise to her feet.
"Alright, alright..." she laughs, "so impatient."
And with the flick of his wrist, Capitano interlocked their hands once more. His bare hand found anchor on her waist, pulling her closer to him.
Resting his forehead against hers, he swayed her to a melody that was nothing but silence for the rest of the world and yet a string of sounds of the most wonderful tunes for the two of them.
Indeed, love does work in mysterious ways.
The commander unhooked his hands from hers, circling one around her back, while the other carded the threads settled upon her head.
"Happy birthday to you, my love." He whispers, his featherlight breath tickling the shell of her ear. "Make a wish."
Just as how he embraced her with utmost respect and adoration, she did the same for him: hugging him tighter as she muttered the words that made his heart almost leap out of his chest.
"Be mine."
Capitano tucked away the stubborn lock of hair behind her ear, gazing deeply into the depths of her irises, memorizing the lines etched on her pupils, the way her lashes would graze her cheeks in the stray moments where she blinked. Iâm in love with you. He hung those reminders of her like stars, formed constellations in her glory so that he may be reminded that no matter where he went⊠a place existsâa time existedâwhere she and he lived under the same moon.
"Already yours."
But the angels, not half so happy in the stars, envied the love of the knight and the lady. And that was the reason as all men knew, had them move everything to have their love ceasedâŠ
Magnificent, that was what he was.
Rain clouds blotted the vast sky, casting shadows upon the face of the lady who stood by the loggia. Her feet freezing her to where she stood as her eyes settled on the dark gloom ahead. The once gentle gale of the season had turned sharp, as though they carried shards of broken glass along with their escape. She listened intently to the whispers of the people, carried by the trees who had lived long enough to tell the tale of a dynasty made strong by human hands.
Her vision, though still a bit hazy, had begun merging the two-layered images that had played out in front of her: the sun that was nearing the end of its time of the dayâlittle twinkling dots that had scattered across the palette of colors that painted the sky, and him, the anchor amidst this hell-bound storm.
His words flew from one ear and out the other, all she saw was the crumbling castle, pillars that held every brick and structure made strong by humans be submerged into the depths of the waters below.
What a terrifying sight indeed, such treasures kept hidden from the cruelty of this world.
And ever so softly did she feel a gentle tug on her hand, a small affectionate gesture that had urged her to move forward in order to match the pace of the one in front of her. Slowly but surely, her sight had focused on a man whose back was turned against her, the gentle yet impactful approach of the frost wiping away the footprints he had imprinted as he had continued to lead her to his desired destination.
Up on that hill stood a tall gateway, towering pillars of nothingness standing on either side.
Embers descended from the sky like the first fall of snow, and the flames of the heavens shone brightly as though they were stars.
His feet carried him from the bloodied pavement and onto the grassy ground that had covered the small hill.
âGo.â He whispers, pushing her towards her escape.
It felt cruel to do this to herâto [Name]. To ask the only woman he loved⊠to let him go.
Their laughter resonated within the empty atmosphere of that scenery. Her smile, so bright it put even the setting sun to shame. But now, only the thought of reality remained, crushing them from its weight.
âNo.â [Name] shook her head, latching onto his bloodied sleeve, preventing him from marching back to all that desolation. âDonât go, please. I beg you⊠donâtâCapitano, please.â [Name] fell to her knees, the seams of her clothing dyed in the hue of life that stained his shoes.
â[Name]âŠâ His hands blanketed hers, gentlyâdesperately trying to pry her grip open.
âNo. No, no⊠youâyou swore to me. You promised me. You gave me your word.â
Her ears struggled to process what her Knight was saying. Everything sounded as if she was submerged in water and yet her eyes could see the knight tense and stagger as he fought to keep his own morals for her survival.
Capitano knelt before her, discarding the veil he put upon his head, just as he once did all those moons ago.
He knelt beside her and caged her face between his hands. Capitano took it all in, everything. From the way the threads laid upon her head shone under what little luminescence embraced them, her ears that pointed a little too sharply, the little dots that littered her skin, her eyes brimmed with silver, the rivers of water that raced down her rose-dyed cheeks, the tremble of her lips, ones that he had never got to tasteâand he never will. He seized them all, plucked them one by one, and hung them like stars. He engraved them all in his darkened skyâswore to heaven and earth that he would look to them every night... because after this moment, he knew he would never see them again. âAnd I intend to keep it.â
Finally, as twilight settled upon the two lovers, the knight turned and faced the woman he loved so dearlyâfor the last time, the last time in a good long while.
"Wait for me, my love. Wait for me, and I'll come back to you."
Even with her silver-brimmed gaze, the magnificently terrifying sight of a giant wall frosting into creation had slowly seeped into the crevices of her being, serving as the cold that froze her heart.
Through the tears, she stared at his unmoving figure. This time, Capitano was facing the enemy.
âI hear what people say about him, too, you know. The ever-righteous Captain, the nigh-invincible Captain, the brave and fearless Captain.â
âAll good traits, are they not?â
Il-Capitano.
âWhen people put him in that light, he is. Yet all the same, it paints him in a different color⊠like heâs so far away. Donât you fear that someone possessing such unprecedented righteousness is a latent danger? How⊠how could someone like that ever truly live? Will he ever truly confide? What if I am the embodiment of all that he detestsâeverything he cannot accept? Could he still bring himself to love me just as he proclaims?â
The ever so righteous commander, the brave and fearless captain, the powerful captain.
âYou have yet to know that, [Name]. It isnât fair to put assumptions on him when you havenât given him the chance to act on how he really feels. He loves you. For eight long years heâs proven it, practically reformed the heavens so his adoration for you could be caged by the finiteness of this world!â
But to her, he was simply just Capitano.
The commander she loved.
âI hope you like the cakes. The helpers in the kitchen always seem to make far too much of it, and because no one wants to share them with me, I am left to enjoy them all.â
âIâm glad to be the one who shares them with you, my lady.â
The kind and affectionate captain. My one love⊠Capitano.
âI love you.â She whispers to the wind.
It dawns on her then, that she never really said those to him. Capitano told it to her through a hundred thousand different actions yet sheâshe had never told him. Not even once.
âI love youâŠâ
And nowâŠ
[Name] didn't fear if another war was to come, nor did she fear that he would turn his back on her and cast her away againâno.
What caused her heartbreak was the certainty that after this... nothing would follow.
She would be stuck in stagnancy; in an endless cycle of trying to figure out what she could've done better. How she could have changed his fate, free him from the holds of death. Wondering that if she did things differently then things wouldn't end up like thisâthat she wouldn't have to be forced to see him leave⊠when she wasnât ready to let him go.
I just got you⊠donâtâdonât leave me so soon. PleaseâŠ
Deep down, no matter how much she tried to deny, [Name] knew what would come once she opens her eyes.
â⊠thank you for the adventure.â
To my Captainâdarling, dearest, dead.
  Many suns have risen. The lands are riddled with ruins of dynasties who once thought they would last for eternity. And the gods have been replaced⊠yet here, I remain. In this desolation, in the midst of destruction, cradled under a hundred thousand lights, I linger.
  The echo of your laughter haunts meâeven if more than half a millennium has dawned. I have seen more than a myriad of faces, descendants of those who once believed they would parent no children⊠and every time I do, I am reminded of you.
  Of your ardent affection, and bold declarations. Your promises of eternity, and the dedication that came along with itâyet you were the first to fall, the first to stand against the ones who threatened our home.
  Your love will see me in forever. Just as you had sworn. You, however, will not.
  My Captain⊠my love, my darling⊠my dearest.
  When we crossed paths, my life began. As though the once monochromatic mundaneness of my every waking moment was dyed in thousands of shades of color by your dark, and brooding figure. I told you, didnât I? That when I pictured my life beyond it all, it would not be with you. I spoke the words, âI would prefer to eat the remains of field tillers than be courted by the likes of youâ, still, you did not relent. I once had thought that you were a madman, choosing me out of everyone elseâwhen you could have had anyone, yet you declared your love was mine to hold. I told you that you were getting the short end of the stick with me⊠and you said the words, âIâd rather live as the most unfortunate man for all my days than to live a life where I cannot love youâ. So dramatic, that you are. If you werenât a commander, you could pass as an actor.
  Sometimes, love came as simple as staring at the moonâbut sometimes, it was as arduous as forcing the heavens to align. Still, I loved doing both for you.
  My life began the moment you made yourself known to me. My Captain, my dearest⊠my one true love.
  I once had thought that the hardest thing in life was to find someone you couldnât live without⊠but now it seems that itâs harder to live life without himâwithout you.
  My life began with you, so why is it that before long, yours had ended�
  Your love was my haven, a paradise in this space riddled with chaosâcomfort in a place destined to ruin.
  Oh, but how quickly did it all crumble. How hasty sunshine leaves when the rain clouds loom. And how the heavens cry when life is devoid of meaning⊠devoid of you.
  What would the gods ask me to do? Who will the abyss have me become? What more do I have to surrender to have you return to me?
  Tell me, and Iâll do it. Iâd reform the universe if I must. Iâll make it so, if they would grant me another chance. Another life. Another universe. A next timeânext life⊠to have even just a few more seconds with you. To have you tell me that youâll be leavingâso Iâll be able to let you know⊠if Iâm ready to let you go.
  But if fate is kind, if destiny permits, and you find the chance to come home to meâIâll cherish our mortality, no matter how fleeting. Even if you return with a face blanketed in shadows, memories as fragmented as the skies above, a body crumbling from the cruelty of time... I would still know you. Your soul sings of love in gentle lullabies, whispers as warm as sun-kissed fire, tethered with hopes for another morrow. I would know you. Even if I am caged by darkness, drowned in silence, slipping from the threads of life⊠I will know you.
  And I will love you. I will love you all the same.
  My Captain. My darling⊠my love.
  In this space, in this life, how very fortunate was I to have loved and have been loved by you.
---
Domed by an endless blue sky, children of all ages slumbered for the welkin to shine upon. Stars drifted amidst the ether, sending all that lay within its path with promises of a home that differed in shape and size. Melodies of the late summer breeze echoed throughout the home of the hearth, swaying the curtains to the rhythm that it carried along.
[E/c] irises reflected all the hues the heavens had to offer, light that had traversed the bowels and lengths of the cosmos reached the ends of its journey when they drowned in the depths of her forlorn gaze.
âThank you for accompanying the children, Lady [Name].â
Walking between the borders of dreams and reality, the Khaenri'ahn womanâs dazed figure snapped back to the present: eyes darting back and forth, left and right, desperately trying to search for the voice that rattled her solitude.
She has seen that face countless times, Arlecchino. The Knave. Wolf in sheepâs clothing, they call her. But to [Name], Arlecchino has always been kind. A little on the intimidating side yet remained kind either way.
Arlecchino was the one who took her from the Doctorâs hold and gave her a place to call home. She gave a stranger food and clothing, accepted her and let her be near the children.
Perhaps itâs that kindness that had her vision altering to picture someone else. The one who shares the same blood as that of a soul she knew so long ago.
It felt surrealâas though she was still stuck in that nightmare.
â[Name]âŠâ A small voice called her from the side, before long, cold fingers clutched the hem of her sleeves.
The young woman turned her gaze to her friend, Peruveere. Her cross-marked eyes glistened with unshed tears, hands trembling from the weight of fear blossoming in her heart.
[Name] felt her heart drop at the vision before her. Blood stained her friendâs clothing, falling so freely down the concrete flooring. Part of her face had begun to be caged in frost, blinding her completelyâyet she remained hesitant to freeze the one standing before her.
Fragments of her sanity had been lost⊠still, her heart remembered that the one in front of her was someone she would always loveâeven as the darkness threatened to swallow her whole.
Before [Name] could support the bleeding lady, a deafening sound shattered the earth, shaking the buildings, and marring the ground in deep valleys.
Peruveere looks to [Name]âan action she was surely going to miss, to see her beloved friend, her only friend, before the world endsâbecause she knew, seeing her wonât happen again for a long time.
What a great adventure it was⊠to have been friends with you. To be near close as sisters. Even when I was cast away by the rest, you remained. Even when you had nothing to gain from me, you remained.
âRun.â Peruveere gave her hand one last squeeze before she pushed her out of the balcony.
If fate allows, and destiny is kind⊠would you meet me in another life? Can I be born again⊠and take walks with you around the plaza? Throw flowers at strangers in another life? Talk behind other peopleâs backs in another life? Can we be friends again⊠in another life?
Can I have another chance⊠in another time⊠in another universeâŠ.
In another universe, in another time, another chanceâŠ
Lightning struck the place where [Name] once stood, then a blood-curling scream followedâPeruveere.
In the place of her ivory hair was a faceless entity, shrouded in obsidian and the colors of the sky. The hands that had once held hers so kindly had been covered by blades, claws in the place of fingers, a danger in the place of comfort.
â[NAME]!â
Thunder echoed in the skies, lightning broke apart the heavens, carving a way for the creatures of the abyss to swarm her home.
The woman had no strength to rise from where she had fallen, her eyes staring in shock at the way a wall of ice grew from the ground upâshielding her from the creature that overtook her friend.
Her only friend PeruveereâŠ
Before long, the lady found herself looking into the void of someoneâs face. Capitano.
Ringing in the depths of her eardrums was a rhythmic echo of stone crashing against the ground.
âMy love.â She breathes, staring at him with hazed eyes as she looks to him and back over at the wall of frost. âPeruveereâsomething⊠IâI donâtâwhat is going onâsheâs still out there, oh godâPeruveere.â
â[Name]ââ Capitano caged her trembling hands in his, trying his best to rid of the blood that drenched the pads of her fingers.
âIâIâm never going to see her again.â She cries, gripping the hands that held her so tenderly. âShe was my best friend, and I didnâtâI didnât even hug her. I never even got to tell her that she was right. Iâll never get to tell her anything ever againââ
ââ[e]? â[Name]? Lady [Name]?â The calls gradually faded into a dull echo, one tune called to her in a familiar way, warm, and kind⊠and the other was cold, and distantâthe one that bled into reality.
[Name]âs search ended when she met a familiar cross-pupiled stare. A small, sorrowful smile carved its way onto her face.
âAh, Peruveere⊠how nice of you to come back to life. Have you come to gloat on me and tell me of your fated premonitions.â
The Knave, far from the one called Peruveere, patiently corrected the immortal woman. âI apologize my lady, but I am not the person you speak of.â
Ah, I knew that.
âOh. Are you certain? You look just like her, except your tongue is on a leash.â [Name] laughs softly, âPerhaps itâs better. I wouldnât know if that fool could have stomached living for so longâŠâ
More than anyone I knowâŠ
âWhy is that?â
[Name] looks to Arlecchino with a playful smile, âAh, are you sure you arenât her? She used to ask me that countless of times. Always with the whys.â She laughs, caressing the side of her abyss-tainted face.
âIâll tell you just this once, so listen closely⊠because she would have gone mad with griefâexisting when all that she loves has gone.â She whispers softly, fighting back the tremble in her voice. No, she couldnât burden this descendant with the memories of a friend lost in time.
But she took one look at her, the one they call Peruere, yet all she could see were the fragments of the one she called Peruveere.
If this was her way of telling [Name] the âI told you soâ, she would take it.
Peruveere could gloat and gush and ramble on and on about the Knights of the Khaenri'ah and [Name] would be sure to listen.
âThough it would be nice to have walks with her again. And talk behind other peopleâs backs⊠throw flowers at pedestrians.â
They could take the longest way home, pick the food that would take hours to finish, watch the longest play at the theatreâanything, if it meant Iâd get to be with you longer.
Arlecchino drew closer to where the Khaenri'ahn woman sat, shutting the windows close. âMaybe another time, my lady.â She offers kindly.
[Name] looks to the Harbinger with a small flickering hope. âYes⊠another time, Iâm afraid there exists no such thing as that for her.â
Her words had the white-haired woman stop in her wake, âI seeâ. âThen, perhaps, in another life.â
[Name] laughs bitterly, a droplet of stars falling from the eroding side of her face, âAnother life⊠huh?â
"Can't you see?â She whispers, âThat doesnât exist. Not for me, or Peruveere. Not even for him who so valiantly declared his promises. There is no next time! There's no next life! There is no other universe. It's a nice sentiment, believe me, it is, but this is it. This is all we get. But god⊠what I wouldn't give to have a next time. A next life. To be given just another chance."
Another chance, and Iâll be true. Another life, and Iâll do you better. Another time, and I wonât waste a single second. Another universe⊠and Iâll love you rightâfar more than I could have here. Perhaps there, you can keep your vows, fulfill the promise you gave me.
I am here, my love⊠Iâm still waiting.
I have faced many losing battles, the loss of my father, my dream, my heart shattered beyond repair. But in all of that, I had you. I had you and it was enoughâenough for me to gather all my broken pieces and hope for another day.
Everything would be alright because I had you.
Everything would fall into place because you were there. And life would take on different forms, different meanings, different paths because I had you.
âIâm still here but where has he gone?â She asks.
But how would I find my way now?
Every ray of hope disappears before my eyes.
I'm not sure I even know what happiness means anymore.
My existence is no longer necessary in this world. The gift of lifeâthe curse of immortality ever so potent, ever so meaningless when all else is gone.
âTell me where to lookâwhere to go, the promises I have to say, the gods I have to trick, what I must surrender. Only tell me the way⊠and Iâll do it. No matter the journey, no matter the hardship, no matter the cost.ââ
My love, my dearest... my Captain, how I miss you so.
Arlecchino looks to the woman, unsure of what to say.
She has faced plenty of formidable enemies, even formidable allies⊠but not one as unconquerable as the grief that came with the curse of immortality. She knew only two others who hail from the same land the Lady [Name] had come from, but even they spoke none of the anguish that came with the price they paid.
How could she have stomached living for so long⊠when there was nothing left to live for?
âIâm still waiting⊠so he has to return. He has to come home. Come back to me. Iâm still hereâŠâ
Maybe that was it.
She held onto this personâs promise of return. How cruel, to have been given hope by a dying man. To live in a world where another has gone is truly one of the greatest sorrows a soul can face.
âMy colleague is from Khaenri'ah, my lady. They call him Pierro, perhaps he can be of service to you.â
In the wake of stars, the shadows of galaxies, and in forever... there, we remain.
Domed by the ether of the land of fire, a fragment of a soul exists. Clothed in the colors of the night with a face shielded by the void of his helmet that he wore so devotedly, unfailingly. Â
Stillness blanketed his surroundings, only the songs of the seelies dancing in his midst and the faint droplets of water hitting stone echoed in the closed space.
It felt so long ago... that the embrace of the land was this mellow. The sensation was akin to receiving a hug from someone in the bleakness of winter: loving, comforting... warm.
It was just how he remembered it would feel like.
"You long for something." The Lord of the Night speaks, her voice sounding as though it came from everywhere and nowhere all at once. "Your heart screams at you to drop everything and look yet your mind shackles you to remain."
Capitano let the words settleâa statement, so it would seemâa question was its true form. No matter how the ancient being phrases her intentions, Capitano knew just as much that Yohualtecuhtin already holds the answers.
"Why do you hesitate, Outlander? Is she not all that you have ever wanted? Everything you have fought and lost to protect? The home you'll return to once the dust settles?"
The Harbinger let the ancient beingâs words sink into the horizons of his shattered soulâa piece of what was once whole.
"She was."
Silence dyed the dust motes fluttering in the air. The Captain's answer seemingly weighing them down to stop their eternal waltz. Even the lullabies of the seelies floating the perimeter had dwindled to a whisper.
âThose blessed in sound will not know the turmoil of silence. A man raised in peace remains ignorant to the loss of war. And if the reason for my travels is my destinationâI would have never left her side.â Should Capitanoâs visage be free from the shadows of darkness, the reflection of an ocean of regret would be far too painful even for an entity as wise as the Night to witness.
âI returned to her, many times⊠but there was no one to return to.â
For years on end, that was something he struggled to accept. She doesnât exist anymore. Not in all that ruin, not in the center of all this life.
But Capitano, in his grief, thought that anything could be brought to life.
He was free to dream, even the one he serves did not deprive him of that, but every fragment of hope he managed to stack upon one another was continuously knocked down by every passing sun that sought after him.
Capitano thought anything would be possible.
So, despite not believing in any deities, he prayed to every star, to every god that he knew that his beloved was alive. That [Name] was somewhere in this world, just waiting for him to return. Every meteor that grazed the sky and set alight the night in streaks of fire, heâd catch them all. Every aurora. All the full moons. Even for the slimmest of chances that heâd be heardâthat his prayer would be answered.
He did not wish for a thousand things, not even a hundred, just one.
One wish for the heavens: to see her again.
Capitano did not need them to bring her back seven times, just once. Once and it would be enough. He would ask this of them, only this, and never again will he want anything more.
Only grant me this, and I will never ask anything of you ever again. Â
Ignorantly he believed that if he wished for it eagerly and hopefully enough, the universe would move the stars to make it so.
But for many centuries, they ignored his prayer.
"Do you wish to know the horrible truth? When I close my eyes, her memory does not resurface. I cannot remember her laugh, or even tell apart her voice. All that remains is the waking thought that she was the only woman I ever lovedâthe only thing I ever wanted. And the Abyss took her away from me. The gods took her away from me! And all the time in the universeâall the power this world has to offerâcouldn't fill the void she left behind."
Capitano's power fluctuates, threatening to burst from the nothingness festering inside him. He would have permitted it. Let the anger and sadness wreak havoc on the lands just as they did in their homeland. He would have done soâonce.
All those moons ago when her image haunts his dreams, when her laughter echoes through the valleys, and her figure lingers in every turn. He would have let it all burn, bury everything in eternal frost so that they may see what it's like to exist when there was nothing left to live for.
Feel for themselves what life means when everything else is gone.
"So why do you linger?" The Lord of the Night asks patiently, calming⊠soothing, as though she knew the heaviness of the burden the Harbinger had been carrying for the past five centuries.
Why do I? Why am I the one permitted to live? Why are you the one trapped under the ruins of our home? Why?
"Because I am ashamed.â He admits.
âAll humans fear death, Outlander. Even the bravest of warriors are afraid to fall.â
âNo.â Capitano denies, clenching his fist to control his breathing, âTo be wounded in battle is nothing to be fearedâdying to defend your kingdom is an honor. But when I looked at herâwhen I looked at her as she watched me walk away when I swore to her that I was never going to do it again, all I felt was indignity.â
âWhen I fled and went forth with my escape, I saw her there. Waiting. Waiting just as I had told her to. I knew then, I would never see her again.â
Back then, Capitano should have frozen the entirety of the ruins of his home, blasted the debris inching closer to where she remained, subjugated the creatures of the abyss that threatened to hurt herâanything, anything to keep her alive.
But he didnât.
âI am the only one left to remember her. The only one to speak her name. The sole monument that once upon a time, she, too, had existed. And when I think of her for the last timeâwhen the echoes of her memory fade into eternity, only then will I know that I am worthy enough to meet her again."
The Commander of Khaenri'ah would have never spoken words plunged in the depths of cowardice. In the wake of the falling stars five hundred years ago, he would have done anything.
If she was taken to another world, Capitano would cut through the skies to find her. If she ceased to breathe in this space in time, he would transcend realitiesâsearch the bowels of the cosmos to see where she'd gone. If she were to ask to see him, even for the most fleeting of seconds, he would drop everything and come running.
He would have done anything.
And that was the part that riddled his heart in fear.
Because what if it wasn't enough?
Capitano was one of the most powerful people in the land. His name drove fear into the hearts of those who heard it, had them anticipating their deaths, finding their nights spent in restlessness at the thought that heâd take away their lives in the blink of an eye.
Crossing paths with the Captain was something you would not even wish on your enemies.
But this Captainâthe one drowning in the oceans of his grief, chained down by his loneliness, awaiting the moments of his last breath... could care less for names and titles.
He reckons she would have reprimanded him for that. She'd even go as far as to demand him to take the matters of sovereignty and lordship a lot more seriously.
And he'd laugh at her, of courseâa melody that could render even the most talkative of noble ladies to deafening silence. Always a stickler for the rules, that one.
At the end of the day, when the twilight settles, and the last rays of the sun slip under the blankets of the horizon, his mind would drift to the impossible and pathetic thoughtâone which he never fails to think about for every moon that rises, and all the suns that have goneâhas she been reborn yet?
Having been serving under the majesty of the Tsarista, there was no way he would know for certain. Or at least, that's what he's been telling himself for the last few hundred years.
Capitano has seen the wonders of this world more times than he could count. He's met with a myriad of leaders and lords. Witnessed as the cultures of these mortal beings be brought to ruin and reform once more.
He closed his eyes for every reminder of herâthinking that it was better to live in ignorance of her presence than to have been led on only to be betrayed by his own heart, his own hope turned against him.
Capitano encased her memory in frost, put her in the deepest part of his mind where she could not haunt him. He forced himself to burn the desires of his soulâto see her, to hear her... to tell her that he loves her and that he would give anything and everything to change her fate. He numbed his heart to it all, compelled himself not to think about her.
For every venture beyond the walls of ice, past the snowy hills, and the frosty palace, Capitano felt her get further and further away.
And soon enough, her memory had altogether faded from his mind.
He'll wake in the dead of the night trying to piece together her image, guess the color of her eyes, remember what shade her hair was, what her smile looked like, the sound of his name when it was her who had said it.
He'd try desperately to replicate the scent that followed her like daylight, the clothing she adored, the sounds of her footfalls.
But nothing ever felt right.
He'd tell himself over and over again that he did not deserve to remember herâto miss her when he was the one who threw it all away. I miss you all the same. He'd whisper repeatedly that he was not allowed to hurt, that his heart had no right to break for all that he lost when he had the choice to keep her memory alive, but he didnât. It hurts all the same.
Capitano would chant it like a mantra. A prayer for his punishment. But even as he tells himself that so long a time has passedâthat he had no obligation to continue loving her, a ghost from a kingdom in ruins, a phantom in a land colored in life. I still love you... I love you all the same.
In the frozen wasteland of every passing second, the echoes of her joy would come rushing back to him. The warmth of her loving hold, and her fleeting touches saturated in adoration.
No matter what he did, where he went, who he met... Capitano always thought about her. Are you happy? Are you eating well? Do you get enough sleep? Have you fallen for another? Does he treat you right? Do you miss me? Are you looking for me? Do youâwill you still love me?
Whenever he departed, Capitano went with the hopes that by some stroke of fate, he'd run into her. When he would turn the corner, she'd bump into him. Or perhaps walk past each other on the street. Go to the same tailor in town.
Or that I'd see you... even if it's from afar.
But it wasn't enough to just hope.
Yet that was exactly what he'd been doing for the last thousand suns that had passed him by.
He wonders, if he had only risen to protestâto deny the fate the heavens had set for her⊠would she still be here? Would he not feel this twisting sense of guilt knotting his stomach? Feel as the threads of his heart come undone at his powerlessness?
Capitano knew he should have done more. He could have tried, as soon as he was ableâand he always wasâas early as he attained power... he should have tried, to look for her, to get a glimpse of her shadow, just to put his heart at ease.
But he didn't do that.
Perhaps it's the gnawing fear of finding her soul nowhere in this worldâthat he'll finally see that he's left alone in this plane of existence, where she can only live in the memories he forced himself to shatter, fragments of it carried away by the zephyrs of grief.
âYou speak of my longing, YohualtecuhtinâŠâ He spoke into the silence, his footsteps resonating in the hall of stones, âSurely, you would wish for the same. Wish to be closer to demise if it means youâd meet the one you love. To rid of it all so youâd reach the ends faster.â
Before he left, Capitano looked past his armor-clad shoulders to that big monument that housed the ancient spirit. He could almost feel the burning stare she was carving into his being.
âShe alone has made me love the path to death.â
And only there, in the cradles of the infinite nothingness⊠will I be worthy enough to see you.
âPerhaps you should seek her for a final time. Not in the past where ruins lay, but within the warmth of a home, surrounded by the promises you spoke to her⊠maybe then, you and your beloved will find peace.â
Funny story, I almost lost this ficđ.
My laptop crashed coincidentally when I uhh âkilledâ off Capitano from the readerâs perspective. Turns out my 1st drive also died along with it. The repairman told me he needed the 2nd drive (where this fanfic was stored) to get my laptop working again but I couldnât do that (cuz it had this fanfic) because all my files is stored there. The panic I had was otherworldlyâbut I managed to create a solution. Â
I came up with this idea as a form of revenge because of a post I saw on a page on Facebook saying Maviuka was Capitanoâs TOTGA (I remember you Jhan, this is all your fault>:0). I didnât read too much into it (cuz the update was like a day ago back then???) because at that time I hadnât done the archon quest (and it was midterm week). I was so PISSED that I planned this fanfic in my dorm room instead of reviewingâso now uhmm⊠I think I might have gotten a little carried away ehe (BECAUSE EVEN IâM CRYING FROM THIS FIC) on another note, youâd think after I wrote a Khanrean kanreeyan Khanreyan STUPID FCKER prince Kaeya fanfic, Iâd know how to spell kahnreeya khanreaâ I donât know how to spell it. I think I might have a thing for khaenriyan help ya know what, I take it back.
I hope you enjoyed it đ
#chiya's head rent đ#capitano x reader#genshin capitano#il capitano#capitano#genshin impact#ao3#fanfiction#i love capitano#genshin impact fatui#genshin x reader#arlecchino#dainsleif#lyney#freminet#house of hearth
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Thank you for the prompt, it is now ready for delivery! :D
Prompt: Wade panicking because Logan's fucking him so sweetly and gently while staring into his eyes and telling him he's beautiful, and Wade doesn't know how to handle it!
Wadeâs breath hitched as their eyes met; everything in Loganâs gaze was pinning him down harder than his imposing weight above him ever could.
He could feel the older manâs warm skin all around him; the softness of it, as his strong arms would circle around his body and hold him against a large, hairy chest that he would happily suffocate into. And yet, nothingâgod, nothing could beat the way that those eyes bright like honey were bathing him with such adoration that Wade could feel himself melting against Logan, their mouths barely touching and their lips parting in silent sighs.
Wade had expected many things from the Wolverine; but the way he would trail the ghost of kisses all over his face and neck wasnât one of them. The way his lips would twitch into a smile that was all destined for him, and him alone, as Loganâs hips were slowly, steadily pushing and pulling inside him was forcing the tiniest of whines out of him.
âWade, you lookââ
He was met with Loganâs eyes fluttering shut, his mouth opening in a sweet purrâor growl, who was to say, really?â and his forehead reaching down to rest on the scarred skin of his chest, and Wade felt an unfamiliar, cold trail running down from his left eye to his ear.
No words were needed, not between the two of them. You look beautiful was the full sentence, Loganâs lips kissing his shoulder informed him.
Youâre my perfection, Loganâs eyes turning golden under the low lighting of the room whispered to him.
Youâre mine, now and forever, Loganâs tongue running up from his ear to his left eye, tasting the salty tear on its way up, murmured silently.
âIâLogan, Iââ Wade started, feeling his heart jumping in his chest in panic, his trembling fingers wrapping around his companionâs back and pressing into his skin as the familiar wave of his orgasm was reaching up to steal his breath away.
âAll good, my love,â he heart faintly in his ear, and he whimpered, his head shooting back and shamelessly offering his neck to Logan. âLet go for me, Wade. Let me do you good.â
And good Logan did to him, one hand going down his back and wrapping around his thigh to steady him. The older man wriggled slightly above him, his mouth trailing kisses all over his neck and shoulders, whispering pretty and gorgeous into his ear with each of his keening noises; and he angled himself differently, taking Wade just right, and so tenderly, so carefully, so slowly that he could count the millions of stars his mind was conjuring before his eyes.
âHâharder. Logan, pleaseââ
âYouâre so close, love. I think you can get there,â Logan argued, placing a kiss on Wadeâs lips, and in the haze of his pleasure building up, and up, and up, those words tickling his ears hit exactly right.
Wade wasnât sure he could come with such slow rhythm; but when he did, he knew. He had been ruined by this animal of a man above him, by his smile and soft chuckle as he whined Loganâs name and clenched at his shoulders, feeling another tear running down his face and a sob escaping his mouth.
sfdlkhjlkfdslsfdg I AM SO GLAD I STAYED UP FOR THIIIIIS IT WAS SO WORTH IT OH MY GOD. Thank you so mcuh. I am entranced by every word. Going to bed with a warm heart and teary eyes (as teary as Wade's!) because I'm so touched by the beauty of this piece. Logan's love for Wade just fucking SHINES. I am obsessed. I need all the soft, snuggly, fluffy sex (with just a teaspoon of angst!) between these two
#poolverine#deadclaws#peanutbub#deadpool and wolverine#wade wilson#logan howlett#WEEPING#deadpool x wolverine#wolverine x deadpool#poolverine fanfic
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