#also after yesterday every time I look at the piece I see what I saw 😔

[as-rare-as-trees]

Made the mistake of looking at the flipped version of some art I'm working on

[elenagoeslightly]

Olvide

Hello!

Lately I've been pondering on how exactly does Rafayel comes to remember mc, so I've come up with a little something! I also took some liberties with a certain abysswalker but it's all in good faith.

Aunt Talia says that all humans are evil, but the girl in his dream is always smiling.

The first time he sees her, it’s a dream, her hair swaying in the wind.

She’s looking at him.

Rafayel tries to speak, tries to ask her 

“Do I know you?”

but the sun blinds him and there’s sand everywhere, it gets in his eyes, in his clothes, in his mouth.

It’s hot, in the desert, too hot and he knows he shouldn’t be here; why is he somewhere where there is no water?

Where has all the water gone?

The sun burns brightly, too brightly, and he feels like he’s being burned alive, whatever it is that he’s wearing sticks to his skin in a way that’a almost painful but-

he knows that is she’s here, than he must be here too.

Her hands move as if to touch him and he can’t help but move toward her fingers, as if she’s pulling a string tide to his ribcage, to somewhere deep inside him.

Just as she comes closer, he wakes up.

Rafayel looks around and she’s there, still, and he blinks one, two times and before he knows it, she’s gone.

At breakfast he wants to ask aunt Talia about the strange woman in his dream, but instead he plays with his food. He takes a small jump to get down from the chair, his legs still too tiny. He knows that aunt Talia will say that his dream don’t mean anything, that he's just a child with a vivid imagination.

For a while, he doesn’t see her, all the way through middle school.

And then, he starts to see her everywhere.

Once high school starts, she’s all that he can see: she’s in every face, every cloud, every drop of water.

Sometimes she looks like a princess, so beautiful that it stops the breath in his throat.

Other times, she’s dressed in all black, and that suffocating feeling comes again.

In dreams, she’s all floating white and pale blue, looking like a vision.

Sometimes she's hidden in a weird place, it looks like a cave, and she's always frowning.

What never changes is him, trying to walk torward her, trying to at least caress her skin, but he never can and she’s never real.

He doesn’t make many friends.

Rafayel tries to draw her, to have at least one way to freeze her in time, to look at her, but the imagine he has of her is always fuzzy, he’s dreams too blurry, too long and not long enough- he just wants to touch her, to know she's real.

Until that night.

He still can remember it as if it was yesterday.

Rafayel went to bed as he did every night, his bed sheet the deepest shape of blue; he doesn’t remember what he dreamt, but he remembers how he woke up screaming, a sharp, unrelenting pain that went from his hips to his heart.

The pain seemed everlasting as he clutches his chest, his thighs, it went in his head, in his blood until he felt it in every single part of his body.

And he knows, he knows it is her, that she did this to him.

Why?

Talia came running to him that night and he clutched at her nightgown as if she could save him.

“Who is she?” he asks, his voice trembling.

He cradled him, as if he was still a child.

She doesn’t answer his question and Rafayel is too tired, but he is afraid of sleeping.

But even so, tiredness had the best on him, and he fell in a dreamless sleep, until he saw her again, in broad daylight, as she stared in horror at her hands, red with blood.

Is it his?

He knows it is.

But it’s the horror in her face that strikes him, as if she regrets hurting him.

He cannot swim without his tail, he cannot live without his heart.

After that, the memories come crashing on him like a flood.

He remembers everything: he remembers the promise they made as children, he remembers saving her from the water, he remembers her touches, the incessant thought of taking her heart; there is not a single piece of his existence that isn’t stained with her presence.

Rafayel betrayed his people, his followers, for her.

But it won’t happen again, it can’t.

He will find her, and he will do what he has to do.

So he starts to search for her, barely seventeen.

It turns out that trying to find someone is not as easy as he thought.

It takes time, it takes patience to play the long game and end up being the winner.

But he does it.

He gets pictures of her, her whereabouts.

She looks younger, carefree.

Rafayel wonders, for a brief moment, if she remembers him, if she too can’t live without seeing him everywhere, without not being able to close her eyes.

The lectures he gives at the University are a clever ruse, but he’s waiting, waiting to see her face in the crowd and one time, he does.

He thought he wouldn’t feel a thing, that he would be reasonable, for once, and do what he has to do.

What a fool he was.

Rafayel’s imagination could never even fathom the emotion he’s feeling right now.

Bride, his mind calls her, his heart.

My beloved bride

He let’s her go, until she’s just a blurred face in the distance, as his plans turn to ashes.

Rafayel knows that he will see her again, that life will never leave them be.

And he does, as she gives him directions, as she catches a fish for her and the irony of it almost makes him laugh but he can’t even breath, how his chest aches, how everything he wants is just in front of him, completely oblivious of who he is.

But then the painting, the metaflux and fate bring her right into his home where she belongs, where she should have been from the beginning.

And he falls on her, not his finest moment.

Rafayel needs to be part of her life, needs it like he needs air, needs it like he needed the sea.

And she’s so carefree, so happy.

The bodyguard idea came on the spot, an absurd life safer; as if the God of the Sea needs to be protected by a human, as if Rafayel needs protection from anyone but her.

 He remembers with vivid clarity as her hands, small and steady, cut off his tail, carved him open; and he remembers how he let her, his fingers around her wrists, but so scared to hurt her that his blood kept dripping on the sand, painting it red.

He remembers, but even so, he loves her, loves her as he loved her in those moment of agony, loves her through space and time, above and under water.

So when tragedy hits her family he tries to console her as best as he can, offers the solace of a old Lemurian ritual hoping it would soothe her broken heart, and hoping, selfishly, that she might remember, but she never does.

But one night, she calls him, and he holds the phone in trembling hands as she admints that she can’t sleep; the fact that she chose to call him makes his heart beat as fast as it can, a smile breaking on his face as the mark on his chest burns brightly.

He was never her friend, they never had the time, but now, now he can be and the happiness it brings him is something that his unknown to him, it gives him hope and so he waits for her, waits through her grieving, waits until the sun shines on her smiling face again; when he sees her smiling for the first time after so many months, he can’t hel but cup her face in his hands, being rooted by how amazed he is by her.

But the more time they pass together, the more his hands tremble.

Even playing kitty cards with her has become something that requires more self-control than he can master, he wants to climb that damned table and kiss her-but it’s not that easy.

She doesn’t know, doesn’t remember, and it’s burning him alive, like those leather garments in the desert.

Rafayel wants her to feel what he feels, wants her to burn like he burns- and she might not.

She might see him as nothing more than a friend, her weird employer, someone she might forget the moment he turns.

“I dreamt you.” she says one day, and the brush falls from his fingers as the world reshapes itself.

[nymphoheretic]

Synopsis: You give your beloved husband, Kyoujuro a wonderful surprise for his birthday.

Warnings: Daddy kink, clit slapping (just one), Breeding kink, mentioning of pregnancy, food play, fingering, oral (f recieiving), light choking, unprotected sex, established relationship, cute nicknames, edging, dirty talking, dacryphilia, cervix fucking, creampie

Word count: 4k

Pairing: Kyoujuro Rengoku x Fem!reader

Tagging the rengoku girlies(gn): @bakugosbratx @renhoeku @glz-100 @herohibiscus @potofstewie @comatosebunny09 @cherryblossomsenpai @linpunny @unknownspecies @yeahitzally @taisho-era-secrets @auraee @diorsbrando @kyojuro-my-wuv and the network @enchantedforest-network

Join the Rengoku girlies: https://forms.gle/YGTATcvxh2oAUc3o9

Kyoujuro never really liked celebrating his birthday. His birthday reminded him too much of his late mother as her birthday was the day before his. It was not until he met you and made you his wife did he start to enjoy his birthday again.

 You brought such joy to his heart every year. Each year you would come up with a surprise for him, each one more exciting than the last. So, for the first time in a long time, he was excited for his birthday. He hurried home after the Hashira meeting so that he could see what you had planned for him.

You had just finished putting the last touches on your surprise for your husband when you heard the front door open. You quickly closed the door behind you as you saw him round the corner. Greeting him with a smile, you said. “Welcome home, my love.” 

You stood on your tiptoes, placing your hands on his shoulders to press a sweet kiss to his lips. You sighed when he in turn wrapped his arms around your waist and deepened the kiss. A moan vibrated in your chest as his tongue swept inside your mouth. 

He massaged your tongue with his own before you gently pushed him away. “Slow down, Kyou.” You tapped him on the nose. “I have the bath heated for you. Go on and bathe while I get things ready.”

He pouted as he let his beautiful wife leave his arms. Kyoujuro was really curious as to what you had planned for this year. Tempted to peer into the dinning room where everything was set up, he flinched when you yelled at him to not peek and go take a bath. Crossing his arms over his chest, he grumpily walked down the wall to the bathhouse. “She could’ve offered to join me.”

“Already took one before you came.” you giggled as you leaned back against the door as you avoided Kyoujuro attempting to spoil his surprise like he’s been doing for the past couple of birthdays. You slid the door open just a bit to make sure that he was indeed gone before walking back to the kitchen.

You smiled at the large array of food items. You had made his favorite dinner and had prepared a little special dessert for him. You made sure your yukata was tied shut tightly as you walked over to the large cake you had made. 

Grabbing the piping bag, you finished writing his name on bright red letters. “There!” you smiled down at your handiwork. This was going to be the best birthday surprise ever for your husband. He deserved the world and more, especially after yesterday.

You recalled the solemn look on his face as he and his father and brother visited his mother’s grave, decorating the headstone in flowers. You stood by his side and held his hand as he said his piece to her, whispering his farewells and happiest of birthdays to his beloved mother. 

You comforted him and Senjurou the best you could by making them baked sweet potatoes and giving them cuddles like their mother did as they wept silently into your shoulders.  You also tried to comfort your father-in-law, but as usual he brushed you off. So, you left him his favorite sake at his door.

But today was all about your wonderful husband and you were determined to make this day a happy memory for him like you’ve been doing since you started dating all those years ago. You could hear his footsteps walking back down the hall, letting you know that he had finished with his bath and was coming back to the dining area. You quickly slipped out of the room to greet him with a warm smile. “You ready for your surprise, my love.”

Kyoujuro wrapped his arm aorund yourr waist, pulling you closer to him with hand large hand pressed against the small of your back. “You’ve already made my day so much better by just being here with me, my fireball.” He breathed in your scent as he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck. “You smell nice. New perfume?” He brushed his lips against your throat, making you sigh out his name.

You gently pushed him away with a smile. “No. Your surprise first, Kyou.” you giggled when he pouted. Turning around, you slid the door open and called out “Surprise.” you grinned as his eyes widened at your hard work.

You had managed to transform the entire dining room into a replica of the starry sky without having to open up the roof. You had many small lights placed in very accurate constellalions. You grabbed his hand and pulled him inside and motioned to the various constellations You made. “There’s Gemini, Taurus, and Leo.” you pointed to the small cluster of lights that made up each group of stars.

“This...this is beautiful, my love. Truly it is.” Kyoujuro breathed. His eyes could not stop staring at your beautiful craftsmanship. How you managed to do this was remarkable. It was like he was surrounded by the stars in the skies. You really outdid yourself this time. 

He turned towards you and pulled you into his arms and kissed you passionately, his tongue sliding against yours. Kyoujuro tugged at the obi tied at your waist. He growled when you swatted his hands away. “Little one...”

Your body shivered when he growled out that name. It was the name he called you when he wanted you beneath him. “You gotta eat first. I didn't slave over a hot stove all day for you to not at least try some of the things I cooked.” you tapped him gently on the nose before retying your obi. You led him to his seat at the table and made him sit down. “I’ll be back with your plate.” 

You went into the kitchen and fixed him a quick dinner because you knew how frustrated he was becoming. You were wearing a thin robe that barely hid anything and you had sprayed your body down with a new perfume that seemed to awaken a beast within him. You walked back, set the plate in front of him and watched as his eyes widened.

“You learned how to make my mother’s dish?” He whispered softly as he stared down at the food on the plate. His heart swelled with love for you. You were truly an angel his mother had sent to him from heaven. His eyes misted over as he took that first bite. It tasted almost exactly how his mother made it. Kyoujuro looked over to you, who was smiling softly at him, “You’re an angel, my darling. I’m so lucky to have you.”

You smiled at him, your face warming a little at the snecereity of his words. “I only want you to feel nothing but happiness everyday, but especially on this day since it was such a sad day for you in the past.” You walked over to him and rubbed his shoulders, easing out all the tension and stress that had built up in them. Once he was fully relaxed and almost finished with his food, you went back into the kitchen to grab dessert.

Kyoujuro’s heart was truly touched. Not only did his wife manage to simulate his favortire thing, you also managed to copy his favorite dish his mother made him often. He wiped at the corner of his eye. He did not deserve someone so precious, but he was not going to give you up to no one.

 He turned to look at you as you brought out a tray filled with various items. He quipped a brow as you walked past him to set the tray down on the table. His breath caught up in his throat as his eyes widened when you faced him.

You hid a smile as Kyoujruo’s jaw dropped when he saw what you were hiding under your robe. You leaned in and lifted his jaw with a finger, your breasts nearly spilling out of the red lace bra you wore. “See something you like, Kyou?” you giggled as you straddled his lap and sat down, running your fingers though his hair. “Because it’s time for your dessert.” you grabbed his fork and took a piece of the cake onto it and held it out to him.

Flame colored eyes narrowed as he leaned forward to take the offered piece, but he nudged it with his lips purposely and made it fall onto your chest. “Oops...” He wrapped his arm around your waist, pulled you closer while making your chest stick out more. 

“I need to clean my mess up.” His tongue slid out of his mouth and licked at the sweet tasting frosting that smeared over your breasts. He scooped some of the cake into his mouth while lapping at the creamy confection. “So sweet.”

You opened your mouth in a silent moan as his wet muscle licked over your tits. You curled your fingers into his hair to hold his head in place. His fingers came up and tugged at one of the cups of your bra as his other hand reached for something behind me.

You jumped when something cold dripped down my breasts. You then saw that Kyoujuro had grabbed the ice cream and poured some of the melted liquid onto your flesh, his tongue quickly following the path it took. He quickly sucked the nipple he freed into his mouth as he tugged the other cup down to play with the other. 

“Ah~” you cried out, pressing your hips down into his.

He licked up the drippings of the ice cream from your tantalizing breasts before moving down to suck a nipple into his mouth, fingers tugging and playing with the other one. The sweet taste of the creamy liquid made your skin even more delicious under his tongue. 

Kyoujuro swirled his wet muscle over the pebbled bud, pressing it against the roof of his mouth as he released it with a wet “pop” “Delicious.” He hummed as he lifted you off his lap and laid you down on the table. At your confused look, he said. “You said it was time for dessert? I’m having you for dessert.”

You opened your mouth to protest. But a soft moan replaced my words as his fingers slid over your clothed heat. “Kyou~” You whined out when he sat back down and reached for the cake and ice cream. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips as he placed the items down next to your body. You watched with bated breath as Kyoujuro placed his cool hands on your thighs before gliding his fingers down to your panties. 

You lifted your hips so that he could slide them off. felt my face heat with a blush when he brought them to his nose, sniffing them before stuffing them into his pocket. “Kyou, wha-” Your words were cut off when he dropped a small scoop of ice cream on top of your pussy.

Kyoujuro smiled down at you as he grabbed the bottle of whipped cream and sprayed a generous amount around your breasts before grabbing the chocolate syrup and decorating your body with the brown swirls. To top off his treat, he placed two mashiro cherries on top of each whipped creamed covered breast. 

“Shh...I’m having my dessert.” His tongue lapped up the sweet, white cream that coated your body.  Your body trembled under his touch, the heat causing the ice cream to melt faster. Kyoujuro quickly moved down to slurp up the melting liquid, purposely avoiding your throbbing clit. Once the ice cream had been cleaned off your body, he went back to your whipped cream covered tits. He scooped more of the sweet treat into his mouth, pulling the cherry into his mouth.

Your body trembled on the table as Kyoujuro took his time devouring your body. It was a feast for him to enjoy and you were not about to interrupt him. But you were soon starting to get impatient, your pussy was throbbing and was begging to be touched and played with. You could literally feel your slick building up until it was overflowing and running down the lips of your cunt.

 “Kyou...” you whined, lifting your hips off the table and rubbing your thighs together. “Please...” your  voice came out more whiny and pitiful sounding than what you meant as his tongue trailed over to the other cream covered breast, licking it clean before pulling the red fruit inside his mouth. You gasped when he suddenly grabbed you by the cheeks and pressed his lips against yours.

Kyoujuro used his tongue to push the sweet cherry into your open mouth, feeding it to you. Once you had swallowed it, he sucked your tongue into his mouth. His fingers glided down your body until they reached your weeping cunt, feeling your slick that gathered there and spread it over your lower lips. 

“So wet. And all for me on my birthday?” He whispered against your lips. He nudged at your entrance with two fingers, slowly sinking them inside. Kyoujuro growled at the feeling of your vevlty walls sucking his digits in deeper. “Such a needy little pussy.”

Your face heated at his dirty talk. Kyoujuro was always so good at it and it always left you a mess. The squelching sounds that came from your cunt made your face heat even more. Kyoujuro was purposely fingering you so slowly to make those noises.

You  whined at the feeling of a third finger beeing added, the stretch burned so good. Your hips moved of their own accord as he touched deeper within you, rubbing against your walls as his lips closed over one of your sensitive nipples once more. “Ahn~” you moaned. “Kyou, please?”

“Please, what, my sweet?” He teased as his thumb pressed on your throbbing clit, swirling it slightly. He smiled at the sight underneath him. His beautiful wife naked with three of his fingers pressed so snuggly inside your dripping cunt. Your mouth parted as you panted and moaned so sweetly for him. Only for him. 

“What do you want me to do? I’ll do whatever you ask of me.” He thought about what he had just said as he slid down your body, his tongue lapping up any stray smears of chocolate sauce. “On second thought. It is my birthday. I should do as I please today.” His tongue teased at your clit lightly, flickering over it.

You opened your mouth in a silent scream as Kyoujuro lapped at your sensitive nub. Your hands flew to his head as your thighs began to tremble. You were not going to last long. Having his tongue covering every inch of your body has made it very sensitive to the slightest of touches. 

Your back arched when he added a fourth finger inside, stretching me out even further. You tugged at his hair when his tongue circled at my clit before sliding down to your dripping hole. He licked up at the small space that his fingers provided.

Kyoujuro swirled his tongue over the small space his fingers left behind as he collected some of your sweet honey before moving his mouth back up to suck on your sensitive nub. He slowly thrust his fingers inside, prepping you for what was to come next. 

His other hand palmed at his hardening length as he licked you in tune with his thrusting fingers. Kyoujuro pulled his zipper down on his pants and freed his erection, the pink, wet tip slapping against his abdomen. His fist closed over the hard length as he began stroking it in tune with his fingers, curling them within you. “Fuck..my sweet little fireball.” He mumbled into your folds, smearing his pre over his dick.

Your thighs began to tremble even more as Kyoujuro ate you out, his tongue lashing almost violently over your swollen clit. You pulled at his hair, not knowing if you were trying to push him away or pull him closer. Your mouth opened in a series of curses as the knot of heat that had been forming in the pit of your belly snapped.

 “AHN~” your voice came out loud as you grabbed at his hair, holding him in place as you rode out my orgasm on his tongue. “Shit...Fuck...Oh god...” you panted, your chest heaving as you tried to catch your breath.

He drank every last drop you had to offer. You were  always so sweet on his tongue and he loved tasting you. He slowed his fingers until he eased them out of your quivering hole. His tongue still lapped at your clit softly. 

Kyoujuro sat back, his chin and neck still wet from your juices. He made a show of sucking his fingers into his mouth, curling his tongue over the long digits. “Thanks for dessert.” he hummed as he stroked his cock, leaning over you. “But I want more now.” He took hold of your still shaking legs and placed them over his shoulders.

You bit your lip when you felt Kyoujuro rub the bulbous head of his length against your weeping slit. He teased you with the tip, bumping it against your clit until you were a sobbing mess. “Kyou...please?” You whined when he increased his teasing, thrusting in shallowly before resuming flicking your clit with just the tip. 

“Kyou...” you pleaded, but was met with a light slap to my clit. You bit your lip to stop the scream from leaving your throat. 

“You know what my name is, wife.” Kyoujuro said simply as he rubbed his cock along your slick slit, fingers pressing deep into your thighs as he leaned down to lap at your perked nipple. “You want my cock deep inisde this tight cunt?” At your desperate nod, he said, “Then say what I want to hear, little one. Beg for it. That’s my birthday wish.”

“Kyou...Daddy, please fuck me.” you whine out, tears sliding down your face. You needed him inside you so badly. Your body was aching for him. “I want your cock so deep inside me, Daddy. Won’t you please fuck me?” you  gasped when Kyoujuro’s lips spread into a satisfied smile and he angled his cock to line the head up with your opening. 

With one smooth thrust, he sheathed himself inside. You opened your mouth and let out a wonton sounding moan at the stretch and the fullness you felt.  Your tongue lolled out as Kyoujuro started a fast steady pace, his shaft rubbing all the right spots within you.

Kyoujuro pumped his hips into yours, hands tightening around your thighs. He leaned down to press a sloppy kiss to your lips, tongue tangling with yours. “Fuck, baby girl, you’re so damn tight. You’re squeezing my cock so much. It's like your pussy doesn’t want to let it go.” He growled into your ear, as he pushed more of him inside. 

“Did you miss my dick that much?” His voice was a growl-like coo as he spoke directly in your ear, hot breath ghosting across your already sensitive flesh. Kyoujuro increased the speed of his thrusts, heavy balls slapping against your ass as the table creaked under your combined weight.

Your mind was swimming from the pleasure that all you could do was hold on to Kyoujuro for dear life as he pounded into you. Your back arched off the table as his thick cockhead pressed against your cervix and mewls left your raw throat. 

“Shit, Kyou, right there. Fuck...you’re so good, baby. S’good to me. It feels s’good.” you babbled out, tears streaming down your face to which he licked away before pressing sweet kisses to your lips, swallowing your moans and screams. The sounds of skin against skin echoed through the living room as the semll of sex grew heavier.

His hips continued to rock against yours as his hand slipped down to rub at your clit, making you cream on his cock. “You’re such a good girl. My beautiful wife.” he purred, eyes full of lust and love. All for you. “I love you so goddamn much.” 

His other hand carassed at your neck, giving it a few gentle squeezes before trailing down to your breasts. He groaned when your walls clenched tightly around him, so warm and wet. “Shit, princess...You want my cum that badly?” Kyoujuro asked before nipping at your neck. “You want me to breed you? You want me to get you pregnant, love?”

You felt your body clench down on him harder. He was being so lewd and it was such a turn on. “I love you, too.” you pulled him down for another sloppy kiss, tongues meshing together. You nodded your head as you moaned out, “Yes, Kyou! I want your cum so badly. Please breed me. I want to get pregnant. I want us to have kids.” 

That twisting ball of heat in your belly snapped as your orgasm washed over you. Your nails dug into his back as your breath caught up in your throat. You managed to choke out his name in broken bits as he continued to pump his cock within you. His stamina always amazed you.

Kyoujuro smiled down at you, watching yourr chest heave from your second intense orgasm. “Little one, I’m not through with you.” His hips snapped into yours as he scooped you up off the table and walked over to the nearest wall. Pressing your back against the smooth surface, he hooked your legs over his shoulder, pressing your thighs up against your chest. 

“You have one more, don’t you, love?” He slid his thick cock out until only the pink, bulbous head was left inside and he looked down at the ring of cream that circled the base. “Fuck..you’re so sexy.” Kyoujuro rammed it back inside, his balls slapping against your ass with each heavy thrust. “Gonna breed you so well, my love. Wanna see you so round with my seed. You’d look absolutely beautiful.”

Your mind went numb as he pumped in and out of your cunt, nearly bruising your cervix with his powerful thrusts. You opened your mouth and let out another series of moans as the squelching noises of your love making filled the air. “S’too much, Kyou. M gonna break.” It felt too good, your body was melting. You could feel that knot of heat burning low in your belly threatening to snap. Your head fell back as you surrendered to the pleasure. “Kyou!” you screamed as you came hard, your juices squirting out of you.

He felt your slick spray out of you, dripping down his length and over his balls. “Good fucking girl.” Kyoujuro wasn’t too far behind as his thrusts began more sporadic until he gave one last pump and held still as his thick, white seed colored your insides. “Shit...” he groaned out as he gave you a few shallow thrusts. “You’re so good to me, baby. Thank you.”

He pressed soft kisses to your forehead as he lowered your legs some until he was carrying you in his arms. Kyoujuro cuddled you as he walked you to your shared bedroom. “Did you really mean those words? Do you really want us to have kids?” He had to know that it just was not the mind numbing sex the two of you just had. His words about seeing you round with his child was truly an exciting and beautiful thought to him.

You smiled as Kyoujuro laid you on your bed and grabbed his hand and placed it on your belly. “Of course, baby. We are already pregnant.” You laughed when his eyes widened and he asked you if it was really true. “Yes, Shinobu confirmed it today. Kyou, we’re starting a family.” 

Kyoujuro said nothing as he pulled you into a deep embrace, tears sparkling in his eyes. “Thank you, my love. This is the best birthday surprise you could have ever given me.” He pulled away only to press his lips against yours in a sweet kiss, his hand never leaving your stomach.

©️2022-23 nymphoheretic - I do not give permission to copy, edit, alter, or distribute my work. Do not adverse on tiktok. Do not repost on any other platform.

[honeygrahambitch]

One for sorrow, two for joy

Plot: Will and Hannibal are having a difficult but very needed conversation the day before the birth of their surrogate child.

"Hello." Will said as he sat next to Hannibal on the porch of their house. The sun was casting its final rays before completely hiding before the mountains. "Just so you know, we are not the worst parents on earth because we don't have a name for our kid. I've read many stories where parents just knew exactly when they saw their baby for the first time. And that will be our case as well."

Hannibal had been out there sitting on his own for most of the day, which was exactly why Will had decided to join him with two glasses of white wine. Hannibal accepted his in silence. He didn't say anything to Will's encouraging words.

Will looked properly at his face only when he heard a sniff followed by a deep sigh, filled with sorrow.

He freaked out for a split second, seeing the tears run down his cheeks, knowing it was a rare sight.

"Do you know when we will be the worst parents?" Will asked, guiding Hannibal's head to rest on his shoulder. "When we won't like her first boyfriend. Or her second. Or third. Fuck it, none of them will be good enough. Or when we will say "no" when she will want to go to a promiscuous party. But I promise that when we meet her tomorrow, we will just know exactly what to call her."

Hannibal let out another sniff and Will could actually feel his tears on his shirt. "I thought I knew what name would be perfect for her." He said eventually.

"And I told you I'm down with calling her Mischa if that's what you feel." He replied softly as he let his own head rest on Hannibal's.

"After doing some self-reflection, I realized I don't want that for her. She shouldn't carry my regrets." He said, his gaze following a magpie trying to build a nest in the pine tree which was shading their house. "Every time I would look at her, I would think of my sister." Hannibal said as he let out a soft sob. "I want her to be her own person, not to grow up in the shade of someone else who already carries so much weight."

"What else is on your mind?" Will asked empathetically after a few seconds.

"During the last years I knew that if we had a daughter I would definitely name her Mischa. I figured I would do that only to give myself the delusion of having her next to me again." Hannibal said. "Or maybe I need some sort of closure that I won't get. Truth is, I need to let her go. It's been too long."

"You know, you don't have to let her go. She is not here but she is still your sister. And she will always be. You don't need a physical reminder to get your closure. And we will make sure our daughter knows about her."

Hannibal let out another sob as he buried his face in Will's shoulder.

"There are days when I feel haunted by my own regrets." Hannibal whispered. Will knew. He had learnt to read his every expression and gesture in time.

"I also feel haunted oftentimes. But then you say something stupid like "Will, have you missplaced the corkskrew again?" And all my ghosts are gone."

Hannibal laughed bitterly for the first time that evening.

"I'm sorry, your own nerves must be wrecked as well because of tomorrow." Hannibal said as he lifted his head off Will's shoulder and wiped his tears.

"Pretty wrecked. But seeing my husband weeping tears on the porch is a rare sight. Poetic in fact."

"I'm envious of you." Hannibal said, finally taking a sip from his glass. "You're managing your emotions better than I do."

"Am I? I woke up at 5 and took apart the washing machine piece by piece because yesterday it made a subtle but weird sound. By noon it was in one piece again. Then I reorganized my lures. Then I reorganized all your spices."

"Pardon?" Hannibal asked as he suddenly turned his head towards Will.

"I was surprised you haven't noticed me spending an unusual amount of time in the kitchen, sitting on the counter and labeling spices. Some of them I had no idea what they were so I drew a question mark instead."

"I..." Hannibal started but didn't know what to say, amused by Will's coping methods. "You didn't touch my suits, did you?"

"No, I am not a psychopath. I did want to organize your ties based on warm and color tones. But I decided I wanted to be alive by tomorrow."

Will clinked his glass against Hannibal's and this time, he was the one to rest his head on his shoulder.

"And we are supposed to raise a child." Hannibal said as a conclusion. "Sorry I avoided you the whole day. I was completely unaware you took the whole house apart. You must have had a lot on your mind."

"It's not like you were doing better. But this" Will said gesturing to where they were sitting"-is a lot better than labeling your spices."

"I agree."

The sun was completely gone, a purple shade coloring the horizon. The lonely magpie was soon joined by a second one, who was carrying some straws as well, probably helping with the nest.

[strawberrywinter4]

May 16 | Prompt: Experiment

“Aren’t you going to try it?”

John stares at the plate of tangled pasta in front of him, shifting nervously.

It’s sweet. God, it’s adorable. And John did not expect it.

This argument was worse than others. It was after a case. Of course, it was.

Sherlock was snappish.

Of course, he was.

But again, it was worse.

Sherlock threw insults at every moment, yelled at John in front of the met, and even left John at Scotland Yard, hopping in a cab himself without a word. It was a vigorous case, but usually vigorous cases that Sherlock couldn’t put his finger on left him in a foul mood.

John tried to be patient, he really did. Even when Sherlock solved the case and seemed to deflate from the tension that had been constricting him for days, John tried to be happy for him. And he was, to a point.

Sherlock acted as if nothing occurred, as if he didn’t call John twice as many names or dismissed him at every turn.

When they returned to Baker Street, Sherlock was prepared for the praise John usually gave him, the take out they usually ordered, and the crap telly they usually cuddled up on the sofa to watch. But John simply took off his coat and murmured that he was going off to bed.

“What?” Sherlock asked, blinking down at him. “Why?”

“Tired,” John said, then without another word, he disappeared into the room.

The rest of the next day, John only gave Sherlock clipped answers or didn’t answer at all. A genius like himself began to realize that John was upset over something. And Sherlock was starved of John Watson.

When John returned home after a day out for fresh air, he sniffed the stuffy room, it smelling like something was burning.

He made his way into the kitchen and saw Sherlock Holmes in an apron, curls disheveled and pots and pans surrounding him.

Sherlock jumped when John called his name and turned, obviously thinking he had more time before John returned.

“John!” he exclaimed in surprise. “Erm—” Swiftly, he led John to the small table in the living area, sitting him down. “You just…wait there and the food will be ready in a moment.”

“Sherlock, what—”

“John,” the detective interrupted, his voice suddenly small. “Please.”

John looked up at him to see the desperation in his irises. Without waiting for an answer, Sherlock went right back to the kitchen.

And that’s how John has ended up in the predicament. With an unnatural formation of pasta that’s visually dry and topped with an excessive amount of salt. But when John looks into Sherlock’s eyes again, who’s standing above him with anticipation radiating off him, John can’t resist feeling so fond of the man. He’s practically giddy, fidgeting with impatience.

With that, John picks up his fork and attempts to curl the pasta around it. Finally able to, he takes a bite. It’s…something. Difficult to chew and John doesn’t know what recipe Sherlock used, but there is a strong taste of cream, vinegar, and salt.

The combination brings his tastebuds to beg for him to spit out the food, but looking up at Sherlock, John makes a low moan of delight. It’s worth it when Sherlock smiles proudly.

“Yes?”

“Mhm,” John confirms, trying to chew a thick piece of pasta. “That is…wow. Very good, darling.”

“You’re not just saying that?”

“Nope. It’s…delicious.”

Sherlock looks unbelievably pleased, standing tall and holding a small smile. “I…I realize you seemed upset and—well…” He huffs. “I know I was blunt yesterday.”

“You were.”

“Let me finish, John. I was also—”

“Rude, arrogant—”

“Yes, I understand,” Sherlock sneers. John holds a smile of satisfaction. “I apologize. I will…take your feelings in consideration. Next time. Well—maybe. I mean—I will certainly…try.”

John sighs, taking pity on him. His hand places on Sherlock’s hip and he brings him forward, sitting him on his lap. John revels in the blush that creeps onto the detective’s cheeks.

“Yes. You were a dick,” John says, ignoring Sherlock’s glare. “But I know you get…unreasonable—hey. Let me finish. I know you get unreasonable when on difficult cases and this one took a toll on you.” He soothes Sherlock’s side. “Just know I take that into consideration as well. So, next time, when you get like that, instead of snapping at me, talk to me. Or, better yet, tell me when to leave you alone or when to stay by your side so I know when to give you space and let you do your thing. Alright?”

Sherlock stares at him for a long moment, then nods. He rests his head on John’s shoulder, and it barely feels as if a six foot long detective is draped over him.

“I will try to do better,” Sherlock whispers.

“I know you will.” John kisses Sherlock’s forehead. “Thank you for the food.”

“Mm.”

“Have you always liked…experimenting with cooking?”

“I’ve never attempted it, but it seemed simple enough.”

That explains it.

“Aren’t you going to eat the rest of it?” Sherlock asks.

John sucks in a breath. “Um…I’ll save it for later. Not too hungry for food.” He grins, leaning forward and putting their lips centimeters apart. “I’m hungry for something else entirely.”

Sherlock rolls his eyes, though John can see the glittering excitement in them. “That was most horrible.”

“You like it. Don’t deny it.”

“I’ll deny it for the rest of my days.” Sherlock kisses him, and they get lost in each other’s warmth for the rest of the night.

——

Hope you all enjoyed! <3 Thank you @calaisreno for the prompt.

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[cherriegyuu]

sunday afternoon | mjh

pairing: jun x f!reader genre: fluff word count: 1.4k

this is part of my series, seventeen as songs from red (ts)

• Jun ➝ Begin Again But on a Wednesday, in a café, I watched it begin again ↳ everyday Jun goes to the same café in hopes that one day he’ll get enough courage to ask the cute barista out.

Jun was in deep shit.

It wasn’t anything new, him being in trouble that is. Growing up he was known as the kid who always got in trouble first but he was also the kid who could talk his way out of anything. Truth be told he was never the one who got in trouble, he knew when it was time to stop but his friends didn’t so he always took the fall for them. He did so until he realized that by taking the blame he wasn’t being a good friend he was just being stupid.

But this time around the fault was completely, entirely, truly his. It wasn’t his intention to fall for the cute barista from the café close to his work. This time it was all on him. Jun should have walked away the moment he realized that something was going on, the second he knew that he wasn’t going to the coffee shop just for coffee.

Evidence number one should have been the fact that Jun hated coffee. 

Perhaps hate was too much of a strong word, he thoroughly disliked it - the smell of it was enough to make his insides twist. He still remembers the face you made when he ordered hot chocolate on a very hot summer afternoon, you looked at him like he was insane and in that moment he truly felt like he was. Somehow every day after that he saw himself coming back. He tried to tell himself that he was only going back for the high-quality food and drinks but deep down he knew it wasn’t as simple as that.

The second piece of evidence should have been when you started to call him by his name and when you already knew what his favorite drink was.

The third evidence, and probably the most important one, was when his heart started to tickle inside his chest whenever you smiled at him.

All the other things you could do for other customers, other people who just like him went there every day, but the feeling he got whenever he saw you wasn’t normal. The giggles he felt whenever he looked at you, whenever you smiled at him.

He tried to stay away, tried to go to a different coffee shop but when the other barista came to serve him and he didn’t see you Jun felt like something was missing and he just couldn’t order a drink.

When he went back you didn’t greet him with a smile like you normally would. Instead, there was a frown on your face, like you somehow knew what he had done. And Jun felt guilty. The guilt only grew when you said:

“Are you okay? You didn’t come by yesterday”

But the guilt also turned into something else. It turned into hope. Jun was probably getting ahead of himself, making assumptions before time and way before anything could ever come close to becoming true but he also couldn’t stop himself from doing so.

He felt like a teenager who had just gotten his first crush on a girl, and partially that feeling was right. Jun had a crush. But could it really be a crush when he was twenty-seven and fully aware of what was happening? Probably not.

It took him a lot of courage to ask you out, more so than what he thought that was going to take. It wasn’t like you were intimidating; you were far from anything of sorts. You were kind, your smile being the first thing anyone noticed when they walked in. Even cranky customers would fall for you, smiling at how polite you were despite their rudeness.

All of his courage melted into a puddle at his feet when he heard you talking to a customer.

“I have a boyfriend, sorry”

Jun was too little too late. He had waited far too long. All he had left was anger. Not at you, never at you. Jun was angry at himself for being so scared all the time. It had never been like that before, if he saw a girl that he liked or someone that sparked some interest in him Jun always approached first. He had always been the one to make a move. But with you, he had been terrified that he might get rejected.

He tried to hold it back, his disappointment so when you smiled at him Jun smiled back.

“Do you want to try something different today?”

How could Jun possibly say no to you when your eyes were sparkling like that? The answer was easy: he couldn’t.

“As long as it’s not bitter”

You rolled your eyes at him.

“I’ll make sure to make something very sweet just for you” you laughed at the sound Jun made “Maybe not that sweet”

Jun swore that he could watch you work for hours without getting bored because you always seemed happy while doing it, happier than he had ever seen anyone working.

“Try this”

You handed him a to-go cup. You knew very well that Jun couldn’t stay for very long on afternoons, that almost as soon as you handed him his coffee he would nearly throw himself out of the door. It always made you wonder how far away his work actually was and why he went through all the trouble of going to the coffee shop on his 15-minute break.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Not telling” you shook your head with a smile

“Tell me tomorrow morning, okay? I’m running late”

You nodded at him despite yourself. You knew that he had to run back to his job but you always found yourself wishing that he could stay longer. Even if the store was filled with customers you always made time for Jun, made sure that he always had your undivided attention. But that day he seemed to be running faster than any other day.

Jun ran out the door before you could say anything but, for a change, you ran after him. That day just five minutes wasn’t enough.

“I’ll be back in a second,” you told Tina.

It was the middle of the afternoon so there weren’t that many customers, except for a few kids that had skipped class again.

Outside, Jun stopped, one hand in his pocket while the other one held the cup of coffee by his fingertips. He had to go back but he just didn’t want to. He felt like an idiot for holding himself back, for feeling like he had just gotten dumped when the truth was that you and he never dated.

Get a hold of yourself.

It was what he needed to do. It wasn’t the end of the world. He could meet someone else, someone who wasn’t in a relationship, someone who also liked him back. There’s a fish in the sea that will love all of your colors, Jun’s mom used to say. Perhaps you just weren’t it for Jun, maybe his fish was still out there somewhere looking for him as well.

“Jun!” he stopped and turned to look at you “Why are you so fast?”

He hadn’t taken more than four steps away from the door before you came rushing out after him.

“What’s wrong? I haven’t tried the coffee yet”

“That’s not it, no” you shook your head and took a deep breath “When are you going to ask me out?”

You don’t know what came over to ask that sort of question to Jun. Ever since high school when your dating life had officially begun, you always waited for boys to approach you. Yes, of course, you always gave them hints of what you wanted but never once you had taken the first step. But when you saw Jun walk away from the store you felt like you had to do something otherwise you would miss something very important and that something was Jun.

From the day he entered your store, from the second you came across his bright eyes you couldn’t see anything - or anyone - else. His ever inviting smile made you smile back at him. He was the first of your customers that made you take a second glance, the first one to consume your thoughts when you weren’t working. Most of the people who went through the café were just people who you would probably never see again but then Jun showed up the next day and the day after that and he kept coming back. You always thought that it was funny how he never ordered coffee, how he always wanted hot chocolate or the drink with the least amount of coffee that you could possibly make.

The first time you heard his laugh was like something changed inside of you. The feelings you had, feelings which you weren’t too sure where they came from or why they even happened in the first place, grew even bigger and so much stronger.

You thought that you had given him enough hints, enough words and smiles to make your intentions towards him clear but they had only been clear to you. For months clients had come in and asked you out, some far more aggressive than others, but your answer had always been the same “I have a boyfriend, sorry”. Those words weren’t true, clearly. You hadn’t had a boyfriend in years, someone who was by your side, someone who you wanted to hold your hand, someone who would help you get through the rough moments.

Jun was the first one who you wanted to take that place. Up until then you had dated out of convenience. Because being with someone made you feel less lonely and you were used to being around many people. Not one of your previous boyfriends made you wish to be with them in the long run, not one made you fantasize about a possible future and how it would be.

Jun made you do those things, he did it with something as simple as a smile.

Some days after you got home from long hours at work you felt like an idiot as you laid down in bed and thought about your day. Out of all the things you did that day your mind was always brought back to Jun. The way he smiled when he walked in, the way he said hi, the way fingers touched yours so briefly but even so lighted up your entire body.

With just a look in his eyes, Jun managed to color your entire world.

Jun saw you before you took notice of his presence and he swore that he could just stand there just looking at you. He couldn’t believe that he was going on a date with you until that very moment. Until he saw you there waiting for him at the park, like you both had agreed to.

You were one of the many people who were at the park on that incredibly sunny day. Young couples, people with their kids, teenagers, elders. The park was filled with all sorts of people and then there were you: sitting alone on a bench, early for a date that made you stay awake for two days on a row because you were too excited with the idea of being around Jun for more than a few minutes at a time. 

You were so out of your mind that you called your mom to talk about it which caused her to start the talk - something that made you want to crawl back into yourself and reverse time because I’m twenty-five mom, I don’t need the sex talk now.

“You’re early”

The smile that spread through your face the second you heard Jun’s voice was unstoppable, it didn’t matter that you tried to hold yourself back. It was like your mind and body weren’t working in harmony.

“First thing to know about me: I’m never late”

He nodded at you and scrunched up his nose.

“First thing to know about me: I’m always late”

“You’re always on time to get your morning… drink”

Jun laughed at the way you tried to find the words to describe his odd distaste for coffee.

“I have a really good reason to”

You thanked the gods for all the makeup you had put on the day because if you didn’t Jun would probably see how pink your cheeks turned - considering his giggle he probably already knew about it.

“We can work on your punctuality as we go” you assured him.

You weren’t even aware of the words you said until you saw the look on Jun’s face. As we go, it meant that you wanted something more with him - that just one date wasn’t going to cut it and you wanted to explore this much more - as much as you could, for as long as you could.

“Should we go for a walk?”

The entire thing felt like a dream, something out of a book or a movie. You walked around and talked with Jun for over six hours and neither of you ran out of subjects to talk about, not even for a second things got awkward between the two of you.

Most of it felt like a reunion, like you had always known each other but only found out about it that day.

“Why did you ask me to bring you here?” Jun asked as you stopped in front of the coffee shop he had become all too familiar with.

“I live here, over the cafe. Because I need to get here early to start preparing it’s easier if I just live close to it” at his confused face you continued “I own the place Jun, that’s why it’s easier”

Suddenly it was like a light had been turned on inside his head.

“That would explain so much! For instance, how you always give me free cupcakes on mondays”

“I was trying to cheer you up! You look very close to a dead person on monday”

Jun pulled you closer to him at the same time that he took a step forward. His face was so close to yours, you could see very little detail, every single sand trait in his eyes. There wasn’t a single part of him that didn’t make your heart beat faster.

“After an afternoon sunday date, what do you think about an early monday date?”

You leaned up, your lips nearly touching his ear.

“How about you come in and we can decide what we call it later?”

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[imaginesheaven]

National Anthem – F!Reader x Price (x little bit Valeria)

Summary: After Graves’ betrayal another villain appears on the screen for the Task Force. They are nothing like all the others before.

This is kind of inspired by the song National Anthem by Lana Del Rey. I wrote all of this down, but I’m actually not sure what to do with it, so enjoy this little piece of pure braindump. I’m also not sure if I like this at all, so I would really appreciate to know what you think about it :)

Warnings: MDNI – sexual talk; swearing; angst; mentions of death

Length: 2.7 k

“Laswell, you look like you could use a drink”, Price sits down at the bar handing her a glass full of the best whiskey. “Thank you, John, but alcohol isn’t going to get rid our problems this time”, Kate takes a sip of her drink.

Her words make the whole Task Force kind of uncomfortable. Laswell is usually convinced that they can manage everything that the world throws at them, but this time she does have her doubts.

“At first, I thought we only have a usual Russian problem, but it turns out to be way bigger and more than just that”, she gets out two pictures from her jacket pocket to put them upside down onto the table, “There is no room to fail this time.” John exchanges a brief glance with his team, “Hit us, Kate.” As if there would be ever room to fail in their field of work.

“Alejandro contacted me a few hours ago fuming. Valeria got bailed out of jail with an amount of money we all only can dream about. I did a lot of digging to find out what the hell is going on. A woman paid the money to get Valeria back to her El Sin Nombre cartel. It was the same person, who overtook the Shadow Company after Graves’ got killed. This woman is going to be a big problem gathering herself the best army”, Laswell pushes one of the pictures towards John.

The Captain can feel his heart stop for a second as he turns the picture around just to find a very familiar face looking back at him. A thick coldness starts to spread in his chest; doom setting slowly in.

“Price?”, Gaz asks quite concerned about John’s silence. The Captain keeps staring as the seconds tick by. “Fuck”, it’s the only thing he says and hands the picture to Gaz. John literally prayed years ago to never see your oh so beautiful face ever again. His heart can’t get over the fact that you are still looking the same. The way you glance at the camera with a winning smirk makes his knees weak. You know that you were observed from afar and you did not give a single fuck about it.

“You know her?”, Kate can’t explain otherwise his reaction. Price nods his head in agreement, “(Y/F/N) (Y/L/N). Met her once years ago. We had a mission together, but never saw her again after that.” He really hopes none of them can see through his lie. It was way more than just a mission. It was way more complicated than that.

Even after all this time John feels everything like it has been just yesterday. The way your hands have been roaming over his chest. So fucking close to him. Skin on skin. The way you felt amazing underneath him. As well as the way you broke his heart into thousand pieces. If there would be ever a regret he has to live through, it would be you.

Price doesn’t tell them a single thing about it. He will not go through every detail of his biggest mistake with his entire team. That’s something only between you and him for the rest of his life.

“So, she is military?”, Gaz asks as Soap hands the picture to Ghost. Neither of them can’t deny that you are absolutely breathtaking as much as you are deadly probably.

“Yes, (Y/N) worked for a special forces team in the American military. There is nothing much to know since almost everything is classified. Only a handful or so have the security rank to gather that information. The team included five members with the call signs X-1 to X-5, which sounds very nice, right? X-1 means Executer-1, so they called them actually Killer-1 to Killer-5. She is one of the best”, Laswell answers and pulls another picture out of her jacket.

John already knows that the picture will be you in your impressive completely black Executer-gear. He hates and loves this one so much. “No, Kate. (Y/N) is the best”, Price doesn’t say those words very lightly, but they are the truth. If you are going to be their enemy, it will be a fucking war.

“She took over the Shadow Company and the El Sin Nombre cartel? For what? What is her goal?”, Gaz can’t make the connections yet. Kate let’s out a deep sigh and turns around the last picture, “I think she is going for this man.”

The Captain shakes his head, “Makarov? (Y/N) is going for the big kill. If she can gather Russians, the Shadow Company and the El Sin Nombre cartel around her, we are all doomed. With that (Y/N) can take over every army and if that happens, she will go back to America getting her final revenge.”

“What do you know, John?”, Kate is almost kind of mad that she isn’t fully in the picture apparently like Price himself. “(Y/N) made a decision the military didn’t want to see. X-2 to X-5 were supposed to execute her. The members were named after their ranks, so (Y/N) was Executer 1 – the best of them. She killed every single one of her former teammates. The American Government classified everything to keep people from talking. (Y/N) escaped in the end, but all of that were rumors years ago. Everyone who told them got silenced. The military didn’t want to acknowledge her existence anymore. So, who really knows if that’s real or not”, Price knows exactly that everything he just told was real.

Neither of them dares to interrupt the silence thinking about the worst that could happen. Someone as power-driven and skilled as you will bring hell over those who did you wrong. What they don’t know is that you are halfway through your plan to conquer the world like you want it to.

A few hours earlier…

“Ah, Valeria. Nice to meet you in person finally. (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N). At your service”, you give the soldier your best smile to greet her properly. She raises one of her eyebrows still unsure about your intentions, “Why did you pay for my freedom?”

You mention towards the waiting car, “Let’s talk in the car. It’s way cooler in their and it would be only fair to bring you back to your cartel.” Valeria follows your invitation, “If you try to do something stupid I will kill you.” You can’t help yourself but laugh as you get in the car after her, “I really don’t doubt that for a second.”

“So, what’s the deal, hermosa?”, Valeria asks after taking a sip of the cool drink you gave her. You lean forward smiling knowing exactly how to expose your cleavage and use your body to get what you want. Valeria’s eyes follow just like you planned.

“Mi vida, I want your El Sin Nombre cartel to work with my Shadow Company. I am working towards a goal that is very important to me”, you explain to her leaving out a few important details. Valeria doesn’t ask but you could see the question in her eyes.

“Graves got … detained by me. His former soldiers are under my wings now. And well, there is no nice way to tell you this, but your people are also mine”, you keep on smiling knowing exactly she will understand the hidden threat.

“So, the rumors are true that you are gathering an army. They warned me about you, hermosa. Take my men if you need to. You paid for my freedom”, Valeria knows when she is in a situation without options. She is in your hands without any chance of an escape, better playing along for now.

“I’m really glad you took that so well. Graves wasn’t really cooperating”, you lean back taking a sip of your own drink. Valeria knows how to pick her fights and you are much more powerful than she thought.

“Well, the Gringo didn’t know how to handle dangerous women. Especially when they are as breathtaking as you are, mi vida”, Valeria holds up her glass to clink hers with yours. She can’t help herself but be enchanted by you.

You have already wrapped Graves around your little finger with your sex appeal until you took what was his. Now Valeria, next one will be Makarov. And you are pretty sure he will not resist you just like the others. Your plan is going wonderful. Now comes the fun part…

The ringing of his phone snaps Price out of his deep focus on working out a plan to bring you down before you can raise hell. No matter how many options his brain goes through it will never be good enough to keep up with your next steps.

“Captain Price”, he is only paying half attention to the caller on the other side of the line. “Hi, John”, your sweet voice rings in his ears over and over again. Price is not a man to get shocked easily, but right now his mind is absolutely blank. There are literally not words to form a proper sentence.

“Oh, I wish I could see your face right now. Happy to hear that I’m still alive?”, you can’t help yourself to let a heartfelt laugh, which brings John’s heartrate into a very dangerous zone. “Why are you calling?”, he tries to keep calm, but everything in him turns slowly into panic mode. It’s unusual for him. Only you can make him feel this way.

“Oi, don’t you know anymore how small talk works, muppet? How are you doing? What have you been up to the last decade? We really need to work on your manners, handsome”, you didn’t mean to sound it seductively, still you are not mad about it. You don’t have to be in the same room with John to know that you are still going under his skin with so much ease.

“John, humor me for a second. How have you been? Tell me a bit about your little Task Force”, your voice could play on repeat for eternity and John would still not get enough of it. In this moment he hated you so much for all the love he still has for you in his heart. But the two of you are a shadow of the past.

“You haven’t changed, so I’m pretty sure you know already everything about my team”, John will not give in. Not this time. “Yeah, but it would have been nice to hear it from you. Do you really think your Task Force is good enough to keep up with me? Are they ready to do whatever it needs to take down the devil herself?”, you have been watching him and his team for a while now; tracking their success as a team and still they will never be as good as you are.

“What happened to you? This isn’t you, (Y/N)”, John’s voice is only a whisper over the line. You don’t want to admit it, but you actually missed how sweet your name sounds when it comes over his lips. “Betrayal. So much betrayal that I finally found solace in power and revenge”, you reply replaying in your head what happened long ago.

“You killed innocent people… Children…”, John remembers how you stood right in front of him; trying to explain everything, but he wouldn’t hear a word about it. He knows now that you made the right decision back then. His younger self didn’t know it.

“You draw the line wherever you need it, Captain! Isn’t that something you like to tell your team? I did that, but what did I get for sacrificing so much? Nothing. The military sent my own team after me. You left me. I lost everything to save thousands of lives. But you know what? I will gain so much more for sacrificing those lives now. Revenge is best served cold”, once you get what you want, you will never have to defend yourself ever again, “John, we both know that villains are also human beings with a dramatic backstory. Just like the heroes.”

“You called just to tell me all of that?”, John can almost feel his heart bleeding; knowing he is part of the problem. He is one of the reasons you turned your back against humanity. “No, since we have quite the past together, I wanted to give you a change. I can be merciful, if I want to. You have 24 hours to find Makarov to stop me”, your voice transforms from being bitter to cheerful in a second.

“You already know where he is, eh?”, Price realizes that you are playing with him. You know exactly there would be no chance for him to win this battle. “Oh, of course. I would never go into a conversation like this without having plan beforehand, handsome. 24 hours, big boy. Time is ticking”, without a further word you end the call leaving John alone in a deafening silence. This is a fucking war neither John nor the Task Force can win.

Bonus:

“It’s over, (Y/N). Lay down your gun”, Price points his weapon at you as he makes his way towards you. A slight smile appears on your lips before you do what he says. Your little handgun compared to his gets put on the table right in front of you.

You can’t help yourself but admire how handsome he looks after all this time you have seen him. He is aging like a fine wine. For a moment you remember how young he had looked back when he still was a Lieutenant.

“Don’t worry, I’m not a sore loser”, you raise your hands so he can see them clearly. For once you are not a threat to him. Slowly you make your way around the table. He keeps his gun pointed at you, but still lets you come as close as possible. His eyes never leaving yours for a second.

“We all know it was your decision to lose. You had everything to bring hell upon us. So, why do you give up now?”, John’s finger ache to stroke your cheek softly; to feel your warmth against his skin once again. Your eyes bore into his; looking straight into his soul. “And we both know I can’t do anything against my weakness, John. You are still the only one I don’t want to hurt.”

Your words touch his soul; breathing back live into him. For a moment neither of you know what to say. Softly you push away his gun and he let it happen. The two of you are so damn close now almost breathing the same air.

“Do you still love me?”, John can hear the pain but also the hope in your voice. There is no need to deny the truth any longer. He can’t ignore anymore how his heart calls your name over and over again. How it has been doing that for the last few years.

“Yes, I always have and I always will…. I’m so sorry for everything”, he caresses your cheek with his hand and you lean into the touch; yearning for his attention for such a long time already. “It’s okay. I love you too, John…”, you reply letting your tears fall freely now.

“… But neither heroes nor villains get happy endings, handsome. Right person, wrong time. Maybe we will find each other in the next life again. Good bye, John”, you place a soft kiss on his lips. Both of you savoring this moment as long as possible.

A single shot rings through the silence, then a body hitting the ground. And that’s how this story ends.

[onpointedfeetandbrokendreams]

Day 6 - DBDA Week

Day 6 of Dead Boy Detectives Appreciation Week: 10th-16th June by @dbdcentral (One day late sorry!)

Prompt: Butterfly Effect

Relationships: Edwin Payne&Charles Rowland

Tags:  Time Travel, Time Travel Paradoxes

TW: Mentions of canon ritual sacrifices

--

There was a loud banging noise, and then the entire world started spinning in front of Edwin. He could still hear the echo of his own voice yelling “Charles no!” when the memories started to disappear. For a moment, he could see them before they vanished, almost like pieces of a puzzle dissolving one after the other in front of him: Port Townsend, the detective agency, he knew that, soon, he would forget Charles completely. He had to do something. He tore a piece of paper out of his notebook, praying to every god that may exist that the paper would somehow survive thanks to some paradox he couldn’t remember the name of in the short time he had left.

–

Edwin was in the aisle of St. Hilarion’s school for boys. His eyes were wet with tears, but he didn’t remember why he was crying. He noticed his books on the floor and picked them up, looking around shamefully to see if someone had noticed how he dropped them. Or maybe it had been Simon to throw them off, it would not have been the first time.

He had hoped that they would give him at least one day of truce, but if he was honest, he didn’t count on that too much. He still couldn’t believe the night he had, and the sheer luck when Simon had tripped on his own feet, giving him the chance to escape his grasp and run to the headmaster’s door to ask for help.

He didn’t want to know what would have happened if they had managed to go through with their plan. The headmaster had yelled at them, then stood in front of their dorm the entire night to make sure no one went out again, promising that they would all be punished the following morning. Edwin thought that maybe the punishment was the reason why he had been crying, even if the memory was a little blurred, presumably for the shock.

He went to the library to study because he didn’t have any more classes that day. It was then that he noticed a foreign piece of paper in between his notes. It was a small, white paper, and the calligraphy looked a lot like his own, even if not entirely. He looked it over for a while, confusion increasing with every word he read.

‘Edwin, please believe me when I say this is not your life, something terrible happened. Simon wanted to scare you by sacrificing you to a demon. If he tries it again, you have to let him do it. It will be hard, but it will be so, so worth it. Do not give up trying to escape, you will meet someone at the end of it all, and you will finally find a purpose, and you will be free and happy, more than you can possibly imagine. Wait in the attic, on January 8th, 1989.”

Edwin didn’t know why but he felt a profound desperation behind those words. There was something in the way they were written that made him feel like he had heard them before, and he found himself believing in them, even if they sounded impossible, especially with the mention of demons, and 1989. He also couldn’t exactly go to Simon and say “I am deeply sorry that I didn’t let you sacrifice me yesterday, would you like to try it again?” Not only because it sounded insane, but also because he wasn’t sure he wanted to be sacrificed to a demon.

He went about his day like usual, focusing on his schoolwork, then reading a book to pass the time, and finally going back to bed, but his mind kept wandering back to the paper, and to the promise of a life filled with purpose, freedom, and happiness.

Luckily - or maybe not so luckily, he still hadn’t decided - a few nights later Simon and his friends came to snatch him from his bed for the second time. He knew he could have avoided it, he was expecting them, he could have just talked to someone and asked for help, or switched dorms, but he hadn’t. He really hoped that what the note said was true.

–

When he finally saw the night sky open up in front of him, Edwin cried in relief. He had no idea how long he had been in that horrible place, running for his life every minute of every day, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Just walking in the mortal plane again was the best feeling he could imagine.

He still remembered the promise someone had made to him, of purpose, freedom and happiness, and he had clung onto it every second he spent in Hell. He walked the unfamiliar streets, hoping to find a newspaper with a place and a date to find out when and where exactly he was.

When he read January 12th 1989, he felt dread constricting his otherwise still chest. He ran aimlessly around the city, not recognizing any of the streets, until he found a building he did recognise. He climbed up the stairs of the main building of St. Hilarion’s boarding school to its attic, not knowing what he was supposed to find in there, and fearing that he would find nothing at all because it was too late.

He phased through the door, not bothering to open it, and his eyes laid on a boy his age, hunched down on the floor and covered in so many blankets. He was shivering, his eyes red from tears and unfocused, barely conscious. He mustn't have much time left. Thinking the boy couldn’t see him, he brought over a lantern he had found near the entrance of the building, hoping its warmth could give him some comfort.

The boy couldn’t speak, he was too weak to do more than raise his head, but when their eyes met it was like everything clicked into place. In that one instant, Edwin could see a lifetime together with him, he saw witches, demons, psychics, cats, crows, haunted houses, and so many other adventures lived by his side.

The boy - Charles, Edwin’s mind supplied - widened his eyes and asked with a feeble voice: “What are you doing here? You were supposed to live a beautiful life.”

Edwin smiled, understanding that Charles had shared the same flashbacks as him of a different life - he made a mental note to study more about this peculiar event when they were back home. Out loud, he said:

“And give up my future with you? Never. Now let’s go find that Book of Time again and put things back in their right order.”

By then, Charles was barely able to keep his eyes open, he just managed to mumble: 

“Read to me first?”

[puppyluvfics]

October | Lee Jooyeon

Lee Jooyeon | part of Not In The Same Way: MTL Series WC: 1.3k Genre: Angst Summary: You loved Jooyeon. You did. But, God, you hated how little freedom you had with him... you just wanted to exist without having to deal with his spirals into jealousy. Maybe you should have, though. Warnings: none but also tread lightly because this might be... my saddest piece yet A/N: i saw this post on twt the other day and i think it sums this up pretty well...

“I… Listen. I loved you. And maybe, deep down, there’s a part of me that still does. But that part of me is so lost… it isn’t fair to me and it isn’t fair to you. I’ll see you around, okay? Take care of yourself.”

Jooyeon’s eyes widened at your words. You had argued the whole night, sure, but hearing you say this felt almost too finite, too final. Too real.

“You don’t mean that.” He said, finally finding his words, his voice coming out hoarse and broken.

“I do.” You replied, softly. Truthfully, you didn’t really know what you meant, you just knew that you needed a change. If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t really feel like you fell out of love with Jooyeon. He was just so clingy and while it could be cute at times, those times were so few and far between that it wasn’t worth it anymore. 

His eyes brimmed with tears as he looked you up and down, trying to read you.

“(Y/N), wh- how do I fix this? What did I do wrong?” He all but whispered. You took a deep, shaky breath, shaking your head at the same time. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Joo.” You said, but you both knew that was a lie. Well, maybe not a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. It wasn’t necessarily wrong of him to be clingy, but the way he had been acting lately had been so restricting. You felt like you couldn’t do anything or go anywhere without him without it being an issue. Just yesterday, you had gone out for lunch with a friend, and despite coming home on a high, your mood had instantly dropped, with Jooyeon arguing with you, begging for every single detail. You couldn’t blame him for being insecure, you had your moments as well, but this was something that was now stopping you from being yourself. And the way you saw it, it didn’t make sense for him to be in a relationship with someone who was being insincere. 

“Obviously I did, or you wouldn’t be breaking up with me.” His words stung. He had a point.

“Jooyeon, I just…” You started, walking over to the stairs and sitting down on the steps. “I don’t want to hurt you. You deserve so much better.” You fought back your own tears.

“Please hurt me. Because as it stands right now, I’m hurting you without even knowing, which is hurting me a lot more than you ever could. I don’t care if you hate me, but I can’t lose you. Not without trying to fix it, at least. Please, (Y/N).” He sat cross legged in front of you. God, he looked so beautiful despite his sad, broken expression. The way he looked up at you made your heart ache, even if you were only a few inches taller than him the way you were sitting. There was a part of you that wanted to just take it all back, to just endure the clinginess and jealousy and to learn to be okay with it all if it meant that you didn’t have to hurt him like this. But as much as you could sit here and say that now, you knew that in two weeks time, when it would happen again, you wound find yourself back in this position, and that cycle of hurting the both of you was almost worst than ripping the bandaid off and hurting him now.

“I don’t hate you. I never could. I just need to be alone for a while, Jooyeon.” You said after a few moments of silence. 

“So be alone with me.” He pleaded, his hands reaching out but falling short, unsure of if he could or should touch you right now.

“No, Joo. That’s…” You sigh, “That’s the point. I need to be alone by myself. I need to do things by myself for a bit. I need to feel like I can go places and see people and just be myself without worrying about you waiting here to interrogate me or breathing down my neck if you come with me. I’m sorry.” You couldn’t even bring yourself to look in his eyes. You could see the tears fall from his cheeks, dripping onto the carpet beneath you two, and you could only imagine what his face looked like. The way his brown eyes were darker, rimmed with the redness of his sadness, the way his lip quivered. You heard him sniffle as he processed your words, and that alone caused your own dam of tears to break.

“Jooyeon, I’m sorry-” You started again. But you were quickly cut off by him putting his hand up to stop you.

“I get it. Believe it or not, I hate myself for how I act. I saw what I was doing, I just couldn’t stop.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” You whisper softly.

“Why didn’t you?!” He asked back, his tone almost biting.

“Because I didn’t want to hurt you!” You said through a small sob.

“So breaking up with me after not talking about it is supposed to hurt less?” His tone was more angry and hurt than sad, and fuck, did it hurt you too, to know you did this. He was right, you should have just talked to him about it, instead of letting it get this far. But if he had realized how he was acting, why didn’t he stop?

“You continuing to do it despite realizing it was hurting me is supposed to be okay?” You bit back. 

“I didn’t realize it was hurting you so bad that you wanted to break up with me, (Y/N)"!”

“Bullshit!” You said, your own tears turning from sadness to anger. You had never raised your voice at him before now, let alone swearing at him like this. An air of awkward silence fell over the both of you. He bit the inside of his cheek, not wanting to lash out and keep the cycle going, hurting the both of you more than you already had.

You both looked at each other, tears falling from your eyes, the silence only being broken by the occasional hiccup or shaky deep breath. Finally, you spoke.

“Jooyeon, God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.” You whispered. If you could take every single thing back, you would in a heartbeat. Faster than a heartbeat. He said nothing in return, just looking over your features, trying to find any sort of emotion and sincerity behind them. And sure, he found sincerity in your apology, but he also found sincerity in the fact he had hurt you enough to get to this point. 

“No, (Y/N), I’m sorry.” He said, his voice quiet, low and gravelly. It was such a stark contrast to his usual voice. Frankly, you’d give anything in the world to hear him laugh right now. But you knew that you couldn’t. And what was scarier is that you probably just lost the chance to ever get the privilege to make him laugh again, let alone see him laugh at all. 

“I should go…” You said, after a long, uncomfortable while. He simply nodded, standing up and moving out of your way, walking up the stairs into what was once your shared bedroom. The same bedroom where you had made such incredible memories with him. You sighed, blinking away tears, going the opposite way, shutting the door behind you for the last time. As you stepped into the cold air of the night, your chest burned. You regretted everything. The fight, the fact you didn’t bring it up when it first started bothering you, the fact you hurt him more than anything or anyone had ever hurt you before. Now you could go wherever you wanted, do whatever you wanted, and see whoever you wanted. But at what cost?

CHOOSE ANOTHER MEMBER HERE

OR

LISTEN TO THE SONG THAT INSPIRED THIS, BELOW

[emilyssky]

Chapter 12: The Mess We Made

PAIRING: Lee Know! X fem!reader

GENRE(S): college au, smut, angst

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence and abuse, depression, self harm, eating disorders etc.. mentions of blood, swearing, smoking, smut [ dirty talk, oral; giving and receiving, choking, spanking, praising, degradation, pet names, sometimes Minho is a dick :)

SUMMARY: "Do you remember what you told me the first time we met?"  

"What?"

"You said; Always leave people a little better than you found them" he looked at the floor with a small smile for a few seconds and then his eyes found mine. "You really annoyed me when we first met. I envied your optimism and excitement for life. But each time I saw you, I felt a certain thrill. You made me angry, you made me laugh., you made me feel everything. Something about you made me feel a little more alive each time. I know I fucked up and I know I'm an asshole but I'm also brutally in love with you."    

One year ago today Chan was running around my apartment, anxiously changing from a variety of dress shirts and pants. I remember how big this event was for him and how nervous he was about going for the first time, since back then he only knew the boys just a couple of months. This year things are different.

To say that I was anxious about going is an understatement and thank fucking god that Emma let me borrow one of her dresses cause I probably wouldn't have gone otherwise. Emma grew up in a quite wealthy family, she attended one of the best private schools in the area, and that involved many fancy parties and proms. So she has a good amount of nice, long dresses.

Unlike Emma, I was invited last minute and not by the person I would like, either way, I'm happy that Jeongin invited me the night we hang out. In Seungmin's family apparently, it's a tradition to host a Christmas Eve dinner party, and was a massive deal for him growing up. His nights before Christmas were filled with fancy dresses and suits, people drinking a shit tone of champagne, and 5-star catering employees walking around with plates of foods too small to be that expensive while classical Christmas music played in the background. During the last few years that he's been living on his own, he decided to carry on his family tradition and this year is no exception. I was kind of excited, I have to admit, it's not every day that I get to wear a fancy-ass dress and act like I'm not a broke college student that can barely keep her shit together. The one thing that I was stressing about was the fact that you had to bring a date. Of course, Seungmin told me that it would be completely okay if I show up alone but honestly, it will feel a little pathetic going solo, especially since he's going to be there. A small part of me wanted him to ask me that night. I waited and waited until the second I got out of his car but he never did. Moments from yesterday have been playing through my mind on repeat, like a film from an old movie, bits and pieces of the way he look at me and how the way his smile made the night sky a little brighter. I didn't expect him to call or text but still, since I woke up every time a notification would pop up a part of me hoped it was him. I'm both scared and curious to see how he's gonna act tonight but I know that if he acts like nothing happen it's gonna hurt just a little more this time.

Chan, Hyunjin, and Felix offered to be my dates yet I said no to all three of them. Everyone knows that we're friends and if I showed up with one of them as my date it would mean that I wasn't able to find someone else. Which is true, finding someone who's willing to come as your date to a nice Christmas Eve party is harder than I thought. When Kai offered to be my date after overhearing me complain to Hyunjin about not having one I was extremely reviled. I like Kai, he's pretty chill and I feel like he's going to be a great date, plus everyone knows him. Emma is going with Seungmin obviously, while Chan, Hyunjin, and Felix are all going solo, probably in hopes of getting laid.

I smoothen the front of my dress as we step into the elevator. The dress Emma gave me is breathtaking. It's a deep, dark shade of red that contrasts with the paleness of my skin perfectly and the satin fabric falls loose around my body yet tight enough in the right places in order to hug my curves perfectly. The straps are thin, not offering much support to my breasts, but thankfully Emma and I have similar chests so the cups of the dress are enough. My whole back is bare, the fabric starting from the top of my ass and hitting the ground while the big cut that's starting from the middle of my thigh, exposed almost my whole leg. I kept my makeup natural, letting the dress and the deep red that painted my lips do all the work. On any other occasion, I would've perfectly straightened my hair, but his compliment from last night tickled the side of my brain, so I let my long, thick brown curls fall all over my shoulders and down my back.

I bounced my right leg up and down, the sound of my heels clicking against the floor of the large elevator filling the small space.

"Can't you just relax?" Emma touched up the sides of her nude, glossy lips with the tip of her finger in the elevator mirror. She is dressed in a white, tight, strapless dress that makes her figure look almost fake. The way her boobs are pushed upwards and the way the fabric of the dress is so tight around her waist make her body look incredible, offering her an hourglass shape.

"Yeah, you've been fidgeting the whole way here." Kai adds, leaning against the wall with hands in his pockets. He's wearing a simple black suit with a dark red tie to match my dress, which I find really thoughtful and cute. His dirty blond hair is messily styled, yet somehow he managed to look like a runway model.

"I've never been in anything like this before." I mumble but in reality, that's not the reason I've been on edge since I woke up. It's not the people that are gonna be there, it's not the fancy setting or the nice clothes. It's him. It's the fact that he's going to be there, and the irritating feeling deep inside me that he's not going to be alone.

Kai pushes himself off the wall just as the elevator doors over. "You look stunning, relax." He leans in my way, his tone just a little lower than before.

I exhale, forming a small smile and we exit the elevator.

"It's going to be so much fun!" Emma squeals, fastening her step down the hall. "I'm so excited!"

We reach their door and Emma rings the doorbell. I feel my palms sweating already, my fingers playing with each other nervously. Kai shoots me a glance before resting his hand on my lower back, his fingers brushing my hip.

The door opens.

Seungmin's eyes go wide, the rest of his face staying completely still. "You're kidding." His gaze travels along her body.

Her smile goes wide, her whole face blushing. "You like it?"

He clears his throat. "There are people here." His tone drops so that only we are able to hear him. "So I can't really express myself properly. "

I hold my laugh. They're so freaking cute.

He opens the door further. "Please, come in."

The apartment is brighter than ever, with beautiful chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, crystals reflecting the light perfectly down on the crowd of people talking and slow dancing in the middle of the massive living room. All the furniture has been removed, the couch, the armchairs, the tables, everything, leaving the space empty and open. I can count almost 30 people here, and I can't help but let my eyes stare in awe at all the beautiful dresses and outfits. It's like a ball straight out of a movie, with slow music playing in the background, the food, the drinks, and the people, it's incredible.

"Oh, my god baby..." Emma whispers, wrapping her arm around Seungmin as we walk further into the apartment.

"Don't worry, " He says, sensing how nervous all 3 of us suddenly are. "Everyone here is in my inner circle, just close friends and family. All the guys are already here, as well."

Em's feet freeze. "Family?"

A soft smile overtakes Seungmin's lips. "Come with me."

We watch as he drags her further into the crowd, disappearing.

"Well," Kai turns to me. "Shall we go find the others?"

"I'm gonna need a drink first." I chuckle nervously.

Kai looks around, locking eyes with one of the waiters walking slowly between the people, offering them a glass of champagne, and motions for him politely to come our way.

"Champagne?" The blond waiter offers with a sweet smile.

I curl my fingers around a glass, lifting it off his tray. "Thank you."

He nods politely and walks away.

"I see them," Kai says close to my ear. "Let's go."

He takes my hand in his, leading the way to the end of the living room, near the massive windows, that offered an incredible view of the night city. All of them are standing there in a circle talking amongst themselves. Chan's eyes spot us and I can't help but smile at his expression.

"No way." He shakes his head, not believing his eyes. His comment makes everyone's head snap in our direction.

"Holy shit!" Hyunjin's eyes go wide, the glass of champagne freezing inches away from his mouth.

"What can I say?" Kai lifts his free hand, shrugging with a smug expression. " I might have the hottest date in the whole party."

"Shut up." I roll my eyes, his comment making heat spread all over my face.

Chan inches forward, looking at me from head to toe. "You look unreal." He takes my hand, pulling me away from Kai's grip and spinning me into a circle. "Wow."

I can't help but giggle a little.

"No seriously," Hyunjin moves to stand next to Chan. "You look hot as fuck."

"Thank you guys." I nod at both of them, appreciating the way they always go out of their way to make me feel good about myself. "You don't look but yourselves."

Chan adjusts his black tie, making it a little tighter around his neck before rolling up the sleeves of his perfectly straight, white dress shirt, that I ironed a few hours ago after much begging from his part. With black dress pants, black boots, and his dark, messy curls styled just enough to look good but not preppy, he looks shockingly different. Hyunjin wears a similar outfit to Chan and with a face like his and the way his long, blonde hair falls just above his shoulders, he looks like a prince. I move my gaze behind them, noticing Jisung, Jeongin, and Changbin with Lia, who's apparently the only one with a date. I quickly realize that Minho and Felix are missing.

"Where's Felix and Minho?" I ask them as casually as I can.

I notice the small glance that they exchange before Hyunjin speaks up. "Smoke break." I simply nod and move to greet the rest of them.

"Oh, my gosh you look stunning!" I give her a quick hug.

She tugs her hair behind her ear, shyly. "Thank you, you look amazing too."

"Green?" I lift my eyebrow at Changbin's dark green suit.

"I don't like boring outfits." He smirks. "The room is full of them."

"Shut up, Shrek." Jisung rolls his eyes at his friend, pulling me into a hug.

"Hey," I mumble with a soft smile in the small space between his shoulder and his neck.

"I was waiting for you." He says.

"Too many people?"

He scoffs a laugh. "Too many fancy, important people and not enough alcohol to get me though. There are some people connected to my family here as well and let's say that I would rather not talk to them at all. " He explains.

I remember when Minho explained to me everything about Jisung's past and how he and Seungmin are connected but I mask my face and pretended not to know anything. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you another time."

"Okay." I touch his shoulder sympathetically.

"Hello, gorgeous." Jeongin pulls me in a small, side hug, his cologne hitting my nose immediately.

"Hi." I smile at his compliment.

"So you found a date?" He nods Kai's way, who's chatting with Chan and Hyunjin.

"More like the date found me." I shrug.

He takes a sip of his champagne. "Bummer."

"Bummer?" I lift my eyebrows. "Why?"

"I would've asked you if I knew you were available." He boldly states, his face natural and his eyes confident.

"What made you think I wasn't available when you told me about the party?" I reply, mirroring his confidence.

His face breaks into a smile, dropping his head a little lower. "Were you?"

His question almost feels challenging and makes me wonder if he knows anything about me and Minho.

I look away, into the crowd. "Jeongin, if you had asked me, I would've said yes." I reply instead.

I feel him taking a step forward. "Well, I'll remember that moving forward."

I don't know what to do or say besides simply smiling at him, his forceful approach taking me by surprise.

He lifts his half-empty glass of champagne towards me and I do the same, before drowning the remains of the bubbly liquid.

"May I steal her for a few minutes?" I feel Kai's hand resting on my back.

Jeongin brings his lips into a tight smile. "Of course, she's your date after all."

I let Kai lead me to the dance floor where a good amount of couples are slow dancing to a beautiful melody coming from the speakers. I place my hand comfortably on his shoulder and wrap the other one around his before we start swinging to the music.

"So," He drags the word. "You're switching to one of his best friends?"

I look at him confused. "What?"

"I thought Minho was the one you were going after." He lets go of my waist, spinning me 2 times before settling back into our previous position.

"I'm not 'going after' anyone." I straighten my back. "And to answer your question; no. Minho wasn't one."

"And Jeongin is?" He presses but not at all in a rude or angry way. His tone is light and conversational.

"Can't a girl just have fun?" I almost whine out loud.

"Oh, trust me you can have fun." He chuckles charmingly. "If having 3 guys running after you is your idea of fun."

Now it's my turn to chuckle. "That's not true."

He clears his throat. "You're right, 4."

I narrow my eyes at his hint of a smile. " I know I'm not your type."

He tightens his grip, pulling a little closer, my body pressing onto his. "No, you're not. But I would never say no to you."

That, I've known for a while. Chan had told me that Kai was interested in me months ago, yet despite him being breathtakingly handsome and a really nice guy, I wasn't ready to move on. I wasn't ready to hook up or mess around cause if I would have gotten involved with him, that's all our relationship would be.

"Ah," He purrs near my ear. "And that's the reason you would say no, to both me and Jeongin." I feel his head nod in the opposite direction, his words making my body freeze on his hands. "Don't look, it will make it too obvious."

I wanna look. I wanna look so bad. The desire to simply see him is so intense that it scares me and makes me feel like an addict wanting desperately to get his hit.

"Is he looking?" I whisper in his ear, even though I know Minho can't possibly hear me, and even though I somehow can feel his eyes burning at my exposed back.

"Yep. Intensely, may I add."

I don't move a muscle. "Is he alone?" I asked the question that's been eating me alive.

"Nope."

I exhale, and I try to stay relaxed, I try to keep dancing, pretending to be unbothered by his presence and honestly, my curiosity would have gotten the best of me if Seungmin's voice didn't echo through the speaker, interrupting the music and dancing.

"First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you that decided to spend Christmas Eve here." He says into the mic, standing on top of the first few steps of their huge staircase, getting everyone's attention. Kai forces our movements to a halt but still keeps a hand on my waist as we stand, facing Seungmin just like everyone.

"This gathering means so much to me, and I'm really happy that I get to host my own version of my family's tradition along with all the people that matter most to me."

It's eating me up inside, an uncontrollable craving and a tightness in my chest. Just a look, a tiny little glance to satisfy my curiosity.

"To my bandmates, to my friends, to my family, and to my lovely girl." He lifts his glass and the whole room does the same. Emma stands in front of him, smiling like I've never seen her before.

Just a peek.

I turn my head to the right, slightly and carefully, with my glass lifted towards Seungmin but the rest of his speech fades into background noise the minute my eyes lock with his. I swear to god, if Kai wasn't holding my waist, my knees would have bugled.

There he was, standing a few meters away, looking simply breathtaking. And already looking at me. Looking at me with a spark in his eyes, a force, a look so dark that made my throat dry, and I couldn't look away, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He looks, unlike anything I've seen him before. He's dressed in black dress pants that make his thighs look mouthwatering and a simple black dress shirt with the first few buttons open, exposing his wide chest. His hair, for the first time ever, is styled, with the left side slightly pushed back while the right front part of his hair falls perfectly over his eye. He looks so magnetizing that I almost didn't notice the petite blonde clinging to his side, under his arm. Dressed in a black, skintight, long-sleeve dress, with a full face of makeup and full red lips.

He smirks, lifting his glass my way with a challenging nod.

"So please enjoy yourselves tonight, and let's welcome Christmas in the best way possible." I snap my eyes back to Seungmin, finally able to breathe. Everyone starts cheering and clapping and when the music started playing again, everyone went back to either dancing or talking almost themselves while enjoying the incredible food and drinks, but I can't move. Not when my mind is glued to the image of her next to him. Who is she? I've never seen her before.

"Do you want another drink?" Kai asks. "Maybe a stronger one?"

"Yes, please." I breathe, wanting nothing more than to be dragged away from the dance floor, and enjoy a strong gin tonic in the corner, where I can't even see him. I let Kai lead the way, with his hand placed on my lower back. We reach the bar, and spot Felix and Hyunjin talking.

"Y/n!" Felix's eyes widen. "You look incredible." He wraps his arms around my waist, lifting my feet off the ground.

A series of giggles escape me. "Put me down! You're drawing attention."

"Are you enjoying the party?" Hyunjin questions with a lift of his eyebrows and a small knowing smile.

Instead of answering, I lean into the counter closer to the bartender making the drinks. "One gin tonic, please. Strong."

Felix lets out a low whistle. "We'll take that as a no."

"I was enjoying my night just fine." I cross my hands, looking into the distance. They're still on the dance floor, her hands loose around his neck and his holding her waist, like they've never held mine. They move slowly to the music as they chat casually. It's hard to stop my eyes from narrowing at the way his face looks almost relaxed, with a light smile as he speaks.

"Staring at him won't work." Hyunjin jokes, copying my position, arms crossed, back leaning into the table.

Felix lets out a laugh.

"Your drink miss." The bartender pushes the glass my way and I take it in my hands, taking a sip immediately.

"Is something going on that I don't know about?" Felix gives me a look.

"Nope." I shake my head, continuing to sip my drink, not taking my eyes off them.

"Something is definitely going on." Kai copies my position as well.

"You can tell us." Hyunjin adds.

"Nothing's going on." I've drank almost half of my drink already. "And even if there was, I wouldn't tell any of you."

"Excuse me?" Felix says, giving me a glare from head to toe while Hyunjin places a hand over his heart.

"Oh, please!" I roll my eyes at their reactions. "You would run to Chan and give him a full presentation of what I'd said, and you know it."

"That's a lie." Felix points his finger at me. "Your secrets are always safe with us princess."

"Exactly." Hyunjin nods. "Even if it's about fucking one of Chan's best friends"

"It's not like that!" Hyunjin's words make my tone rise, feeling a sudden need to explain myself but they simply laugh. "And besides, Chan's my-" Speaking of the devil Chan makes his way toward us, with his hands casually in his pockets, walking through the crowd like he's 7 feet tall.

"Chan!" I greet him. "Hi."

"Hello, pretty lady." He offers me a broad smile, before turning his attention to Felix and Hyunjin. "I need some help."

"Why? What happened?"

"Seungmin's having some trouble with the cakes." He scratches the back of his neck, a habit of his. "For some reason, they couldn't be delivered here, so someone has to go and get them from the bakery, which closes in approximately," He checks his watch. "19 minutes."

"I'll come. " Felix offers immediately.

"Oh, my god, thanks man." Chan sighs in relief.

"No, problem." He sets his half-empty glass on the table. "We'll finish the conversation later." He sends me a wink.

"What conversation?"

Felix pushes Chan towards the door, chuckling. "Nothing mate, come on let's go."

. . . . . . . . .

I tried sneaking glances as much as I could, whether he was dancing with her, going to get a drink at the bar, or absolutely devouring the mini burgers, and he didn't find my eyes once. Even when he was talking with the rest of the boys and I stood only a few feet away, fully involved in the conversation as well, he never once addressed me. In fact, he didn't even look my way. At all. All night. He smiled and talked, and acted like nothing was going on, like he was fully comfortable with me being almost right next to him. Like nothing had happened. He was simply ignoring me the whole night, so successfully that it made pure rage grow inside me. At the fact that it was so each for him to do so, when I couldn't even breathe properly when he was near, at the way he smiled and talked and danced with her, and most importantly at the way he looked absolutely ravishing. Simply stunning.

My anger was growing and growing each second, each minute, each hour passing and I found myself at the bar more often than I should. The party was beautiful. The decorations, the music, the elegantly dressed people, everything. Kai did dance with me numerous times, and I also danced with Hyunjin and Jisung but at times like these when Kai is somewhere talking or smoking with the boys and Emma is busy playing hostess with Seungmin, I give myself a second to simply do some people watching, and fully take in this beautiful scene unraveling in front of me. Everyone is having a great time, Emma and Seungmin along with Changbin and Lia are currently on the dance floor, and the rest of the boys are chatting and laughing. Every single person in here, has a smile on their face, enjoying the moment, something I can't bring myself to do. Hell, even Minho has a hint of a smile on his face.

I drown my 4th glass of gin and tonic.

"Easy there tiger." Jisung takes the now-empty glass from my hand. "Someone's clearly not having fun."

"I am having fun." I scoff. "In fact, I'm having a great time, this party is amazing." I wave my hand around.

"Yes, it is." He smiles, focusing his eyes on me. "Are you okay, kid?"

It's weird how Jisung can always realize when something's wrong, but then again I don't think that I'm making a good job of hiding it.

"Can I ask you a question?" I ask back.

"Sure."

"Do you smoke?"

He blinks at my straightforward question. "Occasionally, yes. Why?"

"Can I have one?"

He blinks again. "Um," Another blink. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Please." I press in a high-pitched tone when he appears to be looking around, probably for Hyunjin.

He sighs but reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes.

"For an occasional smoker, you sure are prepared." I tease.

He rolls his eyes at me with a smile. "Do you want it or not?" He holds a cigarette between his fingers.

My eyes light up and I immediately take it. "Yes please."

"I'd suggest you go somewhere else to smoke it." He lets his eyes trail around the room once again as if we're dealing right in front of 30 people, placing a lighter in my hands as well.

"Yes, I know." I hide the cigarette inside my palm. "Thanks, Jisung."

He gives me a short nod with a hint of hesitation in his big brown eyes and lets me walk away from him. My legs drag me up the stairs, making a turn to the only room I've ever been in this house. I open the big, glass door and exit the room, walking into the massive balcony. This time I don't climb the stairs to the roof, I walk further into the balcony until I reach the railing. It's a lovely night, perfect for Christmas Eve, the stars and moon lighting up the night sky and blending perfectly with the chilly atmosphere. I shiver, my bare shoulders moving inwards mechanically in an attempt to protect my body from the cold yet I don't wrap my arms around it, instead, I welcome the cold and let it lift the little hairs on my arms and spread goosebumps across my skin. Something about the cold air hitting me, this shivering feeling tingling my back, calms me down. It's like reality showering you in the best way possible, grounding you. I take the cigarette between my teeth, the red of my lips staining the edge and I circle my hand around it, lighting it up. The first inhale hits me hard, reminding me just how much I've missed it; the feeling of the sudden numbness in your brain unraveling and spreading everywhere in your body, and how suddenly with each inhale you feel more and more separated from the world around you. I let the moment sink in in my intoxicated mind, appreciating where I am right now and saving it. I know that my moment is gone when I hear the noise, the footsteps, and the door slamming, and even though I stay still, facing the night sky, hands resting on the railing, it doesn't take longer than 5 seconds to realize that it's him. Maybe it was his sweet vanilla scent mixed with a hint of cigarettes, that filled the air immediately or the way his light, slightly audible breathing sounded somewhat familiar, but I knew.

"Hello, Angel."

"Minho," I simply acknowledge him.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo on your back." He spoke in a low, controlled tone.

The corners of my mouth lift. "I have 5." I stay facing forward, pausing to take another drag of the cigarette and taking my time to exhale the smoke. "And there are many things you don't know about me."

"Like?" He starts walking my way, and I know that he has his hands in his pockets and a small smile is dancing on those beautiful lips, without having to look.

"You'll find out if you stop ignoring me."

My comment forced a chuckle out of him and suddenly he appears to my right with his back resting on the railing, facing me. When I move my eyes from the night sky to look at him, regret showers me from head to toe. I was right about the small smile but definitely not prepared for the way he looks at me through his long lashes. Having not made eye contact for most of the night, being here, and being looked at by him feels like the highlight of my night. And I hate it, almost as much as I hate the way my heart starts beating just a little bit faster.

His fingers come up, snatching the cigarette from between my own in such a swift movement, bringing it to his mouth. "Smoking doesn't look good on you, angel."

I admire how he moves the cigarette to his other hand, the one away from me, taking a drag of it midway and exhaling, and it's honestly crazy how attractive it is to me. "I don't care." I reply, trying to appear unbothered.

"Are you enjoying the dance?" He asks and if I didn't know any better, I would think that he actually cared but I recognize the irony in his voice.

"Of course, I am," I play along. "It's wonderful."

He drops his eyes to the floor. "I think I'm getting pretty good at realizing when you're lying."

My body stiffens. "I'm not lying." The party is wonderful...

"Well, I think you are." His words mix with the smoke as he exhales.

"And what makes you think that?" I further ask, holding eye contact for just a few seconds.

He shrugs. "Maybe it was the quite visible stiffness of your body the whole time, the constant frown that was plastered on those red lips, or the way too much drinking out of discomfort and nervousness. But I think it was probably the fact that you danced only up to 30% of your abilities thanks to that lame excuse of a partner you choose to drag along with you as a date." A small smile threatens to spread on his face, but he contains it.

"None of what you've just said is true," I try to brush him off, forcing myself to act like his words didn't affect me or how it scared me that everything he just said is in fact true. It makes me feel like I can't possibly hide from him, as if he can read me like an open book without even trying. "And don't talk shit about Kai, he's a great date and someone I actually know and have fun with."

His smile widened into a smirk. "Anna and I know each other for quite some time."

I stare into the sky again. "I didn't ask and I don't care."

"You didn't have to, I can see how it's been eating you up inside since you laid eyes on us." The confidence that laces his teasing tone makes me tense up and I feel his gaze on me as he continues.

Us...

"I saw the way you roamed your eyes from her head to her toes every chance you got, probably analyzing everything about her." He blows the last bit of the smoke before pressing the edge of the remaining cigarette on the railing and throwing it away. "It was easy to guess what was going through your mind, " He pushes himself off the railing and moves slowly, almost like a cat, circling around me and leaning closer and closer. "Questions, questions, so many questions, and doubts. I could almost feel you comparing every little thing about her to you." He stops behind me, his chest nearly touching my back yet still knocking the air out of my chest. I swallow hard, feeling his head moving to the side of my face, just above my shoulder.

"And honestly, I don't know what felt more entertaining to me; the fact that I could smell the jealousy out of you or the fact that you actually thought that she stands a chance next to you." He whispers, lips brushing against the cell of my ear and I'm on fire, from head to toe. He's suddenly close, so close, his scent hitting my nose, intoxicating my brain even more and memories of his hands on me and his body pressing against mine begin to dance around my head.

"Minho.." I try my best to sound stable, but my words come out breathy.

He pushes his face further into the curve of my neck, his lips traveling all around, brushing my skin. "What do you want angel?"

Such a dangerous question to ask when I feel like he has my body wrap around his finger without even touching it. "S-stop it. You can't do that."

His low chuckle against my skin sends a wave of vibrations all the way down to my core. "Can't?"

"Yes." I somehow find the strength to push my body away from his and turn to face him, resting my back against the railing for much-needed support. "You've been ignoring me the whole night, and now you wanna come and play games with me? That's not how it works." I cross my arms.

His face is now stripped of any playfulness, his features turning hard as he looks down at me. A moment of silence passes until he decides to speak. "I wasn't ignoring you."

I chuckle lightly. " Yes, you were. Completely."

He bites his bottom lip softly, eyes moving up and down my body fast. "I wasn't ignoring you, " He repeats. "I was trying to contain myself. There's a difference."

I feel my breath shaking at his words, and all I can do is stare at him, no words coming out.

He looks up, inhaling, tongue running over his bottom teeth as he steps forward. "You look fucking exquisite." He drawls. His hands grip the railing tight, trapping me. "My breath was yours the minute I laid eyes on you."

I can only hear my heart drumming against my chest, his words making me freeze. "I don't-"

A noise escapes him, almost like a growl. His nose bumps against mine gently, and his cigarette breath fills the small space between us. "You think I was enjoying watching him have his hands all over you?"

"It sure looked like it. " I whisper, looking up at him.

His eyes are dark, moving everywhere around my face before settling on my lips. "That was the point."

"Why is everything a game to you?" I can't help but whine.

He doesn't answer instead he brushes his lips against mine, taking my words and breath, and flashes me a look. His eyes warning me and asking me at the same time, and in a split second his lips are on mine. His mouth moved with so much power, so much force that it made my grip on the railing tighten as my knees almost gave up. It didn't take long before my mind caught up, making my own lips move against his with the same hunger and he hummed in response, satisfied. His cold hands cupped my jaw as his tongue began brushing aggressively against mine, demanding complete access which I was more than happy to provide. Our mouths danced together in a way that felt almost like a war, biting and sucking, nibbling and pulling, his hand traveled to my hair, grabbing a handful of my dark curls and forcing my head to tilt upwards, breaking the kiss with a choked moan. His mouth traveled to my jaw and down to my neck, leaving wet spots behind and marking my skin softly.

"You have no idea how hard it was for me to contain myself all night,"  He breaths out. "when all I wanted to do was bend you over and admire how hot the back of that dress would look as I fuck you from behind. "

A sound so desperate and needy ripped through my throat at his words, my body in shock and melting in his hands as he continues to devour my neck and chest, his mouth going everywhere.

"Minho.." I find the strength to whisper.

"Yeah, I know.." He groans against my skin.

"Someone could see us." I add.

He drags his lips from my neck back to my jaw, until his mouth is ghosting over mine again "I know," His eyes are hungry and wild. "don't care though."

I laugh under my breath. "We both know that's a lie."

"A lie?"

"Minho, you don't wanna be seen with me." I shake my head lightly. "Every time we're around people you act like a completely different person."

"It's not that angel." He exhales against my lips, brushing his nose against mine. His hands move slowly, from my jaw down my chest, his rough fingers toy with the thin straps of my dress before traveling down to my exposed cleavage. His eyes meet mine as he drags his fingers in between my breasts, making my nipples harden, the shape of them visible through the thin satin material. His mouth twists when he notices, his lips coming together hard. I feel my breath tremble as his hand passes from my stomach and doesn't stop. I switch my gaze from his hand to his eyes nervously while he stays focused on his movement, with eyebrows frowned. When his fingers brush over my core, I inhale sharply, holding my breath.

"God, it would be so satisfying to see just how wet you are for me right now." He lets out a low groan, smiling.

"I'm not." I swallow, tightening my jaw, looking at him dead in the eye.

His smile turns into a smirk, dark and wicked, that shakes me to my core and awakes a hunger deep inside me, making me wetter than I already was. "Let's check then shall we?"

Before I have any time to protest or do anything, he knocks my left foot with his, making my legs open enough for his hand to creep in from the opening of the dress that exposed my leg from my hip bone all the way down to my ankle.

"Minho!" My voice comes out more like a whine, the end of his name dying in my throat as his fingers waste no time, pulling my underwear to the side.

"Ah, shit." He hums in approval closing his eyes when his finger opens my folds, gently rubbing my clit and letting my wetness soak it. His smile grows as his teeth capture his bottom lip between them. "You're dripping baby."

I place my hands on his chest. "Please, s-stop."

"I don't think you want me to stop. Not when I can so easily do," His middle finger slides inside me, effortlessly. "This."

A moan leaves my lips, my head falling back at the unexpected pleasure.

His finger starts moving, fast and hard, making wet, sinful sounds mixed with my embarrassing whimpering fill the air.

"That's it, baby." He drags the words, in a low tone, attaching his lips once again against my jaw.

"Oh my god," I brokenly say, fisting his shirt. He slides another finger in with absolutely no warning, keeping the same brutally pleasurable pace and I feel my stomach tightening, the pleasure building and building. Everything has faded again, an effect that only he has on me, suddenly it's just me and him and I find myself not caring about where we are or who can see us as I let myself fall apart on his fingers.

His lips find mine, swallowing my gasps, in a sloppy kiss. "You feel so good around my fingers angel." His free hand comes up to cup my jaw, forcing my eyes to him, foreheads touching. "You think you can come for me? Huh?"

The way he speaks, so cockily and confidently, is challenging me and I hate how much the way he teases and handles my body, pushes me closer to the edge. This back-and-forth thing between us, this feeling, this rush of adrenaline that consumes me every time he's around is getting addictive and I want more and more. I want him more and more.

His fingers curled inside me, effortlessly finding that spot, and hitting it repeatedly. "S-shit."

"Found it." He says proudly in my ear, gently biting my earlobe, and if I wasn't currently on the verge of having an orgasm at a balcony, during Seunming's Christmas Eve party, I would have slapped that smirk off his face.

The knot in my stomach tightens, my legs begin to shake, and I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest, heat rising to my face. His thumb finds my clit, rubbing circles over it and the second he applies just the tiniest amount of pressure, I feel the pleasure creeping in.

"Minho, I'm g-gonna.." My orgasm hits me like a wave, my whole body going numb, gasps and moans of his name fall from my lips.

"There we go baby," He groans, connecting his forehead to mine again. "Ride it out." All of his digits move perfectly together, not slowing down even a tiny bit, as I make a mess of them. My eyes stay shut, still unable to breathe while the remains of my high still linger, the bliss still tingling my insides.

When he feels me relax, he pulls his fingers out, letting some of my release wet my inner thighs. I open my eyes slowly meeting his. He's grinning like a satisfied child, that got what he wanted.

"Well," He lifts an eyebrow, bringing his two fingers to his mouth and wrapping his full, pink lips around them, sucking them clean while holding eye contact. "That was lovely."

I blink and I swallow hard, and then blink again. Staring up at him, not really knowing what to say, my mind completely blank. "I- uhm.." I stutter, and it could be my head trying to wrap itself around what just happened or how the moonlight falls on his face perfectly, lighting up his big, brown eyes, but I struggle to form a sentence. His hair, a little messed up, probably from my hands, and his whole face, glowing, making me wish I could take a photo of him in this moment.

"I-I-uhm," He mocks, eyes moving all over my face. "Not knowing what to say; that's the 'Minho effect'. " He shrugs.

His words snap me out of my haze. "God, you're so arrogant." I push at his chest, making him stubble just a step, his shoulders shaking with laughter. I cross my arms, shaking my head at the boy in front of me. It's the second time, I've heard him laugh.

He bounces back to his previous spot, lowering his head a bit to catch my gaze, his eyes dark and beautiful. "Are you obsessed with me yet or should I try harder?"

I roll my eyes, fighting back a small smile, this playful and flirty side of his might be my favorite. It's making me wish we could stay like this forever. So close to each other, so open and relaxed. But sadly the nature of our relationship is nothing like that.

I open my mouth to answer but the shout of my name ripping through the air, makes me freeze.

Hyunjin.

He steps into the balcony, chest rising and falling so hard that he's visibly struggling to breathe. His face is covered with a thin layer of sweat and his hair is messily falling over his face as if he was repeatedly running his hands over them.

"Hyunjin?" My head snaps to him, but it's the look on his face, the panic in his eyes that makes my blood run cold, and my feet to take a step forward.

"We have a problem." He breaths out, hard.

"What is it?" Minhos takes a step forward as well, his body and face shifting completely, hardening, alarmed.

"It's Chan and Felix."

[chaoticdelinqueerwithglitter]

Okay, yesterday I had a shared brain riot with @just-sp-in-inginthevoid about Kakucho not having a real birthday and the s62 throwing him unbirthday mad tea parties. More of once in a year because, hey, it's an unbirthday! Mostly because the Haitani brothers wanted a excuse to be extras and dress up, but also because they decided it was a funny way of trying to find out his real birthday (of course, Izana was the one that decided the official date).

In some way, this is the second part of this drabble here. What could be at least in Bonten!timeline.

Kakucho used to loves his unbirthdays. Before everything changed.

(Drabble of Kakucho during Bonten. There is some subtle KakuIza, but it's just a tinny moment easy to ignore and see it as platonic)

Warnings: Angst and hurt without too much comfort. I'm so sorry, I swear the idea was hilarious in my mind, but then Bonten timeline appeared and it refused to not be angsty. So yeah, I'm so sorry, Kakucho 😭

(English is not my first language, so be nice please 🙈)

"Happy unbirthday!"

Kakucho almost jumped when Ran, Rindou and Mochi screamed at him as soon as he entered his office.

He just sighed, because of course, he should've know better. It was Februart 1st, he's official "unbirthday".

But the scarred man thought, that now that they were all adults (and criminals, for god's sake), this surprises parties were over. Or at least, the costumes were over. He should've know better, Ran and Rindou missing a chance to dress up and be weirdos? Not in a million years. Even the poor Mochi was wearing some ridiculous bunny-ears.

"I'm not going to wear a costume, so don't even try it."

Kakucho managed to say as soon as he saw Ran's mischievous smile. Rindou looked disappointed, but the two brothers quickly shrugged that off. They tried every time, but no even Izana himself could make Kakucho dress with an "Alice" costume.

Oh yeah, his unbirthday parties had a theme. Always the same one. A mad tea party in Alice in Wonderland. But the Haitani brothers always wore a different costume. Every damn time. They could repeat characters, but outfit? Never.

Chesire Cat Ran smiled at him, not caring about his grumpy attitude.

"Come on, Kakucho, we deserve some fun. So sit down and drink your tea, before I decide this was a fiasco and we need to throw you another party soon"

Kakucho shivered with the idea. No thanks, he still remembered that times (He tried so hard to forger, yet, he still remembered everything). All the s62 generation throwing him a unbirthday party more than once a year. Because for some reason, the Roppongi rulers decided it was a good way of finding his real birthday. Ran was sure they would get it right eventually, Rindou was convinced that Kakucho would have a big reaction when they finally did it. Of course, both of them were wrong.

So, even if his "official" birthday was the date Izana decided for him, even if it was just supposed to be February 1st, he had more tea parties that he was able to count. Izana used to joke about how Kakucho was at least fourty with so many celebrations.

Maybe is that, he thought, the memory of Izana's laugh being too real for a second. Because now he finds himself smiling softly while drinking tea and eating cake with what's rest of his family. Mad Had Rindou is making jokes about Sanzu's insanity and Kakucho is laughing, he's actually enjoying this.

Kakucho had fun, even if they could only stole a couple hours for that. But he felt good for this hours, less alone. The reminder that there was still people with him that shared the same memories, the same grief. The left pieces of his broken family. Kakucho was not alone and his friends never failed to show him that when he needed it most.

Later that night, after finally finishing the job and cleaning everything up, Kakucho was unable to sleep. The memories were too present this time.

He still remembered the last umbirthday he was actually happy. A few days before the Kanto Incident. Even if everything was getting more dangerous, even with Kisaki's plots, with the raids on Toman, the Haitani brothers decided that it was the best day to do it.

Or maybe it was exactly because of that, who knows. Kakucho certainly needed to relax that day, he was tense with everything that was happening, with seeing that bastard manipulating Izana.

But that day, Izana shone. That day, Izana didn't talk about Mikey or Toman, focusing his full attention on his servant. He dressed up like the queen of hearts, like always. Refusing to wear any costume that didn't show how majestic he was. Kakucho thought the tanned boy always looked like a king no matter what he was wearing. But he never told him that. He never told him so many things...

Kakucho cries himself to sleep that night, curled up in his bed like a kid.

The image of Izana smiling at him printed on his retine.

Overlapping with the last time he ever saw Izana's genuine smile directed at him.

Snow threathening to fill his nightmares one more time.

His own regrets eating him alive.

[gothic-thoughts]

His Favorite Rival

Tengen Uzui x Black GN Reader Fluff

CollegeAU, Bully!Tengen(not toxic, dw), Enemies2Lovers

CW: passing notes, Tengen got no wives, they/them pronouns

Word Count: 1110 (give or take)

 After only a few weeks of attending Music Theory, you managed to catch the eye of Tengen Uzui, the man many people warned you about since you were new to the university. During your time here, you heard more and more of Tengen’s misdeeds from your friends every day with them mentioning damn near everything from stealing to beating students up with his friends, leading your to try to avoid him, but that was kinda hard since you shared a class with the flamboyant 6’6 man.

 Avoiding him was made extra hard with him sitting only a few seats across from you and he abused the hell outta that fact by tossing notes onto your desk every other day. Despite his bad rep, they usually said something nice or teasing, so you expected no different when the scrunched up paper lands on your notebook today. You open it and it reads:

  "This is boring (-_-)  how about I save both of us and bring u back to my dorm?"

 Your jaw drops and you look over at him with raised eyebrows and widened eyes as the professor droned on about timing. In response, Tengen winked making the students closest to him snicker leading you to believe that they were his friends and this was a prank. Your face heats up slightly as you face forward, trying to drown out the hushed laughter and shake the feeling of their stares. By the time you collect yourself, the buff man was sitting next to you and leaning over the desk to whisper in your ear.

"Hey~"

"What, when did--"

"Whaddya say?" He whispered, winking, "Ditch this class? I can make it worth your while?"

"Go die."

Tengen scoffs with amusement, "Or what~?"

 The area around you two went quiet as a few other students looked at the scene he was causing. He was only doing it for attention: your attention. He didn't care who saw but of course you did with not knowing anyone in school aside from him and your small group of friends.

"Or I'll kill you myself." Your groan under your breath.

He looks you up and down, smiling mischievously, "Oh, that's hot."

"Go fuck yourself."

"How about you try to make me~?"

"I don't have to; you bother me so much, you probably do it daily thinking about me."

His smile turned into a smirk as he leaned close to your face. "How'd you know?"

 You groan quietly at his comment before kicking his shin under the table to hopefully make him leave you alone while you hide the burning in your face. Tengen yelps in pain, making his friends and a couple students laugh out loud as he rubbed his leg.

“I knew I had an effect on you."

"Mr. Uzui!" The teacher says, tapping her foot, "What are you doing?”

“Listening of course, Miss Anri.” 

“Uh huh, yeah. Stop flirting in class, look for a partner on your own time." 

"Miss--"

The professor just turned back to the board, "Just shut up and pay attention, Tengen."

"Finally someone who agrees."

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

 The next day you were in Music Theory sitting nowhere near Tengen or his friends, which gave you a very conflicting feeling in your chest. Like of course you liked him, he was one of the hottest boys on campus but he was also one of the loudest. As you saw yesterday, he can be a little much, even when he was being the tamest version of himself. While deep in your thoughts, someone tapped on your shoulder but when you look at them it didn’t seem to be one of Tengen’s friends but he was holding a small, folded piece of paper.

“Lemme guess, Uzui?”

“Yeah.” They say, resting it on your desk, “Sorry, you guys are having a rough patch.”

"We are not a---ugh!"

 You throw your head back in exhaustion as they walk back to their seat quickly as to not be seen by the professor. I scan the room for Tengen and see he was sitting at his desk, looking at you with unbridled excitement for you to open the note. But instead of giving the bully the satisfaction of pranking you again, you made sure he saw you crumple it in your fist before tossing it onto your desk, tilting your head to the side as you glare at him.

Another note was passed to you during lunch and knowing Uzui had to be somewhere in the area, looking on with excitement, you rip it up and throw it out without looking for him. The next day, your white-haired classmate finally decides to approach you outside of class, stopping you in the hallway with a flirty wink as he leans on the wall next to him. He finally approaches you after class.

"Been trying to get a hold of you for a while now, (Y/n).”

“You say that like you got my number.”

“Right, that being said, why are you ignoring my notes?"

“Because I don’t like you.” You step around him and strut away, “And stop telling people that we're going through marital problems.”

“What, don’t like me?” He starts to follow you, “What do you mean, you don’t like me?”

“What I said.”

"(Y/n), don't just walk away from me while I confess! Confessions have never been this hard for me before!”

“Whatever, Uzui.”

"Baby please~"

“I’m not your baby. We’re in public, don't call me that before people think we're dating.”

"Good.” He grabs your arm and gently tugs you back to him, “I swear this isn’t just some joke.”

“Cap.”

“It’s not, I’m being deadass, why do you think I started passing notes to you in the first place?”

“Cuz I’m new and an easy target?”

“No stupid, cuz I wanted to get to know you better. You were being awkward so I thought you weren’t getting it so I tried being more direct.”

“That’s why you invited me to your dorm?”

“Yes!”

 He pulls you in close, his body touching yours. You could feel his chest touch your back and his face inches away from yours.

“Like I said, this is the hardest confession I’ve ever had to do. I tried to avoid doing this in person but that was the most unflashy way I’ve ever done things. So here I am, in the middle of the hallway...asking you out properly.”

“And this isn’t some ‘prank-the-new-kid’ shit?”

“I put that on my life.”

“God, you’re a piece of work.” You groan with a small smirk, “Fine, one date.”

He winks. “All I need to make you love me.”

[nikeshady-blog]

Written for @hinnymicrofic September 12, 2023

Evil,

Part 2

(Go check part 1!) Sorry if this is a bit too long (777 words), couldn't resist!

Ginny’s gaze was hard and her expression unreadable. The only thing that betrayed any emotion was a single tear streaking slowly down her cheek. This was it.

Harry had just told her his last, most shameful secret: a piece of Voldemort’s soul had lived inside him for sixteen years. It had seen his every thought, peered into his every emotion and tainted his every passion.

“I thought it was only fair for you to know, I’m sorry,” Harry said, defeated.

“Fair?! Fair?! There is nothing fair about this, Harry! How can you think there is anything fair?” blurted out Ginny, furious.

Harry had expected it, had always known it, but it still felt like his heart had broken at that moment. It was the first time they had talked, really talked, since the Battle of Hogwarts. Too much pain had kept them apart, and Harry felt it would be unfair to resume a relationship with her, if she even wanted one, without her knowing the whole story. He also knew that once he told her about the Horcrux and his own death, Ginny would want nothing more to do with him. Her soul was too pure to accept the darkness he had harbored all his life. That did nothing to ease the pain. If anything, Harry was reminded of the walk to his own death in the forest: once again, Harry knew that he was throwing his life away, that he was moving towards his own demise, and he also knew that it was the right thing to do, that it was what he had to do, that it was the only thing he could do. Ginny deserved nothing less than the whole truth, even if it meant the end of the dream he had cherished without admitting it to anyone, let alone himself - the dream of a world after Voldemort in which he could enjoy some happiness. That dream was now dying.

 “I understand if you are angry. I understand if you want nothing more to do with someone so tainted and so... evil.”

The last word struck Ginny’s heart like lightning, and the memory of a conversation she had had five years ago came back to her as clearly as if it had been yesterday.

“Harry, look at me.”

Harry’s green eyes met Ginny’s brown for a long moment. They shone with such emotion now that for a second Harry felt almost crushed by the power of that gaze.

“You’re not evil, Harry, you never were.”

Harry was stunned: this was not what he had expected. How could she not understand?

“But the Horcrux...” Did he dare hope? “How can you be so sure?”

“You are not evil, you were never the Horcrux that was inside you. You are Harry, and that is enough.”

There was a pause, then Ginny continued:

“I know the evil that is Riddle better than anyone, Harry. I lived with him in my head for a year. I know what it’s like.”

“It’s not the same, Gin,” Harry interrupted. “You didn’t grow up with him inside you. What if he has distorted the way I see the world, my opinions, my feelings?”

Ginny saw the fear and terror in Harry’s eyes, glistening with tears he refused to let fall. The memory of their conversation after the Chamber became clearer and Ginny knew what she had to do.

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” came his immediate reply.

“Then answer me one question, Harry.” He nodded and she came closer. “Do you remember what Dumbledore told you? Do you remember what it is that Riddle doesn’t understand, the power he knows not, that is stronger than any evil?”

“Love,” Harry whispered, and Ginny nodded encouragingly.

“And now answer one last question, Harry, now that I have the words,” The silence lasted a heartbeat. “Can you love?”

Harry looked into Ginny’s eyes and felt like he was drowning. Her gaze was hard and bright and he sank into it. Harry thought of the nights he had spent looking at a dot on the Marauder’s Map, he remembered the summer she had pulled him out of his depression over Sirius, he thought of the kiss on his seventeenth birthday, the memory of which had been like a Patronus to him in the hardest moments of the Horcrux hunt.

Harry understood and could not hold back a tear. A feeling unlike any he had ever felt erupted in his chest and grew until it reached his lips.

“Yes, I think I can love.”

“Show me.”

As his lips brushed hers, Harry tried to express in that kiss all that words could no longer say.

[hatsunemimikyu]

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition First Impressions

Started playing yesterday after having it sit on my Steam library for years and thought it would be fun to note down my first impressions of the game!

Tales Experience

For note, this is not my first game in the series. I've played a significant part/finished Symphonia, Abyss, Zestiria and Berseria, and also played a bit of Phantasia and Arise. My favourites are Abyss and Berseria!

The Plot

I've gone up to Shaikos Ruins by now, so I haven't seen muuch of the plot, but knowing Tales I can predict some conspiration of those in power that relates to the ancient technology lol

I don't mind most Tales games sticking to a tried and true formula as I think the best part of those stories is how they tie to the development of the characters. And talking about characters...

The Characters

I already like Yuri a lot tbh. I love how he's simultaneously too tired for this shit but also cares too deeply to not help others in need. Combat-wise he's your sword main character(tm) which I always appreciate since I'm not that good at combat to play with the more intensive chars lol. Cool dude 10/10.

Omg Estelle is another one I'm loving?? She's kind and sheltered but she's also funny and a book lover. I love her dynamic with Yuri, sheltered noble x world weary (ex-)military makes me think of Luke x Tear who I have always liked a lot. I also love her dress, it looks like a flower!

Extra notes on her and Yuri's relationship, I'm curious to see how Flynn will play into it but I'm already envisioning the "this is my boyfriend Yuri and this is my boyfriend's boyfriend Flynn" thing lol

Also she and Yuri already had the "would you still love me if I was a worm snake or frog?" conversation and I love that for them tbh

https://youtu.be/RIlLpX4fmVY?si=4kR0_lmSoKr9YEpS

Mechanically she's a healer so... sorry girl, probably not going to play as you so much :'D and please stop using sharpness on yourself!!! Still 10/10

Doggo/10, what's more to say?

Ok but Repede is really cool! The only part of his design I'm not a big fan of is the electric blue fur on his head. I'm pretty curious on what's his story with his previous owner and how he came to hang with Yuri (I'm pretty sure the pipe is a memento?)

Mechanically he's the faster but frailer guy which is... ok I guess lol

He's scared as fuck and he has a big ass tote so he's very relatable lol I'm pretty sure him knowing to lockpick will be significant somehow, maybe a hint of his past? 8/10 let's see what he has in store

Mechanically he's the big swing guy which I always enjoy playing as even tho I'm bad at it

Smartass ass lil lady/10. This is a "type" of character I always like in Tales so happy to see her there lol. Still have to finish the ruins to see how will she decide to tag along the party. Mechanically she's the offensive caster, found her nice to play at but I don't like to stay still for long so I don't play caster very much.

Now that I'm done with the characters for now, let's get to...

The Gameplay

This is one of the Tales with the lanes + free movement duo. I'm playing on normal bc I'm a scrub, but I still feel that blocking at the right time/free moving to reposition is pretty important as some enemies can hit quite hard. Usually it gets easier with time bc you get more characters/spells, but for now I'm feeling the difficulty is in a nice place. Skills being learnable from weapons adds some more levels of choice (do I equip every new stronger piece of equipment or do I wait to learn skill X?) which is interesting. I'm glad I'm playing on my Deck as I don't have to worry about save points since I can just put it to sleep.

Now for the last part...

The Visuals

As I've stated before, I'm playing this on a Steam Deck, so I can't comment on how this would look on a giant screen, but for the Deck at least, it looks pretty good! The art direction is pretty strong and all the environments I saw up to now have been distinctive and very nicely crafted. The characters also look pretty good, and the overrall effect is like you're playing an interactive anime. Really shows how a good art direction makes a game look good no matter how old it is.

Anyways having an overrall nice experience with this one! I'm curious to get more characters and see how they develop. Idk if I'll write any more of this but it has been fun to ramble about lol. If you read this all thanks for reading lol have you played this game?

[shadowfromthestarlight]

today i almost didn't have my adventure, but i was determined to get the fuck out for the day after spending most of the week indoors. for months, i'd been hoping to visit silver falls state park, the most popular state park in oregon. i even looked up the trails yesterday to make sure they're not dangerous to do when wet, since it's been very wet lately. i woke up to the sound of loud rain. seriously considered not going, and even maybe just moping around corvallis and visiting coffee shops for the day, but when the rain let up around 10AM, i made the decision to just go for it. it was about an hour ride in an uber, but the driver talked to me, so we passed the time.

i was immediately glad i'd come, because walking behind these waterfalls was a special experience.

and being in the woods was therapeutic - it always is.

i almost chickened out of doing a longer trail, afraid i'd get lost and not be off the trail before dark, but that would have meant i'd come a long way to only spend about two hours in the park, which didn't make sense to me. so i ended up doing another path and visiting a couple more waterfalls. at one point, i saw a sign for double falls. i considered passing it by, but figured i might as well take a few minutes to go see it, and it turned out to be such a lovely, peaceful waterfall scene it nearly had me in tears.

i then thought about turning around, but looked at the trail map and realized going back the way i'd come would take about the same amount of time as pushing forward. i was rewarded with another huge waterfall i could walk behind.

i didn't even get to see every waterfall in the park - there will have to be a next time. and yes, it did rain on and off when i was there, but it was still worth it. also lmao at me wondering if the park was "dangerous" to visit in the rain because, uh, it's in a rainforest.

it was an adventure getting back to corvallis, too. first i had to check if there even was an uber available in the area, but there wasn't. so i went over to an area where a bunch of tents were set up for a bunch of races going on in the park this weekend and lots of people were milling around. i figured i'd be waiting somewhere safe and at some point i'd see some groups of people leaving and be able to ask if anyone was going to salem so that i could make my way to corvallis from there. or, try again later for an uber.

a kind stranger working at the race asked me what i was doing and when i explained, let me sit inside one of the tents. he then asked around to see if anyone was going back my way. then when he was unable to set up a ride for me, he took me to salem himself. (i take back all the mean things i think about men during the week before ovulation.) and long story short, i did get back to corvallis in one piece. i was also lucky to have met the kind stranger, because he has lived in multiple places in oregon and was able to tell me what life is like in various places in the state, since i'm still considering moving to the PNW.

could have missed out on a lot of fun today if i'd been afraid of a little rain.

[mydarllinglover]

Stars Collided || Five

Previous

Lovisa had been in a bad mood all morning, as her handmaiden got her dressed and ready for the day.

Ahsoka was unsure if she really was still upset about falling off the boat, or if something else happened, but what could have happened?

The princess was dressed in a beautiful peach coloured dress, with lots of tulle, that shaped her skirt, she loved these dresses, she loved the way they swayed. the sleeves wrapped around her bicep, just under her shoulder, but just like the skirt, the sleeves were also a puffy tulle.

She chose a similar looking tiara to wear.

Ahsoka left Lovisa's curls, but decided to wrap some of the front pieces, to frame her face, whilst incorporating daisies into the style.

Anakin was waiting outside of her door, when she finally left, and it made her heart race.

"Your beauty is comparable to every star hung in the sky." He greeted her, kissing the back of her hand, and she almost lost her breath.

Anakin knew the princess loved watching the stars, it was something she had told him as a little girl, and it was what he caught her doing last night.

"That is ever so kind." She blushed, as they walked beside each other, her hand was still in his.

"It is only the truth, M'lady."

"I see that swim the both of you took yesterday, washed away your resentment, for each other" Ahsoka commented, as she walked behind the pair.

"What do you mean?" Lovisa pivoted on her heel, looking at her friend, Anakin also looked over his shoulder at her.

"Well, look at the two of you, complimenting Lovey, Lovey's blushing, you're holding hands, You've been in a bad mood since yesterdays events, but as soon as you saw Jedi, it's like you just switched brains with someone else."

"We are not." Lovisa ripped her hand out of his. "Just merely being polite, well, Jedi, I think that my handmaiden and I are very capable of making it to the breakfast room, may you make better use of your time and giving my sister the same dedication?"

Anakin's jaw clenched, and his eye twitched at her switch, and he was beginning to hate Ahsoka, at that very moment.

"As you wish, your highness." He bowed his head, before marching off to Padme's quarters.

"What the hell happened between the two of you?" Ahsoka asked, as they watched his back.

"Why do you assume something happened?" Lovisa asked.

"Because you have made it blatantly obvious, and I am not a fool."

"Fine, something happened, but I fear I do not wish to tell you, my dear friend."

"Its bad?"

"Very bad." Lovisa sighed, her voice shook.

"Is it going to happen again?" She raised a brow, as she questioned the girl.

"Definitely." The princess bowed her head in her own disappointment.

"God made him a Jedi, just for a lesson to you, and I fear he heavily overestimated your own self restraint."

"I've never really had a good relationship with our creator, now that I think about it." Lovisa commented. "But I mustn't let it go on, I don't care about being unfair, but I do not like to be cruel."

"Only you would have a man ready to throw away his whole purpose, for you." She smirked.

"Do not." Lovisa laughed. 

After their long talk in the hallway, they had finally made it to the breakfast room, Padme, Sabé and Anakin were already seated, and being served.

"Ah, finally, I was beginning to wonder when the two of you would be joining us." Padme smiled at them.

"Ahsoka was just telling me something, sorry to keep you all waiting." Lovisa threw her friend under the bus, as they sat down next to each other.

A glass of strawberry milk, was already placed in front of Lovisa's seat, and she happily sipped it.

"Any plans for today?" Her sister asked.

"Uh, no, I haven't really gotten far into my day, to be thinking about what I'm going to be doing with it." Lovisa answered, thanking the staff who were placing food on her plate.

"Perfect, you can give Anakin a tour of the place." Padme clapped her hands together.

"What?" Lovisa questioned, her brows raising, as she looked up.

"Well, someone has to Lovey, and I'm far too busy, and hopefully, it'll help the two of you get along. I can not stand the childish bickering."

Perfect, spend more time with the boy she was trying to push away, amazing.

"Very well, Ahsoka and I can show Anakin around the place." She nodded.

"Well, actually, princess, I have chores to do..." Ahsoka told her.

"What?" She looked to her friend, her eyes wide.

"Great, so it'll be just you and I, M'lady." Anakin smiled at her.

"Great." She bit into the strawberry Danish.

The pair walked almost silently, around the castle, Lovisa sharing a bit of lore, that she could remember, about certain area's, and Anakin nodding along.

"Do you come here often?" He asked, when they made it outside.

"Yes, we used to." Lovisa admitted, “Our mother and father would take us, in the summer, when there were not many events going on, but as we got older, we were given our own duties, and less time to spend as a family, but it's still a second home. Padme and her friends, from school, would swim in that lake, racing each other."

"What about your friends?"

"What?" Lovisa looked at him.

"Did your school friends ever come here?" Anakin rephrased.

"Please, I got kicked out of school in my seventh year, I have tutors, hence why I'm not off in higher education, and stuck at home."

"You got kicked out?" He laughed.

Lovisa blushed, as she also nervously laughed.

"I may have got caught a few too many times in places I shouldn't have been, besides, I never got on with my peers, most of my friends are the ones that are paid to be in my home."

"Lovisa Amidala, the rebel princess, your title truly is fitting." He joked.

"Nobody calls me that." She rolled her eyes, with a smile, as she nudged him with her elbow.

"To your face, maybe." He replied.

"I'm not that bad. I think I've really calmed down, I'm growing mature." She looked at him.

"We are a year off from complete adulthood, you still have a bit of time left for growing." He swiped a loose piece of her hair, tucking it behind her ear.

"Come on, I wish to sit down in the grass." She grabbed his hand, as they walked down the steps, and away from the castle, where they'd be completely alone.

Neither of them were aware of the two girls who watched from the window.

"This is going to end badly." Padme sighed.

"On whose's part?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yes? I hear that Anakin is a trouble maker of his own, in the order, of course those two would be drawn to each other."

"So why are you encouraging them to spend time together?" Ahsoka raised a brow.

"I'm not quite sure." She admitted. "They do make a pretty picture. Tragedy. I'm hoping the more they're pushed together, the less they feel inclined to one another, you know how my sister loves to do the opposite of everything."

“I fear this might be different, your highness.”

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