#and also eventually your “activism” wraps back around into being harm if you keep going long enough

[shit-wcue-players-say]

BREAKING NEWS: canon character banned from own series for being "too problematic" (by the same community that also thinks visibly disabled characters(and likely people in general) need to be censored or otherwise hidden because "some people think that's gross" which is a mixed signal at best. Do we care about their feelings or not)

[realcube]

you flinch during an argument

navi | masterlist | taglist 

thank you to anon for this request 

characters ♡ suna, atsumu & sakusa

content warning ♡ cursing, angst, mentions of abuse, hurt to comfort, hinted ptss, parent!reader (in sakusa’s)

rintarō suna

♡ he paced back and forth through the living room, casting you dirty looks whenever you try to speak 

♡ you rolled your eyes at how far he took your singular comment on his volleyball career

♡ you were aware that what you said might’ve offended him and in any other situation you would’ve just apologised but considering how needlessly confrontational he was being, of course you were going to be mean too

♡ ‘rin, you’re being overdramatic.’ you muttered off-handedly, assuming he’d brush it off like everything else you said, so ofc you did not expect what he did next

♡ he suddenly stormed over to you 

♡ not only did he take you by surprise but also his furrowed brows and generally mad aura unnerved you too, so your natural instinct was to flinch 

♡ once he saw that, he immediately stopped in his tracks 

♡ his head slowly tilted to the side and his clenched jaw loosened, ‘(y/n)?’

♡ your hands were still covering your face but when you heard the suna’s soft voice, you realised what you had just done and craned your neck out to peer over your hands, ‘yes?’

♡ obviously, his intention wasn’t to hurt you but rather just stand in front of you. though it worried him that your natural instinct was to prepare yourself for harm from him. despite the fact he would/has never hit you. 

♡ ‘are you okay?’ he sighed, slowly approaching you as if you were a small critter that’d run away in fright at any moment

♡ you hesitantly lowered your arms, eyes wide as you intensely examined his every move, ‘i’m fine. are you okay?’

♡ suna gestured to the seat beside you on the couch, ‘i’m good. can i sit?’

♡ you simply nodded

♡ he reluctantly sat down next to you and gently placed his hand on your knee, tracing circles with his thumb, ‘i didn’t mean to scare you. i’m sorry.’ he said, his now hushed voice contrasting to how sharp and loud his words were just a minute ago

♡ you blinked rapidly, shocked at how quickly his demeanour changed but also relieved he realised that what he did brought you discomfort, ‘it’s fine, i guess. it just looked like you were going to- y’know. and i’m sorry too, what i said was uncalled for’ you murmured, the words just falling from your lips without any prior thought as your mind was somewhere else

♡ ‘i’d never do that.’ he blurted out, ‘but i get why you might’ve thought.’

♡ a few minutes passed and not a word was spoken - you just blankly stared at the wall opposite, completely lost in thought while suna closed his eyes, slumped back in his seat and revaluated everything he did 

♡ eventually, you snapped out of your contemplation and turned to look at him, only to see his sleeping figure beside you 

♡ it was probably the most peaceful you’ve saw him all day - so you decided against waking him up and instead cuddled up to him, accidentally falling asleep yourself 

atsumu miya

♡ you had your arms crossed over your chest, patiently waiting for atsumu to finish his hissy fit

♡ ‘it was a fucking joke, (y/n)! not that i’d expect you to understand my humour anyway. do you not get what you did? you fucking embarrassed me.’

♡ ‘it wasn’t a very funny joke, atsumu.’ you shook your head disapprovingly, trying your very best to keep a level-head but his nasty remarks didn’t make it an easy task for you, ‘you made me really uncomfortable so of course i was going to say something. also, i didn’t embarrass you, you embarrassed yourself.’

♡ the fact you weren’t as worked-up about this as he was only irritated him more. because deep-down, he knew he was being overdramatic and the contrast between both of your demeanours only highlighted this fact.

♡ he gritted his teeth together, momentarily side-eyeing you before absentmindedly cracking his knuckles

♡ he cracked his bones when he got tense - you knew this - but there was a faint voice at the back of your head, insisting that you had to run away bc he was preparing to hit you 

♡ and it didn’t help when he jerked his head around to look at you 

♡ though it was only the movement of his neck, this caused you to flinch as a part of you expected his hasty motion to be followed by a swing of his hand 

♡ you never really thought too much of your action and assumed atsumu would pay no mind to it and continue to talk but you couldn’t have been more wrong

♡ he slapped his hand over his mouth and let out gasp as though his whole soul was exiting his body through his mouth

♡ your eyes were squeezed shut but you blinked them open to see when you mentally established that atsumu wasn’t going to swing at you and had actually stopped yelling

♡ ‘(y/n)- i’d- i’d never do that!’ the volume of his voice gradually rose as he spoke, starting as breathy emphasis and increasing to a cry

♡ upon noticed his appalled expression and his frozen structure, you dropped your arms which you had automatically raised in defence, ‘you’d never do what?’  you voice was hushed, afraid that if you spoke too loud, you’d reignite his temper

♡ he rushed over to your side, immediately opening up his strong arms for you to enter, if you wished, ‘i’d never hit you.’

♡ both his eyes and tone seemed sincere so without even thinking, you found yourself leaning into his embrace, his arms holding you close - but gently

♡ you really had no reason not to believe him as he’s never harmed you purposely in the past and he didn’t plan on harming you just there; he didn’t even plan on intimidating you but that kinda just happened involuntarily

♡ he had so much on his mind, so much he needed so say at once, so much he wanted you to know. hence, it all came out as rambles. 

♡ ‘i love you, (y/n). i love you so much. i don’t want anyone to hurt you - including myself. i just want you to feel safe - i want you to be safe - so i’ll leave if you don’t feel that way with me around. i can understand why you wouldn’t. but heh, i guess it’s quite funny because i feel the safest when i’m with you. well, it’s not funny - i’m actually gonna miss you like hell - but it’s ironic. i wouldn’t even dream of harming you, love, but i don’t expect you to live in fear constantly so yeah, i’ll go if you want me to.’

♡ you blinked rapidly against his chest, pulling back to look him in the eyes and to your surprise, he appeared to be in more tears than you

♡ ‘i love you too, atsumu.’ you cooed, wiping away one of his tears with your shivering hand, ‘we don’t have to break-up. i mean, truthfully, i feel safe when you’re around too.’

♡ he let out an audible sigh of relief, ‘thank goodness.’

♡ a few moments passed of you just silently enjoying the feeling of being wrapped up in his arms until he spoke up once again while placing an infintite amount of kisses on your forehead, punctuating each kiss with an ‘i love you.’

kiyoomi sakusa

♡ he was sitting beside you on the bed but he had long before withdrew his arm which rested behind your head when you expressed your concern surrounding his hostile behaviour lately 

♡ ‘omi, i’m too ti--’

♡ ‘don’t call me that.’

♡ you sighed as you realised that this had spiralled into a heated fight which you really didn’t intend for it to become. all you wanted to do was talk to him about how rude he’s been to you and the baby as of recently and try to work out a solution but he had turned this into something way bigger than it needed to be.

♡ the remarks he was throwing around - as if they were nothing - resulted in a wrath bubbling in the pits of your stomach, which had been present and building up since the start of sakusa’s attitude problems 

♡ you knew that if this argument didn’t stop soon, you’d lash out on him and although you really didn’t have a problem with that in theory, you had spent hours trying to get the baby to fall asleep and you didn’t want to risk waking them up with the noise 

♡ and though you hated to give sakusa (mental) praise in a situation like this, you had to admit that he was good at keeping his voice down even while angry

♡ so you decided that it was best to diffuse this situation quickly and pick it up at a later date, ‘you know what, kiyoomi--’

♡ ‘don’t call me that either.’ at this point it was clear he was just saying that to piss you off, and it was working

♡ ‘--i’m going to bed; i’m tired from doing all the work in this damn house. we’ll talk about this later.’

♡ sakusa quirked a brow, scoffing at your statement despite the fact it was completely true 

♡ ‘no, let’s talk about it right now. since you clearly have a lot to say.’ 

♡ instead of replying, you gave him what he deserved - the silent treatment

♡ you casually pulled off your slippers, tossing them aside, proceeding to do other nightly activities - while completely ignoring his presence - then reached down to pull the duvet over yourself so you could drift into sweet, serene slumber to imagine a life where sakusa acted like loved you again  

♡ ‘(y/n).’ sakusa snapped, his voice sharp and demanding, ‘listen to me. talk to me- god, you’re so immature.’

♡ your eyes widened; out of the corner of your eye you saw him quickly raise his arm

♡  during your three years of marriage with sakusa, not once had he ever purposefully harmed you - physically or emotionally - but you were aware that what you were doing displeased him so your immediate reaction was to turn away and shield yourself with your forearms

♡ sakusa froze

♡ moments passed and you had yet to feel the impact of his hand so you lowered your defences to peer at him, only to see that his arm was stretched upwards as he yawned

♡ his gaze flickered between you and his arm - he was truly at a loss for words at what he just witnessed

♡ a lump formed at the back of his dry throat as he didn’t dare to speak, trying to communicate all his emotions through his eyes which grew increasingly difficult as they began to burn with tears and ache from the elongated period of time he went without blinking 

♡ he wanted to tell you that he’d never lay an finger on you in that way, that he adores you and he was aware of how he’s been treating you recently but he was previously too arrogant to change his ways. now he was ready to change though, if it’s not too late. 

♡ but all that came out was a choked syllable followed by a cough 

♡ ‘are you okay, omi?’ you tilted your head, watching as your husband coughed his lungs out beside you, his puffy, irritated eyes squeezed shut

♡ he eventually managed to catch his breath and the first thing he did was offer his shaky hand to you 

♡ though you were reluctant at first, upon meeting his gaze, it was as though his fury had melted away. his eyebrows were no longer knitted together, his judgemental sneer was now a gentle smile he wore to try reassure you and the way he looked at you resembled how he did on your wedding day. all the resentment, all the stress and all irritation was gone - which left you with the considerate, understanding man you had married. 

♡ you fingers found their way to his as you slowly intertwined them together, ‘we should, uh, g-get some rest, yeah?’ you stuttered, your lips gradually curling into a weak grin

♡ a faint hum of agreement could be heard from sakusa as he shuffled so he was now laying down, with a duvet draped over him 

♡ though he lay with the intention of going to sleep, he kept his hand locked with yours all throughout the night

[lokiskitten]

hey emma , love your page ! Could you please write one where the reader hurts themselves and tom is really worried and cares for them afterwards , leading to smut ?

Hello, I haven’t written anything in a wild but this was just the motivation I needed to get back to work!❤️ I sincerely hope you’ll enjoy it.

Tom Hiddleston | gentle touches

Tom Hiddleston x fem! reader

plot : after accidentally walking onto you self harming, Tom offers his help and devotion before figuring out the best way to distract your troubled mind from all of those worries.

warnings : mention of razor blades, mention of self harm, description of self harm, mention of healed scars and fresh cuts, smut, oral sex ( fem! receiving ), fingering.

Another shitty day spent at work easily led you to catch up onto your former bad habits. Even after remaining clean for months, you couldn’t help but immediately think about razor blades as a solution face to your problems. Entering the bathroom, the door shut close behind your shaky silhouette even though you knew that your boyfriend Tom was still at work. It was simply a reflex you’ve gained over the years of practicing those self injuring mannerisms. Hiding.

It didn’t take long for you to lay your delicate yet lethal fingers onto the proper instrument, the razor blade glistening underneath the light of the bathroom. Your other digits pulled your left sleeve up, shaky hand pressing the razor blade against your delicate skin. The flesh drew blood pretty easily, bringing satisfaction to your troubled mind which had been dreaming of this moment for hours now. Soon enough, multiple scratches started to align with one another, blending in with the healed scars which already adorned your left forearm. Unfortunately, your little self harming session was soon put to an end by the unexpected presence of your boyfriend whom had gotten home earlier today.

The door of the bathroom opened, a smile on his face as his blue eyes first glanced up at your face. Tom’s lips parted, the man being ready to speak up and ask you how your day went until his orbs finally caught glimpse of the bad activity you were tiredly leading. His smile faded away, eyes filling with sadness which made you feel bad to force him through such a terrible sight. “What have you done?..” the british man questioned as if it wasn’t obvious enough; which unfortunately managed to make you feel even worst about yourself. Though there was no form of judgment in his voice but the desperate will to understand why.

“I’m sorry.. I didn’t think you would be coming home that early.” You explained shakily, your first reflex being to pull your sleeve back down before putting the razor blade away. Though, Tom took the initiative to walk into the bathroom and gently take ahold of your left wrist, lifting the piece of clothing up again and taking a closer look at your bleeding scratches. A tired sigh escaped his lips, his free hand reaching out for a clean piece of coton which he then passed onto your fresh cuts. His eyes were stern and he spoke no words- the ultimate combo which always managed to make you feel nervous. Though, Tom’s gentle gestures succeeded in making you feel slightly better.

The man knew about your former addiction and issues, and was mostly sad as he felt as if he had failed his main duty which was to keep you safe. Tom wasn’t mad at you; he simply felt mad at himself for not arriving here about ten minutes earlier than he did.

Keeping your eyes on him, you watched as he cleaned and took care of your cuts like any parent would’ve done with their child’s injury. It was a loving move meant to erase a painful action. “Here. All done.” Tom notified before allowing you to pull your now clean arm away, his body leaning over the sink as he started to wash his hands with the help of water and soap. Pulling your sleeve down, you allowed your tired body to lean against the closest wall whilst your hands shakily rubbed onto your cold upper arms in a calming and soothing manner. Your mind and body were visibly craving for physical attention, yet you simply felt too shy to ask nor even admit it through this painful moment which was to be caught by your boyfriend through such a shameful act that was self harm.

“Are you mad at me?..” you ended up asking him, Tom waiting until he was done washing his hands and drying them before he turned towards you. His hand placed onto his hip, sigh escaping his lips whilst his free digits anxiously rubbed at his chin. The lack of answer made you look away, and that mostly out of shame and embarrassment. But thankfully, your boyfriend was soon to answer your question. “I’m not mad at you. I’m just.. worried. Worried that one day...” the grown man didn’t finish his sentence, and this detail was enough to officially put you down. Your face dropped towards the floor, hands nervously fidgeting with one another as you were forced through this unbearable silence.

Noticing your struggles, Tom took the initiative to step before your motionless body as his hand moved up to your chin, delicately pushing your head back up so that your moist eyes would lock with his. You couldn’t help but allow a tear to escape your eye at the sight of your concerned boyfriend’s features, feeling ashamed for forcing him through such a horrid moment of sadness. “I love you. I don’t want to loose you.” He explained, pure sincerity reflecting in the low voice he adorned. His lips then pressed against your forehead, your eyelids closing in order to allow your brain to escape with the help of this loving gesture.

When Tom pulled away, your eyes opened yet again and immediately started to seek eye contact with the man you loved, which was of course returned as soon as possible. His arms wrapped around your fragile body, pulling you in for a hug before progressively starting to lay kisses onto your cheek, jawline, and eventually neck. The sensation of his warm breath against your flesh drove your senses wild, your hand moving up to the back of his head in attempt to grab ahold of his hair and eventually exit your frustration through a few occasional pulls and rubs.

The grown man didn’t take long to acknowledge and understand your physical gestures, lips now moving down your cleavage whilst his hand lifted up your shirt. Lowering his body in order to reach your sensitive spots, Tom’s lips now started to praise your stomach all the way down until the button of your pants. The more the intercourse moved forward, the more Tom seemed to grow more eager face to this unexpected moment. His breath was getting heavier, and his kisses were also growing sloppier.

His large hands now gripped onto the band of your jeans, his natural strength allowing him to pull both of your pants and underwear down in one go. Meanwhile, you took the initiative to sit down beside the sink, legs spreading whilst your boyfriend took care of tearing your lower clothes off your ankles. He then kneeled down between your parted thighs, hands locked around your flesh as his lips praised your knees and inner thighs. A gentle moan escaped your lips as your toes curled face to the sensation of his breath spraying against your sensitive core. Smirking, the british gentleman allowed his nose to collide with your throbbing clit whilst his warm lips took care of properly pleasing your entrance.

His lips eventually moved up to your clit, tongue popping out of his mouth before the warm and moist muscle collided with your hardening bud. You couldn’t help but bite down onto your bottom lip as you watched your boyfriend work, admiring the way his hands, which held your thighs tightly, were covered in beautiful pulsating veins which reflected his physical maturity. It didn’t take long until your body started to squirm gracefully, back arching out of pleasure whilst Tom continued to eat you out. It felt like pure heaven. Though, the sudden and unexpected sensation of Tom’s entire tongue giving your wet lips sloppy licks pushed you above your limits.

Moaning, your hands moved up to his hair, lovingly messing it up as you took a firm hold of it. “Your taste.. it’s exquisite.” Tom spoke between a few focused licks before starting to gently suckle onto your throbbing clit. Your stomach bulged and vacuumed as you breathed heavier than you ever had before, offering your boyfriend the visual confirmation that he was doing a good job. His lips suddenly pulled away from your core, allowing his fingers to take over in the battle face to your resisting clit. The tip of his index and middle digit started to rub circles against your hard bud, sending shockwaves of pleasure through your entire body.

Tom seemingly succeeded in finding your weak spot, giving in just the right amount of efforts that you needed in order to finally reach your peak. Whimpering out of pleasure, your body started to squirm uncontrollably as Tom’s hand made sure to keep your thigh still in order to offer you at least a tad of stabilisation. Your excited hands which still held his hair unintentionally pulled his face against your genitals- earning an amused groan from the man who received the honorable privilege to feel your entrance spasms against his lips. Once the wave of pleasure had finally washed your orgasm away, you were able to let go of Tom and set him free.

Licking his lips as he pulled away from your body, the both of you were now two to catch your breath, panting whilst lustfully looking at one another. This orgasm was just what you needed in order to recover from this painful day at work.

I hope you guys liked this! I feel like it’s kinda shitty but I wrote it whilst being absolutely exhausted. Feel free to leave a request. ❤️

[thefools-journey]

So. Some of you may be wondering why we haven’t written a whole ton about the secondaries or what have you. Here’s the reason: we were waiting for them to end before we really dug into the problems we were noticing. We felt that it was only fair to wait for the routes to finish so that we had an understanding of the writers’ vision. Who knew, we thought, maybe they would see the problems themselves and course correct, maybe they are building to something we can’t quite see yet and these issues will have actual payoff, maybe-

In light of Muriel and Lucio’s endings, and the general mess that has dominated Portia’s route for a year plus now, we are breaking our silence. We are actually going to talk about this shit show.

The fandom at large has talked about a bunch of issues with the secondaries but for me, the cardinal sin, the thing that really all the issues lead back to, is this: the writers lost sight of the tarot themes which so strongly defined and held together the primary routes. Let me explain.

The primary routes each center around three thematic cores:

The Love Interest’s Major Arcana and its Reversed/Upright meanings

The MC’s Fool’s Journey, both how it can go right and how it can go wrong

A question about the MC’s identity and their relationship to said identity

Asra’s route asks: Who was the MC? How does the MC navigate a past they cannot and will not remember? What do they owe a past they cannot remember? How do they handle the revelations of what Asra, Nadia, Julian, etc did? How do you right the past? Can you?

Nadia’s route asks: Who is the MC? The MC has no past. Are they the Fool only? Are they actually the same person they were? How can they tell? Who are they, really? Are they an imposter? No one can answer these questions for them.

Julian’s route asks: Who will the MC become? How does the MC see their future? Is there anything worth fighting for for that future? What will become of them and their loved ones? 

Now, if you notice, these themes are expertly woven throughout the primaries. Asra’s past dominates his route, Nadia is also missing memories and trying to construct her identity both with her family and with Vesuvia, and Julian’s fear of the future drives his flailing for control. Asra has to learn to take a broader view of his actions to get his Upright Ending, Nadia has to learn to trust herself and those around her for hers, and Julian has to learn how to let go for his. These lessons are the issues their cards stand for. The primaries are so dang elegant and delicate in their handlings of theme it is honestly awe-inspiring.

Thematically, the secondary routes have completely lost their hearts. First of all, the MC does not have strong, core questions which need to be answered. They just don’t. I suppose the writers did not want to retread old territory (which is weird considering how tightly bound the primaries are; it really tricks you into thinking you’re living the same events but from different angles depending on your route) but they did not replace the old with anything new. Muriel’s route is, on the surface, about discovering and owning his past, the good and the bad. Why not tie MC’s self-discovery to that story? Or they could have taken the angle that Muriel’s route is about convincing him to be present and active in the world while MC builds an identity for themself outside of Asra, the shop, and the memories they cannot retrieve. Why not tie the investigation themes running through Portia’s early route back to MC and their past? Portia has the unique angle of being as in the dark as MC about all of this, why not discover the past together? And for goodness’ sake, Lucio has no future when his route begins, why not tie that to his need for growth, responsibility, and MC’s own future between the Fool, the Devil, or something mortal and in between?

Secondly, the routes lost their tarot backbone. We have a primer on how to get specific endings for each LI and it still holds, but the writers did not follow through on the thematic coherence of each secondary. The Hermit is looking for something, be it perspective, insight, a solution to a problem, whatever. The key here is that the Hermit must find or learn what they are searching for, this thing must change their understanding of the world, and finally, they must bring this lesson back to the world from which they retreated. Can someone please enlighten me as what exactly Muriel learns then teaches the world around him? Nothing Muriel learns from Morga, MC, or even the Hermit ties back into anything. The Devil warns that you are out of control and exerting a lot of manipulative, destructive behavior on the world around you. It asks you to take responsibility for yourself and your actions. So can someone tell me why Lucio’s route actively avoids any interaction or reflection on two of Lucio’s biggest victims: Muriel and Julian? Why does the route only try to make amends with the “easier” of his victims in the cast? The Star is first and foremost the card of clarity, the light at the end of the tunnel. Perseverance, if you will. Yet Portia’s route has been the muddiest of the trio; the writers drop the investigation aspect of her route in favor just handing her and MC information they could have easily found and muddying the waters with Tasya (she blows up the palace but it’s all okay bc she has a secret daughter Julian never thought to bring up or mention) and the complete removal of the Devil as antagonist. 

So that leaves just the Fool’s Journey trying to hold this stool up with only one leg. And well...it doesn’t go well. At best, the secondary route books pay the barest surface level homage to the themes of the individual cards. At worst, they ignore the cards completely. Muriel's Moon book has nothing to do with illusions or delusions or lies or even an Alice in the Looking Glass upside down world. Portia's back half is a complete and utter mess, starting with her Temperance book being so badly mangled that Muriel's aftermath book does it better. Lucio's route too bungles the Tower and the Star. There just isn't enough here to carry the routes alone.

Add to the core loss the loss of intertextuality. The primary routes are very good, even great but they too do have their moments and mistakes. What helps strengthen them when the cores stumble is how the trio is woven together. Things you learn in Asra's route can inform the way you play Nadia's, for example. Julian's route informs what is going on in Asra's route and slots some missing puzzle pieces together. Nadia's route tells you of the power struggles she is facing and informs the other two routes' handling of Julian and his trial. On and on, the three routes support each other because they are built out of the same basic plot beats, just tackled in very different ways. Now, the writers are allowed to try and write whatever they want. They apparently wanted to be more experimental and less tied down to an overarching plot with the three secondaries. Okay, fine, they are allowed to do that. The problem is that they sacrificed one of the key strengths of the primary trio and didn't replace said strength with anything else. They also, on some level, harmed the very premise of the game, which is that only the player's choices and route selected change the overall plot. Instead of feeling like legitimate possibilities or offshoots of the same timeline/plot, the secondaries feel almost like Arcana AUs. The secondaries throw out all relations to the primaries and each other as quickly as possible and for what? 

It is probably the height of arrogance to suggest fixes for works whose behind the scenes I do not know. At the same time, some small, obvious changes could have salvaged Muriel and maybe Lucio's endings (rip Portia). Instead of having the Hermit appear as a disappointing cameo, why not have him say something cryptic to Muriel, then have MC start trying to seal the Devil. Then let Muriel use his forget me mark to cloak MC and hide them from the Devil's attacks. Protecting MC by hiding them from Lucio, keeping him focused on Muriel, seems to me a simple third solution between Muriel's desire to run and his desire to never fight again. It lets him stand up to Lucio and let him have it while holding onto who Muriel has become. The Reversed End would have MC try to draw Lucio's attention at some point, disrupting the sealing, and eventually leading to Muriel killing the Devil. With Lucio's Upright End, I just have to ask: why doesn't MC fully claim the power of the Fool instead of the Devil? We don't need the other Arcana involved in this fight; we have three routes that demonstrate that. Just have MC pull Scout into the conflict, then have Lucio tell MC he believes in them, then add his power to the mix. You got yourself a full Fool who leaves Scout guarding the realm until they and Lucio's mortal bodies fail and they return to the realm to be together forever. Boom, you're done, you can even add some ambiguous lines so that players can decide how happy their MC is with this arrangement, send me the check.

Here is the bottom line. Our group is full of aroace, and several combinations therein, individuals. We are the last group who should have gotten into a dating sim of all things. But the Arcana did something with the primaries that was special; they wrote a compelling plot with dazzling lore, complex characters, and strong themes wrapped up in a dating sim bow. The writers know better and we know they know better. I do not know what happened with the secondaries, especially around books 10-11, which is where minor issues slowly start spiraling into major ones, but it is clear that Nix Hydra needed some more planning before they released these routes. Hopefully they will learn.

TL;DR: Nix Hydra fired their tarot consultants about eighteen months ago and it has wrecked their secondary routes until they were just embarrassments. They never intended for the secondary routes to even exist and once they had to make them, they scrambled and threw out everything that made the primaries work.

- Mod Telos

[joonie-beanie]

Missing Ingredient

Pairing: Solomon x Reader

Word Count: 5,467

Preview: Solomon needs help obtaining some "nectar" for a spell he wants to try, and asks you for your assistance.

Unbeknownst to you, the so-called nectar he needs isn't from a flower at all.

This chapter is also being posted as a part of my “Devil Doms” series on AO3.

I wrote this after getting inspired by one of @/shokujin-art’s pieces with Solomon and their MC Ethan!

WARNING: This chapter can be considered dub-con. If dubious consent makes you uncomfortable, please do not read.

“I need your help.”

The smile on Solomon’s face is a little disconcerting. After all, usually it’s not he who is asking you for help, but…you decide to hear him out.

“With what?”

Your gaze is openly skeptical as you regard him, but his smile doesn’t waver.

“I need nectar for a spell I’ve been wanting to test out for a while. I was wondering if you could help me in that regard.”

You blink at him, confused. Nectar? How the hell are you supposed help with that? It’s not like you’re an expert with flowers, and you certainly have no idea about flowers that reside in the Devildom.

“You…want me to help you find…nectar?”

He nods, bringing a hand up to his chin—his eyes turning towards the ceiling.

“Well…basically, yes.”

You narrow your gaze at his phrasing, concern growing by the moment. Exactly what the hell is Solomon playing at? You know he’s a bit of a sketchy bastard, and sometimes you feel like he can’t be trusted, but…so far, he hasn’t wronged you.

…that counts for something, right?

“Listen,” you say, poking a finger into his chest. His eyes widen at the action, and he pauses—staring at you as you continue to jab him. “I’ll help you, okay? But I better not be harmed on this journey to achieve whatever “nectar” you need. Got it, wizard boy?”

Solomon rolls his eyes at your nickname—catching your finger when you move to press your nail into his chest once more.

“You won’t experience any pain,” he says, laughing quietly. His eyes crease, a handsome smile lighting up his face, and for a second, you forget about your worries.

“I promise.”

The next weekend, you get a text from Solomon demanding that you come over to Purgatory Hall.

Today is the day—he needs your help with his nectar issue—and so, you pack up your bag and head over.

You’d attempted to ask him what retrieving this nectar would entail. After all, did you need to dress in hiking boots?? Would he be taking you out into the Devildom wilderness to try and find some rare, valuable flower?? But Solomon had refused to reveal any details.

He’d simply explained that it may take a few hours, and that you should just bring yourself, and any basic necessities.

So now, here you are—standing on the step to Purgatory Hall—waiting for Solomon to come and let you in. It takes a few minutes, but eventually the grand wooden door is pulled open.

“Took you long enough,” you mumble as he ushers you inside. The sorcerer can only laugh, keeping pace beside you as the two of you traverse the halls—heading towards his room.

“Sorry,” he says. His hand moves to wipe at his brow. You notice the tiny beads of sweat sticking to his skin, and curiosity fills you. “I was preparing.”

“Preparing for what?”

Again, Solomon reveals nothing. He easily laughs off the seriousness of your question, waving a hand in front of him as if to try and dissipate any of your worries.

“Preparing to retrieve the nectar,” he responds after a moment, flashing you a small smile. “I’ve been trying to gather the ingredients for this spell for many, many years, and this is the last, and hardest one to collect.”

“And…you need my help in particular with this…why?”

Your eyebrows are knit together on your forehead, and you’re sure that Solomon notices your trepidation, yet he chooses not to address it. Instead, he continues a few more strides up the hall before stopping.

You’ve already arrived at his room.

He reaches out to grab the doorknob, his silver eyes darkening playfully as he regards you. The subtle shift in his demeanor has butterflies tickling the inside of your stomach, and you swallow nervously.

While you’re not as magically inclined as Solomon, you can still feel the magic leaking from inside of his room. He obviously has something planned for you once you step inside, but you’re not sure what.

“…you promised you wouldn’t hurt me,” you remind him, pouting angrily—attempting to hide your apprehension. Your words have Solomon rolling his eyes, and he releases the door knob.

Standing straight, he jerks two of his fingers towards you, and suddenly a golden magic circle encases one of your wrists.

Your eyes widen in surprise, but before you can think to say anything, he’s making another motion with his hand. Quickly, the magic circle tugs you forward, and within seconds, you find yourself directly in front of Solomon.

His previously kind smile is now replaced with something more akin to an amused grin.

“I gave you my word, didn’t I?” he asks, free hand moving to gently brush a few stray hairs from your face. The gesture contradicts his current attitude, making you feel torn. Anxiety and excitement mingle in your gut—both turned on and concerned by your predicament.

“You did, but you’re kind of a bastard, so I want you to reassure me…,” you mumble, cheeks heating up as you stare at him.

This isn’t exactly the first time Solomon has used his magic to fluster you. No, many times now he has casually used spells to fuck with you—making you more sensitive to the touch, or creating a brief gust of wind to flip your skirt up while at RAD. It has kind of become your thing—picking on each other, with Solomon bridging into sexual territory every so often.

Actually...you’d made out with him a few weeks prior—both of you slightly intoxicated, and drawn in by the club music at The Fall—but it had never gone beyond kissing, and groping. Despite that, the sexual energy between the two of you had been palpable.

Yet, nothing had come of it. You’d mutually parted—preserved your friendship—and gone your separate ways that night. You’d assumed that Solomon simply wasn’t interested in doing those kinds of things with you—that any playfully sexual advances towards you were done in the spirit of friendship. Which you were okay with.

But…now that you’re standing here—hair risen all across your body at the magic leaking from his room—you know that he has big plans. And judging by the glint in his eyes, and the way his thumb is carefully caressing your cheek—you’ll certainly be in for a treat.

“When you step beyond the threshold of this door, no harm will come to you,” he speaks calmly, dipping down to press a soft kiss to your lips. Almost instantly, you’re melting into him—heart hammering against your ribs as your defenses are so easily torn away.

“Do you trust me?”

You nod, and his fingers leave your face. You hear the doorknob turn.

“I shouldn’t, but I do.”

He laughs at that, and in the next beat, he’s pulling you inside.

His room is just like you remember it—spacious, and dark. His desk is littered with an army of ingredients, and spell books. His bed is nicely made, and there’s a single, leather armchair tucked into the corner of the room, near the fireplace.

The only thing out of the ordinary is the golden blob of magic sitting in the center of the room. There’s an intricately drawn circle of chalk surrounding it—many runes, and foreign words tied into the dormant spell.

“I’m beginning to think that this “nectar” you need isn’t exactly from a flower…,” you mumble, sending him a little look when he once again uses the magic circle around your wrist to force you farther into his room. Solomon only smiles, guiding you forward until you’re standing inside the chalk ring—the blob of magic at your feet.

“To be honest, for the longest time I thought I was searching for a rare flower,” he says, sighing as he recalls his strife. His footsteps echo throughout the silent room as he scoots arounds the circle, shaking his head in disappointment. “This is a spell I found in an ancient text, and the words were quite hard to decipher. At some point, I picked out the word “nectar”, but figuring out what kind of nectar took far too long.”

As he speaks, you feel the spell at your feet start to buzz to life. And when your gaze flickers to the floor, you note that the blob of magic is starting to…move?

With each passing second, as the spell activates, the ball of golden magic expands and contracts—bulging here or there. You’re forced to divide your attention between Solomon—who is now standing in front of the leather chair—and the magic at your feet (which looks ready to explode).

“Solomon…,” you speak nervously, gasping when a second magic circle suddenly encases your free wrist. You turn to look at the sorcerer just as he jerks his fingers towards the ceiling—forcing your arms high above your head, where the spinning circles then merge into a single, larger one.

“H-Hey! You still haven’t told me what the hell is going on!” you stutter, feeling warmth on your cheeks as you realize your current state of vulnerability. With your hands bound like this, there’s no way you can escape whatever Solomon has planned.

“And yet, you still look like you’re enjoying this,” he teases you. You attempt to glare at him, but there’s no real power behind it, considering he’s right.

“Bastard…”

Solomon laughs at that, and he steps into the chalk circle without warning. His hands find your waist, and he kisses you without an ounce of hesitation. His lips are firm, and warm—moving against your own languidly, like he’s got all the time in the world.

The show of intimacy successfully distracts you from the ball of magic at your feet. Well…at least until the energy takes a new form—multiple, long limbs of magic shooting out, and wrapping around you.

“Mmph!” you squeal around his tongue, rearing back in shock. You look down, wriggling as the warm tendrils of magic climb your body. One is already hugging your waist—replacing the feel of Solomon’s hands as the wizard takes a step back—watching everything unfold with a self-satisfied grin spreading across his lips.

“Basically,” he speaks, calm as ever—as if you aren’t being molested by magic. His magic. “I finally figured out that the “nectar” I’ve been searching for is the arousal of a human. The product of their pleasure.”

His words have you feeling even hotter—an embarrassing gasp leaving you as one of the tendrils wraps around your thigh, and wiggles against your clothed sex.

“Really, of course I finally figured it out once I’m here in the Devildom.” He shakes his head, crossing his arms disappointedly. You bite your lip, trying to stifle another lewd sound as the tendril around your waist curls up between your breasts.

From what you can tell, there are 2…well, tentacles of magic in total—with one occupying your legs, and the other busying itself with your torso.

“I-If you need human arousal, why not use your own?” you ask him, already quite breathless. The sound makes Solomon’s eyes sparkle.

“What? You think I want to sit around and jerk into a cup for god knows how long?” he laughs, eyes raking down your body. His gaze stops near your hips, and he makes a motion with his hand. In response, the tentacle currently rubbing softly against your pussy pulls away—hooking under the waistband of your pants.

In one swift motion, it tugs the garment down your legs, and discards it onto the floor. You flush hottly, pressing your thighs together in an attempt to preserve a sliver of modesty—but the tendril of magic easily slips its way between your legs, once again rubbing against your pelvis.

“And besides, this route seemed much more fun.” He smiles cheekily, a dark sort of amusement lingering in his silver gaze. ��I always pegged you as the type to enjoy a situation like this anyway. You know, a damsel in distress with a bit of kink and sex thrown in.”

You send him another look, but can’t say anything. Because…he’s not necessarily wrong. You can’t deny his words, nor can your body deny its reaction to your current predicament. Each pass of the magic between your legs or against your breasts has arousal pooling in your gut.

“Of course, if I’m wrong, just tell me, and I’ll stop.”

Despite the teasing look on his face, his words are genuine. He won’t do anything you’re not okay with. Even if he needs the ingredient for his spell, it seems he’s not entirely an asshole. At least, not to you.

“N…no…I’m okay with this,” you admit meekly, causing him to smile. “But…how are you retrieving the… um…”

You’re too shy to say it, now, realizing what the nectar actually is.

“Well, I did mention that all of this took time to prepare,” he responds, allowing the tendrils of his magic to continue roaming your body freely. It seems like he’s able to control them when he wants, but otherwise, they’ll continue working towards their goal on their own.

“Since I was able to get you to agree to help me out—”

“Without telling me what would actually be involved.”

He sends you a look—a little annoyed at being interrupted despite so kindly answering all of your questions.

“Oh I’m sorry—,” he makes a motion with his hand, and suddenly the tentacle around your chest is tearing your shirt away with a definitive rip. In the same beat, the tentacle between your legs slips beneath the crotch of your panties—tugging them off your body.

Somehow, it manages to discard the garment near Solomon’s feet, so he bends down and picks up the cotton fabric with a smile—the large spot of arousal hard to miss, even in the dim light of his room.

“—but do you really have the right to be sassing me about my ethics, when you’re already wet enough to stain your panties? Clearly, you’re turned on despite me not telling you, love.”

You open your mouth to attempt to defend your pride, but the only sound that comes out is a lewd gasp. The smooth magic between your thighs resumes its motions—now rubbing up against your wet pussy with no barrier. The contact makes you ache—your clit already so sensitive to the touch—and a satisfied grin settles on Solomon’s face.

“As I was saying,” he continues with his explanation calmly, but his gaze doesn’t leave the sight of you. With your panties gone, and your shirt in tatters on the floor, the sorcerer would be a fool to not watch the show unraveling in front of him.

“It took time to prepare. I had to figure out what would be the best way to retrieve the nectar without letting it go to waste. After all, sex can be so messy.”

Solomon pauses for a moment, soaking in the sound of your voice as you whine—your body flushed from head to toe as the thick tentacles of his magic keep their pace, rubbing against you in all the right places.

His slacks are beginning to feel a little tight.

He coughs.

“Basically, the raw magic will absorb your “nectar”, and will keep it trapped until I can draw it out.”

“S-So what?” you whimper, fingers helplessly curling and uncurling above you. His magic circle allows your wrists no wiggle room. “Y-You’re just going to sit here and watch your magic molest me until you’ve collected enough of my arousal for your spell?”

“Molest is a strong word,” Solomon says, seating himself in the leather chair. He leans back, letting his legs spread wide, and your eyes fall to the tent in his pants. “I prefer fondle. Or, pleasure. After all, you’re feeling a fair amount of pleasure right now, aren’t you?”

With a small inclination of his fingers, the tentacle between your legs pulls back—the thick, rounded tip pressing directly against your clit. It moves in miniscule side to side motions, and Solomon sees the way your entire body flexes—thighs shaking with each pass over your bundle of nerves.

“Fuck,” you pant, arms straining against their bindings. The wizard chuckles.

“Shall I make you cum like this? Or would you prefer to wait? Personally, I have no qualms making you orgasm until you’re begging me to stop, but I also don’t want to break you. You’d be a pain to put back together.”

“Asshole,” you remark.

With the tentacle still swiping across your clit, you know it won’t be long until you reach your climax. And while you know cumming will only serve to make everything more sensitive afterwards, you can’t bring yourself to pass up the offer of an orgasm. You’re already too close, and your body is begging for a release.

“I…I want to cum. Please.”

“Look at you, saying “please” even though you’re calling me an asshole.”

You so desperately wish he was within kicking range, because if he was, you would absolutely lift your leg and wipe that cocky grin straight off his face.

Luckily, the magic between your legs quickly distracts you from your anger towards the sorcerer. 

As if hearing your plea to cum, it begins to work even faster—searching for the pattern that will undoubtedly drag you into the depths of your pleasure. And once it finds it—lewd gasps and moans falling from your lips—the tentacle keeps at it until you’re tumbling into your release.

Sensing your orgasm, the magic limb presses up against your pelvis. It slots between your folds, rubbing languidly as you experience your high.

You can only guess that it’s currently collecting all of the precious “nectar” that has leaked from your throbbing pussy following your climax.

“Shit…”

Apparently willing to give you a moment to breath, the magic tendril occupying your sex continues its slow motions. In its place, the tentacle that had been lazily fondling your chest until now gets to work. It fully wraps around both of your breasts—squeezing, and tugging—almost as if it’s attempting to milk you.

Your eyes flutter shut at the sensation—quiet, hot breaths filling the space in front of you as the tailend of your orgasm finally passes. Yet, you can still feel the embers burning in your gut, threatening to reignite with any simple touch.

“Feel good?” Solomon questions, drawing you out of your haze. Your eyes fall to him, heart thundering in your chest when you notice that one of his hands has strayed beneath his trousers—fingers enclosed around his length through the fabric of his underwear.

“Perverted wizard,” you speak instead, completely ignoring his question. The smallest of grins grace your lips, a breathy laugh leaving you. “Getting so hard from watching me. Shouldn’t you be ashamed?”

He chuckles at your words, looking amused by your wit.

Truly, you’re a fool to be speaking to him like that, as if he isn’t the one in charge right now. While he’s been kind to you thus far, he has no issue in changing that.

“Be a good cock slut and shut the hell up.”

He flicks his fingers, a fake smile plastered on his face, and in the next moment your pussy is filled to the brim with his magic. The tentacle reaches deep—snaking between your walls until the soft head is pressed flush against your cervix.

The abrupt intrusion has you crying out, wrists once again straining against their bindings as you struggle to adjust to the new sensation. And yet, Solomon grants you no grace period.

The magic begins to move—sliding in and out of your wet walls at a swift pace that has your mouth opening, but no sound coming out. At the same time, the tentacle at your chest squeezes harder, the tip of the appendage moving to swirl around one of your hardened nipples.

“S-Solomon,” you choke out, knees buckling under the intensity of his magic. The way his name sounds falling from your lips—desperate and overwhelmed—has his cock jumping against its confines.

His jaw clenches, fingers squeezing a bit tighter as he strokes himself.

“I’d slow their pace down, but I can hear how wet you are from here,” he remarks, silver gaze falling to the space between your thighs. As the tentacle grinds inside of you, small amounts of your arousal are soaked up by his magic. As they’re absorbed, the liquid pools in the main body of the magic—the blob still resting at the center of the chalk circle which is keeping his spell active.

“I called you a cock slut teasingly, but it seems you actually are one. How precious.”

“Fuck off,” you pant, body writhing as the embers in your gut quickly reignite into flames—hot, intense, and growing with each second that passes.

He laughs at your exclamation, pressing to his feet. With deft fingers, Solomon quickly rids himself of his pants, and underwear—the pieces of clothing lying abandoned on the floor beside your own. And when he moves forward—once again entering the magic circle, and stepping into your personal space—you feel your heart skip a beat.

Your pussy clenches around the tentacle still working inside of you, nervous butterflies blooming in your tummy when you see the dark look in Solomon’s eyes. Like he’s finally giving you a glimpse of the real him—not the kind façade he always shows in front of the others.

“If you’re going to use your mouth in such a vulgar fashion, I know a better way.”

Suddenly, without warning, the magic circle encasing your wrists presses downward—forcing you to your knees. The tentacles adjust accordingly, but continue their ministrations as normal. The new position, however, has you eye-level with Solomon’s weeping cock.

“Say ah,” he says, canting his hips forward. The tip of his length smears against your hot cheek, and you flit your gaze up to him—aroused, and a little scared.

He’d be lying if he said the fear didn’t turn him on.

“No?” Solomon tangles a hand in your hair—firm, but not enough to hurt. He holds your stare, his eyes expectant. Yet, he doesn’t force himself upon you. After all, he gave you his word that he wouldn’t hurt you, and while right now he would love nothing more than to stuff your mouth with his cock, he won’t if it’s pushing you too far.

You take a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves (although it’s not easy to do, considering the two tentacles that are still very bent on pleasuring you for the sake of your “nectar”). Then—

You part your lips, hot breath fanning against his length.

“Aaah—”

Solomon looks genuinely surprised for a moment. However, he definitely won’t be wasting such a perfect opportunity.

“Truly a cock slut,” he says by way of praise—sliding his cock into your mouth before you can even think of responding.

The moment he hits the back of your throat—making you gag—you realize what you’re in for. There’s no way you’re making it out of this situation sane. Not with Solomon fucking your mouth, while his magic devastates your pussy, and fondles your chest.

In contrast to the quick, brutal pace the tentacle currently occupied with your sex has taken, Solomon starts off slowly. He rocks himself into your mouth, his silver eyes focused on you as your lips suction around him. Each time, he ventures deep—his cock sliding into you until you can take no more.

Tears blot your eyes, body tensing as you resist the urge to gag around him once again. Solomon notices your struggle—watching the way your fingers curl into fists. A part of him debates being nicer. You’re already struggling thanks to the ministrations of his magic, after all, and yet—

“You like it rough, don’t you?”

He reaffirms his grip on your hair—holding your head steady as he begins rolling his hips. He’s still not as fast as the tentacle devastating your pussy, but his slow pace is no more. No, he fucks you quick enough that you don’t have time to steel yourself for the sensation of his cock hitting the back of your throat.

So now, along with the wet, slapping sounds already filling the room, your frequent, helpless gagging can be heard as well.

To Solomon, it’s music to his ears.

“I don’t need you to tell me “yes”. I can already see the answer with how much of your arousal my magic is collecting,” he says, breathing a laugh. “Seriously, you’re the one that should be ashamed, Y/N. You stand there and tease me for getting hard, but you’re the one positively leaking right now. Do you want to be even more stuffed? I could create a third tentacle if you like.”

“Nn—,” you attempt to shake your head, tears finally rolling down your cheeks. You already feel like you’re going insane. There’s no way you’d be able to handle anything more than this.

Solomon grins at your response, purposely grinding into your mouth, and holding himself there. He watches as you flounder—body writhing against the bindings at your wrists. 

Even as you struggle to breathe, you can feel the orgasm building inside of you.

You choke down a sob.

Solomon’s magic is relentless. You have no idea how long it’s been—how long the tentacles have been teasing you—have been trying to milk you for all that you’re worth—but it’s been long enough to bring you to the edge once more. And each time Solomon forces you to gag around him, you only inch closer.

“Mmph,” you whine pathetically around him, your body shaking as your pleasure continues to build to a peak. It won’t be long until you’re sent tumbling over the edge a second time, and once that happens, you’re not sure how much more you’ll be able to take. Your brain already feels like it’s on the verge of short-circuiting.

“This is a good look on you—,” he comments. Sweat has beaded on his brow—stray strands of his hair sticking to his forehead, and you’re mad that he still manages to appear so handsome despite his disheveled state.

“—ruined, and on the brink of orgasm. You’re going to cum again, right?”

Your noise of admission is lost around his cock as he continues fucking into your mouth. However, he doesn’t need to hear your agreement. He can already tell—what, with the way your eyes are practically ready to roll back into your head.

“You should wait for me,” he says, amusement tugging at his lips when he feels you whimper. “Can you manage that?”

Without waiting for your muffled attempt at a response, Solomon thrusts become rougher. He fucks into your throat, groaning at the way you instinctively gag and swallow around him. Saliva pools at the corners of your lips—slipping down to your chin and mingling with the tears that have fallen from your eyes.

You’re so overwhelmed. You’ve never experienced so many sensations at once, and while you try your best to hold out for Solomon—to be good, and wait for him like he’s requested—you can’t. It’s impossible.

With a strangled cry, you come undone. Your body thrashes, your head naturally attempting to pull away from Solomon for much needed air, but he doesn’t let you go anywhere.

“Ah, if only you had waited a little longer,” he remarks, disappointment in his tone. He lowers his other hand to grab your head, and more tears pour down your cheeks as he face fucks you to his heart’s content—even as your orgasm continues to roll through you.

Luckily, the sorcerer isn’t very far behind. He finds his release just as your orgasm is beginning to subside, the tentacles that are assaulting you finally beginning to slow their ruthless pace. 

Gripping your hair, he forces himself deep into your throat—a dark satisfaction settling in his gut as he watches you choke on his seed.

“Swallow like a good girl,” he chides, one of his hands moving to wipe away your tears. As best you can, you swallow around him—puffy eyes turning up to him. The pleading look on your face successfully softens his heart, and with a sigh, he releases your head.

Immediately, you’re pulling back—coughing and gasping for air.

“P-Please, I can’t…anymore…,” you beg, voice raw. The tentacles have started picking up their pace once again--ready to resume their duty after having given you a few minutes to rest.

Solomon clicks his tongue, his silver gaze dropping to the mass of magic on the floor. There’s a fair amount of your “nectar” that has settled at the bottom of the orb. Enough that Solomon will be able to attempt his spell more than a few times.

So, with that in mind, he releases you.

The tentacle around your torso unwinds—your breasts feeling used, and sore from its touches. At the same time, the magic stuffing your pussy slowly pulls out—the limb soaking up whatever excess arousal you have to offer as it retreats.

Before long, the two tentacles have remerged with the ball of golden magic—the light from the spell circle fading as everything settles back into place. Once he’s sure that your precious juices are properly kept, Solomon waves his hand, and the magic binding your wrists disappears.

Almost instantly, you’re falling forward—catching yourself on your hands and knees, fingers smearing through intricately drawn chalk lines. Solomon kneels in front of you, brushing your hair from your eyes.

“You did well,” he says.

“You’re the worst,” you respond. 

Your entire body feels like jello. You’re not even sure there’s any blood left in your arms.

He chuckles.

“Fine, I’m the worst.”

Grabbing you beneath your arms, Solomon helps you to your feet, and leads you over to his bed. He throws the sheets over you, and then moves to retrieve the blob on the center of his floor. He gingerly places it on his desk—resting it atop a plush cushion, like a prized pet.

His eyes linger on it for a few seconds, satisfied. Then, his silver stare turns back to you—his sheets rustling as you settle yourself in.

There’s absolutely no way he’ll be kicking you out anytime soon. If you can barely walk to his bed with his help, there’s no chance that you’ll be able to walk all the way back to the House of Lamentation.

Luckily, he doesn’t seem to mind your company. He’s got a heart inside of him, even if parts are stained black.

“I’ll go get some water,” he says. However, just as he’s brushing past the bed, there’s a knock at his door.

He pauses at the sound, and you hold his sheets tighter around your naked body.

Eyebrow raised curiously, Solomon strides to the door and pulls it open. Standing on the other side is a red-faced Simeon. He looks both angry, and embarrassed.

Solomon’s heart drops.

Despite all his preparation, he’d forgotten to enact a noise blocking spell…

“Oh shit.”

“Oh shit is right,” Simeon responds, crossing his arms. “You’re lucky Barbatos agreed without question to teach Luke a new recipe despite me calling him last minute. Once I heard you and your partner…going at it. You live with a child up the hall, Solomon.”

Solomon sighs. “I’m sorry. I meant to cast a spell to block the noise, but I forgot.”

“Next time, don’t forget, or I’ll have harsher words to say to you.”

“Very much noted.”

“Good.” Nodding, Simeon turns to stalk away from the wizard, but pauses.

“Oh, by the way, you mentioned inviting Y/N over this weekend. Are you still planning to do that? I’d love to see her.”

“Uhhh…,” Solomon resists the urge to glance back into his room, towards the bed where you’re currently hiding yourself. “Yeah. She should be over later. I’ll let you know when she gets here.”

“Good!”

Smiling, Simeon disappears up the hall. Solomon shuts his door, and from beneath his covers, you quietly scream.

“Simeon heard us fucking!! What’s wrong with you!!”

Again, Solomon sighs.

“Yes, yes, we already agreed—I’m the worst. Now pipe down, or I’ll have to shut you up again.”

When you actually cease your scolding words—glaring at him over the edge of his sheets—Solomon cocks an arrogant eyebrow.

Well then, he certainly knows the best way to get you to shut up from now on.

[lizbotw]

hi! could u pls write how kuroo,bokuto,semi and oikawa would react to going to the beach with their gf and teammates and getting jealous when everyone’s staring at her in bikini?💖

Kuroo, Bokuto, Semi, and Oikawa When Their Teammates are Staring at Their S/O on the Beach

hey!!! i hope you enjoy these ♡ even though you said girlfriend, all of them ended up being gender neutral!

Kuroo Tetsurou

He's used to people admiring you from afar, and actually he takes pride in the fact that he managed to snag someone who's just all around perfect in his eyes, so he’s never outright confronted just anyone he sees looking at you (that is, as long as they don’t appear to want to harm you in any way because you’re still his precious baby, no matter what)—at most putting a protective arm around you and pulling you to his chest, or giving you a kiss while staring at the other person dead in the eye until they look away, a playful smirk on his lips.

Sort of a “they can look but can’t touch sort of deal”—although that's mainly because he knows the second anyone looks at you funny you're the one ready to tell them off, not him.

He's had to stop you his fair share of times from starting something in public because you thought someone was scrutinizing you too closely. However, even for all the times Kuroo knows you can look out for yourself, he can't help but turn up his protectiveness in certain situations.

A beach day to boost team morale (read as: an excuse to skip out on practice on yet another hot, sticky summer day)—that was the official description of the situation you now found yourself in.

After dealing with quite a few whines of "Babe, come on, it'll be fun," from Kuroo, you eventually caved, bidding farewell to your wonderfully air conditioned bedroom for the day.

As the team had arrived, Lev and Yaku went straight to work getting a volleyball game set up (beach volleyball? yes); Kenma found himself sitting on the towel he had spread under a beach umbrella, game in hand; and everyone else was focused on their own activities, getting everything ready for the day of fun.

That left you and Kuroo standing next to each other, surveying the work of the others.

You felt a tug on the end of your shirt and looked down at the hand that had grabbed the fabric, following the curve of the toned arm upwards with your eyes until your sight landed on Kuroo's grinning face. "Come on, you're not going to keep this on all day, are you?" He gave it another small tug for emphasis and then released it. "You know, overheating can cause your body to-"

“Yeah, yeah, I get it, Tets.” You already knew he was about to go off on one of his science tangents again—how he could still think about that sort of thing even in this heat was a miracle in and of itself.

Now that he had mentioned it, you realized you were hot. Acutely aware of the unconformable sticking off your clothing to your skin, you quickly moved to shed the extra layers, shimmying out of them and revealing the bathing suit you had worn underneath.

At the same time, Lev came over to ask Kuroo a question about setting up the volleyball net. "Hey, can you help with the poles? Yaku won't let me near them, but between you and me, I don't think he's strong enough to push them down into the sand himself. I swear that thing is about to blow over and-"

Of course at that moment you had been pulling your shirt over your head, leaving you in only your bathing suit. The sound of Lev talking had been muffled when the shirt passed over your ears so you weren't sure who it was at first, but now that you were free of the clingy clothing, you noticed him and gave him a small smile.

You were confused though because it seemed as soon as you were able to hear properly again, he had stop speaking—and that was because he had, sentence caught in his throat because he hadn't been expecting you to do that. He hadn't even noticed you standing next Kuroo at first so it was a bit of a shock to now be suddenly facing you like this.

You looked up at Kuroo, curious about why he wasn't saying anything either, and found him staring at Lev intently.

It seemed that Kuroo had decided the other boy's gaze had lingered a second too long, even though only a short moment had passed and Lev was more so giving you a surprised glance than a leering stare.

Kuroo crossed his arms. "Lev?"

“Yeah?” Lev seemed to straighten up at the mention of his name and quickly tore his eyes away from you to give Kuroo his full attention once again.

Watching the exchange, you could see Kuroo lips curl up into a smirk. "Remember what I said about you needing to do more receiving practice?"

Lev's expression fell instantly, eyes widening. "Wait-"

Kuroo glanced over Lev's shoulder towards where Yaku was still trying to set up the volleyball net and called out to him. "Yo, Yaku! I have something I need you to do."

Once Yaku dropped the poles he had been wrestling with into the sand and came jogging over to the three of you, you were pretty sure you saw Lev's spirit leave his body.

Bokuto Koutarou

King of getting-distracted-because-Kuroo-challenged-him-to-a-sand-wrestling-match-(whatever that means)-and-Akaashi-and Kenma-were-betting-on-them-(using seashells as currency because the rules of the real world don’t apply on the beach).

It was meant to be a Fukurodani beach day but somewhere along the way Nekoma had caught wind of the invitation and now here they were (everyone knew it was Bokuto who had revealed the plan to Kuroo but they were too scared to confront him, lest he get depressed at being called out and go running off somewhere on the beach, wanting to be alone—no one could handle organizing a search party for the giant expanse of the beach to look for him right now so they just let him be).

You were used to Bokuto’s overexcited nature though and couldn’t help but grin at seeing him run off with his friends, him giving you a kiss on your forehead (that was more so a peck with how fast it was) with a quick, “I’ll be back soon, babe!” before he was off.

Dating Bokuto meant you were well acquainted with his “best bro’s” team and you easily took up hanging out with a few of the Nekoma and Fukurodani members, Yukie and Kaori at your side.

At some point Yukie and Kaori seemed to have grown bored being on land and watching the boys splashing around in the water without them, so they asked if you’d like to join them for a dip in the ocean.

You agreed easily, wanting to cool off yourself off—the shade of the giant umbrella you were sitting under hadn't done much to fight off the heat that hung thick in the air, and laying down on the blanket you had spread was definitely less than comfortable than being able to lounge on your bed at home.

You followed Yukie’s and Kaori’s lead when they stood up to shrug off their cover-ups. You did the same, untying the thin wrap you had been wearing and leaving you only in your swimsuit.

The sight of Yukie, Kaori, and you walking together towards the water definitely had heads turning, but Bokuto, with his back to the action, barely noticed until Kuroo pointed it out to him.

Once the three of you got closer to the shoreline, some of the boys who had been splashing around before came out of the water to meet you halfway and you fell into conversation with them—that is, until you were suddenly shoved out of the way.

Stumbling a bit, you regained your footing after a moment and found yourself facing none other that Bokuto's back—he had pushed you behind him and now had his hands on his hips in a protective stance in a face-off against the guys you had been talking to.

He had a whole protective spiel he gave them while trying to be your knight in shining armor, but of course the other guys gave up pretty easily because, honestly, the goal here was to just keep Bokuto from falling into a depressive state (once again, beach rescue missions were not on the agenda for today). Bokuto seemed pretty satisfied with their response though and once he had gestured for them to go away because he was here to protect you now, you had to make sure to hide your smile behind your hand when he whirled around to face you. Instead, you provided him with his well deserved praise.

"Woo! The ace strikes again!" He did a fist pump and then grabbed your arm, taking off in a sprint.

"Wait, Bokuto-" You were struggling to keep up with him as he ran ahead and once you realized he was heading towards the ocean, you unsuccessfully tried to pry your arm from his grip.

"Swimming time!"

You two splashed into the water with one final tug from him and you stumbled on the shifty sand, softened by the water, shivering at the sudden feeling of the tide as it raised around your legs as you moved deeper. Yukie and Kaori had already gotten into the water on their own and now they snuck up on you and started splashing you with water.

The rest of the day was definition of fun, and Bokuto continuously switched between sticking to your and loudly going around proclaiming how much he loved you. It seems like the "incident" from before was a much needed confidence booster for him and the others let him have this victory for now because as a result he had also spontaneously volunteered to treat everyone out to ice cream once you all were winding down for the day—sun low in the sky as each person started to pack up—so really everyone was a winner here.

Semi Eita

It was Tendou's idea that the team should take a trip to the beach and Ushijima agreed, but only because he wanted to play beach volleyball. Ushijima’s approval obviously got Goshiki on board and one by one the rest of the team slowly gave in, and of course that meant you were coming too.

Everyone started setting up their own towels, umbrellas, and beach chairs, so Eita wasn't at your side for the first few minutes of the get-together aside from when he had greeted you earlier with a kiss to the forehead.

He was rummaging around in his bag for sunscreen when Shirabu came up to him.

"Hm?" Semi was confused to see the shadow that was cast over him while he was kneeling on his blanket and turned to see what it was that was blocking the sun, finding his teammate standing there. "Oh, what do you need?" Semi stood from his crouched position, crossing his arms as he listened to Shirabu speak.

While he was doing that, you had already finished laying out your things and stood up with a content sigh, hands on your hips as you looked proudly upon your work. Now all that was left was to actually go have some fun on the beach. First order of business was to kick off your casual clothes and tuck them away safely into your bag so sand didn't get on them.

By the time you had done that, only taking a few minutes, Semi was still talking with Shirabu and you bounced over to the two, slipping your hand into Semi's. "Ready to go?" you asked him, impatient with how long they were taking.

The sight of you instantly had him beaming and he squeezed your hand in reply. "Yeah, just a sec."

You playfully rolled your eyes and released his hand, telling him to catch up to you whenever he was done, and went over to talk with Goshiki while he set up Tendou's umbrella for him (no doubt the redhead had told him it would make him a better ace and who was Goshiki to question his upperclassmen).

Semi watched you go, his gaze lingering on you, before he crossed his arms again and turned back to finish off his conversation with Shirabu. However, he found the other boy still looking over at you. Semi felt his eyebrow twitch. "Earth to Shirabu, hellooo?" He hit him on the upside of his head and Shirabu went reeling back, rubbing at the sore spot.

"Hey! What was that for?"

Rather than say anything, Semi just tilted his head in your direction as an indication.

"What? Oh-" Shirabu followed Semi's gaze to you and shook his head in disbelief. "Don't tell me you thought I was..." His sentence trailed off in the middle because one look at Semi had confirmed that he had, in fact, thought that Shirabu was checking you out. "Oh, come on, Semi. Have a little bit more faith in me?"

Semi cocked an eyebrow. "Then what were you looking at?"

"Well, Goshiki seems to be really struggling with that umbrella, are you sure he's going to be okay?"

A look back at said first year confirmed that he was, in fact, struggling. Semi squinted, trying to make out the scene in front of him. "Wait, is that Tendou's extra large beach umbrella? Didn't I tell him not to bring that anymore?" You were trying to help Goshiki wrestle the umbrella into place—a difficult feat with the wind blowing and with the pure size of the umbrella.

As if to top everything off, a pair of seagulls could be spotted circling overhead and when one of them moved to dive towards Goshiki, Semi tensed up and then took off running towards you two, Shirabu in tow.

"Will someone, please just call Ushijima over already?"

Goshiki’s screams were already racketing through the air as he crouched low to the sand, hands thrown up around his head as the seagulls pecked at him. "Leave me alone! The tuna sandwich in my pocket is mine!"

Oikawa Tooru

As soon as you get to the beach, he’s showing you off and teasing the rest of the team about how he's dating someone so cute while most of the others can barley look at an attractive person without getting flustered (Kindaichi), but at the same time hiding you from their view because he doesn’t think they deserve to see you looking like that??? Getting mixed signals here, Tooru.

You manage to shake him off at some point and he’s pouting as you run away from him, just wanting to get some peace and quiet so you can eat ice cream and build sandcastles, until Iwaizumi steps in and drags Oikawa away.

“Don’t worry about him, I’ll take care of it,” Iwaizumi says over his shoulder, not even bothering to take his eyes off of the the direction he's heading in. You had sought refuge by hiding behind Makki and Mattsun when Oikawa was chasing you around, and now the three of you fell into a fit of laughter at Oikawa's expense at the sight of the scene in front of you.

It's still grinning that Mattsun invites you to spend the rest of the day with him and Makki instead, citing the fact that you deserve a much needed break form your clingy boyfriend. You agree and they decide as the first order of business that you three should build a sandcastle. A singular collective sandcastle eventually turns into a sandcastle competition with the three of you each building your own (somehow you manage to rope Kunimi into judging with the promise that you'll stop bothering him after that), which then turns into burying Makki under the sand.

You're putting the final touches on the sand mermaid tale you had given Makki (per his request of course), when Mattsun suggests you two go take a dip in the ocean and leave Makki for high tide.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!" Makki is nodding his head along with you two until he remembers that he's buried under a mountain of sand and the meaning of the words sinks into his mind. "Wait-"

While Makki wallows in distress over that statement and you two ignore his futile struggles as he squirms under the sand and tries to get out (Mattsun had packed the sand tightly around him so you might as well give up while you're ahead Makki—there's no escape), you consider the proposition, eyeing the sand that's sticking to you all over your arms, hands, and legs from kneeling down and building with it.

It seems like a good idea because you've been playing in the sand the whole time, so this would be the perfect opportunity to wash all of that off. Also, what good is a little time at the beach without a dip in the ocean?

And with that in mind, you nod to Mattsun and bid Makki farewell, leaving him to his fate. Just as you're about to walk off and follow Mattsun, his long strides taking him ahead of you in only a matter of seconds, you remember that you still have your beach wrap on.

"Oh, Makki, here. Watch this for me, will you?" You undid the wrap and moved to drape it over a nearby rock so it wouldn't be left in the sand.

"Uh, sure."

You thought his tone sounded pretty weird and when you turned to him, you found that he wasn't looking at you, but rather at Mattsun, the two sharing a collective glance that definitely looked like they were planning something.

"I give it at least three minutes."

"Three? Two minutes tops."

You were about to open your mouth to ask them what in the world they were talking about when you were cut off by a high pitched yelp.

"(Y/N)!!!" You could recognize that whiny voice anywhere and the familiar arms that wrapped around you confirmed your suspicions. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone, who knows what would have happened if I haven't come in time."

"Tooru- mfph- Tooru, let me go-," you attempted to get out, voice muffled and your face being squished into his chest.

"Woah, that wasn't even a minute."

"A new personal record."

You could hear Makki and Mattsun exchanging remarks of surprise at your boyfriend's quick appearance and you realized what this was about.

You groaned. "Tooru, I'm fine." You squirmed out of his grasp enough that you could peek your head out and craned your neck, spotting Kunimi laying on a towel under an umbrella with sunglasses on, having ran off to there after he had finished judging the sandcastle competition, and Iwaizumi next to him, reclining on a beach chair in the shade and snoozing away—so that's how Oikawa managed to escape.

It took a while to pry Oikawa off of you with how jealous he was being with others seeing you like that, but you managed to do it—Mattusn and Makki placed bets on how long they thought it would take (Makki ended up winning—as his prize, he forced Mattsun to dig him out of the sand because he was still scared of you guys leaving him for high tide).

Tooru was overall extra clingy for the rest of the day, which was saying a lot for him, and was especially so when Mattsun bought you ice cream later (in retaliation, Oikawa bought you two more, despite your protests that there was no way you could possibly finish all of them).

[cuddlesslut]

Part Seven: Regrets

Atsumu x fem reader, Suna x rem reader, Hinata x fem reader

A/N: guess who’s fridge went out and won’t be able to get a new one till the 15th 🙋🏻‍♀️😩. Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual it’s kind of a filler But next chapter should be pretty long. I know a couple of people were wonder what happened with him so here we are with the return of a character. I might set up a poll for who should YN end up with so look out for that. I’m going to start writing my next story soon it’s going to be another angst!

Warning: Angst that’s about it. Maybe a lil lewd language.

Part Six: Promises

Part Eight: Hope

He laid in his empty bed staring up at his ceiling the only sound filtering through the room was the echo of the tv in the livingroom. He didn’t have the energy to go shut it off, plus he found comfort the noise it brought he found the silence unbearable. He sighed as he looked at the open space next to him. He never took much stock in how empty it felt without you next to him. The smell of your shampoo had long since vanished from the pillows. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine you were here next to him your head resting on his chest your hands interwoven talking about your plans for the day but while the memory played in his head clear as day his body had forgotten your warmth. It wasn’t too hard to picture , you had spent several morning just like that wrapped in each other’s embrace. He thinks to the mornings he’d walk out of his early showers to find you leaning against the kitchen counter drinking your morning coffee. He can still remember how you enjoyed your first cup of coffee to start your day. You liked your coffee sweet , but to were you could still taste the rich coffee flavor, always pairing it with an array of creamers. He remembers when you first started staying over at his place and he realized your affinity for flavored coffee he went out to the store and stocked up on as many flavors he could find in hopes you’d stay for more coffee before heading off to school. He loved that sight in the morning walking out and seeing you clad in just his shirt your hair a mess from last nights activities. But you weren’t here to have coffee in the morning, all of the creamers starting to expire, and he had no one to blame but himself.

Atsumu has spent the last seven month alone. There were a few nights he’d tried to pick up girls just to try and fill the gigantic hole left in his life by your absence but those all ended in disaster. One night he tried to have a careless hook up it didn’t get past the front door when he accidentally moaned your name when the random girl had cupped his manhood. She wasn’t very happy about that. He received a knee to the groin as she fleed the house. Another time he tried he was able to keep his mouth shut from making any mistakes after choosing a girl who was nothing like you but then he had another problem. He couldn’t get it up. You plagued his thoughts. You were the only woman his body wanted. It was quite embarrassing.

After Suna rocked his shit he finally started to snap out of his self pity. Why the hell was he crying? Because he was lonely? He can only imagine how lonely you felt every night he didn’t come home. He sighs running his hands down his face he really was a piece of shit he thinks. He didn’t treat you the way you deserved and he knows that. He knows he was selfish and inconsiderate. He knows he’s way to late but he regrets everything he did. Every single mistake eats away at him. None of it was worth it. Every flirt, every compliment that boosted his ego, the rush of excitement of being with someone else it was all worthless compared to being with you. He thinks back to everynight he stayed out late or he canceled dates, about the pain that hid behind your eyes. Now that his head wasn’t stuck up his ass he could finally see all of the misery he put you through. And he hated himself for it.

The setter wanted nothing more that to fix all of his mistakes, but he knew he was too late. Atsumu didn’t expect you to ever in a thousand years forgive him or even in a million years want him back, but he knows he can’t just do nothing. He’d spend the rest of his days trying to make amends. After Suna had pointed out how horrible he was for not looking for you he did everything to find you. He started by calling the University to see if you had been attending class but even with the title of fiancé , which he understood was false by not adding former to the title, they refused him any information to protect your privacy. He had long noticed the empty bank account but he wasn’t worried about that the money it was the least you deserved. Plus the fantasy of making you his wife and calling you YN Miya was nothing but a pipe dream now. So he’s sure the money would do you better. He tried to follow any money trail you left. He found the hotel that you must have run to that night. But even that was a bust leading to a dead end. He only knew one more course of action. He called your parents. They refused to answer his calls. Eventually he drove down to Hyogo by himself. The setter stood there on the front steps he’d stand on every morning when he’d walk you to school. It felt so familiar to knock on the cedar door, but everything felt so distant from his memories. Still he wasn’t quite sure what he expected, maybe for you to answer the door with a bright smile like you had all those years ago yet what he received was your mother standing there with a look of disgust present. He didn’t get a word in before she slammed the door in his face. He begged for her come back to please talk to him he just needed answers but he only received silence. He stayed there for close to an hour trying to get just a morsel of information. It was useless they refused to speak to him. That was his last idea he could come up with for finding you. Full of dread he made his way to his car ready to make the long drive home. The next day he received a phone call from his brother.

“Hey Samu what’s u-” the blonde started before his grey haired twin interrupted his greeting going straight to the point.

“She’s alive and fine,” Atsumus heart stuttered before he breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his mouth to ask his next question but Osamu cut him off yet again already knowing what his twin was going to ask.

“No we don’t know where she is. Kita-Senpai went to her parents and all they’d state was she was alive and out of harm, not that I’d tell you where she is if I knew,” Osamu’s tone was sharp. Atsumu knew he deserved that. His brother had made him well aware of his dissatisfaction in the blondes actions. He had to thank the his brother though, as upset he was with him he still looked out for him. Always checking up on him making sure he was eating and keeping up with his hygiene, throwing away all the liquor he could find because as disappointed he was with Atsumu he couldn’t let him tear himself apart.

“I know Samu, thank you for telling me.” He spoke softly before clicking the end call button.

He accepted that it was best he stayed out of your life. He wanted to make everything up to you and if staying out of your life was wanted then he’d respect your wishes. He spent the next months bettering himself. He cut all alcohol out of his life. Only going out when it was with his teammates although that was a rare occurrence they were also quite disappointed with how he had treated you, especially his wing spiker Sakusa. Omi-Omi had always had a soft spot for you. But still they didn’t let it affect their game play. He focused all of his energy on volleyball. He even started going to a few therapy sessions for his self distructive behaviors and impulses. He really wanted to do and be better if not for you then for himself. Although he still had trouble being home alone without you, never feeling quite whole. With out you this house would never truly be his home again. He was starting to get better and not drown in agony every morning he woke up alone although he knew he deserved it. One step that had made the process easier was boxing up the remainder of your belongings that you had left. For so long he had kept everything just as you left it hopeful for your return thinking maybe everything could go back to normal and life could be picked up where it was left off although this time he’d swear to never hurt you again. It was unrealistic to think that though. His therapist had told his several times it was a step he needed to take and while it took several months he was finally able to remove any trace from the house. That night he cried him self to sleep from the finality that came from not seeing a piece of you around as though you had never been there in the first place.

He regretted not cherishing you for the amazing woman you are. He’ll never forgive himself for losing the best thing to everything to happen to him. At Seven months since that night he was finally able to breath when he went home, not suffocating from regret every moment present in those walls. The Jackals were on a winning streak and even more exciting they had just got a new member. And after all these years he was able to hold up at least one promise he had made after breaking so many at least he could fulfill one promise by finally getting to set for Shoyo Hinata.

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[gotham-ruaidh]

Little Bit Better Than I Used To Be

This story takes place during the summer of 1987. It's the time of the Cold War, and heavy metal, and Just Say No.

Ten chapters, each with a specific song as its soundtrack.

I'm so excited to finally share it with you.

Catch up: Chapter 1 (Starry Eyes) || Also posted at AO3

----

Chapter 2: Save Our Souls

Well, it's been a hard road, edge of an overdose // No matter how high, well, you're still too low // I've been the dancer, the wicked romancer // A never-ending nightmare, edge of disaster...

Soundtrack: "Save Our Souls," Mötley Crüe, 1985 [click here to listen]

Claire tapped her foot, swiveled in her chair, picked at a loose string at the knee of her jeans.

“Here’s how this works – we have an hour together every morning. I have a list of things I’d like to eventually cover with you, but of course I’m always happy to talk about anything that you want to.”

Then Dr. Gillian Edgars – “Gillian, please,” she’d insisted, shaking Claire’s hand warmly before settling down on the couch of the small but plush office – set down her notepad and pen.

“I won’t bullshit you, Claire. This is tough. You’re on Day 2. Your mind isn’t even here yet.”

Claire snorted. “You’ve got that right.”

“When was your last fix?”

Claire shifted uneasily. “Three days ago.”

“Is this the longest you’ve – ”

“Since I started? Yeah.” Claire darted her gaze upward to look at Gillian. The good doctor still wasn’t writing anything down. Interesting.

“Are you going to ask me why I started?”

“Only if that’s what you want to talk about right now.” Gillian held Claire’s gaze. “I know that forcing anything at this point, while you’re still detoxing, can be counterproductive.”

Claire nodded, grateful. “How does it work here?”

“You mean, how our program here at The Ridge works?”

“Yeah.” Claire crossed her legs. “I was kind of distracted when I read through the brochure. I know we have our individual sessions in the morning, and Group in the afternoon, and that we can pitch in for communal activities.”

“So far, so good.”

“And everyone is encouraged to introduce themselves by first name, and what their addiction is.”

“You got it.”

“No last names?”

“No – and it’s not any kind of privacy thing. Because a first name is who we are – and the addiction is who we are, too.”

Claire raised one eyebrow.

Gillian sighed. “It was wine for me. I thought it was refined. Turns out it made me so refined that I wrapped my MG around a telephone pole.” She pulled up her curtain of long hair to expose a thick, long-healed scar half-hidden above her left ear. “My sister found this place, and I went through the program, and I’m nine years sober.”

“It seems like a lot of people on staff here are former addicts.”

“We all are, Claire. Every one of us – including all the therapists, and our founder, and the ladies who do the laundry and the janitor who mops the floor. We can’t be hypocrites. We can’t tell you anything we didn’t do or think ourselves.”

Claire’s shoulders and stomach loosened a bit.

“You should know that whatever we talk about is one hundred percent confidential. I’d only disclose information to someone else if I thought you were in imminent harm of hurting yourself or others.”

Claire nodded, thinking. “And what about asking other people here about themselves? More than just their name and addiction, I mean. About their lives outside of here?”

“We say that people should only talk about what they’re comfortable to talk about. If they don’t want to share anything except their name and addiction, that’s fine. If they want to tell you all the gory details about their life, then that’s fine, too. Some people come here to reset.”

A beat.

“What about you, Claire?”

Claire bristled. “What about me?”

Gillian’s gaze bored into Claire’s. “You didn’t come here for vacation. Clearly there are things you need to fix. That we will fix, together. So what do you want to focus on first?”

Claire’s mind swam.

“Typically,” Gillian continued, “I like to work backwards with people when they arrive. It should be the easiest to remember. So – tell me about the last time you took the pills.”

A half-empty prescription bottle – the dull ache in her dry throat as she swallowed a handful of Halcions – the dark circles under her eyes, staring back at her from the bathroom mirror…

“It was empty,” she said quietly.

…screwing the top shut, shakily placing the bottle back on the shelf in between her deodorant and toothbrush…

“I was empty.”

…both hands planted on the counter, breathing hard…

“Do you mean – you couldn’t feel anything? Or that you didn’t feel anything?”

…counting to one hundred as all her thoughts just drifted away…

“I didn’t want to feel.” Claire folded her legs beside her on the chair. “So I didn’t.”

Gillian nodded. “OK. Are you afraid to feel?”

…static in her head…

Claire closed her eyes. “Terrified.”

“And have you felt anything since coming here? Is it too much?”

…a thousand silent screams…

“I just…I just want to shut it all out. To be quiet and alone.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but that won’t be possible. That’s deliberate, on our part. Because although you’re on your own journey, you’re certainly not alone. We will keep you busy.”

Claire slid down in the chair.

“So – I know you’re aware that everyone here is assigned a task. And we work to make sure it’s a task that you’d shy away from. Because the whole point of being here is to be uncomfortable.”

Claire said nothing.

“I was thinking.” Gillian drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. “People here have breakfast and lunch on their own time, but we all have dinner together. And every night we need help setting up the tables and chairs, and making sure that there are enough plates and silverware for the buffet line, and keeping an eye on everything while people are serving themselves and getting situated. Requires a lot of interaction with the others here. Great for building people skills.”

Claire threw her head back in the chair. “I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Of course you have a choice, Claire – you choose everything you do. You could choose to get up right now, walk out the front door, and catch a plane back to Boston. But you won’t, will you?”

Gillian looked at her watch. “I’ll close our session a bit early. It’s a beautiful day outside – why don’t you sit out on the deck for a bit, and just take time to yourself to think?”

Claire stood, quietly murmured a thank you, and shuffled out the door.

Gillian paused, then reached for the phone extension on the table beside her chair. Dialed a few numbers.

“Dougal? Yeah, it’s me. Listen – I’ve put Claire on set-up duty. Can you make sure that happens tonight?”

[adonis-koo]

Blue Spring

| 2 |

↳ Summary: Jeon Jungkook, only well known as the youngest (and hottest) dad at the daycare, he’s got it all, the looks, the sweetheart personality, the body, but here’s what gets everyone- he doesn’t wear a wedding ring. The only problem lies in his fickle one year old daughter that hates just about every daycare worker out there…Well…besides you that is. Which of course leads to Jungkook liking you just as much as his daughter…if not maybe a little too much.

Or in other words…You and Jungkook are secretly crushing on one another but too shy to admit it.

↳ Pairing: Single dad!Jungkook/Reader

↳ Genre: Daycare AU, Slice of life, copious amounts of fluff, a hair of angst, future smut

Word count: 4k

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“Oh my god, he asked you out?” Lisa gasped as she raised her brows, both shock and delight on her face as Chloe clapped her hands together. Pressing your hands to your cheeks you felt them flush as you glanced down at the kids table, everyone working on their finger paintings you had chosen as the creative activity for the day.

“I…” You nibbled against your lip before rubbing the back of your neck, “I wouldn’t necessarily call it that...He just um-! He just asked if we could hang out sometime with Mina...” They both groaned as you sunk in as best you could in the child's chair.

Chloe clacked her lips as she huffed, “Girl that’s his pathetic excuse to ask you out on a date. He just used his child to reel you in, and it worked didn’t it?” You crossed your arms, face still flushed despite your scoff.

Sure he might have added that in but you were sure if it came down to it you both would be fine without Mina there, right? Wait...you had no reason to be together if Mina wouldn’t be there...You swallowed thickly as you glanced at the table that had been covered in tarp to keep from getting messy, “...I would have said yes regardless…” It was the truth, you felt a certain amount of shame admitting that, was there a rule against dating one of your daycares dads? It had been well over a year since you signed on and you couldn’t even remember half the regulations and policies that pertained to workers, as it really didn’t matter when you actually began working.

Until now…

Mina had made a noise of complaint at your attention not being on her, her little fingers painted blue as she pointed at her splattered picture that looked more like a blob of color then anything else, you mustered a smile as you nodded, “Oh it looks so good Mina! Oh, can you add a little pink over here?” She had dipped her fingers into the yellow paint but she had spirit as she began to work on where you pointed.

“So you admit, you wanna bang him?” You scowled at Chloe as she held her hands up in defense, sure the kids had no clue what that meant but that didn’t mean you should just go around casually saying it!

Lisa puckered her lips before she and Chloe both started cackling, “Hey I’m not judging! If Seokjin wasn’t married i’d-”

“Shut up!” You covered your ears as you groaned, you could understand from an outside perspective, Jungkook was in your age range, he was obviously single given his passive comments about his...ex girlfriend? Ex wife? Partner? Not only that but he was insanely attractive, thick brows and fluffy dark hair, his jawline was both strong and sharp and his physic.

Jungkook had dropped her off one time for only a short few hours, picking her up after he had finished at the gym, where his hair was still damp with sweat and muscle bulging from his fitted shirt, your heart was ready to combust that day all while he kneeled down letting his little girl sit in his lap while inspecting her picture she had scribbled.

If one wasn’t interested in dating him they’d definitely want to sleep with him at least once. But this wasn’t your intention, no matter how much the idea made your body and face both warm to think about, “Guys, I’m not…! It’s not like that,” You lowered your voice as you sighed, clasping your hands on your lap as you glanced down at them, “I just wanna see where things go, and if things go well then awesome, and if not then no harm done…”

“Well babe you do you,” Lisa patted your shoulder, “I’m just glad Jisoo could cover for you so you can go out with lover boy when he picks up Mina,” Your face flushed once more as you sighed, choosing to ignore their laughs as you began to talk to Mina once more, even drawing a little heart on her paper with your own finger covered in pink paint to which she gurgled in excitement at.

Jisoo had eventually bounced through the door as she excitedly waved, “Hey guys,” You held your sigh at her brows wiggling your way as you all greeted her, taking a seat at the table as they immediately jumped into the gossip. Jisoo was the only other coworker filled in on all the juice besides your other two friends.

If any of the other workers heard, well...you’d rather not hear all of the older ladies' opinions.

You had a difficult time not flushing at the sight of Jungkook when he had came around two PM, Mina excited at his early arrival, “Hey babygirl,” He cooed softly at her as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, picking her up he laughed softly, bouncing her a little before his eyes flickered on you, “Are you sure it’s okay to come?” He seemed concerned but also...excited? His eyes had a boyish gleam as he squeezed Mina making her giggle.

You nodded rapidly, “Yeah, one of my coworkers said she’d cover the rest of my shift so everything is good here! Are you ready to go?” You gave a tiny smile, rubbing your arms as you wrapped them around yourself. Jungkook nodded as he grabbed Mina’s backpack leading you out to his car which was surprisingly clean, had you not noticed how organized Mina’s backpack usually is you would have assumed he did it just for you.

But you had a feeling Jungkook was just a very organized and clean person, which was rather appreciated given your messy nature, “Oh here I can help, those buckles seem really tricky,” You laughed at Jungkook’s long fingers fumbling with Mina’s car seat buckles, you suddenly felt like it was a bad idea when you squeezed through the car door, your body pressed against Jungkook’s as you both awkwardly laughed as you grabbed the farther end buckle.

Mina gurgled in delight at the realization you were still with them as she bounced in her seat making it more difficult to buckle up, Jungkook shook his head roughly to try and get his hair out of his eyes as he pressed his brows together, “Ah this thing is always so difficult, I should really just get a new one, she’s almost too big for it anyways.”

“Oh here!” You tugged the buckle further just enough for Jungkook to click in as you both cheered in victory, before you suddenly cried, “Ow! Mina! Please let go,” Mina had grabbed a fist full of your hair before harshly tugging on it, rubbing your scalp as you gently pulled the hair from her grip.

You felt like you could breath when you and Jungkook squeezed out of the door, making a respectable amount of space as you both laughed a little, Jungkook opening the passenger door for you as you sat down, shifting in your seat a little nervously as you clicked in your seat belt.

“We’re not going anywhere fancy by the way,” Jungkook gave you a sheepish smile as he began driving, “There’s a really cool pizza place with a kids play area that Mina likes so I figured we’d go there, if you don’t mind…!”

Relaxing into your seat a little you gave a nod as you folded your hands into your lap, “Of course I don’t mind Jungkook!” You gave a small meek smile, “I’m sure it’s a great place.” Jungkook’s cheeks looked a little pink as he offered you a brief smile before returning his eyes to the road. He had admittedly been waiting so long for this moment, to finally pluck the courage to just ask you out.

You were nearly perfect, soft, sweet and most importantly, Mina loved you. He had just begun to give up finding someone due to how picky Mina was, and then he met you.

Sure things seemed a bit, awkward at first, but just like last time you both quickly fell into a rhythm of easy conversation, sitting at the table that was in the play area while Mina toddled around exploring, “Oh god I don’t know,” You both were laughing as you bashfully rubbed your face, smiling at your glass of soda as you shrugged meekly, “I mean, don’t get me wrong I love kids! I wouldn’t work with them if I didn’t but I mean, having kids of my own…? Does it count if my mom wants me to have kids?”

Jungkook nearly choked on his drink as he snorted, laughing softly as he shook his head, “You wanting kids and your mom wanting you to have kids is two totally different things. It’s okay to not want them, I didn’t think I’d ever want any either, then Mina came along and now she’s my whole world,” Jungkook’s eyes were soft as he gazed at the toddler fondly, “Mina was...a surprise baby,”

He admitted much to your surprise, you didn’t think he’d divulge such...sensitive information, he gave a sheepish smile at your expression, “You don’t have to look like that, it’s something that’s already been worked out. Like I said, Mina is my whole world and I’d never change a thing that happened, but she’s part of the reason we got a divorce…Oh jesus- am I making you uncomfortable?” Jungkook suddenly stumbled as if fully realizing what he was saying.

Coughing you rapidly shook your head, “No! I just...I didn’t want you to feel pressured to say anything, I mean, it’s your business, but if it’s something you don’t mind talking about then feel free to continue. I was just surprised, is all, I can’t imagine you not wanting kids honestly.” It was true, Jungkook treated Mina like she was the best thing in his life, the way he left her with the slight guilt in his expression every morning, the way his eyes lit up when he watched her toddle to him in excitement when he picked her up, it was written all over his face, he absolutely loved and adored her.

Laughing a little Jungkook swirled the ice in his drink around as he shrugged, “Sorry, I just, I don’t know I feel like clarity is probably appreciated on your end, I’d rather you not get involved without knowing all the details. Mina, wasn’t why we got divorced, not directly!” He suddenly swallowed thickly, doe eyes searching yours as if not wanting you to take his previous words the wrong way, “But her mom, she just has a lot of issues,” He gave a more humorless laugh this time as he kept his gaze on the table, “She’d accuse me of cheating anytime I was even slightly late getting home, really possessive and insecure, she lied when she said she was still on pill to try and...I don’t know, ‘secure’ me? And well....Mina came along.”

The frown tugged on your lips as you rested your head against your hand, “No I understand what you mean, about the whole divorce thing at least, I can’t imagine doing that to someone, given from past conversations I’m assuming you share joint custody?” Jungkook had occasionally mentioned in the past about dropping Mina off at her moms, though he always seemed slightly disgruntled at the idea.

Sighing Jungkook shrugged, “For now, nothing is set in paper, we just work a schedule out week to week,” He pucked his lips a little before letting his gaze meet yours, “But I’m hoping for full custody in the future, maybe I sound like an asshole but I don’t want Mina anywhere near her, she’s become really...psychotic since the divorce, always trying to convince me to ‘come back’, or threatening to get full custody herself, tons of crazy shit… So uh,” He ran a hand through his hair, an awkward smile quirking on his lips, “Hope I haven’t scared you off yet, this really isn’t a first date topic is it…?”

“Well taking your daughter out on your first date isn’t norm either but here we are,” You offered a relaxed smile, “I don’t mind, like you said, it is your past, but I’m not easily scared away.” For the first time, he smirked, making your body nearly go into shock and your face to suddenly flush as you glanced down at the table. God give you strength.

The evening outside of that moment was well spent and you had went back to Jungkook’s house to stay in for a movie afterwards before retiring home, Mina however was lounged out on the floor, her blanket spread beneath her while hugging her teddy bear, watching the disney movie in excitement with gurgles of enthusiasm, “Atleast someone is happy to see Mulan save China,” You clacked your tongue before laughing, letting out a yawn as you stretched out, hardly even noticing the way Jungkook’s arm had somehow wrapped around your shoulders. You felt your eyes tiredly begin to shut, god why did you always agree to come in for one of the early morning shifts?

“It’s one of her favorite movies,” Jungkook hummed, his nose crinkling a little at his daughters excitement, “You looked tired, do you want me to take you home?” He asked with a soft murmur, noticing you sleepily rub your eyes.

Waving your hand in dismal you replied, “No- no! I’ll go when the movie is over don’t worry, besides Mina would throw a fit if we paused it now.” There was certainly truth to your words, Mina never liked her TV time interrupted. Especially during Mulan. Chuckling softly Jungkook chose not to reply when you yawned again, your head falling against his shoulder as your eyes began to close. You couldn’t help it, he was just so damn warm.

Everything felt hazy as you hugged tightly against the firm yet warm figure, yawning as you nudged your nose along the odd feel of skin, where were you again? You nearly jumped away at the soft squeeze against your waist.

Your vision opening to the familiar sight of Jungkook’s living room, Mina no longer situated out in front of you and the TV long since turned off, the blinds had been drawn from last night letting the warm light stream in as you stiffened. Letting out a squeak at the bedheaded sight of Jungkook beneath you. Oh my god! You slept with him! Not sleep, slept with him but…!

Your face was throbbing as he let out a yawn, “Morning,” He stretched out, his hand stroking along your back making you squirm. Jungkook took immediate notice as he quickly released his grip on you, “I’m sorry.” You immediately got off him sitting an awkward distance away as he apologized, cheeks pink as you tugged at your hair.

Jungkook had parted his lips once more to speak but you had already stood up, “N-no! I should be the one apologizing! I….I-I um, I better get going! I forgot to tell my roommates I was going out- I'll see you later!” You fumbled before hurriedly making your way out of the living room, you could hear Jungkook sighing yet he didn’t call out for you. God why couldn’t you just play it cool for once?

You didn’t see Lisa and Chloe again until Friday morning where they nearly shouted at you for a ‘missed’ opportunity, “Girl you were sleeping on him!” Chloe tried to stress to you, “That was the perfect moment oh my god!”

They were mourning your loss at potential dick while you were meanwhile squirming in embarrassment, “Guys! This isn't about that! I just… I just wanted to get to know him better! I don’t want him to think that’s all I want.”

“Oh my god.” Lisa whispered under her breath before her attention was pulled to the two boys that had been fighting over who had the batman toy first, she immediately sprang into action as she walked over to deal with it.

Your attention however was drawn to the door that had opened, filtering in the ungodly loud cries that were all too familiar, Mina sobbing as she clung to Jungkook’s tired figure, Chloe clacked her tongue, “Are you just gonna ignore him now…?”

“No…” You swallowed thickly, feeling tension rise in your chest at Jungkook’s gaze immediately finding yours as he cooed to Mina, standing up you meekly walked over, giving a timid smile and feeling slightly guilty for running off on him nearly two days ago without a word since.

“See babygirl? She’s right here,” Jungkook cooed softly, Mina’s little lips trembling as fat tears rolled down her cheeks, peeking out from Jungkook’s shoulder before her sobs bubbled once more, arms stretching out too you as your lips tugged into a sad pout, “She’s missed you,” Jungkook murmured as he passed her off too you, “Extremely clingy since you left,” He gave a breathy chuckle though it sounded a little forced, “I…I really am sorry about what happened Y/n, I should have woken you up but you just looked so peaceful there and I-”

“It’s okay,” Jungkook swallowed thickly, his puppy-like gaze meeting yours with a level of timidness before dropping his gaze once more, “I just...I was a little embarrassed, that’s all Jungkook. It’s not your fault, I should have just gone home when I started getting tired.”

Mina’s tears had finally ceased as she sniffled, snot running down her nose and unto her lips as you felt a tiny smile tug on your lips, grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter as you wiped her nose, “...Did she really miss me?”

“She’s been waterworks since,” Jungkook laughed a little easier this time, rubbing the back of his neck as he continued, “I think she’ll sleep easy during nap time today.” You situated her upright on your hip as you gently brushed the strings of hair from her watery eyes as she dropped her head against your shoulder, she did look a lot more tired as of late, gurgling her eyes were already beginning to droop.

“So um…” Jungkook scratched the back of his neck gaining your attention once more as you noticed his cheeks becoming pink and he couldn’t stop fiddling with his hands, “Does that mean we’re still….erm...can we still see each other..- Not that you have too! I don’t want you to think I’m pushing or that you have too, but- I- I just think-”

“Of course Jungkook,” You gave a breathy laugh, feeling your cheeks begin to warm as well as you rubbed the left over streaks of tears off Mina’s cheeks, feeling a little bashful as you nibbled against your lip, meekily glancing up at his also timid figure, pushing the bangs from his eyes as he gave a blushing smile, “Okay...then I’ll...I’ll see you later then.”

You shuffled a little as you nodded, trying to not let your heart explode as he leaned in, kissing Mina’s forehead as her eyes watered, not crying but looking close too it as she grabbed his shirt with a whine, “No babygirl you’ll stay with Y/n okay?” He whispered encouragingly to her as she gurgled displeased, “I promise I’ll be back soon.” He pressed another kiss against her forehead before taking his departure.

Mina was not the least bit happy to be passed off and still without both of her favorite people causing her to screech and cry, throwing her head against the crook of your neck dramatically as you tutted softly, giving her a little bounce, “Don’t worry honey, he’ll be back soon.”

----

Things had been going surprisingly well after that mortifying hiccup on your part. Jungkook and you would routinely go out every Friday after he picked Mina up and the three of you would eat out together, occasionally on a Monday night you’d all watch a movie together at his house. It was nice and you both had become far more acquainted with one another and casual.

What you hadn’t expected today though, was well...this...”Uh, I’m sorry ma’am but you’ll need to put Jungkook on the phone to verify pick up since you aren’t written off as Mina’s mother on his sign up form.”

This woman, was presumably Mina’s mother, or as she introduced herself as Seo Yeon, and you wouldn’t lie, you were a little intimidated. She was well dressed in a business suit and clutched her Prada bag as if it was a cheap off brand, her sunglasses atop her head showing off her annoyed, irritated expression, “I am Mina’s mother! I shouldn’t have to put up with this shit. I should be allowed to check my own child out.”

You did your best to try to hide your expression that desperately wanting to contort between a cringe- for her swearing loudly in a daycare and irritation for the fact that you just explained why that wasn’t allowed and of course, fear because Seo Yeon was definitely a scary woman when she was angry.

Mina seemed non pulsed in your arms despite being in front of her mom as her head twisted to try and get a glimpse at the TV in the room that was still playing Peppa Pig, one of her new favorites, “Ma’am, I just told you, Jungkook didn’t put you on his sign up form when he registered into First Steps daycare center, meaning you don’t have legal permission to sign Mina out, I’d be breaking policy and could be potentially fired if I let you take her now. Please call Jungkook and we’ll get this sorted out. I can even set you up on the form as long as Jungkook is present for it.”

“What’s going on here?” Just on time Jungkook had opened the door to the main check in room where you stood, the gate behind you closed as all the other kids played, his brows were furrowed at the sight of you with Mina, rather confused at first before his eyes narrowed on Seo Yeon who whipped around, anger twisting on her face as she accusingly pointed a finger at you, “Telling this idiot to let me check our child out Jungkook, we agreed I would be picking Mina up at daycare today- I knew I should’ve picked the daycare this place is so shotty!”

Your lips parted in offence at her words, how presumptuous of her! You were following the policy and even if you wanted to help her out you were to keep Mina here by law until her assigned guardian- Jungkook returned, unless a special permission slip had been signed by him stating otherwise.

“It’s Wednesday Seo Yeon...” Jungkook looked a little embarrassed by his ex wife's actions, rubbing the back of his neck as he sighed, “We changed our plans for you to pick her up tomorrow, I told you I needed to fill out a permission slip today so you’d be able to- remember?” His reminder seemed to jog her memory, her cheeks becoming a little red and embarrassed.

Yet Seo Yeon offered no apology to you, instead she grabbed onto Jungkook’s bicep as her lips tugged into a little pout, a complete one eighty from the demon you just witnessed, “Oh baby I’m sorry, you know how forgetful I can be at times! That worker just made me so mad though! I should be on the form as well so I can pick Mina up at any time in case of an emergency.”

Jungkook’s lips twitched a little and you could sense a little annoyance rising in him before he sighed through his nose, “Yeah I know, look- can we talk about this later? Mina has a doctor's appointment that I need to run her too so I don’t wanna be late.”

“Oh I can come with you! I think it’s important I know Mina’s health,” Seo Yeon butted in as Jungkook already whirled around to check Mina out at the counter where the desk worker was, “Besides I haven’t seen her since Monday, I think she’s missed mommy.” Seo Yeon cooed before abruptly plucking her from your arms.

You found your voice catching in your throat in objection at hearing Mina’s whimper, wiggling in her mom's arm as her mom ignored her and only cooed, suddenly glaring at you before turning to face Jungkook who ran a hand through his hair, not looking like he wanted to say yes but not having a reason to say no, “Alright- then can you go out and get her in her car seat? My cars at the far end in the lot.”

Seo Yeon appeared victorious as she plucked the keys from his hands and trotted outside with Mina who continued fussing, “I’m really sorry Y/n…” Jungkook glanced at the ground, looking embarrassed once again, “She can get a bit rude at times with customer service.”

“It’s okay, really,” You forced a smile from your lips, you wouldn’t lie, the fact that he really let her just hound into you was a bit….off putting. You could clearly see why this woman was his ex-wife, but couldn't he have...? What were you saying? You weren’t even officially a thing with Jungkook, “I- uh…” You let the smile drop all too easily as you sighed running a hand through your hair, unable to stop the annoyance in your voice as you muttered, “I need to get back to the other kids, I’ll see you later Jungkook.”

Jungkook looked a little helpless, eyes in distress at your annoyed figure not even giving him time to try and recover from his previous words as you closed the gate behind you walking back into the room.

On one hand you understood where he was coming from, but she was so blatantly rude to you! After she ripped the poor desk worker a new one she had nearly screamed to be allowed to see her child and given you were the only daycare worker that Mina liked...God what an unpleasant woman.

“Did you finally get the demon under control?” Chloe lowered her voice as she peered behind you, groaning as you nodded your head. Trying to get the image of Seo Yeon clasping Jungkook’s arm like she owned him out of your head, you knew you both weren’t an actual item but still. Rubbing your head you explained to her what had happened as Lisa joined the conversation, both angry in your defense.

But that was his ex wife after all. You couldn’t help but deflate a little at the idea, if you did get involved in Jungkook, that would always be a plague in the back of your mind and you couldn’t put off the question anymore now that you had both a name and a face to an important figure in Jungkook’s life.

God no wonder you never went out on dates anymore.

Note: I hope you guys are enjoying this lil series so far!! It makes my heart uwu! The good news is I may have underestimated the word count so next chapter is going to be a little longer and there might be a fifth part of the series! Anyways let me know what you guys think!! 🖤

[tmae3114]

just got back from work so im no thoughts head empty but i would like commentary on any chunk of fic u'd most like to talk about please

Director's Commentary Ask Game

I spent a while thinking about what to do because there's so many bits of things I've written that I could do commentary on and eventually I settled on the interactions between Tomix and Aspar in the opening scene of In Leaves No Step Had Trodden Black!

It was a really, really fun scene to write because I had to keep two versions of it running in my head. The version that's the way Tomix is viewing it and the version that's how it's objectively happening. Because it's only been a day since the weaving challenge but Tomix is, like, eleven and Aspar is an extremely adept manipulator and has already managed to get into his head. So it felt like a bit of precision work, making Aspar still come off as Aspar, in such a way that the readers could pick up on what he was doing, while still making it convincing that he's managing to get Tomix wrapped around his finger in the beginnings of the relationship we see in Book One.

(the rest of the commentary in below the cut because Wow It Got Long)

So what's happening in this scene is that Tomix wholeheartedly believes in Aspar's cover story of kindness and good will and that Aspar wants to support him. He's viewing what's happening as his new friend being worried about his wellbeing.

Aspar, meanwhile, is panicking because he has a plan and Tomix isn't sticking to it. Aspar wants Tomix isolated so as to better get him under his control and Tomix is taking steps that will make isolating him harder than he anticipated it being! He doesn't like this!

“It’s been less than a full day since you almost got your soul ripped out of you!” Aspar continues in a whisper-yell, glancing furtively at the doorways of the classrooms they pass. “You shouldn’t be awake yet! Let alone able to walk!”

This particular bit of that exchange is a part I'm especially proud of for trying to convey the different layers of what's going on. What Tomix is hearing is that Aspar is concerned about his health and that he's pushing himself too much too fast. What Aspar is thinking is that Tomix should have been stuck unconscious until it was too late for him to do anything about the immediate aftermath of the weaving accident and also stuck in a bed where he'd have to listen to Aspar! And he's not! Tomix is hearing concern but Aspar is frustrated.

His actions are also supposed to come off as a little suspicious here, with the glancing at the doorways. Tomix thinks nothing of it because, hey, they're whispering, obviously they would check they're not disturbing classes. Aspar, meanwhile, is worried about potentially getting caught, after so recently having been freed.

And as the scene goes on and Tomix continues to not listen to him, Aspar actually slips a little bit:

“No, you don’t.” Aspar says, crossing his arms and giving him a mulish look. “Tomix, my friend, your heart does you credit but he hurt you. He wanted to hurt you. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

This is, of course, blatant manipulation and lies from Aspar and it's based off of an actual line he says in the game! Back in Book One, when they tell us the story of the challenge, Tomix tells us that he accepted a challenge and Aspar interjects with "From a boy who wanted only to harm you.". We know from Khvorost's version of the story that he didn't think Tomix would actually do it. It was meant to be the kind of dare that you have to back down on. Aspar is trying to influence Tomix's memory/perception of events to assign active malice where none was present because he wants Tomix isolated and depending on him and that applies to both the canon scene and this one here! And the last bit of that bit of dialogue, the "I don't want you anywhere near him"? That's possessiveness! That's Aspar slipping and getting openly possessive! But Tomxi is, again, eleven-ish, and already thinking of Aspar as a friend he can trust, so he perceives it as wanting to keep him away from what he perceives as potential danger.

And that, as we know, causes Tomix to doubt himself and what he's planning on doing:

The doubt claws at him so suddenly that his breath catches and he stumbles over his own feet.

Aspar catches him by the back of his collar and pulls him back upright.

And this tiny little two sentence physical interaction is one of my favourite parts of the whole fic. It's a microcosm of Aspar in this moment and in his interactions with Tomix in general. Something that seems good natured at first glance and if you assume good intentions, that quickly becomes questionable when you look closer.

At first, Aspar seems to be doing something kind to ingratiate himself to Tomix. Catching him when he trips is just a kind thing to do. And he's an elemental spirit, so of course he has to catch Tomix via his clothes, since they're soulwoven and what he can interact with!

And then you think about it just a little more and realise hang on a second-

Because while Aspar's exact position relative to Tomix during this conversation is never explicitly specified, it is alluded to in Tomix's first line of dialogue:

“I’m okay, Aspar.” Tomix says, smiling up at his soulally.

In order for Tomix to smile up at Aspar while walking down the hallways, Aspar has to be either in front of him or beside him, not behind him.CAnd even then, he still could have caught him by the shoulders! Catching him by the back of his collar and pulling him back upright is a more abrupt stop, one that could potentially hurt if it made Tomix's clothes yank against his throat, and it's also more impersonal. It allows Aspar to display a veneer of kindness while still keeping his distance.

So why catch Tomix by the back of his collar when he trips?

From the position he was in, Aspar could have caught Tomix by the arm or steadied him by his shoulders. In order to catch him by the back of his collar, Aspar had to actively let Tomix fall past him. And even then, he still could have caught him by the shoulders! But catching him by the back of his collar and pulling him back upright is a more abrupt stop, one that could potentially hurt if it made Tomix's clothes yank against his throat, and it's also more impersonal. It allows Aspar to display a veneer of kindness while still keeping his distance.

This scene also plays an important role in the overall structure of the fic because the moment where Tomix trips gets paralleled with Khvorost at the end! When Tomix leans against the opposite side of the doorframe to Khvorost, it basically recreates the positions Tomix and Aspar were in relative to each other earlier. But this time, rather than Aspar's manipulations making him doubt himself, Khvorost's acceptance of his offer makes Tomix willing to reach out and ask for help. It sets up this AU's Khvorost as a positive mirror to Aspar - where Aspar puts up a front of kindness and friendship but is hiding malice and manipulation underneath, Khvorost is a bit of a jerk and puts up a front of bravado but offers genuine support.

So..... yeah!

[ramiaell]

Lunathas Contracts

Breaking and entering, not something new for him but it was the first time he had done so with a client he was bodyguarding. The Howling Owl’s employee apartments were not hard to break into, especially when this one left the balcony door unlocked. With the shadows wrapped tightly around him he snuck in and did a full sweep to make sure the apartment was secure before letting Beaureve sneak inside too. Of course due to the sweep and the small size of the apartment it was easy to tell that noone was home.

It had been a few years since he and Konietzko had last spoken, this was not how he’d have guessed they’d reunite, if at all. It was also not in a place like this that he’d expect to find him. Keeping to the shadows he witnessed as his new client chose not to poke and prod around the apartment much at all but took right to the sofa and curled up. He had not been guarding him for long yet, but he did wonder if this sort of nuance was typical of him. They both waited in silence for the Kaldorei to arrive home and since he was hidden in the shadows himself, there was no conversation between him and his client. He watched as the time passed and Beaureve fell fast asleep on that sofa as if stress and current events in his life had caught up with him.    It was well into the night when the door opened and Kon arrived home, stepping down the hallway and passing by the entryway right into the kitchen without even looking into the living room as why would he? He turned on a light in the kitchen and started a kettle making some tea as he began washing his hands. The shadow in the room witnessed his first look at the Kaldorei after this time without his knowing. He looked tired and a bit fatigued but not due to poor health. If anything his health seemed to have increased greatly since they last met. He must have just returned from some sort of physical activity as he was still a bit dark in the cheeks, chest and ears from a good workout and was tending to blisters on his hand. Interesting.

Beaureve was starting to wake from the sounds in the kitchen as Konietzko put the tea on the stove and started to walk into the living room, stopping dead in his tracks with a double take to the sofa when he saw the moving body of the Shal’dorei waking up from his nap. Stone steadied himself, tucked in the shadows just behind him ready to stop him at a moment’s indication he might try to harm his client. Beyond an understandable startle he didn’t, he just jerked and stared. “Took you long enough.” Beaureve said stifling a small yawn as he rubbed at his eyes. “I mean… welcome home.” 

“Well, I am terribly sorry for the inconvenience!” Kon replied with a mix of humor and shock both  as he looked Beaureve over closely before opting to go to the chair next to the sofa. “Had I known I was playing host I would not have stayed so late practicing my routine. Now tell me…  to what do I owe the honor of this…” He motioned to the balcony. “... break-in?”

With a smirk breaking over his lips, Beaureve just smiled. “You are forgiven. This time.” He said perfectly aware he was in the wrong but calmly combed out his hair as he sat there pleasantly. “Well it’s my lucky day I suppose, you’ve taught me a valuable lesson.” Kon said walking then over to the balcony door and pulling aside the curtains slowly looking outside. He’d close the door then slowly, pursing his lips as if he was looking for something. “I need to invest in better locks, or lock the door at all it would seem.” He said somewhat bemused yet he turned around and looked about the room with a slow gaze of his amber eyes. “Practice? Routine? Mm, so you’re turning your aspirations into reality. That’s rather wonderful to hear.” Beaureve said as he watched. “And in my defense, I did try to knock on the door first. However, after coming all this way with noone to answer? It was in my best interest to see if there was a way to wait inside.” The priest said only telling part of the story but it was enough. “And with how many letters I had to write up in order to actually receive word and meeting arrangements… I preferred a more direct approach.” He smirked. “You don’t mind. We can speak a bit now.” the priest said not leaving this open ended. 

Kon stepped back over to the couch then and would find the chair to sit in as he tried to piece this all together. “Perhaps you came here seeking Talthorn? He is here often lately I’ll admit but not when I’m gone.” He said eyeing the priest a little suspiciously but he was far calmer about it than Talthorn had been. “Did you seek my contact I gave you?” He asked resisting the urge to look around the room once more. “No. I am here to see you.” The priest says bluntly. “Yes. I did.” He replied to the latter question before moving right along. “Now we can officially make arrangements. As promised. When are you available?” 

Kon stared at Beaureve and his audacity with a small smirk. “I suppose I can’t be upset considering how Talthorn did choose to ignore your letters till I found them. As much as I love him dearly he has his reasons for acting as he did. But I am not him.” He pointed out as he thought a moment before responding. “You did?” He redirected the conversation back to the point on the contact. “And did he accept?” Beaureve seemed pleasantly welcome to this information and eager to ask more. “Are these reasons that you are willing to share at all?” he asked before Kon redirected the conversation. “He did. Very interesting man. This contact of yours. We’ve made a good business arrangement. Thank you again for your recommendation. I aspire to have a meeting with my issue whenever he gets my word. In the next few days most likely.” Kon knew who he was talking about with this recent issue. Well he more knew -of- them from what Beaureve and Talthorn both had told him of that incident that left Beaureve wounded and carried to the healer’s ward after Talthorn had saved him. Even the shadow in the room knew the details enough to understand this comment and where it was going. “Talthorn’s secrets are his own to share. I will only say for whatever it’s worth that his… mistrust is a valid one.” Kon looked right to Beaureve then. “Even if you were not the cause for them, just a trigger. But that is all the more I will say. If you want trust or his truths? That’s going to take time Beaureve. Time, and a significant lack of your magic. But in that too I will say no more. I’ve only said this much in the interest of trying to make this easier. For both of you.” Kon explained rubbing at his palms and the ache within them as he sighed and looked to the side. “So, the contract was made. That is good, though forgive me if I wish to make certain.” Kon said oddly as he raised his head then and would stare Beaureve right in the eyes as he spoke out louder. “Show yourself, old friend.”

Beaureve listened closely and drew in a slow breath. He was taking much from these statements but why? Why was there mistrust?! The priest was eager to figure that out. When he realized what Kon had said just then, however, he added in his own command in case his bodyguard was truly as strict as not to do so unless ordered. “Hm? Oh. Of course. Yes, please reveal yourself, Stone.”

No sooner than Beau had given the command, the shadows against the far wall on the other side of the dining room table would start to shift and lift as soon a voice was heard before the body was seen. Where Kon’s voice was deep and full of bass, his was low but more crisp and sharp. “While some things never change, some things… do. It has been a time, Kon.” The bodyguard stood leaning against the wall in full gear head to toe. Blades on his side and no doubt many more hidden throughout his attire. His face was masked, as always and those eyes as cold as winter skies peered right back at Kon’s as they made eye contact across the room.

For one who’s home was being invaded, Kon certainly didn’t seem too worked up over it. As his amber eyes met Stone’s, they softened just a bit. A hint of a sad  yet genuine smile almost shadowed along his face. How bittersweet this was. “Some things do indeed, though you are not one of those things I would ever ask to change. Please, come. Sit with us. You know he is in no danger here.” Kon said motioning to the couch next to Beaureve. Beaureve motioned to the couch as well. “Yes, join us.” He confirmed and watched the exchange between them, both seeming interested in this reunion between them. At first, Stone did not move. But eventually he pushed off form the wall to step over and stand at Beaureve’s side.

“Quite the place here, I see you’ve returned to the club scene afterall?” Stone quipped as he looked firmly down at Kon having already done his research on this place before they arrived.

"I have, though not intentionally at first. But after my seclusion from the world and the dream therapy it seems... I was ready to come back. Though certainly not with such old habits as I indulged in before. Of that... I endeavor to stray from as much as possible." His eyes then flicked to Beaureve well aware he was listening and oddly enough, he didn't seem to mind. ``I think you'll come to agree in no time at all that Sivah would have liked this one. Perhaps even -you- will." He playfully smirked towards Stone.

Beaureve enjoyed collecting the information he could, seeing how they both reacted with one another. He wears his smile and finds the details intriguing but blinks at the mention here. "Sivah? Who is that? And why would they like me? " he tips his head and looks back to Stone. Stone met his gaze. “Sivandris Lumenstone, owner of the Starcaller Lure and heir to the Lumenstone Estate.” He told him as if just reciting information. “He had a way about collecting rare gems, like yourself. And each of them came with their own troubles that I always had the privilege of helping sort.” And that was all the more Stone seemed willing to share. As Stone had decided that was all the more that needed said, Kon and Beaureve spent the rest of the night discussing how their arrangement would work. As Talthorn was to give Beaureve a date of his choosing once a month, Kon would under the same rules to help make up for Talthorn’s lack of his part of the deal in the beginning of their original arrangement. By doing so Talthorn would have the ease that Beaureve would no longer be trying to sell his rare drug to anyone of the Tarts nor of the Owl so long as it was a function put on by either group or when in Talthorn’s presence. It was an exchange no one would ever know even had taken place, all for the comfort that Talthorn could protect his friends and fellow entertainers from this mind-altering drug that he had no power to stop him from creating. However, Kon saw it fit by the end of this meeting here in his home to call Beaureve out. To him, this seemed like an overly complicated agreement in contract that they would be meeting as friends to do things that friends would willingly do without a contract because they were… friends? But to Beaureve that was not the case at all. He could not understand the concept of friends so to him this was a contract and he expected it to be upheld. Despite having his point made, Kon agreed and pushed the subject no longer. The entire exchange was witnessed by Stone, but he said nothing during it. Just observed in complete silence as he did for most his guard detail he’d signed on for with Beaureve. It was not his job to state his thoughts nor opinions on any matters Beaureve had to deal with. It was only his job to ensure his safety. Thankfully, one could do that with very little said as he was not one for idle conversation. Ever. But he did not think he’d be meeting Kon again, let alone under such circumstances. It was interesting how life had a way of bringing things left unresolved back around. Even among former friends. Stone came to realize much had changed for the Kaldorei, not all but there was something very significant that he noticed right away in Kon that had not been there before. He’d come a long way on the road to recovery, and in doing so had begun truly turning his life around for the better. While Stone did not intend to be his ‘friend’ at that time and just to let everything go and move on, he was curious enough to see just where this would all lead for his current client’s future. Beaureve had alot to experience now in his ‘free’  life. Stone wasn’t so certain that experiencing it through Kon and the others he was associated with was the best way, but he wasn't paid to give his thoughts nor opinions on those matters either. They were invalid. At that time, he had only one job to do. And when the threat returned, he would do it. After that, the priest was on his own.

“Next week. At the same point we met before in Suramar. Wear something similar to that. You seem very comfortable. I’ll take care of the rest.” Beuareve said to the expectant Kaldorei as he rose to leave. Kon took a slow breath in and let it back out as he nodded his head once. “A word to the wise Beaureve, what Talthorn and I want is not always what others think. But I can easily see the same could be said for you.” The Kaldorei’s eyes shifted back to Stonel then. “You are going to have your hands full with this one.” Stone drew his gaze to Kon, “You’ve never been one to make my job easy. But we both know, that is where I thrive.” “Oh I do.” Kon said with a laugh and a smirk to follow as he watched them both turn to leave. “It will be quite the… learning experience.” He teased at Beaureve before flashing Stone a knowing look. As usual, he got no response from Stone, just that stone-faced stare before he turned away and escorted Beaureve out. “Next week then.” Kon said as he watched them go and looked to the couch in thought. Maybe he would omit that part to Talthorn; he doubted his love would ever be able to let go the thought of Beaureve breaking into his apartment. What a little shit.

((A former rp from last year recapped in a shorter format though it still includes both our writing. A fun look at the beginnings of Talthorn, Kon, Beaureve and Rami’s friendship that few know about. While the rp has gone places none of us could imagine at that time, it has been a real trip to reflect back to this rp and the reunion of Kon and Stone as witnessed by Beau. Mentions too @beaureve-lunathas​ , @talthorn-sylvoran​ , @konietzko-lumenstone​ ))

@daily-writing-challenge

[capaimagines]

ateez - when you have depression

Pairing: ATEEZ x Reader | Genre: angst & fluff | Warnings: themes of depression, mentions of past self-harm | WC: 2.3k

kim hongjoong

Hongjoong is very intuitive. He would notice the smallest things, especially when your moods and behavior started to change. When your appetite started to decrease, that you’d spend longer in bed or find excuses to stay home instead of going out. He’d notice that your once bright smile doesn’t quite reach your eyes anymore. He’s been there, he gets it and oh how he wished you would have never got it.

Waking up to knocking on your door was a little frightening. Unfortunately, you couldn’t muster the energy to get yourself out of your bed. Staring at the ceiling, the knocking ceased and you breathed a sigh of relief, until you heard the door open. Hongjoong’s frame entered the corner of your vision and you shrunk under the covers. You hadn’t showered in three days.

“Y/N?” His voice is gentle as he sits at the edge of the bed. You only peek at him and even in the darkness of your room, he can see the way your eyes are glossy, with the bags adoring your under eyes. He sighs, leaning down and gently kissing your forehead.

“You don’t have to tell me anything now,” He says as you feel the lump in your throat tighten. This is why he was your best friend; knowing what you needed and didn’t without you having to say it.

“How about I run you a bath and we order some food, hm? We haven’t had a movie night in a while,” Whilst the little things he did that day weren’t enough to fully help, it gave you just a little more hope that things could get better. Especially with Hongjoong by your side.

park seonghwa

Another intuitive member, but also quite timid. He’d known of all your past battles with depression and the scars you bore on your thighs and arms just showed him how strong you were to make it through. You were pretty open with him about your past, hoping it wouldn’t scare him away, which thankfully it didn’t.

He still believed that you were just as beautiful, maybe even more. He loved you for who you were and scars weren’t going to change that. He was amazed with how much of a fighter you were. Even though he knew it wouldn’t be gone forever, no matter how much he wished just him being in your life would allow you happiness every day.

He caught on, more than once, when he would come home after late night practices staring out the window like a statue. You smiled less, your once shiny black hair that you always had hanging naturally over your shoulders had become greasy and tossed into a messy bun on top of your head.

He wanted to wait, give you time to come to him. He just hoped it’d be sooner rather than later this time. He was always there; making sure that you had food delivered to eat if he wasn’t home, keeping up with your hygiene, getting fresh air. While you were grateful for all his help and support, you were just stuck in that black hole and you were struggling to get out.

It wasn’t until he came home particularly late one night when he found you, sitting on the bed tracing the scars on your thighs with your finger, he couldn’t wait for you to come to him any longer. He crawled across the bed, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you to his chest to which you hesitantly let him. He felt you tremble, and his shirt damped as he squeezed you tighter.

“I’m always here, Y/N. You’re not alone anymore and you never will be. I’ve got you.”

jeong yunho

It would probably take Yunho a little bit longer for him to notice you weren’t yourself.  Yunho’s a generally happy person and while he’s had his share of hard moments in life and with his members, he lives in optimism and that everyone around him is happy.

However, when he noticed the dark bags under your eyes and how easy it was for you to snap at one of them for the littlest things, he knew something was wrong. He showed up at your place, a quick knock to the door before shyly shoving his hands into his pockets.

You answered the door and he immediately felt guilty as you stifled a yawn and rubbed your eyes.  He knew you hadn’t been sleeping well and he had just woken you up. 

“I’m sorry, I can come back later,” You waved him off, letting him inside.  

“I was just tossing and turning anyways, doesn’t matter,” He frowned, biting his lip and clenching his hands into fists inside his jacket pockets.

“Are you okay? You haven’t seemed like yourself lately.” You shrug, plopping yourself down on the couch and pulling him down with you. You snuggle into him, closing your eyes and letting out a deep breath. 

“Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m tired and I always sleep better when you hold me.”

His cheeks blushed a bright red as he timidly snaked his arms around you, picking you up and carrying to your bed before climbing in next to you and pulling you close. “I’ve got you, Y/N. I’m not letting you go.”

kang yeosang

Yeosang wouldn’t know what to say with words, but he’d show it with his actions. He may be quiet and keep to himself more than the others, but he is very observant and is able to sense a change in energy with those he’s close to.

He’d bring you food, making sure you eat at least half of it before he’ll leave you alone, “When you gain 10 more pounds I’ll stop showing up unannounced.” He tells you every time. He always makes sure he has the bath filled before he leaves, making sure you’re in the bathroom taking care of your hygiene before he leaves for the night.

He’ll send you your favorite flowers on random days, with the hopes that it puts a smile on your face, even if it’s just for a little bit. He’ll bring up to your rooftop, making sure you get sunlight for the day.

“A little vitamin D never hurt anyone, Y/N,” He’d chide, and you’d huff but the sunlight did feel good on your skin.

While he couldn’t say much in terms of words, you did start feeling better by all his little gestures, making sure you let him know that when you started feeling more like yourself again.

choi san

San would notice right away when you weren’t feeling like your usual self. He could tell as you weren’t as chirpy as you’d usually be, or you wouldn’t cook meals for yourself or him. Cooking was something you loved to do, bu recently your bedroom was the only place you’d be and no one would see or hear from you for hours on end. San knew not to waste a moment in trying to get you back to your normal state, after all, he is your best friend and that’s what you always do for him. Now, it’s time for him to return the favor.

“Y/N!  We’re going to have a movie night tonight with everyone! Don’t even think about saying no!” You’d groan, but smile when you turned around. He knew not to leave you alone to wallow, besides, even if you tried not to go, he’d just come pick you up and fling you over his shoulder anyways.

But when you got there, you realized it was worth it. As you sat in between his legs, your back to his chest and his chin rested on the top of your head, you felt safe. You felt grounded. He’d feed you candy every now and then, rubbing small circles on your stomach because he knew how much it calmed you down.

“You know I love you right?” San whispered only for you to hear, pulling you ever closer to his side, “I’ll do everything in my power to keep you here with me and by my side. I’m not giving up on you.”

song mingi

Another member that wouldn’t notice something was off right away. It wouldn’t be until you had completely swarmed yourself in work and other activities to distract yourself from the empty feeling that he would realize something was wrong. 

On the rare day you made time in your busy schedule to come to the dorm for dinner with all of them, he noticed how exhausted you looked. The bags under your eyes were prominent and he noticed you were wearing the same clothes that you had on just a few days ago.

He wouldn’t ask you in front of everyone, but he would keep his eyes trained on you, waiting until he could get you alone. When that moment came, when he saw you nearly stumbling to put your shoes on to leave right after he suggested for you to stay the night, he wasn’t going to let you drive home in that condition, not a chance. 

“Are you feeling okay? No offense, but you look like shit.” He would tease lightly and while you let out a tired laugh, he knew it wasn’t a real one, “Talk to me, Y/N.” 

Eventually you would, telling him how you’ve been feeling so empty and alone the past few weeks, not wanting to do anything. Forcing yourself with extra work just to distract your mind with how you’re feeling.

He’d hug you, listening quietly as you told him everything.  He’d squeeze you tighter when he heard your voice crack.

“I don’t know how I can help, but don’t shut me out. Come here whenever you need anything, even if it’s just to sleep or relax. I’ll be here and my bed is always open. My ears too.”

jung wooyoung

While he’s loud, in your face, and eccentric, Wooyoung knows when he needs to tone it down and when it’s time to be serious. That moment came when he showed up to your workplace one day, to surprise you with lunch.

He didn’t find you at your desk like you usually were, no.  Instead he found you sniffling in the bathroom, looking at your faint scars that lined your arms. He had seen them before, but he never asked and was waiting for you to tell him when you were ready.

Though seeing you standing there, tears streaming out of your eyes, red nose and dead eyes, he just knew.  Knew what those scars were markers of, what memories and feelings were hidden behind them. Your hair was a mess, not in it’s usual tidy bun that you wear to work. You looked tired, really tired and he felt a pang of guilt that he hadn’t noticed sooner.

“Baby girl,” He cooed lightly, causing you to jump and hastily wipe your face. Smearing your mascara more than it already was. His arms wound around your waist, pulling you to his chest. You bit your lip, not wanting him to see this side of you, you wanted him to know you as the happy Y/N, not the depressed, hysterical crying one.

“I’ll be right back,” He said quietly after bringing you back to your desk. He disappeared and you honestly thought he wasn’t coming back. This was too much for him on top of his idol life. But he came back, picking up your bag and gently coaxing you out of your chair.

“C’mon,” He’d say and you didn’t question it, just followed closely behind him as he led you out of the building. He bought you ice cream on the way back to his dorm and picked up your favorite snacks. You two were settled on his bed, watching your favorite movie as he kissed your temple.

“I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m here. I’m always here and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. You can always come to me.”

choi jongho

He knew. He always knew. You two have been attached at the hip since you were both born. He knew you inside and out and it was breaking his heart seeing you like this right now. Your boyfriend had just broken up with you, your mom’s health wasn’t doing well, work was busier than usual and all that on top of your already crumbling mental health wasn’t helping your situation.

You sat on the couch, some commercial playing on the TV but he saw how you were blankly staring at it. Actually, he had kept time. Two hours you had sat there, unmoving, just staring. He had tried to talk to you, tried to snap you out of it but you hadn’t spoken a word. It was like you were looking through him.

The curtains were closed, no light coming through. You hadn’t changed your clothes since yesterday, and he was pretty sure that you had lost a significant amount of weight.  

“Y/N,” He said quietly, bringing his hand up to lightly brush a strand of hair behind your ear which seemed to snap you out of it.

“Jongho?  When did you get here?” Your voice was monotone, face showing no expression except the blank one you’d been wearing all week.  

“I’ve been here every day Y/N, I’ve always been here.” You furrowed your brow and he let out a sigh of relief that you weren’t a statue, yet.

“How about a bath?  And maybe we can go for a walk.” You shook your head just the thought of getting off the couch seemed too tiring for you to conquer right now. He sighed, turning around and showing you his back.  

“Get on, Y/N. My best friend can’t stink.” You managed a small smile for the first time all week and timidly latched on to him, welcoming the warmth.

He didn’t get you to bathe that day, nor go outside, but he did get you to eat a little and get some proper sleep. He never left your side and for the first time in what seemed like forever, you smiled as you woke up, seeing him sleeping next to you.

[sirenprincess15]

Please Don't Leave Me Chapter 9

Title: Please Don’t Leave Me

Author: SirenPrincess

Description: What if Aleksander hadn’t answered the door when Ivan interrupted the war room kissing? What if Aleksander and Alina had a bit more time to get to know each other before Baghra told her his true identity? Alina is the only one who can comfort Aleksander through his nightmares. Will she leave once she knows who he is?

This story is based on the show version and features a soft on the inside, hard on the outside Aleksander with an emphasis on emotional hurt/comfort and angst. If you are looking for lots of hurt!Aleksander thoughts, then this story is for you. Mal exists but pretty much solely to cause Aleksander some angst. Don’t worry. It will be a Darklina ending.

Chapter 1 is a missing scene at the end of Ep 4, and Chapter 2 takes place alongside Ep 5 and then diverges from canon there.

Pairings: Aleksander Morozova/Alina Starkov, bits of Ivan/Fedyor

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Grisha are oppressed in this universe, and I don’t shy away from showing the horrors of that. There may eventually be mentions of canon-typical torture (Fjerdan pyres), death of family members, and cruelty to Grisha children. It’s not the focus, but that backdrop is definitely there and comes up as characters discuss their past.

In this chapter: After centuries of being alone, Aleksander struggles to share his problems.

Chapter 9

Aleksander was busy working in his office. The roaring fire warmed him as he poured over ship manifests and army documentation on this Dmitry. If they could find who Dmitry traveled with, who was likely to be loyal to him, then perhaps they could identify any threats before they even came to the Little Palace.

When Inessa and Fedyor delivered Alina, Aleksander rushed to her side. “Thank you,” he said, dismissing them. He pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on top of her head, and deeply inhaled the scent of her. She was safe. “How was your day?”

“Boring. Fedyor and Inessa wouldn’t even let me go outside, not even for training. I’m never going to get stronger if I don’t train.”

“It’s just a precaution.”

“A precaution for what?”

He ignored her. She didn’t need the stress of knowing how anxious their enemies were to kill her. “I thought we’d take dinner in here tonight, if that’s okay with you.” His emotions were a mess. As haunted as he had been since Marie’s death, it was even worse now that the continued active threat was confirmed. He was relieved to be with her because he could see she was safe, but he was also still deeply ashamed of his panic attack from the nightmare the night before. He feared she would bring it up. He couldn’t talk about it. Eating in the main hall would stop her from doing so, but he was worried about security and didn’t want her with a large crowd. Her food would be easier to poison there, even with her taster. Truthfully, though, Aleksander wasn’t sure he had it in him to perform the intimidating General Kirigan act tonight, and he wanted her nearby for safety. Then he worried about what would happen when it was time for sleep. He had unleashed shadows last night, and they could have hurt her. He would never be able to forgive himself if he harmed her. That morning he had decided they’d have to sleep apart, but that was before he’d known of this new threat, of spies sneaking into the palace to check her routines. There was no way to know if the man he’d killed had been the first or the last. He couldn’t risk letting her sleep without someone strong guarding over her, and she’d never agree to let someone like Ivan stand over her bed. She had to stay here. Selfishly, he was grateful to have the excuse to keep her in his bed.

“Of course.” Her expression begged him to answer her previous question, but he didn’t. He well remembered what it was like to be afraid everywhere you went at all times. He could protect her from that.

“I do have quite a bit of work to complete, though. I’m afraid I’ll be quite busy. I did take the liberty of having Genya select some books from the library for you.”

She raised an eyebrow, as if signaling to him that she saw right through his attempts to distract her, but all she said was, “That was kind of you.”

He sat back at his desk and tried to focus on the lists in front of him. Something wasn’t adding up. Dmitry would appear on a ship crossing into West Ravka, but not on a return, and then somehow a time later be on a manifest for a ship crossing the wrong way. How was that possible? Was he missing manifests or was Dmitry paying someone off to keep his name off the lists?

Alina stepped behind him and started rubbing his shoulders. “Alek, you’re so tense. The stress coming off you is nearly unbearable. What happened today?”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

She sighed. “Are we really going to do this thing tonight?”

He lifted his eyes to take in the annoyed look on her face. “Thing?”

“You know, where you pretend to be the oh so busy and important General Kirigan who uses his sense of authority to push people away? And then acts like he couldn’t possibly have any feelings or needs of his own? He’s fine. Everything is fine. He doesn’t need any help.”

He hadn’t even realized he was doing it, but she had. “Accurate,” he admitted.

“I’m going to let you in on a secret. The act doesn’t work with girls who have shared your bed.”

He laughed. Only she could call him on his behavior like this without irritating him. Only she could make him smile when he was otherwise so miserable. “I can assure you it worked fine on girls who have shared my bed. Apparently, it doesn’t work on the one girl I have let into my heart.”

“You’ve let me into your heart? So … let me help you.”

“Alina, it’s not that simple …”

“You can’t bear this burden alone, Aleksander. I won’t let you. Whatever is happening, it is crushing you. If not me, then get Ivan in here and talk to him. ”

“You want me to summon Ivan in here? This must be serious.”

“He is a good friend to you, and I know you trust him. I just want you to let someone help. You are not alone. This,” she said, putting her hand over the papers, “is not yours alone to figure out. Stop trying to solve everything with no support.”

“I’m not … used to having support.”

She nodded, took his hand, and squeezed it. “I know. I’m not really either. We’ve learned to do things alone, to hide pain and keep it to ourselves, but I know that problems are better solved together. Together, Aleksander. Stop trying to protect me from scary truths. Fedyor scanned every room we went into before he’d let me enter. I’m not stupid, Aleksander. If I can handle you cutting a Druskelle in half on top of me, I can handle whatever is threatening us now. Stop trying to push me away when it comes to important things. Let me help.”

He sighed. She was frightened already; she might as well know the truth. “Zoya caught a man trying to break in today. I have her guarding the palace exterior since she can’t seem to behave herself around you. He is working for Zlatan and was sent to spy on you. They’re making a plan for a better attempt on your life.”

Her shoulders slumped and her gaze fell to the floor as she took that in. “Hunted wherever I go. Still not used to that.”

He stood and wrapped his arms around her. “I will not let them succeed. I promise you that you will come to no harm.”

She looked into his eyes, stared there for a while, then found her strength. “Tell me about the papers.”

He quickly filled her in on what he had discovered about Dmitry and the mystery of the paperwork. It did actually feel good to have someone to discuss his findings with and not keep the thoughts spinning in his head. He talked through all of his ideas, no matter if they led nowhere. She indulged him and asked appropriate questions at all the right times. Finally, he arrived out loud at the stuck place he was in his head. He had so many theories, but how did he figure out if any of them were right?

She was quiet as she turned from page to page. Dinner arrived, and they ate in silence as they continued to try to find a pattern among the papers--the same captain, the same record keeper, accomplices that might travel with him. All ideas led nowhere, but they continued to look.

Hours later, Alina stood and walked into the war room.

“Alina?” He trailed after her. She was staring at the map. After a long time, he prompted her. “What is it?”

“I’m sure it’s stupid.” She shook her head and hugged herself.

He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t like it when you put yourself down like that. That’s not you. Those are words from your past.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Hmm, well then, let’s hear it. I’m frustrated. Maybe if it’s really stupid we can have a good laugh about it.”

“I used to stare at the map and dream of finding a way around. I was told there is no around, but … is there? Any secret path or …”

Aleksander felt his stomach twist as the implications became clear. “There are reports of Fjerdans in West Ravka, rumors that Zlatan is aligning with them, letting Druseklle ...” A vision of Nina being tortured popped into his head. He had to fight his jaw from trembling so she couldn’t see how upset this made him. “There is an around if you’re in bed with the enemy. He’s going through Fjerda.”

She gasped as it came together in her head. “He sends his emissary to Fjerda with messages, who then gets a free pass into our country to deliver orders to his spies, but then he needs the quick return across to do it again. How long would it take to travel through Fjerda? Check the dates. Do they match?”

“Fjerdans. It’s worse than I thought.” He could feel the Fjerdan fires licking at his skin.

They spent another hour pouring over records and checking their theory. Finally, Alina yawned. “We should get some sleep.”

He wanted to tell her to go on ahead, but he didn’t want her sleeping in a room away from him. He almost offered to just watch over her, but he feared he would accidentally fall asleep and end up as he had the night before. His chest tightened with worry as he considered possibilities, none of which were acceptable.

“I tell you to come to bed, and that sense of dread is what I get? I might think you don’t want to …” she tried to lightly tease.

“You know why,” he whispered, still not wanting to talk about it.

“Which is all the more reason to get you to sleep soon. Your nightmares are worse the longer you try to keep yourself awake. Have you noticed?”

He sighed. “This morning I was trying to work myself up to telling you that it’s not safe to sleep with me anymore, but now with this information on this potential attack, it’s not safe to sleep away from me either.”

“Don’t you dare do that to me!”

“What?” To her?

“Don’t you realize what you do for me? For years I cried myself to sleep every night, Aleksander. For years! I used to lie there and wonder what was wrong with me that no one could want me, how it was possible for me to not belong anywhere. I slept with a weapon under my pillow to fend off anyone who might come to hurt me. And now I sleep in your arms. Desired. Loved. Don’t you dare take that away from me.”

His heart ached for her. Was it possible she needed him as much as he needed her? “I hadn’t realized …”

“No matter how bad our nightmares get, we stay together. You make sure I can sleep, and I will do the same for you. Just promise to wake me up tonight. You can’t get yourself overtired like that again.”

“And you will wake me if the shadows start again?”

“I promise. Right away.”

“Okay,” he agreed, feeling less selfish about allowing it if it benefited her too. It was better than the alternative of some spy finding her room in the night or her lying awake with a knife under her pillow wondering if someone was coming to kill her. He would have to take care of himself more for her--get an adequate amount of sleep, actually stop and eat meals instead of working through every waking hour, maybe even share some of his stresses with her. He would do those things if it meant he could be there to protect her.

“Now,” she said, kissing him gently. “What do I have to do to get you out of that kefta so I can kiss away all those battle scars?”

[headcanonsandmore]

“Fell In Love With A Girl”, Chapter Four

Summary:  After Luna's shocking kidnap at the hotel, Ginny is desperate to save her girlfriend. But how will they find Luna in a place as large as the Amazon Delta?

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Tagging: @cheeseanonioncrisps @lytefoot

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                   Read on FFN.                                             Read on AO3.

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Ginny was gently led downstairs by Tonks, and sank into a chair.

Her eyes were all red and irritated from the tears she had cried. She felt exhausted, but she couldn’t focus on it. All she felt was terror for Luna.

Kidnapped. In the clutches of the crime syndicate they had been trying to stop.

‘Kid?’

Ginny turned. Sam had placed a hand on her shoulder.

‘Y-yeah?’

‘We’re gonna get her back,’ he said, gruffly. She could tell he wasn’t good with handling emotions, but she appreciated the effort. ‘Those bastards aren’t gonna know what hit them.’

Ginny smiled, despite her tears.

‘T-thanks, Sam.’

The scarred man shrugged.

‘We’ve got a DNA match.’

Ginny’s head whipped round to the side. Remus was stood by a computer across the room.

‘From the bedroom upstairs, you mean?’ Sam asked.

‘Yeah; forensics just got back to us,’ Remus replied, tapping the computer screen. ‘A fragment of skin was left on the windowsill. It matches a low-level criminal who we suspected of being a member of the crime syndicate. Now we’ve got proof.’

At that moment, Tonks burst into the room.

‘Found this in Luna and Ginny’s room,’ she said, holding a book aloft. ‘Thought it might be of use.’

‘T-that’s… that’s Luna’s journal’ Ginny mumbled. ‘It’s…’

She trailed off, before grabbing the book from Tonks and slamming in down on the table and riffling through the pages.

‘Ginny?’ Tonks asked. ‘What is it?’

‘The newest pages are missing,’ Ginny said, pointing at the frayed bits of paper sticking out at odd angles. ‘Luna must have been writing ideas down.’

‘Ideas like…’

‘Amazonian Octarine-Flame,’ Ginny said, her mind connecting the dots. ‘It has variations that grow both above ground and in underground cave systems. The syndicate were obsessed with it, which means that they couldn’t find it in the rainforest. But Luna must have known where it grows; why else would they wait until I left before grabbing her? They need her knowledge.’

‘And kill two birds with one stone,’ Tonks finished. ‘Try to scare us off, and get the Octarine-Flame.’

Sam smiled.

‘You’re good, kid. So, where do we go?’

Ginny’s enthusiasm suddenly vanished; she didn’t know. Luna hadn’t told her where the plant was.

However, her eyes then landed on the map.

‘Oh, it’s where all those reports were coming from!’ She exclaimed. ‘No wonder the locals noticed something was up; the syndicate have been combing that area the whole time! They just need an expert to pinpoint the exact location of that plant!’

Remus nodded.

‘That would also explain why this area seems to be such a target; the network of underground caves stretch out for miles underneath the rainforest. I’m surprised they didn’t just force one of the locals to show them where the plant was.’

Sam chuckled, darkly.

‘Knowing this lot, I imagine they probably didn’t think the locals knew. Typical colonialist nonsense.’

Tonks nodded.

‘The syndicates base must be in that area too,’ Remus said, typing frantically into the computer. ‘They’ve likely got a base of operations close to where the plants are. Somewhere far away from the government authorities.’

‘That’s the problem with these syndicates,’ Sam said, giving a wry grin. ‘They always think that setting up operations in the middle of nowhere will keep them out of attention. But all it does is send up a flare of exactly where they are!’

‘You can hide a bee in a beehive easily,’ Ginny continued. ‘But stick it in a library and it’s impossible to ignore.’

Sam slapped Ginny supportively on the shoulder.

‘Damn, you’re good, kid!’

Ginny smiled.

Evil organisation or not, no-one messed with her girlfriend.

 *

  Luna stumbled forward. The members of the crime syndicate glowered at her. She had been blindfolded ever since she had been kidnapped from the hotel in Rio. They had only removed the blindfold when they had wanted her to inspect a plant.

Amazonian Octarine-Flame. It was the only one they seemed to be desperate to find. Luna wasn’t sure why they hadn’t just forced one of the locals to do it, but she wasn’t about to argue with the rifles the syndicate members were all carrying.

Gritting her teeth, Luna bent down and inspected the plant.

‘Tell us,’ instructed one of them, tapping his rifle in warning. ‘Is that the plant?’

Luna sighed.

‘Yes, it is. It’s the variant that grows above ground.’

‘Good.’

Luna stood back up. The members of the syndicate moved around her, and promptly dug up the plant, placing it and the earth around its roots into a special container they had brought with them.

‘Now, we head back to HQ.’

One of the syndicate members stepped forward, and pulled a mask roughly over Luna’s face.

‘For goodness sake; how am I supposed to walk if I can’t see?’ Luna asked, becoming very aware of how uneven the forest floor was beneath her feet.

‘We’re directing you where you should walk,’ said the syndicate member nearest to her. ‘We can’t have you knowing where our base is.’

‘I’m a florist, not a spy!’ Luna snapped. ‘You’ve got what you want; let me go!’

The syndicate members ignored her, and began to nudge her forward, using the butt of the rifles to do so. They weren’t quite as rough as Luna had been expecting, but it didn’t make the situation any better.

Don’t worry, Luna told herself, Ginny will find me.

As she stumbled forward, Luna’s mind began to work. The syndicate clearly didn’t want anyone to know where their base was, but they’d kept her mask off until she’d identified the plant. That mean… the base was nearby.

They walked on for a good distance. Luna wasn’t sure for how long but, given how many steps she was taking, it couldn’t have been for more than a few miles. That meant that they were still within the area that Remus and Tonks had discussed with Sam the other day.

There was a crackle in front of her. One of the syndicate members had pulled their walkie-talkie out of their pocket.

‘Viper company at section omega with person-of-interest 49?’

They were here. The base entrance must be nearby. Oh, if only she could see!

Luna was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she wasn’t prepared for the push behind her. She crashed to the ground, awkwardly landing on her hands and knees.

‘Get her up,’ grumbled the syndicate member in front. ‘That’s the sixth time she’s fallen over. We should have carried her the way; the last thing we want is the locals noticing the weird foot-prints.’

As Luna was pulled to her feet and pushed forward, she was vaguely aware of her hair swinging into a low-hanging tree branch. Thinking fast, she bit her lip, and gave her head a quick jerk in the opposite direction. There was a sharp shot of pain in her scalp.

The syndicate members didn’t seem to notice this as they bustled her forwards. Before she knew quite what was happening, she could feel herself being led down a steep passageway, out of the sunlight reaching through the rainforest trees.

 *

  Ginny climbed out of the jeep.

They had driving for… she honestly couldn’t remember how long. It could have been ten minutes or ten hours. Ginny hadn’t noticed; she had been focusing too much on Luna. On finding her and getting her out of harms way.

Tonks and Remus climbed out of the jeep. Sam was already standing a few feet ahead, and they all walked to where he was stood.

The rainforest completely surrounded the long dirt road they had travelled along to this spot. Ginny’s t-shirt was already soaked through with sweat due to the humidity, but she didn’t care; she was used to sweat.

Nearby the trees were stood several Amazonian tribespeople. One of them walked over, an elderly woman with kind eyes. She was clearly a local leader of some kind.

‘Hello, Sam.’

The grizzled agent shook hands with the woman.

‘Thank you for agreeing to help us,’ he said. ‘I know the last thing you want is more Westerners intruding.’

‘True,’ she replied. ‘But, by the sounds of it, the redheaded girl has an idea of what the syndicate is after. Which means we know where they’ll be.’

Ginny nodded.

‘Don’t worry,’ the woman said, placing a hand on Ginny’s shoulder. ‘We’ll find your Luna.’

Ginny blinked, quickly.

‘T-thank you,’ Ginny said. ‘Er, what did you say your name was?’

‘I’m afraid you probably couldn’t pronounce it in my language,’ the elderly woman replied, smiling. ‘But, in English, I go by Sky.’

‘Thank you, Sky.’

Sam laid out a map on the bonnet of one of the jeeps. They had marked the area of syndicate activity in red ink; sure enough, it was laid out in a twenty mile perimeter. The end of the dirt track was tantalisingly close to it.

‘Ginny, we don’t blame you if you want to stay here with the jeep,’ Remus said, kindly. ‘We can keep some agents back here with you until it’s safe.’

‘No,’ Ginny replied, her mind set. ‘I promised Luna I’d keep her safe, and I’m not letting a criminal gang hurt her.’

Remus smiled.

‘Okay.’

Leaving the jeeps behind on the track with a few agents, they ventured into the rainforest, using an old well-worn path. Sky and the local activists with her were leading the way, making sure that the MI6 agents avoided any dangerous plants or bugs.

The Amazon was unlike anything Ginny had ever seen before, and it honestly took her breath away. Trees and foliage spread out in all directions, and she could hear the calls of various birds and animals in the canopies above them. If she hadn’t been so worried about Luna, she would have been transfixed.

‘Footprints.’

Sky was crouched down on the ground a few feet ahead.

‘Someone came this way very recently,’ she said, ‘A group of them, and wearing deep-soled boots. Except one, who was just wearing shoes.’

Tonks and Sky nodded at each other.

They continued along the path.

Eventually, they rounded a corner, and came across a large tree. And Ginny’s eyes immediately zeroed in on something.

Hair.

Blond hair.

Luna’s hair.

It was snagged on the low-hanging branch.

Ginny locked eyes with Tonks, who nodded.

The agent exchanged looks with Remus and Sky, and the agents around them began to move into position. Sky mouthed the phrase ‘underground cave network’. The base was below where they were standing.

Gotcha. Ginny thought. Don’t worry, Lu; I’m coming.

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Thanks for reading, everyone! Hope you enjoyed it!

[autumnwritesjojos]

spaceygracey said:Hi there!!~💕🥰 How do you think the each of bucci gang boys would want to spend a lazy with their s/o 💕😘

a/n: hiii gracey!! thank you for sending a suggestion! i had a lot of fun thinking up of things these dorks would do with their s/os, i hope you enjoy!

Bucci gang and their s/o on a lazy day

Don Giorno Giovanna

Technically speaking, Giorno doesn’t have “lazy days.” Being the Don of Passione requires Giorno’s full and undivided attention, he just simply doesn’t have time off like he used to when he was younger. He’s also very goal-driven, he will not stop until his dreams have come to fruition.

That being said, those lazy days have strictly moved to what he likes to call “vacations.” Also known as: he likes to mess around with people sometimes and call off a day to relax simply because he can. Got a day full of meetings and doesn’t want to deal with them? He’ll tell Mista to hold them off for tomorrow. Besides, a day off with you sounds wonderful right now.

Giorno would stroll with you in Naples, partly to see how much the city’s changed since he became Don and also to be with you again. He’s got a pretty big sweet tooth, especially for chocolate, so he knows the local sweets shops by heart. He never got to indulge when he was a child, so he wants to take advantage of that whenever possible.

He’ll gladly share anything he buys with you. Normally he’s keen on keeping them to himself but he’ll make an exception for you. Mista gets upset about it all the time because he always wants a bite.

However, his favorite part of all is the beach. Very big on nature, always has been. He loves the sound of water hitting the sandy shores of Naples as the two of you converse over whatever’s been on your mind. He just enjoys being in your presence.

Bruno Bucciarati

For Bruno, catching him on a lazy day is rare. As Capo, he has to keep up not only with his work but also his appearance, which unfortunately bleeds into his daily life. The man’s worth ethic is ridiculously high too, so it’s difficult to get him to take a day off.

With his s/o, he’s more willing to take a day off to catch up with himself and focus on you two more. He’s an early riser, so he’ll go ahead and make breakfast for you.

Fishing is his biggest comfort hobby. Besides, it’s what he’s grown up with, the inner workings of fishing are nothing but natural to him.

He'll definitely want to show you how to fish, he gets oddly eager when he talks about fishing. You’ll see him all decked out in fishing gear. It's so different from his usual attire, yet he's looking at you gleefully like he's a kid all over again. It’s a good change of pace.

Bruno will gently guide you with his hands, sensual touches are everything to him. If you catch something, he acts like you just won the lottery. He'd tell you all about the fish too, he knows the fish in Naples like the back of his hand.

Leone Abbacchio

Abbacchio will refuse to leave the house. He doesn’t even want to see people. You know it’s a lazy day for him when you walk into the kitchen to get breakfast and you see him already there: messy hair, no makeup, and a cup of coffee in hand.

He’s normally so uptight about his appearance, seeing him in this state lets you know that he can be vulnerable around you. Abbacchio trusts that he can be genuine with you in private, so he’s more willing to have lazy days with you.

He doesn’t really have anything particular in mind either. Whatever he’s doing during the day depends on you. You want to stay in bed all day and bang? No problems there. Anything low maintenance is fine with him, just don’t make him clean.

Abbacchio would love to do his makeup with you. Drinking a glass of wine, messing with each other’s faces while a cheesy 80’s movie plays in the background is the perfect lazy day for him. He would order takeout, there’s no way he’d be in the mood to cook something.

In the evening, he’d want nothing more than to cuddle with you on the couch quietly while playing records, usually opera or relaxing music. He likes to be the big spoon, arms wrapped around your waist tightly to secure you. Eventually, the two of you would drift off to sleep in each other’s arms peacefully.

Guido Mista

Mista would not want to get out of bed unless he really had to. He'd rather be with you and just talk about whatever's on his mind, which are usually random ass theories about food or something.

He’d rub your back, hold you close, plant a couple kisses here and there. He craves your touch, which you happily comply. In the middle of his rambling he’ll suddenly go, “You know I love you so much, right?”

Mista’s also going to be pretty much wearing nothing but his boxers the whole day, can’t be bothered to change. He’s still very warm though.

If by chance you two do get out of bed, he’s sticking by your side. He’ll also order takeout for you both or eat leftovers you both had, since neither of you are in the mood to cook anything.

You two would be lounging on the couch while watching a movie, Clint Eastwood. He’s very big on cuddling, always has his arm around you, just quietly enjoying the movie and your time together.

Narancia Ghirga

Narancia LOVES lazy days. This man sleeps in until noon for sure, and he’s gonna be out. He’s stuck to you like Velcro too, there’s no getting out of his grasp.

Once he is awake, he sounds so sleepy it’s absolutely adorable. He’ll groan if you try to move, you’re practically his personal heater. He’ll say something along the lines of “Can we just stay in today…? Please?” which you cave in because he was just so damn cute, you couldn’t say no.

Expect you two not to leave his room much. Aside from getting food from the kitchen, you two will be either playing video games or he’ll show you some tricks he learned on his guitar. He still wants to show you that he’s a cool guy, after all.

That’s where he likes to win you over in bets, everything is a bet. One moment he’ll say, “Betcha I can beat this level in less than a minute” and the other he’ll go, “Betcha I can catch this popcorn in my mouth”, he’ll even say something like “If I win this round I get a kiss.”

He may not win all the time, but he knows you love him regardless! He’s just happy he has someone to cheer him on.

Pannacotta Fugo

Fugo usually takes his days off to catch up on things he’s been meaning to do, which typically consists of cleaning, reading, or catching up on the news, local or national. He needs something to keep his brain active, so he’s always looking for new things to learn.

One of those new things he’s been meaning to grasp is cooking. That’s where you come in to help! Maybe he could learn a thing or two with you. It gives him something good to focus on rather than dwelling on potentially harming others.

He will get pissed if he’s not fully understanding a recipe. Luckily, you’re patient with him so things can calm down before it gets worse. He trusts your judgment too, so thankfully he listens to you.

Sooner or later, the dish is finished, and it didn’t turn out that bad! Fugo’s pretty pleased with himself, and happy that you had a good time learning the recipe with him.

Afterwards, you two would have a little book club. Both of you would pick a book to read and have a chat about it later. Fugo loves hearing your thoughts, good or bad. He’s glad he gets to spend his time with you doing the things he loves, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

[angeli-marco-writes]

∘◦❅◦∘ Elizabeth Debicki - Christmas Morning ∘◦❅◦∘

A/N - Elizabeth is a superior human being and I shan’t hear a word against it. She’s so bloody stunning and pure and everything good. I got this idea a while ago, but it’s taken me a while to write it. What better time to upload a Christmas Morning imagine than on Christmas Eve (in my time zone at least). This is not intended to offend anyone, or to intrude on Elizabeth in any way. I do not know her, nor do I claim to. This is a work of fiction. And I’m sorry if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I’m not trying to force it upon anyone. I also used google translate for most of the Polish.

Warnings - Explicit s*x and lots of it. Cursing, Polish cursing. Just 3.4k words of adult content, really. 18+.

Summary - Christmas morning in a hidden wintry lodge is everything you could’ve dreamed of. Then again, it’d be perfect even without the setting and the heating, because all you want for Christmas is Elizabeth, and that she gives you. Wholly.

DAPPLED SUNLIGHT FILTERS through the gap in the curtains, icy and sharp, defining the angles of her face with acute shadows. God she looks so perfect this way, you never want to wake her. 

Usually Liz is the first one to wake up, so this is a rarity, one you’ll never take for granted. She looks so ethereal, so angelic, so incredibly perfect, it makes you wonder what you’ve ever done to deserve this half covered celestial woman in your bed next to you this morning. Perhaps the retreat is doing its work, and she’s finally starting to sleep well. Life away from all the pressures of Hollywood seems to be suiting her, and you, hence the lodge you booked into at the start of the week and don’t plan on leaving until it’s absolutely pertinent. How she’s managed to sleep half naked, though, with only a sheet slung around her hips is beyond you, and you find yourself smiling at the thought. 

With your eyes, you trace the curves of her bare body from the silhouette of the longest and shapeliest legs you’ve ever seen (that look particularly good wrapped around your waist… or neck) to the dips of her hips where the sheet rests tucked a little beneath her, to the gorgeous valley of her perfect breasts and her nipples, already pebbled from the cold air. You can appreciate her face like this as well, more than you usually could; so still and relaxed like no harm could ever come, like she’s your guardian angel, a facts he’s proven again and again, only for you to snatch her breath away by capturing her slightly plump lips in yours, nudging her button nose with yours, gazing into those stunning baby blue eyes. And her hair, God, the choppy blonde locks that only serve to make her more angelic even when she’s acting like a devil, just like on Halloween. The thought alone gives you chills, riding goosebumps on top of your goosebumps, and sending blood rushing simultaneously to your cheeks and your core.  

She lets out the breathiest little moan, and you can’t help but wonder whether she’s dreaming of you, and if she’s just as wet as you are beneath the covers, creating a damp spot where she’s lying on the crisp white sheet, as crisp as the winter snow outside. Her cheeks begin to colour, and now you just have to avert your eyes or you’ll simply pounce her when she needs her sleep. Presents can wait. 

The view outside the window, though, is simply magnificent. Hundreds of tiny snowflakes fall all around, dancing and twirling until they settle into beds of soft snow or fall onto the broad branches of the fir trees lining the property. The perfect white Christmas, and your first together, even if, with your destination, it was expected. 

Eventually, you pluck up the strength to extricate yourself from the warmth of the bed, only to grasp for the nearest jumper, tugging it on to shield yourself from the worst of the cold. Ice bites at your toes this early on in the day, though it’s swiftly dissipated when your feet hit the soft, cream rug next to the carpet on the log-appearance floor, already warmed through enough to make your toes toasty via underfloor heating.

You ensure to keep your footsteps soft, padding along the floor and treading over any obstacles until you reach the door, and even then only opening it a sliver more than you need to slip through the gap. Yawning, you trek down to the kitchen, pulling the sweater tighter around you. It smells of Liz, of her perfume, and that indescribable smell of roses that is so distinctly her. 

Popping the kettle on, your mind drifts from the sound and last night's activities hail you, willing you to forget that you’re in the kitchen and to just think of the way she kissed you, touched you, fucked you-  The bubbling stops, and you’re grounded once more, but even so you can still feel her touch scorching your skin, burning you with every graze of her fingers over your legs, your stomach, your-

And that's when you nearly drop the mug of boiling tea onto your bare feet. You have to physically shake the sensation from you if you want anything done before heading back up to bed. You make Elizabeth’s tea the way she likes it: white, one sugar, just like her, and wrap the mug cosies around each cup to keep them toasty, even while she’s still asleep. You tiptoe back upstairs, the ghost of her touch sending shivers down your spine, and as you softly kick the door open, cautious to keep your balance so as to not spill tea all over your sprawled self on the floor, you’re surprised to find Liz sitting up n bed, laying on her elbows, her hair slightly more coiffed, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Your eyes dart to the safe, a bubbling of excitement fizzing in your stomach just to make this morning better.

“Merry Christmas baby,” She coos in that delectable accent of hers. 

“Happy Christmas darling, did I wake you?”

She shakes her head reassuringly, and opens her arms for you. “Though I’d have been much happier if you’d woken me up in a better way than with tea, though I’m ever so grateful.”

You put the mugs down and bend to kiss her lips, tasting only desire in the tender brush. She brings her hand up to wrap around your back, drawing you impossibly closer to her until your whole body is covering hers. She’s wearing that stupid Christmas cardigan you told her not to buy, the terrible clash of red and green and gold being a lot for your eyes to take so early in the morning, but the soft material tickles your back so delightfully, warming you up, so you can’t complain.

“Were you dreaming of me?” You husk in her ear.

“Mmhm, only of you.”

You bring your lips down to her neck, kissing her pressure point ever so gently, only to suck on her skin feverishly enough to leave a hickey and have her moaning already.

“Don’t stop- fuck.”

Your hips begin involuntarily bucking into hers, creating a delicious friction while your mouth works on her weakest spots. For once, neither of you has to worry about leaving marks on the other: free rein to mark each other up in whichever way you choose. In truth, this is your favourite time to just be with Elizabeth, nothing and no one to worry about, especially no paparazzi and no one trying to catch her out. 

Without wasting another second, you bring your lips back to hers, your mouths colliding deliciously. She weaves her hand into your hair, tugging you closer, drawing you closer into her warmth and the taste of her wholly. She’s yours, and this morning you certainly plan on proving that, starting with shucking off her cardigan, followed by your jumper, flinging them both across the room. 

“Someone’s eager.” She giggles, her accent sounding above lush to your ears, especially with that gorgeous morning husky quality. 

“Always.”

You begin to nip at her jaw, she claws at your back, her nails leaving crescent moons in their wake already. Grasping at your hair, she forces you to go lower. Grazing your teeth over her neck, her shoulders, her collarbones, she’s already getting desperate. You can always tell the signs: Her back slightly arching, her hips rolling from side to side and up and around in circles to grasp onto any thread of friction she can, and then there’s those pretty little whimpers she thinks are too quiet for you to hear. You listen closely every time for them, the most darling sounds she makes, they drive you crazy. They also waive your will to tease her, leading to you always giving in. Today is no exception, other than the fact you begin to tease her pebbled nipples with your tongue much faster than you usually would. 

“Laska,” She moans, pushing her breasts further into your mouth, her hand moving up to clasp around the back of your head, beginning to control your movements.

You’d be lying if you didn’t say Liz’s boobs were the sexiest you’ve ever seen in my life, but when she speaks Polish, it really gets you going. In fact, tweaking her other bud between your forefinger and thumb, pulling gently while you leave hickeys all across her one breast. She’s really getting what she asked for, using that breathy, ungodly voice to call you the sweetest names. 

If you had it your way, you’d be making her come using her breasts alone, but Liz has other ideas, pulling you up by your heir until she’s pinning you to the bed, her long, slender arms on either side of your head, trapping you in. She looks so… elegant. 

“Moja cudowna dziewczyna.”

Jesus Christ she’s gonna be the death of you. You look up at her with wide, starry eyes, completely enthralled with every movement she makes, even the slight quirk of her lips, every blink, every breath. She’s trailing her hand down your body, her fingers between your breasts, her palm over your stomach, two lean digits swiping through your slick, having you a mewling quim under her control as soon as the soft pads of her fingers make contact with your core. She teases your entrance a little before gliding in in one swift movement. Your whole body seems to vault up from the bed, wrapping yourself around Elizabeth as an instinct, bringing her lips crashing onto yours while she continues her ministrations. The kiss is sloppy yet oh so sexy, a clash of teeth and tongues with a flame of pure passion. She’s pumping in and out of you, faster, faster, and you can feel your climax approaching. She can tell as well, because she begins to speed up, pressing her thumb down on your clit.

“Say it.” You whine, “Say it, baby.”

She moves her hand faster, her wrist flicking with every movement as she fucks you, deep and hard on her fingers. God the things they can do…

“Wesołych świąt, seksowna.” She purrs, right in your ear.

The most delectable shiver of arousal runs down your spine, electrocuting every nerve ending in your entire body. You’re on fire, and within a second of her strokes continuing, her fingertips curling to get that exact spot she always knows how to reach, you come with a scream of her name, your hands yanking at her hair as she grunts. She flops down onto your body, every inch of your skin touching, and yet she doesn’t stop her movements, every single jolt of her elbow elongating your high beyond what you thought it could. An almost out of body experience, and all you can see is her, all you can feel is her. Everything is just Liz as she kisses you. Hard. Finger-fucking you through to your second orgasm where all you can hear are her coaxing words. You can feel her, too, desperately grinding against your leg. If you had any control over your brain or mouth whatsoever, you’d be teasing her for being so desperate, your eager baby, yearning so much to come that all she can do is ride your thigh; but apparently your mouth can’t do anything but whimper. 

“Pierdolić, królowo.” followed by a faint cry are the clearest thing before you're taken away into your memories. 

The first time you heard that word was the most heavenly moment of your existence. You and Elizabeth had been dating for a small while, keeping it on the down low, never sharing more than a kiss for weeks and weeks. Until one fateful night, after a nice dinner, she finally invited you in and it was not a night to forget. 

Round two, this time you made it to the bed, and seeing her beneath you was a sight and a half. Her pale skin against her dark sheets, a stark and striking contrast, only complimented further by her halo of long curly blonde locks surrounding her head. Her soft pink lips parted, her eyes squeezed shut, one hand clamping onto her pillow to anchor her, the other in your hair. Her back keeps arching off the bed as she approaches her high, crashing back down as soon as you ease off the intensity of your mouth on her core. You’ve edged her again and again even though she’s overstimulated already, sensitive all over. You know that with just one tweak to her nipples or one kiss to her clit, she’ll be coming all over your tongue. Not that you’re complaining. So after laying off for a moment, you get back to work, delving your tongue into her core, savouring every last drop of arousal that drops into your awaiting mouth, your lips pulling at her clit, your hands holding her legs apart to stop them from closing around your head, becoming your necklace. Not that you’d complain about that either…

“Pierdolić!” She screams, her body practically convulsing, crying out that very same word and her name until her throat grows hoarse. 

Only when she’s almost finished do you feel your own high coming on with absolutely no contact at all, merely the friction of the bed sheets against your sensitive breasts and the lasting taste of her juices on your tongue. The vision of her topples you over as well, your orgasm silent, muffled by her pussy, your quiet moans sending vibrations throughout her whole being until she falls lax onto the bed, spent, smiling dizzily. 

Making your way back up her body, peppering kisses everywhere you can reach, you feel yourself leaving a trail of wetness over her legs and pelvis until you come up to straddle her hips, your chest pressing against hers, your lips meeting in a series of lazy kisses. 

“That was pretty sexy,” She murmurs, her voice weak and oh so sensual, “You like it when I speak Polish?”

You just moan softly, unwittingly in response. She chuckles, her fingers running up and down your spine. Ever since, you’ve seen stars with every orgasm when she speaks Polish to you. 

This morning follows a similar pattern. With you both exhausted from your first round, you curl under the duvet, wrapped in one another’s embrace. She’s so gentle this way, nothing like the intimidating 6ft+ woman that's shown in the press, the one who could kill anyone with so much as a glance. Not that she isn't drop dead gorgeous, but she’s… vulnerable. And with you, here, she can finally be free and be herself with no external challenges or judgement. That’s what makes this so special. 

Skin to skin, heart to heart, lips to lips. You’d take this over anything any day. 

“I love you.” You whisper, kissing her shoulder, darting your eyes up to see her beautiful face. The apples of her cheeks are so pronounced when she smiles that signature way, so quintessentially Elizabeth. God she’s so beautiful, and brave, you’re so glad you get to touch her all the time. 

Trailing your fingers over her chest, your hand comes up to rest on her bare breast, uncovered by the duvet. She hums absently, her everlasting touch console for you. 

“This reminds me of The Night Manager,” She says, turning her head on the pillow to face you. 

Your ears prick up; “How come?”

“The cardigan, the snow from when we were in the alps, your hand on my boob like Toms was.” 

She’s wearing that smirk, the one that tells you exactly what she wants. 

“So now I’m just on par with Tom?”

“Mhm, yeah you are, baby.”

Her smirk widens, mischief glittering in her gorgeous eyes. You chuckle to yourself; this is often her way of instigating another round. 

“So I’m just a mediocre white man on a film set with you?” I draw her one nipple between my teeth, my hand massaging the breast it’s already settled on, eliciting a little moan and a vehement nod. God, she’s such a switch. “So you’re telling me that I don’t fuck you better than he can? The fact I have your whole body quaking beneath me in seconds flat when all he got after God knows how many takes was a little twitch?” Again, the same response. “Are you telling me that I’m not the best shag you’ve ever had, darling?”

Silence. You’ve caught her in her own trap, and now, like earlier, she’s just dying to be overpowered. Her torso relaxes a little, her arms falling away, her eyes opening wide, expectant. 

“I’ll fucking prove to you that I’m the best you’ve had and ever will have.” you guarantee pridefully.

Pressing a soft and gentle kiss to her lips, your grip on her body is anything but, lifting her limber body off the bed and on top of you. She’s rendered surprised, unable to fight you, just a lopsided smile proving her consciousness while her hands on your cheeks prove her willingness. That twinkle in her eyes that never goes away is good enough to soften your demeanour for a second while you adjust yourself with the headboard, only to take Liz by surprise again, licking a bold stripe from her opening to her clit, her jaw dropping in a silent ‘O’. Kitten licks to her dripping hole are your next move, the bare minimum of contact, reading her a little, but the look of sheer beauty on her face, completely fucked out while she sits on your face is indescribable. You’re not going to drag this out, you’re gonna go fast and rough and truly make it worth her while. 

“I love the way you taste, baby.” you tell her as sweetly as you can, pressing your tongue into her leaking hole, clenching around nothing. 

She makes a mad grasp for the headboard, wrapping her hands around it, bowing down a little, her breasts in your direct eye line, her nipples hovering just where you want them, pebbled pink peaks perfectly placed on delectably rounded breasts, her soft skin covering every inch, the blemishes just a part of her. 

One hand squeezing her ass, kneading her cheeks between your fingers, the other grazing over her gorgeous breasts, your gazes connect. Her eyes focus on yours, your gaze authoritative, demanding for her to keep looking at you, even when it becomes what seems, in the moment, to be the hardest task of her life, just to keep her mouth open as your tongue delves deep into her, reaching as deep as you can go. Your hand on her bum brings her pussy down even closer to your face. You have full access to roam her core as you please, even more when she begins grinding on your face. 

“Keep going, fuck, baby I need you!”

And if that isn’t the hottest thing you’ve ever heard, you’ll be damned. Her one hand leaves the headboard and comes up to her other breast, pulling and twisting her nipple as she grinds faster, gyrating her hips against your mouth. She’s getting close, so close. 

“I’m gonna-”

She doesn’t get chance to finish her sentence before she’s crying out, pleasure washing over her and breaking out a sweat on her skin, small beads dripping down her forehead and cleavage, all thanks to you bringing her bundle of nerves between your lips and suckling while you played with her ass. No matter how hard she tries, her gaze falters, her eyes squeezing shut as her second climax renders her speechless, breathless, boneless, collapsing onto you. Two hundred times at least you must’ve seen her climax, but this? This morning takes the cake. What a fucking brilliant start to Christmas day. 

You both pop to the loo to clean up before wrapping up in your cosy Christmas jumpers and slipping back into bed with your mugs of tea. The smile still hasn’t left her face, and you hope to God it never will. Legs entangled, arms wrapped around one another. She feels so petite and delicate in your grasp even though she towers over you normally. She’s precious, the most precious thing you’ll ever have, the only Christmas present you need. You just hope she knows this. 

“All I want for Christmas is you, Elizabeth. Now and always.” You say to your girlfriend, your partner. Your fiancé if today goes to plan. 

“I love you so much.” She whispers, her lips on your temple.

“I love you.”

With a surreptitious glance to the safe in the corner of the room, you train your gaze back at Liz, only focussed on you as you cuddle up with her, burrowed under the warmth of the duvet. Yeah, this is a pretty perfect Christmas morning.