#and floor as a knight would make the best fanfic

[thenightwishsingers]

Nightwish Singers + Bisexual Colours

A birthday treat and 9 year anniversary celebration of this blog. @thenightwishsingers. [Insp by this]

Anette - The Priestess

Floor - The Knight

Tarja - The Goddess

[avengerscompound]

Shared Experience - Chapter 14

Shared Experience - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  nothing really

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Rose Astor

Word Count: 1763

Summary:  Rose Astor met her end in 1920, joining the ranks of the living dead two years after the birth of Steve Rogers.  A century later the two meet in battle - a beacon of light clashing with a creature of the night.  Despite their differences, the two bond over their shared life experiences.  Can a vampire become an Avenger?  Can two such different beings create a life together?

Chapter 14

Steve was contacted by the man calling himself Moon Knight the following day.   They arranged a meeting for the same night at the Midnight Mission.  There was a lot of debate about who would go and what would be said.  Rose wanted to be there to plead her case, and some of the team wanted to go as backup.  Ultimately, it was decided that because Steve had said he wanted to speak to Moon Knight about vampires, he should go alone and explain things.  That way the Priest of Khonshu would not feel threatened and if things went badly, Rose would be safe.

Rose waited with the other Avengers at the tower.  She paced the floor of the party deck as she waited for Steve to return.  Sam, Natasha, Wanda, and Tony were all with her.  The rest of the team was off doing their own work, and while Rose was glad that so many of them had put that off to support her, she was not being the best company right now.

“Hey, Vlad.  Sit down, would you?” Tony said.

She shot him a look, baring her fangs at him.  He held up his fingers in a cross, and his belief that it would work was enough to make her flinch back.

“Leave her alone,” Wanda said. “This is stressful.  We don’t know anything about this Moon Knight except that he likes killing Vampires.” 

“Well, pacing around the room won’t make him not want to kill vampires.  It’s almost making me think killing Vampires sounds like a great idea,” Tony argued.

“Tony!” Wanda said.  “You can’t say that!”

“Can’t say what?”

Rose whipped around to see Steve getting out of the elevator, accompanied by a man dressed from head to toe in a white suit that included a smooth white mask with a white crescent moon embroidered on the forehead.

He did not at all look the way she expected.  There was nothing about what he was wearing that screamed Priest of Khonshu.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Tony said, getting up and approaching the two new arrivals.  “Is this the Night Man or whatever it is?”

Moon Knight ignored him completely, turning his attention directly on Rose.  He approached her, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking her up and down. “You must be Rose,” he said.

Her eyes flicked up and down his body, and for a moment, the two of them just looked at each other, waiting to see if this was about to turn south.

“This is Mister Knight,” Steve said, gesturing to the man.  “He said he was willing to help.”

“Don’t you hate my kind by default?” Rose asked.

Mister Knight rocked back and forth on his heels.  “That’s not fair,” he said.  “It’s not by default.  But my job is to protect the travelers of the night.  Usually, it’s your kind putting them at risk.  But Captain Rogers here says you’ve been working as an Avenger.  You don’t hunt?”

She folded her arms, hugging herself as he questioned her.  “No.  I haven’t in a long time. And when I did, it was rarely and only for the people you would go after anyway.”

She always hated having to defend herself like this, like her nature inherently made her evil.  It wasn’t her fault she’d been put in a position where she needed to eat blood to live.

“Why don’t we take a seat?” Steve suggested.

“Yeah,” Tony agreed.  “Yeah.  Sit.  Can we get you a drink, Mister Knight?”

Mister Knight gestured to his mask. “I’ll pass,” he said, but he went and sat down on the couches where Wanda, Sam, and Natasha were all already sitting.

Rose took Steve’s hand and went to sit opposite the man.  She was grateful for his support with this.  There was so much at stake.  If this worked, she could have her life back.

“So,” Mister Knight said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his ankle over his knee.  “You want a lightbender amulet?”

“Blade said you would know where one was,” she said.  “You have no idea how much it would change my life.  To be able to go out in the sun?  To lose that desperate need to feed and not have it driving me all the time.  I could be a normal person.  Or as close to it as I ever hope to be.” 

Mister Knight waved his hand.  “Don’t get too excited.  I did have them.  Once.  Well, Marc did.  But I’ve since given them away to a group of Vampires called the Forgiven.  They have vowed to turn away from their nature.  They may or may not have spares, I couldn’t tell you.  You will have to go speak to them.  The last I heard they were in Transylvania, though why they would want to be, I don’t know.  I do know, they like for you to prove yourself to them before they’ll hand an amulet over.  You can imagine how valuable something like that would be to say Dracula.”

“Then why are they hanging out in Transylvania?” she asked.

“I don’t like it either, but I can’t tell them how to live their lives,” Mister Knight said.  “I trust them.”

Tony leaned back in his chair and ran his hands down his face. “I am never going to get used to the fact that Dracula is just a real guy.”

“You got used to Thor being a real guy,” Natasha argued.  “How is this different?”

“Well, Thor lived on another planet. I assume Dracula has just been hiding under our noses the whole time,” Tony shot back.

Rose shook her head.  “So to Transylvania,” she said.  “Anything else I should know?  What would help me prove myself?”

“Sometimes it’s staking your maker,” he explained.  “But being an Avenger might be enough.  That’s pretty big if you ask me.  You’re putting your money where your mouth is about fighting your nature and putting good into the world.  Plus you have these people that most people consider heroes saying you’re one of them.”

Rose nodded.  “I’d gladly stake my maker if I had any idea where he was.”

Mister Knight leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and tenting his fingers in front of his face.  “Oh really?  And who is this maker?”

“His name was Marcellus Lakatos,” she answered.  “Do you know him?”

Mister Knight laughed and leaned back in his chair again, his hands clapping together.  “Well, well, well, you might be in luck.  I heard Marcellus returned to daddy with his tail between his legs when one of his progeny turned on him.”  His eyes lit up and he sat forward again.  “That was you wasn’t it?”

She wasn’t exactly positive it was her, but it seemed likely.  Of course, there was time for him to turn someone else and torture them as he tortured her, but it felt like it was most likely her.

“If it was during the forties, it was me,” she said, trying not to smile.  “Though I don’t put it past him to try with someone else after me.”

He laughed and clapped his hands.  “Amazing.  This has been a delight.”  He sat forward again and held his hand out to Rose.  She took it and he kissed the back of her hand. “Well, Rose, it has been a pleasure.  It’s always nice to see a Vampire wanting to fit into society rather than farm it or take it over.  Good luck in your search.  Keep an eye out for monster hunters.”

He stood and nodded to the other Avengers as they all stood to see him out.  “It was a pleasure.  You keep the world safe and I shall continue protecting the night.” 

Tony and Natasha walked him out as the others stayed with Rose.  Rose moved closer to Steve, and he wrapped his arm around her, cuddling her into his side and kissing her on the top of the head.

“So what now?  Are we on the way to Transylvania?” Sam asked.

Rose looked over at them.  “You don’t need to come with me.  This is my fight, not yours.”

Wanda shook her head.  “We’re a family.  We have each other’s backs.  And if you’re going into a den of vampires - where your abuser lives.  You need backup.  And we can be your backup.”

“Besides, you might need the Avengers there to prop up your résumé,” Sam said.

Natasha and Tony returned and Tony flopped down next to Sam, putting his feet on the table.  “So we’re all going, right?  We can hit two birds with one stone.  Get this amulet, and get that asshole who did this to you.”

Tears pricked Rose’s eyes.  She couldn’t believe they were all so willing to drop everything to help her with something like this.  It wasn’t life or death.  She had lived over a century without the amulet.  Having it would just mean she could live more like a human again.  And despite it being dangerous, and despite it being unnecessary, they were all ready to help.

She had been alone for so long, it was overwhelming to have that kind of support.  She turned to Steve and hid her face in his chest.

Steve’s arm tightened around Rose’s shoulders.  “You’re not alone anymore, sweetheart,” he said gently.  “It’s not just me.  You have a family now.  We all want to help you.”

She nodded and rubbed her face on his chest.  It was a risky move because Steve was wearing a white t-shirt and if any of her tears had escaped, she’d just rubbed blood all over his shirt.  It was just that she was so overwhelmed and she wanted to hide inside him.

“Yeah, come on now.  You’ll be fine,” Tony agreed.  “We’ve got your back. Now stop crying because it’s really gross.”

“Tony!” Wanda yelped, as Natasha punched him in the arm.

“What?  You like when her face is all covered in blood?” he asked, rubbing his arm.

Rose laughed, finally raising her head again.  Thankfully, Steve’s shirt was blood-free, though she wasn’t sure about her face.  A few tears had broken free.  Despite having grown up in the early 1900s, the way Tony spoke reminded her so much of her brothers.  They were right.  This was family.  “It’s okay.  I’m okay.”

Steve fished a handkerchief from his pocket, leaned in, and wiped her cheek.  It was such a loving and tender action, it made her heart feel full.  “Alright, so it’s decided.  It’s a team mission.  So, what’s the plan?”

// NEXT

[captmickey]

Fluffy Wonderland, a King's Quest Fanfic

I asked for a prompt to do of the guards and this is based entirely on the idea that Triumph gets a winter coat.

Can be found on AO3 as well

---

When Graham had won the Knights Tournament, the word of the knight from Llewdor spread like wildfire: How he used his wit to outsmart his opponent in the duels, how his archery skills is something to be feared and recognized, how his compassion for anyone that would even so much as look his way was immense.

And, most importantly, how unique his steed was.

It wasn’t the traditional horse like the others and it wasn’t something otherworldly like the famous and majestic Mr. Fancycakes. It was, however, a room for constant debate within the various households of Daventry where family members and friends would constantly debate as to what Triumph was. A gerbil? Capybara? Maybe a weird hamster thing… no one could rightfully say, and even asking Graham himself had him just stare, smile brightly, and go “Triumph is my best friend!”

Anyone who was anyone wanted a mere glimpse of the steed.

Number One was absolutely not one of those people.

There were many things Number One (reluctantly) allowed Graham to do, even as king. He allowed him to occasionally have those chocolate chip pancakes at night (and even go so far as to make it himself, even if it was unbecoming of a monarch to cook), he turned a blind eye to Graham wearing his adventurer’s cap in favor of the golden crown, he even allowed Graham from time to time to hug him during times of distress… but there was one very stern rule he told Graham that he will not, under any circumstances, budge on: Never let Triumph inside the blasted castle.

Not because he feared if the steed was ‘potty trained’ as Kyle and Larry so gleefully teased, that was truly the least of his concern based solely on how the steed was inside the stables. He stood firmly to that rule because the beloved royal steed ‘lovingly’ shedded like a monster every winter.

And every blasted year, Graham would bring Triumph inside during the peak of winter because it was ‘too cold’ even with the steed’s excessive and stunningly white winter coat.

He sat on the steps of the Throne Room that was currently covered in all things white fluffy with his arms resting on his legs with his armor long since discarded. Sitting beside him was Number Two, his armor also placed to the side alongside his own with his head in his hands. In front of the two guards was the source of their exhaustion, two brushes on the floor covered in its thick white fluffy coat looking to be nothing more than a ball with a head and ears… was Triumph.

Triumph looked their way and gave a small chirp as if to ask ‘everything alright?’

“How does one creature have so much excessive fur?” Number One grumbled, his eyes locked onto the steed’s beady stare.

“Add that to the pile of mystery questions. Right next to ‘does he hibernate’ but before ‘does he purr’.” Number Two said. He raised his head up. “Did the lad come back yet with whatever made device he claimed to have for all of this?”

“No. I believe he has abandoned us to our fluffy fate.” Number One picked at a tuft of fur off his undershirt. “Funny, I never thought I’d perish under something so… soft.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“Hardly. I’m being somber.”

Number Two scoffed and shook his head, more bits of white fur coming off his head. “Y’know, with all this fur, we could make a second Triumph… maybe even open up a clothing line where instead of sheep’s wool it’s whatever this is. We’d call it Triumphantly Cozy.”

Number One took a very deep long breath, not willing to indulge in the make-believe scenario.

“Maybe sell dolls too.”

The captain of the guard looked around the throne room and frowned. “This is going to take months to find every last bit of fur and remove it from the room.”

“Not like you’re going to be doing it yourself, though.” Number Two countered.

“Ideally, but it’ll end up being like that.”

The second in command leaned back on his arms, staring. “How’d you figure?”

Number One scoffed. “It’s routine at this point: I’ll start cleaning, you’ll make some irritating joke, and then for the final stab, Pockets will make some infuriating pun and do that ridiculous sheepish smile of his. I’ll pout, you’ll tell me to lighten up and I’ll be fuming in absolute annoyance as I continue to find bits of this blasted fur inside my blasted armor and–”

He stopped and held his head in his hands, feeling Number Two patting his back.

“There, there… it’s not so bad.” Number Two said.

“It is. That’s how we got into this blasted situation in the first place.” Number One bemoaned.

Number Two paused, thought it over, and raised his brows. “Huh… good point.”

Triumph, as if overhearing the whole conversation and understanding it, stood up and began to walk over. Number One looked up from his hands and went wide eyed, pointing a finger at the steed.

“No no! No! Sit back down, you’ll get even more fur everywhere!” Number One tried to order. It was a foolish attempt, even he knew that. Triumph listened to no one but its own belly or Graham. “Sit! Sit!!”

Number Two bit his lip to not laugh as he watched Number One move back, a pointed finger still at the steed who stopped, stood for a moment and leaned its head to the side, preparing itself for a thorough shake.

The two guards eyes went wide and both leaned back. “No no no NO! TRIUMPH NO!”

The steed ignored and shook hard as more bursts of white fur fluttered into the throne room and, by extension, onto the guards who sat there. Number Two spat out some fur. Triumph gave a small trill before going over and pressed its fluffy white head against the captain’s chest and nuzzled.

“No, not the shirt!” Number One gasped before sighing in defeat, realizing Triumph was going to keep rubbing its head against him, as if asking for pets. Number One, naturally, obliged and began patting its head. “Zards…”

Triumph chirped and leaned into the scratch.

“You have a way with animals.” Number Two snickered, brushing some fur off of him.

Number One shot a glare his way but continued to pet Triumph as it kneeled back down and rested its head on his lap. He all but gave up at that point that he could somewhat spare his uniform of the white fluffy fur fate. He didn’t hate Triumph, that was a point he needed to be abundantly clear. He just hated the fur the steed shedded.

“You’re just like Pockets, you know that?” Number One sighed in defeat as he continued to pet Triumph. “A harmless nuisance that spreads warmth everywhere you go.”

“I think he likes you.”

Triumph, once more, chirped.

“He better, considering the length I go through just to make sure he’s not a walking blasted dandelion. Isn’t that right, Triumph?”

[darling-in-wonderland]

Kill Your Darlings (Redux)

(in collaboration with @twistedchatterbox ‘s event, Spooky Chattering 2023)

AN: If you were one of the five people that read the original Kill Your Darlings, then strap in because this is a reimagining that is way more cracked than it’s archived original counterpart. And if you weren't, well, you're not missing much. This version is leagues above the og and way more fun. Reader is my yuusona, Darling (she/her), who is very in love with Idia (but feel free to live vicariously through her like I do). Other characters in this little (*cough* 7k word) fic include Azul, Ortho, and Grim (with a little bonus scene at the end with Crowley) Vil is mentioned quite a lot, but makes no appearance.

CW: more of a dark comedy than anything, but there are still points of tension, anxiety mention (in response to the tension), feelings of being stalked/hunted, minor injuries/blood, and one (1) fbomb, meaning that it could safely be rated pg-13.

AN2: Also i am super new/unaware of fanfic etiquette so if there's anything i've missed/should label differently/etc, please let me know! now, without further adieu…

It was a day like any other, really. Foggy, but hey, I like overcast weather so I’m not complaining.

“I guess I never realized that the fog here is different from the fog back home,” I muse to Grim while we walk to class.

“Myah? Whaddya mean by that?”

“The fog back home didn’t stick around this much, I don’t think.”

“The fog here isn’t really that sticky, Darling.”

“Whatever you say, Grim.” I give him some pets as we walk. “Also, before I forget, I have Board Game Club after classes today. Remember the plan?”

“How could I forget?” he grins. “You offered me five whole cans of tuna to help you with this scheme!”

After the events of that phantom bride- oh how I hate her still!- I can’t afford myself the luxury of pretending that Idia doesn’t know that I like him anymore. With the lengths (and songs) I went to without hesitation, there’s no way he doesn’t know; but it’s polite to tell him point blank in no uncertain terms. I mean, that’s what you do when you like someone, right?

The plan is that Grim is going to distract Azul somehow to make him late to the club meeting. Hopefully this will mean that Idia and I will be alone, allowing me to tell him how I feel in person without anyone else there to watch.

Before I left the dorm, I made sure to spritz a bit of perfume on me, just something that makes me smell a bit like candy. I’m only thinking of this because I left the bottle on the stairs since I was running late to class, but I’m always running late to these early morning classes. Anyways, I need to remember to put it back in the bathroom when I get home. 

After classes with Grim, we diverge on our separate paths; Grim to distract Azul with some random fetch quest and I to the Board Game Club to confess my love to Idia, though hopefully not in song while holding a heavy flamer this time.

I show up early to the club meeting, jittery and anxious. When I was out there white knighting and wedding crashing, I was so hopped up on anger, adrenaline, and the anxiety that my Sister of Battle armor would run out of battery too soon that I didn’t even notice that I kept singing the lyrics to “A Grave Mistake” wrong. When you meet the girl whose love you stole… Cringe, but I feel more on edge now than then. Why does this of all things make me anxious?

Time refuses to march on to my best nightmare, so I stay frozen in place as I pace the floor.

And then I hear the door creak open, forcefully shaking me from my thoughts and making my heart pound harder. I see the blue flames of his hair before I see him. I sit down and start nervously shuffling a deck of cards to keep from spontaneously combusting.

He eventually notices me and takes off his headphones. He too avoids eye contact. We haven’t spoken much since that phantom bride left. 

“Magic?” I ask him, holding up the cards.

“Uh... sure,” he responds flatly, pulling out a deck of his own.

My brain is on fire, screaming at me to say something. Now is my chance! But I go to speak and find that my lips are welded shut as I draw my hand, only just now realizing that the deck I’m playing is my Ezuri, Stalker of Spheres deck. I feel bad, until I see that he brought his Juri deck and decide that it’s time to destroy him with toxic and proliferate keywords.

He notices my commander and smirks. “Feeling competitive today?”

“I have some things I want to win.”

Our eyes meet briefly and I feel my heart stop. I bury my face in my opening hand, but out of the corner of my eye I see his hair swiftly turning pink.

“Your hair looks purple today,” he stammers out.

“It’s purple everyday.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

The game continues on as normal.

I manage to ask him, “So, what’s your Halloween costume going to be?”

“Haven’t thought much about it yet.”

“Halloween is in four days, Idia,” I remind him. When I say his name, the tips of his hair turn pink. He’s so cute. I still can’t believe he’s single.

“What about you, Darling?”

Hearing him say my name makes my brain short circuit.

“Oh!” I snap out of my daze. “I was thinking Springtrap or Ennard or something like that since the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ movie comes out today.”

“That’s today?” his eyes light up with excitement. Now’s my chance now’s my chance now’s my-

“Yeah,” I smile. “I’ve already made plans to go see it. After this club meeting its gonna be one hour at Pomefiore to cover my arms with nose and scar wax.”

“With Vil?”

“Who else? He’s gonna help with the scars I have to put on the back of my neck.”

“Oh,” he retreats back to his normal energy levels. “That makes sense.”

And there goes my chance.

We finish the game without talking (aside from reading the cards to explain the cards). He won, obviously.

“Get rekt,” he grins. I can feel my cheeks get hot.

“I took a bad opening hand,” I justify my loss to him. I really want him to think I’m good at this game (even though I am painfully mid).

“Yeah, I saw that mana drought.”

“I had Oko, Thief of Crowns, in fairness.”

“Ohhhh,” he remarks sarcastically, “that makes it totally worth it.”

“If it had paid off I would’ve destroyed you,” I threaten him toothlessly.

“Sure you would’ve.” As he fidgets with his life counter, he says, “I, uh... you mentioned that you wish you had more hands to hold things as you cut out patterns the other day.”

“Especially with Halloween coming up,” I lament, realizing too late that he’s probably dropping hints for something. 

He sets the counter down. “Wait here then.”

He glides out of the room as quietly as he entered. I crumple up in my chair. What a wasted opportunity.

When I was younger, I used to spend my free time outside catching butterflies. There was a slight degree of skill that went into it. If you ran up too quickly, the butterfly would get scared and fly away, but if you went too slow, you would lose your surprise and it would fly away then too.

It’s five minutes past. Where is he? My heart is beating out of my chest. What if something happened to him? I should go find him. My anxiety is fueling my paranoia, springboarding me to the worst possible conclusions. Maybe he died, or worse, I already scared him away for good.

It’s been too long. I’ll go find him. I set down my cards and start making my way down to Ignihyde. The halls of the main building are eerily empty. There must be a logical explanation for all of this. I’m bad at time and I haven’t checked my phone in a while, not that it would matter now because I don’t know how long our game of Magic lasted. He’s probably fine. He’s probably fine.

Despite all my logic, I still can’t seem to shake this paranoia. I hear screams of terror wafting down the halls. Film Club must be watching a horror movie for the spooky season. I hope so, at least. Against all good judgment, I push on. I wish literally anyone was here, some big guy who could do the fighting for me if things got tough, like Jade or Floyd. 

Amidst my thoughts, someone grabs my hand and yanks me around a corner.

I shriek and cover my mouth before I realize that it’s just Ortho.

I almost let my body relax, but then I see the fear in his mechanical eyes.

“Ortho?” Panic rises in my voice like bile. “What's wrong?”

“It’s Idia. He’s sick.”

“Oh, is that all it is?” The tension in my shoulders releases, but only a little. “From the sounds of the screams, I thought that gladiatorial games were back in fashion. Where is he? I can help take care of him.”

“Sick isn’t the right word,” his voice is hard and serious as he flits through words in his databank. What has this kid seen?

“What movie is Film Club watching today?” I ask him as some more screams bounce off the walls of main hall.

Ortho looks me dead in the eyes. “Film Club didn’t meet today.”

I hear Idia cackle off in the distance, this time sending chills up my spine rather than releasing butterflies in my stomach.

“Ortho?” I ask, that old fear bubbling up once more.

“Yes, Darling?”

“Do you know what Idia was going to show me?”

“He never told me,” Ortho remarks. “But I did find a word that I think fits better than sick.”

Everything feels prickly and bad. The blood vacates my face as I hear another one of Idia’s cackles in the distance. Of all my worst case scenarios, none were like anything of what Ortho said next.

“Well, what word is it?” I ask him, panic leaching into my voice.

“Possessed. I don’t know what could’ve caused it, but...” His voice trails off, as if he’s having trouble coming up with a proper hypothesis. At least, that’s what I was hoping.

His eyes grow wide, his mechanical whirring hushing. The hand around my wrist clamps harder. The tips of my fingers are starting to turn a bluish purple.

“Ortho?” I whisper. “My wrist-”

I hear the soft tap tap tap of some boots prowling down the adjacent hallway. I can feel the temperature rise with each tap.

“Darling…” I hear Idia’s voice rasp, a mechanical grinding amidst his organic vocals, “I know you’re hiding here…”

My eyes are watering. I can’t turn around. I can’t even blink. My breath catches in my throat. Has he turned the corner? I can’t tell.

By the shadow on Ortho’s face, he must be looming right above me.

Ortho’s tugging on my ever-numbing wrist, a silent plea for me to run, but my body refuses to move from its position. This is my worst nightmare, and I can’t even wake up.

“Seems I’ve found you,” I feel hot breathing on the back of my neck. “And with Ortho, no less.”

I feel his hand land on my shoulder. I can’t even find the voice to scream as Idia’s grip gets tighter on my shoulder.

Ortho yells something I don’t make out and finally yanks me from my spot, flinging me onto his metal back. I cry out in pain as I’m ripped from Idia’s grasp. I feel something cold and metallic and sharp scratch up against my cheek. I hear him howl in frustration as we make our getaway. 

Ortho and I end up hiding out in the empty classroom on the first floor where the Board Game Club meets.

“That’s a lot of blood, Darling,” Ortho remarks.

I reach up and touch my cheek and find that my face is slick with blood. My fingers are covered in the viscous red liquid.

“It’s just a scratch,” I inform him. “It’s not that bad.”

“Are you sure?” Ortho asks me, searching around for something to clean up the blood.

I laugh nervously. “I have more blood than this sitting on my bathroom counter.”

“Isn’t that blood fake, Darling?”

“And peppermint flavored, but that’s besides the point,” I awkwardly wave the question away. “You’re programmed with medical stuffs, right? Do you have a bandaid?” 

“My lab body is back in Ignihyde,” he informs me, “so I don’t have any of my medical supplies.��

“Okay. That’s okay.” I see the Magic cards left abandoned on the table. The panic starts creeping back into my brian. We won’t stay hidden forever. Idia was originally coming back here. “I should’ve told Idia how I felt while I still had the chance.” “What was that, Darling?”

“Nothing, Ortho,” I try to smile. “Nothing.” 

I close my eyes to try and think of a better place to hide, but I keep thinking of what I could’ve said to Idia before he got possessed by... whatever it was that possessed him.

“That’s quite a bit of trouble you’ve got yourself into,” a familiar voice cuts through my thoughts as its owner gently places a bandaid in my hand. “I can help, for a price.”

I open my eyes and see Azul staring back at me. I beam, my eyes starting to well up as he hands me a tissue. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s time for Board Game Club,” he answers, an edge lacing his voice. “Or are you asking about why I was late. I think you know why.”

From the satchel I didn’t notice before now, he holds up a very angry Grim.

“I kept him stalled for as long as I could, myah!” Grim responds, not thrilled about being held by the scruff of his neck.

“Uh, guys?” Ortho asks, but none of us hear him.

“For the band aid stuck to your face and the tissue now covered in your blood,” Azul continues, “all you have to do is tell me why Grim showed up to the Monstro Lounge and started pulling the table cloths off the tables and swinging from the chandeliers once my employees caught on to what was happening.”

“Grim!” I take the mischievous cat weasel thing from Azul to scold him. “I told you to distract him, not trash the Lounge!”

“Guys?” Ortho pipes up, but Azul pays no mind.

The school’s resident mob boss continues, “So, why did you send Grim to trash the Lounge?”

“My plan was to get Idia alone to tell him that I have a crush on him,” I confess to Azul.

“A crush on him?” Azul teases me. “Greaaaat taste there, Darling.”

And then Grim asks me, “Did the plan work?”

I laugh nervously. “Not exactly...”

“Guys!” Ortho yells at us from the open window. “Idia will be here any second! At least according to my tracking.”

“What?” Azul asks, almost offended at the fact that we didn’t tell him something sooner. 

“Idia’s possessed,” I summarize for Ortho.

Grim hops back in Azul’s satchel and asks from there, “Possessed by what? One of the ghosts?”

“We don’t know,” I respond, the panic creeping back into my voice as I remember the problem at hand. 

Ortho pipes up, “Yet!”

I nod hastily, “Yet, yet is good.”

“Guys…” Panic creeps into Azul’s voice like mold. “I don’t think we’re alone anymore.”

That’s when my ear zeros in on the sound of boots on linoleum and something metal scraping against the walls. I didn’t get a good look at whatever he was wearing when I last saw him. Maybe with his new personality he got a new wardrobe, too. I don’t know.

Looks like we’re about to find out as he starts throwing his body against the door Ortho barricaded from the sound of it. The first thud makes me jump, with each subsequent hit causing my adrenaline levels to rise.

“Good time to jump out of the window,” Azul remarks between thuds, “unless we all wanna end up sleeping with the fishes.”

I can’t bring myself to move. The barricades loosen and once again I am frozen. I have to see what he’s wearing. I have to see if anything about his design changed. I have to know what possessed him.

“Henchman!” I hear Grim yell above Ortho and Azul’s pleas, “I command you to follow us.”

The door breaks open.

I catch just enough of a glimpse of Idia, only a mere silhouette surrounded by fiery red with a bloody crimson light from the center of his head piercing through my being; a horrible, horrible glimpse, but enough of a glimpse to will my legs to work again and jump out of the window.

“We should run while we still have something resembling a lead,” I anxiously quip as Azul groans.

“Azul,” Ortho rolls his eyes. “Your only other option is dying.”

Grim pokes his head out. “Can I ride with Ortho?”

“Fine.” Azul hands Ortho the satchel. “It’ll make running easier.”

“Don’t worry,” I clasp a hand on his shoulder, “I know a shortcut.”

We share a smile, but the moment is shattered by a mechanized roar from Idia. “Oh you sussy baka!” Robotic tendrils shoot out from the window, just barely missing us. “Where did you vent off to?!”

I don’t acknowledge what he says, rather grabbing Azul’s hand on instinct as a signal to get him and Ortho to start following me. 

I’m not the best at running, but at least my theatre kid energy makes me better at it than Idia.

“So where are we running to?” Azul wheezes after a few minutes of nothing but woods.

“By the looks of it, Ramshackle,” Grim responds, chilling oh so smugly in his little satchel.

“Narrishackke,” I correct Grim.

“Is now really the time to try and make Narrishackke happen, henchman?”

“It’s not gonna happen,” Azul manages to get out before collapsing against a tree. 

I stop running and ask Ortho, “How far away is Idia?”

He calculates for a second before responding, “Idia will catch up to us in roughly ten minutes.”

“Okay,” I squat down to conserve energy, “so we have some time. We can formulate a proper plan.”

Grim hops out of the satchel and starts pacing. “We have to figure out what’s turned him into such a bloodthirsty monster!”

“Ghosts?” Azul muses.

I shake my head. “Unlikely. He still talks like himself.”

“There were those mechanical tentacles,” Ortho recalls. “And he was wearing some sort of hat.”

Grim rolls his eyes. “So he wanted to be dapper? Big deal!”

I dig deep in my memory for a detail that’s nagging at me. “Ortho, was the hat glowing?”

“There was some sort of red camera lens attached to it,” he replies.

“Like a headlamp?” Azul asks.

“No,” I continue trying to think, “More like-”

I’m cut off by the sound of falling trees and cracking wood.

“I thought you said we had ten minutes!” Azul hisses at Ortho.

Grim climbs back into the satchel and hides.

Ortho looks concerned as he rechecks his math. “I didn’t think he could move that fast.”

“A side effect of this possession?” Azul thinks out loud.

Another roar from Idia shakes the birds from the trees.

“Guys, we’re so dead if we don’t get out of here soon,” I snap them out of their conversation and start running again. Ortho nods and follows close behind me. 

Azul takes too long to get up off the forest floor. At the speed of light one of those tentacles we saw earlier wraps its metallic phalanges around Azul’s wrist. 

“Guys! It’s got me!” he cries, fear lacing his voice like bleach.

I turn to Ortho and tell him, “Take Grim back to Ramshackle. He knows the shortcut.”

“Be careful, Darling!” Ortho chirps before zipping away.

I rush over to Azul who’s still wrestling with the mechanical hand around his arm. 

“You should’ve gotten away while you still had the chance!” he weeps, voice catching in his throat.

“And leave one of my best friends behind?” I remark as I start my attempt to break the tentacle’s grasp. “Fat chance!”

“Do you even have a plan?!”

I continue to stomp on the tentacle, using my foot to create the tension necessary to try and get this thing to snap. “Not at all!”

I survey the scene as it stands. The noises from the forest are getting louder. If I don’t get Azul out of here fast, I can almost guarantee that more tentacles will come for us.

I start trying to pry the fingers of the metal claw off of Azul’s wrist.

“If it breaks, it breaks,” I mutter under my breath.

“I’d rather you didn’t break my wrist,” Azul gripes through the pain. He then takes the cue and helps me pry with his free hand. 

A red glow is coming from the foliage. 

“We’re running out of time!” he cries out. 

“Oh for the love of- Just yank your wrist out!” I scream, my panic getting the better of me.

Azul clenches his teeth and does so. He shrieks in pain as the claws scrape his wrist so hard that royal blue blood starts dotting the ground below. I pull him away from the tentacle and run before it can grab anything else. I lead Azul off the trail, hoping that Idia won’t be able to find us amidst all the trees.

Once the sounds of his jaunt through the woods fade to near inaudibility, I stop running to examine Azul’s injury. His face is pale as tears continue to pour down his cheeks. 

“Good news,” I tell him as I wrap the sleeve of my blazer around the wound, “it looks to only be surface level. Keep some pressure on it and then I can get it bandaged up once we get to Narrishackke.”

“Ramshackle,” he corrects me with a touch of laughter in his tone.

I smile. “I said what I said.”

We move carefully through the woods, only by the Seven’s protection or some unrelated miracle that we make it to Narrishackke before Idia. Ortho and Grim look overjoyed to see us.

“Glad to see my henchman is still in one piece, myah!”

I tell Ortho to take Grim upstairs to keep watch and to bandage up Azul’s wrist.

“But Darling,” Ortho gently takes my cold hand in his, “what will you be doing?”

“Keeping watch downstairs,” I respond solemnly. “We still don’t know exactly what’s caused this.”

“Be careful with him, then,” Ortho cautions me.

I nod and start my vigil. “Nothing would hurt me more than making him suffer.”

Ortho takes Grim and Azul upstairs and I double check all of the downstairs locks. The ghosts seem to be keeping their distance today. I guess whatever this is is too much for even them. I could use their comfort now though.

Why is it that the one day I want something to go right everything goes catastrophically wrong? I can’t even cry properly right now, lest I drain what little moral is upstairs with the sounds of my sobs.

What if we can’t fix him? What if all of this is permanent? What if I can’t put him back together? After all the phantom bride stuff, things were starting to look up. I should’ve just left when he did to start getting ready to go to the movie. I have two tickets. I could’ve invited Vil.

Through my sobs, I start to sing quietly in a futile attempt to ground myself or summon the ghosts to my side, or even just to right this upside down world.

“Is it a crime to kill,” the melody of the song passing through my halfhearted sobs in a heart wrenching staccato. “if we’re only sinking deeper and love can’t stop the fever?”

A knock on the door startles me from my thoughts. I frantically look for something sharp and pointy.

“You open that door and I’ll kill you!” I threaten the person on the other end. I don’t care if it’s Crowley himself, I'll stab if he opens the door.

All I find is a pencil. I’m doomed.

“I finally leave my room,” my best nightmare’s voice scrapes against my ears, “and this is how you react? RUDE.”

He slams the door open, confirming my worst fears.

“Darling!” I hear Ortho call from upstairs. “What’s wrong?”

I can’t even open my mouth to scream as I stand in the shadow of the Prefect of the Underworld standing in my doorway, his halo of fiery red hair devilishly backlighting his face, making him look like a fallen angel. I just start crying again as I shakily hold my pencil out in front of me.

I don’t want to hurt him. He’s not himself. But he’ll hurt me if I don’t do something. But I don’t want to hurt him.

He slowly walks towards me, his boots making a heavy thud with each footfall. I slowly back up towards the stairs. My hands tremble, still holding the pencil pathetically between him and I.

“It’s game over for you, Darling,” he bares his fangs in a twisted grin.

In this moment I understand why moths fly towards candles and burn up in their fiery light, for I too am now a moth staring down a candle, every part of my mothy being crying out to be enveloped by the warm, inviting light. Oh how I’d love to grant my cells their wish and let them collapse in the melted candle wax; but, unlike a moth, I have a job to do. I can’t give up now!

The lens attached to his bowler hat glows brighter, as if a light could be filled with rage. If I try to run now, he’ll just grab me and rip my throat out with his teeth.

“I thought you felt differently about me, Darling,” he continues, “but my eyes have been opened. There’s only one thing that could love me as much as you claim to.”

He continues to advance on me, pushing me up the stairs with his presence.

“Are you going to hurt me?” I ask out of the blue, as if I’ve seen this scene before.

I see a pink plastic cylinder on one of the steps through my tears. A candy scented body spray, within arms reach.

“Oh, I’m not going to hurt you, Darling,” the robotic sheen on his voice makes him sound like a vocaloid. 

I never moved that bottle of perfume back up to the bathroom, and I’d say my life is at least worth the seventeen thaurmarks the bottle cost.

Idia continues, “I’m just going to bash YOUR FUCKING BRAINS IN!”

He lunges at me, but that Shining reference telegraphed his moves so much even I was able to dodge him and  spray what feels like half the bottle of body spray in his face, causing him to recoil and retch. I pump a few more sprays for good measure and bolt upstairs to Ortho, Grim, and Azul.

“I’ve got more info!” I inform them as I lock the door and wedge a chair under the knob.

I was in the middle of redecorating my guest room, which means furniture is rather scarce. Aside from the chair I just wedged under the door knob, the only place to sit is the floor. Thankfully, there’s still places to hide. 

“Well, spit it out!” Grim commands.

“It’s gotta be the hat! Think about it,” I postulate, “first, he tells me he’s got something for me. Ortho, when you found me in the hallway, was Idia wearing a bowler hat?”

Ortho thinks for a second before his eyes widen and his apertures dilate. “Yes, he was!”

“And then something scratched my face as we fled,” I continue. “After that, we started seeing the tentacles.”

“The same ones that scratched up my arm!” Azul exclaims.

“But how is this proof that the hat possessed him and not something else?” Grim asks.

I take time to remember Idia’s exact wording, but Idia beats me to the punch, yelling from down the hall, “Fine! I never needed you, Darling! I’ll just keep this gift for myself!”

“Yeah, that works as evidence,” I remark as he cackles.

“So we have to rip that hat off,” Ortho states. “At least to prove or disprove our hypothesis.”

“I have a plan to get that hat off his head,” Azul announces. “Darling, you’re going to hide and get the jump on him. Us three will distract him so that you can knock his hat off.”

“Any idea what I can knock it off with without braining him?”

Just then, there’s a loud thud against the door.

“No time,” Azul responds. “You’re smart. You’ll think of something.”

I nod and move the chair back to where I decide to hide just as Idia kicks the door off its hinges.

He starts to growl, “There you are, Azul! And Ortho, too. How wonderful.”

“H-hi, Idia,” Azul stutters, eyes wide.

“You don’t appear to be at the club meeting today,” Idia rasps menacingly. “That’s not very poggers of you.”

“I had some,” he shoots a glare at Grim, “things to deal with at the Lounge.” 

“A shame, really,” he sighs maliciously, “because based on that look you gave Darling earlier, I would’ve assumed that you would’ve wanted to hang out with her.”

“What are you going on about?” Azul asks, genuinely confused.

“Don’t play dumb!” Idia shrieks, moving closer to him, and therefore me. “I saw the way she looked at you through Doris. I know what I saw!”

Grim pokes his head out from behind Azul. “Myah? Who’s Doris?”

He grins and gestures to the bowler hat enveloping his face. “She’s Doris. I found her in some storage room around campus. She promised she would help me and she opened my eyes.”

Just walk a little bit closer. Just walk a little bit closer and I can knock that evil thing off of your head.

And then Ortho asks him, “But what does this have to do with Darling?”

Idia whips his head around and focuses on Ortho with laser-like intensity. 

“Darling,” Idia runs over each syllable in his mouth like a flavorless wad of gum, “is a tease. She may act like she likes me, but Doris and I know better. There’s any number of guys she likes more than me. Like Vil,” he turns his attention back towards Azul, “or you.”

Azul sighs, “I’ll have to pay her back for this, but I have photographic evidence that Darling likes you.”

Idia scoffs, “Like I would believe you over Doris! Get pwned!”

I tighten my grip on the chair I’m hiding behind to keep from screaming. You’ll have to pay me back in a lot more than Monstro Lounge drinks if you leak those DM’s, Azul!

At this point, Idia is looming above the still seated Azul. Once Idia’s distracted again, I’ll strike. Now is not the time to miss my chance overthinking everything. 

Azul grins mischievously. I’m almost more terrified of whatever he’ll say next than this “Doris.”

“Okay, so what if Darling likes me then?” Azul asks. “Are you just that terrified of me liking her back? Of the possibility of me treating her better than a loser like you ever could? I mean, if Vil couldn’t keep her happy, then what chance do you have?”

He’s a good liar, I’ll give Azul that. I know he’s lying and I’m still a little pissed. 

Of course, Idia doesn’t take any of this well, letting out a mechanized screech as he lunges towards Azul. 

“Well, Azul!” A new rage alight in the red lens on the hat, “looks like it’s time for you to show the audience your flashback sequence!”

Now! Now’s my chance!

Time feels like a thick jelly as I spring up from behind the chair to knock that hat off of Idia’s head. The sound grabs his attention as he turns to me.

“Found you,” he growls, a devilish smile painted across his face.

Using nothing but momentum and lucky timing, I manage to tackle the unsuspecting gamer and rip the hat off of his head. Before we hit the ground, I fling it into the wall. I can hear it spark and sputter in the background. 

I gently brush his now blue hair out of his face. The tension in his face melts away when he’s asleep. Based on what Ortho’s told me before, this is a rare site to see. His face is so damp. It looks like he’s been crying for an hour or so. Poor guy... 

Ortho taps my shoulder. “Darling?”

“Yeah?” I respond, continuing to brush Idia’s pretty blue fire hair out of his face, gently cupping his face in my hand, running my thumb over his cheek. He’s so... beautiful.

“I need you to get off of him so that I can perform a medical examination,” Ortho continues. “Just to make sure that the hat was indeed the culprit.”

“Oh, right,” I snap back to reality and get up to sit by Grim and Azul.

I don’t talk much. Azul walks me through the recent changes he made to his Urza deck, but it all goes over my head. I hold Grim in my lap and give him pets. I can’t seem to find where I threw that bowler hat.

Idia eventually comes to, given a clean enough bill of health by Ortho. Azul immediately rushes to Idia’s side to apologize for baiting him by calling him a loser earlier, while also telling Idia that he will not be giving him any emotional compensation for it.

I see the way Idia looks at Azul, and I can only wonder if a quiet guy like him could ever want to be with a high octane girl like me. He smiles, and laughs, and takes Azul’s hand. I must just scare Idia. He’s never that calm with me.

It all comes back to butterflies. My heart feels like a butterfly crushed underneath a hunter’s boot.

“You alright, henchman?” Grim asks me.

“I will be,” I respond, dejected.

I get up to go get Idia a glass of water. Seven knows he needs it.

I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it up with tap water from one of the good sinks in the dorm. I should get him a snack, too. So, I set the glass of water down on the counter and rummage around for a bag of chips or something.

I feel a low rumble, like a car driving by, only shorter. Not to mention cars don’t drive out this way. My heartbeat picks up the pace. I drop what I’m holding and look at the glass of water on the counter. There are faint ripples on what should be a still surface. There’s no way... 

As the rumbles become more pronounced, the ripples do too. I start to pray that I’m wrong and that this sound of thunder is only attached to a storm, but there’s no way. There’s no way!

I race back upstairs to the others and blurt out, “There’s a t-rex coming.”

“What are you talking about, Darling?” Azul pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Do you not feel the rumbling?”

“It’s probably just a storm,” he continues.

Ortho pipes up, “According to the local weather report, it’s clear skies for the rest of the day.”

“Well,” Azul tries to save face, “there’s got to be a logical explanation for this that isn’t t-rex.”

And then a mechanized roar like something out of Transformers rocks the dorm. I look out the window.

And I see it. I see the terrible lizard king himself. I see the beast trampling through my forest. And I see it heading straight for us.

“Dammit, Doris,” I hear Idia mumble. “I just needed you to hold sewing patterns in place, not this!”

“Doris?” Grim asks, “What does that cursed hat have to do with this t-rex?”

“She told me that she had a plan if things went wrong,” he continues. “And I guess getting slammed up against a wall counts. I have no idea how she could’ve gotten a t-rex but it doesn’t surprise me that she did. I should’ve known that hat was sus.”

“You didn’t build it?” I ask him.

“I found her in one of the storage rooms. She was broken, and soaking wet, so I fixed her up.”

The t-rex has gotten closer and at this point I can now see the tiny little bowler hat on its massive reptilian head.

It roars again; an earth shattering, mechanical scream as it starts to bull rush the dorm.

I sprint across the hall, too panicked to tell the others to do the same. Thankfully, they all had the same idea I did.

From across the hall, we watch the t-rex smash a hole in the side of my guest room. Note to self: twist Crowley’s arm to make sure he repairs that.

The boys ready themselves to fight this fierce beast. As always, it’s my job to keep them on track.

Grim looks up at me, crackling with excitement. “What’s the plan, henchman?”

“Try not to kill it,” I say, “but if you must, make it instant!”

They ready their pens and start slinging as many spells necessary to take the beast down. 

I was doing my part by singing “Walk the Dinosaur,” since it’s the only dinosaur song I can think of, not to mention a bop.

It was a ferocious battle, with Idia’s defense being the only thing between them and a fate similar to that of the lawyer from Jurassic Park. Azul manages to sharpshoot the bowler hat dead in its lens with a jet of water so pressurized you could powerwash the grime off of Narrishackke with it. The thing eventually roars its last as it is soon felled by my team; falling to the earth with a thunderous crash. We go out to investigate, but the hat is nowhere to be found. 

I examine what I thought was a corpse of a t-rex, only to find that it’s somehow only been knocked unconscious.

Azul sees the gleam and my eyes and asks me, “Do you want me to shrink the t-rex down for you so that you can keep it as a pet?”

I nod rapidly. “I’m gonna name him Nathaniel.”

“Of course you are,” Azul sighs. “This won’t be cheap, you know.”

“I figured,” I say as I text him an IOU. “Next time I have my wallet, come talk to me.”

He nods and starts getting to work. Grim and Ortho wander off to continue looking for the hat, but I have something more important to do.

“So... Idia,” I slide up next to him, wringing my hands anxiously, “ I know you said earlier that-”

“When I had the hat on?” he cuts me off, voice pinched. “Darling, whatever I said about you when I was possessed by Doris, just, pretend I never did.”

Now’s my chance now’s my chance now’s my-

“Then, would you like to come see the ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ movie with me?” I ask him. “I originally bought two tickets, and you’re the only person I know that cares about this series as much as me.”

His hair turns bright pink tip to root. I can practically see the 404 error screen plastered on the walls of his mind right now. 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude!” he finally exclaims. “You probably bought that ticket for someone else!”

“I did,” I confess. “For Grim. Because I was going to drag him along if you said no.”

“But you said you were going to get all dressed up for this.”

“Plans can change, and if we leave now we’ll arrive just in time.” I smile, extending my hand for him to take. “And I’d rather have you there than some nose and scar wax.”

He grins; nervously, excitedly, dreamily. He smells like candy. He gently takes my hand, as if I’m a Warhammer model he’s afraid of breaking or an unsleeved Black Lotus card. His hand is so soft, and warm, and wonderful. I’m holding his hand! I could cry if I wasn’t already so giddy.

I see a moth flying away in the distance towards some unknown light. I smile. The dust from the t-rex is still settling, making everything look hazy and dreamlike. And yet, I’m so lucky. Eat your heart out, Eliza! Eat your heart out, Doris! Eat your paradoxical heart out, Eckles!

The next day, Azul and I meet up to talk to Crowley about what is to be done about Narrishackke.

“Oh! So that’s what happened yesterday afternoon,” Crowley laments. “Has the press caught wind of this?”

“Not yet,” I respond, still worn out after the events of yesterday.

“We’ll leak it if you don’t answer some questions first,” Azul applies some pressure.

“Ortho did record everything,” I state.

“Fine, fine,” Crowley reclines in his office seat. “What is it you would like to ask?”

“First, where the hell were you?” I ask, doing my best to censor my language.

“Oh, well I was in my office. I initiated lockdown mode when it notified me that there was a prehistoric creature roaming the woods.” He smiles. I can feel my blood pressure spiking.

“How nice for you,” I respond, pissed.

“Next question,” Azul takes the floor. “What was that hat Idia found?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know,” he sighs. “I would check the library or ask one of the ghosts if you really care.”

“Okay, final question,” I ready my statement, “what are you going to do about the damage Nathaniel caused to House Narrishackke?”

“Narrishackke?”

“She means the ramshackle dorm building she and Grim are living in,” Azul pipes up. 

“And I named the t-rex Nathaniel,” I state proudly. 

“I’ll just give you a blank check,” he says quickly, exasperated. “Aren’t I just so generous?”

I take the blank check from him, “Yeah, generous works.”

After we leave the office, Azul asks me, “So what else are you gonna charge Crowley’s card with?”

“Whatever it takes to deck out a room for Nathanial,” I beam. “And an Emrakul, the Promised End.”

“Why?” he asks me, baffled. 

I smirk. “I still have to beat Idia in a game of Magic.”

[absentcaryatid]

Seonghwa's Shared Passion

An ATEEZ fanfic by AbsentCaryatid

The reader makes a new friend at the mall, one just as interested in LEGO and K-pop as the reader.

2.2K words, Content note: all ages, gender neutral reader, no reader romance, lots of LEGO mentions, Seonghwa gets San as a romantic partner and the reader is very happy for them.

~

It was the day a life-changing friendship was to be born, but you could not have known that at the time. The lanky man who stood before you bore a staff tag with the name Seonghwa. You had found yourself in his warm presence due to a chance visit to the mall for a quick lunch. With time to spare afterward, you had chosen to stop over at the adjacent LEGO store to see if the 'Dynamite' BTS set was back in stock.

“Still backordered I'm afraid, and no date set for when it might be available again.” As your face fell, the rather stunning clerk nodded sympathetically. “It was a lucky thing I could get mine before the store opened on the day it dropped, a perk of working here, along with the generous staff discount. I'm in the same boat on my Star Wars Razor Crest set though, so I know the production wait can be difficult. Is there anything else I can show you while you are here?”

Picking your jaw up off the floor after recalling the cost of the Mandalorian ship and how much this guy must really like LEGOs, you managed to resume the conversation. “Thank you, no. I devour the online and print catalogs so I'm pretty familiar with all the sets that interest me.” You turned to leave then spun back with a delighted expression. “Actually, I had forgotten I want to work on a new custom build. I like to recreate music video sets from my favorite K-pop groups. Got a little bit behind in ATEEZ releases and I still have to complete last year's final video.”

Seonghwa followed your train of thought with swiftly delivered knowledge on the level of a dedicated fan. “Oh, 'HALAZIA', that one is great.” He even did a little of the hand choreography on the spot. Not particularly smoothly, but Seonghwa was a store employee and not an idol. With a self-effacing little lick of his lips as he seemed to recall what he was supposed to be doing on the clock, he then enthusiastically asked, “You thinking the wet abandoned mall or the stadium for the scene?”

“Eventually I'll build both, but want to start with the stadium because I like the effigy.”

Seonghwa grinned as he made a beeline for the minifigure accessories. “You are going to need this western hat in black then. Wait, forgive me. If you are familiar with recreating scenes for ATEEZ you probably already have the 'HALA HALA' style hat already.”

“I'm not about to raid my 'Say My Name' or 'Answer' builds on display to get those hats so I have been buying them in bulk online every time they show up in a video. Going to need a lot of yellow pennants from the knights range though, and some more drawbridge chains to repurpose.”

With the store otherwise unoccupied, Seonghwa spent the better part of an hour excitedly talking to you as he assisted in finding the best part matches for your planned LEGO build. He impressed you with his knowledge of the full range of specialized parts, an equal to your own expertise from years of play. It felt good to meet a kindred spirit who liked to go beyond the instructions with a hobby of designing free-form creations.

The surprising shared interest in K-pop also had you warming up to the engaging salesperson. You were charmed as Seonghwa felt comfortable enough to disclose his fantasy of being in the popular six-person group ATEEZ. “I like to imagine the idols in a circle dancing to 'HALAZIA' and there I would be in the center right along with them.” The joy left his face. “You probably think I am silly.”

It was the admission that your daydreams ran like that sometimes too which cemented a mutual affection for each other. You became a regular in his store rather than purchasing online, and together would pore over the Pick-a-Brick catalog on his lunch breaks whenever you were nearby. As much as you loved the conversation, you were concerned he needed time off the subject. “Are you sure you are okay with talking LEGO parts over lunch? That means you’re not really getting away from work.”

Touched by your thoughtfulness, Seonghwa beamed and lightly placed a hand on your shoulder. “This is working on a hobby with a friend. We can call each other friends by now, right?” From that day onward you would meet up outside the store for comfortably platonic meals out or visiting each other's homes. Star Wars content and music videos became a typical reason to find yourselves together when not consulting each other on various LEGO projects.

As he again admired the collection of music video dioramas scattered around your apartment, Seonghwa had been the one to suggest sharing photos of the custom builds online. He was convincing and soon you decided to go for it. Immediately popular, the images made the rounds in both LEGO and K-pop circles. Seonghwa was tickled to discover he was credited as a consultant from the 'HALAZIA' model onward, and the next development had him over the moon.

Your latest one-of-a-kind project depicting the 'Bouncy' flaming saloon set got re-tweeted by the ATEEZ account after Yeosang mentioned in a YouTube live that he had seen the impressive photographs. Seonghwa proudly told everyone in sight at work the next day that he had been in charge of procuring all the lights and the little LEGO goat at minifigure Hongjoong's side.

Getting official recognition from KQ and the members themselves felt amazing, but the high was not to last. Seonghwa had some news about rising in his career, and as a dear friend you should have been happy for him.

Holding your hands as he sat across the dining room table at his place, Seonghwa explained the situation. “I'll still be working with LEGOs, but I'm leaving sales work.”

At first you were excited. “With all your building experience, are you going to be a LEGO Certified Professional like you've talked about? Been thinking about doing that myself. It seems like such a cool job getting the budget to dream up massive sculptures for events.”

Seonghwa did that habitual thing licking his lips again, a sign you had learned to recognize as anxiety. “Actually, I have been putting off telling you this, but the job is in LEGO's global headquarters in Denmark. I'm moving to Billund at the end of the month.”

While you tried to be stoic, you were sure he could tell the reaction was mixed as he shared more details of the promotion. This was no mere desk job Seonghwa had qualified for. To become a master builder for the company was an incredible honor and very competitive, but the cost of losing his presence was hard to take.

Wanting to do something special for your friend before he left, you booked Seonghwa a session at the glamour photography studio a few storefronts down from his shop. The few times you had picked him up after work he had often mused about getting one of the K-pop makeover sessions when walking past the studio. Although he played it off as a joke at the time, you had sensed there was a serious longing there.

When you presented him the certificate for the makeover and portrait package he hugged you the longest he ever had. Once pulled back, “Thank you,” was all he could manage, but there were tears of joy in Seonghwa's eyes that said everything.

True friend that he was, Seonghwa convinced you to share the experience because being silly together was far better than alone. So after a significant amount of coaxing on his part, and a promise of dinner out afterward, the two of you agreed anything goes and put your hair and eyebrows in the hands of the artists.

Grinning at each other through the mirrors at the styling stations, you watched Seonghwa transform. He always had been attractive, but in the hands of professionals he looked like a real idol. Gone were the Angry Bird eyebrows he had regularly joked about, now elegantly shaped. Seonghwa's natural hair color had become a white-blond, and between shading and other makeup effects he had become truly stunning.

While you would love to say your transformation had been as dramatic, Seonghwa seemed to be a perfect canvas in a way you did not, but that was okay. It was still a lot of fun, especially together. You were very glad not to have missed this opportunity. It was probably the last day seeing him in person before taking him to the airport within the week.

Hair and makeup got you halfway into character as idols for the day, but trying on various outfits for the photography session completed it. Shared laughter helped reduce your awkwardness when posing, but it was Seonghwa who really took to modeling. He had always seemed poised, but watching him go through a variety of stances and gestures gave you the feeling of watching a pro at work. It was not only you, the photographer herself commented on it in a way that felt genuine and not just part of the service. The resulting portraits alone and as a duo memorialized the fun day.

Far too soon after that Seonghwa was physically gone from your life with his relocation to Denmark. Thanks to technology you could still build together over video calls at least monthly. It took some trial and error but eventually you learned wearing a microphone helped your voices carry over the sound of rustling plastic bricks. As good as the time together was, you were sorely feeling the loss of fully being together in person. Not just his warm hugs, but there was something about Seonghwa's laughter and smiles that were not fully conveyed online.

On one chat you observed a new decoration in his home, hanging behind your friend as he talked. It was a large poster with a mostly familiar image. The six-member team of ATEEZ had surprisingly grown to eight. Seonghwa and another man had been edited into a shot on the 'HALAZIA' stadium set. The spacing was a little wonky after Seonghwa's new neighbor San had used photo editing skills to flip vibrantly red-haired Wooyoung onto the other side of the lineup leaving room to insert the two new fantasy members, but to Seonghwa it was a prized possession. The poster commemorated not just his dreams and time with you getting the K-pop makeover, but also a growing closeness with San who stood alongside him in the revised image.

Meeting San had been such a boon to Seonghwa. The hesitation originally felt over moving to a new country was eased significantly when he had the great fortune to encounter another fellow K-pop and LEGO enthusiast in his apartment building. Even if the Star Wars collection was not San's favorite, no man was perfect. You had listened eagerly to weeks of Seonghwa's developing crush on his neighbor. While some people might have felt replaced, you knew your friendship was as strong as ever, and if anything, it would be great to know yet another person who shared your passions. The way Seonghwa's face lit up every time he spoke of San left you genuinely happy for him.

When Seonghwa hesitated to ask him out, you finally recommended he have San over for dinner as thanks for easing the transition to the new city. Fortunately, San had a similar level of interest and was able to ask Seonghwa out over the course of the successful evening. You cheered as Seonghwa's giddy texts came in afterward, thanking you profusely for helping him along.

It had been over a year since he had left the mall store when Seonghwa suggested you use some of your vacation time to visit Denmark. It took little convincing before you accepted. You missed your best friend, and also there was the matter of wanting to meet the person who had won Seonghwa's heart. The plane ticket would be expensive, but at his partner San's urging the couple decided you had to stay with them while in the country. Going to the LEGOLAND theme park with the lovebirds was a day you would remember forever, but there was one thing even better.

You had thought the LEGO museum would be the trip highlight. Instead, it was getting a tour of the LEGO headquarters where Seonghwa worked. The whimsical environment changed your life. From that point on you changed your career path from LEGO Serious Play facilitator doing corporate training to any role that would lead to your own employment in Denmark. Excited by your plan, Seonghwa had some suggestions for departments best suited to your skills.

It took time, but being reunited with Seonghwa as his newest neighbor after your own move to Denmark was the best feeling ever. Commuting to LEGO headquarters together and working side by side was a dream come true. Things were just as perfect at home. Just as you were not threatened by San's romantic role in Seonghwa's life, kindhearted San was just as warmly understanding of your deep platonic love for his partner. The three of you three of you remained best friends forever, united by shared interests that had brought you and Seonghwa together in the first place.

~

General Masterlist

Masterlist of Stories with No Reader Romance

[impactedfates]

Make Believe - Kaeya x GN! Reader

Summary: A relationship that was meant to be faked solely for a mission. Yet how come a certain captain can’t help but feel jealous when he spots you with someone else?

Warnings: One guy who can’t take no for an answer, the same guy technically cheating now that I read back on it again, maybe ooc Kaeta. Let me know if I missed some! ^^

W.C - 1285

A/N- This is my first fanfic or well first x reader so please don’t mind if it’s not written that well  (￣▽￣) This is kinda proof read but I may have missed a few things so feel free to correct me on anything. 

========================================

 “With all that laid out…I hope you can see where I’m going with this”

Jean said, looking at the current captains in the room and the librarian. After the many reports of thievery, she was finally able to get a hold of enough information that could help them.

There was meant to be an auction on, in a secret cave away from others happening soon. What caught the Acting Grand Masters eye was the items that were to be sold. She had found out one of the objects on display to be sold, was in fact a necklace a woman had recently ‘lost’. So after finding that out, she told her findings to the knights.

“After finding a bit more information thanks to Kaeya here…the only way to get into the auction house would have to be, being accompanied by a significant other”

“Master Jean, with all due respect. Most here either have a partner that’s not in the knights, so that’s dangerous…or they don’t even have one…how do you propose we enter the auction house then”

“After much thinking, I think it would be best for Kaeya and [Name] to pretend to be a couple and get inside. Kaeya has his way of words so I’m sure he’ll be able to get key information out from any of the hosts. And [Name] here is able to sneak well, so they should be able to sneak out and take information we may need. Whether it be what other items they have or just in general eavesdropping… how does that sound to you two?”

She answered looking towards her Calvary Captain and Protection Captain seeing if she had their approval of the matter. Kaeya simply nodded, a small carefree look on his face, however his eyes can’t help but look at you to see how you feel.

“Hm…well if it’s only for a mission. I don’t mind”

“Perfect, then I’ll have someone tailor you both an appropriate outfit for it. I’m counting on the both of you”

.

.

.

“So then darling are you ready?”

Kaeya spoke as he fixed his hair up a bit, glancing over to you as you both stood in front of the designated spot. There were flowers and vines covering the entrance way to hide itself. Yet music was still blaring from the inside. You weren’t sure if they managed to hide well or not, whatever the case you turned to the blue haired man.

“Of course sweetheart, let’s get going”

You held out your hand for him to take and walked inside with him, the inside of the cave surprised you. It looked like the inside of an actual place. With marble floors, lights, a stage and tables and chairs. If you took a picture of it and showed someone, you doubt anyone would believe you that it was a cave.

Both you and Kaeya conversed a bit in friendly chatter to seem normal, before he gave a small nod to you.

Time to get the information.

“Sorry my love, I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back in time for the auctions” 

He spoke, his soft voice lingering in your mind. It was a mission yes and you knew he only called you by those words of endearment to make it seem believable. You can’t help but feel your heart skip a beat.

With a small kiss to your cheek he left with a wave. Standing there for a bit you shook your head, why were you even thinking about the kiss? It was just on the cheek.

Just to make it seem more believable.

Snapping out of your thoughts, you quickly snuck away. You had found the other items they were planning to sell. All of which were reported to have gone missing. Quickly writing down your findings you snuck back to the main hall without anyone noticing.

Your eyes scanned the room, trying to look for Kaeya if he was there, instead your eyes caught on a man whose outfit was much more extravagant than any others. 

If you recall correctly, according to Jeans notes, he should be the main host of the auction. And currently he was conversing with seemingly a friend of his.

“I should listen in” you thought, putting your notes away quickly.

Walking over to the food table they were speaking at, you began looking at the assortment of food. Taking a few of your personal favourites and eating it whilst listening in.

“Oh my, this is a rather pretty necklace bound to be worth thousands of mora”

“It better be, took me forever to get it, I’m hoping to sell it for 5 million mora. It’s pure and genuine gold along with Jade being the gem right here”

“You really think selling it for that much would work?”

“Positive, I mean. I got this fro-”

Your little job to eavesdrop was cut short as you felt a tap on your shoulder. Turning around you’re met with a man you haven’t seen before. Well you haven’t seen anyone here before, however you haven’t seen him AT the party yet.

“Hey there, you look lonely. You are aware that you need a date to be here right?” He spoke, clearly drunk despite your judgement of him just getting here.

“Oh…I have a boyfriend actually, he went off to the bathroom” You replied shrugging, turning your attention back to the host and his friend's conversation. They had already begun whispering to each other so you couldn’t even hear anyways.

You were about to just get up and leave until a hand waved in front of you, forcing you to look at the man.

“Hey now, maybe he left you here. I’m surprised, who would want to leave such a sight as yourself?”

“Oh!…thank you but…I can assure you he’ll be back”

“Clearly not…he doesn’t know how to appreciate true beauty”

You were about to wave the man off again when a pair of arms wrapped around your waist almost possessively.

“I’m unsure on how to appreciate true beauty huh?…Hm…I think I have an amazing grasp on what that is, and my partner here is a great example. So how’s about you just leave us alone”

Came a familiar smooth voice,  turning your head, you're met with the face of the Cavalry captain himself, despite his smile being shown, his eyes show a different story and the man, seemingly noticing this, quickly scurries off, not wanting to get on the bad side of your supposed boyfriend.

“Did you get the information off the guards?” You whispered to him

“Mhm…piece of cake, they were easy to break then I thought” he hummed back, pulling you closer to himself.

Quietly you both went to a more secluded area.

“I also got more information, the auction will be selling more stolen items. I might’ve been able to get more concrete evidence but my attention was taken away by the man…then again, the host was whispering by the time I looked back…still, thanks for coming to my aid”

You tell him with a soft smile. You really were thankful, even if it meant some information was lost. That guy seemed to be persistent…even if you could get him away with more…physical force. It wasn’t right to do that, to maybe blow your cover or grab the attention on yourself.

“No problem whatsoever so ever. I saw you and him chatting and decided to help you. Seeing you were struggling for a peaceful option”

He would never admit the feeling in his chest when he saw you chatting to the man. The way his eyes narrowed and his chest filled with jealousy.

After all, this was just make believe.

[kannymaei]

The Perfect Girl - Chapter 7 (Kamisato Ayato x Reader)

Author’s Note: IVE BEEN DEAD FOR LIKE ALMOST A YEAR BUT IM GOING TO BOMBARD CHAPTERS

Author’s Note 2: All characters are OOC! Please be reminded that this fanfic is Modern! AU and Highschool! AU and none of this are canons to the actual lore of Genshin Impact. I do not own Genshin Impact or the characters in the game!

Synopsis: You were a graduating high school student who somehow got involved in unfortunate events and transferred to Teyvat International School. Due to your “complicated” physical features, you became the main target of the school’s “bully”, Kamisato Ayato! Together with his friends, Diluc Ragnvindr, Tartaglia, and Arataki Itto.

Word Count: 4.4k

Taglist: @frieschan @nejibot ​​​

Masterlist

Next -> Chapter 8

Couple of weeks ago.

"I'd actually think Ayaka is dumb if she were to believe me that having that last dance with you is meant to strengthen our family ties" Guuji Yae finally spoke after she has been brushing Aether's hair who is currently laying his head on her lap. 

"I'd think Ayato is more stupid not to notice your behavior eversince we started dating" He replied and kissed her hand. 

The door opened revealing Kujuo Sara holding a bag of snacks. 

"Why thank you Sara for your service" Miko said while Sara handed the bag. 

"Don't you feel any guilt that you're flirting with Ayaka's boyfriend? What if I tell Ayato huh?" Sara spoke, trying to correct her best friend. 

"My dear, Kujuo Sara. Who on earth would believe you? No one, and you already know what would happen if you turn your back against me? Your whole family will fall into shambles" Miko smirked, it's like she already has her hand wrapped around Sara's neck. Manipulating her with all her wrong doings. 

"What now Sara? You're forced to stay quiet" Aether added. 

Sara just stood there disgustingly looking at her friend's affair. She can't do anything correct because her family's life is on the line. 

—

"I apologize for being this late."

You wiped your tears away and looked up to see who was this person who saved you. You analyzed your surroundings to see the people staring at you are completely taken back. 

Kamisato Ayato, covered you with his coat while your hands were pressed on his chests and his arms wrapped around you. 

"I'm sorry for cutting your hair off… I believe I haven't apologized to you" He softly said to you while he brushes your hair with his fingers. 

"I'm scared" You replied and leaned your head onto his chest. The two of you are talking as if no one else was in the room, you don't know why he was doing this. You thought that he hates you but this is also the same for him, he doesn't know what made him step forward and protect you when everyone else is attacking you. 

On the contrary, Kamisato Ayato looked behind you to see the birthday celebrant walk away, no tears were streaming. Then, he looked at you crying at him. Obviously, this made Guuji Yae ``heartbroken`` to make everyone pity her and make them hate you. Everyone is oblivious that she was just acting, that she doesn't even like Ayato one bit. 

The next thing you knew you were thrown back to the floor to see Ayato grinning at you holding a cup of wine. 

"Y-you think I'm going to be your K-knight in Shining A-armor? You're so stupid Y/N." He stutteringly shouted before he shakingly splashed the wine he was holding by his hand. It's not obvious with his expression but deep inside Ayato's heart, he doesn't want to do it, he doesn't want to hurt you but the damage was already done. He was doing all this for Guuji Yae, the sane Guuji Yae who is fooling him and his sister.

You've become a laughing stock and before everyone imitated him, you've felt cold and hot liquids being splashed at you together with some pastries that you can't identify. 

She's so dumb. 

Look at her, she's more fitting to be called a garbage now. 

She had her hopes high when Ayato did it but damn! It was so unexpected that Kamisato Ayato pulled that card. 

Didn't he sound hesitant when he pushed her away? 

Eh? I don't think so. 

You deserved it bitch! Mommy's not coming to pick you up here.

Your vision starts to blur with the pain that you're feeling mentally and physically and the last straw was when someone strikes you in the head with the huge and heavy glass bowl leaving you unconscious. This has made Ayato take a step backward to see how that student strikes you. The blood from the back of your head was merely seen but it was obvious that you were bleeding. 

"What have you done?" Kamisato Ayato shouted at the student, he didn't expect that the other students would follow what he did. This isn't what he hoped for. 

"I should be the one asking that" ??? 

Kamisato Ayato was thrown off to the floor as well to see his best friend, Diluc. Punching him in the face really hard. 

"Man, I thought you'd already change. Didn't know you're still a dick" Diluc said and punched him again and again on the floor until he started to choke out blood. 

"D-diluc! Stop!" Childe pulled him away by his shoulders. Lumine came in forward to check your pulse, she's so scared she might not feel it anymore but luckily it was there, it was weak but at least you still have a pulse. 

"Brother?" Everyone looked in the direction where that voice came from. 

"A-ayaka! It's not what it looks like!" Ayato quickly stood up and ran towards his sister even if his clothes were covered with some shades of blood. 

"Don't touch me!" She firmly said. 

"Y-you promised me! You won't bully anyone anymore! Since when was this happening? Did you hide this from me? Look at her! Y-you almost killed her to death! You don't even know what I'm feeling right now! I can't even find my boyfriend, I- I don't know where he is, now. What if he's cheating on me?" Ayaka said while she was crying.

"A-aether won't do that- I'm sorry. Let's just go home okay?" Ayato replied.

A tall blonde man walked towards the scene. The atmosphere of the room looked like in any horror movies where everyone is afraid when something shows up 

"S-sir! Dainsleif!" Lumine looked up to see one of her teachers. 

"Diluc, if you may. Please bring her to the hospital immediately." He ordered which Diluc nodded as he carried you up in his arms which was then followed by Lumine, leaving Childe on the scene. It looks like he wants to find out something. 

Before Diluc and Lumine left the residence, he gave Ayato a death stare that made the man with lilac eyes nervously gulp.

"Kamisato Ayato, the heir of the Kamisato clan. Being one of the investors of this school doesn't give you the right to be immune to the rules of this school. You are suspended for a month, I'm sorry. Please leave now and think about the poor girl you bullied. Leave, NOW." Dainsleif ordered which scared Ayato that prompted him to drag his sister outside. 

"And all of you will receive a huge deduction on your grades. Do you know the girl you just bullied? She is Y/N L/N, the daughter of Iliya L/N. She holds a much higher status in the country even with the Yae Family and Kamisato Family combined. Her family is the founder of this school and it's a shame that the students here aren't well disciplined. I'm pretty sure no one is aware that she has the power to kick each one of you in the school immediately while destroying your reputation. Unable to study anymore. It wasn't known in public about what happened to their daughter. If anyone has a concern about how unfair it is regarding the huge deduction on your grades will be immediately suspended. The party is over" Dainsleif said and walked towards where Venti, Zhongli, and Raiden were. 

— 

"If anything bad happens to Y/N, I'm going to force him to repent for his wrong doings" Diluc said as he drove his car at 100mph to the hospital. It was unfortunate that the hospital is far away from the Yae's residence.

"W-wait where's Childe?" Lumine said as she held you tight at the backseat. 

"I thought he was with you, you mean he didn't follow?" Diluc replied with an annoying tone.

"Let's think of him later, Archons! Please make Y/N alright-" Lumine can't finish her sentence because of the tears streaming down her face. 

Twenty minutes later, your friends finally arrive at the hospital and immediately bring you to the Emergency Room. 

"What happened?" The nurse said. 

"Splashed with different kinds of liquid either very hot or very cold and got hit in the head with a huge heavy bowl that broke into pieces. P-please help her!" Lumine pleaded to the nurse. 

"Isn't that Miss L/N?" Another nurse said and your friends nodded. 

"I told you guys not to come back here anymore but it looks like she got herself in a mess again" The nurse's face palmed. 

"Please remain in the waiting area, we can't allow you to see the patient. At this point, she might be put in the ICU for a long time. I assume she got grade 3 concussion and if it's not treated, she might get permanent brain damage. I believe you understand that right?" The nurse said. 

"Y-yes, but can we visit her tomorrow?" Diluc said. 

"I'm afraid you may not… I don't think she'll wake up any soon. Worst case is, she might be in a coma right now or when she wakes up she might be in a state of amnesia. The hospital will contact you if visitors are now allowed" The nurse said and waved their hand at Diluc and Lumine goodbye.

"What now?" Diluc said. 

"I don't know… we should get home now right?" Lumine replied, wiping her tears. 

"I'm going to drive you home but don't worry about me, I'll check on Childe." Diluc said as they walked towards the car and began to drive Lumine home. 

As your friends walked out of the hospital, the doctors immediately brought you to the operating room to see if your skull got cracked open and some of the glass shards went inside your brain. Unfortunately, what they don't want to happen, happened to you. It looks like your old stitches from your accident a decade ago reopened although some of the wounds have already healed but there are just some injuries that never left. 

After so many hours since the operation started, your surgery was a success but you remain unconscious. Not only that you have a brain injury, you also had 1st degree burns from the hot liquids that was thrown into you and it kept on going until your body felt numb from the pain. 

Deep inside your consciousness, you find yourself in a sea of flowers.

— 

The ride home between the Kamisato siblings was quiet not until Ayato began to say something. The tension between the siblings was strong, the air was filled up with anger, sadness, and resentment. 

"Listen, it's, it's not what it looks like" Ayato began to explain but Ayaka wasn't saying anything. 

"I… I really wanted to protect her but I can't hurt Miko-" Ayato stopped. 

"Hurt Miko? Brother, tell me how defending someone would hurt her? To begin with, she doesn't have the right to be jealous or to be hurt because she is not your girlfriend." Ayaka emphasizes that Ayato was being delusional about Miko being his girlfriend because none of that was true to the skin.

"Maybe I'd tell the maids to ground you as well in the house. We don't even know what happened to that poor girl." She added. 

Ayato shut his mouth and began to think, how was he the only person who got suspended? To be frank, Miko is the cause of all this, she planned this to happen and to hurt Y/N. He doesn't even know anymore if he still loves Miko. When you came, she changed. 

—

"It seems that you have been waiting for me to come back here, Childe. Even after we were told to go home." Diluc said while he put his hands on his back pocket after he exited the car.

"Something came to my attention, it's about Miko." Childe replied which gave Diluc a confused face. 

"You mentioned a long time ago how Miko was pretending to be Y/N in order to bring down the Kamisato Family. Don't you think she planned all this to Y/N and Ayato coming up to rescue her wasn't a part of her plan but she was relieved that Ayato did that. In that way, she had two birds hit with one stone. Don't you find that a little odd?" Childe stated 

"I do, let's go find her then." The two best friends walked inside the house to ask the maids to her room but they were warned to knock first. 

"It should be this room," Diluc said and knocked. The man knocked for over five minutes but no one was replying. 

"Didn't the maid say that Miko was in here? This can't wait for tomorrow since we need to check up on Y/N's situation. I have no other choice but to break in." Childe said and opened the door to see her living room empty. 

"Hm? She's not here?" Diluc said while his eyes were in need to search for the pink haired woman.

The two men were startled when they heard a loud moan from one of the rooms. It wasn't just a woman's, but it seems that there is someone else in the room.

"Childe, maybe we should leave—" Diluc said but Childe stopped him. 

"Ayato left, right? Then who is the man with Miko?" Childe said, which made Diluc's eyes widened. 

"Which means, Miko has been fooling Ayato all along—" He added but his voice got a little too loud. 

"Childe! Keep your voice low!" Diluc covered Childe's mouth with hand, almost suffocating him since Childe kept on screaming. 

"Hello?" 

The two gentlemen looked behind them to see Miko who had a tired face while wearing her evening gown. The gown doesn't seem to be properly worn, it's as if she was rushed to put it on. Diluc and Childe didn't say a word and just waved their hand at her, they felt like they were invading her privacy. Miko is confused with the two of them because Diluc is signalling goodbye with his hands but Childe says otherwise, he wants to confirm some things with her. You could tell on Miko's face that these two people are wasting her time when the frustration on her face becomes more obvious. 

"Babe? What's taking you so long?" 

(T-that voice!) Childe can't get this one wrong. He met this person a long time ago because of Ayaka, there's no way he can be wrong. His eyes averted to Diluc who also seemed to freeze in his place, they can't blame themselves for whatever they heard. 

No one was moving a thing until this man walked out of Miko's bedroom. Miko immediately ran towards Childe and Diluc and knelt in front of them. 

"D-don't tell Ayato PLEASE! I-it's not what it looks like! W-we were just talking!" Miko pleaded but the two men didn't seem to answer nor look down at her, all they cared about was the person who went outside, Aether.

"Homewrecker." Diluc calmly said while his body remained in the same place. 

"When I told you that something was odd, we already had our answer. Right in front of our eyes." Childe added, the horror of their faces that shows disgust were seen but Miko on the other hand isn't stopping from begging them not to say a thing about what they saw. 

She knew that she messed up this time for real because the people who saw her affair was no ordinary person she can easily control and manipulate. This wasn't anyone like Kujuo Sara, the people she are talking about is Diluc Ragnvindr and Tartaglia, the best friends of her suitor. Out of all the people, it had to be them. 

Please! 

Don't tell Ayato! 

I don't want to hurt Ayaka! 

It was an accident! 

I'm sorry! 

These were words that were repeatedly coming out from Miko's mouth but Diluc and Childe had one ear open to listen and the other ear threw away what they were hearing. 

In fact, words aren't enough to explain what the two men were feeling. They don't even know where to start. How are they going to comprehend that Ayato's crush is sleeping with his sister's boyfriend? That fact is not yet sinking on them. 

"I don't think we are the right people for you to apologize." Diluc finally spoke after being stunned for a couple of minutes and turned his back followed by Childe. 

"You fooled Ayato that you were his promised wife, didn't you? You wanted to erase Y/N from this world and take Ayato for your selfish desires from your family. You don't like Ayato one bit, do you?" He added, not looking back at her. 

"NO IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" Miko finally stood up, her face red from crying. 

"Tell us Guuji Yae, what does this mean? A half naked man walked out of your bedroom where we also followed the unnecessary noises coming out of it. Can you actually make me believe that the two of you were talking? Not only that, this half naked man is the boyfriend of someone else. I don't even know if I should tell Ayato because he's not going to believe us either." Diluc coldly responded. 

"G-get out of here! You're so annoying! You're invading my privacy! INTRUDERS!" Miko shouted loud enough for everyone in the house that caused Childe and Diluc to storm outside as soon as possible. 

The two men ran out of breath when they reached Diluc's car, so quickly that the security wasn't able to catch up on them. 

"T-that is not what I meant by answers but how do we tell Ayato?" Childe said as he was trying to get the bottle of water somewhere in his friend's car. 

"Get me some water too" Diluc said as he was recovering his breath before starting up his car. 

"Isn't there like- A Kamisato Party coming very very soon? I'm pretty sure Miko wouldn't be able to hide everything now that we know it." Diluc added. 

"That annual party? Diluc, that's like— three to four months from now. How long are we going to hide that thing from him? Unless, we hope that Miko does the right thing and breaks up with Ayaka's boyfriend as soon as possible right? But would she? I don't even know man— I don't even know how those two got affiliated with each other— I don't know, archons, this night just keeps on getting worse. First we had Y/N falling into her trap then we thought Ayato saved her face but he just took things way too far that now she's in the hospital again! Then! Ayaka mentioned earlier that her boyfriend might be cheating, it was a shot in the dark. Miko has been quite distant to Ayato these days— and I assumed that, what if Miko and Aether have a connection and it turns out…" Childe was panicking as he started to form his own theory and how in the end he got it right. 

"Your shot in the dark was a bullseye. I can't believe you would assume Aether and Miko would have a connection since those two never interacted in school. I don't think Miko would break up with him after us knowing it since she knows for a fact that she can manipulate Ayato's mind that we're just ruining her for him because of Y/N" Diluc replied, it's already late at night but there's no time to take a rest. He needs to inform the sister of Aether. He stirred the wheel from a direction that leads to their residence. 

"This isn't the road to my house-" Childe paused as soon as he recognized this familiar road they're taking. 

"Yes, we're going to her. I don't think she's already asleep because her brother isn't home yet." Diluc grinned since they needed to work as a team against Guuji Yae. 

"Childe, what do you think of Y/N?" Diluc asked randomly. 

"Y/N? Well, for starters, she seems to be the kind and reserved girl everyone would expect her to be. I… I can't get rid of that image of her earlier, screaming and crying as if she was getting punished for the sins she never committed. I wanted to hug her, protect her, m-man if I had the chance. I would stay with her at her residence and always… watch out for her. I…" Childe stared outside the car's window and gazed at the stars above. 

"You like her?" Diluc nervously asked him, perhaps, he was afraid of the answer his friend would give. 

"Y-yes, archons, it's so hard to tell you t-that- on days you, me, Lumine, Itto and Sara agreed not to visit her when she has fever. I- I was secretly seeing her alone, Lumine caught me red handed when I wasn't attending after school meetings and she followed my car and saw me walking through her residence, d-didn't she tell you?" Childe said, he recalls some of your memories with him of how the two of you study together and you cook him some after school snacks. In fact, his liking towards you grew because of your kindness. He thought to himself that you weren't as bad as how Ayato first described you. You're not a nerd, you don't look like one anymore. You're far more beautiful than Guuji Yae, Jean, Eula, and Sara combined. But, he knows that, he can't have you for himself. You're too perfect for someone like him, he wanted to bottle all of these feelings towards you because he believes that someone like him doesn't deserve you. 

When he saw you crying on the floor, he blamed himself that he was a coward, that he even had the audacity to stop Diluc during that time because he was afraid, maybe if he allowed Diluc to save you. Maybe if he stepped forward to cover up for you, maybe if he informed you about the change of theme. You wouldn't be laying in a hospital bed fighting for your life unconsciously. 

"Jokes aside, I wish I could pick up my phone right now and take a picture of you confessing your feelings to Y/N. You're so red and flustered, man, don't you go in public admitting your feelings for her. Your fangirls would throw a riot against her- on the side note, I think that wasn't a good joke" Diluc laughed, staring at Childe who's dumbfounded thinking about you. 

"Calm down okay? We'll get to the bottom of this." They finally arrived at her residence, and the two men stepped out of the car simultaneously. 

Childe rang the doorbell and anxiously knocked at the door until the door opened revealing the blonde girl still not changing her clothes. 

"It's already late, what brings you two here?" Lumine softly asked. 

"Is your brother, is he home?" Childe asked, which made Diluc look disappointed and confused at him because they literally just saw him a couple of minutes ago half naked in someone else's house. 

"H-he hasn't, why do you want to know if he's home—" Lumine was surprised by Diluc's sudden interference with their conversation. 

"We caught your brother sleeping with Guuji Yae." He directly said. 

"Diluc, I was building up the conversation and you went saying it straightforward to her!" Childe replied.

"I knew it, get inside. This is going to be a long talk" Lumine was frustrated how her hunch turned out to be correct. 

"He's been acting really odd since the first day of school. Every day, it just keeps on getting weirder and weirder. I knew it, I should have realized it sooner. I'm sorry guys…" Lumine apologized and wrapped herself against her knees as she was sitting in the couch. 

"Ayato is going to know this secret during his family's annual celebration. Listen Lumine, this is our plan." Diluc's face turned from indifferent to serious, the three of them gathered closely and carefully analyze how would they work against Guuji Yae and put her family in jail for the murder of the the parents of Y/N and Ayato. 

— 

It's been a week since the doctor's allowed one visitor at a time to you inside the ICU. You remain unconscious and stuck in a wonderful dream, day by day the image starts to get clearer and clearer. 

"I like you! And you can't reject me and my feelings" The blue-haired child claimed as he put the flower crown he made to your head. 

"This tempura is yummy!" You giggled in front of this man, annoying him. 

"Hey! Listen to me! I like you okay, we're going to be like mommy and daddy when we grow up!" He added. 

"Isn't that a little too soon for us?" You asked him. 

"It's not! So tell me Y/N, promise me… promise me that you're going to marry me soon when we grow up and we're going to have 10 children, 5 would look like you and the other 5 would look like me!" His eyes looked like stars 

"Y-young master!" Koharu, who seemed to be in her teen years, was about to stop Ayato from saying such things. She wonders how on earth did this child learn where do children come from? 

"Don't— let them be. Lady Y/N and Lord Ayato look good together. It's funny how the young master confessed his feelings like that to her. They're inseparable." The maid said and patted Koharu on her shoulders. 

"Eh??? D-disgusting!" You softly slapped your hand on his forehead.

"T-that hurts Y/N!" The young boy begged you to stop hitting him even if it wasn't painful at all. 

"I, L/N Y/N, will accept your proposal on becoming like your mommy!" You said and the two of you shared a laugh together. 

Not until everything faded away and you found yourself standing in the middle of darkness. These are memories you don't remember happening but it stings your heart because it's been feeling like it's been stolen from you. If all these memories were true then how did you and Ayato end up like this? 

— 

Diluc was your first visitor, he came as soon as the doctor informed your friends. He made sure that he was the first person to be here, he wanted to be the first person. He looked at your helpless body lying peacefully. It looked like you were having a good dream. 

"I know you wouldn't hear me Y/N but it seems it wasn't only Childe that started to grow feelings for you." 

The redhead calmly said and put flowers on your vase and prayed for your fast recovery. 

[rose-and-thorn-fanfics]

THE DARK KNIGHT FANFIC (Joker x OC) Part 12

Lottie's mind went blank as Gordon asked her and other guests a series of questions. The other cops that were accompanying him did their best to calm everyone down so that they could get a clear story.

"Miss Wayne?" Lieutenant Gordon's voice snapped Lottie back into reality. He stared at her, his mouth forming a thin line of exasperation. "If you do not cooperate you'll be considered a suspect. I'm trying to help you."

Lottie blinked, panicking, unsure of how to respond.

"Sir, you might want to be careful." One of the cops said, turning around and staring at Lottie. "The general consensus of the other guests is that this girl was the Joker's accomplice, or at the very least is romantically associated with him."

James Gordon studied Lottie, searching her dark eyes for any sign of innocence, as he was seemingly reluctant to believe the accusation. "Lottie, is this true?"

Lottie Wayne finally came to her senses. She pulled out her cellphone and dropped it on the floor, destroying it by crushing it under her foot. She knew the evidence on it would be incriminating and point to more crimes than she was even suspected of committing. "Fine, use me as your scape goat. See how far that gets you." She remarked angrily. The cops grabbed her arms and yanked them behind her, cuffing her.

"Lieutenant Gordon," Alfred Pennyworth suddenly stepped forward. "Miss Wayne is just confused. She didn't really do anything against the law." He pleaded. "She just fell for the wrong man. Perhaps a man she didn't fully understand."

Gordon sighed. "It pains me to do this, sir, as you are a man I respect. But you know very well that we still have to take her into questioning. She's the only lead we have on this 'Joker'."

Alfred stepped back. "I understand." He replied sadly.

Lottie flashed the butler a wan smile of gratitude for his efforts as they dragged her past the blond man's corpse and onto the elevator.

🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏🃏

Cold. The holding cell was dismal and bitterly cold. Lottie fidgeted in her cuffs, blinking as the bright white light turned on and Lieutenant Gordon entered. "Didn't expect you to be the one to interrogate me." Lottie remarked. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"This is a special case, Lottie Elizabeth Wayne." The lieutenant said, taking a seat across from her at the metal table. "And you're involvement with this dangerous criminal puts an entirely different light on the deaths of Kent and Elizabeth, your parents. Imagine, sleeping with the man who violently murdered your own father and mother."

Lottie snorted, rolling her eyes. "What makes you so sure we fucked?"

Gordon coughed, uncomfortable with her phrasing. "Well, I've reviewed the camera footage, and based on what your cousin Bruce says on the matter, it's safe to say this relationship was... physically intimate. I'm only saying this because I'm concerned. You're too young—"

"—I'm 21 years old. I'm an adult!" Lottie said defensively.

"Regardless," The lieutenant interjected. "You're still vulnerable. There's never a good age to get involved with a man of that character. How... long have you known him?"

"Years." Lottie lied.

"So you've become somewhat accustomed to his antics?"

"If you mean his method of killing people, he always kept that side of his life separate." Lottie continued to bluff. "We just liked each-other's company. He's a really funny guy if you live long enough to get to know him." 'Well at least that's not a lie,' she thought, smirking.

Gordon frowned. "Do you think him killing your parents was a laughing matter?"

"Humor is subjective. Maybe you and I don't get why he does what he does but to him it's pretty hilarious. I find that fascinating. I... love that about him." She replied. In that moment there was something liberating about being blatantly honest. Not caring what people thought was like a drug. The more she did it, the more she wanted to do it. Lottie made a mental note to try the truth more often.

"Do you know what he has planned next? Did he ever mention his plans to you?" The lieutenant said, clearly unamused with Lottie's previous answers.

Lottie laughed. "Plans? I mean I honestly think that's funny you believe he has plans! If there's anything you... civilized people ought to know about the Joker is he lives a life of pure spontaneity."

Gordon checked his watch, and got up. "You'll be staying the night here, Lottie Wayne. So get used to this holding cell. And don't try anything stupid."

"Suit yourself. But you should probably remind yourself I'm from the richest family in Gotham. If it comes down to bail then I'm walking free. There's no need for me to try anything stupid. I'll be out of here before you know it."

And with that, Gordon left, slamming the door.

[nuitthegoddess]

The Fallen Dragon

WARNING: Death

One-shot bad ending fanfic based on the art

Malleus wished this was a nightmare.

When his beloved mysteriously pricked his finger on a spinning wheel and found him dropped to the floor.

True love’s kiss didn’t work.

Fighting against a skillful knight who went after the prince when the Kingdom of the Enchantment Dominion had heard that the prince of Briar Valley had taken a human captive into eternal slumber in his own castle.

But they were wrong.

Malleus didn’t curse Aurelian.

He learned from what happened last time.

He wanted Aurelian to be awake and well.

He has never used his unique magic since NRC.

Someone else cursed him into eternal slumber.

He knows who did it.

This knight stood before him as he lay on the ground injured. He couldn’t use more of his magic, he’ll Overblot to make things worse!

This knight was tired too. They still stood. Taking the shining sword in their hand to strike through the prince to end it all.

The Draconia bloodline.

Malleus cried out in excruciating pain of a thick sword that poke through the inside of his body from his spine. Coughed out droplets of blood from his mouth. Nobody was around to help him. It was too late.

His vision was consumed with memories flashing his eyes of Lilia, Silver, Sebek, Yuu and … Aurelian…

Who was still in a deep sleep slumber for weeks. Sound asleep, oblivious of what’s going. Unaware that he was doomed to this eternal slumber around protective enchanted thorns that were suppose to protect him from harm.

Oh how tried so many ways for Aurelian to open his eyes. Of the days he was flipping through old texts. Even from ancient books that the ancestor would use for hellbound spells. He couldn’t find anything and yet he was still very close…

He failed to help him.

Malleus was slowly losing consciousness, his body starting to lose him. He was always afraid of losing Aurelian to death since human life was only so short compared to a 178 year old faerie who still had much more life ahead for himself.

He slowly opened up a smile as his tears formed around his light green colored eyes. Maybe it was for the best. Surely the humans will find a way to help him.

So he can enjoy life while he still can.

The knight stared at him down, heard his voice starting to speak out his final words. “I’m sorry… my precious rose… Aurelian…,” he mumbled, closing his eyes slowly, “I couldn’t have… saved you…”

The knight heard his final breath. There he stayed limp and still now a dead corpse.

The very bad ending for Malleus and Aurelian.

Based on the ending on Sleeping Beauty 1959

[can-i-write-well-yet]

The Truth About Your Heart

P1/P2

a fanfic for 4KOTA that I was working on, no one requested this except me, and I realized if I want to read i'm gonna have to be the one to write it.

So here we go! It should have ever one of the sins and the Four Knights squads in it, but it will focus primarily on Ban and Lancelot's Family and the oc I added. It'll mostly be from the oc's perspective because I'm scared to write for characters perspectives that I didn't make, lmao.

I worked on this but am always open to take breaks to write other requests~ Let's'a go!

Chapter One.

It’s a beautiful day in Benwick, sun shining across the trees, the smell of fresh dew and wisteria flowers floats across a room, you could hear the chatter of the fairies outside the window, and the birds chirping faintly in the background, and on this beautiful morning one lad laying down in his bed could only think of one thing.

“God I hope someone kills me.” The young man said to himself hopefully. 

A knock was heard at the door to his bedroom, the killer he wanted perhaps?

“Gus!! Mom said get up! We’re leaving for Uncle’s in five mimutes!!”

No such luck, just his sister sent to drag him out of bed. He supposed he should get up before his mother comes to get him up herself, she won’t stop at simple knocking and yelling and he’d rather not get tossed out of his bed again, the first time was enough.

He kicks off his covers before going to inspect his closet for anything he would feel comfortable wearing on this hellish field trip his mother was dragging him on, settling on a simple white button down shirt with peasant sleeves, putting a leather vest over the shirt, and a pair of black slacks. He was going to feel miserable in whatever he wore so why bother being extravagant? 

He went through his washroom routine mindlessly, doing it by muscle memory rather than paying any attention to what he was doing, his mind was on other things, the visit to Lionas mostly.

He didn’t want to go, not that he hated Lionas, the kingdom was lovely and he didn’t mind the people there, it was simply what he was expected to do once he arrived. Greeting the King and Queen wasn’t an issue, in his family it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he had the best manners out of all of them, his father treated everyone the same no matter who they were, his mother’s usual response to anyone was ignoring them or throwing off of cliffs, and his sister was seven.

No, the problem he faced was he would have to go to that castle, meet with all of his relatives and friends and he would have to look all those people in the eye and pretend everything was okay, knowing what he knew.

‘I can do that here,’ He thought to himself while brushing his teeth, ‘I can do that with Mum and Father and Beru, and I know I can do it with everyone else, but GOD it’s going to be fucking exhausting! I don’t wanna do this. Please let me fall down the stairs, Please let me fall down the stairs, Please let me fall down the stairs’

He was so engrossed in his mantra he didn’t notice his mother coming into his room.

“Gus?”

“AAAIIK!!!!” He screamed as he turned around and slipped on his bed clothes, almost slamming face first into the wall before he felt himself hovering.

“Thanks for the save Ma.”

“I’m Sorry!! I should’ve knocked first!” His mother released her wind magic and allowed her son to gently be set on the floor before helping him stand, checking for any injuries before looking him in the eye, “Sorry, I forget sometimes, I don’t know why, I swear I try.”

The young man shrugged, “It’s no big deal Ma, I space out a lot, chances are even if you did knock I wouldn't've heard it. I had some stuff on my mind.”

“You know you can tell me anything, right? I’m here no matter what.” 

“I know Ma.”

“So what’s wrong, Babi?”

He could tell her, he could drop all his problems right here and now, he could rely on another person for one day.

He could tell all his problems and beg her to help, just this once. For once he could trust an adult to help with everything going on.

But he won’t, his mother didn’t deserve all this baggage he’s collected over the years, and he wouldn’t force her to hold him together, she’s held enough people together for a lifetime.

So he does what he’s done for the past nine years, and he lies.

“I’m just really tired Ma, and a little worried about how long the trip is gonna be, not to mention all the nobles we’re gonna have to deal with, I can hear them sucking up now. ‘OH YOUNG LORD HOW HANDSOME YOU ARE TONIGHT~ PRAY TELL, WHERE IST THOU PAPA SO I MAY BROWN NOSE???’”

His mother laughs at his joke, obviously relieved to think her son is just tired, both physically and of humans.

“Well you’ll be happy to know we’re going to take a portal over to the kingdom instead of traveling. Your Uncle is going to come pick us up, and I know sometimes the people can be tiring, so tell you what, how about I take over talking duties? I can talk to all the people there and you can go hang out with your cousins and friends?”

That… would actually help a lot now that he thinks about it, the less people he had to talk to, the less people he had to lie to, his mom did that a lot, help unintentionally.

She would give a solution for a problem he made up that actually ended up helping with the problem he was hiding, she was just magical like that he supposed.

“GUS!!! MUMMY!!! WE HAVTA GO NOW!!! UNCLE’S COMING SOON!!! HUR-RY-UP!!”

“WE’LL-BE-DONE-SOON!!!” The boy yelled back at his younger sister, she never did like waiting for anything so this talk was probably agonizingly slow for her. “You should probably go Ma, she needs to eat before we leave and I’ve gotta get my hair brushed and find my satchel before we head out.”

“Okay Babi, I’ll grab you something to eat on the way, don’t forget your sketchbook, your uncle has been asking to see your drawings and I’m not explaining why he must wait, COMING RU-RU!!!” She yelled down to her daughter before turning back and giving him a small kiss on his forehead, “Love you babi.”

“Love you Ma.” He watched his mother leave down the stairs before closing the door. 

He walked to his bed and reached under it to grab a box full of his sketchbooks and placed two of them in a small satchel. He then grabbed his brush and started to comb through his pale lavender hair. 

After tying it into a low hanging ponytail, he made sure his door was locked and his shades were drawn before walking over to the picture his younger sister had drawn for him, it was of him, her, and their older brother. 

He had told her he liked the drawing so much that he wanted to keep it in his room so could look at it all the time. A part of this was true, he did like the drawing, it was well done for a 5 year old, but everything after that was a lie. He didn’t want that thing anywhere near his room and to be perfectly honest, he would be alright never seeing it ever again.

It wasn’t because of anything his sister did, no he always loved her drawings, and honestly it was his own fault, they way the picture turned out. After all, he was the one who wondered out loud whether or not she knew what their brother looked like. She did, and then she felt bad for leaving him out of all her other pictures, so she drew all three of them together.

And now he had it in his room, where he would see it, day in and day out. He had to keep it in his room, there was nowhere else for it to go. If she had kept it in her room then their parents would’ve seen it, and then they would make that face they always did when they were reminded of their eldest son. 

And Beru wouldn’t understand, and she would wonder if it was her fault, and then he could only hope it was his mother who found the painting, and not his father, because both of them would do a terrible job of comforting the young girl, but at least his mom would be gentle about it.

So to avoid that, he kept it in his room, his mom would still see it and she would cry, but he could be there for her and hold her together so Beru wouldn’t get upset. (Sometimes his mother would lie on his bed next to him and hold him close while she looked at the picture, crying silently for a couple minutes before getting up and making them both something to eat, she was always happier after crying for a bit.)

Beru would see her drawing in his room and be happy that he liked it, and be none the wiser to how her family really felt. (Sometimes Beru would sneak into his bed in the middle of the night, and ask about her oldest brother, she knew neither of her brothers had met but she knew her older brother knew more than she did, she just wanted to feel close to all her family, even the ones she hadn’t met. So he would tell her stories he had heard about him, and when he ran out of stories he would make some up until she fell asleep and he would carry her back to bed.)

And his father, who hasn’t entered his room in years, would never see the painting, and would never get his hands on it. (The boy remembered someone talking about his older brother with his father. He didn’t hear the whole conversation from his hiding place on the top of the stairs, but he somehow knew what they were discussing. He remembers seeing a small jacket being handed to his father, him caressing it gently before yelling at the person he was speaking to and starting to stomp his way upstairs. The boy remembers hiding under a table in the hallway and watching his father storm into his older brother's room, placing the shirt in the small closet before storming back down into the front room. The room remained untouched to this day. Anything that belonged or was related to the eldest son went into that room, and never came out again.)

So this small thing, this placement of a child's painting, was actually used to hold their family together.

Well for that and one other thing.

He raised his fist above his head and slammed it down two inches to the left of the painting and down into his waiting hand fell a worn out, Prussian blue journal. 

He rifled through the pages before stopping on a page where the writer was talking about his uncle stopping by.

The writer of this journal would only ever write about his day in one page, and he always wrote on the left page, and only the left page. 

Gus was fond of that, because he would then write on the right page, as if responding to the author of the journal. 

‘Dear Whom-Ever reads this.

(NOT DAD! THIS IS MY JORNAL!)

Today Uncle came over to visit he brought over my cosin Deidrick to play with me but Dei never plays right. Okay he plays right i guess but he doesn’t wanna fight. He just plays meedator and how we shood talk out feelings out instead of punching.

Uncle also brought my new cosins MAttie and ElliE they are cute i guess MAttie likes punching but Auntie said she was too young to play swords and i have to wait til shes older.

But dad fought with me! he always wresssals with me! So he’s teaching Dei how to fight better two!

Anyway sense I have to go now im leaving this journal entry here until tomorrow.

Good bye!’

Gus smiles at the childish writing, barely decipherable but quite adorable. He had found this book wrapped in cloth and buried under an old piece of driftwood, he wouldn’t’ve found it if not for a faint glow of sunlight that had happened to have hit it just right, having piqued his curiosity and prompting him to look beneath. He likes to think it was fate that led him to it, but he was okay with it just being luck.

‘Smarter to be Lucky than Lucky to be Smart.’ He thought as he picked up his pen before writing down his reply.

‘Dear Older Brother.

I am also meeting our Uncle today, he’s coming over to bring us all to Lionas for a meeting with the king, probably for a party. And he’s bringing all of our cousins here as well.

You’ll be happy to know Deidrick now knows how to fight much better, though he still enjoys playing mediator.

Mattie can throw real punches now, and she can use swords as well, she prefers just fighting with bare knuckles.

Ellie enjoys puzzles more than anything, but never says no to a good fight.

I may have mentioned in a previous entry, but we have a new cousin now as well, his name is Brahms.

He recently turned 7 and is growing well, he gets sick a lot but he’s very brave, you would have liked him.

Father and Mother are excited to see all of their old friends, I’m worried about them so it will be good to get out of Benwick, they’ve been cooped up for too long.

I’m all ready to go, just making sure I update you before I go…

They all still miss you, please come home soon.

I would like to meet you, even though I know you hate me, I don’t care, they need you Lancelot. Please hurry up with your dumb mission or adventure that you think is more important then our fami-’

He stops before completing that sentence, he knows it might be a bit too far, he doesn’t know what’s kept Lance away for so long, and Gus knows he’s coming home soon. But sometimes you just can’t help feeling. 

He is still writing in someone else’s journal so he makes an effort to be polite.

‘I don’t mean to be mean, I just know you’re out there and I don’t know why you didn’t come bac-’

“UNCLE KING!!!” He heard his sister call from downstairs.

He took a peek outside his window and saw his Uncle Harlequin exchanging greetings with his sister, and his Aunt Diane chatting with his father. He should wrap this up before heading down.  

‘I am leaving now for Lionas. I will try to grab more funds while I’m there, don’t worry, I won't break my promises, even if the only one who knows I made one is me.

I wish to meet you one day, on good terms, after everything is said and done.

Despite what you may think of me, I love you Lancelot.

Love, Your Brother, Gustav.’

“GOOSE!!!” He heard rapid knocking on his door, and the voice of his oldest cousin, Deidrick.

And as he stepped on top of his dresser to place the book back into the rafters he gently caressed the name on the journal. 

‘Lancelot’

He put the book back into the rafters and stepped down to grab his satchel off the bed and unlocked his door to be met with a tight hug from his cousin.

‘From your dad to you, may you write down your heart into this book,

I love you my son.’

“BROTHER! I’ve missed you man!” Deidrick exclaimed, picking his younger cousin off the floor and spinning around the room.

“Yeah, missed you too Dei-Dei.” Hugging his cousin and tapping him gently on the back, he asked, “So was it your idea for Uncle King to take us there with the portal?”

“How’d you know?” Dei asked, amazed. 

Gustav pushed back to look his cousin to look at him flatly, “Your the only one who has any issues with the ride there,”

“It’s not my fault y’all can’t fly, why do I have to slow down and wait every time?!”

“And in a letter you sent a while back you told me how your dad said he’d do you a favor if you watched your siblings for a night, and you never told me what you used it for, so I guessed you were saving it for something like this…”

“... Damn little brother. You should be a detective with skills like that.”

“It’s not ‘Skills’,” Gustav rolled his eyes while walking down the stairs to the rest of their party, “You’re just incredibly basic.”

Dedrick held his hand to his heart as he floated down next to Gustav, “LE GASP! How could you be so crew-el?”

“Very easily,” Gustav managed to say before his younger sister slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out his lungs and nearly sending both of them onto the floor if Dei hadn’t caught the both of them.

“BERU! Be gentle on your brother!” Ban chastised from the doorway where he was greeting King.

“Sorey Da!” Beru said offhandedly before turning her head back to her older brother, her crimson eyes glimmering with excitement as her dandelion colored hair bounced up and down, “GUS! Are you so excited!!??”

Gustav, now breathing again, and having picked up his energetic younger sister, replied, ”So excited for what? The trip? I suppos-”

Cutting him off and grabbing his face, “No Silly! We’re being a fish-... Oh fizz, no. Um, a-afisha-. What was the word Uncle Harlequin?”

“Officially.” King replied, smiling at the siblings from where he stood next to Elaine.

“Offishally! We are Offishally invited to a meeting of the Seven Deadly Sins!”

Gustav’s eyes widened before turning to look at his father, “Father, is this true? I thought we- I thought I wasn’t- We weren’t-”

Ban held his hands up in a shushing movement, stopping the train of thoughts tumbling through his son's mind, “It’s not that big a deal, slow your roll kid. We just got a summons from the Captain, which could mean anything from ‘The demon king has returned and Lionas is up in flames’ to ‘We ran out of Vanya Ale so I'm calling a Seven Deadly Booze-Run cause I’m bored out of my mind’. We’ll figure it out when we get there. But considering he signed it with a picture of a smiling bird, I’d say he didn’t think it was anything serious, and while grown up meetings are still off the table, this should be boring enough to take the kids to.”

“Oh, uh, okay, we will be part of the discussion or...?”

“Yeah if ya’ want, Cappy called for everyone and their kids, so we’re bringing everyone and their kids.” Ban muttered something under his breath too quietly for Gus to hear, but it sounded annoyed, “Anyway, you munchkins all ready to head out? Got’cher grab bags and toys and shit?”

“All our toys and shit are packed and ready Father.” Gustav and Beru both gave a salute before walking out to the rest of their cousins, and giving their greeting to their Aunt Diane, who was currently too big to come in the house.

Elaine glared at Ban for cursing in front of the kids, Ban smiled back unapologetically and held open the door for her to join their children.

He then turned to King with a look of pure fury on his face and questioned, 

“So. Care to tell me why the Fuck my kids got a summon from the Dragon Sin of Wrath?”

[prosaic-bun]

Sal Vindagnyr odds and ends

Pairing: Kaeya x Mc x Albedo

Novelette

Genre: Fluff - Angst (just a little) - Post 1 year timeskip

Author Notes: I'm aware - and it's pretty much confirmed by the number of notes, that some 'transition chapters' are not as exciting. I just wanna reassure everyone, i have a very precise idea of what i wanna tell with this fanfic. If you are still reading my updates, thank you for trusting me to carry out the story <3

Trigger Warning: Brooding

Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 (You are here) - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7

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

Chapter 4

2.3k words

The trio stayed on the top of the Headquarters until the sun fully came out, more and more mondstadians getting outdoors. Soon the hustle bustle of the city reached their ears.

«It’s still early so we have time for breakfast. However we should go meet the Acting Grand Master after we are done eating. Just so we can check in with her since you are now awake.» Kaeya expressed.

«May I bathe before meeting other people? I’d feel more comfortable.» Mc inquired while rubbing away the last remnants of dried tears from his eyes. «Sure, we’ll have water heated up for you.» Albedo stated.

«What would you like to eat? I can start making it while we wait for the bath to be ready?» Kaeya asked. «Something easy on the stomach like some apples and a salad?» Mc noted.

Kaeya smiled gently at Mc before nodding and leaving the rooftop of the Headquarters of the Knights of Favonius. «There is a common room on the third floor, at the opposite of your room. You can come find us there to eat. Your bath will be ready afterwards.» Albedo detailed, making sure Mc would be able to find them without worries. After a few minutes passed basking in the morning light alone, Mc joined the two knights on the third floor. The trio ate in silence and after the last bite, Mc thanked the Cavalry Captain for the light meal. Kaeya was glad the traveler shared with him their Satisfying Salad recipe.

Mc excused himself to go wash himself, bringing with him the knights of favonius uniform Albedo previously fetched for him. The nymph undressed and eased himself into the tub. The warm water of the bath was just the thing to sooth his body after it had to withstand such intense temperature.

Mc took a mere ten minutes to clean himself and two more to dry his body. The standard Favonius uniform didn’t fit perfectly, but it was ok for now. The black long-sleeve shirt and horse riding pants were the good length, but Mc noticed his hips bone poking out of his skin. The time he spent hibernating in a block of ice really weakened his body. At some point it had no other choice than to break down his adipose tissue and muscle fibers to sustain the energy demand of his preservating sleeping state. At least, with the belt being part of the uniform, Mc could somehow make everything hang on his body. The boots were the best part as they weren’t too bulky, pretty light and really well made. He didn’t find any usefulness to the leather shoulder pads or the vambraces so he decided to leave them on the sturdy birch vanity. After all he didn’t need the armor, only knew clothes he could wear to go meet his benefactor. Mc was then escorted by his two favourite knights to the Acting Grand Master’s office on the first floor. Kaeya knocked twice and was soon greeted by Lisa who opened the door before him. Of course Jean was already working, a pile of documents on her desk, but she had managed to enjoy the early morning company of the librarian.

Kaeya introduced Mc to the two women. The nymph was asked to explain the event that led to him being imprisoned in Dragonspine and later found in Albedo’s workshop. The Sal Vindagnyr denizen explained everything. He started with the fall of the Skyfrost Nail and its impact on the mountain. He then moved on to recount how his life was many thousand of years ago, adding more details to his story. Mc told the monstadians how being a nymph placed him in a special position within the Priest inner circle. Back then nymphæ had a propensity to do biddings involving celestial matters. If the cataclysm didn’t happen; at his 25th spring on this land, Mc would have fully taken on his Iatromantis fonctions and would have become an initiate.

«So you are a nymph? I never would have guessed I would meet such a mystical being. It is said your kind was particularly good in a form of alchemy not so far from the art of Khemia.» Albedo breathed out.

Mc chuckled at his bewildered expression. «It’s not like my knowledge rivals the one of the elders. I’m pretty young by Nymphæ standards.»

«If i may, what exactly do you mean by latromantis fonctions?» Jean asked. «It’s a specific name for descendants of nymphæ bloodline that practice celestial, spiritual and magical duties. You could say we were occupying the role of shaman or pontiff in our community.» Mc explained.

«So you must understand how Celestia interacts with this world? I’ve read Teyvat’s earlier civilisations had ways to communicate with the floating island in the sky?» Lisa insisted, hardly concealing her scholarly interest in the man that was seated before her. «Hum it’s hard to say. Celestia is like a figurative black box. You can see the inputs and outputs embroiled in Celestia, but we are left to speculate on what algorithmes manage the celestial realm. For instance there are ways to act if you want to earn the blessings and favors of the Gods. You may interact with the multitude of the Irminsul Tree ramifications or maybe embark on journeys to feed on your aspirations. In any of their forms they somehow tie us to the very fabric of this world. Hence, interacting with them sends inputs that pass through Celestia and return to us in some kind of outputs, signs to decode or more tangible blessings like pieces of advice. On my part, I was tasked with studying the stars, the many cycles observable in nature and understanding interrelations twixt every component of the ecosystem of Teyvat. Us, the heavenly body, the great tree Axis Mundi, nature, the abyss, the dark sea and the dome, we are all connected; a closed microcosm evading every formal definition.» Mc extrapolated. «The dome?» Albedo repeated, asking for clarifications.

«Yet another mystery. The appellation dome is the closest thing scholars were able to present to explain the firmament that either traps us on Teyvat or protects Teyvat from the outside. I couldn’t say which is the case. It is commonly referred to as the fake sky» Mc continued. «I’ve heard of theories before, which are presenting the sky as fake.» Lisa mumbled. «It’s more ambivalent than that actually. Although we can guess there is some kind of dome and the sky itself might look fabricated, it still has an impact on the lives of the people of Teyvat. In my opinion it is too rigid to be natural per se especially in comparison to other natural cycles. But like I said, I never got to be initiated into my formal functions. I was only a novice.» Lisa and Albedo were left pensive while Jean and Kaeya were looking at Mc with wide eyes. «That sums up how my life went up until what it feels like yesterday. However, if it’s not too much I’d like to know more about the world today.» Mc pleaded The Mondstadian took turns reciting the early history of Mondstadt and the many challenges they faced. In all the details, the concept of archons was the one that caught the attention of Mc the most. But it was nothing to the stupor Mc felt when he learned about the cataclysm 500 years ago from present day. «So you're telling me some kind of intangible seats opened up in Celestia and were filled by the gods, leader of 7 nations, and only Khaenri'ah was a country that escaped from the rule of those archons?» Mc restated. «We knew of such a country. I remember mentions of the pride of humankind... But there were no survivors of the cataclysm that unleashed calamities upon Teyvat?»

Albedo and Kaeya exchanged a look. Lisa came to their rescue and pointed out the similarities between Sal Vindagnyr and Khaenri’ah, meaning people could have survived the cataclysm as Mc was an example of such a survivor.

After the heavy topics of conversation, Jean asked what were Mc’s plans for the time being. The nymph didn’t have a clear answer. «I don’t know the etiquette of Mondstadt, but if you would look after me while I get a hold of myself and investigate what you call Dragonspine, I'd be more than content.»

Jean reassured the nymph; he was no longer a nameless sojourner plus he was more than welcome to take part in the way of life of the Knights of Favonius.

And it was that easy. In the next few weeks, the last two weeks' routine morphed seamlessly around Mc no longer being bedridden. At the crack of dawn Mc accompanied Noelle for her basic strength and endurance training, meaning 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats and running two laps around Mondstadt. Well, since the Sal Vindagnyr denizen was still recuperating, he settled to do less repetitions and only walked from the gate of Mondstadt to the end of the bridge and back. By the end of a month he was able to do a hundred repetitions for each exercise and run one lap around Mondstadt while the Favonius Maid did two. Mc would then help Noelle clean up the 3rd floor of the Headquarters.

In the forenoon, Barbara would pass by to prepare healing brew with the talented nymph. When she inquired how he knew so much about medicinal plants, he simply stated that he studied it for most of his life. Before lunch time, Rosaria would often pass by to remind Barbara of her Deaconess duties. Barbara was always surprised to see the odd sister be so lenient on this precise church task. Rosaria would take this opportunity to pry on Mc and ask him questions.

Kaeya usually passed by for lunchtime and whisk Rosaria away if her questions were too blunt. Kaeya always apologized to Mc for his friend's behaviors, but the nymph didn’t take offence to how Rosaria treated him, meaning as a potential threat. Without completely knowing where she was coming from, Mc could accept that not everyone was going to accept him easily. The Cavalry Captain and the nymph would usually go to the common kitchen of the Headquarters and eat the meal together. Sometimes Kaeya would shake things up and take Mc to eat somewhere outside on a bench inside the walls of the city.

In the afternoon, the nymph would join Lisa in the library. The librarian would teach him about current Teyvat, modern history and they would have deep conversations while having afternoon tea. From time to time they were joined with Jean who came to see her girlfriend, but also assessed Mc’s general condition and state of mind.

When evening turn around, Mc would pass time with Albedo to hone his alchemical skills. For the time being Mc and Sucrose were on par and worked effortlessly together. The nymph had a different perception of how alchemy should feel, less constricted to the rigorous rules the mondstadian alchemist trio were used to. So even if Albedo as Chief Alchemist was leaps and bounds ahead of Mc, the nymph found ways to pump new blood into the small workshop whenever they would be stuck before particularly complicated alchemical dilemmas. Albedo was also stunned each time Mc would share bits and pieces of the knowledge he knew from Sal Vindagnyr oral tradition. Sometimes a story, sometimes a song and at other times miscellaneous empirical facts; the way Mc would dispense his knowledge would leave Albedo suspended at the lips of the nymph.

At the end of the day, Mc would spend quiet time in the library in the company of Noelle. While the maid studied or journaled, the nymph would read novels, mostly fiction. He particularly enjoyed The Fox in the Dandelion Sea and was pleased with Breeze Amidst the Forest. Mc thought the last one - a collection of ballads, needed more contemporary editions, that he would devour only if such compilation existed. The latest book he read was The Legend of Vennessa and it prompted numerous discussions with the Favonius Maid. When asked why she wanted to become a knight, Noelle replied that since the Order of the Knights of Favonius is the strongest shield that Mondstadt has, she wanted to make sure to participate in the effort and help Mondstadian to stay carefree. That was her ambition, a contract she made with herself.

The only exception to this daily routine was on sundays. Mc would shut the curtains and hang a note on his room door asking to be left undisturbed. From dawn until dusk, Mc would never be caught outside of his room. Sure the knights were surprised and a little intrigued, but it didn’t affect them in the sligthless so they obliged. For some, the time happened to elapse more slowly, a little spark missing in their day was it at lunchtime or during the evening.

The Sun day - Hēméra Hēlíou, was the moment Mc dealt with his rancor and bitterness. Meditating, crying or laying in a catatonic state on the floor of his room were activities Mc felt appropriate to approach his resentment toward the day of sun worship. Was he revengeful against Celestia? That he didn’t know, but he still had the loss of his people nagging him from millennias apart. So on Sunday, Mc wouldn’t tolerate the slightest ray of sunshine to touch him or even reflect in the slightest on the green lozenges that freckled his skin. Photosynthesis on that nocuous day? He didn’t think so.

Aside from Sunday, Mc allowed himself to cry in two circumstances, in the dead of night or in the baths, completely separating his life in two. The problem with compartmentalizing grief is that at one point it leaks through the box it was placed in. Even though Mc didn’t want his grief to have repercussions in his daily life, emotions negative or positive don’t disappear at will.

Cc. @creatorofstars

[simofabitch]

Ooh uhh @azumetapraline @morp @arisplotle and anyone else who wants to

Three ships I love??? Uhh shit lemme check my ao3 rq --

..... 😶 was not expecting megatron/starscream to have the biggest share of my relationship bookmarks but here we are. Theres something viscerally satisfying about screamer just getting the slag kicked out of him . Okay. They've got the best toxic dynamic going on and it's kinda fruity. Not my fault !!!

two more.... metalor obvs... one more uhhh

Vash the Stampede/Nicholas Wolfwood . Guy that would let himself die to save others with guy that would kill others to keep his loved ones from dying. Yes teach that man to take care of himself... two sides of the same coin.... etc etc I need to watch the original.

First ship? Uh

I'm blanking out here ngl..

Oh. Why would you make me remember the kirby characters/reader deviantart fanfic group I used to frequent. And now I lost the game.

The first ship I ever shipped. I'm so sorry but that's gonna have to stay a secret because I hate the media with all my soul now (its. Extremely bad and Actually Racist), and the "friend" who got me into that media was an equally shitty person. So sad that was my first anime, my god..... I couldn't have picked a worse introduction to fandom and smut....

But the ship after that I was most into was self ship with Meta knight so let's pretend that's my answer

Last song I listened to uh

I'm a bit of an edge lord I'm sorry

Last film was the Mario movie . Pretty good for a kids movie but not great but I love seeing my friends

Currently reading.... I've got two fic tabs open that I'm reading rn, ones a dimentio centric super paper mario fic, the other is rock book

Watching... I havent watched the next episode in a few days but a friend really got me into nabari no ou, it's really good and the backgrounds are gorgeous. I love the aesthetic and how everything looks hand drawn. Also the characters are really good and interesting, they take your expectations and flip them upside down. The powers are cool, everything is cool and when im.in the mood I cant wait to see how it ends and then start consuming fandom content

Consumed a piece of milk tea boba flavored mochi just now

Craving? I'm so restless rn. I'm in one of those moods where I dont want to work but I also don't want to rest and hopefully this video game can burn out my brain a bit. I guess I'm craving for my friends to finish all their stressful finals/graduations and everyone can come over again and I can help dye someone's hair and then sit in someone's lap until I fall asleep watching a youtube documentary. .. jeez I didnt know what was wrong with me until a tumblr ask game forced me to articulate it.,, I,ah, eto bleh and I lost the game again!

Hey, tagged by @rulerofmarsandearth , oke I wanna try it ❤️

Tagging some people I’d like to know better ^^ :

@noyin @birbwell @timeturner-jay @flame-shadow @pollyannam3 @melissa-s23 @poisonhemloc

Three ships I love: hmmm… I mean I’m not recently much into fandom shipping, I’m focusing more on my ocs, but the ships that are special for me are the crack ships I made so genzayra, tisocloth (someone called it tissue I’m dying) and kingceit ❤️

First ever ship: something from Naruto probably 😂 Kiba x Hinata? I can recall writing a fanfic for my friend about them once

Last song: listening to new fave song on loop for hours gang 👌 For me recently Siren’s Call Seafoam Mix by DM DOKURO has definitely the most loops

Last film: … the last movie would be Avatar 2, like half a year ago. … my cultural self growth is in stasis

Currently reading: too many fanfics to count

Currently watching: watched few episodes of Glow Up with friends and enjoyed it a lot so we’ll probably continue, but I don’t meet with them too often so it’s gonna take some time to get through even one season 😂 I still don’t know who won this one but don’t wanna spoil it for myself

Currently consuming: raisins and nuts

Currently craving: 10 hour mountain hike

[screechthemighty]

Hey, remember how I said that I wasn’t gonna post that new Moon Knight fanfic tonight?

Jake Lockley and Gena Landers enjoyers, come get y’all juice.

AO3 link will be in a reblog, but I’ve also posted the first of this fic’s six chapters below if you want to read it here and now! Standard disclaimer: Author does not have DID or speak Spanish, please correct me if I am wrong about things. Also, the timeline is something I made up entirely, so don’t take it as canon.

.

meet me at our spot: part 1/6 (2019)

Another day, another morning spent rushing around like a chicken with its head off. Wake up. Get the boys ready and off to school. Get back to the diner to help with the breakfast rush. Wasn't even 9 a.m. and her feet already hurt.

Of course, this being the city, it was damn busy. Even with half the population gone, they did good business this time of day. If anything, being one of the only joints left in town was probably giving her more business.

Real shitty way to get it.

But there was no time to think about that. Apron on. Start taking orders. There were a lot of regulars that morning, and some new faces on top of that. Not too many, not with the city having gotten a lot smaller, but still. It almost felt normal, once she got into the rhythm of things.

"Toast and eggs over easy for the man in the cap," she said as she set down the plate. Cap Man was one of the new faces–dark hair, dark eyes, tired eyes, but an easy smile. He flashed that smile at her as he looked up from his notebook. "More coffee?"

"Por favor," he replied. He fiddled with a pen as he spoke. She could see teeth marks on the cap. "Busy morning?"

"They're all busy." She got him the coffee while he started on the eggs. "Life's kept going, somehow."

"Sure has. Lo que pasa, pasa."

"Y solo tenemos que vivir con eso." Gena replied. Cap Man looked pleasantly surprised. "I grew up in the Bronx. You pick up a thing or two. You enjoy that, okay, hon?"

"Lo haré, señora. Gracias."

Any other day, that might have been the end of it. But that day just got busier and busier. Gena kept the place well-staffed (and she'd been damn lucky most of her original employees were still with her) but even a well-scheduled restaurant could hit a few snags.

Sometimes all it took was one broken coffee pot.

The shattering caught Gena's attention immediately. The barrage of swearing really caught her attention. "Can't you watch where you're going? Fuck's sake…"

Gena emerged from the back. One of the new hires, Sarah, was frozen in front of a pissed off looking older man wiping coffee off a briefcase. The swearing would be unacceptable on its own, but Sarah was a sweet girl. She'd had to put off going to college to help her family after her father had vanished. She really didn't need this. "I'm…I'm sorry…" Sarah stammered.

"Sorry's not gonna be good enough if you ruined this."

"It was an accident," said a new voice. It was Cap Man. His friendly tone had completely vanished. "She's trying her best."

"You stay the hell out of this."

"Excuse me," Gena said firmly. She took in the scene as she stepped from behind the counter. Some coffee had gotten on the man's briefcase, but it looked like it'd be fine to her. Most of it was on the floor. "Don't swear at my employees."

Briefcase Man looked taken aback. "She spilled coffee on me."

"And she didn't mean to, I'm sure. Sarah, sweetie, could you get me a mop?" Getting the poor thing away was the first order of business. Fortunately, Sarah didn't need to be told twice. "I'm sorry about your briefcase, but there is no need to speak to her like that."

The man's face went red. At first, he stayed quiet. Maybe he sensed the stares from the other patrons. Regulars who didn't take kindly to newcomers disturbing the peace. Sane people just trying to eat breakfast. She hoped that judgment would be enough to make him back off, but there was always the chance he'd dig his heels in.

And, of course, that was exactly what he did, squaring his shoulders and looking Gena straight in the eyes. "She…"

That was as far as he got. Gena heard shoes hit the floor. Cap Man had gotten off his chair and walked to stand by Gena. He didn't say anything at first, just scanned Briefcase with calculating eyes. "How much?" he asked finally.

"What?"

"Breakfast. How much?"

"...fifteen…"

Cap Man took a twenty out of his wallet. "You're settled," he said, placing it on the man's table. "So you can go now, sí?"

Briefcase looked at the money, then up into Cap Man's eyes. He must not have liked what he saw, because he got up and left without a word.

Like a sigh of relief, chatter returned to the diner. "Cabrón," Cap Man muttered. "No manners anymore." He looked at the mess and crouched down to start picking up the bigger pieces of glass.

"Hey, no, you don't have to-"

"You've got enough on your plate, señora. I don't mind." His smile was back as he glanced up at her. "I'll be careful."

He wasn't wrong, so Gena decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and got back to work. "It's Gena," she corrected as she walked away.

"Jake."

Gena filed the name away and went back to orders.

By the time she'd caught up and returned to the mess, Sarah was just about done mopping up. Jake sat nearby. "...guess if this is the most exciting thing to happen all trip, I can consider myself lucky," he said. "You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," Sarah said. She still sounded shaken, but her eyes were dry at least. "I had worse when I was working fast food."

"Still." Jake glanced Gena's way. "Hope I didn't overstep earlier."

"Listen, you didn't start a fight and he went away. That's what matters." Gena took the twenty off the table and held it out to him. "Here."

Jake shook his head. "That's yours."

"No, it's yours. You've done enough to help."

Jake relented and took the bill. "Well…" He stood up and stretched. "...if you insist. One more cup of coffee if you've got the time?"

He had his last cup and paid cash before leaving. Gena wasn't the slightest bit surprised to find the twenty tucked under his mug with a note attached. For Sarah. Consolation prize for having to deal with assholes. Gena looked around, but Jake was long gone.

She had no idea where he'd come from, but it was nice to know there were still some good people left in this city.

~~~

It was late when she saw him again two days later.

The city was drenched in rain. Ricky and Ray were holed up at a window booth. They were supposed to be doing their homework, but kept sneaking comics when they thought she wasn't looking. Gena was too dog-tired to scold them for it.

The bell above the door jangled. Gena did a double-take when she saw who it was. "Well, buenas noches, mister."

"Señora." Jake grinned as he shrugged his damp coat off. "Really coming down out there."

"Sure is." It was bad enough that even the dinner rush had been slow. Jake draped his coat over one of the counter stools and sat down. He was wearing a t-shirt underneath. The logo across his chest caught her attention. "Really? The Cubs?"

"Stole it from my brother, but yes, really."

"A Cubs shirt, in New York?"

"I like to live dangerously. Besides, I think I can milk the curse breaking for another year or two."

"If you say so." Gena passed him a menu, caught sight of the boys as she did, and sighed. "Ricky…"

Ricky had moved from reading to stacking creamers. Gena sighed. "Richard Douglas Landers."

"Whaat?" Ricky whined.

"Your homework done?"

"This word problem doesn't make sense."

"Well, bring it over here, then." She glanced apologetically at Jake. "Sorry, do you mind?"

"Take your time," Jake said. He shot Ricky a smile, and didn't seem offended when Ricky didn't smile back.

"Okay," Gena said. "Let's take a look."

They had to re-read the problem a few times before it sank in. Ricky's face was listless and frustrated the whole time. She couldn't blame him, of course. Not for that. It hadn't even been a year, and here he was doing word problems as if…

Gena shook her head. "That better?"

"I guess." Ricky wrote his answer down. "I miss Ms. Scott. It made more sense when she explained it."

"...yeah, honey. I miss her, too." Why'd it feel like only the good ones had gone away? No wonder some people were convinced it had been the Rapture. "Just do your best with that, okay?" She leaned over the counter to kiss his forehead. "So long as it gets done."

"Okay." Ricky got down from the  chair, dragging his homework after him. "Can I have French Toast?"

"Finish up your homework and you can. And tell Ray I said that." She watched him sit back down before turning back to Jake. "Thanks for waiting."

"That was more important," he said. "Both yours?"

"Yeah, my babies. Well, I guess not babies anymore. You got kids?"

"No, just two brothers. Same difference, sometimes." He passed her back the menu. "Eggs and toast, por favor?"

"Over easy again?"

"You remember."

"You made an impression. Sarah was grateful, by the way. Thank you."

Jake smiled. "Least I could do."

He ate his late-dinner-breakfast quietly, no notebook this time. A few times, she caught him staring out the window. She thought at first he was waiting for someone, but it seemed like he was just people watching. "Really hope this lets up before I have to leave," Gena said. "Absolutely miserable."

"Eh. I've been in London a lot these days. I'm used to it."

"London? What brings a guy from London to Manhattan?"

"Work. Personal chauffeur with some extras."

"Extras, huh?"

"I was in the Marines. Comes in handy these days."

"Ah." She understood now. Jake was pretty unassuming when he was just sitting there eating eggs, but she remembered his presence when he was dealing with Briefcase. Just forceful enough to be effective. Protective. "Must be exciting. Lot of travel, then?"

"Oh, all over. Demand's been something else." He methodically wiped up the egg yolk with the last of his toast. "Something about half of the planet going missing really brought out the worst in people."

"Don't I know it. It's gotten better, but it was bad here for a while. Bad enough that Daredevil left the Kitchen."

"Who left where?"

Right, he wasn't local. "So, New York has a lot of vigilante types," she explained, "and they tended to stick to their neighborhoods back in the day, so Daredevil didn't really leave the west side. Except crime spiked, not enough cops to handle it, so he's been spotted all over."

"Huh. Who else have you got?"

"Luke Cage has Harlem. Knight Wing mostly operates out of Chinatown. Jessica Jones will go pretty much anywhere, but you usually have to pay her. Usually. Queens used to have Spider-Man, but…" She glanced at the boys and lowered her voice. "...last anyone saw him, he was fighting aliens with Iron Man before…it happened. No one's seen either of them since, so…"

"Right." Jake finished off his toast. "Knight Wing and Daredevil, huh?"

"In their defense, Knight and Wing are their names," Gena said with a smile. "Colleen Wing and Misty Knight. Good folks. Don't know what Daredevil's deal is."

"Maybe he didn't pick it?"

"I feel bad for him if he didn't. Can I get anything else for you?"

"More coffee?"

Gena nodded. She was just grabbing the pot when Jake spoke up again. "Actually, do you have to-go cups? Lost track of time, I have to…" He got up with an irritated sigh. "...be someplace."

"Sure thing."

Despite his pensive tone, Jake was all smiles when she came back with the coffee and the check. Paid cash, slid the tip under his plate. Looked like at least 30%. "You stay dry, señora."

"I'm not the one going outside," she pointed out. "And really, you can call me Gena."

Jake grinned as he put his coat back on. "Señora Gena," he said, lifting his cap in a salute. "Buenas noches."

And with that, he slipped out the door and into the rain.

Gena shook her head. "Foolishness," she muttered to herself, but it was said with a smile. He really was something else.

~~~

Theo McCain was an aspiring crime boss. After notorious NYC crime boss Wilson Fisk vanished in the Snap, he began the process of unifying what remained of Fisk’s crime ring.

This process was cut short when he was found strangled to death in his apartment after his son, Teddy, called the police. He gave no description of the attacker, saying only that "the boogeyman" had come for his father.

The segments he had managed to compile were quickly broken up over the next three days, going back underground after being struck by a "specter" who targeted any remaining leadership.

~~~

The damp of spring turned into the heat of summer, then finally chilled into the fall. Life went on as much as it could, all things considered. The boys started a new school year. The diner stayed open, and moderately busy. New York stayed New York. Gena kept moving.

Lo que pasa, pasa.

She didn't think about Jake too often. He passed her mind once or twice, when she had to make eggs over easy with toast or a customer tipped generously. She wondered where he was, and if it was raining there.

But he was out of her mind enough that she almost didn't recognize him when he came back.

It didn't help that it was outside the boundaries of the diner. She was on her break, rushing to grab some things at the closest bodega. She was trying to get the last carton of milk from the back of the damn cooler, cursing quietly to herself at the inconvenience of it, when someone reached up to nudge it closer to her. "Thanks," Gena said instinctively.

"No problemo." Then, "Oh, hey, Señora Gena!"

Her brain stalled for a second. It was the hat that clued her in.

"Jake!" She smiled, her previous frustration forgotten. "Back in town?"

"Just for a few days. How're the boys?"

"Still struggling with word problems, but getting better." She grabbed the milk and gave Jake a once-over. He looked exactly like she remembered, just with a bit of a five o'clock shadow. "New job paying well?"

"Decent enough." Something buzzed in his pocket and he cursed quietly. "And that's probably them…I'll see you, though, all right?"

"See you."

Sure enough, he was back in the diner that evening. Toast and eggs over easy with coffee again. He was back to his notebook, but not for very long. Gena tried not to be nosy, but she did catch a glimpse when she was refilling his mug. Looked like scribbles to her, mostly.

"Yes, it's shorthand," Jake said without looking up.

Damn. Caught. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. That's why I learned." He closed the notebook and set it aside with a heavy sigh. "Just happy I'm back in a city that makes sense. You ever tried driving in Boston?"

"Can't say I have."

"Don't do it. And they hate the Cubs even more there." He grinned and took a long sip of coffee. "They get Daredevil out of his neighborhood again?"

"A few times, I think." She tried to stay out of it. As long as the fighting wasn't in her neighborhood, she figured she was allowed a little ignorance. "Your employer treating me okay?"

"Riding my ass a bit, but nothing I can't handle." He shrugged. "Hard times. Makes people testy. I can always take a longer route if I want to be spiteful. Don't think he knows the difference."

Gena chuckled. "Fair enough. How are your brothers?"

"Doing okay. Both busy, too."

"What do they do?"

"Steven's unemployed right now. Marc…doesn't talk about work. Nothing illegal, he just likes to keep his cards close." He shrugged. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Which deity did your staff make a deal with? Because these…" He pointed down to his eggs. "...have been perfect three times in a row. I am never that lucky."

He was so earnest about it, too. "That's proprietary," she said, "but I'll pass my compliments along to the chef."

"Well, whatever it is, keep doing it. I'm not complaining."

The door slammed a little too hard. She didn't miss the way he winced as he glanced back over his shoulder, then relaxed when he saw it was just a patron with their arms full. "Consíguelo," he scolded himself. Then, "Hey, when does the snow start around here?"

"If we're lucky, we'll get a few months before it does. Why?"

"Curious if I'll miss it. Never seen a New York winter."

"You'll have to go upstate if you want it pretty. It's nice here for all of half an hour, even with the decreased traffic. And if you’re thinking of coming back for the holidays, the ball drop’s not worth it.”

“Not even for a one-time experience?”

“Not even for that. Too damn cold.”

“Fair enough. So…what is worth doing in this city? I don’t want to spend my free time in the hotel room again.”

Gena had to think about it. She’d lived in New York her whole life. It made seeing the special places difficult sometimes. And so much of the city had been closed up or abandoned since…whatever it was that happened.

But she knew there were still some places left.

“You got space in that notebook?”

He did, and he wrote down every single location she suggested. There was a quiet intensity in his eyes as he did, like it was all the most important things anyone could’ve told him.

“...and I suppose if you want to do the touristy stuff, you can,” Gena finished.. “I’m sure some travel blog has a listicle of places still up and running.”

“Probably.” Jake set down his pen. “Gracias. I’ll let you know how many I try.”

“You’re welcome. Don’t let your employers grind you down too hard, yeah? I know they’re handing you a paycheck, but you’ve got to live sometime.”

Jake sipped his coffee and nodded. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “Yeah, that’s good advice.”

~~~

Suspected serial rapist Edmund Weller was found dead in an alley on the west side. The only witness–his would-be victim–claimed a white-clad figure saved her, walked her to a 24 hour convenience store, and disappeared once she was safe. The clerk backed her story; however, police were unable to find evidence of any such figure in the city.

~~~

She only saw him once more that year.

It was winter break. She had managed to get the boys out of the house to see some fresh snowfall in Central Park. It was mostly abandoned, save for the odd family or overly ambitious jogger.

And Jake, sitting on a park bench, watching the snow fall.

Gena thought about going to say “hello”, but the peaceful look on his face stopped her. He had the look of a man enjoying his solitude; she didn’t want to disturb that.

Besides, something told her she’d be seeing him again.

~~~

He didn’t know what happened on that trip.

In a way, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t his job to handle everything for Marc. Just the burdens he couldn’t bear.

It was nice to slip out for no real reason for once. To enjoy some quiet and peace.

He didn’t get that very often.

[tortilla-of-courage]

Yeah, kind of insane that the Adoption AU started with a 3am Taco Bell run.

I do actually have a few one shots already written for this AU! There's the Taco Bell story, the time Sky got arrested, the time Twilight got shot, a funny story I wrote based on real events with Twi, Wars and Wind trying to cook, and something based on that one picture of the boys playing the floor is lava by cherypaii(? I think that's the url?). And I have a half finished fic about Lullaby reacting to Time's increase in kids I call "Lullaby reacts to Time's Batman-Level Adoption Bullshit", and a half finished fic introducing Wild's twin. So if anyone is interested in reading some of the fun bits for the AU, since I'm still writing for the plot part (although this conversation has given me inspiration and motivation to write the bit where they find Twi after he was kidnapped, so,) then I'd be happy to post them.

And since you mentioned hoping more info would magically appear, consider this magic.

Midna is a mafia princess, and her family immigrated to get away from it. Zant is her cousin, and his parents followed to make sure Midna's parents didn't embarrass the family. She briefly had to move away after the incident where Twi got shot, but she's back before the plot happens.

Twi and Time both have their face markings in this AU. Time had his tattooed on after the FD incident as a reminder of what he's capable of and what he's lost (considering this plot beat's connection to his family and the Order), for better or worse. Twilight was gifted his by Midna after he fought Zant to try and protect her and Dusk from Zant. The markings are traditional Twili tattoos, painted on with some kind of something that acts as a mix of tattoing and henna, and have to be earned. Twilight's represent courage, boldness and sacrifice.

Warriors has a whole plot I've done nothing with involving Cia being, well, creepy as all get out. Basically I read somewhere that a victim of abuse is more likely to end up in other abusive relationships when looking at how Warriors' bio parents being abusive would effect him and then I remembered Cia and decided to be mean to him.

The underground hospital that took care of Wild after the wreck is called the Shrine of Resurrection because I thought that was a cool way to connect that.

I had this stupid idea once that Midna writes purposefully terrible fanfic and a few people suspected she wrote 'My Immortal' for a while, and when she comes back everyone is like "The Chaos Corner guy's brother is dating the lady who wrote My Immortal???" and Midna decides to set the record straight by doing a small livestream on like, Instagram or something where she explains she's actually dating Dusk. She's reapplying Twi's markings as she says this, and is basically in his lap. Twilight spends the whole thing looking like he wants the floor to swallow him.

Rottla is informed by a therapist that she should try and do something since her kids don't feel safe (which, considering Time got stabbed in their living room, not feeling safe is understandable), and decides the best way to fix this is to teach them how to fight. Time and Lullaby are both black belts in several martial arts and can use most weapons well as a result. To Rottla's credit, this does actually work.

The sorority Warriors befriends is made up of the fairies I saved in his game. Because I love those fairies. They're my favorite part of his game. Also, Proxi is here.

Navi lives! She's rescued by the Order, like how the rest of Deku's kids were. She plays the role of a Great Fairy for the order. Her fairies are actually Warriors' sorority. And Tatl, actually.

Saria is a strong contender to become leader of the Order eventually.

Majora is here and I can't tell based on my outline if I have Time kill Majora or not. So, Time potentially kills a man.

Wind has a boat with an old radio connected to a lighthouse where an old man lives. This old man is Daphnese Nohanssen, but Wind always calls him Red. They talk a lot, and Daphnese is glad he has someone who will talk to him because he is very lonely.

Wild has a motorbike (Master Cycle) that it is honestly a miracle he hasn't wrecked yet. He breaks himself but never the bike. Wars has an older car that he's put some elbow grease in and you'd never know it wasn't new. Twilight has a beat up old pickup truck everyone is just waiting to die, but it hasn't yet. This is impressive, considering Twi does drag racing.

Also, Warriors has a tendency to get in fist fights, and between them and Legend (who is never arrested for the same thing twice), Time happens to be on a first name basis with most of the police in the city. The chief has his number on speed dial for when he needs to go pick up a kid.

Wild's friends are all alive and they love him. Flora is laser focused on helping him with his memory issues. And feeding him weird things. For science.

Wild's twin, Knight, is mute. He speaks in sign. He's also a bit blindsided by how chaotic the house is, but he fits in very well. They buy a roomba that Knight tapes a knife to and blames Wild.

At some point I'll write the fic where someone modifies a nerf gun and things escalate until Time shows up with one of those machine gun nerf guns hooked up to a car battery (a modification he did with help from Sheik and Ruto). Who needs depth perception who you can shoot 60 darts per second? It's chaos and when Malon gets back from a trip she takes this week she finds the house in disarray and a hockey puck in the wall. Clean up takes three days, and they are still finding nerf darts in weird places.

This is off the top of my head. I am certain I am missing something.

Forgive the weird formatting, I don't know what happened there.

-Attllhak

honestly i’d love if you ever posted any of the one shots you have already - and i think i saw one or two other people say they wanted to read the story too in the post where you explained most of the plot, so i’m not alone on this aha

Can i say i love how you somehow connected a lot of their games’ original details and made them make sense in a modern setting???? like it can be a hard thing to accomplish but with wat you just told us here it sounds like you did it amazingly and it makes me all the more excited to see what other connections there are!!! 

[theleotorrio]

Hi, I wrote a jupeter fanfic, if anyones interested. Have fun!

Words: 2253

Also I couldn't figure out how to do a read more thing, so sorry to everyone who wants to skip this

Your better half

CW: Blood, a lot of blood, major character death, very sad

__________

He had a lot of time to think about it.

So whenever Juno imagined seeing him again, his mind came up with a lot of different scenarios.

In his worst nightmares there would be yelling and tears, the stench of betrayal thick in the air and his heart scattering into pieces. Or there wouldn’t be a reunion at all. Just an offhand comment in a bar somewhere “Oh yeah, the angel of Brahma? Dead”

In more conscious moments there were conversations to have, a little distrust but the determination to work through whatever it is that is going on.

And sometimes he allowed himself the thought of breathless relief upon finding him unharmed and the feeling of an embrace he wished could last until forever.

The thought of Peter Nureyev was the thing that kept him going, no matter which one it was. And he should be right. There would be tears and breathlessness and determination. But in the end, it wouldn’t be enough.

____________

It has been months since the wedding, since Juno had to leave the Carte blanche behind to work on saving his family. The only thing he had left was the Ruby 7 and Nureyev’s notebook. And it had been work to come up with a plan that would work and ensure that no one got hurt.

And it did.

Until it didn’t.

Juno knew he couldn’t pose as a guard, when his family got transferred to a different facility, as they were still looking for him. So he let Ruby hack into the system to get all the information needed, the plans and locations to find the perfect spot to free them.

It was easier, as the Carte blanche was moved with them, too.

So, there he was, again in the vents, following the movement beneath him, waiting for the hall to narrow.

His family knew he was there. They must have seen the sign Juno left on the cell door, invisible and irrelevant to everyone, but the Aurinkos. They all anticipated it, which made his job easier.

There were eight guards.

He could take out six with one shot, when they stopped to wait for the vehicle to arrive for them. Buddy showed him how and he didn’t doubt his abilities or her assessment for a second. Not anymore.

And even if he got less, Vespa would have no issue taking out the rest.

As he lined up his blaster and pulled the trigger, one of the guards not in his line of fire raised his and shot the guard in front of him.

Juno froze. His mind stopped yet started spinning with emotions at the same time.

It was him. It had to be. Here to the rescue.

His knight in stolen armour.

And suddenly everything was lighter. The notebook in his pocket no weight to drag him down no longer, but to ground him in the moment.

He shook himself out of his paralysis, a hope blossoming in his chest. He had his family back. All of them. And it was time to go.

So he freed himself from the vents and landed next to Rita who squealed upon seeing him.

“Mista Steel!! You found us”.

He allowed himself a quick smile for her and squeezed her shoulder, but his eyes on Buddy to make sure everything was alright.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Nureyev taking off the guards mask and his last bit of doubt dropped. Everything was alright. As much as Juno wanted, he knew now was no time to focus on Nureyev. That had to wait, until they were back in Carte blanche, in safety.

On their way to the Carte blanche the alarms started ringing, but they got themselves to the cargo bay before any guards entered the area and opened fire, but the ramp was already closing in, and quite honestly, they were pretty bad shooters.

Juno let out a breath and let his shoulders slump. He did it. He saved his family and by whatever chance got Nureyev back at the same time.

He looked around at the others. Buddy and Vespa, out of breath, checking each other over, Rita, busying herself with the ramp and the ship, just like Jet, who also kept looking at the Ruby. And then his eyes finally caught him.

Juno forgot about his surroundings for a while. It has been too long since he last saw Peter, talked to him, was near him.

Suddenly the cold and the loose ends and the empty feeling, that had stayed with Juno ever since Nureyev had left his room the morning he had given him the notebook, disappeared and a wave of warmth washed over him. Everything was in the right place again.

So now looking at the soft smile, that was directed at him, made him feel like everything would be alright.

He saw the bright orange flash and Nureyev’s smile drop at the same time, but everything happened too fast.

He heard a yell of “Juno!” and felt himself being moved, hands on each of his arms, but nothing really registered, his ears were ringing.

He nearly missed the groan of pain, but was forced back into the moment, as the hands on his arms tightened.

A shot must have gotten through the ramp, that now locked with a hiss, and ricochet from the wall and head for Juno. Good thing Nureyev got him out of the way in time. Nureyev!

A sharp intake of breath made his eye look up, into Nureyev’s pain contorted face, just to drop back to the torso of the man in front of him.

A red spot was spreading all across the light uniform.

Juno’s face fell. No. This couldn’t be happening.

“N-, Ransom? Ransom, it will be alright, it’s barely a scratch” He knew his voice was way higher than usually and sounded panicked, even to his ears.

He lifted his hands, pressing them to the fabric, trying to stop the bleeding as best as he can, while reassuring himself under his breath.

The Carte blanche started moving abruptly, which caused Nureyev to lose his footing and tumble to the ground, dragging Juno, who was desperately trying to keep him standing, with him.

Juno managed to change his grip on the tall man and caught him before he hit the floor, draping him across his lap, a hand buried in his hair, holding him close.

“You’re fine, we can fix this, just a few days and you’re as good as new” The words felt wrong even to his own ears, unbelievable and so far away from everything he was seeing.

Peter was pale now, his breaths coming short, as he was clutching at Juno like his life depended on it. It felt like his hands were burning wholes into Juno, the warmth he was feeling before turning boiling hot. It made him want to jump out of his skin.

Juno looked down at the torn shirt, the burned skin and the blood.

All the blood. He felt like he might throw up. He looked back up into Nureyev’s eyes, desperation written over all his face.

Peter’s eyes, despite being pain worbed, gazed at him calmly. Lovingly.

The acceptance written all over the man he loved broke something in Juno. He started shaking his head, his eyes filling with tears.

It will be fine, everything will be alright, they can fix it. They have to.

Junos inner monologue got quieter, more unsure of its authenticity, fizzling out slowly.

“Juno”, Nureyev’s voice was quiet, full of emotion and maybe filled with a little bit of wonder. Like he couldn’t believe he got to see him again. “I want you to know-”.

“No”, Juno’s voice was loud and panicky in the quiet space. “You are not going to do something stupid or say goodbye or… or”, his words were shaky, as he started tearing up more, a first tear escaping his eye.

“This is ok, we can fix it, we can heal you, right?” he looked up at Vespa then and even though the tears making it hard for him to see, he saw something like pity, concern and resignation.

“Right?” he tried again, breathless and numb. Vespa just shook her head helplessly.

“I’m sorry”.

Juno’s breath hitched as something cold closed around his heart. Nureyev coughed, wetly and whistling, ripping Juno from his stupor and bringing his face back to him. He cupped his face between his hands, desperate for contact as everything inside of him was screaming and tearing itself apart.

“No, no, no, no, I am not losing you, not now” a tear landed on Nureyev’s cheek, his eyes filled with tears now too. “I just got you back” Juno’s voice was nothing more than a whisper.

He was not even noticing, that he left blood on his lovers cheeks with his hands.

Peter’s hands smoothed down Juno’s sides, reassuringly, comforting. “Juno, love”, his left hand caught on something in one of the detective’s pockets and he pulled it confused out.

The notebook.

The notebook, that had been burning in Juno’s pocket every day for months on end, as he never took it out. Never parted from it.

“Please, just stay still and we’ll figure something out” Juno didn’t even know what he was saying, everything that was happening was like a fog. Everything but Nureyev.

Nureyev pulled the notebook towards himself now, slowly opening it to the last page.

“Who was my first love” he read the sentence he wrote, that was his to answer, out loud, yet quiet in the big cargo bay.

More tears ran down Juno’s face. Everything inside of him hurt so much, that he coiled into himself a bit, holding onto Nureyev a little tighter and being just a little closer to him in the process.

“This is not important, we can talk about this later, when you’re alright and everything is fi-ne” he stuttered on the last word as Peter reached a hand to his face, letting his thumb rest just under Juno’s eye and wiping another tear away that was running down his face.

A first tear trailed down his face as well now, as he smiled a sad smile, very different of all the charming and teasing and sometimes just plain happy smiles Juno was used to. This one was way heavier.

“It’s you”.

It was the way he said it, that broke Juno completely. So full of awe and wonder, like he never imagined getting to this point, having this; full of love.

Juno couldn’t process all that. Him. Even though Nureyev could do so much better, it was him. And because of himself, he was going to lose not his first love, but what he hoped could have been his last.

He was sobbing freely now, clutching at everything of Nureyev he could reach, as he heard the tell-tale noise of the book continuing to write itself.

He had no eyes for it. He only looked into the bright eyes in front of him, trying to say everything.

“Don’t leave me”.

The denial has left Juno now, leaving shards of broken hope behind, as he cradled Nureyev’s head and leaned in to touch their foreheads together. Seeking comfort for himself, but also trying to provide some for his lover in front of him.

“I love you”, it was spoken quiet between them, no more than a breath and it felt just as needed to survive, “stay with me”. Juno was pleading to everything that he didn’t believe in.

Nureyev laced their hands together and smiled that sad smile again.

“There is nothing I would love more Juno” He was savouring the name on his lips, like a benediction.

His breathing was irregular now, the whistling of each one louder than the one before, his eyes dropping from time to time.

“I promise, I will never really leave you” the sentence was pushed out between a lot of painful breaths and took hold of something in Juno’s chest.

He raised the tangled hands to his face and pressed his lips to Nureyev’s palm, as more tears fell between them.

That was when he felt the grip loosen and saw Nureyev’s eyes close.

They didn’t open again.

Juno’s chest clenched together. All the air in his lungs felt like it was punched out.

He closed his eyes, pressing Nureyev’s hand tighter to his cheek and just cried. He was cold.

The relief he felt, when he saw Nureyev between the guards, was long gone. Nothing was in the right place anymore and Juno wasn’t sure, if they would ever be again.

Because the person with the plans to how everything was supposed to look like inside of him was dead.

He could live with the mess, he told himself. It would remind him of Nureyev and the chaos that followed meeting this impossible man.

The best thing that ever happened to him.

Juno looked up.

The others were all still in the cargo bay with him. He had forgotten they were there, but they also seemed frozen in place.

Buddy and Vespa, their hands clasped together tightly, like they were afraid, they would lose each other the second they let go.

Vespa looked haunted, unsure of what to feel, of how to process it and Buddy. There was deep grief all over her face, sadness and guilt; regrets.

Juno wondered, if she ever knew just how much Nureyev had looked up to her. He had to look away.

Jet was standing stoically as Rita buried herself in his side, trying to muffle her cries. There was a single tear escaping his eyes.

Juno knew that that was his way to show his respect. He didn’t want to know how he himself looked.

Not being able to bear their looks anymore, he looked down.

Onto Nureyev’s body. He felt as still as the man looked.

The whirlwind of emotions had stopped and left behind nothing. Just an empty feeling.

As he moved his knee bumped into something.

The notebook.

The new page was still in Nureyev’s unreadable scribble, but he picked it up nonetheless.

What he saw made him tear up again. The book was dragging him down again, further than before, crushing him.

Juno broke down sobbing, clutching the notebook to himself.

He would have loved to.

Well, Detective, you’ve made it through my riddles

I was not expecting anything less, obviously

As I probably already said, I got out of my troubles- present and past- and there is nothing I want more than to spend the time and freedom I have with you

As myself

If you’ll have me

Your better half

Peter Nureyev

[moonofiron]

Hardcore YamiChar fan here. Couldn't find the fanfic I wanted so I wrote one for myself.

I enjoyed writing it so much that I thought of sharing it with other YamiChar fans, too! It's my first attempt at a fanfic HA. I'm not sure what the ideal WC for fanfics is but I do know that this is way too long. If you read this, I hope you'll enjoy + leave feedback! 🤗

Anime: Black Clover

Characters: Yami Sukehiro x Charlotte Roselei. Passing mentions of other characters.

Genre: Fluff, romance, friendship, explicit sexual content 🥵

Rating: M

Synopsis: Yami and Charlotte get into an ugly fight and then they try to reconcile.

Word Count: 6,335 😬

Minors, dni.

___________________________________________________

Yami felt steam rise up from his entire body. He stared at the floor in disbelief. He slowly looked up at Charlotte and his disbelief shaped itself into a seething anger.

They both stood in the centre of his room. A sliver of embarrassment shadowed Charlotte's face. She couldn't believe she had slapped Yami so hard that his lip was bleeding.

Charlotte had come to his place to drop some reports from their last mission. Their banter today had gotten out of hand. Yami was teasing Charlotte like always and though she never seemed to mind, today something shifted in her. Whatever Yami said pricked her like never before and she slapped him right across his face for a frivolous remark.

Before Charlotte could open her mouth to apologise, she felt a strong force push her 10 feet back. The apology hung and died in the back of her throat. Pitch black energy enveloped her neck, wrists, thighs, and ankles and pinned her against the wall. Spread eagle on the wall above a small shelf, Charlotte took a second to understand what was happening. Yami had moved with lightning speed and was barely an inch from her now. She could hear him grinding his teeth. She could feel his heat.

“Don't you dare raise your hand...” Yami growled in her ear and felt her ki shift from fear to something else so helplessly and plainly that he stopped mid-sentence. Something dropped in his stomach. His anger changed again but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it had become now. With a hint of a smile in his voice, he asked in a soft whisper, “Oii oii, Princess, what's that, eh?" He didn't meet her eyes and stayed completely still. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing. Charlotte was breathing heavily. Her warm breath made the hair on his neck stand.

Charlotte said nothing. She didn't want to give away what being so close to him was doing to her. She knew Yami could only read her ki to a point. She put on a determined and strong facade.

“I can taste the speed of your blood rushing to places it shouldn't be rushing to,” whispered Yami as he licked the blood off his lips. Charlotte's eyes widened as it dawned on her that Yami wasn't really dense when it came to these things. She panicked and tried to break free from his magic's restraints in vain. He moved as she did, making sure to not touch her at all.

“Let me go, Yami. Right now," she spoke slowly and firmly but he sensed that everything inside of her said otherwise.

When she stopped struggling, he began speaking in the language of a smirk. His lips were so close to her ear that she could feel his beard caressing her lobe every now and then.

“I can feel the heat rising in your cheeks and I can see that knot in your belly and I can taste the thirst in the back of your throat. Hmm.”

He stopped. He contemplated saying more. He wanted to embarrass her. He was still angry at her audacity to slap him.

“Please...,” Charlotte whispered.

“Hmm?”

Still not touching her, he carefully moved to her other ear, his lips almost brushed hers but his focus was sharp.

“I can hear the blood rushing to your nipples, Princess, hardening them. I can hear the ache in your inner thighs. I can taste the warmth flooding around your soft mound. I can hear your toes curling. I can sense the slight movement in your hips. This unintentional offering of yours to a peasant like me is pretty uncharacteristic of you, no?” Sarcasm oozed out of his words.

He stayed close but still, waiting for her to say something snarky. His lip and cheek still stung from the slap. But what he was doing now would sting her for the rest of her life. Her silence made his anger boil up again, and his whisper changed to a guttural sound. “You think you can slap....”

Before he could complete his sentence, Charlotte spoke in labored breath. “Please, stop this and just do what you want already.”

Half confused and half surprised, Yami frowned.

After a moment's pause, she sighed and whispered, “Yami, please, just take me”

Yami moved back a few steps and cocked his head. Charlotte gasped as if something precious had been taken from her. He looked at her pleading face. Her eyes were fixed on the ground. She looked gorgeous pinned and restrained on the wall; strands of her golden hair stuck to her sweaty face. Yami practically undressed her with the crude way he looked at her body. But he remained unmoved. His face looked bored at worst and indifferent at best. He took out his sword and Charlotte swallowed hard. Maybe he was dense and actually wanted to kill her. Terror flashed in her eyes. The cool blade touched her thighs and she wriggled her hips. Yami made a slit in the centre of her shorts and her wetness bloomed outwards toward him. She was slick with wetness and glistening. In a flash, Yami moved closer to her as he unzipped his leather pants and took his throbbing cock in his hand. He thrust himself in her with such speed and violence that she didn't even get a chance to see him in all his glory. He moved inside her hard and fast, revenge staining each thrust. He moved without making a sound, without touching her anywhere else. She bit her lip to stop herself from moaning. Her body ached for just one touch. He was intentionally making sure that his chest wouldn't so much as brush against her breasts, or his face wouldn't collapse into her neck. Unsatisfied with how little he touched her, she tried to look for his hands as he fucked her angrily. His hands were on the wall beside hers, a hair's distance between them. She tried to move her hands as much as she could with the restraints, but he moved quickly. With hurt bubbling inside her heart she accepted whatever the hell this was. She gave in and groaned. She clenched around him each time an orgasm took her, her groans turned into moans and she quivered around him. As she felt a final surge of pleasure spreading everywhere, Yami pulled out and came all over her thighs. He turned around quickly, zipped his pants, and sat down on the bed, leaving Charlotte exposed and still quivering with delight. He lit a cigarette and without looking at Charlotte, removed the pitch black restraints around her wrists, thighs, neck, and ankles. She almost fell but steadied herself.

Unsure of what to say or do next, she began, "Yami, I am...."

"Get out."

"What?"

He looked up at her, bore his eyes into hers for the first time since the slap, and spat out something so cruel that it would ring in her ears for a long time, "Get out. You slapped me, I fucked you like the whore you are. We're even. Now get out."

Charlotte, dumb-founded, jerked her head back. She grabbed her bag and grimoire and left without another word. The transactory nature of all of this made her sick to her stomach. This wasn't what she had imagined her first time with Yami to be like. She couldn't believe how inconsiderate and insensitive Yami had been. She had known him to be caring and loving and overly protective of his friends, even if he didn't express it properly. So, this crass exchange didn't make sense to her. Simply put, her heart had broken not because of what had happened. But because she had just lost all respect for Yami. And, how can one love someone if one doesn't respect them?

//

The next morning, Julius called in a meeting of all magic knight captains. Everyone was in a jovial mood. Yami was late as usual. Charlotte, Nozel, and Feugoleon were waiting calmly. There was chattering and bantering and laughter. Until, Yami walked in. Everyone shut up. They had never experienced such a heavy aura from Yami. He always had a chilled out, lazy aura about him. They were all confused but no one dared to say a word. Nozel was sure that Yami had been possessed by a devil. Because everyone was so shaken by Yami, no one noticed Charlotte's visible discomfort.

//

Everything started returning back to normal slowly for Charlotte. Meetings were bearable. Charlotte had made a special request in secret to not be paired with Yami for missions. She cried in bouts, in between chores, after meetings, saddened by the friendship she had lost. She tried to block the memory of that evening but Yami's words came back to her suddenly and again and again. She would shudder with pain and sob till she felt nothing.

Yami remained sharp and focused during meetings and missions. He made sure to never look at Charlotte directly. When and if he spoke to her during meetings, he looked at Jack instead. He stayed aloof and the heaviness accompanied him everywhere.

Everyone slowly realised that Yami and Charlotte weren't teasing eachother anymore. There was no banter from them whatsoever and that greatly changed the dynamic of the meetings. Jack wanted to approach Yami but he thought better of it.

//

3 weeks after the evening of the slap, Yami left the Black Bulls base around 11pm. His mind was unfocused and clouded. He struggled to calm down. He struggled to make a decision. In the end, he found himself perched on the railing of Charlotte's balcony. He saw her silhouette behind the translucent curtains. She was combing her hair. He felt her ki, heavy with an inexplicable sorrow, embarrassment, and worthlessness.

He sighed heavily. He wanted to undo everything. He wanted his friend back. He wanted to apologise. He wanted to make her feel beautiful again. It's not like he wasn't aware of her feelings for him all these years. He just chose to ignore them. He felt he would never be able to live up to her expectations. He enjoyed the chase, the light flirting, but never took any of it seriously. Somewhere deep down, he had accepted nothing was ever going to happen between them.

He sighed again. He could have acted so differently that night. He was ashamed that he let himself succumb to his viciousness. He never thought she could bring out that side of him, but she did. That evening, when she had slapped him, he had boiled with anger. When he had restrained her, he hadn't intended to harm her. When he had moved closer to her, he was just toying with her, mocking the kind of anger that he knew would scare her. But the shift in her ki that evening was so... pure...so innocent, he couldn't keep himself steady. His head spun and he gave in to a side of him that he had always kept at bay around her. Of course he didn't mean what he said to her. He was just trying to cover up his need for her. And in doing so, he had given birth to something awful, something mixed with an inexplicable anger towards her and his need to make her his.

Lost in thought, he didn't realise when Charlotte had opened the door of the balcony. Her hair was braided and tied into a neat bun. She was wearing a shear nightgown. The cold wind gave her goosebumps and the moonlight shone bright in her eyes. She looked stunning and Yami wanted to ravage her right there and then. His entire being ached. He had gotten a taste once but that wasn't even close to what he wanted from her. But he made sure that his eyes didn't drop to her perfect curves or her supple breasts or her shapely legs that he had imagined wrapped around him countless number of times. He didn't look anywhere else except for her face. He felt it was a necessary sign of respect after what he had done the other night.

“What are you doing here, Yami Taicho?"

Her use of the honorific "Taicho" hurt him. She was verbalizing the distance between them. She glared at him, waiting for an answer. Her eyebrows high and and perfectly shaped for him to kiss.

“Just dropped by to say hi. We haven't talked since our little adventure, you know." He immediately regretted making light of the situation. Charlotte gave away nothing, her expression plain and indifferent. But she grinded her teeth ever so slightly and Yami noticed.

“If there's something urgent regarding a mission, then please come straight to the point, kaicho. Otherwise, leave."

Yami remained still. He tried to tap into her Ki to understand what she was feeling. He felt nothing. Just a vast expanse of nothingness. Overcome with regret and guilt, he lit a cigarette and settled in the chair on the balcony.

“Why don't you go back inside? Let me finish my cigarette first and then I'll leave. It'll be like I never came, Princess.” He said princess in his same old mocking way, hoping to bring a sense of familiarity in this cold conversation.

"Oh, but you did! You're here! You're a disrespectful coward who doesn't deserve my time, love, or friendship. Get off my balcony."

Yami looked deep into her eyes but said nothing, nor did he move. Her eyes spoke loud enough for both of them.

After a moment of collecting herself, Charlotte calmly said, “You know, Yami Taicho, a man ceases to be a man when he doesn't realise or acknowledge when he needs to apologise. Good night.”

With this, she turned around, ready to go back in the room. But she felt Yami's firm hand around her arm. She pulled back in vain. She kept fighting but his grip was too strong. She managed to get a few scratches on his face. He pushed her inside and finally, in a broken voice said, "Calm down, princess. Please."

“Let me go, you bastard.”

“Charlotte, please. I am sorry. I am sorry for what happened that night. Let me make it up to you.”

Taken aback by the way her name rolled in his mouth, Charlotte stopped struggling. He had never called her by her name. It was always a mocking "Princess".

"Please." He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on hers.

If ever she saw a broken man, it was Yami in this moment. She couldn't put together the Yami of tonight with the Yami she saw 3 weeks back. Tonight, there was a crack in him out of which a subtle softness leaked; she had never seen or felt it before.

She sighed. Yami let go of her hands and flicked his cigarette in a bowl on her nightstand. He then held her face with such tenderness that she forgot where she was, what she was, or what had happened between them. His thumb caressed her eyebrows and eventually her parted lips. His left hand deftly opened her braided hair, moved to her lower back, and pressed her entire body against his. She gasped slightly, his warmth covering her entire being. His right hand remained on the side of her face, continuously caressing her lips and eyes in slow and small cirlces.

Charlotte suddenly pushed back and spoke in a broken voice, “I won't be able to stand it another time. Please. I didn't deserve whatever you did to me last time and I don't deserve whatever you're planning to do now. I won't let you make a fool out of me twice. Leave.”

Unfazed, Yami moved closer to her, picked her up in his arms, and gently laid her down on her bed. She closed her eyes so she could hold back her tears. Hovering over her, his hands still under her lower back and head, he spoke slowly but with intention, “You're right. You didn't deserve what I did to you last time. But you do deserve to be loved. Fuck love, you deserve to be worshipped. And you shouldn't stop a devotee like me, Princess. Not tonight.”

She was dumbstruck at his words. Even his gentleness was laced with brutishness. She didn't know how to react to what he had just said.

On top of her in an instant, he opened the loosely tied string of her nightgown in a swift movement. He looked at her nakedness. She was truly shaped like a goddess. She never used any fragrance and he inhaled the pure and raw heat emanating from her. She smelt like wet earth. He couldn't wait to lick the folds of her soft belly or her breasts that were perfectly sized for his large hands. He saw tears rolling down her cheeks and he broke. A soft whimper escaped her lips and then everything went still and quiet for a moment.

She shivered from the cold wind. And, from the anticipation of what might be coming. When she opened her eyes, he was nowhere to be seen. She perched her neck to look for him and felt a flutter of a kiss on her right toe. Embarrassed, she shrieked and pulled her legs to her chest, “What are you doing?!”

Yami caught her feet in his hands, and brought them back where they were. “Shhh, princess. Just lie back and let me make it up to you, please.”

Charlotte, uncomfortable at first, finally gave in. He started again, kissing each of her toes gently. He made his way up, kissing and nibbling at her ankles, her calves, and the back of her knees. After each kiss, his hands strongly caressed the part of her legs he had kissed. As he moved up, his face came closer to her heat. He licked all over her thighs, their back, their sides, the insides. He nibbled at the soft skin of her inner thighs. He could feel her moving her hips towards him. She was getting impatient already. He kept kissing her legs till there was nowhere left to kiss. Her legs glistened in the moonlight with the moistness of his kisses.

He moved up and Charlotte put her hands on his shoulders. She didn't know when he had removed his clothes. Yami had only reached her hips and his hair tickled her belly. He was taking his own sweet time, loving every inch of her body that he had refused to even touch last time. He chuckled at how hard it had been to not touch a beauty so real and close. He glided his tongue in the crevices where her waist met her legs, right next to her clit, and around her belly button. He bit the sides of her waist and softly kissed the bite marks. Charlotte was moving with Yami. She shuddered at each kiss, moaned at each bite, and gasped when Yami's rough hands stroked the definition of her body. He licked the skin under her breasts and made his way upwards to her hardened nipples, leaving behind a trail of his saliva. He took a nipple in his mouth and fluttered his tongue on it to make it harder before he started sucking on it. He groaned deep into her skin. Charlotte was panting, moving as much as she could, and his groans built up a tension in her stomach that she couldn't ignore anymore. She moved her hips up, and his cock brushed against her clit. Both of them gasped loudly.

"Please, princess, be patient. I'm not done yet,” whispered Yami as he removed a strand of hair from her face and positioned himself so she couldn't move her legs or hips.

His hand fondled her other breast, gently pinching her nipple so she would make that deep but small sound he loved. He moved to suck on the other nipple, and cupped the other breast so it wouldn't lose the warmth of his mouth. From there, he moved to kissing and licking her shoulders, all the way to her fingers. He kissed the inside of her elbows, and nibbled at her wrist. He sucked each of her fingers and kissed the inside of her palms and her knuckles.

Charlotte had never been loved like this. He was kissing her in places she didn't know could be loved. The tension in her belly had spread its wings and she wanted to wrap her legs around him. But he had made sure to pin her legs down with his, making it difficult for her to move. She tried moving her hand to her clit, now throbbing and aching so much she could feel it in her lower back, but he grabbed hold of it before she could touch herself and restrained her, again. But this time, he was so gentle it felt like he was treating her as one would treat a flower.

“You know I can break free whenever I want, right?”

“Hmm. But don't.”

He had just begun working her neck now. With one hand restraining her wrists above her head, and the other hand in her hair, he began to wet her neck with his tongue. It was as if he was trying to absorb her, learn her curves, her corners. His stubble scratched her neck lightly and goosebumps bloomed everywhere on her skin.

"Yami, please. I can't take this anymore."

"I can't either. I can't take how beautiful you are. How pure and innocent you are. How you move with me, under me, beside me. How you gasp every fucking time the tip of my tongue touches your skin. How you moan my name so deeply; all of me comes out howling and at your service. How your body responds to my hands, all of this shuddering and quivering is driving me insane. I want to take you, make you mine, mark you as mine. This is my worship. Do you approve, princess? I think you do. Your body speaks to me in ways you can't fathom. You're only my goddess and I must be your only devotee. It boils my blood if anyone so much as looks at you.”

He said all of this in the lowest, softest whisper possible and between kisses and licks and nibbles and bites on her neck. He paused and looked directly into her eyes now.

“I can stand anything except being away from you. The last 3 weeks have been hellish. I'm so sorry. I'm so so so sorry for hurting you. I'll never forgive myself for hurting the most precious part of myself. But I hope, one day, you will.”

Charlotte was lost for words. Tears rolled down her cheeks and Yami licked them clean. He kissed her eyes, and then finally, her lips. He smelt of cigarettes. But there was hint of the raw smell of his skin that Charlotte found irresistible. Beneath the cloud of smoke he smelt salty and fresh like the sea.

Yami was careful not to be too harsh as he kissed her lips. He was afraid years of pent up feelings would make him bite her, or shove his tongue in her mouth too hard. So he pecked her sweetly and fluttered his tongue inside her mouth every now and then. But Charlotte bit his lips hard, licked them, and then nibbled at his entire jawline. He stayed still and swallowed. She was kissing him as if this was the last time she would see him. Her greed for his touch was laid out in plain sight. His entire body, hell, his entire being lit up. He let go of her hands and it took her less than a second to pull him down towards her. But Yami made sure to be on his knees still, for fear that his cock would touch her too soon.

Charlotte found a comfort in the weight of his chest crushing her. She ran her fingers through his hair and tried to move her legs so she could pull down all of him towards her, not an inch of distance between them. But Yami wasn't having any of that. He kissed her lips again. Then, he bit her chin lightly and sucked her flesh all the way down to her navel, where he stopped to see her breasts perked up and her face thrown back. Her hands were now out of his hair and cupping her own breasts.

Yami continued sucking and licking till he reached exactly where Charlotte wanted him. His large, warm hands spread her legs wider, and he bent down to cover her plump mound in kisses and suckles. She was moving her hips relentlessly now, hoping to have Yami's lips touch her clit, even if accidentally.

“Please, just once. Please, please, I can't stand it anymore. It hurts to have you so close and yet so far.”

Yami smiled against her inner thigh, spread her lips apart with his hands, and suddenly stuck his thick and wet tongue inside her. Charlotte's eyes flew opened, her eyeballs rolled back, and she moaned his name, long and deep. He moved his tongue in and out of her ever so slowly, teasing her even after all of this madness. His breath on her clit was still the closest he got. When his lips and chin were completely coated in her wetness he moved his face away. Thick strands of her wetness hung between his lips and hers, glinting in the moonlight. He stuck out his tongue again, and started a long hard lick from her soft, throbbing slit all the way up to her swollen clit. Charlotte screamed, her back arched, her toes curled. It was too much for her. She sat up and held Yami's head as his tongue finally fluttered against her clit. She moved her hips with Yami's tongue and Yami lost all sense of control. Her smell, her warmth, her need, her taste, her hands in his hair, everything made Yami lose his mind. He dug his fingers in her waist and suckled at her clit till her groans became moans, till her moans became screams, till her quivering legs together had his head buried between them.

When Yami finally looked up, Charlotte was already so spent that she lay back with a thud. Yami looked at her, taking in her body, her face, her breasts, her hair splayed all over the pillow, everything about her. His mouth was wet and sticky and he was licking his lips as he bore his eyes into her. She covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe how easily she'd given in to him.

“Don't look at me, please. I am so...”

Yami shut her up with a kiss and Charlotte gave in, again. While he kissed her, he caressed her face with both his hands. His familiar weight, scent, and texture seemed to comfort her even more than before. She ran her hands all over his well-defined back, arms, and chest. Charlotte was getting braver and bolder with each passing second and Yami wanted to be owned by her. She pinched his fleshy bum and laughed out loud in between the kiss. Yami was taken aback at first but he joined her in her laughter.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulled him closer, and gripped his moist, warm, and hard cock with her right hand. Her touch made Yami collapse and bury his face in her neck. He bit down on her flesh so hard that Charlotte let out a little wail. The tip of his cock touched her ever-growing wetness, and Yami moved slightly to enter her but didn't go all the way in. She was slick with his saliva and her cum. He started moving slowly, only giving her the tip of his cock. It was getting unbearable for him to keep toying with her. He wanted, so badly, to just fuck her deep and hard but he wanted this to last for as long as possible.

He maintained a steady rhythm as Charlotte slowly bloomed and eased around him. Moaning his name as she held his shoulders and wanting more of him, Charlotte moved her hips to meet him halfway. When he stopped, Charlotte growled and dug her fingernails into his shoulder. He started moving again.

"Yami, please," whispered Charlotte.

"Hmm?"

"Please."

"Hmm."

In one swift motion, Yami plunged himself deep inside of her, his entire length nestled effortlessly within her soft warmth. He moved in and out of her ever so slowly. Charlotte had lost her voice and all that she could muster were raspy groans and loud gasps. Yami's low gutteral growls were a voice Charlotte still wasn't used to. She found a deep pleasure in his growls, it made the hair on her arms and neck stand in ovation and she could feel her nipples hardening against his chest again. Each time Yami moved, his chest rubbing against her flesh, his arms flexing right next to her face, his hair tickling her neck, his lips constantly kissing all of her, she felt like she was going to burst open. The tenderness with which he moved inside her shocked her, too. To see a beast so feral become so soft for her suddenly made her feel powerful. They moved together, taking their own time. Yami gave her all of him in smooth, steady, and painfully slow thrusts.

Yami hadn't moved his face from her neck and had continued sucking where he had bit her earlier. His hands constantly stroked the sides of her body. Her hands were all over him, digging into his flesh.

“You're so gorgeous," he mumbled.

“Uhun?”

“Hmm.”

“And?”

He chuckled while moving inside her, “And what?"

”What else am I?"

“It's tough to find the right words for you, princess." He unburied his face from her neck, propped himself on his elbows, and kissed her nose.

“Let's..." she let out a slight moan mid-sentence, "...let's start small."

"Yeah? Like how?" He pecked her lips sweetly and smiled at her. What she said next made Yami skip a beat.

"Like if I'm tight enough?"

Yami grunted. He hadn't taken Charlotte for someone who was vocal in bed. She was always so prim and proper. He would go as far as calling her a prude. He felt himself getting slightly harder inside of her and Charlotte clenched tighter around him. And then, she immediately unclenched to tease Yami. She could see Yami's face change as he started moving slightly faster. His left hand was moving behind her head now.

She spoke between moans again, breathing heavily, "Or if I'm wet enough for you, Yami Taicho," and arched her back towards him suggestively, taking him in even deeper.

Charlotte could feel Yami throbbing inside of her. She could tell he was slowly increasing the speed with which he moved in and out of her. Yami, usually very vocal in bed and used to ordering around in crass language, was at loss for words. This was too unexpected and his heart was racing. This was a woman he loved. Charlotte's candidness woke in him something he didn't understand. He couldn't believe that the strongest woman he had ever known and fought alongside, was asking him something so intimate.

“Yami Taicho, tell me, is my cunt tight enough? Is it slick and wet enough for you to fuck me harder?”

Yami felt his chest tighten. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. He struggled to stay put but couldn't. He pulled her hair with a jerk, put his right hand under her right thigh and pushed it up so her knee touched her breast. Spread even wider, Charlotte could feel Yami's urgency. He shifted gears from loving her to fucking her so quickly that Charlotte covered her mouth with her hands so she wouldn't be too loud. There was no stopping him anymore. She bit her lip and a ringing laughter birthed itself out of her plump lips. Her moans were getting longer, getting punctuated with deeper sighs.

"Oh, Taicho, I've touched myself so many times thinking about you fucking me till I cum all over you" she teased and breathed heavily. Her face glowed with Yami's and her own sweat.

Yami suddenly pulled out, and a guttural cry emerged out of Charlotte. Before she could understand what's happening, Yami had flipped her around. His left hand pinched her left nipple so hard, Charlotte cried out. He pulled her hair back with his right hand and bit her jaw and kissed her lips with an urgency he had kept at bay till now. He then let her breast go and thrust his cock inside of her, and started fucking her relentlessly. Charlotte couldn't catch her breath in time and her eyes rolled back. His arm snaked around her waist and he started rubbing her clit. He felt her legs shivering, giving away.

“Hard enough?"

She couldn't say anything and nodded as she tried to steady herself.

“Rub your clit while I fuck you, Charlotte." He bit her shoulder and stroked her waist roughly. A deep flush rose in her cheek. She was surprised at how shy she suddenly felt. Still not used to him saying her name, Charlotte felt herself clenching tighter around him. When she didn't move her hands, Yami pulled her hair harder and growled, “Rub it," and guided her hand towards her clit. With his hand on top of hers as she rubbed herself deep and hard into another orgasm, Charlotte came all around Yami. Yami felt the slickness and warmth spreading all around his balls and her thighs. The sounds of his groin and balls slapping against her hips and mound got louder and louder. Yami put three fingers deep inside her mouth, and with the other hand he began punctuating her pants with loud slaps on her plump hips. With every spank, Charlotte seemed to push back into him harder.

“Now slap it, Charlotte, slap it when I spank you.”

Charlotte couldn't believe the intimacy between them. So effortless. She slapped her clit hard and felt herself gushing around him again. She didn't think she could cum again so soon. She began slapping her clit as he spanked her ass and with each slap, she moaned Yami's name so loud that Yami had to cover her mouth with his hand. He was scared the other members of Blue Rose might hear her.

Spent and tired, Charlotte tried to reach for Yami's balls. She tried to cup the plump warmth with her hand but Yami was moving so fast inside her that she couldn't grab a hold of them. When she finally did, Yami gasped and plunged into Charlotte hard and deep and came. She felt him spread his heat inside of her in quick successions. He moved in short and slow thrusts as he came. His fingers dug in the flesh of her hips hard and a deep grunt mixed with a moan escaped his lips.

They collapsed beside each other, panting and gasping. Yami put his hand between her legs, cupped their cum and stuck his fingers in Charlotte's mouth. She stared deep into his eyes as she licked his hand clean. Eager, she sat on top of him, caressed herself and rubbed their cum all over her waist and breasts. Yami's cock, limp and spent, throbbed again when he saw what Charlotte was doing. He held her waist and brought her closer to his face and lazily licked her swollen clit, still warm and sticky with their cum. Charlotte was too sensitive and as her legs were beginning to tighten around Yami's head, he came up to lick her moist belly and breasts. He laid her down beside him, and continued to kiss where he had licked her earlier. He didn't realise when she fell asleep from exhaustion, cradled in his arms. He smiled and let her be. With her right leg hugging his waist and her head on his arm, Yami traced light circles on her thigh, deep in thought, till he fell asleep.

//

When the mellow early morning sunlight hit, Yami woke up. He looked at Charlotte, breathing softly against his chest. Her hair were tangled and spread all over his left arm. He kissed her forehead, slowly recovered his arm from under her head, and got out of bed. He freshened up and came out to see Charlotte sitting up in bed. She was glowing. Her perfect body was bruised lilac all over and she wore the bruises proudly. She looked at Yami, a hint of a shy smile playing on her lips.

Yami leaned against the doorframe of the washroom and folded his hands. She walked over to him, naked and stunning. Yami skipped a beat and his eyes looked hungry still.

“Oii oii, princess, you should wear something. Are you trying to seduce me?”

He put her hair behind her ears, put a hand on her lower back, and kissed her nose. Charlotte squirmed when the cool leather pants touched her.

“See you around... my queen.” He kissed her jaw sweetly and started to leave. Charlotte grabbed his arm and Yami raised his eyebrows.

”I have to leave, I'm going to be late for a mission."

“I love you, Yami."

Yami's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He picked her up, spun her around, and then both of them collapsed on the bed. He burrowed his face in her neck. Charlotte laughed out loud, his stubble was tickling her neck and his hands were stroking her body. She loved how she had just gotten to see another side of Yami; a playful, childlike side. In just one night he had opened up like a soft flower before her and she wanted all of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, in between laughs.

“I thought you were never going to say it.”

“I love you, Yami."

“I love you, my queen.”

She laughed beautifully and then pushed Yami away, ”Now get going. You'll get super late!”

Yami grabbed her waist and burrowed his head in her breasts.

“I'm sure Asta can handle the mission."