#and if I did nothing wrong then there is no responsibility on me to resolve the way they feel

[scummy-writes]

Arguments were not rare between the two of you. There were countless times that you clenched your fists around Gilbert, bitter that he'd chuckle in response to the reason you tried to speak. At times, he was stubborn, set in his ways, and nearly mocking when you tried to go against his wishes to kill someone. You'd been shown proof for his reasonings, forced to try and decide on a middle ground, losing small hopes in humanity during the worst of the cases he let you see.

However far the argument went, though, it was resolved during the same day. With reminders of how unfair the world is, or reminders of how he wished he could believe in solely your way of correcting others, rather than the ultimatum of death. He'd apologize in actions for any belittlement of your beliefs, and would make it clear that you weren't wrong in your hopes or attempts.

It was something you were thankful for, and something that you missed terribly right now. For you hadn't slept with your lover in days.

The argument this time was less about corrupt nobles, and moreso... the result of stubbornness. And now you were learning just how stubborn the two of you could be. A few hours without Gilbert felt so much longer, but a few days? You missed sharing your warmth with him.

You had no doubt he shared your same feelings, due to his ever evolving possessiveness with you. Despite how obviously angry the two of you still were, he'd still see to it that Roderic made sure you ate and were taken care of, as well as having Walter check up on you.

Learning Gilbert-ese had certainly come in handy, because if it wasn't for that, you'd likely be trying to mourn your relationship instead. For now, you stretched back on your bed with a disappointing huff, wondering when it was reasonable to admit you were being childish, and apologize. But for that to happen, you needed Gilbert to come to terms with doing so as well.

A man who would rather shoot first than ask questions. (Well, not with you, but...) A man so stubborn that it took him to dramatic lengths to understand some of his anger towards you previously was worry, and was shocked from experiencing it.

... it may be another few more days. Perhaps you could play into his dramatics and write him a letter?

Before you could pull out the ink and paper, the door swung open with a thunk, making you yelp out a curse.

"G-Gil?? Hey-!"

You couldn't help it - Gilbert strode in with determination, plucking you from your bed and securing you in your arms, refusing to let you stand - and the second he did so you squeaked.

"You can't carry me like-" a sideways glance, cocking his brow unimpressively. Ugh! Okay, he could carry you without an issue. "What are you doing?"

No answer. He remained tightlipped, carrying you through the halls without a care towards those staring. Or the way your cheeks burned from the act.

"I-I'm still mad, you know."

But the poor admittance did nothing but tense his jaw, leaving you to sigh. No, he wasn't going to put you down.

... at least his grip was gentle, despite how tense he was. And after a few moments, you realized exactly where he was taking you to: his 'lab' upstairs.

He often worked there, especially when the weather was sunny and on the warmer side. Regardless of how dark and moody he kept his dress and room, he was fond of the warmth of the sun.

When he opened the final door (with some help from you to turn the knob), you were greeted with the sky shining through the wide windows, filling the room with natural light. It gave a cozy feel to the room, almost as if the two of you were outside.

As for why you were brought here, though...

Gilbert ignored his desk as he trudged through the room, and instead beelined towards the hammock resting away from the paperwork. Over time, he had switched from his small, single hammock, to a bigger one that could accommodate the both of you.

And he promptly, unceremoniously, plopped you onto it.

"Wait- hey!"

A pillow and blanket were tossed upon you, and then with a huff, Gilbert climbed into it as well, grumpily moving the pillow and blanket to comfort the both of you.

"I don't care how you feel right now, little rabbit." He huffed, drawing you into his arms and sighing into your hair, "... I haven't been able to sleep."

Slowly, but surely, you felt his rigid body start to loosen. To relax the longer you settled into his arms. And the more he did so, you found the fight leaving your body, causing you to sigh.

" ... I'm still a little angry, you know."

"Yes, you've proven yourself quite stubborn."

"... but... I still love you all the same."

"... as do I."

[brinnanza]

maybe this is a hot take but if you truly believe there is no such thing as thought crimes, that has to include the terrible and incorrect things people think about you.

[joelalorian]

Fall Into Me - Chapter Six: And I Knew My Heart Wasn't Mine

dbf!Joel x f!reader

Summary: Joel is hanging on by a thread as a single father to a tenacious 10-year-old Sarah. Feeling like he's drowning, like the world is about to spit him out, he needs some help before he breaks in half. At your dad's insistence, you show up in his life and change everything.

Story is inspired by the song Fall Into Me by Forest Blakk. Chapter titles will be lyrics from the song.

Word Count: 3.8k

Chapter Warnings: Explicit, under 18 take a hike. No outbreak AU. Lots of feelings, confusion, and self doubt. Two idiots falling in love. Finally some smut-ish stuff. Dry humping on the couch. Joel is his own warning. Tommy keeping it real. Age gap of about 9 years (Reader 24/25, Joel 33/34). No use of y/n. Reader has a nickname used only by her dad.

Dividers by the wonderful @saradika-graphics

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Chapter Five | Main Masterlist

Sitting at the kitchen table on Sunday morning, you reviewed an email on your phone from the Texas Education Agency. Relief washed over you. The State Board finally approved your certification after jumping through a million hoops, just in time for your upcoming meeting at Sarah’s school.

Yet another step closer to finally feeling like an actual adult contributing to society.

“Morning, Spud,” your dad greeted as he walked into the kitchen in search of his morning coffee. “You’re up early. Did you have fun with Sarah yesterday?”

“I figured I’d seize the day and all that. I had a blast yesterday! Sarah is so smart, and Joel was really nice, as always,” you replied, playing down quite how much of a roll Joel had in making the day so enjoyable. You still couldn’t believe how things worked out.

Joel Miller, dead sexy single father, liked you, wanted to be with you. Little morsels of doubt tried to weasel their way into your mind, trying to make you question what was so special about you that a man like Joel would be interested in. You shook those thoughts away, resolving to believe that you deserved someone like him, someone who liked you for who you were and not who they wanted you to be.

“He comes from good stock, that Joel,” your dad interrupted you’re wandering thoughts. “Not sure what happened with Tommy, though. Musta been dropped on his head as a baby or somethin’.”

“Dad!” you laughed, shaking your head. “There’s nothing wrong with the guy. He’s young, single, and unburdened by responsibility. I imagine you were like that once upon a time.”

“Musta been so long ago I can’t remember,” he replied, hip checking you into the counter when you stood to place your glass in the sink. “Watch yourself there, Spud.”

“Jeez, thanks, Dad,” you replied with an amused eye roll. Your dad watched as you tidied up your little mess from breakfast and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

“You know, Spud. You’d do well to find a man like Joel. He’s a really good guy. Shame he doesn’t date. All the women go crazy over him.”

Your dad kept going on about Joel’s aversion to dating, but your mind froze on that one simple statement – you’d do well to find a man like Joel. You tuned back in just in time to hear him say, “He needs to settle down with a girl like you. Someone smart and responsible who’ll still give him a run for his money.”

Practically bursting with the urge to admit that you and Joel just officially started seeing each other, you curled your lips between your teeth and just nodded. You promised Joel you’d wait a bit before mentioning anything to your dad and you planned on keeping that promise. “He should be so lucky to find someone like me,” you sassed finally.

The day carried on as you spent some quality time with your dad watching TV and lounging around. It was refreshing and relaxing, reminding you of times past where the two of you spent a bunch of time together.

The urge to text you plagued Joel all day Sunday, distracting his attention from the football game until Tommy finally snatched the phone out of his hands and hid it.

“Enough, brother. You’re like a lovesick fool checking your phone every five fuckin’ seconds. You just spent the day together yesterday. Give her a little breathin’ room,” Tommy chastised. “Women like a little mystery after all.”

Flopping back into the couch cushions with a huff, Joel crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t want to play games with her, Tommy. None of that aloof, hard to get bullshit.”

Shaking his head, Tommy waited until a commercial break to turn to his brother again. “I’m not sayin’ to play games. I’m just sayin’ you don’t need to be up her ass 24/7. You’ll see her every day this week. It’s ok to build up a little healthy anticipation today.”

Joel knew his brother had a point. He just couldn’t help himself. It’d been so long since he felt like this about someone – if he ever really did before – and it was messing with his head. Berating himself for not even kissing you yesterday, Joel wanted to at least text with you today. It felt somehow wrong to not talk to you.

Then again, you hadn’t texted him either.

Tommy made a valiant effort to distract Joel from his thoughts, talking statistics about the game and the players, anything to get the guy talking. It only worked for so long before Tommy couldn’t take it anymore.

“Alright, how ‘bout this. I’ll take Sarah for a dinner and ice cream date tomorrow so you two can spend some time alone. Get a little action in and maybe that’ll help you get your head out of the clouds.”

For the first time in hours, Joel’s face lit up. “You sure?”

“I wouldn’t offer otherwise,” Tommy replied. “You two need to figure out if there’s something there and you can’t do that with a ten-year-old hanging around all the time. Not unless you want to scar her for life.”

Joel nodded, reaching out to take his phone back. Before letting go of it, Tommy grinned. “I already texted her for you. You’re welcome.”

Ripping his phone out of his brother’s hand, Joel scrolled through his text messages to find what Tommy sent you.

JM: Hey sweetheart. Netflix and chill tomorrow?

He only knew what that meant because of Tommy and you had to know that wasn’t something Joel would say. “Jesus fucking Christ, Tommy!” Joel growled, his ears turning red from what you must think. He was about to really lay into his brother for overstepping when you responded.

You: Netflix and chill, huh? Sounds like my kinda date 😉

Not expecting that response, Joel chuckled. Maybe Tommy knew exactly what he was doing after all.

“Like I said, you’re welcome,” Tommy teased when he saw the goofy smile on his brother’s face.

Joel ignored him, proceeding to ask you about your day. The two of you texted back and forth well into the night until it was time for bed.

Climbing between the cold sheets of his large, empty bed, Joel wished you were there with him. He could already imagine you there, falling asleep together after a romp or two, waking up next to you in the morning. It sounded like heaven to him.

Hmm, maybe he could Netflix and chill his way to convincing you to spend the night tomorrow.

You didn’t know what to expect when you walked into Joel’s house Monday morning, but it certainly wasn’t a flustered Joel, knelt on the floor, staring down at a mess of pancake mix surrounding him and Sarah giggling her little heart out at the breakfast table.

“What happened here?” you asked, hands on your hips and eyes surveying the damage. “Did you have a fight with the boxed pancake mix.”

“He really did!” Sarah exclaimed, still laughing. “It went everywhere!”

“I see that,” you replied, grinning at her before turning back to Joel.

He stared up at you with wide, sad eyes and shoulders slumped. “I couldn’t get it open and then it just…” His arms spread wide, gesturing at the powdery mess on the tile in such an endearing way. You couldn’t stop your smile from growing wider.

“Go finish getting ready for work. I’ll get Sarah some cereal and clean this mess up,” you directed, gently pulling him to his feet and around the mess.

“You shouldn’t have to clean up my mess, sweetheart,” Joel replied, pulling you in for a hug. You could tell the warm press of your bodies together made him feel better and you basked in it as well, not minding the bit of pancake mix that transferred to your clothes.

“Don’t worry, I got it. Now git!” One hand swatted at his ass playfully as he rushed out of the room. “Now, what kind of cereal do you want, nugget?”

Fifteen minutes later, Joel returned to find the mess gone and you running a mop over the tile to wipe away any last remnants of the pancake mix disaster. Sarah already finished her cereal and was upstairs brushing her teeth before it was time to head to school. When you put the mop back into the bucket, Joel crept up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. He pulled you close until your back was flush against his chest.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he breathed in your ear, sending a flood of goosebumps down your arms. Joel pressed his lips to the spot just below your ear and left a trail of kisses down your neck. The feel of his lips on your skin exceeded any expectations you had, and a contented sigh left your own lips.

With a hurried tenderness, he spun you around in his arms, the mop forgotten as it nearly fell out of the bucket. Faces close together now, your eyes drank in every detail of him from the richness of his dark brown eyes, the curve of his nose, the purposeful stubble of his beard, and, finally, to the fullness of his bottom lip. You could feel his eyes doing the same, drinking in every bit of your face before tilting his head impossibly closer.

“I’m going to kiss you now, ok?” Joel murmured; lips nearly pressed to yours already and you hummed in approval.

After all the weeks of mutual pining and self-doubt, Joel finally kissed you. It started as a soft press of lips and quickly morphed into an overwhelming need to devour each other when his tongue teased along the seam of your lips, begging entry to deepen the kiss. Teeth knocked together and tongues tangled as you tasted each other – somehow, the taste of coffee was suddenly appealing when it came from Joel’s mouth.

Hands wandered – his over your curves and yours into his luscious, dark curls. Joel’s hair felt as silky as it looked, and you had been itching to get your fingers in it from the moment you met him.

The sound of Sarah’s footsteps bouncing down the stairs broke the two of you apart, breathless, and dazed.

“Wow,” Joel murmured, struggling to remove his hands from your waist.

You smiled up at him, equally unwilling to remove your fingers from his hair. “Exactly,” you whispered, stepping back with your hands at your side just as Sarah entered the kitchen.

“I’m ready!” she declared excitedly and you both grinned at her cuteness.

“Okay, nugget. Let’s head out.”

Heart melting in your chest, you watched Joel and Sarah do their morning routine of saying goodbye. The love between the two of them was so strong it was like a tangible thing you could hold in your hands. Nostalgia washed over you as memories of your own childhood, moments like this with your dad, flooded your mind. What you had with your dad, what Joel and Sarah had together, was a connection that would never fade, only grow stronger with time.

Briefly, you wondered if your evolving relationship with Joel would affect that connection, interfere with it in anyway. You couldn’t move forward with him if that was the case. Some woman showing up and changing the dynamic between you and your dad would have upset you as a child and you refused to be the cause of any upset Sarah felt.

When the two of them stepped back from their hug and grinned at you, any question about your place in their dynamic washed down the drain. You felt nearly dizzy with relief when Sarah quickly said, “Give her a hug, too, Daddy,” and shoved him as hard as she could in your direction.

With a chuckle, Joel gave in to Sarah’s demand, wrapping his arms around you. The broadness of him surrounded you, enveloping you in warmth and a sense of security you’d not experienced before. Was that what love felt like?

“Have a good day, darlin’. I’ll see you later,” Joel’s deep voice was but a whisper in your ear, his lips just grazing your earlobe. “I’m looking forward to tonight.”

Warmth raced up your neck to your cheeks and you squeezed your thighs together in anticipation of what you hoped would happen later. “You have a good day too, Joel. Be careful, ok?”

“Always, darlin’.” He winked as you led Sarah out the front door to your car.

The journey to Sarah’s school started off quietly, Sarah bopping along to the music on the radio as you navigated the morning traffic. Your thoughts wandered to what you should wear later when Sarah startled you with a sudden question.

“Are you my dad’s girlfriend now?”

She asked the question so nonchalantly that you weren’t sure how to respond. Would she be upset with whatever answer you gave? Was there even a right or wrong answer? What did she want to hear? Mind racing, you settled on asking Sarah a question in return.

“Would you be upset if I was?”

Tilting her head side to side a few times, the little girl contemplated her answer while you held your breath. She turned to you with a smile so big it scrunched up her nose. “Nope! It’d make me really happy.”

“Really?” Your eyebrows were nearly at your hairline.

“Uh huh. You’re the coolest and prettiest. My dad would be lucky if you were his girlfriend,” Sarah admitted with all the confidence and knowledge of a ten-year-old. Another head tilt and she added, “So, are you?”

Equal parts amazed and grateful for Sarah’s acceptance of the idea, you opted for honesty. “I mean, I don’t know,” you shrugged. How could you explain what you had to a 10-year-old? “We haven’t talked about naming it yet, but we did decide to see how we like being together. Does that make sense?”

Sarah gave it a moment of thought. “Yeah, I think so. It’s kinda like how you’re a teacher, but not officially until you get the job, right?”

You laughed at the comparison with a nod. “Exactly. I’m as good as your dad’s girlfriend, we just haven’t made titles official yet.” You pulled up in front of the school and it was Sarah’s turn to get out. “Now get going, nugget. Have a good day!”

The little girl bounced out of the car, calling out to one of her friends. Just before you pulled away, you heard Sarah tell the other girl that you were her dad’s not-yet girlfriend.

The day absolutely dragged. Joel could swear that time went backwards every time he looked at a clock. It didn’t help that every single subcontractor gave him a hard time about something today.

The roof trusses arrived six weeks early and the sub refused to take them back even though the damn things would rot before they got to the roofing phase of construction. The company he rented the extra backhoe from wanted to raise their rates in the middle of his contract. The list went on and Joel ran out of patience three hours ago.

The only thing holding him together was the thought of you. Spending time with you. Kissing you. Touching you. Burying himself inside you… He adjusted himself with a sigh. Damn, he needed to put those particular thoughts on ice before he got himself riled up. The workday was shitty enough, he didn’t need the guys giving him a hard time about an untimely chub in his pants.

Finally, Joel had enough of everyone’s bullshit and called it a day, leaving his foreman in charge of the worksite.

“Off to doll yourself up, are ya?” Tommy teased as Joel headed for his truck. Gesturing in the general direction of Joel’s crotch, he added, “You remember how to use that thing? Make sure to clear out the cobwebs and use protection!”

“Jesus, Tommy,” Joel grumbled, climbing into his truck, and driving off. He knew his brother was only teasing, but Joel was nervous enough as it was. He didn’t need Tommy getting in his head. He did have a point about protection, though.

A quick stop at the convenience store to grab a box of condoms, Joel made it home before you and Sarah. Putting on some 90s rock, he jumped in the shower, putting in the extra effort to tidy himself up down there. He wondered if you preferred pubic hair or not. Fearing he was getting way ahead of himself, Joel opted to just trim his down and hoped for the best.

By the time he finished trimming his facial hair and tousling his curls, you and Sarah were downstairs, working on her homework. As he walked down the stairs, Joel could hear you encouraging his daughter to think the questions through and congratulating her when she got the answers right. His heart grew three sizes watching how you were with Sarah. You held his whole world in the palm of your hand and treasured it like the precious cargo it was.

Joel was falling so hard for you. You were quickly gaining the power to destroy him.

“Hi Daddy!” Sarah called out when she spotted him in the doorway. “We just finished my math homework. Can I play in the backyard?”

He set up a tire swing on the large live oak out back a week ago and it quickly became his little girl’s happy place. “Of course, nugget. Come give your old man a hug first.” Bending down, Joel swept Sarah up in his arms, biceps stretching his shirt sleeves as he swung her around in a circle. Sarah’s laughter echoed through the room, and you smiled sweetly at the pair of them.

“Uncle Tommy’s coming to take you out for dinner and ice cream in a bit. Ok?” Sarah nodded when he settled her back on her feet and raced for the sliding door. Once she was out of sight and earshot, Joel turned to you. “Come ‘ere, darlin’,” he said, voice deep and velvety.

Your body followed his command without conscious thought, so great the need to be in his arms. “I thought about you all day,” you admitted, staring up at him with wide eyes.

“Me, too. Could hardly focus on the job thinking about you and spending this evening together.” He tightened his arms around you, head bending to seal his lips to yours. When your lips parted at his prompting, Joel teased your plush bottom lip with his teeth. “It’s like a tasty little gummy worm,” he teased. “I could nibble on it all day.”

You moaned into his mouth, the little breathless sound music to his ears.

The kiss deepened until you were licking into each other’s mouths, hands wandering and grasping for purchase on any piece of real estate you could reach. Neither of you heard the front door open or the footsteps approaching the kitchen.

“Am I interrupting somethin’?” he asked cheekily as the two of you sprang apart, disheveled and gasping for breath.

Joel ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes for a moment to gather himself. “Excellent timing as always, brother.”

“Y’all just couldn’t wait five more minutes, could ya?” Tommy’s grin a mile wide as he teased. “Lemme get the nugget out of here before you two scar her for life.”

You tucked your face into Joel’s shoulder bashfully when Tommy slipped through the sliding door. Joel groaned and wrapped his arms around you. “Don’t mind him, darlin’. He just likes to bust my balls.”

Ten minutes later, after some hugs from Sarah and more teasing from Tommy, you and Joel were alone. Taking your hand, he led you to the couch. He hoped you didn’t notice that his rough palms were sweaty with nerves. You were abnormally quiet, and he wondered if you were nervous as well.

Seated a few inches apart, the tension became too much. “What are you in the mood for?” Joel asked, breaking the silence as he pulled up Netflix on the TV. He barely logged into his account when you suddenly straddled his lap.

“Hi,” you said when he stared at you in surprise. “You know what I’m in the mood for?”

“What?” He barely got his mouth to form the word, his brain short circuiting with you in his lap. His grip on the remote loosened, yet neither of you cared when it fell to the ground.

“You.”

There was a moment where you both froze, each waiting for the other to act first. Then the tension snapped, and Joel’s lips crashed against yours. His tongue danced along the seam of your lips until you opened them to let him in. Tongues tangled in a never-ending dance as your hips tilted, grinding down on him. Joel was uncomfortably hard in moments, pressing up against your warmth.

His hands were everywhere, fingers tenderly tracing the structure of your cheekbones, down the curve of your neck, along the swell of your breasts. They finally settled, grabbing handfuls of your ass to pull you impossibly closer. You moaned into his mouth, hips bucking in search of more friction.

Gasping for breath, Joel tore his mouth from yours, his hands urging your hips into a rhythm as you dry humped him. His mouth left a trail of scorching kisses down your neck, eliciting a wave of goosebumps to flow down your arms. Your hips rocked, gliding across his hardened length and Joel swore he could feel your wetness breaching through the layer of clothes separating you.

Fuck, how he wanted to taste you, get high on your sweet nectar. He knew, just knew in that primal way, that yours would be the best pussy he ever tasted. His cock swelled impossibly harder at the mere thought of burying his face between your legs.

“Jooooeeelllll.” His name coming from your luscious lips in a drawn-out moan caused his own hips to buck up into you, hitting just the right spot to make you both see stars from the friction alone. His mouth sucked little marks into your neck, leaving his left ear exposed to your mouth as crooned, “I’m gonna come, fuck. You’re gonna make me come in my panties, Joel.”

“Fuck, darlin’. Come all over me, pretty girl. I want to see you fall apart from grinding on me like this. Drench those panties.” Joel sat back a little, just enough to watch your face as your orgasm swept over you. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen, eyes rolled back in your head, mouth hanging open in a silent ‘o’ as you trembled above him, delicate hands clenching the meat of his shoulders for balance. A little sheen of sweat dusted your hairline. Fucking beautiful.

Joel was absolutely certain he could feel you drenching his pants as you came, your breath finally coming back in a sharp exhale. He had never been so turned on in his life. Watching you come apart for him, feeling it seep through the layers of clothing became too much. For the first time in his adult life, Joel Miller came in his pants with a desperate whimper.

tbc

Taglist: @mellymbee @untamedheart81 @anoverwhelmingdin @runningmom94 @leilanixx @pedropascalfan221 @lovelyjess69 @sarahhxx03 @sofiparallel @tammythr @lulawantmula @islacharlotte @allyourfavesinoneblog @lover-of-books-and-tea @pedropascalsbbg @ashleyfilm @brittmb115 @lilmizmoz @loveisacowboyyy @shotgun-shelby @deninoe @casssiopeia @caitlynsixxx @skysmiller @missladym1981 @marirxse

[babygorewhore]

Friends with Benefits

Rafe Cameron x fem reader

After your confession to Rafe goes badly, he finds out you have a boyfriend. But you will always belong to him.

Warnings! Unprotected sex! Slapping! Spitting! Slight angst but ends happily! Daddy kink! Light choking! Not proofread! W.C 2.5K thank you to my sexy @xxbimbobunnyxx for always beta reading!!!

You were laying on your back, Rafes thick cock filling you up as he thrusted deep and hard inside you, leaking cum into you and onto the mattress. His thrusts came to a halt, sweat came off his forehead as you both moaned in each other's mouths. It was the third round, you both had been apart for a few days too long. Something that rarely happened in the months you both had been hooking up. Rafe rolls off you, wiping off his face with a hand and you sigh as the painful reality starts to hit.

After you both have sex, he never stays.

It happened the first time at one of his parties, one you had been invited to by your cousin Barry who was responsible for providing cocaine and booze when you had met Rafe. He was charming, hot and rich. His body was like a god’s, long with lean muscle strong enough to pin you down on the bed and fuck you relentlessly as he did nearly everyday. Multiple times in a row. You were familiar with his dick and the way it filled you up expertly, hitting every pleasurable sweet spot you had.

But there was one issue.

You actually had fallen in love with him. Why wouldn’t you be? He was everything you wanted. Strong, independent, crazy, passionate and a slew of other things most people didn’t pay attention to once he flashed them his credit card. Something he used on you too. He bought you clothes, updated your car, phone and your meals whenever you both actually hung out somewhere. He treated you decently, for his reputation at least.

You lean on your elbows as Rafe gathers his clothes on the ground, slipping on his t-shirt. “You’re not staying?”

He paused and shuffled around pulling on his shorts. “No. Why? I never stay.” He says to himself and absently waves you off. You swallow with a pang of hurt before wrapping yourself up in the sheet.

“Maybe you could this time. I don’t want you to leave.” He stopped this time, giving you an incredulous look and curled his lip.

“I don’t get it? What is it? Is something wrong?” He asked and you were losing your nerve as you tucked a hair behind your ear.

“Nothings wrong, I just want you to stay with me. You never do.”

Rafe rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know that’s why I’m leaving. What’s gotten into you? Been acting weird all fucking day.”

“I’m not acting weird I’m just asking a question.” You said defensively and he set his hands on his hips.

“Why? Why do you want me to stay?”

That was the question of the hour. One you wanted to answer and run from. But you promised yourself if you had the opportunity, you would be honest with him. So you took a deep breath and spoke. “Rafe. I want you to stay with me because…I have feelings for you. This isn’t just fucking for me anymore. It’s more. And I want-“

“Stop.” His voice was stern as he stepped closer to the bed and bent down to your lower. “That’s a mistake. I told you from day one what this is and what it will always be. Just sex. If you can’t handle that, then it’s not my problem.”

You felt your heart shatter as he stormed out of the room, leaving you broken. You buried your face in your hands and started crying. How could you be so stupid? How could you even consider he would feel the same way about you as you did for him? He was Rafe Cameron for god's sake. Why did you even bother telling him? Your own personal resolve? It was stupid and so were you.

You got out of his bed, put on your dress and shoes. You reapplied your makeup. If you were going to be sad, you were at least going to look good at the same time.

Rafe hadn’t seen you-fucked you-in over a week. You kept avoiding him and he hated it. His hand went to knock on your door, he knew the way to your house with his eyes closed but he hadn’t expected another car to be in the driveway. It wasn’t anyone he knew. So some stranger was here? Maybe a new friend?

It wasn’t like he was extremely active in your personal life but he knew you well enough. Several seconds went by as he waited at the door and he grit his teeth impatiently. What the hell was taking you so long?

He was about to call you when you opened the door. He arched an eyebrow as he took in your nice sundress. You usually never wore it unless you were going out. Your hair was braided with a flower crown. He crossed his arms with a pang of…what was it? Interest? Of course not.

“Took you long enough. Why haven’t you texted me back?”

“I’m not at your beck and call, Rafe. You know that right?” You quipped and he snorted. Attitude too?

“Yeah, whatever.” He rested a hand on the doorframe above you, leaning down with the intention of kissing you when a male voice called your name.

Rafe’s eyes narrowed when he saw a tall, not as tall as Rafe, male with brown eyes and brown hair. He could just tell by the way he was dressed that he was a pogue too. He gave him a look and wrapped his arms around your waist from behind. Pulling you against him and Rafe wanted to reach forward and punch him in the face.

“Something wrong?” He stared at the other male who asked you that question.

“What the fuck? Who the fuck are you?” Rafe shouts and moves forward but you hold up your hand.

“This is my boyfriend. Josh.”

“Josh? He’s a fucking pogue,” Rafe spat out the last word and Josh immediately straightened his shoulders but you stepped inbetween them.

“Give me a minute.” You said before shutting the door and stepping onto the porch. Rafe crossed his arms and flexed his jaw. He couldn’t stop himself from being upset even though he knew logically he had no right to be.

“Rafe. You need to go.” You told him softly. “You need to leave and we can’t talk anymore. I have a boyfriend. And whatever that was? It’s over.”

Rafe laughed humorlessly. “You can’t be fucking serious. Is this because of what I said last week? Is this some kind of joke?”

Your eyes hardened and you stepped closer. “No. It’s not a fucking joke, Rafe. I’m in a relationship now. And it has nothing to do with the other day.”

“Bullshit. As far as I’m concerned-“

“Enough!” You shouted and pointed at his chest. “This isn’t about you, Rafe! It’s about me for once. I met him. And now, we’re going out. It’s that simple. Don’t like it? You had your fucking chance, asshole. And you treated me like shit. And this conversation is over.” You spin around at that and slam the door behind you.

Right in his face.

Rafe knew he had made a big mistake as his eyes squeezed shut. He was an asshole to you. Pushed you away too far. And now…

He’d lost you.

You hadn’t talked to him in six months. Half a year and now you were pounding on his door after 3am crying when he opened it, eyes wide with a range of emotions. “What the fuck?” He muttered before ushering you in. “Get in here, it’s raining.”

You quickly stepped into his house, wiping away tears and smearing your mascara. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be here but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” You sobbed and Rafe immediately set his hands on your shoulders.

“It’s okay. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” You were back. In front of him. And he wasn’t going to ruin any chance he had. He was afraid you’d disappear again.

Your blue dress was almost black from the rain. Your shoes probably ruined from the mud, you didn’t drive?

“Did you run here?”

You nodded. “Yeah, Josh was driving my car. And we…we got into a fight.” Rafe stiffened and his blood went cold as you lifted up your arm.

You had a hand print around your wrist.

“Did he do this to you?” He growled when you nodded again with watery eyes.

“Yeah. He didn’t want me to hang out with my friends today. And I told him I could do whatever I wanted so he grabbed me. Wouldn’t let go either. I finally just got out of the car and started running. We were close by so…” you sniffled and Rafe felt nothing but rage at your confession.

How dare anyone put a hand on you?

“I’ll be right fucking back.” He says with a set jaw. You step in front of him.

“No, where are you going?”

“Where do you think I’m going? I’m gonna fuck him up.” Rafe tries to move around you but your hands fly to his chest, holding his shirt.

“No, no, don’t leave me. I don’t want you to go. Not again.” You buried your face against him, crying harder and rafe was frozen for a second.

Don't leave again. Your words echo in his mind as his arms encircle your shoulders and pull you even tighter against him in a warm embrace. He wasn’t accustomed to hugging people. He didn’t have anyone close enough to him to encourage such motions but now…he could stay like this forever. Your head tucked underneath his chin, arms around his waist. You were still crying but he knew you felt safe.

He said your name quietly after several seconds and gently tugged you back. “Listen, I want to say something.” And he cleared his throat. Months of waiting, hoping and even fucking praying that he would get a chance to speak was finally in front of him and he didn’t want to fuck it up.

“I know, I’m sorry.” You stepped out of his hold, wiping underneath your eye. “I shouldn’t have bothered you. You have better things to do. I’ve stayed here too long.” You shrugged and gave him a fake smile. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“Bothered me? You’re not bothering me, I want to tell you something.” He tried to interrupt but you kept going.

“It’s stupid. Me coming here. Especially with how we last ended things. I know I showed up completely without warning-“

Rafe crushed his lips to yours, silencing you and causing you to make a surprised sound. His fingers set on your hips while his other hand cupped your jaw and he sucked your lower lip, slipping his tongue inside briefly before stopping the kiss. “Just let me talk,okay?” He said breathlessly and briefly rested his forehead against yours before taking a step back.

“I’m sorry. For everything. I never should have left you. I-I like you, okay? I always have, I was just too much of a pussy to admit it. And I was an asshole. You didn’t deserve that.” It wasn’t much of an apology but Rafe wasn’t good with words. “But you’re mine. I don’t fucking share. And Josh or whoever he thinks he is, he’s done. When I deal with him, he’ll know that.” He promises you.

He waited for you to speak as you bit your swollen lower lip and looked at him with big doe eyes. His gaze trails down, you were pressing your knees together. “Let me ask you something…” Rafe began. “Did he fuck you as good as I do?”

You gasped at his question and he smirked. “I asked you something, baby girl. It’s bad manners if you don’t answer. Or did he allow that too? Did he let you act like a bad girl?” Rafe nudged your knees apart with his, causing you to gasp and your back hit the wall.

“He didn’t fuck me as good.” You whispered and Rafe nodded.

“Course he didn’t. He doesn’t know you the way I do. He doesn’t know how to please that tight little pussy. But that’s okay. I’m gonna show you exactly how well I remember you.” He reached down, lifting you into his arms, your legs wrapping around his waist as he met your lips.

Rafe kissed you with a feverish passion as he kicked open his bedroom door, slamming you on the mattress without breaking the kiss. You tasted sweet like sugar as he shoved his tongue in your mouth, searing you with a force you’d missed for six months.

He lifted up your skirt, revealing that you weren’t wearing any panties. Rafe laughed darkly. “That’s my girl. Always a fucking slut.” He separated your thighs, showing your arousal pooling out of you and he dragged a finger along your slit. “Dumb little bunny. Thinking this could ever be for anyone else.” He circled his thumb on your clit, causing your back to arch off the bed.

His digit stays there before he trails them down, pressing a finger inside your entrance, making you moan underneath him as he wraps his other hand around your neck. He pushes another one inside, curling them both upward and you mewl.

“Oh fuck, daddy I needed this.” You manage and he smirks down at you as you’re struggling to even speak.

“Yeah? Needed daddy to fuck you?” He says against your neck, pumping harder causing you to whimper and claw at his shoulders.

“Mhm, please fuck me with your cock. Want you to fill me up.” You beg him and he smiles wickedly.

“Since you asked so nicely, baby girl.” He pulls back, sucking his fingers before tugging off his pants and boxers. His dick low and heavy in between his thighs. His thick tip presses against your clit as he rolls his hips, teasing you and you whine louder.

“Please, daddy, god, please!” He finally grants your wish and thrusts into you. Hard.

The bed squeaks against the floor as he rocks forward, your hand wraps around his throat, choking him gently and he groans and licks his teeth. “That’s fucking it. That’s my girl.” He rasps and picks up his pace.

He humps you with a brutal rhythm, no source of kindness in his movements as he fucks you. “You. Are. Mine.” He growls as you tighten around him. “Say it, fucking slut. Tell me.” He lightly slaps your cheek and you gasp.

“I’m yours, daddy!” He taps the other side of your face.

“Again.”

“I’m yours!”

“Again.” He spits in your mouth, making you swallow it and you shudder, releasing all over his cock as you scream out.

“I’m yours, daddy! Fuckkk!!” You squeal and he bursts inside you, filling you up just like he promised and it drips onto the sheets. He continues thrusting, messily searing you before he collapsing on you, his lips resting on your forehead.

You’re shocked at the tender way he kisses your head, peppering your skull and hairline as he rolls off, pulling you to his chest. His fingers trace your shoulder, goosebumps raising on your skin as breaths in and out. “I’ll never leave you again. I’m sorry I ever did.”

“I know.” You answer back and blink away watery eyes. “Let’s just stay like this for a while, okay?” You ask and he nods.

“Always. But I’m still gonna fuck him up.”

@drewstarkeyslut @redhead1180 @marchsfreakshow @slvt4jamesmarch @take-everything-you-can @emsgoodthinkin @gri959 @oceandriveab @rafescurtainbangz @rafesthroatbaby

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Musician Age Gap AU Pt 8

"I cannot believe you told my wife your date was with *Lena Luthor*," Alex whispers mid-yell, "before you told me!"

"Would it have changed your recommendation?"

At that, Kara hears Alex pause to consider.

"No," comes the final response. Then, "Did it work?"

Kara flushes-- she'd certainly gotten the reaction she'd been looking for. She just isn't sure she wants her sister to know that they hadn't fully resolved that desire.

"Well enough," Kara returns, settling on an incomplete truth. She'd explain the rest later... eventually.

A muttered curse issues over the line. "Jesus. How did this even happen? Wait-- what happens now? Esme said her next show is in, like... 16 hours, in Denver."

Kara smiles into the phone. "We stay in touch."

She's already received a picture via text, showing Lena with a tongue-out wink and a playful peace sign. Another photo had revealed a sticky bun, with a note that Lena had gotten Jess to swing by Noonan's on the way to the airport.

Though the sight of the sticky bun had made her hungry, the selfie made her pause to absorb the image. From the relaxed tousle of Lena's wavy hair, to the ray-bans hooked on the collar of her shirt, and the luxury of the private plane lurking around the edges.... she wonders if Lena realizes just how far she's letting Kara in, allowing her to see Lena in so personal a setting.

Kara's response had been simple. "Fly safe."

It had earned her a floating heart emoji and a promise to touch base upon landing.

"That's it?" Alex asks, pulling Kara back to the present.

Kara huffs a laugh. "What did you expect? She wasn't going to cancel half a national tour for personal time with someone she only met two days ago."

"Well why not? You're worth it."

"You're only saying that because you're my sister," Kara counters. "Besides, I don't want that for her."

Seeing Lena on stage had proven it's something the woman enjoyed. She thrived on the experience of it, and so did the thousands of fans who came to see her.

Which is why, a few hours after Lena's first Denver show would have concluded, Kara is surprised to receive a call from Lena. They'd facetimed when she'd landed, so the lack of video is her first clue that something isn't right.

"Hey," Kara greets, pressing the phone to her ear as she wipes sleep from her eyes. She'd meant to stay awake to check in herself, but not even a book had been able to keep her from dozing off.

"Hey."

Lena's voice is somber. It's such a difference that a wave of concern wakes Kara the rest of the way.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

There's a short pause before Lena responds. "Nothing."

"How was the show?"

"Fine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be calling so late. I just... I wanted to hear your voice." Lena pauses again. "Is that weird?"

"No." Kara listens closely to the quiet that follows, as though it might give her some insight into what was happening on the other end of the line. "Lena..."

"Could you... talk to me?"

"About what?"

"Anything. Just... so I can listen."

Kara's brow furrows. She fights the impulse to dig deeper, to push to find the why. She doesn't need to know. Lena has asked for what she needs-- and it's something Kara is able and willing to give.

"Did I ever tell you that I didn't always live in National City?"

Lena hums a negative, prompting Kara to continue.

"I'm actually from a town up the coast. Midvale. I miss it sometimes. The stars mostly. In high school, I had friend named Kenny, and we would take his telescope to the old barn, and we would chart the skies together..."

Kara goes on, relating many and more of the troubles she and Kenny had gotten up to in those days. She was careful to steer clear of his murder, and the bullying they'd both experienced. Lena needed distraction, not more heartache.

As she speaks, Lena hums occasionally, sometimes even giving a chuckle. When the sounds of her following along peters out, Kara pauses to listen if Lena notices the stop. When no reaction comes, Kara smiles to herself.

"Lena?" she asks softly. "Still there?"

No answer comes, but when Kara increases the volume on her phone, she can hear the steady inhale and exhale of sleep. Kara listens for a few heartbeats more.

"Sweet dreams, Lena."

[anisespice]

12:34am — manjiro sano

Honestly, he should’ve seen it coming.

As soon as they were situated in a secluded area of the quaint, little ramen bar they occasionally visited, there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that wouldn’t relent until it revealed itself. The next thing MIKEY knew, right after the server placed steaming food on the table and left the room, a gaggle of low-rate thugs came barreling in, guns drawn and aimed practically in his face with misplaced confidence. He didn’t even flinch, just set his chopsticks back down with a slow exhale through his nose.

“Can I at least eat a little before you try to kill me?” Mikey muttered, disinterested gaze briefly scanning over the opposition, sizing them up. Wack.

“Your last meal’s finna be this bullet, asshole. This what happens when you fuck with the Tokyo Vipers. We don’t care how tough you are, you’re gonna pay for what you did to Boss Nakashima!”

“Who?” Clearly, not the response they were looking for.

A stand-off commenced, his executives quick to pull out their own weapons, choosing a target with full intent to kill. The one guy focused on Mikey remained adamant to land one right between his eyes, resolve unshakable even with two or three guns aimed back at him. He’d give the idiots credit for boldness. Not everyday does the common thug grow the balls to try something with Bonten.

Unfortunately, they chose the wrong night to chase retribution.

“M-Manjiro…what’s happening?”

At the meek sound of your voice, he subtly reached for you under the table. You practically shook like a leaf, doe-eyes wide at the sight of a gun aimed at your lover with hands raised high as if you were also to blame—Definitely not the ‘simple night out’ you anticipated when he invited you to tag along. It was his own fault really, thinking simple was ever an option when it came to his reputation, not even for a night.

“A-Are they gonna kill us?” You cried, scooting closer to lean against his frame for more comfort. It made him relax a smidge, taking it as a good sign. “Please, j-just name your price, whatever the number, and it’s yours! You don’t have to do this-”

“Unless your money can bring back the dead, sweetheart, you can shove it up your ass!”

Mikey felt you jolt. Sparing you a side glance, his thumb caressed your thigh in small, reassuring circles. His poor baby, must be scared out of your mind. The blonde wanted nothing more than to shatter every bone in the bastards who put such an expression on your face.

“Let my girl step out. This doesn’t involve her.”

“The bitch stays. Want ‘er to watch you die.” The assailant hissed, thrusting the gun forward to bump against Mikey’s forehead.

His brow twitched in annoyance, grip around your thigh tightening ever so slightly as his mind filled with various ways to snap the guy’s arm without you bearing witness. The last thing Mikey wanted was you being afraid of him. You were a slice of normalcy in his chaotic life. Call him selfish, but he wanted you to stick around despite the ugly parts of it, hoping to hide it for as long as he could. Evidently, it was short-lived.

He knew he didn’t deserve it. You were too pure for a tainted soul like his, too soft for someone who’d been hardened by life, too—

“Bitch? ”

The whole room came to a halt.

All eyes had flicked over to you, uncertain if that bone-chilling tone came out of such a meek little thing, who not even seconds ago was visibly trembling. Now you were still as stone, delicate features no longer consumed by fear but contempt as you stared down the man with a slight tilt in your head. Even with tears clinging to your lashes, it was very unsettling.

You gave a hollowed chuckle. “Oh, you got me fucked up.”

The assailant blinked. “Wha-?”

“Shut up, let me tell you something,” you abruptly stood, nearly giving the Bonten men heart palpitations, fearing your next sudden move might be your last. Mikey, however, merely watched in stunned silence, hand that comforted you now hovering awkwardly as he blinked up at you. Jabbing a finger into the man’s chest, you hissed, “You can come up in here waving guns all you want, but I’ll be damned if some limped-dick, broke motherfucker calls me out my name.”

He gaped, then fixed his mouth to threaten you. “Sit your ass down before I make you regret ever meeting this scumbag, you little—”

With a quickness, you swing with a crisp thwack! to the side of his head. The room clamored about, even Mikey found himself blinking rapidly at not only your swiftness, but your audacity. With the opposition aiming their guns on you immediately, the executives instantly jetted their attention over to Mikey to gauge his reaction. He remained visual unnerved, save for the slight drop in his jaw.

“SHIT—FUCK,” the man yowled, stumbling back. With his ear ringing, vision blurring with tears, it was a wonder where you kept all that unbridled strength. Was this the same person who feared for their life not even moments ago? When he clumsily regained composure, he looked at you utterly stunned. “D—…Did you just fucking slap me? Have you lost your mind, you crazy—?!”

You raised your hand, making him flinch. “Say it again. I dare you.”

Flabbergasted. Shockandawe. Slightly aroused?

That was the consensus of every gun-wielder in the room, some more than others unable to mask the evident thrill from hearing such vulgar and venomous words drip from such a pretty mouth…Mikey being the first in line. Man’s still gawked with a glint in his eye that could only be described as carnal; since when had his kitten grown claws?

“GYAT.” Ran winced, then gave a snicker. That smack alone bounced off the walls, he just knew that had to smart. “Shake it off, buddy, shake it off.”

Sanzu, with a cackle, exclaimed, “Hit ‘em again!” earning a glare from the aggravated assailant, his gun now pointed at you and no longer on Mikey.

Kakucho grew anxious, the others just as on edge. If they didn’t take action soon, someone was bound to get trigger-happy. The situation was already unpredictable as is, but with your newfound attitude, things were sure to escalate fast. He gruffly voiced, “Boss, what’s our move?…Boss?”

Said blonde paid no kinds of attention.

Head void of any thought aside from your angelic form beneath the soft lighting standing your ground without an ounce of fear, one would think Mikey was in a trance. His bleak stare practically singed right through you, calculative as he watched your pristine facade unravel bit by bit—Such vicious words filled with vinegar and oil, a contrast to your usual peaches and cream, such discourtesy when you’re normally so well-mannered.

How long had you been hiding this side from him?

Mikey thought he had you figured out, from the moment you crossed paths he was certain he’d taint you, the walking cliche of a spoon-fed daddy’s girl who wouldn’t harm a fly, who dated bad boys just to feel something. But now? He wanted nothing more than to unravel you further, leaving you raw and exposed to reveal the devil horns you’d kept hidden behind a false halo.

And frankly, he wouldn’t mind an audience.

“Mikey.” Kakucho urged.

Said blonde hummed in acknowledgment, eyes lazily trailing off you and back at his number three, seemingly distracted. With a wordless exchange, he sighed. Just as things were getting interesting… Mikey reached up and gave the back of your thigh a tender squeeze. You turned to look at him, seething as you rebelled against his silent command. Oh, he’ll enjoy fucking that attitude out of you later.

“Sit down, [_____]. Think you’ve made your point.”

You sneered. “Like hell! My point’s been made when I have this dickhead crawling on his knees, begging for mercy—!”

Before you knew it, you’re grabbed by your thigh and pulled down into his lap. You yelped, arms instinctively shooting out to grab onto something until you landed with a small oof!

As you opened your mouth to protest, your breath hitched and the words catch in your throat at the cool feeling of Mikey’s gun now nudging against your clit through the lace of your underwear. A shutter ran through your body. Thankfully, your little display was enough cover for him to swiftly grab it from his side, playing it off as if he were restraining you.

He leaned in to speak low in your ear. “Cover your ears, baby.”

Goosebumps spread like wildfire across your skin, warmth simmering in the pit of your stomach from both frustration and excitement. Doing as you’re told, you pressed hands into your ears but kept your gaze on the offender in front of you. He was yelling about something, booming voice muffled but no doubt throwing out more threats. His group began to shrink within themselves once the severity of the situation caught up with them, and the odds no longer looked to be in their favor. You almost felt sorry for them; almost.

Before the poor bastard even knew what hit him, the smoking barrel of Mikey’s .45 was the last thing he saw before he hit the cold, hard floor with a hole in the center of his forehead. And just like that, bullets rained from every angle on your side of the room, bodies piling up one after the other until none were left standing. As quick as they came, there they went—Nothing more than stains on what was an originally calm evening.

Your heart pounded in your chest. Mikey could feel it elsewhere.

With his free hand having rested on your inner thigh, thumb dangerously close to where his pistol once was, he could feel a subtle pulse in your clit from the thrilling experience. While his men busied themselves cleaning up the scene, gathering corpses and making disposal arrangements, there was nothing left to distract him from prodding.

“It appears I’ve underestimated you. What other sides have you kept hidden from me, I wonder.” He said, tilting his head.

You whimpered as his thumb pressed against your throbbing little button, biting your lip before replying, “I-I just don’t like.. being talked to that way…”

Mikey hummed, nosing at your jaw. “My sweet girl. She got her feelings hurt, hm?”

It was hard to concentrate with him playing with you beneath the table in front of his subordinates, spreaking low and softly as he littered your sensitive spots with nips and warm kisses. With the little sanity you had left, you nodded. To your horror, you moaned quite loudly when he breached past your underwear to slip two fingers inside of you with ease thanks to your flooding arousal. But, you got over it the second he immediately curled them to hit that spongey area of your walls with a precision that nearly made you see stars.

“Your words, [_____]. You had a lot to say earlier, what happened?”

You gripped his forearm for dear life, jaw dropping as your legs subconsciously spread to give him better access. “Y-Yes!”

He cooed, arm flexing as he pushed his fingers deeper while his thumb stimulated your clit. Your back arched off his front, other hand reaching out to grip the table as you whined shamelessly at the ceiling. Neither of you paid any mind to where you were, or whomever watched, too caught up in the moment. Food had long gone cold and forgotten, bullet fragments scattered at your feet and blood splattered all on the walls. Even with his stomach growling angrily, all he could focus on was devouring you. “‘m sorry, baby. Let me make it all better.”

© 2024-2025 anisespice ッ all rights reserved.

likes, comments & reblogs much appreciated!

[dollfacefantasy]

pussy spanking with chris? 💗

yes because chris is like ideal for this. those big, thick hands. like please.

chris redfield x fem!reader

cw: nsfw (18+), smut, pussy spanking, dom/sub dynamics

Chris Redfield had never been an obsessive man. Throughout his life, he'd been across the world, bouncing from one place to the next with whatever agency he worked for at the time. He never put much thought or desire to hang onto one location or one way of working. He didn't let things fester like Leon or Jill did. Shit happened and it was bad, but then it was over and life went on.

The only thing that has ever really transfixed Chris Redfield is you. More specifically, the piece of heaven found between your thighs.

It was beautiful. He could never get enough of it. Sometimes it took him minutes to get to actually eating you out because he could just stare at it, watching his thumb slide up and down the velvet folds.

He loved how wet you got, the pretty color of your flesh, the heady scent that fogged his head up. He craved the taste and could lap at it for hours, long after you had been satisfied. Nothing else gratified him more than watching your hole eagerly suck in his cock. His thick length sinking into you and stretching you out fulfilled the most primal of his needs.

Simply put, your pussy is his prized possession. And that's why he doesn't take kindly to anyone else touching it. Including you.

It'd been a rule between the two of you for a while now, no touching yourself without permission. Normally, you loved it, the extra lack of control giving you a little thrill whenever you thought of it. But today, you were horny. You would've asked Chris, but he'd been on a work call for most of the day, something far less important in your lustful eyes. So you just tried to resolve things yourself. You were pretty sure you could finish before he came back, and he'd be none the wiser.

It's a lucky thing you aren't a gambler though because you were dead wrong about this little bet of yours.

Chris reentered the bedroom just as things were getting good for you, the very moment the flicks of your middle finger were becoming actually pleasurable rather than just tantalizing.

He didn't hesitate to drag you to the edge of the bed and sit down next to you. His muscular arm hooks under your knees and lifts them so that your legs are folded up to your chest. Your poor, dripping pussy is on display, exposed to him and the cool air of the bedroom.

He doesn't say anything at first. His stare remains on you during the silence, letting you bask in your mistake. He drags two fingers through your slick, feeling the level to which you worked yourself up.

"What do you think you were doing, baby?" he asks gruffly.

"None of your business," you say.

"But it is my business," he says, his fingers teasingly prodding at your entrance, "It's my business because you know the rules and you know you have to ask before you touch something that belongs to me."

"It's not my fault you abandoned me for your work," you pout in an attempt to wrangle out of this by guilt tripping.

"Abandoned?" he repeats with a chuckle, "You're so dramatic, honey."

The slap that follows is quick. It's light and lands right on your center. His fingers tap your lips and leave them stinging. You mewl in response and try to squirm, but his grip is strong.

"Try again," he commands.

"I was just playing with myself cause I was bored waiting for you. I didn't even cum," you huff.

Another smack lands. Again, it's on the puffy flesh of your cunt. The hit doesn't strike anything too sensitive, but it's enough pressure to tease the ache. You buck your hips more which draws a chuckle from him before he spanks you again.

"Let's hear it without the excuses this time," he chides.

You groan and tilt your head back dramatically, but that only earns you another fast slap to your cunt.

"I was being bad and breaking a rule," you whine finally.

"Good girl," he coos, "That's better."

His thick digits part your pudgy lips and slide against your swollen clit. The tip presses down and gives you some temporary relief for the throbbing. A pleasurable sigh leaves you as he begins working you back to the release that had been stolen from you.

"I understand why you'd wanna touch yourself, babydoll. I'd play with your pretty pussy every second of the day if I could," he says, "But the rule is the rule, and you know better. Next time you wait for me."

He slaps your cunt again but this time is actually hits your poor, sensitive bundle of nerves. You yelp, sharper than before and arch your back.

"We clear?" he asks, his face remaining unaffected.

"Mhm," you whimper and nod.

"Perfect," he says. His fingers return to toying with your little nub. "I know you like it better when I do it anyways, sweet girl."

[chuluoyi]

UNHOLY MATRIMONY — 06

✩°｡ ⋆ a longer dream

- fushiguro megumi x oc/reader - oc/reader's character name is hara sena, pronouns still refer to “you” and i won’t mention it often—just for the sake of aesthetic rather than repeatedly writing "y/n"

in another life, in which fate is still screwing his life over, Fushiguro Megumi finds himself in an arranged marriage―with you.

genre/warnings: arranged marriage au, mild angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, descriptions of aggressive behavior (hair pulling, hand stomping—but not to the reader)

notes: an early release! please believe me when i said that i really wanted to add megumi's reaction in the previous chapter. i cut it because it got too long already.

oh and with this i’m announcing that unholy matrimony will be on break next week to ensure the best experience :( chapter 7 will be posted on november 6, i promise.

listen to: i will stay with you - gummy :)

series masterlist | next. love unspoken

This can’t be right.

Megumi must have heard wrong.

It was barely seven in the morning, he had just woken up, and the first thing he heard was... you were asking for a what? Divorce?

"What, why?" he immediately snapped.

You kept your head low. "Because there's no reason for us to be together anymore. This whole thing―" you gestured to everything around you as you tried to contain your emotions, "―started just because I have no choice but to obey my father so that he wouldn’t take my mom as a hostage."

Honestly, Megumi didn't understand. Maybe his brain was lagging because it was meant to be a tranquil Sunday morning. But he couldn't make the heads or tails of whatever you were spouting now.

"Now that my mom is no longer in the picture," you continued, your voice steady and your eyes devoid of doubt. "He has no other means to control me. He can't have his way with me anymore."

"Hold on—" He was exasperated. Nothing's making sense. "This doesn't necessarily lead to divorce. Sena, what are you thinking?"

“I’m setting us free, Megumi,” you interjected, fixing a fierce gaze on him. “Neither of us wanted this in the first place. And now we can do it. Zen’in must have a better bride in mind for you, or you could also ditch them altogether. We can go our separate ways.”

How had it escalated into this? Weren’t the two of you just spent the night? How did you spew all of these so callously?

Megumi clenched his jaw. “No.”

"Why?!" Now it was your turn to express frustration. Honestly, you really thought he would agree. You had offered him his freedom on a silver platter—so why didn't he take it?

“You are not in the right state of mind,” he asserted, his gaze fixed at you squarely. “You haven’t thought this through. You can't make decisions solely based on your impulses, Sena.”

“I have thought this through, Megumi!”

“Clearly, you haven’t,” he retorted firmly. “If that’s the case, then tell me, should we get a divorce, what would you do?”

You fell into silence, unable to give an immediate response. “It’s—I will—”

“See?” he let out a scoff. “Is your life with me so unbearable that you’re considering a divorce?”

Your brain short-circuited, evidently and truthfully you didn’t think that far ahead. Your primary focus was to alleviate the guilt in your gut, and you believed that returning to where it all began would be better for both of you, especially him.

But was your life with him that miserable? “No.” You stiffened, biting your lower lip. You didn’t want him to think like that. Living with Megumi was far from horrible at all; in fact, it was quite the opposite.

“Then what brought this on?” he inquired once again. His tone remained calm, but it was clear that he was holding his simmering anger back. “We are perfectly fine. So what’s the deal? Give me a straightforward explanation and I’ll agree with you only if you can explain what you will do from then on.”

Why must he do this? Why did he have to be against it so much? It took everything out of you to keep your resolve from breaking.

Your heart couldn't help but soar when he opposed your idea of getting a divorce. You found yourself hoping for something more, with him.

“We are… not fine.” You ran out of arguments to convince him, as the thought of staying suddenly made more sense, against your better judgment. “I… you—you didn’t want to be married to me—”

“But now I do!” His voice rang through the apartment, leaving you momentarily speechless, trying to absorb his words.

Megumi was at his wits end. As surprising as it may seem, he had developed feelings for you, and perhaps now, those feelings had intensified into something more intense. He had these passing thoughts about how to express his feelings, and certainly this wasn't the scenario he had in mind. However, now that things had escalated to this point, he must get this across somehow.

“I know you’re having a hard time. Losing your mother isn’t something you can get over so easily—I get it. I understand that, Sena.”

Tears welled up in your eyes.

“But I promise you,” his unwavering gaze held you captive. “You are going to be fine. We are going to be fine. Forget how we started—we have made it this far regardless of that.”

Staying with you meant he would remain embroiled in the Zen'in's successor struggle, a reality he was fully aware of. But the idea of you leaving was simply inconceivable in his mind.

Now you were openly sobbing. You were happy. You knew it was still wrong, but you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him the whole truth—the binding vow with Gojo. You just can’t.

You had never hoped so bad for a wrong to become right before now.

"You have me," he declared, and Megumi's hand reached for your damp cheek, cradling it gently. When your teary eyes met his, he fondly caressed your cheek.

“I will stay with you.”

That was the breaking point. You lost the hold over your emotions. If you didn't know anything else, one thing was abundantly clear—you had lived for this very moment.

And when Fushiguro Megumi pulled you into a searing kiss, you knew that life as you had known it had come to an end.

Because from now on, through endless maze, fear and loneliness, you placed your trust in him to be by your side.

"Tsk."

Naoya clicked his tongue at the first hearing held at his own Zen'in estate. Most of the elders had gathered in the main hall, with him sitting at the front row. The next seat next to him was empty.

"Can't we just start?" he spat impatiently, glaring particularly at his uncle, Zen'in Ogi—the father of the Maki and Mai—who was the head of the council to determine the next successor of Zen'in clan.

His uncle simply regarded him with a stoic expression. "We'll commence when Fushiguro arrives here."

To be frank, Zen'in Ogi harbored a strong dislike for Naoya. Not only was this young upstart trying to seize the position of the clan head that could be his by the order of seniority, he was incredibly disrespectful too. Given the choice—which he had, anyway—he still preferred Fushiguro even though he was an outsider rather than this manic twat.

"If the bastard doesn't come then it's his loss," Naoya hissed through his teeth. "Why should we wait for him? What a waste of time."

An attendant suddenly went into the room to inform that Fushiguro Megumi couldn't attend as he had prior engagements. Naoya sneered upon hearing that. "See? Even he doesn't take this the least bit seriously."

Zen'in Ogi vowed to wipe that smirk off his face, even if it was the last thing he did. To him, Naoya's behavior and lack of decorum during his brother's funeral was a blatant insult to their proud clan, and there was no way he would let him rule at the top, even though he was his brother's own flesh and blood.

Hence why he took great delight in seeing the shock on his face when he announced that the majority of the votes had gone in favor of Fushiguro instead of him.

"This isn't the final decision, of course," he remarked, casting a glance at Naoya's seething anger. "We will hold two more hearings, and by then, you can still cast your vote for the candidates you favor."

What the actual fuck—

"I advise you to get your act together, Naoya," Ogi whispered to him as the crowd dispersed. "You're hardly demonstrating why we should choose you with your rather... ah, unbecoming behavior."

Naoya clenched both his jaw and fists as his uncle walked past him. The nerve of that rotting bastard!

No one seemed to respect him any longer in this place. It seemed like everyone had started to think he could be overthrown from his rightful place.

So be it then. He just had to make it clear that he was the one in charge.

And when he spotted one of the serving girls, whom he had observed had been following several elders, and even himself, for several days now, Naoya finally had enough and pursued her as she hastened her steps.

But he was naturally faster and grabbed her hair in an attempt to catch her, causing her to yelp.

“Master Naoya!” she cried. “P-Please let me go—!”

“Shut up, you wretch!” he snapped at her with such fury that the girl could only tremble in shock. He then forcibly dragged her by the hair toward the disciplinary pit, paying no heed to her cries and pleas for him to stop.

He flung her across the hard tiles, and the girl curled up in fear. "P-Please... spare me..." she pleaded, her voice trembling with terror.

With an air of dominance, Naoya gazed down at her, and then he ruthlessly stomped on her hand, causing her to scream in agony.

“S-Stop! It hurts!” she sobbed. “P-Please!”

He crouched down, still keeping her hand pinned beneath his shoe.

“I’m acting o-on orders!” she shouted amidst the tears. “M-My mistress is the one w-who told me to come h-here!”

Naoya's lips curled into a sneer as he released his grip on her and then firmly grasped the young girl's chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“Now, you fool, tell me everything.”

It was monumentally stupid. Megumi knew it, but couldn’t help but let his face burn in embarrassment regardless.

“Megumi.” You tilted your head to the side, eyes looking at him so innocently, yet hesitantly. “You want us to… uh, share one bedroom?”

The way you pronounced the word “share” was enough to drive him on edge. He knew it. You didn’t want it, but he wanted this, and yet he didn’t want to force you into it.

These three statements that negated each other made him want to crawl back to his room.

But as the saying goes, sometimes you have to fake it until you make it, right?

“Yeah, is there a problem with that?” And so faking his confidence it is.

“T-There is!” you hastily retaliated. “This is too sudden!”

“And what about it? Your bed is big enough for both of us. If not, then the one in my room it is.”

“But!” This inquiry was beyond you. Not that you were totally opposed, but this prompt change of situation left you reeling.

Okay, let us get it straight.

Confessing feelings to each other? Well, yeah, in practice, yes.

Marital status? Still wife and husband. Check.

And so, this was the cue for moving in together next, yes?

At least in the romance novels you read, yes. But quite literally, ever since Megumi’s dramatic declaration—that made you swoon amidst everything else, yes—the two of you found yourselves stuck in an awkward situation once again. He failed to look at you in the eye for two days straight after that, and now out of nowhere, asked you to share a room with him.

“Are you sure?” you asked, idly twirling a strand of your hair with your fingers.

“I am,” he replied instantly. "What's the issue here? We're married. We should have done this right from the start."

“Wouldn’t want you to burst from sheer embarrassment is all,” you quipped, successfully making him fidget. A smile tugged at your lips at his reaction.

"You could hardly even look at me," you added teasingly, and it seemed a vein on his face was on the verge of bursting.

“And you—”

You didn't have the opportunity to add more anecdotes to the list because suddenly your right arm was pulled, and before you could react, you found yourself cornered against the sofa.

"Well," Megumi's face was now inches from yours, his voice slow and laden with an indescribable intensity. His green eyes blinked, and suddenly, you found it hard to breathe. "Now, I'm looking at you, aren't I?"

What… is this situation? You could no longer think, and the only sound you heard was your uncontrollable heartbeats.

Even Megumi himself couldn’t keep the blush from creeping up on his face as he kept his hot gaze on you. When his cheeks began to feel as if they were sizzling and burning, much like the barbecue he had with Yuji the other night, he finally withdrew, moving away slowly. You took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, your heart still racing.

"Stupid, don't look so scared," he grumbled before tousling the top of your head, causing you to wince.

Now he had truly done it, hadn't he? He had made it glaringly obvious just how hopelessly infatuated he was, or at least he hoped he had conveyed it to you.

“I’m not scared…” You looked away shyly. “Megumi, you idiot.”

“Why am I the idiot? You’re the one being so clueless.”

In his eyes, you appeared so petite and vulnerable. The way you puckered your lips made him want to pin you to the wall.

It was unlike anything he had felt before. This urge to protect, make you happy, and ruin you at the same time was just too much.

But in the end, the first two always won.

"Okay, forget about it," he said afterwards, prompting you to look up. "We don't have to share a room if you're that uncomfortable about it."

“Uh, but—” now you were the one stammering. “No, it’s—okay…”

He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what you meant, so you took a gulp of breath, suppressing your embarrassment.

“Let’s sleep together from now on,” you declared. “In the same room, okay? I’m okay with it…”

“Really, you don’t have to—”

“I want to.”

A reminiscent of what he told you just two days ago. You couldn't forget how those three simple words made you feel, as if you were granted a fresh opportunity at life, despite the hardships you'd endured.

In the ensuing five seconds, you locked eyes and then erupted into a chorus of laughter.

“It’s so stupid, why is it so hard?” you sighed, smiling all the way. “We can’t be stuck at this stage forever.”

Megumi looked at your smile and, once again, tenderly placed his hand on your head.

“Yeah, we probably shouldn’t,” he muttered. “But even this is enough for me though.”

“What is?”

A gentle, weightless sensation filled his chest, a welcome relief after enduring two weeks of shared suffering. Seeing you no longer as tormented fueled his desire to to sustain that newfound happy expression on your face.

“Your smile,” he replied simply. “Just keep smiling. That’s all that matters.”

You swore you felt your heart leap out of your chest at his genuine words. But, damn you, you concealed your emotions the only way you knew how.

“Okay, so now you can’t deny it any longer,” you huffed in a playful condescending manner. “You’re positively smitten by me, correct, dear husband?”

A sheepish snort escaped from him. “Yeah, yeah, wife. I’m all yours.”

Megumi was eager to walk down this road with you from now on. It wouldn't be without its challenges, as there were still many things for you to tackle. Your mother’s murderer, Tsumiki’s curse, Zen’in’s mess. Through it all, he had you in his thoughts. And as for you...

You were content if this dream would last just a little bit longer.

next : love unspoken

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[pellucid-constellations]

angstober (3)

Prompt: "But I love you"

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

A/n: This takes place at the beginning of civil war :) ANGST!! I love angstober <3

You can also read my angstober drabbles here and here (if you wanna)!!

~~~

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

God, how things were supposed to be different. 

Bucky rummaged through a backpack he’d thrown in the corner of your apartment sometime last month. You hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now, you were left wondering just how many items he’d strewn about his life, a randomized placement of his belongings all ready for him if he needed to bolt. 

Would he take you, too? Were you not something he considered his? 

“Bucky, talk to me. What’s going on?” you tried. You’d already asked that same question in three different ways. After he’d barged through your door with his hoodie drawn up to his chin and his hat low on his forehead, you’d bombarded him with questions. He hadn’t answered any of them. 

And he was wearing gloves. He hadn’t worn gloves around you in a long time. 

“I can’t tell you. Can’t stay here.” 

You were grateful for a response this time, at least. You tracked him with your gaze as he zipped up his backpack and moved through your kitchen, removing pots and pans from your cabinet in a loud, clattering motion. He reached his arm in until his elbow disappeared within the wooden doors and then pulled it back out, a gun now firm in his grip. 

“When did you put that in there?” you startled, uncrossing your arms from your chest. You were still in your pajamas. Bucky had gone to get breakfast and left you in bed. And now he was leaving. 

“A while ago,” he responded, the words barely forming on his lips.

He was moving again before you could truly voice your bafflement, shrugging the bag over his shoulders and readjusting the straps. Panic surged through your chest and up your throat. He really was leaving. You knew he’d been running from something when you met all those months ago, but there had been nothing wrong when he left this morning. You made him feel safe. He wanted to stay with you. He’d told you that himself. 

You reached out a hand and he jolted at the contact, gaze shooting up to meet yours. Your eyes flickered between his own, desperation clear in your expression as you pleaded with him. “Don’t leave. Tell me what’s happened.” 

Your hand burned on his shoulder but you couldn’t remove it. 

He looked almost as ruined as you did, but there was something else behind his eyes. Determination, maybe? Resolve? 

“I can’t.”

It was the shortness that ultimately broke you. You heaved out a pained breath as your waterline filled, letting your hand drop. Your arm swung uselessly down to your side and you bit into your lip as your eyelashes gathered moisture.

Bucky’s stoic demeanor fractured, a tiny sliver showing you the man you’d come to know. The one you’d carved out from cold, hard stone. It had taken you weeks to get him to smile, even longer to get him to finally kiss you. When he spent the night for the first time, he was too stiff to hold you. But that was all different now. He was different now. 

He had told you he wanted to stay. That he wanted to keep you safe. 

You saw that part of Bucky as his lips twisted into an uncomfortable grimace, his arms reaching out to haul you into his chest. 

“C’mere,” he grunted out, chin resting on the crown of your head. “C’mere, honey, I’m sorry.” 

You cried into his chest, hiccuping as you asked, “Why are you leaving? I can come with you. I want to help you.” 

He shushed you, running gloved hands along the back of your head. “Can’t, baby. Where I’m headed isn’t safe. I’ve been real lucky for a while but that luck’s run out.” 

“Bucky, you can’t—” 

“I’m not good for you here. I need to keep you safe and I can’t do that while I’m being selfish. I’d give anything to bring you with me, but I won’t put you in danger.” 

You pressed your nose into his chest, willing the feel of him into your memory. You could hardly breathe like this, but that didn’t matter. When he left, when he was really and truly gone, you probably wouldn’t be able to breathe at all. 

Your hardwood floor creaked beneath your feet as Bucky stepped closer and burrowed you further into his body, his lips pressing hard against your forehead. You hated this apartment—this tiny, cloistered space in Romania. It would only serve as a reminder of him once he was gone. 

Maybe you would move. 

But would he be able to find you, once it was safe? Would he come looking? 

The thought made your chest constrict. What if he never came back? 

Bucky pulled back from you, taking your face into his palms. His face scrunched up in displeasure at the tears still glistening on your cheeks, and he tried to remedy them with the pad of his thumb. They kept coming, even when you’d stopped crying. 

“I have to go. Longer I stay here, the more danger you’re in.”

Your next words fell from your lips without hesitation, tears thick in your tone as you stressed, “But I love you.” 

Bucky froze, mouth parting. You’d said it with so much sadness, so much heaviness in the words he’d been aching to hear for so long. You hadn’t said them yet because you didn’t want to scare him off. 

But he was leaving now. There was nothing to lose. 

The kiss he pressed to your lips was hard and rushed and a breath left his nose with so much tension a low groan accompanied the action. His fingers were gripping your jaw and desperately trembling. His feet were slotted between yours and you tugged at his jacket to bring him closer, closer, closer. 

“That’s why I have to leave,” Bucky huffed out against your lips, eyes closed. He couldn’t watch as he left you. “I’m gonna find you again. Even if it’s in another life.” 

[muneca-lemon-steppa]

Stormy Weather

Alfie Solomons x F!Reader; angst/comfort/fluff

Trigger Warnings: major domestic issues, trauma response, things are resolved but hard, language

A/N: Hey my loves! So this one is… pretty hard core for me? I rarely write angst but this one has been on my mind for a bit. This does get pretty aggressive but I needed to process my own experiences with DV and relationship issues. This story isn’t meant to glorify or make light of DV, but rather it’s a way for me to process my fears about my future relationships after my bad one. I hope this made sense, and maybe someone could find some catharsis in this like I did. Love you all to bits and pieces, I’m trying to get to my inbox!! As always, feel free to send me prompts or requests. Love you all 💕- Mo

It had been tense recently in the Solomons house. The new men in the bakery were just above incompetent despite Shelby assurance. American prohibition put another twist in the binds. And the recent weather had done nothing to aid Alfie’s sciatica. Through no fault of your own, and despite your best efforts, Alfie was knee deep in angry old man territory.

Though that wasn’t something that put you off. Women are not so easily turned by nasty weather, for better or worse.

You weren’t naive to the tempest of your husband. The beauty of his heart and his mind had to paid for by torrential rains once a season. His roar never came to your quiet garden, though you were acquainted with his rumbles and thunder. But you knew how to temper it. You knew what brought him through it into the clear.

You hummed to the radio in the corner, settling your finishing touches to a soothing evening with your beast of a husband. Brisket was just pulled out, with carrots and potatoes buttery and tender. You had washed the sheets and blankets, pressed them with dried lavender and eucalyptus oil. Lamps were turned low, and the fire was a soothing crackle, the entire parlor a syrup sweet orange glow. Water was hot for a bath for two, and everything was set for a soft warm evening.

As you pour out your first glass of wine, you hear the front oak door swing open, and slam shut shaking the walls. Light on your feet you flew to the front, opening your arms as a harbor. “Alfie darling, get your coat off, I have dinner and wine all set for your already! Let’s get you warm!”

His eyes don’t even meet yours as he evades your soft arms.

You feel as though your body wilts. Completely crumbling under the weight of the dejection.

But maybe he didn’t see you! Maybe he just didn’t realize!! He works hard he probably just has to attend to something quickly.

Your bare feet flex against the frigid wood stairs, creaking under the weight of your trek. Your ears perked up to the rustling of the papers and slamming of drawers and rumble of his voice. Like a dragon arranging his lair.

You crack the heavy door, requiring all of your weight. Paper and ink were thrown around, drawers yanked crooked, and you see him take long swigs of the amber liquid in the crystal decanter. “Alfie? Darling you alright? Did something happen”

He does not even toss a glance, “nothing that concerns you. Close the door one your way out.”

The rolling thunder edges closer to the home, “Aren’t you going to come down and eat? I’ve made your favorite tonight.”

“Does it look like I care about dinner? I’m preoccupied at the moment and don’t need your yowling right now.”

A bright flash illuminates the room.

“Alfie I don’t know what’s wrong but you will not speak to me like this.”

“I’ll fucking speak to you how I fucking feel like! Now get the fuck out!”

The sky explodes. Shaking the paintings and photos on the walls. The mirror above the fireplace behind you shifts precariously. Your eyes shut but the sounds wash over you.

You don’t let the anger out of your chest very often. You pride yourself on keeping an even temper and offering a gentle hand in place of the rage. Especially when being with Alfie, your honeyed lips and temperament is what makes you the queen of Camden. There’s been so few people who have seen your rage, much less deserved to receive it.

“Get the fuck out you said?”

A slight chill runs down Alfie’s spine. “Yeah. Yeah I said get the fuck out. You deaf now?”

Another flash.

“Ok.”

Alfie hardly blinks before he suddenly sees glass hurdling towards his face. He just barely ducks before it shatters against the wall behind him.

“What the fuck!” He roars and thrashes.

To his shock, you pick up the glasses on his bar cart, throwing them with all your might at his head, one by one, with deadly aim.

“Get the fuck out eh Alfie! Get the fuck out!! I’ll get the fuck out! Maybe I’ll take you fucking with me!”

You make your way to the Faberge eggs on the shelf.

“Don’t you fucking dare sweetheart! There will be hell to pay if you touch those fucking eggs!”

“Oh we are well past that Alfie. You tell me to get the fuck out? I’m taking your fucking stuff!”

Three perfectly beautiful eggs are slammed against the fire with your husband roaring and punching the wall, “Enough damnit! Get the fuck out of my office! Get to the fucking room you fucking lunatic! I’ll lock you in the bedroom if you keep this up!”

“Oh I’d like to see you try! You call yourself a man! King of Camden! King of Camden so upset he curses out his woman! So mighty yet he can’t take care of his own home! You’re a fucking CHILD! A fraud!”

You grab at a cabinet and pull it down, slamming against the ground. The glass shattered. The tin type of your wedding surely shattered in the frame. In the moment of silence after the shatter, you don’t realize Alfie coming up behind you and lifting you in the air.

You scream and kick, trying to get away and out of his grasp. But he was immovable. A wall. All you hear was his grunts as you howled and cried. He wrenches the bedroom door open, throwing you onto your marriage bed. You scramble up the bed, reaching for the knife under your pillow.

Heaving breaths, Alfie puts his hands in surrender, “Treacle treacle please. Enough ok. No need to stick me. Let’s.. let’s talk.”

“You’ve already said anything you need to. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say you fucking-“

“Darling I was wrong. Ok. I shouldn’t have swore at you. Come on. Just… put it down. Let’s… let’s talk about this ok? Truce?”

You push the hair out of your eyes, wipe the tears off your face and put the knife on the night stand, far enough from either of you.

Alfie has never raised a hand towards you ever. He’d rather put the gun on himself than touch you. But old habits die hard.

You pull your feet under your night gown. Watching Alfie pull off his coat and shoes before sitting on the bed. The ancient frame creaking under his weight.

He reaches for your hand, but retracts when he sees your dark stare toward it. With a sigh he relents and decides to begin. It’s never good to be the starter of negotiations. “Darling. I am sorry for shouting at you. It wasn’t fair to you. The business doll… it does my head in. But. It doesn’t excuse shouting at you. Can you forgive me?”

You feel the heaviness slowly slipping away from your neck. You nod meekly, allowing your fingers to drift to his, weaving around his warm fingers.

Brushing the inside of your wrist, he continues, “Now darling. While I was in the wrong, you don’t normally start throwing shit around. Very unlike you it is. You want to explain what caused that? What’s going on in that pretty head?”

You shake your head no. It’s sitting on your tongue though it’s so bitter. You can’t bring yourself to spit out the poison.

“Oh come on darling. It’s just me. Nothing can put me off. You and me forever right?”

You nod, and reveal your feelings, even if it’s a slow trickle.

“I just… got so angry at you Alfie. I’ve been so lonely these past few months. You’ve been gone. Any time you say you’ll be home you’re not. I’m without you all the time. And when you are here, you’re not really. Your mind is still gone and I don’t have my husband. Just his body. And his words hurt me so much. And I thought, I thought tonight I could finally get you. I thought if I tried hard enough you would be happy and with me. Like we were. And then when I tried to help you and be your wife, you screamed at me. And it hurt me. So I wanted to hurt you and break things to make myself feel better. But it didn’t. It made me more angry and sad and…”

Your words were reduced to tears as your husband pulled you into his lap. Your tears soaked his neck and shirt, “Oh God Alfie I’m so sorry! That was wrong and I’m sorry! Alfie was please forgive me! I’ll never disturb you again! I’ll never throw anything ever again! Oh God Alfie can you forgive me!”

A gentle kiss to your forehead settles your fears, “Now my darling you know in your heart of hearts that we are bound for eternity. Nothing is taking us apart. Not even when we fight like demons. I’m yours and you’re mine. You and me… well we just need a little medicine yeah? Just need some help right now. You and me need to do a better job talking to each other and listening yeah?”

You can barely get words out as you nod. Cheeks hot and sticky. But it doesn’t stop Alfie from kissing your cheeks so tenderly. “My dove. My sweet dove. The business has been out of control but it’s finally settling down. I came home angry because of all the messes I’ve had to clean up. But I shouldn’t have taken it out on the one person I like. The one person I love. But it’s finally settled my pet.”

His thick hands tenderly touch your chin to bring your eyes to his, which are also wet with tears, “I promise to always tell you when I’m not doing ok. And if I can’t tell you then, I’ll make sure to tell you when I need a moment. You think you can promise your old man the same?”

“Yes… I promise.” You whisper

There is a slight twinkle that flies across his eyes, “Think you can seal it with a kiss?”

You throw yourself against him, and he catches you with a grunt. You hated to fight. You’d sooner walk into the ocean than be at odds with the love of your life. When you finally come up for air, Alfie whispers against your lips, “I’m staying home for the rest of the week. I’ll tell Ollie what he needs to do in the morning.”

Without moving a millimeter you say, “No you can’t darling. It’s your life I don’t want you to have to stay home if you can’t.”

“You’re my life treacle. Forever and all eternity you’re what matters. I’ve decided. I’m staying home. And come Saturday we go up to Margate.”

“Are you sure?”

“As sure as I am that you’re the only woman for me.”

He kisses you sweetly, and you whimper as you let yourself be further embraced by him. Barely moving from your lips he whispers, “Why don’t you start a bath darling? I’ll grab tea from downstairs and join you soon.”

“I made dinner… it’s on the stove for you.”

“I’ll bring a plate for us. You just… get comfortable for me treacle. I think we need some time.”

For the rest of the night… and the rest of the week. You spent time talking and embracing, coming back together and healing what had been fraying at the edge. Though mistakes were made, and there were deep wrongs, you both wanted to fix it, to heal.

Neither of you were perfect. You never would be. But there was love there, and determination to get through the wounds that lead to these kinds of mistakes. These moments were not ok, and they stemmed from deep seated traumas that were undealt with. But you both wanted this marriage. You both wanted each other. And you both would work everyday to make it work.

With every word.

With every caress.

With every kiss.

Things would heal.

[r0ttenhearts]

longing stare II

kazuha x situationship! ex! reader

warnings: angst, nsfw themes mentioned

pert one

“what happened, (y/n)?”

your palms began to sweat. she knew. but how? beidou’s glare bore into your nervous form as you let out a breath.

“how much do you know?” you asked quietly.

“i know something happened between you and kazuha. he doesn’t mention you anymore like he used to, not since he came back on the alcor. and once you left in such a rush i knew something happened between you two.”

shame burned your insides. your cheeks were heating up and you felt it, you felt it all too well. you were embarrassed, humiliated. kazuha was your ex, your ex who was loved by all. would she even believe you? she knew kazuha more personally than she knew you.

“you can trust me (y/n). if that boy wronged you, i’ll give him hell.”

you smiled softly at the fierceness in her voice. beidou was one of the good ones. so, you told her everything. from the alcohol to the disgusting warmth that spilled out of you once kazuha had his fill of you.

beidou held your hands in hers tightly as you finished retelling the events between you and the white haired samurai. tears of shame pricked your eyes but you blinked them away. you wouldn’t give him your tears. he had taken enough of you.

“we have to do something.” beidou finally murmured after what felt like ages.

you shook your head, “what’s done is done. i can’t face him again.”

beidou placed a firm hand on your shoulder, a kind warmth you hadn’t felt since before that day.

“i want to help you (y/n)). if you don’t get any closure i’m afraid this will eat you alive.” she spoke gently as if she was trying not to scare you.

beidou went on to make a plan to help ease the turmoil in your mind. rather than you speaking to kazuha, she would ask him what happened instead. if he admitted to it, then that would be your closure. closure that he knew he wronged you, that he felt some type of guilt.

because you had returned to the alcor before kazuha had returned from exploring the nearby city, you could easily find a place to hide and listen to the conversation beidou would be having with him.

beidou helped you to get below the shipdeck, the gaps between the wood creating enough space for you to be able to hear above. now was the hard part, waiting.

you sat under that deck for what felt like hours, until the familiar muffled steps of beidou and kazuha was heard.

you stood directly under the gaps, peering up at the red and black figures above. the both of them had bottles in their hands, a usual for them whenever they spoke privately.

“so, kazuha, i ran into (y/n) today. she seemed different, maybe you should talk to her?”

kazuha laughed gently, “about what exactly? i cannot help that girl.”

beidous expression stiffened. “well, i’ve seen how the both of you are with one another here. i thought you were close.”

kazuha shook his head, the bottle in his hand swaying with the shaking of his head. “i hardly know the girl. whatever troubles her, i’m sure it won’t be resolved with anything i could say to her.”

“nothing happened between you two? are you sure? you both seemed awfully close the last time she was here.”

“nothing happened between us. she is only a wandering girl, such as i.”

“hmm.” beidou hummed a response and bid goodnight to kazuha, turning on her heel and making her way down below the ship. she found you quietly sobbing on the floor, knees to your chest, hands over your face.

“i-it’s not fair, beidou! he used me! he used me. i’m ruined. i’m dirty and disgusting, i’m used up. i’m no good anymore.” you babbled out incoherently as beidou knelt down to hold your sobbing form.

“you’re none of those things, (y/n). don’t let him win. you’re so much more than that. you’re not what he did to you.” beidou whispered gently.

you no longer could utter another word, only a slight nod and sniffles were made from you as heizou helped you up and out of the bottom of the ship. you spent the night in her room, the comfort of her presence was more than enough for you.

from that day on you would avoid his gaze. for awhile, he’d stop you to present his latest haiku. but with a drastic lack of enthusiasm he no longer asked you what you thought. your blank stares and monotone voice had said enough.

but you never noticed his stares from across the ship when you were laughing and talking with the others. the grip on his sake bottle tightening with every laugh that escaped you.

taglist: @samarill @whorerificstuff @somatchajade @dearsumire @saeism @jaderose18 @0kauy @lelemnh @linkookie197 @xiaonscaraswife @reblog-crazily @sparklylanddetective @gh0sts0up @darliingyu @kenmabfasf @jihyuniepark @chiisananingen @just-anotherbookworm

[save-the-villainous-cat]

Hello cat, may i request a hero who's had a string of bad relationships and a villain who's absolutely in disbelief that that could happen. Like they're absolutely flabbergasted that multiple someones didn't like the hero.

Have a good day! Drink water and rest :>

With the villain's knife nearly digging into the hero's shoulder, they looked up at their enemy, panting and exhausted. They knew the villain loved the thrill, the damn sparring.

It was all a game to the villain, a funny and meaningless game when they toyed with the hero. They liked to watch them fight, loved to challenge them.

The villain seemed way more relaxed than the hero did, after all the hero had a bunch of responsibilities on their shoulders that had an actual weight. The hero was 90% sure the villain was some millionaire with too much time on their hands.

"Quite the intimate position, dear," the villain whispered. They winked and leaned down, making their knife press a little harder against the hero's shoulder. "You look lovely today, by the way."

"Your pick-up lines get worse, do you know that?" the hero asked. They tried to wiggle and somehow get away from their nemesis but it was to no use. The villain sat down on their hips and pressed them into the ground. Their smirk never faltered.

"Oh, come on. You love it."

"Just a little," the hero said. They were pretty sure all of this was a big joke. And even though that was true, even though the villain pretended to like them, the hero welcomed the effort.

It made them feel special. Especially when the villain got jealous.

"Don't tempt me," the villain said. However, their smirk fell when they saw the hero's sad smile. "What is it?"

"What? Nothing, nothing. Where were we? You wanted to stab me?" The pressure faded and the villain looked quite puzzled.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're the only interesting hero in this boring city. Would hate it if you actually fought me."

"I am actually fighting you."

"You're holding back, don't think I am that dumb, please."

The hero sighed. They supposed it wasn't a good idea to tell the villain what kind of troubles they got into when they weren't in costume. It wasn't smart to reveal that much of themselves, was it?

They took in another breath.

But wasn't that why they kept their identity a secret?

"...it's kind of pathetic," they said.

"I commit crimes to get your attention. That is pathetic," the villain joked and somewhere deep down, the hero felt more secure. It was strange how the villain could be such a stranger yet the person the hero was closest to.

"I'm just enjoying this more than I should. I'm not very good when it comes to personal relationships, so your efforts are really refreshing."

"You are not good with personal relationships? You with all your conflict-resolving talk and your words of encouragement and your helpful nature? You?"

"Yeah...can't seem to keep a partner."

"You're kidding. You've kept me for three years." The hero smiled. Whether it was intentional or not, the villain managed to calm their anxiousness.

"I guess I am too needy. Or too distant. Too pushy, I don't know. Maybe I am one of those people who doesn't end up with anyone." They shrugged and the irony of saying that while the villain was sitting on their hips only occurred to them later.

"Oh please, people must be throwing themselves at you. I mean, hello!?" The villain looked down the hero's entire body, suggesting that the hero was some kind of royal everyone drooled over. This time, the hero felt their cheeks burn.

"Ugh, stop it. You're so annoying." They pushed the villain's face away, partly because they wanted to touch them, partly because they didn't want the villain to see their glowing face. But the villain only looked amused.

"You're totally lovable," they said. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

With that they winked at the hero and disappeared into the night.

And the hero realised they had a terrible crush on their enemy.

[shitsndgiggs]

Hii!! Could you please write some fluff where reader is giving Cubarsi the silent treatment ? And maybe him finding that she is ticklish?

Thanks!

SILENT TREATMENT - PAU CUBARSÍ

Giving Pau the silent treatment

Pau Cubarsí x fem! reader

︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿

I’d been in a mood all afternoon, and Pau knew it. The reason was ridiculous, but that didn’t stop me from giving him the silent treatment.

He had eaten the last piece of my favorite chocolate, the one I had been saving for a long day.

It wasn’t just about the chocolate; it was the principle. He knew how much I loved that particular treat, and yet, there it was—gone.

Pau, clueless at first, had been trying to figure out why I was so quiet. He’d asked me about my day, commented on the weather, and even brought up plans for the weekend, but I had answered him with nothing but curt nods and mumbled responses.

Eventually, he realized something was off. “Cariño, why aren’t you talking to me?” he asked, leaning in close as we sat on the couch together.

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest and pointedly looking away. If he didn’t know, I wasn’t going to tell him.

He should have realized that eating my chocolate was a crime of the highest order.

Pau sighed, a mix of confusion and amusement crossing his face. “Did I do something wrong? Please tell me what it is, so I can fix it.”

I stayed silent, pretending to focus on the TV, though I wasn’t really watching it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him frown, clearly frustrated that I wasn’t responding.

But I was determined to hold my ground, at least for a little while longer.

After a few more minutes of silence, Pau decided to take a different approach. He scooted closer to me, his warm presence making it harder to maintain my resolve. Gently, he reached out and cupped my cheek, turning my face toward him.

“Please talk to me,” he murmured, his voice soft and coaxing. He leaned in and kissed my lips, a slow and tender kiss that usually melted away any annoyance I felt. But this time, I kept my lips stubbornly still, refusing to give in.

Pau pulled back slightly, a pout forming on his lips when he realized I wasn’t kissing him back. “Amor, come on. Don’t be mad at me.”

I stayed quiet, though it took all my willpower not to crack a smile at how adorable he looked, pouting like a puppy who’d just been scolded.

He tried kissing me again, a little more insistent this time, but I still didn’t respond.

His brows furrowed, and he pulled back completely, studying me with those big, soulful eyes of his. “This must be serious if you won’t even kiss me back.”

I rolled my eyes, but still said nothing. Pau huffed in defeat and slumped back on the couch beside me, but he wasn’t giving up yet. I could feel him thinking, strategizing his next move.

Then, an idea seemed to hit him. A mischievous grin spread across his face, and I suddenly felt very wary.

Before I could react, his fingers darted to my side, lightly tickling me. I yelped in surprise, the sudden attack breaking my carefully maintained silence. “Pau! Stop it!”

His grin widened as he realized he’d found my weakness. “Ah, so you are still alive! Come on, talk to me, or I might just keep going.”

I tried to twist away from him, but he was persistent, his fingers skillfully finding all the ticklish spots along my sides.

Laughter bubbled up uncontrollably, and despite my attempts to stay mad, I couldn’t help but giggle.

“Pau! Stop!” I pleaded, laughing so hard that tears sprang to my eyes.

“Not until you tell me why you’re mad,” he teased, continuing his relentless tickling.

“Okay, okay!” I gasped, finally giving in. “I’m mad because you ate my chocolate!”

Pau stopped tickling me, his hands resting on my sides as he looked at me with a mixture of surprise and amusement. “That’s what this is about? The chocolate?”

I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest again, though it was harder to keep up the act now that I’d been laughing. “Yes! I was saving it, and you just ate it without asking.”

Pau’s expression softened, and he leaned in to press a gentle kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry, amor. I didn’t realize it was that important to you. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

I sighed, feeling the last of my annoyance melt away. “You better. That was my favorite.”

He smiled, relief washing over his features. “I’ll get you more. I’ll buy you a whole box.”

“Good,” I said, finally letting him pull me into a proper hug.

As I rested my head against his chest, Pau kissed the top of my head, holding me close. “You know, you’re really cute when you’re mad. But I prefer it when you’re not giving me the silent treatment.”

I smiled, snuggling into him. “Well, then don’t eat my chocolate again, and we won’t have this problem.”

“Deal,” he said with a chuckle, squeezing me tighter.

[megantrancyfanfics]

Hello 👋! I was wondering if I could put in a request? If not, please ignore 😊

Giyu x wife!fem!reader

She finds out about Giyu agreeing to commit seppuku (if Nezuko fails) @ the meeting and confronts him about it at home. He didn't tell her about it and she's upset (I know I would be) they have an argument but then it gets resolved and NSFW/fluff etc follows. If its a lame request I get it I just love plot w/ some spice 😉

Thanks again! 💜💜💜

Ahh I love this!! Thank you for requesting this! I hope I don’t fail you, and I hope you enjoy this!

Warnings: NSFW and Fluff

Will contain: talks of wanting a baby, talks of Seppuku, this will be more of a loving nsfw that turns slightly tougher so it’s not gonna be toe curling like my others but here’s what it’ll contain just a little bit of 69, (cunnilingus and Fellatio). Nothing too major but still be 18+

Enjoy 💕

~~~~~~~~~~

“How stupid can you get?!” You screamed at him, your hair was a disheveled mess, your face and eyes puffy, dried tears stained your cheeks. Your husband, giyuu had just returned home from a mission.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“How long were you going to wait until you told me what you’ve done!? Were you even going to tell me at all!? How could you!? And to think I had to learn from Sanemi out of all people!”

Your poor husband stood in the doorway of your shared home, a lost and concerned look plastered on his face.

“You’re willing to throw your whole life away over some- some demon you don’t even really know! Giyuu she’s a demon! They’re monsters! They can’t be trusted! I can’t believe what you did..” your chin started to tremble, a lump caught in your throat as you tried to continue to lecture him.

“I wanted to have a family with you, giyuu. I wanted to grow old with you, I wanted us to be together until we both died, and you’re willing to throw your life away..do I mean anything to you? Is this whole marriage one sided!?”

His heart tightened. Seeing you so distraught hurt him. “Y/n..I did what I did because I know nezuko won’t hurt another human. That day, when I ran into them on that mountain, she never tried to harm her brother, even though he was bleeding, she never dared to go near him in a vicious way. I’m not throwing my life away for nothing, I will grow old with you, I will be by your side until we die, because I won’t have to commit Seppuku.”

“But you don’t know 100% Giyuu!!” Your knees started to buckle as the flood gates finally opened, snot, and tears started to coat your face. Before you could fall, giyuu was quick to get to you, and hold you up.

“I love you so much giyuu it fucking hurts, it hurts so bad. And the fact you never told me about this hurts even more. What else are you hiding from me giyuu??”

Giyuu was quiet, he allowed you to scream and cry until you felt content. It’s the least he could do for not telling you about that. In his defense, when he told the master, he just started talking to you. But, he sees where you’re coming from, if you did something like that he would want to know so he could treat everyday with you like it was your last.

When you finally dialed down, giyuu finally spoke.

“…I want to have a baby too.”

“..what..?” You choked out, as you wiped your nose on the sleeve of your haori.

“You asked me if there was something else I was hiding from you. And the truth is, I want a baby too. I’ve wanted one for years..I just..didn’t want to bring it up so you didn’t feel pressure into having one.”

“Really..?”

A quick, and quiet yes was his response before putting a finger under your chin, lifting you slightly before capturing your lips with his.

It was a slow and sensual kiss, that didn’t last long, but had you wanting more.

“Why waste anymore time? We both want one, would you like to try for one?”

You nodded, butterflies quickly making their way into your stomach as he took your hand in his, and headed to the bedroom.

~~~~

It didn’t take much for the two of you to get into the mood, and before long, the room was filled with sounds of both of your groans and moans. His tongue exploring the inside of your pussy, making you slowly and gently ride his face. He enjoyed it. He enjoyed the idea of you getting off on just his tongue. He loved hearing your muffled gasp when his tongue would abuse your clit. He loved feeling when he did that of your legs quivering just a bit. But god did he love the feeling of your tongue abusing his tip. He loved the way you’d swirl your tongue around his tip, before taking him almost all the way inside your mouth. Your mouth was so small compared to the girth of his cock. He adored feeling you try to take more of him in, your throat clamping down as you gagged. The feeling of his cock getting wetter when you pulled up to spit on it. He had to constantly keep focusing on pleasuring you so he wouldn’t bust right then and there.

“M-more please..” you begged, your once gentle movements on his tongue becoming more desperate, your attention now fully on the climax that was building up inside of you, and what kind of man would he be to deny you? He spread your lips before devouring your cunt again, his tongue going as deep as it could. Your moans became higher pitched as you coated is face in your cum. He allowed you to ride out your high before he pushed you forward, your ass up in the air.

“Are you sure you want this?” He asked, rubbing his slobbered covered cock against your folds.

“Please, I want a baby so bad. I want your cock so bad”

He slowly slid his cock into your went folds, both of you letting out a moan. Your pussy was being spread out in the most delicious way. You felt full by the time he bottomed out inside of you.

His thrusts were slow and sensual, but with his cock being so thick he rubbed all of the right spots inside of you, making your legs shake in no time. Your pussy was clamping down onto his, causing his cock to twitch inside you.

“Are you close, darling?”

You nodded, his thrusts becoming a bit faster and less timed as both of your highs washed over you quicker than both of you would like to have admitted.

Your body felt warm as his cum leaked inside of you, causing you to shiver.

“You’re doing so good for me, are you tired?” He asked leaning down, and littering your back with kisses.

“A little.”

“You can handle one more round can’t you baby? I’ve missed you so much and I wanna make sure I put a baby in you, so I wanna use you just one more time to make sure in a few months you’ll be walking around with a swollen belly.”

Your pussy fluttered around his cock, making him let out a quick chuckle. “You liked hearing that? Does that turn you on?” He slid his cock out until just the tip was still inside, before he quickly shoved his cock back inside of you, causing your legs to shake.

“Are you sensitive doll? I’m sorry. Maybe you’ll cum more than twice tonight.” He says before placing his hands on your hips, his grip tight enough to leave bruises.

His thrusts were quicker, rougher, and deeper than before, you were fearful you’d leak out some of his cum, but your brain was turning to mush with every thrust. Your pussy tightened around him once more, but he didn’t dare slow down, if anything it made him speed up more. He wanted to see a mixture of his cum and yours drip out of you. He was determined to see it. Besides, if some of his cum did leak out, and you didn’t get pregnant, he’ll make sure to try again and again until you were.

Your moans filled the room, your hips had started moving on their own, trying to match the pace of his to quicken your release. You were close, so close. Your vision was blurred as you saw stars once giyuu moved a hand from your hip to your clit to give you some extra stimulation.

Your high was quick to wash over you, but giyuu didn’t slow down, you became overstimulated, creaming on his cock as his high started to bubble up inside him.

“I’m going to make sure you’re filled to the brim with my cum. I’m going to pump you so full of my cum that it’s gonna drip out of you.”

“Please, I want that so bad please please please”

New kink unlocked: he loved hearing you beg, it had him biting his lip as his hips stuttered, his cum coming out in thick long ropes inside of you.

The both of you took a few minutes to catch your breaths, giyuu couldn’t help but look down, to see your creamy cunt drip just a little bit of his cum onto the bed.

“There’s no way I’m not pregnant..I feel so full.” You said softly, giyuu’s cheeks getting red as he pictured you holding their future kid. His heart felt like it melted. He slowly pulled out his cock, and helped you get under the covers. He made sure you were covered before holding you close to him.

Maybe it was post nut, or maybe giyuu was just speaking from the heart, but he went on and on about how pretty you’d look carrying his kid, and how he was excited to come home from missions or training to you singing, or talking to the baby.

Both of you can only hope there is a little baby that was made that night.

[crimsonstonetranslations]

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo Another Files - The Lamenting Doll - file 02

Shinrei Tantei Yakumo novel translation

Another Files - The Lamenting Doll ( file 01 )

file 02 - shadow of the departed

-

1 -

The window wiper moved nonstop. Despite that, large droplets of rain fell onto the freshly wiped surface and continued to wet the windshield. It almost felt like they were underwater.

The sound of raindrops violently hitting against the roof of the car irritated him. Although Gotou had started the car, he couldn’t even leave the parking spot where they had stopped due to the overwhelming downpour.

“This rain is just the worst,” he grumbled as he glared across the windshield. “If you have time to complain, you should figure out something else to do,” said Yakumo, sitting in the back seat.

He leaned against the seat and yawned nonchalantly whilst messing with his dishevelled hair. “Even if you tell me to do something...” Gotou shrugged in earnest.

Earlier, they had heard news through the radio that the Chuo expressway had been closed due to a landslide. From their current location in Yamanashi, Tokyo was roughly a hundred and thirty kilometres away.

Not an impossible distance to travel through the regular road, but it would take them longer than usual to drive amidst this pouring rain, and most importantly, the roads in this mountain were steep. Making the wrong move would only make matters worse for them. “Good grief. What a useless bear, only good for being large,” said Yakumo, mocking him.

“My bad for being useless. Besides, you’re the one responsible for this entire situation,” Gotou replied loudly until his voice echoed throughout the car. Even so, Yakumo maintained an innocent look. Instead, Haruka, who had been sitting next to him, jolted. Gotou seemed to have startled her.

He felt guilty towards Haruka, but Gotou couldn’t help complaining. They were rendered helpless in this rainstorm because of Yakumo. Besides, he was no comic book superhero. No way he had a method to stop the landslide.

Yet Yakumo spoke as if everything had been Gotou’s fault. It would’ve been strange for Gotou to not be irritated instead. “For your information, I wasn’t the one who led us into this situation,” said Yakumo, throwing a cold look towards Isshin, sitting on the front passenger seat.

Isshin’s age wasn’t too far from Gotou, yet how he donned monk robes, with a dignified expression like that of a Buddha’s, combined with the way he carried himself, made him appear more senior. He was great at taking care of others and couldn’t sit still upon witnessing those in trouble.

In the first place, everything had started because Isshin hadn’t been able to refuse the request to resolve a spiritual phenomenon at the sake factory acquainted with one of the families supporting the temple, so he had to ask for help from Yakumo. Regardless, the person with the idea to use Gotou as a driver had been none other than Yakumo.

“You’re the one who got me involved even though I had nothing to do with this!” threatened Gotou, turning towards the back seat. Such threats did nothing to shake Yakumo, who simply responded, “To think you could say something like that.”

“Ha?” “Who was it again that’s been involving an unrelated university student into all sorts of cases, countless times?”

Having that brought up was a critical hit. All this time, Gotou had been relying on Yakumo’s abilities, bringing in a variety of cases to get his assistance.

While Haruka had been the one who had brought more cases to him recently, that didn’t change the fact that Gotou himself had involved Yakumo in a number of cases. “Aah, fine. I was the one at fault.”

“Good thing you understood,” said Yakumo nonchalantly. Gotou felt like beating him, but Isshin interrupted.

“There’s a hotel about five kilometres ahead. Let’s try asking if they have any vacant rooms,” Isshin suggested as he looked at his phone. “Riverside Fuji Hotel that’s next to the Kamanashi river, right?” said Haruka, who was also staring at her phone.

Apparently she had come across the same hotel as Isshin after making a search. Saying this and that wouldn’t improve their situation.

“Anyway, let’s try heading there—” After receiving the hotel’s address from Isshin, Gotou entered it into the car navigation before starting the car.

- 2

- Upon alighting the car, Haruka was immediately struck by pouring rain.

She had known how heavy the rain was ever since she had been inside the car, but after exiting, it was worse than she had imagined, her hair was soaked instantly. “Waah,” she exclaimed whilst running into the hotel lobby.

Despite it only being a few metres away, not just her hair, her blouse was also drenched and even the insides of her shoes were wet from stepping in a puddle. “How awful,”

Even after wiping the droplets from her hair and blouse, the wetness wouldn’t go away. Gotou and Isshin were drenched as well, but they didn’t appear to pay any mind and directly walked towards the front desk.

Haruka turned towards the side to see Yakumo, shaking his head like a dog to get rid of the water clinging to his hair. Yakumo’s bed head was a trademark of his, but now that his hair was all flat and stuck together, it gave a different impression than usual.

This is not bad. “What are you looking at?” asked Yakumo, lifting his left eyebrow.

“I-I’m not looking at anything in particular…” Haruka hurriedly averted her eyes.

Her face started burning, feeling as if her heart’s contents were exposed.  “This hotel seems rather old...” said Yakumo, casting his gaze throughout the hotel lobby as if he had lost interest with Haruka.

“Is that so?” Haruka responded in disbelief, but upon closer inspection, the hotel did look old. The hotel’s interior walls were white, with brownish red carpet. As Yakumo had said, the hotel appeared to have been established for a long time.

“Furthermore, it’s dark,” commented Yakumo as he lifted his gaze. Now that he mentioned it, that was probably true. The ceiling was like an atrium that extended to the second floor, which normally would’ve given the feel of an open space. Yet for some reason, it felt dark and gloomy here.

Even so, it might’ve felt that way partly due to the constant downpour outside. Rather than the hotel’s age, Haruka was more curious about how few employees there were in this hotel. There was but a single young man employed at the front desk speaking with Gotou and Isshin; beside that there was no other people in sight that could be a hotel employee.

The lobby was quiet and felt deserted. “That’s...” mumbled Yakumo as he stared in the direction of the front desk.

What is it? Haruka turned to look, finding Gotou and Isshin discussing something with the employee at the front desk.

Could it be that they weren’t able to get a room? Not long afterwards, Gotou and Isshin approached Yakumo and Haruka.

“Are there rooms available?” asked Haruka to the two men, though she already suspected the reply. The two simultaneously made a difficult face.

“There is, but there’s only one twin room that’s vacant,” said Isshin, rubbing his bald head troublingly. “One room…?”

“Well, if we’re all guys, we could’ve just squeezed in to fit into the two beds, but that’s not the case, right,” said Gotou, glancing at Haruka. I see.

Honestly, Haruka wasn’t too keen on having four people in one room either. Not that she was wary towards Isshin or Gotou. As a woman, there were things that she wouldn’t want to show.

But she couldn’t act picky in this situation. Rather than sleeping in the car, squeezing to sleep in a cramped room was still the better choice. Since she was drenched, she wanted to take a shower as well.

“It’s fine even if we’re in the same room,” said Haruka, making Isshin and Gotou look at each other in response. After a brief silence, Gotou grinned. “Even if Haruka-chan doesn’t mind, it’d be bad if something happens, right?”

“Don’t worry. I trust that Gotou-san nor Isshin-san aren’t the kind of person to do anything strange.” “No doubt about us, but we don’t know for sure about him,” said Gotou with an implied gesture as he peered towards Yakumo.

Feeling Gotou’s stare on him, Yakumo’s eyebrow twitched and he exhaled a long sigh. “Don’t tell me Gotou-san thinks I’m going to do something?” he said, glancing at Gotou.

“Precisely,” said Gotou in reply, riling him. “I have the right to choose as well. Whatever happens, I’m not touching that troublemaker,” said Yakumo, sounding fed up.

Even though he meant to refute Gotou’s accusation, it really pained Haruka to hear that. Yeah, I am in fact a troublemaker! Besides, I also have the right to choose!

While Haruka cursed in her thoughts, the young employee at the front desk ran in their direction. Seeing him up close, his face didn’t look dependable at all.

The nametag he wore said ‘Oohori’, and above his name the word ‘trainee’ was printed.  Well, if he were still under training, it wasn’t surprising for him to not seem dependable.

Despite that, to think that they would make a trainee tend to the front desk alone—this hotel seemed to be more understaffed than Haruka had imagined. “Um...” Oohori greeted hesitantly.

“What?” asked Gotou. Oohori appeared to stutter briefly, but he immediately cleared his throat and said, “My deepest apologies. Upon checking again, there’s also a single room available...if you wish, I could get the room prepared.”

“Thank goodness,” said Isshin in relief. “We’re in luck. With this, we have one problem settled,” said Gotou in agreement.

Haruka stroked her chest in relief as well. Yet for some reason, Yakumo’s expression appeared complicated.

“What’s wrong?” asked Haruka. Running a hand through his hair to get rid of the water, Yakumo mumbled, “Something’s off.”

“What is?” “If I could put it into words, I would’ve said it already.”

Well, that’s true. “If it’s bothering you that much, feel free to stay in the same room as Haruka-chan,” Gotou chimed in with a grin.

“Who said I wanted that?” Yakumo glared at Gotou. “Oh, pissed off, are you?”

“Not really.” “Just be honest.”

“Please stop talking like I’m some kind of deviant. I’m not so starved that I’ll go for any woman whoever they are.” “Enough already,” Haruka spontaneously interrupted.

Perhaps to Yakumo, he was merely getting back at Gotou’s mockery. But to Haruka, it hurt to hear Yakumo say such things. She couldn’t stand being dragged into their unproductive conversation any longer.

After checking in and receiving their keys, they proceeded to board the elevator. The room keys weren’t the keycard type, but were instead cylinder shaped old keys with a plate of the room number.

Yakumo and the rest were on the third floor, room 301. Haruka was one floor above them on the fourth floor, room 404. The elevator door opened at the third floor and Yakumo, Isshin, as well as Gotou stepped out.

“Have a good rest,” said Isshin, waving his hand with a friendly smile. Haruka nodded, “Yes,” before pressing the close button on the elevator.

Right before the door closed, Yakumo suddenly shoved his arm to halt the door. The elevator door creaked and opened once again. “What’s wrong?” asked Haruka.

Yakumo stared at her with a serious expression. “Once you’re in the room, check places like underneath the bed, inside the closet, and the bathroom cupboard. If there are any picture frames, check behind it as well.” “Why?”

Haruka didn’t feel that she needed to go out of her way to do those things. “Just in case.”

“Hence, in case of what I have to check them?” “In case you find something that looks like a talisman pasted, let me know immediately.”

“T-talisman?” “At hotels, they tend to put talismans in places that are hard to see inside rooms that have ghosts.”

“Eh?” What’s the meaning of that?

Haruka wanted to confirm, but the elevator door had closed before she had the chance to ask. Hearing the sound of the pulley being pulled upwards made her realise how serious the situation was.

Yakumo’s words earlier signified the possibility that a ghost may be present in this hotel. Perhaps Yakumo had already seen something back in the lobby. In that case—

While she was deep in her thoughts, the elevator arrived at the fourth floor and the door opened. The corridor that extended straight ahead felt awfully long. She was aware that the glum atmosphere could be attributed to the heavy rain, yet it was terrifying regardless.

Don’t worry about it. Although she tried to tell herself that, Haruka wasn’t able to make a single step from the elevator. If she were to encounter a ghost while all alone, screaming wouldn’t solve anything.

Thinking that, without her realising, the elevator door began to close again. Haruka hurriedly slipped through the gap in the door, exiting the elevator.

With its doors closed, the elevator descended to the lower floors. She shouldn’t have forced herself to alight at the fourth floor. She could’ve returned to the third floor and asked Yakumo to inspect the room together at least. That way, perhaps she would have a better peace of mind.

But if she were to do that, Gotou would probably let the two of them be by themselves on purpose. That wouldn’t be so bad—no, that would be impossible.

Not that she disliked Yakumo, but her heart wasn’t prepared. Wait, if that were the case, that would mean she’d be okay with it so long as her heart was prepared. Haruka changed her mood and walked towards room 404.

As soon as she reached the room, she would inspect the entire room and as Yakumo had instructed, contact him immediately if she discovered a talisman or the like. Haruka convinced herself as she stood in front of the room she would be staying in.

It’s still scary after all. Why did Yakumo had to say it at the last minute like that? She felt like she’d be able to sleep peacefully if only Yakumo hadn’t said anything.

No use even thinking about it. Haruka prepared her heart before inserting the key into the keyhole.

- 3

- Once they had entered the hotel room, Gotou immediately let out a long sigh.

It was a simple room with two beds and a sofa, but at the very least he could breathe easy now. Today had been a long one.

He never would have thought he’d come all the way to Yamanashi Prefecture and had no choice but to spend the night here. All because of Yakumo.

He had a mountain of complaints, but if he were to say it aloud, Gotou was certain he would be retaliated with insults a hundredfold. Besides, their situation wouldn’t change even if he were to complain. Rather than that—

“Is it really alright?” he asked Yakumo, who was already sitting on the sofa. “About what?”

Yakumo’s expression was showing clear suspicion. “About Haruka-chan.”

“What about her?” “Earlier you spoke as if a ghost would appear,” urged Gotou.

“Oh, that,” Yakumo answered listlessly. “I never said a ghost would appear.” “That was what you said.”

“No. I only sensed something was off, so as a precaution, I asked her to do an inspection.” Now that he mentioned it, that was true. Yakumo never said a word implying that a ghost was present, just that—

“What was it that was bothering you?” “If I knew, I would’ve explained it already. As I said before, it was just a precaution—”

“If you say something like that, Haruka-chan would get scared.” “She’s not going to get scared over just that,” said Yakumo with a shrug.

That may be true. Haruka had resolved a number of cases with Yakumo thus far. She had experienced so many spiritual phenomena that she’d gotten sick of it, not to mention having seen crime scenes more terrifying than a typical police detective would.

Even if a ghost were to appear, she might get scared, but surely she’d be able to handle it calmly without panicking. Haruka used to be a frail woman who could only cry, but humans could grow stronger with time.

“Well, you’re right.” “Gotou-san, instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself instead.”

“Ha?” “Perhaps a ghost might appear in this room instead—is what I’m saying.”

“W-what?” Gotou frantically walked all over the room to check below the bed and inside the closet. Witnessing Gotou’s antics, Isshin complained, “What a busy man,”

It was impossible for him to stay still. There might be a ghost in this room. “If you have time to complain, come help out as well,” urged Gotou. “That isn’t necessary,” Isshin replied with a calm look on his face.

“Why not?” “There are no ghosts in this room. Right, Yakumo?”

The moment Isshin threw the conversation at Yakumo, the man simply extended his arms in a joking manner. Seeing that made Gotou understood.

If there really was a ghost in this room, they wouldn’t have to go into all the trouble of searching for a talisman as Yakumo’s left eye should be able to see it. To think he hadn’t realised something as simple as that; perhaps that was the very evidence that Gotou was the scared one.

“Dammit...” Gotou grumbled, landing his bottom on the bed right as their room door was knocked. Isshin replied, “One moment,” whilst moving to answer the door.

The employee named Oohori, who had been in the front desk previously, stood there while holding a folding mattress and a fitted sheet. “I’ve come to prepare the bed,” Oohori said politely.

“Ah, please do.” Isshin ushered Oohori into the room.

“Excuse me. I need to use the sofa, is that alright?” said Oohori. Yakumo then stood up to make room. After temporarily placing the mattress and fitted sheet on the bed, Oohori began working with the sofa. Apparently the sofa could be turned into a bed, such that the once twin room could have one more bed for a third person.

“Are there no other hotel employees around?” Yakumo asked Oohori, who was doing his work. Unlike his typically rude and roundabout manner of speech, Yakumo sounded very polite.

“It’s just me alone at the moment,” replied Oohori with a bitter laugh. He appeared to be holding back in front of guests, despite actually wanting to air his grievances.

“Are you always by yourself?” asked Yakumo again. “Not always. But today everyone’s out because of something, so I’m by myself...”

“Aren’t the rooms fully occupied? Must be tough if there’s no one else to lend a hand.” “A majority of the rooms aren’t usable as they’re under renovation. Only two groups of guests had booked a reservation, so I thought it’d be fine, but…”

Oohori stopped his hand momentarily and his face turned sour once again. It appeared that Oohori, who was still under training, had been entrusted with running the hotel since the number of usable rooms had been limited, but then Gotou and the others had suddenly arrived.

“Since the situation became like this, they said they’ll come to help, so I believe your stay here wouldn't be impacted.” As Oohori finished setting up the bed, now drenched in sweat, he spoke, “If you’ll excuse me—” as he was about to leave the room.

At that moment, Yakumo called out to stop him. “Do you need something?” Oohori turned around, still holding the doorknob.

“Pardon, but do you have any children, Oohori-san?” Oohori was stunned upon hearing Yakumo’s sudden question. “No. I’m still a bachelor…”

“I see. Sorry about that.” “Then, excuse me—”

Yakumo stopped Oohori from leaving once again. “One more thing. Have you ever heard any rumours of a ghost appearing in this hotel?“

“A ghost…?” Oohori was flabbergasted over all the questions directed at him. Well, anyone would’ve had the same reaction if they were interrogated like that.

Yakumo waited for an answer, staring straight at Oohori. Oohori appeared confused for a moment, but eventually replied, “I’ve never heard of such rumours even once.”

“I see. My apologies for asking all these questions,” said Yakumo, bowing politely. Oohori responded, “Not at all—” before leaving the room.

“Oi, Yakumo. Why were you insisting about a ghost earlier?” said Gotou after waiting for the door to close. He had mentioned that something had been bothering him, but from the way he had spoken to Oohori earlier, he now seemed certain about it.

“I know now what’s been bothering me,” said Yakumo as he brushed his bangs upwards. “What?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo placed his index finger between his eyebrows. “When we entered this hotel, I saw someone’s figure entering the area behind the front desk,” he said calmly. “What about it?”

That didn’t sound particularly strange. Gotou had seen an entrance to and from the area behind the front desk that had been covered with a curtain. Perhaps an office space was behind there. It would be normal for employees to enter and exit to and from that office.

“Do you still not realise?” “Ha?”

“Earlier, Oohori-san said he was all alone.” As soon as Gotou understood what Yakumo was trying to say, his body began to shiver.

Come to think of it, when he had been talking to Oohori at the front desk, he hadn’t seen anyone entering the area behind the front desk. In other words, that person had only been visible to Yakumo. 

And they had been none other than a ghost. -

4 -

“Huh?” Haruka exclaimed spontaneously. She had managed to insert the key into the keyhole and unlocked it. Yet somehow the door itself wouldn’t open.

No matter how much she pushed or pulled, the door refused to budge. As she deliberated calling the front desk employee, for the final time, Haruka attempted to push the door whilst putting her body weight onto her shoulder.

The door opened with a creaking sound. As it turned out, the door frame didn’t seem to fit properly. Like this, she would have trouble entering and leaving the room. Haruka decided to contact the front desk later on.

Thank goodness. She entered the room feeling relieved. The next second however, Haruka spontaneously halted her steps.

This room was incredibly dark. The further it was from the door, the darkness became more intense, to the point that the furthest part of the room appeared to be painted with black ink. “What’s with this room…?”

Haruka wavered at first, but she soon discovered the cause. The windows inside the room were entirely covered by blackout curtains. Typically when a guest first checked in to their hotel room, the blackout curtains would be left open. Someone seemed to have left it closed.

Haruka released her hand from the door and began stepping further into the room. Walking in as the door closed with a thud, the room became enveloped in darkness.

She fumbled around for the curtains and opened them. Due to the rain, you couldn’t exactly call the room bright, but she could at least see the state of the room.

She wouldn’t have to go through this trouble, had she turned on the lights first earlier. Embarrassed by her poor technique, Haruka walked towards the bathroom. First of all, she needed to dry her wet hair. Otherwise, she would catch a cold.

The bathroom was in the same room as the toilet, similar to that of one person apartments. Perhaps because it hadn’t been used in a long time, the washbasin and the toilet lid was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Well, not that she could complain. “Towel, towel...”

She tried looking for them, but didn’t find any.  Perhaps it could be in the bedroom?

Haruka exited the bathroom and gazed across the bedroom. There was a bed, and a sideboard with television and a telephone on top. She couldn’t find a towel anywhere she looked.

I give up. Haruka reached for the telephone handset on top of the sideboard to contact the front desk.

There should have been the beeping sound normally heard from the speaker, but she couldn’t hear anything even after putting the handset against her ear. Haruka continued to try and press the extension number written on the telephone, but forget being connected, she couldn’t even hear the sound of a button press.

It seemed that this phone was completely broken. This left her no choice but to leave the room and approach the front desk directly.

As she headed for the door, Yakumo’s words came to her mind. In case you found something that looks like a talisman pasted, let me know immediately.

He had mentioned that talismans would be placed in rooms that were haunted by ghosts. Haruka could just inspect the room upon returning from the front desk. But once it piqued her curiosity, she couldn’t ignore the thought in her mind.

No, towel comes first. Haruka told herself that.

Yet as soon as she reached for the doorknob, she felt someone’s stare from behind. Don’t turn around.

Despite thinking that, her neck slowly turned as if pulled by something. There was no one there.

Only the sound of rain hitting against the window. Perhaps her nerves were becoming too sensitive.

Haruka decided to leave for the front desk immediately. Yet when she was about to face the door again, somehow her gaze was drawn towards a shadow underneath the bed. There was nothing over there.

Although she thought as much, she still grew restless. It was all Yakumo’s fault that she felt this way. Because of all that talk about talismans, Haruka grew anxious and unable to remain composed in the room.

Surely her nerves would calm down once she confirmed that there was no such talisman sticking underneath the bed. Firming her resolve, Haruka approached the bed, went down to her knees, and crouched to peek underneath it—

- 5

- “I’m going out for a bit.”

After Oohori had left their room, Yakumo seemed to be thinking about something, before suddenly saying that and headed for the door. “Where are you going?” asked Gotou.

Yakumo stopped walking and turned. He appeared unenergetic as usual and it was impossible to read what he was thinking.

“It’s bothering my mind, so I’d like to take a brief look.” “You mean Haruka-chan’s room?”

“Why did it come to that? I saw a ghost at the front desk. It has nothing to do with her room.” “I see...”

It was true that since he had seen the ghost at the front desk, Haruka’s room had nothing to do with it. “Wait up. I’m going too,” Gotou slapped his knees and stood up.

When Yakumo had said that it was bothering him, it was possible something might happen. Gotou felt uncomfortable ignoring it. “I’ll go as well,” said Isshin as he also stood up.

“Even if the number of people increases, it wouldn’t make a difference,” said Yakumo, messing with his dishevelled hair in annoyance. Gotou could tell just by looking. Yakumo appeared slightly flustered, far from his usual self.

“This police detective will assist you. You should be thankful,” said Gotou, puffing out his chest. Yakumo burst into laughter. “Gotou-san is a police detective?”

What did you say now? “What do you think I am?”

“A bear whose only quality is his loud voice.” “You little—”

Even though someone had the intention to help him, he had to say something that made that intention disappear. “Don’t get all baited like that. Surely you’re well aware of Yakumo’s personality,” Isshin reminded Gotou so that he managed to swallow his nearly erupting anger within his stomach.

Isshin was right after all. Yakumo wasn’t the type to say things honestly and was a handful to deal with. If he got riled up over the smallest of things, his body wouldn’t last instead. “Anyway, let’s go,” said Isshin.

Once they were in the corridor, Gotou looked upwards to the ceiling. Perhaps due to having just listened to a ghost story, the whole atmosphere felt glum. “So, where do we start?” asked Gotou.

“Right,” Yakumo touched the tip of his chin. “Actually, I’d like to ask around to gather information, but Oohori-san’s the only employee around at the moment.” “In that case, just ask him.”

“Gotou-san, are you really a police detective?” “What?”

Gotou wanted to lay a hand on him, but Isshin, sensing what was about to happen, put himself between Gotou and Yakumo. “We’ve already questioned him. Even if we were to ask him again, he may not know much since he’s still a trainee,” explained Isshin.

Yakumo nodded. “Precisely.” Having mentioned that, Oohori’s nametag did have the word ‘trainee’ above his name. Knowing so, Yakumo hadn’t pried too deeply when Oohori had come to their room.

Yakumo wasn’t only remarkable due to his ability to see ghosts, the sharpness of his mind played a part as well. That was how he had managed to solve many cases thus far. Gotou understood the situation now, but the problem remained on how they should proceed onwards.

“If we can’t question that Oohori guy, who else should we be questioning?” asked Gotou. Yakumo shook his head in disbelief. “I feel like crying, thinking about all the valuable taxpayer money used to pay such a useless man’s salary.”

“This bastard! Say that once again!” Gotou lifted his fist upwards, but Isshin stopped him once again.

“Please calm down. Your brain could deteriorate if you’re so quick to get emotional.” Yakumo’s words may be harsh, but Isshin’s were just as harsh despite being spoken calmly. He really was Yakumo’s uncle after all—

“None of your business. If you’re saying that, does that mean you have any ideas?” said Gotou, attempting to pressure Isshin, yet Isshin’s friendly smile didn’t subside. “There was a convenience store on our way to this hotel, right?” said Isshin.

Indeed, there had been a convenience store about fifty metres away near here. “Don’t tell me you want to go shopping at the convenience store?”

“If there isn’t anyone we can question at the hotel, why don’t we try asking around there?” So that was what he meant.

If there was a ghost in this hotel, that meant someone had died here previously. Convenience store employees had to be made up of local residents, so they should be able to gather information by asking there. Gotou understood the fact, yet he didn’t want to agree just like that.

“Well, let’s give it a try,” he said with a sour face, and Isshin nodded. Gotou felt incredibly uncomfortable as it was like he had been caught acting all stubborn and narrow-minded. If he said anything further, perhaps he’d really be exposed.

“Let’s be on our way—” said Gotou, walking towards the elevator with quicker steps. Isshin followed suit, but Yakumo remained still in the corridor. His gaze seemed empty, as if he wasn’t looking at anything despite having his eyes open.

“What’s up? You’re not going?” called Gotou. Yakumo slowly turned. “Yes. I’ll leave it to you two.”

“What are you going to do?” “I’m going to find out where the ghost went.”

I see. Only Yakumo could confirm where the ghost he had seen had gone.

“Understood,” Gotou replied before boarding the elevator with Isshin. -

6 -

With fearful movements, Haruka peeked underneath the bed— There was nothing like a pale figure lying there in a pool of blood; only shadows were present.

As it turned out, she had simply imagined the eyes of someone staring at her. Furthermore, there were no talismans pasted anywhere.

With this, I can be rest assured. Haruka was about to stand up when she noticed an object that had dropped under the bed. Behind the bed frame leg, around an angle that was difficult to see.

That object was a red shoe. Even so, it wasn’t a size any human could wear. Around a centimetre in size, the shoe likely belonged to a doll.

Haruka extended her hand and picked up the shoe. Why did something like this drop here?

Perhaps someone had forgotten about it. An object as small as this could remain undiscovered when the room had been cleaned. Either way, she needed some towels first and foremost.

Her hair had gotten fairly dry, but having gotten rained on, Haruka would like to take a shower to feel refreshed. When inquiring about the towels at the front desk, she would hand over this dropped item as well. Haruka pocketed the doll shoe and as she headed for the door, someone called to her. 

“Hey.” She turned around immediately.

And yet, no one was there. Her nerves were becoming sensitive after all. She needed to think about something else—

At the corner of her vision as she turned for the door again, was a person’s face. “Hya-!” Haruka screamed as she jumped back.

As her back crashed against the wall, the television on top of the sideboard shook. What was that just now?

With all her might, Haruka held herself back from panicking, her eyes scanning across the entire room. Then—

She spotted the face that she had seen earlier. Displayed near the bed headboard was a framed piece of painting. It portrayed a woman standing at the seashore with sorrowful eyes.

A bust-up view of the woman, its composition was similar to that of Da Vinci’s renowned painting, Mona Lisa. Due to the oil painting’s realism style, it appeared almost lifelike.

Haruka felt relief after knowing what she had just seen earlier. Yet once again, Yakumo’s words came to her mind. Yakumo had requested her to examine the back of any picture frames as well. Upon further observation, the picture frame’s placement above the headboard appeared unnatural.

There’s no way. Despite thinking so, Haruka climbed onto the bed, took off the picture frame and flipped it around.

Thank goodness. There was no talisman at the back.

With this she could really be at ease. It was only as she was about to put the frame back in place that Haruka noticed the fist-sized hole on the wall where the frame used to hang.

The painting seemed to have been deliberately hung above the headboard to cover up this hole. Could this hole be connected to the room next door?

Haruka brought her face closer to the hole. Dark—

There was no sign of a light source from the other end of the hole. Still, she felt terrified at the thought that she was being observed through this hole.

Simply putting the frame back in place didn’t sit right with her, so Haruka decided she’d bring it up with the front desk. They might not be able to seal the hole shut immediately, but perhaps they could at least cover it up. Haruka was about to draw her face away when—

Her eyes met with it. On the other side of the hole, an eye suddenly appeared, gazing intently at Haruka.

Wide open, the whites were clearly visible. In contrast, its pupil was small and the blood vessels appeared prominent and red.

Haruka couldn’t let out a sound. Her body was thrown backwards and she fell on her back. Her breathing grew difficult.

Haruka tried to lift her body and stared at the hole once more. I must’ve been seeing things. That has to be it.

Haruka tried to convince herself before she hurriedly returned the picture frame to its place to block the hole. The woman in the painting stared at her.

Haruka felt like their gazes met. The eye she had seen from within the hole earlier came back into her mind.

Had she really just been seeing things? She truly felt there had been an eye staring at her through the hole. Haruka could simply get the picture frame out of the way and look into the hole to confirm. Even so, it’d be impossible for her to peek into that hole once again.

Anyway, let’s get out of this room. Haruka got off the bed to head for the door.

That instant, her legs became weak from fear, causing her to fall to her knees. She turned to find the woman in the painting looking at her still.

That was obvious since it was a painting after all. But in Haruka’s current state, she wasn’t able to think clearly. I have to run.

Using the wall as a support so she wouldn’t fall, Haruka stood up and walked towards the door. She reached for the doorknob and pulled it, but somehow the door didn’t budge.

“Why?” Desperately, Haruka tried her hardest to pull it.

The door still wouldn’t open. You’ve got to be kidding me.

She continued turning the doorknob as she occasionally turned to look at the room. At that moment, the picture frame fell onto the bed with a thud.

The hole— The hole in the wall became visible.

And then. From within that hole—

An eye— Wide open, the eye moved from left to right as if searching for Haruka.

So she hadn’t been mistaken after all. Haruka couldn’t bear it anymore.

With lightning speed she opened the nearby bathroom door and jumped inside. Her hands were trembling.

No, it wasn’t just her hands. Her entire body was shaking nonstop that she lost control of it herself. Haruka struggled to calm her uneven breathing before contemplating what she had to do next.

That eye wouldn’t be able to find her while inside this bathroom. However, she couldn’t shut herself in here forever. That’s right, Yakumo-kun.

She could contact Yakumo to ask for help. Haruka hurriedly searched for her phone in her pocket, but couldn't find it.

She had left her phone on the sideboard. Haruka thought about retrieving it, but she immediately rejected the idea. Heading to retrieve the phone on the sideboard meant she would be seen by the eye inside the hole.

Honestly, she didn’t have the courage to do that. What should I do?

Confused, Haruka sat in place whilst wrapping her arms around her own shoulder. Gurgle—

Haruka jolted at the sound and lifted her face. “What is it now?”

Gurgle— Gurgle gurgle—

It sounded like someone coughing. Took her a while until she realised that the sound had come from the water pipes.

She didn’t know whether the pipes had made such noises merely out of their poor condition, or because of a spiritual phenomenon. Even so, perhaps the bathroom wasn’t a safe place either.

Scary— Yet in order to escape her fear, she had to open the door once more and leave this room.

Haruka gathered her strength and stood up to exit the bathroom. Right then, she spotted a black shadow standing on the other side of the frosted glass on the bathroom door.

The shadow was somewhat spread out so she couldn’t tell whether it was a male or female, but it was unmistakably the shadow of a person. “No way...”

Don’t come any closer! Haruka screamed within her heart, but the shadow came closer in her direction as if mocking her. This is bad.

Haruka held the bathroom door from the inside. She didn’t know whether such a thing would be effective against a ghost or not. Either way, she had no other ideas.

Please! Don’t go in! Haruka couldn’t even open her eyes. She closed her eyes shut, chanting those words over and over in her heart.

Just how much time had passed since then— Suddenly, she had a feeling that the shadow before her eyes had disappeared.

To tell the truth, she was scared. If the shadow were still standing where it had been once she opened her eyes, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to maintain her sanity. Regardless, standing still like this wouldn’t solve anything.

Surely it’ll be fine. Haruka convinced herself and slowly released the tension on her eyes.

Her vision gradually returned. The shadow—wasn’t there.

The shadow that had been across the frosted glass had disappeared without a trace. Haruka sighed in relief.

However, the problem was what came after this. Her courage to leave the bathroom had vanished entirely. “What should I do…?”

As she lowered her head came an unsettling click, and the bathroom lamp started flickering. “Please…enough already...” Partly sobbing, Haruka begged as she looked upwards to the lamp fixed on the ceiling.

As if signalled by her gesture, the lamp with its once flickering yellow light then went out— The bathroom became dark.

Why is it like this? Maybe the lamp hadn’t been installed properly. That had to be it.

Haruka gulped before extending her hand in the direction of the lamp. At that moment, her reflection came in the mirror.

She mustn’t look. Despite knowing that, she had already seen it unintentionally. The mirror didn’t reflect just her.

A doll with a faint smile was also reflected there. “Nooooo!” 

In full blown panic, Haruka screamed until her throat felt like it would rip. -

7 -

“Anyway, this rain sure is awful,” Gotou mumbled as he turned to watch the neverending rain from the hotel lobby. The rain was comparable to a bucket of water turned upside down.

“It certainly is,” said Isshin, who stood next to him, nodding as he stared at the rain. “Like this, we wouldn’t be able to see Mount Fuji even though we came all the way to Yamanashi.”

“We’re not here on holiday. Mount Fuji isn’t going anywhere either, we can always see it some other time.” “Well, that’s true,” Gotou replied with a sigh. As Isshin had said, they hadn’t come to Yamanashi for a holiday. Besides, the downpour might subside tomorrow.

For now, it was more important for them to find the identity of the ghost Yakumo had seen. “In that case, let’s quickly head there,” he said, looking at the convenience store located about fifty metres ahead.

“You’re planning to go through this pouring rain without an umbrella?” asked Isshin. The rain was so heavy that it would obstruct one’s line of vision. Gotou would’ve liked to use an umbrella, but unfortunately he didn’t have one with him.

“Let’s just make a run for it.” “That’s not necessary—”

Isshin was about to say something, but Gotou had ignored him and dashed outside. Obviously he got drenched in an instant, but if he sat still worrying about the fact, he would only get even more soaked.

Gotou crossed the road that had practically turned into a river and ran for the eaves of the convenience store. He took deep breaths upon reaching. He was drenched until water dripped from his hair. His socks were completely soaked as well.

“This rain is really…” Gotou wiped the droplets off his jacket as he turned towards the road he had just passed earlier.

He thought Isshin would’ve followed right after him, yet amidst the rain, the monk’s figure was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t able to see clearly thanks to the rain, but Isshin was probably still inside the hotel, hesitant to go outside.

Geez, Gotou grumbled on the inside as he lit a cigarette. Surely Isshin would give in soon enough and come over here. Even if he didn’t, Gotou could simply gather information all by himself.

As he had that thought, he saw Isshin walking over towards him. The entire opposite of Gotou, Isshin calmly walked through the heavy rain.

To no one’s surprise, Isshin’s hand was holding an umbrella. “If you have an umbrella, why didn’t you say so earlier?” protested Gotou after waiting for Isshin to arrive.

Gotou disliked the idea of a pair of uncles walking around sharing an umbrella, but it was a better option than getting drenched from running through the rain. Isshin went underneath the convenience store eaves and said as he folded the umbrella, “I told you so.”

“I didn’t hear anything.” “I said let’s borrow umbrellas from the front desk, but you had run off by yourself.”

“Ugh.” Come to think of it, when they were about to leave the hotel, Isshin had been saying something, but Gotou hadn’t listened and ran off alone instead.

“Don’t go running into things without considering the consequences. It’s better if you stop for a moment and use your head.” “Shut up. I don’t need an umbrella with this much rain.”

“As expected, wild bears sure are tough.” “Who are you calling a bear?!”

“Anyway, let’s hurry up and ask them,” Paying no attention to the irritated Gotou, Isshin entered the convenience store. 

Gotou felt annoyed, but as Isshin had said, they better settle matters quickly. Gotou threw the cigarette he had been smoking to an ashtray in front of the convenience store, and followed Isshin inside. “Welcome,” greeted a woman who seemed to be in her fifties, with a voice so devoid of emotion. 

It left Gotou to wonder, shouldn’t it be written in convenience store employee handbooks that the employees should greet customers full of emotion? “Excuse us, but we’d like to ask something...” said Gotou, approaching the female employee tending to the store.

“Yes?” replied the woman with a confused look as she took a step back. A drenched man suddenly walked towards her. Her response was understandable.

“Actually, this is my job,” said Gotou, showing his police badge. “A police? Really?”

The woman’s voice became guarded. Furthermore, her hand was already reaching for the emergency call button underneath the counter. “A real one, of course.”

“From which department? Is there an ongoing case?” said the woman, bombarding him with questions. He was being heavily suspected. Did he not look like a detective all that much?

“No, that's why…” “He may look like this, but he’s the real deal,” said Isshin to help. “Although he looks like a bear with a scary face, he’s cowardly and gets lonely easily like a rabbit.”

Acting familiar, Isshin patted Gotou’s shoulder. Who’s a lonely rabbit around here—!

Gotou really wanted to protest, but held himself back. Saying the wrong things now would only raise further suspicion on them.

Isshin displayed a friendly smile, softening the woman’s expression in response. “What a strange combination,” said the woman as she stared back and forth between Gotou and Isshin.

Certainly, a police detective and a monk standing next to each other might be an uncommon scenario. “I think so too. The truth is, we came here to ask about something—” Isshin said in a polite tone.

“About what?” “Actually—we’re staying at that hotel over there,” Isshin pointed at the hotel.

“Yes.” “As I said earlier, this man is a coward and he made a ruckus saying he’d seen a ghost at the hotel. I’ve told him that there’s nothing to worry about, but being a coward, he said he wouldn’t believe it until he knew for certain.” Isshin explained while looking at Gotou, acting like he was in disbelief.

You’re joking me! The person who had made claims about the existence of a ghost hadn’t been Gotou, but Yakumo. Aside from that, he wasn’t that much of a coward to be complaining simply because there was a ghost.

He had a mountain of things to say, but decided to stay quiet to avoid overcomplicating the conversation. “It felt rude to ask hotel employees whether there were any rumours of the place being haunted, so we decided to ask local residents while going shopping,“ Isshin continued politely.

Gotou couldn’t accept that the story placed all the blame onto him, yet he was also impressed that Isshin could make up a story as smoothly as that. “Did you really see a ghost at that hotel?” The woman asked Gotou, her face filled with suspicion.

Gotou hadn’t actually seen a ghost, but explaining the real situation was too much of a trouble, not to mention it would go against Isshin’s story. “I did.” Gotou gave her a short answer.

“Was the ghost of a little girl?” said the woman as she lowered her voice. Come to think of it, he had forgotten to ask Yakumo what the ghost had been like. But based on her response, it might be better for him to align the conversation.

“Yes.” “So it was true...” said the woman, reaching for her mouth.

“Do you know anything about it?” “Please don’t mention it elsewhere that I’m the one who told you this.”

“Understood,” Gotou replied with a nod. The woman glanced at the hotel across the rain before she began her explanation—

- 8

- “Nooooo!” 

Haruka screamed to the point that her throat felt like it would rip. Strength left her knees and they trembled, making her fall sitting down in place. Haruka covered her face with both hands and closed her eyes shut.

Even so, she was well aware that the entity she had seen wouldn’t disappear just from her doing that. The reflection on the mirror returned to her mind once again.

This bathroom was cramped. There shouldn’t be anyone else but her in here. Nevertheless, she was certain that she had seen the shadow of a person standing behind her when she had been looking at the mirror. The shadow was black, so she hadn’t been able to see its face clearly. Yet she had felt as if the shadow had faintly smiled at her.

Haruka kept still for a while. The next second, something suddenly grazed her nape— It made her jolt and stood up.

Out of reflex, the mirror that she had been avoiding came into her sight. However—

Reflected on the mirror was her face, tense out of fear, and nothing else. The shadow she had seen earlier had already disappeared. Was I mistaken?

No, that couldn’t be it. She was certain there had been a shadow reflected in the mirror. If it had been a ghost, perhaps the ghost was still inside the bathroom. Waves of terror washed over her.

Let’s get out of here quick. As she touched the bathroom door, there was a thud and the room shook lightly.

Surprised, Haruka halted her movements. She had forgotten all about it from panic, but she now recalled the reason why she was in the bathroom.

In her room was a hole in the wall, and someone had peeked at her through said hole. Scared, she had evacuated into the bathroom to escape from that eye. Thinking about how she might get stared at again by the terrifying eye after getting out of here made her body paralyse in fear.

Despite that, she couldn’t stay inside the bathroom forever. She wanted to leave the hotel room, but the door wouldn’t move even when pushed or pulled. She’d like to ask for help, but her phone was on the sideboard next to the bed.

What should I do? Haruka sat down again and covered her face with both hands.

“Yakumo-kun...” she whispered a name as she held back the tears that welled up. Along with that, she remembered the line that Yakumo had always said.

Spirits of the dead were no monsters or a new kind of entity, they were clusters of emotions of humans that had passed away— Yakumo, with his red left eye and its ability to see spirits of the dead, had been able to understand the feelings of wandering ghosts and had resolved various cases based on that theory.

Nothing could get solved by sitting around in the bathroom. Following Yakumo’s theory, she might be able to resolve this situation by finding out the reason why the ghost had been wandering.

Haruka firmed her resolve. She took her hands off her face, stood up, and faced the mirror. She would be lying to say that she wasn’t scared.

Her knees were still shaking and her breathing was irregular. Regardless, there was nothing else she could do now. Things wouldn’t sort itself out if she were to sit around hoping help would arrive.

“Hey, are you there?” Haruka called towards the mirror. No response.

“Who are you? What’s the reason you’re wandering around?” Haruka asked once more. The silence continued.

Unlike Yakumo, Haruka couldn’t see ghosts. Occasionally she could, but only partially, like the eye and the shadow from earlier, not to mention unstable. She had doubts on whether she’d be able to clearly sense what they wanted.

But she couldn’t think of any other way besides this. Haruka gulped until her throat made a sound, and stared back at the mirror.

She nodded firmly at herself, tensed up from fear.  “Hey, why are you wandering around? Can you tell me?”

As if answering Haruka's call, the bathroom lights that had gone out began to flicker. Then—

Within the dimness, a dark shadow emerged behind Haruka’s reflection in the mirror— -

9 -

“Two uncles sharing an umbrella together, how gross—” As Gotou and Isshin returned to the hotel lobby, they were greeted by a mocking smile from Yakumo.

“Not that we’d like to, more like we had no choice,” They only had one umbrella, so they had no choice but to share during their return trip from the convenience store.

“Seems to me that you liked it though,” Yakumo grinned and sat on the lobby sofa. “There’s no way.”

“I wonder.” Gotou had a lot to say, but he had a feeling the more he denied it, the more he’d get cornered. He swallowed his anger and sat on a sofa across from Yakumo. Isshin sat next to him as well.

“So, did you two find anything?” asked Yakumo. “Before that, how are things on your end?” asked Gotou in return.

Yakumo said he had been searching for where the ghost had gone. Prior to sharing the information he had gathered, he would like to hear Yakumo’s side of the story. “How are what?”

“You were looking for the ghost, right? Did you find it?” “No,” Yakumo shook his head.

“What? You were speaking so arrogantly, yet you turned up with no results, huh,” cursed Gotou. Yakumo blatantly scowled. “I never meant to say it arrogantly, and although I couldn’t find the ghost, I did get some results.”

To Gotou, his words had merely sounded like he was trying to act tough. “What kind of results?” “A number of things.”

“That’s why I’m asking, what are those things exactly?” urged Gotou. Yakumo laughed bitterly with a troubled gesture before he began speaking. “I told you that the ghost I saw had entered the area behind the front desk, right?”

“Yes.” He had certainly said so.

“Since the ghost had gone there, there had to be something there. So I went to check for myself.” So that was how it was.

“You asked that trainee employee Oohori to let you get inside?” “No.”

“You just went inside as you liked?” “Yeah. Since that person wasn’t aware of any ghost story here, I thought it’d be troublesome to ask for his permission, so...”

As it turned out, Yakumo had stealthily sneaked inside while Oohori was away from the front desk. Gotou glanced at the front desk, unable to spot Oohori’s presence there.

“Don’t act too reckless. What would you do if you were discovered?” If Yakumo were caught trespassing into the area behind the front desk, he might get reported to the authorities.

“I’ve got that taken care of,” “Taken care of?”

As Gotou questioned him back, Yakumo turned in the direction of the stairs. There, Oohori could be seen descending the stairs, walking towards them. He held a lightbulb in his hand. “Apologies for the inconvenience. I’ve replaced it, so it should be fine now—” said Oohori, bowing politely to Yakumo.

“Thank you.” Seeing Yakumo respond to him with a smile, Gotou could hazard a guess as to what he had done.

Most likely, Yakumo had deliberately sabotaged the light bulb in their room and had requested Oohori to replace it. That way, he could freely get into the area behind the front desk. “Ah, could I ask you one thing?” Yakumo stopped Oohori who was about to leave.

“What is it?” “Is Oohori-san really the only one working today?”

“Ah, yes. What about it…?” “No. I just thought it must be tough…”

“Thank you for your concern—” Oohori made a business smile before returning to the front desk. “Is something bothering you?” Gotou asked Yakumo after waiting for Oohori to be some distance away.

“When I went to the area behind the front desk earlier, I found a strange object,” said Yakumo, narrowing his eyes. “A strange object?”

“A shoe.” “A shoe?”

“Yes. A red shoe that was probably a woman’s shoe, and it was missing the other half—” said Yakumo, with a face as if he had known everything.  A single lone shoe was indeed peculiar, but someone could simply have forgotten it in the hotel room and the front desk had been holding on to it.

Or perhaps, it could belong to another employee that had forgotten the shoe there. “Did that shoe have anything to do with the ghost?”

“I have no idea,” said Yakumo, full of confidence. “You have no idea…? How careless of you…”

“I refuse to accept being told that by a clumsy bear like Gotou-san.” “Bear this, bear that, you’re so noisy!”

“What’s wrong with calling a bear, a bear?” This bastard!

Gotou was at the limit of his patience. He wanted to beat this man even if just for a single punch. He raised his fist, ready to land it on Yakumo’s face, but Isshin immediately caught his arm and calmed him down. “Now, now.”

The bug in his stomach wouldn’t sit still, but Gotou knew more obviously than seeing fire that if he were to hit Yakumo, he’d be retaliated constantly afterwards. Gotou clicked his tongue and cooled his anger.

“So, did you two get anything on your end?” asked Yakumo, as if the conversation earlier had never happened. “There weren’t any stories in particular about a ghost in this hotel,” said Gotou.

“I see...” Yakumo responded with a slightly disappointed look. “However, there was a case that took place in this hotel one year ago.”

“A case?” “That’s right. Once, a woman and her four-year-old daughter stayed in this hotel previously.”

“Then?” “When the mother left her child inside the room to go shopping, an incident happened—” said Gotou, pausing his sentence to observe Yakumo’s expression.

“Cut the suspense and continue the story.” It was blunt of him, but perhaps Gotou was acting a little too dramatic. Gotou cleared his throat and continued. 

“The girl, who was left alone in the room, fell from the window—” Putting it into words, Gotou felt a squeezing pain in his chest.

He had to deal with all sorts of cases on the regular and he should’ve gotten used to handling tragedies with fatal casualties. Even so, the deaths of young children had always left an unpleasant feeling in his chest no matter how many times he encountered them. After a moment of silence, Yakumo muttered, “Rather than a case, that was more like an accident.”

“I thought so too. But from what we heard, something was amiss,” Isshin added. “What was amiss?”

“Apparently, the window that the girl had fallen from should’ve been out of reach for a child of her height.” “And yet, she fell from it...?”

“That’s right. According to the person who discovered her, there was a chair under the window.” “A chair that was part of the hotel room?”

“Uh-huh. Judging from the circumstances, that meant the girl had shifted the chair all by herself, climbed on top, and fell from the window—” “How did you find out about the situation to that level of detail?”

It was understandable for Yakumo to question that fact. “The husband of the convenience store employee that we visited to gather information from had been working in this hotel when the incident happened.”

“I see...so what I saw...” Yakumo mumbled as if talking to himself whilst folding his arms. Gotou couldn’t clearly grasp what he was saying as his voice was too quiet.

“What? Say it clearly.” said Gotou. Yakumo grimaced in displeasure. “No need to make a ruckus, I’ll explain eventually.”

Yakumo shook his head in disbelief, throwing a sharp gaze on Gotou before he continued, “The ghost I saw at the front desk was of a little girl around four years old—” “In that case…”

“We still have no evidence, but I think it was unmistakably her since the girl in that story died a year ago here.” “The problem now is why the girl is wandering in this hotel,” said Isshin as he rubbed his bald head.

Certainly, that was the most important point. According to Yakumo’s theory, ghosts linger in this world due to some unfulfilled desire. In other words, the ghost of that little girl had lingered for a reason.

The local police had closed the incident as an accident, but Gotou had another thought. “Seems like you have something in mind, Gotou-san,” said Yakumo who was able to guess what he was thinking.

“It’s my own instinct talking, but—” Gotou said before he continued, “perhaps the girl didn’t die from an accident, but was murdered.” “That’s an unpleasant line of thinking. Do you have any basis for it?” Yakumo threw him a look full of doubt.

“I told you it was just my instinct.” “Like this, Gotou-san is a police officer after all, right? Surely you’re not so stupid as to carelessly say things according to instinct without some kind of basis.”

“That first part was unnecessary.” “Save the complaints and get talking,” said Yakumo, lifting his left eyebrow.

Geez. What an unendearing guy. “However you look at it, I felt the part about a chair being moved under the window was off.”

“Well, that’s true.” “If she was older, there’d be a possibility of it being a suicide, but for what reason would a four-year-old child deliberately move a chair under the window?”

“Perhaps she wanted to climb to play? Nao often does that too. She’ll climb onto a chair and then jump down,” interrupted Isshin. Having no children of his own, Gotou had no opinion, but as Isshin had spoken from experience, such a thing might be possible after all.

Despite this, the odd feeling within Gotou didn’t go away. “Suppose she did want to play that way, she wouldn’t jump out the window, right?” Children had very little sense of danger. Particularly once they were fixated on something, they had the tendency to not pay attention to their surroundings.

Even knowing that, it felt impossible for the girl to have played by climbing onto the chair and then jumping out the window. Isshin also responded, “You’re right...”

“What do you think happened, Gotou-san?” asked Yakumo. His gaze was as if testing Gotou.

“I’m thinking the girl might have been pushed out the window by someone.” “Pushed out...”

“Yes. After pushing the girl out the window, the culprit placed the chair next to the window to make it appear like an accident.” “Interesting analysis coming from someone like Gotou-san, but the basis is still weak,” said Yakumo.

“I’m well aware that the basis is weak. It’s just that, if she had died from an accident, there’d be no reason for her to be haunting this hotel, right?” If she had died from being killed and now held a grudge towards the person who had killed her, that would be reason enough for her to still be lingering about this hotel.

“I’ll take Gotou-san’s analysis into consideration for the time being. Rather than that, do you know where the girl had fallen down?” Yakumo asked as he stood up. “Yes. I’ve asked about it.”

“Please take me there.” “Got it,” Gotou stood up in response, before walking outside. Yakumo and Isshin followed behind him.

Once he had passed the automated door at the hotel lobby entrance, he stopped. Large droplets of rain were still pouring just as hard as before.

The spot where Gotou and the rest stood had a roof so they weren’t hit directly by the rain, but it was almost like they were being sprayed with water because of the raindrops blown by the wind. “I was told she had been lying there—” said Gotou, pointing about 10 metres in front of the hotel lobby entrance.

“From which floor did she fall from?” asked Yakumo. “The fourth floor,” replied Gotou, starting to feel uncomfortable.

It was about fifty metres above ground. If only there had been shrubs underneath to cushion the fall, yet the ground was made of concrete instead. The moment she had fallen, she’d already be beyond saving.

“Hold on. Which room number was she in?” asked Yakumo, frowning with a serious expression. “If I’m not mistaken...404.”

As soon as Gotou said that, Yakumo reached for his phone and called someone. Watching him made Gotou come to his senses.

The room from where the girl had fallen was the same room Haruka was currently staying in. Looking from outside, the room lights weren’t on. It was incredibly dark outside from the rain, so it was unnatural for her not to have the lights on.

Yakumo clicked his tongue as he ended the call. “How is it?”

“She’s not answering,” said Yakumo, gritting his teeth, Gotou then shouted, “Let’s go!” and started running.

- 10

- Suppressing her fear, Haruka stared intently at the reflection in the mirror.

Its face was indiscernible, but based on the stature and hairstyle, Haruka could tell that she was a little girl. Why would such a small child be wandering?

As Haruka questioned that fact, her chest stung as if she’d been stabbed. Haruka had no idea what had happened, but since this little girl had emerged as a ghost, that could only mean she was already dead.

Why did this little girl had to die— The fear that had once enveloped Haruka’s entire body disappeared at the thought.

Perhaps this girl was carrying a deep sorrow. Haruka couldn’t understand the feelings of ghosts like Yakumo could. Yet even if just a bit, she could sympathise with this child’s feelings and wanted to do something for her. 

“Please. Tell me, why are you in a place like this?” asked Haruka to the shadow on the other side of the mirror. The girl gave no answer.

Perhaps she had actually said something, but Haruka couldn’t hear her. In times like this, Haruka became incredibly envious of Yakumo.

If only she had an ability like Yakumo’s, she’d be able to respond to the reflection in the mirror— “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you properly…” said Haruka without realising.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Not out of fear. A mixture of sadness, frustration, and disappointment overflowed from her chest. Seemingly out of pity for Haruka, the girl in the mirror appeared to be saying something.

“Hey, what should I do to break your attachment to this world?” asked Haruka to the girl as she held onto the mirror. No reply.

In exchange, the girl pointed in the direction behind Haruka. Following the girl’s fingers, Haruka turned around.

There was nothing but the white bathroom walls there. Could there be something on these walls? Haruka felt around the wall and tried examining it, but she didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Haruka, turning towards the mirror again. The girl kept pointing behind Haruka.

Sorry, I don’t see anything, Haruka mumbled in her heart, when a thought emerged in her mind. She had assumed that this girl had been pointing at the bathroom wall, but perhaps she had instead been pointing at the room on the other side of the wall.

“There’s something in the room?” Haruka’s question made the shadow in the mirror nod.

So that was it. Due to her panic, she hadn’t looked at the room interior closely, but perhaps therein laid the reason that this girl had been wandering.

Haruka touched the bathroom door. The image of an eye came to her mind.

The eye that had watched Haruka through the hole in the wall— She’d be seen by that eye once again if she returned to that room.

Haruka briefly had that thought, but she got rid of it immediately. Surely that eye had really been the girl reflected in the mirror.

There’s no need to be afraid. Haruka firmed her resolve and slowly opened the bathroom door.

Its hinges creaked and the door eventually opened. The room was dimly lit and quiet.

She could see the door leading to the corridor. Earlier, the door hadn’t budged at all, but if she were to try again, perhaps it would open. Once she escaped from the room, she would ask Yakumo for help—

She considered the idea for a moment, but Haruka shook her head, attempting to rid herself of said thought. If the door still refused to open after she tried again, she would remain trapped in this room.

Furthermore, the girl in the mirror might become angered if Haruka tried to escape, and could make her go through something even more terrifying. Most importantly, her desire to help the wandering girl was stronger.

Why would the ghost of a little girl be wandering in a hotel room? Even if just a little, she wanted to understand her feelings. Haruka drew her breath, gathered all the courage in her stomach, and walked out of the bathroom into the bedroom.

The painting had fallen on top of the bed. Then, a fist-sized hole where the painting had used to hang.

Earlier, an eye had been staring at her from that hole, but now there was nothing there. Haruka sighed in relief before scanning the entire room and turning the gears in her head. What exactly was the girl trying to show her?

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t come up with an answer. Haruka was about to give up when at that moment, she remembered something.

Back when she had been searching for any talismans pasted under the bed, she had found something. Haruka had picked it up and kept it in her pocket. She hurriedly shoved her hand into her pocket and took out the item.

A red shoe that seemed to be that of a doll’s. Perhaps the reason why the girl had been wandering was because she had been looking for this shoe.

For little girls, losing such an important doll shoe full of memories would be considered a huge problem. If she were to return this, the ghost of the little girl might be able to rest in peace.

Haruka firmly held onto the red shoe. She felt someone staring at her back and slowly turned around— A girl was standing there.

Her face had been blurred when she had appeared in the mirror, but now it was clearly visible. She was an adorable girl with a round face and big eyes.

“Is this yours?” Haruka handed over the red shoe she’d been holding on towards the girl.

In an instant, a smile formed in the girl’s face. Seeing her overjoyed face made the tension Haruka had been feeling this whole time disappear without a trace.

She even had to hold herself together so she wouldn’t collapse on the spot. However, that sense of relief was short-lived.

The girl made a terrified expression and pointed behind Haruka. What is it?

Turning around, Haruka’s eyes widened. Once again, an eye peered from within the hole in the wall—

Was I mistaken? Was what the girl had been looking for not this shoe? The eye—

Its appearance red and angry, the eye glared at Haruka. Haruka couldn’t act calm anymore.

She then held her head and screamed— -

11 -

The moment Gotou stepped out of the elevator, he heard a scream. After briefly exchanging glances with Yakumo and Isshin, they sprinted as fast as they could towards room 404, where Haruka was at.

“Oi! Haruka-chan! Are you alright?” he called out whilst banging on the door, but there was no reply. A terrible premonition passed through his mind.

He turned the doorknob, trying to open the door, but the door wouldn’t move an inch even when pushed or pulled. “What are you doing? Open it quickly!” urged Yakumo.

Yakumo was usually composed, but he must’ve grown restless after hearing Haruka’s scream. “I know,” Gotou responded. With his entire strength, he slammed his body against the door until it opened with a bam. Gotou nearly got knocked forward.

“Move out of the way,” Yakumo shoved Gotou to the side and went inside the room. They immediately found Haruka there.

Sat in the middle of the room, her body was shaking violently. “Are you alright?” asked Yakumo.

Haruka, who couldn’t grasp the situation at first, gradually showed an expression of relief and hugged Yakumo as she shed her tears. She had to have gone through something terrifying.

Gotou understood how she felt, but somehow he felt embarrassed watching them instead. Yakumo stayed quiet for a while, and only spoke after waiting for Haruka to calm down. “What happened?”

Haruka nodded quietly upon hearing Yakumo’s words, wiped her tears, and began explaining after she stood up slowly. Occasionally she would sob as she hadn’t stopped crying completely, but the gist of the story was conveyed.

As it turned out, Haruka had experienced a spiritual phenomenon in this room. Despite that, Gotou was impressed that she had continued to deal with the situation by thinking about the reason why the ghost of the little girl had been wandering, and had subsequently taken action.

All that remained was to leave the rest to Yakumo. “Yakumo, did you get anything?” asked Isshin after Haruka finished her story.

“Wait a moment,” said Yakumo, stepping away from Haruka and walking further into the room. Gotou and the others couldn’t see anything. But such wasn’t the case for Yakumo.

Gotou, Haruka, and Isshin waited as they stared at Yakumo’s back. Yakumo’s red left eye would surely discover something unbeknownst to the three of them. “So that was how it was...” muttered Yakumo shortly after.

“What did you get?” asked Gotou eagerly. “Please calm down a little,” grumbled Yakumo before facing Haruka. “Your analysis was half correct.”

“Eh?” Haruka exclaimed in surprise. “Firstly, the ghost of the little girl that you saw was of a child named Mahiro-chan that had died a year ago.”

“The girl whose story we heard at the convenience store?” asked Gotou to confirm. Yakumo nodded. “When her mother had gone out to shop a year ago, Mahiro-chan had been playing with her doll in this room. Unfortunately, the window was open at the time.”

The tone of Yakumo’s voice instantly turned depressing. Without needing to mention it, Gotou could more or less predict what came afterwards.

“Don’t tell me, Mahiro-chan accidentally dropped the doll through the window?” said Gotou. With a gloomy expression, Yakumo nodded. “That’s right. She had been throwing it upwards, imitating how adults would play with young children the same way, but the doll had gotten thrown out the window. It would’ve been better if the doll had fallen all the way down, but it had gotten stuck on the awning below the window instead.”

“So Mahiro-chan had fallen over whilst trying to retrieve it—was what you meant,” said Gotou. Isshin closed his eyes with a pained look on his face, while Haruka pressed her hand onto her chest as if holding back something.

Gotou himself couldn’t help but feel suffocated. Surely Mahiro had wanted to retrieve her doll, but since the window had been out of reach, she had moved the chair inside the room under the window and had climbed onto it.

Then, she had lost her balance and fell down. Unfortunate was the only way to describe it. If only she had been slightly older, she might’ve been able to realise the danger of the situation, but Mahiro hadn’t had such an awareness.

Her mother probably hadn’t thought that her daughter would move a chair next to the window and climb it in the few minutes she had been away. They had finally discovered the cause behind Mahiro’s death, yet on the contrary, it made Gotou understand less as to why Mahiro would be wandering.

As Gotou raised that question, Yakumo narrowed his eyes. “I’ve said this earlier, but only half of her analysis was correct.” said Yakumo, turning towards Haruka. “What do you mean by half?” Haruka looked back at Yakumo, demanding answers.

“The girl called Mahiro became a wandering spirit because she was looking for her red doll shoe—” said Yakumo. Haruka stared at the one half of a doll shoe pair in her hand. “But…when I handed this over to her, the eye over there…” said Haruka as she gripped the red shoe tightly.

“That’s why I said you were half correct.” “Eh?”

“Mahiro-chan had in fact been haunting this hotel looking for her doll shoe. But now, she’s trying to convey something else.” “Something else?”

“That’s right. I first saw her at the hotel front desk. Why was she in such a place?” “So why was she?” asked Gotou in place of the dumbfounded Haruka.

“The shoe. That was the hint.” “The doll shoe?”

“No, not that. The single lone red shoe that I found in the area behind the front desk.” Now that he mentioned it, Yakumo had definitely said something like that. The problem was—

“What does that have to do with this?” “Instead of explaining it with words, it’ll be faster to see it for ourselves. Things should be reaching its limit—” said Yakumo before exiting the room.

Just what did he mean by all that? Gotou exchanged glances with Haruka and Isshin.

No one seemed to know the answer. Despite their dissatisfaction, they could only follow after the man. Nodding to each other, the three left the room after Yakumo—

- 12

- Haruka followed Gotou and Isshin out of the room.

Yakumo, who was already in the corridor, stood in front of the door next to Haruka’s room. “Is there something in that room?” asked Haruka, swallowing her fear.

Right now, Yakumo was standing in front of the room at the other end of the hole that was in her room. “Yes. To be more precise, this actually isn’t a guest room.”

“Is that so?” “This is a linen room,” said Yakumo.

Looking closer at it, there was in fact a sign indicating that it was a linen room, and a plate declaring ‘staff only’ was also stuck there. Linen rooms were dedicated rooms meant to store fitted sheets, pillow covers, towels, and the like.

She had initially thought that this had been a guest room, but since this turned out to be a linen room, what was that eye from earlier? “Is there something in that linen room?” asked Gotou.

“Yes. Gotou-san, please open this up,” Yakumo pointed at the door. “Even if you say to open it…is it alright for us to enter as we please?”

“It’s fine since this is an emergency.” Despite his words, Yakumo’s voice didn’t sound urgent one bit.

Confused, Gotou grabbed onto the doorknob, pushing and pulling it. The door appeared to be locked; there were no signs of it opening. “It’s not opening.”

“Don’t you carry any crowbars with you or something?” “No way I have something like that,”

“Then it can’t be helped. Let’s ask him to open it,” said Yakumo, looking at the stairs. Who did Yakumo mean by him? Pondering that fact, Haruka turned in the direction Yakumo was looking to find Oohori there.

“What are all of you doing?” asked Oohori. His voice was trembling a little.

“Actually, we’d like to open this door. Could you lend us the key?” said Yakumo, displaying a faint smile. “Why do you want to open it?”

Oohori’s question was to be expected. There should be no reason for hotel guests to open a linen room. Even if he was still a trainee, there was no way he would lend the key to them. “Surely you know the reason, Oohori-san,” Yakumo spoke as if he had known everything, and large droplets of sweat began forming on Oohori’s forehead.

There was no mistaking it, Oohori was hiding something. “There’s nothing but fitted sheets and towels inside,”

He was trying his hardest to hide his panic, yet his voice was shaking entirely. “Is that really true?” Yakumo urged him.

“Really.” “It’s best if you stop lying.”

“Lying?” “From the beginning, I’ve felt odd.”

“I’m saying, what’s so odd?” “Although you’re still under training, you didn’t know whether a room was available. It’d be understandable if the hotel was larger, but at this scale, don’t you think it’s odd?”

Certainly, at first they had been told that there had been one room available. Moments later, they had been told again that apparently there had been one more vacant room, and that room had then become Haruka’s room.

“That was merely my mistake...” “Is that so? Then, what do you have to say about this?” Yakumo handed a single shoe that appeared to be a woman’s—that he had seemingly taken out of thin air—to Oohori.

“W-where did you…” “In the employee rest area behind the front desk.”

“You went trespassing inside?” asked Oohori in an accusatory tone. “Please don’t redirect the conversation,” said Yakumo, glaring at Oohori.

“I’m not redirecting...” “In that case, please answer. Who does this shoe belong to?”

“This was, um...The morning shift staff forgot about it...” “Oh? How strange. In the middle of a rain as heavy as this, would anyone go home forgetting their shoe?”

“What nonsense have you been rambling about? With what authority are you doing something like this...” “We do have authority,” interrupted Gotou.

“Eh?” Oohori exclaimed with a surprised look on his face. “Despite his looks, this guy’s a police officer,” Yakumo clarified.

That instant, Oohori turned his heel and quickly ran away while screaming. “Gotou-san! Catch him!”

Even without Yakumo shouting at him, Gotou had already gone after Oohori. Oohori ran down the stairs intending to escape, but Gotou tackled the man’s back and he fell rolling down the stairs.

Gotou then held him face down. Everything happened so quickly that Haruka had no idea what had happened and was left agape.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Isshin, who couldn’t grasp the situation either as he shook his head and reached for his chin. “Before I explain, Gotou-san, please get the linen room key from him,” ordered Yakumo.

While restraining Oohori, Gotou removed the bundle of keys from Oohori’s pants before throwing it to Yakumo. “Here.” Yakumo skillfully caught the throw, separating the linen room key once he had singled it out to open the door.

Just what on earth lies within that room? Haruka peered into the linen room through Yakumo’s back and her eyes grew wide.

Inside there was a woman. Strangely, the woman’s hands and legs were tied with duct tape, while her mouth was taped shut.

“Well, this is how things are,” said Yakumo as if they could understand everything just by looking. Haruka didn’t understand a single thing.

- 13

- Half agape, Haruka sat on a sofa at the hotel lobby.

Right at that moment, Oohori was being dragged away by uniformed policemen. The woman that had been trapped in the linen room had been carried to the hospital as well. Yakumo had just finished explaining Oohori’s actions.

As it turned out, the woman who had been trapped in the linen room had been Oohori’s lover. The night before, Oohori had suspected her of cheating and they had had a huge fight. Oohori hadn’t believed his girlfriend. Because of that, he had suspected that she would meet up secretly with her cheating partner while he had been at work.

He had then come up with the idea of locking up his girlfriend. However, if he were to lock her up in his apartment, the door could easily be opened from the inside.

Hence, he had decided to drag his girlfriend all the way to the hotel where he worked and had locked her in the linen room. This hotel’s linen rooms only locked from the outside, so he could easily lock her up.

It was raining heavily today with strong winds, there was renovation work on some of the hotel rooms, and he was working alone; all those factors had supported the execution of his plan. Furthermore, luckily, the room next to the linen room had been vacant, to Oohori’s relief. 

Yet suddenly Haruka and the others had arrived because of the rain. Oohori had wanted to send them away by saying that there was only one room available, but had reconsidered as it would be bad if other employees found out, and therefore had intended to get another room ready—but he had made a miscalculation.

Due to ongoing renovations, the number of usable rooms had been limited, and he had been left with no option but to use room 404. He had planned to take his girlfriend out of the linen room before other employees arrive and lock her elsewhere, but he had gotten discovered by Yakumo beforehand.

“Good grief. Causing nothing but trouble for other people,” Sitting in front of Haruka, Gotou grumbled as he looked outside. “Well, don’t say that. This time, Haruka-chan was troubled the most,” said Isshin, smiling softly as he sat next to Gotou.

“No, I...” Haruka shook her head, but to be honest, she had been so terrified when she had been trapped in the room, that she had thought she wouldn’t be able to come out safely. It turned out the door wouldn’t open due to the poor fitting of the door frame, and the lights had been flickering because it hadn’t been installed properly.

Meanwhile, the room wall had a hole in it because a drunken guest had punched through it about a month prior. As a temporary measure, they had hung a painting to cover it up.

However, the painting had fallen down as the woman trapped in the linen room had been thrashing around. Unable to make a sound as her mouth had been sealed shut, the woman had peeked into Haruka’s room through the hole, seeking for help.

After having it explained logically like this, it may not sound like it was a big deal. Yet Haruka had been panicking at the time.

“Well, either way, this was all thanks to her,” said Yakumo, who had been sitting next to Haruka as he slowly stood up. Standing at the end of his sight had to be none other than that girl called Mahiro.

Haruka had thought Mahiro had been trying to tell Haruka about her red doll shoe, but she really had been telling her about the woman that had been trapped in the linen room next to Haruka’s. Mahiro, who had been searching for her red doll shoe all this time, had witnessed a woman wearing red shoes being forcefully dragged and locked up, and had desperately tried to deliver a message to help her.

Yet Haruka had grasped the message incorrectly. “I get it. I’ll make sure to deliver it, so you can go ahead—” said Yakumo, half crouching to meet the four-year-old girl’s height. His gaze then travelled to a distance.

He must’ve been discussing something with Mahiro. “What did she say?”

“She wanted us to deliver her doll’s red shoe to her family,” Yakumo explained. Haruka stared at the red coloured doll shoe, still within her hands.

“Is that so...” Mahiro had already passed—such was the reality that just hit her, making Haruka struggle to breathe.

Mahiro had fallen because she had wanted to retrieve her doll— She must have been sad, but her mother must be carrying a deep sadness as well, alongside the guilt of causing her daughter’s death by leaving her alone in the room.

“Also, she wanted us to send her thanks to her mother,” said Yakumo, straightening his posture. No matter what, they had to convey Mahiro’s words of gratitude to her mother.

Haruka felt it was the only thing that she could do. “Don’t tell me you guys are planning to go visit that Mahiro girl’s mother?” asked Gotou, frowning his forehead.

“Of course. Any objections?” asked Yakumo, glancing in Gotou’s direction. “No,” Gotou shook his head.

Looking out the window, the rain had stopped for some time before they realised it.

[companionjones]

Love is in the Air (Why Didn’t You Tell Me?)

Pairing: Beck Oliver x Fem!Reader

Fandom: Victorious (Nickelodeon)

Summary: Based on the episode of Victorious “Beggin’ on Your Knees,” where you take the place of Tori. Some things are changed.

Warnings: None that I can think of

Y/n=Your name

W/n=Wrong name

*******

    Love was in the air at Hollywood Arts, and you absolutely hated it. You sat on the stairs in the main hallway and watched all the main couples of the school go about their day.

    Trina came into view. She was running after Jade. “Babe! I said I was sorry!”

    Jade’s jaw tightened as she turned back around to her girlfriend. “You walked in on my auditions!”

    “I’m sorry! You know how I get! I see an opportunity and I just gotta take it. Y’know?”

    Her words didn’t soothe Jade’s anger. “My audition isn’t your opportunity!”

    Trina paused for a moment. “Well, yeah. I know that now...Listen what if I buy you those new scissors you wanted?”

    That seemed to immediately resolve a lot of Jade’s resentment. “...The ones that are diamond encrusted?”

    “The very same,” Trina nodded. “Do you like me again?”

    Jade took a step up to Trina, took her hand, and kissed her cheek. “Maybe...”

    The two walked off together.

    “Whatcha doin’?” Beck was suddenly looming over you.

    You turned around to look at him. “Wallowing in my loneliness.” You turned back around and rested your head on your hands.

    “...That sounds like fun,” Beck responded, not knowing what else to say.

    “Robbie!!! Robbie!!!” Cat burst onto the scene by running down the stairs and screaming bloody murder for Robbie. She reached the middle of the main hallway and released her loudest scream yet. “ROBBIE SHAPIRO!!!”

    The boy came sprinting into view on Cat’s right. “What? What is it? Everyone’s telling me you’re looking for me, Cat. Is everything okay? Are you hurt?”

    “No,” Cat answered, much calmer than before.

    “Then what is it?” Robbie asked, still very concerned.

    Cat’s response was simple: “I missed you.” She then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Robbie’s torso.

    Robbie let his head rest on top of hers. Probably to equally revel in her cuteness and insanity. “I...I missed you too, sweetheart...But next time, maybe try calling me on the phone...” His voice trailed off as he and Cat walked away.

    “Hey, guys.” Tori approached you and Beck, hand-in-hand with André.

    You immediately rolled your eyes. “Here we go. Yet another couple to rub their happiness in my face.”

    “I’m sorry?” Tori wasn’t sure if she should’ve apologised for her happiness.

    “What’s with the sour attitude?” André wondered. When he and Tori came to a stop, he traded holding hands with her with putting an arm around her shoulder.

    “Nothing’s up. Right, Y/n?” Beck answered for you. Before you could respond to Beck, he asked the three of you, “You guys wanna get lunch?”

    Both Tori and André nodded. “Sure.”

    Beck grabbed your hand. “You’re coming too. C’mon.” He dragged you along with him.

    Outside, you were mainly focusing on your food, which was why you didn’t notice, at first, a guy walk up next to you. When you did notice him, you saw that he wasn’t just a guy, he was Ryder Daniels, a senior. A really hot senior at that. He was talking to you.

    “Hey. It’s W/n, right?”

    “Y/n.” Beck corrected without looking up from his meal.

    Ryder cleared his throat. “Y/n, right. How are you doing?”

    “I-I’m doing okay...How are you?”

    Ryder smiled at you. “I’m good. So, Y/n, I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime?”

    You felt your eyes widen. “With me?”

    Vaguely, you heard Beck go, “With her?”

    Ryder gave a weird look to Beck. “Yeah...” He turned back to you. “What do you think?”

    “Uh, s-sure.” You had to physically push the word out.

    “Great.” Ryder grinned and walked away.

    “Great!” you called after him, then turned back to your friends. “What just happened?”

    Tori was the first to answer. “What do you think just happened? You got a date!”

    Your heart was beating out of your chest. “Really? Are you sure?”

    “Yes!” André congratulated you. “Be happy, Y/n!”

    You were pretty sure that was what you were feeling. Your heart wouldn’t slow down to tell you anything else.

    That night, you had just finished a pretty fun night with Ryder. You couldn’t believe it, but you were pretty sure you had just fallen into your first relationship.

    There was a knock at your door.

    You walked toward it, confused. “Ryder? Did you forget something?” You opened your door to find not Ryder. “Beck?”

    “I don’t like this.” He came marching into your home.

    Your confusion only grew. “Don’t like what?”

    He jumped onto another subject. “How was your date?”

    “It went fine. We’re doing the Full Moon Jam together. Is this what you’re upset about?” you wondered.

    Beck’s jaw clenched. “Maybe.”

    “Why?” You were flabbergast.

    He thought for a second. “I don’t-I don’t know, but I just don’t like the idea of you with someone else--”

    “Are you kidding me?!” you shrieked. “All this time, I’ve been alone, Beck. So I swear to god, if you tell me you like me now--”

    “I don’t like you!” he shouted back. “I just don’t want to see you with him! I don’t want to see you with anyone unless it’s m--” Beck immediately stopped talking as realisation dawned on his face.

    “...Get out,” was all you had to say.

    Beck hung his head as he followed your order.

    And just like that, you were left alone.

    The next day, you were excited to see Ryder again. You were excited to see anyone that could distract you from Beck. You decided to meet Ryder at his locker.

    You were about to round the corner when you heard Ryder talking to one of his friends.

    “Hey, Ryder. Congratulations! I heard you’re dating that one girl--What is it--W/n?”

    “Yeah. Only until she gets me an A on this Full Moon Jam assignment. Then you can have her.”

    That was all it took to have you booking it in the other direction.

    You weren’t sure how many hours you spent in the janitor’s closet, but you were pretty sure you’d heard the bell ring three times. You weren’t willing to do the math.

    Suddenly, the door to the closet burst open. “There you are!” Beck called out, relieved. “Jesus, I’ve got everyone looking for you, y’know...Y/n?”

    “He’s using me,” you tearfully informed, “He’s using me to get a good grade on the Full Moon Jam assignment, then he’s gonna dump me.”

    Beck didn’t know what to say, “Oh, Y/n.”

    “Why didn’t you say anything?” You sprung to your feet.

    He thought you were talking about Ryder. “I didn’t know--”

    “Not about him. Why didn’t you tell me you liked me before all this mess?”

    Beck was ashamed. “I didn’t know about that either until Ryder asked you out.”

    “Why didn’t you tell me--?” Your sobs cut you off. You started crumpling into yourself until Beck enveloped you in a hug.

    For some reason, life didn’t seem so bad anymore. You hugged him back. The tears kept falling.

    “I’m never going to let anyone hurt you again,” Beck whispered, “Whether I have you or not. No one will ever treat you like this again--”

    You kissed him.

    It was an intense kiss. Beck roughly backed you against some drawers, and you forcefully ran your fingers through Beck’s hair.

    Eventually, you two had to part for air, and you just smiled.

    “What’s the smile about?” Beck asked. His expression matched yours.

    “Oh, a few things,” you answered teasingly. You kissed him again. “I think I know how to get revenge on Ryder, and I’m gonna need your help.

    “Anything,” Beck promised you.

    “Good,” you grinned, and kissed him again.

*******

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for reading! Fill up that heart and reblog if you liked it. I would also really appreciate a comment, if you have the time. If you would like to read more, check out my masterlist. Have a nice day, night, or whatever time it is for you!