#and yes Victor is wearing his mask even when they kiss just don’t think about it pretend it’s not an issue

[stardancerluv]

Is There Love When Dating the King of Gotham?

Part One of Two

Summary: Roman’s been away and you realize what you need from him.

Note/Warning: small consensual sex scene, marking.

“Welcome Home, Romy!” You were tickled with delight. Roman had been gone for almost two weeks but now he was home. You had missed him terribly.

To pick him up at the airport, you had worn a lovely dress and had your hair and nails done. You even wore a necklace he bought you, that made you nervous, to be fair that necklace was worth more than what your business pulled for two years.

When he gave it to you, you had promised him you’d wear it on special occasions for him. So today with how much you missed him, you decided to wear it.

The rolls dipped and bumped its way across Gotham. He slipped his sunglasses off and sat looking you over. You could practically feel his eyes, that were as turbulent as an ocean, moving over you. “Baby,” He rasped, a smile spread across his face. “You’re so beautiful. Now, come here.” He beckoned to you.

Easily, you slid over to him. You shivered as you felt his hands on you. The smooth leather, the warmth of his hands just under the surface.

When your lips met you could taste one of his favorite scotches. He must have enjoyed it on the flight home.

Minutes later, barely able to part you managed to make it to the elevator to get up to the penthouse. Your clothes had become a serious annoyance and the kisses made your heart race.

******

“I love you.” You breathed. You arched against him as you came hard. Sweat dripped between the two of you. Barely able to focus, you clung onto him as he rolled and moved so he was above you. The sight of his hair hanging in his face and the sounds that poured from his lips was enough to get you excited all over again.

His lips pulled at your throat, as he sucked and nibbled against it. Scarves would be essential for the next few days, but you didn’t care. Part of you always found his marks delicious, they made your heart skip when you’d eye them later in the mirror.

“Y/N,” was a moan as it poured from his mouth, his breath hot as you felt him cum hard, deep within you. He rested his forehead against your shoulder as he trembled. You ran a hand through his wet strands.

His eyes were hooded with pleasure when he met yours. You shared a tired smile. Finally, slowly he came to rest beside you with a sigh. He held out an arm and you cuddled to his side. His arm came back around and held you close. He pressed a kiss to the top of your head.

“Will you be running off later or will you be sitting with me at my table, my first night back after being away?”

You tilted your head so you could smile up at him. “You have me all night.”

“Good.”

You gently yawned. He had thoroughly tired you. You drifted off feeling his fingertips play absently with the necklace still on your throat.

*****

Stirring, you slowly let yourself wake up but then as you reached out and felt a cold bed, your dreamy state shattered. Your fingers felt a piece of paper and you snatched it.

Baby,

Headed down early.

Can’t wait to get my hands on you again.

See you at the table.

RBS

Annoyance crept over you and took ahold. “RBS.” You said in a snarky tone. You don’t know why then but suddenly it really irked you. Like you’d ever forget his name. Couldn’t he scrawl a heart, was it too much to write love Roman.

Just before he had left on his trip to solidify some business in Europe, it had hit you that he had never actually said I love you. You had. You knew in his own way he showed you that he did.

He had carved out a portion of his penthouse for you to have a studio. He made those men pay after kidnapping you. Now, you knew you were dealing with Roman Beauvais Sionis. He was incredibly feared in the underworld. He did not fuck around.

Until you, he was the only man in Gotham that came close to giving Bruce Wayne a run for his money when being seen as the richest or the handsomest bachelor in Gotham.

You also knew he had his share of heart ache, from past relationships and from his godawful family. A slap across the face was more of the norm than a slap on the back of encouragement. So you knew it had taken a lot for him to even be exclusive with you.

When you'd given him your unwavering loyalty and love, you had hoped for something. A little crumb. You knew he had missed you. This afternoon the intimacy had stolen your breath. But you still needed, wanted to hear the words. Even a little heart on the note would be a step in the right direction.

You swallowed back the tears the moment they filled your eyes. “You’re dating Roman. You should be happy someone like that even wanted to commit.” That night when you, Rebecca swished into the Black Mask, had swished in Rebecca had tried to catch his eye. But somehow, he liked your looks more.

With that as comfort, you pulled aside the blanket and got up. Shuffling past the end of the bed, you saw two very beautiful dresses. You stopped and gasped. Then you saw a little note.

Wear one for us tonight!

Saw these in a little boutique in Rome.

The scarves will be an amazing accent, work them like only you can.

RBS

This time reading the RBS, you rolled your eyes and your stomach churned. How had your throat ended up looking.

*****

You gasped, looking your reflection over. He certainly had been enthusiastic. You pressed your lips together. Delight filled you. A part of you enjoyed the sight of his marks besides the incredibly elegant necklace. But that was Roman’s effect on you. Something about it was sexy, but yes one of those scarves is going to be twirled around you.

******

Walking in, a smiled played on your lips. The place was buzzing. As you walked over to his table you stopped. You really should have slept longer or even taken longer with the scarf.

When your eyes landed on Roman, he had a wide smile across his face that made your heart squeeze. His arm was resting above the head of some girl who was looking up at him with sparkling eyes and a bright smile. He looked so relaxed, happy. Turning towards him she said something and you watched as he threw his head back and laughed.

You don’t know why, but all of a sudden you felt like some kind of kept puppy. The necklace suddenly felt heavy. As your thoughts began to swirl, you tugged at the scarf.

You went to the bar. On the side away from the patrons, you slid onto a stool.

The bartender looked bored. “Here you go, princess.” He slid your usual over to you.

You looked at him and swallowed the drink and attempted to swallow down your anger. “I’ll take another.”

He rose an eyebrow.

“I don’t want to ask again.”

He nodded and as he slid you the second one, you were nibbling on one of the cherries.

“One more.”

“Y/N.” You slightly jumped in your seat. As Victor then came around, you eyed him up and down from the corner of your eye.

“Roman is expecting you.”

“He seemed indisposed when I just saw him.” You rolled your eyes.

“Come to the table.”

It finally dawned on you, it was a bitch. That’s what they called female dogs. You felt like a kept bitch.

He had given you a collar, that let you know exactly what you were in the relationship. He wouldn’t want you straying, so he set up your studio to keep you within reach. And finally a good fucking here and there, to keep you loyal. It all came together.

“Y/N.”

“I heard you, Zsasz.” Carefully, you slid from the stool. Walking to the table, you now saw a sour expression splashed on his face. Yeah, he was so thrilled to have you sit with him after her and however many others. You couldn’t do this.

You undid the scarf. “Victor said you were ready for me?”

He looked up, his brow wrinkled as he sat there. You saw as he began to get up.

“Don’t unless you’re making rounds.”

His brows furrowed more.

“Here.” You dropped the scarf.

His eyes grew as he saw the marks. He held up the scarf. “Baby?”

“I... I...” You were at a loss of what to exactly say. “Never mind, Mr. Roman Beauvais Sionis.” So you turned and left.

You realized he had not followed you. You had not looked back, but you knew he wasn’t there.

Once upstairs, you went to his office. You unclasped the collar. As you did, tears finally filled and a few fell from your eyes.

Going to the bedroom, you slipped the dress off. Finding the dress you had worn earlier wrinkled and flat, you slipped it back on.

You managed to go down the hall to your studio. Opening the door, you flipped the light on. You pressed your lips together.

******

Roman sighed, as he disengaged his arm from Annie, he thinks that was her name. He managed to get his arm on top of the cushion.

“Listen, I will have you start off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.”

She smiled up at him with the eyes that caught the light. They would look good on stage he hoped. “But Mr. Sionis...”

“Roman, dear.” Oh he hated to be referred to as Mr. Sionis. He resisted the urge to shiver, it reminded him too much of his father.

She smiled a little brighter. “Roman, but I want a Friday or a Saturday.” A small pout formed on her lips. “Do I have to sleep with you to get a Friday or a Saturday?”

He threw his head back and laughed. Then he grew serious. “Darling, you better learn this fast. I am committed to my girl. And if you are going to work here, you will respect her like you would respect me. If you don’t, I fire you.”

Her cutesy face dropped. “I understand.”

He gestured to Zsasz, he came right over. “Find Y/N.” Zsasz nodded.

He turned his attention to the girl. “Ok, our little chat is over. Need money for costumes, write up a budget and we can talk again.”

Roman finally relaxed once the girl shifted and finally slid out of the booth. He was eager to have you by his side. With his time away, he realized just how much he missed you.

He grimaced as he looked at all that was his. It pleased him. But damn, seeing you today when you were there waiting at the gate. The way you ran over and felt against him when you wrapped your arms around him. How had he gotten that lucky, he was a cold hearted bastard. He had no idea but he was grateful.

The scent of your perfume tickled his nose just before he heard your voice. “Victor said you were ready for me?” He watched as you undid the masterpiece you had managed to make with your scarf.

Looking up, confusion filled him. As he looked closer, just above that beautiful necklace he bought you, he could see the marks he left on your throat. He was amazed. He had certainly been swept away by his passions. Though the way the diamonds twinkled on your slim throat and his marks, his stomach churned. Easily he wanted you all over again. He started to get up to welcome you to his table; he did enjoy being a gentlemen towards you.

He watched as you made a dismissive gesture with one of your hands. “Don’t unless you’re making rounds.”

His grew more confused.

“Here.” You then dropped the scarf in front of him.

He grabbed it. “Baby?”

“I... I..." He was at a loss. Were you upset? Who had bothered you? He’d wring their neck. Were you upset because he told you to wear the scarf? He knew how you liked to look classy and there was a chance with his love marks others would say other things. You were at a loss of what to say exactly. “Never mind, Mr. Roman Beauvais Sionis.” Your voice had become clipped as he then watched you turn and walk away.

@spn-obsessed-dean @vintagemichelle91 @xxxeatyourh3artoutxxx @ewamode @zodiyack @angel98624 @frenchgirlinlondon @emyliabernstein @thepeachreads @nebulastarr @itsknife2meetu @omghappilyuniquebouquetlove @poe-kadot26 @babydoll97-blog1 @hazel-nuss @vcat55 @feelthemadnessinside @johallzy @foreverhockeytrash @frostypenguinoz @professionalclown @chogisss @shantellorraine @xxinvisiblexx @blondekel77 @saphic-stories @drarrylov3r @i-cant-hear-you16 @deadlymistress24 @yesqueenofthelight @generallj @thebeckyjolene @blackmasque @mrskenobi19

[bluebird722]

Masks in a Maze

Characters: NTT!Raven and TT!Red-X

Rating: M for lemon

Summary: The Titans must infiltrate a masquerade in search of any suspicious activity, but maybe it begins within one of them...

The ball had not even started when it was supposed to, as the Titans discovered upon arrival. Attendees were standing together, holding glasses of champagne and talking to one another. Everyone was wearing a mask—some similar to Nightwing’s, some so covering that even the Changeling’s green hair and skin would have appeared to be a covering.

“All right, Titans,” whispered Dick, “remember the plan: Keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. If anything feels wrong, report to me or find one another, but be subtle.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

After Garfield, Victor, Donna, Raven, Kori, and Wally whispered their promises to obey, each Titan separated, the skirts of the females’ dresses fluttering behind them in seas of vibrant colors.

Raven forgot how Dick even heard of this ball, let alone suspected that someone might pull a heist on what was the city’s annual fundraiser/celebratory gathering to support the local children’s hospital, but that explained the ball’s theme—masked masquerade, a reminder that even the unknown, the anonymous were heroes. She braced herself for the nearly five hundred attendees, and so far, it seemed to be working. Emotions could not suffocate her; she had meditated and reminded herself to stay focused on Dick’s instruction, even if it meant dancing. Unfortunately, that meant having to find a partner.

Several young women around her age had gathered by a pillar, either whispering to each other or admiring the artwork. Raven noticed Donna thank a waiter for champagne and tried to follow her advice: Make eye contact with a man, smile, and break eye contact. He will want to chase you before you attract another man. It seemed easier said than done. Nearly every man—not counting her teammates—was in the company of whom she perceived to be more attractive women. Raven eyed a strand of hair that framed her face and wondered if she should have done something other than a French twist for her long black hair.

She tried not to fidget with any part of her gown, as though such an action would ruin it. She did not like shopping for this event, even though she had Kori at her side to provide options. They all looked beautiful on the hangers, but, ironically, this gown, the one that made her feel so insecure, was the one Kori approved of. The color, a royal navy and almost the opposite of her normal colored dress, was too slimming. The mermaid gown with the train was difficult to walk in, even though Kori thought it was somehow suitable for dancing in. It was strapless, and the back bared her shoulder blades, but even with long gloves, she still felt like she was exposing too much skin. At least the mask was shaped like a swan and hooked behind her ears like a pair of glasses.

She watched the mayor go up on stage, thank everyone for their attendance, and announce that the dancing should begin. Raven took a deep breath. Not all of the women beside her had left and found partners, but she shifted her feelings so she could concentrate. As the band began some symphony, she watched for anything unusual, but all she could find were masked dancers preparing to dance. She thought that she saw the top of Victor’s head but realized that it was part of a mask.

“It’s no fun being a wallflower, is it?”

The whisper and warm breath in her ear made Raven jump. She turned to her left and made eye contact with the stranger—eyes a piercing blue, almost concealed behind a mask framing an angular face and a head of curly black hair. Even by looking at his face, she knew that he wore a cape of black silk with an interior of red silk.

She inhaled, but her lungs felt frozen.

The stranger smiled. She tried not to fantasize about those lips and what it would be like to kiss them, and they didn’t even look chapped. “Um…no…” she whispered back.

He took her hand, covered in a bicep-long white glove, and kissed the curve of her wrist. Concentrate, she reminded herself. If you lose control of your powers, he will suspect who you are…

“May I have this dance?”

Raven nodded, still wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He guided her to the doors close to the band, and they joined in to a composition that she remembered from Black Swan. She knew that she should keep an eye out for any sign of impending trouble, or even of her teammates, but it was hard to look away from the eyes that gave her the sensation of looking down in a wide ocean. She could envision herself swimming, the water rejuvenating her skin and filling her with an energy to keep going.

They kept dancing for what seemed like hours, yet she wasn’t tired. She felt like the mini ballerinas in the musical jewelry boxes. For a moment, she envisioned herself and her partner becoming one, unwilling to ever separate. She pressed her chest against his and clutched his shoulder. He responded by slowly stroking up the back of her dress.

“This night is turning out better than I had hoped,” he whispered into the sensitive skin of her neck.

Raven pulled away, still holding onto his shoulder and hand. “How is that?”

Her partner refused to look away from her eyes. Raven’s torso began to perspire under the material of her gown. “Let me show you something.”

Raven took a deep breath. She knew that doing so would pull her away from the overall intention of why she was here, but she knew that refusing might make him suspicious. Maybe he was the one whom Dick was suspecting, or maybe she was overthinking.

“Where shall we go?” she whispered.

He pulled away and led her outside into the crisp spring air. Raven couldn’t help but shiver once she stepped outside. Why didn’t she think to bring a shawl to this event?

Her partner chuckled, and she heard a clasp. “Where are my manners?” he asked himself. Raven felt the smooth fabric of silk encase her shoulders and exposed back, and shivered even more. “Forgive me, Rachel Roth. I did not even assume—”

Raven’s eyes widen. “H—How did you know my name?”

True, it was not her birth name, just one that she used for legal matters, but how could he have suspected?

“Rachel Roth?” he asked. He shrugged. “I couldn’t help but recognize you from that portrait that you posed for, from that photographer James Silke.”

Raven’s throat dried. “H—How—Wh—What—”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I just recognized you by your cheekbones, your nose, even your lips, even with that mask you’re wearing.”

Raven’s cheeks flushed. Not only did he know her “name” and recognize her, but he also saw her naked, sans two silver bracelets and matching hoop earrings. She didn’t know why she agreed to pose for James Silke, other than that the pictures were for charity, and she thought that it would help her feel more in touch with herself. As long as she covered her breasts and didn’t show offer her nether regions, she didn’t feel like she was “exploiting” herself for men’s and women’s lusty eyes.

And he knew her name… Did he know who she was. Was that enough for him to recognize her as Raven of the Teen Titans? Raven worried that she had walked into a trap. She turned her head only to realize that they were no longer beside the ballroom. In fact, everything around them was green. With a sinking heart, she realized that they had made their way into the nearby maze. She refused to meet his eyes. “Whe—How did we…”

He looked amused. “You don’t remember? We’ve been walking through the maze for a while. You must have lost focus.”

Raven felt her heart racing and worried that she had indeed walked into a trap. The only way to escape was to use her powers, but that would blow her cover, and then the bad guys, if any, would know that she wasn’t alone. She listened hard but could not hear any human voices. Even the music was faint.

“Relax,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I only wanted to keep walking.”

Raven pulled his cape tighter around her arms. “But you just met me—I mean, you know who I was from a photograph of me naked…”

“And I knew that the external beauty matches your internal beauty,” he reassured her. She glanced at him with unsure eyes. “I did not want to scare you—only to get you…” He rubbed her arms reassuringly, and Raven moaned. It felt comforting. Without thinking, she leaned into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. It was a comfort that she worried that she would never have again.

He muttered something unintelligible. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. “What was that?”

“May I kiss your neck?” he repeated. “I believe in consent before I do something that might make a woman feel uncomfortable.”

Raven had never before experienced such a thing and nodded. “If it pleases you…”

He gave in to temptation, but then he kissed her twice. She moaned. “I like that.”

“I’ve only done it twice,” he said, “but I must admit that it’s already addicting.” He kissed her neck again, this time up to her ear, and Raven smiled in pleasure.

“Yes,” she purred. “A little more…”

He moved on to her hairline, behind her ear, and even the back of her neck. Raven gripped the fabric of his costume and arched her back. She decided to return the favor and pecked the bare flesh peeking over his collar.

“It’s so creamy and addicting,” he murmured into her neck, “but…may I give you a real kiss?”

Raven even more slowly pulled away. “What?”

He eyed her swollen lips in hunger. “Yes. A. Real. Kiss.”

Keep calm, she reminded herself. She scanned the exposed skin of his face and sensed honesty, infatuation, genuine attraction, lust…but no deception, no false sense of integrity.

Biting her lip, Raven nodded.

Her handsome partner smirked and with the tip of his thumb traced down her lower lip. The desire in his was growing. She stared into his eyes and their pupils even as he lowered his face and then his lips on top of Raven’s.

Raven closed her eyes and drew her arms around his neck and shoulders to bring him closer. Even though she kept her emotions tame, she absorbed the euphoria coming from him. His hands pressed against her back and to his chest. Any time they pulled apart, they came back together. Eventually, it heated up to something more, but Raven didn’t care until she lost her footing. Then she realized that he had picked her up and pressed her back against the wall of the maze.

“I don’t want to stop,” she confessed.

Her partner grinned. “Neither do I,” he admitted. He dove back in for another kiss. She wrestled with the heavy fabric of her skirt, and he must have suspected, for he used one hand to push the skirt to her waist, and then her bare legs immediately wrapped around his hips.

“Anyone could catch us,” she worried.

“No,” he said. “We’re too far in…” He kissed down her throat and lapped at her pulse.

The vegetation of the walls were uncomfortable against Raven’s skin through the cape, but she concentrated on his lusty lips puckering all over her collarbone. “Don’t stop,” she panted, and he dipped down to taste her cleavage.

“I don’t want to,” he said with a smirk. Then he lowered his head and bit her nipple through her dress.

Raven’s hair was starting to fall out of its twist, she could feel, but all she cared about was his costume. If he could do that to her chest, it made sense she should do the same. She pushed the jacket from his shoulders and sensed shock from him until he removed it for her and kissed her on the lips again. She instantly unbuttoned his shirt and flattened her palms against a smooth, hairless chest. Did he wax, or was it fate?

“You’re eager,” he said huskily. Raven bit her lip in greed, startled with herself. “Don’t be embarrassed, Rachel, just let me know when to stop.”

Raven heaved. She knew she had to; it was a wonder that her powers didn’t blow up the maze yet, but at the same time, she didn’t know when or if she would ever see him again. She looked into his eyes and sensed eagerness and worry at the same time.

“I don’t want to.” She knew that she kept repeating herself, but she didn’t care.

With a grin, he kissed her again. This time, she smoothed up his back and tickled the hair from his underarm.

His hands met at her back, and Raven focused on their kissing until she heard the sound of a zipper separating. Then her whole back was exposed, and the bust of her dress was loose over her larger than average breasts. She closed her eyes and let him kiss down her sternum and push down her dress, exposing her bare breasts. Then he held her wrists together behind her back with one hand and kissed the swell of her breast.

Raven gasped and arched her neck. Her hips wiggled against his pelvis, and the dress fell further down her body. He kissed up to one nipple and studied the perfectly dark color. It made him think of a fruit with a tempting taste. Without hesitating, he took it between his lips and swirled the tip of his tongue around her areola and occasionally over the tip. His other hand squeezed her other breast and slowly tweaked her nipple but began to go faster and harder.

Raven nearly sobbed as an odd sensation began to sprout in her abdomen. Her forehead broke out into a sweat, and something was growing between her legs. She wanted to grab a hold of his head so he kept his mouth on her nipple, sucking on her breast like he was being paid to. Then his other hand wandered from her other breast to trail down her ribcage and caress her abdomen. Then he let go of her wrists and suddenly managed to push the gown from her waist to over her head. Raven shivered and tried to press her body against his, but he sucked on her other nipple as vigorously as he had with the other.

The wandering hand circled around her navel and dipped into it, tracing around the interior, and when she rubbed her crotch against him, he knew that he did something right. He fondled her belly button a while longer and slid his hand down as best as he could under the high-waisted briefs she wore.

As soon as he grazed her clit, Raven gasped. “Oh…” Her partner ignored her. His one hand sneakily slid away the briefs, as the other kept fondling her clit. Slow circles were her preference. He loudly slurped on her nipple and pushed his fingers into her.

“Faster,” she winced.

He ignored his aching wrist and took to kneading her as he twisted and sucked on her nipples at the same time. She drew long, shaky breaths, and choked when he flicked at her clit. He watched her naked skin gleam in the moonlight and hoped that she could return his needs afterwards.

She was getting close, so he pulled off her high heels, taking her briefs with them, and set her feet flat on his shoulders. Confident that she would stay that way, he laid his hand over her mouth and clasped his onto the moist V between her thighs.

He knew that fingers were a nice touch, but he used his tongue first—first up her slit, then circling her clit again, then into her. He fucked her with his tongue and rubbed his palm over her sweltering abdomen and the top of her thigh at a pace uneven with his tongue that suckled on each fold, collected whatever juices she excreted, and moved on to the other, and then back to penetrating her. She actually rolled and lifted her lips in response, and it only increased her pleasure.

Raven quietly squealed into his hand, her fingertips clutching his hair. She was pouring over his lips, and her nipples were erect. As she collected herself, he stroked his fingers around the interior of her pussy and traced small circles around her taut nipples using the liquid she excreted. This seemed to relax her.

She watched him circle her nipples in such tenderness that she took a deep breath. “Again,” she stuttered.

Immediately, he stopped and lifted his head. “What?”

Raven pulled him closer so she could unzip his trousers, already tight on him. Purring to himself, he helped her lower them down and caressed her delicious curves. They were even better in person.

“Is this your first time?” he asked hesitantly. When she nodded, a part of him lit up in excitement.

“This may feel uncomfortable,” he said, “but let me know if it hurts.”

Raven nodded and rested her head on his shoulder, making faces as he tried to push in. It was like her body didn’t want to lose its virginity or was too scared to take in a male organ.

When he managed to push in the tip, it didn’t hurt, but she clenched around him and swallowed. “I am fine,” she reassured him through shivers. “Just…slow…”

The discomfort grew until all of him was in her. It felt strange yet good, like something she didn’t know was missing form her life but she found and possessed. He shifted his hips and made sure to rub against her clit for extra pleasure. He was slow to pull halfway out and push back in. Eventually, Raven had to whisper it to him with a kiss to the ear.

“Faster.”

He took his time going faster, careful to keep a rhythm and then increase in speed. As he went faster, he breathed into the black hair mingling with the vegetation behind her. They clutched each other as though loosening their grips would break them apart. Raven scrunched her eyes closed and panted with every thrust. Her lover gripped her thighs and became high off her scent, which only drove him to move faster. She winced every time he touched a part of her that made her feel like she stood tiptoe on the edge of a cliff. She knew it was coming and clenched her teeth.

“You’re almost there,” he grunted as he went so fast that it was almost dizzying for him.

Then Raven let out a mixture of a shudder and a squeal, arching her back and clenching around him. She tried to stare at the starry sky, but she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She drifted a hand over her breasts and down her abdomen as though her body cooled down from its adrenaline high and settled back into place, like if she dove into the ocean and the cold water rejuvenated her entire body. She looked down at her partner, who had his head over her heaving breasts, keeping his orgasm to himself.

“How do you feel?”

He panted for a while longer and then lifted his head so he could meet her eyes. “Fulfilled,” he shuddered. Raven couldn’t help but chuckle. Then he did the same, and they were joined in small laughter until he pulled her from the maze. She still held onto him and kissed his forehead.

“Thank you,” she purred. “That was amazing.”

He smiled and softly kissed her. “I agree,” he breathed. Then they kissed even more until they heard an emergency siren.

“Oh no.” Raven tried to peer over his head but could only see green. “It’s… It might be from the ballroom…”

Her lover was slow to pull out, though she did shiver, and they stood on trembling legs as they searched for their clothing. He finished just as she tried pulling the dress up to her waist, and zipped up the back for her. Raven smoothed down her hair for any loose leaves.

“Come on,” he said as he took her hand. “I remember how to get out.”

Just as they neared the entrance and saw flashes of blue and cherry lights, Raven stopped and gripped his hand. “Wait—how will I be able to—When will I see you again?”

He turned around and stared into her face. “We will reunite again, I promise,” he reassured her. “It will be sooner than you might expect…Raven.”

A deep shiver ran down Raven’s spine. “Wh—What did you call me? W—Who are you?”

He smirked and pulled her into his arms. “X. Red-X.” Then he kissed her hard and vanished in the opposite direction of the doors that they walked through.

Raven’s head was buzzing, and her lips were tingling, and her legs were shaking, and she didn’t comprehend what had happened until she stepped inside and saw the ballroom a mess of broken champagne glasses, scattered music sheets, exploded instruments, people bleeding from glass cutes, and a shattered chandelier that her startled teammates, mingled with the other partygoers, surrounded in groups, too afraid to get close.

[cheri-translates]

magazine rack - writings

specially crafted and curated for you.

original one-shots

- featuring gavin

✧ soulmate au

✧ are you ready?

✧ alone on christmas

- featuring eli

✧ dating eli as a member of stf

original headcanons

- featuring all five boys:

✧ barista au

✧ weekdays with you

✧ a week without you

✧ when you’re entranced by k-pop idols

✧ halloween

✧ if mc feels insecure about her body

✧ fights with the love interests

✧ when mc is bad with kids

✧ a family day out

✧ coffee orders

✧ the boys as females

- featuring gavin:

✧ highschool au

✧ wishes

✧ living with gavin

✧ if mc truly died

✧ first kiss

✧ how i would have written gavin’s judgment date

✧ their time in loveland high (season two)

✧ when you fall sick

- featuring shaw:

✧ if he had a halloween date

✧ first kiss

- featuring eli:

✧ dating him

✧ dealing with a pregnant reader

✧ when his daughter starts dating

✧ when you feel cold easily

translated one-shots

- gavin

✧ lighthouse

✧ a jealous husband

✧ watermelon

✧ thorny’s diary

✧ in third person

✧ poetry in the wind

✧ dating mr gavin

✧ concerning jealousy

✧ sparky’s christmas

✧ just one kiss

✧ regarding coquettishness

✧ a typical day in stf

✧ meteor shower (suggestive)

✧ fraud

✧ video call

✧ an online meeting with stf

✧ the mini fan

✧ christmas dinner

✧ the standees

- shaw

✧ biscuits

- victor

✧ sleeping in

✧ a drop in temperature

✧ supper

✧ even if you’re angry, you still have to video call with him

translated headcanons by 君兮耶君兮 / jun xi ye jun xi

✧ a school romance

✧ a tiny him

✧ someone else confessing to you

✧ his confession

✧ when you’re angry

✧ trick question

✧ when you’re drunk

✧ sensitive

✧ blow drying your hair

✧ his comfort

✧ when he’s drunk

✧ his phone notes

✧ a ring on your finger

✧ celebrating his friend’s birthday

✧ when someone strikes up a conversation with you

✧ an action figure of himself

✧ a tiny you

✧ cheesy pick-up lines

✧ waking habits

✧ attending a wedding with him

✧ the woes of your children

✧ sanitary pads

✧ taking care of anna’s kid

✧ when you think he has an ex-girlfriend

✧ terms of endearment

✧ when you wear loose-fitting clothes

✧ when you need help with your zipper

✧ when another man catches your eye

✧ when you apply a face mask for him

✧ the first time hurts a lot but it’s also very pleasurable

✧ when you let go of his hand in the elevator

✧ fairy identity card

✧ when you’re a blockhead

✧ when an old classmate has a meal at your place

✧ let’s break up on the thirtieth of february

✧ do you prefer soft or hard things? (highly suggestive)

✧ their adorable moments

✧ night before the wedding

✧ when he sleep talks

✧ when he thinks you’re going to kiss him

✧ your son isn’t cute at all

translated headcanons by 喵小柒吃很少 / miao xiao qi chi hen shao

- featuring all five boys:

✧ attempting to frighten him

✧ when you’re too engrossed in a drama

✧ when he’s drunk, he still loves you

✧ when you’re drunk and forget who he is

✧ truth or dare: a kiss

✧ how he announces to others that he’s going to become a father

- featuring all five boys + your child:

✧ when he picks you up from work together with your child

✧ when your child accidentally tears your wedding certificate

✧ when you only hug your child

✧ waking your daughter

- featuring only certain boys:

✧ visiting him when he’s sick (gavin and victor)

✧ eli or minor - who is the godfather of your child?

✧ mr commander is especially clingy on the day before your business trip

✧ when he witnesses you complimenting someone else

✧ pretending to be injured is very useful

✧ making lunch for everyone in stf (except mr gavin)

translated headcanons by 阮阮 / ruan ruan

✧ little secrets learnt while dating him

translated headcanons by Twhalf:

✧ when your phone has a mind of its own

translated headcanons by 池离子 / chi li zi

✧ his lonely hearts ad

✧ when you suddenly hold his hand

✧ when you’re angry and say “don’t touch me”

✧  what he can teach you

✧ when he realises that you aren’t taking care of yourself

🍒 return to the menu 🍒

[darling-i-read-it]

Protective

Roman Sionis x reader x Victor Zsasz

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: spoilers for BoP, killing, drinking, sexual themes

Author’s Note: I am a slut. This was so much fun to write I just want to write for Roman and never ever stop he’s my everything

Requested: by anon Well I was thinking of something like Roman Sionis x reader x Victor Szasz, where they are very protective of her because she is not from the villain world, but if you don't want it all right

Summary: the request!

Genre: ugh i don’t know but I like it

Song:

(not my gif)

When Victor found you on one of the outings he knew that Roman had to see you. There was no questioning if you were going to go back to the club with him you just were. Thankfully, you were on your way there anyway. You and some friends were trying to have some fun in the late of the night and there was nothing different about the Black Mask club. You just walked right in and Victor didn’t have to do anything to get you inside.

He followed you and then grabbed Roman, pointing out you to him and Roman got this grin on his face that Victor had never seen before. Roman loved his little birdie and he often looked at woman like they were something he could devour but this was different. An intrigued, slightly off put and aroused grin.

That was how you became the girlfriend to a Sionis and the Zsasz. That easy.

And there was no way in hell they were going to let you go now.

It had been about a year since then and you had only grown closer to you but they wanted to keep you completely out of business aspects. They didn’t want you in the kills or the operations, simply something they could both return to at the end of the day.

You walked through the halls, your robe closed around you and tied tightly. You weren’t sure where Roman or Victor had disappeared to but you knew it was no place good. There was no getting around the job they had and while they kept you out of most things there was no ignoring that you lived with them.

They couldn’t leave you out of all things.

Plus, Victor had promised you a massage so you had to go find him.

Your bare feet went unnoticed to the people you passed. They were used to you walking around like you owned the place because you pretty much did. You ran a hand through your hair and knocked on one of Romans office doors. There was some commotion behind it and Victor opened the door.

“Hey doll,” he said through a grimace. You heard a loud yell at something going on inside and raised your eyebrows, crossing your arms.

“I’m going to assume he deserved it?” you inquired and you heard a scream at something else that was definitely in Romans voice.

“Depends on who you ask but please don’t ask Roman,” he muttered. You gave him a curt nod and he placed his hand on the small of your back that was just barely protected by the robe you were wearing.

“I was promised a massage and you weren’t there,” you pouted and he rolled his eyes. He gave you a toothy grin and you let him guide you back to your room. You smiled as the door opened.

“Did you take your shit?” he asked and you rolled your eyes, sitting on the massage table someone had set up while you were asleep.

“My pills? Yes but the real question is did you take yours?” you questioned, a finger grazing the scars on his neck. He pursed his lips.

“Lay down and take off that robe how about that?”

Later that day you were walking (fully clothes this time around) to try and grab some food. Roman had a fridge in one of his offices and one in the club itself that you literally died for because he hid the good shit in it. You didn’t even think about it as you walked down the stairs to the fully in swing club. Your heel hit the floor with no noise over the music.

You walked across the room to where Roman sat to ask him about the fridge (the fucker kept moving it) when you noticed Victor give you a warning look. You were too close though and Roman had seen you, along with the man who was speaking with him.

“Ah so this is the infamous Y/N, the tamer of the clubs,” he said through a thick accent you didn’t recognize. Roman gave Victor a look but grabbed your hip nonetheless.

“Whatcha needs baby?” he asked, his voice giving you a careful warning. You smiled and knelt down a tad to be close to his ear.

“Where’s the fridge hot stuff?” you sneered. He rolled his eyes but his smile was evident. He swept you onto his lap in one swift movement. You smiled and threw your arms around him.

“Daddy’s doing business, what did I say about coming down during that?” he whispered. Victor gave the other man a hard look.

“Just tell me where the booze is and I’ll wait in bed,” you promised. He perked up at that and leaned forward so his lips were just beside your ear, so much so you could feel his breath as he spoke.

“Under the desk in the singing room,” he whispered. You smiled and kissed his cheek, moved aside and kissed Victors and left out of their hair.

There were some prompt warnings to the man they were doing business with about you. No touching you.

Or someone would have their face.

Ewan: @daphne-fandom-writing , @satanslov3r @records-and-stardust @broodybats @starwarsprequelfangirl

[redspaceace-writes]

Paycheck - (Roman Sionis x Reader)

Request: Hi I love ur blog and ur Roman story is a masterpiece!!!!I have a Roman Sionis request for u!!!!Could u maybe do a Roman Sionis that falls madly in at first sight with victor’s little sister!!!plz?? Thx

Author’s Note: Thank you for the request, anon! I hope you enjoy! 

Word Count: 974

Warnings: Mention of past murder, awkward Victor, love-driven Roman

Tags (open):

Roman Sionis: @darling-i-read-it​ @stardancerluv​ @onebatch--twobatch​

Forever: @starwarsprequelfangirl​

NOT MY GIF! CREDIT GOES TO THE OWNER!

“Victor! Where are we going?” you shout at your brother. He hadn’t told you he wanted you to climb in the car, but you obeyed. Now, you’re driving through dark alleys and busy streets at a reckless speed. Victor also hadn’t pulled the top over the car before you left so the wind whistled past your ears deafeningly. That was the reason for your raise in volume.

“I’m taking you to see my boss,” Victor yells. “I told him about you and your skills. He’s intrigued to meet you.” You and Victor grew up in a life that required you to learn self-defense. Your parents weren’t the best people, often getting mixed up with the wrong groups. At a young age, you actually ended up killing someone. If you hadn’t, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be alive today. Over the years, Victor had done some pretty violent things. For example, he helped murder an entire family over a diamond. To your knowledge, he feels no remorse about it to this day. For Victor, it’s a pleasure thing. You are in a similar boat. You’re willing to do what’s asked of you as long as it pays well. Owning expensive items and living lavishly is what you desire most.

The car slows and stops outside a building called The Black Mask. Victor hops out of the vehicle and you follow behind him. He opens the door and allows you to walk in first. The second you step inside, your eyes adjust to the vibrant red of the club. It seems to engulf you. The walls, the stairs leading up to the main stage, the booths, the lighting: everything is doused in this alluring color. Whoever owned this establishment was someone you were suddenly very anxious to meet.

Victor leads you up a spiral staircase hidden by the stage. An empty hallway with one door at the very end greets your arrival to the second floor. You reach the door and Victor knocks before pushing it open. Once again, your surroundings astound you. Every object in this living space looks to be rather extravagant. You can’t help but gape in awe. You notice you’ve fallen behind and quicken your pace behind Victor. He stops near a corner of the room where a man sits on a sofa. Your eyes meet his and you immediately feel nervous. He gets up and saunters towards you, the robe he wears swishing with each step. When he speaks, your legs turn to jelly.

“Victor, would you care to introduce us?” the handsome man asks. Victor stares at how close you two are. He can tell a mutual attraction has already formed.

“Y/N,” your brother begins. “This is my boss, Roman Sionis. Boss, this is my sibling, Y/N.” Roman smiles as he learns your name.

“Y/N…” he trails off. “It is an absolute pleasure to meet you.” He grasps both of your hands in his and kisses your knuckles. Roman’s touch sends chills down your spine. He pulls away, never breaking eye contact with you. As you gaze into his blue pools, you notice a hint of lust and…love? The latter surprises you. You’d only just met. How could this guy have already fallen for you? You suppose it’s possible considering you can’t deny your attraction for him at first glance.

The moment is briefly interrupted as Victor clears his throat. He announces he will wait downstairs and promptly exits. You listen to his footsteps fade away and you smile at Roman, heat spreading through your cheeks.

“So…” you start. “I’m guessing you own the club downstairs?” He steps away from you and reaches for his glass on the table in front of where he was previously seated.

“Yes,” he answers. “What do you think of it?” Roman walks across the room and opens a cabinet, pulling out a glass tumbler filled with booze.

“I love it,” you gush. “The atmosphere draws you in and the mood makes you never want to leave. Don’t even get me started on the physical aspect.” Roman chuckles, turning around to face you, holding two glasses.

“Oh? And why is that?” he questions curiously, walking back to you. He gives you one of the beverages. You thank him.

“I have a particularly expensive taste, Mr. Sionis. And your nightclub fits the bill,” you say, taking a sip of your drink. Roman bites his lip at your formal title for him.

“I’m glad it’s to your liking. Now,” he starts. “Let’s talk business.” From what he’s heard about you from Victor, he’s eager to see you in action.

“Okay,” you clear your throat. “How well does this job pay?” Roman can’t help but laugh at your question.

“That depends on your abilities,” he says. “Why don’t you show me what you can do?” You nod and hand him your drink. You reach for the interior of your leather jacket and pull out a throwing knife. You search for a target and choose one of the heads decorating the place. You bring your arm up and above your head, breathing deeply. Then, you throw the weapon, watching it puncture the right eye socket of the face.

Roman almost drops your glasses in awe. He had obtained that object from a village. Normally, he would drone on about how prized it was, but all he could think about was you. He swears he just fell deeper into the pit of feelings he’s developed for you. You walk back to him, a proud smile placed upon your face.

“How was that?” you ask. “Am I qualified for the job and pay?”

“Oh, Y/N, you are over-qualified. At this point, you can have as much money as you want,” Roman oozes. The smile you had only grew knowing you had officially won the heart of one Roman Sionis.

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

Requests are open. Check out who I write for and feel free to ask for anyone not on the list.

Posted: February 22, 2020

[queenofgotham800]

Hey ! If you are still taking requests can I request a Roman x reader ? Where the reader is pregnant and is super protective over her ? Maybe she’s at the black mask club with him and something happens and he protects her

Overprotective

(Roman Sionis x Reader)

Warnings: Gramatical Errors, Swearing, Mentions of Death

Summary: Roman is a very protective of (Y/n), but now when she is pregnant he became really overprotective.

(A/n): Thank for request! This is very cute idea, I love protective Roman 😍

Ya all, I have requests opened 24/7 (if I close them, it's going to be written in my bio), so if you have some ideas/requests feel free to send some (only fluffy and Angsty), even if you already sent few, (I don't mind anons) 💜

*whoops, I forgot the "T" on cover 😅

Roman was taking care about business things and you stayed upstairs. Roman told you to not exit the apartment, he even made Victor to guard you. Not like you needed it, but right now he was very overprotective about you and the baby. You both wanted to be the baby's gender surprise, so you weren't going on ultrasound, just on checkups. Roman was always with you, but when he wasn't which was rare, Victor would be close to you as some kind of guardian.

"Victor, I want to see Roman," you mumbled... You needed to see him right now. You had a bad feeling about something.

"(Y/n) you know that I can't let you go down, right? And now when is Roman doing the bussines I would highly recommend you to stay here in safety of this apartment," Victor said and caught you, when you nearly felt on ground, "Hey, look out! Are you okay?"

"Y- Yes, yes... I just need to see him," you nodded. World was turning around you and the baby was pulling you down on ground.

"Victor, I think I am gonna throw up," you mumbled and Victor took you to bathroom. You locked yourself in and opened the secret passage, which had Roman build in every room in this apartment. Truth was, you were okay. The headache was moderate. Closing the wall behind you, you needed to get out of here. You knew that Victor wouldn't let you to see Roman. You had to take it to your own hands. Through the secret passage, you walked downstairs. The baby had seven months, so there was time, you weren't going to give birth to it now.

You fast-walked down to the club and opened another secret passage doors to the back stage of club.

It's red curtains were hiding you from club. You were dressed just in pyjamas, which were looking fancy so you would blend in with crowd. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to run away from apartment. You walked to the club, looking for Roman. You didn't saw him anywhere, there was just Victor. He was looking for you or maybe Roman. Music changed dramaticaly to something slow. You turned to stage and saw Black Canary. Maybe Roman would be upstairs.

"Hey baby, whatcha doin?" asked some man behind you.

"Well, this baby," you caught your belly to let him know you are pregnant, "probably sleeps," you smirked and walked away. Of course there was few remarks at you, but you decided to ignore them and continue upstairs. But there was still that one man who was following you and flirting with you.

"Hey angel?" he moved with eyebrows.

"Look all these compliments are nice, but maybe you should try it with someone else since I am already in relationship," you moved up and down with shoulders and pointed at one lady which was trying to flirt with other people around.

"U go!" you pushed him forward and walked up the stairs hoping that the guy won't follow you and that you will find Roman here.

You thought you saw him, but it was just someone wearing familiar suit to Roman. You walked back and someone smacked your ass. You clenched fist ready to punch whoever did that. These assholes were all over this place. Slowly you understood why Roman didn't wanted to let you in club in these late hours.

"If I were you, I would be ashamed right now. But becouse I am father and husband of this beautifull woman I can do it to her whenever she gives me the permission to do it," Roman appeared from nowhere and whispered this to the guy behind you.

"I- I'm sorry I had no idea she is your's," he said, and you turned to them both.

"And if she wasn't mine, you would still be disgusting as fuck," Roman hissed and you saw Victor comming to you.

"Mr. Sionis, I said sorry," he said with the calm voice. His eyes full of tears were telling him otherwise.

"Boss?"Victor slowly approached you asking Roman if he should take you back to apartment.

"No Victor, (Y/n) came here so if she wants to stay here with these pigs, she can," Roman was angry at whole world. He wanted to protect you and the baby. Even Victor couldn't hold you in safe place. Would you run from him too? Roman had head full of these thoughts, so he just grabbed the guy by the shoulder and threw him downstairs. Thankfully there was nobody standing under them, so the guy just felt down. He could have few broken bones and broken nose since he felt on his face.

"Victor, get him to warehouse," Roman said to Victor and he nodded, comming downstairs. Then he turned to you. He was quiet and that wasn't good sign.

"Roman, I just needed to see you," you sobbed and he pulled you to his chest, hugging you. You didn't stayed in his arms for long, since he pulled you down to the stairs which were leading to apartment.

"What is wrong with you?" you yelled at him, "I can't leave apartment? I don't want to feel like I am in prison here!" Maybe your moods were changing so fast becouse of the baby, but it would mean that Roman was also pregnant.

"I-I am sorry you feel like that. I didn't knew..." he mumbled and pulled you to hug again. This time the hug lasted more than minute.

"I just had to get you out of there honey," he gave you kiss on head.

"Thanks for saving tho," you mumbled.

"I just want to protect you and little junior Sionis," Roman smiled and you let out little laugh.

"It will be girl and she will be after mommy," you whispered and gave him a kiss.

"How can you be so sure? I can feel it will be a boy."

You two walked to the apartment to the bedroom where Roman put blanket at you and gave you some cookies.

"Wow, thanks," you smiled and he sat next to you.

"But if you really feel like you were in prison here... You can go out sometimes. Like, shopping and stuff that you girls do," Roman smiled and you gave him kiss.

"Okay, thank you."

"I love you (Y/n)," Roman said and you laid your head on his shoulder, "I love you too Roman."

"And I love you too little Sionis," Roman put his hand on your belly and smiled as he felt baby's little hand on his.

[eeemarvel]

It’s Billy, boys.

I originally wrote this quite some time ago as a part of chapter 30 but I decided I didn’t need it so it’s bonus content now, I guess. This happens right at the beginning of 30 before Victor gets a call from Phichit. Since this didn’t make it to the final draft, the editing is really lazy. I’m honestly only posting this to get out of working on the next few chapters lol. Also, Billy is definitely a trip, I know. Anyways, without further ado...

Victor had no clue if Yuuri was Red Specter or not. He was exactly where he started. It didn’t change the fact that Red Specter was still very real, no matter who he was beneath the mask which meant that if he couldn’t come up with a satisfactory offer by midnight, it was likely that History Maker would get hit. This was his last (and only) bet, he realized as he got off the elevator a floor below Yakov’s office. This floor, the Artillery and Design floor, always smelled like singed fabric because it was where the super suits were made… but it still didn’t account for the burning smell. Billy, a man with round pink cheeks, a long green mohawk, and coke bottle glasses looked up when the glass doors slid open for Victor. Billy beamed and cheered like a redneck on the fourth of July when he saw Victor. 

“Victor Torch! Just the tight assed hero I was looking for!”

“Billy,” Victor greeted him and the other cheering technicians with a nod. “Is it ready?”

“You bet your wintry butthole, it is,” Billy said and beckoned him closer with a finger. They walked to the back of the lab, passing metal tables and clunky equipment, all of it glinting with a futuristic sheen as he passed. Some of the technicians were bent over sheets of fabric that seemed to be radiating electricity—it made Victor tingle in the strangest way as he passed, while a few of them made alterations to suits that were actually familiar to him. He guessed Spotlight tore their suit recently, when he saw a squat little technician pushing a button on a giant sewing machine for the all too familiar pink ensemble. 

“It’s back here,” Billy said, “for safekeeping.” 

“I appreciate that,” Victor said.

“It’s in good condition,” he commented as he stopped at a long, dark, glass wall at the very back of the lab. He punched in a few codes on a keypad. A rectangle of light appeared a little ways away from them and Billy led him to it. “You were careful, even back then,” he complimented Victor as he took a little remote out of his lab coat pocket. The rectangle of light was actually a door behind the glass, a door to a small closet with a revolving rack. In front was a prototype of Victor’s current suit: black, sleek, and shimmery. Billy clicked his remote and the rack spun around to show the suit Victor had worn two years ago. It was similar, but royal blue instead of black. He kept clicking, letting the suits spin by, each of them taking an era with them as they went. He cringed at a fuschia one with lapels—he was feeling a bit melodramatic then.

“It’s always been a pleasure designing for you, Winter Nikiforov, because you’re not just a man of justice, you’re a man of art. A renaissance man,” he kissed his fingers, “you get me.” 

“I always have,” Victor smiled, lying. 

“Heeeere we goooo,” he sang as they found the suit Victor wanted. He thought it would fit Red since he was much younger when he first wore this. Red was smaller than him. It was black which fit his MO… he tilted his head, unsure as he took in the swaths of revealing mesh across the chest, the sparkling crystals on the shoulders and hips. It was sturdy, he knew that for a fact, and very well made because Billy made it himself. But it wasn’t exactly low-key. Heroes never dressed to blend in. 

And it was a bit…risque. He had to be honest. Even Chris’ suit wasn’t this suggestive and it was Chris. Victor was only nineteen when it was made, when he told Billy exactly what he wanted: something that would make his opponents uncomfortable. He was feeling cocky because he was starting hero training years before what was normal, and he was young… he felt free and invincible for the first time in seven years. It gave Yakov a heart attack at the time and even Lilia disapproved. In the end, Celestino convinced them to let Victor explore… He thought there were still some old newspapers somewhere with him wearing this on the front cover under scandalized headlines...

The fire was back, that sensation that he now recognized as a red light—a sign that something was off. He bit his lip. He shouldn’t think about Red in this suit, even if he was planning on offering it up. It didn’t matter what he looked like in it or what Red thought of it or anything that just crossed his mind, because the only thing that mattered was protecting History Maker. 

There was no mask. That was what was missing. That’s why he felt weird picturing Red in it. Of course he’d feel this way trying to imagine Red Specter’s face… it was confusing, disconcerting, uncomfortable, nerve-wracking, all those things...

“Billy…”

“M’lady?”

“Have you ever considered… making a mask for this?”

“Are we talking Robin style with just the eyes, or are you thinking more of a Batman-exposed-chin thing, or like a full faced Red Specter deal, because the answer is yes, Snowflake. Yes, I have considered making a mask for all of your suits. Why don’t you step into my office?”

“Uh.”

“Just…” he said awkwardly as if he had just realized the entire lab was his office, “look at this.” He pulled out his phone and opened a few files. He scrolled through digital scans of sketches he’d made, all very impressive, and then actual prototypes that Victor was interested in for himself. Of course, his ability gave him the power to disguise his face easily so he didn’t need a mask but… he still kind of wanted one now that he was looking. 

Focus. He wasn’t clothes shopping (unfortunately). He was completing a potentially life saving transaction. He pointed at a full mask with crystals elegantly crowning the area where the wearer’s hairline would be. “You already made this one?”

“You betcha.”

“I like it.”

“Roger dodger,” he whistled a tune and pushed a blue button on his remote. The revolving rack disappeared into the closet ceiling, pushed out by another rack. This one carried pieces that Victor either changed his mind about or ones that Billy started but lost interest in, scraps of abandoned ideas. He clicked the remote so that the rack whirled around until they got to the mannequin heads, some bare and others wearing masks that Victor had never seen until now. Billy pointed a remote at one. 

“Look good to you?”

“Yes,” Victor said, because it did, although he wasn’t sure Red would appreciate something so flashy. Especially not since the thief seemed to gather fashion inspiration from the shadows under his bed. Well, if he didn’t like the design, he could have it altered. What mattered was that it was nano-tech and made with pure Pandora’s Iron. “I’ll take it,” he said. 

“Okey doke, will that be debit or credit, sir?” Billy chuckled at his own joke as he pressed a button to make the glass doors protecting the closet open. He reached up and gingerly removed the mask from the mannequin. “Isabellaaaaaa!” He shouted over his shoulder and a young mousy looking girl came scuttling around a corner. 

“Sir?” She squeaked.

“Can you please get a box for me? Big enough for a suit?” 

“Yes, sir,” she nodded frantically and squeezed her eyes shut. Victor heard a soft whoosh sound and when he looked up, he saw a large white box soaring above him. It glided gracefully down next to Billy who thanked her before she scampered away. Billy neatly packed the suit under the mask before sealing it and handing it over to Victor. 

“Merry Christmas, baby boy,” he crooned.

“Thank you,” Victor said with an impressively straight face. He’d been practicing since he was sixteen, though Billy had gotten progressively more… Billy as Victor grew older. 

“I’m curious. Is this for Yuri?”

“I—what?!” 

“I mean, I don’t really mind if you give it to the little furball because he’s kind of family and we all put up with him but I’m concerned about the whole… accountability thing with Yakov and the red tape and the chain of command is a whole thing—”

“Ah—oh, you mean Yuri Plisetsky…” Victor groaned, dragging his hand down his face.

“Uh… how many Yuri’s are there? Oh!” He snapped his fingers, “that hot doctor from your Instagram! My girlfriend loves him! He’s got this kind of secret-sexy-vixen-by-night-and-sad-puppy-by-day vibe going and it drives her wild. She stalks him like he’s an insta famous kitten or something,” he said with a tone of pride Victor found strange. 

“He’s not a doctor, and...no,” he shook his head, “It’s not for Yuri P. I just want it for... nostalgia’s sake.” 

Billy nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Then he slapped both his hands on Victor’s shoulders, startling him, “That’s so weird. Have fun!” He called for Isabella again as he left Victor, getting straight back to work. 

He thanked all the technicians on his way out and took the elevator down to the first floor so he could wait in the lobby. He plopped down in a chair and set the box on the floor beside him.

[victor-bae]

A good coincidence (part 1!!!)

(Victor x Mc)

I felt really bad for not posting anything for a long ass time, so I posted this beauty which was ment to be for New years! Sorry if there is not enough romance here!

I didn't have time to check for mistakes, but I will soon (and will delete this sentence)!

Look. Plz don't judge me, cuz all of this info could be false, cuz I didn't get much info about it, but I think this is a thing no? Like (¡Slight Spoilers of the fic ahead!) The New year's masquerade balls? They are a thing aren't they? If I'm wrong, you can consider this as my own creation lol.

Anyways Enjoy!

It was a week before New years and you've been invited to go to a masquerade ball. You really didn't have anything better to do on New years, so you decided to go. You didn't know anything about these kinds of parties, but you just googled this thing.

"A mask? Why would you go to a ball with a mask? Oh... So that's why it's called a MASQuerade ball!" You giggled to yourself and started reading again. " 'A kiss? People who feel a connection or just want to meet again the next year, they kiss when the clock strikes midnight, if they want, take off their masks and reveal their identities.' Interesting..." After a quick 10 minutes or so, you felt like you knew everything.

The next day you went to the mall and you were surprised that there was a shop named "No party like masquerade". You went in it and there you saw beautiful and colourful gowns, interestingly gorgeous masks. Some of them were with vivid feathers sticking out of the top. You imagined yourself in all of these clothes, but none of them seemed right... You looked left and right, behind and in the front, but nothing... But then one gown caught your attention. It was a gown that was hidden behind the other dresses. It a big masquerade gown which was black and faded into a gold colour, it had 2 white feathers sticking out of it. You were really excited to try it on and when it fit you, you even took a sigh of relief. You bought the gown, but you needed a mask. You browsed all of them and found a back/golden masks which had 3 white feathers sticking out of it. You bought it too. You headed out of the store with a smile on your face. You spent the next few days practicing your dancing skills. Luckily Victor taught you how to dance a long time ago and you still remembered a couple of moves, so you practiced until you thought your dancing was PERFECT. After that you took a needed break for the next 2 days. On the last day you practiced your dancing again. On the day of the masquerade ball you heard a knock on the door.

"I'm coming!" You yelled and went to answer the door. When you opened it, you saw Kiki and Willow. They had their gowns and masks in their hands.

"Oh, Kiki, Willow! Come in!" You invited them in. They went in, took their shoes off and sat on your couch.

"Your gowns are beautiful!" You wowed.

"Thanks! Speaking of gowns... Where is your gown?" Kiki looked around the room.

"Oh, I'll be right back!" You rushed to the other room and came back with your gorgeous dress. Kiki and Willow were astonished.

"Your gown is really pretty, Mc! We can't wait to see you in it." Willow grabbed the dress out of your hands and started looking really intensely at it. It was 6 PM and Kiki and Willow pushed you into the bathroom, so you can put on your gown. When you went out of the bathroom Kiki and Willow started complimenting you.

"You look gorgeous, Mc!"

"All of the guys there will want to dance with you!"

"When you will enter the ballroom everyone will surely be amazed!"

"Thanks, guys, but, Kiki, it's your turn!" You pushed Kiki into the bathroom and handed her, her gown. When she got out of the room she was wearing a white gown which faded to a aquamarine blue. She put her mask on too. The mask was white with golden sides and blue feathers.

"You look really beautiful!" You complimented Kiki at least 20 times.

"Ok, now it's my turn." Willow went in to the bathroom with her dress. When she came out of the room she was wearing a dark blue, black and white gown which had 5 black feathers sticking out. She looked gorgeous as well. You both told her how she looks beautiful and her gown is the best (Willow even complemented her self).

"I think it's time to go!" Kiki looked at the clock. You and Willow nodded. When you entered the ballroom you were wowed by all of the beautiful ladies and their gowns and all of the gentlemen that were wearing mostly white or black suits.

The three of you went to the table with cakes, puddings and other things on it. You looked at each other and nodded. You, Willow and Kiki grabbed plates and put little slices of cake in them. Classical music started playing. When Willow was done eating a man with a white suit and white mask came up to her and raised his hand.

"May I have this dance?" He looked at her. Willow turned red a little bit, took his hand and accepted.

"And then there were 2...." Kiki laughed at herself.

"My lady, May I have this dance?" A gentleman asked Kiki to dance. Kiki looked at you, then back at him and took his hand.

"Sorry..!" She whispered to you and went with the man.

"And then there was 1..." You giggled. But you didn't really mind all that much, as long as you have these delicious cakes by your side! After a while you couldn't eat any more cakes or even look at them, so you just looked at the dancing gentlemen and women.

"May I have,this dance?" Someone asked you. It was a gentleman (tbh, he kinda startled you a bit). He was wearing a black suit with a bowtie. His mask was white with black sides. He was tall, handsome, he had dark purple eyes, black hair and he kinda reminded you of someone, but you couldn't quite put your finger on it.

"Yes, surtenly!" You took his hand and you went to the dance floor. You messed up on the first step.

"Forgot the dance already?" He grinned. You didn't know what did he mean. Hd reminded you the steps. You were embarrassed, but didn't show it. He was an amazing dancer. After that dance you danced another time... and another... and another... AND SO ON. And all of that time you only danced and looked at each others eyes, nothing else.

Then music stopped. Everyone stopped dancing. You looked at the giant clock that was in the ballroom, it was 11:59! The count down started.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..!" Almost everyone around you kissed and you were engulfed into a familiar embrace and kissed by familiar lips. It was the man you danced with.

[mythiica]

Reader x Lucien {MLQC} - Obsession {Day 10}

Title: Obsession

Fandom: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice

Character: Lucien

Genre: TRICK AND TREAT 2 IN ONE BABY 

Warnings: i dont want to spoil it for you, but its not creepy or overly violent so dont panic

Word Count: 4164 words

Other comments: i dont have the energy to put comments atm so , tomorrow, i also am not paragraphing it right 

Lucien had asked for your help to splatter fake blood onto his lab coat, and you willingly complied because it meant you could paint your skin red and stamp your palms onto his ass (to make the perfect imprint of your hands on him just in case anyone got any ideas during the Halloween party.) He entertained the idea of letting you leave the apartment with your super-short skirt, but ultimately offered you a long pair of his pants that scraped the floor. The two of you came to an agreement: white tights to match your overly revealing nurse outfit. 

Victor was hosting a Halloween party, and much to your surprise, Lucien accepted the invitation without a moment’s hesitation. It surprised you even more when you learned that it was a costume party designed for couples to match. Lucien suggested a few ideas that you vetoed immediately (pine + apple, Schrodinger + cat, Albert Einstein + Elsa Einstein, etc), but you took a liking to good old doctor + nurse. 

However, as you make final adjustments to your costume in the mirror next to the door, you ponder if it is too late to cancel. The white stretches across your sides and leaves nothing to the imagination. Lucien adores it, but you suspect that you might attract lustful gazes from other, unwanted, people. 

“Is it cold outside?” you ask, throwing your head back to glance out of the window. It is too dark to see anything, but Lucien has his phone in his hand and can check the weather. 

“Do you consider below negative to be cold?” A smirk tugs at his lips as he reaches for your coat. 

“Yes?! Is that even a question?” Putting one hand through the jacket, Lucien helps it over your shoulders before opening the front door. 

You nearly run into Kiro because you have your back turned to the hall as you exit. His hands land your side to catch you from falling, but he quickly returns you to an upright position. “You haven’t left! Oh good, I was worried I wouldn’t catch you–” Kiro is wearing a full black tuxedo and a pair of aviators. He takes them off and leaves them to rest atop his blond hair as he talks with you. “Can I please ride with you to the party? My agent was supposed to take me… but I made him mad…” 

Giggling, you nod your head. “Did he find your snack stash?” 

Lucien locks the door behind you and ushers the two of you down the stairs. 

“He did… it’s kind of embarrassing to be honest. He said I had to walk to Victor to make up for lying, but it’s so cold I couldn’t even dream of it!” 

Lucien pockets the keys and glances at Kiro. “What… are you?”

Kiro jumps off of two steps and lands triumphantly. “I’m a spy! Could you not tell? It means I’m blending in well with the general public…” 

This makes you giggle, and Lucien takes your hand in his. He huffs slightly, now that he has realized that he will have to behave himself in the drive to the party location. 

In the garage, Kiro is kind enough to open the door for you, so you step inside and fold your skirt so that it sits comfortably without wrinkling. Kiro sits behind you, and Lucien takes his chances tucking his hand up your skirt. 

Although you squirm around, Lucien’s hand slips up the skirt. He finds the smallest hole in your tights and manages to push his finger through the fabric. Lucien is unusually good with his hands, even if he cannot see what he is doing. 

“So, are the two of you Dr. Jekyll and a nurse?” Kiro cannot see Lucien’s joyous smirk from where he is sitting, and thankfully, he can’t see that Lucien’s hand is up your skirt either. 

“M-More of just generic doctor and nurse…” you reply breathlessly. Lucien has pushed his digit past your underwear and is rubbing your folds gracefully. 

“Oh! I see… why the blood though?” 

Lucien chuckles to himself and he is at least two knuckles deep inside of you, and his palm is pressed flush against your thigh. The warmth from his skin makes you giddy on its own, but he rubs your walls in an attempt to make you moan. 

You have to bite back the urge to scold him for trying something so risky in front of Kiro. “Spur of the moment and I got a bit carried away with how I placed my hands–”

“I should have put some hand prints on you, don’t you think?” Lucien says this with a smile, but you see past it and know that he is enjoying himself. 

“I think that you have enough hands in– on me as it is.” 

Kiro squeals, and the high pitched sound masks the soft moan that escapes your lips. “The two of you are so cute together!” He taps a finger against his lip. “Do you think you will win the couples’ costume contest?” 

Lucien’s finger brushes past the spot that is overly sensitive, and you cross your legs over each other. “I did not realize that he would be judging instead of participating.” 

Kiro laughs and nods. “Minor managed to convince Gavin to wear a matching shirt, even if they aren’t a romantic couple. But I don’t know anyone who could out do you!” 

At a stoplight, Lucien leans over and brushes your hair back with his free hand. As his lips graze your ear, Lucien whispers, “My how wet you are.” 

“Lucien!” You cover your mouth for a moment, but then you point at the light. “It’s green, we don’t want to hold up the line…” 

The engine revs, and you are off again. Your heart has started pounding against the tight vest you are wearing. Lucien is pumping his finger faster, but still manages to keep the sound softer than the music from the radio. Kiro put headphones in, so he couldn’t hear much anyways, but you do not want to take any chances. 

When the three of you arrive at the party venue, Lucien pushes your underwear back in place and laps at his finger to clean off the slick (only after Kiro has gotten out of the car). You lean against Lucien as he tucks an arm over your shoulders. “Are you disappointed we’re here?” 

You shove him playfully. “You are ridiculous. How would you have explained that to Kiro if he caught us?” 

Lucien shakes his head. “He would not have.” 

“But if he��” 

Lucien grasps your hands and kisses them. His breath fogs up in the cold night air, but his warmth envelops you. “I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable. I only wished that he hadn’t interrupted us–” 

You pout slightly, but Lucien gives you a swift kiss and leads you inside, out of the cold. “It won’t happen again unless you give me permission.” 

Inside, someone takes your coat, revealing your entire outfit. Kiro is on the other side of the room, but he sees you and waves, beckoning you and Lucien over to speak with Victor. He wore an extravagant Dracula costume, and upon seeing you, he smiles to show his fake fangs. “Ah, a nurse, exactly what I needed,” he jokes, taking your hand to kiss your knuckles. 

Lucien says hello, and Victor steps back. “Ah, and the doctor.” 

You giggle and pull your skirt down in the back a bit. “Victor, your party is lovely, and I adore the decorations you’ve had put up. Kiro mentioned something about a contest?” 

Kiro is eating a generous slice of cake and nods enthusiastically. 

“Yes- I should not be telling you this, but I am one of the few judges that will decide who has won… you have an advantage.” 

“Because…” 

Victor coaxes you to spin for him, and the edge of your skirt to fly around your legs. “Because you look amazing. I do not think that I have seen you in white before. It is a fitting color for you.” 

“Thank you, Victor.” You land against Lucien’s chest and lace your fingers with his. “I would not be complete without my doctor though–” 

Victor bows his head. “Of course, that is understandable.” Someone calls his name, so he takes his leave to go attend to his host duties. 

Lucien offers you a glass of black punch (colored in celebration of the spooky holiday) as he eats a cookie. It is one of those soft cookies with pure sugar for icing. But he makes a point to eat it slowly and sensually because he knows that you are watching as his tongue flicks against the crumbs before the have a chance to fall. 

“Lucien–” 

“Hm?” 

Rolling your eyes, you take the half-eaten cookie from his hand and finish for him. “You’re trying to tempt me, aren’t you?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, not in the slightest.” 

He pulls you to the dance floor and leads you into a waltz – a row of musicians sits against the back wall and the melody floats through the air. When Lucien dips you back, you admire the ceiling. It is decked out in fake cobwebs and felted spiders – they hang from the chandelier and drip down to the ballroom. It looks beautiful, and you feel like you are suspended in the middle of a dream. 

Lucien tightens his grip on your waist to lift you into the air. Your hair flutters behind you, and you squeal as he tips his head up to kiss you. 

“I have to keep you close. It has barely been an hour, and already you have attracted the gaze of many.”  He brushes another kiss against your jaw to seal his words in your mind. “Maybe you should have been the doctor, and I should have been the sexy nurse.” 

This makes you erupt with laughter (the thought of seeing Lucien wearing a slut-worthy skirt and a garter brings tears to your eyes). You excuse yourself to go and fix your mascara now that it has touched your skin. 

It does not take long to pat the mascara away. But, as you open the door to leave and return to the party, Lucien stands in the doorway, keeping you from leaving. “Lucien, do you need the restroom?” It is a single stall room, and you are using the only one in the area. 

“Hm..” He savors your words before taking you back inside. “I need something else… from you, that is.” 

When Lucien locks the door behind you, you understand what he is doing. His hands pull your skirt up, exposing your tights and panties to him. 

“W-What are you doing?!” 

“Allow me to indulge myself. We have time before they need us back, so might as well.. No?” 

You ponder it, but you surrender because you have been dying to let him touch you more since your drive coming here. “Lucien, you are the devil–”

He smirks and bows for you, but that is only a ploy because he drops to his knees and invites himself to your crotch. The tights to not seem to be much a problem, because he rips them within seconds and he pulls them from the way. 

“Hey! Don’t rip my underwear–” 

“If you insist…” 

Lucien simply pulls them to the side and gives your slit a long lap. You release a breathless moan and clutch his hair. Another moment later, and Lucien hoists you to sit on the edge of the sink. You grip the quartz as he tongues you. Damn Lucien for knowing all the things that make you go crazy. He laps at your clit before dipping his tongue into your hole. 

“Oh fuck…” 

As the curse leaves your lips, Lucien bites your folds. “Don’t curse. It is unbefitting of you, my love.” 

“Shut up!” you scold. 

Lucien does not take lightly to this and starts fingering you at the same time. The added stimulation makes you moan loudly, but you hear someone pass by the bathroom. Clasping your hand over your mouth, you try to push Lucien away, but he continues to suckle at you. 

The doorknob jiggles, so you bite back a moan and call out, “I–It’s occupied!” 

He leans back for a moment, a string of slick hanging from his tongue, and smirks at you before diving back in. 

“L-Lucien.. Ahh.. please, there–” 

“Here?” Lucien’s fingers hit your g-spot directly and you feel the knot in your stomach coming undone. You pant heavily and realize that you blacked out for a split second. Lucien’s chin is dripping wet, but it makes you laugh. 

“Are you really laughing after–” 

You pull Lucien back up for a long kiss. “Thank you…” 

He nuzzles you for a moment and smiles. 

The tights are ripped, so you cannot put them back on. Instead, Lucien takes his lab coat off and drapes it over your shoulders. Before he opens the door, Lucien cleans his fingers off and washes them properly with soap and water. “We should return, no?” 

You unlock the door and step outside. “I think they are announcing the winners of the costume competition. Did we really take that long?” 

Lucien is behind you in a moment, and the two of you take your leave and return to the main room. “No, actually, I think I made you unravel in record time–” 

“Hey!” 

His lips curl into a smirk. “If you beg to differ, prove me wrong next time.” 

Huffing, you enter the ballroom and gravitate to the large crowd gathered around Victor. He gives the usual host speech and thanks everyone for attending. “And, of course, without further delay, I would like to reveal the winners of the costume contest. It is no surprise that the best dressed nurse and her doctor have won first place tonight, as they are not only matching, but also a couple. And no, Minor, I am not awarding you pity second place.” 

Everyone laughs and then claps for you and Lucien. As the two of you make your way to the stage, you process how Victor announced the two of you: he mentioned you first, and then Lucien (the nurse’s doctor). It warmed your heart, and Lucien helped you up the steps so you would not trip in the heels. 

Victor hands you a gift card to use how you wish, but you know that Lucien will promptly take it the moment you arrive home (to either get some research books or sex toys, there is no anticipating what he orders until it comes in the mail). 

It does not take long for the party to resume in full swing: people glide across the dance floor and everyone is seemingly in sync to Thriller. Gavin catches you and congratulates you on winning. He is wearing a keep him shirt, so you assume that Minor has the matching if found, return to Gavin top. “Victor was right – I didn’t see you earlier, but your outfit looks great.” 

Lucien is chatting with another couple a few feet away from you and Gavin, so you exhale and relax. Who knows what he would do if he heard Gavin complimenting you. “Thank you. I take it your better half has been abandoned somewhere?” 

“Minor?” Gavin laughs. “Do you know how hard I have been trying to get away from him? I’m surprised he hasn’t found me… now that I say that, I feel like someone is watching me.” 

When you glance over your shoulder, you catch Lucien glaring at Gavin. 

To be expected. 

You laugh nervously and excuse yourself. Nestling yourself at Lucien’s side, you loop your arm through his. “It’s getting late, don’t you think?” 

Lucien nods. “If you will excuse us, I have a meeting tomorrow, and we must take our leave. Have a wonderful evening!” 

He is always such a gentleman, which you adore. The two of you say goodbye to Kiro, Victor, and (reluctantly for Lucien) Gavin before you are off. The music hums, and you enjoy the time alone with Lucien. Parties are wonderful, but when Victor goes full out like that, you tend to get drained. 

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Lucien inquires with a smile. 

“Yes! It was wonderful to see everyone having fun. I think I even caught Gavin laughing at Minor.” 

“Well I caught Gavin doing other things…” 

“Hm?” 

Lucien waves a hand. “He must have been admiring the handprints on your backside. I don’t see any other reason he should have been tracing your form with his eyes.” 

You laugh and capture his hand. “You have demonstrated today that I am yours. Promise you won’t let it get to you?” 

“I intend to show you my love one more time tonight. Is that acceptable?” 

His voice drops when he says this, and your heart jumps at the thought of what he has planned. Lucien knows how to keep you on your toes, so you nod your head enthusiastically. 

You had not even realized that the two of you have arrived home in the meantime. Lucien leans over the divider between your seats to brush his lips across yours. It is not a full kiss, and it leaves you craving more. 

All night, Lucien has been teasing you with the promise of sex, and now you are finally getting it. 

You do not hesitate to run out of the car and up to the apartment. Lucien has not even made it up the stairs, but you want to take your costume off before he rips it to shreds. Bouncing to the bathroom, you let the coat drop to the ground before you pull the top over your head. As you fumble with the skirt zipper, you feel Lucien’s warm breath on your neck. 

“Need help?” 

“Y-Yes–” 

Lucien’s hand trails up your torso and then back down to unhook it before pulling the zipper down. He is incredibly steady and slow, making you wait for it. The fabric drops from your waist and to the floor: he lets you step out of it before Lucien spins you around and cups your face to kiss you. “You look even more beautiful without clothes on…” 

He knows exactly how to make you squirm with just words alone. With his lips so close to your skin, you can only think of how he made you cum earlier. “L-Lucien?” 

“Yes, my nurse?” 

Swallowing hard, you lean against Lucien. He supports your weight and pulls your hair back to kiss your neck. 

“Tell me what you want…”

     Lucien trills his fingers up your side until he unclasps the back and removes it slowly. As it drops to the ground, you hold your arm over her breasts, but they spill outwards still. Lucien’s hand presses to the small of your back and he kisses your bare shoulder down to the top of your breast, coaxing your to reveal yourself to him. 

“I desperately want you to Dr. Jekyll me…”

“Oh?” He guides you back into the bedroom, keeping a hand on your bare hip. “You’d like me to ravage you?” As the back of your knees hit the mattress, you fall onto the bed. Lucien looms over you and pushes his knee between your legs. “You want me to make you cum again?” He starts kissing down your body and stops once his lips meet the hem of your panties. “Tell me so I know...” 

“Yes! Please, Lucien. You have been so naughty all day, but now, when I really want something you have the audacity to deny me it. How very Mr. Hyde of you.” 

Lucien leans back to remove his tie, and he uses it to bind your wrists above your head. “What about this?” 

Squirming around, you giggle at Lucien. “I like this…” 

His next movements are swift and fluid: he removes his belt and then pants, followed by his shirt and underwear. Lucien presses his body to yours so you can feel his erection pressing against your underwear. You wonder if he will continue the game of foreplay and fuck you through your underwear, but he seeminly reads your mind and pulls your underwear down to your knees. 

“Ah… you are still wet from earlier. How beautiful~” 

“You did eat me out in record time…”

“So you admit that I have the ability to make you cum fast? Let us see if I can do it again–” 

Lucien pulls your leg over his hip and inserts himself into you. His cock rubs against your walls and stretches you. It makes you moan loudly and squirm around again. He holds your abdomen down and gives you a moment to adjust before he begins to thrust in and out of you. 

All night, you have been waiting for this, and now that it is finally happening, you surrender yourself to the sensation without hesitating. Lucien envelops your senses as he kisses you everywhere, leaving marks in his wake. 

Heat radiates from his muscles, and your breath catches in your throat when Lucien traces the curve of your thighs. Lucien repeats your name over and over again, and it makes you wetter than if he would dirty talk you. There is something about how his voice dips lower and lower that makes you giddy. 

“Lucien, please tell me you have been thinking about this since we left..” 

“I’ve been thinking about this since you got your costume,” he admits.  

You cannot stop moaning as Lucien thrusts into you. Although your wrists are bound, you hook them over Lucien’s neck and you bury your face against his skin. Consumed by lust, you can't help but dirty talk him to the moon. "Lucien! You feel so amazing inside of me... your cock.. I wish you would have fucked me in the bathroom instead of just eating me out. That would have been so hot.” 

“I’ll take it under consideration for next year.” With that, Lucien tucks his hand between your legs and finds purchase directly on your clit. This earns him a few more moans from your lips, and he laughs triumphantly. When he does, his hair curls over his eyes, but you are quick to push it back. You clench around him tightly and watch Lucien’s face contort with pleasure. 

He had been denying himself pleasure as well, but now you have a chance to show off to him. "You are so incredibly warm.." Goosebumps ripple down his arms and Lucien groans loudly – it's music to your ears. "Clench around me again – won't you?" 

His words seemingly make you respond on command, because you fall over your edge as his tip brushes the spot that makes you see stars. You thought the squelching sound was loud before, but now it is the only thing you can hear.

"Lucien!"

“Yes, my beautiful nurse… cum for me… how wonderful you sound…” 

Cream dribbles down your inner thigh, making Lucien grin with pride. He does not stop thrusting until squirt forces him out. It wells out of you and makes the bed wet like nothing else you have ever experienced. He makes sure to pleasure you before he pumps himself a few times. 

“Lucien, doctor… I want you to cum too.” 

“Oh?” 

When you arch your back to entice him, your breasts fall outwards and his eyes go wide. “Cum on me and make me yours. That’s what you want, no~?” 

You fight against the tie until it loosens and you have the ability to use your hands again. Swatting Lucien’s hands away, you pump his tip rapidly and don’t stop until you feel him tense against your palm. 

A string of curse words escape his lips, and you know that he is close, so you remove your hand and smile at him. “Edging me?” Lucien grips your jaw and laughs. “You are the naughty one.” His thumb dips into your mouth and he coaxes you to open for him. His tip is smoothe against your lips, and you do your best to take him all down your throat. He wraps his fingers in your hair and tugs slightly, but then groans as you hum against his length. 

So much has happened in a day, and now it has come to this. 

With your mouth full of his cock, you look up at Lucien with big eyes and hope that your expression is enough to make him cum. His grunt is drawn out and breathless, and then you taste the bitterness of his cum as it trickles down your throat. Having been stimulated from fucking your pussy, it did not take much to have him unravel like you did before. 

However, you do not swallow it as he wishes. Instead, you let it drip down onto your breasts. 

Lucien smiles and takes the tie to throw it away as he kisses you. “Perfect, my little nurse.” 

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

On Bended Knee

True story, I named the doc for this Wakey Wakey Victor’s Nakey and in the end he mostly keeps on his clothes. I played myself.

Mr Love: Queen’s Choice | Victor x MC | Explicit

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Victor liked to be in control, almost to a fault.

He read the business section twice a day, checked every ingredient in what few prepackaged foods he owned, organised his schedule several months in advance.

It should come as no surprise, therefore, that he was intrigued by the things he could not predict nor control. No matter how often he checked the stock market, he could not change the weather. He could bake his own bread and brew his own wine, but he could not change the thoughts and feelings of others. He could not unsend a text, could not undo a bad decision.

At most he could keep an eye on consistencies, uncomfortable in the knowledge that human beings were almost predictably inconsistent.

Up until now, for example, MC had been only too happy to take on board his advice, particularly when it came to company dinners. He didn’t blame her, of course. Most of her own employees were her peers whereas these men were older and richer than most, with expectations and etiquette far removed from common people.

It grieved him to think of MC as common, even if he never said so to her face. Instead he would sigh at her wide eyed expression at the initial invitation and urge her to promise that she would not embarrass him in front of his business partners. He would rub his temples at her attempts to double check conversation topics, feigning annoyance in favour of openly acknowledging that her enthusiasm was impressive even if her execution left much to be desired.

He insisted on going with her when she went out to pick up new dresses for the event, complaining at her lack of taste even as he put each one on his card. He always insisted she wear flat shoes; always ignored the form fitting and mature dresses in favour of ones that cast a light on her youth and innocence, telling her that she didn’t have much of a figure to show off in the first place when in fact the opposite was true. He struggled to think straight whenever she wore a skirt and was repulsed by the idea of any of his business partners doing the same.

He hated the idea of them fawning over her. He might have told her otherwise more than once, but she had a wealth of redeeming qualities, any of which might enchant a man with a discerning eye. The thought of another seeing past her innocence to the strong will underneath kept him up at night. His peers were different to hers, after all. There was nothing he could give her that they could not.

Teaching her a new way of walking and talking was as much of a shame as spray painting over a tiger’s stripes, but any sadness he might have felt at her demure dresses dissolved the moment they left each restaurant and she slipped off her mask with as much gusto as she did her high heels. She was a near perfect picture of elegance and refinement, but he liked her best after they left the table, as she raved in the back of his car about the price of dessert and diamond inlay on the salt and pepper pots.

For this night in particular he had pointed out a conservative blue dress and matching cardigan. MC had looked confused as she took in her reflection in the dressing room mirror, somehow still taken off guard by his choices.

He had chosen the dress for its high neckline and long skirt, leaving next to nothing to the imagination, which she seemed to notice, for she frowned as she gave him a twirl.

“Are you sure about this? Don’t you think it looks a little...frumpy?”

“Frumpy?”

“Yes...I think I had a dress like this in kindergarten.”

“Well in that case it’s perfect,” he smirked, “a true representation of what lies beneath.”

MC pouted at that, still defending her maturity long after they left the store.

The day of the company dinner, he picked her up at her front door as had become the routine. She was always five or six minutes late and had a different explanation each time, from smudged lipstick to forgetting her purse. This time around, she was a full fifteen minutes late and Victor spent the time wondering what her reasoning might be. The reality, of course, was the last thing he might have imagined.

MC stepped out in a bright red dress, worlds apart from the one he had chosen. It was carefully tailored to accentuate every curve and left very little to the imagination, with a plunging neckline, that left her collarbones and the swell of her breasts tentatively exposed. She had pinned her hair high above her head, drawing the eye to the jeweled necklace at her throat.

Victor couldn’t take his eyes off her, unable to do anything but stare as she walked towards the car.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, sitting down next to him as she always did and reaching for her seat belt. “Kiki and Willow came over to do my makeup and got talking…”

Victor couldn’t tear his gaze from the curve of her neck; the way her necklace glimmered in the evening light. He was all too familiar with the scent of her perfume, of how she looked naked. He liked to be in control, to be ready for every outcome, and especially so when it came to himself.

“Are you okay?” MC ventured, that same undercurrent of satisfaction in her voice that he recognised from his own. He had never doubted it, of course, but this was all the confirmation he needed that she meant to take command and test him.

Naturally, he wouldn’t allow it. He leaned back in his seat, keeping his composure so well that no one, not even MC, would notice the slip in his facade.

“Did you forget the rest of your dress?”

“Don’t you like it?”

MC shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs. Victor narrowed his eyes, knowing a challenge when he saw one.

♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡♡━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♡

Dinner was rather more intense than usual, though not in ways that Victor was used to. He doubted anyone but he and MC noticed the silent tug of war. Every time MC leaned forward and cupped her head in her hands to listen intently to the other board members chat, Victor made a point to change the topic, asking MC her opinions and switching everyone’s focus back to her. She fiddled with her hair, he turned away to speak to someone else. She placed a hand on his thigh, he ignored her entirely.

With every new course, he considered a new way to take command. Perhaps he would invite her back to his home and leave her gasping between the sheets. Maybe he would book a room for the night and see how she looked in nothing but the necklace at her throat. Every idea was more depraved than the next and he half wondered whose victory that was.

In the end it was MC that made the first move. She leaned over to whisper in his ear while everyone around them discussed ergonomics.

“Excuse me,” she said, “I think I left my phone in my coat.”

She got to her feet and left the table, glancing over her shoulder at him with a smirk as she headed to the cloakroom. The message was loud and clear, though he wasn’t sure if he should accept it. Going to her would almost certainly stack the cards in her favour.

He debated leaving her there, wondering not only how long she would wait but how long it would take his colleagues to end their conversation long enough to notice. In the end he gave them a nod and excused himself with some muttered excuse about checking in with the chef.

He slipped a few notes to the man at the cloakroom door in exchange for a key and stepped inside, glancing around to take note of who was there while MC stepped out from behind one of the coat racks, wearing a shit eating grin.

“This is a dangerous game you’re playing,” he said, satisfied that there was no one else around and turning to lock the cloakroom door.

“I like games,” said MC, “especially when I’m about to win.”

“Oh?” He turned to face her, taking in every curve and exposed patch of skin. “What makes you so sure you’ve won?”

She took several steps backwards, towards a dressing table and leaned back against the frame. He could tell she was flustered, but giving it all she had. She didn’t usually put on a seductive mask, after all. Generally she blushed her way through foreplay.

He wondered how long she had been planning this; how many dresses and masks she had tried before this one. He took a step closer, keeping up his own facade of cool indifference.

“I just...I know,” she said, blush creeping across her cheeks. “You followed me here, didn’t you!”

“An interesting gamble,” he said. “What makes you so sure I didn’t come here because you’d been gone for too long?”

“I...I…”

Victor had come to know MC, from her measurements to her favourite song. He could tell she hadn’t planned for a scenario where she might actually come out on top.

He took a few more steps closer, planting both hands on the dressing table and leaning forward until he was close enough to smell her shampoo. By now she was a furious red and burning up, at a complete contrast to her prior confidence. 

He grazed his lips along her neck, all too satisfied at the way she gasped without meaning to.

“Are you sure you want to play this game, MC?”

She reached her hands out to his waist, looping her fingers into his belt buckle as she pulled him closer.

“I do,” she said, then, a second time, “I do!”

Then, as if the second confirmation was for herself, she fumbled with the zipper of her dress.

She stared at it for a few seconds as it hit the floor before kicking it aside, standing in front of him in nothing more than her underwear and heels. She popped open her bra with far less hesitation and her panties none at all. She reached down to his zipper but he caught hold of her hand, guiding it away and lifting her up onto the dresser.

Only then did he kiss her, hungry and demanding. He kissed her with the same force he usually reserved for when he was buried deep inside of her, stealing the breath from her lips with every nip of his teeth. He slipped his knee between her legs and spread them apart, feeling each and every touch so clearly that they all rippled through his body, his every instinct willing him towards her sex.

Before MC he had never understood the way his peers described women; as if they were almost irresistibly intoxicating. He had always prided his own self control and the notion of losing it was both frightening and uncomfortable. He understood it now, though, that just the scent of MC’s perfume was enough to leave him teetering over the edge.

She woke the parts of him he had forgotten existed; shattered chains he didn’t know he had.

He pulled away from her, looking her in the eye as he sank down to his knees. MC watched, blushing furiously as he reached up to part her legs even further and spread her out so that all of her was on display.

“Vic-“ she murmured, lapsing into a moan at the feel of his warm breath against her cunt.

He waited, listening out for any sound of discomfort before running his tongue over her clit, keeping a strong hold on her trembling legs.

They might be at a Michelin ranked restaurant, but she was the finest thing he’d tasted all day. He couldn’t get enough of her, burying his face in her folds and sucking her clit so hard that she dug her fingers into his hair. She was so gloriously wet for him, and it took everything in him to stop himself from taking her there and then.

He let go of her leg and rested it over his shoulder, slipping a finger from his free hand into her heat and leaving her little choice but to hold her hand over her mouth to stifle her moans. He ran his tongue over her clit and sank his finger into her, once and then twice until he had something of a rhythm, however erratic.

When she came he felt it against his fingers, her soft walls ripping against them and squeezing hard, as if the pressure had come from his cock and her body meant to milk him of every drop.

He slipped his fingers out of her and looked up into MC’s face, absorbing how utterly dazed from pleasure she had become.

He let go of both of her legs and got to his feet, laying a soft kiss on her lips and pushing aside the terrible joke spinning through his mind that she had come out on top in more ways than one.

“Here,” he said, easing her down from the dresser and turning her away from him. “Just like that.”

She bent over the dresser of her own accord, turning back to watch as he finally loosened his pants. She licked her lips when he lowered his underwear and allowed his cock to break free, beads of pre cum already gathered at the tip.

He took hold of her hip and gripped onto his cock, both of them hissing in relief as he guided himself into her. Her pussy was still pulsing with aftershocks of pleasure and he knew that neither of them would last long. He dug his fingers into her hip, slamming into her with such force that she fell forwards across the dresser. He reached to grab one of her arms and twisted it against her back to steady her as he thrust into her.

Neither of them were bothering to be quiet anymore, MC gasping at every thrust and Victor groaning at the tension in the pit of his stomach; a spring wound unbearably tight.

MC was already overstimulated and it took only a few rapid thrusts to leave her bubbling over again, looking into his face as she lost control. Victor glanced up at their reflection in the dresser mirror, taking in the view of MC’s breasts bouncing as their bodies collided and his own lust filled expression. He didn’t recognise himself and didn’t are.

He slowed down completely as his own release took over, sighing as his dick quivered inside of her and all of the tension left his body, pleasure washing over him like a hot bath.

He let go of the arm he had been holding and MC rested it against the dresser, each of them so content at being connected that time fell still.

In that moment, as the dust settled, it was only too clear to Victor that he had never been, nor would ever be, the one in command when it came to MC. While on a surface level it might have seemed like he pulled the strings and made the decisions, each and every one of his actions came from a desire to honour MC’s thoughts and wishes. Swords did not rule kingdoms and she was nothing if not a queen, even with her ass in the air and his dick deep inside of her.

His every action was an act of worship, an unspoken and implicit bended knee. He pulled himself out of her and watched his seed spill from her onto the floor-the only evidence that even just for a moment they had belonged to one another.

She straightened her back and took a deep breath, resting her head against his chest without a care if it smudged the makeup she had so carefully applied to the point of being late.

“I should get dressed,” she murmured.

“Yes,” he said, “I imagine we’ll get more than our fair share of second glances if you walk out there wearing nothing but a smile.”

“You could always go out with me...for moral support.”

“I don’t think so,” he said, straightening his tie. “The world isn’t ready for such a display.”

He waited for MC to get her dress back on before heading to the door, wondering if he might have to pay more for the restaurant employee’s silence.

“That’s one point to me, by the way,” said MC, reapplying her makeup.

“Oh?”

“Yep.”

“Hmmm…interesting.”

He said nothing more of it, instead smirking to himself as he returned to their table, knowing that his silence on the matter would leave her imagination running wild.

That point truly was hers, after all, even if she had no idea he had conceded it.

[stardancerluv]

Gotham Surviving the Pandemic 2021

Part 2a

Summary: Trouble is never far away!

Roman felt fantastic, his club was buzzing again. He reached over to your hand and squeezed it.

You smiled looking over at him.

“I’m going around to say hello.” He stood, buttoning his suit jacket as he did. He turned to you. “Would you like anything?”

You went over to him and kissed his cheek. “Maybe one more drink?”

“I should have had that for my send off always.” You beamed and he smiled. “Certainly, love.”

Reaching into his pocket, he took out and then slipped his mask back onto place. One of the girls came over as if on a spring. It pleased him to see how attentive she was.

“Mr. Sionis?”

He smiled. “Not me, Y/N would like something though.”

He met your eyes. You shared a look and with a nod he went around the ocean that was his club, where he was the great white shark making sure territory was secured.

You gave him a warm smile before giving your attention to the girl. Your delicate fingers moving in your hair as you spoke.

He was soon making his way around. It was nice to not have to plaster a smile on his face. Though despite the mask covering his face as he made small talk which sometimes ran a little long, he would still smile. There was a part of him that was genuinely pleased to be open and that these people had chosen his club to go to.

Catching a shadow, he disappeared into its darkness to catch his breath. He wasn’t nervous but he was on edge. Another drink called his name, but he could not afford to. He had to be alert and not relax, he was not used to this anymore.

To feel better, he glanced over at you. He had always enjoyed watching you. Your eyes moved through the people. Were you looking for him, he wondered. Were you more at ease because of his promise. Sometimes he wished he knew what bounced around in your head. He was able to breathe again.

“Boss?” Victor’s raspy voice broke into his thoughts.

He stiffened and turned on his heel. “Yes?”

“Some men are demanding dances.”

“Seriously?” He rolled his eyes. “Where the fuck are they?”

“VIP lounge.” He exhaled harshly.

Storming out of the shadows he made his way quickly over to the lounge. It was the one place in his club where if you got tested you would not have to wear a mask. He knew he’d regret opening that up so quickly. Gritting his teeth he was fuming, they wanted a fucking dance the first night he’s open.

He practically tore open the door. “Who’s the one asking for a dance?” He growled.

The small group of men withered in their seats. He knew them. He wasn’t really surprised. They were low-level enforcers from Falcone’s and Two-Face’s crew. He tore off his mask.

“Seriously, you come to my club and start causing fucking trouble because we’re not offering private dances?” He snarled.

They shrank where they sat.

“Since none of you are fucking talking, get the fuck out.”

He smirked when he saw one begin to puff up. Roman walked right up to him. “Don’t even fucking think about it. This is my territory you are fucking in.”

Some grumbling angry looks were slid his way. But they all began to leave. He rubbed his temple. “What assholes.” He whispered to himself.

“You are my hero. They scared me, sir.”

He barely heard the squeaky voice or bracelets jingling as two arms wrapped around him. A sharp sweet perfume flooded his nose.

Jolting back to the situation, he turned his head, raising an eyebrow. She dropped her arms.

“Tell Victor to give you two hundred and go home, and get tested in the morning.”

She shrugged. “Thank you.” She squealed. “Thank you, Mr. Sionis.” She fluttered away.

Victor walked up a few moments later.

“Victor, tell me all the girls got tested.”

“All the girls got tested.”

Roman slid him a look.

“Yes, they got tested.” He scratched the back of his head. “I took their temperatures before they came in.”

“They were all legitimate?”

“Yes, cost a pretty penny but yeah. I made sure.”

“Good. Give Stacey two hundred dollars. Make sure she gets the test in the morning.”

“Sure.”

******

He looked into the club. He watched as you shifted where you sat, you were so lovely there at his table. He went to the elevator. He needed to clean. Stripping down so he was completely nude, he shoved it all down to the incinerator.

Turning the knobs to full, he let the scalding water rain down on him. He winced but he needed to be clean. He grabbed the soap and lathered up. Then poured shampoo into his hand and washed his hair. Finally when he felt like he could breathe, he lessened the heat. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his hips.

Once in his closet, he dropped the towel and grabbed a shirt and a pair of pajama pants. After pulling them on he felt a little better, though the anger of those thugs acting like they did and that dancer made his heart beat in anger.

Going to his private bar he poured himself two fingers of whiskey. He quickly downed it and with a clink of the glass, he poured himself another.

“Roman! What happened?”

He turned to look towards you, your

heels clicked as you ran the short distance over to him. The sound of your voice and scent of your perfume continued to help calm him.

Seeing the anguish in your eyes, he pulled back and threw his glass across the room. It shattered.

“Roman?” You didn’t flinch. “Talk to me.”

“Some low-level enforcers were making trouble for one of the dancers. I threw them the fuck out but then the dancer in question hugged me.”

You didn’t step back. It made his throat tighten as a new wave of emotions washed over him.

******

You slipped out of your fancy dress and heels, now you were comfortable in one of your silken robes that hung loose.

“Allow me.” You smiled meeting Roman’s eyes in the mirror.

You wiggled where you sat. “Please.”

He smoothed his hands over your bare shoulders and to your throat. A deep pleased sound came from you.

“Allow me.” You gathered your hair and let him unclasp your necklace. He placed it on your vanity.

You reached back and held him close. “You did good tonight.”

He grimaced. “I did realize where before I had zero patience, now it’s less than that. Turning, you kissed his cheek.

“We’re in a new world.”

He rested his forehead against yours.

“We’ll get through this, just like we did the lockdown. But let’s not throw too many glasses, ok?”

He chuckled. “We’ll see.”

@spn-obsessed-dean @vintagemichelle91 @xxxeatyourh3artoutxxx @ewanfuckingmcgregor @zodiyack @angel98624 @frenchgirlinlondon @emyliabernstein @thepeachreads @nebulastarr @itsknife2meetu @omghappilyuniquebouquetlove @poe-kadot26 @babydoll97-blog1 @hazel-nuss @vcat55 @feelthemadnessinside @johallzy @foreverhockeytrash @frostypenguinoz @starwarsslytherin @professionalclown @chogisss @shantellorraine @xxinvisiblexx @blondekel77 @saphic-stories @drarrylov3r @i-cant-hear-you16 @deadlymistress24 @yesqueenofthelight @generallj @thebeckyjolene @blackmasque @mrskenobi19

[trying-write-fanfics]

OverhaulXReader part 3

Y/n wasn’t gone forever though. Twice a year she would write a letter to her dear Kai. She would tell him a new dream career. She went from fashion designer, to nurse, to engineer, to all sorts of stuff. She would tell him about her nearby holidays, but never came home. After four months, she no longer had a roommate and her dorm was nice and spacey. She would ask Kai how school was, if he had a favorite food, if her parents were going to replace her with a dog, and other random things. In all her letter, it would start “Dear best friend Kai,”. She would talk about her other friends, but he was still her best friend. She would even talk about the photo she has of them together as kids. She was living life as a normal girl while he was training to be a real member of the yakuza.

“Y/n kiss any French boys?” Pops jokes.

It was an irritating thought. He wasn’t close to her anymore and her letters were far apart. Kai kept every one of them in a drawer of his room. Her postcards were a reminder he was human and could breathe.

“Not that I know of.” He answered.

He would write back, but his letters were full compared to hers. He didn’t want to leave a paper trail of his adventures or else she would be too worried. After a night of testing his limits, alone he would read one of her letters. He was ruthless, strong, and a victor. Pops would get mad at his underground fighting, but it was his way of earning respect.

When faced with Y/n’s parents at events, it was hard to stomach. They do so much for Pops, but sent their daughter to a foreign land that they hardly see. Her parents are the one to make a trip to her, they never bring her back home. They did end up replacing their daughter with a puppy.

Kai knew he wasn’t like everyone else, but sometimes he would think if he was, he and Y/n would get married, have kids and grow old together. But he’s not normal. His quirk became useful in every battle and ring he faced. He went to school less and less.

School wasn’t much better for him. He was hated, got into fights often. Kids would tease him about the abing a germaphobe, his hives, and things to try and tear him apart. Once the Shie Hassaikai was invoked there was a point of no return. He did scare the hell out of the staff and student body. Making a new friend they were both a force that shouldn’t be touched. They would get themselves in and out of trouble, trying their best not to let it get back to pops.

Over some holidays Y/n’s grandpa came over. Him and pops drank, laughed, and had the time of their life playing cards.

“My boy, come here, I got something for ya! From my sweet Y/n, just for you.” He said calling for him.

It was a wrapped present with a handful of money slid into his hand. Pops explained he did the same for Y/n. He opened the present and there was a current framed picture of Y/n. She was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in a long white summer dress. She was smiling and was doing her signature peace sign. This was planned for him.

“Did you give her a picture of me?” He questioned.

“Yeah, your school photo since I didn’t have any others around.” Pops explained.

“She thought you grew up pretty handsomely or what are the kids saying? Fresh?” Her grandpa added.

“My Kai, and your Y/n might one day run our business!” Pops drunkenly laughed.

He didn’t hate the thought. He looked back at the picture. Handsome, huh?

“I’m supposed to visit her this spring. I’m taking her to the countryside to cultivate some survival skills.” Her grandpa explained.

“You’re raising her right.”

“It’s not like my kids are.”

Kai’s eyebrow raised.

“Oh I should tell him.”

“Are you sure about airing your own kid’s dirty laundry?” Pops asked.

“Even after 3 or 4 years of being other, my little Y/n still wants to come home. She’s got plenty of friends, but she doesn’t have the familiar family support we got, ya know. These kids hardly know her, and she doesn’t tell anyone about her quirk because she doesn’t want to say how she found out about it. Poor kid making the best out of a crudy situation. If she stayed here, I bet she’d be a real member by now. Her dad is just softening her up.”

Kai had a little smile on his face. They were right. She should be back here. Kai has made friends, but they were all on a last name basis. No one was as close as Y/n was. No one wrote him letters like she did. The only thing she ever asked was how he was, never asking for anything. She didn’t care how cold he was, because she understood him.

“Not everyone has the heart of the yakuza.” Pops said.

Chisaki kept the picture of Y/n on his desk. She misses Japan, she misses home. He’s apart of that home she remembers, he knows it.

A year passed and a bittersweet reunion was going to happen. Y/n’s grandpa died. Not by sound, but by stroke. Chisaki got wind Y/n was going to visit for the funeral. She had four days back. Though excited to see his friend, the air around was gloomy and depressing.

One day went by, her arrival day. He waited for a call, or a sign of Y/n to try and contact him. He walked around the house, waiting.

“She’s grieving.” Pops told him.

An idea came into his head, he was really good at comforting her, he should just go right on over. With the money he’s made, he bought her some flowers. He rang the doorbell only to find her dad.

“Oh, you’re here. Come in.” He moved out of the way. “Y/n’s still very jet lagged.”

He was annoyed, but contained it. It had been five years since he saw his friend and now she was too tired to see him? Her mom came into the picture.

“Oh nice to see you again. Y/n talked about you the few minutes she was awake.” Her mom said. “You night be able to cheer her up. She’s been depressed about my dad.”

“Yeah it’s an 8 hour time difference.” Her dad mindlessly added.

“I can come back later.” Seemed like the right answer.

“I can shake her.”

“You don’t have to-“ he was only being polite.

“One sec.” the mom went into the back room to wake up her daughter. “Sweetie...sweetie, are you awake?” He heard her say through the door.

He heard Y/n shuffle, but then stopped moving. Her mom came back sighing as she closed the door.

“I don’t think she’s ready yet for people, I’m sorry.”

Kai left. He kicked some trash when walking back. He didn’t even have a chance to cheer her up! To regain the composer he adjusted the black mask on his face. Stupid stupid stupid! It all was bullshit! How did they even know she would be safe in France! There are cruel people in France too! She needed to be close to support! People should help her be stronger!

“Jet lagged?” Pops asked when Kai came home defeated looking. “Or grieving?”

“Both, I assume.” He answered.

“Don’t take it too hard. You’ll see her at the funeral tomorrow.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to marry Y/n?”

Pops almost spit out something if he drank anything before that question.

“What kind of question is that? You’re too young to be thinking about marriage!”

“It was something Mr(last name) talked about before death.” Kai calmly explained.

Pops sighed knowing Kai wasn’t thinking normally about this. At most this is a crush wired wrong in his brain or it’s the idea of his future yakuza that’s going to have a rude awakening.

“You don’t need to be thinking about marriage right now. If you really like Y/n that deeply maybe tell her, maybe don’t. She is going back after this weekend. There are other girls closer to you than you think. Just remember, you don’t have to try and marry her, okay?”

“Okay.” Kai replied.

“So you do like her, like that.”

“I… don’t know.”

Yes, Y/n is a friend, maybe his oldest friend. She was his friend to shine through the dark times even though she wasn’t there. He didn’t look at her personality traits of why he wanted her to be his wife, it was mostly the connection. She already knew enough about the Shie Hassaikai and would be accepted immediately. He did like her actions, she kept in contact.

“It’s okay that you don’t. You don’t have to do everything that old loony said even if he is dead. Focus on a goal you have.” Pops told him.

The day of the wake Y/n didn’t wear traditional Japanese clothes. She wore a western black dress that went down to her calves. She wore heels too. Her (colored) eyes were too zoned out to notice anything. Her parents would nudge her when someone would offer their condolences. Kai tightened his tie before going to talk to the family. He was nervous. This was the first time in five years since they talked with their mouths. She was really there physically. He said he told her mom and dad he was sorry for their loss, and there he was face to face with Y/n. Her eyes seemed to be there and not out in space.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Y/n.” He told her.

“Thank you for the flowers, Kai,”she told him.

Though he was wearing the mask, he did smile. She still called him by his first name which not so many people did now. She’s still allowed to. After the many people told their condolences, she escaped into a corner with him.

“It’s been forever, Kai.” She said entering his space.

“You’re still recognizable.” He told her.

“You’re not so different yourself, germaphobe.” She teased .

“How have you been taking all this?” He asked out of manners.

She sighed and looked back at the party.

“It’s all a lot. I don’t feel like I have time for much. I gotta be sad, listen to others be sad, and do other sad activities. I don’t even feel like I’m grieving him right.” She explained. “I feel like I’m just being exploited for my sadness.”

“You wanna get out of here?”

“Oh my god Kai!” She squealed. “Maybe later we’ll sneak out. I’m still scheduled to be sad, ya know”.

When she went back to the crowd, he was able to see through her. She was actually sad and was putting on a brave face for him. That hurt, she couldn’t be real with him. The whole time he was observing her, she looked like she was on the edge of tears. They didn’t sneak out, but at the end of it, she told her parents she was going with Kai.

“Goody two shoes.” He called her as they walked out.

“Sorry, I'm in a bummer mood, my grandpa did just die.” She told him.

“You can be sad, since you are.” He told her.

She was quiet for a moment.

“It’s been five years, and then probably some more. I don’t want you to remember me as a cry baby, like last time.” She told him.

“You had your fingers cut off.”

She let out a quick gasp. He was always monotone with her, but she registered it as comfort. He didn’t even say all the right things, and it was still enough for her.

“Yeah, I did.” She laughed.

“I should have done more that day.” He told her.

“There wasn’t much we could do.” She told him.

“Your parents sent you away, aren’t you even mad about that?”

“Yeah, but they were trying their best, and I’ve been given some good opportunities since then.” She told him.

He groaned at that response, which not surprising to him made her laugh. A lot of his comments were often brushed off.

“I have missed you though.” She told him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She replied.

He took her back to his room. She had been the only person except for Pops ever allowed in his room. She did wait to be invited in. She smiled looking at her photo on his desk. He even showed her he kept every letter.

“Oh I remember this. I wrote this when I should have been studying for my midterms.” She said rereading one. “I can’t believe you’ve kept all these.”

“What did you do with mine?”

The opened her purse to reveal she kept all eight letters. He did give that a smile.

“Still a super health nut about food?” She asked.

“I wouldn’t call it that-“

“So you wouldn’t want to get food at a diner.”

“I don’t like other people touching my food.”

She laughed at that.

“You are hilarious, you know that?” It was a rare compliment he’d receive.

“Are you planning on coming back here when you graduate?” He asked.

There was another silence.

“I don’t know yet. I’ve been doing an internship and they’ve offered me a full time job for when I do graduate, but I don’t know, I don’t know if I wanna work there forever.”

“You’d probably do better here, employers would be impressed with your schooling.” He tried to keep his arguments with logic not emotion. It fits more with his beliefs.

“I am looking at companies when I’m here. I don’t know if they’re interested in someone coming back in two years.” She told him.

There was another silence.

“Have you had your first kiss yet?” She asked him.

“No. Have you?” He asked.

“No, not yet.”

“No french boys?”

“No french boys” she chuckled.

It did make him feel better that there was no competition. He still refused to think of her as a crush, maybe a happy distraction. He just prefers to be untouched by anyone.

“You wanna kiss?” She asked him.

“What?”

“I know you’re a germaphobe, but when people ask you’ll be able to say that you did and not bug you if they do.” She explained. “And I don’t mind if it’s you.”

“No one’s asked me yet if I have kissed anyone.” He explained.

“Lucky.” She told him.

“You do?”

“French kissing is big in France, but it's called English kissing there. There’s just no one I liked enough there to kiss, let alone french kiss.”

“French kissing is the one with the tongue?”

“Yeah.”

“That sounds gross.”

“Right! But regular kissing is just something on the list I might want to do.” She told him.

She was asking for something big. It was the death of someone, and they haven’t seen each other in five years. But he hated touching people.

“I don’t know.” He told her.

“I can wait.” She told him. “If it’s you, you’re worth it. But if you tell me now it’s something you’ll never want to do, can you tell me now?”

It was a small confession. She wasn’t asking for a relationship, but she was asking for an answer.

“Maybe a kiss wouldn’t be bad.” He told her.

“I can wa-“

Before she finished the sentence, he tilted his head to the side and kissed her. He held onto her neck for the right support and the other hand on her check. The funny part, his mask was still on. He took his head back, and still held her face. She had a big smile one her face for someone who just lost a grandparent. Her hand was holding onto the collar of his jacket.

“There.” He stated.

[platonicone]

Devotion - Story of the Oracle and her Shield

Chapter 27 - When need becomes want

What is a cure for longing? I wonder…

The Sun was beating down brightly, peeking through the curtains. All the birds, who wakes people up with their melodies, had retreated to their nest. Aranea impatiently knocked at the door to Squall’s room.

A relentless banging on the door finally woke up Squall from his slumber.

He groggily got up and made his way towards the door to stop the annoying banging. He opened the door, still half asleep.

“Come on, wake up sleepyhead. It’s way past noon,” she announced, irritated.

“Already?” he whined, rubbing his eyes.

“You know, it's not nice to keep a lady waiting. We had a date this morning,” Aranea teased, leaning against the door.

“Sorry, I overslept,” he confessed, sheepishly.

“It’s alright. I have an errand to run, but I’ll be back in a couple of hours. We can go sightseeing then,” she suggested.

“No. He does not step outside of this manor until our medics have checked him,” Luna contested, approaching from behind. “Squall, are you sure you are okay? It is unlike you to sleep so much.”

“I am fine,” he reassured.

“I am worried about you. I know what kind of toll it takes to heal someone,” she raised her concern.

“How did you know?”

“I can sense when Oracle’s powers are used,” she lied, and he bought it. “I’ll have our best medics check on you immediately,” she spoke with urgency, still not making eye contact with Squall.

“I am okay,” he tried to reassure. “I was just tired, that’s all.”

“And you were unconscious for a long time before that. You are getting checked by our medics and that’s final. No more argument.” Her authoritative voice which left no room for disagreement.

“You are not even married and she scolds you like a wife,” Aranea added in a mischievous voice.

“Whatever,” Squall remarked, getting annoyed.

“Squall, you should go freshen up. I’ll have Maria set up the lunch and our medics will come to check on you after that,” Luna proposed.

“Fine,” he resigned.

“I guess we’ll take our tour in the evening,” Aranea said with a shrug.

Squall nodded and retreated to his room.

After getting ready, he went straight to the dining room and found Luna waiting on the table. He looked at the huge standing clock in the room it showed 2 p.m.

“You should have eaten already. It’s 2 p.m., you didn’t have to wait,” he noted, sitting down on the chair.

“I was busy, I just got free,” she spoke, staring at her empty dish.

The retainer quickly brought out food and served them. Maria brought out a special soup for Squall and served him.

After taking just one spoon of it, Squall immediately recognized that taste. He asked, “Did you make it?”

Even though Luna was not looking at Squall, she knew this question was intended for her. Luna glared at Maria, and she responded, “I-I m-made it, Master Squall. Is it not to your liking?”

“It is perfect,” he admitted.

The the corners of her eyes crinkled, and a tiny smile of satisfaction formed on Luna’s lips, which she tried to conceal quickly. Noticing that, Squall said, looking at Luna, “Thank you, Maria.”

“Y-You are most welcome master Squall,” Maria replied nervously.

The rest of the lunch was quiet and uneventful. As soon as the lunch was over, Luna quickly left, giving no chance to Squall to strike any conversation.

Squall retreated to his room where medics were waiting for him.

His medical checkup lasted a lot longer than he would have liked. By the time they were finished, Aranea was already waiting for him.

“Ready to go scar-face?”

“Yeah, can’t get out of this manor soon enough,” he complained.

“Lucky for you, Aranea is here for your rescue,” she declared, giving a thumbs up. “We really need to get you some new clothes. You’ve been wearing that ever since Fociaugh Hollow and it’s starting to stink.” She said jokingly, pinching her nose.

“Whatever,” he shook his head, brushing off her criticism.

Together they made their way out of the manor and into the streets. Upon closer inspection, he found that what appeared to be a floating island were mostly supporting by a column of naturally formed rocks. This whole structure seemed to defy gravity as the top of the column was wide enough to support an entire town, and it got narrower as it reached the ground. This oddity alone made for a spectacular view. The entire town was connected via bridges.

The town looked even more beautiful than what he saw from the balcony of his room. The streets were full of street vendors selling a variety of products such as household items, food, clothes, and herbal medicines. Like rivers merge into the sea, all the bridges converged at the center square.

It was a huge open area with a gigantic fountain in the center and lush green grass surrounding it. The kids played around the fountain, splashing each other with water. The teenager played various games in whatever open space they found. Youth can be seen strolled around with hand in hand. Families huddled together in a picnic. The spectrum of whole life was visible in this area.

There was one bridge to the north which leads to a temple. Hymns from there could be heard in the center square, in spite of all the ambient noise. All these elements combined to create a serene environment.

“To think that war could destroy all this peace,” he commented with a heavy heart.

“A few people’s lust for power can destroy so many lives. War promises the everlasting peace for the victor, but in reality, the only thing war leaves behind is chaos.”

“How ironic that we destroy peace with the promise to create more peace in the future,” he summed up his thoughts, as they moved through the crowd.

He noticed an elevated platform at the far end of the fountain, which he figured must be used to address the congruent mass.

As they moved through the town, Squall couldn’t help but notice the intimidating presence of the Empire soldiers on every juncture.

“Do you normally have so many Neiflhem troops here?”

“Tenebrae is a sacred ground where pilgrims from all over the world get together. The Empire had agreed to have minimum surveillance and occupation here. However, under the pretense of protecting the Oracle due to recent events, the Empire has deployed a whole regiment here. As long as they can keep the Oracle confined to Tenebrae, she is not a threat to them.”

“But Luna’s next covenant is in Altissia. If they block off all the points of exit, that might be a problem.”

“Yes, we are aware of it and we are trying to find a solution for it,” she revealed, getting in a line at one of the food stalls.

Squall gave her a quizzical look.

“This right here is the best street food in Tenebrae.”

They grabbed a bite and then proceeded to an apparel store to get a new wardrobe for Squall.

After sightseeing the town, they finally returned to the manor.

“So....should we?” she asked with a playful wink.

“W-What?”

“You know. I picked you up from your home. I took you on this wonderful date. And now that we are back, do I get a kiss? Or do we go straight to your room? I am sure Luna won’t mind,” she teased.

Squall was shell-shocked to hear that. His face turned beet red in an instant. Looking at his reaction, Aranea broke into a burst of uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh God! You should have seen your face,” she managed to say that between her laughs. “If I knew that’s all it takes to embarrass you, I would have done it sooner.”

Squall was enraged, but he masked his emotions. He stepped forward and took both of her hands in his hand gently. He looked straight into her eyes and said, “Aranea, I have a confession to make.”

Aranea’s laughter disappeared in an instance.

“Ever since I saw the first time, I knew you were special.”

“Oh no,” she mumbled, as dread filled her eyes, but Squall was reluctant to let go of her hands.

“The way you look, the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you smile, and your sense of humor, it all,” he paused for dramatic effect as he saw the color drain from Aranea’s face. “It all makes my blood boil and I hate you so much.”

“Oh, thank God!” she exhaled loudly. “Hate is good. For a while, I thought you were going to say something stupid. It scared the crap out of me.”

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he replied with a smirk.

“You son of a--,” instead of finishing her sentence, she kicked him hard in his shins.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“I don’t know, but it felt like you deserved it.”

“What kind of logic is that?” he complained, hobbling on one leg.

“Whatever!”

“Hey, that’s my line,” he protested.

“Whatever,” she repeated slowly.

Once Squall and Aranea parted ways, he went inside the castle. He took a peek at the chamber room and Luna was busy dealing with various delegates. She looked tired. Their eyes briefly meet and she smiled before quickly attending the guests.

He got changed into new cloth, which for the most part was very similar to what he already had. There was still some time till dinner, so Squall decided to explore the manor.

He could oversee a huge garden in the back of the manor, but the door leading to it was locked. That garden looked very familiar to him.

He ventured further into the manor and eventually discovered the royal library. He decided to take a look inside. From the looks of it, half of the library seems to be renovated, perhaps from the fire 12 years ago, he thought. The royal library seemed to contain every book imaginable. Perhaps the only book Squall could use right now was ‘how to understand women.’ Even since waking up on the train, Luna had been avoiding him, and he did not have the slightest idea why. He spends the rest of his evening browsing through various books.

One of the retainers came looking for him when it was time for dinner. Upon entering the dining room, he saw that there were many people already sitting at the table.

‘Great, another awkward dinner.’ He thought.

As expected, the dinner was rather dull with the royals talking among themselves about topics he was least interested in. Without Luna to talk to, he was starting to feel like an outsider. 'No wonder Aranea never stays here.'

As soon as he finished the meal, the medic from earlier came over and gave him two pills. Not wanting to make a scene, he took the medicine and quickly exited the room.

He stood on the balcony of his room, looking around absentmindedly. In matter of a few days he went from being an integral part of Luna's life to an observer. He felt that Luna needed him before, but now he was not sure if she even want him around. They were drifting apart and he wanted to know why. He needed to know why she was distancing herself from him. His mind was confused and his heart was in pain.

The surrounding temperature dropped suddenly as Gentiana walked from behind him and joined him in the stargazing.

“What are you doing here?” Squall asked, surprised to see her.

“I felt your loneliness, so I came to be with you.”

“How did you know?”

“Squall, I am always with you,” she chuckled. “Since I am still junctioned to you, a form of me lives in your mind. I feel all your pain, joy, sadness, and love. I experience it all with you.”

“When you say it like that it sounds very creepy,” he remarked.

“Such is the nature of junctioning. We get to experience what it is like to be human and in return, you get to use our powers,” she spoke with her eyes closed.

“Hmm.”

There was silence once again.

“Squall, I was worried about you.”

“Why?”

“After a very long time, I experienced what fear felt like. When you were suffering at the hands of Ramuh, I was afraid that you might die. I felt your pain and anguish. I wanted to help, I did. But I couldn’t. My duty is to observe and guide humanity and not to interfere with it directly,” she confessed, her internal turmoil was evident in her voice.

“Unable to act on your feelings because you are bound by your duty, I think I can relate to that.”

“How do you find courage when facing your own mortality? You knew that you could have died, so why go through it? Are you not afraid of death?”

“I am afraid of death, just like everyone else. But sometimes you have to ask yourself, is my cause worth dying for?” He stated.

“I do not understand.”

“The thing with mortality is that there is no escaping it. You know someday you are going to die, but you try to make the best out of the limited time you have. You try to give some meaning to your life. Some people find meaning in wealth, accomplishments, friends and family, spirituality, or helping others. At that moment I just had to find my own calling.”

“And what was yours?”

“We all live for ourselves but to live for the betterment of others is a noble cause. One small sacrifice to the betterment of the world. That was my calling.”

“For you, it was more than just that, was it not?” she probed.

“When you care for someone deeply, you find the courage to overcome your fears.”

“You have changed, Squall. You have changed so much. Last time you said, ‘the hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?’ And now you are willing to sacrifice yourself for the same world. That is admirable.”

“Speaking of that, what exactly happened 'last time’? Why do Astrals want me dead? Who is Arydran, and why does he think we fought together? Why did Ramuh say that I escaped from Bahamut’s exile? What is going on here?” He had asked all these questions before, but Gentiana had avoided answering them every time. He was hoping it would be different this time.

“What is with humans and their fascination with the past?” she wondered.

“I don’t know much about humanity, but if someone is out there to kill me, I'd like to know why.”

“The ‘last time’ as you call it, we refer to it as the Omen,” Gentiana revealed. “Omen was a failed timeline where the prophecy failed and the world was plunged into the darkness.”

“And the Astrals thinks that the prophecy failed because of me?” he questioned.

“You played a key role, one could say.”

“The hell with the world. If she is not with me then what does the world mean to me?” he repeated her line from earlier. “Who is she?”

“She is someone with whom your destiny has been intertwined for eons.”

“That still does not answer who is it?”

“That is for you to figure out,” she replied with slight hostility in her voice. Her tone took Squall by surprised, and he decided not to push this topic any further.

“From what I can gather, Astrals assigned me a mission, and I failed, which plunged the world into the darkness. So now they want revenge. That much makes sense. But you are an Astral too, how come you don’t want to hurt me?”

“Because I,” she seemed to at a loss of words. “Because I am different,” she said, looking at him.

“How? Why?”

“Why the sudden interest in me? I thought we were talking about you?” she tactfully dodged the question.

They must have chatted for at least half an hour before Squall said, “Hey, thanks for coming. It felt great to just let it all out.”

“Anything to put your heart at ease,” she replied with a smile.

“We should do this often,” he proposed.

“I've waited millennia to hear that,” she replied joyfully.

“You are very cryptic and strange sometimes,” he noted, shaking his head.

She smiled and disappeared, leaving behind spectral ice particles suspended in the air.

Squall went back inside the room and lay flat on his bed. “Why can’t anything ever be simple in my life,” he thought as he stared at the ceiling. He fell asleep shortly after.

The next day, he met up with Aranea at their designated training ground. He was still recovering from Ramuh’s attack, but he figured the best way to get back in shape would be by training.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you,” Aranea warned as she readied her spear.

“I wouldn’t expect anything else,” he replied, drawing out his gunblade.

She embodies the classic Dragoon class, able to fight airborne, uses jump attacks, wears black armor and wields a lance.

As their duel began, he quickly realized that she was very agile and powerful. Her signature attack is Highwind.

“Did you know that your girlfriend is setting up a healing camp?” she informed him during sparring.

“No way, she is not fit enough for that,” he remarked, as their weapons clashed.

“Tell that to her. We all tried, but she wouldn’t listen. She gave us the same long speech about looking to ease the suffering of others rather than protecting ourselves,” she spoke, deflecting Squall’s attack.

“She can be so unreasonable sometimes,” he stated, blocking her attack.

“You should talk to her,” she suggested.

“I would if she let me. She would do anything to avoid me, it seems,” he revealed.

“What did you do?” she asked, as their weapons clashed again.

“I wish I knew,” he admitted. “I saved her life, and now she is mad at me. I don’t understand women.”

“Ha ha ha,” she laughed mockingly before launching another volley of attacks.

Once his training was done, he returned to the castle around noon. Their meals were quickly becoming a public affair as dignitaries from many provinces joined them frequently. Luna seemed preoccupied with arranging everything for the healing camp.

Squall was once again alone in his room. With nothing to do and no one to hang out with, he was bored out of his mind. Luckily, the atmosphere suddenly got cold around him.

“Gentiana,” he uttered. “I was starting to think that you would not come.”

“I did not know you were waiting for me,” she remarked as a small smile played on her lips.

“Do you want to go for a walk? I feel like a prisoner in this castle,” he proposed.

“Sure, anything to ease your heart.”

Their walk was a perfect calibration of silently accompanying someone and infrequent chat. Even though they did not speak much, they both seemed to enjoy each other’s company.

The next day was the start of a week-long healing camp. He’d hoped that he could talk some sense into her as blessings can take a severe toll on her health, but she had avoided him successfully.

Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to get her blessings. Her day started early with a healing session followed by rest to recover her strength. She would have her lunch at the campsite, and it was followed by another healing session and rest. Their dinner was followed by the same pattern. She only came back to the castle to sleep at night.

At least he used to see Luna at their meals, but even that had stopped now. Even since he woke up, not once did he have a proper conversation with Luna. He needed to know why she was avoiding him, but he would have to wait for the right moment as they were constantly surrounded by people.

Since Luna was always busy, Leon’s day was divided into two halves. Training with Aranea in morning and evening strolls with Gentiana.

His conversation with Gentiana was often very philosophical in nature. Gentiana would often talk about topics such as immortality, karma, spirituality, morality, the meaning of life, etc. While Squall would often talk about duty, dedication, seeking happiness, processing emotions, etc.

One day while returning from their evening stroll, Gentiana suddenly said, “Thank you, for being such a great teacher.”

“What did I teach you?” he asked confused.

“I find it very difficult to understand human emotions. When I try to follow other humans, I get overwhelmed by their emotions. With you, it’s easier to follow since you suppress your emotions so much. It’s like you only process one emotion at a time, which makes it easier for me to learn.”

“Hey! I am more complicated than that,” he protested.

“I believe an appropriate response to that is,” she paused. “Whatever,” she said, imitating Squall.

Squall gave out a sigh, “Looks like I did teach you something after all.”

Gentiana couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction. This was the first time he had heard her laugh. Her divine laugh was nothing short of a melody.

He just shook his head, and they continued their evening stroll.

It was morning. The Sun peeked through the sky provided gentle warmth. The sky was different shades of orange. The birds were singing their melodies. A distant hymn echoed through Tenebrae. It was a serene morning, but it was ruined by the frequent clanging of metal.

Squall and Aranea were sparring as per their morning routine.

Aranea had knocked down Squall, which infuriated him. He launched a volley of relentless attacks, forcing Aranea to go on defense.

“Good. Looks like you are recovering your strength,” she praised, blocking his attack.

“Still a long way to go,” he admitted, thrusting his gunblade forward.

“There are still two more days left for the healing camp. How about we take a field trip tomorrow,” she asked, deflecting his attack.

His eyes lit up upon hearing that.

“I am rather bored here, let’s do it,” he affirmed, as their weapons clashed again. “Where are we going?”

“We’ll go treasure hunting for Frozen Tear of Shiva. Tomorrow at 7 a.m.,” she stated, pushing him back.

“Can’t wait.”

During his evening stroll with Genitana he asked her about something Aranea had mentioned in the morning. “Gentiana, what is Frozen tear?”

“Where did you hear that?” she asked, with her eyes closed.

“Aranea told me about it.”

She chuckled in response. “When Shiva’s heart was filled with pain, she cried. Human calls her tears Frozen tear.”

“I did not know that Astrals cried,” he stated bluntly.

“Although we don’t experience the range of emotions that humans do, we do feel some basic emotions like love, hate, anger and kindness to name a few.”

“Why would you cry? You are an Astral,” he asked, still not grasping the concept of mighty Astrals crying like humans.

“Just as humans, when the pain becomes unbearable, tears escape from my eyes,” she said looking at him.

“When were you in such pain?”

“First was when I saw Hyne die in front of my eyes. Next, was when Niflheim attacked me.”

“I wonder how does it—” he was about to say something when Gentiana raised her hand, indicating him to stop.

“We are being watched,” she proclaimed. Her eyes were scanning their surroundings.

“We are in the center square, surrounded by hundreds of pilgrims. Of course, we are being watched,” Squall dismissed her caution.

“No, its him. He is here, I can sense him.”

“Who?”

“The Usurper is watching us.”

Author's notes:

So, what do you think about this chapter? Let me know in your comments below. If you don't have much to say then at least say 'Hi' so I know someone is reading this. It would really brighten my day. Thanks :)

PS: I was wondering if someone can make me an image of Squall x Luna for this story. I would be very grateful for that. Thanks in advance.

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette Drabble Twenty-Eight: Shock

To be entirely fair, Gabriel would have finished the project earlier if he hadn’t been distracted by his concern over how Adrien was fairing at the party. Even after he’d received a text assuring him that Adrien was having a great time, Gabriel couldn’t seem to focus. There were just too many things that could go wrong. He’d almost asked Nathalie for his Miraculous back so that he could have Nooroo fly back and forth keeping tabs on Adrien.

“You’re still not done?” Nathalie blinked blearily at him from the atelier door a little after one in the morning. She wrapped the kimono-like dressing gown Emilie had bought her more tightly as she came over to stand next to him at his podium and rest her chin on his shoulder. “You’re sure there’s nothing I can do to help?”

“I’m almost finished. Go back to sleep.” Gabriel turned to press a fleeting kiss to the side of her head. “What are you doing up?”

“I had my phone on in case Adrien or you needed anything. Victor texted me a few minutes ago to let me know that he and Adrien were on their way home, and the text alert woke me up.”

“Go back to sleep,” Gabriel repeated softly. “I’ll finish up in a minute and be in shortly after I see that Adrien makes it home all right.”

“Very well. You know where to find me should you need anything.” Nathalie kissed her fiancé on the cheek and headed back to bed.

Ten minutes later, Gabriel was just shutting down his computer for the night when he heard the front door open.

“Adrien?” He caught his son halfway up the stairs.

“D-Dad. I didn’t think you’d actually still be up. I was just going to wake you,” Adrien explained, descending back into the foyer.

“Why? Is something wrong?” Gabriel fiddled with his glasses as he strode across the room to inspect his son. “How was the rest of the party?”

“Fine.” Adrien shrugged, blank-faced. “A bit of a rollercoaster. After I texted you, I was talking with a girl in my class, Alix, and that went pretty well. I was actually thinking of inviting her over to try out the skatepark in the basement, if that’s okay.”

“Alix…Chronogirl? The pink-haired skater girl?” Gabriel confirmed.

“Uh…yeah.” Adrien nodded, trying not to linger too much over his father being more familiar with his classmates’ names when they had been akumatized than their given names.

“I don’t see that being a problem.” Gabriel agreed easily. “Please discuss a time with Alix and clear it with Nathalie. What happened after that?”

Adrien winced. “Some jock guy was being a jerk. There was a misunderstanding about one of my ex-girlfriends who he has a thing for. It’s not a big deal, so you don’t need to hire a hitman or anything. It was just kind of upsetting. Then I ran into…” Adrien cleared his throat.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” Gabriel guessed.

“Er…not yet.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “Then why are you blushing?”

“Uh…I’m not. It’s probably just the lighting,” Adrien lied. “Your eyes are tired from looking at your screen all night.”

Gabriel crossed his arms. “Is there another girl now?”

Adrien schooled his facial features into a nonresponsive mask. “No. No, there is not. Do you remember Luka Couffaine? Blue hair, my classmate Juleka’s older brother, I used to take guitar lessons from him until you found out and forbade it?” Adrien forced a smile.

“Silence. Yes?” Gabriel frowned. “You ran into him?”

“And got swept off his feet,” Plagg snickered.

“Plagg!” Adrien yelped. “That is not what happened!”

“The kid was feeling dizzy, and Prince Charming helped him outside so he could get some air. Then he sat with him and got him some water and snacks, and they talked and had a bonding moment over opera and classical music—apparently Prince Charming has a thing for Ravel—and then they danced, if you can call that dancing,” Plagg cackled, darting about so that Adrien couldn’t catch him.

“Plagg, if you say another word, I am never feeding you again!” Adrien threatened.

With a gleeful chuckle, Plagg landed and curled up on Gabriel’s shoulder.

Gabriel stared at his son in concern. “What actually happened?”

Adrien blushed. He hadn’t intended to do more than mention Luka in passing. The whole “yes, I would kiss a boy, but you don’t have to worry about me dating them” thing was still extremely new, and Adrien really didn’t want to push his luck with this yet.

“So…some of the things that that jock guy that I mentioned before said to me were pretty hurtful and upsetting. They kind of triggered a panic attack, and I ran into Luka literally, and it turns out he knows someone who has panic attacks, so he’s really good at talking people through them. He took me outside and helped me sit down and loosened my tie for me and sat with me and got me something to drink and something to eat, and he talked to me, and he was really kind and really considerate, and he said so many nice things to me. Like, genuinely nice things. He wasn’t just sucking up and trying to get in good with me because I have money. He wasn’t being fake, and he wasn’t just trying to get into my pants. I’ve dealt with all of those kinds of people before, and Luka wasn’t like that. He was just being himself, and I was kind of just being myself, and now we might be friends.”

Gabriel pursed his lips and cleared his throat. “So…he didn’t…try to kiss you or anything?”

Plagg let out a sharp laugh. “Other way around.”

Gabriel and Adrien both went wide-eyed.

“That is a lie!” Adrien squeaked. “Why would you even say that?!”

Plagg held up his paws in surrender. “I must have been mistaken. I thought I saw you making eyes at him and leaning in.”

“You were mistaken,” Adrien grumpily assured, making a mental note to donate all the Camembert in his fridge to charity and replace it with cheap grocery store slices. “Making out with anyone—boy or girl—in public was expressly against the rules. I would never do something like that.”

“I thought you told Luka that it only counted if someone got it on camera,” Plagg hummed. “Or did I misunderstand the way that you winked at him too?”

Adrien’s face went white, and he buried it in his hands. “Why are you doing this to me?” he groaned. “Have I not had a bad enough night that you feel that you have to make it worse?!”

“I’m doing this because you’re in shock, and, pretty soon, the shock is going to wear off and you’re going to have another meltdown,” Plagg snorted.

Gabriel glanced back and forth between the kwami and his son.

“I think it might be helpful for your father to have the whole story straight,” Plagg explained.

“How is me flirting with another guy relevant?!” Adrien shrieked, glaring at his kwami.

As soon as the words left his lips and truly registered to Adrien, he clapped a hand over his mouth.

Gabriel grimaced in sympathy. “…Did Monsieur Couffaine flirt back?”

Adrien nodded, ears turning scarlet. He lowered his hand. “He said I was cute. That I was funny and interesting and someone he’d like to get to know. It wasn’t anything serious. We were just play-flirting. Nothing happened. It was just for fun.”

“I see.” Not for the first time, Gabriel did not see, but he wasn’t about to ask for an explanation because it was apparent that they were on a very sensitive subject and that something had happened with Marinette and that Plagg was positive that Adrien was going to be having an episode any time now. “And…you two danced?”

Adrien nodded.

“…Like those pictures of you dancing with Monsieur Lahiffe at the karaoke bar the other night?” Gabriel mentally winced at the thought of his son dancing so intimately with another man, a man that Gabriel did not know well, that Gabriel did not trust to act in his son’s best interests.

“A little like that,” Plagg answered on Adrien’s behalf. “A little more intimately, I think. They were both really into it.”

“Plagg, are you trying to get me akumatized out of sheer mortification?” Adrien groaned. “It didn’t mean anything. I was just having fun dancing with a friend who happens to be a guy, and we both think the other is attractive, but nothing is actually going to happen because I don’t sleep with guys, and he’s dating Marinette. Let’s talk about that instead please.”

Gabriel nearly fell over. “Miss Dupain-Cheng is seeing someone?”

“Apparently she’s been dating Luka for two weeks now,” Adrien sighed.

“When did she tell you?” Gabriel demanded. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“I found out about an hour and a half ago from Luka while we were dancing. He thought I knew. I didn’t. Now I do. It kind of sucked because this really nice, attractive guy has been paying attention to me and making me feel good about myself for the past hour, and then he goes and says that he’s dating my girlfriend, but he’s so freaking wonderful that how the heck can I even be mad at him?” Adrien rattled off. “He obviously doesn’t know about Marinette and me from the way he was acting, so, apparently, I’m not the only one she has communication issues with.”

“What happened after you found out?” Gabriel prompted carefully, not needing his Miraculous to sense that Plagg was indeed correct and that another meltdown would be coming on presently.

“I made my excuses and calmly walked away to find somewhere I could be alone.” Adrien shrugged, all of his earlier animation draining out of him. “Then someone went to go get Marinette because they were afraid I was going to throw myself over the side of the ship and drown.”

Gabriel flinched. “Was…this concern unfounded?”

Adrien bit his lip. “Yes and no. The Seine is filthy. I know because I’ve been thrown into it on several different occasions, and I would never voluntarily jump in without good reason. If I were going to drown myself, I’d do it at the Bois de Boulogne.”

Gabriel’s heart sank as he realized, “You’ve thought about this.”

Adrien averted his gaze. “I wasn’t kidding when I told you I needed a therapist. …So…tonight, I was in a pretty bad place, and it’s probably for the best that Plagg got Marinette for me to talk to.”

“What did she say?” Gabriel didn’t really want to know. He genuinely liked Marinette, but it was difficult to keep liking her when she kept putting his son’s heart through the shredder.

Adrien shrugged again, slumping against the banister. “A lot of things. We talked for a long time about a lot of things that we should have spread over the years. It was all stuff that we needed to talk about at some point. Some of it really helped. Some of it made me feel worse than ever. We screamed at each other and then kind of made up, but then we yelled at each other some more and then sort of reconciled again. I think we both had some really good points, but we both spouted a lot of utter stupidity too.”

Adrien looked up at his father, not bothering to wipe away the tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. “I still love her madly, but tonight made me think that maybe I shouldn’t worship her so much. Yeah, she’s brilliant, and she works actual miracles, but she also makes mistakes and does really stupid stuff. Tonight, I thought, ‘God, she’s dumb. Like how does someone screw something up this badly?’ But then I kind of felt better because…I’m not the only screwup.” He scuffed thoughtfully at the marble floor with the toe of his dress shoe.

Gabriel tentatively rested a supportive hand on Adrien’s shoulder.

Adrien took a deep breath and continued, “I realized that she’s not unshakeable. She’s not infallible. She’s really messed up too; she just did a good job of covering it up. She doesn’t know what she’s doing all the time, and she doesn’t get it right every time either. Maybe…” He licked his lips nervously. “…she’s not so much better than I am after all. I think that’s…good…because that means she’s not as out of my league as I thought. She’s not unattainable…but…that’s bad because we’re stuck in this mess, and maybe she doesn’t know how to fix it either. I always count on her to make everything right again after I break something, but…maybe she can’t. Maybe I have to fix it myself, and that’s…scary. But I’m rambling. Am I making any sense?”

Adrien looked up searchingly at Gabriel for guidance.

Gabriel stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his son, pulling Adrien in tight. “You’re making a lot of sense. It sounds like it was good that you two talked, even if it was upsetting.”

Adrien crumpled into his father’s embrace, trembling as the tears started to come faster and more urgently. “She doesn’t love me.”

“You don’t know that,” Gabriel soothed as best as he could. He always felt so under water when it came to dealing with emotions. “Miss Dupain-Cheng cares about you a great deal; even I can tell…. Did she tell you that she doesn’t love you?”

Adrien nodded into Gabriel’s shoulder. “She said that she loves me as a friend but that she doesn’t think she knows what it means to love someone romantically the way that I love her. Before…she told me that she loved me, but today she said that she didn’t mean the same thing that I’d meant when I’d told her I loved her. I thought things were going to be okay because we were both on the same page with how we felt about one another, but… How can she not know what it means to love someone romantically? She sounded sincere, but…do you think she was just saying that to let me down gently because she’d changed her mind?”

Internally, Gabriel cursed. What did one say in situations like this? The guidebooks had not expressly dealt with these circumstances, and Gabriel was not confident in his ability to adapt advice for other situations to fit his own extemporaneously.

Gabriel was on his own.

“I think…it’s not very common for people your age to love as maturely as you do, Adrien.” Gabriel made his best attempt. “Honestly, when you told me you were in love a little over a month ago, I was shocked to hear you describe true love as taking care of sick children together and picking out shades of paint for a house and dealing with morning sickness. I don’t think most people your age really consider the quotidian minutia of sharing a life with someone when they say the word ‘love’. I think, at your age, ‘love’ means the euphoria of physical attraction and physical affection coupled with an emotional fondness. I am sure there are some exceptions, like yourself, but I would be willing to believe that Miss Dupain-Cheng was telling the truth when she said that she hadn’t meant the same things you did when you told one another that you loved each other.”

Gabriel bit his lip as he hesitantly added, “I’m sorry. I don’t know if that makes things better or worse.”

“It’s okay,” Adrien sniffled. “It hurts, but…at least she wasn’t lying to me…ostensibly.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Gabriel offered.

Adrien shrugged weakly. “I don’t even know. I’m so tired. I don’t… Everything’s still a blur. It’s all running together.”

“Do you want to go to sleep?” Gabriel tried. “Do you need me to sit up with you?”

Adrien shook his head. “I don’t know what I want. It’s all… Dad, I think I lost her.”

Gabriel was tempted to tell his son not to give up, but he was afraid of giving Adrien false hope. “Why do you say that?”

“Because she doesn’t love me,” Adrien mumbled hollowly. “She didn’t promise me a relationship after she gets her thoughts and feelings straight. She told me not to wait for her, and it sounds like she’s not waiting for me. It’s like all the bonds that were keeping us together have been broken. And now she’s dating Luka, and she’s going to fall in love with him.”

Gabriel squeezed Adrien tighter. “I could…I’m not sure. There has to be something nefarious I could do to keep them apart with as much money as I have. I could bribe someone or have someone dig up something on his mother or—”

“—Dad?” Adrien sighed, pulling back to look up into Gabriel’s eyes. “Thanks, but don’t. Luka’s a good guy. He doesn’t deserve to have anything bad happen to him just because he stepped on some rich brat’s toes. I wish I could hate him and blame him for everything, but I can’t. I like him…and I want Marinette to be happy, even if I kind of hate her right now. If Luka takes care of her half as well as he took care of me, I’m glad that she has someone like that in her life. I’m just…kind of wrecked over the fact that it isn’t me.”

Gabriel deflated. “…That’s very mature of you.”

Adrien shrugged. “I’ve thrown enough jealous, petulant fits over the years that I’ve picked up on the fact that nothing good ever comes of them. I don’t know if resignation to misery is necessarily any better, but I’m too tired to fight this right now.”

Gabriel frowned sympathetically. “There’s nothing I can do to make this better, is there?”

Adrien shook his head, stepping back out of his father’s hold. “No. I think things are just going to suck for a long time…. I’m going to jump in the shower and head to bed. I’m probably not getting out of bed tomorrow. We’ll see about Monday, but I’m not optimistic. I’ll go to my doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, though.”

“Shouldn’t we see if we can’t get you in sooner?” Gabriel wondered. “You seem fairly…lucid, I suppose, right now, but…this calm feels untenable.”

Adrien shook his head. “I need some time to process things before I can talk about them. I don’t really want to deal with people right now.” To accentuate his point, Adrien pulled out his phone and held it out to his father. “Could you take this? I turned it off because Nino’s kind of blowing it up. I don’t want to talk to him.”

Gabriel pocketed the phone. “Did Monsieur Lahiffe do something wrong in particular, or are you just avoiding people in general?”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone…but, yeah, I’m kind of upset with Nino. I’m trying not to be, but…he knew about Luka and didn’t tell me,” Adrien grumbled, kicking at the floor. “Apparently, they were trying to decide who was going to do it and how they wanted to do it, but…I mean, a best friend tells you stuff like that right away, right? I know he probably thought he was doing the right thing by waiting, but…” He shook his head. “I’ve decided that I’m mad at him. If he shows up here tomorrow, I’m not home. I’ll talk to him again on Wednesday. Maybe.”

“All right,” Gabriel easily agreed. “I’ll let the others know he’s blacklisted. Is there anything else?”

Adrien bit his lip and twisted his ring nervously around his finger. “I actually have a pretty big favor to ask.”

“Of course,” Gabriel assured. “What is it?”

Adrien slid the Miraculous off of his finger and held it out to his father. “I need you to hold onto this for me.”

Gabriel’s eyes went wide, and he took a step back, shaking his head.

Adrien took a step forward. “I’m not giving it to you. It’s still mine. I just need you to hold onto the physical vessel for now. I’m in pretty bad shape. I can feel my composure cracking, and I don’t see how I can avoid being akumatized this time. When that happens, I can’t be wearing the ring. I need you to keep Plagg safe for me. Please, Dad.” Fresh tears welled up and spilled down Adrien’s cheeks. “I would never be able to forgive myself if Papillon got his hands on Plagg. I need you to protect him until Ladybug can get here, okay?”

Gabriel pulled Adrien back into his chest and squeezed hard. He was too choked up himself to say a word. He held Adrien for a long time before pulling back and tentatively accepting the ring.

“Don’t worry about Plagg. I won’t let anything happen to him…to either of you,” Gabriel swore. “You just worry about yourself for now. Go to sleep, Adrien. Come and get me if you need anything during the night. Or send Plagg or use the landline in your room to call me. If you need anything at all, all right?”

Adrien nodded, clapping his father on the arm. “Thanks, Dad.” He turned and slowly trudged up the stairs. He paused at the top. “And thank you for letting me go to the party. Yeah, parts of it really sucked, but I had a lot of fun too. I was glad I got to go, so thanks for trusting me.”

Gabriel nodded, voice stuck in his throat. He wished the whole party had gone better. He watched Adrien disappear into his room and then looked down at the ring in his palm.

“Funny,” Gabriel whispered, slipping it onto his finger. “I worked so long and fought so hard for this. Now, I don’t want it.”

“Life is ironic,” Plagg snorted.

“You should go with Adrien,” Gabriel urged.

Plagg shook his head. “Give him a moment of privacy. I’ll go in there in a sec to make sure he doesn’t space out and accidentally drown in the shower, but, for now, let’s give him a few minutes alone.”

Gabriel sighed, looking up in concern at Adrien’s door. “…Anything else I should know about what happened tonight?”

“He told you the important parts. I was concerned he was going to leave out the bits with Luka because you’re a little squeamish when it comes to romance between two guys,” Plagg mumbled.

“Is that why you bullied him into talking about it?” Gabriel wondered.

Plagg nodded. “I doubt there will ever be a relationship for you to worry about, but the kid really is drawn to that Luka guy. Maybe not right now, but eventually the kid might try to get closer to him. They’d make good friends, and Luka might prove to be a role model or confidant. I think it would be good for the kid to have Luka in his life, so I wanted you to know that there were feelings involved so you didn’t do or say anything to mess that up.”

“You could have explained it to me yourself later. You didn’t have to make Adrien talk to me about it when he obviously didn’t want to,” Gabriel scolded.

Plagg shook his head slowly. “Adrien needed to know that he could talk to you about guys he’s attracted to. He needed to know that you really meant it when you said you’d love him anyway if he were interested in other men. He’s in the middle of a crisis, and he needed to know that you had his back no matter what, especially when he’d just been let down by his close friends. He needed that conversation, even if he didn’t want to have it.”

Gabriel reflected silently for a moment. “…Well played, Plagg.”

“I get it right sometimes.” Plagg shrugged. “You got it right today.”

“I tried,” Gabriel snorted self-depreciatingly. “I don’t know that I was much help, and I still feel like it’s too little too late, but…he seems to appreciate that I’m trying.”

“He does,” Plagg assured. “He’s like a puppy. He forgives easily, and any kind of affection at all makes him ecstatic. He’s not hard to love…and you’re doing a lot better. I’m proud of you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel sighed. “Thank you, Plagg…. Will you go check on him now?”

“On it. I’ll keep you posted,” Plagg informed, flying up and through the bedroom door.

[casino-lights]

The Worst First Date... Ever

A Deputy/Pratt oneshot I’ve been wanting to write for a while now. Warnings apply for strong language, some sexual content, and secondhand embarrassment. Two of the three are Staci’s fault. Which two? You be the judge.

Pratt was acting up again one day in late spring, when the mud on the roads was fender-deep and the sun gave everyone red arms and pinched faces. Hudson was about ready to strangle him as he popped his nicotine gum to the rhythm of the oldies on the radio. Medina could tune it out - it’s classic Pratt, she told herself, hates the quiet so he fills it in the most annoying way he can think of - but once he started banking paperclips off her back, she had to take a stand.

“Pratt!”

“What? It’s target practice.”

“Stop doing that.”

His lips curled up in a grin and he held his hands up innocently. But the glint of a silver paperclip pinched between his thumb and forefinger was not promising, and Medina only glared at him.

“Staci Pratt, I will tell your mother.”

His mouth fell open in an O of surprise, but the smirk quickly returned. As soon as she went back to her paperwork, he bounced the paperclip straight off the back of her head.

“¡Deja de hacer eso!”

He started laughing and dropped his last paperclip into the jar on his desk. “Aww, no eres divertido.”

“Cabrón.”

“Guys!” Hudson snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose. “If you’re gonna insult each other, do it in English.”

Medina quickly apologized, then jabbed her finger at Pratt. “You… you… horse-face.”

He nearly choked on his gum. “Horse-face? Horse-face? You can call me an asshole in Spanish but the best you got in English is horse-face?”

“I don’t like swearing in English,” she said with a pout. “It’s dirty.”

“Shit, Sasha,” he chuckled as he stood up and stretched his arms. “You are so fucking cute.”

“Sure, you say that now.”

“Oh, my god, guys, I am begging you,” Hudson looked at Medina desperately. “Please, please flirt somewhere else. I just ate.”

Pratt disappeared into the closet where they kept personal effects, and both Hudson and Medina gave a sigh of relief as they returned to their work. Sasha was patiently filling out release papers for one Charlemagne Victor Boshaw IV when the W turned into a wild scribble as a pair of hands suddenly clasped her shoulders and a muffled voice called “neigh!” into her ear.

Since poor Sasha’s fight or flight instincts always defaulted to fight, she whirled around and swung a closed fist toward Pratt, who recoiled in shock as her hand connected with the rubber snout of his horse mask.

He tugged it off, cackling, and smoothed his hair back as Sasha stood up to face him - not like she properly could with their foot-tall height difference.

Luckily for Pratt, she laughed too, and she yanked the mask away from him. “Why do we even have this?”

“Dunno,” he confessed. “Just saw it in the closet this morning.”

Hudson, her head in her hands, mumbled wearily, “Came from a 390 they found out by Rae-Rae’s. Some jackass was trying to scare Boomer again.”

Pratt’s face twisted into a disgusted expression. “He puked, didn’t he?”

“Yep.”

Medina dropped the mask and wiped her hands on Pratt’s shoulder. “Ew. Drunk puke.”

“Really brings people together.” Pratt took her hands in his and pulled her toward the door. “C’mon, I wanna show you something.”

Reluctantly, she followed him, though she had to quicken her pace to keep up with his gangly legs, and he led her round the back of the station.

“Pratt, what—”

“Just do what I do.” He clambered up atop a parked cruiser, then the electrical shed, before finally scaling the roof. “The view up here is awesome.”

“We have mountains, y’know,” said Sasha as she struggled up the shed. “Why don’t you—oof—just look… oh, wow.” Her eyes widened as she reached the roof and could finally take in the sun setting between the mountains in the distance. “It’s beautiful. I never even noticed.”

“Yeah, see? I told you.” Pratt looked insufferably smug. “It’s ‘cause of that big, shitty billboard down there. It blocks the view from the road.”

“How did you even find this?”

“Joey complained about me smoking by the door - which is where everyone takes their smoke breaks, but whatever - so I came out back, but then she complained about me smoking by her car, so I figured, fuck it, if I can’t smoke on the ground, I’ll smoke on the roof.” He glanced down at her with a gleam in his eye. “Twenty bucks she starts complaining about the smoke coming through the vents or something.”

Sasha folded her arms and narrowed her eyes crossly. “I thought you quit.”

“I’ve quit like, six times. Never sticks. Doesn’t matter. This is nice.” He rolled one of his shoulders and swallowed nervously. “Look, uh… sorry I’m a dick sometimes.”

“‘Sometimes’ is a good start,” she said. Still, she uncrossed her arms and smiled warmly at him. “But you’re forgiven. For now.”

He rubbed the back of his neck and chewed his lower lip before inhaling deeply. “I was wondering if, um… maybe… sometime… do you wanna go get some… err, I mean, maybe you’d like to do… something? With me?”

“Staci Pratt, are you asking me on a date?”

“I… guess?” At her unimpressed look, he cleared his throat and said, more confidently, “Yes, I am. I’d like to go on a date with you.”

She reached for his hand and he gave it gladly, despite his sweating palms and trembling fingers. “Staci, I would love to go on a date with you. What did you have in mind?”

“What did I—” Realization dawned on his face and his expression morphed into shock. “Fuck. I mean… I, uh, I didn’t actually… plan that far ahead. I kinda thought you’d say no.”

Sasha giggled and squeezed his hand. “How about a picnic?”

“Great! Yes. I love picnics. Definitely my first choice.”

“I know this great little spot out past Nick Rye’s place.”

He grinned - more relieved than teasing. “I’ll swing by and pick you up. You still live right outside Falls End, right?”

She nods.

“Good, okay. Good. Eight tomorrow night?”

“Six. I wanna catch the sunset.”

He wasn’t off his shift until seven-thirty. But the lady said six, and God help anyone who said Staci Pratt wouldn’t bend over backward for a lady. “Six it is.” He figured the last hour and half wouldn’t matter. Nothing happened in Hope County, anyway.

He was very, very wrong.

From the get-go, Sasha knew something was up. Sure, Staci combed his hair and - for once - didn’t smell of cigarettes, which was a glorious feat in itself, but he was still wearing his uniform, radio and all, while she sported a sundress with purple polka dots. Not exactly on the same page. Not to mention the fact that he showed up in his patrol car. Something was definitely wrong.

Awkwardly, he shuffled his feet as he stood outside her door. “So, um… I forgot to mention this, but I’m kinda… sorta… still working. Until eight.”

“Staci!”

“It’s okay!” He held up his hands placatingly, one bearing a bottle of sweet rosé. “It’s okay. I made sure I was released from office shit and I did all my paperwork early—”

“You gave it to Joey, didn’t you?”

“I… gave her a couple pages.”

“A couple?”

“…Twenty-nine.”

“Staci!” Sasha nearly slammed the door on him right then. But heaven help her, he was so, so cute.

“It’s not a big deal! All I have to do is keep the radio on, okay?” He reached for her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “Nothing ever fucking happens around here, anyway. I promise, Sasha, nothing is going to ruin this for us.”

“I just… I thought we weren’t going to bring work into this.”

“We’re not.” His voice was lower, softer, and his eyes were sincere. “I like you, Sasha. I like you a lot. I want this to go well.”

She drew herself toward him and laced their fingers together. “I like you too, Staci, I just don’t want to mess anything up for you. If you have to work, you should work.”

“Ah, Whitehorse loves me. I’m safe.”

She snorted loudly and he made a face in response. 

“Just get in the car, papi.”

He saluted her sloppily. “Yes, ma’am, Miss Medina, ma’am.”

They hadn’t even touched their sandwiches before their hands were wandering, sprawled out on a blanket decorated with rocket ships as the sun blinked below the horizon. God, he’d wanted to kiss her so badly since he first laid eyes on her, with her rich, silk skin and her soft hair and her perfect, perfect lips and here he was, fumbling his way through it, as she smiled into each kiss. Probably laughing at him on the inside, he figured. Dammit, Staci, keep it together…

She had one of her hands on his thigh, positioned oh so precariously, and the other on his chest and she was so, so into this. He kissed hard, and he kissed a lot, and everyone else she’d ever been with - a generous sample size of two women and one other man - was nervous and shy. She’d expected Staci to be the same way, but ooh, he was fierce, and it lit something up in her body she’d never, ever felt before. Sasha, honey, take it slow…

Her fingers unfastened the top two buttons of his shirt and brushed his collarbone, and he moaned. It reverberated within her mouth and she gasped, and they had a sweet-hot back and forth of sultry noises that led to him on his back with her lips on his neck. She left bruising kisses all across his skin, and her weight on his chest was sending heatwaves through him, and he doesn’t remember his work cargos ever being this tight—

His eyes close on their own as she sucks on the delicate skin between his neck and his clavicle. “Oh, fuck, fuck, yes, God, you’re so fucking good at this.”

She laughed softly, seductively, and then…

Someone else laughed, too. A couple someones, actually.

Sasha pulled away abruptly, brow furrowed, and Staci pushed himself up on his elbows as the radio on his shoulder hummed with the chuckles of everyone else on duty. He stared at Sasha in horror for a split second before he scrambled for the switches, and the feedback screeched through the air with his vicious curses as he flicked the radio off, then on again and off for good in his panic.

Sasha was absolutely speechless, but she forced words anyway. “I… Staci, I… I’m so—”

“Don’t,” he snapped, his face buried in his hands. “Just fucking don’t.”

“I’m sorry,” she finished. She knelt before him, hand on his knee, and reached for his face. 

He almost pulled away, but he dropped his hands and let her touch him gently. “They’re gonna be laughing at me for-fucking-ever,” he muttered miserably. “I’m never fucking living this down.”

“Staci, it’ll be alright.” Sasha had no idea how, but faith had to be enough, right? “They-they probably don’t even know you’re with me.”

He shook his head bitterly. “The fuck they don’t! I told everyone I know I was going out with you. Everyone.”

On one hand, she was certainly flattered. On the other… uh-oh. This time, she couldn’t even think of anything to say. She just tucked his hair behind his ear and rubbed his knee until he drew himself away from her.

His radio light flickered on and he rolled his eyes. “Fuck. I’m fucked. I can’t just not answer it.”

Sasha checked her watch. 7:48.

“Fuck.” Staci sighed and turned the radio back on. “Pratt here. Unfortunately.”

It was Joey Hudson. With any luck, she’d be kind—

“Hey, love machine, you got something coming.”

—Or not.

“Fuck off, Hudson—”

“No, Pratt, I’m serious. Some asshole stole a ton of engine parts from Nick Rye’s hangar and they’re driving right past you.”

“Oh, shit. I’m on it.” He clambered to his feet and nearly tripped on the blanket. “Shit. Shit!” He turned to Sasha, looking so apologetic she didn’t even know it was humanly possible, and he gestured hopelessly at the abandoned picnic. “Sasha, I’m so sorry, I don’t… should I—”

“No, Staci, you go on. I can deal with this. You go get the bad guy.”

“I—should I take you with me? You’re not walking all the way back—”

She interrupted him again. “Yes, I am. You need your car.”

“But you - you’re in heels. I’m so fucking sorry, Sasha, I’m—”

“Stop it, Stace, it’s okay. I’ll be okay. Now go! You’ll lose ‘em!”

He backtracked to his patrol car, looking desperately from the blanket to her and back again until she waved her hands frantically.

“Go!”

He peeled out, and Sasha could only imagine him taking down a thief with his bruised neck and half-open shirt and lipstick-stained cheeks. All she could do was take off her shoes and pinch them in one hand while she tucked the blanket under her arm and carried the picnic basket in the other.

Staci was right. He was the laughingstock of the entire Hope County Sheriff’s Department for a month. Maybe more. They stopped counting after the seventeenth time they were together in a room and someone moaned in a falsetto, started snickering, or made a filthy remark - usually in Sasha’s direction. It made Staci furious every time, but after the second fistfight, Whitehorse put him on notice and he started avoiding Sasha altogether.

The next time they worked together, he was flying a helicopter into the heart of Joseph Seed’s compound with a United States Marshal in the back. 

And still, the first thing Hudson said when they all piled in was: “Hey, love machine.”