#anyway halt is pure and none of you can touch him

[cillyscribbles]

ya girl did it again

as expected, i love ra’s mentor archetype and will die for him. a lot of feelings and bad book analysis under the cut

whenever i read book 3 again, the time-skip between halt and crowley's first conversation and halt's drunk antics sort of breaks my heart.

halt didn't expect the king to break any rules for him. in fact, "outer halt", the grim and more serious side of him mostly expects the worst of people with a few exceptions: this guy's disrespecting the entire diplomatic service as a whole, which i fully damn called, so i'll make my peace by just calmly throwing him out the window. will got kidnapped, so if i don't get to him in time, he'll get himself killed. i got shot, i'm not helping this mission, you two go on and leave me behind, if i die, i die.

(this whole "i need a very clear-cut purpose/i need to be useful somehow in order to keep myself motivated to move on and, by extension, live. if i'm not working what am i doing" mentality is another one of halt's very prominent traits and opens a whole another can of worms on its own imo)

so. what am i getting at.

halt knew fully and well he was risking his life by getting drunk halfway to a coma and going on to publicly shit-talk the king. i mean, he probably only got drunk so he'd have enough 'whatever, screw it' stamina to do it. of course, it could've been an excuse he could present to duncan, which he does ("i got drunk, said a few things i shouldn't have") but do we really think halt can't fake being drunk? i don't think he would give up his self-control if he didn't have to. this is halt.

to be honest this whole post is just me being emotional because think about it - he left his home one day, expecting the better of the two outcomes of what he was about to do - and the better outcome was getting banished from his country which he'd settled in after he had to run away from his homeland, mind you, and now he'll have to leave it as well. he loves this country. he does. not the land itself, but what is means to him. he's got friends here, his whole life's here, this is his home now, he was happy to be somewhere he felt like he belongs. that cabin in the woods, that's him, that's his safe place and a reminder that he's not an outsider despite not being an araluenian by blood. and he decides to give it up, and it's not temporary, it's for his entire life. that's it. done. even if he survives this, he won't ever see that cabin or those woods or that castle again. and that's only if the king doesn't just. behead him. on a whim or some crap.

sure maybe halt was hoping the king would think about his actual input to this country (araluen would've literally fallen TWICE if halt wasn't there to deck some asses), which duncan obviously did, because he's a decent human being and not a piece of ya know. shit. like ferris. to be honest, halt has no reason to trust kings and nobody can blame him. i sure as heck will not.

so think about this.

at first, halt's not really thinking through it - he's angry because of so much nonsense that's happening all at once. his apprentice's somewhere out there probably dying or being trafficked, the king won't see him at all despite him being one of his best advisers, and his best friend, as patiently as he's trying to sugarcoat it, just won't let him go and try to save a boy that's probably closer to him than his own family ever was.

it's understandable to be angry in this situation, nothing more to be said about this. he's PISSED. now it's worth mentioning that halt's primary defining character trait is looking a law straight in the eye and going "listen up here motherfucker". and what does he do? just that. breaks the ranger-defining oath, throws away all the orders his commander gave him, goes out to commit treason because that's how we solve problems in this house.

but, that's not it. he's not just doing it because he's cross-eyed in fury, even if he is. halt is an emotional character if you take him out of context, but that’s only if you take him out of context.

another thing about him is that he's probably the most cold-driven one. he did not do this on a whim. he absolutely did not fuck up his entire life on a whim. no, my guy went home, let the fumes out and then had a good short mental countdown - what he's going to do, how he's going to do it, and what outcome he's hoping to get.

this dude is a ranger, and he knows the laws inside and out (maybe just so he can exploit loopholes in them, but we all have quirks. so what if forging official documents is his hobby. let him live) so he decides on the most optimal one to break to get his way - and it involves POSSIBILITY OF HIS DEATH. and sure, duncan probably won't snap his neck for something like a few foul words, but, like, the only other option is BANISHMENT. he doesn't know duncan will banish him for a year only (as he's startled and absolutely appalled when he hears that).

so - what do you think? he's short on time, he wants to get on with this as fast as he can, but there has to be a while or maybe just a short moment when he just remembers that he’s human for a minute or two and this is not gonna end well for him no matter the outcome.

maybe it's back in his cabin. maybe he wipes the dust off the table and wonders for a bit who'll be the next ranger of redmont. looks at all the flowers he picked for the cabin to keep it clean and nice. will the new ranger pick some new flowers? or will he let those rot until they're good enough to throw out or use as fire fuel? eventually, he knows, there will come a day when the cabin won't remember him, the flowers will stay outside the wooden walls and his memory will slowly fade from the fief. and it'll probably happen during the next few months.

maybe it's during the ride to the tavern where he'll pass judgement on himself. maybe abelard makes a noise of concern, sensing his rider's uneasiness, and halt pats him on the back, what am i doing, how did it come to this, but he keeps moving because he has to, and he goes on with his plan because it's him or will, and hell shall freeze over before he lets it be will. abelard stays silent for the rest of the way and halt remembers that, if he succeeds, he'll be taking him away from his friends as well - cropper and blaze and the rest. and there's a strange feeling of influence, the realization that he's doing something that won't only impact him but quite a handful of others. so many people he most likely won't see again no matter how this turns out - crowley and pauline and baron arald and even the king. but there's a life on the line, and that life is too important to him.

maybe, finally, it's when he's waiting to be called in for his trial with hot drying blood on his face and a feeling that his guts have been ripped out and his head splattered by those clubs the watch carried. maybe it's when he raises a hand to brush off some hair that stuck to his face and he feels his fingers trembling. this is him now, and there's a strange urge to smile. look at me, beaten, bloody and blue, and it's all a part of the plan. what a wretched plan, honestly. he's taken the chance that he won't be killed through this, and there's nothing left than waiting it out to see his future decided. and god knows he didn't want to do that, direct quote - "it's a deep and bitter hurt", he's abandoned everything he'd been building up for years. of course it hurts you fucking self-sacrificing idiot.

can you imagine the absolute disbelief and the relief he must've felt when it was announced that his banishment would last a year? i'm surprised he didn't just plank himself down then and there. i would've. imagine how hard it has to be to intentionally ruin your life for a cause only you seem to believe in, literally tear down everything you've ever worked for, and then be told that it's gonna be alright and it's not twice as bad as you thought it was? jesus christ, the impact of that.

no wonder he's graying at 35. i would've gone into cardiac arrest seven times consecutively just during that single day. so, there. he may be the favourite of everyone and their grandparents, but man, the lengths he's willing to go for the people he cares about still go under-explored. guess that's what i tried to do. it's three am, i have a lot of emotions, and most of them are ra related.

i don't think i've read about a choice quite so difficult in a long time? again, this section breaks my heart. we get so little of his perspective except when he's already leaving araluen. and the guy cries. well-deserved tears. how can you not. honestly the whole point of this post is that halt has gone through way more bullshit than he should've and nobody appreciates him as much as they should. even i. halt o'carrick is immortal and there will be a time when we will give him recognition he deserves, be it willingly or under the pain of death.

[voltage-vixen]

Mutual Victory

Fandom: Oops, I Said Yes?! (Voltage)

Pairing: Shu Hasunuma x MC(F)

Prompt: Sighs. “Guess we’re going to have to hope our kids take after me then.”

Warnings: None!

“Ha, I won again!” 

The otaku buried his fingers through the locks of his hair, while uttering a complete groan of despair as his wife boasted through her fit of giggles. Collapsing down onto their bed, Shu pondered over the thought that sometime over the course of his relationship with MC, her gaming skills had become nearly on par with his own….on par to the point where she had proven herself to be a formidable foe as his rival in the battle of 2D characters fighting to the brink of virtual death. 

Shu struggled with the internal conflict of feeling proud of his wifey for being able to accomplish the feat of claiming victory over him, yet he also faced despair upon realizing that he potentially would lose his reign to the ultimate gamer title between the two of them. 

“You only won because I taught you so well, AND because I allowed you to win,” Shu grumbled, his cheeks tinted in a faint blush. 

“Aw, you’re cute when you pout,” MC teased, playfully rubbing the scruff of his hair. “Since I won fair and square, is there anyway I can steal a congratulatory kiss from you?”

With his shoulders slumped, Shut pretended to contemplate MC’s request, soaking in the adorable sight of the way she anxiously fidgeted around waiting for his consent. 

“Alright, that’s fine,” Shu freely relented. “Consider this a reward from your senpai for the development of your newfound mad gaming skills.”

Extending his arm towards MC, Shu’s hand clasped around her wrist to draw his wife into the embrace of his chest. Encircling her tightly, he nuzzled his chin over the top of her head.

“Relish in the victory while you can, because I can assure you it won’t be happening again,” Shu retorted.

“Are you really that salty about my upset?” MC chuckled, beaming at how adorable Shu was when he furrowed his brows. Sighs. “Guess we’re going to have to hope our kids take after me then in terms of humility.”

“..................................................................................................................”

Shu’s breathing came to a halt. His heart stopped pounding. Did his wife just mention children? Having children with HIM?

“Um, ugh, um,” the otaku stuttered, the knowledge of words unable to be processed by his brain. “Um, did you say ‘our kids’? As in, you creating them with ME?” 

“Who else would I make them with outside of my loving husband?” MC murmured before drawing his face closer to hers. 

Their lips touched in an exchange of soft and gentle kisses, soon escalating when MC nudged on his chest to push him back flat against the mattress. Settling herself on top of Shu’s stomach, the man was lost in admiration for the beautiful women above him. Reaching upwards, his fingers delicately stroked the silkiness of her cheek. 

Having children with the women he loved was more than anything he could have ever hoped to dream of. A victory beyond compare. He may have lost the battle of gaming dueling moment’s prior, but no defeat could ever concede the victory in this moment of pure joy and bliss. 

Tonight, there was a mutual victory declared as MC removed the glasses from his face and set them on the nightstand while forgoing opening the top drawer that held the one item that provided the barrier normally separating them. 

The light from the menu screen of the game still displayed on the television glared brightly; fading into the oblivion of the eventual dawn sun as the loving couple spent the entire eve reaffirming in their mutual victory upon one another. 

[bktaro]

seven-three (part 3)

pairing: nanami x f!reader

themes/rating: explicit, 18+, clubs, bars, masquerade parties, rough sex

tw: daddy kink, spitting, sex toys, dirty talk, creampie, cockwarming, anal, voyerism(ish), squirting

wc: 9.5k

ao3 | part 1 | part 2​ | part 3

Nanami Kento had a hardened shell surrounding his personal life. Clocking out at five ‘o’clock on the dot every day, he left little to no room for others to get to know him better— leaving him as an unsolvable mystery amongst the office.

Likewise, you too aimed to clock out at five ‘o’ clock. You preferred routine during the workday, finding comfort in maintaining equilibrium and peace and wanting to do nothing more or nothing less than what was required of you.

Little did you know the two of you shared an interesting weekend hobby.

a/n : hi all! thank you for waiting so patiently. this chapter is a personal favourite of mine (of all time), and i'm so excited to finally share it with you all. i originally wanted to make this a one shot smut, but i’ve been wanting to expand it into a mini fic. not sure if tumblr is the place for uploading that type of content, but please let me know if it’s something you would be interested in reading!!

anyways, enjoy this nastyyy chapter!! 

An absolute masterpiece— that’s what Nanami thinks you are. A magnificent work of art, somehow misplaced and laid out on the bed in front of him instead of an exhibit in some renowned museum.

Every inch of you is enticing to him. From the strands of hair sprayed across the pillow case caressing the back of your head, your chest that rises up and down in anticipation, the glistening sheen of sweat of your body illuminated under the peaking moonlight from the windows, and his favourite, your legs that are propped open just enough for him to see droplets of your juice threatening to leak on to the bedsheets below�� he’s mesmerized by it all . By no means was he an intensely religious man, but in the moment he couldn’t be more thankful for God’s utmost greatest and most beautiful creation— women .

He considers himself to be a good and honest man, yet nowhere close to a saint to be deserving of what God had offered and placed right in front of him. Nanami thinks it has to be a dream— and just maybe the best damn dream he’s ever had. You just look too good to be real, splayed across the bed naked with nothing but desire in your eyes, waiting only for him.

But when his hands roam to explore the soft flesh of your bare skin, feeling you shudder slightly under his touch alongside the tiny whimpers leaving your lips, Nanami knows— and silently thanks God— it’s real. You were real.

His gaze on your body is intense with hunger, so much so you could practically feel his eyes digging into the depths of your skin, and you begin to think it’s deep enough to reach even into the surface of your soul. Mixed with the grazes of his fingers, it’s an alluring sensation despite the minimal touch on the areas most needy, causing you to let out a louder whine and roll your hips just the slightest into the mattress in the search of any sort of physical relief.

“Please…” Your voice comes out shaky, pupils directly looking into his above yours. “...I need you.”

Unable to hold back, a low, nearly inaudible grumble vibrates in his throat at your actions and words. Perhaps he’s the one who saved a nation in his past life, something remarkable of that sort to be lucky enough to be alive and present in this very moment. Or he truly really was just one lucky ass bastard, somehow having a Goddess of a woman practically begging him to fuck her right underneath him.

True, you were the one granting him a wish, but by no means did that mean he couldn’t help grant a few of your own wishes at the same time. Alongside the original, he now had an additional goal that was simple: give you the experience like none other so no other partner could ever compare to him. And of course, Nanami is nothing but confident he’ll be able to achieve just that. Failure was never an option in his books— especially not now.

“Patience, pretty girl.” Nanami whispers, fingers softly caressing the side of your jawline. “First, open your mouth again for me.”

You oblige without hesitation, mind still partially woozy from your second orgasm minutes ago. Nanami grins at the view of your semi dazed expression, tongue hanging out before his instructions to even do so. Gently, he allows a string of saliva to fall from his mouth and into yours, watching the glob of foreign liquid pool onto the pad of your tongue.

“Stay just like that, and don’t move an inch until I say so.”

You do just as he commands, remaining still the best you can for the few seconds you can feel him shuffling on the bed to reach into the bedside drawers. Despite being clouded in the aftermath of your orgasmic high, when you hear the cluttering of his hands rummaging through the contents of the drawer your mind wanders to the possibilities of what Nanami was searching for. Lube? Condoms?

It then instantly dawns on you what else it could be. The rustling of a cardboard box being opened is enough of a signal to confirm your thoughts even seconds before Nanami returns with the suspected item in hand. A sex toy, replicating the shape of a generous sized penis and colored in a translucent purple hue dangles above your eyes, causing them to widen once more.

“It’s nowhere as good as my cock, of course...” Nanami begins, leaving another soft, comforting kiss in the crook of your neck. “...but we need to get that sweet little hole of yours ready for me, don’t we?”

He doesn’t wait for your reply, a trend of his throughout the night thus far, placing the tip of the dildo on the surface of your tongue. A satisfied hum vibrates in his throat when he watches your lips wrap around the rest of the toy, taking it deeper into your mouth while keeping your eyes locked onto his.

You work your tongue up and down the rubber surface, tracing the ridges and coating the surface with as much saliva as you could. Nanami can’t help but to silently watch in awe your head bob up and down the toy, a part of him almost becoming jealous that it isn’t his dick back in your mouth instead.

After a few more rounds of making sure the toy was properly lubed and ready, Nanami pulls the toy away from your puckered lips. He smirks at your disappointed whine at the sudden retraction, bringing a hand to caress the top of your head in reassurance.

“No more, you’re making me start to get jealous of a fucking piece of rubber.” Nanami whispers, continuing to stroke your hair and soon after leaving a gentle kiss on the edge of your forehead. His hands halt their movements moments later, moving to tilt your chin up towards him forcing you to see the coy grin now spread across his lips.

“Tell me, are you ready to get fucked stupid, doll? To have that pretty little mind of yours be filled with nothing but my cock?”

Watching the string of saliva connecting your bottom lip to the tip of the now glistening rubber tip of the toy break off, you nod your head frantically. You were more than ready, desperate in desire for more. Even without saying a single word, it was written all over you— in that moment there was nothing more you wanted in the world than him .

Lucky for you, Nanami was fluent in reading the writing of the unwritten plea of a girl searching for the remedy for her lustful trance. He was an intelligent man, after all. Yet, no matter how incredibly alluring you were to him, somehow at the same time you were just as cute, eyes wide blinking up towards him just like an actual doll. He thinks only an insane, evil man would be crazy enough to leave someone as cute as you in the distress you were in.

Thankfully, Nanami considered himself a good man— once again, not a saint of any sorts, but simply a good man. And as a good man, he wouldn’t let you suffer any longer.

Nanami shifts his body, moving to crouch in between your spread legs. You’re so wet, pussy glistening with a layer of the sweet sheen he just couldn’t get enough of, holding himself back from licking it all up then and there. Perhaps he didn’t even need you to prep the toy with your joint saliva— you had more than enough lube naturally already, and you could feel it too.

So you’re shocked when you feel him spit on your cunt— and you're even more surprised when you feel his fingers spread the mixture of liquids from your cunt down to your ass, and slip a finger teasingly into your hole. You can’t help but let out a loud moan at the sudden unexpected intrusion, feeling a bit shy at the position yet already immensely satisfied with the bare minimum of a touch.

“Oh, darling,” Nanami grins, watching your sudden jerk in movements at his actions, pussy clenching at nothing in front of his eyes. “You like that, don’t you?”

You did, you really did— and there was no reason to lie and say you didn’t.

“Yes… please give me more.”

“Where do you want it, doll? In here?” Nanami asks, removing his finger and hovering the tip of the dildo by the entrance of your cunt, before slowly bringing it down to graze over your ass instead. “Or maybe here?”

It’s almost like a game to him, perhaps his new favourite game, seeing just how far he could tease you and watch you whine and wriggle in desire.

“Anywhere…”

Yet, it’s a game Nanami was running out of will for him to continue to play.

His body adjusts once more to hover above yours again, cupping the side of your cheek to bring your lips upwards into a kiss. It’s another gentle kiss, calming and reassuring in nature, feeling the warmth of his body on yours that makes you wonder if time could be kind enough to stop right then and there forever.

But your wonder shifts back into reality, reverting to what you really were desiring at the moment when you feel the tip of the dildo finally sink inside you, breaking the kiss and replacing it with a moan into his mouth. Your hands come up to grip the blades of his broad shoulders, head tilting back in pure relief.

“Oh god …”

“Feels good, doesn’t it?”

All you can do is whimper out a wordless response, nodding your head instead. It’s good— so fucking good, to finally get your aching hole tended too, yet you still feel as though something is missing. You know all too well what it is, and Nanami chuckles because of course, even though your face twinges in pleasure and soft moans escape your lips the deeper he pushes the dildo in, he too already knows.

He thinks maybe in a previous life he had already explored you, well aware of every single area you were most sensitive in and how to make you feel good because it’s almost scary how he knows you all too well already. Despite never having laid a single finger on you before tonight, he’s already fluent in reading the language of your body and what you’re truly wanting long before you even muster the strength to say it.

So he could give you what you want right then and there. But he also could keep his favourite game going— just a little bit longer than he planned too.

“Yes… so fucking good… but… I-I want… you.”

“You want me?” Nanami asks, almost too nonchalantly compared to the twitching of his hard cock at your plea. “The toy in your ass isn’t enough for my slutty girl?”

“No…I want your cock… inside me.”

A dildo now deep in your ass was more than pleasurable and nice, but the both of you knew feeling his pulsating cock in your aching cunt is what you desired even more . To feel him, all eleven inches throbbing inside of you, fucking your tight hole senseless.

And he’ll give up his favourite game and give you just that. Nanami is a good man, after all.

“I’ll share your mouth and ass with this toy— but from here on out your pussy is mine and only mine.”

Nanami moves in an instant, roughly spreading your legs just a bit further with his own, pushing your knees apart in order to fixate himself properly in between. A shudder travels up your spine once more feeling the hot flesh of his cock against your bare skin, the length caressed and rubbing in between your cunt up and down while the tip grazes just teasingly against your swollen clit.

“You’ve been so good for me, sweet girl.” Nanami leans forward on his forearms beside each side of your head and murmurs into your ear, breath hot against your skin. “Now it’s my turn to make you feel so fucking good.”

It’s the last bit of words you could properly understand and digest before your mind melts into mush, turning into nothing but putty right into the palm of his hands. The room fills with nothing but the sound of two harmonious moans when the head of his cock finally dips inside your cunt, the nails of your fingers digging deeper into his shoulders in desperate search of something to grab onto.

“Breathe baby.” Nanami whispers. “You can take it all.”

He’s big — so big it’s a mystery to both you and him on how he’s able to continue to push into you inch by inch, your cunt squeezing him tighter the deeper and deeper he goes. Alongside the dildo deep inside your hole, it’s already too intense— and when the last inch of his cock finds its way inside you it breaks the last sheer remainder of strength you have left. Your mind becomes woozy once more, back arching off the bed while your hands roam to grip the back of his hair as your body twitches on his cock, releasing a loud moan that overpowers his simultaneous one and echoes throughout the room.

Nanami’s eyes widen in realization in the aftermath, watching your body loosen and relax onto the bed, fingers loosely locked behind his neck.

“Already?”

You feel your face turn warm, and once again you're thankful for the mask that partially covers the redness of your embarrassed cheeks. Yet, you think it’s still not enough to hide behind, releasing your fingers from behind him and raising up both your hands to conceal your face instead.

“Shut up…”

“No, don’t be embarrassed.” Nanami chuckles, reaching for one of your hands to pry them away from your face and bringing it to his lips to leave a kiss on the inside of your wrist instead. “I’m glad I can make you feel that good… not to mention it’s was also extremely fucking sexy watching you cum on my cock.”

You begin to think it’s truly a hidden talent of his you were lucky to see. He seemed to just have the right words everytime to put you in such a lust filled trance again and again— and you just couldn’t get enough.

“You have to make me do that again at least five more times, daddy .”

A cheeky grin creeps up on Nanami’s face. You wonder if it’s because of the flirtatious manner of your words, or if it's the soft moan you let out instantly when you feel his cock twitch inside of you that serves as a silent response to your words itself.

“It’ll be my pleasure to watch you cum, darling.” Nanami pins your wrist in his hand down above your head and into the mattress, kissing your lips with his in between his words. “Over and over , again and again until you can’t take it anymore.”

There’s a part of you that wonders if his lips had some sort of transparent chemicals difficult for the human eye to see. You were beginning to find yourself already addicted to the feeling of them, especially against your own. Soft like previously or hot and passionate like now, his kisses were nothing but hypnotic, drawing you effortlessly faster and deeper into the abyss of Nanami Kento.

You’re only snapped out of the trance of his kiss when it’s broken once again with a moan escaping your lips, feeling the length of his cock slowly slip out of you. The sudden emptiness leaves you aching for something more, clenching against nothing in the hopes of hugging even just an inch of him from escaping you.

“No…” You whisper, your free hand coming up to grip the back of his shoulder in an effort to push his body closer to you. “Put it back in…”

Your efforts show no successful action, his frame much too broad and built to be waived by the strength of just one of your arms. But your plea yields different results, a low, rumbling groan vibrating in his throat and the head of his cock sinking back inside your pulsating walls.

His movements are slow and gentle at first, allowing you to feel and grip every inch of his cock enter and leave your cunt. Rhythmic in pattern, Nanami’s hips work in what feels like matches the beat of your heart, filling you up and emptying you again and again, his soft grunts of pleasure quiet and low, but loud enough to sound like a subtle melody to your ears.

Gradually, the pace of his hips thrusting into you increases the more he feels your cunt adjust and mould into the shape of him, alongside the sound of your moans filling the room increasing in volume. The tips of your fingers can’t help but curl against his back with the rising pleasure, digging into his skin and scratching the surface, surely bound to leave marks to serve as a momento for the night later on.

You think maybe Nanami is angry momentarily at your markings on his skin, his hand that pinned yours down into the mattress above your head releasing for only a second to roughly grab yours behind his shoulder. Bringing that hand to join your other, Nanami now held both your hands down by the wrist, restricting you from freely moving.

“Bad girl. That’s gonna hurt later.”

The now familiar smirk reappearing on his face hovered over yours was more than enough to tell you he wasn’t angry at all. It was the opposite in actuality— the stinging pain would just remind him later on how he fucked you just that good, and his cock throbs just merely at the thought already.

“Punish me then.” You spit out. “Don’t be gentle like you do with good girls— fuck me like bad girls deserve.”

Nanami lets out another groan, and you can feel his cock twitch mid thrust inside of you. Somehow, he was more turned on than he already was— his vision shifting you from the complying, good girl you were in his eyes to the slutty, needy fuck doll you wanted to be.

He readjusts to sit partially upright, releasing his weight holding him up by his forearm and instead using that arm to grip onto the meat of the back of your thigh. Pushing your leg upwards his arm wraps around your thigh, spreading you open more and tossing your leg above his shoulder.

“I’ll fuck you just like a bad girl then.” Nanami mumbles, the grip on your wrists becoming stronger. “I’ll fuck you like you’re a little slut that knows nothing but getting stuffed with cock.”

You can’t help but clench your cunt at his words, feeling yourself get wetter in response. Nanami feels it too, your excitement squeezing his cock even tighter, and he flashes you a quick tiny, knowing grin that lasts only for a few seconds, before roughly snapping his hips back into you.

His pace is fast, still rhythmic but now much faster— pounding your cunt at a speed that makes it difficult for you to even catch your breath. Your leg held up and on his shoulder spread your cunt even further than before, allowing him to reach deeper inside of your cunt and just barely hitting your most sensitive area, causing you to cry out every time his cock mercilessly pounded deep into you.

Seeing your eyes roll back, Nanami moans at the feeling of your pussy clench around his cock even tighter. It’s a sign he’s familiar with— you were close, and he thinks it's the perfect moment to release his grip from your wrists. Your hands instantly curl into fists, gripping at nothing in pleasure while with his now free hand, he brings it to tend to your swollen clit, rubbing the bud with the pads of his fingers.

“Fuck… if you do that I’ll… I’m…”

“You’re what?” Nanami groans, his fingers pressing harder circles onto your clit. “Say it clearly.”

“I’m gonna cum.” You whine, arching your back off the mattress and grinding on his cock the best you could. “I’m gonna fucking cum…”

It’s overwhelming. You’re sensitive to the touch, already overstimulated with his cock pounding your pussy, fingers rubbing your clit, and dildo still shoved in your ass. But it feels so damn good that the familiar knot in your stomach releases once more, curling your toes and sending you into bliss.

Nanami curses under his breath, slowing the movements of his hips before pulling completely out to watch your body relax on the bed once more. Your breaths come out in haggered pants, struggling to catch your breath, and you feel the Nanami’s weight sink into the bed beside you, the callousness of his hands soon after rubbing up and down the skin of your legs in an attempt to soothe the shaking of them down.

“You’re so gorgeous when you cum.” Nanami murmurs, breath warm against the shell of your ear with his body now laying beside you on his side. “So. Fucking. Gorgeous.”

His hands find their way to inch upwards from your legs to your hips, gently turning you around to face your body towards his. Fingers instantly find themselves in their habitual spot, just underneath the surface of your chin, lifting up your lips and trapping them into another fiery kiss with him.

The kiss breaks when Nanami pulls away with a smirk, releasing his hands from your body to lean backwards onto the mattress on his backside. A hand holds the back of his head propped upon a pillow behind him that leans against the headboard of the bed, legs spread and open in a way that almost serves to proudly display his fully erected cock, his other hand pumping the shaft covered with a sheen of your liquid.

A lump forms in your throat at the sight, a reaction formed as a result of a mix of nervousness, embarrassment and excitement. You still had no idea just how he was able to pound into you with something of that caliber, and how now he was suggesting now you were supposed to fuck yourself on it. Yet, the glistening liquid belonging to you coating his cock— a tad embarrassing in retrospect—  was a clear indication that he was in fact able to fit it all inside you, and the pleasure was that you’ve never experienced before.

Despite growing increasingly exhausted and tired, you still wanted him again. Again and again, you wanted nothing more than him .

You feel your cunt throb at the thought, biting your bottom lip down in the hopes of holding back the drool you might just let escape, hungry for more of him. And you would be a complete fool to think Nanami doesn’t notice your entranced expression, the tiny smirk on his face transforming into a larger, smug grin instead.

“Doll.” Nanami calls, a single finger rising into the air gesturing to you to come closer towards him. “Why don’t you come here and ride my cock?”

It’s a request you're more than willing to fulfill, finding your body moving on its own accord onto your hands and knees, slowly crawling forward towards him. Your palms rest flat on top of his chiseled abdomen when you finally reach close enough to touch him, utilizing the surface to balance yourself on to your knees to straddle both sides of his body.

Nanami’s hand pumping his cock retracts, joining his other supporting his head against the headboard when your hands travel to wrap around his length. Gathering another pool of saliva in your mouth, you let the trail spit drop down to the head, using your hands to twist and jerk his cock, coating the surface with the liquid.

“Oh fuck .” Nanami hisses, face suddenly wincing when one of your hands roam just a touch lower, squeezing on his balls. “You’re a little minx.”

A staggered groan escapes his lips watching you drop your body lower, beginning to grind your wet cunt onto the shaft of his cock. You feel one particular vein, perhaps the same protruding one from earlier throb at the warmth of your cunt rubbing back and forth on his, causing the corner of your lip to hitch upwards.

“What are you going to do after tonight?” You ask with a small grin, continuing to grind yourself on him. “You won’t be able to stop thinking about me.”

Nanami chuckles, instantly shooting you a confident smile back.

“Darling, what a ridiculous question. I thought you knew your pussy was going to be mine and only mine after tonight.”

In an instant, his body swiftly sits upright, giving you little time to react and forcing you to abruptly halt your movement. Your eyes widen, letting out a startled gasp when you feel an arm snake around your waist from behind, pulling your body close enough towards him so his chest was now pressed up against yours.

“I’m greedy, you know. I want to keep you to myself, and I don’t like sharing what’s mine.” He begins, voice low and fingers coming to grip your chin to lock your gaze onto him. “And I also know you won’t be able to stop thinking about me either, so this works for us well, doesn’t it?”

Nanami leans forward, trapping your lips with his into a sensual kiss, serving as almost a metaphorical action in sealing the deal to his words that were nothing but truthful in nature.

A part of you completely agreed that in hindsight it was a rather ridiculous claim to be so hooked onto the other so quickly. You could more than understand the foolishness in agreeing to only reserve your bodies for one another after merely a single sexual encounter.

Yet you already could imagine how lackluster any other partner would be in comparison to the sex you experienced with Nanami thus far, only becoming better and better with each passing second. And as much as part of you screams internally of how uncharacteristically weak you were to him, falling right into the palm of his hand exactly how he wanted you, you just couldn’t help it. If it wasn’t already so painfully crystal clear before, Nanami Kento was definitely not your ordinary hook up at all— he was much more enticing, luring you every bit through whatever spell he had casted onto you.

Gojo would have to wait for his threesome longer than anticipated— you had signed the dotted lines on the metaphoric contract, returning the kiss with just as much passion and lust.

“There’s some truth to that, I suppose.” You give him a tiny grin against his lips and a wink when you pull away, and Nanami answers in a hearty chuckle.

“That’s a good enough response for me.”

“Is it really? Somehow I don’t buy that.”

“Words don’t hold the entire amount of truth— I’m a firm believer that actions speak louder instead.”

You let out a startled gasp, feeling Nanami’s large hands suddenly snake down your body, roughly grasping onto the curves of your ass.

“And what I’m saying is I’d rather see you start bouncing on my cock— only if you really agree, gorgeous.”

Nanami releases his hands from your body, falling back onto the mattress with his hands returning against the headboard. Holding the back of his head, he’s arguably waiting almost too calmly for your next move. He had given all the power in your court, allowing you to choose the next course of action.

And when he watches your body readjust, steadily gripping onto his cock and angling it to sit yourself on top of it, he can’t help but let out a wide grin, silently celebrating his victory.

“Hold on baby. I want you to turn around and ride it— show me how you can bounce that ass.”

You do just that with no hesitation, turning yourself swiftly around, straddling him with your backside faced towards him. The new position itself makes your cheeks grow warm in both excitement and embarrassment, all your most intimate places now on full display for him to see.

It takes every ounce of strength in Nanami’s entire body to hold back from letting his cock bust right then and there as soon as he watches you slowly lower yourself and take him in, your soft moans once more breaking the silence in the room. The sight is so lewd and erotic to him, focused on nothing but how his cock continues to disappear inch by inch inside you, tightly gripping him as if you were holding on to dear life and the purple dildo still sticking out of your ass.

“Oh my god, baby .” You moan when the final inch slides in, now balls deep on top of him. “You’re so fucking big, baby… filling me up so good.”

Nanami’s mind begins to teeter violently at the combination of it all, your words, the lewd sight and sounds, and he’s no longer confident in how much longer he can hold back from reaching his peak. And when you begin to move, allowing yourself to bounce up and down his cock, he knows he's a goner sooner than later.

His hands reach forward to grip onto either side of your hips, simultaneously grinding his upwards in sync with yours helping you reach the deepest parts of your cunt with every bounce increasing in both intensity and speed. The head of his cock brushes past your most sensitive area, feeling him just right in the pit of your stomach that makes you cry out a moan that echoes the entire room and clench onto him even tighter.

The purple toy glides teasing in and out of your ass with every assisted bounce on his cock, and the view is almost taunting to Nanami, becoming embarrassingly jealous once more at the inanimate object. But it also leaves him curious just how much more you could take, so much so his hands move quicker than his brain, wrapping his fingers around the toy and beginning to pump it in and out inside of you.

Curses drop from underneath your tongue, falling partially forward on the palms of your hands, fingers gripping onto Nanami’s legs in overwhelming pleasure coming from both your holes now getting fucked. Yet you find it impossible to stop yourself from moving your hips up and down, not wanting the pleasure to end even for a second, continuing to take now both his cock and dildo inside of you.

“Fuck… I can’t…it’s so much… filling me up.”

“Yes you can, baby. You’re doing so good, taking it all in... I can feel you getting so much wetter and tighter just for me.”

You’ve grown even wetter now, becoming even more drunk on lust the moment your second hole became another slutty little hole, with the temporary only purpose to be used for pleasure purposes. Nanami also grows more and more drunk on lust seeing your body react, watching the way you squeeze on both his cock and the dildo, your own slick now dripping out of your cunt and down your thighs. The movement of his hips become increasingly sporadic and less rhythmic, mind clouded with nothing but the need to continue to fuck you senseless.

“Say it, you like getting both of your holes fucked by me, don’t you?”

“I love getting both my holes fucked by your big cock.”

“You want to be filled with my cum, don’t you, dirty girl?”

“Yes...please fill my slutty hole with your cum...”

You’re a moaning mess, the air around you filled with nothing but the lewd squelching noises, Nanami’s grunts pounding into you, and your cries of pleasure. With one final thrust of his throbbing cock, you feel the hot load of Nanami’s cum shoot inside your cunt, a shiver traveling up your spine as you simultaneously reach your own orgasm at the sensation.

A moment of serenity envelops the room; you have collapsed fully now onto his legs, Nanami unmoving, cock still deep buried inside you with his cum now trickling out of your cunt and onto his cock. Only the sounds of panting can be heard from the both of you, blissfully recovering from your post orgasm high.

But of course, it lasts for just a moment. Nanami wasn’t one to let things last longer than necessary, after all.

“I didn’t get to see you cum.” Nanami states, shattering the silence in the air. “Do it again.”

You can’t help but blink a few times, turning your head slightly back to look at the man behind you.

“ What ?” Surely you heard wrong, right?

You didn’t. It was exactly as you heard, confirmed when Nanami flashes you another half grin, just a peek of the whites of his teeth showing through.

“You heard me. I missed seeing you cum, so sit on my cock facing me and do it again.”

“You’re crazy.” You let out a small scoff in disbelief, only to transition into the corner of your lips tugged upwards in an excited smirk you fail to hold yourself back from hiding.

“Am I?” Nanami questions, reaching forward to teasingly squeeze the meaty flesh of your ass that triggers you to release a whimper at the touch. “Your little pussy that just throbbed on my cock is telling me differently— you like this idea too.”

His hands move once more, slowly pulling the dildo out of your ass that in return brings about another soft groan to rumble from your throat. Nanami is already a sucker to the sound, growing incredibly weak to it mixed with the sight in front of him of both your cunt and asshole clenching at the sudden loss, instinctively gripping whatever you could to remain filled up. His dick hardens once more at the sensation and sight, twitching against your walls again.

“Guess actions really do speak louder than words, huh?” You grin, your words come out in between breathy moans, eyeing him from just over your shoulder.

“Exactly, you’re one to catch on quickly.”

Nanami’s hands roam again, tossing the purple dildo to the side of the bed and placing his hands to grip either side of your hips. When you feel them gently squeeze your skin, you take it as a sign to readjust your position, briefly lifting yourself off of him, only to sit back down on his cock when you turn back around to now face him.

You lean forward, both your hands softly grasping either side of his neck to pull him in for another kiss, both sloppy and needy in nature. It only breaks when Nanami lets out a low moan, feeling you teasingly clench your cunt around his cock.

“Fuck, stop doing that.”

“Why should I?” You ask, grinning once more. “Maybe I want to see you cum too.”

“If you keep doing that, you definitely will.”

You let out a gentle laugh against his lips, bringing your lips back onto his. Nanami’s hands find refuge on the sides of your hip once more, sitting back upright to deepen the kiss, further exploring your mouth with his tongue.

One hand slowly begins to dip from the side of your hip, on to your thighs, his fingertips trickling skillfully back and forth in the inner part of your upper legs. It’s only when his fingers suddenly move upwards to caress the swollen bud of your clit in steady circles you interrupt the kiss once more, tilting your head back and letting a breathy moan escape.

“Feels good…”

Nanami catches sight of the skin of your neck, the smooth and soft surface now fully inviting him the more you tilt your head back. Similar to a magnetic pull, his body is drawn instantly, lips finding themselves attacking the sensitive skin.

“It does, doesn’t it?” His words come out muffled, in between the kisses against your neck. “Especially when your clit is extra sensitive from getting fucked so hard.”

Your fingers curl once more against the blades of his shoulders, feeling the hand remaining on your hip beginning to guide you in moving back and forth.

“You make me feel so good too darling, knowing you’re just filled with my cum, and warming my cock so good just like this.”

You’re immensely spoiled. At least, that’s the thought that races throughout your mind feeling Nanami work carefully on all the most sensitive areas of your body. As rough as he could be, Nanami concurrently treated your body as if it was a sacred possession tending attentively to all the areas that could give you the most pleasure, in return making you feel as if you were on cloud nine with every kiss, nip and touch. And when the pressure of his fingers against your clit grows harder, and the large, firm hand on your hip directs your hips to grind on his cock faster, the all too familiar pressure in your stomach builds once more.

It arrives faster than Nanami thinks— he too is already fully aware of your little whimpers and increased movements that indicate your upcoming release.  But he really isn’t surprised, you were only growing more and more sensitive and overstimulated with every second passing that now perhaps even the tiniest bits of effort from him were enough to make you clench your cunt around him just the way he liked it.

This time, Nanami makes sure to watch your face thoroughly, drinking in every twinge in your face, bite to your lower lip, and moan that drops from your mouth. It’s a shame to him the mask of yours, as pretty as it is, covers him from seeing the entirety of your face just on the edge of cumming, but Nanami prefers to think you make it up in other ways. The shaking of your legs growing weaker despite hips moving faster, the bouncing of your breasts with every movement, and his personal favourite in contrary to his slight teasing for it earlier— your nails that scratch up and down his back, desperately clawing away in the hopes of reaching for something— he’s enthralled by it all, how the gorgeous, well put together woman he saw hours before at the bar was the same as the one in his arms on the verge of her sixth orgasam of the night.

So when you finally do cum once again, letting the more than familiar build up knot in your stomach loose once more, Nanami is of course, mesmerized by it all, filling the air with his own moans at the feeling of your cunt clenching around him tighter than ever before. Yet, not a single ounce of how turned on you made him dwindle, somehow only intensifying— especially amplified at the hint of the sunrise beginning to seep into the room past the sheer curtains of the window beside the bed, reminding him of a little promise he had made to you earlier in the night.

He doesn’t give you much time to think about it, a few mere seconds at most if you were truly to keep record. Although a fan of foreplay and buildup, he was already far too lost in lust and desire to wait any longer. Your body slumped against his chest, head on his shoulder, breaths heavy and arms wrapped around his neck is the perfect position for him to lift you from the back of your thighs up almost too effortlessly, a startled yelp leaving your mouth at the sudden movement.

“Hush, it’s okay baby.” Nanami soothes, a tiny chuckle following, feeling your arms strength and your legs wrap instictintly around him. “You did so good, and now I just wanted to show you what I promised you earlier.”

A sudden jolt of coldness attacks your backside, sending a shiver to run down your spine. You let out another gasp at the abruptness of it all, only to be responded with the tiny grin on Nanami’s lips, ushering you to turn around and look behind you.

“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?”

His grip behind your legs loosening and steady hands resting on yours hips once more gently assisting your weak legs in standing up. There were zero lies in his words, confirmed when you turn around and see the view for yourself peeking through the partially opened curtains of the floor to ceiling windows.

The familiar city before you was now blanketed with an orange hue matching the color of the sun rising from a distance away. The current time remains a mystery to you, but what you could gather was that it was the hour of the day where the city just began to stir awake, the sounds of traffic and humans minimal, and only the true early birds of the world awake and roaming the streets. It was tranquility at its finest, rare to see in the normally bustling city you called home, and a spectacular view that makes you stop and stare in awe.

“It is.” You whisper. “I forgot this city can look this gorg—”

You’re unable to finish the sentence, abruptly cut off midway through. A loud moan replaces it instead, your body falling forward and both your hands flat against the glass in front of you for support when you suddenly feel the head of Nanami’s cock slide back in from behind you unexpectedly, cursing under your breath at the sensation.

“I wasn’t talking about the city.” Nanami smirks, fully aware you’re eyeing his every move through the subtle reflection of the glass. “I was talking about you . This sexy body, this pretty face, this ass, and this pussy… this fucking pussy … words couldn’t describe how it makes me go crazy… my god .”

You let out a louder moan, fingers curling against the window feeling Nanami’s thick and long cock quickly filling you up balls deep. Contrary to before, this time he spent little time teasing you, going slow and making sure you felt every single inch. You had already become accustomed to his body, and Nanami had been accustomed to yours— Nanami no longer had the patience to wait to fuck you senseless once more.

His hands briefly leave your sides, reaching up towards the curtains instead. Grabbing each one on either side of your bodies, Nanami pulls the fabric away, allowing more light to enter the room, and more of the window exposed from the protection of the curtains to the outside. Your eyes widen at the realization, but when Nanami’s hands grip at your waist once more, pulling his cock out and then slamming back in, words of argument become difficult to formulate.  

“Wait… there could be people outside…” You manage to mumble in between the mewls releasing at the sensation of his cock slowly sliding in and out of you. “What if they see… that’s embarrassing…”

“I said I’d fuck you so everyone could see, didn’t I?” Nanami hisses, thrusts beginning to increase in speed. “And even though you say that your pussy throbbing on me is telling me you like the idea of people seeing you get fucked up against this window, don’t you?”

He knows you too well. And as scary as it should be for someone whom you practically just met to know you this well, to you the rush of it all is more overpowering— all you can do is let out a tiny grin because he was right. Something about him railing you against the window of a penthouse hotel room, in full view during the sunrise of a beautiful morning for anyone at the right place and time to see was enthralling.  

“You’re right, baby, it turns me on so much that someone might be able to watch me get fucked hard by your big cock.” You moan, feeling the tip of his cock brushing against your womb. “Everyone watching me get used as your little slutty fuck doll makes me so wet.”

Nanami does nothing but groan loudly at your words, serving more than enough as a response. His hands ghosts upwards to reach to tangle into the back of your hair, fingers gripping the strands and pulling them back rough enough your entire body follows suit. With your back against his chest, Nanami takes a step forward, pushing your breasts and the side of your face against the window, and all your hands can do is still support his rough movements by clawing away at the window.

“Whose pussy is this? Tell me if you want me to fuck you harder.”

“Yours, It belongs to you!”

“That’s my girl.” Nanami coos, grip on your hair becoming stronger. “My slutty girl.”

The sound of skin slapping and moans echoes throughout the room, Nanami’s hips snapping into you harder with every passing second, pushing you back and forth against the window. Your knees buckle instantly when Nanami’s cock brushes past your most sensitive spot, releasing a moan that comes straight from the depths of your lungs.

“Right there,” You gasp, eyes fluttering shut, too overwhelmed with pleasure. “Oh my god, right fucking there—!”

Nanami grins, knowing he’s found the spot that makes your toes curl in pleasure, eyes roll to the back of your head, and legs shake, threatening to give out at any moment. And when his thrusts pinpoint that specific spot, rhythmically hitting on beat to a silent song that makes your head spin once more, both you and him know all too well what’s to come next.

“It feels so fucking good,” You cry out, endless strings of moans and curses dropping from your lips. “I can’t… I’m gonna—”

“Don’t hold back. Cum baby, cum all over my cock.”

You don’t— not even in the slightest bit. You let your mind grow numb, the high of the orgasm riding your entire body, allowing Nanami to give his last few thrusts, only an unworldly noise leaving your throat. Your body jolts in a way you’ve never experienced before, so much so Nanami has to snake an arm around your waist, holding you steady upright from collapsing from your now completely weakened knees.

“Baby, look at me.” Nanami calls, voice soft with a twinge of startled concern. “Are you tired? We can stop now if you want.”

His movements cease, slowly pulling his length from you emitting a groan from both of you. You muster up the strength you have remaining once more to stand upright, looking behind your shoulder and give him a small, reassuring smile, shaking your head side to side.

“No… I’m still okay, thank you for asking.” A hand reaches backwards, latching on to the side of his neck to bring him down for a brief and comforting kiss. “You’re actually such a sweetie, you know?”

Nanami shrugs his shoulders when you let him go, clearing his throat and reaching to scratch at the back of his neck. His actions were uncharacteristically bashful compared to what he had shown you throughout the night thus far, and it was both intimate and refreshing to you to see another side of him you haven’t seen before.

You wanted to know more about him, effortlessly encapsulated by the growing enigma that was him — Nanami Kento. The more you learnt about him, the more you wondered what other side of him he could possibly surprise you further with.

However, for now, there was another issue present to solve in the current moment. The feeling of Nanami’s rock hard cock, long and stiff looming over your backside, reminded you that he had pleased you so well up until now, and it was now his turn to be absolutely spoiled by you.

You lean forward once more, bending fully over to display your ass towards him. Looking over your shoulder once more, a small grin forms upon your face watching Nanami’s stunned expression, eyes fixated right on your assets showcased in front of him.

“I can’t let you just stay this hard, baby.” You whisper, your hands reaching behind you to spread both of your cheeks open.  “I want you to let it all out inside here.”

“Fuck,” Nanami curses, watching you wriggle your ass back and forth against his cock. “How did I get so fucking lucky with you?”

“Because you’re a good man… with a blessed cock to follow. Now hurry up and fuck my ass.”

The once cold glass of the window had now turned warm, condensation coating the surface of the glass with droplets of water— except for where the silhouette of your body that was pressed up against the window was not too long ago. The sight is erotic and incredibly lewd, and a part of Nanami wonders if he even had the strength to make it inside you.

But he does nonetheless, moving slowly to allow the tighter hole to adjust to his impressive length and girth. You weren’t a stranger to anal at all, but you definitely weren’t accustomed to someone of Nanami’s size, slightly wincing in the initial discomfort. Nanami takes notice of this, gently soothing the sides of your body in encouragement.

“Baby… you’re taking me so good. Let me know when you’re ready for me to move.”

A few more moments is all it takes, the discomfort quickly dwindling and pleasure replacing its spot. When a breathless moan parts from your lips, fingers scratching the surface of the window in front of you once more in search of more pleasure, you start to move your hips slightly, taking in the rest of his length.

Nanami’s hands grip the sides of your waist once more, beginning to guide your hips up and down his cock. You squeeze him tighter than ever before, Nanami watching the inches of his cock disappear, stretching the tiny hole more than you could take.

“ Fuck. You’re squeezing me so fucking tight, darling.”

A new pool of wetness forms from your cunt, and mixed with creaminess of Nanami’s cum inside from earlier you feel the liquids begin to drip in between your legs, running down the insides of your thighs. Removing one hand from the window, you dip your hand in between your legs, examining the slick in between the folds of your cunt. Bringing the fingers back up to your mouth, you make sure to look at Nanami over your shoulder before sticking your tongue out, humming in satisfaction while licking the liquids off your fingers.

“You and I taste so good together.” You grin as best as you can, eyes partially closed and brain fucked out to the core, bringing your hand out behind you towards him in offering. “Don’t we?”

Nanami groans loudly, rejecting your offering. Instead, you feel the palm of his hand pushing the small of your back down once more, forcing you to look forward once more and to hold back onto the window. His hips pick up, increasing its speed entering in and out of you, but this time you feel his chest against your back, a hand snaking forward and fingers rubbing your clit back and forth.

“You’re gonna fucking be the death of me princess.” Nanami whispers, breath heavy against your ear. “But I can play against you and your little minx ways.”

His body moves faster, an outburst of the last bit of his remaining stamina bursting in both his hips thrusting into you, and his fingers moving against your clit frantically back and forth. Numbness clouds your mind once more, eyes shutting close and rolling to the back of your head.

“That’s fucking right baby doll, you tease me like that and I’ll make that pretty little brain of yours turn stupid with nothing but cock on your mind.”

It was too much. In your overstimulated, over sensitive current state, the combination of everything was just too much. The tension in the pit of your stomach grows, this time differently than previous— more intense, striking you in a way you’ve only felt just a few times in your life.

“Oh my god—” You cry out, eyes shut closed so tight you can feel the formation of a few tears in the corners of your eyes. “No— I’m gonna—”

The synchronization is almost artistic. The way your body convulses underneath his, liquid squirting from your cunt across the lower part of the window and onto the floor below, joined merely seconds later by the drips of Nanami’s cum painting your insides that overflow outwards onto the floor below. Your knees finally give in, falling onto the ground in exhaustion and Nanami finds himself accompanying you in an instance, the last of his stamina escaping him and fatigue overwhelming him.

It’s arguably messy. Definitely to most not the most desired situation, laying on the cold, marble floor surrounded by the physical fragments of both your orgasms. But when you turn around to face Nanami, softly panting in an attempt to recollect his breath from his high, the back of his hand resting on his forehead in exhaustion, you can’t help but let out a small, weak laugh. And when Nanami’s eyes flicker towards you at the sound of your laughter, he can’t help but join in as well, fully understanding the beauty of the moment.

Something about it was almost ironic. You were in the most luxurious penthouse suite, experiencing the most sexy, alluring nearly dream-like night with a man almost too good to be true. This part now was most likely the most realistic portion of the dream-like night, yet, it was your favourite.

It was perfect. Imperfectly perfect. You wouldn’t have had it any other way.

“I’m going to wash up. Care to join me?”

“You know that’s not gonna work.” You reply, pointing up at your mask. “We can’t keep these on in the shower.”

“I don’t care anymore, you’re more than just a quick fuck to me now.” Nanami smiles, a hand reaching forward to tangle with yours.“I already know you’re gorgeous, but I want to see your entire face for myself.”

You wanted to. You really did. But the reality looming over you was too strong to ignore. Despite being your prince for the night, in reality, he still remained your colleague in the office. You knew mixing pleasure with work was never a good idea, and you knew the responsible choice was to remain keeping the two separate.

“Not yet.” Your hand squeezes his back. “Let’s keep up the mystery a little longer.”

—

“Marlboro’s? These are impossible to find here, how’d you get your hands on this?”

You climb back onto the bed, shaking a towel into your damp hair with one hand in an attempt to dry your hair, nudging at the red cardboard box that laid on top of Nanami’s lap. Nanami shrugs, taking two cigarettes out of the box, placing one in his mouth and offering the other in your direction.

“Connections.”

Taking the cigarette, you toss the damp towel onto the armrest of the nearby chair. You join Nanami under the covers of the duvet, and when you situate yourself to mimic him in leaning against the headboard, he reaches over his bedside table for the metallic lighter.

“What, did I just fuck some wanted gangster or something?”

“Not at all,” Nanami chuckles, finding humour in your accusation. “I’m just a regular salaryman… with an interesting part time job.”

He lights the tip of your cigarette first, lighting his own shortly after. A short silence fills the air when the both of you simultaneously take the first drag, seeping in the bitter flavor.

“I won’t ask.” You wink at him, and Nanami rolls his eyes in response. “Keeps you more sexy, like a mystery, you know?”

“What do you smoke then?”

“Blackstones.”

“Awful.” Nanami scrunches his nose in a cringe, instantly tossing the red cardboard box onto your lap covered with the duvet. “Take this pack on me, and treat yourself to something not garbage once in a while.”

“Cigarettes are garbage in general. Literally poison killing you slowly— but for some reason I can’t stop.

Nanami nods in agreement, taking another drag.

“I could never give up — especially cigarettes after sex. Something about ending the night with a good cigarette is the cherry on top.”

“Blackstones taste like cherry, so that could be literal if you wanted it to be.”

“Huh, makes sense.” Nanami pauses, turning to you with a cheeky smile. “You kind of tasted like cherries and tobacco when I first kissed you.”

“Really?” Your eyebrows raise, reciprocating his coy smile back “What about now?”

Nanami leans forward, his free hand reaching to cup the side of your neck, lifting your face upwards towards him. Your eyes flutter closed when your lips meet his, gently caressing with yours and delicately exploring you, drinking in every single flavour he could.

“A mix of tobacco,” Nanami grins against your lips. “And a little bit of me.”

[clairecrive]

Ooh okay this is TOTALLY self-serving but i’m doing it anyway—could you do a (fem)reader x remus where the reader is juggling all sorts of things—working at the ministry and taking classes at night or something along those lines and feels like she’s wasting what are supposed to be her golden years and so she gets upset one night and remus is incredibly good about calming her down and comforting her about it?

"Cake by the sofa"

A/n: not to make this self-serving anon but writing this felt like therapy lmao. Today I offer you some much needed Remus fluff.

Warnings: none, pure fluff

Word count: 1.3K

Tags: @ashlovesthemarauders, @jupiterandbutterflies , @hannaxmaria, @seldomabsent (if you want, you can add yourself to my taglist by filling this form)

HARRY POTTER MASTELIST

The subway was always jam-packed at this hour and you hated it. You hated it and you couldn't avoid it in any way. This was your assigned entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Any other day it would be fine, you'd put on an audiobook or some music but today... today was just too much. Not to mention that the incessant noise was making it impossible to talk to Remus.

You had left before he'd wake this morning and realizing that you haven't spent some quality time with him in ages broke your heart.

"Bunny, you there?" Did you already mention that the connection was shit underground?

"Sorry, love I'm here what were you saying?"

"I asked you when you'd be home tonight."

"Oh," you hummed trying to recall the schedule for today. Thankfully, ministry jobs were 9-5. Sure, they'd usually call you to make extra hours but you couldn't remember if you had to do so today.

Then it hit you, you had taken on a night shift at a local muggle newspaper. It was actually demanded from your superior at the Ministry as a way to make sure that muggles stayed in the dark about the Wizarding world.

"I'm going to be late again tonight, actually." You grimaced at the words. Remus had never pressured you and he himself was a very busy man. Between his job, your jobs and the Order, you rarely see each other, to the point where you were mostly roommates rather than boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Again," he mused and you could hear the weariness in his tone. Sighing, you landed on a wall. You were in the Ministry now, work could wait for another five minutes. This was more important.

"I'm sorry love. I know we haven't properly seen each other in a while."

"That's not what I'm worried about, bunny. You're working too much."

"I could say the same for you, Rem." You pointed out softly. You didn't want to come off as a hypocrite since you also were always busy.

"I'm fine, bunny. It's you that is wearing herself out."

"You don't have to worry about me, I'm fine. Huffing, you rolled your eyes at his apprehensive nature even though he couldn't see you.

"You know I do."

"I love you and I miss you." You confessed changing the subject. You were afraid the distance between you cause by your crazy schedules would eventually drive you apart. So, every time you could even if it was out of the blue, you did this. It was both for reassuring him but for yourself as well.

"The feeling is mutual, my love." Hearing him saying it back had an instant soothing effect.

"I'll see you soon, hun."

You ended the phone call after wishing him a good day and him doing the same. Sighing you put your phone away, your mood souring further as you made your way to your office where you were going to spend the entirety of your day while you only wanted to be with him.

Work was important to you and you knew that Remus shared this same attitude but at the same time, you knew that if it got down to it, you'd choose the sweet-hearted werewolf over anything else.

Making a mental note to speak to your superior about your weekly schedule, you'd settled behind your desk (not so) ready to face today's workload.

*+* *+* *+*

When you finally made it home, later that day, you were ready to bid today adieu. Sighing heavily, you closed the door behind you, the keys rattling as you locked it.

The hallway was dark but you could see that the light in the kitchen was on.  You were light on your feet as you headed there since you didn't know if Remus was awake or he had just forgotten to close it.

When you entered the room though, the sight that met you made you halt. Your eyes flickering all over the room as you took it in. The light had been left on purposefully. The table was laid, carefully set with your favourite pieces, a couple of candles and a few rose petals adorning it.

Realizing that this was most definitely Remus' doing, you smiled as your eyes moved over the room to look for him. But he wasn't in the kitchen.

"Rem?" you called for him softly as you stepped into your small living room. And here he was, snoring softly on the sofa.

Kneeling, you smiled as you took in his peaceful expression. This alone, his angelic face and comforting presence alone would have been enough to soothe your frustrations.

Carefully, you pushed a piece of hair away from his eyes before your finger gently trailed over the scars on his face. He looked exhausted and your heart ached at the idea of waking him up but you knew he had tried to do something nice for you so you wanted to at least thank him for that. Also, the sofa is fucking uncomfortable.

"Baby," shaking his shoulder gently while peppering his face with small kisses you set to draw him for his slumber.

He groaned at the disturbance but you saw the moment he registered that it was you who was annoying him as he turned his head so that your lips could meet his instead of his cheek.

"Hi, bunny," he peeked at you through his lashes, eyes still unfocused with sleep as he pecked you again.

"Hi," you parroted him like a fool. He had always had this effect on you, even more so now that he looked out-of-this-world cute with his tousled curls and red lips.

He mirrored your smile, leaning in your hand that was cradling his face enjoying your touch. As sleep slowly unclouded his mind, the realisation settled on him. Eyes wide, he shot up almost knocking his forehead with yours.

"The dinner," he exclaimed, cheeks red in embarrassment as he looked at you sheepily.

"I saw. It was very sweet of you Rem but you didn't have to." Rising, you settled beside him on the sofa to reassure him.

"I wanted to do something nice for you but of course I had to ruin everything," he groaned letting his head fall on the headrest of the sofa with his face hidden behind his hands.

"Hey," leaning over him, you gently pulled his hands away, " you didn't ruin anything. I love it and I love you for doing this." You kissed his palm to drive your point home.

"You're just as tired as I am, honey."

He knew you were right. He was just as exhausted but still, he was upset that he hadn't been able to do this for you. Letting out a big breath, he used the hand you were holding to pull you to him. Kissing you gently he settled his forehead on yours, intertwining your fingers.

"I had even baked a cake," he mumbled on your lips.

"Well, why don't we eat that and then go to sleep? What do you say?" you proposed pecking his lips again.

"I say that I love you."

Giggling you lightly bumped his nose with yours before rising from the sofa to retrieve the dessert.

When you came back with the plates in your hands, his slice twice bigger than yours, you handed him his before taking your place beside him again.

"So, how was your day?" He asked before digging in,

"Not as good as this cake, for sure." You let out an obscene moan to prove your point but you knew it did well for his ego judging by the look in his eyes.

He thanked you for the compliment with the most adorable shade of pink adorning his cheeks. You cooed at him before asking him the same question.

It wasn't much, just the two of you sharing this insanely good cake Remus made but it was exactly what he needed after a pretty shitty week.

[nestasgalpal]

Dad’s birthday

Nessian month - Prompt: what did I do to deserve you?

Domestic Fluff  ||  Words: 1,667  ||  A03 link 

Tagging: it’s not the full life of Nessian kids, but it’s what I’ve got so far!! @imsointobooks @irenethaleia @bookstantrash @saltydreamcollector @azrielsgirl @gwynrielsupremacist @arinbelle @silvernesta @dustjacketmusings @vanserrasvalkyrie​ @darkshadowqueensrule​

Cassian was still asleep, but they should hurry up anyway.

Nesta hated waking up early, yet she had gotten out of bed, rushed to the kids’ rooms and made sure they were all prepared to finish up every detail for Cassian’s good-morning surprise before he woke up. And Cassian loved waking up early.

“Bregan, please, make sure your sister doesn’t fall.”

Nesta didn’t look up from the cake or the chocolate ganache she was spilling over it, but through the corner of her eye she could tell her oldest son was falling asleep once again in the opposite side of the kitchen island. Nesta marked with a pinch of pride how gracefully Bregan was keeping his equilibrium on the stool while one of his hands prevented his sister from falling down.

The baby, in the other hand, was playfully shaking a stuffed animal, perfectly awake. Olympia swayed mimicking its movement, clapping her hands off-rhythm.

“Are you sure you don’t need help with that, mom?” Bregan’s eyes were only half open. Just like Nesta, he hated being awakened so early in the morning. He and his brother had spent the day before hiking with Cassian to bring their father to the point of exhaustion and buy themselves some more time today to bake the birthday cake.

Of course, the hours walking through valleys had had their toll on them as well. Her sons weren’t trained soldiers, but barely teenagers, and the promise of unlimited chocolate today was probably the only thing that made them get out of bed so early.

Nesta considered waiting until she was done with the cake to wake them up, but she needed help watching the girls while she cooked. Also, she knew Bregan good enough to anticipate he would need time to wake. They were the same in that sense.

“Yes honey, just watch Oly for me while I finish this.” They had to whisper so Cassian didn’t hear the three of them in the kitchen from their bedroom on the floor above.

Bregan’s hair was a mess of dark brown strands. Nesta frowned. He was 16 now, he should know to brush his hair or at least be a little more tidy for his father’s birthday. It didn’t matter that all of them were wearing their pajamas... on the contrary, it made the appearance of their hair all more crucial.

Stretching over the cake in dangerous balance, she tried to make it better with her hand.

“Mom!” He complained. His sleepy voice made a rooster, to which Olympia answered with a laugh. That sound was music to Nesta’s ears, and it inevitably made her go soft. Maybe Bregan’s hair was okay, and not everything had to be oh so perfect.

The babe was entertained enough to not fall back asleep. She was probably the only one in the house who could say that.

Taking her out of her cradle had been so hard. Olympia’s big hazel eyes looked back at her not understanding why her mom was making her get up so early in the morning, the sky was still pitch black. She was 4 now, so Nesta wouldn’t blame her if she burst into tears because of her tiredness. Or the cold, since they were in the middle of the winter in their small house in the Illyrian Mountains.

But her children were tough.

Nesta didn’t know what she had done to deserve such blessing, but just like Bregan when he was her age, the babe hardly ever cried. A miracle, considering how loud the other two were at that age.

Loud steps approaching halted her movements. After making sure who the two sets of feet belonged to, she resumed her last task with the spatula.

“No!” Nicolas stopped Ashra’s mouth from crashing against the bottom layer of the cake when it was barely five inches away from it. She was the perfect height for her mouth to reach just above the kitchen island, and at the same time small enough to fit under Nesta’s arms and not be seen.

Luckily, Nicolas had better reflexes than his mother did, or Cassian’s cake would be crumbling down on her blondish short hair.

Ashra only laughed and flapped her wings to force her older brother to free her from his grip. Nicholas did, growling softly when she stepped on his feet as part of her landing and run away to hide under Nesta’s skirts. Nicolas kissed his mom’s cheek and went for a stool by his brother’s side.”Mornin’ mom. How long until it’s ready?”

“Can I have some cake?” Ashra interrupted, showing her mom a broad white smile that promised trouble.

“Once dad has blown the candles and opened his presents,” she answered with patience.

Ashra wasn’t like her siblings, she had the Archeron dark blonde hair and Nesta’s blue eyes. Unfortunately for Nesta, the only child who resembled her at all had inherited her father’s tendency for chaos and didn’t care as much for ladylike interests as she did for shiny daggers and colourful siphons. She also had Cassian’s beautiful smile to brighten up her mother’s morning. And his mother’s name.

“Can I have the first slice, then?”

Nesta squat down and kissed Ashra’s forehead, stroking her unbound hair -just as tangled as Bregan’s.

“You must ask dad for that” Nesta answered, knowing Cassian would gladly give his daughter the entire cake if she simply smiled at him. She would as well, hadn’t she woken up so early to bake it. “Nico, do you have the presents with you?”

The 15 year old boy nodded. His face on his hand, elbow on the counter holding the weight of his head. The hiking sure did wear them down. Knowing this, the boys had finished their hand-made present to Cassian weeks in advance without Nesta having to tell them, eager to contribute to the birthday surprise.

That had given Nesta time with the girls to prepare everything else and explain to Ashra what exactly they were going to do.

“Can I carry the boxes?” She was asking now.

“Some of them are heavy, Ash” Bregan got up from his stool and took the cake from Nesta’s hands when she finished garnishing it, winking at her. He was perfectly awake all of a sudden and a cocky grin adorned his face, “I got this!” He went for the stairs before she had time to respond.

Usually, Nesta wouldn’t trust him with a chocolate cake, but Olympia was still sitting on the kitchen island with the stuffed animal between her hands, looking at her mom, curious eyes inspecting her surroundings and not quite getting it. Her black hair was perfectly braided. Once again, she was the only one who could say so. Nesta hadn’t had time even for her own head of hair, which had been simply brushed.

Nesta lifted Oly and made her way to the staircase passing her eldest son. “Nico, give Ash one of the packages, please.”

He rolled his eyes, but did. The blond girl run to her mom and took her hand to climb up the stairs, the box in her other side. Whilst Bregan grew more and more extroverted and adventurous as time went by, Nicolas’ new-found teenage personality consisted on pretending he was already an adult that couldn’t be bothered with childish whims. It would be a lot more believable if it also translated to the mischief he, Bregan and their friends in Illyria frequently found themselves into. That trouble-making gene run through all her kids’ veins, no matter how quiet or loud they were.

With black hair and hazel eyes, he was the one who resembled Cassian the most. Although the gesture he made when he was exasperated and rolled his eyes was purely Nesta's.

She turned to face the boys when the five of them got to the door of their bedroom and urged them to be quiet. Ashra gave little jumps of excitement, the old wooden floors crackling under her light weight. She was the one to knock on the door and open it before she could hear any answer coming from Cassian inside.

As Ashra opened the door, Nesta could tell Bregan was trying his best not to be seen dipping one finger on the ganache.

Truth was, none of the kids did what they were told as the three of them launched themselves over the sleeping figure of their father in bed.

“Bregan, the cake!” she screamed in a whisper. The oldest Archeron kid had the decency to stop his running and placing it without any care over the bedside table.

“Happy birthday, dad!” The three of them screamed.

“Happy birthday” Olympia murmured slightly behind. The poor thing could barely keep her eyelids open. She made her way to the side of the bed, placing Oly by her side.

Cassian lazily maneuvered to catch Ashra before her knee landed on his sternum, her flight needing lots of practice. His wings were spread, stopping him from noticing Nico launching himself over both of them in bed and joining the hug, quickly followed by Bregan.

Nesta couldn’t stop the broad smile that filled her face as her entire family sited up in bed, the five people she loved the most in the world showing affection to one another so freely.

A strong tattooed arm found its way to her and pulled, so Nesta’s own body was against her mate’s chest. Cassian wrapped her in his arms, kissing her deeply. “Happy birthday” she whispered, their lips stil touching.

“Good morning” he answered, pressing his forehead to hers.  “Come here, monkey” Cassian took his youngest daughter from her mother’s arms with one hand, not letting Nesta go.

Feeling the warmth of his body against hers on that cold morning, the chocolate cake forgotten by everyone except hungry Ashra, Nesta heard Cassian reading her thoughts aloud “What did I do to deserve you?”, and knew she had gotten from life more than she could have ever dreamed of.

[storiesundercandlelight]

I Know You - Rafe Adler x Reader - Part One

So this idea kind of came to me randomly, it doesn't follow the story of Uncharted 4/the lives of the characters/specifics but the general story of treasure etc is the same! I changed a lot to make it easier to write a shorter story so...please don't hate me for changing it/pushing parts of the game closer together!

Reader descriptions: I don't describe anything about the reader look wise obviously but I have written this in a female readers POV!

Warnings: None for this chapter!

You walked behind Nate and Sam, following their footsteps as you all moved through the jungle path. The heavily tree covered path helped against the brightness of the sun but did little to keep you from the humid heat. You found yourself regularly swatting away bugs and wiping your brow as you moved forward.

Nate was convinced you were close to your destination, that Libertalia, the famous pirate utopia was just around the next bend. It bloody better be, you thought as you swatted away another bug.

"Nate! Please tell me we're almost there!" Sam cried, chopping away at branches blocking their path.

"Yes, we're almost there I'm sure of it!! Hopefully we'll make it there before Rafe" You tripped a little at the mention of Rafe, you'd been trying hard not to think about encountering them again. God why did Rafe have to do this? Why did he have to break away from you all and go against you? You just kept letting the memories between you flash up as you walked.

_____________________________________________________________

You walked quicker, hoping you weren't going to be late. The campus here was bigger than you thought and your archaeology class was the other side of the building to where you lived in your apartment.

The hallway was quiet as you counted the numbers of the classroom doors before finally landing at the door you needed, taking a breath before you entered. Thankfully your professor wasn't there yet, other students chatting.

"You were almost late" You turned to see Rafe, his cocky smile tugging into place as he looked at you.

"Almost being the key word there" You smiled and grabbed the seat beside him, thankful that no one had snatched it up first. You and Rafe had been friends since the first day of your classes, but you knew other girls wanted to get his attention. You hated admitting it at first but you loved that he only ever gave his attention to you.

"Mmmhmm, yeah you keep on using your almost excuse, what held you up anyway?"

"I woke up late" Rafe snorted a laugh at your reply, turning his full attention to you.

"Give in, it'll be easier on all of us. You know I'm relentless" You sighed and turned to him.

"I was reading"

"For the assingment?"

"Yes" You didn't meet Rafe's eyes, turning away quickly you stayed still as he moved closer to you.

"Liar" He whispered in your ear, you gave him your best side eye in response. "Come on what trashy novel do you have tucked under your bed? You know I'll find it either way. Oh! Let me guess, kind of Indiana Jones-y, but with an oh so steamy encounter between the main characters in some dusty ruin" You rolled your eyes but couldn't hold back you smile, damn him!

"Your wrong....this one is set in Egypt, their steamy encounter took place is a very plush tent near a tomb" Rafe's laugh was infectious, his head falling into his hands as he tried to stop himself from laughing.

"Okay okay whatever" He said between giggles. "Just let me know when you're ready to put those books down and get some real action hmm?" Your professor walked into the lecture hall, grabbing everyone's attention and thankfully pulling Rafe away from noticing you blush.

_____________________________________________________________

You hated thinking of those memories now, knowing you were both on opposite sides, fighting against each other.

"There it is" You came to a halt, almost crashing into Sam as all three of you stared at the scene before you. Libertalia.

The pirate town was in ruins, old building covered in foliage. But the pure sight of it took your breath away. To imagine this place, full of pirates, bustling life, songs and laughter, loot and gambling. Your heart felt full.

"Alright let's get to the treasury" It's higher up towards the mountain.

It took almost two hours of walking, climbing, searching until you finally saw the treasury. Pulling yourself up onto the roof of a crumbling but stable building you took a moment to look at your goal. Was this where the treasure has been all this time?

Nate and Sam were climbing up behind you, you turned ready to continue before stopping. You could hear people talking. All three of you crouched down quickly, your hands automatically going for your gun.

"These fucking guys" Sam whispered. "Well, here we go"

You jumped down from the roof onto a ledge, working your way around half broken walls, stacks of warped barrels, anything to avoid Nadine's and Rafe's men.

"We can get inside without them seeing" Nate whispered.

"They've set up camp!" Sam said back. "We won't be safe camping here too, and the sun's almost down" He was right, the sun was setting fast. You could see the camp they were setting up in the main courtyard of the treasury building, the men moving debris from battles fought many years ago so that they could put up tents.

Your eyes caught movement near the back, towards the entrance. A tent was being put up right near the doors. Rafe stood by as two men secured what you guessed was hit tent, slightly further away from everyone else's.

"Rafe's there" You whispered, your stomach was doing flips knowing that not only was he there, but once again you were face to face on different teams. This whole adventure had felt wrong, always running into them and fighting with the man you knew deep down you loved.

"Alright, we can climb in higher up, set up our own camp in that part of the building there, they won't bother looking there, it isn't the main entrance. Hopefully its just a run down set of rooms"

You'd all agreed, although Sam complained the whole way up to the floor Nate pointed out. He was right though, the space was perfect, hidden, dry, warm anyway from the weather and if you leant near to a broken wall you could see Rafe's camp.

It didn't take long for Sam and Nate to fall asleep, the two brothers sprawled on the ground, packs behind their heads as pillows. But you couldn't sleep, not when Rafe was this close, you charted a way down to his tent, planning which route you would take to avoid the men on watch. It was risky but you knew Rafe wouldn't be sharing a tent and his tent was far enough from the rest that you'd be able to talk to him, maybe convince him that he didn't need to fight against you. Maybe if you could get close he would... be the old Rafe.

Taking a deep breath you got up as silently as possible and made your way down. Thoughts of what you would say to Rafe raced through your mind. Would he want to see you? Would he just take you and use you as bait? No, you refused to believe that, he'd told you once how he felt, that can't have just vanished. The memory of that night was still so clear to you.

_____________________________________________________________

"Okay okay, so Chinese?" Rafe dropped down onto your couch, looking at you impatiently.

"Fine" You smiled, knowing that if you changed your mind again Rafe may just cry from hunger.

"Finally!" Rafe pulled out his phone to order as you looked over your notes. You had to admit, you worked well as a team. Your assignments already finished and onto the proofing stage. "The horror...it won't be here for 40 minutes"

You turned to Rafe who had flopped back dramatically against the back of the couch. "Poor baby, to think you have to wait 40 minutes for someone else to cook you food"

"Don't mock me, my hunger is very real" He leant back up, pushing himself nearer to you on the couch and leaning over to look at the notes himself. You should be used to Rafe being this close to you, he was always close. Most people assumed you were a couple because of how close you were and how much time you spent together. But you couldn't stop the blush and heat that ran through you whenever he moved close. You looked over his face, his brows tilted down as he focused on the words, his hair usually neatly slicked back had rogue hairs falling down over his forehead.

God he was attractive. Your eyes went lower, to his arms, his muscles poking out from his t-shirt that really left nothing to the imagination.

"Admiring my fashion choices?" You jumped and your eyes snapped back up to Rafe who was looking at you, a smirk plastered on his face.

"No! I was...I..."

"You...?" He was so close, if you moved your head forward just a little your noses would brush against each other. You could smell his cologne, a musky woody scent that you loved. He didn't move away, his eyes flicking from yours to you lips.

He moved too quickly for you to think, suddenly his lips were on yours, pushing gently. You didn't need to think twice before reacting a melting into the kiss, your hands coming up to touch his neck, pulling him closer. His arms moved around you, a hand resting on your side as he moved into you, pushing you against the arm of the couch. There was no where for you to move and you were so okay with that.

The kiss grew hotter, more needy, hands were everywhere, pulling and pushing. Your fingers ran through his hair, messing it up even more. A faint moan escaped his lips when you tugged it slightly. You both pulled apart, but still close, Rafe rested his forehead against yours as you both caught your breath a little.

Rafe smiled and huffed out a laugh. "I've wanted to do that for so long"

"You have?"

"I thought I'd made my feelings pretty obvious" He quickly kissed you again. "You have completely ruined me, I don't think I'll ever be able to love anyone else"

_____________________________________________________________

You were still caught up in old memories by the time your feet lightly touched the ground behind Rafe's tent. You stayed in the shadows listening, wanting to make sure he was alone. A few moments passed before you decided it was safe and made your way to the flaps, they were tied closed but you made quick and silent work of undoing just enough of them to squeeze in.

The tent was dark, you had to wait for your eyes to adjust fully before moving and looking around. The tent was simple, Rafe's belongings piled in one corner, an empty cot in the other. Empty.

You stood still, heart racing as you realized the cot was empty. You tried to move but suddenly a hand wrapped around your mouth, your legs knock from under you. Your back hit the ground with a thud and you felt a knife pressed against you. Rafe leaned over you.

[nhinxsworld]

Hello, I really enjoyed your piece about Gojou's kinks in your masterlist! I was wondering if you write for male reader? Maybe a third year that Gojou likes to punish and degrade in praticular and be possessive over? (Sentimental Gojou?? He's been teaching him since his first year) Reader isn't weak or innocent but he lets Gojou treat him the way he does because he doesn't have anyone else in his life and Gojou has him wrapped around his little finger? Take it wherever you like, I'm sorry if this is too fucked up x

Is this what you wnated Im not sure!!! But i liked the request anyways 🥰 was little confused about what to do about male reader since I myself am not male! but it was fun to try i hope I did you justice on this :)

reader has Inumakis curse!!!

Gojo Satoru x male reader

my list uwu

warnings: manipulation ; non-con/dub-con(?) ; just slight degradation ; yeah im not good at this probably a couple uncomfortable stuff usage of slut etc.

Gojo Satoru loves all his students, he really does yet he still can't help himself but to pick favorites. They've all grown on him, but he can't seem to take his eyes of one specific student.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out who Gojos favorites are, it's easy to tell his favorite is his beloved third year.

Picking you up since you're only fifteen, Gojo had a liking the way you just seemed to always search for his validation. For you it has always been Gojo, Gojo, Gojo.

He has his pretty boy, by a leash and he decides how long it is.

The soccerer hums happily when he sees you in the classroom all alone, stepping inside he closes the room, causing you to look up at him.

"(Y/n)~" he calls almost too sweetly and puts his hand on the table pushing whatever you've been doing out of the way.

The rattling of paper, is heard. Before the paper could even land on the floor. He pulled down your mask to reveal your curse pattern, gripping you by your jaw "(Y/n)" he repeats and you look at him, eyes staring at his blindfold where his would usually be, yet you couldn't help yourself but trail from his blindfold to his rosy lips.

Just staring at him not able to say a word.

"Am I not your favorite?" he asks and you just stare at him. Why was he asking that, of course he is your favorite. Who else could it be?

Not allowing you to give him any kind of answer, he presses his tumb to your lips pushing at your bottom lip until, you bought out your tongue to lick and suck at his finger, making him smile.

"Haha of course I am your favorite. Who else would indulge such a dirty boy like you?" he chuckles as he spits in your face making you close your eyes instinctively. "Surely not Yuuta. Yuuta didn't pick you up when you needed someone the most now did he?"

Opening your eyes you shoke your head as Gojo just watches his spit run down your cheek like tears before he whipes it out in your face, his fingers lingering over your curse marks.

"That's right Sensei did." he reminds you once again, that it was him that took you in. It's him who made you, who you are and he can take it all away if he desires.

The older tugs at your shirt "Take everything off."

Starring at him for a moment you unbuttoned your uniform, that Gojo had chosen for you. Like many other choices, Gojo did them all for you.

Stripping of the shirt, taking off the shoes, slipping of the pants, your reached for you boxers too, taking everything of for the man before you. You're just so willing to listen to everything he says.

Pushing you down against the table he hums looking at your exposed body, the room feeling a couple degrees too cold now fully exposed, yet some other parts of your body are burning.

His large hands presses against a bruise on your side watching whince in pain and he just smiles "You see (Y/n), I have nothing against Yuuta. I like him, he is a precious student just like you."

Tracing over the bruise from your training session with the other pupils Gojo just laughs "But I have an issue, if you're getting hurt because of Yuuta."

Fingers digging into your bruise, until he hears you whine "because you're mine, this body is mine and I don't like my property getting damaged."

His, his body, his property, those words seems to spiral in your mind. His, his his, it's something you wished for. You remember clearly, the day you ran to him needing his comfort, his guidance, his touch.

Another laugh escapes his lips as he stares you down "Did my pathetic boys cock just twitch from me digging into his wounds?"

His grip gets even harsher "Or is it because this wound is caused by Yuuta? It's because of me right?"

You didn't answer him, it's none of those two options right? He had made you strip down in classroom, you're just anticipating for something else right? You're not getting off to him hurting you like this right?

A smirk spreads across his face "This bruised is caused by Sensei yeah?" he traces over it slowly as it has taken an even darker colour than before and you looked at him with scared eyes.

You weren't sure when it took a turn into this direction, from wanting to be with him, needing him as figure to guide you through the dark, to now depending your whole existence on him.

"You look so exited." he smiles as he traces careful lines under your eyes "Did you miss me?" he presses against the bruise soflty just to remind me you again of the aching pain "You can't live without my touch can you?"

You're terrified to feel this way, even more terrified the way your cock twitches from feeling like this.

He gives you a look of pity "I've told you, you're mine." Knocking against your head with his finger knuckle "Your dumb brain hasn't understood yet hmm? But your body has, and it's so honest."

"Don't you like it when Sensei talks down on you?" he questioned as he cups your face "I'd call you my pretty boy, but that doesn't make your little cock hard now does it?"

"It only does when I call you a pathetic slut, who is needy of my attention." his voice growls and to your confusion your body does react to those words, supporting his statements.

His hand gripped your throat with an amused yet somewhat judgemental face, he squeezes your neck just tiny bit, until he can hear you choke "You like this too don't you? When I'm mean, when I hurt you?"

It's hard to deny, to shake your head, wanting to tell him no, when you can't speak and you're body giving a completely diffrent answer. A harsh slap to your face, has you feeling it in your lower area.

"Haha~" he smiles "Pitifully cute aren't you?"

"You love sensei so much don't you? Your body grew accustomed to Sensei touching you the way he likes it hmm?" he askes you questions for questions knowing well you couldn't protest against him.

"Remember when you used to whimper around so cutely? When I used to praise you?" the older beams, reminiscing of older times "Sensei is your first hmm? He took such good care of you didn't he?"

"Such good care of you and your body." Gojo hums, pinching and twisting your nipples until they're hard "I had fun."

"It's so honest just for me now." The soccerer sounds proud of himself, proud to have taken such a pure boys first with love and care, just to slowly drift of that road.

Binding you to him with promises and words of love.

You felt a lash like feeling on your body, caused by his infinity "stop..." you choked out and he tilts his head to the side "Stop? You know that doesn't work on me dummy."

"When has it ever?" he laughs as he traces over your curse marks once again "Besides why would you want me to stop?"

"You like being bruised and hurt by me, no?" he continued and you want refuse, tell him no, but all you're able to do is shake you're head at him until he decides to hold your face still forcing you to nod.

"Don't lie to me." he pulls down his blindfold to reveal the sky blue eyes you've fallen in love with "You wanted me to do this, don't you remember?"

"You're such a good boy. I love you so much (Y/n). You're so perfect, I promise I'll be gentle, just tap me when I need to stop okay?"

-

"(Y/n), can we try something? Ill take it slow."

The first time you tapped against his skin, asking him to stop, with tears running down your cheeks and he stops to kissi your marks "Don't worry baby, haha see I stopped." Yet you failed to notice his cock just growing harder in his pants from the way you're crying.

-

Cries and taps, rapid taps against his shoulders, that turned into slaps, you're voice breaking from telling him to stop, an activation of your curse until he halts, blood running down your lips, you failed to notice how your curse didn't effect him "Awww no don't cry, it's okay, it's okay. I won't hit you anymore, if you don't like it. I love you, you don't have to do these things, because I like them. Don't worry about me, I give you what you need. You don't seem to like the things I do, maybe we should stop here."

-

The older had stopped touching you from there on just smiling and waving when sees you, no hugs, no kisses, no praise, nothing comes from him after what had happened making you feel guilty. This is you're fault isn't it?

Gojo always indulged in yours needs, why couldn't you indulge in his.

So the next time you see him you stopped him in his tracks, taking his hands in yours, already felling special as he had let you through his infinity. Bringing his hand to your face, you slapped yourself, and if you could see his eyes widen underneath his mask.

"Hmm? What's that for little one?"

Tugging your neck piece down you looked at him "Hurt me. Love me."

"Remember??" he looks psychotic "you wished for me to do this, I'm indulging in your fantasy. You've placed this curse on yourself, you placed this curse on us."

Gojo never leaves himself unprotected from your curse speech.

The soccerer never lets himself be vulnerable, specially not such technique as yours that is just so easy to block out. You can scream and hurt your pretty throat all you want, he won't be having any of that.

Gojo wraps his hands around yours and bought it up to his cheek slapping himself "Hurt me. Love me"

"That's what you did. I had nothing to do with that." he chuckles "You did that all on your own. I didn't force you, you wanted to be mine and I made you mine. You have to hold responsibility you know?"

Bringing you down to your knees infront of him unzipping his own pants "Don't strain yourself, you don't have to to say anything. Sensei knows, he always knows best for you hmm?"

Pumping his own cock a couple times he forced it into your mouth "Now be good boy."

Hands gripping onto his tight as he just fucks your mouth to his content, just so he can hear you choke and see you cry.

He just can't help himself when his pretty boy looks so lewd sucking him off, like it's the only thing you're made for.

"Hmmm, fuck. Might as well just be my full-time cocksleeve, if you like getting bruised and hurt so much, I'll just have to do it." he chuckled as you felt another lash like feeling against your skin making you moan.

"Awww, such a painslut aren't you?" he smirks as he looks down on you to admire his mess, his hand in your hair forcing down more than you can take "Come on slut, you've done this often enough."

A groan escapes his lips as he pulls you off him allowing you to breath "stop, please...." your voice broken and hoarse and just smiles "Didn't I tell you already not to strain yourself? You're so funny trying to pull these things on me."

No matter what you say, no matter what you do with Gojo it has no use, until it's something he wants himself.

"Or are you just that much of a plain slut? Needing to damage yourself as much as possible?" he asks as you felt the cold sole of his shoes pressed against your cock.

"Pathetically cute." he beams when he sees you're all hard and leaking, just from the way he talks to you and the sole of his shoes pressing against your lenght.

"Oh sensei loves you so much." he grins as he places a stinging slap to your face that stings and burns "And I show it through the pain I cause, I know you need this."

[peppersteakss]

(hello i come with a little dsmp christmas oneshot, enjoy)

“tommy!! wake up!!”

the raspy whisper coming from ghostbur caused tommy to slowly open his eyes, only half awake from his slumber. the first thing he noticed other than the obvious ghostbur standing over him was how cold his room had gotten overnight, despite the fire from the torches.

“ghostbur,” he spoke in a groggy tone, “what are you doing here? what time is it?”

“it’s about dawn - and i wanted to spend the holiday with my brothers, of course!” ghostburs tone was cheery as usual as he stared down at tommy.

“the holiday?” tommy sat up, even more confused as he rubbed his eyes awake.

“tommy, have you forgotten? i’ve reminded you everyday for the past week, it’s christmas! i even got you a gift!” tommy sat with no reaction as ghostbur held out some blue for his brother.

“sorry i didn’t get you anything, ghostbur. i forgot,” tommy lied. he hadn’t forgotten - he wanted to, though. it was the first christmas he’d be spending without his whole family and his best friend (which is not a a reality any teenager would want). he figured there was no point in celebrating christmas, at least for this year.

“that’s alright - it’s not the gifts that matter most, what matters most is that we get to spend christmas together! techno, you, and i! just like the old days!!” ghostburs tone was always one that lifted spirits, and today would be no exception. and although tommy still felt uneasy about the day, he climbed his latter with a little more pep in his step.

tommy noticed the sun was still coming up when he reached ground level, but the lack of natural light didn’t stop his vision from seeing white flurries flying about. sure, it was always snowy, but he’d never actual seen it snowing out in the arctic. that explains why his room was so cold, and just at the thought of his room and the snowflakes falling outside - he started to shiver. arms shaking, teeth chattering, clutching tightly onto the blue that ghostbur had just given him.

ghostbur then gasped. “i’d almost forgotten!” he quickly pushed open the door and ran out of the house and was back in a few seconds, holding a small wrapped box. tommy stared at it with confusion as ghostbur extended it towards him. “go on, take it! it’s for you! i give you blue all the time, so i got you something else as well!”

tommy felt a tinge of guilt as he took yet another gift from ghostbur, he’d have to think of something to give to him by the end of the day. he held his breath as he opened the box, expecting more blue despite the specters words.

“it matches your hair, and the walls of your room!” ghostbur spoke, as tommy pulled out a yellow bandana. it was soft and clean, unlike the green one he wore around his neck. “i also added some yellow patches and thread if you wanted to fix up the green one!”

tommy looked up, wide eyed, not knowing what to say. he stammered a bit, his arms open - ghostbur took this as an opportunity to hug his brother. tommy flinched, hesitant at first - not only was ghostbur ice cold to the touch, he just wasn’t used to human touch anymore - but eventually, he hugged back. he closed his eyes and rested his head on ghostburs shoulder, it almost felt like when they were kids. he managed to mumble a simple ‘thank you.’

tommy flinched only slightly when he heard the latter behind him creek, turning only a little as not to let go of ghostbur. “techno! merry christmas!!”

ghostbur pulled away from tommy, going back outside to retrieve something - at least that was tommy’s guess. he turned and saw techno at one of his chests, pulling out a few wrapped boxes of his own.

‘please let those all be for ghostbur and phil,’ tommy thought, feeling guilt build up inside him yet again.

ghostbur came back and slammed the door shut behind him, another box in hand - much smaller than the one he gave to tommy. it was wrapped in blue, with a pink bow (not christmasy, but very much techno).

techno saw ghostbur and ended up only pulling one box from the chest, wrapped in yellow. the twins quickly exchanged their gifts, ghostbur waiting while techno opened his gift.

“it matches your new everything!” inside the small box was a dangly earring with a snowflake at the end. techno smiled in content as he put it on, now waiting for ghostbur to open his gift.

ghostburs smile widened as he made a squeak of joy, pulling out a small blue sheep plushie. “friend!” techno let out a chuckle as he walked back to the chest, grabbing two larger boxes - one wrapping in green and the other wrapped in red - and walking to tommy, who’s guilt had only built up as techno got closer.

“phil would’ve wanted to give this to you himself, but...” techno paused for only a moment, “he’s obviously not here. he’d want you to have it, anyways.” and with that, techno handed tommy the box wrapped in green.

tommy hesitantly grabbed the box, carefully unwrapping it as if he were on the lookout for some sort of prank or sick joke. he opened the box, revealing the contents inside to be a blue mantle and boots - similar to the ones both techno and phil donned.

“he had a hunch you’d be here at some point,” techno said, as tommy stared in awe at the contents. “you’re also have nothin’ to keep you warm out here, so that’s that. and if for some reason you don’t like the blue,” techno then handed tommy the red box, “there’s this - this ones from me.”

tommy was less hesitant now as he grabbed the red box, unwrapping and opening it to reveal technos red mantle.

tommy felt overwhelmed as he looked techno in the eyes. “techno, you didn’t-“

“i don’t need it anymore. and i’d rather give it to someone who might use it than to just let it collect dust or throw it away. besides that point, gettin’ frostbite or hypothermia isn’t ideal at the moment - look at you, you’re shiverin’ right now,” techno said, as he grabbed the blue mantle and quickly wrapped it around tommy.

now overwhelmed with the weight of the mantle on his shoulders, tommy looked at techno with guilt in his eyes. “i didn’t even get you anything.”

“so what? i don’t care,” techno said, quite nonchalantly. “just don’t take my gapples and we can call this even.”

the guilt left tommy’s eyes, and he began to chuckle. the chuckle turned into a giggle, and the giggle turned to a hardy laugh mixed with choked sobs - he grasped tightly onto all of his gifts, and mentally he held onto the feeling he felt right then and there, happiness. pure, unfiltered, and utter happiness.

“h-here i was, thinking that this year just wouldn’t be the same - and t-truth be told, it i-isn’t - but,” tommy let out another laughing sob, “i thought it’d be way worse.”

“why’s that?” techno asked.

“well, for s-starters - wilbur is a ghost. then i lost my best friend, something happened with d-dream, and now p-phil’s stuck in l’manberg. on an o-outside perspective, that sounds p-pretty shit t-to me.”

tommy let out a squeak as he received his second hug of the day - this time from techno. he didn’t move and inch, his eyes wide, his crying coming to a halt.

“none of that matters right now. we’re gonna get things back to how they were, we’ve discussed this. but it’s christmas - don’t worry so much. today is the only day i can say with full confidence that nothing bad will happen, nothing will go wrong.” techno said, his voice stern yet still comforting to his younger brother. and after a moment, tommy clung to him - sobbing and wailing. he hadn’t had a proper cry like this since... since... he can’t even remember.

for a while, tommy and techno just stayed like that, and tommy realized that this was the first time techno had ever really hugged him - despite being brothers. but it was nice, his embrace was similar to that of their fathers. and after another while, ghostbur joined in.

and so the brothers sat, hugging on christmas day.

[johnsamericano]

Could you please write a smut fic of husband!jaehyun on the wedding night pleaseeee and make it kinky if u can please💚

I made it as kinky as possible but I feel like it wasn’t kinky enough 😔 anyways, I hope you like it

“Mrs. Jeong.” Jaehyun smiled as you got into the backseat of your rented car, his dimples as pretty as ever.

“Yes, Mr. Jeong?” The driver silently laughed at the dorky couple behind him.

“Thank you.” He played with the soft fabric of your white dress.

“What for?”

“For marrying me despite I’m not the best partner you could’ve chosen.” Jaehyun always regretted not being able to spend more time with you, not being able to give you the attention you deserved. But you were always so understanding.

“None sense.” You grabbed his hand, touching the gold ring around his finger with your thumb. “You’re perfect to me.”

The ride to your hotel room was short. You bid goodbye the driver while Jaehyun went to get your room key.

After a couple of champagne glasses, you felt lightheaded. You talked about anything while resting your head on his legs.

“Do you think our kids will be pretty?” The thought of making you pregnant made his mind foggy, leaning down for a long kiss.

“Wanna find out?”

It probably wasn’t the best of ideas to decide such an important thing while being drunk, but the love and desire you felt for Jaehyun was overwhelming enough to give into his proposal.

You straightened yourself up, straddling his lap to connect your lips once again.

“Care to help me take this off?” His skillful hands unbuttoned the back of your dress quickly, letting the silky fabric slide down your perfect shoulders, where he left a kiss or two.

“Is this new?” His fingertips traced the patterns of your bra.

“I bought it for you.” A low groan left his mouth as you pushed yourself against his crotch.

“My pretty, little princess.” The lingerie set looked amazing on you, but it wasn’t long till it was discarded somewhere on the floor, along with your dress.

“How come you’re still dressed?” He was still wearing his dressing pants and white shirt, halfway unbuttoned, revealing a portion of his perfect chest.

“I call the shots here, baby.” He forced you down his thigh, moving your hips back and forward, flexing the muscles to provide you more stimulation.

“J-Jae.” You whimpered, wiggling to escape his grip.

“Stay still for me like a good girl.” And so you did, eager to hear his sweet praises.

“Can I come?”

“Not yet, princess.” He halted your movements, easily getting you off his lap.

He stood in front of your sitting figure, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt slowly. You rubbed your thighs together as he stripped from the rest of his clothes.

“Come here.” He took you in his arms, somehow managing to enter you while standing.

“God, you’re so amazing.” You whispered as he laid you down on the bed without removing his hard dick.

“I know.” He replied, a cocky smile on his lips.

He kissed you once again, starting to move his hips against yours while at it. You felt in heaven, his cock hitting all the right spots and bringing your closer to your high.

“Look at this.” He placed his hand over your tummy, feeling his cock prodding against the skin. “You’re so tiny.”

“I love you.” You held onto his soft locks, pulling your torso up in order to be closer to him.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” His chest was filled with nothing but pure love for you. “I’m so close.”

You replied with a small moan, clenching around his length. A few more thrusts and he spilled his seed inside of you, pushing it as deep as possible while helping you reach your own high.

By the time you both finished, you were sober and extremely tired from all the events of the day. You didn’t even bother to clean yourselves up, keeping his soft dick inside you.

“Good night Mr. Jeong.” You pecked his dimples.

“Good nigh Mrs. Jeong.”

[kyoomiii]

♡ Rainy days [hcs]

- ✎ characters ❝ kuroo, nishinoya, akaashi, and yamaguchi❞

- [ trigger warning(s): none ]

- ⚘ genre ❝ fluff, crack ❞

 ❝ ngl akaashi’s did hit a little different, but nonetheless they’re all sickeningly cute ♡〜٩(^▿^)۶〜♡ ❞

-kyo  ♡

The gentle stream of water coming from the opposing side of the door draws to a stop. A trail of steam emerges from Kuroo’s bathroom as he steps out, a plain t-shirt, a pair of shorts hugging his waist, and a towel slung over his shoulders. His usual bedhead is droopy, dripping with water from his shower.

And despite his display of pure beauty, your mind is trailed elsewhere, eyes stuck staring out the window as dark clouds gather in the late afternoon sky.

“Look Tetsu… It looks like it might rain.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised, it’s been cloudy all day. Cold too, we should stalk up on blankets.”

With that, the two of you spend the next 10 minutes picking out the most comfortable blankets Kuroo owns, settling on one that Lev ‘s sister Alisa had made and another that Kuroo has had for god knows how long.

He even brings out this mini projector that he had bought specially for movie nights as the two of you cuddle under the blankets, deciding which movie you should watch (most likely a disney/pixar movie because I think they’d be a huge guilty pleasure for him- his favorite is probably monster’s inc)

“I bet our baby would be cuter…”

“Oh my god Tetsurou.”

“Ow-What? I’m just speaking the truth.”

It’s in the middle of the movie when the pattering of rain finally begins, the droplets falling onto the window and streaming in tiny trails.

However, you don’t really seem to notice as Kuroo shifts his weight, his head laying on your abdomen, arms wrapped around your torso as your fingers comb through his slightly damp hair. He’s warm to the touch, his body heat cancelling out the chill that’s brought with the stormy weather.

The overall atmosphere is soothing, even when the rain begins to get heavy as Kuroo’s hands wander over your body. His fingers eventually find your own with gentle caresses and the occasional kiss to your knuckles. 

Your eyes trail down to look at Kuroo who no longer seems preoccupied with the movie, instead he watches as the droplets fall.

“Hey y/n, you see that drop?”

“Yeah why?”

“I bet it could fall to the bottom of the window faster than all the others.”

“Bet!”

Somehow he’s right, even after the second, third and fourth round of the droplet race. And each time he wins he gets more and more smug, shooting you a sly grin that’s just begging for a slap.

“I guess I just can’t help that I’m such a winner- even if it’s something as frivolous as this.”

But as the night draws on, the rain makes something click in Kuroo, and suddenly he feels so soft. Maybe it’s the way you run your hands through his untamable hair, or the gentle touches you leave against his skin, but he feels unbelievably warm.

In this moment the rain nor the movie that has yet to end piques his interest. Instead his eyes focus on you.

He observes your features and the little things you do which in turn cause his heart to swell with the utmost adoration. He snuggles closer, his grip getting tighter ever so slightly.

“y/n… I love you.”

“Ehhh, who are you and what did you do with my Tetsu.”

“Hey- I’m being serious, I really do love you. With all my heart”

“I love you too Tetsu, don’t you ever forget that.”

Your finger’s lace themselves together with Nishinoya’s as you walk back home, the school day is finally over and for once he didn’t have practice on the count of the gym being used for other purposes today. 

However about halfway there, the sky begins to grow gray. Your conversation halts, a frown forming on your features.

“Well that can’t be good. I think it’s about to rain… And I didn’t bring my umbrella.”

“It’s okay y/n, I think we’ll be just fine!”

And despite the threat of rainfall, the reassuring grin on Nishinoya’s face sets you at ease, his presence immediately enough to cheer you up. 

So with hurried steps the two of you rush home (well it’s kinda more like he’s dragging you and you try to keep up because he’s pretty fast).

But despite your efforts at escaping the rain, they end up being pretty fruitless as the rain begins to fall before the two of you can get to your destination, resulting in both of you crowding together under the rooftop of a small family shop.

“Aw… Great, at this rate we’ll be stuck here forever.”

“Well- y/n I guess if you’re willing to take a risk we could get home in no time.”

At the mention of this said risk you’ve grown immediately suspicious. Nishinoya has always been what some may call a “wild child”. But he’s also someone who's trustworthy, and you have no doubt that he wouldn’t put you in a situation that would be dangerous.

“Okay Yuu, I guess whatever you have planned can’t be awful.”

“Let’s run through the rain. Your house is closer so we should be able to make it there in no time.”

At his suggestion you can only stare at him. It’s crazy but he does have a point- Neither of you know when the rain will stop anyway.

“...Fine”

So with your confirmation he takes off his jacket wrapping it around you as he grabs your hand, and drags you out into the rain, the widest grin on his face as the water begins to seep through his clothes and hair. His laugh fills the air as the two of you run through the empty streets.

By the time you get home you’re soaking wet, but even so you don’t go inside. Instead you stay out with him, jumping in puddles and playing games of chase through the streets like young children.

Your laughter can be heard throughout the neighborhood, as Nishinoya dashes through a series of puddles to get to you.

“Hey y/n!”

“Yes Yuu?”

“I love you!”

“-I love you too!”

And by the time the two of you finally decide to go inside, sopping wet, but wide happy grins on your faces, he pulls you into a hug.

“You make me the happiest y/n, I hope you know that.”

Needless to say the rest of the storm is spent cuddling close together trying to get warm.

“Hey Yuu- you make me the happiest too.”

Akaashi is well aware of the forecast for today. It’s a part of his morning ritual to check the weather before he starts the day- just in case. And as a result he is always prepared.

So after school and practice, when the clouds begin to roll in, he immediately pulls out his umbrella. And though he’s not a particularly touchy person he keeps you close, not wanting you to catch an illness from the cold weather. 

As the driver pulls up because in my head Akaashi is from a well off family he guides you into the car, making sure to keep you warm because he likes to show his affection and care through simple gestures.

Once the two of you get to his home, Akaashi makes sure to take care of you first before going to freshen up. He’ll brew you a warm cup of tea and set you up with a lot of blankets and pillows on his bed, maybe even put on a movie or a show if you want. 

And when he does come back from his shower, he’s immediately under the covers with you, his eyes catching the falling droplets of water. 

He’s always liked the rain, even as a child. There was something so calming and peaceful about the scent that came with it, and the gentle patter of it on the window panes. He wasn’t messy when he was young, but he did love walking in puddles, and despite having grown out of it by high school, his admiration for storms never truly ceased even with age.

So even if you aren’t paying attention to the way it falls like he is, he’s glad that he gets to share this moment with you, huddled under a shared blanket basking in each other’s warmth.

He’ll even go as far as grasping your hand under the blankets, bringing to his lips in a gentle kiss.

We all know Akaashi isn’t really one for words, so sweet moments like this are often quiet and peaceful, filled with small and soft touches along one another’s skin.

Eventually though, you two do end up snuggled together, bodies tangled and fingers intertwined as you listen to the sound of the rainfall, he’ll press kisses to the crown of your head as his fingers wander along the small of your back.

“Thank you for sharing this rainy day with me y/n.”

“Of course Keiji, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

It’s moments like this he cherishes the most. Where it’s tranquil, and just the two of you, there are no words that need to be said to convey how much he loves and appreciates you. Only little tentative touches of affection.

For him it’s the little things that count the most.

The gentle patter of rain begins in the middle of your study session with Yamaguchi.  The water trickling harshly against the windows as the night gets later indicating that the end of this storm is nowhere in sight.

“Getting home is going to be difficult…”

“- Ah, don’t be silly y/n, I couldn’t possibly let you leave in weather like this. Why don’t you stay the night?”

His words send a flare to your cheeks. It hasn’t been long since the two of you have made it official, and while you’re both comfortable with one another, this was a new step in your relationship. 

And while Yamaguchi is just as shy about the whole ordeal, he also doesn’t want you to catch a cold in this harsh weather.

“Okay Tadashi, I’ll stay.”

The night progresses slowly, a gentle calming atmosphere as you snuggle closely into one of Yamaguchi’s old sweaters that he had lent you. 

He thinks you look cute, cuddling close to his clothes. Yamaguchi is someone with a soft heart, and little things like this turn him to mush, especially if it’s in regards to you.

If you’re still cold he’ll  bring you a cup of tea or some other warm beverage to keep you from freezing, even offering his favorite blanket and fuzzy socks because I don’t doubt that he has a collection

His touches are a little shy and unsure, but throughout the night he does eventually find his way into your arms, holding you close as you talk, the rain falling into the back of your minds as white noise.

“And then Hinata threw up in Tanaka’s lap.”

“Poor Hinata…”

When it comes to people he cares about Yamaguchi is someone who’ll be very observant, he’ll pick up on the slightest of changes and learn that person like the back of his hand. 

So as he watches every expression you make, every little gesture, and quirk, he begins to realize that this is it. This is where he wants to be for the rest of your lives. In your arms nestled close together through the calm and the storms. He realizes that he’s truly and deeply in love with you.

And the mere thought makes his heart pound in his chest at a rate of 100mph. The sound thundering in his ears so loudly and dauntingly that it makes his stomach churn, and his mind drift away.

“Tadashi?”

The sound of your voice breaks his trance, and he looks at you with the most nervous smile, only to be met with your much more reassuring one. And with his cheeks the brightest shade of red, he’ll blurt three magical words for the first time.

“I love you y/n!”

“... I love you too Tadashi.”

[lauras-collection]

missed opportunities ⭐︎ h.o.

Harrison Osterfield x Reader

Summary: You’re a living high school cliche having a crush on one of your closest friends, and despite him giving you more than one reason to think he might feel the same, you don’t do anything about it.

Warnings: alcohol consumption, angst, pining, don’t be fooled there’s gonna be pure fith in part 2 :D

A/N: my first Harrison fic is here!! I’m not a 100% happy yet but i’m running out of time :D let me know what you think.

I’ll reblog with my taglist later today or tomorrow! ❤️

People say you only regret the things you didn’t do. And you agree with that whole heartedly. It’s been years since you graduated high school, but you still think back to that time and wonder what if.

What if you had told Harrison you liked him as more than a friend? What if you had just let him kiss you that one time? What if, contrary to what you thought back in the day, your pining wasn’t one sided and he actually felt the same? 

*

It all started with him sending you winks from across the classroom and sharing the muffin he brought for lunch with you. You didn't really think anything of it at first. Harrison was a flirty person and he’d never been on your radar as anything other than your friend. Not even when he gave you your first kiss during a game of spin the bottle when you were 14. 

But then suddenly you're constantly thinking about him and blushing at whatever cocky remark left his pretty mouth. You were confused by your own feelings. You never expected to develop a crush on your friend and you couldn't stop analysing the little moments you shared with him. Even years later.

Like that time he gently helped you detangle your hair from a hair-tie, his face so close you would’ve only had to lean forward the tiniest bit to kiss him or every time he’d run his fingertips over your forearm during class, gently caressing you as if you were a fragile vase he was afraid of breaking but couldn’t keep his hands away from. 

You always thought those moments were just significant for you. Not for him. The more certain you became about your own feelings, the more you told yourself that what you were feeling for him was completely one-sided.

It’s only when you're looking back that you realise he might have felt the same. But if your insecurities weren’t already enough to stop you from doing anything about it, the moment Harrison showed up with a girlfriend was reason enough for you to take a step back.

You had clearly interpreted too much into his little acts of kindness. Why else would he show up to this party with his arm around Becca? To say you were in a sour mood all evening would be an understatement. But Tom and Harrison weren’t the only ones who could act, so when Harrison introduced her to you, you put a smile on your face and told her it was nice to meet her. And it was, she was nice. And they looked good together. But the way he gazed down at her made you feel sick.

Your heartbeat was pulsing in your ears and you just wanted to get out of this conversation. You couldn’t bare the sight of him pull her close. 

Using your empty drink as an excuse, you finally managed to get away. You grabbed another beer from the kitchen and found a quiet place somewhere in the backyard, allowing yourself to wallow in self pity for a few moments.   

But the universe didn’t grant you much peace. 

“Hey, why’re you sitting out here all alone?” none other than Harrison pulled you from your thoughts. You didn’t turn around to look at him, afraid he’d be able to read you like a book. You shrugged your shoulders as he sat down next to you on the edge of the patio. 

“Just wanted a moment for myself.” You mumbled and then finally brought yourself to look at him. “What’s up? Why’re you out here with me and not with your girl, huh?” You nudged his shoulder with yours and force out a laugh. Harrison let his head fall between his shoulders and chuckled.

Instead of answering your question he asked one himself. “So what do you think? D’you like her?” He turned to look at you, his brows a little furrowed. You didn’t know why, but it seemed like your opinion of her mattered to him. You weren’t going to talk bad about her just because you wanted him. It wouldn’t change the fact that he wasn’t interested in you. And you couldn’t deny that she seemed to be a good person. You could see why Harrison liked her.

“Yeah, she’s nice.” You give him a smile. “Very cute.” You nudge his shoulder again. “I’m happy for you, Harrison.” And you were, or you tried to be. 

“Thanks.” He whispered, a small smile on his face. Then he turned to look at you again. “So, do you have your eyes on anyone? Want me to play wingman?” He wiggled his eyebrows and you have to roll your eyes. 

“Not really, no. Besides, the one I want is taken.” You hold your breath for a moment your eyes locked on Harrison’s. Did you really just say that? What if he reads between the lines and makes the connection? Maybe a small part of you wanted him to.

He’s quiet for a moment, then opens his mouth to say something but the sound of the door opening interrupts him.

“Here you guys are!” Tom exclaimed “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He crouched down behind you and Harrison throwing one of his arms around each of you. “You’re aware the party is inside, right?” He looks between the both of you. 

“Yeah, yeah Tom. Don’t get your knickers in a twist.” You laughed as you got up. “I just wanted a moment to myself, but that seems to be impossible with you two divs around.” You placed your hands on your hips ignoring Harrison’s gaze that felt like it was burning holes through your skin. “So are we going inside to party, or what?” 

Tom threw his arm around your shoulder again. “Now that Harrison and I are both taken men, we need to find someone for you.” He poked his finger against your chest a few times.

You rolled your eyes again and pushed Tom off of you. “What is it with newly in love people wanting to set their single friends up? I’m good, you guys.” Mumbling, you add “Feelings are stupid anyways.” Before the boys can say anything about it you slip through the door, back inside where it was too loud to have a conversation. 

*

At some point you had gotten used to Harrison having a girlfriend. That didn’t mean your feelings for him went away, though. Your heartbeat still skyrocketed whenever he looked at you in that special way that was just so Harrison, the corners of his lips pulled into a little smirk and his eyes glinting with mischief.

You had tried to shove your feelings for him in a box and put them away somewhere deep in your subconscious, but you couldn’t stop the fluttering feeling in your chest whenever you touched him, or the sharp pain in your heart when you saw him with Becca. 

“What do you say, boys? We go back to my place and watch another movie?” You asked as you exited the cinema, your breath creating little clouds in the cold December air. 

“I can’t” Tom sighed “I promised Mel I’d go over to her place after the movie.” 

“Oh, bummer. What about you, Haz?” You turned to the blonde who had just pulled a beanie over his head, his dark blonde curls sticking out of it in the most adorable way.

“Yeah, I’m game. As long as we don’t watch another one of those romantic comedies.” 

“You’re no fun!” Laughing, you pushed him playfully before shoving your hands into your coat pockets. You said goodbye to Tom and started your walk home. 

Even though it wasn’t far you felt the cold creep into your bones, the tips of your ears already numb.

“You don’t happen to have another beanie with you, do you?” You asked pulling your shoulders up in hopes of keeping the little warmth you still had. 

“Are you cold?” 

“Yeah.” Your teeth were already chattering. You had a habit of not dressing right for the weather, and today was no exception. Harrison was quick to pull the beanie off his head before halting you with a hand on your shoulder. He stepped in front of you, placing the beanie over your head, tugging at the sides a little before he was happy with the position. You immediately relished the heat that the beanie was giving off. But your cheeks warmed for a complete different reason. Harrison was standing only a few inches in front of you, his hands now on your shoulders as he looked at you with a grin.

“Cute. You’d definitely win the who wore it better contest.” He gave your shoulders a squeeze before you both continued walking. 

When you arrived, you reluctantly handed the beanie back over to Harrison with a thank you. As much as you wanted to hold on to it. It wasn’t right. Maybe if you had been his girlfriend, you would’ve sneakily kept it. But that title belonged to someone else. 

Now you were sprawled out on your bed with an action movie that Harrison had picked playing on the tv. You were laying on your side while Harrison was perpendicular to you, his head resting against your belly and his long legs dangling off the edge of the bed. You weren’t really paying attention to the movie, too in your head about the position you were in, aware of every spot of your body that was in contact with Harrison’s. It took everything in you not to reach out and run your fingers through his hair.  

“Hey, Y/N?” 

“Hm?”

“D’you think I should break up with Becca?” His question came out of nowhere. And you had to pull yourself together for a moment.

“Why are you asking me that?” You were asking him two questions at the same time. 1) Why are you asking me that and 2) Why are you asking me that. 

“Dunno, I just-“ He turned to look at you, and you were hyper aware of his touch again.  “I don’t know.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, I like her. And these past couple months have been nice. But something doesn’t feel right.” 

You blew out your cheeks and released the air with a slow breath. 

“I’m not sure I’m the right person to answer that question. As cliche as it sounds, you should to what your heart tells you.” Now you were the one to shrug your shoulders. You didn’t want to be selfish and tell him to break up with Becca. You didn’t know why he was asking you this in the first place. Maybe he wanted to break up with her but wasn’t sure about it? Did he just want someone to give him the courage? And why was he asking you out of all people? Why didn’t he ask Tom? 

“But I don’t know what my heart is telling me.” He looked at you desperately and you felt a wave of anger breaking the surface. Because you knew what, or rather who, your heart wanted. And he was right here, leaning against you, asking you for relationship advice. 

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Haz.” You grumbled. “If you don’t want to be with her anymore, break up. It’s as easy as that.” You bit your cheek before you could let anything slip that would hint at your feelings for him. You were surprised he hadn’t already picked up on it. Maybe he had and was sparing you the embarrassment.

*

Not long after that conversation Harrison broke up with Becca. But you didn’t really feel the relief you had expected. Yes, Harrison was single again but that didn’t change anything between the two of you. 

At least not until a few weeks later when you were at yet another party. Harrison was drunk. He’d taken part in one too many drinking games. Leaning against the wall with your arms crossed over your chest, you watched him in amusement as he moved his lanky body to the music, doing cliche and overused dance moves just to make you laugh. And he succeeded. When he saw you chuckling he pretended to throw a lasso, ‘catching’ you with it. With a groan you do him the favour and unenthusiastically walk closer to him. He wraps his arms around your body, swaying you from side to side. All you could do was laugh, your arms pinned between you, your hands resting against his chest. 

“C’mon, Y/N, dance with me.” He chuckled, his chest rumbling under your hands. You swear your brain short circuited for a moment. 

“You call this dancing?” Instead of answering Harrison buried his face in the crook of your neck, goosebumps immediately covering your whole body at having him so close. You stayed like that for a bit before you had to detangle yourself from him. You weren’t sure you would survive tonight if he kept holding you like that. So you found a seat on the sofa to sit down while Harrison found himself another drink. You should’ve probably stopped him from drinking even more, but you were too preoccupied with getting your heart rate back to normal. You didn’t even realise when Harrison came back from the kitchen. 

“Hey.” He sat down on the coffee table in front of you, caging your legs in-between his, the denim of his jeans rubbing against the exposed skin of your thighs. He drunkenly smiled at you with glossy eyes, his face so close you could have counted his lashes. 

“Hey.” Your voice was a small whisper, overwhelmed by his proximity. Suddenly you felt his hand on your knee, your skin burning at the touch. His curls tickled your forehead and the tip of his nose touched yours. Your lips started tingling with anticipation. Your hand found his, that was still resting on your knee, as if it had a mind on its own. His fingers effortlessly tangled with your own.

“Harrison.” You pressed out. “You’re drunk.” There was nothing you wanted more than for him to kiss you. But not like this. Not when he was so drunk he could barely stand straight. Because you were sure that when he was sober tomorrow, he wouldn’t remember. Or worse, he’d regret it. 

Harrison leaned back and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “You’re right. And you” He pointed his finger at you “are not drunk enough.” With that he detangled his hand from yours and got up from the coffee table making his way to the kitchen. You followed him with your eyes, watching as he ran a hand through his hair before vanishing in the crowd of people. You let out a breath and buried your face in your hands. 

Looking back now, you always wonder if you should’ve let him kiss you. If that would’ve changed anything. But you had been too much of a coward. Too scared you would ruin your friendship. But now you didn’t even have that anymore, so what was holding back good for? Nothing. Nothing but the big old what if.  

-

second chances 

[ongaku-ato-kakikomi]

Can you do a Duke Crocker imagine, where you're Nathan's twin and you can't feel anything either? Like you've always hated Duke and he jokingly pats you on the back one day and like Nathan with Audrey's touches, she can feel it and starts making any excuse to get Duke to have any contact with her(high fives, random hugs, grabbing his arm when she almost "falls" ect.) And she ends up falling in love with him despite his past with her brother🥺sorry if that's too long

(A/N): I’ve fallen in love with this idea as soon as I got it in my ask box. Thank you so much for trusting me for writing it, dear! <3 I changed your examples of contacts the reader creates to try and make it more logical, so I hope you’ll like what I’ve come up with despite that.

“Show me your teeth.”

You roll your eyes at your brother, Nathan. “I come to see you at work and that’s the first thing you say to me?”

He blinks a few times at you. “Sorry. Hi, (Y/N). Now show me your teeth.”

You reluctantly open your mouth wide, your brother taking his time to inspect each tooth that is very much still in place.

“Show me your hands.” You close your mouth and put your hands in front of you, turning them around a few times. “Now turn around.”

You give out a groan while you do as he says, already tired of these shenanigans.

“You don’t seem to be hurt anywhere. Good.” He gives you a bright smile, satisfied with his inspection. “Someone has to make sure you’re not bleeding or losing any members.”

You quirk an eyebrow at him. “And is someone making sure you’re not bleeding?” He loses his smile, already knowing what you’re gonna say. “That’s right. It goes both ways. Now show me your teeth, Nathan.”

“Don’t worry, (Y/N).” Audrey suddenly appears next to your brother, the blond putting her hand on his shoulder. “I checked him twenty minutes ago. He seems good.”

You notice him slightly tensing up under Audrey’s touch, his lips slightly stretching out into a small smile when he turns towards her. Nathan told you about Audrey’s specialty; how he manages to feel every single bit of touch she gives him. And though you feel a bit jealous of him, you also feel extremely happy for him. You’d do anything to be able to physically feel something, anything... even the breath of the wind against your face, but you can’t.

“Hey, (Y/N) is here!” Your expression falters down as soon as you recognize Duke’s voice from behind you, already seeing his large smirk inside your mind without even looking at him. “What a surprise!”

You give your brother a glare. “I thought you said he wouldn’t be here today?”

You’ve tried to avoid seeing Duke Crocker most of your life, always feeling pure annoyance whenever he’s in the same room as you, and as of now, you’ve managed to only see him a few times since childhood. You were also sure that you wouldn’t see him today, especially since Nathan told you that he wouldn’t be here.

“I didn’t think he would be.” Your brother turns his eyes towards Audrey, squinting them when he notices a knowing grin on her lips. “But I have a little idea why...”

“Ouch.” You turn your head towards Duke just as he comes to a halt next to you. “And here I thought we could be friends. What did I do to earn such hatred?”

You give him a hard smile. “Look in the mirror and you’ll have your answer.”

He gives out a dramatic gasp at your response, your brother giving out a loud laugh. “Good one!”

“Guys!” Audrey gives you all her ‘big eyes’. “Come on, can’t you get along for once?”

“Nah, it’s okay, Audrey.” Duke gives her a wink, not at all bothered by your remarks. “(Y/N) is just teasing me. She always does. Right, (Y/N)?”

You’re about to let out another remark when he abruptly pats your back, your words dying inside your throat as soon as you realized what happened.

You felt his hands on your back.

You tilt your head at Duke with pure confusion, the man staring back at you with the exact emotion. For once, you weren’t looking at him with annoyance or hatred, and it couldn’t exactly pinpoint why you suddenly weren’t.

“Audrey.” Your brother speaks up, the police officer giving the blond a hard look. “Why is he here?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” Audrey gives him an innocent look. “He’s gonna help us with the investigation.”

“He’s gonna ‘what’?!”

Duke looks away from you to send your brother a smirk. “Audrey said I’d be ‘useful’.”

You blink a few times, suddenly remembering where you are. “I find that unlikely.”

“Yeah, well...” He looks back at you, his smile not at all flinching. “You always do.”

You give him back a hard smile, though not as hard as you usually do. The feeling of his hands on your back still lingers there and partially clouds your mind. You can’t help but wonder if you’ve imagined it. You were thinking about your brother’s situation with Audrey... maybe you were wishing for the same thing so hard that your brain gave you a small exception?

“Anyway...” Duke claps his hands together, looking back towards Nathan and Audrey. “Are we gonna go or are we just gonna stand here like idiots?”

Your brother gives him a glare. “Audrey?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” She grabs her coat from her chair, sending you a smile on your way out. “You’re welcomed to join us, (Y/N).”

“Huh?” You blink in surprise, slowly starting to follow them. “Yeah... yeah, sure.”

“(Y/N) is willing to share a car ride with me?” Duke sends you a grin. “This must be my lucky day.”

“Don’t push it.”

He just laughs at your reaction, none of you noticing Nathan and Audrey exchanging whispering words.

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

You give a side gland towards Duke sitting next to you, your eyes carefully watching his face as he spits out a large number of words to annoy your brother more than he usually does. Normally you would have shut him up with one of your remarks by now, but the moment from earlier still obsess you. Forget how or why it happened, you have to know if you’ve imagined his touch or not... and there’s only one way to be sure.

“Ow!” You suddenly interrupt Duke by suddenly flicking your fingers against his cheek, his head snapping towards you as he holds his face with his hand. “Why did you do that?”

You ignore him and look down at your fingers, feeling a satisfying pain rushing through them. “... I just had an urge.”

You barely hear your brother laugh as Duke pouts about the pain you put him through, a small smile appearing on your lips as you realize that this is real. You can feel Duke’s touch. Would you have preferred someone else? Absolutely. Anyone but Duke would have been more than welcomed. But are you going to ignore this opportunity life is giving you? Hell no.

You’re gonna have fun with this.

“Oh, stop crying.” You poke his cheek just where you flicked your fingers earlier, a large grin forming on your lips when you feel his skin against yours. “I didn’t take you for a baby, Crocker.”

“What-stop poking me!” He pushes your hand away, a frown on his face as he hears Nathan chuckle in the front. “You’re lucky you can’t feel anything-”

 He gets interrupted by your hands suddenly squishing his face away, confusing spreading on his features.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Trying to shut you up.” You let go of his face, realizing that you might be going a bit too far. “But it’s not working.”

“Guys.” Audrey interrupts your conversation, Nathan still chuckling as he stops the car. “We’re here.”

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

It’s been more than a few minutes since you’ve arrived at the crime scene, Nathan and Audrey now currently questioning the witnesses. Why were you and Duke even around in the first place? You have no idea. But as the two of you wait around for them to finish, you decide to test your theory a little more.

“Ow!” Duke takes a step away from you as soon as he feels your shoe kicking his leg, his eyes squinting at you. “Okay, what is your problem?”

You lose your grin as soon as he says that. “It’s not obvious? You’re my problem.”

“Yeah, yeah... you hate me, I know. But you’ve never kicked me. Or poked me. Or squished my face.” He points at you, suspicion all over his features. “So what’s the sudden change, huh?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

You almost want to curse yourself at how fast you said those words, already knowing that he’s not going to believe that. You almost want to cringe when you see his lips stretch out into a large grin, already dreading the worst.

“Don’t tell me...” His smile gets wider, his excitement suddenly rising. “You actually like me!”

“What-no!” You frown, already shaking your head at him in disgust. “Ew! Never!”

“Aw, don’t deny it.” He approaches his face to yours, his annoying ‘charm’ turning on. “I knew you’d like me eventually. Everyone does-”

You shove his face away with your hands, muffling his words by doing so. “I will never ever like you.”

You truly believe those words, trying your best to ignore the tingling going through your skin after you touched his face. This is not going to change how you feel about Duke. You’ll make sure of it.

But Duke seems to be sure of something else, as he starts to laugh while he gently puts your hands away from his face.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Wuornos.” He gives you a knowing smile. “But I know the truth.”

You realize that you’ve let him hold onto your hands, your mind to enraptured by the feeling of it to let you do anything about it until now. You suddenly pull them back towards you, sending him a glare.

“In your dreams, Duke.”

“Already happened.”

You give out a gagging sound while you walk away from him, his laugh resonating in your ears. You were hoping there wasn’t a blush creeping up on your cheeks, having never been able to feel the heat of it. What you could feel was your heartbeat getting incredibly louder inside your chest, your mind already screaming at it to stop.

This is one of the many reasons why you try so hard to avoid Duke. You try your best to hate him, to despise him... and you do... until you get to spend time with him, and then you have to beat yourself up to hate him again. You don’t want to like him, not after what happened between him and your brother all those years ago... and you’re not gonna let his stupid feeling exception put all of your past efforts to crumble.

So why are you not quite believing that?

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

“Boo.”

You give out a scream when you hear Duke suddenly whisper that word in your ears, already pushing him away from you. “What the hell?!”

“Aw, did I scare you?” He gives you a grin. “Sorry... not sorry!”

You glare at him, feeling your hands starting to tingle from having just pushed him. It’s been a week since you’ve felt anything, having realized that it wasn’t worth risking your brother’s trust. So you’ve started to avoid the crooked criminal again, and it worked. Until now.

Gosh, why did you have to go on a walk today?

“What do you want?”

“To bother you. I think it’s a good payback from last time.” He shrugs, his words already making you groan in annoyance as you start walking away. “I also wanted to see how you were doing. You know? With the whole ‘liking me’ thing?”

“I don’t like you.”

“Hm. Right.” He snaps his fingers before he points at you. “You love me.”

You suddenly stop in your tracks, sending him a glare. “I do not love you!”

He just gives you a large grin as an answer, as if he knew something you didn’t, which only seems to make you angrier.

“What?”

“You’re pretty when you’re mad-ow!” He rubs his arms after you hit it, his grin coming back soon after. “See? You like me!”

You shake your head at him. “How is me hitting you proof that I like you?”

“I don’t know... maybe the fact that you’re blushing?” Your eyes open wide, your hands immediately going to your cheeks to try and feel the heat: but as usual, nothing. “If you don’t believe me, I can fetch a mirror for you.”

“I’m not blushing.” You walk away from him, deciding to just deny everything. “You’re lying.”

“But I’m not!” He follows you close behind, forcing you to stop walking when he suddenly jumps in front of you. “Come on... why are you denying it?”

You glare at him once more. “I don’t need to deny things that don't exist.”

“Is liking me that much of a bad thing?” His question takes you by surprise, and you can almost sense a glint of pain in his eyes. “You don’t have to hate me just cause your brother does, you know?”

“Are you not hearing me when I talk?” You poke his shoulder with your finger, slightly pushing him away. “I. Don’t. Like. You.”

“But I like you.”

You stare at him in shock, your words choking in your throat. “... what?”

“I said I like you.” He puts his hands in his jeans’ pockets, seeming a little less confident than before. “I always have, and I know you like me... so why won’t you just give me a chance?”

“I...” You give out a sigh, rubbing your face with your hands. “Why do you keep saying that I like you?”

He lightly chuckles. “Why did you suddenly start touching me so much?”

“Because...” You hesitate for a second, then give out another sigh. “Cause I can feel you, okay?”

He stares at you for a second, confusion in his eyes. “Huh?”

“When you pat my back the other day.” You cross your arms over your chest, a sense of embarrassment going through you. “I felt that, but I wasn’t sure it was real... so that’s why I kept hitting you and all.”

“... you can feel me?”

“Yeah.” You notice the glint of an idea going through his eyes, frowning. “What are you thinking, Crocker?”

“So if I do this...” Your eyes widen when he suddenly takes your hand in his, his lips stretching out into a grin. “... you can feel that?”

You feel a shot of electricity running through your arm, watching his fingers intertwine with yours. “... what are you doing?” 

“What if I do this....” You shut your eyes close when you suddenly feel his other hand against your cheek, his fingers gently pushing a strand of hair away from your face. “... can you also feel that?”

You feel the warmth of his skin against yours, a shudder running down your spine for the first time in your entire life. You open your eyes again, now seeing him getting dangerously closer. “Duke... seriously...”

“What about this?”

You’ve never been able to feel what a kiss feels like before that moment, your mind screaming the moment you felt his lips on yours. Every little movement he made, every touch of his fingers against your skin felt like little explosions that had dangerous consequences for your heart. You couldn’t think anymore, all you could do was feel, and when he parts away a few seconds later, you can barely hear him talk.

“Did you feel that?”

“I...” A stutter threatens to come out, your free hand slowly raising so you can point at him. “... I hate you...”

He gives out a grin at your answer, noticing the tremble in your voice. “Really? I beg to differ-ow!” He gives out a laugh when he realizes that you’ve hit his shoulder yet again. “Well, I guess you definitely felt that.”

You try to wipe his touch away from your lips, without any use. “Don’t do that again.”

“Alright, I’ll do that again.” He gives out a larger grin. “As many times as you want.”

“You know that’s not what I said!” You realize that you’re still holding his hand, and so you try to free yourself, but without any success. “Duke, let go of my hand.”

“Nope.”

“Let go of my hand!”

“Not until you agree that you like me.” You give out a groan, which only seems to make his grin wider. “I’m waiting...”

“Fine!” You shake your head before you glare at him. “I like you. Satisfied?”

“Very.” He lets go of your hand, a sense of disappointment washing over you when he does. “Now... are you free tonight?”

You squint your eyes at him. “... why?”

“So I can take you on a proper date.”

You stare at him for a few seconds, then give out a sigh. “... you’re not gonna take ‘no’ as an answer, are you?”

His lips stretch out. “Does that mean you’re saying ‘yes’?”

You hated him. You’ve always hated him, just like your brother did. You swore this newfound discovery wouldn’t change anything... but gosh, it did. And there’s nothing you can do about it.

“Yeah.” You give out a sigh. “Yeah... I guess I can go on a date with you.”

“Yes!”

You can’t help but chuckle when you see him throw his fist up in the air in victory.

And you know, maybe... just maybe... this little exception is a hint that this is destiny.

[poptod]

Cambridge Ghouls pt. 3 (Ahkmenrah x Reader)

Description: Your friend’s antics has pulled you and Ahk out of your comfortable library and into Scotland.

Notes: been a hot minute since i updated this so renewal on what is going on here: you are a zombie named crayon who lives on the grounds of cambridge university. your friends are ahk, a revived mummy; amy, a ghost; phillip, a vampire; rose, a corpse; and benjamin, a human. i wrote and came up w this while high and i feel like im following in the footsteps of shawn, the writer of natm. enjoy the story i tacked onto the one drawing i made WC: 6.8k

+

The pressure of your head on his shoulder, face hidden in the beaded cloth of his collar, was the only sensation he cared to feel. Early hours of night often lead to this position––cradled in blankets, trying to learn English, and trying to cope with the new world the both of you were vomited into. Tonight was much the same, though the familiar warmth of the hearth was cold in the dusty dark of the library room.

Your friends had yet to join you, a fact that had Ahk glancing at the door every five minutes. It was unlike them to take so long. If he had to guess, he'd surmise they'd gotten into a spot of mischief, and were held up with their own problems. That happened an unfortunate amount of times, but Ahk didn't mind much, as it often left the two of you in peace and quiet. While the four of them cavorted off on school grounds, he kissed the top of your head.

"- and did I ever tell you where I got that from?" came from behind the door, muffled but growing steadily closer. The footfalls of several people followed, and Ahk assumed it was his friends finally visiting you and him.

The door slamming open startled you into a jump that pushed your cat off your lap, knocking Ahk's jaw as you frantically scanned the room. His lower teeth clashed with his upper, sending a sharp wave of pain through his skull, one that quickly dissipated upon seeing his friends. Phillip, leading the pack, was talking loud and fast with wildly fast hand movements, and was clearly not being understood by anyone present. Amy followed close behind, floating above the heads of the others for ease. Then came a very distressed-looking Ben, whose usual soft features were contorted into panic.

Phillip continued talking for a minute, unchallenged for attention, until Ahk, who grew easily irritated at times, finally stopped him.

"Phil!" He said, his accent still twisting his words. "None of us can understand you."

"Wh -" he paused at last, looking to each of them, "I – Ben lost my violin!"

"A what?" Ahk said, taken aback.

"I'm sorry!" said Ben in a fluster.

"He did what?!" said Amy.

You stumbled over quietly, hanging off of Ahk's arm as you attempted to listen.

"I got that violin from my grandfather, crafted out of this beautiful wood and enchanted, and... ohh! You are so irritating sometimes," Phillip whined, growing into a growl as he pointed a finger at Ben.

"Enchanted? What, like a magic violin?" Amy asked.

"Precisely like a magic violin," Phillip said with a sigh, looking dramatically morose. What else could you expect of a vampire from the 1600's?

"Can someone please tell me what a violin is?" Ahk said, glancing between Ben, Amy, and Phillip.

"It's an instrument like the harp or lyre," Amy quickly explained. "Ben borrowed a 'special' violin from Phil after almost failing music class."

"I can't afford to fail another class," Ben moaned, "I'm already two classes over the limit, and my parents can only do so much."

"Mein Gott," Phil said under his breath.

"Is your grandfather going to be mad?" Ben asked nervously, turning to Phil.

"No, they're not hard for him to make. He's just the only one who's capable of making them, and the wood is very specific. It's the only kind that can channel pure magic."

"So... the Tree of Life," Ahk said. He had his hands folded beneath his chin, eyes concentrated on the vampire.

"Something like that. It's just – look, I need that violin, too. We can go and try to find that tree and ask my grandfather to make another, and you can use it to pass the class, but after that it comes back to me. Don't take music next year," Phillip said, turning to face Ben.

"Damn it," Ben cursed. "Fine. Deal."

"Wonderful," Phillip said with a curt smile, shaking Ben's hand firmly.

Once he let go, Phillip went straight to the bookcase, supernaturally fast eyes scanning the many titles. Ahkmenrah watched on for a moment in mild confusion before his attention was diverted to you, your weight falling onto him as you leaned.

"Careful there," he murmured, helping to rebalance you. You wouldn't understand him, but the sentiment was there, and you stayed close-by.

Ben, being a tall lad, looked over Phillip's shoulder every time he pulled a book down. While he did that you got distracted by your cat Winchester purring at your feet, kneeling down to gather him in your clumsy arms. The undead cat––much like you––didn't weigh much after the rot.

"Amy, are these books up-to-date on their information?" Phillip asked, ignoring Ben's breathing in his ear.

"Why should I know that?"

"Because you know an absurd amount of things that don't really matter except for in certain, usually odd instances," Phillip replied without looking up.

"... most of them are up to date," she mumbled. Phillip thanked her before promptly returning to his search.

You tugged on Ahk's sleeve again, opening your mouth to say something but only a soft whine leaving you. He took your hand, facing you with concerned eyes, but said nothing. Instead he scanned your expression, waiting to see if you would motion or signify anything. You wouldn't understand his words, anyway.

"Hunngryy.." you suddenly breathed out, your fingers coming to rest on high on his cheek, dragging down to the end of his jaw. His eyes widened.

"Hungry?" He repeated.

Ahk turned to the others, contemplating how he would get you something to eat. There was no food in the library, and very little food in the whole of the school, what with the winter break nearing. Best choice would be to keep with the others, he decided.

"You'll be alright for a little bit, right?" He asked you. You showed no signs of any reaction, only staring at your fingers touching his face.

"Ahk, we need to go to Scotland," Phillip said, snapping a book shut and sliding it back into its' place on the bookshelf.

"What? Why?"

"Because of the British," he seethed, promptly whipping around and walking out the door.

Ahk watched on in his usual state of confusion, but knew better than to ask questions. As much of a leader as he was born and bred to be, he was happy to follow the vampire's lead, to look after you as the others panicked about their petty things.

So he took your hand––followed only when everyone else was out the door, and locked the library behind him, fingers still entwined with yours. Though your hands were in a constant clumsy blunder, you tried your best to keep still in his touch. He never minded. Your fingers, while a little cool, had a forgiving magic that calmed him easily.

Brisk night air hit his face the moment he exited the school, following his friends through the grassy fields growing outside the brick and mortar building. Disappointing as it was unavoidable, none of the stars showed in the sky, blurred by the bright streetlamps lining the puddle-filled roads. The distinct scent of rain––petrichor––intoxicated the air he breathed, a leftover of the rains plaguing the city all day. Cars passed by, though luckily not often, as the sound of a roaring engine followed by rainwater splashing up his leg was not something Ahk enjoyed. His beautiful, golden robes never fared well in dreary English weather.

You showed no aversion to the cold or the wet. He had never seen you shiver, or wipe rain off yourself, or avoid stepping in puddles. You tried to stay out of mud, yes, but that was about it.

Phillip paused at the roadside, glancing out at the street with wide, searching eyes. Ben joined him on his right, and the two of them began to look for a cab, a fact that Ahk only knew because it was how they always got around. Once you caught up to Ahk halting, you bumped into his shoulder. Winchester followed you in a quick strut, ever loyal to his owner. For a second you stumbled back, but with a tug from him you were centered, once again resting part of your weight on him. Without him, you slouched in a noticeably-undead way.

"Can I ask what we're doing?" Ahk asked Amy, though he kept his eyes on the two men trying to hail a cab.

"One moment," she said.

A second later and he noticed the car driving up, rolling wheels flicking water onto the shined ends of Ben's tailored shoes. He stepped back with a gasp, backing into Phillip, who quickly pushed him away. Once the cab came to a full stop, Phillip made his way to the front window to speak with the driver. After a quick conversation, the five of you crammed into the back of the cab, your knees held up high to your chests with each of your hands in your respective laps.

"Now can I ask what we're doing?" Ahk asked again.

"We're going to Scotland to get the tree," Amy said.

"It's a specific strain that doesn't exist in England, but there should be a few up in the highlands," Phillip further explained.

"Are we taking a cab all the time?"

His slip-up in english was overlooked as Phillip said, "we're getting to the train station. Won't be a comfy car but we should get there in time."

"We'll need you two to get the tickets for us. They see Ahkmenrah, or Crayon, they're going to ask questions. If they see me, well... um.. I suppose I could just act like a ghost," Amy said, trailing off as she thought strategically.

"Good point. And we need an excuse for when they come to check our tickets," Phillip said as he leaned inward into the group, his right leg bouncing up and down.

"Movies! Or – or a musical, how's that work?" Ben suggested in a sudden moment of brilliance, a wide smile matching his sporting tone.

"Good idea, for once. And – wait," Phillip paused, "is the screen between us and the driver...?"

"It's there," Amy said, sparking a sigh of relief out of Phil.

"Gott sei Dank," Phil mumbled.

For the next 10 minutes of driving that should've been six without traffic, the three of them discussed the technicalities, the lies they would have to formulate in order to achieve their goal. In that time you began to gnaw on your fingers, hunger tearing at your already shoddy intestines. Ahk scolded you twice, though it never worked, and the third time he did so you whined and hid your face in him. He sighed quietly, leaning in to kiss the top of your head.

As the cab began to slow to a halt, Benjamin pulled out his wallet, handing several notes to the driver through the tray given. With that the five of you stumbled out of the tiny black automobile, watching it speed off only to stop at the next hailing woman.

"Alright, you guys wait out here. Benjamin and I will be back in a couple minutes," Phillip said, halting you, Ahk, and Amy beside a bench near the entrance.

Though clearly irritated by the command, Amy took the invisible seat beside the bench. Ahk took a seat as well, and you easily followed, fidgeting with the skin on your hands.

"How long will they take do you think?" Ahk asked.

"Ten minutes maybe? Neither of them have great... people skills," Amy said hesitantly, her eyes never leaving the doors of the station.

A tug on his head stopped him from asking for clarification, and instead he turned back to you, patiently but quietly asking what you were doing. You hummed something unintelligible, continuing to pull at his crown. To spare himself the headache he took it off for you, handing the heavy gold to you, and chuckling softly when you couldn't quite carry it.

To your side sat Winchester, who gingerly sniffed the shining metal before shrinking away in disdain. You mumbled something again before landing a kiss on top of the cat's head.

"I'm going to need that back, you know," Ahk said with a chuckle, bringing your attention back to him.

You just tilted your head and smiled, slightly spaced out but eyes filled with a warmth. Every now and then he glimpsed this, this spirit that had nothing to give but kindness, who shone from the best center a human can have; honest adoration for another. You raised your hand, tangling your fingers in his dark hair and ruffling the curls there.

For a moment you tried to say something, but as it continually didn't come out right, you instead attempted bopping his nose with your fingertip. Attempted meaning not successfully; you missed and almost poked him in the eye, but Ahk flinched and you just poked him on his cheek. He chuckled, took your hand, and kissed the back of it.

A blush of sorts took to your cheeks. Like most times, you had little idea why you were feeling strangely, and thus pulled away from his touch. He knew not to mind by now.

"Amy?"

"Mm?"

"Do you think they have any food in there?"

"Nothing that's open. Might have a coffee place still up, but... well, they might have some croissants. Bread," she said, taking a moment to think before she spoke.

"I don't think Crayon would eat it," Ahk said.

"Probably not." Amy looked past Ahk to you, watching you for a moment before continuing. "The dinner car might be open, though. Depends on how expensive the tickets are."

"Hmm," he sighed. "Thank you."

She nodded with a smile before turning back to the train station, the warm light of lamps both indoor and outdoor illuminating the empty waiting lines and streetsides. Those still outside were dressed in coats and scarves, though weren't piled up in different layers––those would have to wait for colder months, which would not come until the warmer ones came and went.

Most people ignored the three of you. Close to no light shone on the bench shadowed by the overhang, and since you kept quiet, no one bothered to spare an extra glance. In the dark, Amy was mostly invisible. You and Ahk didn't have that power, but you mostly looked like a homeless person, and Ahk... well, he wrapped himself up in his cape, and that was about the best disguise he could manage.

The door of the station clicked open, drawing all eyes to the approaching figure of Phillip, silhouetted against the lights of the station inside.

"Ben's inside, we booked a room and we're leaving in five minutes," Phillip said, almost out of breath as he stopped in front of you.

"Five minutes?" Amy asked as the three of you stood. "Rather last minute, isn't it?"

"It's a night train, no one's got tickets anyway," Phillip said, tapping the backs of each of you as you passed him, coralling you all into the building.

It wasn't warmer inside as Ahk expected, leading him to thoughtlessly tuck his arms into himself. He'd been looking forward to some warmth. Hopefully he'd find that on the train. Just as Amy surmised, most of the restaurants inside the building were closed, iron grates pulled over once-colorful shops. Ahk paused to take in what little architecture he could see in the dark, but was soon pulled away by Phillip leading the group onwards.

Once again he tapped your backs, counting each of you as you entered the halted train. You reached for Ahk's hand as you walked down the long hallway, searching for the right room number, which only Benjamin and Phillip knew. Most of the lights outside the train were dimmed by the darkened windows, and instead the way was shown by tiny lamps lining the hallways and rooms.

"Here," Ben said, stopping those ahead of him. You and Ahk turned, and the five of you piled into the little room, whose velvet seats were soon covered up by your group.

As usual, you took your seat beside Ahk, who had claimed a window seat that happened to be near the table as well. On the other side of the train car, there was nothing but empty tracks and the eerie darkness of cities at evening. You sniffed and leaned back against the Pharaoh.

"Mmm," you mumbled, turning to press your face into his side, "hunngryy."

"I know," he said softly. "Do we have a food car?"

"I don't know if they'll have any real food, but they probably have snacks," Phillip said, still situating himself in the crowded room.

Ahk looked to Amy, who shrugged.

"Might as well try," she said, and with no reason to refute her, Ahk clumsily led you past the seated legs and back into the hallway.

The train began to rumble forward as the two of you walked. You bumped into Ahk's back when it happened, but you regained balance easily, and two train cars down you found the dining car. Only one light was on, sat upon the bartop beside a single bowl of nuts. The windows, lined by red and gold curtains, showed nothing but speeding darkness outside.

You moaned uneasily, tugging on Ahk's sleeve as your eyes remained entranced upon the flickering buildings outside.

"Fast, isn't it?" He said softly, glancing to you before looking back outside. "You'll be alright?"

Of course you didn't understand his words, but seeing as he wasn't upset by the high speeds, you calmed down. He then glanced over the bar counter, searching for any food besides the bowl of nuts. Upon finding nothing his face screwed up in dissatisfaction.

"Will you eat nuts?" He asked as he took the bowl, handing it to you.

You fingered through them, pushing aside the ones you deemed inedible. He watched you for a little while––and you did take a while to sort the whole bowl––but in the end you only ate about three. It might tide you for a little while, but you would have to eat again later.

After thoroughly searching the train car, the two of you returned to the rest of your friends, who had made busy discussing the fickle state of Phillip's teeth. Phillip himself wasn't engaging much considering he didn't find the topic an agreeable conversation point, and his stubbornness had led way to Ben and Amy getting once more embroiled in debate.

"I honestly think his teeth grow. I'm pretty sure I've heard of that being a condition, and I mean, it happens to rabbits. It could happen to humans," Ben said, crossing his arms but keeping a polite tone. Amy, however, had no consideration for such niceties.

"I... I don't care to unpack all that, but we've told you this before. He's a vampire. He can retract his teeth, and that's why they have different sizes at different times," she explained in a seething voice, her teeth clearly gritted behind her lips.

"Where would someone store a retracted tooth? It's not like claws, there's no space in the skull," Ben said, completely passing over the very clear indicator of something he had yet to figure out; Phillip was a vampire.

"Tiny bit of food over there, but I'm still going to be looking," Ahk said halfheartedly to Amy, crawling in beside her on the bench. "How long's this ride supposed to be?"

"Ten hours," Phillip replied gruffly, his half-lidded eyes staring vacantly out the window. He slouched against the wall, balancing his cheek on his palm, elbow rested on the tiny desk beneath the glass.

"Oh dear," Ahk said, his voice suddenly small.

"Yes, well," Phillip sniffed, shifting in his seat, "we'll have to be quick once we get there. Our ticket back is for the coming morning."

"Wait, morning?! Have you forgotten Crayon and I can't see the sun?"

"Oh, shit, my apologies," he said, eyes wide as he remembered your unfortunate curse. He stood, smoothing out the wrinkles in his suit. "I'll, um, I'll go see the director. I'm sure I can get something sorted, trade in your tickets for, um... tomorrow night. We can get you a hotel room or something."

He left quick after that, scooting past all your legs before pushing himself out the door. A deep uneasiness settled itself inside Ahk, appearing in the form of a racing heart, and paranoid thoughts. To die, to risk seeing the dawn just for a violin, seemed to him a strange way for his story to end. He had a feeling––one that would never go away––that he would not die to the sun. Not him, the undead King of a sunkissed land. Still, just because he was somewhat-certain about himself not dying, he had you to worry about. You didn't understand the whole 'sun will kill you' thing all that well, and you had no fear regarding the morning. He would have to keep an eye on you the later into the night it got.

The stars, once clogged by streetlamps and busy restaurant lights, shone brighter in the suburbia sprawling out across the land. Very slowly the tall buildings began to fade, and the homes grew less and less frequent till each one had a personality of its' own. Grass and overgrowing flora took the place of wide, car-lined streets, and eventually the short brick walls flanking either side of the train tracks fell away to show the whole of the land.

Ahk didn't need sleep. You didn't either, but the two of you nonetheless curled into one another, dozing in the warm light as the others conversed quietly. He overheard little (considering he didn't care to listen), but the others seemed to be in good spirits despite the loss of an apparently valuable violin.

Brakes screeching outside brought him to stir, dazed eyes landing first on the pale sky, and then to you, completely zonked out. He chuckled but had no time to comment on it before Phillip was rushing the five of you out, grabbing the few coats you kept in the top rack and coralling you down the hall.

The air here had a certain taste; that was what Ahk first noticed upon exiting the train. Although the sky was already beginning to lighten, it was clear the sun would not come for a good several hours, as the stars still shone in the darker pockets of space. Rolling hills and jagged mountains surrounded him, framing the tiny train station that remained entirely unoccupied save for him and his friends. Down the grass-filled valley lay a town whose houses consisted of wood, painted dull colors but decorated with flowers, petals of red, yellow, and purple lining the brick roads. Very little light from the horizon reached the town.

Phillip hit Amy on the side. "There," he said, eyes trained on the distance as he pointed across the outdoor station, "tree groves. Looks like pine."

"Indeed it is," she said with a smile.

"Is that what we need then? A pine tree?" Ben asked.

"Well... sort of," Phillip said, shrugging.

He scanned the train stop, and in less than a second he began to go in the right direction, headed for the tall bridges that crowned the railroad. The others followed quick behind, though Ahk had to grab your hand and pull you away from the alluring lights of the town.

"Hunng..gry," you whined, stumbling over your feet as you tried in vain to escape Ahk's grasp.

"Crayon, you can't go down there," he said, feeling more and more as though he was taking care of a child. "Come now."

You whined again but made no more attempts to refuse. Once you caught up to the rest of the group, the sudden loss of speed in Ahk's step had you bumping into him again, but once your head rested on the back of his shoulder you stayed put. Each time you rested yourself on him in any way, a fluttering light would suddenly overtake him with a blush. This was only strange because you did that a lot––each night, multiple times, you would put your head on his shoulder, lean on his chest, rest your hands in his lap. Another charm of yours.

Freezing damp surrounded his feet, open to the coming breezes since he never wore anything but sandals. His state of being mostly-undead kept him from feeling a good deal of the cold, there was still a tingling numbness, apparent in all of his fingers and the tip of his nose. For the first time he shivered, helpless to the vibrations pulsing through him.

"Ah, careful here," Phillip said, slowing the pace to make way for a long, stone fence ranging all the way down into the village. "The rocks are still very wet, so..."

Amy floated on over the wall, materializing her hand to help Phillip step over. He took it with a thank you, balancing himself on her, and soon helping Ben and Ahk over as well. Even Winchester got over, his large paws landing on the stones before jumping back down into the mud and grass. Unfortunately, you were still on the other side and incredibly confused. Your head tilted to the side, brows furrowed deeply as your mouth hung half-open.

"Take my hand, dear," Ahk said as he held out his own hand, which you gingerly took.

Your grip remained as gentle as you could manage, a habit you grew after accidentally hurting Ahk, but the habit had you nearly slipping and cracking your skull further.

"Woah there," Phillip said, instinctually zipping over to catch you. "Just – sit on the rocks."

Although you didn't understand, Ahk made sure to motion to you, and you reluctantly sat on the rocks. Your face scrunched up as your pant soaked from waist to ankles. With a little help, you swung your legs over.

"Alright, good?" Phillip asked the group at large, looking to each of you. When he received all nods, he continued onwards to the nearing grove of trees, searching carefully for any dips in the terrain.

"How are you, my dear?" Ahk asked to only you, his voice a murmur in your ear. He leant in to speak more secretively, an action that made you giggle, which in turn brought a smile to his face. Of course you couldn't verbally respond, so instead you gently headbumped him in the shoulder.

The same questions as always rang in his head as he watched you, wondering if you understood any part of him at all. It was clear by now there was something in your head––you had learned the word for hunger, and you showed affection to him specifically. Was that because he was a safe space, or because you loved him? He tried to never contemplate it, as it was likely he would never get answers, even if he wanted nothing more than that.

"Alright, so, we're looking for trees that can support magic. It's relatively easy to test it," Phillip said, ducking beneath the unavoidable branches to continue through the grove. "Just concentrate your magic into the tip of your finger and put it to the tree. If it leaves a burn mark, it isn't magic, but if the light flows through the bark, it works with magic. It'll look a bit like glowing veins."

"You'd know all about that," Amy mumbled beneath her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," she said, and he didn't pry further.

"Um, Phillip?" Ahk said slowly, raising a single brow as he scanned the forest. "How do we, um, consecrate magic?"

"Concentrate," Amy corrected.

"What? I thought you could. You're a cursed mummy, why wouldn't you have magic?" Phillip said with a frown.

"I don't have it either," Amy said, raising her hand slowly, reluctant to meet his eye.

"You're – okay, alright, it's fine. I suppose I'll... just have to check myself," he grumbled, cursing under his breath as he turned back to the woods.

"So how do we do the magic?" Ben asked quietly once Phillip had left earshot.

"Unless you come from sorcerers, we don't," said Amy.

"What's sorcerers?" Ahk asked, and although he hadn't meant to, Amy began to grow irritated.

"A type of person who uses magic. Come on, let's catch back up," she said, expertly pulling the conversation off of her, and onto the path ahead.

He didn't remember when you stopped touching him, or when Winchester had disappeared from sight, but as he looked behind him panic filled his lungs. You were not there. Actually, you weren't anywhere in sight––you, and your cat, had run off.

"Amy!" Ahk said, eyes widening as his face paled. "We've got to find Crayon!"

"Wh- you let them run off?!"

"I thought they were still with me!" Ahk cried, holding his head in his hands as dread dripped from his eyes like tears.

"Ben, go find Phillip. We have to find Crayon," Amy said, and with that Ben sped off, and Amy floated above the trees. "I'll try and find them in this direction. Go fifty paces that way and then come directly back, it won't work if you get lost as well."

"Um – what's paces?"

"Fifty steps or something," she said.

"I'm.. really sorry, what's fifty?"

She sighed but floated back to the ground, patiently taking the time to write it out in Egyptian numerals in the dirt.

"Ohhh," he mumbled. "Thank you."

"Of course. Now go," she said, pushing him back to it.

Paranoia pounded in his heart as he walked, carefully counting the number of steps he took, and carefully keeping in the right direction. Much of his concentration stayed in keeping the right path, but the good rest of it was absorbed in looking for you. He was easy to spot in both day and night with his golden robes. You, on the other hand, blended in nearly everywhere. Perhaps your cat would give you away, but he didn't rely on that happenstance.

Throughout his search he remained in high alert, paying special attention to each of his senses. As much as he wanted to run through the forest, looking for you at every turn, it would do no more than waste his energy and get him as lost as you. So he kept to his pace no matter what his instincts told him, and retraced his steps once he hit 50.

"Any sight of them?" Ahk asked once Amy appeared from among the twisting branches.

"No," she said with a curt sigh. "No sign of the cat, either."

"Damn," he cursed. "Where would they have gone?"

"I don't –"

"AMY??!"

Phillip's voice nearly echoed with the strength of it. Amy just sighed, again, but took off in the direction of the yell. He followed quick after, following her ethereal form through the pines. The two of them soon came to find Phillip and Ben standing beside a tree that, as expected, had glowing tangles of string lining up and down the bark, much like veins.

"Find it?" Ahk asked, panting slightly from the exertion of running.

"Yes, but we've run into a horrible problem," he spluttered, clearly overwhelmed by the whole of the night.

"What's that?" said Amy.

"We forgot the ax," Ben said, hiding his face in his hands in such a way that his voice came out muffled.

"Oh... fuck," she said.

Muffled grumbling dragged him out of the conversation, though seeing as no one else turned, Ahk assumed he was the sole listener. For a moment it sounded like a wild animal, and his heart began preemptively racing in its' cage. Then came movement––the rustling of bushes and trees, footsteps sloshing in the mud as though something was being dragged.

Thick, clotted blood ran down from your mouth, streaking down your shirt and staining both of your hands. Flecks of it had landed all across your torso, coloring the dull mud caked onto the shirt. Winchester stood at your side, looking lovingly up at you, and on your other side you clutched the leg of a creature long-dead.

"Crayon," Ahk whispered out, and the conversation behind him fell silent, all eyes turning to you. No one moved, entranced in the strained breaths heaving your chest up and down.

You made your way forward, passing Phillip and coming to the tree, whose veins still held the eerie glow. Ignoring the sharp needles and branches, you grabbed the trunk. With a mighty shout and a horrible cracking that likened far too much to bones for anyone's comfort, the tree came crumbling down, a victim to the uncontrolled strength of the aggravated undead.

The four watched on in great surprise and mild horror as you turned back around, looking as though you'd done no more than picked up your cat.

"Ahhk..m," you mumbled past blood-soaked lips, shuffling forward. Halfway to him you dropped the leg of what was now clearly a sheep, and soon you bumped into him, leaning part of your frail weight on him.

He didn't react, too flabbergasted to do so. A number of things had him petrified, and all together it was too much––you going missing and then returning, covered in blood no less, and then the part he didn't know what to think of.

You said his name. Out of all the words you could have learned, you decided his name was most important; second to hunger, of course.

"Ummm..."

You hummed, satisfied, and wrapped your arms around Ahk, squeezing him. As much as he wanted to return the affection, you were still covered in blood that was now painting his stomach. Another horrid part was the smell––the raw meat you'd torn into and the half-dry blood beneath your fingernails, paired with the corpse of the sheep, whose white coat was now soaked in both blood and clotted sludge.

"Well... at least Crayon's back," Amy said, gesturing vaguely when Phillip raised his brow. Both were at a loss.

"Sun will rise soon, we need to get the tree back. Ahk," Phillip said, motioning the Pharaoh over, who quickly obeyed.

Phillip stood near the trunk end, split open to expose the raw wood, and Ahk stood at the tip on the other side. Once both were situated, they heaved upwards to balance the weight on each man.

Rain began to pour as the five of you made your way back to the train station, you remaining adamantly at Ahk's side despite his pace being a little too fast. After your massive splurge of strength, your muscles ached, and your mind was beginning to slow. Amy suggested that perhaps you got stronger––both physically and mentally––when you had a decent diet of raw meat.

"Do you think we could get food to them more often, then? Obviously it makes them feel better, so long as you don't exert too much of it at once," Ahk said, eyes narrowing playfully as they fell upon you. You made no sign that you understood but giggled from his expression.

"I don't know, raw meat can –"

"Crayon can just eat my leftovers," Phillip said, grunting as he adjusted the tree beneath his arm.

"Leftovers?" questioned Ahk.

"I get most of my blood from raw meat that you can get from a butcher. The meat'll be a tad pale, but it should work. Might even be less messy," he said.

"/Anything/ would be less messy than that," Ben said as he gestured to you.

"Don't bother about him," Ahk said, swiftly kissing your forehead. "He's just jealous you're stronger than him."

While Ben and Amy stood right outside the train station, guarding the tree, Phillip took you and Ahk down to the town down in the valley. The walk down was long and rainy eough that by the end of it, there was no need to go wash off in the river. Most of the mud and all of the blood had washed away. The only problem left was Ahk's clothes––to remedy that, Phillip gave him his long, sunproof coat, just for the morning.

Warmth finally enveloped him as the three of you entered the tiny hotel, glowing with yellow light but occupied by only a ticking clock and a woman behind the counter. Much of the rainy streets outside were blocked by the overgrowing flowers lining the windowsills. Phillip, using his human skills and human money, booked one of the five rooms available in the whole of the small hotel.

"Don't get much business here, do you?" Phillip asked as he rooted around in his wallet.

"Do, actually," the woman said with a sigh. "Ever since the castle got refurnished, that's the only place people want to stay. Plenty of customers, no business. Been here 50 years and that hasn't changed."

"... my apologies, ma'am."

The cheaper room happened to be the one with no windows which, for Ahk and Phillip, was a win-win. While Phillip could make do in the sunlight, wearing long coats, gloves, and bearing umbrellas, Ahk would not have that freedom. The two of you would have to stay in the little town with your tickets back until the next evening. Phillip left you there to rejoin Amy and Ben, hopefully to find Phil's grandfather and recarve that special violin.

"Nice enough room," Ahk commented once the two of you were left alone.

It wasn't anything grand––of course it wasn't, but it had that certain charm that made it feel quite cozy. An electric heater sat behind the door, and beside it stood a table, two chairs tucked into it and a small clock atop it.

He sat on the bed and you followed, fingering the scratchy blanket placed above soft, worn sheets.

"Don't wander off like that again," he said softly in his native tongue, concern in his tone as he raised your head to look him in the eye. "I get horribly worried about you."

Slowly you raised your hand, coming to rest your palm against his cheek. Your dull eyes, rimmed with red, told him of a sadness you couldn't quite articulate. In its' place you gave what would best substitute the words––a kiss on the forehead so carefully gentle he barely felt it. The way you moved, slow and cautious, made him feel as though he were made of porcelain.

"I feel as though we are the only sane people in the world," he admitted with a smile, blushing from your affection. "That's silly of me, isn't it? For the undead Pharaoh to think he and his undead friend are the sane ones. My old self would find this hilarious."

"Ahhk," you mumbled out, moving attentively till your arms wrapped around his shoulders and neck, your cheek squished against his head. You kept moving, moved to your knees, and soon you were pulling him down to lay on the bed. He laughed and held you back, keeping your fragile form comfortably on top of his chest.

"You are, undoubtedly, one of the kindest creatures I've met," he said, whispered against your temple. Energy was beginning to leave him––/life/ was beginning to leave him, as the sun rose hidden behind the hotel walls.

Since you couldn't manage any more strength for words, you kissed the top of his head once more. As numbness filled his limbs, he tried not to think of the coming hours, how the two of you would be no more than corpses in a bed.

You were the first to stop breathing.

In the next evening the two of you snuck back onto the train, enjoying 10 hours to yourself before you were racing back to Cambridge. The sun would rise soon enough, and neither of you had money for a cab home, thus leaving only one option: sprinting.

The two of you collapsed with laughter as you slammed the door of the library shut behind you, the light of the sun already peering over the horizon.

"Gott sei Dank, you're safe," Phillip said, greeting the both of you with a smile and outstretched arms.

"Phillip, my friend," Ahk said, laughing, "thank you for your jacket. I don't think they would've let me without it."

"Of course!"

"And of the filing?"

"The what?"

Soft violin came from around the hallways of bookcases, filling the room with music just as the fireplace filled the room with warm light. Ahk took your hand, and the three of you made your way to the hearth, Ahk taking his seat on the floor with you, cradled in a swath of blankets. Above the two of you Ben played, dressed in a fitted black and white suit that accentuated the strength of his chest and his lean waist.

"You two have a fun evening?" Amy asked, careful to keep her voice below the volume of the violin.

"Wonderful," he answered for both of you. You nuzzled further into him, and with your head tucked below his chin, the two of you finally relaxed back in your home.

[mimssides]

Never Met You

Chapter 9: Bittersweet

Sweetness turned bitter. It is happiness tilted with the knowledge that something can never happen again. 

Logan had never had to actively fight on a battlefield. They had prepared him during all his life for the moment when it would come so far. They had taught him to think quick, to act without remorse and to see the danger behind his back. Logan had been better at it than the rest of his unit. He had wielded his sword with skilful, analysed situations rapidly and accurately, and was willing to make the hard decisions.

None of his upper-ups had ever thought that he would become the one to sit on the throne. None of them had expected him to stand in the soldiers’ camps, on the wet and soaking soil in the robe of a king and a crown sitting on his head.

Logan had not expected so either. But here he was. The battle had begun and all he could do was wait. Nurses, a few elderly people, too old to fight but still wishing to fulfil their duty, had stayed back in the camps with him and were preparing for the incoming wounded. Janus was somewhere amongst them as well. He had insisted on staying with his king and was helping in the ways he could.

“I will go to the eastern gate. Maybe someone will need my help there,” Logan announced to Green who was putting down some boxes with various medical equipment in it.

The guard quickly placed them on the ground and made sure that the medics had seen it and ran over to Logan. It was not that Logan had requested him to stay by his side at all times, nor had Janus for that matter, but Green refused to leave Logan out of his sight even for a moment since they had left in the early morning.

Logan simply accepted his behaviour and they walked silently to the gate. Just one younger man was there as well, keeping his eyes out for the first soldiers to head back. There was nothing to be done there. Logan had known and so had Green. There was not much to be done here anyway.

They could see the battle. They heared orders being shouted and people screaming. Logan’s chest hurt from the sight. He lowered his gaze and turned it over to Green. He was staring at the horizon with a steely glare, his upper lip shivering with barely concealed rage.

“This is a tragedy,” Logan mumbled and Green’s eyes flickered over to him.

“It’s an outrage.”

Logan’s eyes went wide as he heard those words. Green was direct, was harsh if needed and could overexaggerate his words like no other but the pure anger in his voice was nothing like any of the things he had heard him say before.

“The audacity to not listen to reason, the audacity to fight for land which he isn’t even interested in. Just making a point by sacrificing the lives of the people he wanted to protect. I can’t believe him. I can’t believe that he let Jean talk him into this nonsense.”

Whistling. A static high note rang in Logan’s ears.

“What?”

Green didn’t look at him. He didn’t even seem to register Logan’s tone or his confusion. No, Green was wrapped up in his thoughts and forgot who he was speaking with for the first time since Logan had met him two and half months ago.

“George is hot-headed and proud but he’s not evil or cruel. He didn’t hate King Aneas and he knows that you are smarter than him. He could talk to you. He could confide in you as he did- He confided in all of us after- His brother is the most ludicrous thing that happened to him and now he is listening to a man who hungers for the power he chose to give up himself? What kind of move is this? How stupid has he gotten?”

“Green?”

He flinched and ripped his eyes away from the horizon and looked at Logan as if he had been slapped. His name had gotten him back to reality and out of his head.

“Why do you talk about King George as if you knew him? Who is we and what is the meaning of this?” Logan asked sharply and Green gulped.

Green stepped back. There was nothing around them that could serve him as a distraction. There was nothing he could do to dodge the question. And he didn’t want to. He so badly wanted to say what was going on, who he was and just fall in Logan’s arms and be held by him.

But that was not something he could have anymore.

“I can’t say, Your Majesty!” Green said pained and held up his hands defensively. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I – I apologize. All of this is driving me crazy, I – I must be losing my mind a little.”

Green chuckled weakly but Logan just glared. He glared not because he distrusted or was angry with Green but because there was something he didn’t know, something he felt like he should know and yet didn’t. He was frustrated with himself and with Green for not letting him help him.

“Who are you really?” Logan blurted and stepped closer to him before a shout stopped their conversation at once.

The shout was Logan’s title and it came from the young man, who was the only one in their proximity. And besides his title he also screamed a warning, Logan would never be able to recall. He turned around himself and faced a young man, almost still an adolescent, wearing the uniform of the Raganian army.

A sword was in his hand, eyes focused on Logan’s chest and he bolted forwards.

With a sword Logan knew exactly how to parry this hit.

With a shield he could have blocked it.

With his dagger in his boot, he could have done something as well.

But none of those things were available to him at the moment. All he could do was try simply dodge out of the way. And he was about to do so.

Green was quicker. Green shot in front of him, sword drawn almost in time. But his movement was stifled by surprise, the sword not able to parry the other blade.

Steel met his flesh just beneath the ribcage. There was much force in the young man’s panic, enough to send the sword through him. Green’s blade fell and blood soaked through his shirt. He looked down to the weapon in him, followed it to the hand which was holding it still. Followed the arm and the met the young man’s gaze.

He was mortified. Green smiled.

“Good hit, kid. It’s important to always … believe … in your strikes... It’s important to follow … through.”

He was on the ground, sword still in him. He hadn’t thought that it would hurt so badly.

 “SteP AWAY FROM HIM!”

Green’s sight was getting blurry. He was losing too much blood. He would die. He would bleed out. How his father and mother had bled out. He would die.

 Thud.

Pain. So much pain and faintness in his head.

 “Green?”

Something wonderful was resting on his arm. His sight focused. There was Logan. His Logan. Was this the last time he would see him?

“‘m scared... thought dying would feel … different” Green muttered.

Logan was smiling. He was smiling. Why was he smiling?

“The medics are almost here. They will do everything to safe you.”

Logan was crying. He was smiling but he was crying. He was being strong for Green.

“nobody … should have to be saved … Patton …”

Logan put his hand on his cheek.

“Don’t worry about him. I will make sure this ends now. None of my citizens should suffer like you. I will do it for them. I will do it for you.”

***

 “And there he is,” █████ said softly and leaned against the doorframe.

 Logan was sitting in front of his vanity, eyes glued on the mirror until his partner, now his husband, had called for him. With shining eyes Logan turned around and looked at █████ with wobbly lips. Quickly, █████ stepped inside and closed the door. He knew that despite it being their wedding day, Logan would not appreciate for everybody to see his more emotional side.

 Seven steps and █████ stood next to Logan, got on one knee besides his chair and draped his arm around Logan. Logan leaned into it and they let their heads meet gently as they looked in the mirror.

 “I am so lucky to have married the most beautiful man in the world,” █████ said and watched Logan’s cheeks turn red as a smug smile grew on his own lips.

 Logan leaned closer against him and mumbled: “I do not think that something like the most beautiful man exists in an objective sense but I appreciate the compliment. You look quite stunning yourself.”

 Gingerly, Logan touched █████’s bangs and pushed them back before he pressed a little peck on █████’s cheek. He then pulled back, so █████ could stand up. █████ did so only to sit down on Logan’s armrest and to stare at his husband in awe. Softly, he rested his head on Logan’s and smiled at their reflection. Logan’s smile did not quite match his pure enthusiasm as it was slightly subdued.

 “What is it, my lovely bug?” █████ asked.

 Logan rolled his eyes barely masking the fondness behind the motion.

 “Are you nervous for your coronation?”

 Logan’s gaze fell into his lap. Gently, █████ squeezed his shoulder and stood up to stand behind him. With no further ado he began to massage Logan’s shoulders and pressed a little kiss on top of his head.

 “I know that this is what I want,” Logan said after a few moments.

 ���████ hummed agreeingly and Logan continued: “I have your blessing as well as your brother’s. The people seem to like me well enough and the fraction of people who are against me taking the throne next to you have never been so quiet. I just-”

 Through the mirror Logan caught █████’s look.

 “What if I cannot be the king the people deserve?”

 █████ halted. Within the blink of an eye, he straightened up and rose his chin just ever so slightly. The posture was perfect and regal. One of a king. Logan gulped. He knew that could never be him.

 “Do you think I am what the people deserve? Do you think I was not nervous before I officially got crowned, after having ruled for six years as a child ████? I was born to do this, Logan. I was trained and educated for it and yet I know I’m not the ████ the people deserve.”

 He took a deep breath, hands joined behind his back, voice clear and strong as he continued: “But I was all they had. It was not a choice for me or anyone else to make. And so, I gave my all to be enough for them.”

 Suddenly the stiffness was gone and █████ let his posture drop and all but draped himself over his husband’s shoulders.

 “But it’ll never be enough, my star. And it’s okay. I’m trying every day and they forgive me when I fail. And they will forgive you even more. Because you, my love, you are so much more qualified to do what I am doing. I have seen you attend my meetings, talk with my council and stand your ground with the nobility in such a masterful way. You have Roman’s diplomatic nature and are a greater strategist than I could ever wish to be. You were the first thing I dared to take for myself since my parents’ assassination and I have never regretted it ever since.”

 No, Logan did not cry. █████ did not wipe away his tears as he got in front of him and caressed his cheeks with his thumbs.

 “I love you beyond words,” Logan said quietly and watched █████’s face light up like a million stars.

 “Oh, and I love you eternally, my beautiful, beautiful husband,” █████ said and they kissed.

 It tasted a little bit salty. Maybe █████ was a little bit emotional as well.

 “You will do great for them, Lo. I know it.”

 Logan tilted his head to the side and pulled █████ onto his lap. With a yelp and a laugh, he complied and let Logan give him an uncharacteristically firm hug. █████ hugged back and waited for Logan to let go. He didn’t. Not for a long time.

 Gingerly, █████ tapped Logan’s shoulder and hummed: “What is there still, my bug?”

 Logan squeezed █████ close to his chest.

 “I will be good for you. No matter what you think, but I know this world has never seen a ████ as kind and as grateful as you and I will make you see that. I will make you realize that you are far more that the people ever deserved.”

 No, █████ did not cry. Logan did not wipe away his tears as he stood up with his husband and got ready for his coronation.

***

A rush of warmth ran through Green and the fear was gone. He didn’t manage to focus on Logan anymore but he didn’t need to. He knew he was there. He knew he would follow through. He closed his eyes with a smile.

***

Logan knelt next to Green’s body. There was a red patch of blood on his knee. He swallowed thickly and lifted his hands up to his head. Graciously, he took of his crown and put it down above Green’s head. Then he rose from the ground and shot a look to the young man who had tried to warn him.

“Your sword and then get the medics,” Logan said and without question was handed the sword.

The man ran and shouted for help immediately and Logan turned towards the one who had tried to stab him. With barely any effort he slapped the sword out of his hand and grabbed him by the back of his neck, twisted him around and held him against his chest, sword tickling his throat.

And then Logan walked. He walked towards the battlefield; his heartbeat steady but slow. The young man in his grip was trembling but Logan didn’t care. He would soon be where the fight was and nothing would stop him anymore. Not Janus’s calls for him to wait, not the sight of a battle.

Nothing could stop him now, as he stood behind his men with an enemy pressed against him and crippling grief in his chest.

Logan stood still and took a breath. And then he screamed from the bottom of his soul. He screamed out in terror, in anger and in misery. And the soldiers in front of him stopped. They stopped and watched their king step forward with a young trembling man in his grip. They watched as he moved further and further until he stood in midst of the battlefield, enemies as well as allies stopped to move around him.

“What are you doing?” Logan called out to the soldiers around him.

No one moved.

“This solider just injured a man fatally. A man who did nothing but protect me. A man who wanted to go home to a child he cares very much about. And this soldier is young too. He will have to live with what he has done for the rest of his life.”

Logan lowered his sword and pushed the man away from his chest, hand still tightly holding onto the back of his neck.

“You all will have to live with what you are doing here right now. You will kill each other in the name of a crown I am not willing to wear anymore. Not if I can’t stand with you. Because I am one of you. I am a soldier. I was trained as one, lived as one in my youth and expected to die as one. But I did not, and that is not for I am smarter, richer or more powerful than you, but it is because my prince was kind. My prince believes that my wish for peace and prosperity for all people is the only way to rule and so do I.”

He let go of the man and the man turned to look at him. In shock he watched Logan Rayne’s tears fall.

“You are the people. You are those who fight our fights. You are more than your generals and your kings. You are what makes your homes your homes. You can end this war now before anything worse happens. You can lay down your weapons and go home. Go home to your families, your animals and your houses and do what you want to do instead of injuring and killing strangers.”

And then Logan dropped his sword to the ground. He looked around the crowd with his chin held high, despite the tears running down his cheeks. He watched his own soldiers lower their weapons. A moment or two passed and the “enemy” did so as well.

Logan lowered his head. A whimper shook his body but he caught himself and looked over the soldiers again.

Weaker but still clear Logan said: “Whoever is hurt may go back to the camps. We will treat anyone who needs help. That includes Raganian solider too.”

A few of his soldiers confirmed and Logan nodded at them. Slowly, he folded his hands behind his back and began to walk towards the camp. Soldiers began to follow him. The closer he got to the camp, the closer he got to the little group of people gathered around the eastern entrance, the more his legs started to feel faint. Someone caught him when he tumbled and he put his hand over his mouth as he spotted the stretcher which was put beside Green’s body.

“Your Majesty?”

Logan looked to the soldier who had caught him. She looked concerned and he tried to regain his balance.

“Excuse me,” Logan said and shot her a half-hearted smile, “today seems not to be my day.”

She just nodded and stayed by his side. They got closer to the entrance and Logan watched as several people lifted Green on the stretcher. People were talking and orders were thrown around hastily as they carried him away and Logan regained a bit more composure and told the soldier that she could go. He would be fine.

“Logan!!!”

But apparently Janus wasn’t.

Agitated Logan looked around until he finally spotted the Royal Advisor running towards him from the entrance. He almost tumbled over his own feet and Logan found himself unnerved but at the same time relieved. He wasn’t the only one to struggle with everything that was happening.

Just before Logan Janus stopped and finally Logan realized that Janus was holding his crown and had red eyes. He felt his stomach sink and his eyes automatically flickered towards the medic who disappeared in a tent with Green.

“Why are they all coming back? What did you do?” Janus asked and his fingers clenched around the golden object in his hands.

Logan inhaled and exhaled slowly. He knew the smile on his lips didn’t reach his eyes.

“I advised them to stop. And they did. This battle is over,” he said easily and put his hands on Janus’s.

Janus gulped. There was nothing of his usual composure left, nothing of his snark or his silver tongue. Logan had to take matters in his own hands. Quickly he ordered a few soldiers who were unharmed to spread the news, inform Roman of what had happened. He asked around if anyone needed more help and designated someone to be in charge of the camp for the time being, as he retreated in his tent together with Janus.

Logan soon took a seat on the makeshift bench they had put in the middle and tapped on the spot next to him. Janus sat down. He was fiddling with his fingers, visibly shaken and Logan gave him a minute to collect himself.

Minutes passed and Logan expected Janus to talk but nothing came. He was just unnerved and fearful and Logan decided to put his and on Janus’s knee and waited for his friend to look at him. It took him merely a moment and he met his king’s gaze.

“What is on your mind?” Logan asked kindly his throat feeling dry from the words he had shouted earlier.

In front of him, Janus grabbed the edge of the bench, his knuckles turning white and his shoulders began to shake. And for the first time ever Logan watched Janus begin to cry. He watched as his body shook and his lips refused to stay pressed together and wails and sobs escaped his lips. And despite his own pain, despite his own regret and guilt, Logan sat closer and took Janus in the arm. He knew he was no Roman whose hugs seemed to be able to cure every sadness in the world, but he had to be enough for the moment. And Janus didn’t recoil. He let Logan hold him, buried his head against his chest and gave into the soft pats Logan drew on his back.

And between his wails and tears Janus muttered something. Logan heard it.

“I thought it was Roman. I thought I saw Roman on the ground. Then I thought it was Aneas. I saw his corpse again. I saw it.”

***

Noon and the afternoon passed. Some of the tents were already gone and a few soldiers had already returned to the castle. Logan and Janus would stay here until the next morning when they would get back with the rest of the injured soldiers. They would be treated close to the castle. Green would be one of them, if he survived the day. It wasn’t clear yet.

It was around six in the afternoon when two horses approached the camp, one black and one white with Virgil and Roman on them respectively. Roman had dealt with the first people to come back from the battlefront and had given all the instructions which had been needed in these first moments, before he had put himself on a horse and rode straight towards the battle himself. Because these messages hadn’t been sent by Janus and he needed to know why it hadn’t been Janus who had asked for him.

When he got down from his horse, Virgil close to him, he soon found out why. Janus came running for him, cradled his face the second he reached him and looked his eyes. He was dishevelled and no word formed as he opened his mouth to say something. Anything really.

Roman took him in his arms. He felt his heartbeat speed up and shot a look to Virgil who looked just as alarmed as Roman did. Quickly they tried to figure out where Logan was to get some answers but the king was faster than they were. Logan walked towards them, shot a quick look around and motioned them to follow him into his tent. Janus clung to Roman on the whole way and Virgil ended up patting the Royal Advisors back out of worry for his companion.

The second they were out of earshot from the rest of the camp inside the tent, Roman asked: “Okay, what on earth is going on? The messenger told me that you simply stopped the war with a speech? What happened and what did you say?”

Logan told them to sit down and he retold what had gone down these past few hours. He left out who had protected him and at first it seemed that neither Roman nor Virgil questioned the absence of Green. But there came the point where Roman noticed and finally asked the question.

“Where is Green helping actually? I haven’t seen him yet.”

Logan paused too long. Virgil was the first to realize and shot up from the ground in front of Janus’s feet. Roman looked at him confused and the realisation didn’t come until a few moments later when Virgil began to speak.

“In what condition is he?” Virgil asked.

Roman’s eyes grew wide. His ears were filled with white noise and suddenly everything went black.

***

The one good thing that came out of Roman fainting was that Janus finally snapped out of his state of panic and started to function again. Quickly he had placed the prince on Logan’s bed with Virgil’s help and they left him with Logan in favour of making sure that everything was running smoothly in the camp.

The atmosphere was calm and very little had been heavily injured. And yet Virgil felt how a thick fog of uneasiness was laying about them all. The voices of the people were hushed as they spoke and for once he could tell that it was not because he was close but because of something different. It took a moment for Virgil to catch on but soon he found that the closer they got to the tent where Green was treated the quieter everything had gotten. He asked Janus about it and he told him that everyone, even those who hadn’t known Green before this day, had reacted strongly to seeing him hurt. A few had even started crying despite themselves.

Without saying both men knew that this was not only odd but had to be related to with whatever spell had been put over Green. Yet all of that speculation would be for naught if Green would die of his injuries and as of now none of the medics treating him had come out to tell them anything about his state.

And so, the evening came. Logan and Roman rested in the tent, both feeling rather emotional over what had happened today. Janus, while still unnerved, was now taking care of the organisation and left Virgil to keep an eye on their royals. It was not much that Virgil could do but make sure that both Logan and Roman took their meal, which turned out to be rather difficult in Logan’s case ash he had trouble to keep his food down and decided to only eat a few spoons of the soup they had been given.

After dinner, Logan was lying on his bed, Roman’s head on his lap, as Virgil sat next to the entrance and listened to what was happening on the outside. This form of closeness was not something Logan let himself have all too often and yet he could not imagine how he would do if he didn’t have Roman around. The comfort of the prince’s presence was enormous and was the only thing what kept Logan going at this point.

“We’ll have to find out who he is, after we get back.”

Logan lifted his head and glimpsed to Roman. The vibrant green eyes caught Logan’s mismatched ones and Roman nodded his head for empathise.

“He’s not just someone and we both know it. Our reactions should not be as extreme as they are, Logan.”

Logan bit his lips. Could it not be that all of this was just because they were under such immense stress? That he was this emotional because the air of a war was still occupying the atmosphere? It had to be this and not some weird conspiracy, correct?

“I can’t agree,” Logan said stricter than he felt. “The situation is extreme and we should not make assumptions on several oddly placed coincidences.”

Before Roman could answer, Virgil stood up. Both royals sat up and watched as Virgil opened the tent for Janus to enter. From the outside they heard a few people talk with each other.

The fabric of the opening closed and Janus looked over the two and then to Virgil. There was a short twitch on his lips and he turned back to look at Logan and Roman. Subconsciously, both of them held their breath.

“I just got news from the medics who are treating Green,” Janus said and put his left hand over his heart. “They told me he was in stable condition and can be-”

He didn’t get to say the rest as Logan dissolved in tears of relief. Janus was soon by his side, holding him from the side as Virgil brought him some water. Roman was crying himself but a smile kept itself steady on his lips.

He had been right and now not even Logan could disagree with him anymore.

___

Link for AO3, Taglist, Masterlist, and next Chapters are in my first reblog!  

[the--highlanders]

7. “That could have gone better.”

on ao3.

He had missed this terribly, really. Well – not this, exactly. Not the spaceship the size of a country, filled with plants and animals. And not the machines that tended the place, either, like the one he was clinging onto, halfway between a horse and a cow and not entirely like either of them. Certainly not the soot all over his face, the tang of electricity and not-quite-steel in his nostrils, the curled bits of blasted-apart wire that had caught their sharp edges on his sleeves. None of that was familiar in the slightest. But the beast beneath him was stocky, sure-footed as it galloped up the rocky, narrow cliffside path, determined not to be wrenched away from whatever route it had picked out for itself. If he ignored the feeling of metal against his legs, he could almost pretend it was one of those fuzzy little ponies they had used back home, the ones you had to bribe with a palmful of your own oats before you asked them to do anything.

Shame that mechanical creatures didn’t eat oats.

They crested the cliff with a bound, and he tugged automatically on the ridge of wires that stuck out of the beast’s neck like a roached mane. It skidded to a halt – had it actually felt the pull, or was it just coincidence? Tapping at its sides with his heels experimentally, he grinned when it loped onwards, wandering across the plateau that faced them. Maybe whoever had made the machines had missed their horses, too.

Something scrambled up after them with considerably less grace, and he twisted around to see the Doctor clinging to his own beast for dear life. His face was as pale as Jamie had ever seen it, and his jaw was clenched like he thought he was about to be sick. When at last he spoke, the words came slowly, as if he was reluctant to open his mouth. “Jamie,” he said. “Remind me never to listen to one of your plans. Ever again.”

“Alright,” Jamie said cheerfully. The Doctor just scowled at him. “But now ye know how I feel when ye come out with one of your harebrained schemes.” The Doctor did not seem to have heard him – out of queasiness, maybe, or maybe just because he didn’t want to hear it. It was always difficult to tell, with him. “An’ aye, alright. That could’ve gone better.” Tugging his sleeve over the back of his hand, he wiped at his mouth. The fabric came back damp and blackened, and the bitter taste of smoke and metal and chemicals sat heavy on his lips. He could only hope none of it was too toxic. “But at least we’re out of there.”

“At least we’re out of there,” the Doctor parroted back, so darkly that Jamie wasn’t entirely sure he was grateful. “Well, it’s done with now.”

“Aye, exactly.”

Jamie’s beast had come to a halt on the edge of a short precipice, and the Doctor’s drew up alongside it, snorting. Well, it wasn’t really snorting, the Doctor had insisted. Just clearing its vents, which happened to make a sound rather like a horse snorting. Purely coincidental. Jamie still had his suspicions that the things were rather more purposefully horselike than the Doctor had assumed, but he hadn’t bothered to argue.

And below them – it was by far the most tempting sight he had ever laid eyes upon. A great pool of crystal-blue water, clear enough that he could see every pebble lining the bottom of it. They were just a little too uniform in shape and colour, the boulders scattered around the pool’s edges just a little too clinically placed, betraying the fact that this whole place had been made by humans and refined by machines rather than carved out by nature. But at that moment, he hardly cared. It was the water that was important.

“Come on,” he said, wheeling his beast around by the mane again to trot it over to a more gentle incline. “Best clean ourselves up, aye?”

The Doctor followed at a more sedate pace – not that Jamie had been going particularly fast. “You shouldn’t do that, you know,” he said, raising one hand for a moment before hurriedly clinging back on. His fingers were reddened from his desperation, and he dug them back into a groove in the metal plating on the side of the creature’s neck, only just deep enough for him to cling on with his nails. “You might pull a wire out, and that – ah – that would be quite dangerous, you know.”

Shaking his head, Jamie slipped off his beast’s side before it had even come to a halt. It had been slowing down anyway, tempted away by the grass, and he slapped its rump as he went, though it did not bother to trot away. Maybe it hadn’t even felt it. He had no such apathy, himself. The pool was too inviting for that, and he jogged down to its edge, splashing in until it was thigh-deep and the hem of his kilt was floating on the water’s surface around him.

The Doctor had managed to get his beast to stand still, but was looking a bit more reluctant to slide off its back. He had been onto it quickly enough, and galloped away before Jamie had even clambered onto his own – but that had been the heat of the moment, he supposed. Jamie’s own adrenaline was still clearing itself out, but the Doctor’s seemed to have drained away long ago, replaced by the sort of white-knuckled fear that made you hold onto anything and everything for dear life, even if you knew it was perfectly safe to let go. Like a fear of heights, but for strange metal beasties.

Sighing, Jamie wandered out of the water again, muttering curses to himself when he realised that he had forgotten to take his socks and boots off when he had gone in. Oh well, he thought as he toed them off. Better late than never. The artificial sun was bright overhead, and they would dry out soon enough.

Bare-footed and wincing as he stepped on some of the sharper pebbles, he picked his way over to the Doctor, holding his arms up to catch him. “Swing one leg over,” he said, snapping his fingers against his palm to beckon him down. The Doctor just stared at him balefully for a moment – but then he sat back from the beast’s neck, releasing his grip on it one finger at a time. “There ye go, that’s it.” Before Jamie could guide him any further, the Doctor had swung his leg forward, putting it over the creature’s neck rather than its rump so he had to swing it higher. But he got it over alright, leaving himself sitting there awkwardly, legs dangling over the beast’s sides, hands still clutching at whatever edges of the plating they could find. “Now just push yourself off. It’s no’ far, an’ I’ll catch ye.”

Truth be told, he didn’t think he would have a chance to catch the Doctor at all. The distance to the ground was so short that he would already be standing before Jamie could get a hold of him. But when at last the Doctor moved, he eased himself down so slowly. There was a chance, Jamie thought, that he would never manage to get himself off the thing. He would just be stuck there for hours, waiting until he fell off from pure exhaustion. Taking pity on him, he grabbed onto the Doctor’s waist, pulling his weight down so he slipped away from the beast’s side to land on the ground with an oof.

His beast certainly seemed to be relieved to lose its burden, loping over to join its companion in grazing. Or in siphoning grass clippings up into its mouth, at least. It paused, lifting its head and shaking its tail – then a great blast of fire shot out of the pipes on its sides, sending hot air streaming down towards the pool.

“Come on,” Jamie said, taking the Doctor’s hand and pulling him over to the water’s edge. “You’ll feel better.”

“I feel perfectly fine,” the Doctor muttered, though his face was still too white for Jamie to believe him. “There’s no need to fuss.” He kicked off his shoes with a touch of enthusiasm, though, wading into the water almost eagerly. That was more like it, Jamie thought. He should have known water would perk the Doctor right up. It usually did, after all. “I still think there was – ah – a more sensible way out.”

“it worked, didn’t it?” Jamie retorted, wading in after him. “An’ anyway, since when have we done sensible?” The Doctor tipped his head towards him in reluctant acknowledgement. “And,” he added, “now ye know how I feel.” The Doctor still said nothing. He was definitely ignoring the needling deliberately, Jamie thought, fighting back a smile. “Oh, cheer up,” he said, nudging the Doctor’s side. “It wasnae that bad.”

“I can assure you, it was.”

“Come on, then.” Leaning over, he kissed the Doctor, searching for even a trace of a smile. “Ye cannae go on complainin’ about it.”

But the Doctor was still pouting when he pulled away. “Jamie,” he whined. “Don’t you know you’re all covered in -” Wiping the back of his hand over his lips, he pulled a face. “I don’t suppose I want to know.”

He had grown so used to the taste of – well, whatever it was – on his lips that he had stopped thinking about it. “You’re no’ much better,” he pointed out. “You’re covered in it yourself.”

“Oh -” Reaching down, the Doctor splashed a cupped palmful of water at him. “I’m covered in it, am I?”

“Aye, ye are.” Jamie did not even bend down to retaliate, just slapped his hand into the water between them as hard as he could. The spray from the blow spattered over the Doctor, who shrank away from it, shaking himself off like a cat. “No’ that ye can tell, with how dirty that coat of yours is normally.”

“Is it, now?”

Now he’d really done it. He turned to wade away as quickly as he could, laughing, the Doctor following in his wake and tossing water after him.

The sound of their laughter and splashing ran out across the clifftop, broken only by the weary braying of the beasts.

[celestialmark]

A Poem Titled You - Mark Lee

- genre: heavy fluff, heavy feels - word count: 3.6K what how - warnings: none - author’s note: hey hey hey surprise! this drabble was inspired by taeyeon’s ost “a poem titled you” for hotel del luna omg it’s so beautiful her voice is amazing ;; anyways, I haven’t written anything long in centuries and I'm hoping this piece will spark inspiration for the current long fic that I'm working on. I hope you like it guys! it’s all over the place but ;~; biggest shoutout to ari @/suhdone for constantly motivating me ;; your support means a whole lot :( ily

If someone had asked you to describe Mark, you’d be at a loss for words. Because Mark embodied a lot of things, a lot of good things. And watching him now, as he walks over to you with light steps and a smile grazing his lips, convinces you that he is the very definition of good. And not in a sense that he’s good at everything he does, which could work too because Mark is crazy talented, but more of how he makes people feel around him. Though there weren’t really any proper words to pinpoint what kind of emotions he elicits at this exact moment he’s approaching you with an unwavering smile and shining eyes, all you know is that it doesn’t compare to anything else.

“Hey sweet,” he speaks, gentleness and warmth coating his words. “I’m sorry you had to wait for me, shall we go?”

It’s the little things with Mark. He’s walking on the side of the path closest to the road, having held you by the shoulders earlier to shift you away from zooming vehicles before your trek to volunteer work. Today shouldn’t be any different than the previous days just gone because Mark is still blabbering about random happenings of his day like he usually does and with you walking beside him listening intently to all the words that doesn’t make sense. But today is different. It feels different. Because you can’t focus on Mark’s stories no matter how hard you try, unconsciously getting lost mid-sentence because your eyes linger on his face too long. You trip on your foot at some point because of it and it jolts you back to your reality.

Mark’s reflexes grasp your arm before you meet the ground and you hate the way his touch sets your skin on fire despite the layers of clothing that separate his fingers from your skin.

“Careful,” he says as he steadies you. He looks down with a tilt of his head and before you know it, he’s already crouched down to the ground. You feel him tugging at your laces that you didn’t know had come undone. “Clumsy,” you hear him chuckle from below, the sweet sound getting lost in the wind that rushes past.

Mark’s heart shines through even more when he volunteers, greeting elders with a blinding smile as he hands them trays of food. The little conversations he holds with elders about four times his age highlights the sincerity of his heart and you can see that visiting and helping them bring him so much joy as much as he makes them happy. It’s a heartwarming sight to witness and you can’t help but smile to yourself while you do your share of the work.

“Handsome,” and “kind,” and “filial,” are the words Mark’s associated with in this house for the elderly. And what makes him even more endearing is that he struggles to accept the compliments thrown his way, only responding with a bashful smile and the occasional shake of his head to disagree with what he’s described as.

You catch yourself sighing as you watch him from afar. Mark was so much more than what he thought of himself and you’d wish he knew that.

On the way home, when the sun slowly sinks behind the mountains beyond the towering buildings and when the temperatures drop slightly to cater for a chilly night, Mark is the first to speak again as soon as he’s finished zipping up your coat to ensure your warmth.

“You haven’t spoken all day,” he says casually, eyes ahead on the path. “Everything okay?”

You don’t realise the truth to his words until you reflect on the day, and true enough, you really hadn’t spoke to him all day even though you’ve spent the whole day together.

“O-oh,” you say, your voice hoarse you have to take a moment to clear your throat. “Sorry, I didn’t even realise.”

“Y/n, if this has something to do with me saying I like you the other day, please don’t,” Mark says, halting in his tracks right in front of you, which causes you to stop too. “I meant what I said but if it’s something that makes you feel uncomfortable with me, then please forget what I said.”

How much Mark has grown is evident in how straightforward he’s suddenly become. At first you didn’t even notice it, having spent almost your entire life with him, but as time passed and as the harsh realities of life gradually came to challenge you both, the realisation of how mature he’s become became clearer in the decisions he’s had to make and in how he’s had to deal with certain situations he didn’t expect he’d find himself in. It became even clearer when he confronted his feelings face front, with no hesitation the moment he was sure about what he felt. And it just so happened that you were the one to trigger the first confession he’s ever made in his whole life ever. He stuttered a lot, yet it was the most perfect for you because it came from Mark and it came with nothing but genuity. After all, Mark always did and said everything with sincerity.

“Mark, my hands are cold,” you blurt out in the midst of trying to look for a reply to what he had just said.

And Mark doesn’t hesitate. Not even for a second as he holds your hands in his, raises them both and breathes onto them. He procees to rub his palms on the back of your hands then, doing all that he could to warm you. And you just watch in silence, in utter admiration and in pure awe of his existence alone. Mark always did this, on other days, without even asking him to do so. But with the recent revelation of how he felt for you, it’s been a constant challenge with yourself to dig deep and notice the small things about yourself you didn’t even pick up before.

Mark does something different today. Instead of letting go of your hand, he tucks it inside the pocket of his coat, still with his hand enveloping yours. He looks at you wearily after his gesture, a concerned glint in his eyes, “Is this okay?”

You want to tell him it’s perfect. But you settle with a nod of your head.

Later in the week, in the late hours of the evening, you find Mark just outside your work place when you come down after an exhausting day. He’s standing outside, just beside the entrance, eyes trained ahead at the cars passing along the road.

“Mark?”

With his name being called, he snaps his head to your direction and an instant smile lifts on his face. “Hi sweet.”

“What brings you here?”

That’s when you notice the umbrella he’s holding above his head as he shows you another one in his other hand. “It’s raining. And I figured you didn’t bring an umbrella.”

When you glance outwards, the rain you hadn’t noticed from earlier, is lashing down mercilessly. You try to recall your brain for the forecast you were sure you checked before leaving your home early this morning but find no recollection of any impending rain.

Thank the heavens for Mark though.

Taking a step closer to you, he tucks your umbrella under his arm so that he can zip your coat up fully as you watch in silence. “Ready?” he asks with another smile, proceeding to open your umbrella for you before handing it over. You take it from him with a nod and a small smile playing on your lips, mirroring his, as he begins to lean the way home.

You lose yourself in conversations with Mark, talking about all sorts of things, from sharing stories about one’s day like you always do, and plans for the upcoming weekend. Mark announces he’s staying in to entertain his notes for an upcoming exam he’s dreading while you offer to accompany him, not having anything better to do to which he expresses his gratitude to you for with a smile too wide that reaches his eyes and highlights his cheekbones.

You grab the sleeve of Mark’s coat when a food cart catches your eye by the sidewalk. He looks over to you before glancing at the vendor making fresh warm crepes. You turn to him with excitement, the long day at work reminding you of the fact that you haven’t eaten all day. “Let’s share one?” You suggest and it earns an approving nod from Mark.

“Can we have one chocolate crepe please,” Mark kindly asks the vendor to which he begins making straight away. You watch the process carefully, without batting an eyelash, growing all too fascinated at the precise motions of the man. Mark on the other hand, watches you instead and oblivious to you, his eyes literally sparkle under the fluorescent lights of the cart, the sight of you in a state of happiness making him happy in return.

Mark pays for the crepe as you receive the dessert from the vendor who hands it to you with a grateful smile. You turn to face Mark just as you lift the crepe to your mouth to take your first bite, when his cold fingertips comes in contact with your wrists, stopping you. You look up at him curiously and he only smiles at you.

“It’s too hot,” Mark points out, eyes trained on the steam stemming from the crepe. He then takes it from you and starts to blow on it in attempts of cooling down the dessert slightly. Now it’s your turn to stare at him and realise that it’s always, always, without a doubt, the little things about Mark that leave you speechless.

“Here,” Mark says handing it back to you but you’re too perplexed to react so he gestures it to you again before you finally recover from your trance. You try to hide your fluster by eating but it doesn’t help that Mark is continuously gazing at every little thing you do and it doesn’t make the situation better either when he extends his hand to swipe small strands of hair that’s threatening to fall on your face. You finally have some time to breathe when he turns away from you, his attention shifting to the vendor as he requests for a bottle of water.

You barely leave any crepe for Mark, having been too distracted at the increase of your heartbeat that definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by you. Mark twists the bottle cap open before offering the water to you, taking the crepe from you in exchange.

“Slow down sweet, you’re going to choke,” he chuckles, noticing your cheeks inflated with food. Mark begins to eat shortly while you recompose yourself, silently grateful that Mark wasn’t the type to pick up on the sudden changes in your behaviour.

The heavens continue its downpours even after your short stopover for food. Your shoes are getting soaked on the trek home from having stepped on a puddle you didn’t see. Mark laughed as you glared at him with a huff, bringing his index finger to press the space between your eyebrows to erase your frown. To make matters worse, your umbrella decides to leave you exposed to the heavy droplets when a strong gust of wind blows past you, completely destroying your shelter.

“Wow could this day get any worse,” you mumble, getting beaten down by the rain momentarily before Mark pulls you close under the safety of his umbrella. His arm is firm around your shoulder and there’s a moment where you two fall silent, hearts both racing at the proximity of your bodies. Mark is staring down at you, a soft expression on his face as he searches yours. You’re blinking rapidly, his chest too close to you and his scent lingering in your nostrils; delicate yet intoxicating.

“Is this okay?” He wonders aloud in a small voice.

You bring yourself to peek up at him, your eyes unsure in contrast to the hammering of your chest. “It’s okay,” you utter. You want to tell him that you don’t mind, that you never mind if it’s him, but you think that telling him it’s alright is enough for him tonight because another gentle smile etches onto his features, one that doesn’t quite disappear and lasts the entire night.

The heavy rain stretches on until the weekend. Just as promised, you accompany Mark during his study. You try to remember the exact reason why you’ve kindly offered to stay with him for the day, but you’re secretly thankful because you get to bask in his alluring presence in his own home. Mark, in a cozy black turtleneck is seated across you on the dining table, his eyes hiding behind his glasses he wore every now and then, focused on what you guess to be notes on the screen of his laptop. You’re reading a book in silence, letting Mark’s occasional mumbles to himself fill the room along with the dulcet echoes of your pages being turned from one to another under your fingertips.

It isn’t until two hours of staying rooted in your seats that the screeching of Mark’s chair breaks the silence. When you look up, you discover he’s already stood up to leave for somewhere, towards the direction of the kitchen. You examine his space opposite you and see the paper sprawled around everywhere with numerous pens stacked on top. You’re about to reach for one that catches your eye when Mark reappears from the doorway, white ceramic mugs in either of his hands. He places one in front of you, the aroma of your favourite green tea filling your senses.

“Thanks,” you say with a smile that you hope reflects your gratitude for the small yet sweet gesture.

Unknown to you, your mere but mesmeric smile pushes his pent up affection further on edge, so much so, that if he continued to study every little thing he wants to remember about your face, he’d literally spill everything he’s been dying to say to you. So he clears his throat and looks away, taking his seat once again and taking a sip of his boiling coffee too quick. He begins to cough and hiss uncontrollably, an aftermath of his haste actions.

You quickly hand him a napkin, rising from your seat in the process, your brows knitted together in the middle. “Hey, careful,” you say even though it’s too late as he takes the napkin from you.

With a stretch of your arm, you take his mug in your hands. When you settle again on your chair, you start blowing on his beverage, images of Mark at the crepe cart flashing before your own eyes, prompting you to do the same. From the corner of your eye, you can see Mark watching you silently and you slowly begin to understand how it feels to be in his place this time; to be the one on the giving end. And it feels good. It feels warm. It feels nice. It feels even better because it’s from you to Mark.

Once you’re done, you set the mug back in its initial place and discover Mark still staring, his eyes as big and as wide as ever. And you smile and promise yourself to keep giving because the bashful smile that creeps on Mark’s face is too adorable not to witness again.

In the late hours of the night, you fall asleep on Mark’s couch accidentally, while waiting for him to finish his study. The television playing lowly in the background has lulled you into sleep you didn’t know you were in need of, the thought of Mark being the last thing on your mind before finally surrendering to slumber. Mark enters the living room some time after to find you sleeping soundly and makes great efforts to minimise as much noise as he can so as to not disturb you. He crouches down in front of you and he swears that if you could see him right now gazing at you the way he is now, you’d literally see hearts in his eyes. You looked so peaceful in your sleep, your perfect features at its calmest state and Mark feels himself falling further and amazes at himself at that fact because here you were, still as ever and not doing anything, yet causing him the greatest stress.

Mark shuts the television off and carries you in his arms. You stir in your sleep to circle your arms around his neck and to find a comfortable spot on his chest for your head to lead on and Mark stands completely still as you do all that. He’d expected his heart to hammer against his chest because that’s the kind of effect you usually had on him, but to his great surprise, he feels as calm as ever and he thinks that it’s because you fit so right in his arms. After taking one last glimpse at your sleeping figure and swearing to himself to protect you all his life, he proceeds to make his way to his bedroom, right where he can lay you on his bed to ensure your utmost comfort.

Some hours after midnight, you awake under the warmth of the duvet, the darkness greeting you in the haze of your vision as you try to decipher where you are. From the way the moon peeks through the window, shining on familiar furniture on the other side of the room, you figure you’re in Mark’s room. And you find the said person on the floor beside his bed, sleeping soundly on top of a blanket that’s too thin to shield him from the cold floor.

“Mark,” you call out from the edge of his bed. He doesn’t move until your third call and when you finally get a response, “Come sleep beside me.”

“Hm?” is the only reply from Mark through closed lids. You come to a conclusion he’s too sleepy to even understand your words so you reach for his arm and tug at it. “Sleep up here, it’s cold down there,” you repeat.

Mark complies after you tug at his arm some more, finally lying on the bed beside you but doesn’t realise the consequence of his actions until he opens his eyes to find you right in front of him. In any other situation, he would have scurried away in a rush to calm himself from being too close. But the way you’re gazing at him with gentle eyes convinces him it’s okay to stay and as he continues to gaze back, he finds new courage to move even closer to you, minimising the gap between the two of you even more. Mark closes his eyes and leans his forehead forward until it rests on yours.

“Is this okay?” he whispers quietly.

It’s your turn to study his features this time and come to a conclusion that this man may be the most beautiful one to ever exist. The fascination that stirs within you urges you to bring your hand to caress his ethereal face. Running a thumb on his cheek, you begin to wonder what great thing you must have done in your past life to have someone like Mark, and better yet, a Mark who likes you, a gentle and sweet Mark who’s careful about the boundaries he’s set for himself.

“It’s okay,” you whisper back, tracing the outline of his face with your forefinger. “It’s perfect.”

Mark raises a hand to wrap around your wrist and leans his face completely into your touch, marvelling at how surreal it feels to be receiving your affection. You smile at his actions, the sight melting your heart, silently wishing you’d shown him sooner how he really made you feel. So you decide to show him from now on.

“Mark,” you whisper again, grabbing his attention as he opens his eyes. You’re sure you’d feel nervous for what you’re about to do but meeting Mark’s eyes now only prove reassurance and provide you with the last bit of courage you needed.

You lean your face forward, closer to his, closing the gap between your bodies by an inch, “Is this okay?” you ask, your eyes trained on his to look for some kind of response. But Mark doesn’t answer because he’s too stunned. And you don’t wait for a response because there’s too much to say but too little time to find words that are fitting. So you let your actions speak instead.

Leaning in closer, feeling his nose tap yours, you ask again, “Is this okay?” And again no response. You proceed with your motions, closing your eyes in the process, your lips a mere centimetre away from his you can literally feel it. “I hope this is okay,” you whisper before letting your lips collide with his.

Mark grasps the situation a second too late but when he does come to his senses, he responds by pulling your body closer before grazing your jaw in his hand. He kisses you slow, an indirect metaphor of how time slows when you’re with him yet full of love and affection, everything he’s been unable to show. You feel his heartbeat under your fingers and it pushes you to deliver everything you need and want to say to him, that everything was okay as long as it was with him, that everything will be okay as long as he’s beside you. And that from tonight onwards, it’ll only consist of you showing him how incredible it feels to be loved by him because you know your words will never do it justice.

Mark is smiling when you pull away, understanding and accepting you wordless messages and declarations. And you smile back, finding the twinkle in his eyes to be too beautiful, your smile speaking for you. The rain continues to tap away at his windowpane but all you could focus on is the glint in his eyes that screams nothing but admiration for you. Wrapping is arms around you wholely, he whispers,

“That was perfect.”