#botanical matching set

[wear-this-for-me-sweetie]

Botanical matching crop top and maxi skirt by Adeirlina

[housedeaubemarle]

¤:

I feel a little rush I think I've got a little crush on you I hope it's not too much But babe when I'm with you, I hear it My heart singing

¤

Credits: Studio Apurva | Materia/Ravana | Goblet W5 P30

(With @escherstrange-ffxiv whose style of posting I yoinked, and is absolutely correct: this Escalated Quickly. I am here all day for it)

[taylorswiftstyle]

Eras Tour Film premiere | Los Angeles, CA | October 11, 2023

Oscar de la Renta 'Cutout Floral Gown' - $11,990.00 $5,995.00

In my predictions post for this premiere on the TSS Patreon I selected a different dress by Oscar de la Renta (a longtime favourite designer of Taylors) and noted that my ideal styling with said gown would be a "red lip and pinned faux bob with tons of bangles and chandelier diamond earrings ... for an old Hollywood glam feel."

Needless to say, I support and love this outing.

It's dramatic and ladylike while also honouring and extending the #1989Blue precedent she set during the final stages of the U.S. 2023 leg of the Eras Tour. Dressing to a colour palette is a perfect connector and reminder to bridge both the event at hand of the concert tour movie and her most pressing upcoming record with 1989 (Taylor's Version) set to release on October 27.

All in, this is a beautiful gown and perhaps one of her best appearances ever. The elegant styling (dainty rings and eye-popping matching diamond tennis necklace and bracelet) were the perfect choices. And maybe I'm just jealous that Taylor is someone who can pull off blue eyeshadow (any other brown eyed girls who were told that blue makeup would make your eyes pop and subsequently did not look like Taylor Swift when you tried a powder blue shadow look? anyone? just me?).

Designer Fernando Garcia also noted during the Resort 2023 collection's presentation that "cut-outs have become a go-to for our customer". The ones on this gown feel like an organic nod to the spliced crop tops that were signature to the original 1989 fashion run in 2014. But here, they're more organic and integrated into the design - a natural part of fully blossoming some might say. And if you missed the subtle cut-out nod, there's always the faux bob that might double take you into believing you were back in 2014/15 and also nods to the messy, slightly undone style seen on the 1989 TV cover.

As backstory, it should surprise no one that this particular collection happened to debut on June 13, 2022 at (where else) the New York Botanical Garden.

Worn with: Cartier necklace + Anabela Chan bracelets, Cartier studs + Cathy Waterman + Akillis + Anabela Chan rings, and Giuseppe Zanotti heels

[it-happened-one-fic]

Gluttony - Leona

Author Notes: It was actually really difficult to choose what I was going to post this week. But I've been a little busy lately, so I finally just chose this one rather than working on polishing some of my other fics. I wrote this one to the song "Too Sweet" by Hozier and that most certainly showed in the writing. With that said though, I'm pretty pleased with how this fic turned out. As per usual, reader is gender-neutral. I hope you enjoy!

Type: Gender neutral reader/ fluff/ some angst with comfort/ romance implied/ some pining/ sfw

Word count: 1528

Leona opened his eyes groggily, a frown on his face, as soon as the sun shone down through the leaves of the tree that hung over him, briefly blinding him before he sat up.

A hum from his left had his ears twitching before he twisted to see you lying right by his side. A slight smile on your face as the shadows of the leaves swayed across your form, and he felt his eyebrows raise.

He wasn’t particularly surprised to see you, though he knew the same couldn’t be said for anyone who might have seen you here.

Leona was no fool. He knew that you and him were pretty much perfect opposites. That’s why everyone always looked so confused when you were walking along beside him. Chattering away with a happy expression or teasing him about something that had recently gone in a way he hadn’t planned for it to.

Leona was the hated second prince. It was his burden, and it was one he’d carried his entire life. It was nothing new.

He was bitter, unpleasant, and something that people preferred to avoid either out of fear or powerful levels of distaste.

And then there was you. Sweet and far more optimistic than he thought he could ever be. And perhaps more interestingly, you were no fool. You knew everything wasn’t flowers and dreams. How could you not when you lived in a place like Ramshackle dorm and didn’t even have a way to get home? 

You were seemingly trapped in a world that wasn’t your own, but you didn’t let that stop you. Instead, you just keep going with your head held high, a smile on your face, and a laugh on your lips as you shrugged it off. It was admirable.

But it also simply wasn’t him. And that was something he knew perfectly well.

That simple fact was also the exact reason your classmates would find it so odd to see you slumbering here by his side and not somewhere else with someone who was a better match for your sweet disposition.

Leona leaned forward, propping his head on his chin as he looked down at where you slept by his side. You’d come here to study in the botanical garden while he’d slumbered next to you. It was something you often did, though he couldn’t fathom why.

It was almost like you either wanted the company or didn’t want him to be lonely. Either of which was ridiculous, since he could think of plenty of people who’d want to be your study buddy, and he certainly didn't want company for his naps.

But then, Leona also didn’t mind your presence, though he had his own reasons for not running you off.

Leona titled his head slightly, sighing at the sight of you, before pulling the book whose corner was jabbing into your side out of your hands and setting it off to the side where you’d quickly find it after waking up.

He idly scanned the area, half rolling his eyes as he confirmed that your feline companion was nowhere to be seen.

Grim had no doubt long since abandoned you in favor of avoiding anything even close to work.

As for you, Leona didn’t know if you were foolish or bold to have fallen asleep right next to him with no one around to protect you. But here you were curled up at his side, as if he weren’t someone who could easily harm you and were instead someone who would take care of you should you need it.

Which wasn’t something he could really deny to himself, but you didn’t need to know that.

After all, you’d seen him when he’d overblotted and you knew he wasn’t a good person. That should have been enough to send you scrambling to get away from him. But instead, here you were. 

And it was ridiculous.

It was true that it might have taken Jack a little while to realize that Leona wasn’t someone he needed to look up to, but Leona’s actions at the Spelldrive competition had cleared up Jack’s misunderstandings about him. 

Ruggie had always known what sort of person Leona was. It was one of the reasons he hung around. After all, there was safety in sticking close to people like Leona, so long as you remembered what they were truly like.

Both realized, for better or worse, that Leona was not a misunderstood individual who was secretly good. He was jaded, always beaten by others, and essentially worthless.

But then there was you, who was seemingly unbothered by any of this. 

And it wasn’t even like you didn’t believe Leona’s flaws existed; he could work with that. Instead, it was almost like you didn’t care. Like you didn’t really expect him to change outside of your occasional prodding for him to take better care of himself.

You saw his flaws—that much he knew from the times you had bickered with him over something—but you just seemed to accept them. The same way you just seemed to accept other people’s flaws as something that was just a part of them. Only ever really scolding others, or even Leona himself, when their actions either harmed themselves or others.

And that's how Leona knew you were simply too sweet for him. Too sweet for him to endure being near, but simultaneously too sweet for him to turn away.

It was just another show of how worthless he was at anything he tried to do and how little his own efforts mattered. He could try to push you away, but he couldn’t ever stop himself from clinging to you. 

As if you were one of the last sweet bits of his otherwise bitter life. A potent method of making everything else seem to fall away and be ignored so long as he just gets a fleeting taste of that kindness.

And Leona had tried to ignore you, but it was somehow impossible, even when he knew that being close to him could easily taint that sweetness of yours and turn it into a bitterness more like his.

But Leona also knew that you and him were all but opposites, and that was probably where the attraction of being near you lay.

Though that realization did nothing to lessen that attraction, no matter how frustrating it might be.

You shifted, letting out some sort of groggy sound and causing him to snort in amusement at your lethargic movements that had you shifting closer to him as if you craved his warmth. Coming closer to him instead of distancing yourself like you should.

It was ridiculous, watching you now, to think that you’d somehow bested him in the past. But you had. You’d beaten him as well as numerous others at their own game. Making them look like fools, as you seemed to change things simply by existing.

And maybe you did. After all, you weren’t of this world. And perhaps that was why it was so hard for him to detach himself from you.

Your eyes fluttered open, and you twisted to look up at the lion beastman, who didn’t even bother hiding his amusement as you blinked up at him before groggily sitting up, “What time is it?”

Leona glanced around, his ears twitching slightly as he listened to the distant sounds of students chattering as they left their club areas before he looked back your way, “Time to be getting back to the dorms. Club practice has already let out.”

You nodded, not looking terribly surprised and seemingly resigned to having lost the rest of your study period.

“Have you seen Grim?” You frowned lightly as you glanced around, and Leona snorted, leaning back and relaxing once more against the ground, lazily watching you as you collected your books.

“Nope,” At the single word you glanced over at him with raised eyebrows that almost made him want to take back all the previous thoughts he’d had about you being sweet.

But then that tiny bit of bite you had to you only ever seemed to emphasize your sweetness. It was what kept you interesting and at odds with the fools at RSA.

Because, unlike them, you managed to have a certain degree of cunning even with your sweetness. After all, he hadn’t been lying that day when he’d told Azul that you were far more dastardly than the scheming cephalo-punk was.

That was probably another reason why Leona had given up on pushing you away and had even come to expect your presence. He was a glutton for punishment, and with you being a villain that was sweet enough to even catch him unawares, you were certainly enough to keep him on his toes. 

His gaze held yours even as he felt yet another chip in the wall of his defenses fall away, despite the fact that he’d always maintained these walls around himself.

He may not want to let you in, but you really were too sweet for him, and it was reaching the point that Leona was becoming more and more willing to let himself give into his gluttony.

[luceafarul-de-dimineata]

Show don't tell

Pairing: Gamigin × Afab!Mc × Lucifer

Lucifer decides to take a more active approach in teaching Gamigin about intercourse.

Afab!reader but they only use they/them pronouns.

It's been a month since Lucifer won the Phenomenon photo contest, but Gamigin has been thinking about what he saw since the day it happened. He would stay in the comunal shower staring at his erection and pondering wether or not he should masturbate to the image of his king pressed on Solomon's child. The angered screams of his brothers wanting to use the bathroom would be the only thing that would snap him from his confused trance.

Lucifer, keen as ever, knew Gamigin's head was in other places not his work or any particular conversation they were having. He had a few ideas as to what might be clouding the dragon's thoughts, but when he found him sneaking into Marbas' room to try and grab some Abaddon magazines, he knew what he was dealing with.

"Bring Adam's child here." Lucifer ordered to Gamigin who instantly blushed and ran to the gates. The dragon was so excited to see them again, maybe his king will mate again with the human and he'll be allowed to watch once more. All the scenarios that used to be reserved for his dreams were now flouding his mind as he made his way to the gate.

You were sitting peacefully in your room in Gehenna, doomscrolling on some random social media, your mind elsewhere. A familiar glowing light illuminated the other side of the door before Gamigin burst into it with an excited smile. "Get in loser, we're going to Paradise Lost!" His loud voice accompanied by the even louder jiggling bells of his staff filled the previously dead room. "That was an actually good use of a pop culture reference."

"Thanks, I practiced." And with that Gamigin grabbed your arm and brought you to the calm botanical gardens in Paradise Lost. "We have to go to Lucifer's private office which is... on the other side of the country. Sorry, since Bathin left we can only teleport patients here."

The walk was uneventful, you and Gamigin starting and stopping conversation on a whim. Before long you reach Lucifer private office. A huge room inside the hospital with two queen sized hospital beds. Lucifer was sipping some tea while discussing with Buer. When Gamigin opened the door, Buer bowed and left without a word. It was strange how well coordenated the people of Paradise Lost were, especially when it was about their beloved king.

"[Strip]" Lucifer commanded to no one in particular, but you could tell it was ment for you. You took off your clothes and Lucifer picked you up and set you on the bed with your legs spread out. Your pussy was on full display for the two demons in the room. The king walked to his desk and took some medical gloves from one of the drawers. Lucifer turned to Gamigin and signed for him to get closer.

"This is the outer labia" Lucifer messaged the flesh before using two fingers to spread your lips. "This is the inner labia. They're the primary reasons why I got a real exemple for this leason on the body. In all the text books you'll see the same pictogram, one that rarely matches anything actually fleshy." Gamigin nodded, taking mental notes of your vagina.

"Lucifer, did you really call me ov-" "[Silence]" You couldn't even finish your sarcastic remark before you lost your voice to Lucifer's divine power.

"Under the clitoris hood you can find the clitoris or clit as it is more commonly known. Some people can ejeculate only by stimulation to this bundle of nerves, and, fortunatly, this one is part of this category. Pay close attention to the vagina, see how it convulses when I rub the clitoris." Lucifer begins to demonstrate to the gawking eyes of the young dragon. You wanted to moan but your voice had other plans, only letting out small gasps and whimpers.

Lucifer picked up a bit of your wetness on his gloved finger and brought it to Gamigin's mouth. "Lick." He didn't need to use one of his usual orders, he knew Gamigin would obey him blindly even without magic. The long tongue of the dragon greedily lapped up all your juices from the lead doctor's hand.

"Good. Now grab a set of gloves and come here." Gamigin sprinted and swiftly put on the plastic. The older demon was rubbing slow circles around your clit, enough to keep you excited but not enough to cum. When Gamigin arrived, Lucifer pointed to your opening. "Slowly insert one finger inside. They have a lot of experience, but the muscles around return to a tight state after a while. We don't want to hurt the patient, so be careful with the first finger."

Red in the face, yet still curious as ever, Gamigin slowly wiggled a finger inside your hole. A chocked moan escaped your lips as you spread your legs widder, your body already trained to recieve pleasure. The foreign feeling of the gloves rubbing against your walls and the circling of your clit was making your head spin. Slowly, Gamigin started to thrust his finger inside you at the guidance of Lucifer.

You can feel your orgasm approaching, but before you could release, Lucifer and Gamigin moved away from you. You saw the dragon sucking the finger he used to pleasure you while he looked up at the fallen angel. They were talking about something, but you didn't care what it was, you just wanted to cum.

You try to move but can't. Damn it, Lucifer must have thought in advanced about your little escape attempt and ordered your body to stay. When you look back in front of you, you notice that only Gamigin was there. Before you could question where Lucifer was, you felt him grab your body and setting you on his lap. He was naked, his cockhead touching above your belly button.

"As you can observe, most demons and angels are quite bigger than humans could normally handle. Yet, it can be observed that this particular human can take more than usual." Lucifer slowly picked you up so your hole was hovering over his penis and he began to decend your body on his.

You claw at the bed sheets and try desprately to at least moan. Gamigin was staring wide eyed at the copulation of the two of you, sight that only made you more emberassed than you already were. Lucifer bottomed out inside you after the most agonising 30 seconds of your life. You felt so full and stiff, like a sock puppet being worn by its master. One of his hands was wrapped around your throat and the other was set on your chest to try and prevent you from laying on the bed for support. He needed Gamigin to see it, that's why you were here in the first place.

"Do you see the bulge? That's how deep I went inside of them. Come touch it." Gamigin took a step closer and nervously felt the slight bulge from within. His eyes shifted rapidly from the bulge to Lucifer to you as if he was trying to imprint this moment in his memory. The dragon's three horns were already getting damp as he tried to massage lower before Lucifer glared at him to back off.

"It's not your turn to touch them yet. You still lack experience. Now, come closer." Lucifer started to thrust. Nothing too powerful, but enough to make you orgasm every time his dick was fully in. The hand that was on your chest moved to your hair as Lucifer began to move your head towards one of Gamigin's horns.

"[Suck]" He ordered and you obeyed, too weak from overstimulation to even think about going against the first light. You took one of the horns between your lips and started to suckle on it. The sweet devil energy washing down your mute throat.

Lucifer was quiet and you were forbidden from making a sound, but Gamigin was making up for the silence. His loud moans, whimpers and whines filled the room, so loud that everyone in the country must know what was going on. The dragon started to futely thrust against the air, his knees weak as his knuckles turned white from how hard he was gripping the bed.

The mind-numbing pleasure Lucifer was delivering straight to your very core was starting to get overwhelming when the former angel began to pick up the pace of his thrusts. A hot stream of tears imitating the leaking of your slobbering cunt began to fall from your eyes. When Lucifer noticed you began to cry he manhandled you off him and Gamigin and he layed you directly on the table.

"They're prepared enough now. Shed yourself of your garments and try to mate with the human yourself."

Gamigin noded and fumbled with his pants, quickly taking off his pants and boxers in one fell swoop. He got on top of you, his hands on either side of your sholders and his knees just under yours. He set there confused as he looked up at Lucifer who moved closer to Gamigin to help him every step of the way.

"Good... now move in, slowly, dear, slowly." He cooed to Gamigin. Even though you were the overstimulated one, Gamigin acted like teen in heat. He was much smaller than Lucifer, but he was way less experienced. His whimpers were beautifully pathetic as he entered your loose pussy. Lucifer was petting his head the whole way through.

"Good boy. How does it feel?" Lucifer voice was so sweet and friendly, it almost sounded like he was another person.

Between sniffles and whines, Gamigin managed to speak up with a hoarse voice "B-better than I could even i-imagine. Th-thank you, L-Lucifer."

Lucifer nodded in acknowledgement and grabbed Gamigin's waist, one hand on his lower stomach and the other on his tail bown. He started to thrust Gamigin inside your puffy pussy. It didn't take long before the dragon got used to the rythm set by his king and he got lost in the feeling of your wet cavarns.

Lucifer took a step back and watched the two of you have a go at it. The scene was lewd, sure, but to Lucifer it was the sweet deflowerment of his little brother. He was temped to take a picture to add to his album.

The rythm set only a few minutes ago was getting sloppier and faster as he was trying to reach his first orgasm inside someone. Gamigin hugged your limp body as he rutted inside, his head pressed to the matress. He practicly screamed as he came inside you. He colapsed on your body as he tried to even out his breaths.

With his strong arms, Lucifer picked you two up and walked to the other bed and layed you there. His touch was the gentlest you've ever recieved from the former angel, but Gamigin seemed used to the affection. Gamigin opened his mouth to speak but Lucifer covered it. "Sleep you two. You need rest after such an intense session."

You didn't need to be told twice, though calling it sleep would be an understatement. You both practicly collapsed into your own personal dream world, silently snoozing in Lucifer's office.

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Going flower picking with Sebek, Vil, and Rook, seperately please, headcanons or just a drabble is fine! gn reader :3

Flower-Picking the Heart

Characters; Sebek Zigvolt, Vil Schoenheit, Rook Hunt, Rollo Flamme

Content; Gender-neutral reader, fluff, pining, hurt/comfort, unresolved feelings

Word Count; 1.4 K (headcanon format)

Author's Note; I included Rollo since you mentioned that you also wanted to include him. I included some of the symbolism behind the flowers, but may miss some; so do be mindful of that! Also deviated a bit, but still stayed on prompt!

Do not put my work into AI. If you would like to read more of my work, please see my masterlist

Sebek Zigvolt

Sebek was standing by your side in the flower garden; this was supposed to be a relaxed day with no duties or responsibilities demanding your attention. Yet, his back was as straight as ever as the both of you slowly made your way through the botanical garden.

You nudged him in the arm, trying to get his attention, only to garner him giving you the side eye and letting out a quiet grunt.

“Hey, you were the one that wanted to come to the botanical garden,” you offer, giving him your own side eye to rival the one he was sending you.

Sebek sighed, silently questioning why Lilia recommended the garden as a hang-out spot (no, it wasn’t a date as Lilia taunted, that’s what Sebek told himself anyway).

“I don’t need to explain myself,” he said in a clipped tone, but he was eyeing the floral displays.

For today they could pick a single bloom, and he was set on getting the best flower for the dorm; a rose that could belong back at the queen’s rose garden! That’s what Sebek had originally thought he was going to do.

That was until you went over to one of the displays and plucked a flower, and gave it to him with an expectant look.

“What is this for,” he nearly shouted, paying mind to control his voice since others were also attending the showcase and he didn’t want to bring prying eyes to this situation.

You tucked a bright blue bloom into his chest pocket, a bright, cheery, contrast against the black of his jacket. A single morning glory blossom.

You hummed, “No reason. It just spoke to me is all.”

A simple honest answer. But why did it cause his ears to burn?

A favour. I cannot owe them a favour for this! So he did the same, looking among the vast amount of blooms until he chose a pale pink peony, shoving it into your hands.

You eyed the flower, and put it into your chest pocket, to match with him. “Alright then, where to now?” Where will we go? Will we continue in this or will we grow into something else? 

Flower Language - Morning glory; willful promise, affection - Peony; bravery, bashful, happy life, shame

Vil Schoenheit

Vil had received flowers countless times before, so many times that he had honestly lost count. He was also versed in both flower and overall plant toxicology, but also flower language itself.

This flower-picking trip was originally supposed to be for him to restock for both the school (since Professor Crewel trusted him) and his own stock for potions.

And you just so happened to be there, giving him a small wave from where you were collecting your own flowers.

“This is a pleasant surprise,” Vil offered, walking over to where you were. “Hard at work I see.”

Vil took note of the flowers in your basket, as well as the dirt on your hands; it was charming. Daffodils and pansies? That’s odd, I didn’t take them as the sort to make poison… Hopefully, they do remember that daffodils are toxic and pansies are fine—

“Good to see you too,” you chirped, dusting off your hands from the dry dirt. You took note of his own basket and patted the ground next to you. “Come on then, join me.”

Vil looked at you and without much thought or other prompting, he knelt beside you in the sea of yellow daffodils. “What are you planning to do with those,” he asked, gently clipping a yellow bloom from its stalk.

You paused, a white flower in your hand. “I was going to give them to someone special to me,” you said quietly, deciding to be honest.

“Hm, you must hold this person in high regard then,” Vil eyed you curiously since the long stalks of the daffodils looked quite awkward next to the pansies. “Respect, regard, unequalled love,” he said, holding a daffodil. “Thoughtful and caring,” he looked at the pansies, before looking to you.

“I do, and he is,” you answered, hoping that he hadn’t caught on to your little plan.

Well, he didn’t until he came back to the dorm to find the flowers in a vase. For Vil; I suppose you already know what these mean. And he did.

Flower Language - Daffodil; respect, regard, unequalled love - Pansy; thoughtful, caring

Rook Hunt

“Rook, where exactly are you taking me,” you asked him, facing in his direction (or at least you hoped you were facing his direction since he had handed you a blindfold to “make the surprise be meaningful”).

Rook just gave you the answer he had given you the entire way, “You’ll see soon, Trickster.”

Eventually, the two of you did stop and Rook took off the blindfold.

Flowers, flowers everywhere. Of every shape and colour. They were blooming everywhere.

You were silent for a few moments, just taking everything in. The slight irritation that you were blindfolded slipped to the back of your brain (you could be annoyed with him later) and you watched hummingbirds and fat bees flit from flower to flower.

“What do you think,” Rook asked you quietly, not wanting to break the spell you seemed to be under.

You looked back at him, and a breathy chuckle left your lips. “What do I think? It’s stunning,” you say in awe.

Rook smiled brightly; either at your reaction or that he was correct in that he thought you would enjoy this.

He didn’t say anything though, and just watched you go about the flower field. Even though he wanted to say so many things, he found that he was for once, speechless.

Looking down for a moment something caught his eye; violets. Next to the gardenias, most would not pay them much mind; but Rook gently plucked a few, alongside a gardenia.

“Rook!” Your shouting snapped him out of his own thoughts, and he looked up. “Am I allowed to pick some?”

He blinked before regaining his usual cheery mask. “Oui, but only a few.”

He eyed the flowers he held in his hands before ultimately setting them back down. For although they spoke the truth, Rook wasn’t yet ready to lay his heart bare; not yet.

Flower Language - Gardenia; you're lovely, secret love - Violet; honesty, watchfulness, modesty, faithfulness

Rollo Flamme

Rollo hated that he could feel his heart beat like a bird trying to escape a cage, yet he found himself next to you again, the very person who caused the anomaly; like a moth to flame.

You were taking a path on the outskirts of the city, silent. And while Rollo was often used to the quiet, it only heightened his nerves, causing his heart to beat faster. 

“Why did you invite me along,” you asked, breaking the silence. 

Rollo faltered in his step before regaining his composure. “While the city is our main attraction, I do find the quiet walkways to be more enjoyable.”

You hummed, eyeing one of the numerous hydrangea bushes that lined the walkway, separating it from a lavender field. “It is rather nice, thank you. Although you can stop your sales pitch on your city.”

Rollo blinked at you, brow slightly furrowed. “Sales pitch?”

“Yeah, like selling all the good points? … Damn, I’ve been spending too much time around some people, sorry.” You felt embarrassed, that you had distrusted him when he was most likely just being proud of his city.

“Hmm,” was all he said, moving along. The silence returned, as Rollo was not the type to make simple small talk or force a conversation where one wasn’t needed.

“Pft,” your sudden outburst of near-silent laughter caught his attention and he stopped, turning to you with a curious look.

“What seems to be funny?” He meant it in a genuine manner, but you just started laughing more which only made him more perplexed. Perhaps the fresh air can do you some harm?

You got a hold of yourself, eyes watering from the wind and your little chuckle fest. “Fleur City, your city is literally flower city, and look what we’re surrounded by; flowers.”

Rollo looked at the flowers and then at you. “It is a bit on the nose, I guess.”

You plucked a hydrangea cluster from the nearest bush and tucked it behind his ear. “But it’s fitting nonetheless.”

If his heart was beating fast before, now his face was sure to be red, and not from the brisk breeze.

Flower Language - Hydrangea; pride, gratitude for being understood, frigidity and heartlessness - Lavender; faithful, distrust

~~~~~~~

Tags; @azulashengrottospiano @bloomstruck @cheezy-moon @eynnwwyjth @ithseem @krenenbaker @lucid-stories @moonsoup01637 @ryker-writes @syrenkitsune @the-v-lociraptor @twistwonderlanddevotee @xxoomiii

[writers-potion]

Plotting Tips for Romantasy 𓆩🖤𓆪

Check out my masterpost for more tips :)

Okay, What IS romantasy?

Generally speaking, romantasy is a commercial subgenere that provides equal weightage to romance and fantasy.

If you can remove one side of the plot and still have a complete story, you may not be fulfilling genre expectations.

To summerize:

Romantic Fantasy = Fantasy + Romantic subplot

Fantasy ROmance = Romance + Fantasy subplot

Romantasy = Romance + Fantasy

Balancing Romance and Fantasy Elements

Combine two or more tropes from each genre.

Romantasy is all about an interesting mix-and-match. Think of your favorite romance/fantasy tropes, then marry them:

Enemies to Lovers discover a Portal to Faerieland in their Contemporary Office setting.

Grumpy and Sunshine accidentally anger a Troupe of vengeful witches while on a Road Trip

a Second Chance Couple is thrown into a Forced Proximity in order to plant hunt, and she must keep her Botanical Magical Powers a super-secret from him.

2. Integrate the two plots into one another.

The best way to juggle with two different plots is to integrate them into one another. For example,

Romance as a prerequisite for using magic: e.g. only when a witch meets her soulmate will se be able to use her wand.

Love between characters threatens the fantasy world. e.g. forbidden love between two magical species has now become a full-blown war.

Romance between non-human characters. The key is to remind your readers of the fantasy elemnts by giving the characters nonhuman conflicts, personalisties and values.

Common Genre Tropes for Romantasy

A female lens: The readership is largely made up of women - they want to read narratives that foreground women and their stories. Where the heroine loves the hero, the love interest should be likable.

Strong heroine who saves the day: Most common in books by women for women this includes fewer damsels in distress and plenty of dames doing the saving.

Enemies-to-lovers: This trope has plenty of scope for inter-species prejudices and love across (literal) battle lines, which is a common must in fantasy.

Friendship and found family: Portraying relationships from a romantics AND fantasy point of view is important. The hero who begins as the cool, aloof longer must eventually become part of a collective even if that's only through their partner.

Elemental magic: Who wouldn't want to be able to hurl fireballs or lightening bolts? It would be useful in a lovers' fight, too.

Popular Romantasy Books 📚

The best way to understand the genre norms is to read it for yourself!

A Court of Throns and Roses (Sarah J. Maas)

Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yarros)

Stardust (Neil Gaiman)

The Paper Magician (Charlie Holmberg)

A Promise of Fire (Amanda Bouchet)

The Paper Magician (Charlie Holmberg)

If you like my blog, buy me a coffee☕ and find me on instagram! 📸

[flyintheworldofbooks]

Sims 4 CC recs

This is my master list with my current cc's

Outfits:

By Aretha - pretty (&) savage collection 💗✨🦋

By aharris00britney - AxA 2020 | 90+ CAS Items | Public Release

By BlueCraving - Sporty Collection

By BlueCraving - Wedding Collection

By Oydis - Smart & Casual 💄 / Also has other packs with hair colors

By Oydis - The Little Black Dress 👠

By RIMINGS - Lazy Sunday / PJs / Also has a lot of good outfits

By Sunberry - Ribbon top long dress & Pearl Heart

By VIKAI X GREENLLAMAS - SOGUE

By Black Lily - Evenings With You Dress

By Caiocc - Lily: A 10 items set

By Caiocc - CxS Love Myself. - The Collection (9 items)

By clumsyalien - «mixtape» cc pack

By clumsyalien - «ambience» cc pack

By Daisy Pixels - 🔔 Antonia & Diana 🔔

By Miiko - Corset crop-top

By Rusty - Autumn City II

By Rusty - Basic VI

By Rusty - Princess of XIII

By Serenity - Hazelnut Set (12 items)

By Serenity - SxC Love Myself. - The Collection (7 items)

By Serenity - Aurora Set (13 items)

By Serenity - Bloom Set (10 items)

By Serenity - Nuage Set (13 items)

By Serenity - Sour Candy, a 6 item set.

By Serenity - Amethyst Set (6 items)

By Trillyke - Skyline Sweater and Jumper

By Trillyke - Silver Light Jeans

By Trillyke - Bad Chemical Jacket

Swimsuits:

By Caiocc - Ipanema: A 9 items set

By Trillyke - 🌞Hello Summer! Collection 🌞

Men:

By Black Lily - Miles Top

By Rusty - Mellow IV

Shoes:

By Jius-Sims - Shoe Collections

By Madlen - Shoe Collection

Accessories:

By clumsyalien - «euphoria» cc pack

By Miiko - High knit socks

By Pralinesims - PARADOX Glasses

By Pralinesims - DUNE Glasses

By Pralinesims - DOMINO Glasses

By Pralinesims - AGONY Ear Piercing Collection

By Pralinesims - THUNDERSTRUCK Ear Piercing Collection

Hair:

By Sheabuttyr - hannah hair

By Simcelebrity00 - Lexi Hairstyle

By sweetaday - Sasa Hair

By clumsyalien - «sweet & sour» hairs

By Marso - lock and lease

By Marso - kauban cc dump

By Miiko - Emma hair version 2

By Miiko - Anya hair (two lengths)

Skin/Makeup:

By Miiko - Rhea skin set

By Miiko - Body-kit No.2

By Pralinesims - BELLINI Makeup Collection

By Pralinesims - WATERDROP Maxis-Match Eyes

By Pralinesims - ESCAPISM Eye Trio

By Serenity - Anise Lipgloss (11 colors)

Kids:

By Sunberry - Cottagecore Collection👗👗

By Daisy Pixels - 💐☀️ Sunny Skies ☀️💐

By Miiko - 3D eyelashes + Makoto hair (children)

Toddlers:

By Daisy Pixels - Tilly and Pua 🌞💐 🌻 🌼 🌹 🌸

By Miiko - 3D eyelashes for toddlers & infants

Stuff:

By Aira - .˚₊┈୨ The Artist in Me🪞୧┈₊˚.

By RusticSims - CAREYES LIV& DIN - AUGUST SET- TIER PRO (15 TEXTURE)

By Felixandre - THE LIVIN' RUM

By Sixam CC - Boho-Bath Botanical Retreat

By Aira - Study in Style Set…………🐻

By Push Pixels - Urban outdoor

By Syboubou - Clarisse office set

By Miiko - Harmony furniture set

Edit: erased one of the kid's CCs as I don't like the textures and how it fits the sims in general - will probably add more CCs to this in the future!

[bullet-prooflove]

4500 Follower Celebration Bingo: Kings & Queens - Filip 'Chibs' Telford x Reader

Tagging: @anime-weeb-4-life @kishie8 @nu1freakshow @darqchilddaydreamz @kmc1989

Companion piece to: Unburied - You're forced to make a choice when one of your secrets becomes unburied.

The morning before your appointment with David Hale, Chibs marries you. The service takes place in front of a justice of the peace in an empty courtroom and is witnessed by Tig and your law partner Al. They watch as Chibs takes the ring off his own finger before slipping it onto yours. The gesture is symbolic because you won’t be allowed jewellery where you’re going.

The marriage works on two levels. Chibs can’t stand the idea of you disappearing from his life without committing to you in that way and it divides your assets. He gets half of everything you own, leaving him with a financial stability that he has never wanted, but you insist he has. You want him to be taken care of when you go away.

There is no afterparty, no toasts, no first dance. Instead you end up at the tattoo parlour on Main, where Cassandra engraves matching botanical designs across both your ring fingers. Yours has leaves and his is barren.

Afterwards he takes you home and he strips off his shoulder holster, setting his gun down on the nightstand before he sits on the edge of the bed and draws you to him. He presses his face into the junction between your legs, his hands slipping underneath the hem of the white lace dress you’re wearing, his thumb skirting over the garter belt as he inhales deeply. He can’t believe this is the last time he gets to be with you, that after this the intimacy of your relationship will be reduced to quick fucks on second hand sheets, him peeling away the orange jumpsuit from your skin.  

“I never wanted this for you.” He whispers, his eyes stinging as your fingers comb lightly through his hair. “Please don’t do this…”

But his protests fall on deaf ears because it all comes down to this.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice your Queen to remain a King.

Love Chibs? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[twstunes]

Take My Hand again actually we're gonna go on a walk through Night Raven College campus real quick while I lose my mind

First off look at the front gate. People have definitely brought up the birds and the keys and those ARE both very important symbols, BUT. What about the thorns sprawled across the top of the gate? And the repeat use of 4-pointed stars in the lettering gives an especially prickly quality, overall.

Also of note are the decorations on the main pillars and the very specific aesthetic choice for the shape of the wrought-iron fence—by which I mean both reflect designs found in Draconimom's appearance.

The carvings on the gate pillars feature an ankh-like shape that matches up eerily well with the central decor of Draconimom's belt, as well as two curves that mimic the main body of the belt. The three-leaf/bud-like shape above that is reflected in the lace pattern and dangling decoration of the Mirror Chamber's chandelier. The two swooping S-shapes mimic the Draconia family's iconic horns, and the little decorations on either side of the carving match with the shape of Draconimom's pauldrons.

As for the fence…it's That Shape again. Each post also bears resemblance to the upper portion of Draconimom's staff.

Considering the focus on thorned vines in relation to Diasomnia/the Draconias, the way that vines are slowly creeping up both the fenceposts and gate pillars feels relevant.

(Please recall: The coffins by which students are summoned into NRC are also referred to as "Gates.")

Next stop is the botanical garden. As I mentioned in a previous post, the building's overall shape is notably similar to the chandelier found in the Mirror Chamber. The large beams surrounding the building, with their spear-like support pillars, give the impression of the building being held in place by thorned vines.

The inside of the garden doesn't yield much in the way of analysis, unfortunately. The most stand-out feature is the crumbling structure in the subtropical zone, but that arguably could've been intentionally allowed to decay as a way of cultivating the various mosses and lichens we see growing on it.

(Please recall: at the beginning of the game, before you choose a student, Crowley has a monologue in which he appears to refer to the Dark Mirror as "a lovely and noble flower of evil.")

And now the Hall of Mirrors. This one has subtler details than the others, but still just enough for the pattern recognition part of my brain to start making noises.

Again, the outside of the hall bears a passing resemblance to the chandelier in the Mirror Chamber, though much less so than the botanical garden. More important to this analysis is the inside of the building.

Listen. Not all lace is related to overblots. But the majority of lace in Twisted Wonderland HAS appeared in relation to overblots. The presence of an unmistakably lace-y pattern on the beams under each ceiling arch feels worth pointing out. After all, as of Book 7, at least one student per dorm linked to the Hall of Mirrors has overblotted.

There are also small floral decorations on each arch: two buds in the lower corners, and a bloom at the top. Again, Crowley's "flower of evil" comment comes into play; each dorm, again, features a major antagonist who is visually and textually placed parallel to their respective member of the Great Seven (OG Disney villains).

There's also. Y'know. The horn-like design on the pillars.

(Please recall: each dorm linked to the Hall of Mirrors is, apparently, contained within a pocket dimension with somewhat strict borders.)

Okay now we're at the coliseum and I need you to bear with me for this first point. Look at the entrance. It's too ostentatious to not be important somehow, right? It's too overdone. It's the Dark Mirror's mask, kinda? Don't ask how long I've been staring at this thing

Aside from that, the coliseum has thorns lining the rim of the structure twofold. One set of thorns exists as spears jutting out along the rim, while the other set exists as the long, simple, repeating pattern on the wall just under those spikes. On the outside of the building, this pattern repeats for every floor, effectively giving a sense that the structure is "wrapped" in thorns.

There are also thorns visible in the support beams of the stage; they're especially noticeable after Malleus fixes the stage, as they're lit up a bright pink (as opposed to the gold they were prior).

Upon the stage sits an odd, crumbling structure. It's clearly made of a different type of stone than the rest of the coliseum, being a dark gray instead of subdued purple, but that's not all—the architecture doesn't match up, either. The two main columns don't resemble any others found in the coliseum, notably. The arch-and-a-half visible both distinctly feature three-pointed arches, unlike the round arches consistently found throughout the rest of the building.

The fact this structure has been allowed to remain in such a deteriorated state is also worth questioning, especially since it's obviously been modified at some point fairly recently; the LCD screen it's been fitted with seems to work like a normal electronic device w/ no magical component to it. Even if you were to argue that the structure is supposed to have a distinct aesthetic from the rest of the coliseum to better draw attention to the stage it rests on, its condition renders the argument null. I love its decrepit vibe as much as Malleus might, but very few people would see this as an acceptable "centerpiece" for such an important location. With how Crowley squawks about maintaining the school's reputation, why does this pass by without comment from him…?

At least the chains frame the stage nicely. Though, they could serve a symbolic purpose as well…

(Please recall: according to Rook, the school staff claims that the coliseum is "imbued with a special field that makes it harder for damage to spill out." We can assume that this is the truth, as no one outside of the coliseum seemed to notice Vil's overblot—just the traces of excessive magical energy leftover afterwards.)

And finally, we come to the Mirror Chamber. Keeping in mind that the Dark Mirror can teleport people (both for enrollment and in general), the most notable visual qualities of this room are as follows:

Gates (coffins, the Dark Mirror)

Plants (chandelier, rose arches, standing lamps, windowpanes)

Mirrors (the Dark Mirror)

Containment (chains, coffins, the Dark Mirror)

It is very, very interesting that the four primary structures on NRC campus with a direct relationship to the items on this list also feature aesthetic similarities to the Mirror Chamber. Also of note is that although each structure chiefly embodies one item on the list, they all incorporate aspects of the other items:

Front Gate–

Plants: As previously noted, there are vines steadily attempting to overtake the fence and pillars + thorns sprawling across the top of the sign.

Mirrors: Structural design is mirrored across the vertical axis, carvings are mirrored across both horizontal and vertical axes.

Containment: Although open in this view, the front gate as a whole embodies the concept of NRC campus as an area that is closed off to the rest of the world.

Botanical Garden–

Gates: The entire building signifies a departure from the surrounding campus into a space especially designed for the housing and growing of plants.

Mirrors: Look at that thing. You can't have a building made mostly out of tempered glass and not have it be reflective as fuck.

Containment: Aside from the appearance of being held down by thorned vines, the building does, again, exist for the purpose of containing plants.

Hall of Mirrors–

Gates: Each mirror acts as gate leading to each of the seven dorms.

Plants: Previously-detailed floral decorations.

Containment: Again, each mirror contains a dorm. This, in turn, means that this building technically contains…nearly the entire student body.

Coliseum–

Gates: It's got one right out front lmao. But yeah, like the botanical garden, the building signifies a departure from the surrounding environment.

Plants: As mentioned earlier, the entire building has the appearance of being wreathed in thorned vines + further incorporation of thorns in the stage.

Mirrors: Previously-shown Dark Mirror comparison. Also, like the front gate, the structural design is mirrored across the vertical axis.

What does this all mean? NO fuckin clue. But if we consider how the very first battle of the game seems to take place in the Mirror Chamber, at least two of these locations have been (or will be) the setting for a major overblot battle.

(I will say…it's very funny that, despite Pomefiore being the first established dorm from a lore perspective, a lot of the campus has much more Diasomnia-esque aesthetics.)

[wisteriaiswriting]

What are your general dating headcanons for Viper, Fade and Jett? (Valorant).

𝔾𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕣𝕒𝕝 𝔻𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕔𝕒𝕟𝕠𝕟𝕤

Words: 518

This girl is planning and paying for expensive and fancy restaurant dates, nothing that rivals Chamber but the thought it worth more.

When you two start dating she tries to lower her work schedule. Even if it’s not by a lot she tries to spend more time with you in more aspects of the day.

You will have to cook for her as she can not. And no matter how long you do this for her she will never get tired of it, always finding more recipes for you.

She will make up for all your work by spending time making you some of your favourite desserts or some snacks.

Loves to sit in silence while enjoying your company, no words need to be said.

Before you both sleep or as you are falling asleep she’ll search through her bookshelf for a book, new or continuing each night.

In public she has a reputation to upkeep, so there will be little to none pda. But once you get behind closed doors she enjoys doing acts of services.

She will spend the night awake just to make sure you’re okay, protecting you from your own nightmares and fears. Often leading to you both watching a dumb show you just found.

Frequently she’ll push you away if you try to show some pda, but will softly apologize later. She craves your attention, just… don’t make her look soft in front of others, she has a reputation after all.

This girl will ignore her own health just to make sure you’re doing fine. Leading to you sending her off to Sage, cuddling afterwards.

Enjoys having Henna dates. Will spend weeks beforehand creating designs that she thinks, no, knows is you. Making sure it’s perfect during application.

If you two date for long enough you’ll be able to meet her horde of cats. A mix of previously adopted and current strays that she cares for. (Hoping to adopt the rest.)

Her prowlers might look intimidating but that doesn’t stop them from getting what they want. That is your attention, often nudging or brushing against you.

You can not escape her cuddles. This girl will hold you every second of the day if possible, even if it’s not she’ll make up for it later.

As she was a chef before joining the protocol she will cook anything you want for her.

This girl would waste all her money on matching jewelry if she could, luckily you’re there to stop her. Preferring necklaces and earrings (out of the way) but will wear what you want.

Will also match outfits, this includes stealing from your closet. (Take something from hers please, she would love it.)

She is a massive fan of legos, so having dates dedicated to building sets isn't surprising.

Will spend her money on the botanical sets and any other flower ones, gets butterflies seeing them all around your room.

Even with Brimstone’s no fraternization rule it doesn’t stop her from showering you in affection. But when you are alone? You will have to practically carry the girl. She will not leave you.

[momobani]

&TEAM hyung line + vacation romance

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!! | smut under cut | 0.8k

a/n: summer is coming and i can’t wait, so here’s a little vacation romance with hyung line. i’m working on more stuff, but for now i’m pulling things out of the vault <3

K vibe check: tove lo - elevator eyes

you met at a pool party that a mutual friend was throwing. you’d never met before but there was definitely a strong attraction on first sight, the kind of sparks that could start a forest fire. you make so much eye contact for a while from across the pool and inside the house too before he finally comes over and asks if he can get you a drink. you start chatting, flirting, whatever and the tension only builds up before he’s pulling you into the nearest room and kissing you hungrily. then he’s reaching under your tiny skirt to pull away the bikini bottoms to the side and slide a finger into your wet pussy to tease you, mouth never leaving yours. ends up fucking you against the wall and you leave the party quickly after that, his cum threatening to drip down your legs. you definitely end up seeing more of each other after that, transcending the vacation part of your romance as the temperature dropped over the coming months, going for hot coffee instead of ice cream, and wrapping up warmly in scarves and mittens (matching sets if you can be convinced cuz K is a cheeseball and got you couple items lol). 

Fuma vibe check: call on me - awich

you were lucky to get some time off for your summer vacation so of course you hit the beach. you notice Fuma on the first day, on a neighbouring umbrella spot, lying down on his towel with his head stuck in a book. you thirst over him quietly while you try to focus on your own book, but your eyes keep wandering back to him, silently and shamelessly tracing over his back muscles and biceps, even when you’re in the water for a swim. he comes in too at one point when you’re drying off on your towel and you openly stare at him from a distance with your sunglasses on. so it becomes a thing - you run into each other several days in a row, picking the same spots everyday as you pine from afar and he reads book after book. you’re surprised one day when he comes over with a bottle of water and asks if you wanted to have lunch. it’s a surprise to you that he noticed you were staring (you were so obvious omg) but you agree quickly. the two of you hit it off, talking about books and food and needless to say, he asks you out again somewhere different than the beach, maybe to the zoo or the botanical gardens.  

Nicholas vibe check: big chance - superm

you went on holiday with a mutual group of friends and rented a super nice villa and hired a yacht for a day or two since with a bigger group you can afford it. you’d been flirting for a while since the two of you had known each other but there’s something about the hot summer air and endless summer nights that cause sparks to fly between you and you can’t get enough of each other. you’re constantly all over each other the moment you’re alone - the kitchen when everyone is still hungover and asleep, the vacant jacuzzi while everyone is out on a walk, the tiny rooms on the yacht where there’s just enough space to squeeze in for an intense quickie. it’s so difficult being quiet and not leaving traces of your little adventures but you learn to be subtle, even if you can’t stop staring at each other. the two of you even sneak away from the group, thinking you’re slick but honestly everyone has a bet on how quickly you two would get together lol. you come back, a bit more dishevelled than when you left but no one acts surprised or bats an eye, though you do see some cash being passed around.  

Euijoo vibe check: romantic sunday - car, the garden

you decided to go on vacation by yourself somewhere near your city, just for convenience, and ended up in a quant little seaside town where your favourite place quickly became the ice cream shop. as much as you liked the sweet treat, the owner’s son, Euijoo, was so much sweeter. it was obvious that the two of you had chemistry from the get go but it took some initiative in flirting to get Euijoo to reciprocate and soon you were waiting for him after work, hanging out at the neighbouring arcade, walking on the beach in the evening, watching fireworks if there was any festivities, while he took you for drives in his truck [yes that scene from the fireworks mv yes, that one]. since it’s a small town and you know people will talk, you take Euijoo’s truck away and go car camping, which of course means no sleep while you make love under the stars all night, like a scene straight out of a romance film. you decide to extend your vacation a little longer to hang out with Euijoo but he surprises you by declaring he actually lives in the same city as you lol.   

[hungrywriter]

Herbs & Hearts (pt.1)

Raiden x f!reader

Raiden and Kung Lao entered Madam Bo's restaurant, instantly greeted by a delightful medley of sweet and savoury smells emanating from the kitchen where Madam Bo worked her culinary magic. They were welcomed by the owner herself, who guided them to their usual table, the spot where they often hung out.

As usual, they playfully argued over who would be picking up the tab for their meal. After this spirited exchange, they stood up in an open area to engage in a friendly martial arts match. Their battle was intense, but in the end, Kung Lao emerged as the winner. His celebration, however, led to an accident when he bumped into a waiter carrying a bowl of noodles, causing the food to go airborne.

The whole restaurant fell silent, anticipating a mess, but from the kitchen, a figure swiftly emerged, wearing a farmer's hat and the familiar restaurant's apron. With incredible dexterity, this person skillfully caught the flying food and restored it to the tray, as if the accident never occurred. The customers, initially holding their breath, broke into applause. The restaurant quickly returned to its usual bustling activity, with the incident soon forgotten.

Raiden and Kung Lao couldn't contain their curiosity and approached the mysterious saviour. When the figure looked up, they immediately recognized her as Y/n, their childhood friend. Y/n was the adopted daughter of Madam Bo, the chef of the restaurant. Madam Bo had found Y/n as a baby, abandoned at her doorstep with nothing but a tattered cloth to protect her frail body. There were stories circulating that suggested divine intervention, as some believed that gods had descended from the heavens to save her. These tales led some superstitious parents in the neighbourhood to warn their children to be cautious around Y/n, fearing that they might inadvertently offend these mysterious deities and bring about a curse.

However, it was only Raiden who immediately welcomed Y/n as a friend. Kung Lao, on the other hand, needed some convincing, but as the years passed, he too grew to love Y/n, not only as a friend but also for her exceptional fighting skills. The trio grew up together and trained martial arts under Madam Bo, forging a strong and enduring bond.

Y/n smiled at them and continued serving customers. The two friends couldn't contain their joy and embraced Y/n. The boys were aware of Y/n's deep passion for plants and her fascination with studying various herbs. She was often found in her room, conducting experiments and nurturing her own herbs. This love for botanical pursuits led her to embark on journeys in search of herbs that she insisted couldn't be found in the village.

Initially, the boys expressed concern and offered to accompany her on these trips, but Y/n politely declined their assistance. Madam Bo, too, advised them not to accompany Y/n, encouraging her independence. In order to avoid upsetting the wise elder woman, the boys eventually accepted and let Y/n pursue her herb-hunting adventures on her own.

"Y/n, when did you come back? We've missed you!" Kung Lao said, affectionately pinching her cheeks. The female laughed at his actions and put her hands over his to get him away from her cheeks. 

"I got back this morning. Mother told me to rest, but you know I can't just sit still for too long," Y/n replied as she picked up a tray of food from the kitchen and resumed serving the customers, with the boys trailing behind her. As she went about her tasks, Raiden couldn't help but notice the bandage on her left foot and her slight limp when she walked.

"What happened to your foot?" he inquired. Setting the food on a table, Y/n turned to face them, a touch perplexed at first, but then realising what he was referring to.

"Oh, I just ran into a bit of trouble during my journey," she nonchalantly shrugged. However, seeing their worried expressions, she swiftly reassured them that she had managed the situation. Kung Lao offered a hearty chuckle and cheered for her, while Raiden could only shake his head, sighing in concern.

Y/n felt a slight disappointment in his reaction, but her spirits lifted when he smiled at her. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her close to his chest.

"Well, as long as you come back in one piece, love petal," he whispered, kissing her head. Y/n returned the hug and turned her head away to hide the growing blush on her face. Kung Lao let out an exaggerated scoff and rolled his eyes before heading back to their table. The duo then parted ways and joined each other at their table, ready to relish their meal and dive into a conversation about Y/n's recent adventures.

[thescarletnargacuga]

THE ANNIVERSARY BALL

A CANON TIME CAPSULE AU FANFICTION

AU credit @mangotangerinepastry @the-amazing-digital-time-capsule

WARNING: alcohol, swearing, verbal harassment (the guests of the time capsule are terrible people), some suggestive dialogue

~~~

Caine adjusted the metals on his dress uniform and made sure his tie was straight. The floor length mirror reflected an image of foux military prestige. He was ready to host the grandest party the Time Capsule threw, The Anniversary Ball. At least, he looked ready, but in truth, he never was. The annual event was attended by the wealthiest of the wealthy clients the Capsule served. They constantly bragged to him how they could afford the tickets to the impossibly expensive party.

Caine sighed and smoothed his jacket. “Alright soldier, chin high. Back straight. Presentation is what matters. Don't let them intimate you. Don't let them get under your skin. Don't back down. Be all that you can be.” He stared hard at himself, putting himself into the mindset to face his worst enemy: socialits.

The longer he looked, the less he recognized the reflection staring back. The teeth around his mix matched eyes became pale skin. Light, well-kept hair sat atop his head. The visage of a handsome young man with tired eyes blinked with him. Caine lifted his hand to his face, half expecting to feel real flesh, when a holographic screen popped up next to him.

“Our guests will be arriving shortly.” BUBLE informed.

Glancing away from himself was all it took to break the haunting vision from the mirror. Caine checked his pocket watch, less than an hour. “Are all preparations complete?”

“Yes. The botanical gardens are prepared to welcome our guests. Are you? I do not wish to have a repeat of last year.”

“If I recall, I wasn't the problem in that situation. You had to eject the guest.” Caine held his hands behind his back, standing tall.

For the briefest of seconds, BUBLE’s screen glitched. “You recall incorrectly. It is your job to keep our guests happy. Any guest ejected is a failure on your part. A failure that will be corrected. Follow your directive, Ringmaster Caine, or there will be-”

“Consequences.” Caine struggled already not to roll his eyes. “Uh-huh, for a robot, you are awfully dramatic.”

~

The botanical gardens was a large outdoor venue laiden with a multitude of exotic plants from around the world. No matter what natural environment they were from, they grew believably in the false world within the capsule. The AI generated smell of the mixed flora was pleasant at the very least.

In the center of the gardens, a stone courtyard contained a small stage for performances. For this special occasion, white clothed round tables were added for the Anniversary dinner. An open bar was added to the side for Kinger to mix drinks. Lights were strung across the courtyard for ambiance and the capsule's day cycle was halted at twilight to preserve the rich post sunset lighting.

Caine met with Kinger and Zooble at the gardens first, as they were working with faceless NPCs to set up. He checked his watch again. Guests would be arriving in less than twenty minutes so his performers should be arriving any second. He took a deep breath of heavy floral air.

“You can do this, soldier. You're one of our best.” Kinger assured from his place behind the bar and served a shot of whiskey.

Caine took it without a word and downed it easily. He exhaled the bitter burn of the alcohol and tapped the bar with the glass. “One more. I'm going to need it.”

Kinger poured. “Don't get ahead of yourself. It's going to be a long night.”

“Don't I know it.” Caine catches a glimpse of the performers entering the gardens mid shot and chokes. Pomni was dressed to the nines in a way he'd never seen before.

Kinger shakes his head, wipes down his whiskey sprayed bar and tops of Caine's glass. His six hands make easy work. Kinger watched Caine stare wide eyed at Pomni walking in with Ragatha, Jax, and Gangle. He huffed a small laugh.

Caine hardly had the wherewithal to wipe the dribbled drink off his chin. Pomni was wearing a midnight blue dress with golden accents that made her outshine the beauty of the night sky itself. He had to hold on to the bar before her aura knocked him down. None were worthy to stand in her presence.

Pomni adjusted her evening gloves, they were holding much too tight to her upper arms and were going to annoy her all night. At least she got to wear low heel boots instead of heels, so her feet wouldn't be killing her by the end of the event. Small mercies. “So we have to socialize with all the guests?”

“Unfortunately.” Gangle answered flatly. “Eat, perform, mingle. BUBLE has never given us a set end time. The guests come and go as they please, but don't think any event has gone longer than…six hours?”

Pomni wanted to throw herself down the nearest sewer drain, but anything she had to say left her mind when she saw Caine. The vague military officer's uniform fit him very nicely. She went right to him.

Caine's breath caught in his throat. Oh lord, she was walking towards him. He slid the shot away from him and stood pretty. “Evening, Pomni.” He greeted her formally.

Caine's stiffer than usual demeanor surprised her. “Uh, evening, Caine. You look nice.” She nervously complimented him, noticing Kinger sliding away to give their conversation privacy.

Caine's neck felt hot, but he remained at attention. He was afraid if he let himself relax, he would fall apart right in front of her. “And you look…” Every synonym for beautiful he knew, even in other languages, flew through his head. “Presentable.” Was what came out of his mouth.

Pomni blinked. “Thanks..?”

Before Caine could correct himself, BUBLE’s screen appeared amongst them. “Attention cast members, our guests will arrive in one minute. Places.”

Pomni walked away, leaving Caine mentally kicking himself. He snatched the abandoned shot and downed it before taking his place at the entrance to the gardens to greet the guests.

Caine stood in the middle of the entrance, Pomni and Gangle stood to his right along the edge. Jax and Ragatha to his left. At the end of BUBLE’s countdown, a glowing red vertical line appeared mid air. It split and opened a wide digital doorway. Guests poured in by the dozens.

Caine steeled himself. Showtime. “Welcome to the Time Capsule Anniversary Ball!” He boldly announced.

~

The gardens filled with elegance that reeked with wealth. The white tie event brought out the most elaborate gowns and tailor made suits. The guests mingled lightly before dinner. Some went straight to the bar and Kinger was put to work, showing off his best tricks as he poured drinks.

Pomni could feel her stomach twisting more and more as the venue filled with some of the most pompous, old money rich types she's ever seen in her life. Even the porcelain masks they wore couldn't hide the entitlement.

The guests were seated for dinner and Caine took to the central circular stage. He held up a champagne glass and tapped in with a small fork to quiet the crowd. “Welcome, esteemed guests, to the most wonderful night of the year! Tonight, we celebrate the day the Capsule was sent back through time to start this wonderful show! You all have the exclusive privilege to dine, drink and dance with the cast of this world famous Time Capsule! Enjoy, my friends, and cheers to another year of time travel entertainment!” Caine raised his glass and the crowd toasted with him.

Pomni sat at the cast table with the others, painfully aware of wandering eyes from the guests. This felt way more invasive than just mingling. Snobby guests were going to be in her space all night. She's never wanted to be on stage and out of arm's reach more.

Cast meals were short compared to the guests' five course dinners, they needed to be on stage. Caine didn't eat at all. He wandered the courtyard to speak with guests that would flag him down. One guest asked him when the sexy bitch with the violin would be performing and Caine couldn't suppress an eye twitch. “She's the first act, actually. Enjoy.” Caine forced a smile and kept walking. Before mingling with the next guest, he took a shot of vodka.

Pomni played her heart out on stage, moving with the music as lights danced around her. It was truly a spectacle that had the guests actually cheering. Pomni played so hard, her violin bow smoked by the end. As much as she hated playing, it was a good way to get rid of nervous energy.

Caine was enthralled. He has to force himself to look away from the stage so as to not stare. That's not what was expected of him. Everyone else got to ogle Pomni all they wanted. He hoped if he kept moving he'd miss the comments made about her. He still caught a few. Everything was being judged, from her dress to her body and he wanted to shoot every last one of them. But the only shot he took was another vodka.

Pomni dabbed her brow with a napkin as Gangle took to the stage for her performance. Caine power walked to her with a glass of water but another guest still got to her before him. He internally cursed but kept his cool as he slowed his gait. It was the guest that asked about Pomni before. He needed to stay close.

The sleazy guest sidled up to Pomni. “Hey, beautiful. That was quite the performance. When the dance floor opens, you and I should be the first ones out there.”

Pomni saw Caine approaching and thought fast. “I'm afraid you're out of luck for the first dance.” She skirted around the guest and stood next to Caine. She took his arm. “I'm supposed to dance with the Ringmaster when the floor opens.”

“What?” Caine slipped out quietly.

“What?? That hasn't been a thing before!” The guest bristled.

“This is my first year.” Pomni rationalized. “And events change. Surely you understand.”

“The only thing I understand is that you're making excuses, slut.” The guest balled his fists.

The glass in Caine's hand shattered loudly. Bits of glass cut his hand, but he didn't flinch as blood dripped from his fingertips. “She's right, I'm afraid.” Caine slid his arm out of Pomni's hold and pulled her close to him by her waist. “Sorry, Ringmaster privilege. You'll have your chance after.” He walked away with Pomni to the bar, ignoring the warning pulls from BUBLE.

Pomni jumped when Caine grabbed her. She'd blush if she wasn't so confused and a bit disgusted by Caine's behavior. Stale alcohol wafted off of his breath. “What are you doing?” She hissed under her breath.

“Getting a napkin for my hand. When Jax and Ragatha are done, the band will take to the stage and the dance floor will be available. Wouldn't want to disappoint the guests by making me hunt you down.” He smirked.

Pomni's eyes narrowed with anger. “What is with you? I just wanted that a-hole to leave me alone. You seriously want to go through with the dance?”

“It's him or me, doll.” Caine nodded to a guest at the bar next to him as he wiped his hand clean. He stole a shot of tequila from another guest that wasn't looking. “And I think we both know the answer.” He gave her a cocky grin, but his eyes watched the guests watching him.

Pomni's heart hurt. He was just like them. Arrogant. Entitled to her space and time. She had no alternative. It was bad either way. She sadly leaned against the bar. “Fine.”

Jax and Ragatha did a wonderfully unique performance of break dancing and roller skate tricks. It got relatively good reception from the guests. Now, it was time for everyone's favorite part of the night. The NPC band took to the stage and the open area around it was lit to invite people to dance.

Caine straightened his jacket and held his hand out to Pomni. “Let's give them the show they've been waiting for.”

Pomni swallowed what she could of her pride and took Caine's hand. She let him lead her out onto the empty dance floor and did her best to look sophisticated. She stiffened as Caine out his hands on her. She thought she would looked forward to this, but instead she wanted him to get away from her.

Caine swayed a bit heavily for the waltz but kept in time with the music from muscle memory. A minute into the song, more couples joined and he could lose himself in her a little. He could drop his mask behind the curtain of dancing guests. With his nerves numbed by the multitude of drinks, he could finally say what he meant earlier. “You are the most gorgeous woman in any timeline.”

Pomni’s heart swooned but she kept a straight face. “You don't have to tell me that. The guests can't hear you.” Her voice dripped with venom.

“I know. That's why I said it.” He cleared his throat, lowering his voice. “Let me try again. These jagoffs are the worst humanity has to offer and I hate dealing with them, but the only way to is be…like them. Blend in. Especially as Ringmaster. I'm sorry I didn't properly warn you, but there really isn't anything that will prepare you for this.”

Pomni’s expression softened. That sounded much more like the Caine she knew. “Heh, jagoffs. That's a funny word.”

“I'm a funny man.” Caine winked. “Now, allow me to correct myself from earlier. You are far more than presentable. You are the star of the show. The bee's knees. The ragtime gal no one can hold down.” His dancing became more energetic as the band played music throughout history, blending from classical to early 1900’s jazz and swing.

Pomni snorted, trying to hold in her laughter. Her body moved on it's own, the AI installed dance moves being completely foreign to her, but she kept up with Caine going ham on the dancefloor.

The guests were just as into the music but Caine and Pomni had the most amount of space, drawing attention to themselves with their performance. They swung each other around and moved in sync like the choreography was planned.

Caine’s officer sword was annoyingly in the way as the dances became more lively and complex. He slid off his belt in one motion and tossed it to Zooble. “Hold that for me, would ya?”

Zooble had been doing their best to be unnoticed all night. Their appearance made dealing with guests even more of a hassle. They caught Caine's ceremonial sword with one hand. “Like I have a choice?”

Caine lifted Pomni in the air and twirled her around, the trail of her dress flowing in the wind. By now, they had the whole room's attention, but Pomni allowed herself to be taken by the music and Caine. The world around them was blurred. It was just the two of them, as the music progressed through the decades. They were allowed to dance closer, hold each other in ways that they normally couldn't in front of the guests. They're heavy breaths were hot on each other’s necks.

Kinger wiped a glass as he watched the performance. “I knew you had it in you.” He said to himself. He almost missed the woman looking at him, but slid over to her and put on his best customer service voice. “What can I get ya?”

“You.” She slurred heavily.

Kinger furrowed with confusion. “Pardon?”

“You. You tall, handsome silly.” She laughed way too loud. “When are YOU gonna dance?”

“Sorry miss, I'm not a performer, but I'd be happy to serve you a drink. Water, perhaps?”

“Aw, come on. I need to get some wood tonight and you look like you have plenty to spare.” She almost face planted on the bar trying to give him her best unfocused bedroom eyes.

Kinger blinked. He didn't get the innuendo but he could tell she was coming on to him. He poured her a glass of water. “My sincerest apologies, but I'm needed here. Please, take this. On the house.”

“Ugh, you're no fun.” She took her water and staggered away.

Kinger sighed. The night wouldn't last forever, but it sure felt like it.

Ragatha smiled dreamily watching Pomni and Caine tearing up the dancefloor. Jax leaned against the bar next to her, lazily glancing at her. “You wish that was you, huh?”

Ragatha snapped out of her daydream and fiddled with her hands. “Maybe.”

Jax pushes up his shades. His tease didn't work the way he hoped. “Well, then…we’ll have to steal the next show then won't we?”

Ragatha gasped and grabbed his jacket. “Oh, Jax! Really!?”

Jax tried to be annoyed but her excitement was actually adorable. “Sure, why not?”

“Yay!!” Ragatha cheered, jumping up and down.

The music through the decades came to an end with Caine holding Pomni to his chest, her arms over his shoulders, her forehead to his top teeth. Both panting from the intense dancing. The crowd erupted with cheers and whistles. Pomni and Caine smiled more than they had all night, gazing into each other's eyes. They stayed close for as long as they dared before having to separate to take a bow.

As Caine and Pomni went for water, Ragatha and Jax rushed the dance floor. “You were great out there!” Ragatha congratulated as she went by Pomni.

Caine hated having to wear his Ringmaster mask again. While Kinger was busy with other guests, Caine helped himself to a bottle from behind the bar and poured his tallest drink of the night. At least it was clear so he could convince himself it was just spicy water.

Pomni got some actual water, but Caine still drank faster than her. “How in the-”

Caine groaned after finishing his chug of lighter fluid liquor. “Too much practice, I'm afraid. I'm having fun Pomni, I want to stop caring about appearances.”

“But, BUBLE-”

“BUBLE can get stuffed.” Caine couldn't feel the tugs on his fingers anymore. “Let's say you and I take a walk.” The guests around them were all either watching Jax and Ragatha or too intoxicated to focus on anything.

Pomni gripped Caine’s forearm. “Take me away.” Her voice low and inviting.

Caine’s stomach danced with butterflies. Though, that could have been the alcohol hitting him hard. He offered her his arm and walked with her as dignified as he could manage in his woozy state, and they snuck away down one of the dimly lit paths going into the exotic garden.

The path was surrounded by tall plants that muffle the sounds of the celebration in the courtyard, it was calming. They could both breathe a bit easier. They went around corners carefully, finding more than a few guests that had beaten them to the quiet area with a friend or two. Deeper into the garden, they finally find solitude.

“That was a wonderful dance, Caine. How did we even do all that?”

“It's part of the performer programming. The avatars know what to do. You just go along for the ride. Which has made this the best night I've ever had in the capsule.” Caine stopped walking and held Pomni's hands. “I got to dance with the most stunning woman at the ball. I got to touch her…hold her.”

Pomni's heart raced. “Maybe you should do that more often.” She moved his hands to her waist so he could hold her like they were dancing again. Her hands slid up his chest as she closed the gap between them.

Chills went up Caine's spine. His long fingers gripped lightly as he held her close. “I'd like to, but she's trouble.”

Pomni raised a brow. “Oh?”

Caine starts to laugh, a dark blush creeping up his neck. “Mhm, she's- she's the reason- I have to-” His drunken giggle fit keeps him from finishing his sentence.

“I- what?” Pomni laughed with him.

“Nevermind, I’ve forgotten what I was going to say. Probably something stupid. Let me try a different line.”

“Hit me with your best shot.” She played with the medals on his chest.

Caine had to loosen his tie, he was feeling way too hot for the uniform. “Then you better brace yourself, because I'm quite the rifleman.” His eyes smoldered. “I ne'er on your form for a moment have gazed, but a thousand temptations beset me.” His hands squeezed the supple flesh of her hips.

Pomni's cheeks flushed, her breath caught. “Oh my…”

“Your coral lips were made to kiss.” Caine's eyes drifted to her gasping lips. Long had he wondered what they would feel like against him. “Would you like to practice on mine?”

Pomni couldn't help herself and muffled a giggle. “I would say yes, but…”

Oh. Right. She was laughing, so he switched gears to goofy. “All right, you wanna play hardball? Try this one! I'm a ragtime millionaire, soul owner and agent of Up-To-Date Canoodling. Hand Holding is a specialty.” He takes one of her hands and spins around with her like he was trying to dance again but he was much less coordinated without music.

He tripped over the trail of her dress and fell into the bush next to the path, taking Pomni with him. Pomni fell back first into the mulch between the plants. Caine went into the bush itself and rolled over on top of her. He braced himself up by his hands and took a moment to focus, the whole world was starting to spin in the wrong direction for him.

Pomni froze, bracing her hands on Caine's shoulders to keep him from collapsing on top of her. He blinked the haze away and made eye contact with her. Pomni wetted her lips nervously as neither of them moved. “Are we-...are you…going to get up?” She asked with no real urgency.

“Do you really want me to?” Caine's voice dropped an octave, his eyes half lidded with unmasked desire.

Pomni hooked her fingers in his tie and gently pulled him down. “No.”

Caine lowered himself onto his elbows and closed his eyes to press his teeth to her. He was close enough to feel the very warmth of her inviting lips.

“CAINE! HEY!! CAINE!? YOU OUT HERE!?”

Caine shot up so fast, his hat went flying. He quickly got out of the bushes and helped Pomni back up. Gangle came around the corner as they were wiping off mulch and picking leaves out of hair.

“Gangle! What are you doing back here?” Caine asked harshly as he fixed his uniform.

Gangle raised a brow. “I could ask you two the same thing. Did you forget about doing your closing speech or something? We're waiting for you to thank the guests so they'll leave.”

“Right. Right. Please excuse me.” Caine left quickly.

Pomni picked up the uniform hat Caine left behind. She brushed it off and tried to walk past Gangle but a ribbon stopped her. She gulped.

“What were you doing in the bushes?” Gangle gave Pomni a suggestive look.

Pomni refused to look Gangle in the eye. “Nothing.”

“You really expect me to believe that?”

“Yes. Because that's the only answer you're getting.” Pomni pushed onward back to the party.

“He was buttering your biscuit, wasn't he?” Gangle grinned, enjoying Pomni's embarrassment a bit too much.

Pomni scoffed. “Maybe he would've if we hadn't been interrupted.”

“Sorry, but everyone is getting restless and he has to do the speeches. A Ringmaster’s job is never finished. You can bag him after the guests leave. I'm hanging out with Zooble tonight, so the room is all yours.”

Pomni dragged her hand down her face. “Sure. Thanks.”

~

It took another hour, but all the guests finally left. The courtyard was a wreck. For such a formal event, the guests were still sloppy as pigs. NPCs wandered about with brooms and rags. Zooble thankfully didn't have to touch any of it. Everyone tiredly went back to their dressing rooms.

Pomni and Caine stood in front of her door. “You're…welcome to come inside.”

Caine's heart skipped a beat. He really wanted to, but he considered himself a gentleman and he pushed his moral code far enough tonight. Plus, the alcohol was leaving his system and he was starting to not feeling well. “My dear, tonight has been wonderful, but I'm afraid I must leave you here.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “I'm sorry.”

Disappointed, Pomni took her hand back slowly, their hands staying connected to the last possible moment. “I understand, but…just one thing.” She stood on her tip toes and kissed the side of his lower jaw. Quickly, she turned into her room and shut the door.

Caine felt where she kissed him. It may not have been exactly where he wanted it, but it was as wonderful as he imagined. Her lips were so soft against the hard false enamel of his strange teeth. It was so fast yet so sweet. He stood staring at her door for a long while, at war with himself over going inside. Gangle said she wouldn't be back this evening.

Against his greater desire, he walked away. Caine went off in a daze to the piano in the back of the main stage. He took off his dress jacket and flopped face first into the piano bench. Sleep was calling to him, but so was BUBLE.

“Caine. Your evaluation has been submitted.”

Caine didn't respond.

“Guest approval for the night was overall above satisfactory. One event in particular boosted morale significantly. Your unexpected dual performance with our violinist. This must be repeated.”

Caine started snoring.

“I know you're still awake.”

Caine lifted his head. “Dance with Pomni more. Got it. Buzz off.” He plopped his head back down.

~

The next day was business as usual. Pomni found Caine before the first performances. “Hey.” She smiled softly.

Caine smiled back. “Good morning, Pomni.”

“So, about last night-”

“I had quite a bit to drink and I hardly remember any of it. It's really the only way I can get through the anniversary ball. If I said something or touched you in a way that was inappropriate, I sincerely apologize.”

“Oh, you don't need to worry about that. You touched me just fine.”

Caine gaped. “I what?”

“I mean- it wasn't anything- we didn't- you know what, nevermind. Have a good day, Caine.” Pomni rushed off, bright red.

Caine sighed as he watched her walk away. Truth is, he didn't have anywhere near enough to get him blackout drunk. He remembered every look, touch, and dance. He remembered every word, every feeling. But this was for the best.

Things would only get harder to hide from BUBLE, they would run out of excuses and warnings. The AI would do something to Pomni and he couldn't let that happen. No matter how much his heart longs for her, it was best for him to keep his distance. The liquor made him reckless last night. If they had been caught by a guest, who knows what kind of punishment BUBLE would have made him do.

He's required to dance with her at events now, that's enough for him…most days. The very thought of her gets him through the rest.

[7ndipity]

"Try again"

Taehyung x Idol Reader

Summary: You and Tae decide to go public with your relationship through a collab. Ft. Try Again by Jaehyun & D.ear

Warnings: not proofread

A/N: Thank to the lovely anon who requested this! I love this song from Jaehyun so much, and it would suit Tae so well(if you haven't heard it, I highly recommend giving it a listen)

Masterlist

Requests are open

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

As you walked onto the set, your heart was pounding so hard you wondered if it was visible. You tried your best to calm your nerves, watching as the crew buzzed about, putting the final touches on the set.

Fairy lights were strung about the small stage, occupied by two barstools surrounded by various plants and trees, looking something like a combination of a jazz club and a botanical garden. Perfect.

"You look nice."

You were pulled from your musings, turning to meet Tae's boxy grin with a slightly more nervous one. "So do you."

He was dressed in a brown suit, very befitting of his retro aesthetic, with you in a similar style but in cream color, giving a vintage effect to the two of you, matching the set.

"You ready?" He asked.

"I think so?" You replied, uncertainly.

"You think?" He raised a brow at you.

"I am." You clarified. "I'm just nervous." You tended to get pre-show jitters, but they were especially strong today.

The two of you had decided to announce your relationship by posting a collab video together, rather than letting your companies release some formal letter. You'd thought carefully about what song would work best, deciding on one that had come to mean a lot to you both over the course of your time together, Try Again. The song expressed how, even through miss-steps and near failings, the couple never stop believing their relationship was worth fighting for.

"Everything'll be okay." He said, giving you a reassuring squeeze, careful not to mess up your hair or outfit. "I'll be right beside you."

"I know."

The two of you were called to your places, taking your seats quickly, side by side, as a crew member handed you each your mics. Taking a final deep breath to calm yourself, everything went quiet around you.

"Action!"

The camera focuses first on two silhouettes on the wall. As you began to sing the first lines of the song, the camera pans out and over to reveal that they're your and Tae's shadows.

"Due to the long time we shared/ perhaps it's just natural our expectations increased/even with our countless shouts/we still couldn't reach each other's hearts"

You look over to Tae as you reach the chorus, your voices harmonizing together beautifully.

"So whenever you ask me again how I feel/ please remember my answer is you/ even if we have to go back a long way/ I will still feel the same way about you/ we'll be alright, I want to try again"

Taehyung takes over for the second verse, shooting you a grin as he begins.

"No matter how many times we fall apart/due to our frequent arguments/ like I said, we're the ones that matter most/we're not meaningless/ I'm taking a step forward/ I'm telling you what the past has shown us"

"So whenever you ask me again how I feel/ please remember my answer is you/ even if we have to go back a long way/ I will still feel the same way about you/ we'll be alright, I want to try again"

Mid-way through the second chorus, he reaches over and takes your hand, causing a wide smile to spread across your face as you both sing.

"Even if we're stuck in the loop/ you should know that I'm always on your side/please remember my answer is you"

"Even if we have to go back a long way/ I will still feel the same way about you/ we'll be alright, I want to try again"

Tae's eyes never leave yous as he sings the closing lines on his own.

"We'll be alright/ please try again"

The camera pans back to your silhouettes, showing only your shadows as Tae leans in and kisses you for the closing shot.

"Okay, cut! That was perfect!" The director called out, to which the crew applauded.

You both quickly stand and thank everyone for their hard work before excusing yourselves back to the dressing rooms, Tae's hand never leaving yours.

"Do you think they'll like it?" You ask as you walk.

"Only one way to find out." He replied, giving you another grin.

[whenrainhitsmyskin]

Dancing is a Dangerous Game

pairing: bakugo katsuki/reader

summary: reader and bakugo have been reluctant frenemies since their school days back at ua, their relationship consists of constant bickering and insults. what happens when they are forced into close proximity at their friend’s wedding?

4k+ words.

warnings: must be 18+ to read and interact, fem bodied reader, graphic smut, multiple orgasms, oral fem receiving, vanilla sex, orgasm delay, hickeys, manhandling, reader gets picked up, very tame insults, slight fluff, frenemies to lovers.

   - canon-verse, characters are aged up to mid-twenties.

You hear the song change from afar. The smooth melody is just loud enough to reach your ears in a faint whisper. You spot some flowers that match the ones in the bouquet you are carrying in your right hand while you are wandering the grounds.

You hear a call for your name. You sigh out of annoyance, all you wanted was a little break from all the socializing, was that really too much to ask for?

Bakugo comes into your sight once you turn around. You blame the chill that suddenly attacks your skin on the breeze that catches on your long silk dress.

“Bride’s been askin’ for ya.” You roll your eyes, he scratches the back of his head, “Said she’s called but ya never picked up.”

“Yeah, I left my phone on the table inside, why the hell did she send you?” You say, taking in his appearance, a fancy black suit that matches the rest of the groomsmen, and a boutineer on his chest that’s the same as the flowers in the garden you were looking at moments ago.

He looks good just as much as he makes you angry. An unfortunate balance, caused by the cruel way the world works. 

“No need to be a bitch on our best friend's wedding day y/n.” He grinds his teeth and holds his arm out for you to latch onto, you shoot him a quizzical look, “The grounds uneven and you suck at walking in heels, either this or you fall on your face, both are fine by me.”

You guess there was a little more bite to your words than you meant based on his response.

You reluctantly grab on, similarly to how you both walked down the aisle. Your line of work rarely calls for dressing up, you can’t remember the last time you wore heels. 

He leads you back to the area the reception is hosted, a botanical garden that’s closed in panes of glass and an abundance of twinkling lights spread throughout. 

He lets go of your arm once you reach the edge of the dance floor where Mina is talking to her wedding coordinator and photographer. You set the flowers on a nearby table.

“y/n it’s about time you got here!” She squeals and embraces you, which you give into.

“Sorry, I just needed a little breather, what’s up?” You glance and Bakugo is near the rest of the groomsmen, seemingly gathering them up.

“I want the wedding party to dance to the next song all together with their pairings in the ceremony. Aiko gave me the idea and I think it would be so cute for pictures!” She says, talking with her hands enthusiastically.

Just as she finishes the last part you meet a pair of red eyes staring back at you, “So I’m dancing with Bakugo?” You ask.

“Precisely! Now go get the girls together!” She says as she prances off to go find the groom.

You think over the idea, the last thing you would ever want to subject yourself to is dancing with your least favorite person from your graduating class, but you wouldn’t dare disappoint your best friend on her big day.

You gather the rest of the bridal party, which mostly consists of other girls from class A and a couple of her closest cousins and friends from primary school.

Everyone goes and finds the groomsman that they walked down the aisle with, you reluctantly turn to find yours when you slam into a hard chest and nearly lose your footing. Somehow you don’t fall on your ass.

Oh.

Oh.

His large hands are on your waist holding you up from your near demise and his face is beat red as he’s looking down at you.

The weight of his hands are oddly comforting and that thought makes you want to vomit in one of the glasses the waitress is passing by you with.

“Let’s just get this over with alright?” He says gruffly with a sour look on his face. 

The song changes once more as he forcefully grabs your wrist and pulls you onto the dance floor, he maneuvers one of your hands to his shoulder and grabs the other one with his own. He begins moving along to the rhythm of the song.

Bakugo feels heat spread down his neck and up to his ears and his palm is sweating against your own, there’s a knot in his stomach that he so badly wants to believe is because of how much he loathes you.

He’s actually got some fancy feet for someone who is dangerously careless in the field. Each step is calculated, avoiding yours while still maintaining seemingly practiced movements. Another thing about him that just has to be perfect. 

“I can’t believe this is happening.” You complain, looking at all the other happy pairs dancing with one another, why couldn’t you have ended up with Denki or Sero? You would have gladly taken one of them over Bakugo. It’s almost like Mina and Kirishima wanted you to be miserable, or they wanted to provide you an opportunity.

“How’s come? It’s a wedding, people dance at these kinda things ya’know?” He says with annoyance.

“Because Bakugo,” you say, you hear him swallow, “dancing is a dangerous game.”

“Yeah?” He smirks, barring his vicious front canines, “I bet you’re having fun then, you seem to like a little danger, don’t you?”

His statement has you floored, and your jaw slightly dropped as you give him a questioning look. You are unable to tell if he’s reciprocating not only the hatred you have for him but the infatuation as well.

He removes the hand on your waist in favor of closing your mouth shut. “Would hate to ruin the photos.”

He turns both of your heads towards the photographer, you both shoot reluctant smiles until she moves onto other members of the party.

His hand returns to your waist and you continue dancing. A hot flush comes over you and you think you start to feel feverish. Other guests start to join in during the next song and that’s your cue to finally depart from him. 

He watches you walk away from him like you always have over the years. Just barely out of reach, leaving him with an empty pit in his heart.

You desperately need to find a familiar face that you don’t hate and that’s when you spot Denki unsuccessfully flirting with one of Minas old school friends, you drag him away by the collar of his blazer to the most opposite side where you abandoned Bakugo, trying to put as much distance between you and the longing feeling you have for him apart.

“Hey man what was that for?!” Denki pouts, “Oh shut it Sparky, I’m doing her and myself a favor.” You smile. He begins leading you into a borderline ballroom dance.

“C’mon I thought I was finally getting through to her. Hey what about your dancing buddy, guessing it didn’t last long before you two started verbally abusing each other?” He chuckles.

“Yeah, something like that.” You say, “Wanted to dance with someone I can actually tolerate.”

The rest of the night you fall into easy conversation with friends and those you haven’t gotten a chance to catch up with in a while.

After the newly wed sendoff you head back into the botanical garden to help take stuff down that the venue themselves didn’t provide.

After your job is done you grab your clutch and head outside to get an Uber back to the hotel that was booked out for all their guests.

You hear the crunching of gravel under footsteps walking towards you and when you hear them come up right behind you, your phone is snatched away.

“Hey what the hell?” You yell at whoever has taken it from you, Bakugo comes up in front of you, looks at your screen and powers off your phone, “I was booking a ride back, hand it over Bakugo.”

You attempt to grab it back, but he just holds it high out of your reach, just how you have always been to him. 

“I’m not letting some stranger drive you this late at night.” He says as he starts walking away, “C’mon I drove.”

“Who the hell do you think you are bossing me around?” You say tailing after him. All he does is shoot you a glare over his shoulder. 

He loves you chasing after him. All fiery and ready to bicker. It’s quite the contrast to past experiences where all you both want to do is get away from one another.

You finally reach his car, and he opens the passenger door. “Get in y/n.”

He sounds dangerous, it’s making you hot and bothered in all the wrong ways. 

“I’m not going anywhere with you, now please give me my phone back.” You plead, you’re shocked you allowed those words to come out of your mouth but you’re tired and can’t stand to be around him any longer. 

He’s equally as shocked and realizes he likes hearing you beg for something from him. So all he gives you is a shake of his head, wanting more of this. However, you’re uninterested in playing his game, it’s too late to be arguing like this tonight. 

“Fine.” You say, you shove past him and slide into the passenger seat. He shuts the door behind you, and you put on your seat belt. You’ve never seen the inside of his car, so you take a look at these new surroundings. 

It’s all smooth black leather and interior, with a really nice dashboard. It’s just so Bakugo. He joins you inside and starts the engine.

“How much have you had to drink?” You ask, not willing to put yourself in more danger than it is getting inside a car with a stranger.

“None, don’t drink.” He says, putting the car in reverse, “And you?”

“One, before the reception started.” You answer, although you don’t know why he would need to ask that, maybe this is his pathetic attempt at making small talk with you for the first time.

It’s completely silent besides the low rumbling of the car engine. The stillness of this moment is driving you insane. Maybe it’s time to let in.

“The wedding was…nice?” God you are so bad at this. It’s awkward and uncomfortable and has your knee bouncing up and down.

“Yeah, it was good, I’m happy for them.” He says, indicating left, heading into the turn lane and stopping at the light.

“Me too.” You smile, “It’s weird seeing some of our friends get married, it feels like we just graduated.”

He grunts in acknowledgement and glances down to your knee.

“Stop doin’ that shit it’s distractin’ me.” He commands pushing just above your knee with his hand, so your foot stays planted on the floor. The light flashes green and he turns left.

“Sorry.” You say, looking out the window. It’s been a few seconds and you realize he hasn’t made a move to remove his hand. It feels like it’s burning through your dress and melting into your skin. It’s violent, much like your feelings for him.

A few beats pass and you realize his hand hasn’t moved from your leg. You turn your gaze from the window and towards him. You catch him sneaking a glance down where his hand meets your dress.

Signals are firing throughout your nervous system. Your skin produces a sheen layer of sweat, and your hands tighten around your clutch. You close your eyes and attempt to regulate your breath.

After what feels like hours of semi-uncomfortable silence, he pulls into the valet drop off. He takes his hand off of you and opens the car door, you follow suit. He hands his key over to one of the employees and starts walking to the tall fancy doors. 

He opens it for you and follows closely behind. You head towards the elevator and press the button. You are so close to sleeping you can almost taste it.

The doors open and you both file in. Just another confined, small space Bakugo seems to take so much up of, just like your thoughts, which are running rampant right now.

Why did he care about your safety tonight when he never has? Why were his palms sweating so much while you were dancing when he learned to control that ages ago? Why did he leave his hand on your leg? And why the hell did you like any of this?

He presses the button to the 32nd floor and the elevator doors close. You can’t stand your own thoughts so you do the only thing you can think of to get rid of them and that is to voice them.

“Why did you keep your hand on my leg?” You ask with a shaky voice. The break of silence nearly startles him.

“Cause you would stop bouncin’ it.” He says.

“Didn’t need to keep it there.” You sigh, “Would have stopped if you just asked.” He hums and looks down at his shoes.

“Was it deliberate?” 

“So what if it was y/n.”

“Then I would’ve liked it.” Those words are what force him to snap his head towards you. He sees you are looking back at him expectantly, willing for him to give in. 

His brain feels like mush. He can’t tell what you’re trying to play right now, but he’s really hoping you finally want what he has been waiting for all this time.

“Dancing really is a dangerous game.” He mirrors your words from earlier that night, before the tension built up between the two of you.

“I guess I’ve always liked a little danger.” You answer his question from earlier. He sports another smirk on his face and steps over to you and grabs your face in his hands, “It’s a good thing you’re danger personified.”

“Yeah, you can’t get enough of it can you.” He traces your jaw with his thumbs, he glances down at your lips for a beat and back into your eyes, “Always coming back for more, after all these years.” 

“Yeah, keeps things interesting.” You say, and that’s when he finally closes the gap between you. His lips are all consuming, you hold onto his blazer to bring you closer to him.

The elevator chimes and the door opens, and the two of you pull apart. He abruptly grabs your wrist and pulls you out. He’s walking with haste, unlike early when he was dragging you to the dance floor.

He stops at what you assume is the door to his hotel room, he fumbles to get his key card out of his wallet, he finally retrieves it and unlocks the door. You follow in behind him and the door closes shut behind you.

He says your name and puts his arms above your head, caging you against the door, pressing your spine uncomfortably into the wood.

“You drive me fucking insane.” He sighs, he closes his eyes and presses his forehead against your own. You use this newfound closeness to study his features. He’s so gorgeous you can hardly believe he’s real. All sharp features and cutting edges, sculpted by God himself.

“Bakugo, I want you.” You breathe out the truth, “More than our games, I want you more than I hate you.” 

His eyes open once more. Searching your own to find any hint of doubt. He can’t see any, just your eyes clouded by possible arousal.

He gives your lips a light peck, and immediately pulls away and leaves you wanting more.

“y/n.” Your name, a statement, “You’re mine now, ya got that.” He lets out a heavy sigh.

“Fucking finally.” You say, putting your arms around his neck and kissing him. It’s purposeful and slow, clouding your mind with so much desire for him it fucking hurts. 

There’s something so intentional with the way he’s kissing you right now, each movement has its own meaning, pouring all the feelings towards you that have built up over the years you two have known one another. 

God, he doesn’t even remember what it felt like to breathe before kissing you. He cups your face with his hands in an attempt to stabilize himself. His heading is getting clouded with arousal, causing his crotch to press into your stomach, hoping for any pressure to hold him over.

You push his blazer off his shoulders, craving to map out the plains of his body with your fingertips, you dig your nails into the hard muscle of his back when he bites your lip and that’s when things start to get violent, just how it’s always been between the two of you.

Abruptly he grabs you by your thighs and holds you against the door to the hotel room, pining you with his hips. You forgot how fucking strong he is. All hard muscle and honey smooth skin, you wanna taste every inch of him. 

You move your hands from his chest and into his hair, it’s so incredibly soft. He grinds his hips into yours causing you to pull at the locks and let out a soft whine.

His mouth changes focus from your lips to your neck, assaulting it with every kiss, lick, nip and bite. You can feel him assaulting a spot on your neck thag you just know is going to bruise. God he is such a fucking tease you can’t tell if you want him to keep it up or slap him for not fucking you already. He finally pulls away, breathing heavily and a sincere look on his face, he says your name.

“Need ya to tell me what you want.” He says, “Don’t wanna take this too far.”

You would laugh if you didn’t know he was being dead serious. But instead, you give him a soft smile and a kiss to his cheek, causing him to redden.

“Katsuki, I want you to fuck me.” You say. He presses a soft kiss to your lips before responding.

“M’gonna fuck you so hard you see stars y/n.” And with that he kisses you and walks you deeper into the room before setting you down.

You begin to take the tie off of his neck and start working on the buttons to his crisp white shirt. Taut muscle and hard abs are revealed to your ogling eyes.

“You’re so fucking hot, how is this even fair?” You say, running your hands up and down his torso.

“Look who’s talkin’ princess.” He smirks at you, you turn around and bring your hair over to your shoulder, he grabs onto the zipper of your dress and pulls it down.

With every inch of you that’s revealed has him drooling like a dog, the lace of your panties finally comes into view, and he feels like he may faint. The fabric drops to the floor, and you turn around, and that’s when he realizes you aren’t wearing a bra.

“God you are so fucking pretty.” He says, he goes back to kissing you and starts running his hands from your hips and up your body, replacing your clothes with his touch. He cups the undersides of your breasts and gives a light squeeze; your soft skin is pliant under the pressure.

His touch lights your whole body on fire, flamed by his ember and ignites something feral inside of you. You want him so bad it hurts.

He guides you back to the bed and your head hits the pillows, his arms are resting above your head, his biceps caging you in. He pulls away from your lips and begins kissing down your body.

A trail of his saliva now leads from your neck and down to the waistline of your panties.

“These are cute.” He says, pulling at the waist band, causing it to snap down to your hip. He begins peeling them off your body. Once they are completely off of you, he runs his thumb up and down your slit, then begins drawing light circles on your clit, “God you’re so wet f’me baby.”

“Fuck-fuck Katsuki, it all for you, all yours.” You whine. Your hips are twitching, and your breathing is heavy even though he has hardly done anything, you think he may have already ruined you.

After a few more moments the light touches aren’t enough and it begins to feel like torture, “Need-need more, fuck, want you tongue.”

“C’mon princess, if you wanna get what ya want I need to hear ya beg for it.” He smirks, stopping his ministrations completely. 

“Fuck that.” You whine. Oh my god you might actually strangle him, you have never begged him for anything and have never planned on it, but the aching between your legs hurts so bad you don’t know how much more of this you can take before finishing yourself off instead.

“I’ll keep going baby,” he says, pressing a kiss to your clit, “All you have to do is ask.” And that’s when you start to think he’s a fucking sadist and he’s officially broken you.

“Fuck-please Katsuki, need you so bad.” You beg, “Want you just fuck-want your tongue and your hands, please.”

“There ya go princess, that’s more like it.” He says before diving into your slit. His tongue attacks your clit in the most gruesome way, it has your hips jolting off the bed and his calloused hands moving to hold them down.

Broken moans leave your throat, how are you already this close when he’s barely done anything at all?

He inserts two fingers into you. They go in with hardly any resistance considering how wet you are. He does something with his tongue that you know took him some practice and it has you crying out for him.

“Fuck, Katsuki gonna come.” You say, feeling the white-hot pleasure build up inside of you. But it slowly fades out when he pulls away from you, “What-no, why’d you stop?”

He comes up and kisses you, “Don’t want you cummin till’ it’s on my cock.”

He stands up and starts unbuckling his belt and takes it through the loops, then he takes his dress pants and briefs off all-in-one go, seemingly in a hurry to get back to you.

He joins you back on the bed after fishing a condom out of his wallet, tearing it open and sliding it on his leaking cock. He hovers over you and plants a sweet kiss on your forehead and another on your cheek. 

He rubs his cock up and down your slit, “You okay princess?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good, want you.” You say. The sweetness of your tone pulls at his heart strings, along with the corners of his mouth.

“I’m right here.” He responds and begins slowly sheathing his cock inside of you. You both whisper curses.

“Katsuki your so big-fuck.” You say, digging crescent shapes into his shoulders with your nails, he hisses in pain.

“I know baby, I know-just breathe alright?” He coos softly, kissing your hairline and waiting for you to adjust to the stretch for a few moments.

“I’m good, I’m ready.” You say to him.

“Okay, I’ll start slow for ya.” And he keeps his promise. He slowly begins to pull out until just the head of his cock is left and slowly pushes back in.

He continues this until it starts to become pleasurable for you, your breathy moans and whines his sign. So he begins to fuck into you harder, and just a little faster.

He brings one of your legs around his shoulder to get as deep as possible and pulls back slightly so he can put a hand between your bodies to rub your clit. 

The sounds you are making are practically music to his ears and are slightly inflating his ego. He kisses you so he can get closer to them.

After a few more hard thrusts, hot white pleasure begins building up inside of you, you pull away from the kiss.

“K-Katsuki m’close, so close don’t stop.” You say, throwing your head back.

“C’mon princess, I know you want it, know you wanna come.” He continues his pace and quickens the movements on your clit and he has you cumming seconds later. And you think it may be the most intense orgasm of your life when he starts thrusting faster, riding out your release.

“I know you have another one in ya babe, c’mon just one more.” He says, the brutal pace never ceases, and moments later you're cumming for a second time consecutively, but this time with him.

Fuck your pussy is absolutely milking his cock dry. He bites your shoulder to keep him from moaning too loud, in favor of your neighbors. 

The room smells of sweat and sex, evidence of what just unfolded between the two of you, taking your mind out of its post-orgasmic trance.

You draw little designs on his back with the tips of your fingers while he comes down from his high, eventually he moves from the place between your shoulder and neck. 

“You alright princess?” He asks.

“Yeah, I’m good, really good.” You smile, “And you?”

“Never better.” His expression mirrors yours.

The rest of the night consists of cleaning each other up, soft kisses, brief touches and him walking you down the hallway to your respective hotel room. He kisses you good night and says he will see you in the morning for brunch.

You step out of the elevator and into the hotel lobby for brunch with Mina, Kirishima, the wedding party and their close family. You find the table where the wedding party has been seated and Bakugo intercepts you before you can reach it.

“Good morning.” You say. You can’t remember the last time you greeted him without something offensive coming before it, all familiarity long on.

“Good morning.” He says back, and you see an actual smile on his face, not a smirk or one he sports when he comes up with a good insult at you, but a soft one, just barely pulling at the corner of his lips.

You walk the rest of the way towards the table together and pull a seat out, gesturing for you to sit and moving it towards the table just before you are seated. He takes a seat right next to you.

After you are done ordering your breakfast, you spot Mina and Kirishima at another table looking at you and Bakugo, sporting knowing looks on their faces.

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