#but i just swallowed marbles whole for some reason

[twistedbotanicals]

Initiation

Dark content warning!

18+, consent for all the wrong reasons, obsession, hentai-style tentacles, Curse!fucking, womb filling, belly inflation, bondage with tentacles, loss of consciousness, loss of virginity

"You wish to join my...organisation."

A question, framed as a statement. Geto Suguru rolled a small chirping Curse, moving around his long-fingers and pale palm like a bag of animated marbles, as if he was bored. His baggy pants hid how his cock swelled and twitched to life within.

This was his favourite part- the initiation- and you were the most eager little virgin to have flown into his web for quite some time. Though clearly a grown woman, you remained untouched...for now.

You knelt, your sweaty palms pressed flat to your thighs, and you thrummed with excitement. With your idol now so close that you could see every crease in his disarming smile, and every thread vein on the inside of his wrist, you felt sick with anxious delight.

You didn't even notice how you leaned forwards, so eager to please that Suguru's aching arousal jerked against his thigh. He maintained his jovial, softly spoken facade, offering you an indulgent smile as you spoke, your voice wavering.

"I-- I would love nothing more, Geto-sama-- it would be an honour, the highest honour--"

"Quite. We could use your Cursed technique, and your enthusiasm." Suguru stood, now, his socked feet soft upon the tatami mats, stepping, feathersoft and serene, down towards you. You could see the long, heavy swelling of his lap, and your mouth ran dry, your lips parting spontaneously. You clamped your thighs together, throbbing.

When he knelt, your chin in his grasp and his breath over your lips, you thought you may faint, and the barest moan left your stretched throat.

But, Suguru looked tortured, sighing in dramatic resignation. "What a shame that you've been amongst the monkeys your whole life...you still cling to them. I can smell them on you. How could I ever know I could trust you?"

Your mouth opened and closed like a fish. Ice water ran down your body, the threat of rejection so close, and you reached up involuntarily, clasping the wrist of the hand that held your chin. Your eyes burned with obsessive fervour, hellfire stoked within.

"Anything, Geto-sama." You strained, your voice thick with sincerity. "I'd do anything for you-- for your organisation-- to prove my loyalty--"

"Anything?" He purred, his strong fingers drifting down your chin to the front of your neck, squeezing the shape of your throat as you swallowed beneath his hand. He cooed in cold comfort.

"You'd do anything, to prove your fealty to me? I'm not an easy man to impress...I could just fuck you, it's true. Truth be told, I wouldn't need your permission, but it does reduce the fun somewhat, knowing you'd spread your cunt open for me so willingly. Deflowering you would be a privilege, I'm sure."

Your vision almost blacked at the edges with promise. Any allusion of appearing respectable fell like broken glass. You felt sorely tempted to dip your fingers between your legs, to pleasure yourself to Suguru's filthy words alone, but you reminded yourself that it was his pleasure you were pledging yourself to.

Suguru saw this; saw your faint, telltale squirms of arousal, as heat pooled in your belly. He hummed, dismissive, looking aside.

"What to do...what to do?"

He clicked his tongue, as if torn by indecision. Still, your throat twitched beneath his hand. Opening your mouth to beg again, you moaned to feel Suguru's thumb dart into your mouth to hold your tongue down.

"I take my pleasure vicariously, little one. I should like to see how far you would demean yourself for me. I should like to see how far your dignity would bend without breaking. Would you like that too, little one?"

You trembled, your knees slipped apart and sloppy, Suguru's hand fixed around your throat with a thumb upon your tongue. You nodded, and nodded again, and again, and again, to Suguru's wan, satisfied huff of mirth.

Up close, his smile was twisted, toxic, and you only wished you knew how right he was, when he surmised that you'd spread yourself for him for just a click of his fingers. You'd let him fuck your virginity away in a heartbeat. You imagined his hand over your mouth as he thrust past your hymen, how he'd catch the shrieks in his hand and devour them like a Curse.

"So you will be fucked, do we agree?"

With no idea to what you consented, you consented instead to your obsession, nodding and nodding again, your splayed fingers clasping at Suguru's robes. He leaned just close enough that he spoke his next words directly against your lips.

"And if you survive, little one...I shall welcome you to my lap with open arms."

Something short-circuited in your brain. Suguru stood, walking away with his back to you, leaving you alone, cold, speechless. You heard a wet, hushed, eldritch rumble to your right, and felt lead drop into your belly.

An enormous, cephalopod Curse, of mottled purple to red ombre, dominated one half of the broad traditional room. Clearly an octopus of eerie origin, its many tentacles tangled and unfurled, its single great, yellow eye rolling and dilating as it fixed on you.

You gasped, scrabbling away, and it grumbled, grasping you by the ankle, and dragging you back across the floor. You shrieked. You heard Suguru chuckle, the palm of his hand lazily pressing across his tenting manhood as the Curse's tentacles gradually wound and twisted around your limbs, ripping your clothes off your body like crepe paper. Every touch left a wet, sticky lubricant on your skin. Suguru toned, low and mild.

"This particular Curse has...desires, as any of us do. I'm sure it would prefer to taste you, over some dirty little monkey, though. And I'd like to watch. You want to give me what I want...don't you?"

You hesitated only briefly, knowing what your answer was. And you couldn't deny (by the time you were bare on the tatami before Suguru, that watching him bite his lip to the image of your naked form being slowly lifted and entwined by shivering, pulsing tentacles) the way it made you throb.

By the time eager little suckers had located your neck, your nipples, and your clit, you arched and mewled with hot little bursts of pleasure. You felt so weightless, lifted and suckled by this hungry beast. By the way it shivered at your taste, leeching off your sex and Cursed energy, the pleasure was not yours alone.

It softened you this way, so that you did not notice how your arms became bound behind your back; so that you did not notice how your legs were folded back and open, into a suspended mating press. A tentacle ran along the length of your sex, its tip teasing against your virgin entrance, as its sucker clasped greedily onto your clit.

The pleasure of its brothers working to suck onto your nipples, tugging and stretching enough to make your toes curl, drew out your moans into pathetic little whimpers. Geto watched as the red and purple limbs wrapping your body writhed harder, and tighter, eager to take their own pleasure, but determined to ensure you were wet and supple enough to take them all.

"G-Geto-sama--" You choked, involuntarily humping with the sucks of the tentacle, making it pulse and shiver, barely resisting sliding inside your tight little hole. Suguru swore under his breath, shuddering, biting one finger between his teeth as the others rested at his temples, his body lying sideways on one elbow.

"Good girl." Suguru hushed, velvet smooth, fucking up against his palm from his spot on the floor. He would have to edge himself carefully, he thought, so he didn't come in his boxers like a boy, at the first moment the tentacle deflowered you. The moment of penetration would be almost too much to bear, even without pleasuring himself in his fist.

"You'll be...full, after this." Suguru mused aloud, hooking his aching cock out to rest against his belly, as your cries of pleasure began to peak. He gripped his fists, the knuckles cracking with the effort of not masturbating himself to completion. "It has quite the volume of semen, from what I have seen it do to the monkey women. You'll ache. Will you take it, for me?"

You nodded, flushed, your eyes half-lidded, breathless in this toxic miasma of pleasure. The speed of the sucks on your clit and nipples increased, and you jerked with the overstimulating pace, not yet at orgasm, but the pleasure harsh enough to make you convulse sharply. The tentacles around you pulsed and shivered, one eager yellow eye and two eager brown eyes fixed on you, watching, waiting.

"O-oohhh f-fuck I'm gonna...gonna come-- gonna come-- o-oooh n-nooooo-- Geto-- haaaah!"

Your orgasm pounded through your bound form with electric intensity. You jerked, convulsing, and the tentacle that sucked on your clit and teased your hymen grew more eager still, pre-cum soaking your entrance to prepare you for its slick penetration.

As you convulsed, humping the limb with guttural groans, you heard Suguru curse again, little jerking spills of pre-cum wetting the hair on his barely exposed belly. He lay back, one arm over his eyes, groaning.

Suguru freed his heated gaze in time to see the tentacle stroke one final time against your entrance, as if licking, tenderising you...before pressing forwards with its tapered tip, thickening so fast as it punched past your virginity to seat itself fully in your pussy.

You arched, screaming against the sudden intrusion. An opportunistic tentacle, bulbous at the tip and thicker than the girthiest cocks you had ever seen in porn, pressed into your open mouth, silencing you into thick gags and swallows.

After a few moments of your pussy clenching, your mouth clenching, your arms pulling involuntarily against the binding limbs...you stilled, supple and used and submissive. With another frisson of delight, the tentacles that were inside you begin to move, thrusting as an eldritch groan of bliss rumbled from the Curse.

You felt every single thrust against your belly, and you twitched, your moans barely audible around the member that pleasured itself with your mouth. A tentacle stretched up, winding itself around your neck to force its extension, and you gagged to feel the arousal fuck deeper. It shivered again, barely able to restrain itself.

Geto had almost ejaculated untouched, to see the tentacle punch through your virginity like it was tissue paper. The cool façade he usually maintained faltered, also paper thin. A drip of sweat crept down his neck as he cursed, releasing his clothes enough to bare his chest, his heavy twitching cock, and his belly tensing with the thrill of edging himself.

"Not innocent anymore, little one...shit...does it feel good? Giving yourself over to my monsters?" The Curse groaned, heavy and gravelly, as if answering for you. Geto swore again as it lined up thinner tendrils to coil around your breasts and nipples, teasing, stretching and flicking them.

You jerked with the sinful pleasure of being used, feeling the tentacles fuck, and fuck, and fuck, up your pussy and down your throat. The yellow eye watched you from below, changing your angle occasionally, as if examining its artwork from all perspectives, relishing in the way you squealed when new limbs began to probe your asshole. A thin one dipped inside, as if testing, before coming out again, making way for a more generous counterpart.

You felt it coat you with its sticky pre-cum, first teasing your asshole with one bulbous cock, before carefully easing the head in. It shuddered at the way your pussy involuntarily clenched and milked it in response, drips of pre-cum beginning to slip out of you to the floor.

Another tentacle, thinner, with breeding intent, had already slid into your cunt alongside its thicker brother, and waited at your cervix for you to climax again, so it could steal its chance.

Suguru could not restrain himself any longer, to watch you be fucked raw in suspension, seeing the way your eyes grew unfocused and your body jerked and trembled. He hissed to feel his fist encircle his cock, stroking slowly, in time with the tentacles that thrust in tandem within you.

"Got to come again, little one. It can't take its satisfaction until you do. Do you want the suckers back?"

You only moaned in response, wet and slurping around the tentacle that used your mouth. Suguru flicked one hand at the Curse, an order, and a sucker promptly resited itself on your clit, to suck you to orgasm as you needed.

You moan was dirtier than any Suguru had ever heard and he had to let go of his cock again with a jolt, lest he spill all over the floor. He swore, biting the back of his fist, feeling his peak almost creep over...before ebbing away again, leaving him panting, gasping.

Suguru fucked up against the air as he felt the final climax approaching, sure you were not ready for the way the Curse would leave you heavy with its seed.

It was as the three limbs fucking within you all sped up, in one final push towards completion, that you fell into another orgasm. The ferocity with which the suckers licked at your clit and nipples had you roaring with pleasure around the limb in your mouth, and as you convulsed, you felt the curious sensation of something thinner and more insistent weedle through your cervix to press its tip into your womb.

Mid-orgasm, you felt yourself go lightheaded with the bizarre, vasovagal physiological response to your cervix being invaded. The world blackened at the edges, and you loosened in the limbs, only semi-conscious. The Curse took its chance...and began to fill you.

The tentacles within you pulsed, alternating and peristaltic, as cum began to pulse through, into you. Lost in a black haze of pleasure, your belly grew warm, then hot, and ached, as the little tentacle within your womb spurted loads of warm cum into it. You jerked, swallowing, and clenching, to feel the same happen in your throat and asshole.

The tentacles continued to gently suckle on your breasts and clit, as if soothing you for what it was doing to you. Excess sticky white cum splashed to the floor, running down your chin, your thighs, little squirts oozing out of the suckers on your nipples and clit.

Your pathetic little mewls, and the way your lower belly stretched outwards, bulging with the cum that filled you, pushed Geto over the edge. With two final fucks into his pre-cum wetted fist, he came with hushed curses, praising you with liquid mercury.

"--good girl-- shhhh...take it for me, that's it, filthy girl...take it...shhhit, take it..."

You came back online slowly, aching, your belly cramping as if on your period. The Curse lowered you to the floor with surprising tenderness. As it withdrew its tentacles from your prone, whimpering body, one great limb softly stroked your bloated belly. The Curse groaned, retreating and satisfied, but not before one tentacle stretched out to offer you an affectionate little boop on the nose.

As you lay on the tatami, bare, shivering, and impossibly full of cum, Geto swallowed down the Octopus Curse, his hand and belly still sticky with his own seed. He sighed as though he had just performed some wearing duty, and cast you a look of languid satisfaction.

"...you are welcome here, little one."

Geto smirked. The last thing he heard from your babbling mouth, as his staff dragged you from the room towards the baths, was you thanking him weakly, with a cum-filled mouth, for his acceptance.

Another cult member bowed before Geto, his forehead not even rising from the floor as he spoke.

"Are--are you ready for the next one, Geto-sama?"

Suguru smiled, sharkish, perusing a mental Rolladex for a Curse of choice.

"Yes." Geto sighed, stretching, tucking his cock away and wiping his hands on the back of the flinching cult members' robes. "Send her in."

[songmingisthighs]

Cornered

group : ateez

pairing : bf!mingi × reader × yeosang

genre : smut

wc : 3.9 k

tw : mdni, unprotected sex, consensual sex, explicit smut (voyeurism ??, mingi's kind of a cuck maybe ??, spitroasting, brief mention of yunho with a feetish, creampie, sloppy seconds, slight m × m, double stuffed), mingi and mc ganging up on yeosang, slightly more dominating mingi, can't think of anything else to warn :/

a/n : happy birthday my womp womp beefcake raccoon !!! i had planned this fic for a week maybe ? and i decided to just post this on yeosang's birthday as like a dedication thing and ofc i had to include mingi in this because who am i if not songmingisthighs ?? lmaoooo

a/a/n : it surprised me that i was able to finish this one so quick

buy me coffee ?

Yeosang felt odd from the moment he stepped into the dorm Mingi shared with San and Seonghwa. There was something about the aura that sent shivers down his spine.

He had received a text from Mingi, asking him to hang out at his place as his roommates would be out the whole night and they had no schedule the next day. So it was quite a surprise for Yeosang to see you on the couch, lounging before rushing to hug him as soon as you took notice of his arrival. He had assumed that the reason Mingi invited him in was because he had no one to accompany him. Apparently not.

What got him feeling even more odd was the fact that you were particularly touchy with him even if your boyfriend was pressed on your back with his arm slung around your shoulders.

It all came down to when the flustered Yeosang excused himself to grab some cold water. Thirsty, he excused himself, but the sight of you in Mingi's oversized t-shirt with what he had accidentally discovered a lack of bottom save for your panties when you oh-so-clumsily dropped his hand that you were playing with onto your lap, smack dab between your legs. He felt so wrong for having his heart beating out of his chest because it was his best friend's girlfriend and no matter how she was acting, albeit slightly too bravely. It reduced Yeosang to a fumbly, bumbly man who had to calm himself down.

Unbeknownst to him, you and Mingi were smirking at each other, knowing that your plan had worked. See, Mingi had a feeling that Yeosang was somewhat attracted to you as seen from the way he paid attention completely whenever you were talking or the way he brought you up in conversation especially when they were talking about interests. But one thing that struck most was the way Yeosang complimented you and then blushed. This intrigued Mingi and he proposed that you two allow Yeosang to have fun with the two of you.

Finalizing your plan, you and Mingi walked over to the kitchen where Yeosang was hunched over with his forehead pressed on the cold marble counter, trying to calm himself down.

Unfortunately, the slight touch of your hand on his shoulder caused his heart to jump and body to straighten out.

"Aww, are you nervous around me, Yeosangie?" you teased, a smirk etched on your face. Yeosang swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head but Mingi chuckled, cutting him off as he proceeded to step closer to him. "Come on, you can't even utter a word and we can see your dick twitching from accidentally touching my girl's pussy," he teased.

Yeosang's eyes widened and he looked down to his crotch almost immediately to see that there was in fact an imprint of his slowly hardening cock, prominent on his grey sweatpants. Yeosang kept staring at it in shame while your eyes sparkled with mischievous glint, almost mirroring the look on Mingi's face.

Realizing the fact that you and your boyfriend were looking at him like Siamese cats with a plan, Yeosang could only gulp nervously.

He had walked into a trap.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was a challenge trying to get Yeosang to break out of his shell because you know that he wanted to touch you as much as you wanted to touch him, if not more. He wouldn't even touch you even after Mingi told him that he could, not even when you riled him up by stripping (which was basically just you taking off the shirt you borrowed from Mingi) and plopping on his lap, and not even when you started making out with your boyfriend right up in his face with your tits groped and fondled by Mingi's rough hands.

The moans you were making sounded like music in Yeosang's ears and he couldn't help but be aroused seeing the way you and Mingi were enjoying each other as if he wasn't there. Little did he know (because he was too busy watching you), Mingi was keeping an eye on Yeosang the whole time, particularly his reaction. It was a known, unspoken secret between you two that your boyfriend has the tendency to get super risky when there are people around in case you both get caught because deep down (and by deep down, it's really just almost on the surface), Mingi is kind of a voyeur, that's why he told you about his observation over Yeosang because he found it hot that his friend wanted the girl he has.

With a soft touch, Mingi tapped your hip gently, signalling you to detach for a bit so he could nod in Yeosang's direction.

"I think Yeosangie feels a bit neglected," you smirked, now paying attention to him by pressing your body flush against him, your crotch right on his hardened cock and your arms around his shoulders, "I'm so sorry."

If Yeosang thought he was aroused when he was watching you and Mingi, he was now risking cumming in his pants because you had started sucking on the skin around his chest. God bless Yeosang in tank tops.

"Come on man, I know you want to touch (y/n), you're so red in the face and you're really straining from holding yourself back, just relax, let it be," Mingi smugly said as he positioned your hips outwards so you were in a kneeling position on top of Yeosang who couldn't help but let his breath hitch when Mingi started grinding his own erection on your clothed cunt. "I- I," Yeosang stuttered as his eyes rolled into the back of his head from the way your mouth was sucking a hickey at the base of his neck and your finger rolling his nipple over his tank top, "I just-" he tried finding an excuse but he couldn't think of anything because the reality was all three of the parties involved consented, all three parties wanted this, two parties are enjoying it, and one party is being too stubborn for his own good.

Yeosang almost let out a whine when you detached your lips from his skin but he held it in, even as you stared up at him with pleading doe eyes, "Don't you want to touch me, Yeosang? Don't you want me? Don't you like me?"Just that easily, Yeosang's resolve melted and he pulled you into a hungry kiss, eliciting a moan from your smirking mouth. Mingi, on the other hand, took this as a chance to move forward. With only your panties in the way, Mingi ripped the flimsy fabric off of you while simultaneously working to get his cock out of his pants, not even bothering to take them off completely. "Tell me what you want to do to my girlfriend," Mingi said directly to Yeosang as he rubbed his tip on your wet slit. "What?" Yeosang could barely answer as his senses were filled with you. "Tell me all the things you want to do to (y/n) and maybe, just maybe, I might let you do some of them," Mingi was fibbing a bit because he was definitely really going to let his friend do whatever he wanted to you. But he wasn't going to outrightly say it because he still should have all the power. "I-I-" Yeosang struggled to even clearly discern what exactly it was that he wanted because, in all honesty, he only cared about being inside you and feeling good, experiencing pleasure with you with or without Mingi. Although, the idea of Mingi being there and maybe even telling him what to do made his cock strain even more in his pants.

The snap of Mingi's fingers broke Yeosang's daze and he was met with the sight of Mingi raising an eyebrow at him, "Don't look at her, I'm the one in charge here." It was new to you but you found it really hot the way Mingi was talking about you as if you weren't being sandwiched between two men, on the verge of being fucked by your boyfriend while pleasuring his friend.

An idea suddenly popped into your head and you had to bite back a condescending chuckle at the expense of the poor man under you. "Oh baby, you don't really wanna do anything to me, do you? You want me to do things to you," and in the following moment, a breathy "Yes" escaped Yeosang's lips as if it was a sinful little confession, the same time Mingi groaned and pushed himself wholly inside you.

Yeosang's eyes widened and his jaw slacked because, in all honesty, he had somehow expected to not be able to see much but obviously, he was wrong. "Oh fuck," he gasped, "OH FUCK," he gasped again when he felt your hand on his bare cock. When did you got him out? Your hand had pushed the bottom of his top upwards, revealing his well-toned abs contracting as you began pumping him with your hand. "Yeosangie likes it," you teased, pushing your ass back onto Mingi to make room for yourself, "I guess we finally broke you, huh?" you teased one last time before taking Yeosang in your mouth and started bobbing your head mercilessly, loving the way he filled your mouth just perfectly as opposed to your overly endowed boyfriend who had started thrusting in you.

Yeosang never considered himself a pervert nor did he ever experience the desire to know his best friends' private matters. Literally private, he even walked away when Yunho talked about liking his toe sucked (although that might be because it was so out of pocket), but he couldn't deny loving seeing you sucking his dick while being fucked by Mingi's. It honestly made him wonder what other things you and Ming do and discuss in private because if this was just a glimpse of what you two are into, he could only imagine what other things you two might do. To him or otherwise.

The way you and Mingi were working together was nothing short of mesmerizing to Yeosang. You both were so in sync with your movements. He took notice of how Mingi's thrusts were adapting to the pace of your mouth, making his movements more languid and more unifying. He couldn't help but think that it was almost as if Mingi was pleasuring him with you and the thought effectively made him blush.

But soon enough all coherent thoughts were pushed away when your hands started fondling with his balls and you weren't shy with your movements either. "Fuck, baby he likes that," Mingi laughed, absolutely enjoying seeing his girl reducing one of his best friends into a panting, whiny mess. The more Yeosang groaned and whined, the more Mingi was riled up. His eyes darkened the moment he noticed that Yeosang had absolutely conceded with the way he gripped your hair and pushed your face even closer to his crotch, effectively forcing more of his length down your throat. Mingi wasn't worried about you handling his friend because he himself was a rough lover. You had taken and initiated a lot of things with Mingi, he had even experienced you using your safeword on him. So knowing your limitations and capabilities which, in his mind were superb, Mingi felt a sense of pride in sharing you. In a way, he was showing you off.

As shy as Yeosang is, he had to admit that the obscene sound of your pussy being abused by Mingi's cock and you choking on his dick, along with the feeling of drool trickling down his balls drove Yeosang to his first orgasm. Your eyes widened when you felt cum shoot down your throat without warning, causing your fingers to grip Yeosang's tensed thighs for support, your nails dug through his sweatpants only making his hips buck into your mouth. Other than the soft pants and occasional moans, the grunt Yeosang let out was probably the loudest sound he had made that night. Even as you let his softening dick out of your mouth and opt to lick him clean, Yeosang still kept the majority of his whimpers to himself.

"Fuck yes," Mingi panted, his nose twitching as his hips moved wildly, chasing his own high as to join Yeosang's high. "Don't cum (y/n), don't cum just yet, I want you to keep everything in until Yeosang gets to fuck you."

Once the words were processed in Yeosang's head, it felt as though his dick was going to come alive again. "What?" he asked at the same time you whined in displeasure, wanting to cum especially after Mingi and Yeosang got theirs. "You heard me," Mingi smirked, his grip tightening on your hips, caging them still as he sent thrust after thrust until his body suddenly tensed, shooting a warm stream of cum into your awaiting pussy. The feeling of being filled up sent shivers down your spine and it was torture for you because usually, you'd already been cumming at this point at least once or twice. Or thrice if Mingi was in the mood so it frustrated you that you were told you couldn't cum. The frustration brought tears to your eyes that were soon wiped by Yeosang's gentle thumb, causing you to crack a small smile.

Unfortunately, your moment was ripped away when Mingi pulled you up by the hair, allowing Yeosang's eyes to zero in on your crotch, particularly the way your cunt was swallowing Mingi's above-average size, some of Mingi's cum spilt despite you being plugged full. Mingi didn't miss the way Yeosang's tongue darted out as if wanting to have a taste, of your cunt, the cum, or even Mingi inside you was unsure but there was a clear desire in his eyes that not even he wanted to hide anymore.

"Now, you get your turn," Mingi stated directly to Yeosang in a way that was almost hypnotizing that he didn't realize Mingi's hand had wandered to his cock that twitched in his touch. Yeosang's toes curled the more he thought about the fact that his friend had a hand on his cock, trying to get it back to erect while his girlfriend stood between them, grinding her hips to get some friction, looking at him as she bit her bottom lip as if it wouldn't affect Yeosang even in the smallest of ways.

Without wasting any more time, Yeosang pushed his body off Mingi's bed to take off his sweatpants quickly and captured your lips in a searing kiss again, enjoying your enthusiasm along with your boyfriend's ministration on him. "You're driving me crazy," Yeosang said against your lips, momentarily shifting his gaze at Mingi who was staring deeply into his eyes, "Both of you," he finalized, confessing how he was feeling.

Proud, Mingi squeezed Yeosang's cock once before sliding his out of you, "Stuff her," he commanded, "Stuff her before my cum leaks out." Thankfully, Yeosang's brain was intact enough to comply and within seconds, your head rolled back to your boyfriend's chest as Yeosang filled you in. It was obvious even from the first push that Yeosang's cock was nowhere the size of Mingi but what he lacked in girth, he made up in length. Yeosang, for the first time that night, almost broke his demeanour as he bit back a smug smirk when he saw you shudder the moment his tip kissed your cervix. The feel and the notion that it was Yeosang stuffing you with your boyfriend pressed to your back was what gave you the feeling.

The cum Mingi dumped in you served as a lubricant, allowing Yeosang to immediately started thrusting in you. Before, when you were still discussing with Mingi about this opportunity, you only imagined what Yeosang would be like but now, you can definitely say that Yeosang was more on the softer and sensual side which was a refreshing change because Mingi is passionate and aggressive.

"Fuck, that feels good, Sangie," you exhaled breathily with a satisfied grin on your face, not even realizing that you were practically using Mingi as a wall with Yeosang thrusting into you and his lips on your shoulder, leaving marks from him biting and sucking that would remind you for the next few days that another man had touched you under the watchful eyes of your boyfriend. "He knows what he's doing, huh?" Mingi teased, slipping a hand down to circle your clit with his middle finger, purposefully letting his touch graze Yeosang's cock every time it moved in and out of you. "He really does, baby, God, had I known-ah- that he'd feel this good I would've asked to fuck him a long time ago," you moaned, lifting a leg to hook around Yeosang's slim waist to get more access of him. You didn't even care that you were making a mess on Mingi's bed by letting his cum drip down to his sheets. To be fair, any concern regarding the sheets would've been gone the moment you and Mingi pushed Yeosang onto the bed. Thank God he's so pliable.

Yeosang happily anchored your leg with his hand, as he thrust harder, the way you talked about him with your boyfriend made him more desperate, particularly about the fact that he could've fucked you sooner had he shown any sort of interest in the matter. Luckily, it was better late than never.

"You know what would make it feel even better?" Mingi smirked.

You and Yeosang's bodies froze when you felt Mingi tapping the tip of his cock against your entrance. While you were simply caught off-guard especially since you were in such a deep sex haze, Yeosang was surprised by two things; the fact that Mingi would want to share you to this extent, and the fact that having two cocks in you at the same time seemed like a normal occurrence to you. The way Yeosang was looking at Mingi worriedly made the taller man want to pinch his cheek and call him cute. "Don't worry man, (y/n) can handle this," and with that, he began pushing inside you, skin to skin with Yeosang.

The pleasure Yeosang felt was unlike any he had experienced. There was this biting tension building in the pit of Yeosang's stomach simply from the way Mingi's cock felt dragging against his on top of feeling the tightness that closed in more and more when Mingi kept going.

You were faring no better.

Your eyes had rolled back into your skull and the leg that was around Yeosang's waist hooked him in even tighter as if you didn't want to let go. The position allowed Mingi to enter at a better angle and easier but the drag was still excruciatingly delicious.

Once Mingi pushed all the way in (as far as he could without making it impossible for any one of you to move), the three of you simply stayed in that position for a while, waiting for you to get used to having two men inside you first. Yeosang had the advantage of seeing your dicked out pussy and he felt both shame and arousal from enjoying the view.

"Holy- (y/n), you're so full," he said breathily, experimenting to see what would happen if he moved and when your knees buckled slightly, he immediately pushed his body flush to your front so you were effectively sandwiched between two men, "I got you," he ensured, arms enveloping your body.

Seeing as you and Yeosang were getting comfortable, Mingi huffed before he too started moving, setting a pace for everyone. The first few thrusts were rather slow and prolonged but the more your moans got louder, the harder the thrusts became. It came to the point where there were no real words coming out of either one of your mouths, only pants, grunts, groans, and moans. The sounds and smell of sex mixing together made Mingi think that he would be thinking about this moment for quite some time but he couldn't say that he was opposed to it because he wasn't.

"I need to cum," You whined, lifting your head that had dropped to Yeosang's shoulder to look at him, "Help me," you pleaded. Yeosang, too focused on fucking you, was momentarily confused. It wasn't until you took his hand and put his middle and pointer fingers in your mouth, licking and sucking on the digits, did he realize what you were asking of him. "Please," you almost whimpered pathetically. Yeosang's fingers went to immediate work on your swollen bundle of nerves, having it rub against his toned abs caused you to be more needy.

Between the two men, you were reduced to nothing but a doll for them to enjoy. Not that you were complaining because everything just felt all too good. Your boyfriend was practically rearranging your guts with his friend and his friend was helping you chase your orgasm.

"Mingi," you whined, "N-need to let go now," your hips were moving on their own to chase the high from both men's cocks and Yeosang's fingers. Surprisingly, Mingi gave Yeosang a knowing look, letting his friend know that he was sharing the control which was a good thing for you because Yeosang didn't even hesitate to nod. In fact, he was nodding eagerly, wanting to experience your release while he was still inside you. "Do it, cum (y/n), cum for us, cum for Mingi and me."

The way Yeosang spoke drove you straight over the edge and your legs snapped shut as you finally climaxed. Yeosang's breath hitched the moment your pussy contracted, forcing his cock to halt its movement and his hand to be stuck between your bodies. Unlike him, Mingi never stopped thrusting even when it became hard, he settled for a slower pace as long as there was still stimulation and it was a good thing that he did because thanks to his relentlessness, Yeosang was reaching his high. He almost came with Mingi who was already stuffing his second load in you but he had the good sense to pull out.

Just as he was halfway out, you whined and took a harsh grip on the hair on the back of his head. "No," you frowned, "Inside me," the demand was clear but Yeosang was still unsure. Despite his release teetering over the edge, he still took you and your boyfriend into consideration. Luckily, before he could do anything else, Mingi reached around and pulled Yeosang by grabbing his ass and shoving himself back into you so he could release inside of you. You gasped and your muscles contracted once again, causing Yeosang's cock to twitch and finally let go deep inside you. The thought of his cum mixing with Mingi's made him blush because, despite everything that had happened already, that one part will remain in his head the longest.

Neither of you dared to move; you due to still calming down, Mingi due to replaying moments and scenes in his head, and Yeosang due to wanting the moment to last longer.

Never would have Yeosang imagined that he'd be glad that he was cornered. The only thing he could wish for was for it to happen again. Little did he know that his wishful thinking was shared with the couple in front of him. It was just a matter of when they could corner him again.

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[nanivinsmoke]

✩ Both Ain’t Shit

dilf!toji x fem!reader

♪ tender was the kiss when you held me captive….

he lying to me im lying to him…. ♪

warnings : features suguru geto & utahime, cheating, toji is married and has a child, age gap (late 20s late 30s), angst, cursing, break up-sex, mutual affair, slut shaming, pussy eating, blow job, face sitting, creampies, squirting, half a happy ending (?), mentions gojo and shoko, etc….

✩ notes: wc ~ 4.9k, finally gave yall a oneshot with a plot! and i seen the results for the poll for lost without you and im getting to it, dont yall worry—i got yall for real.

lying. I guess that’s what this whole relationship was made of. nothing but lies.

that’s how you ended up here, lying to him.

you hated liars, but this lie just felt so good.

“sh-sh…shit toji! please, don’t st—“ your eyes rolled back and you grinded on his face, cumming all over his scarred lips; as he sucked on your clit like he was an old person that found some butterscotch.

your legs shook, his lips still attached to your sensitive clit, working you to another orgasm; but much to your dismay his phone started to ring. you groaned and quickly removed yourself from his face, knowing exactly who was calling him at this hour.

grunting when he sat up, the older man reached and answered his phone, watching you as you began to get dressed. “yeah baby, im coming home right now….i'll pick up some diapers—alright, love you too.” he hung up, eyes focused on as you struggled to pull your light blue jeans over your ass.

“i can help you with, c’mere~” he flirted, pulling you close by your jean’s belt loop holes. you rolled your eyes and pulled away, jumping to finally get them up. “don’t you gotta get some diapers? go help with that. besides, I gotta get home before geto comes back.”

he sucked his teeth at your remark and started putting his own clothes on, ignoring his own hard on, “I don’t see why you still with him. he don’t even make you happy.”

“oh? you’re one to talk. remember why we broke up in the first place? only for you to go do what I wanted with her….” he was silent, the only thing that could be heard was the two of you moving around the apartment. both of you always came here whenever you wanted to get away from your partners, which always led to hot, sticky sex.

“oh. and don’t ask my why i'm still with him, when you’re still with her. did you forget that? cat got your tongue?” you egged on, watching his facial expression change. he slipped on his shirt and grabbed his keys, before brushing past you. “whatever, y/n.”

you turned the key into your townhouse’s door, slipping your shoes off and placing the key on the nearby island’s, marble countertop. “geto?” you yelled out, only to not receive an answer. you noticed some take out on the counter and walked over to it, while taking your phone off do not disturb—seeing a message from your boyfriend.

✩ ‘staying at gojo’s tonight, he’s having a get together with some old friends. hope you had fun at utahime’s. ordered you some dinner, goodnight my love and see you at work tomorrow’

you swallowed your guilt along with a spoonful of fried rice as you finished reading his message. a guilty heart only leads to disaster and disappointment, and right now you didn’t have time for either. you had your reasons for cheating, none of them forgivable, but you had them. one of reasons were that you were still in love with your ex. you hadn’t gotten over the breakup and yes, you should just break up with geto, but just thinking what he would say or do was killing you and you don’t think you would be able to handle that. so you stayed, cheating with the one who broke your heart.

after eating the food geto got for you, you turned on your shower and started slipping off your clothes—cringing when you peeled off your cold, sticky panties. your were soaked and flashbacks from earlier, turned you on.

you typed on your phone, sending a text message to toji’s second number and telling him how wet he made you—and that you were disappointed that he didn’t let you cum all over his dick. stepping into the shower you let the coursing hot water drip all over your body, washing away your guilt as the lust increased inside your body.

finishing your shower off with an electric ending and getting yourself ready for bed, your phone chimed with a text from toji.

✩ ‘pretty girl always wet for me. ill stretch her out soon’

your clit throbbed at his message and you quickly sent one back.

✩ ‘he’s not here tonight, you can come over and put that to fruition.’

he immediately liked the message and texted back that he was on his way. no longer than ten minutes later, he was here; wearing a black tee that hugged his muscular torso and your favorite pants of his—grey nike sweatpants. the man was fueled with need for you.

closing the door behind him, he picked you up with ease and sat you on top of your kitchen’s island; big rough hands immediately going underneath your t-shirt. his scarred lips turned up into a smirk, loving how wet you were for him and when his finger ran over your clit; he loved the way you jolted at his touch.

as toji kneeled down, you stopped him by holding his head with your hand. “toji….dont tease me—please just put it in already.~”

“shut up. if I wanna taste my pretty girl then i'm going to. she misses me—mhm” he dove straight into your middle, swiping his tongue between your slit and tasting your sweet silky fluids. you tossed your head back and gripped his raven locks as he ate you out with such precision. and when he added two of his fingers to the mix, stretching you out, it wasn’t long before you came—all over his face. you squirted, drenching his face with your sweet nectar.

this was your first time squirting for him and devilish smirk appeared on his face. “you could do that this whole time? don’t tell me, you’ve been squirting for him?” he sent a smack to your quivering cunt, making you yelp out. you and geto haven’t had sex in a while and when you guys did get in the mood, it was always something simple; like blow jobs or cock warming. maybe that’s another reason why you’re cheating…

“n-no, i guess i…—yes!—i just missed you….don’t stop toji, g’nna cum again~” he drilled his fingers back inside of you mid sentence, working another powerful orgasm out of you, ending it with the same result as before—with you squirting on him once more. he slurped up every last bit of your essence before removing himself from between your legs and pulling his gray sweatpants down—revealing his girth.

your eyes fluttered down to his cock, the glow of sticky precum on his pretty tip had your mouth salivating. “turn around,” he ordered while pumping his cock and you immediately got into his favorite position. you got on your hands and knees, ass up high in the air with your legs spread, so he could see your slick coated cunt in all its glory.

he pulled a hiss from your lips when he pushed his head through your tightness, you arched your back up too high for him, earning a smack to your plump cheeks. “lower it~” he grunted and you whined, slowly lowering your back down into the perfect arch.

“‘s..too big—shit, take some out please daddy~” you felt another stinging sensation to your ass and you whined some more. “you can take it—smack—now quit yer whining—smack—and let daddy make this cunt his again~,” with each smack, he pushed himself deeper and deeper inside of your sopping wet pussy; filing you to the brim was his cock.

he stayed like the for a moment, feelin pity on you before he pulled out and slammed himself back inside of you again; a scream crawling out of your mouth. he repeated the action, your walls clinging to him with each stroke, driving him insane. mewls spilled out of your mouth as his tip rubbed against that sensitive spongy spot, making you clench frantically around him.

“must’ve really missed me, hm? creamin all on my dick—fuck!” he held onto your hips, watching the cream build up, making his tan cock a nice shade of milky white.

the sound of your cunt squelching with each stroke drove the both of you crazy, minds fucked out with arousal. feeling that ball in your stomach increase with each pleasure-filled second. you pushed your ass back harder against him while reaching down to fondle his potent balls—egging on his orgasm. toji let out a loud grunt, his green eyes darting to your pretty face.

“so fucking good—please fill me up daddy, please~.” you begged, breathless as you looked at him from over your shoulder with hooded eyes, lashes fluttering.

“that’s what you want? want me to fill my pretty girl up—make you swollen with my seed? hm?” he pulled your head back by entangling his fingers into your hair, each stroke deepening as a result. you nodded frantically, and he pressed his lips roughly against yours, hips slamming into your ass repeadlty—clapping sounds echoing throughout the room. with each passing second and each stroke, your orgasm approached faster and faster; and you couldn’t hold back anymore.

your eyes rolled back as you gushed all over him, pushing him right out of your leaking cunt; your fluids soiling the bottom of his shirt and his sweatpants. he grabbed his throbbing cock and pushed right back into you, his pace hard and faster.

“making a mess all over my dick, just makes me want to breed your pussy some more.~” with a few more strokes, he painted your inner walls with his thick, pearly-white load, and a wave of euphoria washed over you. his cock twitched inside of you, and he grunted into your ear, pulling himself out and plunging his fingers into your sticky hole.

“gonna make you squirt over and over again, and im going to make sure there’s a kid in you by the end of the night. get that ass in the bedroom.~” he growled and helped you off the island, smacking your ass in the process.

the long, raven haired woman walked lazily over to the door, wondering who the fuck was pounding on it like a mad man, and when she opened it her face dropped. “suguru, what are you doing here?”

he leaned against the door frame smiling, letting himself into her house, kicking his shoes off by the door. “what’s the matter hime’, you didn’t miss me?” he held her by her waist, gripping her smaller backside into his hands. utahime shook her head, lying, stepping back to readjust her robe.

“you shouldn’t be here. does y/n know you’re here?” she asked, folding her arms underneath her breasts. he pulled her over to her brown soft sofa, and sat her on his lap, “no, does she know you liked to be fucked raw by her boyfriend?” her honey brown eyes widened and she looked elsewhere. “no…”

utahime was your best friend since forever, she kept your secrets and you kept her’s. she was your scapegoat when you wanted to go see toji, she considered herself to be a girls girl, despite sleeping with your boyfriend every other night. this little secret relationship started when geto popped up at her house one time, looking for you because you left your work badge at home. but, when he didn’t see your car outside and you weren’t inside either, he realized that you had lied.

it didn’t take long for him to put two and two together, and he figured out that you were lying from the start. he didn’t know what you were doing nor did he care, he just knew you had hurt him by lying. utahime took pity to him that night, she didn’t give you up, but she still felt for him. she hated seeing him hurt, and the way his eyes lost emotion, pained her. so, she pitied him in the best way she knew how; sex.

and here she was, about to pity him again for the third night in a row. she looked into his eyes and pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes so she wouldn’t have to see his. she pulled away, a wave of heat washed over her and a trail of spit followed, she was breathless. utahime undid her robe, revealing her beautiful nude body. “make love to me geto~”

and that’s what he did, for the rest of the night, until sunrise.

“class is dismissed! papers are due friday and there will be no assignments for the weekend. see you until then!” you dismissed your class, watching the room empty out before you turned to dust off your chalkboard.

the muscular male eased into your lecture hall, tip toeing his way down, so you wouldn’t hear him; standing at the bottom to watch how good your ass looked in your pencil skirt, jiggling as you struggled to reach the top of the blackboard.

“need some help?” toji’s deep voice alerted you, making you stumble and drop the chalk filled eraser—causing the powder to fly everywhere. he chuckled and watched your pretty face turn into a frown. he was now in front of you and helped you dust off your outfit, sneaking in some loving grabs to your boobs.

“what are you doing here?” accepting his kiss as he pulled you over to him while he sat on the edge of your desk, his huge hands caressing your heavy backside. “got time for a quickie?~” he flirted, lips contorted in his infamous smirk. as you opened your mouth to reply, his phone began to ring and he reached back to answer it.

“what’s the matter, baby?” you pushed his hands off of you and your face contorted with disgust. you were jealous and that was a fact, his wife had everything you had ever wanted. she had his last name and his child, and she didn’t understand why he didn’t choose her?

toji stayed on the phone with his wife for a few more minutes, before he told her that he had to get back to work. he turned and saw the look on your face, and his softened.

“why’d you choose her, toji? your voice cracked as you spoke, while tears threatened to leave your eyes. he didn’t have a reason, he never did. so, he did what he did best, deflect.

“don’t start that again. you’re still in a relationship with him, dragging it on knowing there’s only one possible outcome for you two. the relationship is dead, y/n?”

“oh? but your’s isn’t? and don’t tell me nothing about mines when you keep coming back to me, when you’re supposed to be with her right? the woman you claim to love?! you gave her everything toji. I love you, how am I supposed to feel?” you were now bawling your eyes out, poking his chest with outrage, all while you poured your heart out. he didn’t know what to say to you, left speechless. you were right after all.

your phone chimed and you looked at the smart watch on your wrist, checking the notification. wiping your tears away, you went inside your desk’s wooden drawer and pulled out your purse.

“I don’t have time for this…do me a favor and just…stop pulling me back in, just for it to end up the same.”

you sat down with your best friend and boy friend, at a nearby restaurant, agreeing to meet them for lunch. it had been a while since you were all together, however there was one missing.

“where’s satoru?” you asked, picking at your noodles as you spoke—your mind still stuck on what happened between you and toji. you couldn’t help but to look at geto with soft eyes. for the first time you didn’t swallow you guilt, instead you let it through. you were sorry and thought about telling him everything.

“he’s busy flirting with some girl, as always.” utahime said with an eye roll, causing you to chuckle. you scanned your best friend’s face and noticed a bruise on her neck.

“utahime, is that a hickey i see!” you pointed out with a smile on your face. the girl blushed and felt her neck, sharing a look with geto before the two looked away. but, you caught that. and the longer you stared at the two, it dawned on you. as much as you wanted to scream, and curse the two of them out, you couldn’t. outing them right now with no evidence would only backfire. you had to play it safe.

you sent a smile to geto and held the top of his hand, a fake smile plastered onto your face. all the guilt you had washed away.

on the way home, you thought about what you saw. your best friend and your boyfriend? that was the worst thing to ever happen to you. yeah, you were the first one to step out of your relationship with geto, but you weren’t fucking his best friend. that was a different type of low.

you couldn’t believe utahime, after everything you both been through. she was more than your best friend, she was like your sister. you thought she had your back like you had hers, but it was clear that—that wasn’t the case. she was going to get hers, the both of them. however, for now only one of them were going to be punished.

you were fresh out of the shower, wearing a grey t-shirt and a navy blue thong; your hair laid freely in its natural state. you looked at geto, as he sat on your king sized bed and shook your head. you crawled on the bed and over to him, hovering over him; gaining his full attention. he smiled and leaned in for a kiss, but you pulled back and shook your head. he rose and eyebrow and watched as you grinded against his clothed crotch, reaching to hold your hips, but you swatted them.

he didn’t deserve to touch you. this wasn’t intimacy, this was goodbye. this was his punishment.

you rolled your hips, staring into his purplish eyes, biting your lip when you felt his boner poking your cunt. he watched as you pulled his boxers down and turned around, sliding your panties to the side—positing himself at your sodden entrance, before you lowered yourself down on him. he groaned, you were so tight; it had been a while for the two of you.

you rocked your hips before bending over slightly, your ass in view; as you began to ride him. you had to bite your lip to stop yourself from moaning, he didn’t deserve to know how good he felt, how wet you were. he could tell something was wrong with you, the way you moved without looking back at him or letting him touch you. however, he wasn’t going to say anything, instead he laid back and watched as your ass collided with his pelvis, strings of your wetness sticking to him.

a singular tear rolled out of your eye and you didn’t bother to wipe away. you were hurt, for the second time in your life. how do you keep ending up in these situations? was it you? were you the bad one? no, you just happened to fall in love with the worst people.

“fuck, baby. g’na make me cum~” he warned and you worked your hips faster, your own orgasm approaching. feeling his cock throb, you rode faster and slammed your ass down on him, until you pulled him out of you; his seed dripping on your plump cheeks. he was too wrapped up in his pleasure to notice any of your tears.

suguru laid breathless and watched as you got up from the bed and over to the adjoining bathroom. geto sighed and grabbed his phone, snapping a picture of his semi hard cock and sent it to utahime.

as you sat on the toilet, your phone chimed and you looked at everything. when you got home, geto was the first to shower and left his phone in the bedroom, which allowed you to go into his phone and made a short cut with his messages. so, everytime he sent a text to utahime, it was sent to you phone too. you also sent yourself all of their previous messages before deleting it on his end.

you stormed out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind you; alerting the long haired male.

“my best friend? out of all the people in the world you just had to go an fuck my best friend!” you held up you phone to his face, every single message, nude, love note—was in your grasp.

it was no use denying it either, he couldn’t. not when you had hardcore evidence shining in his face. so, he got mad and deflected.

“i wouldn’t have to cheat if you didn’t lie about where you were. I wouldn’t have to cheat if you showed me some love. now would I?” he retorted. youd eyes widened and you couldn’t help but chuckle. he had no idea where you actually were all the time and I guess you could thank utahime for that, after you kicked her ass.

“are you fucking serious? that’s why you cheated, because I lied about where I was? that’s your fucking excuse?!” you were seething, he was a fucking idiot. you walked over to your closet and began to take your things off of the hooks, shoving them into your huge duffle bag.

“you wanna know where I was so bad? getting my brains fucked out by my ex. every single night when I told you I was at utahime’s, I was letting him cum in me so much, i’m surprised I haven’t gotten pregnant.” now he was seething, he grabbed your bagged and tossed it onto the bed; getting in your face, but you weren’t scared—you were going to stand ten toes down.

“and finally the slut confesses! going back to your ex? isn’t he married? think he’s going to leave his wife for your raggedy, used up ass?” he started chuckling when he saw your face change, he had got you right where he wanted you. hurt.

you sniffed back the tears and moved past him, grabbing your duffle bag amongst other things, slipping on a pair of sweatpants before walking to the living room with suguru hot on your trail.

“you know you’re a fucking idiot. you call me a slut, but you went to utahime’s house on a whim to fuck her because you didn’t know my whereabouts, does she know that she isn’t the only one either? ive checked every single message suguru, icloud too,” you grabbed the rest of your things out of the living room, before you grabbed your keys.

“should’ve let gojo and shoko eat my pussy when they wanted to, then I’d really be a slut. fuck you, suguru. and go to hell,” with that, you detached the apartment’s key and threw it onto the island—slamming the door behind you, leaving him for good.

as you turned the knob to the apartment across town, the door swung open and you were face to face with toji’s chest. he looked down—opening his mouth to speak, only realized the stream of tears rolling down your pretty face. he quickly pulled you inside and hugged you; letting you soak his dark grey shirt with your sadness.

you dropped your bag as he rubbed your back, soothing you as you calmed down, before you pulled back and he placed you on top of the kitchen counter. “what happened?”

you told him everything, about him and utahime, to the nasty argument, to the break up; and by the time you got finished he was angry. “ill kill him,” he started to walk away, but you grabbed him by his wrist and shook your head.

“he isn’t worth it, as much as I would love to see that happen; he really is garbage and his karma will come.” you half smiled at him before you realized something. “why are you here? trouble with your wife?”

“actually…we just got a divorce. I had one of my lawyer friends bring over the paperwork that I asked for months in advance, and we both signed it. I told her about you, how I felt about you, and the affair. she was devastated.” you pouted, another person hurt by this affair, you felt like you only had yourself to blame.

and then he moved closer to you, picking your face up by your chin; your eyes fluttering as he stared into them, “I love you, y/n. never stopped. the only reason I married her is because she was having my baby. I was a fool who didn’t use a condom, but I was an even bigger fool for rubbing everything in your face. i'm sorry.”

your eyes widened. he had never said ‘I love you’ to you before, only you with him. and to here that he never stopped only made your heart swell. you couldn't give a fuck about anything else but what was happening now. “toji!~”

you cooed, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him into a deep—passionate kiss. your lips moved in sync, your hands exploring each other’s body’s, just before you pulled away.

“what about your son?”

“she agreed on joint custody, which is good. we’ll alternate weeks and I gave her the house. now, ya got anymore questions? ‘cause, I need to make love to you.” you shook your head no quickly, and he picked you up, and carried you to the bathroom, almost sucking your face off in the process.

as soon as your feet touched the cool tiles, you proceeded to rip your clothes off, while he did the same—ignoring the cool, sticky feeling on your panties. he quickly turned on the shower, letting the water steam up all while he kissed you. he blindly led you into the shower, his hands glued to your ass; the plushness captivating him.

the steaming waters trickled across your bodies; adding to the sensual atmosphere, and helped your arousal peak. you kissed down his chiseled torso until you were face to face with his raging boner, not even hesitating to place him into your mouth.

toji groaned, his hand going straight to your wet hair, pushing your head down further onto his cock—deepthroating him. your eyes widened and filled with tears, but you kept him deep in your mouth; until you pulled away to catch your breath. you kept eye contact with him while you jerked him off, a mixture of spit and water coated his cock. “cum in my mouth, ‘kay?” you were so cute to him, he couldn’t help but nod; sucking in some air when you took him back into your mouth.

you swirled your tongue on his tip, frenching it; while teasing his balls. then you removed your hands and only used the back of your throat to please him, the sound of your gags were like music to his ears. and soon, he couldn’t hold back anymore—grabbing your head so he could fuck your pretty face to his liking.

“so…fucking…nasty!” he grunted, your cheeks puffing up with each thrust. your hand flew down to your throbbing clit, rubbing it while your eyes rolled back into your head. it didn’t take long before he spurted his thick warm load into your mouth—forcing your to deep throat him once more.

you swallowed what you can, before he let go and you pulled away; letting it trickle out once you opened your mouth, showing him the flowy white liquid before swallowing the rest.

toji pulled you up by your wet hair, kissing you again—tongue swirling on yours as he tasted himself. you moaned, feeling his fingers find their way to your wet cunt. he picked you up once more, swiftly pushing his head inside your aching entrance. “fuckkkk, baby.~” you dragged out, throwing your head back, walls stretching as he slowly pumped in and out of you.

the more he moved, the hornier the two of you became, and soon his pace quickened. the sound of your cunt squelching, and your heart beating in your ears drowned out the shower’s loudness, fueling his arousal. he gripped your ass with both of his hands and proceeded to pound your cunt—causing air to be pushed in, making you queef repeatedly.

“she’s talking to me, miss daddy’s cock. hm?” he grunted, listening to the lewd sounds of your moans and your pretty pussy talking to him. you moaned, unable to formulate a sentence due to the overwhelming pleasure. his cock rubbed against your spot with each thrust and you could feel that bubble inside, getting ready to burst.

“gna cum on this dick? hm, pretty?—answer me!” he growled into your ear, and held your waist, smacking your ass before putting his hands back onto your fatness.

“yes! yes! gonna cum all over your dick, daddy!~” you squealed and he slammed harder, bursting your bubble. you were silent as your cunt gushed, a complete contrast from the shower above you.

“that’s it baby girl, let it out. gonna get another one out of you~” his hands stayed glued to your ass and his pace stayed the same, overstimulating your leaky cunt. drool pooled out of your mouth as you let go once more, your liquids splashing the shower’s walls and drenching his cock once more.

he didn’t stop pounding once your orgasmed again, as his own was mere seconds behind you. with a few more thrusts, he slammed inside of you—holding you there while he painted your walls white, cock twitch as he emptied his load inside your tummy.

“let’s get you out of this shower before you pass out,” he chuckled and helped clean your body off.

after a few more rounds of love making, the two of you laid in bed, cuddled up to one another. toji had drifted off to sleep, after you took charge in the last two rounds; ultimately making him tap out.

you stared at his beautiful resting face, heart swollen with pure love and happiness. you had finally got what you wanted. turning on your side, you backed yourself into his embrace; ready to drift off to sleep—until your phone buzzed.

turning the brightness down, you checked the message from an unknown number.

✩ ‘we need to talk, now’

[vegan-peppermint]

Your Boyfriend's Bed

Pairing: Hoodie x Masky'sGF!Reader

Fandom: Marble Hornets

Genre: Smut MDNI

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: Cheating, creampie, rough sx, P in V

Summary: Your boyfriend is a B, but his best friend's there to take your side.

Author's Note: After a three-year hiatus, I finally found the inspiration to write again—thanks to this incredible fanfiction. It sparked something in me. I can’t recommend it enough, so please show the creator some love. Their work is the reason I’m writing again after all this time. This fic is inspired by their masterpiece, so I highly encourage you to check it out first!

________________________________

More often than not, you were a collateral victim in your boyfriend and his friend’s fights. Tim and Brian were too close for your liking, they had a great co-dependency going on way before you came in the picture. If Brain was in a bad mood, so was Tim. If you got in a fight with Tim, Brian was giving you the silent treatment as well as taking sides without hesitation.

It was more than you bargained for, not realising getting Tim as a boyfriend meant taking responsibility for his grown-ass best friend as well. But you managed. With each month that passed in your relationship it was getting easier for you, to the point it was almost natural to consider them both in every action you took. 

Weirdly enough, you so much preferred for them to be mad at you instead of at each other. Whenever their balance wavered they started acting batshit crazy. Tim confessed some details about their ‘alternative’ life after- what, a year in you relationship? 

You didn’t fully grasp what he meant by their “alter egos” or their nighttime escapades, but you quickly realized you didn’t want to. You had your suspicions, of course. You weren’t blind. But as long as they didn’t outright spell it out for you, you could continue living in blissful ignorance. It was easier that way, and you convinced yourself that you were okay with it.

But today—today was different. Today, things had escalated to an entirely new level.

Tim was screaming at Brian, who was cloaked in that damned creepy hood that made him look so unsettling. Tim's anger seemed to grow by the second, and when “Hoodie” (as you suppose you should call him now) refused to react, it only fueled Tim’s rage.

You tried to calm him down, talk to him or something- anything.

A strained, guttural laugh escaped Tim, trembling with anger. He started explining to you how you do not even begin to understand what has happened, how you should just shut up and not get involved- his voice full with disdain, every sentence designed to belittle and assert his supposed superiority. 

Now you are not the one to get angry easily, but this time- this time something in you snapped. You were done being talked down to, done being made feel small or pathetic for just wanting some peace.

“No wonder he would not bother to have your back when you act like such a prick.”

“Oh, just shut up you bit-,” his words faltered as he caught himself mid-sentence, swallowing the insult faster than a politician trying to cover his tracks.

You cannot recreate what was spoken after that word for word, just that all hell broke loose. It was no longer a fight between Tim and Brian- no, it wasn’t just them anymore. It was you and Hoodie against Tim. You were screaming and throwing your every angry complaint you had been holding in for far too long. And Hoodie- Hoodie of all people- was backing your every word, every statement. However, Hoodie’s remark is what really sealed and shipped Tim’s whole spirit.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl so frustrated with her boyfriend in my life, Masky. Can only imagine you’re lacking in some aspects.”

The words hit harder than anything you had said. They were cold, calculated, and aimed straight at the core of Tim’s pride. The room seemed to hold its breath, and for a moment, Tim stood there, trembling with the weight of the accusation. His face twisted in disbelief, but the damage had already been done.

What followed between the two of them was pure madness. Shouting, shoving, items flying off shelves—everything seemed to spin out of control. Pushing, pulling, voices rising higher and higher, until the tension reached a breaking point. Tim’s eyes flickered with something darker, something unstable, before he turned to grab his mask and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard it shook the walls.

Well, this has happened this morning. You realise you could’ve done things differently, not taking sides or waiting for their fight to end before starting your own. That was your mistake. But leaving you hurt and angry with only Hoodie to comfort you was his.

________________________________

You were on all fours on your boyfriends bed, face buried in his pillows. Hoodie’s gloved hand pushed down on your back arching it more- your ass rising higher. 

Your clothes were littering the floor from the doorway to the edge of the bed, the cold air tickling your bare skin. Your eyes landed on the wardrobe’s mirror showing your helpless reflection with Hoodie’s tall frame behind you. He was completely dressed from his boots to the black mask that covered his face- he was glacial. 

His left hand- formerly on your back-  grabbed your hip harshly. He dragged the other painfully slow across your side- from ass, to waist and finally around your breast. You whimpered at the harsh feeling of his gloves palming your tits. 

“So sensitive…” he sighed. The nub was hardening against his touch making it easier for him to pinch or gently twist your nipple. 

You inhaled sharply trying to steady yourself but being met with Tim’s smell wasn’t helping. “H-Hodie...” you whined. 

His hands left your body and you heard his pants zipper opening. You tried to push yourself on your forearms, an instinct to turn around and see what you were dealing with, but before you could make a move a firm grip grabbed at the back of your neck. The sharp tug sent shivers down your spine as Hoodie yanked your head back. With a swift flick of his wrist, he let go of your nape only to have his fingers dart into your hair. His grip was certain and precise. “You’re way to eager to get on another man’s cock.” Your face was shoved once again back into the mattress. 

He was watching you excitedly as he brushed his tip across your folds- a groan escaping his lips when he felt how wet you already were. There was something primal about knowing you belonged to someone else yet he got to claim you as his right now. 

“Be quiet now,” he instructed sliding his cock inside you. You tried your best, you swore you did but he was so- big. Your eyes rolled upwards and your fingers gripped tightly at the sheets as you tried your best not to scream. His cock pressed deeper and deeper inside your cunt, stretching you in ways you did not even imagine possible. “You moan like a whore,” he growled with a final push. You felt your face blushing in shame- he talked to you in ways you would've never allowed your boyfriend, but on his lips those words felt so natural; almost like praises.

“Shh, shh,” he murmured, the sound gentle but insistent. You were already panting and crying just by the size of him. He gave you a moment to adjust to him being balls deep inside your aching cunt but your whines wouldn’t stop. He leaned over you, the rough material of his clothes scratching your soft skin. His hand reached to the side of your face, you thought he wanted to wipe away the tears that were sliding down your cheeks. He chuckled, his hand covering your mouth instead. “I’m gonna fuck you senseless, sweetheart.” 

________________________________

“Fuck, fuck- fuck! Feels so- Agh!~” 

You were screaming so fucking loudly. Your head was bumping to the ruthless rhythm of Hoodie’s thrusts. His fingers left red marks all over your ass, your hips- he was tugging at your body merciless, squeezing and scratching every inch of skin he could find. 

With trembling hands you tried your best to hold onto the bed frame as Hoodie was rutting into you from behind. His balls were hitting your swollen clit so hard- again and again and- “Am so close- so close, so close!”  Jaw was hanging open, you were gasping for air. 

“Fucking whore,” Hoodie sighed grabbing your neck with one hand, the other searching for your open mouth. “Bet he never fucked you this good, eh?” He gave a sinister chuckle as he shoved his fingers down your throat. You followed his cruel pull falling back on his torso. He was squeezing at the sides of you neck reminding you how little and vulnerable you are right now, “You only breath right now- scream and cry- you only feel this good because I allow you to.”

You whine taking him even deeper, his cock slaming your walls faster. His fingers explored your mouth pressing down your tongue, his grip thightend. 

“I could snap your neck right now, you know?”

You cry out loud in desperation, surrenedring control to him completely. Your eyes shut in anticipation, every muscle in you tightens-

“Say who you really belong to, who fucks you like a bitch in heat,” he snarls. “Say my name.”

And you do. Over and over again you do as your gummy walls squeeze around his length unbearably thight, waves of pleasure wash all over you. Hoodie’s hands allow you to gasp for air just for a second as they move under your arms grabbing you by the shoulders. His sudden body weight pushed you on your belly, fucking you deeper into the matress. His thrusts grow sloppy and desparate with no regard towards you- he was fucking you like a fleshlight.

“I’ll pump you so full of cum, MY cum-” Muffled sounds rose from deep in his chest, you were able to hear his clenched teeth through the sharp breaths he took. “Breed you so good you’ll be ruined- Fuck-” he whimpered. “Ruined for Tim,” his thrusts are brutal and harsh and- so goddamn overwhelming. 

His cum shots in hot strings, his member twitching inside your ruined cunt. His hands pull you closer and hips push further trying to get as deep as possible- deeper than Tim at least. 

You felt bad for comparing but the way he feels on top of you, in you- he fucked you in ways your boyfriend never could. When you tried to shift he grabbed a fistful of your hair forcing your head back. With lazy motions he started fucking his cum deeper.

“I didn’t tell you you could fucking move yet.”

//

This is my first fic since, what- 2021? Wow. Crazy.

I'll keep on writing my usual content as well, but creepypastas and gore-y stuff has always been something I wanted to write but never felt confident enough before. Anyways, feel free to request or send me any message, I came back from my hiatus! Never thought I'd say that lol.

[lillyspeakz]

Hey I hope this is not a weird question but can you plz make a fic that’s like Vampire! Wilbur x reader with a blood disorder?

Yes yes ofc! I just did iron deficiency because- it’s the only one I know everything for so! I hope you enjoy!

warnings: Wilbur taking care of reader, he low key complains about how sweet your blood smells, kisses, all in all so sweet, medicine and swallowing pills!!!

-

The weather had made the decision for you to stay inside today, the rain and the freezing cold wind making you shiver as you looked out of the window. When Wil heard you were staying in with him today, having called off work, he was more than ecstatic!

Very rarely does he ever have days with you, all of you. You work all the time and when you get home, your always either tired or Wil wants to go outside and have fun. And sometimes you do go out with him, or he stays in with you and dances with you in the kitchen as you cook. But those were short lived, always ending when you were tired or Wilbur finally needed to go out and feed on something.

Now don’t get him wrong, you offered for him to take small doses of your blood here and there, him always praising you and how your blood smelled sweeter than anything he’s ever smelt. Yet he knew he couldn’t. He knew your blood already had a hard enough time keeping your body afloat and keeping you healthy, your iron levels fluctuating day to day. And he wasn’t going to take something from you that you needed more than an average human. He knew how many pills you had to take some days just to feel ok, it made him sad. His precious darling, blood so sickeningly sweet yet betraying your body. At least that’s how he saw it.

As you made tea for yourself, Wil had made himself comfy on the couch, the fire place going as a movie he’s never seen before played on the tv. You wore one of Wil’s sweaters and a pair of his sweats, always feeling comfier in his baggy clothing than your own.

As you deemed the tea ready, you started to walk over to the living room, carrying a tray of snacks as well. Yet you didn’t get too far, your whole body swaying as your mind went numb from dizziness and a whole pound of tiredness lied itself on-top of your head. Placing both of the items down, you quickly gripped the counter with a painful grip, a groan leaving your mouth as you did.

The cold always made your iron worse than anything. You didn’t know the exact reason or if it was even true, but it felt like it. On days like these you never found a reason to take your meds, never really doing anything to need them. But apparently today was different.

Hearing the sound of the glass on the marble counter and a groan coming right after made Wilbur shoot up from his position on the couch, seeing you press your head into the cold surface as you held yourself up the best you could.

“Darling?! Hey, it’s ok. Are you ok? What do you need?” Wilbur came behind you as he held you by your waist, lifting you back up as your head rested on his shoulder. You looked pale and your eyes could barely open as you curled into him.

Cupping your face, Wilbur rubbed your cheek bone as he waited for you to answer, placing small kisses all over your face as he did.

“I- the cabinet. My meds are in there.” You got out dryly, your mouth suddenly going dry as the fatigue got worse.

Gently turning you around, Wilbur’s hands gripped the back of your thighs as he lifted you up in his arms, holding you close to him as he went to the cabinet you pointed to. Opening the dark wood material, he found a tall, skinny bottle with your name on it.

He took it out of its respected place and placed you on the counter, leaning your back against the wall as he opened the bottle and took out a couple pills. “How many do you need?”

“Just one for now. I’ll take more later on.” You said, sleep filling your vision as you saw Wil take out one and grab your cup of tea on the counter.

Coming back over, Wil saw your eyes close slightly, racing back over to cup your face. “Hey love, stay awake for me yeah? Take this and then we’ll go watch movies all day. Ok?” Wilbur promised as held the medicine up to your mouth. You opened it slightly, enough for the small capsule to enter, bringing up the cup of tea to your mouth so you could have something to help it get down your dry throat. “Good job baby, did so good.” Wilbur whispers as he presses a kiss to your forehead as you place the cup back down and lean forward into his embrace.

Wilbur held you against his chest for as long as he saw fit. Holding the back of your head as he rubbed your head, humming into the air as he tried to distract himself from the sweet smell you gave off.

“As much as I hate this little blood disorder, you blood smells absolutely divine my love.” Wilbur groaned as he pulled away from you, smiling as your eyes looked up at him, skin looking a bit better.

“Is that supposed to be a compliment or should i be scared?” You asked teasingly as the man in front of you rolled his eyes and lifted you up once again.

“I’m offended you think that lowly of me love.”

“Well you did try to kill me when we first met-“

“That was the old me. I now know how to behave myself. At least around you.” Wilbur confessed as he set you down on the comfortable cushion, rushing back to grab the tray of snacks and your tea.

“That makes me feel a bit better. As long as you don’t get caught and aren’t killing innocent people, I’m ok with it.” You smiled up at him as he gave you the tea, falling down next to you as he covered himself and you with a blanket, wrapping an arm over your shoulder.

“I promise I’m not darling. Never did and never will.” He promised to you in a whisper as he pressed one last kiss to your head as he pulled you closer to him, snuggling closer to each other.

“…. Do I actually smell that good?”

“Darling don’t get started-“

[jayzioxx]

p.s, the moon was always beautiful

scaramouche x reader

ao3, masterlist

chapter 2;Old acquaintances and new friends

"Do you have any more doubts?" [Name] inquired and Diluc shook his head. [name] ended the tutoring session for the day, feeling a bit of pride swelling up in her chest. Teaching was one of the things [name] enjoyed the most, and seeing an eager mind thirsty for knowledge made her feel like she had a role in the world, like she wasn't insignificant anymore. It was the only thing she could wholeheartedly focus on no matter what problems she had.

As she walked away from the library and the boy who was engrossed in his textbooks even after his tutoring session, she felt her steps getting heavier and heavier by the minute. Almost as if someone had placed a huge weight on her feet, pulling her into the ground and letting the world swallow her whole. Ever since her eyes met his, she's felt a familiar but distant unrest in her heart. 

"I can't let this bother me; I doubt he even remembers me." She tried to tell herself, but the heart, much to the world's dismay, does what it pleases. At the moment, the only thing [name]'s heart wished to do was cry out loud. 

Silently, [name] walked to her house. Passing the countless stores, parks and age-old structures in the city, the tranquility of the slightly bustling area brought something akin to peace to her. An old monument of the city's founder which dated back to centuries ago stood in the middle of the city. "The heavenly principals" was inscribed at the statue's feet in ancient text, but no one really understood why, and no one questioned it either.

She usually didn't bother herself with the slightly ominous construction, but just this once, as she stood beneath the giant marble woman, she felt insignificant and useless. Like a speck of dust, being blown around by the winds of time. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, and she knew she shouldn't dwell on it either, so she shook away those thoughts and kept walking. 

The walk home wasn't too long, but for some reason it felt tiring and unending. After opening the door to her house, [name] felt slightly better when she saw her living room. The place was kept neat and tidy, and the walls and racks were decorated with things that brought her joy. Name retired to her bedroom which had framed photos of Albedo's art, portraits from her graduation and a few pictures she had taken with Xiao and Ganyu hung on the walls. The warmth from those days seeping from the printed paper was nice. Maybe if she stared for long enough, she might completely calm down and ascend to a plane of spiritual power. 

She was lying to herself. She had been for years, but she never questioned it. Saying "I'm fine." and thinking "It's okay." when it wasn't was a habit of hers, and it always worked, but the face of that boy- no, that man made her feel weak for the first time in years. Her house didn't bring her joy, walking didn't bring her joy, thinking about her college days didn't bring her joy, and it frustrated her. Still, years of working with indecisive and impulsive children had brought her one thing. Rationality. Moping around and spiraling wasn't productive, and it won't bring her any peace either, so she resolved to just plan assignments and practical experiments and head to bed.

Work was never too tiring, and it seemed not even that guy could change that. [name] felt happier because at least she had that, but the turbulent emotions she felt hadn't vanished either. 

"What's the point." She thought to herself, unknowingly starting to drift off to a land of unease again.

As if on cue, the ringing of her phone snapped her out of her daze. The contact name displayed on her screen making her feel a bit guilty as well.

"Are you alright?" Xiao's voice sounded from the other side of the line, with what seemed to be concern laced within his stoic tone. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" [name] responded, but that only made the man on the other side frustrated.

"You seemed off back at work. You sure you're fine? If you're not just call in sick tomorrow and I'll mark attendance for your class." He spoke. He was always kind, [name] appreciated that about him. Still, he constantly seemed to feel offended when she said that, so she stopped mentioning it, but that didn't change the fact that she felt grateful for him. 

"I told you I'm fine." [name] insisted but the other person didn't even half believe her and sighed. 

"Fine- maybe I'm just a tiny bit not okay..." she admitted. "I just didn't expect I'd see him again."

Xiao listened patiently, waiting for her to say something- or really just anything. Seeing as the silence would continue to prevail, Xiao finally said what he was trying to convey. "If you want to talk, just talk to me. I can't offer words of comfort, but I'll at least listen." Hearing his words, for the first time since seeing that man again, [name] felt reassured.

"Yeah... Thanks." 

The next morning, [name] met Ganyu on her way to school, who also noticed her discomfort from the day before and inquired as well. "If something's wrong you can ask me for anything." Ganyu said in her usual sweet tone, not prodding any further. 

Scaramouche sat on a bench right outside the main building. He didn't feel like going into the teachers’ lounge, nor did he feel like eating lunch. A few students were laughing and chatting as they walked but quickly went silent when they saw him. "Her class," he noticed. 

The eccentric ginger boy said nothing, and the chatty blue haired one didn't speak a word until they were out of his sight. It should have felt unfair, yet he didn't seem to think so. After all, Scaramouche was used to the invisible barrier set around him. Scaramouche gazed at whatever was in front of him. He didn't care. Until the painstakingly long recess ended and the bell rung, he stayed out of the world he didn't belong to. The fearsome and cold mathematics teacher all the students feared.

Scaramouche snapped himself out of his daze and stood up, brushing down any imperfections on his clothes and standing properly like a dignified man should. And Mr. Raiden walked back into the main building towards his next class. 

Senior students were much easier to teach than first years. They already learnt how to learn and focused on focusing, all he had to do was present to them the knowledge they had yet to know. He wasn't a man to take pleasure in much anymore, yet peaceful lessons were one of the few things he did enjoy. Especially with the young Ragnvindr boy who seemed wholly focused on his studies. Absentmindedly he opened the door to the classroom and bumped into another teacher. 

"Sorry." He said at the exact same time as the other. He looked away, and anywhere but her face. She said something and went out past his right. "I'll leave then." Or something like that but he couldn't really hear well. 

"[Name]- Miss [name] you dropped something." But she'd already gone running. Never mind she came running back.

"Here."

He handed the little printed photo of [name] and some boy, and she grabbed it, thanked him and left. He looked younger in the picture. But that doesn't concern him. The boy looked too young for her. Neither does that. Either way Mr. Raiden still had a class to teach.

[Name] walked a bit slower, not wanting to drop anything else.

"He's calmer."  She thought.

"And a bit more considerate."

"I think he still remembers."

Not like it mattered anymore though. 

As [name] entered the class she overheard some of the students gossipping. 

"....looked a little lonely though I kinda felt bad for him." 

"Who are you guys talking about?" [Name] inquired and for a moment the group fell silent like a litter of kittens caught trying to tip a jar. Ajax Childe was the one to break the silence as usual. 

"We passed Mr.Raiden during lunch right outside the main building. He was just sitting on a bench and staring at cars across the road it was pretty weird. Feel bad for whoever puts up with him on the daily-" [Name] lightly tapped his head with a book and stopped his rambling. Childe pouted with a face that almost screamed 'what did I do?1'

"Don't talk ill about your teachers." [Name] said and began the lesson.

Throughout the period what she overheard Sucrose say never left her mind. 

"He looked a little lonely."

a/n; me and my grade school level writing *giggles*(derogatory) not proof read anyone who wants to proof read reach out to me on the latest chap of the ao3 version ill respond when i have a chap almost ready...

[khywren]

Adrift : Chapter 4 - Curse

pairing: Astarion/f!Tav | Astarion/f!OC rating: 18+ MDNI word count: 2.5k tags/warnings: friends to lovers, angst with a happy ending, smut ────────── chapter summary: “I know what it's like to be afflicted with an insatiable hunger,” Gale says soberly. “The consequences if I should lose control. I’m sure Astarion is acutely aware of it himself.” Ysera considers the weight of his words. She hadn't exactly stopped to think about the potential danger of letting Astarion feed from her, but truth be told, he'd never given her much reason to. Even that first night, when he'd almost taken it too far, she can only blame herself for not stopping him sooner. He’d stopped the moment she’d pushed him away, caught up in the moment more than in any real desire to harm her. She’s not under any false impression that he actually cares for her, but it’s not as if he’s some bloodthirsty monster. AO3 ┊ masterlist | series masterlist

Ysera wonders how much it hurts when Gale absorbs the Weave from the various enchanted trinkets they've tossed his way. This morning’s donation is an old pair of boots, too well worn to be of much use but imbued with a powerful enough enchantment to placate the orb in his chest a while longer.

He's been saving the boots for a special occasion, the way one might save a particularly well-marbled cut of meat for just the right moment. Only, Gale's special occasion happens to be to stave off a crippling hunger for fragments of the Weave, but both are satisfying in the same sort of way, she supposes.

The swirling marks on Gale's chest glow brightly as the magic is swallowed by the orb, a fierce, ethereal purple that seems to burn him like a brand. He clutches at his chest, groaning through grit teeth as the boots’ enchantment is depleted in mere seconds. Once the thing is done, Gale heaves a breath and takes up his spot before the cookfire, tending to this morning's breakfast as if nothing is out of the ordinary.

Across the fire, Ysera stares at him in an uneasy silence. It's not the first time she's seen him absorb an item's magic, but it never looks less uncomfortable than the time before.

“That hit the spot,” Gale says. He smiles warmly, seeming to sense her distress. “Thank you, my friend.”

Ysera returns his smile and nods. She conjures a gentle breeze to stoke the fire, her stomach growling hungrily as Gale tosses a few scraps of what smells like bacon into the pan. It’s only the two of them this early in the morning, as good a time as any for a bit of conversation.

“Of course,” she says. “I'm more than happy to help. I know it wasn't much, but I bet those goblins are sitting on a whole heap of treasure.” Once they deliver their extra cache of weapons to the Grove, they’ll be heading to the goblin camp to find Halsin, or at the very least secure the tieflings safer passage to Baldur’s Gate.

Narrowing her eyes, she leans in and whispers slyly over the back of her hand, “I'll keep Astarion distracted while you take your pick of the lot.”

Instead of laughing at her joke like she expects him to, Gale regards her with a curious look. His eyes seem to be looking somewhere other than her face, and it's not hard to guess why for very long.

“You seem to be doing your fair share of that already.”

The color in her cheeks flares bright pink as Ysera's hand flies to her neck, worrying at the telltale scars Astarion has left there. Neither of them had bothered to hide the fact that Astarion has been feeding on her with alarming regularity, but under Gale's scrutinizing gaze, it suddenly feels much more scandalous.

Gale's brown eyes soften considerably, crinkling at the corners.

“My sincerest apologies. It wasn't my intention to embarrass you, you understand. I'm merely concerned about your wellbeing.”

The bacon sizzles in the pan and Gale stirs the scraps around before cracking several large eggs into the grease. The rich yellow of the yolks makes her mouth water.

“I know what it's like to be afflicted with an insatiable hunger,” Gale says soberly. “The consequences if I should lose control. I’m sure Astarion is acutely aware of it himself.”

Ysera considers the weight of his words. She hadn't exactly stopped to think about the potential danger of letting Astarion feed from her, but truth be told, he'd never given her much reason to. Even that first night, when he'd almost taken it too far, she can only blame herself for not stopping him sooner. He’d stopped the moment she’d pushed him away, caught up in the moment more than in any real desire to harm her. She’s not under any false impression that he actually cares for her, but it’s not as if he’s some bloodthirsty monster.

She can no more fault a river for running its course than she can a starving man who's been presented with a feast.

“You don't need to worry about Astarion,” Ysera tells Gale. “He's never taken any more than I've been willing to give him.” She's grateful for his concern regardless. They haven't spent much time together, but there's something effortlessly endearing about Gale that she admires, that makes her feel safe to entrust him with something she's not quite ready to discuss with anyone else in camp.

Astarion may have caught a glimpse behind the curtain, but he's not exactly the kind of person she wants to confide in.

Ysera offers Gale a nervous smile and says, “That's what I was hoping to talk to you about, actually, if you don't mind.”

Gale pauses in the middle of peeling his potatoes and feeds the skins into the fire. He sets his knife down to give her his undivided attention. “Certainly. How can I help?”

Gale’s calm eyes are nothing but encouraging. Ysera takes a breath and wrings her hands in her lap to steel herself.

“How do you deal with it?” she asks, broaching the subject. “The orb, I mean. I imagine it must be rather frightening.”

Gale tips his head to the side and lets out a quiet chuckle.

“Well, it's certainly not every day you find yourself cursed with a fragment of pure, undiluted Weave.”

This time it’s Ysera who’s unfazed by his attempts at humor, and Gale feels a bit sheepish as he clears his throat. 

“But I digress. I find it's easier not to dwell on it too much, if I can,” he says, nodding. Ysera’s expression remains guarded as she listens to him speak. “But I get the sense you're not asking out of mere curiosity.”

Well, there’s no sense in avoiding it any longer. Gale is the only one in camp who might have answers to her growing list of concerns, and she would be foolish not to take advantage of his wealth of knowledge while she can.

“Not exactly,” she admits. “I guess you could say that I'm cursed too.” When his brows raise, she hurriedly adds, “Not in the same way you are, but my magic…” Her expression falls, eyes staring down at the hands threaded together in her lap. “I know what it's like to lose control. I was hoping you might know more about it.”

Gale hums thoughtfully, considering. “What else can you tell me? Do you know the source of this curse?”

Ysera tempers her anxiety with a huff of laughter. “That's the problem. It's been something I've had to deal with for as long as I can remember, something my parents always told me I was born with.” She meets his eyes again, tail swishing nervously in spite of the patient way he looks at her. “But I have these... nightmares, and I think they have something to do with it, but honestly I can't say for certain. It’s more of a feeling I have.”

Whenever her magic becomes particularly unstable, her nightmares grow more bleak. Whenever her dreams are more fraught than usual, she finds her command over her own power strenuous at best. They are two sides of the same coin, tied together with some invisible thread she cannot see but knows is there.

"Nightmares?” Gale holds his chin between his thumb and index finger, stroking his beard. “Hmm…” he says, searching his knowledge of the arcane for any solution to Ysera’s problem. “I'm familiar with several powerful spells that afflict their targets with all manner of malefic visions, but none that quite fit the criteria you speak of. Certainly nothing that would last for as long as whatever’s been ailing you, and none that destabilize one's connection with the Weave."

"I was afraid you'd say that,” Ysera says with a heavy sigh.

She had expected as much, but she won’t deny her disappointment. Gale’s been her most promising lead so far, not including… 

“Do you remember that devil we met yesterday?”

Ysera’s pointed question seems to catch Gale off guard. He takes a moment to heap several spoonfuls of bacon and eggs into a bowl before passing it into her hands, helping himself to his own portion before sitting back down across the fire.

“Yes,” Gale says with an arched brow, amused by the way Ysera voraciously tucks into her breakfast. “Raphael, I believe Karlach said his name was? Once she was done hollering about the whole affair. But what exactly does a devil have to do with any of this?”

“He…” Ysera takes a moment to remember her manners, swallowing before she continues. “I’m certain I’ve never met him, but he seemed to know who I was, or at least something about my nightmares. He said he could cure me along with removing our tadpoles.”

Gale studies her for a moment, expression impassive as he chews around a mouthful of bacon. Ysera’s brows knit together and she chews absently at her lower lip.

“You think I'm a fool for even considering taking him up on his offer, don't you?”

Of course he would. Gale has proven himself to be a voice for reason several times over already; it makes sense that he wouldn’t condone a deal with a literal devil, no matter the reason.

“On the contrary,” Gale says suddenly, and Ysera nearly drops her breakfast as she meets his eyes. He has that same look on his face as he does when he’s deep in thought, one corner of his mouth curved up as his eyes narrow in focus. “Mortals are usually the ones to approach devils and not the other way around, no? I think he wants something from us. Badly. Why else would he be so adamant about making a deal with you?”

He’s given this far more thought than she had expected, seen it from an entirely new angle that she hadn’t yet considered herself.

“That's… you know, now that you put it that way, I think you're right.” she says, flashing him a small smile. “I suppose there's no harm in waiting to at least see what he wants in return.”

“My point exactly,” Gale agrees. “And when that moment comes, there's likely a mighty bargain to be made.”

Ysera has long since helped herself to seconds by the time the others start to wake. Shadowheart joins them beside the fire, hair immaculately braided and armor glistening in the morning light. Gale offers her a bowl of the same breakfast scramble, and she takes it with a small nod and murmured thanks.

She's only taken a couple bites before her eyes rove slowly towards Ysera, who looks at her expectantly. Her eyes narrow considerably.

“Sleep well?”

Ysera blanches, looks hurriedly towards Gale, but the wizard has distracted himself with Wyll, who's been lured in by the smell of frying meat and potatoes. Lae’zel is close behind. If there's one thing Ysera knows about Shadowheart, it's that she definitely isn't shy about cutting straight to the chase.

Ysera had been avoiding the subject since they had returned to camp yesterday afternoon, conveniently busy any time Shadowheart or Karlach had seemed keen on speaking with her about what had happened. She’d retired to her tent early, eager to escape their prying eyes. She suspects Astarion kept his nose out of it only by virtue of already having some sort of idea about what exactly she’s been hiding.

But they won't get anywhere by not trusting one another. She can't rely on them if they can't rely on her in turn.

“Gale and I were just discussing that, actually,” Ysera informs her. “And what we should do about Raphael's offer.”

“You're not seriously considering it, are you?” she says incredulously, arching a suspicious brow. “I don't know exactly what these nightmares of yours entail, but surely they can't be so bad you'd actually consider making a deal with a devil.”

“Gale thinks we should at least hear him out,” Ysera insists, “and I think he's right. We don't have to make any decisions yet, but he knows more than he's letting on.”

Shadowheart seems to understand the severity of the situation well enough and senses that Ysera has told her all that she's willing to divulge for the time being. She drops the matter without further questioning.

“Suit yourself,” Shadowheart says curtly, blowing the steam from a mouthful of potato before she takes another hungry bite. When she's done, she points her spoon at Ysera and tells her, “Just… be careful, and whatever you do, don't tell Karlach. One errant spark and this whole place could go up in smoke before we know it.”

Ysera makes a motion to laugh, but as she glances up at Shadowheart, it's Karlach that catches her attention instead, hair wild and disheveled as she stumbles groggily towards the fire and rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“Tell Karlach what?” she asks, stretching her shoulders with an exuberant yawn. Ysera flinches, but Shadowheart eyes her calmly with a knowing look.

“That you're too late to get any of the bacon again,” Shadowheart interjects, finishing the last few bites of her food. “Unless Gale's been holding out on us again and has an extra stash somewhere.”

“Awww, come on,” Karlach whines, flopping down on the flat stone she's been using as a makeshift chair. “I didn't sleep in that much, did I?”

Hearing his name, Gale excuses himself from his conversation with Wyll and Lae’zel and pulls an extra rasher of bacon from the assortment of ingredients he's got set around the fire. Karlach's eyes practically light up when the meat hits the pan.

“I made sure to save some for you this time,” Gale says warmly, chuckling as Karlach stomps her feet and beams at him. She pumps her fist in the air.

“Yes! That's what I'm talking about! I could just hug you! I won’t… but… well, you get the picture.” 

Before long, there's a quiet rustling in the trees as Astarion emerges into camp; judging from his complexion, he's been out hunting, cheeks slightly ruddy and the tips of his ears a very telling shade of pink. His eyes narrow as he takes them all in and scrunches his nose in distaste. 

He saunters towards the fire, taking a seat next to Shadowheart. “Must you all be so loud?” he grouses, rubbing his temple. “Some of us were trying to enjoy a nice, relaxing sunrise.”

Karlach sticks her tongue out at him, stopping only to shovel a few strips of bacon into her mouth when Gale hands her a bowl of food. Astarion shoots another barbed quip her way, and as the playful bickering begins in earnest, Ysera can't help but laugh as she glances around the fire at her ragtag little group of friends.

Somehow, she suspects things might have a way of working themselves out after all.

[avampyone]

Prompt #12: Promise

Characters: Seiro Malkavi, Emet Selch

Synopsis: Caught up in an unfamiliar land, Seiro contends with temptation beyond reasoning.

Setting: Lakeland, Crystarium.

Warning - Adult situations, some NSFW.

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

Dark skies returned to the Crystarium, and all praised the warrior of darkness for such a feat. The horrors that the light had wrought, wars, ascians, shards, visions – Seiro was but a simple hunter that sought out adventure in lands unknown. A part of him wished for simpler times, thinking of the Azim Steppe and the faces of his family left behind. This was a place not even his companion Xil had been able to travel to, unable to benefit from his guidance.

He found himself in need of advice more than ever with this new quarry – One with such a charming smile and lovely golden eyes that possessed a touch of sadness to them. Seiro had been attracted to many men over the years, weak as he was to their smiles and pleasures of the flesh – This went deeper in a way that was maddeningly frustrating.

A plethora of trees outlined the courtyard of the Rotunda in the Crystarium that Seiro had already become quite acquainted with. He sat now, long tail curled off to the side atop tree stump with a set of tools laid out neatly in a dark cloth alongside him. One by one he sought to lose himself in this – it was a process of filing, hammering, and grinding the blade back to keen sharpness.

He was shirtless and unashamed of baring his muscular form with tight leather trousers worn low on his hips. Black scales shined in the moonlight and his lavender flesh showing off the scars and even burns of many battles fought, long straight auburn and amethyst locks trailing down his back.

The xaela did not think anyone would see him there nor think to find him there, but there was one who did, “…It bodes you ill to stare at one who means to kill you. After this cooperation ends, I will hunt you down.” He murmured, carefully bereft of emotion. He had not lifted his head from his current task.

“Oh, will you now? But why wait..? Are you not keen to seek violence? As is the universal constant among these fragments I find.” Emet-Selch strolled out of the shadows at such an unhurried pace slowly but surely towards Seiro’s spot among the green until he cast his great shadow over him – such that sought to swallow him from the light of the moon above.

The shadow brought forth a hazy vision to Seiro’s mind eye in a quick succession of images. An elaborate marble ballroom decorated with lavish effects as such he had never seen before. The swirling of dancers in their fine robes of black and white. He was new there and felt out of place. The shadow of a handsome man standing before him offering his hand out – asking to dance.

“…You remind me of him though. Hard and soft all at the same time, so stubborn. A paradise as it was – He never turned a blind eye to suffering as others did.” Emet Selch’s voice held a purr that he had saved for him to hear alone, inspiring a betraying heat in the pit of his stomach. A jarring ring let out when Seiro firmly pressed the surface of the grindstone to the sharp edge of his scythe harder than he intended, “You…have me confused with someone else…”

Emet-Selch said nothing as he stepped forward until he was but a few Ilms away. The ascian’s gloved hand sought to pull aside the curtain of the hunter’s long silky tresses in an affectionate caress over one shoulder, fingertips tracing along ever so slowly over the hardened scales.

The dense scales peered even more sensitive than his bared flesh from the way he trembled, “But I confess. Sometimes in sleep, I see a place I have never traveled to in the whole of my life. A dazzling city. Beautiful marble..Everyone is dancing...” Seiro’s deep quiet voice whispered distantly.

“How do you know of that place?! Are you not just one of them? Do you remember the promise that we made..?” Emet Selch’s thick brows drew together in sincere confusion about to lift his gloved hand away, but so suddenly the grinding stone and scythe dropped from Seiro’s rough hands to coax that arm to embrace him.

An unspoken loneliness existed in the xaela that longed for a connection he could never quite grasp- it remained his companion at home, with his family, during his travels, with his dear comrades.

There was no escape, but even a fraction of that eased in the closeness of the ascian – even if he wished not to admit it, “It does not matter who I am, does it? I have felt your burning eyes since my arrival here, so please..” His broad chest rose and fell with breaths of heightened arousal with a generous bulge already straining the tight confines between his legs. Seiro’s head tilted back against Emet Selch’s chest with two toned eyes distant as if immersed in a dream.

Emet Selch’s pearly white teeth bit onto his full lower lip at the sight, letting the glove slip off his hand in a gentle whisper along his flesh. That bare hand trailed now down the middle of the long length of Seiro’s abdomen, dipping into the hard grooves he found there. Further still, he deftly freed the button at the front of leather pants and slowly zipped down. A desperate chuff left Seiro to feel the ascian’s beguiling voice reverberate against his horn, “After such a long hunt, I have found you at last..”

[thisurlwasnttakenbutnowitis]

Every Epic Rap Battle of History ranked

All right folks, sit down and strap in, cause this is gonna be a long one. So I recently got to rewatching Epic Rap Battles of History, as I do once a year or so. As I was watching through them all, I started to feel tempted to rank all the battles in a tier list. However, once I had ranked them, I felt like I needed to explain my reasoning for each battle's placement, and one thing led to another until eventually I had churned out this 14k word monstrosity. So here we go, I will be ranking all 86 current Epic Rap Battles of History from worst to best, explaining my thoughts on each one, as well as giving my opinion of who won the battle and what I thought the best line in each one was (which is not necessarily delivered by who I think the winner is):

F TIER

86. Sarah Palin vs Lady Gaga

Winner: Lady Gaga

Best line: "Governor of Alaska? That's like the principal of a home school."

This one is just terrible, plain and simple. I honestly don't think many people would disagree with me that this is one of the worst. The best I can say about it is that the person they got to play Sarah Palin looks and sounds the part pretty well. But everything else just falls flat on its face. A matchup with no chemistry, lyrics that are purely surface level with no deeper meaning, oh, and some poorly-aged jokes about "transvestites" for good measure. Frankly I'm surprised that Henry VIII vs Hillary Clinton was scrapped because it didn't meet Peter's and Lloyd's standards, yet this somehow managed to make it through all the way to becoming a finished product.

(For reference, I won't be officially ranking Henry VIII vs Hillary Clinton since it wasn't released as a finished, official episode, but it's honestly better than anything I'm putting in D or F tier. It'd probably fall somewhere near the bottom of C tier.)

85. Adam vs Eve

Winner: Adam

Best line: "It ain't Summer, Eve. Don't try to play me like a douche. You wanna bite on my fruit? Well, you can swallow the truth."

Honestly I would consider this the most painful episode to watch. As bad as Gaga vs Palin is, I would rather sit through that than this shit any day of the week. The only reason this ranks higher is simply because the lyrics are a bit more clever. Emphasis on "a bit", because only 5% of the lyrics have anything to do with the titular Biblical characters, and the other 95% are generic "man vs woman" lines using the most tired stereotypes you can imagine. "You're a slob", "Well, you're naggy". There, that's the whole battle summed up for you. What a waste of Jenna Marbles as a guest star.

84. Bruce Banner vs Bruce Jenner

Winner: Bruce Banner

Best line: "After battling me, you're gonna always be pissed. So the Hulk will stay forever, neither Bruce will exist."

There's a reason this video has the highest dislike-to-like ratio of any battle in ERB history. I mean, part of that is probably transphobes being mad at the existence of a trans person being acknowledged, but that alone wouldn't make it so hated if the battle was otherwise good. But as you can probably guess, it's not. For a video that was meant to show allyship to the trans community, how did no one on the staff point out that it might be a bad idea to directly compare a person transitioning to a comic book character transforming into a monster? This was just a bad idea from the start.

The first half of the battle is decent, but once the two do their transformation scene, it completely falls apart. On one hand, it feels like they were too scared to make Hulk really pack a punch with his lines out of fear of coming off as transphobic, so they just gave him barely any lines at all. But one of the lines he does have honestly still comes off as pretty transphobic: "That painted face don't give you class, just one more thing Bruce do for cash". Yikes. And then Caitlyn proceeds to have the most long, rambling verse in ERB history that doesn't have a single line that says anything with any substance except for the last one.

Look, I appreciate that at the heart of this battle was an attempt at showing love for the trans community. It had good intentions, but it's pretty clear that the idea and writing came from two cis dudes who were out of their element, and it really should have been shot down at the concept phase.

D TIER

83. Justin Bieber vs Beethoven

Winner: Beethoven

Best line: "There's a crowd of millions waiting to hear my symphonies. You wanna be a little white Usher? Here, show 'em to their seats.

Man, remember when hating on Justin Bieber was a whole-ass personality trait? I would know, that was me. From the start, this is clearly made to be a one-sided battle with how deliberately annoying Bieber's portrayal is. Peter's version of Beethoven is actually pretty decent though which is what stops this from slipping down into F. It's also a nice touch that a remix of Beethoven's 5th symphony is the background music, though it does get points deducted due to the music not even attempting to switch to something different when Bieber is rapping. Just goes to show how much this battle was made to be stacked against Bieber.

82. Ash Ketchum vs Charles Darwin

Winner: Charles Darwin

Best line: “Your shit-talking mouth is the origin of feces!”

From one annoying portrayal to another, we have Ash Ketchum. I don't think that this one was intentionally made to be bad though. But God, Ash is insufferable here. Completely interrupting the song to make a joke about barnacle dick, and let's not forget the cringiest line in series history - "You've got candy raps, Reese's pieces", a line that has absolutely nothing to do with either character and could have at least been marginally fixed by just changing it to "Rhesus pieces", as in Rhesus monkeys, which Darwin actually did study.

I was actually one of the many people suggesting this matchup before it happened, and I remember when the battle finally came out, I tried to convince myself that I liked it more than I actually did, because hey, cool, they did an episode about Pokemon! I love Pokemon! But the more I look back on it, the more I realize how disappointing it is as a Pokemon fan. Mat4yo of the YouTube series "Chisel This" (which does in-depth analyses of the lyrics and musical structures of ERBs, highly recommend checking it out) was brought in as a Pokemon expert to assist on this battle since it was a series Peter and Lloyd weren't too familiar with, and while that did result in a couple of semi-obscure Pokemon references such as the old man glitch or how Ash had not caught a Ghost type up to that point, ultimately most of what he wrote ended up being scrapped, and the rest of the Pokemon jokes ended up being the lowest-hanging fruit that Pokemon fans had been hearing jokes about for over a decade at that point. "Haha, Pokemon battles are like dog fighting". "Haha, Professor Oak fucked Ash's mom". "Haha, Pokeballs, it's funny because we said balls".

Just like the last one, Peter's portrayal is the one thing keeping this from slipping down to F.

C TIER

81. John Lennon vs Bill O'Reilly

Winner: Bill O'Reilly

Best line: "You're Paul McCartney's bitch with less talent than Ringo, and I'd rather suck George Bush's dick than Yoko Ono's."

The battle that started it all ranks near the bottom, but that does go to show that they just went up from here (for the most part). Probably ties with Gaga vs Palin as the matchup that most makes me go "How did anyone even think of this, what link do these two even have". I'm guessing the theme of both battles is meant to be a conservative vs a liberal? I dunno. There's really not much to say on this one. It's pretty basic, but I get it. It was the first of its kind and was apparently produced on a budget of only $50. By those standards, it's all right.

80. Donald Trump vs Ebenezer Scrooge

Winner: J.P. Morgan

Best line: "Don’t panic, Scrooge, but you’re about to crash. I’m J.P. Morgan, the Ghost of Rich Dudes Past! Who’s properly rocking the Monopoly mustache! Yo, I own the railroad, I run these tracks!”

This one is weird in hindsight, made in a time before Trump's voice and mannerisms became burned into everyone's minds. I don't think anyone would disagree that Lloyd's later portrayal of Trump was way more accurate. Peter's impression here is basically just yelling. Speaking of portrayals as well, this is the first battle involving frequent guest star Zach Sherwin on this list, and I have to say, even in mediocre battles like this one, he always knocks it out of the park as whoever he's playing. I don't think there's been a single bad Zach appearance.

This is a battle where I think the idea was really solid, it just didn't turn out as good as maybe it could have. Telling the story of A Christmas Carol through rap battles, while also switching out the ghosts for other iconic rich people was a pretty brilliant move on paper. Just, I dunno, I feel like this is the weakest of the ensemble battles. I think what it comes down to is that it was a bit too ambitious for the budget they had at the time. Something like this would have benefited from being in season 5 or 6 when they could really go all out with sets and special effects. I mean, they go through the iconic scene of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showing Scrooge his own grave, but it all takes place in Scrooge's bedroom and we don't even get to see the grave.

A sidenote about this one too is that Donald Trump actually saw it and responded to it. I wonder if he ever saw any of the later ones starring him.

79. Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg

Winner: Mark Zuckerberg

Best line: "I've been looking up your family, it gets dark, my God! Couldn't clean your daddy's laundry with Apar-Tide pods."

It's kinda funny that these two actually have more in common now than they did when the battle came out thanks to Musk's takeover of Twitter. I feel like I'm placing this battle lower than most would. Lyrically, it's very clever (rhyming "sprinkle tossed in" with "Winklevoss twins" may just be the smartest rhyme in series history), but I just don't really like the portrayal of either character in this. They're both just kind of obnoxious, which is true to life admittedly, but still.

I was going to say "This was the first battle after they broke off with Maker Studios and went independent, and it definitely shows in the visuals department, because the special effects are rough". And while still think the shots of Musk flying to Mars look pretty bad, I don't think it has to do with the split with Maker Studios; because the very next battle that came out after this one was Freddy Krueger vs Wolverine, and that is still possibly the most visually impressive battle they've ever done. It probably had more to do with the fact that this was considered a "bonus battle" rather than the true season 6 premiere, so it probably was just given a shoestring budget so that the actual effort could go into Krueger vs Wolverine. It's gonna be a while before we talk about that battle, so I think it's safe to say that sacrifice paid off.

78. Columbus vs Captain Kirk

Winner: Columbus

Best line: "Why don't you boldly go someplace you've never gone before, like India, or any destination you actually set sail for?"

I'm noticing I'm saying "I think this character's portrayal was annoying" quite a lot in these bottom 10 spots, but it makes sense that that would really sink a battle for me when I find half of it hard to even listen to. So, yeah, Lloyd does a William Shatner impression that completely breaks the flow, and it's funny as a joke but not very fun to listen to as music.

A sidenote about this one is that I always misremember it as being a season 2 battle. I think for whatever reason it was the one season 1 battle that never popped up in my recommended until season 2 was already underway.

77. Gandalf vs Dumbledore

Winner: Gandalf

Best line: "I leave mics in flames, torched by Gandalf. Touch mine, Dumbledore, and scorch your other hand off!"

This was another battle that could have benefited from coming later, both from a writing and visuals standpoint. Early ERBs were very short with lyrics that didn't run too deep, and both of these characters come from universes with such rich lore that there's so much more you can do with (this was the first battle where both rappers were fictional, actually). Fortunately, both universes would get time to shine with more clever writing, thanks to JRR Tolkien vs George RR Martin and Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker. The visuals for a video between two masters of magic also definitely leaves something to be desired. This was another one that should have been held off on until about season 5 or 6. They probably would have relied less on the "Dumbledore is gay" jokes if that had happened too, so that would have been another plus.

76. Batman vs Sherlock Holmes

Winner: Sherlock Holmes

Best line: "You're shamed and traumatized and haunted by the vast disgrace of watching like a passive waste as momma died and daddy was dispatched with haste!"

And here we have another bad portrayal, one that's so infamous that even ERB itself has acknowledged it. Peter is not a good Batman, just plain and simple. It's a shame that it brings an otherwise good battle down. Zach Sherwin kills it as Sherlock Holmes, and the actor for Dr. Watson also does a great job. Even Robin's part is fun. Outside of Batman, the only part I don't really like is how Sherlock interrupts the song to think about what he's about to do for his second verse. I get that it's in-character for him, but it kills the pacing.

75. Hitler vs. Vader 3

Winner: Hitler

Best line: "Screw you, you big black cunt! I'll kick your balls and your face: a war on two fronts!"

The final entry in the iconic Hitler vs Vader trilogy, and the weakest one in my opinion. I think it's pretty clear that they were running out of things to say about this matchup by this point. I mean, hell, part of Vader's verse is taken up by Boba Fett coming in and just bragging about himself rather than saying anything about his opponent. Feels like it was just there to take up time.

74. Donald Trump vs Joe Biden

Winner: Donald Trump

Best line: "Your campaign's like your family: crash and burn."

This was a battle that was very clearly affected by Covid. Aside from the animated Harry Potter vs Luke Skywalker, this was the only battle to come out in 2020. I appreciate that the team put together what they could in the midst of the raging pandemic, but as a consequence, it doesn't have the spectacle of the other presidential battles. What was once planned to be a battle royale with Bernie Sanders and Ronald Reagan joining the fight was cut down to a simple one-on-one, with Abe Lincoln not even making an appearance. As such, while the matchup does feel more fairly written than Trump vs Hillary, it also just has less overall to remember.

Some parts of this battle have aged interestingly looking back on it three years later: Trump condemning "looting and violence" right before January 6th happened; also him saying that Roe vs Wade would get repealed, which ended up happening despite Biden winning. And 200k being given as the death count for Covid at the time, woof, if only it had stayed that low.

73. Oprah vs Ellen

Winner: Ellen

Best line: "So if battling me is your intention, I better mention, you're bout to get licked by a lesbian."

Well, this one hasn't exactly aged gracefully with what we now know about Ellen DeGeneres and how she ran her talk show, but I'm not going to hold that against this battle. What I will say is that this is a battle that I constantly forget exists (side note: in the time between writing this and going back through the list to insert the images, I had already once again forgotten this battle existed). Two current-day celebrities who are both rivals in the same field just isn't much of an exciting idea for an Epic Rap Battle of History; there just isn't too much you can do with that and it shows here. I will say though, the casting on both Oprah and Ellen was great, the two actresses definitely exude all the charisma that the real women do on their shows.

72. Donald Trump vs Hillary Clinton

Winner: Hillary Clinton

Best line: "You wanna talk about misogyny? Your Bill's worse than Cosby. He left a mess on that dress like you left in Benghazi!"

And just squeaking by the previous Trump election battle, we have the original one. This one is clearly much more biased against Trump, barely saying anything bad about Hillary and making Trump out to be a massive prick. Which, okay, is true, but in the context of a rap battle, a rapper's own lines generally shouldn't make them look worse. Honestly though, this battle is just more fun and energetic than Trump vs Biden, and that's why it's slightly higher.

71. Hulk Hogan vs Kim Jong-il

Winner: Hulk Hogan

Best line: "You're a freak, a phony, a Rice-a-roni jabroni! I'm gonna bounce you like a check for my alimony!

Before every fanmade rap battle beat the idea into the ground, this was the OG of introducing a surprise third rapper into the mix. This one is just funny. "Beijing is in China, you blond asshole" still gets a kick out of me. This is another early series matchup where the two rappers have absolutely nothing in common, but this one turned out better than you'd think from just looking at the title. Also love the re-edited version of this that brings the special effects up, though sadly it couldn't make Peter's muscle suit look good.

B TIER

70. Billy Mays vs Ben Franklin

Winner: Billy Mays

Best line: "You following me, camera guy? Cause it's about to get furious. You're gonna love my nuts 'til you're bi-focal-curious!"

I wonder if younger fans of ERB even know who Billy Mays and Vince Offer were. It's a sad thing to think about. The ending of the battle where Billy Mays just straight-up dies and Vince comes in to close it out is iconic. Ben Franklin's lines are kinda whatever, it's the salespeople that steal the show, but that's kinda to be expected. Also the person they got to play Billy Mays is perfect.

69. Doc Brown vs Doctor Who

Winner: Doctor Who

Best line: "You're not a cat with nine lives, you're a pussy with thirteen."

Admittedly I'm not too familiar with Doctor Who, so I'm certain some references went over my head on this one. Despite that and my love for Back to the Future, I've gotta hand it to the Doctor. Having him die and regenerate halfway through the battle was a cool idea, and both actors that portray him are really fun and embody the charisma I know the character is known for. The joke about how Doctor Who's special effects suck and you can see a hand manipulating the TARDIS in the background I think is one of the funniest jokes the series has ever done.

68. Dr. Seuss vs Shakespeare

Winner: The Cat in the Hat

Best line: "You bore people to death! You leave a classroom looking like the end of MacBeth!"

This is a battle that would be a lot higher were it not for one thing. Well, two things actually - Thing 1 and Thing 2. The first three verses are utterly fantastic - Shakespeare's first verse written in iambic pentameter, the Cat in the Hat hitting with some of the most clever lines in season 1, and of course, Shakespeare's iconic rapid-fire second verse. And then… Thing 1 and Thing 2. Purely awful. Painful to listen to. Any time I rewatch this battle, I turn it off once Shakespeare is done.

67. Nice Peter vs EpicLLOYD 2

Winner: EpicLLOYD

Best line: "I'm trying to make art, motherfucker, you're trying to find a rhyme for 'erection'!"

This battle feels like it was made more for the crew of ERB than the audience with all the inside jokes about production. It's also noticeably meaner and more personal than NP vs EL 1, and I remember it made me worried just how much resentment the two apparently had underneath the surface. This battle was put out to announce that the series would be going on hiatus, and the way it came off with how sick and tired Peter and Lloyd were of everything, I honestly thought ERB might never come back. Thankfully that wasn't the case. I'm sure it was all in good fun, but man, the frustrations the two expressed in this felt so raw, and I'm sure a lot of that anger was genuine.

66. Frederick Douglass vs Thomas Jefferson

Winner: Frederick Douglass

Best line: "You got a self-evident truth of your own: You let freedom ring but never picked up the phone!"

Like Banner vs Jenner, this is another battle that felt afraid to throw any real punches towards one of the rappers. Jefferson's first verse is mostly just talking himself up, then the whole thing kinda just becomes a soapbox about slavery. It's really kinda lame how Jefferson's entire second verse is solely dedicated to defending himself.

This battle was ERB's one real attempt to push themselves as an educational series, as evidenced by the fact that this is the one and only battle to release a censored version so it could be shown in classrooms, and I think that's kinda why this one comes across a little preachy. That being said, it's certainly not bad.

65. Frank Sinatra vs Freddie Mercury

Winner: Freddie Mercury

Best line: "So kiss my ass, Frankie, but you'll have to wait in line."

Here we have a great performance paired with a lackluster performance to make a middle-of-the-road battle overall. Obviously Freddie had more charm than Sinatra, but man, Sinatra's portrayal in this is so boring. The fact that more than half of his disses are just gay jokes doesn't really do him any favors either. Peter's Freddie Mercury though is amazing, and I love how Freddie gets to rap in a style unlike anyone else in the series that mimics the iconic sound of Queen.

64. Nice Peter vs EpicLLOYD

Winner: Nice Peter

Best line: "I drew a mustache on your face and you played a mean Hitler. Take the mustache away, you look more like Bette Midler."

This was the season 1 finale and it was a perfect tribute to everything that had been done so far. Seeing flashes of every character the two had played up to that point was so cool, and it was fun to see the two creators duke it out, albeit in a lighthearted, clearly joking way. It's very interesting to compare the tone of this to the rematch, showing how attitudes change when a fun project with your buddy becomes your job, and how that can leave you feeling jaded over time.

63. Bob Ross vs Pablo Picasso

Winner: Pablo Picasso

Best line: "I am the greatest, the modern art Muhammad Ali. I melt faces, call me MC Dali."

Peter and Lloyd both make really funny foils here, and the visuals of this one really stand out, as to be expected from a battle with two painters. Picasso giving out his ridiculously long full name followed by a deadpan "Back to you, Bob" will always be hilarious.

62. Sir Isaac Newton vs Bill Nye

Winner: Sir Isaac Newton

Best line: "You wanna battle, guy? That's a crazy notion! When I start flowing, I stay in motion!"

Been a fan of Weird Al since I was a young one, so obviously I loved seeing him in this. He definitely stole the show here as he so often does. Not too big of a fan of Bill Nye or Neil DeGrasse Tyson's verses though, and I don't really know why Peter went for that kind of voice with Bill Nye.

61. Jeff Bezos vs Mansa Musa

Winner: Mansa Musa

Best line: "Here's a nugget of advice to get your union problems handled: Want workers that don't piss? Hire some camels!"

Another battle where one rapper blows it out of the water while the other is just okay. Scru Face Jean, a YouTube rapper who had previously done reaction videos for ERB, portrays Mansa Musa and had a hand in helping write his character's verses, and it definitely shows. Every one of Musa's lines is brilliantly crafted with super clever wordplay. Jeff Bezos meanwhile… ehh, more misses than hits in my opinion.

60. Abe Lincoln vs Chuck Norris

Winner: Abe Lincoln

Best line: "I read up on your facts, you cure cancer with your tears? Well tell me Chuck, how come you never sat down and cried on your career?"

This is a certified classic. This is also another completely random season 1 matchup but I think this battle is so iconic that I don't even question it. While Chuck Norris jokes aren't exactly funny anymore, I still get an ironic kick out of the absurdity of this battle. I actually got introduced to ERB through a teacher showing some videos to the class. While we got through Einstein vs Hawking with no issue, the teacher immediately turned it off at the line "I wear a black belt on the beard that I grow on my dick" in this video.

59. Miley Cyrus vs Joan of Arc

Winner: Joan of Arc

Best line: "Je suis la fille en feu; call me Katniss Everdeen!"

This was the absolute favorite of a high school friend of mine, she's probably the only person to have listened to this battle enough to be able to recite it by heart. Can't say I particularly love it, but I also don't seem to hate it as much as most people. I think it's pretty good! Joan of Arc being a devoutly religious person really contrasts well with Miley Cyrus and kind of acts as a stand-in for the moral outrage that Miley was facing at the time. Both actresses also nail their roles. As much as this battle was clearly a "headline of the moment" battle, I still think it holds up decently today.

58. Stephen King vs Edgar Allan Poe

Winner: Edgar Allan Poe

Best line: "Masque of the Red Death? Barely blood-curdling. Pit and the Pendulum? Not even unnerving. Perving on your first cousin when she’s 13 years old? Now that’s disturbing.”

My main disappointment with this battle is just how many more lines King gets than Poe does. Especially with Poe's second verse being so fast, it just leaves King feeling like he's taking up way too much screen time. King's second verse also isn't all too great. That said, both of Poe's verses are good, and King's first is really fun with all the puns he makes with his book names.

All right folks, so I’ve actually gotta split this list up into 3 parts since Tumblr only allows 30 images per post. Click here for part 2!

[myheroacademiaweeb]

Fiery Spark

Chapter 1- The Meeting

Dabi x Female Reader 

2K WORDS 

Warning: MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY Fluff, alcohol, slight sex talk(?), slight talk about Dom/sub(funishment) 

Summary: Youre a new member to the LOV brought in by Giran. One guy who you’ve seen on tv before due to his crimes seems to have you in his sights for some reason but before you can figure anything out it’s almost time for your first mission with the LOV. 

“Giran?” You ask walking down the hallway. 

“What is it?” He questioned looking back behind him at you. 

“Surely, they can't use someone like me. I mean I’m a total klutz for one, second shouldn’t they already have someone who can heal them?” your heart pounding nervous. 

Giran smirks and chuckles seeing you are nervous about meeting the League. Giran wrapped an arm around you and opened the door to a bar area. The lighting was a dim yellow light. Standing before you were 7 people. All 7 of the people you recognized, Toga Himiko, Twice, Dabi, Shigaraki, Mr. Compass, Spinner, and Kurogiri.  Each of them had their own reputation and crimes they have done to become wanted criminals and villains. Each one has their own quirks. Realizing there was no one else there in the group made you think Giran really was telling the truth about them not having someone with a healer quirk. Dabi choked on his glass of whiskey he was sipping the instant he looked over his glass at you. You were dressed in a black skirt, a teal tank top, knee-high socks, fishnets and converse. He tried to regain his composure and look away.  

“Shigaraki!” Giran exclaimed, “I got you someone new to join the League.” 

“Oh?” Shigaraki turned towards you and Giran, “What can you do dear to help out the league?” 

Giran looked at you and patted your shoulder, “Go on.” 

Stepping from behind Giran you held up your hands, your right hand engulfed in a black flame and the left glowing a seafoam green. “Black flame and healing touch. But I've honed my abilities to more than just healing with my left hand. I can also destroy a person's nervous system and cells.” 

Shigaraki smiled evilly, “a healing quirk, very nice Giran. A well needed person for sure. What’s your resolve dear?” 

You growled clenching the flame engulfed hand to a fist, “I plan on destroying the Heros that allowed my parents to go fight by themselves with no back resulting in them being killed.  

“Excellent. I think you will make a great asset to the League.” Shigaraki looked at Giran and nodded, his sign that he could leave now. 

Shigaraki threw you a set of keys to an apartment in the warehouse. You were amazed at how much remodeling had gone into this run-down-looking warehouse on the outside. It seemed like everyone had their own apartments inside it.  

“Make yourself at home.” Shigaraki smiled 

“Thanks.” 

“Dabi, Shes got the apartment beside you, why don’t you show her where it's at.” Shigaraki turned to him. 

Dabi’s cerulean eyes looked over the glass at him then at you. He took his last swallow and walked up to you. Your heart fluttered at his presence. His tall frame towered over as you. He had a very intimidating demeanor about him. You could feel his body heat radiating off him when he got close to you. The smell of smoke and cedar washed over you and you noticed you relaxed near him for some reason.  

“Come on doll.” He looked down at you tapping your shoulder to move. 

You followed behind him down the hallway a few feet away. There was just silence during the walk down the hallway. Dabi stopped in front of a door, “This will be yours, mine is just right next door. If you need me just knock on my door.” He turned and headed towards his apartment. 

You unlocked your door and walked in to your apartment, taking back by the details and design in the apartment. For a villain Shigaraki has an eye for interior design. The kitchen had white marble counters with white cabinets. Dark gray hardwood went thru out the whole apartment. The living room had a black couch and black coffee table set with end tables. A black entertainment center sat in the middle of the living room with a huge tv on it. The bedroom had queen sized bed in it, and a black bedframe with headboard and foot board, black night stands on either side. You laid across the bed relaxing before dozing off for the night. 

The weeks passed, missions successful, and you were slowly starting to feel like a part of the league. You and Toga were getting close as well as you and Twice. They would come and hang out in your apartment at night.  Eventually everyone was coming to your apartment to hang out after missions, watch tv, and eat together meals you’ve made for everyone. Only two did not show up that night, Dabi and Shigaraki. Shigaraki probably got caught up with the next mission’s details, as for Dabi he had yet to come over. You felt as if maybe you had said or did something that made him mad and want to avoid you, but that was about to change. After everyone ate a hot meal, they all went to their own apartments to get some rest. You stood at the kitchen island drinking straight from your bottle of crown. Once it finally hit you, you went to change into a silk blue tank top and black boy short panties and laid down for the night. 

The next morning you stirred in your bed to find your cat you had gone and brought back after getting your apartment with the League was laying with you. You were confused on how he got in there, you were sure you had shut your door. Getting up you grabbed your water glass and opened the door to your bedroom. Stopping in your tracks, “Dabi!” you yelled dropping the glass and it shattered on the floor. Dabi turned and looked at you, “Well good morning doll.” You stood there stunned, “how did you...”  

“Your door was cracked opened and that little guy was sitting there meowing like crazy. I walked in and didn’t see you and saw his bowl was empty so I filled it up.’ 

“Shit, I forgot to feed him last night, I'm sorry Hoshi.” you looked at him in your arms. 

“hey don’t move I'll get the glass up.” 

Dabi walked around the island causing your breath to stop. He was dressed in gray sweatpants and a plain white T-shirt. He grabbed your broom from the closet and started sweeping up around you. Once he got all the glass up, he grabbed Hoshi and sat him in his bed beside the couch. Walking back around the island he looked at you, “come sit down I made you breakfast.” 

“What?” You looked at him puzzled, did this man really just say he made you breakfast. Sitting down at the island he sat a plate of French toast in front of you. It was covered in strawberries, syrup, and butter. “You cook?” You giggled a little, mouthwatering. “This looks and smells amazing. Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that.”  

“You were asleep when I came by to talk about our next mission and I saw your kitchen was a mess so I cleaned it and decided to make you something to eat. You had everything to make that from scratch.” 

“Well thank you.” you smiled. No one has ever done anything like this for you. You were used to doing everything on your own. You never stayed with anyone longer than six months either, mostly one night stands to just avoid being hurt by anyone.  

Dabi looked over his shoulder and smiled at you while he was washing up the few dishes, he got dirty while making both of you breakfast. You looked at his plate that has yet to be touched. 

“Dabi, I got that, eat before it gets cold.” 

“it's fine doll. I made the mess I will clean it up.” 

“Whatever.” you huff and go back to eating  

Before you realized Dabi was stretched across the island with your chin in between his index finger and thumb tilting it to look up at him. He had a grin across his lips and chuckled. 

“Better watch the little smart-ass remarks. Might get you hurt one day.” 

Your heart was pounding out of your chest now and could feel it under his fingers. He was never this close to you let alone would you have ever though this tall, dark haired, blue eyed, scarred man would have made you breakfast.  You scuff “yeah right”. You could see Dabi's shoulder twitch at your remark and smile. He pulled you closer to him as he slid your plate to the side so your hair wouldn’t get syrup in it. He was inches from your face, staring into his eyes it felt like your heart sank to your stomach. Your face was now turning red slightly. He chuckled slowly inching his way to you stopping right before his lips were touching yours. 

“Oh, doll you just have no idea. Keep on and I may have to fix it myself before anyone else can get ahold of you.” he smiled pressing his lips against yours causing your breath to choke. It was soft and tender. He let go of your chin causing you to sit back in your bar stool. He slid your plate back to you and winked before grabbing his own plate and started to eat. You looked down at the plate for a minute to comprehend what just happened blushing in the process and then continued to eat. There was a fire, a spark, that had just ignited that you had to chase after now. He stayed behind the bar due to the fact of the heat between the kiss causing him to get aroused.  

After breakfast, Dabi grabs your plate to turn around and wash them and set them in your drying rack beside the sink. Walking into your room and shutting the door behind you. You leaned against the door trying to regain composure from Dabi kissing you. What the hell had just happened. Constant thoughts ran thru your head on what made him do that. Sliding down to the floor you looked over in your closet where your hero costume was sitting. Finally getting up you walked over and changed. The costume was pitch black with hints of seafoam green details such as bracers up your arms and over your legs up to your knees that were connected to your boots. Black skin tight leggings were under the boots and under a seafoam green top. The colors were to match the colors of your quirks. Opening the door to your room, meeting eyes with Dabi, he looked at you up and down choking on his glass of water causing water to come up his nose. You giggled at him and smiled. 

“God damn y/n”   

“What? Like it? Or is it too much?” you asked, looking over your outfit almost in a panic. 

“No, hell no. It's perfect. It matches you perfectly.” 

You blushed at his response smiling. You sat on the couch watching tv, a broadcast about the league was on about their last mission at UA High. Dabi came up behind you and leaned down watching it as well. Looking over your shoulder seeing Dabi behind you causing your heart to skip. You felt his hand run up the back your head and play in your hair resulting in you leaning into his hand with little effort. He made you feel at peace somehow. You couldn’t figure out what it was about this man that kept you on edge yet calm at the same time in his presence.  

“5 o’clock were all heading out for our next mission. Shigaraki is expecting you to be with us since it will be your first official mission, so don’t disappoint doll.” his hand leaving your head causing a whimper come out.  

“Right got it.” you replied and slumped down into the couch as Dabi walked out the door shutting it behind him.  

That night was the start of your first mission with the League of Villains and the start of some confusing feelings in your gut with Dabi... 

To Be Continued in part 2!! 

[straightouttatheashes]

Forgiveness

MAY DWC 2023 DAY 1 - Forgiveness / Shadowflame

---

“Barry, please. Look at me...”  Phe was practically crouched down in front of the couch, pleading for what felt like the tenth time now. She even resorted to using a full name. This was where things had escalated to. Gods. She knew he was going to take it hard, but at this point now he was just being extremely overdramatic. “I know you’re upset, but it’ll be okay! You don’t have to be jealous, I promise you he’s really nice. You’ll get along!”  She knew he was listening to her, by the way he rolled over with a noise of protest to give her the cold shoulder. “Okay look. I did my fair share of whining and pleading last night -” Which she enjoyed immensely, though to be fair...it had been a very different kind. “So doing this routine after, and I swear, we’ve done this multiple times since you saw Meelo in Iskaara, is kind of annoying, lil buddy!” He had been there, right with her when she met the War Ottuk. He seemed completely unphased...though at the time probably also too busy playing around with the smaller ottuks to even notice she had been bonding.  The otter looked over his shoulder at her, giving her the most hurt look she’d ever seen him do. Well, since the last time he got upset about something anyway. Which was a lot, and for no reason. He really did have her and Barry both eating out of his little hand sometimes.

“Lil B...c’mon buddy. I love you.” Phe inched closer to the edge of the couch, slowly moving a hand to start petting him. Obviously he wasn’t that mad at her to refuse her love and affection. “You’re always gonna be my number one little guy, you know that.” Besides, she had sworn she saw Lil B darting around Meelo, squeaking and carrying on, begging him to play. He did this when he thought she wasn’t watching. He wasn’t slick.

“Would some fresh salmon make you feel better? Your dad got a haul earlier.” A little smirk crossed her lips as a head perked up. Always works.  “Yeah, see? Fresh salmon! Yum!” Now his whole body had turned to face her, easily coaxed out by the promise of treats. She’d done this multple times before, and knew what worked. Was it spoiling him? Probably, and probably too much at this point. She spoiled all her companions, Marble definately wasn’t free of it. And Meelo would be the next. Depending if they didn’t mind it of course. At least Lil B was consistent. Scooping up the otter in her arms, she planted a kiss atop his head. Lil B gave a few chatters in response to the kiss, quickly settling, all bundled up nicely. Phe scoffed. If he was really a cursed person, can’t imagine what he’d be saying right now.  The salmon would do the trick for now, but she knew how much Lil B enjoyed attention. He didn’t act this way with Marble, though she was much, much larger, and could probably swallow him whole if she wanted. Maybe he immediately recognized the threat there. Meelo...well. He resembled an otter, at least. The ottuk on the Isles were certainly a different breed, and some were much bigger. Maybe Lil B felt some sort of kinship....and then jealousy. But the fact that she’d seen the two of them interact and that had turned out smoothly....well. Maybe this little sassy ass really had her wrapped around his tiny fingers.  @daily-writing-challenge​

[bluntforcefem]

last one rule of three :]. 'marbles crushed between molars'

marbles crushed between molars – it's easy to forget sometimes that fries' dad is one of the most intimidating figures you'll ever meet. even easier to forget that fries can cut the same silhouette, instill the same fear. but. sometimes there's a little reminder.

ce feels sick, nausea burning in the core of aer chest and up aer throat, salt-sharp when ae swallows it down. aer arm never leaves where ae began to tug hestia back, wrapped around her waist, other hand tightly knit into rex's sweater. ketchup climbs aer and settles on aer shoulders, long fingers fisting in aer hair, and the pain is nothing compared to the stress weighing on aer shoulders. even haru looks shocked, sharp lines weighing down hir face, heavy lab gloves twitching as xe steadies ce's posture.

fries is the only one not in their little clingy group, the only one not holding on like they can slip-slide back together into that declan-shaped person they used to be in the mirror. of course he isn't. he isn't the one who guided the sword that ended the whole world and started this one anew. he isn't the one who helped kill 10. he isn't the one who got that hard-earned blood on his hands—

ce's doing it, again. teeth pulled up into that wolf-snarl grimace, sharpened to a point. ae curls aer lips back over them and ignores the copper.

the harasser isn't wrong, is the thing. rex holds that memory but ae knows they enjoyed it, all of them, wanted it, took declan up on the offer. the same way ae knows that they all miss the stars even if ketchup's got that one, the same way that they all recognize the way ce's chest seizes in the rain and at swords around not-scar-tissue even if ae's the only one who remembers the moment where they could finally, finally be declan too.

it's not their fault spectre exists. it's not their fault that they got to live and handfuls of nemesis are still missing, buried deep in the patchwork earth. but they're the only targets left to blame.

(ce doesn't resent dec, for that. couldn't. they're all used to resenting 10, so that comes easier anyway.)

the point is: they can push through this on their own, even if fries doesn't get it. they're close, they're in contact, ae knows they're here and alive and it's almost-almost-almost close enough. (it will never be-) it's enough to withstand it, ignore it, leave once they're done.

and then ce draws short.

because fries takes one step forward.

and another.

and another, and another. until he's standing, looming over the stranger, whose fury has come to a sudden halt. fries reaches up with a steady, slow hand and takes off his sunglasses. opens his mouth. unhinges his jaw.

haru covers hestia's ears just in time to hear him scream.

it's not quite wordless, but fuck if ce could tell anyone what he said. the protective anger comes across just fine. ce's knees feel weak at it, for all the right-wrong reasons, and rex's eyes light up in that awful-lovely, violent way they do when he's seen too much impressive violence.

"holy shit," ae whispers. ketchup ribbits in agreement, letting go of aer hair to lean forward, hands splayed across the sides of aer head.

the stranger sprints away faster than ce's seen some sharks swim. fries' mouth snaps shut, and the five of them can't quite hide their shock before he turns, eyes softening from a harsh burn to a simmering light. "i- are y'all alright? i didn't mean to scare you, just- couldn't stand what they were saying. nobody says that to you. ever."

that last word has a tinge of that tone - just a bit - and ce grins at it, all silly and flustered and touched. haru's gloves twitch again and this time ae knows exactly what xe's thinking - almost agrees. wants to see it again. pry his jaw open. ... a dangerous line of thought to be going down, now.

"never apologize," hestia says first, beating them all to the punch. everyone nods, emphasizing it. maybe a little too much, because fries still looks somewhere between worried and embarassed, but there's something distinctly satisfied in him when haru says that the asshole definitely pissed themself with fear about it.

"serves them fuckin' right," ce swears. ae meets fries' eyes, two twin suns, and knows he feels the same damn way.

[writernopal]

Find The Word Tag

Tagged by @caffeine-bee and @lexiklecksi, thank you both! See their posts here and here, respectively!

My words to find are: gold, warm, smile, bubble, cold, petrified, moonlit, kingdom, sauce, and forgotten (its going to be another long one, sorry in advance haha)

Your words to find will be: lucky, smoking, empty, racing, and stare

Tagging (gently): @gummybugg @kittensartswriting @mariahwritesstuff @autumnalwalker and @sunset-a-story

gold (AASOAF 1, Axtapor's POV)

She wasn’t here to return it, was she? She couldn’t be that stupid, right? Though I suppose she could be. Intelligence was not a credit she could be so confidently assigned, at least not in the same way one could with her honesty. She had enough there to buy a small cottage and to live at her own mercy, not someone else’s. She should be thanking me, not standing there looking pitiful as she did now. Few people could manage to look that way with so much gold in their hands.

warm (AASOAF 1, Axtapor's POV)

Once there, I took a deep breath and let the cool sea air wash over me. It was crisp and light, and even though I wasn’t wearing a shirt, it wasn’t uncomfortable. I wondered if she would have thought it was cold. Human women always seemed to be cold. At least, that’s what they all told me when they remarked on how warm I was.

smile (AASOAF 1, Axtapor's POV)

She was silent, and I took that to mean that she didn’t find humor in what I’d said, but then something new greeted me: giggling. Her giggling. I glanced at her to see that she was covering her mouth with her hand in an attempt to hide her smile. She was so cute, and her tiny laugh was so charming…

bubble (AASOAF 1, Mariel's POV)

There was a loud banging on the door of the dressing room that nearly made me leap out of my skin. What little composure Samuel had left bubbled away, and he began to scream hysterically. He was a boy of eight, but his mind was that of a child nearer two years of age, so trying to reason with him when he entered this state was challenging, if not impossible.

cold (AASOAF 1, Mariel's POV)

Though this time, I was indeed grateful for her latest decree: wearing skirts just below knee length. A reprieve from the awfully fluffy floor-length pieces she usually dressed me in. It seemed that as the years passed, the skirts only got bigger and bigger. I wondered if one day I would be swallowed whole by them. Though the lack of skirts meant I got cold more easily, so I wore stockings to keep my legs warm and low-heeled shoes to look presentable should company happen to pass by as it did now.

petrified

Surprisingly I don't have this word!

moonlit moonlight (AASOAF 1, Axtapor's POV)

I finished my drink and walked towards my desk. My notebook was lying there, open to the page where she had drawn the necklace for herself and the stone I planned to use sitting upon it. I picked it up and turned it in the moonlight that came through my window.

kingdom (AASOAF 1, Mariel's POV)

And the story of Harals The First was unforgettable. He was so blinded by his love for the dwarven beauty, Mother Bala, that he conquered all of the Bala Sea in her name and presented her with the head of a kraken as a gift of betrothal. With their shared love of adventure, the two of them went on to tame the Caper Sea together. It was established from then on as the seat of power for the naval forces of The Pale Kingdom. Together they ensured it remained kraken-free to enable trade and commerce, causing a boom in population unlike any The Pale Kingdom had ever seen.

sauce

I don't have this one either!

forgotten (AASOAF 1, Mariel's POV)

Perhaps it was that I had grown so accustomed to looking upon the [REDACTED]'s form, but he, by contrast, looked to be handsomely carved of marble by some forgotten master. There was something easy about taking in his features… And the light in this place seemed to agree as it reveled upon the high points of his face and the shadows seemed to melt and fall asleep comfortably in his contours.

[anticomedygarden]

Keeping the Faith part 3

title from billy joel's 'keeping the faith'

also posted on ao3

Part 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

-

“Now that we’re all here, you’re probably wondering why we’ve called this meeting,” Marlene said dramatically, as if their friend group didn’t have meetings like this weekly. 

Although, James reasoned, perhaps Marlene was making an announcement for the benefit of her girlfriend. This was Dorcas’ first Marauders meeting, after all. (None of the others had taken to the group name as James had, not even Pete, but he still used it whenever possible, hoping it would catch on. So far, it had not.)

Marlene and Lily were standing at the head of the dining table in 300 Fox Way, apparently about to enlighten the group on why they all had to be here at this particular moment. The girls hadn’t even given them time to rest after practice, just told them all they needed to meet at their house for ‘shocking news’, so James, Remus, and Marlene herself were all sweaty and gross, not to mention starving and exhausted. 

Lily held up her pointer finger. “First, Mom made food.” She made her way to the fridge and pulled out what looked like a whole lasagna. She set it on the marble top kitchen island. 

James clapped his hands and jumped up. “Yay! I was afraid you had invited us all over to starve us to death.” 

“I think they’re actually trying to poison us with the smell,” Sirius said, pinching his nose. “Seriously, did any of you shower?”

“You mean after practice when these two-” Remus gestured toward Marlene and Lily “-screamed into the locker rooms that we’d better get our asses moving or they were coming in to drag us out?” He grabbed some plates out of the red cabinet over the sink and set them next to the lasagna. 

Sirius blushed but grabbed a plate. “You could’ve…rinsed off at least.”

Remus turned to James, a look of disbelief on his face. James just shrugged, amused by his friends’ and slightly amazed they hadn’t realized yet that they were both deeply in love with each other. 

“Where were you, by the way?” Remus asked, looking back at Sirius, then repeated the question when he saw Sirius’ back was turned with his bad ear facing Remus. 

“I was in the art room working on a project,” he answered, far too quickly to be true. Remus looked at him skeptically but dropped it, and James decided not to press. 

Suddenly, someone poked him in the back, and he jumped. “Move,” Dorcas said. “You’re blocking the lasagna.”

Lily snickered. “Yeah, James you’re blocking the lasagna.” 

He looked at her, fully prepared to give a retort but stopped when he saw her vibrant smile. He blushed and looked away, quickly scooping some pasta and moving back to his seat. (And, no, the irony was not lost on him. He was just as bad about Lily as Sirius and Remus were about each other.)

A few minutes later when everyone had gotten food and came back to the long wood table, Marlene started again. “So, yesterday,” she said around a mouthful of pasta, “Abraxas Malfoy came in for a tarot and palm reading.” She swallowed. 

It wasn’t particularly extraordinary on its own that Malfoy had come here, though it was strange that he would come for their services and not intimidation. Malfoy was either incredibly stupid or incredibly desperate. Either way, there was clearly more to the story. 

Lily picked up where Marlene left off. “The tarot reading was normal. He apparently has some big decision to make, or someone close to him has to anyway, and he’s a rich asshole, but Marlene got a vision when she tried to do the palm reading.” Lily turned to Marlene who had just returned from getting seconds. “You wanna explain this?”

“Sure,” Marlene said, putting her fork down and brushing a strand of blond hair out of her face. “I touched his hand for the palm reading and immediately went into a vision. I had a really clear image of a world map with all these crisscrossing strings. I’m not sure if the map was in Malfoy’s house or if he just saw it somewhere, but he was there, kinda looking at the map, but there was another guy there that Malfoy kept calling ‘The Dark Lord’. He was old and bald, and his nose was completely gone. Actually, his skin was really gray, like he was sick or something, but he was also kinda ripped, so-”

“Marlene!” Lily stopped her, which was fine with James, and one glance at Sirius confirmed he felt the same way. 

The girls didn’t know simply because they hadn’t been as close when Sirius was still living with his parents, but the man Marlene was describing just so happened to be the guy that ran the gang Sirius’ biological parents were not only a part of, but were an integral piece of the inner circle. 

“Tell them the important part,” Lily urged. 

Marlene glanced up, having been ripped from her detailed description of the worst person in Henrietta. “Oh, yeah!” Dorcas smiled fondly at her girlfriend. “So the map was called ‘Leylines’, and there was one running straight through Henrietta.”

Next to James, Sirius drew in a sharp breath and stood. “I-I need to leave,” he announced. He made his way shakily to the front door and wrenched it open, barely closing it on his way out. 

James looked after him and stood. “I’ll go talk to him,” he said, not having to think twice about it. At this point in his life, James had pretty much accepted his role as the ‘mom friend,’ as Sirius liked to call him. 

When he got outside, he quickly spotted Sirius leaning against the passenger side of the Pig, facing the street. “Hey, Pads!” he called. “Where did you think you were going?” He held up the keys and jangled them. 

Slowly enough that James was afraid Sirius hadn’t heard, his brother turned his head to look at James, fear evident in his eyes. James unlocked the car and they both slid inside. 

After a moment of silence, James said, “Did you actually want to go somewhere, or are we just gonna chill?”

“Just here is fine,” Sirius said, looking out the passenger window. 

James nodded. They sat there for another couple minutes until Sirius finally said, “He’s the reason I left that night. The Dark Lord. His real name’s Tom Riddle, but he calls himself Voldemort, makes his followers call him the Dark Lord.” Sirius shook his head. “Anyway, my parents had decided that they would officially recruit me into the Death Eaters that night. I came home to Voldemort already at the house. I still don’t know where Regulus was. He could’ve been at a friend’s, at school, or, hell, still in his room, but I never even made it upstairs.”

James drew in a breath and rested his hands on the dark steering wheel. For how close James and Sirius were, the older Black had kept that night under lock and key, never even giving a hint as to what had happened. James had known it had been big, but he’d just assumed Walburga and Orion had found out Sirius was gay or something like that. He never would have imagined it was this big. 

Sirius continued. “Before I tell you the rest of this, there’s something else you should know.” He paused, trying to figure out how exactly to say whatever it was he was about to explain. “I know all about leylines. I’ve seen the map from Marlene’s vision. It’s in 12 Grimmauld Place because that’s where Voldemort lives. I actually helped make it.” He paused again. 

James decided to help him along. “How do you know all of this?”

Sirius winced, poking at the leather seat. "That's the hard part." He looked James straight in the eyes, and, to be honest, James got a little nervous. "I have powers," he said.

James stared. "Like, psychic powers?" he asked, not sure Sirius was being genuine.

Sirius scowled and fiddled with gearshift. "No, James, not psychic powers,” he said, seemingly offended. “At least, I don’t think they’re psychic. It has something to do with the leylines. If I'm on a leyline, I can sense everything happening within about a 20 mile radius, and I can control hotspots."

"What are hotspots?" James asked, carefully untangling Sirius’ fingers from the gearshift and gripping it loosely, Sirius’ pale skin standing out against James’ light brown.

"They're places where two or more leylines cross," he explained. "Here, that's Cabeswater."

James furrowed his brow. He had so many questions. "So when you say you helped make the map-"

"I mean when I was little, my parents would put me on this giant world map and have someone mark the places I went the most. As far as I can tell, it's all correct. I was always drawn back to Henrietta, though I don't know if that was because I knew it was home or because it had the strongest presence." He wrung his hands. "I still don't know how they figured out I had powers. It's not like there was a test they could run at the hospital for it. Either way, I don't think they know the full extent of what I can do, because if they did, Voldemort wouldn't have let me go so easily."

James nearly protested. Sirius' valiant escape from Number 12 Grimmauld Place could not in any context be described as 'easy'.

Either not sensing or ignoring James' disagreement, Sirius kept going. "At first, it was very casual. Introductions were made, and we had dinner. I mean, it wasn’t that casual since it was still my parents and no one has skin that gray or slits instead of a nose.”

It took a moment for that to register. “Wait, what?” 

Sirius’ mouth split in a grin. “Yeah, his skin’s legit all gray, and he doesn’t really have a nose. It’s just these two red slits. He’s also completely bald: no head hair, no eyebrows or eyelashes, and no body hair. It’s freaky.”

James started. “Maybe he shaves it?”

He shook his head. “No, there’s never any stubble or anything. Reggie and I have a theory that he’s part reptile.” He gazed out the windshield. “Anyway, throughout dinner, Mother and Father did their whole Death Eater, bigotry bullshit rant, but after we were done eating, they started talking me up, which was worrying in itself. Turns out, they were building up to telling Voldemort about my powers. Apparently, he has some mission that requires the use of leylines. He decided he just had to have me. I told them I wasn’t going to whore myself out to a bastard like Riddle, and they told me if I wasn’t going to give myself to the cause, they would make me. We fought, and I ran.” Sirius cast his eyes downward and tightened his hold on James’ hand. “You know the rest.”

Indeed. James would never forget that day. April 12. A year and a half ago, James had just gotten in his car after working out when his phone started ringing with a call from Sirius, immediately sending James into panic mode as, a, the Blacks didn’t know Sirius had a phone, and, b, Sirius never called anyone. Answering had only furthered his panic as he was met with a frantic ‘help, park’ and then nothing. 

Needless to say, he had raced to the local park, probably breaking several traffic laws. What he found there was forever ingrained in his memory: Sirius, passed out on a park bench, blood caked to the side of his head, phone lying on the ground surrounded by broken glass. The subsequent trip to the hospital was the fastest James had ever driven, and he hoped he never had to drive that fast again (though looking back, it had been exhilarating - in the worst way possible). A week later, Sirius was released to the Potters without hearing in his right ear but with a giant cast on his leg that had stayed on well into the summer and had taken months to fully heal, not to mention the emotional aspect. 

James leaned his head against the headrest. Why did all of his friends have so much fucking trauma?

“Okay,” he breathed, still clutching Sirius’ hand. “What do you want to do about it?”

Sirius turned his face back towards James. “That’s it? You’re not gonna tell me to press charges or say you don’t believe  me?”

“You got enough of that when you ran away,” James answered. “And I trust you. If you say you have magical powers, then you have magical powers.”

Sirius practically deflated, and James wondered how long he had been carrying this burden around. Probably as long as he’d known he had magic. 

“Besides, I have a different question,” James said. Sirius groaned. “Is this why you won’t go for it with Remus?”

Sirius choked. “Of all the questions,” he muttered, shaking his head. He straightened. “No, this is not why. I won’t go for it with Remus because he doesn’t like me, and I don’t want to destroy our friendship.”

“Oh, come on, Sirius! You and I both know that’s bullshit,” James said. Sirius looked taken aback, but James continued. “Because it seems to me that you still feel guilty about what happened and are afraid Remus will hate you if you tell him.” Which was incredibly frustrating because James had it on good authority that Remus was involved in things that were just as shady, if not more so, and if one were to ask James, the two of them getting together would really help ease their individual guilts. But of course, no one was asking him. 

Sirius gave him a grumpy look. “Fine, you’re right. But that’s not all it is. What if Voldemort suddenly decides I’m useful and comes after me? I don’t wanna put Remus in danger.”

James softened because that was actually a legitimate concern, though it could also be dismissed if Remus was willing to share just a little bit more about his life outside of the Marauders. 

James tried to respond in a way that would convince Sirius to get over his fears while also not revealing anything Remus wanted to keep private. It was a tough line to walk. “Do you think,” he started gently, “that maybe you should leave it up to Remus to decide what danger he is okay with? And maybe give him the benefit of the doubt in that nothing that’s happened to you is your fault and that you are the only person who blames you?”

Sirius blinked at him as if those thoughts had never crossed his mind. “I-” he hesitated. “I see your point, and I will think about it.”

James knew better than to press. He had been trying his two best friends together for years, and it was through several deep conversations not unlike this one with each of them that he had gotten this far. “Thank you. But seriously, what do you wanna do now? I’ll sit here as long as you want, but everybody is waiting for us, and I am their ride home,” he said. 

Sirius glanced at his phone. “I guess I should tell them what I know,” he said. 

At that, James looked at him. “You don’t have to tell them anything, Pads,” he said harshly. 

Sirius rubbed his neck. “I know, but it’s relevant, now, and they should know-”

“No, they really shouldn’t. What you want them to know is up to you, not the greedy maniac that thinks he runs this town.”

Sirius thought for a moment. “Do you think I could tell them about Voldemort without telling them about my powers or my parents?”

“I think that could work,” James answered. “But only if you want to.” 

Sirius paused, and then- “I think I do.”

James unlocked the car. “Then let’s do it.”

When they returned to the house, the others were all talking about the lit presentation. Apparently, Marlene and Dorcas had chosen Hamilton as their work of fiction, and Marlene was trying to convince Remus to give another theme analysis. 

“Come on, you’re so good at this stuff! You came up with the Puss in Boots one so fast,” Marlene was saying to Remus who shook his head. 

“I’m not helping you cheat, Marlene,” he insisted. “Besides, I’m sure your girlfriend has some great ideas.” 

They turned to Dorcas who nodded. “I have several.” 

Lily spotted them first. “Hey, guys.” The others stopped talking. 

Sirius must have still had a weird look on his face because Remus frowned at him, concerned, and mouthed, Everything okay?

James didn’t see Sirius' reaction, but he guessed it wasn’t acceptable because Remus continued to look worried. 

By the time James sat down, Sirius had put on his ‘I am not okay, but I’m going to pretend I am’ face. “Everybody look at me, I have an announcement!” he declared, face full of false bravado. James had to give it to him; he was really selling it. 

“Jesus, guys, any more shocking news, and I may faint. What’s this, three in the last two days?” Marlene observed. 

“I don’t think it counts when you were the subject of two of them,” Remus said. 

Marlene shrugged. 

Sirius clapped his hands. “Okay, back to me!” Then, before he could be derailed again, he said, “I know who the Dark Lord is.” The others broke out in chatters, but Sirius held up a hand. “Please, hold your questions until the end. This is a long story, and I want to finish it today.” 

He launched into the story he had just told James, careful to avoid any mention of his powers, brother, and parental treatment. 

He finished with the part about the night he ran away, just saying a curt, “They wanted to recruit me, so I left.”

They sat in silence for a moment as everybody processed the information. 

Finally, Dorcas broke the silence. “It seems to me that everything we need to know is at Grimmauld Place.”

Lily and Remus nodded. “The map, Voldemort, information on the Death Eaters…it’s all there,” Lily confirmed. 

“The only problem is how do we get that information?” Remus said. 

Dorcas put her hands on the table. “I could always ask Regu-”

“No,” Sirius cut in. “If Voldemort or our parents catch him, he’s dead.” 

Dorcas’ eyes hardened. “That’s assuming they catch him.”

Sirius met her head on. “That’s not a risk I’m willing to take.”

“It’s not your decision,” Dorcas countered. “It’s been a year and a half, Sirius; he’s his own person with his own mind.”

Sirius fisted his hands. “This is not his problem, and I refuse to put him in danger.”

“All right,” Remus broke in before Dorcas could offer another counter point. “We don’t have to decide anything tonight.” He glanced at the oven clock. “And it’s only 6:30. How about we get started on those lit presentations?”

James sent Remus a look of gratitude, thankful someone intervened before Sirius and Dorcas could really start arguing. Then every single thought left his mind as he realized he and Lily were about to spend an indeterminate amount of time alone together. 

Lily stood. “That’s a great idea, Remus! Why don’t you two take my room, Marlene and Dorcas can work in the reading room, and James and I will stay here,” she decided. 

Remus cocked his head at her. “You don’t want your own room?”

Marlene snickered. “She probably doesn’t trust James in the same room as her underwear drawer.”

“But you trust Sirius?” Remus said, disbelieving. 

“It’s not her that needs to be worried,” Sirius said, biting his bottom lip and winking. 

James sighed internally. They’d get there somehow. 

-

Once Sirius had closed the door to Lily’s bedroom, Remus turned to him, a strange look on his face. “I know that there’s more you’re not telling us.”

Sirius guiltily turned his face toward the floor. There was no point in trying to hide it. Remus would figure out, he always did.

“But, I don’t want you to tell me if you’re not ready,” Remus finished and held up his hands, because he was actually the best person in the world, tied with James. 

Sirius took that as an invitation, crossing in front of the bed to bury his face in Remus’ chest and hug him tightly. 

Remus stumbled a bit but quickly righted himself. Sirius smiled when the tawny haired boy’s arms came up around him. “Alright,” Remus muttered, resting his chin on Sirius’ head. 

“You give nice hugs,” Sirius observed. It was true. Remus’ tall, muscular frame allowed for the best of bear hugs, and his sweaters were so damn soft, Sirius wanted to cry. 

“Not that this isn’t nice,” Remus started, pulling back slightly, and then laughed when Sirius tightened his grip, “but is there any particular reason for it?” 

Sirius hummed, then, surprising himself, said, “Regulus texted me last night.” 

“What?” Remus gasped, chin slightly digging into Sirius’ head. “Thats-that’s big, Pads.” 

“I know,” Sirius said casually, as if he hadn’t just dropped the biggest news of the past two days. He was totally beating Marlene. 

He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t told James. He hadn’t been sure how to feel about it, and the whole thing had just seemed so personal that he wanted to keep it to himself for a little longer, but he just couldn’t anymore. It was too much. 

“It was just a couple sentences, but it’s more than we’ve spoken to each other in so long, and I almost blacked out when I saw his name, Moons, I swear, it was-” His breath hitched, and he realized with a distant sense of surprise that he had tears streaming out of his eyes. 

“Hey, hey, hey.” Remus pulled back until he was looking Sirius in the eyes. “This is a good thing, right?”

Sirius nodded. 

“Good,” Remus said, bringing Sirius back into his arms. “Did you text him back?”

He nodded again. “I just told him that I miss him; I didn’t know what else to say.”

“That’s enough, Pads, just the fact that you answered is enough,” Remus insisted, hugging Sirius tightly. 

And that - that was fine, because Sirius had only been in love with Remus for three years, three years of pining and avoiding touches, of careful flirting, and it was entirely not worth it, because Remus was so damn nice (not literally of course, his sarcasm could destroy nations), and his sweaters were soft, and he gave the best hugs, and he always went out of his way to make sure everyone else was okay, and James was right, there was no point at all in not going for it. 

Fuck it. He looked up at Remus. “I love you.” 

He watched Remus’ eyes widen, and suddenly he was no longer being held as Remus stumbled backward. “I-w-what? You what?” He appeared to be going through the five stages of grief. 

Well, that certainly wasn’t the reaction Sirius had been hoping for. He tried again, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ve been in love with you for three years.”

Remus breathed out sharply through his nose. “You’ve got to be kidding.” He rubbed his face with his hands, and Sirius felt his brow furrow. He’d thought Remus would at least believe him. 

He walked back toward Remus, just on the verge of crowding his personal space. “You know, there are a lot of people who would kill to be in your position right now,” Sirius said, voice wavering slightly yet still earnest. 

Remus took his hands off his face to reveal an open mouth pulled into an amused smile. “Well,” he smirked, “too bad for them because I am also in love with you.”

Sirius blew out a relieved breath, mouth splitting into a wide smile. “Really?” He wasn’t even embarrassed when his voice came out an octave higher than normal. 

The boy in front of him nodded slowly, and then Sirius' lips were suddenly, amazingly on his.

Abruptly, Remus pulled back, eyes crinkling when Sirius whined.

"Are you really sure about this?" he asked. "Because this kinda ends our casual friendship."

Sirius snorted. Sexy, he thought. "I'm pretty sure our friendship was never casual to begin with."

"That's good enough for me," Remus said, going back in for another kiss, and all thoughts of leylines, his family, Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and school left his mind, at least while Remus' lips were on his.

He wished it could last forever.

-

Remus had just settled into bed when his phone buzzed. 

Marlene: so how far did everyone get in their presentations

Lily: we got pretty far actually

Lily: we only have a couple slides left

Marlene: over achievers 🤮

Marlene: where’s james

Sirius: he goes to bed at 9

Marlene: he does not 

Remus: yep, every night

Sirius: except weekends when he gets a whole extra half hour

Marlene: oh my god

Marlene: what about game nights

Sirius: he passes out as soon as he gets home, so around 10:30

Lily: james being an old man aside, how much did you get done

Marlene: a decent amount

Sirius: so you just sat there while dorcas did everything

Marlene: no, you ass, this is our first school thing together, she can’t know i’m that kid yet

Remus: understandable

Marlene: and what did you two get done

Sirius: oh, you know, a few slides

Lily: i’m sure

A notification popped up with a private text from Sirius. 

Sirius: she has no idea

Remus: :) but we really do need to start on it

Sirius: meh

Remus: oh my god i can’t believe i’m in love with you

Sirius: :)))))))))) 

Remus: 🙄 good night

Sirius: nighty night lover

Remus smiled, then turned over and went to sleep. 

-

Regulus, your father and I have decided that it’s time for you to officially join the family business. You’ll take the Dark Mark next weed. 

Those words had been bouncing around in Regulus’ head all night, ever since his mother had cast them at dinner that evening. 

If she got what she wanted (as she usually did), Regulus would be initiated into the Death Eaters next week, starting with the gang’s gruesome snake and skull sign tattooed on his forearm, lovingly named the Dark Mark. 

He hadn’t even tried to fight it. There was no use. He would never win against them. 

But there was one person he knew could stop it, or at least could tell someone else who could. 

But Regulus couldn’t. He had barely been able to just send him a text the night before; how could he ask this of Sirius so soon after reconnecting? 

Of course, this problem was one of the exact things Sirius would want to know about, and he was one of the few people who had the power to help. 

But wasn’t it Regulus’ responsibility to take care of himself? He wasn’t Sirius' problem anymore. 

On the other hand, it had been a year and a half, and Regulus was no closer to his own goals now than he was then, personal or otherwise. 

Finally, after four hours of fighting against his guilt and feelings of failure at needing help, he dug his phone out of his mattress, resigning himself to the help of others. 

Regulus (10:17 p.m.): I need your help. I want out. 

[drdunev]

Can Some Scents Actually Improve Your Memory?

I have never heard anyone declare that their memory is fantastic. Frequently I hear laments about fogginess, forgetfulness and feeling overwhelmed with so much to remember and track.

We certainly have more information to retain than our ancestors ever did. Just the number of passwords have to remember alone is enough to make anyone doubt their cognitive abilities!

Cognitive issues are becoming more common, and no one wants to lose their marbles. Drugs won’t work because they only inhibit. There are many lifestyle choices and herbs that can help. But a new tool has been found and it doesn’t cost much, you don’t have to swallow it, and it isn’t fattening.

A study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience journal,i and performed by researchers at the University of California at Irvine, described an experiment where healthy senior participants were asked to use an aromatherapy diffuser for two hours each night while they slept. Seven different essential oils were used, on a rotating basis; rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, lavender and peppermint.

There was significant improvement in word list recall and improved brain functioning as assessed by mapping brain pathways associated with Alzheimer’s.

I can think of other reasons to use some Aromatherapy. Eucalyptus clears sinuses, peppermint raises mood, and lavender is calming. Instead of the fake scented products like Glade room fresheners, which must be processed through the liver, try some of Mother Nature’s fragrances. You can even cook with them. I made a keto carrot cake yesterday, and added a few drops of organic orange essential oil along with the vanilla. Be sure to look for high quality oils. They are more expensive, but you only need a few drops at a time. Cheap oils are made with artificial fragrances and may be toxic. You can smell the difference.

If you have a child who is having difficulty focusing or sleeping it would be worth trying some essential oils for them.

There is a whole world of botanical medicine available. How perfect that some things that smell heavenly seem heaven-scent.

ihttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1200448/full

[bellaaldamas]

@stupidrant there's another intelligent commenter who wrote substantial rebuttals to the nonsensical claims about Atreus/Thrud's supposed "chemistry" and presumed "lack of basis" for Atreboda. They pointed out that Thrud's reaction to Atreus's wolf transformation didn't contribute anything to his story whereas Angrboda was the one who taught him to control that ability in the first place. Likewise, they correctly referred to Thrud's constant distrust of Atreus and lack of faith in him. I chimed in with my own input where I brought up some of the canon instances of Thrud doubting and unfairly blaming him. As well as highlighted that Thrud's Valkyrie goal had no effect on Atreus's arc or the general story whereas Angrboda was the only was who, through encouragement and support alone, was able to inspire Atreus to fully get a hold of his powers (notably, the power Angrboda herself assumed might have been "god's thing, not the giant thing" - so the troll argument about their shared Jotnar heritage being the only basis for their relationship also falls flat).

Here's my other comment:

lest we forget how Thrud responded to Atreus's attempts to reason with her by calling Freya (a dear friend who despite their past tension in effect became Atreus's motherly figure) a "treacherous ex wife" of her granddaddy whose manipulations and toxic thinking Thrud willfully perpetuated. That is, despite Odin causing her brothers' deaths and abusing her own father - but as long as Odin took kindly to her personally and could give her green light to become a Valkyrie it didn't matter (her Valkyrie goal also had zero bearing on the plot or Atreus's arc). She lashed out at Atreus and said she should've "never trusted him" when he made an honest mistake with Garm and was willing to risk his life to fix it.

Meanwhile, Angrboda: comforted him back into human form when he nearly swallowed her alive in his wolf form (using only gentle touch and soothing words). Trusted Atreus when he didn't trust himself and helped him whisper a soul into a giant snake (which then started getting bigger and turning into World's Serpent but Angrboda didn't once doubt Atreus or that he did the right thing). Agreed to shoulder HIS responsibility with the giant marbles when he wasn't ready for it. Opened up to him about losing both parents just to give him peace of mind (after a yet another terribly traumatic event in her life - an encounter with her grandmother, the only family she had left who brutally denounced her). Took care of Fenrir both times Atreus asked her to.

Angrboda risked her life when she had nothing to gain from it, just to save Atreus and his family and friends (and nearly died during the battle in order to drive the danger away from Kratos and Atreus), knowing that per the prophesies she would "disappear" from Loki's future (meaning, she either wouldn't exist in it or is meant to be forgotten by Loki and that he's about to leave anyway to look for remaining giants).

And even then Angrboda still didn't make it about herself (unlike Thrud who once again showed her distrust of Atreus during Ragnarok and called him "a killer just like his father" - which is ironic given she comes from the family of genocidal maniacs who slaughtered Atreus's whole of people). Angrboda used the tender moment in the end, when Atreus held her hands, to give him and his father comfort before their impending separation. It is very clear which relationship has a healthy basis and is framed as romantic.

"Trolls just wanna have fun", episode #109392893489. And somehow they always want to have fun on YouTube.

Now, I swear with a hand on my heart that I've abandoned any and all attempts at reasoning with them and it's the first time in my very extensive troll fighting career (which I've long retired from) that I ever decided to publish a comment on YouTube that wasn't about gushing over an adorable video of one of my numerous telenovela OTPs.

However, seeing this troll fest in the comment section for a short video of Angrboda vs Thrud's reaction to Atreus's wolf transformation made me realize - or rather remember - that trolls don't intend on citing facts, quotes or employing logic. They're goal isn't to appeal to the general consumers who buy the games (read: those who pay and who therefore matter to developers) or even to each other. Their goal is to throw out their purposefully twisted nonsense into the void for random by passers online to see. Because that's the only type of influence they can have and they know it.

Therefore my troll slaying armor had to be dusted off, if only for today.

Transcript of my comment (because I went back and edited it a little):

The contrast between Angrboda and Thrud's reactions is rather telling and is as well written as everything else in the game. Angrboda already saw Atreus/Loki's transformation (after he witnessed the mural), at it's most formidable for her, when he barked at and nearly ate her alive. But she was able to comfort him and get him to turn back into human form through gentle touch and soothing encouraging voice alone (she was the only one who could teach him to control this power of his without using violence which even Kratos had to resort to). Here Angrboda directly prompts him to take a hold of his power and remain in charge of it which Atreus easily does thanks to her support. Afterwards Angrboda immediately gives him words of approval and admiration.

On the other hand, there's Thrud who always kept showing off her own physical strength to him (and doubting or blaming him every step of the way, like in the situation with Garm) yet somehow always needed Atreus to help her out or solve her problems (be it helping her with the "almost budging" door or working out her mommy and daddy issues which was absolutely not Atreus's place to do, giving he is only 15 himself; another contrast with Angrboda whom he could act his age around). Here Thrud doesn't help Atreus control his ability but just passively accepts the benefits of it because she enjoys seeing a stronger and more useful fighting partner. Hence her reaction. From the narrative standpoint even those details perfectly explain why Angrboda is Atreus/Loki's romantic interest as opposed to Thrud.