#but it would be very interesting for my first time at trying weed is through secondhand smoke at grandpa's funeral

[evilpenguinrika]

okay wait but after yesterday at funeral home to discuss grandpa's service

what if my cousin really does bring marijuana and just sprinkles it in the incense sensor and everyone attending the service just gets high like idk that could be interesting even tho i know my uncle and his wife would throw a fit lol

[queenimmadolla]

Could you do a blurb where reader rolls a joint for Eddie for the first time with all her cute papers and stuff and he loves it?

Happy Stoner Christmas!

happy 4/20! 😶‍🌫️💚

“Well, if it isn’t for my favorite customer.”

  You hear him before you see him, and sit up straighter as you look up, torso twisting around to face Eddie.

  He’s walking through the tree line that acts as the ‘fence’ to your backyard. Not exactly born into wealth, your home is on the edge of Hawkins and lacks the white picket fence and concrete driveway, with nature and gravel filling in. Just down the street is Jonathan Byers’ home. 

  Confidence radiates off of Eddie as he approaches the picnic bench you were waiting on, his curls sway a little. He’s rocking a band shirt today—long sleeves rolled up his forearms—and some dark jeans. You try not to squirm under his stare, the wild grin on his face stirring something in your tummy.

  You knew you’d end up crushing on him after the first time you went to him for weed instead of Rick. He was cute. 

  Eddie was so freaking cute and charming and funny. You probably would have been fine if he had just been cute and charming, but the humorous trait was your weakness. You loved funny guys.

  Sure enough, by the fourth time he dealt to you—his tongue was in your mouth. And the fifth time, you’d gone to third base. Now, whatever happened when he came around just happened. You accepted it, even if it makes you a little nervous because you know very well you’re interested in more than just the benefits that come with your encounters. 

  You want him. Like, boyfriend him. It’s kind of tragic, actually, because you don’t even know if you’re the only one of his clientele he treats this way. Eddie can be fucking the rest of them for all you know and it drives you insane because you want to ask—you’re just too chicken shit.

  “You say that as if this wasn’t prearranged.” You laugh out and Eddie snorts, dumping his black lunch pail on the leaf riddled bench top next to your scooby-doo lunch box with a metal clang.

  “I’m trying to be cute and you’re ruining it.” When you laugh again, Eddie’s eyes squint in triumph, “And I’ll have you know I have been waiting—no, yearning for you to call upon me. Moved my bed over to the phone and everything. Thought you forgot allllllll about me.”

  “Me forget about you? Impossible.” You declare in a joking manner, though you truly mean the sentiment. Your mental health might be better if you could forget him. Then you wouldn’t be able to make yourself sick over the idea of him kissing other people.

  “You better mean that.” He jabs an accusatory finger, silver ring glinting, in your direction as he settles in across from you, “The usual, my sweet?”

  UGH! SEE?! Too damn cute.

  “Please?” You’re too busy opening up your own lunch box full of supplies to notice the heated look he fixes you with right then.

  Eddie clears his throat, tongue darting out to swipe over his lower lip as he pops the lid of his lunch pail open, pulling out a little baggie with your favorite strain of buds. He eyes it with a glint in his eye before it’s held out to you, dangling from his fingertips. 

  You look up once you realize it’s being offered, and pinch the top of the baggie as your other hand holds out the folded bills. Eddie flicks them out of your loose grip, and it goes flying to land in your lap while you jump in surprise.

  “My bad,” he snickers, his pretty teeth gleaming, “it’s on the house.”

  You pick up exactly where he wants you to, “In that case, please accept my offer to smoke you out with my newly acquired goods.”

  That feeling in your belly—butterflies—intensifies at the slow and large smile that spreads on his face, forcing his little dimple to make an appearance.

  It always goes like this now. 

  Eddie comes over (or you go to him), weed is exchanged and when you try to pay him for it, he refuses. Then, you invite him to smoke weed with you (and he’ll always pull from the extra inventory he carries around—never from what he’s just given you), the two of you get high and you finally feel brave enough to make a move because you know he always waits for you to do it. Gives you the power to start things, your own comfort, though he takes full control once you get going. He’s always so keen on taking care of you. You’d once thought that maybe he didn’t want you as much as you wanted him, since it was always you initiating things, but the way he’d beg for you, ramble about how much he wanted you, how desperate he was for you and his ‘finally, I thought I was gonna die’s on just your kisses alone, soothed that insecurity. 

  “I’d be delighted to! But─”

  “Nope.” You interrupt, having seen his hand reaching into his pail. “My weed—not yours.”

  He raises his eyebrows in surprise and when you don’t back down, both of his hands are lifted in surrender before one is extended to you out on the bench, palm up. Eddie’s waiting for you to give him your grinder and the weed so he can start rolling but you low five his palm instead and he chuckles, skin tingling from the contact.

  “That’s not exactly what I meant.”

  “I know, but I’m also rolling today, too.”

  Eddie scoffs and smirks, fixing you with that heated stare again and you quickly divert your gaze, pulling out your pretty purple grinder and getting to work. You are not gonna let him make you nervous and fumble around, “Baby…”

  Oh, god. The way he coos it out, nice and low—you’re instantly taken back to other times you’d heard him say it like that. You’d been bent into all kinds of positions as it was rasped into your ear, the sweat from both of your bodies plastering Eddie to you. Your hand twists the top of the grinder on autopilot as you stare at nothing, gaze vacant.

  Eddie knows exactly where your mind has taken you and his smirk widens.

  “You can’t roll for shit.”

  That snaps you out of your stupor, mouth dropping.

  “I can, too! You’ve never seen me put in the work.”

  “I have, that’s why I roll.”

  And you cringe as you recall the first time you’d try to roll a joint. It had been the second time Eddie sold to you, having only used pre-rolled cones prior. Those only meant you had to pack the wrap in with weed, kind of like a funnel and then twist the end closed before partaking.

  Rolling from start to finish was a whole other endeavor and you’d failed so badly, Eddie had rolled around on the floor laughing. You didn’t take any offense, too busy jumping up and down inside at having made the cute, charming funny guy you liked laugh.

  “I’ve been practicing,” You pout, placing the grinder down after you’re sure the nug of the bud you’d placed in it was now almost powder-like.

  “You tryna impress me, hm?” He hums out, and you refuse to look up, knowing those pretty brown eyes of his are gonna be lidded and it’ll do you in early. You’ll have to jump him right there, “Been practicing to show me what you can do?”

  You ignore him, focusing instead on the rolling papers you had. 

  Eddie places his chin in his hand, watching you intently as you frown in concentration before it breaks when you select a rolling paper, cherries decorating the white sheets. You pull your small rolling tray out and some part of Eddie throbs. You hadn’t had that before.

  You quickly scrunch a filter together, folding the rolling paper and placing the filter at the edge of the fold before you unscrew the grinder and begin pinching the green within to sprinkle on the paper. Once it was full, and Eddie notices with wide eyes that you’ve packed it with a significant amount, you use dexterous fingers to carefully roll it together, tongue poking out as you take diligent care to ensure no fall out. Once the green flower is properly contained, you lick the free edge and fold it over the rest of the joint before you pinch and twist the end.

  After a few moments of intense scrutiny, you hold it out victoriously, “Taduh!!! For you.”

  Eddie takes the joint, turning it this way and that as he marvels. You really had been practicing, it was beautiful. He feels an intense amount of pride bloom in his chest and something else. Always for you, only ever for you.

  “Did I do good?” You ask, voice shy as you bite your lip and this time you don’t look away when that heavy stare focuses on you. You wanna faint, but you don’t. He doesn’t say anything for a while and you know where tonight is gonna lead. 

  “Baby,” There’s that rasp again that makes you want to drop dead and smash your mouth to his at the same time, “I’m gonna need you to come over here now. Don’t think I can wait.”

[lilia-calderus-pet-goat]

Found-Family headcanons for a³'s coven of chaos, part 1: (because they all deserved more time with each other)

(part 2, here.)

(part 3, here.)

Agatha learned spanish for Rio, obviously—and spices up her dialogue with Spanish phrases out of habit. I assume she also knows other languages, being alive for as long as she has.

But I'd also like to think that language-learning gradually becomes something they all surprise each other with. And this is definitely super self-indulgent, because I'm always ecstatic when my native English-speaker friends are interested in learning my language.

For example, I definitely think Billy would ask Alice to teach him korean—and she'd be really excited for that. Not to mention, I feel like Billy just has the vibe of someone who'd be interested in learning different languages. (and korean in particular I think he'd definitely find interesting.)

I also definitely think Jen would try learning Sicilian for Lilia, considering the effort she makes to understand her and keep her comfortable towards the end. Lilia would be so moved, because she probably hasn't spoken to anyone in her mother-tongue in centuries. Like, it's literally considered an endanged language. (“Currently considered a “vulnerable” language by UNESCO, Sicilian faces increasing pressure from standard Italian, though it remains stronger than nearly all other Italian language varieties.”)

Mrs. Davis loves making food for all of them, always trying to diversify her cooking to suit their appetites, their cultures, the things each of them can eat, etc. It's a lot, but she doesn't mind!! She's a grandma!! She loves feeding people—and she missed having someone to cook for.

She grows her greens all by herself, too. Rio occasionally helps her with weeding and stuff. Mrs. Davis is freaked out by her rancid vibes at first, but ends up saying she's a “very sweet girl,” to which everyone responds by staring at her horrified.

Mrs. Davis would also definitely make a chore chart for everyone, but it never works out for a NUMBER of reasons.

First or all, Agatha always skips her turn with cleaning, saying that “she forgot.” She knows that either Billy or Sharon will just take care of it anyways. (Jen refuses to do any of Agatha's chores. “She can either do it by herself or drown in her own garbage-”)

Lilia always gets distracted and leaves her chores unfinished. She can only ever remember laundry, for some reason—she does everyone's laundry. But other than that, jeez. My girl is messy and that's okay. She has her very own unique way of finding where she puts her stuff, but others would merely call it chaos. Jen always picks up after her—and Lilia always huffs and puffs about how, “well now I can't find anything!”

Alice is the sort of person who accidentally creates messes everywhere, then stuffs everything wherever she finds. In drawers, under beds, you name it. Very, “out of sight, out of mind.” Like, she probably has “a chair” where she throws all her clothes.

Billy is very responsible, always abiding to the chore chart and oftentimes doing Agatha's chores too.

Jen is a total neat freak. She wants everything to be organised and under control—and she needs everything to smell nice.

She always makes the others scented candles. Agatha claims they're “useless garbage,” but uses them anyways.

Jen is also the one who usually keeps track of the bills and expenses, since she earns the most through her, “real job.”

Lilia is the sort of person to get lost in the mall, or even just the super-market. Alice has needed to look for her more than once.

Agatha loves crushing Jen's videos by appearing in the background and doing whatever bullshit she feels like.

Alice and Billy are everyone's mediators. Whenever someone gets in an argument, they're the ones who force them to work it out.

Alice is very protective of Sharon and Lilia, because she has mommy issues. Agatha has the opposite sort of mommy issues—but Sharon and Lilia treat them both like they're their kids.

The first time Billy brought Eddie to meet his coven, they literally put him through trials to decide whether he's worthy to date their son. Eddie is surprised he's been coven-approved.

“These women are insane, Billy—but then again, so am I for sticking around anyways.”

Eddie is very tired. His favourite coven members are Jen and Alice, who he considers the most normal. I REALLY think he'd fuck with Jen, because they're both so done with everyone else.

[elssero]

having thoughts about stoner sero x secret stoner reader

h.sero

♰ slightly suggestive, lots of talk about weed. i wrote this while stoned :3 i love weed and seros my favourite so that means he loves weed too!!

your smoking a blunt on your dorm balcony the first time your caught. you hear movements to your right and your head snaps towards the noise- it’s sero, out on his balcony sniffing around like a fucking idiot. he turns around and his eyes lock directly with yous, blunt in your mouth as you take a long draw. his mouth forms a small circle as he watches you inhale and exhale- perfectly, making it incredibly clear to sero that this is definitely not your first time smoking. not even close.

he watches you closely for a second- brows furrowing as if trying to crack some kind of code. you’ve never spoken to sero before, at least not properly, it’s not that you don’t get along with the boy- not at all. he just always seems to be surrounded by a crowd in which you opt out of being around.

you don’t have an actual problem with his friends- you can tell their great people, you just prefer the company of your own- quieter friends.

despite only being around half way through the smoke you decide your done, not quite ready to let him watch u finish the blunt, you let it go and float it quickly over to sero, he’s only a single dorm to your right so it’s a pretty easy job, just incase- you float your lighter over with it and you were right to do so, the blunts no longer lit when it reaches him, he grabs the smoke quickly, as well as your light that follows and presses on the gas, you watch as the glow from the light shines on his face- highlighting his features. he holds the lighter up to you and you take this as a sign of him being done with it, pulling it back over to you.

you don’t stay out on your balcony for long after that, instead opting to make your way back inside- leaving a very confused and red faced sero outside.

you don’t talk about that night- at least not for awhile. instead he begins smiling at you in class, giving you a little wave as he walks into the class and walks straight towards his friends. you keep silent- liking it better that way in the mornings as you don’t quite have the energy to converse with people so early.

you should probably be stressing that sero knows about your little habit but your not. if anything he was probably the best person in the class to know- seeing as he’s very open about his own interest in substances.

you know he won’t judge you- you doubt anyone in the class really would, that doesn’t stop you from wanting to keep it your little secret though- you just hope sero wont open his mouth.

the cycle continues- every few nights you head outside, smoke half a blunt before floating it over too sero for him to finish- it’s stupid. you two haven’t really ever had a full conversation in your years at UA but still, you find yourself looking toward to your late nights.

your in bed tonight. completely out of weed for the week before you can find time to pick some up at the weekend, your new relationship with sero causing a serious dent how long your stuff would normally last you.

struggling to sleep you take out your phone, you make a plan to open up instagram before a message catches your attention.

sero: come outside.

it’s the first time he’s ever messaged you. he must’ve gotten your number from the class chat you’d been added too last year by uraraka. you don’t hesitate getting up, not even bothering to change out of your arguably showy nightwear. you feel it when the cold hair hits your exposed thighs and you immediately wish you had at least such a proper pair of pants on.

he’s already outside when you step out, stood lazily leaning against the barristers of his balcony- he looks at you, eyes trailing your body and you watch as they widen slightly when he reaches your lower half.

he brings his eyes back up to meet yours and he beckons you over. your confused for a second. you don’t have a blunt to give him? until he mouths back no you. he’s pointing at you before again gesturing behind him. get over here.

you don’t argue- too sleepy to fully argue the pros and cons as your now floating over to his dorm balcony- at night- alone.

your face to face with him when you get a look at what he’s holding in his other hand- a blunt. he doesn’t say anything as he gives it to you, placing it between your lips and he holds lighter up to light it- you inhale.

you ignore the fact that the situation you’ve found yourself in is extremely inappropriate- you can’t even begin to imagine the trouble you would be in if your caught- blunt in your mouth and with a boy alone at night.

he begins to speak to you- the first real conversation you’ve ever had with the black haired boy.

“can’t believe i didn’t know you smoked” he’s smiling- you can’t quite tell if the tone of his voice is that of surprise or teasing.

“you never asked.” it’s a short reply, much like the ones you usually give your classmates. it’s not like you don’t enjoy their company, you just enjoy the quiet more.

“you never really gave me the chance.” you decide not to respond. instead opting to take another long draw of his weed before taking it from your mouth and handing it back to him.

you thank him politely, placing a hand on the banister as you prepare to levitate yourself back to your dorm.

“you should smoke with us sometime!” it’s rushed- you can tell by the increased volume of his voice when he speaks now. you don’t really understand why? you’ve never really been close before but the offer of free weed is one you might need to take him up on.

“i’ll think about it.” you give him a small smile as you depart from his balcony. only turning back to look at him for a second before you open your own dorm door. he hasn’t moved an inch from where you left him and you decide you think he’s kinda cute like that. all frozen up and a little flustered.

you close your dorm room behind you meaning you don’t see the little cheer he does when he’s sure your finally gone. bumping his fist in victory as he finishes his smoke.

he’s finally found a way to wriggle into your life and he couldn’t be more excited.

[loudclan-clangen]

sort of an out of the blue ask, but I remember when Weed was first introduced, she and Tundrafrost were said to be old friends and they were being pretty touchy and blushy with each other and Chickadeeblur seemed kinda jealous. Did they actually have a thing for each other, or did Chickadee just misinterpret it that way?

…also I can imagine Weed sort of being the wine aunt to Tundra’s kids and that’s cute to me lol

Tundrafrost and Weed did in fact "have a thing" in their much younger years. Tundrafrost and Chickadeeblur didn't grow up in the valley, and throughout their journey to it Tundra had many non-serious flings, of which Weed was one. When Weed was looking for a place to settle down for her old lady years, she reached out to Tundrafrost, whom welcomed her to the clan. Chickadeeblur had no real reason to be jealous, as she has no interest in taking a mate at this age, and the three are very good friends now. You're so right though, they definately do a kid trade where Tundra and Chickadee get to enjoy Cavepaw's baby phase and take him exploring out of camp to get his energy out while Weed settles down to talk Kingfur, Sockeyepelt, and Chumpaw through their standard teenager drama.

*bonk* *bonk* *bonk* *bonk* *bonk* *bonk* *bonk* *bonk* *bonk*

hehe, love it!

I try to keep the names the game gives me if it doesn't contradict with the setting. Things like "Owl", "Weed", "Jagged", or "Fierce" while not being Alaska specific are things or ideas that would be accessible to the cats and therefore I leave those. But names that do contradict or just seem boring to me I do try to change to something similar but more specific. Sand -> Silt, Chicken -> Chickadee, Prarie -> Tundra, Dog -> Dogwood, etc. It's not that any of these couldn't exist in nature in alaska, they just didn't feel like they fit the story at this point. In the first couple of hundred moons I tried to make sure that litters were named thematically based off of the oldest kit's name and their parent's personality, but after time this just became too much work and I think the random names are fun too. That's why the Tundra x Chickadee babies are all types of salmon and the healer kits all have long plant names. Some themes are definately looser than others. I do definately change the sillier names and try to balance out the "weird", for example, the fish babies all have pretty plain suffixes because their prefixes are pretty out-there and nothing else seemed to pair very well with them. "Kingflight" is just a little much, to my ear at least. Also the healer kits will have short suffixes because their prefixes are so long and just from a purely mechanical standpoint I can't fit "Dogwoodcaterpillar" or "Rosehiptadpole" in a comic panel.

Thank you! And go for it! I'd love to see people use my ideas in their own ways! If you want to give a little "insert idea inspired by @loudclan-clangen" I'd appreciate it a ton, (mostly cause I want to go see what you guys are making), but if not that's totally fine. I'm definitely not the first person to do a lineage challenge, but I'm glad that you like my system!

[mustainegf]

➜ 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟐 — ❝ 𝐆𝐈𝐆𝐒 & 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐒 ❞

The afternoon was late, and finally, the house was silent. No in thewall drumbeats, no guitar riffs drowning out my own thoughts. I sat at the kitchen table, swirling a half empty cup of coffee, trying to work out how I'd survived a whole month living with four guys who seemed hell bent on driving each other crazy. I wasn't paying attention as Kirk came bounding down the stairs, that familiar wild look in his eye.

"Hey, I got an idea," he said, practically sliding into the chair across from me.

I quirked a brow, instantly suspicious. "What kind of idea?"

Kirk grinned. "We got a gig tonight. Small local bar, nothing fancy. You should come.”

I groaned inwardly, my mind flashing to say no. The last thing I wanted to do was stand amidst a sea of sweaty strangers, some guys that I lived with screaming into microphones, headbanging like their lives depended on it. I knew Metallica was on their way up to the top but I wasn't exactly what one would call a "metalhead."

"I don't know, Kirk," I said, slumping back in my chair. "I'm just not really in the mood for—"

"Come on!" he interrupted, the dramatic pout accompanying his lunge forward. "You've been cooped up in this shithole for weeks. You need to get out. Besides, it's not like you've seen us live before."

"I've heard you guys practice," I muttered. "That's pretty much the same thing."

"No, it's not," he said, shaking his head. "It's different when you're out there with the crowd, feeling the energy. It's-

"Why you forcing her arm, dude?" Cliff's tone sliced in as he strolled into the kitchen, his accompanying cloud of weed smoke entering the room a fraction of a second before he did. He followed that up by moseying over to the counter and grabbing a beer.

Kirk fell back in his chair and threw his hands up. "I just want her to come see us play."

Cliff took a sip of his drink and glanced over at me, flashing a lazy grin. "Tell you what, if you come to the gig, I'll share some of my stash with you before we head out. It'll make the show way more interesting, I promise.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Bribery? Really?"

Cliff chuckled. "It's not bribery. It's… encouragement."

I weighed the pros of his offer, the merit of the decision, for a moment. And Kirk wasn't wrong, I had been cooped up in here for weeks, and a part of me always wanted to see these guys live. Then, of course, there was Cliff's weed, which really was the opposite of something to say no to.

"Alright, fine," I finally exclaimed exasperated, rolling my eyes. "I'll go. But only because of the weed."

Kirk triumphantly punched at the air. "Yes! You won't regret it, I swear."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," I said grumbling.

By evening, it became a kind of pre gig war zone, Lars clattering about the kitchen, grumbling at something to do with his bloody drum kit, Kirk and James in and out of their bedrooms noisily tuning their guitars. I kept out of their way sat in the living room, fingers crossed they wouldn't drag me into whatever tortures they were going through.

“Hey," Cliff said, appearing in the doorway with that mischievous grin tugging at his face. He held up a joint between his fingers, wiggling it slightly. "You ready?"

"More than you know," I sighed, getting off the couch and following him out into the backyard.

It was cool outside tonight, a real break from the relentless heat inside. Cliff hit the joint and passed it over to me. I took a deep drag, letting the smoke fill my lungs before exhaling very slowly. The unmistakable warmth settled in almost at once, and I could feel myself begin to relax for the first time all day.

“You're gonna dig the show," Cliff leaned back against the railing. "It's different when we're up there, y'know?"

"I'm sure," I said, handing the joint back to him.

"Especially watching Kirk," he added, taking a hit, "That guy's in his element when he's playin’ live.”

I smiled at that. Kirk had always been obsessed with music, ever since we were kids. To see him actually living his dream, playing guitar, was actually something I was kinda proud of. He deserved it.

Cliff and I had showed up a bit later than everyone else. He gave me one last hit off the joint, his arm thrown casually around my shoulders as we pushed through the crowd.

"Relax, you'll have fun," he said, guiding me through to the side of the stage. "Just try not to overthink it."

"Easier said than done," I muttered, though I did appreciate the sentiment.

We found a spot near the stage and Cliff handed me a beer he'd picked up. I took a sip, looking around at the sea of leather jackets, ripped jeans, and wild hair. This was Metallica's crowd, and though I might not fit in, I couldn't deny the excitement in the air.

The lights went further down yet, and the crowd cheered as the band took to stage. First up at his drum kit, Lars twirled sticks like some sort of showman. Cliff slung his bass over his shoulder, shot a wink in my direction then started plucking out the opening notes of the first song. Kirk and James followed, guitars in hand, the spotlight catching the glint of the metal strings.

And off they went.

I was stuck on Kirk. He was so good up there, tearing through solos like nobodys business. His fingers flew across the fretboard with ease, like it was an extension of himself. Every so often he would glance up toward the crowd where this huge grin would stretch across his face, flashing those crooked teeth.

I couldn't help but smile too, proud of him. Proud that he'd made it this far. I always knew Kirk was destined for something bigger than the shitty suburban life we grew up in, but seeing it in real time was unreal.

But then there was James.

Every now and again I'd catch James shooting me a glare between verses. The first time, I was like, I’m imagining things. But no, there it was, again… and again… and again. His eyes would lock onto mine, narrowing slightly, like he was pissed off for no reason at all. What threw me off was that it made me feel uneasy, like some weird game of chicken with him I hadn't exactly agreed to play.

I had no idea what his problem was. Maybe he just didn’t like my presence, or perhaps he was still sulking over our constant wrangling back at the house. Whatever it was, he seemed pretty determined to keep the hostility alive, even on stage.

The more the night wore on, the rowdier the crowd was, headbanging and shouting their lungs out. Chaos reigned, but alive somehow.

The bar was pretty much vibrating after the show, adrenaline not quite burned off yet. The band was still busy packing up their gear and I retreated backstage to wait for Kirk and Cliff. The weed had worn off by now, well, it left me feeling a little too sober, and a little too aware of the tension in the air.

First to emerge from behind stage, James was dripping with sweat, guitar slung over his shoulder. Really, I didn't expect him to say anything, in fact, I rather he'd just leave me well alone, but this was James.

"Enjoy the show, princess?" he asked, his tone oozing sarcasm.

I gave him a look. "Don't call me that."

A smug smile crossed his lips as he mopped his face with a towel. "Why not? It fits you.”

Arms crossed over my chest, my patience evaporated. "Yeah, well, you're an asshole."

His grin spread wider, seeming to actually like the sparring. "You think I don't know that?"

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, but he wasn't done. "You looked pretty impressed up there," he called after me, his voice mocking. "Bet you didn't think we were that good, huh?”

“Not everything's about you, Hetfield," I snapped, wheeling back around to face him. "I was watching Kirk."

That seemed to strike a nerve. His smile wavered for half a heartbeat, but in an instant, he snapped it back into place. "Of course you were. Always watching Kirk."

"What's your problem?" I exclaimed frustrated. "Why do you always have to be such a-"

"A what?" he cut in, moving closer. "Go on, say it.

I clenched my jaw. "A jerk."

James laughed again, but there was something wrong with the laugh this time; it was just a shade too dark. "Yeah? Maybe it's just what you bring out in me."

I blinked, something too much like surprise getting the best of me. What the hell was I supposed to take from that?

Before I could utter a word, Kirk bounced out from backstage, totally ignoring the silent friction. "Hey! There you are," he said, flashing me that goofy grin as he threw an arm over my shoulders. "What'd you think of the show?"

I forced myself to smile, trying to brush off whatever weird thing had just happened with James. "You were amazing, Kirk. Seriously, you guys killed it.

"Thanks!" Kirk beamed, still high off the performance. "See? I told you it'd be worth it."

"Yeah," I said, feeling James's gaze on me from a few feet away. "It was definitely something."

But Kirk didn't seem to grasp the unease, and I sure did. I could feel it by the way James's eyes kept on me, awaiting something. But I didn't give him that pleasure of showing it.

I turned back to Kirk instead, who was saying, "Let's get out of here. I'm exhausted.".

As we left, I couldn't shake the hostility from James. For some reason, that thought shook me more than it should.

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @killazilla777— comment or dm to join the taglist!

[cagesofgold]

eren jaeger headcanons <3

🎵teenage fever - Drake 🎧

His favorite way to unwind is to play with your hair. Due to having longer hair himself he’s grown accustomed to the different skill sets required to craft different hair styles, and actually, is really good at it. His fingers are lithe and nimble and are able to weave through strands with ease.

He drives an all black car with tinted windows, and has a polaroid of you in a photo booth with him on your first date in a plastic case hanging from his rear view mirror.

he also always makes sure to keep your favorite snacks in the car, as he’s a guy who’s bound to text you at 2am asking bout some “you up for a drive?” 💀

in terms of tattoos despite popular belief, i personally think he’d keep it on the minimal side. He’d maybe have some on his arms - or a sleeve, but he likes to keep them tidy. Although, he is one of those guys that would have that tiktok thirst trap spider on his chest or adjacent to his v line…..

this mf smells gooooood, he’s so paranoid about smelling bad because of Jean saying he smelt like a burning pile of bodies in high school and hasn’t been able to shake the fear since.

despite not being overly adorned in tattoos he does like piercings. He’s got about five on his ears and has a nose piercing but he always forgets about it.

loves reality shows. A few months into your relationship he noticed you watching them and acted with his full chest that he had no interest, yet as the weeks rolled by he somehow got closer and closer to the couch and before you knew it he was fully shouting over Lisa Rinna. (You’ve also seen him following over 30 housewives from the different shows on instagram…)

cannot stand metal music because he spent his entire childhood covering his ears from where it bled from under Mikasa’s door. (Otherwise he’d probably enjoy it)

he’d dress quite simply, mainly with blacks and whites and would sometimes mix and match with some red or green, but i don’t think he’s as ambitious as some of his friends fashion wise, but he still looks good as hell.

his favorite holiday is with out a doubt halloween, is some of this because he spent so long as a child building the most elaborate scares for the kids on his street? maybe. but he also likes autumn as a season so that has something to do with it.

doesn’t get along with his dad too well but is a total mamas boy. He visits her at least twice a month considering they live in different cities.

is a cat person, but when he was younger he liked dogs more as according to him they were “much radder” - his own words 💀, but as he got older and became more subdued he developed a preference for cats.

has anxiety that he manages to hide, he wasn’t used to being comforted and it took a while for him to fully open up to you.

despite smoking weed with Jean and connie almost every other day he still makes a dramatic scene any time Zeke lights a cigarette around him, i’m talking coughing and clutching his chest, Zeke’s standing there like this 🧍‍♀️waiting for him to stop his fucking shenanigans.

if you want to go out with Eren Jaeger prepare to be a victim of the sassy man apocalypse, because my god, this man is relentless, and the SIDE EYE on this mf is ridiculous. He could knock down an army with his sass alone.

takes good care of his hair, oils it twice a week and does hair masks in order to keep it soft and shiny. He can’t have his gorgeous girl going out with some guy with brittle, greasy ass hair…

goes to the gym but doesn’t like it very much. he goes most days for at least an hour but never posts gym pics on his instagram or anything, he just has no interest apart from maintaining his body.

cannot sleep without you. he can try, sure, but he’ll never be successful. Before you both decided to move in together he was at your house every night, nuzzled against your body with light breaths slipping from his lips, which sparked the conversation, why not just move in, you’re here everyday anyway?

tends to bottle things up, and if something is bothering him you will have to work it out of him slowly…but he’s trying, for you he’s trying.

his lock screen is a photo of you asleep against his chest, he just thought you looked so peaceful.

gets embarrassingly competitive in just dance, threw a Wii at Connie once because he made him lose a perfect score on timber.

finally, he loves stargazing, especially with you. He’ll take you out to a deserted street, a bag full of snacks and a joint as you both lay on the hood of his car, chatting about whatever comes to mind, and it’s at those moments, when his eyes focus on the slope of your nose and the shape of your mouth, that he feels a warmth inside him he’s never felt before. <3

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Home

Summary; Upset after hearing about Eddie's latest date, you decide to go to a party and let loose just for one night.

Warnings; protective Eddie. Tipsy reader, drinking.

18+ blog. Minors dni.

Read part two here

I don't give anyone permission to copy, reuse or repost my work.

❤️

It shouldn't have bothered you so much. Eddie has been going on dates a lot more than usual thanks to coaching from Steve Harrington.

So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that he had another date with a new girl. This one was called Penny.

If you had to hear about his antics one more time you were sure that Eddie would see right through your fake smile.

It's not like you didn't want Eddie to be happy. Of course you did, it's just crushing on a guy who has zero interest in you and seeing him date beautiful women after beautiful women was a bummer.

After hearing about this date with Penny and no doubt another lady at some point you had made the decision to go to a party tonight.

Parties weren't your thing at all but you were eager to let loose just for one night and forget your unrequited crush for a little while.

By the time you even got to the party, you were a little buzzed. Steve had driven you along with Robin and you and her had already had two beers.

The party was already in full swing once you got there and it took everything for you not to leave at once.

Robin and Steve immediately calmed you down and you nursed a beer, chatting with cute guys and finding yourself growing a little bit more tipsy as the night went on.

It felt like everyone was at the party, all wanting to let loose, hooking up, dancing, laughing and determined to have a good time.

You danced with Robin qnd Steve and eventually, a guy called Eric. He was handsome with black hair and brown eyes.

They aren't Eddie's eyes a traitor voice says in your head and you shake it away.

You needed to forget about your feelings for Eddie and move on.

❤️

Eddie had stopped at yours with pizza in hand. When you didn't answer, it concerned him. What was going on? Were you sick?

Another date had gone by and there was still this empty feeling inside of him. They were fun at first, fooling around and shit but it was growing old fast.

Steve had took Eddie under his wing, a wingman of sorts and Eddie really didn't mind. He liked Steve, which years ago he would have thought to be impossible.

Turns out Dustin was right when he told him Steve was a pretty cool dude.

His thoughts come back around to you and he decides to make a quick drop-off at a party where some guys wanted weed.

It was quick and easy money and he would be out of there in no time to come and check on you.

Of course, when he gets there he doesn't expect you to be there. Parties weren't your thing at all.

Steve comes up to him and pats his shoulder.

"Oh hey man, yn is here by the way" he points over where you are.

He sees you surrounded by some preppy douchebags, eyes sparkling and a beer in your hand as you dance with one of the guys, he's stunned.

The dude is flirting heavily with you and your arms wrap around his neck pulling him closer, he kisses you and Eddie stills.

You giggle and the guy pulls you close to him, his hands run all your body and down to your backside giving it a squeeze.

He doesn't notice you move away, putting space between you and the guy, Eddie doesn't notice much of anything really, he sees red.

He just reacts and yanks him away from you.

"Dude what the fuck?" up close Eddie recognises Eric Harris, he was a complete douche in high school and not much has changed as far as he could tell.

"Watch your hand's asshole" he seethes trying to calm down but he's not very successful.

"Eddie! You grin and hug him before things get heated and his anger melts away at your big grin.

"Hey, princess. You okay?" you nod and his heart rate spikes as you rest your head on his chest and cuddle into him.

"I had three beers, Eddie! Three!" you tell him sounding proud and he holds you upright as you are slightly unsteady on your feet.

"Let's get you home sweetheart" he ignores Eric's groan of disappointment and you beam.

"Kay, my head feels a little fuzzy anyway" you wave to Eric who plants a kiss on your cheek.

"I'll be seeing you around babe" he winks at you and Eddie's mood darkens though he isn't sure why.

"He's cute isn't he?" you sigh as you head outside and the chilly air hits you. It instantly makes you shiver and Eddie places his jacket around you.

"Thank you" You snuggle into it feeling comforted by the familiar scent, it feels like home.

On the way to Eddie's, you chat his ear off about the party, and sing along to the radio and that makes Eddie smile.

You were adorable, tipsy yes but adorable.

He helps you inside and to the bed. You're quiet for a few moments as you settle on the bed.

He fetches you a big glass of water and makes sure you drink it all before sleeping.

You chat to him happily but somewhere along the way your mood changes. You sigh and stare at him with a little pout on your face.

"He's so cute" Eddie is sure you are talking about Eric and that same flash of irritation and tension spikes inside him.

"Eric's a douchebag. You can do so much better" you yawn sleepily.

"Not Eric! I meant Eddie" he freezes and he feels his heart hammer in his chest.

"What?" you cuddle up into his pillow.

"I wish he liked me" See this confused Eddie even more.

"What are you talking about? I adore you" you mumble something then let out a gentle snore as you fall asleep.

Ever so gently he places the blankets over you and watches you just for a second because you look so sweet, curled up on his pillow with a dreamy smile on your face.

His heart skips a beat and there's a feeling inside of him that he can't explain as he looks at you.

If he had to put a finger on it and say what the feeling was?

It felt like home.

❤️

[mapofthemazeinthemirror]

BTS playing Animal Crossing with you

do not repost my work in any form

Warnings: none! enjoy :)

☆ gender neutral reader

Jin

Jin isn’t interested in playing when you first start. He says it’s not really his kind of game. But pretty soon, he has a copy of his own and is parked next to you on the couch, arguing aloud with Tom Nook, that tyrant. Jin is king of his island, chasing villagers he doesn’t like with nets - maybe they’ll take a hint and leave. Mainly enjoys collecting, trying to finish his museum, and flower breeding.

Yoongi

The places you play the most are in bed and on the couch in Yoongi’s studio. Many nights Yoongi comes home after a long day, crawls into bed alongside you and says he’s going to sleep, but ends up watching you play until his mind is quiet and he drifts off. You often hear him humming the game’s background music as he potters around the house, not even aware that he’s doing it.

Hoseok

Once you introduce Hobi to Animal Crossing, you can’t pull him away for days on end. “But my flowers need watering and I need to check my shops and I have to talk to my favourite neighbours so they don’t think I’m abandoning them!” What about abandoning me, you point out. “We can play together! Just don’t run through my flowers.” He’s dead serious.

Namjoon

Your boyfriend Namjoon comes in very handy when Redd comes around. Who needs to search up a guide on which paintings are real or fake when you have an art enthusiast in the house? He doesn’t mind either, he enjoys the challenge and is proud that you think he’s so smart. He thinks the game is cute and sometimes watches you play when he doesn’t feel like doing anything.

Jimin

Jimin would play only because you do. When he has a lot of downtime the two of you squish together on the bed and play, visiting each other’s islands and taking pictures of your characters doing silly things together, swimming and watching the shooting stars. When he hasn’t played for a while because he is busy, he complains and pouts about the amount of weeds covering his island.

Taehyung

Tae thinks all the ugly villagers are cute. You look up how to get rid of the ones you don’t want on your island, and he is offended. How could you plot the removal of his new best friend Barold? He hates shaking trees because he is constantly being stung by bees. Always asking you for emergency Bells to buy furniture that he wants before it disappears from the store.

Jungkook

Spends more time playing Happy Home than he spends on his own island. He gets so into designing elaborate interiors for his pixel friends - every detail from lighting to ambience, it all has to be just right. Honestly, he’s racked up more hours than you have, and when you’re not playing yourself you’re more than likely watching him and trying not to be jealous of his digital decorating talents.

written by mapofthemazeinthemirror - do not repost my work in any form

[sun-gut]

Rambling thoughts about the state of the vore community.

I'm quite frustrated with it in how it perpetuates minor-adult interactions, even if the interactions are trusted to be entirely nonsexual by both parties. Even if things are kept "SFW."

Before anything else, since I very likely have any people who disagree already blocked - if you want to have a good faith discussion about this, I will turn anons on. The catch being I will only respond if you have your username in the anon. If you are only here to invalidate my experiences or to flame me for being concerned about how there's groomers within this community who are taking advantage of how easily they can talk to children under the guise of the interaction being 'nonsexual,' then we have nothing to entertain and you will be ignored.

So, when I was quite young- around 14 or 15, I was very active in the vore community. I started reaching out to people, mainly adults, to talk about it with since I felt incredibly isolated with enjoying it nonsexually. The first person I knew through this, let's call him V, seemed to have understood that my interest in this is nonsexual, and responded in same. He knew how old I was. I knew he was in his mid to late twenties/early thirties. We'll get back to him later.

Around this same time(~15 y/o), I started a Kik group for nonsexual vore that allowed both minors and adults alike. It soon was filled with many people, and in that time I'd have made relationships with people who I also thought enjoyed it in the same way I had.

Until they showed otherwise, either directly to me or indirectly through sexually exploiting other minors in the chat. This carried over into a Discord server I made for the same thing- these people would seek out the kids in the chat and DM them. Seeing if they could find any children who were exploring their sexuality through vore, and then engage with them on that level. Even if they initially claim that they liked vore nonsexually. This happened to me too. Adults who targeted me because they liked my art, and would slowly pressure me to engage with them sexually or make sexual content for them. Even if there were never any genitals, they still found sexual pleasure in a child drawing fetish content for them.

This also happened to someone else I knew ("B", 15 y/o), who was in the Discord chat, but felt like she couldn't tell anyone because a person ("F", 18-20 y/o) established himself as a "safe" person in the community, both here and on Tumblr. Behind the scenes, even if he was only talking about vore nonsexually in the chat, F was sending B gore porn and pressuring her to engage with him.

V was like that. When I met one of his friends when I turned to an adult, I learned through them that he saw vore as a sexual fetish the entire time. He was secretly mining vore content out of a sex-repulsed ace child, telling me that it wasn't at all sexual. That he was like me. That I could trust him. How the fuck do you weed someone out of a community like that? How are you able to trust that the adult or child you're talking to about kinks isn't doing it for their sexual pleasure?

On top of that (when I was still a minor), another popular user who used to frequent Tumblr (bioluminescent-bat/nickname "Redla"), along with a Tumblr user named Glowinside, had a "SFW" Discord where Bat let in a child who was into unbirthing and openly talked about it. When I had brought up this as being an issue, I was entirely ignored. I left very soon after. These types of "SFW" servers are not uncommon to come across.

If you're an adult engaging with a child like this, and it turns out the child liked it sexually the entire time, that's you engaging in pedophilia. And if you're a child talking to an adult like this, and it turns out they liked it sexually too, you've just been sexually exploited. It's so, so fucking easy for people to lie about their intentions, and no matter how much you try to isolate yourself from the "dirty fetishists," these people follow. They do not magically disappear when they're deliberately looking for spaces to groom or sexually exploit. They seek you out because they don't fucking care if you like it nonsexually, they're trying to find minors who they can bend to their will. We have seen this happen, time and time again, with "safe" adults in the community. People who especially like to dictate themselves as being a child-friendly vore kinkster, and that any child can talk to them about vore.

On top of that, you wouldn't find this to be acceptable in other fetish communities, right? There's people who are nonsexually into BDSM. Or feet, gas, inflation, bodily fluids, diapers, etc. Would it be appropriate for adults to talk to children about their nonsexual kinks around that? Even if these are things that show up in kids' TV shows?

This is why I have so much concern for the vore community. Because I see children and adults alike interacting, and then see time and time again that someone gets groomed or sexually exploited. People who I considered friends exploited me, and people I knew were abused in the same way, as children. Their spaces should be kept entirely separate, and I'm extremely suspicious of anyone who disagrees with this notion.

[redtsundere-writes]

Jinx | Sukuna Ryomen

mmafigther!sukuna ryomen x femcoach!reader

Part 10. Doubt

Beginning. ← Previous | Next →

Synopsis: Sukuna is a world champion with anger issues. It's believed by many that he is untrainable. Yeah, you can't train him, but you can dominate him. Contents: Fighting. Sukuna being Sukuna. Female reader being dom. Jinx AU (the BL, not the character from lol) Warnings: Cursed words. Fighting. Sexual harassment. I only read it once, lmao Word count: 3656 words. A/N: Sorry for not posting this yesterday, my life has been a fucking mess lately, but that's what makes it fun, isn't it? I tried weed for the first time, it helps a lot.

Btw I made a PLAYLIST

Aoi Todo, the champions’ destroyer. In the beginning, he was just another boxer on the big MMA scene. One more rookie among the candidates desperate for a fight. No one seemed to be impressed by his skills until he stepped into the octagon for the first time. Overwhelming victory after victory, climbing steady until he reached the champion of his division, Toji Fushiguro, a feared opponent due to his great career in the UFC. For being 40 years old, he still moved as if his bones were made out of rubber.

The first fight for the title of the heavyweight division was on everyone's mouths, the stakes went through the roof. A complete rookie threatening one of the most talented champions in the industry to take his place. Aoi defeated him on his first attempt by unanimous decision. Toji took it personally so he asked for a rematch that same night and the rest is history.

“Aoi Todo is a strategist by nature, we must plan this fight carefully,” Gojo commented while reading a sports article about our future opponent that Yuuji had found on the internet.

The official Sukuna team was back in the meeting room to plan what we would do to defeat the threat that attempted against the kingdom of the king of the ring. Sukuna couldn't take his eyes off the screen that was playing the last fight Todo had against Toji, the one we watched in the penthouse a month ago.

While he couldn't take his eyes off his opponent, I couldn't stop looking at him. He looked very attractive when he was focused. His crossed arms, his slightly raised eyebrow and his penetrating eyes caught my attention every time. Sometimes I just wanted to come up behind him, hold him against my body and… “What the fuck am I thinking?” I scolded myself, forcing myself to snap back to reality.

I was trying my best to get rid of my feelings towards Sukuna. It was unprofessional, and it was obvious that it wasn’t going anywhere. He still doesn't give me any signs of romantic interest in me, he avoids me when we are in the penthouse sometimes, and he still has his “special sessions” with Shoko. I feel like a fool for getting my hopes up just because he makes me to live with him and gifted me pajamas. It didn't help that I found him attractive long before I met him in person. “Just ignore it and the feeling will go away on its own,” I thought.

“He is a boxer by specialty like Sukuna, it would be best to stay in that area. Gojo will be in charge of training this time,” Nanami wisely recommended, attracting me again to the conversation.

That was good news for me. I would still be in training, but I no longer had to be helicoptering all the time to get him to do floor exercises correctly. Plus, I could watch him train and make mental notes on how to improve my boxing skills for when I make my big comeback to the octagon. It was a unique opportunity to learn from one of the best boxers on the scene.

"That seems fine to me,” I nodded.

"He will not be an easy opponent," Yuuji commented. "Not everyone can send a legend to retirement.”

After the legendary 3 out of 3 fight, Toji Fushiguro officially announced his retirement to the press. He wasn't doing it for Aoi Todo, but because he is already over 40 years old and knows his own bodily limits. In addition, he wanted to give the spotlight to the next generation of fighters, especially his son, whom he will personally train from now on. Which means Megumi had to quit Team Black immediately to return to his father's gym. Yuuji was a bit sad because he won’t see him as often anymore, but they promised to talk to each other daily.

As we left the meeting room, we saw that almost all the members of Team Black were gathered by the entrance, watching as several delivery men left large packages at the lobby. All professionally packaged. Sukuna didn't pay any mind to them and went to train with Gojo so as not to waste time.

"What are they giving away or what?" I asked Yuuji.

"Today is the best day at the gym! Tomorrow is Sukuna's birthday,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye.

I already knew that. For a week I have been looking for the perfect birthday gift for him, but it was more complicated than I thought. When Sukuna wants something, he just buys it without paying attention to the price, an enviable custom. What can you give to someone who can pay for almost anything with their black card?

"Every year he receives hundreds of gifts from sponsors, important gyms and other athletes who want to work with him,” Yuuji explained to me.

When I used to be the champion, I also got gifts like that, but they were 10 or 20, not 80 boxes that you can turn into a tower if you stack them. Yuuji excitedly took my arm to approach the pile.

"But those gifts are for Sukuna, why are we standing in line?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sukuna never wants their gifts because he says it's a “waste” of space, so he give it to us," Yuuji explained with a smile.

Once the delivery men finished their work, everyone rushed over to the boxes to see what they had inside. Everyone opened the boxes and exchanged the loot depending on what it was. There were expensive sports clothes, top brand protein powders, energy drinks, cutting-edge electronics, flashy watches, leather wallets, etc. It looked like a crazy Black Friday sale.

"Nikes! Good thing I share shoe size with Sukuna," Yuuji commented as he opened a pair of red sneakers with his brother's initials engraved in gold on the heel.

I took one of the boxes that were at the bottom. It had the Adidas logo printed in black all over it. I opened it to take out a black t-shirt with “Ryomen” and the number 1 written on the back. It looked like an average soccer player's jersey. It was size L, so it was too baggy for me, but I could wear it as pajamas.

"What are you going to get him, Yuuji?" I asked him directly while hanging my shirt on my shoulder.

"A compression shirt like every year, Sukuna is a simple man," he answered without giving it much importance.

That was great advice. He always wears neutral-colored clothes, the penthouse has a minimalist style, and he sticks religiously to his routine. His only hobbies are swimming in his large pool and watching old movies at night. He doesn't go out with friends, eat sweets, nor go on dates. If Sukuna wasn't a talented fighter, he would be a very boring man.

Sukuna cornered Yuuji against the ring. His fists flew towards his face, sides, and abdomen. Yuuji raised his gloves towards his face to prevent him from knocking him out. He was among the other fighters who looked up to Sukuna as if he were the new messiah. His posture was perfect, his movements were balanced, and the power of his fists were impressive. My eyes analyzed the position of his feet, the distance between his torso and his fists and the slight curvature of his back.

Yuuji has a love-hate relationship when it comes to training with his brother. He likes training with him because that way they spend more time together, and he learns to fight better, while he hated it because Sukuna never holds back. He treats every training session as if it were a championship fight. Yuuji was hurting inside, but he was doing a good job of holding on. The older one focused on getting the knockout, so Yuuji put his guard up. Bad move. Sukuna changed his strategy mid-move and began to hit him at full power in the abdomen. His little brother doubled over in pain and fell against the floor.

"Son of a bitch, I can’t breathe," Yuuji murmured, taking off his helmet.

"Don't be a crybaby. C’mon, get up," Sukuna asked him, annoyed.

"The crybaby can't fight anymore," Gojo announced. Sukuna sighed exasperatedly.

"Fast. Someone get in the ring.,” the king ordered his subjects.

Since Megumi was not there to replace Yuuji as usual, the fighters looked at each other to see who would be brave enough to go up to face the monster. They all knew that they would face the same fate as Yuuji or worse. Since there were no volunteers, I decided to get into the ring.

"Really?" Sukuna asked me with an evil smile as I helped Yuuji take off his protective gear. He seemed to be in a good mood.

"I can learn a thing or two from you," I said as I put on the protective helmet.

"Aren't you going to hurt yourself?" He scoffed. He spoke as if we were in a showdown at an official weigh-in. Sukuna was trying to intimidate me, but I was going to erase his smile.

"My doctor said that my neck is completely healed, do you know what that means?" I asked him as I put on Yuuji's boxing gloves.

Sukuna and I approach the center to continue training. Sukuna started with a hook to the liver that I evaded with the body. Our feet moved simultaneously, making the canvas squeak.

"Are you going to leave?" He asked me before punching me in the face. I pulled up my gloves to avoid the impact.

"I already told Nanami, I'll leave after the fight and leave you in the hands of another coach," I told him before throwing a hook to his cheek. It didn't connect.

"Who gave you permission to leave?" Sukuna spat, approaching me suddenly.

"Myself," I backed away.

"What if I tripled your salary?" Sukuna hit me on the shoulder.

"It's not about money," I told him once to regain my balance. "I want to return to the octagon and get back my title."

"Are you going to fight or what?" Gojo scolded us with his arms crossed. We talked a lot and fought little.

Sukuna clicked his gloves and launched a killer combo at me. I barely evaded it and went ahead to close the distance, entering his territory abruptly. I threw the best punches I could, but it wasn't enough. I was so used to using my legs to win fights that I felt completely helpless if I could only use my fists. My hooks, jabs, and uppercuts were no match for Sukuna's powerful punches. They were direct and fast. With each blow, my resistance decreased. I could barely stand.

"Coach Gojo, it's time," Shoko asked out loud so we could both hear her. Gojo ended the fight. I was saved by the physiotherapist.

Sukuna pulled himself aside from my body to sigh heavily. I took off the helmet to lighten my body. He took off his gloves without looking at me, he was focused on his thoughts. Maybe processing the news I had given him.

"When I saw you in the ring after beating Naoya, I realized that I miss fighting a lot," I explained as I approached him shyly. What he was going to say next would only be for him. "I want to be like you," I whispered without looking at his face out of embarrassment.

Sukuna’s POV

It's been a couple of months since I've been living with Y/n, and I've learned a few things about her. She is direct, strong, knows what she wants, independent and... she is extremely cute without even trying. She walks around the house in giant shirts that look like short dresses, drags her slippers across the floor in the morning before drinking her coffee, and dances with her headphones on when she thinks no one is watching. How can a girl be so docile but so dangerous at the same time? She was like a cute kitten that can transform into a fierce cheetah in a second.

Little by little, my eyes have been drawn to her daily actions. How gently her hands move when putting on another fighter's boxing gloves, how his eyes move quickly when analyzing me from head to toe and how she pulls hair away from her face, tucking her unruly hair behind her ear. I would like to stop time, so I could admire her all as long as I wanted. I was starting to like her, but there was a problem…

"Do you think Choso and Y/n make a cute couple?" Yuuji asked me through the phone.

I removed the wet towel from my face to look at him through the camera with a frown. The hot water caressed my skin, the bubbles reflected my profile in a blurry way and the flame of the aromatic candle moved subtly. It was a great evening in the comfort of my tub, but Yuuji seemed to be in the mood to ruin it.

"What the hell is that question?" I scoffed.

"Do you want to know what Choso just told me?" Yuuji asked me while raising his eyebrows.

"Someday they are going to kill you for gossiping". I sighed in annoyance. My little brother is a good guy, but he often shares things that he shouldn’t. That's why I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself instead of telling him.

"It is not gossip, it called being informed," he defended himself. "But you really want to know this. Maybe your relationship with Choso will get better soon.”

Since we were kids, Choso and Yuuji have followed me like loyal soldiers. They accompanied me anywhere at any time, we were the powerful Ryomen trio for as long as I could remember... until that blonde bitch decided to ruin everything with her poisonous presence. Every time I think about what happened, my head hurts. I miss having Choso in my life, but I wasn't going to beg him to come back. It's not my fault he doesn’t want to believe the truth.

"Choso told me that Y/n would call him when she's the protector again. Basically she confessed to him!” Itadori exclaimed excitedly.

I closed my eyes and put the warm towel back on my face. I knew Y/n liked Choso since I saw it in her eyes when we were at the bar after my victory against Fushiguro, but I didn't see Choso as in love as he was with the unmentionable. Maybe it was because I was constantly seeing them, Choso tends to get nervous easily.

When Yuuji first told me, I didn't give a damn, but I overlooked one small detail. “…when I'm the protector again” What the fuck that’s supposed to mean? Did she perhaps believe she was a superhero, chosen by God or a WWE wrestler? I thought it was an weeb joke between them or something, but I was wrong.

"When I saw you in the ring after beating Naoya, I realized that I miss fighting a lot," Y/n approached me without looking at me, her eyes looking at the floor. It was strange to see her act so shy. "I want to be like you," she whispered so that only I could hear her.

My heart skipped a beat in confusion. I knew this would happen one day. She would be leaving soon. I didn't know whether to be offended or flattered by her words. Did she really have to tell me something as cheesy as that? She is the only coach capable enough to teach me how to do floor techniques, the only one who makes me give my 110%, the only one who pays attention to the details and makes sure I achieve perfection. I couldn't lose the only coach who tolerates my attitude.

But he knew he couldn't stop her. He is a free and wild soul, he will always do whatever he wants. There was nothing to fight if he had already made a decision,I knew it why she is similar to me in that aspect. She is a champion before being my coach. If the world doesn't move, she will move it.

"That's why I want to ask you to let me train with you," she bowed in respect. It was a sight worth capturing in my mind and admiring.

"I'm not going to be nice just because you're my coach," I warned her.

"I didn't expect you to be," she told me with a smile. Y/n looked relieved for some reason.

"We start tomorrow," I told him before leaving with Shoko to the therapy room. The last thing I saw when I looked back was her sweet smile that her lips let escape thinking I wasn’t looking.

The fucking alarm woke me up at 5 in the morning as always. I turned it off with a smack and sat on the edge of the bed to fully wake up. I checked my phone and the screen was flooded with happy birthday messages that people had sent me since midnight. I threw the phone on the other side of the bed to go get some breakfast.

The crash of a metal pot caught my attention. I peeked into the kitchen expecting to see the cook, instead I found Y/n in front of the stove wearing an oversized t-shirt with my last name on the back and her hair in a messy ponytail. My eyes couldn't help but roam the length of her legs. I knew she was wearing shorts, but the length of the shirt made it look like she wasn't. It was like she was my girlfriend wearing one of my t-shirts. My face flushed at the thought. “Shit, my last name looks great on her,” I thought.

"Good morning, birthday boy," she greeted me upon realizing my existence.

"And Mrs. Kim?" I asked her as I looked over to see what she was preparing, pretending that I hadn't spent a good time looking at her. On the stove there was an egg white omelet with spinach, the toaster had a couple of breads and in the blender a green juice.

"I told her to take the day off. I will be your cook today, that will be my birthday gift,” she responded with a smile.

"And this shirt?" I asked pinching the fabric.

"Adidas I sent it to you, but since you don't want it, I kept it,” she answered without further ado.

“Well, she looks better than me,” I thought, looking at her thighs when she wasn’t looking.

While we were having breakfast, the doorbell rang. Y/n went to see who it was, there were 4 delivery men ready to delivery more boxes full of gifts. By winning 2 consecutive championship fights, sponsor gifts tripled. Y/n watched open-mouthed as the gifts continued to accumulate at the entrance. All this was a nuisance.

“More garbage,” I huffed once the mailmen left. “Take care of this," I ordered Y/n before I left to get ready to go to the gym.

"Why me?” she wondered, offended.

"I don't have time to send everything to the gym," I answered without paying attention.

"But I'll be late for training!" She exclaimed annoyed.

"So what? We don’t need you much,” I answered with a mischievous smile, I knew that answer would upset her.

"Sukuna!" She squealed in annoyance once I locked myself in my room.

End of Sukuna’s POV

I made myself a cup of coffee to start opening the boxes and putting the gifts in plastic bags so it would be easier to transport to the gym. I sat on the floor to carefully dissect each box. Backpacks, accessories, and hundreds of special socks for athletes. I felt like a little girl opening presents on a crazy Christmas morning.

I opened a box that felt extremely light. Inside was a small red leather box with the Cartier brand engraved in gold. It seemed to be really expensive. Inside was a thin gold chain with a pendant with the initials “S R” engraved on it. Quickly notice that there was a note taped to the cover. This gift wasn't like the others, it gave off a more personal vibe. My curiosity got the best of me and I opened the note.

"Happy Birthday. I hope you take advantage of this.” -Yuki

"I'm leaving," Sukuna caught my attention.

"Wait!" I exclaimed before he opened the door. If this was a special gift for him, I'll have him wear it. "This bracelet will look great on you," I grabbed his left hand to put it on his veiny wrist.

"I don't like bracelets,” He released his hand from my grip and took it away.

I was going to tell him that it was from someone called Yuki, but when he grabbed my hand, my brain went blank. His large, veined hand held mine, so I wouldn't move it. His fingers brushed my skin and I could barely breathe. My heart was beating a mile an hour and I didn't know how to react.

"It looks better on you," he said before turning the chain so that he could see the initials on it. "Matches with your shirt," He winked at me and disappeared through the door.

He closed the door and left me with my mouth on the floor. Did I dream, imagine or wish it? Sukuna had bewitched me with a spell I didn't know existed. I looked at the thin gold chain decorating my wrist in disbelief. It jingled when I turned it to read and saw the engraving again that shone in the light. Sukuna, what does this mean? I don't want to get hurt again.

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[sylaurin]

Iskra eir Baelsar: lore dump

Alright, since people are getting interested in her, lets start with some back story. (apologies as this gets a bit long)

@primamchorus @zylphiacrowley @dragonsongmakhali @kanehon since you all expressed interest.

Iskra was a simple farm girl from a remote area between Dalmasca and the Skatay range. Living a fairly pleasant life learning to live off the land and was a natural hunter, learning some things from the Viera who would travel down from the mountains.

When the Garlean Empire started their second attempt to get to Nagxia and pushing into Dalmasca, a small unit of Garleans that had gotten lost came across the farm Iskra's family lived on. They had no idea who these soldiers were as news of the conflict starting with Dalmasca hadn't reached very far yet, so they provided food and shelter for these lost people until their main host could recover them.

Dalmascan scouts witness the farmers giving shelter to their enemy and marked them as collaborators. While Iskra was out on a hunt, the scouting party attacked and razed the farmstead. Seeing the smoke from the burning fields, Iskra rushed home just in time to see her parents cut down trying to defend their home. Something insider her broke. Rather than be consumed by her emotions they were instead shut off. With cold efficiency, she hunted and slaughtered every Dalmsacan that attacked her home. Only then did she allow herself to grieve.

Drawn by the fires, a Garlean patrol craft lands and investigates finding the young woman sitting on what remained of the stoop of her house with a pile of Dalmascan corpses piled up nearby. While telling them of the events that transpired she learns of the building war with Dalmasca. Iskra asks to join them to enact vengeance on the nation that killed her family.

While serving as a conscript, Iskra quickly found her calling when placed on an intelligence mission. The results of which caught the eye of a visiting legatus, Gaius van Baelsar, who has Iskra transferred to the XIV legion. With even more successful missions under he belt, Gaius devises a strategy not only get Iskra a shot at the Frumentarium Academy but a push to the head of the line. Gaius formally adopts Iskra as his daughter. With fully citizenship and the personal recommendation of a renown legatus, Iskra is accepted and heads to the academy in Garlemald.

Academy life is difficult as she finds her self often held to different standards than her pure-blood Garlean counterparts as well as political meddling from those that think she doesn't belong. Despite this she still managed to graduate at the head of her class, however she gets assigned as a data analyst operating from the consulate in Kugane. Politics.

While in Kugane, the consulate found itself with a leek. Iskra managed to track the leak to a food stall vendor in the nearby markets. This vendor was actually a Doman Shinobi attempting to get the Garleans removed from Hingashi. She befriended the man, never letting slip she was on to him and once he let his guard down she slit his throat. The brass, being thoroughly impressed, finally make her a field operative (which I've talked a little about before in [this] post). Finding herself back in Dalmasca as part of a new counter insurgency unit weeding out the more dug in resistance fighters. It's here that she first meets a Turali man named Thiago who is attached to another unit. They only cross paths a couple times but she finds him obnoxious.

Before her tour is complete, she gets pulled from the field by Gaius and is placed on a new long term deep cover assignment to infiltrate Ala Mhigo and prepare it for invasion...

If you managed to get through all this, thank you for reading my cobbled together backstory of Kabniel's mother.

[bexiguess]

there are some absolutely excellent short hdg stories out there, and i felt it would be neat to compile some of my favorites :)

all of these fics are under 25k words, and i tried to limit myself to only include one work per author. however, most of these authors have multiple works and i highly recommend looking through their catalogs if their writing catches your interest! remember to always leave kudos and comments on works that you enjoy <3 :)

all hdg warnings apply to all of these stories. please read with caution and with your mental health first.

🌸 Last Man Standing by Tsunmene, 8.4k words

Summary

In 2551 CE, the Affini Compact and Terran Accord went to war. This was regarded by most parties as an unprofitable decision.

Bexi's Favorite Bit

Klaxon alarms blared, the three soldiers stopped what they were doing. A general alert was sounding. Enemy warship, by the time that the soldiers had lifted to their feet to take hold of their weapons, the telltale sounds of wrenching steel and slithering vines echoed through the halls. Shots could be heard, shortly followed by shouts of surprise and intervening cries of “finally!”.

This is it! This is it! This is finally it! Ohhhhh sweet mother of mercy I’m finally getting abducted by sexy plant women from beyond the sta-

🌸 Affini Royale by DancingOnTheAshes, 1.5k words

Summary

In the Affini's games only the Affini really win in the end, no matter how hard you try.

Bexi's Favorite Bit

Sammie stared at the floor, at her scuffed boots. "I uhm... I don't think I'm cut out for this, I'd like an owner... please." Her voice was small, her face red with shame. She knew the Affini could hear her though, they could hear a pin drop 100 meters away on a busy street.

🌸 Hunted! A Feral's Last Chance by ChillTheRose & PyxxieStyxx, 13.1k words

Summary

Welcome to Hunted! For our premier episode, we have a wonderful treat for you. A naughty little feralist was recently caught in their adorable little escape pod! In order to bring them in safely, a deal was struck. Derrick Schneider has to survive twelve hours in our wonderful little enclosure without surrendering to domestication! What exactly does Kigelia Paniculata, Second Bloom have in store for our prey? Tune in and find out~

Bexi's Favorite Bit

Step step slide, step step slide.

He blinked slowly, feeling the wind kiss his skin as he took a few steps into the clearing. Dimly, he tried to muster his thoughts, but they seemed to slip out of his fingers like sand. All he could seem to do was keep watching as it drew ever closer to him. It didn’t even appear to be looking at him, and he distantly wondered if this was all a strange dream. Then, as it stepped up right beside him, he saw a large arm swing out, wrapping around his waist. Another arm came out and gently held his right hand, completing the waltz position. He tried to struggle, to escape, to run. Or rather, he tried to try, but… instead, all he could do was follow its lead, his footsteps feeling slow and off-rhythm compared to the sweeping movements of his new partner. His eyes remained locked onto the weed’s, though he could see the flowers and vines in his periphery slowly flex and contract, as if it were breathing all around him. 

🌸 There are No Lies in the Affini Compact by annabool, 6.7k words

Summary

A ragtag band of the last few Terran rebels encounter a mysterious Affini and discover a shocking truth: why *yes*, they *would* make good pets!

Bexi's Favorite Bit

“Oh, dear, that looks like a dangerous toy.” A very dangerous toy, in Red’s estimation. “I’m only here to talk. There’s no need for that. I’m not even a very tough Affini. Why don’t you give that over here for the moment. I can keep it safe for you. I promise I’ll give it back if you ask nicely.”

It was very dangerous to carry. Given that they were only talking there wasn’t really any need for Red to actually carry it herself. If things did devolve into a brawl then she’d just ask for it back first and they’d continue where they left off. Red shrugged, clicked the weapon off, flipped it around in her hand, and held out the safe end towards the waiting affini.

“There’s a good girl.”

🌸 Stages of Succession by Gentle_Breeze, 10.7k words

Summary

A former Terran general, responsible for war crimes against Rinnian and Terran alike and intent on resisting her domestication, is taken on by a very tolerant owner. She intends to fight to the last.

Her owner knows she'll lose eventually.

A human domestication story.

Bexi's Favorite Bit

“Wait,” I ordered.

Sylvia paused and looked at me. I kept my eyes fixed on her chest.

“What is it?”

“You have to remain in this room with me for the next 45 minutes, so I can satisfy my addiction to you,” I stated plainly. There was no reason to try and hide it. She could feel the connection just as well as I could, if not better.

🌸 The Official Human Domestication Guide Holiday Special by SapphicSounds, 4.2k words

Summary

When actual independent cis guy Damien is asked by his affini neighbor to play the role of dress-up Santa at an affini holiday party, he's warned in advance that things tend to get a bit intense at such affairs, but nothing could truly have prepared for him the menagerie of kinky freaks (affectionate) who would soon line up to sit in Santa's lap. A silly HDG crackfic.

Bexi's Favorite Bit

“...You know I think you make a lovely and capable independent sophont, right?” 

“Yes, Menzi.”

“It’s just that if you ever were to decide otherwise I’d be happy to have you.”

“I know, Menzi.”

🌸 Thought I'd See You Again by Fluxom, 4.6k words

Summary

“Can I borrow your ear for a moment?” The affini’s voice froze the blood in Winter’s veins solid. Mentally, she reminded herself of the importance of her rules for slipping under affini’s attention. Be polite, follow orders quietly, *never* flirt back, and most importantly always give the sense of having somewhere else to be. These were important rules. Necessary rules! Otherwise it was far too easy to give one the wrong impression that you, perhaps, were even a bit interested in being bent into place as their pet and having your will crushed into a fine dust under their heels. However, for *this* affini in particular she was distinctly aware that most of these would not help.

Bexi's Favorite Bit

Winter stomached the part of herself that thought it was gross and bent down to pick up her fork, finding a vine stopping her before she could grab it. Of course. “Dear, that’s dirty now. Here, let’s use my set now.” Of course. Let’s. Plural. Winter had no doubt that Lamium’s idea consisted mostly of Winter passively accepting their help and- yeap, there it is. They already sliced off a piece of pancakes and speared it with their fork for her.

🌸 Wild and Domestic by moonchild69, 20.2k words

Summary

On a former Accord settlement that recently fell under Compact jurisdiction, an independent trans woman begins dating a floret. As the two grow closer, a question arises; Can she retain her independence as she spends more and more time around her new girlfriend's owner, and would it be so bad if she doesn't?

Bexi’s Favorite Bit

“How do you stay so cool all the time? In all the time that I've known you I don't think I've ever seen you look like you're anything but on top of the world.”

The older butch chuckled softly and gave his hand a squeeze.

“Well, I could say it's decades of practice, but that'd be a load of dirt. Truth is... Life's been good lately. The company's gone, I'm no longer in debt, and I'm not busting my ass anymore. Got free medical, so all my aches and pains are gone, and I can even get cosmetic surgery any time I want. I used to basically be a prisoner on this planet in everything but name. Now I could choose to be almost anywhere if I felt like it, but I've got everything I want right here. It's a good feeling. Plus, there's this really sweet bunny gal I've been seeing. He's a little bit younger than me, but who gives a damn about that these days anyway?”

🌸 David, the Independent Terran by sheepwave, 6.3k words

**NSFW Art is embedded inside the work**

Summary

David is a cisgendered, heterosexual independent Terran living in the Affini compact. No, seriously. He actually is all of those things.

His buddies, of course, are now all queer transfem human pets, and this is a story about what parts of thier dynamic have changed, and what parts have stayed the same.

Bexi's Favorite Bit

The feeling in David’s chest of wanting to touch the girl now leaning her head on his shoulder was overpowering. He felt guilty, almost, for the thoughts going through his head. Her pretty little collar marked her as a pet to be cared for and he did feel genuinely protective of her. She was so cute like this, but she had also definitely just brushed against his dick through his jeans on purpose. 

Raya took advantage of the fact that the two best players were now very distracted by each other, and scored first place for the first time all night. She turned to them with the widest grin David had ever seen her catlike face make. “David. Jessica. Go fuck each other, I can practically smell the pheromones from here.”

🌸 Heartsong by FemKUltra, 5.9k words

Summary

Adrienne Miller is getting ready for a date with her friend who happens to be an Affini. Just one problem though, she has forgotten to take her Class-C inhibitors. Surely it will be fine, right? What could possibly go wrong?

Bexi's Favorite Bit

“The first time we met, when I accidentally got entranced in your biorhythm it was really scary, and I really appreciated how you gently pulled me out, helped me calm down, and then taught me about the inhibitors. Since then I’ve really gotten to know you, you’ve become a big part of my life. I’ve introduced you to my friends, I’ve even met your floret, but the thing is, I want to be close to you, but when I take the blockers it feels like I’m hitting the mute button on a part of you, a really important part.” You pause for the briefest of moments as you find the resolve to make your feelings clear. “If I can be really honest, now that I know I can trust you, part of me longs to feel the connection we had one more time, and the rest of me is running out of reasons why I shouldn’t."

[old-29]

He needed me

by .O.L.D.

Summary: It’s Susannah’s funeral and you know that Conrad Fisher needs you.

Warning: mention of drugs, funeral, death

*Change of font is a flashback*

He needed me:

A lot of people were in that room, people who barely knew her. It was almost not fair that the people who barely knew her got to grieve when the people who were the closest to her tried their best to keep it together. At least I was trying. However, Susannah made a huge mark on the world so I was at least glad people came to reflect on that. As I was sitting through the eulogy the priest was saying, I refused to show any emotion. At least I tried. I couldn’t break down because of Conrad, I needed to be strong for him and his brother Jeremiah. Even though the two of them sat in front of my family so they couldn’t see if I broke down or not, I still wanted to be strong for them, I wanted to be the person they could lean on, if needed. I was doing a great job bottling everything down until it was Conrad’s turn to speak.

I’ve been in love with Conrad since I’ve been going to Cousins to spend the summer with the Fishers. My mom, Laurel, was best friends with Susannah so I grew up with the 2 brothers every summer. My twin sister, Belly or Isabel, has a massive crush on Conrad too but last summer she was on her last straw with him. You see, last summer, the last one we had with Susannah, Conrad and I had a moment. I was the only one who was there for him with what he was going through. I know my sister tried by wanting him to open up to her and she was coming off a little forceful but I took a different approach that Conrad was not expecting.

I sat there on the beach, completely spacing out and forgetting the world. My sister and I just finished embarrassing ourselves at the first annual bonfire. As in “embarrassing ourselves”, I mean, Belly embarrassing herself and me just kinda being there. I was always just there. I don’t really have any of my own friends at school, I just hang out with Belly and every boy I think is interested in me, it’s Belly they like. See, I’m just there. I was completely lost in thought until a very handsome boy sat next to me.

“I knew I would find you here”,Conrad said as he pulled a joint out of his pocket.

I was never one to talk to him, of course I did but it was usually a conversation accompanied by my brother, sister, Jeremiah or one of the moms. If I was stuck having a conversation by myself with Conrad, I was a stuttering mess which he seemed to find very amusing.

As I looked over at him, I began to see how tired and worried the boy was which he tried to hide with an asshole demeanour. As I continued to unravel the boy, all the thoughts that were helping me form a conversation just disappeared and I just spoke.

“Connie, I’m not expecting you to tell me what’s wrong or to open up to me eventually and I’m not going to lecture you on why you are acting the way you are. All I’m going to say is stop throwing away who you are. Smoking weed isn’t like you and drinking a lot isn’t like you. You quit training camp which I know that even if you sat on the bench all season, you’d still have the time of your life. So, you can keep telling everyone that nothing is wrong and that you’re “fine” but I know that it’s complete and utter bullshit. All I’m trying to say is that I am worried about you and that I hope you know that whatever is going on, I’m here for you, even if you need me to sit on the beach and watch you smoke. I’d do anything because I love you, Conrad!”

Then I embraced him in a hug. I wasn’t expecting him to tell me what was wrong like my sister, mom and Susannah had been. I just needed him to know that I was there for him. However, I also wasn’t expecting pulling back from the hug only to receive one of the best first kisses someone could ever experience. He was gentle yet showed a lot of passion. His hands cupped my face as mine rested on his shoulders. It was a much needed kiss that held so much emotion and unsaid things.

“I love you too, y/n.”

I don’t know what went wrong after that. I was too nervous to talk to him after our moment, even though he expressed multiple times that he wanted to talk to about what happened. I would’ve dated him in a heartbeat but I didn’t want him to feel burdened by me and I felt that I would screw something up and that I was not good enough for him. So, we went back to being “friends” and I watched him date Nicole while meanwhile I was dying inside. However, Conrad continued being there for me while I continued being there for him. He even became my escort because I didn’t want to ask anyone else but him so Susannah “forced” him to take me. However, Conrad said that he was glad he took me in the first place. Then that night, everyone found out Susannah’s cancer came back which Conrad knew about for a long time. The rest of summer was all of us hanging out together as a group until summer was over and it was time to return back home. We would spend the rest of the year not reaching out until one day I received an out of the blue call from a sobbing Conrad about how his mother was dying. Then, my mom flew out to Boston so she could be there to support Susannah and the boys and the week before the funeral, my siblings and I flew out to support Conrad and Jeremiah which is now leading us to this day.

It was Conrad’s turn to speak and I watched as he stood up and walked towards the seat up at the front of the church, sit down and pull out an acoustic guitar

“This is the song that she would always ask me to play for her.”

He was so nervous and he kept glancing around the room until he met my eyes. Then he began to sing.

“Oh where, oh where, can my baby be? The lord took her away from me. She’s gone to heaven so I’ve got to be good so I can see my baby when I leave this world.”

All the strength that I had mustered up so I could be strong for the two Fisher brothers disappeared and I began silently sobbing. My sister noticed as she wrapped her arm around me. I was shaking with every sob. Conrad made direct eye contact with my sobbing self and he began to stutter over the lyrics. I watched as he tried to gain the strength to continue singing but every time he tried, he kept breaking down. I knew how much this song meant to him and that in this moment he wanted nothing more to finish it for his mom, so I stood up and started to make my way over to where he sat.

“Sit down, y/n”, my mom exclaimed in a very serious yet whispered voice.

My mom was always very critical on decisions I’d make or things I’d try to do. Yes, she was like this with my other siblings but it never compared to me.

“Let her go, Laurel”, my dad whispered back.

I began to walk up to him. He stared in my eyes and with each step closer to him, I could see all of his sadness freeze, even if it was just for a moment. I found myself standing behind him and putting my hand on his very tense shoulder. I bent down to whisper in his ear:

“I’m here for you Connie. I’m right here.”

His shoulders seemed to relax and then Conrad began to sing again. I knew that he needed someone there for him in this moment. As he sang, I began to cry again so I rested my head on Conrad’s head so no one could see my tears. I knew people could tell I was crying because my body was shaking with sobs. However, none of it mattered because I was there with Conrad. Once Conrad finished, I wiped my tears away and gave Conrad a very weak smile as he stood up to look at me.

“Thank you, y/n/n.”

I grabbed his hand as I saw tears forming in his eyes. I gave his hand a squeeze and went to let it go but Conrad grasped it. I knew he still needed me. We walked back to our seats and instead of me sitting with my family, I sat with Conrad as he rested his head on my shoulder with my hand still in his.

Once the funeral service was over, he turned to look at me.

“Can you stay with me, y/n/n. I really need you.”

“Of course, Connie. Anything you need me to do, I will.”

With that, we stood up and walked out of the church. My dad gave Conrad and I a ride over to the reception. Conrad never said a word the rest of the day but he never let me go. He either held my hand, my waist or made sure our arms were touching. He needed me and quite frankly, I needed him too. It always made me feel better to know that he was ok.

All I knew is that I needed to be there for the boy I loved for years as I still and always will love him.

[koukaimagines]

Hello!! What do you think of a scenario where a goofy reader goes quiet bc of yoon says something like “can you be serious for one second? I wish you’d just stop!” bc he’s stressed out. Then reader stays quiet for a few hours and the HHB don’t really notice until yoon catches her by herself and realizes she’s crying and was trying to hide she felt bad about it cue clearing misunderstandings and fluff!!

I think that sounds very interesting anon! Thank you for sending this one in! Yoon is so cute and I love writing him. Cue silly squabble followed by fluff! I hope this is good, I'm still a little rusty after prying my way out of writer's block and this is my first time writing a scenario request in a WHILE. But I had so much fun writing him! So once again, thank you! I hope any Yun fans reading enjoy it too.

Side note- I never know how to spell his name. Akayona seems based off of ancient korea with the names at least so Yoon feels right to me but I'm so used to seeing it spelt as Yun! I'll keep to Yoon in the writing for now, but what do you guys think?

Reader pronouns are she/her as used in anon's ask!

word count: 1402

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoon

The past few days have been awfully tense for the Happy Hungry Bunch and the Dark Dragon. Resources have been low and all your faces are fresh in the minds of the Kouka citizens. You’re on the run. Your access to village traders and merchants isn’t as lenient as it used to be— you’re forced to wear your hoods over your heads and keep out of sight.

On guard duty, while you and Yoon weren’t looking, a bundle of herbs was carried off by curious critters into the depths of the forest. Luckily, it was nothing you didn’t have seconds of, but resources being as scarce as they were, it weighed on Yoon’s mind quite heavily. 

“Crap— What were you doing??? That could’ve— ugh—” The young genius clenched his hands into fists as his mind turned upside down, trying to find a solution that didn’t exist. His fists loosened, and he found nothing but the end of his sentence. “That was at least one injury’s worth of herbs. Those plants don't grow around here.” He said, turning his back to you and crouching near his bag. He knew this wasn’t the time for an argument. He himself didn’t quite have the energy for one either.

"Well, at least the animals won’t have to worry about an injury then," you smirk, trying to ease his mind with a cute joke. You smile at the thought of raccoons putting their opposable thumbs to use with a rock somewhere, pounding the weeds the way you see Yoon do so often.

Unfortunately, your joke didn't quite land with him.

“Are you being serious?” He turns to you as he's crouched.

“I dunno, when am I ever?” You chuckle, not noticing how his tone is darker than it usually is when he banters with you. You smile at him in hopes that your expression would make him realize the situation itself wasn’t as dire as he made it out to be.

Yoon’s brows furrowed, and your smile faded. He rapidly shot up from his spot, his beautiful features scrunched in a scowl.

“Well, would it kill you to be serious for once??” He thundered. You blinked, trying to process his tone, why he was so upset— and why at you. His gaze grew more intense at your silence. “This is no time to be joking around! Do you realize that??? We’re already low on resources as it is, and you know with this group, injuries are as inevitable as there are stars in the sky!” 

Yoon bit his lip to try to put a lid on his boiling emotions. This was not the time. He needs to prepare for dinner.

“What’s wrong?” A voice emerges from beyond the tree trunks. Yona hurriedly steps through the beaten path and takes a glance back and forth between your expressions.

“What, are they fighting or something?” Hak strolls in, carrying a stack of twigs in his arm. You stay quiet. You don’t know how to answer that, at least not seriously, you suppose.

“Not really.” Yoon mumbles, turning his back to you once more to sort through the edible flora he’s found throughout the day. “Leave your wood by that trunk, Thunder Beast.” 

Your face feels numb at his answer, and you stare at the small back that never failed to support you and everyone else around him. His words echo in your head as footsteps approach you.

“Are you alright?” A dignified voice addresses you, and you look up to see Kija gazing at you with concern laced in his brow. You force a smile.

“Y-Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be? Yoon and I kinda messed up a bit, that’s all… Some raccoons had their way with some of his herbs.” You mutter, busying yourself by taking some materials the returning group brought back.

Kija eyed you with concern as you set down some dry leaves for kindle, but didn’t pry.

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

The tree branches rustled as the wind carried night across the sky. The fire lapped at the cold air of the season, and dinner was ready. Scooping some soup into some wooden bowls, Yoon bellowed the signal.

“Okay, good work everyone! Dinner’s ready.”

Six bodies crowded around the pot. Yoon raised a brow at the odd void he felt after seeing everyone present— everyone but you.

“Where’s Y/N?”

His question incited many heads to turn and scan the area.

“Ah… come to think of it, she said she’d be going to the bathroom…” Jaeha noted. “Quite some time ago,” he smirked awkwardly, trying to mask his worry as he noted the different colour of the sky now as opposed to when you spoke to him.

Concern began to shape Yoon’s features. “A while ago? Which way did she go?” His heart and mind began to race. His eyes wavered as he stood, and he set the ladle down in the pot filled with a concoction of gruel and herbs. 

“She stepped off somewhere that way. I’ll take Shinah with me, so you can sit tight, Yoon. I’ll bring your little darling back soon.” Jaeha winked. Yoon felt his cheeks warm.

 “She’s not!—” The pretty boy genius cut himself off as he swallowed his pride. This was not the time to fall for Jaeha’s antics. He sifted through the possible fates you might be subject to while his eyes aren’t on you, and a sudden pang hit his chest. At the same moment, Yoon struck an odd realization. 

Were you bothered by what he said earlier? 

Concern started to blur into frustration, annoyance, and guilt. “God… you idiot! What a pain...” He exclaimed under his breath. “Ugh, I’ll look for her! I need to talk to her!” He blurted, hurriedly gathering a few supplies and setting off towards the direction Jaeha pointed in.

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

It didn’t take long for Yoon to find you. You were a little ways out by the river. When he found you, the moonlight kissed your tears as they fell. You were hugging your knees as you watched the steady flow of the stream. The young boy clenched his chest in an attempt to quell an ache he knew he caused.

“Hey, Y/N—” He stepped closer to you, feeling his cheeks warm from the awkward predicament he’s put himself in. He tried to gather the words, but they just didn’t seem to want to come out. “You know, I—”

“I’m sorry,” you managed to say. He held his tongue. His throat felt tight.

That was his line.

“We’re dying just to survive— and I’m making light of things, I’m sorry. You were right.” You muttered through your sleeves as you wiped your disobedient tears. Yoon blinked. That’s not what he wanted to hear, and he was sure that wasn’t not the point you wanted to come to.

“That’s— That’s not it, Y/N, I—” He sighed. He set down his makeshift light source and sat down a ruler’s distance from you. “I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I completely went overboard—” He turned his gaze to the river. “I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you like that.” He balled his hands into fists on his lap as he fretted over you dimming your warm radiance all because of him. As silly as you were, your idiocy kept the group smiling on some of your worst nights— some of his worst nights— and was a warmth that was irreplaceable in his eyes. “We might be dying to survive, but— w-we can afford to spare a few weeds here and there.” He spoke haughtily.

His blue eyes shined as he lifted his gaze. He took a few shy glances at you before mumbling.  

“A-At least the animals won’t have to worry about an injury anymore, right?”

You turned to him in surprise. His cheeks were red and he looked away when you looked at him. A smile creeped on your lips— that one definitely landed for you.

"Yeah. Do you think raccoons would grind the herbs the way you do? They've got opposable thumbs, don't they?"

His eyes widened as his gaze returned to you. Your smile was infectious, and he began to feel its symptoms.

"You idiot." He whispered. "Even if they did, they wouldn't be able to do it half as well as I can."

With that, you both chuckled in each other's company before you made your way back for dinner.

[lady-wallace]

Whumptober Day 16: Necrosis

More Obey Me! for today's @whumptober prompt. Picnics gone wrong.

Prompt: Necrosis, swamp, wound cleaning Fandom: Obey Me! Nightbringer Character: Barbatos

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Read on Ao3

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Day 16: Necrosis

Helena accompanies Barbatos on an errand to pick a special flower from the swamp. However, a strange bite leaves the butler in a very bad way. (Protagonist POV)

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It was actually a really lovely day, despite the fact we were currently trekking through marshland deep in the woods. The castle grounds and the city were a mere thought this far out. I’ll admit that when Barbatos asked if I’d accompany him on an errand I hadn’t exactly pictured getting up at the crack of dawn and driving out to the woods and then proceeding to hike for another two hours, but now that we were settled in, I was actually enjoying it. It was nice to get away from the city, especially to spend some time with Barbatos where his attentions weren’t first and foremost devoted to his young master.

“What exactly are we looking for again?” I asked as my boots squelched in the moist ground.

“Marsh hell lilies,” Barbatos replied over his shoulder. “They only bloom this time of year and they can be used for various recipes when dried. Prince Diavolo particularly enjoys them steeped in tea so I always like to collect a large quantity of them when I can.”

I nodded as I followed him. “They sound interesting.”

“I’ll make you a cup sometime.” He smiled at me. “They also make a fantastic addition to tea cakes.”

“I’d love to try some.”

He turned around with a pleased sound, pointing ahead. “Looks like we’ve arrived.”

We stepped into a clearing that held a large swamp in the center of it. The croak of frogs and the buzz of insects could be heard flitting among the lily pads. Flowers that bloomed a deep fiery red covered the area and I stood in awe.

“It’s beautiful!”

“They make quite a sight, don’t they?” Barbatos replied as he slid the backpack he was carrying off his shoulder, opening it to retrieve two pairs of clippers. “Let’s get to work then. Cut as many as you can and tie them in bundles—it will make them easier to carry and allow us to hang them to dry as soon as we get back.”

I nodded and took one of the pairs of clippers as I stepped toward the edge of the pond.

“And be careful, Helena, there’s some less than savory creatures in these parts. Watch where you step.”

“Right,” I replied, gingerly making my way through the weeds as I approached the first patch of the lilies. They really were beautiful; deep red and orange in color and the smell was sweet and spicy at the same time. I could see why they would make good tea if they tasted half as good as they smelled.

I cut the bunch and tied them together before moving on to the next one, piling the bundles into the basket I had brought.

“How are you doing?” Barbatos asked a little further down the way, cutting several of the flowers.

“Good,” I replied.

He smiled. “When we get tired, we can break for lunch, I packed a little picnic—ah!”

He pulled his hands back from the bunch of flowers he had been cutting, looking into the weeds around it.

“Barbatos?” I asked, straightening up. “Is something wrong?”

He rubbed at the back of his wrist briefly and shook his head. “Just a bug bite, I believe. There’s quite a few of them flying around.”

“Maybe you should take your own advice and be careful?” I teased.

He gave me a longsuffering, yet fond look. “Perhaps you’re right.”

We went back to cutting, building up a sizable pile of the flowers.

I finally sat back on my heels, rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand, peeling my silver curls away from my sweaty forehead. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to carry any more than this back,” I called to Barbatos.

He had moved around the pond toward me as he worked and finally glanced over at the pile we’d cut, kneeling as he tied up the last of the flowers.

“I think you’re right,” he said and made to stand.

I was surprised to see him stagger slightly, teetering so much he had to steady himself on the trunk of a tree. I reached out instinctively to grab his arm.

“Are you okay?” I couldn’t help but ask. It was rare to see him do so much as misstep. He was always so put together.

Barbatos gave a light laugh. “Quite fine, thank you. The ground is rather soft here.”

I nodded but could have sworn his unsteadiness continued as he made his way back up to where we had left our stuff. We bundled the flowers into the bags to carry them back.

“Ready for a little lunch?” the butler asked.

“Please! That was a lot of work,” I admitted.

“Hopefully rewarding work, though.” He chuckled and knelt to pull a blanket out of his bag.

I helped him spread it on the ground and we sat down as he pulled out sandwiches and thermoses of iced tea and cordial.

“This looks delicious, thank you so much for bringing lunch,” I said sincerely as I selected one of the perfectly made sandwiches.

“My pleasure,” Barbatos replied fondly and started to remove the gloves he had been wearing to collect the flowers.

As he set them aside and reached for one of the thermoses, I caught sight of a dark spot on the back of his wrist and couldn’t help the small gasp that escaped me.

“Barbatos, what is that?”

He stopped and glanced down at his arm, his own face confused. “I believe that’s where I got the bug bite.”

“Let me see,” I insisted and took his hand before I realized what I was doing. I started to flush before my worry overcame my embarrassment. There was a swollen spot on his wrist nearly the same color as his nail polish, dark veins stretching outward from it.

“This looks bad,” I said. “Are you sure it was just a bug bite?”

He studied it with a frown before pulling his sleeve down and gently slipping his hand from mine. “I’ll treat it once we get home.”

I pressed my lips together, more worried than I probably should be. It did look bad, but maybe it wasn’t actually as bad as it appeared to be.

“Please don’t worry over me,” Barbatos said. “It’s just a little inconvenience. Let’s enjoy our lunch.”

I nodded and let him pour me a cup of cold cordial. I didn’t mention the slight tremor in his hand. It might have just been my imagination.

The hike and the work had made me hungry and I ate several of the sandwiches before I noticed that Barbatos had barely finished one, mostly focusing on drinking tea. There was a sheen of sweat on his brow that was persistent despite our immobility and the pleasant breeze.

“Are you not hungry?” I asked.

“I had a large breakfast,” Barbatos replied dismissively.

My worry growing, I set my empty cup aside. “We should probably start to head back, don’t you think? Then we can get your bite tended to.”

Barbatos gave me a tired smile. “I told you I was fine, Helena…”

I ignored him and started packing everything up. He reached for the thermoses to help but knocked one over, cherry red cordial spreading over the cloth.

“Oh my, that was unforgivably clumsy of me,” he muttered, clicking his tongue.

“It’s all right, we’re just on a picnic,” I assured him. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“That’s very kind of you.”

His hands were definitely shaking as he attempted to pick up the thermos again and I reached out to grab his hand, stopping him.

“Barbatos, you…”

He gave my hand a brief squeeze. “I’ll be all right,” he said softly, reaching up with his other hand to wipe a drop of sweat from his brow. “But you’re right, let’s get back before those flowers wilt. It’s rather warm out here today.”

I frowned. It really wasn’t that warm, and I was only growing more worried about Barbatos as we picked everything up and started back on the long hike to the car.

It didn’t take long for me to notice Barbatos lagging behind me slightly, his breathing sounding labored.

I stopped and turned to him. “Do you need to take a break?”

He frowned, slightly indignant. “No. I’m fine.”

Even as he said it, he swayed slightly, and his free hand came up to rest against his stomach, face paling.

“Barbatos, don’t lie to me,” I snapped suddenly, fist clenching around the handle of the basket I carried. “I think that bite was worse than you’re letting on.”

He looked like he was about to protest, but his shoulders slumped slightly, the hand against his stomach curling into his shirt. “Perhaps you’re right. I seem to be…experiencing several undesirable symptoms.”

“Like that?” I demanded.

He cocked his head to one side. “Fatigue, nausea, sweating.”

“Does it hurt?”

“A bit around the bite, yet.”

I nodded firmly. “Okay, thank you for being honest with me. Do you think you can make it back to the car?”

“There’s not really another option,” he admitted and I knew that was unfortunately true. He smiled though. “Unless, of course, you plan to carry me and all of these flowers.”

“I will if I have to,” I snapped, then stepped up beside him, grabbing hold of the basket handle with him. “At least let me help you.”

He sighed, but didn’t protest. “I’ll accept that.”

We continued, but I noticed with increasing worry that Barbatos’ steps grew more and more clumsy as we went along until he was nearly tripping over his feet.

“Here, lean on me,” I coaxed, ducking in.

He shook his head. “We’ll have to lose one of the baskets if we do that. I can manage…”

But even as he spoke, he let out a soft sound of pain and doubled over slightly, clutching his stomach.

“Barbatos!” I cried, instantly dropping my basket and grabbing his arms to steady him.

He gasped at my touch and flinched away. He staggered back against a tree, eyes squeezed in pain as he breathed heavily.

“What’s wrong?!” I demanded.

He gave a soft groan, forcing himself to straighten up. “It’s…I’m experiencing some muscle spasms and cramping.”

“Barbatos that’s not good!” I snapped and practically yanked the basket from him. “We need to get back to the car. We can come back for these later.”

“They’ll be past saving by then.”

“Better them than you!” I snapped.

Barbatos stared at me in surprise for a long second before he slumped in acquiescence. “Very well. I apologize for my foolishness.”

I pulled his arm around my shoulders and wrapped my other arm around his waist. He rested a lot of his weight on me, telling me just how much he was struggling.

We made it a few feet before Barbatos’ feet got tangled together and he stumbled, taking me down with him.

He caught himself with a gasp of pain and I looked down to see the hand he had steadied himself with.

Dark lines covered it, stretching from under his sleeve.

“Let me look at that,” I coaxed.

He sat back against a large stone, catching his breath as I grabbed his hand and pushed up his sleeve.

I gasped, genuinely shocked at how much worse the bite looked.

It had turned purple with a ring of red around it, the flesh slightly sunken and sickeningly discolored around it. The dark veins of poison continued up Barbatos’ arm as well, disappearing under his sleeve.

I swallowed hard. “Barbatos, I think something is very wrong with this.”

He blinked and glanced down, his own eyes widening. “Yes…I…I believe you’re right.”

“What could do this?”

He leaned further back against the rock, sweat practically pouring from his face now. “It…might be a swamp spider bite. Their bites are known to have severe symptoms and the venom can sometimes cause necrosis.”

My eyes widened in horror. “The venom is spreading! How do we stop it?”

He lolled his head, looking around. “We may be able to…draw it out. If you can find some skunk weed and…moss…”

I got up immediately, and began searching the area. Thankfully I was able to find what I needed and ran back.

Barbatos was clumsily trying to loosen his collar and I swiftly knelt beside him and reached out to help.

“Here, I’ll get you some more to drink in a minute…” I trailed off as I noticed a few faint black tendrils creeping up his neck. I peeled the collar of his shirt aside and saw that they extended from his shoulder.

“Barbatos…” I hesitated. “I need you to take your shirt off.”

He blinked at me, slightly shocked. “I’m sorry?”

I flushed, but continued. “I need to see how far this had gone.”

He complied and I helped him with the buttons, my cheeks flushing hotter as I pulled one side of his shirt open and eased his arm out of the sleeve. I would have been extremely flustered to be this close to him in his half-undressed state if I wasn’t so worried by what I had uncovered.

The black veins had traveled all the way from the suppurating wound on his wrist up to his shoulder where they were starting to spread over his neck and right pectoral.

“Barbatos,” I whispered, terror washing over me.

He tilted his head to see the extent of the damage and shut his eyes briefly. “We’ll try to draw it out with the poultice,” he said quietly.

I nodded, snapping myself into gear and crushed the plants up in my hands, pressing them against the bite and tying a kerchief around his arm to hold it there. He winced, the flesh obviously tender to the touch.

“Thank you,” he murmured, briefly pressing his hand over mine. His touch was so weak, it made me even more frantic to get him home.

“Hopefully that slows it down a little,” I said. “But we…we need to get back to the car, Barbatos. Can you make it?”

He nodded tiredly.

“Okay, I’ll help you up. On three—one, two…”

He staggered and I barely kept us both from falling. Despite his slim frame, Barbatos was solid, all lithe muscles that were currently trembling from the effects of the poison tearing its way through his veins.

My fear lent me strength, somehow keeping Barbatos upright and heading forward as we went as quickly as possible down the path.

I almost sobbed when we got to the edge of the forest and I saw the car. I got Barbatos into the passenger seat, situating him as carefully as possible before I grabbed the keys from his bag.

I drove as fast as I could while still obeying the laws of the road to get back to the palace. Barbatos was slumped in the seat, unresponsive by then and I wasn’t sure I had ever felt so much terror for anyone in my life. To think that a day that had started out so pleasant could have changed so drastically in a matter of hours. All because of a spider bite.

I skidded the car to a stop in front of the palace and hurried inside to call for help.

Amidst the hubbub Diavolo showed up.

“What’s going on?”

I swallowed hard. “Barbatos was bitten by a swamp spider…he’s…he’s really sick.” I bit the inside of my cheek but I couldn’t keep my voice from wavering.

Diavolo’s eyes widened and he hurried out to the car. “Barbatos?”

The butler didn’t respond and Diavolo waved the milling guards aside. “I’ll take him.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

He smiled at me as he reached into the car. “I’m sure. Just promise me you won’t tell him? He’d never forgive himself.”

I gave the prince a wavering smile and hurried after him as he brought Barbatos to the butler’s room, laying him on the bed.

“I called the physician, my lord,” one of the guards said.

“Thank you,” Diavolo said.

I hurried to the bathroom to grab a wet cloth. I returned to Barbatos’ bedside, and started to wipe the sweat from his face and neck, worried about the fact that the veins still seemed to be spreading, if not quite as rapidly as before.

The doctor came quickly and inspected the wound, peeling back the poultice I had put on it earlier.

“You did good putting this on,” he told me. “It kept it from getting much worse. Unfortunately, the only way to stop the spread of the venom is to cut out the infected flesh around the wound. Once we do that, we can draw the rest of the poison from his system.”

I swallowed, pale and horrified at the notion, but if that was the only way there was nothing else for it.

“I’ll get my supplies and be back shortly.” The doctor left, leaving me alone in the room with Diavolo and the unconscious Barbatos. I tried to distract myself by continuing to dab his forehead.

“I’m sure Barbatos would apologize to you for not bringing back the marsh lilies,” I said quietly.

Diavolo snorted. “Of course he would. But it’s all right. He’s a lot more invaluable to me than some specialty tea.” He gave me a soft look. “To you too, I’m sure.”

I blushed, brushing Barbatos’ bangs back from his clammy forehead. “I hate seeing him like this,” I admitted. “It’s just…wrong.”

Diavolo nodded solemnly. “I feel the same. But I genuinely appreciate how you helped him, Helena. I’m not sure Barbatos would have been so willing to be open around anyone else.”

The doctor returned, setting a tray of sterile instruments onto the bedside table.

“This should be simple enough,” he commented, taking a folded towel and placing Barbatos’ injured arm on top of it. “If you could perhaps hold him still, though? This will not be a pleasant procedure and I don’t want him moving around.”

I swallowed hard but nodded. Diavolo cleared his throat and stepped over to the bed, positioning himself to hold down Barbatos’ legs.

I took I took Barbatos’ free hand, holding it tightly in some attempt at comfort as I pressed my other hand against his shoulder.

“Alright, I’ll do this as quickly as possible,” the doctor said and took up a scalpel.

Diavolo turned aside sickly and I glanced down at Barbatos’ hand clutched in mine, holding onto him tightly.

As soon as the doctor started, Barbatos let out a soft sound of pain, tossing his head weakly. Diavolo and I leaned our weight against him, making sure he didn’t move. He tried to kick once, letting out a strangled cry, but I soothed him softly, rubbing his knuckles.

The doctor finished quickly as promised and flushed the wound over a bowl before bandaging a fresh poultice over the wound. Barbatos lay limp on the bed, sweat glistening against his brow and chest.

“There. This should start the healing process. We’ll change the poultice out a few more times until we can’t see the veins anymore.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Diavolo said.

The doctor bowed. “I’ll be back to check on him later.”

I went back to washing the sweat from Barbatos before he started to shiver and I paused to reach down and pull the blanket over him.

“I have duties that I need to see to,” Diavolo said reluctantly. “Would you watch over him for me?”

“Of course,” I said instantly.

Diavolo smiled. “Thank you. Please let me know if you need anything.”

I nodded and he left the room.

I pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and took up my vigil. I reached under the blankets and took Barbatos’ hand again, squeezing gently.

“I know you’ll get better but you scared the hell out of me,” I whispered. “Please don’t do that again.”

He didn’t reply, deeply asleep. I laid my head down on the bed at his shoulder and finally allowed my eyes to fall shut, my constant worry over the last couple hours finally dragging me into exhaustion.

I woke later to a shifting beside me and a soft moan. I started awake, my hand clenching around something as I pushed myself up, realizing where I was and whose hand I was holding.

Barbatos shifted on the bed, eyes squeezed briefly before they fluttered open, his green eyes staring out blearily before they landed on mine.

“Hey,” I said softly, offering a smile. “How are you feeling?”

He cringed, starting to pick his injured arm up before he seemed to regret the movement, letting it fall back to his side. “Not at my best, regrettably.”

I squeezed his hand and he stared up at me again, a soft expression on his face. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember much after getting back to the car, but I assume I have you to thank for getting us home.”

I shrugged a bit self-conscious. “You were sick, I had to get you help.”

I finally released his hand and reached out to adjust his blankets, checking to see how the venom was progressing. I was relieved to see that the dark veins had faded to almost nothing, only visible right around the area of the wound itself.

“Helena…” Barbatos called softly, reaching up to brush his fingers over my cheek. I reached up and pressed my hand over his, leaning into his touch with a shuddering breath.

“Please don’t scare me like that again,” I blurted.

He looked slightly surprised, but also chastened. “I deeply apologize for worrying you. I shouldn’t have ignored the bite for as long as I did. It was careless.”

I nodded silently. “Yes, it was. But I’m glad you’re okay now. And you had better stay in bed until you feel well because if you even think of getting up before you’re completely recovered…”

“Hmm, but who will see to duties while I’m convalescing?” he asked.

“I’m sure Diavolo has already lined something up. He would agree with me about your recovery.”

“And what about you?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.

I gave him a firm look. “I will be here looking after you to make sure you stay in bed and recover swiftly.”

“Is that so?” he asked with a slightly teasing look, pulling my hand to his lips and kissing my knuckles, making me blush. “I suppose I can endure that.”

I smiled back. “How about some tea to start?”

He leaned back against his pillows with a sigh. “That sounds perfect.”