#but muse has been high for so long so i rode the wave

[irxnmaiden]

[averillaratargaryen]

“A Better Man.”

Chapter XV

The sun hung high in the sky, casting a golden glow over the sprawling meadow as they rode side by side.

The horses’ hooves rhythmically thudded against the soft earth, a gentle breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers around them.

The warmth of the sun kissed their skin, the sky a brilliant blue with only a few cotton-like clouds drifting lazily.

Averillars and Ser Gwayne were both riding their horses, as promised to last nights dinner.

Averillara rode her horse forward as she looked back and chuckled, proving Ser Gwayne right, “I told you, I am a fast rider.”

However, he had managed to meet with her in only a space of a couple of seconds, his hand brushing against hers as their horses drew closer, their laughter mixing with the rustle of leaves in the distant trees.

“It is lovely here” Ser Gwayne looked around to the clear skies, “a perfect day at the perfect time.”

Averillara smiles, “it is the most calmness I have felt within weeks. You are great company, I must thank you for that.”

“As are you” Ser Gwayne tilted his head with a smile.

“Did Rhaena and Ser Garmund not wish to join us?” Averillara asks.

“They have other plans, I suppose. Which reminds me” Ser Gwayne and Averillara slow down their riding as they wish to speak to one another, “what was with that conversation last night? You and my nephew, Aegon?”

“Oh it was nothing” Averillara chuckles awkwardly, “we were childhood friends and were just.. sharing a joke with one another.”

See Gwayne looked at her, unconvinced, “there was a lot of tension built up between the both of you. Are you sure everything is alright?”

“Everything is fine” Averillara brushed it off, waving her hand at him, “we are fine.”

“Well, I must take your word for it” Ser Gwayne responds.

The two continue to ride on, reaching within the long trees, leading deeper into the field.

“So, Ser Gwayne” Averillara spoke, “how is it that you are yet to find yourself a wife?”

“I suppose my father has never really put me out there, for others to see or recognise me” Ser Gwayne let out a small smile, “Alicent has been my father’s focus. Especially after my mother had passed away.”

“I’m sorry” Averillara sympathises with him.

Ser Gwayne nods, “and what of you? Have you ever been in love? At your young age, I’m sure it has been easy to find love, no?”

“It would be easy, if I truly had someone to love” Averillara signed, looking ahead, “loving someone can result in only two things. A happy ending, or a feeling of hurt and betrayal.”

The two stopped in their tracks, as Ser Gwayne continues to hear Averillars speak.

“Love” she muses, “is like the softest rain falling gently on a parched earth. It doesn’t rush, it doesn’t demand; it simply nourishes. It’s in the quiet moments, when two souls sit in comfortable silence, feeling the warmth of each other’s presence without the need for words.”

Ser Gwayne looks at her in must shock, as he whispers, “wow.”

“It is the way hearts intertwine, not through grand gestures but in the small, unnoticed things—the way fingers brush, or a glance lingers just a second longer” Averillara then looks to Ser Gwayne, “that is what love is.”

“If you know this much, you must have been in love at one point in your life” Ser Gwayne asks.

“I was” Averillara nods, “but as I mentioned, love only ends with two results. A happy ending or feelings of hurt and betrayal.”

“I’m sorry” Ser Gwayne apologises, realising the ending Averillara referred herself for.

Averillara shook her head, smiling as she looked at him, “it was lovely whilst it lasted. But sometimes, you must chose yourself. Loving yourself will be the best thing for you.”

Ser Gwayne looks into her eyes, his amusement and her intelligence having his heart beat fast.

He takes a glance at her lips, before looking up the her eyes, once again.

The hurt was evident, now that he truly looked at her, the two sharing this silent moment, looking into one another.

“Uncle Gwayne” both, Averillara and Ser Gwayne’s shoulders jump, looking away from each other, to see Aemond following behind them.

“Aemond! What brings you here?” Ser Gwayne looks around awkwardly, Averillara simply just looking away.

“I have always had an interest for such.. greenery” Aemond lies.

“Have you?” Averillara asks, looking back at him questionably.

“Yes” Aemond glares at her, “Princess.”

Averillara rolled her eyes, a chuckle escaping her as she looks away.

“Why not join me? I am heading straight, towards the water fall. I’m sure you have not seen such great scenery as that” Aemond asks.

“Yes, of course” Ser Gwayne then looks to Averillara, “is that okay with you?”

“Of course” Averillara nods with a smile.

Aemond rode past, looking towards Averillara.

He gives her his courtesy, bowing his head at her, “Princess.”

“Prince..” Averillara does the same, yet more slowly, as she looks at him with a confused look on her face.

Aemond only smiles smugly, riding ahead, Ser Gwayne then following beside him.

The two begin to talk, leaving Averillara to go unnoticed, having her then take a different route, through the woods.

…

They come to a lake, before Averillara jumps off, petting her horse as she did, allowing him to eat and drink, as they stopped near a lake.

As she is petting him, her mind becomes fogged up of memories. Ones of her and Aegon, and the night that the two first kissed.

After speaking with Ser Gwayne of love, it was the only scenario that played in her head. Repeatedly.

The promises he made of wishing to marry her. To run away.

A smile escapes from her teary eyes, remembering the rash decision of running away, knowing Aegon was quite serious about it.

Yet it was a childish thought to have.

But that is what she had loved of him. His child like personality, his soft touch, his calm voice. Yet all of it was seen to be fading away, remembering Ser Cole’s words.

The last thing she’d ever do was trust someone, such as Ser Cole.

However, it all made sense to her, on how they were found. On how Aegon did not even fight against being crowned.

If anything, Averillara knew Aegon was one to fight until he can not, yet he took himself to the throne so easily.

It was hard to believe Ser Cole’s statement was false, because of that.

As she continued to pet her horse, Averillara notices a strange noise from behind her.

A low, gentle meh.

She turns around slowly, and surprisingly was met with a deer. A white deer.

Averillara had made contact with this deer, the two then looking at one another.

She found it too familiar. As though she had seen this deer in a past life. Before she remembered her mother’s story.

Her story of how she was chosen by the gods, as the white deer approached her. How it had given her faith, that she would one day sit the throne.

And now, Averillara was stood, looking towards the same deer.

“The gods have chosen” she heard Aegon’s soft voice, turning her head to find him on his horse, behind her.

She looks back, noticing the deer had now gone.

Yet she continue to look ahead of the direction that the deer had left in, wondering what it could have meant or why she had come face to face with it.

“You are alone?” Aegon asks, bringing his horse forward.

Both their horses now stood side by side.

“Your brother took Ser Gwayne away, to the other side, near the lake” Averillara responds, “although you probably are already aware. I’m sure this is a plan you both have part in.”

Aegon smiles, walking toward her, “so is it true? Do you really wish to marry my uncle?”

“It is something to be considered” Averillara responds.

“You cannot be serious” Aegon chuckles.

“And why not?” Averillara looks at him, “it is a proper proposal this time. Not one of make belief.”

“Mine was not make belief” Aegon looked at her, offended by her words.

“Was it not?” Averillara asks, “then why are we not married? Why did you not come to Dragonstone to marry me?”

“Because I knew you would not marry me after I become king” Aegon responds.

“Did I say that?” Averillara asks.

Aegon looks at her, his sharp eyes softening.

“I waited for you, Aegon. I had to leave, with no choice, as you became King. But i still waited for you, at Dragonstone. Hoping one day, you’d come to find me. To make amends with my mother and marry me” Averillara’s shaky tone had her choke up, as she looked at him.

“Averillara, I did not know. I- I’m sorry-!”

“Of course you are” Averillara chuckles, looking away from him, as she wipes her eyes, before her tears could drop.

She sighs, looking back at him.

“You are sorry, every time” she cried out softly.

Aegon, who could not bare to see her pain, held both her hands tightly, “marry me. This time, I will marry you. With no regrets, and no betrayal. Become my wife.”

“It is too late” Averillara whispered, letting her hands slip out of his.

“It is not” Aegon pleaded, walking towards her as she took a step back.

“It is” her lips folded as her eyes fluttered, looking away from him, “I cannot fall in love with you all over again.”

Aegon’s eyes continued to soften, realising that he lost the one thing that kept him whole, as she looked at him, giving up her love completely.

His sadness had him stop himself from holding her back, simply watching as she walked away from him.

Sitting herself back on her horse, and riding away.

Aegon stood still, staring into the distance.

A single tear slipped from his eye, tracing a slow path down his cheek, as the weight of the moment sank in.

“You see what I mean” Aemond whispered to his uncle, as the two were sat watching the entire scene fold, hiding behind the trees.

Ser Gwayne realising the betrayal she felt, was from Aegon. That the two were truly in love, yet wronged by society. Their families.

Two souls that linger on to one another.

~

Aegon returned home soon after, finding his uncle stood at the gates.

“Are you leaving? So soon?” Aegon asks.

“I have businesses I wish to attend” He responds.

“What of Averillara?” Aegon asks, “I thought you were both wishing to get to know one another.”

He gulps as he speaks, not even liking the sound of it.

“She has left. For Dragonstone” Ser Gwayne responds.

“What?” Aegon let his feelings be shown, his shock and confusion being blantly obvious.

Ser Gwayne smiles, his hand motioning Aegon to come towards him.

He places his arm around Aegon’s shoulder, turning around to whisper, “my sister. She can be wrong sometimes. She will not admit it, but she can be. And she was wrong, for forcing you on the throne and letting you lose the people you love.”

Aegon looked at him confused, wondering how he had managed to know everything.

“Go to Dragonstone, Aegon. Surrender the crown to your good sister, Rhaenyra, and marry Averillara” Ser Gwayne pats his shoulder.

“She does not love me” Aegon spoke softly, “not anymore.”

“She does” Ser Gwayne responds, “she is hurt, so she will not show it. But her eyes talk a lot. When she talks to you. When she is near you. You just have to let her trust you again. So go, and get your wife.”

“And what of you?” Aegon asks.

“I will be okay” Ser Gwayne smiles, “Averillara is a smart, beautiful girl. Having known her only for a day, there is a lot still to uncover. But I can not continue with a woman who is still in love with another. She is yours.”

Aegon smiles softly, before whispering, “thank you.”

Ser Gwayne smiles, with a nod, “now go! Pack your things and go to Dragonstone.”

Aegon nods, turning around to run off, before Ser Gwayne calls him one last time.

“Oh, and Aegon!”

Aegon turns around to face him.

“Tell Averillara I thank her” Ser Gwayne says.

“What for?” Aegon asks.

“She will know” Ser Gwayne turns to look down at his hands, a ring he held onto tightly, remembering a part of his conversation with her.

“Actually, there was this woman” Ser Gwayne admits, “her name was Helta.”

“And what of her?” Averillara asks.

“She is a Targaryen, like yourself. She would not bat an eyelash towards me. But by the gods, I have never felt more in love, than when I were by her side” Ser Gwayne sighs.

“Then you should run after her. Get her back” Averillara encourages him, “it does not matter if you are a Targaryen or not, love has no bounds.”

“But how do I know if she loves me, to propose to her so quickly?” He asks.

“You will know it, the moment your eyes meet hers” Averillara responds.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════

chapter 16

[komotionlessqueenmm]

One man's trash, is another man's treasure.

(1-4)

Short story # 6

2,355 - Words

Fandom - House of Wax (2005)

Paring - Bo Sinclair X Reader

Summary - The reader finds herself & her 4 month old son stranded in Ambrose. While Bo finds himself enamored with the woman, wanting nothing more than to protect and provide for the two of them.

Warnings - Some dark topics, talk of abusive relationships, eventual blood & death, eventual smut. (I'm not sure what else tbh)

Notes - Italics mean the reader is singing.

Pt. 1 ~ Pt. 2 ~ Pt. 3 ~ Pt. 4

----

"No no no." (Y/n) sighed as her jeep sputtered and died, white smoke bellowing from under the hood. "Please don't do this." (Y/n) muttered under her breath, pulling the jeep off to the side of the dirt road, despite her desire to keep driving. "Damn it." She hissed under her breath when it died completely, flipping the four ways on instinctively. The baby fussed tiredly from the backseat, drawing (Y/n) full attention. "It alright my love." (Y/n) cooed before exiting the driver side, sliding onto the back seat, she comforted the infant. "Sh sh sh you're alright baby." She cooed as she brushed his hair away from his face, kissing his little hands. The baby's cries subsided, and he cooed up at his mother. His wide and bright eyes melting her heart, as he peered up at her. Allowing the child to suckle on her finger, (Y/n) used her free hand to check her cellphone, hoping to call triple A. "Of course." She sighed under her breath, tossing her phone into the front seat, after finding it dead. (Y/n) jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the window, looking to find a man standing there smiling at her.

"Oh you startled me." (Y/n) chuckled when she opened the door, leaving her child in his car seat. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare ya." He chuckled with embarrassment. "It's alright, no harm done." (Y/n) brushed it off before offering him her hand. "My names (Y/n)." He shook her hand with a smile. "Lester." He then pointed to the jeep. "Car troubles?" He asked as he let go of her hand. "Yeah I'm not sure what happened to it." (Y/n) sighed as she turned her attention to the jeep. "Mind of I take a look?" He tilted he head a little. "Please do." (Y/n) smiled quickly moving to pop the hood. "Where you headed?" Lester asked as he inspected the engine. "Anywhere." (Y/n) leaned her hip against the side of the jeep. "Running from something?" He asked impulsively. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked that." Lester quickly stammered. "It's alright..." (Y/n) cleared her throat. "Someone actually, I'm running from someone." She admitted. "I'd appreciate... I'd appreciate it if you'd forget ever meeting me after this." (Y/n) added. "Well a pretty face like yours would be hard to forget, but don't worry your secret is safe with me." Lester smiled, his honesty making (Y/n) smile. "Thank you Lester." Her appreciation making Lester grin. "You're welcome (Y/n), but I'm afraid I cant do much about your jeep." Lester's smile turned to a apologetic frown. "Are you sure?" She frowned a little when he nodded his head. "Well I appreciate you trying." (Y/n) sighed softly. "I could give you a ride into Ambrose, Bo owns the garage he could help you I'm sure of it." Lester suggested. "Oh I'd really appreciate the help!" (Y/n) beamed her excitement making Lester smile.

"Give me one moment." (Y/n) quickly moved to the other side of the car, unbuckling the car seat, she hulled her baby out of the car. "Oh you've got a little one." Lester observed with slight shock. "I hope that's not a problem." (Y/n) bit her bottom lip nervously. "N-no not at all." Lester stammered. "You need me to grab anything?" He asked. "Could you grab the stroller from the back?" She asked. "Sure thing!" Lester moved to grab the stroller while (Y/n) shouldered the diaper bag. "Let me lay a blanket down in the bed of my truck real quick." Lester explained as he carried the stroller to his truck, (Y/n) nodded her head in understanding as she closed up the back of the jeep, locking the doors before she joined Lester at his truck. "There we go." He murmured to himself as he laid the blanket out, laying the stroller on top of it. "Don't want to stain that up." He explained with a smile, (Y/n) smiled then looked to the cab of the truck. "I think I'll have to hold him in the truck huh?" She observed, sitting the car seat in the tailgate to unbuckle the infant. "I'm afraid so." Lester rubbed the back of his neck a little. "Oh let me get that." He moved to grab the now empty car seat. "Oh it locks into place on the stroller." (Y/n) explained pointing to where the car seat went. "Well ain't that convenient." Lester smiled as he latched the car seat into place. "Yeah it's really nice." (Y/n) agreed with a smile.

They rode in a comfortable silence for about ten minutes, before Lester struck up conversation. "So what's the little guys name?" He asked as he glanced towards the baby, quickly casting his gaze back to the road. "He's names Von." (Y/n) smiled as she lovingly stroked the baby's back. "Dose it mean something?" Lester asked with genuine curiosity. "I got it from old Norse, it means hope." She explained. "That's really cool!" Lester beamed excitedly, making (Y/n) chuckle softly. "If you don't might me asking... Where's Von's pa?" Lester asked after a few minutes. "That's who I'm running from..." (Y/n) admitted, finding it easy to confide in him. "He do something?" Lester asked. "When he found out I was pregnant... He tried to kill me." (Y/n) murmured softly, her words making Lester frown. "A neighbor heard the commotion, and he saved me. My ex went to jail, but he has friends in high places, and was able to get released last month." (Y/n) paused for a moment. "I received full custody of Von after my ex was sentenced, and when he got out I took off." She swallowed thickly, subconsciously touching the scar on her mouth from where her ex had slashed her with a knife. "He's a dangerous man, and I'm terrified that he's going to come after me, to finish what he started." (Y/n)'s confession upset Lester, he wasn't upset with her, but with her ex, a man he didn't even know.

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Lester cleared his throat, swallowing the emotional lump that had formed. "We'll be in Ambrose in a minute." He added. "Ah hell." He sighed at the sight ahead. "I forgot this road washed out last month in a storm." Lester explained as he parked the truck, I gotta flip my hubs into four-wheel." Lester explained, as he opened his door. "Oh I don't want to trouble you any more than I already have." (Y/n) reasoned. "Oh it's no trouble, I'm happy to help a pretty lady and her baby." He offered her a friendly smile, before setting to work. After he had finished his work, Lester hopped back into the truck with a grin. "Now hold on, I'm gonna take it slow but it's still gonna be bumpy." He explained as he put the truck into drive. (Y/n) nodded her head in understanding, cradling Von against her chest firmly, in hopes of not disturbing him to much. True to his word Lester took the drive nice and slow, the truck rocking this way and that as the tires rolled over some of the larger rocks. "Here we are." He murmured as they cleared the ruble, and made it to solid ground again. "Welcome to Ambrose (Y/n)." He smiled at her as he drove onto town, parking outside of the gas station. "Wow this place is really cute." (Y/n) hummed as she looked at all of the rustic buildings. "I'll go see if Bo is in." Lester offered as he hopped out of the truck. (Y/n) had nodded her head exiting the truck herself a moment later, her legs desperately needing to stretch. "Hello my sweet." (Y/n) mused at Von, who cooed up at her, a little drool dribbling down his chin.

"Bo's not in." Lester sighed as he exited the station. "He should be back soon though, he doesn't typically leave the garage empty for very long." He explained. "Well I guess I'll have to wait." (Y/n) smiled softly. "I could wait with you." Lester offered. "Oh no it's alright, I've already taken up so much of your time." (Y/n) declined his offer. "I'm sure I'll be alright, like you said he shouldn't be gone long." She reasoned as she subconsciously began bouncing Von gently. "Alright here let me grab the stroller for ya." Lester smiled as he opened the tailgate, grabbing the stroller he attempted to set it up. "The red leaver on the side, push it, then pull the stroller up. It'll lock into place with a click." (Y/n) explained, pointing to the red leaver. "Got it." Lester chuckled softly as he pulled the stroller up, smiling when it clicked into place. "Thank you Lester, for everything. You've been a real help." (Y/n) sat Von into the stroller, strapping him in before she turned her attention to Lester. "Here I've got some spare cash." (Y/n) quickly pulled her wallet from her back pocket, pulling out the thirty dollars she had. "Oh no I can't take that." Lester shook his head. "Please it's the least I can do." She smiled before taking ahold of his hands, placing the money in his palms. "What about your jeep, how are ya gonna pay for that?" Lester voiced his concern. "I've got some prepaid cards, I'll be alright." (Y/n) assured him, smiling when he finally nodded his head in agreement. "Alright... But if ya ain't got enough have Bo call me, I'll help ya out I promise." Lester smiled when (Y/n) nodded her head in agreement. "Thank you again Lester." She shook his hands before releasing him, waving as he hopped into his truck, and drove off.

(Y/n) sat on the curb outside of the gas station for about thirty minutes, gently rocking the stroller back and forth, letting Von sleep peacefully. "Go tell Aunt Rhody, go tell Aunt Rhody, Go tell Aunt Rhody that the old gray goose is dead." (Y/n) sang the old lullaby. "The one she's been saving to make a feather bed. The old gander's weeping, because his wife is dead." She reached up turning on the small battery operated fan she had attached to the stroller for Von. "The goslings are mourning, because their mother's dead. She died in the mill pond from standing on her head." (Y/n) smiled at the sight of birds flying in the distance. "Go tell Aunt Rhody that the old gray goose is dead." She finished the lullaby, softly humming in her throat the last line, drawing out the lullaby a little longer. "You've got a real pretty voice." A man called out softly, his sudden appearance making (Y/n) freeze up momentarily. "Oh thank you." (Y/n) smiled up at the handsome man, rising to her feet as he tossed his cigarette off to the side. "My names Bo, I own this shop." He introduced himself, offering her his hand. "I'm (Y/n)." She smiled shaking his hand. "Is there something I can help you with?" He asked. "My jeep broke down a few miles down the road, I got a ride from a man named Lester into town. He said you'd be able to fix my jeep for me." (Y/n) explained, idly continuing to rock the stroller back and forth. "I'm sure I can." He smiled. "Do you know what's wrong with it?" He asked as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I have no clue." She chuckled softly. "Well can you explain what happened?" Bo asked with a small chuckle of his own. "Uh it made this sputtering kinda sound, like it was running out of gas, but the meter said I still had over half a tank. And white smoke started coming out from under the hood, then as soon as I got the car off to the side of the road the engine died." (Y/n) explained to the best of her memory. "When was the last time you put oil in it?" Bo asked with a small tilt of his head. "Last week." (Y/n) replied quickly. "Has it been giving you problems before today?" He asked. "None." (Y/n) shook her head, not having had any issues with her jeep since before today.

"Hm I have to have my brother tow the truck back here, before I can determine what's wrong." Bo explained. "Of course." (Y/n) nodded her head in understanding. "I'll have to call him from the house, my shops phone has been broken for two weeks now. You can come with me if you'd like, give you a chance to relax somewhere a little more comfortable with your little one there." Bo offered as he glanced to the stroller, a friendly smile on his handsome face. "Yeah sure that would be really nice, thank you." (Y/n) smiled as he nodded her head, following Bo to the house on the hill. "What's his name?" Bo asked as he looked into the stroller at the sleeping toddler. "Von." (Y/n) smiled. "I like that name." Bo admitted with a grin of his own. "Thanks it means hope in old Norse." (Y/n) explained. "Well I like it even more then." Bo's smile widened a little when (Y/n) giggled softly, a notable blush painting her cheeks. "You know you and Lester have been some of the nicest people I've met in a while." (Y/n) admitted. "In my experience some of the nicest people are from rural areas like this." Bo mused, his statement making (Y/n) nod her head in agreement. "Yeah it's nice." She hummed with content as they reached the front porch.

----

Part one is complete!

Let me know what you think!

Oh and let me know if you wanna be tagged in the next parts!

Love ya!

PS this is the lullaby (Y/n) was singing, its called Go Tell Aunt Rhody.

[wherethewordsare]

a. I have accidentally unfollowed you because Tumblr puts buttons too close together.

b. I have A PROMPT. Specifically from your list of 50. 8 and/or 21. I just want something soft from you.

a: I love you <3

b: thank you @softnerdypeter for beta reading this for me <3

21. Blind date set up by friends

Oh, It’s You

Eskel had cornered Geralt in the firehouse kitchen. Again. This time with that look that used to trick Geralt into the worst trouble when they were kids. 

“Don’t automatically say no,” Eskel said with a laugh. 

“No.” Geralt turned to hide his smile. 

“Geralt, she’s really pretty though. And she has this friend that apparently has been moping and she said she’d feel better if he also had a date.” Eskel walked around the table and took Geralt’s plate, holding it away. “Besides, you’ve been moping too and you refuse to ask that musician out even though you know damn well-”

“Fine, I’ll go, but you don’t get to berate me after this. One date. That’s it. Then you leave me be,” he growled, snatching his plate back, sending his cherry tomatoes rolling onto the floor. He only glared at his brother when he laughed. 

“Alright, Wolf. Just bring your most sunny personality to the fair Friday.” Eskel chuckled as he bent down, scooping up the tomatoes and tossing them into the sink. He strolled away, looking all too much like the cat that caught the canary.

“You’re taking my shift on the dunk tank!” Geralt shouted after him with a shake of his head. “Bastard.” 

He hated how fast his phone was in his hand to text Jaskier. 

Es finally trapped me into a blind date. Fucker. 

Within a second, a message that didn’t feel like a response popped up on his screen. 

I have a date on Friday? my friend set it up. I kinda don’t wanna go. 

Geralt tried to ignore the way his gut twisted at the idea of Jaskier going out with someone else. He wasn’t sure what to say back. It wasn’t like he didn’t also have a date that night. His phone buzzed again in his hand, showing an incoming call. 

“She said his name is Gary!” Jaskier whined. There was a clattering in the background and Geralt leaned against the counter. He could close his eyes and see Jaskier making his lunch. “Who names their kid Gary? I bet he’s hideous!” There was a huff. 

“I guess this means we’ll have to cancel movie night?” Geralt hummed as he bit into a fork full of salad, sans tomatoes. “But who knows,” Geralt winced only because he knew Jaskier couldn’t see, “the guy might surprise you?” 

There was a gasp on the other end of the line. “You wanna stand up our dates and just meet up for a movie anyways?” Jaskier laughed but the sound died quickly. “Unless you’re looking forward to the date.” There was something like disappointment in his voice that could have only been chalked up to missing out on the movie and shitty take-out. 

“I would, but Eskel would kill me,” Geralt reasoned with a hum. 

“You’re gonna get a play-by-play of how terrible this guy is,” Jaskier promised with a laugh. There was a bang and a curse. “Ah shit, my frittata! I gotta go.” The line was dead before Geralt could say anything else. 

He tried to ignore the way his chest tightened as he shoved another bite into his mouth. He was almost glad when the firehouse alarm went off. 

Friday came quickly. He rode to the fair with Eskel, who was chatting more than usual, clearly nervous about his date with the nurse he couldn’t seem to get over since the last time he ended up in the ER with a burn. 

Geralt couldn’t blame him, really. Anything that made his brothers happy was fine by him, but he wished that he didn’t have to hear the same story about Eskel finally asking her out again. It was just a constant reminder that he still hadn’t swallowed his pride enough when it came to Jaskier. 

“Where am I supposed to be?” Geralt managed to ask, his arms crossed over his chest as they pulled into the dirt lot. 

“There’s a ticket booth towards the center. I think she told him to meet you there,” Eskel was checking his hair in the mirror again and only stopped when he caught Geralt rolling his eyes. “Listen, we can’t all be as pretty as you,” he shot across the bench.

“Finally, something you’ve said that makes sense,” he snorted. He climbed out of the truck and shut the door on Eskel before he could make a comeback. 

It was still early, so the fairgrounds weren’t crowded just yet. He was thankful for that at least. The place would be packed before too long. He was already coming up with reasons to cut the night short as he leaned against the back of the booth, his phone in hand. He was making an attempt not to text Jaskier. He didn’t want to interrupt his date, even if he wasn’t looking forward to it.

Geralt pulled up their conversation anyways, scrolling through as he realized that he wasn’t even sure where Jaskier was going tonight. 

“Geralt?” There was a pair of dusty converse in front of him. 

He looked up and his heart sank for a moment. Jaskier was standing there, his bright eyes catching the lights from the ferris wheel. Geralt wasn’t looking forward to having to actually watch him on his date. There had been too many nights at too many bars where he watched Jaskier flirt with everyone. Almost everyone.  

“What are you doing here, Jask?” He half flinched as he realized how gruff he had sounded. Geralt looked around, expecting to see someone coming to collect Jaskier but there was no one else there. 

“Oh,” Jaskier whispered softly. A series of emotions flew across his face all at once before he simply beamed at Geralt. “Oh!” He was laughing then, leaning into Geralt’s personal space. “Gary,” he cackled. 

He scowled at Jaskier, but then it also dawned on him and he huffed. “Oh. It’s you,” he hummed, looking around. He wondered remotely if Eskel had done this on purpose. His date was Jaskier. Or it was supposed to be. 

Maybe, he shuffled from foot to foot for a moment, maybe it still could be. 

“Well, I know I’m not nearly as good looking as this Gary was supposed to be,” Geralt mused, “but maybe we could still…” He gestured around them vaguely. 

Jaskier looked up at him again, those same emotions Geralt couldn’t read from before flitting across his face before his eyes softened. He stepped forward, sliding his arm into Geralt’s with a smile. “Far more handsome than anyone I could have imagined, dear heart.” He gave Geralt’s arm a little squeeze. “Buy me a caramel apple and tell me you like my shirt?” Jaskier teased. 

Geralt snorted as he moved them forward. “You mean my shirt you stole?” He didn’t miss the way Jaskier fell in step beside him, their arms still linked. 

“Next time don’t leave your laundry in my dryer,” Jaskier chuckled. Then he was looking down as he pulled them both to a stop for a moment in the middle of the fairway. “Geralt, just so I’m clear-”

“This is a date,” Geralt blurted before he could stop himself. “I… if you want it to be.” Part of him wanted to pull away. He’d done it now and there was no going back. He had known Jaskier for three years and for a moment he thought it crash down around him. Jaskier only smiled back at him, looking relieved. 

“Yeah, yeah I do. But only if-” he started.

“Caramel apple.” Geralt raised an eyebrow, smirking. 

“Date it is then.” Jaskier let himself be led around the fair, always touching Geralt as they went. 

It felt nice, having the weight and warmth beside him as the early autumn air started to set in. 

They found themselves in front of the dunk tank where Eskel was sitting up on the platform, that smirk of his still firmly in place. 

He had known! Geralt huffed and glared at his brother. He was leaning out of the tank slightly to high-five a slender woman with dark hair. She looked over and waved to Jaskier with a smile. 

“Hey, do you want the horse or the alien stuffie?” He asked as he marched up to the booth. He watched with a grin as Eskel’s own smile dropped. “You know what, I’ll win you both.” 

Jaskier only looked at him with confusion then glanced across. “Oh. Were we played?” He sounded smug as he handed Geralt his own tickets. 

Geralt landed not only the first shot, but the next three after, sending Eskel plunging down into the water below. When he handed Jaskier both of the rewards he was passed a caramel apple already missing a bite. 

Three years suddenly seemed to hinge on the moment as he took the apple and leaned forward, past the oversized head of the alien in Jaskier’s arm. He pressed a kiss to the corner of Jaskier’s mouth, slow enough that he could have pulled away. 

Jaskier didn’t pull away. Instead, he turned his face and let their mouths slot together more firmly, smiling all the while. 

“Took you long enough,” he pulled away just enough to murmur before pressing in again. 

“Movie night tomorrow?” Geralt asked when they finally broke apart. He felt like he was vibrating in his boots. 

“It’s a date.” 

It certainly was going to be, Geralt decided. He’d make sure it would be a good one too.

[gojo-x-reader]

Not So Special Now

Relationship(s): F!Reader x Gojo Satoru

Warnings: canon-typical violence

Tags: fluff (at the end), reader-focused

AO3 Link: here

Words: ~4k

Request: “hello there, i love ur soulmate and marriage life hc 🥺 can you make scenario/hc/drabble whatever u prefer where his fem/gn so is also a sorcerer and gets hurt/injured on a mission? thank you!”

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” Your boyfriend, Satoru, asked you. His hands were on your biceps, giving it a worried, yet comforting squeeze.

“Yes, Satoru,” you answered, a little annoyed at how he was treating you. It’s been several years since either of you were in high school; this wasn’t your first mission.

“I can’t help but worry, you know. It’s your first ever special grade assignment.”

“Just because I’m not the same rank as you, Mr. Special Grade, doesn’t mean I’m weak. Besides, there are two others going so I’m not doing this alone.”

“I know, I know.” Satoru pressed his lips gently onto your forehead, then gazed into your eyes lovingly. In a rare instance while on the job, his blindfold was replaced with dark sunglasses. You reached up to shift them down, allowing you to gaze into his bright blue eyes. They were breathtaking no matter how many times you saw them. You moved your hands from his glasses to his shoulders, forcing him down so you could reach up to leave a chaste kiss on his lips.

“I’ll see you tonight,” you promised.

The two of you embraced one more time before you joined your other group members for the mission. You turned back and waved at him as the three of you entered the car to be driven to the location for your mission.

“Sure wish Gojo-san was coming with us,” one of them mused. “He could handle this mission single-handedly and we could just stay home.” He sighed deeply, then put in headphones and stared out the window.

“Why isn’t he taking this mission?” your other group member asked. She stared at you, eager to know.

You had just met these two today (not even knowing their names, except that they were both Grade 1 sorcerers like you) and you weren’t sure how well this mission would go. “Well,” you began, “for one, he works best alone. Second, Satoru fights best when he’s away from civilians.” 

The girl hummed, then crossed her arms in thought. The three of you awkwardly rode in silence for about five minutes, before the girl grabbed your arm suddenly. “Soooo, how long have you been dating Gojo Satoru?” She asked eagerly. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but you just couldn’t put your finger on it.

You weren’t sure why this was any business of someone you just met, but you decided to indulge her to hopefully make this awkward car ride, well, less awkward.

“Two years, almost three,” you answered. The two of you had known each other since high school, but it wasn’t until almost four years ago that you had reconnected after you moved back to Tokyo, and almost three years ago when you started dating. To this day you still had no clue why he would get a crush on you over all people. There were much prettier girls he had spent more time with, why you?

“Annnnd? A ring soon?” She gushed, gripping your arm harder.

You shrugged. Satoru and you had discussed marriage at some point, but both of you were busy at the moment, especially with Ryomen Sukuna being somewhat revived into the world. While Yuuji was still technically “dead” to others, Satoru had trusted you enough to tell you about how his student had pretty much been revived from the dead. On your days off, you often visited your boyfriend and helped out with Yuuji’s training regime. He was a nice kid, despite his circumstances and being thrown into the jujutsu world suddenly.

The girl let go of your arm and got out her phone, furiously typing to someone. “Oh, my little sister won’t be happy to hear about this.”

“Little sister?”

“Yeah, my sister Momo goes to Kyoto. She’s pretty close with another girl, Kasumi, who I consider almost like another younger sister. She was super excited to meet Gojo-san a week ago. She’s like a superfan of him or something. I like to indulge her sometimes. I think she even made a fan club for Gojo-san or something. Anyways, Momo, even though she’s friends with Kasumi, she often gets annoyed with her talk about Gojo-san.”

You vaguely remember Satoru mentioning a girl from Kyoto that asked him for a picture. It wasn’t exactly a rare occurrence for your boyfriend to be asked to take pictures with, from the jujutsu world or from civilians; he had devastatingly good looks, so you couldn’t blame any of the people who asked for pictures. Besides, you knew his heart belonged to you and you only, so you were fine with others recognizing his allure.

“Oh, Kasumi’s calling me,” the girl said. She answered her phone, only for a younger voice to scream over the speaker. It was loud enough that you could hear it. Your teammate held her phone away from her ear.

“What do you mean he has a girlfriend?”

“Oh, come on Kasumi. You know how handsome he is. Besides, he’s like, what, twenty-eight? Twenty-nine?”

“Twenty-eight, twenty-nine in December,” you confirmed.

“Way too old for you, ma’am,” the girl relayed to Kasumi.

“I don’t like him like that , Sumi-san! I j-just really admire him, okay! W-Who wouldn’t? World’s strongest jujutsu sorcerer in all.”

“Mhm. Anyway, I’ve got a mission today with the said girlfriend of Gojo Satoru. Want me to get you an autograph?” Sumi joked.

“...Could you?”

You let out a tiny laugh. This girl was funny, so you decided to humor her and leaned toward the phone. “One autograph for Kasumi?”

“M-Miwa Kasumi!” the voice on the phone squeaked out. She told you what kanji made up her name as you rummaged for a scrap piece of paper and pen from your bag. You made out the autograph, laughing a bit as you handed it to Sumi.

After you told her you signed an autograph for her, Kasumi said goodbye, hanging up the phone before Sumi could reply goodbye back. She seemed embarrassed about the ordeal.

“You were right, she seems like a good kid.”

“Kasumi is nice. She really balances out how serious my little sister Momo is,” Sumi responded.

For the rest of the car ride, you and Sumi chatted. Apparently, this was also her first Special Grade mission, as well as her first mission after graduating from Kyoto. Their other group member was also from Kyoto; he was two years Sumi’s senior. His name was Takahashi Daisuke. She didn’t know much about him since he tended to keep to himself. But she did know this wasn’t his first Special Grade mission. That relieved you substantially since you were nervous about this mission (as much as you didn’t want to admit to Satoru).

Eventually, the roads transformed from paved to just dirt. The driver turned onto a road on a hill, then began briefing the three of you on your mission. This was a Special Grade, suspected to be awakened by a Sukuna finger. This was just based on speculation, since the last Special Grade to pop up was from a Sukuna finger as well. The Special Grade had taken over an abandoned shrine, supposedly terrorizing the local village just down the hill (which had been evacuated just hours before). As the driver parked the car, the three of you exited the car. The air was crisp, with a distinct chill in the air. You could sense a particularly strong cursed energy in the premises, on par with Satoru’s cursed energy. You shuddered; this was not going to be an easy task.

The driver placed a curtain around the area, the sky darkening. It only made the situation seem even more grave. There was something in your gut telling you to run, not from being scared of the Special Grade, but because something bad was going to happen.

Sumi grabbed a wand from her belt. Her family was a pretty small sorcerer family on her mother’s side, as she had told you in the car. She and her sister have cursed techniques similar to “witches”; hers involved spells while her sister’s involved levitating a broom, among other objects.

Your cursed techniques, however, involved nature. There was a reason why you were selected specifically for this mission; the shrine was in the middle of the forest, the perfect place for you to go wild. Cities like Tokyo were incredibly constraining for you to use your cursed techniques, so you almost exclusively were assigned missions out in the country where nature was plentiful.

Neither you nor Sumi knew what Daisuke’s cursed technique was, but you assumed it was pretty strong considering he had been on missions with Special Grades before.

The mission started off fine. The three of you approached the shrine. It wasn’t particularly impressive, nothing that you would expect to house a Special Grade curse. The stone torii at the entrance was standing tall, unbothered by neither age nor the moss and vines growing on it. The shrine itself, however, was crumbling. One of the pillars holding up the roof was destroyed, so the roof was lopsided. The shimenawa knots were cut in half, the ends completely frayed. Definitely not a good sign.

After crossing the torii , you felt the Special Grade’s presence. It was overwhelming, unlike anything else you had experienced before. It possessed near-equal amounts of cursed energy as Satoru, but unlike your boyfriend, it held malicious intent within its cursed energy. To your left, Sumi was shaking. You held out a shaky hand onto her shoulder and squeezed. While you yourself didn’t feel confident about this mission now, you had a duty as the oldest member of the group here to be strong, for their sake.

The shrine began to shake, then the roof was suddenly blown off. You used your cursed technique to form a barrier of tree roots that erupted from the ground. Slabs of wood hit the roots, then bounced off. After the rain of wood subsided, you controlled the roots back into the ground in their original position.

You finally got a good look at the Special Grade curse. It was humanoid, but only in form. Its flesh was midnight blue, with eyes covering every centimeter of its body. Great, it had no blind spots. The curse had no apparent mouth, yet you were able to hear it let out an intimidating roar.

Daisuke made the first strike. He quickly pointed a handgun at the Special Grade and pulled the trigger. Out came a burst of his own cursed energy instead of a bullet. The blow just grazed the Special Grade enough for it to let out a screech of pain. Interesting, so this was his cursed energy. You wondered if it was limited to guns, or if he could apply it to a bow as well and use his cursed energy for arrows. You’d have to ask him later after this mission was completed.

It was apparent after Daisuke revealed his cursed technique that all of you were primarily distance fighters. There wasn’t much Sumi could do if her cursed technique focused on spells through her wand apparatus and Daisuke seemed to only have a gun on him. So, that meant you had to switch to a melee approach.

You weren’t the biggest fan of hand to hand combat. You weren’t very strong, preferring to assist from a distance. Recently, Satoru has been helping you learn new ways of fighting in close quarters. You decided to take the risk and make an attempt at using this still relatively new technique. You reached out your hands, summoning leaves from the trees. They surrounded your fists like boxing gloves, your cursed energy reinforcing the leaves to be almost as hard as the bark from the trees they came from.

You sprinted toward the Special Grade, preparing to land a blow. As you reared back for a punch, the Special Grade disappeared from in front of you. Then you felt a blow land on your back and you were sent through the forest until a particularly thick tree stopped your projectile body. Luckily, you reacted quickly enough to reinforce your front with cursed energy. If it wasn’t for your quick thinking, you probably would’ve been knocked out immediately.

You picked yourself up from the ground, but the world was spinning. You leaned against a tree to collect your thoughts and rest a bit. The Special Grade was insanely fast and had no blind spots. You were panicking; this was well out of your skillset. Perhaps Daisuke was right; Satoru should’ve joined in on this mission. But you knew that wasn’t possible, as he also had his own Special Grade mission to handle today.

You brought a hand up to your face and gave yourself a hard smack. This was no time to doubt yourself or panic. You had two comrades out there fighting a Special Grade curse alone. There was no doubt that the Special Grade would notice you if you tried to rejoin the fight, at least on the ground. Your best bet would be to get the high ground; there would be fewer eyes on the top half, so the chances of you being noticed would be less than if you arrived by foot.

Okay, you had an idea. Now, to get an idea of how the fight was going. You kneeled down to the ground and placed your hand onto the ground, closing your eyes. You sent a minimal, hardly detectable pulse of cursed energy toward the fight through the ground. From what nature informed you, the fight was mostly one-sided in favor of the Special Grade. Daisuke was pretty beat up, and Sumi wasn’t in good shape either.

You got up then hurriedly began climbing the nearest tree. As you climbed up, you manipulated the bark to form grooves for you to place your hands and feet on. As you reached a decent height, you created a bridge with the overlapping tree branches sturdy enough for your weight. You sprinted across the bridge, ignoring your double vision. You definitely had a concussion, but now was not the time for you to worry about that. You didn’t wanna lose your comrades on this mission. Not again.

You wiped the tears that were threatening to fall from your eyes. In your final year of Tokyo High, your two classmates were killed right before your eyes on a mission. You escaped out of pure luck, but was determined to get stronger to avenge their deaths. If you let those two die… well, then, that meant you hadn’t gotten strong enough to protect anyone else.

Once you were just out of sight range of the cursed spirit, you closed your eyes to sense the battle again. Sumi was sitting on the ground, back to a tree as she watched the fight between Daisuke and the Special Grade. She was barely conscious, and it seemed like she had lost a lot of blood. You had an idea, but in order for it to work, you needed her help.

Using thin vines, you sent a message within her sight: I am still alive. I’m going to trap the Special Grade curse with branches. Use a fire spell on it when it’s bound.

All you could hope was that she was able to read the message and had enough cursed energy to cast the spell. You began moving branches from distant trees close to the Special Grade, as fast as possible without your cursed energy being detected. Once they were close enough, you waited for the right moment.

As Daisuke finally landed a hit with his cursed energy, moving the curse to the center of the shrine remnants, you launched your attack. The branches extended as fast as you could make them move. The hit Daisuke landed had temporarily slowed the Special Grade, enough for your branches to immobilize it. As the branches gripped the curse, Sumi sent a fire spell toward it, just as planned.

The branches (and the cursed spirit) caught on fire. But something was wrong; normally, you could extract cursed energy from a curse with your cursed technique to exorcise, but that wasn’t happening. Was it resisting? You felt a tug on the branches.

Without thinking, you acted on your own. You re-equipped the leaves cursed technique, as you jumped from the trees above. As gravity brought you closer to the Special Grade, you reared back to prepare the punch you had wanted to introduce it to earlier. As your fist landed on the curse, you allowed the leaves to leave your fist, sending it into the curse’s body. The leaves caught on fire before they entered the curse, imploding it.

So, you managed to exorcise the Special grade. But, doing so took all of your cursed energy and you had no more left to cushion your fall. Luckily, you managed to adjust your fall so that you slid on your stomach parallel to the ground instead of falling headfirst. It still hurt, and you definitely broke a few ribs doing that.

You somehow had enough energy to turn yourself onto your back, looking up at the starry night sky as the curtain was released. Your first Special Grade mission. Everyone lived and you exorcised it without Satoru’s help. Ha. He would be so proud of you.

You began to fall into unconsciousness right as you felt familiar arms lift you up.

When you woke up, you were in Shoko’s infirmary. There was a thin blanket covering your bottom half. Suddenly the events came back to you.

You sat up, gasping for air. Where were Sumi and Daisuke?

“You might want to lay back down,” a familiar voice told you. “Shoko healed you, but the pain might still be there.”

You did as the voice said, laying back at the elevated position you woke up in. You look over and blinked a few times, seeing your boyfriend sitting in a chair next to your bed. He was in his work uniform, including his blindfold. You winced as you felt a pain in your chest; Satoru was right, there still was residual pain.

“I exorcised a Special Grade,” you croaked.

“I know. I’m proud of you.” He grabbed your hand and squeezed it, giving you a soft smile, showing off his tiny dimples. His smile quickly turned to a frown as he lectured, “However, what you did was risky and crazy.”

“Aren’t you the one who says that jujutsu sorcerers have to be crazy to survive?” you argued.

“Yes, but there’s a difference between crazy and throwing your life away.”

“You saw that?” you asked, much more awake than you were a few seconds ago.

“I hurried as fast as I could with my own mission to come assist you if you needed. I got there right as you pulled that stunt of yours.”

You pulled your hand from his and placed your face in both of your hands, embarrassed that he saw you launch yourself from several meters high, use up all of your cursed energy, then make a hard landing onto the ground.

“How’s the other two?” you asked, refusing to move your face from your hands.

“Alive and doing well. You’re the most beat-up out of everyone.”

You removed your hands, clasping them together in your lap. “Thank goodness…”

“There wasn’t a Sukuna finger either,” Satoru reported to you. “The villagers’ fear of the shrine must have caused it to grow to a Special Grade. Now, come on. Shoko said you could come home once you woke up.” Satoru stood up, then scooped you up from the bed. You screamed in protest, now wide awake.

“Wha--Put me down!”

“No can do, honey. Doctor’s orders. Nothing strenuous for the next week.”

“Satoru, I don’t think walking counts as strenuous!”

He smiled his signature shit-eating grin, then gave you a kiss on your forehead. No fair, he knew forehead kisses were your weakness. You melted into his arms at how tender his kiss was, now docile and less likely to argue with him.

In a flash, he teleported the two of you to his apartment, setting you on the bed in front of him. After placing you on the bed, he yanked off his blindfold and began rummaging through his dresser, looking for a set of his clothes for you to wear. He tossed the shirt and pants toward you, not even bothering to turn around while you changed. You’d been together for so long (or at least, it felt like a long time) that there wasn’t anything particularly embarrassing about changing in front of each other.

You winced while lifting your hands up to take off your shirt, so Satoru was by your side in an instant, helping you take off your shift without much pain. He even helped you out of your bra and put on his shirt.

“You don’t need me to help you with the pants, do you?” he teased.

“I think I can handle it on my own,” you replied, standing up and shuffling out of your pants. Satoru’s pants were much too long for you, so you had to roll not only the waistband but also the cuffs so that they didn’t constantly drag on the ground. Not like you minded doing that; there was just something about his clothes that was infinitely more comforting than your own, and he knew that more than anyone else.

As you adjusted the pants, Satoru left the bedroom to head toward the kitchen, no doubt to start cooking some of your favorite foods. You laid down on your shared bed, happy to be home. It was a long day (Days? How long were you even unconscious?) and you were glad to have such a caring boyfriend, even if he was being a little annoying about this.

About an hour later, Satoru came into the bedroom with a tray of food. He wouldn’t let you even touch the chopsticks, insisting on feeding you food because he didn’t want you to “strain yourself.” You thought he was just being a little too overprotective, but you allowed him to feed you anyway. The look of satisfaction on his face was just too cute for you to deny him this tiny pleasure.

After dinner, you immediately wanted to go to bed. Satoru quickly ate his portion of dinner then changed out of his work clothes into something much more comfortable to sleep in. He joined you under the covers, using his cursed energy to turn off the lights. You felt his arms gently snake their way around your waist, pressing you into his front. You sighed in contentment; he was warm, but not too warm.

After a few seconds of silence, you piped up, “Satoru?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for taking care of me. I love you.”

He placed a gentle kiss on your neck, just behind your ear. “Anything for you, my love,” he breathed onto your neck. You could feel him smiling gently. “Maybe we should just get married.”

You grumbled something, not even quite sure what you said or even what he said completely. Before sleep overtook you, you mumbled out one last final “I love you,” incredibly happy to be in your boyfriend’s arms at the moment.

[samadiw]

Knickers - Part 03 - Yellow Knickers 💛

.

Yellow?

Fucking yellow?

She didnt have yellow knickers, she didnt have yellow anything and it wasnt like she could stroll into Hogsmeade and buy a pair.

Hermione pulls out her drawer of knickers, for a girl who didnt get it on much, she had a drawer full of colourful undies, one must always feel good in what covers your twat.

She gingerly picks up a scanty almost see through black pair of knickers, well, they would have to do.

Placing the pair on the bed, she reaches for her wand and waves it over the undergarment, the colour instantly changes from black to dark yellow.

Hermione grins, it looks better than she expected.

H : "Not bad..."

She flops down on the bed and thinks of Malfoy's cock for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

The fucker had no shame in just whipping it out in front of her, his crass boldness turned her on, he didn't care to tip toe around her as if she would shatter into a million pieces.

Her toes curl with wanting, he would widen her nicely, she had always been told she was tight.

Damn that bloody Malfoy cock.

*******

T : "The fuck man."

B : "Don't you get sick of losing?"

T : "You're cheating, I know it."

B : "Its wizards chess, you just suck."

T : "I have to meet Luna but once I'm back, I want a bloody rematch."

B : "Let's make it interesting, care to place a bet?"

T : "10 Galleons?"

B : "My house elf makes 10 times that, you bloody cheapskate."

T : "Later."

B : "Use protection, we don't want crummy chess players being added to the population."

T : "Fuck you, Zabini."

Draco walks in towelling his hair

B : "Ah, want to grab a butter beer?"

D : "Sure, mate."

Throws a bottle at Draco and he catches it expertly.

D : "So, whats the name of the new broad?"

B : "Patil..."

D : "Nice."

B : "Is Weasley still banging Granger?"

D : "Haven't a clue."

B : "She's looking rather fine this year."

Draco tightens his hold on the bottle and takes a long swig.

Blaise didnt know the half of it.

The next morning

T : "Fuck, are you ready to leave?"

D : "Yeah, I've got some, unm...work to do."

What he wanted to do was claim his seat in the Great Hall before someone else did.

B : "Well, I'm ready, I'll come with you, Theo, do hurry up bitch."

T : "Yeah, yeah, I'm hurrying."

They walk into the Great Hall and find it half full.

A bunch of 3rd years are sitting in Draco's usual place.

The blonde towers over the younger students and hisses darkly.

D : "Move, now!"

The adolescent boys trip over themselves in their haste to get up.

"Yes, Mr Malfoy, sir."

"Right away."

"So sorry."

Blaise and Draco slide into the seat.

B : "I think the tall one wet his pants."

D : "Respect, Blaise, must be taught when young."

B : "Theres a fine line between respect and bullying."

D : "Potato, potahto."

B : "Why the fuck do you keep looking at the entrance?"

D : "For Nott, ofcourse."

Blaise raises a brow and grins.

B : "Sure you are..."

Hermione links her arm through Ron's and he whispers a funny joke into her ear, she throws her head back in laughter.

From across the hall she can feel steely grey eyes watching her every movement.

She locks eyes with the ice blonde and bites her lip.

Settling down in her usual spot, Hermione looks at Draco through hooded eyes and challenges him.

Draco smirks, fucking showtime.

He's about to drop something when a voice cuts into his train of thought.

PS : "Mr Malfoy."

Fuck..

D : "Yes, Professor Slughorn?"

PS : "Come with me, boy, I need your rather unique potion making skills."

Come on, no, no...

D : "Now?"

Slughorn raises a brow.

PS : "Yes, now..."

Draco glances at Hermione desperately.

Did the old codger have to fuck up his morning?

Draco weakly protests

D : "But sir, I'm um..hungry."

Hungry for Grangers cunt.

PS : "Now! Before I start deducting points off Slytherin."

The bloody bastard.

Draco gets to his feet

D : "Fine."

Hermione looks on in disappointment, brings her legs together and watches Malfoy trail after Slughorn miserably.

The fuming Slytherin throws a look of annoyance her way before exiting the hall after the potions master.

Draco misses his first two lessons because of Slughorn's potions emergency, he is still at it when his year piles into the classroom.

He wipes his brow and looks up, Hermione grins and pats the seat next to her suggestively.

It wouldn't do to openly sit next to the Gryffindor without a bunch of questions being asked.

Draco coughs to distract everyone else and shakes his head, Hermione frowns, rolls her eyes and pulls out her books.

PS : "Good job, Mr Malfoy."

Draco replies in frustration.

D : "Yeah, no problem, Professor."

He gathers this things and sits next to Theo.

The class drones on and by the end of it Draco has dozed off more than once.

Theo nudges him and hisses.

T : "For fuck sake, get up."

The class ends and the exhausted students leave the dungeons and make their way to lunch before the next round of classes start.

Hermione studiously avoids Draco, she wouldn't go to him, let him come to her.

Refusing to sit with her, who the bloody hell did he think he was?

She steps into the abandoned girls bathroom to fix her hair and wash the tiredness off her face.

It takes but a second.

The door opens, closes with a bang and a heavy firm body presses up against her back.

Shocked at first, Hermione reaches for her wand but she looks up to see Draco grinning smugly at her.

She turns around and shoves him

H : "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

D : "Isn't it obvious?"

H : "This is the girls lavatory."

D : "I'm aware."

H : "Get away from me, you pervert."

D : "I haven't seen your knickers today, Granger."

H : "And you're not going to see them now."

D : "Oh, I beg to differ."

He places firm hands on her waist, lifts her and settles her on the counter.

Hermione lashes out

H : "Have you lost your damn mind?"

Draco winks.

D : "Possibly."

Hermione tries to hop down.

H : "I'm not playing this bloody game."

Draco holds her in place, his long fingers brush gently along her skin and edge upwards.

He pushes up the school skirt so it bunches around her waist and stares at the bright yellow undie hugging her pussy lips, outlining every dip and curve.

Draco swallows hard, up close she looks absolutely breathtaking.

H : "There, you saw them, are you satisfied?"

D : "Immensely, yellow might be my new favourite colour."

H : "Very funny, now let me go."

D : "Not so fast, pet."

He runs a long finger down her material covered slit.

Hermione gasps and a involuntary moan escapes her full lips.

She comes back to her senses and scolds.

H : "Stop it, anyone could walk in."

Draco rolls his eye, waves his wand and distinctive click echoes through the quiet bathroom.

He grins mischievously.

D : "Problem solved."

He continues to rub enticing circles around the flesh of her inner thighs.

D : "I wonder if you taste as good as you look."

H : "You wouldn't..."

D : "Oh, I would and you will love it."

He peels down her panties, leaving a trail of fire where his fingers touch her skin.

Draco puts Hermione smooth legs over his shoulders and bends to give her exposed cunt a quick lick.

Hermione gasps as he delves inside her with the tip of his tongue.

He gives her clit a quick flick and proceeds to eat her out generously.

Holy fuck, was Malfoy licking her cunt?

Oh, so good, so bloody good.

D : "You taste divine, let's see what makes you come."

Hermione's breathing elevates, she surrenders to the blonde licking her to glory.

The noises he makes as he moves his tongue echo in her head and fuel her pending release.

H : "Malfoy...."

D : "Wet, so fucking wet."

They have 4 minutes and 26 seconds before their next class.

Draco figures he needs 3 minutes tops to fuck her with his talented tongue and feel her orgasm on it.

D : "You taste fucking amazing."

He parts her pussy lips with his tongue again and begins to lap at her eager wetness.

Moving slowly, he uses the tip of his tongue to circle her ever receptive bud.

His tongue slips and he's rewarded with a loud moan.

Ah, so that's the spot.

Draco relentlessly tongues Hermione till she squirms.

He wants to look at her, keeping up his ministrations he braved a look at the witch whispering his name.

She was shuddering above him, her body wracked in pleasure.

Head thrown back, wild curls around her face, fuck...she looked stunning.

Her eyes closed, thighs spread wide and hands massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples.

This was a sight he could get used to.

H : "There, oh fuck...don't stop..."

H : "Oh...mm...I'm going to come."

Music to his ears, he takes her swollen bud between his lips and sucks hard.

D : "Let go, baby."

Hermione lets out a cry, grabs a fistful of Draco's hair and comes crashing down around him.

Only after she rode her high and stilled did he wipe her dripping juices off his chin and get to his feet.

H : "Well, that was..."

She hopes off the counter and attempts to stand on wobbly legs.

Draco licks his cum stained lips and grins.

D : "Something else."

H : Yes, something else.

Draco muses .

D: "And we havent even kissed yet."

Post orgasm bliss aside, Hermione asks.

H : "Why didn't you sit next to me? Do you still think me dirty?"

Dirty, was the woman mad? She fucking came in his mouth and he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth.

Draco pulls Hermione close and kisses her.

The kiss is no gentle exchange between lovers, its hard, fast and demanding

He pries her stubborn lips open with his tongue and slips it in to seek the inner sweetness, they grab onto each other fighting for dominance, until, she breaks free and surfaces for air.

Draco nibbles on the heated flesh of her neck and whispers.

D : "That's your cum you taste on my tongue, do you honestly believe your blood status means fuck all to me?"

He places a tender kiss to her lips

D : Actually, I wanted to spare you the embarrassment of mingling with an ex Death Eater.

Hermione shoves him playfully.

H : "Sod it, sit with me tomorrow."

D : "You dig your own grave, Granger."

A distinctive tent decorated Draco's trousers, he cups the bulge and adjusts his painfully hard erection.

H : "Oh, you're still hard, let me..."

D : "We don't have time."

Hermione's face falls in disappointment and Draco smirks.

D : "Don't worry about it, you can make up for it tomorrow."

Draco picks up the discarded yellow knickers and pockets them.

D : "I'm keeping these by the way."

H : "You cant be serious?"

D : "I rather enjoy the thought of you walking about the castle knickerless."

H : "You fucking smug prat."

D : "Blue is my favourite colour, Granger."

Draco lifts the spell and walks out.

Funny, she would've bet her left tit that it was black.

[avengerscompound]

Canvas

Canvas: A Captain America Fanfic

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing:  Steve Rogers x F!Reader

Word Count:  1844

Warnings:  smut (vaginal sex, messy sex,)

Synopsis:  Steve has been painting you for a while.  In a lot of ways you’ve been his must.  This time, he has decided to use a whole different canvas to practice his art on.

Canvas

The brush was soft and tickled your skin.  Paired with the cool, wet paint, it set off a ripple of goosebumps in its wake.

Steve was an artist.  You hadn’t known that when you’d first started seeing each other.  The serious and stoic Steve Rogers who had devoted his life to protect the world as Captain America didn’t seem to be the soft artistic type.

He had surprised you though.  First with the fact he wasn’t as serious as he made himself seem when he was in uniform.  He was funny and snarky, and he cared deeply about people.

And he liked to paint.

You’d first discovered his artistic side when you’d woken up to find him sitting on the end of the bed sketching a picture of you sleeping.  There was a way about Steve - an open vulnerability - that meant he could get away with doing things like watching you sleep that didn’t feel creepy.  There was something romantic about the way that he wanted to capture the moment.  Not with a camera to show how it was, but with a pencil to show how it made him feel.

Since that day he’d gotten more and more into his art when he was around you.  Your place and his became littered with sketches and drawings, mostly of you, but sometimes just of things that made him feel real.  Not the symbol of America, but a real man who wanted a quiet life with someone he loved.

When the painting started, you would sit for him.  You were his muse and when you would sit for him, you’d find yourself holding all kinds of unlikely positions, in a variety of different states of undress.

It was a strange feeling being his life model.  Sexy.  Uncomfortable.  Flattering.  Safe.  The best part was seeing the finished product.  It was like getting to see yourself through the eyes of the person who loved you most and there was nothing more intimate than that.

Today Steve was interested in a different canvas.

You stood naked in his home office, a drop cloth below you to capture any stray drops of paint.  Steve had his shirt off too, and there were already a few smears of paint on his perfectly sculpted chest.  There was something sexy about the look.  Like the mess made him seem raw and unbridled in a way Steve rarely was outside of sex and battle.

The brush moved down and around the curve of our breast in a long sweeping motion.  You shivered as the cool of the paint sent a tingle up your spine.  Your nipples hardened and you weren’t sure if that was only because of the cold.  Steve’s eyes drifted from the line of his paint to your breasts and his cheeks turned slightly pink.  “Is it very cold?”  He asked.

“It’s cold, but I’m not sure that’s the whole problem,” you coyly answered.

The blush deepened in Steve’s cheeks and his tongue glided over his plump bottom lip.  “Mm… for me too,” he said and leaned down, pressing his mouth to your breast.  Your nipple fit perfectly between his soft lips, and as his tongue swirled over it, you let out a sharp breath.

“Steve…” you sighed, your hand going to his shoulder to steady yourself.  He sucked on your tender flesh, his tongue curling around your hardened nipple, and as he pulled back, his teeth grazed over it, making a buzz spiral out under your skin.

He returned his attention to his art, leaving you trembling slightly from the brief interlude.  You blinked and shook your head as you tried to focus on the art, rather than the heat building between your legs.

You watched as he added some black to the blue he was painting on your skin, darkening the shade as he filled in the color under your stomach.  “What are you painting?”  You asked.

“You’re just going to have to wait and see,” he said.

“It’s not a flag, is it?”  You asked.  “I don’t want you to paint me to look like a flag.”

Steve laughed softly and shook his head.  “No.  It’s not a flag.”

He dipped his thumb into the purple on his pallet and ran it down between the two shades of blue on your stomach.  It tickled and you squirmed away from him a little.

“I need you to try and stay still, sweetheart,” Steve said.

“You try it when someone’s doing this to you,” you teased, and poked him in the abs.  He jumped away with a laugh.

“That’s cheating,” he said, grabbing your wrist.

You giggled and he kissed your hand before letting your wrist go again.  His fingerprints remained on your skin.  Blue spots to mark where he’d held you.  You studied them as he returned to painting.  Admiring the way they marked how easily his large hands wrapped around your wrists.

You took one of Steve’s spare brushes and dipped it into the red paint.

“What are you doing?”  Steve asked, raising his eyebrow though he didn’t look away from his work.

“Thought I’d do a little bit of body painting too,” you said and pressed your red palm against his chest.  When your hand left his body, the perfect impression of your hand was left in scarlet against his pale milk skin.

Steve’s lips quirked at the side and he shook his head.  “Very pretty,” he said.  “Shall I give you one?”

“Won’t it mess up your design?”  You asked.

“I can paint over it,” he said as he began painting his palm with purple paint.  “Where should I put this?”  He teased, waving it in front of you.

You squealed but your body seemed to curve toward him like it was aching for his touch.  He hovered his hand over your breast.  “Here?”  he whispered and watched as you shivered slightly, pushing your chest out toward him.  He licked his lips and moved his hand up to your neck.  “Maybe here?”

You swallowed thickly.  “Please?”

He moved his hand down around your waist and smacked it down on your ass.  It was firm and made a sharp crack as his skin met yours, but it wasn’t painful.  You gasped and he dragged your forward, his fingers digging into your ass.  “Here?”  He said, bringing his lips to yours.

You kissed him hungrily, his other arm curling around your waist.  You moaned into his lips and pressed your body against him.  You could picture the mark on your ass.  His large palm staining your skin purple.  His hands slid around your waist, smearing the paint as he moved them, leaving a wet trail up to your ribs.  His fingers tightened and he pushed you back against the wall.  You submitted to him, melting under his touch.  His hands gripped your chest just under your breasts and he dragged them up, breaking the kiss so he could lean down and suck your breasts.  You let your head fall back against the wall and wrapped a leg around him, pulling your bare cunt against his clothed crotch.  His cock was hard and strained against the thick fabric of his khakis.  You cunt smeared your fluids on his jeans as the friction drew them from you, sending a hot tingle spiraling out through you.

He sucked and bit at your breasts like a hungry man.  Dutifully moving from one to the other and back again, sending a dull ache down to your core.

“Steve,” you moaned.  “I need you.”

He groaned and spun you guiding you back to the tarp and knocking his paints to the floor so they splattered over the drop cloth.  He lay you down, ignoring the paint as it pooled around your body.  You put your hands in the wet mess and watched as he hurriedly unfastened his pants.  As he positioned himself above you, you spread your legs wide and wrapped your arms around him, welcoming him in and marking him as your own.

He was kissing you again, hard and passionately.  You matched him, bringing your tongue to meet his and swirling it around.  He lined himself up and with a hard thrust, he was inside you.  You gasped arching up into him as an eclectic pulse passed through your body.  He didn’t wait for you to adjust, he just began thrusting into you again and again.  The head of his cock hitting your cervix and sending sharp jolts through you again and again.

You cried out and bunched your hands in his hair.  The paint on your hands clung to the strands, sticking them together and making them stick up in clumps.  You could feel your climax building, and you nudged him.  He took the hint flipping you over.

The paint you’d been lying in dripped down your back onto his thighs.  He smeared his hands through it and then used it to finger paint on your body as you rode him.  You started slowly, swirling your hips like you were doing a seated dance, his cock moving inside you and pressing against your walls.  You began to move faster, bouncing on his cock.  Steve groaned as he watched you, his hands caressing his body.  Faster and faster you moved, up and down, up and down.  Sweat mixed with the paint as you chased your orgasm.  Steve began to snap his hips up into you, your bodies slapping together each time you connected.

He pushed you back, first so you were seated face to face, you sitting in his lap, and then pushing you back on the floor again.  He pushed your legs up so they were pressed against your chest.  His cock penetrated you so deeply you thought it was going to split you in two.  You cried out and your orgasm hit, shuddering through you and making all your muscles seize up.  Steve kept thrusting, fucking you through it, and as he reached his own climax, he pulled out pumping his cock in his fist and releasing, spattering your stomach and chest with thick white ropes that stood out against the rainbow of paint.

You lay back panting as you came down from your orgasm high and Steve lay down beside you.  “God, you’re beautiful,” he sighed.

“We ruined your art,” you said, looking down at yourself.

“I think we made it better,” he said.  “I know I’m going to remember you like this for a long time.  My gorgeous artwork.”

He brought his lips to yours and kissed you deeply and tenderly.  You closed your eyes and hummed, relaxing into it.  When he pulled back he smiled at you.  “We really should go shower.”

You giggled and Steve helped you to stand.  He looked down at the drop sheet below him and smiled.  “I think I might frame that,” he said.

You looked down at the colors.  They swirled together, but you could see everywhere the two of you had touched.  You liked the idea of hanging it in the apartment.  A permanent reminder of what you and Steve had.

[babydaddyleorio]

Hello! May I request #10 fluff with Akashi Seijuro x black fem!reader? Pronouns are she/her, tysm!!

No problem!

Akashi’s crimson eyes surveyed the Corps in front of him, squinting slightly at the stiff soldiers lined up in a flawless formation along the wall.

“Move.” He harshly commanded with overwhelming authority dripping from his voice and the men parted instantly, raising their hands in a salute as their leader passed by them. Akashi frowned once he finally made It outside the building, agitated that he had to take precious time out of his day just to go and scold the incompentent warriors that were supposed to be capable enough to defend the Kingdom. Their performance was barely adequate and nothing to brag about, so Akashi had decided to put them through extensive training to remind them of the role that they had to fulfill.

Akashi rode his favorite white horse back to the castle, his burgundy cape flowing elegantly behind him. Luckily, the palace was only a short trek, so he arrived back to the royal grounds fairly soon. He galloped through the gates and the guards bowed as soon as they saw him.

Akashi had his head raised high, demonstrating the immense power he held to the others around him. He had acquired a reputation of being the Ruthless Emperor since he was always able to predict his enemies moves when in combat, resulting in him winning every single battle he’s ever been in. And because the people of his kingdom either eluded or loathed him due to his threatening title, Akashi tended to keep to himself. It’s not like he was evil like people wrote him to be, in a way you could say that Akashi was just misunderstood. He believed in order and saw losing as the ultimate sign of weakness, so he did everything in his power to make sure his kingdom always succeeded. Although in the end, all of his hard work ended up isolating him from the people he cared most about.

Akashi pulled the restraints of his horse to stop him and jumped down to the ground, brushing his clothes off with his gloved hands before walking forward. He noticed the way his servants cowered as he passed them and Akashi glared ahead, the nuisance feeling of rejection gnawing at him further. He was on his way to his office where he usually locked himself up when he felt bothersome to others, but all of a sudden he heard the soft sounds of humming echo beside him.

Akashi stopped in his tracks and slowly turned his head to where the sound came from, and his gaze fell onto a girl who stood in the grass with her back turned towards him. In any normal circumstance, Akashi would’ve kept walking and acted as If this woman’s presence was merely insignificant for him, but something told him to stay and observe her. Akashi then realized he had been standing in his spot for too long and smacked his lips, concluding that It was time for him to take his leave. But just as he was moving to go, the girl turned her body around and upon seeing her face, Akashi felt his legs become immobile as he drifted into a trance.

The girl wore a long, yellow dress that flowed all around her while her beautiful thick hair puffed above her shoulders. Akashi swallowed thickly as he took in how her brown skin was shining under the sun, and the glow it radiated almost made him grow weak in the knees. Akashi suddenly felt his heart start to race and he quickly moved his hand to grab his chest, his eyes widening in shock at the sensation ringing throughout his body.

What was this odd feeling?

Akashi’s mind fell into disarray and his line of thinking became cloudy whenever he glanced at you. Who was this goddess standing in front of him right now, and why had he never seen her before? He was sure that he kept strict scrutiny on who stepped foot on the castle’s grounds, and he knew that he would never forget a face like hers, so who in the world was she?

“Excuse me?”

Akashi’s eyes zeroed in on the girl’s plump lips, her words being muffled as he still found himself to be in utter mesmerization.

“Excuse me?” The girl suddenly waved her hand in front of his face while raising her tone, causing Akashi to blink slightly, his surroundings now becoming clear again.

“Are you alright, sir?” The woman asked with concern laced into her words and Akashi could feel himself melting at how lovely her voice sounded to his ears. He quickly raised a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, resuming the usual indifferent expression that he always wore.

“Yes, I am quite alright.” He responded and the girl in front of him sighed in relief.

“That’s good to know, I was worried you had fallen ill with the way you were looking at me.” She mused and Akashi blushed at her words.

“On a different note,” Akashi said, trying to change the subject quickly. “I have never seen you around here before.”

Akashi could see the way the girl’s face brightened as she adjusted the flowers in her hand.

“Actually, today’s my first day working at the palace. I was appointed as the head gardener and I was in the middle of sorting flowers before I saw you.”

Ah, so that’s why he didn’t recognize her.

“I see.” Akashi nodded his head and watched as the girl went to sit down on a bench, beckoning for Akashi to follow her. He debated whether he should tell her that this wasn’t necessary and that she should get back to work, but he decided against his better judgement to accompany her anyway.

“It’s always been my dream to work here, you know?” She said suddenly while mindlessly looking into the sky. Akashi raised an eyebrow, wondering why anyone would want to work here willingly.

“Is that so?” He questioned and she nodded her head with a smile.

“They have the best herbs here, and the botanical garden is amazing. You see, I grew up in nature and you could say that It’s all that I know.” She continued to longingly look above, increasing the curiosity Akashi had with her.

“You know what they say about the Emperor, right?” The girl pondered, her voice changing slightly as the words fell from her mouth. Akashi side eyed her briefly at her sudden question before directing his attention back on the well manicured hedge in front of him.

“No, please enlighten me.”

The girl tapped her chin as she thought of all the rumors she had heard. “They say that he's an uptight dictator who has a stick shoved so far up his ass that he doesn’t care for his people.”

Akashi gritted his teeth at her false assumption and clenched his hands at his side, moving his head downward. He was about to protest and rise from his seat, but the girl continued.

“I don’t believe any of that though.” She stated, causing Akashi to go still and the thoughts he had of storming off were paused.

“I think that the Emperor actually cares for his people, but being a ruler can sometimes make people seem more ruthless than they actually are. I’ve never seen him, but I know that he can’t be all that bad, especially with how he helped my parent’s back home and granted me this job.”

Akashi stared at the girl beside him in amazement once he took in her words. No one had ever insulted him to his face before, nor genuinely complimented him either. She was the first person who wasn’t swayed by the Ruthless Emperor label he had been given against his will, and hearing someone think that surprisingly filled Akashi with contentedness.

Akashi felt his heart thump wildly against his chest again and he turned his head to look at the girl, not realizing that at that moment he had fallen in love with her.

“What is your name?” Akashi asked out loud, and the girl glanced at him with a grin shaping her lips.

“My name is y/n.” She responded and Akashi made a mental note of your name, thinking to himself how beautiful It sounded.

“Y/n huh?” Akashi repeated into the air with a smile, his red hair blowing in the wind to reveal his usual cold eyes now glazed with happiness.

“Thank you.”

[xjoonchildx]

dinner & dessert | jhs x reader

summary: once you and hoseok decided to get physical, things went from 0 to 100. that might be a problem now that he’s asked you to meet his parents.

pairing: hoseok x reader word count: 1.8K

rating: 18+

genre: the actual definition of PWP. please don’t judge me.

warnings:  excessive horniness, complete disregard for childhood momentos & t-shirt abuse

*************************

Surely there were things that you used to do -- before all you did was Hoseok.  

You just can’t seem to remember any of them anymore.

You’re pretty sure there had been dinners and movies and parties and hikes -- back in the beginning, back when you’d both agreed to hold off on getting physical.  Back when you’d both agreed you didn’t want to ruin things by moving too fast.

But then six weeks in, Hoseok came over carrying homemade dumplings and wearing that irresistible smile and smelling like some incredible cologne and that was that.

And that wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that you can’t seem to turn it off.

At this point, he’s fucked you against every flat surface in his apartment, your apartment, and a few places in between.

Your last attempt at a movie date ended with him mouthing your tits through your thin tank top while you rode him in the backseat of his car.  You’d had to cut a hike short after you stroked him too thoroughly during your picnic lunch and he came all over his pants. 

Your doctor could only laugh when you asked her to change your birth control to something military-grade.

So it’s been weeks and weeks and weeks and you know the high is supposed to wear off at some point but it just… hasn’t.

Now all Hoseok has to do is give you that look -- and your body goes into auto-pilot.  That look sparks an embarrassing, Pavlovian panty-wetting response you can’t seem to stop.  

And it’s the same look he’s giving you right now.  

Which is a problem.

It’s a problem because Hoseok’s mother has just finished serving an authentic and delicious dinner of Bulgogi and other Korean specialities.  It’s a problem because tonight you’re meeting Hoseok’s parents for the first time and you’re in their home, at their dinner table.  

And it’s a problem because despite knowing you’d like very much to impress his parents, Hoseok seems determined to ruin your reputation.  And your panties.

So you give him your own look.  

The one that says, i swear to god don’t even think about it but he ignores it, turns away from you to beam up at his mother with picture-perfect adoration.

“Mom, you kill it every time,” he says charmingly and she smiles wide, waving her hand as if to wave off his praise, like it’s too much.  “Best cook on the planet.”

“Oh, honey -- you’re so sweet,” she laughs and you want to say, oh honey, no he’s not.  Does this delightful woman have any idea she’s raised an actual sex addict?

Probably not.

Hoseok pins you with the look again as his mother begins to clear the dishes and you clear your throat and look down at your hands.

“How did you like it?” his father asks.

“Oh, very much,” you say honestly, looking back up to offer him a weak smile.  “Best Korean food I’ve ever had.”

He grins and leans back, satisfied with your review. 

“Dad, can we hold off on dessert for a few minutes?” Hoseok asks casually.  “I’d like to give her a tour of the house.”

Your eyes dart back to Hoseok, wide with panic and warning because is he fucking serious right now and the barely concealed smirk he sends back says you’re absolutely goddamned right i am.

“Yeah, of course. We’ll be here when you’re ready,” Hoseok’s father says, standing to join his wife in the kitchen.

Hoseok directs his answer back to his father, but his sly smile is directed right at you.

“Perfect.”

*****************************

“You should have worn a skirt,” Hoseok reprimands, the second the lock to his bedroom clicks into place.

“I purposely didn’t wear a skirt, dammit,” you fire back as he uses his body to push you onto his bed, forcing you to drop down. “We are not fucking in your childhood bedroom with your parents downstairs.”

“We don’t have a lot of time,” he murmurs, hands working the button of your jeans as he ignores your protest.  “You’re going to have to make this quick.”

“Hoseok,” you hiss.  “You cannot fuck me right now.  Cannot.”

He looks up at you for a moment, cocks his head to the side as if working out a problem in his head.  Behind him you can make out posters of athletes on the walls, a bookcase next to the bed stacked with tennis trophies. 

“Uh, yeah,” Hoseok says nonchalantly.  “I totally can. Slide those off. The clock is ticking.”

This is disastrous, you think, as you work your jeans off your legs. Mortifying, you muse, as you take your panties down just a moment afterwards.  One of your worst ideas, you concede, as you lie back and watch Hoseok drop his boxers to reveal his skilled cock already at half-mast.  

But apparently none of that is stopping you.

“I got you off in seven minutes at that Christmas party,” Hoseok says, dropping to his knees.  “I can beat that.”

“Oh my god,” you groan, flinching when he dives into your heat face-first.  “You’ve been timing me?”  

He flicks his tongue across your clit and you have to suppress a squeak. 

“No silly,” he teases. “I’ve been timing me. For planning purposes,” he says, going to work in earnest.  His tongue and teeth lap and tease at you and you grip one hand into the comforter of his bed to give an outlet to your nervous energy.

“You’re already dripping,” he whispers and you don’t have to see his face to visualize the smirk he’s wearing.  “So I think we’re going to be just fine.”

He slips two fingers into you, pumps them in and out slowly and your eyes fall shut as you forget everything but the feeling of his hands and mouth on you.  

But then the sound of dishes clattering downstairs echoes up the hallway and you freeze for a moment, remembering where you are and exactly what you’re doing.

“Hoseok,” you moan, “You have got to hurry.  If your parents catch us like this…” you trail off, not even wanting to voice the uncomfortable scenario out loud.

“They won’t,” he swears, giving you another long lick for good measure.  “I promise.”

Once he’s certain he’s got your body humming -- teetering on the edge -- he joins you on the bed.  He fits his slim hips between yours and wastes no time lining up his cock and pushing inside your swollen walls. You sigh at the thick slide of him, the feeling of friction you’re certain you’ll never tire of.  He groans from deep inside his chest when he bottoms out inside of you.

“God,” he moans, “I could live here.  Right between these soft thighs.”

“You practically already do,” you scold, sucking in a shaky breath when he strokes into you hard. He laughs and sets a steady rhythm, satisfied with the way you writhe in response to his vigorous thrusts.  His mouth sucks gently at your neck while he strokes and you whimper.

“I could come right now,” he warns, one hand slipping in between your bodies. One of his fingers finds your aching clit and he applies pressure as he continues to fuck into you. “But I’m holding off. I’m always holding off when I get to be inside you.”

God, he knows just how to talk, you think, mind blanking with pleasure.  You’re so close and all you need is just a bit more of this friction.  You grind up into the pressure of his fingers and cock and whine as you feel your orgasm start to build at the apex of your thighs.  Your fingers dig into the lean muscles of his ass, feeling them flex as he moves inside you.

“Fuck me harder,” you whisper, needing that push over the edge.  Hoseok groans at your words, increasing his pace and force and you hear his bed creak in response.  He doesn’t seem to care, too lost to chasing his end and yours to entertain such thoughts.

“Oh shit,” you gasp, feeling your orgasm kick off as he snaps his hips against you.  “Oh god, Hoseok, I’m -- “

He covers your mouth with his, drowns out your desperate ramblings as he starts pounding into you with earnest. You can feel his bed moving as he ruts against you mindlessly.  Your orgasm washes over you, causing your hips to stutter and Hoseok swallows your moans as his own orgasm hits, causing him to buck even harder.  

The sound of tennis trophies falling on the floor catches you both off guard.

“Oh fuck,” he groans, and you’re not sure if that fuck is directed at the wet warmth he’s just deposited between your thighs or the noisy as fuck trophies that just came crashing to the ground.  You don’t have time to really ponder that question because a second later a voice sounds from downstairs.

“Hoseok? You guys okay?”

He startles off of you, throwing a drawer open and reaching for a t-shirt that he probably hasn’t worn in 10 years.  

“Yeah, we’re good,” he calls down, cleaning himself off with it and scrambling to do the same to you.   He practically jumps back into his jeans while you throw your clothes back on. 

He’s played it cool this entire time but fear-of-your-mom-walking-in-on-you-boning-your-girlfriend has a way of wiping the smug right off your face.  Doesn’t matter if you’re damned near 30 years old.

“I told you this was a bad idea,” you whisper venomously, buttoning up your jeans.  

He winks. 

“Put this in your purse,” he says, handing you the t-shirt.

You make a face.

**************************

Sex doesn’t really have a smell, does it?

A question you never thought you’d be pondering at the dinner table with your boyfriend’s parents but these are strange, horny times, and you’re praying like hell sex doesn’t have a smell.  Because if it does, well.

Well.

If it does have a smell, Hoseok’s absolute doll of a mother certainly isn’t letting on.  

She’s just put out a plate of the most beautiful songpyeon you’ve ever seen. Hoseok’s father beams at the presentation, looking to you as if to ask isn’t my wife a world-class cook? And you hope the look you give back is convincing and not at all guilty. 

Hoseok, for his part, looks completely relaxed and not ruffled in the slightest.  

You shoot him a glare over that plate of beautiful dessert dumplings and the smile he sends back makes his dimples pop and you decide you’ll have to forgive him just this once, you suppose.

“Mom,” Hoseok says sweetly, looking past the plate of desserts and back to the kitchen.  “These look amazing, but -- “ 

You raise an eyebrow, praying whatever words walk out of his mouth next won’t embarrass the shit out of you.  

“ -- Can I just have a second helping of Bulgogi for dessert?  I’m hungry again, for some reason.”

************************

[clareguilty]

Kinktober Prompt #4

So not only is this prompt late, but its not even the one i said i would have done today because of writers block. Anyways, i hope y’all like weird, magic, tentacle smut.

Witch!Mercy/f!reader Rating: Explicit | Tentacles, magic rituals, dubcon, face sitting… i went HAM y’all Word Count: ~1800

Read it on AO3

You probably should have listened when your friends warned you not to go near the Witch of the Wilds. She was dangerous. Wicked. A powerful sorceress and a master of life and death. She had bewitched many, committed unspeakable evils. And you were intent on seeking her out.

 Her lair was hidden deep in the woods, and it took you quite a while to find it. Still, you strode up to the heavy wooden door with as much confidence as you muster.

 The door opened on its own. Swinging inward slowly with a high creak. Okay. You probably should have expected something like that in all honesty. This was the Witch of the Wilds.

 You tentatively stepped inside, peering around in the dark entry way. The second both of your feet had cross the threshold. You blacked out.

 The first thing you saw when you woke was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen.

 “An angel?” you asked, trying to clear the fog from your head. You couldn’t move, but that would make sense if you were dead.

 She chuckled, a low sound that seemed to fill the air around you. “You’re sweet, but I’m far from holy.”

 She was sitting a little ways away, large book propped open on her crossed knees. A feather quill hovering in the air beside her.

 “You came looking for me? I assume you wanted something.” She closed the book and set it aside. You couldn’t take your eyes off of her. Your initial assumption had been far too innocent. This was no angel. She was a temptress. You dragged your gaze away from her legs and saw the wickedness in her eyes. “I give nothing for free, so I’ve already taken the liberty of arranging my payment. Once I am finished, we can discuss your request.”

 You were bewildered. What was she talking about? You attempted to sit up, but you had hardly moved an inch before you realized that you were tied down. Stripped naked and bound to a large wooden table. The sigils carved in the wood left a pit in your stomach.

 “The Witch of the Wilds,” you breathed.

 “I guess that’s what most call me these days,” she tutted. She was at a long table covered in instruments and vials and parchment. “It has been quite a while since someone sought me out deliberately. I can’t wait to learn what it is you want. Unfortunately, it’s the night of the new moon and I’ve been wanting to perform this ritual for a long time. I hope you don’t mind if I take my end of the deal first.”

 Your confusion was quickly giving way to fear. You may have bitten off more than you could chew.

 “It was very lucky that you showed up when you did. Not many people travel on a waning moon. I just happen to have everything else I need all ready here.” She was mixing some sort of paste in a stone bowl. “It’s amazing how many materials one has to gather just to get yet      another    material.”

 You tensed as she turned to you, carrying the bowl to the table you were fastened to. There was no way in hell you were eating that.

 You didn’t have to. Instead, she began painting sigils across your body. Teasing you when she first slathered the cold substance right across your chest. She was deliberate. Careful. Occasionally taking a thin metal instrument to scrape away at the paste until it was the desired shape. It was a strange sensation, especially as the paste began to harden and darken against your skin.

 “What kind of ritual is this?” you asked, already dreading the answer.

 “A summoning,” she answered simply. “I require materials from a dark world being. The being will not come to this realm without an offering. That’s where you come in.”

 She took in your expression and quickly added, “Of course, you’ll survive the ritual. There’s no need to be worried. Everything should be finished by dawn.”

 You decided you didn’t want to ask any more questions.

 The painstaking process was soon complete, and you had been covered in sigils from your neck to your toes. She even adjusted the bindings on your ankles, spreading your legs wide before tying them back even tighter than before. You were ashamed, embarrassed to be so exposed, but the Witch was unfazed. She procured a large shallow basin and placed it between your thighs.

 You watched her carefully arrange a series of items in the basin. Powders, herbs, stones, and strange things from jars. The last addition was a few drops of glowing blue liquid.

 “Thank you for being so patient with me,” the Witch smiled at you, opening her large book once more. “If you could keep quiet for just a moment longer, I’ve got the incantation and we’ll be all set.”

 She began the incantation. It was a language you had never heard, and it sounded strange and uncomfortable to your ears. Every passing second made you more and more afraid of what was to come.

 It had been nearly a minute of recitation when you felt it. The sigils on your skin began to feel warm and strange. Buzzing like an insects wings. It wasn’t uncomfortable but you opened your mouth to scream anyways. You had barely parted your lips when a palm firmly clamped over your lips. The witch hadn’t finished her incantation.

 Next, the materials in the basin between your legs erupted in bright blue flames. You screamed against the witch’s palm, thrashing in your bonds as the flames began to take shape, opening into some kind of portal.

 The portal was pitch black. The witch watched it with bright, eager eyes, waiting for what would come through. She finished her incantation with a smile, setting the book aside as she watched the flames. They licked at the insides of your thighs, but didn’t burn. Just as the sigils glowed and buzzed against your skin.

 At last, something reach through the portal. A thin, dark tendril snaked its way out, tapping along the wood of the table until it found your thigh. You immediately tried to scream again, but the witch covered your mouth before you could make a sound.

 “Please keep quiet,” she asked, sounding more exasperated than anything. “We wouldn’t want to scare it with your noise.”

 The tendril snaked up your leg, tapping along the sigils before coming to the apex of your thighs. Apparently, that was just what it was looking for, because it began rubbing against the sensitive flesh there. You tried to move away, but you were bound too firmly.

 Your panic only increased tenfold when another tendril brushed against your knee. They stroked you between your legs. You felt a wave of shame as you realized that it felt good.  

 And then one of them pressed inside you. Moving back and forth in a familiar motion. Your screams against the witch’s palm turned to moans of pleasure.

 “Ah,” she grinned. “Perfect.” Her cheeks were flushed, and she was watching the creature with rapt fascination. “If only I could have served as the offering myself.”

 She watched you. Watched your mouth fall open as the tendrils worked their way inside of you. Stretching you and filling you. Several more had emerged from the portal, wrapping around your legs and up to your chest. Occasionally, one of the tendrils would fill you with a warm, tingling liquid and retreat back into the portal, only to be replaced by another shortly after.

 “We had best keep you quiet,” she mused. “And I’m feeling a little bit left out of the fun. What if I…?” She chewed her lip. Nodding as she came to a decision.

 She climbed onto the table, pushing her already revealing skirt to the side as she swung her thigh over your head. “Be a good girl for me,” she murmured as she lowered herself to your lips.

 Your tongue met her pussy and you moaned against her. She made an appreciative sound, grinding down to meet you.

 You did the best you could to serve the Witch of the Wilds. The tendrils between your legs made it difficult to stay focused. They brought you to orgasm again and again, never relenting. You wanted to do the same for the witch.

 She rode your face until your jaw was tired; then she freed one of your hands so you could use your fingers. You never backed down until she nearly collapsed, sliding off of the table and disappearing into a heap on the floor. You were a fucked out mess, still subject to the tendrils that never seemed to tire. You were a mess, covered in whatever it was they created and nearly mindless with pleasure.

 The witch recovered after several minutes, gathering up a number of empty jars and collecting the substance that was pooling between your legs.

 And then the portal closed.

 It was abrupt. You were so lost in bliss that you hardly even noticed until the witch was removing you from your bonds.

 “It must be dawn,” she noted as she began wiping off the jars to put them away. “Here.” She lifted you from the table, carrying you with ease to a large basin across the room. “Rest as long as you need to. I’ll bring food and wine in just a bit.”

 The water in the basin – probably enchanted – was soothing. And it eased your aches as you ate a plate of fruit and nuts that the witch brought. Unfortunately, the paste that had created the sigils on your body had stained your skin, and you were still covered in strange markings after it was washed away. It was only after you were wrapped in a soft robe and settled in a large chair by the fireplace that she spoke.

 “Thank you for assisting me with that. It is a great help to me. I will now grant you anything you ask in return.” She smiled warmly. You were still entranced by her beauty, even after all you had been through.

 “Let me stay with you.”

 “Excuse me?” The witch asked.

 “I came all this way because I wished to learn magic. Powerful magic. And after everything that happened last night, I would like to become your student. That ritual was… amazing. And I would gladly be your offering again on the next new moon.” You rushed in your explanation, hoping she wouldn’t turn you away.

 Instead she laughed. “Well, I won’t be needing to perform that particular ritual any time soon. But I can think of many other ways in which you can assist me.” Her lips curled, and your heart began to race at the shine in her eyes. “Very well, you can remain here with me. It would be nice to have a willing subject for my spells and experiments.”

Ko-Fi | Paypal | Masterlist

[myhaikyuuthings]

could we PLEASE get some nsfw aone thank uuuu

“I love you” NSFW 

Aone x fem!reader

just straight filth, kinda soft ? but like filth man. I HC he has a real filthy mouth when he gets comfortable so be warned degrading? but also praise 

word count: 2285

nsfw warning again: 

You leaned against his chest, sighing contently as he ran his fingers through your hair. He hums in response, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You turned, climbing up into his lap and kissing him softly. 

“What was that for?” he chuckles, rubbing his hands over your thighs.

“I just like kissing you,” you shrugged, your lips connecting with his cheek with a satisfying ‘pop’. 

He nods, returning your kisses. You giggle at the tickling sensation, leaning further into his touch. Wrapping his arms around your waist, he smiles at you, giving you a kiss to the tip of your nose. 

“I love you,” he whispered, his eyes holding so much emotion it nearly brought you to tears.

“You’ve never said that before,” you breathed out, your eyes never once leaving his. 

“I’ve felt it for a long time, I wanted to tell you when the time felt right,” he replied, his cheeks dusted pink.

“I love you too,” you gushed, your brain finally catching up to your heart. He beamed, pulling you in closer to hug you tightly. 

When you pull back, you feel a familiar warmth in your stomach, your heart beating rapidly. You lean forward, your lips crashing into his harshly. He grunts against your mouth, his grip on your waist tightening. You pulled back, ready to apologize for just jumping him like that but then you saw his eyes. They were dark and hooded, his gaze one all too familiar by now. The look  sent shivers down your spine.

It had been too long since he looked at you that way. You remembered it vividly, his eyes burning you with their intensity as he slid in and out of you slowly. The sounds of your moans echoing off the walls. It had been much too long. You let out a soft moan as your body remembered the feeling of him inside of you. 

“Y/N...if you make sounds like that you know what it does to me,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving yours. 

“I know,” you whimpered, rolling your hips against his lap, moaning appreciatively at the hardening member pressing against you. “Maybe that’s my goal.” 

“Did you get horny from me telling you I love you?” he teased, but you could tell by the twitch of his cock against you that he enjoyed it. 

“It seems like I’m not the only one,” you leaned in, whispering in his ear. You felt his moan more than heard it, giggling before nibbling gently on his ear. 

“If we start, I’m not sure I can hold myself back right now,” he warned, his hands guiding your hips to move against his. 

“Then don’t Nobu-chan, this isn’t our first time, you know you won’t break me.”

“I think I might right now,” he admitted. You felt yourself getting wetter from his words, subconsciously trying to push your thighs together in search of any relief, his hands stopping them. “Yes or no?”

“Yes, god a thousand yeses, please I need you,” you whimpered, feeling the familiar cloud of lust clouding your thoughts. 

His lips attached to yours, his tongue instantly finding it’s way between your teeth. You pulled at the hem of his shirt, your moans being swallowed by him. His hands left your thighs, moving to help you remove his shirt. At the sight of his pale skin, your mouth dropped to his collar bones. You licked at the bone, smirking at the shaky moan that left his lips. His collar bones were very sensitive and you made sure to use that to your advantage every time. 

You bit at the sensitive skin, dragging your tongue across the red that followed. He gripped your hips, rolling his hips up to meet yours. Nipping and sucking at his skin until it was purple below your mouth you felt his resolve finally snap beneath you. He flipped the two of you over, grinding his hips against your clothed core. You moaned lewdly, your hands finding purchase on his shoulder. He grunted, his hips pressing harder against yours. 

His hands  slipped under your shirt, practically ripping it from your body. The moan he released at the sight of your bare chest was downright sinful.

“You didn’t tell me you weren’t wearing a bra,” he breathed against the exposed skin, his mouth hovering over your chest. 

“Thought it would be a nice surprise,” your laugh was broken off into a moan as he expertly took your perked bud into his mouth. 

He grunted in agreement, rolling it between his teeth. Your back arched off the mattress, pressing against his face. You knew your panties were soaked, could tell by how they stuck to your skin. He teased you for what felt like hours, his hips never once stopping their relentless pace against you. You felt your high building, grabbing a fistful of his hair. 

“I’m gonna cum please, I want to cum around you,” you whined, your hips rolling up to meet his regardless of the words that fell from your mouth.

“You can cum more than once love, it’s okay cum for me, I want to see you come undone just from this,” he smirked, reattaching his lips to your chest. 

You cursed, your leg thrown over his hip. He rolled his hips with more force than before, pinning you into the bed. It hit you like a wave, Aone’s mouth staying firmly attached to your nipple as you rode out your high. You whined from the over sensitivity, your thighs shaking against his. He pulled back, a proud look on his face. 

“Let’s get these dirty clothes off you, hm?” he said, pulling your sweats and panties down in one motion. 

You hissed at the cold air on your wet core. He chuckled, running one finger along your slit, collecting your juices. You watched as he brought his finger to his mouth, wrapping his lips around it and moaning at the taste, his eyes trailing down your body. You moaned at the sight, feeling your slick drip out of you. 

“I can take it just, please,” you begged, reaching for his shorts. He gently moved your hands away, holding them above your head with one of his. 

“Are you sure you can take it?” he asked, towering over you. You nodded, your nipples brushing against his chest with every breath you took. “I don’t think I can wait long enough to take these off...”

“What-” you asked, the words failing to come out as he pushed his shorts down just enough to expose his thick cock. With his hand stilled wrapped around your wrists, he slowly pushed into you.

Your hips raised to meet his, your moans being drowned out by the loud groans falling from his lips. He bottomed out, his grip on your wrists tightening. Your walls clenched uselessly around him, making it so much harder for him to let you adjust. He rested his forehead against yours, just savoring the moment. 

“I will never get tired of how good you feel around me,” he whispered against your lips, his voice strained, “how wet and tight you are for me, the way you clench around me like you’re begging for more, every time.” 

You moaned in response, trying to roll your hips against his. The desperate need to feel his cock sliding into you clouding your judgement. His free hand presses your hips down, his grip sure to leave bruises. His legs and grip on your body the only thing holding him up had you keening under having so much of his weight on you for the first time. He shook his head, littering kisses down the column of your throat. 

“You love the feeling of my cock that much? That you can’t even be a patient girl for me?” his words went straight to your cunt, he cursed as he felt you get wetter, “look at you moaning just from me being in you, I’m not even moving y/n.”

He squeezed your hip when you don’t respond. You yelped, your hips trying to jerk up at the feeling. “You like that I’m holding you down like this don’t you? You like the feeling of me hurting you, why didn’t my pretty little slut ever tell me huh?”

“Didn’t know,” you whined out, your lip caught between your teeth. He leaned down, pulling it from your teeth with his own. You gasped, worried you were going to cum just from this. 

“You know now, so tell me, do you want me to fuck you so good you feel it for days after?” He mused, letting go of your hip. He laughed as your whined at the loss, your moans mixing in when your hips jerked against his. “Use your words, you know I’ll do anything to make my precious girl happy.”

“Please Nobu, please hurt me, I want to feel this for days,” you broke, panting harshly. 

He beamed down at you, pressing a soft kiss to your lips with a mumbled ‘good girl’. Letting go of your wrists, his hands wrapped tightly around your waist.  You felt him pull out slowly, whining at the teasing. As the sound left your lips, his hips snapped against yours roughly, setting a fast pace. 

You felt your orgasm quickly building, your nails digging into his shoulders. You tighten around him and he just thrusts harder, as if fighting through how hard you were gripping him. He leaned down, biting the skin of your shoulder, moaning against you. You nearly scream as your second orgasm crashes over you, but he doesn’t relent. 

“Aone,” you panted, your legs wrapped around his back. 

He slowed down, just barely. He gave you an amused look, rolling his hips into yours just right. You clenched around him again, the overstimulation nearly bringing  you to tears. His lips met yours, distracting you for just a moment. 

“C’mon pretty one, don’t you want to make me feel good too? You’re okay,” he shushed, the sound of his  hips slapping against yours echoing through the room. He licked up a tear that slid down your cheek and you tried to ignore how much that turned you on. “Just a bit more, I promise, I’ll make you cum one more time and then we’ll be done okay, you can do it I know you can.” 

“I can’t,” you hiccuped, the tears flowing freely. He shushed you, wiping away your tears with the pad of his thumb. The mixture of pain and pleasure was too much for you, bordering more pain than pleasure. 

“You can, you’ve always been such a good girl for me,” he replied, his cock pressing against your cervix harshly with each thrust. “If you really want me to stop I will, but you need to say those words love.”

Your eyes rolled into your head as he sped up, the feeling addicting. His moans bouncing off the walls so loudly you were sure the neighbors would hear. He gripped your chin in his hand, forcing you to look him in the eyes as he ruined you. “Tell  me, do you want me to stop?”

“N-no, don’t stop,” you cried, feeling your wetness slide down his cock onto your ass. He smirked, pulling out quickly. “Aone-”

He flipped you onto your stomach, quickly sheathing his cock back into your heat. You moaned loudly, his hands jerking your body into the perfect position for him to hit you deeper than ever before. 

“Look at you, crying how you can’t but moaning like a whore and telling me not to stop when I ask,” he growled into your ear, biting the skin harshly. Your body jerked against his, forcing him deeper into you. “I think you like when you have no control, am I right baby?”  

You moaned in response, crying out at the stinging in your ass cheek that followed. “Did you just spank me?”

“Oh so you can talk,” he bit out, slamming into you harshly, “If you used your words like I told you to I wouldn’t have to spank you.” 

“Do it again, please,” you whimpered, knowing it would send you over the edge. 

By the stutter of his hips at your words, you knew it was the push he needed as well.  Without warning his hand connected with your soft skin again, the feeling pushing you face first into your third orgasm. You let out the most sinful moan he has ever heard, his pace turning erratic and harsh before his hips stilled against yours. You felt the hot spurts of his cum filling you up as you came down, your body dropping against the mattress with a satisfied sigh. He pulled out, using his fingers to push him leaking cum back into your hole. He turned you over, pressing light kisses to your face. 

“You did so well baby, I knew you could handle it,” he whispered, rubbing his hands over the marks on your hips. “I’ll go get something to clean you up okay?”

He made sure to clean you both up, pressing kisses to every bruise  on your body as tenderly as he could. You sat together in the bath, resting your back against his chest. 

“Did I go too far?” he whispered into your hair, his hands rubbing your thighs idly. 

“No love, you didn’t,” you replied, bringing his hand up to yours to kiss his knuckles. “Thank you for taking care of me though, I really will be feeling this for days.”

“I tried to warn you,” he pouted, feeling slightly guilty.

“Hey, I love you.” 

“I love you too y/n,” he replied, “Just relax and I’ll take care of you okay?”

[brokenjardaantech]

absorbance of the deep (chapter 5: rest)

written for a mermay prompts challenge. my prompt is ‘monochromatic.’

previous chapter can be found here.

also on ao3

----

No matter how much Simon wanted to avoid it, he had to return to the lighthouse in the end. Before he left the cave, Markus made him promise two times that he would call for the sea whenever trouble arose, and both times he solemnly swore that he would rely on him for support in case things went down, that he would cry for help, that he wouldn’t pretend that he could solve it on his own, because truthfully, he knew the attack changed everything; his parents could no longer ignore the fact that the only thing standing between him and his death was three teenagers of his age, nor could they pretend that Daniel didn’t even want to stay in their village anymore, and thinking about it, what did he do at school apart from reading on his own anyway? He hadn’t passed any exams since eight or nine, all his promotions were due to the lack of funding of their village and, therefore, the reluctance to waste money on a student for more years than strictly necessary. Of course they didn’t tell him about it in his face; he learnt it a few years back when a disgruntled Daniel complained about how his twin could advance a grade despite not putting any effort into studying at all and threatened to complain to the authorities - whoever they were - until the school or their parents gave him a reasonable explanation that promoting Simon was the cheapest and fastest way to get rid of him. They thought that because he didn’t speak, he certainly couldn’t understand what they were saying either.

Well, it did take him a few months to decide his feelings on the issue and a lot of effort to focus on the entire conversation instead of being distracted by other thoughts halfway through, but that didn’t make it hurt less. It still hurts from time to time when he thinks about it, but the civilisation on the surface is gone, he has Markus to distract him, so he tends not to be very bothered even though he never had been in the first place.

He rode the waves until they placed him gently on the pier connected to the lighthouse, and he thanked them one last time before taking a deep breath and forcing himself to walk along the pier until he was standing in front of the backdoor. He pressed his ear against the wood carefully so that it didn’t make it creak to listen for any sign of struggle and chaos, but all seemed quiet. He could neither hear a single movement nor feel the slightest vibrations apart from the gentle thud, thud, thud of the structure being lapped by the tide, though it could be his bias towards the ocean that made it less terrifying than it probably was in reality. But still, for safety, he climbed up the improvised ladder Daniel built to enter the house through his bedroom instead of through the backdoor, holding onto one of the ledges with one hand while trying to slide the window open.

He should’ve known that his clumsiness would one day cost him.

His heart nearly burst out of his chest as his hand slipped on the glass and he lost his balance. The momentum of his upper body sent him reeling, his other hand let go of the plank, and without at least three points of contact, he started to fall, his limbs flailing but not touching anything solid as his brain processed what was happening, his mind bracing for the inevitable impact and maybe his early demise -

Just to be cushioned by something soft and bouncy.

He was slowly lowered onto the pier until he was lying on the cool wood. Pushing himself to a sitting position, he turned around and saw Markus hanging on the edge of the pier with his arms outstretched and his head peeking out with a chastising look on his face. Go through the door.

It won’t be wise, was Simon’s explanation. Going to my room is safer.

Fine.

A tendril of water rises from the sea and extends up to the window of the twins’ room, nudging it open until a gap just big enough for Simon to climb through before sliding back down again and disappearing completely. Go on, Markus said in his mind. I won’t go until you’re safely inside.

Simon picked himself up once more and climbed the wall more carefully this time, feeling Markus’ gaze on his back all the way up until he silently rolled into his bedroom - one of the advantages of having his bed next to the windows - and he knelt on the mattress with his arms on the windowsill just to stare at Markus for a long while, memorising the way the rising sun painted the ocean a rippling gold and creating a halo around his head. He looked absolutely stunning.

Just like the entire ocean he should be.

The thought came unprompted and without any explanation, but somehow, in his entire memory, it made sense. It didn’t surprise him that Markus and the sea were the same. It didn’t surprise him that Markus let him know. It didn’t surprise him that Markus brought him the courage to look at the overwhelming brightness of the ocean just to take one more look at him before he disappeared under the pier and proceeded to go back to wherever he lived - if he had a corporal form at all. But it wasn’t a time for poetic musings and pining; he kept his window open for the morning breeze, but as soon as he turned around to face the empty bed on the other side of the room, reality crashed down onto him harder than any tsunami, and he nearly fell off his bed from his attempt to scramble off the bed in search for his twin. Daniel? he asked in his mind before remembering that telepathy was limited to between him and Markus. Creeping out to the corridor, he first checked on his parents’ room and discovered that his mother was sleeping, then he stuck close to a wall as he padded down the stairs to take a peek at the situation in the living room, finding out that his brother was waking up on the sofa. He didn’t look pleased to see Simon.

‘Should I even ask?’ Daniel grumbled as he ran his hand through his hair.

Simon wished he had his dictionary with him right now because then he would be able to tell his twin to clarify, but since rushing upstairs to grab it seemed like a bad idea, all he did was to shut up and listen.

‘Well, it worked,’ the twin walked straight to the kitchen and started preparing his breakfast by banging the cupboard doors and slamming eating utensils onto the counter, the sharp noise assaulting Simon’s ears and forcing him to protect them by covering them with his hands. ‘I’m officially out of this place.’

Simon followed his gaze towards the suitcase by the door, a soft, worn-out thing that looked like it was on the verge of bursting. So that was why Daniel’s bed and the space around it looked so empty when Simon climbed in a few minutes ago - he had probably shoved everything into the suitcase.

‘Don’t worry, I think the other guys are out too,’ the fridge door slammed shut. Every single movement from his twin was forceful, harsh, as if he wanted to unleash his wrath on anything and everything, and even though Simon knew Daniel would never hurt him, his brain told him to stay on guard, to run as soon as he could. Or it was Markus keeping track of everything and silently nudging him towards the direction. ‘They won’t hurt you anymore.’

That didn’t quite match what Josh had said the day before, but Simon wasn’t in the mood to confirm right now; he managed to rush upstairs before the first scrape of metal spoon against teeth as Daniel shoved the first of many mouthfuls of cereal into his mouth to fetch his dictionary, already flipping through the pages as he ran down to perch on the sofa so that it was close enough to let his brother read the word he was pointing at but not hurt him, and he asked, [where - are - you - going]

‘Away from here.’

[where - exactly]

‘Does it matter?’ Daniel exploded, and Simon wished he had grabbed his headphones as well. ‘Not that you care, right? All you ever do is reading your damned books and disappearing into the fucking sea for hours and making us worry. They don’t even want you in the system!’

A particularly hard wave of the hand he was holding the cereal bowl with sent a mixture of milk and soggy cornflakes onto the ground. With a particularly loud curse, he threw the bowl - cereal and all - onto the floor, the ceramic shattering into a few large jagged pieces that Simon knew could be used against him with the loudest clank that echoed in the room. The sound triggered every single alarm in his system, snapped the last thread that held his self-control, and then he stopped caring, he stopped being the supportive twin brother he always wanted to be but couldn’t, he stopped thinking about everything apart from the simple thought that he had to run. He was aware of the sofa, then the suitcase, then the door, and he was out in the sun, his feet were pounding against heating asphalt, the usual soft ocean breeze had turned into blades cutting into his cheeks from how fast he was running, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t look back, not with Daniel doing that to him and leaving, leaving, leaving and he was angry and so was probably his mother and his father who wasn’t even in the house but it was a small village and there wasn’t a lot of place for a lighthouse keeping to go at the crack of dawn so WHERE CAN HE BE? His vision became blurry, his ears were filled with nothing but the high-pitched whistling of the wind, and one moment of hesitation was enough for him to trip on completely flat ground and land painfully on hard ground paved with pieces of sett, but despite the pain, despite the wounds he couldn’t feel, despite his throat constricting and his legs burning, he picked himself up, moved forward; walked when he couldn’t run, put one foot in front of another when he could barely walk, collapsed onto his feet and crawled when he couldn’t support himself - anything to get away from his brother who betrayed him and his mother who didn’t care about him once he stopped being a baby and his father whom he didn’t even know the location of.

He didn’t have any reason to stay, he realised, but neither did he have anywhere else to go.

Somehow no one stopped him before the texture underneath his hand turned from pavement to wet grass, and he used the last of his strength to drag himself to a shaded spot under a tree so that his senses didn’t get overwhelmed again from the sunlight. Without direct light, the morning dew was even more prevalent and soaked through his shirt quickly, but even that was better compared to the heat he had absorbed from the sun or generated from running from one side of the village to another. He had no water, no food, nothing to help himself recover apart from time, time which he didn’t have because his entire body was hurting so much that he might as well be dying, and even though the logical, life-loving side of him knew that dying here wouldn’t solve anything, he wouldn’t mind if he just closed his eyes here and never wake up, because if he did, his parents would probably send him off to the deep ocean on a boat in his favourite clothing and possession - the latter which probably consisted of nothing more than his noise-cancelling headphones and his trusty backpack that was too small on him but he refused to replace - then he would be able to be with Markus forever because he no longer had to return to the bright surface world where there was no Markus -

Cut that thought, Markus’ voice wasn’t loud but neither was it gentle like before. I’ll ask someone to tend to you. Wait there.

Markus had never been that harsh (firm, the reasonable side of his mind reminded him, but it wasn’t that he had the capacity to be reasonable and level-headed right now) with him before. Simon knew the words were out of genuine care, so why was his vision turning blurry and the sockets of his eyes heating up? I want you to be here.

I know, but you were just attacked yesterday and people wouldn’t be kind when they see another stranger with you.

They didn’t see you yesterday?

I made sure I stayed hidden.

That didn’t help Simon’s argument. But I don’t want anyone else.

I’ll be there as soon as I can.

But I want you here now, Simon knew he didn’t have an excuse anymore and was throwing a tantrum, but he just couldn’t seem to stop, couldn’t seem to stop hurting. I can come to you.

No. Stay where you are. You are under no condition to move.

The last sentence sparked his defiance, the sudden pounding in his heart giving him just enough strength to put some of his weight into his arms and push his upper body up by a few centimetres before they suddenly gave out and the back of his head hit the grass once more with a soft thud. His fingers on the grass tightened, the force enough to tear a few poor strands of vegetation out of the soil, and he curled into a ball with frustrated tears rolling down his face. He was tired. He didn’t know how long he lay there sobbing and crying until he exhausted the last bit of his strength and he could only melt into the hard ground, feeling the soil soften underneath his body and release even more moisture and wetting his clothes to an uncomfortable level.

He just wanted Markus.

It was hours later when the sun was high up in the sky that he heard footsteps approaching, and he had to cover his ears once more because he had been with nothing but his own breaths for so long that anything more than that set him on edge. He did risk a peek at the person and realised that it was Josh, who knelt down next to him and blocked most of his vision with his body. ‘Markus told me you’re here,’ he explained, the volume of his muffled voice just right. ‘I’ll take you back to my place. Then we’ll see what we can do, okay?’

Anywhere that was neither the lighthouse nor here sounded good enough to Simon right now, so he nodded and attempted to pick himself up once more, managing to sit up but not stand on his feet because the burn in his muscles was too much to bear. Josh offered his hand for him to grab as support, but when Simon reached out to grab it, his friend surprised him by taking his wrist and pulling him up almost painfully in a way that reminded him of North. When he swayed, Josh didn’t even ask before taking one of Simon’s arms and draping it on his shoulders and then dragging him towards the car he didn’t even realise was there. How did he miss an entire car engine?

Josh helped him fasten his seatbelt before going to the other side of the car to climb in. North was, once more, their designated driver, and their gazes only met once in the rearview mirror before Simon averted his eyes and she made the car go. How Markus contacted them or how they managed to arrive in such a short time, Simon had no idea, but all he knew as the air-conditioning started drying his sweat and his wounds from tripping and falling started to sting. North might as well have run him over with her car and he probably wouldn’t know the difference.

The drive to Josh’s house was short, a fact that Simon was grateful for because of how much his wounds were suddenly hurting. When they arrived, he let Josh lead him into the house, sat down on the too-soft sofa when he instructed him to, mentally prepared himself for the sting of Rivanol after Josh warned him about how he was going to treat his wounds, and all the warning he got was North holding him in place before a cotton ball soaked in yellow fluid was swapped against the scrapes on his arms.

If his voice worked, he would’ve screamed.

But it didn’t, and all he could do was sit there trying not to pull his muscles all over again by hissing and breathing through the gaps of his clenched teeth as one of his best friends hold him down and the other quickly sanitised all open wounds on his body by lighting fires on top of it. His muscles flexed and spasmed, beads of sweat broke out on his already soaked body, and there was nothing he could do when Josh accidentally dragged the material of the dressing against one of the scrape wounds on his arm against broken skin, tugging layers of tissue towards a direction it shouldn’t go. Suddenly he was back on the street again, his legs paralysed and too weak to support himself, he could taste the salt of his own sweat, he could swear the sunlight was going to burn him, his skin was boiling, sweat and blood and other fluids were leaking out of his body, he needed to get out and run and run until he was one with the ocean and maybe then he could be -

‘Look, Simon.’

North’s voice, one that she usually reserved for situations where they had to abandon everything and run, cut through his mind, and so he looked, he heard the sound of running water, and it didn’t take long for him to notice the clear stream of running water moving across the floor towards where they all were and crawling up the sofa in a defiance against gravity, the second time that he saw Markus in such state. This time, the sea showed up and solidified next to him and immediately pulled Simon against his side, the weight of his arm across his shoulders and the warmth his body radiated equally comforting. Markus said something but he didn’t catch it, but it was also fine because Markus’ hand on his face helped numb his senses, and the next thing he knew was Josh pulling away and setting the first-aid kit to one side. ‘Go take a shower,’ North said before taking the kit away. ‘I’m sure Josh can lend you something.’

‘The dressings are waterproof,’ Josh explained. It got harder to hear his voice when he walked to the other side of the living room, but somehow Simon managed to catch everything instead of drifting away. ‘Just make sure that the adhesive doesn’t fully peel back and the wounds should be protected well. I’ll get you some clothes; do you want long sleeves or short sleeves?’

Just as Simon wondered how he could request for a dictionary, a small one was gently placed on his lap, and unfamiliarity meant that it took him longer than usual to find the word he needed. [short]

‘I’ll put them in the bathroom. Hope you don’t mind they’re a bit big.’

Simon looked at the clothes he was wearing. His shirt used to belong to his father who was both stronger and broader than Simon himself would ever be, his mother had to add an elastic around the waistband of his trousers so that it could stay on without a belt because he was too clumsy to use one, and he constantly had to wear two pairs of socks so that his shoes fit and the hard material didn’t scrape his skin. [use - to - it]

He wasn’t sure if all the flipping and scanning even paid off because his friend was already moving on to his next task, and the thought that he was once more left alone simply for being slower to communicate his thoughts - not letting that chain of thought continue. Seeing nowhere to return the dictionary to, he placed it on top of one of the many piles of books on the coffee table and hoped that Josh didn’t mind in case he screwed up the arrangement, but from the layer of dust on the once-topmost book, its owner probably hadn’t touched it in quite a while, so Josh probably wouldn't care that much - if he remembered the pile existed at all.

Come on, Simon, let’s get to the bathroom to clean you up.

The stairs in Josh’s house were hard to climb because of the big steps. With every single movement came a sharp wave of pain from the dressing brushing against his scrapes, and by the time he reached the upper floor, it felt like he had been running all over again, his body aching in places he never knew could hurt or exhaust and making him even more drained than before. Markus’ presence behind him probably saved him from falling backwards and hitting his head against the corner of a step multiple times, but it didn’t prevent his legs from seizing up from a cramp, didn’t help him prepare for the slight moment of panic he felt before he met the floor painfully, didn’t remind him to breathe as the air was knocked out of his lungs. The floor was hard but cool and smooth. He might lie there for a moment so that he can rest -

He was rolled over before an arm slid underneath his back and another his knees, and suddenly he was in the air, a bounce and suddenly his head rolled uncontrollably against Markus’ chest, and in Simon’s head was the sea’s voice, Let me help you. It’s been a restless two days.

Simon realised that any other person would’ve been at least somewhat embarrassed had the circumstances been the same, but as Markus carried him to the bathroom, as he was gently placed on the countertop between the sink and the pile of clothes Josh no doubt prepared, as he watched Markus fumble with the taps next to the bathtub, he felt oddly numb apart from the usual anticipation and sense of safety the sea brought to him. Like he was underwater riding the waves while being half-asleep and his entire vision was tinted a deep, deep blue. He heard neither the sound of water hitting the smooth surface of the bathtub nor the telltale murmur of running water, but when Markus filled his line of sight with his body by standing so, so close again, Simon looked up and saw that the tub was nearly full.

I hope the temperature is appropriate, the sea said. Do you want me to stay or leave? I know people on the surface tend to bathe alone.

You may stay, Simon replied. I don’t mind. It’s up to you.

His hands reached for the hem of his shirt so that he could take it off - one of the rare complex actions he could do on his own after years of practice and embarrassment - but one thing he failed to account for was that he had run across town not a few hours ago and had tripped countless times before lying for hours on melting soil, and the smell of his own sweat, the stickiness of the mud sticking onto his clothes and parts of his body, the bruises and muscle cramps making themselves known when he tried to raise his arms - his mouth fell open in a silent scream while his body stayed frozen despite his pounding heart and his racing breaths. He couldn’t finish the motion.

He was stuck.

His shirt was tugged away by a pair of hands that didn’t belong to him, returning both his vision and mobility, and he held his breath as Markus casually dropped his shirt onto the floor with his green eyes fixated on somewhere below his face as if he was taking in every bruise, every small scar he left on himself when he picked on the thin, tiny hair that was the only thing his body seemed to be able to grow, every single cell that made him who he was. Slowly, Markus reached for him, touched him first with the pads of his fingers, then with his entire hand, then sliding said hand across his body, slowing down on dressing-covered flesh, smoothing down his arm, then holding Simon’s slender wrist, his bony hand, and he couldn’t help but notice how dark Markus’ skin was compared to his own, how strong and shapely his hand was, how he could feel the sheer power humming underneath Markus’ skin as if asking for permission to… enter him.

And the thought that he wouldn’t mind was equally terrifying and exciting.

What do you want to do? Simon asked. Had they been alone, he would’ve let Markus have his way, but unfortunately they were still in Josh’s house at the moment.

I can heal your wounds in a blink of an eye, Markus made it sound like something normal that he did on a daily basis, but I’ll need your permission. It might feel strange for you.

Being pain-free did sound nice, but Simon dared not think of how his friends would react if they realised his wounds were gone. They had enough speculations and suspicion about Markus that neither of them was in the position to answer, and to think that on top of turning into a gravity-defying puddle and controlling the ocean, he could heal whatever aches and pains Simon had in his body… the questions would be endless. Not this time. Josh and North will notice and they’ll ask questions.

Doesn’t mean that we need to answer them.

I don’t even want to hear them.

Fair enough. May I help you undress, then?

Simon gave Markus a nod, and the sea knelt to take off his socks before beckoning him to slide down the counter so that he could remove his torn trousers next. What Simon didn’t expect, however, was his underwear being removed at the same time, and in one smooth motion he was completely bare, but instead of feeling exposed like when he was with… anyone else, for that matter, he felt… relieved. As if the final barrier he constructed between the ocean and himself finally crumbled and collapsed, all with a pull of fabric. He found Markus staring again, except this time Simon was the one overlooking and Markus the one below him, and it was neither awkward nor unnatural even though his experience had been the opposite, the sea as destined to look after him as he was destined to be drawn to the depths of the ocean. The idea of letting the sea take him came unprompted, and Markus stood up in a sudden, abrupt movement that startled Simon. Evidently their bond ran deeper and less controllable than he had thought. More unexpectedly, the sea took his cheeks and yanked him in for a kiss rougher than any one they had shared up to that point, one of Markus’ thumbs pressing down on his chin in a wordless command to open his mouth which he complied, welcoming the sea’s mouth to devour his own, submitting to the ocean’s manipulation when strong fingers angle his head to gain better access to his lips, his tongue. A heat so foreign to him that it quickly became terrifying pooled in his guts, and as if sensing Simon’s discomfort and fear, Markus finally pulled away but stayed close enough to press their foreheads together, their breaths mingling and their hearts roaring in sync. Then they kissed again, this time no more than a light peck of their lips - an apology from Markus.

I lost control, he said. I should’ve slowed down. I’m sorry.

You did, answered Simon, and even he himself wasn’t sure if it was referring to the first or second statement. I… liked it.

I scared you.

I scared myself.

Markus sighed and took both of Simon’s hands in his. Let’s get into the bath.

He obeyed the request and stepped into the warm water with a hand on the edge of the tub and the other holding onto Markus’ wrist, his subsequent exhale draining the remaining strength out of him, and his back hit the slanted side of the tub with a dull thud and a splash of water. His arms drifted beneath the surface in an odd show of buoyancy, his legs started floating upwards if he didn’t use some of his strength to ground himself - which he eventually got over by spreading his legs and sticking them against the sides of the tub - and he discovered soon enough that he couldn’t stop moving because everything felt so strange when the water wasn’t flowing.

He was used to the vastness of the ocean. He was used to the waves either carrying him to his home or gently cradling him as he floated on the surface with Markus as they both gazed at the stars. He was not used to still water and the noises he made echoing in the confined space of a bathroom.

Close your eyes, Markus distracted him with a kiss on his cheek. Imagine yourself sitting in the tide under the sun with my protection. I’ll wash you if you allow me to.

Simon did as he said. Please.

He let his mind drift as he relaxed into the bath while Markus… did his thing. He was aware of a soft sponge being carefully pushed between his fingers, then along his body, then his toes, the smoothness that followed indicating that Markus was using some sort of soap that somehow managed to not irritate Simon’s fragile skin. It was more solid and stern than Simon would’ve treated himself, but because it was Markus, he was relaxing nonetheless, and somehow he found himself leaning into the ocean’s touch as Markus washed his hair and kneaded his scalp with just enough pressure to make it therapeutic instead of painful.

We should do this more often, Markus said as he washed away the bubbles in Simon’s hair. As the water automatically avoided his eyes, Simon risked opening them and discovered that the water in the tub was still as clear as when it was first prepared. It is… more relaxing than I expected.

You’re doing most of the work.

Indeed I am.

This isn’t cumbersome?

Not when it’s you I’m serving. Come on, we’re finished here.

This was the first time Simon emerged from a bath completely dry immediately, saving him the trouble of dragging a towel across his skin and making himself all sweaty and annoyed, and it didn’t take long for him to get dressed despite the dull throbbing of his muscles and wounds thanks to Markus’ help, but he insisted to walk down the stairs himself even though he had to keep a vice-like grip on the sea’s arm because of course a staircase narrow as this didn’t have any railings. He made a beeline to the sofa and sank into its corner right before his legs gave out, and Markus joined him immediately afterwards and placed his arms around his shoulders. Drifting together at last, as things should be. Distantly, he heard Markus talking to someone with his physical voice, but it was all muffled and illegible to his exhausted mind, and it wasn’t until the ocean’s voice echoed in his mind that he woke up from the light doze he had fallen into.

I presume that you heard nothing.

And you are correct.

The arm around his shoulders tightened as Markus buried his nose into Simon’s hair. Are you up to going back to school?

Why?

They want your input in deciding your future education.

Simon was confused. They never listened to me before.

He could hear a smirk in Markus’ voice. They will now. Don’t worry, I’ll always be on your side.

[myaekingheart]

143. Lifelike

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3

index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

Song: Lifelike by Porter Robinson

For real life references for the house that inspired the one Kakashi and Rei stay in, check out Shofuso Japanese House in Philadelphia, PA. 🌸

[Also quick warning for impending smut at the end of this chapter]

               As the morning sun lazily drifted high overhead, the rattle of the train managed to lull Rei to sleep. Kakashi held her close as she napped against his shoulder, arm wrapped around her waist and a book propped open in his opposite hand. She had been so tired lately, and for good reason. Her body was doing an unimaginable amount of work just existing. The more he read about and tried to understand pregnancy, the more awe-inspired he became at her body’s capabilities—if not also slightly terrified.

               The train barreled around a curve then and a growing excitement lodged in the pit of Kakashi’s chest. He nudged Rei awake just as they entered a long, dark tunnel, instructing her with quiet excitement to look out the window. Sleep-drunk and dazed, she squinted into the darkness and opened her mouth to ask what she was even supposed to be looking at. Before she could finish her sentence, she was promptly interrupted by a wash of light. Thick foliage framed the tranquil view of expansive farmland. Rows upon rows of citrus trees stretched before them and a crystal clear river flowed alongside the tracks. A flock of birds cawed and skated across the sky in perfect unison. The smell of freshly fallen rain hung in the air.

               Shizukana Station itself was not much bigger than Ressha Junction, but the aura of the place was drastically different. There was something so cozy and welcoming about it. The outpost was a sleepy little town, rural and quaint, almost as if frozen in time. Little shops lined the streets. Lanterns fixed outside entryways swayed in the summer breeze. From inside, friendly shopkeepers peered around to wave hello. Rei wondered if they were always this nice or if they merely recognized Kakashi as someone renowned. Either way, she was grateful for their kindness.

               She held Kakashi’s hand tightly as he carried their bags toward their lodging. “It’s not much further, I promise” he assured her with a trademark masked grin. The paths were wet and winding with heavy branches arched overhead. It was a beautifully scenic journey—one that Rei would have enjoyed much more if not for the soreness creeping through her body. Apparently her scuffle on the train had left her far more achy than she had expected.

               Just when Rei started to consider whether she would be too heavy to add to Kakashi’s cargo, he turned toward a small gate hidden within the brush where the dirt path forked off. He nudged the gate open, rusty as it was, and ushered Rei through. She accepted the offer skeptically, uncertainly. In the back of her mind, she envisioned a small inn in disrepair, the type of place with leaky ceilings and an infestation of roaches. Clutching his hand tightly, she forced herself to remember to have faith in him. Kakashi knew what he was doing. The look on his face only further enforced how important that trust was. His excitement was insurmountable.

               The path curved and dipped ahead of them, overgrown with white chrysanthemums and red spider lilies in full bloom. Then the path turned sharply right and there it was: a small house situated on the most beautiful lake Rei had ever seen. Large trees surrounded the building and stone lanterns stood guard along the winding walkways. Off in the distance, a small waterfall bubbled and rushed, where young cranes splashed in the crystalline water. Everything was bright and beaming and beautiful.

               “K-Kakashi…how did you…? I mean, where did you…?” Rei stammered but it was no use. She was completely incapable of forming a solid sentence.

               “I have my ways” Kakashi grinned. Placing a gentle hand on the small of her back, he guided her up inside the house.

               As Kakashi set their luggage down in the bedroom, Rei wandered aimlessly in an attempt to comprehend the full breadth of the place. The kitchen was simple yet spacious, the open dining room furnished with a small, low table right in the center, and the bedroom, despite it’s minimalism, somehow managed to still feel like home. The real appeal of the house, however, was the engawa. It wrapped around the building’s entire perimeter with a perfect view of the lake and surrounding gardens. Rei idled at the edge and laughed in breathy disbelief.

               “Well? What do you think?” Kakashi asked, coming up behind her to admire the view.

               “Kakashi, it’s beautiful” Rei whispered. “I just…I’m speechless.”

               “I told you I knew what I was doing” he grinned, and Rei couldn’t help but laugh.

               “Yeah. Yeah, you did” she said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

               “Apology accepted” Kakashi smirked. “I was able to rent the whole place out for us until Monday so make yourself comfortable. I might run down to the outpost to pick up some groceries for us, if you want to come with me?”

               “I think I’ll just hang out here, if that’s okay?” Rei asked. “It’s been…kind of a long day already.”

               “Not a problem” Kakashi smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead sweetly. “I know the trip here wasn’t exactly the most relaxing commute.”

               “I’ll say” Rei laughed, massaging the tension out of her neck. “Do you think you could do me a favor while you’re out?”

               “Of course. Anything” Kakashi replied.

               Smiling sheepishly, Rei looked up at her fiancé and requested, “Do you think you could get me some lemonade?”

               Kakashi smiled and pressed another kiss to her forehead. “Lemonade it is, then.”

               Rei’s fingertips trailed along Kakashi’s cheek as he went and a momentary longing took root in the pit of her chest. “Hurry back” she called after him.

               “I’ll do my best” Kakashi assured her.

               As he departed, Rei leaned back on the en and let her bare feet brush against the tall grass. She rested a gentle hand on her stomach and thought of the future as she watched the dark clouds roll in overhead.

               She was unsure how long Kakashi was gone for, but it was long enough. Long enough for her to explore each room of this quaint, cozy house in greater depth. Long enough for her to unpack her things, even if they were only supposed to be there for a few days. And long enough for the ache in her body to escalate and remind her of what she was no longer capable of. She stretched her arms out in front of her, extending across the kitchen island, frowned, smoothed her shirt out over her stomach. A jolt of thunder shattered in the distance. The front door swung open and Kakashi stepped inside.

               “Well, the weather is stupendous” he smiled, his soaked hair flopping into his face. The paper bags in his arms had grown weak with the excess water, Kakashi cradling them close to ensure that they would not break and spill their contents across the floor. Rei rushed to his aide, taking one in each arm and carefully planting them on the counter.

               “You bought so much” she said, surveying his wares.

               “I know” Kakashi replied, “but I wanted to make sure we were well-stocked.” He reached inside one of the bags then and handed her a large glass jug of lemonade, freshly made. Rei’s eyes lit up as she took it from him, popping off the lid and taking a long, desperate swig. “Maybe I should’ve bought more” Kakashi joked, watching her down nearly half the bottle in one sitting.

               Rei wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, sighed in satisfaction. “What? It’s really good” she chuckled sheepishly.

               Kakashi shook his head with a smile, reaching back into the paper bag. “Help me put this away, and then I’m getting out of these wet clothes” he said. Rei gave a single nod as she helped him organize their groceries. He really had bought so much, the volume of it all was almost even dizzying. She counted out sacks of oranges fresh from the grove, strawberries plump and sweet, milk, bread, rice cakes. At the sight of raw meat, especially, Rei felt her stomach curl. Sucking in a sharp breath, she turned her back to the parcel of chicken breasts and strained to place a box of crackers on the highest shelf.

               “Oh, Rei, wait. Here, let me do it” Kakashi quickly rushed to her side, reaching the top shelf with ease. Rei pursed her lips, eyed him quizzically. Was she not capable of doing this on her own? “You shouldn’t strain yourself like that” Kakashi continued. “Don’t they say you shouldn’t lift your arms over your head because it can wrap the umbilical cord around the baby’s neck?”

               Rei paused for a moment, blinking despondently. “Kakashi, I don’t think the baby even has much of a neck yet.”

               “Oh. Well…you can never be too careful?” Kakashi mused, laughing sheepishly. Perhaps all those pregnancy books had started getting to his head. Shaking her head, Rei smiled softly and finished putting away their food.

               Once finished, she watched as Kakashi made his way to the bedroom, slipping his shirt off over his head as he went. The sight of his bare back, the way his pants hugged his hips and rode low enough to reveal the waist of his underwear, stirred something in her. Rei sucked her teeth, dragged her fingertips across the counter’s edge, then followed him into the room.

               Kakashi glanced over his shoulder as he tossed is shirt into the corner, smirking at Rei’s sudden presence. “Oh?” he breathed, almost immediately understanding what she was after.

               “I thought you might need…a hand” she said, idling in the doorway, almost sheepish in her yearning. Desiring sex with Kakashi was nothing new—obviously. But something had changed within her. The way she felt her body evolving, the way she saw herself morphing into something new—something perhaps less desirable. Something unearthly and strange. She exhaled sharply, gaze averted, as she added, “And also…I don’t think changing will be enough.”

               “Is that so?” Kakashi asked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He slowly turned to approach her, taking her hands in his and resting them firmly on his hips. His own caressed her shoulders. “So what do you suggest?”

               Rei looked up at him and her chest exploded. Without another word, she swayed out of his touch, skirted into the bathroom, and flicked the tub’s faucet on. Kakashi didn’t even need to verbally approve for her to know that he was accepting of this idea. He stepped out of his pants slowly as he watched her sit on the tub’s edge, eyes wistful as she held her hand under the rushing water to test the temperature. Once everything was settled, she rose to her feet and Kakashi was immediately behind her, chest pressed against her back. He brushed her hair aside and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck, tangled his fingers at the hem of her shirt, slowly undressed her. His hands explored her body as he tossed each article of clothing to the wayside. Something electrified inside his chest at the sight of her then, fully exposed before him. He traced the curve of her shoulder with his lips, pressed his hips against the small of her back. A soft sigh broke past her lips.

               Steam wafted up from the surface of the water as Rei settled in against Kakashi’s chest, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. She could feel the tension already melting out of her muscles, the cramps in her stomach beginning to subside. And her ease was certainly clear to Kakashi, too.

               “This was a good idea” he whispered, cupping water in his hand and gently pouring it across her chest. Rei hummed in agreement, running her hand up and down his thigh.

               “I really needed this” she whispered. “My whole body hurts.”

               Kakashi nodded and chuckled softly. “Today definitely…did not go as planned” he admitted.

               “Not at all” Rei replied. “Not that I had any idea of the plans to begin with.”

               “A train heist definitely wasn’t part of it” Kakashi replied. He reached back to grab the little travel-sized bottle of shampoo from the side of the tub and began lathering her hair, pouring a small amount into his palm and massaging it onto her scalp. “I was really impressed with you today, you know.”

               “Mm, you were?” Rei asked. She leaned forward, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin atop them.

               “I was” Kakashi replied. “You’ve really become so strong and capable. I’ve seen you fight before but…today, you were on another level.”

               “It was the weirdest thing” Rei murmured, creaking her eyes open. “It was just…instinctual. All I saw was red.”

               “We definitely had a close call” Kakashi said, rinsing the excess soap off his hands.  

               “I don’t think I’ve felt such a rush of adrenaline since my last ANBU mission” Rei laughed softly. There was a sort of childish excitement building in the pit of her chest at the thought of it. She had felt so foreign to herself in the past few weeks but for once, she finally found a spark of who she once was. A bright and brilliant little spark, promising that deep down maybe she was not as hopeless and lost as she thought she was. That she was still a fierce and capable captain of the ANBU black ops.

               Kakashi chuckled softly, scooping another palmful of water into his hands so as to rinse her hair. “Of course, that’s the last time you’ll be able to do something like that” he commented. Rei’s head was immediately drenched in a rush of water. She squeezed her eyes shut tight as soap suds slid down her face. “I’m just glad it wasn’t worse, or else who knows what could’ve happened.”

               Spluttering into her hands, Rei splashed the soap off her face and sucked in a sharp breath. She opened her mouth to argue but no sound came out. Deep down, she knew ninja duties were dangerous. She knew enemies were unpredictable. She knew she was taking a risk every time she stepped out of line. Leaning back against Kakashi’s chest, Rei heaved a sigh, brushed her hair back out of her face, and replied quietly, “Yeah. You’re right.”

               They fell asleep early that night without even eating dinner. Their bath had eased the tension out of their bodies but in its place, all they were left with was a heavy, unavoidable exhaustion. Rei could barely keep her eyes open as she stepped into a pair of underwear and crawled into bed. That night, she did not dream.

               The following morning, Kakashi awoke unexpectedly early. For a moment, he was almost angry with himself—he was on vacation, after all. Shouldn’t he be granted the luxury of sleeping in? Sighing, he rolled over and smiled softly at his fiancée fast asleep. He could hardly fight the smile on his face. The blankets tangled around her legs and her hands were clasped loosely by her jaw, almost as if in prayer. Her hair, like a flame, spread across her pillow in a matted mess. Topless, her bare breasts seemed rounder and fuller than ever. Her lips were parted slightly and her skin was dewy with a light sheen of sweat. The way the morning light hit her at this angle, the way it illuminated her hair like a raging flame, made Kakashi’s heart soar. He laid there paralyzed for a moment before he slowly reached out to caress her cheek. She shifted only slightly in her sleep—Kakashi almost hated to wake her. Instead, he slipped out of bed quietly and turned to the kitchen to begin making breakfast.  

               The cold tile against his bare feet provided a relieving contrast to the heavy humidity. The sky was bright and clear and the smell of fresh rain lingered in the air. The cranes bellowed a morning call from across the lake. Kakashi opened all the windows and doors and set to work.

               Once he had attractively plated their food, he slipped back into the bedroom and leaned across the bed toward his fiancée. “Rei?” he whispered, brushing the hair out of her face and nudging her shoulder gently. She groaned, furrowing her brows, before creaking her eyes open slowly. “Good morning, sleepyhead” Kakashi chuckled. “Come on, it’s time to get up.”

               “Five more minutes” Rei moaned, swatting at his face. The smell of breakfast wafted in from the kitchen, however, and she knew she could not avoid him any longer. After all, she shouldn’t let his hard work grow cold. With a sigh, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and forced herself upright, slowly so as to avoid encouraging her morning sickness.

               A satisfied smile touched Kakashi’s lips as he turned toward the dresser, propping her drawer open and rooting around for clothes. “What shirt do you want to wear today?” he asked over his shoulder.

               “I don’t care” Rei swatted dismissively. “You pick for me.” She swung her legs around the edge of the bed, brushed her hair sloppily out of her face. As she tried to focus her vision, however, she caught a glimpse of her reflection out of the corner of her eye and her heart leapt into her throat. Approaching the full-length mirror, she turned to the side and surveyed her stomach. Her finger traced the curve of her lower abdomen, the bloating at her hips.

               As Kakashi turned back around, hugging her clothes to his chest, he caught sight of her like this and his cheeks blushed red. “What do we have here?” he asked, suppressing a smile as he approached. He pressed a hand to Rei’s stomach, caressing it tenderly. “You’re starting to get a bump” he smiled.

               “Apparently” Rei replied, dropping her gaze. She took the shirt form him, tugging it over her head as if to quickly hide the fact that she was expanding.

               “Here, wait one second” Kakashi then said. He turned to his nightstand, fished around the drawer, and produced a camera.

               “What the hell is that?” Rei laughed.

               “Well, it’s not every day that we’re on vacation and I figured it would be a good idea to capture some memories” Kakashi replied, checking the film in the cartridge. Rei recognized it as the same prop he used during his forays as Sukea, the freelance journalist. Kakashi was not typically one for photographs otherwise but he couldn’t help but pack it this time. To capture every subtle, special moment of their time here. Memories faded so fast, and their life was moving just as quickly. “Turn to the side” Kakashi instructed, readying his camera.

               Rei cocked a brow, did as she was told. “Like this?” she asked. She rolled the hem of her shirt up, rested a hand at the base of her small bump. Uncertain, she peered down at her stomach, at her exposed body. The camera snapped.

               “Perfect” Kakashi smiled. His eyes illuminated with excitement. He set his camera down, knelt down in front of Rei to cup her belly in his hands. “I’ll take one every week” he chuckled. “I want to watch you two grow.” Overwhelmed, he pressed his lips firmly to her stomach, just below her navel. Rei’s face burned bright red.

               “You really are so fucking sappy. You know that, Kakashi?” she laughed nervously. She ran her fingers through his hair, grimaced down at the apparent expansion of her waistline. It was truly beginning to feel all too real now.

               “Are you hungry?” Kakashi then asked, looking up at her. His eyes seemed so big and innocent from this angle. “I made us breakfast.” Rei found herself nodding, almost automatically.

               Breakfast was sprawled across the table, anxiously awaiting their arrival. Kakashi had really outdone himself. Oozy cheese omelets, fresh fruit, warm toast dripping with honey. He had even stepped outside to gather a small handful of flowers from the garden for extra appeal.

               Rei shook her head and laughed as Kakashi pulled her seat out for her. “You’re way too good to me” she murmured. “Why are you always so good to me?”

               “Why shouldn’t I be?” Kakashi asked, taking his place across from her. He picked up his chopsticks and began eating. “For all intents and purposes, you’re my wife, and you’re pregnant with my child. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t take care of you.”

               Rei chuckled incredulously and poked the tip of her chopstick into her egg. A thick flow of bright yellow cheese oozed out onto her plate. A gag caught in the back of her throat, dropping her gaze as she turned her plate so that the eggs were further away from her than anything else.

               “Are you okay?” Kakashi asked, sensing her unease. “Is there something wrong with the food?”

               Rei sucked in a sharp breath and shook her head. “No, it’s fine, really. I just…always feel sicker in the mornings and the, uh…the cheese kind of turned me off.” Even saying the word cheese sent a nauseating shiver down her spine. Her throat constricted and she balled her fist up in an attempt to keep her hand from trembling.

               “Oh…” Kakashi said softly. “I can make you another one if you want. Just a plain egg.”

               Rei shook her head, eyes apologetic. She envisioned the deafening crack of the shell, the egg white pooling into the frying pan, and her stomach flipped.  “Don’t worry about it” she croaked. “I don’t want you to go the extra work. I’m…not that hungry to begin with.”

               Kakashi eyed her quizzically, taking another slow bite of his own food. It almost felt wrong to eat in front of her now. He pursed his lips, tried not to overthink it. If she felt sick, then she felt sick. There was nothing he could do about it. He glanced out at the beautiful landscape, watching the ripples pulse across the lake as the koi swam this way and that. “So what do you want to today?” he finally asked.

               “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” Rei rebuked. She could tell he was disappointed in her, concerned, and it broke her heart. She didn’t want him to worry. She just…needed time. Time to adjust, to figure out her body, to learn how to coexist with this little creature inside of her. She pressed a hand to her stomach, glanced downward.

               A soft smile flickered across Kakashi’s face and relief swept over Rei’s body. “Whatever you want to do” he replied. “After all, this is your trip. The whole point of coming here was to do whatever you wanted to do to relax.”

               Rei felt the tension in her chest expand now into something new, something cool and bright and rushing. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she restrained laughter and replied simply, “Nothing. I want to do absolutely nothing.”

               Apparently pleased with her answer, Kakashi reached across the table and took her hand in his, beaming. “Then absolutely nothing it is.”

               Throughout the rest of the morning, Kakashi and Rei relaxed on the en with their respective books, took a slow stroll through the garden together, and fed the koi. By mid-afternoon, however, the heat had reached sweltering degrees. Not even the shade provided sufficient relief.

               “Kakashi, I think I’m melting” Rei whined, sprawling out across his lap on the porch. Her bangs stuck to her face and she was drenched in sweat. She had already been feeling hotter than normal, early pregnancy bringing with it the occasional hot flash, but this was in an entirely new league.

               “I have an idea” Kakashi suddenly said, peering down at his fiancée. “Why don’t we go for a swim?”

               Rei cocked her brow. “I mean…are we allowed?”

               “I don’t see why not” Kakashi laughed. “Besides, I think it might be the perfect idea to beat this heat.” He extended a hand to help her up then and together they retreated back inside to change.

               While Kakashi was in the bathroom, Rei undressed slowly, methodically, then paused to stare down at the bikini laid out on the bed., It had been so long since she last wore a bathing suit, the prospect of it now seemed all too daunting. She gingerly lifted the bottoms up by the side string and frowned. She envisioned a giant elephant, waist and chest squeezed into an outfit all too tight. A mass of wrinkled fat, of hulking weight, of love handles and back fat and ass cheeks dimpled with cellulite. A shiver ran down her spine as she clenched her fist around the fabric.

               After an uncomfortably long moment of deliberation, Rei pursed her lips and tugged the bottoms up around her waist definitively. She idled there for a moment, focusing on the tightness in her stomach and the wedgie forming between her ass cheeks. She pinched at the fat of her inner thighs, hand swiftly skating down through the gap between her legs. A shiver raced down her spine. She huffed her bangs out of her face, tied the top around her chest. The feeling of being so exposed sent her stomach hurtling, as if even the baby disapproved of her showing so much skin. How vulgar! After all, she was a mother now, or at least a mother-to-be. She was supposed to appear so virginal and pure, despite the direct contrast of the expectation. She turned in front of the mirror, scrutinizing every inch of herself. Her thighs were too fat and dimpled, her boobs so big that they weighed down her top, and her arms looked disproportionate and strange. And standing before herself now, outfitted the way she was, her pregnancy seemed unmistakable. She pouted as she turned to the side, studied the way her lower stomach curved outward. She pressed her palm right below her navel and sucked in a sharp, unsteady breath.

               The bathroom door creaked open then and out stepped Kakashi in his swim trunks. Rei idled on his toned chest, his unmasked face, the curvature of his strong, safe arms. He tossed his clothes onto the bed and beamed at her. “Are you ready?” he asked.

               Rei frowned and shook her head. “I just don’t know if I feel confident enough wearing a bathing suit out like this, Kakashi” she admitted. “I don’t know, maybe this was a bad idea.”

               “Why?” Kakashi asked, approaching her. “Rei, you have nothing to be self-conscious about.”

               “I don’t know, I just…it’s been so long, and I’m not the size I used to be” Rei explained. “I just don’t know if I feel very comfortable being seen like this.”

               Kakashi furrowed his brows, cupped Rei’s cheek in his hand. “The only one who’s looking at you is me” he said. “And you know what I see? My strong, beautiful, confident wife.” She loved when he used that word—even if they weren’t formally married yet, the thought of being Kakashi’s wife never failed to send a shiver of anticipation through her veins. A soft smile tugged at his lips then as he began to toy with the string on the side of her bottoms, his other hand caressing her side. “But if it really bothers you that much” he continued, voice low and sultry now, “Maybe we just shouldn’t wear anything at all.”

               “K-Kakashi!” Rei gasped, suppressing laughter. She lightly swatted his hand away, face bright red, and pressed her forehead to his chest. The idea of skinny-dipping was out of the question. Not here. Not now. If she wasn’t confident enough to be seen in a bathing suit, there was no way she would be confident enough to step out of this house wearing nothing at all. Kakashi chuckled and kissed the top of her head, knowing full well that the best way to make a bad situation better was to emphasize how it could be worse. Shaking her head, Rei leaned back and muttered, “I guess the bathing suit won’t be so bad after all.”

               For the rest of the afternoon, Rei and Kakashi waded through the lake together splashing and laughing and reveling in the beauty of this magical place. Kakashi would duck down low enough so that only his eyes and upward were visible above the surface, slink up behind her, and wrap his arms around her like a sea monster. The uproarious laughter, the shock on her face every time, swelled his heart. He didn’t think it was possible to fall even more deeply in love with her, but apparently it was.

               “So, do you think they’re suffering back home without us?” Rei joked, making her way towards the shallow banks of the lake. The afternoon sun bathed everything in shades of gold.

               “I’m sure the village is just falling apart” Kakashi snarked. He floated on his back and looked up at the sky, chuckling softly.

               “I wonder if Sekkachi is alright” Rei continued. “I feel kind of bad just dropping Toshio on her like we did.”

               “I’m sure she’ll be fine” Kakashi assured her. “She’s an adult, she can handle it. And if all else fails, she can ask the Inuzukas for help.”

               Rei laughed incredulously, shaking her head. “Sekkachi, asking for help? That’s hilarious.” She crawled back up onto the bank of the lake, using her feet as leverage against the steep dip of the mucky floor. A rush of water splashed around her as she hoisted herself onto the grass.

               “Stranger things have happened” Kakashi joked. “But let’s not think about that now. I’m sure everything is fine. Let’s just enjoy our time here while we can, alright?”

               Rei rolled her eyes playfully, but deep down she knew Kakashi had a point. “How did you even find this place, anyway?” she asked.

               A wistfulness overtook Kakashi’s face then as he closed his eyes and hummed. “My father told me about it” he replied. Rei arched a brow. It felt so rare for Kakashi to mention Sakumo—he was such a tragic part of her fiancé’s life. But she supposed it made sense. Fatherhood had been at the forefront of Kakashi’s mind these past few weeks, so it was only fair for him to be nostalgic. Chuckling softly, Kakashi continued, “He used to tell me stories about how he and my mother would come to this beautiful house on a lake together where everything was quiet and calm. They brought me here the summer before my mother died. It felt like one big dream. I was too young to remember much, but I do remember how happy I was then. And I’m happy here now.”

               Rei smiled softly across the lake at him. He looked so tranquil just floating there, almost as if he was contributing to the beauty of the space. “Is that why you wanted to bring me here? To your happy place?” she asked.

               “In a way” Kakashi replied. “I like the thought of us continuing that tradition—of us bringing our family here someday.”

               In one fluid motion, Rei spread her towel out across the grass and sank down. “I like that thought” she smiled. She plopped down cross-legged, leaned back. The air was cooler now, lighter. She took a long swig of her lemonade and rested a hand on her stomach. “So what do you think they’ll be like?” she then asked. “The baby, I mean.”

               “Probably as rambunctious as you were” Kakashi joked, finally shifting upright. Rei rolled her eyes, as if begging him to take her question seriously. Laughing, Kakashi waded toward the shore and continued, “I think they’ll be smart and beautiful just like their mother. Definitely my nose.”

               “Not that anyone will be able to tell” Rei laughed.

               “They’ll have your hair and my eyes. Hopefully not your temper—”

               “Hey!” Offended, Rei leaned down and splashed at Kakashi’s face. He couldn’t restrain his infectious laughter. “What about gender? Boy or girl?”

               “Not sure. What do you think?” Kakashi asked. As he approached the edge of the lake, he crossed his arms on the rocky edge, stones stacked to create a barrier around the lake’s perimeter, and rested his chin down casually.

               “I think…we’ll have a girl” Rei replied, rubbing her stomach. A wistfulness overtook her as she formulated her prediction. “If we’re lucky, she’ll have your nose. I think she’ll have your silver hair, too, and probably your eyes.”

               Kakashi scoffed. “You’re making her out to look nothing like you!”

               “As would be ideal!” Rei exclaimed with a laugh. “I don’t think I have any qualities that would be worth passing on to the next generation.”

               “I beg to differ entirely” Kakashi countered.

               “Well, then I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree then, won’t we?” Rei snarked with a mocking smile.

               “Not if that baby comes out looking exactly like you” Kakashi joked back. The emotion in his gaze shifted then, the light in eyes softening. He reached out to press his hand against Rei’s stomach as he asked, “What about a name? Have you thought of anything yet?”

               Rei restrained a grin as she nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve already made my pick.”

               “Oh?” Kakashi cocked a brow, genuinely amused. “And what might that be?”

               Dropping her gaze, Rei shifted her hand to lay atop Kakashi’s and smiled tenderly, longingly, lovingly. “Kino” she replied.

               “Kino…” Kakashi repeated, turning the name over in his mouth.

               “Mhmm” Rei nodded. “It means ‘wandering soul.’ I think our child is going to be adventurous. A free spirit. I think she’s going to go where the wind takes her and do what she thinks is right, not what other people tell her is right. Something she’ll learn from her father.”

               Kakashi’s own tender smile spread across his face now. His fingers grazed the soft skin of Rei’s stomach and he felt the name take root in the pit of his chest. “Kino…” he repeated. “I like that name. I think it fits her. So long as that is a her in there.” He laughed, and it seemed to echo across the lake like a song. “How can you be so sure?”

               Rei smiled and shook her head. “Just a mother’s intuition, I guess” she replied.

               “Well, I suppose I can’t argue with that, can I?” Kakashi laughed. He locked eyes with her and Rei’s heart soared. In his gaze, she saw an overwhelming love, so fierce and unhindered. But now there was something else there, too. Something new and sweet and especially tender. An unconditional love for the child that they were bringing into the world. The love of a father for his child.

               Rei hadn’t quite expected Kakashi to take so naturally and easily to the prospect of fatherhood. After everything he had been through, all the struggle he faced, she feared he would be hesitant and perhaps even dismissive of the idea. But before her now, his palm pressed to her abdomen, firm and unyielding, she understood fully that there was nothing Kakashi was destined for more than to be a father. While unexpected, she was truly grateful for this side of him. She almost hated to admit that she was falling even more deeply in love with him for it—hated solely because the thought of loving him under capacity felt wrong and heartbreaking. But time and time again, he had proved that that capacity was ever-expanding and that her love for him was infinite.

               When the sun began to slowly sink behind the tree line and the summer gnats made their debut, Rei and Kakashi gathered their things and retreated back inside. Skin tender from the sun, Rei slipped out of her wet bathing suit and climbed into the shower for a quick rinse. As she washed the muck of the lake off her skin, she thought of their child and the future growing inside of her. Of instinct and intuition and what it meant to be a mother.

               Kakashi was standing over the kitchen counter when Rei emerged, dressed in fresh clothes with wet hair draped over her shoulder. “What are you doing?” she asked, though the answer was obvious.

               Smiling, Kakashi turned so as to reveal the raw food sprawled neatly across the counter. “I figured I might as well start cooking dinner now before it gets too late” he explained. The mere sight of it all planted something heavy and manic in the center of Rei’s chest. Kakashi took such good care of her. The scale in her mind tipped imbalanced. Her heart raced out of her chest.  

               In an instant, Rei was by his side with a sudden look of determination on her face. “Nope, you’ve done enough!” she exclaimed and spun him around by his shoulders.

               “R-Rei, wait a second, what are you—” Kakashi stammered as she guided him into the living room.

               She sat him down on the couch and slapped his copy of Icha Icha into his hands. “You stay there until I come back for you” she insisted. “Tonight, I’m the one treating you.” She turned on her heels and disappeared into the kitchen before he even had a chance to protest.

               At first, he was uncomfortable with the prospect. He knew what Rei was like in the kitchen. Try as she might, cooking was never her forte. She always became quickly overwhelmed and panicked trying to manage multiple dishes or ensure that she did not undercook the meat or overcook the vegetables. He sat there tense and unsure for a long moment, listening intently for signs of distress. One gasp, one single shriek or curse word, and he would fly to her aide.

               When ten minutes passed in silence, he should have been relieved. Instead, he was just suspicious. He set his book down on the couch and crept toward the kitchen as quietly as he could manage, his curiosity getting the better of him.

               Noodles boiled in a large pot on the stove. Rei stood dutifully over a large skillet, keeping a close eye on the meat and vegetables. A tall glass of ice cold lemonade sat sweating on the counter within her reach. A soft smile touched Kakashi’s lips at the sight of her, so domestic and unusually calm. For a moment, he envisioned her five years into the future cooking for their little family. He would come home from work, sore and exhausted, to the smell of good food and the sounds of happy children eager to tell him all about their day. The ideal life. Kakashi turned back to the couch and allowed Rei to finish her work.

               The thing that Rei did not anticipate about cooking, unfortunately, was the effect that raw food would have on her delicate senses. The vegetables were fine, they caused her no issue. It was the meat that was the problem. The moment she ripped open that parcel of raw chicken, her finger poking at that wad of fleshy and slimy and wet, her stomach flipped. The smell of it was otherworldly—so much so that she wondered if it was even still good. For a moment, she considered stealing one of Kakashi’s masks in order to soften the blow, but that would arouse suspicion. She could not afford for Kakashi to think that she was struggling. She needed to prove that she could do this on her own, to take charge in a domestic sphere and be nurturing and maternal and capable. To care for him; a repayment. She would just have to power through.

               By the time Rei finished, the sky had turned violently orange and the sound of crickets chirped in the grass. She plated everything nicely, lit candles for ambiance, rearranged the morning’s spider lilies in their vase. After all, presentation was important.

               When she poked her head into the living room, Kakashi was deeply invested in not Icha Icha but in the same pregnancy manual he had been reading on the train. Rei lingered on the view of him for just a moment before clearing her throat. “I’d hate to interrupt your homework, but dinner’s on the table” she replied. She shoved her anxiety deep behind a soft smile.

               She’s starting to sound like a mom already, Kakashi joked in the back of his mind. Setting his book aside, he approached her with a kiss on the forehead. “It smells great” he replied.

               “I just hope it tastes alright” Rei said, “or else I won’t be the only one sick tomorrow morning.”

               Kakashi rolled his eyes playfully and pulled Rei into the dining room, his touch a silent reassurance. He understood the immense effort required of her to do something like this. How could he not be appreciative of her hard work? What’s more, while she was not a flawless cook, Kakashi could see a marked improvement in her skill and for that, he was proud. She was doing her best and that was all that anyone could ever ask of her.

               “You really didn’t have to do this, you know” he said from across the table, taking a bite of his vegetables.

               “I know, but I wanted to” Rei replied. She cracked a smile, but there was something tense and unnerving about it. Without even looking down, she moved her food idly, almost absently, around her plate. As if she didn’t even realize she was doing it, or as if it was a carefully orchestrated ruse to appear normal. “It’s really the least I could do after, you know…all this.” She motioned vaguely around the room, to the house.

               Kakashi gave a single nod in understanding. And while he was no doubt grateful for her desire to do something special for him, he really didn’t want her to feel obligated to go to the extra effort. Besides, this trip was supposed to be about providing her relief, wasn’t it? A vacation from any and all responsibility? She was not required to do anything extra, nor did he expect any form of repayment. This was all for her.

               His eyes then skated down to her plate, food barely touched. Kakashi grimaced. “Do you not like it?” he asked.

               “Oh, uh, no, it’s not…it’s not that” Rei stammered, shaking her head. “I’m just…not feeling that great. I guess I kind of lost my appetite when I was cooking. Raw meat and all that.” Here, she made a disgusted face as she slid her chicken across her plate.

               “You seem to be losing your appetite a lot lately” Kakashi replied.

               Rei laughed anxiously, soft and unsure. “Blame the pregnancy” she muttered.

               Kakashi knew that Rei’s morning sickness was overbearing, and that food aversions were a common symptom of early pregnancy, as well. Raw meat, and meat in general, seemed to be a frequent contender so this should have come as no surprise to him. Still, his concern for her appetite could not be ignored. “You should really eat something, though” Kakashi then said. “I’m beginning to worry about you.”

               A strange, strangled laugh rose up from Rei’s throat then. “Kakashi, I’m fine. Really. I promise” she assured him. Her hand skated across the table, lacing her fingers with his.  “I don’t want you to worry about me, okay? I’m fine. I just…I’m trying to get used to all of these side effects.”

               Kakashi sighed, squeezing her hand in his. “I will never stop worrying about you, Rei” he replied. “After all, it’s my job to take care of you, remember?”

               “I know” Rei whispered. “I just…need you to trust me. I need you to just give me some time to figure this out and…adjust.” Kakashi nodded in understanding, though deep down something in him still felt unresolved.

               The look in his eyes, the bitter acceptance of her statement, lodged an expanding regret in the pit of her chest. It pressed against her ribs like an overextended balloon full to bursting. Was it really so hard to just fucking eat? Kakashi dropped his gaze, shoved his vegetables around his own plate. “Are the noodles okay, at least?” he asked. He hoped that their bland comfort would be palatable enough for her.

               “Oh, yeah! Yeah, the noodles are fine!” Rei assured. As if to prove her point, she shoved a large wad in her mouth and pasted a wide, performative grin on her face. Kakashi blinked despondently. Most of the noodles fell out of her mouth and back into her bowl with a splatter. She sucked up what was left, chewed, and swallowed hard. The volume of her bite, however, stuck in her throat. She washed it all down with a desperate swig of lemonade, the cool rush of it easing the tightness in her throat. It’s like I don’t even remember how to eat, she thought to herself. A shiver of knowing coursed through her body. She quickly shoved those sentiments straight out of her mind.

               Kakashi watched in curious, bittersweet amusement, brow cocked and lips tugged into a smirk.  “Rei…” he sighed, suppressing a pathetic laugh. “What am I going to do with you?”

               Sighing, Rei emptied her glass, pushed her food out of the way, brushed her hair back out of her face. She was absolutely pathetic. “I don’t know, she murmured, averting her gaze. “What are you going to do with me?” She wrapped her arms around her stomach, as if to guard herself, protected.

               All too soon, Kakashi knew exactly what needed to be done. He slowly rose from his seat and for a moment, Rei feared he intended to abandon her. To perhaps retreat to the outpost for a night of stress relief and distance. Surely he was getting sick of her anxiety. Instead, he knelt down in front of her and turned her to face him, cupping her cheek in his hand. “Rei, you have nothing you need to prove to me” he told her.

               Unexpectedly, a small whimper broke past Rei’s lips. “K-Kakashi…” she whispered. He planted his hands on her hips, firm and unyielding. Leaning forward, his lips brushed against her cheek, settled near her ear.

               “There’s nothing more you need to do” he whispered. “Just let it all go. Fall into me, Rei. You have nothing worry about.”

               “It’s not fair, though” Rei whispered, voice hoarse and strained. Her hands began to tremble, the world around her spinning. “You do so much…you do so much for me. I should be doing the same for you, I should—”

               “Shh” Kakashi interrupted, pressing a finger to her lips. “Don’t argue with me, Rei.” A shiver raced down her spine as Kakashi lifted her shirt up just enough to expose her midriff. His fingers trailed along her hipbone, toyed with the waist of her shorts. “Mmm, you’re so beautiful…”

               “K-Kakashi, please…” Rei whimpered. She dropped her gaze to the floor and hid her face behind her hand. “You’re too much.”

               “Don’t hide your face” he insisted, gently moving her hand away. “There’s no reason to hide.”

               “Yes, there is” Rei protested. She met his gaze for only a moment, but in that single moment Kakashi knew all he needed to know about where she was speaking from.

               “Rei” he breathed, her name like a smoker’s intoxicated exhale. Kakashi drew her into his lap, hand roving over her ass. He pressed his forehead to hers, forced her to look him in the eyes. “Rei, your body is a temple” he whispered, “and I want to worship every stunning inch of it.”

               A sob caught in Rei’s throat as the weight of her insecurities pressed against her rib cage, her stomach, her throat. “Kakashi, I can’t…I’m not…” she stammered, her body electrifying. Truly, what did she ever do to deserve a man like him?

               Softly, gently, Kakashi laid her on the floor and situated himself between her legs. Looming over her now, she felt a warmth spread out from the center of her sternum, reaching toward the most private spaces of her body. “Just let me take care of you” he rasped. Rei closed her eyes, swallowing back a sob. She pressed a hand to his chest, clenched her opposite fist at her side. “Just tell me what you want me to do and I’ll do it. Anything you want.”

               Sucking in a sharp breath then, Rei finally opened her eyes. Her gaze had grown glossy, fragile. “Kakashi, I want…” she whispered, mustering the strength to even admit it. She clutched his shirt, took another shaky breath. “I want you to remind me that I’m beautiful. That…that I’m still me. Please…just…make me feel whole again.”

               Her request struck Kakashi with a sense of unexpected heartbreak. He gazed down upon her now with a bittersweet sadness, an empathy. When she did grow to hate herself so much? When did she lose sight of her confidence? His heart skipped a beat, and he swore she could feel it. He leaned down slowly on top of her then, held her face in his hands, stared at her with a growing determination. “Rei…I will count every single reason why I love you, even if the list reaches the sky, just to prove to you how much you matter to me” he promised. Thumb pressed to her cheekbone, he wiped away a single stray tear and then got to work.

               One. Fingers tangled in her hair, like flames, brushing the long bangs back out of her face. “You’re so determined” he whispered, gently working through the loose knots. “You always know exactly what you want and you go for it. No matter the odds.”

               Two. Kakashi leaned down to press his forehead against hers, closing his eyes for a moment as he absorbed the presence of her. “You’re smart. You’re so damn smart.”

               “That doesn’t sound right” Rei interrupted, shaking her head. “Kakashi, I’m stupid, I don’t think I can—”

               “Shh, don’t interrupt me” Kakashi said, pressing a finger yet again to her lips. He furrowed his brows in displeasure, as if she had derailed his train of thought. “You’re smarter than you think you are” he continued. “You’re quick”—here, his lips trailed to her temple— “and clever”—down to her cheekbone— “and just so fucking intelligent.” Rei closed her eyes and hummed softly, a hint of disbelief still lingering in her tone.

               Three. Kakashi’s lips migrated to her eyelids, her lashes fluttering beneath his touch. “You see things, Rei. You see underneath the underneath.” He chuckled softly, venturing down now to…

               Four. A simple kiss on the nose. “You’re empathetic and so kind. You’re always thinking about everyone else.” Rei slowly opened her eyes, staring up at him now with a sleepy longing. The tension in her body slowly began to melt away. Kakashi’s eyes darted down to her lips, readied himself for…

               Five. “But right now…” he whispered, finger trailing along her jawline, “I want you to put yourself first. You deserve to be selfish, Rei. You deserve to be happy with yourself and love yourself the way that I love you.” He pressed his lips to hers, his tongue mingling with her own, breathless. His hips swerved against hers, his hardening erection grazing her inner thigh. A tingling excitement burst from inside her stomach, hungry.

               “You deserve…to be kind to yourself…” Kakashi gasped, intermittently breaking their kiss. His lips traced the outline of her rounded jaw, kisses growing sloppier by the second. He gently tugged her head back by her hair, further exposing her neck so he could kiss down to her collarbone. When the neck of her shirt interfered, however, he frustratingly took hold of the hem and tugged it up over her head, tossing it to the wayside. A small smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at her, studying her exposed upper body beneath him. His dick twitched in anticipation within his pants.

               A single finger trailed down her sternum as he loomed over her, eyeing her chest. He cupped her breast in his opposite hand then, his thumb tracing circles around her nipple. Rei gasped, biting her lip and arching her back, as the pleasure shot down her spine. Satisfied with her response, Kakashi tore his shirt up over his head, leaned down, and pressed his lips to her breast. His tongue flicked out across her hardening nipple as he sucked and massaged, his other hand gliding down past the waist of her pants. Her panties were already wet with anticipation, which only furthered his own hungry arousal. He teased her through the thin fabric, working his fingers against her guarded clit. Rei’s thighs tightened around his waist as she moaned softly, gripping his hair.

               “Rei…” he groaned, lips still pressed against her skin, “You have no idea…how beautiful you are. Everything about you…is a fucking masterpiece.” He gently took her forearm then, guiding her hand down to attend to his dick through his pants. She massaged his length through his fabric, her hips arching upward to press against his in anticipation. “The curves of your body…” he continued, hands gliding down her sides, “the slope of your nose, and your full lips, and warm smile. Fuck.” He felt himself beginning to lose his cool the more she worked him, the more his body ached to feel her touch, skin to skin. Sensing this, she slid her hand up to undo his pants, slid them down his thighs slowly.

               “Keep going…” Rei whispered, her voice low and smooth. “What else?” She took hold of his shaft, guiding him closer so as to rub the cool, slick fabric of her shorts against his exposed cock. A shiver ran down Kakashi’s spine, digging his nails into her hips.

               “I love the way you look at me” he murmured, rolling his neck as he tried to remain composed. “And the way you listen. And your voice…hnng, your voice i-is like home to me.” A slow stream of precum spilled over Rei’s fingers, thin and warm. Her opening pulsed with the weight of her yearning. Kakashi dragged his nails down her sides, hooked his fingers into the waist of her pants, exhaled sharply. “I love your freckled shoulders, and the curve of your breasts, and the way your arms always have a place for me” he continued, finally tugging her shorts down. He jutted his hips forward, his tip grazing her opening, and something feral unleashed inside of him. Rei bit her lower lip as she cemented the firmness of her grasp, slid his shaft between her folds to further entice him. A small whimper choked past her lips at her own arousal. Taking hold of her wrist, Kakashi forced her hand away from his dick so as to guide himself inside of her on his own. He could no longer take the suspense. He jammed all the way inside of her and something warm and wonderful came over his entire body.

               “Augh, K-Kakashi…” Rei groaned, back arching and head rolling back. The look on her face, the way her abdomen flexed and her thighs opened wider for him, drove him insane. “K-Keep going…” she demanded.

               Kakashi loomed over her, one hand by her head and the other steadying her hips as he pounded into her harder and faster. He gritted his teeth, grunted with the exertion of his thrusts, so overwhelmed with a desperation matched only by the end of their temporary breakup so many months ago. “Rei, f-fuck…” he groaned, bowing his head as he pushed himself further. “Your hands…I love your long, n-nimble fingers and…and your touch…so gentle…” he continued, voice in hoarse fragments. With a sharp exhale, he forced himself to slow down, to savor the moment so that he would not finish too early. Rei reached up to caress his jawline, but instead he turned his head so as to kiss her fingertips, tasting what was left of his own eager precum. He licked his lips, removed his hand from her waist so as to take hold of hers. Kakashi migrated her hand downward then, between her legs, moving her fingers for her across her clit so as to encourage her to pleasure herself in the process. He wanted to see her own self-inflicted pleasure, to watch her writhe and moan at her own touch. He wanted to see her love herself the same way he loved her.

               While hesitant at first, the heightened pleasure her touch brought was too great to ignore. A sharp, quick smile flashed on Kakashi’s lips as he watched Rei’s fingers dance around her clit, slow and rhythmic at first before growing increasingly more frantic in her hunger.

               “That’s my girl” Kakashi whispered. He hooked his arms behind her knees then, spreading her even wider for him so he could more easily hit that spot that made her wild. Digging his nails into her thighs, he pumped once, twice, three times deep inside of her. The tip of his cock grazed that sensitive region inside of her and Rei immediately arched her back.

               “Aah, K-Kakashi…god…” she released in a throaty moan. A hot ache bloomed across her lower back with each thrust. She pressed her fingers deeper against her clit, which only increased the pleasure further.

               “Good girl…” Kakashi groaned, reveling in the response of her body. “C-come on, baby…just a little bit further…unh, you feel s-so…aah, so good…”

               “G-god, fuck Kakashi…” The coil in the pit of Rei’s chest tightened, her body electrifying. Her muscles began to spasm and ignite around Kakashi’s relentless dick. She stretched her legs out in his grasp, clenched her spare hand into a fist by her head, ravaged her clit as she neared her climax.

               “God, Rei, y-you’re…augh, so fucking perfect” Kakashi said through gritted teeth. He, too, was nearing his limit. As Rei attempted to stretch her legs out straight, Kakashi pushed her knee toward her shoulder, his nails digging deeper into her skin. She released a throaty, shaken yelp as her back arched and she slammed her fist against the ground. Her eyes squeezed tight and her muscles squeezed even tighter, her breath rapid and desperate. Kakashi couldn’t take it any longer. With one last, hard thrust, his dick pulsed inside of her and filled her with his cum.

               She sucked in a deep, tired breath as her body crumpled flat on the floor, feeling the hot mess spilling out of her. Kakashi slid out slowly, almost disappointed that he could not remain inside of her longer but he was already growing soft and his body ached and a sleepy daze began to descend upon him. “God, you’re so fucking perfect” he whispered breathlessly, leaning down to plant a sloppy, lovestruck kiss on her lips. He felt her lips upturn into a sleepy smile as he did so and his heart soared.

               “Thank you for this…Kakashi” she whispered breathlessly, caressing his cheek with a lazy hand. “I really needed this. All of this.”

               Kakashi smiled, forcing himself upright. His strong arms scooped her up then, spun to carry her back to bed. He didn’t even care about the leftovers on the table, or their clothes strewn across the floor. That was a problem for his future self. Right now, all that was important was her. “I told you I knew what I was doing” he laughed, maneuvering through the bedroom door.

               “I know” Rei whispered, planting grateful little kisses on his cheek, along his jaw, down his neck. “I should have trusted you more.”

               “It’s okay” he said, resting her gently down upon the bed. “I understand why you had your reservations.”

               “I think this was really exactly what I needed, though” Rei assured him. She took her hand in his as he knelt beside her. “I think…I think I’m finally starting to feel like things are falling into place. Like when we get home, we’ll both be able to give this our all and sort through everything with clearer heads. I don’t know, I just…it’s kind of nice and…to be honest? I’m kind of excited about it.” A soft, almost sheepish smile touched her lips then, kissing his knuckles and rubbing circles onto the back of his hand. “I’m excited to marry you, Kakashi, and to bring this baby into the world, and start our future together.”

               “I’m glad” Kakashi whispered. He climbed over her into bed, wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Pressing his lips to her forehead, his hands trailed to her waist, caressing her lower stomach. “I can’t wait to have a family with you, Rei” he whispered. “You’re absolutely amazing, you know that? You’re just…creating this brand new little life inside of you.” Rei craned her neck to look up at him, her tired eyes filled with so much love and light. Kakashi couldn’t help but smile. “I am constantly in awe of you, Rei” he whispered, pressing his forehead to hers. “I can’t wait to have this baby with you.”

               “Me neither, Kakashi…” Rei whispered, her eyes growing heavy. She nuzzled against his chest, exhaled deeply. All the while, Kakashi never removed his hand from her waist. A soft smile touched her lips as she began to doze off to sleep. “Our little Kino…”

               The journey back to Konoha was calm and uneventful—a welcome reprieve compared to their journey away. They settled into a seat by the window again, hands intertwined and hearts full. It felt so strange to be leaving someplace so beautiful. It almost hurt Rei’s heart to return home. A part of her wished they could just live in this moment forever, a world where the two of them were all that mattered and nothing was expected of them. Where things were always peaceful and quiet and good.

               And yet, at the same time, the thought of returning home lit a strange little spark in her now. There was so much to do and for once, she was not scared or overwhelmed. Instead, she felt empowered. If life had to throw so many things at her at once, then the next best thing was to face it head-on and focus on what she could control. She mused ideas about scoping out bakeries in town for wedding cakes and finding a bigger house to raise their child in. As she rambled about all of this to Kakashi on the way back to the village, the one thing she seemed especially excited for, however, was looking into birthing classes.

               “I’m pretty sure the hospital hosts some” she continued, walking alongside Kakashi. The trees were beginning to peter out, the path widening before them, sure signs that they were almost home. “I think it would be good for us. I mean, we can only learn so much from books, you know?”

               “A little hands-on learning certainly never hurt” Kakashi agreed. “Do you think they’d be able to fit our schedule?”

               “I’m sure they would” Rei replied. The gates to Konoha loomed before them, welcoming. “I mean, Konoha is full to bursting with ninja. I can’t imagine them not being prepared to accommodate our lifestyle.”

               As she spoke, Kakashi’s gaze trailed across the village entry square. Izumo and Kotetsu seemed stiff and still as they stood guard, a contrast to their usually casual nature. The streets were deserted, shops quiet and empty—far too quiet for a Monday morning. All the while, a tense energy hung heavy in the air. Something was not right.

               And then there was Shizune. Hugging a clipboard to her chest, she eyed Kakashi and Rei expectantly. Kakashi locked his eyes on her for a brief moment. The uncertainty in her face, her pursed lips and furrowed brows, only furthered Kakashi’s suspicions. Something unsettling began to branch out from the pit of his chest.

               “I’m glad you both made it back safely” she greeted as they approached.

               “Did something happen while we were gone?” Kakashi asked. His muscles tensed, tightening his grip on Rei’s hand, and he regretted ever joking about the village falling apart without them. It didn’t seem so funny now.

               Shizune chewed her lower lip, averted her eyes. “I’m afraid so” she replied.

               “What? What is it? What did we miss?” Rei asked. She thought of the little girl on the train, of the two men who had tried to steal her away. What if they were far more dangerous than Rei had expected? What if they were, dare she even say, Akatsuki? She doubted they were terrorists, weak as they were, but still. A hard lump of anxiety rose into her throat as she considered the possibility.

               The answer wasn’t anywhere near what she had expected. The words just didn’t make sense. The whole world suddenly went still, a white noise ringing in her ears and muting everything else. And Rei was definitely sure she was going to be sick. She clapped a hand over her mouth as her knees buckled beneath her, her breathing heavy as sobs crackled in the back of her throat. In the pit of her chest, an earthquake began to rage. And all the while, Shizune’s words echoed over and over in the back of her mind, taunting her.

               Teiko Natsuki is dead.

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

[END NOTES: WELL. THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET REALLY, REALLY BAD REALLY, REALLY FAST. So, uh, buckle up your seatbelts and keep your hands, feet, arms, and legs in the vehicle at all times. 👀

Side note: If you want to read about Sekkachi's adventures in dogsitting, you can find a one-shot all about it right over here~]

[killem-all-if-they-wont-eat-cake]

Image: Freja och Svipdag (1911) by John Bauer

My text "Freyja en Svipdag" published in Covidnine-zine, a magazine edited by the wonderful Winnie Sluis, idealized by Winnie and Lisa @oppergod, with collaboration of several amazing artists.

“With her eyes closed and very sleepy, she could feel the sea breeze on her face and hear the sound of the tide breaking in nine waves, one after the other, until she finally managed to open her eyelids.

At first, she discerned arches and pillars through the blurred image, which she later identified as the ruins of an old cathedral. The stone foundations of this structure immediately reminded her of Glastonbury Abbey. The sound of the violin came to her, as well as the seagulls’ song and the gallop of a gray horse mounted by a masked young man, who headed in her direction. On the beach, an old lady recited the stanzas of ancient poems. Coffins swept across the sand, such as fragments of a shipwreck. The corpse of the violinist, who once was Yorick, the court jester, suddenly stopped the music, marveling at the horizon and contemplating his next song, as follows:

'Oh  Páter if I only knew who she was...  I swear I would have sought her earlier!  Oh Páter, here comes Gwena, who traces  This plot, full of diminished chords...

Tis  fire, aye, ‘tis pipe’s ember,  Burning slow and steady, steaming  And if I inhale, choke and clear my throat  Bitter-sweet is her surrender, such a delight  This woman...

Yet  I think she keeps  Something restrained  For the One of the strings...

She  dares not look but only glimpse

Her  bearing ever so high,  Still entrapped in a gilded cage  From which one tries to break  With a treble clef... Egnis! Egnis!

Aye,  see as it burns strong,

It is painful for Gaius,  Her way of walking and fluttering  Always a promise of the foreign

 Though  beware not to cut yourself;  For she is like As-Sirāt,  Even if broken, she remains sharp.

More  so she is intricate and complex,  Full of ardor and nothing else,  And seems entirely anti-flustered  Ah! ... but if there is a breach...

 “Tis  for sure the apple-tree”  I answer myself.  Since when I wandered haphazardly,  Wandering, wondering, though not seeing  If there was indeed an olive tree...

 Thus,  if the fire she already brought;  And I always have some cider;  Only the gold is wrought...

What  fire is that?  Mighty and aristocratic,  Convoluted and anti-pragmatic.

Alas,  we get to the story’s end,

If  you expected me to be light-hearted

To  speak of her beauty or noble

character,

 You  don’t see me for who I really am

For  only the sublime pain of a burn

Compares  to shall be required

To  conquer her troublesome

Spirit.

 Nevertheless,  if I allow myself

A  final indulgence, I think it goes

Without  saying.. that she’s beautiful,

Dignified,  and a relief to the eyes,

(Though  quite difficult to contain)

That’s  why I have fallen...O Páter!”

The rider dismounted and removed his mask, revealing a quite familiar face.

Then he burst into tears, moans, and screams, calling out the name “Sophie! Sophie!” A cacophony of chimes and carillon began at an Episcopal belfry, the imposing figure of a castle appeared behind the mist. Brísingamen, the fiery torque, sparkled around her neck as she rose, entirely dressed in white. The young man, who wore black garments, offered her his hand, and spoke:

 “Dear Sophie, your father awaits us.”

 The strangest thing happened; she felt her lips moving without having ordered so. “My darling Joris, at last you have come for me.”

 Although she did not know exactly how, she remembered the young man in front of her was her betrothed, and that they referred to each other by the names of the saints which the ephemeris fell on their respective birthdays. His on the feast day of Sint-Joris van Cappadocië, and hers on that of St. Sophie van Rome.

 “Sophie, the owl told me the baker shall hold a banquet in our honour!”

 “O, here, have a daisy” she said, taking a flower from the garland adorning her long blonde hair. “I would give you give you some violets, but they all withered when the fishmonger sailed to Crete.”

 “Indeed, Aerope told me that Catreus’ ashes are still warm.”

 They walked side by side, with hands intertwined, wearing wicked smiles as they climbed the hill where the castle's Tor stood. Upon arriving, they were received by the King of Guilder and the rest of his progeny.

 “Welcome, my children, to Kasteel Groninger! Our earthly paradise. Pray, remember the road ahead is still long. Fredegund anxiously awaits Siegbert's return, in deep sleep at the Mountain of Obstacles. Do not forget that: Fafnir must yet perish and Sigrdrífa still needs to be stripped of her armour” King Aegir affectionately warned, embracing both Sophie, whom he recognized as his youngest daughter, and Joris, his future son-in-law.

 "Your majesty, I assure you I shall be worthy enough to wed Lady Menglöð" replied Joris, referring to Sophie, the princess of Guilder, by her true name.

 “Heer Valentijn,” asked King Aegir, also calling Joris by his birth name “I believe the sacrifice of Galswintha will not have been in vain: Faith, Hope and Charity shall be glorified, but do not forget to greet your new sisters.”

 With their faces veiled and sitting on the stairs of an old church, the nine daughters of Aegir, presented themselves one by one. The oldest was called Schnecke, “Bloody-hair”, thus called in virtue of her red hair; the second went by the name of Mimi, the “Billow”, therefore known due to her being prone to fits of nervousness; the third was called Caroline, the “Comber”, because of her explosive temper; the fourth answered by Lily, “Pearl-transparent”, on the account of her translucent complexion; the fifth was named Henriette, the “Small-Wave”, due to her short height; the sixth answered by Olga, the “Lifting”, on account of her extraordinary intelligence; the seventh was called Hannah, the “Great-Wave”, thus known for her bulkiness;  the eighth daughter was Jeannette, called the “Well of Origin” for having the habit of reciting prophetic riddles every time somebody asked her something; the last of them, Friederike, the “Cool-Wave”, was therefore called on account of her cold manners.

 Each of them, as Joris approached, answered him with witty sentences related to each of their epithets. At the end of these parables, King Aegir once again addressed him:

 “Valentijn van Florin, I give you my word as sovereign of Guilder that the most beautiful flower in my garden is your dear Sophie, who at this very hour tomorrow you shall take as your wife. Such a marriage will unite our two rival kingdoms under a single crown, as intended your kinsman, Prince Humperdinck, though in far less auspicious circumstances.”

 The bride and the groom waltzed through the castle, covering the walls of each room with snow. Whenever Joris asked if she wanted to be his wife, Sophie burst into hysterical laughing, which echoed throughout the stairs. Sometimes she replied she first owed vassalage to another lord, who was certainly sterner and bonier. This ‘danse macabre’ continued until they faced the stained windows of the cathedral, when the black priest signaled them to stop. For this reason, the nine waves blew out the candles on the candelabrum, one by one, forming a fairy-ring around the two of them and joining their dance wildly.

 Joris mused for a moment and said:

 “Three times nine girls, but one girl rode ahead,

white-skinned under her helmet;

the horses were trembling, from their manes

dew fell into the deep valleys,

hail in the high woods;

good fortune comes to men from there;

all that I saw was hateful to me.”

 For the celebrations to continue Sophie was taken to the hall of Suttungr, while Joris was given the task of finding the severed head of Mimir. Locked up in the chamber of Invitation to Battle, Sophie was punished for exercising her prerogative in choosing differently from what the All-father had commanded. There, Huginn and Muninn, her liege's crows, whispered bad omens at her ears as she repeatedly painted a Byzantine icon of the Virgin of Mercy.

 “Torture me all you want,” she said to her tormentors “a tearing joy overwhelms my soul. Plato's aesthetic dictates the beauty of forms is equivalent to the greater good and that which is purer. I merely follow the example of Paris in his preference for the ‘kallistei’; the beloved is always chosen for blind love, and only love. I admit I may be wrong, but I still believe that his heart is as good and generous as I sensed on our first meeting. The world is sustained by hope, we believe in what we want to believe and how we want to believe; it does not matter if nature and experience tell us otherwise. My dreams have never betrayed me, my heart has never lied to me: it is necessary to follow one’s deepest desires, for they are ordained by the Norns.”

 In retaliation, the crows of the one-eyed king pecked at her ears until her neck was covered in blood. Ignoring the pangs of pain, Sophie continued to draw the icon that depicted a beautiful sleeping maiden, whose closed eyes showed an expression of tenderness and parted lips outlined a tenuous, albeit provocative smile, as though she was caught in a sensuous dream.

 Hence, Sophie chanted in low voice:

“What sort of dream is that, Odin?

I dreamed I rose up before dawn

to clear up Valhöll for slain people.

I aroused the Einheriar,

bade them get up to strew the benches,

clean the beer-cups,

the valkyries to serve wine

for the arrival of a prince.”

At the same time, Joris rode up to the Mountain of Obstacles, where the earth shook and a pit of flames reaching the sky surrounded the red gold of the gods. In this desolate place, the guardian at the gate, who was also the chieftain of the dwarves, gave Joris the sword of anger and the shield of wisdom with which he was able to defeat the horrible serpent, Jörmungandr.

After licking a drop of the creature’s blood on his finger, Joris was given the gift of understanding the crows’ language, which then instigated him to come to the chamber of Invitation to Battle. As soon as he entered the room, he blew on the horn he carried on his neck by a chain. The Virgin awoke from her feverish dream.

Sitting on a golden throne, the queen-like Sophie gladly received him in her father's hall:

“For nine lives I have awaited you, and for nine days you have hanged on the Sefirotic Tree. To you I give my gray horse, so you can ride to Gamla Uppsala; for Memory can only be restored when Gjallahorn descends to the well of origin. There, Heidr will offer you one of her full tits. Drink patiently, but steadily.”

“Frigga, my dear wife, all I ask is for you to grant me knowledge of the nine worlds.”

Before proceeding with her husband’s request, Sophie prayed for eloquence and intelligence, taking her lute in her hand, singing the most beautiful song of shadow and dawn. She praised the day, the night, the gods and goddesses, and the Holy Land where the Nazarene was crucified. After prayer, she harvested liquid from three of her father’s most precious cauldrons and prepared the elixir of life and death, stating it contained enchantments, blessings, songs and runes of power, manliness and pleasure of the flesh and soul.

Sophie told Joris that in the beginning there was nothing, and this nothing was called Njörun. When Njörun became aware of herself, she begot Njöðr. From the union between these two, Mardöll was born. The latter was self-suficient, loving herself and being therefore happy. However, curiosity caused the goddess to create a mirror from her own breath, and when she contemplated her own reflection, she fell madly in love with it. Since then, she divided herself in two: Mardöll of Fire, who saw the image, and Mardöll of Ice, the image seen. After tracing a runic symbol on her body and whispering over it, her reflection became Yngve, her twin brother. The two of them began a frantic dance that culminated in intercourse, from where emerged the rest of the runic spirits.

Sophie then told him how Mardöll first taught the runes to the All-father, how he held the head of Mimir and uttered wise words; and that from them flowed the worlds of the Æsir, Vanir, giants, elves, and humanity. She went on to count all the kinds of runes that Joris needed to know and how to use them. At last asking him if he would like speech or silence from her. To which Joris replied he was not afraid of knowing his fate, even if that meant death.

Shortly after, she took his horn, in which she poured the Mead of Poetry, while rambling: “The beautiful should not perish; the fair should not perish. Eternal love of immortal soul, glittering through my skin like fins. Drop by drop, your spirit will return to me, the first drop will be heavenly!”

The moment Joris took the last sip of this precious drink, the walls opened, and the drums played. King Aegir and the nine waves were finally welcomed to the wedding feast. Circling an oath-ring on a trunk, the sovereign of Guilder joined the hands of his daughter and son-in-law, making a cut on each of their palms so that their blood could mix. Joris and Sophie intertwined their fingers and together declared:

“Ubi tu Askr

Ego Embla;

Ubi tu Embla,

Ego Askr.”

“When thou art the Ash

I shall be the Elm;

When thou art the Elm

I shall be the Ash.”

“Grímnir, the greatest of all gods, is here, he proclaims you to be one flesh, consecrated to him” decreed King Aegir as the newlyweds resumed their bridal dance, accompanied by the nine waves, who happily sang:

“Stampa hårt i marken,

Låt säden flyta  runt,

Ta emot den unga  flickan,

Frej i älskog,

Freja i älskog.”

“Step hard on the ground,

Let the seed fly,

Welcome the Young Maiden,

Freyr in lovemaking,

Freyja in lovemaking.”

Joris enveloped Sophie in a lustful embrace, with each whirl more ardent than before, ‘til they both lost their balance and fell backwards in the hay. At this moment, Thanatos, the black priest showed up uninvited:

“I am a polar bear who has floated here from Greenland on an iceberg. May the gods bless your matrimony with such perennial beauty as that from the coupling of Zeus and Leda. As a wedding gift, I bring you a veil made for an Arabian princess. Please, accept it. O Vanadís, daughter of the king of kings.”

Upon hearing this, Sophie let out a long shriek. She understood what those words meant. For three nights, she and Joris made love at moonlight, in the presence of the court of Guilder and all the creatures of the universe. On the morning of the fourth day, he had to leave her side to wander the nine worlds, bringing the sacred knowledge he acquired to whichever mortals he found. Weeping, Sophie bade adieu to her husband with the following greeting:

“My will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great. My sisters receive the heroes at Fólkvangr, serving mead to those slain in battle. When the ash commune with the elm, you shall return to me. Not a second after, not a second before.”

The black priest then proceeded to lead them to the calvary, placing two wreaths of thorns on their heads. “I crown thee, Freyja and Óðr.”

For nine days and nights, Sophie bitterly mourned her lost husband, crying tears of gold for his sake. Once again trapped in the Mountain of Obstacles, she cried out for mercy to the one who was older than time itself:

“That man hon fólkvig fyrst í heimi,

er Gullveig geiru studdu

ok i hǫll Hárs hana brendu;

thrysvar brendu thrysvar borna,

opt, ósjaldan, tho hon enn lifir!

Heidi hana hétu, hvars til húsa kom,

vǫlu velspá,  vitti hon ganda

seid hon hvars hon kunni,

seid hon hugleikin,

æ var hon angan illrar brudar.”

“She remembers the first war in the world,

when Gullveig was hoist on the spears

in the High-One’s hall they burned her;

three times they burned the three times born

often, not seldom; yet she lives! 

She was called Heidr at the village,

the wise völva knew how to cast spells

she practiced seiðr whenever she could

with ravished soul, she performed seiðr,

She was always sought by wicked women.”

As she asked for divine intervention, Sophie devoted herself to the hard work required by the spinning wheel. As though passing in a trance through Psyche's trials, she was accompanied by her sisters, who danced around her, hand in hand. The first branches of the elm emerged from her heart, which enwrapped her in just a few minutes. From her withered body, the most majestic tree of Fensalir was formed. Three times she was struck by lightning, three times she burned; only to be three times reborn the next dawn.

When Joris at last returned from his travels around the world, finding her in such a state he declared:

“Nu em ec aptr kominn,

fát gat ec thegiandi thar;

margom orthom melta ec i minn frama i Suttungs sǫlom.

Gunnlad mer um gaf gunom stóli á

drycc ins dyra miathar; ill ithgiold

let ec hana eptir hafa

sins ins heila hugar

sins ins  svara seva.”

“Now I have come again,

I’d have hardly made it so far;

without speaking great words to my advantage in the hall  of Suttungr.

Gunnlöð gave me, from her golden throne

The precious drink of mead; a poor payment

I gave her in return

for her whole soul

for her  burdened spirit.”

With these sorrowful words he also became an ash tree, his roots becoming entangled with hers. From their union emerged a magnificent swan egg which cracked in two beautiful girls. The Æsir called them Hnoss and Gersemi, the Twin Treasures.’

[carryonmywaywardwriters]

Heathens - Soulless Reader x Demon Dean (Short Series)

A/N: Part two! As always, feedback is incredible. And, I hope you all enjoy <3

PSA: I am NOT a minor friendly blog. If you are below 18, please come back when you’re older. I don’t want to lose my blog because you were too eager to grow up. If I discover you, I WILL block.

Part One

Warnings: Harley/Joker kinda relationship. Unhealthy. Power driven. Smut.

Word Count: Roughly 2,200

“Moose!” His voice was all cheer and glee as he stared up at the towering, still human brother. Trying to ignore the demon-killing knife in the too strong hand. The deep, loathing scowl etched onto the human's face as he stared down the monarch.

Crowley had finally given up. He had no one else to turn to. There were no other beings that stood a chance at getting near the power couple. The two creatures he'd helped shape were raising literal hell on earth. It was time for desperate measures.

“Where is he?” Sam demanded thickly. Booming in rage. Not bothering with any sort of pleasantries. After all, Crowley had his brother for all he knew.

“Ah, yes. Dean-o.” The King's lips pulled back into a scowl. It was time to get to business. Before too much more damage could ensue. “For once, we want the same thing. Squirrel back to himself.” The younger Winchester's eyes narrowed in the low sunlight as he took in Crowley skeptically. “As we both know, your brother is a... changed man. And not for the better.”

“Funny,” Sam snorted. Face twitching as he refrained from colliding into the demon and ending it all. “Last I checked, you were parading him around like some kind of prize. What brought on the change of heart?” Ordinarily, Crowley enjoyed the Winchester sass. But, not then. His eyes rolled instinctively.

“Your brother has this annoying tendency to do as he pleases. I can't control him. I've tried.” The demon shrugged, not even slightly remorseful in his actions. “I might have had better luck if he hadn't run into Y/N-”

“Y/N? Y/N L/N? She's with Dean?” Crowley watched as stark fear crossed the giant's face. “Has he hurt her? God, she has to be terrified-”

“Unlikely.” The king of hell snorted. Too sore from his latest failure to use the hunter's terror for leverage. “The only thing that girl feels is hunger for power.” Bitterness welled inside of him at the thought. You'd not only destroyed his plans for Dean, but the ones he'd had for you as well. In a single swoop. Only needing to bat your eyes to get what you pleased from the knight of hell. Your soul was the only leverage Crowley had against you two, and your only interest was in its destruction. “If I were you? I'd fear more for Dean.”

Realization crossed Sam's face, “You did something to her.” And the anger followed, nostrils flared and all. “I swear to god-”

“No,” Crowley held up his finger as he corrected the hunter. “I only ordered her to be collected as part of a contract that one of my demons created. Simply business. Nothing personal.” The look on Sam's face made it clear. He didn't believe a word the demon was saying. Smart man. “The chit made it damned difficult. Killed my favorite hound. So, I sent demons.” He kept the story simple. Not going into detail about the way you'd fought your life. He didn't need the moose endearing to you anymore than he already was. “They pulled away her soul believing it would stun her enough to destroy her body. But, that's as far as they got.” A vial was pulled out of his jacket, containing the silver blue light that had been torn from your very being. “Turns out your little pet can be quite brutal when she wants to be. And that damned knife you gave her ended up being quite effective. Now? Now we have a soulless maniac on the loose who not only wants to rule the world. But doesn't give a damn who she has to kill to get it. And I'm sure your brother is going to end up on that list if he doesn't follow her orders.” The look on Sam's face said enough. “Don't say it. I know what you're thinking. But, the soulless chit is the problem of the moment. For the both of us!”

“Why not just let it go? Let it find it's way back? If she's not soulless, then-”

“Then, Dean will remove it himself without time counting against him. We'll have nothing to make them pause long enough to gather some control back. They'll be lost.” The King's face fell, just as his reign would if you two continued to skillfully wield your weapons.

You'd already put a large dent into his army. Had weaseled out information- according to the few survivors that crossed your paths- that could give you an advantage. Letting them live only to let Crowley know just how successful you'd been. To toy with his mind.

Harley Quinn and The Joker. Bonnie and Clyde. Or any other powerful duo that could be thought of. None of them compared to the twisted, effective, relationship that you two had. When you weren't covered in blood, you were covered with each other.

“Just when I thought this couldn't get any crazier.” Sam snorted, a bitter half laugh leaving his lips as his hand ran over his stubbled jaw. “Of course it turns into this.” The resignation on his face gave the king some hope.

“Welcome to the party, Moose.”  Crowley smirked, though he felt nothing more than vulnerable. You two were too close. There wasn't much time. He would be dead as soon as you two arrived in town, and he was powerless to stop it on his own.

–

“Harder,” You moaned out in pleasure as his hands bruised into your hips. Your nails digging into the rolling muscles of Dean's shoulder and back as you rode him. Breaking the skin along the way. Not giving a damn that he grunted at the feeling. Your eyes were shut. Head tossed back as you zeroed in on the way he filled you. Yet,  you could feel the warmth of those blackened orbs watching you as you straddled his lap. His grip moving your body along his solid length.

“Alright,” His lips kicked up arrogantly. Instead of just following your orders, you were flipped so that he was on top of you on the wrecked bed. Your empty E/C eyes were darkened with lust when you opened them. The large fists clenched into your thigh and arm hard enough to rebruise the damaged flesh. He slammed his hips faster, giving you exactly what you demanded and then some.

His teeth sank into the soft skin of your throat; drawing both a cry from your lips and pebbles of blood forward that he easily licked away as he thrust sharply. Leaving another mark on your skin with a growl as your claws sank into him deeper. Body clenching hard around his dick. The hot, slick tug of your body trying to hold him hostage. Taking what you needed from him greedily. He left one hand on your hip as he pulled away. Moving to gain more control. The other gripped the wooden frame. Giving him better leverage. The wooden headboard slammed into the wall roughly. Motel room pictures rattled. Other patrons yelled out their complaints. Drown out by the cries leaving your throat.

At one time, sex between you two had been slow and meaningful. There had been lingering kisses, touches, and emotion behind every action. Cuddles afterwards. Conversation about the future. Dissections of your feelings. It had been everything a girl could dream of before it had ended.

But now? You two used each other. It wasn't about getting closer. Simply about getting off. Sex was just another tool in the power struggle you were looked in. Used as a tool for manipulating the other. Abrasive and filthy every time. Primal in nature, much like the both of you.

You both were covered with lesions; branding each other as the other's property. Possessive? Simply because you needed the other to get where you wanted. Thrived off of how much control you could garner with the right look. A simple touch. There was nothing else to it. No love. Not an ounce of fluff to be found. And you two thrived in the mucked up relationship.

“That's it.” His low voice vibrated shock waves through your system as he coaxed you through your orgasm; watching as you fell apart around him. Hips rolling. Mouth open as the delicious sounds poured out of your lips. “Fuck, Y/N...”

Writhing erratically, he tried to get impossibly closer; losing himself inside of the tight hold. Your eyesight focused in time to see his flushed face contort in pleasure. In the past you would have thought he was beautiful. Would have gotten lost in his pleasure. Instead, you focused on the feeling him getting off gave you.

How he stretched you just right when he stopped moving. The warmth of his seed coating your walls. All of it giving you a final bit of a buzz.

“You didn't win,” You huffed, face grim in determination as you came down from one of the only highs you could still reach.

“Your plan is beyond crazy.” He grumbled, rolling off of you. Displeased that the sex hadn't ended the conversation. After all? That had been the point.

“Which is why it would work.” You insisted again, moving to rest yourself over him. The position giving you better access to his gaze. Eyes that were back to the darkened green. That showed the bit of humanity you'd discovered under the surface of 'Deanmon'. “You know he's gunning on Sam wanting to get us back to the emotionally wrecked shithole we were in before.” If you could've felt fear, he'd have said that's what crossed your face. Instead, desperation was a better fit. All wide eyed and tight lipped. “He wants your brother to stop us. He's scared, Dean. All we have to do is get ahold of him- and his bones- and the rest falls into place. Crowley knows that. But, we won't get there before Sam does whatever his part is in the counter plan.” Your fingers trailed through the short, sex mused locks on his head as your voice softened back into that deadly, convincing tone. “So... we have no choice. We have to put you in Sam's grasp. Have to take care of him. Or, everything we've done is for nothing.” He looked unsure, but he nodded grimly. “I know you have a soft spot for him-”

“I don't.” Dean bit out, his demon side taking completely over at the words. Green blackened. Exactly what you needed.

“But, there's a tiny piece of you that does.” Your voice lowered into the manipulative little timbre he'd come to expect when you set your mind to something. His hackles rose. “It's the same part that Crowley wanted to kill. The same part of you that felt the need to keep me alive.” Softly, you added another twist to the knife. “I'm glad that piece of you exists...Really.” Your hand slowly moved down his sweat coated skin, until you reached the warm mark on his forearm. “But, I- we need you to push past it. If my soul comes back? I'll forget all of this. I'll turn against you. We'll lose everything we've gained.” You traced the reddened flesh. Eyes locked wishfully onto the mark. Begging for it, silently. The power it held. “Even if you can rip it back out? We 'll be too far gone. They'll have the upper hand...we can't afford that kinda set back.” Your vacant eyes met his again in a way that made his skin prickle. “You said you didn't want to lose your demon side... I get that. And you won't. Not completely. I have every detail planned out. You just have to trust me, Dean.” Your lips pressed against the anti-possesion symbol that had been etched onto his chest. The similar mark you bore on your hip. As if it meant something to the two of you. Despite both of you knowing better. “Trust us.”

He had little doubt that you'd planned out every possible scenario. Your lack of humanity made it alarmingly easy to spot weakness in anything that had even the slightest bit remaining. To see where they would go. See how to cut past it effectively. Even in himself.

He'd witnessed the skill countless times over the coarse of three months. Against demons, witches, and humans. If anything got in the way of something you desired? You cut it down without blinking. His brother was simply next on the list.

“Fine,” He nodded. You were right. He didn't want to go back to the feeling. To the wretchedness his life had held before he'd gone dark. That much, he was certain on.. “We do this. We've come this far...” Your lips lifted in a sinister grin, making him almost regret agreeing to it right then and there.

Dean/Jensen: @akshi8278​ @screechingartisancashbailiff​

Forever: @dean-winchesters-bacon​​ @supernaturalginger​​ @lilulo-12​​ @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​​ @fanfictionismydeath​

[bard-of-worlds]

The Beginning in Kalos CH1

"We must tell the master we've found them!"  A voice cried as two figures in black robes ran down a hallway lit by torches. The one is the lead was older than the other, with a look of fierce concentration as he carried a printout.  At last we found them, after all those years of nothing and finally, we found them!  The older man thought as he ran a look of fanatic pride on his face.

 “Old man wait, let’s think this through if you’re wrong…”  The younger one trailed as the one leading the way stopped and spun to face him.  Old fool!  He’s going to get us both killed at this rate!  The chance that he’s right is so small that I don’t want to tell the master and have him kills us, him for being wrong and me for not stopping him!  The younger thought before stopping as the older man turned to glare at him.

 “I was here when the young lord was born.  I saw her face as she held him to our master.  I was here when we were attacked by those bastards and the queen and the young master disappeared, when that whore interrupted the lady’s teleport and stole them from their rightful place.  I KNOW their faces!  This is them!” He snarled as the younger back away in fear.

 “Fine, on your head is it if you’re wrong.”  He said he put his hands up to calm his older comrade down.

 "To think this happened because of one single report." The younger man mused to himself as they rounded a corner and rushed down the hallway.

 "And for what reason have you two fools decided to bother our lord?" A sensual voice purred as a pale woman dressed in a red dress that showed off her hourglass figure, twin slits on her dress exposing long white stocking clad legs and high heels who intercepted them.  Her lips were painted a blood red, a bang of her blond hair covering her left eye while the rest of it stops at the small of her back. Her right eye blazed red in the gloom, the crimson eye shadow on her eyelids enhance her glare.  On her ears were pure black diamonds; while around her neck was a Keystone on a black metal rose. While a pitch black Tyranitar stood by her right, a Houndoom with a crown with red stones on it and a collar with a black stone in it stood to her left; both had a sneer on their faces as they faced down the two men.

 "We've found the young master and his mother Lady Camilla.  We literally found them while seeing if the current champion would be a problem in the future."  The Elder said with emotions and a hint of madness in his eyes.

 “So you think you found them this time old one?” Camilla said softly with a hint of exasperation in her voice as her two Pokémon trading looks with each other.  They had thought they had found those they lost before, always one thing would lead to a disappointments and failure before, but both hoped that their trainer’s sister had been found with her son.

 “May I die the death of traitors and fools if I’m wrong about this, but by the Creator this is them!” The elder cried with a look of madness about him.  Camilla looked at him and turned towards the younger man who looked at her with an apologetic look and an expression that said he didn’t believe what his comrade had found.

 “If you’re wrong I might send you to the hospital for a mental reevaluation, but let’s see your proof first before I do anything.”  Camilla said with a sigh and a look was shared with her Tyranitar as she rolled her eyes, she and her team had dealt with many fanatics both within their forces and without, but if this fool was wrong and bothered their master, he might be killed, especially since it was so close to the anniversary of the Invasion.

 With a deranged smile on his face he showed her the printout, a boy with a Pikachu on his shoulder, a Mr. Mime and a brown haired woman walking out of a restaurant.  When Camilla saw the face of the woman her face lost what color she had.  That’s Delia… that has to be her, after so long we found them!  She thought as she got control of her emotions and turning her head she gestured to her Tyranitar to open the doors behind her, before she led the two of them and her Pokémon through the doors.

 They entered into a touch lite throne room, paintings in lining the walls of a two teenagers, a man and woman together the man dressed in formal suit, the face of the woman was covered by shadows but the painting showed her wearing a dress which complimented her figure, on her shoulder was a white Zubat and a Poochyena sat next to the man, a grin on its face.  At the end of the throne room a man in a fine suit sat upon the throne, his face in shadows with a Mightyena curled up next to the him with its eyes closed while a white Crobat was hanging above an empty throne next to the man

 "Why have you disturbed my rest?" A voice echoed from the throne, the dark type opened its eyes to glare at the party as they dropped to their knees before its master.

 "We might have finally found your family my lord." Camilla said, her voice caring not a trace of her emotions.  As soon as she finished speaking a wave of force seemed to press down upon them as the man's eyes focused all his attention upon the figures before him.

 "You have found my son and my queen?" The voice spoke slowly with a hint of anger and rage if they were lying to him.  Camilla glared at the two behind her and older one moved forward and began to speak.

 "My lord; awhile back while checking the results of the previous Kanto Tournaments I discovered an… incident accrued during one of them, one of the trainers had been kidnapped and barely made it to his match, sadly he lost the match because his Pokémon were exhausted before the battle could even begin.  Wanting to find out if THEY were involved I took it upon myself to look into both trainers bios, the victor’s was nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that led to any of them, so I put his opponent on a low priority and only received the report a few days later, an average trainer at his first league tournament but checking his legal history, I saw something that concerned me. He came into being a few months after the attack; his place of birth was recorded as unknown in all the record the agents I sent could find.  Thinking that he was one of the enemy’s agents who took a dive for some reason, I sent agents to find out more about him.  My lord, what he has done, his accomplishments were such that I thought to mark him as either a possible recruit or a massive threat to your goals, but that changed when I discovered he and his mother had a part in the mass Unown incident in Johto. I was finally able to track down footage of the event and finally saw his face, both his and his mothers’. Final research leaves no doubt in my mind; they are your missing family.  Please m’lord, you must only see their faces…" The man reached out holding the printout and the Crobat swooped down, grabbed the picture and dropped it into the hands of the man on the throne who looked at it and the pressure disappeared, releasing the people before the throne.

 "And what name has my beloved answered to these long years?" The figure said as he stood up and walked toward the doors the Crobat gliding to rest on his shoulder as the Mightyena walked behind him as his masters followers hurried after them.

 "Ketchum, my lord, your Queen and son have live under the name Ketchum.  And the impact he has made without his abilities is… remarkable is the only word that could be used.  He rode and saved the Beast of the Sea, he saved the Master of the Sky and this was only what we could find proof of.  It is amazing that one person could have such an impact on the world without more people knowing." The older man said as he hurried to match his lords’ stride.

 "Not to mention the number of hearts he charmed." The younger one muttered under his breath not noticing that his master had stopped and turned and looked at him until he heard the Mightyena’s growl at him.

 "How many young ladies are after my son?" His master enquired as the two Pokémon he was with glared at the fool for his comment.  The young fool began to sweet as he saw the looks the Elder and Lady Camilla and her Pokémon were sending him he knew he had to tread carefully, what he didn’t need was for his superiors to be too mad at him.

 "Many my lord. From Kanto to Sinnoh your child has charmed and drawn to him the love of many maidens though from what the report says, and he even has a modest fan club.  Through he seems to not notice what they feel for him."  He trailed off as he saw his master's expression start to darken and his eyes to grow hard.

 "Camilla, at your discretion you are to redirect any assets in Kanto to my beloveds current residence.  They are to send back a detailed report on her daily activities, her Pokémon and her health.  Find where my son is and send Lilith to follow him."  Their mastered command as he resumed his walk, prompting the three beings to share a look between themselves before following him.

 "Lilith my lord? Out of all the people in your command, you wish to send my apprentice?  Her age alone; not to mention her lack of experience off our land..."  Camilla trailed off as she followed along behind him when the Mightyena looked at her over its shoulder.

 "She is to scan my son to see if he anything beyond his natural abilities as my son were taken from him.  She is to be sent because her team will let her play whatever role she will need to interact with him.  She is to be sent because she is young, loyal and your best student in recent years. And have a Mystic meet the assets before they move to my love’s town; I want to know everything so I may regain those who were taking from me. Camilla, call the other Elites to the castle, all fast reaction squads are on standby for deployment as needed, all patrols are to be doubled for the foreseeable future." He ordered as he walked onto a balcony and the Mightyena came to a halt at the doors while the Crobat landed on the railings before him.

 "By your will and command, Lord Dracula!"  His followers uttered as they left to carry out his orders.  Camellia stayed behind for a few seconds, not moving until her master spoke.

“Is there something you need to say Camellia?”  He asked as he looked at the moon.

 “My lord….Vlad.  This doesn’t make sense, why would they let her go without someone watching her, why let Ashura travel, why take him in the first place?”  Camellia asked as Vlad gripped the railing.

 “All things that went through my mind, nothing that I can think of is good.”  Vlad said.  Camellia sighed and nodded her head.

 “Could the intelligence we’ve gotten over the years be truth, they are divided?”  Camellia asked as Vlad sighed.  If that is true then what plan are those two a part of to let them move about, what are they after?  He thought as he looked at the moon.

 “Look into that, but for now just do what I ordered, if you find out anything….well you know what to do.” Vlad said prompting Camellia to bow and walk away; leaving him with his Crobat who cooed at him.  Smiling at it Vlad rubbed its head, causing it to smile at its trainer before Vlad looked up at the moon overhead.

 "My beloved, soon after so long, you and our son will be with me again, and then they will know the rage of the old, the wraith of those it sought to destroy and condemn to oblivion.  My son I swear" He uttered as he looked down upon both Pokémon and humanoids battling or training in his courtyard, his army readying for war.

  Where could that girl be, I have to find her soon.  Still it was lucky that I already had a few people in Kanto near Pallet, within hours we’ll know what to do about the Prince. Camila thought as she walked out the castle, a clock around her to guard her from the cold.  Lilith had not been in the chambers her student/apprenticeship status gave her, given that she hadn’t gone on a Quest or an expedition for a new Pokémon or a competition earlier in the day, so she was probably with her friends.  The children of Aura might be powerful but when they wanted to play, they were quite excessive about it.  Swiftly moving through the town she noticed a few fliers for a party at a restaurant, a celebration in honor of the Founding Day, knowing Lilith she would have been dragged there by that cousin of hers to find someone.  At the edge of the street that led to the restaurant she stopped for a minute, memories flowing before her eyes.

 “Come on Cammy, Mrs. Lunaras said she’d finally teach us how to get that spice mix right today!”

“Delia, didn’t you say you’d drag your brother instead of me next time Mrs. Luaras has a new class!?”

“I WAS!  BUT THAT LITTLE BRAT FINISHED HIS SHOCKER SEAL!”

“SO I WAS YOUR SECOND CHOICE?!?”  A brown haired female teenage in a black shirt and tights pulled a blond girl with a scowl on her face in the same outfit down the street.

 A smile formed on her face as the memories faded.  That had led to the events where the two of them had gotten their partner’s eggs, showing that once again D had started a chain of events that ended with an adventure and danger, their teenage years together in a nutshell.  But if not for those adventures, she wouldn’t be who she was and D wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.

 “Don’t worry D, you’ll be home soon.”  Camilla said as a blood tear dropped down her face as she walked into the restaurant. Letting her eyes scan the crowded room, she finally noticed a table in the corner, a Lycanroc Midnight form with sunglass on, Lilith’s cousin’s partner.  Time to breakup this party, time to give her student her marching orders, take her to the gate to the plane she had ordered ready when she left the castle, time to take a chance.

 A girl with red and white streaks in her black hair in a modest black dress with purple lipstick and eye shadow leaned back and pushed out her breasts and smiled at a male survivor who walked away with a blush on his face as her a red humanoid wolf like Pokémon giggled.  It had red fur on its body with the section of its face which was white with a mane of fur over its back and shoulders sweeping forward to form a crescent moon over its face with two claw shaped rocks pocking out of the mane just below its shoulders on both sides of its body.  Next to them a figure in a concealing cloak just shook their head.

 “Felicity, do you have to flirt with every waiter here?”  The figure asked as Felicity smirked at them as the Lycanroc grinned and chuckled.

 “What can I say cousin, if ya got it work it!  And besides, not everyone have boys throwing themselves at them.”  Felicity said only for the cloaked figure to laugh darkly as they shook their head.

 “If you know anyway to take him for yourself please, but I know you won’t like it to long.”  The figure said as Camellia walked towards them from behind them.  Felicity put a finger on her cheek and thought for a few seconds before she nodded at her cousin.

 “You know you might be right.  Want to think up a way to get someone else onto his radar?”  Felicity asked before Camellia cleared her throat.

 “That conversation can happen at a later date girls; I need to talk to my apprentice.”  Camellia cut in causing all three people and Pokémon to turn and saw her, a smile on Felicity’s face as they saw Camellia.

 “Teacher, what’s wrong?” The figure asked as Camellia sat down at the table.

 “Yeah Milady, what’s up? It’s Founding Day, what’s the worst that you could need my cuzz for?” Felicity asked as Camellia handed a letter and to the cloaked figure.

 “You need to head to the airport now; you can get what you need there if you need anything at all. Once you’re there and ready Flight 003 will take you where you need to go, the details are in the envelope, only open it once you’re airborne.”  Camellia said as Felicity whistled as the cloaked figure got up.  

 “This is that important teacher that the mission needs this level of secrecy?”  The figure asked as Camellia nodded her head.

 “If she needs back up or someone to send a message I’m it, got it Lady Camellia?”  Felicity said as Camellia turned and sighed before nodding. “Great!  Good luck cousin, hope I’ll see you when you come back!” Felicity said as the cloaked got up and hugged her before moving through the restaurant towards the street.

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Ash opened his eyes and tried to remember where he was.  He stood up looked around, wondering where he was and how he had gotten there.  He seemed to be in a castle of some kind, and it was night, the moon was shining through a window to his right. The last thing he remembered was going towards his home; he had just gotten back from Unova and could see his mom in the distance.  He moved his arm and went still, what the hell was he wearing!?  He had on a black suit and pants, his sword, shield and Pokeballs were missing and he couldn’t see Pikachu and anywhere around him.  He saw a light in the distance and walked towards it.  Well here I go again, knocked out and lost with no weapon and none of my team, I wonder what the story behind this is. And of course there’s a light for me to go to, a trap but I so love to break them and make those idiots that try to hold me down curse their life choices. At least I might learn where I am and hopeful where my Pokémon are.  He thought as he started walking until he reached the open door the light came from and walked through onto the right side of the top of a two sided grand staircase at the end of an entrance hall with statues of knights in full armor holding shields and upright spears.  Ash walked down the stairs when suddenly he stopped when he reach the landing, he wasn’t alone.  He noticed a shadow falling out of the door on the top left side of the stairs and wondered if this person was who had brought him where ever he was.

 “All right, who’s there? I might not have my weapon or partner, but I won’t go down easy!”  He called out to the figure casting the shadow.  He was met with a laugh that sounded feminine, had an edge that made him feel warm, strange and sounded familiar. Where have I heard this voice, wait that’s! Ash thought as he went still and realized just from who he had heard that a laugh like that before.

 “Misty, Misty is that you?!” Ash cried as he ran up the stairs towards the shadow, only to see it disappear.  He ran through the doorway and notices a door closing farther down the hallway.  How had she run that fast, I know she was in good shape but when did she get that fast.  Ash thought as he approached the doorway he had seen.  He opened the door and walked into a colossal library that took up three levels.  He looked at the book cases and saw the section he had entered near was titled ‘Legends of The World’.  He walked towards the books and ran a hand over the titles, marveling at the collection he was before.  Looking around he saw rows of books from every subject from History to Zoology. Looking through the ‘Legends’ section he saw everything from books on ancient cities lost to time to folklore from varies regions.

“This is amazing, texts from every region, all grouped by subject matter.  This is just….Wow, just wow.  The size of this collection, this is just amazing, the number of books and subjects.  Man, May would love this.”  Ash marveled as he looked around.  Ever since she hatched Manaphy, she’s been looking into this stuff whenever we hit a Center, and she took on quite a few quests to get access to tomes like this, I wonder just how many you’d have to do just to learn about half of this.  Ash thought as he walked towards a railing next to a spiral staircase.  A book was on a table near a chair that was and he looked at it and noticed that Dr. Eve had written it, its title was ‘A Discovered History of Pokémopolis’. I remember that, the first time I fought something that wasn’t alive.  Wished it was the last through.

 “You know I loved Dr. Eve’s tome on Pokémopolis, it was amazing and she had left a dedication to a ‘Trainer with a Pikachu who saved my life’, that wouldn’t have been you was it Ash?” A voice purred from below made him stop cold, she sounded different but that was May, why was she here too?!

 “May? May what the hell are you doing here?!”  Ash called as he ran down the stairs, a melodies laugh was his only replay until he noticed a shadow passing through a doorway deeper into the castle.  He paused before moving after the shadow, his thoughts racing as he stood there.  May’s here too?!  And what was wrong with her voice, it sounded different then the last time I heard from her. And the way she said my name, I  I liked how she said it, what’s wrong with me? Ash shook his head and moved towards the door and followed after his friend, hoping to find out what was happening here.

 Ash left the library and entered a hallway that had a single doorway at the opposite end.  He walked through the darkened corridor and stopped at the doorway, he looked around, trying to find any other way to go then the one he had been led down, seeing nowhere else he could go, he opened the door and entered the room beyond.

 He came into what looks like a design studio of some kind; manikins of both humans and Pokémon were all around with a half-finished dress on a Buneary manikin and a black dress on a human manikin. He saw the dress showed off the top of the manikin’s breasts and had a slit on the right side from the thigh to the bottom.  Ash walked to the human manikin and compared the shade of the dress with what he was wearing, frowning as he saw the shade matched. What does this mean; is there a connection to these cloths and why I’m here? Is this like that time in Kanto when May was kidnapped by that scumbag? But why was I left in that hallway alone?  It would make more sense if it was a dungeon or a jail of some kind and a recording for the scum to gloat.  So what is this?

 “You know Ash, since I met my sister and we talked about our interests and skills, the two of us decided to work together and make a brand. And how do you feel about us wearing our designs for the ceremony?”  A feminine voice from the right caused Ash to turn sharply and move straight towards where the voice had come, hoping he would catch his friend this time.

 “Dawn!  Dawn where are you!?  And what ceremony?!”  Ash screamed as he charged through the door the voice had come from.  This time it’s Dawn!  Who do I run into next, Iris?!  And what sister?!  She’s an only child!  Ash’s thoughts ran around in circles as he looked about for any signs of where she had gone he turned and saw a door was open farther down from where he was.  He looked around the hallway, noticing closed door ways and an opened door that led into an Olympic size swimming pool with a waterfall feeding into the pool with a staircase leading to the top of the falls. Ash looked around and started to get confused.  Okay Ash, think this through,  So far you ‘found’ May in library that she would love, a design studio for fashion for Pokémon and humans where you heard Dawn and nearby you find a pool that Misty would love.  What is this place, a dream home for my friends?  Ash said as he walked along the pools edge, looking for anything that would give him a clue where to search next.  He looked at the pool and noticed a trail of water leading towards a door and nodded, he would follow the water for now.  

 He followed the water through the door and down a hallway, stopping at a staircase.  He looked around and with a sigh he walked up the stairs thinking he was ready for anything.  The room he came into had a small space with a training dummy, a TV in front of a large couch and a glass door to a balcony which bathed the room in moonlight.  Books on tactics, Pokémon, history and law were on a bookcase while a small table with six chairs with a few plates with food on them and glasses full of a red liquid. When Ash moved into the room an incredible aroma assaulted his noise, sniffing he tracked to the glasses and walked to the table where he robotically picked up one of the glasses.  As he drank what was in the glass an incredible sweet flavor assaulted his tongue as he drank the liquid, Ash shock as the liquid hit his stomach. He dropped the cup which shattered on the floor and put his hands on the table and closed his eyes as a wave of contentment and heat rushed through his body, old aches he had lived with for years disappearing as his body shock.  After about a minute his body stopped shaking and he opened his eyes as he panted and tried to center himself.

 “What the hell was that; I feel incredible, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so good before….wait, when were the lights turned on.  They’re not.” Ash said as he looked around noticing that there wasn’t a source of light but suddenly he able to see as if the sun was out at noon.  He suddenly noticed scents that led into the next room, for some reason the scents made him think of his friends.  A cold watery scent that screamed Misty, a hot scent that made images of books and knowledge that seemed to be May, a scent of sweet and fabric that made him think of Dawn and two more scents that he couldn’t quite place.   He followed them with his noise and looked at a door to the next room.   He walked towards the door quietly and was just about to enter it when a feminine hand grabbed him and pulled him into the room and he crashed against a female body, Ash tried to react but before he could open his eyes he heard a voice.

 “We were wondering when you’d get here Ash.”   A seductive yet familiar sounding voice said as arms encircled him.  

 “May?”  He asked as he tried to look towards the voice and was shocked when someone kissed him, a tongue being forced into his mouth.  Ash pushed himself back and felt two pairs of arms grab his arms, blushing he felt two girls breasts pressed against his arms.

 “Oh sister don’t keep Ash all to yourself sister, don’t forget to share.”  Ash heard a seductive voice next to him speak as someone seemed to rub their face against his.  Ash pushed back against the person holding him and opened his eyes, staring at what he saw.  May and Dawn stood there both wearing a red and blue set of lacy bra and panties, both had crimson lipstick on and were looking at him with a look of hunger in their eyes that caused him to feel light headed as he felt his body react to what he was seeing.

 “Like what you see Ash?” Dawn purred seductively as she and May moved towards him as he tried to get away.

 “Dawn, May what are you two wearing?”  Ash asked before he stared and felt a flash of heat as a May and Dawn giggled with a musical tone to it.

 “Oh Ash, what matters is that we’ve finally been honest about how we feel about you and each other.” May said with a sensual purr to her voice as she speed her pace and moved to his side causing Ash to move to the right away from her as May and Dawn moved towards him with seductive grins on their faces.

 Ash walked backwards and bumped into someone else who hugged him from behind.  before he could react he heard giggles from the figure behind him, giggles that sounded like….!

 “Don’t scare our Ash off so soon, our other sisters aren’t here yet.”  Misty said as Ash turned and she locked their lips together and forced her tongue into his mouth.  Ash pushed her off him and looked at her face, noticing her lips were painted a deep crimson and she looked at him with eyes that were filled with…desire? “Misty, where are we, what is this, what are you all doing?”  Ash demanded, only for Misty to laugh, a laugh that caused a strange feeling of….desire to shoot through him as May and Dawn joined in.

 “Why would it matter where we are?”  May asked with a seductive purr to her voice from Misty’s right side.

 “What this is it’s the fact that all of us have stopped lying to ourselves.”  Dawn purred from Misty’s left side.

 “What we are doing Ash, is being honest in the fact that all of us love you.”  Misty declared as May and Dawn nodded as all three looked at him with a look of hunger in their eyes

 “But where are we, this place what is it!”  Ash demanded as he swallowed as he felt his heart beat faster as he listened to what they were saying.

 “Don’t question it Ash, just enjoy the fact that we’re here and that we love you.”  Misty murmured seductively before she kissed him on the lips before darting back as she moved one of her hands around his chest as she moved her head closer to his.  “If you’ve ever felt anything for us, any feeling of love at all, then please kiss me my beloved.”

 Ash’s eyes went wide at Misty’s declaration.  This can’t be real, it can’t.  but if it is then….! He thought before he closed his eyes pressed his body against Misty and kissed her back with force causing her to moan before she pulled away from him, her arms moving to hold the back of his neck, and he saw that Misty had on a ruby lacy bra and panties like May and Dawn. He was transfixed so much that he stared at her as May and Dawn came to his sides and hugged him, both of them planting kisses on his checks.  Ash let himself be led towards a bed and Misty pushed him onto it as the girls climbed after him.   As Dawn and May kissed him Misty looked towards the door Ash had been pulled through and smiled.

 “Ahhhh sisters, there you are.”  Misty’s words caused Ash to look towards the door, only able to see a flash of white and honey colored hair all he could see before his vision darkened  and the room faded out.

  “GAHH!!” Ash Ketchum cried as he woke from a…dream that he forgot as soon as his eyes opened but he remembered a feeling of…love and pleasure?  He had been having dreams he couldn’t remember for a while now, they had started after the……Incident at the Tree of Beginnings when he had used his Aura. He had been feeling differently for a while now, he seemed to be able to think faster, and the headaches he had when he concentrated and tried to remember things he had tried to learn about seemed to be a lot easier to handle since then and he was begging to…notice the figures of his female acquaintances, sometimes he would dream of them in variances of Dawn’s outfit at the Wallace Coup still haunted some of his dreams.  And whenever one of those dreams did happen…  

 Don’t tell me.  Ash thought as he winced. He went still for a few seconds before he looked down his bed and saw the stains on it and sighed, so it had been one of those dreams, better clean it up, he was leaving for Kalos today anyway and putting his bedding away would help his mother, anything he could do to help around here was good as far as he was concurred.

 “Pika?”  His partner asked sleepily as Ash gathered up his blankets from where he slept on a pillow on the floor, after the second time Pikachu had fallen off the bed when they had returned to Pallet he had started to sleep on the ground.  

 “Just doing some light housework before we leave buddy, its’ still early so you can go back to sleep for another hour if you want.  I’ll make sure you’re up for breakfast when it’s ready.” Ash reassured his Pokémon as he left his room.  As he walked thought his house he tried to remember what he had dreamed about, he stopped abruptly when the last part of it flashed through his mind and he blushed and walked on.

 “Like that would ever happen, like they would even have feelings for me with how childish I’ve acted.” Ash thought as he walked towards the laundry room.

 After he put his laundry in the wash he walked down a hallway and stopped before the kitchen, putting his hand next to a picture of him and his mom at his first day of school. For years it had just been the two of them, but he wondered about his father, but he never found the answer. He remember what he knew of his mothers’ past, they had stumbled into Pallet with nothing but the clothes on her back and him in a carrier a few months old, barely past when he needed mother’s milk. People had decided after nothing had been found nearby that the they had been attacked by a frenzied Psychic type and her memories were shredded beyond the point of recovery, she had barely remembered their first names let alone where they had come from, and when no missing person or wreckage had been found anywhere nearby it was assumed that the frenzied Pokémon had hit them with a teleport as she tried to get them away from it after it had taken her memories. Thankfully old man Port had taken them in and they had discovered that she was a great cook, taking over the restaurant after he retired, and under her management it became one of the best in the region, restaurant chains trying for years to either get her to work or train their chiefs to her level or to steal her secrets.

 Dad, where in the world are you, where do mom and I come from?  He thought to himself as a tear went down his face.  His mother’s memory problem had been a plague on their lives for years; the pain it caused her was something he hated with all his being. Sure she acted happy and upbeat most of the time, but whenever one of Pallet’s little traditions came around, she had such a look of hurt and regret that she had such a void of her own. They had tried to regain her memories by sessions with Psychics, both human and Pokémon, even Sabrina of the Saffron Gym had tried to help her as a favor for the help Ash had giving her, but to her complete surprise she had no luck unraveling a single memory.  Sabrina had been apologetic about her failure, wondering as she left if a rabid Pokémon hadn’t attack them do to the way the mindscape had felt to her.  Ash had been worried about that, so he had delayed his journey through the Unova region for a few days to spend them ‘training and studying’ when he had really done a quite circle of Pallet, using some tricks Jackie, a Pokémon Ranger he had befriended had showed him after the mess with Manaphy to see if anyone had been observing the town and his mom, he found nothing so he decided to head out again after telling Mr. Mime to be vigilant, but had been sidetracked with an Emergency Quest for trainers by the local police.  He wondered sometime what had happened to them, what kind of life he could have been leading if his father was around, if his mother had her memories, if they were where she had started to make a life with his father. With a sigh he moves on, a bit further down the hall he saw the lights were on in the kitchen, she was probably awake then.

 “Getting an early start Ash?” his mother smiled at him when he walked into the room and got the plates they would need down as she finished up, her job as the owner of Pallet House showing in her cooking.

 “Eh, yeah I guess I’m a bit anxious to meet Alexa at the airport.”  Ash said as he blushed as he set the table.  I don’t want to tell mom anything about the dreams I’ve been having, the talk she gave me before I left the first time was nightmare inducing enough on its own, and then there’s what she says about the girls! I don’t need to give her any ammo to tease me!  Ash thought as he looked anyway but at his mother.   He saw Mr. Mime leave in the direction of his room with a nod to him, signaling that he was going for Pikachu, giving him a few minutes alone with his mother.

 “Anything new happening at Pallet House mom?   Any new hires or spies?”  He enquired as she brought the food to the table and sat down across from him.

 “Well Joan went on vacation about a week ago so she should be back in a few days from the Orange Islands, I asked her to stop by the farm there we get our oranges from to look over a few things and deliver some paperwork, much cheaper and more reliable than having to hire someone to do it.  We took on a new girl an about your age named Albia, I think she wants to learn how to ‘cook from the best’ but she’s been edgy and skittish, she might be running from someone so I’m a bit worried.  There is a new pretty boy whose been coming to the restaurant every day I’m on server duty for the last three weeks, I think he’s from Hoenn given his accent, maybe either trying to seduce me or spy, I haven’t decided if I act like he’s having any luck or act completely oblivious about it.”  Delia giggled as she winked at Ash who sighed in exasperation at how his mother dealt with those people.

 “And the last guy who tried to seduce you, has he gotten out of that Mental Institution yet? “ Ash asked with a smirk on his face as memories played behind his eyes.

 “Poor Benny, who knew those Beedrills love onions so much, and that someone put onion extract into that shampoo and for his car to break down right next to the colony and wake them all up, that poor, poor man.  But then maybe he shouldn’t have insulted the son of his employer.” Delia laughed as Ash joined her before putting some food in Pikachu’s dish as Mr. Mime led him in as they started their meal and put the local news on.

 A few hours after the meal ended Ash finished his laundry, got his belongs together, grabbed his bag and walked toward the door with a confident walk.  Each League he had challenged he had gotten farther than the one before.  But then as long as he trained his team and kept his trust in them, they would always give it their best together.

 His mother was waiting for him at the door, a proud smile on her face.  Even though it had just been the two of them for years and yes, it had been hard, but they had created lives they could be proud of.  Her son was such a good and loyal young man, always helping people even if he just met them.  And he was so brave, jumping into danger to help people or Pokémon in need; he was just like his father when…  As soon as that thought hit her she slumped against the wall as a terrible migraine hit her as her hands wrapped around her head.

 “MOM!”

 “PIKA PIKA!”  Ash and Pikachu both cried as they ran for her. Ash grabbed her and led to a chair as Mr. Mime got a glass of water and her medicine; she gulped it down and moaned as she clutched her head.

 “My book, I need my book.” She whimpered as she rubbed her forehead.  Ash spared a look with Pikachu before he went to her room and returned with a journal that the local doctor had suggested she kept to write down what she could remember from her episodes, a way to keep hope.  Opening to a page mark ‘V Husband’ she wrote down “brave and helps others“. She looked the book over after she had finished writing and rubbed ‘V Husband’.  A single letter and still no idea of where he was, not a single thought about where she had come from beyond the words “Sea of”, “Moon’s Shadow” and “Time of Love”.   But she didn’t keep those words in this book, awhile back she discovered that the book she wrote in didn’t have the invisible ink drawing she had doodled on the back.  She had had gotten a few different invisible pens and over the years made marks on the back cover when no one was around, not even Mimmy or Ash knew about it, something that she felt was for the best for a reason she couldn’t explain or even think about without a triggering one of her bad attack.

 “You know mom, I could stay a few days, and I could call Alexa and tell her I couldn’t make it. It wouldn’t affect my journey that much to hit it alone without an introduction to her sister.  The airlines would let me change my flight to a latter one without too much trouble.”  Ash began before his mother shook her head,

 “Ash, no.  I’ve dealt with attacks while you were gone before and Ginny is due back later today, I’ll be fine, I’m not on schedule for cooking or waitressing for a few days, I will be fine and Mimey will call Ginny and the Professor if anything happens.”   Delia said as she smiled at her son, he always tried to take such care of her.

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 At the edge of Pallet town in the trees a Weavile wearing a belt finished placing a long range camera pointing toward the Ketchum’s house.  With a smirk on its face it finished tying it to the tree so it would have an unobstructed view of the front and path, everyone who came to visit would be seen and logged.  The Weavile quickly climbed down the tree and knocked on the wood, signaling a nearby waiting Luxray and Zoroark wearing a collar around its neck with a camera on it that pointed in the direction of its head.  Nodding to the Zoroark the Luxray took off into the shadows of the forests, dashing through the shade of the trees as the Zoroark formed an illusion around itself as it moved toward the road, heading down wind, ready to shadow Ash when he left. With a grin on its face the Weavile climbed back up to the tree, stopping when it reached a waiting Noctowl and a Haunter that were watching the house, the Weavil flashed them a smirk that was answered by a nod from the Noctowl and a chuckle from the Haunter before the Weavile climbed into a hollow in the tree where it closed its eyes to rest and wait for the signal for the next stage of the operation.  

 The Luxray ran through the shadows, dodging the local Pokémon until it reached a cabin at the edge of the wood where a man was sitting at a table, waiting for it.  It stopped next to him; he had black hair and was wearing black slacks, a grey shirt with a camera around his neck. With a grin on his face, the man reached down and rubbed the Luxray under its chin before he reached for a laptop and checked the feed from the camera.

 “Camera 1 is operational, we’ll know where the prince is going soon and once we have eyes and ears inside in a few days we’ll have the beginnings of a report for the boss thanks to this plan; you two have a nice lunch and bring me something nice.”  He said as two women left the house behind him.

 “Yeah ‘bro’, keep your shirt on, we’ll bring you back something, maybe some pasta?”  The speaker was a woman with black hair in a ponytail that reached the small of her back, she wore a white tank top and black slacks with black flats on her feet, and she gave off an air of observation, like she knew everything about everything around her.

 “See you later ‘daddy’.” A woman said with a sensual purr to her voice as she followed the first woman.  She wore a tight strapless blue dress that went to her knees that complimented her figure and wore dark blue high heeled boots.  She had on red lipstick and purple eye shadow above her blue eyes.  She had an air of sophistication that seemed to be at odds with the woodlands, looking like she would be more at home an upper class ball.

 “Shouldn’t you change before you call me that young lady?” The man said dryly as he looked at her, causing her to look down and give a small laugh as she sweet dropped. She snapped her right fingers and a black sphere covered her, when it faded a young girl under ten in a red dress that reached her knees with red boots stood in her place.

 “Can I have spaghetti for lunch ‘Aunty Rachel’?”  The false girl asked with a scratchy voice as she grabbed the ‘older’ woman hand and they walked to Pallet Town’s ‘downtown’.

 “Well you have been a good girl lately for ‘daddy Tom’, Saph.”  Rachel said with a laugh as she walked with a smirk on her face.  

RWS Tom talking to Zor, seeing Ash leave and order to follow and

Tom watched them go and sighed

  “Goodbye Mom, take care of yourself and please, go easy today.”

 “Good luck Ash, don’t take to many risks! Well off we go Mimmey.”

 Two voices echoed over the empty road and the hidden Zoroark smiled as it created an illusion of a shiny Pidgey landing on the roof of the house before it followed Ash.  Within the forest the Noctowl saw the ‘Pidgey” land and gave a cry, which caused the Haunter to turn invisible and fly toward the house and the Weaviel to get out of the hollow.  As the Noctowl took off, the Weavile jumped off the branch and grabbed the Flying-Type’s legs as the Owl Pokémon glided to the house as the Haunter reached the building and slipped inside.  As the Noctowl started to hover out of sight of the road the Haunter appeared through the wall of the house and signaled to the chimney as the insertion point for the next stage of the operation.  The Noctowl flew above it and dropped the Weavile onto the roof before it nodded to its partner, signaled it to keep watch and climbed down into the house. With the Haunters help it was simple to set up audio recorders far enough in the vents that they wouldn’t be seen and to slip hidden cameras in the kitchen, the living room and outside her bedroom, no need to get the boss mad about what was being recorded after all. Its job done, the Sharp Claw Pokémon climbed back up the chimney with the Haunter following, when they reached the roof the Weavile smirked at its flying partner, the job was done and went perfectly, time to get out and back to their base.

  Zoroark paused when Ash stopped just beyond the hill, just far enough that they could no longer see Ash’s home over the horizon.  Looking around to make sure no one was watching him he put two of his fingers into his mouth and made a sharp whistling sound that echoed off the trees. Zoroark was wondering when a sudden wind storm buffeted the area!  Zoroak hunkered down and watched as a powerful looking large Pidgeot landed and Ash reached out and rubbed its throat as it purred.

 “Hey girl, how’s the flock? Those bullies leaving you alone or have you had to throw that Fearow out of the air a few more times?”  Ash asked as Pikachu grinned at its teammate.

 “Pidgeot geot!” Pidgeot cried with a look of superiority as it looked down at its trainer, none of them noticing Zoroak watching from the tall grass.

 “You’ve been handling it, great!  Listen I know I usually stop in to check on you before I hit a new region but this time there’s more.  The news said a hurricane was forming and it might come up the coast.  Viridian is shielded by the mountains but Professor Oak’s will have all his barns open for the wild Pokémon as usual so I thought I should warn you first.  Anyhow, how’s the watch been, nothing happening to my mom I should know about but she won’t tell me?”  Ash asked as the Pidgeot shook its head and looked at its trainer.  Ash hummed as he looked down and tried to think about everything.

 “Good I guess.  Then it’s the same as always, make sure that Mom and Mr. Mime don’t notice the lookouts you have watching the house and only intervene if you have too.  Stay alive and keep flying and I’ll tell you all about how the region goes and the next time a tournament is near Pallet I’ll use you guys and we blow them away.” Ash promised as Pidgeot screeched in agreement before it took off.  Ash watched it go and smiled before walking off, neither noticine the Zoroark following them. The as it moved quietly through the grass, the Zoroark pressed a button on its collar to transmit the data back to its trainer, its target was more then he appeared, this might be fun after all.  Ash had been moving at a modest pace but it was easy to keep up and stay out of sight as long as it stayed downwind.  All it had to do was stay close enough to get a look at where Ash went and get away without anyone noticing, with its skills it was so easy.  When Ash reached the airport a copy of the man at the cabin stepped in after him quietly.  Following Ash through the building, it noted that he was heading for the long distance travel section, was he going to Alola or Univa?  It stopped when it saw Ash walk up to a woman in a chair by a door to the tarmac, and slowly move closer to eavesdrop on them.

 “I was starting to worry you wouldn’t make it on time Ash.”  The woman said as she smiled at him as a yellow lizard Pokémon looked on from a chair next to her.  

 “Alexa, hi.  Sorry I’m a bit late; I had to take care of something that happened at home.”  Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head with a small smile on his face.

 “Well they had a little trouble here earlier, so boarding was delayed, so we’re not in trouble.” Alexa said as she grabbed a camera bag that was next to her.

 “Trouble?”  Ash inquired as he looked around, as the Zoroark paid more attention to the surroundings, both of them noticed the signs of a Pokémon battle or attack.

 “What happened here?” Ash wondered out loud as he looked around, seeing cuts in the walls, holes in the ground and a few windows were broken open.

 “They called themselves Team Gaia and…” Alexa started before Ash groaned and face palmed

 “Not those idiots again! I thought that we had been taken care of them already!”  Ash said as he rubbed his face.

 “Let me guess, they attacked the planes because the noise is damaging to Pokémon?  The airport’s on the burial grounds of a nomadic Pokémon group or something equally as stupid.”  Ash moaned as Alexa looked at him in surprise at what he was saying.

 “I’m guessing that you’ve met them before?”  Alexa deadpanned as Ash sank into a chair and held his face.

 “The number of Quests I’ve done in Pallet and Viridian that were the fault of those idiots is mind boggling.  Eco-warriors; the Noble defenders of Pokémon?  Ha, more like brain-dead fools who just want to be noticed!   They caused so much trouble that about a year ago the local police chief finally had enough of them, gathered all the local trainers and set a bounty on them!   I was part of the team called in and I helped the local Jenny on a raid on one of their ‘churches’, their leader started to monolog but Pikachu just shocked ‘em and knocked them out.   For all their passion they were surprisingly easy to beat, I almost felt I had to pay Jenny for the Quest, not the other way around when everything was done.”  Ash said as the call for boarding sounded over the speakers in the hallway.

 “How about you tell me everything you know about them, I know a paper back home that would kill for an article like this. It’s one whose main following are law enforcement, so letting people know about them might be a good thing.” Alexa said as the two of them walked toward the airplane through the doors.

 “Just call me Unknown Trained in the article and I would love to, I don’t want any of those fools to attack mom’s restaurant in retaliation to what I know about them.”  

“Wait, your mom runs Pallet House?” Ash and Alexa conversed as they boarded the plane, never notice the ‘person’ who had been listening to their conversation.

The ‘man’ following Ash noted the plane’s company and number and slipped back out the front doors, slipped into the tall and within minutes a Zoroark, leaping into the trees, using the forest’s shadows and its illusions to mask its travel as it went to the cabin its trained had rented with her comrades.

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 Back at the cabin Tom’s mouth was opened, staring at the screen in shock as he tried to get what he had just witnessed out of his head.   This kid, he’s got a pack of wild Pokémon to protect his mother.  I…. don’t know just how he got em but man do I have to give him props for that! He thought as he looked over the record from the camera feed from Zoroark and just shook his head as he tried to process what he just saw.

 “I mean I’ve heard stories about the boss’s grandfather making alliances with wild packs, but this? I can’t even begin to understand how.” Tom said to himself as he shook himself to try and get his mind off what he had seen.  He looked at the other cameras he had his team set up and sighed as he saw that so far nothing more then what he had seen over the last day was on them.  So that explains the powerful Pidgy flock, still if he raised that Pidgeot to be that powerful then I can see why he’s a War Potential, somebody that strong has to be investigated so that we don’t have any troubles from him.  He thought as he leaned back.  “And to think I thought that nice cushy job in Saffron would be how I would spend the next few months.”

 He got up when he heard the sounds of his Pokemon returning and smiled.  “Give me a minutes gents, after all that work you did I think I’ll give you all a good meal.  I really, really, hope the girls bring me back something.”  He muttered as he walked towards the door to let them in, mentally going over the supplies of Pokémon food that they had.

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 “This is delicious! You guys are so getting a 5 star rating from me.”  The ‘young girl’ said with a grin as she ate the food before her.  She and her aunt had entered the restaurant and after being led to a booth the waitress had asked if they were new comers to the area, since it was their first visit to the restaurant.  They stuck to the cover story they had created; their party was a brother and sister with the brother’s daughter.  He was a Pokémon Photographer and she was a writer, they were in the area to get some pictures of the local wild Pokémon for a book she was writing about the affect small towns have on wild Pokémon populations.  Since it was the height of summer they decided to take his daughter with them, his wife might stop by from her job in Viridian City now and again for a date with her husband while they were in Pallet for the next month or two, depending on how lucky they were with the photos and her observations.  After that the waitress had made small talk while she took their orders and left Rachel and Seph alone to let them watch the restaurant as they masked it with small talk about their ‘time apart’. The food was the important thing, the combination of spices used tasted like a home cooked meal in the Homeland, either their target was who Lady Camilla hoped or this was the biggest coincidence she had even tasted.  After a while a woman with brown hair in a pink top with a purple long skirt trailed by a Mr. Mime walked in to greetings from both the staff and customers, their primary target had arrived.

 “Afternoon Delia, you’re a bit later than normal and you’re a bit pale, you okay boss?”  The greater asked as the two walked in.

 “Everything is fine Amanda, I just saw Ash off but I had another of my attacks before he left.” Delia admitted with a weak smile.

 “What attacks?”  A female teen with brown hair in a bun dressed in a grey shirt skirt combo asked with a frown on her face as she carried a serving tray under her arm as she walked away from the outdoor tables.

 “Remember the ‘medical’ problem we told you to watch out for with Delia, Albia?”  Amanda said as she scowled.

 “Problems our boss knows she could stay home and rest, we can handle this place without her here.”  She continued as she looked at Delia with a scowl, Delia only laughed and smiled with her eyes closed as the others scowled at her.

 “Amanda is making a bigger deal out of it then it is.  Every so often I get migraines, they’re not too bad and I only get them once every few months.  Oh, Ginny said she would stop by when she returns to the town, let her by when she comes in.  Mimmy we made it so please head back home.”  Delia said as she moved into the kitchen the girl following after her. The Mr. Mime shoot a sharp look at Amanda and left the building, no one notice that Saph’s eyes had flashed a solid black when Delia had entered, or that her grip on the table had tightened after and that she shoot a worried look at her ‘aunt’.  

 “Aunty didn’t you promise to bring back something for daddy?”  Saph said as Rachel nodded at her.  

 “Yeah, and since tonight’s super is basically leftovers back at the house, how about we grab a few appetizers to make it nicer.”  Rachel said as she smiled at her ‘niece’ who smiled back.  The two of them didn’t notice the guarded looks Albia sent them before she went into the kitchen, the same look she had been giving them since they had come into the restaurant.

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  Tom smiled as a Zoroark walked through the open door; with it back everyone deployed had accomplished their mission.  With a smirk on its face letters formed before it, the information of the flight Ash had boarded.

 “Okay, lets’ see where the ‘prince’ is going? Johto? Nay, he could have walked there or taken a bus. Unova then, its gotta be.”  Tom muttered as he checked the airport’s webpage for the destination.  When he found it, he jolted in his seat before he started too sweet.  The girls are so gonna not like this, I just know it.  He thought as he looked at his screen. Of all places it had to be that region.  With a click and a few minutes to type up a report; he sent the information back home, the jet waiting would get the operative to the target’s destination ahead of him, but it had to be one of the “New Worlds”.  Getting up he started to feed the pokemon, giving them a few treats for a job well done to get him mind off the data he had found.

Tom had just finished feeding the Pokémon and was checking the feed from the remote cameras when Rachel walked in holding a bag with Saph who returned to her older form and started to stalk around as her hands seemed to squeeze something in the air.

 “I can’t believe it! No self-respecting student of Aura casting would ever create something so, so….so wrong!” Sapphire ranted as she walked back and forth. Rachel shared a look with Tom, seeing the worry she had reflected back at her as he shrugged.

 “SAPPHIRE!  You will control yourself and tell us what you saw.” Rachel said as she grabbed Sapphire’s arm to stop her.  Sapphire looked back at the others looking around her and sighed, trying to get her emotions back under control before she started to explain.

 “There are aura seals on her, from what I saw they are holding back her memories, if they hold back specific memories assorted either by word or years I couldn’t say, but they were only starting to break recently, the records show lady Delia was a power Caster so her abilities are probably fighting back against them, however the seals wouldn’t have lasted a month on a beginner, yet alone all these years! I can’t understand how they’re still active!  I thought it was a drug that was affecting her, but seals like this?” Sapphire ranted as she sat down. Tom was worried, this seemed. A beep turned their attention to Tom’s laptop, with a clicks Tom had the camera in question on the screen to reveal a woman walking up to the Mr. Mime sweeping the front step.

 “Woah, woah, who the hell are you lady?!”  Tom cut in form where he was checked his laptop, noticing a figure walking toward the Ketchum residence.

 “We got somebody coming into the Queen’s house, female, she’s commanding the Mime, tall, and she’s got auburn hair.”  Tom said as the three of them and their Pokémon crowded around the laptop to watch the camera feed.  The Mime Pokémon let in a woman in traveler’s cloths with auburn hair in a ponytail with a scar under her right eye walked to a small table and picked up a journal.

 “That’s her! She was the bitch who attacked the Queen all those years ago during the Invasion! That scar on her check was from Lady Camilla’s whip when the tart escaped!”  Sapphire spat as they saw the woman page through the journal, and upon finding the newest entry give a small chuckle.

 “Those seals have to be strengthened to last so long?  It has to be done by a caster, right?  This bitch is a caster, right?” Tom said in a flat voice as the party watched the woman take out her own book and make a few notes before putting the journal back from where she picked it up before she left, walking into Pallet.  Oh man oh man, if I’m right then this is what their using to control the Queen, but the prince wouldn’t have any of her training so maybe something to hold back his heritage….but Aura can activate easier in people born of those who can use it so something to hold it back, but how?  He thought as he tried to think of the why and came up empty.

 “Yes.  Did you send off the report about where the prince is going?”  Sapphire answered just as flatly as they watched the woman give commands to the Mime pokemon.  That that woman was here and in their target’s house and the seals on her had eliminated all doubt in her mind about who they were.

 “He’s heading to Kalos.” Tom said softly before both of the women starred at him before they exploded.

 “KALOS!!!   Out of all the places, he’s going where one of the THEM has a position of power?!”  Sapphire spat out as she grabbed her head.

 “It has to be the one place we don’t have roaming forces!” Rachel said with a scowl on her face as she glared at Tom who chuckled.

 “Yeah but our prince is something else, he’s got one of his Pokémon watching over his mom, a pretty powerful Flying type from what I saw.”  Tom said as he called up an image of Ash together with his Pidgeot as the girls looked at the laptop’s screen.  Rachel and Sapphire only looked at the video before she chuckled.

 “Wild Pokémon to watch over her, I’m betting they are who we think they are from this alone.  So we stay until we get any more orders or if someone attacks us, right?”  Sapphire asked as the others nodded and she walked away, a swing in her steps. “Great, I’ve got first shower then!”

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 Albia sighed as she finished delivering the last of her orders for her tables.  Her first weak was over and today was payday, her Pokémon had helped her by scrounging in the forests outside of town to feed itself but some real food was just what the Zapdos ordered for them both.  Ever since she had been chased out of her home in Johto she had been chased, she had only planned to stay and do some Trainer Quests in this town as a cover, to find a Pokémon to train to carry her over the seas, a Lapras, a Pidgey, a Spearow even a Magikarp would eventually give her something to help her escape, in the meantime this place was just what the doctor ordered.  The Quest to work at Pallet House was from what she had overheard during her shift, was one that was available in bulk in the busy summer months, but sometimes it led to a permanent job being offered.   And Miss Ketchum hadn’t looked at her story too hard, then again what her coworkers had told her about her boss’s past, than maybe she was waiting until she built trust between them to ask about it?  But there was something about her, an echo of safety, someone who would fight the whole the world alone for her loved ones.

 If she had truly thrown off them off, then maybe she could make a new life for herself, at least for a little while.  But there was those two who were here earlier, the younger girl felt like that old woman who had given her the necklace she wore under her shirt.  She had told her that her powers were the result of being born able to tap into her Aura and having an active Element, whatever that was, they hadn’t had long to talk.  The old woman and her team had fished her and her Pokémon out of that river and during a meal an hour later the people hunting her had found them, the woman had thrown a necklace at her, told her it would hide her and not to trust the League.  When the two of them had gotten away she had examined it and discovered a golden stone within a locket, but she could feel something different when she wore it.  As she was debating going to the League after all in Viridian City, she had seen Karen of the Kanto Elite 4 talking with some of her pursers, she had run so fast in the other direction she hadn’t even stopped before she had reached Pallet Town.

 And this entire town was perfect; no long standing feuds between gangs, no Quests to beat back raiding Pokémon beyond the basics in a wilderness town. It was different then her old city, but different was what she needed. The feelings that those people gave off wasn’t what that child from earlier felt like, so maybe she was safe, but that girl.  If the girl was like her, then maybe she should talk to the child’s father, but only after she had an exit strategy ready.  If she was in a position to help someone hid away from those bastards, so much the better, the way they treated their Pokémon, their ‘holy duty’, all of it was just wrong.

 Suddenly she went dead still, there coming toward the restaurant; there was one of THEM, she could feel it, that other sense that had caused them to hunt her, the feel those among of one of those of them who had abilities like hers was walking toward the door.  She went quite as a mouse as a woman with black hair in in a traveler’s clock over her cloths with a scar under her right eye walked past Amanda into the restaurant heading toward the kitchen.

 “Hi Amanda, Delia’s in her office, right?  I came into Pallet near her house and Mimey flagged me down, so after a good game of ‘Guess that Problem’, he was able to ‘tell’ me what happened earlier, so I rushed over here as fast as I could.”  The woman said with a smile on her face as she walked through the doorway and past Amanda, not noticing the look Amanda had on her face as she passed her.  Not noticing the shell shocked look Albia had on her face when she walked in.

 Amanda merely looked at her as she walked through the restaurant, a look in her eyes that held back emotions were being held back by force of will.  Albia went white as her eyes widened, one THEM was in Pallet, and she was friends with Miss Delia?!?  Did that mean Delia’s attacks had more to them than people thought?  

 “Maybe Pallet isn’t as perfect I thought it was.” Albia muttered under her breath as she walked over to Amanda for her paycheck, problems aside; she and her partner need some real food.   But this is the best what for me to live to see a tomorrow. She thought as she went back towards the kitchen for another plat of food.

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Well this is it, chapter end.  I hope you all enjoyed my first chapter on my project.  Read and review please, I so want to know what you think of it please. And after each chapter I will drop a few explanations for Original Content that exists in this branch timeline. On another note chapter 2 is almost done, I just have to finish one scene before and look over it to make sure it’s right, I’m think a weak after this so read, review and leave me some comments, hope to see you people in a weak

 Founding Day: Holiday that celebrates the discovery and first settlement of what will be called Homeland by its inhabitants, usually in a two day party where the region parties hard,

 Emergency Quest:  Protocol used by police in Kanto region that calls on all nearby Trainers in emergency situations.  Considered last resort option in the face of total failure

 Trainer Quests:  Small part time jobs usual lasting a day or a short amount of time.  Way to allow Trainers to make money on their journey. Payout is based on Star Level, based on difficulty, time to complete and Pokémon involved, their levels, the number involved.  EXAMP Star 1 Rattata raiding farms: Mob 1-5/LV 1-5 Payout $10 per Pokémon defeated; surcharge X2 for stronger Pokémon

 Team Gaia:  A gang who use Normal and Grass types mainly.  Primarily they were active around the Pallet Town - Viridian City area. Believed to be idiots who just want to be heard after defeat by local police with assistance of Trainers in area returned one year later as attack on the Viridian/ Pallet Airport has shown that a new force is rising that uses this as their name.

 Aura Caster:  Person who uses Aura Energy to cast ‘spells’.  Multiple Disciplines exist, only difference being how Aura is channeled for effect

 Sealing: Discipline of Aura channeling to create a ‘seal’ on a medium that when fed Aura Energy can cause near unlimited effects based on shape and medium used, multiple seals can be combined, combined seal needs increased Aura energy to activate based on seals combined