#but they are not having family over and decorating trees or whatever

[naughtyneganjdm]

Love's Second Chance: A Holiday Reunion - Chapter 1

Summary: Christmas time is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but for Y/N it has become a lonely holiday now that she is a divorced mother. This Christmas, she gets looped into a love triangle with two lovers from her past, Joel Miller and Negan Smith, where the holiday brings all of them back together.

Characters: (in chapter 1) Joel Miller, Negan Smith (mentions), the reader (OC), Rosita Espinosa, Carol Peletier, Tommy Miller (mentions), etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60501985/chapters/154453672

Warnings: Alternate universe, swearing, angst, third person reader, female reader, reader is a mother, reader is divorced, reader was a teenage mother, reader is in her 30s, Joel and Negan have both been de-aged, etc. There is a mix of both TLOU and TWD characters. Please be sure to check the overall warnings on AO3, so you know what to expect!

Notes:��I'm a fool for Christmas stories, so I'm back at it again this year. This time having a story featuring both Joel and Negan. Apparently my favorite duo! I will be updating this story three times a week until Christmas!

Remember Y/N means your name or whatever name you choose.

The warmth of a crackling fire. The scent of gingerbread, peppermint or a freshly put-up Christmas tree. It was amazing how many things could really start reminding you of Christmas. It was a time where those who celebrated would start to get excited for the festivities that were to come. Radio stations were playing Christmas music. Stores would be full with people shopping for both presents and food for their holidays. Christmas was always certain to draw out many emotions from people. Whether it was the excitement of the holiday, the events that you could go to, getting together with your family or just the whole genre all together.

Sometimes baking, decorating, planning and enjoying the overall atmosphere of Christmas could be a good distraction for someone who was going through a hard time. Right now that was the primary focus for Y/N. It was toward the end of her workday. Luckily, she got to work remotely from home so that meant she could also do other things at home when she had her breaks. Right now, the smell of gingerbread and sugar cookies were filling her home and she knew the timer would be going off any moment now. She was in the middle of a video call with her boss Carol and her best friend Rosita who had gotten her this job so many years ago when she was in need of one. What was supposed to be a rundown of the work they were getting done when Y/N went on vacation had become a talk between friends instead. Each person going over what they would be doing for the holiday.

“You seem distracted,” Rosita noted with Y/N looking back over her shoulder. Forcing herself to look back at the screen, Y/N realized that she must have checked on the timer too much. Rosita wasn’t one to pick up on things like that easily, so it had to have been a lot. “What are you up to now?”

“I’m just baking some cookies before the children get home,” Y/N was honest with the two. There was no reason for her to lie. She got her work done fast. In fact, she was the best worker in the business. Not that it was a great job or something entirely too complicated. It was just a data entry job that she had gotten when she was younger so that way she could help cover the bills. It wasn’t her dream job, but Y/N had gotten pregnant when she was seventeen and had her daughter when she was eighteen. That led to her not being able to get a degree until years later and it was just an associate degree from the local community college. At the time she got the job, she was desperately in need of a job that allowed her to be home with the baby and this one just happened to work out. Thankfully, Carol understood at the time because she had children as well and this job worked for her. Y/N always told herself that she would get a different job eventually. One that was better, but now her daughter was seventeen and she also had a son that was thirteen. She just got comfortable in the job that she was in and stayed. It wasn’t something to brag about, but at least she liked the people she worked with. And she got to stay home except for going into the office a few times a month. She couldn’t really complain. Especially when she got to be home to raise the children. “Their dad picked them up from school and they were supposed to be going out to eat with him.”

“I don’t know how you do it girl,” Rosita declared with a long sigh, adjusting her Bluetooth earphones that she was using over the video. “It’s super hard with just having Coco running around the house now. Yet, here you are baking cookies, decorating the house, being the amazing PTO mom for your children.”

“It’s a little different having teenage children than it is a toddler,” Y/N reminded her friend with a hesitant laugh. “I remember the days of Elizabeth and Peter being that age and it was hard. Sleep was not a normal thing during those days.”

“And suddenly I’m very happy that Sophia and Benjamin are in college and Henry is about to graduate,” Carol spoke up with a half-smile, throwing her hands up in the air when she spoke. “Kids are cute, but if I could do it all over again, I’m not sure I would.”

“Carol!” Rosita laughed making Y/N smile when her over the top boss continued to make a very dramatic expression. “I doubt Ezekiel would be happy hearing you say that.”

“What Ezekiel doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Carol placed her hand to her chest, and, in that moment the sound of the timer for the cookies was going off. “Alright ladies. We can sign off now so you can get to the rest of your day. Enjoy your holiday vacation, Y/N.”

Signing out of work and closing up her laptop, Y/N pushed back her chair and headed into the kitchen. It had been a few years since Y/N had really taken time off for herself. In the past she would have taken vacation time a lot, but not so much lately. That’s why she had taken it all at once. She had to take it, so it just made sense to do it at Christmas time. It gave her more time to focus on the children and enjoy the holiday.

Taking her cookies out of the oven, she set them out onto a rack to cool them. Preparing the frosting, she knew that the kids often liked to help so she was getting things ready for them. Likely, she would start the decorating of the cookies and they would help her finish. While the cookies continued to cool, she made her way around the house cleaning things up. The fireplace was on which gave a nice aura to the room that matched the lights that went with the heavily decorated tree in the corner of the living room. At the bottom of the tree was a toy train that her family had been collecting multiple pieces for since she was eighteen years old. It was a tradition to put it out every year. And each year they would try to add pieces to it. For Christmas, she had always tried to go out of her way to make it magical for her children. Being such a young mom, she wanted to do her best to make the holiday feel special for her children. At first, they didn’t have much, so she had to find ways to make things special and decorating was really the easiest way to do that.

Moving over toward the front window, there was a nook that was dawned with a Christmas village with extensive buildings and figurines that she had been collecting since she was younger as well. Each year she would buy one piece to add to it and it always looked really neat setting it up every year and lighting it up in the front window. Turning that on, she knew this was a daily thing. She got into the routine of things and it was just normal for her. Stockings were hanging in front of the fireplace and it just felt cozy for anyone that may have enjoyed Christmas.

Heading back into the kitchen, she started decorating the sugar cookies first. There were various shapes of candy canes, Santa hats, sleighs, stuffed bears, snowmen, reindeer and snowflakes. Those she figured her children would be less interested in decorating. It was usually the gingerbread men and women they had the most fun with.

The sound of the front door pushing open was heard and it made her smile when her son calling out to her followed, “Mom? Where are you?”

“In the kitchen kiddo,” she responded, raising her voice just enough. It was probably obvious where she was, but her son was very dramatic and liked to make his presence known. Hearing the sound of footsteps, she gasped when she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her and hugging her firmly from behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her son cuddling into her and it made her smile. “Hey Peter. How was school?”

“It was the last day before vacation, so great,” Peter offered up a big smile, his long eyelashes fluttering to an open. Y/N turned on her heel, brushing her fingers through her son’s dark hair and he gave her a weak smile. “I’m not supposed to tell you, but dad got me a big peppermint chocolate shake today at the diner. It was huge! It had sprinkles too.”

“Good job at keeping a secret,” Y/N heard the sound of her daughter coming into the kitchen. Elizabeth’s dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her dark eyes connecting with her mother’s when she dropped her backpack down in the corner of the kitchen. “No one is going to trust you with a secret ever. I hope you know that.”

“I have a hard time lying,” Peter explained, moving in beside his mother to see all the cookies she had already decorated. “I’m going to be on such a sugar high tonight.”

“Maybe you don’t deserve to eat those cookies since you told on me,” a voice spoke up from the entrance of the kitchen making Y/N look back. “Ellie had my back. You on the other hand…”

“Liz. I want to be called Liz, dad,” Elizabeth corrected her father making him groan out in frustration, reaching out to pull his daughter in closer to him. A frustrated sound fell from Elizabeth with how hard her father was hugging her to his chest. “Dad! Come on!”

“You know she wants to be called Liz now, Joel,” Y/N corrected with a long sigh. It had the color flooding into Elizabeth’s face since both her parents weren’t really latching onto the whole Liz nickname. “I’m also aware of it, but I’m still having a hard time not calling her Elizabeth.”

“I reckon I’m never going to be able to remember this whole Liz thing,” Joel’s southern drawl lingered, his dark eyes narrowing when he lifted his hand to give Y/N a small wave. It had her returning the gesture watching Joel lean down to press a kiss against Elizabeth’s temple. Looking between the three of them, she let out a long sigh. The older the children got, the more they looked like their father. Joel’s genes were strong in both Elizabeth and Peter. They had his eye color, skin tone and hair color. The trio looked gorgeous on her daughter and her son looked like a mini version of Joel. Pretty close to what she remembered when she first met Joel. “You’re always going to be my Ellie. You should know that. No matter how old you get, or how uncool it is to call you that. I’ve been calling you Ellie since before you could walk.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” Elizabeth pat her father on the stomach playfully. Pulling out from beneath Joel’s arm, Elizabeth moved over to look at the cookies. Almost instinctively she reached for some of the decorating icing to start helping. Following in his sister’s footsteps, Peter started to help as well.

“I always loved this day,” Joel stammered, walking across the kitchen to step in behind Y/N. Lowering his head in beside hers, Joel let his breath linger against the side of her neck. The closeness of him surprised her as he stretched his arm out to grab one of the sugar cookies that hadn’t been decorated yet. Instead of pulling away, Joel turned in to press a kiss against her cheek and it had her eyes coming to a tight close. Once the warmth of him left, her eyes opened and she saw him resting back against the counter. Tipping his head back, he dropped the cookie into his mouth and groaned at the way it tasted. “Your cookies were always top notch.”

“And you always stole a ton of them before they were done being decorated,” Y/N reminded Joel with a tiny chuckle causing him to shrug dramatically. Reaching for another cookie had her huffing out and he gave a wicked smirk.

Seeing Peter do the same made her scoff and shake her head. Wanting to be as much like his father as possible, Peter would often mimic the things that Joel would do. Which meant he plowed back two sugar cookies as well.

“How big was this shake?” Y/N wondered which had Joel shrugging and shaking his head. Obviously not wanting to give the answer.

“Gigantic,” Peter explained with a mouthful of the last cookie that he shoved into his mouth.

“You’re not helping buddy,” Joel grunted under his breath, swallowing down the last of his sugar cookie. “I need some milk.”

“You know where it is,” Y/N nodded toward the cabinet where the glasses were. With a sigh, Joel moved across the kitchen and grabbed four glasses setting them out on the counter. Heading over to the fridge, Joel pulled out the milk and started pouring a glass for everyone. “I guess it’s a good thing he is going to be with you tonight. Because you know how he gets when he has this much sugar.”

“I’m thirteen mom, I’m not six anymore,” Peter snickered, nudging his mother playfully with his hip and it had her smiling. “I can handle being on a sugar high. I’m a big boy.”

“Still my baby,” Y/N claimed with a wink, lowering down to press a kiss over the top of Peter’s head. “Did the two of you pack last night?”

“I did,” Elizabeth replied with a gaze down at her brother seeing him swallow down his last bit of cookie. “He did not.”

“Sellout,” Peter retorted under his breath, working to decorate the next cookie he grabbed from the rack. “I got…distracted. I was playing a game and before you know it, it was really late and I knew I had school…”

“Maybe you should have stopped playing the game?” Elizabeth suggested with a tip of her head, drawing Peter to grumble something under his breath.

“I really don’t understand why we can’t just have dad stay over,” Peter blurt out making Joel clear his throat. It had Y/N looking back at him and she could see that tension that filled Joel’s body while he was drinking the milk that he had poured for himself. “It’s Christmas. We should have things be the way they used to be.”

“That’s not how things are done when your parents are divorced,” Elizabeth stated with a roll of her eyes making Y/N’s heart skip a beat with her children talking about her and Joel. “We’re lucky that our parents get along. Some of my friends, their parents hate each other. Fight over them just to make the other mad. And it’s never about them, it’s always for personal reasons. It makes them miserable because the parents are more so focused on hurting the other one instead of loving them.”

“I’m just saying,” Peter kept up with his previous statement setting aside the decorated cookie and reaching for another. “I remember things being really fun when we did this. I miss that. I wish we could just go back to the way things were. Dad could move back in and we could do what we did every year.”

“Bud?” Joel spoke quietly which had Peter looking over his shoulder at his father. Joel shook his head and Peter’s tanned flesh went pale.

This was the fourth Christmas that the two of them had spent separated. It was three years since they had been divorced. Joel was her high school sweetheart. Both of them had big dreams. She wanted to travel the world and be a journalist. Live in the big city. Joel wanted to be either a football player or a professional singer. But when she got pregnant? That didn’t exactly work out for either one of them. It meant she never left her hometown. Neither did he.

Joel’s parents died tragically when he was eighteen which left him taking care of his little brother Tommy. Tommy was five years younger than Joel and because Joel didn’t want Tommy going into the system, he also adopted Tommy. So not only was he taking care of his little brother, but Joel had gotten Y/N pregnant not long after. That meant an incredible amount of stress had been thrown on him.

At first? Everything was okay between them. Joel married Y/N right after Elizabeth was born. They moved into Joel’s parents’ house and he was a great dad. He never stopped being a great dad. Joel took on his father’s business of being a contractor since he had helped his dad when he was a teenager while she stayed home taking care of both Elizabeth and Tommy. Four years after Elizabeth was born, they had Peter. Originally, it wasn’t too hard because Tommy helped out with the children and around the house, but when Tommy turned eighteen he decided that he wanted to make a difference in the world and joined the army. That alone stressed Joel out to the extreme.

By the time she was twenty-one and Joel was twenty-three they had been through a lot. More than most people their age had been. They weren’t making much money and they were doing their best just to get by. Thankfully, she got her job soon after that which helped with the bills and she got to stay home to take care of the children. It was a few years more before they moved out of Joel’s parents’ home and got one of their own. Even though she thought they had the perfect life, Joel was unhappy. And each day that became more and more clear. He was still an amazing father, but they started bickering. A few fights here and there led to nights where they would verbally fight all night long, sometimes leading their fights into the middle of the day.

After years of that, it led to them separating four years ago and eventually to their divorce three years ago. Neither of the children took it well. They both really loved their dad. And rightfully so. Joel was a good father. There was something about Joel that they were drawn to. She was with them all the time growing up and Joel was always the parent that was gone long nights and was working really hard, so he was the parent they wanted the attention of the most. And when he was home? He gave it to them. So it was safe to say they mostly blamed her for the divorce. They tried to hide it more now, but when the separation first happened neither Elizabeth nor Peter were happy with her. It made her happy that after this long, there were no more fights and even though there was an occasional comment made here or there, they seemed to be happy with her.

Joel and Y/N had shared custody of the children. Which meant they were pretty open with things. They were supposed to be with her half the month and with him half the other, but they never stopped the children from seeing them if they wanted. Joel had moved back into his parents’ old home with Tommy which was only a few blocks away so they still spent a lot of time together.

Honestly? Y/N never really got over the divorce. Her feelings for Joel were just as strong as the day she met him. Joel’s family had moved to town when she was young and she immediately had a crush on him. They were just kids then though.

Their divorce was hard on her. It wasn’t like anyone cheated. It was just the tension of it all. Joel had become cold. He wasn’t a very affectionate lover. And it was always inherently clear how unhappy he was when he was married to her. Being married became lonely. Which was vastly different from how Joel was when they were younger. Joel was very affectionate in the beginning. Very loving. Now? They got along as much as they could for the children. Which meant she had to push down a lot of her feelings. But it was worth it for the children to be happy and grow up in a stable environment.

“I know, I’m not supposed to talk about the divorce,” Peter finally spoke up after the uncomfortable silence flooded the room with the three of them still decorating the cookies while Joel stayed in the back of the kitchen. “I just really miss how things used to be. That’s all.”

“I do too,” Elizabeth agreed quietly, but Y/N didn’t know what to say so she kept her mouth shut. Of course she missed the way things used to be.

“I can help decorate,” Joel offered, setting his glass of milk down on the counter. Moving over toward the gingerbread cookies, he pulled one of them off the rack and set up his area to start decorating. “We always used to decorate cookies as ourselves every year. So why not do that again?”

“This could take a while,” Y/N suggested, but Joel look to her with his dark eyes and shrugged. “Tess won’t get mad that you are here?”

“They aren’t together anymore,” Elizabeth was quick to answer and it had a rush of color flushing into Joel’s face. When his eyes connected with Elizabeth’s she shrugged her shoulders dramatically just like Peter had done earlier. “Well, you aren’t.”

“How long has that been?” Y/N looked to Joel noticing that he got uncomfortable when they brought up his ex-girlfriend. Tess and Joel had started dating a few months after their divorce finalized, so she was surprised to hear they weren’t together. Joel bobbed his head about with Peter adjusting his spot at the counter to move in next to his father to start decorating his gingerbread cookie.

“A while,” Joel grumbled under his breath, bringing his fingers up to suck off the icing that was at the tips of them. It had his dimples showing and he could see that Y/N was staring at him. “I don’t really pay attention to time with how busy I’ve been with work.”

“Months,” Elizabeth spoke again for her father keeping her focus on the cookies that were there.

“I’m glad you know more about my dating life,” Joel rumbled reaching for one of the sugar cookies to shove another one into his mouth.

“I just pay attention,” Elizabeth pointed out realizing that she was making her father uncomfortable talking about Tess. “When the two of you were together, she was always texting me. Making plans with Peter and me. Since you two broke up? I haven’t heard from her.”

“I thought you liked Tess,” Y/N recalled what the children had told her when she talked about the woman that Joel had been with.

“We did,” Peter replied back, his voice now muffled since he copied his father again in grabbing another cookie.

“It’s just strange that she drops us the moment they break up. You work so hard to build this relationship with us because you’re dating our father and then you cut us off completely when the two of you break up?” Elizabeth legitimately seemed bothered by the fact that Tess stopped interacting with them. “It’s messed up.”

“So how about these cookies? Huh?” Joel tried to come up with a distraction, going to reach for another one, but Y/N reached out to place her hand over his wrist to stop him. Instead of listening to her urgings, Joel grabbed one of the snowman cookies and bit off the head of it. “They taste really good.”

“I wouldn’t know. I was trying to finish helping mom decorate them first,” Elizabeth smirked back at her father, giving him a shake of her head. He finished off the cookie before going back to decorating. When they finished off the sugar cookies, the girls went to decorating their gingerbread women. Joel had moved on to working on other cookies, but Peter was pretty dedicated to making his gingerbread man perfect. By the time they were done, Peter was still working on that single cookie. “What’s taking you so long Peter?”

“You’re being lazy,” Joel moved in behind Peter to pick him up in his arms, pulling him away from the counter. The two of them wrestled while their laughter filled the kitchen. Finally, Y/N grabbed herself one of the finished sugar cookies that she had made while watching the two of them. “Making the three of us do all the work.”

“I just wanted mine to be good,” Peter jumped on Joel’s back, hooking his arms around Joel’s shoulders. It had Elizabeth rolling her eyes and grabbing a cookie with her mother. “You see what I mean? We shouldn’t have to go be with just dad and uncle Tommy. We should be together. Dad can just grab his stuff. Come over and we can pretend like we’re a family again. The four of us have the most fun when we’re all together.”

“Are we going to keep the gingerbread family like we did when we were younger?” Elizabeth looked to Y/N for confirmation. Nodding, she reached for a serving platter to first put down Joel’s cookie which he decorated in a green plaid shirt, work boots and a beard with dark hair. On his cookie, he gave himself a Santa hat. Then she set Elizabeth’s down next to Joel’s. Elizabeth had decorated hers in a softball outfit which made sense since Elizabeth was on her softball team and loved it. Reaching for Peter’s cookie, she could see that he decorated what she assumed to be an ugly Christmas sweater for his cookie and then Y/N placed her cookie at the far end. It was just a generic gingerbread woman with her hair color. Maybe hers was the saddest of the whole crew since it had the least amount of personality of the four. “You know your cookie is supposed to go next to dad’s.”

Elizabeth moved in beside Y/N to move the cookies together. It had a warmth flooding Y/N’s body when she sighed. In the past they would dry out the cookies by leaving them out before displaying them. Elizabeth seemed proud of herself when Joel finally let out a long exhale.

“Your Uncle Tommy has a big night planned of movie watching, so we better get ready to go,” Joel announced moving for his milk to finish it off. Setting the glass in the sink made Y/N’s head lower as Joel pointed upstairs. “Better go get packed buddy. You too Ellie.”

“Yes dad,” Elizabeth sighed knowing that she wanted to correct her father again, but instead she just accepted that he was still going to call her the lifelong nickname that he gave her.

It was almost as if their children were sulking as they dragged their feet out of the kitchen to head upstairs to grab their belongings to go be with their father. Once they were gone, Joel stepped in beside her and folded his arms in front of his chest. “It’s like Christmas brings out the inner child in them. Instead of being our teenagers full of teenage angst, they become young again. I like it.”

“They still are young,” she reminded Joel with a playful nudge before heading back for a container. “I’ll pack you some cookies for home.”

“And they will likely be all gone by tonight,” Joel declared with a snicker, placing his hand in over the soft part of his abdomen. It had her rolling her eyes and shaking her head while she gathered the cookies. “I always loved when you did the Christmas baking. All the cookies, cupcakes, pies…”

“You’re always welcome to take what you want,” she packed one container of sugar cookies and then moved to the gingerbread cookies to pack another. “So…who broke things off between you and Tess?”

“Uh…” Joel inhaled sharply, leaning against the counter again. Curling his fingers around the countertop, he shrugged his shoulders and didn’t seem to have a good response. “It was a little bit of both, I guess.”

Neither one of them spoke after that. It was awkward talking to Joel about his girlfriend. Tess was a very blunt person. It didn’t mean that Y/N didn’t like her. She did her best to like Tess, but Tess was very domineering. Which was hard since her and Joel shared children together.

“So…” Joel started, his thick fingers brushing through his hair drawing attention to his curls at the back of his neck. “What are you going to be doing while they are with me?”

“Tomorrow morning I’m putting decorations up around town. Helping out,” she explained, knowing that she needed things to do in order to keep herself distracted. It had Joel’s eyebrows bouncing up, his hands settling at his hips while he stared out at her.

“That sounds like you,” Joel commented, biting at his bottom lip having a hard time thinking of something else to say to her.

“You’re welcome to join if you want,” she offered and Joel let out a sarcastic laugh. When they were together she would always drag him along with her to do that so they had things they did together. Toward the end? Joel complained constantly and made it clear he hated it. “I’m just saying. Tommy is coming to help.”

“Well, good for Tommy,” Joel retorted with a long sigh, folding his arms in front of his chest when she shifted back and forth on her feet. “Unfortunately, I have to turn you down. I made an appointment with the children to go get photos with Santa. I know they are older now, but they seem to get a bigger kick out of it now than they did as children. It’s less scary and more so funny. I think Ellie calls it cringe, yet they still find it super funny.”

“Oh,” her face went hot when she thought about the idea of them getting photos. That was something she started as a tradition. One she was no longer included in. “That’s nice.”

“After that, I promised to take them shopping for their gifts,” Joel looked toward the exit of the kitchen toward the stairs. “And mine.”

“Last minute shopping. Totally still you,” she couldn’t help but throw that out at him since he used a similar line earlier. It had Joel smirking, his dimples showing when he shook his head.

“I guess I should go help them,” Joel pointed toward the stairs, backstepping toward the exit of the kitchen. “Make sure little man doesn’t forget anything.”

“I’ll clean up,” she barely had time to get that out before Joel was already making his way out of the kitchen.

Maybe that was too quick of a leave. It had Joel stopping at the bottom of the stairs to steal a quick look back at Y/N. Her head was tipped down and Joel felt tension in his body. Until that moment? She had actually looked happy. But now that she was alone in the kitchen to herself, she looked sad.

Considering his next move, Joel grasped tightly onto the railing of the stairway. Part of him thought he should go help her clean up. But he was never very good at that in the first place. It was one thing they used to bicker about when they were together. Joel always left dishes in the sink and his clothes all over the place. Which meant she was picking up after him all the time. They had more fights about it than he cared to admit.

Instead of helping, he let the other part of him win out and he started heading up the stairs. It was strange how even though he had been gone from the house four years, how much everything still felt like home. Y/N still decorated the same way. Just added a few more things here and there. Lights were wrapped around the railing leading up the stairs brightening the stairway. The photos were still up the way they were when they were together. With a few school photos added to the walls. The only ones that were down were the ones of their wedding or from when they were younger taking trips together.

The first bedroom on the right was Peter’s and he could hear the extensive shuffling. Standing in the doorway, Joel outstretched his arms and rest them against the doorframe, “You need help there kid?”

“No, I got it,” Peter insisted shoving a few of his clothes into his bag messily. “Thanks though dad.”

“I’ll check on your sister,” Joel pointed back toward Elizabeth’s room and Peter waved his hand about. Going to move for Elizabeth’s room, Joel backstepped when he saw the door to the room he used to share with Y/N was open. Looking to the stairs, Joel swallowed down hard and moved quietly into the bedroom. Even that didn’t look any different. The only difference is that his things weren’t thrown all over the place. His exercise equipment was gone along with his dresser. Instead there was a small sitting area there.

On the center of the bed was a robe that Joel assumed Y/N had been wearing earlier in the day. Reaching out, he caressed his fingers over the soft material before bringing it up to his nose to smell it. The scent of her perfume lingered over it and it made Joel smile. That was something he always loved. Her perfume. It had been a while since he had been close enough to her to actually smell it.

Setting the robe back on the bed, Joel looked to her dresser to see that two of the photos she had taken down that were originally in the hallway were now sitting on top of it. Stepping in closer to the dresser, Joel bit at his cheek when he saw the first one was their wedding photo. It was the two of them together with Elizabeth dressed in her flower girl outfit. Because they were just kids themselves, they had a backyard wedding at his parents’ home, but they were happy enough at that time. They had each other and that was enough.

Placing that photo back, Joel reached for the photo of them on their last anniversary that they shared. Tommy had made them reservations that Tommy was really proud of at an expensive local restaurant. It was something that Tommy had saved up for as a thank you to them for all they did for him growing up. It was completely out of Joel’s scene. All throughout dinner he felt awkward. It was one of those places that had multiple courses already chosen for you. Since Tommy pre-paid for it, Joel forced himself through it, but he hated it. And he really let Y/N know how much he hated it. Having to dress up nice was not something that Joel enjoyed. He was uncomfortable the whole time. When they got home, Tommy had taken the photo of them. It was Joel sitting in a chair with Y/N in his lap while Joel was holding onto the gift she had gotten him. Y/N got him a really nice acoustic guitar that he had told her he wanted when they first started dating. It was something he would go to the store and play all the time.  It was something she was really proud of. In the photo she looked really happy. And at that moment? She was.

It was after Tommy left when their fighting started again. Instead of appreciating the guitar that she got him, he told her to return it since it was stupid to waste the money. Especially since in the time that they had been together he had learned how to do wood carvings and he knew how to make acoustic guitars himself. Back then? He didn’t understand the meaning behind the gesture. He just saw it as a waste of money. Especially since he lost out on his dreams of actually becoming a singer.

They also fought over the fact he bought her nothing other than flowers. Grand gestures were something that Y/N was big on. Even when they didn’t have money, she always tried to do things special. That anniversary, he just bought her flowers and gave her them when he got home from work. She didn’t complain, he just could see that she was disappointed. Which led to them fighting about her needing to be honest with him about things. That night they didn’t get intimate together. Not once. It ended with him sleeping on the floor in Elizabeth’s room.

The guitar put a big wedge between them because she told him if he hated the guitar he could return it to get the money back. Not wanting to look bad because it was a small town they lived in, Joel just let it sit and collect dust. Until they got separated and he took it with him. Now he played it occasionally and realized why she was upset because it was actually a really romantic gift.

It surprised him that she kept that photo considering how bad that night went. Setting the photo back where it was, Joel moved back over to the bed. Dropping back onto it had him staring up at the ceiling feeling an ache at his chest. Crawling over to the side of the bed that was his, Joel reached for her pillow and wrapped it up in his arms. Burying his face against it, he closed his eyes and realized how much more comfortable this whole set up actually felt than it did back at his place with Tommy.

After a few minutes, he forced himself to get up since he realized that it was probably creepy what he was doing. This wasn’t his house anymore. It was just a vague memory of how things used to be. That’s it.

Leaving the room, he headed over to Elizabeth’s room to see that she was sitting at her desk doing something on her laptop and he smirked. Leaning against the doorframe, he tipped his head to the side and cleared his throat causing her to jump.

“Getting in trouble?” Joel watched her shake her head when she showed him that she was writing her best friend in a chat. Taking a quick look, he sighed and moved over to her dresser to grab the softball that was there. Dropping back on her bed, he started throwing the ball up in the air catching it repeatedly.

“You know, Peter’s not wrong. Things were better when it was the four of us,” Elizabeth stressed hearing her father sigh loudly and she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t see what the problem is. You’re not with Tess anymore. So why not spend time with mom? She’s hot, right?”

“What?” Joel chuckled at his daughter saying that about her mother.

“Listen, I’ve seen the moms at my school. I know mom is a catch,” she suggested to Joel hearing him laugh before going back to throwing the ball. “Why don’t you want to spend time with the four of us?”

“Hey! I didn’t see your mom jumping at the idea when Peter was talking about it,” Joel fumbled the ball, letting out a groan when it rolled across the floor. Pressing up onto his shoulder, Joel scoffed out when his eyes fell upon one of the posters that she had hanging up. It was one that was new and it made him roll his eyes. “I still can’t believe you’ve had a crush on that man since you were fourteen.”

“Everyone has celebrity crushes dad,” she looked back over her shoulder at the poster that he dramatically groaned over. Giving her father her attention back, she saw him throw his head back into the pillows.

“Sure. But most girls your age have crushes on twinks from a boy band,” Joel declared hearing his daughter laugh at the description of the kind of boys that he thought she would like. “Instead, you like a professional baseball player that’s my age. Do you know how creepy that is?”

“Most women here have a crush on Negan Smith,” she stood up from her chair to head over to point at the poster that was on the back of her door. “He’s the hometown hero. Rookie of the year when he started. One of the greatest baseball players of our time.”

“Do you know how old you were when he won rookie of the year?” Joel’s eyebrow arched up in curiosity, dramatically turning his head to stare out at her. It had her cheeks flushing over with red and he let out a hesitant laugh. “I think I need to stress here that he’s my age.”

“You were young when you had me,” she pointed out, heading over to the edge of her bed to sit down with him.

“Not that young,” Joel countered finding it creepy that his daughter’s celebrity crush was Negan Smith who was probably the most popular player for their state’s professional baseball team. “What about that boyband kid that you liked when you were eight?”

Tipping his head back, Joel eyed over the magazine cutouts that she had plastered over her ceiling and he felt his heart skip a beat when his eyes fell onto one of the photos. Hopping up onto the bed had her gasping out when he snatched the photo from the collage of photos she had up there.

“The hell is this?” Joel’s dark eyes almost seemed angry when he held the magazine page out in front of her face.

“Uhm? Negan Smith?” Elizabeth flashed him an innocent smile with Joel looking over the photo. “It was a photoshoot he did in order to bring attention to the sexism in sports magazines. It was him making a statement.”

“He’s naked,” Joel sneered, looking over the photo. It had the baseball star holding a baseball glove over his groin and he had a baseball bat thrown over his shoulder. They had covered him in dirt and he had eye black under his eyes. “Why in God’s name do you have this photo over your bed? Why do you have this at all? Does your mother let you put these up here?”

“First of all, he’s not naked. Everything is covered,” she reached for the magazine pull out and he tugged it away from her. “Second, mom doesn’t know that that’s there. She actually kind of gives me my privacy. So, there is that.”

“You’re seventeen,” Joel scoffed looking over the pullout feeling like the room was spinning around him. “This is way too sexual for you. I went to school with this guy. He was one of my best friends. This is another level of creepy.”

“Dad, you’re being a little hypocritical. I know you and mom were having sex at my age. A magazine pull out is not the end of the world. It’s not even porn,” Elizabeth fought back trying to reach for it, but Joel yanked it back away from her again. “I used my babysitting money to buy that dad. It’s a few years old and it’s hard to find.”

“How much did you pay for it?” Joel scoffed seeing the confusion in her eyes. “How much?”

“Like thirty dollars,” she explained and he felt his blood boiling. “What?”

“Thirty dollars for this?” Joel’s eyebrows furrowed and he grunted out looking it over. “Can’t you just find a photo of it on the internet and print it out? Why waste the money?”

“Because it’s authentic and an original. It would probably be worth more too because he just announced that he was retiring because of his most recent injury. Do you remember when that one guy purposely hurt him when we were watching that game?” she brought back a memory of when he was still living here and they’d watch games together. “Well, he came back from that injury, but it still made his leg weak and he hurt it really bad. So bad that he has to retire. He’s only doing one more season. People are going crazy over his stuff,” she reasoned with Joel who reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. Pulling out thirty dollars, he tossed it on the bed beside him and rolled up the poster causing her to gasp out. “You’re going to bend it dad!”

“Good. It doesn’t belong in my…” Joel stopped realizing he was about to say it didn’t belong in his house, but this wasn’t his house anymore. “It doesn’t belong in my seventeen-year-old daughter’s bedroom. I paid you back for it. I don’t care if it’s worth a hundred dollars. Spend your money on something better than some naughty ass photo of someone I used to be best friends with.”

“Oh come on, all of that’s bullshit dad,” she bickered with her father, throwing her hands up in the air and he dramatically shrugged his shoulders. “I know you say you two were best friends and I know you were on the same baseball team, but other than that? I think you’re pushing it with the best friend thing. If the two of you were best friends, why have I never met him? Why do I see no photos of the two of you together?”

“Because in our last year of high school we kind of…went different ways,” Joel explained, still clinging onto the magazine pullout that he had stolen from his daughter. “Him, your mother, me and Uncle Tommy were the closest of friends. We were since I moved here. Honestly? I reckon he was probably better friends with your mother. But we all considered each other best friends. We were together all the time. And back then he didn’t have a single tattoo on him.”

Joel reached up to pinch up at the bridge of his nose, “And as far as photos? We probably have loads of them upstairs in the attic. I can prove it right now. I still haven’t cleaned out that thing since we moved in here and I doubt your mother did either because she always asked me to clean things up, but I didn’t.”

“Prove it,” she frowned, folding her arms in front of her chest reminding Joel of what he looked like when he was angry.

Urging her to follow him, Joel set the magazine pullout down on the table that was in the hallway. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Elizabeth was reaching for it and he snapped his fingers at her to get her to stop, “Ellie! Don’t think about it!”

“You are so infuriating sometimes,” Elizabeth frowned realizing that she had officially lost part of her collage. Joel hopped up to pull at the hatch to get it opened and get the stairs down to go into the attic. Motioning her to go up first, Joel knew that if he turned his back on his daughter that she would likely grab what he had set aside. Color rushed into her face, her eyes rolling when she moved up the steps. Joel followed her not far behind. When they got up there, Elizabeth let out a dramatic cough and he huffed. “It’s dusty.”

“It’s not that bad,” Joel suggested taking a look around. A long time ago, Joel started to remodel the attic for Y/N, but he never finished it. Half of it was done and the other half just looked like a normal attic. Moving across the way, Joel cleaned off the bench that was at the far end where the nook he designed was. Holding his hand out, he motioned Elizabeth to take a seat. She eyed it over with disgust before slowly lowering down. “Give me a few minutes.”

“So,” Elizabeth began, her curiosity growing while Joel started going through boxes. “What was he like when he was younger?”

“Arrogant,” Joel stammered, his whole face scrunching up when he thought about Negan. “Everyone loved Negan. We were the two most popular guys in school by our senior year. He played baseball and basketball. I played baseball and football. We had a bit of a feud going on that last year. He was a smartass.”

“But you were friends?” her eyebrow arched in curiosity. Pausing, Joel looked over his shoulder at his daughter. Taking a second to think it over, Joel nodded and cleared his throat. “What did you like about him?”

“He was funny. He could really get under some of the teachers’ skin,” Joel responded, setting aside some of the boxes letting out a sigh when he dug through them. “He was really smart. He could look at a book and just memorize everything. He was a class clown so it always infuriated the teachers when they tried to embarrass him and he would come back with the answer. Negan either had people really loving him or hating him because he was so good at reading people. He could have people eating out of the palm of his hand.”

Smirking, Joel opened one of the boxes to see on top of the box was some photos of him and Elizabeth when she was a baby. Holding out the photos, he saw her smile when she reached for the photos accepting them to look them over.

“Maybe I’ll come over here and finish the attic up for your mom. Clear up some things and go through the photos,” Joel offered appreciating the smile that Elizabeth was giving when she looked at the photos of them together. “It’s been a long time since I had a clean-shaven face.”

“You look so young,” Elizabeth commented holding a photo up of Joel holding Elizabeth on his shoulders at a football game together. “You were such a jock back then.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Joel waved his hand in the air, getting down on the ground to make it easier for him to go through the boxes. After looking through a few boxes, Joel stopped when he found photos of Y/N and him from high school. With a smirk, he grabbed a handful of the photos of them at his prom. Holding them out to Elizabeth, he allowed her to look them over while he dug through the photos. When he realized this was the box that he wanted, he headed over to the bench to sit down beside her. “That was a fun night.”

“Please don’t go into details,” Elizabeth groaned causing Joel to roll his eyes. “I know what happens on prom night.”

“I just mean we had a fun time at prom, then a few of the kids were throwing a party at their parents’ house. It was right off the water, it was awesome,” Joel explained with a long sigh, his eyes narrowing when he cleared his throat. “It was right before your grandparents passed away.”

Elizabeth gave Joel a sideways glance before continuing through the photos, smiling when she saw a photo of a young Joel kissing Y/N on the cheek with her mom laughing, “You two looked so happy together.”

“We were. We were so in love. All that mattered to me back then was her,” Joel admitted, his breathing growing uneven when he thought back to that time. “I just wanted to be with her all the time. I was afraid to let her go. I was supposed to be going off to college and she still had two more years left at school. I was so worried someone else was going to swoop in and take her. I guess the world solved that problem for me though. College was just never meant to happen.”

“You still could have gone,” she thought aloud and it had Joel taking a moment to break from looking at the photos to gaze out at her. “You could have. You had a full ride. You could have made it work. Mom eventually went to college.”

“I couldn’t. I had to take care of Uncle Tommy or else he would have been put into the system. And then your mom got pregnant with you,” Joel recalled his younger years, shifting uneasily knowing that Y/N had been pregnant at seventeen which was how old Elizabeth was now. “I couldn’t do that to Tommy. And I couldn’t do that to you and your mom.”

It looked like Elizabeth wanted to say something, but she didn’t. She just went back to looking at the photos. Seeing a photo of Negan training with him when they were on the baseball team, he handed it over to Elizabeth and she snickered.

“I know the two of you were on the team together dad. I’ve seen the team photo in the hallways of the high school,” she reminded her father hearing Joel grunt. “That doesn’t mean you were best friends. He looks so different without the facial hair.”

“Not as big of a babe,” Joel mocked the way a teenage girl would talk. It had her reaching out to hit him in the chest and he chuckled. “That was before he got that scar on his face over his eyebrow.”

“You know how he got that scar, right?” Elizabeth was eager to tell the story, but Joel hushed her.

“Everyone knows that story. He told it all the time when he first started becoming popular,” Joel pointed out feeling a bit of jealousy at how much this town loved Negan Smith. Stopping on one of the photos, he tossed it to Elizabeth and heard the surprised sound that followed. It was a photo of him, Negan and Y/N sitting on the couch that was in his parents’ basement. A young Tommy was laid out across their lap and they were all laughing. “Told you. That’s at your grandparents’ home.”

Noticing that all the photos were starting to include Negan, Joel handed piles of photos to her and could see the awe that came from her looking at the photos, “See. I’m not a liar. I’ve always been a very honest person.”

“Holy shit,” she held up a photo of Joel and Negan together. Negan had his arm wrapped around Joel’s shoulders. Negan was curling his lip up in a ridiculous pose with Joel wearing a backwards baseball cap. Elizabeth clung to the photo before reaching for the next. It was a photo of Y/N between both Joel and Negan. Both of them were kissing her cheek and it had Elizabeth laughing. “So many people would be jealous of mom with this one.”

“Yeah, I know. I was really cute,” Joel knew that Elizabeth was talking about Negan, but he was being a smart ass. Elizabeth rolled her eyes before continuing through the photos. There were a lot of photos of Y/N and Negan which had Elizabeth shocked. There was an extremely young photo of Negan and Y/N that was in that box leaving Joel to shrug when Elizabeth held it up. “I told you those two were closer. Negan was my age, but they knew each other pretty much her whole life. They were neighbors. Together all the time.”

“Why doesn’t mom talk about him?” Elizabeth stammered, stopping on a photo of her mom sitting on Negan’s lap with her arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“Uhm,” Joel considered what to say next before clearing his throat. “Because when he stopped talking to me, he stopped talking to her. The woman he ended up getting married to showed up at the school the last year. Really pretty girl. Negan was hooked on her. Your mother wanted him to be your godfather…”

“No shit,” she gasped, clinging to the photo of Negan with her mother. “What the hell happened? Could you imagine if Negan Smith was my godfather?”

“He just stopped interacting with the two of us all together. Your mother tried to reach out to him multiple times, but then she just stopped trying,” Joel cleared his throat, rubbing at the side of his face before sighing loudly. “I think it hurt too much, so she just wrote him off. Didn’t want to think about it since the two of them were so close.”

“How did I never know this?” Elizabeth seemed upset that this was a part of her parents’ lives that she didn’t know. “So you just were friends with Negan Smith?”

“Yeah. When your Uncle Tommy and I moved to town, there was this boy that kept picking on your Uncle Tommy. All the time. He was smaller for his age. It was during the summer and this boy would knock him off his bike. Push him down. Do what bullies do. One day, I was outside and I saw this boy hit your Uncle Tommy. Your mother and Negan were outside playing hockey. We all saw it happen. I was heading over to whoop the bully’s ass, but she beat me to it. Hit the boy with the hockey stick that she had. Then she beat his ass,” Joel explained with a laugh mimicking a few punches drawing Elizabeth to laugh. “She kicked that boy’s ass so bad that he refused to tell his parents. He didn’t want the whole school knowing that he had his ass kicked by a girl. But yeah, you’re mother had a crush on me from the first moment I met her, but I’m pretty sure that day is the day she fell in love with me. That was the day we first started hanging out.”

“She fell in love with you? Not the other way around?” she was surprised to hear that and Joel tipped his head from side to side. “How couldn’t you fall in love with her after that?”

“She kind of scared the shit out of me, but in a good way,” Joel claimed, his hand placing in over the center of his chest. “So yes. For your mother it was love at first sight. For me? It took until I was about seventeen.”

“What are you two doing up here?” a voice made them both jump and they looked to the stairs to see that Y/N was moving into the attic.

“Your daughter has like the biggest crush ever on Negan Smith,” Joel once again teased his daughter, talking in a stereotypical way that had her pushing into Joel’s chest. A loud laugh fell from his throat when he pointed toward the photos. “She didn’t believe that we were best friends back in the day. So I had to prove it.”

“Why’d you never tell me?” Elizabeth was curious when Y/N moved forward to look at the photo that Elizabeth had of her with Negan and Joel kissing her cheeks. “I’ve had the biggest crush on him forever and you never said anything.” 

“It was a long time ago,” she reasoned, shrugging her shoulders as Joel started pulling himself up from the bench that he was seated on with Elizabeth. Talking about Negan didn’t seem to appeal much to her when she waved her hand about. “I have all the cookies packed up and I made a pie the other day that I’m sending with you.”

“How I remained skinny when we were together blows my mind. I like your food way too much,” Joel reached down to pat his stomach realizing now that he was older, it was harder to stay in shape for him. “Come on Ellie. We have to get home. Uncle Tommy is probably waiting.”

Elizabeth didn’t really want to, but she accepted her father’s hand when he helped her up. They moved down the stairs and onto the second level. Joel had Elizabeth going back to her room for her stuff before reaching for the poster he snatched from Elizabeth’s room. Handing it out to Y/N had her looking down and unrolling the photo. Once she realized what it was, her eyes grew wide.

“I guess her and her mother have the same type,” Joel sneered and it had Y/N lifting her eyes up at Joel slowly. “That was on her wall. Our daughter should never have anything like that on her wall. Maybe pay a little more attention to the things that she is getting her hands on.”

“Yes sir,” Y/N almost seemed offended when she rolled the photo back up and felt a warmth flooding into her face. The look that Joel gave her almost looked angry, but she couldn’t say anything else because the two children were walking out with their bags.

Seeing them out to say her goodbyes, Y/N cleaned things up before heading back upstairs. Noticing that the stairs were still pulled out for the attic, Y/N went to close them up before thinking things over. Going up into the attic, she headed over toward the box of photos. Lowering down on the bench that Joel and Elizabeth were on earlier. Pushing through the photos, there was a sense of sadness that ate her up inside seeing some of her photos of when she was pregnant with Elizabeth. Joel was so loving and sweet back then. And he looked so happy. Stopping on a photo had her heart racing. In that pile was a photo of a much younger version of her and Negan kissing. Clearing her throat, she pushed the photo into her back pocket. That was the last thing her daughter should be seeing and she knew that.

Closing up the attic, she headed to bed and pulled out the photo she snatched along with the magazine pull out that Joel had given her. Taking a look at it, she shook her head and tossed both of them into the top drawer of her dresser. For so long Y/N had pushed away her past. It almost felt like she had forgotten her past. Right now, she was just living and working to get through every day. And that was enough.

----

Tags: @chainsawsangel @fancypeacepersona @violent-darkness @negansbestie @elegantfanficluv

@sanctuaryforthelost

[yeliuxi]

I venture into Tumblr's fyp. I see posts I've blacklisted because they were tagged christmas or xmas. I click view post. They are all about cnovel characters. I remember why I blacklisted the tag and why I should not click view post. The cycle continues

[aakeysmash]

christmas shopping, matching pajamas and family discounts

college!sukuna masterlist

"Why are we here again?" college!sukuna huffs from next to you for the umpteenth time.

"Stop acting like a little bitch. You asked me that 20 seconds ago, Yuuji is acting better than you," you hiss out, glaring at him. It's true though: the kid is trotting right in front of you two, not a care in the world, while his caretaker is currently dragging his feet on the pavement you're walking on.

"And you still didn't answer, fucker," he barks back, grimacing, kicking a little rock.

"Yes, I fucking did! I told you this morning we were going Christmas shopping! You never listen to me," you start, jutting your lip out and trying to play the victim. You know he hates it when you do it. "Maybe I should tell Yuuji how his big brother hates the idea of going shopping with him," you provoke, whispering so that only you and him know what you're talking about. He scoffs, offended.

"Liar. Don't you fucking dare-"

"Are you two fighting again?" whines Yuuji, turning around and pouting. You and Sukuna glance at each other before shaking your head at the same moment.

"No, we're getting along so well," you force yourself to smile.

"Yeah, she said she's so glad I'm accompanying her. Matter of fact, she said she's going to offer us lunch," Sukuna continues, an evil glint in his eyes when he hears you gasp.

"I did not-"

"Really?! Yippie!" screams Yuuji, coming to hug you violently. You stumble back, gritting your teeth, and reciprocate the hug while narrowing your eyes at the grinning tattooed man in front of you. He knows you're not able to say no to his brother.

When Yuuji runs inside the mall, you push Sukuna's shoulder, mumbling "bitch". He just chuckles, then boldly gets you close by placing one open hand on your lower back. You know he's just going to tease you, so you put both hands on his chest to fight back, trying to put some distance between you two, but the place is crowded and everyone is looking at you. A woman passes by you and looks at you weirdly, so you stop wriggling in his grasp, and he delicately pushes you even closer. You're chest to chest, his breath fanning over your features, grin ever present on his face, enjoying how you look pissed out of your mind. From the outside, it looks like you're hugging each other, when in reality he just puts his mouth on your ear to utter "Never play with me, baby. I know how to drive you mad," then frees you and walks behind Yuuji with his hands in his pockets, not turning back to see if you're following him or not. You're seething.

"Oh my God, Yuuji, look at these!" you swoon over a pair of pajama pants. They're a soft brown, decorated with little green Christmas' trees and little reindeers, a bright red Merry Christmas! on both knees.

"It's a set!" squeals the kid next to you, grabbing the sweater right on top of the piece of cloth you have in your hands. You both notice at the same time that the set comes both in adults' and kids' sizes. "Can we take it?" he asks you looking up, puppy eyes activated. Your heartstrings are pulled so tight you feel like you could implode if you look at his face for a second longer.

"Of course we can, I thought it was obvious," you say excitedly, grabbing his hands and jumping up and down with him in a circle while he laughs, smile on full display and brown eyes squeezed shut happily.

Sukuna, who has kept watching his phone for the majority of the time you've been inside the mall, raises his gaze when he hears your laugh mingled with his brother's. If you had been looking at him in that instant, you would've seen the brief soft glimpse that passed on his whole face when he took in how happy you both looked together. When you turn around, though, he's already schooled his features to appear bored.

"Are we done?" he yawns.

"Would you like to match with us?" you ask him, at the same time. You scowl and he scoffs.

"Hell no, girl. I'm not with whatever stupid shit y'all are doing," he says, trying to act tougher than what he actually feels like. Seeing you being kind to the only person in the world who shares 100% of his genes makes him feel things he doesn't want to acknowledge right now.

"You're a party pooper, 'Kuna," Yuuji mumbles, frowning. "Can we still match? I really want us to match," he adds, shily, looking at you. You're shocked. His cheeks are getting redder the more you gawk at him. "Sorry, you can say no-"

Your kiss on his cheek resonates all around the ally you're currently staying in. "Of course I want to match with you. We don't need your evil brother, Yuuji. Let's go try them on," you sweetly say, taking his hand and walking away from Sukuna, not before flipping him off. Yuuji is so giddy that he follows you like he's walking on clouds, his face slightly hurting from how hard he's cheesing.

Sukuna just stands there, baffled and even a little offended. He stiffens, noticing he still has his phone in his hands. He's so fast with it he's the first to remain shocked by his own actions: he hears the click of his camera and looks at the pic he's just taken, feeling his chest heavier than it's ever been. It's a beautifully taken pic, where you and Yuuji are squinting at each other, hand in hand, laughing. He turns off his screen, shakes his head and catches up to you. You're going to give him a headache if you continue being like this. Or a heart attack. Or both.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" the nice old lady at the checkout says.

"Hi, we'd like to take these two pieces," you kindly respond, handing her the pajamas you and Yuuji just tried on.

"Let me see... oh, we actually have a family discount on this! Is the daddy not going to take anything?" she innocently asks, looking over at your older roommate.

"Yo, I'm not his-"

Your eyes almost fall out of your sockets. "Ah ah ah! Silly us! We forgot his one! Just give me a second," you interrupt a scowling Sukuna, covering his mouth with your hand before he can finish his sentence, dragging him away. Yuuji gives the old lady a confused look, to which she responds with "Young parents these days," shaking her head.

"You're going to take the fucking matching set, Sukuna, and you're going to like it," you seethe, still dragging him away (well, it's more like he's letting you drag him away). You hear how he's trying to talk behind your hand. "Don't piss me off. I'm going to pay less to get more, and you're going to listen to me. Go." You ignore him and he raises one eyebrow, looking you up and down, before biting your fingers. You yelp and let him go, scowling. "I said go! And act like you care about me when we get there, we're a family until the discount tells us so!"

"Okay, ma'am," he grins down to you, wiping his saliva from the corner of his mouth with a slow movement, his gaze lingering a bit too much on the way you're panting.

"Move! Take your size and let's go! Yuuji is waiting for us!" you push him, rushing back to the cashier.

"Oh, you were really fast. I thought you were going to argue with the way you rushed away," she says when she sees you come back, surprised. You nervously chuckle, telling her how you were already planning on buying one for Sukuna, you just forgot. "That would be 20.99$."

While you're swiping your card, you suddenly feel engulfed by heat. Sukuna positions his hands on your waist, giving you a half hug from behind while simultaneously giving his best confident grin to the old lady in front of him.

"Yeah. I just like when she bosses me around a bit, if you know what I mean," he says, sultry, winking at the cashier who is chuckling behind her hand, embarrassed, waving him away.

What the fuck? You initially try not to stiffen, then relax and give her a shy smile, and he squeezes you a bit closer. You melt on his chest, feeling hotter than you've felt all day. He's so comfortable. He brushes his lips near your ear and makes sure you hear the way his raspy voice is all around you. "And I do, baby. I really do."

[ennabear]

BAE. i absofrickenlutely NEED you to write something along the lines of decorating sevika with crimis boas and lights and whatever, maybe while she's sleeping idfk- and have her be like 😠 butt because reader is so cute and sev loves them sm, she can't hide her smile OR WHATEVER THE FUCK I SAID U KNOW WHAT I MEAN😭😭

i also made this for you. um. idk. it's not very. crimis sevika, but more crimis if it was sevikamas. imagine her trapped in an ornament ok plu shut ya face now bai luv u o masterful sevika writer

HAIII PLUTOBAE HEHEHE thank you for this idea, you cooked fr!!!! i’m featuring jinx in this because i’m a sucker for the found family trope and also her ass would LOVE to prank sevika LMAOOO 😭 AND THANKS FOR THE ORNAMENTS I’M HANGING THEM ON MY SEVIKAMAS TREE!!!!

one last thing, idk if they celebrate or even know about christmas in zaun so just pretend they do for a sec… thanks guys!!!

potential s2 spoilers under the cut!! read at your own risk!!!

sevika’s been stressed out of her mind. she’s not used to having this much power, but with silco gone it’s necessary. she’s also had no choice but to take jinx under her wing, which she’s not exactly thrilled about, especially now that jinx has taken her own little cub under her wing too. exhausted is an understatement. she’s got no clue how to lead a rebellion, and much less how to parent.

so you feel a little bit mean for what you’re about to do, but your wife deserves some giggles in these hard times, no matter how pissed she’ll initially be. jinx giggles as she tiptoes toward sevika’s slumped over form, her snores echoing through the room. you hope your wife enjoyed her sleep while she could.

jinx pokes her a few times to make sure she’s sound asleep, and if anything it only pushes sevika deeper into her slumber. you coo at your wife, she finally looks so relaxed after these past few weeks. jinx sticks her tongue out and pretends to gag at the affection you show to your wife, but she quickly switches back to excitement when you hand over a long rope of sparkly red tinsel.

she wastes no time in wrapping it around sevika and tying it to the chair with intricate knots. sevika doesn’t wake up as she gets restrained to the chair, not as you lift up her heavy new arm and wrap it in brightly colored lights, not even as jinx sticks a few shiny bows to her head. “ready?” she asks.

“ready.” you laugh, preparing yourself for the way sevika’s gonna bitch and moan when she wakes up. once jinx presses a few buttons, the loudest version of ‘get jinxed’ booms through the room, and you jump back in surprise. it’s so loud you swear the whole building shakes, and sevika’s awake in an instant with her arm rattling to the sound of the bass.

“turn it off, jinx!” she shouts, wiggling against her restraints in an attempt to cover her ears. “JINX?”

as soon as she catches sight of the blue-haired girl clutching her stomach in a fit of laughter, she looks like she’s about to smash the kid to pieces. “JINX!” she shouts over the music, “TURN IT OFF.”

jinx rushes over and shuts the music off before her own eardrums blow out, but quickly returns to giggling hysterically. “merry christmas, sevika. you’ve been jinxed!” she laughs. “you should’ve seen your face! i didn’t think you could look any angrier than you already do!”

“what the fuck is this!?” sevika shouts with that deep growl that you love in her voice. “what the fuck is wrong wi—” and then she sees you. you’re laughing nearly as hard as jinx, and she can’t help but gawk at you. your smile is her favorite thing in the world, and it’s the only thing that’s keeping her going lately, but how could you be so cruel?

taking advantage of sevika’s surprised, annoyed, and offended state, jinx ties a new string of white lights to the back of sevika’s chair and starts running around her in circles. “you’re in on this?” sevika asks you.

“well, yeah.” you admit, stepping closer to her. your wife gasps and blinks at you blankly. “how could you?”

“you were asleep,” jinx cuts in. “that’s what you get for falling asleep on the clock.” sevika sighs at this, closing her eyes to keep herself under control before she can spew insults at jinx. “i’m not ‘on the clock’ you brat. it’s early in the morning, and i wouldn’t be so tired if you knew how to clean up your own messes.”

you settle yourself on sevika’s lap, slinging your legs over her as she tries and fails to wrap you in her arms. “you look cute.” you say. “i don’t look cute. untie me.” she demands. you ignore her, instead picking up a few ornaments and hanging them from the little half-ponytail in her hair. jinx notices this and practically flies over, sticking a few snowflake shaped hair clips in sevika’s hair.

you can’t help but laugh at your wife, she looks exactly like a christmas tree. if trees could scowl and pout, that is. jinx joins you, stepping back to admire her work beside you. sevika’s lips twist into a flat line, her eyebrows so low they’re about to make contact with her eyes. it’s been a while since you’ve felt a true familial love, but this feels real and warm to you. you giggle even harder as a sudden love for your girls floods your heart, and sevika shakes her head at you in disapproval.

jinx shoves a mirror in sevika’s face, and this time her lips slightly twist up in the corners as she tries her hardest not to smile. she’s glowing with the amount of lights on her, and the amount of sparkly ornaments and clips hanging from her pisses her off even more. it’s ridiculous. and hilarious. and she loves you guys so much, no matter how unwilling she is to admit it.

“don’t smile…” you tease. “don’t you dare smile, sevika. don’t do it.” she shakes her head again, refusing to make eye contact with either of you and instead staring at the floor.

“i’m not… smiling.” she says, holding her lips as straight as she can. you sit yourself in her lap again, holding her close as she muffles her not-smile in the crook of your neck. “you love us.” you accuse. she sighs with a defeated giggle, a smile brighter than the lights wrapped around her body finally settling on her face. “i guess you’re right. get over here, you fucker.” she mumbles, gesturing with her head for jinx to join in the group hug.

jinx reluctantly walks over and wraps her arms around sevika as loosely as she can, although you know deep down that they both love each other more than they pretend to. you smile, pressing a kiss to sevika’s head and ruffling jinx’s bright blue hair.

“pull anything like this again, and my arm will chomp your heads off. both of you.” sevika threatens, although she means it in the most loving way possible. “that’s my arm.” jinx corrects, flicking her in the forehead. “and maybe next time you should try falling asleep in a bed.”

[phoward89]

Masterlist

WARNING ⚠️: Coryo is his own warning in and of himself. Delusional!Coryo, Soft!Dark!Coryo, Soft!Dom!Coryo, Reader has some survival instincts, Reader knows keeping Coryo happy keeps her alive and well, cussing, possession, obsession, slight manipulation, sex (p in v), breeding kink.

Chapter 8:

“Coryo, we got some Christmas presents from Sejanus' parents, the Plinths, today.” You announce as soon as your husband walks thru the door.

“Yea, Sejanus said he'd tell Ma to send us something.” He tells you removing his coat and hanging it up

“It was addressed to Coriolanus and Y/N Snow.” You get up from your seat at the kitchen table. Making your way over to Coryo, you ask, “How did they know we got married, did he tell them?”

“Mail from the Capitol takes at least a week to get here, so Sej didn't tell them.” He begins, making large strides towards you. “But I know he told Ma Plinth about us, so I think she just had a motherly hunch that I'd be making an honest woman out of you.” Coryo smirks, coming up to you.

“Oh.” You nod, mouth in an open O shape. Pointing to a bare corner in the one room flat, you announce, “Wouldn't that spot be a good one for a Christmas tree?”

“Yes, it would be.” Coryo agrees, nodding his head. Looking at you, he asks, “Are there tree lots here?” But before you can answer him, he's going on about the Capitol. “The Capitol has tree lots, but most families just started buying trees and decorating them again over the last few years.”

Your husband didn't say why and you didn't ask. The unspoken words of after the war hung heavily in the air. You knew that wealthy families only just started decorating trees again because of the aftermath of the war.

A war that took your parents from you; took the childhood you should've had from you.

“There's Christmas tree lots here, but the trees are small. Barely 4 feet tall.” Was the answer you gave your husband. Pointing at the table in a silent gesture for him to sit down, you go to make him up a plate. As you place a piece of chicken on the plate along with scooping some riced and peas onto the plate as well, you tell your husband, “The trees in 12 are huge. Bigger than any you've ever seen before. Infact, the only place I imagine to have bigger trees would be District 7.”

“Yes, I imagine the lumberjack district would have larger trees then District 12.” The platinum blonde peacekeeper chuckles, taking his seat at the table. “Do you want to pick a tree out after I'm done with my exam, darling?” Coryo asks, watching you intently as you make yourself up a plate.

“Usually men just bring home the tree in the districts; women and children don't help pick it out.” You explain while grabbing your plates and heading over to the table.

Your husband rolls his icy eyes at your words. “Well, in the Capitol families pick the tree out together.” He says, his tone dripping with superiority. Looking at you as you set the plates down on the table, he says, “We're upholding that Capitol tradition; we're picking out the tree together.”

You're not surprised that he wants to hold onto as many Capitol traditions as he possibly can. It's his heritage after all. But, in a way, isn't it also yours? Your father was a Capitolite after all.

“Okay, then we'll pick out a tree when you're done with the exam.” You smile, turning away from the table and going to the cupboard.

“You can buy whatever decorations you want while shopping with Sejanus.” Your husband informs you as you grab some glasses.

“People usually make ornaments in the Districts; make popcorn and berry strings, things like that.” You explain, going to the fridge and grabbing the bottle of milk.

“People buy them in the Capitol. They're made of the finest spun glass, ribbons, metals, and jewels.” Your husband said while watching you make your way to the table with the milk jug and glass in hand. “My family, unfortunately, had to sell ours when I was a child for money and never had the chance to buy anymore.”

Your heart lurches at your husband's words. Just knowing that Coriolanus grew up poor without a pit to piss in while living in the richest part of Panem made your heart bleed for him. You know how it is to be poor, hell if it wasn't for your relationship with Coryo you'd most likely be starving or frozen right now. And the fact that being poor in Capitol City, Panem is better than being poor in the Districts is very telling; disturbing even.

“One day when we return to the Capitol I'll buy you all of the fine, elegant ornaments that you want.” Coryo promises, his baritone steady and unbreakable, as you fill the milk glasses and take a seat at the table.

Passing him his milk glass, you faintly smile. “Thank you, Coryo.”

As you begin to eat, your husband stares right into your soul and makes you the promise of, “I'm going to become an Elite Officer and I'm getting us out of this shithole. We'll rule Panem one day; we'll take back everything that should've been ours- and more.”

Coriolanus’ head was on his pillow while his large, strong hands were on your hips as you rolled them up and down, up and down, while straddling him. His large cock was stuffed in your tight, wet pussy; making you feel full and him feel as if he's going to combust at any second.

“Fuck, baby, just like that.” Your husband praises. “Just like that.” He groans, feeling your cunt squeeze him just right as you spear yourself on his cock.

“Feels so good, Coryo.” You whimper, feeling the knot in your stomach begin to tighten.

“Make yourself cum, baby. Fuck yourself on my cock; make us cum.” Coryo orders, his tone husky, as he smacks one of your ass cheeks. The smack to your ass lights a fire in you and suddenly you're digging your nails into his shoulders while bouncing faster on his cock.

The feel of his large length inside of you lights your nerves on fire. His swollen cock head kisses your cervix just right, sensing socks of pleasure throughout your dripping core. You're shuddering and shaking in pleasure with every move you make, which causes his cock to slide deeply in and out of you; hitting your special spot just right. And the way your wet, velvety walls hug him so tightly has Coryo ready to shoot his hot load into your cunt. Oh gods, how your tight cunt makes his head spin.

Fucking you is a mix of something primal and sensual in his mind. It's different with you then how it's been with others. He can't get enough of you. Coriolanus also cares about your pleasure, more so than his own. He loves to watch the way your lips part as you moan, the way you shudder and shake as pleasure washed over you, the way your eyes widen and pop as you cum with his name on your lips like a prayer.

And your pleasure being more important than his is why he grips your hips firmly and begins bucking up into you; meeting your grinding movements. He needs you to cum hard around his cock so desperately. So much so that the two of you become a frantic mess of movements.

Coryo manages to sit up; slightly changing the position you're in. But that doesn't stop your heated, frenzied pace. You're still bucking and grinding, desperate for release. Your hands are clawing at each other for purchase. Your faces are so close that your noses are nearly bumping into each other; your hot breaths dance over each other's mouths while whimpering and moaning.

Both of you are close to your peek whenever Coryo huskily swears, “I'm knocking this cunt up tonight. You're gonna be so fucking full of my baby.”

You never gave any real thought to motherhood, but right now your pleasure muddled mind thought that getting knocked up by your husband was a good idea. Or maybe his dirty breeding talk was a turn on. Whatever it was, you found yourself loudly moaning, “Yes! Coryo, yes, yes, yes!”, while cumming hard around his hard cock.

Coryo's lust blown eyes rolled into the back of his head as he witnessed you squirting messily around his cock. It was the hottest thing he's seen in his life. Oh, how you're fucking perfect for him. “The idea of being round and full of my child has you making a mess on my cock, baby.” Your husband points out while pistoning in and out of you at an uncontrollable speed. “Fuck, baby, you're so wet. Fuck, I'm gonna cum soon.”

Resting your forehead against his, you blissfully order, “Cum inside me, Coryo. Knock me up.”

And that was all Coryo needed to hear to release his pent up please. His balls tensed as he bucked up deep inside of your cunt, only to unleash rope after rope of his cum. You hold on to his shoulders as he empties his balls inside of you; painting your room white with his thick, hot seed.

And when he's spent, he finds your lips with his for a glowing, lazy kiss.

“I promise, after tomorrow things’ll change for us.” The platinum blonde declares while pulling you to lay down in the bed with him; covering the two of you up with a thin duvet. “Our kid’s not going to grow up like we did- poor without their parents.” Coryo softly strokes your back, mindful of the still healing wounds amongst the freshly raised scars. Of which he's partially responsible for. Pressing a kiss to your hair, he says, “They're going to grow up as proud Capitol citizens with both its parents. With an Elite Officer for a father and a loving, caring mother.”

“But they'll still be born in the Districts, Coryo.” You remind your husband.

“At the hospital on the PK Base, which is Capitol sanctioned grounds.” Coriolanus counters. Pressing a hand to your flat stomach, he confesses, “I can't wait to watch you grow our child.”

“Coryo, we don't even know if I'm pregnant yet. We haven't been married for too long.”

“Oh, I know you're pregnant.”

“You do, don't you?”

“Mhm…” Your husband hums. “Father's intuition.”

“I thought it was mother's intuition?” You ask, brows slightly raised.

“No.” Your husband shakes his head. A small smile graces his face. “It's father's intuition and I just happen to have it.”

Coriolanus didn't have father's intuition. What he had was a penchant for survival; for rising to the top no matter what. And he’s determined to get his beautiful wife pregnant and to move the two of you as far away from 8 as possible. He's sure as hell that having a child with you will cement his claim on whatever inheritance that Capitol owes you. By being both the husband and the father of your child, the Capitol has to grant him whatever money or property the late Halvirs had in probate to him. Also, Coriolanus is positive that he'll pass his officer's exam; that you'll be heading to District 2 for his Elite Officer's training sometime after the New Year.

One thing Coriolanus Snow knows well is how to stay afloat, how to survive impossible odds. And he's determined to win again, but with you by his side.

Tags: @kuroosbby001 @purriteen @poppyflower-22 @meetmeatyourworst @whipwhoops @bxtchopolis @readingthingsonhere @savagenctzen @ryswritingrecord @erikasurfer @tulips2715 @universal-s1ut @thesmutconnoisseur @squidscottjeans @sudek4l @wearemadeofstardust0 @mashiromochi @belcalis9503 @shari-berri @aoi-targaryen @whiteoakoak @spear-bearing-bi-witch @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons @qoopeeya @mfnqueen1 @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @v-love @swiftieblyth @joyfulyouthlover @princess-harvey @chxrrybomb22 @marvel-hiddles-stark @xjinnix @devils-blackrose @zombicupcake3 @jacesvelaryons @tempt-ress

[gyundo]

“A Meeting I’ll Never Forget”

Lee Jeno (Jeno) x Male Reader!!

SMUT! Interact at your own risk!

Plot: Two princes meet fatefully, and fit each other like a long-lost lock and key

Prince L/N Y/N was the oldest son of the king of Escrow. The Escrowian empire had started with the prince’s great-grandfather, who had risen to power as a mercenary that had fallen out of favor of another kingdom and had come to Escrow to establish his own empire.

Y/N, on the other hand, had no desire to rule over his kingdom. He was obviously going to accept his position as his father’s heir, but the duties didn’t particularly strike him as interesting. Y/N always had a preference for tasks such as cooking, baking, and the arts, such as singing and dancing, which earned him many scoldings from his parents.

Y/N’s parents cursed him on many occasions, explaining to him that his preferences were that of commoners, but it fell on deaf ears. Y/N continued to do as he pleased, and he never attended his swordsmanship lessons or any physical training. This, for a prince, Y/N was quite weak. Although, thanks to the nagging of his father, Y/N was stronger than the average person and did have some minor muscle definition.

As young people often do, Y/N neglected his responsibilities, and for a royal, this was intolerable. As Y/N’s father received an invitation for a meeting, he realized this was the perfect opportunity to put his son in order.

“You will be escorted by my personal order to the Kingdom of Travania in order to attend the meeting on the 25th of this month, Y/N” the King spoke with confidence in his throne room.

“B-but that’s so boring father, why should I sit in a carriage for 5 days with no proper food to go meet some random crusty king in a faraway kingdom?” Y/N complained, in a typical young adult fashion.

“King Jeno is an extremely influential man in his area. You mustn’t forget that your grandfather was from Travania himself. It is in our best interests to make relations favorable between our empire and his kingdom, if we wish to avoid any wars for hundreds of years.” the emperor promptly replied.

“B-but father, I don’t wanna go—,” Y/N whined.

“That’s enough out of you. Remember I’m not just your father but the emperor as well. You will go meet King Jeno. Do whatever it takes to curry favor with him,” the emperor bellowed.

Y/N stomped out of the throne room and ordered his servants to pack his things and prepare the carriage. He knew he didn’t have a choice in the matter and before he knew it, he was sitting in the carriage and already left the capital.

Y/N was angry as to why he had to leave his fun in the palace to go meet a random King who was old and would have nothing to talk about with Y/N. Y/N figured that he would just offer some items that were made by the Escrowian Empire that were sure to pave the way for a trade deal. Y/N was even more frustrated that his father had sent him in his stead.

Little did Y/N know, King Jeno was nothing like what he imagined.

The envoy arrived after a long, treacherous journey that saw many bumpy roads, many forests, and many plains. Y/N was more exhausted than he could describe, and he was everything but jumping for joy when he saw the palace of Travania.

Y/N treaded gracefully, in awe of what he was seeing. Sure, his familial palace in Escrow was large, but the Travanian royal family's estate was lavish in another sense of the word, with large fountains adorned with figures of greek worship. Garlands of roses adorned the edge of the roof of the main palace, which stood so grand Y/N had to turn to be able to see it all. The garden was artfully carved and decorated, with each bush and tree pruned in a most detailed fashion.

Y/N realized that the days-long journey to Travania was worth it from the view itself. Remembering almost as an aside that there was a meeting for which he had came, Y/N walked further to the main gate of the palace.

There, a tall figure stood awaiting him. As Y/N drew closer, he observed the elegant rhinestones embedded in the crown of bearer. He paid attention to each stretch in the royal garment, which stuck to each individual muscle on the man's built body. The biceps, large to the point that the seam was stretched, the pecs, which filled out the top, and the pants, fully conforming to the large thighs made Y/N realize he was in the presence of a man truly fit to be king.

"You must be Prince Y/N of Escrow, your highness. I am King Jeno of Travania. It is with great pleasure I welcome you to our empire and our summit this afternoon," the man spoke with a great smile, reflected in the expression of his eyes.

"Your highness, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance and to be the recipient of such great hospitality. Our nations are sure to grow closer relations from this monumental event," Y/N spoke eloquently while shaking the hand of the other man.

Jeno, not blind to the way Y/N had previously stared him up and down, understood the situation very well. As a show of diplomacy, Jeno transitioned the handshake into a bodily embrace common between royalty of different nations to show closeness. From the viewpoint of others, this was completely normal.

The reality of the embrace was known only by Jeno and Y/N, from the way Jeno reached underneath the cape of Y/N and fondled his buttocks in a way not visible to any. He continued kneading the large protrusions of the prince as he increased his pressure.

Y/N, still in shock from the abruptness and how suddenly these developments had occurred, refrained from any immediate movements and let out a small moan that he thought was only audible to him.

Jeno, however, had also heard the moan and understood that his actions were received well. Letting go of the younger, King Jeno continued, "My attendants will give you a tour of Travanian royal palace while I prepare for our summit. They will lead to the room of our summit after the tour, so you shan't worry, Prince Y/N."

"I stromgly appreciate thy kindness and will sincerely revel in the beauties of your artful palace, King Jeno." Y/N gracefully responded.

The attendants continued to show Y/N around the various areas of the palace, which included hanging gardens, exotic flora collections, the royal bathing chamber, the surrounding farms, and the servant quarters that seemed better than the prince's own bedroom. An hour had elapsed before the head attendant spoke, "King Jeno has finished prepared for your meeting. He awaits you inside these doors and has requested that you enter alone. It has been a pleasure giving you a tour, my liege."

Y/N gave a show of his appreciation and opened the grandiose doors that seemed like that of a bedchamber. He stepped inside quietly, closing the door behind him and expecting to see a large round table with artisan-crafted chairs. Instead, he was met with a large, silk sheet draped over a large mattress, lush purple velvet curtains, and most striking of all, King Jeno dressed in a red robe that unveiled his extremely muscular upper body, with a significant bulge in the clothing covering his private area.

"Ah, I see that you've arrived. We can start discussing matters of interest to us once you take a seat here, my prince," Jeno spoke lustfully.

Y/N, absolutely shocked, but being the honest man he was exclaimed,"Never have I seen such a meeting, but I am more than happy to take you up on your offer, my King."

Jeno looked pleased as Y/N sat down on the bed, embracing him the moment he did. Y/N felt the warmth of Jeno's muscular body on his own, while sensing great pressure from his large muscles in his upper body and his bulge that was separated from Y/N's only by cloth.

The king moved his lips closer to that of Y/N's, looking at his with concupiscent eyes that asked for permission. Y/N, without words, gave his approval by moving his face only slightly forward, to which Jeno responded by firmly crashing their lips together, pushing Y/N down onto the sheet, and rubbing his hands under Y/N's tunic.

Y/N reveled in the pleasure of Jeno's masterful techniques that mingled their tongues together with sounds that could only be interpreted as sinful. Their lips met again and again, with short breaks for air, only to be crashed together as violently as when they first met. Suckling sounds and shared strands of saliva spoke to the passion between the two men as their mouths melted in the pleasure of each other.

Jeno pulled away as Y/N motioned, "Hurry, my King, I feel urges and a steady heat rising in my body. Only you can help me."

With a sly smirk, Jeno replied,"Anything for my guest, my prince," while peeling off Y/N's clothes as he went in to resume their lip lock.

Moments later, a fully naked Y/N was below Jeno, still in his robe, with their legs intertwined and lips connected as the younger felt Jeno's arm around his back and his waist. The two continued making out and enjoying the pangs of pleasure released by the meeting between their lips.

"It's time to discuss the foundations for an alliance," Jeno joked while unbuckling the belt holding his robe on. Y/N looked with nothing but desire at Jeno's large pecs, his well-defined abs, his sculpted shoulders, and his large, perfect dick that was fit for a king. Jeno's cock stood proudly in front of Y/N, with veins and a deep red tip that Y/N wanted to break him. The sheer thickness of his cock made Y/N want to take Jeno forever, who would stretch Y/N and surely leave him crying for mercy.

Jeno understood the desires of the younger well, and not being able to control his own, Jeno flipped over Y/N onto his stomach.

Tapping his cock against Y/N's hole, Jeno heard moans of impatience as he began to slap the prince's hole with a thud that spoke to the weight of his penis. His eight inch cock was sure to break in Y/N quite nicely and leave him unable to live without Jeno forever. This experience would give Y/N such a pleasured pain it would unlock new levels of lust in his brain.

"I see you are well-prepared for this new connection between our nations," Jeno spoke as he observed wetness at the Y/N's opening, speaking volumes to the younger's insatiable appetite.

Jeno, unable to control himself any further, roughly plunged his cock into the deep, moist entrance of Y/N's ass, as the younger let out an audible yelp. The corners of his hole began to slightly bleed to accomdate the first-time stretch.

Overwhelmed from the sudden introduction of seven inches, the thickness of the pole inside him, the pain of his hole ripping slighlty, and the new feeling of being filled, Y/N let out large tears that stained the white sheet below him. Jeno, being the diplomat he was, moved his face closer to Y/N's, cooing at him before encapsulating his lips once again.

The pleasure of the kissing distracted Y/N as the radiating pain from his lower body retreated and only a feeling of fullness remained. Jeno experimented with a small thrust, resulting in an audible moan Jeno heard through their connected mouths. He proceeded to pummel his thick rod into Y/N at a faster pace, enjoying the squeals of the former virgin who felt a constant pressure on his prostate and inside all areas of his passage.

Jeno continued further with a rough animalistic pounding that elicited the arching of Prince Y/N's back and moved him back and forth across the bed with each powerful thrust.

The feeling of the all encapsulating walls of Y/N hugging and squeezing Jeno's cock was emphasized through the various groans the older let out. Y/N was addicted to the pleasure of having his walls filled and stretched out fully, as well as the warmth of the large veiny cock inside him that sent waves of pleasure each time Y/N's prostate was brushed by.

Jeno's thrusts grew more greedy as he became less gentle, eliciting almost musical moans from Y/N, that sounded like he was asking for more. HIs manhood stretched out Y/N's hole fully and gave him a good dicking down that showed a king's true power.

The hilt of Jeno's thick cock smacked Y/N's rim with indescribably pleasureful force that Y/N's eyes could do nothing but roll back. The thought of a large, muscular man, such as Jeno, pounding him with a large cock that fit inside him like a key and satisfied the itch of emptiness inside him that arose earlier in the day led Y/N to a seventh heaven he knew he would have to reach again and again.

"Enjoying my large cock squelching in your boyhole, my prince? Petite little princes like you are designed perfectly for taking a large kingly dick that is far too large for any woman. I'll have you bouncing on my cock and asking for mercy through your moans like this for as long as the two of us live. I'll pound you to the point that you become mine and only mine, my cock is what you'll need to live every single day," Jeno proudly whispered.

The wet sounds of Jeno's large cock infiltrating Y/N's passage, along with their skin slapping together, filled the room with auras of sin and desire.

"UHHH, YESSS, fuck me as rough as you can, your highness. I can't get enough of your large dick, my king, I'm so glad you decided to take me and make me yours, that is exactly what I deserve to be, your cocksleeve and whore," Y/N responded with nothing but pleasure filling his head.

The sounds of sex became more unholy as Jeno's large cock released pre-cum that further lubricated Y/N's walls and increased the squelching, making both more horny as Jeno continued to wreck Y/N's hole mercilessly.

Jeno's golf-ball sized testicles slapped Y/N hard with each thrust, reminding Y/N what a true man's dominance was and felt like inside a bratty boy like him. Y/N wanted nothing more than to succumb to and embrace the fact that he was being manhandled by a true man whom he could never compete with. All he wanted was to be done again and again by Jeno's large cock, be subservient to his desires, be creamed and de-masculinated, and to have his slutty whoreish bussy pummeled like it was asking to be.

Y/N's hole began to slowly comform to Jeno's cock and grow used to it as the thrusts increased, sticking to his massive dick and not letting go of each vein as he pulled out prior to each thrust. Y/N's hole was basically becoming like a real pussy that bulged outwards almost like a flower blooming and reflected each action of Jeno's merciless cock.

Jeno bulged Y/N's stomach with each thrust, rearranging his organs in the process and growing his desire to breed the prince with copious amounts of cum deposited in his hole. Jeno continued to ravage and do Y/N with the sheer girth of his cock that entered Y/N's asshole like a lock fitting in a key. Y/N's prostate was being abused greatly with each rubbing of Jeno's cock's veins against it, resulting in waves of pleasure clouding the minds of both.

Jeno lost control and felt his climax nearing as he pulled out to his glans and pushed over six inches back all in one go for his last thrust, that pushed Y/N over the edge and led to his orgasm while Jeno released multiple spurts of thick cum into Y/N's passage, as a sort of signature on the documentation of their alliance. Jeno continued to push his cock further inside Y/N's hole as each spurt hit Y/N's walls more forcefully, overstimulating the younger. Y/N tiny hole remained stretched well by Jeno's fat cock inside of him that the prince begged to let remain inside.

Jeno reveled in his training of the younger prince and being the one pound and cream his greedy boypussy for the first time, knowing that peace between the kingdoms was secured for all eternity.

"This is a meeting I'll never forget," Y/N sighed with satisfaction while staring at Jeno.

[munariplans]

cold | natasha romanoff

synopsis: AU to the spidey!reader and natasha series, wherein a bad argument leads to unsaid misunderstandings and forever guilt between natasha and her love, just before christmas.

natasha romanoff x spidey! reader

word count: 2.2k words

warnings: major character death

a/n: i have to emphasise that this is an AU for these two once more, or i fear i may not make it out alive for christmas from your wraths as well...

masterlist

cold had been the one word you would describe the look in her eyes, as she told you to get out. to get out, if it made you happier going out on that stupid mission than spending time at home with your family. that stupid mission that no one could deny was not only dangerous, but life-threatening. but you were confident in your abilities. you knew that if anyone could survive it, you could. you also knew that bringing the stolen artefact home could add a nice year-end bonus that would chip in heavily to the new play room that was being built for your son. 

you didn’t mention any of that to natasha, of course. she was already enraged enough as it is, standing by the christmas tree the three of you had decorated together. your son was a greater help than you, she would say, as you carried him on your shoulders and allowed him to choose where he wanted to hang the ornaments beside natasha. you remembered those moments fondly. 

“get out then,” she bit harshly, “get out on that stupid, godforsaken mission if you have to. i could care less about trying to convince you otherwise anymore. it seems that whatever i say these days doesn’t even matter.”

“nat, of course what you say matters.”

“you don’t love me enough to have it matter.”

“how can you–”

but she had put up a hand to stop you. it was enough. she had sighed deeply, and began walking back to the bedroom. it was late, and your son had a preschool play the next day. natasha needed to get up early to put his costume together for him. 

you didn’t see a point fighting her. maybe you should have. maybe you should have gone up to her, wrapped your arms around her, and told her just how sorry you were. that you weren’t going on the mission anymore, because it would be going against her wishes, and you loved her too much to disrespect her like that. maybe things would’ve been different then. 

what you did instead, was sigh irritatedly as well, and began packing up for the mission. getting dressed in your spider suit underneath plain clothing, you slipped your mask into one of the pockets on your jacket. the pendant with natasha’s photo inside of it hung snugly on your neck; your good luck charms. 

natasha watched you enter the bedroom, equipping your web shooters and packing the last of your things. she didn’t say anything. when you were finished and shot one last longing glance to her, she clenched her jaw and looked away. she didn’t want to be the one to give in first. she wished she had. she wished she had just put her ego down, and hugged and kissed you goodbye. it would have alleviated so much of the regret, and sorrow, that she was feeling right now. 

you nodded understandingly, swallowing a particularly difficult breath. coming a little closer, you noticed natasha not flinching when you moved. so you took the chance to kiss her on the cheek, and murmur i’ll be home soon in her ear. she gave a nonchalant grunt and drew the covers over her face. 

but natasha still cared. she cared so much that it hurt; it was inane for her, just caring for you. and so when you left the bedroom and made your way across the hall to your son’s room, she followed.

she watched by the door as you woke him up gently, leaning down to smile at him as he sleepily reached out for your voice in the dark. you held his hand, calling him your little warrior, and then, you leaned down and whispered, just enough for natasha to barely make out, “take care of your mama for me while i’m gone, okay? just like we talked about, my warrior.”

his hands imitated your own when you shot your web shooters; the spider pose, he would say, as you chuckled. you kissed him gently on the forehead then, and tucked him back in. 

“when will you be back?” he asked, eyes wide as he saw your mission supplies. 

you smiled sadly at him. “just in time for christmas, i promise.”

“pinky promise?” he let out his pinky, you interlaced it with yours, nodding. 

natasha disappeared back into the room before you could see her, her own eyes red and brimming with tears. she heard the click of the front door a few seconds later. she wished she had never allowed you to leave that night. 

– 

it had been a mistake; a miscalculation on your part, which led to a mistake with even graver consequences than you had realised. you had slipped in the wet snow running from the enemies, allowing them to catch up with you. just enough for a clear shot.

the first few seconds after the initial gunshot felt broken, silent in the freezing air of the night. your breath was still ragged, desperate to flee, and your reflexes had been working perfectly fine. then came the second, and the third, and you knew something had gone very, very wrong. 

you let go of the artefact, and zipped away out of sight. 

ending up at a rooftop just near the park, you could hear the confused shouts and demands for the enemies to find you. but you knew, that while you were not safe up there, you were hidden. stumbling as you landed, you scrambled to feel just where you had been shot, and why the bullets weren’t deflected from your near-bulletproof suit. you cursed when you felt that they had been designed to mimic the density of arrows instead. 

“oh my god,” you hadn’t realised just how much blood was pouring out of you. you reached out for the wall beside you, but soon enough, standing proved to be too arduous of a task, as you crippled to your knees. your hands drawn back were doused in blood, and you finally felt just how piercing the wounds were, exposed to the cold.

you lay on your back. rolling over onto your back was all you could manage. the lightheadedness was coming quickly; you were so cold, everything hurt. you had tried pressing your hands against the wounds, but even more hot blood coated them while doing so. under the moonlight, the blood appeared thick and black, almost like molasses. 

the crippling fear that you were going to bleed out before anyone could find you began to set in. and through your short, panicked, breaths, you felt something slip out of your pocket. the blood had made the grip in your suit slippery enough to allow your phone to slip. 

there, the wallpaper of natasha and your son shone bright against the dark backdrop of the night. you shut your eyes, summoning the last of your strength to grip it and bring it closer to you. your fingers slipped as they pressed down on natasha’s number from muscle memory. your vision had gone blurry by the time you managed to press the phone against your ear. 

the tone rang once, twice, then, “hello?”

her voice was always sweet like honey. the thought of bleeding out before you could hear that voice for another day would have filled you with the rage of dying, but you had no energy for it any longer. you were so very, very tired. and so very, very cold. 

“hi, my love.”

natasha moved the phone to her other ear. you rarely called her during missions; you had always feared for her safety. there was the soft pitter patter of rain in the background of where you were. natasha didn’t know that in the rain, the water and blood was slowly filling up your lungs. 

“what’s wrong?” you hated how she knew there was something amiss. her voice already carried an air of concern.

you cleared your throat. “nothing. i just needed to hear your voice…how have you been?”

“it’s only been a week, baby. nothing much has changed since you left.” natasha would regret uttering those words just a few minutes later.

you smiled. “t-that’s good. how was our boy’s play? d-did he outshine the others, like i said?”

“he did, he was easily the best one there,” natasha cooed, her other hand ruffling your son’s hair as he played with his toys while waiting for natasha to complete mission reports in the compound. “he misses you so much.” 

“tell him–” the line crackled as the rain beat down harder on you, “–please tell him–that–that i miss him too.”

the troubled feeling in natasha’s gut only grew bigger. “i will. baby, is everything okay over there? is the mission…okay?”

you drew a ragged breath that natasha didn’t miss. “yeah, yeah of course. mission’s perfectly fine. like i said…i just wanted to hear your voice.”

there was a beat of silence, as natasha held her tongue and you hoped she wouldn’t detect the fading in your voice. it hurt to breathe by then. 

“nat?”

“yes?” she responded immediately. 

“i’m sorry, nat. for going on this mission. for going against your wishes. i’m sorry–” the line crackled, “–that i made you feel small, or your opinions unvalued. you know that…you know that your opinions always matter to me. and–” 

you had drawn up a cough, wet and bloody. “–and i’m sorry for all the times i never made you feel as loved as i should have. i’m sorry for not loving you enough, as you told me. i regret everything about that argument we had, you know. i love you so much, i don’t think i could fathom…the idea of losing you.”

“it’s alright, baby, it’s really alright,” natasha had moved from her office to the main comms room, paging for an emergency meeting, “i forgive you. and i said some nasty things i didn’t mean too. i hope you forgive me as well, and we can move past it, together. i love you too, you know.”

“yeah, i do,” your eyelids were drooping, “thank you.”

natasha could hear the footsteps of the others by then. “baby, are you sure everything is alright? should i call for help? where are you?”

“no, no,” you begged, “please, i’m alright. just stay on the line with me, please.”

“i’m not hanging up.”

you let out another bloodied cough. this time, it was hard to deny that natasha couldn’t hear it, because it had launched you into an even worse state, your suit beginning to grow heavy on your bones from the water and blood. there was no hope by then. 

“nat?”

“yes, sweetheart.”

“it’s just me and you here, right?” you looked up to the moon, wondering if it was the same one she was staring at right now.

natasha shut her eyes in pain, gripping the table before her. fury’s hand wrapped over hers, as the team gathered around her. they had already begun tracing your call, and the avengers were suiting up. “...just me and you.”

you were wincing between every word, “the drawer below where you keep your winter coats. our son’s christmas present…and yours. i–don’t think–i can make it home for christmas on time. will you help me break the news…to him? i’m sorry.”

natasha let the tears run freely then. they had found you. and she had seen just the state you were in. “baby, please. why are you–”

“–please?” natasha shook her head. this cannot be happening. “nat, please?”

“okay, okay,” she reluctantly agreed. whatever to keep you awake. “in exchange, can you…can you hold on for a little while longer? i’m coming, baby.”

you let out a soft exhale as you smiled. “i love you nat. i always have, and i always will.”

“i love you too. so please, can you–”

“–do me a favour, nat. don’t. don’t try. just please…please stop crying for me?”

she had wanted to scream. she had wanted to scream, to find you and shake you so hard that you would wake up and realise that you were killing her just by dying too, and that she had wanted to slap you so hard for even daring to ask her not to cry. but she also wanted to hold you, to hug you and kiss you, and have the opportunity of feeling your touch once more before she said goodbye. she didn’t want this to be the way it all ended. 

she didn’t know how she was going to survive without you. her blood was running cold and she was pacing back and forth in anxiety. the team didn’t dare interfere with how she was dealing with the impending loss of her wife.

your voice was drifting further and further away. you were dying. 

“i have to go now, nat. please forgive me. please forgive me. and please kiss our son goodnight before bed tonight for me. thank you for everything.”

the phone dropped, and natasha’s world stopped. her son would not only know that you weren’t coming home for christmas, but you weren’t coming home at all. and she would know that had she just convinced you a little better, loved you a little harder, you wouldn’t have gone on the mission. and she would still have you by her side for christmas. 

cold had been the body they found right outside yours and natasha's shared apartment. cold had been natasha’s heart the moment she saw you again, the life in your eyes gone and the guilt in her heart needling itself into grief. 

[reddeaddamnation]

Your future life with the Hogwarts Legacy folks:

Sebastian Sallow

Hogsmeade was magical during Yule. Lights and decorated trees, pretty ornaments hung around the houses and the carols sung all around the village. The snow covered streets brought out a cozy feeling that just made you want to hide in the Three Broomsticks with a warm cup of cocoa or a mug of butterbeer next to the fireplace. Thankfully, you didn't have to think about work these days and you could enjoy a holiday with your husband.

Sirona's smiling face greeted you at the entrance. She hadn't aged at all since you were students. "Well if it isn't mr. and mrs. Sallow." She teased. Contrary to what everyone believed, Sebastian had chose to folllw in his family's footsteps and became an auror, who turned his back on the dark arts and instead opted to fight them. Ominis joked that even though you endorsed him all those years, you became the good influence and prompted a change in him after your wedding.

You, yourself had become a professor in Defense against the dark arts at Hogwarts after professor Hecate's retirement. "Oh, stop the formalities, Sirona, its Y/N and Sebastian." You laughed. "I will always remember the times when you were always getting into trouble." Sirona joked "Look at you now. All grown up. What can I get you?" You made your orders and sat at the table next to the fireplace, enjoying its warmth.

"I don't know when was the last time I told you this but I'll remind you. You're the best thing that happened to me. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I would be right now." Sebastian looked at you with adoring eyes, a smile on his lips. "Azkaban?" You joked. After sharing a small laugh, he continued. "But...really. You made me a better person, professor Sallow." He smirked. "I'm glad to hear it, chief auror Sallow."

Ominis Gaunt

The ministry was dull and boring as ever. Everyone was so busy and...corporate... You sat at your desk, twiddling around a feather in your hand, wondering what to do, since your work was finished half an hour ago. Wondering if your husband was as workless as you were, you decided to go and check for yourself.

The corridor seemed endless. After finally seeing the door with his name on it, you knocked softly, waiting for an answer. "Minister Gaunt, you have a visitor." You teased him, upon entering. He shot you a welcoming smile, before going back to the papers in front of him. You took a moment to admire him. You always knew he would make it big, despite his disability. He was smart and adaptive. Nothing could stop him from achieving his dreams and you were so proud of him.

You couldn't help but walk over to him and hug him from behind his chair, nuzzling into his neck. "Darling, I have work to do." Ominis kissed your cheek sweetly "I promise, I will not let you go but when we go home." Feeling you pout, he sighed and contemplated for a moment. "My love..." he tried to speak, but you only hugged him stronger. "Just five minutes, Omi, I promise. I'm bored out of my mind." Snaking your body to the front of the chair, you sat on his lap, making him blush. "Ah... Y/N, you do whatever you want with me." Chuckling under his breath, he kissed you passionately, meanwhile casting a spell to lock the door.

Garreth Weasley

An explosion erupted from within your husband's potions shop, making you sigh. No surprise, with all the experiments he was doing and new concoctions he attempted to brew. You walked inside just in time to see Garreth, covered in soot and liquid, frantically trying to clean up the mess he had made.

"Too high temperature?" You asked, smirking. He looked you and scoffed at your amused face. This wasn't the first time you saw him covered in the mess he created. It was even too many to count. So many it didn't make you burst out laughing anymore. Despite that, he had made himself the name of the best potioneer in England with a successful potions shop and even published a book with his own recipes for potions. So to create said new potions, he had to go through trial and error multiple times a day.

"Too many troll boggeys." He answered, eyeing you up and down to find something to get back at you with "And you? A niffler caught your foot?" He pointed at the noticable missing piece of fabric of pants on your lower leg. You on the other hand, pursued your dreams of taking care of beasts to keep the wild populations stable. "Ah, kneezles get too playful sometimes. I think she believed my leg was a toy tree she could climb on." You waved your hand, dismissing concerns "What were you brewing this time?" Garreth sighed, motioning to the mess around his potion station.

"I attempted to create a potion, which could help the user breathe underwater." He explained "Not turn the user into a newt!" Ignoring your laugh, Garreth waved his wand, putting everything was back into place, clean and tidy "So after failed attempt number one, this is the result of attempt number two." He never failed to put a smile on your face though. "Don't worry, love, I'm sure you will get it next time." You reassured, moving closer to him for a hug, but stopped, remembering his... state right now.

Garreth rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahh...let's leave that for later, alright?" He chuckled.

Amit Thakkar

"I found it!" Amit exclaimed, excitedly shifting in his place, barely able to stop himself from jumping. His voice was quivering from the excitement of his discovery. He had been searching every night for some legendary constellation, appearing only once every few hundred years, or that was what the ancient scriptures that lead him on his search said. After realizing the time of appearance was soon, he spent night after night for a whole week staring up at the sky with his telescope with you to keep him company.

"Look!" He gave you the telescope to see for youself and lo and behold, he was right. A constellation you had never seen before right in front of your eyes. The stars glimmered together in the formation of a figure of a sphinx with two heads - a man's and a snake behind it. It sent shivers down your spine.

"Thank you for supporting me in this, my love." He hugged you so tightly and lovingly "Everyone else thought I was crazy!" You giggled "I knew you could do it. You're the best astrologer of our time." You pecked his lips with a smile, making him blush "Ah, you don't have to inflate my ego." He chuckled shyly and averted his gaze. "That's why I married you, Y/N. You believe in me."

[princesssmars]

hazel falling in love with her childhood family friend is rotting my brain actually.

wc : 1383

sfw and slight nsfw? fem reader. thanking emma and rachel for making hazel rich because i love writing rich people stuff. i’d say maybe a good mix of cocky!hazel and loser!hazel because i love both so bad.

so for the first six years of her life she spends her winter holidays at a beautiful chalet in aspen with her parents, spending the days having snowball fights with her dad and falling asleep by the fireplace with her mom.

just like. she's rich, and her mom seems like one of thos wealthy women who loves to go on vacation to show off her perfect life and her perfect friends, so she or her husband definitely had a vacation house they'd visit every year.

when she turns seven they finally let her start skiing on the bunny slope, figuring it’s better than the little evil genius thing she does with the pots and the tiny snowmen. for a little kid she's pretty good at the sport already, if not taking the pizza and french fry tip a little too seriously.

about an hour in though, she's taking her umpteenth trip down the hill when a four foot mass slams into her right side, going at way above whatever speed limit was allowed in this area. she's lying flat on the ground, her right arm aching and her hound pounding and she's about ten seconds from crying when she looks over to see you, face planted in the snow and your shoulders shaking as you laugh like you're insane.

both sets of your parents rush over to make sure that the both of you are ok, and after you manage to calm down a bit and give hazel a very formal sounding apology that your mom whispered in your ear, you ask hazel if she can help you learn to control your speed on the slopes.

so after an hour of driving her crazy as she tries to teach you how to control your speed, your moms sit at a table watching over the both of you while sipping on their drinks and becoming fast friends.

ever since then, each winter was spent together. whether it was spending time in the snow, (hazel continued to excel at skiing, eventually giving up on trying to teach you), sharing stories of your normal lives over cups of cocoa at the cafe in the ski lodge, and helping each other decorate your christmas trees that you both had to beg your parents to buy.

whenever she went back home the days following new years, she’d count the days until she could see you again. to compensate for the time apart your parents let you send a horde of letters and e-mails to each other, letting the two of you share long phone calls on their phones when you were still to young to have your own.

hazels secret favorite hobby became photography. you couldn’t go twenty minutes without her shoving her polaroid camera in your face. she’ll tell you it’s because she’s using the vacation time to explore and try new things, and not that she constantly looks back over the photos of you with a big smile and a flush to her face.

(she also won’t mention that she’s addicted to the feeling she gets when pj and josie come over to her house and pj goes ona ten minute rant about how impossible it is that a girl that pretty could spend time with hazel without being insane. she ignores the insult because she’s hung up on the fact oh called you pretty.)

now i think hazel was pretty much always aware of the fact that she liked girls, if not because she realized that being obsessed with a certain scene from cruel intentions and always volunteering to play the husband when one of her friends wanted to play house on the playground was, in fact, not straight.

but at this point she’s maybe fifteen, she’s starting to grow into her looks and she’s definitely not ready to admit she might has a crush on you. at this point you both have had your own phones for a while, and she couldn’t even count the amount of times she had fallen asleep with you over facetime.

over the course of that year she often found herself wondering what your sexuality was. dumb ass stereotypes had her believing there was no way you, pretty and popular and preppy you could possibly be gay. and if you were a lesbian there was no chance that you'd like her back.

it was just made all the more confusing when once she had complained about how she hadn't had a girlfriend, let alone a first kiss yet and she was nearly halfway through high school with no experience for the hundredth time that you told her you had a solution for her on your next shared trip.

so you can imagine her shock when three days after landing in aspen you pull her into your room in your lodge and sit her on your bed before telling her you knew the perfect way to get more experience was to experiment with you.

"your first few times kissing and stuff can be pretty awkward, so why not just do it with me? i can show you the ropes and stuff.”

now on the outside she seemed normal, agreeing with an easy smile on her face, but on the inside her brain was playing the loudest tornado siren known to man.

it starts tame, the first few days consisting of you just telling her about your past experiences with girls and how to take it slow and everything. she knows its important but it honestly feels like torture. every time you talk to her she's wondering about what you'll do to start the physical lesson, if you'll set her down on her plush bed and softly touch her, or if you'll finally get fed up with the waiting like she is and press her and take her against a wall.

if you had known you would have prepared, but hazel was a freak in disguise and had decided that she was ready to take things into her own hands. you had invited her to sleep over at yours and drink hot cocoa while watching christmas movies and she had accepted in a heartbeat. what she didn't expect was for you to be wearing really cute pajamas, your legs covered in little hello kitty's and christmas trees with a plain red top and geez she could see you weren't wearing a bra.

hazel was a ticking time bomb, and when the two of you were sitting on the couch and she watched the reds and whites and golds dance across your face and you looked ovver at her with a 'what's wrong, hazie?' she exploded, smushing her lips onto yours in a mess of limbs and teeth.

she can feel your giggles in her mouth as she presses you down into the plush of the couch, her excited hands gripping your cheeks before brushing over your chest and gripping your waist, grinding her hips into yours and groaning when your giggle turned into high pitched moans.

it feels like she kisses you for hours before you reluctantly stop, your hands going to press into her shoulders when her head follows yours to resume making out. "hazel, as much as i'm enjoying this we were supposed to be taking this slowly. since when did you know how to...do that?"

"i dont know i just," she sighs as she tries to catch her breath, starting to get embarrassed about what a virginal mess she must look and be acting like. but you seem to like it, so she starts to not care all that much. "i just really want you. i wanna do everything with you."

you smile and hold her cheek in your hand, her eyes fluttering shut at your touch. you look at the gentle expression on her face, the slowing of her breath, and how her hips still occasionally stutter downward looking for yours, and you cant find it in your heart to deny her. you never really could.

"ok, hazie. we can do whatever you want-"

you're cut off before you can finish, the girl quickly rejoining your lips together and groping at your body once again.

when she gets back from vacation, hazel is less single, less unexperienced, and more than ready to throw this in pj's face.

i kinda lost inspo for this can you tell :,(((( but i thought the idea was cute so take this thing. bye.

[inkspiredwriting]

Tipsy Time Travelers

Five Hargreeves x Fem!reader

Warnings: Drinking

Luther’s wedding was the event of the year. After all the chaos and near-apocalypses the Hargreeves siblings had endured, a celebration was long overdue. The venue was a beautifully decorated garden, fairy lights twinkling in the trees, and a live band playing softly in the background. Everyone was in high spirits, none more so than Number Five and his best friend, Y/N.

As the night wore on, the champagne flowed freely, and Five, despite his usual self-control, found himself with a glass perpetually in hand, thanks to a very enthusiastic Y/N. She was determined to see him let loose for once.

“Come on, Five,” Y/N giggled, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “You’ve got to admit, this is fun!”

Five, who had initially resisted the idea of getting drunk, was now swaying slightly and grinning like an idiot. “Okay, okay, it is pretty fun,” he admitted, taking another sip from his glass.

The two of them were sitting at a table near the dance floor, watching the newlyweds, Luther and Sloane, dance together. The sight of his usually stoic brother so happy made Five’s heart swell, and the champagne made it swell even more.

“Hey, Y/N,” Five said, leaning closer. “Wanna know a secret?”

Y/N eyes lit up. “Always.”

Five glanced around conspiratorially, then whispered loudly, “I can time travel.”

Y/N burst out laughing. “I know, silly. You’ve told me a hundred times.”

Five frowned, as if this was news to him. “Oh, right. Well, did I ever tell you about the time I got stuck in the apocalypse?”

“Yep, that too,” Y/N replied, still giggling.

“Damn, I need new material,” Five muttered, looking genuinely concerned.

Just then, Klaus sauntered over, a wide grin on his face. “Hey, lovebirds, how’s it going?”

“We’re not lovebirds,” Five and Y/N said in unison, then laughed at the coincidence.

“Whatever you say,” Klaus winked. “But seriously, it’s good to see you both having fun. Want to dance?”

Five raised an eyebrow. “I don’t dance.”

Y/N stood up, wobbling slightly but grabbing Five’s hand. “Well, you’re going to tonight! Come on!”

Before he could protest, Y/N dragged him onto the dance floor. The band had started playing a lively tune, and Y/N immediately began to twirl and sway with reckless abandon. Five, on the other hand, stood awkwardly, unsure of what to do with his hands.

“Just follow my lead,” Y/N said, grabbing his arms and moving them in time with the music.

Five, much to his surprise, found himself relaxing. The alcohol had dulled his usual self-consciousness, and Y/N infectious enthusiasm was hard to resist. He started moving a bit, matching her steps, and soon they were both dancing wildly, laughing uncontrollably.

At some point, Diego joined them, showing off his surprisingly good dance moves, and even Viktor and Allison couldn’t resist getting in on the fun. The dance floor became a whirlwind of Hargreeves siblings and their friends, all celebrating together.

After a particularly enthusiastic spin, Five found himself face-to-face with Y/N, both of them panting and laughing.

“You’re a pretty good dancer, Five,” Y/N said, her eyes twinkling.

“Thanks,” Five replied, feeling a strange warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the alcohol. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

They stood there for a moment, caught up in the magic of the night, until Klaus’s voice cut through the music.

“Alright, everyone, let’s raise a glass to the happy couple!”

Everyone grabbed their drinks and gathered around Luther and Sloane. Five and Y/N stumbled back to their table, grabbing their glasses and raising them high.

“To Luther and Sloane!” Y/N cheered.

“To Luther and Sloane!” Five echoed.

As they clinked glasses and took a drink, Five couldn’t help but feel grateful. Grateful for his family, for this moment of peace and joy, and most of all, for Y/N. Even if he didn’t quite understand his feelings, he knew one thing for sure: he was happy. And that was enough for now.

The night ended with Y/N and Five sitting on the steps of the venue, watching the stars. Y/N leaned her head on Five’s shoulder, and he didn’t pull away.

“Thanks for tonight, Five,” Y/N murmured, her voice soft.

“Anytime,” Five replied, feeling a contentment he hadn’t known in a long time.

As they sat there, enjoying the quiet of the night and the warmth of each other’s company, Five realized that sometimes, the best moments in life were the simplest. And with Y/N by his side, he was ready to face whatever the future held.

[writinghotchner]

Wait I love girldad!hotch so much. Hotch x Reader where they have a baby girl? Since it's christmas maybe a cute family xmas moment with them and Jack?

god, i love girldad!hotch too 😭

fandom: criminal minds pairing: hotch x fem!reader rating: e warnings: none

this isnt as christmassy as i really wanted but this is where the story took me?? 🤷‍♀️ anyway, i hope you enjoy it! <3

it was relatively late when you finally dragged your tired feet through the front door of your home. later than you usually get home, anyway. 7 pm isn't usually late for most people, but you're usually home by 4, 4:30 at at the latest. a holiday party fiasco kept you later than normal and you could've snuck away sooner if it hadn't of been for your boss stalking and lurking his way through the building.

as you step inside and kick off you heels, you're immediately hit with two things. 1. something smells so good and, 2. your daughter has once again been possessed by the loudest screamiest demon to ever travel the dark realms.

you quickly shrug off your coat and drop your bag off at the door and make your way to the smells and noises. you travel down the small hallway, taking in the christmas decorations that adorn the walls, you trail by the big beautiful christmas tree thats fully lit and standing so tall in the living room, and then you finally round your way into kitchen where you see your husband with your nine month old daughter strapped to his chest, the carrier straps crisscrossed along his back giving it away. he's bouncing her as he speaks while stirring whatever it is he's making on the stove. you lean against the door frame with a smile listening to the cuteness in front of you.

your daughter's screaming has calmed down now, it's now just a hiccupping cry accompanied by little sniffles here and there. you see hotch use his spare hand to bring it up to cup the back of the little girls head.

"i know, baby, i miss her too, but she'll be home and we'll both be so happy, huh?" he steps away from the stove and starts swaying her, his hand never leaving the back of her head. he turns a little giving you access to her little face and you can then see her big beautiful brown eyes staring up at him and the worlds biggest frown on her face. even from this distance you can see her face is red from screaming and she still has globs of tears threatening to leave her eyes at any given moment.

"i'll put on a wig and one of mommy's shirts if it'll make you feel better," he says in his baby-talk voice. "i'll do whatever you want if you'll just stop giving me those big sad eyes."

you can't help but to chuckle at that. you step more into the kitchen to rest your elbows against the island counter directly behind him.

"what's goin' on in here?" you finally say and hotch spins around, his face cracking open with a smile.

"hey!" he laughs through his smile, "when did you get home?"

"just now." you tell him. you stand behind him and pop up on your toes to peer over his broad shoulder at your baby girl. she's nearly stopped crying at this point but the second her eyes land on you and she realizes who you are, she full on screams, the tears sitting in her eyes now free falling down her cheeks. her face scrunches up so much you wonder how it's even possible.

"oh, baby," you coo, moving to stand next to your husband as he helps you pull her out of the carrier. "what's the matter, huh? stuck at home with daddy all day got you the blues?"

hotch turns to glare at you for that. "we had a good time." he says turning back to the stove. "you know, until she started screaming at me."

you hold her close to your chest, your lips resting on the top of her soft head. she almost immediately calms, save for a few shuttering breaths. you sway her slowly, giving her a little squeeze of comfort.

"where's jack?" you ask, turning to look back into the living room to see if he was in there watching tv.

"he's probably in his room getting ready."

you blink a couple of times, your eyes drifting up to think about why jack would be getting ready to go somewhere. and then it hits you.

"oh, no, dave's is tonight?" you questioned, checking the time on the on the stove. dave had invited the entire bau gang + family to his house for christmas eve dinner, it had been in your planner since thanksgiving.

hotch turns to look at you. "yeah. is that a problem? we can cancel if-"

"no! no, it's okay. i just forgot. it's been a long tiring day." you sigh, a little mad at yourself for forgetting.

hotch opens the oven door and takes out a batch of what looks like sugar cookies. he uses his foot to close the door behind him as he sets the cookie tray down, and then he shuffles his socked feet over to you, quickly enveloping you and your daughter in a hug. he smiles at you lovingly before he kisses your lips and then kisses his daughter's head.

"i can take the kids if you want to stay here."

you shift the now sleeping baby to your left arm and use your right arm to pull him closer to you, reconnecting your lips.

"that's sweet. but i don't mind going, really. my social battery might be a little on the dead side, though." you kiss him again with a hum, chuckling softly when you taste the sugar cookies on his lips.

he smiles against you. "okay," he says, taking the baby out of your arms. "i'll take her, you go check on jack and then go get ready. everything in here is nearly done, and then all i have to do is get changed and put her in her christmas onesie." the little girl whines a little as shes moved but doesn't make much of an effort to wake up or cry. he sits her back in her carrier, her head lulling to his chest, her little lips smacking as she settles into him. you nearly cry at the sweetness of it all. especially the thought of the littlest hotchner in her green christmas tree onesie that penelope had gotten her before she was even born.

"she's fine, honey, get outta here." and with that, he lightly snaps a hand towel across your butt grinning.

you laugh and turn to leave the kitchen but not without throwing "keep that up, hotchner, and we won't leave this house," over your shoulder. and then you're gone.

"oooh, mommy's being mean to daddy, little one." hotch stage whispers. she doesn't move or even open her eyes. "oh, i see how it is. take her side, huh?"

[rollinouttahere-writes]

AS2L Intro

I finally got it done! The intro for this concept has come to fruition. Unlike Lucky Break, this won't be completely linear and will just kinda jump around to random events that I feel are worth writing.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy x Child Reader

5.5k words

Grown ups did a lot of things that you failed to understand the point of, and even more things that you found unpleasant. There were even some things that managed to be both. Namely, family reunions. You didn’t get why they needed to do this every year. You already saw them often enough since you all lived pretty close. So why do you have to spend a whole day with them at some park? It doesn’t even have a playground. Boring!

Small pebbles tumbled through the grass as you kicked them. At the moment, you were far away from everyone else, having had quite enough of your cousins’ teasing and hair pulling. Between not getting along with any of the people here that were your age, and the aforementioned lack of a playground, you were bored out of your mind. Possibly even dying of boredom. 

As you keep walking aimlessly, you notice a sign out of the corner of your eye. Having nothing better to do, you go over to inspect it. It reads “Horseshoe Trail” in big, bold letters. There’s a picture of what you assume is the trail itself beneath it. Much like the name implies, the trail is shaped like a horseshoe, going out and coming back to an exit not far from here. You look to your left and squint, and you’re pretty sure you can see where it lets out.

Maybe going for a walk in the woods would be fun? It had to be more exciting than kicking rocks all day. You hazard a glance back at the pavilion where your family is gathered. No one seems to be looking your way… This should be fine. You make up your mind quickly and hurry onto the trail before anyone can tell you not to. 

This will be fine. Besides, you’ll probably be back before anyone even notices you’re gone. The trail didn’t look that long in the picture.

The trail is a refreshing change of pace. You stare up in wonder at the tall trees on either side of the trail. Other plants and flowers decorate your surroundings, making for infinitely more interesting scenery than the bland grass of the main area your family was hanging out at. You don’t get why none of them thought to go walking through here. It makes you feel a little special to have discovered something new and exciting.

There’s a lot of noise in the woods. From the rustling of leaves as squirrels dart around, to birds singing, to insects chirping. It’s all enchanting to you. You hum happily as you wander down the path, not a care in the world. 

You’re walking for a while, a lot longer than you thought you would be. It starts to dawn on you that the trail was perhaps longer than you originally assumed. You start to feel nervous about how mad your parents will be if they notice you wandered off. Looking back, you wonder if it would be better to just turn around, or if you should keep going. The end can’t be that far away, can it?

A fallen tree is next to the path, and you walk over to sit on it while you try to figure out what you should do. You fiddle with your pink, frilly dress that your mom insisted you had to wear, tugging and picking at the seams nervously. Mom was definitely going to be mad when you got back… Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to just keep going even if it does turn out to be longer?

The sounds of foliage moving behind you snaps you out of your anxious daze. You tense up. Whatever it is sounds bigger than a squirrel. Slowly, you look over your shoulder and towards the source. Bushes shake as something works its way through them. You want to run, but you’re rooted in place by your fear. The bushes rustle louder as whatever is in them is about to pop out. Your tiny hands fist the fabric of your dress painfully tight.

A furry creature suddenly springs out and lands on the log next to you. You yelp and fall backwards off of it. The creature creeps closer and… meows?

You sit upright and finally see the animal for what it is. A cat. Instantly, your fear melts away and you squeal excitedly, “Hi, kitty! Can I pet you?” You stand up and reach out to the cat, only for it to hop off the log and start walking away. “Hey, wait! Come back!” You start walking faster, following the cat into the woods.

“I promise I’ll be gentle!” Your attempts to reason with the cat were moot, it just kept walking. Occasionally it would look back at you, but it didn’t stop. It hadn’t hissed at you yet, though, so you keep following it. You didn’t even realize how far you were getting from the trail.

Your dress keeps snagging on branches from the local shrubbery, slowing you down significantly. With every pause you take to rip your dress free, the cat gets further and further away, but you don’t give up.

It isn’t until you trip and fall over a root sticking out of the ground that you officially lose sight of the cat. You whine and slowly push yourself up. Your foot hurts from getting snagged on the root, the sandals you were wearing did nothing to protect you. It takes a minute to get back up onto your feet, and when you do, you realize that it isn’t just the cat that you’ve lost sight of.

The trail is nowhere to be seen. Tears begin to well in your eyes as you’re hit with how bad this is. How stupid could you be to have run so far away from the trail? Your parents are going to be so mad when they find you. You whip your head around wildly as you walk backwards, looking for literally any possible hint of the rail.

Suddenly, the ground dips behind you. Your arms flail as you try to catch yourself, but the ground is too slippery for you to get any traction. The next thing you know, you’re falling backwards and rolling down a hill. You scream and try to catch yourself on something, but you’re too disoriented to be able to hold onto anything for longer than a split second. Rocks and bushes attack you as you violently tumble down the hill.

When you mercifully roll to a stop at the bottom, your head is spinning and everything hurts. You whimper as you roll onto your side and try to get up. Something wet drips into your eye and stings, making you flinch and rub at it. You pull your hand away and see that it’s stained red with blood. Just like that, you burst into tears and sob loudly. You cry out for help, screaming for anyone to come to your rescue.

But no one comes.

Then, because today wasn’t awful enough, loud thunder sounds through the forest, and it begins to rain. Cold droplets fall and soak into your dirty, torn clothing. You sniffle loudly and force yourself to stand despite your body screaming at you to lay down. Sitting in the rain sounds terrible. You need to find somewhere dry to wait this out.

Looking around, you don’t see anything nearby that you could hide under. Seeing as that you’re already horribly lost, you pick a random direction and start walking. Well, more like limping. Your already sore ankle is now swelling, and the straps on one of your sandals ripped off during the fall. It’s barely hanging on and is more than a little uncomfortable to walk in. You trudge forward, sniffling and crying as you stumble through the woods in search of shelter.

It feels like an eternity before you see something through the trees that piques your interest. It looks like a small building isn’t far from here. Your tears dry for the first time and you smile, thinking that maybe you were closer to where your family was than you thought you were. You hurry as much as your pained body will allow.

The closer you get, the more your smile fades. The building you were looking at was some abandoned, broken looking shack. There weren’t any other buildings or signs of people in sight. Despite your disappointment, the rain pelting you encourages you to go inside the shack regardless. 

The door had fallen off and was laying outside of the structure. You step on it as you go inside, and it creaks loudly under your weight. Your disappointment only grows as you see that the roof had caved in. Rain was pouring into the dilapidated shack, leaving only one corner of it somewhat dry. You press yourself against the shelf in the dry spot, shivering in your wet clothes. 

Deciding that your sandals were more of a painful hindrance than a help, you unbuckle and kick them off. Next, you slip off the once cream colored cardigan your mom had insisted you wear with your dress. It got all torn up and covered in mud from your fall, plus there was some blood on it from the cuts you got. The frilly dress you had on was in a similar state. Your mom was going to kill you for ruining the outfit she picked out for you just for today.

Given that it was already ruined, you scrubbed your face with the sweater, trying to wipe away the blood you felt on it earlier. You wince as it touches a particularly tender spot on your head and pull it away. The sweater is now smeared with even more blood and dirt. You sigh and toss it next to your discarded sandals.

With nothing to do, you sit in the corner and wait for the rain to stop. Your stomach growls loudly, which makes you remember something. Reaching into your pocket, you are ecstatic to find that the candies your grandpa had slipped you hadn’t fallen out during your tumble. You smile softly and unwrap a piece of chocolate before popping it into your mouth. At least you have one good thing going for you. You look around the shack while you savor the chocolate, and your eyes are drawn to a box on the shelf next to you.

Having nothing to do, you pull it off and start rifling through it. There are some old flashlights, duct tape, and some ropes in it that you carelessly toss behind you. At the bottom of the box, you see a tiny key and a jewelry box. You grab both curiously and wipe off the dusty box. One of those cool skull-things that you see on pirates ships is on it, which only makes you more curious. Giving the box a shake, you hear something rattling inside of it.

Trying to open it didn’t work, so you put the small key into the keyhole. Much to your relief, it fits and unlocks the jewelry box. You pry it open and find a necklace inside. It feels extremely brittle in your hands, and it has the same pirate skull on it as the box. There is a piece of paper in the box, too. You pick it up and unfold it, finding that there is something written on it.

Congratulations on your lucky find

I wonder what desire you have in mind

Close your eyes, make a wish, and break the pendant in two

Whatever you want most will come to you

Now that was exciting. You looked at the apparently magical necklace in your hand with a surge of joy and intrigue. Maybe getting lost wasn’t so bad afterall! You kick your feet as you try to decide on a wish. You suppose that you could wish to be back with your family, but… did you really want to waste your wish on that? Did you really want to use a magical wish to be teleported back to your parents that will definitely be furious with you.

This is your wish. Why shouldn’t you use it for something that you want? But what do you want? To have more fun? To have a family that actually likes you? Those things would be nice. Would it be okay to squeeze two wishes into one? There’s only one way to find out.

Closing your eyes, you say your wish, “I wish to have fun with a family that loves me.” With that said, you snap the necklace in half. You keep your eyes closed for a few more seconds, then crack one open and look around. Nothing happened.

Both of your eyes open and your cheeks puff out into a pout. Why didn’t it work?! You got your hopes up and everything! Today was the worst! Who would leave a fake magic necklace here to trick someone? That’s just mean!

You’re about to throw the broken necklace away from you, but then something happens. You start to sink into the ground, with your legs disappearing in mere seconds. You flail, trying to pull your legs back up, but you can’t and you’re sinking down even more. What’s happening?! Were you sitting in quicksand?!

In a last desperate attempt, you grab onto the shelf next to you. You’re already up to your neck, only your arms and head are still free. You let out a high pitched scream, hoping- praying that someone will hear you and come to your rescue, but the shelf you’re grasping tips over, plunging you into darkness.

You expect the quicksand to drown you, but that isn’t what happens. It feels like… you’re floating. In the air. Experimentally, you wave your arms around. There is nothing around you. Death not being imminent did calm you slightly, but not entirely. Not when you were seemingly floating through some weird darkness. It felt like you were falling, however gently, so maybe if you wait long enough you’ll end up… somewhere?

Was this happening because of your wish? Was the necklace mad about you trying to squeeze two wishes into one? You whimper and curl into the fetal position as you fall, feeling stupid for making a magic necklace mad at you. Hot tears well in your eyes and drip down your cheeks as you cry to yourself.

Abruptly, your descent ends and you feel solid ground beneath you. Instead of pitch black, you can see a soft light peeking through your fingers. You pull your hands away and look around. You’re in a forest. But… it doesn’t look like the forest that you were just in. The trees are massive; way bigger than any that you’ve ever seen. It also sounds different. The woods that you had just been walking through sounded mostly quiet minus some birds chirping, but this place was much louder. The bird calls sounded different and more plentiful, and you could hear plants all around you rustling. Whatever was moving them sounded huge. 

Pressing yourself up against a nearby tree, you look around frantically, looking for any sign of other people. You saw nothing but more trees. Worse yet, it was starting to get dark. Your heart was pounding in your chest and you felt like you were about to start crying again.

Your hands flex nervously, and you’re distracted when you feel something in the palm of one of them. You look down curiously and open your hand. Your face scrunches in confusion when you see some weird looking necklace staring up at you. It’s got a skull and crossbones on it, and the skull looks like it’s biting something between its teeth. Maybe a stick or something? You flip it over in your hand and examine it closely.

You’ve never seen this thing before. Why do you have it?

Before you can ponder this mystery further, you hear a loud growl. You snap your head up and look around. You don’t see whatever made that noise, but you aren’t about to wait and find out. The necklace is stuffed into your pocket and you turn around to face the tree you’re standing next to. It isn’t easy, but your terror about becoming a snack to whatever made that noise motivates you to scale the tree faster than you would have expected. You climb until you find a cluster of branches that you can settle into securely.

The sun was setting fast, and the forest was rapidly becoming too dark for you to be able to see anything around you. You press yourself into the branches while rubbing your exposed arms. The wet dress you were in was doing nothing to keep you warm, and you found yourself wishing you still had your sweater. Even if it was soaked and torn up, it would be at least a little better than this.

Animal calls resounded all around you, ones that you’ve never heard before. You don’t understand where you are. You were just lost in the woods at home. How did you wind up in this strange forest? Was it just a different part of the woods that you’ve never seen before? How had you never noticed these huge trees before? Well, you suppose your mom has said that you don’t pay attention very well…

Another growl cuts through the air, but this one is from you. Your stomach takes the time to remind you that it’s been a while since you last ate. Digging around in your pocket, you pull out a few more pieces of candy and start eating them. It’s not like there’s anything else you can do right now. You need to find your way out of these woods, but you’re too scared to do it in the dark, so you’re going to have to wait until morning.

Your parents are going to kill you when you finally get out of here.

The night passes by slowly. With how noisy it is, and how scared you feel, sleeping is almost impossible. You do eventually nod off, but you’re awoken by a ray of sunlight shining right into your eyes. You whine and rub at your eyes before cracking them open. Light is filtering through the leaves and all the way down onto the forest floor.

Movement catches your attention, and you snap your attention to it. Much to your relief, it’s just a small bird that is perched on your knee and watching you curiously. It has green feathers on its body and colorful feathers forming a large fan-like crest on its head. The bird’s head tilts and it lets out a series of whistles before leaning down to peck at the frills of your dress.

“Hi, birdie. Do you know how to get out of here?” You knew that a bird couldn’t answer your question, but it was nice to talk to something.

The sound of your voice made it glance up at you again, but it quickly ripped a frill off of your dress and then flew away. Yeah… that was about as helpful as you thought it was going to be.

After giving your surroundings a thorough scan to make sure there wasn’t anything scary nearby, you climb out of the tree. You wince as the tree bark digs into the soles of your feet. Much like your sweater, you find yourself bemoaning the fact that you ditched your sandals. You reach the forest floor and look around warily. You weren’t able to see any houses or anything from up in the tree, so you had no idea which way to go. So, you just started walking in a random direction and hoped for the best.

Your stomach growled again. You checked your pocket for more candy and after rifling through a bunch of empty wrappers, you found one last piece. As hungry as you were… you felt like it would be dumb to eat your final piece of candy now. It’s stuffed back into your pocket as you resolve to save it for later.

What feels like hours pass, and you have yet to see so much as a trail, much less a person or building. It’s starting to feel hopeless and like you’ll be lost forever. You stop and sit down on a rock, wondering what else you can possibly do right now.

That’s when you hear it. Crying. You’ve never been so happy to hear that sound before. You scramble off of the rock and run in the direction of the noise, feeling a sense of relief that you’ve never felt so intensely before. You bound through some tall grass and find yourself in a small clearing. There aren’t buildings or anything like that in sight, but there is someone here. A boy with black hair is sitting in the middle of the clearing and crying into his knees.

Taking a look around, you don’t see anyone else here. This isn’t exactly what you wanted to find, but maybe he knows how to get out of this place. The boy doesn’t appear to have heard you stomping through the grass, so you approach him carefully and call out to him.

“Hello?”

The boy flinches and whips his head around to look at you. He stares at you with wide, teary eyes, and his face has dirt smeared across it. You think that he’s about the same age as you. It looks like he’s also had a bad day.

When he doesn’t respond, you take a few more steps towards him. You try talking to him again, “Are you okay?”

He sniffles loudly and wipes at his face with his arm, “I’m okay… I’m just lost.” Your heart sinks upon realizing that he’s no better off than you are and won’t be able to help you. The boy looks up at you hopefully, “Do you know the way out?”

You avert your eyes and shake your head, “No… I’m also lost.” That little bit of hope he had in his eyes dies instantly and he hangs his head again. It makes you feel bad that you can’t help him. You crouch down next to him, “My name is (Y/N), what’s your name?”

The boy sniffles again and speaks in a quiet voice, “I’m Luffy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Luffy. I don’t know the way out of here, but maybe we can be lost together?” The proposition hardly sounds appealing, but it’s not like either of you have any other options right now. Not being alone will be better than nothing.

Luffy looks at you again, then nods and starts to stand up, “Yeah… we can be lost together.” As soon as you’re up, he grabs onto your hand like it’s a lifeline. You two start walking again, but it’s obvious that he’s still upset.

Something about his sad face makes you want to do whatever you can to make him feel better. You think hard as you walk with him. Then, an idea pops into your head. Candy makes you feel happy, so it should do the same for him, right? You pull out your last piece of candy, saltwater taffy, from your pocket. You stare at it for a moment, feeling conflicted. While you are hungry, you want to do the right thing.

Holding out your hand to Luffy, you present the taffy to him, “Do you want some candy?”

This makes Luffy come to a halt and stare at the offering. You pull your hand from his and unwrap the candy for him before holding it up to him again. That seems to snap him out of it and he quickly snatches it out of your hands and eats it. The fast movement startles you slightly. He must’ve been really hungry, too.

Finally, he grins at you, “Thank you! Do you have any more?”

You look down, now feeling a little guilty about snacking on your candy all night long. “No, I’m sorry. That was my last piece.”

Luffy blinks in surprise, “And you gave it to me?” You nod, not really seeing it as a big deal. It was just one piece of candy. Before you can blink, Luffy lurches forward and hugs you tightly. You’re lifted off the ground a little, then dropped back down. He pulls away and smiles widely at you, “Let’s be best friends, (Y/N)!”

Best friends? Just for some candy? Well, he seems nice, and you could always use more friends. You return his smile with one of your own, “Yeah, let’s be friends.”

With the new friendship established, you and Luffy resume your trek, but now he is much more bubbly and talkative. He’s rambling about pirates when he suddenly looks around and lights up, “Oh! This looks familiar! I think we’re almost out!” Luffy breaks into a sprint and you’re forced to run to keep up. Rocks and plants dig into your bare feet, making you wince, but you feel a surge of joy at the prospect of getting out of this stupidly big forest.

Finally, the trees thin out and both of you are free. A small town can be seen in the near distance. It doesn’t look familiar at all, and definitely isn’t your hometown. Was it a nearby town that you’ve never seen before? You guess you and your parents don’t get out a lot, so that makes sense.

Luffy doesn’t give you much time to catch your breath before he’s running again. As you run through the town with him, you notice how weird it looks to you. None of the roads are paved, and you can’t see a single car. It looks super old, like something out of a history book. Where are you right now?

You’re forced to make a hard right as Luffy turns and runs into one of the buildings. You stumble in behind him and look around the place. It looks like a restaurant or something. You’re dragged towards a counter while Luffy calls out, “Makino! I made a new friend!”

A woman with green hair is behind the counter and smiles warmly at Luffy before flicking her attention to you. Her smile drops instantly and is replaced with a look of concern. “Oh dear, are you alright?”

Oh right, you did get pretty dirty and hurt from your fall yesterday. You look away sheepishly, embarrassed to be looking like a mess. Your mom would definitely scold you if she could see you right now.

“This new friend of yours must be pretty great if you haven’t even noticed me yet.” A new voice cuts in. You look up as a man with red hair and a straw hat spins around in his seat. He has three scars over one of his eyes that you can’t help but think look really cool. Like Makino, his relaxed grin drops when he sees the state of you. One of his hands reaches out and pulls something out of your hair. A small twig with a leaf on it. He raises a brow, “Rough day, kid?”

“Shanks!” Luffy abandons you to clamber up to the man, and you’re left standing alone and feeling very self conscious about your appearance as you notice even more people staring at you.

Makino comes out from behind the counter and crouches down next to you. Her warm smile is back and she starts wiping off your face with a wet rag. “Why don’t you tell me your name, sweetie?” You mumble out your name while avoiding eye contact with her. She hums in acknowledgment, “(Y/N)? That’s a lovely name. Now, can you tell me what happened to you?”

“Well… I wandered away from my family because I was bored, and then I got really lost in the woods because I was chasing a cat. Then I fell down a big hill and got all dirty and hurt.” Saying it all out loud made it sound really dumb.

“And when did all of this happen? Just a little bit ago?”

“No, it happened yesterday, and then I was lost in the woods all night.” You winced as she wiped at a gash on your head.

“You were in that forest all night?” Makino looked shocked at your statement.

“Yeah… I tried to find my way out, but I couldn’t, so I slept in a tree until morning.” Again, you felt embarrassed about your situation. How stupid were you to get that lost all because you wanted to pet a cat?

Makino still appears to be shocked by your story, but she tries to force another smile onto her face. She stands up and takes your hand, “Come into the back with me. I have some spare clothes for Luffy here, and I think they’ll fit you.”

The prospect of having clean clothes sounds amazing to you, so you follow her without any protest. When you’re in the back of the restaurant, she takes the time to clean off the rest of the blood and dirt from you before giving you some clothes to change into. The shorts and t-shirt are much more comfortable than your tattered dress, so you can feel your mood lifting instantly just from having them on. You were still barefoot, but you weren’t about to complain. Makino examines your discarded dress with a puzzled look, then shrugs and tosses it into a bin.

You’re guided back out to the main part of the restaurant, and placed in a seat next to Luffy. Shortly after that, a plate of food is placed in front of you, as well as in front of Luffy. He happily digs in, but you hesitate, “I don’t have any money…” 

Your concern makes Makino chuckle, “Don’t worry about that, it’s on the house. You look like you could use something to eat.” Her words were enough to demolish your already weak resolve, prompting you to start wolfing down the meal. It tasted amazing and was a relief to your empty stomach. It didn’t take long for the plate to be completely clean.

As soon as you're done, Makino comes back over to you and starts asking questions. “What do your parents look like? Do you think they’re nearby?” You tell her that they probably aren’t around here and rattle off a description of them. She frowns and doesn’t seem to recognize them based off of your description.

Shanks chimes into the conversation, “What’s their ship look like? We just docked a little while ago, I might’ve seen it.”

“Ship? My parents don’t have a ship.” The question confuses you. There aren’t any big bodies of water around your town as far as you know. Why would your parents have a boat?

“Oh? So you’re local?”

“No, I’ve never seen this place before.”

Makino perked up at that, “You aren’t from Goa Kingdom, are you?”

You shake your head, “I don’t know that place.” You tell them the name of your hometown, but all that does is make everyone look confused. Everyone looks around at each other, silently asking if anyone recognizes the name. It would seem that no one does.

“Well, if you aren’t from around here, then you definitely got here on a ship. Did your parents get a ride here from someone else?” Shanks stares at you more intensely, as if trying to find answers written on your face.

“We weren’t on a boat, we were just at a park.” The questions were starting to frustrate you. Your town had to be nearby. There’s no way you walked that far.

Shanks stares at you hard, then his eyes drift up and focus on the gash on your head. He sighs and relaxes his expression. “Your parents are probably lurking around the docks, you should try looking for them there.”

Luffy sits up straight and turns to face you, “Oh! I can show you where they are!” He hops down from his stool and doesn’t wait for an answer before hauling you off of your own seat. You’ve barely made it out of the restaurant before another person runs out after you.

“Wait! I’m coming, too!”

You look over your shoulder and see a girl with red and white hair running after you two. She looks to be a few years older than you. 

Luffy smiles at her, “Hi, Uta! Why are you coming with us?”

Uta reaches out and pokes his cheek, “Because I know that you only offered to go so you can sneak onto Shanks’ ship.”

“Nuh-uh! I want to help (Y/N)!”

She rolled her eyes and lightly shoved his shoulder, “Yeah, right. You’re definitely going to sneak onto the Red Force as soon as you see it.” The two start bickering amongst each other, not paying you much mind as you all make your way to the docks.

All of this is very confusing and overwhelming. You have no idea where you are or how you got here, but at least the people you have found have been really nice. This situation wasn’t great, but it could certainly be worse.

At least you made a new friend.

[trancylovecraft]

can i have yandere kokushibo with a oiran fem reader who is very talented when it comes to singing dancing and arts i want like uh heian period hehe lets just jump back to heian era. sooo here oiran reader likes sakura blossom since kid because it always remind her of her dead mother and when kokushibo kidnapped her and locked her forever in the house he found the oiran reader will also tried to plant sakura blossom outside his house to keep her calm and know that she is still safe or whatever she's still fine

whenever she sees a beautiful sakura blusom (i know this is so random but this is my first time requesting T-T)

(KNY) YANDERE! KOKUSHIBO x READER: Renewal Season

Turn. Left foot. Right foot. Spin. Stray.

The movements of the girls body seemed to flow throughout the crowd like water. Her hips swayed along to the roaring music of the festival.

The people inside bustling crowd around her couldn't help but stop and stare as she danced past them, Only leaving a faint scent of Cherry blossom in her wake.

She gripped a branch of Sakura blossoms, Which in the dance she was doing would usually substitute for Wisteria instead. However the flush pink of the petals set her apart from the other dancers making their way around the festival.

Not to mention her soft voice singing along to the music, Of which one could only hear as she passed by.

The celebrations roared in honour of the announcement of the Heian period. Named after the city the festivities took place in, Heian-Kyo. The capital of Japan had been moved by the emperor Kammu.

So of course the party was in full swing. The courtesan houses that were hosted in the more scummy part of town of course had to take full advantage of this. They sent some of their workers to perform out in the streets to try and attract business.

This included [F/N], The respectable Oiran of the Haruka-House. Who was known for her particular finesse with a koto, Her enticing voice that resonated within your stomach and her particular adoration of Sakura.

She was beautiful, Both in looks, personality and movement. Her hair was decorated with bejewelled pins of all colour, All tied up into a beautiful style pinned up at the top. Her kimono was lined with gold twine and coloured a deep red which swayed about like a hypnotists watch as she moved.

The stares burned into her figure, Warm stares. The made her shift uncomfortably and tried to avert her own gaze away from theirs. She exhaled. You're an Oiran, You should be use to this by now, [F/N].

Push through it, [F/N]. You know exactly why you're doing this.

She swayed around again, Moving throughout the crowd swiftly. The stares only intensified as she went along.

She could pick out a particular stare from wherever it came from, She couldn't tell.

While the crowd's stare was warm, A light boil that made her squirm. The stare she could pick out was hot. Burning hot.

The kind of stare that made a shiver crawl up her back and make her shoulders tighten up in disgust.

She felt uncomfortable from the feeling. As soon as she took another turn she pulled the cherry branch up to her dolled up face and inhaled, Letting the subtle aroma invade and take over her senses as she closed her eyes. Letting the smell swallow her whole.

☆♡☆

The delicate breeze blew over the roseate coloured forest in the neigh afternoon. The light cold wind brushed over the woman's porcelain skin and ran through her hair, Making it sway lightly in the wind.

She examined a branch of the sakura tree's lining the forest and surrounded her families house, Which sat in a clearing on top of a valley overlooking the entire woodland. The house of a modest size, It's windows were open so the spring breeze could envelop the inside rooms and bring about an uplifting mood to the entire family living in it.

There was a rocky stone pathway leading up to the front steps of the house. The rocks that were lodged into the path were jagged and rough. Showing that they haven't been tended to in a good long while.

"Mum! Mum!" A young voice called out in the distance.

The woman looked up from the branch to see her daughter clamber down the porch steps and sprint over to her mothers position at the edge of the hill.

Her mother turned around just in time to see [F/N] jump onto her, Giving her mother a rather aggressive hug.

"Ah! [F/N]" Her mother exclaimed. She looked away from the sakura to look down at her daughter.

"Did I scare you? Did I scare you this time?!" [F/N] giggled. She shook her mother a little in excitement.

Her mother was graced with a small smile and she nodded. "Yes, You got me very good. Gave me the fright of my life, Sweetheart." Her mother laughed and [F/N]'s face lit up with achievement.

"Yay!" [F/N] cried and jumped down from hugging her mother who stumbled from the unexpected movement. The sakura branch she was holding was tugged along with her, Causing her mother to gasp.

"Careful! [F/N]. You almost made me break a branch off." Her mother tutted and went to examine the branch for any damage.

[F/N] pouted.

"I don't get it, Mum. Why do you like the big pink trees so much" She huffed, Stomping her foot.

Despite her mother's constant love and affection [F/N] couldn't help but feel a little envy towards the plants. Her mother adored them and was always the first one out of the house to look at the blooming roseate leaves. Not to mention her kimono was patterned with cherry blossom designs.

Her mother hummed.

"I don't really have a reason why, [F/N]. I don't really need one." She said. Not taking her eyes off the blooming leaves.

"Still! What do they even do?" [F/N] scoffed.

Her mother finally looked away from the leaves and gave her daughter a knowing smile, She sighed and crouched down onto one knee to look at her daughter straight in the eyes.

"Well… The reason they are here is to bring forth spring. As the sakura appear and go they will leave behind green leaves. That's a use, Without them you wouldn't be able to play in the fallen leaves which I know you love so much" Her mother explained. She booped [F/N]'s nose to which she giggled.

"I know, I know! But still. Is that really all?" [F/N] asked. Her mother shook her head.

"Well they also mean things too, [F/N]" She said. [F/N]'s face scrunched up in confusion, But decided to listen along.

"As the blossoms come and go they can symbolise life and the short time we have here." Her mother started, She turned back to the leaves.

"As the sakura tree's disappear in favour of the leaves they come back just as strong the next year meaning renewal." Her mother finished, Her voice filled with wonder.

[F/N] looked up at her mother. The same sense of wonder she felt seemed to rise in [F/N] as well.

"Just as strong?" [F/N] asked.

Her mother nodded and looked down at [F/N] as she smiled.

"Now come on you little rascal, Your father needs to head out to work soon and we better go prepare him breakfast." Her mother laughed and grabbed [F/N]'s little hand. Helping balance her on the heavy rocky pathway she set off.

She stumbled a little on the pathway, Lightly pulling [F/N] in her movements. She sighed.

"Better fix this pathway soon. I swear.. One day me, You or your father will have such a bad trip that our heads will be spinning for days" She complained softly to her daughter.

"Is that something we can do together?" [F/N] asked, Looking into her mothers eyes for the answer.

Her mother smiled.

"We'd be better off to wait until the summer. The petals from the cherry tree's will be an issue when they get onto the path." She explained. [F/N] tilted her head in confusion

"..That means yes, Sweetheart." She confirmed.

"Yay!" The young girl sqeaked.

[F/N] giggled. She followed her mother back to their house as sakura leaves fell from the tree's behind them.

☆♡☆

The festival had ended not so long ago.

While celebrations were still occurring their intensity wasn't as big as it was earlier. [F/N] felt so very tired from the performing, Her muscles ached and her only desire right now was to get an early nights sleep.

Her usual makeup and hair-do she wore was lightly ruffled from the events of the night.

With the calming down of the festivities [F/N] had long ago returned to the house of which she worked. As she entered she couldn't help but notice the rather large crowd at the entrance.

Her performance had done well, Really well. Both her flowing movements and her god-sent voice had attracted a large amount of men to her house, All more than willing to pay for their time with her.

[F/N] gripped the sakura branch tighter. The men had noticed her arrival and had rushed up to her. [F/N] stumbled back from the sudden intrusion as the men crowded around her and started yelling.

"Me first, I got here early and missed out on half the festival for this!"

"No way. I got here way earlier man, Back off"

"Liar!"

One of the men raised a fist and was about to swing it at the other. However a tutting sound rung loud from the far side of the room making the entire crowd drop silent.

Haruka-sama, The woman who owned and managed the house had quieted the crowd.

Haruka-sama was a small old lady who had a rather grouchy face and a greed stronger than any other. Her beady little eyes looked around at the crowd with an opportunistic glare, Similar to how a fox would glare at a defenceless rabbit.

"Step away from the girl now.. Step away!" Haruka said, Pushing her way easily through the crowd of men she grabbed [F/N] by the hand and pulled her out.

She dragged [F/N] to the front of the house and started positioning her body to be straight and proper. As she did [F/N] felt beads of sweat build up on her forehead and her jaw trembling.

Haruka-sama finished dolling [F/N] up. She seen the nervousness on [F/N]'s face before shooting her a warning look. One that [F/N] recognised well.

Pull yourself together, You're the Oiran of this house. Steady that jaw and wipe off the sweat and make me some money.

Despite [F/N]'s dear want to stand up to Haruka-sama, The want to deny all of these men and go to bed. She couldn't, Her contract could be revoked in a moment. She couldn't afford to lose it for a moment.

So instead of speaking up, She clenched her jaw and lightly wiped off the sweat from her brow. Her lips wrenched themselves into a lovely little smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She clasped her hands low and stiffened up her body, Giving her a more mannequin look than human.

Haruka hobbled round to the front of the house and faced the crowd of customers with a wide smile.

"Alright, Alright! It may be closing hours but I'm sure our lovely Oiran here can spare another session, But to decide who gets the slot we'll start a bidding. How about we start at about… 20,776 yen. Any takers?" Haruka called out to the crowd which went wild on the announcement of the bidding.

"25,970!" One of the louder men called out.

"27,701!" Another yelled.

The crowd kept shouting out higher and higher numbers, [F/N] felt her body shake despite her constant effort of steadying herself.

Voices yelled even higher than the numbers as the crowd grew closer to the front of the house.

The customers eyes burned into her like hot coals and she was scrutinized by all in the room. Her clasped hands built up sweat, Her breath steady yet heavy. She tried to look away when the sound of the shoji doors to the house slid open.

"500,000 yen."

The room went silent.

Haruka-sama's beady little eyes widened in shock to the man who had suddenly appeared, The money waved in his hand. Haruka's jaw opened slack.

"Sold!" She screamed, Pointing her finger to man standing in the doorway with the most giddy joy she had felt in years.

[F/N]'s body went rigid. Her mind went wild at the number, 500,00?! Who is this man? Who would want to pay that much just to have a single session with her of all people.

The man was tall, Taller than anyone else in the room. He wore a loose purple nagagi kimono with a intricate hexagonal pattern woven into it, It looked expensive which [F/N] figured. He also wore a dark hakama and a white uwa-obi as a belt tied fit around his waist which also held a katana and sheathe.

His hair was tied up into a pony-tail with spiky tips that faded into red at the ends. She looked to his face, However she was unable to see it as he wore a rather large kama, The typical hat a samurai would wear, That covered his face entirely.

He stood there in the doorway waving the money. And despite his face being covered [F/N] could still feel his stare through the thing… It felt hot.

[F/N] shivered as she remembered it was the same hot feeling from earlier, The man must of been the one looking at her during the festival.

All of crowd from earlier was hushed out of the house by Haruka-sama, Muttering curses to the final bidder who didn't seem to react to any of their words.

Finally when the house was evacuated. All there was left was [F/N], The man and Haruka-sama.

They sat in total silence. [F/N] stared dead eyed at the man, Who seemed to look back at her with that inferno of a gaze. She squirmed under the weight of it.

Suddenly a hand clapped out of nowhere.

They both turned to Haruka. Whose usual grouchy, Scrunched up face was contorted into a wide grin.

"Well then.." She said.

Haruka hobbled over to the sliding shoji door and pulled it open, She bowed down in respect to the man.

"After you."

☆♡☆

The tension in the air was thick, So much so that you could feel it seep into your skin.

The room the pair sat on was located on the highest floor of the courtesan house that towered over the other buildings around it. The room was home to a balcony that looked out over the dark night in Heian-Kyo, Only lit up by the paper lanterns from the long gone festival and the stars looking over the bustling streets like eyes.

The room was home to a small centre table, A dresser with a polished mirror on top and filled to the very brim with Sakura themed decorations. From paintings, To bedsheets to the very plant itself potted on the furniture. It was everywhere. Even the light scent resonated in the air.

It however, Just wasn't enough to calm the girl down as [F/N] nervously tuned the delicate strings on her koto from across the table. A single bead of sweat rolled down her side brow. Her eyes stead set on the knobs to avoid the hot gaze from across the table. Hot. She recognised it, He must of been the source of the scorching stare from within the crowd somewhere. It didn't help her situation in the slightest as it just made [F/N]'s figure freeze up, Her body on guard.

Ever since Haruka had lead them to [F/N]'s room he hadn't said a word, Just went to sit down on the tatami mat, Unmoving. The Kama overshadowed his face, Making it impossible to see his expression.

Was he sad? Angry? Or was [F/N] just overthinking things, It had been a long night after all and she was prone to a little paranoia now and then.

The sweat bead dropped to the floor and hit her kimono sleeve. Her lips twitched as she managed to drag her gaze up to the man, Whose large hat still covered his eyes. Twisting her mouth into the usual smile you'd see on an Oiran, She spoke.

"..If I may ask sir, What is a man like you doing around here? Samurai don't often come around these parts, You know." Her voice was light in tone. A tone that was friendly and gentle in nature, Enticing him on.

The man didn't make a move to speak however. Just sat there. Staring.

Her face quirked, Only for a moment.

"What about your name, Sir?" She tried again, Her voice only lilting in tone to a slight.

Again. Nothing.

[F/N] felt her hands on her koto clench up, Her eyes following the movement. The feeling felt-

"Kokushibo."

[F/N] looked up. The surprise pulsating in her chest as she realised the man, Now Kokushibo, Had spoken to her. Her previously ridged form fizzled into a more relaxed posture, The awkward air in the room dissolving just a little bit.

"Kokushibo.. What an interesting name" She said, Letting the name roll on her tounge. She stopped tuning her koto and thought for a moment, Pondering over the spelling

"I believe the kanji for that can mean 'Black Death'. If I am correct." She asked. The reason why a mother would name their child such a macabre title eluded her.

Kokushibo simply nodded.

"And yours is.. [F/N]. Yes?" He spoke. His voice was gravelly and deep that held a commanding undertone that made a shiver run down [F/N]'s back.

Stilling her form she nodded.

"While I do not understand the kanji.. Of your first name. I do believe your last name can mean.. 'Poetic Voice'" He said.

[F/N]'s brows raised. Her last name, Kotone. Did in fact mean those exact words. However that wasn't the thing that surprised her so much.

"How did you know my last name" She asked, Tilting her head to the man. Who sat in silence for a second.

"Your chaperone woman.. Mentioned it on the walk here." He said. [F/N] internally groaned. Of course the old woman had told him on the walk up here. She was always so talkative to the high-paying customers, It was her strategy. She'd talk to them about anything and everything relating the courtesan the customer had bought out, All to try and make the customer feel attached so they'd come back for more.

But something else seemed to click. Even if Haruka had mentioned her last name how could he have known the exact kanji spelling of her name. Was it a good guess or something more? Sensing the look on [F/N]'s face, Kokushibo piped up.

"If I may be honest.. I have been.. Infatuated with you, Your voice, for a long while now.. I learned the spelling from asking around.. I apologise." He explained. His head tilted down, His kama following the movement. Was he shameful?

No. He was shy. [F/N] felt a cordial smile creep up on her face, It explained a lot. His silence earlier wasn't due to any negative emotion or disturbing pathology but instead just a bout of stage fright.

"I see. I suppose you've been told of my talents from asking, too." She decided go along in a playful voice, The one she'd usually harness to tend to customers. Despite how much she felt uneasy using it, It did bring about tips.

"Yes.. In fact, It is the entire reason.. I have decided to come here in the first place." Kokushibo remarked. His hands previously positioned on his knees moved up to the tea-set placed on the table separating the two and poured himself a cup.

"I want you to play.. A piece on your koto for me." He said, Bringing the tea up to his mouth still cloaked by his hat. And took a sip. [F/N] nodded.

"Anything specific you want me to play?" She asked. Moving the koto in front of her body she finished the tuning process and rested a hand on the strings.

"One where.. I can hear your voice. One where you can sing." His voice contained a low tone of wonder, Seemingly reminiscing on a thought.

"Alright then.. Let's see here." [F/N] trailed off, Her mind wandered to her catalogue of songs. Trying to pick out one that she thought the man would enjoy.

Neurons connected. She'd gotten it.

Her carefully manicured hand ran over the spindly strings of her koto, Sounding out the first few delicate notes of her symphony. The strings resonated against the neat and polished birch wood of the koto. A rhythm started to form.

Kokushibo's shoulders seemed to relax at the soft tune, While she could not see his face she could tell he was entranced.

Her lips opened to annunciate the first lyrics to her malady, As soon as she did Kokushibo's relaxed figure stiffened up. The grip on his teacup tightened, He took a shaky breath.

The lyrics flowed out of her like running water, The chords on her koto harmonised with her heavenly voice and the music ruminated throughout the room and echoed from the wooden walls. Drowning out the noise of the street below them and replacing it with concentrated vocal artistry as she sung out the words.

"Well hello world, Wouldn't you know. Your nails were yellow and mine a miracle blue.." The first lyric to the chorus was announced and Kokushibo seemed to melt. Her voice sounded like a morning cardinals call, Like Benzaiten's being had graced her vocal chords in that single moment.

She seemed lost in her music, Too. Her eyes were closed and her body focused on moving along to the beat of the strings. A small smile lit up on her face as she went along.

"If you knew what I knew, You would too.." The final note on her koto rung out through the room, The song ending. It was such a short song, But as both [F/N] and Kokushibo were in drawn into the iron grip of the rhythm it had felt like an eternity.

[F/N] inhaled deeply for air, Her shoulders retracting. She set down her koto beside her with care.

"A beautiful song.. It is one of my favourites. I hope it was up to your standards, sir?" She asked, A playful tone masking her genuine and sincere question.

Kokushibo in turn put down his half-drunken cup onto the table. "It was.. The most beautiful song I've ever heard .." He proclaimed, His voice was ripe with wonder and awe which made [F/N] take in a deep breath, Taking in all of his praise she smiled wider.

"I am glad you liked it sir. Please, Would you like me to do anything else for you?" [F/N] offered. She went to the tea-set in front of them both and picked up the kettle.

"No.. But. I would wish to ask a question. If that is alright with you." He responded.

[F/N] gestured for him to continue on.

"Completely alright with me." She confirmed. She poured herself her own blend: Sakurayu. She filled the cup up with steaming water and mixed the little flower petals around.

Just as she brought the sweet smelling liquid up to her mouth he answered her.

"How much exactly.. Does your marriage contract cost?"

[F/N] choked on her tea.

The question had came out of left field making the tea she had just made burn her throat. She coughed and covered her mouth, Preventing any loose drops spilling out from her lips.

Kokushibo passed over a tissue, To which she gratefully accepted.

Once [F/N] finally churned out the last bit of tea out of her system she wiped her mouth. Careful to reserve her lipstick.

"T-That was a rather blunt way of asking." [F/N] said, Her throat still hoarse.

"I apologise.." He said. However his voice remained monotone, Sending mixed signals back to her.

"No, No. It's fine. In fact, I feel flattered that you would ask about that." She started, A nervous smile appearing on her face.

"But unfortunately my contract was bought out by another samurai only a day ago. I do apologise, If you were intending to buy." She explained, Her voice apologetic as she bowed her head lightly.

Kokushibo froze up.

His previously relaxed shoulders and lain hands both seemed to stiffen up. The warm look he used to gaze at [F/N] seemed to return to that hot, Boiling stare. The one from the festival, The one from before. Noticing the glare she had regressed to how she'd been at the start as well: Awkward and uncomfortable.

"I'm so sorry sir." She blurted out.

Kokushibo's kama lowered down to follow the movement of his head. He was quiet, Silent.

"Would you like me to play another song for you?" She asked. Trying to destroy the buildup of uneasy air.

Kokushibo shook his head, Making [F/N] feel just a little nervous down by his response.

"No.. I do believe.. That I have heard enough." He said. For some reason the way he said it made [F/N]'s lip twitch, But shook it off when Kokushibo got up from sitting down.

She followed him up, Fixing her kimono and her hair-do she bowed down to him in respect. A polite gesture to thank him for his civilised behaviour.

She figured that his session with her had decidedly ended, That was good. While she did enjoy his company and the song she sung for him it didn't change that fact that she was exhausted.

"Alright then. Please, Let me get the door for you." [F/N] said. Passing by the man she moved over to the decorated shoji doors and grabbed the handle. Sliding it open she went to-

SMACK!

[F/N]'s body fell to the floor, Her knees hit the tatami mat followed by her head which got hit off the wooden doorframe.

The hilt of Kokushibo's sword moved so fast that [F/N] couldn't even sense it crashing into the back of her skull, Leaving her dazed and barely conscious on the wooden floorboards. She was confused, Dizzy and completely unaware of what was going on, All she knew was the feeling of her fight or flight instinct kicking in.

She whined in pain. Her arms weakly extending out to try and get up, To get away, To run from the opposing danger looming over her. To survive.

But it proved futile as Kokushibo leaned down to pick up her seemingly weightless body into his arms.

She tried to scream, To yell and call out for any other courtesan in the area. Anyone who might hear. But it only came out as babbles of incoherent language as her assailant flung her over his shoulder with an inhuman strength.

"Please, Sir.. Why… What are you.. What are you doing?!" She groaned, Her vision cloudy and her head the raging storm that throbbed painfully in the place of impact. Kokushibo only let out a low hiss through his teeth.

"Quiet!" He spat. His previously shy behaviour now broken and replaced with an aggressive demeanour. His presence now dangerous and coupled with the vicious tone in voice made [F/N] shake.

"Please.. I.." She whispered as he carried her over his shoulder and made his way to the open balcony doors. She pushed at his chest, Kicked, Flailed about in his grasp all to try and get him off of her. But it didn't work, He never budged or even moved in the slightest. Only squeeze her tighter and tighter as a warning.

He had made his way out onto the balcony porch. Looking out over the sea of buildings and crowded life flowing up from the city below he walked over and put a single, Sandal-clad foot onto the balcony railway.

[F/N]'s eyes expanded in horror in realisation of what he was doing. She wailed out into the cold night air as Kokushibo put his final foot on the railing, Effectively balancing on the thin wood.

His figure wobbled on the railings, They dangled over the street below which was filled with people making their way around, If she fell it would be at least 90ft drop. She wouldn't survive that height.

[F/N] at this point was sobbing, Kokushibo's grip may have been strong but as she was faced with the height of the tower she felt like she would slip any moment, Fall the entire distance and hit the street with a loud crack.

She cried out.

"P-Please! Somebody! Help me!" She screamed out into the crowd below, Her voice cracking as it went.

"Quiet. NOW!" Kokushibo growled like a feral animal, She cried out at his tone

The feet on the banister spread out and his knees crouched down. [F/N] realised what he was doing and tried harder and harder to push away from his grip.

She yelled louder and louder at the people below. Screaming for help but it was useless. They were too high up for anyone to hear them.

And then, He jumped.

Going through the air at unnatural speeds her hair lashed all over her face like whips. The wind ran through them both as they went. She realised this was it, She was going to die. She closed her eyes tight in anticipation of the fall but-

The wind died down. [F/N]'s hair fell over her face.

Kokushibo stood strong on the tiled roof of the building adjacent from the courtesan house, His ponytail waved in the light breeze that now accompanied the two. He was unfazed.

"Wha.. What?" [F/N] choked out. The height even from the courtesan house to here was enough to severely injure someone, Yet he came out without a single scratch. She looked back at him.

She yelled at the sight of him, Finally breaking out of her dizzy stupor. His face. His bloody face had six eyes. Six eyes, Six. They were all red and strained, His pupils were golden and glowing. He wasn't human, He was a demon, An oni. And he was kidnapping her.

"No.. No no no no!" She wailed out, Her eyes were fixed onto his. She couldn't look away, Looking into his eyes was like looking out into a terrible accident. Blood, Guts and broken bones, It was horrible yet she could never bring her eyes away.

Her previous yells for help amped up into a panic attack as she struggled in his grasp. Punching, Kicking doing anything to escape.

Kokushibo made a noise in his throat speaking agitation and anger.

Bringing a single, Clawed hand up to the back of her neck he lunged it forward. Pinching a nerve point [F/N]'s entire body stopped moving.. Then went limp on his shoulder.

Her eyelids failed to lift, They were too heavy. Everything seemed to stop in time and nothing mattered anymore.

She faded into the dark haze. Going unconscious on the shoulder of the demon kidnapping her.

☆♡☆

The pot bubbled hanging over the fire. It crackled every now and then, Spitting up drops of water that fell down around it.

Outside the moon hung over the lush roseate forest, Only clothed by the young build of clouds forming in the sky.

Moonlight illuminated the rustling branches of the trees, They danced in the wind letting a few petals stray from their grasp and fall onto the overgrown grasslands that surrounded the family home on the hill.

Despite the cold air of the night the house was warm and lit up with life. The house was filled with noise of cooking. The pot boiling, The sound of knife on cutting board and the spark of fire all mixed together to create a lively atmosphere. The kitchen especially.

Inside, A man was currently facing the kitchen counter chopping vegetables with precision. [F/N] sat beside him on the counter swinging her legs back in forth. She huffed.

"Papa I'm booooooored.." She whined, Puffing up her cheeks she looked at her father.

"I know, Sweetheart. But you've got to be patient. After you've had your dinner your mother can take you outside, Alright?" Her father said, A soft smile coming across his face, He shook his head at his daughters antics and focused his attention back to the vegetables.

"But papaaaaaa I wanna do something now.." [F/N] groaned folding her arms with a dramatic flair.

Her father chuckled lightly. He paused his movements for a moment and set down the knife he was holding. Picking up a couple of onions he held them out to her.

"Well if you really want to do something, Then how about you peel these onions for me?" He said.

"That's not what I meant, I don't want to peel onions!" [F/N] groaned. Her father only responded in kind, Setting down the pair of onions beside her.

"Alright then! If you don't want to then I won't force you." He smiled knowingly, Turning back to his knife and veg.

As he continued cutting [F/N] kept eyeing the onions beside her, She tried to drag her eyes away from the pair but eventually the boredom took over. With a dramatic sigh she picked up the pair of onions and got to work.

"I thought you didn't want to peel the onions, [F/N]." Her father teased, The smile on his face victorious.

[F/N] just hummed.

"Making cooking go faster so I can go outside quicker!" She explained, Her tone suggests that her father should of already known this, While he did. [F/N] didn't notice.

"Now who wants to go outside?"

[F/N]'s head snapped around to the source of the new voice, It was her mother.

Stepping out from another room in the house her mother appeared with a sweet smile on her face. She carried a basket full of laundry in her arms and balanced it as she walked out into the kitchen.

"Mum! Mum!" [F/N] giggled, Raising one hand to wave wildly at her mother as she came over to set down the laundry basket.

Picking [F/N] up she raised her daughter up high, To whom only laughed harder in her grasp.

"Now what are you doing on the countertop, Sweetheart?" Her mother teased.

"She's helping me make dinner, Aren't you [F/N]?" Her father said.

"Really? Are you helping your father to make dinner?" Her mother smiled.

[F/N] grinned back at her mother.

"Yeah! I'm peeling the onions, See!" [F/N] exclaimed, Pointing down at the half-peeled onions with a proud expression. Her mother gasped.

"Oh, Wow! You've done such a good job!" Her mother said back. She brought her daughter down back onto the countertop. Turning to her husband she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"How's dinner going?" She asked, A short smile appearing on her face.

"Just about done with the vegetables. The pot seems ready so all I need to do is get the bay leaves." Her father responded. Copying his wife's smile.

"Bay leaves.. Are you sure we stocked up on those?" Her mother asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Erm.. Yeah, I went out to the village and bought some last week, Remember?" Her father said. Her mothers expression turned into a look of doubt.

"Really? I thought you went out for those vegetables and rice. No offense but you do know how bad your memory is right, Kyuusei?" Her mother answered.

"Yeah! It was the veg!" [F/N] confirmed, Swinging her legs on the counter.

Kyuusei finished chopping the vegetables and stood still, Trying to recollect his memories.

"I.. I'd need to go check to make sure." Kyuusei said. Setting down his knife on the counter he was about to go and check before being stopped by his wife putting a hand on his shoulder.

"No, No. It's fine. I'll go check up on the bay leaves and you just focus on boiling the veg, Okay?" She told him, A reassuring smile on her face.

Kyuusei nodded.

"Thanks, Seishi." Her father said.

"No problem. Just make sure not to overcook the veg this time." Seishi teased with a grin. Kyuusei rolled his eyes and promised not to, Concealing the copied grin on his face.

As his wife walked off towards the door she previously came out of. Kyuusei collected the chopping board in his hands and moved over the steaming pot.

Readying his knife he loomed over the pot, Scraping the freshly cut vegetables into the boiling water they hit the surface with a splash.

The ripple created little droplets of water that flew up from the impact with a rather big one going up and hitting Kyuusei's bare skin.

He yelped and dropped the chopping board in his hands, Letting the unscraped vegetables scatter onto the floor with him following quickly behind. [F/N] yelled out and jumped down from the counter, Running over to her father.

"Dad? Dad! Are you alright? What's wrong?" [F/N] cried, Latching onto his wrist.

"Argh..!" Her father seethed, Looking down at the place where the water burned. The space had already started to create colour contrast and it stung badly.

The shoji door slid open and out rushed Seishi, Alerted by her husbands yelp and tightly clutching a few clovers in her hands. She gasped, Ignoring the spilled vegetables she stepped on she and hurried over to her husbands side.

"Kyuusei! Dear, Are you alright?" She worried and grabbed his burnt hand to examine the damage. Kyuusei nodded

"I-I'm fine.. Ah. It's just-" Kyuusei gestured vaguely to the floor below him "Dinner is ruined, The stuff in the pot isn't enough for all of us and we don't have anything left in the house. What are we gonna do?" He sighed.

Seishi pondered, Her eyes wandering away as she tried to work up an idea. Out of nowhere she snapped her fingers brining both her husband and daughters attention to her.

"The rice! You bought rice last week, Right?" Seishi exclaimed.

Her father slowly nodded, Getting the idea.

"Yes! Right, I left the bag in the shed down the hill. I'll go get it, Do we have enough Bay leaves? We can use that in the rice." He asked.

"No, I'll go down to get the rice. I haven't counted the bay leaves so you can stay here and do that" Seishi replied.

"Really? I can go get the rice no problem, Are you sure?" Kyuusei asked.

"I'm sure. Plus, You should make sure that hand's okay." Her mother smiled, Rubbing circles into her husbands hand. Kyuusei smiled, His other hand going over to rest on his wife's.

"I wish I had your quick thinking, Seishi. I really do." He muttered.

"And I wish I had your rice cooking skills." Seishi responded. Her eyes glinted like the stars outside, Capturing her husbands gaze into them.

He cupped her cheek and pressed his lips up to hers. A short, sweet kiss that's warmth lingered on the lips when he pulled away to beam down at her.

"Thank you, Dear." He said. Their faces still rather close, So much so that their foreheads touched.

"It's no problem." She chuckled. And with that she moved away and over to the front door.

[F/N], Who spaced out the entirety of her parents interaction, Finally clocked back into reality when her mother started turning the doorknob.

"Mum! Where are you going?" [F/N] called out, Tugging on her mothers sakura-woven kimono.

Seishi looked down to her daughter, Her hand still on the doorknob she kneeled down to her daughters level and rested her other hand on her head.

"Just going out to get some more rice for dinner, Alright? I won't be too long." Seishi said, Lightly brushing back loose strings of [F/N]'s hair.

"Can I come with you..?" [F/N] pouted, Trying to produce the best puppy dog eyes she could muster.

"I think it would be better if you stayed here.. After all" Her mothers tone grew into a whisper between them

"Your dad will need a lot of help, His hand hurts a lot and I think your gonna need to take care of him." Her mother muttered, Raising her hand as a barrier so it was only between them.

"Really?" [F/N] said.

"Really. You better promise to take care of him alright?" She said. Raising a single pinky finger up to her daughter, Beckoning her to take it.

Slowly, [F/N] raised her own pinky finger up to her mothers and wrapped it around her mothers larger one.

"Alright.." [F/N] spoke, A hint of disappointment still lacing her voice as her mother got up from kneeling down.

"Be back soon!" Seishi called out to Kyuusei who shouted back a goodbye from another room. Opening the door she stepped out into the night.

"Bye mum!" [F/N] said. Just as the door closed tight.

☆♡☆

[F/N]'s body felt limp.

The room she lay in smelled old, Reminiscent of dust filled air and a strange pungent smell of iron. She couldn't hear much, Only the settling of wood and insects occasionally buzzing around her at times.

She couldn't move her body. Everything from her head to her toes felt like it was too relaxed to get up. This extended to her eyelids as well as they felt like weights were hanging from her eyelashes, Tugging them closed every time she tried to open them up.

Her mind felt dazed too, A dull and throbbing pain pulsating through the back of her skull. She could barely render anything around her as she could only fixate on her overrelaxed body.

She tried wiggling her fingers first. A few small twitches going into the fingertips, It was a start.

From her fingertips it went to into her hands, Then her feet then her lower legs. All until she could move freely with only a leftover feeling akin to a sleeping leg.

Finally wrenching her eyes open she blinked a few times to try rub the feeling off and stared up towards the ceiling, Though hard to see in the darkness.

Her previously weighted eyelids shot open, A shock ran through her body. Where was she?

She felt around with her hands, She seemed to be laying on top of a futon

Panic coursed through her system along with the events that occurred some amount of time ago. How long has she been out?

Despite her breaking out of her bodies numb state the hangover feeling was still present and in full affect.

Bringing her shoulder back she tried to swing her body round onto its side. Failing the first few tries she landed straight back to where she was.

She breathed in and out to try and calm herself. Turning to the other side of the futon facing the wall she built up momentum, And in one swift move her body swung over onto its side to face the rest of the room.

She smirked triumphantly and finally let her gaze survey her surroundings.

The room she was in a long rectangle shape. It was old, Definetly, The cobwebs and dust particles proved the fact. Despite not being able to see well in the very dim lighting in the room [F/N] could see It was rather empty as well.

Housing only a rickety closet with doors barely hanging on its hinges, A dresser covered in dust with a couple of the drawers missing. There was also a rather ancient rug stretching the entire length of the room that seemed to have patterns on it which faded over time. As well as the strange lump laying on the far end of the ru-

Oh god..

Oh good god..

She screamed

[F/N] felt bile rise in her throat. Rising so high that her high pitched scream turned into choking and gagging noises until she finally keeled over and belched out the vomit onto the wooden floorboards, Sputtering and spitting out the rest.

She let out a loud wail. She stared wide eyed at the scene, At the mass of which she previously thought was a lump.

A human corpse or what remained of it lay scattered on top of the blood-stained carpet. It was mangled, From the limbs to the torso to the spilled innards it was mangled.

Limbs lay tossed around the dismembered torso, Barely holding on by the stringy tendons keeping them hanging from the ligaments.

The bits of flesh still kept on the bone seemed to have chunks ripped out of them, Torn off roughly from their structure. The mans organs and intestines were lain out like a buffet platter, Neatly ordered from largest to smallest in front of him.

And the head, Good god, The head. It sat facing her, Eyes bulging out of their sockets and dark pupils staring right at her, Bloodshot and strained. She stared back, Eyes almost as wide as his.

The worst part? She recognised him. It was the man who bought out her marriage contract, She had only met him once but it was him.

His heart was lodged into his mouth, Stuffed right down his throat and stretching his jaw so wide it creating a permanent look of horror on his visage. Maggots and flies had already started to infest his remains, Attracted to the corpse like worms to rain.

[F/N] screamed, Yelled and cried with her throat still suffering from the burn the vomit made.

She burrowed herself into the corner of her futon, Desperately trying to get away from the unspeakable horror laying only a few feet away from her. She pushed herself further and further into the corner, She buried her hands into her face trying to get the sight out a she flailed around.

Her mind was already racing with questions: How did this happen? Why was she here? Why is this happening to her? The questions were the roadblock her train of thought crashed into and the mangled body was the wreck she couldn't look away from.

She was so preoccupied that she never noticed the overshadowing presence grab onto her wrist and pry her hands away from her face. She looked up, It was him. All six eyes glaring down at her.

She yelled, Tears shot out of her face and she tried to get away. She kicked and struggled in his iron tight hold as she tried her best to push him off of him.

"Stop.. Struggling!" He hissed, Trying to wrangle her into being still. It proved no use however, No matter how hard he tried to sheperd her into a docile state she was inconsolable. Her cries were broken only by hiccups and his presence just made her heartrate skyrocket.

"I SAID STOP!" He hollered. Baring his shark-like canines at her she didn't need to realise how the chunks got ripped off her never-to be husbands corpse. Her choked sobs dissolved down into coughs and quiet cries of agony.

"P-Please.. I.. I.. Don't kill me please! I-I don't wanna die.. Please just bring me back to the courtesan house.. I-I need to go back there.. You don't understand I need.. I need to go back.." She bawled.

Kokushibo's nose twitched at her words.

"Silly girl.. I have no intention of killing you." He growled like a feral animal, His previously commanding voice progressing into a primal sort of wild grumble resonating deep within his throat.

[F/N] shook her head in a rapid movement, Confusion mixing into her previous terror.

"T-Then why.. Why am I alive.. I-I don't.. I don't understand.." She babbled. Her fingers digging into her scalp harder she tugged on her hair.

"If you haven't.. Figured it out by now then.. Let me clear the fog for you.." He muttered. His face moved closer to [F/N]'s who tried backing away further into the corner, However she was stopped when his hand lunged to the back of her head and forced it closer to his. So close that their foreheads touched.

"From now on.. You are to be my bride.. My wife." He proclaimed in the faintest of whispers. All six of his eyes focused on hers of which spoke terrified confusion.

"Y-You want me to be your wife?!" She spoke with a tone wobbling in pitch. She didn't understand, She couldn't understand.

His nose twitched again, His expression unreadable.

"Yes.. My wife." Kokushibo confirmed with a slight nod of his head, Finally pulling away from her terrified visage.

"W-Why me.. Why me of all people?!" She whimpered. Her head lightly shaking back in forth, A futile effort to cope.

"Ever since that day I heard you.. All those months ago when I heard that voice.. That beautiful voice hum such a beautiful malady.. I couldn't get enough.." He seemed to stop in place, His vision seemed far off. Gazing into a far away memory to reminisce.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing, He was following her for months. She had no idea, How could she not know he was stalking her? She was terrified.

Her mind seemed to be scrambled and misplaced like an unsolved puzzle. She felt one of the pieces of the puzzle in her throat, Taking only a very small peek towards the cadaver, She tried to put it down.

"T-Then what about.. H-Him.." She pointed a shaky finger at the rotting corpse behind him.

"Y-You didn't need to.. Kill.. Him. You could of just took me.. Why..?" She asked.

He didn't even look back at him, As if the mangled body was absolutely nothing to fret over. Instead his face seemed to grow dark and angry.

"It is a great dishonour.. For man to steal another's wife.. It is only right what he got." He hissed, A great venom running throughout his voice when he spoke about him and it terrified her. [F/N]'s form shook at his towering form overlooking her. Despite it all a rush of hubris ran through her, Only a small bit.

"I.. I am not your wife." [F/N] whispered so very quietly, But it was enough.

His nose twitched for a third and final time.

"Repeat that..?" He uttered.

"I-I am not your wi-"

He grabbed her by the jaw and roughly pulled her up to his level, Effectively cutting off her speech and fizzling out what confidence she had before and turning it into absolute terror.

"If the corpse of that vile man lying by your bedside.. Isn't warning enough. Then I'll tell you one thing.." He slowly moved his clawed hand from her collarbone, Slowly up to her throat. Pressing it in only enough to draw a single drop of red onto his fingertips. [F/N]'s breath grew heavier as her eyes went fixed onto the clawed nail, Begging not for any further pressure.

"You watch your tongue around me.. Or I won't hesitate to cut it out" He whispered.

Letting go of [F/N]'s jaw she fell back onto the futon and let out the biggest breath she didn't know she was holding. She shook in place, The words looped inside her head and ingrained themselves deep within her.

He brought his hand up to his mouth, The one he threatened her with. He lolled his tongue out of his mouth and licked the blood off his finger. [F/N] gagged at the sight.

"It seems that you need.. To be told of how things will work around here.." He said so stoic, As if he didn't threaten his captive only moments ago. [F/N] frantically nodded, Grabbing her throat to try and examine the damage.

"As my wife I expect you to follow the rules.. I set for you, So listen well.." He said, Beginning to slowly pace to and fro from one end of the futon to the other. [F/N] watched in scared anticipation, Intently watching for his next action. He stopped pacing and held up a single finger up to her.

"Rule number one.. You will perform your duties as my housewife. Cleaning the house.. Doing the dishes.. Be there to greet me at the door.. Along with polishing my swords. And if you even think about trying to use them to escape then.." He relaxed his free hand on his sheathed sword hilt. She didn't even need to know what he would say next, She got the message.

"Rule number two.. Every night before I come back from my.. Job. You will cook the meat that is left for you in the kitchen. Do not add anything to it.. Spices, Salts, Herbs.. Nothing." He emphasised the last point, Raising a second finger. Confusion spiralled in with her terror. Put nothing in it? She had no time to dwell on it however as he raised a third and final finger.

"Rule number three.. You are not allowed to leave this house… Though at night I will permit you to enter the garden.. Only at night. Once the sun comes up you must return inside immediately.." He finished. Lowering his fingers his eyes started to roam over her form.

"Do you understand me?" He asked.

[F/N] tried to steady herself on the mattress and steel her face.

Wiping the sweat off her face she nodded.

"Y-Yes.. I do." She replied.

Kokushibo hummed with a deep reverberation in his throat. When it stopped they were left in silence, Staring back at one and other with a wide split of emotions. The quiet was deafening between them.

And with that, Kokushibo turned away.

He walked towards the closed old door at the far end of the room, Walking with near silence. [F/N] felt her heartrate pickup, She called out.

"W-WAIT!.." She cried out.

Kokushibo held the doorknob in his hands. Although he stopped at [F/N]'s plea he faced the doorway and didn't look back at her. She sniffled.

"What about… him..?" She breathed, Only a touch higher than a whisper. The body of her dead fiance lay rotting still on the floor.

Kokushibo finally turned his head around to her, Only so all she could barely see was his left set of eyes staring her dead on.

"Rule number one.. Start cleaning.."

☆♡☆

The meat sizzled on the pan. The bloody raw juices burnt along with it, Creating an earthy aroma that filled the small kitchen it cooked it.

[F/N] sat crouched in front of the fire the pan hung from,

Occasionally poking and prodding at the meat with a stick to make sure it came out tender enough.

The professionally done makeup she had adorned before had degraded into smudged lips, Pudgy foundation and poorly done eyeliner. Not to mention her hair which looked like a wild animal got into it, Went berserk and was proceeded to be tied back up into an Oiran's usual up do.

Her charming personality couldn't save her appearance either. Her eyes that use to hold an enticing sparkle had dimmed into a dull gaze, All weighed down by the deep bags under her them from crying late at night. Her beautiful smile that could stun anyone was long gone and replaced by a permanent frown.

Since she had been swept away to her prison, It had been about two.. three.. Maybe four weeks? She couldn't remember, She had lost track after the first and after that it all had blurred into one, Hellish nightmare.

Even then she couldn't remember much of the first week, Not the first half anyways. She remembered the rules of course, And the awful man charading as her husband but everything that came after seemed to be a blur, After that all she knew was the red stain on the bedroom carpet that seemed to appear all of a sudden, How it got there was a mystery to her.

The second half of the first week was much more clear to her. It consisted entirely of a "Settlement Period" as that monster had put it. Do the dishes.. Greet him when he comes home, God save her if she didn't greet him.

One night she had completely forgotten to do so. She was so tired that night from all the cooking and cleaning that she didn't even notice him come home. He became unbelievably furious at her and had locked her in the bedroom closet for a good amount of hours. He didn't let her out no matter how loud her wails and screams became.

Before the settlement period ended he was much more distant, Per se. He kept away from her, Didn't speak much. As long as she did the rules set out for her he didn't interact with her at all. But he did stare.

Anywhere she went when he was home she could feel his eyes on her, That hot glare could melt ice with its intensity. It only served her to be more scared of him, To fear his next move, To flinch whenever he did.

After the period had ended however is when he started to get closer. He'd force her to lay with him at night in the same bed, Nothing came of it but the absolute inconsolable fear that resonated from within her every time he dragged her to their shared futon every time the sun came up was absolutely nauseating.

That was another thing, He goes out at the first show of the moon and comes home just before the wake of dawn. You figured it was a demon thing, It probably was. But this small little fact changed her sleep schedule to make her nocturnal, Which annoyed her greatly.

He'd start to try make light conversation if you could call it that, It was more of him asking questions such as 'What did you do today'. To which she had no answer, She was kidnapped. She had spent the entire day doing what he had forced her to do. However the only thing she could say to appease him was "Nothing much honey? What about you" while they sat over the meat she slaved away at.

The meat, She didn't want to think about the meat. She had no idea where it came from, Just that it restocked when she fell asleep.

When they ate together, When he forced her to she couldn't quite place the taste of it. It wasn't like anything she had tasted before and the closest thing she could place it to was pork, However seemed to be more sweeter and a just a little more stronger than any pork she's had before.

She didn't want to know what kind of meat it was, She didn't want to ask. It was probably better that way.

All she focused on was cooking it, Making sure that it turned the golden brown it was suppose to be.

To cook it she was given a simple pan and a few pieces of wood to make friction with. She wasn't allowed anything sharp so she had resorted to bamboo sticks and her bare hands to cut and prepare it.

The kitchen wasn't much help either. When she finally brought up the courage to venture into rooms other than the bedroom she discovered the absolute abandonment the rest of the house was in.

Like the bedroom which was bad enough the kitchen was horrendous. The wooden floorboards and structure were rotting. Cobwebs were infesting every little crook and cranny of the kitchen, So much so that it looked like clumps of yarn had been stuffed into them. Not to mention the tiny web landlords she found in them that she had to chase away with rocks.

She had to slave away day and night to even make it somewhat hygienic to cook in.

Apart from the kitchen she hadn't dared to go into any other room in the house. She didn't want to think about what was in there if the kitchen was this bad. The only rooms she went in and out of was the bedroom, Kitchen and bathroom.

Apart from that she hadn't explored any other room, Luckily enough it seemed like her captor didn't care if she didn't clean the other rooms. As long as the kitchen, Bedroom and bathroom were clean he didn't say a word about it.

But there was another area she loved to explore.

Outside of the house, When she was permitted she would enter the garden. While it was unkempt like the rest of the house with flowers and rye grass growing wild, [F/N] thought that gave it charm.

There were a good few amount of large tree's casting shade around the small field the garden covered with lush green leaves covering them. Unfortunately she couldn't escape as the gardens were fenced off by large walls covered head to toe in a rather severe form of poison ivy, If she tried to climb them she'd be writhing on the ground in seconds.

The flowers were vividly coloured and bloomed in a wide spectrum. They radiated such a beautiful fragrance, With her favourites being the pink ones as they reminded her of her beloved sakura blossom.

But despite the beautiful aroma coming from them it just didn't have the same smell of her cherry blossoms, Leaving the lovely smell bittersweet instead. Besides, The tree's in the garden just weren't the type to produce the blooms.

She'd find a way to escape. When she does she'll find her way back home, Back to him.

A loud sizzle of the meat on the pan snapped [F/N] out of her reflection.

The meat had turned into a rich brown, Signalling it's medium rare condition. [F/N] groaned and wiped the sweat off her brow that built up while she daydreamed.

Slowly poking the meat over the side of the pan she pushed it over onto a plate to collect it. Scraping the last bits of the slabs off onto the plate she got up from her perched position on the floor while stretching her aching legs.

Wobbling in place she moved over to the old kitchen countertop and set the meat down to cool off. She sighed and leaned back onto the counter beside it.

She realised she'd started cooking the meat too early as the moon outside usually rung of the time her captor got home. This gave her time to herself.

For a normal person this would be a good thing, However to [F/N] it just meant more time for her and her thoughts. She didn't want to think anymore about her situation as it would just make her overthink more. She needed something to do.

Looking around the small main room for an opportunity she came up barren. She recalled all the books Kokushibo had occasionally brought back for her, She had read them all at least fifty times over and had basically memorised every word so she supposed that was a no go.

Clean the house again? Both the kitchen and the house were both as spotless as an abandoned house could get, There would be nothing to clean. Though, The other rooms in the house were abandoned and unexplored, Bound to have some dust in there.

She didn't even like cleaning, Not in the slightest. Though she figured her situation had brought on new hobbies despite how depressing of a hobby cleaning is.

Though as she looked at the door she recalled back to all of the disturbing traits of her imprisonment: The mystery meat, The carpet stain, The infestations. Who know if these are the only the things she found in three rooms then the rest of the house must host only the Gods knows.

She eyed the door as if she was a rabbit to a wolf. Slowly, She shuffled over to the shoji door. The inside birch handle seemed to resemble a open maw to her. The scolded herself in her mind.

It was just a door, It was just a room. Why are you afraid of entering a dusty old room? You shouldn't be feeling like this, It's totally irrational [F/N]. Pull yourself together.

She exhaled, She knew she was right. It was just a room. She never had this problem before, Maybe her kidnapping has shook her up more than she realised. Go in, You might even find something that could help you escape. Just rip the bandage off.

Steeling herself with the hope of escape she grabbed the open maw handle she roughly pushed it open. Instantly she was met with a dust cloud that made her cough and cover her mouth with her kimono sleeve as she desperately tried to waft the air away with her hand.

When the cloud finally settled she lifted her head up to peek inside the room.

Peering around the corner she looked inside to see a storage room of sorts, Or at least that's what it looked like.

The inside dimensions was of a rectangular shape with a high ceiling. Like the rest of the rooms it was completely covered in dust and cobwebs, [F/N] could also see the scuttling of tiny bugs running around the floor to which she squirmed.

There was a large table in the middle of the room, On top of it sat pots and pots of dead old plants of a wide variety, [F/N] wasn't surprised, With the large biodiversity of the garden outside she should of known the previous owner of this place had a green thumb.

On the far side of the wall was three storage cabinets, They were built with 'Swing open doors' and luckily had no locks on them. Noticing this [F/N]'s curiosity was piqued, The possibility of escape tools was tantalizing.

She took a few steps into the room, Deeming it not to be of any danger. Looking left and right to confirm this she tiptoed over to the storage cabinets and reached the first one.

She ran her fingers over one of the hinged doors, Collecting a layer of dust while she searched for the handle. Finding the rise on the surface she gripped onto it and turned. Swinging the door open she peered inside to see the contents.

Inside there were several glass jars, All of them were of different sizes and shapes but in the end they all contained lots of kinds of herbs and spices, All of which were strangely still fresh.

Grabbing a few of the jars she examined them. The bottle's necks had a thin tag attached to them.

Paprika, Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Oregano, Brahmi, Tumeric, Nutmeg, Pepper.

All of which she recognised. While none of the contents appeared to be of any use to her escape plot they did give her something to use with the meat, Though Kokushibo didn't want any in his it didn't mean she couldn't season hers at all.

She slid the containers back into their cabinet and closed the door. Feeling somewhat satisfied with her finds she moved onto the next one.

Opening it up she looked inside to find.. Little colourful pouches. The pouches were scattered within the cabinet. They were a wide range of colours from blue to pink, They were there. All of them had little floral patterns sowed into them with care.

[F/N] raised an eyebrow. The pouches were just laying there without any holder like the spices, No nametag either. She also doubted they would actually have anything in there that would assist in her get away.

But she couldn't be lazy, She needed to check.

Collecting the pouches she scooped them up into her palms and brought them to her chest. Surveying their condition and rubbing a few of their contents through her fingers she found they all contained different textures. Finally deciding to check them she pried open the mouth of them and examined the contents.

And there were.. Seeds.

The outside colour of pouch she had opened was yellow and the insides were sunflower seeds.

[F/N] hummed, Only mildly surprised. She continued on to the other ones.

Blue? Ocean lilies. Red? Roses. Black? Dahlia's. Each of the small pouches had a colour corresponding to their contents. She put the opened ones back inside the cabinet and sieved through the rest.

Putting away orchids and tiger lilies she finally reached the final pouch.

It was a baby pink with silver threads adorning it. Testing its weight, She tossed it up into the air and it landed back with a light thud into her hand. It wasn't unlike the others, Not at all.

Pulling open the string around its neck she opened up.

Inside of the little pink pouch were seeds. Big and round, Resembling something like a walnut. There were a total of four in there.

Her eyes expanded to that of saucers. Her jaw went slack open. She recognised them, How could she not? They were cherry blossom seeds, Yoshino to be exact.

She felt her heartrate rise up in her chest, A pounding sensation filling her entire body. She felt as if an exfoliating light was rising up from her palms, A glimmering hope in the darkest days of her life, All radiating from inside the sack in her palms.

[F/N] squealed at the sight and couldn't help but rapidly stomp her foot being unable to contain her excitement.

She swiftly clawed out one of the little nut-like seeds and felt in around in her hands. A burst of giggles erupted from her and she spun around in place at the sight of it. Without any thought she knew what she had to do.

She stuffed the pouch in her her obi and rushed out the room with a new found speed. She needed to plant the seeds, She needed to grasp onto the cherry blossoms, She needed to smell them.

Completely forgetting her previous escape plan and ignoring the amount of time it would take to grow the tree she took no time when she ran out into the main room towards the main door.

And stopped dead in her tracks.

Standing in front of the wide open door stood Kokushibo. He glared straight at her, All six of his eyes scrutinizing her entire form.

[F/N] froze up, Her previous excitement dying in her throat. Her fault hit her like brick and made her head spin round and round. She forgot to greet him.. She forgot..

Her knee's almost buckled under the weight of her mistake. She tried to speak, But no words came out.

Kokushibo looked at her, Then around the room. He moved his clawed hand and she flinched.

"The meat has gone cold.." He commented, Pointing at the left out meat.

[F/N]'s lip trembled. Suddenly building up the courage to speak she let it spill out.

"I.. I'm so sorry I.. I.. Lost track of time.. Forgive me, Please.." She spoke fast and stuttered as she went. Her eyes started to water at the prospect of being locked back in that small, closed off space.

Kokushibo was unfazed. Looking straight through her.

"Its.. Fine.." He said and with that, He turned away and trod off down the hallway.

[F/N] felt herself instantly relax as soon as he left the room. While the meat wasn't hot anymore and she'd need to heat it up, She wasn't punished or yelled at for failing to both greet him at the door and making the meat how he liked. She thanked whatever kami was looking over her.

However she noticed from the small crack of the closed door that the sun was rising. She wouldn't be able to go outside into the garden to plant the seeds.

At least, Not while Kokushibo is aware.

☆♡☆

It was the early hours of the morning, Only a few hours after [F/N] got a hold on the cherry blossom seeds.

Like every night before then her captor had dragged [F/N] back to their shared bedroom and had forced her onto the futon. As usual nothing came of it. It was just him facing away from her towards the wall while she looked the other way.

Normally this would end with her eventually falling into a dreamless slumber, But today she had a plan.

She decided to wait for Kokushibo to fall asleep, A task which she assumed would be boring but easy. But had turned out to be the complete opposite.

She herself had stilled her breath and relaxed her movements, Trying to make it seem that she herself was deep into REM. But this seemed to work a bit too well as Kokushibo bought into it.

She felt him run his claws through her hair, She had to steel her nerves just so she wouldn't squirm away from him. He kept moving around in bed, Too. Repeatedly repositioning himself to include her in his sleeping position: Wrapping his arms around her waist, Resting her head on his shoulder, Spooning. All of which made her want to vomit.

I should of just waited until night time to plant it. She thought. She was right as well. It would be much more convenient if she did wait, But her mind tossed it like a used cigarette immediately. She needed to plant the seeds, She needed her cherry blossoms.

In the end however he couldn't find a comfortable position, So he just reverted back to the original stare-at-the-wall form.

She had waited another two hours after that, Just to make sure he was asleep. Once she finally felt sure she had put her next step into motion.

Literally, She had to be extremely cautious in her steps as the floorboards had a tendency to creak. One single move could ruin everything.

Getting up, Slowly, Carefully. She swung her legs over onto the floorboards and pressed her feet down softly.

She waited.

No sound came. She was in the clear.

Fully getting up from the bed she creeped ever so sluggishly towards the main door, Carefully making sure not to touch any of the floorboards that were particularly old.

Reaching the door, The hardest part had came around.

The doorknob, The accursed doorknob. Every time [F/N] would turn it around to leave the mechanisms inside would create such a churn of noise so loud that you could hear it from the kitchen.

As gently as she could she relaxed her hand over the doorknob. Gripping it she began to gradually turn it, So slow you could barely see it move. The mechanisms from behind the door started to sound out too, Lowered and muffled by [F/N]'s sluggish pace but still enough to make a low scraping noise on the wood.

She winced at the sound, Her pace going even slower until she turned it around the entire way.

She pulled it open gently, Her hand still on the doorknob. The threat of the mechanisms reversing hung over her head like a guillotine, The sharp blade seeming to lower every time the noise jolted in volume.

She let the knob go. Glancing back at the slumbering demon, She found him still dead asleep on the futon.

She grinned, Wild and toothy. She was free to go.

She walked off down the hallway towards the front door. Pulling out the small baby pink pouch from her obi she confirmed it was still there. The adrenaline of the situation ran through her and the raw excitement of her find elated her so much so that she felt she was floating.

Reaching the door she swung it open and rushed out into the garden. It was early morning. Though you couldn't tell due to the thick blanketing clouds, So thick that it didn't even let a single crack of sunlight dawn through. As she ran barefoot, Stomping on the wild overgrowths of grass she noted that the soil seemed dry today.

[F/N] frowned, These weren't good agriculture conditions. But that didn't waver her stride nor did it shake her determination in the slightest, She was confident in her goal.

Running past the wild bursts of flower growth and foliage she reached the heart of the garden: A little rocky hill with a clearing at the top, The perfect position for a Yoshino blossom tree to be perched.

She swatted away hair strands blowing in her face from the light breeze, Tripping only once or twice on the way up she reached the top.

Falling to her knees, Dirtying her old kimono in the process she brushed away the grass to find the perfect spot.

Finding a small little dip located in the exact middle point she deemed it good enough to dig in.

[F/N] started to claw and scratch at the dirt with her bare nails, Pushing away soil left and right not caring about the mess she made. She knew she needed a hole at least a few feet deep.

She tossed the pouch to the side of the hole, Seeds rattling around inside it.

She dug further and further down, Soil was building up beside the dip that soon turned into a crevice. Soon enough though her nails hit a harder part of the soil and began to be proven useless.

[F/N] near-growled at the impasse. Thinking quickly, She extracted one of the sharp-tipped hairpins from her messed hair. Ignoring the hair flopping over from the removed support she raised the pin high up above her head.

Bringing it back to gather momentum she quickly brought it back down-

She froze. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck.

She didn't need to turn around to know about the katana only inches away from her neck, Ready to pierce her skin at any moment.

"What exactly.. Do you think you're doing?" Kokushibo hissed. He was angry, He was so angry. His entire being shook with it. The blade he pointed directly at the back of her neck shook along with him.

[F/N]'s heart seemed to stop beating and her jaw lay open. His kimono wove in tandem to the wind and was brought apart from his rage. The hairpin she held dropped to the ground with a clang!

"I.. I.." She sputtered. She didn't dare turn around. She didn't dare turn around to see his bared teeth, His wide eyes scrutinising every atom of her, His free hand twitching around itching to dig into her skin.

A sound similar to what a feral animal would make rose from within his throat. The blade inched closer.

"An answer.. Now." He spat, Taking a step closer.

Despite his words he didn't wait for one. Alternating his blade to his other hand he reached down beside her he grabbed the pouch. [F/N] gasped.

"W-Wait!" She exclaimed. He brought the pouch up to his face to examine it. [F/N] tried to grasp and grab at the pouch but was nonchalantly shook off by Kokushibo, Who paid her no mind.

He wretched the mouth of the sack open and brought out one of the walnut-like seeds, Holding it with two claws up to his middle eyes. He ignored [F/N]'s protests, She felt her entire being break. Her one chance of comfort destroyed before her.

She broke down into quiet tears, Her retaliation growing weaker and weaker until she just slumped over on her knees.

"What.. What is this?" He asked, Not taking his eyes off the nut. "It's a cherry blossom seed.." [F/N] muttered through her soft cries. Kokushibo looked down at her, His face cooling off only a singe. He lowered the seed down to instead clutch it in his hand.

"You came out here.. To do gardening?" His voice sounded off, Like he was deep in thought. [F/N] nodded.

"Why?" He asked. The question seemed to elude [F/N]'s response. A war waged on in her mind, One side fighting to stay silent the other to just tell the truth. She shook it off, Going for the third party.

"Does it matter to you?" She said, Her voice a tone of defeat. In her somewhat right mind she would of never spoke to him with that level of audacity, But now it just seemed futile.

Kokushibo sucked in air through his teeth and huffed as if it was a stupid question.

"You are my wife.. I expect there to be no secrets hiding from me." He answered so casually.

"I am not your wife.. I've told you this before. There was no marriage, You kidnapped me." She sighed. Every inch of fear she had seemed pushed to the side now.

Kokushibo lowered his sword, He took a step forward closer to her. "..Why do you like them so much?" He asked, Ignoring her previous remark which would get her reprimanded. Her eyes narrowed, This brought on a sense of confusion to [F/N].

"Why do you want to know.." She repeated her previous question through her sniffles, Still looking down at the grass.

"Back at that courtesan house.. Your room was filled to the brim with those flowers. I had assumed it was a theme… That wretched old woman gave you to make you stand out.. From the other Oiran's in the area.." He explained.

"But I was proven otherwise when instead of escaping.. You came out to plant one of the tree's." His voice was filled with puzzlement.

[F/N] had nothing to say at his words, Nothing at all.

"Let me make you a deal." He proclaimed, His voice finally making [F/N]'s head rise up from the ground to look up at his looming figure. A deal? Her face scrunched up in confusion while she awaited his response.

"If you explain to me.. The reason for your love of sakura blossoms.. And start refering to me by my proper title.. I will let you plant this seed here.. As well as bringing you back whatever you desire when I leave the house. " He laid the bargain out in front of her. It wasn't the deal that puzzled her to no end, But instead his unyielding determination to know why she adored the blossoms.

"Why do you even want to know about it? It doesn't matter to you at all." Her final question escaped her lips. He stood quiet for only a moment as he pondered her words. Kokushibo's expression seemed to grow light as he looked at her.

"Because despite your silly beliefs.. I care about you. And I wish to know about you, To be a good husband for you" He said.

This pierced through [F/N] harder than anything his katana could of done. Her shoulders loosened up and she nodded.

"Alright then. I accept the deal."

☆♡☆

[F/N] layed by the boiling pot hanging over the fire, Swinging her legs around and fidgeting with her hands.

The clouds that had barely obscured the sky earlier had grown into a raging storm, One that neither she or her father predicted. The rain was heavy and came down like bullets along with the wind which was harsh and unforgiving. Outside the cherry tree branches hit each other back and forth creating loud rustling noises.

Along with the semi-boiled water she could smell the rain mixing with the wildlife from the halfway opened window. She kept glancing out it to see if she could catch a glimpse of her mother returning with the rice.

Her dad had commanded her to keep an eye on the water, And for the first ten minutes she did. However eventually her young mind grew bored and wandered off to other things.

[F/N] groaned and flopped her arms to her side.

"Dad, When's mum gonna be back?" [F/N] exclaimed with a lilt of annoyance.

Her dad stood over by the kitchen counter clutching a good few clovers of bay leaves in his hands.

"Don't know, Sweetheart. You know how your mother is with taking her time." Kyuusei replied. He shifted through the bay leaves and got to the very last one, Staring at them blankly for a moment he sighed. He turned back to his daughter.

"Be right back, [F/N]." He called out to her before turning away and walking towards the shoji door. [F/N] watched him slide it open and walk through.

Once he shut it closed, She perked up from lying down on the floorboards and got up.

Ignoring the boiling pot of water she rushed over to the open window. Gripping onto the frame she tried hauling her small self up onto the ledge, Failing twice before finally being able to pull her little body up onto the frame.

She looked out into the wild weather of the night and took it as nothing big. Jumping down onto the other side she pranced out into the rife atmosphere in search of her mother.

She ran off onto the rough stone path, Tripping both from the heavy winds and the jagged rocks. She had to pause just to regain her balance, However when she did she took off further down the path.

[F/N] ignored her soaked kimono and the hair whipping around her as she carefully maneuvered the stones. Lightning echoed out in the distance, But the noise didn't rock her from her path.

The warm light of her house grew farther and farther away, The cold chill of the night grew stronger the more she went.

Eventually reaching the peak of the ledge they sat on she looked out over the forest below. Her hair blowing around in her face made it hard to see below. When she finally gathered it all together she finally got a look below.

She saw the small shed there, Lightly rocking back and forth on its structure. The candles weren't lit inside implying her mother wasn't there.

[F/N] groaned, But suddenly she spotted her mother through the rain and wind.

She lay unconscious at the bottom of the hill, Her arms and legs spread out on her stomach. The bag of rice was spilt out a little way beside her. [F/N]'s eyes widened, Panic rising up into her chest. She heard her father yell out from behind her, But she ignored him and his calls.

"Mum! Mum!" She yelled out over the storm noise. Carefully, She made her way down the hill to get a better look at her. Climbing down onto a lower rock she narrowed her eyes to-

She wasn't unconscious

She wasn't unconscious.

Seishi's neck was twisted 180, Her broken neckbone dug out from her flesh making her head look barely attached. She lay in a thick puddle of blood diluted only by the rainwater. She had fallen on the path.

[F/N] screamed.

"MUM! MUM!" She wailed. Running down the path not caring about her stumbles and wobbles as she went.

She reached her mothers corpse, Her head was facing up while her body faced down. Her visage excreted fear, A final terrifying sculpture. [F/N] gripped onto her body and sobbed, Pulling at her kimono and burying her face into her mothers shoulder.

"[F/N]!" Her father had finally reached the scene and stood still at the top of the hill. He looked down on the rest of his family and he yelled, A loud guttural yell.

He rushed down the pathway and quickly enveloped his daughter in a hug, Shielding her away from the corpse of her mother. [F/N] latched onto her father and sobbed inconsolably.

"S-Seishi.. Seishi, My love.. It should of been me.. It should of been me.. I'm so, so sorry." Kyuusei cried, Looking upon the cold dead look of his wife. [F/N] cried along with him, Crying out for her mother to come back.

She shut her eyes tight, Hoping that when she opened them she'd awaken in her mothers arms. Wanting to be lightly scolded for staying up too late.

But when she opened them that never happened, Just the cold rainwater and the shaking arms of her father hugging her tight.

She cried. The last thing she remembered was the faint scent of her mothers cherry blossom perfume, Fading out into the iron smell of her mangled corpse.

☆♡☆

It was a sleepless night.

The morning after, The storm clouds dispersed away. Bringing in the warm sun shining over the revitalised forest.

The irony stung the both of them, As today was the day they'd need to carry her mother's cadaver to its burial site.

Her father had held [F/N] the entire night, Trying to find the words to console her when he knew none could comfort either of them. So instead they sat like that until the first eye of dawn.

After that they made their way back down to the death site. Picking up Seishi's cold body he pulled her close to him, He tried his best to put on a strong face for his daughter but he couldn't help the silent tears and hiccups erupting from his throat as he carried his wife's body through the forest.

[F/N] tailed behind him, Repeatedly calling out for her mother in small sobs. She repeatedly wiped away her tears with her sleeve yet they kept flooding out anyways.

They decided on the massive weeping sakura sat in the core of the woods as Seishi's final resting place, It was her most prized tree as it towered over all the other ones around it.

The digging of the grave took a good few hours for her father to complete, During that time he never said a single word and never for a second took his eyes off of his task.

Once the grave was finally done he had looked into his wife's eyes for a final time and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. He softly apologised to her, Professing his guilt over her death and how he loved her so.

He lowered her body into the grave and shut her eyes. Once both [F/N] and him said their final goodbyes, He got to filling the grave with a sombre expression.

After that her father had grown sad and bitter, The previous light and warmth that his presence radiated had grown cold. Most days he wouldn't leave his bed. He never said anything either, Not much anyways.

Unlike the cherry tree's symbolising life and renewal, Her mother had not come back to them in the spring.

This went on for years, It never ended. His depression had grown so severe that he had lost his job, Both for his horrible attendance and his sombre attitude. This had left the sole provider to be [F/N]

Her mothers death hit her terribly, She had broken down crying for weeks on end afterwards. She'd lay by her grave for hours on end, Only straying to go to sleep. Even then there were some days she'd fall asleep by her grave.

When the money ran out however, Is when [F/N] was forced to pick herself up and start providing for the both of them. She had to, For both her survival and her fathers.

To make money she had came up with a custom kind of tea blend made out of the sakura leaves surrounding her house. A sweet yet earthy blend that a lot of the younger and elder women seemed to love. It brought in money, Not a lot but enough to get by.

Everyday she'd travel out from the forest down to the village, Go door to door trying to advertise her blend of Sakurayu to the villagers. Then come home to make dinner for her and her father.

This cycle went on for years until she was a young woman. If it wasn't pity, She knew some of the villagers criticized her for being the one to take care of her parents. It didn't matter though.

She needed to take care of her father, Cause if she didn't, Nobody else would.

However one day, Years later. The village nearby had made merchant deals with hers. Trading food, Clothing the exact same sakura tea blend that [F/N] worked hard to make.

Unfortunately the villagers loved the imported tea more than [F/N]'s homemade blend, This had absolutely destroyed [F/N]'s income and instantly threw her into a panic.

The money she had made before had suddenly disappeared. So when she heard gossip from some of the younger girls at the village about the courtesan houses in the big city, She knew what she needed to do.

The next morning she kissed her father on the forehead, Leaving a letter and the last savings of money to keep him going while she was gone.

With that, She stowed away on a carriage ride going all the way to Heian-Kyo. In search of a better life.

All while she rubbed the soft pink petals, The same ones that always told her she was safe. Safe in the arms of her mother.

☆♡☆

[F/N] was crying now, Tears rolled down her face as she spilt out her past for her captor to hear.

"After that I just.. I found a house with vacancy and they took me in.. Then I just.. Worked my way up until I was Oiran." She choked out, Her face dug deep into her own palms.

Kokushibo held her close in his arms, He had started doing so once she had broke down at the explanation of her mothers death. He showed no emotion on his face, But his actions seemed to speak loudly enough for him.

"I-I sent money to my father when I could.. I haven't seen him in years.." She cried, Nuzzling closer into his chest. They were so close that she was basically sitting on his lap. She didn't care anymore, She needed the comfort and if it meant ignoring the morality of the situation to get it then she would never think another thought about it.

"Please.. I don't know how long it has been but I need to go back to the Oiran house.. I need to get the money for him.." She looked up at him, Tears in her eyes.

Kokushibo hummed, Moving an arm up to her shoulder he rubbed circles trying to provide comfort.

"I am unable to bring you back.." He said. [F/N] looked away from him, Sniffling. She knew it wasn't a matter of him being unable, It was a matter of he didn't want to.

"But I will be able to provide the money you seek." He finished. She looked back, Her eyes wide and full of life.

"What..?" She asked, Seeking confirmation of his words. He only nodded.

"If money is.. what you need then I can provide it.. It is no hassle for me" He proclaimed, Looking back into her own eyes.

[F/N] smiled, A wide, Genuine smile graced her face. A light blossoming within her like the leaves of her sacred tree.

"You.. You mean it?" She whispered, Looking deep into his eyes which only held the truth.

"Of course.. I do. As part of our deal.. Whatever you want." He replied, His voice contained such obsession care that she just couldn't see before. She melted in his hold.

"Also as a part of our deal.. I do believe its time for you to plant that seed." He said, Bringing up the seed he had in his hand he presented it to her like a wedding ring.

She smiled wider and took it from his palms.

Turning around, Still in his hold she looked down at the half dug hole. Picking up her hairpin to start digging again she was stopped by a gentle grasp on her wrist.

"Use this instead.." Kokushibo said, Handing over a small dagger. "It would be better than a hairpin.."

She thanked him and got to work. Using the wide surface area of the dagger she dug at a much better pace, Kokushibo watched her every movement the entire time.

Once she had dug a big enough hole she examined the knife. Kokushibo presented his hand, Signalling her to give back the knife. She held the hilt tight. Looking once at his hand then to the knife.

She sighed and dropped the knife into his hands. He nodded and tucked the knife away somewhere she couldn't see.

"Alright then.." She muttered, Holding the seed up to both of their eyes she reached the final step.

"Just let it go.." He replied, The same quiet tone echoing back at her. She looked at the seed and remembered her situation. The kidnapping, The living conditions, The punishment. All of it came back to her.

It was an awful feeling, Something she wanted to push away, Something she didn't want to feel ever again.

Knowing she was too wrapped up in her own mind to make the last move he guided her hands down to the crevice. He rested his head on her own, Her back up against his chest from where they sat.

He nudged the seed from her grasp and it fell into the hole. She snapped out of it and looked down to see the seed had been planted. "That was not so hard.. Was it?" He asked, Though he did not expect an answer.

She shook her head, The frown on her face was barely visible. Slowly, She began to refill the dug out hole covering the seed so it could grow in the right conditions.

She felt Kokushibo wrap his arms around her midsection, A sensation she had jolted at. It was an action she did not expect, Leaving her stiff.

Once the hole was fully covered and the seed was set to grow she was left to her own thoughts as she was embraced by her captor now husband.

This was fine, It wasn't okay. Gods, it was not okay by any means or context that could be given. She had been kidnapped and tortured for an amount of time she couldn't even remember, But it was fine. Just fine.

If the only thing she needed to do to provide for her father was become this man's wife, Then she would do as she had promised.

Though as her mind wandered off to her now gone plan of escape, The torture she had endured during her stay here she felt that same, Horrid feeling bubble up inside her.

She hated it, She hated it so much.

She tried to recall the aroma of the cherry blossoms, Imagining the sweet subtle smell invade her senses and take over her entire being head to toe.

And suddenly, Everything was fine.

[starreyblueberry]

Hiii star! I love ur Headcanons/ideas for Timmy! He’s so adorable and my whole childhood <3

I need more of em :>

WAIT HOLY SHIT UR THE ONE OMORI FAIRLY ODD PARENTS ARTIST?? BROO I LOVE UR AU SO MUCH!! I have a BUNCH of silly head canons and ideas in my heard for Timmy :D

- Timmy is actually a smart kid, he’s able to figure out stuff rather quickly and is very quick on his feet, he just deals with mildly severe ADHD ^_^ (he just like me FR)

- Timmy couldn’t decide on a major and kept switching between them during his first 2 years of college

- Timmy’s room becomes more and more decorated with memorials from his adventures that could pass as stuff he got from the store

- Timmy’s closest also had to be expanded with how much stuff Timmy had from his adventures

- Timmys Time skooter used to be one of the only ways to time travel outside of Father Time (basically it was a secret item Timmy had that he only used for emergency’s)

- Timmy LOVES skateboarding and Rollerskating when he’s a teenager, he feels like he’s flying with his fairies.

- Timmy didn’t get his license until he was 18, as he crashed the car a few times at first.

- His most common wish is usually summoning toys or gadgets for Peri/poof to play with

- Timmy always lists Peri as his little brother in assignments that tell you to make a family tree

- Timmy was the only godkid allowed to dimension-hop

- Jimmy neutron and Timmy turner stay in touch as the years go by, staying close as they valued each others friendship greatly. (until one day Timmy stops messaging Jimmy when he turns 18? What’s that all about.)

- Timmy’s considered a peace maker across the galaxy, and also has a bounty on his head for millions of dollars in whatever space currency there is

- He starts his own video game club, trixie uses her disguise to play sometimes and Timmy doesn’t mind her

- Timmy learns how to deal with fairy hair so that he can help Peri and Wanda with different hairstyles (and sometimes Cosmo but he usually just keeps it down)

- As Timmy gets older he and Jorgen actually meet outside of when he’s in trouble and offer each other advise sometimes or just hang out. And also to tell the other when the universe is ending but who gaf

- Timmy starts becoming really fond of sitcoms since most of them feature found family

- Timmy starts learning how to draw and has a dedicated sketchbook just for his adventures with his fairy fam, so that he had some way to see everything it after his memories were erased

- Timmy gave his Pink hat to peri on his 18th birthday, it’s collecting dust on Peris Bookshelf right now

- Timmy tried to play match maker with his friends as he got older which resulted in a stern talking to from Cupid

- Timmy is a horrible cook until he turns 18, and actually tries for once cause he dosent have much to do anymore

- Timmy is a bit obnoxious with his music taste sometimes (Name 5 My chemical romance songs rn 🙄) (he means well and gets over it)

- Timmy listens to a lot of Midwest emo, and hyperpop. No one likes listening to his playlists cause of the drastic whiplast the change in songs is sometimes

- Timmy wishes less and less as he gets older but he always needs Cosmo and Wanda, just for their bond. He always goes to them for advice

- Timmy sucks ass at sports, he still tries though but sometimes he will fake being sick so he can sit out of gym

- the day before Timmy turned 18 was the time he used the most wishes (aka trying to find loopholes)

- Timmy started to have an appreciation for sea creatures that never faded away as he grew up

- I MISS TIMMY TURNERRRRR 😭😭😭😭

[m-o-o-n-s-g-o-o-n-s]

DUCKY! I love the idea of Crosshair calling his beloved Ducky. Not to project myself or to give a plot idea, I was chased by a duck when I was tree years old. It's a core memory of mine. Anyways, I just came to formally request something along the lines of Crosshair calling his female S/O Ducky because it feels like it would just be so cute!! ❤️✨

YES THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING THIS YESSSSS

also did i like finish this and then forget to post it.

yes.

does it matter?

no.

also, let me know if you guys would be interested in a part 2, because i really want to, and it would be so cool if someone requested it okay anyway here is the fic :)

—

Crosshair x F!Reader, pt. 1

Word Count: 1,637 words

Warnings: N/A, besides use of nicknames

Genre: Angst & Hurt/Comfort, but there’s no comfort at all, it’s just hurt

Description: An argument with Crosshair leads to a ducky conclusion.

—

Lucky Ducky

—

You had to be an idiot to think this mission was going to go well. Idiotic. Out of your mind.

Magically, your alarm hadn’t gone off this morning. You knew for a fact you had set it last night, you even remember wishing Tech a “good night” before setting it. It was set, you were positive.

Funnily enough, the gear you had set out for yourself the following morning was also gone, strewn randomly around the ship. The rest of the Batch didn’t appreciate the messily placed gear, even though you knew for a fact you had set it all up for yourself.

Oh, and your pillow.

Warm.

Both.

Sides.

You knew exactly what had happened to your alarm, the gear, the pillow. Or better yet, who.

Who was also paired with you during this mission.

What Hunter was thinking, you’ll never know. Pairing you with Crosshair was a choice. A very, very, very idiotic choice.

Crosshair and you had never gotten along. For as long as you had been with the Batch’s chaotic family dynamic, Crosshair was an estranged member. Extremely estranged from you.

From the start, he had been pushing your buttons left and right, up and down, side to side. Jamming, breaking, everything he could do to annoy you, upset you, anything at all. Even though you could jab back, he still annoyed you to no end.

Like right now.

“Hurry it up, sweetheart. You’re holding me up,” Crosshair declared, paces ahead of you.

You had been trapezing with Crosshair through the grassy landscape. Mossy green trees towered above you, poppy reds, baby blues, and sunset oranges decorated the grass in the shape of flowers. The sun was high, clouds cradling the energy source. It should have been extremely relaxing.

Peaceful.

“Holding you up, or holding you back?” You grumbled, trampling through some brush Crosshair had failed to hold back for you. You were positive he had done that on purpose.

“Both.” He responded, still walking ahead of you.

“Get over yourself, princess.” You commented, mood souring from how annoying the sniper could be.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Whatever, princess.”

An irritated sigh escaped Crosshair’s lips, helmet removed in the short spout of insults.

Maker, you couldn’t stand him.

Luckily, you were fast approaching the hillside you needed to keep eyes from while the rest of the Batch snuck into a base. It housed some tech thing you needed, and you and Crosshair were to “get along and keep watch”.

You could keep watch, but get along? That would be a stretch. Yet now, finally up here, it was a perfect time to confront him.

You two approached the top of the hillside, Crosshair preparing to settle in for the watch.

This was the time to strike.

“I know you messed with my stuff,” you mentioned nonchalantly, turning towards the sniper. He was getting his weapon ready, eyeing you with that annoying smirk he had.

“Not sure what you mean there, sweetheart.”

So annoying.

“I know you messed with my stuff! I know you turned off my alarm, and you moved my gear, and both sides of my pillow were warm!” You exclaimed, spinning to face him.

Anger was beginning to simmer in your blood, aggravation tickling the nerves of your already short fuse with Crosshair. A fuse that could spark at any moment, yet you knew if you reigned your emotions in for long enough, you could spark him when the time was right.

“Still not sure what you mean, sweetheart,” he sneered, body now turning to face you in response. His demeanor remained unchanged, but his eyes were starting to narrow.

“I know you messed with my stuff, Crosshair,” you remarked, the springy green landscape suddenly becoming interesting. If you played it right, you would be successful.

He just had to take the bait.

“You know, it’s wrong to frame people,” he answered, walking forward for a better scope on the hillside. You could give up now, but you felt persistent today.

And he had taken the bait.

“Well then I guess it’s wrong to say I’m a better shot than you.”

It was like his breathing stopped.

“What.”

Time to push his buttons. Revenge for him messing with your morning.

“Well, I mean, it’s true. My shot has gotten better at the range. I would say it even rivals yours,” you commented, acting as if it was the simplest thing.

He spun to face you. A fiery flame burned within his eyes. Hell was waiting for you in those eyes.

Too bad hell didn’t scare you.

“What did you just say,” he snarled, weapon being abandoned. He strode up to you, yet you stepped back in sync.

You realized he wasn’t asking either.

He was demanding.

“Oh, just that my shot rivals yours, princess,” you repeated. A huffing growl broke through his teeth. He continued to prowl toward you, the fire dancing wildly in his eyes.

It was a strange tango you were doing. You, the prey, pushing buttons to no end, wanting to see the outcome. Crosshair, the predator, ready to rip you a new one.

Maybe if you just pushed a tad bit more…

“I mean, you just have to accept I might be a better shot, princess.”

“Stop. It.”

“It’s alright, it happens to the best-”

You never got to finish your sentence. Instead, you were screaming.

You had fallen off the hillside.

Or better yet, Crosshair had pushed you.

Instantly, you were tumbling down the hill at full speed, unable to stop yourself.

Splash!

“Shit,”Crosshair mumbled, racing to the bottom of the hill.

You were no longer in a grassy landscape, you instead had landed in a bright cerulean blue pond. Blooming pink and white blossoms decorated lily pads along the edge, pond moss floating on the surface. A couple of reed bushes were hanging over the edge as well. Behind you, flourishing trees extended leafy arms out over the pond, providing shade.

It would’ve been a much more pleasant view if you weren’t wading in it.

Literally.

Crosshair reached the edge, a strange sort of panic and concern plaguing his face.

For some reason, your heart twisted at the look on his face. Almost like it pained you.

Like he hadn’t meant to push you at all.

Quack.

You waded closer to shore, sitting up in a shallower portion of the pond. Water pooled around you, and somehow the anger you were holding onto burnt out.

His expression didn’t make sense to you.

Quack.

How could he look so… sorry?

Quack. Quack. Quack.

Your mind halted, eyes searching for all the noise. A quick look around you showed you the answer.

All around you, golden creatures had surrounded you. They were tiny, orange webbed feet paddling around you. Soft, fuzzy, cute. As you leaned your head down, it occurred to you what the adorable creatures were.

Baby ducklings.

Quack. Quack.

You almost hadn’t noticed the laughter that rang through the air.

Crosshair. Laughing.

The sound caught your ears by surprise, heart twisting once again. Strangely, the twist felt different.

“What’s so funny?!” You demanded, the little ducks still swimming around you in glee. Your eyes darted between the laughing sniper and the cute creatures, as if you couldn’t believe which was crazier.

“Nothing. It’s just- well…”

His eyes glistened with joy.

You had a feeling you weren’t going to like his next words.

“You’re just one lucky duck, aren’t you?”

Quack.

You groaned, earning another round of laughter. You couldn’t believe it. Not only did he have the audacity to push you off the hillside, but now he was standing here, laughing at you.

“Hey!”

A shout rang out from behind you, suddenly allowing you to be greeted by the sight of the rest of the Batch.

“What are you two… doing?”

Hunter had lost his yell halfway through, confusion clouding his expression at the sight. The rest of the Batch looked just at shock, all of them at a loss for what to say. They weren't sure what to question first, Crosshair laughing, you being surrounded by ducks, or how keeping watch had turned into this.

Quack. Quack. Quack.

“Well, Ducky here decided she needed some swimming lessons with her new friends,” Crosshair snickered, face plastered with that stupid smirk.

Oh, now he had really done it.

“Ducky?! You’re joking! Not only do you push me off the hillside, you laugh at me, and you give me a nickname?!” You screamed, shooting straight up. Your anger had suddenly returned, nerves fried with anger and pond water.

Quack.

Crosshair’s smirk disappeared, laughter dying with it.

His face changed, becoming unreadable, yet his eyes held an unfamiliar guilt

“I’m going back to the ship,” you muttered angrily, eyes piercing Crosshair’s gaze.

Quack.

You stumbled out of the pond, dripping like a wet towel. Pushing past Crosshair, you started trekking back towards the ship. Protests rang out from the others, but you ignored them.

Hunter was out of his mind for pairing you up with Crosshair, you were an idiot for thinking this mission could have gone well, and you were certainly idiotic for pushing his buttons just to get at him. Even if it had made you feel like you had the power in your court for once.

You weren’t idiotic enough to miss the guilt in his eyes though. That in itself made your heart do that ugly twist again.

Your mind was like the pond, splashed with confusion, guilt, and uncertainty. You were too distracted to even realize you were leading a line of ducklings behind you. It wasn’t even until halfway back to the ship that you noticed, eyes scanning the tiny line of creatures.

Quack. Quack. Quack.

You closed your eyes, sighing in exasperation.

Quack. Quack.

Some lucky duck you were indeed.

—

taglist: @padawancat97

also tagging the lovely @moonstrider9904, as well as a few others who I think would like to see this! @hellothere-generalangsty@nahoney22 @eyecandyeoz @baddest-batchers @ladysaturnsdust @leenabb104104 @snowlotr @thora-sniper @dalu-grantkylo

If any of those tagged, or anyone else is interested in being on my taglist, here is the form to fill it out, or leave your interest in the comments. You can also find my taglist form on my pinned post!

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[wannabepoeticischiya]

if I can stop one heart from breaking

[ 01 ] — the offer

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He existed in the morning dew, in the afternoon haze, within the illusions of twilight. He was there. In the silence of midnight, in the wake of dawn... he was there.

Hoshina Soushiro was everywhere... except right here. He existed in every corner of the cosmos-just not in the space beside her.

pairing: hoshina soshiro x f! reader genre: romance, angst wc: 46.5k status: completed art by: keumza on twitter

“Hoshina-dono, thank you for accepting.”

“Nonsense, Uehara-san! The union between our clans will open many opportunities for the future!”

Empty-eyed, the offering of the Uehara Clan stared far off into yonder: tired, hopeless, shackled by the thought that this would be nothing but a marriage of convenience—and it will. One that is fated to leave her on her death bed, reminiscing memories of unhappiness and regret, leaving in her wake a catastrophe of regrets; plagued by the thought of what it could have been—who she could have become—the life she could have been living… if only she had done things differently.

If only you did not come to me that day…

The Uehara heir was not ignorant; often being told that she was too intuitive for her own good—that her own self self-assurance would one day be her downfall.

So, when her father had called upon her that fateful day, she knew that the fate her family had set for her would soon begin, and she would—without question nor reluctance—obey what they wished.

Because that is what they expected of her.

… if only you had left me to this cruel fate.

As twilight faded and the canvas overhead was dyed with midnight, life echoed by the city stilled into silence within the grounds of the Hoshina estate. The late winter breeze rustled the undergrowth that littered the gardens, taking the blossoms of the cherry trees into a never-ending waltz towards the horizons of the sky. Moonlight flooded through the cracks left by the clouds, flowing like water over the cheerless hue painted upon the face of a girl still restless at this unearthly hour. Slender fingers trapping a handful of golden fabric in between their grip, soiling her once pristine kimono.

“Who are you?”

Without a single second to spare, the woman had crossed the distance separating her from the intruder—nothing but a knife to his throat standing in between them.

[Name] swore she could feel her heart itching to escape from its entrapment, her blood circulating far too fast for her head to catch up—her weapon, slowly but surely, crossing the gap to meet the flesh of the poor soul that had carelessly walked in on her, stopping only when the voice raised once more to put a halt to her intentions.

“Hey—Hey! Relax. I only asked who you were…”

Urgency rippled in the waters of her stomach, certainly not having expected such a warm tone to flow from the lips of the trespasser. The Uehara heir expected a nosy servant, or at the direst of situations—an assassin. A frightened protest or even a calm proclamation would’ve been the anticipated outcome, certainly not… whatever this is.

[Name]’s gaze lingered on her hands that threatened to take the life of the person before her, rising like fireworks on New Year’s Eve; painting the abyssal canvas overhead with their trails of fire, disappearing momentarily into the heavens, leaving silence in their wake—only for them to burst forth into multitudes of color. Illuminating the darkened sky even if it was for just a few moments.

And she felt the same.

[Name]’s kaleidoscope of colors exploded at the sight of him. Moonlight shaded his face in a warm hue, decorating the eyes that looked at her with a thousand glimmers, as though the stars nestled in the depths of the cosmos were made just so they could replicate the shimmer in his irises. Threads of violet covered the distance above his forehead, swaying with the gentle gale gifted by the season of autumn. Carved upon his lips was an anxious smile as he looked at the weapon pressing against his neck before trailing his gaze to the one holding it.

He did not hold it against the woman that the initial thought she had having discovered his existence was to take his life. How could he? When he had every intention to observe her undetected; failing shortly because he could not stop the foolish question from leaving his curious lips.

It wasn’t every day that a visitor stepped foot into the estate… much less a woman.

Wine-red irises reflected the eyes that glowered at him with such ferocity. Eyes that shone like fire in the darkened room, like they could cover him in warmth yet burn him if they so ever wished. Her hands that looked as though they did not work a single day in their life, smooth with no remnants of scars, but held a blade like they’d known the harsh territory of the enemy.

At the sight of her, he wondered… would they someday slip through his own? Would her fingers twine with his like vines should the threads of fate decide to weave the tapestry of her destiny into his? Would her gaze burn through him and send him to damnation? Or would they envelop him in mellowness for the rest of eternities to come?

“I should be the one asking you that—who are you?” A harsh tone shattered his reverie, dragging him back to reality where he stands with a blade being pressed further into his neck. It split his skin open, and flowers of crimson blossomed into waterfalls—far from the daydreams of his life in happily ever after.

“Did someone send you?” The woman coerced; for every step he took to get away from her blade, she took one equal step forward. And this would progress until he would find himself cornered with nothing but an answer deemed worthy by her as his decree for freedom.

“Mark my words, I will have your head before you even think of stepping foot outside this room.”

As someone from a clan whose prowess lies with the blade, he found it pathetic that he could not get the upper hand in this situation: here, in his own household, with a weapon that was supposed to be his claim to fame now being used to threaten to snuff out his life.

He knew he could overpower her in a single move, one small gesture would’ve been enough to turn the tables in on her. But he stood there, frozen. Like he could be everything, but he still chose not to be anything.

Because for a small moment, it felt like all the hardships and failures he endured to perfect his abilities… had faded into serenity. The tears he shed, his hands that bled for heaven knows how many times, the callouses—scars—wounds—everything… they all dwindled into a dull ache until they remained as nothing but a distant echo. All the hurt and the pain… stilled into silence. Like they didn’t matter… or that he simply had no use for them anymore.

Because when time came to a standstill—there was no Kaiju, no Defense Force, there was nothing to prove, and there was nothing to gain.

There existed only him and her.

In the infinite grandeur of the cosmos, of all the stars and galaxies to have ever formed, every rift in time, the universes he could’ve been born in—here, in this moment… he found her.

“Hey, calm down—” He tried to bargain, attempting to grab the knife from [Name]’s hold. Because despite feeling at ease, she still had a weapon, and he didn’t. But he soon found himself with the world trailing upside down at a rate he was not used to, his front colliding with the floor he stood upon not even a second ago, with just enough luck to not have bitten off his tongue in the process. A weight was dumped on his back, from both the woman and her ridiculously heavy clothing.

“Ack. Ow. Get off. You’re really heavy.” He wheezed, trying to push her off; finding that his limbs were being pressured by her kimono. Seriously, how many layers do those things have?

A rhythmic tune echoed within the four corners of the room, seemingly putting everything to a stop; fleetingly distracting the man submerged in the sea of fabric from his impending demise. The silence stretched on for what felt like forever, before a muffled voice spoke the words, “Uehara-sama? Are you alright? I heard something fall…”

The man underneath [Name] looked towards the door in hopeful glee, glad to have another path paved to liberty. But his sanguine daydream of salvation shattered as a spine-crawling breath rattled his body into full alert.

“Servants.” she whispered, her lips grazing just above the lobe of his ear, the contact sending pins and needles all the way to the tips of his toes. “Now you have nowhere to run. Speak of your intentions and I will give you a painless death.”

“I would—but you’re... you’re crushing my windpipe.” He tapped the floor in desperation; it was an action he saw his opponents would often do. Berating them for being over dramatic, or that they needed to work on their breath control if they lost it to something as measly as being sat on. Now, he was the one feeling the consequences of having his oxygen circulation cut short, and it wasn’t pleasant.

As a last resort for a chance of deliverance, he tried to yell to the other person behind the door, “Aoi—” only to have a cloth intercept his cries for aid.

“Shh.”

“Uehara-sama?” Aoi, or so he had called, remained behind the screens.

[Name] grabbed a fistful of what looked to be violet hair and raised his head to give him a clear view of the door, where the light from the hallway met the closed shoji screens, letting in enough luminescence to see the shadows of the two figures on the floor but dull enough not to be able to put a face to them. “You’re really asking to be killed.”

The head [Name] held by the hair shook in refusal, his vision blurring and clouding over, feeling his chest rise in an erratic manner as he tried to catch the breath he was losing, fast.

Lost in the fields of her thoughts, [Name] failed to hear the warning of the servant behind the door, nor was she quick enough to stop Aoi from sliding it open.

“I’m coming in, my lady—Hoshina-sama?” [Name] stared at the silhouette of the attendant standing by the threshold, startled by both her sudden appearance… and the name that flowed from her tongue.

Did she just say Hoshina?

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pls believe me when I say this was supposed to be a one shot... but someone went overboard someone is me.