#but they sucked too much to be entrusted with more

[torialefay]

"you've never had someone be this good to you before?"

perv!changbin x fem!reader

✨ synopsis: changbin couldn't help but to offer his services when he found out that the object of his obsessive thoughts had never been properly taken care of.

✨ word count: ~3.2k

✨ warnings: perv changbin, orgasm control, oral (fem receiving); minors DNI 🔞

✨ note: you can pop over to my masterlist & scroll toward the bottom to find the smut request info & prompts. i would love to receive some prompts that aren't strictly fem!reader (but ofc those are welcome too) <3

• you'd been friends for well over a year, yes. so how could you not have known that this entire time, changbin had been watching you?

• it had started as innocent, really. simply watching the way you walked and how your hips moved side to side with each step. he watched the way your shorts would ride up your thighs every time you sat down. he noticed the way your eyes got so big for him each time you raised your head to look up.

• and slowly, it started to drive him crazy.

• in his head, it was only natural- inevitable really. there was no harm in giving you a little bit of extra attention. nothing wrong with that.

• but before he knew it, he was going to lengths he'd never dreamed.

• friendly banter turned into more extreme measures, like him pulling you into his lap. "playfully" of course, and *not* because of the rush he got knowing that your pussy had just been resting so close to him... only thin fabric separating the two of you.

• although he would never admit it to anyone, he'd secretly taken photos of you. any time you were sitting in your chair, legs wrapped behind the chair legs, which made your ass stick out perfectly in his view. any time your top was low-cut enough to make out the lines between your breasts. any time you were innocently sucking up your drink, licking your lollipop, or licking your lips. he always had his camera at the ready, meticulous in making sure the flash had been turned off. he'd never blow his cover so carelessly.

• he'd "accidentally" drop things next to you just so he could bend down close to you and savor the sight as he came back up. your legs... they looked so soft. he wondered if a day would ever come that you would let him touch them... willingly.

• he'd even go as far as to say something spilled in the seat you were about to go to, so he could lay his jacket down for you to sit on and collect your scent for later.

• when he could finally be alone at the end of the day, he'd make sure he had all of his prized possessions out before he got to work on himself. the photos of you pulled up on his phone. his jacket held up to his face so he could take it in as he began to furiously pump his cock. and before he knew it, he was busting everywhere- his body overwhelmed, begging, and wholly giving in to the thought of you.

• but he didn't think that he'd ever be able to *actually* act on his urges... that is, until you'd messaged him one night that you needed help with something. moving some furniture or something like that- he didn't take the time to read much of the text past "hey, is there any chance you'd be able to come over-." that's all he needed to spring up and out the door.

• after taking care of what you needed, he'd hung around on the couch for a chat. he listened to all of your stories. he admired the amount of information that you entrusted to him. and for you, all of this felt like de-stressing in the most natural way.

• after talking vulnerably about past relationships (at this point, you weren't even aware how you'd gotten to this level of comfort), changbin had managed to squeeze out of you a more intimate conversation- one in which you told him you'd never actually been properly eaten out before.

• his brain couldn't comprehend it. someone as... perfect as you? with those few words, he lost it. all inhibition had left his body now that he'd gotten you to this point.

• "i could, ya know? if you want to of course," he said, his heart leaping inside his chest. he was high off of the adrenaline.

• "what?" you almost laughed in both embarrassment and disbelief. changbin was your friend, nothing more. why would he even joke about something like that?... well, unless he wasn't.

• "i said i could eat you out. show you it can feel good... if you want." his voice remain firm and steady.

• "where is this coming from?" you asked, your mind full of confusion.

• "nowhere, i-" he cleared his throat, now the wobbliness beginning to catch up with him. "nowhere. i just never would have thought that you hadn't, uhh.. had that before. i'm sorry if i made you feel weird," he mumbled in a rush, beginning to stand up.

• "no changbin, it's okay!" you held your hand out, motioning for him to stay. "i just... wasn't expecting that i guess? you've been such a good friend to me, i never thought..." your train of thought ran off. "i mean i'm just surprised is all. i don't want this to come between us. a spur-of-the-moment thing," you voiced nervously. you still weren't sure of the situation, so why were you saying this?

• "spur of the moment?" he chuckled, shaking his head with a smile. "you don't know how badly i've wanted you? you've had no clue this whole time?"

• "no..." your voice went shaky. "you never said anything." you looked down, not sure what to do.

• "what should i have said? that i've thought about fucking you every day for months on end? that i've spent my days doing everything i can to get closer to you... to want you so badly to the point that i cannot physically stand it? and to get anything possible from you because it turns me on? is that what i should have said?"

• you were taken aback. "get anything possible? what do you mean?"

• "nothing," he huffed defensively. you could tell that he was trying to calm himself down. you didn't think he meant to scare you. "just drop it. please. i shouldn't have said anything in the first place... but now here we are."

• "but..." you started, taking a moment to collect the words in your head. "but what if i do want it?" you looked up at him with nervous but hopeful eyes.

• changbin could feel his pulse begin to heighten. "say the word then, and i'll show you." he tried his best to contain the smile that so badly wanted to spread across his face.

• turns out, you didn't need to say anything. you put on a shy grin as you nodded your head, signaling your readiness. within a second, changbin was springing up, eager to finally turn his fantasies into reality.

• "okay, we can go slow if you want?" he half-smirked, looking down at you now. he'd never seen a more perfect sight.

• "yeah, i think that'd be good," you said, still a bit shy. you weren't quite sure where to go from here, so you gladly let him take the lead.

• "turn this way for me," he instructed, holding his hand out for you to grab onto. you took it, and he pulled slightly towards himself, helping you to rotate so that your body was now turned toward the front of the couch.

• changbin followed up with a satisfied smile at how well you were listening to him. just like his fantasies.

• "can i?" he asked, running his hand down gently to rest at the waist band of your shorts.

• you nodded, nibbling at your lips in anticipation.

• gently, changbin lowered himself to begin removing your shorts. slowly but with smooth hands, he removed your legs, one by one. he was careful with watching you- he'd studied your face far too well to miss out on any changing expressions he could coax out.

• throwing your shorts to the side, he sank to his knees so that he was now almost eye level with your pussy. suddenly, you felt exposed. intimidated. suddenly not quite sure how you'd gotten here.

• you closed your thighs together tightly, the red embarrassment evident on your face.

• "here, don't be shy," changbin said, sensing your hesitancy. he softly placed each hand on the inside of either thigh, applying slight pressure to move them apart. although you were fighting through the nerves, his gentleness washed over you with a much needed calming sensation.

• you let out a deep breath, not sure how long you'd been holding it in. you wiggled yourself a bit, trying to adjust to the newness of the situation as you settled into your position.

• changbin smiled up at you in return, his eyes endearing yet full of excitement. a sense of fulfillment had his brain clouded over.

• he wasted no time in running one hand up until it found the heat of your clothed core. you could tell that his hand was slightly shaking in his bout of disbelief, no matter how hard he was trying to cover it up.

• you shuddered a bit at the feeling of his thumb lightly grazing you, making momentary contact with your clit. it sent a bolt down your spine from a feeling that you'd been missing for far too long.

• changbin started slowly, rubbing up and down, then left and right, then in small, dredgingly slow circles trying to figure out what you liked.

• and if you were being honest, at this point, even you didn't know what you liked. no one had ever touched you like this before- so softly, so tenderly. every movement felt like it was the best sensation you'd ever experienced.

• changbin tried unsuccessfully to jerk his smile down while looking at the sight of you beginning to grind your hips down onto his fingers. you were silently begging him for even more contact. seeing you like this... it was better than he could have ever imagined.

• "let's take these off?" changbin whispered, pulling slightly at the hem of your underwear.

• you nodded, your mind coming out of its haze. you tilted your head just enough to watch as changbin slid them down with ease. almost as if he'd trained to do this all so perfectly... for you.

• the look on his face when he finally came in contact with your core, now entirely unclothed, was something you would never forget. his jaw dropped a bit, as if he couldn't believe what was in front of him. but following, barely a moment after, was a face full of determination. determination for what?... well you hoped you knew the answer.

• changbin again decided to rest his hands on the insides of your thighs so that he could spread you open as wide as possible. he wanted to see all of you. have access to every last inch. he was going to do this right.

• "you have to tell me what feels good, okay?" he cooed, looking up from in between your legs.

• you gave a bashful nod in response, signaling that you understood.

• carefully, changbin brought his fingers back to you, letting you get used to the feeling of his contact without moving. once he could tell that your tension was gone, he slowly started to rub up and down, one inch at a time. the fact that you were so wet for him almost made a gasp fall from his mouth. but it didn't. he wouldn't let it. he was going to have to fight the urge for now, not wanting you to feel overwhelmed by him so quickly. he wanted to savor every second he'd get with you.

• almost painfully slow, he continued to let his fingers slide along, getting you more and more worked up with each movement.

• it wasn't until he was completely sure that you were ready when he moved to land over your clit, which had been throbbing by this point. he remained calm, drawing gentle and slow circles around you to gage your reaction. as you strain out an inhaled breath, he knew he was right where he needed to be.

• he brought his face down to your core, mentally preparing to hold himself back. he didn't know how you'd respond, but he knew this was his only chance. he placed a few soft kisses on your inner thigh, acclimating you to his mouth. the kisses grew lighter and lower as he picked your leg up, kissing down to your knees as he went. he settled with resting your leg over his shoulder, granting him better access to you.

• just like the first time, he positioned his face at the opposite thigh, taking his time with soft pecks and temptingly letting his teeth graze your skin. he calmly lifted your leg to position it in parallel to the other, effectively caging himself in.

• you took a deep breath as you felt his tongue on your core, licking its way up. he didn't take much time before finding your clit and proceeding to roll his tongue up and down, trying to gage your reaction.

• as you gradually let yourself relax, you leaned into the feeling that he was providing you. you focused solely on his movements and how each of them made you tingle in a different way.

• you almost lost your breath entirely as he began sucking in, making the wildest noises and moaning on the spot once he heard you let out a tiny whine yourself. the tingles that were being sent into your thighs was proof enough that you'd never experienced something that felt like... well, this before.

• your heart skipped a beat each time he nipped at you in your most sensitive spot. slowly, you were burning for him. you wanted to scream out- to beg to him to do it again. over and over. but at the same time, you didn't know how you'd be able to bear it.

• but changbin knew you well. a small smirk crept across his face as he realized what he'd done to you. it only made him want to work harder to please you. to make you understand exactly what he's been working for for all of these months.

• "mmm, feels good?" he hummed into you, sending shock waves that only added to the feeling.

• "ye- yes," you strained out, trying to hold back.

• "you like it when i eat you out, huh?" he pulled off just long enough to give you a short smirk. something about his tone almost caused you to convulse on the spot. you were fighting back the urge to throw your knees together entirely.

• "yes," you whined now, grinding down onto his tongue as you went. you wanted so badly to let go.

• "mmm, are you gonna cum for me?" his voice rang out, darker now.

• you reflexively bucked your hips. this was exactly what you needed to spiral. you felt your toes begin to tingle, preparing to lose yourself.

• "yes, -fuck!" you arched a bit, feeling a particularly sharp jolt. "fuck, i'm gonna cum, i'm gonna cum-"

• "no you're not," he stated, fixated on your pussy with his lips still attached. "need you to keep going. cum when i tell you to."

• your eyes shot open. no? what did he mean no? you knew you weren't going to be able to hold it back. this was a side of changbin you'd never seen before.

• as the sensation built, a tear started to build up in the corner of your eye. this was too good. too too good. your legs were beginning to shake already. this was getting to be too much.

• as changbin's eyes came up to connect with yours, you were sure you were gone. you quickly threw one hand down to his hair, pushing his face further into you, while the other hand gripped tightly to the blanket next to you. you watched the tiny smirk in his gaze as you threw yourself down onto him.

• "please, please," you moaned, louder than you'd intended. "please, i'm gonna cum. i have- have to."

• "mmm? you've never had someone be this good to you before?" was all that he responded with, sending the vibrations along with it.

• "please," you cried. "please, i-- OH FUCK," you yelled one last time.

• the joints in your hand began to ache, giving in to the pressure put on it from bunching into the cushions around you.

• this was it. whatever he said, you weren't going to be able to hold it off any more. this was all you could take.

• noticing your shift, changbin smiled. "you can cum now, princess." his tongue returned once more to your clit, holding his lips taut to you. "cum on me right now," he ordered.

• finally, you were able to relish in the quick bolts that were shooting up from the bottoms of your feet and into your core.

• you couldn't stop yourself from yelling out, sending changbin into doing the same

• moans sang out in choirs, each hitting its note precisely as instructed. your hips moved accordingly, trying to ride out your full high, but trembling in the process.

• this was bliss. pure and utter euphoria like you'd never experienced before. in a jolt of a moment, your neck shivered, feeling a tingle working it's way up your spine. and before you knew it, your brain caught up to the feeling, blanking out and turning to static.

• your body reflexively arched, losing control of itself entirely. it was now a slave to the feeling that changbin was giving you. your body reacted to him like he was the only man in the world. and maybe now, to you, he was.

• fighting to finally throw yourself off of him, you wanted to cry. you never knew it could feel this good- so all consuming, so deep. to feel totally and completely taken care of.

• it was then, in your shaking, quivering state that you realized that a few tears had actually been spilled out. you took deep breaths, wiping your eyes as quickly as you could.

• as your mind slowly started to return, you couldn't believe what you'd just experienced. your body was spent. your brain was spent. you didn't know what you could possibly say or do at this point. it's as if you weren't even in the world.

• changbin snaked himself up slowly, wrapping his arms around yours in an attempt to sooth you. "was it okay?" he asked, the tiniest bit of pride in his voice.

• you couldn't help but to laugh in response. "yeah," you blinked as you sniffled. "yeah, i think it was okay."

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✨ if you enjoyed, please consider liking, commenting, and/or re-blogging <3

✨ i promise y'all, one day i will figure out which formatting i like the best & then i will stick to it. i have problems 😭

[wanderingxiao]

Feel Better?

Wanderer x Reader *NSFW*

Warnings: slight somnophilia, male masturbation, cursing, and Wanderer being a little bit of a perv~ 18+ Only! MDNI!! 💙

A/N: This isn’t something I usually do usually it’s A LOT more detailed but I wanna make shorter drabbles so… trying this out!

Wanderer groaned in irritation feeling your legs move in your sleep once more, kicking him in the process. It had been the third time you had done this to him, and he was starting to get irritated. Turning around in the bed with a protest quick on his lips, the insult died in his throat the second he laid eyes on your sleeping face. You looked so peaceful and cute sleeping so soundly next to him, completely vulnerable and defenseless.

Warmth spread within his lower abdomen and he could feel his cheeks becoming flushed at the view. His teeth grit in embarrassment as your knee came to brush against his nether regions innocently, his cock hardening at the light touch coupled with the look on your cute face. He cursed under his breath, his slender fingers shamefully going down to pull the strings of his shorts.

His indigo eyes studied your expression while he worked on getting his cock out of the confines of his shorts. Your lips were parted slightly, drool lightly dribbling from the corner of your mouth into the pillow. Your hair was disheveled as it framed your face beautifully as you slept. He couldn’t get enough of you. Your body was so close to him, just the raise of his arm and he would be touching you. Your warmth, the soft feel of your skin, and the quiet sounds of your breath.

Wanderer’s lip found its way between his teeth, his eyes casting down to look at how embarrassingly hard his cock was. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. His cool fingers dipped down to wrap around the base, slowly teasing his shaft as he brought his hand up to squeeze the head of his cock. Swallowing back a moan, he began to slowly stroke his cock.

His eyes glued to your expression once more, his mind beginning to cloud with lustful thoughts of your bodies pressing together. Your breasts flush against his chest while his cock was buried between the slippery walls of your fluttering cunt, squeezing and sucking him in, your mouth hanging open to moan out his name pleadingly.

His thumbs would tease your nipples, teeth marking up your neck possessively, body practically towering over you as he fucked you into the mattress. Your cries for him to stop as it was too much for your frail mortal body, a look of devotion in your eyes as you solely depended on him for your source of ecstasy. Completely snd utterly entrusting your pleasure to him and him alone.

“Fuck…” A curse flew from his lips silently, his hand moving faster against his cock. His flushed tip was leaking pre-cum, lubricating his hand to move faster against his dripping arousal. His breathing began to become heavy and uneven. Quiet wet noises came from beneath the sheets, his mouth beginning to salivate as his panting became more frequent and labored. “Shit, shit… so close, hah…”

The wet noises grew louder as the puppet fisted his cock, his thumb massaging the tip and squeezing more pre-cum out and onto the sheets. He whimpered, feeling his abdomen blossom in warm and his balls beginning to tighten as he got closer to his climax. He couldn’t hold back anymore. His eyebrows furrowed, eyes squeezing shut as his imagination ran wild.

A fucked out expression on your face, his fingertips bruising your hips as he pulled your body back and forth to meet his sloppy yet merciless pace. Your fingers digging into his back as you tried to bear the overwhelming pleasure he forced into your fragile body, using you for his own selfish pleasures. He couldn’t contain himself anymore. You were too much for him.

“Fuck…! Fuck, fuck, fuck…! Hah!” He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to muffle his humiliating and embarrassing moans that his pride wouldn’t allow him to release. His cock twitched feverishly, spurting ribbons of cum all over the sheets and getting some on your clothes. Coming down from his high with a few last languid strokes, his fingertips trembled as he slipped his softening cock back within the confines of his shorts, sighing lowly in relief until he stiffened upon hearing a quiet giggle.

“Feel better now, Wanderer?”

I do take requests if anyone wants one 💙 It can be short, a headcannon, or a full on fic (which will take more time) Hope you enjoyed this short little smut!

[hibiscusseaart]

Had a dream today and I'm evolving it as I go here

The main idea that Rin didn't die when she tried to unalive herself by Kakashi's hand, but Obito was already traumatized and got in with Madara's Moon Eye plan. So yada-yada, she's the jinchuriki of Sanbi. BUT the difference was that she decided to come out of the closet (a real tight one cuz of her clan but she almost just DIED what to regret now) that she's actually a guy. So FTM Rin guys. Rin is he/him from now on.

He wouldn't change his personality and crush on Kakashi much. Dude is a medic, have you met medics? My extended family has a lot of medics in ER and other and let me tell you, they're ruthless and give 0 fucks.

Oh and since he's a medic he has top notch access to remove his own boobs and change his hormones fucking manually.

I think he would rethink his crush on Kakashi, like, man, he's a loser, plus it's hard to crush on someone who you thought killed you (even tho you made him) AND Kakashi has doomed love with 'dead' Obito and it's a bummer.

Idk about his name tho, he probably would change it just to, unknowingly, create more confusion for poor Obito, who is SURE that Rin is dead-dead and fucking Konoha didn't even made a grave for her and Kakashi doesn't even VISIT.

Madara and Zetsu obviously don't tell him about his development. They don't need him to have a hope in this world again.

Kakashi is just glad that he didn't kill his teammate and maybe they connect better since "Rin" (listen i NEED a name for him, but i have 0 ideas about meaning or what ever. maybe he'd take something to honor Obito's memory?) doesn't crush on him anymore and maybe he's trans too?? idk about it yet but he might act warmer to "Rin" now.

So Obito is just confused, like WHO is this dude from Nohara clan who is now with Kakashi ALL the time (they're still best friends). He doesn't connect that this brown haired (!) medic (!!) from Nohara clan (!!!) with the same marks (!!!) same age as them (!!!!!) might be Rin. like no, nope, Rin a nice gentle lady, not this smoking dude who yells at Kakashi and curses at him cuz he run away from hospital again.

So yeah Obito is just not impressed. But intrigued. And jealous. He stalks Kakashi AND this guy all the time. May develop a crush on both, cuz "Rin" is still the same at his core.

Kakashi would still go in ANBU cuz Minato asked him (still not sure about it, like yeah lets put deeply traumatized 13 yo in assasin squad good job) and stuff.

So idk how canon would go from there, like i doubt that Minato would let 14 yo jinchuriki near another one at this tense situation, even tho "Rin" could've help.

So yeah Kushiha and Minato die, "Rin" barely holds onto the Sanbi but Obito finds out that the guy is holding them. He doesn't connects the dots. Or he does? His mind just CAN'T hold on to the fact that his Rin MIGHT survived.

But maybe "Rin" was closer to the place where they sealed Kuubi in Naruto (maybe he ran there cuz there's Kuubi rampaging and he HAS to help) so Minato entrusted Naruto to him, not to fucking Sandaime.

So yeah, now "Rin" is Naruto's legal dad at the age of 14 and no one can fucking take him away cuz a) it was Minato's dying wish; and b) just fucking TRY to peer "Rin" away from Naruto, you'll get your hand bitten off and NO arguments work, cuz "Rin", who was trained by Kushina in jinchuriki stuff, can make some sort of turtle shield and he hides in it with his new baby and no one can do anything.

And no one can protect baby jinchuriki better than the other jinchuriki so it's fine. Everyone just accepts it.

(Isobu laughs at Kurama cuz haha im the older sibling now :))

Naruto is bullied less but I think no one can tell him about his parents cuz Sandaime sucks ass. But "Rin" drops HUGE hints cuz he hates Sandaime now too. Like no shit Tsunade left.

Idk what would happen with Obito if he finds out about "Rin's" identity. he'd come back crawling and crying probably. Maybe try to kidnap him and cry more in Kamui.

update: added sketch

[meanbossart]

ur like the only person who depicts mlm astarion as a top and i am so grateful for ur existence 😭 i just can't see him preferring to bottom after being used like a fleshlight / having no bodily autonomy for 200 yrs that's just my take (controversial ik) obviously he can switch but id say there's generally a preference for either position at the end of the day 🤷 regardless ur art is amazing thnk u for existing and feeding the poor

I know you're just being a little facetious with your word choice here, but I do wanna take this opportunity to clarify that that's NOT the reason why I depict him as a top. I'm sure he's had sex in all the standard (and some not so standard) ways while acting under Cazador's command, and If you were to ask me, the joy and autonomy has been sucked out of all the acts and roles pretty equally.

Rather, after spending time with the character, that's just the vibe I got from him 🤷 Probably his go-to before ever being turned, and probably thinks it's very hot to fuck a guy thrice his size and bulging with muscle - there's a little blink-and-you'll-miss-it bit in ANE where Astarion asks DU drow if he can be the pitcher, and I consider that to be an important little character moment for him. He reminds me very strongly of a very particular subsection of flamboyant, twinkish homo; if you know, you know LOL

DU drow too. His reasons for bottoming actually have slightly more explicitly to do with control (or lacking it) but he does enjoy entrusting his partners with his body. You see that too with his relationship with Orin.

Not saying I'm right and you're wrong or that that's even 100% your implication here, just taking the opportunity to share my thoughts on the character and why I depict him how I do! I enjoy getting headcanons that are a little different from mine because they get me thinking about my own thought process a little more in depth.

Thank you so much for the message and your kind words! I'm happy to be providing the goods all the same LOL

[anonymityisfunwriter]

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Paring: Steve Rogers x Reader Summary: The rains that end your perfect, shining days whisper things in his ear that you'll never be entrusted with. But your boy only breaks his favorite toy.

a.n. - day 3!!! i hope you guys are enjoying! anyway, how many tortured poets inspired fics do you guys think i have in the drafts? hint, too many.

Steve Rogers Masterlist | Anon's Birthday Celebration

"Then maybe you're better off without me!"

No, you're not.

You're not.

You're not.

You fly up from the edge of your bed, doing everything to get him to see reason, to get him to see you, for once, "I never said that!"

"You didn't have to!" he booms.

Your hand reaches out to grip his bicep, but he wrenches his arm away.

And standing in your highest heels, in your best dress just for him, you chase after him, "I just want you to talk to me! I want you to not push me away!"

He snatches his tux jacket up, shrugging it over his shoulders, "I don't want to talk!"

"You don't want to talk or you don't want to talk to me?"

"Both!" The words are so casually cruel. He says it without pause, without remorse. He doesn't even notice the pained look that his words leave on your face like all the wind has left your lungs.

Natasha pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing as she hears the argument echo through the walls of the Compound. "Oh, here we go again..."

The moment he whips open your door, you know what this night will look like.

You'll be his perfect doll, his trophy for the night. He'll smile, hold your hand, and won't speak more than a word to you the whole night.

He'll leave you wondering what went wrong, what you did wrong, what sent him spiraling into the abyss all over again.

And he'll wake up tomorrow like nothing ever went wrong.

"Steve!" You reach for his hand, but he drops your hand and keeps walking without so much as a second glance. "Steve!"

"Steve!"

He doesn't turn back around.

As you watch him walk downstairs, you feel a warm hand rest on your shoulder. "You okay?"

You nod, trying to keep the tears welling in your eyes from falling down your cheeks. "He's just - in one of his moods, I guess."

"A mood?" Nat quirks an eyebrow. "That's the excuse?"

You suck in a breath. It's a shitty excuse. And it only sound worse with every time that you have to use it.

You sound like a broken record, a broken toy. You practically beg Natasha to pull the string for the latest excuse. "You know how he gets."

He only runs because he loves you...

"It's ironic that he always does this right before you've got to put on your best face in public."

You let out a long, deep sigh, "Nat..."

She raises her hands in surrender, "I'm just saying. You look amazing tonight, but tears don't go with the dress."

The urge to defend him bubbles within you.

It doesn't matter how much he breaks you, it's you he chooses to break.

You're his favorite toy.

He only runs because he loves you...

After a few moments to make sure the rivulets don't descend on your plastic smile, you go after him.

You find him seated in the car, sitting in the backseat like he knew you would give in and eventually follow after him.

It's all painfully silent. He stares out the car window, drowning in a darkness that you'll never get to see. You sit with your hands in your lap, the smooth silk of your dress crumpling under your fingers.

You hated nights like these. These galas were never fun for you. Still, you don't remember it being quite this hard.

As you step out in front of the flashing lights, Steve grips your waist, just enough to lay claim to you.

Because, in the end, you're still his favorite toy.

You roll back your shoulders. Your cherry lips pulled into a smile that you can only hope looks more genuine than it feels.

You can barely recall a time when your shining smile didn't feel so plastic. You were an Avenger. You were strong, independent. You stood tall and held your own. You were beloved in your own right - or at least, you used to be. Now, you were nothing more than the girlfriend to Captain America. Nothing more than his favorite toy.

You stand beside him in the line of reporters.

He refers to you often. He barely spares you a glance.

He presses loving kisses to the top of your head. He doesn't offer a single comforting word.

You've spent all night watching and waiting for the worst of his tortured heart to hit that you've barely noticed the night passing you by.

The reporter before you politely points the microphone at you. She smiles, tilting her head, "So what's it like?"

You blink at her, realizing that you've hardly been paying attention. You fix your distant smile with a chuckle, "What's what like?"

"What it like being the woman behind the man? Being the woman behind America's Golden Boy?"

"Oh..."

What is it like?

What's it like being queen of sandcastles that he destroys?

What it's like being his favorite toy?

The one he holds so tenderly, caresses with the most gentle of touches, only to be discarded and broken as he pleases?

You crack a smile, pretending to be coy. He hates it when you talk about him, about your relationship. He says he likes his privacy. He likes for it to be seen, not heard. But you think he means you.

You find yourself pulling the string, reminding yourself that he loves you. He only runs because he loves you.

You rest your hand on his chest, looking at him with all the adoration in the world, "I mean, he's - he's Captain America. What else it there to say? Like you said, he's America's Golden Boy."

You swear you can feel something break inside you. He's finally done it. His favorite toy is finally all smashed up.

You feel broken.

His favorite toy.

His broken toy.

He doesn't stay for the party, never does. It's a blur as he guides you back to the car with a hand on your hip.

The silence fills the car once again.

It's all silent as he calls the rain to end your days of wild once more. Back at the Compound. In your room. Watching as he stands before you. He means what he says, he doesn't want to talk, and he most certainly doesn't want to talk to you.

As you sit on the bed, watching as he methodically takes off each piece of his tux, he offers his first voluntary word of the night, "That camera guy was hitting on you."

A pang of joy flashes through your broken heart.

After all, your boy only breaks his favorite toy. You are his favorite toy. You always will be.

"I didn't notice. I was too busy worrying about you."

He rolls his eyes, "I told you to leave it alone."

And out of all the hearts he was offered, it was your tortured heart he stole. And one thing about Steve Rogers, he plays for keeps.

Your eyes snap up at him, examining those blue eyes that you feel in love with. "Why won't you ever just let me in?"

He refuses to hold your gaze, too afraid of what you might see. If he sees forever in your eyes, he'll smash it up.

The voices in his head are so much louder than you. And worst of all, you have no idea how to fight them off. The rains that end your perfect, shining days whisper things in his ear that he'll never trust you with.

You know that. And in some ways, you've always known that. It's a give and take, a push and pull. And as long as he keep pushing, keeps taking, you'll pull him as close as you can, you'll hold him through any storm. What other choice did you have?

For the second time tonight, you pull the string yourself. He only runs because he loves you.

"You're better off anyway," he whispers.

But you're not.

You're not.

You're not...

Steve Rogers Masterlist Anon's Birthday Celebration Inspired by Taylor Swift Series

Taglist: @marianita195 @meli18gonzalez @ludicbouquetfromearth @matchat3a @famousbreadcherryblossomsstuff @valoraxx @blue786sworld @buckyandgeraltsupremacy @geminigengar @ansaturn @ecolle @lexhalstead3 @ybflkmj @mediocre-daydreams@shanye1112 @thegirlnextdoorssister @toomanyfanficsbruh @moonlightreader649 @breathtaking-cynthia @mirikusashes @beans-and-toast @niyahcoca @katiechikin @elxvrr @antiheroxsblog @infamouslyclumsy @krissydclayton93 @buckysbarne @deadheadwbedhead @qualitygiantshoepsychic @whitexwolfxx310 @getosprettyboy @matchat3a @weallhaveadestiny @mostlymarvelgirl @honeydew3064 @michealharrypotter @mrs-bucky-barnes-73 @withyoutilltheendoftheline @the-photo-hoe @rae-nna @sarachabeans1@double-shot-of-tequila @spookyparadisesheep @lunaalovesyouu @daisy-loves-bucky@roseproseposts @theoraekenslover@king814318 @maybesomedaytho @carlie-babes99 @sunshinechikin @as-white-as-snow-love @melala1030 @badasswlthafatass @armystay89 @multiversefanfics @cherrysscinema @breathlesspieceofdeath @ravenn-darkholme @bxckybxrnes24 @guiltyasreid @bellabarnes1378 @blithecapricorn @mrsnikstan

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

thinking about tattoo artist!draken giving me you a tattoo in between and under my your tits im so unwell i want him to suck on my titties so bad HNSKSGDJKHGK okaybye

Hi Mack! Thank you for entrusting me with this awesome ask! I hope you like it! Proofed as much as I could.

WC ::: 2230 (HEY! It was 8 pages and I got it down to 5. So, you're WELCOME!)

C/W ::: MDNI, TattooArtist!Draken x F.reader, unprotected P->V and some other funsies.

You sat in the booth waiting for the artist to come in and start working on you. You'd met him a few times before while going over the finalized print of your design but why hadn't you noticed how sexy he was? He was like some mythological creature.

He walked in backwards and slid the screen all the way to the edge so the small booth was completely shut off from the rest of the shop. "Ok, ready when you are." Draken said as he turned to start getting the ink ready.

"Oh! O-ok, yeah. So, like," you hesitated with your words not wanting to seem like you were too inexperienced. You have tattoos, just not on this part of your body.

"Take your shirt and bra off and lean back and enjoy the ride." He is so fucking cool, you thought.

"Right, enjoy ... enjoy the ride." You began lifting your shirt over your head, watching yourself in the full-length mirror the whole time. Kicking yourself for wearing such a shitty bra (but really what else were you going to do? Wear your best one only for it to get ruined with blood and ink? No. Absolutely not.)

You put your clothes on the extra stool in the corner and wrapped your arms over your chest waiting for his next instructions.

"It's ... heh ... you gonna enjoy the ride or do I have to tat you up while you're standing by the wall? Come on, I'm gentle, I promise.

"Yes! Right right right. Sorry. I'm just a little shy I guess."

I've tattooed much stranger things than tits, trust me. Now sit down."

You moved to sit on the tattoo chair and leaned back. The cool leather made you shiver. Draken placed a paper towel on your chest and told you to relax. He leaned over you to grab the ink and needles. He was so close you could smell him. He smelled like leather, cologne and cigarettes. It made you feel high, breathing him in like that.

He pressed the needle into your skin, making you wince in pain. He pulled away for a second to apply more ink and then went back to work.

After a while, he was about halfway done with the outline. "You doin' ok, y/n? Needa break or anything?" You had zoned out so much that he had to nudge your arm to get your full attention. "Hey! You good?" He laughed.

"Oh shit. Yeah, I guess I just kinda got into a trance. You're very ... rhythmic. It's oddly soothing." You blushed.

"Told you I was good." He beamed. "So you want me to keep going?"

You nodded and put your arms back to your sides where they'd been.

"For this next part, I need you to put your arms above your head. Can you hold them there for a while while I work on the underside of your chest?"

"How long are we talkin' here? 30 minutes? 45?" You couldn't read his face because you didn't know him well enough to. But the look he had was less than comforting.

"Ish? I don't know, honestly. But it's going to be a while. I have a lot of detail to do here. Look, don't ask. Ok? But I can - *aheh* - fuck. I can tie your arms up if this is going to be a problem?" He made a point to look away when he suggested that to you.

And good thing too because the expression that washed over your face would have embarrassed a porn director. You're so proud of yourself for not moaning at the offer.

"YES! Yes. My arms get tired easily. Tie me up, Draken." Your eyes fell to his crotch and the bulge that was presenting itself was nothing short of delicious. You don't know what came over you but you let them roam the length of his chest and met his gaze.

He walked over to a cabinet in the corner and grabbed a few ties. "Which one do you want?" he asked, holding up a few options. You pointed to a soft-looking black one and he tied your arms above the chair. "How's that? Not too tight?"

You shook your head. "No, it's good. Just tight enough." He walked back over to the counter to get the ink and needle ready again. And you know he adjusted his dick. You've seen enough men do that to know what that little dance looks like.

He pressed the needle back into your skin and started on the underside of your tits. He was close enough that you could hear his breath hitch every time he accidentally touched your nipple. And you were certain he was doing it on purpose.

You don't know if it was the drilling of the needle into one of the most sensitive expanses of your body, if it was Draken being so close to you that he could stick his tongue out and flick your nipple with the tip of it. His shallow, labored breathing. His big hands doing such delicate work. But you were getting so fucking wet. And you couldn't help but imagine him sticking his fingers into you. Fucking you with them.

"You're um, doing great. Almost done with this side, are you hot? Do you want some water or something? Want me to crack the window?" he said, breaking the silence.

You nodded, not sure how to respond. "No, I'm uh, I'm doing great, thanks."

He walked over to the window and opened it just a sliver. The air was still warm but it was better than before.

"Thank you." You sighed.

"You're welcome. It's fuckin' hotter than hell in here." He took off his jacket and tossed it over onto your clothes.

You couldn't help but stare at the way his arm muscles flexed as he moved. The tattoos on his right bicep were beautiful and you wanted to trace every inch of them with your tongue.

"SO!" He shouted, startling even himself, he pulled the gun away from you. "Shit. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that so loud." His cheeks were burning. You wanted to reach out and smooth your fingers over his face. You wanted to sit on it. But that's just crazy, you thought. Draken continued, much quieter this time, "You got a boyfriend? Or ... or girlfriend. Sorry. I forget about that shit sometimes." He chuckled.

"Nope, no boyfriend. No girlfriend either." You said, looking down at his crotch again. You were so horny you could hardly stand it. "So, just me, my shitty bra, and my soon-to-be tatted tits."

He laughed and leaned over you to start on the other side. He was close enough that his breath was hot on your ear. You closed your eyes and let yourself just enjoy the feeling of his weight pressing against you. You were so close that you could have turned your head and kissed him.

But he beat you to it. He stopped what he was doing, sitting the gun down on the tray next to him and he trailed his fingers up over your belly. Lifting them up long enough to skip over your freshly inked skin and he put them down at your collarbone, skimming them to your chin and tilting your face toward him. You tried to put your arms around his neck but you forgot you were all tied up. Literally.

He smiled at the new light of this situation. "You're tied up." Draken's demeanor changed.

You looked into his eyes, nodding. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"You wanna be free or do you like it?" He said, tracing his fingers up and down your jawline.

"I like it." You blushed. "But I can't touch you. And that's kinda bumming me out." You laughed.

He leaned back, grabbed the scissors from the counter, and cut the ties, but he left them around your wrists. "You wanna touch me, y/n? You wanna play with my hair? My dick?"

You nodded and reached down to his pants. You cupped your hand around his bulge and squeezed it lightly. He moaned and you loved the sound of his voice. "I wanna do so much more than that, Draken. But … am I crazy for wanting this?" You laughed.

"Oh, you're definitely crazy, baby. An' that's just how I like it." He pushed you back against the chair and softly wrapped his lips around your pointed nipple and dragged his tongue over it.

You shifted in the seat and let out a small whimper. "Fuck that feels so good. I don't know if it's because you've been drilling on me all day or if I just really - I really want you, Draken." You pulled on his hair and he moaned again. He moved his hand up your leg and slipped it into your jeans, feeling how wet you were.

"Well, I guess I was right about something today, huh?" He laughed and unbuttoned your pants. He pulled them down just enough so he could get his fingers inside of you. "You wanna fuck me, y/n? Right here in my booth? You gonna let me fill you up - make you cum all over my cock."

You nodded, unable to form words.

He pulled his fingers out of you and unzipped his pants, pulling them down and sitting back on the edge of the table. He stroked himself a few times and looked back at you. "C'mon kitten, need this dick?"

You sat up and straddled him, holding your weight up enough so that he could slide himself into you. You let out a low moan as he filled you up, your pussy clenching around him. "Holy shit, you feel so fucking good," you moaned. Your eyes rolled back in your head and your breath all but stopped it's exchange with the space around you.

He started to move his hips and you rode him, rolling them and bouncing up and down on his cock. You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, feeling him moan into your mouth. His hands were at your waist, guiding you up and down and you felt so fucking good.

"Fuck, y/n, arch your back, stick your tits up, wan' 'em in my mouth." He said, his voice muffled by your chest. You leaned back, he pushed your breasts together and he latched onto them. Massaging them, sucking and biting on your nipples. You felt like you were in a dream, your body humming with pleasure and pain from the abused inches of your skin.

You slowed your movements to feel him better. His cock was hot and dragging against your walls so perfectly that you almost didn't want to cum. You didn't want this to ever stop. You felt his cock twitch inside of you and he moaned, his body tensing up as he came inside of you.

"Fuck, y/n, cum for me, cum all over this dick, baby." He moaned as you ground your hips against his, rubbing your clit against his abdomen. You let yourself go, your body tightening and releasing with the orgasm that washed over you.

You breathed heavily and leaned forward to rest your head on his shoulder. "Wow, Draken. I ... that was..." you trailed off.

He laughed, "It was, huh?"

You nodded, smiling. "Yeah. It was. But I really like your work." 

Your work? You thought. Why did you say that.

"My 'work'? That's what you like? Heh, well, I'm glad?" He chuckled, shaking his head softly. "I'd say the same for you but, I think that'd be weird since I just fucked you and you're still sitting on my dick." He pushed your hair away from your face and kissed you gently on the forehead. "But, you know, I do like your ‘work’, too. It's beautiful. And you're beautiful. And I can't wait to see the finished product." He said, smiling.

You smiled back and leaned in to kiss him again, this time on the lips. "Me too. I'm excited to see it." You blushed and slowly lifted yourself off of him, wincing as he slipped out of you. "God. I hate this part." You pouted.

"Me too, but I think I can make it better. I wanna take you out, y/n. Let me take you out?" He asked, getting up to put his pants back on.

You nodded, smiling. "I'd love that." You grabbed your bra and shirt and held them against your chest as you watched him walk back to the sink and start washing his hands.

"Deal. We should wait a few days after your tattoo has healed up before we go out. Don't wanna get it infected or anything." He laughed, drying his hands on a paper towel.

You laughed too and nodded in agreement. "Sounds good. I guess that gives me time to plan what I'm gonna do next." 

“Do next?” he asked zipping his black jeans and fastening his belt.

“Tattoo ideas … orrr …?” He spun you around by your shoulders and tipped your face up with his fingers.

“Oh, yeah. I’ve got more ideas.” You turned your back to him and he helped you fasten your bra around the wrapping.

“Would you laugh if I said both?” 

“No. I wouldn’t laugh. I’d say ‘when’?”

[ranhaitanisgf]

can i request a quiet gf reader who plays bass in a band with her friends and like this guy has been making fun of her and she gets enough and punches him infront of her bf with kazutora, smiley, and mikey

get out of my face!!

synopsis: how will they react when you punch the creep who's been bothering you and your band?

☆ a/n ˎˊ˗ haii thank u anon for requesting ! :3 this was super fun to write, so i hope you all enjoy!! xoxo [just as a note, i didnt rlly see a reason to make this fem reader + there was really just not any relevance so i made it gn! i hope you dont mind ╥﹏╥]

☆ characters ˎˊ˗ kazutora hanemiya, nahoya [smiley] kawata, manjiro [mikey] sano x g/n!reader

☆ wc ˎˊ˗ 3.4k+

masterlist

kazutora hanemiya: 

❥ he loves the fact that you’re in a band!! he thinks it’s so cool, and he is constantly asking all kinds of questions about all of it, like ‘do you get nervous when you see all the people?’ and ‘is it hard to play fast songs?’. he’ll ask you the same questions over and over again whenever the two of you are talking, but he can’t help it! he’s just so interested about all of it!

❥ while it’s a bit unrealistic for him to be able to attend every single show you perform, he tries his best to come to all the ones he possibly can, (really, he’s only missed two which is quite impressive). he’ll always send you encouraging messages before the show if he can’t see you, and he’ll send little messages while you’re performing for you to read later. 

kazu <3: you look so cool! kazu <3: i can hear your bass playing right now! it sounds so good! 

❥ he doesn’t want to cause a scene in the crowd because he doesn’t want to make more trouble for you, but he will death glare anybody who is cheering for you, (minus your friends). why are they cheering for you? he’s the only one who should be cheering for you!! will proceed to shout your name ten times louder. 

❥ when he has the funds for it, kazutora will bring you your favorite snack or drink after a show!! he knows that you get tired afterwards, so he likes to contribute a little bit to your recharging. he’ll usually be the one taking you home too since it’s usually late by the time your band finishes up, (when he’s there, he will not entrust you to anybody else). 

❥ your number one bodyguard!! he’s always with you whenever you’re not on stage, making sure that there aren’t any creeps who are trying to approach you. if there’s anybody who has the nerves to do so, he’s immediately threatening them and making sure they leave. 

❥ kazutora had been suspecting that you’d been keeping something from him, but he wasn’t sure what. lately, you’d seemed a bit more jumpy and uptight at your gigs, your eyes looking around as if you were searching for someone. when he asked what was going on, you had said it was nothing. 

❥ after this particular gig, he found out it wasn’t nothing. 

“hey!! you really think you guys are gonna be one of those bigshot bands??” a twisted laugh echoed through the hallway, making kazutora perk up, his eyes locking onto a boy who was approaching you and the rest of your friends. he heard you sigh, your eyebrows knitting together in frustration and annoyance; did you know this guy? 

“uju! you have some goddamn nerve showing up here!!” one of your friends yelled, their voice tainted with rage. “you’d really pay a 4000 yen entrance ticket just to cause trouble?!” 

“you really think i’d do that? i snuck in.” the boy scoffed, shaking his head. “i just had to come and tape this so i could have a record of how much you guys fuckin’ suck.” 

kazutora could feel his eye twitching, anger flooding through him at the boy’s words. how dare he badmouth your band like that? does he not know talent when he sees it?!

“(y/n), do you want me to-?” he began, but you shook your head, giving him a small smile. 

“no, it’s alright. i got this.” he looked at you confusedly but you’d already started walking away, moving through your friends to face the boy. he started laughing, leaning closer to as you as if he were sizing you up, (it made kazutora’s blood boil, but he restrained himself because you said you could handle it). 

“wowww, the big time bass player!! you reallyyyy have some nerve coming up to me like this; you’re usually so quiet i can’t even see you!” he said, his voiced laced with malice. “just like the bass, you’re always in the background-” 

one moment he was talking, and the next you had driven your fist right into his face, your punch making a solid impact with his jaw. the boy lost his balance, falling to the ground and making a loud thump! sound. 

silence hung over everyone for a few moments, all eyes on you as you continued to stand there, looking down at the boy. after the shock passed, you shook out your hand, wincing a bit as you did so. 

“i didn’t know punching someone would hurt like this.” 

your words triggered reactions from everyone, your friends huddling around you and hyping you up for finally beating some sense into the boy. 

“someone had to do it soon, i just didn’t know it was going to be you, (y/n)! haha!” you smiled a bit at their comments, obviously feeling a bit shy from all the attention that was on you. 

“let’s go get something good to eat in honor of (y/n) kicking his ass!!” 

“yeah!!” 

“let’s go!!” you laughed at your friend’s rowdiness, telling them that you would come out soon. after they all left, you hesitantly looked at kazutora, wondering if he hated you. 

he was staring at you with his eyes open so big they could fall out of his sockets and his jaw was hanging open; it was the most shocked you’d ever seen him. 

“(y/n)...you totally just punched him…” he managed to get out. you shyly smiled, coming closer to him. 

“yeah, i learned it from watching you…i hope that’s alright.”

“alright…? it was amazing!!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around your waist. kazutora easily picked you up, swinging you around with a wild and excited grin on his face. “you were so cool! it was like something out of a comic!!” he was planting kisses all over your face, making you laugh from the ticklish feeling. 

“h-hey! stop!” 

“no! you were so so awesome!” he put you down, but he continued kissing your face, the gleeful look on his face being absolutely adorable. “lemme take you to go with your friends, hm? i can take you home too.” 

“are you sure? it’s already pretty late…” 

“it’s not even question, c’mon.” he answered, pressing a final kiss to your temple. his hand found yours, lacing your fingers together as he started to lead you to the parking lot, passing by the boy who was rubbing his jaw on the floor. when the two of you walked by, he let out a sound of fear, his eyes flicking between you and your boyfriend. 

“if i see you again in here, you’re dead meat, you got that?” kazutora threatened, his voice suddenly stony cold. 

“y-yes!” 

“good.” 

nahoya [smiley] kawata: 

❥ he’s surprisingly very into the music scene! he’s always hyping you up before and after your shows, ruffling your hair and telling you to give it your all. 

❥ he’s always bragging about the fact that you’re his s/o! he loves to brag to everybody he knows, talking about how his amazing and perfect s/o is so talented, talented enough to be in a band! he keeps videos of your performances on his phone to show people, (they are poor quality and you can hear him screaming your name in the background). 

❥ when at your shows, he does the same thing! my apologies to anybody who is standing near him; he is going to be talking their ear off the whole time about you, saying how ‘their bass playing really brings the whole thing together, don’t you think?’, (they are forced to agree). 

❥ he’s not afraid to make a scene and he will punch anybody who is booing your band or is overall just being negative. one thing he won’t stand for is a negative and unwelcoming atmosphere, so you best believe he’s going to do his part to make sure that the audience is welcoming for you and your band!

❥ regularly drags his brother and friends to come and watch you perform, making them cheer as loud as him. they are happy to do it though! they all think that you are super talented and they are always super supportive, congratulating you and telling you that you did an amazing job after the show. 

❥ screams your name while you are performing! he gets really into music, and he’s even more into it because you’re the one who's performing! there won’t ever be a time when you don’t hear his voice while you’re playing, and despite the fact that he always loses his voice by the end of the night, he thinks it’s completely worth it if he’s supporting you!

❥ he never misses your sets! he doesn’t usually have a whole lot going on, and even if he does, he absolutely would not miss them for the world! he’s even skipped toman meetings before to go see you, (he got in trouble, but again, he thought it was absolutely worth it). 

❥ his rowdy personality and your more shy and quiet one make for an interesting pair, but all of your friends agree that the two of you are perfect for each other. smiley is there to give you more confidence when you don’t have it, and you’re there to calm him down when he gets a little bit too unruly. 

❥ tries to get you to teach him how to play bass, and he fails horribly at it, (‘it’s so hard to put my damn fingers where i want them to go!!’).

“oi, you got a problem bud?” you suddenly heard. following your boyfriend’s gaze, your mood immediately soured when you saw who he was looking at. 

uju had been bothering you and your friends for a few weeks now for no particular reason, (maybe he was just bored) and you were all beginning to tire of it quickly, his negative presence ruining the vibe of the set. 

“hah, you guys think you’re such big hotshots that you need security? talk about lame!” he sneered, shaking his head. “why don’t you guys just go back to playing in your garage? at least then the rats will listen to you.” 

“hah?! you think you can stay shit like that and get away with it??” nahoya asked, his grin turning violent. “you’re in for a world of pain if you think that-” he paused when he felt a tug on his sleeve, your expression as you looked at him being strangely resolved. 

“nahoya, it’s fine. let me handle this.” 

“hmm…whatever you say, lover~” he hummed, giving you a confident grin. “go show them what you’re made of.” 

you nodded at his words, giving a small smile before approaching the sneering boy, his face twisted in hostility as he saw you approaching. your friends were whispering to each other as they watched you approaching him, talking to nahoya. he just shook his head at them, subtly pointing to you and keeping his confident smile. 

“you need to leave.” 

“you’re telling me to leave? i’m just out here telling the truth! everyone at school is embarrassed to see you guys doing this, so really, you could say that i’m helping you all out!” he laughed, rolling his eyes at your annoyed expression. “you should just deal with the hard truth and move on-” 

“you’re such an asshole.” you stated, your voice sharp enough to cut. “if you say one more word about us, you’ll regret it.” 

“riiight, like the little background character is gonna do anything. at least your little bass isn’t terrible, but the others…whew, they just don’t know how to-” 

your fist flew into his face, knocking straight into his cheek and making him collide against the wall beside the two of you. he fell to the ground, too shocked to even process what had just happened. 

“yeah!! that’s my amazing (y/n) right there!!” you heard nahoya yell, his voice booming through the chatter of the venue. it was mostly empty now, but the remaining people turned to stare at you as you walked back to your friends, wincing a bit when your hand brushed against your side. 

nahoya was the first the greet you, his hand landing on top of your head to ruffle your hair. his grin was huge as he looked at you with pride. 

“you didn’t tell me you were such a badass, (y/n)!! that was a solid punch!” 

“ahh, i’m really not…he was just pissing me off.” you answered, a bit embarrassed that you’d let your anger out in such a violent way. 

“either way, he totally deserved it!” one of your friends piped up. the rest of them agreed, complaining about how he had been bothering your band for a while. 

“yeah, he was such a jackass!! we gotta celebrate this! meet us in the parking lot, yeah?” 

“oh, yeah, okay!” you responded, watching as they all walked off, giving you big smiles and thumbs up as they were leaving. you shook your hand out, a bit of your discomfort showing on your face as you felt pain shoot up your knuckles. 

“first time punchin’ someone?” nahoya asked, gently taking your hand in his. 

“yeah, i didn’t know it was gonna hurt so much.” 

“well, it does hurt when you’re not used to punchin’ people.” he explained, gently tracing your knuckles. when he saw which spots were most painful for you he put your hand down again. “you don’t know how to correctly punch, but you still sent him into the wall like that? you’re cool as hell for that. and when we get back, i’ll wrap your hand for you.” 

“mm…thanks, nahoya.” 

“of course, sweets. now, let’s go celebrate your victory, yeah?” 

manjiro [mikey] sano:

❥ he thinks you’re literally the coolest person ever!! he doesn’t have a single clue how to play any instruments, so he loves watching you play! he thinks you look the most attractive when you’re tearing it up on the bass, the enjoyment and happiness on your face making you look absolutely amazing, (secretly tries to take pictures during your set, but he keeps getting blocked by other people’s heads). 

❥ asks if you can play the bass for any of his favorite songs!! he’s definitely the type who will be absolutely shocked, amazed, and somehow even more in love if he ever hears you learning how to play them for him! 

❥ he can’t attend all of your shows, but he does make you promise to have somebody record it so that he can watch it later! he insists on watching the videos with you so that he can tell you at which moments you look the coolest, (he loves to see your embarrassed expression as you shyly thank him). 

❥ definitely brings all his friends to watch you! they all jam out to your band’s music and think you’re super cool! 

❥ because of mikey’s height, he will most likely ask if you can get him better seats so he has a good view of you. it’s not something in your power which makes him sad, so he’ll do his best to try and see you from where he’s at, (will yell at the people in front of him if they are too tall). 

❥ adding on to this, he might invite draken for the sole purpose of having him lift him up so he can see you better. 

❥ he creates a whole fanpage for you! mikey will compile all his different photos and videos of you and posts them to myspace, adding the most fanboy comments about you under the posts! 

mmikey_78: (y/n) was so cool at this show!  mmikey_78: my amazing (y/n) with their band performing their top song!!

❥ he likes to watch you and your band practice quickly before you guys perform, always teasing you by sending you cute winks and finger hearts. 

❥ you’re the only person he will share his snacks with!! he usually will split half of one with you before you play and then after, saying that you need it to get your energy up so that you can play really well. he also does it because he likes to give you a few moments of quiet before you go on stage so that you can calm your nerves, and then give you a few moments after your show to gather yourself since he knows you’re a bit shy. 

❥ he’s friendly with all your bandmates too, telling them that they all did a great job after you guys finish performing! 

❥ always makes sure to drive you wherever you need to go; he even got a special super secure holder on his motorbike for your bass so that you don’t have to leave it somewhere else, (he spent a lot of his money on it, but he would do anything to make you happy). 

“hm? (y/n)-cchi, do you know that person? he’s been staring at you guys for a while.” mikey whispered, his lips close to your ear. 

“gah! manjiro! don’t scare me like that…” you murmured, looking around to see who he was talking about. “who? i don’t see anyone.” 

mikey planted his hands on the sides of your head, turning it slowly until your head was facing who he was talking about. 

“ah, him…he’s just this guy from our school who’s been bothering us.” you explained, moving your eyes away from him. “it’s not really a big deal though. he’s just a weirdo- gah!” mikey suddenly turned your head to look back at him, a pout on his lips. 

“it’s a big deal if he’s bothering you guys! why didn’t you say anything about it before?” he whined, his brows furrowed together. “i could easily wipe the floor with him, y’know. do you not have faith in meee-!?” 

“no, it’s not that manjiro! i just don’t want to cause any trouble, y’know…?” you trailed off when you saw from the corner of your eye the boy approaching the two of you. “man, speak of the devil…” 

“hey!! where’s the rest of your little ‘band’? did they finally realize that you’re the most expendable?” he cackled. 

“what’d you just say?” mikey asked, his voice flat. “who do you think you are talking to (y/n) like that, huh?” he moved to step in front of you, but you gently grabbed his arm, shaking your head. 

“manjiro, it’s fine. it’s really not worth it.” you murmured, avoiding making eye contact with uju. “he’s just a jerk.” 

“but-” 

“really, it’s fine! let’s just go.” you pleaded. “i really don’t want to get into it with him right now.” mikey seemed hesitant, but after a few moments he relented. 

“fineee. let me take you home then-” 

“you’re ignoring me? hah, that’s rich. everybody knows you don’t have the guts to actually do anything.” uju leered, stepping forward to stand right in front of you. mikey had an intense look in his eyes, but you shook your head at him, making uju scoff. “oho, calling off your scary guard dog? wow, i’m soo scared!” he leaned forward getting right in your face. “i bet all your little friends left because they know that they would be better off without you! how does it feel to have the harsh truth shoved in your face? go on, tell me-!” 

before you knew what you were doing, your hand had formed into a fist and flew straight into his nose, sending him flying back. 

“gah, that hurt!!” you exclaimed, immediately cradling your hurt hand with your other. after a few seconds, you looked up, realizing that mikey was staring at you with a surprised expression and that uju was still laying on the ground. “oh my god, what did i just do?!” 

you suddenly felt a pair of arms around you and you heard laughing in your ear, mikey’s voice ringing throughout the room. 

“(y/n)-cchi, you punched him!! you actually punched him!! that was so funny!” he managed to get out. “you sent him flying!!” 

“i-i didn’t mean to! he was just all up in my face and then i just…! agghhh, i shouldn’t have done that!” all you got in response was mikey’s arms tightening around your waist, pulling you closer to his side. 

“you did so good! oh, but let’s get out of here before anybody notices!” he exclaimed, grabbing your hand and pulling you in the direction of the parking lot. “i’ll drive you home!” 

“am i going to get arrested?!” 

“don’t worry, i won’t ever let them catch you!” 

“ohh my god, i’m gonna go to jail!!”

[cherry-muses]

tom riddle x gn! reader: oneshot

<a/n: oneshot after the image! haven't written in a while so i lowkey feel like this sucks. ps: sorry i disappeared for like 5 months lol i had to graduate. >

tags: mentions of a difficult childhood, orphanage, bullying, hurt/comfort, fluff

He was sat across you, writing his History of Magic essay with his ever-so-neat handwriting. The only sounds you could hear were those of his quill scratching the parchment and of you turning the pages of your Potions textbook.

As Riddle wrote, his other free hand rested on the table, and you couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that he had really pretty hands. Your eyes subtly scanned them and eventually landed on the sleeve of his robes… which seemed to be a little torn and frayed at the edges.

You smiled to yourself, knowing the exact spell required to make the sleeve good as new… secretly hoping that Riddle would give you one of his rare smiles when you did. Perhaps it’d make the boring study session slightly more entertaining, and the rather bleak winter evening more colourful.

You tentatively reached your hand to gently hold his wrist, and gave him a soft smile. “I could fix that… may I?” You asked, gesturing to the torn sleeve.

To your surprise, Tom did not give you even the smallest smile. In fact, he flinched and harshly pulled his hand away, giving you an accusatory glare at the same time. “I’d much appreciate if you wouldn’t disturb me when I’m trying to work. And I know perfectly well to take care of my own clothing, thank you.”, he snapped. “I think I’d much rather spend my evening with someone who isn’t so dull and irritating to the core.”

“I didn’t mean-”, but you were rudely cut off mid-sentence by Riddle slamming his textbook shut, stuffing it into his satchel and storming off, out of the library.

You were left sitting alone in the library, feeling an odd mixture of guilt, anger, and confusion, holding back tears.

It was the next evening, when you were approached by the dark-haired prefect again. You had been reading by the fireplace in the Slytherin common room when he came up to you, fists clenched at his sides in nervousness. “What do you want, Riddle?”, you spoke, rather harshly, as you sat up straight to face him.

“I am… sorry.”, he replied, voice strained as if it was taking him a great deal of effort to get the words out.

You slammed your book shut, tossing it aside on the couch in annoyance. “I am sorry too.”, you replied, not a hint of emotion in your voice.

“You’re sorry?”, he asked, frowning in confusion.

“For assuming we're friends.”

For a split second a look of hurt flashed across his sharp features, until, ever the Slytherin, Riddle schooled his expression to appear vaguely sad.

“I should not have spoken in that way to you.”, he begins.

“No, you shouldn’t have.”, you retort.

You are both silent for a few moments, and the air has a sort of charged tension which makes you feel like either one of you would be storming off at any moment.

It comes as a bit of a surprise, then, when he instead chooses to sit close to you on the black couch, the water from the Great Lake casting a greenish glow upon the two of you.

“I really am sorry. I must admit, out of sheer habit I had assumed the worst intentions out of you.”

Those deep brown irises of his conveyed a kind of sincerity you had never before seen in him. You hoped to Merlin it was genuine.

“It is no excuse but I’d like to…er, explain why I behaved in such a way. Not justify, just explain.”, he said, a request for you to kindly hear him out implicit in his words. You somehow found yourself nodding, silently urging him to continue.

“You know where I grew up. I much prefer to hide it, but somehow your… constant affection has gently coerced me into entrusting to you the things I wish I could hide even from myself. ” He pauses, sighing and staring outside the dungeon windows, into the depths of the Great Lake.

“As would be expected, the orphanage wasn’t made of money. They could hardly feed us twice a day.” He was practically avoiding your eyes now. “My wardrobe essentially consisted of the worn clothes people donated. And, well.” A pause. “My first time on the Hogwarts express, a group of Ravenclaws found it a good enough excuse to remind me of my inferiority… and throw a couple of assorted hexes my way.”

Realization dawned on you, and at once you took his hand in yours, gently caressing his skin with your thumb. “Oh…”

“Well, since then I’ve managed to handle such issues with reparation spells, but I suppose I missed my robe’s sleeve. Which caught your attention yesterday. And… and when you tried to fix it, I just...”

You could bear it no more, and without any warning he was engulfed in a hug. “Tom, I’m so so sorry. I should’ve known.”

“No, it is my fault, for comparing you to someone who was been cruel to me, when you’ve always shown me nothing but the complete opposite.”, he breathed out softly.

There was a look of steely determination on your face now. “Promise me one thing, Riddle.”

“Hmm?”, he inquired, far too occupied with staring into your eyes to bother with actual words.

“Next time you feel like that, please… please just talk to me.”, you request. “I hate when we hurt each other in such a way.”

“Anything you ask.”, he says. You beam at him and gently kiss his forehead

The rest of the evening was spent cuddling on that couch, whispering sweet nothings to one another and watching the fish swim by in the lake.

[alittlebitofloveliness]

QPR Steve and Evie fic

“You dumbass,” Evie grins at him, the gap in her front teeth showing, glossy hair framing her face like a dark halo. Her skin is the same deep bronze colour as his own, but her eyes are different, glittery black and almond shaped, framed in feathery lashes. Steve’s always thought her to be a real beauty, even if half the guys in Tulsa are too dumb to see it.

“Hey!” He feigns playful offence, but she isn’t wrong. He may be a dumbass but at least he’s self aware.

She laughs at him, taking a messy bite of her burger, and he loves her desperately. He’s not in love with her- there’s only one person for him, and he’s currently sitting two tables away, listening to Sandy Okensy talk about hair products like she’s some sort of goddess- but his friendship with Evie is everything. She understands him completely, never wants him to be anything but himself and still seems to like him for it. He wonders if she even has a clue how precious she is to him, a friend who never wants anything more from him than he can give. Boys and girls aren’t really supposed to be friends in Tulsa- it’s why everyone thinks he and Evie are dating and they don’t bother correcting anyone- but she’s one of the best friend’s he’s ever had.

“You are,” she insists through a mouthful of food, “you’re supposed to at least pretend you’re having fun with me instead of looking at Sodapop like that.”

A year ago hearing her even allude to his feelings about Soda would have sent such a powerful spike of fear through him that he would have lashed out immediately, but he’s long since grown comfortable with Evie knowing. He knows she’d never tell a soul, that she gets it. Evie isn’t the same kind of different as him but she is different too, has never loved anyone the way he loves Sodapop or Soda loves Sandy, is not sure she’s even capable of it, has never been consumed by any kind of lust. She always says friendship is enough for her. Steve wished his heart worked like that. Evie's type of loving seems like a blessing, while Steve has only ever known his own to be a curse. 

“I am having fun,” he tells her, and it’s true. For all it sucks to watch Sandy get everything his defective heart desires, he always loves hanging out with Evie. Fun seems to follow her around, a dog with its master, keeping her bright eyed and teasing even when she sometimes shouldn’t be, “it’s just hard sometimes, seeing him… with her, y’know?”

“No,” Evie shrugs, giving him a grin that managed to be both pitying and mirthful, inviting him to share the joke, the secret she’d entrusted only to him, “I don’t. Looks like it sucks though.”

Steve exhales heavily, the closest approximation he can get to a laugh. He doesn’t understand how she can make him being all stupid and heartsick seem funny, but she somehow always manages to.

“Oh fuck off.”

She throws a fry at him. He catches it and stuffs it in his mouth before tossing one of his own back. It lands in her lap before she picks it up, dunking it into her milkshake, pulling it out soggy and doused in vanilla ice cream before eating it.

He glares at her, not even bothering to hide his disdain.

“That’s vile.”

“You’re vile.” Her frown doesn’t even last ten seconds before her smile is back. She’s terrible at arguing, even playfully, always has been. He’s always loved that about her. For some reason he has a weakness for people filled with so much joy when they have so many reasons to be filled with hate. 

“Nice comeback.”

“Thanks, I thought so too.” She very pointedly misinterprets his sarcasm, and maintains eye contact as she very carefully selects the biggest fry left on her plate and slowly lowers it into her milkshake.

Disgusting.

Steve looks away as she very deliberately eats her second milkshake soaked fry, making exaggerated noises of enjoyment. She’s trying to get a rise out of him and he refuses to give her the satisfaction, even if her antics are earning them a few disapproving looks from the elderly couple a few booths away. 

Whatever. He shoots a glare at the old lady with the pinched look on her face. Geez, people should mind their own business. 

When he looks back Evie is watching him with fondness written all over her face, and he can feel his cheeks heat up, unused to such simple and obvious adoration. Even with Soda, whose love he never doubts even if it’s not the kind of love he wants, affection is never shown quite this obviously. Soda will pat him on the back or sling an arm around his neck, but only Evie ever looks at him like this.

“What?”

“You got your grumpy face on.”

His scowl deepens.

“I don’t have a ‘grumpy face.’”

“Yes you do.”

“No I don't.”

“Yes you do,” she scrunches up her nose and makes an exaggerated scowl, hunching her shoulders as she does so, “see? Like this.”

He scoffs, fighting another grin. How does she do that? 

“Shut up.”

“Nah.”

He shakes his head and she beams.

“Seriously though,” she says, “you don’t gotta scowl at anyone who looks at me funny. I know I’m weird.”

She says weird like it’s a dirty word. Steve bristles. 

“You ain’t weird!” He promises himself he’ll find out whoever told her that and teach them a lesson. Evie isn’t weird. Anyone who sees her light and her joy and her quirks and decides they mean she has something to answer for- they’re the weird ones. Steve doesn't know a lot but he knows anyone who thinks there's something wrong with Evie isn’t just weird, they’re plain stupid and crazy to boot.

“I am,” She shrugs, accepting it, though he can see a glimmer of insecurity in her dark eyes and it just about kills him, “everyone says so. Hell, you were there in the third grade when everyone called me ‘batshit Bylilly’.”

He was, and he remembers the fury it had invoked in him then, the same as it does now. Evie’s grandfather had died that year, and a lot of the things people called her crazy for were simply ways her family grieved. It wasn’t fair then, just like it still isn’t fair now, hating her just because she’s different. She’s better than any of the assholes who see her as less than because her mom’s family is from the rez and never tried to fit in in Tulsa. Fat load of good it would have done them anyway. Look at Steve’s own dad, trying to pretend like he didn’t grow up in Mexico when he still barely speaks any english. Maybe mom wouldn’t have left if his dad had tried to keep her home alive in his heart and his family, the way Evie’s family did, instead of forever trying to be something he’s not and trying to force them to be too. Besides, it’s not like Tulsa liked him anymore than they liked Evie, for all he tried to fit in. Like her, he’d always be a bit of an outsider.

“You ain’t weird,” Steve argues again, and it’s a familiar argument, but one he’s determined for her to someday believe him about, “not the way they say it. Like it’s a bad thing. Ain’t nothin’ about you is bad.”

“You’re real sweet, y’know that?”

“Shut up.” No one in their right mind has ever called him sweet.

“You are.” she insists, “Don’t worry. I ain’t gonna tell anyone and mess up your tuff greaser rep.”

He laughs and her eyes crinkle at the corners, back to their usual twinkly light. 

He’s gonna have to marry her someday. Not necessarily because he wants to but because if he doesn’t marry her then someone else will- and no matter how kind that person may be they’re going to want something Evie can never give them, and he can’t let that happen to her. Besides, it’s not like he could marry who he wanted even if Soda loved him back. And he could do far worse than Evie. There are far worse things than marrying someone as effervescent as her.

“Looks like those two are getting ready to go.” Evie inclines her head, and Steve follows her gaze to see that she’s right, Soda is waving over the waitress, Sandy giggling and tucked into his side. With a start he realizes Evie has managed to distract him so completely he'd forgotten all about Soda and his own envious heart. “You still feeling up to going to the movies with them? I can always fake a stomach ache if you’d rather just go home. Or we could go to a drag race. I think Angela said there’s gonna be one at the rodeo grounds tonight.”

Steve thinks about it. Usually when they double date with Soda and Sandy they eat separately like they did today, but the four of them walk over to the nightly double together to watch a movie. Sandy usually sits in Soda’s lap and he usually plays with her hair, and the sight of it always leaves a pit in Steve’s stomach that his heart drops into. It’s not exactly his favourite feeling in the world. 

But…Evie usually sits beside him when they go, and she always throws popcorn at any socs she doesn’t like, and challenges him to a burping contest once they get pop, even if Sandy scolds her for it. She’ll get cold as soon as the sun goes down and bully him into giving her his sweater, but share her cigs to make up for it, and she’ll mutter stupid jokes in his ear to make him laugh whenever there’s a serious scene on. He’ll hurt watching Soda, but with Evie there he’lll still manage to have fun.

“Nah,” he decides, “I’m still down to go to the movies.”

“Good!” Evie chirps, tossing a few coins on the table before Steve can even reach for his wallet, “It’s a horror film tonight and it’s supposed to be a bad one.  I wanna see how many folks are gonna faint at all the blood.”

“You reckon Sandy will?”

“Hmm,” Evie gives the blonde girl a considering look, “I dunno. Probably not. I bet she’ll scream though.”

“Twenty cents and a pack of Kools says she faints at the first murder scene.”

“I’ll take that bet.” They shake on it, and he follows her outside, listening to her talk about nothing in particular and stupidly glad she is here, with him, that she sees him as something worth caring about.

Soda might be his best friend, the love of his life, but Evie is his person in a way no one else could never hope to touch. She knows his soul and he knows hers and they love each other anyway.

It’s not any kind of fairytale. But maybe it’s something even better.

Evie wins their bet. Steve doesn’t really mind. 

[coyotejone-s]

i will always respect and even encourage ford criticism, seeing as he's my favorite character and also he sucks, but respectfully i'm throwing you into a lake.

ford is a jerk? yes! ford is more selfish than stan? arguably yes! never really proves that he loves the kids? huh???

let's go over some facts.

gravity falls is a surprisingly subtext-heavy show. you are not exempt from the subtext.

stan has TWO ENTIRE SEASONS to prove he loves the kids. ford has LESS THAN HALF OF ONE.

he JUST got back to this dimension AND learned that he has a niece and nephew in the first place.

in that vein, he has SOOOOO much more to worry about. the fate of the damn world is at stake and as far as he knows, he's the only one who can prevent the apocalypse.

even with ALLLLLL this on his shoulders. he STILL includes the kids in this. should he? probably not, but he's not a parent. he's an uncle.

he tears himself away from dismantling the portal SPECIFICALLY to play fucking d&d with dipper. he trusts mabel with the unicorn mission and thinks that, if ANYONE'S pure of heart, it's her. plus, not to bring in the supplemental material, but HE'S the one who knows dipper's real name, and also he and stan literally fight over who's the better uncle in one of the comics LMAO

i was talking about this in a discord server, and i think this sums it up pretty fucking well:

"like considering him having grown up in the 60s(?) w a kinda shit dad and then being isolated in the woods for a while and then stranded across dimensions for another 30 years with like Net Zero Friends the whole time probably i think I’d say he’s pretty kind to the kids. yeah i think it would’ve been helpful to include mabel and stan in on the Keep The Rift Safe thing but hey. he was working through some Learning To Trust His Family stuff HDHDJSJ"

plus, stan has his shit moments too. he put waddles outside when mabel practically begged him not to and entrusted him with her little guy. that's an entire episode! he pits the kids against each other over a room. the entirety of "roadside attraction" is stan knowingly giving dipper shifty dating advice and then facing the consequences for following it himself.

the big difference is that stan's shit moments are laid out, again, over two whole seasons. ford's are crunched into a very small timeline.

again. ford IS selfish. he IS a jerk. you're fully allowed to not have him in your top 5, or not like him at all! but he also objectively DOES love his family, and even if we didn't get to see it much, we did STILL get to see it. it's not always overt and obvious like with stan or soos, but it's still clear enough to be undeniable, and it's incredibly unfair to his character to say he "didn't prove it."

[snowywolf1005]

JOYBOY LUFFY X LUNALA READER VS KAIDO PT4

Okay... I think this is the final one!

Previously, you and luffy use maximum power to defeat kaido, but kaido has an idea, covering himself a gaint fire of himself.

And you with your shadow monster form:

And you use your ability called Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom:

"Let's fight it out! Straw Hat!" Kaido yelled, he Flys toward Luffy metal hand by opening his jaw. "Are they going to destroy onigashima?!" Momonosake yelled.

"Create Flame Clouds! Or we'll all... be swept up!" Yamato yelled. "Take this!" Luffy yelled. "I haven't had enough fighting yet!" Kaido yelled.

I'm gonna skip kaido past cause I really fucking hate him so much.

"You'll be betrayed because you two are so weak. I'll form the strongest group in the world and turn this boring world into a world of violence. I'm the strongest!" Kaido yelled.

"The way you unified those samurai with the help of your crew was impressive. You're a star of hope that the cowards of the land of wano seized upon! They entrusted their future to you, but what's your goal? Straw Hat!" Said kaido

You and luffy try to push back kaido. "You two did great." Says kaido, then he blasted a fire ball at you two. Luffy is getting burned, and so are you!

"Well done fighting to this point! But..."

Luffy screamed in pain, and you screamed too (like mothra sound). "You can't change the world!" Kaido yelled, "luffy!" You scream.

Luffy smiles, "Of course, We're gonna win!" He yelled, making his hand bigger, and you making yourself much bigger! Onigashima began falling apart, "AAAAAHHHH!!" You and luffy scream.

"I don't know where they got it from," Kaido thought, and he remembered something.

'But Yamato mentioned joyboy and lunala name.' Said kaido.

'Oden wanted to open the borders to welcome lunala and joyboy... if he is the same guy you're waiting for, King, then I know exactly who joyboy, lunala is.' He said, King was surprised.

Luffy punch kaido really hard, that he almost so close to hit him. "Go luffy! (Y/N)!" Momonosake scream, "get the hell out of wano!" You yelled.

The onigashima is falling on the bottom. "Do not lose heart, Momonosake! They will win! Luffy (Y/N) will win! They will... surely defeat kaido! I can do it!" Said Momonosake. "That's the spirit! You'll save the people of the land of wano! Create them, Momonosake-kun!" Yamato yelled.

Momonosake tried to make the flame clouds, and he finally made it! "Come out, Flame Clouds! Heed my call!" Said Momonosake.

Then, a hole of full of water burst out inside the onigashima, Momonosake was surprised. "Hurry up! Onigashima's gonna fall at any minute! Please, luffy (Y/N)... finish this battle as soon as possible!" Said yamato.

"Don't give up! Fight until the very last minute!" Hyogoro yelled, "No, on in this world... can beat me!" Kaido yelled.

"What's this noise?" Kid asks, then a big rumble causing everybody to shake and almost losing their balance. "What is it this time?!" Nami ask.

"This doesn't look good!" Said Chooper, "Robin-san..." said brook, Robin is in the water not moving. Brook swims toward, "Don't give up, everyone! I'll make it reach you!" Said raizo.

"Bring the fire under control!" Jinbe yelled. Everyone is sucked into the water, and the fire is put out. "Save everyone!" Jinbe, raizo yell. And a huge wave burst out. Everyone was surprised and shocked, Law was surprised, too.

Nami, tama, and Chopper were scared, "Water," they scream. "Everyone's raining down!" Said tama, then Nami saw something, "look! Is that...".

"We'll make it back alive!" Usopp yelled. "-Usopp?! Kin'emon! Okiku-chan!" They yelled. The water wave towards Nami, tama, and Chopper, and they're pretty scared. "No!" They yelled.

More water came and made it to a flood. "I'm sorry, zoro... hey, don't get washed away, guys!" Said Franky. "Where did the water come from?!" Said sanji, the water started to push sanji away.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" He screams, "sanji-san!" Osama screams, "Osama-chan!".

The onigashima began to flood, "What is happening on onigashima?!" Momonosake question. Then the onigashima started to titled, "the Flame Clouds are disappearing! Too late! Onigashima's gonna fall!" Yamato scream.

You and luffy try your best, but you're too tired, but you can't give up now! "Momonosake-kun! We gotta stop onigashima! You wanna save the Flower Capital, right?!" Yamato question.

"I will stop it! I will not allow people to suffer anymore! Come out, Flame Clouds!" Momonosake scream, he use all his strength to make the flame clouds. A huge line of flame clouds hoops.

Yamato was amazed, "That's amazing! That's great, Momonosake-kun! Stop onigashima!" Yamato yelled, "Got it! Count on me!" He yelled. Momonosake grab the flames clouds hoops.

And Momonosake Flys toward to onigashima, "go!" Yamato scream. Momonosake warp around the onigashima and pulled as best he can.

"Violence will dominate the world! You two are gonna fall victim to it!" Said kaido, "shut up!" Luffy yelled. Then luffy punch kaido cheeks, and you use all your strength to push kaido back, too.

And a bright light show inside the onigashima. Kid and Law saw the bright light of kaido, "Straw Hat! Shape girl! If you lose, you'll pay for it!" Kid yelled. "Go, Straw Hat-ya! (Y/N)-ya!" Said Law.

"The strong will live, and the weak will die! I'm gonna bury you along with your friends! And your girlfriend will be my pet!" Kaido yells, those words made you and luffy pissed. "Shut up! You're not taking (Y/N) away from me!" Luffy yelled.

"Starting with the land of wano, I'll take over the world! What kind of world can you create?! Straw Hat!" Kaido yelled, luffy scream, Flys back.

"Luffy!" You yelled, then kaido hand grabs your body, and you scream in pain. "(Scream like mothra) Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" You scream, luffy watches kaido grabs you and started screaming. "(Y/N)!" Luffy screamed, "Do you see this! Straw Hat! This is what happens when you can't protect someone who you care about!" Kaido yelled.

Then, a huge bright light shoots out, and everyone watches the light. And tama, remember something.

'Tama! Don't set the bar too low! I'll make it your everyday life!' Said luffy, tama was amazed his words.

'By the time we leave this country, we'll make it a place where you can eat as much as you want! And I'll teach you how to dance!" You said.

"Big sis! Big bro!" Said tama, luffy Hand, became larger, kaido was shocked, "let (Y/N) go!" Luffy commend. You try to get free from kaido Hand, and you have an idea. You transform your human self.

And free from kaido hand. Kaido tried to grab you, but he was too distracted from luffy large fist. "Luffy!" You cried, luffy see you free. "(Y/N)!" He yelled.

And you transform to legendary form. This is your form:

Luffy loves it so much, like he wants to hold you, but he can't. "Now! Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom!" You yelled, and six laser been shoots out in different eagle and started to hit kaido.

Now, kaido thinks he's about to lose.

"We want..."

"(Y/N)! Luffy!" Momonosake yelled, "Charge!" Kin'emon yelled, all the samurai held their sword up and screamed for victory.

"...to create..."

Kaido fire form is starting to disappear, turning him back to his blue dragon form.

"... to create the world..."

Then, kaido fire form blown away.

"...where our friends can eat..."

"As much as they want!" You both scream. And use all your power to defeat kaido, you laser, hits kaido body every each. Luffy fist hit kaido face.

Kaido was wide eye to see your ture powers, remembering his past and remembering oden face screaming his name.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!" You both stared screaming so hard, and kaido fell back, getting knocked out, falling down to the sky.

You and luffy sigh, catching your's breath, luffy smiles. You saw a bunch of sky boats with letters saying to defeat kaido, then luffy laughs.

'King.'

'I know exactly who joyboy and lunala are.'

'Who is it?'

'The ones who will defeat me!'

'Then I don't think they'll appear.'

Momonosake falls down, stressed out, and finally placed onigashima safely. And luffy began falling down, you transform back your human self.

And flys down to reach luffy, you grab him. Luffy body transforms back his original self, yamato runs towards you both. You landed carefully, placing luffy in your arms, and you kissed his lips.

You saw Yamato. "(Y/N)?!" She asks, you nodded your head, "Yep that's me, but you have to quiet, luffy is sleeping," you said. "So it's really you, in the bats form," said yamato.

And you felt something, you turnaround to see luffy holding you, warping around you. You smile and you transform back your original self.

"I think he doesn't want to let go," you said, laughing. "Well done, Momonosake." You said, "Yamato...".

Yamato, look at you. "Can you hold me pls, I going to take a nap..." You said about to close your eyes. "Don't die! (Y/N)!" Yamato screamed, shaking your body.

"I'm not gonna die! I just said I'm going to take a nap!" You yelled, "and while you hold me, I'll hold luffy cause he starts getting worried about me." You said. "Luffy really in love you." Said yamato, smiling, you smile back.

You pat luffy head.

THE END!!!!

I'M DONE!!!!

[rocketbirdie]

Question! What do you think of Angeal as a character? 😲

Just Okay concept, fantastic potential, terrible execution, susprisingly hopeful future.

It frustrates me that Angeal exists largely for the purpose of being Zack's dedicated Inspirational Dead Mentor���️ who entrusts him with The Hero's Weapon™️. Sure, it's serviceable plot-wise, but it's a horribly boring cliché, unnecessary in the context of the series, and it cuts into Zack's autonomy as a character. It's a huge disservice to Angeal as well, because he has the potential to be much more than just a disposable plot device, but Crisis Core's stiff storywriting and vague-at-best dialogue obscures the things that make Angeal actually interesting.

It's no wonder people argue about him all the time— there's so little to work off of, that a lot of his depictions in fandom are purely headcanon. Of course everyone's going to be defensive about their interpretations, it's practically all he has going for him!! It sucks that in order to see Angeal's value as a character, the audience has to make so many inferences based off of incomplete information. We're all envisioning our own Angeals, to make up for the canon one we've been putting up with for years. I like to see all of the different takes on his character, even the ones I don't agree with 100%. Too bad some people are not as easygoing about that sort of thing.

But that's why Ever Crisis has the potential to alleviate a lot of the frustration for me. We're finally seeing Angeal from an omniscient POV, instead of from the awkward pinball protagonist perspective that we've been viewing him from for all these years. He finally gets to have some sensible dialogue, featuring a plot that isn't competing for attention with Zack's origin story. I don't know if EC will be able to lay all of the arguments to rest, but nevertheless I'm excited to see what it has in store for Angeal (and for Sephiroth and possibly even Genesis as well)!

[absurdcosmonaut]

See a lot of Sonic and gremlin Tails and thought up a funny “quick” fic:

Right, so… professor pickle, the scientist whom Tails entrusted Sonic in case of emergencies since the whole, y’know… Gaia… but that didn’t matter right now. Right now all he knew he needed to do was bring this last damn chaos emerald to the big-nosed oldie. He said he could reverse engineering the aging system to fully bring Tails back to his real age! He’d been running around for faaaaaaar too many months trying to locate the emeralds.

Chaos, could this elevator please go ANY FASTER????? His eye twitched as the elevator descended deep beneath the library into the archives of the library. One floor every ten seconds, he counted exactly. It was an old, rickety elevator that was painfully slow and waaaaaay too bumpy for his comfort, not doing his anxiety any favors. He reached into his quills, and pulled out the yellow chaos emerald, the last one he needed for the usual set of seven that were always a pain in the quills to find. (especially without your resident tech geek for aid) He’d had to use the ye old method of walking in the direction he felt a slight pull of chaos, not really the most reliable method on his best days, especially now that his senses have been dulled due to his brother’s gadgets that could pinpoint the location of them down to the exact blade of grass. Oh, right… Tails… this was all for him, and the kid wasn’t even with him… suddenly all the anxiety was replaced with a longing. He looked down from the emerald he held in his palm down to his feet.

He’d left the kid with Amy and the Rabbits for maybe a few days at a time before the toddler became distraught at his absence, forcing him to spend the next few days with a toddler tagging with him. (Which severely impacted his abilities because toddlers are more difficult than one would imagine, turns out) Most of the time he’d spend two days with the kid with Amy for backup (not that he knew much about kids, so Amy and Cream would do all the dirty work of baby care)

But all of that was about to end! Yes sir, Sonic the hedgehog would have his sidekick back! And thank Gaia too! Running alone really sucked now that he’d returned to it! Chaos, how did he even stand it…? He used to be so quiet before the fox came along and he slowly bantered with his brother as they got used to each other. Now, the hedgehog felt a pit in his stomach when he’d look back and notice the fox wasn’t flying just behind him. Before this whole incident 7/10 times that meant the kid was in danger, and Sonic would be sent straight into anxiety mode. He had to constantly remind himself that Tails was okay.

He eventually stopped checking in with Amy every two-and-a-half hours when even the pink hedgehog became annoyed at his constant helicopter-brother attitude. Which, really was a wake up call when even your obsessed fan-girl becomes sick of your schtick.

The emerald in his palm was shimmering now, which meant it was getting closer to the other six they had in the archive. The elevator came to a halt with a screaming, painful stop. The cage on the front opened into the vast library of a maze that, while amazing at first, he’d grown accustomed to the sight of. He wasn’t even allowed to run in the giant complex! How ridiculous was that!?!?

Hey, it did keep tails endlessly busy reading whole collections of books in a day, so he couldn’t complain too much. Even as a tiny, small bean he practically flew through the literature in front of him faster than he flew next to Sonic! So, it made for the perfect distraction

Damn, he couldn’t wait until his brother was back. He did like the kid being small and all, it was adorable, but he missed the fox’s wacky gadgets and banter.

As he stepped out into the archive, he realized what about the emerald evoked a sense of melancholy in him. It was the same golden color of his brother’s usually vibrant fur, now returned to a dark brown… Sonic felt a small spark on his palm where he held the emerald, and a sense of determination suddenly engulfed him like a fire.

He made a decision right then and there: his favorite color was now YELLOW!! Yes, it’s official, he didn’t care how corny it sounded, it was his BROTHER’s color. It was also fitting too, what allows the sky to shine blue? The yellow sun, of course! He learned that from Tails! Yellow and blue were complementary colors, and if Tails’ was blue (it totally was) then the decision was easy! He’d make SURE his brother’s coat would be a brilliant golden-yellow again!!!

He came to the front of an old door and looked up, putting the chaos emerald back in his quills. Opening it, he found a serene sene of everyone sitting and reading, blech! Gross…. But he did know cream and Amy occasionally dabbled in the art, but knuckles was a new one (the echidna could read?) as he and the professor discussed theories of the emeralds and chaos energy over a well worn book written in gibberish to the hedgehog’s eyes. The fox was in front of them, looking through the book as well with the emerald sitting around it.

However… something… very unexpected happened. The emeralds began to rattle before they all suddenly shot around stood upright around the baby fox, who was mesmerized by the glow of the emeralds. Everyone looked over to Sonic and noticed he’d just entered. (Heh, usually people would know pretty quickly when he arrived)

But their gaze was suddenly returned back to the fox was a massive and bright as hell light suddenly engulfed the room more than the sun! But then as everyone shielded their eyes until it was gone, they were met with a flying, nine tailed, BLUE fox hovering in the air and giggling harder than Sonic had ever seen.

Well…. Shit.

Thanks to @0vergrowngraveyard for taking my suggestion of a super baby tails! Wrote this fic to show my gratitude!!

[iandory]

Just something Lesbian

I love to make you desperate, wanting nothing more than submit to me, to entrust me with the pleasure I give you. I love the feel of you writhing beneath me, your moans are so soft and sweet it makes it hard to be gentle with you. I love you when you're a needy mess. I love it when you're sweet, but am I wrong to want yout to be a little tease.

Like when you know I can't do anything to bring myself to release, but you tell me the things you know I like to hear. 'I'm so wet for you.' 'I need you inside me, so bad.' 'Please lick me, mommy." All I want to you feel around my fingers, your hips against my face. So I have to sit there, my clit painfully sensitive, my body getting hotter with each little tease, 'fuck this is hot'.

God Dammit, you were here. I'd have to punish you, sit you across my lap and slap that sexy ass of yours. Oh fuck, I'd have you dripping all over my leg my sweet girl. I have you straddle me and I'd take you soft perfect breasts in my face, the way you'd jump as i flicked my tongue against your nipples. The way you'd gasp I start to touch my, running my fingers through your folds and fight off a moan of my own, 'you're so wet'.

I'd stroke you so good, before finally applying pressure to your clit. Your moans, whimpers, and whines, are would be so sexy, I'd almost forget what a littl brat you were earlier. I pull away before I got lost, just as your about to cum. I'd look at you and smirk as you sob at the loss. You'd beg me to make you cum, but as much as I'd love to, I have to make you work for it.

So I sit down on the edge of the bed. "If you wanna come, sweet girl, you have to make me cum, all over your sweet little face." You'd be so eager, my sweet good girl. Your mouth is so soft, so warm, so fucking sexy, and it doesn't take me long. Looking into these gorgeous of eyes always has that effect on me. You're so good to me as I ride the wave of my orgasm, licking me gentle.

Once I gather my senses, it's over for you. I'd yank you up, put you on the bed, and spread you open for me. I'd bury my face in your pussy, I want you all over me. You make it easy as you ride my face, your hips moving with such force that it'd be hard to breath but i don't care. I hold yours hips steady and I lick and suck until your trembling, crying our. My clit jumps the way it always does when i heard your voice. But I'm done with you.

I slip a fingers inside you and you wine, trying to tell me you're too sensitive, while trying to pump hand into your pussy. I press you down by your throat, and i pump in and out of you. You're moans are nothing but quickly breaths and pathetics. I don't give you a chance to think. to prepare, i just keep thrusting, hard, and fast, until your spasming and writhing with your orgasm.

I'm satisfied now, and I can't help the pride that I feel as I kiss her face and stroking her abdomen to calm her down. I keep my hand still, you'll let me know when you want me to move. As i kiss you and i can't decide if you like the feel of your lips against mine, or around my clit more.

[judesmoonbeauty]

Prince’s Holiday - Chapter 1- Adult Dinner Party Team

Not 100% accurate. Cybird owns everything. Not sure if some one is already translating this or not, but enjoy 😊

The prince of great military power with such grand titles as - The Conqueror Beast, The Worldwide Disaster, The Ever Victorious General - he was in a good mood from start to finish before end of the year.

Gilbert: Now, you clever little rabbit. What will you make for me at the end of this year?

Emma: Yes….a lot of standard fare from Rhodolite. 

Emma: I think Gilbert would be more interested in quantity than quality, so I’m going to make sure it’s easy to make. 

Gilbert: You know me so well.

Gilbert: I’d like to teach that to some prince who sucks at diplomacy. 

Emma: By the way, what brings you to town Prince Gilbert?

Gilbert: You’re doing the shopping for me, so it’s only right that I help you?

Gilbert: I’ll pay the bills and carry the bags. You just worry about the food.

Emma: Well, thank you for your kind words…..

Emma:….huh?

Licht & Yves: Eh.

Luke & Clavis: Hmm.

Gilbert: That’s right. Little rabbit, shall we hold hands?”

Emma: Why did you suddenly put your hand on me? 

Gilbert: Isn’t easy to understand that the Little Rabbit is mine today?

Gilbert: Mmm, your hands are warm.Let’s entwine our fingers too.

Emma: Please don’t do that!

Luke: Hey, Gilbert. Emma doesn’t like it.

Clavis: As a gentleman, I would not overlook a young lady in need.

Emma:….Prince Clavis, why are you holding my hand when you say that?

Clavis: To help you of course.

Clavis: If you let Gilbert see how well we get along, maybe he’ll give up on you?

Yves: What’s going on, Emma? Why do you have Gilbert on your right hand and Clavis on your left….?

Licht: This is a mess.

Emma: Instead of helping, it’s making things more complicated!

Gilbert: It’s true. Clavis, you have touched my rabbit……Do you want to die? 

Clavis: Haha, didn’t your mother ever teach you not to take things that belong to others? 

Yves: What? Emma? Don’t tell me you’re like that with these two?

Emma: No, it’s a misunderstanding! These people are just having fun with their own selfish opinions!

Luke: Look, let’s leave it at that. Everyone in the market is looking at us.

Luke: Here, Emma, come here.

Gilbert & Clavis: Ah.

Emma: Oh, Prince Luke?!

Luke: There you go, high, high. I’m glad they’re off your back.

Emma: We’ll, thank you for that. But, if you pick me up, you’ll get more attention.

Licht: ….You even tamed Luke.

Emma: I’m already dreading tomorrow’s rumors. 

Luke: I mean, Gilbert, why are you even in the market with Emma?

Gilbert: The little rabbit, who loves me very much, is going to give me a dinner party at the end of the year.  Yves: A dinner party…?

Gilbert: That’s right. Everything from appetizers to desserts, will be cooked by her.

Luke: Did you threaten her? 

Gilbert: That’s not true. Right,little rabbit?

Emma: …yes, that’s right.

Yves: I mean it’s easy to see.

Emma: And by the way! Why are you all in the market too?

Yves: Licht and I were talking about having a nice dinner before the year ends, so we came here to buy some groceries. 

Clavis: We’re a lot alike, you know. Luke wants to end the year with a home-cooked meal.

Luke: I wouldn’t say that even if I were dead. Clavis said that he wanted to stop by the market on his way home from official duties. 

Clavis: Don’t be shy. Your brother can hear your heart. 

Luke: If so, go see a doctor right now. 

Gilbert: Ahaha, Rhodolite is filled with people with a lot of free time.

Licht: …So are you.

Gilbert: Well, I won’t stand in your way. 

Gilbert: I’m going to enjoy my dinner alone with the little rabbit. Luke, isn’t time to head back?

Luke: Emma, Gilbert says that, but what do you want to do?

Emma: What are you going to do?

Luke: You’re being threatened aren’t you? I can help you.

Emma: Thank you very much, but it’s ok.

Emma: If world peace depends on my cooking, I cannot run away!

Yves: What resolve!

Clavis: Hmm….thats not good. Entrusting the fate of the world to a single young lady is a breach of a gentleman’s reputation. 

Licht: I have a bad feeling about this.

Clavis: So, don’t you think we should help too?

Clavis: In the first place, a dinner party requires more than just the cook. It’s essential to have servers and entertainers.

Clavis: It would be a terrible thing to put that on Emma alone.

Yves: I’ve never heard of an entertainment role….

Clavis: Gilbert is a special guest of honor. We must offer him unprecedented hospitality.

Gilbert: Hmm? Well, you have a point.

Gilbert: It’s not a bad idea to have a separate service and entertainment, so the little rabbit can focus on cooking. 

Luke: Is that okay?

Clavis: Then it’s settled. The question is who’ll provide the entertainment and who will serve the food.

Licht: I’m going home.

Yves: Wait, Licht! Don’t leave me in this mess!

Clavis: I see. Licht, you’ll be the entertainment.

Licht: I don’t want to die.

Gilbert: Clavis, shouldn’t this be decided by the little rabbit as host of the dinner party?

Emma: But first, one more question.

Gilbert: Oh, did you want it to be just the two of us?

Emma: That’s not what I meant.

Emma: Please move the location….

Chapter 1 [Next]

[lucky-clover-gazette]

prince's gambit highlights & annotations

chapters 5 & 6

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

Laurent glanced at their surroundings, and said, ‘It’s the wrong terrain for an ambush.’ ‘The town isn’t,’ said Damen. For good measure, he took hold of Laurent’s horse’s bridle. ‘Consider alternatives. Can you entrust the task to someone else?’ ‘No,’ said Laurent. He said it as a calm statement of fact. Damen forced down his frustration, reminded himself that Laurent was in possession of an able mind, and that therefore his, ‘No,’ had a reason behind it other than pure stubbornness. Probably.

i love this entire passage! damen taking control of laurent's horse is great

‘This doesn’t suit me,’ he said, meaning that it didn’t suit him to wear them. ‘No. It doesn’t. You look like one of us,’ said Laurent.

well this definitely helps laurent with his evolving self-delusion and cognitive dissonance. also i like how damen's pov specifies that he is not calling himself unfit for the clothing physically, bc he's hot enough to wear anything, it's more of a figurative unfitness

‘The Prince has business away from the camp,’ said Damen. ‘He plans to return mid-morning. He wants you to captain the men as usual while he’s gone.’ ‘Whatever he needs. How many men is he taking with him?’ ‘One,’ said Damen. ‘Good luck,’ was all Jord said.

jord, immediately assuming that the one man is damen:

Vistas of endless ridiculousness opened up before him.

Laurent was considering the women. He was far from wide-eyed, but there was a certain quality to his gaze. For Laurent, Damen realised, this experience was wholly new and highly illicit. Compounding Damen’s sense of the ridiculous was the sudden acute awareness that he was accompanying the chaste Crown Prince of Vere to his first brothel. From elsewhere in the house, you could hear the sound of fucking.

damen you’ve seen the court of vere, why the fuck do you think laurent would be flustered by this. is it the heterosexuality?

You’re sitting so far away,’ said the blonde. ‘Then get up,’ said Laurent. She got up. The brunette rose too, and made for Laurent. The blonde came to sit beside Damen.

not the blonde going to damen and the brunette going to laurent 😭

‘Unlace his jacket,’ said Laurent. The blonde looked from Damen to Laurent. Damen looked at him too. Laurent had dispensed with his own woman wordlessly, perhaps with a single dismissive flick of his fingers. Elegant and relaxed, he was regarding them without urgency. It was familiar. Damen felt the moment when his pulse kicked in, remembering the love seat in the garden bower, and Laurent’s cool voice giving explicit instructions: suck it, and, tongue the slit. Damen caught the blonde’s wrist. There was not going to be a repeat performance.

“do it yourself coward”

it is interesting, to get some insight re: how damen feels about the garden scene. he seems to regard it as less of a personal violation, and more of an insult or annoyance. it might even be something he’s intentionally avoiding BECAUSE he knows how much laurent’s instruction turns him on.

the use of “performance” is interesting here, too. damen’s reactions in the garden had been real, and he knows they would be real here again. but he seems to assume that to laurent, it’s all just an act. which at this point, i think it pretty much is, although… i’m not quite sure what this specific gesture would have gotten laurent, if damen had allowed it. is it possible that laurent genuinely wanted to do damen a favor by getting him laid? or was he just “yes, and”-ing the situation on damen’s behalf, for fun?

‘The plaster’s old,’ said Damen. ‘Here.’ He took hold of the grille, and gave it a tug. Bits of plaster rained down from the edges of the window, but it wasn’t enough to detach the grille from the frame. He changed his grip, braced his stance and put his shoulder into it. On the third attempt, the whole grille came away from the window. It was surprisingly heavy. He placed it carefully on the floor. The thick carpet muffled any sound, as it had done when he had moved the chest. ‘After you,’ he said to Laurent, who was staring at him. Laurent almost looked as though he was going to speak, but then he just nodded, pulled himself through the window and dropped soundlessly into the alley behind the brothel.

another rare early instance of obvious laurent attraction. i think he is smitten by damen’s irreverent blunt efficiency, as well as the display of raw strength. seeing this, laurent might be thinking to himself, “he could have snapped me in half this whole time, but he hasn’t.” kind of foreshadowing of the “i could have done this...” line in book 3.

anyway, laurent’s attraction here seems to consist of 1) respect for damen’s competence, 2) intrigue regarding his usual restraint, and 3) physical attraction to big hot strong guy. #3 is the one i personally have the most trouble analyzing, and i’d bet laurent would be equally confused by that aspect of his own reaction. but he’s definitely feeling Something here, whether or not he’s able to understand or verbalize it. he can’t even manage to make the expected snarky comment!

‘Here. Take this,’ said Laurent when they were half the town away, tossing Damen his coin purse. ‘It’s better if we’re not recognised. And you should do up the collar on your jacket.’

when exactly do you think laurent came up with the role reversal plan? was it before or after damen ripped a metal grate off a wall with his bare hands?

whatever the case, he’s preparing for it now. damen will just have to play along.

Anyone seeing a young blond man of noble birth is going to guess it’s you.’ ‘I brought a disguise,’ said Laurent. ‘A disguise,’ said Damen.

did he only make this specific disguise plan after damen agreed to come with him? if not, was he just going to pretend to be an unaccompanied pet????

After no more than a brief, dismissive glance at Laurent, the innkeeper gave Damen his full attention, greeting him respectfully. ‘Welcome, my lord. Will you and your pet require lodgings for the evening?’

(the noise i made when i read this for the first time…)

every single uncomfortable, indulgent detail about veretian pets in book 1 justifies itself in this moment.

some disorganized thoughts:

from the moment they left, laurent knew this is where they were heading. and he intentionally did not inform damen of the role he would have to play. there might have been a slight strategic advantage to keep damen in the dark, but i also think laurent just figured it would be funny to make it a surprise. a little treat, to get himself through the horrors.

if laurent was asked to examine WHY this specific arrangement is a fun treat, he’d probably jump out of a window to escape the question. (damen, too, but for different reasons.)

like, there… really is no strategic reason for laurent to be a pet here. he could have disguised himself and damen in plenty of other ways, but laurent chose this specific bit for them both. interesting.

i'd like to think that laurent would eventually unpack this choice. i’m sure there’s plenty of fic exploring the idea of him roleplaying as a pet, relinquishing his authority, and reclaiming his sexual identity in a controlled environment. maybe he and damen can do it on purpose, without the high-stakes mission to justify the act.

craft note: this subversion is incredible, in terms of characterization, plot, romance, and sexual tension. the perfect payoff to nicaise’s earring, the focus on pets in book 1, and laurent’s affinity for “performance.”

as i begin close-reading chapter 6 of prince’s gambit, i remind myself that this is meant to be rational and eloquent literary analysis.

'I want your best room,’ said Laurent, ‘with a big bed and a private bath, and if you send up the house boy, you’ll find out the hard way that I don’t like sharing.’ He delivered the innkeeper a long, cool look. ‘He’s expensive,’ said Damen to the innkeeper, by way of apology.

And then watched as the innkeeper sized up the cost of Laurent’s clothes, and his sapphire earring—a royal gift to a favourite—and the likely cost of Laurent himself, the face, the body. Damen realised that he was about to be charged three times the going rate for everything. He decided with good humour that he didn’t mind being generous with Laurent’s coin.

i’m obsessed with how quickly damen commits to the bit with good humor. i wonder if it surprises laurent, even delights him to have such a willing scene partner

Why don’t you find us a table. Pet.’ Enjoying the moment. And the sobriquet.

“A sobriquet is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may become more familiar than the original name.” (Wiktionary)

damen is enjoying the sobriquiet. he is enjoying calling laurent “pet.”

craft note: i can’t do this. i don’t know. something something, role reversals and subversion. there.

Being the best table, it was occupied. Laurent emptied it with what appeared to be a glance, or a word, or the simple fact of his approach.

okay so what do we think this was. like, he’s not using his prince privileges here. he’s being perceived as essentially a very expensive prostitute. it happens quickly, it couldn’t have been a long con. what did laurent say or do, subtly enough that damen couldn’t make it out, to empty an entire table of people???

The earring was not a discreet disguise. Every man in the common room of the inn was taking the time to have a good look at Laurent. Pet. Laurent’s cool-eyed arrogance proclaimed that no one could touch him. The earring said that one man could. It transformed him from unattainable to exclusive, an elite pleasure no one here could afford.

has anyone ever drawn laurent in the “i am a luxury few can afford” sweater

But that was an illusion. Damen sat down across the table from Laurent on one of the long benches. ‘What now?’ said Damen. ‘Now we wait,’ said Laurent.

previous line “… no one could afford.” there’s a sort of double meaning here, i think, when damen says this is an illusion. what he means, consciously, is that laurent’s entire act is an illusion. but what i can imply, from the following action and dialogue, is that damen IS that one person who can touch laurent—the real laurent, behind the disguise. damen sits with him unceremoniously and speaks to him like an ally, not a pet.

their dynamic drives me fucking insaneeeeeee

Then Laurent rose and made his way around the table, sitting himself beside Damen, close as a lover. ‘What are you doing?’ ‘Verisimilitude,’ said Laurent. The earring winked at him.

nothing sexier than vocab

‘I’m glad I brought you along. I wasn’t expecting to have to tear things out of walls. Do you visit brothels often?’

i ask again: was laurent planning to do the pet thing without damen???

‘Not brothels. Camp followers?’ said Laurent. And then: ‘Slaves.’ And then, after the satisfaction of a pause: ‘Akielos, the garden of delights. So you enjoy slavery in others. Just not in yourself.’

get his ass laurent

Damen shifted on the long bench, and regarded him. ‘Don’t strain yourself,’ said Laurent. ‘You talk more,’ said Damen, ‘when you’re uncomfortable.’

i love this moment so much. damen is not giving laurent the satisfaction of his attempted blindsiding. if he's going to join laurent in this, they are going to commit to the bit as equals. laurent teases damen for his discomfort and damen teases him right back.

between the brothel and this scene, damen is correcting the dynamic he and laurent shared in the court and gardens of arles. it’s not that he refuses to play the game—but now, he insists upon playing with equal advantage.

(also: “you talk more when you’re uncomfortable” is a very true observation, and they both know it! after a few chapters of laurent being a boss ass bitch, it’s good to see him slightly humbled. especially when it’s damen doing the humbling.)

‘We’ll try to entertain ourselves. Who’s that?’ said Laurent.

kid in a candy shop behavior

Laurent was watching Volo with the same expression with which he had regarded the women in the brothel.

it’s like he’s playing the sims. like he took his self-made “laurent ofvere” sim to the club in a cunty outfit and now he’s trying to figure out what kinds of entertaining Situations he can provoke.

‘All right. Give me some coin. I want to play that man at cards.’ Laurent rose, leaning his weight against the table. Damen reached for the purse, then paused. ‘Aren’t you supposed to earn gifts with service?’ Laurent said, ‘Is there something you want?’ His voice was sinuous with promise; his gaze was steady as a cat’s. Damen, who preferred not to be eviscerated, tossed Laurent the purse. Laurent caught it in one hand, and took for himself a handful of copper and silver. He tossed the purse back to Damen as he made his way across the inn floor, seating himself opposite Volo.

I LOVE THEMMMM

Charls trusted the Prince to stand firm in negotiations with the bastard Akielon King more than he trusted the Regent uncle.

charls knows what he’s talking about

The Crown Prince was camped at Nesson this very minute, on his way to the border to stand up to Akielos. He was a young man serious about his responsibilities, Charls said. Damen had to make an effort not to look over at Laurent, gambling, when he said it.

incredible writing. 10/10

Laurent took the drink and picked his way back across the room, where he put it, untouched, in front of Damen. ‘Spoils of someone else’s victory.’

thoughtful <3 like when a cat brings its owner something it’s killed <3

Damen said, ‘If you wanted a drink and an old hat that badly, you could have just bought them from him. Cheaper and quicker.’ ‘It’s the game I like,’ said Laurent.

character-defining quote! laurent takes pleasure and pride in the chaos of improvisation. if everything was made simple for him, he wouldn’t be having any fun.

laurent has spent the last seven years of his life starved for enrichment in his enclosure. but he’s not in arles anymore—still a captive prince figuratively, but he’s finally having some fun >:)

He reached over and appropriated another coin out of the purse Damen carried, then palmed it. ‘Look, I’ve learned a new trick.’ When he opened his hand, it was empty, as if by magic. A second later, the coin dropped out of his sleeve onto the floor. Laurent frowned at it. ‘Well, I don’t have it quite yet.’ ‘If the trick is making coins disappear, I think you do have it, actually.’

they’d have this interaction in literally any au. modern, role reversal, whatever. just a cringefail theater nerd and his affectionately teasing prep-jock boyfriend.

(yes, damen is a prep. i’m sorry. look inside your heart and you’ll know it to be true.)

‘What’s the food like?’ said Laurent, his eyes on the table. Damen tore off a piece of bread, and held it like a treat to a house cat. ‘Try it.’ Laurent looked at the bread, and then he looked at the men by the fire, and then he looked at Damen, a long, cool look that would have been difficult to hold if Damen had not had, by now, a great deal of practice. And then he said, ‘All right.’ It took a moment for those words to penetrate. By the time they did, Laurent had settled next to him on the long bench. Laurent straddled it, facing Damen. Laurent was really going to do it. Pets in Vere made a teasing production out of this, flirting and making love to their masters’ hands. Laurent, when Damen brought the mouthful of bread to his lips, did none of those things. He maintained an essential fastidiousness. There was almost nothing of pet and master about it at all, except that Damen felt, just for an instant, the warmth of Laurent’s breath against his fingertips. Verisimilitude, thought Damen.

Laurent ate the bread. It was like feeding a predator, the same feeling. Laurent was so close that it would be easy to wrap a hand around the back of his neck and draw him closer. He remembered the feel of Laurent’s hair, his skin, and fought the urge to press against Laurent’s lips with the pads of his fingers. It was the earring. Laurent was always so austere. The earring reframed him. It gave the appearance of a sensual side, sophisticated and subtle. But that side didn’t exist. The glint of sapphires was dangerous. As Nicaise had been dangerous. Nothing in Vere was as it seemed. Another piece of bread. Laurent’s lips brushed against his fingertips. It was brief and soft. This wasn’t what he’d intended when he picked up the bread. He had some sense that his plans had been overturned, that Laurent knew exactly what he was doing. The touch resembled the first brush of lips in the kind of sensual kiss that begins as a series of smaller kisses, and then, slowly, deepens. Damen felt his breathing change.

He reminded himself forcefully of who this was. Laurent, his captor. He made himself recall the fall of each lash on his back, but thanks to some misfiring of the brain, found himself instead in the memory of Laurent’s wet skin in the baths, the way his limbs fitted together like a hilt fitted to the blade of a balanced sword. Laurent finished the morsel, then rested a hand on Damen’s thigh, and slowly slid it upward. ‘Control yourself,’ said Laurent. And shifted in, until, facing one another on the straddled bench, they were almost chest to chest. Laurent’s hair tickled against Damen’s cheek as he brought his lips to Damen’s ear. ‘You and I are almost the last ones here,’ Laurent murmured. ‘And so?’ The next murmur slid softly into Damen’s ear, so that he felt the shape of each word, made of lips and breath. ‘And so, take me upstairs,’ said Laurent. ‘Don’t you think we’ve waited long enough?’

craft… note…

i said i was going to analyze scenes like this in order to understand how they work and improve my own writing. like laurent, i take pride in committing to the bit.

overall, the eroticism here is in the improv. i’m sorry, but it’s true. "yes, and” is basically dirty talk in lamen. the long pauses, the mutual unspoken challenge, the suggestive performance… it all builds tension towards something exciting and unknown. damen and laurent’s connection, in this scene and the majority of the book, is like a string that they’re both pulling taut—and neither of them has any idea what will happen when it finally snaps.

i think it’s helpful to compare this moment with the garden scene from book 1. that erotic interaction was instructive and detached—laurent was completely in control, and ancel was there, doing something, probably. but here, damen and laurent are both actively and exclusively partaking, and encouraging each other to take it just a little bit further. they are close in a way they’ve never been before, figuratively and literally. they are exploring the space of the unfamiliar scene with good humor, mutual investment, and (from damen at least) unsubtle attraction.

if they weren’t so attracted to each other, it could truly just be an act. a performance. something they can put on to accomplish their mission, but drop as soon as it’s done. but here, i think, is when it becomes clear to damen that he and laurent can’t DO that. this territory is both unpredictable and too close for comfort, whether they’re approaching it ironically or earnestly. there’s no way for them to perform eroticism and remain instructive and detached. they are playing with fire.

damen realizes, when he feels laurent’s breath against his fingertips, that he can’t be normal about this. and he continues to think that, as i recall, for the remainder of the series.

laurent, meanwhile, will take much longer to have a similar realization, because that would mean inescapable attachment—something damen has never feared, but laurent fears more than anything else. like… emotional captivity, almost. (am i suggesting that attachment is emotional captivity? i think i am. hm, okay. anyway.)

with the way that this scene is written, we can see that things between damen and laurent are real. they’ve always been real, and they will continue to be real. the eroticism is in the improv, and we want them to continue “yes,and”-ing each other into a satisfying resolution. but, of course, the story is going to make us wait. and that just makes this scene even hotter.

from my breakdown of the book 1 garden scene:

i think what i like here, is that… yeah, it’s horny. it’s indulgent, easily the most blatant instance of kink we’ve seen so far. but it’s not really what i think frequent readers of this kink genre would expect, or even want to read—it is a subversion, with laurent completely disrupting the basic scenario that everyone else (but damen) in the scene wants to mindlessly enjoy.

how can i replicate this? set up a thing that follows expectations. don’t actually do the thing. do something significantly more insane than the expected thing. do not elaborate on the insane thing, leaving more questions than answers, and move on as if it wasn’t insane at all.

set up a thing that follows expectations = damen is playing master and laurent is playing pet. i think most people would expect damen’s archetype to exercise power over laurent’s archetype in that sort of situation, especially since he’s been denied the opportunity to assert his dominance in previous circumstances. i don’t know a lot about common dynamics in this specific kink space, but i do kind of assume that people would want to see laurent submit, both because of his characterization and physical appearance. and this would be an ideal place to indulge that expectation, characterization and plot be damned, since it can be called an act and stripped of actual consequences.

don’t actually do the thing = pacat doesn’t give an inch of her characterization to provide easy fanservice. the scene is erotic simply by suggestion, and laurent is almost entirely in charge—the instigator and the star of the show. damen, meanwhile, is physically passive and deeply confused by his own feelings and reactions. this is all consistent with their characterization in non-erotic scenes so far. they are acting here, but not as a “normal” master and pet. i don’t think they could be normal, even if they tried.

do something significantly more insane than the expected thing = check. see analysis above.

do not elaborate on the insane thing, leaving more questions than answers, and move on as if it wasn’t insane at all = check. yaoi break’s over, back to the secret mission.

The lobe of Laurent’s ear was pierced through with the ornament of his uncle’s child-lover. It suited him, in the mundane sense that it matched his colouring.

this happens during the bread scene, but i wanted it quarantined. way to harsh the vibe, damen

And there was a man of about thirty with a dark, closely trimmed beard sitting on the bed, who propelled himself off it and onto one knee when he saw Laurent. Damen sat down rather heavily on the chair by the door.

laurent launching into a clandestine business meeting while damen is still trying desperately to fight off the horny. lmao

The man drew a piece of sealed parchment from inside his jacket. Laurent took it, broke the seal, and read the contents. He read it slowly. From the glimpse Damen caught, it looked like it was written in a cipher. When he was done, he dropped the parchment into the fire, where it curled up and blacked over.

context: fuck, i don’t remember what this is. i don’t know. it doesn’t matter. like damen, i'm still thinking about the bread scene

‘I’m the type who takes a great deal of pleasure in small victories,’ Laurent said.

Laurent unpinned the earring. ‘I think we’ll be safe on the road in the morning. The men who followed us seemed more interested in finding him than harming me. They didn’t attack us when they had the chance tonight.’ And then, ‘Does that door lead to the bath?’ And then, halfway to the door, ‘Don’t worry, your services aren’t required.’

laurent drops the act so quickly. at a loss for any logical conclusion about what the fuck just happened, i think damen just decides to pretend he’s equally unaffected

i do wonder how laurent acted as soon as he shut the door and got some priavcy, though. hm.

When he was gone, Damen wordlessly picked up an armful of bedding and dumped it on the floor by the hearth. Then there was nothing to do. He went downstairs. The only patrons now remaining were Volo and the house boy, who weren’t paying any attention to anyone else. The house boy’s sand-coloured hair was a tousled mess. He went all the way outside the inn and stood for a moment; the cool night air was calming. The street was empty. The messenger was gone. It was very late. It was peaceful here. He couldn’t stay out here all night. Recalling that Laurent had eaten nothing but a few fraught mouthfuls of bread, he stopped by the kitchens on his way back upstairs and requisitioned a plate of bread and meats. When he went back into the room, Laurent had emerged from the bath and was half clothed and sitting drying his damp hair by the fire, taking up the majority of the space on Damen’s impromptu bed. ‘Here,’ said Damen, and passed him the plate.

okay, so here’s my read of this entire sequence: damen tries to get some space from his own recently-realized attraction to laurent. he remarks that it is peaceful outside, where he manages to get himself that space. and THEN he immediately tells himself to go back inside, because he can’t stay out there all night—can’t leave laurent alone for too long. he picks up food specifically for laurent on his way back up, sets things up nicely for them both, and greets him as if he never even left at all.

this is a parallel, i think, to the scene where damen abandons laurent in book 1. i just want to get that easy part of the analysis out of the way.

what i really find interesting here, is that it’s almost like… damen’s decision to accept his own attachment to laurent. he accepted his attraction to laurent during the bread scene, but attraction is a passive response. attachment is an active choice.

if attachment is emotional captivity, then this interlude is damen admitting to himself that he doesn’t want to be free. he knows what his heart wants—and unlike laurent, damen isn’t afraid to trust others with his heart. he doesn’t yet believe that laurent would treat his heart gently, which is exactly why he doesn’t give it to him. but privately, i think this is when damen finally admits to himself that his feelings are not only real, but also worth pursuing.

so he “yes, and”s the feeling, goes back inside, and fully commits to the bit, making sure that laurent is well-fed and cared for. if he’s going to do this, he might as well do it right.

‘Thank you,’ said Laurent, looking at the plate with a blink. ‘The bath is free. If you like.’

laurent’s little blink is very cute. and then he tells damen to go take a bath, so he (laurent) can privately process whatever the hell this is all supposed to mean

He told himself that this was no different from two dozen nights together inside of a warfield tent.

… but he knew that he was totally lyinggggggg

When he returned, Laurent had carefully eaten half of everything on the plate, and had placed it on the chest where Damen could get at it if he wanted it. Damen, who had eaten his fill downstairs and who didn’t think Laurent should be able to take over his bed when he had left untouched the vast comfort of his own, ignored the plate and came to stake his claim beside Laurent, on the blankets by the hearth.

head in my fucking hands. i love them so much. no thoughts, just domestic comfort. and they were roommates.

‘I thought that Volo was your contact,’ said Damen. ‘I just wanted to play him at cards,’ said Laurent.

great exchange. damen assumes that laurent does everything for a strategic reason. laurent just wanted to have fun. they’re breaking down their preconceived notions of each other, finally.

After a moment, Laurent said, ‘I don’t think I would have arrived here without your help, at least not without being followed. I am glad you came. I meant that. You were right. I’m not used to . . .’ He broke off.

from chapter 5: “You’re too used to doing everything on your own.” :’)

‘You’re in a strange mood,’ said Damen. ‘Stranger than usual.’ ‘I’d say I’m in a good mood.’ ‘A good mood.’ ‘Well, not as good a mood as Volo,’ said Laurent. ‘But the food’s decent, the fire’s warm, and no one’s tried to kill me in the last three hours. Why not?’

‘I’ve seen your court,’ Damen reminded him gently. ‘You’ve seen my uncle’s court,’ said Laurent.

excellent response for both damen and the reader to chew on

Would yours be any different? He didn’t say it. Maybe he didn’t need to know the answer. The king that Laurent would be, he was becoming with every passing day, but the future was another life. Laurent would not then be leaning back on his hands, lazily drying his hair before an inn-room fire, or climbing in and out of brothel windows. Nor would Damen.

a kingdom or this?

so far, damen has been able to tell himself that helping laurent is a way for him to help akielos—that he will leave laurent, as soon as he feels that his country is safe.

it’s going to get harder and harder for him to believe that, though, from now on. he did not just go back inside for akielos. if he had, he wouldn’t have stopped to find laurent a meal.

the lives in damen and laurent’s futures are just as real as their ruse downstairs. as in, only as real as they choose for them to be. so far, they’ve both assumed their own eventual choices, and each other’s, to be very set in stone. after this outing, i think damen at least begins to reconsider.

‘What really happened to make Kastor send you here? I know it was not a lover’s quarrel,’ said Laurent.

context reminder: he is asking this, fully knowing that damen is damianos. this definitely threatens his own cognitive dissonance. but he still asks, because he is vulnerable and relaxed.

I don’t know what I did to make him hate me as much as this. Why we couldn’t go as brothers to mourn— —our father—

i love damen as a character so much. beneath his determination to conflate niceness with goodness, is the crushing despair of knowing deep down that he can't trust people to treat him in the honorable way he treats them. he’s not angry or spiteful about this, even though he has every reason to be—just confused, and sad, and betrayed.

a younger laurent must have felt this way after his brother’s death and during his uncle’s abuse. but then came anger and spite, because he had no one to trust.

these characters were literally made for each other, like on a construction/craft level, and you can tell. it is really, really well-done.

‘My honourable barbarian. I wouldn’t have picked that as your type.’ ‘Type?’ ‘A pretty face, a devious mind and a ruthless nature.’

i love the mild anachronism of “type” here. also, lol. a rare moment of laurent not realizing his own dramatic irony, because there’s no way in hell he thinks at this point that damen genuinely likes him. also, i’m not sure if laurent sees himself as ruthless at all. he is pragmatic, but i don’t think he considers himself merciless or cruel.

‘Perhaps I . . . I knew she was ruled by her mind, not her heart. I knew she was ambitious, and, yes, at times ruthless. I admit there was something . . . attractive about it. But I never guessed that she would betray me for Kastor. That I learned too late.’ ‘Auguste was like you,’ said Laurent. ‘He had no instinct for deception; it meant he couldn’t recognise it in other people.’

i love it when my previous analysis is further reinforced by the text

And what about you?’ said Damen, after a difficult breath. ‘I have a highly developed instinct for deception.’ ‘No, I meant—’ ‘I know what you meant.’

when he’s relaxed, laurent talks like a total nerd. awkward attempts at irony, defensive self-awareness, and an obvious desire to be the most clever person in the room.

Now, after a night of earrings and brothels, he thought: Why not ask him about it? Laurent didn’t look uncomfortable.

the fact that damen has not only noticed laurent’s discomfort with the topic of sex, but is also considerate and thoughtful about it, makes my heart ache

‘I wondered,’ Damen said, carefully, ‘if you reserved your love for women.’ ‘No, I—’ Laurent sounded surprised. Then he seemed to realise that his surprise gave something fundamental away, and he looked away with a muttered breath; when he looked back at Damen there was a wry smile on his lips, but he said, steadily, ‘No.’

i’m guessing laurent’s thought process went something like this:

me, straight? lmfao i’ve had sex with a man

but that man was [redacted]. shit.

but damen doesn’t know about [redacted], so why does he assume i’m straight?

oh, i’ve got it. in my culture heterosexuality is taboo with the nobility, so damen would assume that i’m secretly straight and hiding it. dumbass. (smiles, because now he gets to call damen a dumbass)

‘It’s not my fault that no one in your country can think in a straight line,’ said Damen, frowning a touch defensively.

not the veretian homonormativity 😭

‘That isn’t why. She would have chosen him even if you’d had royal blood in your veins, even if you’d had the same blood as Kastor. You don’t understand the way a mind like that thinks. I do. If I were Jokaste and a king maker, I’d have chosen Kastor over you too.’

i’m pretty sure laurent means this as both a comfort and compliment. it also helps to reinforce his own cognitive dissonance between damen and damianos.

‘Because a king maker would always choose the weaker man. The weaker the man, the easier he is to control.’ Damen felt the shock of surprise, and looked at Laurent only to find Laurent gazing back at him without rancour. The moment stretched out. It wasn’t . . . it wasn’t what he had expected Laurent to say. As he gazed at Laurent, the words moved through him in unexpected ways, and he felt them touch something jagged-edged within him, felt them shift it a first, tiny fraction, something lodged hard and deep, that he had thought immovable. He said: ‘What makes you think Kastor is the weaker man? You don’t know him.’ ‘But I’m coming to know you,’ said Laurent.

this pulls everything between the lines of this chapter together beautifully. the mutual re-evaluation, the undeniable reality of their connection, a kingdom or this. i would love to know just how many drafts and editing passes this specific chapter went through, to achieve this degree of excellence.

also, a theme from book 1: "there is no honor in obedience."