#but too bad i dare you to try and change my mind lmao

[satrs]

Hi hii 👋👋👋 I was wondering if you could write a Rengoku x reader nsfw.

(Ngl, I had no clue who to pick from demon slayer. I was in the mood for one of em lmao)

Try me

SYNOPSIS; He comes home late with you already deep in the world of dreams. But oh, how he missed you.

FEATURING; rengoku kyojiro x fem!reader

TAGS; NSFW CONTENT. MDNI! Somnophilia(readers consent beforehand). Nicknames(pretty, baby, pretty girl). use of toys. Oral(fem receiving). Praise(fem! Receiving). Overstim(?). Dirty talk.

WORDCOUNT;1.0kish

ALL CHARACTERS ARE 18+!

It was unusual for Rengoku to come home this late, even though you knew how demanding his job was. So when you woke up in the morning alone in bed again, him already headed off to work, you could already tell how bad of a mood you would have for the rest of the day.

Rengoku himself was no dummy and knew that himself too. So to save you from having a bad mood and give his dear love the pleasure she deserves, he had an idea.

A slight pout tugged on his lips once he walked into the bedroom with you on the bed, peacefully sleeping your troubles away. “Aw. Already asleep, huh.”

He walked up to your side, sitting on the edge of the bed, careful to not wake you as his fingers softly caressed your cheek, admiring your face. “My pretty girl”, he said, placing a kiss on your temple.

“Too tired to wait for me, hm? But I missed you all day, what a meanie.” He joked mostly to himself, light chuckle escaping his lips.

But his mood soon switched once he noticed your clothing - only dressed in an (his) oversized shirt and not to mention no panties.

His surprise only grew as he caught a slight glance of a vibrating device at the nightstand. He hummed in surprise, taking the device in hand as an idea came to his head.

A small smirk played itself on his features as he swiftly threw the sheets from your body, hand sneaking to your thigh to carefully spread your legs and oh, what a sight to see.

“All wet from thinking about me? Bet my pretty baby has some dirty dream right now.” Bingo.

His big orbs shot up to your face once his fingers ghosted over your exposed cunt, shallow breath audible from you.

“I wouldn’t mind waking up with you between my legs, you know. Great way to start the day.”

Your past voice played in his head, grin right back on his face. A great way to help you start the next morning indeed.

His lips ghosted over your aroused cunt as he did an experimental lick to your plumb bundle, increasing his movements once he noticed a change in your breathing.

He moved the toy to your entrance, sliding it through your arousal in a teasing manner, chuckle leaving his lips as you bucked your hips up into his touch. “So cute.”

It didn’t take long for him to turn the device on, pushing it past your entrance as an eager moan from you followed, hips grinding down onto the toy.

He was growing impatient, eager to wake you up and properly hear you, mouth latching back onto your clit as he harshly sucked on it, waking you up with his next flick against your bundle of nerves, groaning against your heat.

“Look who’s awake.” He chuckled once a loud yelp escaped your lips, movement of his hands showing no sign of stopping as he replaced his mouth with his thumb, drawing firm circles to your clit.

Your eyes still heavy with sleep as you cried out for his name, earning a consent hum in return. “I’m here, pretty. Missed me that much that you couldn’t even wait for me?”

You whined, the last bit of sleep leaving your body as he increased the vibrator to its highest volume, thighs clenching around his head. “Dirty fucking girl.”

You mesmerized him - eyes not daring to leave your face, inspecting every expression and sound you made for him. "Missed you so much, Ren'." He chuckled at your trembling voice, his lips planting a soft kiss right on top of your rose. "Missed my pretty baby too", he mumbled before occupinging his lips with your plumb clit again.

Your head flung back, voice almost hoarse from the sounds he was pulling out of you, hips bucking up as you felt yourself nearing your release. "Ren', I'm-" You cut yourself off with a loud moan, Your hands firmly tugging at his colorful locs.

He hummed, your orgasm crystal clear to you with all of his movements speeding up, sparkling and big orbs staring at your face. "Look at me." The demandment in his voice caused you to look right into his eyes, struggling to keep your eyes on him once your knot snapped, an overwhelming wave of euphoria washing over you.

"I said look at me." He warned you with a slap to your gushing cunt, your eyes rolling back in place, whimpering as he rode you through your high. "Just like that."

He drank up every last bit of your juices, earning a yelp from you as he groaned into your overstimulated cunt, vibrator long forgotten somewhere on the floor.

Ready for the real thing?" He blurted out, eyes sparkling in adoration as he rose to his kness, rough hands harshly coming down to the back of your thighs, folding them over your chest while he struggled with the zipper of his pants, desperate to free his painfully hard cock from its cage.

Your eyes widdened at his rather rhetorical question, mouth opening to protest, only to be cut off by a mewl from you as you felt his heavy shaft hit your overused cunt, hips bucking up in overstimulation. "Ren wait, I-"

"Shhh, pretty. You can take me, right? Right? " He inquired impatiently, lining his length to your fluttering entrance, his head hanging low and mouth agape once he felt your walls tighten around his angry mushroom head, his eyes closed in concentration.

"Already sucking me in like that", he muttered under his breath, eyes low-lidded while he observed the way your walls desperately tried to suck more of his cock in, his dick shining in your essence.

"Pussy missed me just as bad as you did, huh?"

©︎𝐊-𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐒. all rights reserved. Do NOT plagiarize, copy, modify, republish, or translate my work in any way!

[gojoux]

『 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄 (2) 』

· Pairing: Geto Suguru x Reader

· Summary: You confront the little brat in her room. Luckily for her, you boyfriend is there to stop you before you went further.

· CW: 3.1k // You and the brat calling each other bitches lmao. Arguments. Act of threatening. Hair pulling. Slapping. Geto being a kind soul and being your moral compass.

Continuation of this because I hold grudges and reader deserves justice 😭👍

You walk towards her room, knocking on her door. Since she's not your responsibility anymore, you don't have the obligation to be ‘nice’ to her.

Yui quickly opens the door and stares at you. “Why are you here?” She asked in an annoyed tone. “Don't tell me that you're still mad because of what I did earlier.”

“We need to talk about earlier, brat.” You cross your arms as you glare at her. No more princesses, just brats. Like she actually is.

Her face slightly changes when you call her ‘brat’, her eyebrows furrowing together. However, her facial expression changes once again after realizing that you're not joking and is actually serious about talking to her about what she did earlier.

“What... What do you want to talk about?“ She asked slowly, her facade crumbling as she got even more nervous, feeling worried about what you might say.

“Another sorcerer named Mei-Mei will replace me as your ‘babysitter’ on your last day here.” You inform her.

She looks at you unamused, “So? Must be another boring babysitter.” She feigns yawning before checking her nails. “Anything else?”

You frown at her. “You know... Four days taking care of your spoiled ass really got me annoyed.” You step forward, closer to her. She quickly steps back, looking in fear and surprise as you step closer to her, almost touching her.

But then, she looks angry at your statement when you mentioned taking care of her. “I'm not all that bad, you know! You have to admit that.” She added, trying to justify herself and how she has been acting as of right now.

“Admit what?” You roll your eyes. “Anything else to say before I continue?” You step closer again, looking at her face to face. Oh, she's nervous, however, she doesn't back away even if it means you are pressing yourself against her. “What are you doing?” She asked, almost scared.

This brat's emotion changes quickly, no wonder you're equally moody around her.

“You kissed my boyfriend.” You say, “You know what you're doing, don't you, brat?” You step closer, pushing her back to her room before you slam the door shut behind you.

She lets out a small shriek at your sudden action of slamming the door. She knows that she went too far back then, but right now, she doesn't know what to do and is scared of what you might do.

“I... I just... I thought he liked me. I... I didn't think it was a wrong thing” She said before letting out a small chuckle, acting as if she was joking. In the back of her mind, she knows that you're not going to buy her excuse right now.

“Is that so?” You nod sarcastically at her response.

“I... I was just... I... I know what I did...” She said before stopping herself. She doesn't want to continue with her excuses, not right now. A look of slight shame appeared on her face.

“Four days...” Your voice is low, and you're pissed. “You make me your slave, trying to drain my money, talking my ears off, mocking me here and then, and you dare flirt with my boyfriend? Kissed him, even?” You keep yourself calm as you speak.

Yui's face is full of fear now as she looks at you, feeling somewhat intimidated by you now. Her expression slightly changes with each sentence you say because of your tone.

She stares at you for a moment, trying to find a way to cover up her action, ready to hide under her mask of protection called attitude.

“I... uh...” She sighs in frustration, feeling confused about what she needs to say right now. And then, she gives out a bitter laugh. “You know...” She then said, her voice turning sarcastic.

“At least I have enough guts to tell him how I feel about him. What about you, huh? Do you even have the courage to admit that you have feelings for him? Or are you too afraid to admit that you like him? Or rather, lust for him?”

You let out a sarcastic laugh at her nonsense response. “Oh, please, he's mine already. Why should I do that?” then your laughter dies down into a frown again before you give her a slap on the cheek.

Man, your hands were itching to do that the whole time.

“Watch your mouth.” Your voice is low again in anger as you point at her. “And know your place.”

Yui lets out a small gasp when you slapped her on the cheek. “Ouch! What did you do that for?!” She asked angrily, feeling her cheek become red after that slap. She rubs her cheek while looking at you with widened eyes, trying to recover from the pain of your slap.

She can't help but also feel angry at you. “It's his fault, too! I mean... I don't think he didn't want me to kiss him... He was looking at me all lovestruck, and he didn't say a thing, despite me flirting with him earlier.” She sounds annoyed.

“I only wanted him to know that I find him attractive!” She said before scowling at you. “He should be with me instead!” She continued, sounding angry and frustrated at the moment.

You scoff in disbelief, “Not only spoiled with an attitude problem, but you're delusional, too?” You clenched your jaw, completely fed up with her arguments.

She glares at you before, her face looking upset right now. “Delusional? You're the one who's delusional if you think you have him.” She said, sounding offended by your action and comment.

“You can't have everything that you want, you little b—” She was going to say something else before stopping herself, realizing that you still have self-control right now and she doesn't want to make things worse by insulting you too much.

“What was that?” You keep your voice steady. “Say that again.” You dare her, you want to know how much further can this little princess push your patience.

She just glares at you. “You're so angry... What if I say it again?” After a few moments of thinking, she finally said something that you're waiting for her to say.

“You're a bitch.” She says that with a grin on her face, and that's the last word out of her mouth before she bursts out in laughter, showing the smug look on her face.

You slap her other cheek, harder now, until she falls back on the bed. You bet she can feel that one, because your palm stings.

Yui lets out another wail of pain, both due to the slap and her body hitting the mattress of the bed. She lays on the bed, trying to recover from the pain.

Her ears were ringing and she held her both cheeks, feeling the sting of your slap. She stares at you, wide-eyed and afraid. “Hey?!” Her facade crumbles once more at your action.

You can hear her breathing heavily as she tries to calm herself, her cheeks starting to turn red, and her eyes slightly watery from the pain, but she doesn't want to cry.

“Listen to me, you delusional bitch.” You grab her hair from the back, one of your knees on the side of her waist on the bed with your face close to her, threatening her with a growl.

“I shouldn't be caring for you and whatever you do from now on since I'm not— or I hope I will not see your face ever again.” You grip her hair still. “But you've got to be careful who you're messing with... especially if that person holds grudges...” You lean closer to her ear, “Like me.”

She groans in pain when you grab her hair, causing her to look at you in fear. Despite being angry, her face still shows that she's afraid of what you might do to her right now.

She shakes her head, feeling your grip on her hair tighter, showing that you mean business.

“Let me go... Let me go right now!” She said, trying to wriggle from your grasp, but she just can't. Her eyes staring back at you, looking both frightened and angry at the same time.

“I'm not going to listen to you, you psychopath!” She added with a snarl, trying to sound defiant even though you already made things clear on who has the power in this situation.

“Is that so?” You let her hair go harshly before standing up straight again, looking down at her as if she's the lowest being you've ever laid your eyes on.

She's as dirty as her grandfather is, that old geezer that stood his place as a higher-up in the Jujutsu community.

Yui let out a small gasp when you let her hair go, feeling both anger and hurt at the moment.

She sits up on the bed and crosses her arms in front of her chest, trying to look intimidating right now even though she can't do anything against you. “Don't think you can get away with hurting me that easily…” She said with a slight growl, trying to sound tough.

“Or what? You're gonna cry and tell Daddy?” You smile sarcastically at her.

She huffs softly at your words, feeling angry that you're making fun of her. “Don't think that I'm weak!” She snarled, acting as if she was not already in pain, her face still showing the marks from the slap.

“I can just slap you back!” She said, letting you know that she can hurt you in return. “Don't think you can just slap me and get away with it, bitch.” She added angrily.

You gritted your teeth in annoyance, but before you can really pounce on her, you feel yourself being held back by someone.

“Suguru?” You say his name with a frown. He pulls you away from Yui. Too distracted by your argument with Yui, you didn't notice that he barged inside the room when he hears the commotion from outside.

He then stares at her with a disappointed look on his face, letting you know that he didn't like what he's seeing right now.

“Settle down, girls.” He said in a stern yet calm voice. He sighs before looking at both of you again. “Can we all just calm down and be civil about this?” He asked, already impatient.

Yui then sees Geto holding you back. She lets out a small chuckle at the sight and looks at him with a smug look on her face. “What's the hold-up, Suguru-kun? Scared that I'll slap your girlfriend?”

“You little—!” Your comment is cut short as Geto then tightens his grasp around you, his face looking frustrated and annoyed at the scene.

It's more like he's trying to hold you back from slapping her, again.

He then slowly turns his attention towards Yui. “Yui-chan, I think it's time for you to stop right now.” He said in a firm tone, letting both of you know that he can no longer tolerate Yui's actions anymore.

She just laughs at you who is in Geto's grasp. “Oh please, what can you do right now? Nothing.” She says her arms crossed and looks at you with a smug expression on her face.

Despite her words, there's a hint of worry in her voice. She's not really sure how far you are willing to go just for her. She can see you're very angry right now and she's really curious if you'll break the line or not.

“Suguru...” You call his name between your gritted teeth. “Let me go and I will teach this brat a lesson she'll never forget.” Your eyes are locked on Yui.

Yui looks at Geto for a few moments, wondering what decision he'll make in this situation. She's actually getting a little bit worried because she realizes that Geto is a kind soul who's not known to cause harm to others. That's why she's hopeful that in this situation, he'll take her side.

He looks at you, keeping you still in a hold as he stares at you with a concerned expression in his eyes. “Darling...” He begins, sounding anxious and worried. “It's okay for you to feel angry right now...”

He pauses for a moment before continuing again. “But I can't let you hurt Yui, love... She just wants everything to be for her... but that's no reason for you to hurt her.” His voice is soft as he tries to convince you to see her in a different light.

You turn your head quickly at him, glaring at him as well. “Are you defending this brat, huh?!“

He holds onto you, his grip on you becoming stronger as he feels you're wanting to do something reckless.

“I'm not defending her, darling.” He said softly yet seriously. “She's still a spoiled girl. I don't support her behavior.” He continues with a calm and soft voice.

“I'm defending you by not letting you damage your moral compass or hurt Yui.” He then looks at Yui with a stern expression before sighing once again. “We'll talk about this later after all this blows over.”

He then looks at you again, trying to get you to calm down. “So, please... don't... do something you might regret later...”

He looks like he's not really sure what to do when you scowl at him. “Love... Please calm down. She's not worth your time.” He said, sounding a bit worried about your action and anger right now.

Yui then lets out a soft giggle. “See? Even Suguru-kun is telling you that you're in the wrong right now.” She said, sounding annoyed, but trying to sound sweet at the same time.

“What if he dumps you because of this? Is that what you want to happen?” She added teasingly right now before laughing softly again.

You groan in anger, almost like you're barking at her. “The hell you said?!” Your cursed energy bursts out in an intense amount, but Geto is still right there, holding you back easily.

He looked at you, feeling conflicted between the two of you. On one hand, he wants to let you do what you want to Yui because he knows that she deserves what's coming. On the other hand, he fears for your future, and how this might affect it.

“Look, I know you're hurt and mad at her, but don't let that feeling cloud your judgment, okay?” He said, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Are you even hearing her?!” You keep glaring at your boyfriend, not caring that he's holding you back like a person holding his dog from lashing out.

“Yes, I heard what she said. But she's just trying to get a reaction out of you." He said with a soft tone. “She's a spoiled brat... You know that yourself, get a hold of yourself, love.”

He looks away from you for a moment while still holding onto you. “You know that what she's saying is just to trigger you, so don't fall for it, okay?” He said, sounding concerned.

And then there's a knock on the already open door. “Hanada Yui?” There stands Mei Mei, proud with her battle axe. Looks like she just came back from her mission.

Yui just stares at Mei Mei in confusion before letting out a small chuckle. “Oh, is this the Mei Mei girl you mentioned earlier?" Her attention is now drawn to the person standing in her doorway.

Then, her eyes widen when she saw her carrying a big weapon easily on her one hand, and she lets out a small sigh. She knows that it's not going to be a smooth ride with her around. “Oh, no...” She said softly as she backed away from her.

Mei Mei just smirked at her, feeling happy with the reaction she got and can't wait for what's next with this brat. “Oh, don't worry.” She speaks in a soft tone with a smile on her face and her eyes sharp. “I'll be the best caretaker for you, sweetheart.”

“Mei-san! I could kiss your feet right now, you're a lifesaver.” You smile widely at Mei Mei. It's your turn to smile smugly now, knowing that this time, Yui is the one going to have a hard time because Mei Mei is in control now.

“Oh, please, don't be that dramatic, darling.” Mei Mei chuckles softly, sounding amused by you. “Your problem is small compared to my work, you know? It always feels great, being in control of the situation.”

Yui, meanwhile, doesn't look pleased with the fact that you're praising Mei Mei. She can just see how terrible things are going to go right now.

“Looks like I should excuse myself.” You get off Geto's loosen hold. “Please do whatever you please with this brat, Mei-san.” You snicker when you walk past Mei-Mei, both of you looking at each other knowingly before looking at Yui.

Mei Mei just smirks in response, enjoying this little exchange, already looking forward to what she's about to do with her. “Hanada-chan... I'll take good care of you, don't worry.” She then looks at you and winks before turning back to Yui. “I'm really eager to know what you want to do right now, sweetheart.”

You can see Yui's eyes widen in fear, but she's trying her best not to show it. She already knows this is not going to go well for her.

“You're going to have such a great time,” Geto said jokingly, trying to calm Yui for her safety. Mei Mei just smiles back at him and doesn't say anything.

Yui is already shivering in fear, and she can't even stand straight as she backs away from Mei Mei. “Please…” She said with a trembling voice, feeling desperate right now.

Mei Mei just steps closer to her instead. “No need to fear. You're mine now, and you'll learn how to behave in time.” She said, the sly grin on her face showing no signs of leaving.

Once you and Geto walk out of the room, you can hear the door shut behind you with a thud.

“Mei-san will take care of her now. Hopefully, Yui will become a better person afterward.” He said before sighing. He then looks at you with a worried look on his face, “And you need to calm down, love.”

“Let her taste her own medicine.” You shrug nonchalantly. He just shakes his head and keeps moving, not wanting to dwell on it much longer.

“Let's go get some snacks, okay? Would that lift your mood, my baby?” He ruffles your hair as you walk side by side. He remembers how you texted him that Yui took all your snacks when you first met her.

“Maybe.“ You shrug again, but you feel your mood getting better now. “Sweet or savoury?” He pinches your cheek playfully.

“Savoury. I already have something else that tastes sweet.” You decided to joke back. “And what would that be?” He places his hand on your head as you walk.

“You.”

You stuck your tongue at him before running off towards the vending machine, leaving him stunned behind before he shakes his head with a soft laugh.

[magicxc]

Sizes

Pairings: Survey Corps - their dick sizes

Word Count: 857

Warnings: none

A/N: this is so self indulgent, it aint even funny lol. Please enjoy what I think the bois are packing.

Headcannons Masterlist

Eren - 9.5 inches

Phew I mean, this doesn’t take too much explaining…at least for me. Eren legit had the gall to wipe out 80% of the population so I can only imagine that he has the balls to match. It’s safe to say our boy is all bark and bite cause he’s absolutely backing up whatever the fuck he says. Needless to say, you need to be PREPPED before penetration.

Levi - 6.5

As my personal favorite of the bunch, daddy Levi is absolutely still working with sumn, okay!!! Let's not count our short king out the race. Matter of fact, I'm willing to bet my bottom dollar that Levi is giving you THEE best seggs. As fun as size kinks are, let's be real, it hurts before it pleases. And 6.5 is like the perfect length to comfortably kiss your cervix. That stamina? His insomnia? The low, sultriness of his voice? Yeahh, you can kiss a good night's rest goodbye and your pussy will absolutely thank you for it. It’s been said that Levi is one of the best in terms of ODM use because of how quick he is while maneuvering the gear and the way it’s used is by the wearers shifting a lot of their weight to their pelvis for movement. Once again YOUR PUSSY WILL THANK YOU! 

Erwin - 7.5

Though the Commander stands tall above his peers, he has some muscle mass to him and therefore I consider him a girthy fellow. Keep in mind this is the same man who stared down Reiner in his armor titan form, all the while being short one arm. It's been said that the horses that the scouts ride are bred specifically to outrun titans but what they leave out is that Erwins horse is bred specifically to carry balls as heavy as his. Lmfaoo this man is BRAVE, just daring a mf to try some shit. And he absolutely carries that trait into the bedroom as well. 

Connie - 7.5

Connie has always given me goofball vibes. That “huh” ass mf was sorta the comedic relief to the show and it’s like omg you brought dick too?? Funny men be getting me ngl jksjsks. It’s been said that Connie views the Scouts training almost like a summer camp and while he made the top ten his competitive edge doesn’t really set in until he sees someone doing better than him lol. I genuinely don’t think dick size matters to him all that much so when he becomes sexually active and gets so much praise, it’s like ohh wow - new kink unlocked.

Jean - 10 inches

I'm willing to physically debate this lmao. This is probably the only thing he’ll beat Eren in, but I whole heartedly believe that Jean is packing a SCHLONG. He’s always stood above his peers throughout the show and as he ages, it’s more prominent. Tall and skinny men are literally always packing and those pencils wanna write in every book. Mans would absolutely put Mikasa through a mattress if given the chance.

Onyankopon - 8.5 inches

Even though Ony doesn’t get a whole lotta screen time, I can safely assume his length here. This is the same man who fucking DARED Floch to kill him AFTER witnessing him kill a few others for refusing to fall in line. You wanna talk about standing on business? Ohhh Ony’s your man through and through. Mans is always fighting for the greater good and even willing to sacrifice his life for the cause; it’s safe to say you’d bark if he asked you to. 

Reiner - 7.0

Ok hear me out, mans is GIRTHY. And 7 inches isn’t a bad place to be at all. Very rarely do those beefcake ass men have length, but that doesn’t mean they're lacking. In fact, I’ll take it a step further and guess that Reiners smeat curves left. CHANGE MY MIND. Any man strong enough to wield that heavy ass armor titan is absolutely knocking the cobwebs off that pwussy. Needless to say, prep is still a must.

Armin - 7.0

Its certainly the quiet ones that shock you the most. Have you ever interacted with a chill and laid back man? It's definitely a reason for that and Armin is no exception. Although I consider him the least experienced, keep in mind that he is a QUICK learner. Every contort of your face and shift of your body is all the notes he needs to take to properly learn how to work your body over. And soon, you’ll be able to mold him to your perfect sex partner. That, coupled with his sweet attitude and sincere personality; sigh that bitch Annie really struck gold with this one. 

Floch - 8.0

If you look up unhinged in the dictionary, you’d literally find a picture of Floch. Many can make the argument that he may be overcompensating for something, but I di-fucking-gress. Even though he can be a bit off the walls, it truly was for good reason and all in the name of his country and THAT, my friends, is big dick behavior.

[danieyells]

Hello! Thank you so much for posting the guys’ voicelines! If it’s not too much trouble, could I ask for Yuri’s and Ritsu’s? I’ve been especially curious about Yuri’s since reading his line at the beginning of the game if you choose him lol Again, thank you so much!!

(i posted ritsu's separately!)

no anon you may not study yuri. yuri studies you. how dare you. bad guinea pig! you get no experiment tonight!

the rest of you, however, may come appreciate the good doctor with me. You can come too studying anon i won't tell yuri

some of his lines really kinda subverted my expectations of his character? /affectionate) like i thought he would be quite different! not to say his profile is dishonest, but. . .idk lol i love him he's. . .he's special.

Hello: (the first time the game is opened after that character is set as home screen NPC. Only happens once per day, unless the character is switched out and back.)

"What are you dawdling for? Change out of those rags and report to my lab immediately!"

You've Got Mail: (whenever there's something in the inbox, usually Arena rewards)

"What madness is this? Why do you have unread messages!? Check them immediately! Research is a race against time!"

Default: (requires no affinity, has no time constraints)

"You should feel honored to be chosen as the test subject of Dr. Yuri Isami, genius and visionary!"

"Jiro! Jiro!! What on earth are you doing!?"

he calls for jiro the way a parent calls for their kid who's minding their business in another room--

"Lowbrow schools of thought with the gall to oppose my research will bear a mark of shame for generations to come. One day, the world will be forced to acknowledge me."

i realized this early on since i chose him in the pre-prologue so i always had access to him on the home screen but. since anomalies have to be kept secret from the world he kind of can't be acknowledged for what he does in the long run, can he? since he specifically works in anomalous medical sciences much of what he does and works with has to be kept only within the institute's understandings. . . .

"I always preserve the lives of my patients. I cannot make guarantees for any other parts of them, however."

sure you're a disembodied head in a jar but you are a living disembodied head in a jar! don't worry they'll get you a new body!!

"I ask their cooperation for the sake of the future of humanity, and this is what I get!? Jiro, how much do we have left in our research budget!?"

Affinity 1: (between 5am and 11am)

"What a bracing morning. Jiro, prepare my wake-up tonic."

is 'wake-up tonic' a fancy way of saying coffee or do you have some mixture of herbs and spices that wakes you up

Affinity 2: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Are you injured or ill? Oh dear, how unfortunate. I shall begin the experi— Ahem, the treatment, immediately."

the way he says this is so incredible but tumblr will not let me upload the video for some reason he is so hype to try putting strange things in you.

Affinity 3: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Jiro's not feeling well, you say? Very well. I shall test my latest formula on him."

Affinity 4: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Oh, it's you. And here I thought I had a patient. I am currently reviewing today's lessons, so please leave unless you're here for treatment."

he's very studious for a genius. not a lot of the ghouls actually go to class.

Affinity 5: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Wha... Wh-Where did you come from!? Th-Th-Th-This!? It is a medical journal! The Ace Doctor Wows Minds In Another World Thesis!"

MY GUY IS READING ISEKAI MANGA ABOUT DOCTORS AND PROJECTING do you think he reads like hentai about doctors and scientists too. probably not right he's too haughty to think about things like that before they happen

Affinity 6: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"The only blood I stain myself with is that atop the operating table. On missions, I have Jiro to fight in my stead."

it's okay to say you're just not much of a fighter lmao

Affinity 7: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Anomalous medical science is uncharted territory. Should I become its pioneer, all will bow before my intellect until the end of time... Ha ha... Ah ha ha ha ha!"

Affinity 8: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Hmph. We have no time to spare on your drivel. Hurry up, Jiro!"

Affinity 9: (between 8pm and 5am)

"It's about time for Jiro's check-up... Hm? Wake up, Jiro! I've discovered an abnormality already!"

Affinity 10: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Hmm, this case is somewhat complex... No, there's no need for my expertise here. Jiro, prepare to operate immediately."

'this is too complicated for a human but not too complicated to be jiro's problem!' disregard that jiro may be smarter than him. . . .

Affinity 11: (between 5am and 11am)

"Prepare the new formula, Jiro. A specimen has arrived. What? You're not here for treatment?"

listen sometimes you just wanna pay someone a visit! it's not my fault you live in a goddamn hospital.

Affinity 12: (between 11am and 4pm)

"I will soon be finished with today's lessons— then I shall return to the lab to confirm the status of my latest test subject."

this is between 11 and 4pm, so you're basically just hearing him talk about his plans for after school lmao just normal student things!!!

Affinity 13: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Why yes, I attended every lesson today, as always. All studies are linked, after all. Though it takes a mind such as mine to recognize that."

I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT HARD TO SEE THE LINK BETWEEN MEDICINE AND EVERYTHING. . .UNLESS YOU JUST DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ILLNESSES OR MEDICINE. . . .

Affinity 14: (between 5am and 11am)

"What is that slovenly visage, worm? Tell me, do you have an excuse for looking more emaciated than me when I spent all night researching? I didn't think so!"

would you like my laundry list of reasons i look tired yuri because i can get it

Affinity 15: (between 5am and 11am)

"I must personally administer Jiro's shots three times a day. The treatment is rather unique, you see."

'you see i use my peni--'

Affinity 16: (between 11am and 4pm)

"You have business with Jiro? Not before bringing it to me, you don't. He is merely my assistant—as house captain, it is I who possesses the authority."

no talking to his son assistant without going through him first! sorry anon who asked for an appointment with jiro yuri has to approve it

Affinity 17: (between 10pm and midnight)

"I'm busy with my experiments. Go back to your dorm and ready yourself for your next appointment. Jiro, see her home."

i feel like he doesn't want you to see what he does to his other test subjects. . .not because they die or anything, they always live, it's just a little gruesome to see. He's not as rough with you. And he needs to make sure you keep coming back. And he needs to make sure you get home safe, so he's sending Jiro with you.

Affinity 18: (between 8pm and 5am)

"Even harmful anomalies can have use as medicinal ingredients... This is the sort of immeasurable value my work provides."

isn't that common knowledge in the medical world though. . .i mean obviously getting the right balance is crucial but that's not an entirely new concept, 'let's use the harmful thing for something good'--

Affinity 19: (between 10pm and midnight)

"Don't forget that body of yours is a vital specimen! Is it not common knowledge that lack of sleep is the root of all illness!?"

DON'T YOU AND JIRO REGULARLY PULL ALL NIGHTERS IF NOT FOR DAYS AT A TIME?????? maybe yuri is just immune to illness. . . .

Affinity 20: (between 5am and 11am)

"Good morning, M... M... M... My,  what an adequate morning it is, no!? Hmph... Don't confuse me like that..."

IF YOU DIDN'T CHOOSE YURI IN THE PRE-PROLOGUE IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW. . .when Yuri jumps he says "goodbye, mama."

In Japanese it's somewhat more apparent that he's about to call you 'mama' in the voiceline. Maybe it's just my interpretation based on lines 23 and 24, but I think something happened to his mother where he failed to save her with surgery and at higher affinity he begins to project that need to save terminal/cursed patients' lives on you in particular. And he starts to think of you the way he thinks of his mother, but also as his favorite test subject. That or it's a loop/timeline thing and you're actually his mother--do you guys think he'd be able to be convinced into mommy kink shit he clearly has mommy issues it might help

Affinity 21: (between 11am and 4pm)

"Mark my words, I'll have those pompous, preening parasites at Frostheim kneeling before me..."

man they do not like frostheim here in mortkranken. the fact that this is so high up is like. . .i wonder if there's some serious beef here.

Affinity 22: (between 4pm and 8pm)

"Jiro's gone!? ...So be it, then. I grant you the privilege of being my assistant for the day. Be grateful, worm."

jiro will come back when he needs his medication, it's fine! woohoo! do we get a nurse outfit!?

Affinity 23: (between 8pm and 5am)

"There is no life I can't save... There can't be... I am Yuri Isami...the genius visionary doctor..."

it sounds like he's downright scared to fail to save a life.

Affinity 24: (between 10pm and midnight)

"My next surgery must be a success... I... I cannot afford another failure..."

i am once again assuming his mother died on the operating table while he was trying to save or otherwise help her and he's extremely traumatized by it. on the other hand would he say 'goodbye mama' if she weren't still alive? maybe she's alive but she's in a coma or hospice or critical condition or something. and he's studying anomalous medicine to figure out how to save her.

Affinity 25(max): (no time constraints)

"You belong to me. I will never hand you over to another researcher... (gasp) N-N-N-No, you've misunderstood! I-I just...!"

i'm literally the doctor's favorite lab rat because i am so obedient and intelligent and-- he blushes in the second line--he meant it as a test subject/lab rat or assistant thing but he also accidentally said how he really felt at the same time. . . . But you're his, he will be the one to save you, when he stands atop the world as world renowned genius anomalous medical doctor yuri isami you will stand by him as his proudest subject who's helped him confirm many theories and save many others' lives and he will work so hard to keep you well you are his and he doesn't want anyone else to learn what he can learn from you--

Spring: (March-May) (between 5am and 11am)

"Struggling with pollen allergies? I have a new formula here developed in Mortkranken, shall I test it on you?"

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm! Hmm hmm hmm! Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm! Pa rum!"

so i don't know enough classical music to be able to tell what the songs he hums are, but if anyone wants to give it a shot i can try uploading the audios of him lol just lmk

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Which house's ghouls are out in the field at present? Oh my, I do hope they come back with some exciting injuries."

i wonder who his favorites to fix up are. . .on the one hand, he hates frostheim. so he might wanna be rougher with them or subject them to more unique experiments and make them admit his intelligence and skill. on the other hand obscuary must be the most interesting ones to work on since they're so unique?

(between 8pm and 5am)

"When did the cherry blossoms bloom...? The changing of the seasons seems rather superfluous when I am engaged in my research."

Summer: (June-August) (between 5am and 11am)

"Jiro, make a record of today's temperature. We need to take the changing climate into for illnesses particular to summer."

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Darkwick will provide me the materials I need for my research, provided they fall within our budget... But that is simply insufficient."

have you tried selling organs? taiga says it's very lucative. surely you have some lying around?

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Hmm...hmm...hmm...hmm... hmm hmm hmm hmm, Pa pa pa pa pa pa rum!"

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Why do you look so distressed? If the heat is proving too much for you, I can prescribe you something to lower your body temperature."

Autumn: (September-November) (between 5am and 11am)

"Why must a peerless genius such as myself be saddled with performing piddling health checks for the new students!? It's asinine!"

aren't you the only legitimate doctor in this place by your own admission!?

(between 11am and 4pm)

"A trip to admire the fall foliage? Why yes, I am interested. After all, I'm sure Jabberwock's mountains possess all sorts of undiscovered ingredients. Let's get going."

just make sure you ask towa before taking anything. . .he might not appreciate you messing with his plants. . . .

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Sports...? Hmph, such nonsense is entirely superfluous to my life. Why needlessly expend energy in such a manner?"

(between 8pm and 5am)

"Hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm, hmm hmm hmm hmm hmmmm!"

Winter: (December-February) (between 5am and 11am)

"Freude! Schöner! Götter! Funke! Tochter aus Elyyyyyyysium!"

HE IS SINGING ODE TO JOY IN THE ORIGINAL GERMAN.

(between 11am and 4pm)

"Eureka! A new formula utilizing an anomalous plant that only grows in subzero temperatures has been discovered, by...! Jiro..."

c'mon yuri be proud of your vice captain!

(between 4pm and 8pm)

"Our research budget for the new year is nearly spent... Come, Jiro! We're going to negotiate with the faculty!"

(between 8pm and 5am)

"I despise the snow. It brings nothing but revolting memories... There, we're done with today's checkup. Any other questions?"

. . .what happened between Yuri and Jin. I NEED TO KNOW.

His birthday: (September 14th)

"You...remembered my birthday!? Ahem... If you wish to give me a present, make it either a talented assistant or a useful test subject."

people don't remember his birthday much i assume. . .or they tend to stay away from him so much he just doesn't get much attention or appreciation.

Your birthday:

"I am here to celebrate your birthday. Do you feel honored? I've prepared a new formula for you. Let's continue this in the lab, shall we?"

your birthday present is being part of more experiments! aren't you honored???

New Years: (January 1st)

"Happy New Year. I am on my way to make my first shrine visit. You didn't think me the type? I-It's just a tradition!"

Valentine's Day: (February 14th)

"Hmm, my blood sugar was just starting to drop. I suppose you do have it in you to be considerate every now and then... Pardon? Valentine's Day? ...(gasp)"

oh he has never gotten valentine's day chocolates before has he. or at least not recently.

White Day: (March 14th)

"I suppose I can concede you have proven yourself useful in the lab, worm. ...This is a token of my gratitude."

he didn't blush when he got the gift but he did blush giving you one so. . .i'm taking it this isn't obligation chocolate.

April Fool's Day: (April 1st)

"Hmph, did you honestly think you could fool me? I won't fall for your cheap tricks. I've already been fooled by Jiro seven times today!"

comically jiro's says he doesn't remember pulling any tricks on yuri at all. . .so yuri may be assuming anything he dislikes or is inconvenienced by is a trick lol

Halloween: (October 31st)

"Trick or treat! I have coordinated the ultimate matching costumes for Jiro and I... Yes, perfect."

the fact that he wanted to match costumes with jiro is so cute. . .like he really has this goofy side that doesn't come out much, but it seems like he enjoys celebrations and relaxed things, he's just too busy to engage in them. he likes isekai manga and holiday traditions and costumes. . .then again there's coordination and order involved in a matching halloween costume. so maybe he just likes the order and structure of it all.

Christmas: (December 25th)

"Merry Christmas. You can hand me my present at your earliest convenience. You did prepare one for me, didn't you!?"

he's surprised you remembered his birthday and valentine's day but he expects a christmas gift???

Idle: (about 20 seconds without interacting with the game) (below 13 affinity)

"I am a very busy man, so if you don't require examination, then we're done here."

(13 affinity and above)

"Hmph. You really think yourself important enough to make a genius like myself wait around!?"

Absent: (logging in for the first time in 2 or more days?)

"Where on earth have you been, worm!? Next time you plan on taking an extended leave of absence, I expect you to inform me in advance!"

THERE WE GO. after yesterday where tumblr decided to freak out on me and just fuckin delete it all i'm glad it's out of the way today lol. I REALLY LOVE YURI HE REALLY FEELS SO. . .PATHETIC. he's the self-reinforcing type who really feels the need to hype up his own greatness and reinforce his authority while, as you get closer to him, letting you see how vulnerable he is and how scared he is of failure. and at first you're a specimen and a lab rat but after getting close enough he shoos you away from his experiments and you can even be his assistant(in jiro's absence) instead. . .his profile makes him sound very in control and aggressive but he doesn't really seem that way in his voicelines i guess? and here and there he's goofy and caring. . .he's kind of a loser(affectionate)!

one of my favorite characters lolol i am so looking forward to the mortkranken chapter because that's going to be so dramatic i bet. . . .

[helpme695]

Ok! Could I please request headcanons of yandere Pocketcat with female human darling? Thank you in advance 💜

Here you go :3 that's all I got

Sorry for taking so long LMAO

I assumed it would be inside the dungeons too lol

• ────── ✾ ────── •

It's a mistake, not only that, but stupid as well. You shouldn't come here, You shouldn't see this, you shouldn't experience this, the dungeons screams at you constantly to leave as fast as possible, for some reason you didn't abandon whatever unnecessary goal you have and ran- no, fly, straight out this hell and never look back, yet you so determined.

It was definitely harsh, your feel your soul crushing every second you move, your body shaking. You ran into these many cursed Creatures. However escape them miraculously as soon as you spot them.

You exception. How you would guard yourself from harm, how you move extremely fast and smooth like a feather. The way your mind work and respond like a machine. In top of that, you're gorgeous. Even in your lowest. Truly something to admire. And I have news for you, You decide if it's good or bad, someone never missed anything you offered.

Later on, you met a unusual man from the place. As soon he spot you he started talking to you

"My my~ I've been waiting for you to show up with your lovely figure, dove. Oh, you got a nasty wound on your shoulder. Here let me help, it won't hurt."

And talk

"My apologies, I usually pay no mind those disgusting beings, but they really did land a good one on you, don't you think it's enough to leave whatever you seeking for?"

And talk...

"By no offence to your outstanding Abilitys, but these dungeons make the toughest of men go insane. After all, I just like to go after lovely customers like you."

And talk...

"I dare to say, you do have astonishing face of yours, even after it woren off from your silly journey, did I mention how much I love your curves? Your body must been sculptured by the divines "

This man won't SHUT UP, it's hurts your head. And you don't like his flirting and how much he focus on things you don't put attention to even in days you actually take care of yourself.

He's trying so hard to make you stay longer just to talk, even better if you change your mind. And you always pushed his offering and idea's aside. You already too deep.

Since you shaked him off and continued to wonder, you feel eyes piercing your soul, but, things start to get easier. you found many non rotten food and booze neatly hidden in boxes, Sometimes herbs in questionable places. Not seeing the usual Enemies or danger. And whatever dare to bring harm to you, you finish them off as they were just a bug.

You can't help to think, is it because you became immune to these dungeons? Or because you encountered that gentleman, you did felt quite safe around him, but God you were uncomfortable. How he behave so friendly, like a person you know before. The way his eyes scan every inch of you, like he admiring a living art piece. How he get closer to you whenever he can. And of course, touch you in any opportunity. So Shameless. You swore if you didn't put a line he would do much more. Speaking of the devil... you felt you never actually left him behind. Or you just paranoid. :)

Overtime, you manged to meet people and convince them to company you. However, things weren't so good for them as you, completely opposite. They would starved to death if it wasn't for you to share your food. They have to get brutally injured, which you had to take care of almost blinded or limbless members. If you won't look occasionally after them, you would find them getting dragged in darkest corners. It almost something trying so hard to get rid of them.

They weigh you down. you should leave them behind. Why you so determined? Not only accomplish your goal, but also to keep them alive? You truly selfless. And that bother someone. Not necessarily your party members (which some of them are)

However, they won't be bothered for too long, especially when you lost 2 of your party to the crow mauler and split accidentally after pathetic escape for your lives. It was already hard for them, you have no idea how they will survive after the lose. And Why you sick over some mere beings? You have someone much important who's starving to see you again.

_____________________♡____________________

You screwed. That's all I gotta say. Lol

No but for real, yandere pocketcat is NOT easy to deal with at all. This dude will do Anything and everything means to have you. But he's patient, he likes to play with his food, after all.

He sometimes wonder Why his master make him this desperate over someone.

Let him take you and he will spoil you rotten, he will give you whatever you want and need. Just say it. If you don't, well..... it doesn't matter. He will get what he wants. He's immune to whatever tricks you have under your sleeves.

He's never truly get angry at you no matter what you do. Even at others that you interact with, because the thought that he owns you and nobody will shake him off, is too deep in his mind. He allows other people to talk to you but after that they will get some devilish dreams as warning, And if he notice they still confident to keep going, welp.... we know the show.

Of course you won't stay any longer in this dungeons, it's up to him where he wants to take you. But if you Obey him just right- he will ask his master to create the heavens that you shaped in your mind. Only him and you.

There's nothing you can lose other than your freedom. You would never get hurt by anyone but him. Your only luck if his God have mercy on you and kill you for good or have another God by your side.

[vint-knight]

Epic The Wisdom Saga Ranking:

SO I really loved this saga so here's my ranking and if you guys want to, you can add it your list by rebloging as well!

1: Little Wolf: Just from the start with Antinous being cold and vicious, Aryon killed it as always, I thought it would just be a long fight of Tele vs Antinous until it would end with either Penelope or Athena (perhaps both saving him in the last moment) But I was genuinely surprised to see Athena appear and aid Telemachus, also their dynamic is cute, and the animation, Liam Davidson delivered it with the videogame aspect of it and Luzia coming with the absolute beautiful animation and expressions, especially Telemachus, and Teagan just throws it out of the park here, I really love her voice that she has been doing since the rereleased Troy/Cyclops Saga albums and how it goes from a Tele getting his ass kicked, to Tele getting some aid but still getting beat up, while leaving some bruises to Antinous and how the Little Wolf taunt was more used like a compliment.

2: Love in Paradise: I would have thought this was gonna be like at the bottom (not in terms of bad, but just not quite top tier) first off the Time-Dive by Mircsy was absolute mind-blowing, from Aeolus, to Poseidon which I really liked because of how quick the "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves" to Circe, Tiresias, Sirens, Scylla which has a really cool shot! and then ending with Thunder Bringer, then we have Gigi! her animation was amazing as always, we get introduced to Calypso who is played by the wonderful Barbara Wangui! she sounds so fun and playful but I like the general creepy vibes given to Calypso, then the cliff scene this absolutely shocked me then I remembered it was accurate to how Homer's Odysseus felt almost sucidial during his time on Ogygia, the belting Jorge lets out, letting out every single part of Odysseus's anguish before screaming for Athena, absolutely gut-wrenching it almost made me tear up

3: We'll Be Fine: I love this song so much, the absolute feels you can feel from Teagan's Athena, the guilt she feels that she can't even sleep, also noticed some lyrics were changed like "When I'll never left home shores" which I find intriguing, the growing friendship between Tele and Athena is just so wholesome and love the ending with him trying to lean his head on her shoulder then falling on his face lmao

4: Legendary: This was absolutely a great start, MICO as Telemachus was absolutely incredible and very proud of how he portrayed Telemachus, nice that Argos is shown following (sad that he was failing to catch Tele because he's a very old dog who's sick) a perfect song to show how a son wants to live up to his father that he never got to meet, the "Man of The House" callback with the suitors and Antinous being an absolute asshole, "DON'T YOU DARE CALL MY MOTHER A TRAMP" from Tele was delivered so well, showing how much respect and protectiveness he has for his mama.

5: God Games: Honestly I would have thought this was going to be at least at the top 1 or 2 for the list, obviously everyone did great, Brandon as Apollo was amazing, love how nonchalant he seemed, wish his part was a bit more longer (but he is LVL1, so it makes sense in video game terms) Hephaestus was quite good, Jorge's dad did amazing and the fact he's also a builder is very ironic, I was quite fine with his part being short because if the "Odysseus took Achilles's armour that Hephaestus specifically made for Achilles" because EPIC doesn't stay too long on the Trojan War (besides references and callbacks etc etc) Janani K. Jha and Earle Grensham Jr did SO GOOD as Ares and Aphrodite, love the fact that Aphrodite's love domain isn't just romantic or lustful love, it's motherly love as well, then we have POSEY as Hera!, love the disco music part of Hera's music, also Anniflamma's animation was so cute and funny! with Athena awkwardly dancing along with Hera, then we have Zeus's part.... alright first off Luke Holt POPPED OFF on this one, his voice was so intimidating here then in Thunder Saga or Troy Saga, the "Thunder Bringer" being brought back with that deep tone he brought in, but I do have some criticism which is I wish Zeus had more words to say, also did not like how he came off like a sore loser (he can be that in the myths sometimes) But I thought it more off like he was actually ashamed of Athena trying so hard to defend this "man full of shame" which in my opinion makes me think that he also felt shame was gonna be brought upon him for the fact The King of Gods's daughter basically going all this way to free one mortal man, besides that I love the small flashback with Athena and baby Telemachus which shows how determined that she is not only doing this for Odysseus, but for his son, then the end was okay, nice to see Ares was genuinely concerned for her, same for the other gods and it ending with Athena being unconscious (also the red blood is kinda explained as her becoming more human by Gwendy who did the last animation for God Games) still like the song but wished it was more longer

[sketchehm]

Okay now is Christmas and my day off, ohh and Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates! First I want to say thank you for making this mafia au! You have no ideas when I open up tumblr for a long times and what I see first is your post about this au and I'm reading all of it, it makes my days, you make my life more bright than ever, really thank you so much!! I hope you have a nice day! 🙌

And last is I want to join to rambling about your au too haha, I'm sorry to bother you, but yeah I read all of your lore about this au and get more larger and interesting! What I have in mind is who is the don before dream, well what if it was schlatt? And he was dream dad..? Well dream and sapnap and probably george too(?) Grow up in orphan together and their life is rough and force to join lil mafia group that lead by schlatt, and years life in bad treatment, idk if schlatt know if dream is his son or vice versa, both of them just doesn't care lmao (family issues) and dream shoot him and becomes the new don

Holy fuck you add elrich in this au too thank you so muchh!!! Lmao I love that post about elrich prefer to see dream wear his mask rather than to see dream deprivation face. Please interact more

Okayy so about kidnapping thing, I think dream doesn't care if his mafia group is crushed by team mafia (well maybe expect he still want to take revenge to Q) as long as he has sapnap and george at his side he feels enough, the large problem is how this was heard by outsiders? Namely las nevadas? We know Q want sapnap to join him but he refused, then he heard sapnap join team mafia and Q already predicted it was dream strategy to send sapnap there as a mole, then he heard the big news about dream mafia get a big blow and dream and george goes missing. Q feels happy in his chest because he's thought sapnap chose team mafia and betrayed dream instead, maybe just maybe they still can connect with each other again. Between spanish fellows a few days later Q have a meeting with rich to talk about this and rich feels... Not that amused...

Ahhh yess there's many many many angst here, about sapnap anxiety, dteam separation anxiety, george anxiety, welp dream anxiety too that he feels need to shoulder up all his problems alone, make him sleep deprived that may or may not have consequences in the future, but yeahhh I love your au so much 👉👈

Merry Christmas!!! You're so sweet I will cry 🥺🥺🥺

Sorry it took so long to answer!! I hope you enjoy <3!

SO Dream's previous Don was his father yes! But it was up in the air if I wanted it to be a DreamXD kind of figure but Schlatt fits better I think pfft (so I'm taking that me thinks hehe)

I guess that's how Quackity got in with Dream so quickly, he was already working under the Don before Dream offed him haha

This helps cause it gives more of a solid motivation of why Q will eventually betray Dream, he probably already had a plot to take out Schlatt and takeover before Dream butted in, now his plans were pushed back....but not by much...

Aside from that! I have it in my head that Dream was born and raised in the mafia family which is.....rough! Growing up with people always wanting to one up and take you out, it's a world full of selfishness and backstabbers tbh...not a lot of /real/ trust happening in mafia families! And Dream, well he did want to change that, he thinks Schlatt was shit. It's a miracle he wasn't overthrown earlier, but no one had dared to go against him. Schaltt did NOT like having an heir tbh, it's such a weak point he didn't care for. Dream was too soft in Schlatt's eyes. Not enough brute force coming from Dream, but he could recognize that Dream was still good at running his own division and associates and it pissed him off....Dream was a /threat/ and he did his best (without killing him outright) trying to bring Dream down...(that's not causing ANY sort of mental issues for Dream....nope!) Schlatt wishes Dream wasn't around and vice-versa, only Dream makes that a reality :3c

For George and Sapnap, I think George was def born in a crime family but was sent to Dream's family as a child due to....debts being unpaid....George is there against his will pretty much and has a bit of resentment against Dream cause he's the "heir"....that is until he finds Dream one day thrown out of Schlatt's office with a black eye and cut lip....he has always assumed any injury was due to him being shit at training or whatever. This...changes things drastically. They become closer. (They both never wanted to be born in this life)

And Sapnap! He def was a street kid, but I think BBH found him! And bbh was under Schlatt so eventually Sapnap found his way working in a mafia family. It was...rough...going from no rules and just trying to survive to....a /lot/ of rules and trying to survive....Sapnap def joins before George does and makes friends with Dream! He's the only other kid around! (Sapnap helps Dream figure out how to make it hurt less when you're getting beat....Sapnap had plenty of experiences out in the streets...)

George and Sapnap were also subjected to Schlatt's torment, of course, nothing like Dream though. BUT! I do think at one point Schlatt finds out that George and Sapnap are.../closer/ to Dream. And that will be used a /lot/ against Dream. (This MAY cause over possessiveness of the two, the fear of them somehow being seriously hurt and he has no control....)

FOR THE KIDNAPPING. SO. I did have set in stone Dream is crazy worried about his remaining family cause in my mind, the ones who remained would be the munchymc crew! I had in my head that shortly after the betrayals, he did call for a meeting with his most trusted Capos and was...extremely vulnerable with them. And they reciprocated his feelings. They're close. But George and Sapnap /are/ above them(at least, relationship wise).

There are plans in place in case Dream /died/, George and Sapnap were never supposed to take over as Don in that scenario, he didn't want to wish that dangerous position on them. But I think bbh did agree to take over if anything happened. And while that did stress dream out (bbh was the closest he had to an actual father figure), he couldn't ask for a better person. There's a lot of details in this plan that I do have in mind but I need to flesh out more. HOWEVER. Dream /knows/ that plan didn't really account for Sapnap and George /also/ being gone. So things are....becoming difficult to handle to say the least....while Sapnap and George were not publicly known to be close to Dream, they did handle a lot of affairs than most knew. George was able to take over for most of Sapnap's roles, but it was already a struggle at that point....

So Dream IS worried. But the stress of it is too monumental and he /does/ break as soon as ElRich called for him and requests his assistance. It was his confirmation that Bad is alive and doing things as they had plan. He needs his remaining family safe and by that point, he knows they'll be safe under the Team.

(I have ideas of ElRich interacting with Dream more but thats for another time heh)

NOW. about Q.... Q did keep close ties with bbh actually! (Bbh let the ties remain for Dream, to keep a closer eye on him). So when Q realizes Bbh is ridiculously more busy and is seen in other parts of Dream's territory that he doesn't usually frequent, it makes him suspicious. Q has plenty of connections. I had in my mind the wider crime world doesn't really know Dream (and George) is now gone. Not for a while, at least. Mostly because Team Mafia were not very "loud" with this abduction.

It's Q's poking around and trying to find out that leads to rumors of Dream potentially being dead. And Q finds out it was the Team that made Dream....die? Disappear? Whatever, he's/gone/ now. And he's gleeful. Everyone knows about the trade between those two families. Everyone has seen Sapnap acting jovial with the Team Mafia guys beforehand. He puts two and two together of course! Sapnap must've finally grown a pair and betrayed Dream, thank /god/

Funny(or maybe stupidly) enough, Q thinks he still has a chance with Sapnap! Q does start hanging out where Sapnap was seen frequently with some of the Team members, he never seems to be around anymore. Odd! Oh well! He can always go straight to the source! And starts pulling strings to get in contact with ElRich himself, surely he can buy Sapnap out of whatever contract he's locked in with the Team and bring him back to Las Nevadas! (He doubts Sapnap is very valuable to them now. Sapnap has done his job for them most likely, they probably don't even care for him anymore)

The meeting for that was...not great! Here's ElRich, listening to a guy say one his favorite dogs is /worthless/ and should just be given up to this....this /drug rat/. ElRich is plenty aware of the many times Q's men had tried to scam or underhand his own associates with the latest products on the market. And it's upsetting he can't send Q off with a bullet in his head for not only disrespecting his family member, but also making jabs at their latest two prized victims (though of course Q wouldn't know the extent of care Team Mafia has towards dteam and that's his biggest mistake). Not only that! Q also demanding to take territory that once belonged to Dream, talking as if he already owns it. This guy is absolutely ridiculous

So Q leaves with a big fat "No" for all and any request to see Sapnap and to any other requests he made, along with a few more threats that DO make him nervous...surely that'll be fine.....

(This interaction with Q will not be known to Dteam themselves for awhile, but they do start prodding them about their relationship with Q more. Which opens....a whole can of worms! Mainly it's Sapnap being reminded that he may have acted just like Q and betrayed Dream unintentionally and does not help his guilt whatsoever! He'll be fineeee......)

I think that's it for now! (I hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!)

[paperhats-and-evil-schemes]

Lovestarved (Rewrite)

Flug couldn’t believe it. Defying all of his expectations, Black Hat actually prevented him from hurting his friends. Not only that, but kept his secret from being exposed. He had been so certain that the eldritch wanted [...], but now, with every manipulative and cruel assumption Flug had made being tossed out the window, he had no idea what to think anymore. When he next spoke, his voice was but a meek stutter. “Th-Thank you, sir...” “’Thank you’?” Black Hat repeated, a ghostly twitch of annoyance betraying his smile for just a moment. “What have I told you, Flug? Your… gratitude…” That last word was uttered with notable disgust, “… is gravely misplaced. I only—“ He was stunned into silence when Flug unexpectedly clutched his hand. “You stopped me from hurting them.” The scientist spoke more firmly in spite of how his own hands trembled. Flug dared not make eye contact, instead staring directly at the floor. “Thank you.” He had almost expected to get lashed out at or shouted at for grabbing Black Hat so suddenly, and when he realized his mistake, he immediately let go… but Black Hat did neither of those things. He just stared, expression completely blank to the point of almost being comical, at where Flug had touched him. That doesn’t happen. People don’t touch him. He touches people. On his terms. After the initial confusion wore off, his cold and calculative eyes pierced right through Flug. “… Well.” He finally spoke, flat-toned, “You can thank me by getting rid of those pests outside.”

Okay look I know the White Hat fic’s been a long time coming and I’m definitely still working on it, but oh my god the complete and utter abomination that was the original Lovestarved fic was driving me completely insane, I HAD to give it a revamp for my own peace of mind lmfao, my GOD, IT WAS SO BAD YOU GUYS IDC WHAT YOU SAY I'M SORRY SZTEFA BUT YOU'RE W R O N G LMAO

So anyway, have the not-perfect-but-still-very-much-improved fanfic of a Monster!Flug x BH slowburn in which these idiots keep idioting around each other 24/7 until things happen lol (Btw one of my mutuals recently got instabanned for merely mentioning a certain phrase, so since I’m not sure how tumblr is deciding to auto-flag posts and I don’t wanna go through the headache of having to get my account reactivated again, this post is only the first half of the fic (the safe portion lol) and then there’ll be a link to the AO3 version at the bottom of this post for when things start to get on the risqué side.)

And of course, this fic series is based on this wonderful fic right here!

Previous works in chronological order: Hired, Don’t Try to Run, Lovestarved, Trial & Trust, Deeper Than Skin, A Small Solace, In Sickness and in Health, Benefit of the Doubt, Just Another Word I Never Learned to Pronounce, Merry (Late) Christmas, Compromise

Flug had never intended for this to happen.

Never in a million years had he planned on revealing this part of him to anybody , let alone Black Hat himself. Sadly, it’s not easy to sweep the unfortunate incident of devouring a test subject right in front of him under the rug. Then again, given his boss’s nature of being able to slip into any room unnoticed, perhaps Flug should’ve prepared for such an inevitable possibility. 

Oh well. Too little, too late, as some might say. At least Black Hat hadn’t reacted as negatively as Flug thought he might. On the contrary, in fact, Black Hat seemed to find Flug’s otherworldly nature quite amusing. Yet another reaction that his scientist perhaps should’ve expected to some extent. 

What he never could’ve expected was the change in attitude, however.

Yes, ever since that day, Black Hat had been treating him differently. It was subtle enough that any bystander likely wouldn’t notice a difference in their relationship. But Flug definitely took notice, especially in how his superior spoke to him.

He was still his usual brash, hostile self, but every once in a while, sprinkled in between whatever myriad of scathing remarks and scoldings Flug would face on any given day (and even those had lessened significantly), Black Hat would sometimes praise him. The first time Flug heard the words “Good work” out of his boss’s mouth, he thought he’d been hallucinating, as that explanation seemed far more likely.

Furthermore, Black Hat continued to surprise Flug by not broadcasting his secret to the rest of the household. He’d been certain that his boss would’ve gotten a kick out of airing his dirty laundry for everyone to see, if only for the sole reason that Flug gravely didn’t want that. Yet, Black Hat held back. Didn’t speak a word about it to 5.0.5. or Demencia. Not that Flug would risk getting too comfortable in that regard, of course. Whatever Black Hat’s motivations may have been, it definitely wasn’t coming out of a place of respect for Flug’s privacy. Knowing his boss, he was probably just waiting for either of their housemates to walk in on him devouring someone so he could indulge in whatever chaos might unfold. Or perhaps there was some other reason that Flug hadn’t considered. He certainly knew better than to try and guess what Black Hat was thinking, regardless.

Not all of the changes in Black Hat’s behavior were so positive, though. For one thing, his unnerving fascination with Flug’s souleater half has led to some rather uncomfortable arrangements. On the one hand, Black Hat providing him with prey saves Flug the trouble of having to sneak around anymore to feed himself, but on the other, his boss had a peculiarly keen interest in watching him eat. That was already bad enough, having to put what Flug had tried so hard to keep hidden all his life on full display like that, but it was made even worse by how handsy Black Hat would sometimes get afterwards.

He had a particular fascination with Flug’s teeth. Whether or not that was out of some twisted sense of humor or out of a genuine curiosity of Flug’s species, the doctor couldn’t tell. All he knew is that it was uncomfortable. Every time those hands crinkled up the edges of that paper bag to expose his bloodied mouth, anxiety spiked within him at the mere thought of his mask being pulled off completely. Luckily for Flug, Black Hat never went that far, for the time being. 

“Why do you always do that…?” He had asked once, during one upon too many fang inspections to count.

There was a click of the tongue, Black Hat tilting Flug’s chin whichever way he wanted, as he gave his unconventional answer. “The soul residue intrigues me. Besides, it's the only part of your face I’ve seen thus far. I like to admire it at its bloodiest.” Then he’d flash one of his many shit-eating grins. “Given how long you’ve hidden this from me, I certainly have the right to catch up on what I’ve been missing.”

What could he possibly have been “missing”? He knew Black Hat to enjoy displays of violence the most when they had some heart in them. Flug’s only ever been timid and reluctant in the way that he feeds, unable to understand what entertainment value Black Hat could possibly be getting out of such mediocre murders.

On one particular day, however, the situation differed.

Their domain had fallen under siege by a particularly persistent team of heroes… It would’ve been an all-out attack if Dr. Flug hadn’t activated an emergency forcefield just in time. But for now, all they could do was wait these heroes out until they came up with a proper plan of retaliation. Their anti-hero merchandise was the best there was, of course, but with the sheer amount of opponents waiting outside, the villains were put in a particularly tricky situation. 

Black Hat could easily dispose of the problem, Flug knew for a fact. These heroes were mere ants to somebody with his unimaginable power. But, in typical Black Hat fashion, he chose to instead put this job on Flug and Demencia. 

While Flug could understand to some extent that such matters were too trivial and boring for his boss to face head-on, he had hoped the demon would’ve made an exception in this case. This situation had cut Flug, Demencia, and 5.0.5. off from the outside world until they could find a way around those heroes, which wouldn’t be a problem if not for the fact that it left Flug without sustenance to keep his monstrous half in check.

Unfortunately for him, Black Hat found more interest in watching how his employees would tackle the problem instead. Because, for him, the slightly-more-interesting route would always be preferred over the easy way out. It’s not like the health of his underlings has ever held priority over his own amusement, so Flug had no right to be surprised. He’d just have to persevere, and he wouldn’t dare complain about his hunger to Black Hat himself. Knowing him, he’d expect Flug to earn his food under these circumstances. The way Black Hat was constantly hanging around the laboratory as he worked further cemented that idea into his mind. 

Instead, he threw himself into his work as if that were an adequate distraction. He did everything he could to keep his mind busy, to keep himself distracted from anything that may lead to one of his episodes, but it was so damn hard when these hunger swings can be so unpredictable. One minute, he would be completely fine, but the next…

“Whatcha workin’ on, doc?”

Hunger making him more irritable than usual, the mere sound of Demencia’s voice had been enough to grate on his nerves these past weeks of siege. It was bad enough that his cravings were already slowing him down far too much, he didn’t need Dem’s constant pestering on top of his current inability to focus. 

Shaking those concerns out of his head, he was none too kind when he answered her. “Oh, I don’t know, Demencia, maybe a solution to our little problem out there?”

Unfazed by the mockery dripping from his voice, her desire for mischief was left perfectly intact. “Oooo, is it cool? Will it blow ‘em up? Liquidize their insides? Lemme see it!” 

She jumped for the flask, and Flug had barely enough reaction time within him to dodge her. “ Stop that! Do you want to get a cloud of knockout gas to the face!?” Flug barked, scrambling to keep his work from falling out of his hands. Once stabilized, he shot her a nasty glare. “Don’t you have anything better to do than bother me?”

“You’re kidding, right?” She deadpanned in response. Dramatically flopping into a nearby chair, Demencia kept up her annoying lamenting. “We’ve been stuck with those dumb heroes outside for like a week, I’m boooored.”

“Well good for you, but since I’m the only one around here that seems willing to fix this damn mess, I need to focus.” Flug snapped at her, voice raising alongside his frustration, “What I don’t need is some brain-dead halfwit breathing stupid questions down my neck the whole time!”

Demencia’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at how intensely he came off. Sure, she could get on his nerves with relative ease, but he usually took it with more grace than that, even at times when he’d sic Hatbots on her. Even Black Hat glanced up from his newspaper upon hearing such unusual hostility growing in Flug, though he reserved comment. 

“Ouch,” Demencia remarked, although not especially offended. “Well, sorry Mr. Grumpypants, didn’t realize you were in such a mood today.” She chided him. “You skip your coffee this morning or what?”

Narrowed eyes shot one last dirty look at her before Flug tried to shift his focus back to his concoction at the lab table. Key word being tried , because before he knew it, he was doubling over from pain when his cravings hit him full-force. He was barely able to catch himself against the table, almost knocking over the work he’d previously scolded Demencia for endangering. 

Serving up a confused stare, Demencia frowned at him. “Uhh, Flug?”

The ruckus also woke 5.0.5. who’d been sleeping nearby, a worried grunt coming from him as he wandered over to see what was going on.

What Flug had feared all along was now fast approaching. This sort of thing was exactly what Black Hat wanted, wasn’t it? For him to expose himself to the others in as violent a manner as possible? And if so, then where the fuck was he? Flug could’ve sworn he was in the room a second ago, and hell, maybe he was too disoriented to know for sure, but he couldn’t see the demon anywhere. 

All he could lock his starving gaze onto was Demencia and 5.0.5., the clueless pair coming foolishly closer to check on him. They’d make easy targets. They were practically offering themselves up on a silver platter. How could Flug possibly refuse the instincts that were screaming at him to eat?

“Okay, Flug, this is weird, even for you.” 

For the briefest of moments, he saw his mother, so stupidly drawing nearer in his state of delirium. She should have known better. She made herself too easy of an antidote to his suffering. The exact same mistake that Demencia was making now.

He wished he could tell her to get away. He wanted desperately to warn her of what danger she was in. But he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t stop himself from inching his starving body nearer, itching to dig his teeth into something –

“Demencia, step aside.” Black Hat’s familiar voice ordered from the doorway, yielding immediate compliance from her. With adept swiftness, he strode over to the unhinged doctor and proceeded to drag him away from his coworkers before any damage could be done, exiting the laboratory with Flug in tow, and leaving Demencia and 5.0.5. to their own confusion.

Black Hat dragged him through hallways and corridors, paying no mind to his scientist’s resistance. Flug’s thrashing wasn’t particularly troublesome for Black Hat, although he felt mild surprise to experience a jolt of pain inflicted by Flug’s fangs when they tried to find nourishment in the tendrils that restrained him. Judging from the retching and gagging that followed, Black Hat’s soulless form wasn’t exactly fine dining to him. 

They entered a darkened storage room, the only light source coming from a flickering bulb above that fought to stay lit. Within, there laid a hero, injured and bound in place by whatever impromptu restraints Black Hat could find in the moment. 

“Eat.” Black Hat ordered as he shoved Flug towards the helpless fool.

As if Flug needed any convincing. 

The second he was released from Black Hat’s grip, he lunged for the hero, tearing into him with such ruthless ferocity, ripping flesh out in bloody chunks that were strewn across the room with great fervor. The crackling and snapping of bones that’d dared get in the way of Flug’s relentless fangs was like music to Black Hat’s ears. The only way this could’ve been better was if the hero had remained alive long enough to scream.

Out of breath by the time Flug was through with him, it took almost a full minute for him to regain his composure. 

“My my, what a savage display.” Black Hat purred in amusement, drawing nearer to admire the carnage. “You’ve been holding out on me, doctor.”

“W-Wha… Wait, th-this is a hero f-from outs-side, isn’t it…?” Flug queried as he came back to his senses, casting a hesitant glance his boss’s way.

“They make for easy pickings. You looked like you needed something rather immediate.” Black Hat replied, wiping bloodied claws off on his clothes. With a disapproving quirk of the brow, he added, “You could have said something sooner , by the way. It’s not like I knew where your breaking point was.”

Flug couldn’t believe it. Defying all of his expectations, Black Hat actually prevented him from hurting his friends. Not only that, but kept his secret from being exposed. He had been so certain that the eldritch wanted the drama and chaos that would’ve come with him attacking 5.0.5. or Demencia, but now, with every manipulative and cruel assumption Flug had made being tossed out the window, he had no idea what to think anymore. When he next spoke, his voice was but a meek stutter. “Th-Thank you, sir...”

“’ Thank you ’?” Black Hat repeated, a ghostly twitch of annoyance betraying his smile for just a moment. “We have been over this, doctor. Your… gratitude …” That last word was uttered with notable disgust, “… is gravely misplaced. I only—“

He was stunned into silence when Flug unexpectedly clutched his hand. “You stopped me from hurting them.” The scientist spoke more firmly in spite of how his own hands trembled against Black’s. Flug dared not make eye contact, instead staring directly at the floor. “ Thank you. ”

He had almost expected to get lashed out at or shouted at for grabbing Black Hat so suddenly, and when he realized his mistake, he immediately let go… but Black Hat did neither of those things. He just stared, expression completely blank to the point of almost being comical, at where Flug had touched him. That doesn’t happen. People don’t touch him. He touches people. On his terms.

After the initial confusion wore off, his cold and calculative eyes pierced right through Flug. “… Well.” He finally spoke, his voice flat and rigid, “You can thank me by getting rid of those pests outside.” 

With that, the demon took his leave. Flug watched him go, blinking slowly as he tried to process what just happened…

… No. He can think about this later. For now, he had an order to carry out.

After cleaning himself up and changing out of his bloodsoaked clothes, Flug returned to the lab with newfound energy and determination. He threw himself at his experiment with ultimate focus, not allowing Demencia or even Black Hat’s presence distract him, despite how intently the latter was watching him.

Flug completed the substance within the hour, and it did not disappoint. Everything went according to plan. Firing the gas bomb at their intruders did the trick, knocking them out just long enough for Demencia to dispose of them without a single issue. 

When all was said and done, Black Hat approached the doctor from behind as he disarmed the forcefield, causing him to jump in surprise when the demon patted his shoulder. “Well done, doctor.” He said simply before walking off.

All Flug could do was stare as he left, completely befuddled. 

He had always craved Black Hat’s praise, but now that he’d been getting it, it felt beyond impossible to get used to.

The strange behavior, the way he kept lingering about the lab for no discernable reason other than to watch him, how he’d been keeping Flug’s diet in check, it was all just so… bizarre. Flug racked his brain day in and day out trying to solve this mystery, but nothing ever felt like it made sense. It couldn’t be coming from a place of respect, as he knew Black Hat was incapable of respecting him. He doubted it was coming from a place of any sort of concern, as nothing about their routine had actually changed. If anything, Flug was more healthy than usual these days due to Black Hat’s assistance in keeping him properly fed.

Perhaps it was something more akin to keeping a pet. Of course, that must be it. Black Hat likely had him lumped in the same category as Lil Jack these days, just a pet to feed and maintain.

While that dehumanizing assumption made the most sense so far, Flug still couldn’t be sure…

One day, curiosity finally got the better of him. He knew he should know better than to question Black Hat, but he just couldn’t help himself this time.

It was on another day that, as was becoming usual, Black Hat had joined him in the laboratory, overseeing his work from a distance. Flug couldn’t actually be sure how much Black Hat was actually paying attention to the invention he was building, but he worked as diligently as he could under his boss’s silent supervision all the same.

A handray of sorts laid in pieces on the table while the doctor fiddled a screwdriver inside the mechanism. Black Hat had taken to leaning against the wall by the door, not a word spoken by him this whole time.

Flug nervously glanced back at him for a moment, quickly averting his eyes back to the device when he was caught staring. Finally, he forced himself to say it. “… Y-You’ve been… a-acting strangely since you first saw me feed, sir…”

“Strangely?” Black Hat’s cold voice repeated, examining his claws without a care in the world. “What are you implying?”

That ice, that frosty and bitter manner in which his boss spoke, had always rattled Flug’s nerves. It was almost enough to discourage him entirely from completing his train of thought, but he knew that would likely annoy Black Hat even more. He put his screwdriver down, turning to face the demon. “W-w-well, it’s, u-um… er…”

“Out with it, doctor.” Black Hat snapped impatiently. He cast the other man a challenging stare, as though daring him to say something he’ll regret.

At this, Flug hesitated. A lump had started forming in his throat, preventing him from speaking. Black Hat’s glare was definitely making the doctor have second thoughts about saying anything at all. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to speak through his discomfort. “Y-You’ve been treating me differently.”

Black Hat’s visible eye slowly narrowed, but he decided to amuse his doctor. “Oh really? How so?” He said in a sort of sarcastic, dry tone, taking a step forward.

No backing down now. Straightening his back, Flug tried very hard not to flinch away at his boss’s advances. “Well…” He began, fiddling with his hands, “You’ve been, um… H-How do I put this… nicer …?”

That was a big mistake the moment he said it, Flug’s eyes going wide once he realized his mistake far too late. Rage flashed across Black Hat’s face, the demon’s familiar growl ringing through Flug’s ears as he came closer. Flinching back and shielding his face with an arm, Flug almost fell over the table behind him as he tried to back away. “W-W-Wait, I didn’t  m-mean it like tha–!” He cut himself off with a fearful yelp as Black Hat yanked him forward by the neck of his shirt, his threatening form towering over the doctor.

“How did you mean it , then?” Black Hat snarled, voice dripping with a biting venom.

“Y-You’ve been acting like you think I have more worth now!” Flug squeaked, hiding his face behind his arms with eyes squeezed shut, a clear exasperation lingering among the fear in his words. “Like because I’m half monster, that changes things!”

Expecting to get pummeled in the next few seconds, it was to Flug’s great surprise that Black Hat let him go. Risking a timid peek at his boss, his jaw almost dropped. Why was he laughing all of a sudden?

“Of course it changes things!” Blackhat grinned, as though it were ridiculous for Flug to suggest otherwise. For some reason, that prickled at Flug’s nerves. “Now that I’ve seen what you are– ”

“What I am doesn’t change anything! I’m still the same Flug I’ve always been!” 

In a moment of surprise, Black Hat’s grin faltered. He’d never heard Flug take such a tone with him before, nor had he seen that particular look of frustration, dressed with hints of defiance, within Flug’s eyes.

“Have you been basing my value on species this whole time?” The scientist went on, irritation building, “What, I’m suddenly worth more to you just because I’m less human? Is that why you haven’t been kicking me around as much? Are you seriously that shallow?” With a scoff, Flug looked away, brows furrowed in anger. “If my being a human really disgusted you that much, I don’t get why you haven’t just replaced me with someone more your style.”

There was a tense moment of silence between them, although the tension was likely only on Flug’s side. Eventually, Black Hat spoke again.

“I believe that’s the first time you’ve dared to raise your voice at me, doctor.”

… Wait… 

Shit.

“I’m sorry…!” He squeaked in fear, cringing away from Black Hat in anticipation of being struck. Realization of how badly he screwed up hit him like a semi truck, and he scrambled over his words trying to do damage control in whatever way he could. “I-I don’t know w-what c-came over me! I-I’m v- very sorry, sir…!”

No violence came his way, however. Instead, Black Hat eyed him with what Flug could only describe as intrigue. His head tilted a smidge to the side, not unlike that of a curious animal. When he next spoke, it was with a kind of guileless tone completely foreign to Flug’s ears. “I have always valued you, Flug.” 

A disbelieving snort escaped Flug before he had the chance to stop it, slapping a hand over his mouth the second such a disrespectful noise had come out. How or why Black Hat hadn’t lashed out at him yet, Flug had no idea.

“You think I would have hired some annoying, sniveling little human if you weren’t of significant value to me? I know you’re smarter than that, doctor.” He drew closer, much to Flug’s discomfort. “In spite of what a pitiful sight you made, it was your intelligence that’d far made up for that. Your intelligence, your dedication, your perseverance, I have seen it all. From the day I met you, I knew your talents were exceptional.”

Baffled by such claims, Flug could do nothing more than stare in disbelief as his boss spoke.

“You impressed me that day, Dr. Flug. I can count on one hand the number of humans that’ve accomplished such a feat.” He went on, circling Flug to admire the work he had laid out on the table. “Humans are one of the most irritating and pathetic species I’ve ever come across in all my years. To have ended up relying on one for the sake of my business has been no less than a major frustration to me. Without you, who the hell do you think would be making all of our products?”

“I-I-” Flug started to speak, but was quickly silenced by the raise of Black Hat’s hand. Clearly, he had more to say.

“In a way, you’re not wrong. It does please me knowing that you’re not entirely human. You are something better. But, you’ve always been better than other humans in my eyes.” When he next turned to face Flug, it was with a narrow-eyed stare on his face. “So, don’t you dare suggest that I haven’t valued you until now. If that were true, I’d have left you dead in that alley all those years ago.”

At that moment, Flug had been rendered speechless. This was the first time Black Hat’s ever verbalized any sort of appreciation for Flug’s work, especially in such a direct manner. He almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing, tempted to reach out and poke the eldritch to make sure it was actually him and not some sort of caffeine hallucination.

Instead, he averted his eyes. As comforting as that was to hear, it didn’t change the main problem.

“You don’t treat your valuables very well, then.” Flug’s hesitant voice spoke up.

With a boisterous laugh, Blackhat twirled his cane idly. “So what? That’s of no consequence to me.”

“You seem to forget that I’m breakable, sir. It is a consequence if I decide to leave.” If he really is as valuable as Black Hat says... Looking away, he muttered under his breath, “It’s definitely something I’ve considered.”

That came as no surprise to Black Hat. He’s seen the collection of house and apartment ads the doctor’s compiled and occasionally glanced through when his boss’s temper was especially testy. But surely he’d never actually go through with leaving. Not after all the work he put in to get here. It would be absurd.

Not paying the comment much mind, Black Hat decided he was done with this conversation and headed for the door. “Get that ray done. We start filming in two hours.”

Such dismissive behavior was what Flug was used to letting roll off his back. But, this time, it felt like it didn’t matter at all compared to the other things his boss had said.

It was beyond reassuring to know that Black Hat found him important for what really mattered. There had been many a day where Flug had wondered if all of his efforts were actually counting for anything, in that regard.

Now, he won’t have to wonder. 

Something new to wonder about, however, was why this conversation had left him feeling so flustered …

Their uncharacteristically genuine conversation didn’t mean everything was sunshine and daisies, of course. After all, This is the house of evil. Can’t expect much else. What Flug was used to was being yelled at. Though there was one recent incident in particular that had been… strange.

As usual, Black Hat was eager to advertise anti-hero merchandise to their viewers. The demon rarely ever began recording early without first informing Flug, but today was, unfortunately, one of those days. He already had Cam-bot recording before Flug was even in the room. It’s not like he needed Flug there, anyways, so he just went ahead and started without him. The product seemed simple enough, some kind of fireball launcher of sorts.

Black Hat was well into the presentation by the time Flug had gotten there. The doctor had appeared somewhat rushed, and was carrying with him a toolbox.

His eyes widened with terror when he entered the room to see his boss already wielding the product.

“… and with just the click of a button, your local hero will be enveloped in a Hellish blaze!” Black Hat took aim at a target across the room.

“Sir, no!” Flug shouted, darting towards him, “There’s a chemical imbalance that still needs to be–!”

Too late.

There was a flash, then a blast of intense heat as the weapon backfired. Cam-bot went toppling over sideways, making a series of distressed beeping noises, and Black Hat let out a startled snarl as his arm was blown clean off. That wasn’t too much of a concern, however, as a stream of inky black energy quickly formed a new one.

He wheeled around, eyes blazing with rage as he faced the now-shivering Flug. “You IDIOT!!!” He roared, storming over to the scientist and roughly gripping his arm. “Is your job to have our products ready in time or IS IT NOT!?”

“I-I-I’m sorry….!” Flug yelped, cowering. “I-I thought I h-had more time…! I just needed to make one minor adjustmen–” He cut himself off with a pained outcry as Black Hat’s grip tightened, near threatening to break his arm.

“I don’t want to hear EXCUSES, YOU BLOODY– You…” Black Hat trailed off, a whisper of that recent conversation with the doctor echoing in his head.

You don’t treat your valuables very well.

You seem to forget that I’m breakable.

Staring over the terrified doctor now, the way he immediately expected the worst, something felt… off. Black Hat was the one that decided to start early and without Flug’s knowledge… but that still shouldn’t excuse not having it ready before the deadline, so–!

“Sir…?” Flug’s voice, tiny and horrified as it may have been, managed to shake Black Hat out of his thoughts. Fearful eyes gazed up at him with a hint of confusion on top of the pain. Very slowly, Black Hat loosened his grip, then let go altogether and took a step back.

Flug stepped back as well at the first chance he got, gripping his hurt arm close to himself. He gave a puzzled frown. “S-Sir…. are you…. alright….?”

… How could he be asking that? It seemed so… backwards.

… It doesn’t matter.

“Get this mess cleaned up…” Black Hat finally said, his voice unusually low, “… and fix that infernal Cam-bot…” 

Then, he was gone before Flug could even reply.

Watching the door close behind his boss, Flug winced as he rubbed his arm. Sighing, he picked up the dropped toolbox and turned to Cam-bot. “Let’s get you cleaned up, then…”

A flood of blood trickled down the now-lifeless body and onto the floor, Flug’s shaking arm wiping away what dribbled from his chin. With a chunk of neck completely missing from the corpse on the operation table in front of him, it was leaving quite the mess. The doctor tentatively reached up to pull his paper bag back down and cover his mouth, but Black Hat’s cane pulled his arm away before he could. Flug squirmed slightly beneath his boss’s touch as he lifted his chin , discomfort setting in him, but Black Hat paid that no mind.

A gloved thumb lightly grazing across the edge of Flug’s fangs, Black Hat’s expression was oddly monotone today. “… So, tell me.” He said suddenly. “If I’m so unbearable to live with, why do you stick around?”

“S-Sir….?” Flug responded, caught off guard by the question.

“You’re not being forced to stay here.” The eldritch went on. “You said yourself that you’ve considered leaving. Many other villains would be glad to take you. So why do you stay?”

Flug was quiet for a long moment, considering what he should say. Truly, there was only one right answer. “… B-Because the other villains aren’t you.”

At that, Black Hat paused, a twitch of surprise on his features for a second. Then, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Elaborate.”

Swallowing a lump in his throat, Flug started to fiddle with the sleeves of his labcoat. “W-W-Well, um… I-I mean, you’re… successful, c-confident, accomplished…” Oh gosh, why did he have to be listing off things he admires about his boss while they were in this position? Hardly any distance between them, and Black Hat leaned in closer with every word! Swallowing again, he tried not to get too flustered as he continued, “I-It’s just… well, you’re Black Hat. You’re one of a k-kind, the best there is. I don’t– I-I refuse to settle for less than the best.” Sheepishly, he looked to the ground, voice quieting. “You’re everything I’m not.”

Silent for quite some time, Black Hat found he was only able to give Flug a dumbfounded stare. The demon’s never had a tendency for modesty, for Flug to be so upfront about both his admirations and insecurities felt strange as can be. It was a combination that Flug likely never would’ve spoken aloud if left unprompted. Then, a smile began to form on Black Hat’s face. “Well, aren’t you the little ego-booster.” He purred, chuckling. “Although…” Stepping back and rubbing his chin in thought, Black Hat tilted his head and looked Flug up and down. “For one thing, if it’s something like confidence you’re wanting improvements on, you really shouldn’t spend your time hiding underneath that paper bag.”

Flinching back, Flug subconsciously ran his fingers across the edge of the bag. “N-N-No. I-I need it.”

“… Tsk. Fine, then. But still, I am curious…” Taking a step forward again, Black Hat brushed at the paper bag with his fingers. Flug jolted back before he could get a proper grip, almost tumbling over the body table in the process. Black Hat simply reached out with his cane, hooked it around Flug’s neck, and yanked him forward. With the other hand, he reached for the bag again.

“No!” In a panic, the trembling scientist grabbed his arm with both hands in an attempt to stop him, eyes squeezed shut.

Surprisingly, Black Hat did stop.

Flug hesitantly opened one eye to evaluate the situation. Black Hat was staring at where Flug had gripped him, same dumbfounded expression on his face as from the last time Flug touched him.

Slowly letting go, hoping that he wouldn’t try to remove the bag again, Flug frowned. “… U-Um… sir… I-If you don’t mind my asking…. W-Why is it you look so… bewildered … when I do that…?”

“Hmph,” Black Hat pulled his arm back after being let go, absentmindedly rubbing the spot he had been grabbed. He tried to cover up the bewilderment with a sly smile. “Maybe because the only time people ever dare to touch me is when we’re fighting or having sex. Why else?”

…. Flug chose to ignore that second part. His frown deepened, a touch of his own bewilderment setting in. “… So you’ve… never been, like… just… casually or platonically touched…?” 

Black Hat took a moment to think about it, looking off to the side. He couldn’t recall any instances of such a thing, aside from maybe shaking hands with clients, if that were to count? But those were more like business obligations rather than anything casual or platonic. “Hmm… No, never.” He eventually concluded. His eyes narrowed just slightly when they pulled back towards Flug. “Well, unless we count you.”

Normally Flug might’ve winced away in response to the slow return of hostility in Black Hat, but he was just… too flabbergasted. The concept of going through life without that ever happening seemed so farfetched for some reason, but he supposed if you’re a guy like Black Hat, maybe it’s plausible…..?

After a long moment’s thought, he hesitantly reached out a hand, pausing near Black Hat’s right shoulder as he examined his boss’s face for permission.

Black Hat’s eyes further narrowed with skepticism at the gesture, but he made no protest. So, Flug continued. His skeptical gaze followed Flug’s hand all the way until it had made contact with his shoulder.

It was strange, how all the malice slowly drained from his boss’s face upon contact. The look in his eyes was no longer one of hostility, but rather, curiosity. Perhaps a touch of confusion, but mostly a genuine sort of curiosity that was, in a way, almost innocent-looking. It was a rather strange expression on him, Flug finding himself unable to look away until Black Hat’s questioning pupils darted to Flug’s own face, wondering why he had gone so still.

Quickly averting his eyes, Flug went back to what he was doing. Very slowly, he ran his hand down the demon’s arm, as if he were simply smoothing out the fabric of his sleeve. Gentle, yet so impactful. If he wasn’t mistaken, he could’ve sworn he felt the slightest shiver from his boss as he had done so. Another sneaking glance to Black Hat’s face confirmed that he was just as confused as Flug was about the whole thing.

Slowly still, Flug raised his other hand to meet Black Hat’s chest, just letting it rest there for a while. Then, as if snapped out of a trance, Flug realized all at once how weird this must be getting and jolted backwards, the sudden movement even startling Black Hat a tiny bit. 

“I-I… um… s-sorry, sir…”  There Flug was, getting all flustered again. Why the hell did these strange interactions with his boss keep stirring up such confusing butterflies in the pit of his stomach?

Black Hat raised an eyebrow slightly, but other than that, his expression remained vaguely passive. He ran his own fingers along where Flug had touched him, quiet for some time. Then, his familiar smile crept back along his face as he looked back towards the doctor. “Seems only fair that I’d get to look beneath that bag of yours now, doesn’t it?”

Crap. Flug was hoping he’d forgotten about that. His gaze fell to the floor, accepting defeat with a very hesitant nod. “I-I-I s-sup-ppose so, s-sir…” He stammered, anxiety quickly on the rise.

A victorious purr rumbled in Black Hat’s throat, and he closed the space between himself and his scientist. Hands once again meeting the bottom of Flug’s paper bag, he took unusual care in how he lifted both the bag and goggles off of his face. As soon as those harsh white lights from the room’s fluorescent bulbs hit Flug’s eyes, a sharp yelp left his throat, and he threw his face in his hands to hide. 

“Seriously, Flug?” Black Hat deadpanned, unimpressed.

“I-I-I’m s-sorry. It’s t-too b-bright.” He stuttered, unable to stop trembling.

There was a moment of silence before Flug heard his boss’s voice again. “Open your eyes, doctor.”

Already feeling dizzy and anxious without the comfort of his bag, the thought of being made to endure such harsh lights on top of that was too overwhelming to handle. But the thought of angering Black Hat frightened him even more. So, he fought back every instinct that screamed at him to protect his eyes, stifled whatever stressful noises tried to escape him, and lowered his hands.

To Flug’s surprise, rather than the headache-inducing brightness he was expecting, he was greeted with a well-dimmed room, black smoke swirling above them to significantly dull the lights. No doubt compliments of Black Hat.

View of his scientist no longer obstructed, the wide-grinning demon took hold of Flug’s chin, lifting his head to get a better look. He could feel the halfling swallow nervously, but was too focused on taking in his appearance to notice or comment. Honestly, Flug looked like any normal human being if you looked past the eyes and teeth. 

But Black Hat didn’t. He was especially focused on those eyes, this being the first time he’s ever actually seen them goggle-free.

Flug’s eyes were without a doubt attention-grabbing. Where a human’s eyes would normally be white, Flug’s were an abyss of pitch-black, glowing white pupils being the only contrast to exist within. 

“Captivating…” Black Hat commented under his breath. While the comment was not specifically addressed for Flug, he certainly reacted to it, feeling an intense heat rise to his cheeks. His boss definitely took notice of that, smirk widening in response.

Embarrassed and feeling like he was going to pass out, Flug quickly grasped for his bag and pulled away from Black Hat, struggling to pull it over his head again through short and shaky breaths.

Evidently, having the bag and goggles was a comfort thing as well as an eye protection thing.

Satisfied, Black Hat gave a firm nod and turned for the door, smoke dissipating with a snap of his fingers. “Clean up your mess and get back to work.” He ordered as he left.

Flug had to take a moment to regain himself, doing everything he could to calm his nerves. With the combination of deep breaths and counting numbers in his head to refocus, the doctor slowly but surely found his composure again.

That was… quite the experience… Almost surreal ….

Placing a hand on the side of his head in confusion, Flug shook it off and went to take care of the body. The entire experience didn’t stop running through his head the whole while.

There were no words Flug had that could describe how their altered relationship had continued to shift and morph since then.

Flug first noticed it with the way Black Hat’s eyes studied him, bore through him right to the bone and stripped his soul bare. There lived no mordacity or annoyance behind his constant gazes, which was unnervingly strange in and of itself. Worse was that Flug couldn’t tell what Black Hat was looking at him with. Was it condescension? It didn’t feel like something that negative... Maybe… curiosity? Interest? But interest in what? No matter what explanation his mind tried to present, Flug knew there was something he had to be missing. Something he wasn’t seeing.

The mystery was only made harder to solve by the way Black Hat would touch him. In the past, the only form of physical contact they’d ever shared was aggressive in nature, as Black Hat had a nasty habit of manhandling anybody nearby in his moments of explosive rage. As such, it was hard not to flinch when the demon would put his hands on him. But, especially after that unusual encounter they’d had, his touches have become shockingly gentle. 

What were once brief pats on the back became lingering touches, claws tracing temperate lines along his meek frame, a hand resting on his shoulder just a bit too long… He’d also just stand far closer than usual whenever they were going over work projects together. Flug thought for a moment that perhaps all this time spent around Black Hat’s eldritch presence was finally driving him insane, but there was no way that he could be imagining these things. Out of all things for his mind to try and play tricks with, why something like this?

Furthermore, as someone who’s always enjoyed his alone time, Flug simply couldn’t wrap his head around why Black Hat kept joining him in the lab for the most benign of times. Even today, all he was doing was reading a newspaper with his morning acid, something he usually did in the comfort of his own office.

Occasional glances in his boss’s direction yielded the same results, those strange stares that made Flug feel so vulnerable being aimed back at him every now and then. He tried to focus on his work, to throw himself into his invention to distract from the outside world as usual, but his rattled nerves simply refused to let him do that today.

The next time he found his boss staring, Flug put down his tools, confronting the issue with a meek question.

“A-Are you ups-set with me?”

A glimmer of curiosity passed through Black Hat’s eyes. He put his newspaper down, that unnerving gaze completely honed in on his scientist. “What makes you think I’m upset with you?”

“W-Well, it’s… uh… I-I don’t kn-know, you’ve just b-been kind of…” Flinching slightly as Black Hat rose from his seat to approach him, Flug greatly struggled to finish that thought, looking all around the lab to avoid any sort of eye contact. “Y-y-you’ve b-been s-st- staring a l-lot lately, a-a-and, um–” He backed up as his boss got closer, just barely catching himself when he knocked into the table behind him, “A-and th-the t- touching … I-I just d-don’t u-und-derstand w-what–”

Flug’s stuttering was cut short when Black Hat took the side of his face into his hand, turning the scientist’s head to make their eyes meet.

“Tell me, doctor,” Black Hat purred, “Do I look upset to you?”

“N-n-no…?” Flug squeaked in response.

“There is your answer.” His head lolled to the side, studying Flug far too closely for comfort. His hand slinked down from Flug's face, the doctor withdrawing a sharp breath as deadly claws traced along his neck before finding its new resting place on his shoulder. “Does it bother you when I touch you?”

“W-Would it m-mat-tter if it d-did…?”

The way Black Hat narrowed his eyes at him, the hints of an annoyed frown starting to tug at his lips, quickly startled Flug into correcting his behavior. He straightened his back, answering the question directly this time. “N-no sir, it’s n-no bother.”

Just like that, Black Hat seemed to relax again. “Good.” He pulled his hand away, returning to the couch to pick up his newspaper. “You look like you’re having trouble focusing, so I suppose I’ll leave you to it for now.”

And, just like that, he was gone.

That… did not answer any of Flug’s questions.

Honestly, it was likely in Flug’s better judgment to stop questioning these changes in behavior to Black Hat’s face. Confusing as their new dynamic may have been, at least it was better than getting thrown around like a ragdoll on a near-daily basis. 

That wasn’t the way Black Hat saw it, however.

The way Black Hat saw it, all of this peculiar behavior had been a simple case of testing the waters. Unfortunately, his next move would be one Flug could’ve never prepared for.

Aaaand here’s where things get a little tumblr-unsafe, so to the AO3 void you go! (Please heed the warning tags over there)

[bonecaffeine]

hullo! I hope you're doing good <3 i've never usually cared much for matchups but i've fallen in love with the Touchstarved characters. i think the wait is far too long and so i decided to indulge myself heh my description: Pronouns: she/her Name: Lillian (Nickname: Lily) Romantic matchup Physical features: shoulder-length wavy, dark hair that always looks like a mess and deep brown eyes, tan skin, 5'2 (unfortunately) Hobbies: reading, writing, art, video games, working out, cooking, building stuff, collecting random things, Likes: animals, music, films, photography, travelling, architecture, martial arts, sports (mainly football), spicy foods, sweets!! (its an obsession), anything horror and sci-fi, playing in the rain/snow, playfighting, nature, the beach, tattoos, piercings, jackets. i'm a HUGE science nerd, esp when it comes to physics and bio. i love math and history too. also i've had this obsession with the colour blue since i could remember. Dislikes: insects, country music, silence, hot weather, bad listeners, constant lying, geography Random facts: My top love languages are definitely physical affection, quality time and acts of service. I've always been a stubborn picky eater despite my family trying to kill that habit. My music preferences are a mix of metal, rock, indie and pop. it really varies based on my mood. i love listening to classical music as well. I can be quite clumsy most of the time but it helped me develop quick reflexes, i don't actually end up causing a mess often (thank god or i'd be dead). i do get a ton of small injuries though. My recklessness is usually calculated, so don't be worried if i jump off the roof :) (i'm an adrenaline junkie, i can't help it) I do a bit of calisthenics because i'm trying to improve on my core strength and parkour skills. I can be really directionless most of the time because my memory is frankly embarrassingly poor, which means i get lost easily. I'm an ambivert who fluctuates between loving people with my bleeding heart and hating (almost) everyone. i tend to yap a lot. i love intense discussions about anything and everything. it's fun to bicker and tease. I'm overly dramatic and sassy. I like being in charge but wouldn't mind someone else having the reigns for a change. I'm really protective and loyal once i become fond of someone. I'm used to being the one to take care of others, i like to spoil my people. I have this habit of giving a personalized nickname to anyone i'm close to. Once i get attached, i'm real clingy. I try to help out whenever i can, even at my own expense, but i'm working on it. It's really hard for me to open up about my issues and talk about my feelings; i prefer cracking jokes or distractions. I tend to feel cold often, esp my hands and feet. Most of the time my muscles are usually sore. I struggle with sleep and my appetite is kind of inconsistent. I don't get unnerved easily by blood, gore, etc and can watch literally anything with a straight face. My top aesthetic is grunge or dark academia probably.

Thank you for reading all of this lmao <3 I'm so excited to see what you come up with!

Hii, I'm doing well, thanks!^^ here's your matchup!

☆ romantic matchup

☆ tw - none!

...

*Drum roll please* I match you with Ais!

The similiarities between your life styles are so so apparent! Just like you, Ais also lives for a fun challenge and for the feeling of an adrenaline rush. It's fairly obvious by Ais's body type that he's athletic, so he would have no trouble keeping up with your need for adventure, whether that be via sports or doing something daring. I see Ais enjoying martial arts and calisthenics too, and he'd be absolutely down to learn those skills with you!

Additionally, I think that Ais has a high tolerance for spicy food so he'll challenge you to eat a bunch of very spicy food with him as a fun game.

You two also share a liking for animals! He'll be so happy if you share the same interest in keeping soulless as pets, and he'll gladly let you petsit his own soulless when he is busy.

While Ais is an avid yapper himself, sometimes it feels nice to sit back and listen to someone else talk instead. He'll listen to you as intently as he can and if that turns into a fiery debate, then so be it! As stated earlier, Ais loves a good challenge, and he'll try using his wit to win the upperhand in a discussion like the smartass he is. Ais does it because he just loves watching your dramatic reactions! This type of playful teasing appears very often in your relationship.

If you ask about his tattoo, he'll gladly tell you the meaning or the reason he got it. He'll even encourage you to touch it and will use his tattooed arm as an excuse to get closer to you, if only that's what you're comfortable with, of course!

Speaking about physical touch, it's definetly one of his top love languages! He's just not too big on PDA though, but he'll put an arm over your shoulders when you're sitting/walking somewhere. Other than that, he likes cuddling with you in private! He's definetly a big spoon and a comfortable one at that since he has quite a bit of mass.

I think that Ais has acts of service as his love language too, though it's a type of love language reserved for people closest to him, like you. He'll always have a favorite snack of yours somewhere in his pocket, will actively plan dates for you two to go on and will sometimes pick up peculiar trinkets for you to add to your random stuff collection.

Ais doesn't mind that you're a picky eater and won't try to get you to eat things that you really don't want. But if you want to try to eat something new, he'll try it with you!

When you joke about your own struggles and trauma Ais will humor you, but will also briefly remind you that you can talk to him about anything. Ais may not be a very serious guy, but he'll get serious when life calls for it!

...

I hope you enjoy it, Lily!! It may be a bit ooc, so I'm sorry about that!!

[narastories]

catching up about fandom stuff

Oh, hi! Do you mind if I ramble a bit?

I feel like I've been a little distant and antisocial in the past few months due to personal stuff (mainly because my trauma bucket got kicked over many, many times, but also I've been trying to get the ball rolling on a few things I've been meaning to do for a while). And I know I'm not the only one who has been having a hard time. But now it's spring here, and I'm feeling a little hopeful and a bit more inspired. Is it just me? Do we dare to be hopeful??

I'm reminding myself that both of my favorite urban fantasy series, and main fandoms nowadays are due a new book maybe this year, and that is exciting and very much things to look forward to! It also makes me want to quickly write fic ideas I have before the canon status quo changes lol (Not that it matters. I believe you can write whatever you want. But with both of these series, we love to theorize about what is going to happen, so it feels like things are just not going to be the same when we get new pieces of information, you know?)

I'm also acutely aware that I haven't posted a Harry/Nic fanfic since the OTP challenge in NOVEMBER 2022 wtf. And uh, yeah. If you needed any further proof of my poor mental health then it is probably proof enough that I haven't touched my favorite obscure little OTP.

The good news is, that I have actually been inspired to write lately. I'm doing a little re-read of the FPA books, and also Skin Game, and it's all putting me back in the mood for fanfic. And I have been typing away for the past few weeks, trying to get back into it.

The bad news is, that I don't feel like posting things yet. I just want to be kind to myself and create without having to worry about sharing it. I know this might sound hypocritical bc I just shared a post about connecting in fandom. At the same time, sometimes it does good for a story to just let it sit and simmer a bit.

There is this expression (that I don't think is actually very popular in the English language) "to write for the drawer" and I never thought that was a bad thing. Sure I write very niche stuff so you would think it doesn't matter either way, but a story is never the same after you release it out into the world. So it's okay to keep it to yourself for a while and tinker with it and enjoy the process.

I also discovered gif making for myself. (If you have seen the gifset I posted yesterday, no you didn't :P I put it on private bc I wasn't happy with it yet. Mainly bc of the subtitle thing. I either have to figure out a clever overlay or venture out into the foreign planes of the internet to forage a little bit more lmao) I think the popularity of gifsets on tumblr is so fascinating, bc it's a format that just isn't very popular elsewhere (or convenient lol). When I was younger in fandom I never had a good enough computer to do this kind of editing. So now it just made me so happy to realize that my computer can do it, and I found it a relaxing activity.

I already dipped my toe in it with that Hellraiser/DF quote gifset, but now I figured out a method to make it look a lot better. And with open source tools too! That made me especially happy lol But I also realized that if I want to post gifsets then I might have to break my "no sideblogs" rule... Anyway, this is just one more thing that I will probably experiment with privately, and then we'll see if I put it out there or not.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is: creative hobbies are important. And if you can bring yourself to do them even when you feel like shit, it usually helps to feel a little less shitty. And that I will incubate my little projects for a while longer and then maybe I will feel like sharing them.

[bylertruther]

That comment was so true, I was just thinking the same way. Old bylers were more open to criticizing the show's bad aspects and writing choices instead od trying to bend the whole thing to come up with excuses and explanations. Nowadays when you criticize a writing choice or something done by the Duffers you automatically get accused as if you've just committed a crime because how dare you think the Duffers aren't perfect genius writers that put everything intentionally without any mistake.

yeah! nowadays, in this corner, criticism is seen as a bad thing that you would never do to something you enjoy, and it's like... huh? it's okay to not enjoy something 100%. the duffers and co are not infallible and people don't have to like every decision they've ever made. that shouldn't even be something that someone on the internet has to say—existing as a human being in the world should've taught everyone that back when they were a baby.

even beyond that, as others have mentioned in other conversations, you can understand someone else's viewpoint just fine and still not feel as though there's enough relevant evidence to back it up, and feel hesitant because of how the duffers have consistently handled other plots.

like, personally... i struggle to be one of those #believers, because of how present the show's racism is in my mind. also, season three and season four are right there, alongside the show's misogyny and classism, too. and don't forget the little inconsistencies and anachronisms either! there's A Lot that i don't like and that i feel could've been corrected or reworked more effectively had they had a more diverse writing room or consulted others during the writing process. i like the general direction of the show, but there are a lot of details or ways they went about it where i'm like ://// man..

and.... controversial perhaps... but i feel that behavior is especially rampant in the byIer fandom and it manifests as the fanon that we can't seem to shake off.

mike does pay acute attention to will in some ways, but he's not the obvious lovesick, clingy, forever doting, golden retriever bf that people make him out to be [shout out to s2 mike tho he was built different 💔]. that fanon!mike is fans overcompensating for canon mike's behavior and presentation, which honestly has not been that fucking great as of late, purposely because he can't balance having both will and el in his life, among other mike-specific reasons, and because the duffers changed the way they wrote him post-s2. he does care about and love will, but not like many fans suggest, at least not yet.

but if you say that around here, you're seen as a freak weirdo mike hater talking about some ooc mike even though the show is right there and i could point to the 9384038049 times that mike forgot about will, brushed him off, was mean to him, or explicitly chose someone else over him. purposely! of his own volition!

and it also shows in how they babygirlified him, even though mike doesn't act like or look like that at all in the show, nor has he ever been described that way by anyone, whether in-universe or by the people that bring him to life.

And Don't Even Get Me Started On Will. Zon't.........

they had to recreate these new characters with mike and will's names and faces, because they didn't like what was on the screen. simple as that. but will they ever admit it? lmao.

as a fan of the show, and a fan of these characters and the stories they're representing, it's really weird to witness. there has been a distinct shift in the way in-fandom bylers talk about byler and the show and it started post-s2 when things started happening that they felt they had to correct. if they want to engage with the material in a way that best suits their tastes, fine. whatever. literally everyone does that. but to insist that the things that they say that go directly against canon or don't even exist within it .... are canon? and that everyone else using direct lines from the text are the ones projecting or twisting it or otherwise not appreciating the material? i have to laugh.

it's the same with other serious criticisms. if they can't create something to justify it, then they just brush you off as a hater because that's easier than acknowledging that maybe their precious bloated ensemble show isn't entirely perfect.

[hunter-sylvester]

I honestly feel bad for Hunter. Having neglectful parents suck, I can see why he’s so attached to Kevin. Especially considering they’ve been friends since third grade (I think). I’d be scared if my friend started running off with some chick too tbh. Because now it’s not just us anymore.

[although Hunter still has Robbie, I love Robbie]

You and me both, Anon 💔 [prev ask for context]

And you’re preaching to the choir about neglectful parents lmao there’s a reason I relate to him so heavily. More like about a million reasons but that’s beside the point.

I agree and I definitely think it plays a very large part. Even the band’s name changing is symbolic of that loss of the illusion of them that Hunter was living under. I didn’t touch on it much in the previous analysis because I was trying to stay focused on his parental issues. But when discussing his attachment to Kevin in any way it’d be an oversight to ignore the fact that Hunter is in love with him. Dare I say canonically.

“When I first got the script, the first thing which popped out to me was that Hunter seemed like he was in love with Kevin.” – Adrian Greensmith

It's how Adrian played Hunter. It's as close to canon as it can be without it being in the script.

Although I do not think that it's entirely necessary to accept him being in love with Kevin for the following to make sense, it does enrich it imo.

So in my mind he subconsciously believes that Kevin and he are something. Something more than simply best friends. Not that he’s able to realize that. He automatically pushes everything down the second he feels it. Unless it's anger, of course. [emotional regulation issues | father]

You can see him repress his emotions so clearly here.

And yeah, the bandname. In the same scene, we get a quote I always read entirely too much into love to analyze deeply. Watch how he says it. It means way more to him than it should.

Skullfucker is them. It's Kevin & Hunter. It's his idea of them and their future. Of touring and performing together. Of striding into adulthood together.

His preceding "You can't. You can't-" is him practically begging Kevin not to abandon him. [abandonment issues | mother]

"You can't leave me because we are Skullfucker. Skullfucker is us. You can't break us. You can't throw me away, you were supposed to be the one that doesn't throw me away because we're us. You can't break Skullfucker."

It makes sense that Skullfucker is quite a 'strong' and over-the-top, even violent name. It's everything Hunter wants to project outward to protect himself and what he has with Kevin. Aside: it changing to Skullflower, which has a softer connotation while still befitting a metal band, can easily be read as symbolic of Hunter being forced to learn it's okay to be vulnerable as well. But that'd be a tangent and a half.

Kevin is shattering his entire world in the scene. He's taking a fucking sledgehammer to it.

"You need me a lot more than I need you. Without me all of your dumb fantasies disappear. But without you I might actually live a real life." - Kevin Schlieb

"Dumb fantasies" can be read as the more obvious. Namely, their band making it big while Hunter has to make zero compromises to his vision. Or there is the arguably more painful version. Hunter's dumb fantasy is them. Them together. Them being anything. Which certainly all falls apart without Kevin.

Aside: I wish to note that while I think Kevin makes a good number of painfully accurate points during this fight, I don't think he means all of it at his core. It's said in the heat of the moment and should thus be taken with a grain of salt. "You need me a lot more than I need you. Without me all of your dumb fantasies disappear." These lines I view as painfully accurate. "But without you I might actually live a real life." This one I think is not to be taken entirely at face value. It is said in anger with the intention to hurt in my opinion. And it works. But it's not what Kevin actually thinks.

He lashes out after this. As it's the only way he knows how to deal with anything and it beats having to examine why this is shattering his very being. [emotional regulation issues | father]

Aside: let it not be thought that I in any way condone his actions leading up to this scene. While the speech class scene is my favorite scene in the movie, Hunter's actions in it towards Emily are inexcusable. And the consequences that follow are something he brought upon himself.

There is also a case to be made for this being an example of or affected by Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, as I view all the members of Skullflower as being AuDHD (ADHD + Autistic).

But to circle back to Kevin running off with Emily...yeah. Of course that shatters him. Kevin is the only person that he feels safe around and on top of that he's in love with him.

His bubble of safety and his presumption that Kevin is his are turned to dust before his eyes and he doesn't even know why it's hitting him as hard as it is.

Also yes, they have indeed been best friends since third grade.

"Hunter's been my best friend ever since he stopped Molly Levine from pulling out my hair in third grade" - Kevin Schlieb

And yes, Robbie rules. We love Robbie in this household. I love that he's someone Hunter can also lean on. Even if it does have to be through very heavy projection.

And a hug. You can't fault a good hug.

I will emphasize tho, he never actually loses Kevin.

He couldn't. The way in which he thought he lost Kevin was a way he never had him to begin with. Kevin is still his best friend, still his bandmate and still someone who is safe and who is there for him. Kevin was just angry at him (and for good reason, let's be real). But he wasn't actually abandoning him. Hunter only felt like he did. [abandonment issues | mother]

Look no further than the fact he broke him out of Rehab. He came back for him because that is what Kevin does. Even if he gets mad, even if they fight, even if Hunter acts entirely out of line, Kevin is never gone. Never lost.

There will be consequences, absolutely. But he'd have to do a lot worse to actually lose Kevin for real. Tune in next time, where I will explain why Hunter and Kevin's relationship fits a BDSM bratting dynamic /j ANYWAY-

I do think their relationship is special. Just not necessarily in a way that involves kissing, unfortunately for Hunter.

Thank you so much for asking, Anon 🤘 If you are the same Anon from last time, then thank you again. I enjoy going on these incomprehensible rants and I'm massively thankful for being asked about my special interest like this. It's very nice ^-^

[destination-hotel-krat]

carmeo 👱‍♀️ number 54 pls🙏 I’m curious how my boys would deal with jealousy.

Kiss prompt game - 54: out of envy or jealousy

kiss prompt game + the ships i will do here

Nothing but agitated breaths and the occasional stray protest could be heard in the bathroom stall Carlo had shoved Romeo into at some point of their transgressive night out, as Carlo pressed their lips together with what his partner could only qualify as frustration.

Holding onto the collar of Romeo's shirt to pull him down to his height, Carlo was being quite aggressive, pressing him against the door as his kisses turned into rough bites on Romeo's lips more often than not as though they were intended as a punishment. His breath was irregular and the scent of wine filled each kiss.

Ah, Romeo reasoned. It turned out Carlo was a lightweight. This was the first time the two visited the Red Lobster Inn together, first time overall for a Carlo that had been eager for a new experience. Romeo knew that a place like this had no qualms selling wine to teenagers like them as long as they had the coin to pay, and so he had brought Carlo here to give bad quality wine and loud music a try. Apparently, he had enjoyed the former… maybe a bit too much.

“Car- What-…?” Struggling to understand what this attack was about, Romeo was unable to get a word in to at least ask.

Finally, a breathless Carlo broke the frustrated string of kisses. Looking up at the blonde with a gaze that would be daring if only he could focus it properly, he spoke up with an unusually soft tone.

“Say you're mine,” he demanded.

“…What?” Romeo, panting softly, looked down at the other with a mixture of confusion and worry.

“Say you're mine,” Carlo insisted, emotional desperation oozing from his hushed order.

Romeo blinked a few times before the cause of Carlo's outburst downed on him. Some young woman had been flirting with him earlier, presumably assuming he was older due to his height. Carlo, who usually was multiple times more restrained than this, was likely having a hard time dealing with the sight with more alcohol in his blood than he ever had before.

Relieved- and a little bit flattered, truth be told-, Romeo smiled. He cupped Carlo's face, and at that the other loosened his grip on Romeo's collar.

“I am yours. Only yours. Until I die,” Romeo assured him, his thumbs stroking Carlo's reddened cheeks.

Carlo simply nodded at that, satisfied. Despite not saying anything, whatever fury, insecurity or doubt he could have in his mind seemed to be quelled as his shoulders relaxed.

Romeo couldn't help thinking he looked rather cute with the distinctive, subtle confusion of drunkenness. Leaning in, he kissed Carlo again as though to seal his words. He did it softly, a sweet kiss in place of an ‘I love you'.

Carlo, however, seemed to have a different idea, as when the kiss ended he put his lips on Romeo's neck instead.

“Wait, what are you-” a baffled Romeo dared try to ask, unable to actually push him away.

“Can't let anyone else get ideas again…” Carlo murmured before biting down on a spot on his skin and starting to suck with unexpected strength.

“Wait, no-!”

ao3 link

a/n: once again my initial idea was different, but I realized my Carlo is too restrained and cold to display jealousy outwardly (specially in the form of a kiss), I think, and he is trying to keep his relationship with Romeo a secret. the solution, much like with many other problems in life, was alcohol (jk don't use alcohol to solve your problems ppl ty). also, Romeo's line about being Carlo's is so fucking corny. but I like that this turned out to be 525 words long. it's a pretty number and I don't want to change it (lmao)

[im-out-of-it]

y’all I’m trying to give Tessa the benefit of the doubt but when she thinks shit like “Sophie would be more beautiful if it wasn’t thanks to her scar” or how when she sees Camille, she thinks “oh downworlders can be beautiful” girl like what did you expect?

I will give her some points.

1. she’s very new at this whole being a downworlder thing, I get that

2. she’s just been through physical and psychological torture

3. her whole family is practically gone and she doesn’t know if or where Nathaniel is

but she’s so fucking sheltered and has this sort of one dimensional (if that’s the word I’m thinking of) thinking. yes the dark sisters are atrocious and these are the only downworlders she knows. the way shadowhunters at the institute talk about downworlders could also be part of her thinking. the codex doesn’t put them in a good light. but why would you assume they’re all evil monsters who are ugly?????? GIRL YOU ARE A DOWNWORLDER EVEN IF YOU VIEW YOURSELF AS PLAIN

like Tessa goes on about how Nate is so sheltered and needed protecting but isn’t she sort of exhibiting the same behavior??????

I’m sorry I’m trying my best to try to like her but I just can’t. this series could have been about Tessa and what the downworlders endure since all CC’s books have a shadowhunter as the main characters but her books don’t do them justice. it could have been about Tessa adapting and learning to be a downworlder and everything that comes with that but CC put a little bow on it and it made it some romance mirroring almost CLACE as if we needed another version of that. then it became what Will needed and wanted.

WE DO NOT NEED CONTENT WHERE A WOMAN DOESNT USE HER MIND AND GOES THROUGH LIFE PLEASING HER MAN AND DOING WHAT HE WANTS (at least I don’t fucking want it)

and how dare she say Sophie isn’t beautiful??? or as beautiful????? yes tessa isn’t aware that Sophie has been through some abuse but she’s got a scar, so don’t think she’s not as beautiful because of it. like what if tessa had some mark due to her torture from the dark sisters and someone judged her for it??????

I don’t know, maybe I’m taking this too far and thinking about it too hard but I just don’t like the way Tessa’s pov is going. to me, it’s just another “let’s focus on the man’s feelings instead of how I feel about this sudden change and then just be a shadowhunter instead.” she doesn’t use any of her power after TID. and I’ll never forgive her for having sex with Will immediately after learning Jem is gone. Jem seriously loved the fuck out of her and I feel she only stayed with him out of pity. “oh jems dying so let’s give him his last wish before he goes”- I’m sorry but I don’t like this message. it is personal to me because I don’t like people feeling bad or sorry for me because of my health which is something I don’t have control over. I would be okay with a Jem and Tessa pairing if it was real and authentic but it doesn’t come off that way for me

please don’t ever allow CC to write anyone with a disability/chronic illness/addiction EVER AGAIN

but I do want to state that I do feel for her and this situation but the writing is so against her. I don’t know maybe I’m just being my extra self again lmao

[ziskandra]

*cackles* 7, 10, 11, 13, and 24

7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? hate is probably too strong a word but i've developed a knee-jerk reaction to fellow anders fans over the years because of the subset that truly seem to think he can do no wrong and that all of his actions were entirely justified and had no negative consequences for anybody in kirkwall other than the templars. on one hand, i kinda get it, because i know anders fans have also gotten a lot of flack because... this fandom is incapable of being normal. on the other, i have a knee-jerk reaction towards anyone who assumes everyone plays these sort of games the exact same way as them (or indeed, the same way each time). i totally respect people doing whatever they want in their games and in their fanworks, but it's when it comes out in harassment of others or making bad faith assumptions about the character of actual living human beings that i'm like. no thank you. obviously there are fans of other characters who also engage in this behaviour, anders is just the one where my negative fandom experiences outweigh the positive ones, personally.

oh also, while i'm being salty (the name of the game i SUPPOSE), i fucking love f!handers but m!handers leaves me cold (especially in canon-verse fic, i don't mind it as much in like, modern AUs and the like?) idk i feel like them being the same gender changes their dynamic in a way i can't articulate--probably that hawke being female shifts the power dynamics a bit and. yeah. 10. worst part of fanon

again, 'worst' is probably a harsh word, but when it comes to pervasive fanon that i personally just don't like, it has to be visibly mixed-race alistair. i don't mind it as much when his ears have like, a subtle point to them or whatever, but speaking personally as someone who is visibly mixed, to the point that i have fielded complete strangers asking "what are you" on regular occasions, alistair's narrative would be. quite different if he wasn't human-passing. and while i get that some mixed-race people find solace in making their blorbos more representative of who they are and their identities not causing any issues, it leaves me cold. and again, i don't care what other people do, but it's when some people act like fellow fans who dare depict alistair as he appears in canon are being racist or what have you that i get annoyed. like, yeah, dragon age fandom does have problems with race, but like... this is imo not one of them, and it detracts from like. bringing awareness to actual issues. yeah yeah people can care about multiple things at once, but by the same token, people can only care about so many things at once, yknow? also this fandom in particular has a real problem with treating poc like we're all a monolith, and that includes both white people and poc. i find it especially frustrating that the dominant discourse centers north american race politics the most, but god forbid anyone try to address that directly .... but that's a rant for another time lmao. 11. number of fandom-related words you've filtered i have about 16 fandoms i'm not in filtered mostly bc they just turn up on my dash a lot, and a handful of characters/ships filtered for fandoms i am in! the one that has been consistently filtered the longest is reyes vidal. 13. worst blorbofication

oooh, this one i think is a toss up between alistair and varric. as someone who loves both these characters more for their flaws rather than their virtues, fandom can be. a difficult time! alistair often gets reduced to this...perfect prince charming, which i think is kind of disappointing considering there is so many different ways for his story to develop depending on the the outcomes of origins? varric, otoh, gets reduced to hawke's bestie a lot. and look. i get it. he is hawke's bestie. he is. very uncritical of hawke, which is not as much of a problem if hawke's a good person but. what if they're not? what if they're not, varric. god, what i would give for like. a fucking complicated characterisation-rich fic which explored like. hawke and varric's friendship and how they're like. codependent messes. (and i say this as someone who loves codependent messes lol). and i guess like.... everyone treats varric being viscount as a meme. and yeah, i get it, the dude is everything everywhere all at once. but i'd really love to see more content focused on like... his relationship with kirkwall, and his feelings regarding his friends and becoming viscount and yeah. anyway!! being a blorbo of mine is the worst because i enjoy pain and suffering. anyway, 24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

mage rights and also the chantry boom. i don't think i even have to elaborate on this do it 😭 🔥 choose violence ask game 🔥

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

No Hellsing because I sadly don't know her but Nikolina + 9 for the 50 tropes thing? ✨

9. There’s only one bed and we sleep as far away as possible from each other but wake up cuddling

AFDHFFHJD so… answering this nearly a full year later. I had this like 90% done in my drafts for ages and forgot to actually post it. I only remembered because I was scrolling through my inbox for any fun prompts I might do and saw the ask.

Anyway, ambiguously set at some point during R&R after the gang escape the white cathedral and meet up with Nikolai again. Let’s pretend Nikolina got separated from the rest somehow lmao

Featuring a Darkling tether cameo bc I am who I am as a person, I guess!

***

Alina didn’t mind sharing a room— it was more cost efficient, and likely safer if they had to leave in a hurry. Sharing a bed was a little more uncomfortable though.

“I think the innkeeper may have misunderstood,” Nikolai said slowly.

“It’s fine,” she grumbled, too exhausted to care very much. She sank heavily onto the one bed, unraveling the shawl around her neck that hid the collar. “It’s only one night.”

“I could try to get another room?”

She shook her head. That would just draw more attention to them, the last thing they needed was to be memorable.

They had been mostly camping out in the woods at night, trying to steer clear of populated areas as best they could. They wouldn’t have been staying at the inn at all if Sturmhond didn’t have contacts they were intending to meet in the morning. Contacts that might even help lead them to the rest of the group. Alina hoped they were safe.

Nikolai sat down beside her. “I’ll have you know, I snore horribly.”

“Wonderful.”

He gave the bed an exaggerated pat. “It doesn’t seem like a very good bed, to be honest. I don’t think it even has fleas. I could just take the floor.”

She snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s no use if you’re stiff as a board in the morning. What if you have to run away because you bad mouthed someone?”

“That would be unfortunate.”

“You just stay on your side, and I’ll stay on mine.” And truthfully she was too exhausted to care much about propriety at the moment. And sleeping on an actual bed was a very enticing prospect. She suspected Nikolai was probably feeling the same way.

“I can’t wait to tell Oretsev you insisted on sharing a bed.”

She turned to glare at him. “I could still change my mind. No gloating.”

He held up his hands placatingly, but his grin didn’t slip. “Fine, fine. I’ll leave that part out of the tales of our daring exploits.”

“I just hope we’ll get a chance to recount tales at all,” she replied.

And that was that for the moment. They busied themselves the rest of the evening taking the opportunity to replenish their supplies, and prepare for the travel yet ahead of them. It was a careful thing, they both had recognizable faces. And the last thing they wanted was to be caught before the rendezvous in the morning.

Alina took her turn washing while Nikolai ventured out again to get food.

She’d quickly dressed again and was brushing out her wet hair when she heard it, smooth as silk, almost a whisper. “Where are you, Alina?”

Somehow, she didn’t jump. Though she felt the Darkling’s cool gaze on her. Though her stomach twisted with sudden dread. “I think telling you defeats the point of being in hiding.”

“Why run, Alina? You know I’ll find you eventually. The longer you take the less inclined I am to show you mercy.”

“I’ve seen what you call mercy. I don’t want it,” she bit out, just as the door opened.

“Suit yourself,” he replied, calmly, and with that the apparition dispersed.

Nikolai walked in some time later, carrying a tray of food from the kitchen downstairs. Slim pickings, but that had been the case for awhile now, with the drawn out civil war. And frankly she didn’t have much of an appetite after the Darkling’s brief visit. But she forced herself to choke down what she could.

To his credit, Nikolai seemed to sense that her mood had turned since earlier, if not the reason why, and so he didn’t make many attempts at conversation. She was grateful for it.

Then there was the business of sleeping. It was less awkward than she was expecting. She told herself she was too exhausted and in her own head to care very much.

So she extinguished the lamp, and lay down on her own side of the bed, carefully turned away while Nikolai changed. It was likely testament to his own weariness that he hadn’t made any quips or half hearted attempts to flirt with her.

She listened to the rustle of clothes and then the soft footfalls as he approached. The listing of the mattress. Despite everything she was very aware of how close he was, even when carefully keeping to his own side. The already cramped room just seemed smaller in the dark.

“This is preferable to sleeping on the floor,” he admitted, finally.

“Much easier on your delicate, princely sensibilities, right?” she replied without turning around. She was almost a little afraid to.

He only laughed.

Still, it didn’t take very long for Alina to fall asleep.

She woke some time before dawn, disoriented. Not quite sure where she was or how, except that it was more comfortable than she was used to.

Her memory caught up to her about a minute later. And the realization that she was very much not on her own side of the bed. Just who she was clinging to, and whose shoulder she’d buried her face in. From the steady rise and fall of his breath, Nikolai appeared to still be asleep. Fortunate, he’d never let her live this down.

Gingerly, she tried to disentangle herself without disturbing him. With any luck, they simply wouldn’t talk about this in the morning.

Send me a ship and a prompt for a mini fic!