#canon 2 me btw :3

[g0ttal0ve101]

Christmas Special 🖤🤍

[A/N]: idk if i’ll be online tmrw so here we are!! this is a lil intense but still cutie! :3 ( @sh1mmer-add1ct )

TW: gore, body horror, (mutual) cannibalistic behavior, and suggestive!

One night couldn’t hurt. Lucian kept telling himself this over and over again as he looked over the bottle, feeling nauseated from how comfortable the neck felt in the palm of his hand. There was a time not so long ago where he had one of these every night just to feel better — a time where he was addicted to it.

But one night couldn’t hurt.

“Luuu, come on. Show me.”

Lucian laughed softly and leaned back on the couch, his eyes unmoved from the bottle. Beside him sat his boyfriend, eager to try it out for the first time with his own closed bottle in his hands.

Inching closer and closer to him, Kai evidently yearned for his attention. Lucian snapped out of his daze with a smile.

“Honey, you don’t even have it open yet…”

“I dunno how to open it,” Kai whined, putting the lid to his teeth.

Lucian hurriedly snatched it away. “No, no. You’ll hurt yourself that way, silly. Here, lemme see.”

Kai released it from his grip and in mere seconds, the bottle was opened. Again, Lucian’s natural talent shined through. His old habits were making a comeback. It didn’t make him feel too hot at first, but seeing Kai’s amazed expression, he realized it wasn’t all too bad. He returned it to him and tucked both his legs up onto the couch, scooting closer to him for the initial first sip.

“Okay, ready?”

“Ready.”

“Okaaay. Cheers!” Lucian hummed, clinking his bottle against Kai’s. With a puzzled look, Kai returned the motion with a giggle. Then, they both put it to their lips and took their first step toward intoxication.

It tasted just as good as he remembered it. The stinging sensation didn’t feel like much as it went down and the bitter flavor almost tasted sweet as it danced on his tongue. One sip turned into two, turned into four as he remembered just how wonderful the feeling was, smiling to himself from the distant memories playing in his head. Kai, on the other hand, practically spat it out.

“Aw, baby…” Lucian set down his bottle on the table as he gently hit Kai’s back, helping him with the coughing fit he endured. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you not to take such a big gulp at first.”

“It’s gross!” Kai whined as he hit his chest repeatedly, trying to recover from the burning sensation in his ribcage and throat. “How can you like something like that?!”

Lucian laughed a little. “You learn to love it. I had the same reaction when I first started, too. Here, why don’t you take a break for now, okay?” He grabbed the bottle from Kai’s hands and set it down beside his own, redirecting his attention onto him again.

Pulling his hands into his lap, Lucian laced their fingers together and kissed his nose, blinking slowly to take in as much of his beauty as he could. Kai never looked better. Every facial feature he had was near perfection. Lucian believed him to be perfect. From his gorgeous eyes, to his pretty teeth, to his fluffy hair, to all the freckles dusted on his cheeks, he thought Kai looked like an angel.

His thoughts were a little loud. During his time of admiration, Kai’s face lit up with a light shade of pink, looking off to avoid his gaze. Lucian could only smile wider from the scene.

“Lulu…”

“Yeah?”

“Am I gonna be drunk now?”

It was a cute comment. Most of the words that came from his mouth were. With a grin, Lucian shrugged and proceeded to tease him. “Maybe. What, are you scared of getting drunk?”

Pulling away from their interlocked hands to bite at his nails, Kai finally gained the courage to look him in the eyes again. “Kinda. When you get drunk, you either get really mad or really horny, right?”

Lucian cocked his eyebrows up from the mere suggestion. “Where’d you hear that from? Well…I guess that’s true for some people.”

“How about you? What happens when you get drunk? Do you get real mad?”

“The opposite, actually. It feels like I’m floating. Like…there’s butterflies in my stomach and everything’s going real slow. It’s calming.”

“Really?”

“Mhm! But it really just depends on the person.”

“When my parents drank, they got angrier and sadder than they were before. Have you ever felt like that?”

Lucian swallowed hard and made an expression that could only be described as pitiful. “Sometimes, yeah. I guess it just heightens the mood you have before you drink. I dunno. We don’t have to drink anymore if it’s reminding you of that…”

“No.” Kai raised his voice, grabbing his shoulders and gently shaking him around to prove his seriousness. “No, I wanna drink. Come on, let’s drink more.”

There was no denying that tone.

It didn’t take long before Lucian’s bottle emptied out. Kai hardly touched his, still struggling with the taste, but offered to go grab Lucian another. Before he could resist it too much, there was another bottle in his hands, cracked open and ready for consumption. If his old self was in the same situation, he wouldn’t have thought twice about drinking it all up. However, looking at it with a sense of solemnity growing in his chest, Lucian couldn’t help but feel as though he was falling back too much. He swore off drinking whenever he began dating Kai. And to be drinking alongside him felt wrong, like he had ruined what he promised to maintain.

“You okay?”

Lucian wiped the sweat from off his forehead, averting his eyes from the bottle and to his face. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m…I’m fine.”

Kai looked at him for a long while with an unwavered expression. Lucian sighed.

“I dunno if I wanna drink this.”

Visibly concerned, Kai inched closer. “Why not? Is something wrong with it?”

“No, no, I just…I don’t want to freak you out if I start acting weird.”

He tilted his head upon hearing Lucian’s explanation with a soft smile. “You’re not gonna freak me out, silly. Like you said, you just get all calm and happy!”

Kai took another sip of his drink, maintaining their eye contact. Lucian watched him intently, swallowing hard against the lump in his throat. And although no words were exchanged between the two, they understood each other’s perspectives on the matter instantaneously. By the assuring expression Kai wore and the defeated smile Lucian gave him, they continued to drink together.

The second bottle hit harder. At first, Lucian figured it was because he hadn’t drank in a while and thus his body was readjusting to the intake again, but upon five minutes of it settling down, he knew something was wrong. Kai played with the rim of his bottle as they sat and watched cartoons together, leaning his head onto his tense shoulder. Lucian’s heart raced within his chest while thinking of what to do or say.

“Kai…”

“Mhm?”

“Did you…”

Upon hearing his tone, Kai sat up with a concerned look on his face. “What? Is something wrong, Bunny?”

“I dunno,” Lucian muttered. His eyes grew wider as he sat up, setting the empty bottle down. His limbs felt heavier than usual, his hands beginning to visibly shake. “It’s just way stronger than I remember it being. I made sure this wasn’t the strong stuff…”

Kai caressed his face, redirecting Lucian’s eyes back into his own. “It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Those words were all too familiar. Typically when Kai did something that upset Lucian, even just a little bit, he’d beg him not to cry. And with that warm smile and those eager eyes, Lucian was able to read him like a book – he knew something. Guilt was written all over his pretty face.

“Kai…did you do something to the drinks?”

“No,” Kai hummed in an almost childlike manner, moving indefinitely closer to his flushed face. “Only yours.”

Upon hearing this, Lucian’s eyes grew wide. “What do you mean?”

With a pretty laugh, Kai swung his head back and embraced him tightly without a care in the world. Lucian, on the other hand, had to focus on managing and evening out his breaths.

“I like it when your heart goes like thaaat…” Kai purred, placing his hand against his pec with a giggle. “Don’t worry, Lu. I’ll take good care of you, okay? I always do.”

“I-I know, but…”

“But what?”

“I’m a little scared,” Lucian admitted, trying to convey his emotions without Kai freaking out. His face was pale. “What did you spike it with, Kai? Please tell me…”

“Relax, Bunny. I promise it’s nothing bad. It’s just gonna make you sleepy.”

“O-Okay, so like, a sedative?”

Putting his finger on his chin, Kai pondered the idea with a sly grin. “Is that what it’s called? Yeah, I think so.”

“Where did you get a sedative from, honey?” Lucian asked in a low tone, trying his hardest to keep his composure. Both of his hands met either one of Kai’s shoulders, gripping them tightly as he stared deep into his eyes.

The once sly smile dropped from Kai’s face in seconds once he heard that tone. He bit at one of his nails and avoided eye contact, clearly becoming uncomfortable with his stern gaze.

“Are you mad at me?”

“Kai, I…no, I’m not mad, Kitty…”

Their eyes met. Even with his heart racing, Lucian accepted the affection anyway as Kai pulled him into a kiss. It felt just as nice as it always did. Kai was gentle with him, allowing his fingertips to graze against his back as he held him close. Telling by the way their chests were pressed against each other, Lucian understood that Kai was nervous, too — his heartbeat was just as rapid as his was. Then again, he might've just been excited. It was hard to tell.

Kai’s lips moved to his throat as they usually did, grabbing at his shirt’s neck to lower it and present his collarbones. Lucian hummed a little before softly pushing him off, clearly not in the mood. That only made Kai more frantic.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Kai. Seriously, it’s okay…”

“You’re mad at me.”

“No, I—!”

“I didn’t mean for you to be upset. I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay? Please?”

With a deep breath, Lucian nodded. He felt himself starting to become more woozy as time moved forward. “Okay. I’m not upset. How about you? Are you upset?”

Kai nodded. Lucian caressed his face with his knuckles, trying to console him the best he could without understanding what was going through his mind. Kai’s breathing steadied out instantaneously.

“I really didn’t mean to make you nervous, Lu. I promise I didn’t. It’s just…it’s Christmas and I have one last present and you have to be asleep for a while so I can get it without you seeing, so I thought I could just…I dunno. I’m stupid. I’m sorry…”

It took Lucian a second to process everything he said since his words went a million miles per hour. But once he came to comprehend the whole story, he couldn’t help but laugh that same old laugh Kai fell in love with all those years ago. Blushing heavily, Kai anxiously played with the rings on his fingers to cool off.

“Oh, baby…”

“I’m sorry, Lu. Please don’t be upset.” Kai leaned close to his face with that same worried expression as he wore before.

Lucian stroked his hair back and kissed his forehead, giggling quietly. “I’m not upset at all, cutie.”

“You’re…not?”

Lowering the neck of his shirt again, Lucian presented him with his favorite place to plant his kisses. “Of course not. C’mere…”

Kai tilted his head, evidently debating on whether or not he wanted to believe Lucian’s words. It wasn’t that he was untrustworthy, but he couldn’t tell if the sedative and booze were at play. Lucian giggled a little and pulled him in by his shirt, falling to the couch cushions and letting him sit on his hips.

Kai waved his hand across his face to check his consciousness. Lucian blinked slowly and laughed again.

“I’m awake, silly. I just wanna have some fun before I go to sleep.”

“Are you feeling okay though?”

“Nope, I’m three seconds away from death. I…love…you…”

“Wh-What?!”

“Haha! I’m just messing with you, pretty kitty.”

“Luuu…” Kai whined, tracing his fingertips down his chest with a pout. Once his hands met the end of his shirt, however, that cheeky smile made a return. “Whatever, Lulu-bun.”

“Eww, don’t call me thaaat!” Lucian laughed, shoving him playfully. “Bunny’s fine! Just call me Bunny!”

Kai knew how much he hated sappy nicknames. That’s what made it a hundred times better. “How about…hunny bunny?”

“No!”

“Hm…how abouttt…”

Lucian looked away for a moment, slightly blushing with a stupid grin. “You’re my kitty and I’m your bunny. Leave it at that, silly.”

“Okay, but you call me pretty kitty, sooo…”

“Oh, that’s what this is about, huh?” Lucian purred, moving his thumbs up and down against Kai’s hips. “You can’t one-up pretty kitty. It fits you perfectly. You’re pretty and you look just like a cute, sweet, little teenie-weenie kitty cat. Come onnn, who’s my pretty kitty? Hmm?”

Teasing him, Lucian raised his hand to scratch under his chin like a loving pet owner. Kai grabbed his hand and held it against his lips, kissing his knuckles with a dreamy glint in his eyes.

“I am.”

Lucian’s breaths sharpened as Kai pulled his arm further back, lifting him off the cushions a little for their lips to meet. Upon the initial touch, Lucian immediately relaxed into his grasp, sinking his fingers into his hair to pull him in more. Rather than pulling away after a few hot seconds like he usually did, Lucian noticed Kai’s kisses were still coming just as passionately as the last. It was cute. Typically Lucian was the one who had more stamina, but with the drugs in his system, he struggled to keep up. Apparently Kai thought it was funny as he giggled into their heaving breaths and pulled away.

“Need a minute?”

“Yeah…I think it’s starting to kick in…” Lucian whispered, sinking deeper into the cushions with a deep sigh. “You got some pretty strong stuff, huh?”

Kai bit at his nails again, still inches from Lucian’s face. “Your eyes are big.”

“Yeah?”

“Like…the black part.”

Blinking slowly, all Lucian could do was laugh it off. He could sense Kai becoming nervous, which made him subsequently nervous too, but he tried his best to hide it. He trusted Kai’s judgement on the sedative he used. After all, he’d never do anything to hurt him.

“My pupils might be dilating. Sometimes that happens with sedatives…” Rubbing Kai’s lower back to soothe him, Lucian smiled softly. “It’s probably because you’re right here, too. Your pupils get bigger when you see someone you love.”

“Really?”

“Mhmmm.”

In the blink of an eye, Kai was inches away from his face again — only this time, he was taking in every detail of Lucian’s eyes. Every shade, every shape, every color, Kai memorized within seconds. Feeling his warm breath against his supple skin, Lucian couldn’t help but blush and allow his eyes to become lost within Kai’s.

“You must really love me right now.”

His face grew blurrier and his voice became softer as Lucian slowly slipped away. “You know I do.”

Kai giggled and, again, kissed him. It was impossible to keep them off each other for more than a minute tops. And even in his deteriorating mental state, Lucian thought his neediness was adorable. Constant affection, constant attention, constant devotion — they were, to put it lightly, equally as obsessed as the other. Maybe in different thought processes and ways, but the infatuation they shared was unmatched.

Rather than rocking on his hips in a desperate attempt to get closer, Kai resorted to laying side-by-side with him and tangling their legs together instead. One of Kai’s favorite parts about Lucian was how loving and tender his embraces were. And one of Lucian’s favorite parts about Kai was how eager he was to be held.

Kai’s hands rode underneath Lucian’s shirt. He didn’t mind it.

“Did you…did you have fun today?”

The question somehow threw Kai off from his initial intentions, to pamper him with affection and kisses and love bites all over, and had him stammering over his words instead. “Y-Yeah. You always get me the best presents, Lu…I, uh, I really liked it when we were playing outside together. The snow is always fun…and, um…yeah! I loved all your presents a whole lot!”

“Yeah? Well…I thought all of your presents to me were the best…I really liked them all.”

“Really?

“Mhm…”

Kai glanced away for a moment, smiling to himself almost bashfully. “I’m happy.”

Lucian’s hand met the side of Kai’s face as he inched closer, caressing his cheekbone with the tip of his thumb. “I’m happy too, cutie. The happiest guy in the world.”

That same feeling sparked into his stomach.

“I wanna eat you alive,” Kai whispered.

His tone was so low and gentle as it reverberated in his eardrums that it caused Lucian to shudder a little. “Yeah?”

“Mhm. I wanna rip you open and taste every part of you, all of it, everything. Because you’re mine. You’re mine and only mine. Nobody else can ever have you or touch you or feel you or taste you like I can. I’m the only one who can ever do it, okay?”

Lucian stared at him blankly. Confused at this reaction, Kai tilted his head. Lucian was typically a mess when it came down to his “dirty talk.” (Kai hated it whenever he teased and called it that, but that’s what it essentially was between the two of them.) Rather than blushing or gushing or practically begging for it, Lucian’s warm gaze never faltered from Kai’s face.

“…Lu?”

“Huh? What did you say? I’m sorry, baby. I’m kinda dizzy…”

With a pitiful expression, Kai stroked the hair from his face with his fingertips. Lucian’s eyelids fluttered shut almost instantly upon feeling his gentle touch, leaning his right cheek into the palm of his hand.

“…I love you, Lucian. I promise to be a good boy for you, okay?”

By the time those words left his mouth, Lucian was already fast asleep inside his arms.

/—/—/—/—/—/—/—\—\—\—\—\—\—\

“Lucian, will you marry me?”

Standing under the huge willow tree in their backyard, Lucian turned to see Kai on one knee presenting a tiny box in his hand. Inside was the prettiest ring known to mankind.

“Yes! Yes, oh my God, yes!” Lucian squealed, practically vibrating in excitement.

Suddenly, everyone Lucian knew surrounded them, clapping and cheering for the newly announced fiancés. Lucian scanned the audience once or twice before reaching to help Kai up, smiling like an idiot.

“We’re getting married now,” Kai said.

“Okay!” Lucian bubbled.

“Then we’re gonna go on our honeymoon to the beach. It’s gonna be so romantic. I’ll even protect you from all the fish in the water, we’re gonna have them removed and everything by the government and fire firefighters.”

“Okay!”

“You’re so cool, Lucian. You’re the coolest guy ever,” Kai purred while batting his eyelashes cutely. His face somehow looked even prettier than before. “I wanna marry you so bad, please marry me now.”

“Okay!”

“I promise to be a good boy for you, okay?”

Those words took a moment to register before Lucian understood why they felt so familiar.

His eyelids fluttered as his consciousness slowly became grounded back into reality, his heart still racing from the initial question Kai popped onto him — he wished that part would’ve been real.

Running his hands along the mattress, Lucian let out a soft moan while struggling to keep his eyes open. He allowed himself to collapse into the warm embrace of his pillows and blankets for a moment before letting out a sigh and forcing himself to stretch out in order to wake up some more. Only then did he realize that he was in their bed rather than the living room couch.

“Kai must’ve carried me…” he thought to himself with a silly smile spreading across his face. “Cutie. I’m surprised I didn’t wake up. I must’ve been wasted…”

Stretching his arms high above his head and yawning, Lucian prepared himself to sit up and take on another day. However, before he could muster up enough energy, he looked side to side for Kai’s presence. Unsurprisingly, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Hopefully he got some sleep last night…” Lucian’s eyebrows furrowed from the thought of his boyfriend pulling yet another all-nighter despite his scolding. “Probably not. He’s always avoiding it.”

Then, he finally sat up. His body was still reasonably groggy from the alcohol, but more importantly, the sedatives from last night. Upon recalling that conversation from last night, Lucian rubbed his temples and sighed again.

“I can’t even remember what happened. Hopefully I didn’t do anything weird. God, that would be so embarr—!”

Blood. Lucian’s hands trembled ever so slightly as his eyes comprehended the crimson red stains all over his shirt. He ripped the covers off to see that the blood had sunk into some of the sheets and blankets, presumably from the same source.

“Kai…?” His voice cracked with emotion and a mixture of grogginess as he stepped out of bed, trying to keep calm. “Kai, baby, come here!”

No answer. Lucian patted himself down and checked out the rest of his body, feeling out how much blood there really was. To his dismay, he found more on his boxers and thighs. It appeared that blood was from the huge splash across his shirt, but he couldn’t be sure.

Rubbing his hands down the damp fabric of the shirt, a bolt of pain suddenly overwhelmed his senses. He tumbled backward to the mattress again, stunned by how intense the sensation was. When the pain finally reached a point of equilibrium, Lucian let out a sharp breath and pulled up his shirt to see the cause.

There, he saw four inches of black stitches embedded into his skin, holding a giant incision together on the right side of his lower abdomen, right beneath his ribcage. His eyes widened in pure horror.

“K-Kai…” he gasped, his voice terribly shaky and uneven. “Kai, come here!”

“What’s wrong, Bunny?”

There he was. Lucian flinched from the sound of his voice coming from behind, hurriedly turning to see him. As he suspected, Kai stood by the window with a pleasant smile on his face.

Tears built up in the corners of Lucian’s eyes as he gently grabbed at his wound, trembling in utter pain, fear, and confusion. Kai tilted his head a little while evaluating the sight, gradually approaching him.

“Something happened…I-I don’t know what happened, but something happened!” His voice was embarrassingly shaky as he tried to put together a coherent sentence, nervous that Kai may freak out.

Kai’s touch eased a lot of the pain. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Either way, Lucian gazed into his eyes with a terrified expression, desperately trying to remain strong. With Kai’s warm hands grasping his shoulders, he felt a little more grounded into reality.

“It’s okay, honey. Just relax.”

“I-I’m hurt, it hurts, I-I don’t know where it came from, I—!”

Enough pressure built up from Kai’s grasp that it resulted in Lucian fumbling back onto the mattress. The fall was gentle as he was put into a sitting position, his legs dangling off the side of the bed. His eyes were wide with terror, gazing up at Kai. Kai released his shoulders to caress his face.

“I hate it whenever you cry.”

“Kai, I-I’m scared…” Lucian lowered his head shamefully, still grabbing at the mysterious wound. His voice was painfully embedded with tears. “It’s really bad…it’s so bad, there’s blood ev-everywhere, it’s everywhere…”

“Hey. Look at me.”

Lucian raised his head again. Kai moved the hair from his face with that same dreamy smile.

“It’s okay.” His voice was gentler now, his expression unwavering. “You’re alright. I have you. I already made sure everything was okay.”

“Y-You did…?”

“Mhm. Take a deep breath, okay?”

He was right. Lucian allowed his eyes to flutter shut as he focused on his breathing, removing his hand from the wound. Kai then pulled up the shirt himself, his eyes scanning over the neat stitching.

“How bad is it? Please tell me…”

“Not bad at all.”

“Promise?”

“I promise. Now lay down, okay?”

“N-No, it’s gonna hurt…”

“I’ll help you.”

One of Kai’s hands met Lucian’s back and the other rested on his stomach as he helped him lay back down. Pain shot through the entirety of his tummy, but eased out as his head met the soft surface. He hiccupped on his tears and held Kai’s hand instinctively.

“There we go. Here, let’s get your feet up there too, okay? So you’re all nice and warm again.”

“Kai—!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Kai hoisted him back into his original position on the bed. He watched as he grabbed all the bloodied blankets, humming a little while taking in the sight. Tears continued to roll down his face.

“I’ll make it all better. Just wait here for me.”

Lucian shook his head in protest, unable to find the words to express his emotions. Kai, again, caressed his face with a gentle sigh.

“Only for a minute.”

“Please tell me what’s going on. I’ll feel better if you just tell me…”

Kai kissed his forehead before scurrying off to find whatever it was he thought would make the situation any better. Lucian winced as he lowered his fingertips back onto the wound, trying to feel it out and how bad it was. The stitches were evidently done by some sort of professional — there wasn’t a chance Kai had mustered up the talent to perform a surgical move like that.

With yet another shaky breath, Lucian swallowed hard and tried to regain his cool. It seemed like everything was going to be fine with Kai being completely aware of the situation and seemingly okay with it. After all, Kai would’ve reacted very differently if he thought Lucian was in any sort of danger. That’s why, when he returned, Lucian was sure to have his composure back by then.

Upon seeing Kai struggling with balancing various items tucked in his arms, Lucian smiled warmly and laughed a little. That seemed to bring a sense of relief to Kai, seeing as he smiled right back at him with easing shoulders.

“It feels like we’re playing doctor again.”

Kai set out all of the things he thought would help Lucian through his troubles, including a pair of fresh pajamas, water, and a stuffed animal. “You liked playing that game, huh?”

“Mhm. I liked it better when you were the patient, though…”

Humming softly, Kai continued to organize the belongings. “You were a good doctor, Lulu.”

“You were too.” Lucian’s eyes followed Kai’s hand movements, trying to capture everything that was going on. “Are you gonna tell me about my sickness now? And everything that happened to me?”

“Haha, that was the fun part, huh? Making up stories about what happened…” Kai purred, pulling out an unfamiliar pill bottle.

Lucian shuddered. “Please don’t make it up this time…I wanna know what actually happened.”

Nodding firmly, Kai’s eyes finally met his. “That’s fair. Here, I’ll start from the beginning…”

Crawling onto the bed, Kai hovered over him. Even in his current state, Lucian became antsy upon seeing it, blushing heavily. He loved it whenever Kai’s hair swept over his face like that.

“There’s a really pretty boy I love. His name is Lucian,” he hummed softly, resting himself onto Lucian’s hips. The weight of his body didn’t bother him at all, despite being close to his wound — he purposely scaled it out to ensure there wasn’t any pressure on Lucian's tummy. “He has the prettiest eyes you’ll ever see. They’re so pretty that…I kind of wanna rip ‘em out just to see them closer.”

Lucian giggled. Kai continued.

“When I kiss him, I feel like I’m floating. But…I always feel like I wanna be closer. Like I want to be inside of him with all his cute organs and guts. That’s where I’ve always wanted to be. But…it’s hard to think of a way I could be there forever.”

Kai’s hand rode up his shirt. Lucian didn’t stop him, watching as he pushed it so far up that it got bunched beneath his chin. The entirety of his chest and tummy were exposed all for Kai’s liking, his eyes sweeping over it to catch what felt like every detail. Lucian’s shallow breaths were easier to see now that he was uncovered like this.

“But Lucian’s a very special boy, so I kept on thinking of a way I could make it happen. And, of course, I’d finally think of it right before Christmas! I knew it would be the perfect present, so I planned everything out the best I could.”

Kai’s fingertips traced against the stitches. Lucian shivered from the sensation, preparing to feel pain but being delighted to feel nothing but butterflies in his stomach.

“I went and got sleeping medicine from Thomas first. Then, I put my pretty Bunny to sleep. And after he was sound asleep and ready, I went and found a doctor who could help me. He was a good doctor, but a very bad man. I invited him over to have sex with me! And when he came over, bam! I threatened to leak all the messages and kill his entire family if he didn’t help me out!”

Kai dug his knees into the mattress as he sat back up, leaning forward to have his face inches away from Lucian’s. Telling by how red it was, Lucian clearly liked it.

Kai rubbed his lips against Lucian’s ear. “You wanna know what he did for me, Lu?”

“…Yeah,” Lucian’s voice was airless, his body practically trembling from excitement he tried to resist.

With a hoarse giggle, Kai backed away to look him in the eyes again. Their gaze was palpable.

“I made him take out your kidney and put mine in instead. That way, I’ll always be there with you…and you’ll always be with me.”

Lucian stared at him longingly, rendered speechless by his explanation. For a good while, he thought he was joking, that there was no possible way that he had really done something like that. But seeing the look of pure adoration decorated in his irises, he knew that was far from the truth.

“I made sure he was gentle with you. When he tore you open, he let me see inside, too. Lucian, it was wonderful. You have the prettiest organs I’ve ever seen in my whole life. And then, I watched him put me inside of you…I watched it go inside…”

Those words were lingering in Lucian’s head longer than they probably should’ve as he bit his lip, becoming more and more restless under his grasp.

“It hurt, but I didn’t care. I made him keep me awake so I could see how he was handling you…and because I wanted to see inside you, too.”

“…You didn’t really do that, right? You’re just playing around, right?” Lucian trembled a little as he asked, eager to hear the answer.

Kai cheekily hummed. “It was the prettiest kidney I’ve ever seen, Lulu. No, the prettiest organ I’ve ever seen. He cut you open and took it out and let me see it real good before he put it in. Oh, baby, it was beautiful.”

What seemed to be terror decorated in Lucian’s eyes melted into pure adoration as he slowly batted his eyelashes, silently inviting him into his loving embrace. Kai took it upon himself to interlock their lips. In a matter of seconds, Lucian grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him down to rest on top of him, clutching at the fabric as though it was the last day on Earth. Kai reciprocated the passion by allowing his hands to run down his body, calculating every inch of skin he still needed to visit — from his throat all the way to his waist.

With heaving breaths and his eyes fluttering open just enough to take in Kai’s longing gaze, Lucian wrapped his arms around his shoulders to pull him indefinitely closer. “I shouldn’t…get like this.”

“Get like what?”

Lucian allowed himself to sink further into the pillows, examining every detail of Kai’s face. “Y’know, all…excited.”

It took Kai a while to register what he meant. But when he finally did, his cheeks looked as though they were engulfed in flames. Kai grazed his knuckles against Lucian’s cheekbones and leaned close in kissing range. There was no climax.

“I like it.”

“What?”

“I like it when I make you excited,” Kai confessed sheepishly. “It makes you taste better.”

Their lips connected for a moment before Lucian hurriedly cut it off. “A-Are you excited too…?”

Grabbing either side of his face, Kai nodded with a dreamy glint in his eyes. Their mouths entwined again, only this time more passionately as Lucian’s fingers found their way through every individual curl of his boyfriend’s hair. He tasted better than ever.

Lucian’s breaths sharpened in delight whenever he felt the warmth of Kai’s saliva intermixing with his own. It was evident by his kisses that Kai was stuck in an endless loop of desperation — even more so once he began rocking and shifting on Lucian’s hips, struggling to control himself. It was cute knowing Kai didn’t understand his own body language, but even cuter whenever he imagined what must be going through his pretty head.

As they pulled away to take a quick breathing break, Kai couldn’t help but nudge his fingertips against Lucian’s stitches ever so slightly. A sharp breath of delight escaped Lucian’s lips as he reeled his head back, exposing his neck’s sensitive skin that Kai loved to abuse. Almost instinctively, he trailed his tongue from his sternum all the way to the bottom of his chin.

“K-Kai…”

His shaky voice worried him. “You okay?”

With shallow breaths, Lucian swallowed hard. “You can touch me…however you want.”

Kai kissed right beneath his chin and hummed. “Where’s your favorite spot, Lu?”

It was a question Lucian never considered before. Blinking rapidly in hopes of finding an answer before the silence grew too thick, Lucian allowed himself to let out a nervous laugh. Kai’s expression grew softer.

“I don’t know, I mean…do you have a favorite spot?”

“Of course I do.”

Lucian blushed heavier, his mind wandering through all the possibilities of his preferences. He never really thought about it before, but now he was dying to know.

“Then…just touch me there, then.”

“Haha! You make it sound weird.”

“W-Well, I just…I want you to be happy.”

“I am happy. Just being with you makes me happy,” Kai purred, his hands slowly but surely lowering past his waist. “But I can keep going, if you want.”

Lucian’s heart rate spiked upon feeling Kai’s fingers run against his boxers — but it slowed once the sensation ran beneath the fabric and onto his thighs, littered with one or two love bites. (Which was funny considering everywhere else on his body had at least five.)

“I love your thighs a lot. They’re always so warm and nice to put my head on,” Kai explained with an adoring glint in his eyes. “And when I love on you, they bleed a whole lot more and taste really good.”

Before Lucian could respond, he continued.

“But my super duper favorite part is your tummy,” Kai hummed. It was apparent by his dazed eyes that he was in a whole other world, daydreaming about all the times he shared with Lucian, leaving love bites all over. “It’s so cute. I like imagining all your sweet organs lined up inside.”

And with that, Kai’s hands remained in the areas Lucian liked to be touched in — his tummy, his waist, his chest, his shoulders, never anywhere that would make him nervous. That respect alone turned Lucian on more.

“I think that’s my favorite spot, too…”

“Really?”

“Mhm! But…I think I like it when you touch me anywhere, Kitty. Anywhere…”

“…You sound sort of sad, Bunny.”

“Haha, I’m not!” Lucian gushed, cradling Kai’s head close to his neck. “I just…I love you so much…I can’t live without you…”

Tears rolled down his cheeks once the reality of the situation finally began to settle into his mind fully, knowing that a piece of Kai was always going to be in him — knowing they’d never be apart again. His fingernails accidentally dug into Kai’s scalp from the overwhelming amount of adoration he had swirling inside, desperate for a release. (Not that Kai minded it.)

“I wanna be with you forever…”

Kai’s gaze met him from between the bridge of his freckled nose. “Forever, Lulu.”

Their lips met. It was so teeth-rottingly sweet that Lucian spiraled into the delusion that it was some sort of fantastical dream. He shuddered once he realized just how real it was — just how real every gentle and lingering touch was. He was captivated by the moment. Maybe that’s why his eyes took a while to flutter back open, even when Kai backed away to bury his face deep into the crook of his neck again.

Lucian’s fingertips grazed over Kai’s fresh wound, searching for the words to describe his emotional state. His lips parted as though he wanted to speak, but the sound hesitated to leave his voice box.

“I’m right there…?”

Kai placed his hand over top of Lucian’s. “Yep. You’re right there.”

Kai smiled. Lucian smiled too.

“We’re gonna have the cutest matching scars now!” Lucian bubbled, wiggling around excitedly. His burst of energy took Kai aback. “‘Hey, how’d you get that scar?’ ‘My boyfriend and I had a kidney transplant!’ That’s, like, the cutest thing ever!”

“Haha, yeah…” Kai hummed. It was evident from his face that he couldn’t care less about what Lucian was actually saying, simply taking in all his beauty. Snapping out of his daze, Kai sat up a little. “You think we can read each other’s minds now that we share an organ?” Kai pondered out loud, his eyes aglow from the mere thought of it.

Lucian giggled, pulling him into his lap. Kai wrapped his legs around his waist and arms around his shoulders, inching close to his face.

“Let’s see. Put your forehead against mine.”

Kai obeyed his orders and pressed their foreheads together, allowing his eyes to flutter shut. Lucian hummed and let his hands run up his back.

“Okay. On the count of three. Ready?”

“Ready.”

“One…two…”

And in unison, they spoke — “I love you!”

Laughter filled the air as they both playfully shoved each other, pleasantly surprised by the results. Kai fell onto his back and took Lucian with him, locking his legs tightly around his waist. Neither of them minded how close the other was, or really the position they were in, kissing and tickling each other nonstop.

“Ow! Stop! Stop!” Kai cried, flailing his arms about and attempting to squirm from Lucian’s tickle attack.

“You stole my kidney! It’s only fair!”

“No! No! Ow! Stoppp!!”

Lucian hesitated with his next move, trying to read Kai’s face to find any indications of him truly being in pain. But the moment he realized he was being played, it was all too late. Kai sprang up and gave him a nice big bite on his collarbone. Blood spilled from the gash, furthering the stain on Lucian’s shirt and in between Kai’s teeth.

Kai laughed hysterically. Lucian scoffed with a playful smile.

“You little—…”

“Aww, I was just playinggg…” Kai purred, finally managing to sit up and create enough distance between him to ensure his safety. “Get me back!”

Lucian squinted his eyes suspiciously. “My tummy hurts. I’m not chasing you.”

“Get me baaack…”

“Kitty—!”

“Guess I win!”

That set it off. Lucian scoffed and grabbed Kai’s shirt in a millisecond, yanking him close enough for him to have a taste. Blush protruded on Kai’s cheeks with wide eyes, but his sly smile remained unwavered.

“You wanna take that back?”

“Mmh…nope!”

“Okay.”

And in that same moment, Kai was pinned against the bed’s headboard, completely at Lucian’s mercy. He laughed and laughed, squirming as much as he could despite his aching wound begging him to stop — despite Lucian’s eager eyes burning into him.

“Luluuu, you’re so mean to meee…” Kai whined playfully, sliding his tongue against his blood-stained teeth with a soft giggle. “Are you gonna get me back?”

His teeth sunk deep into the side of Kai’s neck. Kai let out a squeal of joy despite how brutal the bite was. Blood vigorously poured out from the wound as Lucian loosened his jaw’s pressure, smearing all over his mouth, chin, and throat. Any other guy probably would’ve had tears building up in the corner of his eyes just because of how hard the bite was, but Kai remained completely unphased. As usual.

“Bunny,” Kai purred, taking Lucian’s chin into his hand and squeezing his cheeks tightly. “Don’t just use your…um…sharp teeth.”

“Canine?”

“Yeah! Don’t just use your canine teeth, you gotta use them all. That’s why it’s not going as deep as mine.”

Lucian huffed. Kai released him and pulled down the collar of his shirt to reveal more space dedicated to Lucian’s love bites.

“Here, try again,” he purred.

“No. You’re gonna laugh at me.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“You just did!”

“Baby, I only laugh ‘cause you’re cute…”

Rolling his eyes, Lucian pinned him against the headboard again. Kai watched him eagerly, lowering his head just enough for his gaze to be leveled with the bridge of his nose. He looked the prettiest when he made that face.

“I’m not trying to be cute. I’m trying to be scary,” Lucian reminded him.

“Right. Scary. Okay. Scary.”

“You’re trying to convince yourself…”

“No! It’s scary! I’m scared! Aaah!”

“Kai! Quit that!”

With a sly laugh, Kai repositioned himself against the headboard. Then, in the blink of an eye, the look of fear flashed across his face. Lucian was both amazed and weirded out by how easily Kai could manipulate his expressions to make them appear so genuine, but tried his hardest to play into it.

“Please don’t hurt me…”

Lucian hated and loved that voice at the same time. With blush covering the entirety of his face, he shook his head. His hands were still wrapped around Kai’s wrists, pinned above his head.

“…I like it better when you tease me.”

And in a split second, Kai’s original smug grin returned. “You’re too sweet, Lulu.”

Lucian’s mouth opened. Kai’s eyes lingered on every individual tooth in his mouth before he leaned into the crook of his neck, piercing his skin slowly. It hurt worse. Kai smiled when feeling the pressure becoming stronger, simply from the advice he’d given him before.

“Owww…” Kai whined, wiping the grin off his face to please his boyfriend. “Good job, Lulu. That one was real nice.”

With his lips still grazing his skin, Lucian released his wrists and hummed out a response. “You mean it?”

The lack of restraint on his wrists allowed Kai to warmly embrace him, pressing their chests against each other and lazily resting his head on his shoulder. “Mhm. Gimmie another…”

“You wish.” Lucian squeezed him tight, burying his face in Kai’s curls. “I’m sleepy, baby…”

“Wanna take a nap?”

“…You’re up for that?”

Kai grumbled a little. “Well, you’re not the only one who got stitches, y’know…”

“I guess that’s true,” Lucian hummed. “I need to get changed first, though.”

“Nooo! I like how you are now.”

“With blood all over me?”

“Mhm!”

“You’re so silly. Lemme get some pants on, at least.”

Kai squeezed him more to ensure there would be no escape route. “Nooo…”

“Kaiii…”

It was too easy to give in. Sighing defeatedly, he let Kai pull him underneath the covers again, cuddling against his chest like a big teddy bear.

“…Thank you, Kitty. This is the best gift ever.”

[hinamie]

fire nation festival wear aka a blatant excuse for me to push atla clothing design conventions to the absolute Limit

jjk atla!au with @philosophiums

[starry-bi-sky]

Clone^2 - Separation Strikes

"Why do I have to go?" Damian asks, surly and accent-thick, it sounds more like a demand and a whine at the same time. Sitting on the kitchen table with his arms crossed, in a green t-shirt that Danny bought him at a whim when he was at a thrift shop, and black shorts, he's never looked more like a kid. There's a little backpack leaning against the table leg, Damian begrudgingly picked it out when they went shopping.

His English has grown in leaps and bounds since Danny found him -- er, or more accurately; since Damian was spat out in front of him. -- and very little did they have to use the translator on Danny's phone these days.

Which meant one thing: Damian can start attending school comfortably now. And 'go' was the Amity Smiles Child Care Center. Danny and Jazz went as kids until they were twelve, and Mom and Dad actually managed to convince the center director to let Damian enroll for the summer.

And it was summer; Damian starts today.

"Because," Danny says, trying and failing to hide the smile pulling on his face, his heart warm and soft, and also laughing at Damian's expense; "being cooped up in the house all day isn't good for you, and you're starting school in the Fall. And, in Jazz's words: you need to have interactions with other kids your age for the benefit of your social development. And besides, it's only for the morning."

Damian's nose scrunches up, and his eyes roll so violently that for a moment, Danny thinks about joking that he'll get his eyes stuck like that. He holds his tongue; his little brother already looks like he's five seconds away from committing an act of violence.

"I don't need social interaction." Damian sneers, his cheek in his hand; a neverend pool of pride. "I am--"

"The Blood of the Demon Heir, better than everyone else." Danny cuts off, waving his hand in dismissive circles, his voice mockingly deep. Damian's brown skin darkens in embarrassment, and he scowls at Danny. "I know, bud. But Jazz is right, -- don't tell her I said that, -- you should be around kids your age."

Especially when he starts First Grade in the Fall. Honestly -- Danny was a little nervous to send him to the center. Damian's long since cut the habit of trying to kill or otherwise maim people, his palms ache-burn with gentle reminder, but his tongue was as sharp and as cutting as his sword. He still struggles with trying to quell it when he's upset. Vicious child-weapon that he once was, and will never be again.

Danny knows that it comes from a place of fear and defense, that Damian lashes out because that's what he's been taught. That at the end of the day, he doesn't really mean what he says, and he's learning to express himself better. But the other kids don't know that, and kids can be unforgiving and cruel.

Danny just...

His slow beating heart sighs, melancholy settles behind his lungs.

He doesn't want Damian to be outcasted. He doesn't want him to be alone.

Not like he was.

Damian sneers again, but says nothing, his shoulders crawling up to hide his ears like a turtle receding into his shell. Danny watches him silently, leaning against the kitchen counter with his own arms crossed. The clock hanging on the wall ticks in their ears -- it's almost time to go.

He watches Damian, careful, and so he sees it when his little brother's stone-shell pride and petulance shudders, and cracks. The darkened furrow of Damian's brows weakens, and for a moment, slants back.

Ah, Danny thinks, his own shoulders slumping. Epiphany washes over him, and his sad-heart soothes in warm understanding. So that's what it is.

His head tilts, and his hair spills over his shoulders, messy and fluffy, tickling his neck. Some of his bangs fall into his face. "Hal 'ant easabiatan ya habibi?" He asks, voice low and soft. Just as Damian's English has improved, so has Danny's Arabic. He still stumbles over himself some days, and Damian says his accent is trash, but they can have whole conversations now in Damian's mothertongue.

(Danny was incredibly proud of himself for it.)

Damian's face darkens, his blush spreading across the rest of his face, and he ducks his head down. Grown-out curls, black-brown and springy, falls over his eyes. "La!" He yells, loud and indignant, and not at all convincingly. "La 'asheur bialtawaturi!"

He was nervous. Danny can see it now, in the hunch of his shoulders and the tightness of his face, and faintly, he can feel it too. In the ecto-rich air of the Fentonworks House, it thrums, barely-there, like a hummingbird behind his lungs.

Danny can't stop the little, fond smile that forces itself across his lips and upticks the corner of his mouth. "It's okay to be nervous, little brother." He says, he sounds like Jazz when he says that. He doesn't think she'll mind him borrowing the nickname.

He pushes himself off the counter, and Damian refuses to look at him, hiding behind his hair and in his shoulders. It takes three long strides for him to reach the table, and Danny turns, plants his hands on the ledge, and hoists himself up. Right next to Damian.

Damian leans into him easily when Danny's arm wraps around his shoulders and tucks him close to his heart. He can feel his ear against his ribs. Danny hunches over him, resting his chin on Damian's head. "It's so okay to be nervous, actually. I was nervous, Jazz was nervous." He tells him, scratching the blunt edge of his nails across his scalp. "Everyone gets nervous."

"'Ana last aljumiea." Damian mumbles, as small and feeble as he was the night on the OPS Center balcony, realizing that his mom and the League weren't coming for him. Realizing that he was replaceable.

Danny's half-working heart squeezes; in grief, in rage, and his faucet eyes sting. He breathes in carefully, and presses his nose into Damian's hair in a loving faux-kiss. "You're right, you're not everyone." He says, steady and strong, because if he's not a pillar for his family, who else is he?

He can feel Damian's eyes flick up to him, and Danny smiles into his black-brown curls. Tilts his head to squish his cheek against him instead, hand dropping to thumb below Damian's lashes. "You're Damian Fenton," Because the adoption went through a few weeks ago, and he's still riding that high, "You're my baby brother. O' Artist Extraordinaire, Kickass with a Sword, Vegetarian and Wonderful Co-Ghost Hunter."

Damian tries to stifle a smile, and fails. Score! Triumph gathers in Danny's gut, his smile grows wider. He squeezes Damian tight, and only releases him so he can look him in the eyes. "And if anyone gives you a hard time at school, and I mean anyone--"

Danny has bad memories of the teachers looking the other way when the other kids were bullying him, all because he was a Fenton.

And Danny, bleeding heart, bleeding hands, loves his family more than he will ever love himself, will never let Damian experience the same injustice. Not if he can help it.

His eyes narrow, and the buzzy-film of ectoplasm covers his eyes, making them glow, "--You tell me. And as your awesome great big brother-and-technically-dad-but-only-biologically, I will handle it."

Damian, wonderfully made, full of light, his little brother Damian, giggles weakly at him. A sound that's worth it's weight in gold. The scary eyes dissipate, and Danny matches the sound with a cock-eyed, impish grin, dragging Damian into a soul-crushing, too-tight hug. The kind that only annoying older brothers can give. "Got it?"

That gets a proper, if short, laugh out of Damian. He wriggles in Danny's arms, trying to break free. But Danny does calisthenics, his arms are as big as Damian's head, so it doesn't work. "Understood, now, daeni 'adhhab ya 'akhi!"

Danny laughs, loud and bright, and loosens his hold just a smidge, only so he can adjust his grip and hop off the table with Damian still in arm.

"Never!" He crows, hoisting Damian slightly. One eye flick at the clock, and in one quick move, he secures Damian under one arm like a football, and hooks his foot under the strap of his backpack. Kicking it up, he tosses it into the air and catches it with his free hand, and slings it over his shoulder. "Now, to the car, my boy! Before we're late and Mom and Dad get charged."

Damian groans, childish and dramatic and long, but his face is all squished up with a wide grin and glee. Danny can taste his joy beneath his tongue.

"And, if my little pep talk didn't encourage you," He says, reaching the door to the garage, flipping Damian up onto his hip instead. "If you have a good day today, I'll make you bal mithai when you get back."

Like all kids at the promise of sweets, Damian's eyes widen and glitter. Danny loves seeing Damian be a kid, it's his favorite thing in the world. "I will!"

[hurlyburlytopsyturvy]

huh? guar— whuh???

↓↓ up close guardian spook below ↓↓

[fumifooms]

"Marchil? I guess I can see it on Chilchuck’s end, but what about Marcille’s? What makes you think she could develop feelings for him?" I’m glad you asked!

The first thing to note is that she does think highly of him

In the page on the right, literally defending his virtues and literally comparing him to Dalclan. And oh…

She does love a brooding mysterious guy who closes himself to love. But surely, Chilchuck isn’t her type at all, right? He’s not princely or knightly at all. In apperances certainly not, both looks wise and demeanor wise, but then that’s why she seeks to know him on a deeper level, to not only look shallowly.

And hmm. Chilchuck really is quite selfless isn’t he? Always looking out for others, and saving specifically her often, always making sure himself and, staying in or even running towards danger for her sometimes. Modesty is often considered heroic…

And can we talk about that drowning one… You can definitely frame the special attention as him knowing she tends to hesitate or be clumsy, and then his insistance on pulling her out of danger that she’s the healer aka the most important to keep alive, but. From the one who says that he just keeps his ass out of fights and won’t help this is a lot of risk to take, and he does die trying to pull her to safety in the dungeon rabbits chapter. And the drowning bit??? That’s when the dungeon collapses. The only reason they DON’T die of drowning here is that the water then gives way to outside. There was NO hope of pulling her to safety here and resurrections would likely not work either, he truly preferred to die with her than try to survive himself.

Sit your ass back DOWN you are in no state, self-sacrifical hero much damn

And Marcille definitely noticed this imo, after all she loves learning all she can about him, remembering things like how he hates waiting on people too. She pays attention to him and what he does and what he says. This to say that it’s notable, whatever reason for it you may think (though we know by this point at least she was already aware he was an adult though it wasn’t internalized), out of everyone it’s Chilchuck’s bed that she wants to sleep in during the Golden Kingdom stay. He’s safe and comforting to her: dependable, the defining trait in her view of him as is shown by the relationship chart in the Adventurer’s Bible.

^ Lending handkerchiefs is a romance trope btw and handkerchiefs have irl history of being used for courting. Especially in old English literature and plays like Shakespeare’s Othello, and personally I do see a lot of Shakespeare in Dalclan (nobility political drama with some romance). There’s how his cowl is a dearly beloved souvenir from his family too, there’s a lot of aesthetic tropes you can apply to him.

All this to say you can 100% romanticize Chilchuck into a princely noble guy if you try and that’s exactly what Marcille does with the wife roleplay. She doesn’t need much in the first place, she latches onto crumbs and makes aesthetic narratives out of details, give her an inch she’ll take a mile.

But what’s interesting about the shift throughout the arc of her and his relationship is that she starts out idealizing him into a little angel of a kid (shapeshifter), and she ends it idealizing him as a virtuous husband and family man instead.

And what’s doubly interesting is that in the former, she’s actively warping who he is personality and demeanor wise to fit the aesthetic, he doesn’t have that bitter pride of not asking for help and the edges have been smoothened. But what she does during the wife roleplay is something else, she acknowledges the flaws and just… Accepts them, rolls with them. She’s aware of his flaws and implements them into the narrative, but the reason why his wife left doesn’t capitalize on them even, rather Chil is chilblivious and his wife loves him very much still, she’s just testing him after having had a night of feeling out of place at his side.

And this is what separates the idealization vs romanticization, she’s not twisting him into someone else she’s just uplifting what he is and focusing on the good sides.

Marcille: "he has a shitty personality sometimes but if he was my husband I’d still cherish him" "If I were your wife I’d be overjoyed to go out with you and would get myself prettied up while you complain about me taking a long time, your friends would tell me that I’m nice and that’d make me happy, but I’d also be sad because you wouldn’t tell me that you love me enough"

He’s angry and his wife left him, he’s *flawed*, but he’s still worth hyping up, still worth having his own romance story, still has a shot of winning back his beloved. She sees him for what he is, human and real and not a carefully scripted character that fits an aesthetic, and she thinks it’s still worthy of love and admiration and fighting for

And what’s funny too is that you might expect her to cool down on him once she learns more about him but actually she only gets increasingly into his business. You tell her your age and next thing you know you promise to introduce her to your family. Give her an inch she takes a mile. And too the thing is, Senshi is equally mysterious but she doesn’t pester him like at all, asks him ONCE about his succubus and he doesn’t even answer and that’s like… It. With Chilchuck it starts off innocently enough with her wanting to know his age, hometown, the stuff she mentions having asked pre-canon. But it just keeps and keeps going and escalating. Think she’ll be satisfied now knowing you have a wife and kids, maybe she’s disillusioned now? Wrong! She wants to know their names and ages and occupations and hey how did you propose to your wife? Do you think she’ll stop after meeting them? What’s next? What will she want to know next????

She’s… Like it’s not a reach that Marcille is all over him. Like it doesn’t mean it’s romantic but she just is. She is not normal about him idk. Can you not ask him about what tongue technique he used when first kissing his wife, give the man breathing room

Marcille could literally go "if I was Chilchuck’s wife" having deeply pondered and thought out the hypothetical and people would still ask where anyone sees any romantic potential between them. Oh wait

There’s a platonic explanation for everything (almost?) in Dungeon Meshi don’t say I’m saying otherwise, but it’s definitely not like there’s nothing here to read into lol

Going off a bit more under read bc it’s my fave topic

Marcille has a whole theme with the charming prince trope with her idealization and storybook motif and Chil is kinda the "Well someone perfect like that isn’t very realistic and romance is usually more complex and that’s ok and good and flawed people can still be ✨virtuous✨" catalyst

Do you see do you see she starts canon thinking the most romantic thing is a prince charming but her arc in the end has her romanticizing an average, flawed, real and realistic family man, who’s on the poorer side and is on the verge of divorce. And that’s what he needed, too, seeing the positive of himself and the situation instead of focusing on the negative is explicitly what inspires him to hope that he might be able to reconcile with his wife, gives him the courage and self-esteem to shoot his shot.

He IS a prince figure instead that now it’s not about idealizing the grand and overt it’s about romanticizing the small things in real life!! About finding joy and beauty in things that seem normal or mundane and uplifting them to make the world feel kinder!!!!

He’s the devoted virtuous man that she wantsss not the storybook prince that’s unrealistic and could crumble like a script at any time. He’s the perfect example of a flawed realistic but virtuous & devoted & loving man. Far from a prince charming, but not fully detached from it either. Something worth fighting for despite the flawed cracks. Like literally, flawed romance being worth fighting for is literally the finale of Chilchuck and Marcille’s arc on the matter, where their separate arcs and issues intersect at the most crucial moment.

Marcille is important to Chil’s arc not only because of her optimism, but also because of her interest and knowledge in romance & matters of the heart, and that’s what he needs to both open his heart up to hope and to try to reconcile with his wife, like idk sounds gay

Their arc together is literally learning to 1) see each other for how they are and not undermining their qualities capacities etc etc while still not leaving flaws unchecked either and 2) opening up to people. Marcille LITERALLY makes Chil open his heart up to hope like idk man. What do you want from me. He’s literally the guy helping her through deconstructing novels and fantasy and rose tinted glasses and like. Deconstructing the prince charming figure into something more real but still romantically beautiful like KUI KUI STOOOOP STOP I’M ALREADY HOOKED I’M ALREADY-

 Ok fine that’s me reading into the tropes too much forgive me for being storybook brained but like. Speaking his heart out to a lone woman on a balcony, Romeo and Juliette shit, asking if she, too, doesn’t want to meet his family, madly blushing. And like she’s learned with Chilchuck it’s all in the little things, all the implications he cannot speak aloud. She does reciprocate, does blush madly back, and the first thing she does is shower him in flowers and jewelry and what in her heart is coded as romantic gifts

A lady, stashed away in a high tower by her lonesome, waiting for someone to call out to her from below… Romeo courting type shit with an offer, a heartfelt spiel, implicit confession from underneath her balcony. Offering him flowers because he succeeded in calling out to her heart…….. And they have to climb to her too…. Crazy

Doesn’t it sound like a proposal. One that’s both so storybook-like and not, contrastedly real and grounded, all about the implications rather than in your face grand gestures, "Don’t you want to meet my family?". They literally have an arc about the topic of romance and this is the climax/pinnacle of it like god?? This is @ the woman who said "Chilchuck is a shy/bashful man so I know he wouldn’t tell me he loves me, but…" btw

To quote a friend, truly the shiny secret unlockable dating sim capture target : THE DUNGEON LORD BIT WAS SO FUNNY BECAUSE HE KNEW SHE'D TAKE IT HOOK LINE AND SINKER HES THE ONE WHO GOT HER TO TURN AROUND COMPLETELY SHES LIKE. WIDE EYED FLAG RAISED???? FLAG RAISED WITH CHILCHUCK 👀👀👀‼️👀👀‼️👀

And the way that this is the culmination of their arc together… Like people are not ready for the ‘Chil calling out to dunlord Marcille on the balcony has Romeo and Juliette romance novels imagery’ take. Or the ‘their arc is about growing to see beauty even in the non-idealized, in the flawed and in the real’ take which makes it so so perfect if she were to lower her ideal from a charming elven prince to a virtuous halfling man (which she does end up romanticizing)

So there, you got to witness in real time what happens when I think about marchil for longer than 2 minutes, there are so many layers it’s a deranged rabbithole. I saw the necronomicon of subtext and it’s driving me to madness with forbidden knowledge that no one else sees

……. Like what if I told you she implicitly picked Chilchuck over a "unrealistic prince charming who’s actually disingenuous" much earlier in the story already. If she was given the choice to think through going with a guy that seems perfect and chivalrous like her succubus she’d pick Chilchuck over the other actually. If I sound insane rn tune in for my full analysis on them coming this month hopefully thank youu. Interwoven arcs of fantasy vs reality and idealization vs pessimism I love youuu

So now you know the general thesis of my planned analysis about the importance of the prince charming figure in Marcille and Chilchuck’s arc, where she romanticizes things to a sometimes worrying degree or idealize people into something easy and digestible and poetic (like Chil being a kid, and then him being a virtuous ✨✨✨husband), and how she needs to value aesthetics less and actual acts and facts more, be more grounded (like seeing people for what they are flaws and all, and accepting that people need money and not pulling through on principles of honor or unity shouldn’t get Namari shamed) and a part of that is accepting that Chilchuck is BOTH flawed and virtuous, a loving husband that still has shitty moods and fumbled his marriage so bad etc etc. So it’s like, her image of perfect prince charming that will whisk you away on an ethereal romance -> realistic flawed middle aged dad with personality issues and a failing marriage but he still is worthy of love and having his cute grand romance story and his happy ending. Ik I keep repeating the same point through this but I need it to be burned into everyone’s brains it has its grip on me I can’t do this. They are so special……

[liimonadas]

love run, love run, for all the things we wished we'd done

[doyouremem8erme]

i did this with my trackpad

[lord-squiggletits]

I think the reason that MTMTE remains the most defining, influential, and loved series in the IDW1 run is fundamentally because, despite its many flaws, MTMTE has the power to make you think and wonder about the world beyond what's shown on the page. The character relationships are so strongly developed that it's easy to care about the characters and easy to imagine further adventures they could go on. While the myriad dropped plotlines, underwritten/underutilized characters, and worldbuilding with weird implications are all fucking maddening at times... even if it makes you mad, MTMTE makes you mad because you care and it makes you want to immerse yourself into a world that feels like it's real beyond what's explicitly shown to you on the page. It's a sandbox of a story where there's so much fertile ground for pretty much anyone with any preferred character archetype, storyline, etc to dig in.

It's just... immersive. That's the best way I can put it. It feels like it could be real and it makes you want to spend more time in it than the constraints JRO had. It makes you want to know more about it and come up with theories on how/why things function or happen the way they do. That's why it's loved and that's why it's the best series in IDW1.

[lazycranberrydoodles]

MAILMAN - SOUNDGARDEN

BABYGIRL WHAT IF THE SINGLE PLANK PATH TURNED MY YOUTHFUL INNOCENCE INTO A TOXIC COCKTAIL OF HUBRIS AND MORBID RESIGNATION

yeah. follow for more of the character of all time XO

[trustworthycinnamon]

howdy Dirk Nation how are we feeling about splinter parallels

[absolutemimery]

666 days of lovin' the big fat red guy !!!

[edgy-dragon-trash]

Ok ok ok I’m gonna try and behave with the other zine submissions (small screenshots at most), but!!

I am sorta really falling in love with the oc x canon one.

So you get just this one fully, since we’re allowed to put them

Drawing people kiss is hard…

[hinamie]

@edwardnashtons I'm calling the police u come into my house and have the absolute nERVE to read me like this,,, Jail .

[burning-omen]

Playing a game I’ve beat (twice) again because I love this loser

[aroaceleovaldez]

You have no idea how surprised I was to see you in Alabaster tag. I guess I'm just used to see you with meta (which are always a delight to read btw)

What are your opinions about Nico/Al and Percy/Al

Do not let my meta fool you I am a rogue demigods fan first and person second. I love Alabaster. I do not interact enough with the rogue demigods/Titan Army side of the fandom for the amount of thoughts I have about them 😔

As for Alabaster ships - I have heard much about Nico/Alabaster and I think it's very fun and cute. In my Nico Ship Survey it by far swept for most popular Nico/Minor Character ship. I generally think Nico/Minor Character ships tend to be very fun and interesting, I love the minor characters, I love the rogues, and throwing Nico with another rogue and/or another chthonic demigod is always very [chef's kiss] for me.

As for Percy/Al, well. I did fully intentionally make my Alabaster design mirror my Percy design.

(My main reason for doing so was cause I thought it'd be funny for Al to hate Percy and then to learn that Percy also has a streak in his hair in the exact same spot and get SO pissed that Percy not only ruined his life but is also stealing his brand.)

But yeah I think it's very interesting! I love Percy getting to interact with demigods outside of the camps and I am always down for more rogue and/or Alabaster content. And again, nudge the chthonic demigods together, hell yes. No pun intended.

I just think Alabaster is neat. Let him do whatever he wants forever.

[hazy-sayonoria]

I officially introduce to Tumblr nation

My favorite humanoid animal/furry oc

Pamsly Poodle

More design mentions

He just leaves his chest fur to stick out of his shirt, he doesn't give a fuck tbh

Usually has a smug expression

His teeth get a bit sharp when he's angry

His design is inspired by Percy poodle from Playtime with Percy BTWW!! :3

He's the sillyyy

MAIN CLOSEUPZ

(TO CLARIFY, I ONLY HAVE LIKE 4 FURRY OCS, PAMSLY, HIS BROTHER HUSK, AND TWO OTHERS I HAVEN'T MADE YET IN GACHA YET, DONT CALL ME A FURRY 👿)