#cooking for one person means eating one meal several times! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xiao-come-home · 11 months

Text

Genshin + HSR men as dads;

┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

✰ Characters:

↳ Genshin: Ayato, Itto, Alhaitham, Kaveh, Zhongli, Xiao.

↳ HSR: Blade, Jing Yuan, Luocha.

✰ Words: 3,5k.

✰ SFW ; afab!reader, because pregnancy mentions. fluff.

Warnings: established relationship, the characters are reader's husbands, mentions of pregnancy, babies, ayato always ends up kinda horknee????? slight spoilers about blades past, not beta read THERES NO TIME FOR THAT

A/N: this is my first time writing for hsr and kaveh, but I tried my best </3 also I have work in 2h and I haven't slept yet. this is more important. pog also give me feedback if you like hsr pieces ;q;

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Ayato Kamisato:

he's such a girl AND boy dad you can't convince me otherwise. i just can't get that out of my head: imagine just chilling with your husband, you two enjoying some tea or coffee, while watching your children happily yell and play outside; ayato plays with your palm slightly, switching between rubbing it with his fingers and interlocking it, giving you occasional glances and tiny smiles.

ayato's definitely a strict parent, but wants his children to feel freedom - he does not force them to practice something they don't like, but teaches them necessary stuff they need to know if they are to be the future of the Kamisato clan.

he DEFINITELY had a boy first. and his son DEFINITELY looks like a perfect mixture of you two - he has ayato's eyes and hair type, but your hair color and smile.

your daughter, on the other hand, is exactly like ayato's copy, except with your personality - and he's extremely whipped for her. his little girl wanted to practice a new hairstyle with multiple pink hair clips? oh well, looks like he goes like this to his important meeting.

though, your son is just as mischievous as his father, if not worse - has probably trolled Itto more than once by the shy age of just three. he's also definitely interested in ayato and ayaka's battle styles, like hello??? HOW DO YOU JUST DISAPPEAR LIKE THAT??? AND TURN INTO SNOW??????

even though some fights between his children happen, as it's a thing you can't avoid - the big brother is very protective of his little sister and would do anything to make her happy! even if it means princess tea time. it reminds ayato of his, though not as fortunate, childhood memories with ayaka before she grew up to be the strongest woman and best auntie we know.

ayato probably teases you about wanting a third one, so they look like you this time. "say, darling, how about we get another little one?" feeling his smile, ayato whispers into your ear, "think about it, love," he wraps his arms around your waist from behind, "you just look so perfect I can't resist you."

Arataki Itto:

i do nOT care, his child is just as hyper as him. they're his absolute best buddy, partners in crime, you name it. but there's a plot twist - thank god your child thinks more often than their father AND stops him sometimes.

listen. absolute boy dad. his son is his pride and joy,he bragged so much about his boy to the point that Raiden Shogun herself heard about him.

so, remember itto being severely allergic to beans as an oni? his son absolutely loves beans and could eat them with no side effects. but itto being itto, prepares him meals with beans and takes it as a challenge. he just might cry, or throw up at worst. but hey, everything for his little sunshine.

^^your son absolutely cheers when he's making him dinner and suffering like?? "go dad! you're so awesome!" "yummy!" and itto's screaming back with tears dripping down his cheeks, "yes, YES!! THE BEST COOK OF INAZUMA, ARATAKI ITTO!"

itto prides himself in creating the most perfect small person to ever exist. your son inherited itto's golden heart and your brains (thank god). he's truly a ball of sunshine, and possibly the happiest and polite boy in Inazuma. with a pair of red horns just like his dad, red streaks in his hair and markings, itto's pupils and your eye color.

hear me out: total best pals with ayato's son. they love playing board games and battle onikabuto with each other, and much to itto's delight, his son is usually the winner, but the boys always politely thank each other for the game and move on.

your son is actually such a smooth talker to ayato's daughter to the point that he considers giving them a blessing and suffering being in-laws with itto.

he's also (great)grandma oni's favorite child now... he loves baking, cooking and sewing with her, and showing her his favorite onikabuto that you and itto let him keep as a pet!

itto's actually VERY down to have a few more kiddos if your pregnancy went well. he'd love a little girl to spoil his long hair, or maybe two. and two more sons so he wouldn't be lonely..

that time itto caught ushi sound asleep with his ball of sunshine next to him was the day he'll never forget. with tears in his eyes, he covered them in a warm blanket and let them snooze for a little more before bedtime.

Alhaitham:

literally no one, not even one soul knew that alhaitham has a child until they saw him walking a three-year-old. and the said child is probably the most behaved child that has ever been born.

seriously, your son is probably the smartest child ever. alhaitham, despite some worries, did and still does very well as a father - he began teaching him to talk earlier, he also seemed to have taken a liking to some instruments when he got older. the scribe's little one also enjoys it when his dad reads with him! be it alhaitham's books or fantasy ones, they have a special routine just for reading.

your son absolutely looks up to his father. when he sees him drafting some documents, his eyes shine with curiosity and adoration. alhaitham, can't help but smile slightly when he isn't looking.

nahida promoted alhaitham as the Acting Grand Sage. he promoted her as his babysitter.

^^but in a more serious tone, I genuinely think Nahida would be somewhat interested in your child - not in a negative light in any way, but.. it does make her wonder how a small child could be so smart. though his son has a long way to go and grow up, each year he manages to surprise her.

when his son is too bothered by the attention of other people, alhaitham gives him his noise-canceling headphones; they're a bit too big on him, but he appreciates it anyway.

alhaitham makes sure your son remembers his late grandmother, despite having not met her. even if the scribe does not consider himself a very emotional person, he wants the memory of her to live on.

he encourages his child to make his own decisions, too - just like he had that choice as well; if his son wants to break the ice and become more outgoing - alhaitham will not stand in his way. he wants him to grow up as the person he truly wants to be.

he definitely explained some god-tier science to his toddler son while holding him in his arms, receiving only some confusing "blah blag bwwwug" in return, watching him bite his tiny hand in happiness. he continued.

if there's something that alhaitham shares with his son, it's his love for naps. sometimes you all sleep together, and when it's time to wake up - both of them whine and your son snuggles up to his dad, to which your husband responds by getting his arm over the little one and giving you a small chuckle with one eye open, shortly before falling back asleep.

kaveh is your child's godfather. no, it wasn't his choice.

after a bit of hesitation and a lot of thoughts, he wouldn't mind to have another one; genders don't matter to him by any means, but I see him with yet another son :)

Kaveh:

kaveh and his twins could rival itto and his son's enthusiasm - it's what kaveh wants his kids to always remember - he wants them to enjoy every single bit of life, even if it's something simple.

the famous architect has decided to work hard to provide for you and the baby when you told him about the pregnancy- or, rather, about his future children; some of his work truly shone and got him quite a bit of attention, and therefore - a bunch of well-paid commissions.

kaveh has fought his empathy many times and tried not to overly spend money, which resulted in him being able to create and build your house that you share together; each of the twins has their own room, decorated according to their tastes.

your children have great emotional intelligence, just like your husband; if there's ever any conflict, they rather talk about it, than pout for hours, similar with you two. kaveh teaches them to always be honest, especially to themselves. they're also talented, but in different ways - your daughter seems to be fascinated by the role of the architect as well, but your son, regardless of what he's doing - he always makes sure it's perfect and polished as much as possible.

you cannot tell me this man doesn't do some kind of weekly family time - kaveh loves his family to the bone and would risk his life to protect you and your children with no hesitation. he's very involved in his children's lives and wants to be considered as their friend as well, not just a father; kaveh wants to know what they are interested in the moment, who they had their last beef with and who their crush is. he just really wants to gossip with them lol.

contrary to what a lot of people think, the twins and alhaitham's child(ren?) get along very well, and are aware they're just mirrors of each other. they can't however, understand how they managed to live together under one roof for so long... they never complain if they visit uncle alhaitham though, as he lets them search through his library so they can find out more about their interests.

in revenge, alhaitham is the godfather of the twins, just so you know.

Zhongli:

not only did he fall in love with you, but after hearing the cry of his little girl after she took her first-ever breath - zhongli fell in love once again.

he's so, so overprotective of his baby, regardless of her age. he's swooned by her - how tiny her fingers are compared to his when she finally grips them for the first time, how every month she looks even prettier than last one - he's always by her side, making sure she's the happiest she could possibly be.

since he has to sleep only once for a few days, he's willing to spend every second with her, especially after birth - zhongli also wants you to rest as much as you can, so you can both create memories together.

he most certainly takes her on a lot of walks with you when she gets older; not only around liyue harbor, but places dear to him and her only, if they discover one.

when your daughter grows up and begins to show interest in zhongli's hobbies, he smiles at her gently and sits her in his lap, only to start explaining it and feeding her curiosity; sometimes he has to stop himself for a moment to admire her twinkling eyes.

oh he DEFINITELY does her hair every morning. he's practiced on you before, having learned many new hairstyles to later on perform on your daughter; he carefully strokes her hazel hair with golden tips with a brush, feeling as he's almost watching his own in a mirror. sometimes, he adorns her hair with his own hairpin.

xiao was definitely the first person to know about your daughter. knowing that archon blood runs in her veins, he's less worried about being around her, therefore always more willing to spend time with her. both grow from this interaction - the little one knows how to protect herself (or to call uncle xiao when she's in trouble), and xiao understands small humans just a bit better.

zhongli's thrilled to know what her favorites are - no matter if it's tea, food or fabric, he has to know! perhaps they share the same favorites?

with the help of kamera, he's now able to immortalize the sight of you and your daughter. each birthday, he takes a picture and cherishes the young years of your baby, knowing they won't last long; erosion be damned, as long as he has the pictures - he'll always remember.

Xiao:

xiao was clueless. clueless and frightened. he wasn't supposed to have a child - with a mortal on top; albeit he tries to stay calm for your and baby's sake, he wants both of you to heal well.

it took quite a bit of time for xiao to fully embrace that he's a parent - and he adapted very well, having you by his side; the only worry that hasn't gone away is the thought of harming his daughter with his karmic debt.

but so far, the little one hasn't shown any signs of it, which makes xiao more than happy. she's yet another reason to warm his cold heart up, which he always compares to being engulfed by comfy scarf in the winter.

he automatically turns his head around whenever he hears her tiny little "tap taps" with her feet; not only does he find it adorable, but he knows she once again managed to lose her slippers and socks.

listen. she inherited the same diamond mark on her forehead - and he finally understands why you always insisted you liked kissing it for no reason.

he always. ALWAYS shares his almond tofu with his baby girl.. and she always makes a mess while eating it.. but it's worth it.

your daughter seemed to have taken a liking to watching finches from a distance; they always look for a nice spot in liyue plains, make a small picnic and feed the leftover bread to the birds. she finds them so adorable to the point that xiao was looking for a finch plushie for WEEKS. that made her good friends with qiqi, whom she tries to remember as "the finch friend."

Zhongli never says it out loud, but thinks of Xiao as his son. therefore, he finally earned a title of a grandpa (though unofficial). he's very proud to see Xiao stand up in a role of not only a protector of liyue, but the ones closest to him.

yes, your daughter actually calls morax himself, grandpa. (he doesn't correct her. ever)

imagine xiao with baby carrier. now you don't have to imagine it anymore.

。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°

Blade:

don't even say he isn't a girl dad. HE IS.

he thinks he's a mere blade whose humanity has been lost hundreds of years ago - it's nothing more but a delusion in his mind. if that was the truth, why would he stay near his daughter's crib and watch her sleep peacefully, flinching when he saw her stir in her sleep?

she's absolutely not afraid of his cold, death stare, in fact - she looks at him back, waiting him to break first. just imagine a tiny baby eating a rice waffle, blade next to her and he just.. stares at her. but she stares at him back and eats the waffle like it's nothing.

your baby girl inherited blade's hair- or rather, yingxing's pearly white hair. he often pats her head gently and goes his hand through her hair, his eyes holding a tinge of bitterness and anger; not at her, however, but at the one he's after.

since blade spends most of his time on various missions with the stellaron hunters, he tries to make it up to your daughter by giving her gifts; hairpins, stickers (ekhem, silver wolf), coloring books, you name it. he slowly warms up to the idea of spending more quality time with her - after so many missions and the thought of his family waiting for him at home, his heart longs to see you again.

sometimes.. you can catch a faint smile on his lips when he plays with her. it's a sad smile - a smile yearning for it to happen back in simpler times, before getting reduced to a weapon, or perhaps in another lifetime.

he never admits it out loud, but he gets used to the new routine a bit too comfortably. before, when it was just you - in contrast to now, when he barely closes the front door and hears his daughter sprinting to him and clinging to his leg; he picks her up and feels her squishing her cheek against his while grinning. "welcome home, daddy!" are the first words he hears - and hopes to hear until it's his time to leave.

at times, blade becomes genuinely terrified - terrified of no longer craving death and wanting to stay. it sends him in so much emotional turmoil he starts to shake; how else do you process this? after so many years of attempting to look for that one thing that finally stops your breath, only to get swarmed by the thoughts of not wanting to leave your daughter behind? what if something happens to her and there's no one to help her?

there's a thing that I can't stop thinking about: I want to leave it up to you how you name your daughter, but I feel like blade would truly like the name Mari.

he lets her decorate him with stickers. it was silver wolf's idea.

Jing Yuan:

he was blessed with a daughter, as well. and then again. and then... again.

he absolutely adores his three little girls, hellO?!?!? but if you think about it, it makes sense - almost all of them took after his personality.

there is a mandatory nap for him and his girls that no one can disturb, unless the planet is on fire or someone got you mad. they all snore quietly while cuddling their dad, one of them on his chest, second on his stomach, and last one has her face somewhere next to his hair. makes you wonder how they got in these places, considering they started sleeping beneath a pink blanket decorated with lions.

speaking of lions, mimi claims your daughters as her cubs and does not let jing yuan take them away. she loves being pet and getting small kisses from them, there's no way she gives him that amount of attention back.

jing yuan loves your daughters to death and spoils them with absolutely EVERYTHING. new plushie? will be here in a few hours. a damned rock that's stupidly expensive, holds no value but one of them liked it? he'll take five. hell, he might even buy them a dog or another lion and hope for easy consequences from you.

he's slightly scared of how fast his oldest got so good at chess.

the girls get very upset when someone mentions they have no older brother - after all, how could they forget about yanqing?

there is a high chance of him losing one of them at home. they're walking, he turns around and.. suddenly the math doesn't add up..

if it's princess tea time, it is princess tea time. fu xuan either becomes a princess or comes back later.

even though they sometimes bring a lot of trouble, jing yuan always tells them to appreciate you - when it's mother's day, they all sit down and prepare a gift for you, same for your birthday; your special days will never go unnoticed.

probably wouldn't mind having another child, but is fully prepared for another girl lol.

Luocha:

he fathered a beautiful boy and girl a few years after. none of them were planned, but very welcome by both of you.

he's.. such a doting father. he always takes care of his children well, shows them affection - especially as small babies, he can't get over their chubby cheeks and peppers them with kisses, so he could hear them giggle.

in general, I think he just. can't get enough of them when they're toddlers or even younger. he loves holding them. he loves seeing his tiny babies get curious when he prepares medicine. he loves when they extend their hand to him for seemingly no reason, so he has an opportunity to give it a kiss. ARGH

he's thrilled to share his medical knowledge with his kids, if one shows interest in it!

luocha's definitely the one to style his babies' hair, I mean have you seen this man's gorgeous locks???? he's also the one to cut it if they don't like it long.

this isn't really about the children themselves, but.. he's just so grateful that you brought them into this world?? and he makes sure you know it every day, be it through actions or words. when you gave birth to your daughter, he held her in her hands and approached you from behind, leaning down and planting a chaste kiss on your cheek. "love, she's so wonderful, thank you for your hard work. I can't stop looking at her, and I wouldn't have that opportunity if I didn't meet you. I've never been more happy to meet such a person like you."

just like kaveh, he wants to be very involved in their lives. he always asks them about their day in school, if they made any friends. luocha also tries to be stern and has only one expectation as a father - he wants them to have a good, comfortable life, in which he'll assist in achieving as long as they need.

your son is very, very talkative with his dad and they could converse for hours. like for real. he's so smart, luocha is more than happy to broad his horizons, even in topics of lesser importance.

770 notes · View notes

hoeforhao · 1 year

Note

hi !! if it's alright may i request svt with a fem/gn reader with massive tits? like just how would the boys react (nsf/w or sfw is upto you :D) to a reader with the big naturals, which if you do this request tysm!! :D

well well y'all will never see me again after this post, cuz am literally embarrassed asf!!! also me writing about something i don't have??makes me sad ;(

Masterlist

Seungcheol: This man is a huge sucker for asses. Like he lives to bend you over and fuxk you deep. But little do people know, boobs are his secret weakness, and having someone with big naturals? You just know that he'll be using them as stress balls, pumping them like his life depends on it,everytime he's stressed from work; bury his face deep down into the pillows and fall asleep on his personal plushies.

Jeonghan: I somehow feel like he'll be more into smaller breasts, but that doesn't mean he won't be relishing your mounds to the max while his dick is buried deep inside of you. He is of the type to circle your clothed nipples with his slick fingers as you cook, only to end up enjoying the view of them all perked up as he eats his meal.

Joshua: He's such a softie when it comes to sucking the life out of your breasts. Like he would literally worship you while saying things like "I've never seen such full and gorgeous boobs angel. Ydk how badly I wait everyday to come back home and adore them". Also I feel like shua will have a slight mommy kink only when it comes to your breasts and doze off on your bosom like a child, if he's too tired and snore like an absolute baby.

Junhui: Another huge tease. But unlike jeonghan, he would be totally showy of how much he loves your big tits, cupping them at every chance he gets, buying you all white lacey lingerie with several slits, so that he can keep on getting a show of your bouncy cream pies all throughout the day, while brushing his cold fingers against the perked up buds every once in a while.

Soonyoung: I've got only one thing to say. He would literally run home to rub his sweaty face all over your bust, as soon as he finishes the group dance lessons; latching onto your nipples the whole time while you make his post practice smoothie.

Wonwoo: He would have you seated on his lap the entire time while he plays his silly little online games with his friends, squeezing your boobs for emotional support and twisting the stubs everytime he is even slightly close to losing ; earning low muffled moans from you that in turn act as his fuel to win.

Jihoon: This man is not at all that soft as he appears to be. He would have a separate space in his studio where he would tie you up with button vibrators on your nipples ; setting them to the highest speed as he creates his new masterpiece with your ecstatic moans as the bgm. After finishing his demo, he would come to your limp body drained from cumming multiple times, and roam his pale digits over the overly sensitive stumps while nurturing them with soft kisses.

Minghao: You're his biggest muse. He would call you anytime he feels artblocked; lathering the paint all over your breasts as he presses them onto the canvas to paint his brand new piece. What's a brush???!! He doesn't consider buying brushes and sponges for his art supply!! Why would he even, when he has your big milky tits for a sponge and the two perks as his brush.

Mingyu: HE IS SIMPLY OBSESSED WITH YOUR BOOBS. THAT'S IT!! Filling up your closet with blazers two sizes smaller than your bust, only so that he can see your breats pressed tightly against in each other in nothing but the long blazers, forming the most ravishing cleavage anyone has ever seen; as he takes you on a home dinner date and sucks onto his personal pacifier as the dessert later.

Seokmin: Would be pretty shy to admit how he loves the sight your boobs bouncing up and down as he fuxks the life out of you every night. It would literally take him an entire year worth courage to ask to play with your butter soft breasts,for the times he is out of you and once you agree, he would latch onto your skin like a slug.

Seungkwan: Again, a very coy boy, absolutely terrified of letting you know how crazy he is driven by your big pillows. Would love to peek at them while you take a shower, the droplets gracefully dripping down the bumps, wishing that it was his tongue slowly gliding down your nipples, instead.

Vernon: If you ask me, I feel like he would have a huge mommy kink. Pining to suck onto your milky teats everytime y'all go out, having you rush home early only to let your big baby play with his favorite toy, is a compulsory routine for him.

Dino: Don't even get me started on how much Chan loves the fact that his s/o has such big naturals. People would die to have such supple, juicy tits to feast onto every night and he gets it for free? A gift he would cherish his entire life. He might treat you like a whore in bed, but your boobs?Well, they're only his to worship and making sure he paints them red every night, is his biggest duty!!!

2K notes · View notes

korasonata · 1 year

Text

Was bored and also procrastinating other things, so have a ranked list of Hermits based on whether I think they can cook or not for funsies. Vibes only.

—

Beef: The expert. Is well versed in almost all manners of cooking, and is an extremely skilled chef, particularly with regards to meat dishes, and is a particularly skilled butcher.

TFC: Also up there with Beef, but TFC is also a master of rare ingredients. He’s good at foraging, and he uses ingredients in his cooking that aren’t typically used in just every day life. His techniques may seem a bit primitive, but they are highly effective and his style of cooking might be called simple food made complicated.

Stress: Also a very good cook who puts a lot of emphasis on nutrition. She makes meal plans and prepares a lot of her food at the beginning of the week, and her cooking always makes sure to include a balanced diet. She enjoys cooking and likes to have fun with it. Makes a killer roast chicken.

Impulse: Is surprisingly good at home style cooking. He doesn’t make anything fancy or anything, and his presentation is always a little sloppy, but his food at least tastes good.

Cub: Doesn’t cook much, but when he does he is actually secretly a very good chef. He cooks for himself a lot, but it’s only once in a blue moon that someone else gets to eat his food.

Wels: Is a decent chef, but is incapable of cooking for a single person. He makes way too much food every time and is incapable of portioning, and as such he is the direct inverse of Cub, and he never cooks for himself if he’s alone. Is also very good at desserts.

Ren: Has a bottomless pit of a stomach. Has a big appetite and loves all food and really enjoys big dinner feasts. Is also good with cooking meat specifically. He has a special smoking method that is a real crowd pleaser. Is also good with basic rice bowls and his cooking tastes very homely.

Gem: Is good at treating fish specifically. Also anything involving wild game. Like TFC she is very good at foraging and using ingredients found in the forest. Her cooking is a bit unrefined, but has a very light, refreshing sort of feel to it.

Cleo: An average cook, but is very good at a few specific dishes. (As a side note I’ve actually tried one of Cleo’s recipes that she talked about on stream and it is literally the greatest thing ever, I made it once and people request it all the time)

Joe: Is good at making drinks specifically. He makes a mean margarita and is good at making mixed drinks and cocktails, but otherwise is an average chef with regards to food. Makes very good nachos though.

Doc: Like Cleo, Doc is good at making a few very specific dishes. He makes several German specialties and is also very good at treating vegetables, but outside of these specialties he is rubbish.

Bdubs: Stereotypical grill dad. At least he thinks so. His seasonings consist almost exclusively of basic spices. Meat is the only thing he cooks, but otherwise possesses no real flare for cooking. Despite this, he thinks very highly of his skills, and the food he puts out isn’t bad really, so the Hermits still let him cook every once in a while.

Scar: Scar always tries his absolute best, and his cooking swings wildly from perfection to the most disgusting thing you’ve ever eaten in your life. There is no in between. It’s 50/50 what you’re going to get, but he has fun either way.

Jevin: makes a mean Mac and cheese, but outside of this, he is a very basic cook. He makes himself sandwiches and grilled cheese and maybe some pasta, but otherwise doesn’t cook much else.

Hypno: Ok. He can kill something and cook it, but he’s not the best butcher and his food is just kind of thrown together. There’s no real theme to any plate he puts out. He’s half decent with seasonings and spices though.

XB: Can make fried rice and that’s about it.

Keralis: Can copy other people’s dishes when given instructions, but when left alone has no idea what he’s doing.

False: Doesn’t really cook much. She probably could, but most of the time she’s after something quick and easy. Whenever she gets hungry she just grabs an apple from the bowl or eats whatever leftovers are in the fridge cold.

Etho: Lives almost exclusively off of instant ramen.

Zedaph: treats the kitchen like a chemistry lab and anyone eating is a test subject. He’s not allowed in the kitchen very often.

Xisuma: This man could burn juice. I don’t know how, but he’d do it. He is a sopping wet cat in the kitchen. He’s the type that tries to cook but fails so miserably that every time he just ends up making a bowl of cereal for himself instead.

Grian and Pearl: have cooking battles competing over who can make the most disgusting dish. Grian is like the little toddler that always wants to help but is so bad that no one will let him. He’s also always the one standing over your shoulder and sneaking bites of things when you turn your back. Pearl can’t cook herself, but she has good knife skills so she is often allowed to help out with the prep work.

Mumbo: Will eat anything and everything you throw in front of him. He does not care. He also does not cook at all. When left to fend for himself he demolishes the kitchen by eating every raw ingredient in the pantry. This man would eat a sack of flour if you let him.

Tango: This man does not eat unless you make him. You have to physically drag him to the table to get any kind of nourishment, but he is always very appreciative of other peoples cooking.

Iskall: Orders takeout exclusively.

657 notes · View notes

giamee · 11 months

Text

𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐘𝐎𝐔!

ཐི♡ཋྀ featuring -> blade, gepard

ཐི♡ཋྀ contains -> mentions of depression/low mood, more blade bias teehee

ཐི♡ཋྀ gia's notes -> i kinda based these off of my own experiences with depression, so hopefully it's at least a little relatable. i tried not to romanticise it too much. also disclaimer i am fully aware that the stuff i talk about in here isn't a cure-all for depression, but i did focus on a less severe characterisation of it in this. hope that's ok anon

ཐི♡ཋྀ request -> anon: hi!!! really loved your roommate thing for har, literally makes me smile may i request blade or/and gerard with reader who got depression? even if you don’t like the idea it’s fine, hope you have great time <3

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ BLADE

-hm ok to be honest blade seems rather emotionally repressed

-so it may take a while for him to pick up on signs of you starting to get into a depressive episode

-he’s busy with being a stellaron hunter, and he isn’t exactly the most frequent texter, but he’ll still notice a change in your texting style as the time between your replies increases while the length of them keeps getting shorter

-maybe you were busy? even though it may sting a little to see his last message still unanswered as he’s holed up somewhere on another planet, he still can’t help but worry for you, though he may not outwardly admit it

-and that spurs him on to finish elio’s mission for him even quicker so he can get back home to you

-when he returns, he may be a bit confused due to your seeming apathy

-he had missed you, and he didn’t want to be the one to cave and say it out loud

-but at your mustered smile and hollow sounding greeting, that’s when things start to click and blade may realise what’s going on

-personally i feel like blade’s love language is acts of service/physical touch

-and man’s just come back from a mission

-he’s dirty, he’s hungry, and he’s tired

-so he decides to deal with those issues with you in that exact order

-cue him running a bath and then convincing you to get in with him on the ground of him “getting lonely” without anyone there, making you crack a little smile at his antics

-the warmth of the water and his solid chest against your back is a soothing sensation, and neither of you voice how tender his touches are as he lathers your hair, fingers carefully detangling any knots as he rests his weight against you

-it’s a peaceful affair, and you can feel yourself begin to warm, with the weight that you previously weren’t even aware of beginning to lift off of your chest as you filled the silence of the bathroom with some hushed conversation with blade

-he asks you how your day was, listening to your hesitant recollection with his chin is tucked over your shoulder, his arms encircling you as he listens to your voice and hums occasionally, basking in your presence

-when the water begins to run cold, blade’s offering you his clothes to change into, leading you by the hand to your shared bedroom, and it’s touching to see just how much care he puts into your wellbeing when it’s him who’s just come back from a dangerous mission

-up next is finding something to eat

-the uncharacteristically soft behaviour of blade is continued as he rummages around the fridge, cursing under his breath when he realises that he'll have to make a shopping list

-he still manages to find enough ingredients to make some sort of meal, and though he's not a cook by any means, it's definitely edible and the distant growl of your stomach suggests that maybe you were feeling hungry after all

-you're leaning against one of the counters, watching your boyfriend's back in quiet awe as he continues to cook, the simple black cotton of his shirt stretching across his broad shoulders practically inviting you to wrap your arms around him

-you've never been one to resist such an offer, and you find yourself shyly walking up to him, letting the side of your face rest against his spine

-blade almost immediately relaxes into your embrace, continuing his ministrations while you mumble a muffled "thank you" into the fabric covering his back

-you don't need to clarify what you're thankful for, and blade has always been one to speak more through his actuons than words

-he pauses for a second, turning to flick your forehead gently

-"don't get all soft on me now"

-you feel your eyes well up with appreciation for your boyfriend, squeezing him a little tighter to yourself as he turns back around, feeling his hand do the same to yours where it rests on his stomach

-"yeah, yeah. now let's eat, hmm?"

☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★ GEPARD

-another emotionally repressed king 😍

-i feel like in terms of noticing that something's up with you he would be worse than blade

-mr landau is a bit of a workaholic, and he's guilty of using it as a coping mechanism when he can feel himself start to slip

-he will run off of denial and caffeine and just force himself to keep working, resulting in a general lack of awareness in spotting when he or others are struggling

-so really, the dots that he should connect with how you've been acting recently take a little longer than they should be

-he's mentioning to serval how you seem to be the polar opposite of him recently, acting a lot more withdrawn and apathetic in general

-and serval is just blinking at him and wondering how dense her younger brother can be

-reprimands him and tells him that this is a conversation he should be having with you, and not her

-and with a little guidance, gepard is sat in front of you and asking if anything's wrong and if so what he can do to help

-and initially, you're not really sure yourself

-you know that you don't feel the same as usual, but you tend to just go with the motions and wait it out

-and gepard furrows his brows when he hears this

-poor guy has no idea how to handle this without direction

-so he does some research and makes some notes on ways he can help you because he loves you

-and next thing you know his late working hours and overtime have turned into getting home before the sun goes down

-resulting in him having enough energy to do something with you and spend some quality time together, whether that be a date night in or just cooking a meal together

-and funnily enough, gepard notices not only a slight improvement in your overall mood, but in his as well

-with all those tips and tricks of maintaining a routine, he was glad to see your shared efforts come into fruition

-he almost felt his heart combust when you told him that being around him makes you feel better

-man is whipped he will walk the ends of the earth just to see you happy

𓏲 ࣪₊♡𓂃 IF YOU LIKED THIS, TRY: fade into you!

honkai star rail masterlist ૮ • ﻌ - ა

621 notes · View notes

wardenparker · 8 months

Text

Vampire Waltz - ch 5

Max Phillips x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

A mysterious inheritance, sprawling mansion, eccentric roommates, friendly bat, and coven of New England witches are the newest chapter of your life after being unceremoniously dumped and kicked out by your boyfriend. For Max, the biggest change in his life is you, and what exactly he's going to do about the fact that he is stuck living with you as long as his sire continues to punish him for that incident at his last office...

Rating: Mature, but this blog is always 18+ Word Count: 10.4k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this series: deceased parents, cursing, food, blood and blood drinking, depictions and references to abusive relationships. Anxiety and trauma responses. Self-worth issues.* Teasing, fluff, Dolly has low self esteem but it's not her fault, Bat Max comes with his own warning. Summary: In the course of one day, conversations turn from right interesting to downright life-changing, as Max starts to learn the truth of your connection from you but also from his sire. Notes: Big revelations are coming, folx! 🎵 Let's have a beautiful picture of the wonderful ballroom this week.

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4

You really should be paying more attention as Candance and Tracy talk through coven business. The room that you have come to know as the Green Salon in your inherited house is full to the brim with coven members all talking about the food drive they want to help out at for Thanksgiving next month. There are volunteer signups to follow through with and your own can drive to be organized, and you have to admit that this is the most community-focused coven that you've ever been a part of. But still you can't focus. The dreams have been so vivid lately, and they're such a mix of topics – your little bat friend pops up so often, and you haven't dreamt about Yayo in years. And now...now thoughts of Max are starting to slip in between the cracks and you aren't quite sure what it all means.

Mrs. Taylor smiles as she listens to the chattering of the coven. It's been too long since there has been life within these walls. He had been right in assuming that you would bring that life back to the mansion. Knocking on the door, she opens it to find several heads turned her way and she clears her throat. "Ladies, lunch is served."

"Thank you, Mrs. Taylor." Her appearance snaps you out of your daze for a moment, and you lend her a grateful smile. Breakfast this morning was simple because it was just for you, but Renee said that Mrs. Taylor had already been toiling away on lunch from early in the morning. She seems to revel in having people in the house again and you are the last person to want to deny someone the thing that makes them happy.

"Let's go in and we can start planning the masquerade while we eat," Allison suggests, pushing up from the couch that the two of you had been sitting on.

The housekeeper smiles before she disappears again. Aware that he is upstairs and once the meal is presented for the humans, she is going to take him one of the special blood bags that he requests when he is in residence.

The coven has preferred things ‘family style’ in recent years, even when Ms. Brown was a more traditional and formal woman most of the time. So Mrs. Taylor has set the table with bowls of fresh salad, baskets of warm homemade crusty bread, and tureens of steaming hot beef bourguignon. A few of the ladies, Allison included, all groan happily to have Mrs. Taylor’s cooking back. She pulls out a notebook to place at her seat but pauses, allowing herself what she thinks is a private smile when Eddie enters the dining room.

“Is it still alright for me to join you?” He asks, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans and a nervous expression on his face as he looks around. The invitation is a week old and might not still hold, so he wants to check.

"Of course!" Allison leaps up from her chair, even though it technically should be you answering Eddie since it is your house. "I mean, I don't think anyone would mind, right?" She looks around the table and is silently grateful for when the girls easily shift down to leave a spot right next to her own chair for the vampire to sit.

“Of course.” When you echo your agreement that seems to be the end of any debate at all. “We were going to start planning the masquerade while we eat.”

"Oh, I have to admit, I am hoping that I am invited." He tells the coven hopefully, giving them a charming grin. "I have always wanted to go to a masquerade."

“Of course you will be.” Candace pipes up from across the table, where the bread basket is already being passed around. “You live here. It would be awfully rude not to invite you when you live here.” Of course, it’s for Allison’s benefit too. And for you, since you seem a little more relaxed around Eddie than most other people.

"That's good." He makes sure to pass the bread to Allison when it comes his way, not taking one for himself. "Is this - it's going to be a thing that requires dates?" He slides his hands under the table to rub them on his thighs. His hands aren't sweaty anymore, he doesn't sweat, but he is nervous.

"It could be." Allison worries her bottom lip as she takes a slice of warm bread and passes you the basket. "What do you think, Dolly?"

"It...it doesn't seem nice to make it mandatory," you admit, taking a slice of bread and passing the basket along again. You can't imagine anyone in the world would be your date to such a thing and you would hate to be excluded from the night for something like that. Especially, like Candance said, with it being held in your own house. "But dancing is always fun with a partner."

Eddie nods, sensing that you don't like the idea. "Then we should make sure that it's not required to have dates, but maybe the guest list is even to make sure everyone is paired up when it comes to dancing."

“Like dance cards?” The salad is making its way around now and once more Eddie passes it on while he listens to you. “As in…something old fashioned? Dance cards for everyone who wants one?”

“I don’t know what it would be like, but I love the sound of that.” He glances towards Allison and wonders if he can make sure that he is on her dance card more than once.

“Mrs. Taylor brought out some old photographs from past masquerades in the house.” You haven’t seen them yet, but you’ve been told that all the gowns were one of a kind and the men looked resplendent in their costumes. That’s what Mrs. Taylor said, with absolute rhapsody on her face. “A hundred and fifty years ago they would start the ball at ten or so at night, serve supper around midnight, and end the thing with breakfast at sunrise for whoever was left.”

“That sounds perfect.” Of course, Eddie knows why it was held at night, but he’s not going to say anything about that. “Are you thinking of keeping to that tradition?”

“How does it sound to everyone else?” You ask, looking around the table.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Of course, Allison would practically think anything Eddie suggests would be wonderful, but this does sound amazing. “It’s an ode to the past.”

“A return to the Gilded Age sounds fun.” Candace agrees. “We can do themed menus if Mrs. Taylor is okay with it? And encourage historical costumes?”

“I think that Mrs. Taylor would love that.” Eddie agrees. “She loves things like that. It would make her year. And I’ll help out wherever I can.”

“Thirteen of us, plus guests. That’s a fairly big party isn’t it?” You differ to Mrs. Taylor, who has popped into the dining room again to bring more bread like she somehow magically knew the first round would go instantly.

“Invite as many as you like, ladies,” she insists. Her smile is excited and eyes are twinkling like she has a secret she is just bursting to share. “This house can handle hundreds.”

“You could always invite the town as well.” Eddie suggests. “Make it the event of the season.”

“The whole town? Can we do that?” Tracy looks intrigued at the idea and glances around the table. “It could be a hell of a fundraiser, and I know we’re always looking for ways to do more good in the community.”

“It could be a ticketed event.” Eddie muses. “All proceeds going to the coven's charitable works?”

"It actually sounds like a whole lot of fun." The last time you organized any kind of dance or fundraiser was with your dance studios in high school and then in college, but back then it had been a blast to get decorations, refreshments, flyers, and all the necessary things sorted out for big events. It was a sense of accomplishment that nothing else quite seemed to give you. Bringing people together and seeing everyone happy? Your mother called it your hostess's heart, and had always said you would use it to help people one day. This seems like a beautiful way to make her words come true. "Tracy, you work at town hall, don't you? If we need any permits for serving alcohol or having a large fundraiser, would you be able to take care of them?"

“Of course!” Tracy beams at the thought of being able to help in any significant way. “I’ll find out Monday and let you know.”

“What about music?” Allison asks next. Everyone is starting to eat, and people are getting excited. And with Eddie sitting beside her, Allison has to admit that she’s more than a little excited, too.

“You know…..” Eddie tilts his head. “The orchestra group in college has been talking about needing to have more live events.” He sounds out. “To practice. What if I see if they would like to perform?”

“That would be perfect!” Candace lights up at the table and few of the other girls nod alongside her. “Gilded Age theme, right? Maybe we can make it like classical versions of pop songs? Like they did for Bridgerton?”

“I’ll ask them.” Eddie chuckles and nods his head. “It’ll be a challenge that I think they would enjoy.”

“I’ll ask Mrs. Taylor to look out for any old boxes of party decorations from long enough ago to be an inspiration for us. If we’re lucky there will be something in the attic alongside the clothing we borrowed this week. I sort of get the feeling that most things don’t get thrown out in this house.” As always, Mrs. Taylor’s cooking is off the walls amazing and all around the table people are humming happily and enjoying their lunch as the planning picks up.

“The house is basically a museum.” Eddie snorts, sipping his double walled cup. “What could possibly give you the idea they don’t like throwing things away?” He winks at you to remind you that he’s teasing playfully.

"It's a beautiful museum." Every day you spend here, you fall more and more in love with the house. There's always new details to discover. New intricacies in the carvings, new details in the paintings, new trinkets in the cases all around the hallways. "I'm glad everything got kept. It gives it so much more character than all the brand new houses that are just painted white and made of one big room divided by furniture you're not supposed to touch."

Eddie tilts his head, watching you smile, and he thinks about how far you have come since the first time he had talked to you. Even your posture is more assertive, as if you have come into your own skin. He would believe you had been turned if it weren’t for the steady thump of your heartbeat, mixed with those of your coven.

"So when are we doing this?" Allison has her notebook, and in the front is a calendar that is just positively chock full of little notes to herself but she flips open to it anyway. "Can we actually get all of this organized by the end of the month?"

“I’ve already aired the ballroom out.” Mrs. Taylor announces, having just come back from the tower. “As far as the menu goes, you tell me what you would like and it will be done.”

“Mrs. Taylor thinks we can manage it.” And for some reason that bolsters you more than almost anything else. It just makes you wish that you had someone to dance with. “That’s good enough for me.”

“Invitations, tickets will need to be printed.” She muses. “Perhaps an ad in the paper?”

"We can hand out flyers at the farmer's market," Allison nods, glad to see the infectious excitement go around the table. "It's going to be fantastic. I can feel it."

“Since your theme is the Gilded Age, the ink should be gold leaf.” Mrs. Taylor suggests. “There is a printshop in town that Ms. Brown would use.”

"You should take Max with you and check it out." Candace's suggestion takes you off guard and your eyes must get a little wider because she immediately adds, "You know...because he's business guy. Maybe he can make a deal on pricing or something?"

"Oh! I–uh–that's actually not a bad point." You wouldn't have thought to get him involved in any of this at all, but of course Candance is right. You have no head for business and that's literally all Max does. "I'll ask...see if he has any time to spare."

“Did I hear my name?” As if on an invisible cue, Max appears in the doorway of the dining room. “Ladies, ladies, speak my name and I shall appear.” He flashes everyone a charming grin but he smirks when his eyes fall on you. “Queenie, you are looking radiant, have you been plotting?” He asks playfully before he hides the one side of his mouth facing Mrs. Taylor. “I think you can take her.” He faux whispers loudly and winks at you.

"We were working out the plans for the Samhain Masquerade," you admit, probably the only one in the room who doesn't see the way you light up at Max's little joke. And only because you're too busy hiding a small laugh.

"Join us." Candance could not possibly be grinning any more widely and immediately shuffles her chair to one side to make room next to you for Max to pull up a chair.

Max looks over the food that is on display and grimaces slightly. “I’ll sit, but I couldn’t possibly eat.”

"Have an early lunch at the office?" Eddie guesses, a slight smirk going along with his raised eyebrow. He has a much stronger stomach for human food than Max does and doesn't mind still indulging in a bloodless meal from time to time.

“Lunch with the bosses.” He agrees, patting his stomach over the vest. “So what are you thinking? Aerobatic performers? Jugglers? Fire breathing?” He waggles his brows as he smirks at the table.

"We were talking about a theme." Having him sit next to you makes you suddenly hyper aware of yourself and you take a sip of your drink. "Making it an old fashioned Gilded Age thing with classical versions of modern music, food served overnight, and elaborate masquerade costumes. Even selling tickets and donating the proceeds to charity."

“That sounds fun.” Max chuckles. “Everyone will shit themselves to get exclusive tickets.”

“And we’ll be taking a poll of every guy who buys a ticket to find one good enough for Dolly,” Tracy adds, wondering how Max would react to that idea after seeing the way he had marked you at the Mabon bonfire. They had all seen it, and all understood that you had no idea it was Max. Which only makes the whole thing more fun.

That makes the grin slide off Max's face. Just for a split second before he forces his lips to twist up out of the pout that had taken over before you could notice. He's not going to make you think that he is controlling, not with the way you react to everything. "That's a tall order." He settles for a slight grumble in his voice as he leans back in his seat.

“Newport’s a pretty decent sized town, I bet we can make it happen.” She caught the slight slip in his expression and is fucking delighted by it. None of them have ever seen Max actually care about another being and it has the few of them that talked about it convinced that he must actually be feeling things for you. “We’re going to make sure her dance card is completely full.”

"Good luck." Max snorts, crossing his arms and trying to look smug rather than worried that he might not spend any time with you. It's a feeling he doesn't like. "She's not going to enjoy the stomping of the men who think they can dance because they took lessons when they were twelve and haven't trod a dance floor since."

“Well,” Allison’s head tilts in curiosity and she affects a fully innocent expression as she shrugs her shoulders. She knows you don’t like to be the center of attention but this is developing in an interesting direction. “I suppose it would be different if our girl had a date for that night.”

It feels like Max is being led somewhere and he really doesn't like it. But the idea of you having some faceless date that might try to take advantage of you, or hurt your feelings has Max nearly snarling in anger. Body tensing beside you like he's a guard dog about to attack until he hears your heartbeat speed up beside him, anxiety flooding your scent. "That would be up to Dolly." He manages to keep his tone light, almost cheerful. "She might not want one."

“I don’t know anyone.” Your voice is quiet, not liking the fact that there seems to be an argument brewing over you in any way, shape, or form. The only two men you know here are Max and Eddie, and you would have to be blind not to see Eddie’s interest in Allison. “It—it really doesn’t matter anyway.” You insist. “It’s been a long time since I danced.”

"You should dance." Max frowns as he turns towards you, ignoring Allison the second it sounds like you are contemplating not dancing. This is your party, after all. "Do you want to dance?"

“Well…of course I do.” He knows better than anyone that dancing means everything to you. Having to give it up felt like it would kill you. “But it doesn’t matter. It’s not…I mean…I wouldn’t want anyone to feel like they had to ask me. That’s…not okay.”

He wants to roll his eyes at the stupidity of that statement, but he knows you will get upset. No one has to ask you. "You should go with me." He decides easily. "We are by far the best dancers and it's not like it would be taxing to pick you up." He jokes. "I can tell you who will stomp on your pretty dance shoes and who would be a moderately good dancer, though, not nearly as good as I am."

The entire table seems to hold its breath — half of them expecting the invitation and half taken completely aback by it. It’s not like Max Phillips has ever shown any one of them specific attention before. No. He usually hits on an entire room at once and then zeroes in on the most vulnerable. But you don’t know that side of him. You’ve never seen it. Max might be full of himself but he’s reasonably nice to you these days. He teases more than anything else, and you’re starting to learn his sense of humor. “You don’t have to do that.” You tell him, assuming he’s only asking out of pity. Out of some sense that you’re actually as pathetic as you think you are, which is absurd to everyone but you. “If you…if you want to look for someone else..I can be your backup date.” To you it seems like the best offer in the world. The most sensible and the most likely to alleviate whatever sense of duty he might feel toward you as a housemate. “It’s still weeks away. You never know what can happen.”

Max snorts and shakes his head. "I'm thinking about the competition, babe." He scoffs. "No one could keep up and it's better that the best dancers are paired together, right?" He knows he's cocky, that he's brash and the fear that you don't want to go with him strikes a cord that makes him slightly more bold than usual. "I'd rather have the best, and you're the best."

Unconsciously, your head tilts, surprise tempered with a swipe of confusion. “You’ve never even seen me dance.”

“I have.” Max responds vaguely.

“When?” The incredulous question comes out of your mouth instantly, knowing that you’ve danced maybe twice in the last year and neither time was in this house.

Online. That’s the real answer, but he doesn’t want to weird you out. Your competitions had been filmed. Instead he just shrugs and grins

“Well…” Slightly unsettled, you just shake your head and shift in your seat again. “You don’t have to decide now. I’m sure there’s someone else you’d like to take more, and you should be able to.” It hurts more than you expect, the idea that he would choose someone else over you, but you tell yourself to stop being silly. You’re nothing special. You never have been. And Max is…well, you’re starting to see how truly special he really is.

“No.” Max frowns when he hears the smattering of whispers and giggles but he doesn’t focus on that. Instead he’s looking at you. “We’re going together. Unless you don’t want to, of course.”

“I want to.” It’s almost too hurried. Too enthusiastic. But once it’s out of your mouth there’s no going back.

“Then it’s settled.” Eddie says quickly. “Dolly and Max are the first couple for the masquerade.”

“Perfect.” Allison practically holds up her glass in salute. “If you wanted to, I bet we could make some pretty killer king and queen costumes out of whatever clothes Mrs. Taylor finds upstairs,” She suggests instead, having noted that Max seems to be the only one who calls you Queenie.

Max doesn't seem to get the reasoning behind that and hums thoughtfully. "If she likes it. I am easy to dress." He winks playfully. "Killer abs and all that."

“I—I really don’t need to be a queen.” You protest right away, feeling like that would be way too much look at me for one night. You’ve spent so long trying desperately to fly under the radar that you doubt you would even know how to stand out anymore. You’d end up looking like a little girl playing dress up and embarrass Max. And you definitely wouldn’t want to do that. “We’ll figure out costumes along the way.”

Max raises his brow and nods, sensing that you are not comfortable with the idea. Throwing his arm around the back of your chair, he leans in. "Just as long as we can dance, right sweetheart?" His tone is low, just meant for you.

“Right.” Just as instantly as you had become uncomfortable, that one thought soothes you, and in your gratitude you end up looking Max directly in the eyes for maybe the first time ever — there are entire worlds in his deep brown eyes and somehow this is the time you’re discovering it. At the table eating lunch with a dozen other people. “As long as we can dance,” you murmur in agreement.

******

He had spent the afternoon taking care of legitimate business. Things that he had to take care of instead of spending the rest of the day with the coven of witches like he had surprisingly wanted to do. He doesn't mind the witches, having nothing against them and finding them pretty entertaining, but he had really wanted to see you more relaxed, to see the smiles that have become more common now that you have settled in and finding your place.

The ballroom seems to call your name tonight, and you aren’t sure why. Or at least you would never admit to the reason. To say that you’ve been stuck on the thought of dancing with Max all day would feel utterly silly. To admit that you perked up at the mere mention of him while having dinner out with some of the girls from the coven makes you feel like a silly teenager. It isn’t worth it. He’s just being nice, and the last time that a guy was nice to you, you ended up in a decade-long abusive relationship with him. You’re just…you’re not the kind of person who can be in a relationship. Period. So you shouldn’t be daydreaming about it, either. Especially not mere weeks after being kicked out of Derek’s house. But you know damn well that you were emotionally done with that relationship well before the door ever closed behind you.

The thing about vampires is that they are blessed, or cursed with a keen sense of hearing. You would be mortified to know that every vampire in the house could hear you fart in your sleep. Most of them had trained themselves to block out the sounds of human prowling around again. Max couldn't, or maybe wouldn't, would be a better word. Drawn to the quiet strands of "The Blue Danube". Quickly and silently making his way to the ballroom, and to you.

You shouldn’t do it. You know you shouldn’t. Anybody could just walk in, and it’s not as though you are the type of person to show off. Or that you even could show off at this point. But you just can’t resist. The thought of dancing with someone — Max — has been in your head all day and you turn on some music on your phone to take some basic waltz steps around the ballroom all on your own.

He approaches quietly. His ears filling with the strands of the music, making his fingers twitch with the urge to join you when he sees you waltzing around the large, polished dance floor. You are grace itself, floating on air and seemingly carefree as your eyes close and the small smile on your face brightens into full joy.

A few turns around the floor with your eyes closed are all it takes to find your feet and your frame again, and in mere seconds it’s like you’re back in your first rehearsal room with your first real freedom after learning to dance. It’s a return to the easiest and most natural feeling in the world. And then, without even realizing anyone was nearby, someone steps into your frame and sweeps you up in the dance.

"Seamless." Max chuckles quietly as he enjoys the look of shock on your face. Starting to lead you through the steps as the music swells. "I knew that you would be flawless."

“Max…” Pure surprise has his name coming out in a breath of disbelief, but you don’t stop moving. He’s completely right. It was seamless. “I—I didn’t hear you come in.”

"I didn't want you to hear me." He chuckles quietly. "You were caught up in the music." His grin is wide and warm as he continues to lead you through the dance.

“It’s…been a long time.” For all your protests, you never miss a step or fail to follow a lead. Maybe your frame isn’t competition ready anymore, but Max’s hold isn’t demanding it.

"It doesn't feel like it." Max counters, moving you into a dip and smirking when you gasp before he pulls you upright again.

Ballroom dancers will tell you that when you find your perfect partner, it’s obvious. Steps feel surer and your hold feels truer. The rhythm of movement feels more natural. It’s something you had thought wistfully of someday long in the future, sort of the way you thought about your soulmate. Someday my prince will come, that sort of thing. You’re just shocked to be feeling that feeling in your gut when Max pulls you up from the dip. Like your heart has skipped a beat, but that only happens in movies and fairy tales. “I think it’s all down to a strong lead,” you manage, heaping the credit on him where you feel it’s due.

“Not from what I’ve seen.” Max tuts, backing you through the next few steps and leaning in before he pulls you back in the opposite directly. “You carried your partners before. It takes talent to lead and yet make it appear that they are leading.”

“Never managed to find my perfect partner,” you mumble, unable to shake the monumental feeling that yes you have but it’s only just now. “How have you seen me dance, Max?”

“YouTube.” He shoots you a grin, shameless now that he has danced with you. “Your competitions were beautiful and it’s amazing what you will find online now, if you know where to look.”

“I guess so.” It’s not something you ever would have thought to look into, but when you give it even a little thought it makes perfect sense. “Those were…the good days,” you admit. “The best days. Giving it up felt like it might kill me.”

“Why did you stop?” That has him extremely curious because he has seen how talented you are. Even now, every step you take is more poised and confident than the last. Dancing is so naturally in your blood that you are holding a conversation while doing it.

“Gotta grow up sometime, right?” It’s a bullshit excuse. You know it is. But what else can you say? The expression on his face says he doesn’t buy that excuse for a second and you sigh while he turns you both around the room. “My boyfriend wanted me to get a full time job,” you explain quietly. “Being home to take care of the house and make dinner every night meant there was no time for competitions or classes anymore. He— he wanted me at home.”

Max frowns, finding that to be a bunch of sexist bullshit. As much as he might have joked about having the little lady barefoot in the kitchen, normally that meant getting a snack before he fucked her silly and fed from her again. “Well, he’s an asshole.” He snorts, firming his grip on your waist. “You don’t make someone you love give up what they love.”

“It was…a bad decision all around.” As the song comes to an end, another one will begin right afterward, you just don’t know what it will be. The playlist you chose was just marked Classics. “It’s a long story. Not something you need to worry about.”

The urge to compel you is nearly overwhelming, but Max resists. Instead of commanding that you tell him, he just watches you. Letting his silence do the talking for him.

“I thought he was going to rescue me.” It comes tumbling out of your mouth when his eyes fix on yours, and you’re sure that it’s just your imagination that says he wants to know everything. “I had gotten stood up on a blind date and he—my ex— he came up to me at the bar and dried my tears and took me home…and I really thought that he was going to teach me how to grow up. But it’s obvious now how naive that is to believe.”

“Did he hurt you?” Max’s voice is soft, not wanting to scare you, even if he can’t help the darkness in his eyes. The anger that leaps to life at the thought of someone hurting someone as gentle as you are.

“I—” Yes. He did. He broke down who you were as a person and tried to reconstruct you into an automaton who would do only his bidding. And he almost succeeded. “It doesn’t matter now.” The tears that spring up in your eyes are unavoidable, and your feet stop moving with the heaviness that settles on your shoulders. “He got sick of me and kicked me out and then I came here. It’s done.”

A bad dance partner would have stepped on your feet, not able to avoid continuing despite the fact that you had stopped suddenly. Max doesn’t. He sweeps you into a hug that is encompassing. “He was a fool and you are safe here.” Max had wondered why he had wanted you here, now he wonders why he had not brought you here sooner.

It’s such an unexpected gesture, for his arms to lock tight around you, and you really almost break down sobbing right there in his arms in the middle of the ballroom. You find, though, that that isn’t the message that you want to convey to him — or at least it’s not how you want to convey the message. Your gratitude is boundless, but it boils down to just one thing. “I believe you.” Is what you murmur instead, burying your face in his chest as he holds you to him.

He stands off to the side. In a corner where it’s almost impossible to see him. Slippery as the shadows on the walls and twice as deceptive. Strong, white teeth flash in a smug smile. It was working.

The most overwhelming and surprising — well, maybe not most surprising, but it certainly surprises you at first — urge you have in your whole body is to kiss him. He’s never made a single serious motion in the way of wanting you, or being interested in you. He’s never done anything but be polite. But you’re so close to him now that you feel like closer is the only way to be and stepping apart even a little would be agony.

“Queenie…” Out of the corner of his eye, Max sees something. Head whipping up only to find a wall sconce. He had sworn he had just seen a flash of movement.

“I—I’m sorry.” He must have known what you were thinking somehow. Or you must have leaned in without realizing it. Stared at his lips accidentally. Something. But he doesn’t let you out of his arms when you start to pull away self-consciously.

“Nothing to be sorry for.” Max looks back at you again. “I’m sorry. I thought I saw someone.”

“I thought…” you look to the doorway too, but there’s no one there. Not even a hint of Renee and her duster. “Thought…nevermind.”

“Thought what?” Max prompts softly, wanting to know what is going on in that pretty little head of yours. Dying of curiosity to know what you think of him.

“That you didn’t…” Your cheeks are burning hot on fire and your heartbeat is somewhere in the proximity of your eardrums rather than your chest, but you shake your head. “I thought you could tell what I was thinking. That’s why I apologized,” you admit finally, when his eyes don’t leave you for an instant.

“I could.” Max doesn’t know what you were thinking, but he’ll figure it out. “I just got distracted.”

“It doesn’t…” It doesn’t matter. It was a thought you’ve had far too many times since sitting and watching tv with him last week and he just doesn’t need to know that you’ve started dreaming about him. That’s…that’s far too much. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry.” You apologize again. If he really could tell what you were thinking then you can only assume how either disgusted or exasperated he is. But for some reason the knowledge that Max Phillips couldn’t possibly want you makes you crack apart like you’re leaving the dance studio all over again.

Max frowns slightly, not approving of the way that your eyes shutter, your shoulders seem to curl around in an effort to protect yourself. It's as bad as if you had flinched away from him, fearing that you would be hit. He slides his hand up your side and cups your cheek. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Queenie." He wants to kiss you, a feeling that he normally would act on, but he doesn't want to scare you. "When the moment is perfect." He decides, murmuring it out loud.

It’s not a rejection but it’s also not a full acceptance, and for some reason the unexpected space between the two things leaves you feeling like you’re in some sort of emotional limbo where all you can do is nod against his hand and try not to look too wistful at the gesture itself. It’s just wishful thinking that has you feeling like you never want him to let you go. At least, that’s what you’re going to keep telling yourself.

There’s a pregnant pause, a feeling in the air that makes Max lean in. Feeling that the moment is now. That he needs to get this urge to kiss you out of his system. Watching you to see if you pull away or panic fills your eyes when the front door opens. Startling him because he had been so entranced by you, he hadn’t heard anyone approaching.

Jumping away from him like a frightened children’s film or cartoon character, your whole face and body are on fire for so many different reasons but you bury your face in both hands and stammer out another vague apology before looking to the stairwell with frozen fear. “Eddie!” His name is a squeak in your voice and nothing more.

Eddie is there in an instant, obviously worried that Max had done something from the look the other vampire shoots him. Making Max narrow his eyes and huff at the assumption. The song fades and the silence in the ballroom settles awkwardly. “Dolly?” Eddie reaches for you. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” He has awful timing, that’s all. But you’re not even sure that Max was going to kiss you. You could have been imagining it. “I—I think I’m going to grab a book from the library and turn in. Good night.” You announce, snatching up your phone and hightailing it to the library as fast as your legs will carry you.

Max huffs at Eddie. “Thanks asshole.” He grunts, rushing off towards the balcony doors that lead out to the gardens.

“What?” Eddie shrugs in complete confusion as you and Max both flee from the room.

******

Heading through the marble hall and into the library, you scoop the first edition copy of Rudyard Kipling’s Rewards and Fairies off the shelf where you left it that morning. It will make for good bedtime reading now that you’ve gone through both books you were reading previously. Quick as a mouse and just as quiet, you rush upstairs to your room with every intention of just locking yourself inside for the night. But there, sitting and chirping on your windowsill, is your little bat friend.

As soon as he had cleared the doors, Max had transformed. Not wanting you to run away from him, but he’s also found that you find comfort in his bat form. It’s interesting considering most are afraid of bats, but you pet him, snuggle him, and talk to him. He flaps his wings impatiently, telling you to open the window to let him in.

“Hey, Cutie.” It’s such a relief to see this little friendly face that what you once just called the bat as a descriptor has now become his name. Cutie is now featured in any number of bat things around your room, like little sketches tucked into the corners of your vanity mirror and the embroidered pillow that you brought home early on. You go to the window to let him in knowing that he will hop right into your hand, and leave one window cracked for him to leave by when he eventually wants to. It’s chilly, but you’re not going to trap the little guy inside the house. That would be cruel. “Were you waiting for me?” You croon, sniffing back tears of anxiety and instead focusing on petting his little head to soothe yourself.

Max chirps, acknowledging that he had been waiting for you, just not as long as you might think. He nuzzles into your hand for a moment before he shoots out of your hand, crawling up your arm and chest to curl into your neck.

“Awwe, I’m sorry I kept you waiting, Cutie.” The feeling of being hugged is as real and undeniable as being hugged by Max just a minute ago and you sniffle again before continuing to scratch the bat’s head. “Please don’t be upset with me…” Though how the little animal could show it, you don’t know. This bat is more expressive than any other creature you’ve ever known. “I…got caught up dancing. Haven’t done that in a long time.” A soft sigh escapes you and you peak down at the bat’s expression of curiosity. “Lemme put on my pajamas and I’ll read to you, okay? You seem to like that.”

Max wants to watch you undress, but even he isn’t that unethical. So he flutters off your shoulder to the chair where you sit every night he comes, reading to him. Landing on the arm rest and fluttering his wings as he folds them up, chattering at you.

It isn’t so much changing as just stripping down a few layers to your tank top, and you replace your jeans with flannel pj pants. You come out of your dressing room far more relaxed and pick up the Kipling from the side table before coming over to the chaise. “You want your nest, Cutie?” Sometimes he likes to curl up in your lap and sometimes he likes to be snuggled against you, but either way you plop down on the chaise and grab your ballet slipper throw blanket to tuck around you.

Max waits until the blanket is on your lap, hopping right into it and looking up at you. He knows you have a soft spot for this version of him, so he plays it up, cooing at you.

“Here we go.” Fixing the blanket so it’s slung over one of your shoulders gives him a cozy place to settle near your collarbone, and you could swear that the little bay must like the vibration of your voice or something because he loves to perch there. “I got us some Kipling tonight,” you tell him, feeling more relaxed by the second. “A little something different than the gothic novels I’ve been reading you.”

Max chirps again, surprised that you are in your pajamas. It’s the most amount of skin that he has ever seen on you. He decides that he will make a lap around you, get the full effect of your comfortable clothing.

“Is that an excited chirp or a chirp of protest?” Either way it makes you laugh. Just a quiet, half-huffed sound, and you open the book in your lap while Cutie takes off around your chair. He seems excitable tonight and maybe you need that. A little positive energy before bed.

You’re beautiful. He’s popping the equivalent of a bat boner from the innocent scene, unsure why you are so irresistible to him. You’re pretty and kind, but so are other women who don’t affect him as badly. Max takes another lap and damn near falls out of the sky when he sees it. Discolored skin, in an unusual grouping. A birthmark. Screeching wildly, Max dive bombs your arm to make sure he’s not seeing things. But it’s there. The matching mark that has been the only blemish on his skin since he had been brought back by his sire. You’re his fucking soulmate.

“You okay, Cutie?” He’s never lost his balance in the air like that and suddenly you’re worried there’s something wrong with the little bat’s wing. Twisting around and scooping him out of the air, you take a careful look at both appendages and don’t see anything wrong.

Those big eyes bug out even more and he squawks as if you could hear him. Soulmate. You. You’re his soulmate. There’s zero doubt in his mind that he knew that. And the fact that he kept it from Max infuriates him. But it also explains why Max was kept here. How long had he known? All of these things run through Max’s mind as he flaps his way out of your hold and immediately crawls his way up your arm to stare at your birthmark again.

"Alright, alright, if you want to hang out back there, you go right ahead." It's a weird choice, but you're the one talking to a fucking bat so who are you to judge? You just let the little guy curl up behind your shoulder and open your book to start reading. The ritual is something that you've started to find immensely soothing so you're going to appreciate every second of it tonight, while thoughts of Max still race through your head. Unshakeable and unwavering.

Just to make sure he’s not insane and it’s not some makeup covering some tattoo or whatever, his little bat tongue comes out to lick at your skin.

"What are you doing?" You twist to look at the bat over your shoulder quizzically. "Not like you can answer me, can you? It's just a birthmark, Cutie. Nothing to be confused about."

Max looks up at you, his eyes meeting yours and his tongue swipe your skin again. Convinced it’s not makeup causing the discoloration.

“What is up with you, huh?” The book goes down to your lap again and you frown a little at the winged ‘pet’. He’s never licked you or anything before. Just nuzzles and chirps or squeaks while he cuddles into you. This is all new.

Max pulls his tongue back into his mouth and climbs up your shoulder, nuzzling your cheek and chirping again. Unable to vocalize the issue, but he doesn’t want you to shoo him off.

"How about I just cover up, then." He climbs back up on your shoulder and you pull the blanket around you, covering the little star-shaped set of marks on your skin that make up your birthmark. It must confuse his little bat mind or something. That's the only explanation you can come up with. "It's just some marks on my skin, that's all." You explain, rather uselessly. After all, what does the bat care? "My skin and no one else's. I used to have tattoos, too. But...well, the person that gave them to me is gone now. So I don't have them anymore."

Max flaps his wings, squawking indignantly. He’s right here. He wonders why he wasn’t allowed to have his tattoo put back. Some kind of punishment?

“You wanna be my soulmate?” Bats don’t have soulmates. Not that you’re aware of. Just humans, some species of monkeys, and some people think that dogs and cats do but that’s just wishful thinking. But then, what is this if not wishful thinking? Talking to a bat is as wishful as it gets. “Okay, Cutie. You can be my new soulmate. Since you’re a little bit spooky and like being read to, I think it’s perfect.”

If he could preen, Bat Max would. Your words soothes him instantly and he cuddles against your pulse, cooing and almost purring happily. You accept his bat form, and that’s half the battle in his mind.

"Yeah?" You giggle softly, glad for the now familiar feeling of the small winged creature cuddling against your chest. "Is that all you wanted? Just my never ending love and devotion?" This laugh is slightly more hollow, and you pet his little head with two fingers as you pick your book up again. "Somebody might as well have it. I don't think I trust myself to actually give it to a human anymore."

Max blows out a breath, actually needing to breath as a bat, funnily enough. He hates the idea that you are so hurt that you wouldn’t trust and love again. You’re too sweet to put yourself on a shelf.

"Just you and me, Cutie." You murmur softly. "That's all I need." Maybe. Just maybe. If you say it enough, it will be true one day. Unfortunately for your heart, though, it's already given itself away. And denying it won't do a single ounce of good.

Max listens to the sadness in your voice, still freaking out because you’re his soulmate and he can’t tell you. How would he explain himself? You aren’t to know that the residents of this house are vampires. On his orders. How would he explain that he has no marks? They disappeared four years ago when he was staked through the heart and turned into a blood splatter on the wall. The only reason he’s here now is because his sire, somehow your relative, took pity on him.

Reading is calming and before long you're yawning between paragraphs and curling deeper into your blanket. When you're on the verge of drifting off you stifle another long yawn and rub two fingers along your little bat friend's head. "I'm glad you came to say hello tonight," you tell the little creature, right before your eyes shut.

Max chirps softly, listening to your heartbeat slow down. Waiting until you are asleep before he moves. Changing back to a human form and watching you. Staring at you in awe, not hearing someone else approach.

He watches as his protégé stares at you. A smile curving his lips and exposing the pointed fangs. He senses the turbulent emotions in the younger man, able to sense what he is feeling since he created him. Linked in an inextricable way. He had hoped to visit you tonight, but he sinks back into the shadows with glee. You are already entertaining it seems.

******

Deciding that it is time for a conversation - not the one Max will want, but the one he will get for now – he disappears back downstairs and settles himself in the kitchen, knowing that Max has a tendency to go for a 'midnight snack' glass of blood before turning in for the night. Sleep is not necessary the way it is for humans, but rest helps to keep vampires strong. And Max is using quite a bit of stamina every night to transform in and out of bat form.

Max whistles as he comes in the kitchen, trying to put on an air of nonchalance as he grapples with the very real knowledge that his soulmate has been discovered. He had watched you for far too long, unable to move until you had shivered in your sleep. Picking you up and carrying you over to your bed as if you were no heavier than a feather, Max had tucked you into bed again. Closing the window like he had before and slipping out of the door to come down to the kitchen. Every step he had been taking away from you being one he was forcing himself to make.

His tendency toward dramatics is well documented, especially by those closest to him, so for him to be lounging in the pitch black kitchen when Max comes in and flicks on the light out of deeply ingrained habit? Well, it should surprise no one. The skies outside have torn open and the midnight rain is torrential, making the scene all the more delightfully gothic as rain pelts the kitchen windows across the room.

“Fucking shit.” Max isn’t afraid of much, but the sight of him appearing has the younger vampire jumping slightly, his dead heart nearly leaping to life in his chest. Relaxing slightly before he remembers. “Why are you here?”

“Business.” He answers, languidly rolling the word over in his tongue and drawing out the hissing sound of the last syllable. “Amongst other reasons.” There are already two glasses of blood poured and he gestures to the other side of the kitchen table for Max to join him.

Max snorts and rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t refuse the invitation from his maker. “And does ‘other reasons’ include the human upstairs?”

“She seems to be settling in.” While it’s an observation instead of an actual answer, the older vampire shrugs one shoulder gracefully.

Frustrating, that is what the old man is. Hissing slightly, Max remembers that he also enjoys getting a rise out of people, so he leans back and picks up the glass of blood. “New pet?” He asks.

While he won’t give Max the satisfaction of a sharp reaction, he does set his glass down and let his eyes sweep over the younger vampire appraisingly. “As I understand it, she is the one keeping a pet. Not me.” He’s seen it with his own eyes. And while it’s unexpectedly charming, it certainly does represent a communication issue. “Or is ‘Cutie’ a different resident bat that I’ve not met before?”

It’s only because of the fresh blood that max has ingested that allows the flush to rise up under his skin. “She doesn’t know it’s any different from a regular bat.” He defends himself. How he knows about that, Max doesn’t know, but he always seems to know things he shouldn’t. As far as he knows, no one else in the house knows about his nearly nightly routine.

“She will eventually.” There’s spice in this blood. Something warm and tingling. Mrs. Taylor always somehow manages to provide the best of the best for him and he’s grateful to have had her for the last several hundred years. “One day she’ll know everything.”

“How long have you known?” That is the question that is burning under his skin. He doesn’t elaborate, knowing the elder understands what he is referring to.

“That she exists?” He is evasive by nature. Always has been. And he waves off the question with ease. “Her whole life.”

Max rolls his eyes again, obviously he should have been more specific. “That I am her soulmate?” He clarifies tightly.

“Oh?” One eyebrow quirks up in interest and he takes another sip of blood. “If that were true it would be a most interesting state of being. For you, of course. Entirely inconsequential to others.”

Max frowns, staring at the man who had changed him in college. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“That I firmly doubt the soulmate status of one infant vampire will matter much to the general population of mortals in the world.” The immortals, he knows, will take a great interest. They did the last time a vampire and witch were soulmates and they will take an even greater interest this time.

Max takes a sip of his blood. “Stimulating conversation, as always.”

Amused, his sire almost smiles but just the ghost of the expression makes it to his lips. “Ask the correct question and I will gladly answer.”

It’s always a game with him. “What is she to you?” Max demands, leaning forward and his eyes are darker than they should be, directed at his sire.

It isn’t the right question, but it is an important one. One that he isn’t quite ready to answer in full, but he swallows and lets his eyes close for a brief moment. “Now that Cookie is gone, she is everything to me.” It is an honest answer, if not a whole one. And certainly more than he would have given Max at any other time.

Max sighs, aware that he’s not going to get the answers he wants from the older vampire. “What’s the correct question, then?” He huffs. “Since you want to play your little games.”

“What is it you truly want to know, Maxwell?” He tilts his head in curiosity, wondering what the most important question is to his protégé’s beatless heart. The correct question is the one that matters the most — Max has not learned that lesson quite yet.

Max growls, increasingly frustrated and sure he’s not going to get an answer to his question. His maker is some kind of mood and it is impossible when he is like this. “Is she the reason I’m here?” He asks.

“Yes.” Although the question might give Max complicated feelings, his sire’s answer is simple. There is no other possible answer, in fact. “She is the reason for much.”

“Fuck.” Max is aware that the program that he was selected for was very high stakes, pun intended. Most humans were eaten. “Is she-“ he stops, wondering if he really wants to know this. “Is my connection with her the reason I was changed?”

“Partially.” After another sip of blood, his sire chuckles at the purses frown on Max’s face. “You were always going to graduate the program, Maxwell. But she is the reason that I am your sire and not a lesser vampire.”

“Because she’s somehow related to your soulmate?” He still doesn’t know the relation, but that’s because he’s never cared to ask. Not that Mrs. Taylor would spill if he didn’t wish for Max to know.

“Now you’re getting it.” The intention was never to keep the entire truth from Max. Never. But to tell him before telling you? He may be unscrupulous, but he is not uncaring.

“Why does one distant relative matter so much?” Max asks, frowning again. Since his own family turned their back on him, he’s hardened himself against that sort of connection.

“Have you ever known me to be careless in my decisions?” The honest question is not meant to be a trick, but it is meant to make Max think. “Have I not kept my family as close as I am able? And the families of those I have sired?” It may also be ever so slightly evasive, but he will not apologize for that just yet.

One thing Max can say for sure is that he is not careless. But it brings up another question. “Then why have you not brought her here sooner?” He huffs. “She’s been abused, that much is obvious.”

Shame is not a thing most creatures like to feel, and he likes it even less than most. But unfortunately shame is what he must endure, and for once he lets his protégé see the emotion in his face when he finds the younger man’s eyes. “I tried everything in my power to find her before now, but I was prevented. Kept from her. And I will never let such a thing happen again. Not for all the days I roam the endless earth. It is our duty now, to protect her. Yours and mine.”

Max bites his lip and nods. “I don’t know what she thinks of me.” He admits. “She’s more comfortable around the bat than the man. It’s- I’m drawn to her, now I know why.”

“She seemed quite fond of dancing with you.” Which is no small thing, and brings a smile unburdened to his lips. The fluffy pink tutu, tights, and shoes he had bought for an eager four-year-old spring to mind immediately. “Perhaps she ought to be trusted with the truth. That the bat and the man are one.”

Max huffs out a laugh. “And how should I do that?” He asks jokingly. “Just transform in front of her? She doesn’t believe vampires are real.”

A sigh overtakes him. Weary and far more emotional than he would normally let on, but your disbelief at the existence of vampires hurts more than he can possibly say. “She knows, in her soul. In her heart. But her mind has been bound from believing it.”

Max frowns slightly and rubs his tongue over his teeth. “It sounds like you believe she was supposed to be raised in this world.”

“Because she was.” A flash of anger in his eyes has to be tamped down before he says more than he should, but the point is firm. “She was born to it. She belongs here.”

“Okaaaaaay.” Max’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the passionate answer. Sometimes it seemed like Cookie was the only thing the older vampire cared about. Obviously you are just as important, though the connection is still vague. “It’s not like she’s your daughter or something.”

His sire huffs, burying anger and sadness back under mystery where they belong, and shakes his head. “A witch and a vampire having a child? What a fantastical thought.” His tone has turned droll under the guise of heaviness. “That would be the stuff of Legend if it were true.”

Max snorts and sends him a small smirk. “As if you aren’t already a legend.”

“Am I?” That flash of mystery and amusement graces his features and Max’s sire sits back in his chair. “I had nearly forgotten.”

It’s not like he had bragged about it. Max had to learn of his sire’s exploits through the rumor mill that seems to power a college. Even a vamp one. He wasn’t one to boast or rest on his laurels apparently. Max hadn’t known how great the honor of him being his sire was until he was nearly graduated. And just now, he’s learning the reason why he had turned him. “Aren’t you?” Max asks, taking another sip of the warm blood. “Maybe not.”

“If you want to bait someone, Maxwell, go find Eddie and tell him flannel has gone out of fashion.” He chuckles at his own joke, taking the last sip of blood from his goblet. “Understand fully, though, before you leave me tonight. That Dolly is of the utmost importance. She is the only priority that matters.”

The weight of his words settle on Max and he bites his lip before he voices the concern. “Should I- would you prefer that I leave her alone?” He asks, unsure of why he would be giving such an obvious warning.

“If that was my wish, you would never have known she existed.” His sire tells him honestly. “You would not have be among those I deemed worthy of eternal life, and you certainly would not have been brought back after that stunt four years ago.” He shakes his head, wishing now for wine more than blood. Something to temper the emotional rollercoaster he has been on since you were finally located weeks ago. “You have been brought here for her, Maxwell. Endeavor to be worthy of that honour.”

“I don’t think she wants romantic entanglements.” Max admits. “She’s - skittish and I’m….” He trails off and shrugs. With his sire, it’s a lot easier to admit shortcomings. “Not.”

“But it is what you want?” Knowing Max as he does, it takes a great deal of willpower for his sire not to play on Max’s usual cocky side. This is too important for that anyway.

“I-“ Max stops, unsure of how to answer that. He wants you, but he also knows that you aren’t ready for something like that. It’s why he had spent so much time as the bat lately. “For her to be happy.” He decides. How that happiness looks is up to you. He’s already been selfish and he’s paid too high a price to chance it again.

“Good.” There may not have technically been a correct question to ask earlier, but there was certainly a correct answer to this one, and Max has hit on it. “You will tell her the truth soon. She’s made of stronger stuff than whatever she’s been through.”

It sounds like an order, but Max nods. “I hope you are right.” He tells the vampire who had turned him into what he is now. “Otherwise, we ruin the only safe place she has.”

“It is all the stronger for having us in it.” He reminds the younger vampire. “In the meantime, not a word to Eddie or anyone else. Only Mrs. Taylor knows I’ve arrived.”

His brow lifts again, but he doesn’t say a word about it. “Then back to the tower with you.”

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @haylzcyon @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri @adancedivasmom @madiebear @tanzthompson @emilianamason @bigsdinger @xocalliexo @pedr0swh0r3 @avaleineandafryingpan @charlyrmv @avidreader73 @iceclaw101 @loveslide @elegantduckturtle @becsworld @julesonrecord @its-nebuleuse @itsrubberbisquit @mikeyswifie

VW: @haileymorelikestupid, @miraclesabound @nastiasnow @vabeachazn @oberynslady @grogusmum @kittenlittle24 @guelyury @8-900 @survivingandenduring

My Masterlist!

#Pedro Pascal #Pedro Pascal character fanfiction #Pedro Pascal fanfic #Max Phillips #Max Phillips x reader #Max Phillips x you #Max Phillips x female reader #Max Phillips x f!reader #Eddie BtVS #Bloodsucking Bastards #soulmate sunday #crossover fic #tw past abuse

170 notes · View notes

skulls-soul · 10 months

Text

I always see that Luigi is very passionate about cooking and how he is an absolutely amazing cook and I love that! like Luigi being an amazing chef, that’s some good shit right there

With that said imagine with me, Bowser does the cooking for his kids and he’s actually a pretty decent cook as well. reckon he’s not as good as Luigi, but he can still make a mean dish!

How does Luigi find this out? simple! the kids were in charge with dealing with Luigi while Bowser commands his army to stop Mario from coming. you know, the whole ~shebang~ but because Luigi is the one that was kidnapped Mario is extra furious so Bowser is putting extra attention on trying to stop Mario or slow him down so that way he can get the castle prepared.

Because of this Bowser can’t cook for his kids so the kids take it upon themselves to make their own food as well as their prisoner some food as well.

Luigi sat down on the dining room table where Bowser and the kooplings usually eat. Luigi was told to sit and wait for his food and to not move a muscle though even if he did it’s not like he can move very far since there is a very heavy steel ball chained to his leg

If Luigi had known that his several attempts of trying to escape would lead him to having this thing attached to him he probably would’ve still tried escaping but stop around round four instead, so that way he could still keep his very limited freedom.

No matter it could be worse he could’ve been refused to be given dinner speaking of dinner the koopalings Walk in each carrying a plate that seems to be spaghetti. Ludwig the oldest carrying an extra plate with him and placing it in front of Luigi

At first glance Luigi could immediately tell that this isn’t going to be the best of dinners the sauce itself looks like if just a single tomato was squished between someone’s hands and then placed on the plate while the noodles seem to be both over cooked and undercooked at upon taking a bite he immediately tastes absolutely nothing it doesn’t taste like anything he’s pretty sure that there isn’t even salt in it

Luigi gave The food the benefit of the doubt maybe that’s just how they liked things here slightly over cooked slightly undercooked and severely plain but when Luigi looks up and sees all the kids trying their best to force down the food Luigi guesses that this isn’t how it’s meant to be.

He goes on to asking the koopalings who made this or who was in charge of dinner and almost immediately all of them deflated the eldest speaks up and saying that they all tried their best at making something edible but they’re not used to cooking. their dad is the one Who usually cooks and he has yet to teach them.

Luigi is surprise that bowser cooks “don’t you guys have like chefs” and they do but Ludwig mentions how the chefs are usually busy preparing meals for the servants and the army plus Bowser enjoys cooking for his family

this would immediately gain brownie points for Bowser in Luigis heart especially since Luigi himself also enjoys cooking for his family since he cooks for Mario all the time. once the kids find that out they immediately shove Luigi into the kitchen asking him to make them something that’s actually edible

And so Luigi gets to work. the children will see Luigi master chef skills, all seem to be entranced by the way that he cooks and once the food was done and the kids have tried it they declared Luigi as their personal chef for whenever Bowser doesn’t have time to cook for them.

A couple of days will go by until one dinner time after Luigi is completely done cooking and the kids and him are sitting chatting away eating Bowser comes in saying “I finished my work early have you guys eaten” to only then immediately stop and see the food in front of him. surprised about how edible it looks.

Bowser asks the kids if they made this trying a piece of the food himself stealing from Luigi‘s plate not wanting to take from any of his kids. All of the kids would immediately shake their head and one of them would speak up saying that it was actually Luigi who cooked for them

bowser turns to Luigi with a surprise expression “this is pretty good have you been cooking for them every time” bowser asks and Luigi will answer with just a simple nod Bowser with then fairy surprisingly thank Luigi saying how he was worried that the kids would be eating nothing but cereal or the microwavable‘s

also imagine if bowser knows how to bake because he wanted to show off to princess peach because he knows that she likes baked goods since it’s common within mushroom folk so as a little thank you gift for Luigi he’ll bake him some thing and he’ll be a little insecure about it seeing as how The princess never really tried any of his baked goods

Luigi unable to say no especially when someone cooked something or baked something for him ends up trying some and it’s absolutely delicious reckon it’s not the best like peaches desserts and Luigi himself can think of a couple of ways to improving the brownie before him but all in all it was still pretty delicious to the point in where he took one more

Bowser would be completely surprised with us and flattered but did not show his emotions because he definitely doesn’t care about what Luigi thinks of his baking absolutely not he’ll end up bloating (I think the word is like he’ll give himself some compliments) being like sucks for peach she’s missing out on some delicious brownies and stuff like that

“yeah you’re right these are really good she did miss out” luigi says in agreement

#luigi #luigi nintendo #bowuigi #bowser #bowigi #bowser x luigi #bowser and luigi #luigi x bowser #bowser nintendo #king koopa #luigi and bowser #bowser/luigi #luigi/bowser #fanfic #free idea #bowser cooks #literally and figuratively

147 notes · View notes

luminouslywriting · 2 months

Note

just read your domestic Buck headcanons and I LOVE them 🥰 i'd be interested to know more about the kitchen sex and praise

Ooh I am just loving getting these asks!! Keep sending them my way because I really do enjoy them! You're all so lovely! Again, please note I don't write full smut, but this one was a little fun haha! Hopefully it was what you were looking for!

Warning: Spice below the cut haha!

-Gale has long and hard days at work and if he comes home and you're in the kitchen....it's just a recipe for disaster and spice, let me be the first to say!

-Because it goes one of two ways—

Gale comes home and literally just stops you in the middle of whatever you're doing (whether it be cutting vegetables, setting the table, pouring a drink, it does not matter what it is), and in that nice voice of his goes, "Honey, I'm starving."

-IT IS NOT FOR FOOD BABE

-If he's in that sort of a mood, things get carried away awful fast and the kitchen will need a deep cleaning

-You can forget about cooking if that's the sort of mood that he's in because he's going to be feasting on you minimum 4-5 times before the clock has even hit 9 pm.

-It's in these sorts of moods that he wants to focus entirely on you and losing himself IN YOU

-Man's has been working hard and doing his best to provide for you and sometimes, it's more of a present and a treat for him to get to spoil you in this way than for you to pleasure him

-That means he's absolutely not letting you get handsy while he's being handsy and mouthy haha

-He draws those orgasms OUT and yes, several a meal has been burned or discarded in the Cleven household over this

-You could be attempting to stop the fire on the stove and that man wouldn't even remove his right hand from you while the left attempts to put out the fire haha

2. It's a softer version of this—but essentially, if you're in the kitchen and you're eating or you're cooking, he likes to watch you

-Gale is a really observant person and he internalizes a lot of his feelings and so he'll watch you very lovingly doing things

-A lot of the time, this ends in him hugging you from behind or wanting to dance with you in the kitchen

-Or if you're both eating and he's feeling particularly clingy that day, he'll just pull you into his lap and you'll have to move your food to adjust to said demands

-These are all things that have led to some spicer situations in said kitchen

Other notes about the kitchen:

-Places that have needed to be sanitized: Against the fridge, the floor, atop the countertop, atop the dinner table, the dining room chairs, pretty much any available counter space that exists, the door to the kitchen, etc.

As for the praise thing haha:

-I just really believe that he's a very soft-spoken man who doesn't verbalize a lot, so it's important to him in sex to let you know how beautiful and loved and important you are

-Yes, he definitely says, "Good girl," multiple times

-Doesn't really swear during sex but has when things have gotten to be overstimulating for either of you haha

-If you have insecurities about a certain portion of your body, you best believe that he's taking the time during sex to reassure you that he wholeheartedly knows that you're beautiful and loves every single part of yourself

-He might even make you do positive affirmations about your body afterwards just to make sure the lessons have sunk in

-If not.....😌 then he's about to have a great time teaching you how to love yourself more

#gale buck cleven #gale cleven headcanons #gale cleven x reader #gale cleven #mota #mota fanfic #masters of the air x reader #masters of the air

30 notes · View notes

neuroprincess · 1 year

Text

Abbott Elementary - Having a baby with Melissa Schemmenti (Headcanon) - Part Two

Melissa Schemmenti/Female Reader

Classification: Fluff

Warnings: None

Word count: +1800

Part One | Part Two

- The baby didn't have a name picked out until the birth, when Melissa looked at him she knew exactly which name from the big list you were going to choose. A name of Italian origin, simple, strong, beautiful and with a meaning to match, bringer of light. Suitable for your little human being who brought light into your lives, along with happiness and love. Luca Schemmenti;

- Luca was born with 6.2 pounds, 19 inches and completely healthy for a premature baby, perfect reflexes, intelligent, communicative and very bossy, gave work for the nurses, after two days in the hospital he was liberated to the relief of the new moms;

- Unlike what one might think, your wife prefers that you have no visitors in the hospital except Barb and the immediate family, considering it a very delicate and intimate moment to share. She also took hundreds of pictures, most of which were placed in a dedicated photo album to record each stage of the baby's development. There is a whole page especially for the first photo of you three together. In a few months your house will be full of framed photos of Luca;

- This woman would literally kill for her family, rest assured she will act like a 100% lion mother and devoted wife, you will both be in good hands. She will make sure you are all well and happy so there will be fresh meals, clean clothes, she will do the housework and help in every way, Melissa is a naturally protective person and her main love language is acts of service;

- Barbara was the best friend you could have in the first days of your child's life, as an experienced mother she has a vast knowledge of newborn care and basically teaches you everything you need to know, from the essentials to little tips that make everyday life easier;

- Luca is a bossy little boy, his needs have to be met quickly otherwise he will spend the rest of the day in a bad mood, sometimes he can be impatient, moody and have some attitude, even as a newborn, no surprise considering he is the son of the one and only Melissa Schemmenti. Like mother, like son;

- She hates being called by affectionate nicknames in public, but loves to give it to those she loves, Barb is one of the exceptions, you have several affectionate names and your son is no different, Melissa likes to call him by the affectionate Italian nicknames she gave the boy during your pregnancy (Tesoro, Amore mio, sometimes Bambino) and LuLu, her little LuLu. The teacher thinks it's cute and he seems to like being called that, especially if the redhead uses a baby voice, Luca always cracks a dimpled smile when he hears her;

- She is the best partner of all, Mel gets two weeks off to stay with you and give all the necessary support to take care of the baby, when your son cries she is the first one beside the crib, she changes most of the diapers, loves to give baths, talk and sing until he falls asleep, but her favorite things are cooking with Luca by her side in the stroller and choosing his clothes for the day, when you were pregnant she may or may not have bought an absurd amount of cute clothes and loves to dress him like a prince. Melissa feels the separation from this routine too much when she has to go back to work, secretly crying in the car on the way to school after dropping you both at home;

- The first month away is emotionally exhausting for the teacher, while at work all she can think about is how you two must be, you start doing video calls every break, lunch is the most torturous time because it's her favorite family time, she loved watching LuLu while making sure you eat well with homemade and healthy food. These calls calmed her heart and helped kill the longing, but nothing beats the feeling of coming home, finding her wife and son waiting with a smile and a warm hug to make the day better;

- It's cliché, but Melissa has pictures of Luca in the wallet, secretly waiting for someone to ask so she can show them all, then her phone gallery filled with pictures she's taken of the boy. The photo of him wearing the Eagles bodysuit is her phone's lock screen, the main screen is Luca lying on your lap being cradled in the nursery, she can spend the day staring at these two specific photos;

- The baby's nursery is decorated little by little, you were undecided about the theme, she painted the walls at least three times before the birth, choosing to keep it in yellow. Gradually the room has gained identity as Luca grows, when he shows interest in animals you start buying stuffed animals that he is obsessed with, suddenly there is a cute jungle-themed wallpaper, green blankets, themed decorations and a giraffe next to the nursing armchair that he likes to look at while falling asleep;

- If you feel very insecure about your body postpartum Melissa tries to assure you in every way that you are beautiful, always praising your body, kissing every stretch mark and that she loves each part of you. Thanking you for giving her a son, pointing out that they are memories of LuLu's home, where you welcomed and cared for him, and how you brought your baby into the world;

- In a few months you slowly return to work, coming to an agreement to teach part time so you can dedicate the rest of the day to your son, before you could even think about enrolling the baby in daycare most of the Schemmenti family offered to care for him during your hours, despite initial reluctance you left Luca with Melissa's parents, they simply love spoiling their grandson, this is a temporary option until you feel Luca is ready for daycare. Mel wouldn't mind if you preferred to be a housewife, the years of work have earned her a reasonable salary and we know that woman probably has many side businesses, the teacher always finds a way, so you staying at home is a possible option and she secretly likes this possibility;

- LuLu's six months arrive quickly and you face a dilemma, to continue breastfeeding the baby or not, the exclusive feeding of breast milk has been followed to the letter and this woman has been anxiously waiting for the time of introducing food. Melissa is that emotional support for both of you in this process, helping and respecting the time;

- The process of weaning becomes easier when your wife introduces other foods to him; at the beginning it's fruit, mashed potatoes and light meals, but when Luca's teeth start to grow Melissa can't resist giving him pasta, which quickly becomes his favorite food. Not surprisingly the boy begins to gain weight, turning into that baby of her imagination, with chubby cheeks, hands and feet, he is simply adorable and has indeed inherited Schemmenti's appetite;

- She is very worried at any cry different from him, a mom who suffers along with the baby and spends sleepless nights worried that something will happen. She has worked for years with little children, but they know how to communicate and say what hurts, so seeing your child suffer without knowing what it is and how to help makes her feel powerless, distressed. The teething moment was a nightmare, because besides Luca feeling a lot of pain he also became irritable, her co-workers were worried and then tried not to laugh when Melissa shows up one morning in a miserable condition and with the mark of two teeth on her hand;

- He is such a smart and precocious child, however you didn't expect Luca to talk before the first year of life, but one night while Melissa is preparing dinner with the baby in the feeding chair, he calls out to her by "Mel" trying to reach for the meal. The redhead brakes, not believing what she has just heard because your son is only 10 months old and has called her what you lovingly refer to her, letter by letter, waiting for an answer. Right away she cries out in tears for you to witness the boy repeat it several times until he gets some Penne Pomodoro. Melissa is sure to brag about it to everyone for weeks, teaching him new words and recording everything to watch like a fool over and over again, a month later she cries when he officially starts calling her Mama Mel;

- They are an inseparable pair, LuLu loves to sit on his mother's lap (usually playing with her necklaces), she takes him to Eagles games, he likes to sleep between you, share a plate with her and can be very jealous, he is that typical baby who doesn't like his parents kissing because he is jealous of one. You only realize this when he pushed you away from the redhead when you went to kiss her goodbye and made a funny face, which was supposed to be angry;

- Luca isn't just jealous of his mother, he's jealous of Barb too, you would easily be exchanged for the teacher since he is completely obsessed with that woman. She is his favorite person in the whole world. The little olive eyes light up when she shows up at Friday dinners, you have started this couples tradition and LuLu wants to spend the whole night on her lap, admiring and trying to communicate;

- And Barb is the first option to leave him when Melissa wants to take you out to dinner or do something different, followed by her parents, you have a good support network in this journey of motherhood, even the work team is there for you when necessary. She never imagined that one day she would have a baby and all these scenarios, feeling the love and support of the family is something priceless;

- A year after the arrival of the little bundle of joy you manage to settle into a peaceful routine after going through all the rough patches and first times in a first trip motherhood, your heart overflowing with happiness to see your prince so big, smart and healthy. Melissa insists on having a birthday party with everyone at home and thank god you recorded every moment, because this way you recorded Luca's first steps as he walks towards you to get the balloon shaped like One in the redhead's hand. It's another video that she would watch on a loop without getting tired. She picks him up in her lap and distributes kisses all over LuLu's chubby little face, then turns to you giving a gentle kiss on the lips, whispering thanks for that wonderful little being you brought into the world for her.

"You know, we could give LuLu a little brother or sister, I like the name Olivia.... Damn, Y/N! Just one of these doesn't seem enough."

#melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti #abbott elementary x reader #abbot elementary #headcanon #female reader

262 notes · View notes

yuujispinkhair · 1 year

Text

Separation Anxiety (Chapter 04)

Put your lips on my scars and teach me to love

When a ritual separates Sukuna from Yuuji, Sukuna is delighted to find that besides having his own body, there is also another gift handed to him: The brat has lost all his memories and is now the perfect little plaything to take home and manipulate. At least, that's the plan. But the King of Curses isn't prepared for the feelings that come along with being human again. And another complication is how cute the brat is when he has no idea who Sukuna is and, instead of hating him, treats him with genuine love and affection. So, without realizing it, Sukuna suddenly finds himself on a journey of learning how to be loved and how to love.

++ Masterpost ++

Pairing: Sukuna x Yuuji Genre: Memory Loss AU, fluff, smut, light angst Word Count: 4.5k Playlist: Separation Anxiety Warnings: 18+, smut, mentions of violence, dub-con (Yuuji has lost his memories, and Sukuna lies to him about being boyfriends). All characters are of age. This story is 18+. Minors don't interact.

Chapter 04

Do you feel safe out in the light? Or is this the place where monsters hide? (Who are you by SVRCINA)

The brat spends the rest of the day getting accustomed to the apartment, walking around like a captive tiger, restless and with searching eyes, while Sukuna watches him with barely hidden amusement. It's delightful to see the brat like this. So lost and dumb.

Uraume pops up suddenly to shove a pile of fluffy red towels into Itadori's hands and informs him that he should take a shower or bath now so he will be presentable for dinner with Master Sukuna.

The boy takes the towels on autopilot but blinks in confusion, mouth opening and closing a few times before he finally manages to call out after an already retreating Uraume,

"Are you a nurse or something?"

Sukuna takes that moment to stroll over to the brat, hands shoved casually into his pants pockets, smiling at the confused boy.

"That's Uraume, my personal servant. Don't worry, your pretty head, darling. You will get used to everything again. Now go take your shower."

He cocks his head and reaches out to poke the brat's chest with his index finger,

"Or do you need help?"

A dark red blush fills the brat's cheeks at Sukuna's seductively whispered offer and the long finger trailing suggestively down Itadori's chest.

"No...I...I'm fine. See you at dinner!"

He practically runs to the master bathroom.

Dinner is a tense affair. A fact that Sukuna enjoys immensely! He basks in the awkwardness that emanates from the brat.

Uraume set the table fitting for a King with several candles and an opulent flower arrangement where red spider lilies are intertwined with cherry blossoms, celebrating Sukuna's successful reincarnation.

The dishes served are all exquisite. Uraume is still a fantastic cook after all this time, even though the ingredients used to prepare the meals changed. Uraume delights in the modern custom of eating meat, and Sukuna has to admit that he quite likes the taste of beef. Human flesh isn't on the meal plan anymore, at least for now. But once Sukuna has dealt with this business with the brat, he can fully dedicate himself to taking over the world and turning it into his personal slaughterhouse.

But not right now. First, he deserves a little break. A little enjoyment after all those years he spent locked away. And manipulating the brat serves as the best means to achieve that.

Sukuna slowly chews the cooked meat Uraume served for the main dish, his blue eyes never leaving Itadori. The brat, who usually eats like a pig, is uncharacteristically quiet and only shoves his food from one end of the plate to the next, just nibbling on it occasionally. At the same time, his nervous gaze jumps from the decadently decorated table to Sukuna and to a place behind Sukuna's shoulders, where Uraume must be hovering, obediently awaiting any orders from their Master and probably staring back at his former vessel with a suspicious glare.

Sukuna watches in smug amusement, letting the tense atmosphere carry on, waiting for the brat to snap.

It happens after ten minutes.

The pretty chopsticks the brat had been holding clutter loudly onto the table, and his eyes burn with despair.

"This is so weird! I cannot do this!"

"Oh? Darling, what is it?"

Sukuna raises an eyebrow and blinks innocently at the brat, who sighs shakily and runs a hand through his hair.

"I feel so weird... this is my home, you say, but I don't recognize anything! I don't recognize you! I don't recognize this person over there! Uraume, right? I can't remember living in such a fancy penthouse or having a butler! It feels so weird to me! As if this cannot be my life! And I have so many questions! It's driving me insane that I have no idea who I am! Do I have a family? Do I have a job? Or am I a student? What kind of accident happened to me? What... Fuck, I just don't know anything at all, and it's making me feel so... strange..."

His gaze meets Sukuna's, golden eyes shiny with unshed tears, wide with panic.

Sukuna nods, managing his sweetest smile. He is prepared for this moment. The little story he constructed will be sufficient to satisfy the brat. He isn't the brightest, after all.

"It must be very hard for you, sweetheart. Please don't hold back when you have any questions. To answer some of them: We both have no family left. It's only you and me. You don't have a job at the moment. You used to study Japanese folklore and mythology, but the doctors said you should rest until you fully recover."

"Oh...folklore and mythology? Wow...that's unexpected. Sounds pretty smart, though."

The boy looks so stupid, honey eyes gazing unseeingly up towards his forehead as if he is raking his dumb little brain for any memory. Well, if he remembers any curses now, he will think it must be something he read in his mythology classes.

Sukuna adds,

"It was a car accident that caused your memory loss. You hit your head very badly. The doctors said that it can take a while until you recover. You might be confused and disoriented for months or even years. But don't worry, sweetheart. I will look after you. I'll always stay by your side to ensure your safety."

I'll keep you here in this golden cage, locked away from everyone you ever loved, lost to the world, only belonging to me. I decide where you go, what you see, what you hear, and what you do. You only exist in the way that I want you to.

The brat nods slowly, a small grateful smile appearing on his face.

"Ok... thank you..."

Itadori leans back on his chair and scratches his neck sheepishly.

"Uh, there is something else I wanted to ask. The penthouse...all that expensive stuff in here...and your face. I mean the tattoos on your face! You're a Yakuza, aren't you?"

Sukuna almost bursts out laughing. A Yakuza? So that's what the brat came up with in his little brain?

It's perfect. Sukuna had planned to tell the brat he is the heir of a family of temple attendants and has those tattoos for religious reasons. But the brat came up with a far more believable story. And he doesn't even seem freaked out about it but instead looks excited.

Sukuna grins and nods.

"Good, you figured it out, darling."

"Oh, I did! Ok! That's... um, I don't know. It's kind of cool!? I feel like I woke up in some movie! But being a Yakuza sounds dangerous too. Is it?"

"Not to me. I am the most powerful one."

"Wow... ok, but..."

The brat scrunches his nose, looking uncomfortable again,

"Do you hurt people? Like, torture them or kill them? Or abduct someone? Do I do those things? I...I obviously can't remember, but the thought makes me sick. I don't want that! It's wrong!"

Stupid little brat. Even without his memories, he is still the pure-hearted hero, still so disgustingly good. It makes Sukuna want to wrap him in his darkness and bathe him in the blood of the millions living in this city.

But he laughs softly, making a dismissive gesture before he places his elbows on the table and rests his chin on his hands, looking deeply into the boy's eyes.

"Don't worry. My line of work doesn't require bloodshed or torture unless someone attacks me first. People pay me, so I offer my protection. That's all. And you, my dear, aren't involved in any of it."

He smirks at how brilliant this is. And the dumb brat soaks it up, nodding and smiling at him as if it all makes sense.

"Your tattoos look cool. I like them."

"Thank you. I've carried these marks for a long time."

"You know what, Sukuna? The way you talk is so funny. You don't sound like someone in their twenties. More like a 500-year-old noble."

"Is that so? Well, you almost got it right, darling, but make that a 1000 years!"

He winks at the brat, letting a cheeky grin lift his lips.

And suddenly, the brat's laughter fills the room, loud and unrestrained, tears glimmering at the corner of his eyes from laughing so hard about how funny his boyfriend is.

Sukuna joins in, finally letting out the laughter he has been holding back. It echoes through the large room, mixing with Itadori's, both laughing manically for different reasons, but the brat doesn't know it.

He is blissfully unaware of the lies he is wrapped in. And the tension from earlier fades away, making Itadori grin and look like his usual stupid self. Finally, he digs into the exquisite meal Uraume placed before him, munching it happily while grinning at Sukuna, who smirks back at him.

Eat up, little brat. You will need your strength.

Dinner is over, and the sun has long set, leaving Sukuna and the brat in the dimly lit dining area. It looks almost romantic with all the flowers and the soft light of the candles. A fact that makes Sukuna's lips twitch with an amused smirk. He leans back in his chair, letting his eyes wander slowly over the boy who has his face turned towards the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights of the nightly city.

Sukuna's eyes are fixed on Itadori. He feels his heartbeat accelerating in excitement. The brat is here at his mercy, unaware of the game Sukuna is playing with him. It's an exquisite feeling. The rushing of his blood in his veins, feeling the warmth seep through his body, feeling the strong thrum of his own heart. Feeling alive again after a thousand years.

Sukuna gets up, slowly walking towards the boy. He stops beside him, reaching out to put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Time for bed. You need your rest."

He feels the brat tense up again under his touch. Sukuna draws his finger away and walks towards the doorway, stopping to look over his broad shoulder at Itadori.

"Are you coming, Yuuji?"

The brat's adam's apple bops again, but he nods bravely and gets up so fast that he almost knocks over the chair, catching it last second with his hands with a sheepish smile.

He follows Sukuna to the bedroom like a puppy following its owner.

They are standing in the bedroom, and Sukuna grins to himself as he pulls his shirt over his head, reveling in the way the brat's eyes grow big as he stares at Sukuna undressing in front of him.

Under other circumstances, Itadori would be outright rude with his staring. His golden eyes are glued to Sukuna's naked chest, slowly trailing downwards, following the tattoos adorning Sukuna's muscular body.

Sukuna likes what he sees in that gaze. Unveiled interest. The brat is attracted to him.

Sukuna graces him with a smile as he shoves down his sweatpants. He contemplates taking off his boxer briefs too, but decides against it. He doesn't want to risk making the brat run. So he just slips out of the sweatpants and folds them neatly before hanging them over a chair in the corner of the room.

He can feel the boy's eyes on him, probably admiring him, wondering how good that tall, strong body must have felt on top of him during the countless times they fucked before he lost his memories.

The brat looks flushed when Sukuna walks back to him.

"Do you need help getting ready for bed, my love?"

Sukuna asks him sweetly, tugging on the hem of Itadori's shirt. He can feel the brat's abs flex against his fingertips. The boy is breathing too fast. He is nervous, and maybe even a bit aroused. Sukuna wants to ruin him.

He almost rips the brat's shirt in two, barely able to rein in his desire. The shirt drops carelessly to the floor, and Sukuna's hand sprawls over the brat's chest, right where his heart is beating frantically.

Oh yes, he remembers the beating of that heart, remembers holding it in his hand after he ripped it out of Itadori's chest. Remembers how it had felt, slippery from all the blood, warm, and still beating. It was delicious.

Now the same heart is beating unharmed in that broad chest under that strong ribcage. But Sukuna still has his hand wrapped around it. Metaphorically this time, but the fact remains that this heart still belongs to him. Every fiber of Itadori belongs to him.

"Oh, sweetheart. Your heart is beating so fast. I think you should lie down."

Of course, he has already spent many nights with Itadori. Trapped inside him, only able to witness the boy's nightmares or his wet dreams. Sometimes, Sukuna let himself have a bit of fun by making a mouth appear on the boy's palm and licking his cheek. It was the only thing that could wake the brat and have him scream and complain loudly.

But this cannot compare to the luxury Sukuna is blessed with now.

The brat is sleeping next to him. It only took him a few minutes to fall asleep, completely exhausted. And now he is lying there, snoring softly, hugging his pillow, and slumbering peacefully. It amuses Sukuna greatly to see the brat like this. With his guard down, completely unaware that he is lying next to his biggest nightmare.

Sukuna, on the other hand, cannot fall asleep. Or rather, he doesn't want to.

He is lying on his side, propped up on one elbow, watching the sleeping boy. Itadori's pink hair is a nice contrast to the black silk pillowcase, making Sukuna imagine the moment he will grab that soft hair and push the brat's face into the pillow while Sukuna wrecks him completely, making him scream Sukuna's name and beg him for more.

Sukuna sighs. It would be so easy to take advantage of the brat right now. But it would ruin the plan.

He can be patient a bit longer. He wants to enjoy this thoroughly, after all. Little steps every day, watching the boy walk towards his own ruin, not realizing that this fancy penthouse is a prison and the man he thinks is his loving boyfriend is the monster who possessed him and dug his claws into him to never let him go again.

Stupid brat.

He's sleeping so peacefully. His face is relaxed, lips slightly parted. He looks pretty. Not bratty at all, but so soft and young, almost angelic. An innocent and naive angel.

Unconsciously, Sukuna reaches out and ruffles that pretty pink hair.

"Mine."

He blinks in surprise when he realizes he has said the word out loud. It came out as a low growl, sounding too loud in the otherwise deadly silent apartment.

The boy didn't hear it, though. He continues his deep slumber, and Sukuna pulls his hand away.

He laughs softly. It's true, though, isn't it? The boy is his. Itadori Yuuji has always been Sukuna's. From the moment he was created. Even before that. Even when he was just an idea in his maker's mind, he was already Sukuna's.

And the brat had known it, too. He had known he would live and die with Sukuna.

But it was different back then. Itadori hated him. He saw Sukuna as the enemy. He was constantly struggling against Sukuna's hold on him, always so rebellious, always so full of anger towards the God possessing him.

Now things have changed. He is such a good boy now that he has lost his mind. So completely and utterly Sukuna's. Sukuna is the only thing he knows now. His whole world and Sukuna is the Master of this world.

Sukuna doesn't sleep much that night. He's too busy marveling at the perfect gift he received so unexpectedly. And the brat is sleeping like a stone next to him, making soft snoring noises from time to time, so unaware of who the man next to him is.

Sukuna wakes up the next morning to sunlight streaming into the room and a strange feeling of warmth.

His eyes open slowly, and for a split second, he is disoriented. The sensation of having a real body is something he still has to get used to again every morning. He feels a slight ache in his neck, and his left arm feels numb where a heavy weight rests on it.

Sukuna blinks against the sunlight.

And then the realization washes over him. The mysterious weight is the brat.

Itadori is snuggled against him, head resting on Sukuna's naked chest, soft cherry-blossom-smelling hair tickling Sukuna's jaw, one arm thrown over Sukuna's waist, holding him tightly. He's still dozing, snoring softly, his warm breath brushing against Sukuna's skin. He's hot and heavy, and Sukuna feels something wet on his chest where Itadori's mouth is.

Is he drooling on the King of Curses?

Sukuna is momentarily at a loss for what to do. He has never experienced waking up with someone draped all over him.

It's not that he was abstinent in his former life. The contrary is the case. Sukuna fucked someone new almost every night. Countless women and men begged for his attention when they came to his temple to worship him and seek his help. Countless daughters and sons were brought to him to sacrifice their virginity for a good harvest and protection from attackers. Countless young monks found their way into his bed chambers after hanging on his lips for hours.

Sukuna does not lack experience in the desires of the flesh. But everyone he fucked was just a body he used for his selfish pleasure, and he threw them out the moment he had satisfied his desires.

No one was ever allowed to sleep in his bed.

But now he is lying on his back with the brat hugging him, lying half on top of him, drooling on him, cuddling him.

It's outrageous! It's a sacrilege! In his past life, Sukuna would have sliced everyone's head off who dared try to do that!

No one was allowed to get close to the great Sukuna-sama! Most of his past lovers weren't even allowed to touch him. He was the one who was in control. He was the one who took from them. If he wanted their hands on him, he told them how and where to touch. He was the one who orchestrated those sexual encounters. No one ever dared detour from the script Sukuna had for those moments!

But of course, the brat has to overthrow that! Itadori really never knows his fucking place!

Hot anger surges through Sukuna. He wants to lash out and slice the brat's head off. Wants to punish him for his disobedience!

But a little voice in his head stops him.

This is part of the plan.

Sukuna slowly lets out a breath. It's true, of course. The boy is supposed to touch him.

It's part of the web of lies Sukuna is weaving. They have to sleep in the same bed and share these intimate moments. Couples do this. They sleep in each other's arms.

This is what his role is in this whole play. He has to play the loving boyfriend. He has to act as if this is a normal thing and as if he enjoys this. He should hug the brat back!

But to Sukuna's surprise, his right arm is already wrapped around the brat's sleeping figure. He must have done it instinctively at some point during the night.

Sukuna laughs softly and relaxes his fingers that tightened into a clawlike grip.

This is good. This is what he planned.

He slowly runs his hand over the brat's warm skin. He has to admit that Itadori's muscled back feels good under his fingertips. The boy has a nice body. Strong and beautiful, brimming with god-like power, which is something Sukuna appreciates. So different from the weak bodies his former lovers had.

Sukuna knows this body so well. He had been trapped inside it for years, after all. He had lived in it, moved in it. Even now, his human form isn't that much different from Itadori's. As much fun as he made of the brat in the past, he secretly always appreciated that his vessel had the body of a young God. It was a fitting body to house Sukuna.

The boy stirs, making a soft groaning noise. Sukuna holds his breath, waiting excitedly for the brat to wake up and realize where he is and what he is doing.

It takes about five seconds before Itadori gasps loudly and jumps up, almost tumbling out of bed in his hurry to get away from the body he has been pressed against. He catches himself right at the edge of the bed, staring at Sukuna with huge eyes.

Oh, this is delicious. Apparently, Sukuna isn't the only one who is caught by surprise by their sleeping arrangement.

His skin tingles pleasurably at the fear he sees in those pretty golden eyes. The sun is shining outside the window, but it cannot compare to the liquid gold in those eyes.

Sukuna schools his expression into a lazy smile. He cocks his head and looks at the boy with an innocent look, batting his long black lashes as if he just woke up too, fixing him with his sparkling sapphire eyes.

"Good morning, darling. Did you sleep well? Please be careful not to fall off the bed. We don't want you to hit your head again."

The brat is breathing heavily as he blinks at Sukuna in a mix of fear and confusion until his dumb little mind catches up with things. He runs a hand through his tousled pink hair as a shaky smile crawls over his face.

He looks guilty again. Probably feeling like such a bad boyfriend because he jumped when waking up in Sukuna's arms.

"Sorry. I was so confused for a moment. Good morning, Sukuna."

Itadori hesitates for a moment but then scoots closer to Sukuna again. He awkwardly pats Sukuna's shoulder as if trying to make up for freaking out a moment ago. So eager to please his loving boyfriend.

A grin spreads over Sukuna's face. He is ready to play with his little pet. He cups Itadori's cheek with one hand and strokes his thumb over the brat's lip, smearing his drool over his pink lips, making them glisten enticingly.

"It's ok, baby. Of course, you're still confused."

His hand slowly slides down the boy's chin and throat, loosely wrapping around his neck. He can feel Itadori gulp hard. His adam's apple bops under Sukuna's hand. His pulse flutters wildly. Like a scared little bunny. Sukuna rejoices.

His gaze trails down the brat's body, over those tan muscles, his buff pecs with the pretty pink nipples, his defined abs, and the strong v-line.

The blanket slipped down so far that it isn't quite able to hide the tent in Itadori's boxers.

Sukuna's grin becomes devilish. He can see the brat's erection twitch under his intense gaze.

Sukuna has to bite back a victorious laugh. The things he wants to do to his pet! But not now. He reminds himself that he has all the time in this world. Itadori won't go anywhere. Never again.

Sukuna will continue playing his little game and wait for the stupid brat to come to him, begging him for his touch.

So he just breathes a soft little kiss onto the boy's blushing cheek before he lets go of him and gets up, leaving a flustered Itadori on the bed.

But he makes sure that the boy can see Sukuna's matching erection straining against his black boxer briefs, large and thick.

He can see Itadori's eyes snap to Sukuna's prominent bulge, unable to stop himself from staring, lips hanging slightly open, cheeks burning with a blush, and eyes glazed over with desire. He's so pathetic.

Sukuna walks over to the chair where his clothes from last night are neatly folded and puts on his sweatpants again, slowly pulling them up, taking his time because he knows the brat's gaze is on him, admiring his body with lust written all over his face.

When Sukuna is finished pulling up the pants, he leans against the door frame with his arms crossed in front of his naked chest and grins at the boy.

"Come to the kitchen when you're ready. Uraume will have breakfast ready in a few minutes."

He can see Itadori's golden eyes staring at his chest. Horny little brat. Sukuna smiles at him, asking in a voice that is velvety like a lover's caress,

"Are you hungry, darling?"

The smirk on his face grows even wider when Itadori's eyes snap to his, caught staring and nodding wildly in his hurry to hide how he was obviously checking Sukuna out.

"Y.. yes... I'm very hungry!"

Sukuna laughs as he pushes himself off the wall and grabs his shirt to slowly cover up his bare torso and tattoos.

He sends the brat a deep cheeky look and adds, in an amused tone,

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."

He can see the boy bite his lip before Sukuna turns around to open the large bedroom door and leave the room.

Yes, he is hungry indeed. Hungry for the brat.

Oh, Kuna, you are so obsessed!! Thank you so much for reading Chapter 4!! How did you like the growing sexual tension between Sukuna and Yuuji? And the hug at night? I think it's so cute to imagine Yuuji rolling over to snuggle against Sukuna awww. And I had to laugh while writing about Sukuna's confusion and his anger about Yuuji cuddling him and drooling on him ahahhaha. THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED, MY DEAR KING!!

Please let me know what you think. Comments and reblogs make me happy :)

#sukuita #sukuna x yuuji #sukuna x itadori #sukuna #jjk fanfic

133 notes · View notes

rorywritesjunk · 27 days

Text

Down in the dark where the waves won't go, I'm bound to find my way.

Sunny and Buggy disagree over the next steps of their life together leading to them spending time apart.

Rating: PG-13 to be safe for swearing and arguing. Warning: Each chapter will have a specific warning. This chapter focuses on Sunny and Buggy with bonus Shanks and Rayleigh. Sunny ends up gushing a bit about her husband, kid Buggy gets upset, and Shanks eats his weight in beignets. Word Count: 2,588 A/N: The direct sequel to "No locked upon land...", the fic that started it all. I do not use "You" in this as now that Sunny is an established OC I decided not to go that route. This will be several chapters. Originally (lol) it was just two parts but... but I had to expand but I don't expect it to go much longer than the original fic. It's a few chapters longer than the original fic.

Title comes from "Sailing Song" by S.J. Tucker

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 Taglist: @hey-august @lostfirefly @ane5e

Chapter 6

Rayleigh was amazed how Sunny managed to handle directing both Buggy and Shanks in the kitchen. She made him and Roger wait for breakfast as the boys wanted to cook up a feast for the two of them with Sunny's help and well, she was managing to do it while favoring one foot.

She put Shanks in charge of the eggs and bacon while Buggy handled coffee and toast. Sunny stood between the two to prevent arguments as she already explained to them how important it was to be safe in the kitchen. If they even began to bicker then both of them would be dismissed and she would make breakfast herself without help.

Neither of them wanted that so they were on their Best Behavior for Sunny.

Rayleigh wondered if they could recruit her for the ship. He'd never seen the boys go so long without arguing before.

She checked the eggs and bacon that Shanks was watching before giving him the next instructions. Once Buggy had the coffee poured and toast ready, she put him to task with pancakes. It was kind of nice not having to do a single thing but watch the two. They seemed eager to spend time with her and she was okay with that. The two of them were sweet.

Once everything was ready, she helped the boys plate the foot before directing them to the table. She limped after them before taking a seat at the table.

“Enjoy! The boys worked very hard on this meal for us.” She said with a smile as the boys beamed at the praise. “Once we're done we'll clean up as well, and later today maybe make some beignets for fun.”

The boys had no idea what beignets were, but if Sunny thought it would be fun then they'd want to help.

The jacket wasn't ready yet. An apprentice came to the ship to break the news. Sunny recognized the girl as someone who had been finishing up her apprenticeship when Sunny joined, but she didn't say anything. She shouldn't really go around saying she was from the future, but it was hard when Buggy made it clear who she was when they all first met the day before.

Instead she was made to sit back and rest while the boys did their chores. She was given a seat on the deck so she could be outside while she propped her foot up. There was a bruise and it was uncomfortable to walk, but she would be fine. Buggy kept coming to check on her to make sure she was okay, but after a member of the crew teased him about it he didn't come around for a bit.

If Rayleigh didn't show up when he did to bark orders at the man, Sunny was pretty sure her fists would have needed icing.

“Do they all really tease the boys like that?” She asked him as he stood beside her. “I just… don't get it.”

“It's just the way it is on here.” Rayleigh shrugged. “They don't mean any harm, but Buggy just takes it far too personally sometimes which creates a bigger issue.”

“Maybe they need to stop and think before making their dumb jokes.” Sunny sighed. “I've known my husband for over 10 years and he still is sensitive to that sort of thing. It sticks with you, you know?”

“I have to say, when Buggy announced who you were, it was surprising.” Rayleigh told her. She looked up at him and frowned. “I know he's young now, but he isn't someone I thought would want to get married.”

“Well, it was all him.” She replied. “It happened so fast. He was a customer of mine at a shop I worked at, we became friends, but he's kind of that… love at first sight type. He was very… Buggy about everything, from dating me to proposing, it was very sweet.” She smiled softly as she leaned back in her seat. “He gets so passionate about things and has a blind stubbornness about him when he knows what he wants. I cared about him but I wasn't really in love with him until he was doing little things to show me he cared, and I saw someone who needed to be taken care of and he let me, so that's kind of why I fell for him.” She paused and looked up at Rayleigh, her cheeks pink as she realized she rambled on. “I shouldn't be saying all of this.”

“No, no, it's sweet.” Rayleigh chuckled. “Buggy deserves someone like you in his life.”

She went quiet, watching the two boys sweep and clean up the deck. They had yet to argue once this morning which Sunny was pleased by, though she knew it could still happen. Buggy kept glancing over in her direction and she smiled at him which seemed to help his mood a bit. He looked rather grumpy from being teased, but since Sunny wasn't doing anything other than look over at him, it seemed to help him relax.

The boys brought lunch out to her outside. It was kind of nice to be waited on. Usually she was the one bringing food to her husband but the boys insisted on bringing it to her. Buggy carried a plate of food while Shanks had a drink for her.

“I could get used to this.” She chuckled as she took the items from them. “Thank you, boys.”

“See? You should stay and then we can do this all the time.” Buggy told her with a smug look. “I'd take good care of you.”

“I know, honey.” She smiled. “But you still got pirating to do before anything else, okay, so we aren't changing your path. I'm only here for a little bit, remember?”

He huffed softly, looking a bit defeated. “I know.”

“Can we still make bennies today?” Shanks asked. Sunny took a moment to figure out what he was asking.

“Oh! Yes, if you two are done with your chores for now, we can make beignets.” Sunny told them. “Can both of you check with the cook to make sure we have all of the ingredients first?”

Sunny had to warn them again about not arguing while they were in the kitchen for everyone's safety and she was pleased they listened for a second time around. For a little bit.

Dealing with oil to fry up the beignets was the most dangerous part and even after explaining the best way to put the flat pieces of dough in the hot pan, the two argued about who was doing it wrong and Sunny immediately kicked them out of the kitchen.

Shanks wasn't too bothered but Buggy was upset. While the red haired boy waited outside the kitchen hoping to at least eat a beignet, Buggy went elsewhere on the ship to sulk. She opened the door to the kitchen when she was done, expecting to find the two boys, but she was surprised to just see Shanks.

“Where's Buggy?” She asked as she held a plate of the powdered treats. The boy shrugged and took two for himself.

“He went off somewhere.” He replied as he started to eat. “Don't know where.”

She sighed and wondered if she needed to go looking for him. She needed to get off her feet for a little bit but she was worried for him. She gave Shanks another treat before she went to go find Buggy.

It only took her fifteen minutes. He was down in the crew’s quarters on his cot, glaring up at the ceiling with tears in his eyes.

“There you are! You need to eat these while they're fresh.” She told him as she went over to him. He turned over so his back was to her. She wasn't too bothered by that. “C’mon, Shanks already had three.”

“Aren’t you mad at me?” He mumbled as she sat on the edge of the cot and helped herself to a treat. “You said not to argue in the kitchen and I did.”

“Yea, well, you made a mistake knowing the consequences.” She told him. “I told you both what would happen if you started arguing in the kitchen around me, and since the two of you decided to do so, I had made you both leave. It’s all about safety, you know, the kitchen isn’t always safe.” She finished off the beignet, licking the powdered sugar off her fingers. “I’m not mad at you, Buggy. A little disappointed, yes, but I’m not mad.”

He rolled back over to look at her with tears in his eyes. “You’re disappointed?!”

“Wha- I mean, not now? Earlier, yes, for a few moments, but I was disappointed in the two of you, not just you.” She told him. She shouldn’t have been surprised by his reaction but it caught her off guard. “It’s okay, Buggy, because even as an adult it will happen. It’s a very normal thing to do, it doesn’t change anything.”

“But-But I tried to be good, but it’s-it’s hard because I want to be the best but then Shanks or someone says I’m doing it wrong when I’m not and I don’t want you disappointed in me!” He sobbed as Sunny helped herself to another beignet before holding one out to him. He took it from her, sniffling loudly as he held it in his hands, not ready to eat just yet. “I’m so-sorry, I don’t want you to be mad at me!”

“Buggy, honey, I’m not mad.” She assured him as she set the plate down and scooted closer to him, being mindful not to leave sugary fingerprints everywhere. “I promise I’m not mad. Like I said, I was a little disappointed but I was never mad at the two of you.”

“I don’t want you to hate me!” He cried. Oof, this was a little too close to home. There were times when Buggy would have too much to drink and get sad-drunk, sobbing in her arms about the littlest things and how he didn’t want her to hate him because he forgot to wash a plate properly or he didn’t make the bed like she asked that morning. He would beg her not to hate him for messing up and he didn’t want her leaving him for some other better looking pirate.

She rubbed his back as he clung to her, crying in her arms as she tried to think of what to say. Maybe she’d just let him cry it out to get it out of his system, maybe just use gentle reassurance that she did care for the boy and that she didn’t hate him, but for now she just let him cry. The plate of beignets was forgotten about.

Buggy calmed down after a while. He asked to hold Sunny’s hand as they returned to the deck and she allowed him. A few of the men started to tease Buggy but he chose to ignore them, scowling as he led Sunny back to the kitchen to help Shanks clean up. He had Sunny sit down and wait while he and Shanks finished off the beignets and cleaned up. She wondered if either of them would want dinner later after stuffing themselves with sugar.

Thankfully the boys got along while cleaning and she didn’t have to kick either of them out. Rayleigh came to check on the boys later, pleased to see them getting along once more. He looked over at Sunny as she sat back with her foot propped up once more while she sipped a cup of tea.

“What’s your secret?” He asked. “To keeping them quiet for longer than fifteen minutes?”

Sunny shrugged. “Buggy just doesn’t want me to be disappointed in him, that’s all. Shanks just goes along with whatever I ask but Buggy is the one who wants to be good.”

“Huh.”

“Yep.”

When bedtime rolled around, Sunny was back on the cot in the captain’s room. He wasn’t there yet, doing nightly rounds to check on the crew and the ship. This was one of the few times Sunny had been by herself all day. If Buggy and Shanks weren’t with her, then Rayleigh or Roger were checking in on their guest. Some of the crew came to check her out, literally, asking if she wanted a proper tour of the ship to see some of the more secretive places. She turned them down, thankful as well that Rayleigh was nearby to hear some of that. She never saw grown men scatter so fast.

Spending time with the boys was… tiring for her, but in a good way. Sunny was finding herself starting to miss her husband at times whenever she’d have to comfort Buggy. It was no different than comforting him as an adult, just less alcohol was involved. One part of her was relieved to have distance from her husband. She… she felt it was needed. She was still thinking things over, such as still wanting kids but at what cost? Her husband was stubborn. If he didn’t want to do something then he wouldn’t do it, so if he really did not want kids…

She wiped the tears forming in the corner of her eyes and cleared her throat. No, no, she wasn’t going to start crying. It just was hard. She found herself wanting to be a mom finally and she really wanted Buggy to be a dad. In her mind she thought he’d be wonderful at it. He had always been good with her little cousins whenever they’d visit her family, and often he’d be the first to end up with a baby being shoved in his arms even without asking. He didn’t usually freak out too much, just accepted he’d be carrying around a baby while entertaining the younger kids with his Chop Chop abilities.

She sniffed and rubbed her eyes. Was she being unfair dropping this request on him? It wasn’t anything they really talked about much lately, but the fact he did mention it a few weeks ago in passing sparked something in her. She couldn’t help but feel warm and fuzzy when she thought of her husband holding their child, one she hoped would look just like him, from the hair to his nose to matching scowls.

Maybe they just needed to revisit it and talk it out.

“Sunny?”

She hastily wiped her eyes and cleared her throat before sitting up. Buggy was in the doorway in his pajamas, looking at her with concern. She smiled at the boy, hoping he didn’t hear her.

“Hey, honey, are you okay?” She asked. He shrugged a bit and she opened her arms for him. He hurried over to her, crawling into her lap as she wrapped her arms around him. “Have you been asleep yet?”

Buggy shook his head as he leaned into her. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Honey, I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She insisted.

“You seem sad.” He told her. She forced herself to laugh and smile.

“I’m fine, really, don’t worry, okay?” She assured him as she hugged him.

He frowned at her. He didn’t believe her but he didn’t want her to get mad if he kept pressing the issue. He just leaned into her and closed his eyes, wondering if she’d let him stay with her again for the night. He found he slept a little better when she was around.

#sunny x buggy #buggy the clown #buggy the clown x oc #buggy x oc #one piece fanfiction #one piece fanfic #one piece oc #one piece original character

15 notes · View notes

moonbyunniee · 2 years

Text

genshin characters on your birthday

cw ➵ fluff

characters ➵ ayato, thoma, venti, xiao

a/n ➵ enjoyy!! btw i'm gonna be reposting my old headcanons here bc for whatever reason i deleted them...ty for still following me after my hiatus (in which i said i would be leaving but like...ehe)

k. ayato - 神里綾人 ➵

ayato, as we all know, is a very busy person with lots of responsibilities

however, he does of course make time for his one and only, you!

ayato wakes up very early, earlier than usual, to finish all of his work in time for you to get up

once you get out of bed and are ready for the day, he greets you with beautiful flowers

"so, my darling...where to on this fine day?"

ayato will try to relax for you - it doesn't take much effort for him, since being around you always makes him relaxed anyway

ooh and flowerpicking!

ayato takes you to where all the best flowers are, fresh for picking, and the two of you make flower bouquets together

in the evening, he goes through his work from the day with you sitting on his lap, until he notices that you're getting tired

then the two of you go to bed together, resting your head in his chest and letting his warmth guide you to sleep

"i love you so, my precious. happy birthday."

thoma - 托马 ➵

thoma is amazing with these kinds of things!

of course, he wakes you up with breakfast in bed

he does all the cleaning and decorates the house especially for the occasion

birthday cake? he's already made it. higher than even his standards for his beautiful y/n's special day!

"i hope you'll enjoy this cake! it's my own recipe, i know you'll like it!"

he's also written a card for you and everything <3

more about cooking, he's made you gourmet meals for lunch and dinner

all your usual chores are all done by him too of course, what did you expect?

thoma also takes you out to look around at the street vendors' stalls, grabbing things to eat here and there

when you're sleepy, he takes you to bed with a mug of warm milk and hums you to sleep, sleeping right by your side with his arm around you

"happy birthday, y/n...you really are one of a kind."

venti - 温迪 ➵

ahh - kinnie! <3

this little bard will 100% wake you up with kisses all over your face

he'll already have written several songs to sing to you

and he performs them at diluc's tavern ehe~

be prepared for the onslaught of giggles, kisses and cuddles coming your way the second he senses you're awake!

he'll let you braid his hair in bed

and then he'll turn around and braid yours as well just like his, if you want to

"ehe sugarboo, today's gonna be a wonderful day! why? because you're here, of course! and it's your special day~"

he'll take you anywhere - i repeat, ANYWHERE - you want to go in teyvat.

just say where you want to go

and he'll carry you in his arms, a strong blow of wind lifting the two of you up and away, to where you want to go!

on another note, you didn't expect him to make a birthday cake

...right?

we all know the cute little bard isn't a great cook so let's just let the absence of cake and food slide -

well anyway, he makes up for it with a whole bunch of the most delicious, freshest apples picked from windrise just for you <3

at night, he'll take you to diluc's tavern and the two of you can drink to your heart's content (i mean, not wine if you don't drink but you can have apple cider or whatever else you like to drink)

he'll carry you back to you guys' home and cuddle you in bed, whispering sweet things into your ear as you drift off with a smile on your face

"ehehe~...i love you, y/n! you're a gift to me, and i hope to be the same to you <3"

xiao - 魈 ➵

the mighty adeptus, alatus, will make sure everything goes to plan on your special day

he himself doesn't understand the importance of something so trivial

since he's lived for so long, of course

but he understands that it's important to you, and that's all the self-persuasion it takes for him to plan your entire day out

he wakes you up softly, shaking your body in the sheets until you wake up and yawn, stretching

poor boy is immediately flustered and forgets the entire plan for two seconds, but of course he doesn't show it

"ahem...happy birthday, y/n."

he wonders whether he should tell you he loves you now, but he thinks for too long and his moment is missed

you hug him, making him blush. he doesn't hug you back, but you didn't expect that from him

he's not used to loving physical contact, what do you think

after you're dressed and ready for the day, he puts the rest of the plan in action

xiao, like ayato, surprises you with a bouquet of flowers

he also takes you out to wangshu inn to eat

the two of you share some almond tofu together <3

every little thing anybody does to you, xiao makes sure he studies your every movement carefully to make sure you don't feel down in any way possible

if anyone so much as tries to hurt you, well...he'll turn into angry adeptus xiao and hunt them do-

at night, xiao sleeps by your side (even though he has no need for sleep as it's for mortals in his words) and holds you close.

he's lucky it's dark, otherwise you'd be able to see his blushing face

"i'm right here for you, y/n. i'll always be here. happy birthday. i...i love you, my angel."

#genshin impact #genshin #genshin impact fluff #genshin fluff #ayato #ayato fluff #thoma #thoma fluff #venti #venti fluff #xiao #xiao fluff #ayato x reader #thoma x reader #venti x reader #xiao x reader #genshin x reader #[☁️writes]

351 notes · View notes

sajirah · 5 months

Text

The Prison Chapter Two

Gifts and Introductions

Guess what guys! You get chapter two several days ahead of schedule because I'm a crazy person! Hurray! Once again, you can read it here or on AO3.

-o0o-

Feyre awoke to the face of death.

Or rather, she awoke to a dead rabbit staring her in the face. But it might as well been the same thing with the way she reacted, screeching and smashing her head against the rocky overhang in her haste to put distance between her and the corpse.

Where the hell had this come from? Had a rabbit just wandered into her burrow and…died?

She stared, pondering this conundrum before realizing she was…warm. There was a blanket over her lap. A blanket she most definitely did not have the night before. And now that she looked closer there were several other things piled beside the dead rabbit.

A lighter. A pile of sticks. And was that…a knife?

…What the hell?

She looked around frantically. Did someone…leave this all for her? But who? Why?! Better yet, why would they bring her all this stuff and just…leave? She couldn’t imagine anyone handing over a bunch of items necessary for survival (in a place where they were worth more than gold) unless they expected something in return. And of course there was only one thing a man on a deserted island would want from her. And yet no one was around to collect on such a trade. She hadn’t seen a single soul since her disastrous run in with the welcoming committee on the beach.

Her stomach growled.

She hadn’t eaten anything since early yesterday morning and her body was making its displeasure known. Though she’d certainly gone longer without food before she also knew it was only a matter of time before she wouldn’t have enough energy to look for her meals. And at that point she would be as good as dead.

Feyre stared at the rabbit and saw herself reflected in its glassy black eyes. Well…it’s not like she hadn’t eaten worse. Much worse. She could still taste the moldy crust of bread and mealy apple core she’d once filched from the trash when her family’s finances were at their most dire.

She reached for the lighter.

At least she wouldn’t have to build a fire the hard way.

-o0o-

She should’ve known.

Feyre was just finishing up her breakfast when she heard a twig snap behind her. Quick as a snake she snatched up her knife and spun towards the intruder.

A man stood at the edge of her little camp, hands quickly raised at the sight of her knife. He was old, ragged and worn, but his eyes were clever. Steely. This was not someone she could let her guard down around.

“I saw the smoke,” he said slowly. “From your fire.”

Feyre could smack herself for being so stupid. Of course he saw the smoke. Of course he came looking, thinking whoever built it might be easy pickings. Clearly her hunger had made her stupid. She couldn’t afford to make mistakes. Not here.

“I was just curious,” the man continued. “Nobody comes out here you see. You must be new. I’ve never seen you before.”

“Arrived yesterday,” she admitted, though only because it seemed to be written all over her with her idiotic fire building and her mostly new prison uniform that hadn’t been worn down to threads like everyone else’s. The man’s own uniform was barely recognizable, patched with a mishmash of other fabrics. Of course where he had found other fabrics she had no idea.

“That would explain a lot.”

She grimaced. “Are you saying you eat your food raw?”

The man laughed. It was so sudden and so surprising that she nearly dropped her knife.

“No, I meant because you were this far into the forest. Of course we cook our food. We’re not animals.” The man paused, as if considering. “Well, most of us aren’t anyway.”

She stared. “What do you mean ‘no one comes this far into the forest’? Isn’t this where all the food is?”

The man was quiet for a moment, then suddenly he began to fold himself onto the ground with all the accompanied grumbling and groaning you’d expect from someone past middle age. Feyre’s grip on her knife tightened but the man just waved her off.

“I’m too old to be having these conversations standing for so long. Keep standing if you like but I might as well get comfortable while I explain some things.”

“Explain some things?” Feyre repeated dumbly.

“Oh yes.” The stranger said cheerily. “You see, we have some rules around here. Like Timber Town is neutral ground-”

“There’s a town here?!” She interrupted, confused. “I thought this was a deserted island full of criminals?”

“Oh it is. But it wasn’t always. It used to be a waypoint for ships to resupply on the way to the mainland back in the 18th century. There’s still a few towns and houses scattered around the island from that time, though we really only use Timber Town.”

Well that didn’t make any sense. If there were multiple towns with houses full of things to scavenge why would everyone only stick to one of them? Feyre said as much to the man and he gave her a strange look.

“Because Timber Town is on the shoreline.”

“What does that have to do with anything? It seems like such a waste to just leave everything beyond the beach untouched.”

“Because this forest is haunted.”

Feyre blinked.

“Haunted.” She said skeptically.

The stranger nodded sagely, as if this weren’t the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

“Listen, girl,” he said, deathly serious. “There is something in these woods. Something evil. Every night, when the sun goes down, things get very strange on this island. Animals go feral. Men go insane. Some go to take a leak at the edge of the forest at night and wake up the next morning on the other side of the island. I’ve watched men who were as good as brothers slit their friend’s throat in the night.”

It sounded like he was telling her a ghost story but the man looked too haunted by his own words to be spinning her a tall tale.

“I don’t know why this place was abandoned, nor why it was repurposed as a prison. But I can guess. We are not the predators on this island. It is. Whatever it is it hunts us. Toys with us. We are merely its playthings. And I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that our government is well aware of this. Like a tiger living in your house. You keep it fed and happy and docile because the moment it gets hungry, your throat will be the first it comes for. So they keep a steady supply of victims, people no one will miss, and they dump them on this island hoping it will keep the thing in the woods too busy to look their way.”

“You’re crazy.” Feyre said, not quite believing her own words. Because she had felt something last night. Like a whisper in her ear that she couldn’t quite catch. And where had her gifts come from? No other prisoner in their right mind would’ve just dropped off such valuable things and left her unmolested.

“Oh, undoubtedly.” The man said with a bitter laugh. “I have lived here too long not to at least a little crazy. But that doesn’t mean what I say isn’t true. Stay in the forest if you like. It very well might be the safest place for a woman here. But when the night comes, I promise you, you will see why the rest of us stay out of the forest’s shadow.”

And with that he got up, joints creaking loudly, and he nodded at her not unkindly.

And then he left.

-o0o-

She sat there for a while afterwards, mulling over the strange man’s story.

Suppose it was all true though, what then? It’s not like she could just wander the beaches like all the rest of the prisoners. She was, as far as she was aware, the only woman on this island. If she left the forest she was essentially offering herself up on a silver platter. And while Feyre was plenty self sacrificial when it came to her family, she drew the line at putting herself at risk of being raped any more than she already was. Better to keep seeking refuge in the forest since everyone else seemed to think it was cursed…or something.

Or maybe it was all just an elaborate lie dreamed up by a mad man to fuck with her and lead her right where he wanted her? Who was to say really.

She knew one thing for sure though, she couldn’t stay here. If the last man found her so easily from her campfire then it was only a matter of time before others showed up. She needed to find a new camp. And quickly.

Feyre stared in the direction the man had disappeared, presumably back towards the beach…then behind her deeper into the forest. She felt a strange tugging at her heart and rubbed at it absently.

Well…it’s not like she had ever believed in ghosts anyway.

Decision made, she put out her fire with a few handfuls of dirt and packed up her sorry little camp. Not that there was all that much to pack. She stuffed the knife into her belt, tucked the lighter into her pocket, and rolled the blanket up and stuffed it under her arm.

There. All packed.

With one last glance back towards the beach, Feyre began walking very determinedly in the other direction.

-o0o-

She had been walking for only a few hours when she stumbled across it quite by accident.

It was almost completely covered in ivy and most of the roof had collapsed, but even so…it was a house. One of the very same houses the strange man had told her about.

Finally!

Real shelter! She wouldn’t have to sleep in the mud with only a rock to protect her from the elements. She buzzed around the little house excitedly, taking stock of everything she could. A few of the ceiling beams were still intact and all of the walls were still fairly solid save for a rather large hole towards the back. But still…a house was a house.

She spent the rest of the day clearing a space inside for herself, cutting back brambles with her knife and setting aside whatever furniture she could find that was still in one piece. By the time the sun began to go down she was exhausted but content, huddled in the corner of the house to settle in for the night.

Let the stupid ghost come, if it was even real. It would have to fight her for her home. She wouldn’t give it up without a fight.

And it was with that thought that she drifted off to sleep.

-o0o-

She was home.

Well, her childhood home anyway. The one her family had lived in before her mother died. Before her father’s business had gone belly up like so many others during the depression. Before her sister had seen the need to sell herself to a monster to pull her family out of poverty.

She wandered through the sitting room, everything still as she remembered it as a child. The velvet sofa, the oriental rug with the coffee stain on it from when she’d tried to sneak a sip of her father’s coffee (their housekeeper never had quite managed the get it out), and the record player crooning The Andrews Sisters.

You’re really swell, I have to admit you

Deserve expressions that really fit you

And so I’ve wracked my brain, hoping to explain

All the things that you do to me.

Wait.

She let the familiar words drift into her ears as she stared at the record player, puzzled. She hadn’t even heard this song until after her family had long moved out of this house. So how…?

“Apologies,” a dark voice said, in amusement.

Feyre jumped, whirling around in surprise only to see an unfamiliar man lounging indolently on the sofa. A sofa that had very much been empty only moments before. He was young and handsome, tanned and dark haired with a strong jaw and strange glittering eyes. And his clothes were…odd. Like the music it seemed out of time and place, closer to what she remembered of the fantasy comics she’d borrowed from her friends at school rather than the usual suit and fedora worn by the men of her era.

“I created this place from your fondest memories. I should have realized some of them wouldn’t quite fit together.”

If anything that only confused her more.

“Who…?” She trailed off.

The man smirked, as if he were in on a joke she had missed.

“How rude of me, we haven’t even introduced ourselves have we? You may call me Rhys if you like. And what’s your name darling?”

Feyre’s years of etiquette kicked in before she could stop herself. “Feyre Archeron.”

“Feyre,” Rhys rolled her name over his tongue like a gift. “What a pleasure it is to finally meet you.”

“Finally?” She latched onto that single word, puzzled.

“Oh yes,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.”

“I…I don’t understand.” She really didn’t.

“Did you like my gifts?”

The words threw her for a loop again. She felt like every time she was starting to get a grasp of understanding what was happening it slipped away from her again. Like a dream…

“Gifts?” She repeated. She felt a spark of recognition but then felt it flit away again.

“I admit, they were rather paltry offerings, but I’m afraid my options were rather limited in this place,” the man said with a sigh. “You deserve better. The best. Gold and diamonds. Spiced wine. Suckling pig and saffron rice. A feather bed.”

His words lulled her, painting a picture of the luxury and comfort she did not currently have.

Wait.

She did have those things…didn’t she? Feyre glanced around at her sitting room with its modern comforts and amenities. The best things money could buy. And yet…it didn’t fit. She was missing something.

Like a dream…

And then it struck her, like a bolt of lightning. The murder of her brother-in-law, her trial, the marine’s words to her before he threw her into the ocean, her confrontation on the beach, but most importantly…

“There is something in these woods. Something evil.”

The man on the sofa went still. As if he’d somehow heard her thoughts. As if…

Feyre’s eyes widened in realization.

“It’s you.”

And then she woke up.

#the prison #acotar fanfiction #feysand fic #fanfiction #fanfic #feysand #acotar #Spotify

18 notes · View notes