#don't worry about it being “long” have you seen the wall of tags I end up writing on literally every post I make

[zaacoy]

Hiii I just wanna say that I love your art so frikin much like the way you draw is just so perfect like how??? bro Im stealing your hands so be cautious/j

anywayz

I dunno if your still doing Freenoodles suggestions but here's one if you are cuz Im absolutely obsessed with that ship rn:

so just Tang and Pigsy being relatively gay and someone litterly anyone (maybe MK I dunno) walk in and is so confused because my lil headcannon is they're Relationship is probably closeted if thats even the term idk Im like half asleep idk what Im doing

(Help why is this so long-)

Hihi!! Thank you!!!! You'll have to fight me to get my hands tho >:3c

Here's theyyyymm

[finniestoncrane]

2.5k Event Request - Captain Boomerang x GN!Reader word count: 840 a/n: don't tell me these aren't the kinds of texts this idiot would send when he was trying to convince you to send him nudes. he's not subtle. and he's very cheesy lmao cw: begging, teasing, edging (kinda!! very loosely lol), masturbating 🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie2.5k (to follow or to block)

Usually, laying in bed at the end of a long day was George's favourite time. Alone, hand down the front of his underwear, a whole internet's worth of porn at his fingertips. But as helazily stroked his cock, he closed the tab he was scrolling down and opened his messages.

"Oi you up?"

You were just setting your alarms when his message came through, and you rolled your eyes but smiled as you typed a reply.

"I am awake. Why?"

"Just wondering!"

"I'm bored."

"And horny."

George's hand gripped his length harder, watching the three little dots dance as you typed. In his mind, you were writing something filthy, something that would have him cumming quick enough that he could still get an early nigh. But that dream faded quickly.

"And what do you want me to do about it?"

"You could come round?"

Again, wishful thinking had him building up his hopes and watching them be immediately dashed.

"It's so late! And I'm not getting the night train for a booty call!"

Fed up of being teased, despite that being his own fault, George chose to call you instead, opening the call rudely without saying 'hello' in response to you.

"I could come and get you, pick you up in the van?"

"Absolutely not, you are not going to drive that noisy ass van anywhere nearmy apartment this late at night. I don't want to be evicted!"

Again, George sighed, moving his palm from his cock as he realised even hearing your voice wasn't going to do it for him, especially not if you were yelling at him. But then he realised he hadn't actually asked you to at least put a seductive tone to your words. So he risked it.

"Well, there's other ways you could satisfy my urges, love."

"That's what porn is for."

"Aw come on! Everyone's seen everything online. It's so much hotter to get something that no one else has seen. And especially if that something is a dirty little something from you."

"Dirty little what?"

"I dunno... a picture, maybe?"

Your silence left enough space for him to get his hopes up once again. The fact that you hadn't immediately said no had his cock tingling, and he pressed his palm to it, pushing down on it and stroking firmly above his underwear. And when you finally spoke, he was worried it might be enough to make him actually cum.

"Alright, fine."

"Aw fuck yea-"

"BUT! Only if you send me one first."

The words sounded so sweet, so seductive, that he was immediately flushed, hanging up without even saying much more than an excited 'fuck yeah'.

Gripping his phone in his hand, he jumped out of his bed and made his way over to the mirror on the wall by the door. His first attempt at a pose involved him flexing his arm muscles, tensing his abdomen so that the muscles below the layer of soft fat were visible as he tried to figure out how to pout. But he felt ridiculous, worried that it would only open him up to mocking from you for trying too hard.

So, instead, he reached under the band of his underwear once more, teasing his cock with a few quick pumps before pulling it out and shifting his booxers down.

He admired himself in the mirror, his thick length impressive, even if he did think so himself. Surely, you'd be so grateful to receive an image of it in his hand, his body a frame, a bonus, to the main show of his cock.

Maybe you'd be so grateful that you'd send him back a video. Your fingers pressed into your cunt, two of them, maybe three, so you could pretend it was him there. The glint of the light caught in your slick, your bottom lip between your teeth, eyes closed, cut off by the top of the frame. Sweet sounds of your moans echoing, there on his phone to save for future use, whenever he needed it.

The lengthy process of arousal and then flatlining had worked him up, and quicker than he realised, he was crossing over the line into his climax, legs shaking as his back arched and he came in his hand.

Without stopping to think about it twice, he took a quick snap of his palm, cum collected on his skin, and began typing another message.

"Sorry to be a tease, love, but I've sorted things out myself. You could get on the earliest train in the morning though cos I'll be ready to go again by then x"

With the text there was an image, George's palm sticky with his cum. Usually, the kind of image that would have disgusted you, but now you were looking lustfully, wishing you'd played at least some active part in that outcome.

Not the effect you'd hoped to have. As fun as it was getting to experience George getting edged, you hadn't expected to end up being the one who was left desperate.

[idyllic-affections]

i’m in love with the kaveh disaster dad au you have and i would love to see alhaitham becoming closer with kavehs kid. like mr stoic over there having no idea where those books and supplies about that very niche thing they were talking about yesterday came from

newfound fondness.

summary. alhaitham grows a little more fond of the orphan kaveh insisted on adopting.

trigger & content warnings. no applicable warnings.

tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. fluff. alhaitham & child!reader. 0.9k words. they/them pronouns for reader.

author's thoughts. hello dear <3333 i really needed a shorter request to write bc all of my other requests are a bit more lengthy and i'm in just a little bit of a burnout state so i am delighted by this request. i love my adoptive dad kaveh series...... i also realize now that i don't really talk too much about alhaitham and his relationship with [name] compared to how often i talk about tighnari and kaveh's relationship with them. also cyno???? i have neglected him too??????

at first, alhaitham wasn't keen on bonding with kaveh's adopted child; a child would only disrupt the comfortable life he has both built for himself and worked so hard to maintain. of course... he ended up being wrong. terribly wrong.

all throughout [name]'s first few months of being integrated into their new family in sumeru, they don't spend much time—if any at all—in kaveh and alhaitham's shared house. most of their time is spend in gandharva ville or in sumeru city, the latter being either on the weekends with kaveh or throughout the week with tighnari (if he happens to need something from the city and decides to let them tag along). given this fact, it's not at all a surprise that they didn't really know much of alhaitham, aside from the casual mentions of him from their other sumeru family members.

later on, as kaveh slowly grows into the vacant father role in their life, filling the empty space, they start spending weekends at his house... which is really the scribe's house, but at the time, that detail meant nothing to them. alhaitham never bothers to correct them, either. it doesn't really matter.

sometimes kaveh has to run errands and doesn't want to take them out in the glaring midday sun; they didn't grow up in sumeru, and they're already having a hard time adjusting to the heat (not that he's any better at handling it), so he doesn't want to risk exposing them to the sun at the peak of the day. sometimes he has to go meet one of his clients for a consultation and can't take them with him. who knows? either way, kaveh always makes these trips as quick as possible. his weekends belong to no-one but his kid. his clients find his doting behavior very cute, thankfully, so he hardly ever takes long.

alhaitham is always home during these occurrences (kaveh forbids him from leaving, since he wouldn't so much as dream of leaving his child home alone at such a young and vulnerable age—not that the scribe would leave them home alone, but still). naturally, this led to unavoidable meetings.

alhaitham quickly picked up on the many odd behavioral patterns kaveh's child displayed.

they were quiet—with him, at least. they were happy and expressive like most other children their age with kaveh or tighnari or collei, but with him? they never said a word, only speaking when spoken to, quietly shuffling around the house without so much as a peep... but more importantly, he sure as hell noticed the way they'd peek around the wall and shyly watch him as he read. they never got closer than that, though, and they'd run off if they realized he had seen them. based on this, he simply came to the conclusion that they were shy.

...or anxious, he supposes, but there is a vast difference between anxiety and shyness, and what he sees in them is not necessarily anxiety.

eventually, he does get sick of it. it's not like he worried about coming off as intimidating, no. it's just that if [name] maintains a poor image of him, it would eventually be an inconvenience for him. yes, yes, that was all. he just needed to kill a potentially dangerous rumor at its source before it got vastly out of hand. that's all.

"come here."

the way he sounds when he beckons them over is admittedly a little harsher than what he meant to be, so he's very much glad that they still do come over to him, timidly fidgeting with their sleeves.

"since you seem so interested... sit down, i'll read to you."

"h— huh? really?"

"hurry up before i change my mind."

as alhaitham reads to them, he points out words they may not understand and explains what they mean, also going as far as to help them pronounce some words that they mentioned having trouble with back at gandharva ville.

"oh... tighnari showed me that word, but i can't get it right."

they also can't pronounce tighnari's name correctly, which makes alhaitham's lips quirk upwards ever so slightly.

"here... i'll show you. which word is it that you're having trouble with?"

though it is something of a tutoring session, alhaitham finds that there's something... calming about it. he doesn't bother moving them away as they gradually get closer, only adjusting to accommodate them.

he also doesn't say anything when their weight falls a little heavier on his chest.

...did they really feel safe enough to fall asleep, just like that? the thought makes a fond warmth spread in his chest. he has no intention of telling kaveh or anyone else, though.

kaveh comes home later to see his child curled up asleep in the scribe's arms.

(the second he points it out, which of course he does, alhaitham's cheeks flush a slight pink and he coughs, telling kaveh to come get his kid and claiming that they wouldn't leave him alone.

the architect has never rolled his eyes harder than he did at that.

alhaitham's newfound fondness is obvious, but kaveh decides to leave it alone for now.)

from then on, they are just as excited and bubbly when they see alhaitham as they are when they see any of their other family. he's even gotten accustomed to hoisting them up, balancing them on his hip, and just... carrying them around.

oh, and alhaitham has no idea where those hobby supplies came from. he's got no clue where those books on a hyper-specific topic that they mentioned offhandedly the other day came from. he has no clue. none in the slightest.

...

maybe alhaitham is a little soft for them. just a little.

please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!

[cringefaecompilation]

even as a doyrm enthusiast I am not confident they're gonna make it. cause even if they do make it out alive and figure out the fey deal..... the squall looms and unless cyrus somehow resurrects and comes out with a steel chair....... bronte waits. I'm thinking it'll be more bittersweet than anything

thank you for misspelling the ship name because i feel like it'd be rude to put this in the tag, even if it is mostly positive and more of a character study.

i've been thinking a lot on how to answer this ask and waiting until robbie's fireside and episode 117. since both members of the ship are alive and well for the time being, i think i can answer this solidly now.

both of these are characters i like and i think they have a very believable chemistry, even if some parts of it are a little rockier than i'd prefer (orym never apologized for his comment about cyrus and the whole caleb thing), i still enjoy that robbie and liam went out of their way to slowly develop it when dorian returned rather than having them confess instantly despite the ship being so widely loved. but there is one thing about both of them that is bugging me and makes me nervous about them starting a relationship.

yes, dorian has the squall to deal with and they might raise an eyebrow at him falling in love with someone who isn't one of them, but that is nothing compared to how deeply hurt he is about losing his brother. i cannot stress how much it's been a fucking week since cyrus died. and yes, even if he does then get put at the head of the squall or has to return to deal with the aftermath of what they'll do on the moon, he still has the guilt of the crownkeepers failing on his head.

as for orym, his deal can go one of two ways:

morri considers that he held up their bargain because they did all return from the moon with fcg as armor, and she does not consider fcg a living creature (which might just piss off ashton so hard he'd strangle her into changing her mind), so he is now her slave.

he literally went up to her and told her he failed because fcg died. she KNOWS he failed. no way in fucking hell she is not punishing him for reneging with a violent shrub-related death.

if/when that gets solved, hey, uh, orym? buddy? they don't have to put anything on the backburner anymore for The Greater Good. you're going to have to sit with the reality that you assumed your life mattered so little you could just sell yourself into slavery and they wouldn't care if you left. or that you accepted punishment so thoroughly and didn't assume they'd give a damn about you dying either. and the rest of bh (SPECIFICALLY FEARNE) is going to have some words about that, let alone dorian.

and even before that, what about orym in the aftermath? i've seen a lot of people dunk on orym saying his pain is objectively less than everyone else's and it happened so long ago, but like... it keeps getting retriggered every time he interacts with the bad guys. it's why i don't want him to kill ludinus because then after that fucker's dead then what? he's been so tunnel-visioned on killing him no matter what i think he'd fall into a coma upon realizing his goal is fulfilled and nothing's changed. there's still unrest and an apocalypse to avert even when the elf's a puddle of salsa on the ground.

a party of compartmentalization enjoyers is fun to watch as they break down their walls, but i worry it might not end well. not even in a "they start to hate each other and break up" way, but in a "they both realize they're in way worse places than they thought and they'll have to see if they can work through it or not or if they're even both emotionally equipped to handle a romance right now."

and i think they CAN make it work! after all, he did say they could see if it could. but if robbie and liam decide that in the aftermath, they'll just decide to be friends or maybe have an open or on/off relationship, i will not be upset.

[alaydabug2]

Tag list: @sparklenarniawizard @imobsessed123 @thoughtlescat @ilikebookssomuch

Broken heart/Broken mind

Chapter Sixty-eight

(Human AU)

Sophie and Keefe met in the children's hospital when they were little. Because of how long they were confined to the four walls of the hospital, they became very close during their stay.

As the years pass, they wind up being in the same classroom together due to their physical conditions. This makes their bond deepen.

But are they able to handle when life gets tough, throwing problems and complications their way?

"Well, hey there," Sophie smiled. "You look like you're doing a little better," she said when the door was awnsered.

"Yeah," Keefe murmured. "I managed to get a shower and wash my hair."

They were going to try and have an outing today. Going to go to a restaurant with their friends.

"It looks good. How's the pain been?"

"A bit sore, but nothing too horrible. The meds have been doing their job."

"That's great!" She offered her arm. "Ready to go?"

"I think so."

Keefe put the strap of his oxygen pack over one of his shoulders. He hooked his arm through hers, and they slowly went out towards the car.

Arriving at the Denny's, their friends had already sat down at a table. Sophie helped Keefe get settled in his seat before taking the one beside him.

"Hey," Fitz said. "How's things going?"

"It's going," Keefe told him

Sophie felt an immense amount of relief when she saw the smile on his face. Things were getting better. It was a huge step in the right direction.

The conversation changed from everyone's orders to dogs, then puns, then playfully threatening each other. It somehow ended off on school as they were eating their food.

"Ooh! What are you guys wearing to prom?" Biana asked.

Keefe's face fell. "Prom? When is it?"

"Next Friday. When will you be allowed back at school?"

He looked down and pushed his food around on his plate. "It's going to be a couple of weeks. But I hope you guys have fun. Take pictures for me."

"I'll keep you company," Sophie assured him.

He shook his head. "No, you should go."

"Seriously," she insisted. "It's not that big a deal to me."

He pursed his lips. He nodded and stared down at his food.

The rest of lunch was an awkward silence. After, Sophie drove them to her house. Stepping into the kitchen, Edaline rushed over to them. She pulled Keefe into a hug. It was the first time she had seen him since the before operation.

It was a little too tight. He let out a groan. Edaline pulled back.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "Didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just so glad you're okay. We were all so worried about you!"

"It's alright. Didn't need my ribs anyway." He turned to Sophie. "I do think I need to go sit down, though," he informed her.

"Of course."

She led him down to the couch. They got situated in a snuggle with a move turned on.

"Y'know, you don't have to miss prom to stay with me," he murmured

Sophie adjusted her head to look up at him. "I know I don't. But I want to. That way we can both go together next year. I wouldn't want to go unless you were there."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Just... making everything difficult."

She took his hand. "You don't make things difficult. I promise."

"Still, I don't want you to miss it because of me," he complained.

"Hey. I'm not 'missing it because of you'." She laid her head in his shoulder. "I just want to be where you are. And right now, where you need to be is home, recovering."

Keefe's eyes shifted away from her. "I guess so."

Sophie kissed his cheek. "I promise you, I really don't mind. I just don't want you to feel lonely while everyone else is at the dance."

[dribs-and-drabbles]

This is a little something (she says and then writes nearly a thousand words) about Kawi and intimacy and his behaviour towards Pisaeng's affections in Be My Favourite ep 9. I've been thinking about it all week but wasn't sure if I wanted to use my precious free-time to make a post. However, on the cusp of the new ep, I realise I do want to get these thoughts out.

I realised from reading other people's perspectives of the ep that my initial assessment of how Kawi was behaving was perhaps clouded by the 'old lenses' that I was subconsciously watching the show through. For context, I wasn't sure that I liked that Kawi kept pushing Pisaeng away and I even mentioned the dreaded Blushing Maiden trope. After some thought, I realise that my initial judgement was very much influenced by a couple of things carried over from ye olden bl times (which may not have been done away with completely but seem to be on their way out in present times).

First, from having seen so many bl/qls with the blushing maiden trope, subconsciously I guess I still expect to see it because it had been so prevalent. And second, despite the re-wiring my brain has undergone when it comes to Krist, I think I still fell back on the earlier presumptions that Krist was either averse to skinship (particularly with men) and/or wasn't a good enough actor to convey physical intimacy (this, of course, mostly stems from his portrayal of Arthit in SOTUS, which for all we know was how he was specifically directed to act - and which many have interpreted as demi- or asexual, which absolutely has a place at the table).

My conclusions to these realisations is that I need to learn to trust these newer bl/qls that they really aren't going to rehash the old questionable tropes of yesteryear.

I remember some discourse before the last three eps of My School President - when we were worried about the ending - about how Bad Buddy taught us that we can feel safe watching it - "safe in the knowledge that tropes were being subverted, that the usual angsty triggers actually got resolved pretty quickly, that the ep 11 curse wasn't actually a curse at all". And we needed to take that knowledge to help assuage our fears about the ending of MSP. And I think I'm in a similar situation here with Be My Favourite and Kawi in particular.

Staying with Bad Buddy for a bit longer (because, really, when can I ever not talk about it in relation to something else?), I remember feeling a similar disappointment with how Pran was being portrayed in ep 9. I felt he too bordered on the blushing maiden with how he shied away from Pat's advances in his room before Korn came in, before the rugby game, and even when washing up after the hotpot date. I don't see that now because, of course, we know Pran isn't a blushing maiden at all - I mean he's not known as Feral Musky Scented HOE Pran for nothing.

Yes, it took time for Pran to get used to Pat's affections but that was probably because he had pined over this man for so long it was all a bit overwhelming at first. Pran probably needed to ease into letting down his walls, to be vulnerable around Pat, and to believe it was all real. And in the end, when he had gotten used to it all, Pran holds back because he likes to make Pat work for it...because Pat also likes to work for it, because they get off on role-playing - as I've said before, it's like foreplay to them.

I'm not saying this is the same for Kawi but it's a similar situation. I knew this about Pran, and that I was wrong in my interpretation of him, and yet I didn't think to approach Kawi and Pisaeng with the same lens. The lens that so many of you have helpfully pointed out - Kawi is a 30-year-old virgin. This is all so new to him, not only to be intimate with someone but also with a man whom he hadn't even contemplated being with. He's spent 12 years only thinking of Pear (emphasis on 'only thinking' as well as 'only thinking').

@burntsuncomet said it well in their tags: "touch gets very very difficult if you don't interact with people much, so intimacy of normal affectionate touches are tough. Kawi would have to start slow and let Piseang just smack a kiss, maybe hold hands, hug a bit, it's a lot of work before intimacy from touch will be like second nature in Kawi's case." @rocketturtle4 also added that Kawi's "general uncertainty could be very well tied in with his loneliness and, especially, his fear of losing Piseang if he does the wrong thing".

@waitmyturtles offered a slightly different perspective, that almost "everything in this show is totally intentional, and...that [Kawi's] discomfort is totally meant to reflect those accusations from Krist’s past about his clear discomfort in acting out intimacy (especially juxtaposed with how much better he’s done with the intimacy in this show)".

So, all of this is to say that I need to start trusting this new wave of bl/qls - a message I obviously forgot from My School President and which has been proven by several other series this year.

And I need to trust Be My Favourite especially, because, as @williamrikers said, "they've swerved and avoided every other trope so far I believe that they're working towards something here". And I agree. Every episode has been fantastic and I haven't disliked a single thing about the show so far.

On top of that, I need to trust my newfound belief in Krist's acting, because he has pulled out some absolutely brilliant performances in this show so far - so why should I think ep 9 is any different?

[lazyneonrabbitt]

One person asked you to and you said it was formatted automatically or something but you would try next time. Very just shrugging it off. Then you didn't try or the formatting didn't work on the next thing you posted. The context is people thought you were either bullshitting and the formatting excuse was a copout so you could keep clogging the tag, or you were telling the truth but just didn't care to check. That's why people didn't come to you. That's why people bitch on discord. They didn't see the point in speaking to you. That one person told you they had arthritis and your response was like who gives a fuck. You post a long post in the tags again.

The fact you had to go back and format all your fic could be construed as very telling. Maybe some people would accuse you of bullshitting. I've never heard of readmore being automatically applied. Long posts are not always cut off, but even then it's just courtesy to always manually apply readmore to long posts. Not every one does so as you know.

Maybe this is just a huge miscommunication thing. Whoever spoke to Murda was well intentioned but it was ill put. They should have spoken to you upfront even as it might have been a waste of time.

To the person worried about posting their writing, seriously, hold up a minute. When did it become about that. When did become about you, anon? Stop fishing for sympathy from a popular writer just to get attention. Nobody is bitching about fic where I am , it's about how it's presented in the tags. Nobody likes being confronted by a huge wall of text when browsing. We are only human and vent on discord. But we don't slag off the content of the fic. Because people don't use readmore we end up losing out on finding good writers and fic because the first impression is so so so bad.

Welcome, anon.

Long post, so readmore 🙃

First of all I do not "shrug off" the anons I get. If it sounded like that, it wasn't intentional.

And yes. 99% of the longer posts I see (me personally, in the app that I use on my samsung phone and iPad sometimes too) do have the app's "see more" button on longer posts.

I do, not joking in the slightest, forget. I forget half of the things I'm supposed to do in life because I have the worst memory ever and it bothers me in my daily life. At work, everywhere. (Not fishing for shit, just stating) and wtf I shouldn't even have to defend myself like this but here we are.

Also why would I clog tags?? I block people who's content I don't wanna see in tags or who spamtag. Wanna see my blocked tags and users? I'll post them for you.

"Maybe this is just a huge miscommunication thing." Please read rhe above statements.

I'm not adressing that anon further. It's not my place.

"Because the first impression is so so bad." Is one I can't wrap my head around. I scroll the tag casually and find cute fluff. I see angst and mayor character death, hell I've seen Dixon insest fics (Not hating, if the writing is good I applaud you for your works) so, where is the "bad first impression" coming from? My posts are not that frequent nor popular to be always at the top of the searches.

I'm running out of words.

[the-cult-of-russo]

Such a Softer Sin (Part 21)

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Warnings: I’m not specifically tagging this one, if you’ve seen the show, nothing will shock you. Smut will happen eventually so minors DNI, thanks.

A/N: I eagerly await your reactions to this one lmaoooooo don’t kill me

—-------

Your boots thudded on the steps as you walked down them to the cells, following Billy and Frank down there. Without rage and betrayal burning hot inside you like a thousand suns, the smell made your nose wrinkle a little as you got to the bottom. Things were finally coming to a head. Just moments before, you’d been eating breakfast with Billy and everyone else when you got informed a vampire was outside of the castle. He was almost killed on sight but was yelling about having an important message to deliver to the King. Billy had been mindlinked, asking what they should do and of course you were both curious so he’d told them to take him to the cells. You had no idea what kind of message it would be but you knew it had to be important for this vampire to go on a suicide mission. Coming right up to the castle like he had wasn’t a smart move. The three of you stopped outside of the cell to see a vampire sitting calmly against the back wall. He was bruised and a little bloody but you didn’t blame the guards for being rough, no matter how compliant the blood sucker might have been. Billy unlocked the cell door, the three of you stepping inside. None of you needed to worry. You knew the guards would have patted him down, checked for any weapons and confiscated them. It wasn't like he could kill you anyway, you were all immortal and Billy was far more powerful than anyone you’d ever known, including the little pest that looked up and gave you all an easy smile as you entered. 

“What’s your message?” Billy asked roughly, his voice cold and devoid of any of the warmth you knew it to hold. 

“The Vampire King is done playing around, he wants to settle this once and for all. No more games or tricks, he wants to meet tomorrow night, 10 pm, at the Dead Fields and have a real battle like men,” the vampire explained unflinchingly. Nerves bloomed in your stomach, knowing this was it, things were finally reaching their peak. You felt somewhat relieved though that it would be settled in a real battle out there and you didn't have to worry about them storming the castle. The vampire looked directly at Billy then, staring right into his eyes in a show of complete disrespect as a dark grin curled on his lips.

“The King has missed you, William,” he smirked and you felt a stab of anger, grief and pain hit you out of nowhere. Billy growled low and moved in a blink and your eyes widened as he lunged at him, snapping his neck with such force, the head twisted clean off. He tossed it to the floor and you saw his hands curling and uncurling into fists as his chest heaved, his shoulder rolling. When he turned back to you and Frank, his face was impassive, his anger once again under control as you eyed him warily. 

“It’s convenient timing, don't you think?” you asked dryly, eyes darting between Frank and Billy. Though the moon was fixed, it hadn’t been full yet and you wondered if they’d picked the time before it turned full, knowing most of the wolves weren’t exactly in top form with going without their shifts for so long.

“It is but we need to just end this. Frank, gather the warriors, tell ‘em what’s going on. They need to be ready,” he instructed and Frank nodded, making his way out of the cells. You and Billy started to leave too, no need for you to be stuck down here with the smells anymore and you made your way back up and outside. You felt nerves prickling at you over what would happen the next night but you felt some comfort in knowing you were immortal now, as was Billy, so you didn’t need to worry about that at least. You’d asked Billy days ago to make some of your pack immortal too and when you’d asked, he’d told you that he wasn't supposed to just do it for anyone, wasn't supposed to just toss it out there to anyone. Only special people were to be granted with it but he’d told you that these were your people, your family, so he’d allowed it for you. You’d broached it to your pack, given them the option. A lot of them opted not to do it and you didn't blame them, eternal life was a scary concept and you didn't think you’d fully wrapped your head around it, although you knew spending it with Billy made it less scary. Some of them did accept though, Viron and Damon being among them. 

You spent most of the rest of the day in your old pack house after informing them of what was to come. Not everyone would be fighting, a lot of wolves here were not fighters at all and you wanted people to stay here to keep the others safe. You’d started to get concerned that this whole thing was a trap to lure the strongest away as they killed the rest and you’d requested your pack to stay behind and defend the castle and you wanted to ask Billy to spare some of his men too. You hadn’t broached it with Billy yet as you hadn't seen him and you hoped he wouldn't mind. You’d admit part of it was selfish. With already losing so much, you couldn't handle losing more and you knew being worried was a distraction, that it would cause issues out in the battlefield. This way, you didn’t need to worry and you knew they were strong enough to help protect the place while you were gone. That evening, Billy sent you a mindlink letting you know to come to his dining chambers for dinner. You were surprised as you hadn’t eaten there since that first time, but you said your goodbyes to your old pack before you headed for the castle. You got there just as everyone else did too and you walked inside to see Billy sitting at the head of the table already, plates and plates of various foods all over the table. You walked over to the same chair you’d sat in the last time, by Billy’s side, and a pang hit your chest at the other chairs next to it, remembering how Kos and Atti had been sitting with you back then. You moved to sit down and were pleasantly surprised when Karen moved to sit next to you, Frank next to her instead of the other side of the King where his place was. It made warmth bloom in your chest because you knew just why they’d done it and you felt grateful that these were your family now, how they always looked out for you even in the smallest of ways. 

“I figured we could all have a good dinner before the shitshow of tomorrow,” Billy remarked with a smirk as you all sat down, Curtis and Micro sitting on the other side. You all started to eat and you decided to bring up the topic of having people stay behind to Billy.

“I asked my pack to stay behind and defend the place and I think it would be a good idea for some of your men to stay too. This whole thing could be a trap and we should leave it protected while we’re gone,” you suggested as you looked at him. He had this proud smile on his face as he nodded.

“That’s a good idea,” he murmured, reaching over and taking your hand. You were glad he agreed and he didn't mind it, hadn’t called you out for specifically asking your old pack to stay behind.

“I’ll feel better with that too since Karen’s stayin’ behind. Gives me one less thing to worry about,” Frank admitted between mouthfuls of food. 

“I could try and come up with some sort of protection spell, something to keep the place protected too. It might not work, but I’ll see what I can do,” Karen smiled and it made you feel better knowing this. If this did turn out to be a trap, at least you’d find out soon enough and get back before anything could have happened. If magic was keeping the bad out, you'd just fight outside the grounds when you got there. You enjoyed the dinner and listening to the banter the guys all had, especially Billy and Frank giving each other shit for no reason, but the air was still heavy with the anticipation of it all hanging over you. Something none of you could shake even as you tried to have a good time. 

“So… what’s the game plan here?” Micro asked once the food was eaten, looking over at Billy.

“Kill everyone that isn’t on our side,” he answered easily and Micro rolled his eyes, giving him a dirty look.

“Obviously, but what's the strategy? How are we gonna do it?” Micro asked with a frown. 

“We’re gonna get there early, before they do so we can scope the place out. We can see ‘em as they get there, figure out how many and what we’re dealin’ with here. If we get there first, we could set up and be ready, have the archers in the back ready to attack as they approach, take out as many as we can before it all starts,” he informed, a cold look on his face. “I just want this shit done with,” he added, a haunted look flitting over his face and you gave his hand a squeeze. He looked at you and you gave him a reassuring smile that had his shoulders relaxing a little, his eyes warming up as he smiled back. 

“I can’t wait to get my hands on that piece of shit after what he did to Maria and the kids,” Frank growled.

“You and me both, Frankie,” Billy muttered tensely. “He won’t get away again, not this time,” he shot Frank a smirk but it was full of dark promises and Frank nodded, looking ready for the fight. You knew how much they both wanted this, how much they needed it. Karen had told you a little bit more about the whole thing as you were curious, it happened way before your time and you couldn't ask Billy about it. You knew he would get upset and he didn't like talking about it at all to anyone. You’d been curious though why Maria and the kids hadn’t been made immortal like Frank had but Karen told you that back then, none of them were immortal, only Billy. It was after what happened that the Goddess gave him that power, gave him the ritual to make others immortal. You knew that must have stung, to have that power now and wish he had it before so this couldn't have happened, although Karen did tell you that the ritual couldn't be used on kids. You knew your ritual had been different to the others being his mate but Karen told you that the ritual was basically similar to yours, just without the sex. The cutting with daggers thing was still in the ritual and it wasn't ethical to do that to a child, obviously. There was also the added weirdness of staying trapped in a child’s body for the rest of eternity while your mind would age. You wanted this war over with for Billy, for the others sitting at the table who needed this closure more than anything. Frank had allowed himself to move on somewhat since he found his second mate and it helped to stop him descending into madness. He hadn't gotten over it, he probably never would, but Karen helped him. You knew it was different for Billy though. Not only had he lost people he considered his family but you knew he felt like the blame lay with him for it. As the King, he felt responsible and like he should have stopped it somehow, as if he was the one to take their lives with his own bare hands. You wanted them to kill the Vampire King once and for all and stop this war, wanted them to be able to move forward and finally heal from the trauma they’d endured. 

After dinner, everyone filed out of the dining chambers as they murmured goodnight and it left you there with Billy. As you both got up and left the room, you started making your way to your room when he took your hand and tugged you towards the stairs.

“Where are we going?” you asked curiously, eyes narrowing at his impish grin as he led you down the stairs.

“You’ll find out when we get there,” he smirked vaguely and you huffed, giving him a mock dirty look. You followed him willingly though, hand in hand as he led you out of the castle and then out of the castle grounds. You wanted to ask him again where hell you were going but you knew he wouldn't answer you so you kept your mouth shut. Eventually, you came upon the lake and you smiled to yourself, remembering the first time you’d been here with him. It felt like forever ago. The moon hung high in the sky, the stars keeping it company and the light shimmered off the lake as you stood and just admired the view. Billy came up behind you, hands settling on your hips and you melted back into him as he nuzzled your neck. He placed soft kisses up to your ear, his hands tightening on your hips.

“Run,” he growled and you tensed up at first, wondering if danger was afoot but then you felt it. You felt the arousal he was feeling, his pure blind need for you and your knees almost buckled. You glanced over your shoulder at him, his dark eyes burning into you with a predatory glint and it sparked something inside of you as he let you go and you took off running to the trees. You felt the thrill of the chase as you darted and weaved through the trees, chest heaving and a fire burning inside of you. You could hear him chasing you and it pushed you to run faster. You knew he could catch you easily if he wanted, he was much faster than you, so you knew he wasn't using his full speed. He seemed to want to drag out the chase a little and you felt your blood singing as the adrenaline coursed through your veins. You were surprised to find that while you weren’t as fast as Billy, you were much faster than you had been previously and you thought back to what Billy said about becoming stronger and faster after the ritual. You wolf enjoyed the chase, enjoyed running around in the woods with the wind whipping your face and the heady scent of his arousal carried to you, making you ache for him. You looped around, running back the way you came around the trees and he almost caught you but you pushed your legs faster, the pair of you laughing as you darted back to the clearing to the lake. As you burst through the trees, he grabbed you from behind, a growl rumbling in his chest as a delighted laugh tumbled from your lips. He turned you around, kissing you fiercely and you pressed yourself close to him, kissing him back just as demanding. He wasted no time in getting you both undressed and the cold air bit your skin but it did little to quell the raging inferno you felt inside of you. His mouth was insistent against yours once more, his hands everywhere all at once and leaving a trail of fire behind. He gripped the back of your thighs and hoisted you up and your legs wrapped around him. He dropped to his knees, laying you on the grass as he hovered over you, lips demanding all of your attention as his hand firmly held your jaw. You gasped into the kiss as he pushed into you and you didn't think you'd ever get used to how amazing it felt when he filled you up like this. He wasn't soft or slow this time, he started out fast and hard, setting a punishing rhythm that had loud moans being forced from your lungs that you were sure they could probably hear all the way back at the castle. You tugged at his hair, arching up at him before you rolled you both over and he let out a surprised moan, his face contorted in pleasure at you taking him in even deeper. His eyes fluttered open, that same look of awe and adoration on his face that floored you every time and you started to ride him, the wolf in you wanting it as fast and hard as he did. His hands dug into the flesh of your thighs as he gasped, lips parted in ecstasy as you bounced on his cock with a slew of moans. You rested your hands on his firm chest for leverage, riding him like your life depended on it, chasing the release you knew wasn't too far away. 

You leaned down, kissing him bruisingly and you both moaned into the kiss, one of his hands coming to the back of your neck as he devoured your mouth and he arched up into you. His other hand was now on your ass and he kneaded the flesh there, guiding you, pushing you to go faster, harder, deeper. You felt on the edge of delirium, pleasure wrapping around you like a snake. Your thighs started to tremble, your movements faltering as the pleasure took hold of your limbs.

“Billy… I…” you gasped against his lips and his hands moved to your hips, grabbing them firmly. 

“I got you, Sweetheart,” he moaned, using the grip on your hips to move you up and down, taking over as your body couldn't handle it. He was rough and you felt dizzy, felt like everything was spinning out of control around you. A desperate moan got torn from you as your climax hit you hard and you squirmed on top of him, gasping and moaning as it set you on fire. Billy groaned, eyes squeezed shut as he used his hold on you to push him over the edge too, a filthy moan leaving his lips as he came, rutting up into you. You collapsed on top of him, face in his neck as you both caught your breath and one of his hands came to cradle your head as the other smoothed up your back. You felt weightless and you enjoyed the feeling, enjoyed the blissed out sensation your brain was having. You lay like that with him for a while as you both slowly came down from your highs and then the cold started to nip at you again once your brain started to function properly. You leaned up, looking down at him and he cupped your cheek with a smile. 

“I love you,” he murmured, this thumb swiping over your bottom lip and you nipped at it, making him groan and you grinned at him.

“I love you too,” you replied and he smiled up at you adoringly. You climbed off him as you both stood and got dressed, the pair of you knowing you needed to get a good rest for all that was coming tomorrow. When you were both fully dressed, Billy walked over to you, turning his back to you before he bent at the knees and crouched a little.

“Hop on,” he grinned and you blinked at him for a moment.

“Seriously?” you snorted and he turned to you with a smirk. You rolled your eyes good naturedly before you hopped on, letting him give you a piggyback. As he stood up to full height, you squealed a little and he started laughing at you, turning over his shoulder to nuzzle his face against yours. He set off back to the castle and when you arrived, the guards opened the gate with amused looks on their faces but neither of you cared. He carried you like that all the way to your room before he set you down and you smiled to yourself. He helped you get undressed and ready for bed before you returned the favor and then you both got in bed tiredly. He scooped you into his arms and you enjoyed the comfort of his warm embrace, enjoyed the feeling as his fingers traced patterns on your back. You started to feel a little nervous for what lay ahead the next day. You knew you had some advantage being unkillable now but not all of you had the luxury and you didn't want to lose anyone else. Even those wolves here you didn't speak to all the time, you’d grown to care about and these were your people now. You felt some responsibility for them and you were starting to realize just how Billy felt with all of this, how hard it was to be responsible for so many wolves. You knew it was inevitable though, some lives would be lost, it was just how battle went and you hated it. You just had to trust that it would work out somehow, that you'd all win the war and any lives lost wouldn't be in vain. That Kos and Atti hadn't died in vain. You’d get your justice just as Billy would get his and you could finally start a new chapter, free of the burdens looming over you. 

The next day, you double checked your weapons without a thought as you approached your old pack house, trying to ignore the nerves prickling at you. You pushed the door open to see all of your old pack huddled in the living room, already waiting for you.

“We’re heading out now. We’ll be back when it's over,” you informed them, trying to sound more confident than you felt. It’s how it always was when you were running head first into battle, despite your reputation. You were always nervous but it kept your wits about you.

“Are you sure you don’t need us to come with you?” Damon asked worriedly and you shook your head.

“You're needed here. If this ends up being a trap, we need as many able bodied people here to defend the place until we get back and I know you guys can handle it,” you assured. He nodded even though he didn't look overly happy with it and you knew he would do his best to keep everyone here safe, just as the rest of them would. Leanna moved over to you then and wrapped you in a hug.

“Good luck,” she murmured, giving you a squeeze as you hugged her back. You thought to little Orion who was still laying in an incubator, thought to Jason who was ready to leave the hospital any day now. You were doing this for them, to ensure the pack had a future, to keep all the innocent wolves safe from the clutches of the blood thirsty vampires. After getting a hug off everyone, you left the house, walking over to the gates where Billy and all of his men were as they got ready. He wrapped you in his arms the second you reached him and you wondered if he felt your nerves. You melted into him, inhaling his scent deeply and letting it wash over you, keeping you calm.

“Are you guys ready?” Frank called out to everyone, his face a mix of excitement for the fight and anger at who he was going to be fighting. 

“Yes, sir!” the warriors all answered and Frank nodded.

“Now we’re goin’ to get there and kill every last vampire scum we see, is that clear?” he barked roughly.

“Yes, sir!” they answered again, all looking as determined as Frank did. 

“Not one of ‘em gets to get away! They all die tonight!” Frank insisted harshly.

“Yes, sir!” 

“You’re all strong, you can do this! You can win this war for the Kingdom and finally restore peace to the people!” Frank shouted encouragingly.

“Yes, sir!” they chorused and you could see them all ready for the fight after Frank had riled them up.

“Alright, it’s time,” Billy informed everyone gravely and then you all set off out. The Dead Fields weren’t too far so you all walked on foot, tension looming in the air over you all as you marched through the forests. You could feel the exhilaration of a fight burning inside of you, wanting justice for all they had done and taken away. You could taste it in the air, like an electrical current that was buzzing around you. Your wolf wanted blood. 

As you got near the fields, your eyes narrowed a little and you slowed, Billy looking at you as he slowed too.

“They’re here already,” you muttered, catching the wisps of ash and copper in the air, the distinctive scent of a vampire. You saw Billy’s nostrils flare as he realized the same thing and he shared a look with Frank. That threw the plan off completely. You all looked through the trees to the field to see them all standing there. They had a lot of numbers and you couldn't count them all but it looked like you were pretty evenly matched and you were grateful that Billy had requested more fighters. 

“Alright, we push forward. It’s time for plan B,” Billy muttered.

“What’s plan B? Micro asked warily. 

“Just kill ‘em all,” Billy shrugged, a dark smirk tugging at his lips. You, Billy, Frank, Curtis and Micro took point up front as the others followed behind you as you came out from the trees and to the field. It was a huge open space, perfect for battle, but they were further down field and made no move towards you despite clearly seeing you all there and as you made your way over. 

“King Rawlins is probably gonna wanna do a fuckin’ villian monologue since he loves talkin’ shit,” Frank growled with a shake of his head and you felt wary as you got closer. Billy stopped, leaving a good space between both groups and you all stopped along with him.

“It’s good to see you again, William,” a man smirked cruelly and you presumed he was the King given the fact he had a stupid crown on his head. He was standing there casually, like he wasn't scared in the least, his hands behind his back as he tilted his head at Billy. His face was gnarled, a mess of deep scars like scratches down one side and his eye was milky white. You had a feeling Billy might have done that to him and you felt a sick satisfaction for it. He moved his hands from behind his back and your eyes landed on the glowing red sword he was now brandishing with a gleeful smile and you felt absolute horror and dread seize you so tight that your legs almost buckled. Your head whipped to Billy, knowing those feelings didn't come from you and he was staring at the sword, face white as a sheet and eyes wide.

“What is that thing?” you asked him warily, worried by his reaction as Frank cursed up a storm from Billy’s other side.

“It’s the only thing that can kill me… kill us,” he bit out, his frantic eyes still glued to the sword. Your stomach dropped, plummeting so quickly you thought you were about to collapse into a heap on the floor.

“I thought you couldn’t die?!” you hissed at him.

“There’s always a catch, right?” his voice held humor but as he turned to you, all you saw was blind fear and you knew what was running through his head. You’d both gone into this thinking you at least didn't have to worry about each other, that it was safe and you wouldn’t be losing your mate. You knew it was selfish as not all the warriors here were immortal but it had given you a small comfort to know you didn't have to worry about Billy being killed in battle and you knew he’d felt the same. You knew he didn't give a shit about himself or what happened to him out here, he was worried about you, just as you were now worried about him. Your mind was reeling, horror on your face as your eyes turned back Vampire King who was wielding something that could kill you all as he stared at you all patiently. The stakes just went up and you felt like you might be sick. You felt so ill prepared.

“How the hell did he get that thing? We buried it in fuckin’ Athens,” Frank hissed, eyes flaring as he shifted on his feet. 

“No idea,” Billy bit out, his voice wavering a little. He rolled his shoulder, standing up taller as he glared the man opposite down. 

“Oh come on, Billy! Why has it taken us so long to reunite?” the Vampire King chuckled, as if he was talking to an old friend and the growl that burst from Billy’s chest was feral. 

“You’re gonna die tonight,” he seethed and the Vampire King laughed delightedly. 

Everything exploded in an instant. The vampires and rogues ran at you all and you snarled, your sword in hand as you barreled towards them, everyone else doing the same. Your sword clashed with that of a vampire as you started fighting, disarming him and taking his head clean off before you moved on to the next. The desperate urge to look and see Billy or the others, to see if they were doing okay, was eating at you now you knew there was a weapon here that could kill them and you tried to ignore it as you slashed your way mercilessly through the enemies. This was exactly why you hadn't wanted distractions and why you’d left your old back back home. You were glad you’d made that choice. You yelled in fury, hacking at limbs and stabbing through chests as you put all of your hurt and anger and grief into each swipe of your sword. You briefly saw a few of your warriors down and it sent a rage flowing through you like molten lava. You took down anyone that came your way, brutal and unrelenting and so fast now that you never took a hit yourself as you tore through them all like a hurricane. A vampire ran at you with a feral look on his face and you swiped your sword, spinning in a complete circle as you sensed the rogue approaching from behind. You took both heads off with one swipe, the heads rolling onto the floor as their bodies joined them with a thud. You were covered in blood splatter, panting and snarling as you hacked and stabbed. This was for your parents, this was for Kos, this was for Atti, this was for Frank’s family and the overwhelming number of innocent wolves that had died by their hand. This was for the future of your Kingdom and all of your people. This was for Billy. You were busy taking down as many as you could, thinning the herd to make it easier for the others as you used your newfound strength and speed to make light work of it. You took down three more and as they dropped, you were startled to suddenly see the Vampire King standing in front of you. You had no idea where Billy and Frank were, you’d thought they would have been fighting him personally but you didn't have time to look around and check now faced with a very deadly enemy. Your top lip curled into a vicious snarl as you went to swing your sword at him but a blinding pain ripped through your chest like nothing you’d ever felt before and he laughed. He stepped back, a gleeful look on his face and you looked down, seeing the sword sticking right out of your chest.

“NO!” Billy roared and you stumbled back, eyes wide in shock as the pain consumed your entire being.

“Sweet dreams, Queen Y/N,” the Vampire King smirked coldly and you hit the floor heavily. You could hear desperate screaming and yelling around you as you lay there, vision fading in and out and a loud ringing hurting your ears. You heard the loudest growling and snarling you’d ever heard in your life and you opened your heavy eyes, seeing a giant black wolf with eyes glowing silver as he ripped people limb from limb. Your brain was slowly shutting down but the wolf inside of you recognised the wolf as your mate. It was Billy. You watched as he viciously tore people to shreds with blind fury and rage before everything faded into nothingness. 

Taglist: (if you’ve been asked to be tagged and aren’t here, it wouldn’t let me tag some people.)

@firexfate

@blanchedelioncourt

@on-ya

@sunshinedaisies-anddeath

@snowkestrel

@music-indie-tv

@idaofinfinity

@sweetserendipity65

@ramadiiiisme

@k-marzolf

@celestialams

@woowwwee

@noortsshift

@rainbowgoblinfan

@mysweetlittledesire

@promnightbinbaby

@intothesoul

[another-whump-sideblog]

Jane's Pets Chapter 92: Powerful

TWs in the tags

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At first, you and Kitty thought Jane was forgetting to drug Kitty, but it quickly became obvious it's very intentional. It's been three days since their last dose and they are definitely feeling the effects.

Jane takes them down into the basement every day. She sees how bad they're doing, she sees the withdrawal. She knows, and she's doing this on purpose. And Kitty is overjoyed.

They tried to hide how happy they were at first, worried that if they showed how much they preferred withdrawal to being drugged Jane would go back to drugging them regularly. But even when they slipped up, she didn't seem to care. Kitty thinks she's waiting for it to get bad enough that they beg for the drug, and that she'll be waiting a long time.

"I mean, withdrawal only gets worse for so long, right? And if this had a risk of killing me, or at least a higher risk than the other stuff Jane does, she wouldn't do it, cause that would be too painless of a way to die. So I have until she realizes that I'm not going to beg for it, which can be quite a while if I play my cards right, maybe exaggerate how bad it is… she probably wouldn't fall for that, especially now that I've said it out loud, but still!"

They're the happiest you've seen them in a long time. Since before you left with Barron, Diya, and Ray, actually…

Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they're doing well. It just shows how absolutely miserable they were while being drugged that this is preferable.

You don't think Kitty has been still once in these past few days, at least ever since the last remnants of the drug left their system. They are constantly shaking, constantly moving, mumbling to themself whenever they're not talking to you. They've been assigned two buckets by you and Puppy, one to carry around for when they throw up and one for when that one is being cleaned. If either of you touches Kitty at all they completely flip out, screaming about how no one respects them, no one cares about what they want and everyone just touches them for their own selfish gratification, caring more about appearing to be comforting than what they actually want-

And despite it all, they insist that this is better than being drugged. That they hope the withdrawal lasts a long time so they get longer to be themself.

You can't help but agree. They have more moments of misery, but more moments of joy too. You would like to help them slowly wean off the drug, to not have to deal with these symptoms while still coming back to themself, but that's not an option. Out of two very shitty options, this one is ever so slightly better.

You try to ignore the obvious: there's no light at the end of this tunnel. When the withdrawal symptoms get better, they'll be put back on the drug and back to freaking out about if they're even a person instead of freaking out over being touched. But that's okay. You'll be taking a sledgehammer to the walls of this metaphorical tunnel soon enough.

You're thinking about it all the time. If you could get some kind of weapon inside of her body, something that could destroy her over and over again so that even with instant healing she can't hurt anybody, and she wouldn't be able to teleport it out…

But you don't have anything like that. And to cast a spell that continues forever would have a high cost, you're sure. You'd be willing to pay almost any price, but you think you should explore your other options first. Preparing a spell like that would take a long time, and you want to get out of here as soon as possible.

You need to know why she's immortal. Maybe you could convince Jane to tell you? She did say that if you think you can figure out a way to kill her that she hasn't already tried, you should tell her…

Jane is powerful, but so are you, and it's only a matter of time before you find a way to get rid of her. Next time she's around, you'll ask her. What's the worse that could happen? 

~~

Puppy is near sick with worry about Kitty. They're only getting worse. Before, she could stomach it, even though it was awful, because Kitty was themself and choosing not to beg for the drug. She thinks she would choose differently, but that's okay. Kitty's allowed to be different, and if this is what they prefer she'll do her best to keep them safe while it's happening.

Except they just had a seizure and that's fucking dangerous and Master might actually kill them this time, what the hell is she thinking??

When the fever first started Puppy was worried, but still willing to respect their wishes. But they just keep getting more and more confused, and then they had a seizure, and that's not okay, she can't let this keep happening!

She briefly considers taking off her muzzle and collar just to tell Ja- Master that this isn't okay, that she can't let Kitty kill themself because they're having this battle of wills, but then she thinks of the last time she spoke without permission to save Kitty's life, of burning hot barbed wire all over her body, and she just… can't. Master said if she spoke without permission again, she would never see Kitty again. And speaking without permission is the whole reason she's muzzled and not even allowed to hum anymore. No, she can't do that. 

So what can she do? Kitty is going to die without this drug. She can't let that happen, even if it would end their suffering, because she's too selfish. She can't let them die.

Bunny is terrified too. They'd agreed to have Puppy watch Kitty tonight since she doesn't have permission to sleep, with Bunny sleeping on the floor by Kitty's bed in case Puppy needed any help. And fuck, if he hadn't been there, if she hadn't been able to shake him awake to see what was happening, no one else would know about the seizure. She wouldn't be able to tell anyone. 

"She's not taking them into the basement today." Bunny says, his eyes dark. As if he has any control over that. He's so angry lately, responding to scary things with threats and promises he has no chance of keeping. It's going to get him in trouble. Anger is only a liability here. But she has bigger things than that to worry about right now.

She needs Kitty to beg for the medicine. That's the only way Master will give it to them, and therefore the only way for them to survive. She grabs their face, forcing them to look at her, and then mimes taking a pill.

They stare at her blankly, rubbing their face where she grabbed them.

"I think Puppy wants you to start taking the pills again." Bunny says softly. Puppy nods in confirmation, pleading with her eyes. Please, I can't watch you die. I can't lose you.

"No!"

Without thinking, Puppy strikes them across the face. Bunny and Kitty stare at her in shocked horror.

It doesn't matter. They can hate her, it doesn't matter, so long as Kitty's alive. She mimes taking a pill again.

"'m sorry." Kitty mumbles. "Didn't know- didn't know she told you to make me. If I'd known I wouldn't have…" I wouldn't have made you have to hit me.

Bunny reaches out and takes her hand. "Right, you wouldn't have done that if you didn't have to. We understand."

Puppy forces down a twinge of guilt. That's useless here. She did the right thing, because now Kitty is going to beg for the pills and survive and that's all that matters. That's all that matters.

She continues to take care of Kitty until sunlight starts to come through the window and Master comes to take them downstairs.

"Please… please give me my medicine."

"Hm?"

Tears run down Kitty's cheeks. "Please, I want the withdrawal to end, I want you to drug me again, please."

Master grins. "Well of course! All you had to do was ask."

She comes to Kitty's side and gives them the pill. Puppy is so relieved she could cry.

"Now, we still have our project to work on-"

"Jane." Oh no. Bunny's going to do something stupid. "Can I talk to you in private for a moment?"

Master raises her eyebrows. "For a moment."

She walks out of the room instead of teleporting, and Bunny follows her.

They walk far enough away that she can't eavesdrop through the door, and she doesn't want to leave Kitty alone, so she doesn't know what Bunny and Master are talking about. Probably Bunny's insistence that Kitty won't go in the basement today.

Kitty has buried their face in their pillow, crying softly as they wait for the drug to kick in. Puppy has more trouble forcing the guilt down, this time.

She did what she had to do. She did…

It felt good. Horrible, but good too. She felt… powerful.

This is a dangerous habit to start. She hates herself so much it threatens to consume her, and she can't push it down no matter how hard she tries. She did what she had to. She didn't do because she thought it would feel good, she did it to keep Kitty alive. She did what she had to.

She grabs a pillow from Kitty's bed and joins them, trying to keep her crying quiet enough that it won't set off the collar.

A/N: Let me know if I should tag anything else, or if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list! Five more chapters before the start of season 4 :)

Tag list: @eatyourdamnpears @whump-in-the-closet @scp-1296 @thecosmicmap @quins-whump-stuff

@fuckcapitalismasshole

[morg-among-the-stars]

long-winded rambling about The Politician that intersects with me talking sappily about my partner: a random, very neurodivergent and gay post

It's no surprise that The Politician means a lot to me.

I mean, "the politician netflix" is one of my most used tags, and my The Politician t-shirt is stretched out and well-loved because it's my favorite shirt (I have a long-sleeved version for the cold months that I wear sparingly because I want it to last longer that the short-sleeved version).

In the depths of my tumblr (or maybe not, I think I might've deleted the post for one reason or another), there's a post I made in 2021 or 2022, where I made the simple statement: "I want a girlfriend but like River Barkley / Yeah / Girl River." What I meant by this, in my own neurodivergent, connecting-my-special-interests-to-my-real-life-to-make-sense-of-how-I-feel-about-things/emotions way, is that I wanted a partner who could see me, who thought deeply, who had a big heart.

And, low and behold, I got what I wanted! (Thank you, Universe)

Besides talking about my fandoms, I talk about my partner a lot.

I talk about her a lot, because you have to imagine what it's like to not be understood for a long time and then someone comes along and pretty much say, "I like you, I want to understand you, or at least try." Does my partner "get it right" every time? No. Do they always know what to say? Also no, but who does? Not many people have all the answers but my partner at least tries. The trying is what means the most to me, trying to understand the deep, twisty layers of why I am the way I am.

I like to help people and do good things, but I push people away and give a million, "I'm okay / I'll be okay / It's just how things are, don't worry"'s, and that is quite the complex contradiction.

Why do you think I like the character of Payton so much? He's the same way. That's his big problem that affects his story.

Which is what makes his story with River so interesting.

He is faced with exactly what he pushes away: being seen, someone cutting through (or breaking down, whatever visual you'd like to use) his big walls and wanting to help him.

Now, I know that by the end of their relationship, things are a little more than rocky. Pretty cut-throat on Payton's part. But I'm focusing on the non-political aspects of their time together which is the heart of their dynamic; things get rocky when they have to go up against each other.

River is gentle in his nature and patient, which are the very important aspects when helping those walls come down with time. (Or within literally five minutes, in Payton's specific case. Poor guy really needed someone to ask him if he's okay.)

When I think of my own relationship, I think of the patience that I am given; "I'm here / You can talk to me about anything." Never pushy, never "You have to tell me what's wrong." but an offer that's there for when I need it. I can go to my partner when I'm unwell or upset or frustrated and I know I'll be listened to.

You want to know the beautiful thing?

It works the same way when flipped around.

When my partner is in a hard time, they can come to me and I try my best to listen and to offer my support, or advice when it is wanted. (I have a knee-jerk reaction to help, though I'm learning that people need to be listened to or sometimes, just need to feel their feelings. My partner is additionally patient with me as I'm learning this fact of life.)

My partner and I are similar in the way that we don't really know how to feel when someone tries to see us. Despite that, we both push through each other's walls and show patience and give the offer of a person to talk to.

We know that there will be times where one of us needs more support than the other, knowing that it fluctuates, or knowing that there will be times where we need support at the same time, and we go about it with patience and understanding, the best we can. We always try.

For a long time, I've loved the interesting dynamic between Payton and River (and wished that Ryan Murphy and Co. would give the people what they want and give us more of it—).

Their story and characters have taken on a new meaning since being loved like I am by my partner.

The show’s theme song, “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens, is my ringtone for them: “I fell in love again, all things go, all things go.”

“Heir to My Heart” from the score of The Politician often plays in the back of my head when I talk to her, or just quietly sit on call with her.

To be loved is to be seen. To be seen and loved by her is the best thing I could have ever hoped for.

Also, shoutout to this tweet screenshot that I sent her as a means of flirting a few days before I asked her to be my girlfriend. Did she understand it? Of course not! She's not a nerd! (That's a joke, they are a huge nerd, just not for obscure Netflix shows that only about ten total people care about. Ask them about the current book they're reading and you will see a nerd! Which is beautiful to behold. I love seeing them nerd out and get excited about things! <3):

[s-creations]

The Forgotten - Chapter 6 'In Which A Festival Is Held And A Connection Is Established'

The BeanBean Kingdom has lived peacefully for centuries, due to the wild ocean and towering mountains that surround them. No one being able to get in or out. Which makes it strange when a stranger enters the kingdom, but not in an expected way.

Close to death and with little memories about his previous life, Peasley has to uncover where this 'L' came from. As well as who would want to hurt this confused human.

Fandom: Super Mario & Related Fandoms Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Relationships: Luigi & Mario (Nintendo), Luigi/Prince Peasley Warnings/Additional Tags: Luigi don't remember who he is, AU to Super Star Saga, There will be mentions of torture, PTSD, Bowser's gonna be intense in this, At least far more than in comparison to the games, Mario's a worried older brother, It's a dangerous game of cat and mouse

Beyond the fact that he was unable to remember much about anything, L felt like life was out to get him. He was really trying to keep his head held high. Dr. Pinto said he was recovering well, with L getting a clean bill of health at the end of each day. L felt safe, comfortable, was well fed and had a place to sleep. 

That, however, didn’t stop things being dangled just out of reach of him. Of letting L just find some small piece of relief from the unknown that haunted him.

First issue was when he tried to sleep. ‘Tried’ being the keyword there. Because L’s dreams were either heavy nightmares or taunts of the possible life he’d had once upon a time. The nightmares were filled with fire and feelings of phantom pains. A deep voice giving words of slow death and tortured filled days. L waking up with his brow damp with sweat, the nightmares diving back into his forgotten mind. 

But his dreams, where it was mostly calm, caused L to wake feeling empty. Offering what he assumed were memories of his past life. Soothing and filled with simple bright places. Starting out as large empty areas, such as fields filled with orange and yellow flowers that held black eyes that swayed in the breeze. To another of a small room filled with comfortable chairs, one red, the other green, resting in a simple living room. 

It becomes further interesting when someone new suddenly appears. 

One dream found himself situated in a large room, far larger than the living room L had seen before. Tall walls painted white with pink accents. Golden ornate furniture filled the massive area. A tea set was displayed before a tall window, nothing seen beyond the glass but a white void. L was standing by said tea set. A large green mug already filled with liquid was resting comfortably in his hands.

“Princess P̳̲͕̹̰̙̏̀e̖ͫa͓̯̗̥̰̻͌̿͋͑̒ͪ̚ͅć̼̟͙̥̘̫ẖ̥̈́̉̉ͬ͡ really went all out huh?”

L jumped to the new voice. Stumbling as he tried to keep the tea in the green mug from his sudden movement. The same voice gave a gentle laugh, L turning away from the window he’d just been facing. Another human materialized from the white nothingness in the room. 

Slightly shorter than L, wearing deep blue overalls with a red, long sleeves shirt underneath it. A red cap with an embroidered ‘M’ resting on swooping brown hair. L squinted as he attempted to get any facial details. But the person’s face was completely blank. However, with the details he could see, something tugged at the back of L’s memories. 

“M-Mario, don’t do that.” L heard his voice, but he didn’t feel his mouth move.

“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” ‘Mario’ raised his hands, “How’s the tea? P̳̲͕̹̰̙̏̀e̖ͫa͓̯̗̥̰̻͌̿͋͑̒ͪ̚ͅć̼̟͙̥̘̫ẖ̥̈́̉̉ͬ͡ said she got your favorite.”

“It’s good. Pretty sure the other container has coffee.”

“Excellent!” ‘Mario’ rubbed his hands together as he eagerly approached the table. He poured himself a cup, practically burying it with cream and sugar before taking a sip. “Perfect cup.”

“Do you actually have coffee in there?”

“Oh hush, L̙̱̓̅̾ͧͭ̓̕u̦̪̭̱̻̺̣̓̓̐i͖͍͖͊ͥ͛̌̽͆͝g̙̫̦͖͘ȋͯ͂.”

“And I thought I liked sweet things.” L heard himself laugh as the other playfully pushed him. 

“Whatever… So, how are you feeling after our last adventure?”

“I’ll be honest… I’m a little shaken.”

“Why? You did a great job!”

“I felt like I was in your way more than anything.” L felt an arm easily drape over his shoulders. While he couldn’t see ‘Mario’s’ face, he could tell the other was giving an assured smile. 

“You were wonderful, I’m really proud of you…”

L woke with tears staining his cheeks. Peasley more than a little concerned when he visited that morning. 

If the unrestful sleep wasn’t enough, the human was still having difficulty controlling his newly discovered ability. Whatever L had been able to do before was apparently a fluke. Unable to reproduce the same thing as before. More often than not, L would end up shocking himself. Which would also cause any extra energy to be discharged wildly. Peasley did his best to train L. L, however, was more frustrated by the process at the end of each day. 

Having the random thought that maybe the abilities didn’t work because they didn’t recognize him. Which was weird to think that’s possible. But L didn’t know how else to describe it. 

Physical and mental ailment accounted for, emotional was the last on his list to worry about. L knew he held feelings for Peasley. It was something he’d come to terms with a while ago. Also conceding there was never going to be that connection between them. Peasley was a prince. A member of the royal family who was directly in line for the throne. L was some random stranger who had no memories, weird uncontrollable powers, and a large target on his back. 

L tried to turn his feelings into more of admiration. That he was just latching on to a heavy emotion for comfort. Just to have something ‘normal’ to cling to in a sea of uncertainty. If anything, L told himself that he would pine for a while and move on. Because what else could he possibly hope for? That Peasley actually saw him as anyone other than a guest? L was hopefully stupid, not stupid…

Until that afternoon in the gardens. 

L had felt his heart thudding heavily as he had been presented with the garden lunch. One that was unprompted. Meaning Peasley went out of his way to create this specifically for L.

He’s just being a good host. You’re a guest. Stop this.

Then Peasley showed off his ability. Adorning L with a crown of beautiful roses. 

It’s a gift. He’s being nice. Stop doing this!

It was as Peasley was talking about his father that L felt a wave of bravery hit him. A want to make the prince happy, to not see him look so upset. Allowing instincts to take over, L had moved closer. Reaching out to gently take Peasley’s hands in his own and offered a few words of encouragement. The comforting moment turned to something a bit more when their eyes connected. L suddenly realized how close he’d gotten. 

But Peasley didn’t pull away as L assumed he would. 

Instead, the prince’s hands moved to now grip onto L’s gently. A silent plea to not move. L watching as Peasley’s eyes flickered between his eyes and lips. It was almost dangerous for L to hope. Eyes following as Peasley moved closer. Unable to do the same, thinking the illusion would be shattered if he did. Thankfully, Peasley didn’t seem deterred by this. Only giving pause to double check that all was still going to be accepted. 

Only for L to ruin it. 

The powers he barely had control over gave Peasley a nasty shock. L’s elation turned to modification. Instinctually pulling his cap over his eyes while his hands held a death grip on it. All of Peasley’s reassurances fell on deaf ears as his internal voice was loudly berating him. Even after Peasley had calmed him down, L still felt as if whatever bond they’d started to make was completely gone. 

And with no one that L felt comfortable enough to voice his concerns to, it all left him to stew in self-doubt. 

Something Peasley noticed immediately. 

“Alright you alright?”

L’s head shot up from where he’d been staring a hole into his bed sheets. Flushing softly at Peasley’s attention. “Y-Yeah, why?”

“You’ve just been quiet.”

“But, y-you’ve been reading. I didn’t want to interrupt.” 

Peasley blinked before looking at the book in hand. “True, however, you normally give some verbal indication you’ve been listening.”

“I, uh, I have a lot on my mind at the moment.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!

“I-I mean, I’ve just, you know…” L laughed weakly. Biting his lip when that flawless explanation somehow didn’t comfort Peasley. “My dreams…have been getting to me. I keep seeing that same creature, I keep getting flashes of what happened. I’ve also had a lot of those calm places…and of Mario.”

“You’ve seen him?”

“No, I mean, not really? I can’t see his face and can only hear half of what he says…” L slumped further back into his pillow, “Sorry, it’s not much use.”

“No, you’re doing fine, you’re doing your best. That’s all we can ask for.”

“I just wish it was more.”

Peasley took a small pause, eventually placing the book aside and gently took L’s hands. “How about we get you out of the castle for a while?”

“Like…back to the gardens?”

“More like the town proper,” Peasley gave L’s hands a gentle squeeze before continuing, “There’s a festival coming up. It happens twice a year to kick off our two major farming seasons. I was hoping to take you out? If you’re feeling up for it.”

L’s heart jumped at the ‘take you out’. Trying to quickly stomp down the excitement as his cheeks turned red. “And you’ll…be there?”

“The entire time, by your side, your tour guide and chauffeur.” 

He really shouldn’t read too far into it. Peasley was just trying to feel better. But L couldn’t help but feel thrilled by this ask. Offering a wide smile and nodding. “Yeah, yes, I’d like that.”

Peasley perked up, beaming as well. “Great, fantastic! It’s tomorrow, we’ll head out in the morning. You’ll have a great time, promise!”

“I-I can’t wait.”

Both sat in eager silence, smiling like idiots to each other, only breaking away when Dr. Pinto arrived. Announcing L needed a check up as a nurse also drew closer. Peasley took the opportunity to run with his face a deep shade of blue. 

“Smooth,” Dr. Pinto muttered as the prince passed by. 

“Oh, shut up.” Peasley whispered back, but couldn’t hide his smile. 

The next morning, L woke early. Unable to close his eyes again and had to lie and wait for the sun to enter the room. A nurse eventually arrives to help the human change for the day. L feeling strangely at home in deep blue overalls and a long sleeved green shirt.

Like ‘Mario’s’ outfit…just a different color. 

Peasley arrived soon after L had settled down into his wheelchair. The human flushing darkly seeing the prince dressed in a very casual outfit. Looking more of a farmer than a prince. With a farewell from Queen Bean and Lady Lima, the two departed to explore on their own. 

It was strange to be in the town,as well as nerve wracking, being so close to so many strangers. L tensing slightly when numerous eyes landed on him as the duo drew closer. Only to relax when Peasley placed an arm on L’s shoulder and greeted the citizens. Who all returned with their own smile. 

The first stop was determined by hunger, going by a large stall that had steam and delicious smells wafting from it. The cooks inside greeted Peasley, passing off two slices of fully packed quiches to the duo. Allowing both to eat while they continued on. L was then shown the numerous flora and fauna the kingdom had to offer. From tall flowers that smiled down as L (which kicked some kind of warning in his mind to avoid for some reason) to small, bi-pedal beanish creatures that ran circles around their enclosure they were in. 

Curiosity soon overpowered nerves and L began to ask questions. How did something grow, what was the creature’s name, would that flower count as flora or fauna given the mouth and how it ate? The citizens were more than happy to answer. Seeming thrilled to explain their trade to someone completely new to the scene. The children would even pop in from time to time to explain their role in the management of the farm. Peasley noticed how well L was with children. 

There was never a time where L’s hands were empty. Always filled with either a plate of food or a glass of interestingly colored drinks. Peasley seemed to be acutely aware of when L needed a break from the crowds when the day started to come to an end. Pushing the wheelchair along some of the narrower paths that allowed them a more aerial view over the festival. The sun was beginning to set, but that clearly didn’t indicate a time for the events to stop.

“So,” Peasley started, “thoughts?”

“It’s amazing! There’s so much to see or do here. Your kingdom is amazing.” L commented, missing the flush on Peasley’s cheeks. The wheelchair was soon parked on the grassy hill. L relaxing as a soft breezed past, Peasley sitting himself on the nearby bench. 

As the sun continued to sink, the surrounding area started to fill with other citizens. Parents spread out blankets while children rushed around, couples claiming spots under trees. Venders were soon walking around, carrying large trays of food, drinks, and even a few carried mini sparklers and similar items. L a little nervous when he’d been handed a sparkler, Pleasley holding his and giving thanks to the vendor. The sparklers were lit and L’s concern turned to amazement as the item burned brightly. 

There had been another hit of familiarity, one that was surprisingly comforting given what L was holding. Of someone holding fire in their hands… But the feeling lasted as long as the sparkler did. Both fizzling out to smoke.

As the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, the hill was filled with numerous citizens with the sky becoming dark. L feeling thankful that Peasley was there. Their clasped hands gave a comforting feeling against the nerves of being in a large crowd. 

Confusion grew as L watched the vendors turn off the lights to their stands. The area becoming increasingly dark. 

“I-Is it over?” L whispered. 

“Not quite,” Peasley replied softly, “One more event to truly close it out.”

L only had a few to ponder what they were waiting for when the sky was suddenly illuminated a brilliant red. The human jumping and clinging to Peasley’s arm as the thunderous ‘BOOM’ accompanied it. Fear turned to fascination as another went off, a vivid blue, followed by a bright green. The sky was soon filled with numerous fireworks, the crowd below giving noises of joy and amazement. 

Even with knowing there was no danger, L still kept a grip on Peasley’s arm. Eventually becoming comfortable enough to lean his head on the prince’s shoulder. 

“This is amazing,” L said, “Thank you so much for-”

L didn’t fight back as a finger was tucked under his chin, tilting his head up. Shocked when soft lips covered his but didn’t pull away. A hand reaching up to cup Peasley’s cheek, with the other gripping onto the prince’s arm. The hand tucked beneath L’s chin moved to the back of his neck while the other was placed on his shoulder. 

They pulled away after a few seconds. L’s eyes wide and shining, taking a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. Peasley’s cheeks were a dark blue. Eyes wide as if surprised he would try something so bold. They weren’t sure who broke the silence, but both were soon laughing softly. Peasley claimed another kiss, which L didn’t argue against, before pressing their foreheads together. 

Their beating hearts drowning out the fireworks.

_____________________________

The knight allowed themselves a moment of pause as they stood before the towering city. It was vastly different from the place he called home. The mountain was replaced with towering walls of white painted bricks that hide the inner kingdom from the rest of the world. From what could be seen peeking out from the wide entrance were tall structures with equipment that the knight had never seen before. 

Taking a deep breath to steady their nerves, the knight approached the entrance. Pulling the attention of two creatures who were stationed outside. One holding blue spots on their domed cap with the other having red instead. Both of whom gripped their spears tighter as the knight drew closer. 

“I come as a traveler from the BeanBean Kingdom,” the knight stated, raising a hand as a sign of peace. The kingdom’s name causes a look of confusion to be shared between the other two. 

“What…business do you have here?” One guard asked. 

“I came with a message for your ruler in relation to current events in our kingdom.”

There was another exchange of worried looks before the guard with the red spots stepped forward. “Please follow me.”

The knight did as asked. Making sure to keep up as his eyes traveled around the surrounding structures. While the BeanBean Kingdom was built around farming, the Mushroom Kingdom was definitely built around technology. There were moving, free floating platforms that moved from level to level and across wide gaps. Pipes that seemed to be the main form of long distance transportation that easily sucked civilians up and away. Having them go who knows where. There were tools and gadgets being used that the knight had never seen or would have thought about creating before. 

The castle was also different from what the knight was used to seeing. Queen Bean’s home was pure white with red trim and accents. Lined with foliage grown wildly by the royal family. This castle was mainly pink with the white adding accents and decorations. With more trimmed topiaries than free growing plants. The large double doors opened to a grand throne room that was filled with numerous, different spot colored citizens. All eyes turned to the newly arrived duo. The knight kept their eyes forward as they approached the throne. 

But was also painfully aware of how the thunderous noise of conversations quickly died down. 

Sitting upon the grand throne was another human, female, with blond hair that fell to her waist. Blue eyes falling to the knight with a look of curiosity, but also carried exhaustion. Deep shadows resting under her eyes. Her posture was tense as the knight approached. Another citizen, one holding brown spots, carrying a cane with a small pair of spectacles resting on their face, stood by the ruler. Looking frazzled, on edge, and super suspicious of the newcomer. 

Standing properly before the throne in a very quiet room, the knight placed their hand over their heart and bowed low. “I am a servant hailing from the BeanBean Kingdom. I arrive with a message from Queen Bean to the current ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“That would be I,” the human said calmly, “I am Princess Peach. What message do you have for me?”

The knight stood once more, eyes twitching over to the brown spotted citizen, who looked back with bewilderment. They pulled out the rolled parchment from their side bag, opened it, and began to read. 

‘To the Current Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom. I, the Queen Bean, ruler of the BeanBean Kingdom, have come to ask for your help in regards to recent events that have befallen my kingdom. An unexpected guest has arrived at the doorsteps of my castle, who’s more than lost at  the current moment. Due to their possible origin, I ask  for your help, as our visitor is human, a rare individual that we know not their home for. 

While this would be our first proper interaction, I ask if you may know of this human. If you-

“Does he have a green hat?”

The knight stumbled to a stop hearing the desperate question. Looking up to see that Peach was now standing. Hands clasped before her and eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Looking hopeful, but also close to breaking. The knight was also aware that the silence had turned from heavy worry to tense eagerness. 

“...Yes ma’am.”

“With an ‘L’ on it?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The heavy silence hanging over the room was broken when Peach gave a heavy sob and fell to her knees. The hall erupts with cheers and excited chatter. The knight remained still as they wished and waited for some explanation. They heard Peach frantically say ‘Please, go find Mario.’ to the nearby citizen, standing at better attention as she drew closer. 

“Is he alright?” she asked as she wiped her eyes, “I-Is he okay?”

“...He is recovering well, but he unfortunately doesn’t remember anything about himself. We’ve been calling him ‘L’ as that’s all he really remembers.”

“His name is Luigi… We…we were so worried…” Peach took a deep breath to try and calm herself. Quickly dabbing at her eyes with a small cloth. The knight wanted to offer a break, believing she was attempting to keep her face as neutral as possible for her citizens. However, they fell quiet when the brown-spotted citizen returned. This time followed by another human. 

This one was dressed in deep blue overalls and a long sleeve shirt. An eerily familiar cap was resting on a mess of tangled brown hair. This cap, however, was red with a ‘M’ embroidered over the lip of it. The knight worried that he too looked exhausted. More so that Peach. 

“Peach…what’s going on?” He asked nervously. Tired eyes darting from the knight to Peach. 

The princess in turn gave a watery smile before saying, “Someone found Luigi.”

The other human’s face turned from curiosity to hope. Eyes widening slightly. “R-Really?”

“Really, he’s in the BeanBean Kingdom.”

“W-Where is that?”

“I don’t know, but…” Peach gestured towards the knight. Who stood at better attention when eyes returned to them. 

The human dressed in red stepped closer. “You have him?”

“L… Um, she’s correct. Luigi is currently at the BeanBean Kingdom. Being looked after by our best physician.”

“I’ve never heard of this kingdom.”

“That is because said kingdom had isolated itself away years ago.” The brown-spotted citizen spoke this time. Nodding and tapped his cane on the ground. 

“Do you know of this place, Toadsworth?” Peach asked. 

“Personally, no,” Toadsworth replied, “We have written accounts about said area. Coming from your ancestors from many years ago. So I was aware this place existed, but that was the extent of my knowledge.”

The red dressed human nodded in understanding before tensing as  something seemed to mentally strike him. Turning back to the knight with wide fearful eyes. “Wait, you said physician… I-Is Luigi okay?”

“...He is recovering well. However, when he first recovered, he was… There was a chance that Luigi would not have made it if he wasn’t found when he had been.” The knight jumped back as the human’s hands were suddenly engulfed in fire.

Peach gasped softly, reaching forward to place a comforting hand on the other’s shoulder. “Mario, please, calm yourself. You hear the knight, he’s safe and recovering well. We know where Luigi is. We can go and get him.”

The knight frowned in thought upon hearing the name. Waiting for the hands to be extinguished before asking, “You’re Mario?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s your relation to Luigi?”

“He’s…He’s my twin, my brother. H-Has he talked about me?”

“I’m sorry to report that Luigi has amnesia, a severe case. Due to whatever happened to him. We’ve been calling him ‘L’ as that’s all he could remember for himself. He knows your name, but that’s all.”

“This explains so much… Have you or anyone in your kingdom seen anything else?”

“I’m…not sure what you mean.”

“A big guy with a spiked shell, claws, fangs, can breath fire, yellow eyes? A flying fortress? A blue robed creature with a wand? Anything like that?”

“We’ve had reports of strange looking creatures, no robes or wands. But nothing specific that you’ve just listed.”

Mario looked hopeful. “Then maybe we beat Bowser to the punch.”

“Bowser?”

“I-I’ll explain while we’re traveling back to your kingdom. Peach-” The red dressed human was cut off when a shoulder bag was thrusted into his hands. Already filled with food and some strange looking items with faces on them. 

“Go,” Peach said, “I’ll follow behind with what resources we have. We can’t take the risk in thinking Bowser doesn't know where Luigi is.”

“Right…you’re right.” Without a second thought, Mario slung the back over his shoulder. “Alright, we’ll head out now.”

“And I’ll be right behind.”

With a nod, Mario turned to the knight and they left the castle as quickly as possible. 

Unaware of the Paratrooper flying overhead. Scrambling to get to his radio out to report that the hero was on his way. 

[shinxistudio]

Studio Thoughts 2024MAR01

I've been thinking a lot since first finding out about the MidJourney deal Tumblr is taking. I've been wanting to make this post for just as long. (This sounds ominous, but it's not.) (Cut for a giant wall of text. Massive rambling.)

I don't know what to do. I've made an infinite number of new accounts across all the different social media I can find. I had to make a sheet to keep track of all the different websites I've joined. The thought of trying to post and maintain 20 accounts minimum to cover myself depending on where people flee to is overwhelming. I'm already averse to updating the accounts I have now. It takes too damn long as it is. (I need to set up PostyBird for the love of god. It doesn't work on a lot of mainstream sites, though.)

I want to share my art, but I don't want that to mean that I'm giving up my rights to it so some fuck can shove it into his dataset to create images and act like they're superior to something made by a real human and the human experience. I've opted out of the 3rd-party sharing option that they gave us, but I know that doesn't mean anything without proof. If they were giving data over that they shouldn't have from private conversations and password-locked blogs, they're not going to give a shit if someone toggled a setting. The whole issue with these datasets is the lack of consent to begin with, so why would they stop Now. I don't even know why they plan to pay Tumblr for the data in the first place because how much of it has already been scraped before they decided to tie it up in a bow for them?

I hate that people just parrot "Nightshade and Glaze!!" as if they're not open-source software that the tech bros can reverse engineer with the available coding. (As well as being easy to remove/get around in the first place.) Not to mention the stupid amount of processing power to use them, if they even work on the type of art you're putting into it in the first place. Even if they worked for your art, they're not accessible to everyone. That's not fair to artists who don't have or can't afford the highest-end PC parts. And even if they Worked to prevent AI it would only be a matter of time before they Didn't, like the constant fight UBlock is having with blocking YouTube's new coding to prevent ad blockers.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of feeling that the modern internet hellscape is just not meant for artists because the algorithms expect you to post as much as possible in order to get seen. I'm tired of artists finding a place to settle only to feel the need to move again and again because they just want their work and themselves to be respected. I miss old DeviantART when it was still a giant hub and community for artists instead of the shell it is today. I still see a lot of people still posting when I check in every now and then.

I don't know what the answer is, because I know data scraping for generative models isn't going away. I can only hope that it cannibalizes itself into hot garbage by taking in generated images that weren't tagged as AI. I would love it if all the wild shit people post on here could make the dataset completely unusable.

At the moment it looks like the only thing I can do is continue to watermark my art heavily and post low-quality versions. I've never had a large enough following to worry about art theft, but I can't control an all-consuming bot scraping everything.

I've been toying with the idea of making my own website and it's seeming more and more appealing. I've seen that you can make your own Patreon-adjacent subscription setup and have a pay-to-access feature. I don't know if that could help prevent scraping or if there are methods to get around that, too. Can bots scrape Patreon itself?

I'll need to update my LinkTree with all the other hundreds of sites that I'm on I guess. I was hoping that this long-ass post would help me come to some sort of conclusion or peace. I think I just gave myself more work to do. I also feel bad that my only other text post here is so hopeful, only to be slapped down immediately in this one.

TLDR: I'm gonna keep posting but like, I'm Not Gonna Like It. MidJourney Sucks. Tech Bros Suck. Ya'll can eat my entire ass.

[jazzycurls]

I want to know what love is -

pt.1

Summary: After years of being stuck in an abusive marriage you are hoping to start a new life with your son. Meeting an old acquaintance awakens feelings in you that you thought were long gone. Will your broken heart allow you to love again?

Pairing: Eddie Munson x fem!Reader

Warnings/Tags: No use of y/n, angst, PTSD, domestic violence, injuries, jealousy, brief arguing/raised voices, curse words, hurt/comfort, future fluff, future smut, (let me know if I missed something)

Word Count: 5,052

An: Hi you guys! This is my first attempt at writing of any kind. I'm also new to tumblr and don't know how to create links to masterlist. All feedback is welcome, be gentle please haha. Please do not steal or copy my work. Don’t repost without credit. This is my written work, everything besides the characters and plot points by the original writers, belongs to me.

~

"Bye! Have a great day at school!" You yelled out the window of your pickup. You watched as your son ran down the walkway towards the line of kids being ushered into the double doors of the school.

"Bye mom!" your third grader yelled back to you as he walked up to the school's double doors.

You waited until he was safely inside before pulling off and merging into the oncoming traffic. You sighed as the cars seemed to move along inch by inch due to the pileup of cars leaving the school. Your mind flashed back to the fight you had with your husband last month as you waited at the stoplight.

You hurriedly ducked down as a beer bottle crashed into the wall where your head used to be. Glass and liquid flew in every direction, some even hitting you in the back of your head as you crouched down. You screamed as your hands flew up to protect your head and face from any flying shards. What followed was a deafening silence causing you to peek from behind your fingers at your assailant. Your husband stood there glaring at you as his chest heaved up and down rapidly.

He had stood up abruptly from his chair causing it to bang loudly against the wall before he had thrown the bottle at you. The sudden outburst was triggered by your questioning of his whereabouts as he had failed to come home the night before. It had taken you all day to work up the nerve to face him. Even going as far as to wait until after dinner as he relaxed in front of the tv before confronting him. You had meekly stood by the wall and fidgeted until he cast a glance in your direction. When asked the question he flew into a blind rage cursing while throwing the nearest object available. Which so happened to be one of the many beer bottles strewn across the carpeted floor near his feet.

He quickly crossed the room pulling you up by your hair from your cowered position. He slammed you against the wall and leaned in close.

"I work all fucking day and this is my only time to myself!" he had yelled in your ear. He pushed you away and you crashed into the nearby end table landing awkwardly on your forearm. You yelped in pain as he slammed the front door behind him leaving abruptly as you lay there sobbing, curling into yourself as you clutched your arm.

The car behind you honked loudly startling you into drive. You hurriedly pulled off into traffic as you headed home towards the Forest Hills trailer park.

As you passed by the newly reconstructed Starcourt mall your thoughts turned back toward your estranged husband. The fight was the last you had seen of him. The word around town was that he had been holed up with Cindy Johnson at her home across town in the suburbs. You would've been lying if you said that you missed him. Honestly, you were grateful that he was gone. No longer were you walking on eggshells in your home. No longer did you have to worry about the long-term damage this was causing to your son. You tried to hide the bruises from him as best as you could but you knew that there was no way he didn't see them occasionally. You also went as far as to let him go to sleep listening to his walkman so he wouldn't have to hear the constant yelling or thumps against the wall.

You pulled into the uneven gravel of your driveway. Your brakes screeched in protest as you pushed the pedal to the floor for the truck to completely stop. That was another thing you'd begged your husband to fix before an accident occurred. He had waved you off dismissively while mumbling that "he would get to it in a bit." That was months ago and was added to the list of things you would have to take care of yourself.

You shut off the engine and laid your head on the tattered wheel. Hopefully, he would stay away this time allowing you and your son to heal and live a normal life without fear. He never raised a hand towards his son to which you were grateful. He saved all of his pent-up anger and frustration at life for you. You had become his punching bag over the years. It had started as a slap here and there, which was followed by broken promises never to do it again. Eventually, the promises and apologies faded, turning into guilt trips stating it was your fault he hit you in the first place.

Lifting your head you unbuckled your seat belt being careful of your arm wrapped securely in a cast. One of the many war wounds you've accumulated over the years. He wasn't always this way. There was a time when he was the man of your dreams. The charming senior football player who'd swept you off your feet. You were a freshman and couldn't believe the most popular guy in school had taken an interest in you. A shy little bookworm who spent most days at home submerged in whatever romance novel you were reading at the time. Eventually, you'd gotten pregnant at the tender age of 17. Your parents had given you an ultimatum. Either you get an abortion or get out of their house. You'd chosen the latter moving in with your boyfriend who swore that he loved you and would take care of you including your unborn child.

That seemed like forever ago. Eight years had passed and you were a shell of who you used to be. Any dreams you had died long ago along with the love you once held for your husband. Fear had taken the place of any emotion left for him. The only thing you lived, for now, was your son, pouring all of your love into him. You made sure that he knew you loved him at all times. Any family activities or holidays were usually spent alone together. On occasion, his father would tag along only to hang around in the background while nursing a beer.

Hopping down from your truck you slammed the rusted door shut with a squeak. You shook your head trying to dispel the unwanted thoughts of him from your head. You swore that this time was different. If and when he decided to come crawling back you were determined not to let him in. It was time to put you and your son first. You'd reunited with your parents who promised to help in any way they could. You had never asked for help and after years of radio silence on both ends, you swallowed your pride and drove to your parent's asking for help. They immediately accepted and after hours of crying and hugging you guys were on your way to repairing your relationship. They also welcomed their grandchild with instant love and regret for the time that had been wasted.

You waved to your neighbor Mrs. Brenda as you walked to your trailer. She grinned and waved back enthusiastically as she rocked in her chair. She was the neighborhood grandma of sorts often making extra home-cooked dishes or sewing clothes for whoever needed them. She never charged or wanted anything in return just a friendly conversation on occasion.

"Hello dearie, how are you doing this morning?" she said sweetly.

"I'm doing fine Mrs. Brenda, just gonna try and get some cleaning done before the little one gets out of school later," you replied.

"Well, I won't keep you then, just come over later kay? I have some leftovers for you and that sweet boy of yours," she stated.

You thanked her while unlocking the door and shutting it. Kicking off your shoes and placing them neatly by the door you made your way toward the bathroom. You dropped the keys on the end table you'd since repaired. There was a much-needed shower with your name on it before you started your tasks.

~

You sighed deeply as you reclined onto your couch. All cleaning had been done and you were now curled up on the couch with your favorite book. The sound of heavy metal and screeching tires coming to an abrupt stop shook you out of your reverie.

Jumping to your feet you ran to the window peeking out into your backyard. You watched as your metalhead neighbor hopped out of his van and ran to his front door. He stopped for a moment fumbling with his keys. "Dammit, son of a bitch!" he yelled stamping his foot on the ground.

Your heart hammered in your chest at his outburst but you were unable to turn away. Peering at him in amusement and a little fear as he ran his hand back through his hair in exasperation further mussing up the frizzy curls that adorned his head. He cast a glance in your direction causing you to hurriedly close the blinds slamming your back against the window.

"Okay calm down maybe he didn't see me." you thought silently. Forcing yourself to take slow breaths as you walked back to your couch. Before you could sit down there was a quick knock at your front door. Butterflies swarmed in your stomach as you crossed the room to answer the door. Peeping through the peephole you saw Eddie Munson standing on your doorstep.

"Hi!" he greeted nervously as you opened your door.

"Hi," you replied. Your hand was gripping the door in nerves. Embarrassed that he had caught you snooping. Surely he had come over to tell you off about it.

"Um, my name is Eddie...Eddie Munson. I live in the trailer right behind yours." he explained.

"I know— we went to high school together briefly. I was a senior when you were a freshman." You felt your cheeks heat up at the overshare you just stated.

He looked at you for a moment before recognition lit up his eyes. "Holy shit" he exclaimed. "How could I forget," he murmured. "You were one of the sweetest girls I ever met at Hawkins High," he said enthusiastically. "You were like the only person who was nice to me and didn't treat me like some sorta freak. I missed you when you graduated," he said sadly clutching at his heart dramatically.

"No w-wories it's been a while since we've spoken to each other so I didn't expect you to remember me." you stammered. You gazed at him finally noticing the spaghetti sauce stains all over his hellfire t-shirt.

You cleared your throat, tearing your eyes away from his shirt. "Um, was there anything that you needed?" you inquired. Glancing down at his shirt again and flicking your eyes to the bits of food stuck in his hair.

"Oh yeah, right— about that." he laughed nervously scratching the back of his head. "Some asshole jocks thought it'd be funny or whatever to dump food on my head at lunch. I left early to go home only to find out that my house key is missing." he rambled holding up a set of keys as proof.

"I was wondering if I could maybe use your bathroom, please? Feel free to say no but I really need your help. My uncle Wanye is working a double and won't be back until later this afternoon" he begged sweetly.

Your eyes widened at his rushed request. You felt uneasy at the thought of letting a boy– no a man into your home. It was no secret that Eddie was twenty-one even though he had yet to graduate. He was four years younger than you but still towered over your small frame. He could easily overpower you if he wanted.

You chewed your lip silently and gazed into his dark brown eyes. They held no malice or mischief only pleading with you silently for help.

Smiling you opened up your door wider and stepped off to the side. "Of course, it's no problem at all, come on in," you responded shutting the door as he walked into your home.

You stood beside him and marveled at the amount of space he took up. Even though he was pretty tall it had less to do with his height and rather that his presence just commanded the attention of anyone close by.

"Thank you so much," he said as he stood awkwardly in your living room. Glancing around the room he asked, "Um where is the bathroom?"

"Right— sorry!" you squeaked. "Down the hall first door on the left. There are also some towels in the cabinet" you instructed. "Do you need a change of clothes?" you inquired.

Nodding his head vigorously he replied, "Yeah, a shirt would be awesome if it's not too much trouble."

"Of course not. I'm pretty sure I have some clothes that are too big for me around here somewhere," you replied smiling.

He gave you a toothy smile in return and turned around heading towards the bathroom.

You watched him walk down the hallway letting himself into the bathroom. You let out a nervous laugh as you inhaled deeply. Forcing yourself to calm the rising of your nerves.

You felt as if you were going to have an anxiety attack. There was a naked man in your home, one who you had not seen in years, currently in your bathroom. No big deal right?

After a few minutes of deep breathing, you managed to calm yourself somewhat. As you entered your bedroom you walked over to your dresser. Digging through items of clothing, you searched for a shirt that could fit Eddie's tall frame. He was neither stocky nor lanky, seeming to fall in the middle of both.

Your cheeks heated up at the thought of his body. You shook your head, dispelling the unwarranted thoughts. The thought of getting involved with anyone left an uneasy feeling in your stomach. You were still trying to break free from your soon-to-be ex-husband. You had no time for another relationship.

A black shirt with red writing caught your eye pulling you from your thoughts. Pulling the shirt from the drawer you realized it was an old Guns N Roses band tee you had worn while you were pregnant with your son. There was a white cross in the middle with five skeletons on each point.

"This will have to do," you thought folding the shirt again and tucking it into your side. You heard the shower still running as walked back into the living room. Flopping down on the couch you picked up your forgotten book. "Might as well do some light reading to pass the time," you mumbled while flipping to the dog-eared page.

After a few minutes, you were totally engrossed again, losing yourself within the fantasy story. The clicking of the bathroom door alerted you to Eddie's presence. You jumped up tripping over your feet and grabbed the shirt laid carefully by your side.

As you peeked around the corner you noticed Eddie's head sticking out of the opening of the door. His wet curls looked less frizzy and more defined than earlier. His bangs hung low on his face nearly obscuring his eyes. It seemed it was time for a trim. Your gaze lowered looking over his full lips and the expanse of his neck that was in view. You noticed drops of water running down his neck into the column of his collarbone.

Eddie cleared his throat with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Hey! Were you able to find a shirt?" he asked you with a tilted smile.

"Oh y-yes of course," you sputtered, embarrassed that you had gotten caught ogling the poor man. Here you were worrying about your virtue when it was him who should be worried! You quickly crossed the small space in between to hand him the shirt. His fingers grazed yours sending a shiver up your arm from his touch. You stepped back quickly smiling in the process.

"Thank you so much," he said sincerely as he ducked his head back into the bathroom and closed the door.

You stood there for a moment staring into space. What was wrong with you? Why did you just stand there and stare like some sort of ditz? You didn't quite know what to make of your strange behavior. Lucky for you Eddie came out of the bathroom at that moment, clearing all thoughts from your mind.

Walking towards you he stopped in the middle of the room and glanced around awkwardly. "Um, I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you helping me" he blushed staring down at the floor.

"Don't worry about it, no biggie" you smiled waving your hands in front of you. "So...um you said your uncle comes home in the afternoon right? you wondered aloud.

"Right...I was just gonna go sit on the porch until he got home. I would ride around town but I'm kinda low on gas right now." he rushed scratching at the back of his head.

You sighed as you weighed your options. On one hand, you'd rather be alone, you didn't want to embarrass yourself anymore than you already had but on the other hand, you didn't like the thought of him sitting in that heat for hours.

You cleared your throat "I can't let you do that it’s like the training grounds for down below out there" you joked nervously.

His eyes opened wide a moment before he tossed his head back laughing deeply.

You laugh along with him feeling the ice break, easing the tension.

"I wasn't gonna say anything but I agree it's like walking through soup out there" he snickers.

"Well since we both agree that it's hot", you giggle, "how about we find something to pass the time", you suggest. "I have some movies that I just rented from Family Video", you walk over to your tv stand squatting down, and pull out a couple of Vhs tapes.

"I have Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Star Wars - Return of the Jedi, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High," you say while holding up the stack of tapes.

He pretends to think for a moment "As much as I want to pick Nightmare on Elm Street, I think ill go with the first choice" he says smiling.

He sits down on the couch and reclines, the shirt that you gave him riding up showing a light trail of hair leading to his pants. You quickly avert your eyes pretending to study the tapes.

"Maybe I can take a rain check," he says hopefully. Making your eyes snap back to him. Your heart picks up a bit for some reason unbeknownst to you.

"Sure, I'd like that," you grin as you pop the tape in. Strolling over to the couch you take a seat on the opposite end from Eddie. You settle in as the opening credits for the movie started, glancing over at him whose attention was on the tv. Your mind began to wonder, trying to find a reason as to why you so readily accepted his offer to get together again.

You tucked your feet under you getting comfortable as you attempted to focus on the movie. There was no reason to overanalyze anything. It's not like it would be a date or lead to anything, you would keep it strictly platonic right?

Time flew by quickly, you ended up watching Star Wars - Return of the Jedi. Eddies commentary made it way more enjoyable than it would've been without him.

As the ending credits rolled you both looked at each other and smiled. Although the day began weird and sort of awkward, it ended as a pleasant surprise.

"Wow, who knew that you liked Star Wars," Eddie smiled. "You struck me more as a Pretty in Pink type," he teased.

"Well, I guess there is a lot about me that you don't know" you smirked. "I would've pegged you more as blood and gore type only" you joked.

Eddie gasped and laid a hand on his heart. "Why I never," he said dramatically. "You know just because I like heavy metal and have a killer fashion sense doesn't mean I only like that genre!" he scoffed.

Your heart plummeted and you quickly began to apologize. "Oh no— Eddie, I d-didn't m-mean to," you stammered.

Eddie looked at you and laughed. "I'm sorry sweetheart, it was too easy" he wheezed holding his sides.

You threw a small pillow at him and pouted crossing your arms. You turned your head trying to hide the smile on your face.

The slamming of a car door caught both of your attention. You got up and glimpsed out of your window, seeing that Wayne had made it home and was making his way inside.

Looking over at Eddie on the couch who had turned around to face you. "Your uncle just showed up," you explained. You glanced at the clock noting the time. You had about half an hour before you needed to go pick up your son.

He nodded and stood up stretching his arms towards the ceiling. You quickly looked away, wanting to avoid getting caught staring again.

"I have to go and pick up my son from school soon," you said. "I had a great time," you added, mentally slapping yourself for making it sound like a date.

"Me too", he replied walking over to the door and opening it. He stopped and turned around to look at you. " I just want to say again thank you for helping me, you didn't have to but you did anyway and I'm forever in your debt m'lady," he bowed.

Your cheeks and neck flushed embarrassed. You lowered your gaze and smiled, peering up at him through your lashes. "No problem, I had a good time" you beamed.

"Until we meet again," he replied smiling before stepping down your front steps and closing your door.

You lock the door behind him and smile to yourself leaning against the door. That was the most fun you'd had with someone who was an adult in a long time. Conversation came easily with Eddie once the ice had been broken, you found yourself joking around like old friends. The lulls of silence were comfortable, not awkward at all.

A genuine friend is something you could really use at this time with everything you were going through and it seemed as if you could find that in Eddie. You glanced at the clock again noticing that you needed to leave now if you wanted to avoid the hectic school traffic when you picked up your son.

Grabbing your keys you quickly turn off the lights and slip your shoes on, hurrying out the door and closing it behind you.

~

You walked down the steps of the courthouse with your mom and son in tow. You had officially filed your petition for a divorce from your husband. Your legal reason was for physical and emotional abuse. The lawyer your mother and father helped you obtain assured you that with the numerous police reports, hospital records, and the no contact order you'd obtained, you would have no problem with the proceedings.

You, however, weren't so sure of that, you have a nagging feeling that your husband wouldn't roll over easy. Anything you ever wanted or enjoyed he had taken away from you and destroyed it. The only thing you had left was your son. You squeezed his hand for reassurance, he smiled up at you showing his missing front tooth. The lawyer had also put in the motion for you to file for sole custody.

You knew in your heart that no good would come out of your son having any contact with his dad. Hell, he barely even knew him at all and he had lived with him most of his life. The only thing he knew about him was to stay out of his way and to only speak to him in passing or in response. Your heart aches for your son at the relationship that could've been with his father.

Inhaling a deep breath and then slowly exhaling, you release all negative energy and thoughts. "Hey guys, how about we go to Scoops Ahoy for some ice cream huh?" you said excitedly trying to uplift the solemn mood.

"That sounds great dear," your mother replied touching your shoulder.

You turn to your son "Does that sound okay to you honey?" you smile.

He jumped up and down happily "Can we have pizza too, pretty please? he begged, clasping his hands together under his chin.

You pretended to think about it " Hmm, I guess that's okay as long as you make sure to brush your teeth really good before you go to bed." you grinned.

He hugged you as he began to pull you and your mother along faster to the car. "C'mon, I can't wait to try their new flavors," he yelled excitedly.

~

You sighed happily as you stepped out of your shower. With all of the stress and anxiety from earlier at the courthouse washed away, you felt at ease. Your son was finally tucked in after the pizza and ice cream he inhaled. After your mother had dropped you off, your son asked if you would play Battleship with him. Even though you were tired you didn't have it in you to deny him once he gave you his puppy dog eyes.

So after a few rounds, he had taken a bath and brushed his teeth. You gave him his headphones making sure that they were not too loud before kissing him goodnight and tucking him in.

You dried your body off and rubbed in your favorite lotion the best you could with your good arm. You couldn't wait until your appointment with your doctor so you could have it removed. At this point, it was more of a hindrance than anything.

Tying the belt around your fluffy pink robe, you made your way to your room. A knock at your front door stopped you in your tracks. Furrowing your brow, you made your way to the door wondering who it could be at this time of the night.

You stood on your tip toes to look out the peephole. Seeing Eddie on the other side rocking nervously back and forth. You glanced down at the unflattering robe you had on and groaned. "I look like a grandma in this thing." "Oh well," you thought as you hurriedly opened the door.

Eddie paused when you opened the door his face falling into a smile at the sight of you. His eyes roamed over your body quickly before settling back on your face. "Hey," he said sheepishly.

"Hi," you replied as you stepped out onto the porch.

"I hope I didn't wake you, I saw that your light was on and I couldn't stop myself," he rambled nervously.

"No, you didn't actually," you quickly replied. You didn't want him to think he was disturbing you and leave.

"How have you been?" he asked tilting his head to the side causing some curls to dangle over his eyes.

You tore your eyes away to look into his brown eyes before replying. "It's been hectic around here lately" you answered honestly. "I didn't mean to blow you off," you said apologetically.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize," he assured you. "I figured I should just come over and check on you, see how you were doing," he stated.

You leaned against the frame of your door crossing your arms. "It's kinda late for that don't you think," you teased.

He blushed prettily as he rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess your right about that," he laughed sheepishly. "What I wanted to know was if you were busy this Saturday, maybe I could come over for a movie night?" he wondered hopefully.

You mentally checked your calendar, you had nothing planned and you were sure you could get your parents to watch your son for you. "Sure," you said after some thought. "Feel free to bring some more movies if you like so we can have more to choose from," you said.

He grinned and pumped his fist in the air. "How is eight o clock for you," he asked excitedly.

"That sounds perfect," you replied gigging at his outburst. "I'll see you then," you said backing up into your home.

"See you later neighbor," he laughed. He turned around and walked towards the worn path to his trailer behind yours.

You closed the door locked it and walked towards your bedroom. Sitting down you thought about Eddie, you were glad he took the initiative to come over. It had been two months since you last saw him. Your conflicting schedules had made it hard for your paths to cross.

You were either at work or your taking your son to basketball practice. Also with your impending divorce, your free time had become even more scarce. Your eyes fluttered as sleep threatened to overtake you.

You took off your robe and placed it at the foot of your bed, too tired to hang it up. Slipping under your covers you fell into a deep sleep.

Next Chapter

[m-jelly]

Hi Jelly! I love your work and I hope you're doing well rn ❤️

Can I request a fic where the reader kind of friendzones Levi for quite a while now.. Sounds pretty stupid, but you can ignore this request if you want. Hehe, Take care always ❤️

Hi! Thank you so much <3 I love writing a lot and I always worry it's not good, but I'm glad people really like what I'm doing so far. <3

Happy to do your request. I've dabbled with this in past requests and even did a story involving the friendzone situation and the reader just seeing Levi finally. It's rather cute. I'm guessing you want it to be friends to lovers? I'm a sucker for happy endings because Levi deserves a good ending. If friends to lovers was not what you wanted, do let me know and I'll write another one, but it will low key make my heart cry a little hahaha :D

You are worth waiting for.

Pairing: Levi x reader

Genre and tags: friends to lovers, friendzone to lovezone, Levi's always loved you, modern AU, time jumps, long-life friends, love confessions, happy ending.

Concept: You and Levi have been friends since you were in school together. Levi was always the rebel and you were the nice girl always seen as the side character to most. Levi was always popular because he was a bad boy and smart, but he never seemed to have a girlfriend and often was around you. As you both grow up, you stay in touch and share your life together. You lose contact for a bit after a small fight with Levi involving feelings, but you don't understand why he's so upset and why. As the years go by while he's gone, you realise how he felt and how you felt. You accept that you might never see him again. While trying to live life, you get invited to a concert and find Levi is the lead singer and as he sings, it's clear how much he truly loved you all this time.

Part 2

Levi leaned against the wall as he sighed and his heart weighed heavy in his heart. He closed his eyes for a moment and couldn't get the most beautiful smile and laugh out of his head. Levi felt his heart swelling with love, at the same time breaking badly. He opened his eyes and saw you walking closer as you chatted to your friend on your way to school. He knew his love was young and he was close to being eighteen, but his heart wanted you so badly. He hoped that as he grew older, he would become a better man.

Levi had met you a year ago when you moved to this school due to your dad's job. Levi was transfixed by you at first and wasn't sure why, but he just knew he had to keep you close no matter what. He would help you out at school, stop bullies, stop people from using you, help you study or with any work you were doing. He was there for you, always.

He hurt inside at not being with you, but the moments he spent with you were worth it all. Seeing you smiling for him and only him settled his heart. He let out a long love-filled sigh when you noticed him. You smiled in that adorable way, then ran over to him. You were just an angel to him with your bright eyes, soft voice and strength. You hugged his arm filling him up with warmth.

He walked with you as you clung to him. He listened to you talk about your homework, about your weekend and how your boyfriend was being an ass. He wished so desperately that he was your boyfriend because he would treat you so much better than who you were with. However, he never said a thing to you about how he felt because he couldn't bear to lose you.

You had lunch with him and laughed as you joked with Hange over something small, but Levi didn't hear a word Hange was saying because he only ever heard your voice. When you were back in class, you sat next to him and pulled so many cute faces as you focused and tried to understand what the hell was going on. You'd make Levi's heart skip a beat when you'd look over at him, then pull a face to make him smile.

He'd come over to your place most days and weekends and was welcomed with open arms by your parents. Levi felt part of the family but started to hate going over because of how your parents looked at him when you weren't looking. Your mother started with the sad and apologetic looks first, then it was your dad's pats on the shoulder and squeeze of support. He felt like he was drowning.

He would lie with you on the roof of your house and look up at the stars. You'd ask Levi what the stars meant and he'd spent countless study sessions finding out for you just so he could see your face light up in delight at what he knew and the countless stories linked to the wonderful stars above. Your hugs were so warm at first, but then they started to feel like stabs to his heart.

When you graduated, you all promised to stay in touch. You moved away to continue your studies, but Levi made sure he was always there for you. He didn't want to say it, but when you and your boyfriend broke up and he held you as you cried, he was happy. He thought it was his chance soon, but then your studies increased and you could barely see him, so he had to wait again.

Then the worst day of your lives came.

Levi didn't turn up to your graduation because he was hurting inside the longer he was around you. He expected to never see you again, but you turned up at the studio where he was talking to Erwin, Hange and Mike about starting a band together. You looked so different to him. You looked sad and sick, which he was not used to. He wanted to hold you, but he knew that would only hurt him more.

You clenched and unclenched your jaw as tears filled your eyes. "Why weren't you there? I looked for you, but you weren't there."

Levi moved boxes about the studio. "Because I decided not to come."

"Why?"

He sighed. "It was my choice and I chose not to come."

You hugged yourself. "What happened? Was it something I did or said?" You watched him as he moved about not saying a word and kept his back to you. "What did I do? I want to fix this. I can't lose you."

"Tch, you mean you can't lose your emotional blanket."

You frowned a little. "My what?"

He held back tears. "It's all I ever was to you. I was this doormat."

You shook your head and followed him. "You're not! You're so much more to me and I never used you. I care about you."

He slammed the box down. "You never gave a shit about me. For years I've had to listen to you talk about this guy and that guy. I did so much for you, but I was just this thing you dragged along in your little wonderland."

You felt the tears run down your cheeks. "What are you saying? What does this mean?"

He barely got his words out. "I'm done."

You felt a cold chill run through you. "Done? Done with what?"

He turned to you. "With us! With you! I'm done! I can't do this anymore. I can't play this game."

You shook your head as a lump grew in your throat. "What game? I don't understand what's happening."

"After all these years, you never once saw me. You never once really looked at me." He looked at you pained. "What the hell am I to you?"

You panted as your eyesight became blurred. "Levi."

"Enough." He pushed you out the door. "I don't want to hear it. I don't think I can. Goodbye."

"Wait." You gasped when he closed the door in your face. "Levi! Levi wait! I don't understand! What do you mean!?"

Levi dropped to his knees and covered his ears to block out your pleas. He couldn't believe how you never saw after all these years, but then again he had never told you how he felt. He had never confessed to you. He had never told you that he loved you. You never knew someone liked you until they said it because you didn't think you were lovable.

You backed up from the door as your body shook. You turned and hurried through the streets as you started to have a panic attack. You were confused, hurt and alone. You went into your apartment, then looked through everything from your life with Levi. You saw the pictures of you and him together, or with your friends. You rubbed your tears, then looked at his face and saw that the whole time he'd been looking at you. Every single picture, you were all he stared at. All the lack of girlfriends made sense now. Levi never wanted anyone because he was always with you.

You felt your heart slowly breaking when you realised that you'd been hurting Levi all this time. You screamed and cried as the guilt crept in. You never knew because you never opened your eyes. You never looked his way and closed your heart off to everyone because you didn't think it deserved love. You felt like a monster, a monster that needed to be gone.

You packed your things up, then wrote a letter and sent it to Hange because you knew she'd understand. You moved back in with your parents, sold your place and quit your job. You searched for a new job, got one, moved into a brand new place and lost all contact with Levi and the others. Your mother told you about the letters that arrived from Hange asking about you, or how Levi wasn't well either, but you didn't get involved because you felt like you'd just make things worse for him by being in his life.

The years went by, but they were cold and empty. You didn't move on with love and stayed away from everyone. Your social circle became tiny as you punished yourself for never seeing Levi, for never facing his feelings and giving him a yes or no. If he asked you all those years ago, you would have said yes to being with him. You would have loved him with everything inside you. You thought you'd never see him or the others again, but your mother turned up at your apartment with a concert ticket and a plea for you to go because that letter from whoever sent them wanted you to be there.

Levi had searched for you but never found you so your parents were his only way of finding out about you. He needed to see you and talk to you. He wanted to say sorry, he wanted to tell you he loved you, he wanted to make up for all the years you both danced around each other. He wanted one more chance. So, he had sent your mother a concert ticket for you and a letter pleading with her to get you to go. His band was really famous and his love songs were all dedicated to you. He'd hoped they'd reached you, but they didn't. So, this concert was his shot.

He wore a nice outfit, then made sure he was ready to sing his heart out on stage. He wanted to confess to a whole room of people his love for you. After all these years, he still loved you deeply. He followed his friends onto the stage and looked out at the small concert hall, as this was a special one. Levi had played at massive concerts across the world, but he needed to see you at a small and close one.

As Levi sang to his friends playing music, he searched the crowd for you but couldn't see you anywhere. He reached his song about his years of friendship with you being love and his longing to be yours. He cried as he sang thinking you'd never hear, but as he looked down at the crowd you were stood there looking unwell, tired and sad. You had tears in your eyes as you watched him and his friends. He locked eyes with you as he sang the last part about his pure love.

You smiled as you cried at his beautiful words. All your life you never saw him, but now you were really looking at him and your heart was hurting. At that moment, you knew what pain Levi had gone through for so many years. When his song came to an end, you felt the shame and guilt wash over you.

You felt your breath was leaving you. You quickly wiped your tears and backed up into the crowd and saw a panicked and sad look in Levi'd eyes. You didn't feel like you had the right to be here watching him. You felt like everyone in that room was judging you for being an oblivious idiot. You kept backing up, then you turned around and moved through the crowd and went as fast as you could.

You felt out of the crowd and slammed against the floor. You lay there a moment and felt pathetic. You winced when people kicked and stepped on you, but you didn't shout or fight them. You let it happen. You heard the music stop abruptly, then the crowd whispering. You sat up when people moved away, then you sniffed back your tears.

You flinched when you felt a hand on your upper arm. You pulled your arm away, but they grabbed your upper arm again but tighter. "Don't help me. I don't deserve it."

"Says who?" You turned your head and looked at a sad Levi. He squeezed your arm. "You deserve the world." He said your name and smiled a little. "Come on, let me help you."

You stumbled to your feet and kept your head low. You slipped your arm from his grip and hugged your arm to yourself. "I don't want you to think I'm using you again. I'm okay. I've been okay."

"You're not okay." Levi grabbed your hand, then pulled you through the crowd and ignored your protests.

You stumbled through the crowd as Levi pulled you past strong stares. "I'm sorry Levi. I'll do anything you ask of me, please."

Levi grabbed his mic. "Intermission." He led you into the back and into his dressing room.

You tripped over into his room, then turned to him. "Levi, I'm sorry. I know now, I know. After we fought, I went back and looked at old photos and saw how you looked at me. I didn't know, I swear I didn't know you felt that way about me. I was a stupid idiot and I hurt you by not giving you an answer. I left town and moved away. I just make things so much worse for everyone. I closed myself off from everyone so I wouldn't do this to someone else." You smiled at Levi sadly. "And just look at you! I was dragging you down and now you've flown free. I'm so proud of you." You started crying. "I'm so proud."

Levi walked up to you, then cupped your face and kissed you. "I love you."

You shivered in his hands. "Please Levi."

He kissed you and said your name. "I love you."

You cried. "Levi."

He kissed you for longer. "I've always loved you and I still love you."

You sniffed. "Why? Why would you? I was an idiot."

"You weren't. I never told you how I felt, I never once told you and I just expected you to know." He smiled at you. "You're not a mind reader and nor am I. You didn't know because I didn't tell you. My anger in our fight confused you because even then I never said those three words." He sighed and tapped his forehead against yours. "I love you."

"Why me? I'm not that pretty, I'm not smart, I'm oblivious to people's feelings, I'm silly, I'm clumsy."

He smiled more. "I love you for everything you are and more. You're sweet, funny, kind, caring, honest, gentle, beautiful and stunning. You take my breath away. You bring me and my heart peace. I'll forever love you."

You laughed a little, then smiled at him. "I never knew it, but when I saw how you felt it clicked in me. All this time, I've loved you just as much back, I just didn't realise it. I love you, Levi Ackerman. I love you so much. I don't deserve you, I really don't."

He kissed you, then hummed and smiled when you kissed him back. He pulled you against him and moaned as you tangled your fingers in his hair as you both deepened the kiss to something more passionate. All the waiting, all the longing, all the hope was worth it. It was all worth it in this moment. In this kiss, you both knew that you were meant to be together. You both felt weightless and at peace.

Levi pulled back, then lightly kissed you as he couldn't stop smiling. "You are worth the wait."

You giggled at him. "No, you were."

"You're mine now brat, mine. I'm never ever letting you go."

You hummed a laugh and hugged him. "Good, because I won't either."

Yo, I cried a little writing this because it hit so close to home. I didn't intend for me to get emotional, but damn. At least the reader got a happy ending. Love to you all and know you're worth everything <3

[bontenten]

Bewitch

Pairings: Osamu x F!Reader x Atsumu; Miyacest WC: 7.4k Genre/Warnings: smut, fairytale retelling (Hansel and Gretel), magic au, dubcon/noncon, incest (miyacest), fear, knife, monster, bondage, snuff, vore, gore/blood, object insertion, body horror, a bit of size, tummy bulge, oral (m.receiving), anal (m. receiving), masturbation (f. & m.), voyeurism, arson...

Summary: The unexpected guests at your cottage have a mysterious past and hidden agenda. Will they allow you to accompany them on their journey?

Travelers are advised not to spend the night in the Dark Woods. It's said that beyond the last hiking trail, past a brook, lives an Evil Witch. That witch is vile and merciless; often, fools lost in the woods are never seen again. It's said that she must be over 800 years old, feeding off of the essences of children and young men unfortunate enough to cross her paths. It’s said that she even eats fellow witches. No one really knows. After all, no one who has seen her has lived to tell the tale.

It's been a few months since your teacher has left you to fend for yourself here in the woods—your first time alone during this apprenticeship. She said she had to attend a big conference with a whole bunch of other grand witches. You asked if you could tag along, but she insisted that you stay and watch the cottage. The lack of company is about to drive you insane so you often resort to conversing with yourself or the forest itself.

The soft moss muffles the sound of your footsteps as you begin the trek back home, a faint off-trail path away from the main road that no one else would usually notice. On any other day, you would just go home without a fuss, but loneliness makes people do some bizarre and odd things. For instance, the desperate longing for companionship leads to you dropping a not-so-hidden trail of fancy pebbles to inadvertently lead someone to your abode.

For most travelers, going off-trail is akin to a death sentence as any wrong turn might lure them into the forest's deadly maze. Not for you though, you know this place very well: every fallen tree, overturned log, the wanted signs nailed to the trunk...

Wait. A wanted sign?

You can make out from your distance that there are two heads on it, but the details are fuzzy, and the bounty looks smudged. Before you can get a closer look, you hear the birds caw in the trees, signaling the beginning of sunset. You pull your attention away from the poster and continue on to your way home.

The cottage is extremely cozy and warm. The windows are bejeweled and the door is solid wood. You live here comfortably with your teacher, after all, learning about the principles of magic and what it means to be a witch. It's much more than curses and spells, as your teacher would tell you, witches have character and a moral compass. Although there are certainly those who decide to experiment with the darker arts.

While you get a fire going in the huge furnace and boil some water on the stovetop, you hear two voices squabbling outside followed by three raps on the door. You're stunned by the noise, turning to face the shut door wondering if you were just dreaming about the noise. Is it? Visitors? No, you must have heard wrong.

"'Samu, I bet it's a farce, let's not." The voice sounds both tired and weary, almost out of breath.

"Let me just try again, I can smell a working kitchen in there, someone is definitely there," another voice insists. Three more knocking sounds. "Excuse me! Is the owner of the house available? My brother and I followed a path of colored stone and came upon your establishment...could you spare us some water? A bite of food?"

Two men, though they sound friendly. You're frozen in the kitchen, staring at the door that remains between you and the strangers.

"Is there someone home?" The second voice tries again. "Please, my brother is not feeling very well."

Your initial wariness for the stranger melts when you hear about the brother, which does not sound like a lie based on the raspy voice you first hear. A witch's character is fundamentally kind to all sentient beings, especially those in need. But you're still nervous, so you end up grabbing a metal ladle before carefully going to open the door. When you crack the door open, you see a pair of twins. Beautiful men, one blonde and one grey-haired. The former, with a quirky grin, although his eyes certainly look lackluster. But the other seems like he's at the right place, eyes peering past you into your home, fixated on your kitchen.

"I'm Osamu. And this," he gestures to his twin, "is my brother Atsumu. We're a bit lost, you see."

You nod your head in a casual greeting and introduce yourself as the resident apprentice at this cottage. As a good host should, you open the door to the weary guests preparing to welcome them in.

"Are we welcomed in?" Osamu asks, not moving from his spot. Atsumu isn’t budging either, arms crossed and only looking at you from the corner of his eye, waiting for your answer.

Without giving much thought you nod and open the door wider. "Both of you are most welcomed in."

"Then we thank you for your hospitality," Osamu says, taking a step inside, dragging his twin with him.

Words, especially spoken words carry power and hold intent. And a witch's words, no matter how careless they slip out, contain magic. Welcome, as you say. So welcome, they are.

You shut the door behind them and prepare to go give your first-ever guests some water. When you turn around, you notice Osamu already in the kitchen, the sleeves of his tunic rolled up past his elbows.

"Your food is about to burn. Heat's too high," he tells you, expertly taking control of the sizzling pots and pans. "I got it, don't worry."

Feeling flustered at the faint smell of scorching food, you hurry over to see if you can be of any assistance. "Let me help out."

"No, it's quite alright."

How can a host let her guests do all the work like that? And the first company in a while too! What an utter failure.

"How—" you try to argue back, but you're cut off by Atsumu tugging on your wrist, dragging you over to the sofa in the corner.

"Don't worry about him, he loves to cook." Atsumu brushes out the wisps of his bangs with a huff. "And actually quite good at it. Anything that goes through his hands...well, in short, all become part of his design."

Like his twin, Atsumu's frame is broad and huge, but there is a quality of emptiness of sorts. Osamu's shoulders are wide but there's more substance to it, whereas Atsumu's form seems contained. You can't help but use your learnings to see if you can figure out just what's off about Atsumu. He's slowly walking around the living room and studying the portraits hanging on the wall. He picks up a frame that is set above the fireplace and comments, "None of these are you. How come?"

"Oh, they're my teacher. I'm just a witch-in-training at the moment, so—"

"A witch?" Atsumu questions, clenching the frame tightly. His hands begin to shake, the glass under his thumb beginning to crack.

You did not expect Atsumu to display such a visceral reaction upon the mention of witches. After all, witches normally stayed far away from ordinary human society and when they do mix, it's often a role of healing. But the look that sparks in Atsumu's eyes, it's almost—feral.

"'Tsumu!" Osamu yells while stalking over quickly from the kitchen. He throws his arm around Atsumu's neck and drags him off into the shadows. You can't make out the muffled voices and deep growling noises that are coming from down the hall.

It's their private matter, so you go back to the kitchen. True enough, Osamu's hands are almost like magic. The bubbling pot of broth doesn't seem to be on the verge of overflowing, the onions caramelizing beautifully, filling the air with deliciousness.

Moments later, the twins come back. You notice that Osamu clothes are wrinkled from tugging Atsumu around, but at the very least, Atsumu is looking much better than before.

The three of you set the table for dinner. Osamu brings out the plates as though he knows the kitchen inside and out already. Atsumu comes emerging from the cellar with two bottles of fine wine that you didn't even know your teacher had stowed away. Surely, she wouldn't mind? With Osamu and Atsumu sitting to the left and right of you at the round table, it almost feels like a more familiar, cozier gathering between friends than a situation of a host and her guests.

They tell you that they have been traveling across the lands for a long time now, looking for a cure for Atsumu's illness. It reminds you of the hollow, repressed form you saw earlier and your curiosity gets the better of you. They don't tell you the nature of the malady, but what they do share is that they are looking for a witch to undo the curse on Atsumu, a result of dark witchcraft.

"I am a witch!" you exclaim, feeling your call to action at the moment. "Please, is there truly nothing for me to help to undo the spell?"

Osamu leans in close to you, and wipes a bit of sauce staining the corner of your lips with the pad of his thumb. He smiles. "We're looking for a very high-level witch. One day, maybe you'll get to the level of magic needed."

"You're too weak," Atsumu bluntly points out. You're sure Osamu means to say the same thing, but Atsumu's words are really sharp.

"I know," you sigh. "My teacher tells me that all the time. So, I'm really trying. I'm sure there's at least something I can do."

"I definitely think that. Don't be so hard on yourself," Osamu comforts. "Have you been living alone here for a long time?"

You feel two pairs of eyes glued onto you waiting for your answer. You smile reflexively before your eyes trail to the empty plate and carefully choose your words. "Yea. Just me and my teacher. She's a grand witch...maybe if you wait here for a few days, you can meet her when she comes back from her conference."

"We—"

"We'll be gone tomorrow!" Atsumu snaps, staring into Osamu's eyes.

Osamu doesn't pay any mind to Atsumu, and puts an extra piece of dessert onto your plate.

"We have a long way to go. Atsumu's condition isn't getting better, so we can't stop in one place for long."

It makes you a little sad, because you were hoping to spend some more time with the twins, both of whom you have grown fond of. Osamu and his gentleness. And even Atsumu, despite his quick remarks and outbursts, adds a particular spice to your mundane life.

"Maybe we'll bring you with us," Osamu comments lightly, "'Tsumu, wouldn't that be nice?"

"She'll just be dead weight," Atsumu retorts. You wonder if he absolutely hates you. Is that why he is always so against you being next to Osamu?

Osamu puts an arm around you and blows on the shell of your ear. It tickles and you can feel his body enveloping you. "But she's so sweet," he tells Atsumu and whispers into your ear, "Aren't you?"

You find your wandering gaze looking into his half-lidded grey eyes. His face is right next to you, lips just hovering barely five centimeters away. The overwhelming presence of him is undeniably alluring. Your breaths become shallow as your heart rate speeds up with desire.

"I'm exhausted! 'Samu you too. We're going to bed!" Atsumu drops the silverware onto his plate and stands up. He comes around the table, muttering curses under his breath. Atsumu grabs Osamu by the wrist and drags him off towards the guest bedroom you have shown them before.

You didn't quite catch Atsumu's angry mutters, but you hear "slut" and "harlot" thrown around a few times. Were they directed at you? No, you're not like that, you tell yourself. Atsumu must have been thinking that you are trying to seduce his twin. After you clear out the table, you decide to clear up any misunderstanding.

You tip-toe down the hall to the guest bedroom prepared to knock when you hear muffled sounds coming from inside. You carefully press your ears to the crevice of the door and clamp a hand around your mouth upon hearing the stream of moans.

"'Samu, 'Samu please, ah—"

That's Atsumu? Your eyes are wide and still trying to process the shock of what you're hearing. You tell yourself you shouldn't be here. You should not be listening to whatever is happening behind the closed door, but you can't help it. Hearing Atsumu's moans makes you want to squirm.

You slightly jump when you hear a slap, followed with a pleasured groan. The sound is so clean it feels as though the phantom hands are touching your own heated skin.

Osamu's chuckle nearly makes your knees weak.

"Don't get cocky, if it were any other day ngh—, any other day, I would be the one pushing you into the mattress."

Slap. "Shut up, cute 'Tsumu. I like you being so needy for me like this. What do you want from me? Tell me."

"Fuck me, 'Samu."

"With pleasure."

The wood creaks loudly and you tell yourself, you really need to get out as you back away and try to quickly walk down the hall back to your bedroom.

You throw the door open and lock the door behind you with a click. With your eyes closed, you try to steady your breath and the building heat in your core. It's quiet. There's no noise coming from their room. But they are twins! 

You remind yourself that a witch is all-accepting and kind. There are so many circumstances beyond your understanding, judgement is not a part of your nature. And if what they are performing is wrong, what should you say about yourself? You peel off your clothes and step out of the soaked panty that is proof of your lust.

Pillows are fluffed and covers are pulled over your body. You try to sleep, but each time you are about to drift, Atsumu's cries of pleasure come back into your head. Your hand trails down your navel until the fingertips trace over your clit. Gathering some slick from your cunt, you drag it across the sensitive bud.

You shudder from the touch as images, constructed in your fantasy, cloud your mind. You imagine Atsumu's hands spreading your legs apart and Osamu's teasing words next to your ear. He would tell you to open wide and shove his cock down your throat. You suck on three of your fingers until lips wrap over the knuckles, your saliva pooling from hunger. And slip your fingers into your cunt easily, curling them against the plush walls.

"F-fuck me," you moan into your pillow.

With pleasure.

You quiver, clit pulsating, and your pussy juice dripping into your palm. The wash from the high soon takes you into sleep. All throughout the night, you squirm and feel the phantom sensation of being watched. Not just observed, but studied, by two pairs of glinting hungry eyes. You can almost imagine them on either side of the bed, trapping you into the mattress no matter which way you turn.

A few times the weird feelings almost pull you awake, but you don't dare crack an eye open to confirm your suspicions until the morning light begins to filter through the windows, rousing you from sleep. The air is filled with fragrant herbs and the sizzle of delicious brunch from someone awake before you.

No doubt, it's Osamu, because who else can it be? Atsumu? Please. The twins....

You climb out of bed and stretch your neck on the way to the washroom. Your bedroom door is open, but it's too early to notice that detail.

"Morning!" Osamu greets you from the kitchen. You find a fresh mug of coffee shoved into your hands from him.

You mumble thanks and sip at the brew while watching Osamu fry the eggs. Osamu looks to be deep in thought, probably thinking about something pleasant from the faint smile ghosting on his face. You feel a pang of guilt from both listening to their private lives, and also the strange feelings that maybe they heard your private life too—it's all your paranoia talking.

"You're so talented," you blurt out, fisting the fabric of your long skirt.

"Thanks, but better not let 'Tsumu hear ya, he gets jealous super easily."

Even if Atsumu hears, it's fine. You really mean both of them. Both of the twins both seem super talented as a duo; like they've been out there and seen the world. Meanwhile, you're still stuck here, without company. Would it be possible...if they simply stayed?

Osamu senses the words that are stuck in your mouth and answers them for you. "We're gonna be leaving right after breakfast. There's still lots of ground to cover today," he explains, plating the pancake before preparing to ladle a spoonful of batter for the next one.

"Do you have to leave?" you ask, almost pleading.

"It's cozy here and comfortable. We enjoy your company too, but we have to go. Your teacher would hate us, immensely, and on top of that...let's just say, we're always on the run."

"You say it like you two are fugitives or something."

Osamu chuckles and leans closer to you, hot breath flaming your cheeks, or maybe it's just the heat from the stove. A teasing grin pulls his cheeks up slightly as your eyes flicker over to see his lips spell out, "Maybe. Scared?"

Embarrassed, you take a defensive step back, squeaking and bumping into another body.

"MORNING!" Atsumu announces behind you. He's in good spirits and he has his hands on your waist to steady you; he sniffs your hair and smiles before letting you go. "I smell something delicious."

"Breakfast is ready," Osamu says, plating the pancakes. "Hungry 'Tsumu?"

"Tch." Atsumu shoves past you and knees Osamu, mood doing a complete 180. You're almost left like a fly on the wall as you watch the scene unfold.

Osamu is quick to catch his balance while keeping watch on the stove. "Not awake yet?" Osamu grins and passes him a plate of pancakes, essentially telling him to shut up and eat. "Who shoved a stick up your ass? Go eat."

"Fuck you."

"Hm."

Atsumu grumbles but digs into his food anyway. Osamu catches your amused expression in the corner and explains, "It's always like that between us. It's our...way of showing how much we care."

"I know." It's sort of endearing, the banter between the two brothers. Even if the world turns against them, no matter what the odds are, at least Miya Osamu will have Miya Atsumu, and Atsumu will have Osamu. Perhaps it's exactly that sort of bond the two share that you're envious of. Body and soul. Because if only you could have just an ounce of that sort of familiarity with another. But you're just an outsider without an invitation to join in.

While you're mulling over your thoughts, you don't catch the darkening gazes being exchanged between the twins. At some point, Atsmu's plate is already emptied and the wooden table is cleared while you're still lost in your mind. Osamu is fiddling with the metal tea strainer, bobbing it up and down to brew a mug of tea. He threads a cotton string in and out like it's a plaything.

"Do you really want to be with us?" Osamu asks nonchalantly. "'Tsumu and I were talking about it. If you do, maybe we can work something out."

"I just..." You feel like this is your final chance to tell them that you don't want them to go. None of the going around circle hinting that you have been doing. This is the moment to just tell it to them. If you miss this chance, you feel like you won't have another. And even though a pit pulls at your inwards telling you to reconsider, you're brave. "I just want to be together with you all, and help you cure Atsumu. My teacher is so talented, I'm sure she'll have a remedy."

They grin.

Osamu is a great cook, he can do that. Atsumu sometimes seems lazy, but he's super strong and quick to help too. And you can pick up all sorts of other tasks in the area! Maybe because they're so helpful, your teacher will even let them stay once Atsumu is cured. Maybe they can learn magic too! You have heard of warlocks who are powerful with spells too. And you can already imagine, the three of you, like a team, eventually going out into the world to fight demons and monsters and—

"Open wide," a sultry voice sounds next to you. Backing away automatically, you find Atsumu standing right behind you.

"W-wait," your voice shakes, stuck in your throat. "What are—"

His fingers reach for your mouth, prying it open. Before you can voice your distaste, a warm, metal ball gets shoved into your mouth, the thin chain quickly tangles into your hair. The faint traces of tea seep out of its small holes down your tongue and throat, while some spill out the corner of your mouth like trails of drool down your jawline.

Osamu smiles and wipes the liquid away with his thumb, relishing in how your widening eyes gape at him in confusion.

"Being together," he answers the question you wanted to ask, "is what you want isn't it?" He takes a spool of kitchen twine and begins to secure the tea strainer in your mouth. The thin cotton threads wrap around your head over and over again, tightening the steel against your tongue.

You shake your head and try to take another step away from the man you're beginning to become wary of, but the strong grip of Atsumu's hands on your shoulder prevents you from squirming at all. His fingers dig into your flesh, and when you turn to look at him you catch a glint in his eyes, glowering down at you.

"No, no, no, behave," he taunts you, "listen to 'Samu. He'll make you feel real good, trust me."

With the gag in your mouth, all you can let out are weak, warbling gargles from the back of your throat. Why are you doing this? You weren't like this before? Loud snorts flare out your nostrils from the fear screaming through your body.

Osamu comes back with a paring knife, examining the edge under the sunlight filtering in through the stained glass. He presses the cool blade along your cheek, dragging with the dull edge just enough so the sharp end doesn't cut your skin. You feel your knees growing weak and if not for Atsumu's hold on you, you would sink into a shuddering heap on the floor.

"You know, I think you might be the best meal yet," Osamu compliments, blade trailing down to your collarbone. The tip of the knife toys with the first button, pressing tension on the x-cross stitching. Snap. The first button pops off, dropping onto the wooden floor and rolling away to an inconspicuous corner. "I'll prep you well."

Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. The knife flicks again and all the buttons clatter on the floor before running away for refuge.

Atsumu has cleared the table already and you find yourself hoisted up and laid onto the surface like a slab of meat on a cutting board. The cold surface presses against the back of your shoulder and ass. Osamu ties your wrist together with a hemp rope and secures the other end around the table leg. He also secures your ankles to two other anchor points.

You're utterly exposed and ashamed at your body's display, mortified at how your body is reacting when you catch sight of Atsumu, his eyes dilated, looking at your slit that you know is drenched already. The rough texture of the rope presses painfully into your skin from how tight the bindings are. You can only let out gagged whines in complaint, chest rising up and down from the loud breaths.

"Can't do, love," Osamu chides, kissing the knot at your wrist, satisfied with the results. His fingertips trail down to cup your jaw and his thumb runs across the tea strainer. You close your eyes and groan at his touch. Osamu murmurs, "I won't let anything go to waste."

Atsumu is growing impatient at the sight of his twin treating you like the finest specimen ever. You're not the first one. You won't be the last one, but he still can't stand the sight of someone looking just like himself having first tastes while he's missing out himself. He wants to shove Osamu aside, but he knows that Osamu absolutely hates it when he ravages the meal when it's not ready.

Atsumu unzips his pants and lets his hardened, leaking cock spring free. You stare at Atsumu who is fixated on his own pleasure. His hand wraps around his cock and pumps the length up and down.

Osamu turns your head to look at himself instead. "Someone there is impatient, but let's not learn from him, okay? I want to take you slow, make sure you'll be ready. I don't want you stressed, you release too much cortisol and that toughens the meat."

Anything that goes through his hands...well, in short, all become part of his design.

His hand kneads your breast and toys with your nipple, circling and tugging on the tiny, erect bud.

"Relax," he whispers into your ear. "Just like you did last night."

You try to clamp your thighs shut from reflex. Immediately the resistance from the rope ties stop your movements. Osamu squeezes your thighs and pushes them apart once more.

"Right here isn't it, after hearing me fuck 'Tsumu..." Osamu's finger runs down the sides of your labia. "You just couldn't help touching yourself too huh?"

He knows. They know. You feel your cheeks burn at the realization.

"There's nothing embarrassing about it. If anyone should be, it should be us twins, " Osamu's fingers easily slip in, your pussy already dripping with arousal. "Oh woops, I shouldn't need to comfort you. You're clearly not shy."

Osamu's fingers are thick and long, able to reach far deeper than you ever can. Your tongue is still struggling against the gag while your saliva steeps the tea leaves trapped in the ball.

"Oi," Atsumu cuts in with annoyance. "I thought you said to not play with food. What the fuck are you doing, chef?"

Osamu stops his finger in you for a moment before dragging them out. You're trembling at the sudden emptiness and desire to fill the space immediately. The lack of stimulation is irritating and you are desperate.

Osamu walks up to Atsumu, bringing his drenched fingers covered in your slick to his lips for a taste. Before he can do so, Atsumu grabs Osamu's wrist and takes in those digits, sucking on them gingerly.

Osamu smiles and runs the other hand through Atsumu's hair.

"Patience is a virtue, 'Tsumu, I was just getting her fully prepared for you. I'm giving her all to you already, you couldn't even let me have a taste of her?"

Atsumu releases Osamu's fingers with a pop. "I never said I wasn't going to share," he mutters before pulling Osamu in for a kiss, passing the taste of you along their tongues.

Your body jostles as you finally get a visual matching what you heard last night. You feel your pussy leaking with more excitement, the arousal drips all the way down to your asshole. And the more you squirm, it's as though the rope ties become tighter and tighter, rubbing your skin raw. But even that pain is incomparable to the need to quell your fire.

Atsumu pulls away and presses one last kiss on Osamu's nose. "I always love what you serve, thank you 'Samu." Your heart rate rapidly speeds up as Atsumu comes towards you. He's positioned between your legs, both hands on your thighs, marveling at the display of your body. His hands feel hot.

Atsumu grins. "You probably didn't expect me to be the one taking you, huh?" He guides his cock to your entrance, the bulging tip prodding along your puffy lips. "Did you want Osamu to be the one fucking you?"

No? You want to argue, straining your head up slightly, but only tea-laced saliva drips out from the corners of your mouth.

"'Fuck me, 'Samu. Fuck me, please.' Is that what you heard? Is that what you wanted to say too?"

Your screams are muffled whimpers.

Osamu snorts off to the side, watching Atsumu do exactly what he accused Osamu earlier of: playing with his food. Hypocrite.

Atsumu glares at Osamu before turning his attention back to you. "You'll be begging for me, Atsumu, after I'm done with you."

He lines himself at your entrance and inches himself in, groaning at how your cunt is somehow just sucking him in. You're so warm and tight inside, wrapping perfectly around every part of him. He sits in you for a moment, just enjoying being blanketed by your muscles and chuckling how you tighten around him every now and then.

You whine, urging Atsumu to move a little.

"Okay, okay. Geez, and 'Samu says I'm impatient." Atsumu slowly draws his cock out and snaps his hips forward, the base of his balls slapping against your ass. He delights at how you squeeze your eyes shut and continues rocking into you at a comfortable pace.

Osamu enjoys standing off to the side for a while. He always liked watching Atsumu savor and delight the food he prepares. Atsumu always eats with such gusto. It should have always been that way, until the witch ruined everything. The curse, an experiment with the dark arts, should have never happened. Above all else, it should never have been on Atsumu. Osamu can only wonder if the reason they are subjected to this fate is because they are twins. Until a cure is found, Atsumu, his most beloved other, will have to replenish himself in this way.

A sharp pain rips through you and tears well up in your eyes. You feel Atsumu's cock suddenly begin to pulsate and grow in size. At first, you thought it was because you're clamping down on him too hard and will yourself to relax. But the cock, the thing, is certainly unnatural now. And between your tear-stained vision, you can just barely make out... Monster.

You begin to thrash wildly, head tossing side to side, back arched as much as you can in a futile escape attempt. Atsumu's claws rest on your hips while he pounds into you furiously. His groans, now deep growls, send vibrations that you can feel within your throbbing clit. You fear that you'll actually be ripped in half by the way Atsumu is thrusting into you. The engorged cockhead hits your cervix each time and his ball sack, even heavier, bowls and knocks against you.

Osamu unfolds his arms and comes over.

"It'll only hurt if you don't relax," he tells you, reaching out to press on your clit. "Just let him have his way."

"Go fuck her somewhere else," Atsumu snarls. His voice is warped and bellowing. Your mind is getting foggy as Osamu's fingers on your clit don't stop teasing the bud while having a petty talk with Atsumu. And Atsumu, ticked off by Osamu, picks up his speed.

"There we go, now that's beautiful," Osamu comments, taking his hand away and watching you unfurl in your pleasure. Your abused cunt is puffy when Atsumu pulls out, and you feel the thick liquid start to flow out when you take breaths.

"No, don't do that," Osamu chides, taking three fingers to gather the cum spilling out and stuffing it back in. "Better keep it all in. 'Tsumu isn't done with you yet."

Not yet? You can't even voice your thoughts except weakly shaking your head and moaning into the steel gag. In the moment, your stomach rumbles loudly.

"'Samu, she's hungry," Atsumu points out, rubbing your tummy. "You feed her and I'll stuff her."

Osamu ruffles Atsumu's long hair and gives his new, erected horns a teasing squeeze. Atsumu yelps at the touch. "'Samu!"

"Okay, okay," Osamu relents and stands next to your head. You see him take the paring knife again and slide the icy blade between the cotton ties and your hot cheek. A quick slice and you feel the pressure of the gag release. Osamu removes the tea strainer from your mouth and tosses it into the sink.

"Must have been so over-brewed, I apologize for that," he says. You know he doesn't mean it at all.

"Why?" you croak out. Your jaw and cheeks are sore from being held in position for so long. There's so many things you believe you can ask why about. Why they are prepping you like a meal, fucking you like a toy...Why Atsumu is the way he is. Why Osamu is not who you think he is either. Why you.

Despite Atsumu's grotesque figure, you're sure that you fear this twin more. Osamu's thoughts are so well-hidden behind his eyes; he never gives away what he's thinking or planning. You can only accept his decisions from the receiving end.

"Because of Atsumu," Osamu answers. Everything is for 'Tsumu. "I'll feed you."

Osamu cradles your head with both hands, his fingers tangled in your hair. He prods his cock against your lips. Feeling your resistance, he grips your hair tightly, painfully pulling on your scalp, and presses the tip of his cock to force your lips open. You nearly gag at the length entering your throat and your hands ball into tight fists. Your nose is buried in the base of his cock, pressing into his balls. Each breath you take is heavy with his musky, hot scent.

It's easy to focus on Osamu's cock fucking into your throat, leaving an unamused, monstrous twin off to the side preparing to turn your attention back to him by force.

Atsumu rubs himself against you, preparing to enter you again. You're sure that he has become even bigger. When the tip pushes through, your body attempts to fight the intrusion in self-preservation. The claws at your hips dig in and Atsumu all but pulls you onto his length like a sock. You scream around Osamu's cock, throat clenching around his thick length, and nearly black out from the stretch.

You never had anything this big in you before. Atsumu lifts you up slightly, his grasp becoming large enough to encircle around your whole waist. Your ankles are still tethered and tug on you, much to Atsumu's annoyance. He easily slices through the bondages with a sharp claw. Now free of restraints, Atsumu can cradle you more easily, finally pushing the last section into you. 

Crack!

You can’t cry while you're stuffed with Osamu’s cock, but tears stream endlessly from your eyes. You’re sure your pelvic floor is broken, completely forced apart in a futile attempt to accommodate Atsumu stuffing you beyond your physical capacity. Your hips give out as your two legs, bone out from their sockets, dangle grotesquely.

“Just focus on me,” Osamu wipes your tears away and continues to pump into you. But you cannot focus on the human object in your mouth when your whole lower half and inwards are broken, stretched or squashed.

"Hey look ‘Samu! It's bulging," Atsumu marvels at the imprint of his tip pushing your flesh out from the inside. “Look, my cock is saying ‘hello’.”

Atsumu excitement translates into messy thrusts, treating your body like a game. “Maybe I can even touch your dick through her!” 

Your whole body is numb, the brain shuts its pain signals off completely, and hormones pour through your bloodstream in overdrive. The broken climax spasms through your body like the last bits of a faltering system.

“Better hurry...she’s...she’s fading soon,” Osamu warns between his grunts. He clasps your head and spurts his seed into you. You mindlessly swallow every drop of him, letting the contents slowly flow down your throat. You can’t process anything nor recognize any of the murky images. Who are you? Where are you?

Your memory fades in and out as your eyesight drifts between black and white. You can’t do anything about how the monster is now on all fours over your body, unrecognizable as Atsumu. You don’t feel any fear towards this grotesque figure. You don’t register how his tongue licks your neck.

Your mouth is now empty but you can’t formulate syllables.

“I’m sorry,” you hear Osamu whisper before sharp fangs pierce into your jugular, digging in deeper and tearing a chunk out. Red sprays across your body in fast spurts, drenching Atsumu and covering Osamu. The teeth at your throat gnaw at the flesh, starved, tearing through the skin, fat, and tissues like a child crunching fruit. 

You can feel the droplets falling onto your face like fresh rain after a storm. You vaguely remember your teacher and her warning of strangers. She always reprimanded you and you wanted to make her proud. There will no longer be any chance of that now. You weren’t a good student, and only an utter failure.

Osamu waits for Atsumu to finish you off. Atsumu always gets messy at this point. Osamu tried to help Atsumu section his prey off by cutting and organizing the limbs and even attempted to debone the meal beforehand, but Atsumu has his preferences, and Osamu respects them. So, Osamu delegates cleaning duties to himself instead. 

You’re already beyond recognition when Osamu comes back with barrels of oil. All that is left is a kitchen stained with blood and a pile of bone with chewed connective tissue left. Atsumu sometimes eats the bones too, but not always.

“‘Tsumu, are you full now?” Osamu asks, reaching out to cradle his twin. Atsumu has now transformed back to the way he is supposed to be. Osamu threads his hand through Atsumu’s blonde hair and inhales his twin’s scent.

Atsumu doesn’t respond and tugs at Osamu’s collar, trailing down his arm to bring Osamu’s hand to his own cock.

Osamu grins and kisses the top of Atsumu’s head. “Do you want to fuck me ‘Tsumu? I know you like to, after your meals.”

Atsumu whines and nips at Osamu’s jaw, pushing the twin down on the blood-stained floor.

“Okay, okay.” Osamu unzips and pulls down his pants before crawling onto all fours.

Atsumu’s hand cups Osamu’s ass and pries the cheeks open before curiously fingering at the specimen plugging Osamu’s hole. Atsumu holds onto the base and turns the object, before laughing.

“‘Samu, what is this you have in your ass,” Atsumu teases. “I like this presentation.”

This time, Osamu is the one embarrassed. “Last meal, it hurt like hell. So...I wanted to prepare a little.”

“With an egg holder?” Atsumu cackles again, fiddling with the ceramic object. “Should’ve just told me ‘Samu, I could never bear to hurt you.”

Atsumu holds onto the base and slowly pulls the object out before tossing it aside. He smiles and teases Osamu’s enlarged hole that’s opening and closing around nothing. Gathering up some saliva, he spits onto Osamu’s asshole before lining his cock at the rim and slowly pushing in.

Along with the curse comes a near insatiable lust. Atsumu knows that if he doesn’t fulfill his need to fuck or be fucked, he will snap. He doesn’t really care who he kills during a frenzy of that sort, but it’s too risky to get Osamu caught up in the collateral.

The witch that wanted to create the perfect weapon, failed. She failed because she underestimated the twins’ bonds for each other. She failed because the twins discovered that witches excrete a very special hormone in their body after climax, and it is exactly that substance that is slowly curing Atsumu. With every witch eaten and absorbed, Atsumu is healing and gaining magical powers. He is even capable of passing those essences to Osamu. One day, everything will be the way it's supposed to be.

Osamu plays with a few strands of Atsumu’s hair. Atsumu’s softened cock still buried inside of him. Atsumu has his jaw resting on Osamu’s shoulder.

“You make me feel so good,” Atsumu sighs, enjoying the quiet moments after his high.

“And what about her?” Osamu asks, gesturing to the table where your remains are still at.

“She made me feel good too. The best one yet, but don’t be jealous.”

“Come on, let’s clean up and get out of here.”

After washing their bodies and changing into clean clothes, Atsumu and Osamu are ready to say goodbye to the cottage they have overstayed their welcomes at.

"Let's go 'Samu, we're already behind." Atsumu finishes dumping the last bucket of oil along the edges of the room.

The clamor of boots stride across the creaking wood. As though with the passing of its owner, the cottage itself has lost the will to live.

"Coming," Osamu calls back, walking past the makeshift funeral pyre for you. He notices a flash on the ground and bends down to pick up a button.

"'Samu! Get the fuck out or I'll burn ya down too!"

"Yea, yea."

Osamu drops the button into his shirt pocket and joins his twin outside. Atsumu strikes a matchstick and tosses the small flame into the cottage. Fire meets oil and spreads in an instance, engulfing the cottage in an angry blend of orange and red, devouring all contents and remains within. The smell of scorched wood reaches the twins who are looking at the sight from a distance.

"She was good," Atsumu comments, looking at his twin unsure about what Osamu's grey eyes are thinking about. Atsumu realizes that he didn't specify what good exactly means. But it doesn't seem like Osamu is paying much attention. Is Osamu thinking about you? Is he unhappy? Does he regret what happened to you? Although what's done is done already, if time can go back, would Osamu choose? You or Atsumu?

Osamu slips his hand into Atsumu's, erasing the unspoken worries away. He gently leads Atsumu onto the trail, leaving the burning cottage behind.

"Stop thinking such nonsense," Osamu mutters, squeezing Atsumu's hand. No matter what happens, Atsumu will always come first. His needs, his desires. That's what it means for Osamu to love Atsumu. Even though the rest of the world may not understand the relationship the twins share, calling it depraved and disgusting, it's still selfless on their part. What sin is there to honestly love? What sin is there to try and save his loved ones?

While Osamu admits to himself that he does feel a deep attraction to you and knows that Atsumu feels the same pull as well, there's nothing that can be done about Atsumu's condition. But it's not as though you are completely gone. Your essences and core are within both twins, being absorbed as one with their bodies and soul. You'll forever be with them in that way, even if you no longer have any sentient memory of it.

Osamu fiddles the button in his pocket; there's still a physical reminder of you in that tiny form.

It must be about a twenty-minute trek from the burning site. Although the flames are already far from eyesight, the scorching smell and embers still drift over. The twins pick up their pace, eager to exit the forest before nightfall and make it to the next destination. On the way, they pass by the tree trunk with a wanted poster.

"They never get my best angles!" Atsumu complains, ripping a wanted poster that is nailed to the tree trunk.

"It's not like you have a good angle, ‘Tsumu."

"Shut it, we look the same ‘Samu. You're just calling yourself ugly too!"

Osamu shrugs and continues his trek down the main trail. Atsumu huffs, tearing the parchment into indistinguishable pieces before throwing the shreds up into the air like confetti.

"Wait up!"

Osamu stops in his tracks. "Hurry up, loser. We still have a long way to go."

Atsumu takes a few wide strides and swings his arm around his twin's shoulder. Behind them, a very light drizzle falls from the sky.

[astromaki]

part 3 of second choice ; ceo!shoto todoroki x gn!reader (x ceo!katsuki bakugo) (1617 words)

part 1. part 2. (previous) part 4.

tw ; angst, arranged marriage, toxic relationship, degradation, divorce, mention of alcohol, bad language, slightly suggestive ?

EXTRA INFOS ;; all the characters are aged up obviously (they are 30 here), the point of view of this third part is from shoto todoroki !

confrontation. [7 : 16 pm]

a week has passed since he came home that night drunk. that he had begged momo to stay with him. that he had accidentally seen those divorce papers crumpled by your hands.

momo had seen them too that night, and yet she and shoto had not commented on them. good, he wasn't in the mood anyway.

it had become almost official, even the media had it on their front pages. "one of japan's richest couples on the verge of divorce?", "billionaire todoroki single again?" "y/n, will the heir.ess of their father's company return to being a lawyer?"

he would have liked to say that he cared what you thought about it. if you cried, screamed, were you hurt ? but that would be lying, you were the least of his worries.

and then, wasn't it what he wanted from the beginning ?

that you would end up hating him so much that you would leave him. that he could finally be free of the weight that you represented every day.

and yet his signature was still missing.

"you can't even love your partner properly, and now i hear through the media that a divorce is on the way ? you're pathetic son. i knew i should have married them to touya. " enji's heart-attack voice echoed terribly through the phone, which made shoto sigh. he was even pretty sure he could hear it from across town.

"calm down." shoto said in an annoyed tone. "your marriage isn't a success either, so keep your remarks to yourself. bye. "

"you idiot, don't you dare hanging up on me. i don't care if you can't satisfy your s/o, i don't care if they feel bad about this arranged marriage either. but y/n y/l/n comes from a very famous lawyer's family, so get a divorce and the amount of money you have to give will be huge. "

"i manage them, it will not be a problem. i have to go now. "

the young man finally returned to your room, looking exhausted, his tie loosened and ready to down a few glasses of whiskey.

however, he was surprised to see you. dressed in a beautiful versace dress/suit, you were glowing. well no, he meant that you looked... good.

though, it was the first time he took the time to look at you. to admire you.

the young man finally met your indifferent gaze through the mirror you were standing in front of. that gaze that was so joyful and sparkling at the beginning of your marriage, full of hope to transform this purely financial union into a love marriage.

but that look, devoid of emotion, almost made shoto, Japan's most ambitious ceo, doubt himself. almost.

"i'm surprised you're still using my card to splurge. how much is this one? $1000 ? $2000 ?"

he was tired, exhausted. nut the truth is he was in the mood to be a pain in the ass tonight.

"$ 8,330. plus the $800 pair. " you replied coldly.

your answer was like a slap in the face to your husband. not because of the price, he didn't give a fuck about this.

but this tone right there. it wasn't like you. you were normally so gentle, patient even with the worst of the crap he put you through. that naive kindness that made him want to vomit was completely gone. he didn't expect such a turn of events.

"so you decide to divorce me, but first you want to empty my bank account? you're exactly as I imagined." his look that used to reflect nothing but fatigue was now full of contempt for you.

you finally faced him. shit, he couldn't help but find you beautiful.

"here todoroki, let's talk about the divorce. " you began, quietly walking over to the cabinet and pulling out a stack of documents. "i've signed it, sign it, and i'll take it to my lawyers first thing in the morning.

he snatched them out of your hand and threw them across the room. you didn't even flinch, you even held his gaze. poker face.

a loud silence fell between you. a long silence, uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time. heavy and light. sensible and meaningless.

"what's all this about ? who put you up to this ?"

a wry laugh escaped your lips. your new behavior puzzled shoto. he loved and hated what he had in front of him. a challenge.

"you think i need someone to make me realize that i deserve better than an asshole like you ? fuck, let me laugh. "

your hand went to retrieve a piece of paper from your purse. and it was slammed hard against his chest. bakugou’s business card.

he found your face inches from his, your warm breath gently caressing his cheeks. a scent of whiskey filled his nostrils. you were not sober.

"how many drinks are you on? " he asked quietly.

"so now do you care if i downed a whole bottle or not ? oh please shut up. because now that you mention it, your friend bakugou katsuki may have hired me. to be his company's business lawyer. isn't that funny? "

you turned your back on him, unaware of the state you'd put him in. but damn, it was like he'd just been slapped in the face. nausea took over his whole body, his legs became heavy and weak in few seconds only. and he knew damn well it wasn't fatigue.

so you were leaving him, but on top of that you were going to work for his number one competitor ?

he didn't know what hurt more, the knowledge that bakugo had won one of the most competent lawyers in the field or that you were leaving him for him ? was he jealous ? surely not, it was another feeling that repulsed him. he didn't even know.

"have you lost your tongue todoroki ?"

todoroki ? since when did you call him by his last name ? where are the darlings or my heart that used to annoy him so much ?

you finish getting ready, now wearing your long jacket. he had lost his tongue indeed, he didn't know what to say to you. what to do.

y/n y/l/n, you had succeeded in putting your husband to the wall.

but it was only for a moment. he quickly, too quickly, pulled himself together. his usual irritated expression returned.

"you don't see that he's using you to get ahead of me ? i thought you were smarter than that. "

he took a step forward, slowly but surely. like a predator approaching its prey.

"he doesn't care about you. just like no one has ever cared about you, not me, not him and not your bourgeois family. that's why they put you in a loveless marriage so easily. "

a mirthless laugh escaped from his lips.

"y/n, this bastard doesn't give a damn about you. "

you tried to move towards him, ready to slap him, but the alcohol made you capsize and stumble on your carpet. he arrived just in time to support you with his muscular arms. an annoyed sigh resounded in the large room when your sob reached his ears.

nevertheless, a petty smile stretched his lips. there you were again, the fragile and unassertive y/n finally in his arms.

that bakugo had managed to turn your brain inside out. yet shoto knew you better than anyone else. he knew you. better than you knew yourself. you were that puzzle he had managed to decipher long ago.

"that's not true. kacchan wouldn't do that...", you whisper.

"you know i'm right, sweetheart. you know i'm the only one who's honest with you. my love for you is all you need. "

his muscular hand gradually, peacefully, came to caress your back to take off the buttons of your dress. his lips came to meet yours, to draw you into a long, languid, unsentimental kiss. your lips asked for more, your whole soul asked for more of shoto. more of this man for whom your heart never stopped beating. even if his was vibrating for another woman.

you wanted to feel his lips making love to you sensually, sincerely.

you just wanted him to love you for one night. one fucking night.

shoto was ecstatic. he could already see himself opening a bottle of champagne with his father, to celebrate the divorce that would never happen. tonight, shoto had brought out his best acting skills. millions were at stake. he had brought out his best kiss. he had never touched you like that. so gently, so carefully.

he had never called you by any affectionate nickname.

he has done too much to keep you around.

and you were drunk, not stupid.

you finally stood up, moving away from him, reluctantly. nothing he said was true. from his love for you, to his accusations against katsuki.

awkwardly, you put your dress/suit back on properly.

"i have a meeting with my future employer mr. bakugou tonight. i'll be late. don't wait for me, i'll sleep at the hotel tonight, with your card. "

a red color came to his cheeks. anger ? sadness ? jealousy ?

he had never seen you so determined, so proud. and that attracted him. he was going to lose millions, no matter what. but it was you who was going to escape him. for that bastard bakugou katsuki.

the nice little y/n was no longer shoto todoroki's.

AHHH omg sorry sorry i told you i can't do a fluffy end!! >< (comments and reblogs are appreciated <3)

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