#draw it please i'd love to see oh my god - heart

[slytherinslut0]

TOM RIDDLE. | Tighter Than A Noose

Tags: 18+, PURE SMUT, Good Sex, Praise Kink, Fingering, Oral Sex, Standing Sex, Edging, Teasing,

A/N: Yes. Yes I would throw myself in front of a bus for this man.

You were busy studying at the desk in your boyfriends dorm, your mind struggling to stay focused on the task at hand, when a sudden creaking sound broke the concentrated silence. You looked up to see Tom, water droplets glistening on his bare chest, striding out of the shower while clad only in a tantalizingly low-slung towel.

Your breath got caught in your throat as his piercing eyes met yours; a devilish, knowing smirk playing on his lips. He sauntered toward you, his body exuding confidence and magnetism, a sight that effortlessly lured your attention away from your book without notice.

"What's the matter, princess?" he purred, his voice dripping with seduction. "Am I distracting you?"

His words wrapped around you like a silken web, ensnaring your senses and leaving you yearning for his touch. Unable to tear your gaze away, you felt a surge of desire coursing through your veins. The mere sight of him, his sculpted physique and enticing presence, stirred a fire within you that refused to be ignored.

As he stopped beside your chair, he reached out, gliding his fingers along the contour of your jaw, tracing a line down your neck. You shivered with delight as his cool touch sent goosebumps crawling over your skin.

"A little..." you teased, your voice a mere breath in the air. "How am I supposed to focus when you come out here looking like that?"

"Mm." He leaned closer, his mouth grazing your earlobe as he whispered, "why don't you take a little break? You've been working so hard..."

Your lids fluttered, fingers gripping your book with force. "I suppose a quick break wouldn't hurt..."

As you gave in to the tempting proposition, a mischievous glint danced in Tom Riddle's eyes. He smirked victoriously, pleased with your surrender.

"Finally," he murmured, his voice heavy with anticipation. His hand reached out to grasp your chin and drag your gaze up to meet his. "Stand up for me, princess."

You quickly rose from your chair, eager to please him--eager for his touch. As soon as you stood, his large hands wrapped around your waist, pulling your ass in tight against his front, pushing the front of your thighs against the edge of the desk.

"You look so fucking sexy," his grip on your waist tightened, his breath washing warm over your skin. "You know I love watching you study...watching your brain work...you're so smart, my girl...I'd love to show you just how much that determination of yours turns me on."

His fingers trailed down to the hem of your skirt, teasingly inching it up higher. Your breath hitched as they reached your ass, massaging it firmly before moving down your thighs. The sensation sent shivers through your body, making your heart race with desire.

"Tom..." you mewled, pulsing for his touch. "Please..."

Tom's hands moved with impatient urgency, pushing you over the desk and drawing a shocked gasp from your lips at his newfound force. His touch was firm and possessive, showing you that he always takes what he wants without hesitation. He knocked your legs apart further with his knee, and you could feel his fingers teasing at your folds through your panties, rubbing and pressing playfully.

"You're already so wet for me," he murmured huskily, "fuck, you're such a good girl...so eager..."

You gripped the desk so hard your knuckles turned pale, and Tom hummed, his breath hot against your neck as he shifted your panties to the side and slowly slid his fingers between your folds.

"Oh, Gods..."

Tom groaned, deep in his chest, thrusting his first two fingers inside your dripping heat, curling them inside you expertly--playing your body like an instrument as he drove you wild with pleasure.

Your lids fluttered, his free hand gripping your hip with force. "You like that, don't you, pretty girl..." he murmured, the rasp of his voice driving you insane. "Being bent over and taken like this, while you're still wearing your little uniform skirt...fuck, it makes me hard just thinking about it..."

When his thumb brushed your clit, you moaned loudly, entire body jolting with pleasure. "Oh, Tom...fuck-"

In the midst of your ecstasy, Tom stopped all of his movements, and you nearly groaned in protest, your pussy clenching around his fingers as he kept them buried inside you. His free hand shifted to your chin, tilting your head slightly to meet his eyes as he looked at you with a quizzical expression, as if he just remembered something important.

His obsidian eyes bored into yours. Gaze focused. "You were studying for the potions exam, weren't you?"

You nodded, lips parted and brows furrowed in confusion. "I-I was..."

"Let's see how much you remember, shall we?" Tom said, his voice low and husky as he deftly continued to tease you. "I'll ensure all that hard work pays off..."

You parted your lips to question him, but he cut you off. "Let's start with an easy one..." his breath was hot on your face as he softly pressed his lips against yours. "What is the use of Asphodel in a potion, my love?"

You tried to focus as he resumed his ministrations, pumping his fingers inside of you, his pace quickening with each passing moment. Your mind struggled to stay on track as pleasure coursed through every part of your body--rendering your thoughts a near jumbled mass of bliss.

"I- it's used for the...strengthening solution..." you gasped, trying to keep up with his relentless teasing.

He smirked and his movements sped up, making it harder to focus.

"That's correct. But can you list all the ingredients needed for the Draft of Living Death ?" Tom's voice was deceptively calm as he spoke, but the underlying tone of dominance was unmistakable.

That fucking bastard.

As you tried to recall the ingredients, your hips involuntarily bucked against his fingers, your clit screaming for attention. Tom seemed to take pleasure in this reaction, a smug grin spreading across his beautiful fucking face.

"Come now, darling. You know the answer...I won't let you cum until you prove it."

With a pout, you strained to remember the ingredients. Fighting the building urge to entirely unravel before him, fighting against the pleasure rolling through your limbs as you silently worked to collect yourself. 

"Mmm, I-I think it's...powdered root of Asphodel mixed with an infusion of wormwood-ah-and t-then it needs to be simmered for about six hours." You paused, squirming through your bliss, feeling the tightness building within you with every passing second. "After that, just add some Valerian root and a bit of sopophorous bean juice."

Tom almost immediately nodded in approval, grin widening with sheer proudness; his long fingers slowing down their movements. You were so fucking close to the edge, but it was clear he wasn't finished with you yet.

"Good job, my girl..." he purred. "Now, tell me what happens if you add too much sopophorous bean juice."

The desire and pleasure were making it nearly fucking impossible to concentrate. You tried to think, tried to wrack your brain for the information, but the building pleasure was getting to you--making your body vibrate with pulsing, unabashed need. Tom noticed your struggle and smirked knowingly, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"Come on, pretty girl...don't disappoint me now..." he trailed his fingers from his free hand along your inner thigh, the frustration and desire mixing within you, fueling your determination to answer him.

Through gritted teeth, you managed to recall the answer. "If too much sopophorous bean juice is added, it can cause a prolonged sleep or even a coma-like state in the drinker."

Tom's grin widened, realizing that you've answered correctly. "Well done, my little plaything..." he purred, swiping his thumb over your clit again. "Fuck, you make me so fucking proud...just one more, baby..."

Suddenly, he increased the pace of his fingers, plunging them deep inside you and hitting all the right spots. The pleasure washed over you like a tidal wave, and there was no fucking way in hell you could hold it back for even a second longer. But just as you were about to reach the peak, Tom slowed his pace down once again, denying you release. When you groaned in protest, your head falling back in frustration, he shushed you, pressing his lips against your ear.

"Keep being a good girl for me...if you get this right I will give you what you want, my love..." he purred, free hand caressing your thigh. "What is the purpose of using unicorn hair as a potion ingredient?"

You groaned in both frustration and pleasure, feeling your body quivering with need as he thrust his long fingers deep inside you. Despite the intense sensations, you were able to concentrate just enough to answer his question.

"Unicorn hair is used in potions to neutralize poisons, purify the drinking water or to bring about magical healing," you said, panting heavily.

Tom nods in approval, the hunger evident in his eyes. "Mmm, very good," he purred. "Fuck...I could watch you study all day if it meant getting to do this..."

Without warning, he thrust his fingers in and out of you with lightning-fast speed, thumb rubbing harsh circles over your clit, sending you over the edge with a scream of ecstasy in a matter of seconds. You clenched around his fingers, pussy milking them as he worked you through your climax, lips attacking your neck as you moaned and squirmed against him. As you came down from your high, Tom pulled his fingers out of you and brought them up to your lips; shoving them past your teeth.

"Taste yourself off of me," he whispered, his breath hot against your skin. "You’re always so responsive...it's no wonder I can't keep my fucking hands off of you."

He ripped his fingers from your mouth and pulled you closer, his hands sliding down to cup your ass as he pressed his body against yours. You could feel the hardness of his erection pressing against your thigh, and just the fucking thought of what was about to happen made you even wetter. You needed him in ways unimaginable, you needed him in ways your own brain couldn't comprehend.

"Tom..." you murmured, head falling back as his teeth grazed your pulse. "Please, fuck me, fuck-I need you..."

Tom smirked at your desperate plea, his eyes filled with an intoxicating mixture of amusement and hunger. He knew exactly how to play with your desires, how to manipulate you into begging for him; into becoming nothing more than a drooling, pathetic mess at his feet.

He leaned in close, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered with a low, seductive tone, "not so fast, princess...I enjoy seeing you squirm with need...I want you to crave me, to fucking ache for my touch."

His fingers trailed teasingly up your inner thigh, lingering just inches away from where you wanted him the most. The anticipation continued to build, the ache within you growing stronger by the second.

It was almost unbearable. "Tom..."

"Tell me," he breathed against your skin, his voice a tantalizing whisper, fingers brushing over your clit. "What would you do to have me inside you right now? How far would you go to satisfy that insatiable little cunt of yours, hm?"

He thrust a finger back inside your aching pussy and your lungs stalled. Your pulse quickened. "Oh...anything...fuck-I'd do anything you wanted..."

Tom raised an eyebrow as he watched you squirm in pleasure beneath his touch, his eyes darkened with lust. "Do you really mean that, princess?" " he murmured, his fingers slipping in and out of you with ease. "You know I could make you do unspeakable things.."

You nodded frantically, gasping as pleasure washed over you in waves, your need for him multiplying by the trillions. "Anything, fuck-" you whispered, your voice strained with desire. "I'm yours."

Tom pulled his fingers from you, gripping your hips and pressing himself against you, a low groan leaving his chest as he did. You could feel his desperate bulge pressing against your ass, your cunt clenching in acknowledgment of it.

"Prove it," he said, his voice low and commanding. "Show me that you're mine."

From over your shoulder you met his gaze, your own eyes full of lust and desperation. You wanted to simply beg him to just fucking get inside you, but you knew in his world actions always said more than words. The desire in your chest was too strong to resist, and so you dropped to your knees before him--trembling hands instantly reaching for his towel and tugging it off his perfectly sculpted body, freeing his long, hard length from its confines.

Tom groaned as you wrapped your fingers around his shaft. "Take me in your mouth, princess..." it was a command, a gentle but stern command. "That's it, just like that..."

His hands tangled in your hair, gripping your soft between his fingers strands with commanding force. You swallowed his length until the tip hit the back of your throat, licking and sucking on him with selfless abandon. You wanted him to feel good--you wanted him to feel fucking desired--you could only hope this returned him even the smallest percentage of the pleasure he's made you feel, time and time again. He groaned with pleasure, thrusting into your mouth with increasing urgency, until he stopped you abruptly, tugging you back up to your feet by the hold on your hair.

As he bent you back over his desk, you felt his head teasing your slick slit, coating his throbbing length in your juices. You clenched in anticipation; his hand snaking around your throat and tightening his grip; pulling you back against his shoulder as he teased you with slow, false thrusts.

"This what you want, my little slut? Hm?" He purred, lips pressed again your ear. "You want me inside that pretty wet cunt?"

Through his grip on your throat, you nodded. "Yes...please..."

He groaned, bending you over slightly, releasing the hold on your throat. "Fuck, princess..I love the way you beg for me..." he murmured, pressing the head of his cock inside you before pulling out. "Do it again."

You wailed in respite. "Please, Tom! Please...take me..."

"Mm." He hummed. "Good girl..."

His hands shifted to your hips, holding you firmly in place as he pushed his throbbing cock inside you, your walls swallowing him to the hilt and pulsing around him as he paused there; letting you adjust. You were already a moaning mess, your legs shaking and your eyes rolling back as he slowly pulled out before thrusting back in again, and again, and again; the pace shifting, intensity increasing with every single one.

The desk shook, slamming against the wall as he pounded into you without mercy, his hips slapping against your ass with a deliciously rough rhythm.

"Shit-you feel so good..." he growled from behind you, his hot breath tickling the back of your neck. "You were made for this, you were made for me to fuck senseless, weren't you slut?"

His words only drove you wilder, adding to the unfathomable pleasure as he slammed into you with a relentless intensity. You couldn't help but to moan and whimper, completely lost in the sensations coursing through you.

"Fuck...I am..." you choked through your gasps of pleasure. "Only for you."

He groaned, fucking you deeper, his hips picking up speed--you squealed as his fingers snuck around your hip and found your clit; the sound of your bodies colliding filling the room, punctuated by your wanton gasps and his husky grunts of pleasure.

"That's right, princess..." he groaned. "You're fucking mine. Only mine."

You nodded, unable to speak another single word into existence as pleasure suffuses every inch of your being. Tom's fingers increase their speed on your clit, his hips slamming against your ass with every single thrust, the power of his body utterly consuming your entirety. As he brought you closer and closer to the edge, your eyes rolled back, fingers gripping the desk so hard your knuckles cracked; your jaw falling open in incomprehensible bliss.

"Oh-Tom-fuck!"

You writhed, legs shaking, vision fading as the pleasure wracked your body; and you're left teetering dangerously fucking close to the edge.

"That's it, baby..." he purred. "Cum for me."

You wailed, and with one final explosive thrust; one more steady swirl over your clit; he brought you tumbling over the edge, your entire body convulsing with pleasure. If it wasn't for the power of Tom's body behind you, you were certain you'd be a pile of limbs on the floor; your orgasm wracking through every ounce of your existence.

"Shit-" he hissed through grit teeth. "You're tighter than a fucking noose, princess, fuck-"

As much as he tried to hold off his release, it was clearly useless, and with only a few more deep; brain-shattering thrusts he followed after you, his body convulsing with release as he spilled himself inside of your pussy.

He kept himself buried inside you for a moment, tilting your head to the side to capture your lips with his; you melted into his mouth, his hands coming up to cup your breasts as he held you against his chest.

"You're perfect, baby..." he purred against your lips. "And all mine."

"All yours." You breathed, smiling.

[melodic-haze]

Hellooo!!

I wanted to ask if you make content about Furina (I love your writing and Furina, so seeing that combined would be the BEST 😻) and if you do, could you write to needy!sub!Furina that after going through all that suffering for 500 years, she just want her girlfriend to take care of her and love her like she always needed?

Thank you!! :33

(and sorry for the bad English 😭)

☆ — DEMO TRACK: sub!Furina x dom!fem!Reader

☆ — TYPE: NSFW

☆ — CONTENT WARNINGS: None

☆ — NOTES: FIRSTLY THANK YOUUUU I'M FLATTERED YOU LOVE MY WRITING OMG???? And yes, I do make Furina content I love my silly thespian lesbian girlfailure :3 DON'T APOLOGISE DAWG your English isn't bad!!

I'd like you all to know I converted a Furina hater first of all with my extensive knowledge of ouji lolita clothing. But that's not what you wanted to see here

Being Furina's lover would be. Very much in need of constant attention, you right!!! Wish I could generalise it all but this is ME that's making this and ME making this means I have to actually Put My Mind into this 😭😭😭. Being in a relationship with her is NOT for the detached and the unavailable bc of just how needy she is

She's very! Attached to you! I think eventually she does learn to latch off and act independently without fear of losing the ones she loves (read: you), but it'd take a WHILE before she's at fully at peace with herself.......but rn she NEEDS to catch up on YEARS of intimacy

That DOES translate beyond a simple want for companionship however 😄

You wake up in the middle of the night to soft sounds from your beloved, whose back is turned towards you.

"'Rina..?" Your hands reached towards her in an attempt to let her know of your presence, "Babe, what's wrong?"

You see her shoulders still at your touch, her blanketed figure highlighted by the stream of moonlight escaping from the small gap between the curtains. You took it as a sign that perhaps touching her right now was a bad idea, so you draw your hand back.. but her hand darts to hold yours, squeezing desperately as she turns to look at you.

And oh, you could feel your heart shatter at the sight—tears streaming down her face, eyes glassy and a horrified expression that swiftly twists into relief at the sight of you.

What she says after breaks your heart even further as her voice cracks and loses its usual bravado, eyes meeting you and searching for something—reassurance, perhaps—in your moonlit gaze, "I'm not... This isn't a dream, right? You're-- you're here, I'm here, this is.. this is real. Please tell me this is real."

A former archon, no matter the authenticity, is pleading to you as if you were the god. Praying for some form of reassurance that she wasn't going to wake up cold and alone, doomed to be on the outside looking in as she performed and performed and performed for more times than she could ever possibly count.

"Yes. Yes, of--" You swallowed your initial response (saying that 'of course it's real' would do her no good), "I'm real. This is all real. And I am not going to let you go until you believe it yourself."

"I need-- I need to feel you, to know you're not just saying what I want to hear," her free hand frantically went underneath your shirt, grasping onto your waist as she ducked her head and mumbled into your collar. You could feel fresh tears dampen your skin.

"..Are you sure?"

"Mhm."

"No, no, come on." You gently combed through your hair with her fingers, "Look at me."

No answer.

"Furina. Please."

..It takes a little bit, but she does end up following through.

"Are you completely sure? I don't want to do anything if--"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"..Okay." You moved above her, placing your knee in between her thighs, "But if you need me to stop or you want a break, do not keep quiet."

"Thank you."

NeedneedneedNEEEEED to take care of babyyyy :(((

She's veryyyyy needy PLEASE take care of her. NO rough sex this time, I need her to be treated juuuust like the girlprince that she is :((((( which means giving her so much love to the point where she CANNOT handle it❗️❗️ Poor girl doesn't know what to do when she's been basically in isolation for so long, only to now have someone so undeniably special to her REASSURING her that she's not going to be alone. If that meant overwhelming her and winding her up in the best possible way, well. Who's complaining, really 🤷‍♀️

Shower her in kisses, worship her body. She might be ticklish at first (which is good bc it distracts her :3), but then you get to more sensitive spots on her body and it has her bucking up into you, even tearing up at just how utterly devoted you're being to her

HOLD HER HANDS. OHMYGOD. Keep her laying down as you finger her, let her watch your desire for her translate to reality, let yourself feel just how close she wants you as she tugs you even closer while begging for more. Whatever baby wants, baby gets 😊😊😊😊😊

"Good girl.. good girl, there you go, just... Mmm, keep sucking me like that-- fuck you're so tight, you needed this, didn't you?"

You ask, and yet you expected no answer from her. Why would you, when you had stuffed her mouth with one of your tits, offered it for her to do whatever she wished as your fingers prodded and explored the insides of her wet cunt?

By god, she was trying her best make the most of what she was given, interchanging between her tongue swirling around your nipple and her lips suckling as if she were starved.

And perhaps she was, with the way she had grasped onto you so tightly as you brought her to the peak over and over again in an effort to show just how much you treasure her just for who she is.

Along with the fact that she was here in the present, sharing this moment with you.

You see her eyes go glassy again (it was hard to count just how many times it's happened throughout the night, not like you cared to), and you press a tender kiss on the crown of her head—a stark contrast from your hand's harsh motions, "Let it all out, baby... Let me hear you."

Her mouth lets go of your nipple as she let out a cross between a sob and a dumbed-out whine, her hand moving as a stand-in to squeeze your chest. "Ffffaster, pleeease-- yesyesyesthank you--"

"You're still so polite, you lovely little thing!" You curled your fingers up, in the same direction at which her hips rose up to, "I'll show you just how much I appreciate all of you."

By daybreak, you know your loving partner, however insecure she is now due to the lasting damage done to her after hundreds of years of doing nothing but perform to a grand audience with a role that is much too big and lonely for herself, would be more than assured that she is now accompanied by the present—she is accompanied by you and those who she deems special.

After all, if you were nothing but a dream, then however could she truly feel the raw sensation of every overstimulated nerve in her body?

If this were a dream, then however could she truly feel, for that matter?

Gotta GOGOGO until she's way too exhausted to go on. Furina is built for extensive dramatics, which means that she's going to have stamina, but she wasn't built to FOCUS on stamina, so at some point she Does pass out. Doesn't help that she's so unbelievably touch starved to the point where a LOT of her body's Extremely sensitive to intimate touches soooooo 🥰🥰🥰

And by the end of it? I pray to fucking GOD you both cuddle. She will forever be little spoon so hold her, have your legs all tangled together and make sure she can feel your warmth and the way your chest expands whenever you breathe :3c if this is a dream, then may it be a long-lasting one for the both of you🫶

[midnight-mourning]

DCA Promptober Day 7: Glitter Glue

mmmm, have some more pain, as a treat, from me to you, I was thinking about Unrequited Something by @sinister-sincerely while writing this, hope I was able to match up, the way you write unrequited feelings is SO GOOD fr fr

Word count: 877

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

"What do you think? What do you think?" A piece of paper is shoved hurriedly in your face by small hands.

You laugh, gently guiding them down, "It's very lovely, Kylee. I really love the variety in the glitter glue you used. What do you think, Sun?"

You turn in his direction, but find he's not there. Instead, he's chatting with the other helper, Kate. Not you. Right. You forgot. 

But, Kylee is determined, and makes that very clear to everyone. 

"Sunny!" She whines, startling both the other helper and the Attendant, "What do you think of my picture?"

He quickly rushes over, rays a twitter, "Oh, oh, oh! I'm sorry, Sunbeam! Let me see here."

The bot bends down then to examine it, which happens to be right beside you. You feel your face heat up and do your best to ignore him. You really needed to get over this little crush of yours. It was starting to interfere with work now. Of course it didn't help that you worked with your crush(es) and-

You slapped your cheeks a few times, get a grip!

"-Starlight?"

"Huh?" You ask, turning slightly. 

You find Sun staring at you intently, "I asked if everything was alright, that looked like it hurt!"

"O-oh, yeah. I'm good. Just, just trying to clear my head, haha," You shift your gaze to the side.

Unfortunately for you, Sun doesn't seem to like that.

He takes your head in his hands and starts moving your face this way and that, "There are better ways to focus than that, friend! What if you gave yourself a serious injury?"

"I don't think a couple slaps to the face would cause that much damage," You giggle.

His continuous scolding and fretting only makes your blush deepen and you do your best to try and get it under control. You fail miserably. 

Someone clears their throat. Immediately you both separate. 

It's Kate, "Sunny, I think you have more drawings to provide feedback on."

Sure enough, there's a, rather long, line of kids wanting Sun to praise their work. 

"Of course! All art deserves recognition after all!"

With that he's off, leaving you with your feelings which you need to let die already. Oh, and Kate.

She bends down to your level, cupping her hand around her mouth, "Why don't you just tell him?"

"Tell him what?" You question. 

She rolls her eyes, "That you like him! You should tell him, I'll bet he feels the same."

"Oh, no, no. I don't um, I don't like him, like that," You look away, mumbling, "He doesn't like me either, for that matter."

Kate raises a brow; it makes you shrink in on yourself. 

Then, both brows raise in surprise, "Wait, you're serious?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, why don't you just go ask him, come on," She grabs your hand. 

You start to panic, "No!"

Kate stops. 

"I-" You bite your cheek, sighing, "Please. I'd rather not. He, he likes someone else."

"Oh. Shi-shoot, I'm sorry. God you must think I'm a jerk."

You put your hands up, eyes widening, "No, no! You're okay, it's, it's not your fault."

But deep down, there's a very bitter, very shameful part of you that can't help but blame her. 

Because Kate is the one Sun likes. You know, because he told you.

You remember when you found out, you'd stayed late to help prep crafts for the next day. The two of you had been casually conversing when the topic had gotten brought up. 

"I just think love is such a fun emotion!" Sun's rays spin, "It's so complex, and yet so simple."

You laugh, "I guess so. Do you have anybody you love?"

"Of course! I love my friends, the children, Moon, you-"

Had he stopped there you would have melted on the spot. But unfortunately for you, he didn't.

"-And then of course," His voice grows softer, syrupy, lovesick, "Kate."

And in an instant, your heart shatters. 

Of course. Of course it wasn't you, why would it ever be you? Stupid, you were stupid for even beginning to think you had a chance. What good were you? What could you even-

"Sunshine? Is everything alright?"

You focus back in, swallowing down your feelings, "Yeah, of course."

"Did, I didn't say anything wrong, did I?" Sun's rays shrink.

"Not at all!" You beam, but inside you're crumbling. 

He perks up instantly, "Okay! So as I was saying..."

It had been a while ago, back around when you'd first started and Kate had been there some time. You think maybe he hadn't intended to let you know about the crush, and was just happy with admiring her from afar. You didn't know, or care really. It wasn't your business. 

Even if you wanted it to be.

Badly.

"Well hey, you never know," Kate says, then reaches into her pocket, handing you a handkerchief, "Here. You've got glitter glue on your face."

You take it, smiling, "Thanks."

Had you taken the chance to look at yourself before wiping off, you'd realize that the marks on your cheeks had been traced into two hearts. Your fellow helper would have told you this, but based on your insistence simply considered it a matter of coincidence. 

What a shame.

🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Not a spooky one, but still angsty nontheless! Hope you all enjoyed, you can find my promptober masterlist here, thanks for reading!

[peacheeeliz]

019. "sohee!" we all say in unison (wc: 1k)

“Heyyyy Yuyu,” you draw out, leaning back in your chair with a bright smile. You brought your knees up to your chest, wrapping yourself up in a thin blanket. Aside from the shuffling you could hear coming from Yuyu's mic and the soft music you were playing, your apartment was quiet. Sungchan was still out with his friends, filming his next YouTube video, leaving you alone and bored in your shared apartment.

“Heyy,” he responds, a soft laugh leaving his lips. “I saw everyone's posts. I'm guessing you're feeling a little bored?”

“Ah, you can read me so well,” you say, sighing. “I was going to just sit back and watch some drama, but then I remembered I had a lovely friend who I could talk to.”

“Flattered that you thought of me,” he begins, cheeks heating up just slightly. “Disappointed that I was second to dramas.”

“No one can beat Song Kang, sorry,” you tell him, shrugging.

“Or Yunho?” He adds, prepared to blush even more at your response.

“Oh my God, not even Song Kang can beat him,” you gush, giggling. “So, all in all, you probably fall into… third place?”

He has to stop himself from laughing again, “ouch. Third place, really? You wound me, Y/Nie.”

“Don't worry, you're the first in my heart of guys I've actually talked to,” you tease, despite the fact that your heart skipped a beat at the nickname.

The blush spreads to his ears, and he resorts to hiding in his hands. “You wouldn't leave me the moment you met Yunho?” He questions, testing the waters.

“Depends on how quickly he can pass the NDA,” you joke, hearing the man choke on his laugh. “Kidding, kidding. Of course, I wouldn't leave you, or anyone else, for that fine specimen of a man.”

He's able to calm down from his coughing fit, brought back by the sound of your own light laughter. “You should go to one of their performances, then,” he starts. “Maybe he'll see you in the crowd and just fall head over heels for you.”

“Yeah, I wish,” You scoff, shaking your head. “I even flew to LA to see those guys at Coachella, and still, nothing. Thanks for fuelling my delusions, though. You're a real one for that.”

“Wait, you flew all the way over there to see them?” He questions, surprised this is the first he's hearing about all of this. He earns a quiet ‘mmhmm,’ in response, allowing him to continue. “That's crazy that you'd fly all that way just to see them.”

“Well, it was a good excuse to get everyone together and to see all those artists,” you explain, smiling fondly at the memories of you and your three friends traveling to the States. “I did it for their Summer Sonic performance too. That was just before we met, I think? Yeonjun, Sungchan and I flew up and met Giselle for the festival.”

“You must be a super ATINY or something,” he comments, almost hearing the bright smile playing on your lips as you respond.

“Something like that, yeah,” you let out, cheeks reddening at the realization of the topic. “Enough about me and my obsession, please talk about something else.”

He finds your pleading endearing, “it's alright. I think it's cute,” he tells you. “But, if that's what you want, then of course,” he pauses, thinking of another topic. He goes quiet for a bit, before continuing. “You talk to a lot of streamers, right?”

“I mean, kind of, yeah?” You answer, pulling forward to rest your chin in your hand. “I talk to you and the other guys the most, but I still interact with a lot of other streamers. Why?”

“What if one of them were to be, I don't know,” he pauses again, taking in a deep breath. “A celebrity?”

“A celebrity?”

“Yeah, like not streamer celebrity, because that'd technically be all the streamers you talk to,” he continues. “I mean like, idol celebrity.”

You take a moment to respond, really thinking your answer through. “I guess I'd be excited, yeah,” you tell him, letting out an awkward laugh. “I don't know, really, that's such an odd question to ask.”

“You wouldn't be mad at them or anything?” He asks, eyes shaking as his questions continue. “Like if their identity as a streamer was a secret but you found out? Or something like that…”

“Of course not, no,” you answer truthfully. “Their identity was obviously a secret for a reason, and if anything, I should be honored that they'd share their identity with me. It means they trust me enough.”

Yuyu stays silent as he takes your answer in, a small smile playing on his lips. He takes another deep breath, not too sure what to say next.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” You tease, wondering why he would bring all this up in the first place.

Before he can say anything else, Sungchan bursts through your bedroom door. “We’re home!”

You jump right out of your blanket cocoon, and you can hear the shuffle of Yuyu jumping out of his chair through your speakers. “Jesus Christ, Sungchan,” you pant, your hand covering your beating heart. “A little warning next time.”

“Sorry, Y/Nie,” he smiles softly at you. Sohee joins him in the door, sending a bright smile your way. “Sohee's here.”

“Hi Y/N,” the shorter boy says, waving quickly at you.

“Hi Sohee,” you return, your eyes softening at the boy's smile. “How ‘bout you two start dinner? I'll join you guys in a bit, okay?”

The two boys nod and leave you be, but you can still hear their bickering as they make their way to the kitchen. You let out a sigh, turning yourself back around to your computer.

“Sorry about them, Sungchan brought a friend over,” you tell Yuyu, shaking your head. “As much as I love them, they sure have a lot of energy.”

He lets out a light laugh, “you should go and join them. I'm sure the boys here are going to want some dinner soon, as well.”

“Oh, uh, sure yeah,” you say. “I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then?”

He smiles softly, “Yeah, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have fun with the boys.”

“You as well,” you tell him, and the call goes dead.

Yunho leans back in his chair, his smile faltering as he stares up at the ceiling. “Fuck.”

synopsis ⤏ you're trying to peacefully build your starter house on the empires server when your neighbor so rudely (accidentally) kills you, starting the biggest war on the server just one day in.

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ taglist is closed!

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[emilyssky]

Chapter 13: Over Again

PAIRING: Lee Know! X fem!reader

GENRE(S): college au, smut, angst

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence and abuse, depression, self harm, eating disorders etc.. mentions of blood, swearing, smoking, smut [ dirty talk, oral; giving and receiving, choking, spanking, praising, degradation, pet names, sometimes Minho is a dick :)

SUMMARY: "Do you remember what you told me the first time we met?"

"What?"

"You said; Always leave people a little better than you found them" he looked at the floor with a small smile for a few seconds and then his eyes found mine. "You really annoyed me when we first met. I envied your optimism and excitement for life. But each time I saw you, I felt a certain thrill. You made me angry, you made me laugh., you made me feel everything. Something about you made me feel a little more alive each time. I know I fucked up and I know I'm an asshole but I'm also brutally in love with you."

Author’s note: I will for sure be editing this within the next few days so please excuse the mistakes, enjoy <333

My heart was drumming against my chest, the back of my neck and hands sweating as I held the bottom of my dress and ran. I ran like I'd never run in my entire life. 

Hyunjin, out of breath as well, his face laced with panic and concern, extends a hand in front of me, blocking my way, just before we enter the living room, where the dance continues, like nothing has happened.

"What?" My head snaps to him. 

"We can't draw any attention, we have to be discreet."  He breathes out sharply.

I narrow my eyes at him, my mind way too consumed with panic to understand that he's right. "Hyunjin, I don't care about the stupid party. Where are they?"

I feel Minhos's fingers gently brush against my back, silently letting me know he's there. He stands behind me, his breathing hard as well but his panic is way more contained and controlled compared to mine and Hyunjin's.

"Did you tell Seungmin?" Minho leans closer to Hyunjin, his eyes searching the room and I do the same, finding Seungmin and Han talking in the corner of the room, their faces clouded as Seungmin presses his phone to his ear. Jeongin and Changbin are nowhere to be found.

"Yes, he has people looking into it." Hyunjin fixes his hair and adjusts his suit before walking calmly towards the door, Minho and I following.

The elevator ride felt like 2 hours instead of 15 seconds, and my legs wouldn't stop bouncing up and down. The minute the door opened, I was the first one out, running towards the exit of the building. 

"Y/n, wait!" Minho yells my name, both of them running to catch up with me.

When I spot them, Chan leaning against his car and Felix seating in the back seat with the door open, my heart dropped. 

"Oh, my god." I run to them, my choking words making their heads snap to us as we reach them.

"What the fuck happened?!" Minho says.

My hands instantly reach to touch Chan, while Hyunjin kneels in front of Felix taking in his injuries. Both of their faces are beaten up, with bruises and cuts everywhere, their hair tangled and their clothes messy like someone was trying to peel them off of them. I try to see how bad his beatings are, my fingers trying to lift his chin but he keeps his head down, blood coating his bottom lip. 

 "Chan.." I gasp, my eyes watering at the sight. 

"I'm okay, I'm fine.." He mumbles the words that I've heard so many times before but know to never believe. I shake my head, wrapping my arms around his slumping shoulders, his forehead hitting my chest. 

"That's not 'okay ' Chan..." Hyunjin spits, his eyes and hands all over Felix, who sits in silence, trying to control his breathing, his eyes blurry.

The sight of Chan hurt breaks my heart but the sight of Felix being hurt fills me with pure rage.

"Who did this?" Minho growls, his tone low, sending chills down my spine. He stands next to me, his arms glued to his side, his fingers curling into firsts. Chan lifts his head slowly, his eyes locking with Minho's and a silent conversation between them plays out for a few seconds, until Minho scoffs loudly, turning around. He buries his hands in his hair and starts pacing.

"I should have fucking killed him." He says under his breath.

I look between them confused. "What? What do you mean?"

I turn to Hyunjin, hoping for answers just as his face shifts from confused to pissed, his eyes narrowing and jaw locking. "Piece of shit."

It takes me a second, the wheels in my head turning, my mind catching up, realizing. And suddenly my heart drops even more. "It was Jackson, right?" The question leaves my trembling lips. I feel my body being showered with fear, fear like I've never felt before, and guilt. Jackson has put me in positions to be scared of him many times before but not like this, he's never gone that far. To hurt, physically hurt my friends in order to get to me is scary, the lengths that he's willing to go to and the things he will do.

"If it were only him, it wouldn't have been a problem." Felix's deep voice makes my head snaps his way.

"How many were they?" 

"4." Chan answers Hyunjin, the back of his hand coming up to his bleeding nose.

"I-I don't understand.." I'm in shock. I don't know what to say or do besides hold my best friend between my arms. 

"What don't you understand?" Minho's head snaps to me, his whole face burning with anger. "Like you didn't already know that your ex-boyfriend is a fucking piece of shit!" His eyes are cold yet his face is filled with rage.

"Minho." Chan says, warningly, probably feeling how his tone and words shook me a bit in his arms.

Minho stops pacing, now standing facing us with his hands on his hips. "He's a dead man. He's done."

"Okay, come down-" Chan starts but Minho cuts him off.

"Come down?" He says, with the straightest face ever. "Come down? You're asking me to calm down while your face and his," He points at Felix, still dangerously calm. "look light that." He states.

"Yes," Hyunjin's the one to answer. "You need to come down, 'cause it's your fault that they got  in this mess in the first place." Hyunjin stands tall, his face hard staring at Minho.

"Hyunjin..." Felix reaches for his hand but Hyunjin pulls away sharply. 

Minho's expression twitches a bit, clearly not expecting Hyunjin to say something like that. "I'm sorry that I stood up for her. " Minho takes a step towards him. "Someone had to." 

I unwrap my hands from Chan, noticing the squint of Hyunjin's eyes and the tightness of his jaw. 

"Stop talking like you're the only one that cares about her!" Hyunjin scoffs an angry laugh. "Cause you weren't there for her when shit went down." He takes a step as well, coming face to face with Minho's stone-cold expression. "I was." He points at his chest. "And Chan was, and Felix was!" 

The frustration and anger in his voice is something that I haven't heard in a long, long time and it makes my legs move, now standing closer to them, my body alarmed by both of their radiating emotions. Chan's on his feet as well, looking carefully between his two friends.

"I never said that I'm the only one  that cares." I can clearly tell that he's being careful with his words, holding himself back. "But he clearly deserved it."

Hyunjin clenches his jaw. "And what about them?" He motions towards Chan and Felix, his eyes not leaving Minho's. "Do you think that they deserved it too? Cause they paid the price for your reckless behavior. You care about her, don't you care about them?"

Minho's face flashes with emotion. "Of course I care, you know I do." His voice drops.

"Hyunjin, that's enough." Chan steps in, his protective instinct kicking in. Chan hates fighting and will do anything to avoid it, especially between friends.

Hyunjin however is not backing down, his emotions overtaking him. "Y/n told you to stay out of it, now she will have to clean your mess."

"Enough." Felix's voice booms, silencing all of us. His head hanging low, his expression unreadable. "Minho please just don't do anything."

Minhos's face visibly softens at Felix's pleading tone, hitting a nerve.

"There's no reason to fight." His focus turns to Hyunjin whose chest is still rising and falling. "We'll see how we're gonna deal with this later, we should just rest."

"Felix is right." I step in, touching Hyunjin's arm. Hyunjin tends to get really protective over his friends so his reaction is understandable. His eyes find mine, letting a heavy sigh. "Let's not fight, it's none's fault that Jackson's a dick. If anything it's mine, 'cause I was the one that dated him." I chuckle, trying to lift the heaviness of the atmosphere. 

Hyunjin's head falls a little, nodding. "I know, I'm sorry." His hand rubs gently on my shoulder.

"Seungmin is looking into it. Let's just go home and talk about it tomorrow ." Chan sighs.

"You're coming with us." Felix states.

"What?" My brows come together. 

"Why?" Minho steps forward, his head tilting with curiosity.

Felix's gaze moves between us before setting on Minho. "You never know. It's safer for her to stay with us, just for tonight."

Minho sighs, his shoulders visibly stiffening. "I hate this." He groans. "The fact that we have to act like this because of that motherfucker, like we're scared of him or something."

"I just don't understand why he would do something like this?" I whisper, questioning out loud. "It doesn't make sense, what's there to gain from beating you up? It would make sense to go after Minho, but why you two?" 

My heart tightens the more I look at them, the heaviness in my consciousness growing. I hate this, this is my worst fear and the thing I was desperately trying to avoid; dragging people into my mess. I can't help but look at him, my eyes searching his for anything that they can offer me at this moment to make the pain in my chest a little less unbearable. He stares back, his eyes big and full with a handful of emotions, silently comforting me. And then he nods, a tiny move of his head. And that's all I need, weirdly enough. 

"I spoke with Seungmin and the rest of the guys, letting them know that we're okay and I told Em to stay here tonight, so let's just go." Chan says, still looking at his phone, his fingers typing aggressively. 

"Okay, fine." I move to get inside the car.

"No." Chan stops me. "Minho is driving you."

"Why?"

Minho rests his hands on his hips, his hair a perfect mess and his face expressionless still, staring between me and Chan.  "I'm not gonna do anything stupid!" He lifts his hands in defense.

I shake my head with a small smile. "I'll babysit, don't worry. I'll see you at the frat."

"Excuse me?" He gives me a dirty look as I walk towards him.

"Let's go." I give him a small push on his shoulder, earning a series of laughs from behind me.

.

.

.

The air is suddenly cold against my skin, and everything slowly creeps in as we speed down the road. I try to somehow wrap my head around everything that's been happening but I can't. I can't really recall the last time everything was so messed up. I mean, I'm used to having a mess in my head but now that all this shit is actually happening I don't really know what to do or how to deal with all this. And even though fear is slowly taking over my head, even though I know that I have to find a way to fix everything all I can think about is him. Him, and how everything now is somehow about him. I hate to admit even to myself that he has concerned every piece of my mind and especially after tonight it will be impossible for me to stay away from him, no matter how he will treat me when the night is over. I just hope that somehow all this will be over when I close my eyes tonight, and when the daylight creeps into our lives things will be different. Simple. 

"Y/n?" His voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

His eyes leave the road for a few seconds, scanning my face.  "I said what are you thinking." 

"Um," I mumble, my mind still lost in thought. "Just thinking."

"I hope you're thinking about me and not about that piece of shit." 

I chuckle, turning to look at him.

"Do you want me to go and beat him up?... Again?" He adds.

"Do you have a death wish?" I shake my head.

"He does." His eyebrows go up, his eyes not leaving the road. He rests his back against the seat, one hand lazy holding the steering wheel while the other rests against his thigh and my fingers start toying with my dress, trying to keep themselves from touching it. His hand, his thigh...him.

His eyes catch me and a knowing smile grows on his lips. "I told you."

"What?"

"It's the 'Minho' effect."

I chuckle again, this time louder. "Shut up." I turn to look at him again and as tiny as his smile was I caught it. Not a smug or cocky smile, a true smile, soft and genuine.

He sighs, heavily, his teeth biting his bottom lip as he lets his head fall back against the seat. His free hand then moves from his thigh and gently takes mine, our fingers intertwining. 

I stare down at our hands in my lap, fighting a grin that slowly fades into a heavy sigh of my own. "What are we gonna do?" I finally ask.

He doesn't answer, his jaw and grip on the wheel tightening.

"Minho, he's not okay." I look down at our hands again, feeling his thumb brushing against my skin, gently. "He's really spiteful and obsessive and he does things without caring about the consequences cause he never had to face them, thanks to his family. But he's mentally losing it, I can tell that he's not doing well. He's been struggling with these episodes and blackouts and anger issues his whole life. "

"Angel," He cuts me off, his face stone cold." I don't give a shit. He touched my friends. Hell, he touched you." He shakes his head. "He doesn't deserve pity. He had a shitty childhood, cool, tell him to join the fucking club along with the millions of other people that did as well." He spits. "And maybe see a therapist instead of beating up people.? Just saying." He lifts his shoulders. 

"Well," I drag out. "You did beat him up too so... you're not handling your anger perfectly as well."

His eyes snap to mine, his face scarily expressionless. "Could you be just a little bit grateful for that, like damn?"

I tilt my head, wearing a soft smile at how this moment feels. "Thank you," I whisper, and mean it. " I appreciate what you did for me."

He looks at me, and I count the seconds his eyes study my face. Oh, how I love being looked at by him. He brings our intertwined hands to his lips, leaving a soft kiss on the back of mine. "There's not much that I wouldn't do for you angel."

Heat spreads across my face, my heart warm and beating faster at his words, and I can't say anything or do anything other than admire him as he continues to drive. I desperately wanna ask him about what this is, and what is it that he feels for me but the fear that I might ruin such a beautiful and rare moment for us stops me. So instead I seat back and let myself enjoy the car ride and the feeling of his hand in mine. It's then that I notice that the road we're taking is not the usual way to my apartment.

"Hold no, where are we going?" I look around curiously.

"I need to drop something off at a friend's house."

I narrow my eyes at him. "What friend?"

"Just a friend." He shrugs, not looking at me.

Here we go again. "Can we stop with the secrets?" 

"Can't you just relax?" He snaps back. "There's no secret. I honestly just have to drop something off."

"Great, sure, just drag me along to your weed dropoffs, without telling me." I roll my eyes at him as he stops the car. 

He takes his seat belt off and takes my chin between his fingers, forcing my eyes to his. "Cut the grumpy shit," He smirks and his eyes fall to my lips " It will take 10 seconds." And then he kisses me. It's short, only a few seconds, but enough to make my stomach fill with excitement. "Wait here." 

He exits the car, his body moving so smoothly as he walks all the way to the front door of the house we parked in front of. I pull my phone out of my small purse, and send a quick text to Chan, letting him know that I'm gonna be a little late before deciding to scroll a little bit through Instagram, as I wait. 

A light knock on my window makes me jump, almost causing me a heart attack. My eyes meet a young woman, with long dark hair and big brown eyes. She offers me an apologetic smile as I roll my window down.

"I'm so sorry," She immediately apologizes. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay" I brush her off. "do you need anything?"

"Oh, no, no. I just noticed Minho's car as I was coming home." She tugs a piece of her behind her ear.

The mention of his name shakes me but I try not to let my curiosity show, still I feel it eating me inside. "Um," I laugh awkwardly. "He's inside his friend's house but he'll be back any minute now. "

The girl looks behind her, at the house, and offers me a smile. "That's my house." She says.

"Oh," My stomach drops. "Um,excuse me but how do you know him?" I hesitantly ask, afraid of the answer. 

Her smile grows. "Oh, I'm his sister."

I freeze, my eyes going wide."His sister?" Oh my god. "Mia right?"

"Yes." She giggles and I take her in once again, now noticing the little similarities. The big eyes, and bright smile.

"Oh, god." I open the car door, feeling the need to greet her properly. "Nice to meet you." I shake her hand. "I'm Y/n."

"I should have guessed that he got himself a girlfriend." She studies me. "That explains his sudden mood lift."

I blush. "Oh no, no, I'm not his-"

"Mia." 

Both of our heads snap to the now open door, seeing Minho standing in the doorway. Our eyes meet and I can see his face hardening, his eyes moving between me and his sister. My blood runs cold at his expression, knowing what's coming.

"Min, hi." His sister warmly smiles at him. 

But before he has a chance to say anything, a little kid appears, squeezing his way through Minho's legs slightly open legs. "Mommy!" He yells and runs towards us.

Mia drops to the floor. "Hi baby, come here." She takes the giggling, little boy in her arms, lifting him off the ground as I stand completely frozen next to them but not as frozen as Minho. 

He's a statue. As still as I've ever seen him before and for once his face doesn't hold an inch of confidence. It holds something I've never seen from him; fear. Uncertainty and hesitance. 

My eyes move from the woman and the child to him many times, my brain catching up. The scene that plays in front of me is the first hit, the first punch in the stomach. 

"I met your girlfriend." Mia nods my way with the biggest smile, a smile that Minho doesn't return, instead, he flashes her a look.

"She's not my girlfriend." He says, and that was the second hit and most brutal one like it always is with him. His words cut like knives, and this time is no different. Actually this time, it hurts more.

My shoulders drop, my whole face unable to maintain a somewhat happily natural expression, as I stand without having anything to say. 

"Oh." I feel his sister's eyes on me, and I don't have to look to know the sympathy that they hold.

"She's just a friend." He goes on, adding as if his previous words weren't enough, and the thought that he might be doing it on purpose crosses my mind. There's no way that he doesn't realize how much he's hurting me right now, but then again I feel like that's how we always end up. 

"I dropped your things, " He points towards the door. "So we're just gonna go."

He walks up to his sister, planting a lazy kiss on the side of her head before ruffling the small boy's hair. 

"Bye Uncle Minho." The boy says with the sweetest little smile. 

Minho smiles back softly. "Bye, kiddo." And when he looks away from them, the softness is gone. 

"Drive safely," Mia says back as she makes her way towards the door. "And  Y/n, it was lovely meeting you."

I force myself to find my voice. "You too."

When the door closes, and we are alone, Minho makes a move my way, a step with his hand lifted, yet his eyes are looking anywhere but mine. I take a step back, my chest heavier by the second, the look on his face and his words awakening anger and pain inside me.

"Just get in the car." His gaze meets mine, and I see nothing. His eyes, blank and hard.

I shake my head, arms crossed. "Fuck you." I scoff.

I walk past him, my feet moving fast wanting nothing but to get as far away from his as possible.

"Y/n!" He yells my name but not in a way that will make me stop, not in the way I want him to. I feel his grip on my elbow before he spins me around to face him.

I push at his chest with all the force I can master. "Don't fucking touch me."

"Just get in the car, I'll explain-"

"No," I cut him off. "There's nothing to explain. I'm tired." I let my arms drop and slam against the side of my thighs. "I'm tired of your games, I'm tired of going back and forth and I'm tired of your lies." 

"I've never lied to you." His face and voice drop. "I've always been real with you. I just-"

"Just what?" I say drowning in frustration. "Just wanna use me when you can and when we're around others to treat me like shit?" My fear of looking pathetic doesn't stop me cause right now I don't care if he realizes just how much I want him, all I care about is the fact that he doesn't want me in the same way.

"A friend?" I get into his face but he doesn't move he simply clenches his jaw, his eyes hardening. "My breath was yours the minute I laid eyes on you?" I quote his words from earlier that made my heart melt, in the most mocking way I can. "Yeah, I'm guessing we're really good friends huh?" I push at his chest again. Right now I'm seeing red, feeling pure rage at how hurt I allowed myself to get by him once again.

His face turns to the right, the back of his index finger brushing the tip of his nose as his tongue pokes the inside of his mouth repeatably. He bounces back, nevertheless, coming back in my face. 

"If you could just let me explain for a second and stop being so fucking aggressive-"

"I don't wanna hear anything from you." I laugh. 

"I don't give a fuck what you want." He spits back. 

"Clearly! And that's the problem."

His head falls back. "You're overreacting."

My eyes narrow, hands curling into fists in front of my face. "Dude, are you being serious right now?!" My hands bury themselves in my hair as a frustrated laugh escapes me. "I can't do this, I really can't."

His palms come together, touching his mouth and nose, and closes his eyes, a visible effort to contain his anger. "Y/n, please listen to me."

"I don't want to. " I shake my head. "I wanna go home, I don't wanna be around you anymore, I can't even look at you right now. Actually, I don't feel like being around ever again. " I say, knowing it's a lie, yet the words leave my mouth, my anger leading them.

His shoulders drop. "You don't mean that."

"I do." I spit, my eyes watering. "You hurt me! It's all you ever do! You give me a moment of happiness, a few beautiful words and then you rip me apart." 

I do gain a small amount of satisfaction from the way his face shifts, how his eyes are getting glossy and moving everywhere around my face, desperately. 

"Baby-" He reaches for me but I hold my hands up, stopping him. The nickname hurts.

 I'm unable to stop the tears now, my throat tight. "I'm leaving. I'm walking home and don't you dare follow me. For once, respect me and listen."

I don't look at him before I turn around to grab my stuff from his car, cause I know that the sight will be painful enough to make me stay, to let him explain and sweet-talk his way through me but I'm done getting hurt. I walk away from him and he does nothing to stop me.

I walk and I walk, letting the tears fall in silence, coating my face and neck. I welcome the pain and the feeling of losing him again as if he was ever mine to begin with and allow myself to cry for him just for a little while. The thing that hurts the most is that; I knew. I know Minho, I know how complicated he is, and how he goes back and forth with his emotions yet I still let myself fall. I like him. God, I want him so much it hurts but how long will I allow myself to be there for someone who hasn't figured out what they want?

A car slowly stops next to me as I keep walking.

Hyunjin's eyes meet mine, and he reaches over to the passenger's seat to open the door. "Get in."

I do without thinking about it.

"How did you find me?" I cross my arms, aware that my face is still wet from the tears so I keep my head low.

He glances at me swiftly as he drives, his face more clouded than ever before. "He called me and told me that you left and that you're walking back home. So I checked your location and came."

We stop at a red light, and his heavy sight fills the air.

"Did you tell Chan?" I mumble.

"No." He turns to me, but I don't lift my eyes, I keep them glued to my knees, tears still escaping the corners of them, silently. "You know that he would kill him, especially if he found out how hard you're crying over him right now." He brushes the side of my hair away from my face, tugging them behind my ear. I must look like a fucking panda right now, and a new wave of tears almost reaches me over the hours I spend doing my makeup just for him to ruin it within a few minutes.

I rub my cheeks with my palms, brushing the tears off, and take a breath. "I'm sorry."

"I hate seeing you cry." He says under his breath. "And maybe I should tell Chan, just to see Minho get a good beating."

"Hyunjin!"

"What?" He lifts his shoulders, hands still on the wheel. "He deserves it. Look, Minho is my friend and I obviously love the guy but I'm done watching you get heartbroken over dudes that don't deserve you."

"Maybe I'm the problem." I whisper but he catches it.

"Don't say that." He answers sharply. "Please don't say that. I can't stand the fact that he's making you think this way about yourself."

I wish I could see myself the way my friends see me, but I can't. Cause in my eyes, I'm always the problem. In my eyes, I'm never enough and I'm always at fault. And deep down I know that the only reason why everyone sees me as someone that deserves their love and protection is because they don't know everything about me. And I made sure of that. I never wanted anyone to know what I've done in the past or anything about my childhood cause then everyone would see me, exactly how I see myself.

"I like him." I sob.

"I know babe." His hand gently touches my knee.

"I feel like he's the only one that sees me, the only person that can truly understand me."

His expression twitches. "Okay, ouch! That's bullshit. I see you." His tone is playfully offended. "And I understand you."

It's true, he does. All of them do. But not like him. 

"I know you do." I touch his hand. "But with him, it felt, different. I've never felt a connection like that before." I lay my emotions open for him.

He sighs again, the type of sigh that makes me want to break down again. 

"Look Minho is," He's searching for the right words. "He's a lot to deal with, he's complicated. And even though he's an amazing person and a really giving and loyal friend, being in a relationship is completely different."

"What do you mean?" I look at him confused. 

"I mean that he cares about you Y/n." His fingers drum on the wheel. "A lot, like a lot lot." He chuckles. "But he has his own issues to deal with, and the fact that  he can't be with you exactly how you want him to or need him to doesn't mean he doesn't want to."

I give him a sideways glance, his words surprising me. "How do you know all this? I thought that you and Minho weren't that close."

"Well, first of all, it's common sense and I'm a pretty intellectual human being." He smirks, earning a light push on his shoulder by me. "Second, Minho loves me. He likes to act like I annoy the shit out of him around others but I know that I'm secretly his favorite. We've gotten pretty close despite the fact that we bicker about every little thing." He shrugs. 

"Ugh!" I groan. "Why can't he act like a normal human being? I'm tired of chasing him!"

"Then don't! Let him chase you this time."

"He won't." I shake my head. Chasing me would mean that he cares enough and it's like he has this fear of showing any type of emotion. He never shows me anything unless I push him, bring him to his limits.

"Oh, trust me," Hyunjin's lips turn into a small knowing smile. "He will. Now forget about him and focus on the severely beaten baby Felix that's waiting for you in his room to cuddle."

My eyes go wide, realizing I have completely forgotten about them. "Oh my god! Drive faster!"

.

.

.

I've missed this. Being squeezed between Hyunjin and Felix, cuddling under the warm sheets as the daylight creeps into the room through the half-closed curtains. I don't wanna move an inch, I don't wanna face reality or talk about everything that happened last night. I just wanna stay here, my head resting on Hyunjin's chest while Felix is curled behind me, his limps launching on me like a koala bear, both of them lightly snoring. 

Hyunjin agreed to not tell Chan anything but it wasn't hard for him to realize that something happened when he saw my face the minute we walked through the door, he still said nothing though. We didn't talk much about what happened, we hang out a bit and then we went straight to bed, the events of the night too heavy so all of us.

"Rise and shine kids!" Chan's voice pulls me out of my slumber, and I slowly open my eyes. He pulls the curtains fully open earning a series of groans from both Hyunjin and Felix. Felix buries himself deeper into the covers, his body still glued to mine while Hyunjin unwraps one arm from around me and places his forearm over his eyes. 

"It's time to get up." Chan walks closer to the bed, a lazy smile plastered on his face.

I stretch my arms, gently pulling myself out of their grips in order to lift myself into a seating position.

"I missed this sight." Chan admires us with his arms crossed. "You kids sleeping together."

"Stop talking like a father." I rub my eyes, trying to wake up a bit. "I babysit you more than you do."

"That's not true," His smile grows. "I'm the dad and Emma is the mom, everyone knows that." He shrugs. "Ah, it's hard being a dad, especially now that I have 5 more kids."

"So should we call you daddy from now on?" Hyunjin's raspy morning voice comes from between the pillows, his eyes still closed. 

"I mean, if the shoe fits..." Chan trails off, with a smirk. 

I reach for the nearest pillow and throw it at him. 

He easily avoids it, chucking. "Get up and come down for breakfast. It's Christmas." He says already out of the door.

Holy shit, he's right. With everything that's been happening, the fact that today is Christmas Day totally slipped my mind. A wave of excitement and joy runs through me, and it brings a small smile to my lips. It's Christmas. I make a move to lift my body, but Felix's hand, flat against my stomach stops me.

"5 more minutes." He mumbles, still half asleep. His morning voice is something I'll probably never get used to no matter how many times we sleep together. 

"Noooo!" I groan, laughing. "Come on, it's Christmas!" 

I have to fight my way out of the bed, but the minute I'm on my feet I ran to the bathroom, to quickly wash my face and brush my teeth. I look at myself in the mirror a bit longer, notching the small red marks across my neck. His marks. And the feeling of his lips on my neck, his hands on me, his words, everything came rushing back. I shake my head, in attempt to shake him off, but it's impossible. He's all I think about, I feel like he's everywhere, and honestly, I don't know when it got to this point. I don't know if I wanna talk to him after last night, the look on his face and his words are still fresh, open wounds. A part of me believes that if I don't make the move to talk he will simply ignore me like he always does, but after last night and especially after my talk with Hyunjin, I will not let myself make the first move. Even though I want to, despite how his words and actions last night hurt me. I wanna see him try, for once. Maybe he will, maybe not. Still, I'm done running after him, hoping. 

I make my way down the stairs, excitement filling my veins but my feet slow down when I hear voices coming from the living room. I turn slowly to the right, careful not to be head.

Chan stands at the half-open door, only his back visible to me. "I told you she's sleeping."

"Look, I just really need to talk to her."

Minho. 

His voice makes my breath hitch, my heart suddenly heavy in my chest. I try to move closer, in order to sneak a peek at him.

"Minho, please just go. I don't know what happened but I know that she needs space." Chan insists.

"No," Minho takes a step forward. "She needs to listen to me."

The muscles on Chan's back tighten. "I told you to be careful." His voice is steady and low. "She's my best friend and you have no idea how protective I am over her." 

Minho stares at him just as hard, both of their bodies still as a statue. "Chan.."

"Don't make me step in between you two, 'cause for her I will," Chan warns him, his tone, unlike anything I've heard before from him. "You can be around her, you can like her, you can even love her if you want, but you don't get to break her heart. Cause then things will get complicated. You guys are the most important thing in my life, but she's family to me."

Chan's words make me warm. Even though we both know what we mean to each other, it's not often that I hear him express it in such words. Since my brother died, there's been this hole inside me, a void that nothing could fill. Or so I thought. When Chan came into my life everything changed. We became so close, so fast that I didn't even realize that he had silently filled that hole inside me. We always say that I saved him because my family took him in in a way, but I think it's the other way around. Chan's the reason that I'm where I am today.

"Please don't cross the line." He adds.

Minho's head stands low, his hair messy, falling into his eyes. "I don't wanna hurt her." His tone is gentle, sad. And I can't help but feel the same, his words tugging my heart. I wanna run to the door and wrap myself around him but I stay rooted, not letting myself go down that road again.

"Just.." Chan trails off. "Give her space, yeah? Just go home, rest, and come back for the Christmas dinner." 

Minho looks tired, his eyes drained from the usual hint of life they hold with bags underneath them. Chan pats his shoulder, but it takes one look from Minho to pull him into a hug. 

"Just please sleep and eat, don't make me worry about you too." Chan whispers against him.

The scene in front of me looks so vulnerable and personal that I begin to feel like I shouldn't be here, watching them. I force myself to step back, soundlessly jogging up the stairs until I hear the front door close. I wait for a moment, watching as Chan walks towards the kitchen before I do the same. 

His head snaps to me as I enter. "Good morning princess."

"Good morning." I smile at him lazily. I lean into the counter, observing how he flips the last of the massive golden pancakes and stacks them on top of the rest. It's my first time spending Christmas with them, usually, I chose to spend the holidays with my mum but I'm glad I'm here.

"What?" He chuckles, noticing my staring. He places the pancakes in the middle of the counter, next to a variety of toppings, like Nutella, maple syrup, and many fruits. There's also fresh coffee, juice, and 2 different cereal placed on the counter along with 4 plates and glasses. 

"Nothing," I shake my head. "I'm just happy to be spending Christmas with you guys."

His smile is soft as he reaches me. "I'm happy too."

I let my eyes study him, his injuries darker in the light of day. It feels like a punch in the stomach. 

He notices the way I look at him. "It's okay." He says gently. 

"It's not Chan," I bite my lip. "It's really not."

He tilts his head, his eyes soft and big staring at me and when my own eyes start to fill with tears he pulls me to his chest. "Come here." 

His arms are one of the few places I feel truly safe. Everything about him brings me comfort and calms me down. 

"It's gonna be okay, yeah? I promise." His hands brush my hair. "I'll take care of everything."

Oh, how I wish I could believe him.

[lucygxybaird]

i've just a seen a face, i can't forget the time or place where we just met. she's just the girl for me, and i want all the world to see we've met. had it been another day, i might have looked the other way, and i'd have never been aware. but as it is, i'll dream of her tonight. (i've just seen a face - the beatles) Billy treats his mother to a night of live music, thinking she deserves to have a little bit of fun. He doesn't expect to meet a sweet, scintillating songbird named Lucy Gray Baird.

“Oh, Billy, I’m not sure about this—”

Kathleen McCarty hesitates on the threshold of the saloon, her hand tucked into the crook of Billy’s arm as though to restrain him from going inside. The double doors are thrown open to catch the hint of spring in the air, musing spilling out into the street along with the lamplight. It’s already crowded, a band going full swing on a makeshift stage at the back of the cavernous room. The dance floor is so packed that Billy can only catch a glimpse of an elbow here, a swirl of a skirt there, a tip of a hat or tap of a boot. 

He desperately wants to go in.

Billy offers his mother an encouraging smile. “Ma, come on, it’ll be fun. Please? Please? We won’t stay for very long, I promise,” he says, unabashedly wheedling. “Just a song or two. You deserve to have some fun.”

God knows that’s true. Between working herself to the bone, taking care of him and Joe, and dealing with Antrim’s special sort of bullshit, Kathleen doesn’t have any time for herself. And Billy remembers well how much she and his father used to love to dance. “I’ll ask the band if they know any Irish folk tunes,” he adds, grinning, and his expression only brightens when Kathleen smiles back at him. 

“Oh, well,” she says. “Alright. But only a song or two, do you hear?” She pauses. “Do you think the band knows Téir Abhaile Riú?”

Billy laughs, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll ask,” he says again. “Come on.”

He leads his mother inside, just as the band finishes their song. The young woman standing in center stage beams, and Billy thinks he actually feels his heart flutter for a second. She’s tiny — standing in her heeled boots, she may not even come up to his shoulder, although it’s hard to tell with her standing up there — but she exudes a blaze of energy, drawing the eye the way a fork of lightning will steal all eyes from the stars. 

“Thank you, thank you!” She spreads her arms wide as if to embrace the whole room. “My name is Lucy Gray Baird, we’re the Covey, and I promise, we’ll be right back after we wet our whistles for just a minute or two.”

She jumps down with the light, easy grace of a deer bounding through the woods, landing right in front of him. Billy is aware of the other members of the band — there’s a flash of blonde curls, the impossibly sharp angle of an elbow that can only belong to a teenage boy going through a growth spurt, and a young woman hauling a bass at her side — but he can’t take his eyes off Lucy Gray. When she smiles at him, his own smile is tugged from him as naturally as the moon pulling the tides toward shore.

“I think those might be the prettiest blue eyes I’ve ever seen, but it’s hard to tell with that hat hanging over your face,” she says. “Let me check.”

Reaching up, Lucy Gray actually picks his hat up off his head, holding it down by her side like it belongs to her. She tilts her head, wrinkling her nose as though considering the depth of color on his eyes. “Yep,” she says, putting the hat firmly back on for him. “Blue, just like I thought. Maybe the bluest. Definitely the prettiest.”

Billy, trying to cover the fact that he’s now blushing furiously, says: “Why don’t I buy you a drink for getting it right?” 

Lucy Gray smiles at him again. “What would I have gotten for being wrong?”

“A drink,” Billy says, and she laughs. 

She leads the way toward the bar, and slips onto the stool, swinging her booted feet idly. Billy slides onto the stool next to hers, waving down the bartender. “Whiskey,” he says. “And—”

He looks over at Lucy Gray. She raises an eyebrow, grinning up at him. “A whiskey for me, too, sugar.”

As the bartender pours them each a drink, Billy touches the brim of his hat, nodding at her. She giggles. “My name is Billy,” he says. “I brought my ma in to hear the music.”

He looks over at Kathleen, who has found a table near the door. She waves at him, and he waves back. Lucy Gray wiggles her fingers, blowing Kathleen a kiss. “I can see where you get those lovely eyes of yours from,” she says, propping her chin on the heel of her palm. 

She picks up her glass and takes a long sip, closing her eyes as if in pleasure. He watches the way her long, dark eyelashes flutter, how her lips purse on the rim of the glass. All of a sudden, he’s desperately thirsty in a way whiskey won’t fix, but he downs half his own order in one go anyway. 

Before he even has a chance to ask if she knows any Irish tunes, Lucy Gray says: “Does your ma wanna hear anything special?”

When Billy makes his request, she smiles and hops down from her stool. “You bring her right up front,” she says. “We’ll sing just for her.” 

Billy grins at her and crosses the room to his mother, as the band starts to gather up on stage again. “Come on, Ma,” he says, offering her his hand. “Lucy Gray says they’ll play your song.”

“Oh, Lucy Gray’s her name, is it?” Kathleen is smiling at him in the certain way all mothers have when they believe their children to be acting especially endearing. “I could see you two talking over there. She’s rather pretty.”

“Ma,” Billy groans softly, feeling more grateful than he can express in words that Lucy Gray is up on stage, in conversation with the willowy bass player, and she can’t possibly hear this conversation. Otherwise he would just have to hope for a very singular sinkhole to open up at his feet and swallow him whole. “We were just — I mean, I’m sure she has a…”

The words haven’t even left his mouth and already he finds them upsetting. Lucy Gray having a beau has only occurred to him just now, and he finds himself looking around the room, trying to find a a man young enough for her — one sitting alone, maybe, eyes trained on the stage like he can’t bear to look away. But it looks like every man here (apart from Billy himself) is too old, or with someone, or both. He relaxes a little. 

They find a place in front of the stage. Lucy Gray catches his eye, and she winks at him. Billy feels his face flush and wonders if the pink in his cheeks is visible with the lights of the stage shining in her eyes. 

“Oh, no, I saw the way she was looking at you,” Kathleen says, patting his arm. “If she’s seeing someone, she won’t be by the end of the evening, I’ll warrant.”

He opens his mouth to protest, but then music starts to tumble from the stage like a living thing -- drums gamboling and fiddles stepping lightly through the air, the strumming of a guitar twirling after them. Lucy Gray is standing center stage again, keeping time with a hand at her hip. 

“Look how the lights of the town, the lights of the town are shining now — tonight I’ll be dancing around, I’m off on the road to Galway now…” 

She steps lightly forward, arms sweeping in a graceful circle as her feet tap on the boards, the hem of her skirt belling outward as she twirls. He watches her light up from the inside out, beaming, eyes gleaming. 

“Look how she’s off on the town, she’s off on a search for sailors, though. There’s fine fellas here to be found, she’s never been on to stay at home—”

The bass player and the girl with blonde ringlets framing her face like a nimbus of gold lean forward, adding their voices to hers. 

“Home you’ll go and it’s there you’ll stay, and you’ll work to do in the morning. Give up your dreams of going away, forget your sailors in Galway.”

All the members of the band join in for the chorus, stamping their feet to the rhythm of the Irish tune. Kathleen is positively beaming at Billy’s side, clapping her hands in time. He keeps stealing glances at her in between drinking in Lucy Gray’s performance, thinking that he can’t remember the last time he’s seen his mother so happy. 

“Téir abhaile riú, tèir abhaile riu — téir abhaile ríu, Mherai, téir abhaile riú gus fan sa bhaile — mar tá do mhargadh déanta…”

The crowd around them has started to pair off, letting the fast, heady rush of the music carry them around the floor. Billy turns to his mother, grinning and holding out his hand once more — but before he can take it, he hears a light clatter of boots and turns to see Lucy Gray, grinning widely herself. She bobs a curtsey to Kathleen and puts out her own hand, beckoning encouragingly. 

“Come now and follow me down, down to the lights of Galway where there’s fine sailors walking the town, and waiting to meet the ladies there…”

He expects his mother to demure, huddle against him, but instead, she puts her hand in Lucy Gray’s like she’s known the girl all her life. Lucy Gray doesn’t miss a beat as the two girls left on stage carry on the tune. 

“Watch now, he’ll soon be along — he’s finer than any sailor, so, come now and pick up your spoons. He’s waiting to hear you play them, whoo!”

Billy can’t stop himself from laughing from sheer joy and pleasure as he watches the years fall away from his ma, her dark curls flying away from her face, her eyes brightening and her feet just as light as her partner’s twinkling toes. Lucy Gray is laughing even as she sings, the sweetness of her voice warming with ripples of joy. 

“Here today and she’s gone tomorrow, and next she’s going to Galway. Jiggin’ around and off to town, and won’t be back until the morning.”

He’s aware of a flash of yellow from the corner of his eye, and he looks down to see the little blonde singer, putting out her hands to him. Billy bows, one hand over his heart and the other folding behind his back, and the girl smiles up at him. He takes her by the hand and they whirl onto the floor, finding themselves by Lucy Gray and his mother. 

“Téir abhaile riú, tèir abhaile riu — téir abhaile ríu, Mherai, téir abhaile riú gus fan sa bhaile — mar tá do mhargadh déanta…”

He realizes, with a kick to his heart, that his ma is singing along. He can’t remember the last time he’s heard her sing, or even hum. Idly, picking up the girl and spinning around with her in his arms, he thinks he’ll have to ask his mother what the Gaelic chorus means. 

“Off with a spring in my step, the sailors are searching Galway for a young lady such as myself, for reels and jigs and maybe more…”

Lightly, with no signal at all except a flick of Lucy Gray’s dark head, she darts to one side and Billy’s partner to the other, with the blonde taking Kathleen’s hand and twirling under her arm. Kathleen laughs, and Lucy Gray snatches up Billy’s hands, tugging him closer. 

“Stay here and never you mind the lights of the town are blinding you. The sailors, they come and they go, but listen to what’s reminding you — handsome men surrounding you, dancing a reel around you…”

Singing of handsome men, Lucy Gray leans up on her toes, her lips at his ear, as if the words are just for him. He turns his head to hide his grin, but he catches a glimpse of her dark eyes, and he knows that she saw. It doesn’t really burn him, this idea. It doesn’t burn him at all, actually. 

“Home you’ll go and it’s there you’ll stay, and you’ve got work to do in the morning. Give up your dream of going away, forget your sailors in Galway…”

Billy knows most of the people on the dance floor, by sight if not by name — the old woman who works at the inn where they stayed when they first arrived in town; the owner of the Chinese laundry and his wife, neither of whom he’s seen smile this wide before; his mother’s friend Hattie, who is clasped in the arms of—

“Mr. Upson, is that you?” Billy calls to him over the music, unable to keep from laughing again. 

Mr. Upson just grins at him and frees a hand from Hattie’s waist to tip his hat toward Billy. 

“Téir abhaile riú, tèir abhaile riu — téir abhaile ríu, Mherai, téir abhaile riú gus fan sa bhaile — mar tá do mhargadh déanta…”

As Billy turns again, Lucy Gray still grasping his hands like she’ll never let go, she leans back on her heels. He whirls her around, easy as you please; she’s light as a feather, and in any case, he would sooner drop an anvil on his foot than drop this girl right now. 

“Listen to the music flow, I’m falling for the flow of home. I’m home to dance til dawning…”

Her voice warms him from the inside out, song flowing from her lips like the finest of wines, and he knows he’s not the only one getting drunk on the sound of her. Everyone, his mother included, is flushed with exertion and a giddy happiness that drives the years and their troubles away like the gentle mornings of spring driving away all thought of winter’s chill. 

“Téir abhaile riú, tèir abhaile riu — téir abhaile ríu, Mherai, téir abhaile riú gus fan sa bhaile — mar tá do mhargadh déanta…”

Lucy Gray keeps one of his hands in hers and reaches for other for Kathleen, who is still dancing with the tiny blonde singer. Kathleen grabs onto Lucy Gray’s hand, looking up at Billy with starlight still caught in her eyes; Billy, for the first time in his life, understands how one can cry for joy. It’s like he’s so happy that he can’t contain it, a sweet ache that starts in his chest and spreads upwards, until his throat is tight and the corners of his eyes sting. Still, he wouldn’t trade the decision to come in here tonight for anything in the world. 

For more reason than one. 

“Stay a while and we’ll dance together now, as the light is falling. We’ll reel away til the break of day, and dance together till morning…”

The blonde girl reaches for Mr. Upson’s hand, and on his other side, Hattie reaches for someone else. Soon the dancers on the floor have formed a ring, whirling around in a feverish, excited circle, as the song plunges toward the chorus one last time. 

“Téir abhaile riú, tèir abhaile riu — téir abhaile ríu, Mherai, téir abhaile riú gus fan sa bhaile — mar tá do mhargadh déanta…”

As the Covey members still up onstage bring the song to an end with a flourish, Lucy Gray jumps nimbly back onto the boards, twirling around and spreading her hands. Kathleen ends up pressed against Billy’s side, giggling like a girl, her hair a mess and her smile firmly fixed on her face. Billy puts an arm around his mother’s shoulders to steady her as the crowd collects itself enough to burst into rapturous applause.

“Thank you! Thank you for comin’ out tonight, and joinin’ me in our final song—!”

The crowd groans, Billy included. Kathleen digs an elbow into his ribs. 

“—for tonight!” Lucy Gray insists. “For tonight. I promise y’all, we’re not goin’ anywhere just yet. In case you forgot, I’m Lucy Gray Baird, we’re the Covey, and I swear, we’ll be back to sing for you soon!”

Billy guides his mother over to the bar, the better to escape the crush of people as they start to leave. It seems that with the Covey done for the evening, most of the crowd is done, too. A few stragglers follow them to the bar and occupy the stools, but a few moments later, the place is nearly empty. 

“Ready to go?” Billy says, putting a hand on the small of Kathleen’s back, ready to guide her out. 

Instead of answering him, she flicks her dark blue gaze to the side of him, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “I’ll wait for you at the door,” she says, and Billy turns to see Lucy Gray standing at his side, looking up at him with a scrap of paper peeking between her fingertips.  

“Your ma is quite the dancer,” she says, and Billy chuckles. “So are you.”

“Oh, well, thank you.” He tips his hat to her again, and she bobs her head in response. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Ma like that. It’s been…” He falters, thinking of how she used to be, before Pa died. He pulls a smile onto his face from somewhere deep. “It’s been a while.”

Lucy Gray surprises him by taking his hand and squeezing it lightly, once, before letting go. She doesn’t pry, but she says, “Well, you two should come back sometime.” 

Before he can say they (sure as hell) will, a voice calls out from the back room: “Lucy Gray! We’ve leaving!”

She smiles and leans up to kiss his cheek. “Maude Ivory,” she says. “Your little dance partner.” She puts a hand to her mouth and adds in a stage whisper, “She thinks you’re cute. So do I.”

With Billy befuddled and blushing, she turns to go, crossing the room in light, graceful strides. As she disappears through a curtained door by the bar, Billy feels the whisper of paper against his palm and turns his hand over. He smiles at the note she’s passed him. 

If you want to see me before our next show (Thursday, 8 p.m.), meet me at the meadow by the old Willow Ford farm tomorrow night. I like to watch the stars come out. 

- Lucy Gray Baird.

He isn’t sure what compels to do it, but he finds himself lifting the scrap of paper to his lips and kissing her signature on the page, before slipping it into his pocket. Billy goes to join his mother at the door, and he barely registers the way she’s looking at him with that indulgent little smile on her face. He walks her home in a sort of daze, thinking that the sun has only just now set, and he can’t wait for it to do it again tomorrow. 

The next time the sun goes down, and the stars start to twinkle in their sea of indigo velvet, he knows that’s when he’ll see her again. 

[hymemena]

Schoolyard Heroes Fantastic Wounds Lyric Starters

Feel free to change pronouns as necessary, and remember to specify muse for multimuse blogs.

CW: Witchcraft, religious themes, scarification, insect mention, amputation, surgery mention, medical, death, corpses, body horror, fire, burns, blood, obsessioin, possession, suggestive, wounds, injury, cannibalism implied, murder, poison, disease, illness, infections, vampirism

—

Body Shots

"You'd best adhere to the words of the oracle."

"Phineas sinned but he didn't sin every day."

"Now you rise?"

"Rise, rise, rise!"

"Now we're doomed!"

Panic In The Year Zero

"Kiss me."

"Curse me!"

"Carve your name with blunt precision."

"Greet me with this violence!"

"Taste my pores like an insect feeding!"

"Understand, there is no time."

"Understand, I could not care less."

"Reattach these severed limbs! Fasten velcro to loose appendages!"

"Die young."

"Leave a pretty corpse for me?"

"I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

Serial Killers Know How To Party

"Serial killers know how to party!"

"Leave your name and number sewn into my skin."

"It feels so strange…"

"Come with me?"

"I'll burn your heart in effigy!"

"Your blood runs cold."

"Your screams could raise the dead! But no one listens."

"That proves you're mine."

"Everything will fall apart, just like we planned it."

"We thrive in altitudes of Hell and places I can't speak of."

Centaur: Half-Man Half-Motorcycle

"Tonight, my dear, we need a sacrifice."

"Your lips won't satisfy my appetite."

"This girl has fallen ripe with pestilence."

"My stomach aches from taste of consequence."

"Undress these wounds! It's show and tell!"

"It seems so absurd."

"You can mark these words."

"I'll destroy them all!"

"If you could live one thousand lives, I'd watch you die one thousand times!"

"Soon you'll be consumed."

They Live

"We live like creatures, we love like homicide."

"We'll write your future!"

"We control reality?!"

"Deep within these shadows, we're alive."

"Look at all these imbeciles!"

"Come with me, you pretty thing!"

"Your secret's safe with me."

"I'll take it to the grave."

"God help you."

"Remorse is useless, now."

Battlestar Anorexia

"This disease will make your heart explode!"

"They took our blood."

"Your kiss shall poison me."

"Darling, won't you please?"

"This disease will make your blood turn gray."

"This is a jet-black field trip to the end of days."

"Maybe some things never change."

"You'll see."

"Revlon smiles steal your spotlight."

"You'll be saved if you repeat my name."

Nightmare At 20,000 Feet

"Strike the spark that melts our features."

"Salt the earth, I'll salt your wounds."

"You softly whispered in my nightmares."

"Hateful words fall on infected ears."

"Baby, baby, this ain't no dream."

"Listen, honey."

"I'll lick my wounds when someone tells me where I'm bleeding."

"Rescue me from this doom!"

"This burning mess is crashing to the ground!"

"No, we'll shake hands with our tongues."

Funeral Parlour Tricks

"Who will save you from his darkness?"

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend."

"How could you refuse this offer?"

"This is where the story ends."

"Taste my blood and live forever."

"Feel this cold touch one more time."

"Amputations last forever."

"Your face looks oh-so lovely tonight."

"A dark farewell."

"The story unfolds before my eyes."

Nothing Cleanses Quite Like Fire

"This is the worst of wounds."

"This is a call to arms!"

"Knives have started sharpening themselves!"

"I've told you this before!"

"You are mine again."

"This is my taped confession."

"Remind me of nothing."

"Dare you speak my name?"

"Your medicine is useless."

"Nothing cleanses quite like fire."

"Don't scream, your worthless calls will draw attention to me."

"Look at me!"

"Lie to me."

"Honestly? We're enemies."

The Girl Who Was Born Without A Face

"Their skin is melted to the floor."

"Oh, the horror!"

"I'm convinced you'd be so gorgeous if your face existed."

"Your eyes will turn to black."

"The tears you weep will cut like broken glass."

"Trade in your body for a model with these modern features?"

"I'd hold your hand if you had fingers."

"We're horrible creatures."

"There is no point in trying."

"We are so sick of dying."

[barrenclan]

unsure if this has been said before but please let me get what i want (the deftones vers specifically) feels very fitting for pinepaw or maybe even rainhaze. the family guys who are almost foils to each other when they're both going through a messy rough time 🤝

I really like this suggestion, because Morrissey is my current voiceclaim for Pinepaw so he's very Smiths-coded in my mind.

Haven't had a dream in a long time See, the life I've had Could make a good man bad

So for once in my life Let me get what I want Lord knows it would be the last time Lord knows it would be the first time

Oh my friend, British men screeching is just about my favorite musical styling.

Want land in the valley There's pieces of you breaking off (Pieces of you breaking off)

Big money's in the basin, you don't come back without it He's killing with abandon to get over the mountain Got darkest rum from Mama, seething in the liver Blood disease from Papi, poisoning the river

Friends on the Other Side works pretty well for Ranger, at the very least his attitude. Rainhaze's deal came from desperation rather than greed, but I do like things that speak to his thoughtless self-centeredness and hero complex.

That's a Rainhaze song if I ever heard one!

Stuck in the middle of a forest made of Flesh and bones and they're all scared of A lost little boy who has lost his heart Fear's not enough, they have to Tear him apart

Follow the scent of iron sinking Deeper into corpses rotting But they can't hear you talk, talk, talk About every little thing

And the Hound Is humming you A lie, a lullaby

Ohh, yeah... I can see it.

I wonder who I'd be If all these bad things Didn't happen to me

I must be The Virgin Mary To create a son Who will suffer so much <- the sloug.......

The tone of the song is pretty light, but I can see the lyrics working! Especially drawing parallels between the original great destruction and the current onslaught.

Oh god, come quickly The execution of all things Let's start with the bears and the air And mountains, rivers and streams Then we'll murder what matters to you And move on to your neighbors and kids Crush all hopes of happiness with disease 'Cause of what you did

And lastly, you're all alone with nothing left but sleep But sleep never comes to you It's the guilt and forever wakefulness of the weak It's just you and me

Ah, that musical is on my watchlist but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I've heard pretty good things, though!

I roar! And you cry! I'm the reason You run and hide!

You better leave your hopes behind No one's gonna stop him You better hope he's out of sight Or you're doomed to be a victim

Objectively wild pull, but I do love Johnny Cash, and his voice reminds me a lot of what Mallowstar's would be like. I like this song a lot with him. :,]

Well, I won't back down, no I won't back down You can stand me up at the gates of Hell But I won't back down

Well, I know what's right, I got just one life In a world that keeps on pushin' me around But I stand my ground and I won't back down <- wahh mallowstar...

I'd definitely this has big Slugpelt energy.

Dear, I fear we're facing a problem You love me no longer, I know And maybe there is nothing That I can do to make you do Mama tells me I shouldn't bother

Lately I have desperately pondered, Spent my nights awake and I wonder What I could have done in another way To make you stay

It's a pretty good song!

YAY Queen song! This is interesting; I can see it very well with characters that are still a spoiler to talk about.

So much ado, my lover So many games we played Through every fleeted summer Through every precious day

All dead, all dead All the dreams we had And I wonder why I still live on All dead, all dead And alone, I'm spared My sweeter half instead All dead and gone

Damn I ran out of video links

[fallingblueroses]

Whumptober 2024 prompt: Sensory deprivation, with a dash of betrayal added.

VP's Panic! at the Disco video with a twist.

***

Eli's head throbbed as he woke up. Where am I? It was dark--no, he realized. He was blindfolded. There was tape over his mouth, and when he tried to move he realized the cold metal on his wrists was actually chains holding him down to a chair.

His heart beat doubled as he realized he'd been kidnapped--and from the sound of it he wasn't alone. He could hear chains rattling and chairs scraping as others struggled. A muffled groan of frustration that sounded like Earl came to his ears. Had they all been taken?

What the hell happened? The last thing he remembered was being at PattyCake Productions with VoicePlay rehearsing for their new video. He'd separated from the group to get a cup of coffee while Layne and J argued over some minor point. He'd been walking down the hall when he'd felt a sharp pain in the back of his head...

Eli's thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps. The others with him fell silent as well. The footsteps stopped, then there was a sound of tape being torn from skin. Geoff's voice, loud and angry: "Who are you? What the hell is this!" And then, a few seconds later, in a much softer, bewildered voice: "Tony? You?"

Tony?! Eli's eyes widened behind the blindfold. Tony had been acting strange lately, but Eli and the rest of them had put it up to the accident. A few weeks back Tony had fallen off a ladder at PattyCake while setting up some lighting and had hit his head. He'd spent a day in the hospital under observation, but had been ultimately declared fine and sent home.

"Yes, Geoff. It's me."

Eli heard Geoff draw in a sharp breath. "Oh my God...what...why..."

"They deserve it."

"What?!"

"They forced me out of VoicePlay. For him." Tony's voice was cold and hard. "Well, Eli? Layne? Earl? Was he worth it?"

Earl said something through his tape, and Geoff's voice mirrored Eli's confusion. "Tony...no. That's not what happened."

Tony's voice sharpened. "And what did happen, Geoff?"

Geoff spoke quickly. "No one forced you out. You wanted to leave to focus on PattyCake. Remember? You said business was picking up and you didn't have time for both. We didn't want to lose you, but we understood. We supported your decision."

"Those three wanted me gone. They had him waiting to step him."

"No. J wasn't waiting. We were a quartet for a while, remember? We found him..."

"Stop. Just stop."

"Tony, let us go. It's not too late..."

"Stop it!" Eli jumped at Tony's scream. But his voice quickly softened. "That's why everyone loves you, Geoff. You see the best in everyone. All of that happened right in front of you and you never saw it. You were the one who called to check to see if I was sure I wanted to leave."

"It was a big decision. I wanted to make sure everything was okay. You said it was. You've been happy the way things are now. Remember? You told me it was easier not touring, being able to sleep in your own bed every night, not having to eat out all the time. Please, Tony. They're your friends too. Let us go."

Silence.

"I know things have been confusing for you since the fall. But we can talk this out."

Silence.

Geoff's voice became desperate. "Tony, I'm begging you. I'd get on my knees if I could. Let us go. We've toured together. There were times we saw more of each other than we did our families. Yes, there were rough patches but we've always worked them out!"

Silence, except for heavy breathing next to Eli. It sounded like Layne.

Geoff's voice was starting to come in rushed, gasping breaths. "Tony. If you kill us...that can't be taken back."

Those words made Eli's heart freeze. What did Geoff see that he couldn't?

Tony still remained silent, but Geoff went on. "Let us go. We can go back to PattyCake like none of this ever happened."

"There's that optimism again." Tony's voice was calm, thoughtful. We can't go back just like that. You know that." Geoff fell silent, and then Tony spoke again. "I'll let you go. Just you."

"What?"

"We can walk out of here. But you have to leave them behind."

Eli's own breath came hard in the silence. Then Geoff's weak, defeated voice: "I don't want to die."

"Then you don't have a choice, do you?"

"No. I don't."

Earl's voice came in a muffled, angry yell as Eli felt himself deflate. Was Geoff actually going to walk out and abandon them to...whatever Tony had planned? No. He wouldn't do that...

Eli heard Geoff's chain rattle--then his heart leapt as he heard two punches. Tony grunted and fell, and there were a few quick footsteps before Tony yelled. "Put that down!"

"Tell me how to disarm it."

Disarm...A bomb. There's a bomb. Eli stiffened as a fresh wave of panic set in. How much time was left...?

"Put it down!"

Geoff screamed in fear and rage. "Tell me how to disarm the god damned bomb, Tony!"

Tony sighed. "I don't know. I didn't make it. I bought it."

"Where did you..." Geoff's voice trailed off, but Eli could hear his deep, heavy breathing.

"Put it down, Geoff. There's nothing left to do." Tony's voice was cold and certain.

An agonizing silence fell, and then Eli swore he heard Geoff swallow. "...Guys...I love you all." Then running footsteps.

Tony screamed. "No!" More running footsteps, and Eli understood. Geoff was running away with the bomb. A crashing sound came from some little distance, and Eli could hear Tony and Geoff struggling.

"Let go of it!" Tony yelled.

"I have to get it outside!"

Tony cried out in pain, and Eli heard Geoff run again. Tony followed a few seconds later. The sound of footsteps faded, and then Eli heard glass break. Two more seconds passed--then the building rocked as an explosion nearly deafened Eli. He braced himself, but there was no heat. No pain. No debris fell to crush him...A wave of relief washed over Eli for a heartbeat--

And then Tony screamed. "No! No, no, no!" And to Eli's horror, there was no answer from Geoff.

[6okuto]

idk if ur reqs are open but I would love to hear your thoughts on Vere 👁️👁️ hes literally dominated my entire headspace I can’t go ten minutes w/o thinking ab how I want to bite his forearm

GENERAL VERE HCS

gn!reader | back 2 knocking these guys out of the park. also i realized these are shorter than my hq bf hcs so. if anyone wants a pt.2 for anybody.. u know what to do

i think u Should bite his arm. For Fun. vere w bite-y partner who he bites back. 'gently' considering he has fangs though

congratulations on being one of 2 people he'd let touch and brush his tail. sometimes he swishes it against your face and then pretends he didn't. "i have no idea what you're talking about," he says before making direct eye contact and doing it again

he likes drawing. ok. have we considered him drawing you. you ask him about it and he says he won't show you. you tease him and ask "what? did you draw sparkles and hearts surrounding me?" and he plays along, "yes, i even checked what i'd look like with your last name and drew us kissing."

It's actually quite a nice sketch of you though. like of you smiling or asleep or something because you fell aslep near him. oh man...

vere knows all the ins and outs of the city which means he can give you a personalized tour that caters to all your interests!! you can ask him to take you to his favourite spots too of course but he feels very accomplished watching you grin in the store he purposely walked by

shocked if you get him a gift. acts nonchalant and is good enough at accepting things but internally, especially if it's something he's been eyeing for a while or has sentimental value,, he . He....

like yeah okay vere...act all cool...as if your eyes don't flicker over whenever you walk past it...as if you don't catch yourself smiling subconsciously...whatever

definitely tries cooking your favourite meal. doesn't go very well, especially if it's something he's never had, but he'll keep practicing until he makes something decent. don't ask how many attempts he did because he won't tell you unless he somehow started a fire and even Then the truth is debatable

if YOU know how to cook it Please for the love of god teach him, or write down the recipe for both your sakes. for the kitchen. plea

everyone tells him/the both of you to shut the hell up whenever you start flirting back and forth/competing to see how many innuendos you can feasibly say. the both of you team up only to bully everyone else for being single before continuing

asshole if you played uno. i'm not competitive nor do i give two shits if i lose at uno but even i would lose it watching vere push for whatever stacking rule he needs to get someone a +20. watch your cards or he'll manage to look over at them. do not trust a single deal he tries. watch his ears and tail i'm sure he has a tell

really good at helping build confidence . what ais said about him being honest but also not trusting anything he says yeah well this is when he'd be completely honest. easily reminds you how capable you are of something, knows what makes you confident, etc etc. and you just ? know you can trust him? it's the vibe. how he says it so plainly as if it's obvious

don't try to lie to him about things. like if you're upset about something it is So obvious to him no matter how hard you try and he'd really appreciate it if you would tell him why or ask to talk about it later when you're ready.

^ as someone who wants to piss her pants at the thought of being direct or whatever,, he'd also be very good at knowing when to push or not. if you respond better to a lighter/gentle reminder i'm sure he would do so :heart:

i have a feeling this guy would be incredibly incredibly incredibly into you asking to post him on any socmed. do you want his face in it. do you want it to be a little spicy. should he pose. actually he probably pouts a little if you want a faceless pose but bro why does it matter if there is not a cm of space between us. why is your hand around my neck rn /lh You know the poses

[piracytheorist]

Episode 28 thoughts!

Did I say I was elated by the political commentary from one (1) line in the previous episode? This one had LOTS and I am so excited to get more into the world building!

Since this episode is mostly focused on Yuri, this post will focus on his part. The other parts are light-hearted and unrelated to the plot of Yuri's part, so I'll make a separate post for them. Maybe.

I admit, though Yuri is nowhere near blorbo territory, I am genuinely intrigued by his character and I can't help kinda investing in how his story will progress.

It's almost scary, how good at his job he is. The SSS have truly hit the jackpot with him, considering how capable he is, how dedicated he is to protect his sister, and how young and easy to manipulate.

Their wanted guy does something completely non-suspicious and tries to run out the window the moment he faces arrest, because that's exactly what an innocent person would do! Anyway, he gets ambushed by Yuri and oh my god.

Yuri please. That's not a normal face to have after throwing someone down - especially someone who actually drew a gun at you? Interestingly enough, the guy didn't draw a gun in the manga.

Then we see about the anti-East stance of Westalis, and... that's a very interesting image there.

"The Devil's Republic" instead of "The People's Republic". "The Age of Confusion" and "The truth as told by photographs". Imagery of mass graves and harsh military law. Also, Cyrillic letters on the journals to the left and right! I wonder if they're actually translatable, but in any case it's interesting that it's the West that uses Cyrillic letters along with Latin ones. I'd have loved to be a Japanese-speaking fly on the wall when they decided on those stylistic choices.

So Perkin already had issues with the law, and was using his journalism skills to rebel against the Ostanian government.

As I said, I absolutely loved that we got some political commentary on this episode, as I've been dying for some signs on how Westalis sees Ostania. And well. It's not good.

Perkin lies and constructs scenarios that fit his "Ostania is a nightmare" narrative, manipulating the audience loud and clear.

Like, look, buddy. I know Ostania sucks. I know surveillance and censorship are the death of freedom, but you don't need to go that far. It's yourself and your work you're sabotaging that way.

And he's not even... like, he then mocks the kid and tells him if he continues to "not share his toys" he will be arrested and killed? Bro, chill.

That's what happens when you join the trenches of a cold war but have no sympathy for your fellow human. Perkin mocked and terrified the boy and then he left laughing. He had no reason to do either of that.

Looks like Perkin's mother died, and her death was caused by their poverty; probably a sickness they couldn't afford proper treatment for. So he's in for it for personal reasons, though again, that doesn't justify being so mean to an innocent kid and manipulating the people of a foreign nation.

Wait, wait. Perkin says something interesting.

According to what he says, people keeping their wealth for themselves and not sharing - aka capitalism - is what the West stands for. But then he's mad at Ostania's government for forcing them to live in poverty and thus causing his mother's untimely death? What's going on, and what is his reason behind making the child fear the West? Because what he says there certainly isn't going to inspire the kid to go against the Ostanian government.

I'm leaning towards him not trusting Westalis either - and is just using them to rile them up to help bring the government down - and/or having a lot of unresolved issues that he's bursting out irrationally on a little kid, because the kid can't defend himself and is an easy target for Perkin's ire.

The fact that Yuri of all people, the personification of no control over one's feelings, got so mad at Perkin for terrifying the kid like that, says a lot.

Yuri made all of those appendices about what clothes Perkin wore and what people rode the underground train with him, so when Yuri mentioned Perkin went to the market, I expected a "See appendices for what he bought there" lmao

Interesting detail that Perkin had a cactus and a succulent, plants famous for needing very little care. The ashtray is also full. Visual commentary!

At least whatever is wrong with him is really really funny. The way his superior has caught onto that though XD

And he's conscious of it lmao

It's a good sign, if you ask me.

Lotsa books and another plant, I can't tell what it is but it's one that seems to require water and sunlight; and it's seated next to their full library!

Meanwhile, Perkin unknowingly, but unsuccessfully, reaches for Yuri's sensitive buttons. Yuri writes his sentence about Perkin probably being motivated by his care for his family... but Perkin is the enemy, you see. Maybe kinda related to what I said in my meta about Yuri's extremism, to him the "other side" are monsters with no empathy who only want to bring chaos. Suddenly he's faced with a man who threatens the safety of the country Yuri's beloved sister lives in, and with illegitimate means to boot, yet his motivation is something Yuri can relate to.

Considering Yuri got so mad at Perkin for scaring the child, I wonder what Yuri's reaction will be when/if he finds out Twilight's core reason to be a spy. That would gut him, I think.

Yuri's original notes on the paper say "Although it is still in the investigative phase, these actions may be caused by his personality and beliefs. Another possibility is hatred of a particular group or individual. However, that seems somewhat insufficient for the motive. Is Perkin [motivated] by concern for his family?"

It's easy to call a man such as Perkin a bigot and use such a narrative to explain his actions, and thus dub him the "enemy" and a "monster", along with anyone who would ever oppose the Ostanian government. So Perkin caring for his family and their future shocks Yuri to the point that he rips the paper off, deleting any signs of sympathetic view towards Perkin.

Perkin waits for his opportunity; after the mail is cleared from "suspicious" letters, he takes over from his coworker so that he can slip his very incriminating - and very misleading - "evidence" in.

Apparently people aren't too suspicious of people offering to help.

Perkin knew what he was doing, though. After his father warned him, he hesitates for a moment before the throws the letter in the cart and seals his fate.

It is pretty terrifying, though. Defamation is no joke but it's one of the things free press has to tolerate, if it wants to be called "free". Legal action can be taken after the press is out, in a public court, and investigate on how much of it is a lie and misinformation aiming at hurting someone or a group of people. Letting prejudiced and brainwashed police officers dictate what should be said and what not is at the height of censorship.

Perkin realizes he's fucked. He's terrified, but he knew what he was getting into - and he has experience with getting in such trouble, after all.

He's not a nice person, but I felt so sad when he said goodbye to his father and just... walked out to accept his fate.

Something interesting regarding the SSS is that they refer to themselves as "kokka hoan-kyoku" (State Security Service) and that's their official name for them, but the people may call them either that or "himitsu keisatsu" (Secret Police). I don't think I've heard anyone but citizens (and WISE agents) use the latter. Like earlier, when Perkin threw the toy gun in the trash, one of the boys used the phrase "himitsu keisatsu". I feel that's interesting because it may show how using the latter may be less... "respectful" for them.

When Perkin is being arrested, for example, he uses "himitsu keisatsu", and then calls Yuri "the government's dog". So that shows how much he respects them, lol.

SOMEONE SLAP HIM ISTG

Heeeey, Yuri... what if post-identity reveal Yor really really fucking loves Twilight and will be devastated if he's hurt? WHAT THEN?

But also hey, the fact that Yuri felt the need to reply to Perkin? It's a sign that this whole case had a much bigger impact on him than he expected. He put Perkin in the mould of "bad person who wants to destroy the country my beloved sister lives in, who makes his family sad" in order to avoid the possibility of relating to him.

He'll get there. He'll get there. It's a good sign he offered to request for financial aid for Perkin's father. Perkin thanking him for that speaks for what truly mattered to him.

I just love how layered everything is. Since the whole story is mainly focusing on Twilight's side, we as the audience are meant to sympathize and want peace to be secured, and for outside forces to help bring down the totalitarian government. But we're not meant to justify Perkin's behaviour, whether that's his fictional narratives or the way he mistreats innocent children, and at the same time we're meant to understand his motives were sympathetic. No-one's perfect, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions. At the same time, we're shown that Yuri, the "enemy" of Twilight's side, also has sympathetic motives and can also show empathy.

I mean, yeah, he swallows it down and replaces it with projection and coldness. But isn't that what Twilight does, too?

God, my heart fucking aches. He's twenty years old. He has his entire life ahead of him and this is where the regime lead him into. It's terrifying, and it's meant to be.

Yuri is so confident he'll catch Twilight and the director is like "Yeah whatever. If that helps motivate you." I see now why he referred to him as a cute puppy in episode 8. Yuri has very little experience and dreams very high but in a way, that keeps him motivated to work his ass off and never doubt what he's being told to do.

... Huh. Another similarity with Twilight? (sans the lack of experience)

Yeah oh my god that's even scarier. The director thinks that catching Twilight is too much for Yuri, but he allows him that "illusion" because it motivates Yuri. Fuck. Disgusting.

You'd think that a household with a spy and an assassin living in it would be using their peephole a little more often. Instead Yor looks surprised to see Yuri at the door. Like I get how it needed to be this way for the show, but it's a funny concept XD

Their outfits are so cozy! I love how they use different shades of red for Yor. And a detail!

I love how every single piece of clothing Yor owns has rose-shaped buttons. It's like she has an unlimited supply of them in every colour and just replaces the normal buttons with them. I know it's for stylistic choice on Endo's part but it's a cute little headcanon to have XD

Anya <3 she doesn't understand and she's still freaked out by Yuri's obsession with Yor but she cares <3

And that's the thing! Anya cannot understand the intricacies of what's just happened. She just reads Yuri's mind and what she gets is "He needs comfort." And she offers it T_T

ACAB but that doesn't mean one can't be a sentimental bastard. You know?

The little heart on the moon ended me. What an episode!

Overall, I loved it, especially after writing down this analysis! Not much plot-wise but I really appreciated this look into the political situation and how all of it affects Yuri - and how there's a lot in him that can help him grow.

Oh, and reminder that I'm anime only, so please no spoilers from the manga 😁

[yuseirra]

At least Ai and Hikaru have stuff going on in canon like Ai having said she really wanted to live forever with him... That she wanted to share his burdens and wanted to raise their kids together, have a future with her guy.. Isn't that so loving? Isn't that so sweet. She did everything for him.

I wouldn't have drawn them in the first place if those words didn't come straight from Ai's mouth. For me, it's Ai's say on this that's really sold it for me because it meant so much. To realize she really loved him so much.

And her guy thinks he was only alive when he had Ai with him and he's willing to sacrifice his life for her... That he can't live without her, yeah there is NO WAY I wouldn't have had a heart for a relationship like that. I'll never regret having found good things about them. I'm always nuts about characters who care deeply about one another and share an unseverable bond. They did a really wonderful job formulating their character and I still appreciate it a lot... That's how I've been able to draw so many of them in the first place. They're so confusing.. But I still could/can find so many things about them. It's great.

But the authors better do them justice. They're also victims of child abuse and reflect the real pains of what people actually go through in an industry, I want them to handle them with care because what they carry is heavy.

And I see it. I know they can do it. I know how they can take away a meaningful message regarding these guys, I can do it, so I know they can, they're way more capable and skilled than I am. They can write a good story, so they should just do it.

But there's so little left. Late, too. Even a real god may not be able to save this work, who knows. I wish something happens so I'll willingly buy the final volume of this piece. I want that to happen so I keep expressing my feelings about it, if I had none left, I'd have just moved on. I know what it's capable of. It's right there...I see it. So I hope they do it.

If they don't...then, I've studied this piece pretty hard so I'll probably be able to think of something. It won't be comparable or nearly as good but, that's also something I can do. The bright side is that since there's only a single chapter left- that'd mean.. Things won't flip that drastically within the remaining pages(idk if that's a good or bad thing but for hikaru fans ehh...I doubt things would get any worse than it is because they're STILL keeping that stance that what he's contributed is STILL pretty vague. It's STILL speculations?? So what the heck did he do. Like...why make him say he "didn't do anything" and "didn't want anyone to get hurt" before they dunk him in the waters. What was the point in that. Call me stubborn but nothing about this guy is STILL CLEAR...)

It's really interesting how I still haven't given up on them but who knows... I'd love to start working on my own stories too soon! I wish to complete at least 5 before I die, I want to make 10+ and more!! This work helped me draw so much and so willingly and eagerly, I AM grateful for it.. I really want it to end well. Because I liked it. I want to wish it well...

Oh please just don't make Ryosuke and Nino out of all people be Kamiki's victim I think I know why it appears like it that way rn but THAT has to be overturned before this series has to go. That's what I want in the last chapter, I want them to do that in the very least. That's the BARE minimum for this work to remain meaningful and decent in my eyes I hope I'm not asking for much. I am not.

[ifangirlalot]

hi omg, can you please write a Finn x Reader where they meet on the set of stranger things, it's kind of weird/awkward at first, they don't know why though (it's tension you idiots), but they gradually become closer, it's just a lot of fluff and mutual pining, maybe jealousy? idk, but, I'd love for you to write this, thank youuuu

ˏˋ 𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐋𝐘 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 ˎˊ˗ | starring finn wolfhard

I was way too excited for this request oh. my. god.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

~fluff!~ [𝖜𝖆𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖘:] n/a

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

Finn's POV

She's only going to be here for the next couple days at the most. It's usually pretty frowned upon for actors to have a thing for their co-stars, though of course it tends to happen quite frequently, especially if you work together for years on a show as a love interests.

But the thing is, [Name] isn't my co-star. I don't even have any scenes with her. She's just here as an extra, she'll be gone by next week. And yet... I can't stop thinking about her. I've had to pretend to be in love, infatuated, obsessed, countless times. But to actually feel it is a totally different feeling. My heart keeps slamming against my ribcage so often that there's points I'm actually scared it might break one or something. I'm no doctor, so I'm not entirely sure that's even possible, but whatever.

Pulling me from my thoughts is the voice of one of the producers. Apparently, I've accidently messed up another scene. And even worse yet, she's caught me staring and is staring back, directly into my eyes. My cheeks burn against my face and the tingle of embarrassment rushes over my body. I feel so incredibly foolish.

I can't tell if it's just my lover's eye or if what I see is true, but I think she might be blushing too.

[Name]'s POV

I have a monstrously bad habit of zoning out a lot. It's almost gotten me ran over a couple of times before. Being an extra for Stranger Things sounds like one of my daydreams, not real life. And yet, here I am, on the set of Stranger Things 4. I zoned out again, and the thing that pulls me out of it is a producer calling out for Finn, telling him to focus. When I look up, he's staring directly at me and I feel my face get hot.

Was he staring at me? Without really thinking about it, I bring my hand up to my face and feel around, maybe trying to catch something off it. Surely that's why he's looking at me. Because I have something on it and he's too embarrassed to tell me. I give him a slight smile before I go to change back into my own clothes. My part is done for the day, it's my cue to go home.

Since I'm not apart of the main cast, I don't have a changing room or a trailer so I just have to find a bathroom to change in. After I've collected the plastic bag containing my clothes, I side step to head to the bathroom when a hand (rather uncoordinatedly) blocks my path.

Finn stands there, one hand awkwardly scratching the back of his neck, the other stretched awkwardly over the doorway.

"Hey-! [Name]-! I, uh. I didn't see you there."

Finn's POV

Right after the words leave my mouth, I immediately want to smack them back in.

Didn't see you there? You're right in front of her, it's obvious you're lying.

A nervous sound, half laugh, half cough, falls from my lips. Oh fuck, this is going terrible.

I plaster an awkward smile on my face. "Hi."

[Name] is giving me a look like she's not entirely sure what's happening, and I can't really blame her. I don't fucking know either. I just wanted to ask her to hang out, now I'm blocking her path and being creepily weird about it. You'd think it would be easier to be smooth with women when you have a whole fanbase of girls after you, but that's not entirely true.

I have about as much charm as a raw piece of cabbage.

"Heyyy.." she says, somewhat awkwardly, drawing out the last syllable of the word.

I clear my throat. I can't keep stalling and if I just let her pass now without going through with it, I would look even weirder. But her eyes-- those damn eyes-- are burning into mine. With every blink, the words escape and run even farther and farther away.

[Name]'s POV

In reality, I think only three seconds or so has passed. But with his dark eyes pinned to mine, it feels like it's been an eternity and a half. My body feels like it's been nailed in place. His eyes are holding me captive like an invisible pair of shackles. I can't move from my place and his gaze is telling me I don't want to. The air feels heavy with some unspoken tension. I can't tell if it's an awkward kind of tension or something else. After another beat or two, Finn's throat clears and breaks the silence. "Hey listen, I was kicking around the idea of us.. maybe.. uh.. you know, hanging out? Or something? Maybe?"

"Oh um.. Yeah, yeah sure. Sounds good, sounds good.. I uh. Should really get dressed and get home, though. I could just like give you my number or something?" I can't help but think about how fucking awful that sounds. I don't let myself dwell on that for too long, though, and before I can blink, he's typing his number into my phone and I'm watching it happen, feeling dazed and dreamy-eyed.

[A Note From Zee]

Hey there! Sorry this took so long. Since this is a lot longer than I originally thought it was going to be, I'll have to publish it in multiple parts, if anyone is interested in that. I've got two other requests to put out before then, though. Uhhh anyways, feel free to leave some feedback.

[thatnebbles]

i got really emotional about fe7 and eliwood/hector again so have a short and a little bittersweet elihec drabble <3

The Dragon's Gate loomed overhead.

It was creepier than Hector remembered. Buildings don't magically grow bigger, but its shadow seemed to cast far deeper than before. The air was thick with tension, palpable with fear. The risk of coming back dead was higher than he'd like. Though Armads was with Graybeard at the moment, Hector still felt its weight crushing his palm.

"Eliwood." Hector's hand shot out to grab his wrist. He wasn't thinking--he hadn't time to consider the words tumbling from his mouth. "Before we go in there, I… Allow me to speak just a moment. Please."

Eliwood looked to him, those sky-blue eyes beautiful and bright with worry. "What ails you, friend?"

He opened his mouth to try and speak, but hot air and sputtering noises graced him. The humid clime made it hard to breathe. He thought he forgot how words functioned, and had no time to relearn them. He was always better with his actions, and perhaps that was what bade him to draw his free arm around Eliwood's waist and kiss him.

He kissed Eliwood as if it would break Armads' curse. As if they were in some fairytale where happy endings came at the final page--true love's kiss would give them all the years he desired to give Eliwood and more.

"Hector--" His cheeks bore a similar shade to his hair. His eyes were wide, expression breathless. "I… oh, Hector…"

"I--I couldn't go in there and not let you know how I felt," Hector mumbled lamely. "I wanted to do this earlier, but there wasn't any time, and… gods, Eliwood--how do I tell my best friend I've been in love with him as long as I can remember?"

When Eliwood fell silent, Hector wondered if kissing him first was the wisest thing to do. Damn, maybe he should have given the grandoise speech first. It would sting less if he got rejected, and made Eliwood uncomfortable.

Yet cruel words never came. Eliwood's gentle touch graced Hector's chin, fingers threading through his hair. "The same way that I would speak my heart true… that if we live to see another day, I would have said so first."

"…You're kidding." Another fine display of words. "I didn't--I didn't… expect you… I thought I had already lost your heart."

"It was always yours," Eliwood answered in a soothing tone. "For many years--for so many years, Hector."

"I…" His cheeks blazed a fierce red. "Had--had I not fallen asleep in numbers class, maybe I'd remember the exact years I've spent loving you."

Eliwood snorted with soft, bubbling laughter. He stood on his toes to press a gentle kiss against Hector's lips. "Then we will have to count the years we have to come."

Armads' curse buzzed through his veins. They had a time limit. Hector didn't know how long, or when, but he wouldn't have the luxury of growing old with Eliwood. His beard wouldn't match Graybeard's, and be able to joke about it with his husband who was equally old and gray. That alone almost gave him pause, stopped his words--but how could he not spill his heart out to the most beautiful man in Lycia?

"Hector?" Eliwood's thumb ran across his cheek. "Your expression… it is distant. What has come to mind?"

He closed his eyes. A shaky sigh left him. "….Not yet. Not now, Eliwood." He turned his head to kiss the palm of Eliwood's hand. "Let us see tomorrow first."

[nsfwordwitch]

Kinktober 2023 Day 27

Prompt: Double Penetration, Two Holes

Pairing: Halsin x Astarion x nonbinary tiefling Tav

1636 Words

🔞Adults Only Blog🔞

"Halsin will be here in a few days."

"Oh, marvelous. I've been thinking about the big side of beef lately."

"Have you?"

"Mm. I...well."

"What is it?"

Astarion marks his place in his book and sets it aside. He looks at Weft, certain a blush would rise in his cheeks if it could. "I've been thinking I'd like to receive from him."

It takes Weft a moment to process the statement. "Oh!"

"It doesn't have to be a big deal."

"Well, no, not necessarily. But it's alright if it is a big deal."

He pouts at them. "I'm afraid it is a big deal."

"Oh, sweetheart!" They wrap their arms around him, and he's enveloped in their smell, the feel of their skin. "What brought this on?"

"What brought on a desire to get fucked within an inch of my life by our enormous paramour?" He gives them a faux-thoughtful look and they laugh. "The desire has always been there. I suppose that, after the last time we saw him, I greater appreciated how much...trust he has in us."

"Gods! That was something, wasn't it?"

"So I've been ruminating. I'd like him to understand his trust is not misplaced."

"You must really trust him, now, too."

Astarion sighs. "Apparently so."

"If you're only doing it as a gesture..."

"No no, I do want to. I am concerned I may...change my mind once it starts."

"I'll be right there, my love. Neither of us wants you to do something you don't want to."

He smiles at them and draws a thumb across their cheekbone, no words for his appreciation and affection.

"It's never too late to change your mind."

"I know," he says with exasperation. The sincerity is becoming a little much. "Now get me warmed up for the old man, why don't you?"

--------

"Halsin. I'd like you to take me."

Halsin gives him a surprised smile. "You would?"

Weft and Astarion are leaning against their headboard, he in their arms. Halsin is kneeling at the opposite end, ready to devour or be devoured as they request. This specific request does seem to have thrown him, something Astarion is always pleased to do. He smiles up at him.

"Do you think you can do that for me, Halsin?" he purrs. He sees Halsin's eyes flick up to Weft's, and an actual blush rises in his cheeks.

"Was this your idea, my heart?"

"Gods no, this was all him."

Astarion studies Halsin. "Am I sensing, perhaps, that this is an act of debauchery you have been eager for, Halsin?" He slides out of Weft's arms and kneels in front of him. "Something the two of you have discussed without me?"

"I was advised that, if I wished for it, it would be best to await your suggestion."

Astarion turns to look at Weft, who takes a mock bow. "How sweet of them," he says, and turns back to Halsin. He's really not sure how to proceed, now that they're here. He is still nervous. He is still afraid his old habits will kick in and he'll let anything happen. But...gods. He wants it. He takes Halsin's hand, interlacing their fingers, and he can feel Halsin's blood pounding.

"I may tell you to stop."

"Then I will stop."

"Very well. From behind, if you please."

"As you wish."

Halsin wraps his arm around Astarion's waist and kisses him, and Astarion melts into his embrace. Halsin's hand travels down his back, fingers thread between his cheeks. When Halsin reaches his hole, Astarion shivers in delight and anticipation.

"Get that oil of yours," he breathes.

"Weft–?" Halsin says.

"On it." Weft climbs off the bed and returns in a flash. They hand the bottle to Halsin, and he gently presses on Astarion's shoulders to turn him around.

Astarion stretches out on the bed, spreading for Halsin. His face lands on Weft's thigh where they're kneeling in front of him, and he looks up at them. They're watching him so, so closely.

"I'm here," he murmurs at them, "I swear."

"I'm with you," they reply, placing their hand on his cheek.

"Astarion," Halsin says, and they both turn to him. His hand has two oiled fingers hovering near Astarion's ass. "I don't wish to surprise you."

"Mm, I'm open to good surprises." He smiles at Halsin and shakes his ass.

Halsin chuckles. "You've already given me one." He draws a circle around Astarion's hole, making him shiver, then drives both fingers in at once.

Astarion hums in pleasure and looks back to Weft. Though their cheeks are high in color, he senses trepidation in them. He opens his mouth against their thigh, dragging his fangs lightly across their skin. Why does he always want something in his mouth when there's something in his ass?

"Don't be jealous, my darling," he says, cheek pressed to their skin.

"Oh? And which of you am I meant to be jealous of?"

"Halsin, obviously." This makes them laugh, and he's relieved.

"Hm, perhaps I'm enjoying you being someone else's problem for once."

"I'm sure I'll trouble you before the night is through. Oh, mm." He looks back at Halsin. "You're sure that's still just your fingers?"

"Believe me, Astarion, you will know when I switch."

"Mhm? Show me."

Halsin gives him a solid look, unwavering and searching. It makes his chest swell. He shifts his arms, wrapping them around Weft's legs, and nods at Halsin.

Astarion releases a shaky moan as Halsin's cock enters him. Oh, he can tell the difference alright. He's being stretched to his limit, and it's everything he wanted. He braces himself against Weft's thigh, his cheek digging into them with each thrust from Halsin. Their fingers are in his hair, and they're cooing gentle praise at him. And he agrees. He's doing so good.

A mad pleasure pulses through him, and he's grateful there's no need to express it because he could not find the words. He finds that he's drawing his tongue up the inside of Weft's thigh, and they're shivering under him.

"Weft," he says, and his voice comes out thick like honey. He looks up into their eyes. They search him for distress and he prays they don't imagine any.

"All good?" they ask.

"Yes. Weft, I–don't you dare!" He turns his head to look at Halsin over his shoulder. "Don't you dare stop." When Halsin picks up speed again, he looks back to Weft.

"My love. I want you in my mouth."

"You aren't serious."

"Weft I need you in my mouth. Mnm!" Halsin pumped deep into him at that, and it thrills him. "Now."

He sees them look to Halsin, some communication passing between them. He eyes their erection, twitching so near his face. Weft presses a thumb below his eye and he looks back to them. He hopes he looks as pretty as he thinks he does, enough they'll give him what he's craving.

"How will you tell me if you need to stop?"

He gives his usual answer. "Tap your leg three times."

"Good. Will you open for me?"

He lets his jaw drop, and when their cock hits his tongue, he moans. He lets Halsin's thrusts do the work, pushing and pulling him off of Weft. Their fingers are in his hair again, firm but not pulling. Weft's breathing gets ragged, and a satisfaction passes through him.

He feels full to the brim. His body, of course, but something indefinable, too. Weft's hitched breaths, Halsin's throaty grunts, they make his head spin with joy, and he somehow aches for them, even now, with both of them inside him.

"Halsin," Weft says, and Astarion wishes he could see him. "Keep going. Don't come yet."

"Yes," Halsin says, effort in his voice.

"Mm." Astarion is looking up at Weft, trying to communicate but unwilling to let go of their cock. They look at him.

"What is it, my perfect man?" He rolls his eyes back toward Halsin. "Are you saying it's alright if he comes?" Astarion nods gently. He pulls partway off Weft's cock and then plunges back down. They shiver and stroke his hair. "Do you want Halsin to fuck you until he comes?" He nods again.

They look at Halsin. "You heard him, Halsin. Unleash yourself."

"Yes," Halsin repeats, and his grip on Astarion's hips gets tighter. Astarion moans around Weft's cock as Halsin plunges into him, faster and deeper than before, his stomach and thighs pressing against Astarion's ass. He drinks in the feeling of it, and the feeling of Halsin's come spilling inside him. Halsin falls against him and pulls out, making Astarion shudder. He can feel something dripping down his balls and he relishes it.

Weft gently pulls out of him, too, and guides him to lie on the bed beside them. "You don't want me to finish you?" he asks and they shake their head.

"I want to kiss you." They pull his face to theirs and do just that. Halsin tucks in behind him, throwing an arm over his stomach. He rests his face against Astarion's shoulder and breathes deeply.

Astarion moves his hips, pressing his erection to Weft's, and they respond in kind. Their kisses and movements are languid, as though they are in no hurry. This moment could last forever. Halsin's hand finds the tips of their cocks and they gasp into each other's mouths.

"Is my hand unwelcome?"

"No," Weft says, and Astarion's mouth moves to their neck. "Very welcome."

He cups his hand around their heads and they thrust against it. Astarion comes first, with a soft sound into Weft's collarbone, and they come shortly after. Weft takes Halsin's hand and squeezes it. Halsin pulls closer, shifting them all on the bedspread. Caught between their bodies, Astarion feels utterly whole.

[black-queen-rising]

And The Gods had finally blessed her with a daughter

(Scene challenge for @asongofgoldenfireandblackblood)

"She'll be a girl this time, I can feel it." "You've been wishing for a girl for a decade, your Grace." Rhaenyra's prediction was right, she finally got her girl that time, while everything else seemed to go wrong. After five taxing, anxiety-provoking, exhausting, but ultimately healthy pregnancies, Rhaenyra went into labor with her daughter nearly two moons early, only three into her tenure as her father's Hand. The Princess was born tiny and gasping, few expected her to survive a week, and then a moon, but now Visenya was ten; her mother had always insisted she survived because their whole family was so anxious for her, and so eager to give her love in what may be a short life, that she spent the first several moons of it continually held in different family member's arms. The Princess didn't even begin sleeping in her cradle until she'd surpassed the size the rest of her siblings were at birth.

Two features of Visenya's infancy had defined the past ten years of the younger Princess' life. First, she was small and sickly, the same height as her brother Baelon despite being two years older and still weighed less than him. Second, she was fervently, terribly affectionate, more judgmental types called her clingy, but Rhaenyra was well-familiar with children who fit that term, Luke and Baelon both spent years so attached to her hip they may as well have been sewn on there. Visenya was as eager to receive affection as she was to give it, a cuddler and a hugger, delighting in being dressed up by her mother and older sisters and carried around by her father and older brothers, but she was a lover, not a clinger.

"Mama! Mama!" Visenya came darting into the Princess-Hand's chambers that morning in a whirl of energy. The previous day she had only been half recovered from the most recent cold she had caught, easily catching two or three afflictions every moon. But just like all the other times, she seemed to return to her spritely, sparkling nature even faster than she became ill. In the blink of an eye her daughter was tugging on her skirts, half climbing onto her lap, "You said when I was well again I could see my new gown, and I'm well again now, and I wish to see before you're busy! Please Mama?"

Rhaenyra kissed her forehead, drawing a way with a wide smile and a soft laugh, "Does your father know you're back up and running, then?"

"Mhm!" She nodded, silvery waves jostling around her shoulders in excitement as she explained animatedly, "I jumped on him first, but he said I had to ask you about the gown. And Kepa is around during the day, but you've been so busy the past few weeks, I didn't know if I'd catch you."

"Oh my sweetling," Visenya was fully in her lap now, and Rhaenyra shooed away her ladies' maids who'd been assisting her with setting her hair and applying her cosmetics so she could wrap her arms around her daughter and snuggle with her fully for a moment. When the younger Princess was ill her heart always raced, often going so fast it impeded her breathing just as much as the colds and flus that caused it to begin with. The feeling of Visenya's body against her own, accompanied by a slow, steady heartbeat was a better remedy for her mother's anxiety than any tincture or draft Maester Gerardys could ever offer. "Of course you may see, you'll have to wait a little while more before you wear it though, and I won't have you begging to do so early, do we have an agreement?" She questioned her with a smile and Visenya returned it in kind, accompanied by another nod. "That's a good girl, let's get your hair fixed while I finish up here and then we'll go look and pick something else pretty for you to wear today."

Rhaenyra allowed Visenya to remain in her lap, as her ladies maids finished her own typically elaborate hairstyle, and she brushed out and then braided Visenya's in a crown around her head. The younger princess spent most of their time telling her mother about the newest book on stars she had gotten her hands on, and wholly consumed during the better moments during her illness. "And where did you manage to find this one?" Rhaenyra asked with a laugh, well aware of Visenya's propensity to "borrow" any and every text she could find concerning astronomy from everyone from her older brothers, and the King's private library, to anything the Maesters didn't nail down.

"It came in with all sorts of other ones when the host from Dorne arrived!"

Rhaenyra breathed a small sigh of relief at that, it was hardly stealing when her daughter had taken it off a stack treasures she'd counted out the highly generous return payment of gold and gemstones for herself. "Well, I'm glad you found something so enlightening to pass your time stuck in bed."

"Please may I keep it at least until Jaehaera and Jaehaerys arrive? I wish to show them too, all the drawings are so pretty, so it's much more interesting than just trying to explain with diagrams like they send from the Citadel."

"I don't see why not," Rhaenyra finishes her daughter's hair and stands her back up so she can find where the gown made for her upcoming--more like looming--coronation had been stored away. "Are you still excited to see them? We were all thinking you may not be up to company just yet."

"But they're not company, they're my friends! And I've missed them!" Visenya's gentle protesting made her laugh once more.

"You make a fair point there, I've missed your Aunt Helaena as well, it will be nice to see everyone." Rhaenyra knew her daughter was old enough now to catch the unspoken I hope at the end of her sentence, and so lays the dress down before she can inquire further so as not to burden her child of only ten with having to unpack those particular anxieties. The gown was made of silk, lace, and satin in a deep blush pink that did not quite border on red, inlaid with rubies, pearls, and onyx gems. It was extravagant, no doubt, but even so felt mildly restrained in a way for the eldest blood-daughter of the soon to be Queen, the girl who would--if the deal they made held for the better part of a decade--be the Lady, and then Princess, of the Targaryens of Dragonstone one day. But Rhaenyra tried to push that out of her mind as Visenya oohed and aahed over the gown for a long few moments.

Once she grew bored her daughter bounded for the doorway and then waited expectantly, clearly still hoping her mother would make good on her suggestion of helping her pick an outfit for the day. The younger Princess questioned as they walked back towards her own bedchamber, "After they visit, can I go back to Dragonstone with the twins for a while? Like we talked about..." She paused before adding in what seemed to be a justification, "I don't want them to go away for so long again."

Rhaenyra didn't know how to respond at first, busying herself by pulling out a couple of dresses from her daughter's wardrobe so she momentarily did not have to look her in the eye. She wanted to say no on instinct alone, to let her fears the endless wet and gray would put her little girl in a perpetual state of coughing and fevers overrule everything, even though she knew such a prospect was unlikely. She wanted to pretend the betrothal of Visenya to Jaehaerys as part of the agreement that gave her younger siblings Dragonstone was not a far kinder political arrangement on her end than theirs. She was her Princess, more valuable than any gold, jewels, or power. But Visenya was her sixth born, small, sickly, unimaginable at this age to bear children, there could be no better offer, not amongst their family, nor any of the Great Houses and if there was one thing Rhaenyra, Helaena, and even Alicent could see eye to eye on, it was that Princess' don't belong to their mothers, not forever, not for long enough. And it was still better for Visenya to belong to their House, their family, to the smart and gentle, sometimes shy boy her sister was raising, than anywhere else in a world so hostile to a small, sickly little girl.

Rhaenyra finally turned, holding out the dresses for Visenya to choose and responded, "One step at a time sweetling, let's keep you well through all these coming events your father and sisters and the Queen and I have all been working so hard to organize, and then we shall see, alright?"

Visenya was not entirely pleased by this, but it satisfied her enough for the time being. "I suppose...I want to wear the purple one though, so we can match!"

"I would be honored, my love."